bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Unexpectedly high mutation rate of a deep-sea hyperthermophilic anaerobic archaeon
Authors: Gu Jiahao , Wang Xiaojun , Ma Xiaopan , Sun Ying , Xiao Xiang , Luo Haiwei 
Published: September 2020

AbstractDeep-sea hydrothermal vents resemble the early Earth, and thus the dominantThermococcaceaeinhabitants, which occupy an evolutionarily basal position of the archaeal tree and take an obligate anaerobic hyperthermophilic free-living lifestyle, are likely excellent models to study the evolution of early life. Here, we determined that unbiased mutation rate of a representative species,Thermococcus eurythermalis, exceeded that of all known free-living prokaryotes by 1-2 orders of magnitude, and thus rejected the long-standing hypothesis that low mutation rates were selectively favored in hyperthermophiles. We further sequenced multiple and diverse isolates of this species and calculated thatT. eurythermalishas a lower effective population size than other free-living prokaryotes by 1-2 orders of magnitude. These data collectively indicate that the high mutation rate of this species is not selectively favored but instead driven by random genetic drift. The availability of these unusual data also helps explore mechanisms underlying microbial genome size evolution. We showed that genome size is negatively correlated with mutation rate and positively correlated with effective population size across 30 bacterial and archaeal lineages, suggesting that increased mutation rate and random genetic drift are likely two important mechanisms driving microbial genome reduction. Future determinations of the unbiased mutation rate of more representative lineages with highly reduced genomes such asProchlorococcusandPelagibacteralesthat dominate marine microbial communities are essential to test these hypotheses.
Single-dose ethanol intoxication causes acute and lasting neuronal changes in the brain
Authors: Knabbe Johannes , Protzmann Jil , Schneider Niklas , Dannehl Dominik , Berger Michael , Wei Shoupeng , Strahle Christopher , Jaiswal Astha , Lugani Sophie , Zheng Hongwei , Krüger Marcus , Rohr Karl , Spanagel Rainer , Scholz Henrike , Bilbao Ainhoa , Engelhardt Maren , Cambridge Sidney B. 
Published: September 2020

SummaryAlcohol intoxication at early ages is a risk factor for development of addictive behavior. To uncover neuronal molecular correlates of acute ethanol intoxication, we used stable-isotope labeled mice combined with quantitative mass spectrometry to screen over 2000 hippocampal proteins of which 72 changed synaptic abundance up to two-fold after ethanol exposure. Among those were mitochondrial proteins and proteins important for neuronal morphology, including MAP6 and Ankyrin-G. Based on these candidate proteins, we found acute and lasting molecular, cellular, and behavioral changes following a single intoxication in alcohol-naïve mice. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed a shortening of axon initial segments. Longitudinal two-photonin vivoimaging showed increased synaptic dynamics and mitochondrial trafficking in axons. Knockdown of mitochondrial trafficking in dopaminergic neurons abolished conditioned alcohol preference inDrosophila. This introduces mitochondrial trafficking as a process implicated in reward learning, and highlights the potential of high-resolution proteomics to identify cellular mechanisms relevant for addictive behavior.
Psilocybin rescues sociability deficits in an animal model of autism
Authors: Mollinedo-Gajate Irene , Song Chenchen , Sintes-Rodriguez Marcos , Whelan Tobias , Soula Anaïs , Selimbeyoglu Aslihan , Hurley Shaun , Knöpfel Thomas 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by core deficits in social interaction. The classic serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin has been suggested as a therapeutic agent that may ameliorate in the core symptomology of ASD. We found that the acute response to psilocybin was attenuated in the prenatal valproic acid exposure mouse model of ASD, and importantly, psilocybin rescued the social behavioural abnormalities present in these ASD model mice.
