Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a life-altering condition that has affected many of our soldiers returning from war. In the current conflicts, the improvised explosive device (IED) has ...greatly increased the potential for soldiers to sustain a TBI. This study's objective was to establish benchmark admission rates for U.S. Army soldiers with TBIs identified during deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Methods The study population consisted of U.S. Army soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan from September 11, 2001, through September 30, 2007. Population data were merged with admission data to identify hospitalizations during deployment. Using the international Barell Injury Diagnosis Matrix, TBI-related admissions were categorized into Type 1 (the most severe), Type 2, and Type 3 (the least severe). All analyses were performed in 2008. Results Of the 2898 identified TBI inpatient episodes of care, 46% were Type 1, 54% were Type 2, and less than 1% were Type 3. Over 65% of Type 1 injuries resulted from explosions, while almost half of all TBIs were non-battle-related. Overall TBI admission rates were 24.6 for Afghanistan and 41.8 for Iraq per 10,000 soldier-years. TBI hospitalization rates rose over time for both campaigns, although U.S. Army soldiers in Iraq experienced 1.7 times higher rates overall and 2.2 times higher Type 1 admission rates than soldiers in Afghanistan. The TBI-related proportion of all injury hospitalizations showed an ascending trend. Conclusions Future surveillance of TBI hospitalization rates is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of implementation of preventive measures.
Self-reported coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effects on dietetic job search, employment, and practice of recent graduates were explored within a national workforce survey.
Graduates (2015-2020) ...who were registered/licensed dietitians or eligible to write the Canadian Dietetic Registration Exam were recruited through dietetic programmes, Dietitians of Canada's communication channels, and social media. The online survey, available in English and French from August through October 2020, included questions about pandemic experiences. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were applied to closed and open-ended responses, respectively.
Thirty-four percent of survey respondents (n = 524) indicated pandemic effects on job search and described delayed entry into dietetics, fewer job opportunities, and challenges including restricted work between sites. The pandemic affected employment for 44% of respondents; of these, 45% indicated working from home, 45% provided virtual counselling, 7% were redeployed within dietetics, 14% provided nondietetic COVID-19 support, and 6% were furloughed or laid off. Changed work hours, predominantly reduced, were identified by 29%. Changes in pay, identified by 12%, included loss (e.g., raises deferred) or gain (e.g., pandemic pay). Fear of infection and stress about careers and finances were expressed.
The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected both acquiring positions and employment in 2020 for recent dietetic graduates.
The Aria cryogenic distillation plant, located in Sardinia, Italy, is a key component of the DarkSide-20k experimental program for WIMP dark matter searches at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran ...Sasso, Italy. Aria is designed to purify the argon, extracted from underground wells in Colorado, USA, and used as the DarkSide-20k target material, to detector-grade quality. In this paper, we report the first measurement of argon isotopic separation by distillation with the 26 m tall Aria prototype. We discuss the measurement of the operating parameters of the column and the observation of the simultaneous separation of the three stable argon isotopes:
36
Ar
,
38
Ar
, and
40
Ar
. We also provide a detailed comparison of the experimental results with commercial process simulation software. This measurement of isotopic separation of argon is a significant achievement for the project, building on the success of the initial demonstration of isotopic separation of nitrogen using the same equipment in 2019.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Cytoplasmic dynein is a multisubunit minus-end-directed microtubule motor that serves multiple cellular functions. Genetic studies in Drosophila and mouse have demonstrated that dynein function is ...essential in metazoan organisms. However, whether the essential function of dynein reflects a mitotic requirement, and what specific mitotic tasks require dynein remains controversial. Drosophila is an excellent genetic system in which to analyze dynein function in mitosis, providing excellent cytology in embryonic and somatic cells. We have used previously characterized recessive lethal mutations in the dynein heavy chain gene, Dhc64C, to reveal the contributions of the dynein motor to mitotic centrosome behavior in the syncytial embryo. Embryos lacking wild-type cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain were analyzed by in vivo analysis of rhodamine-labeled microtubules, as well as by immunofluorescence in situ methods. Comparisons between wild-type and Dhc64C mutant embryos reveal that dynein function is required for the attachment and migration of centrosomes along the nuclear envelope during interphase/prophase, and to maintain the attachment of centrosomes to mitotic spindle poles. The disruption of these centrosome attachments in mutant embryos reveals a critical role for dynein function and centrosome positioning in the spatial organization of the syncytial cytoplasm of the developing embryo.
