Public Perceptions of the Midwest\u27s Pavements - Iowa - Executive Summary

This report summarizes Iowa results of a five year, Pooled Fund study involving the Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota DOTs designed to 1) assess the public\u27s perceptions of the departments’ pavement improvement strategies and 2) to develop customer-based thresholds of satisfaction with pavements on rural two lane highways in each state as related to the Departments’ physical indices, such as pavement ride and condition. The primary objective was to seek systematic customer input to improve the Departments’ pavement improvement policies by 1) determining how drivers perceive the departments’ pavements in terms of comfort and convenience but also in terms of other tradeoffs departments had not previously considered, 2) determining relationships between perceptions and measured pavement condition thresholds (including a general level of tolerance of winter ride conditions in two of the states), and 3) identifying important attributes and issues that may not have been considered in the past. Secondary objectives were 1) to provide a tool for systematic customer input in the future and 2) provide information which can help structure public information programs. A University of Wisconsin-Extension survey lab conducted the surveys under the direction of a multi-disciplinary team from Marquette University. Approximately 4500 drivers in the three states participated in the three phases of the project. Researchers conducted six focus groups in each state, approximately 400 statewide telephone interviews in each state and 700-800 targeted telephone interviews in each state. Approximately 400 winter ride interviews were conducted in Wisconsin and Minnesota. A summary of the method for each survey is included. In Phase I, focus groups were conducted with drivers to get an initial indication of what the driving public believes in regards to pavements and to frame issues for inclusion in the more representative state-wide surveys of drivers conducted in Phase II of the project. Phase II interviews gathered information about improvement policy trade-off issues and about preliminary thresholds of improvement in terms of physical pavement indices. In Phase III, a two step recruitment and post-drive interview procedure yielded thresholds of ride and condition index summarized for each state. Results show that, in general, the driving public wants longer lasting pavements and are willing to pay for them. They want to minimize construction delay, improve entire sections of highway at one time but they dislike detours, and prefer construction under traffic even if it stretches out construction time. Satisfaction with pavements does not correlate directly to a high degree with physical pavement indices, but was found instead to be a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon. A psychological model (after Fishbein/Ajzen) was applied to explain satisfaction to a respectable degree (R2 of .7) for the social sciences. Results also indicate a high degree of trust in the three DOTs which is enhanced when the public is asked for input on specific highway segments. Conclusions and recommendations include a three-step methodology for other state studies. Physical data thresholds based on both public satisfaction and the agreement to improve are presented for each state\u27s physical pavement indices (ride and condition). Recommendations for changes to the quality ranges of the physical indices where appropriate are also made

Bootstrap approximation for the exchange-correlation kernel of time-dependent density functional theory

A new parameter-free approximation for the exchange-correlation kernel $f_{\rm xc}$ of time-dependent density functional theory is proposed. This kernel is expressed as an algorithm in which the exact Dyson equation for the response as well as a further approximate condition are solved together self-consistently leading to a simple parameter-free kernel. We apply this to the calculation of optical spectra for various small bandgap (Ge, Si, GaAs, AlN, TiO$_2$, SiC), large bandgap (C, LiF, Ar, Ne) and magnetic (NiO) insulators. The calculated spectra are in very good agreement with experiment for this diverse set of materials, highlighting the universal applicability of the new kernel.Comment: 4 figures 5 page

Application of current in situ hybridization techniques for grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Fitch) and grapevine (Vitis spp. L.)

In situ hybridization and in situ PCR directly localize specific DNA and RNA sequences in tissues. To exactly focus on the processes occurring on cell- or tissue level, in situ techniques can be efficiently employed. Recent advances in viticultural research in the fields of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics are likely to employ these techniques to link DNA- or mRNA sequence information to physiological traits and processes occurring in the grapevine. In this paper, we present a range of possibilities for in situ techniques that can be applied in grapevine research. Two examples covering in situ PCR of grapevine roots and in situ hybridization of grape phylloxera will be given for illustration. Moreover, key steps of the techniques are discussed, which may be helpful to researchers aiming to employ in situ hybridization or in situ PCR.

Evaluation of reverse phase protein array (RPPA)-based pathway-activation profiling in 84 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines as platform for cancer proteomics and biomarker discovery

AbstractThe reverse phase protein array (RPPA) approach was employed for a quantitative analysis of 71 cancer-relevant proteins and phosphoproteins in 84 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines and by monitoring the activation state of selected receptor tyrosine kinases, PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK1/2 signaling, cell cycle control, apoptosis, and DNA damage. Additional information on NSCLC cell lines such as that of transcriptomic data, genomic aberrations, and drug sensitivity was analyzed in the context of proteomic data using supervised and non-supervised approaches for data analysis. First, the unsupervised analysis of proteomic data indicated that proteins clustering closely together reflect well-known signaling modules, e.g. PI3K/AKT- and RAS/RAF/ERK-signaling, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis. However, mutations of EGFR, ERBB2, RAF, RAS, TP53, and PI3K were found dispersed across different signaling pathway clusters. Merely cell lines with an amplification of EGFR and/or ERBB2 clustered closely together on the proteomic, but not on the transcriptomic level. Secondly, supervised data analysis revealed that sensitivity towards anti-EGFR drugs generally correlated better with high level EGFR phosphorylation than with EGFR abundance itself. High level phosphorylation of RB and high abundance of AURKA were identified as candidates that can potentially predict sensitivity towards the aurora kinase inhibitor VX680. Examples shown demonstrate that the RPPA approach presents a useful platform for targeted proteomics with high potential for biomarker discovery. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biomarkers: A Proteomic Challenge

