bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evolving a national preventive protocol for vertical transmission of group B streptococcus in a low-resource country: The culture-based approach
Authors: Abdulbaki Mariam , Ijaiya Munirdeen , Fadeyi Abayomi , Adesiyun Omotayo , Adeniran Abiodun , Aliyu Onozare , Jimoh Abdulgafar 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Objective: The study objective was to determine the role and applicability of the culture-based approach to Group B Streptococcus(GBS) screening and the effect on pregnancy outcome. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective cross-sectional study involving 166 consenting antenatal clinic attendees at 35–37 weeks' gestation using purposive sampling. All participants had vaginal and rectal swabs collected and cultured with the availability of culture results at the time of presentation in labor. All GBS-colonized mothers received intrapartum prophylaxis with parenteral antibiotics based on antibiotic sensitivity from the onset of labor or the rupture of membrane until delivery. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software version 21.0, while P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The GBS maternal prevalence was 7.8%, and culture-positive women had both vaginal and rectal colonization. Marital status (P = 0.002), multiple sexual partners (P =0.001), previous sexually transmitted infections (P = 0.013), and low socioeconomic status (P = 0.012) were significantly associated with GBS colonization. GBS isolates were 100% sensitive to ampicillin, all participants had a minimum of two doses of intrapartum prophylaxis with parenteral ampicillin, there was no maternal morbidity, and the vertical transmission of GBS was 0%. Conclusions: The culture-based approach and the culture-based maternal intrapartum prophylaxis prevented both maternal and neonatal complications from GBS. Establishing regional- and national-level preventive protocols will be a central strategy for the prevention.
Communication Media Policy and Regulation: Implications for Mainstreaming e-Learning in Nigeria
Authors: Osunwusi Adeyinka Olumuyiwa 
Published: August 2019

Issues bordering upon the imperativeness of communication media policy and regulation are, perhaps, no longer open to debate. Although media and communication governance remains a largely national prerogative, principles, policies and regulations – albeit essentially normative in nature – exist for the administration and regulation of media and communication at inter-governmental and global levels, consequent upon the progressive evolution of new digital technologies, the increasing universality of media access, the paradigm shift towards communication system interoperability and automation, the stride towards virtualization, and the emerging trends in the digitalization of knowledge. This body of policies, principles and regulations expectedly has a bearing on communication media applications, services, and tools. Emerging trends in training, development and the teaching-learning processes globally reveal a frenzied shift towards the application of digital technologies to facilitate the effectiveness, efficiency, and liberalization of learning. This paper undertakes an overview of international media policy and regulatory framework within the context of national media and communication policy frameworks. It analyses a number of existing and emerging issues in media and communication regulation and examines the implications of these issues on the digitalization of knowledge on one hand and the stride toward mainstreaming e-learning within the context of the Nigerian educational realm on the other hand. Recommendations were also advanced for the mainstreaming of e-learning in Nigeria against the backdrop of national and international media and communication governance frameworks.
Multiple Cervical Vertebral Malformations in a 21-Week-Old Kitten
Authors: Dean Barnaby Luke , Smith Caroline , Liebel Francois-Xavier , Warren-Smith Christopher 
Published: August 2019

ABSTRACT
A 21 wk old, 2 kg neutered male domestic shorthair presented with a 24 hr history of acute-onset severe nonambulatory tetraparesis with no known inciting cause. Neurologic examination revealed a C1–C5 myelopathy. Computed tomography of the vertebral column and thorax revealed incomplete ossification of the C2 and C3 vertebrae and lung bullae. After 4 wk of conservative management, the client reported a return to normal ambulation with reluctance to jump up. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a feline case of incomplete ossification of cervical vertebrae. The cervical malformations outlined in this report are differentials to consider in cases of acute-onset tetraparesis in cats.
Use of Toceranib Phosphate in the Treatment of Canine Bladder Tumors: 37 Cases
Authors: Gustafson Tanya Lynn , Biller Barbara 
Published: August 2019

