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Cutting edge : basophils are transiently recruited into the draining lymph nodes during helminth infection via IL-3, but infection-induced Th2 immunity can develop without basophil lymph node recruitment or IL-3
No full textBasophils are recognized as immune modulators through their ability to produce IL-4, a key cytokine required for Th2 immunity. It has also recently been reported that basophils are transiently recruited into the draining lymph node (LN) after allergen immunization and that the recruited basophils promote the differentiation of naive CD4 T cells into Th2 effector cells. Using IL-3−/− and IL-3Rβ−/− mice, we report in this study that the IL-3/IL-3R system is absolutely required to recruit circulating basophils into the draining LN following helminth infection. Unexpectedly, the absence of IL-3 or of basophil LN recruitment played little role in helminth-induced Th2 immune responses. Moreover, basophil depletion in infected mice did not diminish the development of IL-4–producing CD4 T cells. Our results reveal a previously unknown role of IL-3 in recruiting basophils to the LN and demonstrate that basophils are not necessarily associated with the development of Th2 immunity during parasite infection.
The economics of primary healthcare reform in Australia - towards single fundholding through developent of primary care organisations
No full textModified state parameter for characterizing static liquefaction of sand with fines
No full textAn experimental study was carried out to investigate the static liquefaction behaviour of sand with a small amount of plastic and nonplastic fines. Five series of tests were conducted in drained and undrained conditions. The drained test results indicate not only that the failure line coincides with the critical state, but also that the development of volumetric strain during shearing was not sensitive to the initial confining pressure. In both isotropically and anisotropically consolidated undrained tests, a so-called “reverse behaviour” was consistently observed. The results were also interpreted in the critical state framework. The critical and steady state (CS/SS) data were found to trace along the same curve in e–log( p′) space, irrespective of the stress history and effective stress paths. A comparison between the isotropic consolidation line (ICL) and critical state (CS) curve showed that a small amount of fines can significantly change the shape and position of the ICL relative to the CS curve. Furthermore, the soil behaviour manifested in both drained and undrained shearing led to the development of a modified state parameter.
On equivalent granular void ratio and steady state behaviour of loose sand with fines
No full textVoid ratio has traditionally been used as a state variable for predicting the liquefaction behaviour of soils under the critical state soil mechanics framework. Recent publications show that void ratio may not be a good state variable for characterizing sand with fines. An alternative state variable referred to as the equivalent granular void ratio has been proposed to resolve this problem. To calculate this alternative state variable, a b parameter is needed. This b parameter represents the fraction of fines that actively participate in the force structure of the solid skeleton. However, predicting the value of b is problematic. Most, if not all, of the b values reported were determined by case-specific back-analysis, that is, the b value was selected so that a single correlation between equivalent granular void ratio and the measured steady state strength (or cyclic resistance) could be achieved. This paper examines the factors affecting the b value based on published work on binary packing. This leads to a simple semi-empirical equation for predicting the value of b based on fines size and fines content. Published data appear to be in support of the proposed equation. A series of experiments were conducted on a specially designed sand–fines type to provide additional validation of the proposed equation and to reinforce the use of equivalent granular void ratio in a more generalized context.
Comparing Spatially Explicit Ecological and Social Values for Natural Areas to Identify Effective Conservation Strategies
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How do private labels compete?
No full textThis study examines how buyers of one private label brand (PL) in a product category also buy the private label brands of competing retailers in the same category. The study addresses this question type: Does buying the private label brand Tesco cola heighten or lower the likelihood that a consumer will also buy Sainsbury or Asda cola over time? Examination of consumer crosspurchasing of brands in ten product categories shows heightened competitive intensity among the private label brands in the majority of cases. The findings build on prior work on the purchasing patterns of PL brands, and also the stream of research on the 'private-label prone shopper'. The results indicate that PLs compete against national brands (NBs) within the store, but also compete against the PLs of other retailers (across stores) over time. Indeed in many cases the PLs of various retailers form a type of sub-market or partition, within which the PLs compete against each other to a greater extent than they do against the other NBs in the market.