Reactivity of bio-inspired Cu(II) (N2/Py2) complexes with peroxide at room temperature.

Developing coordination complexes of earth abundant metals that can perform substrate oxidations under benign conditions is an ongoing challenge. Herein, the reactivity of two mononuclear Cu-complexes toward the oxidant H2O2 is reported. Both complexes displayed ligand oxidation upon reaction with the oxidant. Analysis of spectroscopic data established that the respective product complexes contained mononuclear Cu(II) centers. Moreover, treatment of these Cu-complexes with oxidant in the presence of substrate resulted in the interception of ligand oxidation with preferential oxidation of the substrate. Computational studies identified plausible mechanistic pathways, suggesting a copper-oxyl intermediate as the likely reactive intermediate responsible for substrate and ligand oxidation. To our knowledge, this is the first Cu-mediated system that showed ligand oxidation, oxo-transfer capability, and external hydrocarbon oxidation under stoichiometric conditions.

The effect of chiropractic treatment on the reaction and response times of special operation forces military personnel: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chiropractic care is commonly used to treat musculoskeletal conditions and has been endorsed by clinical practice guidelines as being evidence-based and cost-effective for the treatment of patients with low back pain. Gaps in the literature exist regarding the physiological outcomes of chiropractic treatment. Previous pilot work has indicated the possibility of improvements in response time following the application of chiropractic treatment. However, it is unknown whether or not chiropractic treatment is able to improve reaction and response times in specific populations of interest. One such population is the U.S. military special operation forces' (SOF) personnel. METHODS: This study is a randomized controlled trial of 120 asymptomatic volunteer SOF personnel. All participants are examined by a study doctor of chiropractic (DC) for eligibility prior to randomization. The participants are randomly allocated to either a treatment group receiving four treatments of chiropractic manipulative therapy (CMT) over 2 weeks or to a wait-list control group. The wait-list group does not receive any treatment but has assessments at the same time interval as the treatment group. The outcome measures are simple reaction times for dominant hand and dominant foot, choice reaction time with prompts calling for either hand or either foot, response time using Fitts' law tasks for small movements involving eye-hand coordination, and brief whole body movements using the t-wall, a commercially available product. At the first visit, all five tests are completed so that participants can familiarize themselves with the equipment and protocol. Assessments at the second and the final visits are used for data analysis. DISCUSSION: SOF personnel are highly motivated and extremely physically fit individuals whose occupation requires reaction times that are as quick as possible during the course of their assigned duties. A goal of CMT is to maximize the functionality and integration of the neuromusculoskeletal systems. Therefore, chiropractic treatment may be able to optimize the capacity of the numerous components of those systems, resulting in improved reaction time. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that CMT improves reaction and response times in asymptomatic SOF personnel. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02168153 . Registered on 12 June 2014.

Greed and Fear in Network Reciprocity: Implications for Cooperation among Organizations.

Extensive interdisciplinary literatures have built on the seminal spatial dilemmas model, which depicts the evolution of cooperation on regular lattices, with strategies propagating locally by relative fitness. In this model agents may cooperate with neighbors, paying an individual cost to enhance their collective welfare, or they may exploit cooperative neighbors and diminish collective welfare. Recent research has extended the model in numerous ways, incorporating behavioral noise, implementing other network topologies or adaptive networks, and employing alternative dynamics of replication. Although the underlying dilemma arises from two distinct dimensions-the gains for exploiting cooperative partners (Greed) and the cost of cooperating with exploitative partners (Fear)-most work following from the spatial dilemmas model has argued or assumed that the dilemma can be represented with a single parameter: This research has typically examined Greed or Fear in isolation, or a composite such as the K-index of Cooperation or the ratio of the benefit to cost of cooperation. We challenge this claim on theoretical grounds-showing that embedding interaction in networks generally leads Greed and Fear to have divergent, interactive, and highly nonlinear effects on cooperation at the macro level, even when individuals respond identically to Greed and Fear. Using computational experiments, we characterize both dynamic local behavior and long run outcomes across regions of this space. We also simulate interventions to investigate changes of Greed and Fear over time, showing how model behavior changes asymmetrically as boundaries in payoff space are crossed, leading some interventions to have irreversible effects on cooperation. We then replicate our experiments on inter-organizational network data derived from links through shared directors among 2,400 large US corporations, thus demonstrating our findings for Greed and Fear on a naturally-occurring network. In closing, we discuss implications of our main findings regarding Greed and Fear for the problem of cooperation on inter-organizational networks.

