nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
The Brazilian Atlantic Forest: new findings, challenges and prospects in a shrinking hotspot

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest has been explored and degraded for more than 500 years (Morellato and Haddad 2000; Ribeiro et al. 2011). The forest fragments that still exist, except in protected areas such as National Reserves and Biological Reserves, are concentrated on the tops of mountains and/or steeper slopes, where agricultural activity is difficult or unfeasible, either for access or due to the generally low soil fertility (Moreno et al. 2003). This biome is, however, recognized as one of the 35 world hotspots for conservation priorities (Myers et al. 2000; Zachos and Habel 2011), and has even been referred as a ‘‘hottest hotspot’’ (Laurance 2009), ‘‘shrinking hotspot’’ (Ribeiro et al. 2011), or ‘‘top hotspot’’ (Eisenlohr et al. 2013). It is for this reason that a special issue is devoted to these forests here. Researchers have responded to this scenario, addressing important floristic and phytogeographic features of the Atlantic Forest vegetation, and producing works revealing major implications for biodiversity conservation (e.g. Oliveira-Filho and Fontes 2000; Marques et al. 2011; Werneck et al. 2011). These studies focused on tree species, the component on which there is far more available data than on most other plant types. However, in recent years, the number of surveys dealing with other growth forms has increased, along with the inclusion of life-forms other than trees in sampling protocols and floristic surveys. Including non-tree life-forms in investigations contributes to our knowledge of the geographic limits and the historical processes acting in the Atlantic Forest, in addition to providing a sounder basis for the development and technical planning of conservation policies.

Field of study: Environmental science
Radiometer Force on the Proof-Mass of a Drag-Free Satellite

V. Conclusions Whereas all previous analyses have studied the problem in the hardening regime alone"' or in the softening regime alone,' this Note unifies both formulations. The variable axial restraint at the boundary is seen to play an important role in determining the nonlinear dynamic behavior of the beam. From the present results and earlier conclusions, *~ one may conclude that the principal causes and effects of nonlinearity are a hardening effect due to axial stretching, use of exact curvature expressions, and equilibrium equations, and a softening effect due to longitudinal inertia forces. At low values of spring constant and sienderness ratios, the effect of longitudinal inertia predominates, whereas, at high values of axial restraint and sienderness ratios, the effect of axial stretching predominates.

Field of study: Physics
The Round Complexity of General VSS

The round complexity of verifiable secret sharing (VSS) schemes has been studied extensively for threshold adversaries. In particular, Fitzi et al. showed an efficient 3-round VSS for n ≥ 3t+1 , where an infinitely powerful adversary can corrupt t (or less) parties out of n parties. This paper shows that for non-threshold adversaries, 1. Two round VSS is possible iff the underlying adversary structure satisfies Q condition; 2. Three round VSS is possible iff the underlying adversary structure satisfies Q condition. Further as a special case of our three round protocol, we can obtain a more efficient 3-round VSS than the VSS of Fitzi et al. for n = 3t+ 1. More precisely, the communication complexity of the reconstruction phase is reduced from O(n) to O(n). We finally point out a flaw in the reconstruction phase of VSS of Fitzi et al., and show how to fix it.

Field of study: Computer science, Mathematics
Effects of Contradictions Strategy on Creative Expression Performance of Fourth Grade Students – Art Stream

This research seeks to identify the effects of the contradictions strategy on the creative expression of fourth grade students – Art Stream. The two researchers applied the partially controlled experimental method to a sample consisting of (65) students divided by random drawing into two groups: an experimental group or Class B consisting of (32) students and control group or Class D consisting of (33) students. The researchers matched between the two groups by the following variables: age of students calculated in months, parents' educational level, last year's Arabic language grades and creative expression grades prior to the experiment. The researchers drew up (60) behavioral goals out of the topics, which were taught in the experiment and prepared typical teaching plans for the two groups. They also chose a series of consecutive tests as a tool for measuring the level of students after teaching each topic and used appropriate statistical methods to draw the results. At the end of the experiment, the researchers came to the following results: The students of the experimental group who were taught by the contradictions strategy outmatched the students of the control group who were taught by regular methods. The researchers recommended that it is necessary to use the teaching method based on the contradictions strategy and hold courses for teachers to train them on it. They also suggested conducting a study similar to this one on students from other grades.

