bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Episodic curiosity for avoiding asteroids: Per-trial information gain for choice outcomes drive information seeking
Authors: Holm Linus , Wadenholt Gustaf , Schrater Paul 
Published: August 2019

AbstractHumans often appear to desire information for its own sake, but it is presently unclear what drives this desire. The important role that resolving uncertainty plays in stimulating information seeking has suggested a tight coupling between the intrinsic motivation to gather information and performance gains, construed as a drive for long-term learning. Using an asteroid-avoidance game that allows us to study learning and information seeking at an experimental time-scale, we show that the incentive for information-seeking can be separated from a long-term learning outcome, with information-seeking best predicted by per-trial outcome uncertainty. Specifically, participants were more willing to take time penalties to receive feedback on trials with increasing uncertainty in the outcome of their choices. We found strong group and individual level support for a linear relationship between feedback request rate and information gain as determined by per-trial outcome uncertainty. This information better reflects filling in the gaps of the episodic record of choice outcomes than long-term skill acquisition or assessment. Our results suggest that this easy to compute quantity can drive information-seeking, potentially allowing simple organisms to intelligently gather information for a diverse episodic record of the environment without having to anticipate the impact on future performance.
Electron energy increase in a laser wakefield accelerator using up-ramp plasma density profiles
Authors: Aniculaesei Constantin , Pathak Vishwa Bandhu , Kim Hyung Taek , Oh Kyung Hwan , Yoo Byung Ju , Brunetti Enrico , Jang Yong Ha , Hojbota Calin Ioan , Shin Jung Hun , Jeon Jong Ho , Cho Seongha , Cho Myung Hoon , Sung Jae Hee , Lee Seong Ku , Hegelich Björn Manuel , Nam Chang Hee 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe phase velocity of the wakefield of a laser wakefield accelerator can, theoretically, be manipulated by shaping the longitudinal plasma density profile, thus controlling the parameters of the generated electron beam. We present an experimental method where using a series of shaped longitudinal plasma density profiles we increased the mean electron peak energy more than 50%, from 175 ± 1 MeV to 262 ± 10 MeV and the maximum peak energy from 182 MeV to 363 MeV. The divergence follows closely the change of mean energy and decreases from 58.9 ± 0.45 mrad to 12.6 ± 1.2 mrad along the horizontal axis and from 35 ± 0.3 mrad to 8.3 ± 0.69 mrad along the vertical axis. Particle-in-cell simulations show that a ramp in a plasma density profile can affect the evolution of the wakefield, thus qualitatively confirming the experimental results. The presented method can increase the electron energy for a fixed laser power and at the same time offer an energy tunable source of electrons.
Comparison of respiratory pathogen yields from Nasopharyngeal/Oropharyngeal swabs and sputum specimens collected from hospitalized adults in rural Western Kenya
Authors: Nyawanda Bryan O. , Njuguna Henry N. , Onyango Clayton O. , Makokha Caroline , Lidechi Shirley , Fields Barry , Winchell Jonas M. , Katieno Jim S. , Nyaundi Jeremiah , Ade Fredrick , Emukule Gideon O. , Mott Joshua A. , Otieno Nancy , Widdowson Marc-Alain , Chaves Sandra S. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractMolecular diagnostic methods are becoming increasingly available for assessment of acute lower respiratory illnesses (ALRI). However, nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (NP/OP) swabs may not accurately reflect etiologic agents from the lower respiratory tract where sputum specimens are considered as a more representative sample. The pathogen yields from NP/OP against sputum specimens have not been extensively explored, especially in tropical countries. We compared pathogen yields from NP/OP swabs and sputum specimens from patients ≥18 years hospitalized with ALRI in rural Western Kenya. Specimens were tested for 30 pathogens using TaqMan Array Cards (TAC) and results compared using McNemar’s test. The agreement for pathogen detection between NP/OP and sputum specimens ranged between 85–100%. More viruses were detected from NP/OP specimens whereas Klebsiella pneumoniae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis were more common in sputum specimens. There was no clear advantage in using sputum over NP/OP specimens to detect pathogens of ALRI in adults using TAC in the context of this tropical setting.
