Therapuetic Targeting Of Macrophage Populations By Oncolytic Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

The human immune system is dedicated to ridding the body of foreign pathogens. However, in the context of cancer members of the innate and adaptive immune systems, M2 macrophages in particular, contribute to tumor growth and metastasis and are thus associated with poor patient prognosis. Metastasis is defined by the acquired ability of cancer cells to invade surrounding tissues and vasculature and is completed upon colonization of distant sites. As these patients respond poorly to traditional treatment options, the need for additional therapies has emerged. The therapies of interest in this thesis are oncolytic viruses that kill cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. This includes oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus, which has not only demonstrated tumoricidal capabilities, but the ability to modulate immune cells to elicit anti-viral responses. This thesis seeks to investigate if different strains of this oncolytic virus, a recombinant wild-type (rwt) virus and a matrix (M) protein mutant (rM51R-M) virus, can infect and target pro-tumor M2 macrophages and inhibit their stimulatory role in cancer growth and metastasis. To explore this objective, monocytes, M0, M1, and M2 macrophages were infected with rwt virus or rM51R-M virus whereupon viral replication, cell death, phenotypic switching, and podosome formation were analyzed

Making Room for Zoom in Focus Group Methods: Opportunities and Challenges for Novice Researchers (During and Beyond COVID-19)

Als die COVID-19-Pandemie über die Welt hereinbrach, waren viele Menschen gezwungen, sich auf online-basierte Routinen einzustellen, darunter auch qualitative Forscher*innen, die nach alternativen Möglichkeiten zur Erhebung aussagekräftiger Daten suchten. Während Fokusgruppen traditionell Face to Face durchgeführt werden, bieten Fortschritte bei Online-Videokonferenzanwendungen neue Methoden zur Datenerhebung, die jedoch bisher nur selten untersucht wurden. In diesem Artikel berichten wir über die Erfahrungen von 12 Doktorand*innen mit der Durchführung von Fokusgruppen unter Verwendung von Zoom im Rahmen eines Kurses zu qualitativen Interviewmethoden. Wir reflektieren Chancen und Herausforderungen, die wir als Moderator*innen und Teilnehmer*innen bei der Nutzung von Zoom erlebten z.B. bei der Vorbereitung oder in Bezug auf Rapport, die Einbindung anderer digitaler Tools und von Internetverbindungen. Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass die Durchführung von Online-Fokusgruppen unter Verwendung von Zoom insgesamt eine positive Erfahrung war und mit Face-to-Face-Fokusgruppen vergleichbar ist. Möglichkeiten der Teilnehmer*innenrekrutierung, die Sicherheitsmerkmale von Zoom und die Nutzung von Zoom und allgemeiner neuen Technologien sollten auch jenseits der Pandemie weiter erforscht werden.As the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world, it forced many people to adapt to an online-based routine, including qualitative researchers looking for alternative ways to collect meaningful data. While focus groups are traditionally conducted in-person, advances with online videoconferencing applications present a new method to collect data, however, few studies have explored this. In this article we present 12 doctoral students' experiences with conducting focus groups using the videoconferencing application Zoom during a qualitative methods course on interviewing methods. Through this self-study qualitative analysis, participants reflected on the opportunities and challenges experienced as both moderators and participants using Zoom including: preparation, rapport, incorporating other digital tools, and internet connectivity. In conclusion, doing focus groups online using Zoom was a positive experience overall and comparable to in-person focus groups for collecting qualitative data, despite the introduction of technology. More research on participant recruitment, new technology, Zoom's security features, and Zoom's use outside of a pandemic should be further explored

Towards accurate atom scale characterisation of hydrogen passivation of interfaces in TOPCon architectures

Passivated contact cell architectures have the potential for higher efficiencies than the currently dominant PERC technology. Further development requires greater understanding of the passivation mechanism and potential surface related degradation, especially at polysilicon-oxide-crystalline silicon contacts. In particular, the hydrogenation provided by high temperature firing of dielectrics has been shown to govern both initial passivation and subsequent degradation at this interface. Given the nanoscale dimensions of the tunnelling oxide, assessing the concentration of hydrogen at the interface is a complex task. In this work we use atom probe tomography to demonstrate the capacity to resolve hydrogen atoms at this interface. Atom probe tomography can provide improved depth resolution via 3D reconstructions of the elemental atomic distributions at the interface. We propose a route towards atomic scale measurements of hydrogen across a thin tunnelling oxide, which can enable further understanding of charge carrier flow at or near this interface. We show that the ability to characterise hydrogen at the nanoscale is crucially limited by the residual gas present during the atom probe measurement. Therefore deuterium, as a surrogate for naturally abundant hydrogen, is recommended to accurately provide less ambiguous determination of hydrogen concentrations at the atom scale in such structures. However, even with the use of deuterium challenges remain, and the analysis and interpretation of the data must be undertaken with care. Such atom scale characterisation can provide critical information on the role that hydrogen plays in passivating contact interfaces.publishe

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): Sensitive broadband X-ray observations of transient phenomena in the 2030s

International audienceHEX-P will launch at a time when the sky is being routinely scanned for transient gravitational wave, electromagnetic and neutrino phenomena that will require the capabilities of a sensitive, broadband X-ray telescope for follow up studies. These include the merger of compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes, stellar explosions, and the birth of new compact objects. \hexp will probe the accretion and ejecta from these transient phenomena through the study of relativistic outflows and reprocessed emission, provide unique capabilities for understanding jet physics, and potentially revealing the nature of the central engine