Adenovirus type 5 E4 Orf3 protein targets promyelocytic leukaemia (PML) protein nuclear domains for disruption via a sequence in PML isoform II that is predicted as a protein interaction site by bioinformatic analysis

Human adenovirus type 5 infection causes the disruption of structures in the cell nucleus termed promyelocytic leukaemia (PML) protein nuclear domains or ND10, which contain the PML protein as a critical component. This disruption is achieved through the action of the viral E4 Orf3 protein, which forms track-like nuclear structures that associate with the PML protein. This association is mediated by a direct interaction of Orf3 with a specific PML isoform, PMLII. We show here that the Orf3 interaction properties of PMLII are conferred by a 40 aa residue segment of the unique C-terminal domain of the protein. This segment was sufficient to confer interaction on a heterologous protein. The analysis was informed by prior application of a bioinformatic tool for the prediction of potential protein interaction sites within unstructured protein sequences (predictors of naturally disordered region analysis; PONDR). This tool predicted three potential molecular recognition elements (MoRE) within the C-terminal domain of PMLII, one of which was found to form the core of the Orf3 interaction site, thus demonstrating the utility of this approach. The sequence of the mapped Orf3-binding site on PML protein was found to be relatively poorly conserved across other species; however, the overall organization of MoREs within unstructured sequence was retained, suggesting the potential for conservation of functional interactions

The Transit Light Curve project. XIV. Confirmation of Anomalous Radii for the Exoplanets TrES-4b, HAT-P-3b, and WASP-12b

We present transit photometry of three exoplanets, TrES-4b, HAT-P-3b, and WASP-12b, allowing for refined estimates of the systems' parameters. TrES-4b and WASP-12b were confirmed to be "bloated" planets, with radii of 1.706 +/- 0.056 R_Jup and 1.736 +/- 0.092 R_Jup, respectively. These planets are too large to be explained with standard models of gas giant planets. In contrast, HAT-P-3b has a radius of 0.827 +/- 0.055 R_Jup, smaller than a pure hydrogen-helium planet and indicative of a highly metal-enriched composition. Analyses of the transit timings revealed no significant departures from strict periodicity. For TrES-4, our relatively recent observations allow for improvement in the orbital ephemerides, which is useful for planning future observations.Comment: AJ, in press [11 pages]; corrected error in distance to WASP-1

Efficacy of a Workbook to Promote Forgiveness: A Randomized Controlled Trial with University Students

Objective The present study investigated the efficacy of a 6-hour self-directed workbook adapted from the REACH Forgiveness intervention. Method Undergraduates (N = 41) were randomly assigned to either an immediate treatment or waitlist control condition. Participants were assessed across 3 time periods using a variety of forgiveness outcome measures. Results The 6-hour workbook intervention increased forgiveness, as indicated by positive changes in participants’ forgiveness ratings that differed by condition. In addition, benchmarking analysis showed that the self-directed workbook intervention is at least as efficacious as the delivery of the REACH Forgiveness model via group therapy. Conclusion A self-directed workbook intervention adapted from the REACH Forgiveness intervention provides an adjunct to traditional psychotherapy that could assist the mental health community to manage the burden of unforgiveness among victims of interpersonal harm

Decoherence Functional and Probability Interpretation

We confirm that the diagonal elements of the Gell-Mann and Hartle's decoherence decoherence functional are equal to the relative frequencies of the results of many identical experiments, when a set of alternative histories decoheres. We consider both cases of the pure and mixed initial states.Comment: 9 pages, UCSBTH-92-40 and MMC-M-

Curricular Innovations to Promote Systems Thinking in a General Chemistry Laboratory Course

Systems thinking is a perspective and set of skills used to examine the dynamic complexities of an entire system and to make predictions about system behavior. Systems thinking is of interest to educators because of its unique potential to enhance students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, therefore developing scientists who are capable of addressing many of the complex problems facing our world today. Utilizing previously published pedagogical tools, revisions and additions that promote systems thinking were made to a general chemistry laboratory unit. Through these curricular innovations, students defined systems thinking and employed many systems thinking skills throughout the laboratory unit. Students were surveyed after completing the laboratory unit, and their responses were analyzed to assess the utility of the curriculum revisions and inform subsequent revisions

Microclimatological, Pedological, and Geomorphological Studies in the Western Tasersiaq Area, Greenland During Summer 1964

Final Report - 30 April 1964 -29 July 1965During the summer 1964, personnel of The Ohio State University Institute of Polar Studies conducted a field program in the Sukkertoppen Ice Cap area of southwest Greenland. The program included studies of soil and mass wasting in the Tasersiaq area immediately east of the ice cap, and studies of the microclimatology across the eastern edge of the ice cap. The results of this research program are contained in four parts. Part I, by Adolph Kryger, discusses the microclimatological (excluding radiation) results of observations taken at four stations, one at the base of the slope below the eastern edge of the Sukkertoppen Ice Cap, two intermediate ones on the slope, and one at the edge of the glacier. Part II, by Fritz Loewe, discusses the radiation observations. Both have related their observations to those at other permanent stations along the western Greenland coast. Part III, by K. R. Everett, presents the results of studies of mass-wasting and patterned ground phenomena. Part IV, by N. Holowaychuk and K. R. Everett, contains most of the results of the pedological studies. The report herein includes the discussion of soil morphology,chemistry, and classification.U.S. Army Natick Laboratories, Contract No. DA-19-129-AMC-301(N

When Anomaly Mediation is UV Sensitive

Despite its successes---such as solving the supersymmetric flavor problem---anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking is untenable because of its prediction of tachyonic sleptons. An appealing solution to this problem was proposed by Pomarol and Rattazzi where a threshold controlled by a light field deflects the anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking trajectory, thus evading tachyonic sleptons. In this paper we examine an alternate class of deflection models where the non-supersymmetric threshold is accompanied by a heavy, instead of light, singlet. The low energy form of this model is the so-called extended anomaly mediation proposed by Nelson and Weiner, but with potential for a much higher deflection threshold. The existence of this high deflection threshold implies that the space of anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking deflecting models is larger than previously thought.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure (version to appear in JHEP