nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Effects of heavy metal exposure on the condition and health of adult great tits (Parus major).

We examined the possible effects of heavy metal exposure on the quality and health of adult great tits (Parus major) at four study sites along a pollution gradient near a non-ferrous smelter in Belgium. Tarsus length, wing length, body mass and condition of great tits were compared with respect to study site, age (first-year and older great tits), sex and season (birds caught in winter and during breeding). Tarsus length did not differ significantly among study sites. The wing length of great tits was larger at the study site furthest from the smelter, especially for older great tits. The length of the outermost tail feathers, however, did not differ significantly among study sites. We found no signs of loss of body mass or condition towards the pollution source. The body mass and condition was lowest for female great tits at the site furthest from the smelter, especially during winter. Haematocrit values did not differ significantly among sites. Overall, we found no clear significant effects of heavy metal pollution on morphological measurements and health parameters of great tits.

Field of study: Environmental science
The effect of adenosine receptor agonists on cytokine release by human mononuclear cells depends on the specific Toll-like receptor subtype used for stimulation.

In the present study, we determined whether the immunomodulatory effect of adenosine receptor stimulation depends on the Toll-like Receptor (TLR) used for stimulation of cytokine release. Therefore, human mononuclear cells were stimulated by different TLR agonists in the absence and presence of A1 (CPA), A2a (CGS21680), and A3 (Cl-IB-MECA) adenosine receptor agonists. Effects of these agonists on Il-6, Il-10, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and Il-1beta production were expressed as percentage inhibition/stimulation after TLR stimulation. CGS21680 inhibited TLR4-mediated TNF-alpha release and potentiated TLR3- and TLR5-mediated IL-6 release. Cl-IB-MECA inhibited TLR4-agonist-induced IFN-gamma release. Interestingly, CPA en Cl-IB-MECA tended to inhibit cytokine release only after TLR4 stimulation. In more detail, CPA potentiated TLR5-mediated IL-6 production, TLR3-mediated IFN-gamma production and TLR3-mediated Il-1beta-production compared to TLR4-mediated stimulation. Cl-IB-MECA potentiated TLR5-mediated IL-6 and Il-1beta formation as compared to TLR4-mediated stimulation. Finally, CGS21680 potentiated TLR5-mediated IL-6 production compared to TLR1-2 stimulation, and potentiated TLR3- and TLR5-mediated IL-10 production compared to TLR1-2-mediated stimulation. In conclusion, the effect of adenosine agonists on cytokine production depends on the specific TLR agonist used for stimulation. These findings suggest that well-known anti-inflammatory effects of adenosine agonists on LPS-induced inflammation cannot be extrapolated to situations in which stimulation of other TLR subtypes is involved.

Field of study: Medicine
Density dependence of the saturated velocity in graphene

The saturated velocity of a semiconductor is an important measure in bench-marking performance for either logic or microwave applications. Graphene has been of interest for such applications due to its apparently high value of the saturated velocity. Recent experiments have suggested that this value is very density dependent and can even exceed the band limiting Fermi velocity. Some of these measurements have also suggested that the scattering is dominated by the low energy surface polar mode of the SiO2 substrate. Here, we show that the saturated velocity of graphene on SiO2 is relatively independent of the density and that the scattering is dominated by the high energy surface polar mode of the substrate.

Field of study: Materials science
A fully automated pulsed laser deposition system for HTS multilayer devices

For the fabrication and development of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) thin film devices, which often require multiple layers, it is essential to have control over all parameters during growth. Until recently the overwhelming majority of film growth was controlled manually. We have found this can often lead to error and irreproducibility. To overcome these problems we have designed and constructed an automated multitarget excimer pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system. We identify key elements of the system that can be utilised to address many of the problems currently encountered in HTS film growth. Optimisation using Robust Design techniques has also been used in the identification of principal parameters in growth of films and multilayers.<<ETX>>

Field of study: Physics
A Very Large Array Search for Intermediate-Mass Black Holes in Globular Clusters in M81

