bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ritual Purity and the Influence of Gregory the Great in the Early Middle Ages
Authors: Meens Rob
Published: March 2016

Unity and diversity form a theme which Gregory the Great addressed in his famous set of answers to Augustine of Canterbury. Augustine had asked the Pope:

Even though the faith is one, are there varying customs in the churches? and is there one form of mass in the Holy Roman Church and another in the Churches of Gaul?

To this, the Pope replied:

My brother, you know the customs of the Roman Church in which, of course, you were brought up. But it is my wish that if you have found any customs in the Roman or the Gaulish church or any other church which may be more pleasing to Almighty God, you should make a careful selection of them and sedulously teach the Church of the English, which is still new in the faith, what you have been able to gather from other churches. For things are not to be loved for the sake of a place, but places are to be loved for the sake of their good things. Therefore choose from every individual Church whatever things are devout, religious, and right. And when you have collected these as it were into one pot, put them on the English table for their use.
The Carmelite Order and Greek Orthodox Monasticism: a Study in Retrospective Unity
Authors: Jotischky Andrew
Published: March 2016

On his embassy from Constantinople to the papal curia in 1339, the Greek Orthodox envoy Barlaam confided to Benedict XII his pessimistic belief that genuine union between the Churches was rendered impossible less by theological difference than by the shared history of relations between eastern and western Christendom:

It is not so much the difference in doctrine that alienates the hearts of the Greeks from you as the hatred against the Latins that has entered their souls because of the great number of evils they have suffered at the hands of the Latins at different times, and which they still suffer every day. Unless this hatred is dispelled, union can never be achieved.
Arguing for Peace: Giles Firmin on New England and Godly Unity
Authors: Moore Susan Hardman
Published: March 2016

Richard Baxter admired the qualities Giles Firmin brought to religious controversy: ‘Candor, Ingenuitie, Moderation, Love and Peace’. Firmin, Vicar of Shalford, Essex, 1648–62, argued for peace during the Interregnum, at a time when disputes fractured the churches of his county. Factions of Presbyterians and Independents still fought about the right path to religious reform, in terms dictated by polemic of the 1640s, while sects like the Quakers rattled confidence in a united Church. Firmin devised arguments that crossed party lines, to unite against sectarianism. He wrote from an unusual perspective. He had been to Massachusetts and come home. He had taken part in the colony’s bold experiment in Congregationalist church order, which inspired English Independents, but came back into parish ministry in Essex without repudiating his colonial experience. Modern historians, like seventeenth-century Presbyterians, struggle to explain why New England’s churches claimed unity with England, but acted differently. Firmin’s outlook sets contemporary polemic in a fresh light. Nowadays, he is better known for his anecdotes than for his views, because he scattered his tracts with stories about people he had known in colony and homeland. His opinions tend to escape notice. Yet Firmin used his experience in Old and New England to make a distinctive appeal for unity.
The Book of the Councils: Nicaea I to Vatican II
Authors: Tanner Norman
Published: March 2016

The ecumenical and general councils of the Church have produced arguably the most important documents of Christianity after the Bible. How this ‘book’ of the councils came to be composed is the subject of this paper. In the composition, Christians have had to confront three problems similar to those involved in establishing the book of the Bible. First, which councils are to be considered ecumenical or general, paralleling the question of which books are to be included in the Bible. Secondly, which decrees are to be considered the authentic decrees of a particular council, paralleling the question of which chapters and verses make up a particular book of the Bible. Thirdly, which manuscripts or editions form the best text of a given decree, paralleling the search for the best texts of Scripture. There are, too, the additional issues of establishing some hierarchy in the importance of the councils and their decrees – the great creeds and doctrinal statements outrank, surely, most decrees of a purely disciplinary nature, just as the Gospels have a certain priority within the New Testament or Romans and Galatians outrank in importance the Pastoral Epistles – and secondly the difficulties of translating the original texts into the vernacular languages, alike for the councils as for the Bible. Alongside these similarities between the book of the councils and that of the Bible was the tension between Scripture and Tradition. How far could Tradition, represented cumulatively and retrospectively by the councils, interpret or develop the teaching of Scripture? This tension was never far below the surface, and erupted especially in the Reformation controversies.
Lap Books and Lectern Books: The Revelatory Book in the Reformation
Authors: Aston Margaret
Published: March 2016

The size of books has always mattered – for manuscript books as well as printed books. It makes a great difference to the fate of its contents and eventual influence whether the page is in a heavy folio or a portable pamphlet. Differences of format affected authority and influence and had a direct bearing on the circulation of ideas, the critical lift-off that could take place when vocalization took the silent word into mouths and minds away from the lettered page. This may seem self-evident, but even so, given the recognized role of the book in the Reformation (or reformations) of the sixteenth century, some reflections on this aspect seem worthwhile. The revelatory quality of the book in this period is here approached first by looking at the role of small lap books, and then by considering the challenge in England to the accepted order of books, when the great lectern book of Scripture was first laid open for general reading in church naves.
The Christian Brethren and the Dissemination of Heretical Books
Authors: Davis James
Published: March 2016

