Search

Businesses find the need to adapt to changes in the dynamic and competitive environment. However, they are confronted by static business architecture (BA) modeling and artefacts, which are less likely to adapt and, thus, quickly become obsolete. This article proposes a dynamic analytics-enabled adaptive BA modeling framework to address this concern. This research is performed using an action design research (ADR) method in collaboration with an Australian organization. The proposed approach has been implemented and evaluated using a banking organization as a case study.

Cutin and suberin are lipid polyesters deposited in specific apoplastic compartments. Their fundamental roles in plant biology include controlling the movement of gases, water and solutes, and conferring pathogen resistance. Both cutin and suberin have been shown to be present in the Arabidopsis seed coat where they regulate seed dormancy and longevity. In this study, we use accelerated and natural ageing seed assays, glutathione redox potential measures, optical and transmission electron microscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to demonstrate that increasing the accumulation of lipid polyesters in the seed coat is the mechanism by which the AtHB25 transcription factor regulates seed permeability and longevity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation during seed maturation revealed that the lipid polyester biosynthetic gene long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 2 (LACS2) is a direct AtHB25 binding target. Gene transfer of this transcription factor to wheat and tomato demonstrated the importance of apoplastic lipid polyesters for the maintenance of seed viability. Our work establishes AtHB25 as a trans-species regulator of seed longevity and has identified the deposition of apoplastic lipid barriers as a key parameter to improve seed longevity in multiple plant species.

The rapid and extensive spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic provides a rare opportunity to witness host-pathogen co-evolution involving humans. A focal point is the interaction between genes encoding human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and those encoding HIV proteins. HLA molecules present fragments (epitopes) of HIV proteins on the surface of infected cells to enable immune recognition and killing by CD8 + T cells; particular HLA molecules, such as HLA-B*57, HLA-B*27 and HLA-B*51, are more likely to mediate successful control of HIV infection. Mutation within these epitopes can allow viral escape from CD8 + T-cell recognition. Here we analysed viral sequences and HLA alleles from 2,800 subjects, drawn from 9 distinct study cohorts spanning 5 continents. Initial analysis of the HLA-B*51-restricted epitope, TAFTIPSI (reverse transcriptase residues 128-135), showed a strong correlation between the frequency of the escape mutation I135X and HLA-B*51 prevalence in the 9 study cohorts (P = 0.0001). Extending these analyses to incorporate other well-defined CD8 + T-cell epitopes, including those restricted by HLA-B*57 and HLA-B*27, showed that the frequency of these epitope variants (n = 14) was consistently correlated with the prevalence of the restricting HLA allele in the different cohorts (together, P 0.0001), demonstrating strong evidence of HIV adaptation to HLA at a population level. This process of viral adaptation may dismantle the well-established HLA associations with control of HIV infection that are linked to the availability of key epitopes, and highlights the challenge for a vaccine to keep pace with the changing immunological landscape presented by HIV. © 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

The Proceedings of the 2008 Antenna Applications Symposium is a collection of state-of-the art papers relating to antenna arrays, millimeter wave antennas, simulation, and measurement of antennas integrated antennas and antenna bandwidth and radiation improvements., Volume 1 of 2. Volume 2, AFRL-RY-HS-TR-2008-0026-Vol-2. Volume 1 contains pages 1-269. The original document contains color images. Presented at Proceedings of the Antenna Applications Symposium (32nd) held in Monticello, Illinois on 16-18 September 2008. See also ADA494633.

The Proceedings of the 2007 Antenna Applications Symposium is a collection of state-of-the art papers relating to antenna arrays millimeter wave antennas simulation and measurement of antennas integrated antennas and antenna bandwidth and radiation improvements., Volume 2 of 2. Volume 1, AFRL-RY-HS-TR-2008-0026-VOL-1. Volume 2 contains pages 270-524. The original document contains color images. Presented at Proceedings of the Antenna Applications Symposium (32nd) held in Monticello, Illinois on 16-18 September 2008. See also ADA494632.

Despite limited data supporting the superiority of dominant over subdominant responses, immunodominant epitopes represent the preferred vaccine candidates. To address the function of subdominant responses in human immunodeficiency virus infection, we analyzed cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses restricted by HLA-B*1503, a rare allele in a cohort infected with clade B, although common in one infected with clade C. HLA-B*1503 was associated with reduced viral loads in the clade B cohort but not the clade C cohort, although both shared the immunodominant response. Clade B viral control was associated with responses to several subdominant cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes, whereas their clade C variants were less well recognized. These data suggest that subdominant responses can contribute to in vivo viral control and that high HLA allele frequencies may drive the elimination of subdominant yet effective epitopes from circulating viral populations.

Although there is increasing evidence that virus-specific cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses play an important role in the control of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in vivo, only scarce CTL data are available for the ethnic populations currently most affected by the epidemic. In this study, we examined the CD8+-T-cell responses in African-American, Caucasian, Hispanic, and Caribbean populations in which clade B virus dominates and analyzed the potential factors influencing immune recognition. Total HIV-specific CD8+-T-cell responses were determined by enzyme-linked immunospot assays in 150 HIV-infected individuals by using a clade B consensus sequence peptide set spanning all HIV proteins. A total of 88% of the 410 tested peptides were recognized, and Nef- and Gag-specific responses dominated the total response for each ethnicity in terms of both breadth and magnitude. Three dominantly targeted regions within these proteins that were recognized by >90% of individuals in each ethnicity were identified. Overall, the total breadth and magnitude of CD8+-T-cell responses correlated with individuals’ CD4 counts but not with viral loads. The frequency of recognition for each peptide was highly correlated with the relative conservation of the peptide sequence, the presence of predicted immunoproteasomal cleavage sites within the C-terminal half of the peptide, and a reduced frequency of amino acids that impair binding of optimal epitopes to the restricting class I molecules. The present study thus identifies factors that contribute to the immunogenicity of these highly targeted and relatively conserved sequences in HIV that may represent promising vaccine candidates for ethnically heterogeneous populations.

While usually not intended, yielding during firing probably occurs in many shells on their interior surface in the vicinity of the rotating band. Nevertheless, except for instances where the accompanying deformation may cause a malfunction in an internally carried device, such yielding may be considered a part of 'good' design. The purpose of this investigation was to attempt to develop a foundation for procedures whereby the shell designer can: (1) predict post-yield deflections in shells in the region beneath the rotating band, and (2) determine, a priori, the magnitudes of rotating band pressures for a particular shell-band-gun system.