Field of study: Education
Occurrence and expression of bacterial human virulence gene homologues in natural soil bacteria.

The presence and in vitro expression of homologues to 22 bacterial human virulence determinants amongst culturable soil bacteria were investigated. About 25% of the bacterial isolates contained virulence gene homologues representing toxin (hblA, cytK2), adhesin (fimH), regulator (phoQ) and resistance (yfbI) determinants in pathogenic bacteria. The homologues of the toxin genes were found in Actinobacteria and Firmicutes (hblA), and in Firmicutes and Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria (cytK2). The homologues to the type 1 fimbrial adhesin gene, fimH, and the L-Ara4N transferase gene, yfbI, were observed in Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria. The regulator gene, phoQ, was only found in Gammaproteobacteria. The presence of cytK2 in Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria, fimH in Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, and hblA in Actinobacteria has not previously been described. A close sequence similarity (84-100%) was observed between the genes of environmental and clinical isolates, and expression assays suggested that the genes in some cases were expressed in vitro. The presence of functional virulence gene homologues underpins their importance for the survival of environmental bacteria. Furthermore, the high degree of sequence conservation to clinical sequences indicates that natural environments may be 'evolutionary cribs' of emerging pathogens.

Field of study: Biology, Environmental science
The Relationship between Hypomagnesemia and Pulmonary Function Tests in Patients with Chronic Asthma

To investigate the relationship between serum values of magnesium and the parameters of the pulmonary function tests (PFT) in patients with chronic asthma.  This study recruited 50 patients with chronic stable asthma and 40 healthy individuals as a control group. Data on age, sex, severity of asthma, PFT, and details of drug therapy were obtained from each group. Serum magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and sodium levels were also measured. To evaluate differences between groups, the Student t test or Mann-Whitney U test was performed for continuous variables, and the χ2 test for categorical variables.  In the asthma group, 10% (n = 9) of the patients had hypomagnesemia and 5.5% (n = 5) had hypophosphatemia. Patients with asthma were divided into two groups: the hypomagnesemic group (n = 9) and the normomagnesemic group (n = 41). Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1%, peak expiratory flow (PEF), and PEF% were lower in the hypomagnesemic group than in the normomagnesemic group (p = 0.02). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed a statistically significant association between hypomagnesemia and PFT in the hypomagnesemic asthmatic group. The correlations of age with FEV1, FEV1%, PEF, and PEF% were as follows: p = 0.00, r = 0.29; p = 0.00, r = 0.43; p = 0.03, r = 0.22; p = 0.00, r = 0.38; and p = 0.03, r = 0.22, respectively. The correlation of serum magnesium levels with PFT (FEV1, FEV1%, PEF, PEF%) were as follows: p = 0.001, r = 0.29; p = 0.001, r = 0.43; p = 0.03, r = 0.22; and p = 0.001, r = 0.38, respectively. The other electrolytes were within the normal range in both groups.  In this study, hypomagnesemia and hypophosphatemia were found to be the most common electrolyte abnormalities in patients with chronic stable asthma. FEV1, FEV1%, PEF, and PEF% were significantly lower in asthmatic patients with hypomagnesemia compared to asthmatic patients with normomagnesemia.

Field of study: Medicine
Alkaline Diet and Metabolic Acidosis: Practical Approaches to the Nutritional Management of Chronic Kidney Disease.

