The Effects of Wage Differences on Employee Job Satisfaction in the Lodging Industry

This study examined the effects of wage differences on job satisfaction for male and female employees in the Turkish lodging industry. Measures of job satisfaction used in the study were derived from a review of the literature. Logistic regression analysis on data was collected from 397 individuals employed in 5 star hotels showed that male and female employees, at lower income levels report lower satisfaction with respect to Management Conditions, Personal Fulfillment, Using Ability in the Job, and Job Conditions dimensions than their counterparts

Absence of Leucine Zipper in the Natural FOXP3Δ2Δ7 Isoform Does Not Affect Dimerization but Abrogates Suppressive Capacity

BACKGROUND: Phenotype and function of regulatory T cells (Treg) largely depend on the presence of the transcription factor FOXP3. In contrast to mice, human Treg cells express isoforms of this protein. Besides the full length version (FOXP3fl), an isoform lacking the exon 2 (FOXP3Delta2) is co-expressed in comparable amounts. Recently, a third splice variant has been described that in addition to exon 2 also misses exon 7 (FOXP3Delta2Delta7). Exon 7 encodes for a leucine zipper motif commonly used as structural dimerization element. Mutations in exon 7 have been linked to IPEX, a severe autoimmune disease suggested to be caused by impaired dimerization of the FOXP3 protein. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study shows that the lack of exon 7 does not affect (homo-) dimerization. Moreover, the interaction of FOXP3Delta2Delta7 to RUNX1, NFAT and NF-kB appeared to be unchanged in co-immunoprecipitation experiments and reporter gene assays, when compared to FOXP3fl and FOXP3Delta2. Nevertheless, retroviral transduction with FOXP3Delta2Delta7 failed to induce the typical Treg-associated phenotype. The expression of FOXP3-induced surface molecules such as CD25 and CTLA-4 were not enhanced in FOXP3Delta2Delta7 transduced CD4+ T cells, which also failed to exhibit any suppressive capacity. Notably, however, co-expression of FOXP3fl with FOXP3Delta2Delta7 resulted in a reduction of CD25 expression by a dominant negative effect. CONCLUSIONS: The leucine zipper of FOXP3 does not mediate dimerization or interaction with NFAT, NF-kB and RUNX1, but is indispensable for the characteristic phenotype and function in Treg cells. FOXP3Delta2Delta7 could play a role in regulating the function of the other FOXP3 isoforms and may be involved in cancer pathogenesis, as it is overexpressed by certain malignant cells

Distinct Types of Fibrocyte Can Differentiate from Mononuclear Cells in the Presence and Absence of Serum

Background: Ageing, immunity and stresstolerance are inherent characteristics of all organisms. In animals, these traits are regulated, at least in part, by forkhead transcription factors in response to upstream signals from the Insulin/Insulin–like growth factor signalling (IIS) pathway. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, these phenotypes are molecularly linked such that activation of the forkhead transcription factor DAF-16 both extends lifespan and simultaneously increases immunity and stress resistance. It is known that lifespan varies significantly among the Caenorhabditis species but, although DAF-16 signalling is highly conserved, it is unclear whether this phenotypic linkage occurs in other species. Here we investigate this phenotypic covariance by comparing longevity, stress resistance and immunity in four Caenorhabditis species. Methodology/Principal Findings: We show using phenotypic analysis of DAF-16 influenced phenotypes that among four closely related Caenorhabditis nematodes, the gonochoristic species (Caenorhabditis remanei and Caenorhabditis brenneri) have diverged significantly with a longer lifespan, improved stress resistance and higher immunity than the hermaphroditic species (C. elegans and Caenorhabditis briggsae). Interestingly, we also observe significant differences in expression levels between the daf-16 homologues in these species using Real-Time PCR, which positively correlate with the observed phenotypes. Finally, we provide additional evidence in support of a role for DAF-16 in regulating phenotypic coupling by using a combination of wildtype isolates, constitutively active daf-16 mutants and bioinformatic analysis. Conclusions: The gonochoristic species display a significantly longer lifespan (p<0.0001) and more robust immune and stress response (p<0.0001, thermal stress; p<0.01, heavy metal stress; p<0.0001, pathogenic stress) than the hermaphroditic species. Our data suggests that divergence in DAF-16 mediated phenotypes may underlie many of the differences observed between these four species of Caenorhabditis nematodes. These findings are further supported by the correlative higher daf-16 expression levels among the gonochoristic species and significantly higher lifespan, immunity and stress tolerance in the constitutively active daf-16 hermaphroditic mutants

Differences in APOBEC3G Expression in CD4+ T Helper Lymphocyte Subtypes Modulate HIV-1 Infectivity

