bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Francis Fowler II, English Secretary of the Spanish Embassy, 1609–1619
Authors: Loomie Albert J.
Published: February 2017

‘In this embassy’, Antonio Foscarini reported to the Doge in Venice in 1611 from London, ‘there has always been an Englishman as interpreter, a Catholic, who has regularly attended the church without anyone hindering him. The same goes on in the French and Spanish embassies, to his Majesty's entire satisfaction.’ Little is known about this type of employment, aside from James's atypical toleration of an Englishman's public non-conformity. It can be of interest to see what sort of Englishman could be selected by a foreign power to serve in its embassy in seventeenth-century London. There can be more curiosity to learn what type of work he could in fact be called upon to do. Fortunately, sufficient evidence has survived in the case of at least one Englishman of clear recusant connections, Francis Fowler II, to make an attempt. Curiously, in preparing this study an unexpected problem emerged in the discovery of another Englishman of an identical name who lived in Madrid with some of the same duties to perform. This surprising career of a Francis Fowler I is also described here. From this pair of biographies it is hoped that fresh clues have been found about the family of the distinguished printer of early recusant books, John Fowler.
Manuscripts of Anthony Tyrrell's ‘Lamentable Confession’
Authors: Barry Patrick C.
Published: February 2017

Anthony Tyrrell, born in 1552 of an Essex family, was ordained priest in Rome about 1580 and returned to England soon afterwards. In April 1581, he was imprisoned in the Gatehouse prison in London, but he soon escaped and went back to the Continent. He came to England again at the end of 1584, and was imprisoned again, in the Counter prison, Wood Street, London, in July 1586. He now made many disclosures regarding Catholics, and in September he was moved to the Clink prison in order that he might have more scope to act as an informer amongst the many Catholics confined there. Shortly afterwards he was released. He continued for a while to act outwardly as a Catholic, while in reality being a spy for the Government; then he openly announced his conversion to Protestantism. Soon, however, he repented of his behaviour, fled to the Continent once more, and wrote his ‘lamentable confession’, as he called it, exposing in detail the duplicity of his former life.
The Ripon Diary, 1878–80: III
Authors: Rossi John P.
Published: February 2017

Monday 29th Sept.

Went out stalking with Finlay got nothing, had 2 chances & wounded the fist stag but could not find him – a wild day & the wind very bad on the hill – Monro saw my stalk through a glass & says that the stag was badly wounded & turned down just behind us – There is not much news in the papers, except an account of a successful attack by the tribes on one of our convoys.
Catholicism in Elizabethan Durham
Authors: Hilton J. A.
Published: February 2017

During the reign of Elizabeth I Catholicism ceased to be the religion of the majority and became that of a small minority. In County Durham, the ecclesiastical settlement of 1559 met with little open opposition, except from a few of the leading clergy, but religious conservatism or ‘survivalism’ together with the ‘bastard-feudal Catholicism’ of the house of Neville remained strong until the Northern Rising of 1569. Thereafter Catholic recusancy emerged slowly amongst the former rebel gentry, under the influence of the Louvainists and seminary priests, but was contained by Government pressure. By the end of the reign the strains produced by persecution were shown in the conflicts amongst the Catholic clergy but ‘seigneurial Catholicism’ within the household régime remained the religion of a minority of the gentry and their dependants still associated with the house of Neville.
Elsinore 1580: John Rogers and James Bosgrave
Authors: Skwarczynski Paul
Published: February 2017

Hamlet has made the name of Elsinore, the Danish Helsingor, familiar to everyone. It is a small seaport at the narrowest part of the Sound, opposite the Swedish town of Helsingborg. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, its Baltic traffic was of great importance, and here, in 1580, two Englishmen met by accident.
Plowden, Englefield and Sandford: I 1558–85
Authors: Parmiter Geoffrey de C.
Published: February 2017

In the middle of the sixteenth century there were close ties between the families of Plowden, Englefield and Sandford. Since early in the century the Plowden family estate, Plowden Hall at Lydbury in Shropshire, had been in the possession of Humphrey Plowden, but at that time it appears to have been scarcely habitable. Humphrey Plowden and his wife lived in another house at Bishop’s Castle, which may have been Blunden Hall on the outskirts of the town; and it is probable that their eldest son, Edmund, who became the most celebrated lawyer of his day, was born there in 1518. When Humphrey Plowden died on 10 March 1558, Edmund succeeded to the family estate and he then began the repair and restoration of Plowden Hall. Among the Shropshire neighbours of the Plowdens were the Englefields, who owned large estates in the Isle of Up Rossall, near Shrewsbury. Plowden’s eldest sister, Margaret, had married Richard Sandford, an impoverished member of an old Shropshire family, and she and her husband were living at the Isle of Up Rossall on a small holding that formed part of the Englefield estates. Another of Plowden’s sisters, Jane, had married Richard Blunden who came from Bishop’s Castle, but he and his wife were then living at Burghfield, near Reading, in Berkshire. In 1569, Plowden bought property nearby which included the manor of Wokefield and other land at Stratfield Mortimer, Burghfield and Sulhampstead, and at some time he acquired an interest in Shiplake Court, the manor house at Shiplake which formed part of one of the Englefield manors in Oxfordshire.
The Pakingtons of Harvington
Authors: Lionel  , Webster Veronica Anderton
Published: February 2017

