Indirect Action Research Articles

1832-P: Palmitic Acid Esters of Hydroxy Stearic Acids Reduce Endogenous Glucose Production through GPR43 Activation

Palmitic Acid esters of Hydroxy Stearic Acids (PAHSAs), bioactive lipids with anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects, improve systemic and hepatic insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant mice. PAHSAs augment insulin action on endogenous glucose production (EGP) through direct and indirect actions involving inter-tissue communication between liver and adipose tissue. The direct effect of PAHSAs to inhibit EGP is mediated through a cAMP dependent pathway involving Gα/i protein-coupled receptors. Here, we investigated which receptor mediates PAHSA effects on EGP. We found that 9-PAHSA activates GPR43 in a Ca+2 flux assay. 4-CMTB (0.4μM), a selective agonist-allosteric modulator of GPR43, reduced basal EGP by 23% and glucagon-stimulated EGP by 20% in primary hepatocytes ex vivo. Acute 9-PAHSA treatment (40μM) inhibited basal EGP to the same extent as 4-CMTB. 9-PAHSA suppression of basal EGP was abolished in primary hepatocytes from whole body GPR43 KO mice. Intravenous infusion of 9-PAHSA (9μg/hr) for 3 hrs decreased ambient EGP in chow-fed mice studied 5 hours after food removal (WT: vehicle= 24.2±1.9 vs. PAHSA= 17.2±0.7 mg/kg/min p<0.05). This effect was absent in GPR43 KO mice (KO: vehicle= 25.3±4.2 vs. PAHSA= 23.4±2.7 mg/kg/min). We also examined whether GPR43 activation is required for the direct effect of 9-PAHSA on WAT lipolysis. Treatment with the β-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol increased FFA release from WAT explants by 3.8-fold, and 9-PAHSA inhibited isoproterenol-induced lipolysis by 21% which was similar to the effects of insulin and 4-CMTB. In WAT explants from GPR43 KO mice, 9-PAHSA suppression of isoproterenol-induced FFA release was abolished while insulin still suppressed lipolysis. Sum: 9-PAHSA activates GPR43, which is involved in its direct effects to reduce hepatic glucose production and WAT lipolysis. Conclusion: We have identified a new receptor that mediates some of the beneficial metabolic effects of PAHSAs. Disclosure A. Santoro: None. P. Zhou: None. Y. Zhu: None. O.D. Peroni: None. A.T. Nelson: None. D. Siegel: None. B. Kahn: Advisory Panel; Self; Harrington Discovery Institute, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Funding American Diabetes Association (1-18-PDF-134 to P.Z.); National Institutes of Health (DK43051, DK57521, DK106210, DK112622); JPB Foundation; American Heart Association

The Neurochemical Effects of Prazosin Treatment on Fear Circuitry in a Rat Traumatic Stress Model.

ObjectiveThe timing of administration of pharmacologic agents is crucial in traumatic stress since they can either potentiate the original fear memory or may cause fear extinction depending on the phase of fear conditioning. Brain noradrenergic system has a role in fear conditioning. Data regarding the role of prazosin in traumatic stress are controversial.MethodsIn this study, we examined the effects of prazosin and the noradrenergic system in fear conditioning in a predator stress rat model. We evaluated the direct or indirect effects of stress and prazosin on noradrenaline (NA), gamma-aminobuytyric acid (GABA), glutamate, glycine levels and choline esterase activity in the amygdaloid complex, the dorsal hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex and the rostral pons.ResultsOur results demonstrated that prazosin might alleviate defensive behaviors and traumatic stress symptoms when given during the traumatic cue presentation in the stressed rats. However prazosin administration resulted in higher anxiety levels in non stressed rats when the neutral cue was presented.ConclusionPrazosin should be used in PTSD with caution because prazosin might exacerbate anxiety in non-traumatized subjects. However prazosin might as well alleviate stress responses very effectively. Stress induced changes included increased NA and GABA levels in the amygdaloid complex in our study, attributing noradrenaline a possible inhibitory role on fear acquisition. Acetylcholine also has a role in memory modulation in the brain. We also demonstrated increased choline esterase acitivity. Cholinergic modulation might be another target for indirect prazosin action which needs to be further studied.

