nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
What does it take to demonstrate memory erasure? Theoretical comment on Norrholm et al. (2008).

An issue of increasing interest in Pavlovian conditioning is to identify ways to facilitate the development and persistence of extinction. Both behavioral and molecular lines of evidence demonstrate that learning during extinction can be enhanced. Similar evidence has been offered to support the idea that extinction causes the original association to be unlearned, or erased. Differentiating between extinction and erasure accounts is extremely difficult and requires many assumptions about the fundamental nature of how memory storage maps into memory expression. In this issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, Norrholm et al. (see record 2008-13280-002) describe a study of extinction with humans that has the potential to serve as a translational bridge between rodent work and clinical applications. They find less recovery of a conditioned fear response when extinction occurs 10 min compared with 72 hr after conditioning; however, the recovery of subjects' expectancies of the fearful stimulus is independent of when extinction occurred. These findings and others discussed in this article demonstrate some of the challenges in making inferences about memory erasure during extinction.

Field of study: Biology, Psychology
Renaissance Go-Betweens: Cultural Exchange in Early Modern Europe (review)

many beautiful poems and works of art were born. Drawing on a wide array of sources — from diaries and letters to proverbs, poetry, and philosophical treatises — At Day’s Close offers nothing less than a new way of thinking about the social and cultural history of the early modern era. Eloquently written and beautifully illustrated, this is a rare book that will be read both for pleasure as well as for erudition. It belongs not only in every scholar’s library but also — where else? — on every reader’s bedside table.  MARTIN Trinity University

Field of study: History
An alternative skew exponential power distribution formulation

In this note we propose a newly formulated skew exponential power distribution that behaves substantially better than previously defined versions. This new model performs very well in terms of the large sample behavior of the maximum likelihood estimation procedure when compared to the classically defined four parameter model defined by Azzalini. More recently, approaches to defining a skew exponential power distribution have used five or more parameters. Our approach improves upon previous attempts to extend the symmetric power exponential family to include skew alternatives by maintaining a minimum set of four parameters corresponding directly to location, scale, skewness and kurtosis. We illustrate the utility of our proposed model using translational and clinical data sets.

Field of study: Mathematics
Inferring community dynamics of organohalide-respiring bacteria in chemostats by covariance of rdhA gene abundance.

We have developed a novel approach to identifying and quantifying closely related organohalide-respiring bacteria. Our approach made use of the unique genomic associations of specific reductive dehalogenase subunit A encoding genes (rdhA) that exist in known strains of Dehalococcoides mccartyi and Desulfitobacterium and the distinguishing covariance pattern of observed rdhA genes to assign genes to unknown strains. To test this approach, we operated five anaerobic reductively dechlorinating chemostats for 3-4 years with tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene as terminal electron acceptors and lactate/formate as electron donors. The presence and abundance of rdhA genes were determined comprehensively at the community level using a custom-developed Reductive Dehalogenase Chip (RDH Chip) DNA microarray and used to define putative strains of Dehalococcoides mccartyi and Desulfitobacterium sp. This monitoring revealed that stable chemical performance of chemostats was reflected by a stable community of reductively dechlorinating bacteria. However, perturbations introduced by, for example, electron donor limitation or addition of the competing electron acceptor sulfate led to overall changes in the chemostat performance, including incomplete reduction in the chloroethene substrates, and in the population composition of reductively dehalogenating bacteria. Interestingly, there was a high diversity of operationally defined D. mccartyi strains between the chemostats with almost all strains unique to their specific chemostats in spite of similar selective pressure and similar inocula shared between chemostats.

Field of study: Biology, Environmental science
Evaluation of fungal spore characteristics in Beijing, China, based on molecular tracer measurements

PM2:5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 2:5 m) and PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 10 m) samples were collected by high-volume air samplers simultaneously at a rural site and an urban site in Beijing, China. Various carbohydrates were quantified by high-performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD), including the sugar alcohols mannitol and arabitol, recently proposed as molecular tracers for fungal aerosol. The annual average concentrations of arabitol in PM2:5 and PM10 at the urban site were 7:4 9:4 and 21:0 20:4 ng m 3 , and the respective mannitol concentrations were 10:3 9:5 and 31:9 26:9 ng m 3 . During summer and autumn, higher arabitol and mannitol levels than during spring and winter were observed in coarse particles, probably due to different dominant sources of fungal spores in different seasons. In the dry season (i.e., winter and spring) in Beijing, probably only the suspension from exposed surfaces (e.g., soil resuspension, transported dust, etc) can be regarded as the main sources for fungal aerosols. On the other hand, in summer and autumn, fungal spores in the atmosphere can be derived from more complex sources, including plants, vegetation decomposition and agricultural activity, such as ploughing; these fungal spore sources may contribute more to coarse PM. Moreover, statistical analysis according to typical seasonal patterns, including a dry season (December 2010 to March 2011) and a wet season (July to September 2011), revealed different variations of fungal spores in different seasons. Although fungal spore levels at rural sites were reported to be consistently higher than those at urban sites in other studies, our findings showed the opposite pattern, indicating a high abundance of fungal spores in the urban area of this Chinese megacity.