Harvington Hall, the moated red-brick manor-house near Chaddesley Corbett in Worcestershire, is well known for the exceptional number and ingenuity of its hiding-holes; and it is not unreasonable to deduce from the fortunes and religious adherence of the Pakingtons (who owned it during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries) some explanation of the unusual plan of the Hall itself. But until recently it was stated categorically that the Pakingtons were all, in Foley's phrase, 'rigid protestant' Opinion as to the date and design of the building was misled by this false premise; some confusion of ideas ensued, and doubt was even cast on the authenticity of the hides. The story was further complicated by the infiltration of legend and of inaccurate information copied by one writer from another, as well as by a reluctance, until modern times, to record Catholic connections. The Worcestershire historian Nash, for instance, omits this branch from the family tree, no doubt in deference to the Pakingtons of Westwood, who were among his patrons and who by then were protestant.
Music for life: a Japanese experience of spirituality, ageing and musical growth
Authors: MATSUNOBU KOJI
Published: February 2017

This paper examines the role of musical engagement in later-life spiritual development and ageing. The nexus of music, spirituality and ageing has been relatively unexplored. Change of styles, means of expression and ways of engagement are among the transformation that older musicians often encounter. Based on an ethnographic study of Japanese music practitioners, the paper introduces a community music practice in which spiritual cultivation is a collective goal of musical pursuit. A case introduced in this paper suggests that music helps to develop a sense of purpose and enhance the meaning of life by instilling the feeling that people are still able to develop musically and spiritually. Some of the transformation identified in the study included changes of repertoire, the purpose of practice and the meaning of progress, all of which was characterised in the dictum of less-is-more. The paper highlights the process in which spiritual development and musical growth are linked and support positive ageing.
The Mawhoods of Smithfield and Finchley
Authors: Reynolds E.E.
Published: February 2017

There is a notice of William Mawhood (1724–1797) in Gillow (IV. 543–4); this was included presumably because of his diary notebooks (1764–1790), which contain valuable information relating to the history of Catholicism in England during the period of the Gordon Riots. The Catholic Record Society has in preparation for issue to its members an edition of the diary covering all those matters of Catholic interest to which it refers. The editorial work on this has necessitated a study of the Mawhood family. The following pages summarise the results of that research as far as it has gone. There are a number of errors in Gillow’s account to be corrected.
A Note on the Identification of the House in which Bishop Challoner Died
Authors: Reynolds E.E.
Published: February 2017

In his biography of Bishop Challoner (vol.II. p.272), Canon Burton states that the Bishop died at 25 Gloucester Street (now Old Gloucester Street, Queen Square, Holborn). He does not give his authority, and it may have been an oral tradition. J. P. de Castro, in his Gordon Riots (1926) p.45, makes the same statement, probably on Burton's authority.
Henry Jaye (15?–1643)
Authors: Rogers D.M.
Published: February 2017

The origin and early life of Henry Jaye, an Englishman and an exile, it would appear, for his faith, who died holding the post of official printer to the metropolitan city of Malines in Belgium, are unknown, except that he was born in London and that his father's name was Thomas. This much we learn from a register of burghers (1). It is likely that Nicholas and John Jaye,, who lived at Jdalines at the same time as Henry, were his brothers. The first recorded incident in Jaye's life occurs in 1606, at which date he is found at Antwerp, working for the notable Anglo–Flemish Catholic refugee Richard Verstegan. (2). On 26th July of that year, two English sergeants, Roger Marshall and Richard Pope, belonging to the regiment of Sir William Windsor, were at Antwerp in company with four or five other Englishmen. In their report of the incident (State Papers Foreign, Flanders, 1589–1659, bundle 8, no 151) they state “there came into our company one whose name was Henry a booke bynder as he sayde by his trad(e) and profession wch Henry belongeth as is publickly knowen unto on(e) Mr. Vestegen an Inglishe gente townedweller in the affore said Citty”. To them he used “scandalous” speeches against the King of England, saying amongst other things “I hope to see him hanged”, A few days later, on 6th. August, the English ambassador to the Archduke in Brussels, Sir Thomas Edmondes, wrote to the Secretary of State, Cecil, in England as follows “…having received information of certain very lewd and infamous words against His Majesty by one Henry Gay, an Englishman, a printer servant to Verstegan of Antwerp, he (Edmondes) complained to President Ricardott and desired the party might be sent for to answer his misdemeanour. The Archduke gave order to have him sent for, when he could not deny the words, but he has been merely dismissed with an admonition for his better carriage hereafter and to be forthcoming to answer anything that may be further objected against him. Edmondes has protested…” (Hist. MSS. Com.., Salisbury, pt. XVIII p.227). Prom a further note a little later in Edmondes’ correspondence it appears he got small satisfaction for his protest.
Exchequer Dossiers: I The Recusancy of Venerable John Talbot, Gentleman (1)
Authors: Bowler Hugh
Published: February 2017