The illicit influx of William Tyndale’s vernacular New Testament and other reforming works into England in the late 1520s was considered an affront to the ecclesiastical authorities and an encouragement to lay heretical thought. No one was more vitriolic in condemnation than Thomas More, the lawyer-turned-polemicist, who was to become Chancellor from 1529. He declared, ‘Nothynge more detesteth then these pestylent bokes that Tyndale and suche other sende in to the realme, to sette forth here theyr abomynable heresyes.’ As Chancellor, More was renowned for his zealous persecution of heretics and booksellers, which he justified as a moral and legal imperative in order to uphold the Catholic faith. He also wrote several works, initially at the request and licence of Bishop Tunstall in March 1528, and thereafter in reply to the treatises of Tyndale and other Antwerp exiles. These writings provide tantalizing insights into the activities of Tyndale and the Christian Brethren as seen through the eyes of their chief protagonist. It was not only the New Testament, emanating from Cologne and Worms, that worried More, but Tyndale’s polemical works from the printing press of Johannes Hoochstraten in Antwerp, especiallyThe Parable of the Wicked Mammon, The Obedience of a Christen Man, andThe Practice of Prelates. Fellow exiles, such as George Joye, John Frith, and Simon Fish, were also writing popular and doctrinal works, includingA Disputation of Purgatorye, The Revelation of Antichrist, David’s Psalter, andA Supplication for the Beggars. Thomas More regarded William Tyndale, the Antwerp exiles, and their ‘Brethren’ in England as the most active producers and distributors of vernacular heretical books. However, his perceptions of the Brethren, their sympathizers, and their organization have been under-utilized by historians, who often rely more on the post-contemporary reflections of John Foxe. There perhaps remains the suspicion that More was conveniently coalescing all sedition under a single banner as a rhetorical device, or due to prejudice and unfounded conspiracy theories. Indeed,The Confutation of Tyndale’s Answeroutlined a smuggling network as an attempt to demoralize Tyndale’s supporters, by describing how various individuals had renounced their doctrines and betrayed their fellows. These were his tools of polemics, but More’s testimonies should not be dismissed as the mere delusions of a staunch anti-heretical zealot. He had studied the reforming works and interrogated significant figures in the Brethren. His conspiracy theories, it can be argued, were based on fact.
Memories of Faith: The ‘Christian Sutras’ of Eighteenth-Century China
Authors: Laamann Lars Peter
Published: March 2016

Drawing on official documents filed at the First Historical Archives in Beijing, and on missionary correspondence located at the Archivio storico ‘de Propaganda Fide’ in Rome, this paper will focus on printed manifestations of popular Christianity during the mid-Qing period. It will argue that, following the exclusion of foreign missionaries after the imperial edict of 1724, tendencies towards inculturation accelerated. Early nineteenth-century sources reveal that the Christian villagers were well aware of the fact that they had preserved but a fraction of what the foreign priests had introduced several generations earlier, yet the sheer memory of their ancestors’ faith was sufficient to provide the religious and social cohesion which characterized Christian life during the eighteenth century. While developing into a syncretic expression of a belief originally introduced by European missionaries, popular Chinese Christianity absorbed elements of other religious systems, mainly popular Daoism and Buddhist millenarianism, as well as ‘Confucian’ patterns of social morality. The spiritual writings memorized and passed from generation to generation in semi-literate rural communities played an important part in the formation of a new, Christian expression of popular religiosity.
Philip the Fair and the cult of saint Louis
Authors: Hallam Elizabeth M.
Published: March 2016

The bishop of Pamiers, Bernard Saisset, said that Philip IV of France was like ‘an owl, the most beautiful of birds, but worth absolutely nothing ... He is the most handsome of beings but he knows only how to stare fixedly at men’. Philip the Fair gave away little about himself to contemporaries, and he remains a controversial and enigmatic figure, whose personal involvement with the events of his reign remains a matter of dispute. For a long time, many scholars followed contemporary critics of the king like Geoffrey of Paris in blaming Philip for allowing himself to be duped and misled by evil councillors. More recently, however, analyses of the copious administrative records of the reign have suggested that Philip, while not often in the forefront of negotiations, retained control over his advisers, and that, while he delegated power, he was not dominated by his councillors. Philip has thus become the moving force behind the events of his reign, if not the director of all the details of policy; but this in its turn makes his character and convictions a matter of great importance.
Liturgy and propaganda in the diocese of Lincoln during the hundred years war
Authors: McHardy A. K.
Published: March 2016

8 February 1782. This day being appointed as a Fast on the present Troubles and Wars abroad, I went to Weston church this morning at 11 O’clock and there read Prayers proper on the occasion—but there was no sermon after.

8 March 1789. I read prayers and preached this afternoon at Weston Church. Also read with the greatest pleasure a Prayer composed on the occasion on the restoration of his Majesty’s Health, which I received this morning.