ABSTRACT
Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is a locally aggressive tumor in dogs with low-to-moderate responses to traditional chemotherapeutic agents. Toceranib (TOC) phosphate represents a novel agent for the treatment of canine TCC. Thirty-seven dogs were identified who had received TOC for bladder tumor treatment. The TOC was generally well tolerated, although 56% of dogs had progression of azotemia while receiving TOC. A partial response to TOC was observed in 6.7% of dogs, and 80% of dogs had stable disease for a median duration of 128.5 days. Median time to progression was 96 days, and median survival time after the start of TOC was 149 days. There were no significant variables influencing time to progression or survival time in this group of dogs. This retrospective study suggests that TOC may be useful for the treatment of TCC. However, careful monitoring of renal function is recommended in patients with bladder tumors receiving TOC.
Successful Management of Severe Bromethalin Toxicosis in a Dog
Authors: Lyons Bridget M. , Poppenga Robert H. , Thawley Vincent J. , Waddell Lori S. 
Published: August 2019

ABSTRACTThe use of bromethalin rodenticides has risen since 2011, and in some states, it is the most common rodenticide ingestion reported to poison control. Although intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) has been previously reported to lower serum desmethylbromethalin levels in an asymptomatic dog, and repeated mannitol has been investigated in a laboratory setting, there are no published reports of successful treatment of symptomatic bromethalin toxicosis in dogs. A 9 yr old castrated male Norwich terrier was evaluated for obtunded mentation, seizures, cranial nerve deficits, and tetraparesis secondary to bromethalin toxicosis. The patient was treated with ILE, mannitol, and ginkgo biloba and returned to normal neurological function. Bromethalin exposure was confirmed by serum desmethylbromethalin levels. Previous literature indicates that the prognosis for patients who suffer from symptomatic bromethalin toxicosis is poor to grave, and the return to normal neurological function after severe toxicosis has not been reported. ILE, mannitol, and ginkgo biloba are readily available and relatively inexpensive, and in combination may be of benefit in symptomatic bromethalin intoxication.
A Causal Model to Compare the Extent of Undergraduates’- Postgraduates’ Impact on Unemployment in Uganda
Authors: Kakooza Victoria , Wamala Robert , Wokadala James , Bwire Thomas 
Published: August 2019

The combination of technological unemployment and oversupply of graduates has increased competition in the labour markets. Postgraduates have been noted to hold more than one job and in some cases apply for jobs meant for undergraduates. Could this imply that post graduates have created more overall unemployment than undergraduates have, in the Ugandan labour market? This is the novel of this study. This was accomplished by a statistical model that comparatively analysed the bi-causal effect of postgraduates on unemployment; versus effect of undergraduates on unemployment. As such, the study utilised Uganda’s secondary data from 1991 to 2017, and employed the Vector Error Correction (VECM) model. The results of the study showed the existence of a long run impact of both the postgraduates and undergraduates on overall unemployment, but an insignificant impact in the short run. The postgraduates had a greater impact on unemployment in the long run, than the undergraduates. The study therefore reveals an affirmative answer to the aforementioned question.
Characteristics of Waste Pickers in Nakuru and Thika Municipal Dumpsites in Kenya
Authors: Kariuki Joseph Maina , Bates Margaret , Magana Adiel 
Published: August 2019

