A Community of Curious Souls: An Analysis of Commenting Behavior on TED Talks Videos

The TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talks website hosts video recordings of various experts, celebrities, academics, and others who discuss their topics of expertise. Funded by advertising and members but provided free online, TED Talks have been viewed over a billion times and are a science communication phenomenon. Although the organization has been derided for its populist slant and emphasis on entertainment value, no previous research has assessed audience reactions in order to determine the degree to which presenter characteristics and platform affect the reception of a video. This article addresses this issue via a content analysis of comments left on both the TED website and the YouTube platform (on which TED Talks videos are also posted). It was found that commenters were more likely to discuss the characteristics of a presenter on YouTube, whereas commenters tended to engage with the talk content on the TED website. In addition, people tended to be more emotional when the speaker was a woman (by leaving comments that were either positive or negative). The results can inform future efforts to popularize science amongst the public, as well as to provide insights for those looking to disseminate information via Internet videos.     

‘Big science’ in the field: experimenting with badgers and bovine TB, 1995–2015

History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences - Since wild badgers were first connected with outbreaks of bovine TB (bTB) in UK cattle herds in the early 1970s, the question of whether to cull them...     

Evidence for cigarette smoke-induced calcitonin secretion from lungs of man and hamster

In hamsters, acute cigarette smoke inhalation increased serum levels of the hormone calcitonin; and, in humans, smoking of two high-nicotine content cigarettes increased serum and urine levels of this hormone. The source of this immunoreactive calcitonin (iCT) does not appear to be the thyroid gland, since previously thyroidectomized patients demonstrated a similar response. In the hamster, the increased serum iCT levels were accompanied by a decreased lung tissue iCT content and hypocalcemia. It is suggested that the source of the cigarette smoke-induced hypercalcitonemia is the lung, possibly from the iCT-containing pulmonary neuroendocrine (PNE) cells. Moreover, this response appears to be dependent on the nicotine content of the cigarettes.     

Synthesis,Biological Evaluation,and Molecular Docking of Novel Thiazoles and [1,3,4]Thiadiazoles Incorporating Sulfonamide Group as DHFR Inhibitors

2‐(1‐{4‐[(4‐Methylphenyl)sulfonamido]phenyl}ethylidene)thiosemicarbazide ( 3 ) was exploited as a starting material for the synthesis of two novel series of 5‐arylazo‐2‐hydrazonothiazoles 6a  –  6j and 2‐hydrazono[1,3,4]thiadiazoles 10a  –  10d , incorporating sulfonamide group, through its reactions with appropriate hydrazonoyl halides. The structures of the newly synthesized products were confirmed by spectral and elemental analyses. Also, the antimicrobial, anticancer, and DHFR inhibition potency for two series of thiazoles and [1,3,4]thiadiazoles were evaluated and explained by molecular docking studies and SAR analysis.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Haloquadratum walsbyi</Emphasis> Yields a Versatile,NAD<Superscript>+</Superscript>/NADP<Superscript>+</Superscript> Dual Affinity,Thermostable, Alcohol Dehydrogenase (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hw</Emphasis>ADH)

This study presents the first example of an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from the halophilic archaeum Haloquadratum walsbyi (HwADH). A hexahistidine-tagged recombinant HwADH was heterologously overexpressed in Haloferax volcanii. HwADH was purified in one step and was found to be thermophilic with optimal activity at 65 °C. HwADH was active in the presence of 10% (v/v) organic solvent. The enzyme displayed dual cofactor specificity and a broad substrate scope, and maximum activity was detected with benzyl alcohol and 2-phenyl-1-propanol. HwADH accepted aromatic ketones, acetophenone and phenylacetone as substrates. The enzyme also accepted cyclohexanol and aromatic secondary alcohols, 1-phenylethanol and 4-phenyl-2-butanol. H. walsbyi may offer an excellent alternative to other archaeal sources to expand the toolbox of halophilic biocatalysts.     

DNA sequence specificity of a naphthylquinoline triple helix-binding ligand.

We have examined the effect of a naphthylquinoline triplex-binding ligand on the formation of intermolecular triplexes on DNA fragments containing the target sites A6G6xC6T6 and G6A6xT6C6. The ligand enhances the binding of T6C2, but not T2C6, to A6G6xC6T6 suggesting that it has a greater effect on TxAT than C+xGC triplets. The complex with T6C2 is only stable below pH 6.0, confirming the requirement for protonation of the third strand cytosines. Antiparallel triplexes with GT-containing oligonucleotides are also stabilised by the ligand. The complex between G5T5 and A6G6xC6T6 is stabilised by lower ligand concentrations than that between T5G5 and G6A6xC6T6. The ligand does not promote the interaction with GT-containing oligonucleotides which have been designed to bind in a parallel orientation. Although the formation of antiparallel triplexes is pH independent, we find that the ligand has a greater stabilising effect at lower pH, suggesting that the active species is protonated. The ligand does not promote the binding of antiparallel GA-containing oligonucleotides at pH 7.5 but induces the interaction between A5G5 and G6A6xT6C6 at pH 5.5. Ethidium bromide does not promote the formation of any of these triplexes and destabilises the interaction of acridine-linked pyrimidine-containing third strands with these target sites.     

Structural analysis of nested neutralizing and non‐neutralizing B cell epitopes on ricin toxin's enzymatic subunit

In this report, we describe the X‐ray crystal structures of two single domain camelid antibodies (V_HH), F5 and F8, each in complex with ricin toxin's enzymatic subunit (RTA). F5 has potent toxin‐neutralizing activity, while F8 has weak neutralizing activity. F5 buried a total of 1760 Ų in complex with RTA and made contact with three prominent secondary structural elements: α‐helix B (Residues 98–106), β‐strand h (Residues 113–117), and the C‐terminus of α‐helix D (Residues 154–156). F8 buried 1103 Ų in complex with RTA that was centered primarily on β‐strand h. As such, the structural epitope of F8 is essentially nested within that of F5. All three of the F5 complementarity determining regions CDRs were involved in RTA contact, whereas F8 interactions were almost entirely mediated by CDR3, which essentially formed a seventh β‐strand within RTA's centrally located β‐sheet. A comparison of the two structures reported here to several previously reported (RTA‐V_HH) structures identifies putative contact sites on RTA, particularly α‐helix B, associated with potent toxin‐neutralizing activity. This information has implications for rational design of RTA‐based subunit vaccines for biodefense. Proteins 2016; 84:1162–1172. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.