Search

Improving the efficiency of photo-electrocatalytic cells depends on controlling the rates of interfacial electron transfer to promote the formation of long-lived charge separated states. Ultimately, for efficient catalytic assemblies to see widespread implementation, repeated electron transfer in the absence of charge recombination needs to be realized. In this study, a series of manganese-based transition metal complexes known to undergo charge transfer-induced spin crossover are employed to study how significant increases in inner-sphere reorganization energy affect the rates of interfacial electron transfer. Each complex is characterized by transient spectroscopic and electrochemical methods to calculate the rate of electron transfer to a model chromophore anchored to the surface of a TiO2 film. Likewise, open-circuit voltage decay measurements were used to determine the voltage-dependent lifetime of injected electrons in TiO2 in the presence of each complex. To further characterize the rates of electronic recombination, density functional theory was used to calculate the inner-sphere and outer-sphere reorganization energy for each complex. These calculations were then combined with classical Marcus theory to determine the theoretical rate of back-electron transfer from the TiO2 conduction band. These results show that, in model complexes, a significant reduction in the recombination rate constant is achieved for complexes possessing a significant inner-sphere reorganization energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The 2010-2011 withdrawal from Iraq included the closure of all fixed-facility military medical resources. Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, the United States-led counter-terrorism mission in Iraq and Syria, subsequently commenced in 2014. With increasing combat operations, the 28th Combat Support Hospital deployed to Iraq to support that mission as a limited footprint unit prototyped after the new modular Army Field Hospital. We describe the non-battle utilization of the emergency medical treatment section.Methods: We prospectively collected data for this project as part of a performance improvement initiative to track healthcare utilization to guide emergency medical treatment section staffing. The project took place at a combat support hospital near Baghdad, Iraq from July 2016 through January 2017.Results: During this time, the emergency department (ED) averaged 3.5 visits per day totaling 675 non-battle encounters. Most (84.6%) were U.S. military personnel with a median age of 32 (IQR 26-38). The most common procedure performed was point-of-care ultrasound (n = 33). Most patients (96.9%) underwent discharge from the ED. Of the 21 subjects admitted, 6 were for surgical intervention and the remaining for medical or observational indications. The most common chief complaints were musculoskeletal (31.1%, n = 210), respiratory (15.3%, n = 103), and dermatologic (12.0%, n = 81).Conclusions: Non-battle injuries and illnesses were the predominant reason for ED utilization. Most subjects were discharged back to duty with relatively low-resource utilization. Few visits required procedural interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an ethnographic account of members of the Phellowship, a group of sober concert goers who connect and sometimes attend informal meetings at Phish concerts. The work attends to the ways this group is meaningful for people's sobriety and livelihoods. The overall purpose of this article is to provide a rich description of a novel approach to the creation and extension of a culture of recovery and sobriety through music and music communities. This article utilizes two years of ethnographic data collected from interviews with roughly 20 participants and conversations from participant observation with people who are generally representative of the demographics of this group and fanbase (25–55, white, about half male and female presenting). The ethnographic data were physically coded into emergent themes and analyzed to highlight the important facets of participation and experience of members of the Phellowship. This method of qualitative analysis utilizes aspects of phenomenological inquiry, in that the subjective experiences of individuals are described and analyzed, to meet the larger aims of an ethnographic analysis that explicates the understandings and cultural practices of this community in their own words. Thematic results include the performative and oral importance of narration at meetings, the semiotics of recovery and their community, the extension of sobriety beyond their "programs" or health-related arenas, and, most importantly, the role of connection and community. Each topic and result includes first-person accounts from interviews and participant observation to explicate how these thematic areas were chosen and have become meaningful for members of the Phellowship. This nonprogrammatic approach to recovery and sobriety that focuses more on cultural practices and salient versions of people's everyday identities, rather than "healing" and process seems to be a promising and novel addition to better the lives of people with substance use disorders. This group, and the network of these groups that exists in the jam band music scene at large, could act as a model for person-first approaches to recovery that incorporate different elements of sociality, community, and creative expression. • The use of affinity-based support groups and spaces is effective in maintaining sobriety for some people • Focusing on cultural practices separate from, but informed by, recovery programs can strengthen networks of recovery • Sound and music are important modes of communication and self-understanding for people in recovery • The experience and sensory aspects of recovery and sobriety that are compelled by and mirror expressive practices [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the factorization of an odd, composite integer N that has been expressed in two different ways as mx2 ± ny2. The negative case mx2 ± ny2 = N turns out to be quite different from the positive case mx2 + ny2 = N because it deals with a hyperbola instead of an ellipse. Of particular interest in the negative case is that Pell-connected representations produce trivial factorizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine if Salmonella-contaminated oysters are reaching consumer tables, a survey of raw oysters served in eight Tucson restaurants was performed from October 2007 to September 2008. Salmonella spp. were isolated during 7 of the 8 months surveyed and were present in 1.2% of 2,281 oysters tested. This observed prevalence is lower than that seen in a previous study in which U.S. market oysters were purchased from producers at bays where oysters are harvested. To test whether the process of refrigerating oysters in restaurants for several days reduces Salmonella levels, oysters were artificially infected with Salmonella and kept at 4°C for up to 13 days. Direct plate counts of oyster homogenate showed that Salmonella levels within oysters did not decrease during refrigeration. Six different serovars of Salmonella enterica were found in the restaurant oysters, indicating multiple incidences of Salmonella contamination of U.S. oyster stocks. Of the 28 contaminated oysters, 12 (43%) contained a strain of S. enterica serovar Newport that matched by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis a serovar Newport strain seen predominantly in the study of bay oysters performed in 2002. The repeated occurrence of this strain in oyster surveys is concerning, since the strain was resistant to seven antimicrobials tested and thus presents a possible health risk to consumers of raw oysters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of elevated serum phosphorus in hemodialysis patients remains challenging due in part to the lack of a well-tolerated, safe, and effective phosphate binder. Here we report the results of a single-center, open-label, phase I clinical trial of 44 hemodialysis patients to show the safety and efficacy of a novel iron-based phosphate binder, SBR759. After establishing its safety at an initial dose of 3.75 g/day, SBR759 was given to successive cohorts in several divided doses of up to 22.5 g/day. The defined measure of efficacy was the average change in serum phosphorus in the cohorts receiving 11.25 and 15.0 g/day, in whom the mean reduction was 2.1 mg/dl. A clinically and statistically significant reduction in serum phosphorus was found across the entire dose range. All patients were able to achieve mean phosphorus levels within K/DOQI target ranges at the end of the first week. SBR759 was well tolerated within the anticipated clinical dose range of 3.75–15 g/day. No treatment-related serious adverse events were observed nor were there clinically relevant changes in iron indices. While these preliminary studies highlight the clinical efficiency and safety of SBR759, its promise of improved therapeutic options for hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease requires further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a mathematical problem on factoring where the algebraic formula 4n + 1 can be expressed as sum of two squares. It mentions that finding the factors of N using two representations is a problem associated to the compositeness of the formula. It states that mathematician and physicist Leonhard Euler has given his simple solution to the problem.

