Characterization of Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis Abiotic Stress Responses

Bacteria require optimal growth conditions in order to thrive. However, stress factors such as cold and oxidation can attribute to the pathogenecity of a species. Ribonuclease E ( RNase E) is a component of the multicomplex protein, the degradosome, which is inclusive of: enolase (a glycolytic enzyme), and RhlB helicase, and 3\u27 -5\u27 exoribonuclease polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase). The microbiological model organism, E. coli, is attributed to first indicating the presence of microdomain PNPase in the degradosome. However, the species of interest in this study is Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (YPT) due to its affinity to proliferate and sustain in said abiotic stress environments unlike its enterobacteriaceae counterpart. YPT exposed to oxidative stress need degradosome assembly therefore it is degradosome-dependent. Conversely, the cold growth mechanism of PNPase in YPT is degradosome-independent

The case of the vanishing medical student

Medical students are often hard to find on the wards after 3.00pm. In this reflective piece, using our own experiences of clinical teaching we describe the case of an archetypal, and stereotypical medical student who rarely attends a full day of timetabled clinical teaching. Using this case as an example we outline our insights of the reasons underpinning the fact many medical students leave clinical teaching placements well before 5.00pm and in doing so miss out of learning opportunities. We also make two simple recommendations to medical students and teachers that could be employed to incentivise students to linger longer on their clinical placements

Adolescent Medical Decision Making and the Law of the Horse

Legal and ethical regimes relating to adolescent medical decision making resemble what Judge Frank H. Easterbrook derisively called “the Law of the Horse”: Many laws deal with horses, he wrote, but there is no such field as “horse law.” Similarly, even though the United States has juvenile and family courts, as well as pediatric and adolescent medical departments, there is not a distinct field of “adolescent medical decision-making law” or ethics; there are just many disparate policies that implicate or impinge upon decisions made by adolescents. These include state laws ranging from those that permit minors to seek treatment for substance misuse or mental illness without parental consent to those that prohibit tattoo parlors from serving minors even with parental consent. They also include ethical norms that inform hospital and clinic policies about whether minors may refuse life-extending medical treatment over their parents’ objections or whether parents may compel their children to have cosmetic procedures without the child’s agreement. At first glance, this range of policies might seem less coherent and productive to mine as a unified body of legal and ethical norms than even “horse law.” But there is a deeper connection between adolescent decision-making law and ethics and “the Law of the Horse,” one that suggests that adolescent decision making may not be the disparate collection of regimes that it appears to be. The legal and ethical norms relating to adolescent decision making illuminate more general issues about how legal and ethical doctrines incorporate scientific information about human cognition and development. Since the existence of separate laws and ethical norms for adolescents and adults is premised on actual differences between them, some kind of consensus about the nature of those differences ought to unify the “law and ethics of adolescent medical decision making.” But it does not. By working through examples of how legal and ethical doctrines interact with issues of adolescent decision making, we can elucidate a set of general questions about doctrinal reliance, or lack thereof, on neuroscientific evidence about human development and behavior. This piece serves as the Introduction to a symposium issue of the Journal of Health Care Law & Policy, which presents a collection of essays that coalesce around the regulation of adolescent decision making in light of current research on brain development

Effect of maternal corticosteroid provision on middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity readings in the potentially anaemic fetus prior to planned intrauterine transfusion

Purpose: Middle Cerebral Artery Peak Systolic Velocity (MCA-PSV) is the main tool for determining need for and timing of intrauterine transfusions (IUT) for severe fetal anaemia. It has been suggested that steroids temporarily decrease MCA-PSV, potentially increasing false-negative MCA-PSV findings in anaemic fetuses. We therefore aimed to assess whether maternal corticosteroid administration prior to IUT is associated with clinically significant temporary decreases in MCA-PSV. Methods: Retrospective review 2005–2016 of steroid provision prior to IUT, with correlation of MCA-PSV pre- and post-steroid administration and haemoglobin at IUT. Results: In 23 identified cases, there was no significant difference between average MoM pre- and post-steroid (1.71 ± 0.41 vs. 1.66 ± 0.38, −2.9% mean, P = 0.4). There was also no significant difference between pre- and post-steroid MoM taken within 3 days of each other (n = 19, P = 0.21). However, post-steroid MCA-PSV decreased by >15% in 6/23 cases (A-B zone in two cases, B-C zone in one case). Conclusions: This study found no sizeable, generalised effect of corticosteroid administration on MCA-PSV readings in the potentially anaemic fetus. A minority showed substantial shifts where reliance on post-steroid MCA-PSV could have unfavourably altered clinical management. Ultimately, further large-scale research is required before we can discount the potential impact of steroids on MCA-PSV values

