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
Quantifying health facility service readiness for small and sick newborn care: comparing standards-based and WHO level-2 + scoring for 64 hospitals implementing with NEST360 in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania
(Springer Nature, 2024) Penzias, Rebecca E.; Bohne, Christine; Gicheha, Edith; Molyneux, Elizabeth M.; Gathara, David; Ngwala, Samuel K.; Zimba, Evelyn; Rashid, Ekran; Odedere, Opeyemi; Dosunmu, Olabisi; Tillya, Robert; Shabani, Josephine; Cross, James H.; Ochieng, Christian; Webster, Harriet H.; Chiume, Msandeni; Dube, Queen; Wainaina, John; Kassim, Irabi; Irimu, Grace; Adudans, Steve; James, Femi; Tongo, Olukemi; Ezeaka, Veronica Chinyere; Salim, Nahya; Masanja, Honorati; Oden, Maria; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca; Hailegabriel, Tedbabe; Gupta, Gagan; Cousens, Simon; Lawn, Joy E.; Ohuma, Eric O.; Mchoma, Christina; Bilitinyu, Joseph; Chalamanda, Pius; Dzinkambani, Mirriam; Mhango, Ruth; Stevens, Fanny; Mulungu, Joseph; Makhumula, Blessings; Banda, Loveness; Banda, Charles; Chumbi, Brian; Banda, Chifundo; Chimombo, Evelyn; Nyasulu, Nicodemus; Ndau, Innocent; Kumwembe, Pilirani; Kerubo, Edna; Ambuso, Nyphry; Koech, Kevin; Waithaka, Noel; Wakhungu, Calet; Otieno, Steven; Bahati, Felix; Ayaga, Josphine; Obure, Jedida; Nderitu, Nellius; Mtambo, Violet; Mkude, George; Miraji, Mustapha; Shayo, Caroline; Nambombi, Camilius; Cyrilo, Christopher; Aderounmu, Temilade; Wale, Akingbehin Wakeel; Yemisi, Odeleye Victoria; Dupe, Akinola Amudalat; Awolowo, Samuel; A., Ojelabi Oluwaseun; Ovuoraye, John Ajiwohwodoma; Mujaid, Balogun Adeleke; Fetuga, Adedoyin; Okanlawon, Juilana; Awosika, Flora; Michael, Awotayo Olasupo; Abiodun, Omotayo Adegboyega; with the Health Facility Assessment Data Collection Learning Collaborative Group; Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies
Service readiness tools are important for assessing hospital capacity to provide quality small and sick newborn care (SSNC). Lack of summary scoring approaches for SSNC service readiness means we are unable to track national targets such as the Every Newborn Action Plan targets.
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...
In vitro lung epithelial cell model reveals novel roles for Pseudomonas aeruginosa siderophores
(American Society for Microbiology, 2024) Kang, Donghoon; Xu, Qi; Kirienko, Natalia V.
The multidrug-resistant pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common nosocomial respiratory pathogen that continues to threaten the lives of patients with mechanical ventilation in intensive care units and those with underlying comorbidities such as cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For over 20 years, studies have repeatedly demonstrated that the major siderophore pyoverdine is an important virulence factor for P. aeruginosa in invertebrate and mammalian hosts in vivo. Despite its physiological significance, an in vitro, mammalian cell culture model that can be used to characterize the impact and molecular mechanisms of pyoverdine-mediated virulence has only been developed very recently. In this study, we adapt a previously-established, murine macrophage-based model to use human bronchial epithelial (16HBE) cellsWe demonstrate that conditioned medium from P. aeruginosa induced rapid 16HBE cell death through the pyoverdine-dependent secretion of cytotoxic rhamnolipids. Genetic or chemical disruption of pyoverdine biosynthesis decreased rhamnolipid production and mitigated cell death. Consistent with these observations, chemical depletion of lipids or genetic disruption of rhamnolipid biosynthesis abrogated the toxicity of the conditioned medium. Furthermore, we also examine the effects of exposure to purified pyoverdine on 16HBE cells. While pyoverdine accumulated within cells, it was largely sequestered within early endosomes, resulting in minimal cytotoxicity. More membrane-permeable iron chelators, such as the siderophore pyochelin, decreased epithelial cell viability and upregulated several pro-inflammatory genes. However, pyoverdine potentiated these iron chelators in activating pro-inflammatory pathways. Altogether, these findings suggest that the siderophores pyoverdine and pyochelin play distinct roles in virulence during acute P. aeruginosa lung infection.
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.
Subjunctivity
(MDPI, 2024) Morton, Timothy; Balds, Treena
We explore the value of the subjunctive mood as a template for understanding ethical action and the theological ontology that undergirds it. We do this by examining the use of a strange but very precisely used word in the writing of a theologian and minister and poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge: "silly." We do so in the name of exploring the value of contingency, accidentality and abjection to a general theory of ecological thought.