STUDIES AND RESEARCHES REGARDING THE BIOLOGICAL FILTRATION OF WATER IN A RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEM

It is necessary to maintain optimal water quality parameters for a proper operation of a recirculating aquaculture system for fish breeding. A biological filtration installation has to be performed so that to satisfy the system requirements on the conversion of ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate, less toxic products for the fish population. The presence of ammonia and metabolites in water is a stress factor for concentrations higher than 0.05 mg/nitrogen ammonia (NH3 - N) and this will be felt in the growth of fish and in their resistance to disease.

Implementing a Virtual Mobility Education Program to Impact Nursing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors toward Patient Mobility

Introduction: Older adults aged 65 and over are vulnerable to functional decline during hospitalization and negative outcomes associated with immobility such as pressure injuries and falls. Studies reveal that nurses overlook patient mobilization due to competing priorities and a lack of comfort with patient mobilization. Hospital-associated functional decline can be mitigated through mobilization protocols. A 36-bed medical surgical unit in a South Florida hospital did not have a protocol for patient mobility. Methods: Nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding patient mobility were assessed using a pre-implementation survey. A virtual education program about the mobility protocol was provided via an online platform. Three weeks later, a post-implementation survey was administered to those who attended the education. Results: Fourteen nurses completed both the pre- and post-test surveys. The nurse-led mobility protocol educational intervention was associated with (a) an increase in average scores from the pre-test nursing mobility attitudes (M = 3.50) and behavior subscales (M = 3.40) to the post-test scores (M = 3.56 and M =3.75, respectively) and (b) a significant increase in the average knowledge scores from the pre-test survey (M = 4.31) to the post test survey (M = 4.62), t(13) = -2.74, p \u3c 0.05. Discussion: The results suggest that the mobility education was successful in increasing nurse mobilization knowledge. Methods to improve nurses’ attitudes and behaviors toward patient mobility should be further explored

GENERAL ASPECTS REGARDING THE GROWTH FRESHWATER FISH IN CUBES, AN ALTERNATIVE FOR AQUACULTURE IN ROMANIA

Due to the increased consumption of fish, as an alternative to achieving healthy population nutrition, the development of European aquaculture also shows an increasing trend. At present, freshwater culture is about 42% of total European fish production. Valuable species, from an economic point of view, can be reared in intensive systems in cages on running waters or ponds, combined with less valuable species. There are also new species that are gradually becoming increasingly important for the fish industry in Europe. Freshwater aquaculture in Romania is based on rainbow trout and carp which are still predominant species, but there is significant demand for valuable fish species [11,12,16]. Â

5-Fluorouracil-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone) nanoparticles combined with phage E gene therapy as a new strategy against colon cancer

This work aimed to develop a new therapeutic approach to increase the efficacy of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in the treatment of advanced or recurrent colon cancer. 5-FU-loaded biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone) nanoparticles (PCL NPs) were combined with the cytotoxic suicide gene E (combined therapy). The SW480 human cancer cell line was used to assay the combined therapeutic strategy. This cell line was established from a primary adenocarcinoma of the colon and is characterized by an intrinsically high resistance to apoptosis that correlates with its resistance to 5-FU. 5-FU was absorbed into the matrix of the PCL NPs during synthesis using the interfacial polymer disposition method. The antitumor activity of gene E from the phage ϕX174 was tested by generating a stable clone (SW480/12/E). In addition, the localization of E protein and its activity in mitochondria were analyzed. We found that the incorporation of 5-FU into PCL NPs (which show no cytotoxicity alone), significantly improved the drug’s anticancer activity, reducing the proliferation rate of colon cancer cells by up to 40-fold when compared with the nonincorporated drug alone. Furthermore, E gene expression sensitized colon cancer cells to the cytotoxic action of the 5-FU-based nanomedicine. Our findings demonstrate that despite the inherent resistance of SW480 to apoptosis, E gene activity is mediated by an apoptotic phenomenon that includes modulation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 expression and intense mitochondrial damage. Finally, a strongly synergistic antiproliferative effect was observed in colon cancer cells when E gene expression was combined with the activity of the 5-FU-loaded PCL NPs, thereby indicating the potential therapeutic value of the combined therapy