Spatio-temporal variability and principal components of the particle number size distribution in an urban atmosphere

A correct description of fine (diameter <1 μm) and ultrafine (<0.1 μm) aerosol particles in urban areas is of interest for particle exposure assessment but also basic atmospheric research. We examined the spatio-temporal variability of atmospheric aerosol particles (size range 3–800 nm) using concurrent number size distribution measurements at a maximum of eight observation sites in and around Leipzig, a city in Central Europe. Two main experiments were conducted with different time span and number of observation sites (2 years at 3 sites; 1 month at 8 sites). A general observation was that the particle number size distribution varied in time and space in a complex fashion as a result of interaction between local and far-range sources, and the meteorological conditions. To identify statistically independent factors in the urban aerosol, different runs of principal component (PC) analysis were conducted encompassing aerosol, gas phase, and meteorological parameters from the multiple sites. Several of the resulting PCs, outstanding with respect to their temporal persistence and spatial coverage, could be associated with aerosol particle modes: a first accumulation mode ("droplet mode", 300–800 nm), considered to be the result of liquid phase processes and far-range transport; a second accumulation mode (centered around diameters 90–250 nm), considered to result from primary emissions as well as aging through condensation and coagulation; an Aitken mode (30–200 nm) linked to urban traffic emissions in addition to an urban and a rural Aitken mode; a nucleation mode (5–20 nm) linked to urban traffic emissions; nucleation modes (3–20 nm) linked to photochemically induced particle formation; an aged nucleation mode (10–50 nm). Additional PCs represented only local sources at a single site, or infrequent phenomena. In summary, the analysis of size distributions of high time and size resolution yielded a surprising wealth of statistical aerosol components occurring in the urban atmosphere over one single city. A paradigm on the behaviour of sub-μm urban aerosol particles is proposed, with recommendations how to efficiently monitor individual sub-fractions across an entire city

Reorientation of Spin Density Waves in Cr(001) Films induced by Fe(001) Cap Layers

Proximity effects of 20 \AA thin Fe layers on the spin density waves (SDWs) in epitaxial Cr(001) films are revealed by neutron scattering. Unlike in bulk Cr we observe a SDW with its wave vector Q pointing along only one {100} direction which depends dramatically on the film thickness t_{Cr}. For t_{Cr} < 250 \AA the SDW propagates out-of-plane with the spins in the film plane. For t_{Cr} > 1000 \AA the SDW propagates in the film plane with the spins out-of-plane perpendicular to the in-plane Fe moments. This reorientation transition is explained by frustration effects in the antiferromagnetic interaction between Fe and Cr across the Fe/Cr interface due to steps at the interface.Comment: 4 pages (RevTeX), 3 figures (EPS

On the stability of 2 \sqrt{2} x 2 \sqrt{2} oxygen ordered superstructures in YBa2Cu3O6+x

We have compared the ground-state energy of several observed or proposed " 2 \sqrt{2} x 2 \sqrt{2} oxygen (O) ordered superstructures " (from now on HS), with those of "chain superstructures" (CS) (in which the O atoms of the basal plane are ordered in chains), for different compositions x in YBa2Cu3O6+x. The model Hamiltonian contains i) the Madelung energy, ii) a term linear in the difference between Cu and O hole occupancies which controls charge transfer, and iii) covalency effects based on known results for $t-J$ models in one and two dimensions. The optimum distribution of charge is determined minimizing the total energy, and depends on two parameters which are determined from known results for x=1 and x=0.5. We obtain that on the O lean side, only CS are stable, while for x=7/8, a HS with regularly spaced O vacancies added to the x=1 structure is more stable than the corresponding CS for the same x. We find that the detailed positions of the atoms in the structure, and long-range Coulomb interactions, are crucial for the electronic structure, the mechanism of charge transfer, the stability of the different phases, and the possibility of phase separation.Comment: 24 text pages, Latex, one fig. included as ps file, to be publisheb in Phys. Rev.

Intercomparison of air ion spectrometers: An evaluation of results in varying conditions

We evaluated 11 air ion spectrometers from Airel Ltd. after they had spent one year in field measurements as a part of the EUCAARI project: 5 Air Ion Spectrometers (AIS), 5 Neutral cluster and Air Ion Spectrometers (NAIS) and one Airborne NAIS (ANAIS). This is the first time that an ANAIS is evaluated and compared so extensively. The ion spectrometers' mobility and concentration accuracy was evaluated. Their measurements of ambient air were compared between themselves and to reference instruments: a Differential Mobility Particle Sizer (DMPS), a Balanced Scanning Mobility Analyzer (BSMA), and an Ion-DMPS. We report on the simultaneous measurement of a new particle formation (NPF) event by all 11 instruments and the 3 reference instruments. To our knowledge, it is the first time that the size distribution of ions and particles is measured by so many ion spectrometers during a NPF event. The new particle formation rates (~0.2 cm−3 s−1 for ions and ~2 cm−3 s−1 for particles) and growth rates (~25 nm h−1 in the 3–7 nm size range) were calculated for all the instruments. The NAISs and the ANAIS gave higher concentrations and formation rates than the AISs. For example, the AISs agreed with the BSMA within 11 % and 28 % for negative and positive ion concentration respectively, whereas the NAISs agreed within 23 % and 29 %. Finally, based on the results presented here, we give guidelines for data evaluation, when data from different individual ion spectrometers are compared