Super absorbent wound dressing will swell up to save soldiers’ lives in combat

According to the U.S. Army, around 80 to 90 percent of potentially survivable deaths among American soldiers on the battlefield occur as the result of uncontrolled bleeding. This refers to soldiers who are injured in combat, but bleed out before they can be taken to a hospital. With that shocking stat in mind, it’s no surprise to hear that the Army is working on a new kind of wound dressing which could help patch up bleeding wounds — and hopefully save hundreds, or even thousands, of lives in the process.

The new polystyrene and rubber wound dressing boasts an amazing amount of absorbency, letting it absorb up to 800 percent of the material’s weight in liquid. By comparison, that’s up to 5.7 times as absorbent as current state-of-the-art gauze-based hemostatic dressing, the kind of dressing currently used for bandaging up wounds.

The plastic material makes the new wound dressing strong and flexible, while acrylic acid is responsible for making it super absorbent, allowing it to pull the water out of blood to prompt it to clot more quickly. As it swells, the bandage forms a tough hydrogel, resulting in a wound patching material that is more than three times as tough as gauze.

“Thickness-dependent swelling is as much as an order of magnitude faster than many tough hydrogels … yet toughness is comparable as a function of water content,” reads the abstract to a research paper recently published about the work. “The polymer is combined with gauze to form a rapidly swelling, fiber-reinforced hydrogel composite with promising mechanical properties.”

This isn’t the first advanced wound dressing we’ve written about at Digital Trends. Earlier in 2018, we wrote about two novel nanofiber wound dressings developed at Harvard University, designed to rapidly accelerate the healing process, while also improving tissue regeneration. We also covered some futuristic-sounding cold plasma technology, described by its creators as being similar to the dermal regenerator from Star Trek. What makes the U.S. Army’s wound dressing so good, however, is that it is designed to be used as an emergency measure in life and death situations, in which a person may only have a couple of minutes before they hemorrhage too much blood to stay alive.

At present, this remains a research project. Going forward, the team hopes to scale up the project, with animal tests set to be the next step in the testing process. Let’s hope it’s not long before this is saving lives for real!

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How to save a webpage as a PDF

Everyone eventually comes across a web page they need to save for sharing with teammates or doing offline research. You could just copy and paste the link, but sometimes it’s nice to have the page as an image that you can view offline, mark up, or print. The most flexible solution to this problem is creating a PDF file that can be viewed and sent nearly anywhere.

Let’s go through the most popular browsers and take a look at how to how to save a webpage as a PDF, step-by-step.

Desktop browsers

For most browsers, the “Print” function is the fastest and most effective method of saving a webpage to PDF. We know it may appear logical to choose “Save Page As…” instead, but this option is for saving pages in a web format, not as a PDF, so avoid that option. Printing is where you need to go.

Chrome

Chrome has another interface to navigate, so if you’re on a Chromebook or prefer the Chrome OS, here’s what you need to do to save a page as a PDF.

Step 1: Open the Settings menu by clicking the three-dot icon in the top right-hand corner and choose “Print…” This will bring up a printing window.

Step 2: In the printing window, look for the heading “Destination” and choose “Change.” This will bring you to a “Select a Destination Under Local Destinations,” you should see an option to “Save as PDF.” Select it. That will load a preview of the pages and allow you to select pages, change the layout, and so on.

Step 3: Once you have made the changes that you need, select “Save.”

Microsoft Edge

Step 1: First, either choose “Print” from the “File” tab or press the “Ctrl” and “P” keys to open the Printer window.

Step 2: Select the drop-down menu under “Printer” where you choose your printing device. One of these options should be an alternative saying “Microsoft Print to PDF.” Select this option.

Step 3: Go through any other options you may want to change, including margins and scale. Then select “Print.” This will save all pages in the currently opened webpage. You can narrow down the pages using the “Pages” tab in the printer window. If you want to actually print the PDF after you are done saving it, there are a number of ways to do that as well.

Note: Windows Edge has a Window 10-themed sidebar that pops open when you choose to print. Older browsers (like Internet Explorer) will use a more traditional printer window — and while it looks different, your options and steps should remain the same.

