nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Occurrence of a nitro metabolite of a defined nonylphenol isomer in soil/sewage sludge mixtures.

Uniformly [14C]-ring-labeled 4-(3,5-dimethyl-3-heptyl)phenol (353-nonylphenol) is a highly relevant isomer of the technical nonylphenol mixture. We studied the sorption, desorption, and degradation of the synthesized isomer in an agricultural sandy loam at various soil/sewage sludge ratios. Sorption of 353-nonylphenol was high and differed with the amount of suspended soil in water. log Koc values, which are used to assess the risk of nonylphenol, ranged from 3.80 to 5.75. Desorption was slow and low and resulted in constant concentrations of about 15 ng/L353-nonylphenol in water after several desorption steps. In degradation studies up to 6% of the applied 353-nonylphenol in soil was volatilized; we consider this an important source of nonylphenol in the environment. With increasing amounts of sewage sludge in the soil/sewage sludge mixtures, 353-nonylphenol was stabilized, probably because of the lack of oxygen in sludge aggregates even under oxic conditions in flow-through systems. Unexpectedly, a less-polar metabolite was detected in amounts up to 40% of the applied nonylphenol after 135 days of incubation. This novel metabolite was identified as 4-(3,5-dimethyl-3-heptyl)-2-nitrophenol. This product formation might indicate the existence of novel metabolic pathways of nonylphenol in the environment.

Field of study: Environmental science
Facing the challenge of designing for Cu/low-k reliability

With the decrease of the feature size to 90 nm and lower new materials are introduced in the waferfabs. Copper replaced aluminium and low-k dielectrics served as a better isolator. But this change has serious consequences for the structural integrity of the IC interconnects after processing and package manufacturing. Due to the fact that the new materials have substantially different thermo-mechanical properties, sufficient reliability performance for the IC package becomes a key factor. This paper presents solutions for the reliability problems faced due to the introduction of Cu/low-k as a consequence of the packaging processes. The packaging processes that significantly endanger the Cu/low-k integrity are probing, wire bonding, and moulding. Examples of the reliability issues are presented; these are deep probe marks, metal peel off, and/or pulled-off IC layers. To solve these issues, packaging process conditions and material properties are tuned to better fit with the Cu/low-k technology. Hopefully, the lessons learned and the newly developed state-of-the-art modelling and experimental techniques will enable the industry to release the lower node technologies such as CMOS065.

Field of study: Engineering
Hydrogenation of the Sodium Salt of 2-Oxo-4-(3-pyridyl)butenoic Acid on Palladium Black

We have studied the hydrogenation of the sodium salt of 2-oxo-4-(3-pyridyl)butenoic acid on palladium black in the temperature range 20-70°C in aqueous-alcohol medium. The products of the reaction are the sodium salts of 2-oxo-4-(3-pyridyl)butanoic acid and 2-hydroxy-4-(3-pyridyl)butanoic acid together with hydrogenolysis products. The reaction occurs via a series-parallel mechanism.

Field of study: Chemistry
Nonlinear H∞-Controller Design for Fuzzy Singular System Based on the Output Feedback

The problem of H∞-control based on the output feedback for fuzzy singular system was studied. With an equivalent system constructed, the analysis of H∞- control for fuzzy singular system is converted to the analysis of H∞-control for common singular system. When the premise variables is unmeasurable, A new method for nonlinear H∞-controller design of fuzzy singular system is given which avoid analysing the subsystems of fuzzy singular system.

Field of study: Engineering
Observation of Spin-Dependent Charge Symmetry Breaking in ΛN Interaction: Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy of _{Λ}^{4}He.

The energy spacing between the spin-doublet bound state of _{Λ}^{4}He(1^{+},0^{+}) was determined to be 1406±2±2  keV, by measuring γ rays for the 1^{+}→0^{+} transition with a high efficiency germanium detector array in coincidence with the ^{4}He(K^{-},π^{-})_{Λ}^{4}He reaction at J-PARC. In comparison to the corresponding energy spacing in the mirror hypernucleus _{Λ}^{4}H, the present result clearly indicates the existence of charge symmetry breaking (CSB) in ΛN interaction. By combining the energy spacings with the known ground-state binding energies, it is also found that the CSB effect is large in the 0^{+} ground state but is vanishingly small in the 1^{+} excited state, demonstrating that the ΛN CSB interaction has spin dependence.

