nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Geogenic sources of benzene in aquifers used for public supply, California.

Statistical evaluation of two large statewide data sets from the California State Water Board's Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program (1973 wells) and the California Department of Public Health (12,417 wells) reveals that benzene occurs infrequently (1.7%) and at generally low concentrations (median detected concentration of 0.024 μg/L) in groundwater used for public supply in California. When detected, benzene is more often related to geogenic (45% of detections) than anthropogenic sources (27% of detections). Similar relations are evident for the sum of 17 hydrocarbons analyzed. Benzene occurs most frequently and at the highest concentrations in old, brackish, and reducing groundwater; the detection frequency was 13.0% in groundwater with tritium <1 pCi/L, specific conductance >1600 μS/cm, and anoxic conditions. This groundwater is typically deep (>180 m). Benzene occurs somewhat less frequently in recent, shallow, and reducing groundwater; the detection frequency was 2.6% in groundwater with tritium ≥1 pCi/L, depth <30 m, and anoxic conditions. Evidence for geogenic sources of benzene include: higher concentrations and detection frequencies with increasing well depth, groundwater age, and proximity to oil and gas fields; and higher salinity and lower chloride/iodide ratios in old groundwater with detections of benzene, consistent with interactions with oil-field brines.

Field of study: Environmental science
The gap junction uncoupler heptanol abrogates infarct size reduction with preconditioning in mouse hearts.

Emerging evidence suggests that gap junction-mediated intercellular transmission of ions, metabolites and/or second messengers may serve as important determinants of myocyte viability. Our aim was to determine, using isolated buffer-perfused mouse hearts, whether the cardioprotection achieved with ischemic preconditioning (PC) is due in part to: (i) disruption of cell-cell coupling (manifest as a loss in the primary gap junction protein, connexin 43 [Cx43]) and resultant impaired transmission of a 'death' messenger, or conversely, (ii) transfer of a humoral 'survival' factor via existing gap junctions.



To explore the first possibility, we employed immunostaining to visualize and quantify Cx43 in hearts subjected to 212 min of PC ischemia or a matched control period. To test the converse corollary, we assessed the effect of heptanol-an agent well recognized to rapidly and reversibly uncouple gap junctions--on the reduction of infarct size (delineated by tetrazolium staining) achieved with PC.



We found no evidence of a deficit in Cx43 immunoreactive signal in response to the PC stimulus. Area of necrosis (AN) was, as expected, reduced in hearts that received PC ischemia vs. controls (31+/-3% vs. 40+/-3% of the left ventricle [LV]; P<.01). However, treatment with heptanol rendered PC ineffective in eliciting protection (AN/LV: 42+/-1%).



Our results suggest that gap junction-mediated transfer of an as-yet unknown 'survival' factor-rather than disrupted transfer of a 'death messenger'-may play a role in the increased resistance to infarction conferred by antecedent PC ischemia in mouse heart.

Field of study: Biology, Medicine
Neurotrophin expression modulated by glucocorticoids and oestrogen in immortalized hippocampal neurons.

We have used reverse transcription followed by polymerase chain reaction amplification to investigate changes in expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) mRNA in immortalized hippocampal neurons after treatment with the glucocorticoids dexamethasone and corticosterone, the glucocorticoid antagonist RU38486, and the gonadal steroids progesterone and 17-beta oestradiol. We found that NGF mRNA levels rise after application of either dexamethasone or corticosterone, and that this rise is prevented by the antagonist. Thus, neurotrophin expression is modulated by the physiological glucocorticoid and is mediated by type II glucocorticoid receptors. Progesterone has no effect, while 17-beta oestradiol suppresses NGF mRNA in a postnatally-derived cell line but does not change levels in an embryonic line. An increase in neurotrophin expression is therefore not a general response to steroid hormone application, and may be a specific defence against the presence of metabolically endangering glucocorticoids.