A noteworthy feature of the Recusant Rolls is that they invariably cite authorities for their statements, most of the references being to another series of Exchequer records known as the Memoranda Rolls of the Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer (2). The latter are the official record of the business of the Court of Exchequer (L.T.R. side) in each Law term, and provide a rich but largely unexplored field of inquiry for the student of recusant biography.
Father Constantine, O.F.M. Cap. 15? – 1616
Authors: Reel Casaian
Published: February 2017

Father Constantine was a notable member of the Capuchin Province of Paris at the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth centuries. Known as Polydore Morgan before joining the Capuchins, he was brought up a Catholic and having completed his studies on the Continent was ordained a secular priest. His identity has never been established with certainty for there were at least two contemporaries with the same name, but it is probable that he was one of the Morgans of Llantarnam in Monmouthshire. According to J.B. Wainewright (1), he was the nephew of Thomas Morgan, the agent of Mary, Queen of Scots, If this opinion be true, then Fr. Constantine, after his ordination in Rome, visited the English College at Rheims, where he arrived on May 12th, 1562; he left the College on the 28th of the same month, presumably with the intention of going to England; he returned to Rheims on November 2nd, 1582, and left the College again on March 22nd, 1585 (2). Fr. Gilbert, O.F.M. Cap., however, states that Fr. Constantine was the cousin of the agent Thomas Morgan (3). This cousin was a prisoner in the Gatehouse on July 29th, 1580; he was released from prison on August 8th, 1582. Marcellin de Pise (1594–1656), the Capucnin annalist, on whose account of Fr. Constantine we rely for much of what follows, after stating that the friar was of good family and was ordained a secular prieat, goea on to say that immediately after his ordination the young priest aet out for England before he had aaid hia firat Maas. On hia arrival, he adds, he waa arreated and oaat into priaon and it was as a prisoner that he celebrated hia first Mass (4). This must have been an unusual, if not unique, occurance even in those unsettled times.
Chaplains at Chipping
Authors: Chadwick H.
Published: February 2017

The accounts that have appeared in various volumes of the Catholic Record Society by way of introduction to the registers of Catholic missions are obviously of some considerable value to the historian and indeed to all those – their number appears to be growing – who are interested to learn what they can of the records of their Catholic fore-fathers. It seems worth while therefore, when fresh information is available, to supplement such accounts, as far as may be possible. That this is f easible in the case of Major Richard Trappes-Lomax’s careful Introduction to the registers of Lea gram and Chipping (C.R.S. xxxvi: Lancashire Registers, VI) is mainly owing to the survival of two folio volumes of accounts kept by the steward of the Stonyhurst Shireburns in connection with their Lancashire estates. These volumes, evidently unknown to the editor, range from 1717 to 1749 and from 1754 to 1766; the second of these volumes brings us after a few pages to the transference of the Shireburn estates to the family of Weld of Lulworth. Besides other matters of interest the accounts include the payments, usually quarterly, of the missioners both at Stonyhurst and at Leagram Halls and it is here especially that can be f ound more precise dates of the comings and goings of successive missioners.
The Right Rev. George Chamberlain Bishop of Ypres (1576–1654.)
Authors: Antheunis L.
Published: February 2017

One of the most distinguished bishops of the Catholic church in Belgium in the 17th century was without doubt the Englishman, George Chamberlain, who occupied the see of Ypres from 1627 to 1634, the year of his death.
An Early-Seventeenth Century Translator: Thomas Everard, S.J.
Authors: Allison A. F.
Published: February 2017

Thomas Everard, born at Linstead, Suffolk, in 1560, was the son of a Catholic father and was probably brought up as a Catholic in England. As a comparatively young man he met Fr. John Gerard S.J. and under Fr. Gerard’s influence he went abroad to train for the priesthood. He was ordained priest in 1592 and joined the Society of Jesus in the following year. His subsequent career was similar to that of many another English Jesuit of the period. He was Minister for some years at St. Omers College and also at the nearby Jesuit house at Watten, and he later held the post of Socius to the Master of Novices in the Novitiate at Louvain. For a short period in 1605/06 he was in England on the mission, and again in 1617 he came over to his native country, only to be betrayed a year later into the hands of the priest-hunters and imprisoned. He was released from prison in 1620 and sent into exile, but once again he returned to England and continued to work on the mission in spite of further imprisonment and great hardship. He died in London in 1633 (1).
Henry Constable, Poet and Courtier, 1562 – 1613
Authors: Wickes George
Published: February 2017

A typical product of his class and generation, courtier, poet and man of learning, Henry Constable appeared to be well on the way to a successful career at Elizabeth's court when he decided (to use the words of a contemporary account) to lose all his heritage in order to save his soul. Part of that heritage was a vigorous Protestant patriotism which manifested itself, in his early years. More patriotic than Protestant perhaps, though it was precisely his interest in religion which led him to make his heavy decision. As for his patriotism, it remained undimmed in his later years but emerged in the form of an idealistic allegiance to a greater cause. He spent the rest of his days, in exile for the most part, in a variety of undertakings which reveal a single-minded dedication to the conversion of his country.
Franciscan Books In English, 1559–1640
Authors: Allison A.F.
Published: February 2017