PENGUKURAN KELIMPAHAN DAN SEBARAN SPASIAL ZOOPLANKTON MENGGUNAKAN SCIENTIFIC ECHOSOUNDER DI SEMENANJUNG UTARA PESISIR BANYUASIN, SUMATERA SELATAN

The waters of the Banyuasin north Peninsula are areas that are directly adjacent the Bangka Strait and Sembilang National Park and have several activities such as settlements, fisheries and ports that can affect the growth and abundance of the zooplankton population. Zooplankton has an important role in waters, as an indicator and a food web system that can affect other high trophic level organisms. This study aims to determine the abundance and spatial distribution of zooplankton in the waters of the northern peninsula of Banyuasin using the hydroacoustic method. The study was carried out in October 2020 using the SIMRAD EK-15 single beam echosounder instrument in the waters of the northern peninsula of Banyuasin. The abundance value of zooplankton was obtained from the recording of acoustic data in the form of Volume Backscattering Strength (SV) and Target Strength (TS) values. The results showed differences in abundance between the time of observation and the water depth strata. The amount of zooplankton abundance during the day is dominant from 1000-1500 ind/m3 with a maximum value of 3595 ind/m3 and at night 400-800 ind/m3 with the highest zooplankton abundance value is 2213 ind/m3. The spatial distribution of zooplankton abundance tends to group according to the behavior of the zooplankton and the presence of current factors that have the potential to determine the path of movement of zooplankton in the waters.  Perairan Semenanjung Utara Pesisir Banyuasin merupakan daerah yang berbatasan langsung dengan Selat Bangka dan Taman Nasional Sembilang serta memiliki beberapa aktivitas seperti pemukiman, perikanan maupun pelabuhan dan adanya pengaruh perubahan terhadap pertumbuhan maupun kelimpahan dari populasi zooplankton. Zooplankton memiliki peranan penting di perairan, sebagai indikator dan sistem jaring makanan yang dapat berpengaruh bagi organisme tingkat trofik tinggi lainnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kelimpahan dan sebaran spasial zooplankton di perairan Semenanjung Utara Pesisir Banyuasin menggunakan metode hidroakustik. Penelitian dilaksanakan pada bulan Oktober 2020 menggunakan instrumen single beam echosounder SIMRAD EK-15 di perairan Semenanjung Utara Pesisir Banyuasin. Nilai kelimpahan zooplankton didapatkan dari hasil perekaman data akustik berupa nilai Volume Backscattering strength (SV) dan nilai Target Strength (TS). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan perbedaan kelimpahan antara waktu pengamatan dan strata kedalaman perairan. Frekuensi kelimpahan zooplankton pada siang hari dominan dari 1000-1500 ind/m3 dengan nilai maksimum yaitu 3595 ind/m3 dan pada malam hari 400-800 ind/m3 dengan nilai kelimpahan zooplankton tertinggi yaitu 2213 ind/m3. Sebaran spasial kelimpahan zooplankton cenderung berkelompok sesuai dengan tingkah laku dari zooplankton tersebut dan adanya faktor arus yang berpotensi menentukan jalur pergerakan dari zooplankton di perairan

Development of an Insulated Solar Electric Cooker (ISEC) with Thermal Storage for Use in Developing World Countries

According to the World Health Organization, about half of the world’s population uses biomass stoves to cook their meals. However, biomass fires can be dangerous. Unattended biomass fires and indoor air pollution are responsible for an estimated 600,000 deaths annually and the creation of approximately 4 million instances of chronic disease. They also release CO2 and other pollutants into the air, and require the families to gather enough material to keep it burning (WHO 2017). Although cleaner cooking technology seems like a clear solution, often families are either unwilling to change how they cook food or are unable to afford cleaner cooking solutions. In populations where the average daily pay rate is less than $1.25/day, an inexpensive cooking option is crucial. Our group will work closely with our sponsor, Dr. Pete Schwartz, to follow on the successful prototypes of Insulated Solar Electric Cookers (ISECs) that inexpensively slow cook food over the course of the day for up to 10 people. We wish to add thermal storage to these designs to provide the ability to heat things with higher power and provide use after dark. This report includes the necessary background research we have done on the other ISECs and the design development we plan to follow to come to a solution. We have decided to name our group Anyanwu Cookware. This name is inspired by the sun god of the Igbo people, Anyanwu