Safari

Safari is useful for making webpage PDFs because it automatically provides more options than Windows for saving PDFs in particular ways or locations — these extra options can help if you need to move PDFs around between friends or devices regularly.

Step 1: Start on the web page you want to save. Head up to “File” and choose “Print,” or press “Command” and “P” to open the printer window.

Step 2: Go to the lower left-hand corner of the window where it says “PDF,” and select this drop-down menu. Here you will see a number of options to save the PDF, save it into the cloud, save it as an instant message, open it in Preview before deciding to save, and so on. For a basic save, select “Save as PDF…” otherwise, choose the option that best fits your needs.

Step 3: Name your file and location, and select “Save.” You’re done! If you want to edit the PDF further, we suggest taking a look at some of best free PDF editors.

Firefox

The latest versions of Firefox don’t have a built-in ability to print to PDF, but you can still do so using the Windows 10 “Microsoft Print to PDF” function.

Step 1: Click the three-line menu icon in the top right-hand corner.

Step 2: Click “Print…” from the drop down menu.

Step 3: Click “Print” in the top left-hand corner.

Step 4: In the resulting window, select “Microsoft Print to PDF” from the printer options. Hit OK when ready.

Step 5: Choose a name and save location and hit the “Save” button.

Alternatively, there are a number of extensions which can give Firefox the ability to save to PDF itself. Both PDF Mage and Print Friendly and PDF are both popular, well-liked options.

Mobile browsers

iOS

Don’t worry if you don’t recognize the term “Share button” — you don’t have to download an extra app or anything like that. It’s the name of that little upload button that you can always access on a webpage: In your toolbar, it looks like a square with an arrow pointing upwards, and it’s used for saving, viewing and cloud services. That’s where you need to start.

Step 1: On the webpage you want to save, choose the Share button.

Step 2: This opens up a number of upload options for any compatible apps you have installed on your mobile device. Swipe until you find the option to “Save PDF to iBooks” with an iBooks icon. Select this option.

Step 3: This will create a PDF that is automatically stored and then launched in iBooks for you to peruse. However, you may need a little patience when trying this one. Mobile PDF transitions usually work, but sometimes formatting problems or errors can creep in. If your PDF isn’t very readable, try saving on a desktop instead.

Android

For Android devices, we suggest downloading the simple Convert Web to PDF app, which gives you a quick convert option with a number of basic editing options. You can choose to convert only the text or only the background if you want and define table of contents or quality levels if necessary.

There’s also an instant share option right after conversion if you want to quickly hand the file over to someone else. However, you do have to copy the URL, open the app, and paste it in, which is time-consuming compared to some of our other options.

Alternative: Adobe PDF Toolbar

If you pay for a subscription to Adobe services (or you’re willing to start a free trial), there is an additional option. Adobe allows you to install a PDF toolbar in your browser. This creates a simple “Convert” button that allows for super-fast conversions on the fly. The toolbar works on Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox, and may be more convenient to you if you regularly use Adobe tools.

For more conversions options, we can also help you convert them to JPG, convert to EPUB, and convert to .docx.

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Our iPhone friends can now download the iOS 12 public beta

The other side is getting group FaceTime, grouped notifications, and more.

If you have a Pixel phone, there’s a good chance you’ve been rocking the Android P beta since Google first released it in May. Android P brings a lot of new stuff to the mobile OS we know and love, but today the Dark Side is getting its own look at upcoming software with the release of the iOS 12 public beta.

To sign up for the beta, all you need to do is go to Apple’s website, log in with your iCloud account, go to the iOS section, and enroll your iPhone. Once you’re done, you’ll receive an over-the-air update to download and install iOS 12 on your phone.

So, what exactly do iPhone owners have to look forward to? I’m personally most excited for grouped notifications to finally be a thing, but along with that, iOS 12 also brings group chat for FaceTime calls, much better performance on older hardware, and a heap of improvements with ARKit.

If you want to learn even more about what our iPhone friends are getting, check our iMore’s hands-on preview below!

iOS 12 Preview: Audacious new proactivity meets fierce new privacy

How to Install iOS 12 Public Beta on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

Apple today released the first public beta of iOS 12 for compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models, enabling users who aren’t signed up for the Apple Developer Program to test the software update ahead of its official release in the fall.