Nantais et al. used the Hubble Space Telescope to localize probable globular clusters (GCs) in M81, a spiral galaxy at a distance of 3.63 Mpc. Theory predicts that GCs can host intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) with masses M_BH \sim 100 - 100,000 M_sun. Finding IMBHs in GCs could validate a formation channel for seed BHs in the early universe, bolster gravitational-wave predictions for space missions, and test scaling relations between stellar systems and the central BHs they host. We used the NRAO Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to search for the radiative signatures of IMBH accretion from 206 probable GCs in a mosaic of M81. The observing wavelength was 5.5 cm and the spatial resolution was 1.5 arcsec (26.4 pc). None of the individual GCs are detected, nor are weighted-mean image stacks of the 206 GCs and the 49 massive GCs with stellar masses M_star \gtrsim 200,000 M_sun. We apply a semi-empirical model to predict the mass of an IMBH that, if undergoing accretion in the long-lived hard X-ray state, is consistent with a given radio luminosity. The 3$\sigma$ radio-luminosity upper limits correspond to mean IMBH masses of M_BH(all) < 42,000 M_sun for the all-cluster stack and M_BH(massive) < 51,000 M_sun for the massive-cluster stack. We also apply the empirical fundamental-plane relation to two X-ray-detected clusters, finding that their individual IMBH masses at 95% confidence are M_BH < 99,000 M_sun and M_BH < 15,000 M_sun. Finally, no analog of HLX-1, a strong IMBH candidate in an extragalactic star cluster, occurs in any individual GC in M81. This underscores the uniqueness or rarity of the HLX-1 phenomenon.

Field of study: Physics
The expression of cellulase gene family members during induced avocado fruit abscission and ripening

The expression of specific cellulase (endo-l,4-β-glucanase; EC 3-2-1-4) gene family members was monitored in the mesocarp and abscission zone of mature avocado fruit. Fruit abscission was induced by either girdling of the stem or treatment with 2-chloroethyl phosphonic acid (CEPA). Gene-specific probes that hybridized to the 3′ untranslated region of either the cel1 or the cel2 gene of avocado were used to distinguish between RNA transcripts from these two closely related genes. Only cel1 transcripts were detected in ripe mesocarp. An accumulation of cel1 mRNA has been observed in the activated fruit abscission zone. Using antibody raised against cellulase protein isolated from ripe fruit, a cross-reacting cellulase antigen was detected in extracts from the abscission zones of CEPA-treated and girdled fruit. Cellulase enzyme activity was detected in these tissues. These results suggest that the same cellulase gene (cel1) that has been shown to be expressed in the mesocarp during fruit ripening might also be involved in the mature fruit abscission process.

Field of study: Environmental science
A review of the interaction between anthocyanins and proteins

Anthocyanins have good physiological functions, but they are unstable. The interaction between anthocyanins and proteins can improve the stability, nutritional and functional properties of the complex. This paper reviews the structural changes of complex of anthocyanins interacting with proteins from different sources. By circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, it was found that the contents of α-helix (from 15.90%−42.40% to 17.60%−52.80%) or β-sheet (from 29.00%−50.00% to 29.40%−57.00%) of the anthocyanins–proteins complex increased. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the regions of amide I (from 1627.87−1641.41 cm−1 to 1643.34−1651.02 cm−1) and amide II (from 1537.00−1540.25 cm−1 to 1539.00−1543.75 cm−1) of anthocyanins–proteins complex were shifted. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the fluorescence intensity of the complex decreased from 150−5100 to 40−3900 a.u. The thermodynamic analysis showed that there were hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions between anthocyanins and proteins. The kinetic analysis showed that the half-life and activation energy of the complex increased. The stability, antioxidant, digestion, absorption, and emulsification of the complex were improved. This provides a reference for the study and application of anthocyanins and proteins interactions.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Plasma process-induced damage on thick (6.8 nm) and thin (3.5 nm) gate oxide: parametric shifts, hot-carrier response, and dielectric integrity degradation

It is shown that the primary manifestation of charging damage in thin ( 6 nm) oxides is a shift in threshold voltage and/or the degradation of hot-carrier immunity. It is therefore necessary to monitor both dielectric integrity and parametric shifts to determine the consequences of charging damage on a technology with multiple gate oxide thicknesses. We demonstrate the efficacy of a ramp breakdown methodology for measuring dielectric integrity, showing that a simple measurement of current is not sufficiently sensitive, and that results equivalent to a lengthy time-to-breakdown test may be achieved. We describe a highly accelerated hot-carrier stress for monitoring damage on thicker oxide and show how it illuminates latent damage and is superior to Fowler–Nordheim stressing for this purpose. Furthermore, we show data on some thousands of chips from a manufacturing line, which demonstrates robust charging behavior for realistic gate and wiring antennas.

Field of study: Engineering
Effective parameters of porous layer in silicon cells

Theoretically and experimentally we have proved the existence of optimal thickness of the porous layer used as an anti-reflection coating in solar cells. We have taken into account the joint mechanisms of generation and recombination of electrons and holes stimulated by photons. The porous silicon surface has been obtained by electrochemical etching. Results of scanning electron microscopy, measuring short-circuit current, open circuit voltage, and etching time have shown that in case thickness of the porous layer is approximately 2/3 of electron diffusion length the solar cell efficiency increases by 30% in comparison with the corresponding value in the absence of texturing.