In offering special prayers upon occasions of national importance Parson Woodforde was following an old tradition. One earlier phase of this tradition which is worth close scrutiny is the Hundred Years War, which affected all sections of the English population, civilian as well as military, clerical as well as lay.
Nationality and liberty, protestant and catholic: Robert Southey’s Book of the Church
Authors: Gilley Sheridan
Published: March 2016

The Victorian liberal Roman catholic historian lord Acton thought that the history of the world was one of the growth of liberty. By liberty, he meant national independence and freedom of speech and worship, the liberties of nineteenth-century liberalism: and in his conception of the past, he drew on the whig interpretation of English history as a conflict between a progressive tradition and a reactionary one: between churches, parties and classes representing either freedom or authority. The classic statement of the idea is the whig lord Macaulay’s in 1835:

Each of those great and ever-memorable struggles, Saxon against Norman, Villein against Lord, Protestant against Papist, Roundhead against Cavalier, Dissenter against Churchman, Manchester against Old Sarum, was, in its own order and season, a struggle, on the result of which were staked the dearest interests of the human race; and every man who, in the contest which, in his time, divided our country distinguished himself on the right side, is entitled to our gratitude and respect.
The Church of Scotland and Scottish nationhood
Authors: Sefton Henry R.
Published: March 2016

‘The Church of Scotland has consistently upheld Scotland’s historic nationhood and identity’. The purpose of this paper is to consider the validity of this claim by examining the records of the general assembly of the church since 1946. The general assembly’s pronouncements on this theme take the form of deliverances on the reports submitted by the committee on church and nation.

The general assembly of 1946 declared their conviction that Scottish interests were being increasingly jeopardised by disregard of Scottish sentiment and the claims of Scotland as a nation. The remedy proposed was ‘a greater decentralising of authority and an increased measure of independence within the sphere of Scottish administration.’ The following year the call for decentralisation was placed with the context of ‘schemes of nationalisation’ and ‘the possible invasion of human rights and local independence by large-scale collectivism.’
National synods, kingship as office, and royal anointing: an early medieval syndrome
Authors: Nelson Janet L.
Published: March 2016

Professor Gabriel Le Bras, a great pioneer in the field of historical sociology, has spoken of the early medieval Church in a bizarre but effective metaphor as ‘a dismembered body striving to reunite itself’. The essential task of the hierarchy within each national Church was one of coordination—by means of law, doctrine, and the standardization of worship. In the fragmented world of the barbarian kingdoms, the distinctive feature of each episcopate was its ideology of cohesion, the more ardently propounded when social crisis was particularly acute, as in the seventh-century Visigothic kingdom, or the war-torn West Francia of the 830s and 840s. This ideology was, moreover, often intimately associated with movements of monastic reform. Its influence penetrated down into the rural base of society through episcopal visitations, preaching, and provincial councils. To trace all the elements in these complex processes of interaction and change would encompass that much-needed sociology of the early medieval Church which Max Weber did not live to write and no scholar has yet produced. In this paper, as its title implies, my very limited objective is to isolate and examine certain recurrent phenomena and to point to some hitherto unnoticed connections.
EcclesiasticaandRegalia: Papal investiture policy from the Council of Guastalla to the First Lateran Council, 1106–23
Authors: Wilks M. J.
Published: March 2016

It is commonly asserted that in the early years of the twelfth century the medieval papacy was suddenly afflicted with a bad attack of apostolic poverty. The consensus of historical opinion accepts that a pope, Paschal II, who had already distinguished himself by launching crusades against both eastern and western Roman emperors, acted so much out of character that, when forced to deal directly with Henry V over the question of episcopal investiture, he abruptly and to the astonishment of contemporaries ‘decreed the poverty of the whole Church’. It was as if St Peter had hiccoughed, and for a brief instant the Roman church was assailed by self-doubt, tacitly admitting that centuries of criticism of ecclesiastical secularity were justified. The attempt by Paschal to renounce the regalian rights of bishops in February IIII has become regarded by many as the turning point in a process described as weaning the papacy away from strict Gregorian principles, permitting the introduction of a spirit of moderation and compromise which would eventually lead to the Concordat of Worms and ‘the end of the Investiture Contest’.
The condemnation of John Wyclif at the Council of Constance
Authors: Tatnall Edith C.
Published: March 2016

The Council of Constance was perhaps the most dramatic of all the ecumenical councils of the Church. Called under stress by an anti-pope whom it proceeded to depose, it was the scene of the fire that burned John Hus and the arena for the debate of the most potent political theories of the time. It was fitting that it should be an occasion for the condemnation of the works of John Wyclif, the firebrand heretic of the preceding century.

Consideration of Wyclif’s condemnation at Constance is usually overshadowed by the condemnation of John Hus, of which process the action concerning Wyclif was a part. However, for the purposes of this paper, the focus will be placed on the total condemnation process of the two men specifically insofar as it concerns Wyclif. When this is done, an interesting succession of events at the Council emerges from the general mass of its records.
The Colloquies between Catholics and Protestants, 1539–41
Authors: Hall Basil
Published: March 2016

Ranke, whose judgments always deserve respect, said of the Colloquy of Regensburg:

If I am not mistaken this was a period of vital importance for Germany and even for the world. For Germany... [came] at last the possibility of reforming the ecclesiastical constitution of the nation, and, in relation to the Pope, of giving it a freer and more independent position, exempt from his temporal encroachments. The unity of the Church, and with it that of the nation, would have been maintained, and even more immense and enduring results would have emerged. If the moderate party, by whom these attempts began and were guided, could have maintained its ascendancy in Rome and in Italy, the Catholic world must have assumed a very different aspect.