Very little attention has been given to the bibliography of the English Franciscans in penal times though their literary output was considerable in relation to their numbers. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that, as far as the English Province is concerned, Franciscan bibliography begins and ends with Luke Wadding in the seventeenth century. The elementary processes of collecting and sifting evidence have not been carried out, since Wadding’s time, and in the few later works of reference which mention individual Franciscan writings there is a great deal of confusion. I shall try, in the present study, to record what evidence there is concerning English books by members of the order between 1559 and 1640 and I shall add some notes on other books which have Franciscan associations. A number of English versions of Franciscan works in other languages were made during this period by Englishmen who were not themselves Franciscans. Some of them present bibliographical prob1ems which I cannot profess to answer, but it seems desirable that whatever evidence exists concerning them should he published.
Subnormal subgroups in free groups, their growth and cogrowth
Authors: OLSHANSKII A. YU.
Published: February 2017

In this paper, the author (1) compare subnormal closures of finite sets in a free group F; (2) obtains the limit for the series of subnormal closures of a single element in F; (3) proves that the exponential growth rate (exp.g.r.) $\lim_{n\to \infty}\sqrt[n]{g_H(n)}$, where gH(n) is the growth function of a subgroup H with respect to a finite free basis of F, exists for any subgroup H of the free group F; (4) gives sharp estimates from below for the exp.g.r. of subnormal subgroups in free groups; and (5) finds the cogrowth of the subnormal closures of free generators.
Existence of travelling pulses in a neural model
Authors: Hastings S. P.
Published: February 2017

In 1992 Ermentrout and McLeod published in this journal a landmark study of travelling wavefronts for a differential–integral equation model of a neural network. Since then a number of authors have extended the model by adding an additional equation for a ‘recovery variable’, thus allowing the possibility of travelling-pulse-type solutions. In a recent paper, Faye gave perhaps the first rigorous proof of the existence (and stability) of a travelling-pulse solution for a model of this type, treating a simplified version of equations originally developed by Kilpatrick and Bressloff. The excitatory weight function J used in this work allowed the system to be reduced to a set of four coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs), and a specific firing-rate function S, with parameters, was considered. The method of geometric singular perturbation was employed, together with blow-ups. In this paper we extend Faye's results on existence by dropping one of his key hypotheses, proving the existence of pulses at least two different speeds, and, in a sense, allowing a wider range of the small parameter in the problem. The proofs are classical and self-contained aside from standard ODE material.
2016 HES PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: STATISTICAL INFERENCE IN ECONOMICS, 1920–1965: CHANGES IN MEANING AND PRACTICE
Authors: Biddle Jeff
Published: February 2017

I review changes over time in the meaning that economists in the US attributed to the phrase “statistical inference,” as well as changes in how inference was conducted. Prior to WWII, leading statistical economists rejected probability theory as a source of measures and procedures to be used in statistical inference. Trygve Haavelmo and the early Cowles Commission econometricians developed an approach to statistical inference based on probability theory, but the arguments they offered in defense of this approach were not always responsive to the concerns of earlier empirical economists that the data available to economists did not satisfy the assumptions required for such an approach. Despite this, after a period of about twenty-five years, a consensus developed that methods of inference derived from probability theory were an almost essential part of empirical research in economics. I conclude with some speculation on possible reasons for this transformation in thinking about statistical inference.
THEEKTHESISOF CYRUS THE GREAT: A CASE STUDY OF HEROICITY VERSUS BASTARDY IN CLASSICAL ATHENS
Authors: Haussker Fayah
Published: February 2017

This article explores two contrasting accounts of the exposure of Cyrus the Elder: the lengthy version in Herodotus, replete with characteristics of the infancy of royal mythological heroes, and that in Isocrates’Philippus, in which theekthesisimplies illegitimacy and inferiority, as part of Isocrates’ political agenda. Cyrus’ alleged exposure is an ideal case study for the ambivalence of infant exposure in classical Greek discourse, either to signify heroicity in an individual destined for greatness and the founding of a dynasty (as in Herodotus), or to allude to illegitimacy and so exclude the individual from civil society (as in Isocrates).
WHAT RUSSELL SHOULD HAVE SAID TO BURALI–FORTI
Authors: FLORIO SALVATORE , LEACH-KROUSE GRAHAM
Published: February 2017

The paradox that appears under Burali–Forti’s name in many textbooks of set theory is a clever piece of reasoning leading to an unproblematic theorem. The theorem asserts that the ordinals do not form a set. For such a set would be–absurdly–an ordinal greater than any ordinal in the set of all ordinals. In this article, we argue that the paradox of Burali–Forti is first and foremost a problem about concept formation by abstraction, not about sets. We contend, furthermore, that some hundred years after its discovery the paradox is still without any fully satisfactory resolution. A survey of the current literature reveals one key assumption of the paradox that has gone unquestioned, namely the assumption that ordinals are objects. Taking the lead from Russell’s no class theory, we interpret talk of ordinals as an efficient way of conveying higher-order logical truths. The resulting theory of ordinals is formally adequate to standard intuitions about ordinals, expresses a conception of ordinal number capable of resolving Burali–Forti’s paradox, and offers a novel contribution to the longstanding program of reducing mathematics to higher-order logic.
GENERAL PROPERTIES OF BAYESIAN LEARNING AS STATISTICAL INFERENCE DETERMINED BY CONDITIONAL EXPECTATIONS
Authors: GYENIS ZALÁN , RÉDEI MIKLÓS
Published: February 2017

We investigate the general properties of general Bayesian learning, where “general Bayesian learning” means inferring a state from another that is regarded as evidence, and where the inference is conditionalizing the evidence using the conditional expectation determined by a reference probability measure representing the background subjective degrees of belief of a Bayesian Agent performing the inference. States are linear functionals that encode probability measures by assigning expectation values to random variables via integrating them with respect to the probability measure. If a state can be learned from another this way, then it is said to be Bayes accessible from the evidence. It is shown that the Bayes accessibility relation is reflexive, antisymmetric, and nontransitive. If every state is Bayes accessible from some other defined on the same set of random variables, then the set of states is called weakly Bayes connected. It is shown that the set of states is not weakly Bayes connected if the probability space is standard. The set of states is called weakly Bayes connectable if, given any state, the probability space can be extended in such a way that the given state becomes Bayes accessible from some other state in the extended space. It is shown that probability spaces are weakly Bayes connectable. Since conditioning using the theory of conditional expectations includes both Bayes’ rule and Jeffrey conditionalization as special cases, the results presented generalize substantially some results obtained earlier for Jeffrey conditionalization.
Permitted for law enforcement purposes but prohibited in the conduct of hostilities: The case of riot control agents and expanding bullets
Authors: Longuet Samuel
Published: February 2017

Riot control agents and expanding bullets are the only two kinds of weapon and ammunition that are used for law enforcement purposes but are explicitly prohibited in the conduct of hostilities. This article justifies this difference in treatment with two arguments. First, riot control agents and expanding bullets have different effects on the human body depending on their specific types and the circumstances in which they are deployed. Second, the issues raised by their use differ according to whether they are employed for law enforcement purposes or in the conduct of hostilities.
Air–liquid interface enhances oxidative phosphorylation in intestinal epithelial cell line IPEC-J2
Authors: Klasvogt Sonja , Zuschratter Werner , Schmidt Anke , Kröber Andrea , Vorwerk Sandra , Wolter Romina , Isermann Berend , Wimmers Klaus , Rothkötter Hermann-Josef , Nossol Constanze
Published: February 2017

The intestinal porcine epithelial cell line IPEC-J2, cultured under the air–liquid interface (ALI) conditions, develops remarkable morphological characteristics close to intestinal epithelial cells in vivo. Improved oxygen availability has been hypothesised to be the leading cause of this morphological differentiation. We assessed oxygen availability in ALI cultures and examined the influence of this cell culture method on glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in IPEC-J2 using the submerged membrane culture (SMC) and ALI cultures. Furthermore, the role of HIF-1 as mediator of oxygen availability was analysed. Measurements of oxygen tension confirmed increased oxygen availability at the medium–cell interface and demonstrated reduced oxygen extraction at the basal compartment in ALI. Microarray analysis to determine changes in the genetic profile of IPEC-J2 in ALI identified 2751 modified transcripts. Further examinations of candidate genes revealed reduced levels of glycolytic enzymes hexokinase II and GAPDH, as well as lactate transporting monocarboxylate transporter 1 in ALI, whereas expression of the glucose transporter GLUT1 remained unchanged. Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) subunit 5B protein analysis was increased in ALI, although mRNA level remained at constant level. COX activity was assessed using photometric quantification and a three-fold increase was found in ALI. Quantification of glucose and lactate concentrations in cell culture medium revealed significantly reduced glucose levels and decreased lactate production in ALI. In order to evaluate energy metabolism, we measured cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) aggregation in homogenised cell suspensions showing similar levels. However, application of the uncoupling agent FCCP reduced ATP levels in ALI but not in SMC. In addition, HIF showed reduced mRNA levels in ALI. Furthermore, HIF-1α protein was reduced in the nuclear compartment of ALI when compared to SCM as confirmed by confocal microscopy. These results indicate a metabolic switch in IPEC-J2 cultured under ALI conditions enhancing oxidative phosphorylation and suppressing glycolysis. ALI-induced improvement of oxygen supply reduced nuclear HIF-1α, demonstrating a major change in the transcriptional response.
Canonical free-energy barrier of particle and polymer cluster formation
Authors: Zierenberg Johannes , Schierz Philipp , Janke Wolfhard
Published: February 2017

A common approach to study nucleation rates is the estimation of free-energy barriers. This usually requires knowledge about the shape of the forming droplet, a task that becomes notoriously difficult in macromolecular setups starting with a proper definition of the cluster boundary. Here we demonstrate a shape-free determination of the free energy for temperature-driven cluster formation in particle as well as polymer systems. Combined with rigorous results on equilibrium droplet formation, this allows for a well-defined finite-size scaling analysis of the effective interfacial free energy at a fixed density. We first verify the theoretical predictions for the formation of a liquid droplet in a supersaturated particle gas by generalized-ensemble Monte Carlo simulations of a Lennard-Jones system. Going one step further, we then generalize this approach to cluster formation in a dilute polymer solution. Our results suggest an analogy with particle condensation, when the macromolecules are interpreted as extended particles.
Timing and nature of AMOC recovery across Termination 2 and magnitude of deglacial CO2 change
Authors: Deaney Emily L. , Barker Stephen , van de Flierdt Tina
Published: February 2017

