Inivited Paper - Potential Changes to eDiscovery Rules in Federal Court: A Discussion of the Process, Substantive Changes and Their Applicability and Impact on Virginia Practice

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) are subject to a unique process also once used in revising the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE). Today, this process is followed in revisions of the FRCP, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Federal Bankruptcy Rules. This unique rulemaking process differs significantly from traditional notice and comment rulemaking required for a majority of federal regulatory agencies under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).1 Most notably, rule-making for the federal courts’ procedural matters remain unaffected by the invalidation of legislative veto. It is still widely, but wrongly believed, that the legislative veto was completely invalidated by INS v. Chadda

Structural analysis of Salmonella enterica effector protein SopD

Salmonella outer protein D (SopD) is a type III secreted virulence effector protein from Salmonella enterica. Full-length SopD and SopD lacking 16 amino acids at the N-terminus (SopDDeltaN) have been expressed as fusions with GST in Escherichia coli, purified with a typical yield of 20-30 mg per litre of cell culture and crystallized. Biophysical characterization has been carried out mainly on SopDDeltaN. Analytical size exclusion chromatography shows that SopDDeltaN is monomeric and probably globular in aqueous solution. The secondary structure composition, calculated from the CD spectrum, is mixed (38% alpha-helix and 26% beta-strand). Sequence analysis indicates that SopD contains a coiled coil motif, as found in numerous other type III secretion system-associated proteins. This suggests that SopD has the potential for one or more heterotypic protein-protein interactions. Limited trypsin digestion of SopDDeltaN, monitored by both one-dimensional proton NMR spectroscopy and SDS-PAGE, shows that the protein has a large, protease-resistant core domain of 286 amino acid residues. This single-domain architecture suggests that SopD lacks a cognate chaperone. In crystallization trials, SopDDeltaN produced better crystals than either full-length SopD or trypsin-digested SopDDeltaN. Diffraction to 3.0 Angstrom resolution has so far been obtained from crystals of SopDDeltaN

The Federal Rules Of Civil Procedure: Politics In The 2013-2014 Revision

Pre-trial discovery is perpetually controversial. Parties advantaged by strict privacy can often avoid justice when this is disadvantageous to their interests. Contrawise, parties advantaged by relaxed litigation privacy can achieve justice when all facts are accessible irrespective of their repositories, ownership or control. American-style pre-trial discovery in civil and regulatory enforcement is relatively rare around the world. U.S. discovery rules open nearly all relevant and non-privileged data for use by opposing parties. The traditional discovery process was costly and time consuming in the world of tangible paper data. However, these burdens have increased, rather than diminished as often predicted, as most data migrates to electronically stored information (ESI). This article provides a midstream assessment of the second major revision effort to accommodate U.S. discovery processes to the broad and deep problems arising during the past 20 years of document discovery experience with predominately ESI data sources

A Spectral Method for Elliptic Equations: The Neumann Problem

Let $\Omega$ be an open, simply connected, and bounded region in $\mathbb{R}^{d}$, $d\geq2$, and assume its boundary $\partial\Omega$ is smooth. Consider solving an elliptic partial differential equation $-\Delta u+\gamma u=f$ over $\Omega$ with a Neumann boundary condition. The problem is converted to an equivalent elliptic problem over the unit ball $B$, and then a spectral Galerkin method is used to create a convergent sequence of multivariate polynomials $u_{n}$ of degree $\leq n$ that is convergent to $u$. The transformation from $\Omega$ to $B$ requires a special analytical calculation for its implementation. With sufficiently smooth problem parameters, the method is shown to be rapidly convergent. For $u\in C^{\infty}(\overline{\Omega})$ and assuming $\partial\Omega$ is a $C^{\infty}$ boundary, the convergence of $\Vert u-u_{n}\Vert_{H^{1}}$ to zero is faster than any power of $1/n$. Numerical examples in $\mathbb{R}^{2}$ and $\mathbb{R}^{3}$ show experimentally an exponential rate of convergence.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figure

The MINERν\nuA Data Acquisition System and Infrastructure

MINER$\nu$A (Main INjector ExpeRiment $\nu$-A) is a new few-GeV neutrino cross section experiment that began taking data in the FNAL NuMI (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Neutrinos at the Main Injector) beam-line in March of 2010. MINER$\nu$A employs a fine-grained scintillator detector capable of complete kinematic characterization of neutrino interactions. This paper describes the MINER$\nu$A data acquisition system (DAQ) including the read-out electronics, software, and computing architecture.Comment: 34 pages, 16 figure

