bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of Macrophage Function by the Antimicrobial Peptide Sublancin Protects Mice from Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureus
Authors: Wang Shuai , Ye Qianhong , Wang Ke , Zeng Xiangfang , Huang Shuo , Yu Haitao , Ge Qing , Qi Desheng , Qiao Shiyan 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTMethicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) is the major pathogen responsible for community and hospital bacterial infections. Sublancin, a glocosylated antimicrobial peptide isolated fromBacillus subtilis168, possesses anti-bacterial infective effects. In this study, we investigated the role and anti-infection mechanism of sublancin in a mouse model of MRSA-induced sublethal infection. Sublancin could modulate innate immunity by inducing the production of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and nitric oxide, enhancing phagocytosis and MRSA-killing activity in both RAW264.7 cells and peritoneal macrophages. The enhanced macrophage function by the peptidein vitrocorrelated with stronger protective activityin vivoin the MRSA-invasive sublethal infection model. Macrophages activation by sublancin was found to be mediated through the TLR4 and the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Moreover, oral administration of sublancin increased the frequencies of CD4+and CD8+T cells in mesenteric lymph nodes. The protective activity of sublancin was associated within vivoaugmenting phagocytotic activity of peritoneal macrophages and partly improving T cell-mediated immunity. Macrophages thus represent a potentially pivotal and novel target for future development of innate defense regulator therapeutics againtS. aureusinfection.
Repurposing cytarabine for treating primary effusion lymphoma by targeting KSHV latent and lytic replications
Authors: Gruffaz Marion , Zhou Shenghua , Vasan Karthik , Rushing Teresa , Michael Qing Liu , Lu Chu , Jung Jae U. , Gao Shou-Jiang 
Published: April 2018

AbstractOncogenic Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is etiologically linked to primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), an aggressive and non-treatable malignancy commonly found in AIDS patients. In this study, we performed a high throughput screening of 3,731 characterized compounds, and identified cytarabine approved by FDA for treating numerous types of cancer as a potent inhibitor of KSHV-induced PEL. We showed the high efficacy of cytarabine in the growth inhibition of various PEL cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Cytarabine inhibited host DNA and RNA syntheses and therefore induced cellular cytotoxicity. Furthermore, cytarabine inhibited viral DNA and RNA syntheses and induced the the rapid degradation of KSHV major latent protein LANA, leading to the suppression of KSHV latent replication. Importantly, cytarabine effectively inhibited active KSHV replication and virion production in PEL cells. Finally, cytarabine treatments not only effectively inhibited the initiation and progression of PEL tumors, but also induced regression of grown PEL tumors in a xenograft mouse model. Together, our study has identified cytarabine as novel therapeutic agent for treating PEL as well as eliminating KSHV persistent infection.ImportancePrimary effusion lymphoma is an aggressive malignancy caused by Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. The outcome of primary effusion lymphoma is dismal without specific treatment. Through a high throughput screening of characterized compounds, we identified a FDA-approved compound cytarabine as a potent inhibitor of primary effusion lymphoma. We showed that cytarabine induced regression of PEL tumors in a xenograft mouse model. Cytarabine inhibited host and viral DNA and RNA syntheses, resulting in the induction of cytotoxicity. Of interest, cytarabine induced the degradation of KSHV major latent protein LANA, hence suppressing KSHV latent replication, which is required for PEL survival. Furthermore, cytarabine inhibited KSHV lytic replication program, preventing virion production. Our findings identified cytarabine as novel therapeutic agent for treating PEL as well as for eliminating KSHV persistent infection. Since cytarabine is already approved by the FDA, it might be an ideal candidate for repurposing for PEL therapy and for further evaluation in advanced clinical trials.
A pool of postnatally-generated interneurons persists in an immature stage in the olfactory bulb
Authors: Benito Nuria , Gaborieau Elodie , Sanz Diez Alvaro , Kosar Seher , Foucault Louis , Raineteau Olivier , De Saint Jan Didier 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTCalretinin (CR)-expressing periglomerular (PG) cells are the most abundant interneurons in the glomerular layer of the olfactory bulb. They are predominately generated postnatally from the septal and dorsal sub-ventricular zones that continue producing them well into adulthood. Yet, little is known about their properties and functions. Using transgenic approaches and patch-clamp recording we show that CR(+) PG cells of both septal and dorsal origin have homogenous morphological and electrophysiological properties. They express a surprisingly poor repertoire of voltage-activated channels and fire, at most, one action potential. They also receive little synaptic inputs and NMDA receptors predominate at excitatory synapses. These properties, that resemble those of immature neurons, persist over time and limit the contribution of CR(+) PG cells in network activity. Thus, postnatally-generated CR(+) PG cells continuously supply a pool of latent neurons that unlikely participate in olfactory bulb computation but may provide a so far unsuspected reservoir of plasticity.
Visual salience of the stop-signal affects neural dynamics of controlled inhibition
Authors: Pierpaolo Pani , Franco Giarrocco , Margherita Giamundo , Roberto Montanari , Emiliano Brunamonti , Stefano Ferraina 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe countermanding or stop-signal task is broadly used to evaluate response inhibition: it sporadically requires to inhibit a movement upon an incoming salient stop-signal.To study the neural basis of arm movements inhibition we combined the approach typically employed for the study of perceptual-decision making with the countermanding task, that is broadly used to evaluate response inhibitionTo this aim we modified the salience of the stop-signal and we found that this modulation affected the ability to inhibit in macaque monkeys: coherently to what already observed in humans, we found that less salient stimuli deteriorate inhibitory performance. These behavioural results were subtended by neural modulations representing an inhibitory process that started later in time and showed a less steeper dynamic for stimuli difficult to be processed.This study shows that the neural patterns observed when deciding to stop are broadly similar to the neural patterns observed when deciding to act in the literature; thus it is a first step in investigating the perceptual decision making process involved in movement inhibition.
Integrated culturing, modeling and transcriptomics uncovers complex interactions and emergent behavior in a synthetic gut community
Authors: D’hoe Kevin , Vet Stefan , Faust Karoline , Moens Frédéric , Falony Gwen , Gonze Didier , Lloréns-Rico Verónica , Gelens Lendert , Danckaert Jan , Vuyst Luc De , Raes Jeroen 
Published: April 2018