The kidneys play an extremely important role in maintaining the body acid–base balance by excreting nonvolatile acids and regenerating and reabsorbing bicarbonate in the kidney tubules. As the individual loses their kidney function, renal excretion of nonvolatile acid produced by metabolism of the diet is impaired, resulting in low-grade metabolic acidosis. With this in mind, it is relevant to better understand the dietary aspects related to the acid–base balance in chronic kidney disease metabolic acidosis and try to provide possible strategies for the nutritional management of these cases. The type of diet can deeply affect the body by providing acid or base precursors. Generally speaking, foods such as meat, eggs, cheese, and grains increase the production of acid in the organism, whereas fruit and vegetables are alkalizing. On the other hand, milk is considered neutral as well as fats and sugars, which have a small effect on acid–base balance. The modern Western-type diet is deficient in fruits and vegetables and contains excessive animal products. Thus metabolic acidosis may be exacerbated by a contemporary Western diet, which delivers a high nonvolatile acid load. The remaining acid is neutralized or stored within the body. Bone and muscle are lost to neutralize the acid and serum bicarbonate falls. Early studies suggest that lowering the dietary acid load with a reduced protein content and vegetable proteins replacements, associated with an increase in fruits and vegetables intake can improve the metabolic parameters of acidosis, preserve bone and muscle, and slow the glomerular filtration rate decline. More studies focusing on the effects of controlled dietary interventions among chronic kidney disease patients are needed to determining the optimal target for nutritional therapy.

Field of study: Medicine
Electromagnetic Shielding Material Effects on the Ordnance Store Protection

A kind of entity modeling and simulation method of the electromagnetic shielding research is put forward based on the FEKO software for ammunition warehouse wall with different properties and thickness of protective coatings. Simulation shows that it can significantly improve the high frequency electromagnetic field shielding effectiveness for adding the carbon powder, steel fiber and other conductive materials in the concrete, but not much effect on low frequency electromagnetic field. Metal coating with low electrical conductivity of the composite coating has higher shielding effectiveness with increase of the external electromagnetic field frequency and intensity, it has high shielding effectiveness for metal coating with low conductivity of the composite coating. The shielding effectiveness is gradually reduced for seam hole, but at 0.7 ~ 0.8 GHz resonance occurs, the shielding effectiveness of the worst, the shielding effectiveness on the Ordnance depot has a effect for reinforced steel bar mesh size and network mode, and the diameter of hole seam shape and size, it provides technical support and method for the ammunition electromagnetic protection etc.

Field of study: Engineering
Victim and Perpetrator Accounts of Interpersonal Transgressions: Self-Serving or Relationship-Serving Biases?

Two studies investigated perpetrator and victim biases in reported transgressions. Study 1 showed that in nonromantic relationships, perpetrators were more likely than victims to emphasize details that minimized their transgressions, whereas victims were more likely to exaggerate the severity of the event. Study 2 examined these perspective-related differences in romantic relationships and their relationship to forgiveness. Although victims were less likely than perpetrators to include features that minimized the event, they were no more likely to include features that magnified the event; individuals in highly satisfying relationships were less likely to exhibit self-serving biases than were individuals in less satisfying relationships. The data also were consistent with a causal sequence in which positive relationship quality led to more benign interpretations of a transgression, which in turn, promoted forgiveness.

Field of study: Psychology
Deriving boundary layer height from aerosol lidar using machine learning: KABL and ADABL algorithms

The atmospheric boundary layer height (BLH) is a key parameter for many meteorological applications, including air quality forecasts. Several algorithms have been proposed to automatically estimate BLH from lidar backscatter profiles. However recent advances in computing have enabled new approaches using machine learning that are seemingly well suited to this problem. Machine learning can handle complex classification problems and can be trained by a human expert. This paper describes and compares two machine-learning methods, the K-means unsupervised algorithm and the AdaBoost supervised algorithm, to derive BLH from lidar backscatter profiles. The K-means for Atmospheric Boundary Layer (KABL) and AdaBoost for Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ADABL) algorithm codes used in this study are free and open source. Both methods were compared to reference BLHs derived from colocated radiosonde data over a 2-year period (2017–2018) at two Meteo-France operational network sites (Trappes and Brest). A large discrepancy between the root-mean-square error (RMSE) and correlation with radiosondes was observed between the two sites. At the Trappes site, KABL and ADABL outperformed the manufacturer's algorithm, while the performance was clearly reversed at the Brest site. We conclude that ADABL is a promising algorithm (RMSE of 550 m at Trappes, 800 m for manufacturer) but has training issues that need to be resolved; KABL has a lower performance (RMSE of 800 m at Trappes) than ADABL but is much more versatile.

