nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Soil microstructure as an under-explored feature of biological soil crust hydrological properties: case study from the NW Negev Desert

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) can play an important role in hydrological cycles, especially in dryland ecosystems where the availability of water is limited. Many factors influence the hydrological behavior of BSCs, one of which is the microstructure. In order to describe the influence of the soil microstructure of BSCs on water redistribution, we investigated the change of the pore system of three different successional stages of BSCs, as well as their respective subcrusts in the NW Negev desert, Israel, using 2-dimensional thin sections, as well as non-invasive X-ray 3D computed microtomography (XCMT) and mercury intrusion porosimetry. Our results show that the pore system undergoes significant changes during crust succession. Both the total porosity, as well as the pore sizes significantly increased from cyano- to lichen- to mosscrust and the pore geometry changed from tortuous to straight pore shapes. We introduce two new mechanisms that contribute to the hydrological properties of the BSCs in the NW Negev that impede infiltration: (i) vesicular pores and (ii) a discontinuous pore system with capillary barrier effects, caused by a rapid change of grain sizes due to sand burial. Since both of these mechanisms are present mostly in early stage cyanobacterial crusts and their abundance decreases strongly with succession, it is very likely that they influence BSC hydrology to different extents in the various crust types and that they are partly responsible for differences in runoff in the NW Negev.

Field of study: Environmental science
Technical note: Monte-Carlo dosimetry of the HDR 12i and Plus 192Ir sources.

In this study a complete set of dosimetric data for the GammaMed high dose rate (HDR) 12i and Plus 192Ir sources are presented. These data have been calculated by means of the Monte Carlo simulation code GEANT3. Absolute dose rate distributions in water are presented as conventional two dimensional (2D) Cartesian look-up tables, and in the TG43 formalism.

Field of study: Medicine, Physics
Compact Hardware Implementations of ChaCha, BLAKE, Threefish, and Skein on FPGA

The cryptographic hash functions BLAKE and Skein are built from the ChaCha stream cipher and the tweakable Threefish block cipher, respectively. Interestingly enough, they are based on the same arithmetic operations, and the same design philosophy allows one to design lightweight coprocessors for hashing and encryption. The key element of our approach is to take advantage of the parallelism of the algorithms considered in this work to deeply pipeline our Arithmetic and Logic Units, and to avoid data dependencies by interleaving independent tasks. We show for instance that a fully autonomous implementation of BLAKE and ChaCha on a Xilinx Virtex-6 device occupies 144 slices and three memory blocks, and achieves competitive throughputs. In order to offer the same features, a coprocessor implementing Skein and Threefish requires a substantial higher slice count.

Field of study: Computer science, Mathematics
On the nature and phenomena of college entrance exmination competition

The phenomena and the nature of many problems that arise in the college entrance examinations differ much among each other.There exist many problems in the college entrance examinations,such as the unfair mark levels over which students can enter different levels higher education schools,the increasing college entrance examination competition,too many compulsory subjects for the college entrance examinations and participants' too heavy burden,the pursuit of the rate of students' entering schools of a higher level,etc.However,the nature and origin of these problems doesn't reside in college entrance examinations itself that only make these problems obvious.College entrance exmination is not the root of all evils,but the congruent of various educational and social conflicts.Without it,many of these problems and conflicts remain as usual,and they differ only in forms.We must seek nature through phenomena.Despite the facts that there are some limitations in the system of college entrance examinations and it exerts some negative influece on primary and secondary education,it is still a good tool to select and promote talents in an objective way,which is more beneficial than harmful for China's education and society.

Field of study: Education
Nuclear Resonances and the Interaction between Neutrinos and a Ga–Ge System

Calculations are presented for cross section σ(Eν) of solar neutrino capture by 71Ga nuclei. The calculations are based on experimental data on force function S(E) obtained in charge-exchange reactions 71Ga(p, n)71Ge and 71Ga(3He, t)71Ge. Charge-exchange force function S(E) for 71Ga is calculated using the self-consistent theory of finite Fermi systems. The effect the resonance structure of S(E) has on calculated cross section σ(Eν) is studied. It is shown that the resonance part adds about 5% to the rate of the reaction estimated with only discrete states.

