Does Informing Referring Practices About Visit Non-Compliance Improve Subsequent Show Rates to a Pediatric Cardiology Practice?

Background. Missed specialty appointments are common. Consequently, patients may never receive intended sub-specialty care. We predicted that no-show (NS) notification would result in more successful encounters following a NS. Methods. Referring practices were surveyed regarding how NS communication may change patient management. To test the effect of NS notification, two prospective patient groups were evaluated: a non-notification group (Control) and a NS-notification group (Intervention). Patients were tracked seven months to determine rates and time to a successful encounter. Group differences were assessed by either a two sample Z-test for proportions or an independent t-test. Results. The survey indicated that 43.7% of practices routinely receive NS notification from subspecialists. For 69%, NS notification would prompt patient/family contact. Baseline NS rates for the Control group (n = 633) was 10% (n = 67) and for the Intervention group (n = 623) was 13.5% (n = 83, p = 0.1). Rates of eventual successful encounters among NS patients were 28% for the Control group and 11% for the Intervention group (p = 0.21). Mean time to successful encounter was shorter in the Intervention group (Control, 2.9 months +/-2; Intervention, 1.65 months +/- 0.9, p = 0.045). Conclusion. Unlike adult studies, pediatric practitioners likely would intervene if a NS was known. Although fewer patients were seen in the NS notification group, the time to encounter was shorter for the Intervention group compared to Controls. While NS notification may not lead to more successful encounters, enhanced communication to the referring practice may ensure that the most worrisome patients are seen promptly

Problematic Texting Behavior: A Look at Individual Differences

Problematic Texting Behavior: A Look at Individual Differences Bradford L. Schroeder & Valerie K. Sims University of Central Florida Text messaging (“texting”) is a communicative social behavior which is the most preferred form of social interaction among young adults (e.g., Harley et al., 2007; Haste, 2005; Lister, 2010; Sierkowski & Wood, 2011). Perhaps the greatest appeal of texting is its convenience – it is easily possible to communicate with anyone, regardless of either party’s location. However, the convenience of texting has opened a door to an important safety issue: texting while driving. The context of safety has been a prime focus for much of the recent research on texting (e.g., Drews, Yazdani, Godfrey, Cooper, & Strayer, 2009), but less attention has been focused on the consequences of other kinds of problematic texting. Although the safety implications of texting and driving are apparent, other texting behaviors may lead to adverse social, physical, health, or interpersonal consequences. Due to these potential effects, there is a need for other types of problematic texting to be better researched. In this study, we examined a variety of problematic texting behaviors in addition to those related to texting and driving, and analyzed them in the context of individual differences such as personality, need for cognition, and age. Previous work has minimally examined texting and individual differences, and because of this, the present findings are largely exploratory in nature. We argue that, to better understand a common and complex behavior such as texting, the relationships among texting behaviors and individual differences must be explored. Because young adults aged 18-25 tend to text most frequently (Ling, 2010), we surveyed 242 (55% female) undergraduate college students’ texting habits. In addition, we collected their responses to examine individual differences in age, gender, personality, and need for cognition. Generally, age showed a negative association with most of the problematic texting habits we measured, most notably texting in class, texting while walking, and texting to cheat on assignments. As compared to females, males tended to report higher rates of texting when in their vehicle (but not while driving), when bored, to send sexual messages (“sexting”), or to threaten others. Extraversion was generally positively associated with texting while driving, and neuroticism was positively associated with various socially problematic texting behaviors (such as during face-to-face conversations). These two dimensions of personality have been shown to be related to the types of text messages people send (Holtgraves, 2014). Need for cognition was negatively associated with a majority of the socially problematic texting behaviors we examined. Given that texting is more than just a social behavior, this study extends the previous research on texting with a look at less well-researched texting behaviors from an individual differences perspective. In addition to individual differences, these behaviors were examined in terms of participant endorsement rate. Participants showed high endorsement rates for dangerous behaviors, such as texting in the car when in traffic (65%), or while walking alone (89%). Further results and implications for human factors and future research are discussed

Middle Schoolers’ Texting Behaviors: A look at Individual Differences and Parental Attachment

The present study was conducted to assess individual differences in middle schoolers’ texting behaviors. Individual difference variables of interest were attachment to parents, gender, and age. Participants were recruited from a public middle school in Florida, and received permission from their parents to participate in this study. Once they provided their assent, they completed several self-reports which assessed the frequency and endorsement of texting behaviors, and their attachment to parents. The texting scale that was included for this study is based on a six sub-type texting scale which was normed on multiple groups of college students in Florida and derived from factor analyses. This scale included sub-types which were not relevant to middle school students (e.g., middle schoolers cannot drive, so questions specific to texting and driving were not included). For this study, the four relevant sub-types were included: (1) Social Connection Texting – texting to socially connect with others (2) Escapist Texting – texting to withdraw from the current environment or social situations, (3) Distracted Texting – texting in environments which distracts the user or others around them, (4) Audacious Texting – texting without regard for social or sexual norms which may be perceived as rude or aggressive. The attachment scale included questions that assess the degree to which participants show mutual trust with their parents and quality communication with parents, but also the degree to which they feel resentment or alienation from their parents. Also, participants were asked about their attitudes regarding parental influence on their technology habits, for example, “My parents ask to see my text messages,” or “If my parents read my text messages, I do not like it.” All research was conducted on-site at the middle school, so as to ensure that parental influence on participant responses was minimal. Results generally indicated that, as middle schoolers felt angrier with or alienated from their parents, they tended to text more across all four sub-types of texting that we measured. Additionally, students who did not like that their parents read their text messages reported higher frequency texting across all four sub-types of texting. Furthermore, female participants, and those higher in class rank (e.g., 8th grade) showed more frequent texting in general. Further analyses indicate that gender was a significant moderator variable for grade level, such that those who were female and higher in class rank tended to report disproportionately high texting frequencies as compared to the rest of the sample. These results provide a glimpse into an under-studied population, with most research gravitating toward problematic topics such as sexting and cyberbullying. Additionally, moderation analyses reveal some distinction among the four sub-types of texting with respect to individual differences, parent attachment, and attitudes toward parental involvement in technology use. Future research may seek to examine these differences in young populations with respect to other kinds of technology, such as video game play or social media use. In sum, this study supports the notion that technology behaviors reveal underlying psychological differences

Centimeter to decimeter hollow concretions and voids in Gale Crater sediments, Mars

Voids and hollow spheroids between ∼1 and 23 cm in diameter occur at several locations along the traverse of the Curiosity rover in Gale crater, Mars. These hollow spherical features are significantly different from anything observed in previous landed missions. The voids appear in dark-toned, rough-textured outcrops, most notably at Point Lake (sols 302-305) and Twin Cairns Island (sol 343). Point Lake displays both voids and cemented spheroids in close proximity; other locations show one or the other form. The spheroids have 1-4 mm thick walls and appear relatively dark-toned in all cases, some with a reddish hue. Only one hollow spheroid (Winnipesaukee, sol 653) was analyzed for composition, appearing mafic (Fe-rich), in contrast to the relatively felsic host rock. The interior surface of the spheroid appears to have a similar composition to the exterior with the possible exceptions of being more hydrated and slightly depleted in Fe and K. Origins of the spheroids as Martian tektites or volcanic bombs appear unlikely due to their hollow and relatively fragile nature and the absence of in-place clearly igneous rocks. A more likely explanation to both the voids and the hollow spheroids is reaction of reduced iron with oxidizing groundwater followed by some re-precipitation as cemented rind concretions at a chemical reaction front. Although some terrestrial concretion analogs are produced from a precursor siderite or pyrite, diagenetic minerals could also be direct precipitates for other terrestrial concretions. The Gale sediments differ from terrestrial sandstones in their high initial iron content, perhaps facilitating a higher occurrence of such diagenetic reactions

Conserved nematode signalling molecules elicit plant defenses and pathogen resistance

Plant-defense responses are triggered by perception of conserved microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), for example, flagellin or peptidoglycan. However, it remained unknown whether plants can detect conserved molecular patterns derived from plant-parasitic animals, including nematodes. Here we show that several genera of plant-parasitic nematodes produce small molecules called ascarosides, an evolutionarily conserved family of nematode pheromones. Picomolar to micromolar concentrations of ascr#18, the major ascaroside in plant-parasitic nematodes, induce hallmark defense responses including the expression of genes associated with MAMP-triggered immunity, activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, as well as salicylic acid- and jasmonic acid-mediated defense signalling pathways. Ascr#18 perception increases resistance in Arabidopsis, tomato, potato and barley to viral, bacterial, oomycete, fungal and nematode infections. These results indicate that plants recognize ascarosides as a conserved molecular signature of nematodes. Using small-molecule signals such as ascarosides to activate plant immune responses has potential utility to improve economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture

Structure-Activity Relationship for the Oxadiazole Class of Antibacterials

A structure-activity relationship (SAR) for the oxadiazole class of antibacterials was evaluated by syntheses of 72 analogs and determination of the minimal-inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against the ESKAPE panel of bacteria. Selected compounds were further evaluated for in vitro toxicity, plasma protein binding, pharmacokinetics (PK), and a mouse model of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. Oxadiazole 72c shows potent in vitro antibacterial activity, exhibits low clearance, a high volume of distribution, and 41% oral bioavailability, and shows efficacy in mouse models of MRSA infection.Fil: Boudreau, Marc A.. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Ding, Derong. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Meisel, Jayda E.. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Janardhanan, Jeshina. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Spink, Edward. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Peng, Zhihong. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Qian, Yuanyuan. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Yamaguchi, Takao. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Testero, Sebastian Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Química Rosario; Argentina. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: O'Daniel, Peter I.. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Leemans, Erika. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Lastochkin, Elena. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Song, Wei. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Schroeder, Valerie A.. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Wolter, William R.. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Suckow, Mark A.. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Mobashery, Shahriar. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Chang, Mayland. University of Notre Dame; Estados Unido

Structure-Activity Relationship for the Oxadiazole Class of Antibiotics

The structure-activity relationship (SAR) for the newly discovered oxadiazole class of antibiotics is described with evaluation of 120 derivatives of the lead structure. This class of antibiotics was discovered by in silico docking and scoring against the crystal structure of a penicillin-binding protein. They impair cell-wall biosynthesis and exhibit activities against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant and linezolid-resistant S. aureus. 5-(1H-Indol-5-yl)-3-(4-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy)phenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole (antibiotic 75b) was efficacious in a mouse model of MRSA infection, exhibiting a long half-life, a high volume of distribution, and low clearance. This antibiotic is bactericidal and is orally bioavailable in mice. This class of antibiotics holds great promise in recourse against infections by MRSA.Fil: Spink, Edward. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Ding, Derong. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Peng, Zhihong. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Boudreau, Marc A.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Leemans, Erika. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Lastochkin, Elena. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Song, Wei. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Lichtenwalter, Katerina. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: O’Daniel, Peter I.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Testero, Sebastian Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Química Rosario; Argentina. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Pi, Hualiang. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Schroeder, Valerie A.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Wolter, William R.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Antunes, Nuno T.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Suckow, Mark A.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Vakulenko, Sergei. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Chang, Mayland. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Mobashery, Shahriar. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados Unido

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements