Understanding Relative Incomes and Wages

Making the case for South Dakota gets easier with GOED’s national wage calculator

Bi-Layer Deep UV Resist System

A portable conformable mask (PCM) system employing KTIS2O as the imaging layer and PMMA, a deep UV sensitive photoresist, as the planarizing layer was investigated. Process parameters of a PMMA prebake at 185’C and methanol soak of 90 seconds achieved a resolution of 2.16 microns. The PCM system was able to achieve better results than a single layer system with regards to resolution and linewidth control

Structural studies of multidomain proteins of the immunoglobulin superfamily

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is an important tumour marker. It is heavily glycosylated and contains seven immunoglobulin (Ig) domains. Its solution structure was determined by X-ray and neutron scattering. X-rays showed it has a radius of gyration (RG) of 8.0 nm and a cross-sectional radius of gyration (Rxs) of 2.1 nm. Neutron data showed that CEA is monomeric. Models of CEA were built using domains from homologous structures. The models which best-fitted the experimental data had elongated "zig-zag" structures and inter-domain orientations similar to those in CD2. IgA is the most abundant class of human immunoglobulin. IgA1 contains two Fabs joined by hinges to an Fc, and two C-terminal tailpieces. Solution scattering showed that IgA1 has an RG of 6.11-6.20 nm and IgA1 lacking tailpieces has an RG of 5.84-6.16 nm. It was predicted that the hinges are extended and that the tailpieces are compact. Automated curve-fitting modelling confirmed both of these predictions, and showed that IgA1l is "T-shaped", in which the tailpieces fold back against the Fc. This structure is unlike those observed for IgG proteins. MFE-23 is an anti-CEA single chain Fv antibody that is used for targeting tumours. It contains two domains joined by a flexible linker. The MFE-23 crystal structure was solved by molecular replacement, and the final model had an R-factor of 19.0% at 2.4 Å resolution. Its antigen-binding loops have well-defined structures. In the structure, MFE-23 forms dimers. Neutron scattering showed that MFE-23 exists as monomers below 1 mg/ml and oligomers at higher concentrations. The interaction between MFE-23 and CEA was modelled using lattice contacts in the MFE-23 crystal. In this model, the antigen-binding loops formed contacts with the first two domains of CEA, there was good surface complementarity, appropriate electrostatic contacts, and no steric conflicts with CEA carbohydrate. The models will be most useful for studying the functions of these proteins

Data Retention after the Judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union

Executive Summary This study analyses the Data Retention Directive Judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 8 April 2014 and evaluates its impact on other data retention measures at Member States as well as at EU level

An integrated search-based approach for automatic testing from extended finite state machine (EFSM) models

This is the post-print version of the Article - Copyright @ 2011 ElsevierThe extended finite state machine (EFSM) is a modelling approach that has been used to represent a wide range of systems. When testing from an EFSM, it is normal to use a test criterion such as transition coverage. Such test criteria are often expressed in terms of transition paths (TPs) through an EFSM. Despite the popularity of EFSMs, testing from an EFSM is difficult for two main reasons: path feasibility and path input sequence generation. The path feasibility problem concerns generating paths that are feasible whereas the path input sequence generation problem is to find an input sequence that can traverse a feasible path. While search-based approaches have been used in test automation, there has been relatively little work that uses them when testing from an EFSM. In this paper, we propose an integrated search-based approach to automate testing from an EFSM. The approach has two phases, the aim of the first phase being to produce a feasible TP (FTP) while the second phase searches for an input sequence to trigger this TP. The first phase uses a Genetic Algorithm whose fitness function is a TP feasibility metric based on dataflow dependence. The second phase uses a Genetic Algorithm whose fitness function is based on a combination of a branch distance function and approach level. Experimental results using five EFSMs found the first phase to be effective in generating FTPs with a success rate of approximately 96.6%. Furthermore, the proposed input sequence generator could trigger all the generated feasible TPs (success rate = 100%). The results derived from the experiment demonstrate that the proposed approach is effective in automating testing from an EFSM

The Relationship of Left Ventricular Trabeculation to Ventricular Function and Structure Over a 9.5-Year Follow-Up The MESA Study

Left ventricular (LV) trabeculation is highly variable among individuals and is increased in some diseases (e.g., congenital heart disease or cardiomyopathies), but its significance in population-representative individuals is unknown

Functional results after chest wall stabilization with a new screwless fixation device

OBJECTIVES This is the experience with the Stratos system in two surgical centres for the management of two types of rib fractures: flail chest and multiple dislocated rib fractures with significant chest wall deformity. METHODS From January 2009 to May 2012, 94 consecutive patients were included. Selected indications were extended anterolateral flail chest (n = 68) and dislocated painful rib fractures (n = 26). The open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) system consists of flexible titanium rib clamps and connecting plates. The postoperative course was assessed. Clinical and functional outcomes were evaluated at 6 months. Functional assessment consisted of measurement of the functional vital capacity (FVC) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination with determination of the radiological vital capacity (rVC) in patients with a flail chest. RESULTS The median operation time and length of hospital stay were 122 min and 19 days, respectively, in patients with a flail chest, and 67 min and 11 days, respectively, in patients with dislocated painful rib fractures. The morbidity rate was 6.4% and the overall 30-day mortality rate was 1.1%. Clinical evaluation and pulmonary function testing at 6 months revealed no deformity of the chest wall, symmetrical shoulder girdle mobility in 88% and a feeling of stiffness on the operated side in 19% of the patients operated for a flail chest. Median ratio of FVC was 88%, not suggesting any restriction after stabilization. MRI was performed in 53% (36 of 68) of the patients with a flail chest. The analysis of the rVC showed, on average, no clinically relevant restriction related to the operation, with a mean rVC of the operated relative to the non-operated side of 92% (95% confidence interval: 83, 100). Stabilization of more than four ribs was associated with a lower median rVC than stabilization of four or less ribs. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that stabilization of the chest wall with this screwless rib fixation device can be performed with a low morbidity and lead to early restoration of chest wall integrity and respiratory pump function, without clinically relevant functional restriction. Owing to the simplicity of the fixation technique, indications for stabilization can be safely enlarged to selected patients with dislocated and painful rib fracture

The Trypanosome Exocyst:A Conserved Structure Revealing a New Role in Endocytosis

Membrane transport is an essential component of pathogenesis for most infectious organisms. In African trypanosomes, transport to and from the plasma membrane is closely coupled to immune evasion and antigenic variation. In mammals and fungi an octameric exocyst complex mediates late steps in exocytosis, but comparative genomics suggested that trypanosomes retain only six canonical subunits, implying mechanistic divergence. We directly determined the composition of the Trypanosoma brucei exocyst by affinity isolation and demonstrate that the parasite complex is nonameric, retaining all eight canonical subunits (albeit highly divergent at the sequence level) plus a novel essential subunit, Exo99. Exo99 and Sec15 knockdowns have remarkably similar phenotypes in terms of viability and impact on morphology and trafficking pathways. Significantly, both Sec15 and Exo99 have a clear function in endocytosis, and global proteomic analysis indicates an important role in maintaining the surface proteome. Taken together these data indicate additional exocyst functions in trypanosomes, which likely include endocytosis, recycling and control of surface composition. Knockdowns in HeLa cells suggest that the role in endocytosis is shared with metazoan cells. We conclude that, whilst the trypanosome exocyst has novel components, overall functionality appears conserved, and suggest that the unique subunit may provide therapeutic opportunities