Wild bears, real bears and zoo bears: Authenticity and nature in Anthropocene tourism.

Within nature-based tourism research, authenticity has received a great deal of attention in relation to existential authenticity and in examining the authenticity of experiences. Yet very little research exists that explores the ways in which tourists perceive wildlife as more or less authentic, as objects in nature-based tourism discourses. This qualitative case study research explores visitors' perspectives in relation to polar bear tourism in Churchill, Manitoba (in situ) and at the Assiniboine Park Zoo's 'Journey to Churchill' exhibit (ex situ) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The 'Journey to Churchill' exhibit was built with the intention of representing aspects of the landscape, wildlife and town-site found in and around Churchill, Manitoba. These two sites provide a unique opportunity to compare in situ and ex situ nature-based tourism experiences, since the sites have similar elements such as wildlife species, landscape features and other contextual factors (such as environmental issues and cultural influence). The findings from this research suggests that perceived authenticity of the polar bears, more than the experience, contributes to the construction of learning experiences about climate change. We review the work of authenticity in nature-based tourism and suggest a rethinking of the work of authenticity for both educators and operators in nature tourism. This research has important implications for better understanding how visitors construct their perceptions of authenticity of wildlife and the implications for the ways in which wildlife tourism experiences and authenticity narratives are constructed in Anthropocene tourism.

Investigation of microorganisms in cannabis after heating in a commercial vaporizer.

Introduction: There are concerns about microorganisms present on cannabis materials used in clinical settings by individuals whose health status is already compromised and are likely more susceptible to opportunistic infections from microbial populations present on the materials. Most concerning is administration by inhalation where cannabis plant material is heated in a vaporizer, aerosolized, and inhaled to receive the bioactive ingredients. Heating to high temperatures is known to kill microorganisms including bacteria and fungi; however, microbial death is dependent upon exposure time and temperature. It is unknown whether the heating of cannabis at temperatures and times designated by a commercial vaporizer utilized in clinical settings will significantly decrease the microbial loads in cannabis plant material. Methods: To assess this question, bulk cannabis plant material supplied by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) was used to assess the impact of heating by a commercial vaporizer. Initial method development studies using a cannabis placebo spiked with Escherichia coli were performed to optimize culture and recovery parameters. Subsequent studies were carried out using the cannabis placebo, low delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency and high THC potency cannabis materials exposed to either no heat or heating for 30 or 70 seconds at 190°C. Phosphate-buffered saline was added to the samples and the samples agitated to suspend the microorganism. Microbial growth after no heat or heating was evaluated by plating on growth media and determining the total aerobic microbial counts and total yeast and mold counts. Results and discussion: Overall, while there were trends of reductions in microbial counts with heating, these reductions were not statistically significant, indicating that heating using standard vaporization parameters of 70 seconds at 190°C may not eliminate the existing microbial bioburden, including any opportunistic pathogens. When cultured organisms were identified by DNA sequence analyses, several fungal and bacterial taxa were detected in the different products that have been associated with opportunistic infections or allergic reactions including Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Aspergillus.

Assessment of gut microbiota populations in lean and obese Zucker rats.

Obesity has been on the rise in the US and worldwide for the last several decades. Obesity has been associated with chronic disease development, such as certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and liver diseases. Previously, we reported that obesity promotes DMBA-induced mammary tumor development using the obese Zucker rat model. The intestinal microbiota is composed of a diverse population of obligate and facultative anaerobic microorganisms, and these organisms carry out a broad range of metabolic activities. Obesity has been linked to changes in the intestinal microbiota, but the composition of the bacterial populations in lean and obese Zucker rats has not been carefully studied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of obesity on the gut microbiota in this model. Lean and obese female Zucker rats (n = 16) were fed an AIN-93G-like diet for 8 weeks. Rats were weighed twice weekly, and fecal samples were collected at the beginning and end of the experiment. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to evaluate the composition of the fecal bacterial populations. At the outset of the study, the lean rats exhibited much lower ratios of the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes phyla than the obese rats, but after 60 days, this ratio in the lean rats exceeded that of the obese. This shift was associated with reductions in the Bacteroidaceae, S24-7 and Paraprevotellaceae families in the lean rats. Obese rats also showed increased levels of the genus Akkermansia at day 60. PCoA plots of beta diversity showed clustering of the different test groups, indicating clear differences in intestinal microbiota populations associated with both the time point of the study and the lean or obese status in the Zucker rat model for obesity.

