Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exudativory in the Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) in Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Tripura, northeast India

In this study we estimated the extent of exudativory in Nycticebus bengalensis and examined whether exudates can be considered as fallback foods. This study was carried out in Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, northeastern India, in winter (December–February) and summer (March and April). We estimated time–activity budget using instantaneous sampling and used continuous focal animal sampling to record all instances and durations of feeding, over a total of 177 hr. Feeding accounted for 22.3±2.2% of the activity budget, with no seasonal difference. Bengal slow lorises fed on exudates, nectar, fruit, bark, invertebrates and avian eggs. In addition to scraping they also obtained exudates by gouging holes into the bark of trees. In winter, lorises almost exclusively fed on exudates (94.3% of winter feeding time). In summer, exudates (67.3%) and nectar from one species (22.3%) dominated the diet. This study identifies the Bengal slow loris as the most exudativorous loris. Exudates rather than being a staple fallback food, seem to be a preferred, patchily distributed and common food in the diet of the Bengal slow loris. Exudativory in this species is characterized by high selectivity among species and seasonal variation, which may be related to variations in productivity of exudates and their chemical composition. An understanding of these factors is necessary for predicting the response of this species to human disturbance such as logging. This study also underscores the importance of protecting some of the common species such as Terminalia belerica on which the loris feeds during periods of scarcity. Am. J. Primatol. 72:113–121, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysis of antigenic surfaces of proteins

The processes underlying molecular evolution have proved difficult to understand due to the complexity and obscurity of the selective pressures at work. The strong selective pressure to optimize antigen recognition means that antibody paratopes are more favorable systems than most in which to investigate these processes, as are viral epitopes, which evolve under an inverse pressure, rapidly changing to avoid recognition. Because recognition is a property of the surfaces of these molecules we expect that their evolutionary development may be read in the changes in the 3‐dimensional array of chemical groups displayed on their surface. We have analyzed the bulk properties of these surfaces and find that there are significant differences in exposed amino acid preferences among 1) a control group of immunologically secluded proteins, 2) binding surfaces of immunoglobulins, and 3) the outer surfaces of picornaviruses. Compared to the control group, the immunoglobulin complementarity determining regions possess a relative excess of serine residues whereas picornaviruses suppress serine but overuse threonine residues, suggesting that the differing selective pressure has led to perturbations in the population of amino acid types on the surface of these proteins. Although these changes may be rationalized in terms of the structure and chemistry of the different side chains, we suggest that there may be a further, genetic component behind the observations: point mutations in the respective codons for serine and threonine lead to markedly different forms of structural variability. The high rate of reselection observed for these residues is in line with this second mechanism. —Lea, S. , Stuart, D. Analysis of antigenic surfaces of proteins. FASEB J. 9, 87‐93 (1995)
Tissue-specific expression of the mouse dioxin-inducible P(1)450 and P(3)450 genes: differential transcriptional activation and mRNA stability in liver and extrahepatic tissues

Expression of the P(1)450 and P(3)450 genes was examined in liver and five extrahepatic tissues of mice after they were treated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) or 3-methylcholanthrene. All six tissues were shown to have increased P(1)450 and P(3)450 mRNA concentrations after treatment with these inducers. P(3)450 mRNA induction was more sensitive than P(1)450 mRNA induction to small doses of TCDD in liver, kidney, and lung. When transcription run-on assays were compared with mRNA prevalence, control P(3)450 mRNA in liver, kidney, and lung was shown to be 20 to 30 times more stable than control P(1)450 mRNA. After TCDD treatment the increases in mRNA concentrations did not necessarily parallel the increases in transcriptional rate. Thus, the inducer appeared to enhance mRNA stability in some instances. This was evident for liver P(1)450 mRNA, in which an 8-fold rise in transcription was associated with a 27-fold increase in mRNA content, and for kidney P(3)450 mRNA, in which a 2-fold rise in transcription was accompanied by a 12-fold increase in mRNA content. In the kidney and lung of control and TCDD-treated mice, transcriptional rates of the P(3)450 gene were at least 10-fold less than those of the P(1)450 gene. These data indicate that even though both genes are controlled by the same receptor, striking tissue-specific differences in transcription and mRNA stabilization affect the final mRNA concentrations.
Viruses in Cell Cultures of Kidneys of Children with Congenital Heart Malformations and Other Diseases.∗

Summary A systematic search for occult cytopathic agents in cultures from kidneys and occasionally other organs obtained at autopsy from children several days to 15 years of age, was conducted over a 2-year period. Of the 158 kidneys processed, 84 were successfully propagated in culture. Primary, secondary, and occasionally tertiary cultures were maintained and observed for over 2 months. The percentage of kidneys propagated decreased with increasing age of the patient. Nine of the 66 children less than one year of age yielded spontaneous cytopathic agents in the cell cultures derived from their kidneys and/or other organs. None of the cultures from the 18 older children were positive. Three of the 9 agents were identified as cytomegalovirus, 3 were adenovirus (types 1, 2 and 7) and one each as measles, varicella and coxsackie virus type Bl. Only 2 of the 9 isolates (adenovirus type 7 and coxsackie virus type Bl) were isolated also from 20% organ suspensions. In 5 of the cases presented, there was a definite association between the virus isolated and the disease of the child. The other 4 agents, 2 cytomegaloviruses and 2 adenoviruses (types 1 and 2) were recovered from infants with congenital heart malformations.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Furozan-Based Nitric Oxide-Releasing Derivatives of Oridonin as Potential Anti-Tumor Agents

To search for novel nitric oxide (NO) releasing anti-tumor agents, a series of novel furoxan/oridonin hybrids were designed and synthesized. Firstly, the nitrate/nitrite levels in the cell lysates were tested by a Griess assay and the results showed that these furoxan-based NO-releasing derivatives could produce high levels of NO in vitro. Then the anti-proliferative activity of these hybrids against four human cancer cell lines was also determined, among which, 9h exhibited the most potential anti-tumor activity with IC50 values of 1.82 µM against K562, 1.81 µM against MGC-803 and 0.86 µM against Bel-7402, respectively. Preliminary structure-activity relationship was concluded based on the experimental data obtained. These results suggested that NO-donor/natural product hybrids may provide a promising approach for the discovery of novel anti-tumor agents.
Cruise destination brand awareness as a moderator in motivation-satisfaction relation

Purpose The aim of this study is to examine cruise destination branding as a new resource for a region to promote an area as a differentiated cruise destination. The authors specifically study how the perceived brand awareness of a destination moderates the relation between cruisers’ motivation and destination satisfaction and word-of-mouth (WoM). Design/methodology/approach A statistical model was adapted from relevant literature and applied in the context of cruise destination branding. The model was tested by measuring Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and the fit of the model through confirmative factor analysis. Hierarchical regression analysis and moderated regression analysis were also conducted. The sample consisted of British cruisers (n = 182) visiting the city of Pori in Finland. Findings The findings suggest that factors that impel people to take cruises (social recognition, self-esteem, discovery, socialization, convenience and value) have a significant impact on satisfaction with the destination, whereas brand awareness is recognized as a moderator in the relation between social recognition and destination satisfaction and WoM. Research findings provide a framework to discuss and analyze the cruise tourism business in a holistic way. Whereas the earlier studies have focused on onboard experiences, in this study, the focus of attention is on the onshore experiences of the cruisers. Research limitations/implications The study is focused on one Baltic Sea cruise destination, the British Cruise Company and a limited segment of senior British passengers. Practical implications By measuring cruisers’ internal travel motives and their perceptions of the brand awareness of the port-of-call during the cruise, or the destination, the results offer destination marketing organizations valuable information to develop their offerings to meet the needs of future travelers and visitors. Originality/value The study contributes to the cruise destination literature by linking the perceived brand awareness of a destination to motivational factors of the tourist and further to destination satisfaction and WoM behavior specifically in the context of onshore experiences.
Exploration of Dimensions of Estrogen Potency

The estrogen receptors, ERα and ERβ, are ligand-regulated transcription factors that control gene expression programs in target tissues. The molecular events underlying estrogen action involve minimally two steps, hormone binding to the ER ligand-binding domain followed by coactivator recruitment to the ER·ligand complex; this ligand·receptor·coactivator triple complex then alters gene expression. Conceptually, the potency of an estrogen in activating a cellular response should reflect the affinities that characterize both steps involved in the assembly of the active ligand·receptor·coactivator complex. Thus, to better understand the molecular basis of estrogen potency, we developed a completely in vitro system (using radiometric and time-resolved FRET assays) to quantify independently three parameters: (a) the affinity of ligand binding to ER, (b) the affinity of coactivator binding to the ER·ligand complex, and (c) the potency of ligand recruitment of coactivator. We used this system to characterize the binding and potency of 12 estrogens with both ERα and ERβ. Some ligands showed good correlations between ligand binding affinity, coactivator binding affinity, and coactivator recruitment potency with both ERs, whereas others showed correlations with only one ER subtype or displayed discordant coactivator recruitment potencies. When ligands with low receptor binding affinity but high coactivator recruitment potencies to ERβ were evaluated in cell-based assays, elevation of cellular coactivator levels significantly and selectively improved their potency. Collectively, our results indicate that some low affinity estrogens may elicit greater cellular responses in those target cells that express higher levels of specific coactivators capable of binding to their ER complexes with high affinity.
Selective Inhibition of Growth Factor-stimulated Mitogenesis by a Cell-permeable Grb2-binding Peptide*

The activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade by a variety of growth factors and other agents is central to a mitogenic response. In the case of polypeptide growth factors such as the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), the steps leading to activation of MAPK require the function of the adaptor protein Grb2 (growth factor receptor binding protein 2), which can bind either directly or indirectly via its Src homology 2 domain to activated receptor tyrosine kinases. A cell-permeable mimetic of the EGF receptor Grb2 binding site has been investigated for its ability to inhibit biological responses stimulated by a variety of growth factors. Pretreatment of cells with this peptide results in the accumulation of the peptide in cells and its association with Grb2. This is associated with a complete inhibition of the mitogenic response stimulated by EGF and PDGF. In contrast, the peptide has no effect on the mitogenic response stimulated by fibroblast growth factor. The peptide could also inhibit the phosphorylation of MAPK stimulated with EGF and PDGF in the absence of an effect on the fibroblast growth factor response. These data demonstrate that cell-permeable mimetics of Src homology 2 binding sites can selectively inhibit growth factor-stimulated mitogenesis, and also directly demonstrate specificity in the coupling of activated receptor tyrosine kinases to the MAPK cascade.
Vector Competence of Selected African Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Species for Rift Valley Fever Virus

Abstract Outbreaks of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Egypt, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia have indicated the potential for this disease to spread from its enzootic areas in sub-Saharan Africa. Because little is known about the potential for most African mosquito species to transmit RVF virus (family Bunyaviridae, genus Phlebovirus, RVFV), we conducted studies to determine the vector competence of selected African species of mosquitoes for this virus. All eight species tested [Aedes palpalis (Newstead), Aedes mcintoshi Huang, Aedes circumluteolus (Theobald), Aedes calceatus Edwards, Aedes aegypti (L.), Culex antennatus (Becker), Culex pipiens (L.), and Culex quinquefasciatus Say], were susceptible to infection, and all except Ae. calceatus, Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus transmitted RVFV by bite after oral exposure. Estimated transmission rates for mosquitoes that successfully transmitted RVFV by bite ranged from 5% for Ae. mcintoshi to 39% for Ae. palpalis for mosquitoes that fed on a hamster with a viremia ≥108 plaque-forming units of virus/ml. We did not recover RVFV from any of 3,138 progeny of infected female mosquitoes. RVFV is unusual among arboviruses in that it has been isolated in nature from a large number of species and that numerous mosquitoes and other arthropods are able to transmit this virus in the laboratory. The recent introduction and spread of West Nile virus into the Americas and the spread of RVFV to the Arabian Peninsula illustrates the potential for viruses, once enzootic in Africa, to spread to other parts of the world.
Quantification of methyl thiocyanate in the headspace of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cultures and in the breath of cystic fibrosis patients by selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry.

Infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Breath analysis could potentially be a useful diagnostic of such infection, and analyses of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from PA cultures are an important part of the search for volatile breath markers of PA lung infection. Our pilot experiments using solid-phase microextraction, SPME and gas chromatography/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analyses of volatile compounds produced by PA strains indicated a clear presence of methyl thiocyanate. This provided a motivation to develop a method for real-time online quantification of this compound by selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry, SIFT-MS. The kinetics of reactions of H(3)O(+), NO(+) and O(2)(+•) with methyl thiocyanate at 300 K were characterized and the characteristic product ions determined (proton transfer for H(3)O(+), rate constant 4.6 × 10(-9) cm(3) s(-1); association for NO(+), 1.7 × 10(-9) cm(3) s(-1) and nondissociative charge transfer for O(2)(+•) 4.3 × 10(-9) cm(3) s(-1)). The kinetics library was extended by a new entry for methyl thiocyanate accounting for overlaps with isotopologues of hydrated hydronium ions. Solubility of methyl thiocyanate in water (Henry's law constant) was determined using standard reference solutions and the linearity and limits of detection of both SIFT-MS and SPME-GC/MS methods were characterized. Thirty-six strains of PA with distinct genotype were cultivated under identical conditions and 28 of them (all also producing HCN) were found to release methyl thiocyanate in headspace concentrations greater than 6 parts per billion by volume (ppbv). SIFT-MS was also used to analyze the breath of 28 children with CF and the concentrations of methyl thiocyanate were found to be in the range 2-21 ppbv (median 7 ppbv).
Candida albicans Dampens Host Defense by Downregulating IL-17 Production

