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Toluene-X van der Waals clusters (where X=Ne, Ne2, Ar, Ar2, Kr, Xe) have been investigated by fluorescence excitation spectroscopy in the region of the S1-S0 transition. With the exception of Xe, for each rare-gas studied, we have assigned cluster transitions in the region of all the strong monomer vibrational bands up to 1000 cm-1 above the origin band. We have further investigated the S1 relaxation dynamics for each vibrational level of each complex, via their fluorescence decay profiles. Clustering with neon has little appreciable effect on the vibrationless S1 lifetime. By contrast, the clusters with argon and krypton exhibit markedly shorter fluorescence lifetimes compared with the monomer. The effect is so severe in the case of toluene-Xe clusters that no fluorescence signals were observed. We interpret these results in terms of an external heavy atom effect in which the rate of intersystem crossing in toluene is influenced by the cluster partner. For clusters built upon excited S1 vibrational levels, the situation is potentially complicated by intramolecular vibrational redistribution and vibrational predissociation (VP). The majority of the fluorescence decay profiles were satisfactorily modeled using single exponential decays. The emission following pumping of the 371 level in the toluene-Kr cluster, however, is an exception. We have modeled the decay of this level with a simple kinetic scheme including VP and determined a predissociation rate of (1.04±0.54) × 107 s-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a combined experimental and computational study of the external heavy atom effect in van der Waals clusters of para-difluorobenzene (pDFB) with rare-gas atoms. Experimentally, clustering with rare-gas atoms is observed to shorten significantly the S1 fluorescence lifetime compared with that of the pDFB monomer, an effect we interpret in terms of an enhancement of the S1-T1 intersystem crossing rate. In order to test the validity of this widely held assumption, we have calculated the S1-T1 spin–orbit coupling matrix elements in the X-pDFB complexes (X=Ne,Ar,Kr) using a multiconfigurational linear response approach. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the impact of electronic health records (EHR) to the physician's behavior, physician-patient interactions, and responses of patients during EHR implementation. The study uses the triangulation design and visual analog scales (VAS) on the analysis. The results show that patient trust in the physician and the security of the therapeutic relationship showed to override most patients' concerns while physicians and medical staff improved work efficiencies.

Reports the results of a survey of the practices of 78 Michigan colleges and universities in awarding and transferring credit for nontraditional or experiential learning. (WD)

Chronic hepatitis B (HBV) in the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) American population is an under-recognized health issue in the United States. among foreign-born API, the prevalence of HBV is approximately 10%. The prevalence in the general population is below 0.5%; among non-Hispanic whites it is below 0.2%. we examined beliefs held by the API populations in Rhode Island (RI) about personal HBV status and compared them with their actual HBV status. of 59 total study participants, only 19 (32%) participants correctly knew their HBV status. Six (10%) participants were carriers of HBV; 18 (31%) lacked immunity to the virus. This pilot study suggests the RI API population is not knowledgeable about their own HBV status and are inadequately screened, vaccinated against, and treated for HBV. Increased statewide screening and education efforts, tailored to address this population, are needed to identify and inform those in need of medical attention or vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]