While iOS 12 introduces several new features, it is designed to work on all iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models that can run iOS 11, and the company says it has focused on bringing performance improvements to both old and new devices.

That said, iOS 12 is pre-release software, so installing the Public Beta on a secondary device is highly recommended. The stability of beta software cannot be guaranteed, as it often contains bugs and issues that have yet to be ironed out, so installing it on your day-to-day device isn’t advised.

Installing the Public Beta shouldn’t take longer than half an hour, but first you should create a backup of your device’s contents and settings. The following step-by-step instructions are given for iPhone, but apply to iPad and iPod touch just the same.

How to Create a Backup of Your Device in iTunes

Connect your iOS device to a Mac or PC using a Lightning to USB cable.

Open iTunes.

Click the device’s icon in the top-left menu.

Under Backups, click This computer.

Tick the Encrypt iPhone backup checkbox if you want to back up your login credentials and any Health and HomeKit data.

Click Back Up Now.

Click iTunes -> Preferences… in the macOS menu bar.

Click the Devices tab.

Right-click (or Ctrl-click) the new backup, and select Archive from the contextual dropdown menu.

How to Enroll in the Apple Beta Software Program

Now that you’ve backed up your device, you’re ready to download the iOS 12 Public Beta. To do so, you must enroll your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch in the free Apple Beta Software Program.
Open Safari on your iOS device and navigate to the Apple Beta Software Program.
Tap the Sign up button, or sign in if you’re already a member.
Enter your Apple ID credentials and tap the Sign in button.
Agree to the Apple Beta Software Program terms and conditions if necessary.
A Guide for Public Betas screen will appear. Select the iOS tab, scroll down to the Get Started section and tap enroll your iOS device.
On the Enroll Your Devices screen, with the iOS tab selected, scroll down and tap the Download profile button.
Tap “iPhone” or “iPad” when prompted to choose a device.
Tap Allow.
Tap Install and follow the prompts to install the iOS Beta Software Profile.
Restart your device after installing the profile by tapping the restart popup.

How to Install the iOS 12 Public Beta

Once you’re enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program, you can install the iOS 12 Public Beta on your iOS device just as you would a regular software update.
Launch the Settings app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Tap General.
Tap Software Update.
Tap Download and Install.
Tap Install Now.
If you come across any issues installing the iOS 12 Public Beta, it may help to clear any previous profiles lingering on your device. You can find these in the Settings app under General -> Profile.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple CEO Tim Cook to Speak at Fortune’s CEO Initiative Tonight

Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to speak at Fortune’s CEO Initiative in San Francisco, California tonight, with Fortune planning to share a live stream of the event.

The CEO Initiative, an invite-only event, will kick off at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time, with Cook set to appear at 6:05 p.m. It’s not clear what Tim Cook will talk about, but the topic of the Initiative is “companies doing well by doing good.”

Fortune’s CEO Initiative, an invite-only event that takes place on June 25 and 26 in San Francisco, is devoted to the topic of companies doing well by doing good. The theory is that infusing businesses with a broader purpose can help with recruiting, attracting new customers, and improving corporate images.

Cook is a prime example of a leader who has worked to use Apple’s influence to champion important social causes, such as diversity and equality.

The live stream of Fortune’s event can be watched at 6:05 p.m. Pacific Time/9:05 p.m. Eastern Time on the Fortune website.
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Seeds First Beta of tvOS 12 to Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 12 update to its public beta testing group, giving non-developers a chance to try out the new software ahead of its fall public release.

The first beta of tvOS 12 available to public beta testers corresponds with the second tvOS 12 update made available to developers. Developers have had access to tvOS 12 since June 4, when Apple introduced new versions of tvOS, iOS, macOS, and watchOS at WWDC.

The tvOS 12 public beta can be obtained by going to the Settings app on the Apple TV and navigating to the Software Updates section under “System.” “Get Public Beta Updates” will need to be toggled on, and once it is, the Apple TV will download the beta software.

tvOS 12 introduces long-awaited support for Dolby Atmos, and when tvOS 12 launches this fall, iTunes will be home to the largest collection of Dolby Atmos-supported movies, with Apple offering upgrades for all purchased iTunes content.

tvOS 12 brings a new zero sign-on feature that’s designed to let cable subscribers watch live channels and on-demand programs that they’re entitled to through their cable subscription simply by being logged into their home internet networks. This is something that will be limited to Charter Spectrum users to begin with.