Field of study: Physics
Transient radiation test techniques for high-speed analog-to-digital converters

Test techniques have been developed for analyzing high-speed ADC (analog/digital converter) performance in both heavy-ion and prompt-gamma environments. The techniques allow relevant data to be extracted from the vast quantity of output data generated by the ADC. During heavy-ion exposure, data are collected for 10-100 s with a DC input signal, and the frequency of upset is analyzed. In the prompt-gamma environment, both DC and AC inputs to the ADC can be analyzed for data upset and recovery time. The test techniques enhance the ability to analyze the upsets for an extended period of time and to synchronize the data with the clock. Preliminary test data are shown to support the validity of the techniques.

Field of study: Physics
Preparation on f ive kinds of grain milk beverage

Five kinds of grain(millet,corn,glutinous rice,buckwheat,mung bean) as the main raw material and milk are researched to produce milk beverage.Meanwhile,the best mixture ratio is evaluated by orthogonal experiment.The results show that nutritional and delicious milk beverage can be obtained by the following process:13.9% millet juice,13.9% corn juice,9.2% glutinous rice juice,2.8% buckwheat juice,13.9% mung bean juice,27.8% milk,18.5% sugar water.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Periodic Time Series Models

the complexities of analysis without leaving the problem-oriented reader at a loss for a useable answer. Despite its mathematical rigor, this text is accessible to the practitioner, with a special effort made in a number of places to distill the theory into a practical solution. Many of the chapters include sections explicitly devoted to the problem-specific concerns encountered when applying the methodology. Some of these practical digressions are found in Sections 3.9 “Which Test?,” 4.7 “Which Distribution?,” 7.7 “Which Test Should You Use?,” 9.3.1 “Which Test—Parametric or Permutation,” and 9.4.4 “Which Statistic?”. All told, Permutation, Parametric, and Bootstrap Tests of Hypotheses garners high marks for its scope and clarity. Graduate students will appreciate its rigorous treatment of diverse topics and ample exercises to reinforce ideas. And although lay readers may prefer that selected solutions be included, given the book’s intended audience, such omission is understandable. In summary, this text deserves a place in any scientific library. Scientists for whom a statistical test is an occasional chore will find it a welcome guide, whereas for the statistical professional, it serves as a quick-reference to a breadth of testing procedures.

Field of study: Mathematics
Hot phonons in a single heterostructure

The lifetime of long-wavelength optical phonons in bulk semiconductors is known to be a function of electron density, decreasing with increasing density. An explanation of this has been given in terms of the effect of plasmon coupling on the anharmonic decay route. This explanation is limited to small wave-vectors and is not applicable to the case of phonons in general, since their interaction with electrons involves larger wave-vectors for which the plasma coupling is Landau damped. Nevertheless, a similar decrease of lifetime with density is observed for hot phonons in the channel of a GaN HFET. We offer an explanation of this in terms of a lifetime of interface modes significantly shorter than that of bulk modes. Our explanation also applies qualitatively to the observation of the non-monotonic behaviour of phonon lifetime with electron density.

Field of study: Materials science
Generation and trapping of α-oxa and oxo o-quinodimethanes for natural product synthesis

