nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Structure of Sonic Hedgehog protein in complex with zinc(II) and magnesium(II) reveals ion-coordination plasticity relevant to peptide drug design.

The Hedgehog pathway is an essential cell-signaling paradigm implicated in cancer tumorigenesis and the developmental disorder holoprosencephaly, making it an attractive target for therapeutic design. The N-terminal domain of the Sonic Hedgehog protein (Shh-N) is the essential signaling molecule in the Hedgehog pathway. In this role Shh-N interacts with its cognate membrane receptor Patched, as well as the regulatory proteins HHIP and CDO, by utilizing interfaces harboring one or more divalent ions. Here, the crystal structure of human Shh-N is presented at 1.43 Å resolution, representing a landmark in the characterization of this protein. The structure reveals that the conserved Zn2+-binding site adopts an atypical octahedral coordination geometry, whereas an adjacent binding site, normally occupied by binuclear Ca2+, has been supplanted by a single octahedrally bound Mg2+. Both divalent sites are compared with those in previous Shh-N structures, which demonstrates a significant degree of plasticity of the Shh-N protein in terms of divalent ion binding. The presence of a high Mg2+ concentration in the crystallization medium appears to have influenced metal loading at both metal ion-binding sites. These observations have technical and design implications for efforts focused on the development of inhibitors that target Shh-N-mediated protein-protein interactions.

Field of study: Chemistry
Continuous gas fermentation by Acetobacterium woodii in a submerged membrane reactor with full cell retention.

Acetogenic bacteria like Acetobacterium woodii represent an ancient group of anaerobic microorganisms which use hydrogen and carbon dioxide to produce acetate. Cell concentrations and space-time yields are usually low in gas fermentations. A standard stirred‑tank bioreactor with continuous gas supply was equipped with a customized submerged microfiltration unit. A. woodii showed similar growth behavior with an initial maximal growth rate of 1.2 d(-1) in continuous gas fermentations with full cell retention and varying dilution rates. A steady increase of cell mass concentrations was observed with the highest biomass formation at the highest dilution rate. By contrast the final acetate concentrations were lowest at the highest dilution rate. The highest final acetate space-time yield of 148 g l(-1) d(-1) was measured at the highest dilution rate (increase by factor 8 compared to a standard batch process or by factor 37 compared to published data). The highest reported cell concentration of A. woodii in gas fermentations of nearly 14 g l(-1) cell dry weight was achieved in the submerged membrane bioreactor with increased yeast extract concentrations in the feed medium. Product inhibition was observed when acetate concentrations exceeded 8-12 g l(-1) causing a steady decrease in cell mass specific acetate production rates.

Field of study: Biology, Engineering
Tectonic significance of gravity and magnetic variations along the Lithoprobe Southern Canadian Cordillera Transect

Correlation of potential field data to regional geological features within the Lithoprobe southern Canadian Cordillera transect corridor allows characterization of anomaly patterns according to their likely sources. Long-wavelength Bouguer gravity anomalies are attributed to isostatic effects of topography, which in most areas is compensated. Two notable exceptions occur: in the Foreland belt a large positive isostatic anomaly is likely due to mechanical support of topography formed as Cordilleran thrust sheets were emplaced over the thick craton, and on the west coast, isostatic anomalies are related to active subduction. Long-wavelength magnetic anomalies in the Foreland belt are associated with cratonal basement beneath the thrust sheets, and these can be followed westward to near the Omineca belt. A prominent positive magnetic anomaly along the western Coast belt is probably associated with mafic rocks generated during subduction. Elsewhere, relatively short wavelength gravity and magnetic anomalies c...

Field of study: Environmental science
Consistency of the Tikhonov’s regularization in an ill-posed problem with α-mixing random data

In this article, we establish exponential inequalities for the probability of the distance between the approximated solution and the exact one for an operator equation with an exact right-hand side. In addition, the second member of the operator equation is observed with α-mixing random errors. These inequalities yield the almost complete convergence of the approximate solution.

