nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
L-type calcium channel activation up-regulates the mRNAs for two different sodium channel alpha subunits (Nav1.2 and Nav1.3) in rat pituitary GH3 cells.

Calcium entry through L-type Ca2+ channels has been shown to increase the number of Na+ channels in GH3 cells, a clonal line of rat pituitary cells. To test whether this Ca2+ influx affects the levels of Na+ channel mRNAs, we first examined which Na+ channel subunits are expressed in GH3 cells. By using RT-PCR with specific primers, we detected transcripts for four alpha subunits (Nav1.1, Nav1.2, Nav1.3 and Nav1.6) and two auxiliary subunits (beta1 and beta3) of Na+ channels in total RNA from control GH3 cells. Next, we optimized the RT-PCR conditions to allow detection of cDNAs in the linear range of the assay. These conditions were then used to assess the transcript levels of Na+ channels after chronic exposure (72 h) of GH3 cells to the L-type Ca2+ channel blocker nimodipine (1 microM) or the L-type channel agonist Bay K 8644 (0.5 microM). Nimodipine treatment caused a moderate reduction (approximately 30%) of the mRNA for Nav1.2 and a marked reduction (approximately 70%) of the mRNA for Nav1.3, whereas treatment with Bay K 8644 produced 90-130% increases in these same mRNAs. There were no concomitant changes in the mRNAs for Nav1.1 and Nav1.6. Moreover, beta1 and beta3 mRNA levels were also unchanged. Thus, GH3 cells express multiple Na+ channel subunits and L-type Ca2+ channel activity up-regulates in a specific way the mRNAs for Nav1.2 and Nav1.3. These findings improve our knowledge on the molecular diversity of Na+ channels in pituitary cells and extend the actual view about the regulation of Na+ channel gene expression by Ca2+ influx.

Field of study: Biology
Enantioselective degradation of the herbicide mecoprop [2-(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy) propionic acid] by mixed and pure bacterial cultures

A consortium of three bacteria was isolated from top soil through their capacity to utilise the chlorinated, aromatic herbicide mecoprop as a single growth substrate. The consortium constituted a tight association of Alcaligenes denitrificans, Pseudomonas glycinea and Pseudomonas marginalis. The culture exclusively degraded the (R)-(+)-isomer of the herbicide while the (S)-(−)-enantiomer remained unaffected. The mecoprop-degrading community could also degrade 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid and racemic 2-phenoxypropionic acid. Initially, no single member of the consortium was able to degrade mecoprop as a pure culture but after prolonged incubation, A. denitrificans was able to grow on the herbicide as the sole source of carbon and energy.

Field of study: Biology, Environmental science
Effect of Water Deprivation and Injections of Hypertonic Saline on the Activity of Rats

Activity was measured in 5 independent groups of 10 rats assigned to each of 4 conditions, water deprived in wheels and stationary cages, saline injected in wheels and stationary cages. A significant increase in wheel running but not in stationary cage activity followed deprivation. Injections of hypertonic saline resulted in a significant decrease in wheel running and stationary cage activity. Three-hour cumulative water intake increased as an increasing function of hr. of water deprivation and amount of saline injected. While saline injections can induce water intake and facilitate instrumental responding, they do not affect activity in the same manner as water deprivation.

Field of study: Psychology
Direct and stable weight adjustment in non‐experimental studies with multivalued treatments: analysis of the effect of an earthquake on post‐traumatic stress

