1, 2, 3, Stop the Bleed: Analysis of a Bleeding Control Educational Course

Hemorrhaging, or uncontrolled bleeding, accounts for 40% of preventable deaths in the United States that occur after a traumatic injury. The Stop the Bleed campaign was launched in 2015 by the White House National Security Council to educate the public about methods to control and stop bleeding as well as empower individuals to take action if a traumatic accident occurs. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the “Stop the Bleed” bleeding control course to increase knowledge about the topic as well as increase confidence to take action and use the techniques that were taught during the course appropriately. Data was collected via a cross sectional pre-post survey design. At baseline, the participants were asked basic knowledge questions about bleeding control and techniques to use as well as how confident they felt using those skills. After being presented the bleeding control material and practicing the techniques in the hands-on portion of the course, the participants were asked to complete a post-test with similar questions to that of the pre-test. De-identified responses were collected to analyze the changes in the overall knowledge scores and overall confidence scores with the use of the paired-t statistical test on SPSS. The participants (N=32) were employees within the Thomas Jefferson University Campus Security department. The overall score for the knowledge-based questions were analyzed from pre to post and showed that the changes were statistically significant (8.163,

A connexin30 mutation rescues hearing and reveals roles for gap junctions in cochlear amplification and micromechanics

Accelerated age-related hearing loss disrupts high-frequency hearing in inbred CD-1 mice. The p.Ala88Val (A88V) mutation in the gene coding for the gap-junction protein connexin30 (Cx30) protects the cochlear basal turn of adult CD-1Cx30A88V/A88V mice from degeneration and rescues hearing. Here we report that the passive compliance of the cochlear partition and active frequency tuning of the basilar membrane are enhanced in the cochleae of CD-1Cx30A88V/A88V compared to CBA/J mice with sensitive high-frequency hearing, suggesting that gap junctions contribute to passive cochlear mechanics and energy distribution in the active cochlea. Surprisingly, the endocochlear potential that drives mechanoelectrical transduction currents in outer hair cells and hence cochlear amplification is greatly reduced in CD-1Cx30A88V/A88V mice. Yet, the saturating amplitudes of cochlear microphonic potentials in CD-1Cx30A88V/A88V and CBA/J mice are comparable. Although not conclusive, these results are compatible with the proposal that transmembrane potentials, determined mainly by extracellular potentials, drive somatic electromotility of outer hair cells

Innate Immune Responses of Drosophila Melanogaster are Altered by Spaceflight

Alterations and impairment of immune responses in humans present a health risk for space exploration missions. The molecular mechanisms under pinning innate immune defense can be confounded by the complexity of the acquired immune system of humans. Drosophila (fruit fly) innate immunity is simpler, and shares many similarities with human innate immunity at the level of molecular and genetic pathways. The goals of this study were to elucidate fundamental immune processes in Drosophila affected by spaceflight and to measure host-pathogen responses post-flight. Five containers, each containing ten female and five male fruit flies, were housed and bred on the space shuttle (average orbit altitude of330.35 km) for 12 days and 18.5 hours. A new generation of flies was reared in microgravity. In larvae, the immune system was examined by analyzing plasmatocyte number and activity in culture. In adults, the induced immune responses were analyzed by bacterial clearance and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of selected genes following infection with E. coli. The RNA levels of relevant immune pathway genes were determined in both larvae and adults by microarray analysis. The ability of larval plasmatocytes to phagocytose E. coli in culture was attenuated following spaceflight, and in parallel, the expression of genes involved in cell maturation was down regulated. In addition, the level of constitutive expression of pattern recognition receptors and opsonins that specifically recognize bacteria, and of lysozymes, antimicrobial peptide (AMP) pathway and immune stress genes, hallmarks of humoral immunity, were also reduced in larvae. In adults, the efficiency of bacterial clearance measured in vivo following a systemic infection with E. coli post-flight, remained robust. We show that spaceflight altered both cellular and humoral immune responses in Drosophila and that the disruption occurs at multiple interacting pathways

SK current, expressed during the development and regeneration of chick hair cells, contributes to the patterning of spontaneous action potentials

Chick hair cells display calcium (Ca2+)-sensitive spontaneous action potentials during development and regeneration. The role of this activity is unclear but thought to be involved in establishing proper synaptic connections and tonotopic maps, both of which are instrumental to normal hearing. Using an electrophysiological approach, this work investigated the functional expression of Ca2+-sensitive potassium [IK(Ca)] currents and their role in spontaneous electrical activity in the developing and regenerating hair cells (HCs) in the chick basilar papilla. The main IK(Ca) in developing and regenerating chick HCs is an SK current, based on its sensitivity to apamin. Analysis of the functional expression of SK current showed that most dramatic changes occurred between E8 and E16. Specifically, there is a developmental downregulation of the SK current after E16. The SK current gating was very sensitive to the availability of intracellular Ca2+ but showed very little sensitivity to T-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, which are one of the hallmarks of developing and regenerating hair cells. Additionally, apamin reduced the frequency of spontaneous electrical activity in HCs, suggesting that SK current participates in patterning the spontaneous electrical activity of HCs

The Activity of Spontaneous Action Potentials in Developing Hair Cells Is Regulated by Ca2+-Dependence of a Transient K+ Current

