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Physical chemistry, chemical physics 24, 23096 - 23105 (2022). doi:10.1039/D2CP02252D special issue: "Ions, electrons, coincidences and dynamics: Festschrift for John H.D. Eland", We investigated the dissociation of dications and trications of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene. PAHs are a family of molecules ubiquitous in space and involved in much of the chemistry of the interstellar medium. Ions are formed by ionization with 30.3 nm extreme ultraviolet (XUV) photons, and their velocity map images are recorded using a PImMS multi-mass imaging sensor. Application of recoil-frame covariance analysis allows the total kinetic energy release (TKER) associated with multiple fragmentation channels to be determined to high precision. Experimental measurements are supported by Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) molecular dynamics simulations., Published by RSC Publ., Cambridge

Introduction: The Prehospital TBI Guidelines (PTGs) are intended for both isolated and multisystem TBI (ITBI/MTBI). However, uncontrolled hemorrhage and potential detrimental effects of fluid resuscitation in MTBI may lead to differential effectiveness compared to ITBI. Methods: Preplanned subgroup analysis of PTG effectiveness in ITBI and MTBI from EPIC (before/after system study; 133 agencies, >11,000 trained; NIH R01NS071049). Interventions: Prevention/treatment of hypoxia, hypotension, hyperventilation. Inclusion: Barell Matrix 1; 1/07-6/15. Severity subgroups [Head Region Severity Score (HRSS; AIS equivalent)]: Moderate = 1-2; Severe = 3-4; Critical = 5-6. Definitions: ITBI: TBI with no other RSS ≥3 injury. MTBI: TBI plus non-head region RSS ≥3 injuries. Pre (P1) and post-implementation (P3) cohorts were compared using logistic regression. Results: Cases: 21,852; median age 45 (IQR 24, 66); 67% male. ITBI: 16,663 (76.3%); P1 = 11,602, P3 = 5061. MTBI: 5189 (23.7%); P1 = 3626, P3 = 1563]. Hypotension occurred much more frequently in MTBI (15.8%) than ITBI (4.5%; OR = 3.9 (3.5, 4.4); p Conclusions: PTG implementation was independently associated with improved odds of survival in severe ITBI and MTBI. Despite a rate of hypotension 4 times higher in MTBI, survival improvement was at least as strong as for ITBI. Since the MTBI cohort was much more likely to receive fluid resuscitation, these findings support the PTG recommendation for aggressive treatment of hypotension in TBI even in patients with potential ongoing hemorrhage.

Study objective We evaluate the effect of implementing the out-of-hospital pediatric traumatic brain injury guidelines on outcomes in children with major traumatic brain injury. Methods The Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care for Children study is the preplanned secondary analysis of the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care study, a multisystem, intention-to-treat study using a before-after controlled design. This subanalysis included children younger than 18 years who were transported to Level I trauma centers by participating out-of-hospital agencies between January 1, 2007, and June 30, 2015, throughout Arizona. The primary and secondary outcomes were survival to hospital discharge or admission for children with major traumatic brain injury and in 3 subgroups, defined a priori as those with moderate, severe, and critical traumatic brain injury. Outcomes in the preimplementation and postimplementation cohorts were compared with logistic regression, adjusting for risk factors and confounders. Results There were 2,801 subjects, 2,041 in preimplementation and 760 in postimplementation. The primary analysis (postimplementation versus preimplementation) yielded an adjusted odds ratio of 1.16 (95% confidence interval 0.70 to 1.92) for survival to hospital discharge and 2.41 (95% confidence interval 1.17 to 5.21) for survival to hospital admission. In the severe traumatic brain injury cohort (Regional Severity Score–Head 3 or 4), but not the moderate or critical subgroups, survival to discharge significantly improved after guideline implementation (adjusted odds ratio = 8.42; 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 100+). The improvement in survival to discharge among patients with severe traumatic brain injury who received positive-pressure ventilation did not reach significance (adjusted odds ratio = 9.13; 95% confidence interval 0.79 to 100+). Conclusion Implementation of the pediatric out-of-hospital traumatic brain injury guidelines was not associated with improved survival when the entire spectrum of severity was analyzed as a whole (moderate, severe, and critical). However, both adjusted survival to hospital admission and discharge improved in children with severe traumatic brain injury, indicating a potential severity-based interventional opportunity for guideline effectiveness. These findings support the widespread implementation of the out-of-hospital pediatric traumatic brain injury guidelines.

We report experimental results on the diffractive imaging of three-dimensionally aligned 2,5-diiodothiophene molecules. The molecules were aligned by chirped near-infrared laser pulses, and their structure was probed at a photon energy of 9.5 keV (λ ≈ 130 pm) provided by the Linac Coherent Light Source. Diffracted photons were recorded on the Cornell-SLAC pixel array detector, and a two-dimensional diffraction pattern of the equilibrium structure of 2,5-diiodothiophene was recorded. The retrieved distance between the two iodine atoms agrees with the quantum-chemically calculated molecular structure to be within 5%. The experimental approach allows for the imaging of intrinsic molecular dynamics in the molecular frame, albeit this requires more experimental data, which should be readily available at upcoming high-repetition-rate facilities.

