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General Impact (general + impact)
Selected AbstractsHepatitis C virus escape from the interferon regulatory factor 3 pathway by a passive and active evasion strategy,HEPATOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Marco Binder Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been known to replicate with extremely varying efficiencies in different host cells, even within different populations of a single human hepatoma cell line, termed Huh-7. Several reports have implicated the retinoic-acid inducible gene I (RIG-I)/ interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) pathway of the innate antiviral response with differences in host cell permissiveness to HCV. To investigate the general impact of the IRF-3 response onto HCV replication in cell culture, we generated an ample array of stable Huh-7 cell lines with altered IRF-3 responsiveness. Neither blocking IRF-3 activation in various host cells by expression of dominant negative RIG-I or HCV NS3/4A protease nor reconstitution of RIG-I signaling in Huh7.5, a cell clone known to be defective in this pathway, had any impact on HCV replication. Only by overexpressing constitutively active RIG-I or the signaling adaptor Cardif (also known as interferon-beta promoter stimulator 1, mitochondrial anti-viral signaling protein, or virus-induced signaling adaptor), both leading to a stimulation of the IRF-3 pathway in the absence of inducers, was HCV replication significantly inhibited. We therefore assessed the extent of RIG-I, dependent IRF-3 activation by different species of RNA, including full-length HCV genomes and HCV RNA duplexes, and observed strong induction only in response to double-stranded RNAs. Conclusion: Based on these findings, we propose a refined model of innate immune escape by HCV involving limited initial induction and stringent subsequent control of the IRF-3 response. (HEPATOLOGY 2007.) [source] Health and Safety in the Medieval Monasteries of BritainHISTORY, Issue 309 2008JULIE KERR The arduous nature of monastic life could impact on the monks' physical and mental well-being, causing minor injuries but also fatalities. Back problems might develop from ringing the heavy monastery bells, digestive disorders could result from years of fasting, and those holding important offices invariably suffered from stress and strain. There has been significant discussion of healthcare in the monastery , of disease and illness, the treatment of the sick, the infirmary, and the role of professional practitioners within the monastery. Less consideration has been given to the various hazards that might affect the monks on a daily basis, from the obstacles that caused them to trip and tumble to the injuries and fatalities that could result from natural disasters, outbreaks of fire and faulty repair work. This article seeks to explore more fully the perils and pitfalls that the religious community might face, but includes a brief discussion of the general impact of monastic observance on the monks' well-being, and the spiritual and physical recourse they sought to prevent mishaps and to treat casualties. Analysis centres on the monastic houses of Britain in the high middle ages, but refers to later and continental examples for comparative purposes and where they are likely to be indicative of conditions in Britain in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. [source] Significance of processes in the near-stream zone on stream water acidity in a small acidified forested catchmentHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 2 2001Jens Fölster Abstract The near-stream zone has received increasing attention owing to its influence on stream water chemistry in general and acidity in particular. Possible processes in this zone include cation exchange, leaching of organic matter and redox reactions of sulphur compounds. In this study the influences of processes in the near-stream zone on the acidity in runoff from a small, acidified catchment in central southern Sweden were investigated. The study included sampling of groundwater, soil water and stream water along with hydrological measurements. An input,output budget for the catchment was established based on data from the International Co-operative Programme on Integrated Monitoring at this site. The catchment was heavily acidified by deposition of anthropogenic sulphur, with pH in stream water between 4·4 and 4·6. There was also no relationship between stream flow and pH, which is indicative of chronic acidification. Indications of microbial reduction of sulphate were found in some places near the stream, but the near-stream zone did not have a general impact on the sulphate concentration in discharging groundwater. The near-stream zone was a source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the stream, which had a median DOC of 6·8 mg L1. The influence on stream acidity from organic anions was overshadowed by the effect of sulphate, however, except during a spring flow episode, when additional organic matter was flushed out and the sulphate-rich ground water was mixed with more diluted event water. Ion exchange was not an important process in the near-stream zone of the Kindla catchment. Different functions of the near-stream zone relating to discharge acidity are reported in the literature. In this study there was even a variation within the site. There is therefore a need for more case studies to provide a more detailed understanding of the net effects that the near-stream zone can have on stream chemistry under different circumstances. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Usage impact factor: The effects of sample characteristics on usage-based impact metricsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Johan Bollen There exist ample demonstrations that indicators of scholarly impact analogous to the citation-based ISI Impact Factor can be derived from usage data; however, so far, usage can practically be recorded only at the level of distinct information services. This leads to community-specific assessments of scholarly impact that are difficult to generalize to the global scholarly community. In contrast, the ISI Impact Factor is based on citation data and thereby represents the global community of scholarly authors. The objective of this study is to examine the effects of community characteristics on assessments of scholarly impact from usage. We define a journal Usage Impact Factor that mimics the definition of the Thomson Scientific ISI Impact Factor. Usage Impact Factor rankings are calculated on the basis of a large-scale usage dataset recorded by the linking servers of the California State University system from 2003 to 2005. The resulting journal rankings are then compared to the Thomson Scientific ISI Impact Factor that is used as a reference indicator of general impact. Our results indicate that the particular scientific and demographic characteristics of a discipline have a strong effect on resulting usage-based assessments of scholarly impact. In particular, we observed that as the number of graduate students and faculty increases in a particular discipline, Usage Impact Factor rankings will converge more strongly with the ISI Impact Factor. [source] Altered pesticide use on transgenic crops and the associated general impact from an environmental perspectivePEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 11 2007Gijs A Kleter Abstract The large-scale commercial cultivation of transgenic crops has undergone a steady increase since their introduction 10 years ago. Most of these crops bear introduced traits that are of agronomic importance, such as herbicide or insect resistance. These traits are likely to impact upon the use of pesticides on these crops, as well as the pesticide market as a whole. Organizations like USDA-ERS and NCFAP monitor the changes in crop pest management associated with the adoption of transgenic crops. As part of an IUPAC project on this topic, recent data are reviewed regarding the alterations in pesticide use that have been observed in practice. Most results indicate a decrease in the amounts of active ingredients applied to transgenic crops compared with conventional crops. In addition, a generic environmental indicator,the environmental impact quotient (EIQ),has been applied by these authors and others to estimate the environmental consequences of the altered pesticide use on transgenic crops. The results show that the predicted environmental impact decreases in transgenic crops. With the advent of new types of agronomic trait and crops that have been genetically modified, it is useful to take also their potential environmental impacts into account. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source] UV-induced Immunosuppression in the Balance,PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Frank R. De Gruijl Around 1980, experiments with hairless mice showed us that UV-induced actinic keratoses (AK) and ensuing skin carcinomas did not arise independently: the rate of occurrence in one skin area was increased considerably if AKs had already been induced separately in another distant skin area, i.e. a systemic effect. The ground laying work of Margaret Kripke in the 1970s provided a fitting explanation: UV-induced immunosuppression and tolerance toward the UV-induced tumors. From Kripke's work a new discipline arose: "Photoimmunology." Enormous strides were made in exploring and expanding the effects from UV carcinogenesis to infectious diseases, and in elucidating the mechanisms involved. Stemming from concerns about a depletion of the ozone layer and the general impact of ambient UV radiation, the groups I worked in and closely collaborated with explored the anticipated adverse effects of UV-induced immunosuppression on healthy individuals. An important turning point was brought about in 1992 when the group of Kevin Cooper reported that immunosuppression could be induced by UV exposure in virtually all human subjects tested, suggesting that this is a normal and sound physiological reaction to UV exposure. This reaction could actually protect us from illicit immune responses against our UV-exposed skin, such as observed in idiopathic polymorphic light eruption. This premise has fruitfully rekindled the research on this common "sun allergy," affecting to widely varying degrees about one in five Europeans with indoor professions. [source] Brief communication: Rethinking the impact of the 1918 influenza pandemic on sex differentials in mortalityAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 4 2009L.A. Sawchuk Abstract This study will assess the general impact of the 1918 influenza on overall mortality and its impact on mortality attributable to pulmonary tuberculosis in a small-scale population. Using life table and decomposition methodologies, changes in mortality in Gibraltar used a scheme that identified a pre-epidemic period (1904,1917), the epidemic year (1918), and the post-epidemic period (1919,1927). Overall health in both sexes fell significantly in 1918 with a drop in life expectancy at birth, however, health quickly rebounded in the post-epidemic period. In the case of women, there was a significant increase in life expectancy at birth after the epidemic. The impact of influenza on the magnitude of sex differentials in the life expectancy at birth fell during epidemic year but returned to a level comparable to that of the pre-epidemic period. With respect to respiratory tuberculosis deaths, the immediate impact of influenza was restricted to only a significant increase in the rate among women (aged 15,54). In the post-epidemic period, tuberculosis mortality rates returned to the pre-epidemic state in both sexes. The findings from Gibraltar stand in contrast opposition to results reported for experience in the United States during the 1918 flu. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||