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The Role of Protein in Detecting the Common Cold Virus Revealed

In a recent study, a team of scientists at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A * STAR) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, discovered the role of proteins in detecting the common cold virus and initiating immune responses against infection.

In a recent study published in Science, they showed that the NLRP1 protein found in the skin and respiratory tract is a sensor for detecting human rhinovirus (HRV). When NLRP1 breaks through the respiratory tract, it triggers an immune response that causes inflammation of the lungs and causes symptoms of the common cold.

HRV is a major cause of common colds and acute respiratory diseases in children and adults, and in severe cases leads to bronchitis and pneumonia.

The team stated that discovering the purpose of NLRP1 may lead to new treatments for common cold symptoms, an infection that affects millions of people each year. They plan to work with clinicians to develop drugs that “turn off” or block NLRP1 to reduce the severity of HRV related disease symptoms. However, the team pointed out that blocking NLRP1 protein in human lung cells did not increase viral load.

“Now, we know that NLRP1 is the ‘switch’ of inflammation after the detection of the common cold virus, and the next step is to figure out how to prevent its activation and minimize the triggered inflammatory response,” said assistant professor Fulin Zhong, author of the article.

Professor Zhong said their new insights into the function of the immune system could help scientists develop more effective therapies to treat other inflammatory diseases of the human respiratory tract.

“This work represents a major advance in our understanding of how the immune system uses specialized proteins to sense and defend against viral pathogens,” he said. “This knowledge will be useful in designing treatments for viral diseases including influenza and COVID-19.”

NLRP1 has been known to scientists for many years, but its exact purpose is unknown. It is a member of a family of proteins called “NLR” proteins that are sensors in the immune system that trigger the body’s response to invading pathogens.

When the team began their study in 2017, they hypothesized that NLRP1 could act as a sensor for viruses because it is highly abundant in human skin and lungs, which are usually exposed to surfaces of viral pathogens.

The team screened NLRP1 against several viruses to see if it would trigger activation of the protein. After months of testing, they observed that an enzyme produced by HRV called 3Cpro activated NLRP1 in human respiratory cells.

They found that the 3Cpro enzyme cleaves NLRP1 at specific points, triggering some form of inflammatory “cell death”, an important process for rapid clearance of pathogens such as HRV during infection.

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What is Abrasive Blasting?

Abrasive blasting is a procedure to perform the cleaning and finishing action. It is applied to surfaces for preparation before the finishing phase. Abrasive blasting replaces wire brushing, pickling, and sanding procedures essentially.

As opposed to hand cleaning, abrasive blasting increases efficiency by 25 to 75%. The abrasives used in blasting are relatively inexpensive and reusable so blasting is economical; it requires less time to clean parts and minimally trained personnel to do the job.

Other benefits of abrasive blasting:

• Makes good finish better
• Creates a better tooth for bonding
• Increases the surface area for metal by as much as ten times

Pressure

Direct pressure machines, as opposed to siphon machines, require less pressure. Lower pressure helps to reduce the hardening of surface and warping of thin parts. A direct pressure machine normally operates at 15-80PSI, while a siphon operates at 60-90 PSI. If you increase the pressure above 90, it causes the medium to breakdown and does not improve the cutting rate.

The Sandblast Gun
Abrasive blasting is not a peening process but a scrubbing action. That being said, a gun should be held at an angle of 60 to 45 degrees to the surface that is being cleaned. Holding it at 90 degrees will cause you to perform peening which is not required. By holding the gun in a siphon machine at least six inches apart, you can make sure that the spray covers a larger area. For the effectiveness of the direct pressure units, it is essential to maintain a distance of one foot, which will also help leave a more appealing finish.

The Gun Nozzle
It is important to select a high quality nozzle; otherwise, it would add to the operational cost. Tungsten carbide nozzles are a great choice. Consider choosing a smaller nozzle if the compressor cannot work alongside the blaster. If there is ample pressure at the gauge but not in the gun, something could be stuck in the nozzle or in the abrasive pickup line.

The type of abrasive used can affect the finish obtained. It is also influenced by the adjustment of air pressure in the blasting machine. Some commonly used abrasives are white aluminum oxide, urea, aluminum oxide, pumice, and steel grit. Make sure to replace the entire load when the abrasive in the machine breaks down for increased efficiency.

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Quick Tips for choosing the Best Magento 2 Theme for your Fashion Store

The primary reason you build an online fashion store is to generate more sales by reaching a larger audience. So, every aspect of your e-commerce store should work towards your goal and not against it. Many store owners focus on the features and functionalities of the website but they forget about the aesthetics. It is essential to understand that in order to use the store functionalities, your customers should find the website attractive and easy to navigate, especially when you are in the business of style and beauty. It means the Magento 2 theme that you choose for your fashion store should be fashionable, beautiful and useful at the same time.

