nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Female hypospadias with vaginal stones: a rare congenital anomaly.

To highlight the unusual and late presentation of the rare congenital urethral anomaly of female hypospadias and its management.



We report on four cases (aged 18-65 years; mean 34 years and 3 months) of female hypospadias; two presented with urinary incontinence, recurrent UTI since birth and dyspareunia, and two were diagnosed during catheterization following retention of urine. One of the younger patients had vaginal stones. We reached the diagnosis by catheterization, voiding cysto-urethrogram and panendoscopy. A periurethral vaginal flap urethroplasty was performed in three layers with excellent results in three cases, and one patient was managed conservatively.



Results were excellent in the three cases treated surgically. Patients were continent after urethroplasty and were happy to pass urine in a stream with complete emptying of the bladder for the first time in their life. Two of them had fertility problems due to urogenital septal defects and are undergoing appropriate treatment.



Vaginal voiding leads to urinary stagnation in the vagina causing urinary pseudo-incontinence and vaginal stones. Early diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion.

Field of study: Medicine
Anomalous peak effect in iron-based superconductors Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ($x \approx$ 0.69 and 0.76) for magnetic-field directions close to the $ab$ plane

We report magnetic torque measurements on iron-pnictide superconductors Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ($x \approx$ 0.69 and 0.76) up to an applied field of $B_a$ = 45 T. The peak effect is observed in torque-vs-field curves below the irreversibility field. It is enhanced and becomes asymmetric as the field is tilted from the $c$ axis. For field directions close to the $ab$ plane, increasing- and decreasing-field curves peak at markedly different fields, and exhibit a sharp jump, suggestive of a first-order phase transition, on the high- and the low-field side of the peak, respectively. Complicated history dependence of the torque is observed in the peak-effect region. We construct and discuss the temperature ($T$)--applied-magnetic-field ($B_a$) phase diagram.

Field of study: Physics
The influence of surgical correction on white matter microstructural integrity in rabbits with familial coronal suture craniosynostosis.

Craniosynostosis is a condition in which one or more of the calvarial sutures fuses prematurely. In addition to the cosmetic ramifications attributable to premature suture fusion, aberrations in neurophysiological parameters are seen, which may result in more significant damage. This work examines the microstructural integrity of white matter, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in a homogeneous strain of rabbits with simple, familial coronal suture synostosis before and after surgical correction.  After diagnosis, rabbits were assigned to different groups: wild-type (WT), rabbits with early-onset complete fusion of the coronal suture (BC), and rabbits that had undergone surgical correction with suturectomy (BC-SU) at 10 days of age. Fixed rabbit heads were imaged at 12, 25, or 42 days of life using a 4.7-T, 40-cm bore Avance scanner with a 7.2-cm radiofrequency coil. For DTI, a 3D spin echo sequence was used with a diffusion gradient (b = 2000 sec/mm(2)) applied in 6 directions.  As age increased from 12 to 42 days, the DTI differences between WT and BC groups became more pronounced (p < 0.05, 1-way ANOVA), especially in the corpus callosum, cingulum, and fimbriae. Suturectomy resulted in rabbits with no significant differences compared with WT animals, as assessed by DTI of white matter tracts. Also, it was possible to predict to which group an animal belonged (WT, BC, and BC-SU) with high accuracy based on imaging data alone using a linear support vector machine classifier. The ability to predict to which group the animal belonged improved as the age of the animal increased (71% accurate at 12 days and 100% accurate at 42 days).  Craniosynostosis results in characteristic changes of major white matter tracts, with differences becoming more apparent as the age of the rabbits increases. Early suturectomy (at 10 days of life) appears to mitigate these differences.