Field of study: Physics
Numerical modeling of falling film absorption outside vertical tubes with ammonia-water in presence of magnetic field

Magnetic field was applied in the absorption process of ammonia-water absorption refrigeration.The numerical model of falling film absorption outside vertical tube with ammonia-water in the presence of magnetic field was established.The macroscopic magnetic force was added in the equation of momentum.In the process of modeling,the variation of falling film thickness,variation of physical characteristics of ammonia-water and convection in the direction of film thickness were considered.The distributions of temperature,concentration and velocity of falling film were obtained within 0—3 T of magnetic induction intensity by numerical simulation.The results showed that the absorption heat,absorption mass,mass transfer coefficient increased with the increase of magnetic induction intensity.The falling film absorption with ammonia-water could be intensified to some degree by external magnetic field.

Field of study: Chemistry, Environmental science
Analysis of Causes for Higher Vocational College Teacher's Jobburnout in Ideological and Political Education

Teacher's jobburnout in ideological and political education is a problem that should be attached importance to and solved now. Teacher's jobburnout is a negative response to the pressure in his work in terms of passion, attitude and behavior. It will bring the extensive and negative influence to the teaching and student development. The reason for jobburnout of teacher in ideological and political education in higher vocational colleges involves social aspect and the passive influence on the development of higher vocational education as well as the role clash of teachers, etc.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Psychiatric aspects of mild cognitive impairment

Mild cognitive impairment in the elderly may represent a transitional phase between normal aging and early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It recently has been recognized as a distinct clinical entity with potentially different cognitive subtypes and etiologies. Like AD, studies have shown that psychiatric symptoms are more common than in the cognitively normal geriatric population. Understanding these symptoms has been recognized as important not only because they may impair patient function and caregiver burden, but also these symptoms may be relevant to understanding the development of AD in general. This article presents current information on psychiatric symptoms in mild cognitive impairment, their suggested role in the pathophysiology of AD and future research considerations on the subject.

Field of study: Medicine, Psychology
Isotonic Estimation of the Probability of Extinction of a Branching Process

Suppose X 1, X 2, ···, Xn is a random sample from a distribution which assigns all of its mass to the nonnegative integers. Let p j = P[X 1 = j]; j = 0, 1, ··· and let f(·) be the generating function of the sequence {p j }∞ j=0. An estimate of the smallest nonnegative root of f(s) = s which is based on isotonized estimates of p 0, p 1, ··· is considered. Results of a simulation study, almost sure convergence rates and the asymptotic distribution theory are discussed.

Field of study: Mathematics
New Information on Homalonotus Trentonensis

While collecting from the lower “Trenton” limestone, called the Salona formation by Professor Field3 in 1919, at the type locality, Salona, Clinton County, central Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1928, I obtained a large number of specimens of the trilobite described by Simpson4 forty years ago as Homalonotus trentonensis. Among the many dissociated parts were free checks and hypostomes, which had never been described, and one complete articulated cranidium, thorax, and pygidium. Homalonotus trentonensis is of particular interest because it is the oldest Homalonotid known in North America. Its stratigraphic and geographic range is limited, and it appears to be closely related to one of the Ordovician species found in Wales. It is the purpose of this paper to review the history of the species, to give a fuller and more accurate description of it in the light of this more complete information, and to compare it with its . . .

Field of study: Geology
Interview with Sindiwe Magona

Sindiwe, to begin with Mother to Mother and To My Children's Children, would it be fair to say that in Mother to Mother, you have a different sense of your readership? The event brings the United States and South Africa together through the experience of Amy Biehl's death, and then the fiction constructs a relationship between mothers across that national division. Is this perhaps a feature of the situation after apartheid, that we are becoming more globalized, that our audience is more diverse?

Field of study: Art
The Importance of School-Family Communication in the Teachers’ Point of View in Albania

To fulfil its mission the school has to collaborate with the student’s parents and the community. In the school-family partnership, each of the actors has an important role to play. In the way that this partnering functions at its best, firstly, the families and the school have to communicate through a two-way communication, which is based in the relationship of reciprocal faith and respect. In Albania, as in other former-communist countries, the school-family communication has been a new tradition and not consolidated yet. This work aims to highlight the evaluation of Albanian teachers for the school-family process of communication and mainly its role in the pupil’s achievements and the improvement of their behaviour through the analysis done from the findings of a questionnaire realised with the high-school system level teachers. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n1p273