Magento 2 Theme: How to select the Best One for your Fashion Store?

Buying apparel, clothing accessories, purses, shoes and other fashion accessories are often emotional experiences. The customer may stumble upon your website and buy your products if the store is attractive and enables an easy shopping experience. Make sure that you keep in mind the following tips for choosing the best Magento 2 theme and attract a large number of visitors to your website.

1. SEO-Friendly and Responsive Design

Your fashion store may have the best products, useful features and superior customer shopping experience. But if the store is not SEO-friendly and your search-engine rankings are not high, all is lost. So, seek out a Magento theme that offers SEO-friendly, clean coding. Choose a theme that is built with CSS3 + HTML 5 so that it is 100% responsive. Selecting a multipurpose theme that works on different mobile devices and platforms will ensure increased SERPs.

Your theme should support RTL (right-to-left) layout along with a language and currency switcher option so that you can access a global audience. You must also ensure that it is compatible with Varnish Cache so customers can enjoy a seamless shopping experience even during high traffic.

2. User-Friendly Layout for Better Shopping Experience

Enabling your Magento store on every device is not enough! You need to have a user-friendly layout so that customers can find products quickly. Here are a few things that can make your fashion website user-friendly:

>>Responsive navigation menu to highlight different fashion categories and discount products easily.

>>Flexible search options such as Ajax-layered navigation and Ajax quick search for customers to expedite the shopping process.

>>Option to show recently visited products, related products, combo products on the product page to up-sell.

>>A fashion store needs a quick-view pop-up window to showcase products quickly.

>>Customers should be able to add products from any page.

>>When you own a clothing store or a jewelry website, you have several products. The theme should have an infinite scrolling option so that customers can checkout all the products easily.

>>An optimized checkout process to keep the cart abandonment rate low.

>>For a fashion store, the functionality of image flipper is an absolute must so customers can view your products from all angles.

3. Options to Customize the Magento Store

Magento is a popular e-commerce platform because it lets you customize your store and make it unique. If the Magento 2 theme doesn’t make customization an easy job, it is better to avoid it. Here are different elements that you should be able to customize:

>>Are you able to customize the home page layout? >>You should be able to change the color of different elements of the website. >>Option to customize the header and footer so that you can set links according to your customer’s needs. >>There should be multiple category layout options (one column, two columns with left/right sidebar, two products per row, etc.) to best suit your products. >>Option to show/hide buttons on category pages: Add to cart, add to wishlist, compare products, etc. >>Multiple product page layout options (one column, vertical thumbnails and horizontal tabs, accordion tabs, etc.) >>As a fashion store, the theme should allow you to display new products, most viewed products, featured products and best-seller products easily. >>Opportunity to show different promotional messages and banners on the top. Also, you should be able to showcase daily deals in order to promote limited-time sales on the website.

4. Compatibility with the Latest Magento Versions

When you are doing business on an e-commerce platform, it is essential that you use the latest version. By keeping your store regularly updated, you prevent cyber attacks on your website and keep your customer information safe. The same logic applies to using Magento themes. Opt for a Magento 2 theme that is compatible with different versions of the platform. Even if you are currently using an older version, choose a theme that supports the latest version (Magento CE – 2.3x). So, the next time you upgrade, your theme will not create any issues and deliver a streamlined shopping experience without any technical glitches.

5. Social Media Features for Better Connectivity

If you are not communicating with your customers and potential buyers, you will lose them to your competitors. And, the most effective way to communicate with them is by using social media. Your fashion store must have social media profiles and you should connect them to your store. Also, customers should be able to share products and fashion-looks quickly. Having an Instagram gallery will enable you to increase your reach and improve your sales.

Uploading blogs is another way of communicating with your customers. Choose a Magento 2 fashion theme that offers a built-in blog module.

Haste is not a Good Look: Take your Time while choosing a Magento 2 Theme

Never choose a theme because of its popularity. A trendy Magento theme may not give you the desired results. But, a useful one will definitely make your fashion store successful. Understand your business, write down your requirements and then make a well-thought decision. Remember choosing the best Magento 2 theme requires effort and time.

Do you want to build an online fashion store? You cannot go wrong with Magento 2 fashion theme. Choose the newest Magento theme that guarantees a stunning, feature-rich Magento store that will take your business to newer heights of success. The theme includes several useful Magento extensions including Magento 2 one-page checkout and Magento 2 mega menu.

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