Brillouin Light Scattering Measurement of the Elastic Properties of Aligned Multilamella Lipid Samples

Brillouin measurements of the elastic properties are presented for aligned multilamella samples of both pure dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine at various temperatures and water concentrations and for the same compound containing 33 mol% cholesterol at various temperatures and two water concentrations. For pure dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine the elastic moduli change significantly at the gel transition and the modulus for area compression of individual bilayers is inferred to be an order of magnitude larger below the gel transformation than above. The presence of cholesterol is shown to influence the elastic behavior of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine.Engineering and Applied Science

Volunteer Tourism as a Transformative Experience: A Mixed Methods Empirical Study

In an effort to combine tourism with pro-social giving and personal development, more and more people choose to go abroad on volunteer tourism trips. We explore the potential transformational influence such trips have on travelers, aiming to map the transformation process stages and examine their boundary conditions. In doing so, we follow a mixed methods approach using a qualitative study comprising ethnographically informed in-depth interviews and a quantitative one, by means of a structured questionnaire. Findings indicate that the transformation process volunteer tourists undergo involves three stages related to liminality. We conceptualize the degree of liminality as immersiveness and show how the transformation process is significantly influenced by the degree of authenticity and the immersiveness of volunteer tourists’ experiences, as well as their own perceptions on how societally meaningful their actions were during their trips. Based on our conclusions, we present important implications for academics, managers and tour operators

Head-Group Conformation in Phospholipids: A Phosphorus-31 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of Oriented Monodomain Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine Bilayers

Angular-dependent $^{31}P$ NMR spectra of oriented biaxial monodomain DPPG $H_20$ multilayers are employed to study head-group conformation in this phospholipid. The results indicate that the 0-P-0 plane of the phosphate, where the 0’s are the nonesterified oxygens of the phosphodiester, is tilted at $47 \pm 5^{\circ}$ with respect to the bilayer normal. This $PO_4$ orientation could result in the choline moiety being extended parallel to the bilayer plane, and it will explain the breadth of the axially symmetric $^{31}P$ powder spectrum observed for DPPC in excess water. This work is the first direct observation of this conformation for lecithins and it illustrates the utility of high-resolution solid-state NMR in structural studies of disordered systems.Engineering and Applied Science

Bank Consolidation and its Effect on Service Quality

The perceived quality of customer service plays a significant role in high involvement products and services. Previous research in the area of bank service quality suggests that as a bank is acquired the quality of service at the new larger bank does not equal what customers received at their old smaller bank. In addition, a newly consolidated bank may eliminate tailored services and create customer dissatisfaction due to higher fees, lower levels of service, and credit availability. Although prior research has focused on specific aspects of bank services, a contribution to the literature can be made by examining this topic in the context of broader dimensions of customer service. Therefore the objective of this research is to determine 1) if overall customer service differs between small bank and large bank organizations and 2) if service quality dimensions of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy differ between small and large bank organizations

Life-history Aspects of Moxostoma cervinum (Blacktip Jumprock) in the Roanoke River, Virginia

Life-history aspects of Moxostoma cervinum(Blacktip Jumprock) were identified using specimens from recent collections and the Roanoke College Ichthyological Collection. The largest specimen examined was a female 161.27 mm SL and 66 months of age. Spawning appears to occur in May, with a mean of 2477.6 oocytes (SD = 2825.3) up to 1.54 mm diameter in gravid females. Sexual maturity appears to occur by 1-2 years of age in males and 2-3 years of age in females. Male to female ratio was not significantly different from 1:1. Chironomidae composed the bulk of the diet; while detritus, Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera, and Acari were important food items in multiple months. Weight of gut contents and proportion of Chironomidae as food items increased with size of specimens examined

Distribution of Soybean Cyst Nematode in Nebraska

A survey of 552 soybean fields in 20 counties in Nebraska in 1986-88 revealed 35 fields infested with the soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines. Identification was confirmed with a greenhouse bioassay, using \u27Lee 74\u27 soybean, and by the application of a DNA hybridization probe derived from SCN mitochondrial DNA. Most of the SCN-infested fields were located on the Missouri River floodplain and in the southeastern corner of the state

Global Opportunities to Increase Agricultural Independence Through Phosphorus Recycling

Food production hinges largely upon access to phosphorus (P) fertilizer. Most fertilizer P used in the global agricultural system comes from mining of nonrenewable phosphate rock deposits located within few countries. However, P contained in livestock manure or urban wastes represents a recyclable source of P. To inform development of P recycling technologies and policies, we examined subnational, national, and global spatial patterns for two intersections of land use affording high P recycling potential: (a) manure‐rich cultivated areas and (b) populous cultivated areas. In turn, we examined overlap between P recycling potential and nation‐level P fertilizer import dependency. Populous cultivated areas were less abundant globally than manure‐rich cultivated areas, reflecting greater segregation between crops and people compared to crops and livestock, especially in the Americas. Based on a global hexagonal grid (290‐km2 grid cell area), disproportionately large shares of subnational “hot spots” for P recycling potential occurred in India, China, Southeast Asia, Europe, and parts of Africa. Outside of China, most of the remaining manure‐rich or populous cultivated areas occurred within nations that had relatively high imports of P fertilizer (net P import:consumption ratios ≥0.4) or substantial increases in fertilizer demand between the 2000s (2002–2006) and 2010s (2010–2014). Manure‐rich cultivated grid cells (those above the 75th percentiles for both manure and cropland extent) represented 12% of the global grid after excluding cropless cells. Annually, the global sum of animal manure P was at least 5 times that contained in human excreta, and among cultivated cells the ratio was frequently higher (median = 8.9). The abundance of potential P recycling hot spots within nations that have depended on fertilizer imports or experienced rising fertilizer demand could prove useful for developing local P sources and maintaining agricultural independence