Dumpsite waste picking is prevalent in many developing countries of which Kenya is one. Waste pickers play an important role in waste recycling by recovering and providing materials to the waste recycling industry.
Aim: The purpose of the study was to characterise the demographic and socio-economic factors of waste pickers in Nakuru and Thika municipal dumpsites.
Study Design: The research design was a cross-sectional social survey and the sample size was 167.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the largest dumpsite in Nakuru and Thika towns found in Nakuru and Kiambu counties respectively.
Methodology: The data was collected by use of structured questionnaire. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Analysis was by frequency tables, χ2 test and t-test at 95% level of confidence.
Results: The results show that there was parity by gender in Nakuru but in Thika the proportion of females was much higher than that of males. There was significant association between age and site of operation with waste pickers in Thika being on average younger than in Nakuru (χ = 12.605, d.f. = 3, p = 0.006). Waste pickers in Thika had on average attained a higher level of education than in Nakuru (χ2 = 12.352, d.f. = 3, p = 0.006). Most of the waste pickers (96%) only picked from exclusively from the dumpsite. Waste pickers in Thika spent an average of 10.26±0.23 hours daily in waste picking which was significantly higher (t=-3.709, n=160, p<.001) than at Nakuru (8.97±0.27 hours). The mean number of years of waste picking in Thika was significantly less than in Nakuru (t=4.627, d.f.=158, p<.001).
Conclusion: In conclusion, waste pickers play an important role in waste recycling, with waste picking supporting hundreds of waste pickers in the study area, who are important in integrated waste management and need to be understood, appreciated and supported.
Habitat loss‐induced tipping points in metapopulations with facilitation
Authors: Sardanyés Josep , Piñero Jordi , Solé Ricard 
Published: August 2019

AbstractHabitat loss is known to pervade extinction thresholds in metapopulations. Such thresholds result from a loss of stability that can eventually lead to collapse. Several models have been developed to understand the nature of these transitions and how they are affected by the locality of interactions, fluctuations or external drivers. Most models consider the impact of grazing or aridity as a control parameter that can trigger sudden shifts, once critical values are reached. Others explore instead the role played by habitat loss and fragmentation. Here we consider a minimal model incorporating facilitation between the individuals of the same species along with habitat destruction, with the aim of understanding how local cooperation and habitat loss interact with each other. A mathematical model incorporating facilitation and habitat destruction is derived, along with a spatially explicit simulation model. It is found that a catastrophic shift is expected for increasing levels of habitat loss, but the bifurcation becomes continuous when dispersal is local. Under these conditions, spatial patchiness is found and the qualitative change from discontinuous to continuous results are in agreement with previous studies on ecological systems. Our results suggest that species exhibiting facilitation and displaying short‐range dispersal will be markedly more capable of avoiding catastrophic tipping points.
On the nature of the optimal form of the holdase‐type chaperone stress response
Authors: Hall Damien 
Published: August 2019

The holdase paradigm of chaperone action involves preferential binding by the chaperone to the unfolded protein state, thereby preventing it from either, associating with other unstable proteins (to form large dysfunctional aggregates), or being degraded by the proteolytic machinery of the cell/organism. In this paper, we examine the necessary physical constraints imposed upon the holdase chaperone response in a cell‐like environment and use these limitations to comment on the likely nature of the optimal form of chaperone response in vivo.
Emerging Scanning Probe–Based Setups for Advanced Nanoelectronic Research
Authors: Hui Fei , Wen Chao , Chen Shaochuan , Koren Elad , Dechter Rimma , Lewis David , Lanza Mario 
Published: August 2019

AbstractScanning probe microscopy (SPM) refers to a family of techniques that have become essential to study many different properties of materials and devices at the nanoscale. All of them have in common that they use an ultrasharp probe tip to scan the surface of a sample. However, although many of these techniques are interrelated, some of them have become very sophisticated and require specific and deep study. While there are plenty of review articles available for most of these techniques, newer developments need to be carefully analyzed in a critical manner in order to promote their development. In this progress report, some of the newest SPM‐based developments that are expected to generate a larger impact in the field of nanoelectronics are discussed, and critical advice on how to improve each of them is provided. In particular, the combination of wear and electrical tests; scanning gate microscopy; the integration of conductive atomic force microscopy into scanning electron microscopy; and the integration of a scanning probe into transmission electron microscopy, multiprobe scanning tunneling microscopy, multiprobe atomic force microscopy, and fountain‐pen nanolithography are focused on.
Full‐Textile Wireless Flexible Humidity Sensor for Human Physiological Monitoring
Authors: Ma Liyun , Wu Ronghui , Patil Aniruddha , Zhu Shuihong , Meng Zhaohui , Meng Haiqiang , Hou Chen , Zhang Yifan , Liu Qiang , Yu Rui , Wang Jun , Lin Naibo , Liu Xiang Yang 
Published: August 2019

AbstractTextile‐based electronic techniques that can in real‐time and noncontact detect the respiration rate and respiratory arrest are highly desired for human health monitoring. Yarn‐shaped humidity sensor is fabricated based on a sensitive fiber with relatively high specific surface area and abnormal cross‐section. The response and recovery time of the yarn‐shaped humidity sensor is only 3.5 and 4 s, respectively, with little hysteresis, because of the hydrophobic property of these functional fibers and the grooves on the surface of the fibers, which is much faster than those of the commercial polyimide materials. Moreover, a battery‐free LC wireless testing system combined with the yarn‐shaped sensor is fabricated, which is further successfully imbedded into the intelligent mask to detect human breath. Based on the detection of LC wireless testing system, the frequency of 50.25 MHz under the exhaled condition shifts to 50.86 MHz under the inhaled situation of humidity sensor. In essence, the functional yarns with proper structure, would be an excellent candidature to the yarn‐shaped humidity sensor, in which there are good performance and wide application possibilities, eventually offering a facile method for the wireless detection of human physiological signals in the field of electronic fabrics.
Synthesis of Functionalized Spirocyclic Indolines by Visible Light‐Induced One‐Pot Sequential Difluoromethylative Dearomatization, Hydroxylation, and Substitution Reactions
Authors: Wang Qiang , Qu Yi , Liu Yuxiu , Song Haibin , Wang Qingmin 
Published: August 2019

AbstractHerein we describe an one‐pot protocol for visible light‐induced synthesis of functionalized spirocyclic indolines under mild conditions by means of a process involving sequential difluoromethylative dearomatization, hydroxylation, and substitution reactions of indole derivatives. The transformation proceeds via a hydroxylated “acetal pool” intermediate that can react with various nucleophiles. Several of the phosphine‐oxide and indole‐substituted products showed good fungicidal activity, suggesting that this protocol might be useful in the agrochemical field.magnified image
Injectable and Conductive Granular Hydrogels for 3D Printing and Electroactive Tissue Support
Authors: Shin Mikyung , Song Kwang Hoon , Burrell Justin C. , Cullen D. Kacy , Burdick Jason A. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractConductive hydrogels are attractive to mimic electrophysiological environments of biological tissues and toward therapeutic applications. Injectable and conductive hydrogels are of particular interest for applications in 3D printing or for direct injection into tissues; however, current approaches to add conductivity to hydrogels are insufficient, leading to poor gelation, brittle properties, or insufficient conductivity. Here, an approach is developed using the jamming of microgels to form injectable granular hydrogels, where i) hydrogel microparticles (i.e., microgels) are formed with water‐in‐oil emulsions on microfluidics, ii) microgels are modified via an in situ metal reduction process, and iii) the microgels are jammed into a solid, permitting easy extrusion from a syringe. Due to the presence of metal nanoparticles at the jammed interface with high surface area in this unique design, the granular hydrogels have greater conductivity than non‐particle (i.e., bulk) hydrogels treated similarly or granular hydrogels either without metal nanoparticles or containing encapsulated nanoparticles. The conductivity of the granular hydrogels is easily modified through mixing conductive and non‐conductive microgels during fabrication and they can be applied to the 3D printing of lattices and to bridge muscle defects. The versatility of this conductive granular hydrogel will permit numerous applications where conductive materials are needed.
Hierarchically Porous N‐Doped Carbon Fibers as a Free‐Standing Anode for High‐Capacity Potassium‐Based Dual‐Ion Battery
Authors: Zhang Meng , Shoaib Muhammad , Fei Huilong , Wang Tao , Zhong Jiang , Fan Ling , Wang Lei , Luo Haiyan , Tan Shan , Wang Yaya , Zhu Jian , Hu Jiawen , Lu Bingan 
Published: August 2019