In February of 2010, a massive earthquake struck Chile, causing devastation in certain parts of the country, a↵ecting other areas, and leaving territories untouched. Two months after the earthquake, Chile’s Ministry of Social Development re-interviewed a representative subsample to its National Socioeconomic Characterization Survey (CASEN), completed two months before the earthquake, thereby creating a prospective longitudinal survey with detailed information of the same individuals before and after the earthquake. In this paper, we use a new weighting method for non-experimental studies with multi-valued treatments to estimate the impact of levels of exposure to the earthquake on posttraumatic stress. Unlike common weighting approaches for multi-valued treatments, this new method does not require explicit modeling of the generalized propensity score and instead focuses on directly balancing the covariates across the multi-valued treatments with weights that have minimum variance. As a result, the weighting estimator is stable and approximately unbiased. Furthermore, the weights are constrained to avoid model extrapolation. We illustrate this new method in a simulation study, both with categorical and continuous treatments. The results show that directly targeting balance instead of explicitly modeling the treatment assignment probabilities, tends to provide the best results in terms of bias and root mean square error. Using this method, we estimate the impact of the intensity of the earthquake on posttraumatic stress. We implement this method in the new package msbw for R.

Field of study: Mathematics
Monoclonal antibodies produced against VP3 of a novel mud crab dicistrovirus.

Mud crab dicistrovirus (MCDV) is a recently identified single-stranded positive RNA virus, which causes serious economic loss. The three structural proteins of MCDV were separated by SDS-PAGE. In this study, a recombinant MCDV-VP3 was successfully expressed by an Escherichia coli expression system. After immunization and cell fusion, three mouse hybridomas (1G6H9, 1E7B8, 4B6E10) producing MAbs against MCDV-VP3 were established. The MAbs obtained were fully characterized using indirect ELISA and Western blot analysis. The ELISA results showed that the titers of MAbs were in the range of 1:3.200×10(3) in culture fluids and 1:2.048×10(5) in ascitic fluids. Using Western blot analyses, we observed the specific characteristic band that defines VP3. It demonstrated that all the MAbs were directed against MCDV-VP3. The results of immunogold transmission electron microscopy (IEM) suggested that MCDV-VP3 is the capsid protein of MCDV. The preparation of MAbs specific to the structure protein of MCDV would be useful for studying the function of the structure proteins and the mechanism of infection and pathogenesis of MCDV.

Field of study: Biology
Electron-beam-excited KrF laser with a pump power density of 1.6 GW·liter−1·atm−1

An experimental investigation was made of an electron-beam-excited KrF laser with a gas mixture at pressures of 1–5 atm. At the optimal pressure of a mixture with the Ar : Kr : F2 = 300:30:13.3 atm composition, a laser output energy of 8.8 J with a half-height pulse duration of ~70 nsec was obtained from a volume of 0.45 liters. The efficiency was 4.5%. Investigations of the active medium indicated that it should be possible to achieve an efficiency of ~10% and a specific output energy of ~40–50 J/liter, although this would require resonator optics having a high optical strength (>15 MW/cm2).

Field of study: Engineering, Physics
An analysis of defect densities found during software inspections

Software inspection is a technical evaluation process for finding and removing defects in requirements, design, code, and tests. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, tailored Fagan's original process of software inspections to conform to its software development environment in 1987. Detailed data collected from 203 inspections during the first three years of experience at JPL included averages of staff time expended, pages covered, major and minor defects found, and inspection team size. The data were tested for homogeneity. Randomized samples belonging to the various phases or treatments were analyzed using the completely randomized block design analysis of variance (α = 0.05). The results showed a significantly higher density of defects during requirements inspections. The number of defect densities decreased exponentially as the work products approached the coding phase because defects were fixed when detected and did not migrate to subsequent phases. This resulted in a relatively flat profile for cost to fix. Increasing the pace of the inspection meeting decreased the density of defects found. This relationship held for major and minor defect densities, although it was more pronounced for minor defects.