A metallo-ß-lactamase is responsible for the degradation of ceftiofur by the bovine intestinal bacterium Bacillus cereus P41.

Ceftiofur is a highly effective veterinary cephalosporin, yet it is rapidly degraded by bacteria in the gut. The goal of this work was to directly determine the mechanism of ceftiofur degradation by the bovine intestinal isolate Bacillus cereus P41. B. cereus P41 was isolated from the feces of a cow that had not been treated with cephalosporins, and was found to rapidly degrade ceftiofur in culture. Analysis of spent culture media by HPLC/UV and HPLC/MS revealed one major metabolite of ceftiofur, with a negative ion m/z of 127. Comparison of ceftiofur, ceftriaxone, and cefpodoxime degradation suggested that the major stable ceftiofur metabolite was the thiofuroic acid group eliminated from the C-3 position of the drug after hydrolysis by ß-lactamase. Genomic DNA from B. cereus P41 was cloned into Escherichia coli, and the transformants were screened for growth in the presence of ceftiofur. DNA sequencing of the plasmid pHSG299-BC-3 insert revealed the presence of a gene encoding a metallo-ß-lactamase. Incubation of ceftiofur with either the E. coli transformant or a commercial B. cereus metallo-ß-lactamase showed degradation of the drug and formation of the same major metabolite produced by B. cereus P41. These data demonstrate that a metallo-ß-lactamase plays a major role in the degradation of ceftiofur by the bovine intestinal bacterium B. cereus P41.

Distance dependence of intrahelix Ru(II)* to Os(II) polypyridyl excited-state energy transfer in oligoproline assemblies.

Energy transfer between the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited states of [Pra [M(II)(bpy)2(4-Me-4'(-N(H)CO)bpy)](PF6)2 units ([Pra(M(II)bpy2(mbpy)](2+): M(II) = Ru(II) or Os(II), bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, mbpy = 4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridine-4-carboxamido, Pra = 4-M(II)-L-proline) linked covalently to oligoproline assemblies in room temperature acetonitrile occurs on the picosecond-nanosecond time scale and has been time-resolved by transient emission measurements. Three derivatized oligoprolines, [CH3-CO-Pro6-Pra[Os(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro2-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro2-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro6-Glu-NH2](6+) (ORR-2, Pro = L-proline and Glu = glutamic acid); [CH3-CO-Pro6-Pra[Os(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro3-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro3-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro6-Glu-NH2](6+) (ORR-3); and CH3-CO-Pro6-Pra[Os(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro5-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro5-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)Pro6-Glu2-NH2](6+) (ORR-5), were prepared by using solid-phase peptide synthesis. Given the helical nature of the resulting assemblies and the nature of the synthesis, composition, length, and loading pattern are precisely controlled in the assemblies. In acetonitrile, they adopt a proline I helical secondary structure, confirmed by circular dichroism, in which the appended chromophores are ordered in well-defined orientations and internuclear separation distances although helix formation for ORR-2 is incomplete. Quantitative comparison of oligoproline ground-state absorption and steady-state emission spectra to those for the constituents, [Boc-Pra[M(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-OH](PF6)2 (Boc = N(α)-(1,1-dimethylethoxycarbonyl), shows that following Ru(II) light absorption, Ru(II)* undergoes facile energy transfer resulting in sensitization of Os(II). Sensitization efficiencies are 93% for ORR-2, 77% for ORR-3, and 73% for ORR-5. Picosecond-resolved emission measurements reveal complex, coupled dynamics that arise from excited-state decay and kinetically competitive -Ru(II)*-Ru(II)- → -Ru(II)-Ru(II)*- energy transfer migration/exchange and downhill -Ru(II)*-Os(II) → -Ru(II)-Os(II)* energy transfer. These processes were modeled simultaneously to extract rate constants for Ru(II)* → Ru(II) energy-transfer migration, k(Ru*-Ru), and Ru(II)* → Os(II) energy transfer, k(Ru*-Os). For ORR-2, k(Ru*-Ru) = 2.9 × 10(7) s(-1) and k(Ru*-Os) = 3.4 × 10(8) s(-1). For ORR-3, k(Ru*-Ru) = 1.2 × 10(7) s(-1) and k(Ru*-Os) = 1.3 × 10(8) s(-1). For ORR-5, k(Ru*-Ru) = 3.6 × 10(6) s(-1) and k(Ru*-Os) = 5.8 × 10(7) s(-1), all in acetonitrile at 22 °C. The data were analyzed by assuming Dexter energy transfer with the Franck-Condon factors arising from intramolecular structural and medium changes evaluated by use of an emission spectral fitting procedure. Fits of the data to the Dexter mechanism were consistent with the predicted distance dependence of energy transfer.

