nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Structural analyses of Phycodnaviridae and Iridoviridae.

The Phycodnaviridae, Iridoviridae and related viruses, with diameters of 1500-2000 A, are formed from large trigonal arrays of hexagonally close-packed capsomers forming the faces of icosahedra [Yan et al. (2000),  Nandhagopal et al. (2002), ]. Caspar and Klug predicted that such structures could be assembled from hexameric capsomers [Caspar & Klug (1962), Cold Spring Harbor. ], as was subsequently found in numerous icosahedral viruses. During the course of evolution, some viruses, including the virus families mentioned above, replaced hexameric capsomers with pseudo-hexameric trimers by gene duplication. In large dsDNA icosahedral viruses, the capsomers are organized into 'pentasymmetrons' and 'trisymmetrons'. The interactions between the trimeric capsomers can be divided into three groups, one between similarly oriented trimers and two between oppositely oriented trimers (trimers related by an approximately sixfold rotation). The interactions within a trisymmetron belong to the first class, whereas those between trisymmetrons and within the pentasymmetron are of the other two types. Knowledge of these distances permits a more accurate fitting of the atomic structure of the capsomer into the cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) reconstruction of the whole virus. The adoption of pseudo-hexagonal capsomers places these viruses into a subset of the Caspar and Klug surface lattices.

Field of study: Chemistry
The role of imaging in acute ischemic stroke.

Neuroimaging has expanded beyond its traditional diagnostic role and become a critical tool in the evaluation and management of stroke. The objectives of imaging include prompt accurate diagnosis, treatment triage, prognosis prediction, and secondary preventative precautions. While capitalizing on the latest treatment options and expanding upon the "time is brain" doctrine, the ultimate goal of imaging is to maximize the number of treated patients and improve the outcome of one the most costly and morbid disease. A broad overview of comprehensive multimodal stroke imaging is presented here to affirm its utilization.

Field of study: Medicine
Psychological Factors Affecting Students Academic Performance Among Freshman Psychology Students in Dire Dawa University

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological factors affecting students’ academic performance among freshman psychology students in Dire Dawa University. The participants of the study were 16 first year students. The sample of this study was taken through purposive sampling technique.  To collect data, questionnaire and observation check lists were used. The findings of this study also revealed that there was significant relationship between psychological factors and students’ academic performance. There is statistically significant relationship between students self-efficacy and students intrinsic motivation (r=.206; P<0.05) and also there is strong correlation between students stress level and intrinsic motivation (r=.540; P<0.05) and there is also statistically significant relationship between students stress level and extrinsic motivation (r=.265; P<0.05).  Psychological Factors; Academic Performance; Freshman Students; Dire Dawa University.

Field of study: Education
Human trichinosis and febrile myositis.

Trichinosis is a parasitic infection caused by nematodes of the genus Trichinella. It is acquired by the ingestion of undercooked meat containing cysts of Trichinella species from either a domestic or sylvatic animal. Although considered to be a re-emerging zoonosis, there is lack of awareness among clinicians regarding the presentation of the disease. We report the case of a 15 year old male presenting with febrile myositis. Radiological evaluation did not reveal any intramuscular abscess. Fever persisted and myositis progressed to involve other muscle groups Considering the epidemiological profile of the patient and other negative tests for infective causes, a suspicion of trichinosis was kept and serological tests along with muscle biopsy was done which was positive for Trichinella sp. Therapy was initiated with albendazole and prednisolone. He became afebrile on day 4 of therapy and myositis resolved gradually over 3 weeks. The patient was followed up for a period of two months after completion of therapy with no relapse of the disease. Further review of available literature revealed several cases of human trichinosis from the area of origin of the patient related to the practice of consumption of poorly prepared meat at social gatherings and at home.