Evolution of the rodent Trim5 cluster is marked by divergent paralogous expansions and independent acquisitions of TrimCyp fusions
Authors: Boso Guney , Shaffer Esther , Liu Qingping , Cavanna Kathryn , Buckler-White Alicia , Kozak Christine A. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractEvolution of cellular innate immune genes in response to viral threats represents a rich area of study for understanding complex events that shape mammalian genomes. One of these genes, TRIM5, is a retroviral restriction factor that mediates a post-entry block to infection. Previous studies on the genomic cluster that contains TRIM5 identified different patterns of gene amplification and the independent birth of CypA gene fusions in various primate species. However, the evolution of Trim5 in the largest order of mammals, Rodentia, remains poorly characterized. Here, we present an expansive phylogenetic and genomic analysis of the Trim5 cluster in rodents. Our findings reveal substantial evolutionary changes including gene amplifications, rearrangements, loss and fusion. We describe the first independent evolution of TrimCyp fusion genes in rodents. We show that the TrimCyp gene found in some Peromyscus species was acquired about 2 million years ago. When ectopically expressed, the P. maniculatus TRIMCyp shows anti-retroviral activity that is reversed by cyclosporine, but it does not activate Nf-κB or AP-1 promoters, unlike the primate TRIMCyps. These results describe a complex pattern of differential gene amplification in the Trim5 cluster of rodents and identify the first functional TrimCyp fusion gene outside of primates and tree shrews.
Talaromyces variabilis interferes with Pythium aphanidermatum growth and suppresses Pythium-induced damping-off of cucumbers and tomatoes
Authors: Halo Boshra A. , Al-Yahyai Rashid A. , Maharachchikumbura Sajeewa S. N. , Al-Sadi Abdullah M. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractPythium-induced damping-off disease is a major disease limiting cucumber and tomato production in different parts of the world. The current study investigated the efficiency of Talaromyces variabilis and its bioactive metabolites in suppressing Pythium-induced damping-off of cucumbers and tomatoes. T. variabilis inhibited the in vitro growth of P. aphanidermatum in solid and liquid media. In addition, abnormalities in P. aphanidermatum hyphae were observed as a result of T. variabilis. Extracts from T. variabilis induced cellular leakage and suppressed oospore production of P. aphanidermatum. Biochemical analyses of T. variabilis metabolites showed that T. variabilis produces glucanase, cellulase and siderophores, suggesting the contribution of these metabolites in the inhibition of P. aphandermatum growth and in hyphal abnormalities. Treating cucumber seeds with spore and mycelial suspension of T. variabilis isolates led to a significant improvement in the seedling survival of P. aphanidermatum-inoculated seedlings from 18 to 52% (improvement by 34%) for isolate 48 P and from 30–66% (improvement by 36%) for isolate 28 R. Similarly, treating tomato seeds with spore and mycelial suspension of T. variabilis isolates led to a significant improvement in the seedling survival of P. aphanidermatum-inoculated seedlings from 7 to 36% (improvement by 29%) for isolate 28 R and from 20 to 64% (improvement by 44%) for isolate 48 P. Differences in the percent improvement in seedling survival between experiments may be related to difference in the efficacy of the two different isolates or their interaction with the hosts and pathogen. The use of T. variabilis in the biocontrol of Pythium-induced diseases may offer alternatives to the currently used chemical control.
Short-term CFTR inhibition reduces islet area in C57BL/6 mice
Authors: Khan Dawood , Kelsey Ryan , Maheshwari Rashmi R. , Stone Virginia M. , Hasib Annie , Manderson Koivula Fiona N. , Watson Aoife , Harkin Stephen , Irwin Nigel , Shaw James A. , McClenaghan Neville H. , Venglovecz Viktória , Ébert Attila , Flodström-Tullberg Malin , White Michael G. , Kelly Catriona 
Published: August 2019

AbstractCystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) worsens CF lung disease leading to early mortality. Loss of beta cell area, even without overt diabetes or pancreatitis is consistently observed. We investigated whether short-term CFTR inhibition was sufficient to impact islet morphology and function in otherwise healthy mice. CFTR was inhibited in C57BL/6 mice via 8-day intraperitoneal injection of CFTRinh172. Animals had a 7-day washout period before measures of hormone concentration or islet function were performed. Short-term CFTR inhibition increased blood glucose concentrations over the course of the study. However, glucose tolerance remained normal without insulin resistance. CFTR inhibition caused marked reductions in islet size and in beta cell and non-beta cell area within the islet, which resulted from loss of islet cell size rather than islet cell number. Significant reductions in plasma insulin concentrations and pancreatic insulin content were also observed in CFTR-inhibited animals. Temporary CFTR inhibition had little long-term impact on glucose-stimulated, or GLP-1 potentiated insulin secretion. CFTR inhibition has a rapid impact on islet area and insulin concentrations. However, islet cell number is maintained and insulin secretion is unaffected suggesting that early administration of therapies aimed at sustaining beta cell mass may be useful in slowing the onset of CFRD.
