In vitro expanded human CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells suppress effector T cell proliferation.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to be critical in the balance between autoimmunity and tolerance and have been implicated in several human autoimmune diseases. However, the small number of Tregs in peripheral blood limits their therapeutic potential. Therefore, we developed a protocol that would allow for the expansion of Tregs while retaining their suppressive activity. We isolated CD4+CD25 hi cells from human peripheral blood and expanded them in vitro in the presence of anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 magnetic Xcyte Dynabeads and high concentrations of exogenous Interleukin (IL)-2. Tregs were effectively expanded up to 200-fold while maintaining surface expression of CD25 and other markers of Tregs: CD62L, HLA-DR, CCR6, and FOXP3. The expanded Tregs suppressed proliferation and cytokine secretion of responder PBMCs in co-cultures stimulated with anti-CD3 or alloantigen. Treg expansion is a critical first step before consideration of Tregs as a therapeutic intervention in patients with autoimmune or graft-versus-host disease

New neighborhood based rough sets

Neighborhood based rough sets are important generalizations of the classical rough sets of Pawlak, as neighborhood operators generalize equivalence classes. In this article, we introduce nine neighborhood based operators and we study the partial order relations between twenty-two different neighborhood operators obtained from one covering. Seven neighborhood operators result in new rough set approximation operators. We study how these operators are related to the other fifteen neighborhood based approximation operators in terms of partial order relations, as well as to seven non-neighborhood-based rough set approximation operators

Cs adsorption on Bi 2 Se 3

Bi 2 Se 3 is a topological insulator whose unique properties result from topological surface states (TSS) in the band gap. The adsorption of Cs onto a Bi 2 Se 3 surface is investigated by low energy ion scattering and work function measurements. Much of the deposited Cs quickly diffuses to the step edges forming one-dimensional chains of positively charged adatoms, along with some deposition on the terraces. The work function decreases until a coverage of 0.1 ML is reached, beyond which it increases slightly. The minimum in the work function is due to depolarization of the dipoles induced when the concentration of adatoms in the chains reaches a critical value. A slow diffusion of adsorbed Cs from the terraces to the step edges is also marked by changes in the neutralization of scattered Na + and work function over time. The spatial distribution of the conductive charges in the TSS, which are primarily positioned between the first and second atomic layers, is confirmed by comparison of the neutralization of Na + scattered from Bi and Se

de Branges-Rovnyak spaces: basics and theory

For $S$ a contractive analytic operator-valued function on the unit disk ${\mathbb D}$, de Branges and Rovnyak associate a Hilbert space of analytic functions ${\mathcal H}(S)$ and related extension space ${\mathcal D(S)}$ consisting of pairs of analytic functions on the unit disk ${\mathbb D}$. This survey describes three equivalent formulations (the original geometric de Branges-Rovnyak definition, the Toeplitz operator characterization, and the characterization as a reproducing kernel Hilbert space) of the de Branges-Rovnyak space ${\mathcal H}(S)$, as well as its role as the underlying Hilbert space for the modeling of completely non-isometric Hilbert-space contraction operators. Also examined is the extension of these ideas to handle the modeling of the more general class of completely nonunitary contraction operators, where the more general two-component de Branges-Rovnyak model space ${\mathcal D}(S)$ and associated overlapping spaces play key roles. Connections with other function theory problems and applications are also discussed. More recent applications to a variety of subsequent applications are given in a companion survey article

Influence of human body on massive MIMO indoor channels

© 2019 IEEE. Massive MIMO can dramatically improve capacity and spectral efficiency. However, it is not very clear whether it can significantly improve the signal blockage problem that exists in single antenna systems. In this paper, we investigate the impact of the human body on indoor massive MIMO channels, using practically measured channel data for a 32x8 massive MIMO system in a complex office environment. We introduce a parameter of Power Imbalance (PI) indices to estimate the wide-sense none-stationarity in multiple domains and another parameter of Channel Popularity Indices (CPI) to predict the popularity of MIMO channel. We find that in most cases, the presence of the human body still has a non- negligible negative impact. It decreases the ergodic capacity by about 8% and increases the path loss exponent by 1. In average, the ergodic capacity for NLOS channels are 15% higher than that for LOS