Photolysis of 1-o—toluyl-3,4-dihydroisoquinolines gives protoberberine alkaloids through the intermediacy of x-hydroxy quinodimethanes and spirobenzyl isoquinol ines. Ortho trimethylsilylmethyl benzoyl chlorides on treatment with fluoride ions afford ketene quinodimethanes which can be trapped with reactive dienophiles. The reactivity pattern of these intermediates is considered in terms of the frontier molecular orbital theory. The synthetic utility of some ketene-quinodimethane equivalents is discussed. Ortho-quinodimethanes have attracted considerable attention ever since the pioneering work of Cave (ref. 1). Their imense synthetic potential was demonstrated by Oppolzer, Kametani, Vollhardt, Magnus, Ito and others (ref. 2). For some time we have been interested in a-oxa and x-oxo o-quinodimethanes which on trapping can produce target molecules with additional inbuilt structural features, especially the anthracyclines, the lignans and the alkaloids. Some novel aspects of purely chemical interest are also associated with these reactive intermediates e.g., the unique molecular orbital array of ketenequinodimethane can have an intriguing bearing on the reactivity and the regioselectivity in their 41T + 27r cycloadditions. The a-hydroxy quinodimethanes which are readily generated through photoenolisation (ref. 3) can undergo, besides the widely explored cycloaddition, interesting reactions with electrophiles. We have investigated the competition between these two processes in the substrates of the type shown in fig. 2. Here the hydroxyquinodimethane, formed on irradiation, can yield a protoberberine (path A) or a spirobenzylisoquinoline (path B) alkaloid.

Field of study: Chemistry
Testing the Tube Super-Dielectric Material Hypothesis: Increased Energy Density Using NaCl

The focus of the present work is the evaluation of the low-frequency dielectric performance of titanium dioxide nanotube arrays, created by anodization, filled with aqueous NaCl solutions. At low frequency (ca. <10−2 Hz), capacitors made up of this so-called tube super-dielectric material were found to have extreme dielectric constants, greater than 1 billion. The same capacitors also registered unprecedented energy densities, nearly 400 J/cm3, better than that observed (<250 J/cm3) for the same type of anodized titania filled with an aqueous solution of NaNO3, and about an order of magnitude better than commercial supercapacitors. Sufficient data were collected to propose a correlation relating dielectric thickness and salt concentration to overall energy density.

Field of study: Materials science
Some properties on the tensor product of graphs obtained by monogenic semigroups

In Das et al. (2013) , a new graph Γ ( S M ) on monogenic semigroups S M (with zero) having elements { 0 , x , x 2 , x 3 , … , x n } has been recently defined. The vertices are the non-zero elements x , x 2 , x 3 , … , x n and, for 1 ⩽ i , j ⩽ n , any two distinct vertices x i and x j are adjacent if x i x j = 0 in S M . As a continuing study, in Akgunes et al. (2014) , it has been investigated some well known indices (first Zagreb index, second Zagreb index, Randic index, geometric–arithmetic index, atom-bond connectivity index, Wiener index, Harary index, first and second Zagreb eccentricity indices, eccentric connectivity index, the degree distance) over Γ ( S M ) . In the light of above references, our main aim in this paper is to extend these studies over Γ ( S M ) to the tensor product. In detail, we will investigate the diameter, radius, girth, maximum and minimum degree, chromatic number, clique number and domination number for the tensor product of any two (not necessarily different) graphs Γ ( S M 1 ) and Γ ( S M 2 ) .

Field of study: Mathematics
Climatic change during the Palaeocene to Eocene based on fossil plants from Fushun, China

By applying the Coexistence Approach (CA) to palynological data from the Laohutai, Lizigou, Guchengzi, Jijuntun and Xilutian Formations in Fushun, northeastern China, a quantitative reconstruction of the Palaeocene to Eocene climate is made. During that time, Mean Annual Temperature changed from 11.3 to 21 °C, Mean Annual Precipitation from 654 to 1540 mm, Mean Temperature of the Warmest Month from 19.4 to 28.2 °C, Mean Temperature of the Coldest Month from 3.6 to 13.9 °C, Mean Annual Range of Temperature from 12.8 to 23.5 °C, Mean Maximum Monthly Precipitation from 175 to 354 mm, and Mean Minimum Monthly Precipitation from 8 to 27 mm. All the parameters in the five formations indicate a subtropical climate. This situation is different from the current climate at the same site, a mid-temperate and continental monsoon climate, with a Mean Annual Temperature of 6.6 °C and a Mean Annual Precipitation of 804 mm. In addition, the climatic parameters obtained from megafossil data (only found in the Jijuntun Formation) were analyzed and approximate those from the palynological data. The parameters from the palynological data support the view that the Palaeogene climate of Northeast Asia and North America was similar, but unlike that of Europe.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Bleeding after circumcision is more likely in children with lichen sclerosus (balanitis xerotica obliterans).