Hydrodynamic object identification with artificial neural models
Authors: Lakkam Sreetej , Balamurali B. T. , Bouffanais Roland 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe lateral-line system that has evolved in many aquatic animals enables them to navigate murky fluid environments, locate and discriminate obstacles. Here, we present a data-driven model that uses artificial neural networks to process flow data originating from a stationary sensor array located away from an obstacle placed in a potential flow. The ability of neural networks to estimate complex underlying relationships between parameters, in the absence of any explicit mathematical description, is first assessed with two basic potential flow problems: single source/sink identification and doublet detection. Subsequently, we address the inverse problem of identifying an obstacle shape from distant measures of the pressure or velocity field. Using the analytical solution to the forward problem, very large training data sets are generated, allowing us to obtain the synaptic weights by means of a gradient-descent based optimization. The resulting neural network exhibits remarkable effectiveness in predicting unknown obstacle shapes, especially at relatively large distances for which classical linear regression models are completely ineffectual. These results have far-reaching implications for the design and development of artificial passive hydrodynamic sensing technology.
Moiré-fringeless Transparent Conductive Films with a Random Serpentine Network of Medium-Field Electrospun, Chemically Annealed Silver Microfibres
Authors: Shin Dong-Youn , Park Eun-Hye , Kim Ka-Hyun 
Published: August 2019

AbstractLow-cost flexible transparent conductive films (TCFs) with direct writing of metal grids have been explored as a promising alternative to conventional indium-tin-oxide-based TCFs for future flexible electronics. However, flexible TCFs have raised technical concerns because of their disadvantages, such as low resolution, low productivity, poor optoelectrical performance, poor thermal stability, and adverse moiré fringes, which primarily arise from the superposition of periodic patterns. Herein, a facile and highly productive method to fabricate moiré-fringeless TCFs with good optoelectrical characteristics and excellent thermal stability is presented using a single-pass printed random serpentine network of medium-field electrospun silver microfibres (AgMFs) with a line width of 2.32 ± 0.97 μm by exploiting the random serpentine motion of medium-field electrospinning, enabling moiré-fringeless TCFs. The electrical in-plane anisotropy of the TCFs can be kept well below 110.44 ± 1.26% with the in situ junction formation of the AgMFs in the transverse direction. Combined thermal and chemical annealing of the AgMFs enables high productivity by reducing the thermal annealing time by 40%. The good optoelectrical performance, fair electrical in-plane anisotropy, high productivity, and superior thermal stability of the TCFs with the single-pass printed random serpentine network of medium-field electrospun AgMFs are suitable properties for flexible electronics such as ultra-large digital signage with LEDs.
Long Shape Memory Alloy Tendon-based Soft Robotic Actuators and Implementation as a Soft Gripper
Authors: Lee Ji-Hyeong , Chung Yoon Seop , Rodrigue Hugo 
Published: August 2019

AbstractShape memory alloy (SMA) wire-based soft actuators have had their performance limited by the small stroke of the SMA wire embedded within the polymeric matrix. This intrinsically links the bending angle and bending force in a way that made SMA-based soft grippers have relatively poor performance versus other types of soft actuators. In this work, the use of free-sliding SMA wires as tendons for soft actuation is presented that enables large increases in the bending angle and bending force of the actuator by decoupling the length of the matrix and the length of the SMA wires while also allowing for the compact packaging of the driving SMA wires. Bending angles of 400° and tip forces of 0.89 N were achieved by the actuators in this work using a tendon length up to 350 mm. The tendons were integrated as a compact module using bearings that enables the actuator to easily be implemented in various soft gripper configurations. Three fingers were used either in an antagonistic configuration or in a triangular configuration and the gripper was shown to be capable of gripping a wide range of objects weighing up to 1.5 kg and was easily installed on a robotic arm. The maximum pulling force of the gripper was measured to be 30 N.