Field of study: Medicine
The robustness of phase-locking in neurons with dendro-dendritic electrical coupling

We examine the effects of dendritic filtering on the existence, stability, and robustness of phase-locked states to heterogeneity and noise in a pair of electrically coupled ball-and-stick neurons with passive dendrites. We use the theory of weakly coupled oscillators and analytically derived filtering properties of the dendritic coupling to systematically explore how the electrotonic length and diameter of dendrites can alter phase-locking. In the case of a fixed value of the coupling conductance ($$g_c$$) taken from the literature, we find that repeated exchanges in stability between the synchronous and anti-phase states can occur as the electrical coupling becomes more distally located on the dendrites. However, the robustness of the phase-locked states in this case decreases rapidly towards zero as the distance between the electrical coupling and the somata increases. Published estimates of $$g_c$$ are calculated from the experimentally measured coupling coefficient ($$CC$$) based on a single-compartment description of a neuron, and therefore may be severe underestimates of $$g_c$$. With this in mind, we re-examine the stability and robustness of phase-locking using a fixed value of $$CC$$, which imposes a limit on the maximum distance the electrical coupling can be located away from the somata. In this case, although the phase-locked states remain robust over the entire range of possible coupling locations, no exchanges in stability with changing coupling position are observed except for a single exchange that occurs in the case of a high somatic firing frequency and a large dendritic radius. Thus, our analysis suggests that multiple exchanges in stability with changing coupling location are unlikely to be observed in real neural systems.

Field of study: Biology, Mathematics
Regulation of Fc-induced IL-6 from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Previous experiments demonstrated that aggregated immunoglobulin and the Fc fragment of human IgG can induce interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion from peripheral blood monocytes. The data herein indicate that Fc-induced IL-6 is modulated by IL-1, IL-4 and interferon (IFN-gamma). When added with Fc fragments, IL-1 and IFN-gamma increased IL-6 production. IL-4 added with Fc fragment did not influence IL-6 production although IL-4 added with LPS was inhibitory to IL-6 production. However, when PBMC were pre-treated with IL-4, IL-4 downregulated Fc-induced IL-6 secretion. The inhibitory effect of IL-4 in the pre-treatment phase could be overcome with a high concentration of IFN-gamma added with the IL-4. Both IL-4 and IFN-gamma acted in a dose- and time-dependent manner. By dot blot analysis, IL-6 mRNA production appeared to be decreased in amount and duration by IL-4 whereas IFN-gamma increased the amount of IL-6 mRNA production. Hence, IL-4 and IFN-gamma appear to have opposing effects and may play a balancing role in the regulation of IL-6 production secondary to Fc exposure.

Field of study: Medicine
Conversion of thyroxine into tri-iodothyronine by rat liver homogenate.

By using a highly specific radioimmunoassay the formation of tri-iodothyronine by the deiodination of thyroxine was studied in rat liver homogenate. Several observations suggest that the reaction observed is enzymic in nature. Pre-heating the homogenate for 30 min at 56 degrees C completely abolished conversion of thyroxine into tri-iodothyronine; the component of rat liver homogenate responsible could be saturated with substrate; iodotyrosines displayed competitive activity. Between 0 degrees and 37 degrees C, the tri-iodothyronine-production rate was positively correlated with incubation temperature. The addition of NAD+ enhanced conversion into tri-iodothyronine, which suggests that an oxidative mechanism is involved. 5-Propyl-2-thiouracil and 6-propyl-2-thiouracil, both known to prevent deiodination in vivo, greatly decreased the deiodiantion activity of rat liver homogenate.

Field of study: Biology, Computer science
Notiz zur Synthese von 3-(Arylimino)carbazinsäure-alkylestern und N-(Arylazo)alkansäureamiden

Aromatische Nitrosoverbindungen reagieren mit Carbazinsaure-alkylestern und Alkansaure-hydraziden in Gegenwart von Essigsaure unter Wasserabspaltung. Nach diesem allgemeinen Verfahren sind die 3-(Arylimino)carbazinsaure-alkylester und N-(Arylazo)alkansaureamide (1,3-disubstituierte Triazene) 3 sehr vorteilhaft und mit guten Ausbeuten darstellbar. 
 
 
 
Note on the Synthesis of Alkyl 3-(Arylimino)carbazates and N-(Arylazo)alkanamides 
 
 
 
Aromatic nitroso compounds react with alkyl carbazates and alkanohydrazides in the presence of acetic acid with elimination of water. This general method provides a very convenient route to alkyl 3-(arylimino)carbazates and N-(arylazo)alkanamides (1,3-disubstituted triazenes) 3, which can be prepared in good yields.

