Structural changes in DNA upon binding in a 2:1 motif to a polyamide minor groove binder: f -IPP in 5\u27-TAGCTA-3\u27

Polyamide minor groove binders are known to disrupt cellular function when bound to DNA. In this project, the structural changes of the sequence 5\u27-TAGCTA-3\u27, an important binding site for regulatory proteins in the EGFR pathway, were investigated when bound to f-IPP using molecular dynamics simulations. Changes in base-pair and base-pair-step parameters of slide, twist, and roll varied when f-IPP was added to the 5\u27-TAGCTA-3\u27 system, causing the DNA backbone to stretch and increase in flexibility. Additionally, changes in dihedral angles of the DNA phosphate backbone upon binding impacted global features of the DNA in that the minor groove narrowed following f-IPP addition

Francisella tularensis Transmission by Solid Organ Transplantation, 20171.

In July 2017, fever and sepsis developed in 3 recipients of solid organs (1 heart and 2 kidneys) from a common donor in the United States; 1 of the kidney recipients died. Tularemia was suspected only after blood cultures from the surviving kidney recipient grew Francisella species. The organ donor, a middle-aged man from the southwestern United States, had been hospitalized for acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome, pneumonia, and multiorgan failure. F. tularensis subsp. tularensis (clade A2) was cultured from archived spleen tissue from the donor and blood from both kidney recipients. Whole-genome multilocus sequence typing indicated that the isolated strains were indistinguishable. The heart recipient remained seronegative with negative blood cultures but had been receiving antimicrobial drugs for a medical device infection before transplant. Two lagomorph carcasses collected near the donor's residence were positive by PCR for F. tularensis subsp. tularensis (clade A2). This investigation documents F. tularensis transmission by solid organ transplantation

Habitat and Demography of Understory Trees in Mixed Species Hardwood Forests in Northern Florida, United States of America.

Temperate mixed-species hardwood forests of northern Florida, USA, contain a high diversity of understory tree species, some of which have been hypothesized to require disturbance (e.g., hurricanes and/or treefall gaps). Taxus floridana is a rare understory conifer endemic to midslopes of ravines of the Apalachicola River Bluffs, and is found primarily on north-facing slopes. Vegetation sampling in the southern portion of T. floridana\u27s range revealed the presence of an upslope oak-hickory community of suggested recent origin, and higher densities of American beech (Fagus grandifolia ), southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), and evergreen understory trees on north-facing midslopes with T. floridana than on randomly chosen north-facing midslopes. Thus, T. floridana presently exhibits high habitat specificity to restricted areas of north-facing midslopes. The status of T. floridana was investigated by acquiring demographic data on stem recruitment, survival, and growth, in three different populations (Rock Creek, Long Branch, and Beaverdam Creek) over four years. Seedling recruitment was temporally variable; seedling recruitment was also characterized by an episode in 1996 that was approximately ten-fold higher than in the proceeding years. Fates of seedlings varied both spatially and temporally, while fates of non-seedling stems with small diameters varied spatially. Growth of individual stems was similar in all populations sampled. Periodic matrix models incorporating such demographic data predicted declining growth rates for all sampled populations of T. floridana . This is consistent with recent anthropogenic changes in T. floridana\u27s habitat, and/or its prolonged existence in low quality habitats. Annual episodic regeneration essentially did not influence population growth rates. Increasing the survival of juvenile stems may help promote net positive population growth in such rare species. Finally, recruitment of Ostrya virginiana and Carpinus caroliniana, two more common understory species was examined following Hurricane Kate in 1985 using long-term data from Woodyard Hammock in north Florida. Post-hurricane recruitment was equally high in gaps of different ages (i.e., different histories), and was higher than in areas under closed canopy. The presence of a juvenile sapling bank before and at the time of Kate may be responsible for their present dominance in the understory stratum in Woodyard Hammock

Conserving slow-growing, long-lived tree species: Input from the demography of a rare understory conifer, Taxus floridana

Although land preservation and promotion of successful regeneration are important conservation actions, their ability to increase population growth rates of slow-growing, long-lived trees is limited. We investigated the demography of Taxus floridana Nutt., a rare understory conifer, in three populations in different ravine forests spanning its entire geographic range along the Apalachicola River Bluffs in northern Florida (U.S.A.). We examined spatial and temporal patterns in demographic parameters and projected population growth rates by using four years of data on the recruitment and survival of seedlings and established stems, and on diameter growth from cross-sections of dead stems. All populations experienced a roughly 10-fold increase in seedling recruitment in 1996 compared with other years. The fates of seedlings and stems between 8 and 16 mm differed among populations. The fates of stems in two other size classes (the 2- to 4-mm class and the 4- to 8-mm class) differed among both populations and years. Individual stems in all populations exhibited similarly slow growth rates. Stochastic matrix models projected declines in all populations. Stochastic matrix analysis revealed the high elasticity of a measure of stochastic population growth rate to perturbations in the stasis of large reproductive stems for all populations. Additional analyses also indicated that occasional episodes of high recruitment do not greatly affect population growth rates. Conservation efforts directed at long-lived, slow-growing rare plants like Taxus floridana should both protect established reproductive individuals and further enhance survival of individuals in other life-history stages, such as juveniles, that often do not appear to contribute greatly to population growth rates

Stand structure and dynamics of sand pine differ between the Florida panhandle and peninsula