Over 27,000 circumcisions were performed in England in 2012-13. The complication rate is generally perceived to be low, although published figures vary widely. Balanitis xerotica obliterans, more correctly termed Lichen Sclerosus et atrophicus (LS), is one of the commonest indications for medical circumcision. To test the hypothesis that children undergoing circumcision for LS have a higher rate of postoperative bleeding than those undergoing the procedure for other reasons, we retrospectively reviewed records for patients undergoing circumcision.



The disease and procedure coding system was used to identify patients who underwent circumcision (ICD10 code N303) between 2000-2010. Cases with a diagnosis unrelated to circumcision and children circumcised during hypospadias repair were excluded. Bleeding which required return to theatre for surgical arrest was considered significant. Cases were identified by review of medical records if there was: a second procedure during the same admission, or readmission coded for circumcision within 2 weeks. Only cases with histologically confirmed LS were included in the LS cohort. GraphPad online calculator was used for statistical analysis (two tailed Fisher's exact test.



2385 boys with a median age of 4 years (range 0-16) were included in the study. Indication for circumcision included religious (1305, 54.7%), phimosis or redundant prepuce (512, 21.5%), suspected LS (366, 15.4%) and balanoposthitis (202, 8.5%). LS was histologically confirmed in 262 (10.9%) boys. Fourteen (0.6%) patients returned to theatre for surgical arrest of bleeding following circumcision; 6 had LS and 8 did not (Table 1). The bleeding rate was higher in those with LS (2.3%) than in those without (0.3%), P = 0.0003 with a relative risk of 6.08.



Post-operative complications are distressing, especially if further surgery is required. Published figures for complications following circumcision vary widely making counseling regarding risk difficult. Since LS includes an inflammatory element and circumcision in widespread LS can be challenging, the observation of more post-operative bleeding in patients with histologically confirmed LS during a previous audit prompted the hypothesis that this may be a significant finding. Thus we reviewed all patients requiring return to theatre within 2 weeks of circumcision, finding that whilst the overall bleeding rate was low, circumcision for LS significantly increased the risk. Although factors such as the severity of LS and surgical technique were not assessed, this is still a notable finding which should be reflected during pre-operative counseling.

Field of study: Medicine
Enhanced airflow in a refrigerated container by improving the refrigeration unit design

An improved design of the refrigeration unit that provides enhanced airflow distribution inside the refrigerated container is proposed by numerically analyzing the airflow patterns in the refrigerated container with several design models of the refrigeration unit. Fifteen different models have been considered by changing effective dimensions and design parameters of the refrigeration unit, which play a major role in affecting the airflow patterns inside the refrigerated container. The numerical simulation of the airflo inside the refrigerated container is performed by considering the pressure drop and flow characteristics in the refrigeration unit. The pressure drop in the refrigeration unit is obtained by modeling the evaporator coil of the refrigeration unit as a porous medium. Results show that the improved design of the refrigeration unit provides significantly higher jet velocity, higher vertical velocity distributions, improved Coanda effect, higher mass averaged velocity, and reduced areas of dead zones in the container compared to the base case refrigeration unit. The mass averaged velocity in the refrigerated container with the improved refrigeration unit is 33.66% higher than that of the base case refrigerated container.

