bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phylogenetic groups and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of uropathogenic Escherichia coli clinical isolates from patients at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda
Authors: Katongole Paul , Bulwadda Kisawuzi Daniel , Kyobe Bbosa Henry , Patrick Kateete David , Florence Najjuka Christine 
Published: October 2019

Introduction: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) remains the most common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs). They account for over 80-90% of all community-acquired and 30-50% of all hospital-acquired UTIs. E. coli strains have been found to belong to evolutionary origins known as phylogenetic groups. In 2013, Clermont classified E. coli strains into eight phylogenetic groups using the quadruplex PCR method. The aim of this study was to identify the phylogenetic groups of UPEC strains in Uganda using Clermont’s quadruplex PCR method and to assess their antibiotic susceptibility patterns in Uganda. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 140 stored uropathogenic E. coli isolates from the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences Makerere University were subjected to phylogenetic typing by a quadruplex PCR method. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by disk diffusion method according to Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Phenotypic detection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase, AmpC and carbapenemases was done according to CLSI guidelines and Laboratory SOPs. Results: Phylogenetic group B2 (40%) was the most predominant, followed by A (6.23%), clade I and II (5%), D and E (each 2.14%), B1 (1.43%) and F and C (each 0.71%). The most common resistant antibiotic was trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole (90.71%) and the least was imipenem (1.43%). In total, 73.57% of isolates were multi-drug resistant (MDR). Antibiotic resistance was mainly detected in phylogenetic group B2 (54%). Conclusions: Our findings showed the high prevalence of MDR E. coli isolates, with the dominance of phylogenetic group B2. About 9% of E. coli isolates belonged to the newly described phylogroups C, E, F, and clade I and II.
DYNAMICS OF INCIDENCE AND CHRONIC PATHOLOGY IN CHILDREN IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Authors: Бантьева М. , Bant'eva M. , Маношкина Е. , Manoshkina E. , Соколовская Т. , Sokolovskaya T. 
Published: October 2019

The health condition of the Russian Federation children has been characterized by negative trends in the past thirty years. The aim of the study is to identify the main trends in the total and for the first time in the life registered incidence in children 0–14 years old in the Russian Federation, as well as to monitor the quantity and dynamics of the indicator of chronicity of diseases. The data of form N12 of the federal statistical observation for the period 2000–2018 are analyzed, using the method of descriptive statistics. A significant increase was revealed both in the total incidence of girls (by 19.0%) and for the first time in the life registered incidence (by 19.3%). The maximum increase in total incidence is observed for the following classes of diseases: neoplasms (2.3 times), congenital anomalies (malformations) (1.8 times), diseases of nervous system (1.5 times), diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (1.4 times). The growth for the first time in life registered incidence was revealed for the following classes: neoplasms (2 times), congenital anomalies (malformations) (1.6 times), diseases of the respiratory system (1.3 times). High figures of the chronicity index aggregative for all classes of diseases (1.262 in 2000 year and 1.259 in 2018 year) reflect the high level of chronic pathology in children 0–14 years old, what is an unfavorable characteristic of their health condition. An analysis of the chronization index of the diseases revealed its maximum growth for: asthma, asthmatic status (71.1%), allergic rhinitis
(hay fever) (43.0%), diseases characterized by high blood pressure (41.9%), urolithiasis (30.9%). The greatest decrease in the chronicity index was revealed by the following nosologies: cerebral palsy (19.8%), chronic and unspecified bronchitis, emphysema (18.7%), gallbladder and biliary tract disease (16.2%), and blood coagulation disorders (12.6%). The health of children determines the health of the nation in the nearest future; therefore, the issues of its preservation and
improvement require thorough attention.
Available Sources of Food in Indonesia (for the improvement of the nutritional status of children)
Authors: Goan-Hong Lie , Kam-Nio Oey , Prawiranegara Dradjat D. , Herlina Tudit , Sihombing Geertruida , Jus'at Idrus 
Published: October 2019