Field of study: Biology
Development and Evaluation of an EMCCD Based Gamma Camera for Preclinical SPECT Imaging

The electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) offers improved quantum efficiencies (40 to 95%) over a broader range of wavelengths (400 to 900 nm) and a higher intrinsic resolution (<100 mum using photon counting) when compared to photomultiplier tubes. The electron gain achieved in the multiplication register of an EMCCD effectively reduces the readout noise to less than 1 electron/pixel, making them sensitive to single photoelectrons. Our prototype camera uses the Texas Instruments Impactrontrade EMCCD model TC253SPD-B0 (7.4 mum square pixels) which is cooled under vacuum to -50degC using a four stage Peltier and liquid heat exchanger. Shuttered lens-coupling is used to image the optical light from a 3 mm thick monolithic CsI(Tl) crystal. Precise clocking for the EMCCD is provided by a National Instruments FPGA controller (PCI-7811R) and LabVIEW FPGA module (version 8.0). A custom built electronics box contains the clock driver circuitry and 16-bit video board for digital conversion of the video signal. Our optical coupling method differs from other EMCCD SPECT systems by using lenses rather than fiber optic bundles for transfer. TC253 characterization tests measured a maximum gain just over 1000times, dark current rate of 0.14 e/p/s, read noise of 18.2 e/p, and spurious charge generation of 4 e/p. A light integration intrinsic resolution of 110 mum FWHM was measured. Light integration images of a line phantom using a single pinhole collimator were used for SPECT reconstruction. We found the relative high spurious charge generation and low quantum efficiency of the TC253 made it incapable of photon counting for low energy sources using lens coupling.

Field of study: Physics
xin ji ji gai dan bai zai ji xing xin ji sun shang zhen duan zhong de yan jiu

目的：探讨心肌肌钙蛋白(cTn-I)在急性心肌损伤诊断中的临床应用价值。方法选取急性心肌损伤的患者80例,分别检测患者的cTn-I水平,于发病后5、24、48 h、疾病好转出院前,采集患者静脉血,2 h分离出血清检测cTn-I。结果患者发病后5 h cTn-I阳性68例,发病后24 h阳性80例,发病后48 h阳性60例,出院前3例未恢复正常。结论采用cTn-I作为急性心肌损伤的诊断指标,具有较高的诊断价值,使用前景广阔。

Field of study: Medicine
Factors Influencing the Attitude of University Students’ toward Online Shopping: Evidence from Some Selected Universities of Chittagong

Online shopping is gradually becoming more popular across the globe. The current surge in the use of Facebook and other social networking sites has made it draw more attention from the young generation specifically from the students of tertiary level. This study therefore endeavors to identify the factors influencing the attitude of University students’ toward online buying of a number of Universities located in Chittagong, Bangladesh. We attempt to find out whether gender, grade, subject major, perceived safety, website construction, and price and quality of products are potential factors of online buying decision. Data are collected through a structured questionnaire. Pearson correlation and regression technique are used for analyzing the data. The empirical results show that major, perceived safety, website construction, price and quality of products have significant impact on the University students’ attitude towards online purchasing behavior.

Field of study: Business
Hetarine, IV. Nucleophile Substitution an 5‐, 6‐, 7‐ und 8‐Halogen‐Chinolinen mit Lithium‐Piperidid/Piperidin

5-, 6- und 7-Halogen-chinoline (HalBr, Cl) tauschen bei der Umsetzung mit Lithium-piperidid/Piperidin in siedendem Ather das Halogen nach dem Arin-Mechanismus uber 5.6- bzw. 7.8-Dehydro-chinolin gegen den Piperidino-Rest aus. Dabei entsteht 5- und 6- (28 : 72%) bzw. 7- und 8-Piperidino-chinolin (51 :49%). 8-Halogen-chinoline (HalJ, Br, Cl) reagieren dagegen nach dem Additions-Eliminierungs-Mechanismus unter ausschliesslicher Bildung von 8-Piperidino-chinolin.

Field of study: Chemistry
Design of Reconfigurable Microstrip Patch Antenna for WLAN Application

In this paper we propose a rectangular microstrip patch antenna with inset fed which can operate at 2.4 GHz (IEEE 802.11b) & 5.8 GHz (IEEE 802.11a) WLAN applications. Various slot is cut into the antenna structure which changes the surface current path resulting in dual resonant frequency. Further by embedding any switch into a slot, reconfiguration can be achieved i.e. the antenna can only be used in unlicensed 2.4 GHz band. The achieved directivity is greater than 5db and the bandwidth obtained is much greater than the required bandwidth. The proposed antenna is simulated using High Frequency Structure Simulator. KeywordsReconfigurable microstrip patch antenna, slots, switches, dual band, resonant frequency.

Field of study: Engineering
Medicinal chemistry and therapeutic relevance of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.

Chemical Basis of Drug Action (PHA337 and PHA447) is a required 2-semester course sequence taught to second-professional year pharmacy students at Creighton University in both the campus and distance-education pathways. The course emphasizes integration of previous content, critical thinking, and therapeutic relevance. The content and learning experiences are organized to transition the students' thinking through a constructive process that provides ample opportunities to recall and integrate previous knowledge, learn and apply new knowledge, establish a logical connection between the science and its therapeutic relevance, and finally to apply the science knowledge to predict clinical activity and clinical outcomes as can be expected in a patient. This manuscript is based on the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors as an illustration of how our course objectives are accomplished.

Field of study: Education, Medicine
Reaction of 3-Benzoyl-2,3-dibromopropionic Acid with Substituted ortho-Phenylenediamines

Abstract3-Benzoyl-2,3-dibromopropionic acid reacts with 4-substituted o-phenylenediamines to give 3-aryl-2-carboxymethylene-1,2-dihydroquinoxalines.

Field of study: Chemistry
Selection of superior trees of Vernicia fordii in the northern distribution margin description of the major traits

To advance Vernicia fordii industry and solve the problem of lacking superior trees in the northern distribution margin of tung oil tree, selection of superior tung oil trees has been conducted in Tongcheng County and Jinzhai County of Dabie Mountain since 2011. Five superior trees named as Tongcheng 1, Tongcheng 2, Jinzhai 1, Jinzhai2, and Jinzhai 3 were identified through a serial of process including resource investigation, preliminary selection, repeated selection, and final selection. The proportion of male and female flowers in all selected trees was within1:10 and the flowers could be classified as less flower inflorescence type. All trees except Jinzhai2 produced big and uniform fruits with thin smooth fruit skin and the seed oil rate was above 50%. An average yield per unit crown area could reach to 1.25 kg·m-2. All those parameters met with the standard of selecting Vernicia fordii superior trees in China. These superior individual plants could provide a basis for developing elite varieties in the northern distribution margin in China.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Survey of Anonymous Routing Protocols for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Malicious nodes in mobile ad hoc networks(MANETs) impose great threat on the security and anonymity of routing protocols.Although there is a huge amount of work in secure routing protocols,few focuses on anonymity problems recent years.Anonymous routing protocols are significantly important in military and other confidential areas because of their capability of hiding the node′s identity,location and communication relations.In this paper,a detailed survey of existing literature on anonymous routing protocols is presented.Attack behaviors in anonymous routing protocols are first identified,and the strict definition,taxonomy and anonymity evaluation metrics are also introduced.Then several typical anonymous routing protocols are generally described and their performance on security and anonymity are analyzed and compared as well.At last,some main problems and possible directions for future research are summarized and discussed.

Field of study: Computer science
AC Hopping Conductance in Nanocomposite Films with Ferromagnetic Alloy Nanoparticles in a PbZrTiO3 Matrix

In this work, the temperature and frequency dependences of the real part of the admittance [σ(f, T)] of annealed nanocomposite films containing Co45 Fe45Zr10-based nanoparticles covered with native oxides and embedded in a doped PbZrTiO3 ferroelectric matrix were studied. The nanocomposites studied were deposited by ion sputtering a complex target in a mixed Ar/O2 atmosphere followed by a 15-min annealing process (with steps of 25 K) in air in the temperature range of 398 K ≤ Ta ≤ 573 K. The σ(f, T) of the annealed samples was measured in the temperature range of 77 K < Tp < 373 K at frequencies of 50 Hz < f < 1 MHz. The observed σ(f, T) dependences confirmed that the annealed samples displayed the effects of negative capacitance over the whole frequency and temperature ranges studied because of the pronounced oxidation of the nanoparticles. The σ(f, T) dependences obtained are described using an earlier-developed AC hopping conductance model. Comparisons between experimental and simulation results allow the model parameters to be estimated, such as the activation energies of the hopping conductance and the lifetimes of the electrons in the nanoparticles.

