scholarly journals Metabolic Response of RAW 264.7 Macrophages to Exposure to Crude Particulate Matter and a Reduced Content of Organic Matter

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Monika Jankowska-Kieltyka ◽  
Adam Roman ◽  
Magdalena Mikrut ◽  
Marta Kowalska ◽  
Rudi van Eldik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Cell Viability ◽  
Metabolic Activity ◽  
Raw 264.7 ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Raw 264.7 Macrophages ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact

Exposure to air pollution from various airborne particulate matter (PM) is regarded as a potential health risk. Airborne PM penetrates the lungs, where it is taken up by macrophages, what results in macrophage activation and can potentially lead to negative consequences for the organism. In the present study, we assessed the effects of direct exposure of RAW 264.7 macrophages to crude PM (NIST1648a) and to a reduced content of organic matter (LAp120) for up to 72 h on selected parameters of metabolic activity. These included cell viability and apoptosis, metabolic activity and cell number, ROS synthesis, nitric oxide (NO) release, and oxidative burst. The results indicated that both NIST1648a and LAp120 negatively influenced the parameters of cell viability and metabolic activity due to increased ROS synthesis. The negative effect of PM was concentration-dependent; i.e., it was the most pronounced for the highest concentration applied. The impact of PM also depended on the time of exposure, so at respective time points, PM induced different effects. There were also differences in the impact of NIST1648a and LAp120 on almost all parameters tested. The negative effect of LAp120 was more pronounced, what appeared to be associated with an increased content of metals.

Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on IT Sector. The Case of Greece

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Keyword(s):  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Innovation Development ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Greek Economy ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
The Impact

The impact of the Information and Technology (IT) sector on the countries’ innovation development has been recognized as crucial in prior and recent research studies. Moreover, firms’ innovativeness affects positively countries’ economies. Nevertheless, the global economic crisis of the last decade constituted a significant barrier to the development of country economies and had a negative effect on firms’ performance. Specifically, the negative consequences of the global crisis became harder for Southern Europe Countries. More specifically the Greek economy was suffered by an extended period of crisis with harder consequences than those of other European countries. The main purpose of this study was to examine the financial performance of Greek IT firms in the early years of crisis. Our findings have been relevant to those of previous studies which observed negative effects of the financial recession on firms profitability.

Drought stress increases the expression of barley defence genes with negative consequences for infesting cereal aphids

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Leybourne ◽  
Tracy Valentine ◽  
Kirsty Binnie ◽  
Anna Taylor ◽  
Alison Jane Karley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Aphid Species ◽  
Susceptible Variety ◽  
Aphid Resistance ◽  
Herbivorous Insects ◽  
Cereal Aphids ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Resistant Plant ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact

Crops are exposed to myriad abiotic and biotic stressors with negative consequences. Two stressors that are expected to increase under climate change are drought and infestation with herbivorous insects, including important aphid species. Expanding our understanding of the impact drought has on the plant-aphid relationship will become increasingly important under future climate scenarios. Here we use a previously characterised plant-aphid system comprising a susceptible variety of barley, a wild relative of barley with partial-aphid resistance, and the bird cherry-oat aphid to examine the drought-plant-aphid relationship. We show that drought has a negative effect on plant physiology and aphid fitness and provide evidence to suggest that plant resistance influences aphid responses to drought stress, with the expression of aphid detoxification genes increasing under drought when feeding on the susceptible plant but decreasing on the partially-resistant plant. Furthermore, we show that the expression of thionin genes, plant defensive compounds that contribute aphid resistance, increase ten-fold in susceptible plants exposed to drought stress but remain at constant levels in the partially-resistant plant, suggesting they play an important role in modulating aphid populations. This study highlights the role of plant defensive processes in mediating the interactions between the environment, plants, and herbivorous insects.

scholarly journals Does Customer Demotion Jeopardize Loyalty?

2009 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 69-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tillmann Wagner ◽  
Thorsten Hennig-Thurau ◽  
Thomas Rudolph
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Loyalty Programs ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Managerial Decision ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Loyalty Intentions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Scenario Study

Hierarchical loyalty programs award elevated customer status (e.g., “elite membership”) to consumers who meet a predefined spending level. However, if a customer subsequently falls short of the required spending level, firms commonly revoke that status. The authors investigate the impact of such customer demotion on loyalty intentions toward the firm. Building on prospect theory and emotions theory, the authors hypothesize that changes in customer status have an asymmetric negative effect, such that the negative impact of customer demotion is stronger than the positive impact of status increases. An experimental scenario study provides evidence that loyalty intentions are indeed lower for demoted customers than for those who have never been awarded a preferred status, meaning that hierarchical loyalty programs can drive otherwise loyal customers away from a firm. A field study using proprietary sales data from a different industry context demonstrates the robustness of the negative impact of customer demotion. The authors test the extent to which design variables of hierarchical loyalty programs may attenuate the negative consequences of status demotions with a second experimental scenario study and present an analytical model that links status demotion to customer equity to aid managerial decision making.