Field of study: Education, Sociology
Catholic Social Teaching, the Common Good, and Health Care in the United States: Seeking a Universal Model of Health Care Coverage

Currently in the United States, estimates reveal that around 43 million Americans are uninsured and several million more are underinsured, and the numbers continue to rise. In the most powerful, wealthiest, and medically-technologically advanced country in the world, this situation is deplorable. This paper will investigate the social teachings of the Catholic Church as a foundation for universal health care in the United States. Focusing in particular on the principle of the common good, we will investigate a universal model of health care coverage proposed by Alain Enthoven and Richard Kronick .2 These authors "propose a set of public policies and institutions designed to give everyone access to a subsidized but responsible choice of efficient managed care . ... ,,3 Given the socioeconomic political structures in the United States, we will argue that their proposal defends the common good as developed in Catholic social teaching and is a plausible solution to the crisis of health care coverage in the United States.

Field of study: Medicine, Philosophy
Perfectionism Dimensions and Dependency in Relation to Personality Vulnerability and Psychosocial Adjustment in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

The present study sought to illuminate self-criticism and personal standards dimensions of perfectionism and dependency as specific cognitive-personality vulnerability factors that might contribute to a better understanding of numerous psychosocial problem areas that are relevant to coronary artery disease (CAD). One hundred and twenty-three patients diagnosed with clinically significant CAD completed self-report questionnaires. Zero-order correlations and factor analysis results revealed that self-criticism was primarily related to personality vulnerability (aggression/anger/hostility, Type D negative affectivity) and psychosocial maladjustment (depressive symptoms, worry, avoidant coping, support dissatisfaction), whereas personal standards was primarily related to adaptive coping (problem-focused coping, positive reinterpretation) and dependency was primarily related to worry. Hierarchical regression results demonstrated the incremental utility of self-criticism, personal standards, and dependency in relation to (mal)adjustment over and above aggression/anger/hostility, negative affectivity, and social inhibition. Continued efforts to understand the role of perfectionism dimensions and dependency in CAD appear warranted.

Field of study: Psychology
Lesions of the dorsal hippocampus block trace fear conditioned potentiation of startle.

Several studies show that the hippocampus is critical for the memories mediating trace and contextual fear conditioning. This study investigates whether N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced lesions of the dorsal hippocampus made prior to training affect context fear conditioning and trace fear conditioning measured with the fear-potentiated startle. Pretraining excitotoxic lesions of the dorsal hippocampus blocked acquisition of trace fear conditioning to a tone stimulus but did not affect context fear conditioning. These data indicate that without a dorsal hippocampus rats are unable to acquire trace conditioning but can acquire contextual fear when fear is measured by potentiation of the startle response.

Field of study: Biology, Psychology
Birefringent properties of diametrically loaded gradient-index lenses.

Gradient-index (GRIN) lenses have been widely used as collimators in various fiber-optic sensors and as optical coupling devices in components designed for optical communication systems. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the birefringent properties of GRIN lenses and the potential for using them as photoelastic sensing elements in optical transducers. Analytical and experimental results are described that were obtained for the intensity distribution produced by studying a GRIN lens by using a polariscope. The residual birefringence inherent in an unloaded lens is initially studied. The lens is then assumed to be diametrically loaded and the superposition is studied by the method of ray tracing. When the results obtained from the simulation for a Selfoc, 0.25-pitch lens are compared with experimental data, an excellent agreement is obtained. Intensity increases monotonically with load, confirming that the lens would be a good choice for the sensing element of an optical transducer designed as part of a strain or acceleration measurement system. The numerical simulation is then used to study the influence of residual stress on sensitivity.

Field of study: Physics
Correlation Power Analysis on NTRU Prime and Related Countermeasures

We perform correlation power analysis on ideal-lattice-based cryptosystems featuring product scanning, for example the reference implementation of NTRU Prime, a Round 2 candidate in the NIST PQC Competition. We also discuss three corresponding countermeasures in detail. The proposed approach achieves full privatekey recovery in a highly efficient way with few traces. For each defensive strategy, its effectiveness is validated, and its side-channel resistance is evaluated by the TVLA general tests. The correlation power analysis exploits the vulnerabilities in productscanning-based polynomial multiplications. The statistical analysis program in C++ takes time linear in the input size on average and practically less than 8 seconds on an ordinary laptop to reveal all the coefficients of each private-key polynomial. The three countermeasures together demonstrate the tradeoff between security and performance. The predictions about their effectiveness, performance, and side-channel resistance are supported by the correlation power analysis and the TVLA general tests based on thousands of traces.

Field of study: Computer science, Mathematics