Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Causes of death in the Kasekela chimpanzees of Gombe National Park, Tanzania

Understanding the rates and causes of mortality in wild chimpanzee populations has important implications for a variety of fields, including wildlife conservation and human evolution. Because chimpanzees are long‐lived, accurate mortality data requires very long‐term studies. Here, we analyze 47 years of data on the Kasekela community in Gombe National Park. Community size fluctuated between 38 and 60, containing 60 individuals in 2006. From records on 220 chimpanzees and 130 deaths, we found that the most important cause of mortality in the Kasekela community was illness (58% of deaths with known cause), followed by intraspecific aggression (20% of deaths with known cause). Previous studies at other sites also found that illness was the primary cause of mortality and that some epidemic disease could be traced to humans. As at other study sites, most deaths due to illness occurred during epidemics, and the most common category of disease was respiratory. Intraspecific lethal aggression occurred within the community, including the killing of infants by both males and females, and among adult males during the course of dominance‐related aggression. Aggression between communities resulted in the deaths of at least five adult males and two adult females in the Kasekela and Kahama communities. The frequency of intercommunity violence appears to vary considerably among sites and over time. Intercommunity lethal aggression involving the Kasekela community was observed most frequently during two periods. Other less common causes of death included injury, loss of mother, maternal disability, and poaching. Am. J. Primatol. 70:766–777, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effect of patient education and home monitoring on medication compliance, hypertension management, healthy lifestyle behaviours and BMI in a primary health care setting.

AIM The aim of this study was to determine the effect of anti-hypertensive patient-oriented education and in-home monitoring for medication adherence and management of hypertension in a primary care setting, by providing education on healthy lifestyle behaviours and medication adherence. BACKGROUND Hypertension is the third most common cause of death worldwide. Prevalence of hypertension in Turkey is approximately 30% in the general population and 45-50% in population over 50. DESIGN Randomised controlled study. METHODS This study conducted in Turkey used a study group comprised of 120 subjects (40 Group A, 40 Group B, 40 controls), all previously diagnosed with hypertension and who started medication therapy at least one year prior to start of study. The study was conducted between February-November 2006 at public primary health care facilities and homes of the study participants. Participants in Group A and B received a total of six monthly education sessions, four times during clinic visits and two home visits. Medication adherence education for Groups A and B and education about healthy lifestyle behaviours for Group B were administered in a structured and individualised format. The control group was routinely monitored in health care facilities. RESULTS Healthy lifestyle behaviours and perception of self-efficacy regarding medication adherence showed improvement after education sessions in Groups A and B. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures of subjects in Group A and B showed a significant decrease compared with those of the control group; the blood pressure decrease in Group B was greater than in Group A. CONCLUSION Nurses play an important role in uncontrolled hypertension detection and can improve medication adherence and healthy lifestyle behaviours. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Patient education medication adherence alone and in combination with healthy lifestyle behaviour teaching is an effective tool for blood pressure reduction in the hypertensive population in primary health care settings.
Molecular Mediators for Raft-dependent Endocytosis of Syndecan-1, a Highly Conserved, Multifunctional Receptor*

Background: Endocytosis via rafts remains incompletely characterized. Results: Raft-dependent endocytosis of syndecan-1 occurs in two phases, each requiring a kinase and a corresponding cytoskeletal partner. Each phase depends on MKKK, a novel, conserved motif within syndecan-1. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the molecular choreography behind endocytosis of a raft-dependent receptor. Significance: Syndecans mediate uptake of biologically and medically important ligands. Endocytosis via rafts has attracted considerable recent interest, but the molecular mediators remain incompletely characterized. Here, we focused on the syndecan-1 heparan sulfate proteoglycan, a highly conserved, multifunctional receptor that we previously showed to undergo raft-dependent endocytosis upon clustering. Alanine scanning mutagenesis of three to five consecutive cytoplasmic residues at a time revealed that a conserved juxtamembrane motif, MKKK, was the only region required for efficient endocytosis after clustering. Endocytosis of clustered syndecan-1 occurs in two phases, each requiring a kinase and a corresponding cytoskeletal partner. In the initial phase, ligands trigger rapid MKKK-dependent activation of ERK and the localization of syndecan-1 into rafts. Activation of ERK drives the dissociation of syndecan-1 from α-tubulin, a molecule that may act as an anchor for syndecan-1 at the plasma membrane in the basal state. In the second phase, Src family kinases phosphorylate tyrosyl residues within the transmembrane and cytoplasmic regions of syndecan-1, a process that also requires MKKK. Tyrosine phosphorylation of syndecan-1 triggers the robust recruitment of cortactin, which we found to be an essential mediator of efficient actin-dependent endocytosis. These findings represent the first detailed characterization of the molecular events that drive endocytosis of a raft-dependent receptor and identify a novel endocytic motif, MKKK. Moreover, the results provide new tools to study syndecan function and regulation during uptake of its biologically and medically important ligands, such as HIV-1, atherogenic postprandial remnant lipoproteins, and molecules implicated in Alzheimer disease.
An Electron-bifurcating Caffeyl-CoA Reductase*

