Activation by SLAM Family Receptors Contributes to NK Cell Mediated "Missing-Self" Recognition.

Natural Killer (NK) cells attack normal hematopoietic cells that do not express inhibitory MHC class I (MHC-I) molecules, but the ligands that activate NK cells remain incompletely defined. Here we show that the expression of the Signaling Lymphocyte Activation Molecule (SLAM) family members CD48 and Ly9 (CD229) by MHC-I-deficient tumor cells significantly contributes to NK cell activation. When NK cells develop in the presence of T cells or B cells that lack inhibitory MHC-I but express activating CD48 and Ly9 ligands, the NK cells' ability to respond to MHC-I-deficient tumor cells is severely compromised. In this situation, NK cells express normal levels of the corresponding activation receptors 2B4 (CD244) and Ly9 but these receptors are non-functional. This provides a partial explanation for the tolerance of NK cells to MHC-I-deficient cells in vivo. Activating signaling via 2B4 is restored when MHC-I-deficient T cells are removed, indicating that interactions with MHC-I-deficient T cells dominantly, but not permanently, impair the function of the 2B4 NK cell activation receptor. These data identify an important role of SLAM family receptors for NK cell mediated "missing-self" reactivity and suggest that NK cell tolerance in MHC-I mosaic mice is in part explained by an acquired dysfunction of SLAM family receptors

Quantification of Gear Tooth Damage by Optimal Tracking of Vibration Signatures

This paper presents a technique for quantifying the wear or damage of gear teeth in a transmission system. The procedure developed in this study can be applied as a part of either an onboard machine health-monitoring system or a health diagnostic system used during regular maintenance. As the developed methodology is based on analysis of gearbox vibration under normal operating conditions, no shutdown or special modification of operating parameters is required during the diagnostic process. The process of quantifying the wear or damage of gear teeth requires a set of measured vibration data and a model of the gear mesh dynamics. An optimization problem is formulated to determine the profile of a time-varying mesh stiffness parameter for which the model output approximates the measured data. The resulting stiffness profile is then related to the level of gear tooth wear or damage. The procedure was applied to a data set generated artificially and to another obtained experimentally from a spiral bevel gear test rig. The results demonstrate the utility of the procedure as part of an overall health-monitoring system

Going Beyond Rote Auditory Learning: Neural Patterns of Generalized Auditory Learning

The ability to generalize across specific experiences is vital for the recognition of new patterns, especially in speech perception considering acoustic–phonetic pattern variability. Indeed, behavioral research has demonstrated that listeners are able via a process of generalized learning to leverage their experiences of past words said by difficult-to-understand talker to improve their understanding for new words said by that talker. Here, we examine differences in neural responses to generalized versus rote learning in auditory cortical processing by training listeners to understand a novel synthetic talker. Using a pretest–posttest design with EEG, participants were trained using either (1) a large inventory of words where no words were repeated across the experiment (generalized learning) or (2) a small inventory of words where words were repeated (rote learning). Analysis of long-latency auditory evoked potentials at pretest and posttest revealed that rote and generalized learning both produced rapid changes in auditory processing, yet the nature of these changes differed. Generalized learning was marked by an amplitude reduction in the N1–P2 complex and by the presence of a late negativity wave in the auditory evoked potential following training; rote learning was marked only by temporally later scalp topography differences. The early N1–P2 change, found only for generalized learning, is consistent with an active processing account of speech perception, which proposes that the ability to rapidly adjust to the specific vocal characteristics of a new talker (for which rote learning is rare) relies on attentional mechanisms to selectively modify early auditory processing sensitivity