Finding unequivocal evidence of dark matter interactions in a particle detector is a major goal of research in physics. Liquid argon time projection chambers offer a path to probe Weakly Interacting ...Massive Particles scattering cross sections on nuclei down to the so-called neutrino floor, in a mass range from a few GeV to hundreds of TeV. Based on the successful operation of the DarkSide-50 detector at LNGS, a new and more sensitive experiment, DarkSide-20k, has been designed and is now under construction. A thorough understanding of the DarkSide-50 detector response and, therefore, of all types of events observed in the detector, is essential for the optimal design of the new experiment. In this article, we report on a specific set of events, namely, standard two-pulse scintillation–ionization signals with a third small amplitude pulse, occurring within the 440μs data acquisition window of standard events. Some of these events are due to the photoionization of the TPC cathode. We compare our results with those published by collaborations using liquid xenon time projection chambers, which observed a similar phenomenon, and, in particular, with a recent paper by the LUX Collaboration (D.S. Akerib et al. Phys.Rev.D 102, 092004 (2020)) From the measured rate of these events, we estimate for the first time the quantum efficiency of the tetraphenyl butadiene deposited on the DarkSide-50 cathode at wavelengths of around 128 nm, in liquid argon. Also, both experiments observe events likely related to the photoionization of impurities in the liquid. The probability of photoelectron emission per unit length turns out to be an order of magnitude lower in DarkSide-50 than in LUX.
Intraoperative adverse events (iAEs) are defined as inadvertent injuries that occur during an operation and are associated with increased mortality, morbidity, and health care costs. We sought to ...study the impact of attending surgeon experience as well as resident training level on the occurrence of iAEs.
The institutional American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and administrative databases for abdominal surgeries were linked and screened for iAEs using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification-based Patient Safety Indicator “accidental puncture/laceration.” Each flagged record was systematically reviewed to confirm iAE occurrence and determine the number of years of independent practice of the attending surgeon and the postgraduate year (PGY) of the assisting resident at the time of the operation. The attending surgeon experience was divided into quartiles (<6 years, 6-13 years, 13-20 years, >20 years). The resident experience level was defined as Junior (PGY-1 to PGY-3) or Senior (PGY-4 or PGY-5). Univariate/bivariate then multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusting for patient demographics, comorbidities, and operation type and/or complexity (using RVUs as a proxy) were performed to assess the independent impact of resident and attending surgeon experience on the occurrence of iAEs.
A large tertiary care teaching hospital.
Patients included in the 2007-2012 ACS-NSQIP that had an abdominal surgery performed by both an attending surgeon and a resident.
A total of 7685 operations were included and iAEs were detected in 159 of them (2.1%). Junior residents participated in 1680 cases (21.9%), while senior residents were involved in 6005 (78.1%). The iAE rates for attending surgeons with <6, 6-13, 13-20, and >20 years of experience were 2.7%, 1.7%, 2.4%, and 1.4%, respectively. In multivariable analyses, the risk of occurrence of an iAE was significantly decreased for surgeons with >20 years of experience compared to those with <6 years of experience (odds ratio=0.52, 95% confidence interval 0.32-0.86, p = 0.011). On bivariate analyses, iAEs occurred in 1.2% of junior resident cases, while senior residents had an iAE rate of 2.3%. However, after risk adjustment on multivariable analyses, the resident experience level did not significantly impact the rate of iAEs.
The surgeon's level of experience, but not the resident's, is associated with the occurrence of iAEs in abdominal surgery. Efforts to improve patient safety in surgery should explore the value of pairing junior surgeons with the more experienced ones thru formalized coaching programs, rather than focus on curbing resident operative autonomy.
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•Novel high-efficiency yellow ZnO photocatalyst has been sythesized.•Obtained ZnO is characterized by multitude of defects.•Unique morphology of ZnO and intermediate products.•New ...photocatalyst is 4 times more active than P25 in the organic pollutants removal.•ZnO photocatalyst plays key role in oxidizing processes being more active than O3 or H2O2 under visible light irradiation.