CLPX regulates erythroid heme synthesis by control of mitochondrial heme synthesis enzymes and iron utilization
Authors: Rondelli Catherine M. , Perfetto Mark , Danoff Aidan , Bergonia Hector , Gillis Samantha , Nicolas Gael , Puy Herve , West Richard , Phillips John D. , Yien Yvette Y. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractHeme is a prosthetic group that plays a critical role in catalyzing life-essential redox reactions in all cells, including critical metabolic processes. Heme synthesis must be tightly co-regulated with cellular requirements in order to maximize utilization and minimize toxicity. Terminally differentiating erythroid cells have an extremely high demand for heme for hemoglobin synthesis. While the enzymatic reactions of heme synthesis are extremely well studied, the mechanisms by which the mitochondrial homeostatic machinery interacts with and regulates heme synthesis are poorly understood. Knowledge of these regulatory mechanisms are key to understanding how red cells couple heme production with heme demand. Heme synthesis is tightly regulated by the mitochondrial AAA+ unfoldase CLPX, which has been reported to promote heme synthesis by activation of yeast δ-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS/Hem1). CLPX was also reported to mediate heme-induced turnover of ALAS1 in human cells. However, a mutation in the ATP binding domain of CLPX that abrogated ATP binding caused an increase in ALAS activity, contrary to previous predictions that CLPX activated ALAS. Using loss-of-function assays in murine cells and zebrafish, we interrogated the mechanisms by which CLPX regulates erythroid heme synthesis. We found that consistent with previous studies, CLPX is required for erythroid heme synthesis. We show that ALAS2 stability and activity were both increased in the absence of CLPX, suggesting that CLPX primarily regulates ALAS2 by control of its turnover. However, we also showed that CLPX is required for PPOX activity and maintenance of FECH levels, likely accounting for the heme deficiency in the absence of CLPX. Lastly, CLPX is required for iron metabolism during erythroid terminal differentiation. Our results show that the role of CLPX in heme synthesis is not conserved across eukaryotes. Our studies reveal a potential mechanism for the role of CLPX in anemia and porphyria, and reveal multiple nodes at which heme synthesis is regulated by the mitochondrial housekeeping machinery.
The role of discretionary pension accruals in earnings management
Authors: Hsieh Su-Jane , Su Yuli , Chang Chun-Chia Amy 
Published: September 2020

PurposeManagers of defined-benefit (DB) firms have considerable discretion in deriving pension costs and flexibility in cash contributions to pension plans. Pension accruals occur when cash contributions differ from pension costs. The manipulable nature of pension costs and cash contributions allows managers of DB firms to manipulate pension accruals to achieve their desired earnings. We study whether DB firms with earnings management attributes (referred to as suspect DB firms) used more discretionary pension accruals (DPA) than non-suspect DB firms, especially after the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX).Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop an aggregate measure of DPA to capture overall earnings management in pension accounting. They then employ a multivariate regression model to study whether the suspect DB firms engage in more DPA than non-suspect firms and to assess the impact of SOX on DPA for all DB firms and for suspect DB firms.FindingsThe authors find evidence that suspect firms inflate DPA to achieve their earnings goals and also that all DB firms and the suspect firms use more DPA in the post-SOX era compared to the pre-SOX period. In contrast, they observe no significant difference in real activities earnings management (REM) between suspect and non-suspect firms. In addition, neither the entire sample of DB firms nor the suspect firms display a significant change in REM after SOX.Research limitations/implicationsThe samples in the study are limited to firms with defined pension plans; thus, the findings cannot be generalized to all firms. In addition, as in other empirical studies relying on models to estimate earnings management proxies, this study inherits estimation errors from Jones and Roychowdhury's models. Consequently, the impact of these estimation errors cannot be ruled out.Practical implicationsThe empirical findings of the study appear that instead of deterring DB firms from engaging in pension accruals earnings management, enacting the stringent anti-fraud SOX prompts these firms to rely more on accrual-based discretionary pension rather than switch to real activities manipulation to manage earnings.Originality/valueWhile many prior studies focus on the impact of managing individual pension assumptions on earnings, the authors study overall earnings management in pension accounting by developing a model to derive an aggregate measure of pension earnings management.