Introduction: The EPIC Study implemented the national EMS TBI Guidelines in a massive, statewide initiative (>11,000 providers trained, 133 agencies). While implementation was not associated with improved survival to discharge in moderate or critically-severe TBI in the primary (all-age) study, the adjusted odds of survival doubled in severe TBI and tripled in severe, intubated TBI. We now report the preplanned pediatric subgroup analysis (“EPIC4Kids”-NIH R01NS071049). Methods: Multisystem, intention-to-treat study using a before/after controlled design in patients with moderate to critically severe TBI. Interventions: Prevention/treatment of hypoxia, hypotension, and hyperventilation by EMS providers. Inclusion: Age Results: Included were 2801 cases [P1=2041 (72.9%), P3=760 (27.1%); median age 11 (IQR 2, 15); 62.9% male]. The all-severity P3 vs P1 cohort analysis yielded adjusted odds (aOR) of 1.16 (95%CI 0.697, 1.92, p=0.57) for survival. In severe TBI (P1=1405, P3=605; 80% of P3 cases), but not moderate or critical TBI, adjusted survival was significantly improved after implementation (Figure; p=0.049). Improvement in survival for those with severe, intubated TBI (P1=174, P3=44) approached significance (Fig; p=0.11). Conclusion: In the first controlled study of its kind, implementation of the EMS TBI guidelines was independently associated with a dramatic increase in adjusted survival among children with severe TBI. The aOR for survival was even larger than that of the overall (all-age) EPIC Study and supports widespread implementation of the guidelines in children.

Spanish-only speaking residents in the United States face barriers to receiving potentially life-saving 911 interventions such as Telephone -cardiopulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) instructions. Since 2015, 911 dispatchers have placed an increased emphasis on rapid identification of potential cardiac arrest. The purpose of this study was to describe the utilization and timing of the 911 system during suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) by Spanish-speaking callers in Metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona.The dataset consisted of suspected OHCA from 911 centers from October 10, 2010 through December 31, 2013. Review of audio TCPR process data included whether the need for CPR was recognized by telecommunicators, whether CPR instructions were provided, and the time elements from call receipt to initiation of compressions.A total of 3398 calls were made to 911 for suspected OHCA where CPR was indicated. A total of 39 (1.2%) were determined to have a Spanish language barrier. This averages to 18 calls per year with a Spanish language barrier during the study period, compared with 286 OHCAs expected per year among this population. The average time until telecommunicators recognized CPR need was 87.4s for the no language barrier group compared to 160.6s for the Spanish-language barrier group (p0.001).Time to CPR instructions started was significantly different between these groups (144.4s vs 231.3s, respectively) (p0.001), as was time to first compression, (174.4s vs. 290.9s, respectively) (p0.001).Our study suggests that Hispanic callers under-utilize the 911 system, and when they do call 911, there are significant delays in initiating CPR.

Low body temperatures following prehospital transport are associated with poor outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, a minimal amount is known about potential associations across a range of temperatures obtained immediately after prehospital transport. Furthermore, a minimal amount is known about the influence of body temperature on non-mortality outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between temperatures obtained immediately following prehospital transport and TBI outcomes across the entire range of temperatures.This retrospective observational study included all moderate/severe TBI cases (CDC Barell Matrix Type 1) in the pre-implementation cohort of the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) TBI Study (NIH/NINDS: 1R01NS071049). Cases were compared across four cohorts of initial trauma center temperature (ITCT):35.0°C [Very Low Temperature (VLT)]; 35.0-35.9°C [Low Temperature (LT)]; 36.0-37.9°C [Normal Temperature (NT)]; and ≥38.0°C [Elevated Temperature (ET)]. Multivariable analysis was performed adjusting for injury severity score, age, sex, race, ethnicity, blunt/penetrating trauma, and payment source. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mortality were calculated. To evaluate non-mortality outcomes, deaths were excluded and the adjusted median increase in hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU LOS and total hospital charges were calculated for each ITCT group and compared to the NT group.22,925 cases were identified and cases with interfacility transfer (7361, 32%), no EMS transport (1213, 5%), missing ITCT (2083, 9%), or missing demographic data (391, 2%) were excluded. Within this study cohort the aORs for death (compared to the NT group) were 2.41 (CI: 1.83-3.17) for VLT, 1.62 (CI: 1.37-1.93) for LT, and 1.86 (CI: 1.52-3.00) for ET. Similarly, trauma center (TC) LOS, ICU LOS, and total TC charges increased in all temperature groups when compared to NT.In this large, statewide study of major TBI, both ETs and LTs immediately following prehospital transport were independently associated with higher mortality and with increased TC LOS, ICU LOS, and total TC charges. Further study is needed to identify the causes of abnormal body temperature during the prehospital interval and if in-field measures to prevent temperature variations might improve outcomes.