Field of study: Physics
Development Without Industrialization? Household Well-Being and Premature Deindustrialization

The effect of premature deindustrialization on the distribution of gains from growth has thus far been understudied. Using census data from eleven countries spanning five decades and shift-share analysis, I find evidence of persistent gaps in multidimensional well-being in household categories defined by employment type and urban/rural location, and a cross-country pattern of less improvement due to expansion of industrial employment over time, without adequate replacement. Taken together, these results provide evidence for a negative relationship between improvements in household well-being and premature deindustrialization on both an individual country case and in a cross-country sample.

Field of study: Economics
Stepping Up to the Plate: An Agenda for Research and Policy Action on Electronic Medical Records in Canadian Primary Healthcare

Building on a previous study, which identified gaps in primary healthcare electronic medical record (EMR) research and knowledge, a one-day conference was held to facilitate a strategic discussion of these issues. This paper offers a multi-faceted research agenda and suggestions for policy actions as a way forward in bridging the gaps. One facet focuses on the need for research. The second facet focuses on harnessing the knowledge of primary healthcare EMR stakeholders. Finally, the third facet focuses on policy actions. This paper offers consensus-based suggestions with a view to improving the overall primary healthcare EMR landscape in Canada.

Field of study: Medicine, Political science
Study on Nd:YAG rods double-pass amplifying side-pumped by diode laser arrays

A diode laser pumped Q-switched double-pass MOPA system operated on 400 Hz repetition rate and 15 ns pulse width has been investigated in this paper. The laser with a beam expanded mirror and a beam isolated equipment is amplified by two 6.5 kW diode laser pumped modules, each has 81 diode lasers. Two modules pumping Nd:YAG rod is used. Compensation of thermal birefringence is achieved by inserting a 90°crystal quartz rotator and using an imaging optical system between the two module. Besides, two appropriate concave lenses are placed on both sides of each pumped module for thermal lensing compensation. Accordingly, approximate apparel beam can be obtained through laser rods. The laser system developed can output 400 mJ energ with an optical-optical efficiency of 12.3% and beam quality of 4.6. For the pulse repetition rate of 400 Hz and single pulse energy of 6 mJ of the resonator.

Field of study: Physics
Blocking the mobile phones signals with the help of jammer

Mobile jammer is used to prevent mobile phones from receiving or transmitting signals from the base stations. Mobile jammers can be used in practically any location, but are used in place where a phone call would be particularly disruptive like Temples, Libraries, Hospitals, etc. As with other radio jamming, mobile jammers blocks mobile phone use by sending out radio waves along the same frequencies that mobile phones use. This causes enough interference with the communication between mobile phones and communicating towers to render the phone unusable. Upon activating mobile jammers, all mobile phones will indicate “NO NETWORK” or there will no actual two-way communication. Incoming calls are blocked as if the mobile jammer is on, when the mobile jammer turned off, all mobile phones will automatically re-establish communications and provide full service. jammer, oscillator, tuning, frequency, amplifier.

Field of study: Engineering
The expression of the microsomal/peroxidase autoantigen in human thyroid cells is thyrotrophin-dependent.

In the present report the mechanisms responsible for the expression of the thyroid microsomal autoantigen (M-Ag) were studied in primary cultures of human thyroid cells prepared from Graves' or non-toxic goitres. The indirect immunofluorescence (IFL) technique using human sera positive for anti-microsomal antibody (anti-MAb) was employed to detect M-Ag. Studies were performed to ascertain whether M-Ag recognized by anti-MAb could be identified with thyroid peroxidase (TPO). Preabsorption experiments showed that, similarly to solubilized thyroid microsomes, purified human TPO abolished the binding of anti-MAb to thyrocytes, while no inhibition was obtained with control human tissues. The identity of M-Ag and TPO was also demonstrated using a double layer IFL technique which allowed a simultaneous staining of the antigen(s) recognized by anti-MAb and by a monoclonal anti-TPO antibody. After 5-15 days of TSH withdrawal from the culture medium the M/TPO-Ag disappeared from the surface and the cytoplasm of human thyroid cells. Readdition of TSH (0.1-100 mU/ml) to cells lacking M/TPO-Ag elicited its reappearance within 48-72 h. This effect of TSH was prevented by 10 microM cycloheximide but not by methimazole (0.1-2 mM). Two stimulators of the adenylate cyclase-cAMP system, cholera toxin and forskolin, and 8-bromo-cAMP mimicked TSH in inducing M/TPO-Ag. Thyroid stimulating antibody (TSAb) of Graves' disease also reproduced the effect of TSH on M/TPO-Ag reexpression in human thyroid cells. By contrast, epidermal growth factor, oestradiol or NaI were ineffective in inducing M/TPO-Ag. The present data indicate that: (i) the expression of M/TPO-AG in human thyroid cells is dependent on TSH stimulation, through pathways which involve cAMP production and protein synthesis, (ii) TSAb reproduces this effect of TSH; (iii) oestradiol and NaI have no direct influence on the expression of M/TPO-Ag.