Nationwide revisitation reveals thousands of local extinctions across the ranges of 713 threatened and rare plant species
Authors: Kempel Anne , Bornand Christophe N. , Gygax Andreas , Juillerat Philippe , Jutzi Michael , Sager Lionel , Bäumler Beat , Eggenberg Stefan , Fischer Markus 
Published: September 2020

AbstractDespite increasing awareness of global biodiversity loss, we lack quantitative data on local extinctions for many species. This is especially true for rare species, which are typically assessed on the basis of expert judgment rather than data. Revisiting previously assessed populations enables estimation of local extinction rates and the identification of species characteristics and habitats with high local extinction risk. Between 2010 and 2016, in a nationwide revisitation study, 420 volunteer botanists revisited 8,024 populations of the 713 rarest and most threatened plant species in Switzerland recorded between 1960 and 2001. Of the revisited 8,024 populations, 27% had gone locally extinct. Among critically endangered species, the local extinctions increased to 40%. Species from ruderal and freshwater habitat types showed the highest proportion of local extinctions. Our results provide compelling evidence for rapid and widespread local extinctions and suggest that current conservation measures are insufficient. Local extinctions precede and provide early warnings for global extinctions. The ongoing loss of populations suggests that we will lose species diversity unless we scale up species‐targeted conservation and restoration measures, especially in anthropogenic landscapes.
Microneedling in androgenetic alopecia; comparing two different depths of microneedles
Authors: Faghihi Gita , Nabavinejad Samin , Mokhtari Fatemeh , Fatemi Naeini Farahnaz , Iraji Fariba 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundMicroneedling has shown to have positive therapeutic effects in treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA); however, the best microneedling protocol is still controversial.AimsInvestigating effect of microneedling with 2 different depths of penetration on promoting hair growth in patients with AGA.MethodsSixty patients, in the age of 18‐45 years old with moderate and severe AGA, were allocated into 3 groups of control: treatment with minoxidil 5% lotion; group A: treatment with minoxidil 5% lotion and biweekly microneedling with a depth of 1.2 mm and group B: treatment with minoxidil 5% lotion and biweekly microneedling with a depth of 0.6 mm during 12 weeks. Efficacy parameters including change of hair count and hair thickness from baseline and assessment of hair growth by patient and investigator were evaluated.ResultsCompared with the baseline, a significant increase in hair count and hair thickness was observed in all three groups after completion of the treatment course (P < .05). The mean rise in hair count (P = .017) and hair thickness (P = .007) was significantly greater in group B compared with control group. Investigator's evaluation of hair regrowth was significantly greater in group A (P = .04) and group B (P = .007) compared with control group.ConclusionMicroneedling with a depth of 0.6 mm in combination with minoxidil is more effective than minoxidil monotherapy in patients with AGA in terms of hair count and hair thickness. This depth of penetration tended to be more beneficial than depth of 1.2 mm.
Associations Among Health Literacy, End‐of‐Life Care Expenditures, and Rurality
Authors: Shi Kewei , Hung Peiyin , Wang Shi‐Yi 
Published: September 2020

AbstractPurposeTo examine differential associations between health literacy (HL) and end‐of‐life (EOL) care expenditures by rurality.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study included all urban and rural counties in the United States. County‐level HL data were estimated using 2010 US Census and 2011 American Community Surveys data; EOL expenditures in 2010 were derived from the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care database. Hierarchical generalized linear regressions were used to assess associations between HL and EOL care, controlling for county‐level characteristics and focusing on rurality (with areas classified as urban, rural micropolitan, or rural noncore).FindingsOf 3,137 US counties, 100 (3.2%) counties where 7.6 million Americans live had low HL (LHL). Counties with LHL had significantly higher average expenditures in the last 6 months of life and during terminal hospitalization than counties with high HL (HHL) (both P < .001). There was a statistically significant interaction between HL and rurality (P < .001). EOL expenditures were significantly higher in LHL counties than HHL counties in urban areas, while no such relationship appeared in rural areas. Average estimated EOL expenditures among LHL counties decreased by rurality ($16,953, $14,939, and $12,671 for urban, rural micropolitan, and rural noncore areas, respectively), while average estimated expenditures in HHL counties were around $14,000 in each of these areas.ConclusionsHL and EOL expenditures were inversely associated with urban America but unrelated to rural areas. Counties with HHL had constant expenditures regardless of rurality. Interventions targeting HL may help reduce EOL expenditures and rural‐urban disparities in EOL care.