Modeling Direct and Indirect Action on Cell Survival After Photon Irradiation under Normoxia and Hypoxia.

The demand for personalized medicine in radiotherapy has been met by a surge of mechanistic models offering predictions of the biological effect of ionizing radiation under consideration of a growing number of parameters. We present an extension of our existing model of cell survival after photon irradiation to explicitly differentiate between the damage inflicted by the direct and indirect (radicals-mediated) action of ionizing radiation. Within our approach, we assume that the oxygenation status affects the indirect action. The effect of different concentrations of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), an effective radical scavenger, has been simulated at different dose levels in normoxic and hypoxic conditions for various cell lines. Our model is found to accurately predict experimental data available in literature, validating the assumptions made in our approach. The presented extension adds further flexibility to our model and could act as basis for further developments of our model.

Water radiolysis with thermal neutrons, fast neutrons and contamination γ rays in the accelerator based thermal neutron field: Time dependence of hydroxyl radical yields

Radiation chemical yields (G value) of OH radicals created in the accelerator-based neutron field are evaluated using coumarin-3-carboxilic acid (C3CA) solution to understand the role of the indirect action induced by radiations emitted as a result of 10B(n,α)7Li reactions for boron neutron capture therapy. The G values for ionizing radiations emitted as a result of 10B(n,α)7Li reactions, the contamination (ionizing) radiations (i.e., fast neutrons and γ rays) in the accelerator-based neutron field are discriminately assessed. We have followed the recombination process of OH radicals by adjusting the concentration of C3CA solution from 0.5 to 20 mM. The G values for ionizing radiations emitted as a result of 10B(n,α)7Li reactions are the lowest ones. This finding indicates that the indirect action induced by 10B(n,α)7Li reactions is not effective to kill tissues. In comparison to this, a significant influence would be expected by the contamination (ionizing) radiations not only on cancer tissues but also on healthy tissues.

Agroecology as a pathway to resilience justice: peasant movements and collective action in the Niayes coastal region of Senegal

ABSTRACT In semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa, farming populations face harsh climatic conditions but also very unequal and dynamic social processes that affect their resilience. This study addresses aspects of power and social justice related to the social-ecological system of the Niayes coastal region of Senegal and examines the potential of agroecology to improve the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers. We performed a knowledge co-production process with a local farmer union to identify the main social-ecological nexuses that matter for smallholder farmers, their dynamics and the influence of powerful actors and institutions on them. We also look at the potential actions of the farmer union under the banner of agroecology to transform these dynamics. We found that social-ecological dynamics involve reinforcing feedback loops that undermine the resilience of smallholder farmers and that powerful actors such as agribusinesses have a strong influence on these processes. Union actions promoting agroecology have enhanced system thinking and related solutions, but observed social justice claims are very recent and have a limited scope. Our findings expand the notion of resilience grabbing, understood as the undermining of resilience through the loss of commons, to include systemic degradations due to direct and indirect actions of involved stakeholders. We also propose to expand the notion of resilience justice vertically, integrating procedural and recognition justice, and horizontally, integrating linked social-ecological issues. We conclude that agroecology can become a transformative bridge from resilience grabbing to resilience justice, but must be more sensitive to power relations, in particular around labour.

A comment on the multifaceted relationship between multinational enterprises and within-country inequality

PurposeWhether by direct or indirect action (or by inaction), multinational enterprises (MNEs) can have both a positive and a negative effect on within-country social and economic inequality. This paper aims to comment on this multifaceted relationship between MNEs and within-country inequality.Design/methodology/approachGiven the absence of either robust theory or evidence in the neglected realm of MNEs and within-countries inequalities, this paper offers some general observations, highlights some of the key issues and illustrates possible avenues for future research studies.FindingsThe capacity of MNEs to upgrade economic activity in the host country is a key policy objective. MNEs have arguably contributed to reducing income inequalities between countries. However, the limited evidence available suggests that the gains of FDI are rarely evenly distributed within recipient countries, and many of the underlying dynamics need further investigation.Social implicationsThe authors broaden the engagement with inequality beyond income levels, as this is just one aspect of inequality that shapes or impedes human development. They believe it is necessary – for both MNEs and policymakers – to have a more nuanced understanding of how, and under what circumstances, the presence of MNEs affects inequality in host economies.Originality/valueThis paper relates the large literature on inequality (going beyond the mainstream focus on income inequality) to the mainstream understanding of MNE-assisted development.

