The Interconnectedness Between Home Builders and the Asian American Community

California’s ethnic and cultural diversity has always influenced its housing market, lifestyle, and business investments. A great example of this is the increasing Asian-American demand for new housing in the Los Angeles Basin. Using The Olson Company as an example, this article investigates the interconnectedness and mutual influence between home builders and the Asian-American community. We will present demographic trends showing how the tenfold increase of Asian-Americans in California since 1960 has dynamically influenced Southern California’s inner and outer suburbs. Combined with an analysis of the Asian-American buyer profile from The Olson Company‘s home sales in Southern California, we find that demand for “smart growth” urban product is strong within this population segment. A psychographic analysis of these buyers draws conclusions for basic site and product design and marketing approaches. Several recent examples of projects in the West San Gabriel Valley highlight how the challenges of limited supply conditions in an essentially built-out urban landscape can be overcome via the interconnectedness of builders and homebuyers

Analysis of the Compartmentalized Metabolome – A Validation of the Non-Aqueous Fractionation Technique

With the development of high-throughput metabolic technologies, a plethora of primary and secondary compounds have been detected in the plant cell. However, there are still major gaps in our understanding of the plant metabolome. This is especially true with regards to the compartmental localization of these identified metabolites. Non-aqueous fractionation (NAF) is a powerful technique for the determination of subcellular metabolite distributions in eukaryotic cells, and it has become the method of choice to analyze the distribution of a large number of metabolites concurrently. However, the NAF technique produces a continuous gradient of metabolite distributions, not discrete assignments. Resolution of these distributions requires computational analyses based on marker molecules to resolve compartmental localizations. In this article we focus on expanding the computational analysis of data derived from NAF. Along with an experimental workflow, we describe the critical steps in NAF experiments and how computational approaches can aid in assessing the quality and robustness of the derived data. For this, we have developed and provide a new version (v1.2) of the BestFit command line tool for calculation and evaluation of subcellular metabolite distributions. Furthermore, using both simulated and experimental data we show the influence on estimated subcellular distributions by modulating important parameters, such as the number of fractions taken or which marker molecule is selected. Finally, we discuss caveats and benefits of NAF analysis in the context of the compartmentalized metabolome

Vascular miR‐181b controls tissue factor‐dependent thrombogenicity and inflammation in type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is characterized by chronic vascular inflammation leading to pathological expression of the thrombogenic full length (fl) tissue factor (TF) and its isoform alternatively-spliced (as) TF. Blood-borne TF promotes factor (F) Xa generation resulting in a pro-thrombotic state and cardiovascular complications. MicroRNA (miR)s impact gene expression on the post-transcriptional level and contribute to vascular homeostasis. Their distinct role in the control of the diabetes-related procoagulant state remains poorly understood. METHODS: In a cohort of patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (n = 46) plasma levels of miR-181b were correlated with TF pathway activity and markers for vascular inflammation. In vitro, human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC)-1 and human monocytes (THP-1) were transfected with miR-181b or anti-miR-181b and exposed to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α or lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Expression of TF isoforms, vascular adhesion molecule (VCAM) 1 and nuclear factor (NF) κB nuclear translocation was assessed. Moreover, aortas, spleen, plasma, and bone marrow-derived macrophage (BMDM)s of mice carrying a deletion of the first miR-181b locus were analyzed with respect to TF expression and activity. RESULTS: In patients with type 2 diabetes, plasma miR-181b negatively correlated with the procoagulant state as evidenced by TF protein, TF activity, D-dimer levels as well as markers for vascular inflammation. In HMEC-1, miR-181b abrogated TNFα-induced expression of flTF, asTF, and VCAM1. These results were validated using the anti-miR-181b. Mechanistically, we confirmed a miR-181b-mediated inhibition of importin-α3 (KPNA4) leading to reduced nuclear translocation of the TF transcription factor NFκB. In THP-1, miR-181b reduced both TF isoforms and FXa generation in response to LPS due to targeting phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a principal inducer for TF in monocytes. Moreover, in miR-181-/- animals, we found that reduced levels of miR-181b were accompanied by increased TF, VCAM1, and KPNA4 expression in aortic tissue as well as increased TF and PTEN expression in spleen. Finally, BMDMs of miR-181-/- mice showed increased TF expression and FXa generation upon stimulation with LPS. CONCLUSIONS: miR-181b epigenetically controls the procoagulant state in diabetes. Reduced miR-181b levels contribute to increased thrombogenicity and may help to identify individuals at particular risk for thrombosis

Cyanobacteria net community production in the Baltic Sea as inferred from profiling pCO(2) measurements