Field of study: Medicine
Uremia-related oxidative stress in leukocytes is not triggered by β2-microglobulin.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by low-grade inflammation and increased risk for cardiovascular disease. The interest in β2-microglobulin (B2M) as a marker for cardiovascular outcome with and without CKD has grown. Clinical studies suggested that B2M could be involved in the pathogenesis of vascular disease, for which chronic leukocyte activation is a pathogenic factor. We investigated whether B2M is proinflammatory by inducing oxidative burst in leukocytes.



Oxidative burst was measured at baseline and after stimulation with N-formyl-methionine-leucine-phenylalanine (fMLP), Escherichia coli, or phorbol-12-myristate-acetate (PMA) in the whole blood of healthy volunteers in the absence (saline) and presence of human B2M (hB2M; 10 and 50 mg/L) versus uremic whole blood. Because of suspicion of contamination, hB2M was dialyzed for purification and purified B2M (dB2M) and dialysates were tested in the burst test. As a comparator, reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was measured.



Unpurified hB2M strongly enhanced ROS in monocytes and granulocytes after E. coli and PMA and moderately after fMLP stimulation compared with control (P < .01) and uremia (P < .01) whereas at baseline hB2M only induced ROS in granulocytes (P < .05). After purification, dB2M no longer increased burst activity, suggesting that contamination was responsible for the initial effect. An endotoxin concentration of less than 1.5 EU/mL, as observed in hB2M, could not induce oxidative stress.



This study suggests that B2M, a traditional marker for middle molecule retention and a novel marker for cardiovascular outcome, may not by itself cause vascular damage by influencing inflammatory response due to induction of leukocyte free radical production. However, an effect on other cell types involved cannot be excluded. Our data further reveal that this type of research might be skewed by non-LPS contaminants, and that care should be taken to exclude this bias.

Field of study: Medicine
Structure and electrical properties of Cu+ ion-conducting oxyhalide glasses in the system CuI—CuPO3—Cu2MoO4

Cu + ion-conducting glasses were prepared in the pseudoternary system CuI—CuPO 3 —Cu 2 MoO 4 . Infrared spectra of the glasses with a constant CuI content suggested that non-bridging oxygens were more preferentially formed in the phosphate groups than in the molybdate groups. This preference order for non-bridging oxygen formation was consistent with the order of acidity, P 2 O 5 >MoO 3 , of the glass-forming oxides in melts. These glasses showed high ionic conductivities of 10 -2 to 10°Sm -1 at room temperature. For the glasses with a constant CuI content, the conductivity at 298 K of the glasses decreased non-linearly with an increase in the composition parameter x , which denotes the ratio of the number of phosphorus atoms to the total number of phosphorus and molybdenum atoms included in the glasses, x =[ rmP ]/([ rmP ] +[ rmMo ]). The activation energy for conduction inceased non-linearly with an increase in x . These non-linear changes in the conductivity and in the activation energy were correlated with the structural change during melting of these glasses.

Field of study: Materials science
A Mechanism for Genome Size Reduction Following Genomic Rearrangements

The factors behind genome size evolution have been of great interest, considering that eukaryotic genomes vary in size by more than three orders of magnitude. Using a model of two wild peanut relatives, Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis, in which one genome experienced large rearrangements, we find that the main determinant in genome size reduction is a set of inversions that occurred in A. duranensis, and subsequent net sequence removal in the inverted regions. We observe a general pattern in which sequence is lost more rapidly at newly distal (telomeric) regions than it is gained at newly proximal (pericentromeric) regions – resulting in net sequence loss in the inverted regions. The major driver of this process is recombination, determined by the chromosomal location. Any type of genomic rearrangement that exposes proximal regions to higher recombination rates can cause genome size reduction by this mechanism. In comparisons between A. duranensis and A. ipaensis, we find that the inversions all occurred in A. duranensis. Sequence loss in those regions was primarily due to removal of transposable elements. Illegitimate recombination is likely the major mechanism responsible for the sequence removal, rather than unequal intrastrand recombination. We also measure the relative rate of genome size reduction in these two Arachis diploids. We also test our model in other plant species and find that it applies in all cases examined, suggesting our model is widely applicable.