Counterpropagating wave acoustic particle manipulation device for the effective manufacture of composite materials.

An ultrasonic assembly device exhibiting broadband behavior and a sacrificial plastic frame is described. This device is used to assemble a variety of microscopic particles differing in size, shape, and material into simple patterns within several host fluids. When the host fluid is epoxy, the assembled materials can be cured and the composite sample extracted from the sacrificial frame. The wideband performance means that within a single device, the wavelength can be varied, leading to control of the length scale of the acoustic radiation force field. We show that glass fibers of 50 µm length and 14 µm diameter can be assembled into a series of stripes separated by hundreds of microns in a time of 0.3 s. Finite element analysis is used to understand the attributes of the device which control its wideband characteristics. The bandwidth is shown to be governed by the damping produced by a combination of the plastic frame and the relatively large volume of the fluid particle mixture. The model also reveals that the acoustic radiation forces are a maximum near the substrate of the device, which is in agreement with experimental observations. The device is extended to 8-transducers and used to assemble more complex particle distributions.

Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on Inshell California Walnuts.

Inshell walnuts collected from California walnut handlers over four harvests were evaluated for the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. E. coli O157:H7 was not detected in any of 2,903 375-g samples evaluated in 2011, 2012, and 2013 (<0.034% prevalence; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0 to 0.13%). Salmonella was not isolated from any of the 935 samples in 2010 (100 g evaluated; <0.11% prevalence; 95% CI, 0 to 0.41%) but was isolated from 2 of 905 (375 g; 0.22% prevalence; 95% CI, 0.061 to 0.80%), 1 of 998 (375 g; 0.10% prevalence; 95% CI, 0.018 to 0.56%), and 1 of 1,000 (375 g; 0.10% prevalence; 95% CI, 0.018 to 0.56%) samples in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively, for an average annual prevalence of 0.14% (375 g; 95% CI, 0.054 to 0.35%). The levels of Salmonella in positive samples determined by a modified most-probable-number (MPN) method were estimated to be 0.32 to 0.42 MPN/100 g (95% CI, 0.045 to 3.6 MPN/100 g).

Pediatric cervical spine trauma.

Pediatric cervical spine injuries are rare and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Pediatric anatomy and physiology predispose to upper cervical spine injury and spinal cord injury without radiologic abnormality in contrast to lower cervical spine injury seen in adults. Care of pediatric patients is difficult because they have a greater head-to-body ratio than adults and may have difficulty cooperating with a history and physical examination. In evaluating a child with a suspected cervical spine injury, radiography may be supplemented with CT or MRI. Definitive management of pediatric cervical spine trauma must be adapted to the distinctive anatomy and growth potential of the patient. As with all injuries, prevention is necessary to reduce the incidence of trauma to the pediatric spine.

The predictive value of general surgery application data for future resident performance.

OBJECTIVE: The predictive value of application data for future general surgery resident performance and attrition are poorly understood. We sought to determine what variables obtained in the application process might predict future resident success. METHODS: We performed an 18-year review (1990-2008) of all matched residents (n = 101) to a university program. Both categorical graduates (CG) and nongraduates (CNG) and nondesignated preliminaries matching (PM) and preliminaries nonmatching (PNM) were evaluated. We also screened for previous high-performance accomplishments outside of the medical field such as in the performing arts or collegiate athletics (SKILL). Outcome data include graduation or match status, American Board of Surgery In-service Training Examination (ABSITE), and faculty Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competency evaluations. RESULTS: Background data from the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application between the various groups was compared with univariate analysis and logistic regression. There were significant differences between the groups on the measures of USMLE step 1 (STEP1) (p = 0.001), medical school grade point average (GPA) (p = 0.023), interview data (INTERVIEW) (p < 0.001), and ABSITE (p < 0.001). The variable of INTERVIEW had an odds ratio of 188.27 (95% confidence interval, 3.757-9435.405). Overall attrition was 23.7% (n = 24) and was evenly divided between those who left for lifestyle reasons and those who were encouraged to leave. CONCLUSIONS: Within our system, INTERVIEW, USMLE STEP1, and SKILL predict successful completion of a general surgery residency. In contrast to prior reports, female sex, ethnicity, medical school grades, or Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (AOA) status were not significant. The variable SKILL is novel and highlights the importance of nonacademic background data. Our data indicate STEP1 is an independent predictor of resident success in general surgery and should maintain an important role in general surgery applicant screening. The ideal screening threshold is likely > 215.

