Navy-developed life support systems for fully enclosed protective suits

The development and performance of an environmental control unit capable of supporting a man in an impermeable suit at ambient temperatures up to 140 F for periods of up to two hrs is reported. The basic suit operation consists of cooling by wet ice contained in a suitcase. The system is designed to circulate and cool the air within the suit, to remove excess moisture and carbon dioxide, and to maintain a safe oxygen level

Sharing Resources: Opportunities for Smaller Primary Care Practices to Increase Their Capacity for Patient Care

Outlines findings linking shared resources with use of health information technology, care coordination, self-management, and quality monitoring, and strategies to increase resources among small and midsize practices by expanding shared resource models

Is the energy status influencing dispersion in American glass eel?

International audienceThe American eel has a facultative catadromous life cycle. Spawning occurs in Sargasso Sea and growth occurs into freshwater or saltwater habitats over a wide geographical range. The selection of suitable habitat for growth begins at the glass eel stage. Based on the hypothesis of conditional dispersion strategy, energetic status would determine whether glass eels would express freshwater or saltwater preference. Glass eels were captured from two rivers from Nova Scotia and two rivers from Québec in 2011 and 2012. Following salinity preference experiments, glass eels were classified as “inactive” or as “active with preference for fresh water” and “active with preference for salt water”. They were anaesthetized in MS 222, weighed, measured and frozen in carbonic ice. Results indicate that glass eels expressing preference for freshwater had the highest condition factor. Total content of glycogen and lipids were measured in order to test whether or not the three groups of glass eels could be differentiated based on their energy status whatever the river and the year of fishing and results will be presented

A Comparison Of Hip And Knee Joint Kinematics Between Two Alpine Ski Ergometers

This study was conducted to determine if hip and knee joint kinematics differed between conditions as subjects "skied" on two alpine ski ergometers. Eleven male recreational skiers, ages 18-23, participated in the study. During the random test, sagittal plane motions of the hip and knee joints were videotaped as subjects skied on each ski ergometer at a slow speed (92 turns/minute) and a fast speed (102 turns/minute). Each subject was vid.eotaped at 30 frames per second during the last thirty seconds of a two minute exercise bout. Three turns were randomly selected and digitized on the Ariel Performance Analysis System (APAS). Relative angular displacements of the left hip and knee were measured and compared. Hip and knee flexion were significantly different between the two ergometers at the fast speed. A comparison of the fast and slow trials revealed that subjects were able to achieve more knee flexion at the fast speed on one ergometer. However, on the other ergometer, the degree of knee flexion was greater at the slow speed. How closely the two ski ergometers simulate actual downhill skiing is unknown and warrants further investigation

Site-specific climate analysis elucidates revegetation challenges for post-mining landscapes in eastern Australia

In eastern Australia, the availability of water is critical for the successful rehabilitation of post-mining landscapes and climatic characteristics of this diverse geographical region are closely defined by factors such as erratic rainfall and periods of drought and flooding. Despite this, specific metrics of climate patterning are seldom incorporated into the initial design of current post-mining land rehabilitation strategies. Our study proposes that a few common rainfall parameters can be combined and rated using arbitrary rainfall thresholds to characterise bioregional climate sensitivity relevant to the rehabilitation these landscapes. This approach included assessments of annual rainfall depth, average recurrence interval of prolonged low intensity rainfall, average recurrence intervals of short or prolonged high intensity events, median period without rain (or water-deficit) and standard deviation for this period in order to address climatic factors such as total water availability, seasonality and intensity – which were selected as potential proxies of both short- and long-term biological sensitivity to climate within the context of post-disturbance ecological development and recovery. Following our survey of available climate data, we derived site "climate sensitivity" indexes and compared the performance of 9 ongoing mine sites: Weipa, Mt. Isa and Cloncurry, Eromanga, Kidston, the Bowen Basin (Curragh), Tarong, North Stradbroke Island, and the Newnes Plateau. The sites were then ranked from most-to-least sensitive and compared with natural bioregional patterns of vegetation density using mean NDVI. It was determined that regular rainfall and relatively short periods of water-deficit were key characteristics of sites having less sensitivity to climate – as found among the relatively more temperate inland mining locations. Whereas, high rainfall variability, frequently occurring high intensity events, and (or) prolonged seasonal drought were primary indicators of sites having greater sensitivity to climate – as found among the semi-arid central-inland sites. Overall, the manner in which these climatic factors are identified and ultimately addressed by land managers and rehabilitation practitioners could be a key determinant of achievable success at given locations at the planning stages of rehabilitation design