Field of study: Biology
General instability and optimum design of grid- stiffened spherical domes

Differential equations for doubly curved orthotropic shells are derived, and stability solutions for the orthotropic idealization of grid-stiffene d spherical domes are presented. It is assumed that linear, small-deflection theory is appropriate. Some evidence in support of that assumption is given. Grid-stiffening proportions are optimized for design application to the spherical common dome problem, and the appropriate size of the spherical segment forming the dome is determined. The efficiency charts developed show that, in practical ranges of application, efficiently designed grid-stiffened domes would weigh only 30-40% of monocoque domes they would replace.

Field of study: Physics
It's the Institutions, Stupid! Why U.S. Health Care Expenditure Is so Different from Canada's

The United States and Canada are rather similar in social orientation. However, this is not reflected in health care. Firstly, Canada implemented the principle of universal coverage much earlier than the United States. Secondly, U.S. health care continues to rely much more on private funding and private managing, while Canadian health care relies more on cost containing public funding and governmental budgeting. These differences can be explained, among other things, by their different paths of development since the American Revolutionary War: the United States followed an independent path while Canada was oriented on Europe (for a long period of time). The different governance structures of health care and associated institutions such as lobbying result in a much higher health care expenditure in the United States than in Canada.

Field of study: Economics
THE OXIDATION OF ACROLEIN CATALYZED BY A METAL POLYPHTHALOCYANINE

Kinetic studies on the homogeneous liquid-phase oxidation of acrolein using a metal polyphthalocyanine as a catalyst revealed that the rate of chain initiation (Ri) can be expressed as Ri = k1(acrolein)(cat)(O2). The rate constant k1 is determined as (6.3±0.3)×10−2 M−2sec−1 at 40 °C in benzene. The result may indicate that a phthalocyanine–O2 complex abstracts the aldehyde hydrogen to initiate the oxidation.

Field of study: Chemistry
Spinal anesthesia in children: most pediatric urologists are not on board.

In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on general anesthetic medications used for lengthy procedures (>3 h) in children younger than 3 years. Spinal anesthesia can be a safe alternative to general anesthesia for many pediatric urology procedures. It can shorten total operating room (OR) time, provide excellent pain control, and allow parents to reunite with their child immediately after surgery. However, use of spinal anesthesia can also directly affect the operating surgeon (awake patient, time constraints of spinal, and prolonged preoperative time). Members of the Societies for Pediatric Urology (SPU) and European Society of Pediatric Urology (ESPU) were surveyed to get their opinions on the use of spinal anesthesia for routine pediatric urology procedures. It was hypothesized that half of pediatric urologists would favor spinal anesthesia and that SPU members would be more likely to favor spinal anesthesia than their European colleagues.



A short survey with five clinical scenarios was created. Scenarios assessed physicians' recommendations regarding timing and the type of anesthesia (general or spinal) for common pediatric urology procedures: undescended testicle, inguinal hernia, hypospadias, phimosis, and phimosis with penoscrotal webbing. Surveys were emailed to members of the SPU and ESPU. Responses and demographic information were collected and analyzed.



The survey was completed by 113 SPU members (46% response rate for members who opened the invitation) and 109 ESPU members. For all clinical scenarios, < 20% of pediatric urologists from the SPU and <25% from the ESPU favor doing any procedure with spinal anesthesia. The majority of respondents practice in children's hospitals with pediatric anesthesiologists, but roughly half of the responders (54% SPU and 43% ESPU) do not think their anesthesia colleagues would be comfortable performing spinal anesthesia. Furthermore, only 51% of SPU and 36% of ESPU members discuss the possible neurodevelopmental side-effects of anesthesia with parents; similarly, less than half of all respondents think their anesthesia colleagues address these potential side-effects when obtaining consent. The only significant difference between SPU and ESPU responses was that ESPU members tended to delay penile surgery more than SPU respondents.



