nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Validation of a multiclass multiresidue method and monitoring results for 210 pesticides in fruits and vegetables by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

A rapid, sensitive, accurate and reliable multiresidue method for the identification and quantification of 210 relevant pesticides in four representative fruit and vegetable commodities (tomato, potato, spring onion and orange) has been developed and validated by gas chromatography in tandem with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The method has been fully validated and applied to 292 samples from different countries. Prior to instrumental analysis, an extraction procedure based on a sample extraction of multiclass analytes, using the ethyl acetate method was employed. Mass spectrometric conditions were individually optimized for each compound in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode to achieve maximum sensitivity. The pesticides were separated in less than 25 min. This was followed by an exhaustive control of the retention times. The Retention Time Locking Method was applied, working at a constant pressure throughout the analysis. System maintenance was reduced by using a purged capillary flow device that provided backflush capabilities by reversing column flow immediately after elution of the last compound of interest. Istotopically labelled internal standards were employed to improve the quality of the analytical results.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Prioritizing urban sustainability solutions: coordinated approaches must incorporate scale-dependent built environment induced effects

Because of a projected surge of several billion urban inhabitants by mid-century, a rising urgency exists to advance local and strategically deployed measures intended to ameliorate negative consequences on urban climate (e.g., heat stress, poor air quality, energy/water availability). Here we highlight the importance of incorporating scale-dependent built environment induced solutions within the broader umbrella of urban sustainability outcomes, thereby accounting for fundamental physical principles. Contemporary and future design of settlements demands cooperative participation between planners, architects, and relevant stakeholders, with the urban and global climate community, which recognizes the complexity of the physical systems involved and is ideally fit to quantitatively examine the viability of proposed solutions. Such participatory efforts can aid the development of locally sensible approaches by integrating across the socioeconomic and climatic continuum, therefore providing opportunities facilitating comprehensive solutions that maximize benefits and limit unintended consequences.

Field of study: Environmental science
Iterative energy self-calibration of Fe XANES spectra.

Determining the oxidation state of Fe through parameterization of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectral features is highly dependent on accurate and repeatable energy calibration between spectra. Small errors in energy calibration can lead to vastly different interpretations. While simultaneous measurement of a reference foil is often undertaken on X-ray spectroscopy beamlines, other beamlines measure XANES spectra without a reference foil and therefore lack a method for correcting energy drift. Here a method is proposed that combines two measures of Fe oxidation state taken from different parts of the spectrum to iteratively correct for an unknown energy offset between spectra, showing successful iterative self-calibration not only during individual beam time but also across different beamlines.

Field of study: Physics
The subchronic effects of the TRH analog TA-0910 and bromocriptine on alcohol preference in alcohol-preferring rats: development of tolerance and cross-tolerance.

In a previous study, we showed that a single injection of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone analog TA-0910 dose-dependently reduced alcohol intake in alcohol-preferring (P) rats and increased their water intake over a 24-hr period. In the present study, the effects of seven consecutive, once-daily injections of TA-0910 (0.75 mg/kg, ip) on alcohol preference were determined. P rats developed tolerance to the attenuating effects of TA-0910 on alcohol intake within 3-5 days. Following the development of tolerance to TA-0910, rats were injected with the dopamine agonist bromocriptine (0.5 mg/kg, sc). In the presence of tolerance to TA-0910, the attenuating effect of bromocriptine on alcohol intake was reduced. When rats were made tolerant to the attenuating effects of bromocriptine, they exhibited tolerance to the attenuating effects of TA-0910. These findings indicate that tolerance to the effects of TA-0910 on alcohol intake occurs and suggest dopamine involvement in the mechanism of action of TA-0910 in reducing alcohol intake in P rats.

Field of study: Medicine
A Study on Electrical and Electrochemical Characteristics of Friction Stir Welded Lithium-Ion Battery Tabs for Electric Vehicles

This study attempts to join copper (Cu) and aluminium (Al) sheets in micro-thickness by using friction stir welding. These materials are being used as current collectors in lithium-ion (li-ion) battery which are employed as power sources for electric vehicles. Several experiments have been carried out, followed by the measurement of electrical conductivity by using a 4-probe setup and electrochemical analysis by using a potentiodynamic polarization test and an electro impedance spectroscopy test in lithium phosphorus hexafluoride (LiPF6), an electrolytic medium. The welded samples have been found to achieve an electrical conductivity of 9% less than the base Cu and the corrosion resistance of the welded samples has been found to be increasing because of the formation of inter-metallic compounds such as Al4Cu9, AlCu4 and AlCu at the weld interface. Among them AlCu4 has the highest hardness and the recovery elastic modulus than the rest.