On-the-fly computation method in field-programmable gate array for analog-to-digital converter linearity testing

© 2018 Published by ITB Journal Publisher. This paper presents a new approach to linearity testing of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) through on-the-fly computation in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware. The proposed method computes the linearity while it is processing without compromising the accuracy of the measurement, so very little overhead time is required to compute the final linearity. The results will be displayed immediately after a single ramp is supplied to the device under test. This is a cost-effective chip testing solution for semiconductor companies, achieved by reducing computing time and utilization of low-cost and low-specification automatic test equipment (ATE). The experimental results showed that the on-the-fly computation method significantly reduced the computation time (up to 44.4%) compared to the conventional process. Thus, for every 100M 12-bit ADC tested with 32 hits per code, the company can save up to 139,972 Php on electricity consumption

Multicriteria ranking using weights which minimize the score range

Various schemes have been proposed for generating a set of non-subjective weights when aggregating multiple criteria for the purposes of ranking or selecting alternatives. The maximin approach chooses the weights which maximise the lowest score (assuming there is an upper bound to scores). This is equivalent to finding the weights which minimize the maximum deviation, or range, between the worst and best scores (minimax). At first glance this seems to be an equitable way of apportioning weight, and the Rawlsian theory of justice has been cited in its support.We draw a distinction between using the maximin rule for the purpose of assessing performance, and using it for allocating resources amongst the alternatives. We demonstrate that it has a number of drawbacks which make it inappropriate for the assessment of performance. Specifically, it is tantamount to allowing the worst performers to decide the worth of the criteria so as to maximise their overall score. Furthermore, when making a selection from a list of alternatives, the final choice is highly sensitive to the removal or inclusion of alternatives whose performance is so poor that they are clearly irrelevant to the choice at hand

Mdm1/Snx13 is a novel ER-endolysosomal interorganelle tethering protein

Although endolysosomal trafficking is well defined, how it is regulated and coordinates with cellular metabolism is unclear. To identify genes governing endolysosomal dynamics, we conducted a global fluorescence-based screen to reveal endomembrane effector genes. Screening implicated Phox (PX) domain-containing protein Mdm1 in endomembrane dynamics. Surprisingly, we demonstrate that Mdm1 is a novel interorganelle tethering protein that localizes to endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-vacuole/lysosome membrane contact sites (MCSs). We show that Mdm1 is ER anchored and contacts the vacuole surface in trans via its lipid-binding PX domain. Strikingly, overexpression of Mdm1 induced ER-vacuole hypertethering, underscoring its role as an interorganelle tether. We also show that Mdm1 and its paralogue Ydr179w-a (named Nvj3 in this study) localize to ER-vacuole MCSs independently of established tether Nvj1. Finally, we find that Mdm1 truncations analogous to neurological disease-associated SNX14 alleles fail to tether the ER and vacuole and perturb sphingolipid metabolism. Our work suggests that human Mdm1 homologues may play previously unappreciated roles in interorganelle communication and lipid metabolism

A different kind of sharing economy: A literature review of platform cooperatives

We are now living in the so-called sharing economy, exemplified by the ride sharing platform Uber and short-term rental sharing platform Airbnb. In spite of the convenience and benefits of the sharing economy, there is a growing awareness of its negative and harmful societal effects. In response, platform cooperatives have started to emerge, aiming to create a different kind of sharing economy. However, the novelty of platform cooperatives combined with lack of research attention, continue to limit our understanding of the social and other benefits of platform cooperatives. The main objective of this paper is to provide a literature review on platform cooperatives, focusing on their social values and benefits. Analysis of the key publications reveals high potential of platform cooperatives as a more ethical and fairer alternative to platform capitalism that create value for their members/co-owners, while creating value for society