Endoplasmic reticulum-localized hepatic lipase decreases triacylglycerol storage and VLDL secretion.

Hepatic triacylglycerol levels are governed through synthesis, degradation and export of this lipid. Here we demonstrate that enforced expression of hepatic lipase in the endoplasmic reticulum in McArdle RH7777 hepatocytes resulted in a significant decrease in the incorporation of fatty acids into cellular triacylglycerol and cholesteryl ester accompanied by attenuation of secretion of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins. Hepatic lipase-mediated depletion of intracellular lipid storage increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and its target genes and augmented oxidation of fatty acids. These data show that 1) hepatic lipase is active in the endoplasmic reticulum and 2) intracellular hepatic lipase modulates cellular lipid metabolism and lipoprotein secretion.

Bovine intestinal bacteria inactivate and degrade ceftiofur and ceftriaxone with multiple beta-lactamases.

The veterinary cephalosporin drug ceftiofur is rapidly degraded in the bovine intestinal tract. A cylinder-plate assay was used to detect microbiologically active ceftiofur, and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was used to quantify the amount of ceftiofur remaining after incubation with bovine intestinal anaerobic bacteria, which were isolated from colon contents or feces from 8 cattle. Ninety-six percent of the isolates were able to inactivate ceftiofur to some degree, and 54% actually degraded the drug. None of 9 fungal isolates inactivated or degraded ceftiofur. Facultative and obligate anaerobic bacterial species that inactivated or degraded ceftiofur were identified with Vitek and Biolog systems, respectively. A subset of ceftiofur degraders also degraded the chemically similar drug ceftriaxone. Most of the species of bacteria that degraded ceftiofur belonged to the genera Bacillus and Bacteroides. PCR analysis of bacterial DNA detected specific ß-lactamase genes. Bacillus cereus and B. mycoides isolates produced extended-spectrum ß-lactamases and metallo-ß-lactamases. Seven isolates of Bacteroides spp. produced multiple ß-lactamases, including possibly CepA, and metallo-ß-lactamases. Isolates of Eubacterium biforme, Bifidobacterium breve, and several Clostridium spp. also produced ceftiofur-degrading ß-lactamases. An agar gel overlay technique on isoelectric focusing separations of bacterial lysates showed that ß-lactamase enzymes were sufficient to degrade ceftiofur. These results suggest that ceftiofur is inactivated nonenzymatically and degraded enzymatically by multiple ß-lactamases from bacteria in the large intestines of cattle.

Arylacetamide deacetylase attenuates fatty-acid-induced triacylglycerol accumulation in rat hepatoma cells.

Mobilization of hepatic triacylglycerol stores provides substrates for mitochondrial beta-oxidation and assembly of VLDLs; however, the identity of lipolytic enzymes involved in the regulation of this process remains largely unknown. Arylacetamide deacetylase (AADA) shares homology with hormone-sensitive lipase and therefore could potentially participate in hepatic lipid metabolism, including the regulation of hepatic triacylglycerol levels. We have established McArdle-RH7777 (rat hepatoma) cell lines stably expressing mouse AADA cDNA and performed metabolic labeling as well as lipid mass analyses. Expression of AADA cDNA in McArdle-RH7777 cells significantly reduced intracellular triacylglycerol levels and apolipoprotein B secretion and increased fatty acid oxidation. These results suggest that fatty acids released by AADA-mediated hydrolysis of lipids are channeled for -oxidation rather than for the assembly of lipoproteins.

Es-x/Ces1 prevents triacylglycerol accumulation in McArdle-RH7777 hepatocytes.