Ultimately, improvement of the nutritional status of children, in especially the preschool children, can only be achieved if the daily food intake is sufficient.This will ensure in the first instance the adequate provision -of energy, and secondly, the available protein in the diet will then be efficiently utilized. Sufficient intake of food can and must be realized through the combined use of inexpensive locally available foods from the food groups: Cereals, Legumes and Fish, Fat, Vegetables and Fruits, according to the existing menu-pattern "4 Sehat - 5 Sempurna" (4 means healthy- 5 is excellent).
The diet therefore must not consist of rice alone. The role of fat in the diet must be stressed. The meal pattern of preschool children must be at least l times a day, preferably more.
Depending on the available budget and the creative imagination of the mother, a variety of inexpensive but palatable dishes can be prepared at home which will stimulate the food intake.
Novel Circulating Tumor Cell Assay for Detection of Colorectal Adenomas and Cancer
Authors: Tsai Wen-Sy , You Jeng-Fu , Hung Hsin-Yuan , Hsieh Pao-Shiu , Hsieh Ben , Lenz Heinz-Josef , Idos Gregory , Friedland Shai , Yi-Jiun Pan Jennifer , Shao Hung-Jen , Wu Jen-chia , Lai Jr-Ming , Chang Shih-En , Mei Rui , Watson Drew , Javey Manana , Nimgaonkar Ashish 
Published: October 2019

OBJECTIVES:
There is a significant unmet need for a blood test with adequate sensitivity to detect colorectal cancer (CRC) and adenomas. We describe a novel circulating tumor cell (CTC) platform to capture colorectal epithelial cells associated with CRC and adenomas.

METHODS:
Blood was collected from 667 Taiwanese adults from 2012 to 2018 before a colonoscopy. The study population included healthy control subjects, patients with adenomas, and those with stage I–IV CRC. CTCs were isolated from the blood using the CellMax platform. The isolated cells were enumerated, and an algorithm was used to determine the likelihood of detecting adenoma or CRC. Nominal and ordinal logistic regression demonstrated that CTC counts could identify adenomas and CRC, including CRC stage.

RESULTS:
The CellMax test demonstrated a significant association between CTC counts and worsening disease status (Cuzick's P value < 0.0001) with respect to the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. The test showed high specificity (86%) and sensitivity across all CRC stages (95%) and adenomatous lesions (79%). The area under the curve was 0.940 and 0.868 for the detection of CRC and adenomas, respectively.

DISCUSSION:
The blood-based CTC platform demonstrated high sensitivity in detecting adenomas and CRC, as well as reasonable specificity in an enriched symptomatic patient population.

TRANSLATIONAL IMPACT:
If these results are reproduced in an average risk population, this test has the potential to prevent CRC by improving patient compliance and detecting precancerous adenomas, eventually reducing CRC mortality.
The Development of A Flexible Battery by Using A Stainless Mesh Anode
Authors: Iwai Kanawe , Tamura Teppei , Nguyen Dang-Trang , Taguchi Kozo 
Published: October 2019

We have developed a compact and flexible battery, which composes three parts: (1) an anode electrode made for stainless mesh which was heat-treated for 30 min at 500℃ with coated carbon nanotube (CNT), (2) a piece of paper filter-based membrane with the pore size of 0.025 µm and the thickness of 100 µm, and (3) a cathode electrode coated potassium ferricyanide. The battery can generate electricity activated by adding sodium chloride (NaCl) solution to the anode. The battery has a NaCl concentration-dependence characteristic. In this research, we tested 0.5, 1, 3, 5, and 10% NaCl solution, respectively. At 3% NaCl concentration, the maximum power density and current density of 42.3 µW/cm2 and 228 µA/cm2 were obtained, respectively. After the experiments, there was a blue material encountered on the anode surface. By using EDS to analyze the blue material, it could be confirmed that the blue material was ferric ferrocyanide (Prussian blue). The operation principle of this battery was proposed as follows. First, on the anode side, the injected sodium chloride solution oxidizes the stainless mesh surface, then ferric ions and electrons are released. Second, on the cathode side, ferricyanide ions are reduced to ferrocyanide ions by electrons coming from the anode through the external circuit. Simultaneously, ferric ions react with ferrocyanide ions to produce Prussian blue and generate more electrons. This battery can be potentially utilized for applications that require on-demand, disposable, and flexible characteristics. ©2019. CBIORE-IJRED. All rights reserved
Numerical Study of Effect of Blade Twist Modifications on the Aerodynamic Performance of Wind Turbine
Authors: Beabpimai Wiroj , Chitsomboon Tawit 
Published: October 2019