Provides information on test instrumentation. Discussion of the basics of modal test instrumentation; Examples of what to avoid; Examples of instrumentation success; Recommended best practices.

The article provides insights on designing modal test fixtures. It cites examples of good and bad fixtures. It is recommended that the design of the fixture should be very simple. Use the simple model of the fixture to determine its modal behavior to ensure that the fixture won't unduly affect the test article behavior.

Using the theory of elliptic curves, we show that the class number h(−p) of the field Q(√ of −p) appears in the count of certain factors of the Legendre polynomials Pm(x) (mod p), where p is a prime >3 and m has the form (p−e)/k, with k=2,3 or 4 and p≡e (mod k). As part of the proof we explicitly compute the Hasse invariant of the Hessian curve y2+αxy+y=x3 and find an elementary expression for the supersingular polynomial ssp(x) whose roots are the supersingular j-invariants of elliptic curves in characteristic p. As a corollary we show that the class number h(−p) also shows up in the factorization (mod p) of certain Jacobi polynomials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents information on a study which investigated the effects of several key variables on the interface adhesion strengths for underfill/chip and underfill/organic substrate systems using double-cantilever-beam techniques. Mechanisms that control underfill interfacial adhesion and fracture characteristics; Materials use din the study; Results and discussion; Conclusions.

Presents information on a study which investigated the adhesion and fracture behavior of underfill/silicon and underfill/organic substrate interfaces using double cantilever beam method. Experimental details; Examination of the effects of mode-mixity, thermal/residual stresses and underfill plasticity using finite element analysis; Conclusions.

