The Antibacterial Drug Candidate SBC3 is a Potent Inhibitor of Bacterial Thioredoxin Reductase

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem for public health and associated with increasing economic costs and mortality rates. Silver and silver-related compounds have been used for centuries due to their antimicrobial properties. In this work, we show that 1,3-dibenzyl-4,5-diphenyl-imidazol-2-ylidene silver(I) acetate/NHC*-Ag-OAc (SBC3) is a reversible, high affinity inhibitor of E. coli thioredoxin reductase (TrxR; K_i=10.8±1.2 nM). Minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) tests with different E. coli and P. aeruginosa strains demonstrated that SBC3 can efficiently inhibit bacterial cell growth, especially in combination with established antibiotics like gentamicin. Our results show that SBC3 is a promising antibiotic drug candidate targeting bacterial TrxR.     

Development of low-alcohol isotonic beer by interrupted fermentation

Alcohol-free beer with isotonic properties is getting more popular and its production can be carried out by different production strategies; however, interrupted fermentation is still a challenge. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a low-alcohol isotonic beer (<0.5% v/v) by interrupted fermentation. Moreover, the major objective is to compare the developed product to commercial beverages (sports drinks, ‘Pilsen' regular beer, alcohol-free beers and low-alcohol isotonic beer). The beverages were evaluated based on pH, alcohol content (% v/v), total titratable acidity (mEq L⁻¹), osmolality (mOsmol kg⁻¹), bitterness International Bitterness Units, colour European Brewery Convention, total phenolic compounds (mg L⁻¹ gallic acid), reducing and total sugars (%) and Na and K contents (mg L⁻¹). The developed low-alcohol isotonic beer presented characteristics similar to sports drinks, with the advantage of being richer in phenolic compounds and suitable osmolality. Despite salts were added in its formulation, the grades attributed to all beers employed in the sensory evaluation, as well as the purchase intention did not present significant differences.     

Reciprocal Relationships Between Collective Efficacy and Team Performance in Women's Ice Hockey.

This study examined reciprocal relationships between collective efficacy and team performance over a season of competition in women's intercollegiate ice hockey within weekends where the opponent was constant for 2 games. Collective efficacy beliefs within 12 teams were assessed prior to both games for at least 7 weekends. Team performance indexes produced an overall measure of performance for each game. The average influence of Saturday collective efficacy on Saturday performance was moderate and positive after controlling for Friday performance. The average influence of Friday performance on Saturday collective efficacy was small and positive after removing the influence of Friday collective efficacy from Friday performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

NMDA Receptor Modulation of Incidental Learning in Pavlovian Context Conditioning.

Rats exposed to a footshock show conditional fear when reexposed to the shock context. Immediate presentation of shock after placement in the context significantly reduces this fear. Preexposure to the context in the absence of shock, coupled with a minimum preshock interval during training, overcomes this immediate shock deficit. Because rats learn about the context during preexposure and express that learning after being reinforced, the context preexposure effect is an aversive analogue of latent learning. The authors examined the effect of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist D,L-2-amino-5-phosphovalerate (APV) on the facilitatory effect of context preexposure. Rats were preexposed to a chamber after APV administration. The next day they were placed in the same chamber without drug and received shock 35 s later. APV blocked the facilitatory effect of preexposure. Therefore NMDA receptors are important for contextual latent learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fringing in tubular permanent-magnet machines: Part I. Magnetic field distribution, flux linkage, and thrust force

This paper extends an analysis developed for tubular permanent-magnet machines to account for the effect of fringing associated with the finite length of the ferromagnetic armature core. The magnetic field distribution, established by using an analytical technique formulated in the cylindrical coordinate system, provides an accurate means of evaluating the effect of the fringing flux on the thrust force and the back-electromotive force. Finite-element calculations confirm the analytically derived results. In Part II of the paper, the analysis is used to predict the cogging force that results from end effects and to facilitate minimization of the force.     

Test Case Generation as an AI Planning Problem

While Artificial Intelligence techniques have been applied to a variety of software engineering applications, the area of automated software testing remains largely unexplored. Yet, test cases for certain types of systems (e.g., those with command language interfaces and transaction based systems) are similar to plans. We have exploited this similarity by constructing an automated test case generator with an AI planning system at its core. We compared the functionality and output of two systems, one based on Software Engineering techniques and the other on planning, for a real application: the StorageTek robot tape library command language. From this, we showed that AI planning is a viable technique for test case generation and that the two approaches are complementary in their capabilities.     

The effect of interfacial energy and phase fraction on the particle shape and the dihedral angles in two-phase small particles containing a cusp-oriented interface; computational model

The equilibrium shape and dihedral angles at the solid–liquid–vapor tri-junctions of two-phase alloy small particles containing a cusp-oriented interface were modeled as a function of phase fraction, surface energy and the interfacial energy. The calculation was applied to different combinations of surface and/or interfacial energies to demonstrate the various possible particle shapes and dihedral angles that result for two-phase particles. The dihedral angles at the tri-junction vary with the phase fraction, due to the coupling between the relative amounts of each phase, interfacial energy relative to the two surface energies and the equilibrium conditions at the tri-junction. These features can be used to find the ratio of the interfacial energy to the surface energies of two-phase particles for any state of matter.     

When Teachers' and Parents' Values Differ: Teachers' Ratings of Academic Competence in Children From Low-Income Families.

The authors examined predictors of teachers' ratings of academic competence of 105 kindergarten children from low-income families. Teachers rated target children's expected competence in literacy and math and completed questions about their perceptions of congruence-dissonance between themselves and the child's parents regarding education-related values. Independent examiners assessed children's literacy and math skills. Teachers' instructional styles were observed and rated along dimensions of curriculum-centered and student-centered practices. Controlling for children's skills and socioeconomic status, teachers rated children as less competent when they perceived value differences with parents. These patterns were stronger for teachers who exhibited curriculum-centered, rather than student-centered, practices. The findings suggest a mechanism by which some children from low-income families enter a path of diminished expectations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Design optimization of radially magnetized, iron-cored, tubular permanent-magnet machines and drive systems

In this paper we deduce, from analytical field solutions, the influence of leading design parameters on the performance of a radially magnetized, iron-cored, tubular permanent-magnet machine and its drive system. We derive analytical formulas for predicting the open-circuit electromotive force, the thrust force, the iron loss, and the winding resistance and inductances, as well as the converter losses. The force density, the machine and drive system efficiencies, and the power factor and converter volt-ampere (VA) rating are established as functions of a set of machine dimensional ratios, with due account of magnetic saturation and subject to a specified thermal constraint. We validate the utility and accuracy of the analytically derived formulas by finite-element calculations. Finally, we show that the design optimization of such a linear drive system must account for the losses and VA rating of the converter as well as the design parameters of the tubular machine.