Tried Men and True or Union Life in Dixie

A New Unionist Perspective Frequently overlooked in the history of the Confederacy is the significant unionist minority that existed in the upper South. Tennessee initially voted against secession in February, 1861. Only after Abraham Lincoln\u27s call for volunteers after the surrender of...

Immersion microscopy based on photonic crystal materials

Theoretical model of the enhanced optical resolution of the surface plasmon immersion microscope is developed, which is based on the optics of surface plasmon Bloch waves in the tightly bound approximation. It is shown that a similar resolution enhancement may occur in a more general case of an immersion microscope based on photonic crystal materials with either positive or negative effective refractive index. Both signs of the effective refractive index have been observed in our experiments with surface plasmon immersion microscope, which is also shown to be capable of individual virus imaging.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure

Which patients with suspected exposure to pertussis should receive prophylaxis?

Only high-risk close contacts of known cases should receive prophylactic antibiotics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC defines high-risk as (1) infants who are <12 months, (2) those especially vulnerable to the complications of pertussis, or (3) those, such as health care workers, in close contact with high-risk individuals (strength of recommendation [SOR]: C, based on consensus/expert opinion). Evidence is insufficient to support a benefit of prophylactic antibiotic treatment for all household pertussis contacts to prevent the development or spread of illness (SOR: B, based on a systematic review of studies)

Single-Room Ward Design and Its Impact on Service and Patient Outcomes: An Evaluation Study

© 2019 by National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses. BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that single-room inpatient wards are associated with better patient outcomes than open-room wards but little is known about the impact on adverse events, patient satisfaction, and clinician experiences. METHODS/PURPOSE: We evaluated the impact of a new inpatient single-room orthopaedic ward on patient and clinician outcomes using a medical record audit; patient, nurse, and medical doctor surveys; and nonparticipant observations in a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia. RESULTS: The audit (1,569 patients; 819 open-room ward and 750 new single-room ward) revealed unchanged adverse event rates and fewer emergency calls after the move to a single-room ward. Survey responses from nurses, medical doctors, and patients were positive. Observations suggested that clinicians devised solutions to potential threats to patient safety. CONCLUSION: The single-room ward design did not negatively impact on patient and clinician outcomes and was preferred by them. Clinicians organized their work to ensure patient safety

VOLUME THERAPY IN ACUTE PANCREATITIS

Fundamental management is required soon after a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis has been made and includes monitoring of the conscious state, the respiratory and cardiovascular system, the urinary output, adequate fluid replacement and pain control, blood purification therapy and nutritional support. An adequate dose of fluid replacement is essential to stabilize cardiovascular dynamics and the dose should be adjusted while assessing circulatory dynamics constantly. Current clinical practice guidelines recommend aggressive fluid resuscitation despite limited prospective data. Fluid therapy remains the mainstay of early management of patients with acute pancreatitis and severe acute pancreatitis. High-level evidence is lacking to guide protocols for fluid resuscitation in patients presenting with acute pancreatitis. In those patients with severe acute pancreatitis, the available evidence indicates that controlled fluid resuscitation with crystalloids and colloids offers the best outcome. Hematocrit remains a useful marker to guide fluid resuscitation in acute pancreatitis. However, the timing and ideal “cut-off” level needs to be determined

Shell-model calculations for p-shell hypernuclei

The interpretation of hypernuclear gamma-ray data for p-shell hypernuclei in terms of shell-model calculations that include the coupling of Lambda- and Sigma-hypernuclear states is briefly reviewed. Next, Lambda 8Li, Lambda 8Be, and Lambda 9Li are considered, both to exhibit features of Lambda-Sigma coupling and as possible source of observed, but unassigned, hypernuclear gamma rays. Then, the feasibility of measuring the ground-state doublet spacing of Lambda 10Be, which, like Lambda 9Li, could be studied via the (K-,pi0 gamma) reaction, is investigated. Structural information relevant to the population of states in these hypernuclei in recent (e,e'K+) studies is also given. Finally, the extension of the shell-model calculations to sd-shell hypernuclei is briefly considered.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures. Contribution to special volume on Strangeness Nuclear Physic