Field of study: Environmental science
The BEST PATHS Project on MgB2 Superconducting Cables for Very High Power Transmission

BEST PATHS (acronym for “BEyond State-of-the-art Technologies for rePowering Ac corridors and multi-Terminal HVDC Systems”) is a collaborative project within the FP7 framework of the European Commission that includes an MgB2-based power transmission line among its five constituent demonstrators. Led by Nexans and bringing together transmission operators, industry and research organizations, this demonstrator aims at validating the novel MgB2 technology for very high power transfer (gigawatt range). The project foresees the development of a monopole cable system operating in helium gas in the range of 5-10 kA/200-320 kV, corresponding to a transmitted power from 1 to 3.2 GW. The main research and demonstration activities that will be pursued over the four-year project duration are: 1) development and manufacturing of MgB2 wires and of the cable conductor; 2) design and manufacturing of the HVDC electrical insulation of the cable; 3) optimization of the required cryogenic system; 4) electromagnetic field analysis; 5) design and construction of a prototype electrical feeding system, including terminations and connectors; 6) testing of the demonstrator; 7) study of grid connection procedures and integration of a superconducting link into a transmission grid; and finally, 8) a socio-economic analysis of the MgB2 power transmission system. CIGRE recommendations will be used to take into account the established international practices, and guidance will be given on newly addressed technical aspects. An overview of the project is presented in this paper, including the main tasks and challenges ahead, as well as the partners and their roles.

Field of study: Physics
Dextral strike-slip faulting in the Cariboo Mountains, British Columbia: a natural example of wrench tectonics in relation to Cordilleran tectonics

The Cariboo Mountains, British Columbia, contain an intracontinental dextral strike-slip fault system that crosscuts the regional fold structures. This fault system accounts for a minimum of 120 km and a maximum of 200 km of dextral strike-slip displacement. This probably accommodates some of the motion associated with the southern termination of the Northern Rocky Mountain Trench Fault and is part of a step-over zone between the Northern Rocky Mountain Trench Fault and the Fraser River  Straight Creek fault systems. The Isaac Lake Synclinorium is a kilometre-scale Jurassic fold structure that is bounded by the dextral oblique Isaac Lake and Winder strike-slip faults. These faults are part of the regional strike-slip fault system that is found throughout the Cariboo Mountains. Deformation associated with the strike-slip faults is complex and is partitioned into motion along the faults and into the formation of kilometre-scale folds that are found in areas between the faults. The angular relationship betw...

Field of study: Environmental science
The inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1α) RNAse inhibitor, 4µ8C, is also a potent cellular antioxidant.

Inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-transmembrane endonuclease that is activated in response to ER stress as part of the unfolded protein response (UPR). Chronic activation of the UPR has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many common diseases including diabetes, cancer, and neurological pathologies such as Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease. 7-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromene-8-carbaldehyde (4µ8C) is widely used as a specific inhibitor of IRE1α ribonuclease activity (IC50 of 6.89 µM in cultured cells). However, in this paper, we demonstrate that 4µ8C acts as a potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, both in a cell-free assay and in cultured cells, at concentrations lower than that widely used to inhibit IRE1α activity. In vitro we show that, 4µ8C effectively decreases xanthine/xanthine oxidase catalysed superoxide production with an IC50 of 0.2 µM whereas in cultured endothelial and clonal pancreatic β-cells, 4µ8C inhibits angiotensin II-induced ROS production with IC50 values of 1.92 and 0.29 µM, respectively. In light of this discovery, conclusions reached using 4µ8C as an inhibitor of IRE1α should be carefully evaluated. However, this unexpected off-target effect of 4µ8C may prove therapeutically advantageous for the treatment of pathologies that are thought to be caused by, or exacerbated by, both oxidative and ER stress such as endothelial dysfunction and/or diabetes.

