The CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter at the LHC

The CMS detector at the LHC is in the final stages of preparation. The high resolution Electromagnetic Calorimeter, which consists of nearly 76000 lead tungstate crystals, will play a crucial role in the coming physics searches undertaken by CMS. The design, status, and initial performance of the calorimeter, in test beams and with cosmic rays, will be reviewed.Comment: ICHEP0

Facile syntheses of building blocks for the construction of phosphotyrosine mimetics

The copper-catalysed zinc phosphonate chemistry described by Yokomatsu and Shibuya can be used to enter the classical organometallic coupling repertoire via Stille and Suzuki–Miyaura couplings. 1,4-Diiodobenzene underwent coupling with the organozinc reagent derived from diethyl bromodifluoromethylphosphonate with copper(I) catalysis to afford diethyl (4-iodophenyl)difluoromethylphosphonate. Higher yielding couplings were run with (4-trifluoromethylsulfonyloxy)- and (4-nonafluorobutylsulfonyloxy)-iodobenzenes. The iodide and the triflate coupled under palladium-catalysed conditions with a range of stannanes and boronic acids in moderate to excellent yields. Shibuya–Yokomatsu couplings were also successful with more functionalised iodoarenes and heteroarenes presenting the important phosphate mimic on a range of scaffolds

Teachers observing classroom communication: An application of the Communicating Supporting Classroom Observation Tool for children aged 4-7 years

The nature of ‘Teacher talk’ is likely to have a considerable bearing on the child’s learning but measuring the communication environment in the classroom can present challenges. One tool which does this is the Communication Supporting Classroom Observation Tool (CSCOT). Initial use suggested that it was valid and reliably used by specialists (psychologists and speech and language therapists) and special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs). A key question is whether it can be used routinely by classroom teachers and whether results coincide with those in earlier studies. CSCOT observations were carried out by teachers in 33 schools (32 Reception classrooms, 25 in Year 1 and 25 in Year 2) in two local authorities in the North East of England and teachers were asked afterwards to reflect on their experiences using the tool. Scores were in line with those in earlier studies and were consistently higher on all dimensions for reception compared to Year 2, but there was no difference between other year groups. Results were mostly consistent with the original studies. Language learning environment was higher relative to both language learning opportunities and interactions across all years (which again did not differ). There was a moderate interaction between language learning environment where scores were significantly higher in the Reception group and lower in the Year 2 group. Teachers supported the use of the CSCOT in their feedback, suggesting that CSCOT was easy to use and useful in informing practice. The CSCOT clearly has utility as a starting point in auditing classroom communication. It allows teachers to compare between classrooms and year groups and potentially fosters collaboration between teachers and specialist practitioners who focus on communication such as speech and language therapists. Further work could link the observation tool into an intervention program co-constructed with teachers

Evaluating the regional potential for emissions reduction using energy storage

Energy storage is an enabler of low carbon electricity generation, however several studies have shown that its use can cause a non-trivial increase in carbon emissions even if the storage has 100% round-trip efficiency. To understand the impact of storage operation and demand response on emissions, it is necessary to determine the marginal emissions factor (MEF) at the time the storage or demand response was operated. This paper presents statistical approaches to determining regional MEFs using data on regional electricity demand and generation by fuel type, with a simple power flow model used to determine consumption emissions by region. The technique is applied to the electricity system in Great Britain in 2018. It is found that the impact of storage varies widely by location and operating mode, with the greatest emissions reductions achieved when storage is used to reduce wind curtailment in areas which consume high levels of fossil fuel generation, and the greatest emissions increases occurring where storage is used for wind balancing in areas where wind is not curtailed. The difference between the highest emissions reduction and highest emissions increase is found to be significant, at 785 gCO2 per kWh that passes through storage

Transcription-dependent silencing of inducible convergent transgenes in transgenic mice.

