Two- and Three-dimensional High Performance, Patterned Overlay Multi-chip Module Technology

A two- and three-dimensional multi-chip module technology was developed in response to the continuum in demand for increased performance in electronic systems, as well as the desire to reduce the size, weight, and power of space systems. Though developed to satisfy the needs of military programs, such as the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, the technology, referred to as High Density Interconnect, can also be advantageously exploited for a wide variety of commercial applications, ranging from computer workstations to instrumentation and microwave telecommunications. The robustness of the technology, as well as its high performance, make this generality in application possible. More encouraging is the possibility of this technology for achieving low cost through high volume usage

The Current Tax Status of Employer Education Assistance

CRS_January_2005_Current_Tax_Status_of_Employer_Education_Assistance.pdf: 2561 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Spatial Sequestration and Oligomer Remodeling During \u3cem\u3ede novo\u3c/em\u3e [\u3cem\u3ePSI\u3c/em\u3e\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e] Formation

Prions are misfolded, aggregated, infectious proteins found in a range of organisms from mammals to bacteria. In mammals, prion formation is difficult to study because misfolding and aggregation take place prior to symptom presentation. The study of the yeast prion [PSI+], which is the misfolded infectious form of Sup35p, provides a tractable system to monitor prion formation in real time. Recently, we showed that the de novo formation of prion aggregates begins with the appearance of highly mobile cytoplasmic foci, called early foci, which assemble into larger ring or dot structures. We also observed SDS-resistant oligomers during formation, and lysates containing newly formed oligomers can convert [psi−] cells to the [PSI+] state, suggesting that these oligomers have infectious potential. Here, we further characterize two aspects of prion formation: spatial sequestration of early foci and oligomerization of endogenous Sup35p. Our data provides important insights into the process of prion formation and explores the minimal oligomer requirement for infectivity

The Distance and Morphology of V723 Cassiopeiae (NOVA CASSIOPEIA 1995)

We present spatially resolved infrared spectra of V723 Cas (Nova Cassiopeia 1995) obtained over four years with the integral field spectrograph OSIRIS on Keck II. Also presented are one epoch of spatially unresolved spectra from the long slit spectrograph NIRSPEC on Keck II. The OSIRIS observations made use of the laser guide star adaptive optics facility that produced diffraction-limited spatial resolution of the strong coronal emission features in the nova ejecta. We remove the point-like continuum from V723 Cas data cubes to reveal details of the extended nebula and find that emission due to [Si VI] and [Ca VIII] has an equatorial ring structure with polar nodules-a strikingly different morphology than emission due to [Al IX], which appears as a prolate spheroid. The contrast in structure may indicate separate ejection events. Using the angular expansion and Doppler velocities observed over four epochs spaced at one year intervals, we determine the distance to V723 Cas to be 3.85+0.23-0.21 kpc. We present the OSIRIS three-dimensional data here in many ways: as narrowband images, one- and two-dimensional spectra, and a volume rendering that reveals the true shape of the ejecta.Comment: 37 pages, 8 figure

Characterization of De Novo Protien Aggregate Formation in S. Cerevisiae

Misfolded proteins are commonly refolded to a functional conformation or degraded by quality control mechanisms. When misfolded proteins evade quality control, they often form aggregates that are sequestered to specific sites in the cell. The proper sequestration of aggregates is thought to prevent potential dysfunction, toxicity and disease that is often associated with the presence of aggregates. However, the cellular mechanisms that underlie the management of newly formed protein aggregates are unclear. To understand the cellular response to protein aggregate formation, I used the aggregation prone prion domain of the Sup35 protein (Sup35NM) in yeast. Previous work observing GFP-tagged Sup35NM (Sup35NM-GFP) through 3D time-lapse microscopy observed consistent two-step behavior of newly formed aggregates. The first step involves the formation of small foci that are highly mobile. These foci can coalesce to form larger mature aggregates. The second step is the sequestration of matured aggregates near the periphery of the cell. In this study I developed novel quantitative techniques to measure aggregate behavior during both steps of formation. Using these techniques, I determined that the mobility and coalescence of protein aggregates, step 1, is dependent on both the actin cytoskeleton and the Myo2p motor protein. However, step 2 is dependent upon actin networks, but not Myo2p. It was unclear whether this behavior was specific to Sup35NM-GFP or part of a general response to protein aggregation; therefore I also quantified the formation of other types of aggregates. Chemically induced stress granules and a human aggregating protein associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, TDP-43, both undergo a two-step formation process that is dependent upon actin. These data suggest that there is a general cellular process in responding to different types of newly formed aggregates. Together, this study provides new insights into the mechanisms used to respond to the formation of protein aggregates, changing the current dogma of the field, and suggests for future consideration

Lawrence as an Eighth Amendment Case: Sodomy and the Evolving Standards of Decency

This Article offers an alternate reading of Lawrence v. Texas, the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court case that struck down the Texas sodomy statute that criminalized private, consensual, and adult same-sex intercourse. While most scholars discuss Lawrence as a substantive due process case and struggle to find meaning in the ambiguity of the decision\u27s language, I propose that Lawrence is better read as an Eighth Amendment case. This Article argues that the majority opinion analyzed the constitutionality of the Texas sodomy law as it would analyze the cruelty and unusualness of a criminal law in an Eighth Amendment evolving standards of decency case. The Lawrence Court not only used objective indicators to find a U.S. consensus against sodomy laws but was also cognizant of foreign nations that refused to criminalize sodomy. Additionally, I suggest that the Eighth Amendment and the evolving standards of decency were on the minds of the Justices when deciding Lawrence, and at a minimum, the case was decided in the amendment\u27s shadow. The Justices were exposed to an evolving standards of decency analysis in both written briefs and oral arguments, and the majority opinion used language evocative of emergence and evolution. I discuss the importance of this alternative reading of Lawrence and begin a conversation on the possibilities of extending an evolving standard of decency analysis to issues other than sodomy and areas beyond criminal law