Field of study: Materials science
Multiple Rare Risk Coding Variants in Postsynaptic Density-Related Genes Associated With Schizophrenia Susceptibility

Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating neurobiological disorder of aberrant synaptic connectivity and synaptogenesis. Postsynaptic density (PSD)–related proteins in N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor–postsynaptic signaling complexes are crucial to regulating the synaptic transmission and functions of various synaptic receptors. This study examined the role of PSD-related genes in susceptibility to schizophrenia.  We resequenced 18 genes encoding the disks large-associated protein (DLGAP), HOMER, neuroligin (NLGN), neurexin, and SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains (SHANK) protein families in 98 schizophrenic patients with family psychiatric history using semiconductor sequencing. We analyzed the protein function of the identified rare schizophrenia-associated mutants via immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry.  We identified 50 missense heterozygous mutations in 98 schizophrenic patients with family psychiatric history, and in silico analysis revealed some as damaging or pathological to the protein function. Ten missense mutations were absent from the dbSNP database, the gnomAD (non-neuro) dataset, and 1,517 healthy controls from Taiwan BioBank. Immunoblotting revealed eight missense mutants with altered protein expressions in cultured cells compared with the wild type.  Our findings suggest that PSD-related genes, especially the NLGN, SHANK, and DLGAP families, harbor rare functional mutations that might alter protein expression in some patients with schizophrenia, supporting contributing rare coding variants into the genetic architecture of schizophrenia.

Field of study: Biology
Assessing it Critical Skills and Revising the Mis Curriculum

Much research has been conducted on the critical skills required of MIS graduates and on the content of MIS curricula to provide those skills. Researchers have identified the need to continually re-assess critical skills and curricula due to the rapidly changing nature of Information Technology (IT). Recent research has created a linkage between what is taught in the curriculum and which skills should be included there. This paper extends recent linkage work by addressing some noted limitations and areas for future research. This is accomplished by including MIS faculty in the curriculum mapping process, significantly expanding the number of companies from which IT professionals assess the skills, including many small companies, and responses from a more diverse group of IT job functions. Finally, a revised curriculum is specified. These findings enable some generalizations across separate geographic regions within the U.S.

Field of study: Computer science
What is “hypermobile” water?: detected in alkali halide, adenosine phosphate, and F-actin solutions by high-resolution microwave dielectric spectroscopy

Experimental observation by high-resolution microwave dielectric spectroscopy of hydration properties of alkali halide ions, adenosine phosphate ions, and F-actin revealed the existence of hypermobile water (HMW) molecules around those solutes. To understand the molecular process of HMW, two theoretical approaches are reviewed here. One is based on a statistical mechanical approach to analyze the rotational freedom of water molecules around a charged particle. Another approach reports direct calculation of dielectric relaxation process of water molecules around an ion. Experimentally observed HMW molecules are theoretically explained with the significance of multi-correlations among an ion and water molecules.

Field of study: Chemistry
Contracting Out of Company Law: Section 459 of the Companies Act 1985 and the Role of the Courts