Field of study: Environmental science
Complexity of the EQUATE testing strategy

Most testing methods do not fare well with software whose modules contain data and operations at widely varying levels of abstraction. With the evolution of new design techniques and new languages that encourage the use of more abstract data types, it is becoming increasingly important that testing methods begin to deal with abstraction in a reasonable and consistent manner. The EQUATE testing strategy offers strong support for data and functional abstraction. EQUATE selects a number of test locations throughout the program and chooses a set of expressions derived from the abstract syntax tree of the module being tested. Test data is required that distinguishes these expressions from one another at every test location. The time complexity of EQUATE is at worst O(Lp2) and the space complexity O(Lp3) where Lp is the length of the program under test.

Field of study: Computer science, Engineering
J/ψ gluonic dissociation revisited: III. Effects of transverse hydrodynamic flow

In a recent paper [B.K. Patra, V.J. Menon,  (2005)] we developed a very general formulation to take into account explicitly the effects of the hydrodynamic flow profile on the gluonic breakup of J/ψs produced in an equilibrating quark–gluon plasma. Here we apply that formulation to the case when the medium is undergoing a cylindrically symmetric transverse expansion starting from RHIC or LHC initial conditions. Our algebraic and numerical estimates demonstrate that the transverse expansion causes enhancement of the local gluon number density ng, affects the pT-dependence of the average dissociation rate $\langle\tilde{\Gamma}\rangle$ through a partial-wave interference mechanism and makes the survival probability S(pT) to change with pT very slowly. Compared to the previous case of a longitudinal expansion the new graph of S(pT) is pushed up at LHC but develops a rich structure at RHIC, due to a competition between the transverse catch-up time and the plasma lifetime.

Field of study: Physics
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS: Determination of the populations of metastable levels in Gd vapor by a laser spectroscopy method during electron-beam evaporation of the metal

The relative populations of the levels of the a/sup 9/D/sup 0/ term in the electron configuration 4f/sup 7/5d6s/sup 2/ of atomic gadolinium were determined. Atomic vapor was obtained by evaporation of Gd with an electron beam. The distribution of the populations of all five levels of the a/sup 9/D/sup 0/ term differed considerably from the Boltzmann form.

Field of study: Engineering, Physics
Thermal annealing effects on a representative high-k/metal film stack

A high-k/metal film stack in a conventional complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) flow is a key candidate in the semiconductor industry for replacing the existing poly-silicon gate and silicon dioxide (SiO2) gate dielectric to reduce poly depletion and gate leakage. During conventional CMOS integration, the high-k/metal film stack is exposed to a high thermal budget process. In this work, an atomic layer deposition (ALD)-based hafnium oxide (HfO2)/titanium nitride (TiN) film stack (representative of the high-k/metal film stack) was annealed at 1000 °C to determine any change in the physical and electrical properties, such as thickness, surface roughness, density, sheet resistance, refractive index, extinction coefficient, composition, C–V characteristics, work function and etch rate. Although there was no significant electrical impact, some significant physical changes have been observed, which impact the process of integrating high-k/metal film stacks, especially in dual metal gate CMOSs.

Field of study: Materials science
Anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of the ethanolic extract of Shorea robusta Gaertn. f. resin.

Shorea robusta Gaertn. f. (Sal) is one of the most important traditional Indian medicinal plants. The resin of the plant has been used in the treatment of inflammation in folklore medicine. In the present study, ethanolic extract (70%) of S. robusta resin (SRE) was investigated for its anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities. Acute inflammation was produced by carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and sub-acute by cotton pellet-induced granuloma in male Wistar rats. The antipyretic activity of SRE was studied using Brewer's yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. The rats were divided into five groups with five animals in each group. Group I was treated with vehicle i.e. 1% v/v Tween-80 and served as control. Groups II to IV were treated with three different doses of SRE (30, 100 and 300 mg/kg orally). Group V was treated with standard drug etoricoxib (10 mg/kg orally). The anti-inflammatory activity of SRE was assessed by per cent reduction in edema volume of carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and by per cent decrease in granuloma formation in cotton pellet-induced granuloma test. SRE (100 and 300 mg/kg) produced a significant reduction in edema volume and decrease in granulation tissue formation in rats. Significant reduction in pyrexia was observed at all the dose levels of SRE i.e. 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg. The results of the present study demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of S. robusta resin and supported its traditional therapeutic use in painful inflammatory conditions and fever.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Quantitative high-pressure pair distribution function analysis.