Field of study: Chemistry
Effect of Heating Rate on Austenization Temperature of 20MnSi Steel

The influences of heating rate on austenization temperature of 20MnSi steel were systematically explored by DIL805A/D dilatometer.The results show that the heating rate has a significant effect on Ac1 and Ac3.Ac1 increases with the increase of heating rate,the temperature range needed for austenization decreases,the rate of forming austenite increases.

Field of study: Materials science
A STRUCTURE LINE RECEPTANCE METHOD FOR ANALYSIS OF POWER FLOW IN A CLYLINDRICAL SHELL WITH A FLOOR PARTITION

For the analysis of plate-shell coupled structures,the coupling edges should be divided by lots of points to calculate if the substructure point receptance method is applied,which is inconvenient.To solve this problem,an improved substructure line receptance method is presented here.Firstly,a coupled model of a cylindrical shell with a floor partition is obtained,based on the substructure theory.Secondly,a modal expansion method is utilized to get the line receptance of the cylindrical shell and the floor partition separately.As a result,vibrating velocities of the plate and the shell can be acquired,to calculate the power flows of the system.Eventually,comparison is carried out among the results calculated by substructure line receptance methods,ANSYS and AutoSEA,respectively.It shows that the method presented here is effective to analyze the vibration power flow characteristics of plate-shell coupled structures over a wide frequency range and the calculation process is simpler compared with that of the substructure point mobility method.Thus,this method is especially suitable for complex structures coupled with lines.

Field of study: Engineering
The class I alcohol dehydrogenase gene is glucocorticoid-responsive in the rat hepatoma microcell hybrid cell line, 11-3.

Expression of the class I alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) gene in the rat hepatoma microcell hybrid cell line, 11-3, was examined. The steady-state level of ADH mRNA in 11-3 was approximately 2-fold higher than that or rat liver and Fao, the parental cell line of 11-3. Removal of steroid hormones by activated charcoal from the serum in which 11-3 cells were maintained resulted in a significant decrease in the level of ADH transcript. Dexamethasone at a concentration of 1 muM increased the ADH mRNA content in 11-3 in a time-dependent fashion, up to 48 hr after its addition to cells that had first been deprived of steroid hormones. In addition, levels of ADH transcript in cells treated with dexamethasone increased in a dose-dependent manner, and the concentration of dexamethasone required to achieve half-maximal activation was 5 nM. By using the techniques of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction, and by taking advantage of a restriction polymorphism present between the rat and mouse ADH cDNA, we found that 11-3 contained both the rat and mouse class I ADH transcripts, although the rat sequence accounted for the great majority. Moreover, levels of both rat and mouse class I ADH transcripts increased in a similarly time-dependent manner in cells treated with dexamethasone. These results indicate that expression of class I ADH gene in 11-3 is high and is regulated by glucocorticoids, making the cell line an excellent model for the in vitro study of ADH expression.

Field of study: Medicine
Can Scanlon avoid redundancy by passing the buck

Scanlon suggests a buck-passing account of goodness. To say that something is good is not to give a reason to, say, favour it; rather it is to say that there are such reasons. When it comes to wrongness, however, Scanlon rejects a buck-passing account: to say that j ing is wrong is, on his view, to give a sufficient moral reason not to j. Philip Stratton-Lake 2003 argues that Scanlon can evade a redundancy objection against his (Scanlon’s) view of wrongness by adopting a buck-passing account of wrongness. We argue that this manoeuvre does not succeed. Scanlon’s notion of wrongness rests on the idea of a reasonably rejectable principle. As Stratton-Lake points out, Scanlon offers two accounts, one in terms of permission, the other in terms of proscription. The permission account is tricky to formulate. Scanlon’s account (quoted in Stratton-Lake 2003: 71) might suggest any of the following four formulations (where the principles in question are principles ‘governing how one may act’ (Scanlon 1998: 195):

Field of study: Philosophy
Liver glutathione content and glutathione-dependent enzymes of two species of freshwater fish as bioindicators of chemical pollution.

