Development and application of an antibiotic spectrum index for benchmarking antibiotic selection patterns across hospitals

Standard metrics for antimicrobial use consider volume but not spectrum of antimicrobial prescribing. We developed an antibiotic spectrum index (ASI) to classify commonly used antibiotics based on activity against important pathogens. The application of this index to hospital antibiotic use reveals how this tool enhances current antimicrobial stewardship metrics.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:993–997</jats:p

Anisotropic thermal expansion and magnetostriction of YNi2_2B2_2C single crystals

We present results of anisotropic thermal expansion and low temperature magnetostriction measurements on YNi$_2$B$_2$C single crystals grown by high temperature flux and floating zone techniques. Quantum oscillations of magnetostriction were observed at low temperatures for $H \| c$ starting at fields significantly below $H_{c2}$ ($H < 0.7 H_{c2}$). Large irreversible, longitudinal magnetostriction was seen in both, in-plane and along the c-axis, directions of the applied magnetic field in the intermediate superconducting state. Anisotropic uniaxial pressure dependencies of $T_c$ were evaluated using results of zero field, thermal expansion measurements

Variability in antifungal and antiviral use in hospitalized children

We analyzed antifungal and antiviral prescribing among high-risk children across freestanding children’s hospitals. Antifungal and antiviral days of therapy varied across hospitals. Benchmarking antifungal and antiviral use and developing antimicrobial stewardship strategies to optimize use of these high cost agents is needed.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2017;38:743–746</jats:p

On the Deconfinement Phase Transition in the Resonance Gas

We obtain the constraints on the ruling parameters of the dense hadronic gas model at the critical temperature and propose the quasiuniversal ratios of the thermodynamic quantities. The possible appearence of thermodynamical instability in such a model is discussed.Comment: 7 pages, plain LaTeX, BI-TP 94/4

Atomic Hydrogen and Star Formation in the Bridge/Ring Interacting Galaxy Pair NGC 7714/7715 (Arp 284)

We present high spatial resolution 21 cm HI maps of the interacting galaxy pair NGC 7714/7715. We detect a massive (2 x 10**9 M(sun)) HI bridge connecting the galaxies that is parallel to but offset from the stellar bridge. A chain of HII regions traces the gaseous bridge, with H-alpha peaks near but not on the HI maxima. An HI tidal tail is also detected to the east of the smaller galaxy NGC 7715, similarly offset from a stellar tail. The strong partial stellar ring on the eastern side of NGC 7714 has no HI counterpart, but on the opposite side of NGC 7714 there is a 10**9 M(sun) HI loop 11 kpc in radius. Within the NGC 7714 disk, clumpy HI gas is observed associated with star formation regions. Redshifted HI absorption is detected towards the starburst nucleus. We compare the observed morphology and gas kinematics with gas dynamical models in which a low-mass companion has an off-center prograde collision with the outer disk of a larger galaxy. These simulations suggest that the bridge in NGC 7714/7715 is a hybrid between bridges seen in systems like M51 and the purely gaseous `splash' bridges found in ring galaxies like the Cartwheel. The offset between the stars and gas in the bridge may be due to dissipative cloud-cloud collisions occuring during the impact of the two gaseous disks.Comment: 31 pages, Latex, 11 figures, to be published in the July 10, 1997 issue of the Astrophysical Journa

Entrainment rates and microphysics in POST stratocumulus

The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50878An aircraft field study (POST; Physics of Stratocumulus Top) was conducted off the central California coast in July and August 2008 to deal with the known difficulty of measuring entrainment rates in the radiatively important stratocumulus (Sc) prevalent in that area. The Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies Twin Otter research aircraft flew 15 quasi-Lagrangian flights in unbroken Sc and carried a full complement of probes including three high-data-rate probes: ultrafast temperature probe, particulate volume monitor probe, and gust probe. The probes’ colocation near the nose of the Twin Otter permitted estimation of entrainment fluxes and rates with an in-cloud resolution of 1m. Results include the following: Application of the conditional sampling variation of classical mixed layer theory for calculating the entrainment rate into cloud top for POST flights is shown to be inadequate for most of the Sc. Estimated rates resemble previous results after theory is modified to take into account both entrainment and evaporation at cloud top given the strong wind shear and mixing at cloud top. Entrainment rates show a tendency to decrease for large shear values, and the largest rates are for the smallest temperature jumps across the inversion. Measurements indirectly suggest that entrained parcels are primarily cooled by infrared flux divergence rather than cooling from droplet evaporation, while detrainment at cloud top causes droplet evaporation and cooling in the entrainment interface layer above cloud top.NSF supported H. Gerber, G. Frick, and S. Malinowski (ATM-0735121, AGS-1020445), D. Khelif (ATM-0734323), and S. Krueger (ATM-0735118). The Office of Naval Research and the Naval Postgraduate School supported in part the deployment of the Twin Otter aircraft

