Surface roughness and in-plane texturing in sputtered thin films

Real surfaces are not flat on an atomic scale. Studying the effects of roughness on microstructural evolution is of relevance because films are sputtered onto nonideal surfaces in many applications. To this end, amorphous rough substrates of two different morphologies, either elongated mounds or facets, were fabricated. The microstructural development of films deposited onto these surfaces was examined. In particular, the development of a preferred crystallographic orientation in the plane of growth in 400 nm thick Mo films grown on the rough substrates was studied using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron diffraction, and high resolution x-ray diffraction (using ϕ scans in the symmetric grazing incidence x-ray scattering geometry with a synchrotron light source). It was found that the degree of texturing was dependent upon the type of roughness and its orientation during deposition. By limiting the average oblique angle of incident adatom flux, rough surfaces slowed the development of in-plane texture. Comparison between experimental data and theoretical predictions showed that a recent analytical model is able to reasonably predict the degree of texturing in films grown onto these surfaces. © 1998 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70129/2/JAPIAU-84-3-1346-1.pd

Public understanding and awareness of and response to monkeypox virus outbreak: A cross-sectional survey of the most affected communities in the United Kingdom during the 2022 public health emergency.

OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to examine the public response to public health and media messaging during the human monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreak in the UK, focusing on at-risk communities. METHODS: A co-produced, cross-sectional survey was administered in June and July 2022 using community social media channels and the Grindr dating app. Basic descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and odds ratio p values are presented. RESULTS: Of 1932 survey respondents, 1750 identified as men, 88 as women, and 64 as gender non-conforming. Sexual identity was described as gay/lesbian/queer (80%), bisexual (12%), heterosexual (4%), and pansexual (2%); 39% were aged <40 years; 71% self-identified as White, 3% as Black, 8% as Asian, 2%as LatinX, and 11% as 'Mixed or Other' heritage groups. In total, 85% were employed and 79% had completed higher education. A total of 7% of respondents identified themselves as living with HIV. Overall, 34% reported limited understanding of public health information, 52% considered themselves at risk, 61% agreed that people with MPXV should isolate for 21 days, 49% reported they would first attend a sexual health clinic if symptomatic, 86% reported they would accept a vaccine, and 59% believed that MPXV originated from animals. The most trusted sources of information were healthcare professionals (37%), official health agencies (29%), and mainstream media (12%). CONCLUSIONS: Vaccine acceptability was very high, yet the understanding and acceptance of public health information varied. Social determinants of health inequalities already shaping the UK landscape risk were compounded in this new emergency. Engagement with structurally disadvantaged members of affected communities and better dissemination of public health messaging by trusted healthcare professionals are essential for the public health response

Networked buffering: a basic mechanism for distributed robustness in complex adaptive systems

A generic mechanism - networked buffering - is proposed for the generation of robust traits in complex systems. It requires two basic conditions to be satisfied: 1) agents are versatile enough to perform more than one single functional role within a system and 2) agents are degenerate, i.e. there exists partial overlap in the functional capabilities of agents. Given these prerequisites, degenerate systems can readily produce a distributed systemic response to local perturbations. Reciprocally, excess resources related to a single function can indirectly support multiple unrelated functions within a degenerate system. In models of genome:proteome mappings for which localized decision-making and modularity of genetic functions are assumed, we verify that such distributed compensatory effects cause enhanced robustness of system traits. The conditions needed for networked buffering to occur are neither demanding nor rare, supporting the conjecture that degeneracy may fundamentally underpin distributed robustness within several biotic and abiotic systems. For instance, networked buffering offers new insights into systems engineering and planning activities that occur under high uncertainty. It may also help explain recent developments in understanding the origins of resilience within complex ecosystems. \ud \u

Designing a therapeutic hepatitis B vaccine to circumvent immune tolerance

An effective prophylactic hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine has long been available but is ineffective for chronic infection. The primary cause of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and greatest impediment for a therapeutic vaccine is the direct and indirect effects of immune tolerance to HBV antigens. The resulting defective CD4+/CD8+ T cell response, poor cytokine production, insufficient neutralizing anti-body (nAb) and poor response to HBsAg vaccination characterize CHB infection. The objective of this study was to develop virus-like-particles (VLPs) that elicit nAb to prevent viral spread and prime CD4+/CD8+ T cells to eradicate intracellular HBV. Eight neutralizing B cell epitopes from the envelope PreS1 region were consolidated onto a species-variant of the HBV core protein, the woodchuck hepatitis core antigen (WHcAg). PreS1-specific B cell epitopes were chosen because of preferential expression on HBV virions. Because WHcAg and HBcAg are not crossreactive at the B cell level and only partially cross-reactive at the CD4+/CD8+ T cell level, CD4+ T cells specific for WHcAg-unique T cell sites can provide cognate T-B cell help for anti-PreS1 Ab production that is not curtailed by immune tolerance. Immunization of immune tolerant HBV transgenic (Tg) mice with PreS1-WHc VLPs elicited levels of high titer anti-PreS1 nAbs equivalent to wildtype mice. Passive transfer of PreS1 nAbs into human-liver chimeric mice prevented acute infection and cleared serum HBV from mice previously infected with HBV in a model of CHB. At the T cell level, PreS1-WHc VLPs and hybrid WHcAg/HBcAg DNA immunogens elicited HBcAg-specific CD4+ Th and CD8+ CTL responses

Degeneracy: a link between evolvability, robustness and complexity in biological systems

