Kinetics of human myeloid-derived suppressor cells after blood draw

Background: Human myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) have been described as a group of immature myeloid cells which exert immunosuppressive action by inhibiting function of T lymphocytes. While there is a huge scientific interest to study these cells in multiple human diseases, the methodological approach varies substantially between published studies. This is problematic as human MDSC seem to be a sensible cell type concerning not only cryopreservation but also time point after blood draw. To date data on delayed blood processing influencing cell numbers and phenotype is missing. We therefore evaluated the kinetics of granulocytic MDSC (gMDSC) and monocytic MDSC (mMDSC) frequencies after blood draw in order to determine the best time point for analysis of this recently defined cell type. Methods: In this study, we isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with HIV infection or solid tumors directly after blood draw. We then analyzed the frequencies of gMDSC and mMDSC 2, 4 and 6 h after blood draw and after an overnight rest by FACS analysis using the standard phenotypic markers. In addition, part of the cells was frozen directly after PBMC preparation and was measured after thawing. Results: gMDSC levels showed no significant difference using fresh PBMC over time with a limitation for the overnight sample. However they were massively diminished after freezing (p = 0.0001 for all subjects). In contrast, frequencies of fresh mMDSC varied over time with no difference between time point 2 and 4 h but a significantly reduction after 6 h and overnight rest (p = 0.0005 and p = 0.005 respectively). Freezing of PBMC decreased the yield of mMDSC reaching statistical significance (p = 0.04). For both MDSC subgroups, FACS analysis became more difficult over time due to less sharp divisions between populations. Conclusions: According to our data human MDSC need to be studied on fresh PBMC. gMDSC can be studied with delay, mMDSC however should be studied no later than 4 h after blood draw. These results are crucial as an increasing number of clinical trials aim at analyzing MDSC nowadays and the logistics of blood processing implies delayed sample processing in some cases

The Fuzzy Front End: A Comparative Study

The start of a new product development project is a confusing time. People are working to establish what the product looks like, how long the development will take, what the cost will be and many other variables. This confusion is so universal that a term “the fuzzy front end” is a common description. Initially Team 3 set out to find, through a review of the literature, a set of best practices for the fuzzy front end. However, no best practices exist. It is argued in the literature that each company and each project is so unique and that best practices cannot exist. What were found instead are tools and metrics to evaluate the front-end practices of organizations, and through case history, compare to what a world-class front-end process would be. Through interviews and team member experience, this evaluation was applied to InFocus, Inc. and the Canadian Military. Further, these two organizations’ front-end processes are compared and contrasted. Finally, recommendations are made for both organizations to improve their front-end performance. Note: The presentation associated with this report is included as a supplemental file

Management and Engineering Challenges of Converting From 200mm to 300 mm Wafer Processing in the Electronic Microchip Fabrication Industry

The largest Engineering Management challenge in the conversion from 200mm to 300mm wafer processing no longer lies within the cleanrooms of the fab plants themselves. Instead, the challenges are in establishing common interface standards between multiple vendors wafer handling, transportation and processing machinery. Especially between the FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) and processing machinery. In addition the Engineering Manager must integrate new designs for the buildings, material supply and infrastructure required into an optimum operating model

Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Corporation is a fast growing and expanding company. Since its foundation in 1969, it was constantly exploring new markets and gaining market share. It became fast a respectable competitor even for the giants in the market, such as Intel, IBM, Motorola and Sony. Producing high quality at a low cost in Korea and China, Samsung Electronics scores high in the comparison between quality and price. [Jl] [J2] Using successful strategies, including for example Economy of Scale and Diversification, Samsung Electronics became the second fast growing company of that kind in the world (after Safeway), is market leader in semiconductor manufacturing such as DRAM and SRAM C\u27[G in flash memoryl and color monitors, and #2 in manufacturing micro wave ovens, just to claim a few. To make this more clear with a few numbers, the sales growth in the fiscal year reached 103.0%, the net income growth even a percentage of as much as 164.0%. [Jl] This paper is supposed to present the strategies which are understood to be responsive for the astonishingly positive and consistent development of Samsung Electronics. It covers an overview of Samsung Electronics\u27 history to show the development to the state of the art, a discussion of different strategies since 1993 which made the company that successful in the last few years, focusing on product, manufacturing and technology growth, R&D and venture investments, the management style, international brand management, the high end focus in the digital era and the reaction on the financial crisis in Asia. A short SWOT -analysis, demonstrates the company\u27s biggest challenges at the time. In the end, a conclusion will II \u27 evaluate the findings of the content