Large amplitude variations in atmospheric CO2 were associated with glacial terminations of the Late Pleistocene. Here we provide multiple lines of evidence suggesting that the ∼20 p.p.m.v. overshoot in CO2 at the end of Termination 2 (T2) ∼129 ka was associated with an abrupt (≤400 year) deepening of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). In contrast to Termination 1 (T1), which was interrupted by the Bølling-Allerød (B-A), AMOC recovery did not occur until the very end of T2, and was characterized by pronounced formation of deep waters in the NW Atlantic. Considering the variable influences of ocean circulation change on atmospheric CO2, we suggest that the net change in CO2 across the last 2 terminations was approximately equal if the transient effects of deglacial oscillations in ocean circulation are taken into account.
Intensity-dependent modulation of optically active signals in a chiral metamaterial
Authors: Rodrigues Sean P. , Lan Shoufeng , Kang Lei , Cui Yonghao , Panuski Patrick W. , Wang Shengxiang , Urbas Augustine M. , Cai Wenshan
Published: February 2017

Chiral media exhibit optical phenomena that provide distinctive responses from opposite circular polarizations. The disparity between these responses can be optimized by structurally engineering absorptive materials into chiral nanopatterns to form metamaterials that provide gigantic chiroptical resonances. To fully leverage the innate duality of chiral metamaterials for future optical technologies, it is essential to make such chiroptical responses tunable via external means. Here we report an optical metamaterial with tailored chiroptical effects in the nonlinear regime, which exhibits a pronounced shift in its circular dichroism spectrum under a modest level of excitation power. Strong nonlinear optical rotation is observed at key spectral locations, with an intensity-induced change of 14° in the polarization rotation from a metamaterial thickness of less than λ/7. The modulation of chiroptical responses by manipulation of input powers incident on chiral metamaterials offers potential for active optics such as all-optical switching and light modulation.
Undercarboxylated osteocalcin reverts insulin resistance induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells
Authors: Guo Qinyue , Li Huixia , Xu Lin , Wu Shufang , Sun Hongzhi , Zhou Bo
Published: February 2017

Osteocalcin has been considered to be an important regulator of energy metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the mechanism underlying the involvement of uncarboxylated osteocalcin in the vascular complications of T2DM is not fully understood. In the present study, we analyzed the potential correlations between uncarboxylated osteocalcin and macro- or microangiopathic complications in subjects with T2DM and tested the impact of uncarboxylated osteocalcin on insulin resistance in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The results showed that the serum levels of uncarboxylated osteocalcin were lower in subjects with vascular complications of T2DM. Univariate correlation analyses revealed negative correlations between uncarboxylated osteocalcin and waist-to-hip ratio, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR. In in vitro experiments, insulin resistance was induced by applying tunicamycin to HUVECs. Uncarboxylated osteocalcin not only markedly reduced the phosphorylations of PERK and eIF2α, but also elevated the phosphorylations of IRS-1 and Akt, resulting in improvement of insulin signal transduction via PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling in HUVECs. Therefore, there is a possible relationship between uncarboxylated osteocalcin and the vascular complications of T2DM. Uncarboxylated osteocalcin partially improves insulin signal transduction via PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling in tunicamycin-induced HUVECs, suggesting osteocalcin as a potential treatment for the vascular complications of T2DM.
Recurrent DCC gene losses during bird evolution
Authors: Friocourt François , Lafont Anne-Gaelle , Kress Clémence , Pain Bertrand , Manceau Marie , Dufour Sylvie , Chédotal Alain
Published: February 2017

During development, midline crossing by axons brings into play highly conserved families of receptors and ligands. The interaction between the secreted ligand Netrin-1 and its receptor Deleted in Colorectal Carcinoma (DCC) is thought to control midline attraction of crossing axons. Here, we studied the evolution of this ligand/receptor couple in birds taking advantage of a wealth of newly sequenced genomes. From phylogeny and synteny analyses we can infer that the DCC gene has been conserved in most extant bird species, while two independent events have led to its loss in two avian groups, passeriformes and galliformes. These convergent accidental gene loss events are likely related to chromosome Z rearrangement. We show, using whole-mount immunostaining and 3Disco clearing, that in the nervous system of all birds that have a DCC gene, DCC protein expression pattern is similar to other vertebrates. Surprisingly, we show that the early developmental pattern of commissural tracts is comparable in all birds, whether or not they have a DCC receptor. Interestingly, only 4 of the 5 genes encoding secreted netrins, the DCC ligands in vertebrates, were found in birds, but Netrin-5 was absent. Together, these results support a remarkable plasticity of commissural axon guidance mechanisms in birds.
Glucocorticoid receptor positively regulates transcription of FNDC5 in the liver
Authors: Kim Hyoung Kyu , Jeong Yu Jeong , Song In-Sung , Noh Yeon Hee , Seo Kyo Won , Kim Min , Han Jin
Published: February 2017

