Wichita State University

About: Wichita State University is a education organization based out in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 4988 authors who have published 9563 publications receiving 253824 citations. The organization is also known as: WSU & Fairmount College.

Implementation of an electronic system for medication reconciliation.

Abstract: Purpose. The feasibility of implementing an electronic system for targeted pharmacist- and nurse-conducted admission and discharge medication reconciliation and its effects on patient safety, cost, and satisfaction among providers and nurses were studied. Methods. This study was conducted in two phases: a preimplementation phase and a postimplementation phase. In the preimplementation phase, admission medication histories and discharge medication counseling followed standard care processes. During postimplementation, pharmacists and nurses collaborated to electronically complete admission and discharge medication reconciliation documentation. Four reports were developed for medication reconciliation documentation: (1) home medication profile report, (2) home medication reconciliation report, (3) discharge medication reconciliation report, and (4) patient discharge medication report. Patients were contacted after discharge to measure their satisfaction with the medication counseling and medication instructions received. Health care providers completed a survey indicating their satisfaction with the electronic medication reconciliation processes. Results. A total of 283 patients were included in the study. Patients in the postimplementation group took significantly more prescription and nonprescription medications, and their total number of medications significantly exceeded the number taken by the preimplementation group. Pharmacists completed significantly more dosage changes in the postimplementation phase than in the preimplementation phase. In the preimplementation phase, nurses identified more incomplete medication orders, dosage changes, and allergies than they did in the postimplementation phase. Patients in the postimplementation group reported a higher level of agreement on all survey items regarding adequate discharge medication instructions. Conclusion. Patients who had their medications electronically reconciled reported a greater understanding of the medications they were to take after discharge from the hospital, including medication administration instructions and potential adverse effects.

Low Temperature Opacities

Abstract: Previous computations of low temperature Rosseland and Planck mean opacities from Alexander & Ferguson (1994) are updated and expanded. The new computations include a more complete equation of state with more grain species and updated optical constants. Grains are now explicitly included in thermal equilibrium in the equation of state calculation, which allows for a much wider range of grain compositions to be accurately included than was previously the case. The inclusion of high temperature condensates such as Al$_2$O$_3$ and CaTiO$_3$ significantly affects the total opacity over a narrow range of temperatures before the appearance of the first silicate grains. The new opacity tables are tabulated for temperatures ranging from 30000 K to 500 K with gas densities from 10$^{-4}$ g cm$^{-3}$ to 10$^{-19}$ g cm$^{-3}$. Comparisons with previous Rosseland mean opacity calculations are discussed. At high temperatures, the agreement with OPAL and Opacity Project is quite good. Comparisons at lower temperatures are more divergent as a result of differences in molecular and grain physics included in different calculations. The computation of Planck mean opacities performed with the opacity sampling method are shown to require a very large number of opacity sampling wavelength points; previously published results obtained with fewer wavelength points are shown to be significantly in error. Methods for requesting or obtaining the new tables are provided.

Decision Making in Traffic Stop Encounters: A Multivariate Analysis of Police Behavior:

Abstract: In recent years, there has been a growth in public concern over police decision-making practices during traffic enforcement. Catch phrases such as “racial profiling,” “driving while Black,” and “driving while brown” typify the public’s concern that race and ethnicity have undue influence on police discretion. This study analyzes traffic stop data from a medium-sized midwestern community to better understand this facet of police behavior. Although the authors contend that “proving” racial profiling may be outside of current empirical capabilities, useful insights can still be obtained by examining broader aspects of traffic enforcement behaviors. The analysis indicated that race was powerful in shaping police decision-making patterns, but so were gender, age, and situational considerations. A number of implications for research and policy emerging from the analysis are discussed.

Direct extraction of DNA from soils for studies in microbial ecology

Abstract: Molecular analyses for the study of soil microbial communities often depend on the extraction of DNA directly from soils. These extractions are by no means trivial, being complicated by humic substances that are inhibitory to PCR and restriction enzymes or being too highly colored for blot hybridization protocols. Many different published protocols exist, but none have been found to be suitable enough to be generally accepted as a standard. Most direct extraction protocols start with relatively harsh cell breakage steps such as bead-beating and freeze-thaw cycles, followed by the addition of detergents and high salt buffers and/ or enzymic digestion with lysozyme and proteases. After typical organic extraction and alcohol precipitation, further purification is usually needed to remove inhibitory substances from the extract. The purification steps include size-exclusion chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, silica gel spin columns, and cesium chloride gradients, among others. A direct DNA extraction protocol is described that has been shown to be effective in a wide variety of soil types. This protocol is experimentally compared to several published protocols.