Increased Expression of miR-146a in Children With Allergic Rhinitis After Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy

Xi Luo,Haiyu Hong,Jun Tang,Xingmei Wu,Zhibin Lin,Renqiang Ma,Yunping Fan,Geng Xu,Dabo Liu,Huabin Li 대한천식알레르기학회 2016 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.8 No.2

Purpose: MicroRNAs (miRs) were recently recognized to be important for immune cell differentiation and immune regulation. However, whether miRs were involved in allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) remains largely unknown. This study sought to examine changes in miR-146a and T regulatory cells in children with persistent allergic rhinitis (AR) after 3 months of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Methods: Twenty-four HDM-sensitized children with persistent AR were enrolled and treated with SCIT (n=13) or SLIT (n=11) for 3 months. Relative miR-146a and Foxp3 mRNA expression, the TRAF6 protein level, and the ratio of post-treatment to baseline IL-10+CD4+ T cells between the SCIT and SLIT groups were examined in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of AR patients using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis, respectively. Serum levels of IL-5 and IL-10 were determined using ELISA. Results: After 3 months of SIT, both the TNSS and INSS scores were significantly decreased compared to the baseline value (P<0.01). The relative expression of miR-146a and Foxp3 mRNA was significantly increased after both SCIT and SLIT (P<0.01). The ratio of post-treatment to baseline IL-10+CD4+ T cells and the serum IL-10 level were significantly increased in both the SCIT and SLIT groups (P<0.01), whereas the TRAF6 protein level and serum IL-5 level were significantly decreased (P<0.01). No significant differences in these biomarkers were observed between the SCIT and SLIT groups. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that miR-146a and its related biomarkers may be comparably modulated after both SCIT and SLIT, highlighting miR-146a as a potential therapeutic target for the improved management of AR.

An experimental study on fire resistance of medical modular block

김형준,조봉호,이재승,김흥열,Yunping Xi,권기혁 국제구조공학회 2013 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.15 No.1

Fire performance and fire safety of high-rise buildings have become major concerns after thedisasters of World Trade Center in the U.S. in 2001 and Windsor tower in Spain in 2005. Performance baseddesign (PBD) approaches have been considered as a better method for fire resistance design of structuresbecause it is capable of incorporating test results of most recent fire resistance technologies. However, thereis a difficulty to evaluate fireproof performance of large structures, which have multiple structural memberssuch as columns, slabs, and walls. The difficulty is mainly due to the limitation in the testing equipment,such as size of furnace that can be used to carry out fire tests with existing criteria like ISO 834, BS 476, andKS F 2257. In the present research, a large scale calorie meter (10 MW) was used to conduct three full scalefire tests on medical modular blocks. Average fire load of 13.99 kg/m² was used in the first test. In thesecond test, the weighting coefficient of 3.5 (the fire load of 50 kg/ m²) was used to simulate the worst firescenario. The flashover of the medical modular block occurred at 62 minutes in the first test and 12 minutesin the second test. The heat resistance capacity of the external wall, the temperatures and deformations of thestructural members satisfied the requirements of fire resistance performance of 90 minutes burning period. The total heat loads and the heat values for each test are calculated by theoretical equations. The duration ofburning was predicted. The predicted results were compared with the test results, and they agree quite well.

A fractal fracture model and application to concrete with different aggregate sizes and loading rates

Chang, Kug Kwan,Xi, Yunping,Roh, Y.S. Techno-Press 2006 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.23 No.2

Recent developments in fractal theory suggest that fractal may provide a more realistic representation of characteristics of cementitious materials. In this paper, the roughness of fracture surfaces in cementitious material has been characterized by fractal theory. A systematic experimental investigation was carried out to examine the dependency of fracture parameters on the aggregate sizes as well as the loading rates. Three maximum aggregate sizes (4.76 mm, 12.7 mm, and 19.1 mm) and two loading rates (slow and fast loading rate) were used. A total of 25 compression tests and 25 tension tests were performed. All fracture parameters exhibited an increase, to varying degrees, when aggregates were added to the mortar matrix. The fracture surfaces of the specimens were digitized and analyzed. Results of the fractal analysis suggested that concrete fracture surfaces exhibit fractal characteristics, and the fractal geometry provide a useful tool for characterizing nonlinear fracture behavior of concrete. Fractal dimension D was monotonically increased as maximum aggregate sizes increase. A new fractal fracture model was developed which considers the size and shape of aggregate, and the crack paths in the constituent phases. Detailed analyses were given for four different types of fracture paths. The fractal fracture model can estimate fractal dimension for multiphase composites.