AbstractWhereas the composition of the human gut microbiome is relatively well resolved, predictive understanding of its response to perturbations such as diet shifts is still lacking. Here, we followed a bottom-up strategy to explore human gut community dynamics. We established a synthetic community composed of three representative human gut isolates in well-controlled conditionsin vitro.We then explored species interactions by performing all mono- and pair-wise fermentation experiments and quantified with a mechanistic community model how well tri-culture dynamics was predicted from mono-culture data. With the model as a reference, we demonstrated that species grown in co-culture behaved differently than in mono-culture and confirmed their altered behavior at the transcriptional level. In addition, we showed with replicate tri-cultures and in simulations that dominance in tri-culture sensitively depends on initial conditions. Our work has important implications for gut microbial community modeling as well as ecological interaction detection from batch cultures.
Genetic sequences are two-dimensional
Authors: Erives Albert J 
Published: April 2018

AbstractIn attempting to align divergent homologs of a conserved developmental enhancer, a flaw in the homology concept embedded in gapped alignment (GA) was discovered. To correct this flaw, we developed a methodological approach called maximal homology alignment (MHA). The goal of MHA is to rescue internal microparalogy of biological sequences rather than to insert a pattern of gaps (null characters), which transform homologous sequences into strings of uniform size (1-dimensional lengths). The core operation in MHA is the “cinch”, whereby inferred tandem microparalogy is represented in multiple rows across the same span of alignment columns. Thus, MHAs have a second (vertical) paralogy dimension, which re-categorizes most indel mutations as replication slippage and attenuates the indel problem. Furthermore, internally-cinched, inferred microparalogy in a self-MHA can later be relaxed to restore uniformity to 2-dimensional widths in a multiple sequence alignment. This de-cinching operation is used as a first resort before artificial null characters are used. We implement MHA in a program called maximal, which is composed of a series of modules for cinching and cyclelizing divergent tandem repeats. In conclusion, we find that the MHA approach is of higher utility than GA in non-protein-coding regulatory sequences, which are unconstrained by codon-based reading frames and are enriched in dense microparalogical content.
TraceSpecks: a software for automated idealization of noisy patch-clamp and imaging data
Authors: Shah Syed Islamuddin , Demuro Angelo , Mak Don-On Daniel , Parker Ian , Pearson John E. , Ullah Ghanim 
Published: April 2018

