nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Mannose binding lectin and C3 act as recognition molecules for infectious agents in the vagina

In our study we examined the early complement components in patients with bacterial vaginosis (BV), vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and in healthy controls. The levels of C1q, mannose‐binding lectin (MBL) and C3 were measured by ELISA in the cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) from gynaecological patients and controls. No significant differences were observed in the levels of these proteins in the three study groups. Immunofluorescence analysis of the clue cells and Candida hyphae from BV and VVC patients for surface‐bound complement components showed the presence of C3, while C1q was undetectable. MBL was revealed on clue cells but not on Candida. Binding of MBL to Candida, grown or cytocentrifuged from the CVL of VVC patients, was found to be pH dependent and occurred between pH 4·5 and pH 5·5. In conclusion, we demonstrated that MBL and C3 present in the vaginal cavity act as recognition molecules for infectious agents that colonize the cervicovaginal mucosa. Our finding that MBL, but not C1q, binds to bacteria and fungi in vagina suggests that the lectin and classical pathways of complement activation may play a different role in immune defence in the female genital tract.

Field of study: Biology, Medicine
Multiple grammars: Old wine in old bottles

Amaral and Roeper (this issue; henceforth A&R) argue that all speakers – regardless of whether monolingual or bilingual – have multiple grammars in their mental language representations. They further claim that this simple assumption can explain many things: optionality in second language (L2) language behaviour, multilingualism, language change, and L2 language processing: in essence, all the developmental phenomena that are the focus of current research. A&R are right that a linguistic theory of multiple grammatical representations is necessary; however, their proposal falls short of explaining anything that we did not already know and in fact fails to account for what we do know. In my brief commentary I will address three points. First, the idea that multiple grammars has been at the foundations of models of L2 acquisition ever since the concept of ‘interlanguage’ was proposed. Second, I will clarify misunderstandings regarding recent work on L2 optionality. Third, A&R do not offer a new descriptive account of L2 optionality, let alone a new formal model of optionality, largely because they limit themselves to restating the problem instead of suggesting solutions. A&R argue that any human grammar has optionality, i.e. accommodates apparently incompatible rules or sub-grammars. This, A&R claim, is ignored by models of L2 acquisition. Some of these models, for example Full Transfer-) argue that the point of departure in L2 acquisition is the final state of the L1 grammar and that acquiring a second language consists of progressively ‘restructuring’ the L1 grammar in the direction of the L2. A&R argue instead that ‘interlanguage is not being restructured away from the L1, but simply built on top of it.’ Do they mean by this that the L1 rules are not themselves changed and that they continue to co-exist alongside the developing L2 rules? It is clear that the L1 is not ‘replaced’ by the L2: recent work on L1 individual attrition indicates that mental representations of the L1 grammar are not themselves affected by exposure to L2 (Sorace, 2011), although access and allocation of processing resources affect the use of particular L1 structures. A&R suggest

Field of study: Linguistics
Late Quaternary sedimentation in central Flemish Pass

Flemish Pass is a basin in 1000 m water depth on the continental slope off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and has a Quaternary fill principally of turbidites. The late Quaternary history of the pass has been investigated using mid-range side-scan sonargraphs, high-resolution seismic profiles, and cores dated using C-14. The sequence of facies in the cores reveals six lithostratigraphic units deposited in the past 40 ka. At 15–19 ka and ?25–30 ka, sedimentation was dominated by debris-flow and turbidite deposits, together with hemipelagic deposits of similar clay-size mineralogy, derived from the Grand Banks. At other times, ice-rafting and hemipelagic sedimentation, principally of carbonate-rich sediment transported by the Labrador Current, predominated. A late Quaternary regional unconformity on the slope may reflect the effects of ice sheets reaching the shelf break, probably in the Early Wisconsinan. Late Wisconsinan resedimentation was not related to ice-marginal processes and probably resulted from ...

Field of study: Environmental science
Micro-air-gap based intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric fiber-optic sensor.

A simple intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (IFPI) sensor is developed. The sensor is fabricated by two micro air gaps as reflective mirrors in a fiber to form a Fabry-Perot cavity. Theoretical and experimental studies of the sensor are described. Experimental results show that high resolution and high sensitivity can be achieved. Two structures of micro-air-gap-based IFPI sensors offer more applications than other IFPI sensors.

Field of study: Physics
Community perceptions of carbon sequestration: insights from California

Over the last decade, many energy experts have supported carbon sequestration as a viable technological response to climate change. Given the potential importance of sequestration in US energy policy, what might explain the views of communities that may be directly impacted by the siting of this technology? To answer this question, we conducted focus groups in two communities who were potentially pilot project sites for California's DOE-funded West Coast Regional Partnership (WESTCARB). We find that communities want a voice in defining the risks to be mitigated as well as the justice of the procedures by which the technology is implemented. We argue that a community's sense of empowerment is key to understanding its range of carbon sequestration opinions, where 'empowerment' includes the ability to mitigate community-defined risks of the technology. This sense of empowerment protects the community against the downside risk of government or corporate neglect, a risk that is rarely identified in risk assessments but that should be factored into assessment and communication strategies.

Field of study: Environmental science
The Actual Operation of Transmission Line and Evaluation of the Reclosing Time of Reclosure

In this paper, the actual trip of typical transmission line is analyzed. It includes the trip frequency of transmission lines and the tripping frequency caused by lightning, seasonal distribution characteristics of transmission line trip, and the success rate of reclosing on the transmission line. In this paper, the probability of the occurrence of the trip again is evaluated based on the duration of ground lightning stroke. With the increase of the time of reclosure, the probability of the occurrence of the trip will decrease. By this calculating method, the average probability of tripping of reclosure decreased significantly during a ground lightning stroke process, when the reclosing time t0 is 1s.

Field of study: Engineering
UNDERGROUND STORAGE OF SOLAR ENERGY FOR GREENHOUSES HEATING. I. ANALYSIS OF SEASONAL STORAGE SYSTEM BY SCALE AND NUMERICAL MODELS

Possibilities of seasonal storage of solar energy in the soil under a greenhouse have been investigated and compared with those of daily storage. We assumed a system composed of collectors, a greenhouse, pipes connected to the collectors and buried under the greenhouse for water circulation, and another set of underground pipes for greenhouse air circulation. The soil under the greenhouse was assumed not to be insulated. Solar energy collected by collectors from summer through winter is transferred to the soil by circulating water. A scale model experiment showed that the amount of heat recovered is approximately doubled when circulating greenhouse air as needed, compared to the case in which air is not circulated. A numerical experiment showed, however, that under the conditions tested, electric energy consumed in water and air circulations in seasonal storage [18.14 MJ/m2 (greenhouse floor)] is greater than the energy saved in greenhouse heating (6.54 MJ/m^), resulting in a negative net energy saving (-11.60 MJ/m^), while the energy saving in daily storage is positive (6.52 MJ/m2). This poor performance of seasonal storage could be attributed to the heat loss through the boundaries of the heat storage region.  Solar Energy, Heat storage. Protected cultivation. Energy savings. Seasonal storage.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Experimental Effects of Radio and Television Distractors on Children's Performance on Mathematics and Reading Assignments

One explanation for why many students routinely choose to do their homework with a radio or TV operating is that this distraction facilitates studying. To investigate the validity of this explanation, the authors carried out two experiments with sixth-grade students who worked on two difficulty levels of individualized mathematics assignments (N = 12) and reading assignments (N = 9) under three distraction conditions: quiet; self-selected, self-regulated radio; and self-selected, self-regulated TV. The data yielded no evidence of sizable distractor effects on students' time spent studying, computational accuracy, reading comprehension, or reading rate. These results generally are consistent with the theoretical conceptualization of attention as flexible and adaptable.

