Structure-property relationships in gas-phase protonated and metalated peptide ions

Peptide synthesis and metal doping, combined with mass spectrometric and ion mobility spectrometric techniques, have provided a picture of the fragmentation behavior of a large field of homologous peptide ions, represented as XVGVAZG, where the X amino acid is either arginine, histidine, lysine, aspartic acid or tryptophan and the Z amino acid is proline, glycine, serine, or histidine. These homologous peptide ions have been carefully selected to probe the effects of charge site location and secondary interactions upon the fragmentation chemistry of peptides. Peptides were synthesized on solid support, doped with appropriate metal salts to attach Li+, Na+, K+, Cu+ and Ag+ , and then examined using ion mobility spectrometry, and tandem mass spectrometry, both high energy collision induced dissociation (CID) and photodissociation using 193- nm laser light. Molecular dynamics calculations enabled me to derive candidate structures for these ions that agree with the ion mobility data for the ions. The fragmentation chemistry and structure selection of the first group of peptides, those that contain a proline residue, indicate that the presence of high proton and high metal ion affinity residues at the N-terminal position of the peptide direct the fragmentation of the highly charge-solvated ions according to a charge site directed mechanism. Further examples of charge-solvated structures and charge-directed fragmentation are shown for peptides where the sixth amino acid residue has been replaced with glycine or serine, eliminating the influence of the proline residue in the sixth position. Photodissociation of the peptides indicates that the position of valine residues along the peptide backbone influences the types of abundant fragment ions observed and ai and dai ions are observed exclusively at the site of valine residues. This observation continued, even when the position of the valine residues were altered by synthesis, leading me to the conclusion that the fragmentation of these peptides. The study was expanded to include significantly more complex peptides, those containing second high proton and high metal ion affinity residues, and though the data are complex, the influence of charge solvation in those systems is strong as well, according to my analysis of the candidate structures obtained and the types of fragment ions observed

Results of a Fall and Spring BioBlitz at Grassy Pond Recreational Area, Lowndes County, Georgia.

Two 24 h BioBlitzes were conducted in September, 2018, and April, 2019, at Grassy Pond Recreational Area in Lowndes County, Georgia. Teams of scientists, students, and public participants surveyed plants, insects, amphibians and reptiles, birds, mammals, fungi, lichens, and aquatic microorganisms. Both events included educational programs with informational walks and activities targeted to youth. In the fall, 654 species and 55 additional genera were recorded. In the spring, there were 581 species and 54 additional genera recorded. Two fungi and 38 lichens were first reports for Lowndes County; one fungus was a first for Georgia. One lichen may be a first for North America. One snake and 5 bat species were notably first reports for Grassy Pond Recreational Area

ABA RPTE Conservation Easement Task Force Report: Recommendations Regarding Conservation Easements and Federal Tax Law

In October 2015, the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Law (RPTE) section convened a Conservation Easement Task Force. The objective of the Task Force was to provide recommendations regarding federal tax law as it relates to conservation easements. This Report is the culmination of the Task Force’s work. Part I of the Report is an Executive Summary of the Task Force’s recommendations. Part II provides the background necessary to understand the Task Force’s recommendations. Part III briefly sets forth the Task Force’s comments on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 as it relates to charitable contributions in general and conservation easement donations in particular. In Part IV, the Task Force recommends that the Treasury publish safe harbor provisions that would be common to most conservation easements. Part V sets forth the Task Force’s recommendations regarding amendments and discretionary consents, the inconsistent use regulations, and furthering transparency in conservation easement administration. Part VI discusses issues surrounding valuation of conservation easements. Part VII contains a brief comment on syndicated conservation easement transactions. Part VIII is the Task Force response to certain proposals the Treasury Department made (most recently in 2016) to change conservation easement law.Appendix A sets forth the “perpetuity” requirements of § 170(h) and the Treasury Regulations.Appendix B offers specific language to facilitate the preparation of key safe harbor provisions

The Slaton-Westphal Functional Assessment Inventory for Adults With Psychiatric Disability: Development of an Instrument to Measure Functional Status and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Outcome

Outcome research in outpatient psychiatric rehabilitation is a relatively new undertaking. This article describes the components of art ideal outcome measure instrument according to the NIMH and IAPSRS, and reviews existing instruments intended for this purpose. The article also describes development of an instrument designed to assess functional status of adults with serious psychiatric disabilities, Reliability estimates are pro tided and suggest that the Slaton-Westphal Functional Assessment Inventory is a reliable instrument that cart be used as a outcome measure. Suggestions for further research on this instrument are also Provided

Exploring tensions of using interpretative phenomenological analysis in a domain with conflicting cultural practices

The philosophical foundations of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)—phenomenology, hermeneutics, and idiography—guide its practice and use. However, this foundation is often at odds with cultural practices of disciplines that value post-positivist perspectives emphasizing that reality can be objectively known. The conflict between the philosophical underpinnings of the methodology and the cultural practices of particular disciplines can serve to limit the use and acceptance of IPA. This article highlights ways researchers can use IPA even when the underlying tenets of that methodological approach may be in conflict with disciplinary norms. As such, we have set out to explore the tensions that accompany the choice to use IPA in the context of engineering education research within the United States. As a group of engineering education researchers, we drew upon collaborative inquiry to systematically examine our use of IPA. Our exploration of using IPA, as connected to everyday practice in a discipline that takes a postpositivist stance toward knowledge generation, provides examples for the use of IPA in tension with these disciplinary norms