Constructor: Karen Steinberg
Relative issue: Barely to the more durable facet of Tuesday (largely as a result of the primary longer reply was mainly unclued and the second … I do know solely vaguely)
THEME: SLEEP-WAKE CYCLES (57A: Physique’s inside clock patterns, regulated by the phenomenon seen within the circled letters) — circled squares type a wave throughout the grid that spells out CIRCADIAN RHYTHM. You additionally get the reply TWENTY-FOUR HOURS on the prime of the grid (16A: Approximate size of 57-Throughout), in addition to DAY up prime (5A: Gentle time) and NIGHT down under (66A: Darkish time)
Phrase of the Day: circadian rhythm (spelled out within the wavy circle-line throughout the grid) —
A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a pure, inside course of that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly each 24 hours. It could actually consult with any course of that originates inside an organism (i.e., endogenous) and responds to the surroundings (entrained by the surroundings). These 24-hour rhythms are pushed by a circadian clock, they usually have been broadly noticed in animals, vegetation, fungi and cyanobacteria.
The time period circadian comes from the Latin circa, that means “round” (or “roughly”), and diēm, that means “day”. Processes with 24-hour cycles are extra usually referred to as diurnal rhythms; diurnal rhythms shouldn’t be referred to as circadian rhythms until they are often confirmed as endogenous, and never environmental.
Though circadian rhythms are endogenous, they’re adjusted to the native surroundings by exterior cues referred to as zeitgebers (German for “time givers”), which embody mild, temperature and redox cycles. In scientific settings, an irregular circadian rhythm in people is named a circadian rhythm sleep problem.
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What does the wave signify? I’m not fairly understanding the visible illustration. It appears like an EKG or different hospital monitor … however are circadian rhythms measured this manner? In the event you do a google picture search on [circadian rhythm], all of the visuals you get are mainly dial-shaped, like a clock face (not surprisingly), exhibiting day on one facet and night time on the opposite, or one thing like that. One thing like this, truly:
or this:
or this:
You do have the DAY / NIGHT factor occurring, however these solutions are so small they hardly register. As for the “circadian rhythm” wave: there is no doubt {that a} “wave” is a standard sufficient illustration of a cycle, however the connection between the visible (the puzzle’s complete purpose for being) and the phrase it comprises simply appears weak. Additionally, I do know the phrase primarily within the plural: circadian rhythms. That is the way it seems within the title of this web page at UCLA Sleep Dysfunction clinic, as an illustration, and it have to be the best way the phenomenon is usually talked about, in any other case I am undecided why it might exist within the plural in my head. Its showing within the singular right here actually is not an error or inelegance, only a grid-fitting tweak that jarred my ear a bit. Discover that whereas “rhythm” is within the singular, the revealer is within the plural. Extra grid-fitting. Discover additionally that the wave is not precisely common, i.e. flattens out on the prime of its cycle (for 2 squares) however then spikes on the backside. Once more, the grid is a harsh taskmaster, so that you make your theme materials work nevertheless you possibly can. I do not suppose any of the grid lodging listed below are egregious or disqualifying, however whenever you make a visible aspect into the marquee occasion, little glitches and incongruencies stand out (for those who hassle to look and do not simply get on along with your day like a traditional particular person).
The fill was tough, particularly by the wave, which isn’t stunning. As I’ve mentioned earlier than, attempting to fill a grid neatly round a phrase that runs on diagonals may be very onerous. In the event you put TWENTY-FOUR HOURS in your grid, properly, it simply sits on one line and behaves itself and also you simply need to do the traditional quantity of architectural work to accommodate it, whereas when a phrase does what “circadian rhythm” does, hoo boo are you in for a tough experience. Looks as if it needs to be the identical quantity of bother—identical variety of letters as TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, in spite of everything; however whenever you go away the straight airplane of the Throughout, now you are involving all the opposite Throughout planes in your shenanigans and the grid will actually begin to buck and thrash on you. Because of this you get FAA and DOFOR and AONE and RAE all clumped in a moist bunch there within the center, after which the OTTO OHM OHH wad within the east, oof, that was in all probability the roughest a part of the grid for me. I am by no means good at these [Good name for someone who works in some profession]-type solutions, and having the “O” at 38A: Apt title for a automotive mechanic? (OTTO) all I may consider was “… OILY? Are folks named OILY?” After which I needed ERGO for THUS (40D: Begin of a conclusion). And *then*, after I bought THUS, I actually Actually needed AHA for 44A: “”Now” I get it!” (“OHH!”). Oof, that one reply, “OHH!,” gave me extra bother than the rest besides the revealer, which I wanted virtually each cross for (that WAKE half was ???). I needed OHM for 41D: Physicist Georg with electrifying discoveries? however AHA wasn’t letting me go along with it. And even once I went with it, I ended up with “AHH!” for 44A: “”Now” I get it!,” which, come on, appears at the very least as proper as “OHH!” Only a wreck, and a wreck occurring on among the junkiest fill within the grid. Not an excessive amount of enjoyable. I did run right into a basic instance of a kealoa* right now, although, which wasn’t enjoyable both, nevertheless it does enable me for instance the phenomenon moderately neatly with a grid shot:
The one means this may very well be a extra good instance of the kind is that if the phrase “Observatory” weren’t within the clue. Perhaps it is supposed that can assist you resolve between LOA and KEA, however not being an observatory aficionado, it did not assist me in any respect. And as you possibly can see, I had the “A”—which additionally did not assist me in any respect. That’s the hallmark of the kealoa*—there is no technique to resolve between two (or extra) choices till you get some crosses … and then you definitely get one (or extra) … and it *nonetheless* would not enable you to. This occurs with a bunch of frequent crossword solutions: ATON v ALOT, ELUDE v EVADE, and many others. A kealoa is slightly trouble, not a Natick**-level disaster. See you tomorrow.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[UPDATE: the thing about having smart readers is, well, you will hear about it if you go crashing ignorantly into their specialities. Thankfully, I have not only smart but (mostly) kind readers. So thank you to reader Bill L. for sending me the following email this morning:]
*kealoa = a brief, frequent reply that you would be able to’t simply fill in rapidly as a result of two or extra solutions are viable, Even With One or Extra Letters In Place. From the basic [Mauna ___] KEA/LOA conundrum. See additionally, e.g. [Heaps] ATON/ALOT, [“Git!”] “SHOO”/”SCAT,” and many others.
**Natick = an not possible crossing (see weblog sidebar for full definition)
