Crazy People, a collection of short stories, presents characters and their various psychological crutches. The preface explores the concept of negative space as it applies to short fiction, manifesting itself in the form of open-ended endings, miscommunication between characters, rhetorical questions, and allusions to unspecified characters. The preface seeks to differentiate "good" space from "bad" space by citing examples from the author's own work, as well as the works of Raymond Carver, Dan Chaon, and Stanley Fish.

Parental depression can interfere with numerous aspects of parents’ lives, including parenting behaviors. Previous research has explored the relationship between past parental depression or current depressive symptoms and negative parenting behaviors. The current study investigates two models of mediation to explain the relationship between parental depression and parenting. In the first, it explores whether mindfulness mediates the relationship between past depression severity and three parenting behaviors: withdrawn/disengaged parenting, low levels of positive parenting and poor monitoring/supervision. In the second, it explores whether mindfulness mediates the relationship between current depressive symptoms and four parenting behaviors: withdrawn/disengaged parenting, low levels of positive parenting, poor monitoring/supervision and inconsistent discipline. The sample draws from two research sites, one in Burlington, Vermont and the other in Nashville, Tennessee and included previously or currently depressed parents (n=121; mean age = 42.5 years, SD = 7.40 years, range = 24-69), and their 9-15 year old children (n=167; mean age = 11.40 years, SD = 2.30 years, range = 9-15). All participating parents and children completed written measures at the time of their initial assessment. The overall findings of this study indicate that parents’ current depressive symptoms, but not past depression severity, increase the risk of low levels of positive parenting and parenting with greater inconsistent discipline, and that these associations are mediated by a parent’s level of mindfulness.

KefB and KefC are glutathione-gated potassium channels that play a protective role during the detoxification of electrophiles in Gram negative bacteria. The KefC channel from Klebsiella aerogenes has been characterised and the gene cloned and sequenced. The KefC channel from K. aerogenes is analogous to KefC from Escherichia coli. The electrophile compounds NEM and CDNB are strong activators of potassium loss via the channel, whereas, methylglyoxal is a weak activator of potassium loss. At the amino acid level the putative protein shows a high degree of similarity with KefC from E. coli. While sequencing the kefC gene from K. aerogenes a difference in the genome organisation of K. aerogenes and E. coli was observed, highlighting the presence of an unassigned ORF, yabF, that overlaps the kefC by 8 bp. Clones of the K. aerogenes kefC gene that lack the first 129 bp of yabF exhibit reduced KefC activity. Analysis of the sequence surrounding the kefB gene from E. coli revealed an ORF, yhaH, that encodes a homologue of the putative YabF protein. The amino acid distribution of YabF and YhaH predict soluble proteins with significant similarity to the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone oxidoreductase, DHQV. To investigate the function of YabF, a strain lacking the yabF-kefC region in E. coli was constructed. The strain was transduced into a kefB background and when transformed with a plasmid expressing only KefC channel activity was greatly reduced. The data suggest that the YabF protein is required in trans for the activity of KefC and preliminary evidence from in vitro-galactosidase fusion studies suggest that yabF and kefC genes may form an operon.

The immune system must be able to mount a response against pathogens and transformed cells while remaining tolerant to healthy host tissue. A key process for ensuring this self-tolerance is the negative selection of self-reactive thymocytes. Expression of Programmed Death-1 (PD-1), a co-inhibitory member of the CD28 family associated with dampened peripheral immune responses,was found to be upregulated in 20-40% of thymocytes undergoing negative selection in the HYcd4model of thymic development. Although analysis of gene and protein expression directly ex vivo indicates that PD-1- and PD-1+ thymocytes are equally apoptotic, PD-1+ thymocytes appear to be protected from apoptosis in an in vitro stimulation assay. Analysis of HYcd4PD-1-/- mice indicates that thymocytes receive a higher intensity signal in the absence of PD-1. Future work utilizing HYcd4PD-1-/- mice will increase our understanding of the role of PD-1 in thymic negative selection. / Immunology