scholarly journals Degradation of urban space as a negative effect of mine closures

2021 ◽  
Vol 942 (1) ◽  
pp. 012028
Author(s):  
A Kozlowska-Woszczycka
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
General Condition ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Technical Condition ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The article presents one of the social aspects of mine closure, which concerns degraded urban space. One of the post-industrial districts of Waibrzych: Sobiecin was selected as a case study, in which the general condition of the buildings was assessed. The closure of mines is the last stage of mining activity, the result of which should be a permanent minimization of the negative consequences of the impact of the mining industry. The closure of mining enterprises has environmental, social and economic consequences. The liquidation of the Waibrzych coal mines in the 1990s resulted in a rapid de-industrialization of the region and did not provide the means to contain the domino effect it caused. At that time, economic and social changes began in Waibrzych, and unorganized and intense changes took place in the city space. Liquidation processes in the mining industry have led, among others, to the physical and aesthetic degradation of residential buildings and other facilities. The purpose of this article is to assess the general condition of buildings located in an area affected by the negative consequences of mine closures. To achieve this goal, an inventory of the technical condition of the buildings was made. The external elements of the building were assessed by means of a field interview: the facade, door and window joinery and roof covering. The inventory process was supported by drone flights. The collected data was used for graphic and tabular studies, summarizing the condition of buildings and the degree of degradation of urban space.

The contribution of instream wood to streambed organic matter controls on microbial metabolic activity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Howard ◽  
Sami Ullah ◽  
Nick Kettridge ◽  
Ian Baker ◽  
Stefan Krause
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Metabolic Activity ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Nutrient Turnover ◽  
Instream Wood ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Microbial Metabolic Activity

<p>Microbial metabolic activity (MMA) in streambeds drives greenhouse gas (GHG) production and nutrient turnover. Previous research has identified that the quantity and quality of organic matter (OM) are important controls on MMA. Instream wood may make a significant contribution to the total OM content of the streambed, especially in forested streams, but it has typically been ignored or explicitly omitted in previous research. By means of an incubation experiment, we investigate the impact of streambed wood on MMA, GHG production and nutrient turnover rates. By using three geologies (sandstone, chalk and limestone) and allowing temperatures to fluctuate with environmental conditions, we observe these impacts under a range of typical scenarios. These results could have implications for estimates of GHG emissions from streams and inform catchment management, for example the impacts of direct installation of instream wood in river restoration or the indirect input as a result of riparian planting.</p>

Homocysteine elicits an M1 phenotype in murine macrophages through an EMMPRIN-mediated pathway

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (7) ◽  
pp. 577-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee J. Winchester ◽  
Sudhakar Veeranki ◽  
Srikanth Givvimani ◽  
Suresh C. Tyagi
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Inflammatory Diseases ◽  
Raw 264.7 ◽  
Macrophage Phenotype ◽  
Raw 264.7 Macrophages ◽  
M1 Macrophage ◽  
Endothelial Nitric Oxide ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is associated with inflammatory diseases and is known to increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and inducible nitric oxide synthase, and to decrease endothelial nitric oxide production. However, the impact of HHcy on macrophage phenotype differentiation is not well-established. It has been documented that macrophages have 2 distinct phenotypes: the “classically activated/destructive” (M1), and the “alternatively activated/constructive” (M2) subtypes. We hypothesize that HHcy increases M1 macrophage differentiation through extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN), a known inducer of matrix metalloproteinases. Methods: murine J774A.1 and Raw 264.7 macrophages were treated with 100 and 500 μmol/L Hcy, respectively, for 24 h. Samples were analyzed using Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. Results: Homocysteine treatment increased cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40; M1 marker) in J774A.1 and Raw 264.7 macrophages. MMP-9 was induced in both cell lines. EMMPRIN protein expression was also increased in both cell lines. Blocking EMMPRIN function by pre-treating cells with anti-EMMPRIN antibody, with or without Hcy, resulted in significantly lower expression of CD40 in both cell lines by comparison with the controls. A DCFDA assay demonstrated increased ROS production in both cell lines with Hcy treatment when compared with the controls. Conclusion: Our results suggest that HHcy results in an increase of the M1 macrophage phenotype. This effect seems to be at least partially mediated by EMMPRIN induction.

scholarly journals Concentration and size distribution of microbial aerosol in the historical objects in Kraków as a potential health risk and biodeterioration factor

Aerobiologia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-758
Author(s):  
Maria Chmiel ◽  
Iga Kral ◽  
Anna Lenart-Boroń
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Internal Source ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Bacterial Aerosol ◽  
Historical Objects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Microbiological Analyses

