Rice University Research Repository
The Rice Research Repository (R-3) provides access to research produced at Rice University, including theses and dissertations, journal articles, research center publications, datasets, and academic journals. Managed by Fondren Library, R-3 is indexed by Google and Google Scholar, follows best practices for preservation, and provides DOIs to facilitate citation. Woodson Research Center collections, including Rice Images and Documents and the Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice, have moved here.
Communities
Recent Submissions
Beyond communication: an update on transforming healthcare teams
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2024) Fernández Castillo, Gabriela; Khalid, Maha; Salas, Eduardo
In 2018, Salas et al. (2018b) offered ten observations on the science of teams in healthcare. This perspective article offers a quick update, providing a new set of observations based on the latest findings. As a point-of-departure for these observations, we use one of medicine's most cited culprits of error: communication (see Table 1* for a complete list of articles discussing communication; see also Etherington et al., 2019;Street Jr. et al., 2020;Tiwary et al., 2019) -and our belief that while important, a sole focus on it fails to take a holistic approach.Upon surveying recent literature (i.e., 2018 -2023), we found that 89% of articles discuss communication in some way, and 28% mention communication as one of the leading causes of medical error (i.e., Chamberland et al., 2018;* Real et al., 2018;* Seidlein et al., 2022;* Wu et al., 2020). However, in the following piece, our stance is that despite communication having been repeatedly cited as "the" medical culprit, it may not be the source of all contention (Clapper & Ching, 2020). More recent findings identify other challenges, such as accountability (e.g., Randall Curtis et al., 2018), conflict management (e.g., Bajwa et al., 2020;* Keller et al., 2019*), decision-making (e.g., Papermaster & Champion, 2021*), reflecting on progress, and coaching as the primary challenges healthcare teams face (Zajac et al., 2021). Moreover, communication is a multi-faceted competency that also requires a holistic view.In our review...
Online trend estimation and detection of trend deviations in sub-sewershed time series of SARS-CoV-2 RNA measured in wastewater
(Springer Nature, 2024) Ensor, Katherine B.; Schedler, Julia C.; Sun, Thomas; Schneider, Rebecca; Mulenga, Anthony; Wu, Jingjing; Stadler, Lauren B.; Hopkins, Loren
Wastewater surveillance has proven a cost-effective key public health tool to understand a wide range of community health diseases and has been a strong source of information on community levels and spread for health departments throughout the SARS- CoV-2 pandemic. Studies spanning the globe demonstrate the strong association between virus levels observed in wastewater and quality clinical case information of the population served by the sewershed. Few of these studies incorporate the temporal dependence present in sampling over time, which can lead to estimation issues which in turn impact conclusions. We contribute to the literature for this important public health science by putting forward time series methods coupled with statistical process control that (1) capture the evolving trend of a disease in the population; (2) separate the uncertainty in the population disease trend from the uncertainty due to sampling and measurement; and (3) support comparison of sub-sewershed population disease dynamics with those of the population represented by the larger downstream treatment plant. Our statistical methods incorporate the fact that measurements are over time, ensuring correct statistical conclusions. We provide a retrospective example of how sub-sewersheds virus levels compare to the upstream wastewater treatment plant virus levels. An on-line algorithm supports real-time statistical assessment of deviations of virus level in a population represented by a sub-sewershed to the virus level in the corresponding larger downstream wastewater treatment plant. This information supports public health decisions by spotlighting segments of the population where outbreaks may be occurring.
Antimicrobial activity of a natural compound and analogs against multi-drug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens
(American Society for Microbiology, 2024) Shah, Kush N.; Shah, Parth N.; Agobe, Francesca O.; Lovato, Kaitlyn; Gao, Hongyin; Ogun, Oluwadara; Hoffman, Cason; Yabe-Gill, Marium; Chen, Qingquan; Sweatt, Jordan; Chirra, Bhagath; Muñoz-Medina, Ricardo; Farmer, Delaney E.; Kürti, László; Cannon, Carolyn L.