Novel stable ZnO photocatalyst prepared via simple high-thermal processing of resorcinol-formaldehyde/zinc acetate mixture was synthesized for photocatalytic purposes. As a reference, pure ZnO was obtained using Zn(CH3CO2)2. The UV–vis spectra demonstrate an intensive absorption of composite ZnO within the visible region, in contrast to pure ZnO (white). The kinetic parameters of the diclofenac sodium photodecomposition reaction reflect higher activity of composite ZnO unlike pure ZnO and P25 (Evonik). Comparative study of bisphenol A degradation during Advanced Oxidation Processes involving ZnO and visible light irradiation demonstrated outstanding role of synthesized photocatalyst.
In the nerve terminal, neurotransmitter is actively packaged into synaptic vesicles before its release by Ca2+‐dependent exocytosis. The three vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUT1, ‐2 and ‐3) are ...highly conserved proteins that display similar bioenergetic and pharmacological properties but are expressed in different brain areas. We used the divergent C‐terminus of VGLUT1 as a bait in a yeast two‐hybrid screen to identify and map the interaction between a proline‐rich domain of VGLUT1 and the Src homology domain 3 (SH3) domain of endophilin. We further confirmed this interaction by using different glutathione‐S‐transferase–endophilin fusion proteins to pull down VGLUT1 from rat brain extracts. The expression profiles of the two genes and proteins were compared on rat brain sections, showing that endophilin is most highly expressed in regions and cells expressing VGLUT1. Double immunofluorescence in the rat cerebellum shows that most VGLUT1‐positive terminals co‐express endophilin, whereas VGLUT2‐expressing terminals are often devoid of endophilin. However, neither VGLUT1 transport activity, endophilin enzymatic activity nor VGLUT1 synaptic targeting were altered by this interaction. Overall, the discovery of endophilin as a partner for VGLUT1 in nerve terminals strongly suggests the existence of functional differences between VGLUT1 and ‐2 terminals in their abilities to replenish vesicle pools.
The present study examined differences in isometric muscle capacity between older (55-65 years) and younger (18 - 25 years) individuals. A total of 24 younger and 24 older participants (gender ...balanced within each group) performed sustained shoulder abductions and torso extensions to exhaustion at 30%, 50% and 70% of individual maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Along with endurance time, manifestations of localized fatigue were determined based on changes in surface electromyographic signals obtained from the shoulder (middle deltoid) and the torso (multifidus and longissimus thoracis) muscles. Strength recovery was monitored using post-fatigue MVCs over a 15-min period. Compared to the younger group, older individuals exhibited lower muscular strength, longer endurance time and slower development of local fatigue. Age effects on fatigue were typically moderated by effort level, while effects of gender appeared to be marginal. Non-linear relationships between target joint torque and endurance time were observed, with effects of age differing between shoulder abduction and torso extension. Overall, the effects of age on endurance and fatigue were more substantial and more consistent for the shoulder muscle than for the torso muscles and were likely related to differences in muscle fibre type composition. For strength recovery rates, no significant age or gender effects were found in either experiment. In summary, this study suggests that differences in isometric work capacity do exist between older and younger individuals, but that this effect is influenced by effort level and the muscle tested.
The murine genome is known to have two keratin 6 (K6) genes, mouse K6 (MK6)a and MK6b. These genes display a complex expression pattern with constitutive expression in the epithelia of oral mucosa, ...hair follicles, and nail beds. We generated mice deficient for both genes through embryonic stem cell technology. The majority of MK6a/b-/-mice die of starvation within the first two weeks of life. This is due to a localized disintegration of the dorsal tongue epithelium, which results in the build up of a plaque of cell debris that severely impairs feeding. However, ∼25% of MK6a/b-/-mice survive to adulthood. Remarkably, the surviving MK6a/b-/-mice have normal hair and nails. To our surprise, we discovered MK6 staining both in the hair follicle and the nail bed of MK6a/b-/-mice, indicating the presence of a third MK6 gene. We cloned this previously unknown murine keratin gene and found it to be highly homologous to human K6hf, which is expressed in hair follicles. We therefore termed this gene MK6 hair follicle (MK6hf). The presence of MK6hf in the MK6a/b-/-follicles and nails offers an explanation for the absence of hair and nail defects in MK6a/b-/-animals.
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