Background: Energy conservation by Na+-translocating ferredoxin oxidation requires a low potential ferredoxin. Results: Endergonic reduction of ferredoxin with NADH is driven by exergonic caffeyl-CoA reduction catalyzed by a soluble caffeyl-CoA reductase-electron transfer flavoprotein complex. Conclusion: Caffeyl-CoA reductase uses electron bifurcation for energy coupling. Significance: Ferredoxin reduction by electron bifurcation is essential for energy conservation in caffeate respiration. A low potential electron carrier ferredoxin (E0′ ≈ −500 mV) is used to fuel the only bioenergetic coupling site, a sodium-motive ferredoxin:NAD+ oxidoreductase (Rnf) in the acetogenic bacterium Acetobacterium woodii. Because ferredoxin reduction with physiological electron donors is highly endergonic, it must be coupled to an exergonic reaction. One candidate is NADH-dependent caffeyl-CoA reduction. We have purified a complex from A. woodii that contains a caffeyl-CoA reductase and an electron transfer flavoprotein. The enzyme contains three subunits encoded by the carCDE genes and is predicted to have, in addition to FAD, two [4Fe-4S] clusters as cofactor, which is consistent with the experimental determination of 4 mol of FAD, 9 mol of iron, and 9 mol of acid-labile sulfur. The enzyme complex catalyzed caffeyl-CoA-dependent oxidation of reduced methyl viologen. With NADH as donor, it catalyzed caffeyl-CoA reduction, but this reaction was highly stimulated by the addition of ferredoxin. Spectroscopic analyses revealed that ferredoxin and caffeyl-CoA were reduced simultaneously, and a stoichiometry of 1.3:1 was determined. Apparently, the caffeyl-CoA reductase-Etf complex of A. woodii uses the novel mechanism of flavin-dependent electron bifurcation to drive the endergonic ferredoxin reduction with NADH as reductant by coupling it to the exergonic NADH-dependent reduction of caffeyl-CoA.
The fourth level of social structure in a multi‐level society: ecological and social functions of clans in hamadryas baboons

Hamadryas baboons are known for their complex, multi‐level social structure consisting of troops, bands, and one‐male units (OMUs) [Kummer, 1968. Social organization of hamadryas baboons. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 189p]. Abegglen [1984. On socialization in hamadryas baboons: a field study. Lewisburg, PA: Bucknell University Press. 207p. ] observed a fourth level of social structure comprising several OMUs that rested near one another on sleeping cliffs, traveled most closely together during daily foraging, and sometimes traveled as subgroups independently from the rest of the band. Abegglen called these associations “clans” and suggested that they consisted of related males. Here we confirm the existence of clans in a second wild hamadryas population, a band of about 200 baboons at the Filoha site in lowland Ethiopia. During all‐day follows from December 1997 through September 1998 and March 2005 through February 2006, data were collected on activity patterns, social interactions, nearest neighbors, band fissions, and takeovers. Association indices were computed for each dyad of leader males, and results of cluster analyses indicated that in each of the two observation periods this band comprised two large clans ranging in size from 7 to 13 OMUs. All band fissions occurred along clan lines, and most takeovers involved the transfer of females within the same clan. Our results support the notion that clans provide an additional level of flexibility to deal with the sparse distribution of resources in hamadryas habitats. The large clan sizes at Filoha may simply be the largest size that the band can split into and still obtain enough food during periods of food scarcity. Our results also suggest that both male and female relationships play a role in the social cohesion of clans and that males exchange females within clans but not between them. Am. J. Primatol. 71:948–955, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assembly of the Yeast Exoribonuclease Rrp6 with Its Associated Cofactor Rrp47 Occurs in the Nucleus and Is Critical for the Controlled Expression of Rrp47*