AbstractPotassium‐based dual‐ion batteries (KDIBs) have emerged as a new generation of rechargeable batteries, due to their high cell voltage, low cost, and the natural abundance of potassium resources. However, the low capacity and poor cycling stability largely hinder the further development of KDIBs. Herein, the fabrication of hierarchically porous N‐doped carbon fibers (HPNCFs) as a free‐standing anode for high‐performance KDIBs is reported. With a free‐standing hierarchical structure (micro/meso/macropores and nanochannels) and high‐content of nitrogen doping, the HPNCFs not only provide intrinsic electron pathways and efficient ion transport channels, but also afford sufficient free space to tolerate the volume change during cycling. Consequently, the KDIBs made from a graphite cathode and an optimized HPNCFs anode deliver a high reversible capacity of 197 mAh g−1 at a specific current of 50 mA g−1, and excellent cycling stability (65 mAh g−1 after 346 cycles at a specific current of 100 mA g−1, the capacity calculation of the KDIBs is based on the mass of the anode). These results indicate that the properly designed HPNCFs can effectively improve the capacity and cycling stability of the KDIBs, indicating a great potential for applications in the field of high‐performance energy‐storage devices.
Facile Patterning of Laser‐Induced Graphene with Tailored Li Nucleation Kinetics for Stable Lithium‐Metal Batteries
Authors: Yi Jingsi , Chen Jiahua , Yang Zheng , Dai Yang , Li Weimin , Cui Jiang , Ciucci Francesco , Lu Ziheng , Yang Chunlei 
Published: August 2019

AbstractA facile and scalable approach is reported to stabilize the lithium‐metal anode by regulating the Li nucleation and deposition kinetics with laser‐induced graphene (LIG). By processing polyimide (PI) films on copper foils with a laser, a 3D‐hierarchical composite material is constructed, consisting of a highly conductive copper substrate, a pillared array of flexible PI, and most importantly, porous LIG on the walls of the PI pillars. The high number of defects and heteroatoms present in LIG significantly lowers the Li nucleation barrier compared to the copper foil. An overpotential‐free Li nucleation process is identified at current densities lower than 0.2 mA cm−2. Theoretical computations reveal that the defects serve as nucleation centers during the heterogeneous nucleation of lithium. By adopting such composites, ultrastable lithium‐metal anodes are obtained with high Coulombic efficiencies of ≈99%. Full lithium‐metal cells based on LiFePO4 cathodes with a material loading of ≈15 mg cm−2 and a negative/positive ratio of 5/1 could be cycled over 250 times with a capacity loss of less than 10%. The current work highlights the importance of nucleation kinetics on the stability of metallic anodes and demonstrates a practical method toward long lasting Li‐metal batteries.
Ni/Fe Codoped In2S3 Nanosheet Arrays Boost Photo‐Electrochemical Performance of Planar Si Photocathodes
Authors: Meng Linxing , He Jinlu , Tian Wei , Wang Meng , Long Run , Li Liang 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe photo‐electrochemical performance of the Si photocathode is seriously restricted by the severe charge recombination at the Si/electrolyte interface and sluggish hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. Herein, a facile hydrothermal process is reported to integrate Ni/Fe codoped In2S3 nanosheet arrays onto the surface of unmodified a p‐Si photocathode for water reduction. The experimental results and density functional theory calculations indicate that the Ni and Fe codoping of In2S3 contributes to small surface transfer impedance, prolonged carrier lifetime, increased charge carrier concentration, and reduced overpotential for HER. Moreover, a p–n junction formed at the interface of Si and Ni/Fe:In2S3 promotes the photogenerated electron–hole separation and reduces the recombination in the bulk. As a result, the Si–Ni/Fe:In2S3 photocathode exhibits high performance with significantly enhanced photocurrent of −80.9 mA cm−2 at −1.3 VRHE and positive onset potential of 0.44 VRHE.