Field of study: Mathematics
Genes, Roommates, and Residence Halls: A Multidimensional Study of the Role of Peer Drinking on College Students' Alcohol Use.

Peer drinking is one of the most robust predictors of college students' alcohol use and can moderate students' genetic risk for alcohol use. Peer effect research generally suffers from 2 problems: selection into peer groups and relying more on perceptions of peer alcohol use than peers' self-report. The goal of the present study was to overcome those limitations by capitalizing on a genetically informed sample of randomly assigned college roommates to examine multiple dimensions of peer influence and the interplay between peer effects and genetic predisposition on alcohol use, in the form of polygenic scores.



We used a subsample (n = 755) of participants from a university-wide, longitudinal study at a large, diverse, urban university. Participants reported their own alcohol use during fall and spring and their perceptions of college peers' alcohol use in spring. We matched individuals into their rooms and residence halls to create a composite score of peer-reported alcohol use for each of those levels. We examined multiple dimensions of peer influence and whether peer influence moderated genetic predisposition to predict college students' alcohol use using multilevel models to account for clustering at the room and residence hall level.



We found that polygenic scores (β = 0.12), perceptions of peer drinking (β = 0.37), and roommates' self-reported drinking (β = 0.10) predicted alcohol use (all ps < 0.001), while average alcohol use across residence hall did not (β = -0.01, p = 0.86). We found no evidence for interactions between peer influence and genome-wide polygenic scores for alcohol use.



Our findings underscore the importance of genetic predisposition on individual alcohol use and support the potentially causal nature of the association between peer influence and alcohol use.

Field of study: Medicine
Characteristics of HfO2 and SiO2 on p-type silicon wafers using terahertz spectroscopy

The effect of high-κ dielectric HfO2 films on 200 mm diameter p-type silicon substrates was investigated and compared with conventional dielectric material, SiO2. We employed all-optical characterization methods using terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy and visible cw pump/THz probe spectroscopy. Measurements were performed on two sets of samples, each set containing both HfO2 and SiO2 coated wafers with varying thickness of oxide layer. One set had a protective coating of either photoresist or Si3N4 deposition above the oxide layer which in turn was on a heavily doped p+ layer on p-type silicon. The samples exhibited similar linear transmission in the THz frequency range studied. However, when using an Ar+-ion laser as an optical pump source, differential measurements (with and without the pump source) showed that the transmission was far smaller for the high-κ dielectric HfO2 films than its conventional dielectric SiO2 counterparts, indicating the presence of large photo-generated carrier density in the p-type substrate.

Field of study: Materials science
Contribution of the Channel Electron Multiplier to the Race of Vacuum Tubes Towards Picosecond Resolution Time

The ability to tightly pack millions of microscopic secondary emitting channels into a two-dimensional, very thin, array known as a microchannel plate (MCP) provides excellent electrical charge or current amplification associated with an extremely short response time as well as very good spatial resolution. The ultimate performances in spatial and temporal resolutions achieved by MCP-based vacuum devices are discussed and illustrated by the description of a large range of experimental prototypes (photomultipliers, oscilloscope tubes, streak camera tubes, etc.) designed and produced at LEP, then tested in cooperation with Nuclear Research and Plasma Physics Centers in Europe and USA.

Field of study: Physics
An estimation of secretory activity of the mammary gland during lactation in the rat

1)乳腺の重量を計ることによつて乳汁分泌機能の程度を比較することが出来る。2)ラツトでは分娩後始めの略10日間が泌乳の上昇期であり10日頃より20日頃までが最盛期,

Field of study: Biology
Le Canada face aux transitions de puissance à travers ses énoncés politiques, 1964–2017

One of the most heated debates in international relations today is the relative decline of the United States in the face of China’s rise. Dubbed “post-American,” this system calls into question the international order supported by the United States for more than half a century. To better understand the challenge that such a power transition may pose for Canada, this article looks back to see how Canadian governments have perceived and adapted to systemic changes. The article examines perceptions of polarity and their threatening nature, as well as national roles and implementation strategies as stated in foreign and defence policy statements published between 1964 and 2017. Two main findings stand out. First, the Canadian perception of the international structure has emphasized multipolarity for more than 50 years. Second, the predominant national role in Canada has ranged from being a reliable ally of the United States to being a good citizen of the world. This suggests that a shift in Canada’s national role is likely to occur even though Canada’s internationalist strategies will remain constant despite the perception of a global power transition to the East.