Chronologie de la déglaciation en Gaspésie : nouvelles données et implications

De nouvelles datations à l'accélérateur de particules des premiers macrorestes végétaux terricoles accumulés dans les sédiments postglaciaires d'une douzaine de lacs répartis en Gaspésie et au Bas-Saint-Laurent bouleversent entièrement la chronologie générale de la déglaciation de ces régions. Ces données indiquent que la Gaspésie est restée sous l'emprise des glaces jusque vers 10 500-10 000 ans BP sauf en bordure de la péninsule, notamment le long de la côte septentrionale où la déglaciation de l'arrière-pays date d'au moins 12 500 ans BP par endroits. La déglaciation finale se serait produite vers 9500-9000 ans BP dans la région de Murdochville. La chronologie de déglaciation qui se dégage de ces données s'accorde maintenant avec celle des provinces maritimes, notamment pour ce qui est de l'existence de masses glaciaires actives durant l'épisode du Dryas récent. Les conséquences sont importantes, tant pour la modélisation du retrait des glaces, la colonisation végétale et l'accessibilité du territoire aux populations humaines que pour les reconstitutions climatiques.The general chronology of ice retreat in the Lower-St. Lawrence and Gaspé Peninsula regions is drastically changed by new AMS dates on the first terrestrial plant macrofossils recovered from postglacial sediments from a dozen lakes throughout the area. The dates indicate that most of the Gaspé Peninsula was ice-covered until 10 500-10 000 year BP except along coasts, particularly the northern coast, where ice retreat on land dates back over 12 500 year BP in places. Final deglaciation occurred in the Murdochville area at around 9500-9000 year BP. The implied chronology of ice retreat is now in accordance with that from the Maritimes, especially with respect to active ice masses during the Younger Dryas episode. This finding has important implications for the modelling of ice retreat and for climatic reconstructions, as well as for accessibility of land to plant, animal and human populations.Neue Datierungen mit dem Teilchenbeschleuniger der ersten pflanzlichen Erd-Makroreste aus den postglazialen Sedimenten eines Dutzends von Seen der Gaspé-Halbinsel und des unteren Sankt-Lorenz-Gebiets haben die allgemeine Chronologie der Enteisung dieser Regionen drastisch veràndert. Diese Daten zeigen, daB die Gaspé-Halbinsel bis gegen 10 500 - 10 000 Jahre v.u.Z. unter dem EinfluB des Eises stand, auBer am Rand der Halbinsel, besonders entlang der nôrdlichen Kiiste, wo die Enteisung des Hinterlandes stellenweise mindestens vor 12 500 Jahren v.u.Z. stattfand. Die endgultige Enteisung soil gegen 9500 - 9000 Jahre v.u.Z. in der Gegend von Murdochville stattgefunden haben. Die so erhaltene Chronologie der Enteisung stimmt jetzt mit der der Atlantikprovinzen ùberein, vor allem was die Existenz der aktiven Eismassen der jungeren Dryas-Episode betrifft. Die Konsequenzen sind wichtig, sowohl fur das Modellieren des Eisrùckzugs, die Pflanzen-Ansiedlung und die Zuganglichkeit des Gebiets fur menschliche Populationen wie auch fur die klimatischen Rekonstruktionen

Effective repair of articular cartilage using human pluripotent stem cell-derived tissue

In an effort to develop an effective source of clinically relevant cells and tissues for cartilage repair a directed differentiation method was used to generate articular chondrocytes and cartilage tissues from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). It has previously been demonstrated that chondrocytes derived from hESCs retain a stable cartilage-forming phenotype following subcutaneous implantation in mice. In this report, the potential of hESC-derived articular-like cartilage to repair osteochondral defects created in the rat trochlea was evaluated. Articular cartilage-like tissues were generated from hESCs and implanted into the defects. After 6 and 12 weeks, the defects were evaluated histologically and immunohistochemically, and the quality of repair was assessed using a modified ICRS II scoring system. Following 6 and 12 weeks after implantation, hESC-derived cartilage tissues maintained their proteoglycan and type II collagen-rich matrix and scored significantly higher than control defects, which had been filled with fibrin glue alone. Implants were found to be well integrated with native host tissue at the basal and lateral surfaces, although implanted human cells and host cells remained regionally separated. A subset of implants underwent a process of remodeling similar to endochondral ossification, suggesting the potential for a single cartilaginous implant to promote the generation of new subchondral bone in addition to repair of the articular cartilage. The ability to create cartilage tissues with integrative and reparative properties from an unlimited and robust cell source represents a significant advance for cartilage repair that can be further developed in large animal models before clinicalsetting application

SO(5) theory of insulating vortex cores in high-TcT_c materials

We study the fermionic states of the antiferromagnetically ordered vortex cores predicted to exist in the superconducting phase of the newly proposed SO(5) model of strongly correlated electrons. Our model calculation gives a natural explanation of the recent STM measurements on BSCCO, which in surprising contrast to YBCO revealed completely insulating vortex cores.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Weak Ferromagnetism and Excitonic Condensates

We investigate a model of excitonic ordering (i.e electron-hole pair condensation) appropriate for the divalent hexaborides. We show that the inclusion of imperfectly nested electron hole Fermi surfaces can lead to the formation of an undoped excitonic metal phase. In addition, we find that weak ferromagnetism with compensated moments arises as a result of gapless excitations. We study the effect of the low lying excitations on the density of states, Fermi surface topology and optical conductivity and compare to available experimental data.Comment: 10 Pages, 8 Figures, RevTe

Spin Precession and Oscillations in Mesoscopic Systems

We compare and contrast magneto-transport oscillations in the fully quantum (single-electron coherent) and classical limits for a simple but illustrative model. In particular, we study the induced magnetization and spin current in a two-terminal double-barrier structure with an applied Zeeman field between the barriers and spin disequilibrium in the contacts. Classically, the spin current shows strong tunneling resonances due to spin precession in the region between the two barriers. However, these oscillations are distinguishable from those in the fully coherent case, for which a proper treatment of the electron phase is required. We explain the differences in terms of the presence or absence of coherent multiple wave reflections.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure