Lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Albian) ammonite biostratigraphy in the Maestrat Basin (E Spain)

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Reproducibility and clinical relevance of the ocular response analyzer in nonoperated eyes: corneal biomechanical and tonometric implications

To assess the reproducibility of the ocular response analyzer (ORA) in nonoperated eyes and the impact of corneal biomechanical properties on intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements in normal and glaucomatous eyes. METHODS: In the reliability study, two independent examiners obtained repeated ORA measurements in 30 eyes. In the clinical study, the examiners analyzed ORA and IOP-Goldmann values from 220 normal and 42 glaucomatous eyes. In both studies, Goldmann-correlated IOP measurement (IOP-ORAg), corneal-compensated IOP (IOP-ORAc), corneal hysteresis (CH), and corneal resistance factor (CRF) were evaluated. IOP differences of 3 mm Hg or greater between the IOP-ORAc and IOP-ORAg were considered outcome significant. RESULTS: Intraexaminer intraclass correlation coefficients and interexaminer concordance correlation coefficients ranged from 0.78 to 0.93 and from 0.81 to 0.93, respectively, for all parameters. CH reproducibility was highest, and the IOP-ORAg readings were lowest. The median IOP was 16 mm Hg with the Goldmann tonometer, 14.5 mm Hg with IOP-ORAg (P < 0.001), and 15.7 mm Hg with IOP-ORAc (P < 0.001). Outcome-significant results were found in 77 eyes (29.38%). The IOP-ORAc, CH, and CRF were correlated with age (r = 0.22, P = 0.001; r = -0.23, P = 0.001; r = -0.14, P = 0.02, respectively), but not the IOP-ORAg or IOP-Goldmann. CONCLUSIONS: The ORA provides reproducible corneal biomechanical and IOP measurements in nonoperated eyes. Considering the effect of ORA, corneal biomechanical metrics produces an outcome-significant IOP adjustment in at least one quarter of glaucomatous and normal eyes undergoing noncontact tonometry. Corneal viscoelasticity (CH) and resistance (CRF) appear to decrease minimally with increasing age in healthy adults

Mechanical properties of freely suspended atomically thin dielectric layers of mica

We have studied the elastic deformation of freely suspended atomically thin sheets of muscovite mica, a widely used electrical insulator in its bulk form. Using an atomic force microscope, we carried out bending test experiments to determine the Young's modulus and the initial pre-tension of mica nanosheets with thicknesses ranging from 14 layers down to just one bilayer. We found that their Young's modulus is high (190 GPa), in agreement with the bulk value, which indicates that the exfoliation procedure employed to fabricate these nanolayers does not introduce a noticeable amount of defects. Additionally, ultrathin mica shows low pre-strain and can withstand reversible deformations up to tens of nanometers without breaking. The low pre-tension and high Young's modulus and breaking force found in these ultrathin mica layers demonstrates their prospective use as a complement for graphene in applications requiring flexible insulating materials or as reinforcement in nanocomposites.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, selected as cover of Nano Research, Volume 5, Number 8 (2012

Femtosecond laser microstructuring of zirconia dental implants

This study evaluated the suitability of femtosecond laser for microtexturizing cylindrical zirconia dental implants surface. Sixty-six cylindrical zirconia implants were used and divided into three groups: Control group (with no laser modification), Group A (microgropored texture), and Group B (microgrooved texture). Scanning electron microscopy observation of microgeometries revealed minimal collateral damage of the original surface surrounding the treated areas. Optical interferometric profilometry showed that ultrafast laser ablation increased surface roughness (Ra, Rq, Rz, and Rt) significantly for both textured patterns from 1.2× to 6×-fold when compared with the control group (p Group B 8.4% ± 0.42% > Group A 1.6% ± 0.35%) and aluminum (Control 4.3% ± 0.9% > Group B 2.3% ± 0.3% > Group A 1.16% ± 0.2%) in the laser-treated surfaces (p Group A 1.94% > Group B 1.72%) as the surfaces were processed with ultrashort laser pulses. We concluded that femtosecond laser microstructuring offers an interesting alternative to conventional surface treatments of zirconia implants as a result of its precision and minimal damage of the surrounding areas

Observation of a New Excited Ds+ Meson in B0 →d-D+K+π-Decays

Using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb−1 collected with the LHCb detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, the B0 → D−DþKþπ− decay is studied. A new excited Dþ s meson is observed decaying into the DþKþπ− final state with large statistical significance. The pole mass and width, and the spin parity of the new state are measured with an amplitude analysis to be mR ¼ 2591 6 7 MeV, ΓR ¼ 89 16 12 MeV, and JP ¼ 0−, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. Fit fractions for all components in the amplitude analysis are also reported. The new resonance, denoted as Ds0ð2590Þþ, is a strong candidate to be the Dsð21 S0Þþ state, the radial excitation of the pseudoscalar ground-state Dþ s meson

Humanitarian organizations' information practices : procedures and privacy concerns for serving the undocumented

Many humanitarian organizations in the United States work with the information of undocumented migrants to help them secure services that might otherwise be unattainable to them. Information and communication technologies can help their work, but can also significantly exacerbate the risks that undocumented individuals are facing, and expose them to security breakages, leaks, hacks, inadvertent disclosure, and courts requests. This study aims to provide a preliminary understanding of the information practices and systems that US humanitarian organizations employ to protect the privacy of the undocumented individuals they serve. To do so, we conducted interviews and an analysis of organizations' working documents within humanitarian organizations on the US West Coast, including advocacy groups and organizations with ties to higher education. Our outcomes show gaps between current legal standards, technology best practices, and the day‐to‐day functioning of the organizations. We contend the necessity of support to humanitarian organizations in further developing standards and training for digital privacy

Measurement of CP observables in B± → D(*)K± and B± → D(*) π ± decays using two-body D final states

Measurements of CP observables in B± → D(∗)K± and B± → D(∗)π ± decays are presented, where D(∗) indicates a neutral D or D∗ meson that is an admixture of meson and anti-meson states. Decays of the D(∗) meson to the Dπ0 and Dγ final states are partially reconstructed without inclusion of the neutral pion or photon. Decays of the D meson are reconstructed in the K±π ∓, K+K−, and π +π − final states. The analysis uses a sample of charged B mesons produced in proton-proton collisions and collected with the LHCb experiment, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 2.0, 1.0, and 5.7 fb−1 taken at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, respectively. The measurements of partially reconstructed B± → D(∗)K± and B± → D(∗)π ± with D → K∓π ± decays are the first of their kind, and a first observation of the B± → (Dπ0 )D∗ π ± decay is made with a significance of 6.1 standard deviations. All CP observables are measured with world-best precision, and in combination with other LHCb results will provide strong constraints on the CKM angle

Search for CP violation in D(s)+→h+π0 and D(s)+→h+η decays

Searches for CP violation in the two-body decays D + (s) → h +π 0 and D + (s) → h +η (where h + denotes a π + or K+ meson) are performed using pp collision data collected by the LHCb experiment corresponding to either 9 fb−1 or 6 fb−1 of integrated luminosity. The π 0 and η mesons are reconstructed using the e +e −γ final state, which can proceed as three-body decays π 0 → e +e −γ and η → e +e −γ, or via the two-body decays π 0 → γγ and η → γγ followed by a photon conversion. The measurements are made relative to the control modes D + (s)→ K0 S h + to cancel the production and detection asymmetries. The CP asymmetries are measured to b