Globally Non-Deterministic, Locally Deterministic Unique Identifier to Enable Local Tracking of a Connected Wi-Fi Access Point

This publication describes methods of preserving user privacy through the prevention of Wi-Fi location tracking by generating a unique identifier (UID) for a Wi-Fi access point (AP) on a per-computing device basis (e.g., a first UID is generated for use by a first computing device, a second UID is generated for use by a second computing device). The generated UIDs are locally deterministic (unique to a specific computing device), but globally non-deterministic (different UIDs are generated for different computing devices)

The Physics Research Problem: A Brief Analysis of Financial and Administrative Factors Relating to Recent Trends in Research Output in Physics in India

This paper attempts to view and interpret data from various sources such as the World Bank database, research and development (R&D) reports by the Indian government, Nature Index, Scopus index, and others to examine the effect that the various government financial initiatives and administrative features and policies concerning funding of institutions of higher attainment have had on India’s research output in the field of physics. In addition to this, the inconsistent standards of funding across various institutes of higher education, investment in R&D activities made by other nations in comparison to India, the share of physics research output of various countries in comparison to India, the concentration of government funding amongst certain higher education institutions, and the ineffectual policies relating to scientific research over the past three decades are all touched upon to provide a more comprehensive image of the financial and administrative issues that have contributed to recent trends and slow growth in physics research in India

Preprocessing Logic to Enhance Videotelephony Services During Suboptimal Network Conditions

This publication describes processes and techniques, implemented on a computing device, directed at enhancing videotelephony services during suboptimal network conditions. In an aspect, a several-stepped process employs a machine-learned technique through which captured frames (e.g., images captured by a videotelephony application) can be segmented and altered, such that an object of interest can be presented with a static background. The entirety of this process referred to herein as preprocessing logic, occurs prior to encoding

Antitumor Monoclonal Antibodies Enhance Cross-Presentation of Cellular Antigens and the Generation of Myeloma-specific Killer T Cells by Dendritic Cells

The mechanism of antitumor effect of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is not fully understood. Here we show that coating myeloma cells with anti–syndecan-1 antibody promotes cross-presentation of cellular antigens by dendritic cells (DCs) to autologous T cells from healthy donors. The tumor cells treated with anti–syndecan-1 or isotype-matched control antibody were fed to HLA-mismatched monocyte-derived immature DCs. Tumor cell–loaded mature DCs induced a strong CD8+ T cell response that was specific for the cancer-testis (C-T) antigens expressed in the tumor. The CD8+ T cells killed peptide-pulsed targets, as well as myeloma tumor cells. Importantly, mAbs-coated tumor-loaded DCs were consistently superior to DCs loaded with peptides or dying cells for eliciting tumor-specific killer T cells. This enhanced cross-presentation was not due to enhanced tumor cell uptake or to DC maturation. When mixtures of NY-Eso-1-positive and -negative myeloma cells were captured by DCs, the anti–syndecan-1 antibody had to be on the NY-Eso-1-positive cells to elicit NY-Eso-1–specific response. Cross-presentation was inhibited by pretreatment of DCs with Fcγ receptor blocking antibodies. Targeting of mAb-coated tumors to DCs may contribute to the efficacy of tumor-reactive mAb and offers a new strategy for immunotherapy

Optimizing WLAN Access Point Scans for VOIMS

WLAN-to-WLAN handover decisions and WLAN-to-WWAN handover decisions for a portable user device conducting a VoIMS call typically are based on a scan list that lists identified WLAN APs and their detected signal quality characteristics. The conventional approach of periodically updating the scan list can result in an out-of-date listing of available WLAN APs and their signal quality characteristics, which can result in sub-optimal handover decisions and thus a sub-optimal voice call experience. The handover decision process is improved by using other triggers to initiate an updated WLAN AP scan, including using activation of a dialer GUI or other indication that a voice call is about to be placed, degradation of a WWAN connection supporting a current voice call, and the like. Through increases in the frequency of WLAN AP scans balanced against the power consumed by such scans, a more accurate and timelier WLAN AP scan list is made available for handover decisions, and thereby supporting a higher-quality voice call experience

Selective blockade of inhibitory Fcγ receptor enables human dendritic cell maturation with IL-12p70 production and immunity to antibody-coated tumor cells

he final differentiation or maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) in response to environmental stimuli influences their ability to both initiate immunity and determine the quality of the response to antigens. Circulating immune complexes and cell-bound immunoglobulins present in normal human sera represent a potential stimulus for inadvertent DC activation in the steady state and during autoimmunity. Here, we show that selective blockade of the inhibitory Fcγ receptor (FcγR) FcγRIIb with recently developed monoclonal antibodies leads to maturation of human monocyte-derived DCs, which depends on the presence of IgG in normal human plasma. Plasma, in the presence of an FcγRIIb blockade, caused the DCs to up-regulate the expression of costimulatory molecules and to produce the inflammatory mediator IL-12p70. FcγRIIb blockade of DCs loaded with tumor cells led to increased tumor-specific T cell immunity without the need for exogenous stimuli other than human plasma. Therefore, the activation status of DCs in the presence of normal human serum depends on the balance between activating and inhibitory FcγRs and can be enhanced by new antibodies that react selectively with FcγRIIb. These data suggest an approach for modifying this balance to enhance immunity to immune complexes and antibody-coated tumor cells and to silence DC activation by immune complexes in autoimmune states. © 2005 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA

Antigen-specific inhibition of effector T cell function in humans after injection of immature dendritic cells

Immunostimulatory properties of dendritic cells (DCs) are linked to their maturation state. Injection of mature DCs rapidly enhances antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell immunity in humans. Here we describe the immune response to a single injection of immature DCs pulsed with influenza matrix peptide (MP) and keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) in two healthy subjects. In contrast to prior findings using mature DCs, rejection of immature DCs in both subjects led to the specific inhibition of MP-specific CD8+ T cell effector function in freshly isolated T cells and the appearance of MP-specific interleukin 10-producing cells. When pre-and postimmunization T cells were boosted in culture, there were greater numbers of MP-specific major histocompatibility complex tetramer-binding cells after immunization, but these had reduced interferon γ production and lacked killer activity. These data demonstrate the feasibility of antigen-specific inhibition of effector T cell function in vivo in humans and urge caution with the use of immature DCs when trying to enhance tumor microbial immunity

Enhancement of clonogenicity of human multiple myeloma by dendritic cells

Infiltration by dendritic cells (DCs) is a common feature of most human tumors. Prior studies evaluating the interaction of DCs with tumors have focused largely on their immunologic properties (for review see Banchereau, J., and R.M. Steinman. 1998. Nature. 392:245–252). In this study, we show that the clonogenicity of several human tumor cell lines and primary tumor cells from myeloma patients is enhanced by their interactions with DCs. Myeloma cells cultured in the presence of DCs have an altered phenotype with an increased proportion of cells lacking terminal plasma cell differentiation marker CD138. DC–tumor interaction also leads to the up-regulation of B cell lymphoma 6 expression in myeloma cells. Effects of DCs on myeloma cells are inhibited by blockade of the receptor activator of NF-kB (RANK)–RANK ligand and B cell–activating factor–APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand)-mediated interactions. Together, these data suggest that tumor–DC interactions may directly impact the biology of human tumors, particularly multiple myeloma, and may be a target for therapeutic intervention