Whether general anesthesia has any effect on the developing brain of children undergoing routine pediatric urology procedures is unclear. Yet, few pediatric urologists, independent of their region of practice, prefer spinal to general anesthesia. Collaboration in the OR is the key to success, and it is important that pediatric urologists and pediatric anesthesiologists work together to balance the benefits and risks of general and spinal anesthesia.

Field of study: Medicine
A Novel Mild Method for the Synthesis of 3-Amino-4-(5-aryl-1H-1,2,4-Triazol-3-yl)Furazans

A straightforward and efficient method for the synthesis of (1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)furazans was developed based on oxidative cyclization of N’-arylidene amidrazones of furazan-3-carboxylic acid using the accessible and non-toxic phenyliodoso diacetate.

Field of study: Chemistry
Regulation and manipulation of ABA biosynthesis in roots.

Overexpression of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is known to cause abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation in leaves, seeds and whole plants. Here we investigated the manipulation of ABA biosynthesis in roots. Roots from whole tomato plants that constitutively overexpress LeNCED1 had a higher ABA content than wild-type (WT) roots. This could be explained by enhanced in situ ABA biosynthesis, rather than import of ABA from the shoot, because root cultures also had higher ABA content, and because tetracycline (Tc)-induced LeNCED1 expression caused ABA accumulation in isolated tobacco roots. However, the Tc-induced expression led to greater accumulation of ABA in leaves than in roots. This demonstrates for the first time that NCED is rate-limiting in root tissues, but suggests that other steps were also restrictive to pathway flux, more so in roots than in leaves. Dehydration and NCED overexpression acted synergistically in enhancing ABA accumulation in tomato root cultures. One explanation is that xanthophyll synthesis was increased during root dehydration, and, in support of this, dehydration treatments increased beta-carotene hydroxylase mRNA levels. Whole plants overexpressing LeNCED1 exhibited greatly reduced stomatal conductance and grafting experiments from this study demonstrated that this was predominantly due to increased ABA biosynthesis in leaves rather than in roots. Genetic manipulation of both xanthophyll supply and epoxycarotenoid cleavage may be needed to enhance root ABA biosynthesis sufficiently to signal stomatal closure in the shoot.

Field of study: Environmental science
Omega-3, -6, and -9 Fatty Acid Supplements Exert Different Effects on Serum Lipid Concentrations in Renal Dialysis Patients

To compare changes in blood lipid profiles of renal dialysis patients who consumed diets rich in either omega-3, -6, or -9 fatty acids over a 6-week period.  Randomized before-after trial. ■ Setting: Three dialysis centers in the Dallas, TX, area.  Thirty-five maintenance hemodialysis patients were selected. Twenty-eight (9 men and 19 women) completed the study. Subjects were identified for inclusion for the study by the following criteria: concentrations of triglycerides (> 150 mg/dL) and cholesterol (> 180 mg/dL), absence of insulin-dependent diabetes, and absence of liver disease defined as three times greater than normal levels of serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase.  Patients were given a daily supplement of either omega-3 fatty acid (3 g) MaxEPA (Seven Seas Health Care, Hull, England), omega-6 fatty acid (3 g) cottonseed oil, or omega-9 fatty acid (10% of caloric intake) pecan oil. ■  Fasting blood samples were obtained on days 0, 21, and 42 to determine serum total cholesterol (TChol), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), HDL subfractions (HDL 2 -C and HDL 3 -C), and triglycerides (TG).  A significant decrease in serum TChol was observed in the omega-9 fatty acid group. Significant decreases were also observed in the serum TG concentrations of the omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acid groups. Significant decreases in HDL-C were observed in the omega-3 fatty acid and control groups, whereas significant decreases in the HDL -C occurred in the control group. The HDL-C reduction in the omega-3 fatty acid group occurred primarily in the HDL -C subfraction.  Omega-3, -6, and -9 fatty acid supplements exert different effects on the serum lipid profiles of renal dialysis patients. New studies need to be initiated to determine the mechanisms responsible for this altered lipid metabolism and the clinical significance of these changes.

