Curcumin Ingestion Inhibits Mastocytosis and Suppresses Intestinal Anaphylaxis in a Murine Model of Food Allergy

IgE antibodies and mast cells play critical roles in the establishment of allergic responses to food antigens. Curcumin, the active ingredient of the curry spice turmeric, has anti-inflammatory properties, and thus may have the capacity to regulate Th2 cells and mucosal mast cell function during allergic responses. We assessed whether curcumin ingestion during oral allergen exposure can modulate the development of food allergy using a murine model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced intestinal anaphylaxis. Herein, we demonstrate that frequent ingestion of curcumin during oral OVA exposure inhibits the development of mastocytosis and intestinal anaphylaxis in OVA-challenged allergic mice. Intragastric (i.g.) exposure to OVA in sensitized BALB/c mice induced a robust IgE-mediated response accompanied by enhanced OVA-IgE levels, intestinal mastocytosis, elevated serum mMCP-1, and acute diarrhea. In contrast, mice exposed to oral curcumin throughout the experimental regimen appeared to be normal and did not exhibit intense allergic diarrhea or a significant enhancement of OVA-IgE and intestinal mast cell expansion and activation. Furthermore, allergic diarrhea, mast cell activation and expansion, and Th2 responses were also suppressed in mice exposed to curcumin during the OVA-challenge phase alone, despite the presence of elevated levels of OVA-IgE, suggesting that curcumin may have a direct suppressive effect on intestinal mast cell activation and reverse food allergy symptoms in allergen-sensitized individuals. This was confirmed by observations that curcumin attenuated the expansion of both adoptively transferred bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs), and inhibited their survival and activation during cell culture. Finally, the suppression of intestinal anaphylaxis by curcumin was directly linked with the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation in curcumin-treated allergic mice, and curcumin inhibited the phosphorylation of the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB in BMMCs. In summary, our data demonstrates a protective role for curcumin during allergic responses to food antigens, suggesting that frequent ingestion of this spice may modulate the outcome of disease in susceptible individuals

Minisuperspace Quantization of "Bubbling AdS" and Free Fermion Droplets

We quantize the space of 1/2 BPS configurations of Type IIB SUGRA found by Lin, Lunin and Maldacena (hep-th/0409174), directly in supergravity. We use the Crnkovic-Witten-Zuckerman covariant quantization method to write down the expression for the symplectic structure on this entire space of solutions. We find the symplectic form explicitly around AdS_5 x S^5 and obtain a U(1) Kac-Moody algebra, in precise agreement with the quantization of a system of N free fermions in a harmonic oscillator potential, as expected from AdS/CFT. As a cross check, we also perform the quantization around AdS_5 x S^5 by another method, using the known spectrum of physical perturbations around this background and find precise agreement with our previous calculation.Comment: 22 Pages + 2 Appendices, JHEP3; v3: explanation of factor 2 mismatch added, references reordered, published versio

Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies

Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade. Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models, and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies, such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Late Winter Biogeochemical Conditions Under Sea Ice in the Canadian High Arctic

With the Arctic summer sea-ice extent in decline, questions are arising as to how changes in sea-ice dynamics might affect biogeochemical cycling and phenomena such as carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake and ocean acidification. Recent field research in these areas has concentrated on biogeochemical and CO2 measurements during spring, summer or autumn, but there are few data for the winter or winter–spring transition, particularly in the High Arctic. Here, we present carbon and nutrient data within and under sea ice measured during the Catlin Arctic Survey, over 40 days in March and April 2010, off Ellef Ringnes Island (78° 43.11′ N, 104° 47.44′ W) in the Canadian High Arctic. Results show relatively low surface water (1–10 m) nitrate (<1.3 µM) and total inorganic carbon concentrations (mean±SD=2015±5.83 µmol kg−1), total alkalinity (mean±SD=2134±11.09 µmol kg−1) and under-ice pCO2sw (mean±SD=286±17 µatm). These surprisingly low wintertime carbon and nutrient conditions suggest that the outer Canadian Arctic Archipelago region is nitrate-limited on account of sluggish mixing among the multi-year ice regions of the High Arctic, which could temper the potential of widespread under-ice and open-water phytoplankton blooms later in the season

