Regional data exchange to improve care for veterans after non-VA hospitalization: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Coordination of care, especially after a patient experiences an acute care event, is a challenge for many health systems. Event notification is a form of health information exchange (HIE) which has the potential to support care coordination by alerting primary care providers when a patient experiences an acute care event. While promising, there exists little evidence on the impact of event notification in support of reengagement into primary care. The objectives of this study are to 1) examine the effectiveness of event notification on health outcomes for older adults who experience acute care events, and 2) compare approaches to how providers respond to event notifications. METHODS: In a cluster randomized trial conducted across two medical centers within the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system, we plan to enroll older patients (≥ 65 years of age) who utilize both VHA and non-VHA providers. Patients will be enrolled into one of three arms: 1) usual care; 2) event notifications only; or 3) event notifications plus a care transitions intervention. In the event notification arms, following a non-VHA acute care encounter, an HIE-based intervention will send an event notification to VHA providers. Patients in the event notification plus care transitions arm will also receive 30 days of care transition support from a social worker. The primary outcome measure is 90-day readmission rate. Secondary outcomes will be high risk medication discrepancies as well as care transitions processes within the VHA health system. Qualitative assessments of the intervention will inform VHA system-wide implementation. DISCUSSION: While HIE has been evaluated in other contexts, little evidence exists on HIE-enabled event notification interventions. Furthermore, this trial offers the opportunity to examine the use of event notifications that trigger a care transitions intervention to further support coordination of care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02689076. "Regional Data Exchange to Improve Care for Veterans After Non-VA Hospitalization." Registered 23 February 2016

Strain tolerant microfilamentary superconducting wire

A strain tolerant microfilamentary wire capable of carrying superconducting currents is provided comprising a plurality of discontinuous filaments formed from a high temperature superconducting material. The discontinuous filaments have a length at least several orders of magnitude greater than the filament diameter and are sufficiently strong while in an amorphous state to withstand compaction. A normal metal is interposed between and binds the discontinuous filaments to form a normal metal matrix capable of withstanding heat treatment for converting the filaments to a superconducting state. The geometry of the filaments within the normal metal matrix provides substantial filament-to-filament overlap, and the normal metal is sufficiently thin to allow supercurrent transfer between the overlapped discontinuous filaments but is also sufficiently thick to provide strain relief to the filaments

Method for producing strain tolerant multifilamentary oxide superconducting wire

A strain tolerant multifilamentary wire capable of carrying superconducting currents is provided comprising a plurality of discontinuous filaments formed from a high temperature superconducting material. The discontinuous filaments have a length at least several orders of magnitude greater than the filament diameter and are sufficiently strong while in an amorphous state to withstand compaction. A normal metal is interposed between and binds the discontinuous filaments to form a normal metal matrix capable of withstanding heat treatment for converting the filaments to a superconducting state. The geometry of the filaments within the normal metal matrix provides substantial filament-to-filament overlap, and the normal metal is sufficiently thin to allow supercurrent transfer between the overlapped discontinuous filaments but is also sufficiently thick to provide strain relief to the filaments

Real time investigations during sputter deposition for tailoring optical properties of metal-polymer interfaces

Poster presented at the 16th International Conference on Small-Angle Scattering, held on 13-18th September, 2015, Berlin (Germany).Tailoring optoelectronic properties of metal-polymer interfaces using self-assembly of nanoparticles is of crucial importance in organic electronics and organic photovoltaics [1]. In particular, metal sputter deposition on block-co-polymers is one widely used method to fabricate nanostructured metal layers on a large scale exploiting the selective wetting and doping of metals on polystyrene domains [2,3]. In order to obtain full control over the nanostructural evolution at the metal-polymer interface and its impact on optoelectronic properties, we employed a combination of in situ time-resolved microfocus Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-ray Scattering (μGISAXS) with in situ UV/Vis Specular Reflectance Spectroscopy (SRS) during sputter deposition of gold (Au) on thin polystyrene films (PS). We monitored the evolution of the metallic layer morphology according to changes in the key scattering features by geometrical modeling [4] and correlate the nanostructural development to optical properties. The changes of optoelectronic properties induced by metal nanoparticle growth during the sputter deposition process were exemplarily monitored using SRS. The morphological characterization is complemented by X-ray reflectivity and electron microscopy. This enables us to identify the different growth regimes including their specific thresholds and permits better understanding of the growth kinetics of gold clusters and their self-organization into complex nanostructures on polymer substrates. Thus, our findings are of great interest for applications in organic photovoltaics [5] and organic electronics, which benefit from tailored metal-polymer interfaces

Effect of preemptive flunixin meglumine and lidocaine on behavioral and physiological indicators of pain post-band and knife castration in 6-mo-old beef calves

