The goal of the thesis is to study the Mozilla application platform - its structure, used technology, and the ways of development of standalone applications and extensions for the applications based on this platform (e.g. the Firefox web browser, the Thunderbird e-mail client). The thesis also contains relevant information about the used programming languages such as XUL, CSS, JavaScipt, RDF/XML and others. It describes the object oriented principles available in the JavaScript v.1.7 language. Next parts are dedicated to creating and using the platform components and the applications. The information about the platform is concluded by a presentation of the debugging and deployment possibilities. This knowledge is used to create an application able to watch changes of documents in a network environment. The thesis describes the application design and some details related to the general development of applications based on the discussed platform.

No description available.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin / kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a negative regulator of the low-density lipoprotein receptor, and PCSK9 inhibition has become an important cholesterol-lowering therapeutic strategy. PCSK9 also associates with LDL particles, and evidence suggests that the activity of PCSK9 may be regulated by LDL binding. We have investigated the biochemistry of the interaction between PCSK9 and lipoproteins. Through mutagenesis and in-vitro binding assays, we found conserved motifs in the PCSK9 N-terminus that play a role in LDL binding. Through secondary structure studies using circular dichroism and computational modelling, we determined that the N-terminal region of the PCSK9 prodomain undergoes an environment-dependent structural shift that affects the ability of PCSK9 to bind LDL. We also found that the commonly found loss-of-function polymorphism R46L is capable of modulating this structural shift. Importantly, we found a surface-exposed region of the PCSK9 prodomain that maps a cluster of gain-of-function mutations (L108R, S127R, and D129G) that severely disrupt LDL binding. Through gel shift assays and density gradient centrifugation, we observed that PCSK9 shows remodeling-dependent ability to bind different classes of lipoprotein particles in vitro, binding strongly to LDL and IDL but showing barely detectable association to VLDL. Further, in human plasma, we found that lipoprotein-bound populations of PCSK9 shifted in response to differences in lipoprotein profiles between normolipidemic and hypercholesterolemic or hypertriglyceridemic subjects. Overall, elucidation of how lipoproteins regulate PCSK9 activity will reveal new targets for designing cholesterol-lowering therapeutics.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology, 1997.

In dieser Arbeit werden die neuen objektorientierten Mechanismen von Sun's neuem Kern ¨Spring¨ vorgestellt. Hier wurden erstmals die Standards der OMG (Object Managment Group) umgesetzt. An einem kleinen Beispiel wird das Programmieren unter Spring erlaeutert.

No description available.

No / Virtual Reality Environments, which present a safer learning and training environment, are increasingly being adopted to simulate complex systems. In parallel, distribution services have become essential following advances in telecommunications and the subsequent demand on the mobility of users. Hence, middleware enables technologies to provide such services to existing and newly-developed applications. However, distributing VRE with existing APIs still requires lots of specific development and customization.Data Distribution Service (DDS) is one of the standardized middleware for real-time applications based on a peer-to-peer architecture. It requires awareness about the types of data distributed and which is achieved by defining an information-model using an Interface Definition Language (IDL) file. Consequently, distributing VRE using DDS introduces an additional step for modelling a specific IDL file to meet each application requirements. Considering the fact that domains addressed by VRE are populated by complex data types (procedural, behavioral, etc.) then engineering a specific IDL file for each application is a complex task that requires an intervention from the computer-scientist and the domain-expert each time an application has to be distributed. The first contribution of my thesis is to provide a generic information-model which is reusable upon distributing different VRE.The novelty of our approach is based on the coupling between conceptual models (in our case we use MASCARET meta-model) and the awareness need of DDS about data to distribute, so we create generic structures within the IDL file. By this, we eliminate one step of the workflow and consequently we simplify the process of using DDS. From another side, DDS remains a low level middleware for distribution that is based on peer-to-peer architecture with no control layer in the middle. Like other classical algorithms, lots of messages should be sent over the network to synchronize the distributed environment. Moreover, we should specify by code how to detect changes in the virtual environment to send updates. Thus, the second contribution we propose is to use a generic control layer that can dynamically detect when changes occur. This layer is based onthe explicit knowledge about executed behaviors.

Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins. In the human body, antibodies areproduced by plasma cells, mainly T and B cells which are included inthe adaptive immune system. The production of antibodies is stimulatedby antigens. The binding between an antigen-specific antibody and itsantigen can be like the interconnect between a lock and a key.Therefore, antibodies are widely used as diagnostic tools for avariety of diseases but most importantly cancer. Some rapid diagnostictests are completely dependent on the specificity and reactivity ofantibodies such as UBC® Rapid produced by IDL Biotech AB. Therefore,the quality of these antibodies is important. This master thesis at IDL Biotech aimed to validate six anticytokeratinantibodies that are currently used in several rapid cancerdiagnostic tests produced by IDL. Antibody validation is a processwhere specificity, selectivity and reproductivity of an antibody isdemonstrated through specific laboratory investigations. During thisthesis, two laboratory methods were used to validate antibodies,namely, isoelectric focusing electrophoresis and the Attana QuartzCrystal Microbalance based biosensor. Isoelectric focusing electrophoresis (IEF) is a method that determinesproteins pI-values which can then reveal information about posttranslationalmodifications and protein sustainability during storage.IEF revealed changes in pI-values in two antibodies: AB2 and AB4. Attana biosensor analysis on AB1-5 showed that all antibodies havehigh specificity, reactivity and relatively high affinity to theircytokeratin targets. It also revealed that 4 antibodies (AB1 and AB3-5) have lower cross-reactivity with other cytokeratins than theirtarget cytokeratins compared to AB2. Keywords: Antibody validation, Isoelectric focusing, QCM, Attanabiosensor, biosensors, rapid diagnostics, epithelial carcinomas.