While it is true that the ‘might-have-beens’ of history are unprofitable speculations, yet the possibilities behind that Colloquy of Regensburg have been too much neglected.
Kikuyu and Edinburgh: the interaction of attitudes to two conferences
Authors: Mews Stuart P.
Published: March 2016

Two conferences of some significance took place shortly before the First World War: the World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh in 1910, and the Kikuyu Conference, held at a Church of Scotland mission station at an out-of-the-way place in East Africa in 1913. In an Ecumenical Age, the fame of the former is likely to endure, the notoriety of the latter to be forgotten. Yet it was the controversy raised by the second conference which caused Lord Morley to remark that the ‘cacophonous’ name of Kikuyu might one day rival in fame that of Trent. Another grand claim was made for Kikuyu by the Bishop of Zanzibar—one with which The Times agreed—that ‘there has not been a conference of such importance to the life of the Ecclesia Anglicana since the Reformation’.
The future of code mixing research: Integrating psycholinguistic and formal grammatical theories
Authors: GOLDRICK MATTHEW , PUTNAM MICHAEL , SCHWARZ LARA
Published: March 2016

Our keynote article “Coactivation in bilingual grammars: A computational account of code mixing” (Goldrick, Putnam & Schwarz) aimed to provide a framework that would begin to unify psycholinguistic and formal grammatical approaches to code mixing. We situated our account within a large body of psycholinguistic and phonetic evidence suggesting that, under many conditions, multiple representational elements simultaneously occupy (to varying degrees) a single position within a linguistic structure. The presence of such blends in multilingual cognition is not compatible with many formal grammatical approaches that assume mental representations are necessarily discrete.
Apple intake and cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Fabiani Roberto , Minelli Liliana , Rosignoli Patrizia
Published: March 2016

Objective

Conflicting results on the association between fruit consumption and cancer risk have been reported. Little is known about the cancer preventive effects of different fruit types. The present meta-analysis investigates whether an association exists between apple intake and cancer risk.

Design

Relevant observational studies were identified by literature search (PubMed, Web of Science and Embase). A random-effect model was used to estimate the cancer risk in different anatomical sites. Between-study heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed using adequate statistical tests.

Results

Twenty case–control (three on lung, five on colorectal, five on breast, two on oesophageal, three on oral cavity, two on prostate and one each on pancreas, bladder, larynx, ovary, kidney and brain cancer) and twenty-one cohort (seven on lung, two on colorectal, three on breast and one each on oesophageal, pancreas, bladder, kidney, endometrial, head–neck, urothelial and stomach cancer) studies met the inclusion criteria. Comparing the highest v. lowest level of apple consumption, the reduction of lung cancer risk was statistically highly significant in both case–control (OR=0·75; 95% CI 0·63, 0·88; P=0·001, I2=0 %) and cohort studies (relative risk=0·89; 95% CI 0·84, 0·94; P<0·001, I2=53 %). Instead, in the case of colorectal (OR=0·66; 95% CI 0·54, 0·81; P<0·001, I2=55%), breast (OR=0·79; 95% CI 0·73, 0·87; P<0·001, I2=1 %) and overall digestive tract (OR=0·50; 95% CI 0·36, 0·69; P<0·001, I2=90 %) cancers a significant preventive effect of apples was found only in case–control studies while prospective studies indicated no effect. No evidence of publication bias could be detected for colorectal, oral cavity, oesophageal and breast cancer. However, some confounding effects may be present and related to the consumption of other fruit which have not been considered as adjusting factors.

Conclusions

The present meta-analysis indicates that consumption of apples is associated with a reduced risk of cancer in different anatomical sites.
A hormone-related female anti-aphrodisiac signals temporary infertility and causes sexual abstinence to synchronize parental care
Authors: Engel Katharina C. , Stökl Johannes , Schweizer Rebecca , Vogel Heiko , Ayasse Manfred , Ruther Joachim , Steiger Sandra
Published: March 2016

The high energetic demand of parental care requires parents to direct their resources towards the support of existing offspring rather than investing into the production of additional young. However, how such a resource flow is channelled appropriately is poorly understood. In this study, we provide the first comprehensive analysis of the physiological mechanisms coordinating parental and mating effort in an insect exhibiting biparental care. We show a hormone-mediated infertility in female burying beetles during the time the current offspring is needy and report that this temporary infertility is communicated via a pheromone to the male partner, where it inhibits copulation. A shared pathway of hormone and pheromone system ensures the reliability of the anti-aphrodisiac. Female infertility and male sexual abstinence provide for the concerted investment of parental resources into the existing developing young. Our study thus contributes to our deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying adaptive parental decisions.
Direct evidence for sequence-dependent attraction between double-stranded DNA controlled by methylation
Authors: Yoo Jejoong , Kim Hajin , Aksimentiev Aleksei , Ha Taekjip
Published: March 2016