Field of study: Computer science, Engineering
Main Vanilla Pests and Diseases in Hainan Province

An occurrence survey on main vanilla pests and diseases was carried out during 2008～2009 in Hainan Province.The results showed that there were nine kinds of vanilla pests and diseases,including vanilla root rot disease,vanilla Phytophthora disease,vanilla bacterial soft rot disease,vanilla virus disease,vanilla southern blight disease,vanilla Elsinoe veneta,vanilla Adoxophyes cyrtosema and Helopeltis fasciaticollis Piouys etc.Vanilla root rot disease,vanilla phytophthora disease,vanilla bacterial soft rot disease and vanilla virus disease were broader and serious.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Aboveground carbon loss associated with the spread of ghost forests as sea levels rise

Coastal forests sequester and store more carbon than their terrestrial counterparts but are at greater risk of conversion due to sea level rise. Saltwater intrusion from sea level rise converts freshwater-dependent coastal forests to more salt-tolerant marshes, leaving ‘ghost forests’ of standing dead trees behind. Although recent research has investigated the drivers and rates of coastal forest decline, the associated changes in carbon storage across large extents have not been quantified. We mapped ghost forest spread across coastal North Carolina, USA, using repeat Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) surveys, multi-temporal satellite imagery, and field measurements of aboveground biomass to quantify changes in aboveground carbon. Between 2001 and 2014, 15% (167 km2) of unmanaged public land in the region changed from coastal forest to transition-ghost forest characterized by salt-tolerant shrubs and herbaceous plants. Salinity and proximity to the estuarine shoreline were significant drivers of these changes. This conversion resulted in a net aboveground carbon decline of 0.13± 0.01 TgC. Because saltwater intrusion precedes inundation and influences vegetation condition in advance of mature tree mortality, we suggest that aboveground carbon declines can be used to detect the leading edge of sea level rise. Aboveground carbon declines along the shoreline were offset by inland aboveground carbon gains associated with natural succession and forestry activities like planting (2.46± 0.25 TgC net aboveground carbon across study area). Our study highlights the combined effects of saltwater intrusion and land use on aboveground carbon dynamics of temperate coastal forests in North America. By quantifying the effects of multiple interacting disturbances, our measurement and mapping methods should be applicable to other coastal landscapes experiencing saltwater intrusion. As sea level rise increases the landward extent of inundation and saltwater exposure, investigations at these large scales are requisite for effective resource allocation for climate adaptation. In this changing environment, human intervention, whether through land preservation, restoration, or reforestation, may be necessary to prevent aboveground carbon loss.

Field of study: Environmental science
Analysis of last statements prior to execution: methods, themes and future directions

Worldwide, over 1000 people were executed in 2016 and over 3000 sentenced to death. Death row prisoners have high rates of mental illness, often combined with neurological impairment. Prolonged confinement has further negative effects on psychological function. There is a growing literature examining key themes and psychological constructs in death row prisoners immediately prior to execution. To date, this literature centres largely but not exclusively on last statements from death row in Texas, owing to ease of availability. The most common themes in last statements are love, spirituality and apology or regret. The most common psychological constructs are 'identification-egression' (e.g. attachment to a lost person or ideal, such as freedom), unbearable psychological pain and rejection-aggression. This is still a relatively new area of research and new techniques, such as computerised quantitative text analysis, are likely to complement rather than replace more traditional forms of thematic and textual analysis. For the future, it is essential that studies in this field continue to specify precisely, which last statements they use, so that overlap can be identified, and that more countries are studied (if possible). It would also be useful to expand the research frame to relate the content of last statements to additional variables relating to prisoners' offences, physical health, mental health, family structure and broader circumstances. Finally, ethical issues require continued consideration in this complex, fascinating, growing field.

Field of study: Medicine
Research on Opinion Classification of Stock Recommendations Based on Discourse Structure

The paper applies the method of opinion classification to the field of opinion analysis of stock forecasting.After the analysis of the discourse structure of stock recommendations,it extracts the title and the forecasting sentences and constructs Title Classifier and Body Classifier using SVM algorithm which can be fused by selecting appropriate thresholds and weights to classify recommendations into three categories(positive,neutral,and negative).To compare with PMI algorithm and SVM algorithm not based on the discourse structure,recall and precision of our System increase nearly 10%,reaching 88.0% and 86.8% respectively.

