New insights into autophagy in inflammatory subtypes of asthma

Asthma is a heterogeneous airway disease characterized by airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness. Autophagy is a self-degrading process that helps maintain cellular homeostasis. Dysregulation of autophagy is involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases. In the context of asthma, autophagy has been shown to be associated with inflammation, airway remodeling, and responsiveness to drug therapy. In-depth characterization of the role of autophagy in asthma can enhance the understanding of the pathogenesis, and provide a theoretical basis for the development of new biomarkers and targeted therapy for asthma. In this article, we focus on the relationship of autophagy and asthma, and discuss its implications for asthma pathogenesis and treatment

Pullout Resistance of Reinforcement of Lightweight Cellular Concrete Fill

C2169Lightweight Cellular Concrete (LCC) (also called foam or gas concrete) is a special construction material, which is typically composed of portland cement, water, and air voids created by a foaming agent. This material has been increasingly used as a backfill material for geotechnical applications. This report presents a series of laboratory tests conducted to evaluate the material properties of LCC including density, permeability, compressive strength, shear strength, compressibility, elastic modulus, and Poisson\u2019s ratio with different cement to fly ash ratios and at different ages. LCC specimens used in this research project were cast in the field, and the cement to fly ash ratios used for the production of the specimens ranged from 50:50 to 100:0. Large direct shear box tests were conducted on prismatic specimens with a size of 12 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 8 inches high, while small direct shear box tests were conducted on cylindrical specimens with a size of 2.5 inches in diameter and 1 inch high. This report also presents a series of pullout tests conducted in the laboratory to investigate pullout resistance of extensible reinforcement (geogrid) and inextensible reinforcement (steel strip) embedded in LCC. Pullout displacements and pullout forces were monitored using linear variable displacement transducers (LVDT) and a load cell during the pullout process. This research project investigated the effects of age, normal stress, LCC type, cold joint, and re-pullout on pullout resistance and calculated the pullout resistance factors F* for geogrid and steel strip embedded in LCC. The laboratory material test results show that the average wet densities of LCC ranged from 30 to 36 pcf at the age of 28 days and the average dry densities ranged from 21 to 24 pcf at the same age. The permeability values of LCC ranged from 2.1 710-5 to 3.0 710-4 in./s and they increased as the cement to fly ash ratio increased. The measured cohesion values of LCC in large direct shear box tests ranged from 33 to 50 psi, while the measured cohesion values in small direct shear box tests ranged from 19 to 37 psi. This report also compares the material properties of LCC measured in this research project with those reported in the literature and shows overall good agreement. The laboratory pullout test results show that for the geogrid embedded in LCC, the maximum pullout force increased as the normal stress increased. For the steel strip embedded in LCC, the maximum pullout force was independent of the normal stress and increased as the age and the cement to fly ash ratio increased. Pullout test results also show that the presence of a cold joint did not reduce the pullout resistance, while the re-pullout test had lower pullout resistance as compared with the original pullout test for the same specimen. The pullout resistance factors F* for steel strips were greater than those for geogrids and these factors decreased as the normal stress increased

Target density effects on charge tansfer of laser-accelerated carbon ions in dense plasma

We report on charge state measurements of laser-accelerated carbon ions in the energy range of several MeV penetrating a dense partially ionized plasma. The plasma was generated by irradiation of a foam target with laser-induced hohlraum radiation in the soft X-ray regime. We used the tri-cellulose acetate (C$_{9}$H$_{16}$O$_{8}$) foam of 2 mg/cm$^{-3}$ density, and $1$-mm interaction length as target material. This kind of plasma is advantageous for high-precision measurements, due to good uniformity and long lifetime compared to the ion pulse length and the interaction duration. The plasma parameters were diagnosed to be T$_{e}$=17 eV and n$_{e}$=4 $\times$ 10$^{20}$ cm$^{-3}$. The average charge states passing through the plasma were observed to be higher than those predicted by the commonly-used semiempirical formula. Through solving the rate equations, we attribute the enhancement to the target density effects which will increase the ionization rates on one hand and reduce the electron capture rates on the other hand. In previsous measurement with partially ionized plasma from gas discharge and z-pinch to laser direct irradiation, no target density effects were ever demonstrated. For the first time, we were able to experimentally prove that target density effects start to play a significant role in plasma near the critical density of Nd-Glass laser radiation. The finding is important for heavy ion beam driven high energy density physics and fast ignitions.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 35 conference