Field of study: Biology, Medicine
The HACCP on the snack noodles safety production

Apply HACCP principles to conduct a hazard analysis of the full process of production of snack noodles from the raw material to its consumption and to emphasis the obvious hazards and the critical control points. We can then establish the critical limits at the critical control points in order to conduct focal monitoring, recording, modification and verification, to further guarantee the safety of snack noodles production.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
The halo-substituent effect on Pseudomonas cepacia lipase-mediated regioselective acylation of nucleosides: A comparative investigation.

In this work, comparative experiments were explored to investigate the substrate specificity of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase in regioselective acylation of nucleosides carrying various substituents (such as the H, F, Cl, Br, I) at 2'- and 5-positions. Experimental data indicated that the catalytic performance of the enzyme depended very much on the halo-substituents in nucleosides. The increased bulk of 2'-substituents in ribose moiety of the nucleoside might contribute to the improved 3'-regioselectivity (90-98%, nucleosides a-d) in enzymatic decanoylation, while the enhancement of regioselectivity (93-99%) in 3'-O-acylated nucleosides e-h could be attributable to the increasing hydrophobicity of the halogen atoms at 5-positions. With regard to the chain-length selectivity, P. cepacia lipase displayed the highest 3'-regioselectivity toward the longer chain (C14) as compared to shorter (C6 and C10) ones. The position, orientation and property of the substituent, specific structure of the lipase's active site, and acyl structure could account for the diverse results.

Field of study: Biology, Engineering
Availability, Accessibility and Utilization of Grey Literature for Quality Research by Postgraduate Students of University of Agriculture Makurdi

This study examined availability, accessibility and utilization of grey literature for quality research by Postgraduate students of University of Agriculture Makurdi. The study had five objectives and five research questions. The study adopted survey research design. Population for this study was 89 subjects comprising all staff both Professionals and Para-professional from University of Agriculture Makurdi library. The entire population of 89 subjects was used for the study as sample size. Instrument used for the study was constructed questionnaire. Data was collected and analysed using mean and standard deviation. Study found out grey literature (GL) are not accessed and utilized by postgraduate students. Findings of the study also revealed that many challenges faced by postgraduate Students in accessing grey literature. It was found that there are strategies that promote utilization of grey literature by post graduate students of University of Agriculture Makurdi. The study concluded that there is need to improve on the management and use of grey literature. It was recommended that government should make provision for adequate funds for acquisition of grey literature in University libraries, University management should ensure that relevant materials to current curricula and teacher/student interests are supplied in the library and the University management should embark on regular review and supply of new grey materials the library.  Availability, Accessibility, Utilization of Grey Literature, Quality Research and Postgraduate Students

Field of study: Education
Impact of Ancestral Differences and Reassessment of the Classification of Previously Reported Pathogenic Variants in Patients With Brugada Syndrome in the Genomic Era: A SADS-TW BrS Registry