Spontaneous action potentials have been described in developing sensory systems. These rhythmic activities may have instructional roles for the functional development of synaptic connections. The importance of spontaneous action potentials in the developing auditory system is underpinned by the stark correlation between the time of auditory system functional maturity, and the cessation of spontaneous action potentials. A prominent K+ current that regulates patterning of action potentials is IA. This current undergoes marked changes in expression during chicken hair cell development. Although the properties of IA are not normally classified as Ca2+-dependent, we demonstrate that throughout the development of chicken hair cells, IA is greatly reduced by acute alterations of intracellular Ca2+. As determinants of spike timing and firing frequency, intracellular Ca2+ buffers shift the activation and inactivation properties of the current to more positive potentials. Our findings provide evidence to demonstrate that the kinetics and functional expression of IA are tightly regulated by intracellular Ca2+. Such feedback mechanism between the functional expression of IA and intracellular Ca2+ may shape the activity of spontaneous action potentials, thus potentially sculpting synaptic connections in an activity-dependent manner in the developing cochlea

Nanotechnology Perspectives in Agro and Food Industries

Nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging field of research with enormous potential for societal and economic benefits. It exploits physical phenomena and mechanisms that cannot be derived by simply scaling down the associated bulk structures and bulk phenomena. In this article nanotechnology perspectives and applications in agro and food industries has been analyzed. Development and perspectives for intelligent packaging materials and encapsulated components for slow release of active compounds has been especially reviewed

Transformasi Organisasi pada Budaya Organisasi Polri Menuju Polri Presisi

The Indonesian National Police (INP) should become a professional, credible, accountable, transparent based on the principles of Democratic Policing. This research uses qualitative approach with case study as a research method which uses sources such as documents, books, and other related literatures. From several evaluation research show that there are lots of efforts for organisational transformation which experience failures although the INP have chosen many strategies, planning and resources as well as strong administrative commitments. Threats to the success of transformation within the organisation may emerge whether from the inside or outside. The political will in a bureaucratical field and willingness of the public which is the initiative and capability to support the INP's transformation becomes the primary key in actualising the INP that is Presisi. It is a utopia if the transformation of the INP in becoming an ideal national police comes solely from internal INP efforts. This research's recommendations are: the public must be involved actively in all processes of transformation, the need to strengthen organisational culture, moral and ethics of police, the empowerment of human resources which are based on science, and the process of transformation must be followed through continuous monitoring and evaluation

Uticaj brzine obrtanja pužnice ekstrudera na fizičke karaktreistike hrane za pastrmke

Upotreba ekstrudera u tehnologiji proizvodnje svih vrsta hrane za ribe ubrzano se širi u celom svetu, što je u poslednje vreme evidentno i u domaćoj industriji. Danas se hrana za ribe uglavnom proizvodi u obliku ekstrudata čije fizičke karakteristike, pored ostalog, zavise od sastava hrane, ali i od procesnih parametara tokom ekstrudiranja, od kojih su najznačajniji: temperatura u cevi ekstrudera, geometrija matrice, površina otvora na matrici, tip ekstrudera, geometrija pužnice i brzina obrtanja pužnice. Sposobnost ekstrudata da pluta ili tone (brzina tonjenja) često je najkritičnija funkcionalna karakteristika hrane za ribe, jer utiče kako na ishranu riba i ostalih vodenih životinja, tako i na zagađenje vode koja predstavlja njihovo životno stanište. Plutajuće/tonuće karakteristike zavise od gustine ekstrudata, a gustina se reguliše upravo uslovima ekstrudiranja. U zavisnosti od vrste kojoj je namenjena, hrana za ribe se proizvodi kao: plutajuća (šaran, tilapia, som), sporo-tonuća (pastrmka, losos) i tonuća (grgeč, škampi). Pastrmka je salmonidna vrsta ribe za čiji je opstanak neophodna sveža tekuća voda, a pripada porodici Salmonidae. Kako je grabljivica, “hvata” hranu dok sporo pada kroz vodu, pa je za njenu ishranu neophodno proizvesti sporo-tonuću hranu. S obzirom da slabo i teško vari skrob, osnovni izvori energije kod pastrmke su prvenstveno masti, a potom i proteini. Da bi se zadovoljili nutritivni zahtevi pastrmke, uz istovremeno obezbeđenje neophodnih fizičkih karakteristika hrane, uslovi ekstrudiranja se moraju strogo definisati i kontrolisati tokom čitavog procesa. Brzina obrtanja pužnice, kako je već navedeno, predstavlja jedan od najznačajnijih parametara ekstrudiranja. Stoga se ovaj rad bavi ispitivanjem uticaja pomenute karakteristike procesa na kvalitet hrane za pastrmke. Na standardni sastav hrane za pastrmke primenjene su tri različite brzine obrtanja pužnice od 180, 300 i 420 obrtaja u minuti. Pri ekstrudiranju su upotrebljenje dve matrice sa ukupnom površinom otvora od 50 mm2 i 100 mm2. Tokom procesa, praćene su promene parametara: temperatura i pritisak u cevi ekstrudera, potrošnja energije, gubitak vode na izlazu iz ekstrudera i fizičkih karakteristika: nasipna masa i sposobnost absorpcije vode ekstrudata. Specijalna pažnja posvećena je promeni brzine tonjenja, veličini od naročitog značaja za ishranu pastrmke. Dobijeni rezultati brzine tonjenja izraženi su kao srednje vrednosti merenja za petnaest slučajnih uzoraka i upotrebljeni za izračunavanje jednostavnog linearnog modela zavisnosti brzine tonjenja hrane za pastrmke od brzine obrtanja pužnice ekstrudera i ukupne površine otvora upotrebljene matrice. Visoka vrednost koeficijenta determinacije (R2 = 0.93) ukazuje na to da dobijena jednačina dobro opisuje gore pomenutu zavisnost