AbstractExperimental records of single molecules or ion channels from fluorescence microscopy and patch-clamp electrophysiology often include high-frequency noise and baseline fluctuations that are not generated by the system under investigation and have to be removed. More-over, multiple channels or conductance levels can be present at a time in the data that need to be quantified to accurately understand the behavior of the system. Manual procedures for removing these fluctuations and extracting conducting states or multiple channels are laborious, prone to subjective bias, and hinder the processing of often very large data-sets. We introduce a maximum likelihood formalism for separating signal from a noisy and drifting background such as fluorescence traces from imaging of elementary Ca2+ release events called puffs arising from clusters of channels and patch-clamp recordings of ion channels. Parameters such as the number of open channels or conducting states, noise level, and back-ground signal can all be optimized using the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. We implement our algorithm following the Baum-Welch approach to EM in the portable java language with a user-friendly graphical interface and test the algorithm on both synthetic and experimental data from patch-clamp electrophysiology of Ca2+ channels and fluorescence microscopy of a cluster of Ca2+ channels and Ca2+ channels with multiple conductance levels. The resulting software is accurate, fast, and provides detailed information usually not available through manual analysis. Options for visual inspection of the raw and processed data with key parameters, and exporting a range of statistics such as the mean open probabilities, mean open times, mean close times, and dwell time distributions for different number of channels open or conductance levels, amplitude distribution of all opening events, and number of transitions between different number of open channels or conducting levels in asci format with a single click are provided.
Active users’ knowledge-sharing continuance on social Q&A sites: motivators and hygiene factors
Authors: Kang Minhyung 
Published: April 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on active users who are key contributors to online social question-and-answer (Q&A) sites, and examine antecedents of their knowledge-sharing continuance intention, based on expectation-confirmation theory and organizational justice theory.Design/methodology/approachSample data were gathered via an online survey from active users of Naver Knowledge-iN, a popular online social Q&A site in South Korea. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was adopted for data analysis. Moreover, a multi-group analysis was conducted to identify the motivators and hygiene factors of the responders’ knowledge-sharing continuance.FindingsExcept for perceived self-worth, all the antecedents – perceived playfulness, confirmation, perceived justice with sites, and perceived justice with askers – seemed to have a considerable influence on active users’ satisfaction, and therefore their continuance intention. Among them, perceived playfulness was proven to be a motivator, and perceived justice with sites a hygiene factor.Research limitations/implicationsDespite the limitations of a cross-sectional study, this research successfully illustrated that active users’ continuance intention is influenced by perceived playfulness, and not by perceived self-worth. In addition, perceived justice with social Q&A sites was proven to decrease dissatisfaction (i.e. hygiene factor), while perceived playfulness was proven to increase satisfaction (i.e. motivator).Originality/valueThis study differentiates itself from prior research by focusing specifically on active users of social Q&A sites, since their motivating mechanisms are different from normal users. Additionally, the antecedents of knowledge-sharing continuance were categorized into motivators and hygiene factors. This approach affords detailed guidelines to facilitate active users’ knowledge-sharing continuance and to prevent their defection.
CEO inside debt and firm debt
Authors: Beavers Randy 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
This paper aims to examine jointly the CEO inside debt and firm debt to further investigate the compensation incentives on risky decision-making and the resulting financial policy decisions concerning the debt structure of the firm.

Design/methodology/approach
Using S&P 1500 data from CRSP, Compustat, Execucomp and Capital IQ between 2006 and 2011, statistical analysis and regression models are used to determine potential correlations between the variable of interest, inside debt and debt control variables, including specialization.

Findings
Firms with high inside debt specialize in commercial loans and drawn credit lines. Larger firms diversify their debt holdings among commercial instruments and senior bonds. As firm size increases with inside debt, the effects are counteracted. Larger firms with high CEO inside debt have lower interest rates on these debt instruments and shorter maturities, suggesting a more conservative financing policy with regards to debt.

Research limitations/implications
Debt diversification is partially affected by compensation in the form of inside debt. Future studies of debt diversification should include CEO compensation controls.

Practical implications
For struggling companies or for those that want to return to a conservative financial policy, they can influence the CEO to make this decision by deferring his compensation to retirement.

Originality/value
This paper considers debt policy through the lens of a key decision maker, the CEO, and uses compensation as an incentive to determine what choices are made concerning debt.
The readiness of construction contractors and consultants to adopt e-tendering
Authors: Wimalasena Nipuni Nilakshini , Gunatilake Sachie 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
Tendering is a process undertaken to obtain offers from interested contractors to carry out specific packages of construction work. Presently, most construction stakeholders in developing countries use a paper-based tendering method, which is time-consuming, costly and labour-intensive. It may be argued that considering increased calls towards efficiency improvements in the construction industry, adopting e-tendering can bring about several benefits by allowing electronic exchange of information and avoiding the errors of traditional tendering. However, the question of readiness of construction stakeholders to embrace this change remains. The aim of this study is to investigate the readiness of Sri Lankan construction contractors and consultants (who are the two key parties involved in the tendering process) to adopt e-tendering.

Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods research approach was used to achieve the aim. Initially, a literature review was used to compare typical conventional and e-tendering processes. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the current level of usage of e-tendering and to investigate the readiness levels of consultants and contractors to implement e-tendering. Finally, seven expert interviews were conducted to propose suitable solutions to achieve a successful e-tendering implementation.

Findings
The analysed data revealed that both consultants and contractors used electronic media in the tendering process but they were still not ready for complete e-tendering implementation. However, consultants were more hesitant than contractors. The main barrier that limited e-tendering implementation was the lack of legal rules to cover e-tendering.

Originality/value
E-tendering implementation should be initiated from the government sector. Therefore, it is recommended to update the procurement guideline and required legal policies to enrich the current usage level of e-tendering among construction stakeholders.
The effect of corporate governance on carbon emission disclosures
Authors: Kılıç Merve , Kuzey Cemil 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether corporate governance characteristics impact the voluntary disclosure of carbon emissions.

Design/methodology/approach
This empirical research was carried out in two stages. Initially, the carbon disclosures data were sourced from the annual and stand-alone sustainability reports of Turkish non-financial companies listed on Borsa Istanbul during 2011-2015. Later, the corporate governance characteristics that influence carbon disclosures were examined using panel data regression models.

Findings
The empirical findings of this study suggested that entities with a higher number of independent directors on their boards were more likely to respond to the Carbon Disclosure Project. In addition, board nationality diversity and the existence of a sustainability committee had a significant positive impact on the propensity to disclose carbon emissions and the extent of those disclosures.

Originality/value
This research provides empirical evidence of the determinants of carbon emission disclosures, which could be useful for organizations and regulatory bodies. Such an understanding is crucial to specify necessary policies that will provide emission reduction practices and policies for entities. This paper fills some of the gap in the literature by concentrating on the association between corporate governance characteristics and disclosures of a more specific environmental issue, being carbon emissions.
“Natural allies”
Authors: Poole Alex H. , Garwood Deborah A. 
Published: April 2018

PurposeIn Digging into Data 3 (DID3) (2014-2016), ten funders from four countries (the USA, Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands) granted $5.1 million to 14 project teams to pursue data-intensive, interdisciplinary, and international digital humanities (DH) research. The purpose of this paper is to employ the DID3 projects as a case study to explore the following research question: what roles do librarians and archivists take on in data-intensive, interdisciplinary, and international DH projects?Design/methodology/approachParticipation was secured from 53 persons representing eleven projects. The study was conducted in the naturalistic paradigm. It is a qualitative case study involving snowball sampling, semi-structured interviews, and grounded analysis.FindingsLibrarians or archivists were involved officially in 3 of the 11 projects (27.3 percent). Perhaps more importantly, information professionals played vital unofficial roles in these projects, namely as consultants and liaisons and also as technical support. Information and library science (ILS) expertise helped DID3 researchers with issues such as visualization, rights management, and user testing. DID3 participants also suggested ways in which librarians and archivists might further support DH projects, concentrating on three key areas: curation, outreach, and ILS education. Finally, six directions for future research are suggested.Originality/valueMuch untapped potential exists for librarians and archivists to collaborate with DH scholars; a gap exists between researcher awareness and information professionals’ capacity.
How do career satisfaction and life satisfaction associate?
Authors: Hagmaier Tamara , Abele Andrea E. , Goebel Kyra 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
Life satisfaction is an ultimate goal in human existence, and it is also an important factor in the work domain. It may both trigger work-related outcomes and be influenced by work-related factors. The authors are here concerned with career satisfaction and its association with life satisfaction. From a bottom-up perspective, career satisfaction should enhance life satisfaction; from a top-down perspective, the influence should work in the reverse direction; and from an interactionist perspective reciprocal influences are conceivable. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors tested these perspectives in two longitudinal studies with three points of measurement each. Study 1 (n=517) covered a period of five years and Study 2 an eight-week period (n=99). The authors analyzed the data by means of latent growth curve modeling and cross-lagged analysis.

Findings
Both studies revealed that life satisfaction and career satisfaction are positively associated both within and across time. The directional association between both constructs is well-represented by a top-down model; further, by a reciprocal influence model. The bottom-up model received least support. Study 2 additionally showed that work centrality is a moderator.

Research limitations/implications
The authors discuss these findings with respect to both the relevance of life satisfaction in the work domain and the relationship between global and domain-specific life satisfaction.

Originality/value
The present research is the first one that investigates the association between career satisfaction and life satisfaction using two longitudinal studies.