Facing the dreaded: does mindfulness facilitate coping with distressing experiences? A moderator analysis

Increasing evidence shows that mindfulness is positively related to mental health; however, the nature of this relationship is not fully understood. The current study used structural equation modeling to investigate the hypothesis that mindfulness moderates the association between the occurrence of unavoidable distressing experiences (UDE) and mental health. Participants from a community sample (N = 376) completed the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Inventory of Approach and Avoidance Motivation, and the Incongruence Scale. Results indicated that mindfulness moderated the association between unavoidable distressing events and psychopathological symptoms/negative affect. Thus, mindfulness may contribute to enhance the ability to cope with UDE and thus mitigate the detrimental effects of these experiences on mental health

Team Report 2 – Team 3

This paper discusses the experiences made by team 3 in Dr. Milosevic’s Communications and Teambuilding class in spring 2004. It is shown what the team had to do, how it approached the different tasks and how the team developed over time. Problems are pointed out and discussed. Finally a list of lessons learned is presented as recommendations for teambuilding in general

The Effect of Digital Mindfulness Interventions on Depressive, Anxiety, and Stress Symptoms in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction. Pregnancy is a unique time in a woman’s life that can be both exciting and challenging. It is also a period that can be associated with significant stress, anxiety, and depression, which can have negative consequences for both the mother and the baby. Mindfulness interventions are known to be a well-suited treatment and prevention method for psychiatric symptoms in pregnancy, and web-based applications have been explored. We here present an up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized–controlled trials to investigate the effect of digital-based mindfulness interventions on depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms during pregnancy. Methods. The systematic literature search and data extraction was performed by two independent raters. It resulted in 13 eligible studies overall comprising 1373 participants. We conducted random-effects meta-analyses for depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms after completion of a digital mindfulness intervention (compared to a control group). Results. Digital mindfulness intervention methods were significantly able to reduce depression (g = −0.47, 95% CI [−0.9; −0.09]) and anxiety symptoms (g = −0.41, 95% CI [−0.77; −0.05]), but not stress symptoms. These effects were moderated by the attrition rate (βDepression = 0.025, pDepression Anxiety = 0.022, pAnxiety Stress = 0.022, pStress p = 0.024). Conclusions. Digital mindfulness interventions are a promising method to reduce mental health symptoms in pregnant women. We identified certain parameters moderating this effect, for example, primiparity and the attrition rate

Emotion regulation strategies in bulimia nervosa: an experimental investigation of mindfulness, self-compassion, and cognitive restructuring

Background While improving emotion regulation (ER) is a central goal in the therapy of bulimia nervosa (BN), there is no experimental evidence on the efficacy of different ER strategies. (1) We hypothesized that mindfulness as well as self-compassion as contextual strategies and cognitive restructuring as classical cognitive behavioral strategy would outperform waiting in improving emotional and eating disorder related outcomes after an unpleasant mood induction. Further, we explored (2) whether contextual strategies outperformed cognitive restructuring and (3) whether comorbid mental disorders and previous treatment for BN influenced the efficacy of contextual ER strategies compared to cognitive restructuring. Methods Within their first 2 weeks of treatment, inpatients with BN were instructed to utilize mindfulness, self-compassion, and cognitive restructuring or to wait after a pre-induced sadness in a permuted repeated measures design. Patients further rated different emotional and cognitive outcomes on a visual analogue scale at baseline, and before and after each ER strategy. Multiple linear regression analyses were employed to compare (1) the active conditions to waiting, (2) the contextual strategies with cognitive restructuring, and (3) the latter analysis again, but separated according to comorbidity and previous treatment. Results Forty-eight female inpatients with BN (mean age = 26.44 years, SD = 6.64) completed the study. (1) Contextual ER strategies were more efficacious than waiting for eating disorder symptoms. Cognitive restructuring did not differ from waiting for any outcome. (2) Contextual strategies were more efficacious than cognitive restructuring for emotional outcomes. (3) Self-compassion was more efficacious than cognitive restructuring in patients with comorbid mental disorders and previous treatment in increasing control over the present feeling. Conclusions Contextual strategies, especially self-compassion, seem more efficacious than waiting and cognitive restructuring in improving short-term ER in patients with BN in an experimental setting