Irisin is secreted by skeletal muscle during exercise and influences energy and metabolic homeostasis. This hormone is a cleaved and secreted fragment of fibronectin type III domain-containing 5 (FNDC5). Elucidation of the FNDC5 gene regulation mechanism is necessary to clarify the function of irisin as a potential therapeutic target in human metabolic diseases. Thus, we investigated the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate expression of the FNDC5 gene. FNDC5 mRNA was strong expressed in major energy-dependent human tissues, including heart, brain, liver, and skeletal muscle. Promoter analysis of the FNDC5 gene revealed that the core promoter region of the FNDC5 gene contained one CpG island that was located just upstream of the transcriptional start site for variants 2 and 3. Treatment with the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium butyrate and the demethylating agent 5-azacytidine increased mRNA expression of FNDC5 in Huh7 cells. Prediction of transcription factor binding sites suggested that the glucocorticoid receptor was involved in the regulation of FNDC5 expression, and indeed, cortisol treatment increased mRNA expression of FNDC5 in Huh7 cells. Collectively, these findings offer insight into the genetic and epigenetic regulation of FNDC5, providing the initial steps required for understanding the role of irisin in the metabolic homeostasis.
Identification of an unconventional process of instrumental learning characteristically initiated with outcome devaluation-insensitivity and generalized action selection
Authors: Iguchi Yoshio , Lin Ziqiao , Nishikawa Hiromi , Minabe Yoshio , Toda Shigenobu
Published: February 2017

The distinction between goal-directed action and habitual response, particularly with respect to moderate or extended appetitive instrumental training, is well documented; however, the propensity toward instrumental behavior in the early training stage has not been elucidated. In this study, we trained Sprague Dawley rats to press a lever to obtain food as an outcome for various time periods and monitored the changes in their sensitivity to outcome devaluation and choice between the levers they had been trained with and unfamiliar levers. After the extensive training with a random interval schedule, the rats were insensitive to outcome devaluation, and exhibited a typical habit-like phenotype, as previously reported, and the untrained leverpresses were relatively rare and sporadic. During the initial stage of training (≤1 week), the rats exhibited a similar insensitivity to the devaluation; however, in contrast to the overtrained condition, they performed distinctive unbiased leverpresses on both the trained and untrained levers. Thus, we propose a possibility that, contrary to the authentic concept that instrumental learning is initiated with an outcome devaluation-sensitive goal-directed stage, under some conditions, this learning can unconventionally begin with the initial stage that is distinct from both goal-directed action and habitual response.
Pplase of Dermatophagoides farinae promotes ovalbumin-induced airway allergy by modulating the functions of dendritic cells in a mouse model
Authors: Wang Hui , Mo Lihua , Xiao Xiaojun , An Shu , Liu Xiaoyu , Ba Jinge , Wu Weifang , Ran Pixin , Yang Pingchang , Liu Zhigang
Published: February 2017

Our previous studies revealed that many proteins in addition to the known allergens ofD. farinaehave not been fully characterized. We observed that Pplase did not respond to serum collected from patients sensitized toD. farinae. In a mouse model, Pplase significantly enhanced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and Th2 responses induced by ovalbumin (OVA) compared with mice treated with OVA alone. Moreover, exposure to Pplase significantly increased the expression of IRF4, CD80, CD83, MHCII and TNF-α in DC2.4 cells, which was abolished in the presence of a TLR4 inhibitor.In vitroT cell polarization experiments revealed that Pplase alone could not induce T cell polarization but enhanced T cell polarization together with OVA. In addition, transfer of Pplase-primed bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) to naïve mice enhanced AHR and Th2 immune responses in mice sensitized to OVA. In conclusion, Pplase is not an allergen ofD. farinaebut can activate DC cells to facilitate OVA-induced allergic responses.
Low-dimensional gap plasmons for enhanced light-graphene interactions
Authors: Kim Yunjung , Yu Sunkyu , Park Namkyoo
Published: February 2017

Graphene plasmonics has become a highlighted research area due to the outstanding properties of deep-subwavelength plasmon excitation, long relaxation time, and electro-optical tunability. Although the giant conductivity of a graphene layer enables the low-dimensional confinement of light, the atomic scale of the layer thickness is severely mismatched with optical mode sizes, which impedes the efficient tuning of graphene plasmon modes from the degraded light-graphene overlap. Inspired by gap plasmon modes in noble metals, here we propose low-dimensional hybrid graphene gap plasmon waves for large light-graphene overlap factor. We show that gap plasmon waves exhibit improved in-plane and out-of-plane field concentrations on graphene compared to those of edge or wire-like graphene plasmons. By adjusting the chemical property of the graphene layer, efficient and linear modulation of hybrid graphene gap plasmon modes is also achieved. Our results provide potential opportunities to low-dimensional graphene plasmonic devices with strong tunability.
Hybrid acoustic metamaterial as super absorber for broadband low-frequency sound
Authors: Tang Yufan , Ren Shuwei , Meng Han , Xin Fengxian , Huang Lixi , Chen Tianning , Zhang Chuanzeng , Lu Tian Jian
Published: February 2017