Study objective Survival is significantly reduced by either hypotension or hypoxia during the out-of-hospital management of major traumatic brain injury. However, only a handful of small studies have investigated the influence of the combination of both hypotension and hypoxia occurring together. In patients with major traumatic brain injury, we evaluate the associations between mortality and out-of-hospital hypotension and hypoxia separately and in combination. Methods All moderate or severe traumatic brain injury cases in the preimplementation cohort of the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care study (a statewide, before/after, controlled study of the effect of implementing the out-of-hospital traumatic brain injury treatment guidelines) from January 1, 2007, to March 31, 2014, were evaluated (exclusions: 200 mm Hg). The relationship between mortality and hypotension (systolic blood pressure Results Among the 13,151 patients who met inclusion criteria (median age 45 years; 68.6% men), 11,545 (87.8%) had neither hypotension nor hypoxia, 604 (4.6%) had hypotension only, 790 (6.0%) had hypoxia only, and 212 (1.6%) had both hypotension and hypoxia. Mortality for the 4 study cohorts was 5.6%, 20.7%, 28.1%, and 43.9%, respectively. The crude and adjusted odds ratios for death within the cohorts, using the patients with neither hypotension nor hypoxia as the reference, were 4.4 and 2.5, 6.6 and 3.0, and 13.2 and 6.1, respectively. Evaluation for an interaction between hypotension and hypoxia revealed that the effects were additive on the log odds of death. Conclusion In this statewide analysis of major traumatic brain injury, combined out-of-hospital hypotension and hypoxia were associated with significantly increased mortality. This effect on survival persisted even after controlling for multiple potential confounders. In fact, the adjusted odds of death for patients with both hypotension and hypoxia were more than 2 times greater than for those with either hypotension or hypoxia alone. These findings seem supportive of the emphasis on aggressive prevention and treatment of hypotension and hypoxia reflected in the current emergency medical services traumatic brain injury treatment guidelines but clearly reveal the need for further study to determine their influence on outcome.

XXI International Conference on Ultrafast Phenomena 2018, UP 2018, Hamburg, Germany, 15 Jul 2018 - 20 Jul 2018; The European physical journal / Web of Conferences 205, 07002 (2019). doi:10.1051/epjconf/201920507002, Laser-aligned carbonyl-sulfide molecules were strong-field ionized using mid-infrared light. Investigating the strong-field effects in the molecular frame allowed to add novel facets to the understanding of the intrinsic nature of strong-field physics., Published by EDP Sciences, Les Ulis

Measurements on the strong-field ionization of carbonyl sulfide molecules by short, intense, 2~\um wavelength laser pulses are presented from experiments where angle-resolved photoelectron distributions were recorded with a high-energy velocity map imaging spectrometer, designed to reach a maximum kinetic energy of 500~eV. The laser-field-free elastic-scattering cross section of carbonyl sulfide was extracted from the measurements and is found in good agreement with previous experiments, performed using conventional electron diffraction. By comparing our measurements to the results of calculations, based on the quantitative rescattering theory (QRS), the bond lengths and molecular geometry were extracted from the experimental differential cross sections to a precision better than $\pm5$~pm and in agreement with the known values.

The journal of chemical physics 148(10), 101103 - (2018). doi:10.1063/1.5023645, trong quasi-adiabatic laser alignment of the indole-water-dimer clusters, an amino-acid chromophore bound to a single water molecule through a hydrogen bond, was experimentally realized. The alignment was visualized through ion and electron imaging following strong-field ionization. Molecular-frame photoelectron angular distributions showed a clear suppression of the electron yield in the plane of the ionizing laser’s polarization, which was analyzed as strong alignment of the molecular cluster with ⟨cos$^2$θ$_{2D}$⟩ ≥ 0.9., Published by American Institute of Physics, Melville, NY

A new technique for obtaining switched wave packets using spectrally truncated chirped laser pulses is demonstrated experimentally and numerically by one-dimensional alignment of both linear and asymmetric top molecules. Using a simple long-pass transmission filter, a pulse with a slow turn-on and a rapid turn-off is produced. The degree of alignment, characterized by cos2 θ2D, rises along with the pulse intensity and reaches a maximum at the peak of the pulse. After truncation, cos2 θ2D drops sharply but exhibits pronounced half and full revivals. The experimental alignment dynamics trace agrees very well with a numerically calculated trace based on the solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. However, the extended periods of field-free alignment of asymmetric tops following pulse truncation reported previously are not reproduced in our work.

IMPORTANCE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a massive public health problem. While evidence-based guidelines directing the prehospital treatment of TBI have been promulgated, to our knowledge, no studies have assessed their association with survival. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of implementing the nationally vetted, evidence-based, prehospital treatment guidelines with outcomes in moderate, severe, and critical TBI. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) Study included more than 130 emergency medical services systems/agencies throughout Arizona. This was a statewide, multisystem, intention-to-treat study using a before/after controlled design with patients with moderate to critically severe TBI (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Barell Matrix-Type 1 and/or Abbreviated Injury Scale Head region severity ≥3) transported to trauma centers between January 1, 2007, and June 30, 2015. Data were analyzed between October 25, 2017, and February 22, 2019. INTERVENTIONS: Implementation of the prehospital TBI guidelines emphasizing avoidance/treatment of hypoxia, prevention/correction of hyperventilation, and avoidance/treatment of hypotension. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary: survival to hospital discharge; secondary: survival to hospital admission. RESULTS: Of the included patients, the median age was 45 years, 14 666 (67.1%) were men, 7181 (32.9%) were women; 16 408 (75.1% ) were white, 1400 (6.4%) were Native American, 743 (3.4% ) were Black, 237 (1.1%) were Asian, and 2791 (12.8%) were other race/ethnicity. Of the included patients, 21 852 met inclusion criteria for analysis (preimplementation phase [P1]: 15 228; postimplementation [P3]: 6624). The primary analysis (P3 vs P1) revealed an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.06 (95% CI, 0.93-1.21; P = .40) for survival to hospital discharge. The aOR was 1.70 (95% CI, 1.38-2.09; P