Coherent π0 photoproduction on the deuteron up to 4 GeV

The differential cross section for 2H(γ,d)π0 has been measured at deuteron center-of-mass angles of 90° and 136°. This work reports the first data for this reaction above a photon energy of 1 GeV, and permits a test of the apparent constituent counting rule and reduced nuclear amplitude behavior as observed in elastic ed scattering. Measurements were performed up to a photon energy of 4.0 GeV, and are in good agreement with previous lower energy measurements. Overall, the data are inconsistent with both constituent-counting rule and reduced nuclear amplitude predictions

Measurements of Deuteron Photodisintegration up to 4.0 GeV

The first measurements of the differential cross section for the d(γ,p)n reaction up to 4.0 GeV were performed at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Thomas Jefferson Laboratory. We report the cross sections at the proton center-of-mass angles of 36°, 52°, 69°, and 89°. These results are in reasonable agreement with previous measurements at lower energy. The 89° and 69° data show constituent-counting-rule behavior up to 4.0 GeV photon energy. The 52° and 36° data disagree with the counting-rule behavior. The quantum chromodynamics (QCD) model of nuclear reactions involving reduced amplitudes disagrees with the present data.U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundatio

Mortality Attributable to Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter: Insights from the Epidemiologic Evidence for Understudied Locations

Epidemiologic cohort studies have consistently demonstrated that long-term exposure to ambient fine particles (PM2.5) is associated with mortality. Nevertheless, extrapolating results to understudied locations may involve considerable uncertainty. To explore this issue, this review discusses the evidence for (i) the associated risk of mortality, (ii) the shape of the concentration-response function, (iii) a causal interpretation, and (iv) how the source mix/composition of PM2.5and population characteristics may alter the effect. The accumulated evidence suggests the following: (i) In the United States, the change in all-cause mortality risk per μg/m3is about 0.8%. (ii) The concentration-response function appears nonlinear. (iii) Causation is overwhelmingly supported. (iv) Fossil fuel combustion-related sources are likely more toxic than others, and age, race, and income may modify the effect. To illustrate the use of our findings in support of a risk assessment in an understudied setting, we consider Kuwait. However, given the complexity of this relationship and the heterogeneity in reported effects, it is unreasonable to think that, in such circumstances, point estimates can be meaningful. Consequently, quantitative probabilistic estimates, which cannot be derived objectively, become essential. Formally elicited expert judgment can provide such estimates, and this review provides the evidence to support an elicitation.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Applied Probabilit

Development and assessment of a nationwide, cross-discipline women faculty mentoring program

Introduction Professional health care associations present a unique opportunity for formal mentorship programs, with membership often spanning a variety of experiences, professional ranks, and institutions. However, scarce literature describes the role of professional associations in the development and assessment of mentoring programs. This paper describes development of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Women Faculty Special Interest Group (SIG) mentoring program and characterizes the impact of the program. Methods The task force collaboratively developed the mission, vision, and structure of the mentoring program, posted the program description on the SIG\u27s electronic forum, and called for mentors and mentees via an online survey asking for matching preferences. The task force reviewed responses and designated matches. Participants were emailed match information and a guidance document. The program was assessed at three, six, and 12 months via electronic survey. Results The program matched 43 mentors with 77 mentees, with each mentor assigned one to three mentees. At the three- and six-month assessments, 89% and 87% of respondents, respectively, indicated they had met with their mentor/mentee. At the 12-month assessment, 86% of mentor respondents and 80% of mentee respondents stated the mentoring program met their needs/expectations. Career goal development, work/life integration, and difficult work situations were the most frequently discussed topics. Most participants stated they would continue to serve as a mentor/mentee in a future cycle and recommend other faculty members participate. Conclusions Results from three-, six-, and 12-month assessments indicated a positive impact of developing a nationwide, organizational, cross-discipline mentoring program

