The Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority is the centerpiece of Massachusetts' ambitious health care reforms, which were implemented beginning in 2006. The Connector is an independent quasi-governmental agency created by the Massachusetts legislature to facilitate the purchase of affordable, high-quality health insurance by small businesses and individuals without access to employer...

The bacteriophage phi29 DNA packaging motor, one of the strongest biological motors characterized to date, is geared by a packaging RNA (pRNA) ring. When assembled from three RNA fragments, its three-way junction (3WJ) motif is highly thermostable, is resistant to 8 M urea, and remains associated at extremely low concentrations in vitro and in vivo. To elucidate the structural basis for its unu...

Human brain structural networks contain sets of centrally embedded hub regions that enable efficient information communication. However, it remains largely unknown about categories of structural brain hubs and their microstructural, functional and cognitive characteristics as well as contributions to individual identification. Here, we employed three multi-modal imaging data sets with structura...

The DNA packaging motor of the bacteriophage ϕ29, comprising head-tail connector, ATPase, and pRNA, transports the viral DNA inside the procapsid against pressure differences of up to ∼60 atm during replication. Several models for the DNA packaging mechanism have been proposed, which attribute different roles to the connector, and require specific mechanical properties of the connector. To char...

Point-supported flat slabs made of cross laminated timber (CLT) for multi-storey buildings pose various challenges to structural design. One aspect are concentrated compressive loads, which cause stress concentrations in the form shear and compression perpendicular grain at point supports. The present work deals with this problem shows a method, how support area can be reinforced system connect...

Abstract Currently, research on an energy-saving device only focuses the effective operation of this device. Structural assessment is needed to evaluate reliability interceptor in conditions. In study, 25 mm thick interceptors are evaluated using finite element method find optimized position bolt connector. The simulation shows that a smaller size connector leads higher maximum stress intercept...

During replication of the ϕ29 bacteriophage inside a bacterial host cell, a DNA packaging motor transports the viral DNA into the procapsid against a pressure difference of up to 40 ± 20 atm. Several models have been proposed for the underlying molecular mechanism. Here we have used molecular dynamics simulations to examine the role of the connector part of the motor, and specifically the one-w...

The head-tail connector of bacteriophage phi29 is composed of 12 36 kDa subunits with 12-fold symmetry. It is the central component of a rotary motor that packages the genomic dsDNA into preformed proheads. This motor consists of the head-tail connector, surrounded by a phi29-encoded, 174-base, RNA and a viral ATPase protein, both of which have fivefold symmetry in three-dimensional cryo-electr...

Taking a subsea collet connector as an example, the contact characteristics of sealing structure under thermal–structural coupling were studied. Considering heat transfer problem in deep water, model seawater layer between structures was established, and relationship equivalent thermal conductivity, composite coefficient, temperature determined. The steady-state field distribution action intern...