Effective online collaboration is a valuable instructional approach appropriate for 21st century teaching and learning. This paper describes a case that involves two higher education student cohorts from the United States and Australia engaged in a global collaboration to promote an authentic teaching and learning experience. The collaboration aims to involve students in sharing, reflecting and synthesizing new knowledge to make a comparative analysis between education systems from the two countries. The global collaboration is matched against an Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills framework to comprehend and justify this approach as part of a teacher education course. This case advocates the value of having future teachers using online resources in a global context as a way to effectively integrate new content with various technology resources to develop new learning and new relationships beyond their own culture.

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) significantly improves survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest but is provided in less than half of events on average. Telephone CPR (TCPR) can significantly increase bystander CPR rates and improve clinical outcomes.To investigate the effect of a TCPR bundle of care on TCPR process measures and outcomes.A prospective, before-after, observational study of adult patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest not receiving bystander CPR before the 9-1-1 call between October 1, 2010, and September 30, 2013.A TCPR program, including guideline-based protocols, telecommunicator training, data collection, and feedback, in 2 regional dispatch centers servicing metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. Audio recordings of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest calls were audited and linked with emergency medical services and hospital outcome data.Survival to hospital discharge and functional outcome at hospital discharge.There were 2334 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (798 phase 1 [P1] and 1536 phase 2 [P2]) in the study group; 64% (1499) were male, and the median age was 63 years (age range, 9-101 years; interquartile range, 51-75 years). Provision of TCPR increased from 43.5% in P1 to 52.8% in P2 (P .001), yielding an increase of 9.3% (95% CI, 4.9%-13.8%). The median time to first chest compression decreased from 256 seconds in P1 to 212 seconds in P2 (P .001). All rhythm survival was significantly higher in P2 (184 of 1536 [12.0%]) compared with P1 (73 of 798 [9.1%]), with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.47 (95% CI, 1.08-2.02; P = .02) in a logistic regression model and an adjusted difference in absolute survival rates (adjusted rate difference) of 3.1% (95% CI, 1.5%-4.9%). Survival for patients with a shockable initial rhythm significantly improved in P2 (107 of 306 [35.0%]) compared with P1 (42 of 170 [24.7%]), with an aOR of 1.70 (95% CI, 1.09-2.65; P = .02) and an adjusted rate difference of 9.6% (95% CI, 4.8%-14.4%). The rate of favorable functional outcome was significantly higher in P2 (127 of 1536 [8.3%]; 95% CI, 6.9%-9.8%) than in P1 (45 of 798 [5.6%]; 95% CI, 4.1%-7.5%), with an aOR of 1.68 (95% CI, 1.13-2.48; P = .01) and an adjusted rate difference of 2.7% (95% CI, 1.3%-4.4%).Implementation of a guideline-based TCPR bundle of care was independently associated with significant improvements in the provision and timeliness of TCPR, survival to hospital discharge, and survival with favorable functional outcome.

We experimentally demonstrated strong adiabatic mixed-field orientation of carbonyl sulfide molecules (OCS) in their absolute ground state of $\text{N}_{\text{up}}/\text{N}_{\text{tot}}=0.882$. OCS was oriented in combined non-resonant laser and static electric fields inside a two-plate velocity map imaging spectrometer. The transition from non-adiabatic to adiabatic orientation for the rotational ground state was studied by varying the applied laser and static electric field. Above static electric field strengths of 10 kV/cm and laser intensities of $10^{11} \text{W/cm}^2$ the observed degree of orientation reached a plateau. These results are in good agreement with computational solutions of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures

Summary Objective There is growing evidence that therapeutic hypothermia and other post-resuscitation care improves outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Thus, transporting patients with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) to specialized facilities may increase survival rates. However, it is unknown whether prolonging transport to reach a designated facility would be detrimental. Methods Data from OHCA patients treated in EMS systems that cover approximately 70% of Arizona's population were evaluated (October 2004–December 2006). We analyzed the association between transport interval (depart scene to ED arrival) and survival to hospital discharge in adult, non-traumatic OHCA patients and in the subgroup who achieved ROSC and remained comatose. Results 1846 OHCA occurred prior to EMS arrival. Complete transport interval data were available for 1177 (63.8%) patients (study group). 253 patients (21.5%) achieved ROSC and remained comatose making them theoretically eligible for transport to specialized care. Overall, 70 patients (5.9%) survived and 43 (17.0%) comatose ROSC patients survived. Mean transport interval for the study group was 6.9 min (95% CI: 6.7, 7.1). Logistic regression revealed factors that were independently associated with survival: witnessed arrest, bystander CPR, method of CPR, initial rhythm of ventricular fibrillation, and shorter EMS response time interval. There was no significant association between transport interval and outcome in either the overall study group (OR = 1.2; 0.77, 1.8) or in the comatose, ROSC subgroup (OR 0.94; 0.51, 1.8). Conclusion Survival was not significantly impacted by transport interval. This suggests that a modest increase in transport interval from bypassing the closest hospital en route to specialized care is safe and warrants further investigation.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia (HOx) or hypotension (HT) occurring during the EMS management of major traumatic brain injury-TBI reduces survival. However, little is known about the impact of both HOx and HT, occurring together, on outcome. Only a handful of reports have studied the combination of prehospital HOx/HT in TBI and the largest of these only had 14 cases with both. Objectives: To evaluate the associations between mortality and prehospital HOx and HT, both separately and in combination. METHODS: All moderate/severe TBI cases (CDC Barell Matrix Type-1) in the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) TBI Study (a statewide, before/after controlled study of the impact of implementing the EMS TBI Treatment Guidelines-NIH/NINDS: 1R01NS071049) from 1/1/08-6/30/12 were evaluated [exclusions: age RESULTS: 9194 cases were included [Median age: 46 (IQR: 26-65); Male: 68.1%]. 8109 (88.2%) had no HOx/HT, 535 (5.8%) had HOx only, 419 (4.6%) had HT only, and 131 (1.4%) had both HOx/HT. The Figure shows the cORs and aORs for death. CONCLUSION: In this large analysis of major TBI, prehospital HOx and HT were associated with significantly increased mortality. However, the combination of HT and HOx together had a profoundly-negative effect on survival even after controlling for significant confounders. In fact, the aOR for death in patients with both HOx/HT was more than 3 times greater than for those with HOx or HT alone. Since the TBI Guidelines emphasize the prevention and treatment of HOx and HT, their implementation has the potential to significantly impact outcome.

Measurements of diffusion and quantum resonances are made for the atom optics kicked rotor (AOKR) with different levels of amplitude noise applied to the kicking potential. Diffusion resonances are found to be sensitive to this noise and are destroyed by moderate levels of amplitude fluctuation. However, quantum resonance peaks are found to be robust against the applied noise. The measurements of mean energy are made after just five kicks so that comparison with the analytical theory based on the work of Shepelyansky is possible. Good agreement between theory and experimental results is found.

Airway management, including endotracheal intubation, is considered one of the most important aspects of prehospital medical care. This concept paper proposes a systematic algorithm for performing prehospital airway management. The algorithm may be valuable as a tool for ensuring patient safety and reducing errors as well as for training rescuers in airway management.

Out-of-hospital hypotension has been associated with increased mortality in traumatic brain injury. The association of traumatic brain injury mortality with the depth or duration of out-of-hospital hypotension is unknown. We evaluated the relationship between the depth and duration of out-of-hospital hypotension and mortality in major traumatic brain injury.We evaluated adults and older children with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury in the preimplementation cohort of Arizona's statewide Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care study. We used logistic regression to determine the association between the depth-duration dose of hypotension (depth of systolic blood pressure90 mm Hg integrated over duration [minutes] of hypotension) and odds of inhospital death, controlling for significant confounders.There were 7,521 traumatic brain injury cases included (70.6% male patients; median age 40 years [interquartile range 24 to 58]). Mortality was 7.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.2% to 8.5%) among the 6,982 patients without hypotension (systolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg) and 33.4% (95% CI 29.4% to 37.6%) among the 539 hypotensive patients (systolic blood pressure90 mm Hg). Mortality was higher with increased hypotension dose: 0.01 to 14.99 mm Hg-minutes 16.3%; 15 to 49.99 mm Hg-minutes 28.1%; 50 to 141.99 mm Hg-minutes 38.8%; and greater than or equal to 142 mm Hg-minutes 50.4%. LogIn this study, the depth and duration of out-of-hospital hypotension were associated with increased traumatic brain injury mortality. Assessments linking out-of-hospital blood pressure with traumatic brain injury outcomes should consider both depth and duration of hypotension.