Field of study: Engineering
Showing like a Queen: Female Authority and Literary Experiment in Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton. Katherine Eggert

exemplify the principles of material transformation that animate his hierarchical yet meritocratic and monist universe." (132). Schoenfeldt provides here, among other tilings, a fascinating account of the role of excrement in heaven, in the creation, and in the preand postlapsarian worlds, offering the useful idea that Milton links the "patterns of eschatology to the rhythms of scatology" (156). An afterward provides a balanced assessment of what might be gained from taking the more wholistic medical theories of the early modern period more seriously than critics have tended to do. In sum, Bodies and Selves provides some salutary correctives to existing critical assumptions about how the early modern body and self were constituted and it offers readings of major texts that reconstruct their obsession with digestion and temperance. MARY THOMAS CRANE Boston College

Field of study: History
Hemispheric priming by meaningful and nonmeaningful symbols in language-trained chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): further evidence of a left hemisphere advantage.

Hemispheric priming was examined in 3 language-trained chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) using a simple reaction time paradigm. Subjects were required to hold down a response button until the occurrence of a response cue. A warning stimulus was presented to either the left visual field (LVF) or the right visual field (RVF) before the response cue occurred. No warning stimulus was presented on control trials. The warning stimuli were geometric communicative symbols from two semantic categories: foods and tools. A third set of warning stimuli were familiar geometric symbols. Dependent measures included reaction time and the number of false-positive responses. Reaction-time data indicated an RVF advantage in priming when the warning stimuli were food or tool symbols. No significant visual half-field differences were found for familiar symbols, but a trend toward an RVF advantage was observed. These effects were enhanced when subjects responded with their left hand. False-positive data also indicated an RVF advantage for the food and tool warning stimuli. The data indicate that hemispheric asymmetries for processing communicative symbols are present in language-trained chimpanzees.

Field of study: Biology, Psychology
Comparison of antibiotic resistance and virulence in vancomycin-susceptible and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains

Today, infections caused by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) are a major problem in the healthcare system. The aim of this study was to compare the antibiotic resistance and virulence traits between vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium (VSE) and VRE clinical isolates. Studies were performed on 66 E. faecium (32 VRE and 34 VSE) strains. Susceptibility testing and identification were performed, and strains were examined for s-lactamase, hemolysin and biofilm production. Isolates were tested for the presence of 5 van genes, 8 virulence genes and 6 aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme (AME) genes. Obtained amplicons were subjected to electrophoretical separation and DNA sequencing. Among 32 VRE isolates, 28 were found to have the VanA phenotype, and 4 the VanB. The most frequent resistance and virulence profile among VRE strains was resistance to ampicillin, imipenem, gentamicin, streptomycin, teicoplanin, and vancomycin with enterococcal surface protein (esp), endocarditis antigen (efaA), collagen adhesin (acm), and hialuronidase (hyl) genes; among VSE: resistance to ampicillin, imipenem, gentamicin, streptomycin with esp, efaA, acm, and hyl genes.  Our findings prove that both VRE and VSE strains were well equipped with virulence and resistance genes, although VRE strains were characterized by a greater variety and a higher number of these genes. However, statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between VSE and VRE strains (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, our results suggest that VRE strains may slowly acquire and incorporate resistance and virulence genes, due to their ability to survive in a hospital environment for a long time.

Field of study: Medicine
Levinson-type algorithms for polynomial fitting and for Cholesky and Q factors of Hankel and Vandermonde matrices

This paper presents Levinson (1947)-type algorithms for (i) polynomial fitting (ii) obtaining a Q decomposition of Vandermonde matrices and a Cholesky factorization of Hankel matrices (iii) obtaining the inverse of Hankel matrices. The algorithm for the least-squares solution of Hankel systems of equations requires 3n/sup 2/+9n+3 multiply and divide operation (MDO). The algorithm for obtaining an orthogonal representation of an (m/spl times/n) Vandermonde matrix X and computing the Cholesky factors F of Hankel matrices requires 5mn+n/sup 2/+2n-3m MDO, and the algorithm for generating the inverse of Hankel matrices requires 3(n/sup 2/+n-2)/2 MDO. Our algorithms have been tested by means of fitting of polynomials of various orders and Fortran versions of all subroutines are provided in the Appendix.

Field of study: Engineering