Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Aerobic Isolates from Respiratory Samples of Young New Zealand Horses

3rd Annual IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, ECCE 2011, Phoenix, AZ, 17-22 September 2011This paper presents a method of mitigating the transient overshoots of DC-DC converters operating with large load disturbances. The method involves a small auxiliary power circuit with a complementary control scheme that provides a smooth absorption and release of excess energy from and to the main DC-DC converter in the events of large load changes. This control mechanism interactively mitigates the large transient overshoots which would otherwise appear at the converter output. Since the control scheme involves an adjustable-energy-storage feature, the proposed solution is effective for any level of step-load change within a pre-specified range.Department of Electronic and Information EngineeringRefereed conference pape

Patches for Repairing Ceramics and Ceramic-Matrix Composites

Patches consisting mostly of ceramic fabrics impregnated with partially cured polymers and ceramic particles are being developed as means of repairing ceramics and ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) that must withstand temperatures above the melting points of refractory metal alloys. These patches were conceived for use by space-suited, space-walking astronauts in repairing damaged space-shuttle leading edges: as such, these patches could be applied in the field, in relatively simple procedures, and with minimal requirements for specialized tools. These design characteristics also make the patches useful for repairing ceramics and CMCs in terrestrial settings. In a typical patch as supplied to an astronaut or repair technician, the polymer would be in a tacky condition, denoted as an A stage, produced by partial polymerization of a monomeric liquid. The patch would be pressed against the ceramic or CMC object to be repaired, relying on the tackiness for temporary adhesion. The patch would then be bonded to the workpiece and cured by using a portable device to heat the polymer to a curing temperature above ambient temperature but well below the maximum operating temperature to which the workpiece is expected to be exposed. The patch would subsequently become pyrolized to a ceramic/glass condition upon initial exposure to the high operating temperature. In the original space-shuttle application, this exposure would be Earth-atmosphere-reentry heating to about 3,000 F (about 1,600 C). Patch formulations for space-shuttle applications include SiC and ZrO2 fabrics, a commercial SiC-based pre-ceramic polymer, and suitable proportions of both SiC and ZrO2 particles having sizes of the order of 1 m. These formulations have been tailored for the space-shuttle leading-edge material, atmospheric composition, and reentry temperature profile so as to enable repairs to survive re-entry heating with expected margin. Other formulations could be tailored for specific terrestrial applications

Smac mimetic-derived augmentation of chemotherapeutic response in experimental pancreatic cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is highly resistant to conventional chemotherapy, in part due to the overexpression of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). Smac is an endogenous IAP-antagonist, which renders synthetic Smac mimetics attractive anticancer agents. We evaluated the benefits of combining a Smac mimetic, JP1201 (JP), with conventional chemotherapy agents used for PDAC management.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cell viability assays and protein expression analysis were performed using WST-1 reagent and Western blotting, respectively. Apoptosis was detected by annexin V/propidium iodide staining. <it>In vivo </it>tumor growth and survival studies were performed in murine PDAC xenografts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>JP and gemcitabine (Gem) inhibited PDAC cell proliferation with additive effects in combination. The percentage of early apoptotic cells in controls, JP, Gem and JP + Gem was 17%, 26%, 26% and 38%, respectively. JP-induced apoptosis was accompanied by PARP-1 cleavage. Similar additive anti-proliferative effects were seen for combinations of JP with doxorubicin (Dox) and docetaxel (DT). The JP + Gem combination caused a 30% decrease in tumor size <it>in vivo </it>compared to controls. Median animal survival was improved significantly in mice treated with JP + Gem (38 d) compared to controls (22 d), JP (28 d) or Gem (32 d) (p = 0.01). Animal survival was also improved with JP + DT treatment (32 d) compared to controls (16 d), JP (21 d) or DT alone (27 d).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results warrant further exploration of strategies that promote chemotherapy-induced apoptosis of tumors and highlight the potential of Smac mimetics in clinical PDAC therapy.</p

Infrared Diameter of IRC+10216 Determined from Lunar Occultations

Lunar occultations of IRC+10216 have been used to determine the size of the regions emitting 2.2-, 3.5-, 4.8-, and 10-μ radiation. The results are interpreted as the first direct measurement of the physical size of a dust shell surrounding a late-type star

Pseudogap in 1d revisited

Two decades ago, Sadovskii found an exact solution of a model describing a pseudogap in electron energy spectrum (first introduced by Lee, Rice and Anderson). The discovery of a pseudogap in high-Tc superconductors has revived the interest to his exact solution. I review the model with the emphasis on physical content, point out an error in the original Sadovskii's solution and explain which problem he actually solved. A recent incorporation of Sadovskii's ideas into a description of "hot spots" on the Fermi surface in cuprate superconductors (Schmalian, Pines and Stojkovic) is briefly discussed.Comment: Final version to appear in PR