Although proteins mediate highly ordered DNA organization in vivo, theoretical studies suggest that homologous DNA duplexes can preferentially associate with one another even in the absence of proteins. Here we combine molecular dynamics simulations with single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments to examine the interactions between duplex DNA in the presence of spermine, a biological polycation. We find that AT-rich DNA duplexes associate more strongly than GC-rich duplexes, regardless of the sequence homology. Methyl groups of thymine acts as a steric block, relocating spermine from major grooves to interhelical regions, thereby increasing DNA–DNA attraction. Indeed, methylation of cytosines makes attraction between GC-rich DNA as strong as that between AT-rich DNA. Recent genome-wide chromosome organization studies showed that remote contact frequencies are higher for AT-rich and methylated DNA, suggesting that direct DNA–DNA interactions that we report here may play a role in the chromosome organization and gene regulation.
The effects of long-term stress on neural dynamics of working memory processing: An investigation using ERP
Authors: Yuan Yiran , Leung Ada W. S. , Duan Hongxia , Zhang Liang , Zhang Kan , Wu Jianhui , Qin Shaozheng
Published: March 2016

This study examined the neural dynamics of working memory (WM) processing under long-term stress. Forty participants who had been exposed to a long period of major exam preparation (six months) and twenty-one control participants performed a numerical n-back task (n = 1, 2) while electroencephalograms were recorded. Psychological and endocrinal measurements confirmed significantly higher levels of long-term stress for participants in the exam group. The exam group showed significantly increased P2 amplitude in the frontal-central sites in the 1-back and 2-back conditions, whereas other ERP components, including the P1, N1 and P3 and behavioral performance, were unchanged. Notably, the P2 effect was most pronounced in participants in the exam group who reported perceiving high levels of stress. The perceived stress scores positively correlated with the P2 amplitude in the 1-back and 2-back conditions. These results suggest that long-term stress has an impact on attention and the initiation of the updating process in WM.
An Integrated Genomic Strategy Delineates Candidate Mediator Genes Regulating Grain Size and Weight in Rice
Authors: Malik Naveen , Dwivedi Nidhi , Singh Ashok K. , Parida Swarup K. , Agarwal Pinky , Thakur Jitendra K. , Tyagi Akhilesh K.
Published: March 2016

The present study deployed a Mediator (MED) genes-mediated integrated genomic strategy for understanding the complex genetic architecture of grain size/weight quantitative trait in rice. The targeted multiplex amplicon resequencing of 55 MED genes annotated from whole rice genome in 384 accessions discovered 3971 SNPs, which were structurally and functionally annotated in diverse coding and non-coding sequence-components of genes. Association analysis, using the genotyping information of 3971 SNPs in a structured population of 384 accessions (with 50–100 kb linkage disequilibrium decay), detected 10 MED gene-derived SNPs significantly associated (46% combined phenotypic variation explained) with grain length, width and weight in rice. Of these, one strong grain weight-associated non-synonymous SNP (G/A)-carrying OsMED4_2 gene was validated successfully in low- and high-grain weight parental accessions and homozygous individuals of a rice mapping population. The seed-specific expression, including differential up/down-regulation of three grain size/weight-associated MED genes (including OsMED4_2) in six low and high-grain weight rice accessions was evident. Altogether, combinatorial genomic approach involving haplotype-based association analysis delineated diverse functionally relevant natural SNP-allelic variants in 10 MED genes, including three potential novel SNP haplotypes in an OsMED4_2 gene governing grain size/weight differentiation in rice. These molecular tags have potential to accelerate genomics-assisted crop improvement in rice.
Emergent geometries and nonlinear-wave dynamics in photon fluids
Authors: Marino F. , Maitland C. , Vocke D. , Ortolan A. , Faccio D.
Published: March 2016

Nonlinear waves in defocusing media are investigated in the framework of the hydrodynamic description of light as a photon fluid. The observations are interpreted in terms of an emergent curved spacetime generated by the waves themselves, which fully determines their dynamics. The spacetime geometry emerges naturally as a result of the nonlinear interaction between the waves and the self-induced background flow. In particular, as observed in real fluids, different points of the wave profile propagate at different velocities leading to the self-steepening of the wave front and to the formation of a shock. This phenomenon can be associated to a curvature singularity of the emergent metric. Our analysis offers an alternative insight into the problem of shock formation and provides a demonstration of an analogue gravity model that goes beyond the kinematic level.
Adaptation-Induced Compression of Event Time Occurs Only for Translational Motion
Authors: Fornaciai Michele , Arrighi Roberto , Burr David C.
Published: March 2016

Adaptation to fast motion reduces the perceived duration of stimuli displayed at the same location as the adapting stimuli. Here we show that the adaptation-induced compression of time is specific for translational motion. Adaptation to complex motion, either circular or radial, did not affect perceived duration of subsequently viewed stimuli. Adaptation with multiple patches of translating motion caused compression of duration only when the motion of all patches was in the same direction. These results show that adaptation-induced compression of event-time occurs only for uni-directional translational motion, ruling out the possibility that the neural mechanisms of the adaptation occur at early levels of visual processing.
Protons Potentiate GluN1/GluN3A Currents by Attenuating Their Desensitisation
Authors: Cummings Kirstie A. , Popescu Gabriela K.
Published: March 2016

