Isolation and Structural Determination of Bioactive Metabolites Produced by a Soil Bacterium, Arthrobacter sp. TAJX1902

As antimicrobial resistance persistently disrupts the treatment of microbial infection, identifying novel drugs with novel modes of action is critical to getting ahead of resistance. The primary goal of this project is to extract and identify novel chemical products produced by Arthrobacter sp. TAJX1902, particularly antimicrobial metabolites. Although underexplored, Arthrobacter sps. have been shown to produce bioactive compounds of great versatility; one such is a depsipeptide with quorum-sensing inhibitory activity.1 In this research, Arthrobacter sp. TAJX1902 isolated from a soil sample showed inhibitory activity against a filamentous indicator-type bacterium and a violacein-producing Janthinobacterium sp. A. sp. TAJX1902 was cultured using rich medium broth and agar and extracted with solvents of varying polarity. Characterization of purified bioactive compounds from A. sp. TAJX1902 was done via spectroscopic techniques, including 1D and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, FTIR, and GCMS analysis. The A. sp. TAJX1902 was found to produce pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine-1,4-dione,hexahydro-3-(2-methylpropyl), and five other bioactive cyclic dipeptides (CDP)

Session B8- Evaluating Diadromous Fish Passage at Lower Shannock Falls Dam Removal and Nature-like Weir Installation, Pawcatuck River, Rhode Island

The Lower Shannock Falls dam, a defunct, run-of-the river timber-crib dam situated on bedrock ledge, and located on the Pawcatuck River in southwestern Rhode Island, was removed in summer 2010. The target species for this fish passage restoration include river herring, American shad, American eel, and Atlantic salmon, as well as resident trout. Besides dam removal, additional construction work activities were completed for purposes of improving target species passage efficiency: three nature-like stone weirs were constructed for purposes of providing backwatering effects downstream of the dam removal; and bedrock ledge was modified to eliminate significant hydraulic drops. During construction, test flows were released through the weirs and restored river reach to evaluate hydraulics of the passage site. Based on test flows, several large boulders were installed as adaptive measures to improve upon site hydraulics. Post-construction velocity and depth measurements were completed in fall 2010 and spring 2011 to evaluate passage performance. This presentation will compare the results of the field monitoring with the as-built features and HEC-RAS and Fish Flow modeled hydraulic conditions for the site. Discussion will also include upstream passage conditions that resulted from impoundment drawdown and channel restoration. This project exemplifies Northeastern U.S. dam removals where underlying bedrock may have an effect on passage efficiency, and in-channel work activities may be beneficial to improving upon historic passage conditions. The project is being evaluated as a case study site for a web-based fish passage manual being developed jointly by NOAA-USGS-USFWS, scheduled for release in 2012

Self-Contained Avionics Sensing and Flight Control System for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

A self-contained avionics sensing and flight control system is provided for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The system includes sensors for sensing flight control parameters and surveillance parameters, and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. Flight control parameters and location signals are processed to generate flight control signals. A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is configured to provide a look-up table storing sets of values with each set being associated with a servo mechanism mounted on the UAV and with each value in each set indicating a unique duty cycle for the servo mechanism associated therewith. Each value in each set is further indexed to a bit position indicative of a unique percentage of a maximum duty cycle for the servo mechanism associated therewith. The FPGA is further configured to provide a plurality of pulse width modulation (PWM) generators coupled to the look-up table. Each PWM generator is associated with and adapted to be coupled to one of the servo mechanisms

The Grizzly, March 31, 2011

SIFE Wins Regionals for Second Year in a Row • Career Webinar Series Comes to Ursinus College • Director Domenick Scudera Presents Two Woody Allen Plays • John Prendergast Talks About Human Rights • The Vagina Monologues • Culture Shock While Studying Abroad in Spain • Internship Spotlight: Bob Wise • Opinions: Response to a Past Article; Give Artist a Break; United Nations Take Action Against Gaddafi; It\u27s More Than Fruit: Rant About Women Power • Ursinus Community Celebrates Ground Breakinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1833/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, April 4, 2000

Future Changes in Store for UC • Phi Beta Kappa Speaker Set to Arrive on April 6th • International Round Table Important for Student Input • Mail Boxes, Etc. the Place for all Your Copying Needs • Valedictorian and Salutatorian Announced • Letters to the Editor: Debate Disappointment; Bringing Culture to the Grizzly • Design Versus Darwinism, a New Twist on an Old Debate • Problems With Housing? Maybe it\u27s Something in the Air • Music Review: Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers • Softball Improves to 16-4 • UC Baseball Begins Defense of CC Title • Rocky Start for Ursinus Tennis • UC Lax: Prepared to Take the Challenge • Wrestling with the Books: A Full Pin • CC Honors • UC Tumblers Top Off Season at NCAA Championships • Ursinus Track Tackles Widener • Sports Profile: Matt Wiatrakhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1464/thumbnail.jp

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above 4×10184{\times}10^{18} eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory

A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding $4{\times}10^{18}$ eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers with zenith angles greater than $60^{\circ}$ detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above $5.3{\times}10^{18}$ eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law $E^{-\gamma}$ with index $\gamma=2.70 \pm 0.02 \,\text{(stat)} \pm 0.1\,\text{(sys)}$ followed by a smooth suppression region. For the energy ($E_\text{s}$) at which the spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence of suppression, we find $E_\text{s}=(5.12\pm0.25\,\text{(stat)}^{+1.0}_{-1.2}\,\text{(sys)}){\times}10^{19}$ eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

The Community Land Model version 5 : description of new features, benchmarking, and impact of forcing uncertainty

The Community Land Model (CLM) is the land component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM) and is used in several global and regional modeling systems. In this paper, we introduce model developments included in CLM version 5 (CLM5), which is the default land component for CESM2. We assess an ensemble of simulations, including prescribed and prognostic vegetation state, multiple forcing data sets, and CLM4, CLM4.5, and CLM5, against a range of metrics including from the International Land Model Benchmarking (ILAMBv2) package. CLM5 includes new and updated processes and parameterizations: (1) dynamic land units, (2) updated parameterizations and structure for hydrology and snow (spatially explicit soil depth, dry surface layer, revised groundwater scheme, revised canopy interception and canopy snow processes, updated fresh snow density, simple firn model, and Model for Scale Adaptive River Transport), (3) plant hydraulics and hydraulic redistribution, (4) revised nitrogen cycling (flexible leaf stoichiometry, leaf N optimization for photosynthesis, and carbon costs for plant nitrogen uptake), (5) global crop model with six crop types and time‐evolving irrigated areas and fertilization rates, (6) updated urban building energy, (7) carbon isotopes, and (8) updated stomatal physiology. New optional features include demographically structured dynamic vegetation model (Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator), ozone damage to plants, and fire trace gas emissions coupling to the atmosphere. Conclusive establishment of improvement or degradation of individual variables or metrics is challenged by forcing uncertainty, parametric uncertainty, and model structural complexity, but the multivariate metrics presented here suggest a general broad improvement from CLM4 to CLM5