Advanced Exergy Analysis for a Novel Gasoline Absorption-Stabilization Process

[Image: see text] The advanced exergy analysis can identify the improved potential of each component and the interaction among components of the refining processes. In this work, a new gasoline absorption–stabilization process (GASP) is proposed for better energy utilization considering the absorption process intensification, which can be further explained using exergy analysis. Both conventional and new GASPs are simulated in PRO/II, which are verified with the actual plant operation data. The energy performance of both conventional and new GASPs is evaluated through the advanced exergy analysis. The exergy efficiencies of conventional and new GASPs are 65.04 and 71.44%, respectively. In addition, the total exergy destruction rates are 7.79 and 6.01 MW, respectively. The total exergy destructions of 46.37 and 40.73% can be reduced, respectively. Though the stabilizer has the largest exergy destruction in both the processes, the air cooler for the rich gas in the new GASP has the largest potential for reducing exergy destruction, which is different from the conventional GASP. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis of the new GASP is performed to study the effects of newly added operation and design parameters on the conventional and advanced exergy analyses of the absorber

Sputum inflammatory cell-based classification of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) commonly suffer from acute exacerbations (AECOPD) and display varying disease severity. However, there is no available biomarker for the classification of AECOPD. This study is aimed at investigating the sputum cellular profiles to classify patients with AECOPD. Methods: A total of 83 patients with AECOPD and 26 healthy controls were recruited. Their demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded, and their lung function was examined. The phenotypes of sputum inflammatory cells were characterised, and the concentrations of sputum and serum amyloid-A (SAA), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were measured. Based on the sputum inflammatory cell profiles, individual patients were categorized into one of the four subgroups with inflammatory eosinophilic, neutrophilic, paucigranulocytic, and mixed granulocytic AECOPD. Most AECOPD patients were reevaluated within 12-14 months after discharge. Results: There were 10 (12%) eosinophilic, 36 (43%) neutrophilic, 5 (6%) mixed granulocytic, and 32 (39%) paucigranulocytic AECOPD patients. The patients with mixed granulocytic or neutrophilic AECOPD had a higher BODE score, more sputum inflammatory cells, lower lung function, and longer hospital stay, accompanied by higher concentrations of sputum MMP-9, IL-6 and CRP, and serum SAA, IL-6 and CRP. Notably, 83% of patients with neutrophilic AECOPD displayed evidence of bacterial infection and many of them responded poorly to standard therapies. In addition, patients with mixed granulocytic or neutrophilic stable COPD remained at lower lung functions and higher levels of inflammation. Conclusion: Patients with AECOPD display heterogeneous inflammation, and the profiles of sputum inflammatory cells may be used as valuable biomarkers for the classification of AECOPD patients

Pullout Resistance of Reinforcement of Lightweight Cellular Concrete Fill [Technical Summary]

This report presents a series of laboratory tests to evaluate the material properties of LCC and the pullout resistances of geogrid and steel strip in LCC specimens cast in the field. Based on the test results, the following conclusions can be drawn: The average wet densities of LCC ranged from 30 to 36 pcf at the age of 28 days and the average dry densities ranged from 21 to 24 pcf at the same age. The dry density was approximately 67% of the wet density. The density increased as the cement to fly ash ratio increased. All LCC specimens used in this study are considered ultra-low density cellular concrete. The permeability values for LCC measured using the falling head method ranged from 2.1 710-5 to 3.0 710-4 in./s, respectively. In general, the permeability decreased as the hydraulic gradient and the confining stress increased. For the small shear box tests, the cohesion values of the LCC specimens ranged from 19 to 37 psi, while their frictional angles ranged from 19 to 63 degrees. For the large shear box tests, the cohesion values of the LCC specimens ranged from 33 to 50 psi, while their frictional angles ranged from 23 to 79 degrees. The large shear box tests measured higher shear strengths than the small shear box tests

The safety of sputum induction in adults with acute exacerbation of COPD

Introduction:  Induced sputum is a non-invasive method, and a useful tool to evaluate inflammatory cells and mediators in the airway lumen in the setting of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). However, the inhalation of hypertonic saline solution to induce sputum may cause a bronchoconstrictive response, so it is important to evaluate the success and safety of sputum induction (SI). Objectives:  The aims of this study were to assess the safety and efficacy of SI in adults with AECOPD. Methods:  Eighty-three AECOPD subjects and 26 healthy controls underwent a modified SI. The outcome measures included fall in lung function during induction and success of SI. Results:  Adults hospitalized with AECOPD had moderate to very severe airflow obstruction. SI was successful in over 80% of subjects. The percentage decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) from baseline by the Global initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) category was median 1.2(interquartile range, 0.5–3.3)(GOLD II), 2.3(1.3–3.2)(GOLD III), 5.2(3.3–8.6)(GOLD IV) and 1.4(0.5–3.2)(control), respectively. A fall in FEV1 of >20% occurred in only one subject with AECOPD who was in GOLD category III. The decrease in percentage of FEV1 from baseline was greatest in the second stage of induction, and correlated with that of the final stage (r = 0.589; P = 0.01). The fall in FEV1 during induction increased with GOLD category (P < 0.05). Conclusions:  SI can be safely and successfully performed in patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who experience an exacerbation using this modified induction protocol. The early decrease in FEV1 can be used to predict the maximum fall