Mouse esterase-x/carboxylesterase 1 (Es-x/Ces1) is a close homolog of triacylglycerol hydrolase/carboxylesterase 3 (TGH/Ces3). Es-x possesses a conserved esterase/lipase active site motif, suggesting that like TGH it could play a role in hepatic triacylglycerol (TG) metabolism. McArdle-RH7777 cells stably transfected with Es-x cDNA accumulated significantly less TG and had increased production of acid-soluble metabolites (an indicator of beta-oxidation) during incubations with 0.4mM oleic acid when compared to empty vector or TGH cDNA transfected cells. Reduction of cellular TG persisted in the presence of esterase/lipase inhibitor E600 indicating that Es-x-mediated TG lowering can be largely explained by reduced partitioning of exogenous fatty acids to TG and increased redirection to beta-oxidation, rather than by increased TG turnover. Glycerol supplementation increased TG synthesis in both control and Es-x expressing cells to similar extent suggesting that Es-x expression did not reduce flux of metabolic intermediates through the glycerol-3-phosphate pathway. While Es-x expression reduced cellular TG levels, secretion of TG and apolipoprotein B remained unchanged when compared to control cells. Overall, these results suggest that Es-x limits hepatic TG accumulation by promoting beta-oxidation.

Characterization of deltoid, a chimeric protein containing the oligomerization site of hepatitis delta antigen.

Both forms of the hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg) encoded by hepatitis delta virus are active only as oligomers. Previous studies showed that quadrin, a synthetic 50-residue peptide containing residues 12-60 from the N-terminus of HDAg, interferes with HDAg oligomerization, forms an alpha-helical coiled coil in solution, and forms a novel square octamer in the crystal consisting of four antiparallel coiled-coil dimers joined at the corners by hydrophobic binding of oligomerization sites located at each end of the dimers. We designed and synthesized deltoid (CH3CO-[Cys23]HDAg-(12-27)-seryl-tRNA synthetae-(59-65)-[Cys42]HDAg-(34-60)-Tyr-NH2), a chimeric protein that structurally resembles one end of the quadrin dimer and contains a single oligomerization site. The 51-residue chain of deltoid contains a seven-residue alpha-hairpin loop in place of the remainder of the quadrin dimer plus Cys12 and Cys31 for forming an intrachain disulfide bridge. Reduced, unbridged deltoid (Tm=61 degrees C, DeltaG(H2O)=-1.7 kcal mol(-1)) was less stable to denaturation by heat or guanidine HCl than oxidized, intrachain disulfide-bridged deltoid (Tm>80 degrees C, DeltaG(H2O)=-2.6 kcal mol(-1)). Each form is an alpha-helical dimer that reversibly dissociates into two monomers (Kd=80 microM).

Novel long-circulating liposomes containing peptide library-lipid conjugates: synthesis and in vivo behavior.

Rapid uptake of intravenously injected liposomes by the mononuclear phagocyte system has limited their use as drug delivery vehicles. Recently, various long-circulating liposomes have been prepared by incorporating glycolipids or other amphiphilic molecules into the lipid bilayer of conventional liposomes. The purpose of the present study was to design a new class of biodegradable membrane modifiers that would increase the half-life of liposomes in vivo. Using solid-phase peptide synthesis, synthesized were 30-residue random libraries consisting of a random sequence of glycine, beta-alanine and gamma-aminobutyric acid. The libraries were coupled to stearic acid (SA) or phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). The resulting amphiphilic conjugates were mixed with egg phosphatidylcholine (PC) and cholesterol (Chol) in a 6:47:47 ratio, and unilamellar liposomes were prepared. For comparison, plain PC/Chol (50:50) liposomes, as well as liposomes containing polyethylene glycol (PEG)-SA/PC/Chol (6:47:47) and PEG-PE/PC/Chol (6:47:47) were also prepared. Calcein was entrapped in the liposomes, which were given intravenously to rats at a dose of 9.2 mumol lipid/kg, and the amount of intact liposomes present in serum was followed with time. While the conventional liposomes had a short elimination half-life (28 min), the liposomes modified with library-PE had a much longer half-life (170 min), while library-SA provided no improvement of the liposome pharmacokinetics. PEG-PE greatly improved the half-life of the liposomes (400 min) while PEG-SA only provided a marginal improvement. All liposome preparations were cleared in a biphasic fashion. In conclusion, a novel biodegradable lipopeptide conjugate was designed that endows liposomes with a prolonged circulation time in vivo. The pharmacokinetic profile of these modified liposomes was drastically improved over that of conventional liposomes. Since the library is prepared by solid-phase synthesis, length and/or composition could easily be modified in order to modulate the clearance profile of the liposomes. Tailoring of the pharmacokinetic profile of the liposomes depending on their intended application may allow for a greater flexibility of use than PEG-PE.