Traces the evolution of ideas concerning the Golay-Rudin-Shapiro sequence. Relevance to the empirical investigation of the mathematical law of maxima and minima; Wavelength pattern; Establishment of the upper bound and the lower bound.

In the United States, the rate of primary and secondary syphilis has increased by 18% in 2016, the highest rate since 1993. These patients can often present to the emergency department (ED) in various stages. Although syphilis is well described in the literature, there is a paucity of ED reports of atypical cases. A 22-yr-old male presented to the ED complaining of neck pain. The patient was found to have right-sided tender cervical lymphadenopathy causing neck pain. A thorough physical exam revealed diffuse lymphadenopathy. Without an obvious infectious etiology, the patient underwent a broad workup, which revealed a reactive rapid plasma reagin (RPR) assay with a titer of 1:64. The patient had no history of the classic painless penile ulcer. The ED presentation of secondary syphilis can be very insidious, and physicians should be aware of its various presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to gather information about freshwater fishes in Letchworth State Park (42.615275° N, −77.992825° W), a portion of New York State‐owned land located in the Genesee River Watershed that lacks known data about its fish diversity. Fish collection took place between 2017 and 2019 in the Genesse River upstream and downstream of the falls using electrofishing, gill, hoop, and seine netting. This was the first attempt at a comprehensive survey of this portion of the river, which allowed for a baseline to be established regarding fish biodiversity in the region. The updated total number of species found in this portion of the Genesee River was 25, 22 of which were newly identified downstream of the falls in Letchworth State Park. We encourage further collection and continuation of this survey with consistent sampling techniques to raise awareness about the importance of freshwater fish diversity in stream ecosystems across the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compartment syndrome is usually due to trauma but can also have atraumatic causes. It is defined as a compromise of neurovascular and muscle function that presents symptomatically with the six P's: pain, pallor, paresthesia, paralysis, poikilothermia, and pulselessness. Diagnosis is confirmed by a delta pressure of <30 mmHg (diastolic blood pressure minus the compartment pressure). This case details a 15-year-old male football player with atraumatic compartment syndrome in the lateral compartment of the right lower leg. Symptoms of swelling and pain began 2 weeks before presentation after the patient was "juked." The patient's symptoms improved after a week of rest but worsened when he returned to practice. In the emergency department, the patient was able to ambulate with pain and declined pain medication. Examination revealed severe tenderness, mildly decreased strength, decreased sensation, and edema in the lateral compartment via bedside ultrasound. Because of the concern for compartment syndrome, pressure was checked with a disposable manometer (Compass CT disposable pressure transducer) revealing a delta pressure of 26 mmHg. The patient consequently underwent fasciotomy, eventually returning to baseline function without deficits. Awareness of this atypical presentation of compartment syndrome will assist providers in making a critical diagnosis and preventing severe complications and disability. This case also demonstrates the potential of disposable pressure transducers for cost-effective and accurate diagnostic confirmation of compartment syndrome in the emergency department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research being done on the effects of recolonization with interfering alpha streptococci on recurrences of acute and secretory otitis media in children. It references a study by K. Roos et al. published in a 2001 issue of the British Medical Journal. The study showed that healthy children have higher levels of inhibitory alpha streptococci compared with children prone to otitis. Children who received the streptococcal spray had a significant reduction in recurrence of otitis media compared with those receiving placebo. INSET: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE..