Organic matter production by cyanobacteria blooms is a major environmental concern for the Baltic Sea, as it promotes the spread of anoxic zones. Partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO(2)) measurements carried out on Ships of Opportunity (SOOP) since 2003 have proven to be a powerful tool to resolve the carbon dynamics of the blooms in space and time. However, SOOP measurements lack the possibility to directly constrain depth-integrated net community production (NCP) in moles of carbon per surface area due to their restriction to the sea surface. This study tackles the knowledge gap through (1) providing an NCP best guess for an individual cyanobacteria bloom based on repeated profiling measurements of pCO(2) and (2) establishing an algorithm to accurately reconstruct depth-integrated NCP from surface pCO(2) observations in combination with modelled temperature profiles.Goal (1) was achieved by deploying state-of-the-art sensor technology from a small-scale sailing vessel. The low-cost and flexible platform enabled observations covering an entire bloom event that occurred in July-August 2018 in the Eastern Gotland Sea. For the biogeochemical interpretation, recorded pCO(2) profiles were converted to C-T*, which is the dissolved inorganic carbon concentration normalised to alkalinity. We found that the investigated bloom event was dominated by Nodularia and had many biogeochemical characteristics in common with blooms in previous years. In particular, it lasted for about 3 weeks, caused a C-T* drawdown of 90 mu mol kg(-1), and was accompanied by a sea surface temperature increase of 10 degrees C. The novel finding of this study is the vertical extension of the C-T* drawdown up to the compensation depth located at around 12 m. Integration of the C-T* drawdown across this depth and correction for vertical fluxes leads to an NCP best guess of similar to 1:2 mol m(-2) over the productive period.Addressing goal (2), we combined modelled hydrographical profiles with surface pCO(2) observations recorded by SOOP Finnmaid within the study area. Introducing the temperature penetration depth (TPD) as a new parameter to integrate SOOP observations across depth, we achieve an NCP reconstruction that agrees to the best guess within 10 %, which is considerably better than the reconstruction based on a classical mixed-layer depth constraint.Applying the TPD approach to almost 2 decades of surface pCO(2) observations available for the Baltic Sea bears the potential to provide new insights into the control and long-term trends of cyanobacteria NCP. This understanding is key for an effective design and monitoring of conservation measures aiming at a Good Environmental Status of the Baltic Sea

Defects in leaf carbohydrate metabolism compromise acclimation to high light and lead to a high chlorophyll fluorescence phenotype in Arabidopsis thaliana

Background: We have studied the impact of carbohydrate-starvation on the acclimation response to high light using Arabidopsis thaliana double mutants strongly impaired in the day- and night path of photoassimilate export from the chloroplast. A complete knock-out mutant of the triose phosphate/phosphate translocator (TPT; tpt-2 mutant) was crossed to mutants defective in (i) starch biosynthesis (adg1-1, pgm1 and pgi1-1; knock-outs of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, plastidial phosphoglucomutase and phosphoglucose isomerase) or (ii) starch mobilization (sex1-3, knock-out of glucan water dikinase) as well as in (iii) maltose export from the chloroplast (mex1-2). Results: All double mutants were viable and indistinguishable from the wild type when grown under low light conditions, but - except for sex1-3/tpt-2 - developed a high chlorophyll fluorescence (HCF) phenotype and growth retardation when grown in high light. Immunoblots of thylakoid proteins, Blue-Native gel electrophoresis and chlorophyll fluorescence emission analyses at 77 Kelvin with the adg1-1/tpt-2 double mutant revealed that HCF was linked to a specific decrease in plastome-encoded core proteins of both photosystems (with the exception of the PSII component cytochrome b559), whereas nuclear-encoded antennae (LHCs) accumulated normally, but were predominantly not attached to their photosystems. Uncoupled antennae are the major cause for HCF of dark-adapted plants. Feeding of sucrose or glucose to high light-grown adg1-1/tpt-2 plants rescued the HCF- and growth phenotypes. Elevated sugar levels induce the expression of the glucose-6-phosphate/phosphate translocator2 (GPT2), which in principle could compensate for the deficiency in the TPT. A triple mutant with an additional defect in GPT2 (adg1-1/tpt-2/gpt2-1) exhibited an identical rescue of the HCF- and growth phenotype in response to sugar feeding as the adg1-1/tpt-2 double mutant, indicating that this rescue is independent from the sugar-triggered induction of GPT2. Conclusions: We propose that cytosolic carbohydrate availability modulates acclimation to high light in A. thaliana. It is conceivable that the strong relationship between the chloroplast and nucleus with respect to a co-ordinated expression of photosynthesis genes is modified in carbohydrate-starved plants. Hence carbohydrates may be considered as a novel component involved in chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signaling, an aspect that will be addressed in future studies

Fluid Dynamics of Single-needle Dialysis in an Experimental Model

Background:Acceptance has grown for single-needle dialysis when a vascular access is not suited for the insertion of two needles. Its impact on flow patterns was unknown. Methods:We produced transparent life-size models of arteriovenous(AV)fistulas and AV grafts that we placed into a pulsatile flow system to examine flow characteristics during simulated dialysis cycles. For this purpose we injected dye, and recorded and analyzed the resulting flow patterns using suitable software tools. Results:There is a definite flow reversal during the arterial phases in both AV fistulas and -less pronounced-in AV grafts leading to flow oscillations. Conclusion:Flow oscillations initiate subintimal hyperplasia possibly leading to stenoses in vivo. Reversal of the flow direction may also cause steal phenomena in the poorly perfused distal extremity. Single-needle dialysis should therefore be avoided if possible

The ATLAS TRT electronics

The ATLAS inner detector consists of three sub-systems: the pixel detector spanning the radius range 4cm-20cm, the semiconductor tracker at radii from 30 to 52 cm, and the transition radiation tracker (TRT), tracking from 56 to 107 cm. The TRT provides a combination of continuous tracking with many projective measurements based on individual drift tubes (or straws) and of electron identification based on transition radiation from fibres or foils interleaved between the straws themselves. This paper describes the on and off detector electronics for the TRT as well as the TRT portion of the data acquisition (DAQ) system

Could Have, Would Have, Should Have: A Short History of the Housing Boom/Bust in the 2000s

[Excerpt] The history of the great housing boom and bust between 2003 and 2006 has not yet been written; this is a first attempt. It has been done here not to show that “mistakes were made” but to reconstruct the subjective horizon that drove people to act in a certain way during that time period, their justifications and rationalizations, often against a multi-media show of doubt. We hope, the collective investment community, can then honestly address the question of when we could have, would have, and should have pulled pack in the respective investment horizons