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Rhesus monkey rhadinovirus (RRV) is one of the closest phylogenetic relatives to the human pathogen Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)—a gamma-2 herpesvirus and the etiologic agent of three malignancies associated with immunosuppression. In contrast to KSHV, RRV displays robust lytic-phase growth in culture, replicating to high titer, and therefore holds promise as an effective model for studying primate gammaherpesvirus lytic gene transcription as well as virion structure, assembly, and proteomics. More recently, investigators have devised complementary latent systems of RRV infection, thereby also enabling the characterization of the more restricted latent transcriptional program. Another benefit of working with RRV as a primate gammaherpesvirus model is that its efficient lytic growth makes genetic manipulation easier than that in its human counterpart. Exploiting this quality, laboratories have already begun to generate mutant RRV, setting the stage for future work investigating the function of individual viral genes. Finally, rhesus macaques support experimental infection with RRV, providing a natural in vivo model of infection, while similar nonhuman systems have remained resistant to prolonged KSHV infection. Recently, dual infection with RRV and a strain of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) has led to a lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD) reminiscent of multicentric Castleman disease (MCD)—a clinical manifestation of KSHV infection in a subset of immunosuppressed patients. RRV, in short, shows a high degree of homology with KSHV yet is more amenable to experimental manipulation both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, these qualities ensure its current position as one of the most relevant viral models of KSHV biology and infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web-based collaborative platforms appear to show significant potential for improving teaching and learning productivity and flexibility at Third Level. Two pilot studies were conducted at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), one within TCD and one between TCD and the University of Reading to explore pertinent planning, operational, technological and organizational issues with a view to identifying pointers for the future in relation to planning and implementation from student, lecturer and administrative perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commercial extract from the oro-pharyngeal tissues of calf has been used as the source of pregastric lipase and has been processed to yield a partially purified sample of the pregastric lipase. The activity of this lipase against the short-chain lipid tributyrin has been determined over a range of pH and temperature values. Optimum pH conditions were within the range 5.7-6.4 and the optimum temperature was within 37-48 °C. The lipase was also used to catalyze the hydrolysis of monoacid triglycerides (C4∶0-C12∶0) at 40 °C, pH 6.0 and maximum activity was obtained against tributyrin (C4∶0). The values of the kinetic parameter Km increase with increasing carbon-chain length of the carboxylic moiety on the triglycerides, thus, indicating a preference for tributyrin under the stated conditions. The results are compared with results previously obtained utilising goat, kid and lamb pregastric lipases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]