A Novel, Efficient, Unit Circle-Based, Method for Positioning and Operating Cryo-Surgical Probes in Convex Target Areas
Authors: Magalov Zaur , Avraham Shitzer , David Degani 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
A novel method for positioning and operating needle-like cryo-surgical probes in 2D convex target areas is presented. The method is based on the recorded dynamic performance of a single probe, termed “unit circle,” (UC) embedded in a semi-infinite, tissue-like medium. Up to 15 cryo-probes, inserted into the same depth, are operated uniformly for 2–5 min. A predetermined number of probes are rearranged inside the target area until a “tight configuration” is obtained. The probes are initially arranged inside the target area such that the “lethal temperature” circles produced by them are tangent to its contour and to both adjacent lethal temperature circles. Subsequently, all probes are repositioned inwardly, each at a specific distance that depends on the local radius of curvature of the target area. Resulting total “defect areas”—internal and external—for a number of demonstrated cases, amounted to between 2.5% and 7.6% of the target area. The lower values of the defect areas were obtained with increasing numbers of inserted probes coupled with shorter operating times. Possible freezing damages to regions beyond the target area were reduced by up to about 30% for these cases. Similar results were obtained for a case of combined convex-concave target area, treated with additional, externally inserted, heating probes.
Experimental Study on Laser-Induced Protrusion in Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording
Authors: Cheng Qilong , Wang Haoyu , Sakhalkar Siddhesh V. , Bogy David B. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
In heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), a laser is introduced to create a hot spot on the media and locally heat the magnetic layer to its Curie temperature. Besides the optical power that the laser provides to the media, thermal energy diffuses inside the slider and induces an extra protrusion, which is called laser-induced protrusion (LIP). The LIP needs to be considered and compensated during flying in the HAMR conditions. In this study, we focus on long timescale (milliseconds) of laser heating during the flying condition. When the laser is switched from OFF to ON, the touchdown power, indicated by an acoustic emission (AE) sensor, decreases due to spacing loss and the touchdown power change (ΔTDP) is used as the measure of the LIP. A component-level spinstand stage for HAMR heads and media is used to study the LIP as a function of laser-on time, laser current and linear velocity. Our experimental results show that it takes around 20 ms for the LIP to reach steady state and the protrusion size is proportional to the square of laser current. As the operating linear velocity increases from 12 m/s to 24 m/s, the LIP decreases by approximately 52%.
Quadratic Interpolation Based on Robot Trajectory Denoising for Human Motion Imitation
Authors: Mei Ruo-Syuan , Chang Hsien-Ting , Chang Jen-Yuan 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Telerobotic has been introduced into complex environment to imitate human dexterous motion, such as remote surgeries on medical sites. However, presence of noise often leads to non-smooth target trajectory, causing robot to vibrate severely. Although most high-end robotic arms have facilitated torque control with torque sensors, it is costly and hard to realize widely in different scenarios. For the purpose of inexpensive and easy realized method, this paper proposes a model free based approach, which is divided as follows: The first part is “signal denoising” by applying empirical mode decomposition to target signals and smoothing out some of components with Savitzky-Golay filter. The second part is “quadratic interpolation” by applying down sampling operation on target signals to minimize robot vibration, adding more sample points to fit original signals, and then interpolating with quadratic polynomial functions. Through this scheme of signal processing, we generate simpler target signals that resemble original signals with piecewise constant acceleration values. The results are also provided to demonstrate the improvement of several input parameter values during experiments. In this paper, an approach is presented to match telerobotic target signals for human motion imitation to robotic arms kinematic motion.