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are glutamate- and glycine-gated channels composed of two GluN1 and two GluN2 or/and GluN3 subunits. GluN3A expression is developmentally regulated and changes in this normal pattern of expression, which occur in several brain disorders, alter synaptic maturation and function by unknown mechanisms. Uniquely within the NMDA receptor family, GluN1/GluN3 receptors produce glycine-gated deeply desensitising currents that are insensitive to glutamate and NMDA; these currents remain poorly characterised and their cellular functions are unknown. Here, we show that extracellular acidification strongly potentiated glycine-gated currents from recombinant GluN1/GluN3A receptors, with half-maximal effect in the physiologic pH range. This was largely due to slower current desensitisation and faster current recovery from desensitisation and was mediated by residues facing the heterodimer interface of the ligand-binding domain. Consistent with the observed changes in desensitisation kinetics, acidic shifts increased the GluN1/GluN3A equilibrium current and depolarized the membrane in a glycine concentration-dependent manner. These results reveal novel modulatory mechanisms for GluN1/GluN3A receptors that further differentiate them from the canonical glutamatergic GluN1/GluN2 receptors and provide a new and potent pharmacologic tool to assist the detection, identification and the further study of GluN1/GluN3A currents in native preparations.
SIRT3 Deficiency Induces Endothelial Insulin Resistance and Blunts Endothelial-Dependent Vasorelaxation in Mice and Human with Obesity
Authors: Yang Lu , Zhang Julei , Xing Wenjuan , Zhang Xing , Xu Jie , Zhang Haifeng , Chen Li , Ning Xiaona , Ji Gang , Li Jia , Zhao Qingchuan , Gao Feng
Published: March 2016

Recent evidence implicates the critical role of Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) in the development of many metabolic diseases, but the contribution of SIRT3 to vascular homeostasis remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of SIRT3 in endothelial insulin resistance and vascular dysfunction in obesity. We found an impaired insulin-induced mesenteric vasorelaxation and concomitant reduced vascular SIRT3 expression in morbid obese human subjects compared with the non-obese subjects. Downregulation of SIRT3 in cultured human endothelial cells increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) and impaired insulin signaling as evidenced by decreased phosphorylation of Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase and subsequent reduced nitric oxide (NO) release. In addition, obese mice induced by 24-week high-fat diet (HFD) displayed an impaired endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation to both insulin and acetylcholine, which was further exacerbated by the gene deletion of Sirt3. Scavenging of mtROS not only restored insulin-stimulated NO production in SIRT3 knockdown cells, but also improved insulin-induced vasorelaxation in SIRT3 knockout mice fed with HFD. Taken together, our findings suggest that SIRT3 positively regulates endothelial insulin sensitivity and show that SIRT3 deficiency and resultant increased mtROS contribute to vascular dysfunction in obesity.
Generalization of multisensory perceptual learning
Authors: Powers III Albert R. , Hillock-Dunn Andrea , Wallace Mark T.
Published: March 2016

Life in a multisensory world requires the rapid and accurate integration of stimuli across the different senses. In this process, the temporal relationship between stimuli is critical in determining which stimuli share a common origin. Numerous studies have described a multisensory temporal binding window—the time window within which audiovisual stimuli are likely to be perceptually bound. In addition to characterizing this window’s size, recent work has shown it to be malleable, with the capacity for substantial narrowing following perceptual training. However, the generalization of these effects to other measures of perception is not known. This question was examined by characterizing the ability of training on a simultaneity judgment task to influence perception of the temporally-dependent sound-induced flash illusion (SIFI). Results do not demonstrate a change in performance on the SIFI itself following training. However, data do show an improved ability to discriminate rapidly-presented two-flash control conditions following training. Effects were specific to training and scaled with the degree of temporal window narrowing exhibited. Results do not support generalization of multisensory perceptual learning to other multisensory tasks. However, results do show that training results in improvements in visual temporal acuity, suggesting a generalization effect of multisensory training on unisensory abilities.
Clinical Evaluation of a Fully-automatic Segmentation Method for Longitudinal Brain Tumor Volumetry
Authors: Meier Raphael , Knecht Urspeter , Loosli Tina , Bauer Stefan , Slotboom Johannes , Wiest Roland , Reyes Mauricio
Published: March 2016

