bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dominance rank-associated immune gene expression is widespread, sex-specific, and a precursor to high social status in wild male baboons
Authors: Lea Amanda J. , Akinyi Mercy Y. , Nyakundi Ruth , Mareri Peter , Nyundo Fred , Kariuki Thomas , Alberts Susan C. , Archie Elizabeth A. , Tung Jenny 
Published: July 2018

ABSTRACTIn humans and other hierarchical species, social status is tightly linked to variation in health and fitness-related traits. Experimental manipulations of social status in female rhesus macaques suggest that this relationship is partially explained by status effects on immune gene regulation. However, social hierarchies are established and maintained in different ways across species: while some are based on kin-directed nepotism, others emerge from direct physical competition. We investigated how this variation influences the relationship between social status and immune gene regulation in wild baboons, where hierarchies in males are based on fighting ability but female hierarchies are nepotistic. We measured rank-related variation in gene expression levels in adult baboons of both sexes at baseline and in response to ex vivo stimulation with the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We identified >2000 rank- associated genes in males, an order of magnitude more than in females. In males, high status predicted increased expression of genes involved in innate immunity and preferential activation of the NFkB-mediated pro-inflammatory pathway, a pattern previously associated with low status in female rhesus macaques. Using Mendelian randomization, we reconcile these observations by demonstrating that high status-associated gene expression patterns are precursors, not consequences, of high social status in males, in support of the idea that physiological condition determines who attains high rank. Together, our work provides the first test of the relationship between social status and immune gene regulation in wild primates. It also emphasizes the importance of social context in shaping the relationship between social status and immune function.SIGNIFICANCESocial status predicts fitness outcomes in social animals, motivating efforts to understand its physiological causes and consequences. We investigated the relationship between social status and immune gene expression in wild baboons, where female status is determined by kinship but male status is determined by fighting ability. We uncover pervasive status-gene expression associations in males, but not females. High status males exhibit high levels of pro-inflammatory gene expression, in contrast to previous findings in hierarchies that are not competitively determined. Using Mendelian randomization, we show that this status-associated variation precedes dominance rank attainment: males who compete successfully for high status are already immunologically distinct. The nature of social hierarchies thus fundamentally shapes the relationship between social status and immune function.
Ecological analyses of mycobacteria in showerhead biofilms and their relevance to human health
Authors: Gebert Matthew J. , Delgado-Baquerizo Manuel , Oliverio Angela M. , Webster Tara M. , Nichols Lauren M. , Honda Jennifer R. , Chan Edward D. , Adjemian Jennifer , Dunn Robert R. , Fierer Noah 
Published: July 2018