Incommensurate Charge Density Waves in the adiabatic Hubbard-Holstein model

The adiabatic, Holstein-Hubbard model describes electrons on a chain with step $a$ interacting with themselves (with coupling $U$) and with a classical phonon field \f_x (with coupling \l). There is Peierls instability if the electronic ground state energy F(\f) as a functional of \f_x has a minimum which corresponds to a periodic function with period ${\pi\over p_F}$, where $p_F$ is the Fermi momentum. We consider ${p_F\over\pi a}$ irrational so that the CDW is {\it incommensurate} with the chain. We prove in a rigorous way in the spinless case, when \l,U are small and {U\over\l} large, that a)when the electronic interaction is attractive $U<0$ there is no Peierls instability b)when the interaction is repulsive $U>0$ there is Peierls instability in the sense that our convergent expansion for F(\f), truncated at the second order, has a minimum which corresponds to an analytical and ${\pi\over p_F}$ periodic \f_x. Such a minimum is found solving an infinite set of coupled self-consistent equations, one for each of the infinite Fourier modes of \f_x.Comment: 16 pages, 1 picture. To appear Phys. Rev.

Amyloid β peptides are differentially vulnerable to preanalytical surface exposure, an effect incompletely mitigated by the use of ratios

INTRODUCTION: We tested the hypothesis that the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide ratios are more stable than Aβ42 alone when biofluids are exposed to two preanalytical conditions known to modify measurable Aβ concentration. METHODS: Human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and culture media (CM) from human cortical neurons were exposed to a series of volumes and polypropylene surfaces. Aβ42, Aβ40, and Aβ38 peptide concentrations were measured using a multiplexed electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Data were analyzed using mixed models in R. RESULTS: Decrease of measurable Aβ peptide concentrations was exaggerated in longer peptides, affecting the Aβ42:Aβ40 and Aβ42:Aβ38 ratios. However, the effect size of surface treatment was reduced in Aβ peptide ratios versus Aβ42 alone. For Aβ42:Aβ40, the effect was reduced by approximately 50% (volume) and 75% (transfer) as compared to Aβ42 alone. DISCUSSION: Use of Aβ ratios, in conjunction with concentrations, may mitigate confounding factors and assist the clinical diagnostic process for Alzheimer's disease

Structural Diversity of Photoswitchable Sphingolipids for Optodynamic Control of Lipid Raft Microdomains

Sphingolipids are a structurally diverse class of lipids predominantly found in the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells. These lipids can laterally segregate with other saturated lipids and cholesterol into lipid rafts; liquid-ordered (Lo) microdomains that act as organizing centers within biomembranes. Owing the vital role of sphingolipids for lipid segregation, controlling their lateral localization is of utmost significance. Hence, we made use of the light-induced trans-cis isomerization of azobenzene-modified acyl chains, to develop a set of photoswitchable sphingolipids, with different headgroups (hydroxyl, galactosyl, phosphocholine) and backbones (sphingosine, phytosphingosine, tetrahydropyran (THP)-blocked sphingosine), able to shuttle between liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered (Ld) regions of model membranes upon irradiation with UV-A (λ = 365 nm) and blue (λ = 470 nm) light, respectively. Using combined high-speed atomic force microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and force spectroscopy, we investigated how these active sphingolipids laterally remodel supported bilayers upon photo-isomerization, notably in terms of domain area changes, height mismatch, line tension, and membrane piercing. Hereby, we show that all sphingosine-(Azo-β-Gal-Cer, Azo-SM, Azo-Cer) and phytosphingosine-based (Azo-α-Gal-PhCer, Azo-PhCer) photolipids behave similarly, promoting a reduction in Lo domain area when in the UV-adapted cis-isoform. In contrast, azo-sphingolipids having THP groups that block H-bonding at the sphingosine backbone (Azo-THP-SM, Azo-THP-Cer) induce an increase in the Lo domain area when in cis, accompanied by a major rise in height mismatch and line tension. These changes were fully reversible upon blue light-triggered isomerization of the various lipids back to trans, pinpointing the role of interfacial interactions for the formation of stable Lo lipid raft domains

Strong damping of phononic heat current by magnetic excitations in SrCu_2(BO_3)_2

Measurements of the thermal conductivity as a function of temperature and magnetic field in the 2D dimer spin system SrCu$_2$(BO$_3$)$_2$ are presented. In zero magnetic field the thermal conductivity along and perpendicular to the magnetic planes shows a pronounced double-peak structure as a function of temperature. The low-temperature maximum is drastically suppressed with increasing magnetic field. Our quantitative analysis reveals that the heat current is due to phonons and that the double-peak structure arises from pronounced resonant scattering of phonons by magnetic excitations.Comment: a bit more than 4 pages, 2 figures included; minor changes to improve the clarity of the presentatio