Mucosal exposure to cockroach extract induces allergic sensitization and allergic airway inflammation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Allergic sensitization to aeroallergens develops in response to mucosal exposure to these allergens. Allergic sensitization may lead to the development of asthma, which is characterized by chronic airway inflammation. The objective of this study is to describe in detail a model of mucosal exposure to cockroach allergens in the absence of an exogenous adjuvant.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cockroach extract (CE) was administered to mice intranasally (i.n.) daily for 5 days, and 5 days later mice were challenged with CE for 4 consecutive days. A second group received CE i.n. for 3 weeks. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) was assessed 24 h after the last allergen exposure. Allergic airway inflammation was assessed by BAL and lung histology 48 h after the last allergen exposure. Antigen-specific antibodies were assessed in serum. Lungs were excised from mice from measurement of cytokines and chemokines in whole lung lysate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mucosal exposure of Balb/c mice to cockroach extract induced airway eosinophilic inflammation, AHR and cockroach-specific IgG1; however, AHR to methacholine was absent in the long term group. Lung histology showed patchy, multicentric damage with inflammatory infiltrates at the airways in both groups. Lungs from mice from the short term group showed increased IL-4, CCL11, CXCL1 and CCL2 protein levels. IL4 and CXCL1 were also increased in the BAL of cockroach-sensitized mice in the short-term protocol.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Mucosal exposure to cockroach extract in the absence of adjuvant induces allergic airway sensitization characterized by AHR, the presence of Th2 cytokines in the lung and eosinophils in the airways.</p

Parametric study for optimizing fiber-reinforced concrete properties

Concrete with fiber reinforcement is stronger and more ductile than concrete without reinforcement. Significant efforts have been made to demonstrate the properties and enhancements of concrete after reinforcement with various types and shapes of fibers. However, the issue of optimization in the reinforcement process is still unanswered. There is no academic study in the literature now available that can pinpoint the ideal fiber type, quantity, and shape and, more crucially, the overall technical viability of the reinforcement. The parametric analysis in this study determines the ideal shape, size, and proportion of fibers. The input and output parameters were separated from the optimization design variables. Input parameters included assessment of samples of fresh and mechanical concrete properties and the influence of type, length, and percentage of fiber on concrete performance. The aim was to establish the most efficient relationship between fiber dose and dimension to optimize the combined responses of workability and splitting tensile, flexural, and compressive strength. The mechanical and fresh properties of concrete reinforced with four different fibers, PFRC-1, PFRC-2, SFRC-1, and SFRC-2, were tested. The analysis showed that SFRC-2-20 mm-1%, with compressive, split tensile, flexural, and workability values of 44.7 MPa, 3.64 MPa, 5.3 MPa, and 6.5 cm respectively, was the most effective combination among the materials investigated. The optimization technique employed in this study offers new, important insights into how input and output parameters relate to one another

A Review and Analysis of the Effects of Colors of Light On the Performance of Solar Photovoltaic Panels

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum