IL-10-Mediated Refueling of Exhausted T Cell Mitochondria Boosts Anti-Tumour Immunity.

Immunotherapy has underscored a revolution in cancer treatment. Yet, many patients fail to respond due to T cell exhaustion. Here, an intervention that restores mitochondrial function reversed the exhausted T cell phenotype to promote cytotoxicity and durable anti-tumour responses in vivo

Education Evolution: A Qualitative Study of Student Perception

The educational imperative of textbooks was examined for university business students. 82 students were interviewed to determine their perceptions of textbooks and the factors that affect their willingness to purchase. Student preferences on delivery format, content style and price were examined using choice activities. Issues raised related to the practical nature of print, price sensitivity, student collaboration and the tradeoffs of current and future learning materials for students. Print textbooks were more popular than e-Books and summary chapters are favoured for ease of information consumption. Pacific Rim editions are favoured over International editions and currency and local relevance are key determinants in the students’ preferences. The ‘authority of print’ and ‘experience’ of purchasing and owning a hardcopy version of a text book are posited as key considerations for students

Final Design Report of the Automated Beverage Dispenser

At public events and festivals, a beer vendor\u27s primary problem is that they are unable to serve customers quickly enough to meet the excess of demand. With so many people requesting service and so few serving, waiting in long lines has become commonplace at festivals and events. These long lines slow down business, which deters additional customer sales, resulting in a loss of profit for the vendor. This report discusses a solution to this problem. It is an automated beverage dispenser. It takes orders from a user and then pours out the specified drinks without human assistance. The removal of a person from the actual task of pouring a beer allows the vendor to take money and check identification of the customer while the machine pours their order. Having these actions performed in parallel optimizes the overall process of serving customers quickly. The machine is intended to increase the total output of a single vendor, resulting in increased profits and happier customers

Extrinsic Allergic Alveolitis: A Systematic Review of HLA-DR in Pigeon Breeder’s Disease

Abstract Introduction: Pigeon Breeder’s Pneumonitis (PBP) results due to a complex pathophysiology that includes exposure to avian antigens. Susceptibility has been linked to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II, though consensus has not been reached. The goal of this systematic review is to further elucidate the association between PBP and HLA-DR subtypes. Methods: Databases utilized included PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library. Inclusion required a minimum of three studies in English presenting HLA-DR alleles of PBP and control subgroups. Exclusion was due to insufficient data or non-feasible control groups. Forest plots were created for HLA-DR subtypes’ association with PBP. The NIH Bias assessment tool and LFK index assessed bias. Results: 4 studies were included in the meta-analysis. HLA-DR3 was associated with the pooled PBP subgroups (OR=1.86 [1.13, 3.05], p Discussion: Limitations included limited sources, with multiple study methodology unacceptable to this review. These findings expand on previous research on HLA variants and PBP frequency, and offer further clarity supporting novel approaches in treatment of PBP

Experiential Approach to Social Platform Design: A Case of Social Travel Application

Digital platforms focusing on tourism have become increasingly popular as companies implement them to reach out to a broader audience (McKenna et al., 2018). However, there are limited practical design guidelines that help these platforms to create values beyond marketing and outreach. Hence, this study is an attempt to explore the current state of social platform design in the context of tourism and offer a new framework to design and evaluate the next generation of social travel applications. We used a case study including a series of end-user interviews to understand how different design features of social travel platforms shape users’ experiences and how they ultimately contribute to the platform’s survivability, scalability, and profitability. Our case study included the examination of market response to a mobile application recently launched to encourage and facilitate travel by connecting travelers through shared experiences and interests without the superficiality of social media. As part of this study, we developed a series of questions regarding the design, functionalities, utility, and overall user experience of this application. The data were collected through 90 email interviews of recently joined members with 10 open-ended questions. A total of 900 anonymous responses were recorded and openly coded. Then, we categorized initial codes into four categories, value capture, value communication, value creation, and value delivery. Each category consisted of a set of sub-categories that were associated with a set of platform design features and design outcomes (user experiences). The value creation category rendered the design features related to the application’s functions such as identifying the right events, finding a travel companion, and connecting to local tour guides. The design outcomes were mainly associated with the utility of such design for potential users. For example, the findings revealed that social connections offered by the application would fail to attract a large user base if they were not tied to explicit behavioral experiences such as travel co-planning, co-organization, and co- (e.g., following a user without being able to invite her to an event). The next category, value communication, mainly included the design features related to the navigation of the socialization opportunities offered by the application. The related design features mainly evoke users’ emotional experiences—the main reason behind user retention. A successful example of value communication was the gamification of discovering different travel destinations. Further, the value delivery category reflected the mechanisms that facilitate social experiences, from creating and participating in events to obtaining social recognition by rewards, discounts, or badges. These design features were the key to differentiating the application in the market. Lastly, the value capture category rendered how the platform should generate revenues through social mechanisms. The design features were related to the business model and associated mostly with cognitive experiences (e.g., the value of money, Offer relevance). The final set of features and user experiences was translated into a list of design recommendations. While we are not able to generalize these findings to other types of digital platforms, we believe the list of design features and corresponding affordances can help with more systematic investigations of similar platforms and ultimately successful design solutions