AbstractBacteria within the genusMycobacteriumcan be abundant in showerheads, and the inhalation of aerosolized mycobacteria while showering has been implicated as a mode of transmission in nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung infections. Despite their importance, the diversity, distributions, and environmental predictors of showerhead-associated mycobacteria remain largely unresolved. To address these knowledge gaps, we worked with citizen scientists to collect showerhead biofilm samples and associated water chemistry data from 656 households located across the U.S. and Europe. Our cultivation-independent analyses revealed that the genusMycobacteriumwas consistently the most abundant genus of bacteria detected in residential showerheads, yet mycobacterial diversity and abundances were highly variable. Mycobacteria were far more abundant, on average, in showerheads receiving municipal versus well water, and in U.S. households as compared to European households, patterns that are likely driven by differences in the use of chlorine disinfectants. Moreover, we found that water source, water chemistry, and household location also influenced the prevalence of specific mycobacterial lineages detected in showerheads. We identified geographic regions within the U.S. where showerheads have particularly high abundances of potentially pathogenic lineages of mycobacteria and these ‘hot spots’ generally overlapped with those regions where NTM lung disease is most prevalent. Together these results emphasize the public health relevance of mycobacteria in showerhead biofilms. They further demonstrate that mycobacterial distributions in showerhead biofilms are often predictable from household location and water chemistry, knowledge that advances our understanding of NTM transmission dynamics and the development of strategies to reduce exposures to these emerging pathogens.
TACN (1, 4, 7-Triazacyclononane) restores the activity of β-lactam antibiotics against Metallo-β-Lactamase producingEnterobacteriaceae: The exploration of potential Metallo-β-Lactamase inhibitors
Authors: Somboro Anou M. , Amoako Daniel G. , Sekyere John Osei , Kumalo Hezekiel M. , Khan René , Bester Linda A. , Essack Sabiha Y. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractMetallo-β-lactamase producingEnterobacteriaceaeare of grave clinical concern particularly as there are no Metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) inhibitors approved for clinical use. The discovery and development of MBL inhibitors to restore the efficacy of available β-lactams are thus imperative. We investigated a zinc-chelating moiety, 1, 4, 7-triazacyclononane (TACN) for its inhibitory activity against clinical carbapenem-resistantEnterobacteriaceae. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs), serum effect, fractional inhibitory concentrations index and time-kill kinetics were performed using broth microdilution techniques according to the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CSLI) guidelines. Enzyme kinetic parameters and cytotoxicity effects of TACN were determined using spectrophotometric assays. The interactions of the enzyme-TACN complex were investigated by computational studies. Meropenem regained its activity against carbapenemase-producingEnterobacteriaceae, with the MIC decreasing to 0.03 mg/L in the presence of TACN. TACN-Meropenem combinations showed bactericidal effects with MIC/MBC ratio of ≤4, and synergistic activity was observed. Human serum effects on the MICs were insignificant, and TACN was found to be non-cytotoxic at concentrations above the MIC values. Computational studies predicted that TACN inhibits MBLs by targeting their catalytic active site pockets. This was supported by its inhibition constant Ki= 0.044 µM and inactivation constant kinact= 0.0406 (min-1) demonstrating that TACN inhibits MBLs efficiently and holds promise as a potential inhibitor.ImportanceCarbapenem-resistantEnterobacteriaceae(CRE)-mediated infections remain a significant public health concern and have been reported as critical in the World Health Organization’s Priority Pathogens List for the Research and Development of New Antibiotics. CRE produce enzymes such as Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs), which inactivate β-lactam antibiotics. Combination therapies involving a β-lactam antibiotic and a β-lactamase inhibitor remain a major treatment option for infections caused by β-lactamase-producing organisms. Currently, no MBL inhibitor-β-lactam combination therapy is clinically available for MBL-positive bacterial infections. Hence, developing efficient molecules capable of inhibiting these enzymes could be a promising way to overcome this phenomenon. TACN played a significant role in the inhibitory activity of the tested molecules against CREs by potentiating the carbapenem. This study demonstrated that TACN inhibits MBLs efficiently and holds promises as a potential MBLs inhibitor to help curb the global health threat posed by MBL-producing CREs.
C. elegans Mediator 15 permits low temperature-induced longevity via regulation of lipid and protein homeostasis
Authors: Lee Dongyeop , An Seon Woo A. , Jung Yoonji , Yamaoka Yasuyo , Ryu Youngjae , Goh Grace Ying Shyen , Beigi Arshia , Ma Dengke , Ha Chang Man , Taubert Stefan , Lee Youngsook , Lee Seung-Jae V. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractLow temperatures slow aging and extend lifespan in many organisms, including Caenorhabditis elegans. However, the metabolic and homeostatic aspects of low temperature-induced longevity remain poorly understood. Here, we show that changes in lipid composition regulated by MDT-15/Mediator 15, transcriptional co-regulator, is essential for low temperature-induced longevity and proteostasis in C. elegans. We find that inhibition of mdt-15 prevents animals from living long at low temperatures. We show that MDT-15 up-regulates fat-7, a fatty acid desaturase, at low temperatures, which increases the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids. We further demonstrate that maintaining this increased fatty acid ratio is essential for protein homeostasis and longevity at low temperatures. Thus, the homeostasis of lipid composition by MDT-15 appears to be a limiting factor for C. elegans proteostasis and longevity at low temperatures. Our findings highlight the crucial roles of fat regulation in maintaining normal organismal physiology under different environmental conditions.
Simvastatin mediates inhibition of exosome synthesis, localization and secretion via multicomponent interventions
Authors: Kulshreshtha Ankur , Singh Swati , Khanna Kritika , Agrawal Anurag , Ghosh Balaram 
Published: July 2018

AbstractDiscovery of exosomes as modulator of cellular communication has added a new dimension to our understanding of biological processes. Exosomes influence the biological systems by mediating trans-communication across tissues and cells, which has important implication for health and disease. Identification of strategies for exosome modulation may pave the way towards better understanding of exosome biology and development of novel therapeutics. In absence of well-characterized modulators of exosome biogenesis, an alternative option is to target pathways generating important exosomal components. Cholesterol represents one such essential component required for exosomal biogenesis. We initiated this study to test the hypothesis that owing to its cholesterol lowering effect, simvastatin, a HMG CoA inhibitor, might be able to alter exosome formation and secretion. Using previously established protocols for detecting secreted exosomes in biological fluids, simvastatin was tested for its effect on exosome secretion under various in-vitro and in-vivo settings. Murine model of AAI was used for further validation of our findings. Utilizing aforementioned systems, we demonstrate exosome-lowering potential of simvastatin in various in-vivo and in-vitro models, of AAI and atherosclerosis. We believe that the knowledge acquired in this study holds potential for extension to other exosome dominated pathologies and model systems.
Estimation of in vivo constitutive parameters of the aortic wall: a machine learning approach
Authors: Liu Minliang , Liang Liang , Sun Wei 
Published: July 2018