Field of study: Materials science
Nonlinear Harmonic Generation in Shanghai Deep Ultraviolet FEL

High powers of the harmonics can be achieved through nonlinear harmonic generation in high gain single pass FEL, which may be used to get shorter wavelengths or to relax some stringent requirements on the electron beam quality for the 4th generation light source. In this paper, the 3rd nonlinear harmonic generation in Shanghai Deep Ultraviolet Free Electron Laser source is investigated by a 3D simulation code, including the sensitivity of nonlinear harmonic generation to several crucial parameters of the FEL system. The results show that the power of the 3rd nonlinear harmonic radiation can be as high as 2% of the fundamental power. In addition, the experiment and measurement of the 3rd harmonic radiation is proposed.

Field of study: Physics
Generation and characterization of a panel of monoclonal antibodies against distinct epitopes of human CD146.

(MUC18, Mel-CAM/MCAM) is a transmembrane protein, originally identified as a biomarker of melanoma, and plays an important role in cancer invasion and metastasis. Further studies revealed that CD146 as a novel endothelial marker was also involved in angiogenesis. Previous studies reported several anti-CD146 antibodies, such as MUC18, A32, S-endo1, and P1H12, showing different binding patterns to the endothelium of various types of blood vessels. To examine the possibility that antibodies targeting different epitopes on CD146 could have different behaviors, we generated a panel of anti-human CD146 monoclonal antibodies, named AA1-5 and AA7, by immunizing mice with human CD146 protein purified from HUVEC. Their specificity and binding affinity were intensively characterized using Western blotting, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemical assay. On the basis of epitope mapping, we divided the six monoclonal antibodies (MAb) into two groups, groups V1 and C2-2, corresponding to the different extracellular domains harboring these epitopes, the first IgV and the second IgC2 domains, respectively. Furthermore, owing to different epitopes, the two groups of antibodies behaved differentially in cellular and histological levels. Therefore, these anti-CD146 MAbs targeting different domains should be useful tools in studying the expression and function of human CD146.

Field of study: Biology
THE BUFFER FORCE DESIGN OF A SEAT-BUFFER MACHINE IN MANNED SPACECRAFT CONSIDERING HORIZONTAL LANDING SHOCK

The buffer force of the seat-buffer machine in manned spacecraft is usually designed considering vertical shock only. As a result, the buffer journey may exceed space limit under horizontal shock. To solve this problem, the design process is divided into three steps based on the working principle of the seat-buffer machine. Considering the influences of acceleration, buffer journey and gradient, five-level buffer force is redesigned under utmost horizontal shock landing condition. Results show that redesigned buffer force satisfys buffer journey limit requirement and is more robust to landing conditions.

Field of study: Engineering
Social Expenditure in the European Union: Does Inequality Matter?

Do countries with serious inequality problems make a greater effort to rectify this situation? Is equality a key element in social spending budget design? We attempt to answer these, and other, questions throughout this article. The objective of this paper is to analyze the economic and institutional factors influencing, to a greater or lesser degree, social spending in the 27 countries that comprise the European Union (EU). To this end, we use a data panel for a period of eleven years and add further variables to those generally used, such as income distribution, poverty rate, governing party ideology, index of economic freedom, and belonging to the Eurozone. The results we obtained prove that the estimated model is robust, and that economic development, economic freedom, and the euro currency creation have all led to greater social spending. However, growing income inequality has not led to an increase in social expenditure.

Field of study: Economics
The neuropsychiatry of subcortical ischemic brain disease

The subcortical regions of the brain, by virtue of their extensive connections to neocortical and limbic structures, play an important role in the regulation of neurobehavioral functions such as mood, memory, and affect. Compromise of the blood supply to the subcortex and its connections result in behavioral syndromes that often include disturbances in cognition and mood. The extent of the underlying vascular pathology and the precise circuits compromised, in general, determine the nature of the behavioral problems. The neurobiologic mechanisms responsible for these behaviors are complex and clinical management is symptomatic and largely aimed at treating the primary clinical features with appropriate pharmacologic and behavioral approaches.

Field of study: Medicine, Psychology
Polynomial logistic distribution associated with a cubic polynomial

Let P(x) be a polynomial monotone increasing on ( − ∞, +∞). The probability distribution possessing the distribution function is called the polynomial logistic distribution with associated polynomial P. This has recently been introduced by Koutras et al., who have also demonstrated its importance for modeling financial data. In this article, the properties of the polynomial logistic distribution with an associated polynomial of degree 3 have been investigated in detail. An example of polynomial logistic distribution describing daily exchange rate fluctuations for the US dollar versus the Turkish lira is provided.