Importance Current prehospital traumatic brain injury guidelines use a systolic blood pressure threshold of less than 90 mm Hg for treating hypotension for individuals 10 years and older based on studies showing higher mortality when blood pressure drops below this level. However, the guidelines also acknowledge the weakness of the supporting evidence. Objective To evaluate whether any statistically supportable threshold between systolic pressure and mortality emerges from the data a priori, without assuming that a cut point exists. Design, Setting, and Participants Observational evaluation of a large prehospital database established as a part of the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care Traumatic Brain Injury Study. Patients from the preimplementation cohort (January 2007 to March 2014) 10 years and older with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (Barell Matrix Type 1 classification, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision head region severity score of 3 or greater, and/or Abbreviated Injury Scale head-region severity score of 3 or greater) and a prehospital systolic pressure between 40 and 119 mm Hg were included. The generalized additive model and logistic regression were used to determine the association between systolic pressure and probability of death, adjusting for significant/important confounders. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome measure was in-hospital mortality. Results Among the 3844 included patients, 2565 (66.7%) were male, and the median (range) age was 35 (10-99) years. The model revealed a monotonically decreasing association between systolic pressure and adjusted probability of death across the entire range (ie, from 40 to 119 mm Hg). Each 10-point increase of systolic pressure was associated with a decrease in the adjusted odds of death of 18.8% (adjusted odds ratio, 0.812; 95% CI, 0.748-0.883). Thus, the adjusted odds of mortality increased as much for a drop from 110 to 100 mm Hg as for a drop from 90 to 80 mm Hg, and so on throughout the range. Conclusions and Relevance We found a linear association between lowest prehospital systolic blood pressure and severity-adjusted probability of mortality across an exceptionally wide range. There is no identifiable threshold or inflection point between 40 and 119 mm Hg. Thus, in patients with traumatic brain injury, the concept that 90 mm Hg represents a unique or important physiological cut point may be wrong. Furthermore, clinically meaningful hypotension may not be as low as current guidelines suggest. Randomized trials evaluating treatment levels significantly above 90 mm Hg are needed.

We demonstrate strong laser-field-free orientation of absolute-ground-state carbonyl sulfide molecules. The molecules are oriented by the combination of a 485-ps-long nonresonant laser pulse and a weak static electric field. The edges of the laser pulse create a coherent superposition of two rotational states resulting in revivals of strong transient molecular orientation after the laser pulse. The experimentally attained degree of orientation $⟨\mathrm{cos}\ensuremath{\theta}⟩\ensuremath{\approx}0.6$ corresponds to the theoretical maximum for mixing of the two states. Switching off the dc field would provide the same orientation completely field free.

We demonstrate and analyze a strongly driven quantum pendulum in the angular motion of state-selected and laser-aligned carbonyl sulfide molecules. Raman couplings during the rising edge of a 50-ps laser pulse create a wave packet of pendular states, which propagates in the confining potential formed by the polarizability interaction between the molecule and the laser field. This wave-packet dynamics manifests itself as pronounced oscillations in the degree of alignment with a laser-intensity-dependent period.

Gas-phase molecular physics and physical chemistry experiments commonly use supersonic expansions through pulsed valves for the production of cold molecular beams. However, these beams often contain multiple conformers and clusters, even at low rotational temperatures. We present an experimental methodology that allows the spatial separation of these constituent parts of a molecular beam expansion. Using an electric deflector the beam is separated by its mass-to-dipole moment ratio, analogous to a bender or an electric sector mass spectrometer spatially dispersing charged molecules on the basis of their mass-to-charge ratio. This deflector exploits the Stark effect in an inhomogeneous electric field and allows the separation of individual species of polar neutral molecules and clusters. It furthermore allows the selection of the coldest part of a molecular beam, as low-energy rotational quantum states generally experience the largest deflection. Different structural isomers (conformers) of a species can be separated due to the different arrangement of functional groups, which leads to distinct dipole moments. These are exploited by the electrostatic deflector for the production of a conformationally pure sample from a molecular beam. Similarly, specific cluster stoichiometries can be selected, as the mass and dipole moment of a given cluster depends on the degree of solvation around the parent molecule. This allows experiments on specific cluster sizes and structures, enabling the systematic study of solvation of neutral molecules.

Study objective For out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, authoritative, evidence-based recommendations have been made for regionalization of postarrest care. However, system-wide implementation of these guidelines has not been evaluated. Our hypothesis is that statewide regionalization of postarrest interventions, combined with emergency medical services (EMS) triage bypass, is associated with improved survival and neurologic outcome. Methods This was a prospective before-after observational study comparing patients admitted to cardiac receiving centers before implementation of the interventions ("before") versus those admitted after ("after"). In December 2007, the Arizona Department of Health Services began officially recognizing cardiac receiving centers according to commitment to provide specified postarrest care. Subsequently, the State EMS Council approved protocols allowing preferential EMS transport to these centers. Participants were adults (≥18 years) experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac cause who were transported to a cardiac receiving center. Interventions included (1) implementation of postarrest care at cardiac receiving centers focusing on provision of therapeutic hypothermia and coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary interventions (catheterization/PCI); and (2) implementation of EMS bypass triage protocols. Main outcomes included discharged alive from the hospital and cerebral performance category score at discharge. Results During the study (December 1, 2007, to December 31, 2010), 31 hospitals were recognized as cardiac receiving centers statewide. Four hundred forty patients were transported to cardiac receiving centers before and 1,737 after. Provision of therapeutic hypothermia among patients with return of spontaneous circulation increased from 0% (before: 0/145; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0% to 2.5%) to 44.0% (after: 300/682; 95% CI 40.2, 47.8). The post return of spontaneous circulation catheterization PCI rate increased from 11.7% (17/145; 95% CI 7.0, 18.1) before to 30.7% (210/684; 95% CI 27.3, 34.3) after. All-rhythm survival increased from 8.9% (39/440) to 14.4% (250/1,734; adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.22; 95% CI 1.47 to 3.34). Survival with favorable neurologic outcome (cerebral performance category score=1 or 2) increased from 5.9% (26/439) to 8.9% (153/1,727; aOR=2.26 [95% CI 1.37, 3.73]). For witnessed shockable rhythms, survival increased from 21.4% (21/98) to 39.2% (115/293; aOR=2.96 [95% CI 1.63, 5.38]) and cerebral performance category score=1 or 2 increased from 19.4% (19/98) to 29.8% (87/292; aOR=2.12 [95% CI 1.14, 3.93]). Conclusion Implementation of a statewide system of cardiac receiving centers and EMS bypass was independently associated with increased overall survival and favorable neurologic outcome. In addition, these outcomes improved among patients with witnessed shockable rhythms.

