Mitigation of Nitrogen Vacancy Ionization from Material Integration for Quantum Sensing

The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color center in diamond has demonstrated great promise in a wide range of quantum sensing. Recently, there have been a series of proposals and experiments using NV centers to detect spin noise of quantum materials near the diamond surface. This is a rich complex area of study with novel nano-magnetism and electronic behavior, that the NV center would be ideal for sensing. However, due to the electronic properties of the NV itself and its host material, getting high quality NV centers within nanometers of such systems is challenging. Band bending caused by space charges formed at the metal-semiconductor interface force the NV center into its insensitive charge states. Here, we investigate optimizing this interface by depositing thin metal films and thin insulating layers on a series of NV ensembles at different depths to characterize the impact of metal films on different ensemble depths. We find an improvement of coherence and dephasing times we attribute to ionization of other paramagnetic defects. The insulating layer of alumina between the metal and diamond provide improved photoluminescence and higher sensitivity in all modes of sensing as compared to direct contact with the metal, providing as much as a factor of 2 increase in sensitivity, decrease of integration time by a factor of 4, for NV $T_1$ relaxometry measurements

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Cells Impair Dendritic Cell and Macrophage Differentiation: Role of BMP4

Dendritic cells and macrophages are common components of the tumour immune microenvironment and can contribute to immune suppression in both solid and haematological cancers. The Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) pathway has been reported to be involved in cancer, and more recently in leukaemia development and progression. In the present study, we analyse whether acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) cells can affect the differentiation of dendritic cells and macrophages and the involvement of BMP pathway in the process. We show that ALL cells produce BMP4 and that conditioned media from ALL cells promote the generation of dendritic cells with immunosuppressive features and skew M1-like macrophage polarization towards a less pro-inflammatory phenotype. Likewise, BMP4 overexpression in ALL cells potentiates their ability to induce immunosuppressive dendritic cells and favours the generation of M2-like macrophages with pro-tumoral features. These results suggest that BMP4 is in part responsible for the alterations in dendritic cell and macrophage differentiation produced by ALL cells

Mitigation of nitrogen vacancy photoluminescence quenching from material integration for quantum sensing

The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color center in diamond has demonstrated great promise in a wide range of quantum sensing. Recently, there have been a series of proposals and experiments using NV centers to detect spin noise of quantum materials near the diamond surface. This is a rich complex area of study with novel nano-magnetism and electronic behavior, that the NV center would be ideal for sensing. However, due to the electronic properties of the NV itself and its host material, getting high quality NV centers within nanometers of such systems is challenging. Band bending caused by space charges formed at the metal-semiconductor interface force the NV center into its insensitive charge states. Here, we investigate optimizing this interface by depositing thin metal films and thin insulating layers on a series of NV ensembles at different depths to characterize the impact of metal films on different ensemble depths. We find an improvement of coherence and dephasing times we attribute to ionization of other paramagnetic defects. The insulating layer of alumina between the metal and diamond provide improved photoluminescence and higher sensitivity in all modes of sensing as compared to direct contact with the metal, providing as much as a factor of 2 increase in sensitivity, decrease of integration time by a factor of 4, for NV T _1 relaxometry measurements

Characterization of human fibroblastic reticular cells as potential immunotherapeutic tools

Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) are essential players during adaptive immune responses not only as a structural support for the encounter of antigen-presenting cells and naive T lymphocytes but also as a source of modulatory signals. However, little is known about this cell population in humans. To address the phenotypical and functional analysis of human FRCs here we established splenic (SP) and mesenteric lymph node (LN) CD45- CD31- CD90+ podoplanin+ myofibroblastic cell cultures.They shared the phenotypical characteristics distinctive of FRCs, including the expression of immunomodulatory factors and peripheral tissue antigens. Nevertheless, human FRCs also showed particular features, some differing from mouse FRCs, like the lack of nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) expression after interferon (IFN)γstimulation. Interestingly, SP-FRCs expressed higher levels of interleukin (IL)-6, BMP4, CCL2, CXCL12 and Notch molecules, and strongly adapted their functional profile to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) and IFNγ stimulation. In contrast, we found higher expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)β and Activin A in LN-FRCs that barely responded via Toll-Like Receptor (TLR)3 and constitutively expressed retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 1 enzyme, absent in SP-FRCs. This study reveals human FRCs can be valuable models to increase our knowledge about the physiology of human secondary lymphoid organs in health and disease and to explore the therapeutic options of FRCs