Background: The Rrp6·Rrp47 complex is important for RNA processing and degradation events. Results: Rrp6 and Rrp47 are independently imported into the nucleus, and Rrp47 is destabilized in cells lacking Rrp6. Conclusion: Rrp6 binds Rrp47 in the nucleus and protects it from proteolysis. Significance: Nuclear assembly of the Rrp6·Rrp47 complex spatially limits the nuclease complex and controls the expression of Rrp47. Rrp6 is a key catalytic subunit of the nuclear RNA exosome that plays a pivotal role in the processing, degradation, and quality control of a wide range of cellular RNAs. Here we report our findings on the assembly of the complex involving Rrp6 and its associated protein Rrp47, which is required for many Rrp6-mediated RNA processes. Recombinant Rrp47 is expressed as a non-globular homodimer. Analysis of the purified recombinant Rrp6·Rrp47 complex revealed a heterodimer, suggesting that Rrp47 undergoes a structural reconfiguration upon interaction with Rrp6. Studies using GFP fusion proteins show that Rrp6 and Rrp47 are localized to the yeast cell nucleus independently of one another. Consistent with this data, Rrp6, but not Rrp47, is found associated with the nuclear import adaptor protein Srp1. We show that the interaction with Rrp6 is critical for Rrp47 stability in vivo; in the absence of Rrp6, newly synthesized Rrp47 is rapidly degraded in a proteasome-dependent manner. These data resolve independent nuclear import routes for Rrp6 and Rrp47, reveal a structural reorganization of Rrp47 upon its interaction with Rrp6, and demonstrate a proteasome-dependent mechanism that efficiently suppresses the expression of Rrp47 in the absence of Rrp6.
Hospital nursing linked to readmissions following total hip and knee arthroplasty

Hospital readmissions pose negative health risks for older adults and reflect low quality, high cost healthcare. Efforts to reduce readmissions have focused on disease-specific interventions that target patients during the transition from the hospital or in the post-acute care setting. Less attention has spotlighted the role of hospital nursing. Staff nurses represent an around-the-clock surveillance system that is well-positioned to recognize patients' physical and social needs that may contribute to a readmission. This cross-sectional secondary data analysis explored the association between the working conditions of hospital nurses staffing and the practice environment and 30 day readmissions among older adults following elective total hip and total knee arthroplasty. Data sources from 2005-2006 included patient administrative data, nurse survey data, and hospital organizational data. Nurse survey responses were aggregated to construct hospital measures of nurse staffing and the practice environment. The main outcome of interest was 30 day unplanned readmission. The analytic sample consisted of 112,018 Medicare patients electively undergoing either total hip or total knee arthroplasty, and 23,089 registered nurses working in 495 acute care hospitals in four states (CA, FL, NJ, PA). The sample was descriptively analyzed using cross-tabulations, Kaplan-Meier plots, and histograms. Multivariable logistic regressions estimated the effect of nurse staffing and the practice environment on 30 day readmission, adjusting for patient and hospital covariates and accounting for clustering of patients within hospitals. The 30 day unplanned readmission rate was 5.6% and 5.7% for hip and knee patients, respectively. After adjusting for patient and hospital covariates, each additional patient was associated with an 8% increase in the patient's likelihood of readmission. Patients cared for in a better practice environment, as compared to a mixed or poor environment, had 13% lower odds of readmission; however, this relationship became insignificant once adjusting for nurse staffing. These findings reveal that a substantial percentage of older adults experience an unplanned rehospitalization following elective total hip and total knee arthroplasty. The evidence suggests that improving nurse staffing and the practice environment may be strategies for reducing readmissions among older adult orthopedic surgical patients. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Nursing First Advisor Matthew D. McHugh
To determine the immediate effect of sacroiliac and lumbar manipulation on quadriceps femoris and hamstring torque ratios in the contralateral limb in patients suffering from mechanical low back pain

Low back pain has been shown to be associated with inhibition of the lower limb musculature. This inhibition is called arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI). Sacroiliac joint dysfunction has been linked with AMI of the ipsilateral and contralateral quadriceps and hamstring muscles. Sacroiliac manipulation has been shown to significantly reduce ipsilateral AMI, however no studies have been conducted to illustrate the effect of sacroiliac manipulation on contralateral AMI. Neither have their been studies to show the presence or extent of spinal dysfunction between the levels of L2-L5 and its significance on muscle inhibition in the quadriceps and hamstring muscles, nor the effect of manipulation of these levels on AMI of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine whether spinal manipulation has an effect on AMI of the contralateral limb as well as that of the ipsilateral limb.
Structural Integrity of the B24 Site in Human Insulin Is Important for Hormone Functionality*