The increasing prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has sparked global concern due to the dwindling availability of effective antibiotics. To increase our treatment options, researchers have investigated naturally occurring antimicrobial compounds and have identified MC21-A (C58), which has potent antimicrobial activity against MRSA. Recently, we have devised total synthesis schemes for C58 and its chloro-analog, C59. Here, we report that both compounds eradicate 90% of the 39 MRSA isolates tested [MIC90 and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC90)] at lower or comparable concentrations compared to several standard-of-care (SoC) antimicrobials including daptomycin, vancomycin, and linezolid. Furthermore, a stable, water-soluble sodium salt of C59, C59Na, demonstrates antimicrobial activity comparable to C59. C59, unlike vancomycin, kills stationary-phase MRSA in a dose-dependent manner and completely eradicates MRSA biofilms. In contrast to vancomycin, exposing MRSA to sub-MIC concentrations of C59 does not result in the emergence of spontaneous resistance. Similarly, in a multi-step study, C59 demonstrates a low propensity of resistance acquisition when compared to SoC antimicrobials, such as linezolid and clindamycin. Our findings suggest C58, C59, and C59Na are non-toxic to mammalian cells at concentrations that exert antimicrobial activity; the lethal dose at median cell viability (LD50) is at least fivefold higher than the MBC90 in the two mammalian cell lines tested. A morphological examination of the effects of C59 on a MRSA isolate suggests the inhibition of the cell division process as a mechanism of action. Our results demonstrate the potential of this naturally occurring compound and its analogs as non-toxic next-generation antimicrobials to combat MRSA infections
Area-selective atomic layer deposition on 2D monolayer lateral superlattices
(Springer Nature, 2024) Park, Jeongwon; Kwak, Seung Jae; Kang, Sumin; Oh, Saeyoung; Shin, Bongki; Noh, Gichang; Kim, Tae Soo; Kim, Changhwan; Park, Hyeonbin; Oh, Seung Hoon; Kang, Woojin; Hur, Namwook; Chai, Hyun-Jun; Kang, Minsoo; Kwon, Seongdae; Lee, Jaehyun; Lee, Yongjoon; Moon, Eoram; Shi, Chuqiao; Lou, Jun; Lee, Won Bo; Kwak, Joon Young; Yang, Heejun; Chung, Taek-Mo; Eom, Taeyong; Suh, Joonki; Han, Yimo; Jeong, Hu Young; Kim, YongJoo; Kang, Kibum
The advanced patterning process is the basis of integration technology to realize the development of next-generation high-speed, low-power consumption devices. Recently, area-selective atomic layer deposition (AS-ALD), which allows the direct deposition of target materials on the desired area using a deposition barrier, has emerged as an alternative patterning process. However, the AS-ALD process remains challenging to use for the improvement of patterning resolution and selectivity. In this study, we report a superlattice-based AS-ALD (SAS-ALD) process using a two-dimensional (2D) MoS2-MoSe2 lateral superlattice as a pre-defining template. We achieved a minimum half pitch size of a sub-10 nm scale for the resulting AS-ALD on the 2D superlattice template by controlling the duration time of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) precursors. SAS-ALD introduces a mechanism that enables selectivity through the adsorption and diffusion processes of ALD precursors, distinctly different from conventional AS-ALD method. This technique facilitates selective deposition even on small pattern sizes and is compatible with the use of highly reactive precursors like trimethyl aluminum. Moreover, it allows for the selective deposition of a variety of materials, including Al2O3, HfO2, Ru, Te, and Sb2Se3.
Generalized Damped Outrigger Systems for Suppressing Multimode Vibrations of Tall Buildings
(World Scientific, 2024) Wen, Yongkui; Chen, Lin; Nagarajaiah, Satish
Damped outrigger is a viable means for reducing dynamic responses of tall buildings. This study focuses on generalized damped outrigger (GDO) systems. A GDO is composed of a damper for energy dissipation, a negative stiffness device and an inerter for damping enhancement. The GDO system incorporates GDOs at different floors of the tall building optimized to varied structural modes. Frequency equation of a tall building simplified as a cantilever beam with multiple GDOs is first derived by complex modal analysis. A finite different model of such a system is used for verification. Parametric analyses are then performed to compare damping effects of different GDO systems. It is found that a negative stiffness damped outrigger (NSDO) or inerter damped outrigger (IDO) needs to be optimized for maximizing damping of a specific mode. GDOs, respectively, tuned to different modes can largely improve the multimode damping effects. The optimal parameters of the GDOs are slightly different from those in the case when they are installed separately. With both negative stiffness and nonzero inertance, a GDO still needs to be tuned to a specific mode because multimode damping is sensitive to the damper coefficient. The combination of an NSDO optimized to the first mode and an IDO tuned to a higher mode seems the best solution. The IDO additionally improves the first mode damping provided by the NSDO and the two-mode damping is not sensitive to the damper coefficient of the NSDO. The findings are confirmed through seismic response analyses of a tall building with different GDO systems.