Field of study: Education
A new method for improving the dynamics of superconducting magnetic bearings

This paper describes a new method for improving the dynamics of passive type superconducting magnetic bearings (SMBs). The SMBs are composed of two kinds of superconductors and a permanent magnet. The superconductors of the SMBs were field-cooled in the experiments. After the field-cooling, impulse responses were performed for various horizontal displacements. Then, changes in stiffness and damping coefficient of the SMBs were investigated. From the experimental results, it is found that the stiffness and the damping coefficient are affected by the maximum displacements and by use of sintered superconductors, respectively. The stiffness and the damping coefficient are also evaluated by using frequency responses. Then, the results by frequency responses are compared with those by impulse responses. As a result, it is found that we can control bearing stiffness by changing horizontal displacements and damping coefficient by using sintered superconductors.

Field of study: Physics
Computed tomography perfusion-based selection of patients for endovascular recanalization.

Intravenous and intraarterial recombinant tissue plasminogen activator remains underutilized in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, largely due to strict adherence to the concept of the therapeutic time window for administration. Recent efforts to expand the number of patients eligible for thrombolysis have been mirrored by an evolution in endovascular recanalization technology and techniques. As a result, there is a growing need to establish efficient and reliable means by which to select candidates for endovascular intervention beyond the traditional criteria of time from symptom onset. Perfusion imaging techniques, particularly CT perfusion used in combination with CT angiography, represent an increasingly recognized means by which to identify those patients who stand to benefit most from endovascular recanalization. Additionally, CT perfusion and CT angiography appear to provide sufficient data by which to exclude patients in whom there is little chance of neurological recovery or a substantial risk of postprocedure symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. The authors review the current literature as it pertains to the limitations of time-based selection of patients for intervention, the increasing utilization of endovascular therapy, and the development of a CT perfusion-based selection of acute stroke patients for endovascular recanalization. Future endeavors must prospectively evaluate the utility and safety of CT perfusion-based selection of candidates for endovascular intervention.

Field of study: Medicine
Refractive index of GaTe under high pressure

In this paper we describe two experiments, in the near- and mid-infrared, designed to investigate the evolution under pressure of the GaTe refractive index for polarization parallel and perpendicular to the crystallographic c-axis (in the layer plane). The refractive index dispersion for both light polarizations has been determined up to 5.5 GPa. It is found that the refractive index increases faster in the direction perpendicular to the c-axis than along the c-axis. To find out the origin of such a difference we used a Phillips-Van Vechten model and arrived at the conclusion that it is due to the different pressure behaviour of the Penn gap for each polarization.

Field of study: Materials science
A Turing model with correlated random walk

If in the classical Turing model the diffusion process (Brownian motion) is replaced by a more general correlated random walk, then the parameters describing spatial spread are the particle speeds and the rates of change in direction. As in the Turing model, a spatially constant equilibrium can become unstable if the different species have different turning rates and different speeds. Furthermore, a Hopf bifurcation can be found if the reproduction rate of the activator is greater than its rate of change of direction, and oscillating patterns are possible.

Field of study: Biology, Mathematics
Cbl-b对实验性自身免疫性重症肌无力小鼠B细胞受体途径的作用

实验性自身免疫性重症肌无力(experimental au-toimmune myasthenia graves,EAMG)是重症肌无力经典的动物模型,B细胞活化在其发病中是必需的.B细胞抗原受体(B cell antigen receptor,BCR)是B细胞表面标志性分子之一,对B细胞的产生、选择和活化具有关键作用.Cb1-b蛋白可促使活化受体的蛋白酪氨酸激酶(PTK)泛素化,负性调控BCR信号[1].我们采用未成熟髓源性树突状细胞(iMDC)负载Ta146-162肽段(Ta146-162-iMDC)干预EAMG的发病,从B细胞活化的角度探讨Ta146-162-iMDC干预EAMG的作用机制。

Field of study: Biology
Physical chemical studies of reactions of human hemoglobins

The molecular dissociation of the derivatives, carbonmonoxy-, oxy-, ferro-, and ferri-, of normal adult hemoglobin has been studied at a pH of five. Of these derivatives, ferrohemoglobin is least dissociated while ferrihemoglobin is most extensively dissociated at a given concentration. The apparent dissociation constants have been calculated and related to the acid dissociation of the "theme-linked" acid groups of these derivatives.

