Oxidative stress stimulates alpha-tocopherol transfer protein in human trophoblast tumor cells BeWo

alpha-Tocopherol transfer protein (alpha-TTP) has been identified as the major intracellular transport protein for the antioxidant vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol). Expression of alpha-TTP on the reproductive system has been described both in mouse uterus and lately in the human placenta. The aim of this study was to clarify if placental expression of alpha-TTP can be modified by substances causing oxidative reactions. The human choriocarcinoma cell line BeWo was, therefore, treated with two known pro-oxidants. alpha-TTP expression was determined with immunocytochemistry and evaluated by applying a semiquantitative score. The presence of pro-oxidants in BeWo cells induced alpha-TTP expression. We thus hypothesize that stimulation of alpha-TTP expression by oxidative stress, as this was induced by pro-oxidants, could be part of an antioxidant process occurring in the placenta in the aim of enhancing the supply of alpha-Tocopherol. This process could occur both in normal pregnancies, as well as in pregnancy disorders presented with intensified oxidative stress. In that view, this model is proposed for further oxidative stress studies on trophoblast and placenta, on the grounds of clarifying the role of alpha-Tocopherol in pregnancy physiology and pathophysiology

The intertropical convergence zone modulates intense hurricane strikes on the western North Atlantic margin

© The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Scientific Reports 6 (2016): 21728, doi:10.1038/srep21728Most Atlantic hurricanes form in the Main Development Region between 9°N to 20°N along the northern edge of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Previous research has suggested that meridional shifts in the ITCZ position on geologic timescales can modulate hurricane activity, but continuous and long-term storm records are needed from multiple sites to assess this hypothesis. Here we present a 3000 year record of intense hurricane strikes in the northern Bahamas (Abaco Island) based on overwash deposits in a coastal sinkhole, which indicates that the ITCZ has likely helped modulate intense hurricane strikes on the western North Atlantic margin on millennial to centennial-scales. The new reconstruction closely matches a previous reconstruction from Puerto Rico, and documents a period of elevated intense hurricane activity on the western North Atlantic margin from 2500 to 1000 years ago when paleo precipitation proxies suggest that the ITCZ occupied a more northern position. Considering that anthropogenic warming is predicted to be focused in the northern hemisphere in the coming century, these results provide a prehistoric analog that an attendant northern ITCZ shift in the future may again return the western North Atlantic margin to an active hurricane interval.This research was supported by NSF Awards: OCE-1519578, OCE-1356708, BCS-1118340

Developing effective social media messages: Insights from an exploratory study of industry experts

As consumers are increasingly utilizing the social network and media platforms for prepurchase information, managers are confronted with producing effective social media messages that can favorably influence buyers’ attitudes and behavioral intentions towards brands. A qualitative, in‐depth, elite interview investigation with social media marketing experts was undertaken to develop awareness of the factors influencing the effectiveness of social media marketing. Adopting a thematic analysis approach, this study establishes the three overriding themes of interactivity, credibility, and infotainment as being valuable in determining how social media marketing can enhance brand performance. Attitude theory and the hierarchy‐of‐effects model is utilized to support understanding and explain the decision making of social media users in this context. Overall, this study provides managers with a thorough explanation of the effects of the identified core themes on social media attitudes and intentions. Implications for social media marketing theory and practice are presented based upon the depth and breadth of knowledge attained from the analysis of the expert interview data

Chain of Testimony: The Holocaust Researcher as Surrogate Witness

Despite extensive critical debate, a positivist view of historical research which aspires to a dispassionate engagement with sources is still rife. Yet certain types of traumatic material, such as survivors' testimony and the Scrolls of Auschwitz, evoke powerful emotions and can stimulate in the researcher various kinds of phantasy. Is there some way that we can address these issues without ‘psychologising’ the Holocaust and Holocaust research? Can we simultaneously respect the historical material, the memory of the victims and the often unruly feelings that Holocaust research can excite? Can rigorous analysis sit comfortably alongside a more psycho-dynamically reflexive stance, and might the process of research be enriched by it? This paper discusses these issues through the concept of a ‘chain of testimony’ into which the researcher is inserted, thereby becoming in some sense a surrogate witness. It reflects upon the psycho-social dimensions of my own work and that of other children of Holocaust survivors, as well as other researchers in the field, including those examining the Scrolls of Auschwitz