Since the late 1970s, company law theory has been enriched by a vociferous debate about the role of contract in explaining corporate personality. ' The advocates of the contractual cause seek to challenge traditional legal theory by arguing that companies represent a mere nexus of contracts between those various corporate actors shareholders, directors, creditors, employees, etc interested in the affairs of the company. This article seeks to join the debate and pursues two objectives. First, Section I describes and criticises the contractual approach. That approach purports to be comprehensive in its application, in the sense of addressing all corporate relationships and all classes of companies, yet the emphasis has usually been upon the larger, public company and upon the shareholder-management relationship within such companies. The focus for this article is the smaller, private company and the intershareholder relationship therein. Moreover, as much as the contractarian position seeks to offer a normative framework for all corporate contracting, it has proceeded at a relatively abstract level, failing to address itself adequately to the detail of those contracts it suggests constitute the company. This article sets out to examine the actual process and form of inter-shareholder contracting. In so doing, it emphasises the role of the judiciary in that process, and argues for the inevitability and legitimacy of limited interference in private contracting. Second, it is a theme of this article that the construction of the contract between shareholders is driven by the particular remedy which is sought. To this end, Section II focuses upon the unfair prejudice provisions of sections 459-461 of the Companies Act 1985. This appears to be the regime resorted to with growing frequency by minority shareholders, and its interpretation and application by the courts should tell us much about the judiciary's attitude towards the theoretical position advanced in Section I, as well as offering the opportunity to look at contractual construction in the context of specific remedies.

Field of study: Law
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS: Suppression of fluctuations of the intensity of harmonics in resonant frequency multiplication

An investigation is made of fluctuations of the intensities of optical harmonics generated under resonant conditions by the field of randomly modulated pump radiation. An experimental study is reported of the dependence of the relative variance of the intensity of the third harmonic on the average pump radiation intensity under conditions of a three-photon resonance involving the 3s –5p transition in sodium vapor. The results indicated the possibility of suppressing fluctuations of the harmonic intensity under saturation conditions. A theory explaining this suppression effect is put forward.

Field of study: Engineering, Physics
Geomorphological evidence and cosmogenic 10Be/26Al exposure ages for the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet

This paper presents the first systematic attempt to map the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) configuration of the southern and central parts of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet, and to determine the timing of onshore ice-sheet retreat. Geomorphologic evidence shows that the LGM ice sheet expanded to form two ice domes in Palmer Land and merged with an expanded and thicker West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Weddell Sea. Ice from the Antarctic Peninsula merged with Alexander Island ice in George VI Sound. Cosmogenic 10 Be and 26 Al data from 29 erratics on nunataks yield model ages between 7.2 ka and older than 1 Ma. The data set contains a high proportion of erratics with evidence of nuclide inheritance. Once these ages have been excluded, the cosmogenic ages suggest that thinning of the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet to near-present configuration was almost complete by the early Holocene. These data, combined with previously published 14 C data, exclude the possibility that the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet has been thinning throughout the Holocene, as has been demonstrated for some other sectors of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. On the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula, ice-sheet thinning was under way prior to the early Holocene, but our data do not constrain the ice-sheet behavior more recently than 7.2 ka.

Field of study: Geology
Postgraduate Studies: The Challenges of Research and Thesis Writing

The study considered postgraduate studies through an examination of the challenges of research and thesis writing in the University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for the study and a sample of 200 postgraduate students comprising Master's and Doctoral candidates who wrote their theses during the 2011/2012 academic session, were used. Four research questions guided the study. A questionnaire tagged "Postgraduate Studies Questionnaire" (PGSQ) was developed, validated and used for data collection. The reliability estimate of the instrument using Cronbach Alpha was 0.86. Data collected were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Findings indicated that postgraduate students at the University of Calabar experienced a variety of challenges in research and thesis writing aspects of their training. The most critical of the challenges revolved around students and institutional-related factors. However, supervisor-related factors did not pose any significant challenges to postgraduate students. Suggestions made by postgraduate students on ways of improving their research and thesis writing were that core research areas should be emphasized and taught in departmental seminars and workshops and internet facilities should be provided for students. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that periodic progress report on each postgraduate student should be submitted every semester as a feedback mechanism for monitoring progress. This will enhance proper tracking to ensure students completion on schedule. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2016.v6n3p67

Field of study: Education, Sociology
Two-phase model of damage to absorbing films by high–power optical pulses

A quantitative two-phase model is developed to analyze the contribution made by the mechanism of displacement of the melt to the damage to thin absorbing films. This contribution is considered as a function of the main characteristics of the process which are the radiation parameters, properties of the film and substrate materials and their adhesion, surface tension and viscosity of the film, and also thermophysical and optical properties, thickness of the film, and size of the exposed area.

Field of study: Engineering, Physics