Information about the size of a tumor and its temporal evolution is needed for diagnosis as well as treatment of brain tumor patients. The aim of the study was to investigate the potential of a fully-automatic segmentation method, called BraTumIA, for longitudinal brain tumor volumetry by comparing the automatically estimated volumes with ground truth data acquired via manual segmentation. Longitudinal Magnetic Resonance (MR) Imaging data of 14 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma encompassing 64 MR acquisitions, ranging from preoperative up to 12 month follow-up images, was analysed. Manual segmentation was performed by two human raters. Strong correlations (R = 0.83–0.96, p < 0.001) were observed between volumetric estimates of BraTumIA and of each of the human raters for the contrast-enhancing (CET) and non-enhancing T2-hyperintense tumor compartments (NCE-T2). A quantitative analysis of the inter-rater disagreement showed that the disagreement between BraTumIA and each of the human raters was comparable to the disagreement between the human raters. In summary, BraTumIA generated volumetric trend curves of contrast-enhancing and non-enhancing T2-hyperintense tumor compartments comparable to estimates of human raters. These findings suggest the potential of automated longitudinal tumor segmentation to substitute manual volumetric follow-up of contrast-enhancing and non-enhancing T2-hyperintense tumor compartments.
An in-situ gas chromatography investigation into the suppression of oxygen gas evolution by coated amorphous cobalt-phosphate nanoparticles on oxide electrode
Authors: Gim Jihyeon , Song Jinju , Kim Sungjin , Jo Jeonggeun , Kim Seokhun , Yoon Jaegu , Kim Donghan , Hong Suk-Gi , Park Jin-Hwan , Mathew Vinod , Han Junhee , Song Sun-Ju , Kim Jaekook
Published: March 2016

The real time detection of quantitative oxygen release from the cathode is performed by in-situ Gas Chromatography as a tool to not only determine the amount of oxygen release from a lithium-ion cell but also to address the safety concerns. This in-situ gas chromatography technique monitoring the gas evolution during electrochemical reaction presents opportunities to clearly understand the effect of surface modification and predict on the cathode stability. The oxide cathode, 0.5Li2MnO3∙0.5LiNi0.4Co0.2Mn0.4O2, surface modified by amorphous cobalt-phosphate nanoparticles (a-CoPO4) is prepared by a simple co-precipitation reaction followed by a mild heat treatment. The presence of a 40 nm thick a-CoPO4 coating layer wrapping the oxide powders is confirmed by electron microscopy. The electrochemical measurements reveal that the a-CoPO4 coated overlithiated layered oxide cathode shows better performances than the pristine counterpart. The enhanced performance of the surface modified oxide is attributed to the uniformly coated Co-P-O layer facilitating the suppression of O2 evolution and offering potential lithium host sites. Further, the formation of a stable SEI layer protecting electrolyte decomposition also contributes to enhanced stabilities with lesser voltage decay. The in-situ gas chromatography technique to study electrode safety offers opportunities to investigate the safety issues of a variety of nanostructured electrodes.
Localised Ag+ vibrations at the origin of ultralow thermal conductivity in layered thermoelectric AgCrSe2
Authors: Damay F. , Petit S. , Rols S. , Braendlein M. , Daou R. , Elkaïm E. , Fauth F. , Gascoin F. , Martin C. , Maignan A.
Published: March 2016

In materials science, the substructure approach consists in imagining complex materials in which a particular property is associated with a distinct structural feature, so as to combine different chosen physical characteristics, which otherwise have little chance to coexist. Applied to thermoelectric materials, it has been used to achieve simultaneously phonon-glass and electron-crystal properties. Mostly studied for its superionic conductivity, AgCrSe2 is a naturally layered compound, which achieves very low thermal conductivity, ~0.4 W.K−1.m−1 at RT (room temperature) and is considered a promising thermoelectric. The Cr atoms of the [CrSe2]∞ layer bear a spin S = 3/2, which orders below TN = 55 K. Here we report low temperature inelastic neutron scattering experiments on AgCrSe2, alongside the magnetic field evolution of its thermal and electrical transport. We observe a very low frequency mode at 3 meV, ascribed to large anharmonic displacements of the Ag+ ions in the [Ag]∞ layer and 2D magnetic fluctuations up to 3 TN in the chromium layer. The low thermal conductivity of AgCrSe2 is attributed to acoustic phonon scattering by a regular lattice of Ag+ oscillating in quasi-2D potential wells. These findings highlight a new way to achieve localised phonon modes in a perfectly crystalline solid.
In Vitro Assessment Reveals Parameters-Dependent Modulation on Excitability and Functional Connectivity of Cerebellar Slice by Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Authors: Tang Rongyu , Zhang Guanghao , Weng Xiechuan , Han Yao , Lang Yiran , Zhao Yuwei , Zhao Xiaobo , Wang Kun , Lin Qiuxia , Wang Changyong
Published: March 2016

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an increasingly common technique used to selectively modify neural excitability and plasticity. There is still controversy concerning the cortical response to rTMS of different frequencies. In this study, a novel in vitro paradigm utilizing the Multi-Electrodes Array (MEA) system and acute cerebellar slicing is described. In a controllable environment that comprises perfusion, incubation, recording and stimulation modules, the spontaneous single-unit spiking activity in response to rTMS of different frequencies and powers was directly measured and analyzed. Investigation using this in vitro paradigm revealed frequency-dependent modulation upon the excitability and functional connectivity of cerebellar slices. The 1-Hz rTMS sessions induced short-term inhibition or lagged inhibition, whereas 20-Hz sessions induced excitation. The level of modulation is influenced by the value of power. However the long-term response fluctuated without persistent direction. The choice of evaluation method may also interfere with the interpretation of modulation direction. Furthermore, both short-term and long-term functional connectivity was strengthened by 1-Hz rTMS and weakened by 20-Hz rTMS.
Putting scales into evolutionary time: the divergence of major scale insect lineages (Hemiptera) predates the radiation of modern angiosperm hosts
Authors: Vea Isabelle M. , Grimaldi David A.
Published: March 2016