Occurrence of randomly recombined functional 16S rRNA genes in Thermus thermophilus suggests genetic interoperability and promiscuity of bacterial 16S rRNAs
Authors: Miyazaki Kentaro , Tomariguchi Natsuki 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBased on the structural complexity of ribosomes, 16S rRNA genes are considered species-specific and hence used for bacterial phylogenetic analysis. However, a growing number of reports suggest the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer, raising genealogical questions. Here we show the genetic interoperability and promiscuity of 16S rRNA in the ribosomes of an extremely thermophilic bacterium, Thermus thermophilus. The gene in this thermophile was systematically replaced with a diverse array of heterologous genes, resulting in the discovery of various genes that supported growth, some of which were from different phyla. Moreover, numerous functional chimeras were spontaneously generated. Remarkably, cold-adapted mutants were obtained carrying chimeric or full-length heterologous genes, indicating that horizontal gene transfer promoted adaptive evolution. The ribosome may well be understood as a patchworked supramolecule comprising patchworked components. We here propose the “random patch model” for ribosomal evolution.
Stellar populations of galaxies in the ALHAMBRA survey up toz  ∼  1
Authors: Díaz-García L. A. , Cenarro A. J. , López-Sanjuan C. , Ferreras I. , Fernández-Soto A. , González Delgado R. M. , Márquez I. , Masegosa J. , San Roman I. , Viironen K. , Bonoli S. , Cerviño M. , Moles M. , Cristóbal-Hornillos D. , Alfaro E. , Aparicio-Villegas T. , Benítez N. , Broadhurst T. , Cabrera-Caño J. , Castander F. J. , Cepa J. , Husillos C. , Infante L. , Aguerri J. A. L. , Martínez V. J. , Molino A. , del Olmo A. , Perea J. , Prada F. , Quintana J. M. 
Published: August 2019

Aims.We aim at constraining the stellar population properties of quiescent galaxies. These properties reveal how these galaxies evolved and assembled sincez ∼ 1 up to the present time.Methods.Combining the ALHAMBRA multi-filter photo-spectra with the fitting code for spectral energy distribution MUFFIT (MUlti-Filter FITting), we built a complete catalogue of quiescent galaxies via the dust-corrected stellar mass vs. colour diagram. This catalogue includes stellar population properties, such as age, metallicity, extinction, stellar mass, and photometric redshift, retrieved from the analysis of composited populations based on two independent sets of simple stellar population (SSP) models. We developed and applied a novel methodology to provide, for the first time, the analytic probability distribution functions (PDFs) of mass-weighted age, metallicity, and extinction of quiescent galaxies as a function of redshift and stellar mass. We adopted different star formation histories to discard potential systematics in the analysis.Results.The number density of quiescent galaxies is found to increase sincez ∼ 1, with a more substantial variation at lower stellar mass. Quiescent galaxies feature extinctionAV <  0.6, with median values in the rangeAV = 0.15–0.3. At increasing stellar mass, quiescent galaxies are older and more metal rich sincez ∼ 1. A detailed analysis of the PDFs reveals that the evolution of quiescent galaxies is not compatible with passive evolution and a slight decrease of 0.1–0.2 dex is hinted at median metallicity. The intrinsic dispersion of the age and metallicity PDFs show a dependence on stellar mass and/or redshift. These results are consistent with both sets of SSP models and assumptions of alternative star formation histories explored. Consequently, the quiescent population must undergo an evolutive pathway including mergers and/or remnants of star formation to reconcile the observed trends, where the “progenitor” bias should also be taken into account.
The entropic bond in colloidal crystals
Authors: Harper Eric S. , van Anders Greg , Glotzer Sharon C. 
Published: August 2019

Significance
Chemical bonding, in various forms, is integral to the structure of matter and the function of living systems. However, what are the minimal requirements to form a bond? We show that classical systems governed solely by entropy exhibit unconventional, entropy-mediated bonding. We also show the description of such systems in terms of bonds provides better understanding for the design of materials from nanoscale building blocks. Our results suggest well-defined analogs of chemical bonds exist in a broad range of unconventional systems.
EglN3 hydroxylase stabilizes BIM-EL linking VHL type 2C mutations to pheochromocytoma pathogenesis and chemotherapy resistance
Authors: Li Shuijie , Rodriguez Javier , Li Wenyu , Bullova Petra , Fell Stuart M. , Surova Olga , Westerlund Isabelle , Topcic Danijal , Bergsland Maria , Stenman Adam , Muhr Jonas , Nistér Monica , Holmberg Johan , Juhlin C. Christofer , Larsson Catharina , von Kriegsheim Alex , Kaelin William G. , Schlisio Susanne 
Published: August 2019

Significance
Different mutations of the von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene cause different subtypes of VHL hereditary cancer syndrome. Dysregulation of VHL’s canonical substrate, HIFα, cannot fully explain the complex genotype/phenotype manifestation within VHL disease. We describe an oxygen-sensitive function of VHL that regulates hydroxylated BIM-EL protein stability. Type 2C VHL mutants, which cause pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PCC/PGL) despite repressing HIFα, destabilize BIM-EL. Other genetic mutations linked to PCC/PGL, similar to loss of BIM-EL, protect from apoptosis upon nerve growth factor withdrawal. Dysregulation of BIM-EL might therefore contribute to the pathogenesis of VHL-related PCC/PGL. Loss of BIM-EL expression can lead to chemotherapy resistance in other VHL-related neoplasms and renders clear cell renal cell carcinoma cells insensitive to cisplatin.
Building a synthetic mechanosensitive signaling pathway in compartmentalized artificial cells
Authors: Hindley James W. , Zheleva Daniela G. , Elani Yuval , Charalambous Kalypso , Barter Laura M. C. , Booth Paula J. , Bevan Charlotte L. , Law Robert V. , Ces Oscar 
Published: August 2019

Significance
In nature, an external input is translated by cellular machinery into a downstream effect through signaling pathways, enabling cells to respond to their environment. Bottom-up synthetic biology aims to re-create cellular organization and function through the creation of “artificial cells” (ACs) through molecular self-assembly. Although the construction of new signaling pathways will enable increasingly responsive ACs, this area is undeveloped; here, we show that multicompartment lipid vesicles are an ideal framework to build a pathway not found in nature. External calcium ions activate internal protein communication, leading to control of cell fluorescence. This highlights the potential of ACs for design and construction of synthetic pathways difficult to reconstitute in existing cells, leading to development of environment-responsive molecular machines in biotechnology.
Electrically controllable connection and power transfer by electroadhesion
Authors: Guo Jianglong , Xiang Chaoqun , Rossiter Jonathan 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Reconfigurable smart structures and robots require interconnects that enable the transfer of forces, power and data from one modular element to another. This is typically achieved through magnetic coupling, mechanical clips and male–female electrical contacts. In lightweight structures however, these methods are impractical due to weight and complexity. In this work we present an electroadhesive coupling (EAC) controllable interfacial connection for joining lightweight modular components, which enable simultaneous mechanical joining and electrical pass-through connections for power and communication. Active adhesion and power transfer are realized by electroadhesion (EA) using conducting electrodes on lightweight materials such as papers. We present the underlying EAC concept, materials and structures, and demonstrate this new approach using origami and kirigami structures to fabricate a modular EAC bridge and a modular EAC cuboid structural interconnection system. These novel structures have the potential for application in lightweight robotics, space systems, deployable and self-assembling and self-disassembling systems.
Numerical analysis of low-tech overshot water wheel for off grid purpose
Authors: Bachan Animesh , Ghimire Nirajan , Eisner Johannes , Chitrakar Sailesh , Prasad Neopane Hari 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
The rural areas of Nepal comprise of many rivers and rivulets which is not properly utilized till yet. In Nepal, the focus is set on overshot waterwheel due to its applicability in low discharge and low head sites with high efficiency. This paper presents the numerical analysis of a low-tech overshot wheel. Simulation of overshot wheel is done at flow rate, and horizontal distance and vertical clearance of the inlet canal. It is found that the water wheel generates higher power at the condition when the flow rate is 25 kg/s, horizontal distance between chute and wheel is 20 cm and the vertical clearance is 2 cm.