IMPROVING THE ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF AN INTENSIVE RECIRCULATING ACQUACULTURE SYSTEM USING A WATER-WATER TYPE HEAT PUMP

Aquaculture efficiency practiced in recirculating systems depends on a variety of factors, among which the most important is the energy consumed by the whole system. In order to assure a high degree of energy conservation, in a recirculating aquaculture system has to be maximized the recirculating water degree and has to be imposed the use of renewable energy sources for heating, respective for cooling the water within system as well as of hall. Maintenance of an appropriate climate in a recirculating aquaculture system involves high energy consumption, determined by high water quantities which have to be heat or cool, as well as determined by maintaining water temperature and of breeding space. An optimal solution for replacing conventional systems of heating/cooling and optimizing of energy consumption is the use of the heat pumps. In the present paper are presented experimental results performed with a heat pump of water-water type at different water replacing rates and two different water flows for demonstrating efficiency of a heat pump for improving energy consumption of a RAS

State-of-the-art neonatal cerebral ultrasound: technique and reporting

In the past three decades, cerebral ultrasound (CUS) has become a trusted technique to study the neonatal brain. It is a relatively cheap, non-invasive, bedside neuroimaging method available in nearly every hospital. Traditionally, CUS was used to detect major abnormalities, such as intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), periventricular hemorrhagic infarction, post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation, and (cystic) periventricular leukomalacia (cPVL). The use of different acoustic windows, such as the mastoid and posterior fontanel, and ongoing technological developments, allows for recognizing other lesion patterns (e.g., cerebellar hemorrhage, perforator stroke, developmental venous anomaly). The CUS technique is still being improved with the use of higher transducer frequencies (7.5-18\u2009MHz), 3D applications, advances in vascular imaging (e.g. ultrafast plane wave imaging), and improved B-mode image processing. Nevertheless, the helpfulness of CUS still highly depends on observer skills, knowledge, and experience. In this special article, we discuss how to perform a dedicated state-of-the-art neonatal CUS, and we provide suggestions for structured reporting and quality assessment

TRACEABILITY AND FOOD LABELING CONSIDERATIONS

This article presents the current traceability and labeling of foods and how this can be improved with WEB and Cloud Computing applications. The paper label contains details on the traceability and labeling elements applied to products, traceability and labeling elements that are listed under EU and Consumer Guidance on Food (EU) and ways to make this information simpler understandable for end-users and for the competent authorities there is a transparent method of verifying all the information necessary to track and verify the activity of all factors involved in the production, distribution and sale of food product

A Review on the Mechanical Modeling of Composite Manufacturing Processes

© 2016, The Author(s). The increased usage of fiber reinforced polymer composites in load bearing applications requires a detailed understanding of the process induced residual stresses and their effect on the shape distortions. This is utmost necessary in order to have more reliable composite manufacturing since the residual stresses alter the internal stress level of the composite part during the service life and the residual shape distortions may lead to not meeting the desired geometrical tolerances. The occurrence of residual stresses during the manufacturing process inherently contains diverse interactions between the involved physical phenomena mainly related to material flow, heat transfer and polymerization or crystallization. Development of numerical process models is required for virtual design and optimization of the composite manufacturing process which avoids the expensive trial-and-error based approaches. The process models as well as applications focusing on the prediction of residual stresses and shape distortions taking place in composite manufacturing are discussed in this study. The applications on both thermoset and thermoplastic based composites are reviewed in detail

International lower limb collaborative (INTELLECT) study: a multicentre, international retrospective audit of lower extremity open fractures

Trauma remains a major cause of mortality and disability across the world1, with a higher burden in developing nations2. Open lower extremity injuries are devastating events from a physical3, mental health4, and socioeconomic5 standpoint. The potential sequelae, including risk of chronic infection and amputation, can lead to delayed recovery and major disability6. This international study aimed to describe global disparities, timely intervention, guideline-directed care, and economic aspects of open lower limb injuries