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.     

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.     

Ice-slurry production using direct contact heat transfer

An ice slurry generation system was developed using direct contact heat transfer between water and the coolant, Fluroinert FC-84. The location of the coolant nozzle is an important design consideration to avoid clogging due to freezing of water. An ice fraction of up to about 40 percent was obtained with the nozzle located at the bottom of the ice slurry tank and the jet directed upwards into the water. Two simplified model were developed to extract the heat transfer coefficient between the coolant drops and the water. The first model requires as input the average drop diameter and the residence time while the second model uses the measured drop diameter distribution. The estimated heat transfer coefficients are much smaller than those computed using single-sphere correlations.     

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.     

A channel model for characterization of the error data recoveredfrom compact discs

The data recovered from compact discs are contaminated with errors that exhibit a bursty behavior. A channel model is developed to characterize the error bursts and good-data gaps that occur in actual data recovered from compact discs. The probability of having m erroneous symbols in a data block of length n symbols is calculated using the channel model. This probability can be used to evaluate the performance of the error-correction code (ECC) used in the compact disc system     

Characterization of a diffusion-bonded Al-Mg alloy/SiC interface by high resolution and analytical electron microscopy

The interfacial structure of a diffusion-bonded Al-4.55 at. pct Mg/SiC interface was examined by conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Formation of Mg₂Si, MgO, and Al₂MgO₄ was observed. The monoclinic Mg₂Si phase formed at the Al/SiC interface, while the oxides MgO and Al₂MgO₄ formed at the monoclinic Mg₂Si/Al interface. It is shown that the formation of these phases can be predicted using simple thermodynamic criteria such as the relative bond strengths between Al, Si, C, O, and Mg. In addition, precipitation of some equilibrium Al₈Mg₅ precipitate was also observed at the interface. The interfacial structure observed in the Al-Mg/SiC system is contrasted with that observed in the pure Al/SiC system.