Glutathione content and glutathione-dependent enzymes were measured in the liver of two fish species, gudgeon (Gobio gobio) and roach (Rutilus arcasii), from the river Bernesga (Spain) caught downstream and upstream of the waste site of several chemical industries. Animals from contaminated sites display a reduced glutathione concentration and a tendency to the decrease of glutathione S-transferase activity. Glutathione peroxidase activity was significantly elevated only in the liver of Gobio gobio and glutathione reductase activity in that of Rutilus arcasii. Our data indicate that the glutathione system constitutes a sensitive biochemical indicator of chemical pollution. Relative changes of glutathione and glutathione-dependent enzymes in both fish species suggest a different susceptibility to toxins.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
First observation of excited states in 197At: the onset of deformation in neutron-deficient astatine nuclei


Excited states in the Z= 85 nucleus 197At have been identified for the first time using the recoil-decay-tagging (RDT) technique. The excitation energy of these states is found to be consistent with the systematics of neutron-deficient astatine nuclei and with theoretical calculations indicating that the nucleus may be deformed in its ground state.

Field of study: Physics
THE SCHEME OF POTIPHAR’S WIFE: FROM CLASSICAL TRADITION TO EUGENE O’NEILL

The aim of the present paper is to introduce a literary topos called the scheme of Potiphar’s wife, its development in literary history and its recreation in Eugene O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms (1924). Taking into consideration the three factors established by Laguna Mariscal for a literary topos (content, literary form, and historical development), the evolution of this topos in The Egyptian Tale of Two Brothers, the biblical Book of Genesis, Homer’s Iliad, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Euripides’s Hippolytus, Seneca’s Phaedra and O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms is surveyed. It is argued that the story of Potiphar’s wife is part of a long-standing topos that has been developed through the literary history. The recreation of this topos in O’Neill’s play, as one permutation of this topos, while evoking several Classical sources, especially the Hippolytus by Euripides, is at the same time a creative adaptation, aimed to match the historical context of twentieth century America.

Field of study: History
Puerarin Enhances Ca2+ Reuptake and Ca2+ Content of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum in Murine Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes via Upregulation of SERCA2a

The embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (ES-CMs) serve as potential sources for cardiac regenerative therapy. However, the immature sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) function of ES-CMs prevents its application. In this report, we examined the effect of puerarin, an isoflavone compound, on SR function of murine ES-CMs.  Murine ES-CMs were harvested by embryoid body-based differentiation method. Confocal calcium imaging and whole-cell patch clamps were performed to assess the function of SR. The mRNA expression levels of SR-related genes were examined by quantitative PCR. The protein expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) was evaluated by immunofluorescent and western blot.  Long-term application of puerarin promotes basic properties of spontaneous calcium transient with increased amplitude, decay velocity, and decreased duration. Puerarin fails to alter ICa,L but increases the Ca2+ content of SR. Puerarin-treated ES-CMs have intact SR Ca2+ cycling with more SR Ca2+ reuptake. Long-term application of puerarin asynchronously upregulates the mRNA and protein expression of SERCA2a, as well as the transcripts of calsequestrin and triadin in developing ES-CMs. Application of puerarin during the stage of post-cardiac differentiation upregulates dose-dependently the transcripts of SERCA2a, phospholamban and tridin which can be reversed by the inhibitors of the PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways, but shows no effect on the protein expression of SERCA2a.  This study demonstrates that long-term puerarin treatment enhances Ca2+ reuptake and Ca2+ content via upregulation of SERCA2a.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry
[Evolutionary characterization of HA1 of influenza H1N1 hemagglutinin gene surveyed in 1981-2005 in China].

To understand the evolutionary characterization of HA1 of H1N1 influenza virus HA gene circulaing from 1981 to 2005 in China, viral RNAs of 370 H1N1 strains were extracted and transcribed into cDNA by reverse transcriptase and amplified by PCR. The products of PCR were sequenced. The sequences were analyzed through biometic software. The results showed that all the four antigenic sites were mutated, bigger change occurred on the Sb and Ca sites; the 130 loop of receptor binding sites(RBS) of HA1 amino acid deleted at the 134th site in 1991 firstly, then the number of the deleted strains were increasing, since 2000, all the strains had deleted at the 134th site, and simultaneously, the amino acid at 137th site was substituted by S for T. The change of HA1 glycosylation sites was found and 7 sites kept stable from 2000 to 2005. The H1N1 strains of the same year almost clustered in the same group on the phylogenetic tree and were irrelevant to virus isolated time and area. There appeared two groups of 2005 H1N1 virus strains that differed in time of virus isolation.