An Orthopaedic Department's Response to the COVID-19 Health-Care Crisis: Indirect and Direct Actions with Thoughts for the Future.

An Orthopaedic Department's Response to the COVID-19 Health-Care Crisis: Indirect and Direct Actions with Thoughts for the Future.

Hi-JAKi-ng Synovial Fibroblasts in Inflammatory Arthritis With JAK Inhibitors.

The Janus kinase (JAK)—Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway is one of the central signaling hubs in inflammatory, immune and cancer cells. Inhibiting the JAK-STAT pathway with JAK inhibitors (jakinibs) constitutes an important therapeutic strategy in cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). FDA has approved different jakinibs for the treatment of RA, including tofacitinib, baricitinib and upadacitinib, and several jakinibs are being tested in clinical trials. Here, we reviewed published studies of jakinib effects on resolving synovial pathology in inflammatory arthritis. We discussed the results of jakinibs on structural joint damage in clinical trials and explored the effects of jakinibs across different in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo synovial experimental models. We delved rigorously into experimental designs of in vitro fibroblast studies, deconvoluted jakinib efficacy in synovial fibroblasts across diverse experimental conditions and discussed their translatability in vivo. Synovial fibroblasts can readily activate the JAK-STAT signaling pathway in response to cytokine stimulation. We highlighted rather limited effects of jakinibs on the in vitro cultured synovial fibroblasts and inferred that direct and indirect (immune cell-dependent) actions of jakinibs are required to curb the fibroblast pathology in vivo. These actions have not been mimicked optimally in current in vitro experimental designs, where inflammatory stimuli do not naturally clear out with treatment as they do in vivo. While summarizing the broad knowledge of synovial jakinib effects, our review uniquely challenges future study designs to better mimick the jakinib actions in broader cell communities, as occurring in vivo in the inflamed synovium. This can deepen our understanding of collective synovial activities of jakinibs and their therapeutic limitations, thereby fostering jakinib development in arthritis.

Indirect health sector actions and supportive strategies to prevent malnutrition.

Malnutrition is a pervasive problem that causes negative acute, long-term, and intergenerational consequences. As we have begun to move from efficacy to effectiveness trials of nutrition interventions, and further still to more holistic case study approaches to understanding how and why nutrition outcomes change over time, it has become clear that more emphasis on the 'nutrition-sensitive' interventions is required. In this article, we propose recategorizing the nutrition-specific and sensitive terminology into a new framework that includes direct and indirect health sector actions and supportive strategies that exist outside the health sector; an adjustment that will improve sector-specific planning and accountability. We outline indirect health sector nutrition interventions, with a focus on family planning and the evidence to support its positive link with nutrition outcomes. In addition, we discuss supportive strategies for nutrition, with emphasis on agriculture and food security, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and poverty alleviation and highlight some of the recent evidence that has contributed to these fields. Indirect health sector nutrition interventions and supportive strategies for nutrition will be critical, alongside direct health sector nutrition interventions, to reach global targets. Investments should be made both inside and outside the health sector.