Coupled diffusion of multi-component chemicals in nonsaturated concrete

Nattapong Damrongwiriyanupap,Linyuan Li,Yunping Xi 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2013 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.11 No.3

A comprehensive simulation model for the transport process of fully coupled moisture and multispecies in non-saturated concrete structures is proposed. The governing equations of moisture and ion diffusion are formulated based on Fick’s law and the Nernst-Planck equation, respectively. The governing equations are modified by explicitly including the coupling terms corresponding to the coupled mechanisms. The ionic interaction-induced electrostatic potential is described by electroneutrality condition. The model takes into account the two-way coupled effect of moisture diffusion and ion transport in concrete. The coupling parameters are evaluated based on the available experimental data and incorporated in the governing equations. Differing from previous researches, the material parameters related to moisture diffusion and ion transport in concrete are considered not to be constant numbers and characterized by the material models that account for the concrete mix design parameters and age of concrete. Then, the material models are included in the numerical analysis and the governing equations are solved by using finite element method. The numerical results obtained from the present model agree very well with available test data. Thus, the model can predict satisfactorily the ingress of deicing salts into non-saturated concrete.

FRACTAL SURFACE ROUGHNESS OF CONCRETE

Y.S. Roh,Yunping Xi,L. Chung 한국콘크리트학회 2004 한국콘크리트학회 학술대회 논문집 Vol.2004 No.11

The coupling effect of drying shrinkage and moisture diffusion in concrete

A. Suwito,Ayman Ababneh,Yunping Xi,Kaspar Willam 한국계산역학회 2006 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.3 No.2

Drying shrinkage of concrete occurs due to the loss of moisture and thus, it is controlled by moisture diffusion process. On the other hand, the shrinkage causes cracking of concrete and affects its moisture diffusion properties. Therefore, moisture diffusion and drying shrinkage are two coupled processes and their interactive effect is important for the durability of concrete structures. In this paper, the two material parameters in the moisture diffusion equation, i.e., the moisture capacity and humidity diffusivity, are modified by two different methods to include the effect of drying shrinkage on the moisture diffusion. The effect of drying shrinkage on the humidity diffusivity is introduced by the scalar damage parameter. The effect of drying shrinkage on the moisture capacity is evaluated by an analytical model based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics and minimum potential energy principle for a two-phase composite. The mechanical part of drying shrinkage is modeled as an elastoplastic damage problem. The coupled problem of moisture diffusion and drying shrinkage is solved using a finite element method. The present model can predict that the drying shrinkage accelerates the moisture diffusion in concrete, and in turn, the accelerated drying process increases the shrinkage strain. The coupling effects are demonstrated by a numerical example.

Temperature effect on multi-ionic species diffusion in saturated concrete

Nattapong Damrongwiriyanupap,Linyuan Li,Suchart Limkatanyu,Yunping Xi 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2014 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.13 No.2

This study presents the mathematical model for predicting chloride penetration into saturated concrete under non-isothermal condition. The model considers not only diffusion mechanism but also migration process of chloride ions and other chemical species in concrete pore solution such as sodium, potassium, and hydroxyl ions. The coupled multi-ionic transport in concrete is described by the Nernst-Planck equation associated with electro-neutrality condition. The coupling parameter taken into account the effect of temperature on ion diffusion obtained from available test data is proposed and explicitly incorporated in the governing equations. The coupled transport equations are solved using the finite element method. The numerical results are validated with available experimental data and the comparison shows a good agreement.

Study on moisture transport in concrete in atmospheric environment

Weiping Zhang,Fei Tong,Xianglin Gu,Yunping Xi 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2015 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.16 No.5

Moisture transport in concrete in atmospheric environment was studied in this paper. Based on the simplified formula of the thickness of the adsorbed layer, the pore-size distribution function of cement paste was calculated utilizing the water adsorption isotherms. Taking into consideration of the hysteresis effect in cement paste, the moisture diffusivity of cement paste was obtained by the integration of the pore-size distribution. Concrete is regarded as a two-phase composite with cement paste and aggregate, neglecting the moisture diffusivity of aggregate, then moisture diffusivity of concrete was evaluated using the composite theory. Finally, numerical simulation of humidity response during both wetting and drying process was carried out by the finite difference method of partial differential equation for moisture transport, and the numerical results well capture the trend of the measured data.