This paper aims to investigate aerodynamic performance of a wind turbine blade with twist modifications using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The phenomenon of 3D stall-delay effect in relation to blade twist is the key feature to be investigated in order to improve efficiency of a wind turbine. The NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) Phase VI wind turbine rotor was used for validation and as the baseline rotor. The baseline blade geometry was modified by increasing/decreasing the twist angles in the inboard, mid-board and outboard regions of the blade in the form of a symmetrical curve with maximum twist angle of 3°. The steady incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the k-ω Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence closure model were used for the calculations at wind speeds ranging from 5-20 m/s. The computational results for the baseline Phase VI rotor were validated against experimental data and a good agreement was found. The computational results for the modified blades were compared against those of the baseline blade. It was found that increase of annual energy production of up to 5.1% could be achieved by this modification technique. ©2019. CBIORE-IJRED. All rights reserved
Novel ABCD1 gene mutations in Iranian pedigrees with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy
Authors: Emamalizadeh Babak , Daneshmandpour Yousef , Tafakhori Abbas , Ranji-Burachaloo Sakineh , Shafiee Sajad , Ghods Elahe , Darvish Hossein 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Background
X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), the most common peroxisomal disorder, is caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene located on Xq28. X-ALD is characterized by a spectrum of different manifestations varying in patients and families.

Methods
Four pedigrees with X-ALD consisting of patients and healthy members were selected for investigation of ABCD1 gene mutations. The mutation analysis was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by direct sequencing of all exons. The identified mutations were investigated using bioinformatics tools to predict their effects on the protein product and also to compare the mutated sequence with close species.

Results
One previously known missense mutation (c.1978 C > T) and three novel mutations (c.1797dupT, c.879delC, c.1218 C > G) were identified in the ABCD1 gene, each in one family. Predicting the effects of the mutations on protein structure and function indicated the probable damaging effect for them with significant alterations in the protein structure. We found three novel mutations in the ABCD1 gene with damaging effects on its protein product and responsible for X-ALD.
The Impact of Roe on Prenatal Tort Litigation: On the Public Policy of Unexpected Children
Authors: Haqq Luke Isaac 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThis article provides a history of especial importance to abortion politics today, based on research involving a dataset of over 1,200 wrongful conception, wrongful birth, wrongful life, and standard torts for prenatal injuries. In documenting the rise of these torts over the twentieth century, I specifically focus on how this domain of litigation dramatically changed beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, with the recognition of the constitutional rights to contraception and abortion. I provide an exhaustive survey of an underappreciated yet robust arena of public policy at the intersection of reproductive rights and tort law, emphasizing the reciprocal relationship between these torts and reproductive rights. State courts and legislatures continue to debate into the present about whether to ban, permit, or restrict damages in these torts, debates that have been perennial since the early 1970s. Using several timelines created in Stata to plot the annual frequency of the above cases from the late 1800s into the present, as well as several maps providing a 50-state overview, I highlight a specific arena in which reproductive rights are forged, one revealing problematic aspects of a “post-Roe era” of public policy regarding the benefits and harms of unexpected children.
Local Government Law, Development and Cross-border Trade in the Global Cities of SADC
Authors: Pieterse Marius 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe ways in which cities function and are governed matter economically. While the growing literature on ‘global cities’ shows that city governments often pursue economic competitiveness, not much work has been done on whether the formal powers and competencies of cities and towns, as well as the ways in which these are wielded, are conducive to the achievement of developmental and socio-economic objectives. This article considers the interactions and interdependencies between local government law, urban governance, developmental objectives and formal as well as informal cross-border trade between cities in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. While supporting increased devolution of local government powers, it cautions that cities of SADC must take care to wield their powers in ways that ensure the economic flourishing of the majority of their inhabitants. In particular, this requires a change of mindset in relation to the municipal regulation of informal economic activity.
„Bei uns in Chaironeia …“
Authors: Neumann Christian 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
This paper analyses the conception of the speaker figures in Plutarch’s Quaestiones Graecae and Quaestiones Romanae and their relationship to each other and to the historical author. The analysis is based on the questions as to what extent it is actually possible to identify a conceived speaker figure in these seemingly note-like writings and if such speaker figure can be assumed to be a completely freely conceived character or is at least in some way related to the person of the historical author. The analysis of the Quaestiones Graecae reveals that the speaker in this treatise is conceived as a competent explainer of the Greek world. He is imbued with Greek culture, but shows no particular proximity to the author’s special interests and competencies. Only a reader who is deeply familiar with the author can discern his presence in some passages, which gives them access to a second level of understanding. The speaker of the Quaestiones Romanae, in contrast, is conceived as a conscientious researcher, who is interwoven with Greek culture and exercises restraint in addressing Roman issues. However, where Greek subjects are concerned, he can take a more pronounced position, thus exhibiting some proximity to the speaker of the Quaestiones Graecae. The analysis of such a passage makes evident that the speaker figures of the two treatises are identical and that their approach is essentially dependent on the subject contemplated. They can be considered as conceptions based on the historical author, whose presence, however, shines through in only some passages. This multi-layered speaker conception shows that both treatises are more thoroughly elaborated from a literary point of view and are more closely interconnected than often assumed by researchers.
„Klarere Spiegel des Göttlichen“ – Plutarch und die Tiere
Authors: Pabst Angela 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
This paper deals with one of Plutarch’s favourite subjects - the relation between human beings and animals. In order to gain new insight into this topic, a three-step approach is chosen: First, the paper investigates some of the essential ideas concerning animals (their soul, their emotions and intellectual capacities) to be found in Plutarch’s work and the vocabulary he employs. Secondly, the paper focuses on Plutarch’s unique style of writing and his skillful use of the Socratic method to guide his audience. Thirdly, Plutarch’s personal opinion will be analyzed. In the first part of this paper, Plutarch’s work serves as a lens to unfold the nature of contemporary discourses on the relation between man and animal (with broad agreement on some points and controversies about others) as well as the different notions associated with the terms theria and zoa. A special focus is placed on the ‘Gryllos’ (mor. 985 d-992 e). Plutarch’s treatise ‘Whether the creatures of the land or the creatures of the sea have more