CDC1 prime and receive help from CD4 T cells to promote anti-tumor responses

Abstract CD4 T cells are thought to help promote anti-tumour responses by ‘licensing’ antigen presenting cells (APCs) that activate CD8 T cells. Conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1s) are responsible for cross-presentation of tumour-derived antigens to CD8 T cells. Prevailing models presume that the cDC1 is licensed by CD4 T cells that are themselves activated by a distinct cDC subset, the cDC2. The recent finding that neoantigens presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules can promote rejection of tumours that lack MHC class II (MHC-II) surface expression is consistent with an indirect action of CD4 T cells, such as cDC1 licensing. However, no study has directly identified the APC that primes the CD4 T cells responsible for licensing or clearly identified the target of CD4 licensing in vivo. Here, we generated cDC1-specific Cre expressing mouse strain to inactivate or induce expression of MHC-I, MHC-II, or CD40 specifically within the cDC1 lineage. Using a tumour model that relies on CD8 T cells and CD4 T cells for rejection, we discovered that priming of CD4 T cells against tumour-derived antigens, in contrast to soluble antigens, relied overwhelmingly on the cDC1 and not the cDC2. cDC1 do not simply transport antigen to lymph nodes for processing by cDC2, since lack of MHC-II expression on cDC1 prevented CD4 T cell priming. We also found that CD40 signaling not only affects licensing of cDC1 for CD8 T cell priming, but is also critical for the activation of CD4 T cells. Thus, in the setting of tumour-derived antigens, cDC1 function as an autonomous platform capable of priming both CD4 and CD8 T cells and orchestrating their cross-talk required for optimal anti-tumour immunity.

Prenatal aromatase inhibition alters postnatal immunity in domestic chickens (Gallus gallus)

In birds, exposure to exogenous testosterone during embryonic development can suppress measures of immune function; however, it is unclear whether these effects are due to direct or indirect action via aromatization. Estradiol (E2) is synthesized from testosterone by the enzyme aromatase, and this conversion is a necessary step in many signaling pathways that are ostensibly testosterone-dependent. Many lines of evidence in mammals indicate that E2 can affect immune function. We tested the hypothesis that some of the immunomodulatory effects observed in response to in ovo testosterone exposure in birds are mediated by conversion to E2 by aromatase, by using fadrozole to inhibit aromatization of endogenous testosterone during a crucial period of embryonic immune system development in domestic chickens (Gallus gallus). We then measured total IgY antibody count, response to PHA challenge, mass of thymus and bursa of Fabricius, and plasma testosterone post-hatch on days 3 and 18. Because testosterone has a reputation for immunosuppression, we predicted that if modulation of an immune measure by testosterone is dependent on aromatization, then inhibition of estrogen production by fadrozole treatment would lead to elevated measures of that parameter. Conversely, if testosterone inhibits an immune measure directly, then fadrozole treatment would likely not alter that parameter. Fadrozole treatment reduced circulating E2 in female embryos, but had no effect on males or on testosterone in either sex. Fadrozole-treated chicks had decreased day 3 plasma IgY antibody titers and a strong trend towards increased day 18 thymic mass. Furthermore, fadrozole treatment generated a positive relationship between testosterone and thymic mass in males, and tended to increase day 18 IgY levels for a given bursal mass in females. There was no effect on PHA response, bursal mass, or plasma testosterone at either age post-hatch. The alteration of several indicators of immune function in fadrozole-treated chicks implicates aromatization as a relevant pathway through which developmental exposure to testosterone can affect immunity in birds.

Role of plants in the transmission of Asaia sp., which potentially inhibit the Plasmodium sporogenic cycle in Anopheles mosquitoes

Biological control against malaria and its transmission is currently a considerable challenge. Plant-associated bacteria of the genus Asaia are frequently found in nectarivorous arthropods, they thought to have a natural indirect action on the development of plasmodium in mosquitoes. However, virtually nothing is known about its natural cycle. Here, we show the role of nectar-producing plants in the hosting and dissemination of Asaia. We isolated Asaia strains from wild mosquitoes and flowers in Senegal and demonstrated the transmission of the bacteria from infected mosquitoes to sterile flowers and then to 26.6% of noninfected mosquitoes through nectar feeding. Thus, nectar-producing plants may naturally acquire Asaia and then colonize Anopheles mosquitoes through food-borne contamination. Finally, Asaia may play an indirect role in the reduction in the vectorial capacity of Anopheles mosquitoes in a natural environment (due to Plasmodium-antagonistic capacities of Asaia) and be used in the development of tools for Asaia-based paratransgenetic malaria control.