Dark matter constraints on the parameter space and particle spectra in the nonminimal SUSY standard model

We investigate the dark matter constraints for the nonminimal SUSY standard model (NMSSM). The cosmologically restricted mass spectra of the NMSSM are compared to the minimal SUSY standard model (MSSM). The differences of the two models concerning the neutralino, sfermion and Higgs sector are discussed. The dark matter condition leads to cosmologically allowed mass ranges for the SUSY particles in the NMSSM: m_{\tilde{\chi}^0_1} < 300 GeV, m_{\tilde{e}_R} < 300 GeV, 300 GeV < m_{\tilde{u}_R} < 1900 GeV, 200 GeV < m_{\tilde{t}_1} < 1500 GeV, 350 GeV < m_{\tilde{g}} < 2100 GeV and for the mass of the lightest scalar Higgs m_{S_1} < 140 GeV.Comment: revised version to appear in Phys. Lett. B, 18 pages, LaTeX, 3 figures, uses epsfig.sty and amssymb.st

Leveraging University-Community Partnerships in Rural Georgia: A Community Health Needs Assessment Template for Hospitals

Background: Under the Affordable Care Act, nonprofit hospitals are required to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years. Using recommendations proposed by Georgia Watch, students and faculty members from the University of Georgia (UGA) conducted a CHNA for a hospital in a rural county in Georgia. The purpose of the CHNA was to identify community health problems and needs, as well as community assets and resources. The aim of this report is to describe the process for conducting the CHNA, the findings, and the lessons learned. Methods: The CHNA team consisted of students and faculty members from UGA’s College of Public Health and a Public Service and Outreach professional who worked in the community. In completing the CHNA, the team used the following fivestep process: define community, collect secondary data on community health, gather community input and collect primary data, prioritize community health needs, and implement strategies to address community health needs. Primary and secondary data were collected. Results: By triangulating findings across data sources, the CHNA team created a community health profile for the service area of the hospital. Based on these findings, the community identified four main areas for improvement, prioritized these health issues, and developed an implementation strategy for the hospital and community. Conclusions: The process used to conduct this CHNA can serve as a model for other rural communities undergoing similar assessments. Lessons learned from completing this CHNA can be applied to future CHNA efforts

Far-field optical microscope with nanometer-scale resolution

The resolution of far-field optical microscopes, which rely on propagating optical modes, is widely believed to be limited because of diffraction to a value on the order of a half-wavelength $\lambda /2$ of the light used. Although immersion microscopes have slightly improved resolution on the order of $\lambda /2n$, the increased resolution is limited by the small range of refractive indices n of available transparent materials. Here we demonstrate a new far-field optical microscope design, which is capable of reaching nanometer-scale resolution. This microscope uses the fact that the effective refractive index $n_{eff}$ of a planar dielectric lens or mirror placed on a metal surface may reach extremely large values, up to $10^3$, as seen by propagating surface optical modes (plasmons). In our design a magnified planar image produced originally by surface plasmons in the metal plane is viewed by a regular microscope. Thus, the theoretical diffraction limit on resolution is pushed down to nanometer-scale $\lambda /2n_{eff}$ values. Used in reverse, such a microscope may become an optical lithography tool with nanometer-scale spatial resolution.Comment: Submitted to Phys.Rev.Letters, 14 pages, 4 figure

Structure of unstable light nuclei

The structure of light nuclei out to the drip lines and beyond up to Z = 8 is interpreted in terms of the shell model. Special emphasis is given to the underlying supermultiplet symmetry of the p-shell nuclei which form cores for neutrons and protons added in sd-shell orbits. Detailed results are given on the wave functions, widths, and Coulomb energy shifts for a wide range of non-normal parity states in the p-shell.Comment: 21 pages, to appear in Nuclear Physics