Hemoglobins labelled with Carbon-14 have been prepared. Using C14 labels on one hemoglobin, the exchange of molecular subunits has been studied after dissociation of mixtures of normal adult and sickle cell hemoglobins at acid and alkaline pH. Hemoglobin "hybrids", in which one type of subunit is radioactive and the other not, have been formed and isolated. These hybrids have been used in the identification of the polypeptide chain in which the anomaly occurs in sickle cell hemoglobin. This anomaly was found to occur in the [beta] chains. The kinetics of the [alpha] chain exchange between the two hemoglobins has been studied at alkaline pH. Presumptive evidence of the mode of dissociation at this pH has been obtained. Preliminary investigations are reported on the isolation of hemoglobin hybrids in which only the chains are radioactive.

Spectral data for several derivatives of hemoglobin have been related to a recently adopted standard. The use of the ferroversenate ion in forming ferrohemoglobin from oxyhemoglobin is reported.

Field of study: Mathematics
Purification and structure characterization of a novel wheat gluten peptide D-WG-0-I

Based on antioxidant acitivity evualuation,a peptide D-WG-0-Ⅰ was separated and purified by Sephadex G25 column chromatography from enzymatic hydrolate of wheat gluten.The purity of D-WG-0-Ⅰ was determined as 84% with RT-HPLC.UV,IR and MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS spectroscopy analysis revealed that the antioxidant peptide D-WG-0-Ⅰ had the molecular weight of 1746.89 u and the amino acid sequence of Ser-Gly-Ala-Asp-Lys-Lys-pro-Ile-Lys-Ala-Asn-His.The obtained results showed that D-WG-0-Ⅰ was a novel antioxidant peptide obtained from wheat gluten.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
ASSESSMENT OF PERFORMANCE OF AN UNDERGROUND CRUDE OIL STORAGE CAVERNS SUBJECTED TO CYCLIC LOADING DUE TO STORAGE AND EXTRACTION OF CRUDE OIL IN OPERATION PHASE

The stability and containment properties of an underground crude oil storage cavern, the first underground oil storage cavern in hard rock in China, were investigated using theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. Based on the conventional kinematic hardening fatigue model, a constitutive model was proposed to describe the fatigue behavior of rocks. In the model, the influence of mean stress on the fatigue behavior of rocks was taken into consideration. The model was embedded into a finite element code as a user subroutine to assess the performance of the cavern in operation and subjected to a cyclic loading due to storage and extraction of crude oil. Two representative cases were simulated to investigate the performance of the caverns in operation. One is synchronous storage and extraction for neighboring caverns, while the other is asynchronous storage and extraction. It was found that the crown settlements of caverns for synchronous storage and extraction are higher than those for asynchronous storage and extraction, while the horizontal convergences for asynchronous storage and extraction are higher than that for synchronous storage and extraction. For asynchronous storage and extraction, the groundwater table drawdown and inflow are higher than those for synchronous storage and extraction. However, the stability and containment properties of the cavern maintain well during the operation period.