Field of study: Political science
Can a Catholic be an Obstetrician-Gynecologist?

The Catholic Church, over the years, has had a lot to say about issues related to the medical practice of an obstetrician-gynecologist. Perhaps more than any other single specialty, this group of physicians must deal with the Church's teachings in a variety of areas related to reproductive issues. In 1968, for example, the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae l , written by Pope Paul VI, reiterated the Church's traditional condemnation of contraception, sterilization and abortion. In 1987, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released An Instruction on the Respectfor Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation (Donum Vitae2). This instruction examined such critical issues as in vitro fertilization (IVF), experimentation on human embryos, surrogate motherhood, prenatal diagnosis and therapeutic procedures for the human embryo, infertility in marriage and legislation related to procreation. A fundamental concern of this instruction was that human life be respected: the embryo must be treated as a person and defended in its integrity. More recently, on March 25, 1995, Pope John Paul II released his comprehensive encyclical letter The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae3). In this encyclical, Pope John Paul II reiterated the teachings of Humanae Vitae and Donum Vitae. In addition, he challenged us to recognize "the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life"4 (emphasis in the original). I have heard those involved in the education of young obstetriciangynecologists say that "One can't be a complete obstetrician-gynecologist unless one also provides contraception, sterilization and abortion services." While abortion continues to be somewhat controversial within the profession it is clear that obstetrics and gynecology, as a speciality, has become monolithic in its

Field of study: Medicine, Philosophy
Toward a Stakeholder-Focused Curriculum: Examining Specific University Program Offerings against Competencies Provided by the U.S. Department of Labor

Providing students with an education that employers view as relevant and valuable is an ever-increasing challenge for universities. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework that university professors can use to examine their own program offerings against competencies deemed important by the U.S. Department of Labor. This paper focuses on specific competencies for success in technical sales. Faculty and employers are surveyed, and results indicate a high level of congruence between their opinions. However, some important differences did emerge between the two groups. These results are presented and discussed, along with the implementation of results to redevelop program curriculum.

Field of study: Education
Dispersionsmessungen an CsBr und CaF2 im fernen Ultrarot und bei Millimeterwellen

ZusammenfassungIn der vorliegenden Arbeit wird über Absorptionsmessungen an CsBr und CaF2 im Spektralbereich zwischen 0,4 und 3,5 mm Wellenlänge berichtet. Die Messungen erfolgten an planparallelen Platten mittels eines Interferenzmodulator-Spektrometers mit thermischem Strahler und mittels eines optischen Mikrowellen-Spektrometers mit einer Vervielfacheranordnung als Strahlungsquelle. Als Resultat wird der Absorptionskoeffizientk angegeben. Es zeigt sich, daß sein Verlauf nicht durch klassische Dispersionsformeln dargestellt werden kann.

Field of study: Physics
Dune activity as a record of late Quaternary aridity in the Northern Kalahari: new evidence from northern Namibia interpreted in the context of regional arid and humid chronologies