The cytidine deaminases APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F exert anti–HIV-1 activity that is countered by the HIV-1 vif protein. Based on potential transcription factor binding sites in their putative promoters, we hypothesized that expression of APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F would vary with T helper lymphocyte differentiation. Naive CD4+ T lymphocytes were differentiated to T helper type 1 (Th1) and 2 (Th2) effector cells by expression of transcription factors Tbet and GATA3, respectively, as well as by cytokine polarization. APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F RNA levels, and APOBEC3G protein levels, were higher in Th1 than in Th2 cells. T cell receptor stimulation further increased APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F expression in Tbet- and control-transduced, but not in GATA3-transduced, cells. Neutralizing anti–interferon-γ antibodies reduced both basal and T cell receptor-stimulated APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F expression in Tbet- and control-transduced cells. HIV-1 produced from Th1 cells had more virion APOBEC3G, and decreased infectivity, compared to virions produced from Th2 cells. These differences between Th1- and Th2-produced virions were greater for viruses lacking functional vif, but also seen with vif-positive viruses. Over-expression of APOBEC3G in Th2 cells decreased the infectivity of virions produced from Th2 cells, and reduction of APOBEC3G in Th1 cells increased infectivity of virions produced from Th1 cells, consistent with a causal role for APOBEC3G in the infectivity difference. These results indicate that APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F levels vary physiologically during CD4+ T lymphocyte differentiation, that interferon-γ contributes to this modulation, and that this physiological regulation can cause changes in infectivity of progeny virions, even in the presence of HIV-1 vif

Butyrate conversion by sulfate-reducing and methanogenic communities from anoxic sediments of Aarhus Bay, Denmark

The conventional perception that the zone of sulfate reduction and methanogenesis are separated in high-and low-sulfate-containing marine sediments has recently been changed by studies demonstrating their co-occurrence in sediments. The presence of methanogens was linked to the presence of substrates that are not used by sulfate reducers. In the current study, we hypothesized that both groups can co-exist, consuming common substrates (H2 and/or acetate) in sediments. We enriched butyrate-degrading communities in sediment slurries originating from the sulfate, sulfate–methane transition, and methane zone of Aarhus Bay, Denmark. Sulfate was added at different concentrations (0, 3, 20 mM), and the slurries were incubated at 10◦ C and 25◦ C. During butyrate conversion, sulfate reduction and methanogenesis occurred simultaneously. The syntrophic butyrate degrader Syntrophomonas was enriched both in sulfate-amended and in sulfate-free slurries, indicating the occurrence of syntrophic conversions at both conditions. Archaeal community analysis revealed a dominance of Methanomicrobiaceae. The acetoclastic Methanosaetaceae reached high relative abundance in the absence of sulfate, while presence of acetoclastic Methanosarcinaceae was independent of the sulfate concentration, temperature, and the initial zone of the sediment. This study shows that there is no vertical separation of sulfate reducers, syntrophs, and methanogens in the sediment and that they all participate in the conversion of butyrate.</p

Cell-Extrinsic Defective Lymphocyte Development in Lmna-/- Mice

Background: Mutations in the LMNA gene, which encodes all A-type lamins, result in a variety of human diseases termed laminopathies. Lmna-/- mice appear normal at birth but become runted as early as 2 weeks of age and develop multiple tissue defects that mimic some aspects of human laminopathies. Lmna-/- mice also display smaller spleens and thymuses. In this study, we investigated whether altered lymphoid organ sizes are correlated with specific defects in lymphocyte development. Principal Findings: Lmna-/- mice displayed severe age-dependent defects in T and B cell development which coincided with runting. Lmna-/- bone marrow reconstituted normal T and B cell development in irradiated wild-type recipients, driving generation of functional and self-MHC restricted CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. Transplantation of Lmna-/- neonatal thymus lobes into syngeneic wild-type recipients resulted in good engraftment of thymic tissue and normal thymocyte development. Conclusions: Collectively, these data demonstrate that the severe defects in lymphocyte development that characterize Lmna-/- mice do not result directly from the loss of A-type lamin function in lymphocytes or thymic stroma. Instead, the immune defects in Lmna-/- mice likely reflect indirect damage, perhaps resulting from prolonged stress due to the striate

Invektivität in rechtspopulistischen Reden über Flucht und Migration: eine länder- und sprachübergreifende Analyse von YouTube- und Facebook-Videos