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a heritable disease that results in sudden cardiac death. In the exome/genomic era, certain reported pathogenic variants in some genetic diseases have been reclassified as benign owing to their high frequency in some ancestries. In the present study, we comprehensively reassessed all previously reported pathogenic variants of BrS. We collected all pathogenic variants of BrS reported in the Human Gene Mutation Database and ClinVar throughout April 2017. We compared the minor allele frequency (MAF) of each variant among different ancestries by searching public whole-genome and exome databases. After considering the maximum credible allele frequency, variants with a MAF ≥ 0.001 were considered to be of questionable pathogenicity. We also investigated the percentage of SCN5A variants with a MAF ≥ 0.001 in 124 BrS patients from the Han Chinese population. We collected a total of 440 BrS variants, of which 18 had a MAF ≥ 0.001. There was a greater percentage of non-SCN5A variants with a MAF ≥ 0.001 than of SCN5A variants (21.8 versus 1.6%, p < 0.0001). There were fewer frameshift and nonsense mutations than missense mutations (0.9 versus 5.6%, p = 0.032). Of the 18 variants, 14 (77.8%) were present only in the reference Asian population. In our cohort, we identified two SCN5A variants (p.A226V and p.V1340I) with MAFs ≥ 0.001 (0.45%). In conclusion, ancestral differences are important when considering the pathogenicity of BrS variants, especially in the case of missense variants and non-SCN5A variants, which may be pathogenic in some ancestries but only disease-predisposing in others.

Field of study: Biology
The gradient between pre-dawn rhizoplane and bulk soil matric potentials, and its relation to the pre-dawn root and leaf water potentials of four species

Uptake of soil water by plants may result in significant gradients between bulk soil and soil in the vicinity of roots. Few experimental studies of water potential gradients in close proximity to roots, and no studies on the relationship of water potential gradients to the root and leaf water potentials, have been conducted. The occurrence and importance of pre-dawn gradients in the soil and their relation to the pre-dawn root and leaf water potentials were investigated with seedlings of four species. Pre-germinated seeds were grown without watering for 7 and lid in a silt loam soil with initial soil matric potentials of -0.02, -0.1 and -0.22 MPa. Significant gradients, independent of the species, were observed only at pre-dawn soil matric potentials lower than -0.25 MPa; the initial soil matric potentials were -0.1 MPa. At an initial bulk soil matric potential of -0.22 MPa, a steep gradient between bulk and rhizoplane soil was observed after 7 d for maize (Zea mays L. cv. Issa) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. cv. Nanus), in contrast to barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Athos) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Kolibri). Pre-dawn root water potentials were usually about the same as the bulk soil matric potential and were higher than the rhizoplane soil matric potential. Pre-dawn root and leaf water potentials tended to be much higher than rhizoplane soil matric potentials when the latter were lower than -0.5 MPa. It is concluded that plants tend to become equilibrated overnight with the wetter bulk soil or with wetter zones in the bulk soil. Plants can thus circumvent negative effects of localized steep pre-dawn soil matric potential gradients. This may be of considerable importance for water uptake and growth in drying soil.

Field of study: Environmental science
Pseudodifferential Operators on Prehomogeneous Vector Spaces

Let G be a connected, linear algebraic group defined over ℝ, acting regularly on a finite dimensional vector space V over ℂ with ℝ-structure V ℝ. Assume that V possesses a Zariski-dense orbit, so that (G, ϱ, V) becomes a prehomogeneous vector space over ℝ. We consider the left regular representation π of the group of ℝ-rational points G ℝ on the Banach space C0(V ℝ) of continuous functions on V ℝ vanishing at infinity, and study the convolution operators π(f), where f is a rapidly decreasing function on the identity component of G ℝ. Denote the complement of the dense orbit by S, and put S ℝ = S ∩ V ℝ. It turns out that, on V ℝ − S ℝ, π(f) is a smooth operator. If S ℝ = {0}, the restriction of the Schwartz kernel of π(f) to the diagonal defines a homogeneous distribution on V ℝ − {0}. Its nonunique extension to V ℝ can then be regarded as a trace of π(f). If G is reductive, and S and S ℝ are irreducible hypersurfaces, π(f) corresponds, on each connected component of V ℝ − S ℝ, to a totally characteristic pseudodifferential operator. In this case, the restriction of the Schwartz kernel of π(f) to the diagonal defines a distribution on V ℝ − S ℝ given by some power |p(m)| s of a relative invariant p(m) of (G, ϱ, V) and, as a consequence of the Fundamental Theorem of Prehomogeneous Vector Spaces, its extension to V ℝ, and the complex s-plane, satisfies functional equations similar to those for local zeta functions. A trace of π(f) can then be defined by subtracting the singular contributions of the poles of the meromorphic extension.

