The bacteria profiles of wounds in diabetic patients hospitalized in northern Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Diabetic wound infections still remain a health concern such that correct identification of bacteria is essential in monitoring the spread of the infections as well as in the administration of the correct treatment. This study therefore focuses on isolating and identifying bacteria present in diabetic wounds of hospitalized patients in northern KwaZulu-Natal and assessing their distribution.The wound specimen were collected and swabbed onto selective and differential media. The bacteria identities were presumptively ascertained through biochemical characterization (Gram-stain, catalase test, oxidase test and API) and then confirmed through 16S rDNA sequencing.A total of 42 isolates were recovered from 83% of the patients sampled from the three participating hospitals (X, Y, and Z). Gram-negative bacilli from Enterobacteriaceaewere predominant followed by Staphylococci spp and Enterococcus faecaliswith 43% polymicrobial cases from hospital Z and 29% from hospital X. Distribution of some opportunistic pathogens and nosocomially-acquired pathogens were also observed across the patients with five bacterial identities distributed among hospital X and Z. The adverse effects associated with the recovered bacteria in diabetic wounds pose a serious health concern and preventive measure should be taken.Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, wounds, bacteria, infectio

Production of and trade in African indigenous vegetables in the urban and peri-urban areas of Durban, South Africa

This paper reports on the farming and trade of lesser known crops, here termed African indigenous vegetables (AIVs), in the Durban metropole. Most households grow AIVs, and collect them from the wild, primarily for home consumption. Modal income from sale was approximately R30 per month per farmer, most of whom were middle-aged to elderly females, with limited education, who had been cultivating AIVs here for many years. The main constraints to greater sales were deemed to be low market demand and adverse climate. The commonest AIVs grown were pumpkin leaves, taro and amaranth. Although most farmers sold very little, there is a thriving retail trade in AIVs. Generally, retailers were females, but younger and more educated than the farmers. The majority viewed retailing as a full-time occupation. Modal income for retailers was R450 per month, but included non-AIV produce. Most of the traders thought there was insufficient market demand for AIVs

Drivers of Change or Cut-Throat Competitors? Challenging Cultures of Innovation of Chinese and Nigerian Migrant Entrepreneurs in West Africa

L'afflux remarquable des entrepreneurs migrants chinois dans différents pays d'Afrique occidentale au cours des dernières années a été heurtée à une résistance de plus en plus farouche par des entrepreneurs locaux établis. Que le premiers ont un avantage concurrentiel sur ce dernier en raison de traits socio-culturels distinctifs, ou si l'efficacité supposée chinoise est juste une caractéristique de toutes les diasporas mercantiles, est ouvert à la question. Cette étude exploratoire des migrants entrepreneuriales chinois et nigérians au Ghana et au Bénin tente de répondre à cette question. Apparemment, les forces culturels des agents du changement migrants ne sont pas limités à des systèmes de valeurs héritées ou religions, comme une éthique protestante ou le confucianisme, mais ils sont adaptés en permanence et ont inventé de nouveau par des réseaux transnationaux de la migration dans un monde globalisé. Il n'y a aucune preuve d'une prétendue supériorité de la culture d’innovation chinois par rapport aux cultures d’innovation africains des migrants entrepreneuriales. Plutôt, il existe une capacité accrue d'innovation d'une diaspora mercantile en général vis à vis des entrepreneurs locaux, indépendamment de l'origine de la culture nationale dans lequel il est intégré. En outre, la rivalité des entrepreneurs migrants chinois et nigérians dans les marchés africains ne conduit pas nécessairement à la concurrence coupe-gorge souvent suspectée sous l'impact de la mondialisation. Souvent, les deux groupes agissent plutôt complémentaires. Cela contribue, sous certaines conditions, même à la réduction de la pauvreté dans le pays d'accueil

Exploring the social function of congregations: Acommunity development approach to develop ‘hub-and-spill’ early childhood development centres

This article reflects on the findings of a research study that investigated a community development project by CARITAS, a welfare organisation of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC). The said organisation, together with local DRC congregations, and in a quest to address societal issues such as poverty and child neglect in the Northern Cape, developed early childhood development (ECD) centres in rural towns. The aim was to provide young children with quality care and to provide congregations with a platform to become active participants in community development projects. The study was conducted 5 years after the start of the project to explore the nature and value thereof. The outcomes of the study provide valuable insights regarding how such centres served as a tool to work towards ECD and a sense of community in these towns, while also addressing socio-economic issues. This article is aimed at presenting the findings as an example to be explored in other contexts

