TNF-α induces a pro-inflammatory phenotypic shift in monocytes through ACSL1 : Relevance to metabolic inflammation

Background/Aims: TNF-α-mediated pro-inflammatory phenotypic change in monocytes is known to be implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic inflammation and insulin resistance. However, the mechanism by which TNF-α-induces inflammatory phenotypic shift in monocytes is poorly understood. Since long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 1 (ACSL1) is associated with inflammatory monocytes/macrophages, we investigated the role of ACSL1 in the TNF-α-driven inflammatory phenotypic shift in the monocytes. Methods: Monocytes (Human monocytic THP-1 cells) were stimulated with TNF-α. Inflammatory phenotypic markers (CD16, CD11b, CD11c and HLA-DR) expression was determined with real time RT-PCR and flow cytometry. IL-1β and MCP-1 were determined by ELISA. Signaling pathways were identified by using ACSL1 inhibitor, ACSL1 siRNA and NF-κB reporter monocytic cells. Phosphorylation of NF-κB was analyzed by western blotting and flow cytometry. Results: Our data show that TNF-α induced significant increase in the expression of CD16, CD11b, CD11c and HLA-DR. Inhibition of ACSL1 activity in the cells with triacsin C significantly suppressed the expression of these inflammatory markers. Using ACSL-1 siRNA, we further demonstrate that TNF-α-induced inflammatory markers expression in monocytic cells requires ACSL1. In addition, IL-1b and MCP-1 production by TNF-α activated monocytic cells was significantly blocked by the inhibition of ACSL-1 activity. Interestingly, elevated NF-κB activity resulting from TNF-α stimulation was attenuated in ACSL1 deficient cells. Conclusion: Our findings provide an evidence that TNF-α-associated inflammatory polarization in monocytes is an ACSL1 dependent process, which indicates its central role in TNF-α-driven metabolic inflammation. © 2019 The Author(s).Peer reviewe

The Effect of Tourism and the Educational Level of Parents and Students on the Enrollment in the Hotel and Tourism in the Schools of Amman Governorate

This study aims at knowing the tourism impact on both educational level of parents and students on enrollment in  hotel and tourism education. Also, it used a sample which consists of students in the branch of hotel and tourism education in the schools of Amman Governorate. There were employed two methods to collect information and data for attaining the study goals. The first one is utilizing a written questionnaire which was distributed on a sample of 300 students studying hotel education in the first secondary class. The second method was based on collecting data from books, researches and published researches.  Thus, descriptive statistics were exploited to extract the mean and standard deviation of this study. Moreover, the writer used the Kolmogorov -smirnov test to examine the data.The educational level of parents, academics and students in hotels and tourism has been  affected on students who study  hotel and tourism in the secondary stage. This means that the educational level plays a vital role in the proportion of students studying hotel and tourism branch in secondary school (Alhroot, 2018).Therefore, the advices recommend the adoption of the study in hotel and tourism education on the desire of the student and motivate them. Consequently, it will give the opportunity to study at the university as a professional and technical. Thus, in order to create job opportunities for graduate students in hotel and tourism vocational and technical education. Keywords: Tourism, Students, Parents, Educational Level, Enrollment, Hotel, Amman DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-26-03 Publication date:September 30th 201

The Impact of Arab Spring on Tourism Sector in Jordan

This study aims the Arab Spring impact  on the Jordanian tourism.  Also, its community is a total of 160 tourist and travel offices of class A in Amman. Therefore, the researcher was distributed questionnaire to each office, which is contacted 37 of them and 26 of these offices responded. Thus, the data were analyzed based on descriptive statistics such as averages, standard deviations and analytical statistics, such as the simple linear regression test(Alhroot, 2018).The results of the study showed that there is a significant effect of the Arab Spring on the tourism sector of Jordan  like: its movement, income and hotel work. But no impact of the Arab Spring on the number of workers, which is largely consistent with the statistical reports published by the Ministry of the Jordanian arena (Badado,2016).Nevertheless, this study can apply on other sectors that conducting further studies related to the Arab Spring and its impact on social, economic and political indicators at all levels. Consequently, there is more results that would raise the level of readiness for such conditions(Kramer, 2019). Keywords: Arab spring, tourism, descriptive statistics, travel agency, Jordan DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-26-01 Publication date:September 30th 201

A point symmetry based method for transforming ODEs with three-dimensional symmetry algebras to their canonical forms

We provide an algorithmic approach to the construction of point transformations for scalar ordinary differential equations that admit three-dimensional symmetry algebras which lead to their respective canonical forms

Exceptional Points of Degeneracy in Periodic Coupled Waveguides and the Interplay of Gain and Radiation Loss: Theoretical and Experimental Demonstration

We present a novel paradigm for dispersion engineering in coupled transmission lines (CTLs) based on exceptional points of degeneracy (EPDs). We develop a theory for fourth-order EPDs consisting of four Floquet-Bloch eigenmodes coalescing into one degenerate eigenmode. We present unique wave propagation properties associated to the EPD and develop a figure of merit to assess the practical occurrence of fourth-order EPDs in CTLs with tolerances and losses. We experimentally verify for the first time the existence of a fourth EPD (the degenerate band edge), through dispersion and transmission measurements in microstrip-based CTLs at microwave frequencies. In addition, we report that based on experimental observation and the developed figure of merit, the EPD features are still observable in structures that radiate (leak energy away), even in the presence of fabrication tolerances and dissipative losses. We investigate the gain and loss balance regime in CTLs as a mean of recovering an EPD in the presence of radiation and/or dissipative losses, without necessarily resorting to Parity-Time (PT)-symmetry regimes. The versatile EPD concept is promising in applications such as high intensity and power-efficiency oscillators, spatial power combiners, or low-threshold oscillators and opens new frontiers for boosting the performance of large coherent sources

The More You Give the More You Get Back: Moderating Effect of Leadership on Knowledge Sharing in Online Programming Communities

Although there is a significant growth of emerging online programming communities, little succeeded in encouraging members to contribute and share their knowledge. The role of leadership to address the under contribution problem is gaining attention among researchers. This study grounded on path-goal theory to Investigates specifically the role of supportive leadership and achievement oriented leadership behaviour toward knowledge sharing in online programming community (OPC). This introduced model is tested empirically using data collected from 20 online programming communities. The findings from the analysis suggests that self-efficacy and outcome expectancy influences knowledge sharing behaviour of members in online programming community. The finding implied that although online communities are informal in nature, the appropriate type of leadership can boost the members’ efficacy and outcome expectancy toward sharing their knowledge, with the suitable level of autonomy and recognition of members contributions can motivate members to continuously contribute to online programming communities and promoting the sustainability in this platform