Other tvOS 12 features include autofill passwords from the iPhone to sign into Apple TV apps more quickly, and support for Home Control systems like Crestron and Savant, which will be able to be used to control the Apple TV. Apple also plans to make the Apple TV Remote a default option in Control Center on iOS devices, and there are new aerial screensavers created with help from the International Space Station.

tvOS 12 will see a public launch this fall, and until that time, will be limited to developers and public beta testers as Apple works out bugs and other kinks.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Apple Releases First Public Beta of macOS Mojave to Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave update to its public beta testing group, giving non-developers a chance to try out the software ahead of its fall public release. Today’s public beta should be the same as the second developer beta, released last week.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will be able to download the macOS Mojave beta through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store. As a word of warning, though, subsequent betas are installed in a different way, using the Software Update icon in System Preferences.

Those who want to be a part of Apple’s beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.

Potential beta testers should make a full Time Machine backup before installing macOS Mojave, and it should not be installed on a primary machine because betas are unstable and often have many bugs.

macOS Mojave’s main new feature is a systemwide Dark Mode, which gives Mac users a new way to view the operating system. A revamped Mac App Store makes it easier than ever to discover great apps, while Dynamic Desktops give you wallpapers that subtly change throughout the day.

An improved Finder window with Gallery View, Sidebar, Quick Look, and Quick Actions makes it easier to manipulate, edit, and organize your files, while Desktop Stacks organizes all of the files on your desktop.

The Apple News, Stocks, Home, and Voice Memos apps have made their way to the Mac in Mojave, and for the first time, you can use Siri on Mac to control HomeKit products. Group FaceTime, an iOS 12 feature, is also available in Mojave and lets you chat with up to 32 people at one time.

Apple is keeping your data safer than ever with new security and privacy improvements, and Safari in macOS Mojave makes it much easier to track you through share/like buttons and via your system configuration.

macOS Mojave is compatible with 2015 and newer MacBooks, 2012 and newer MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac models, the 2017 iMac Pro, and Mac Pro models from late 2013 and mid-2010 and mid-2012 models with Metal-capable GPUs.

Mojave will be available in a beta capacity for the next several months so Apple can work out bugs ahead of a fall release.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Releases First Public Beta of iOS 12

Apple this morning released the first public beta of iOS 12 to its public beta testing group, giving non-developers a chance to test the software ahead of its upcoming fall release. The first public beta of iOS 12 should correspond to the second developer beta, which was released last week.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will receive the iOS 12 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device.

Those who want to join the beta testing program can sign up on Apple’s beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas. Before installing a beta, make sure to create a full encrypted iTunes backup or an iCloud backup and be sure to install iOS 12 on a secondary device because beta software is not always stable and can include bugs.

iOS 12 is a significant update to the iOS operating system, introducing Group FaceTime, local multiplayer shared AR experiences, new Animoji, and a Memoji feature that’s designed to let you create a personalized Animoji that looks just like you.

Animoji, stickers, text, and more can be used in FaceTime and the Messages app, and there’s a new Screen Time feature to help customers understand and manage the amount of time they’re spending on their iOS devices. New Do Not Disturb features make it easier to manage notifications, as do interactive notification options and notification grouping.

Siri has been improved in iOS 12 with Siri Shortcuts, which is designed to allow Siri to work with any app, and Siri is also smarter and able to provide info on motorsports, food, and celebrities.

Under-the-hood improvements to iOS 12 will make everyday tasks on the iPhone and iPad faster and more responsive, with the camera launching up to 70 percent faster and the keyboard showing up to 50 percent faster.

iOS 12 will be available to developers and public beta testers as a beta for several months to allow Apple to work out kinks and bugs. The update will see a launch this fall.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
Discuss this article in our forums

Win an iPhone X and rep your soccer team with Speck Presidio World Grip cases

The 2018 FIFA World Cup is well underway, with the first match having kicked off on June 14 and the monthlong event running through July 15. To celebrate, we’ve teamed up with Apple and Speck to give our readers a chance to win a brand-new unlocked iPhone X along with a bundle of Speck’s new Presidio Grip phone cases designed to look like flags of the countries participating in the World Cup.