IL-17 is one of the key cytokines that stimulate host defense during a Candida infection. Several studies have demonstrated the capacity of Candida albicans to induce a Th17 response. Surprisingly, experiments employing live C. ablicans demonstrated a specific downregulation of host IL-17 secretion in human blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). By avoiding the direct contact of live C. albicans and PBMCs, we demonstrate that this inhibition effect is mediated by a soluble factor released by live C. albicans. However, this effect is due neither to the releasing of C. albicans pathogen-associated molecular patterns nor to the alteration of different Th cell subtypes. Rather, we found that live C. albicans shifts tryptophan metabolism by inhibiting IDO expression away from kynurenines and toward 5-hydroxytryptophan metabolites. In addition, we show that these latter 5-hydroxytryptophan metabolites inhibit IL-17 production. In conclusion, live C. albicans inhibits host Th17 responses by modulatory effects on tryptophan metabolism.
Targeted Mass Spectrometric Approach for Biomarker Discovery and Validation with Nonglycosylated Tryptic Peptides from N-linked Glycoproteins in Human Plasma*

A simple mass spectrometric approach for the discovery and validation of biomarkers in human plasma was developed by targeting nonglycosylated tryptic peptides adjacent to glycosylation sites in an N-linked glycoprotein, one of the most important biomarkers for early detection, prognoses, and disease therapies. The discovery and validation of novel biomarkers requires complex sample pretreatment steps, such as depletion of highly abundant proteins, enrichment of desired proteins, or the development of new antibodies. The current study exploited the steric hindrance of glycan units in N-linked glycoproteins, which significantly affects the efficiency of proteolytic digestion if an enzymatically active amino acid is adjacent to the N-linked glycosylation site. Proteolytic digestion then results in quantitatively different peptide products in accordance with the degree of glycosylation. The effect of glycan steric hindrance on tryptic digestion was first demonstrated using alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) as a model compound versus deglycosylated alpha-1-acid glycoprotein. Second, nonglycosylated tryptic peptide biomarkers, which generally show much higher sensitivity in mass spectrometric analyses than their glycosylated counterparts, were quantified in human hepatocellular carcinoma plasma using a label-free method with no need for N-linked glycoprotein enrichment. Finally, the method was validated using a multiple reaction monitoring analysis, demonstrating that the newly discovered nonglycosylated tryptic peptide targets were present at different levels in normal and hepatocellular carcinoma plasmas. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve generated through analyses of nonglycosylated tryptic peptide from vitronectin precursor protein was 0.978, the highest observed in a group of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. This work provides a targeted means of discovering and validating nonglycosylated tryptic peptides as biomarkers in human plasma, without the need for complex enrichment processes or expensive antibody preparations.
Quantification of acetaldehyde released by lung cancer cells in vitro using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry.

The production of volatile compounds from cancer cell lines in vitro has been investigated using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). This technique enables on-line quantitative analyses of the headspace above cell/medium cultures. This paper reports the discovery that acetaldehyde is released by the lung cancer cell lines SK-MES and CALU-1. The concentration of acetaldehyde in the headspace of the medium/cell culture was measured after 16 h incubation at 37 degrees C and found to be proportional to the number of cancer cells in the medium (typically 10(8)). From these data, the acetaldehyde production rates of the SK-MES cells and the CALU-1 cells in vitro are determined to be 1 x 10(6) and 1.5-3 x 10(6) molecules/cell/min, respectively. The potential value of this new technique in cell biology and in industrial cell biotechnology is discussed.
Enjoyment of high‐intensity interval training in an overweight/obese cohort: a short report

Exercise enjoyment has been shown to be important for adherence. Minimal data exist on enjoyment of intense exercise, especially in clinical populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate enjoyment levels of overweight and obese subjects undergoing 3 weeks of high‐intensity interval training. Forty‐two generally healthy overweight and obese men and women (body mass index = 30·8 ± 4·8 kg × m−2) volunteered for this study. Exercise enjoyment was quantified using the Exercise Enjoyment Scale before and after each of nine total interval training sessions, over a three‐week period. Heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured at the end of each interval and training session. There were no significant differences in enjoyment between training groups (P > 0·05). Exercise enjoyment improved significantly over the three‐week training phase (P < 0·05). Enjoyment levels were relatively high to begin training: mean ± SD: 4·2 ± 1·0 out of a 7 point scale. Heart rate and RPE were significantly reduced (P < 0·05) from pre‐ (day 1) to post‐training (day 9). High‐intensity interval training may be an enjoyable form of exercise for overweight and obese men and women. Enjoyment levels may continue to increase following initial introduction to this type of training. Due to the small time demand and high enjoyment, interval training may be an effective exercise approach in a sedentary population.