HIV knowledge and health-seeking behavior in Zambe´ zia Province, Mozambique

HIV prevalence rates in Zambe´zia Province were estimated to be 12.6% in 2009. A number of educational campaigns have been aimed at improving HIV transmission and prevention knowledge among community members in an effort to reduce infection rates. These campaigns have also encouraged people to seek health care at clinical sites, instead of employing traditional healers to cure serious illness. The impact of these programs on the rural population has not been well documented. To assess the level of knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention and health-seeking behavior, we interviewed 349 people in 2009 using free response and multiple choice questionnaires. Over half reported first seeking treatment at a government health clinic; however, the majority of participants had visited a traditional healer in the past. Knowledge regarding prevention and transmission of HIV was primarily limited to the sexual origins of infection and the protective advantages of condom use.Increased educational level and having learned about HIV from a community health worker were associated with higher HIV prevention and transmission knowledge. Traditional healers and community health-care workers were both conduits of health information to our study participants. HIV education and use of clinical services may be facilitated by partnering more closely with these groups

The Portacaval‐shunted rat : a new model for the study of the mechanisms controlling voluntary ethanol consumption and ethanol preference?

Portacaval anastomosis (PCA) is a surgical procedure whereby blood from the portal vein is shunted into the inferior vena cava. PCA in the rat results in a significant increase (from 0.77 ± 0.26 to 3.51 ± 0.37 g of ethanol/kg/day) in voluntary ethanol consumption in a free‐choice paradigm between water and 5% ethanol solution. After PCA surgery, increased voluntary ethanol consumption starts abruptly at 6 to 7 days and is maintained for > 28 weeks. Voluntary ethanol consumption in rats after PCA results in blood ethanol levels up to 158 mg%. After PCA, the ethanol preference ratio (defined as the percentage of total fluid intake constituted by ethanol) increased from 19 ± 2% to 78 ± 2% (p < 0.001). Administration of the nonselective opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (5 mg/kg, sc) resulted in a significant 6‐fold attenuation of voluntary ethanol consumption by rats with PCA, an effect that was not mediated by an effect on locomotor activity. These findings, together with previous reports of widespread alterations of the μ‐ and δ‐opioid receptors in the brain after PCA, suggest that increased voluntary ethanol consumption and ethanol preference in PCA rats may result from activation of the endogenous opioid system. Preliminary studies suggest that rats with PCA manifest behavioral signs consistent with the development of dependence. The portacaval‐shunted rat may provide a useful preparation for the study of mechanisms, in particular those involving the liver, implicated in the development of increased voluntary ethanol consumption and ethanol preference

Identification and classification of silks using infrared spectroscopy

Lepidopteran silks number in the thousands and display a vast diversity of structures, properties and industrial potential. To map this remarkable biochemical diversity, we present an identification and screening method based on the infrared spectra of native silk feedstock and cocoons. Multivariate analysis of over 1214 infrared spectra obtained from 35 species allowed us to group silks into distinct hierarchies and a classification that agrees well with current phylogenetic data and taxonomies. This approach also provides information on the relative content of sericin, calcium oxalate, phenolic compounds, poly-alanine and poly(alanine-glycine) β-sheets. It emerged that the domesticated mulberry silkmoth Bombyx mori represents an outlier compared with other silkmoth taxa in terms of spectral properties. Interestingly, Epiphora bauhiniae was found to contain the highest amount of β-sheets reported to date for any wild silkmoth. We conclude that our approach provides a new route to determine cocoon chemical composition and in turn a novel, biological as well as material, classification of silks