Abstract Historical facilities such as churches, crypts, libraries and museums are crucial for preserving cultural heritage but at the same time, they are frequently visited tourist objects and working environment. The aim of this study was to assess whether there are differences in the concentration and size distribution of bacterial and fungal aerosol in the mentioned groups of historical objects in Kraków, as well as to determine if there is tendency for seasonal fluctuations of bioaerosol concentrations, and what environmental parameters affect them most significantly. The concentrations of bacterial and fungal aerosol were measured in ten historical objects—churches, crypts, libraries and museums—using a six-stage Andersen impactor. Microbiological analyses were accompanied by measurements of particulate matter (PM10, PM4, PM2.5 and PM1) and microclimatic parameters. The results showed that the studied objects differ in terms of bioaerosol levels, but the differences were not drastic and in terms of bacterial aerosol concentrations the objects can be arranged as follows: churches > libraries > museums > crypts, while for fungal aerosol the order would be: churches > museums > crypts > libraries. The concentrations of bioaerosol did not exceed the safety levels for human exposure, but the levels suggesting possible threat of biodeterioration and the presence of internal source of contamination were exceeded in nearly all sites. The share of respirable fraction of bioaerosol was high (42.1–90.5% for bacteria and 80.7–94.7% for fungi). Bioaerosol concentration was most significantly associated with indoor temperature, and the impact of particulate matter was only moderate.

scholarly journals Why vote when you cannot choose? EU intervention and political participation in times of constraint

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 406-428
Author(s):  
Stuart J Turnbull-Dugarte
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Support ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Political Behaviour ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Policy Alternatives ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact

This article analyses how economic intervention affects individuals’ political behaviour by assessing the impact of intervention on aggregate and individual turnout. The intervention of the European Union in a selection of member states is viewed as having negative consequences for democratic choice, reducing the ability of voters to select between distinct policy alternatives, resulting in the absence of the primary benefit of voting: choice. It is argued that when voters are faced with electoral choices without the ability to shape policy alternatives, they are less likely to vote. Moreover, the negative effect of intervention is found to be conditioned by both individuals’ level of education and ideological identification. Voters on the centre and the left who feel abandoned by left-leaning parties, who have prioritised being responsible to their European paymasters, are significantly more likely to abstain when exposed to intervention. Empirical support for the argument is found via the analysis of aggregate turnout as well as individual level data from the European Social Survey from across fifteen Western European states.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study on Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Activity and Anti-Inflammatory Capacity of Aqueous and Ethanolic Extracts of Sorghum in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced RAW 264.7 Macrophages

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1297
Author(s):  
Shan Hong ◽  
Philipus Pangloli ◽  
Ramasamy Perumal ◽  
Sarah Cox ◽  
Leela E. Noronha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phenolic Compounds ◽  
Antioxidant Activities ◽  
Radical Scavenging ◽  
Raw 264.7 Cells ◽  
Raw 264.7 ◽  
Scavenging Activity ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Raw 264.7 Macrophages ◽  
Ethanolic Extracts ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

Sorghum is an important cereal with diverse phenolic compounds that have potential health promoting benefits. The current study comparatively characterized the phenolic contents of two novel black-seeded sorghum lines (SC84 and PI570481) using different extraction systems (water, ethanol and their acidified counterparts) and evaluated their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Phenolic compositions were determined by spectrophotometric assays and HPLC analysis. Antioxidant activities were assessed by radical scavenging effects on nitric oxide (NO) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals, and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Anti-inflammatory capacity was estimated by measuring levels of pro-inflammatory markers produced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. Results showed that effects of solvent types and HCl on extraction efficiency differed among phenolic compounds and sorghum samples. Tannins were the most dominant polyphenols in the studied extracts (11.11–136.11 mg epicatechin equivalent/g sorghum). Sorghum extracts exerted more potent scavenging activity on DPPH than NO radicals. In LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells, sorghum extracts dose-dependently inhibited the production of NO, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), with ethanolic extracts showing greater anti-inflammatory activity. Positive correlations were noted between tannin content and DPPH radical scavenging activity, and anti-inflammatory capacity. These results suggest the potential role of tannin-rich sorghum extracts against inflammation and associated diseases.

scholarly journals Does Economic Growth and Inflation Impact Consumer Confidence during a Pandemic? An Empirical Analysis in EU Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-13
Author(s):  
Larissa Bătrâncea
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Monetary Policies ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Consumer Prices ◽  
Inflation Rates ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The study investigates the capacity of European Union member states to face the effects of the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Namely, by means of a panel data analysis, the study reports on the impact of economic growth (proxied by gross domestic product) and inflation rates (proxied by harmonized indices of consumer prices) on the overall confidence indicator corresponding to 27 EU countries for the period fourth quarter 2019–third quarter 2020. Results showed that inflation had a negative influence on the confidence indicator during the pandemic crisis, while economic growth had no impact. The negative effect triggered by inflation uncovered the impact of monetary policies and fiscal policies on the staggering level of public debt. The study emphasizes that inflation plays a significant role in the market economy, reason for which governments should monitor this factor when trying to stimulate the economy and set appropriate policies for eliminating negative consequences of potential future recession periods.

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