Field of study: Engineering
Taphonomic processes affecting late Quaternary molluscs along the coastal area of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina, Southwestern Atlantic)

Molluscan concentrations were abundantly deposited along the coastal area of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina, Southwestern Atlantic) by different sea-level episodes during the late Quaternary. Most of them represent Holocene ridges (highly energetic depositional environments) subparallel to the modern shore where the main associations preserved are parautochthonous, and others (mainly autochthonous associations) occurring in tidal flats seaward of the ridges or coastal lagoon deposits accumulated behind them (low-energetic). Analysis of three physical taphonomic signatures (disarticulation, fragmentation and abrasion) of the molluscan skeletons of four bivalve species (Tagelus plebeius, Mactra isabelleana, Pitar rostratus, Brachidontes rodriguezi), which exhibit different shell shape and thickness conditions, habitats and life habits and represent the most widely distributed and palaeoecologically significant taxa along the area of study, support the distinction of both palaeoenvironments, characterized by low and high taphonomic grades, respectively. The taphonomic alteration (breakage and abrasion) of most shells seems to have been a direct consequence of the amount of reworking of the material especially during periods of exposure along an extensive beach zone, more than a consequence of transport from a distant original habitat. Abrasion signatures are the only probably correlated with after death time span, shells showing a near modern aspect and original luster being most probably younger than those with chalky or polished appearance. The infaunal species analysed typically living on clays and silts or fine sandy bottoms of the infralittoral or intertidal (T. plebeius, M. isabelleana) are better preserved (less fragmented and abraded) than shells of the epibyssate B. rodriguezi, which lives on hard bottoms of the intertidal and supralittoral areas more exposed to highly unstable conditions with longer episodes of exposure. Although these nearshore concentrations may represent a time-averaging of 1000 yr B.P., taking into account the ecological requirements of the most constant and dominant taxa together with the taphonomic analysis of shells from parautochthonous and autochthonous associations, they still represent valid indicators of past marginal marine conditions in the area, but are only reliable to establish long-term palaeoenvironmental variations.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Effect of the Compatibiliser on the Morphology and Properties of Dynamically Cured PP/EPDM/Epoxy Blends

Dynamic vulcanisation was successfully applied to epoxy resin reinforced polypropylene (PP)/ethylene-propylene diene elastomer (EPDM) blends, and the effects of different compatibilisers on the morphology and properties of dynamically cured PP/EPDM/epoxy blends were studied. The results show that dynamically cured PP/EPDM/epoxy blends compatibilised with maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAH-g-PP) have a three-phase structure consisting of EPDM and epoxy particles dispersed in the PP continuous phase, and these blends had improved tensile strength and flexural modulus. While using maleic anhydride-grafted EPDM (MAH-g-EPDM) as a compatibiliser, the structure of the core-shell complex phase and the PP continuous phase showed that epoxy particles could be embedded in MAH-g-EPDM in the blends, and gave rise to an increase in impact strength, while retaining a certain strength and modulus. DSC analysis showed that the epoxy particles in the blends compatibilised with MAH-g-PP were more efficient nucleating agents for PP than they were in the blends compatibilised with MAH-g-EPDM.

Field of study: Materials science
Michelle Zebich-Knos and Heather N. Nicol (eds.), Foreign Policy Toward Cuba: Isolation or Engagement (Lanham, MD, and Oxford: Lexington Books, 2005), pp. ix+285, £17.99, pb.

arguing that in a post-9/11 world, relations with a nearby neighbour like Cuba are once again a serious security matter. Cuba has been willing to cooperate with the United States in the war on terror (having itself been subjected over the years to numerous terrorist attacks launched from US territory), and she argues that it would benefit both countries to build on that common interest. Editors must always make tough choices about what to include in a collection like this, but the volume would have benefited from chapters on Cuban relations with Venezuela and China. Hugo Chávez’s unabashed admiration for Fidel Castro, combined with his own hemispheric Bolivarian activism, suggest that oil-rich Venezuela could become an enduring partner for Cuban socialism. China’s growing investment in Cuba, along with its allure as a possible model for Cuba’s evolving economy make this bilateral relationship especially intriguing, as well. Notwithstanding these lacunae, this is a first-rate addition to the literature on Cuba’s international relations, written by some of the best analysts of the subject both on the island and off. A decade from now, perhaps another sequel will examine not only how Cuba survived in the international system, but how it managed to build a prosperous economy and overcome conflicts with its neighbours in Latin America, Europe and perhaps even the United States.

Field of study: Political science