Field of study: Medicine
Ancient high-energy storm boulder deposits on Ko Samui, Thailand, and their significance for identifying coastal hazard risk

Coastal geomorphic processes associated with high-energy storm events are difficult to estimate over recent geological history, though their frequency and magnitude are important to assess in order to understand present-day coastal vulnerability. Studying ancient coastal boulder deposits can shed light on the previous physical conditions necessary for their deposition. In this study, we estimated the physical processes required to move reef-derived coral boulders on the east coast of Ko Samui, a rapidly developing tourist island off eastern peninsular Thailand. The position and dimensions of 97 coral boulders (weight: mean 2.9 t, max. 12.7 t; transport distance: max. 125 m) were measured at two sites and dated using uranium/thorium methods. Flow velocities of 2.3–8.6 m/s were required to transport the measured boulders, with individuals deposited up to 4.7 m above mean sea level. Age-dating suggests that events capable of the highest flow velocities occurred around AD 1600 and AD 1750. These were probably driven by tropical cyclones (typhoons). Boulder transport by events of similar magnitude has not been detected within the last 250 years. The non-occurrence of similar events in living memory has implications for hazard perceptions at this important tourist destination. However, there is also evidence of substantial Holocene sea-level changes in the Gulf of Thailand, as observed at nearby Ko Phaluai. This potentially offers a challenge for the interpretation of older boulders dating from the mid-Holocene, as sea level may have been more than 2 m higher than present. Thus, studies using coral boulders as a proxy for past storm-wave conditions must consider the broader sea-level history, and are probably best limited to the period post-2000 BP in the Gulf of Thailand.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Auditory Memory and Proficiency of Second Language Speaking: A Latent Variable Analysis Approach

Previous studies of second language aptitude have mainly used verbal stimuli in memory tasks. Memory for musical stimuli has not been used in aptitude studies although music and language have structural similarity. In this study, 30 Japanese university students who speak English as a second language (19 men, M = 21.3 yr., SD = 1.8) participated in the experiment as volunteers. They performed verbal memory tasks, musical memory tasks, and English pronunciation tasks. Factor analysis indicated that verbal and musical memory abilities are better represented as a unitary factor rather than two independent factors. Further, a path analysis supported the hypothesis that the memory for both verbal and musical tasks affects proficiency of second language pronunciation, including prosodic features such as stress in word or intonation through a couple of sentences. The memory factor was interpreted as reflecting the performance of “auditory working memory.”

Field of study: Psychology
Brewing of an array of Haihong wine based on blending with Haihong brandy

In order to reduce the cost for the production of a series of Haihong wine, the concentrated juice of fruit Haihong was used as a raw material to brew Haihong brandy and 5 ° Haihong wine. The fresh apple juice was used to adjust the initial content of sugar and acid in Haihong juice, the effects of the additon of apple juice, yeast inoculation and fermentation temperature on the quality of 5 ° Haihong wine was investigated. An array of Haihong wine, 5 °, 7 °, 10 °, 12 °, respectively, were produced using blending technique of Haihong brandy. The results showed that the optimal fermentation conditions of 5 ° Haihong wine are to be the apple juice addition of 25%, the yeast inoculation of 0.2 g/L, the fermentation temperature at 20 ℃. Under the optimal conditions, the resultant 5 ° Haihong wine is rich in fruity aroma and it tastes pleasant. The resultant series of Haihong wine, which produced by the deployment with Haihong brandy, are rich in obviously fruity odour and have a nice taste, and also the all the physiochemical indexes of these wine are qualified.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences