bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
MODELLING THE RISK FACTORS FOR BIRTH WEIGHT IN TWIN GESTATIONS: A QUANTILE REGRESSION APPROACH
Authors: Michael A. John , Antonisamy Belavendra , Gowri S. Mahasampath , Prakash Ramasami 
Published: February 2017

SummaryBirth weight is used as a proxy for the general health condition of newborns. Low birth weight leads to adverse events and its effects on child growth are both short- and long-term. Low birth weight babies are more common in twin gestations. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of maternal and socio-demographic risk factors at various quantiles of the birth weight distribution for twin gestations using quantile regression, a robust semi-parametric technique. Birth records of multiple pregnancies from between 1991 and 2005 were identified retrospectively from the birth registry of the Christian Medical College and hospitals in Vellore, India. A total of 1304 twin pregnancies were included in the analysis. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the mothers were analysed. The mean gestational age of the twins was 36 weeks with 51% having preterm labour. As expected, the examined risk factors showed different effects at different parts of the birth weight distribution. Gestational age, chroniocity, gravida and child’s sex had significant effects in all quantiles. Interestingly, mother’s age had no significant effect at any part of the birth weight distribution, but both maternal and paternal education had huge impacts in the lower quantiles (10thand 25th), which were underestimated by the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates. The study shows that quantile regression is a useful method for risk factor analysis and the exploration of the differential effects of covariates on an outcome, and exposes how OLS estimates underestimate and overestimate the effects of risk factors at different parts of the birth weight distribution.
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.
Music for life: a Japanese experience of spirituality, ageing and musical growth
Authors: MATSUNOBU KOJI 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTThis 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.
Subnormal subgroups in free groups, their growth and cogrowth
Authors: OLSHANSKII A. YU. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn 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.
WHAT RUSSELL SHOULD HAVE SAID TO BURALI–FORTI
Authors: FLORIO SALVATORE , LEACH-KROUSE GRAHAM 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe 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

AbstractWe 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

AbstractRiot 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

AbstractThe 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

AbstractA 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

AbstractLarge 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

AbstractChiral 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

AbstractOsteocalcin 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

AbstractDuring 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

AbstractIrisin 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

AbstractThe 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

AbstractOur 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

AbstractGraphene 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.