Most-probable-number determination of salmonella levels in naturally contaminated raw almonds using two sample preparation methods.

Pathogens occurring in particulate foods may be unevenly distributed, which may impact interpretation of most-probable-number (MPN) values. The MPN analysis of Salmonella in naturally contaminated raw almonds was conducted using two sample preparation methods. Raw almond kernels (3,698 samples) and inshell almonds (455 samples) were collected from almond processors throughout California during the 2006 and 2007 harvests, and 100-g samples were enriched for Salmonella. The prevalence of Salmonella on kernels and inshell almonds was 1.6 and 0.9%, respectively, in 2006, and 0.83 and 2.2%, respectively, in 2007. Almond kernel samples from 2006 were further enriched for Salmonella, and levels of the organism were determined for positive samples by three-tube MPN analysis (25 g, 2.5 g, 0.25 g). Almonds were either divided into subsamples prior to blending and enrichment (method A), or samples were blended in enrichment broth prior to preparation of subsamples (method B). Salmonella was not isolated (<1.2 MPN/100 g) upon retesting of 19 of 31 (method A) or 23 of 29 (method B) positive samples. When detected, levels were 1.4 to 15.5 MPN/100 g (average 2.3 MPN/100 g) or 1.4 to 18.3 MPN/100 g (average 2.1 MPN/100 g) using methods A or B, respectively. A total of 23 different Salmonella serovars were identified from the original almond samples. Salmonella Muenchen was the most frequently isolated serovar (15%) from the 53 Salmonella-positive samples, followed by Newport (12%), Enteritidis (10%), and Typhimurium (8%). No correlation was found between presence of Salmonella and E. coli levels, aerobic plate counts, or counts of yeasts or molds.

Prevalence and amounts of Salmonella found on raw California almonds.

Data on the prevalence and populations of pathogens in individual foods are critical to the development of product-specific quantitative microbial risk assessments. An outbreak of salmonellosis associated with the consumption of raw almonds in 2000 to 2001 provided an opportunity to evaluate the levels of Salmonella in the recalled product. Duplicate 100-g samples from each of fifty 22.7-kg boxes of recalled almonds were enriched by one of two methods. Salmonella was isolated by at least one method from 42 boxes (84% positive). The levels of Salmonella determined by a three-tube most-probable-number (MPN) method were 8.5+/-1.3 MPN/100 g. In a subsequent study, raw almonds that arrived at almond processors were sampled from 2001 through 2005 to determine the overall prevalence and levels of Salmonella and to characterize the Salmonella isolates obtained. Aerobic plate counts, coliform counts, and MPN levels of Escherichia coli were also determined on positive samples. An isolation frequency for Salmonella of 81 (0.87%+/-0.2%) of 9,274 samples tested (100 g) was determined for raw almonds sampled from throughout California over the 5-year period. Salmonella was not isolated upon retesting in 59 of 65 positive samples. When detected, levels were 1.2 to 2.9 MPN/100 g. Of the 81 total isolates, 35 different serotypes of Salmonella were represented. Aerobic plate counts, coliform counts, and E. coli levels did not correlate with the presence of Salmonella.

Patient participation in EHR benefits.

Patient participation in EHR creation can significantly broaden the range of healthcare information in the record and, ultimately, improve clinical decision support. The care with which patient-authored information is handled, however, must equal the care devoted to clinician data entry and review. Web-based access, self-service management, consent delegation and agent permissions management are just a few of the features that will encourage active and positive patient involvement with their healthcare records and with their own health management.