Field of study: Computer science
Inclusive Education in Cameroon: Challenges and Prospects

This paper centres on inclusive education in Cameroon. The study assessing the limitations of the Cameroonian education system in inclusive education; identifying the challenges faced by teachers in managing learners with special needs and proposing a way forward for the success of inclusive education in Cameroon. Two inclusive schools were used CEFED Inclusive Nursery and Primary School Santa and Model Bilingual Nursery and Primary School Nkwen. This descriptive survey made use of a questionnaire, an interview guide, and an observation guide as instruments for data collection, all constructed by the researchers. The sample of the study was 20 teachers purposively selected from the two inclusive schools under investigation. The self-delivery method was used to collect the data. Data analysis was descriptive with the use of frequency counts and percentages. The findings indicated that teachers have insufficient knowledge on effective classroom management strategies in inclusive classrooms (75%); Teachers’ professional training does not meet the challenges in inclusive classrooms (70%); Teachers use abstract materials in teaching pupils in inclusive classrooms (75%) of the 20 teachers of the study used only abstract materials in their teaching; and that teachers have limited competences in teaching inclusive classrooms (75%). It was concluded among others that all teacher training colleges and universities should include inclusive education as a subject in their curriculum so that the graduates are empowered with skills to teach pupils with special needs.

Field of study: Education
Top trading with fixed tie-breaking in markets with indivisible goods

We study markets with indivisible goods where monetary compensations are not possible. Each individual is endowed with an object and a preference relation over all objects. When preferences are strict, Gale's top trading cycle algorithm finds the unique core allocation. When preferences are not necessarily strict, we use an exogenous profile of tie-breakers to resolve any ties in individuals' preferences and apply Gale's top trading cycle algorithm for the resulting profile of strict preferences. We provide a foundation of these simple extensions of Gale's top trading cycle algorithm from strict preferences to weak preferences. We show that Gale's top trading cycle algorithm with fixed tie-breaking is characterized by individual rationality, strategy-proofness, weak efficiency, non-bossiness, and consistency. Our result supports the common practice in applications to break ties in weak preferences using some fixed exogenous criteria and then to use a “good and simple” rule for the resulting strict preferences. This reinforces the market-based approach even in the presence of indifferences because always competitive allocations are chosen.

Field of study: Economics
Industrial concessions, fires and air pollution in Equatorial Asia

Forest and peatland fires in Indonesia emit large quantities of smoke leading to poor air quality across Equatorial Asia. Marlier et al (2015 ) explore the contribution of fires occurring on oil palm, timber (wood pulp and paper) and natural forest logging concessions to smoke emissions and exposure of human populations to the resulting air pollution. They find that one third of the population exposure to smoke across Equatorial Asia is caused by fires in oil palm and timber concessions in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Logging concessions have substantially lower fire emissions, and contribute less to air quality degradation. This represents a compelling justification to prevent reclassification of logging concessions into oil palm or timber concessions after logging. This can be achieved by including logged forests in the Indonesian moratorium on new plantations in forested areas.

Field of study: Environmental science
Transfer Metric Learning: Algorithms, Applications and Outlooks

Distance metric learning (DML) aims to find an appropriate way to reveal the underlying data relationship. It is critical in many machine learning, pattern recognition and data mining algorithms, and usually require large amount of label information (such as class labels or pair/triplet constraints) to achieve satisfactory performance. However, the label information may be insufficient in real-world applications due to the high-labeling cost, and DML may fail in this case. Transfer metric learning (TML) is able to mitigate this issue for DML in the domain of interest (target domain) by leveraging knowledge/information from other related domains (source domains). Although achieved a certain level of development, TML has limited success in various aspects such as selective transfer, theoretical understanding, handling complex data, big data and extreme cases. In this survey, we present a systematic review of the TML literature. In particular, we group TML into different categories according to different settings and metric transfer strategies, such as direct metric approximation, subspace approximation, distance approximation, and distribution approximation. A summarization and insightful discussion of the various TML approaches and their applications will be presented. Finally, we indicate some challenges and provide possible future directions.

