A Human Minor Histocompatibility Antigen Specific for B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Human minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) play an important role in the induction of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) reactivity against leukemia after human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). As most mHags are not leukemia specific but are also expressed by normal tissues, antileukemia reactivity is often associated with life-threatening graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Here, we describe a novel mHag, HB-1, that elicits donor-derived CTL reactivity in a B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patient treated by HLA-matched BMT. We identified the gene encoding the antigenic peptide recognized by HB-1–specific CTLs. Interestingly, expression of the HB-1 gene was only observed in B-ALL cells and Epstein-Barr virus–transformed B cells. The HB-1 gene–encoded peptide EEKRGSLHVW is recognized by the CTL in association with HLA-B44. Further analysis reveals that a polymorphism in the HB-1 gene generates a single amino acid exchange from His to Tyr at position 8 within this peptide. This amino acid substitution is critical for recognition by HB-1–specific CTLs. The restricted expression of the polymorphic HB-1 Ag by B-ALL cells and the ability to generate HB-1–specific CTLs in vitro using peptide-loaded dendritic cells offer novel opportunities to specifically target the immune system against B-ALL without the risk of evoking GVHD

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

Dependency Analysis Using Conceptual Graphs

Analysis of dependencies between entities is an important part of modeling. Whether the modeling domain is at the enterprise level or at the system or software component level, characterization, representation, and analysis of these dependencies is essential to correctly modeling the domain. For example, it is important to identify and characterize dependencies between both system and software components when trying to determine the extent of and impact of a breach in computer system security or of a malfunction in a component. Analysis of such dependencies is also greatly beneficial in both the requirements and maintenance phases of software engineering. What is needed is a formal characterization of the concept of dependency along with a more formal and unified approach to dependency analysis . This paper introduces the notion of dependency at a general level. In the present literature, an actual definition and characterization of a dependency is usually avoided, and it is difficult to separate the discussion of the dependency from the particular domain of interest. Most of the literature available implies that it is simply "understood" that a dependency can be represented by a directed arc on a graph where the dependent components are the nodes of the graph. Much work in the current literature addresses dependencies in widely varying ways. This paper attempts to formalize both the definition and characterization of a dependency in a unified approach, and then illustrates how dependencies themselves and the effect of those dependencies upon a system can be efficiently modeled using Conceptual Graphs

Racial/ethnic variation in family support: African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and non-Latino Whites

ObjectiveThis study examined racial and ethnic differences in the receipt and provision of instrumental family support.BackgroundExtended families provide significant levels of emotional and instrumental support across the life course. Despite their importance, extended family relationships and the assistance they provide are largely neglected in the literature. Further, questions remain concerning cultural variation in family support relationships and inconsistent findings on racial differences in family support in prior investigations.MethodThis study relied on data from the National Survey of American Life-Reinterview (n = 3483) to investigate the provision and receipt of instrumental support from extended family among African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and non-Latino Whites and within high- and low-income categories for each group. Eight key measures of instrumental family support are examined: receiving and providing transportation, help with chores, financial assistance, and help during an illness.ResultsAfrican Americans and Black Caribbeans share similar profiles of providing and receiving instrumental family support. Both populations receive and provide assistance more frequently than do non-Latino Whites. Similarly, analyses stratified by income indicated that for low-income and high-income groups, African American and Black Caribbeans are similar to one another, and at each income category, both groups received and provided support more frequently than non-Latino Whites.ConclusionStudy findings are discussed in relation to conceptual and methodological differences in assessing Black–White differences across studies of family support. Attention to these issues and the specific contexts for receiving/providing family support (emergency vs. routine; intergenerational vs. extended) will help clarify inconsistent findings across studies.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/173112/1/jomf12846.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/173112/2/jomf12846_am.pd

Mainstreaming African Diasporic Foodways When Academia Is Not Enough

More than a decade after Britain's bicentennial commemoration of the 1807 Abolition Act to end the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Scotland still struggles to reconcile her colonial past. Unlike in North America, historical archaeology centered on the history and legacy of the transatlantic slave trade is still highly marginalized in British academia. Furthermore, Scotland's roles in slave-based economies is only recently being considered a relevant area of historical studies. This paper emerges from my evolving perspective as a Black American scholar and resident in the United Kingdom, as I strive to create intellectual spaces in and outside of academia. Through civic engagement, I use my work on African diasporic foodways in the French Caribbean to link with a similar material basis of resistance in the British Caribbean and engage British audiences whose connections to Atlantic slavery are yet to be fully recognized