Field of study: Biology
Do We Need a Rule Against Perpetuities

England, like almost all other common law jurisdictions, has until now retained a so-called 'rule against perpetuities'1 limiting the period of time for which the identity of persons unconditionally entitled to property in trust funds is permitted by law to remain unascertainable. In a recent Consultation Paper,2 the Law Commission has expressed the provisional view that the rule should be either abolished or reformed.3 The Commission has rejected the options of either leaving the rule unamended or replacing it with a new rule; but it has not yet reached a preference between abolition and reform.4 This article will consider the options.

Field of study: Law
The mental health residential care study: classification of facilities and description of residents.

The NHS is no longer a virtual monopoly provider of mental health residential care. This makes it difficult to assess the volume, range and adequacy of local provision.



Local data collectors used standard instruments to collect detailed information about 368 facilities (with 1951 residents) providing mental health residential care in eight districts. Because local definitions were inconsistent, facilities were reclassified on the basis of facility size and extent of day and night cover. The eight categories of accommodation are compared on levels of staffing, staff qualifications and the characteristics of their residents.



There was a nearly threefold variation between districts in the total number of residential places available per unit of population, and even greater variation in the number of places with 24-hour waking cover. Most residents have long-term, severe mental illness and severe impairment. Long-stay wards accommodate people who pose greater risk of violence than do the two types of non-hospital facility with 24-hour waking cover (P < 0.001). The former also employ a much greater proportion of staff with formal care qualifications and, in particular, nursing qualifications than the latter (49% v. 15%, P < 0.001).



It is suggested that one consequence of the diversification in provision of mental health residential accommodation has been a relative reduction in the proportion of provision available to the most severely disabled. This might apply particularly to those who pose a risk of acting violently.

Field of study: Medicine, Psychology
B.R.Ambedkar and his Philosophy on Indian Democracy: An Appraisal

The main goal of the study is to analyze and evaluate critically the idea of B.R.Ambedkar, the great Indian constitution maker, regarding Indian democracy and to capture the position of Ambedkar on issues whose relevance is even felt at present. Analyzing the idea of democracy of Ambedkar in details, it can be found out that Ambedkar had unshakeable faith in democracy. In his conception of exploitation less society, democracy has an extra-ordinary role which he defined as one person, one vote'; and 'one vote, one value'. Democracy means empowerment of any person for participating in the process of decision-making relating to her/him, democracy means liberty, equality and fraternity - Ambedkar's definition of democracy had such a tone. This research gives closer and analytical insight into the thoughts of Ambedkar and provides an answer to the question of whether we, the Indian, achieve religious tolerance, human equality and freedom, true democracy, gender respect in the society, justice and peace in the light of political philosophy of Ambedkar whose memory will ever guide the nation on the path of justice, liberty and equality.

Field of study: Education
Determinants of Land Degradation and Fragmentation in Semiarid Vegetation at Landscape Scale

The objective of this paper was to investigate the sensitivity to degradation of semiarid plant communities in terms of plant cover and fragmentation, quantifying relationships between landscape characteristic (physical, socio-economical and historical) and vegetation degradation. The degradation of vegetation was measured as the degree of coverage of the two dominant vegetation types (i.e. tall arid brush and tall grass steppe), while fragmentation was measured as patch size and isolation. Data were obtained using GIS tools, and analyzed by logistic regression and linear multivariate regression. Results showed denser coverage at more elevated, gradual slopes that were not sea-oriented. Historical elements of the landscape had a significant effect on current natural vegetation. According to the fragmentation patterns, the vegetation is in fairly good condition (medium coverage had the largest patches but dense coverage was less isolated) but attention must be given to preserve vegetation, due to the relationships between fragmentation and human activities. Moreover, the protection plan under way in the area appeared to favour denser vegetation cover, while human activities had a measurable effect on vegetation degradation.

Field of study: Environmental science