Sediments from presently vegetated linear dune ridges in the Caprivi Strip of northern Namibia are optically dated to assess the timing of dune building phases, and aridity, in the late Quaternary. The dunes have been constructed from sediments likely to have been initially transported into the area by fluvial processes. Dune sediments do not preserve obvious evidence of hiatuses in deposition in the dated period 48–121 ka, but continuous deposition (and therefore continuous aridity) is considered unlikely given differences in dated phases compared with chronologies from western Zimbabwe (to the southeast) and western Zambia (to the north) that include ages derived from the same equivalent sampling depths. Laboratory experiments provide evidence that dune sediments have not been bioturbated since deposition, such that sample palaeodoses determined from different sampling depths are a true reflection of the duration of sediment burial. Independent chronologies from cave sediments provide evidence that humid episodes have occurred in the region within the dated range of dune construction. It is concluded that dune construction in the late Quaternary has been punctuated, that the preserved record reflects the attributes of the aeolian processes that affect linear dune development, and that the late Quaternary record of dune building in the Middle and Northern Kalahari was spatially complex.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Significance of extreme temperament in infancy for clinical status in pre-school years. II: Patterns of temperament change and implications for the appearance of disorders.

Few, if any, of children's behavioural or cognitive characteristics assessed in the first years of life demonstrate stability until later childhood; early characteristics have so far failed to show an association with future psychopathology. This longitudinal study, from 4-8 months to 4.7 years old, focused on stability and change of extreme temperamental traits in groups of infants subselected from a large birth cohort. Persistent extreme temperament at four and eight months old did not increase stability of temperament to four years of age, relative to other children in the whole population. Sizeable change occurred, and the environmental parameters associated with negative temperamental change did not seem to be the same as those related to positive change. Boys with extreme scores were more stable, while girls appeared more prone to positive change. It is hypothesised that the direction of temperamental change in the first years could be more meaningful for long-term prediction of disorders than any one assessment of temperament taken at any one year.

Field of study: Medicine, Psychology
Cadmium stress suppresses lateral root formation by interfering with the root clock.

A biological clock activated by oscillating signals, known as root clock, has been linked to lateral root (LR) formation and is essential for regular LR spacing along the primary root. However, it remains unclear how this internal mechanism is influenced by environmental factors known to affect the LR pattern. Here, we report that excessive cadmium (Cd) inhibits LR formation by disrupting the lateral root cap (LRC)-programmed cell death (PCD)-regulated root clock. Cd restricts the frequency of the oscillating signal rather than its amplitude. This could be attributed to the inhibition on meristematic activity by Cd, which resulted in decreased LRC cell number and LRC-PCD frequency. Genetic evidence further showed that LRC cell number is positively correlated with root resistance to Cd. Our study reveals root cap dynamics as a novel mechanism mediating root responses to Cd, providing insight into the signaling pathways of the root clock responding to environmental cues.

Field of study: Environmental science
Determination of Trace Level Microcystins in Water by Fully Automated Online Solid Phase Extraction Coupled with High Performance Liquid Chromatography

A fully automated online solid phase extraction(online SPE)-HPLC method was developed for the determination of three trace level microcystins(MCs) in water samples.The sample was first injected by autosampler to the online SPE column continuously followed by clean-up using loading pump with gradient program.Then the online SPE column was introduced to the analytical flow path by valve switching and the analytes were back-flushed to the analytical column using analytical pump for further determination.The Acclaim PA cartridge(10 mm×4.3 mm×5 μm) was employed as online SPE column and the Acclaim PA2(150 mm×4.6 mm×3 μm) as analytical column,the flow of loading pump was set at 2.0 mL/min while the analytical pump was 1.0 mL/min.Gradient programs were used for the sample clean-up and determination in both pumps.The detection wavelength was set at 238 nm,the injection volume was 10 mL and the total analysis time was 20 min.Good linearity from 0.5 to 10 μg/L(R20.9996) for each microcystin were obtained with a limit of detection(LOD) of 0.1 μg/L(S/N3).The repeatability was got from 6 injections of standard solution with peak area RSD1.6%.The results showed that the proposed method could be used for the determination of trace level microcystins in water samples.