The Hamburg Conference on Femtochemistry, FEMTO12, Hamburg, Germany, 12 Jul 2015 - 17 Jul 2015 ; Structural dynamics 3(4), 043001(2016). doi:10.1063/1.4961613 special issue: "Femtochemistry and “The Hamburg Conference on Femtochemistry (FEMTO12)"", Published by AIP Publishing LLC, Melville, NY

Vibrationally resolved photoionization spectra of RbHe exciplexes forming on He nanodroplets are recorded using femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy with amplitude-shaped probe pulses. The time-evolution of the spectra reveals an exciplex formation time ∼10 ps followed by vibrational relaxation extending up to ≳ 1 ns. This points to an indirect, time-delayed desorption process of RbHe off the He surface.

We demonstrate the spatial separation of the prototypical indole(H2O) clusters from the various species present in the supersonic expansion of mixtures of indole and water. The major molecular constituents of the resulting molecular beam are H2O, indole, indole(H2O), and indole(H2O)2. It is a priori not clear whether such floppy systems are amenable to strong manipulation using electric fields. Here, we have exploited the cold supersonic molecular beam and the electrostatic deflector to separate indole(H2O) from the other molecular species as well as the helium seed gas. The experimental results are quantitatively explained by trajectory simulations, which also demonstrate that the quantum-state selectivity of the process leads to samples of indole(H2O) in low-lying rotational states. The prepared clean samples of indole(H2O) are ideally suited for investigations of the stereodynamics of this complex system, including time-resolved half-collision and diffraction experiments of fixed-in-space clusters. Our findings clearly demonstrate that the hydrogen bonded indole(H2O) complex behaves as a rigid molecule under our experimental conditions and that it can be strongly deflected., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

This paper offers business owners a step-by-step valuation process for establishing the fair market value of their firms and stresses the importance of preparing for the due diligence process.

The due diligence process enables investors to do a better job of determining the appropriate price to pay for a privately held firm. This article delineates some factors that a prospective buyer should investigate thoroughly to determine the value of a small, privately held business under consideration for purchase.

Context Chest compression–only bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may beaseffectiveasconventionalCPRwithrescuebreathingforout-of-hospitalcardiacarrest. Objective To investigate the survival of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using compression-only CPR (COCPR) compared with conventional CPR. Design, Setting, and Patients A 5-year prospective observational cohort study of survival in patients at least 18 years old with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2009, in Arizona. The relationship between layperson bystander CPR and survival to hospital discharge was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Main Outcome Measure Survival to hospital discharge. Results Among 5272 adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of cardiac etiology not observed by responding emergency medical personnel, 779 were excluded because bystander CPR was provided by a health care professional or the arrest occurred in a medical facility. A total of 4415 met all inclusion criteria for analysis, including 2900 who received no bystander CPR, 666 who received conventional CPR, and 849 who received COCPR. Rates of survival to hospital discharge were 5.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.4%-6.0%) for the no bystander CPR group, 7.8% (95% CI, 5.8%-9.8%) for conventional CPR, and 13.3% (95% CI, 11.0%-15.6%) for COCPR. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for survival for conventional CPR vs no CPR was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.69-1.43), for COCPR vs no CPR, 1.59 (95% CI, 1.18-2.13), and for COCPR vs conventional CPR, 1.60 (95% CI, 1.08-2.35). From 2005 to 2009, lay rescuer CPR increased from 28.2% (95% CI, 24.6%-31.8%) to 39.9% (95% CI, 36.8%-42.9%; P.001); the proportion of CPR that was COCPR increased from 19.6% (95% CI, 13.6%-25.7%) to 75.9% (95% CI, 71.7%-80.1%; P.001). Overall survival increased from 3.7% (95% CI, 2.2%-5.2%) to 9.8% (95% CI, 8.0%-11.6%; P.001). Conclusion Among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, layperson compression-only CPR was associated with increased survival compared with conventional CPR and no bystander CPR in this setting with public endorsement of chest compression–only CPR.

Photoassociation of ultracold rubidium atoms with femtosecond laser pulses is studied theoretically. The spectrum of the pulses is cut off in order to suppress pulse amplitude at and close to the atomic resonance frequency. This leads to long tails of the laser pulse as a function of time giving rise to coherent transients in the photoassociation dynamics. They are studied as a function of cut-off position and chirp of the pulse. Molecule formation in the electronically excited state is attributed to off-resonant excitation in the strong-field regime.