Size and age structures of stand populations of numerous tree species exhibit uneven or reverse J-distributions that can persist after non-catastrophic disturbance, especially windstorms. Among disjunct populations of conspecific trees, alternative distributions are also possible and may be attributed to more localized variation in disturbance. Regional differences in structure and demography among disjunct populations of sand pine (Pinus clausa (Chapm. ex Engelm.) Vasey ex Sarg.) in the Florida panhandle and peninsula may result from variation in hurricane regimes associated with each of these populations. We measured size, age, and growth rates of trees from panhandle and peninsula populations and then compiled size and age class distributions. We also characterized hurricanes in both regions over the past century. Size and age structures of panhandle populations were unevenly distributed and exhibited continuous recruitment; peninsula populations were evenly sized and aged and exhibited only periodic recruitment. Since hurricane regimes were similar between regions, historical fire regimes may have been responsible for regional differences in structure of sand pine populations. We hypothesize that fires were locally nonexistent in coastal panhandle populations, while periodic high intensity fires occurred in peninsula populations over the past century. Such differences in local fire regimes could have resulted in the absence of hurricane effects in the peninsula. Increased intensity of hurricanes in the panhandle and current fire suppression patterns in the peninsula may shift characteristics of sand pine stands in both regions. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V

Advances in biotechnology and genomics of switchgrass

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a C4 perennial warm season grass indigenous to the North American tallgrass prairie. A number of its natural and agronomic traits, including adaptation to a wide geographical distribution, low nutrient requirements and production costs, high water use efficiency, high biomass potential, ease of harvesting, and potential for carbon storage, make it an attractive dedicated biomass crop for biofuel production. We believe that genetic improvements using biotechnology will be important to realize the potential of the biomass and biofuel-related uses of switchgrass. Tissue culture techniques aimed at rapid propagation of switchgrass and genetic transformation protocols have been developed. Rapid progress in genome sequencing and bioinformatics has provided efficient strategies to identify, tag, clone and manipulate many economically-important genes, including those related to higher biomass, saccharification efficiency, and lignin biosynthesis. Application of the best genetic tools should render improved switchgrass that will be more economically and environmentally sustainable as a lignocellulosic bioenergy feedstock

The Impact of Trust on Entrepreneurship in Poland

In the global rankings of generalized trust, Poland occupies a lowly position. Only 1/3 of Poles have a strong trust in strangers and roughly the same number believe that trust in business generally pays off. At the same time, only half of them believe that a market economy based on private enterprise is the best economic system for the country. According to the literature review a major factor in the development of entrepreneurship is trust in other economic actors. The aim of the article is to present the relation between trust and entrepreneurial activities in Poland. In this paper the hypothesis was adopted that the level of trust in the public sphere, especially in business relations in Poland, had an impact on the intensity of entrepreneurial activities. The analysed period comprises the years from 2002 to 2016. The article presents changes in the potential for social trust, including trust in business. Indicators of confidence include the percentage of people that have trust in different actors in Poland. A further part of the paper is devoted to the phenomenon of entrepreneurship in Poland. Among the indicators of entrepreneurship are the number of newly registered and deregistered entities, and entities that are new or deregistered from the REGON register per 10 thousand of population. Moreover, the innovation activity of enterprises in Poland has been described. At the end, relations between trust and entrepreneurial activities in Poland were examined. The data was analysed statistically with Pearson’s correlation coefficients. The analysis of confidence and entrepreneurship is based mainly on the data published by the Polish Central Statistical Office and Public Opinion Research Centre

Experiences of Companies in Using Smart City Technologies

Theoretical background: Smart cities rely on advanced technologies such as ICT, IoT, AI, and ML to streamline urban operations and foster sustainable growth. Successful implementation, however, hinges not only on technology but also on how businesses adopt and integrate these innovations. Companies play a critical role in driving technological adoption within smart cities, enhancing urban services, and contributing to economic growth.Purpose of the article: The objective of this paper is to obtain insights into the experiences of companies in the utilization of smart city technologies. The paper explores companies' active use, challenges in adoption, and potential for increased engagement with these technologies.Research methods: The authors conducted a pilot survey in 2021, targeting companies in Szczecin and Koszalin, Poland. Using CATI and CAWI techniques, data were collected from 221 companies through a structured questionnaire. The Chi-square test was applied to examine the relationships between variables. The study focused on ten types of smart city technologies and classified company responses into three categories: active use, non-use, and future intent to adopt.Main findings: The study revealed varying levels of technology adoption across companies. Popular technologies like intelligent payment systems and e-government services saw high adoption rates, while applications for environmental protection and security-related technologies were less utilized. The findings indicate that local business strategies, stakeholder engagement, and investment levels significantly influence adoption rates. Companies in both cities expressed a growing interest in future adoption, especially in smart infrastructure technologies, suggesting potential growth in their usage

IS POLAND BECOMING NORDIC? CHANGING TRENDS IN HOUSEHOLD STRUCTURES IN POLAND AND FINLAND WITH THE EMPHASIS ON PEOPLE LIVING ALONE

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the household structure and its dynamics between post-economic-transformation Poland and Scandinavian-welfare-state Finland, with a focus on one-person households (OPH). Based on the literature, two research hypotheses were formulated: (H1) strong differences in the household structure in Finland and Poland still occur, and (H2) the share of one-person households is at very different levels in the two countries. However, due to the globally growing popularity of solo living, the difference is diminishing. Finally, an estimate was made for the time when the shares of one-person households will be equal in both countries if the changing trends from 2005–2015 stay the same. The first research hypothesis was proven to be correct. Small, one- or two-person households dominate the household structure in Finland, while in Poland the household structure by size was considerably more balanced. The second hypothesis was confirmed only partially. The share of OPH among all the households in 2015 was significantly larger in Finland (42%) than in Poland (24%). However, the difference between the countries was not diminishing. The share in Finland is increasing, while it is decreasing in Poland. This allowed the assumption that if the changing trends from the studied period are maintained, the shares of OPH in the two countries will not equalize, but will instead grow further apart. An estimate was made that in 2030 46% of Finnish households and 22% of Polish households will be one-person households.Peer reviewe