The collection of scattering data at high pressure and temperature is now relatively straightforward thanks to developments at high-brightness synchrotron radiation facilities. Reliable data from powders, that are suitable for structure determination and Rietveld refinement, are routinely collected up to about 30 GPa in either a large-volume high-pressure apparatus or diamond anvil cell. In those cases where the total elastic scattering is of interest, as it is in the case of nano-crystalline and glassy materials, technical developments, including the use of focused high-energy X-rays (>80 keV), are advantageous. Recently completed experiments on nano-crystalline materials at the 1-ID beamline at the Advanced Photon Source suggest that quantitative data, suitable for pair distribution function analysis, can be obtained.

Field of study: Physics
Determination of Palytoxins in Soft Coral and Seawater from a Home Aquarium. Comparison between Palythoa- and Ostreopsis-Related Inhalatory Poisonings.

Anecdotal reports exist of aquarium hobbyists that experienced severe respiratory distress and/or skin injury following cleaning operation of home aquaria containing Palythoa sp. soft corals. Hundreds of cases of respiratory illness and/or dermatitis have been recorded in proximity to the sea concomitantly with algal blooms of Ostreopsis spp. in the Mediterranean area. Both Palythoa spp. and Ostreopsis spp. contain congeners of palytoxin, a highly potent toxin whose inhalation hazard is however unknown. In this study, we demonstrate the presence of high levels of palytoxins (palytoxin and hydroxypalytoxin) in both soft coral and seawater from a home marine aquarium involved in the poisoning of a whole family. Due to the high toxin levels found in seawater, a procedure for a rapid and efficient determination of palytoxin in seawater was setup. A comparison of symptoms of Palythoa- and Ostreopsis-related inhalatory poisonings showed many similarities including fever, respiratory distress, nausea, and flu-like symptoms. From the chemical and symptomatological data reported herein it is reasonable to hold palytoxins responsible for respiratory disorders following inhalation. Although the exact mechanism through which palytoxin congeners exert their inhalatory toxicity is still unknown, this represents a step toward demonstrating that palytoxin congeners exert toxic effects through inhalation both in natural environments and in the surroundings of private and public aquaria.

Field of study: Environmental science
Life Course Epidemiology of Trauma and Related Psychopathology in Civilian Populations

Traumatic events are ubiquitous exposures that interact with life course events to increase risk of acute psychopathology and alter mental health trajectories. While the majority of persons exposed to trauma experience mild to moderate psychological distress followed by a return to pre-trauma health, many persons exposed to trauma experience substantial distress that lasts for several years. Therefore, in an effort to understand why exposure to trauma can provoke such a range of reactions, we apply a life course approach that considers the complex accumulation and interaction of life experiences that range from social to biological factors, which occur over the life span—from gestation to death and across generations. We present this evidence in three categories: genetics and biology, individual exposures, and community experiences, followed by discussing challenges in existing research and directions for future study.

Field of study: Medicine, Psychology
DCZ5248, a novel dual inhibitor of Hsp90 and autophagy, exerts antitumor activity against colon cancer

Hsp90 is a potential therapeutic target for tumor, as it maintains the stability of a variety of proteins related to tumor development and progression. Autophagy is a self-degradation process to maintain cellular homeostasis and autophagy inhibitors can suppress tumor growth. In this study, we identified DCZ5248, a triazine derivative, was a dual inhibitor of both Hsp90 and late-autophagy with potent antitumor activity against colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. We showed that DCZ5248 (0.1–10 μM) induced dose-dependent degradation of Hsp90 client proteins (AKT, CDK4, CDK6 and RAF-1) in HCT 116 colon cancer cells through a proteasome-dependent pathway. Meanwhile, DCZ5248 (0.3 μM) induced cytoplasmic vacuole formation, LC3 II conversion, p62 protein upregulation, and inhibited autophagy at the late stage in the colon cancer cell lines tested. We further revealed that the inhibition of autophagy was achieved by impairing lysosomal functions through induction of lysosomal acidification and attenuation of lysosomal cathepsin activity. The modulation of autophagy by DCZ5248 was independent of Hsp90 inhibition as the autophagy inhibition was not blocked by Hsp90 knockdown. Importantly, inhibition of both Hsp90 function and autophagy by DCZ5248 induced G 1 -phase cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and exerted potent antitumor activity against colon cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. These findings demonstrate that DCZ5248 is a novel dual inhibitor of Hsp90 and autophagy with potential for colon cancer therapy.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry, Medicine
Toxicity of copper hydroxide nanoparticles, bulk copper hydroxide, and ionic copper to alfalfa plants: A spectroscopic and gene expression study.

