Operational radiation protection challenges for the LHC experiments.

Radiation protection physicists at CERN are often required to assess residual activation for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments during stop periods in order to ensure adequate optimization during planned exposure situations and to establish proper procedures for the radiological control of materials. Given the complexity of the facilities and of the high-energy and mixed fields inducing the activation, Monte Carlo transport codes are an essential tool to simulate both prompt and residual radiation. The present work highlights the challenges of assessing residual dose rates for the LHC experiments in shutdown configurations and of establishing residual activation zonings.

Profound differences in IgE and IgG recognition of micro-arrayed allergens in hyper-IgE syndromes.

Background: The specificities of IgE and IgG for allergen molecules in patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) have not been investigated in detail.

Objective: To study IgE and IgG antibody specificities in patients with defined hyper-IgE syndromes (HIES) using a comprehensive panel of allergen molecules.

Methods: We used chips containing micro-arrayed allergen molecules to analyze allergen-specific IgE and IgG levels in sera from two groups of HIES patients: Autosomal recessive mutations in phosphoglucomutase-3 (PGM3); Autosomal dominant negative mutations of STAT3 (STAT3); and age-matched subjects with allergic sensitizations.

Classification of radiological objects at the exit of accelerators with a dose-rate constraint.

Maintenance activities and operations of high-energy particle accelerators can lead to the collection of radioactive equipment as well as waste materials. In order to ensure their proper classification as radioactive or non-radioactive, one has to quantify the activities of radionuclides produced. According to the regulatory requirements in Switzerland, these activities need to be compared with nuclide-specific clearance limits.

Allergen-specific IgE levels and the ability of IgE-allergen complexes to cross-link determine the extent of CD23-mediated T-cell activation.

Background: CD23 mediates IgE-facilitated allergen presentation and subsequent allergen-specific T-cell activation in allergic patients.

Objective: We sought to investigate key factors regulating IgE-facilitated allergen presentation through CD23 and subsequent T-cell activation.

Methods: To study T-cell activation by free allergens and different types of IgE-Bet v 1 complexes, we used a molecular model based on monoclonal human Bet v 1-specific IgE, monomeric and oligomeric Bet v 1 allergen, an MHC-matched CD23-expressing B-cell line, and a T-cell line expressing a human Bet v 1-specific T-cell receptor.

The differential production cross section of the [Formula: see text](1020) meson in [Formula: see text] = 7 TeV [Formula: see text] collisions measured with the ATLAS detector.

A measurement is presented of the [Formula: see text] production cross section at [Formula: see text] = 7 TeV using [Formula: see text] collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 383 [Formula: see text], collected with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Selection of [Formula: see text](1020) mesons is based on the identification of charged kaons by their energy loss in the pixel detector. The differential cross section is measured as a function of the transverse momentum, [Formula: see text], and rapidity, [Formula: see text], of the [Formula: see text](1020) meson in the fiducial region 500 [Formula: see text] 1200 MeV, [Formula: see text] 0.