Fem proteins are the essential structural proteins of various gram-positive bacteria. These are of three different types namely FemX (FmhB), FemA and FemB. Only two Fem protein crystallographic structures are available till date, one for FemA in Staphylococcus aureus and another for FemX in Weissella viridescensis. In this study, computational methods are used to evaluate interaction of FemA pr...

Protein-protein interactions play an important role in all cellular processes. The development of two-hybrid systems in yeast and bacteria allows for in vivo assessment of such interactions. Using a recently developed bacterial two-hybrid system, the interactions of the Staphylococcus aureus proteins FemA, FemB and FmhB, members of the FemABX protein family, which is involved in peptidoglycan b...

This is one of a series of audit, inspection, and special reports prepared as part of our oversight responsibilities to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within the department. This report addresses FEMA's preparedness for the next catastrophic disaster. It is based on interviews with employees and officials of relevant agencies and institutions, direct observations, and a review o...

This paper investigates the applicabilty of an innovative bracing, called Articulated Quadrilateral (AQ) bracing system, which uses shape memory alloys (SMAs), for retroffiting low-rise to high-rise vulnerable SMFRs against strong ground motions. The paper investigates brace fundamental engineering characteristics, design of the system and also configuration of the brace (the proportion of SMA ...

The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the FEMA-356 Nonlinear Static Procedure (NSP) and a recently developed Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) procedure using recorded motions of four buildings that were damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. For this purpose, the motions at non-instrumented floors are “derived” from the motions at instrumented floors by using cubic spline inte...

In recent years, negative media attention has fostered the impression that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) parks are social wastelands filled with criminal elements and other undesirables. FEMA parks have subsequently come to be viewed by some as a major threat to the safety and quality of life of the local communities in which they are situated. This analysis addresses attitudes tow...

Hurricane Sandy caused extensive physical and economic damage; the long-term mental health consequences are unknown. Flooding is a central component of hurricane exposure, influencing mental health through multiple pathways that unfold over months after flooding recedes. Here we assess the concordance in self-reported and Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) flood exposure after Hurricane Sandy ...

Previously, it has been shown that probabilistic seismic risk assessments (PSRAs) at urban scale present important discrepancies when compared with analyses conducted using methodologies from regional or national PSRA. However, conducting site-specific urban-scale for a considerable number of cities may not be feasible due to limitations in time, resources, and some cases availability informati...