One hundred and seventy-four Angus bull calves (248 ± 27.1 kg of body weight (BW), 6-mo-old) were used in a 71 d study to assess the efficacy of the combination of flunixin meglumine and lidocaine in mitigating pain associated with band and knife castration. The experiment consisted of a 3 × 2 factorial design that included castration method -sham (C), band (B) or knife (K); and medication – lidocaine (scrotal ring block 30 mL, 2% HCl lidocaine) and flunixin meglumine (single s.c. dose of 2.2 mg/kg BW) (M), or saline solution (NM). Animals were weighed on d 0 and weekly until d 71 (final BW) post-castration to obtain ADG. Physiological indicators included salivary cortisol collected on d 0 (30, 60, 120 and 240 min), d 2, 8, and weekly until d 48 post-castration; scrotal and eye temperature assessed on d 1, 2, 6, 8, and weekly until d 36 post-castration; fecal samples for E. coli collected on d 0, 2, 6, 8, and 22 post-castration. Behavioral measures included stride length on d 0, 8, and weekly until d 36, visual analog scale (VAS) evaluated during castration, and feeding behavior collected daily from d 0 to d 71 post-castration. Final BW and ADG were greater (P  0.10) were observed for stride length. The VAS scores were greater (P = 0.01) in K than C and B calves, while NM had greater scores (P < 0.01) than M calves. Dry matter intake and meal size were greater (P = 0.05) in M than NM calves. Meal duration was greater (P = 0.01) in B and C than K calves on d 0, while K calves had greater (P < 0.01) meal duration than C calves 1 and 2-wk post-castration. Overall, the combination of flunixin meglumine and lidocaine reduced physiological and behavioral indicators of pain, suggesting that their combined use was effective at mitigating pain associated with band and knife castration.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Effects of confinement and surface enhancement on superconductivity

Within the Ginzburg-Landau approach a theoretical study is performed of the effects of confinement on the transition to superconductivity for type-I and type-II materials with surface enhancement. The superconducting order parameter is characterized by a negative surface extrapolation length $b$. This leads to an increase of the critical field $H_{c3}$ and to a surface critical temperature in zero field, $T_{cs}$, which exceeds the bulk $T_c$. When the sample is {\em mesoscopic} of linear size $L$ the surface induces superconductivity in the interior for $T T_{cs}$. In analogy with adsorbed fluids, superconductivity in thin films of type-I materials is akin to {\em capillary condensation} and competes with the interface delocalization or "wetting" transition. The finite-size scaling properties of capillary condensation in superconductors are scrutinized in the limit that the ratio of magnetic penetration depth to superconducting coherence length, $\kappa \equiv \lambda/\xi$, goes to zero, using analytic calculations. While standard finite-size scaling holds for the transition in non-zero magnetic field $H$, an anomalous critical-point shift is found for H=0. The increase of $T_c$ for H=0 is calculated for mesoscopic films, cylindrical wires, and spherical grains of type-I and type-II materials. Surface curvature is shown to induce a significant increase of $T_c$, characterized by a shift $T_c(R)-T_c(\infty)$ inversely proportional to the radius $R$.Comment: 37 pages, 5 figures, accepted for PR

John Evans Study Committee Recommendations

With the completion of this report the University of Denver is presented with an opportunity to reflect on our institutional origins, history, and legacy. We have an opportunity to provide a model of transparency, accountability, and transformation for institutions that have directly profited or indirectly benefited from the displacement of the indigenous communities whose lands and histories they occupy. This moment invites us to bend the arc of history away from the clamor of old apologetics that have caused deep wounds for those whose voices have been silenced and toward justice, healing, and peace. This likewise holds for those whose privilege and power has been upheld by historical noise, silence, and intentional omission. This is truly a new horizon and DU should be a change leader illuminating a new path forward: a path of unity, collaboration, and healing for all communities

Direct linearly polarized electroluminescence from perovskite nanoplatelet superlattices

Polarized light is critical for a wide range of applications, but is usually generated by filtering unpolarized light, which leads to substantial energy losses and requires additional optics. Here we demonstrate the direct emission of linearly polarized light from light-emitting diodes made of CsPbI3 perovskite nanoplatelet superlattices. The use of solvents with different vapour pressures enables the self-assembly of the nanoplatelets with fine control over their orientation (either face-up or edge-up) and therefore their transition dipole moment. As a result of the highly uniform alignment of the nanoplatelets, as well as their strong quantum and dielectric confinement, large exciton fine-structure splitting is achieved at the film level, leading to pure red light-emitting diodes with linearly polarized electroluminescence exhibiting a high degree of polarization of 74.4% without any photonic structures. This work demonstrates the potential of perovskite nanoplatelets as a promising source of linearly polarized light, opening up the development of next-generation three-dimensional displays and optical communications from a highly versatile, solution-processable system