Theoretical Substantiation of Specifics of Formation of Ukrainian National Moral and Ethical Values of the Person at a Young School Age

The article provides a theoretical substantiation of the specificity of formation of Ukrainian national moral and ethical values of younger students’ personality. The comparative analysis of existing points of view on the nature of moral and ethical values and their functional significance in the formation of personality is carried out. The content of national moral and ethical values as a historical property of the people, which determine its mentality and national character, is revealed. Ukrainian national moral and ethical values are as imperative entities, developed and formed, which exist throughout the life of the Ukrainian people, they have an intransitive character, moral requirements, regulate the regulatory function and use the necessary knowledge regarding their free species and personality. Ukrainian ethnology has shown that it is possible to preserve Ukrainian national moral and ethical factors by growing up in childbirth, defining enrichment and updating the most up-to-date elementary education. The younger school age becomes more sensitive in the development of moral and ethical and the qualities that determine the patterns, moral behavior is formed. The goals and content of the process of formation of moral and ethical values of junior students by means of the sciences are specified through adequate tasks, which reflect the main directions of educational influence on the personality of the student. In the formation of the system of moral and ethical values in the younger students pedagogical efforts and actions of the primary school teacher should be directed to the development of moral and ethical needs and motives of behavior, formation of ethical knowledge and education of ethical feelings, development of appropriate skills, habits, as well as strengthening of will qualities. In formation of moral and ethical values of people do not matter indirect educational actions, but the attitude of the pupil to them, transformation of external influences into the internal moral and psychological sphere of personality, internal perception of external influences, including educational ones.

Skeletal Toxicity of Coplanar Polychlorinated Biphenyl Congener 126 in the Rat Is Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Dependent.

Epidemiological evidence links polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to skeletal toxicity, however mechanisms whereby PCBs affect bone are poorly studied. In this study, coplanar PCB 126 (5 μmol/kg) or corn oil vehicle was administered to N = 5 and 6 male and female, wild type (WT) or AhR -/- rats via intraperitoneal injection. Animals were sacrificed after 4 weeks. Bone length was measured; bone morphology was assessed by microcomputed tomography and dynamic histomorphometry. Reduced bone length was the only genotype-specific effect and only observed in males (p < .05). WT rats exposed to PCB 126 had reduced serum calcium, and smaller bones with reduced tibial length, cortical area, and medullary area relative to vehicle controls (p < .05). Reduced bone formation rate observed in dynamic histomorphometry was consistent with inhibition of endosteal and periosteal bone growth. The effects of PCB 126 were abolished in AhR -/- rats. Gene expression in bone marrow and shaft were assessed by RNA sequencing. Approximately 75% of the PCB-regulated genes appeared AhR dependent with 89 genes significantly (p < .05) regulated by both PCB 126 and knockout of the AhR gene. Novel targets significantly induced by PCB 126 included Indian hedgehog (Ihh) and connective tissue growth factor (Ctgf/Ccn2), which regulate chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation in the bone growth plate and cell-matrix interactions. These data suggest the toxic effects of PCB 126 on bone are mediated by AhR, which has direct effects on the growth plate and indirect actions related to endocrine disruption. These studies clarify important mechanisms underlying skeletal toxicity of dioxin-like PCBs and highlight potential therapeutic targets.

Understanding the Mechanism of Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Action in the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus: A Promising Candidate in the Treatment of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases

Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF21), when administered pharmacologically reduces body weight, increases insulin sensitivity and energy expenditure, and induces browning of white adipose tissue (WAT). Research has shown that FGF21 signaling in the brain is required for the induction of these metabolic benefits, with the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) as a potential primary site of action. However, the neuronal circuits and precise mechanisms mediating FGF21’s metabolic effects remain incompletely understood. Further, the role of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in this process remains unclear. Here, we aimed to address these questions using dietary methionine restriction (MR) as a tool to stimulate endogenous FGF21 production in WT and FGF21 KO mice fed a control or a high‐fat diet. Dietary MR rapidly and persistently increases serum FGF21 concentration by up to 8‐fold (p&lt;0.0001). We found that in WT mice, MR increased energy expenditure and thermogenic markers in iWAT and BAT, an indication of increased SNS output to these tissues in WT, but not FGF21 KO mice. Additionally, we observed increased ERK phosphorylation in the PVN of the WT but not FGF21 KO mice, supporting PVN neurons as a likely target mediating FGF21 actions. To further investigate the role of FGF21 in the PVN, we used whole‐cell patch clamp recordings in retrogradely‐labelled presympathetic PVN neurons projecting to the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), and measured the effects of the FGF21 analog LY2405319 (500nM) on the firing activity of PVN‐RVLM neurons. Recordings in current‐clamp mode showed that FGF21 either increased (33% of recorded neurons) or decreased (67% of recorded neurons) the firing activity of these neurons suggesting that FGF21 effects may depend on their projecting targets. Recordings in voltage‐clamp mode also showed that FGF21 significantly decreased the degree of activity of GABAergic inhibitory inputs into these neurons. Thus, LY2405319 inhibited the frequency of GABA inhibitory postsynaptic current (IPSC) (42.02% decrease, p&lt; 0.05), suggesting that FGF21 effects on presympathetic neurons in the PVN could be mediated by direct and/or indirect actions, including modulation of local network activity, such as local GABAergic interneurons. Taken together, our data support the hypothesis that FGF21 signals through PVN neurons to increase SNS output to adipose tissue, resulting in increased energy expenditure, reduced body weight, and improved insulin sensitivity.

Properties and Skin Compatibility of Films Based on Poly(Lactic Acid) (PLA) Bionanocomposites Incorporating Chitin Nanofibrils (CN).

Nanobiocomposites suitable for preparing skin compatible films by flat die extrusion were prepared by using plasticized poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA), and Chitin nanofibrils as functional filler. Chitin nanofibrils (CNs) were dispersed in the blends thanks to the preparation of pre-nanocomposites containing poly(ethylene glycol). Thanks to the use of a melt strength enhancer (Plastistrength) and calcium carbonate, the processability and thermal properties of bionanocomposites films containing CNs could be tuned in a wide range. Moreover, the resultant films were flexible and highly resistant. The addition of CNs in the presence of starch proved not advantageous because of an extensive chain scission resulting in low values of melt viscosity. The films containing CNs or CNs and calcium carbonate resulted biocompatible and enabled the production of cells defensins, acting as indirect anti-microbial. Nevertheless, tests made with Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter spp. (Gram positive and negative respectively) by the qualitative agar diffusion test did not show any direct anti-microbial activity of the films. The results are explained considering the morphology of the film and the different mechanisms of direct and indirect anti-microbial action generated by the nanobiocomposite based films.

Evapotranspiration and crop coefficient of tomato grown in a solar greenhouse under full and deficit irrigation

Information of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and crop coefficient (Kc) is essential for improving water use and optimizing irrigation scheduling. Here, a three-year (2015, 2016 and 2019) experiment was conducted for tomato grown in a solar greenhouse under full and deficit drip irrigation to investigate the variation of ETc measured by sap flow system plus micro-lysimeter in 2015 and by weighing lysimeter in 2016 and 2019. The controlling meteorological factors on ETc in two irrigation treatments were analyzed by using path analysis method. A single crop coefficient model considering leaf senescence, soil water stress and fraction of canopy cover was proposed under two irrigation levels. The results showed that total seasonal ETc over the whole growth stage under full irrigation was 310−350 mm, which was 16–23 % higher than that under deficit irrigation. The maximum hourly ETc rate in each month during the three-years experiment varied from 0.15 to 0.89, and from 0.15 to 1.88 mm h−1, respectively, under deficit and full irrigation. Path analysis showed that the net radiation was the dominant meteorological factor aff ;ecting ETc through the direct eff ;ect, followed by the vapor pressure deficit, mainly through an indirect action on ETc. The Kc values at different growth stages estimated by the proposed single crop coefficient model under full and deficit irrigation agreed well with the measured ones, and the water stress coefficient, Ks, under deficit irrigation varied from 0.5 to 1.0. The proposed single crop coefficient model also estimate daily ETc of drip irrigated tomato reasonably in the solar greenhouse with regression coefficient of 0.93−0.99, determination of coefficient of 0.78−0.95 and root mean square root of 0.35−0.52 mm d−1.