Regional Sanctions Against Burundi: A Powerful Campaign and Its Unintended Consequences

This paper examines the impact of regionally imposed sanctions on the trajectory of the Burundian regime and its involvement in the peace process following the 1996 coup in the country. Despite the country's socioeconomic and geopolitical vulnerability, the Buyoya government withstood the pressure from the sanctions. Through a vocal campaign against these sanctions, the new government mitigated the embargo's economic consequences and partially reestablished its international reputation. Paradoxically, this campaign planted the seed for comprehensive political concessions in the long term. While previous literature has attributed the sanctions' success in pressuring the government into negotiations to their economic impact, the government actually responded to the sanction senders' key demand to engage in unconditional, inclusive peace talks under the auspices of the regional mediator once the economy had already started to recover. The regime's anti-sanctions campaign, with its emphasis on the government's willingness to engage in peace talks, backfired, with Buyoya forced to negotiate after having become entrapped in his own rhetoric

First candidates for γ vibrational bands built on the [505] 11/2− neutron orbital in odd-A Dy isotopes:

Rotational structures have been measured using the Jurogam II and GAMMASPHERE arrays at low spin following the 155Gd(α,2n)157Dy and 148Nd(12C,5n)155Dy reactions at 25 and 65 MeV, respectively. We report high-K bands, which are conjectured to be the first candidates of a Kπ=2+γ vibrational band, built on the [505]11/2− neutron orbital, in both odd-A155,157Dy isotopes. The coupling of the first excited K=0+ states or the so-called β vibrational bands at 661 and 676 keV in 154Dy and 156Dy to the [505]11/2− orbital, to produce a Kπ=11/2− band, was not observed in both 155Dy and 157Dy, respectively. The implication of these findings on the interpretation of the first excited 0+ states in the core nuclei 154Dy and 156Dy are also discussed

The bacteria profiles of wounds in diabetic patients hospitalized in northern Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Diabetic wound infections still remain a health concern such that correct identification of bacteria is essential in monitoring the spread of the infections as well as in the administration of the correct treatment. This study therefore focuses on isolating and identifying bacteria present in diabetic wounds of hospitalized patients in northern KwaZulu-Natal and assessing their distribution.The wound specimen were collected and swabbed onto selective and differential media. The bacteria identities were presumptively ascertained through biochemical characterization (Gram-stain, catalase test, oxidase test and API) and then confirmed through 16S rDNA sequencing.A total of 42 isolates were recovered from 83% of the patients sampled from the three participating hospitals (X, Y, and Z). Gram-negative bacilli from Enterobacteriaceaewere predominant followed by Staphylococci spp and Enterococcus faecaliswith 43% polymicrobial cases from hospital Z and 29% from hospital X. Distribution of some opportunistic pathogens and nosocomially-acquired pathogens were also observed across the patients with five bacterial identities distributed among hospital X and Z. The adverse effects associated with the recovered bacteria in diabetic wounds pose a serious health concern and preventive measure should be taken.Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, wounds, bacteria, infectio

Fe-MIL-101 and Fe-MIL-88B synthesized from waste derived precursors

The dataset outlines different characterization used to deterimine the nature and properties of the material. An ICP-OES data summarizes the measured elemental concentrations from raw AMD and after the extraction of Fe using NaOH with and without the use of an oxidant. The XPS data outlines the composition, chemical and electronic state of the atoms that make up the Fe precipitates. Adsorption-desorption studies produced BET SA and PV data which shared information about the surface area, pore size and types of pores contained within the material. The document also shares thermal degradation profiles, crystallinity, chemical structure and bonding as well as the morphology of the material. The powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) tool was used to determine the crystal phases, phase purity and size of the unit cell of MOFs, collected over a wide range of 2θ. Thermal stabilities of MOFs were measured using a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique and profiles plotted with weight loss against temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique was used for imaging and analysis of surface morphology in MOF materials to determine size, shape, morphology, and surface composition. </p

Proportional crosstalk for the iThemba LABS clover detector

CITATION: Noncolela, S.P. et al. 2017. Proportional crosstalk for the iThemba LABS clover detector. Acta Physica Polonica B, 48(3):347-350, doi:10.5506/APhysPolB.48.347.The original publication is available at http://www.actaphys.uj.edu.pl/Measurements of the proportional crosstalk were performed for the iThemba LABS segmented clover detector. More than 1000 crosstalk parameters were determined and a crosstalk correction algorithm was implemented successfully.Publishers versio