Implementation of Reduce AI-NN Model for Highly Accurate Blood Pressure Measurement
Authors: Lin Jerry , Pandey Rajeev Kumar , Chao Paul C.-P. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
This study proposes a reduce AI model for the accurate measurement of the blood pressure (BP). In this study varied temporal periods of photoplethysmography (PPG) waveforms is used as the features for the artificial neural networks to estimate blood pressure. A nonlinear Principal component analysis (PCA) method is used herein to remove the redundant features and determine a set of dominant features which is highly correlated to the Blood pressure (BP). The reduce features-set not only helps to minimize the size of the neural network but also improve the measurement accuracy of the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). The designed Neural Network has the 5-input layer, 2 hidden layers (32 nodes each) and 2 output nodes for SBP and DBP, respectively. The NN model is trained by the PPG data sets, acquired from the 96 subjects. The testing regression for the SBP and DBP estimation is obtained as 0.81. The resultant errors for the SBP and DBP measurement are 2.00±6.08 mmHg and 1.87±4.09 mmHg, respectively. According to the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and British Hypertension Society (BHS) standard, the measured error of ±6.08 mmHg is less than 8 mmHg, which shows that the device performance is in grade “A”.
Mass Production and Film Thickness Control of Meso Porous Silica Thin Films
Authors: Tamada Makio , Sunami Yuta 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Mesoporous silica (referred to as MPS), which has pores of hexagonal or cubic structure of several nm to several tens of nm on the surface, is attracting attention as a new material. MPS has a very large specific surface area, so it is used as an adsorbent for gas and water vapor, as a moisture absorbent, and as a separating material. Transparent MPS is also expected to be an optical functional material. MPS thin film is expected to be used as a thin film as an application example. Since MPS thin film can be used in various applications, it will be further developed by mass production. Leads to Therefore, in this study, mass production of MPS thin films and controlled the film thickness was studied. Roll-to-roll (referred to as R2R) production method and a micro gravure printing method was adopted as a method of mass production: transporting polypropylene film and coating on it. As a result, the MPS thin film prepared in this study had a pore structure. it was confirmed that the film thickness could be controlled by changing the peripheral speed ratio. It is considered that the size of the liquid pool between the coating rolls changed. The size and arrangement of the pores could be confirmed by FE-SEM observation.
Vision-Based Moving Obstacle Avoidance for Cable-Driven Parallel Robots Using Improved Rapidly Exploring Random Tree
Authors: Xu Jiajun , Park Kyoung-su 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
In this study, the improved vision-based rapidly exploring random tree (RRT) algorithm is proposed to address moving obstacle avoidance for cable-driven parallel robots (CDPRs). The improved RRT algorithm is goal-biased with dynamic stepsize makes it possible to implement in dynamic environments. For the implementation of algorithm on CDPRs, the improved RRT considers various collisions caused by the cable. The axis-aligned bounding box (AABB) algorithm is used for the fast re-planning during the RRT process. Additionally, the improved RRT algorithm premeditates the complex constrains include force feasible workspace (FFW) and the segment-to-segment angle. The related simulation is given in order to illustrate the algorithm. An experimental setup is also presented using the drone as a moving obstacle and the Faster-RCNN vision algorithm to obtain the coordinate of the drone. The experiment result shows that the proposed algorithm can apply in CDPRs with the dynamic environment validly.
Magnetoelectric Coupling Behavior in High Frequency Regime of the Nano Bi-Layer L-T Mode Bar Structure
Authors: Saengow Treetep , Choowitsakunlert Salinee , Silapunt Rardchawadee 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
This paper describes the magnetoelectric (ME) coupling behavior of the nano bi-layer L-T (longitudinal-transverse) mode bar structure through the ME coefficient mathematical model that is developed in high frequency regime. Terfenol-D and Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) are used as ferromagnetic (FM) and ferroelectric (FE) layers, respectively. The ME coefficients are determined at different layer thickness ratios and products of the operating frequency (f) and structure length (l). It is found that the ME coefficient and optimal thickness ratio increases and decreases exponentially respectively, with fl. The minimum and maximum peak ME coefficients at fl values of 0.1 and 1,200 respectively, are around 1,756 and 5,617 mV/Oe·cm with the optimal thickness ratio of 0.43 and 0.19, respectively.