Field of study: Mathematics
Stratigraphy, paleomagnetism, and vertebrate paleontology of Quaternary preglacial sediments at the Maser-Frisch Site, southeastern Alberta

This paper presents the results of a combined stratigraphical, paleomagnetic, and vertebrate paleontological study of the Maser-Frisch Site near Irvine, Alberta. At that site, about 3 m of mainly pond and stream deposits overlies Cretaceous bedrock and underlies Quaternary till and loess. All of the deposits have normal magnetic polarity. Further, the lower pond and stream deposits have yielded an interesting collection of mammal bones. Taxa identified include rabbit or hare, ground squirrel, prairie dog, bog lemming, canids, cats, badger, elephant, horses, camel, and shrub-ox. The identified taxa tentatively imply a late Irvingtonian Land Mammal Age for the fauna. This, along with their preglacial setting and normal polarity, indicates that the pond and stream deposits were laid down near the beginning of the Brunhes Polarity Chron (about 0.7 Ma) and so provide a maximum limit for the first glaciation of the region. Together, the fauna and deposits offer an interesting glimpse at conditions prevailing on the High Plains of the region at that time, which apparently resembled the dry, treeless grassland found there at present.

Field of study: Geology
Excited states and electron transfer reactions of fullerenes

Since the discovery of carbon clusters in the laser ablated graphite vapours, fullerenes C60 and C70 have provided a constant source of excitement for the experimental and theoretical scientists alike. Their brilliant colours in solutions and three dimensional aromaticity has fascinated the photochemists. Our group has recently characterised singlet and triplet states of fullerenes using complementary twin techniques of laser fAash phQtolysis and electron pulse radiolysis. Singlet - singlet (S l--->S ) absorption spectra were studied in picosecond time domain and the rates of intersystem crossing were established. Triplet states were produced directly by photoexcitation in laser flash photolysis experimenp and *by energy transfer in pulse radiolysis. Triplet-triplet (T l---->T ) n spectra were characterised and rate constants for various triplet decay channels were measured. Fullerenes have low reduction potentials and form charge transfer (CT) complexes with good donors like aliphatic and aromatic amines. Exciting photochemical behaviour was observed on photoexcitation of the CT complexes which undergo ultrafast charge separation (CS) and charge recombination (CR) reactions. The dynamics of CS and CR reactions was studied in picosecond time scales in Cs0-diphenylarnine and C60-triphenylamine systems. Using external heavy atom effect and solvent polarity variations, various steps in the CS and CR processes generating fullerene triplet on CR were elucidated. Recent results of complexing fullerenes with suitable hydrophilic cage like r-cyclodextrin (CD) making C60 water soluble will also be presented. Excited state behaviour of fullerene complex in CD cage would be discussed.

Field of study: Chemistry
Acoustic Virtual Vortices with Tunable Orbital Angular Momentum for Trapping of Mie Particles.

Acoustic vortices can transfer angular momentum and trap particles. Here, we show that particles trapped in airborne acoustic vortices orbit at high speeds, leading to dynamic instability and ejection. We demonstrate stable trapping inside acoustic vortices by generating sequences of short-pulsed vortices of equal helicity but opposite chirality. This produces a "virtual vortex" with an orbital angular momentum that can be tuned independently of the trapping force. We use this method to adjust the rotational speed of particles inside a vortex beam and, for the first time, create three-dimensional acoustics traps for particles of wavelength order (i.e., Mie particles).

Field of study: Physics
A portable system for studying discrete-trial group choice.

Whether groups of people or animals behave optimally in relation to resources is an issue of interest to psychology, ecology, and economics. In behavioral ecology, the simplest model of optimal group choice is the ideal free distribution (IFD). The IFD model has been tested in humans with discrete or continuous inputs and through manual or automated procedures (e.g., Kraft, Baum, & Burge, 2002; Madden, Peden, & Yamagushi, 2002). Manual procedures tend to be time consuming, however, whereas automated procedures typically require access to a computer network. In this article, we describe a new automated system for discrete-trial tests of the IFD model. Our protocol involves a single computer connected to a digital projector (for stimulus presentation) and a network of gamepads (for registering choices). The system is comparatively inexpensive, easy to install, easy to transport, and it permits the automated collection of group data in minimal time. We show that the data generated through this protocol are comparable to those previously reported in the IFD literature.

Field of study: Biology, Psychology