In diesem Beitrag werden öffentlich-politische Reden von elf rechtspopulistischen Akteur:innen aus Deutschland, Österreich, den Niederlanden und Belgien/Flandern im Hinblick auf invektive Sprechakte, also herabsetzenden oder ausgrenzenden Sprachgebrauch, im Kontext von Flucht und Migration analysiert. Ziel der qualitativ-linguistischen Analyse ist es, sprachübergreifende Invektivitätsmuster herauszuarbeiten, die rechtspopulistische Akteur:innen wiederkehrend nutzen, um stereotype Vorstellungen sowohl über Geflüchtete als auch politische Akteur:innen zu verbreiten und damit rechte Narrative über Flucht und Migration in Europa auch über Social-Media-Kanäle zu verstetigen.In this contribution, public-political speeches given by eleven right-wing populist actors from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium/Flanders are analyzed with regard to invective speech acts, i.e. disparaging or excluding language use, in the context of flight and migration. The aim of the qualitative-linguistic analysis is to work out cross-linguistic invectivity patterns that right-wing populist actors use repeatedly to spread stereotypical ideas about both refugees and political actors and thus perpetuate right-wing narratives about flight and migration in Europe also via social media

Staphylococcal Enterotoxin A Induces Small Clusters of HLA-DR1 on B Cells

The superantigen SEA causes non-specific hyperactivation of T and B cells at low concentrations. Studies of mutants or soluble proteins suggest SEA is bivalent for its ligand, MHC class II. However, the interaction between these molecules on intact cells is unknown. On primary mouse B cells expressing the MHC class II allele HLA-DR1, measurements of Förster Resonance Energy Transfer between HLA-DR1 molecules on SEA-treated cells indicated specific clustering, not observed in untreated or monovalent superantigen treated cells. Tomographic visualization and electron microscopy of immunogold-labeled SEA-treated B cells revealed small clusters of surface HLA-DR1 (≤4 gold labels). These results present direct visual evidence of SEA-mediated clustering of MHC class II molecules on treated antigen presenting cells, and provide a new structural approach to addressing problems of this nature

Coastal habitat mapping with object based classification method on the Sentinel-2A satellite imagery

Bu çalışma ile Aydın ili sınırları içinde yer alan, Dilek Yarımadası-Büyük Menderes Deltası Milli Parkı, Bafa Gölü Tabiat Parkı, Azap Gölü ve Büyük Menderes Nehrinin oluşturduğu su ve sulak alan sisteminde planlama çalışmalarına altlık oluşturabilecek bir habitat haritasının oluşturulması amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla USGS EarthExplorer websitelerinden ücretsiz olarak temin edilen (11 Ağustos 2017 tarihli ve 10m yersel çözünürlüklü) Sentinel-2A uydu görüntüsü veriseti kullanılmıştır (USGS, 2018). Ayrıca, sınıflandırmanın doğruluğunu arttırmak amacıyla NASA Earthdata websitesinden ücretsiz olarak temin edilen 30m yersel çözünürlüklü ASTER Global DEM sayısal yükseklik modeli verisi (NASA Earthdata, 2018) ile Köy Hizmetleri Genel Müdürlüğü’nün hazırladığı toprak haritalarından yararlanılmıştır. Habitat haritası, arazi çalışmalarına dayalı vejetasyon analizi kayıtlarından elde edilen bulgular ışığında eCognition yazılımında nesne tabanlı sınıflandırma yöntemi kullanılarak hazırlanmıştır. Oluşturulan habitat haritasında 17 habitat sınıfı tanımlanmıştır. Çalışma alanında hakim habitat tipi; Tarla Tarımı’ndan oluşurken, su ve sulak alan sistemlerinin temelini oluşturan habitatlar ise çalışma alanının yaklaşık %20’sini oluşturmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, yüksek çözünürlüklü uydu görüntüleri ile birlikte dijital yükseklik modeli ile vejetasyon birimleri ve farklı toprak özelliklerinin sınıflandırma sürecine dâhil edilmesiyle, peyzajın birçok fiziksel özelliğinin de dikkate alındığı, doğruluk oranı yüksek habitat haritalarının elde edilebileceği sonucuna varılmıştır.In this study, it is aimed to create a habitat map that can form a base for planning studies in the water and wetland system formed by Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park, Bafa Lake Nature Park, Azap Lake and Büyük Menderes River. For this purpose, the Sentinel-2A satellite image (dated 11 August 2017 and with a spatial resolution of 10m) that we obtained free of charge from the USGS Earth Explorer was used (USGS, 2018). In order to increase the accuracy of the habitat map, we have also used the ASTER Global DEM with a spatial resolution of 30m which was obtaied from the NASA Earthdata website free of charge (NASA Earthdata, 2018) and the soil map created by the General Directorate of Rural Services. The habitat map was prepared using e-Cognition software and objectbased classification method in the light of the results obtained from the vegetation analysis records conducted during our field studies. In our habitat map, 17 habitat classes were defined. While the dominant habitat type in the study area consists of Arable land, the habitats that constitute the basis of water and wetland systems cover approximately 20% of the whole study area. As a result, it has been concluded that by incorporating different datastes, the digital elevation model, different soil characteristics and vegetation units together with the high resolution satellite images into the image classification process, many physical characteristics of a landscape are taken into consideration and high-accuracy habitat maps can be obtained