Speck is a no newcomer to the world of mobile protection and makes some of our favorite smartphone cases. The all-new World Edition iPhone cases put a patriotic spin on the original Presidio Grip, with each one sporting the colors of 2018 FIFA World Cup soccer teams.

Almost all of us are carrying and using our phones throughout the day – and we’ve all let them slip out of our hands at some point. It happens. The Presidio Grip cases are a great way to avoid the nicks, dings, and cracks that are sure to result when your phone is unprotected against those inevitable bumps and falls. The rubberized, ridged design also offers great purchase to prevent your phone from sliding out of your mitts in the first place.

The Apple iPhone X should also need little introduction: Apple’s latest high-end smartphone turned heads when it launched last year with a price tag of $1,000 – the company’s most expensive phone yet — but it lives up to the hype thanks to its great design, signature Apple build quality, and solid hardware. The new iPhone’s beautiful OLED display is also one of the best we’ve ever seen on any mobile device.

One lucky winner will take home the grand prize for free: A brand-new iPhone X along with six of the Speck Presidio World Grip cases, each one a $40-45 value, featuring the flag colors of the top teams playing in this year’s FIFA World Cup. This is the perfect way to protect your new free iPhone while repping your favorite team (or teams, if you’re the type to root for more than one country). We will be notifying the winner via email, so make sure to check your inbox once the giveaway is completed. You wouldn’t want to miss your chance at a brand new iPhone and some of the top cases on the market.

Looking for more great stuff? Find iPhone deals and more on our curated deals page, and be sure to follow us on Twitter for regular updates. Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win:

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Here’s how Microsoft’s Xbox One mouse and keyboard support could work

Microsoft and Razer may be partnering to bring mouse and keyboard support to the Xbox One, Windows Central reports. If implemented, it wouldn’t be quite the same as a PC or laptop, as only a single keyboard would be supported and only a select number of buttons on a mouse. While mouse and keyboard support could bring about new gameplay possibilities on console though, it may raise further questions over fairness.

Microsoft has promised keyboard and mouse support on its Xbox platform for years, but has only really delivered in Minecraft. Meanwhile, third-party hardware has made it possible to use a keyboard and mouse unofficially for some time, but recently as competitive games have become more adopted by mainstream gaming, their use has been controversial. Mice and keyboards tend to offer far greater control and accuracy in certain game types, most notably shooters and strategy games. Official support from Microsoft for such input options is exciting, but it does have the potential to raise the ire of those who feel themselves cheated by their opponents having better hardware.

Still, it’s not like keyboard and mice gamers on the Xbox One would have free reign. As the documents obtained by WindowsCentral state, game developers who want to support mice and keyboards would be mandated on supporting gamepads, too. Any mouse used would only be supported up to five buttons, as well as wheel movement. Most Windows-compatible mice would be supported, including wireless mice with dongles — though those with custom drivers may not be supported.

Microsoft also highlights that developers could detect which input option was being used by the gamer, thereby allowing them to make it so that keyboard and mice gamers play together, rather than mix and matching. That is something that Microsoft’s slides “highly suggest” that developers do, though it also encourages tracking how keyboard and mice and gamepad gamers fare against one another.

Since making a competitive game is so reliant on an active player base, developers may not be so interested in splitting their communities along those lines, but it would no doubt very much depend on the developer’s sensibilities and the size and scope of their game.

Implementing keyboard and mouse support at all may cause some consternation among console gamers, due to the inherent improvement in accuracy a mouse offers. As Microsoft has previously stated, it leaves it up to developers to use APIs to detect third-party hardware that allows that sort of input, if they so choose. That is something that some developers, like Bluehole, have already taken it up on.

While no announcement has been made about the official implementation of such support, The Verge confirmed with its sources that keyboard and mouse support on the Xbox One is in the works. When combined with better tracking of who is using controllers, it may lead to a fairer gaming landscape and new genre options for console gamers.

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