Background: The structure of the C-terminal B21-B30 chain of insulin bound to the insulin receptor remains undetermined. Results: The structures of B24-modified insulins were determined. Conclusion: The structural integrity of PheB24 but flexibility of B25-B30 insulin residues are important for receptor binding. Significance: The knowledge of the receptor-bound structure of insulin is important for the design of new insulin receptor agonists. Despite the recent first structural insight into the insulin-insulin receptor complex, the role of the C terminus of the B-chain of insulin in this assembly remains unresolved. Previous studies have suggested that this part of insulin must rearrange to reveal amino acids crucial for interaction with the receptor. The role of the invariant PheB24, one of the key residues of the hormone, in this process remains unclear. For example, the B24 site functionally tolerates substitutions to d-amino acids but not to l-amino acids. Here, we prepared and characterized a series of B24-modified insulin analogues, also determining the structures of [d-HisB24]-insulin and [HisB24]-insulin. The inactive [HisB24]-insulin molecule is remarkably rigid due to a tight accommodation of the l-His side chain in the B24 binding pocket that results in the stronger tethering of B25-B28 residues to the protein core. In contrast, the highly active [d-HisB24]-insulin is more flexible, and the reverse chirality of the B24Cα atom swayed the d-HisB24 side chain into the solvent. Furthermore, the pocket vacated by PheB24 is filled by PheB25, which mimics the PheB24 side and main chains. The B25→B24 downshift results in a subsequent downshift of TyrB26 into the B25 site and the departure of B26-B30 residues away from the insulin core. Our data indicate the importance of the aromatic l-amino acid at the B24 site and the structural invariance/integrity of this position for an effective binding of insulin to its receptor. Moreover, they also suggest limited, B25-B30 only, unfolding of the C terminus of the B-chain upon insulin activation.
Nicotinamide Inhibits the Lysosomal Cathepsin b-like Protease and Kills African Trypanosomes*

Background: Nicotinamide is a soluble compound of the vitamin B3 group with antimicrobial activity. Results: Nicotinamide causes disruption of the lysosome and inhibits the cathepsin b-like enzyme, an essential lysosomal protease in trypanosomatids. Conclusion: Nicotinamide kills African trypanosomes by targeting the cathepsin b-like protease. Significance: These results demonstrate for the first time the inhibitory effect of nicotinamide on a protease. Nicotinamide, a soluble compound of the vitamin B3 group, has antimicrobial activity against several microorganisms ranging from viruses to parasite protozoans. However, the mode of action of this antimicrobial activity is unknown. Here, we investigate the trypanocidal activity of nicotinamide on Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis. Incubation of trypanosomes with nicotinamide causes deleterious defects in endocytic traffic, disruption of the lysosome, failure of cytokinesis, and, ultimately, cell death. At the same concentrations there was no effect on a cultured mammalian cell line. The effects on endocytosis and vesicle traffic were visible within 3 h and can be attributed to inhibition of lysosomal cathepsin b-like protease activity. The inhibitory effect of nicotinamide was confirmed by a direct activity assay of recombinant cathepsin b-like protein. Taken together, these data demonstrate that inhibition of the lysosomal protease cathepsin b-like blocks endocytosis, causing cell death. In addition, these results demonstrate for the first time the inhibitory effect of nicotinamide on a protease.
Psychometric testing of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale in an Iranian sample of family caregivers to newly diagnosed breast cancer women.

AIM To translate and test the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale. BACKGROUND Research across many countries has determined quality of life of cancer patients, but few attempts have been made to measure the quality of life of family caregivers of patients with breast cancer. The Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale was developed for this purpose, but until now, it has not been translated into or tested in the Persian language. DESIGN Methodological research design. METHODS After standard translation, the 35-item Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale was administered to 166 Iranian family caregivers of patients with breast cancer. A confirmatory factor analysis was carried out using LISREL to test the scale's construct validity. Further, the internal consistency and convergent validity of the instrument were tested. For convergent validity, four instruments were used in the study: sense of coherence scale, spirituality perspective scale, health index and brief religious coping scale. RESULTS The confirmatory factor analysis resulted in the same four-factor structure as the original, though, with somewhat different item loadings. The Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scales had satisfactory internal consistency (0·72-0·90). Tests of convergent validity showed that all hypotheses were confirmed. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis additionally confirmed the convergent validity between the total Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer score and sense of coherence (β = 0·34), negative religious coping (β = -0·21), education (β = 0·24) and the more severe stage of breast cancer (β = 0·23), in total explaining 41% of the variance. CONCLUSION The Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale could be a reliable and valid measure in Iranian family caregivers of patients with breast cancer. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale is simple to administer and will help nurses to identify the nursing needs of family caregivers.
Sex ratio affects sex‐specific innovation and learning in captive ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata and Varecia rubra)

Recent years have witnessed extensive research into problem solving and innovation in primates, yet lemurs have not been subjected to the same level of attention as apes and monkeys, and the social context in which novel behavior appears has rarely been considered. We gave novel foraging puzzlebox devices to seven groups of ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata and Varecia rubra) to examine the factors affecting rates of innovation and social learning. We found, across a range of group sex ratios, that animals of the less‐represented sex were more likely to contact and solve the puzzlebox sooner than those of the more‐represented sex. We established that while some individuals were able to solve the puzzleboxes there was no evidence of social learning. Our findings are consistent with previously reported male deference as a sexual strategy, but we conclude that the need for male deference diminishes when, within a group, males are rare. Am. J. Primatol. 73:1210–1221, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.