Alexithymia, emotion processing and social anxiety in adults with ADHD

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Given sparse research on the issue, this study sought to shed light upon the interactions of alexithymia, emotion processing, and social anxiety in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).</p> <p>Subjects and methods</p> <p>73 German adults with ADHD according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria participated. We used the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) to assess alexithymia, the Social Phobia Scale (SPS) and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) to assess different features of social anxiety, and we applied the German 'Experience of Emotions Scale' (SEE) to measure emotion processing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>40% of the sample were found to meet the DSM-IV criteria of social anxiety disorder, and about 22% were highly alexithymic according to a TAS-20 total score ≥ 61; however, the mean TAS-20 total score of 50.94 ± 9.3 was not much higher than in community samples. Alexithymic traits emerged to be closely linked to emotion processing problems, particularly 'difficulty accepting own emotions', and to social anxiety features.</p> <p>Discussion/conclusion</p> <p>Our findings suggest interactions of alexithymia, emotion processing dysfunction, and social anxiety in adults with ADHD, which may entail the therapeutic implication to thoroughly instruct these patients to identify, accept, communicate, and regulate their emotions to aid reducing interaction anxiety.</p

MINERvA neutrino detector response measured with test beam data

The MINERvA collaboration operated a scaled-down replica of the solid scintillator tracking and sampling calorimeter regions of the MINERvA detector in a hadron test beam at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility. This article reports measurements with samples of protons, pions, and electrons from 0.35 to 2.0 GeV/c momentum. The calorimetric response to protons, pions, and electrons are obtained from these data. A measurement of the parameter in Birks' law and an estimate of the tracking efficiency are extracted from the proton sample. Overall the data are well described by a Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulation of the detector and particle interactions with agreements better than 4%, though some features of the data are not precisely modeled. These measurements are used to tune the MINERvA detector simulation and evaluate systematic uncertainties in support of the MINERvA neutrino cross section measurement program.Comment: as accepted by NIM

Isolation and individual electrical stimulation of single smooth-muscle cells from the urinary bladder of the pig

In contrast to striated muscle, measurements on strips of smooth muscle cannot be uniquely interpreted in terms of an array of contractile units. Therefore scaling down to the single-cell level is necessary to gain detailed understanding of the contractile process in this type of muscle. The present study describes the development of a method for isolating contractile single smooth muscle cells from pig urinary bladders. Contractile responses evoked by individual electrical stimulation were used as a measure of cell quality during development of the method. Responses were evaluated by measuring latency, contraction and relaxation times, as indicated by visible length changes, and stored on-line in a computer. Initial length, relative shortening and shortening speed were determined by measuring cell lengths in previously timed still video frames using a computer-controlled crosshair device. Increase of stimulus pulse duration resulted in improved responses, indicating that the observed shortening represented a physiological contractile response. Ultimately this method of evaluation was applied to two sets of cell preparations obtained by two different methods, one using only collagenase digestion, the other using mechanical manipulation as well. Both sets showed two main patterns of response to electrical stimulation: a pattern of contraction upon stimulation followed by enhanced contraction when stimulation was switched off (CK), and a pattern of contraction upon stimulation followed by relaxation when the stimulus was switched off (CR). The set of preparations containing the highest percentage of CR cells was found to be superior (i.e. greater initial length, shorter latency and contraction times, increased shortening and higher shortening speed). The method of isolation used for this set gives a high yield of contractile cells available for experimental use over a long span of time

The Layer 0 Inner Silicon Detector of the D0 Experiment

This paper describes the design, fabrication, installation and performance of the new inner layer called Layer 0 (L0) that was inserted in the existing Run IIa Silicon Micro-Strip Tracker (SMT) of the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. L0 provides tracking information from two layers of sensors, which are mounted with center lines at a radial distance of 16.1 mm and 17.6 mm respectively from the beam axis. The sensors and readout electronics are mounted on a specially designed and fabricated carbon fiber structure that includes cooling for sensor and readout electronics. The structure has a thin polyimide circuit bonded to it so that the circuit couples electrically to the carbon fiber allowing the support structure to be used both for detector grounding and a low impedance connection between the remotely mounted hybrids and the sensors.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figure