In 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state health and regulatory partners investigated an outbreak of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infections linked to cantaloupes from southwest Indiana, resulting in 87 ill persons and 32 hospitalizations reported in 11 states. Epidemiologic and traceback evidence confirmed cantaloupe as the vehicle for these infections. Based on records collected by FDA, traceback of cantaloupe exposures for 14 ill people converged on a packing house in southwest Indiana, which supplied cantaloupe to eight of the 11 points of service where ill people purchased cantaloupe. Salmonella isolates were recovered from environmental samples collected by FDA from three growers and a packing house in southwest Indiana. Whole genome sequencing analyses of these isolates found that isolates collected from one grower matched the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak strain, and samples collected from the other two growers and the packing house matched a 2020 Salmonella Newport outbreak strain. State and federal public health and agricultural partners identified potential conditions and practices that could have possibly resulted in the contamination of cantaloupe, including the presence of Salmonella spp. in on-farm, post-harvest, and off-farm environments. This is the third outbreak of salmonellosis confirmed to be linked to melons, sourced from southwest Indiana in the last decade. The 2012, 2020, and 2022 outbreaks of reoccurring and persisting strains of Salmonella illustrate the need for additional efforts to determine the source and extent of environmental contamination in the melon growing region of southwest Indiana and for outreach and education to help promote practices to reduce contamination of melons. • Describes a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium linked to cantaloupe. • Identifies traceback, laboratory, and epidemiologic data used in the investigation. • Describes recovered Salmonella isolates matching present and past outbreak strains. • Emphasizes the need for food safety throughout the cantaloupe supply chain. • Highlights research needed to prevent melon contamination during growing and packing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the landscape and resources of combat operations change and become more unpredictable, the ability to provide prolonged combat casualty care in austere environments will become increasingly important. Prolonged casualty care (PCC) (until recently, prolonged field care [PFC]) is an emerging niche of military medicine that requires specific and dedicated training within our military medical education curricula for providers at all levels. That training should incorporate both didactic classroom instruction and high-fidelity, hands-on, full-scale training in order to prepare providers for delivering care beyond the standard doctrinal timelines employed in recent combat operations. A resolute commitment to training providers in the application of the core principles of PCC will improve the combat readiness of providers and decrease the morbidity and mortality of combat casualties. Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center's Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program Joint Emergency Medicine Training Exercise is an example of high value training in all facets of military medicine, including prolonged casualty care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our paper ''Algorithms for Finding and Proving Balanced Q2 Identities'' we pointed out that the proof algorithm in that paper had not been able to prove 1,417 of the 97,306 tentative identities which the paper's search algorithm had found. To deal with this problem, we give here a more powerful proof algorithm based on a familiar technique in the theory of modular forms. The first six sections of this paper establish the connection with modular forms. As it happens, a given balanced T2 identity in x is mapped directly to a modular form identity of weight 1 on a particular congruence subgroup. The map itself consists of simply multiplying each term of the T2 identity by the same power of x, written xĪĪ. The proof algorithm, which is then applied to this identity, consists basically of the following steps: Move the terms of the identity onto the left side of the equation and expand this side into a power series up to a predetermined degree L. If the first L ++ 1 terms of this expansion are zero, then the identity is true. When this algorithm was applied to the 1,417 recalcitrant identities, it showed they were all true, as hoped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 20-year-old female presented to the emergency department complaining of fever, cough, and dyspnea after a recent camping trip. The patient remained ill appearing, persistently tachycardic and dyspneic despite nebulizer treatments, and fluids in the emergency department. She was admitted for observation and gradually improved over the next 4 d. Inpatient laboratory studies indicated acute Epstein-Barr virus infection and she was discharged with a presumptive diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis. However, further testing showed a simultaneous rickettsial infection producing murine typhus. The patient ultimately recovered uneventfully once proper treatment was initiated. This patient's presentation represents a unique description of simultaneous infectious mononucleosis and murine typhus which underscores the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis in the approach to febrile illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) affects a significant number of hemodialysis patients, and metabolic disturbances associated with it may contribute to their high mortality rate. As patients with lower serum calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone are reported to have improved survival, we tested whether prescription of the calcimimetic cinacalcet to hemodialysis patients with SHPT improved their survival. We prospectively collected data on hemodialysis patients from a large provider beginning in 2004, a time coincident with the commercial availability of cinacalcet hydrochloride. This information was merged with data in the United States Renal Data System to determine all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Patients included in the study received intravenous (i.v.) vitamin D therapy (a surrogate for the diagnosis of SHPT). Of 19,186 patients, 5976 received cinacalcet and all were followed from November 2004 for up to 26 months. Unadjusted and adjusted time-dependent Cox proportional hazards modeling found that all-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates were significantly lower for those treated with cinacalcet than for those without calcimimetic. Hence, this observational study found a significant survival benefit associated with cinacalcet prescription in patients receiving i.v. vitamin D. Definitive proof, however, of a survival advantage awaits the performance of randomized clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this case report was a 67-year-old Caucasian woman who had undergone total knee arthroplasty of the right knee. Postoperative physical therapy and a new orthosis that utilizes principles of stress relaxation (constant displacement) and static progressive stretching were used to reestablish range of motion. The total treatment time (cumulative orthosis wear time) was 32.5 hours over a period of 29 days, and the patient obtained a 17-degree increase in active range of motion. Six months later, there was no measurable loss in range of motion. The results of this treatment may be beneficial for some patients. Researchers and clinicians need to conduct studies to further evaluate this approach to knee contracture management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]