A full accounting of biological robustness remains elusive; both in terms of the mechanisms by which robustness is achieved and the forces that have caused robustness to grow over evolutionary time. Although its importance to topics such as ecosystem services and resilience is well recognized, the broader relationship between robustness and evolution is only starting to be fully appreciated. A renewed interest in this relationship has been prompted by evidence that mutational robustness can play a positive role in the discovery of adaptive innovations (evolvability) and evidence of an intimate relationship between robustness and complexity in biology. This paper offers a new perspective on the mechanics of evolution and the origins of complexity, robustness, and evolvability. Here we explore the hypothesis that degeneracy, a partial overlap in the functioning of multi-functional components, plays a central role in the evolution and robustness of complex forms. In support of this hypothesis, we present evidence that degeneracy is a fundamental source of robustness, it is intimately tied to multi-scaled complexity, and it establishes conditions that are necessary for system evolvability

Intraocular pressure and ocular pulse amplitude using dynamic contour tonometry and contact lens tonometry

BACKGROUND: The new Ocular Dynamic Contour Tonometer (DCT), investigational device supplied by SMT (Swiss Microtechnology AG, Switzerland) allows simultaneous recording of intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA). It was the aim of this study to compare the IOP results of this new device with Goldmann tonometry. Furthermore, IOP and OPA measured with the new slitlamp-mounted DCT were compared to the IOP and OPA measured with the hand-held SmartLens(®), a gonioscopic contact lens tonometer (ODC Ophthalmic Development Company AG, Switzerland). METHODS: Nineteen healthy subjects were included in this study. IOP was determined by three consecutive measurements with each of the DCT, SmartLens(®), and Goldmann tonometer. Furthermore, OPA was measured three times consecutively by DCT and SmartLens(®). RESULTS: No difference (P = 0.09) was found between the IOP values by means of DCT (mean: 16.6 mm Hg, median: 15.33 mm Hg, SD: +/- 4.04 mm Hg) and Goldmann tonometry (mean: 16.17 mm Hg, median: 15.33 mm Hg, SD: +/- 4.03 mm Hg). The IOP values of SmartLens(® )(mean: 20.25 mm Hg, median: 19.00 mm Hg, SD: +/- 4.96 mm Hg) were significantly higher (P = 0.0008) both from Goldmann tonometry and DCT. The OPA values of the DCT (mean: 3.08 mm Hg, SD: +/- 0.92 mm Hg) were significantly lower (P = 0.0003) than those obtained by SmartLens(® )(mean: 3.92 mm Hg, SD: +/- 0.83 mm Hg). CONCLUSIONS: DCT was equivalent to Goldmann applanation tonometry in measurement of IOP in a small group of normal subjects. In contrast, SmartLens(® )(contact lens tonometry) gave IOP readings that were significantly higher compared with Goldmann applanation tonometer readings. Both devices, DCT and SmartLens(® )provide the measurement of OPA which could be helpful e.g. for the management of glaucoma

Systematic bias in real-world tonometry readings based on laterality?

AIMS: In research settings, the first eye examined tends to have a higher intraocular pressure (IOP) than the second. We sought to verify whether clinicians in Yorkshire, UK, measure IOP in right eyes before left and whether such behavioural factors affect IOP readings at the population level. METHODS: We observed 128 IOP measurements taken by 28 ophthalmologists using Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) over a 4-month period in 2018, recording which eye was examined first. All IOP measurements on electronic patient records for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK, between January 2002 and June 2017 were extracted, yielding IOP readings for 562,360 eyes, analysed for evidence of systematic bias in IOP measurement. RESULTS: Right eye IOP was measured before left in 112/128 observations (87.5% (95% CI: 75.2%-94.2%)). For IOP measured by GAT, there was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.121) between right and left eye IOP (mean IOP 16.95 and 16.96 mmHg, respectively). Even values of IOP were reported more frequently than odd values (136,503/214,628 (63.6%) were even). Identical IOP readings for both eyes were recorded in 124,392/254,380 patients (48.9%) who had both eyes measured. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found no IOP difference based on laterality, but strong evidence of certain trends associated with IOP measurement by GAT, such as a preference for even values and the same IOP being recorded for both left and right eyes. Such effects may be explained by behavioural aspects of GAT and suggest that there are substantial opportunities for improvement in the way GAT is utilised in real world settings

Differential requirements for actin during yeast and mammalian endocytosis

Key features of clathrin-mediated endocytosis have been conserved across evolution. However, endocytosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is completely dependent on a functional actin cytoskeleton, whereas actin appears to be less critical in mammalian cell endocytosis. We reveal that the fundamental requirement for actin in the early stages of yeast endocytosis is to provide a strong framework to support the force generation needed to direct the invaginating plasma membrane into the cell against turgor pressure. By providing osmotic support, pressure differences across the plasma membrane were removed and this reduced the requirement for actin-bundling proteins in normal endocytosis. Conversely, increased turgor pressure in specific yeast mutants correlated with a decreased rate of endocytic patch invagination

Modern cities modelled as “super-cells” rather than multicellular organisms: Implications for industry, goods and services

The structure and “metabolism” (movement and conversion of goods and energy) of urban areas has caused cities to be identified as “super-organisms”, placed between ecosystems and the biosphere, in the hierarchy of living systems. Yet most such analogies are weak, and render the super-organism model ineffective for sustainable development of cities. Via a cluster analysis of 15 shared traits of the hierarchical living system, we found that industrialized cities are more similar to eukaryotic cells than to multicellular organisms; enclosed systems, such as factories and greenhouses, paralleling organelles in eukaryotic cells. We further developed a “super-cell” industrialized city model: a “eukarcity” with citynucleus (urban area) as a regulating centre, and organaras (enclosed systems, which provide the majority of goods and services) as the functional components, and cityplasm (natural ecosystems and farmlands) as the matrix. This model may improve the vitality and sustainability of cities through planning and management