Field of study: Biology, Computer science
[Pharmacodynamics of 5-(1,3,3-trimethylindolinyl)N,N-dimethyl carbamate in mice].

5-(1,3,3-Trimethylindolinyl) N, N-dimethyl carbamate (TMDMC) is a strong cholinesterase inhibitor. The concentration (C) in blood of mice was measured after ip TMDMC 1.5 mg/kg and the % inhibition of blood and brain cholinesterases were calculated by following equations: 
Ln[Eblood/(100-Eblood)]=3.58+/-0.9941 ln Cblood 
Ln[Ebrain/(100-Ebrain)]=1.91+/-ln Cblood 
The inhibition of brain cholinesterase was estimated by the following equation from the degree of blood cholinesterase inhibited. 
ln Ebrain=3.67 Eblood+3.69 
Measuring the extent of miosis (M) of mice following in TMDMC 1.0, 0.5, 0.25 mg/kg the blood concentration (C) was calculated by the equation: 
Ln (M/(100-M))=3.65+1.006 ln C

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry, Medicine
Get agriculture out of the hole : small talk

The festive season presents us with an opportunity to make a fresh start with solving our agricultural problems. We can all take heart from the Chilean experience that saw 33 miners rescued from the most impossible hole in which anyone could ever fear to have been trapped. We hope that all South Africans, especially those who take care of our agricultural future, can draw inspiration from the world-inspiring factors that overcame this almost insurmountable problem.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Affinity purification and subunit structures of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases A and B from boar epididymis.

beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidase from boar epididymis was separated into two forms, A and B, on DEAE-cellulose. Both these forms were excluded from Sepharose S-200 and had apparent Mr values of 510 000 on gradient gel electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions. Affinity chromatography on 2-acetamido-N-(6-aminohexanoyl)-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosylam ine coupled to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B was used to separate and purify beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases A and B that had specific activities of 115 and 380 mumol/min per mg of protein respectively. Sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of denatured beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase A gave a single major component of Mr 67 000. beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidase B also had this component, and in addition had polypeptides of Mr 29 000 and 26 000. All these polypeptides were glycosylated. Antiserum to the B form precipitated form A from solution and reacted with the 67 000-Mr component or form A after electrophoretic transfer from sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellulose sheets. The 67 000-Mr components of forms A and B yielded identical peptide maps when digested with Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase, and the 29 000-Mr and 26 000-Mr components in form B may be related to the 67 000-Mr polypeptide.

Field of study: Biology, Computer science
Radical Addition of Diethyl Carbonate to Pentafluoropropen-2-yl Benzoate

The reactivity in radical addition of diethyl carbonate to pentafluoropropen-2-yl benzoate [CF 2 =C(CF 3 )OCOC 6 H 5 ] (BPFP) was investigated to afford the one-to-one addition product by the carbon-carbon bond formation in the presence of dibenzoyl peroxide at 80 °C. The reaction took place predominantly on the methylene group of diethyl carbonate. The mechanism of the hydrogen abstraction from diethyl carbonate followed by the addition to BPFP was proposed. This might be the first example that shows an addition of an organic compound bearing carbonyl group to a polyfluorinated vinyl compound. The method may be a facile way to prepare pentafluoroalkyl-substituted organic compounds by the formation of carbon-carbon bonds with the aid of fluorine atoms. The radical addition reaction of dipropyl carbonate, ethyl methyl carbonate, dibenzyl carbonate and ethylene carbonate to BPFP showed no peaks assignable to addition products by the analysis of reaction systems with GC-MS.

Field of study: Chemistry