A hybrid acoustic metamaterial is proposed as a new class of sound absorber, which exhibits superior broadband low-frequency sound absorption as well as excellent mechanical stiffness/strength. Based on the honeycomb-corrugation hybrid core (H-C hybrid core), we introduce perforations on both top facesheet and corrugation, forming perforated honeycomb-corrugation hybrid (PHCH) to gain super broadband low-frequency sound absorption. Applying the theory of micro-perforated panel (MPP), we establish a theoretical method to calculate the sound absorption coefficient of this new kind of metamaterial. Perfect sound absorption is found at just a few hundreds hertz with two-octave 0.5 absorption bandwidth. To verify this model, a finite element model is developed to calculate the absorption coefficient and analyze the viscous-thermal energy dissipation. It is found that viscous energy dissipation at perforation regions dominates the total energy consumed. This new kind of acoustic metamaterials show promising engineering applications, which can serve as multiple functional materials with extraordinary low-frequency sound absorption, excellent stiffness/strength and impact energy absorption.
Identification of outcome-related driver mutations in cancer using conditional co-occurrence distributions
Authors: Treviño Victor , Martínez-Ledesma Emmanuel , Tamez-Peña José
Published: February 2017

Previous methods proposed for the detection of cancer driver mutations have been based on the estimation of background mutation rate, impact on protein function, or network influence. In this paper, we instead focus on those factors influencing patient survival. To this end, an approximation of the log-rank test has been systematically applied, even though it assumes a large and similar number of patients in both risk groups, which is violated in cancer genomics. Here, we propose VALORATE, a novel algorithm for the estimation of the null distribution for the log-rank, independent of the number of mutations. VALORATE is based on conditional distributions of the co-occurrences between events and mutations. The results, achieved through simulations, comparisons with other methods, analyses of TCGA and ICGC cancer datasets, and validations, suggest that VALORATE is accurate, fast, and can identify both known and novel gene mutations. Our proposal and results may have important implications in cancer biology, bioinformatics analyses, and ultimately precision medicine.
Fabrication and in vitro biological properties of piezoelectric bioceramics for bone regeneration
Authors: Tang Yufei , Wu Cong , Wu Zixiang , Hu Long , Zhang Wei , Zhao Kang
Published: February 2017

The piezoelectric effect of biological piezoelectric materials promotes bone growth. However, the material should be subjected to stress before it can produce an electric charge that promotes bone repair and reconstruction conducive to fracture healing. A novel method for in vitro experimentation of biological piezoelectric materials with physiological load is presented. A dynamic loading device that can simulate the force of human motion and provide periodic load to piezoelectric materials when co-cultured with cells was designed to obtain a realistic expression of piezoelectric effect on bone repair. Hydroxyapatite (HA)/barium titanate (BaTiO3) composite materials were fabricated by slip casting, and their piezoelectric properties were obtained by polarization. The d33 of HA/BaTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics after polarization was 1.3 pC/N to 6.8 pC/N with BaTiO3 content ranging from 80% to 100%. The in vitro biological properties of piezoelectric bioceramics with and without cycle loading were investigated. When HA/BaTiO3 piezoelectric bioceramics were affected by cycle loading, the piezoelectric effect of BaTiO3 promoted the growth of osteoblasts and interaction with HA, which was better than the effect of HA alone. The best biocompatibility and bone-inducing activity were demonstrated by the 10%HA/90%BaTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics.
Perfluorinated alkyl substances in serum of the southern Chinese general population and potential impact on thyroid hormones
Authors: Li Yangjie , Cheng Yating , Xie Zhiyong , Zeng Feng
Published: February 2017

In this study, eight perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) and five thyroid hormones (TSH, FT4, FT3, TGAb, and TMAb) were determined in 202 human serum samples of the general population of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan provinces in southern China. Σ8PFASs concentrations ranged from 0.85 to 24.3 ng/mL with a mean value of 4.66 ng/mL. The PFASs composition profiles of human serum samples nearly make no difference at different locations. A significant increase was observed for ∑8PFASs, PFOS, and PFHxS concentrations with age (p < 0.01). Gender-related differences were found; PFOS, PFHxS, PFBS, and PFOA levels were higher in males (p < 0.05), and the mean concentration of ∑8PFASs was 1.5 times greater in males (6.02 ng/mL) than in females (4.15 ng/mL). PFOS and ∑8PFASs were significantly negatively correlated with FT3 and FT4 and positively correlated with TSH while PFPeA and PFHxA were significantly positively correlated with TGAb and TMAb in all the samples. The opposite associations between FT3, TSH and PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS levels in hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism group indicate that the PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS enhance the negative feedback mechanisms of the thyroid gland.
Spectral compression of single-photon-level laser pulse
Authors: Li Yuanhua , Xiang Tong , Nie Yiyou , Sang Minghuang , Chen Xianfeng
Published: February 2017

We experimentally demonstrate that the bandwidth of single photons laser pulse is compressed by a factor of 58 in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide chip. A positively chirped single photons laser pulse and a negatively chirped classical laser pulse are employed to produce a narrowband single photon pulse with new frequency through sum-frequency generation. In our experiment, the frequency and bandwidth of single photons at 1550 nm are simultaneously converted. Our results mark a critical step towards the realization of coherent photonic interface between quantum communication at 1550 nm and quantum memory in the near-visible window.