DNA microarray analysis of predominant human intestinal bacteria in fecal samples.

A microarray method was developed for the detection of 40 bacterial species reported in the literature to be predominant in the human gastrointestinal tract. The 40 species include seven species each of Bacteroides and Clostridium, six species of Ruminococcus, five species of Bifidobacterium, four species of Eubacterium, two species each of Fusobacterium, Lactobacillus and Enterococcus, and single species each of Collinsella, Eggerthella, Escherichia, Faecalibacterium and Finegoldia. Three 40-mer oligos specific for each bacterial species were designed based on comparison of the 16S rDNA sequences available in the GenBank database, and were used to make the DNA-array on epoxy slides. Using two universal primers, the 16S rRNA gene from bacteria present in fecal samples were amplified and labeled with Cyanine5-dCTP by PCR, and then hybridized to the DNA-array. After resolving some difficulties caused by sequence conflicts in GenBank and inaccurate reference strains, all 40 bacterial reference species gave positive results. The microarray method was used to screen fecal samples obtained from 11 healthy human volunteers for the presence of these intestinal bacteria. The results indicated that 25-37 of the 40 species could be detected in each fecal sample and that 33 of the species were found in a majority of the samples.

Solvent dependence of intramolecular electron transfer in a helical oligoproline assembly.

The helical oligoproline assembly CH3-CO-Pro-Pro-Pro-Pra(Ptzpn)-Pro-Pro-Pra(RuIIb2m2+ -Pro-Pro-Pra(Anq)-Pro-Pro-Pro-NH2, having a spatially ordered array of functional sites protruding from the proline backbone, has been prepared. The 13-residue assembly formed a linear array containing a phenothiazine electron donor, a tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chromophore, and an anthraquinone electron acceptor with the proline II secondary structure as shown by circular dichroism measurements. Following RuII --> b2m metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excitation at 457 nm, electron-transfer quenching occurs, ultimately to give a redox-separated (RS) state containing a phenothiazine (PTZ) radical cation at the Pra(Ptzpn) site and an anthraquinone (ANQ) radical anion at the Pra(Anq) site. The redox-separated state was formed with 33-96% efficiency depending on the solvent, and the transient stored energy varied from -1.46 to -1.71 eV at 22 +/- 2 degrees C. The dominant quenching mechanism is PTZ reductive quenching of the initial RuIII(b2m*-) MLCT excited state which is followed by m*- --> ANQ electron transfer to give the RS state. Back electron transfer is highly exergonic and occurs in the inverted region. The rate constant for back electron transfer is solvent dependent and varies from 5.2 x 10(6) to 7.7 x 10(6) s-1 at 22 +/- 2 degrees C. It is concluded that back electron transfer occurs by direct ANQ*- --> PTZ*+ electron transfer. Based on independently evaluated kinetic parameters, the electron-transfer matrix element is HDA approximately 0.13 cm-1.

Sensitization of TiO(2) by Phosphonate-Derivatized Proline Assemblies.

Surface electrochemical and photoelectrochemical measurements on ITO (In(2)O(3):Sn) or TiO(2) of two proline assemblies are reported. Surface coverage on ITO of Pbp-pra(Ru(II)b(2)m)-OH(PF(6))(2) and Bpb-pra(Ru(II)b(2)m)-OCH(3)(CF(3)CO(2))(2) are (1.5-2.4) x 10(-)(10) mol/cm(2), comparable to monolayer coverages of (1.5-2.5) x 10(-)(10) mol/cm(2) for [Ru(bpy)(2)(4,4'-(CO(2)H)(2)bpy)](PF(6))(2) and [Ru(bpy)(2)(4,4'-(PO(3)H(2))(2)bpy)](Br)(2). Incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) measured in Gräztel-type photovoltaic cells are sensitive to subtle structural differences in the assemblies. IPCE values for Pbp-pra(Ru(II)b(2)m)-OH(PF(6))(2) and Bpb-pra(Ru(II)b(2)m)-OCH(3)(CF(3)CO(2))(2) are 2% and <0.1%, which are compared to 23% for both [Ru(bpy)(2)(4,4'-(PO(3)H(2))(2)bpy)](Br)(2) and [Ru(bpy)(2)(4,4'-(CO(2)H)(2)bpy)](PF(6))(2) under the same conditions.