Bulk Cu compounds such as Cu(OH)2 are extensively used as pesticides in agriculture. Recent investigations suggest that Cu-based nanomaterials can replace bulk materials reducing the environmental impacts of Cu. In this study, stress responses of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seedlings to Cu(OH)2 nanoparticle or compounds were evaluated. Seeds were immersed in suspension/solutions of a Cu(OH)2 nanoform, bulk Cu(OH)2, CuSO4, and Cu(NO3)2 at 25 and 75 mg/L. Six days later, the germination, seedling growth, and the physiological and biochemical responses of sprouts were evaluated. All Cu treatments significantly reduced root elongation (average = 63%). The ionic compounds at 25 and 75 mg/L caused a reduction in all elements analyzed (Ca, K, Mg, P, Zn, and Mn), excepting for S, Fe and Mo. The bulk-Cu(OH)2 treatment reduced K (48%) and P (52%) at 75 mg/L, but increased Zn at 25 (18%) and 75 (21%) mg/L. The nano-Cu(OH)2 reduced K (46%) and P (48%) at 75 mg/L, and also P (37%) at 25 mg/L, compared with control. Confocal microscopy images showed that all Cu compounds, at 75 mg/L, significantly reduced nitric oxide, concurring with the reduction in root growth. Nano Cu(OH)2 at 25 mg/L upregulated the expression of the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene (1.92-fold), while ionic treatments at 75 mg/L upregulated (∼10-fold) metallothionein (MT) transcripts. Results demonstrated that nano and bulk Cu(OH)2 compounds caused less physiological impairments in comparison to the ionic ones in alfalfa seedlings.

Field of study: Environmental science
Far-field pattern simulation of flip-chip bonded power light-emitting diodes by a Monte Carlo photon-tracing method.

The far-field pattern of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is an important issue in practical applications. We used a Monte Carlo photon-tracing method for the package design of flip-chip bonded power LEDs. As a first-order approximation, we propose using a plane light source model to calculate the far-field pattern of encapsulated LEDs. The far-field pattern is also studied by use of a more detailed model, which takes the structure of all epitaxial layers of a flip-chip bonded power LED into consideration. By comparing the simulation results with the experimental data, we have concluded that the plane light source model is much less time-consuming and offers fairly good precision for package design.

Field of study: Physics
Multiculturalism, neoliberalism and immigrant minorities’ involvement in the formation and operation of leisure-oriented ventures

This study draws on Foucault’s concept of the ‘entrepreneur self’ to broaden understandings of the links and intersections between the normative prescriptions of multicultural citizenship in Canada and immigrant minorities’ involvement in the formation and operation of leisure-oriented ventures in the Windsor-Essex region of southwestern Ontario. Using participant observation and semi-structured interviews, our findings indicate that participation in the formation and operation of leisure-oriented organisations is an important medium for immigrant minorities’ effective use of power. A space and a channel to assert and resist ethno-cultural identities and a strategy to break down barriers and create opportunities for themselves and others to participate in a wide range of leisure traditions and practices – in short, a technique employed by study participants to assert their membership in Canadian society and to lay claims to full and equal citizenship rights.

Field of study: Sociology
Response Of Soybean To Deep Tillage With Controlled Trafhc On Clay Soil

A three-year field study was conducted on a Tunica clay (clayey over loamy, montmorillonitic, nonacid, thermic Vertic Haplaquept) to evaluate the combined effects of deep tillage and controlled traffic on soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) yield and on the soil moisture availability. In an irrigated environment, yields from all deep-tilled treatments were statistically similar to yields from conventional disked check treatments. Moisture sensors located at the 15 and 45 cm depths in the irrigated plots indicated moisture tension in all treatments was maintained at less than 1 bar in 1987 and near 2 bars in 1988. However, in the nonirrigated environment where moisture deficits and subsequent plant stress were a function of the rainfall pattems, yields from all deep-tilled treatments were statistically similar and 73% higher than yield from the nonirrigated check treatment in 1987 and 132% higher in 1988. Moisture tension in the check treatment of the nonirrigated environment in 1987 and 1988 was noticeably higher than all deep-tilled treatments during reproductive stages R3 to R6. The higher moisture stress in 1987 and 1988 significantly reduced soybean yields and number of seed produced in the check treatment.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
A Yb:KYW Laser Pumped by a Powerful Single-Mode Tapered Diode Laser

A powerful single-mode distributed Bragg reflector diode laser with a low-noise power supply is developed. The output characteristics of the tapered diode laser are investigated. Using such a laser as a pumping source, the free running mode of a Yb:KYW laser is achieved and investigated. It is shown that a compact precision femtosecond frequency synthesizer based on Yb:KYW laser pumped by a similar type of diode laser can be created.

Field of study: Physics