The radiation of flowering plants in the mid-Cretaceous transformed landscapes and is widely believed to have fuelled the radiations of major groups of phytophagous insects. An excellent group to test this assertion is the scale insects (Coccomorpha: Hemiptera), with some 8,000 described Recent species and probably the most diverse fossil record of any phytophagous insect group preserved in amber. We used here a total-evidence approach (by tip-dating) employing 174 morphological characters of 73 Recent and 43 fossil taxa (48 families) and DNA sequences of three gene regions, to obtain divergence time estimates and compare the chronology of the most diverse lineage of scale insects, the neococcoid families, with the timing of the main angiosperm radiation. An estimated origin of the Coccomorpha occurred at the beginning of the Triassic, about 245 Ma [228–273], and of the neococcoids 60 million years later [210–165 Ma]. A total-evidence approach allows the integration of extinct scale insects into a phylogenetic framework, resulting in slightly younger median estimates than analyses using Recent taxa, calibrated with fossil ages only. From these estimates, we hypothesise that most major lineages of coccoids shifted from gymnosperms onto angiosperms when the latter became diverse and abundant in the mid- to Late Cretaceous.
A novel fluorescent protein from the deep-sea anemone Cribrinopsis japonica (Anthozoa: Actiniaria)
Authors: Tsutsui Kenta , Shimada Eriko , Ogawa Tomohisa , Tsuruwaka Yusuke
Published: March 2016

A fluorescent protein was identified and cloned from the deep-sea anemone Cribrinopsis japonica. Bioluminescence and fluorescence expression were examined by direct observations of live specimens and RNA-Seq analysis. Both approaches revealed a novel green fluorescent protein in the tentacles of the anemone, but bioluminescence was not observed. Behavioural observations revealed that a blue light excited the fluorescence in the tentacles and initiated a behavioural response whereby the fluorescent tentacles became fully exposed to the blue light. The excitation and emission peaks of C. japonica’s fluorescent protein were at 500 and 510 nm, respectively, which were greener than those reported in homologs. Furthermore, this protein was highly tolerant of increased temperatures and repeated freeze–thaw treatments. The current study presents an example of fluorescence in a deep-sea cnidarian, demonstrating that fluorescent proteins could have important roles, regardless of the presence or absence of strong sunlight. It also demonstrates that this deep-sea fluorescent protein has unique characteristics, including high stability, perhaps as an adaptation to the extreme environment.
Repositioning Clofazimine as a Macrophage-Targeting Photoacoustic Contrast Agent
Authors: Keswani Rahul K. , Tian Chao , Peryea Tyler , Girish Gandikota , Wang Xueding , Rosania Gus R.
Published: March 2016

Photoacoustic Tomography (PAT) is a deep-tissue imaging modality, with potential clinical applications in the diagnosis of arthritis, cancer and other disease conditions. Here, we identified Clofazimine (CFZ), a red-pigmented dye and anti-inflammatory FDA-approved drug, as a macrophage-targeting photoacoustic (PA) imaging agent. Spectroscopic experiments revealed that CFZ and its various protonated forms yielded optimal PAT signals at wavelengths −450 to 540 nm. CFZ’s macrophage-targeting chemical and structural forms were detected with PA microscopy at a high contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR > 22 dB) as well as with macroscopic imaging using synthetic gelatin phantoms. In vivo, natural and synthetic CFZ formulations also demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity. Finally, the injection of CFZ was monitored via a real-time ultrasound-photoacoustic (US-PA) dual imaging system in a live animal and clinically relevant human hand model. These results demonstrate an anti-inflammatory drug repurposing strategy, while identifying a new PA contrast agent with potential applications in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis.
Dietary intake of heat-killed Lactococcus lactis H61 delays age-related hearing loss in C57BL/6J mice
Authors: Oike Hideaki , Aoki-Yoshida Ayako , Kimoto-Nira Hiromi , Yamagishi Naoko , Tomita Satoru , Sekiyama Yasuyo , Wakagi Manabu , Sakurai Mutsumi , Ippoushi Katsunari , Suzuki Chise , Kobori Masuko
Published: March 2016

Age-related hearing loss (AHL) is a common disorder associated with aging. In this study, we investigated the effect of the intake of heat-killed Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris H61 (strain H61) on AHL in C57BL/6J mice. Measurement of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) demonstrated that female mice at 9 months of age fed a diet containing 0.05% strain H61 for 6 months maintained a significantly lower ABR threshold than control mice. The age-related loss of neurons and hair cells in the cochlea was suppressed by the intake of strain H61. Faecal analysis of bacterial flora revealed that the intake of strain H61 increased the prevalence of Lactobacillales, which is positively correlated with hearing ability in mice. Furthermore, plasma fatty acid levels were negatively correlated with hearing ability. Overall, the results supported that the intake of heat-killed strain H61 for 6 months altered the intestinal flora, affected plasma metabolite levels, including fatty acid levels and retarded AHL in mice.