Field of study: Mathematics
Changes in landuse alter ant diversity, assemblage composition and dominant functional groups in African savannas

Africa’s savannas are undergoing rapid conversion from rangelands into villages and croplands. Despite limited research, and evidence of deleterious effects to biodiversity, international organisations have earmarked this system for cropland. Invertebrates, and ants in particular, are sensitive indicators of habitat fragmentation, and contribute to ecosystem services at a range of scales. We investigated how rangelands, villages and croplands differ in ant species and functional diversity, and assemblage composition. We sampled ants using pitfall traps at 42 sites (14 replicates each in rangeland, cropland, and village) in northern South African savannas. We investigated the impact of landuse, season, and multiple soil and vegetation habitat variables on ant species diversity, assemblages and functional diversity. Rangelands had the greatest ant species richness, particularly in the wet season. Richness declined with increasing soil clay content. Ant assemblages were distinctly different between landuse types. Rangeland harboured the widest diversity of indicator species, and contained greatest functional diversity. Rangelands accommodated more scavengers, granivores, and plant-matter feeders than cropland, and representation of these groups varied with season. Ants play essential roles in soil nutrient cycling, plant and seedling recruitment, and impact other arthropods through predation and aphidoculous behaviour that in turn influences entire food webs. Thus, the reduced species richness, changes in assemblage composition and the loss of functional groups in ant assemblages found in cropland and villages is potentially problematic. Left unchallenged, these new forms of landuse threaten to characterise the entire African savanna system, impacting not only future ecological, but possibly also human wellbeing.

Field of study: Environmental science
Nitrile oxides of the thiophene series: influence of steric factors on stability and reactivity in reactions of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition

The synthesis of a series of di- and trialkyl-substituted thiophenecarbonitrile oxides is described. Their addition to styrene is studied together with the quantitative evaluation of the influence of different alkyl groups on the rate of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction by the method of competing reactions.

Field of study: Chemistry
Structure-dynamics relations for late-type spiral and dwarf irregular galaxies revisited

Scaling relations among structural and kinematical features of 79 late-type spiral and dwarf irregular galaxies of the SPARC sample are revisited or newly established. The mean central surface brightness = 19.63 $\pm$ 0.11 mag arcsec$^{-2}$ allows for a clear-cut distinction between low and high surface brightness galaxies irrespective of luminosity. The geometry of rotation curves is characterized by the relation $dv(R_d)/dr \approx v_{max}/R_{max}$. For the rotation curve decompositions we apply dark matter halos of Burkert and of pseudo-isothermal type. The disk mass-to-light ratios exhibit an asymmetric bimodal distribution with the dominant peak located at 0.2. The baryonic mass fraction at intermediate radii is included to address both an adjusted baryonic Tully-Fisher relation and the significance of deviations from the mean radial acceleration relation. The mean radial decrease of the baryonic mass fraction within galaxies is quantified. The Burkert halo parameters obey $\rho_0 \propto r_0^{-1.5}$ with considerable scatter, but allowing $v_{max}$ as a third variable we find $\rho_0 \propto r_0^{-1.84}v_{max}^{2.00}$ with small scatter. The halo central surface density $\rho_0r_0$ strongly correlates with the observed radial acceleration at different galactocentric radii. As a consequence, there is a tight central halo column density versus maximum circular velocity relation $v_{max}^2 \propto \rho_0 r_0^2$. We introduce an alternative universal rotation curve that is based on the non-singular total matter density profile $\rho_{total}(r) \propto (v_{max}^2/r^2)[1-(1-r/r_c)\exp(-r/r_c)]^2$, with the scaling parameter $r_c$ correlating with the halo core size $r_0$ and with $R_{max}$. Fitting the synthetic URC to a selection of galaxies, the co-added doubly-normalized rotation curves exhibit a high degree of similarity.

Field of study: Physics
Chemical, electrical, and thermal properties of strontium doped lanthanum vanadate

Strontium doped lanthanum vanadates, La 1− x Sr x VO 3 (denoted LSV with x  = 0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 1.0), were synthesized using a solid-state reaction method. The oxidation and reduction behaviors of LSV were studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The chemical stability of LSV in a reducing atmosphere containing H 2 S up to 10 vol.% at 950 °C was investigated and their electrical conductivity at 500–1000 °C in reducing atmospheres measured with a 4-electrode technique. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was determined by dilatometry. The electrochemical catalytic activity of LSV as anodes in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) was characterized using impedance spectroscopy. It was found that the La 1− x Sr x VO 3 materials with x in the range of 0.3–0.7 exhibit good resistance to H 2 S, high electrical conductivity and acceptable catalytic activity at elevated temperatures in reducing atmosphere. However, the volume change associated with oxidation/reduction cycle may limit their tolerance to re-oxidation when used as anode materials for SOFCs.