In search of work/life balance: trainee perspectives on part-time obstetrics and gynaecology specialist training

BACKGROUND: Part-time training (PTT) is accessed by approximately 10% of Australian obstetrics and gynaecology trainees, a small but increasing minority which reflects the growing demand for improved work/life balance amongst the Australian medical workforce. This survey reports the attitudes and experiences of both full-time and part-time trainees to PTT. METHODS: An email-based anonymous survey was sent to all Australian obstetrics and gynaecology trainees in April 2009, collecting demographic and training status data, data on personal experiences of PTT and/or trainees, and attitudes towards PTT. RESULTS: 105 responses were received (20% response rate). These indicated strong support (90%) from both full-time (FT) and part-time (PT) trainees for the availability of PTT. PT trainees were significantly more likely than FT trainees to be female with children. Improved morale was seen as a particular advantage of PTT; decreased continuity of care as a disadvantage. CONCLUSIONS: Although limited by poor response rate, both PT and FT Australian obstetric trainees were supportive of part-time training. Both groups recognised important advantages and disadvantages of this mode of training. Currently, part-time training is accessed primarily by female trainees with family responsibilities, with many more trainees considering part-time training than the number that access it

Exploring unwarranted clinical variation: The attitudes of midwives and obstetric medical staff regarding induction of labour and planned caesarean section

Background: Unexplained clinical variation is a major issue in planned birth i.e. induction of labour and planned caesarean section. Aim: To map attitudes and knowledge of maternity care professionals regarding indications for planned birth, and assess inter-professional (midwifery versus medical) and intra-professional variation. Methods: A custom-created survey of medical and midwifery staff at eight Sydney hospitals. Staff were asked to rate their level of agreement with 45 “evidence-based” statements regarding caesareans and inductions on a five-point Likert scale. Responses were grouped by profession, and comparisons made of inter- and intra-professional responses. Findings: Total 275 respondents, 78% midwifery and 21% medical. Considerable inter- and intra-professional variation was noted, with midwives generally less likely to consider any of the planned birth indications “valid” compared to medical staff. Indications for induction with most variation in midwifery responses included maternal characteristics (age≥40, obesity, ethnicity) and fetal macrosomia; and for medical personnel in-vitro fertilisation, maternal request, and routine induction at 39 weeks gestation. Indications for caesarean with most variation in midwifery responses included previous lower segment caesarean section, previous shoulder dystocia, and uncomplicated breech; and for medical personnel uncomplicated dichorionic twins. Indications with most inter-professional variation were induction at 41+ weeks versus 42+ weeks and cesarean for previous lower segment caesarean section. Discussion: Both inter- and intra-professional variation in what were considered valid indications reflected inconsistency in underlying evidence and/or guidelines. Conclusion: Greater focus on interdisciplinary education and consensus, as well as on shared decision-making with women, may be helpful in resolving these tensions

Teachers’ Experiences Addressing Students’ Trauma-Related Behavior in the Classroom

Trauma is not something the untrained eye can see; it can be described as a silent issue, but the effects of trauma are seen in society. Research about trauma has focused on the perspective of the student and not the interaction between the teacher and the student. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore classroom teachers’ perceptions and experiences with addressing students’ trauma-related behavior. The theoretical foundation was trauma theory. Data were collected through questionnaires and in-person interviews with teachers and administrators who work in Southwest Pennsylvania. There were a total of 13 participants. Descriptive coding was used to identify themes. During the descriptive coding process, a descriptive word was given to a thought or observation so that similar ideas and concepts could later be combined. Multiple rounds of coding were conducted. Once codes were applied to the transcripts, categories were determined. The codes that emerged determined the categories. If needed, subcategories were applied. Once the categories were identified, themes were identified that represented the larger ideas behind the codes and categories. Results indicated that all teachers encountered trauma, external behaviors were more likely to be noticed, teachers needed to structure their day based on the possibility of triggering a student, and there was no consistent response to trauma. Findings may be used to help students perform better in school, which will benefit students, parents, teachers, administrators, and society