phronesis’ (mor. 959 b-985 c) is an important contribution to the field of animal ethics and the subject of the second part of this paper. The ingenious structure of said text illustrates Plutarch’s qualities as a writer and how carefully he employs maieutic methods to support his readers in developing their own point of view. The third part of this paper is devoted to passages from Plutarch’s oeuvre which illustrate his personal position in the debate on the relation between human beings and animals. He is clearly aware that life on earth is inextricably interwoven with acts of killing and destruction, yet he also believes that observing animals has some lessons to offer to mystery religions. Plutarch describes animals as ‘clearer mirrors to the divine’, thereby illustrating that he perceives creatures - whether tiny or large - as a unique chance to gain a better understanding of the miracle of life. In this capacity animals provide a way for human beings to improve their insight into the nature of the divine.
ʿAbbāsid-Carolingian Diplomacy in Early Medieval Arabic Apocalypse
Authors: Ottewill-Soulsby Samuel 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Study of the diplomacy between the Carolingians and the ʿAbbāsids has been hampered by the absence of any sources from the Caliphate commenting on their relationship. This paper identifies two variants of the Arabic Tiburtine Sibyl, apocalyptic prophecies composed by Syriac Christians in the early ninth century, that provide contemporary Arabic references to contact between Charlemagne and Hārūn al-Rashīd. In doing so, they shed new light on this diplomatic activity by indicating that it was considerably more important for the Caliph than normally appreciated. Combined with other references to the Franks in Arabic apocalyptic of the period, the evidence of these Sibyls suggests that Hārūn al-Rashīd accrued considerable prestige from his reception of Charlemagne’s envoys and the gifts that they brought with them.
Alexandria between Antiquity and Islam: Commerce and Concepts in First Millennium Afro-Eurasia
Authors: Fowden Garth 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Late antique Alexandria is much better known than the early Islamic city. To be fully appreciated, the transition must be contextualized against the full range of Afro-Eurasiatic commercial and intellectual life. The Alexandrian schools ‘harmonized’ Hippocrates and Galen, Plato and Aristotle. They also catalyzed Christian theology especially during the controversies before and after the Council of Chalcedon (451) that tore the Church apart and set the stage for the emergence of Islam. Alexandrian cultural dissemination down to the seventh century is here studied especially through evidence for the city’s libraries and book trade, together with the impact of its educational curriculum from Iran to Canterbury. After the Arab conquest, Alexandria turned into a frontier city and lost its economic and political role. But it became a city of the mind whose conceptual legacy fertilized not only Greek scholarship at Constantinople, but also Arabic science and philosophy thanks to the eighth- to ninth-century Baghdadi translation movement. Alexandria emanated occult energies too, thanks to the Pharos as variously misunderstood by Arabic writers, or the relics of its Christian saints, not least the Evangelist Mark, surreptitiously translated to Venice in 828-29. Study of the astral sciences too - astronomy but also astrology - was fertilized from Alexandria, as far afield as India and perhaps China as well as Syria, Baghdad and Constantinople. Egypt’s revival by the Fatimids, who founded Cairo in 961, had little impact on Alexandria until about the end of the eleventh century when, for a time, the city attracted Sunni scholars from as far away as Spain or Iran, while commerce benefited from the rise of the Italian merchant republics and the beginning of the Crusades. While the early caliphate had united a vast zone from Afghanistan to the Atlantic, the eleventh century saw a reemergence of late antique distinctions between the Iranian plateau, Syro-Mesopotamia, and the two Mediterranean basins. Alexandria was one of the points where these worlds intersected, though sub-Saharan Africa, to which it formally belonged, remained largely beyond its horizon until the twentieth century.
Effects of a stylus on the surface roughness determination in a contact method for paper and paperboard
Authors: Jeong Hyun Seok , Ko Young Chan , Kim Hyoung-Jin 
Published: October 2019

AbstractSurface characterization is important and has many applications in the paper industry. It includes both surface roughness and surface friction. In determining the surface roughness of paper and paperboard, non-contact methods such as air-leak methods In characterizing the surface roughness of paper and paperboard, it has been a common practice that the average roughness with the coefficient of variation (COV) has been conventionally determined. This practice, however, this runs the risk of drawing wrong conclusions since two different surfaces having the same average roughness and COV can exhibit totally different properties. To avoid such mistake, a stylus-type contact method has been developed to determine surface roughness of paper and paperboard such as printing & writing (P&W), kraft and liners. In this method, surface roughness profile has been generated to determine its variability which has been defined as the mean deviation from the roughness average, referred to as MDRA. In determining the MDRA, it is noted that thickness measurement is not required. In this method, stylus shape and size, contact force of the stylus to the surface, scan speed and resolution have been identified as the key parameters of generating stable surface roughness profiles. It has been further identified that the optimal conditions on these parameters should depend on paper grade. It is suggested that a stylus-type contact method should be used to determine surface roughness of paper and paperboard to help determine their practical applications such as printing, coating and embossing.