Field of study: Materials science
An analysis of the characteristics of change of Olympic organizational systems after World War II

The author described and analyzed the characteristics of change of Olympic organizational systems after World War II.During the period of Avery Brundage presidency,disintegration occurred to the "three major supporting" Olympic organizational systems;the original mechanism was broken in the relationship between International Olympic Committee(IOC) and International Single Event Sports Unions(ISESU) National Olympic Committees(NOC);conflicts and contradictions occurred.On the absolutely contrary to the period of Avery Brundage presidency,during the period of Sarmarach presidency,firstly,within Olympic organizational systems,a close and effective cooperative system was established between IOC and ISESUs NOCs,which re-strengthened the three major supporting Olympic organizational systems;secondly,as for international sports sources beyond Olympic organizational systems,IOC also established relationships with some international sports organizations that were not very closely related to Olympic movement;lastly,in international societies,IOC established relationships respectively with governmental international organizations and non governmental organizations and transnational corporations in order to let Olympic movement truly blend in international societies.

Field of study: Education
Rejoinder to Szreter

Simon Szreter's recent article replies to an earlier article we published in this journal, showing that central statistical results in his book Fertility, class and gender are seriously flawed. Szreter's reply asserts that a revised classification scheme and the use of weights provide results that support his original arguments. In this rejoinder we demonstrate that the revised scheme makes little difference. Our article did in fact use weights, and the use of weights with the revised scheme makes little difference. We argue that the weights used by Szreter are inappropriate in any case.

Field of study: Economics, History
Effects of antidepressants with different modes of action on early life stages of fish and amphibians.

Drugs are excreted from the human body as both original substances and as metabolites and enter aquatic environment through waste water. The aim of this study was to widen the current knowledge considering the effects of waterborne antidepressants with different modes of action-amitriptyline, venlafaxine, sertraline-on embryos of non-target aquatic biota-fish (represented by Danio rerio) and amphibians (represented by Xenopus tropicalis). The tested concentrations were 0.3; 3; 30; 300 and 3000 μg/L in case of amitriptyline and venlafaxine and 0.1; 1; 10; 100 and 1000 μg/L for sertraline. Test on zebrafish embryos was carried out until 144 h post fertilization, while test on Xenopus embryos was terminated after 48 h. Lethal and sublethal effects as well as swimming alterations were observed at higher tested concentrations that are not present in the environment. In contrast, mRNA expression of genes related to heart, eye, brain and bone development (nkx2.5, otx 2, bmp4 and pax 6) seems to be impacted also at environmentally relevant concentrations. In a wider context, this study reveals several indications on the ability of antidepressants to affect non target animals occupying environments which may be contaminated by such compounds.

Field of study: Environmental science
Opportunities to Learn for Students With Extensive Support Needs: A Context of Research-Supported Practices for All in General Education Classes

Collectively, different sets of research lead to one conclusion—that most students with extensive support needs (ESN) are not being given appropriate, accessible, and meaningful opportunities to learn (OTL); when they are provided such OTL, however, students with ESN are learning. The purpose of this article is to (a) provide a general foundation for what constitutes OTL in general education literature, (b) define OTL in a way that is more complete when considering educational opportunities for students with ESN, (c) provide an overview of the current state of OTL for students with ESN, and (d) discuss additional elements that improve OTL for students with ESN. Given the proposed construct of OTL, we argue that students with ESN are not consistently or regularly provided appropriate and accessible OTL standards-aligned content. This article identifies elements that are necessary for providing consistent and effective OTL for students with ESN, facilitating their progress toward grade-level standards-aligned content, and outlines implications for future research.

Field of study: Education
Active and inactive groundwater flow systems: Evidence from a stratified, mountainous terrain

We present a new conceptual model of groundwater flow that describes active and inactive groundwater flow regimes. The model is based on an analysis of interactions between surface water and shallow and deep groundwater in the 240-km-long Wasatch Range and Book Cliffs, Utah, USA. Active zone groundwater flow paths are continuous, responsive to annual recharge and climatic variability, and have groundwater resident times “ages” that become progressively older from recharge to discharge area. Active zone groundwater systems discharge at thousands of springs that issue from the 700+-m-thick, gently dipping, clastic bedrock formations. Springs waters contain appreciable 3 H and anthropogenic 14 C. In contrast, inactive zone groundwater has extremely limited or no communication with annual recharge and has groundwater mean residence times that do not progressively lengthen along the flow path. Groundwater in the inactive zone may be partitioned, occur as discrete bodies, and may occur in hydraulically isolated regions that do not have hydraulic communication with each other. Inactive zone groundwater is encountered in-mines (coal-mines 300–700 m below ground surface) where groundwater discharge rates decline rapidly and the waters have δ 2 H and δ 18 O compositions that are distinguishable from near surface groundwater. In general, deep waters have no 3 H and have mean 14 C residence times of 500 to 20,000 yr (45.9 to 4.9 pmc). Chemical evolution modeling, porosity-permeability core plug analysis, and in-mine hydrographs also indicate hydraulic partitioning.

Field of study: Geology