Kansas Mineral Resources for Wartime Industries / with other chapters

During the present war emergency the production and available reserves of mineral resources and other raw materials are of paramount importance to the safety of the nation. This report presents a summary of the mineral resources of Kansas, present production and known or estimated reserves, and possible uses of these resources in war industries located in Kansas. The vital relationship of fuels and metals to war industries is well known. The role of nonmetallic mineral resources in war production, although less obvious, is none the less real in both a direct and indirect way. Fuels are essential to most industrial enterprises. The 3,700,000 tons of coal, 85,416,561 barrels of oil, and 85,632,472,000 cubic feet of gas that were produced in Kansas during 1941 are vitally important to the state and the nation in wartime, but even more important are the vast reserves of these materials and their present and potential by-products. On January 1, 1942, the estimated proved reserves of oil in Kansas were 752,670,000 barrels, which, because of new discoveries, constitute an increase over the previous year. Oil and gas produced in the state are distributed through more than 8,000 miles of pipe line and processed in Kansas at 27 refineries, 15 natural gasoline plants, and 3 carbon black plants. One helium plant not now operating has a capacity of over 8 million cubic feet annually. Coal and petroleum, particularly during wartime, should be considered not only as fuels but as basic raw materials for chemical industries. They represent important raw materials for the manufacture of such products as explosives, plastics, and synthetic rubber. Metals are used in the manufacture of all implements of war. Aluminum and magnesium are essential to aircraft production, and although neither is now produced in the state, the vast potential reserves of each, shown in this report to occur in Kansas, assume an increasing importance as the supply in the United States of high-grade aluminum ore (bauxite) is depleted and the demand for magnesium rapidly increases. During 1941, 57,000 short tons of zinc and 12,000 short tons of lead were produced in Kansas. The Tri-State zinc and lead district, part of which is in Kansas, is the most important zinc-producing region in the world. Both zinc and lead are important in war industries. Although non-fuel and nonmetallic mineral resources are not so spectacularly and directly related to war industries, they nevertheless constitute indispensable materials for basic industries. Asphalt rock is used as a road-surfacing material and bentonite is employed as a drilling mud, filter for oil, and a bond in foundry sand. Chalk, the Kansas reserve of which is estimated at more than 50 billion tons, is used as whiting and in the chemical industries. Ceramic products, in addition to being employed by the navy and in war industries, probably will be used to an increasing extent to replace metal products for civilian use. In 1940, Kansas produced structural clay products valued at $1,500,000; the undeveloped reserves of clay in north-central Kansas alone amount to 125 billion tons, of which 40 billion tons are light-firing clays. There is an undeveloped reserve of 1,000,000 tons of diatomaceous marl which can be used in certain types of cement and as a filtering material. The present Kansas production of Portland cement for use in construction is four and one-half million barrels annually, valued at over 5 million dollars, and the reserve of Portland cement raw materials is enormous. Kansas ranks eighth among the states as a gypsum producer. Salt is an essential material in many chemical industries, such as those producing explosives and synthetic rubber. Kansas now produces annually about 700,000 tons of salt, and the reserves in the state are estimated to be at least 5,000 billion tons. A total of 2,264,871 tons of sand and gravel, valued at$893,962, was produced in Kansas during 1940. This production could be increased many times if additional quantities were needed. Reserves of sand and gravel, rock-wool materials, and stone for construction purposes are inexhaustible. Volcanic ash is used as an abrasive, in cleaners, as a ceramic glaze, and in cement. In 1940 Kansas produced 39,215 tons, valued at $129,959, and the reserves are estimated at more than 10 million tons. The information given in this report on mineral resources of Kansas demonstrates the wide variety of raw materials and vast reserves, in some cases almost untouched, that occur within the state. These abundant raw materials and the state\u27s geographic position in the heart of the nation make Kansas of great strategic importance as a region for the location for war industries