Comparison of Direct and Indirect Effect of Spark Discharge Plasma and UV Lamp Radiation on Water and an Aqueous Solution of Methyl Orange

The oxidation of methyl orange (MO) under the influence of radiation from spark discharge plasma in air and a low-pressure mercury lamp is studied. Two modes of sample processing are compared: the action of radiation on an aqueous solution of MO (mode 1, direct action) and the action of radiation on water, after which the water is mixed with a solution of MO (mode 2, indirect action). The radiation energy of the mercury lamp is ten times greater than the energy of radiation from spark discharge, but the yield of MO oxidation under the action of the mercury lamp is 100 times lesser than the yield under the action of spark discharge radiation. This is due to the difference in the spectrum of radiation and the operating regime (continuous and pulsed). The yields of MO oxidation under the action of spark discharge plasma radiation for modes 1 and 2 are the same and amount to 1.2–1.3 1/(100 eV). This means that active species are first produced in water and then interact with the dissolved substance, indirect mechanism takes place. Under the action of radiation from a mercury lamp, the oxidation yield in mode 2 is zero within the limits of experimental errors, direct mechanism takes place.

ASSESSING ANTIOXIDANT AND PROOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF LACTOBACILLI AND ENTEROCOCCI STRAINS BY USING ORAC AND LUX-BIOSENSOR METHODS

Lactobacilli are widely used in medicine as probiotic bacteria. Lactobacilli are considered one of the most important types of intestinal microbes. These bacteria have an antioxidant, gene protective effect on the immune and nervous systems of the host. But some strains of enterococci can be pathogenic microorganisms and cause diseases such as urinary tract infections, bacteremia, infections at the surgical sites, bloodstream infections, diarrhea. The need to study the beneficial and harmful properties of bacteria for humans determines the relevance of the study. The antioxidant and prooxidant properties of 11 Enterococcus strains and 7 metabolites of Lactobacillus strains were analyzed using an oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) analysis and a lux biosensor test. Bacteria were incubated in cow's milk. Unfermented milk was used as a control. A study showed that milk fermented with enterococci did not have significant differences in antioxidant ability compared to control. In contrast, almost all lactobacilli increased the antioxidant ability of sour milk compared to unfermented milk. That is, the metabolites of Lactobacillus strains have demonstrated strong antioxidant properties even at low concentrations. The metabolites of Enterococcus strains possessed prooxidant properties. They enhanced the action of other prooxidants, such as paraquat, hydrogen peroxide, dioxidine, and showed a synergistic effect. The Lux biosensor test, used to evaluate the effect of substances on living cells with a complex metabolism, was more informative than the ORAC analysis, which allowed to evaluate the antioxidant and prooxidant properties of probiotic bacteria metabolites. The study revealed not only the influence of the direct effect of the test substance on the target molecule, but also the effect of indirect action by interfering with other biochemical processes of a living cell, which confirmed the need to use the biosensor lux test for further work when choosing strains of probiotic bacteria.

Social network influences on employee responses to organizational withdrawals

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a more detailed understanding of how embedding in different social networks relates to different types of action that individuals choose in the context of organizational closures, downsizing or relocations. To develop such insights, this paper focuses on three particular types of social networks, namely, intra-organizational; external professional and local community networks. These three types of networks have been frequently related to different types of action in the context of closures and relocations. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper. The authors develop the argument by integrating relevant recent literature on the salience related to embedding in different types of social networks, with a particular focus on responses to organizational closure or relocation. Findings The authors argue that at times of industrial decline and closure: embeddedness in intra-organizational networks can favor collective direct action; embeddedness in professional networks is likely to favor individual direct action and embeddedness in community networks can lead to individual indirect action. The authors then add nuance to the argument by considering a range of complicating factors that can constrain or enable the course (s) of action favored by particular combinations of network influences. Originality/value On a theoretical level, this paper adds to understandings of the role of network embeddedness in influencing individual and collective responses to such disruptive events; and direct or indirect forms of response. On a practical level, the authors contribute to understandings about how the employment landscape may evolve in regions affected by organizational demise, and how policymakers may study with or through network influences to develop more responsible downsizing approaches.