Corporate political activity in less developed countries:The Volta River Project in Ghana, 1958-66

The article expands existing categorisations of political and economic governance by including literature on less developed countries (LDCs). In four consecutive negotiations between the US multinational Kaisers and the US and Ghana governments in the early 1960s, it is argued that the company reached levels of influence that are at odds with existing explanations. In order to understand corporate political activities in LDCs, analysis needs to go beyond static factors (political risk) and include dynamic factors such as diplomatic relations and 'arenas of power', and consider the role of the investor's home country relative to the host economy

Dual modulation STM: Simultaneous high-resolution mapping of the differential conductivity and local tunnel barrier height demonstrated on Au(111)

We present a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) technique to simultaneously measure the topography, the local tunnel barrier height (dI/dZ), and the differential conductivity (dI/dV). We modulate the voltage and tip piezo with small sinusoidal signals that exceed the cut-off frequency of the STM electronics and feed the tunneling current into two lock-in amplifiers (LIAs). We derive and follow a set of criteria for the modulation frequencies to avoid any interference between the LIA measurements. To validate the technique, we measure Friedel oscillations and the subtle tunnel barrier difference between the hcp and fcc stacked regions of the Au(111) herringbone reconstruction. Finally, we show that our method is also applicable to open feedback loop measurements by performing grid I(V) spectroscopy

Retraction

Our report “ultrahigh magnetoresistance at room temperature in molecular wires” (1) presents measurements on onedimensional molecular chains confined inside the nanochannels of zeolite L crystals. In these measurements, we observed signals that were interpreted as an exceptionally large (~1000%) response of the conductance through the molecular chains to an external magnetic field of a few millitesla. The explanation of the results was based on a room-temperature Pauli spin blockade effect, intrinsic to the hopping transport through the molecules. The observed magnetic field scale of a few millitesla could be explained by the typical magnitude of the random nuclear magnetic field in the molecular environment. The shape of the conductance versus magnetic field dependence was found to be in close agreement with similar curves observed in bulk organic semiconductors, in which the effect is referred to as “organic magnetoresistance” or “OMAR.” The exceptionally large effect in our case was ascribed to the one-dimensional nature of electron transport along the molecular chains. In follow-up research by some of the coauthors, suspicion arose with regard to data collected by the first author Rabindra N. Mahato, which led to a thorough investigation by the co-authors. This investigation has revealed inappropriate data handling by Dr. Mahato, such that the experimental results are not accurately represented in the paper. This makes it, in our eyes, impossible to solidly underpin the conclusions made in the report. All co-authors have therefore concluded that the paper should be immediately retracted. Dr. Mahato has agreed to this Retraction

High resolution magnetic tips and integrated multi-wire probes for scanning probe microscopy

We present the development of a probe for scanning probe microscopy and recording, called the CantiClever. This probe is designed to address the issue of the less than ideal tip geometry of conventional MFM tips and to allow the integration of other sensors other than an MFM tip with relative ease. Simulations of the influence of the tip‐end shape on the tip’s transfer function indicate that an ellipsoidal shape results in the highest possible resolution because of the absence of zero‐signal frequencies in the tip’s spatial frequency response. Furthermore, the magnetic domain structure of the tip was investigated with the use of MFM. It was determined that the tip, once magnetized, consists of one single magnetic domain. To exploit the capability for sensor integration, a magneto resistive element was integrated on the probe. This type of probe can be used in scanning probe microscopy and recording

DataSheet_2_PRAME and CTCFL-reactive TCRs for the treatment of ovarian cancer.pdf