BACKGROUND: Silencing of transgenes in mice is a common phenomenon typically associated with short multi-copy transgenes. We have investigated the regulation of the highly inducible human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating-factor gene (Csf2) in transgenic mice. RESULTS: In the absence of any previous history of transcriptional activation, this transgene was expressed in T lineage cells at the correct inducible level in all lines of mice tested. In contrast, the transgene was silenced in a specific subset of lines in T cells that had encountered a previous episode of activation. Transgene silencing appeared to be both transcription-dependent and mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. Silencing was accompanied by loss of DNase I hypersensitive sites and inability to recruit RNA polymerase II upon stimulation. This pattern of silencing was reflected by increased methylation and decreased acetylation of histone H3 K9 in the transgene. We found that silenced lines were specifically associated with a single pair of tail-to-tail inverted repeated copies of the transgene embedded within a multi-copy array. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that epigenetic transgene silencing can result from convergent transcription of inverted repeats which can lead to silencing of an entire multi-copy transgene array. This mechanism may account for a significant proportion of the reported cases of transgene inactivation in mice.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Runx1 binds as a dimeric complex to overlapping Runx1 sites within a palindromic element in the human GM-CSF enhancer

Runx1 is a developmentally regulated transcription factor that is essential for haemopoiesis. Runx1 can bind as a monomer to the core consensus sequence TGTGG, but binds more efficiently as a hetero-dimer together with the non-DNA binding protein CBFβ as a complex termed core binding factor (CBF). Here, we demonstrated that CBF can also assemble as a dimeric complex on two overlapping Runx1 sites within the palindromic sequence TGTGGCTGCCCACA in the human granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor enhancer. Furthermore, we demonstrated that binding of Runx1 to the enhancer is rigidly controlled at the level of chromatin accessibility, and is dependent upon prior induction of NFAT and AP-1, which disrupt a positioned nucleosome in this region. We employed in vivo footprinting to demonstrate that, upon activation of the enhancer, both sites are efficiently occupied. In vitro binding assays confirmed that two CBF complexes can bind this site simultaneously, and transfection assays demonstrated that both sites contribute significantly to enhancer function. Computer modelling based on the Runx1/CBFβ/DNA crystal structure further revealed that two molecules of CBF could potentially bind to this class of palindromic sequence as a dimeric complex in a conformation whereby both Runx1 and CBFβ within the two CBF complexes are closely aligned

A Rheumatoid Nodule at the Sternoclavicular Joint: An uncommon presentation of a common problem

Most rheumatoid nodules are found at joints or pressure points. They rarely require medical intervention and even fewer require surgery. A 78-year-old female developed a 7.2 x 3.2 x 2.8 cm rheumatoid nodule originating at the right sternoclavicular joint, a novel site for a common pathology. Management involved a complex differential diagnosis and surgical treatment was resection from adjacent vascular and neural structures. Following surgical excision, the patient maintained good mobility and sensation of the neck and surrounding areas

The value of electricity storage to large enterprises: A case study on Lancaster University

Co-locating electricity storage with demand has significant potential to increase consumption of locally-generated electricity, defer infrastructure investments, and contribute to the task of balancing supply and demand on the wider network. In the UK, unlike domestic consumers, large enterprises are already incentivised to reduce peak demand through exposure to time- and demand-dependent network charges. This paper considers the potential of electricity storage to reduce the bills of large enterprises, focusing on Lancaster University as a case study. Through analysis of Lancaster University's recent demand and generation data and current and future charges, it is shown that recent widening of red distribution charge time bands has reduced the value of electricity storage to enterprises, and that in 2015 an enterprise such as Lancaster University could have expected electricity storage to deliver annual savings of around £27 per kWh of storage capacity, by reducing network charges. An analysis of these charges around Great Britain shows that the opportunity for storage to provide savings to enterprises is greatest in the south-west (at least £70/kWh.yr in 2017) and lowest in the north of Scotland (at least £20/kWh.yr). Whether investment in storage provides positive value to enterprises is shown to be strongly dependent upon location