We present spectrally resolved pump-probe experiments on the photoassociation of ultracold rubidium atoms with shaped ultrashort laser pulses. The pump pulse causes a free-bound transition leading to a coherent transient signal of rubidium molecules in the first excited state. In order to achieve a high frequency resolution the bandwidth of the pump pulse is reduced to a few wavenumbers. The frequency dependence of the transient signal close to the D1 atomic resonance is investigated for characteristic pump-probe delay times. The observed spectra, which show a pronounced dip for pump-probe coincidence, are interpreted using quantum dynamical calculations.

We experimentally investigate various processes present in the photoassociative interaction of an ultracold atomic sample with shaped femtosecond laser pulses as an detailed extension of previous work. We demonstrate the photoassociation of pairs of rubidium atoms into electronically excited, bound molecular states using spectrally cut femtosecond laser pulses tuned below the rubidium D1 or D2 asymptote. Time-resolved pump-probe spectra reveal oscillations of the molecular formation rate, which are due to coherent transient dynamics in the electronic excitation. The oscillation frequency corresponds to the detuning of the spectral cut position to the asymptotic transition frequency of the rubidium D1 or D2 lines, respectively. Measurements of the molecular photoassociation signal as a function of the pulse energy reveal a nonlinear dependence and indicate a nonperturbative excitation process. Chirping the association laser pulse allowed us to change the phase of the coh erent transients. Furthermore, a signature for molecules in the electronic ground state is found, which is attributed to molecule formation by femtosecond photoassociation followed by spontaneous decay. In a subsequent article quantum mechanical calculations are presented, which compare well with the experimental data and reveal further details about the observed coherent transient dynamics.

We demonstrate the photoassociation of ultracold rubidium dimers using coherent femtosecond pulses. Starting from a cloud of ultracold rubidium atoms, electronically excited rubidium molecules are formed with shaped photoassociation pump pulses. The excited state molecules are projected with a time-delayed probe pulse onto molecular ion states which are detected in a mass spectrometer. Coherent transient oscillations of the excited state population are observed in the wings of the pump pulse, in agreement with the time-dependent solution of the Schrodinger equation of the excitation process.

The traditional approach to teaching a course in investments is predicated upon the efficient market hypothesis, modern portfolio theory, and the assumption that decision-makers are rational, wealth optimizing entities. Recent developments in the arena of behavioral finance (BF) have raised questions about this approach. Although the idea of efficient markets is widely accepted in academic circles, financial markets often fail to behave as predicted by the theory. For the teacher of undergraduate investments, these divergent views create significant pedagogical challenges and opportunities. BF has particular implications for investing in financial markets, where the faith in rational behavior is perhaps the greatest. This paper identifies alternative strategies for dealing with these issues in the classroom.

We demonstrate a novel experimental implementation to strongly align molecules at full repetition rates of free-electron lasers. We utilized the available in-house laser system at the coherent x-ray imaging beamline at the Linac Coherent Light Source. Chirped laser pulses, i. e., the direct output from the regenerative amplifier of the Ti:Sa chirped pulse amplification laser system, were used to strongly align 2,5-diiodothiophene molecules in a molecular beam. The alignment laser pulses had pulse energies of a few mJ and a pulse duration of 94 ps. A degree of alignment of $\left$ = 0.85 was measured, limited by the intrinsic temperature of the molecular beam rather than by the available laser system. With the general availability of synchronized chirped-pulse-amplified near-infrared laser systems at short-wavelength laser facilities, our approach allows for the universal preparation of molecules tightly fixed in space for experiments with x-ray pulses., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures

We present experimental measurements of the mean energy for the atom-optics kicked rotor after just two kicks. The energy is found to deviate from the quasilinear value for small kicking periods. The observed deviation is explained by recent theoretical results which include the effect of a nonuniform initial momentum distribution, previously applied only to systems using much colder atoms than ours.

The effect of pulse train noise on the quantum resonance peaks of the Atom Optics Kicked Rotor is investigated experimentally. Quantum resonance peaks in the late time mean energy of the atoms are found to be surprisingly robust against all levels of noise applied to the kicking amplitude, whilst even small levels of noise on the kicking period lead to their destruction. The robustness to amplitude noise of the resonance peak and of the fall--off in mean energy to either side of this peak are explained in terms of the occurence of stable, $\epsilon$--classical dynamics [S. Wimberger, I. Guarneri, and S. Fishman, \textit{Nonlin.} \textbf{16}, 1381 (2003)] around each quantum resonance., Comment: 9 pages, four figures

Review of scientific instruments 89(9), 096110 (2018). doi:10.1063/1.5026145, A knife edge for shaping a molecular beam is described to improve the spatial separation of the species in a molecular beam by the electrostatic deflector. The spatial separation of different molecular species from each other as well as from atomic seed gas is improved. The column density of the selected molecular-beam part in the interaction zone, which corresponds to higher signal rates, was enhanced by a factor of 1.5, limited by the virtual source size of the molecular beam., Published by American Institute of Physics, [S.l.]