Recurrent disease emerges in the majority of patients with ovarian cancer (OVCA). Adoptive T-cell therapies with T-cell receptors (TCRs) targeting tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) are considered promising solutions for less-immunogenic ‘cold’ ovarian tumors. In order to treat a broader patient population, more TCRs targeting peptides derived from different TAAs binding in various HLA class I molecules are essential. By performing a differential gene expression analysis using mRNA-seq datasets, PRAME, CTCFL and CLDN6 were selected as strictly tumor-specific TAAs, with high expression in ovarian cancer and at least 20-fold lower expression in all healthy tissues of risk. In primary OVCA patient samples and cell lines we confirmed expression and identified naturally expressed TAA-derived peptides in the HLA class I ligandome. Subsequently, high-avidity T-cell clones recognizing these peptides were isolated from the allo-HLA T-cell repertoire of healthy individuals. Three PRAME TCRs and one CTCFL TCR of the most promising T-cell clones were sequenced, and transferred to CD8+ T cells. The PRAME TCR-T cells demonstrated potent and specific antitumor reactivity in vitro and in vivo. The CTCFL TCR-T cells efficiently recognized primary patient-derived OVCA cells, and OVCA cell lines treated with demethylating agent 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (DAC). The identified PRAME and CTCFL TCRs are promising candidates for the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer, and are an essential addition to the currently used HLA-A*02:01 restricted PRAME TCRs. Our selection of differentially expressed genes, naturally expressed TAA peptides and potent TCRs can improve and broaden the use of T-cell therapies for patients with ovarian cancer or other PRAME or CTCFL expressing cancers.</p

DataSheet_1_PRAME and CTCFL-reactive TCRs for the treatment of ovarian cancer.pdf

Recurrent disease emerges in the majority of patients with ovarian cancer (OVCA). Adoptive T-cell therapies with T-cell receptors (TCRs) targeting tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) are considered promising solutions for less-immunogenic ‘cold’ ovarian tumors. In order to treat a broader patient population, more TCRs targeting peptides derived from different TAAs binding in various HLA class I molecules are essential. By performing a differential gene expression analysis using mRNA-seq datasets, PRAME, CTCFL and CLDN6 were selected as strictly tumor-specific TAAs, with high expression in ovarian cancer and at least 20-fold lower expression in all healthy tissues of risk. In primary OVCA patient samples and cell lines we confirmed expression and identified naturally expressed TAA-derived peptides in the HLA class I ligandome. Subsequently, high-avidity T-cell clones recognizing these peptides were isolated from the allo-HLA T-cell repertoire of healthy individuals. Three PRAME TCRs and one CTCFL TCR of the most promising T-cell clones were sequenced, and transferred to CD8+ T cells. The PRAME TCR-T cells demonstrated potent and specific antitumor reactivity in vitro and in vivo. The CTCFL TCR-T cells efficiently recognized primary patient-derived OVCA cells, and OVCA cell lines treated with demethylating agent 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (DAC). The identified PRAME and CTCFL TCRs are promising candidates for the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer, and are an essential addition to the currently used HLA-A*02:01 restricted PRAME TCRs. Our selection of differentially expressed genes, naturally expressed TAA peptides and potent TCRs can improve and broaden the use of T-cell therapies for patients with ovarian cancer or other PRAME or CTCFL expressing cancers.</p

Table_1_PRAME and CTCFL-reactive TCRs for the treatment of ovarian cancer.xlsx

Recurrent disease emerges in the majority of patients with ovarian cancer (OVCA). Adoptive T-cell therapies with T-cell receptors (TCRs) targeting tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) are considered promising solutions for less-immunogenic ‘cold’ ovarian tumors. In order to treat a broader patient population, more TCRs targeting peptides derived from different TAAs binding in various HLA class I molecules are essential. By performing a differential gene expression analysis using mRNA-seq datasets, PRAME, CTCFL and CLDN6 were selected as strictly tumor-specific TAAs, with high expression in ovarian cancer and at least 20-fold lower expression in all healthy tissues of risk. In primary OVCA patient samples and cell lines we confirmed expression and identified naturally expressed TAA-derived peptides in the HLA class I ligandome. Subsequently, high-avidity T-cell clones recognizing these peptides were isolated from the allo-HLA T-cell repertoire of healthy individuals. Three PRAME TCRs and one CTCFL TCR of the most promising T-cell clones were sequenced, and transferred to CD8+ T cells. The PRAME TCR-T cells demonstrated potent and specific antitumor reactivity in vitro and in vivo. The CTCFL TCR-T cells efficiently recognized primary patient-derived OVCA cells, and OVCA cell lines treated with demethylating agent 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (DAC). The identified PRAME and CTCFL TCRs are promising candidates for the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer, and are an essential addition to the currently used HLA-A*02:01 restricted PRAME TCRs. Our selection of differentially expressed genes, naturally expressed TAA peptides and potent TCRs can improve and broaden the use of T-cell therapies for patients with ovarian cancer or other PRAME or CTCFL expressing cancers.</p