The Object-Oriented Data Specification Framework (OODSF) is a C++ framework to facilitate programming in a heterogeneous distributed environment. Using the OODSF, C++ language bindings of commonly used specification languages, such as Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ASN.l) and Interface Definition Language (IDL), can be defined. The OODSF defines C++ class libraries for ASN.l and IDL to simplify the C++ language bindings. Arbitrary application-level IDL and ASN.l specifications can be translated into C++ representations based on these class libraries. The OODSF contains facilities for encoding and decoding transferred data, allowing interoperability in a heterogeneous distributed system. A general interface is provided to encoding and decoding services so that a flexible choice of an encoding rule can be made. The current implementation of the OODSF contains external Encoding Rule (XDR) and Basic Encoding Rule (BER). / Master of Science

SDL in der 1996 standardisierten Sprachversion ist zur Zeit die im Telekommunikationsbereich am weitesten verbreitete Sprache zur Spezifikation von Protokollen. Ein wesentlicher Aspekt der Sprachentwicklung seit 1988 ist auch die Verfügbarkeit einer formalen Basis semantischer Konzepte. Für das Datenkonzept der Sprache wurde auf die algebraischen Technik ACT ONE zurückgegriffen. Obwohl Anspruch als auch praktischer Wert von SDL in der Ausführbarkeit als Spezifikationstechnik liegt, wird dieses gerade durch das verwendete Datenmodell beeinträchtigt. Verdeckt wird dieses Problem durch die Bereitstellung von vordefinierten Datentypen. Durch die Erweiterung von SDL um objektorientierte Konzepte im Jahr 1992 und durch die allgemein wachsende Bedeutung der Daten in Protokollbeschreibungen treten die vorhandenen Sprachprobleme bei den Daten immer mehr in der Vordergrund. Individuelle Lösungen zur Spezifikation von Daten in verfügbaren SDL-Werkzeugen sind die Folge. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden sowohl die praxismotivierten Unzulänglichkeiten als auch die formalen Unstimmigkeiten im SDL-Datenkonzept aufgezeigt. Auf der Grundlage einer systematischen Analyse werden ein allgemeiner Anforderungskatalog und eine Methodik für Veränderungen am Datenkonzept erarbeitet. Zusätzlich werden wichtige Sprachmodifikationen mit dem Schwerpunkten Ausdruckskraft und Ausführbarkeit vorgestellt und bewertet. Es steht somit ein Instrumentarium zur Verfügung, das den unterschiedlichen SDL-Interessengruppen bei der Bewertung und Nutzung von SDL-Veränderungen dienlich ist. Die in der Arbeit vorgestellten Modifikationen des Datenkonzepts basieren auf den langjährigen Erfahrungen des Autors bei der Implementierung und dem Einsatz von Werkzeugen, die mit verschiedenen projektspezifischen Zielstellungen SDL-Beschreibungen in ausführbare Programme überführen. Die Kombination von SDL mit einer weiteren Spezifikationstechnik, ASN.1, spielt hier eine besondere Rolle. Durch die aktive Mitarbeit des Autors bei der SDL-Sprachstandardisierung werden in der Arbeit auch Vorschläge präsentiert, die über das Potential der vorhandenen Werkzeuge hinausgehen. Das schließt beispielsweise die Bewertung der neuen, in der Praxis noch nicht etablierten, SDL-Version aus dem Jahr 2000 mit ein. / SDL in the language version which was standardized in 1996 is the most-used language in the telecommunication domain for the specification of protocols today. An essential aspect of the language development since 1998 is the availability of a formal basis for semantic concepts. The algebraic technique ACT ONE is used for the data concept of the language. Although the requirement and the practical value of SDL is the execution a specification technique, this is impaired straight by the used data model. The problem is hidden by the supply of pre-defined data types. Because of the introduction of object oriented concepts in 1992 and because of the generally increasing importance of data for the protocol description the existing language problems are taking more and more attention. Individual solutions for the specification of data are the consequence with available SDL tools. In the presented document are pointed out the praxis motivated inadequacies as well as the formal discrepancy of the data concept. A general requirement catalogue and a methodology are designed for language modifications based on a systematic inspection of the SDL data concept. Furthermore important language modifications are introduced and evaluated with the focus to expression power and to execution. Instruments are provided thus, which are helpful to different SDL interest groups for the evaluation and for the application of SDL modifications. In the document presented data modifications are based on years of experience of the author in the implementation and application of tools that compile SDL specifications with different project-specific objectives into executable programs. The combination of SDL with a further specification technology, ASN.1, plays an important role here. Because of the active role of the author in the SDL standardization process also suggestions are presented going beyond the potential of the existing tools. That includes for example the evaluation of the new, in practice not yet established SDL version, published in 2000.