This thesis is to design a Positive/Negative pulse battery charger with a high positive pulse current to charge battery quickly , The negative impulsive discharge current is used to accelerate chemical reaction between pole plates be response. Finally, there is a rest time to let charging effect uniform and to reduce temperature so as to last battery life cycle. The thesis uses dsp to control the single-stage Flyback converter charging battery then combine flyback DCM model and voltage follower control to increase efficiency. The chemical reaction of the negative pulse discharging mode. CMOS switch series connection resistance would speed up . Finally we join two-stage positive/negative pulse battery deep discharging to strengthen the lithium battery chemical reaction and efficient reduce the charging time ,it causes the fixed current charge able to enter more electric quantities until achieving 4.2v lithium battery's definition voltage sufficiently then transforms into the fixed voltage charge. this circuit has reached the goal of high-power Factor and quickly charging to extend life cycle of battery In order to understand the influence of positive/negative pulse ,we measure voltage, temperature and time period of charging and discharging in the experiment.

The majority of empirical research on responses to negative feedback has focused on affective responses to negative feedback, which have largely been adverse. The purpose of this study was to examine how negative feedback enhances motivation. A key feature of this study is the conceptualization of motivation using Edward Deci and Richard Ryan’s self-determination theory. Self-determination theory proposes a continuum of motivation, based on one’s regulation, or contingency for performance. Goal orientation and social dominance orientation are proposed as two moderators of the negative feedback-regulation relationship. Two studies were conducted to examine the relationship between negative feedback and regulation. Study 1 used a survey-based instrument with a work sample after a performance appraisal was conducted (N = 221), and Study 2 took place in a psychology statistics undergraduate course (N = 156). Negative feedback yielded a decrease in obligated motivation in Study 1. Mastery prove goal orientation and performance prove goal orientation were consistent significant moderators of the negative feedback-regulation relationship, such that individuals with high levels of Mastery prove goal orientation increased their autonomous regulation at higher levels of negative feedback, while individuals with high levels of performance prove goal orientation decreased their autonomous regulation at higher levels of negative feedback. Implications for feedback delivery are discussed. This study contributes to the literature by being the first to examine the effects of negative feedback on all forms of regulation, and is the first to use goal orientation and social dominance orientation as moderators of the negative feedback – regulation relationship. Further, this study demonstrated the positive motivational effects of giving positive feedback as well as setting mastery prove based goals.

The study seeks to discover whether different cultural orientations will result in individuals making dispositional attribution or situational attribution regarding negative information about a celebrity endorser. Second, the study seeks to discover whether consumers in different cultures evaluate different types of negative celebrity information differently. Third, the study seeks to discover whether dispositional or situational attribution of the negative information about the celebrity endorser will produce different evaluations of the endorser and, subsequently, of the endorsed brand. Finally, the study seeks to discover whether the level of consumers’ identification with celebrities (low vs. high) will moderate the relationship between attribution and consequences. The study found that cultural orientation affects people’s attributional styles and dispositional attribution leads to more negative impacts on celebrity evaluation, brand evaluation, and purchase intention than situational attribution. It is found that Korean consumers reacted more negatively on other-oriented negative information than on self-oriented negative orientation. People with a low level of identification responded more negatively to the negative celebrity information than people with a high level of identification. Implications and suggestions for future research in this area are provided. / text

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A library of 2-nitrobenzenesulfonyl (Ns) derivatives incorporating isotopic labels and a range of structural variations was prepared and characterized to investigate mass spectrometric fragmentation processes. Deprotonated Ns amino acids were formed readily by negative mode electrospray ionization. Collision induced dissociation experiments established precursor-product ion relationships and indicated a novel loss of an aryl ortho substituent (NO2, F, Cl or Br). In total, four distinct fragmentation pathways of Ns-alpha- and Ns-beta-amino acid anions were identified using isotopic labeling, structural variations of the Ns derivatives, and collision induced dissociation of ions generated in source. Overall, the observation of specific fragmentation pathways correlated with anion structure and ionization site. However, the observation of only one of four possible fragmentation processes in the mass spectrum of the Ns derivative of an amino dicarboxylic acid indicated that functional group interactions must also be considered in the interpretation and prediction of fragmentation processes.

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