Field of study: Computer science
Time-domain oversampled lapped transforms: theory, structure, and application in image coding

This paper generalizes time-domain lapped transforms (TDLTs) proposed by Tran et al. to oversampled systems, thus leading to time-domain oversampled lapped transforms (TDOLTs). These new transforms correspond to a subclass of oversampled linear-phase perfect reconstruction filterbanks (OLPPRFBs), which can be implemented by adding a prefilter before the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and a post-filter after the inverse discrete cosine transform (IDCT). Structures of the pre- and post-filters are developed, and the frame-theoretic properties of TDOLTs are analyzed. A new parameterization of lattice matrices through the Givens-QR factorization is proposed for unconstrained optimization. Comparisons with other parameterization methods are also included. Several design examples, along with some image coding results, are presented to demonstrate the validity of the theory and the potential of TDOLTs in image coding, especially in error-resilient coding.

Field of study: Engineering
Does hunting affect the demography and genetic structure of the greywing francolin Francolinus africanus?

Hunted and unhunted populations of greywing francolin Francolinus africanus have been studied in the eastern Cape Province of South Africa in order to understand the effects of hunting on the demography and genetic structure of these populations. Greywing population density cycled annually for both hunted and unhunted populations. However, there was an apparent ‘pulse’ of immigration of sub-dominant birds, and earlier reproduction, in the hunted populations immediately after the winter hunting season. Average levels of allozyme heterozygosity (H) for hunted and unhunted populations were both 0.076, and although the proportion of polymorphic loci per sample and the mean number of alleles per locus for each sample were lower for the hunted populations than for the unhunted populations, these differences were not significant. However, the hunted populations displayed higher levels of outbreeding (lower FIS and FIT values) than those for unhunted populations. Therefore, it is concluded that although greywing francolin populations contain relatively high levels of genetic heterogeneity, it is probably the increased levels of local immigration following hunting which reduces the effects of any reduction in genetic variation due to a decrease in local population size from hunting.

Field of study: Environmental science
A study of an innovative teenager physical health promotion management mode

Innovating the teenager physical health promotion management mode, perfecting the management mechanism, and improving management manners and methods, are important ways to enhance teenager health promotion working efficiency and to effectively solve the problem of teenager fitness deterioration. The authors defined teenager physical health promotion related concepts based on management science and health promotion theories, and then innovatively established a matrix type physical health promotion management organization structure that combines linear organization with expert led project management, designed a linear and advisor authority operating mechanism, and applied it to the working practice of teenager physical health promotion management in Jiangsu province.

Field of study: Education
Laser measurements of solid-particle rebound parameters impacting on2024 aluminum and 6A1-4V titanium alloys

Description d'une methode experimentale utilisee pour l'obtention des coefficients de restitution de particules. L'analyse des resultats des mesures du phenomene de collision obtenus grâce a un velocimetre laser a effet Doppler, donne les coefficients de restitution en fonction de l'angle d'incidence. L'erosion des metaux ayant subi des collisions avec des petites particules de poussiere peut etre calculee si on connait les coefficients de restitution

Field of study: Physics
复发性流产患者蜕膜自然杀伤细胞亚群Fas表达的研究

近年来研究发现,Fas-FasL在母胎免疫耐受中起重要作用,即表达FasL的滋养细胞能够杀伤入侵到胎盘绒毛的表达Fas的淋巴细胞,从而使滋养细胞免受母体免疫细胞的破坏.以往大多数研究重点放在母胎界面T细胞的凋亡上,而对妊娠早期蜕膜组织的主要淋巴细胞、NK细胞的凋亡报道较少,我们通过用流式细胞术检测复发性流产(RSA)患者外周血和蜕膜组织淋巴细胞、NK细胞亚群的数量及Fas抗原的表达,探讨NK细胞凋亡在RSA发病中的可能机制。

Field of study: Biology