ABSTRACTThe patient-specific biomechanical analysis of the aorta demands the in vivo mechanical properties of individual patients. Current inverse approaches have shown the feasibility of estimating the nonlinear, anisotropic material parameters from in vivo image data using certain optimization schemes. However, since such inverse methods are dependent on iterative nonlinear optimization, these methods are highly computation-intensive, which may take weeks to complete for only a single patient, inhibiting rapid feedback for clinical use. Recently, machine learning (ML) techniques have led to revolutionary breakthroughs in many applications. A potential paradigm-changing solution to the bottleneck associated with patient-specific computational modeling is to incorporate ML algorithms to expedite the procedure of in vivo material parameter identification. In this paper, we developed a ML-based approach to identify the material parameters from three-dimensional aorta geometries obtained at two different blood pressure levels, namely systolic and diastolic geometries. The nonlinear relationship between the two loaded shapes and the constitutive parameters are established by a ML-model, which was trained and tested using finite element (FE) simulation datasets. Cross-validation was used to adjust the ML-model structure on a training/validation dataset. The accuracy of the ML-model was examined using a testing dataset.
Prediction and optimization model of activated carbon double layer capacitors based on improved heuristic approach genetic algorithm neural network
Authors: Yang Zhen , Lin Yun , Gu Xingsheng , Liang Xiaoyi 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the electrochemical properties of electrode material on activated carbon double layer capacitors. It also tries to develop a prediction model to evaluate pore size value.

Design/methodology/approach
Back-propagation neural network (BPNN) prediction model is used to evaluate pore size value. Also, an improved heuristic approach genetic algorithm (HAGA) is used to search for the optimal relationship between process parameters and electrochemical properties.

Findings
A three-layer ANN is found to be optimum with the architecture of three and six neurons in the first and second hidden layer and one neuron in output layer. The simulation results show that the optimized design model based on HAGA can get the suitable process parameters.

Originality/value
HAGA BPNN is proved to be a practical and efficient way for acquiring information and providing optimal parameters about the activated carbon double layer capacitor electrode material.
An evolutionary based framework for many-objective optimization problems
Authors: Bazargan Lari Kimia , Hamzeh Ali 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
Recently, many-objective optimization evolutionary algorithms have been the main issue for researchers in the multi-objective optimization community. To deal with many-objective problems (typically for four or more objectives) some modern frameworks are proposed which have the potential of achieving the finest non-dominated solutions in many-objective spaces. The effectiveness of these algorithms deteriorates greatly as the problem’s dimension increases. Diversity reduction in the objective space is the main reason of this phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach
To properly deal with this undesirable situation, this work introduces an indicator-based evolutionary framework that can preserve the population diversity by producing a set of discriminated solutions in high-dimensional objective space. This work attempts to diversify the objective space by proposing a fitness function capable of discriminating the chromosomes in high-dimensional space. The numerical results prove the potential of the proposed method, which had superior performance in most of test problems in comparison with state-of-the-art algorithms.

Findings
The achieved numerical results empirically prove the superiority of the proposed method to state-of-the-art counterparts in the most test problems of a known artificial benchmark.

Originality/value
This paper provides a new interpretation and important insights into the many-objective optimization realm by emphasizing on preserving the population diversity.
Innovation capabilities and performance: are they truly linked in SMEs?
Authors: Maldonado-Guzmán Gonzalo , Garza-Reyes Jose Arturo , Pinzón-Castro Sandra Yesenia , Kumar Vikas 
Published: July 2018

PurposeIn an environment where business uncertainty is the norm, developing innovation capability in an organisation is increasingly important. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects that innovation capabilities have on the business performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the context of a regional developing and emerging economy of Mexico, in this case, Aguascalientes.Design/methodology/approachThe approach of this study is quantitative. Four research hypotheses were formulated and tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). Data were collected through a questionnaire survey responded by 308 SMEs located in the Aguascalientes state of Mexico.FindingsThe results obtained show that innovation in products, processes, marketing and management has a positive and significant effect on the business return of Mexican SMEs.Originality/valueThe paper complements the limited body of knowledge currently existent in the SMEs innovation literature, particularly when compared to that of large organisations. Similar works in other settings have provided mixed results in regards to the effects that innovation capabilities have on the business performance of SMEs. Thus, this paper offers a refined understanding and validation of the relationship between innovation capabilities and business performance, especially within the context of SMEs, and insights into some of the innovation aspects that managers may consider when formulating the strategies of their organisations. Finally, it enables such relationship to be understood within a particular situation, contributing in this manner to expand the body of knowledge in the innovation field.
Prevalence and predictors of tobacco use among Bhutanese adolescents
Authors: Rinchen Sonam , Taneepanichskul Surasak , Dawa Namgay 
Published: July 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of tobacco use and associated factors influencing the use of tobacco among adolescents in a school setting.

Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted amongst Bhutanese adolescents studying at high schools in the district of Wangdue Phodrang in May 2016. A total of 378 eighth-grade students from four schools participated in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were carried out to describe the predictors of tobacco use.

Findings
Of the 378 student participants, 52.90 percent were girls and 47.10 percent boys. The age ranged from 11 to 19 years, and the majority lived in school hostels (82 percent). The prevalence of smoking was 10.80 percent while smokeless tobacco users constituted 11.10 percent in the month preceding the study. Gender, tobacco use by siblings and friends, ever having tried alcohol, consumption of alcohol in the last 30 days, previous experimentation with cigarettes/bidi and smokeless tobacco/baba (p-value <0.05) were significantly related to the use of tobacco among students. In multivariate analysis, tobacco use by friends (AdjOR=1.09; 95%CI=0.01–2.48), ever having tried alcohol (AdjOR=2.24; 95%CI=1.75–3.72), current alcohol use (AdjOR=2.63; 95%CI=1.52–4.31), experimentation with cigarettes/bidi (AdjOR =39.46; 95%CI=11.91–90.63) or with smokeless tobacco/baba (AdjOR=32.61; 95%CI=11.78–90.30) were observed as the strong predictors of current tobacco use among adolescents.

Originality/value
These study results re-emphasized the rising public health concern of tobacco use among younger boys and girls. The findings may help the Bhutanese policy makers and managers to better understand the present situation of adolescent tobacco use and its associated determinants, and formulate appropriate tobacco control strategies for adolescents.
The impact of corporate social responsibility on brand equity
Authors: Yang Jing , Basile Kelly 
Published: July 2018

PurposeDespite the significant investment in research on corporate social responsibility (CSR), there still exists a lack of clarity in terms of how different types of CSR activities lead to the outcomes a firm desires with their investment in CSR. The purpose of this paper is to provide greater insight on the relationship between types of CSR activities and brand equity (BE). The authors develop and test a conceptual framework, which examines the unique relationship between each CSR dimension and BE, as well as the interaction of product-related CSR activities and employee-related CSR activities with CSR activities across the other dimensions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from multiple secondary sources, including Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini (KLD) Research and Analytics Inc., Interbrand, Compustat and CMR. The authors used random-effect estimations to estimate panel regressions of BE as a function of the different dimensions of a firm’s CSR, interaction terms between CSR dimensions and product quality and interaction terms between employee relations and other CSR dimensions, as well as a set of control variables and Year dummy variables.FindingsBased upon a large-scale panel data set including 78 firms for the period of 2000–2014, the results show that diversity- and governance-related CSR have a positive effect on BE, employee-related CSR has a negative effect on BE and both product and employee dimensions play important roles in the relationships between other CSR dimensions and BE. These results have important implications for both theory and practice.Originality/valueThis study makes several contributions to extant literature on CSR and brand strength. First, this study examines the impact of CSR on BE vs alternative measures of brand-related outcomes. This study uses the KLD database to determine scores for firm CSR activity. It is the first to use the extensive KLD database to examine the relationship between types of CSR activities and BE. Last, this study seeks to better understand some of the organizational factors which influence the success of CSR outcomes. Specifically, the research will examine the interaction of product-related and employee-related CSR activities with CSR activities across the other dimensions.
Reasonableness: legitimate reasons for illegitimate presentations at the ED
Authors: Wamsiedel Marius 
Published: July 2018

AbstractMost studies on gatekeeping at the emergency department (ED) have emphasised the assessment of clients in terms of perceived legitimacy and deservingness, showing that lay considerations lead to exclusionary practices, and the ED contributes to the social reproduction of inequality. Some recent works have challenged this representation, providing compelling evidence of staff's concern for the access to care of the most vulnerable users. I extend this perspective by presenting the criterion of reasonableness of the visit to the ED that nurses in Romania commonly use during the triage admission interview. Reasonableness constitutes an acceptable departure from the mission of the ED that offsets the negative evaluation in terms of legitimacy. Patients deemed to have legitimate reasons for making illegitimate claims for admission escape staff's disciplining efforts. However, the staff‐devised understanding of reasonableness is restrictive and does not attend to most cultural and structural barriers in access to quality health care. I argue that reasonableness indexes structural sensitivity, a fragmentary, tacit, and imperfectly consistent orientation to structural deficiencies in the organisation and provision of primary care.