Negative Magnetoresistance of Granular Metals in a Strong Magnetic Field

The magnetoresistance of a granular superconductor in a strong magnetic field destroying the gap in each grain is considered. It is assumed that the tunneling between grains is sufficiently large such that all conventional effects of localization can be neglected. A non-trivial sensitivity to the magnetic field comes from superconducting fluctuations leading to the formation of virtual Cooper pairs and reducing the density of states. At low temperature, the pairs do not contribute to the macroscopic transport but their existence can drastically reduce the conductivity. Growing the magnetic field one destroys the fluctuations, which improves the metallic properties and leads to the negative magnetoresistance.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, RevTe

Inversion of Randomly Corrugated Surfaces Structure from Atom Scattering Data

The Sudden Approximation is applied to invert structural data on randomly corrugated surfaces from inert atom scattering intensities. Several expressions relating experimental observables to surface statistical features are derived. The results suggest that atom (and in particular He) scattering can be used profitably to study hitherto unexplored forms of complex surface disorder.Comment: 10 pages, no figures. Related papers available at http://neon.cchem.berkeley.edu/~dan

Equation of state for the 2+1 dimensional Gross-Neveu model at order 1/N

We calculate the equation of state of the Gross-Neveu model in 2+1 dimensions at order 1/N, where N is the number of fermion species. We make use of a general formula valid for four-fermion theories, previously applied to the model in 1+1 dimensions. We consider both the discrete and continuous symmetry versions of the model. We show that the pion-like excitations give the dominant contribution at low temperatures. The range of validity for such pion dominance is analyzed. The complete analysis from low to high temperatures also shows that in the critical region the role of composite states is relevant, even for quite large N, and that the free-component behaviour at high T starts at about twice the mean field critical temperature.Comment: 19 pages, RevTeX, 10 figures.p

Walking Speed of Children and Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy: Laboratory Versus Daily Life.

The purpose of this pilot study was to compare walking speed, an important component of gait, in the laboratory and daily life, in young individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) and with typical development (TD), and to quantify to what extent gait observed in clinical settings compares to gait in real life. Fifteen children, adolescents and young adults with CP (6 GMFCS I, 2 GMFCS II, and 7 GMFCS III) and 14 with TD were included. They wore 4 synchronized inertial sensors on their shanks and thighs while walking at their spontaneous self-selected speed in the laboratory, and then during 2 week-days and 1 weekend day in their daily environment. Walking speed was computed from shank angular velocity signals using a validated algorithm. The median of the speed distributions in the laboratory and daily life were compared at the group and individual levels using Wilcoxon tests and Spearman's correlation coefficients. The corresponding percentile of daily life speed equivalent to the speed in the laboratory was computed and observed at the group level. Daily-life walking speed was significantly lower compared to the laboratory for the CP group (0.91 [0.58-1.23] m/s vs 1.07 [0.73-1.28] m/s, p = 0.015), but not for TD (1.29 [1.24-1.40] m/s vs 1.29 [1.20-1.40] m/s, p = 0.715). Median speeds correlated highly in CP (p &lt; 0.001, rho = 0.89), but not in TD. In children with CP, 60% of the daily life walking activity was at a slower speed than in-laboratory (corresponding percentile = 60). On the contrary, almost 60% of the daily life activity of TD was at a faster speed than in-laboratory (corresponding percentile = 42.5). Nevertheless, highly heterogeneous behaviors were observed within both populations and within subgroups of GMFCS level. At the group level, children with CP tend to under-perform during natural walking as compared to walking in a clinical environment. The heterogeneous behaviors at the individual level indicate that real-life gait performance cannot be directly inferred from in-laboratory capacity. This emphasizes the importance of completing clinical gait analysis with data from daily life, to better understand the overall function of children with CP