Field of study: Chemistry
Note on Curiosity and Intelligence of School Children

As findings regarding the relationship between curiosity and intelligence have not been entirely consistent (1, 3, 4 ) , the Primary Mental Abilities Test was administered to 67 white children in Grade 5 who also rated themselves as to level of curiosity ( 2 ). The scale has 41 items such as "I like to explore strange places," which logically seem related to curiosity. The scale had previously been found to discriminate between groups of children high and low in curiosity. A split-half reliability corrected for attenuation was .91. The Primary Mental Abilities Test purports to measure several independent factors of intelligence. Significant Pearson product-moment correlations between intelligence and curiosity were observed; for boys, r = .38 and for girls, r = .54. For the girls, the correlation accounted for about 30% of the variance of the measures.

Field of study: Psychology
Time Resolved Imaging: From logical states to events, a new and efficient pattern matching method for VLSI analysis

Time Resolved Imaging (TRI) allows real time imaging of transitions in CMOS gates even for very deep submicron technologies at low power supply voltage. Anyway, the measured timing information differs from waveform measurement where logical states are easily extracted. We first introduce logical event with a 1 value when we have transition from one logical state to its complement (0-1 or 1-0) or 0 value when there is no change between 2 vectors. Events can be extracted from TRI database and then used for a very accurate and efficient pattern matching method. In this paper, we demonstrate how we move from logical state to events and the extreme accuracy of pattern matching. Results are shown on 45 nm CMOS technology.

Field of study: Engineering
Ergosterol-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles with
enhanced in vitro antitumor activity and oral bioavailability

Ergosterol is a plant sterol with anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic activities, but is poorly soluble. In this study, we attempted to enhance its anti-tumor action and oral bioavailability via poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticle encapsulation.Ergosterol-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (NPs/Erg) were prepared using the emulsion/solvent evaporation technique. Their physicochemical properties were characterized, and their cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines was evaluated with MTT assay. The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of NPs/Erg were investigated in rats and mice, respectively.NPs/Erg were spherical in shape with a particle size of 156.9±4.8 nm and a Zeta potential of -19.27±1.13 mV, and had acceptable encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity. NPs/Erg exerted much stronger cytotoxicity against human cancer cells than the free ergosterol, and showed significantly reduced IC50 values (14.69±0.48 μg/mL in glioma U251 cells; 9.43±0.52 μg/mL in breast cancer MCF-7 cells; 4.70±0.41 μg/mL in hepatoma HepG2 cells). After oral administration of a single dose in rats, NPs/Erg displayed a prolonged plasma circulation with a 4.9-fold increase of oral bioavailability compared with the free ergosterol. After mice received NPs/Erg, the ergosterol in NPs/Erg was rapidly distributed in stomach, kidneys, liver, brain, spleen, and virtually non-existent in heart and lungs. The presence of NPs/Erg in brain was particularly improved compared with the free ergosterol.The PLGA nanoparticles serve as a promising carrier for the poorly soluble ergosterol and significantly improve its bioavailability, biodistribution and in vitro anti-tumor activities.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry, Medicine
Competing ordered phases in URu2Si2: hydrostatic pressure and rhenium substitution.

A persistent kink in the pressure dependence of the "hidden order" (HO) transition temperature of URu(2-x)RexSi2 is observed at a critical pressure P(c)=15 kbar for 0 <or= x <or= 0.08. In URu2Si2, the kink at P(c) is accompanied by the destruction of superconductivity, a change in the magnitude of a spin excitation gap, determined from electrical resistivity measurements; and a complete gapping of a portion of the Fermi surface (FS), inferred from a change in scattering and the competition between the HO state and superconductivity for FS fraction.

Field of study: Physics
Radiative seesaw mechanism and degenerate neutrinos.

The radiative seesaw mechanism of Witten generates the right-handed neutrino masses in SO(10) with the spinorial 16(H) Higgs field. We study here analytically the 2nd and 3rd generations for the minimal Yukawa structure containing and Higgs representations. In the approximation of small 2nd generation masses and gauge loop domination we find the following results: (1) beta-tau unification, (2) natural coexistence between large theta(l) and small theta(q), and (3) degenerate neutrinos.

Field of study: Physics