The γ-tocopherol-like family of N-methyltransferases: A taxonomically clustered gene family encoding enzymes responsible for N-methylation of monoterpene indole alkaloids

The plant family Apocynaceae accumulates thousands of monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) which originate, biosynthetically, from the common secoiridoid intermediate, strictosidine, that is formed from the condensation of tryptophan and secologanin molecules. MIAs demonstrate remarkable structural diversity and have pharmaceutically valuable biological activities. For example; a subunit of the potent anti-neoplastic molecules vincristine and vinblastine is the aspidosperma alkaloid, vindoline. Vindoline accumulates to trace levels under natural conditions. Research programs have determined that there is significant developmental and light regulation involved in the biosynthesis of this MIA. Furthermore, the biosynthetic pathway leading to vindoline is split among at least five independent cell types. Little is known of how intermediates are shuttled between these cell types. The late stage events in vindoline biosynthesis involve six enzymatic steps from tabersonine. The fourth biochemical step, in this pathway, is an indole N-methylation performed by a recently identified N-methyltransfearse (NMT). For almost twenty years the gene encoding this NMT had eluded discovery; however, in 2010 Liscombe et al. reported the identification of a γ-tocopherol C-methyltransferase homologue capable of indole N-methylating 2,3-dihydrotabersonine and Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) suppression of the messenger has since proven its involvement in vindoline biosynthesis. Recent large scale sequencing initiatives, performed on non-model medicinal plant transcriptomes, has permitted identification of candidate genes, presumably involved, in MIA biosynthesis never seen before in plant specialized metabolism research. Probing the transcriptome assemblies of Catharanthus roseus (L.)G.Don, Vinca minor L., Rauwolfia serpentine (L.)Benth ex Kurz, Tabernaemontana elegans, and Amsonia hubrichtii, with the nucleotide sequence of the N-methyltransferase involved in vindoline biosynthesis, revealed eight new homologous methyltransferases. This thesis describes the identification, molecular cloning, recombinant expression and biochemical characterization of two picrinine NMTs, one from V. minor and one from R. serpentina, a perivine NMT from C. roseus, and an ajmaline NMT from R. serpentina. While these TLMTs were expressed and functional in planta, they were active at relatively low levels and their N-methylated alkaloid products were not apparent our from alkaloid isolates of the plants. It appears that, for the most part, these TLMTs, participate in apparently silent biochemical pathways, awaiting the appropriate developmental and environmental cues for activity

PCB Prototyping

In today’s world, Printed Circuit Boards, also known as PCBs, are part of our daily lives. However, it is currently difficult for students in university classes or hobbyists to quickly produce custom made PCBs since no system exists where every step in the production process is on one platform. There are four main steps that go into manufacturing a PCB once it is fully designed which are: milling, solder dispensing, component placement, and a reflow process. The goal will be to create various toolheads and place them onto a single platform allowing the user to perform the aforementioned production processes. After the design and manufacturing of these toolheads, functionality of the system was tested. Although single components of the system work, the entire system is not currently able to function in synchrony. This means there is still a lot of user input for the system such as having to use outdated operating systems, place the components in the component tray and move the board three times throughout the process

Prospectus, November 9, 2016

RADIO DRAMA BY COMM. STUDENTS TO AIR ON WPCD; Humans of Parkland: Thom Schnarre; Club Latino a \u27family-like community\u27; Official: 40 to 50 buildings damaged in Oklahoma quake; Parkland Cobra soccer teams 2016; Reasons to go to China; Obama reveals private living areas of White House; Register for Parkland College Spring 2017 Classes; Google speaker is secretary, radio...and work in progress; Students from Okinawa, Japan visit Parklandhttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2016/1027/thumbnail.jp