Data from: Evolutionary change during experimental ocean acidification

Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) conditions are driving unprecedented changes in seawater chemistry, resulting in reduced pH and carbonate ion concentrations in the Earth’s oceans. This ocean acidification has negative but variable impacts on individual performance in many marine species. However, little is known about the adaptive capacity of species to respond to an acidified ocean, and as a result, predictions regarding future ecosystem responses remain incomplete. Here we demonstrate that ocean acidification generates striking patterns of genome-wide selection in purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) cultured under different CO2 levels. We examined genetic change at 19,493 loci in larvae from seven adult populations cultured under realistic future CO2 levels. Although larval development and morphology showed little response to elevated CO2, we found substantial allelic change in 40 functional classes of proteins involving hundreds of loci. Pronounced genetic changes, including excess amino acid replacements, were detected in all populations and occurred in genes for biomineralization, lipid metabolism and ion homeostasis, gene classes that build skeletons and interact in pH regulation. Such genetic change represents a neglected and important impact of ocean acidification that may influence populations that show few outward signs of response to acidification. Our results demonstrate the capacity for rapid evolution in the face of ocean acidification and show that standing genetic variation could be a reservoir of resilience to climate change in this coastal upwelling ecosystem. However, effective response to strong natural selection demands large population sizes and may be limited in species impacted by other environmental stressors

Effects of BMP pathway blockade on IL-7-induced T cell homeostasis.

<p>(A) Naive CD4^<b>+</b> T cells cultured in media alone or supplemented with IL-7 and DMSO or IL-7 and DMH1 (40 μM) were harvested and counted at the indicated time points. Cell counts were performed in duplicates. Results represent the mean ± SD of four to twelve samples pooled from at least two independent experiments (** p≤0.01; *** p≤0.005; by <i>t</i> test. IL-7/DMSO vs IL-7/DMH1). (B) Differential expression of CD127 analyzed by flow cytometry after 36 hours of culture under the indicated conditions. Similar stainings were obtained in two independent experiments. (C) Proliferation rate measured by CFSE loss along 20 days in T cells cultured in media alone or supplemented with IL-7 and DMSO or IL-7 and DMH1 (40 μM). Means ± SD of four independent experiments are shown (* p≤0.05; by <i>t</i> test. IL-7/DMSO vs IL-7/DMH1). (D) Cell viability calculated as percentage of PI^<b>-</b>/Annexin-V^<b>-</b> cells throughout the culture. Means ± SD of four independent experiments are shown (** p≤0.01; *** p≤0.005; by <i>t</i> test. IL-7/DMSO vs IL-7/DMH1). (E) Bcl-2 levels determined by flow cytometry after 6 days of culture. White filled histograms represent media alone; grey-filled IL-7/DMSO; black-filled IL-7/DMH1. The mean fluorescence intensity is indicated in each histogram. Similar stainings were obtained in two independent experiments.</p

DMH1 effects on IL-7-induced homing receptor modulation.

<p>T cells were cultured in media alone or supplemented with IL-7 and DMSO or IL-7 and DMH1 (40 μM) and the expression of several homing receptors (A), CXCR4 (B) and CCR9 (C) was analyzed by flow cytometry after 36 hours of culture. Bars represent the mean ± SD of two independent experiments (* p≤0.05; by <i>t</i> test. IL-7/DMSO vs IL-7/DMH1).</p