nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Heterologous expression in Caenorhabditis elegans as an alternative approach to functional studies in Schistosoma mansoni

The lack of an accurate diagnosis has been a serious obstacle to the advancement of the anti-Trypanosoma cruzi chemotherapy and long-term infection can result in different health risks to human. PCRs are alternative methods, more sensitive than conventional parasitological techniques, which due to their low sensitivities are considered unsuitable for these purposes. The aim of this study was to investigate a sensitive diagnostic strategy to quantify blood and cardiac tissues parasites based on real-time PCR tools during acute and chronic phases of murine Chagas disease, as well as to monitor the evolution of infection in those mice under specific treatment. In parallel, fresh blood examination, immunological analysis and quantification of cardiac inflammation were also performed to confront and improve real-time PCR data. Similar profiles of parasitemia curves were observed in both quantification techniques during the acute phase of the infection. In contrast, parasites could be quantified only by real-time PCR at 60 and 120 days of infection. In cardiac tissue, real-time PCR detected T. cruzi DNA in 100% of infected mice, and using this tool a significant Pearson correlation between parasite load in peripheral blood and in cardiac tissue during acute and chronic phases was observed. Levels of serum CCL2, CCL5 and nitric oxide were coincident with parasite load but focal and diffuse mononuclear infiltrates was observed, even with significant (p < 0.05) reduction of parasitism after 60 days of infection. Later, this methodology was used to monitor the evolution of infection in animals treated with itraconazole (Itz). Itz-treatment induced a reduction of parasite load in both blood and cardiac muscle at the treatment period, but after the end of chemotherapy an increase of parasitism was detected. Interestingly, inflammatory mediators levels and heart inflammation intensity had similar evolution to the parasite load, in the group of animals treated. Taken together, our data show that real-time PCR strategy used was suitable for studies of murine T. cruzi infection and may prove useful in investigations involving experimental chemotherapy of the disease and the benefits of treatment in relation to parasitism and inflammatory respons.

Field of study: Biology
Miniaturized test system for soil respiration induced by volatile pollutants.

A miniaturized method based on 96-well microtitre plates was developed and used to study respiration in pristine and contaminated soils following addition of volatile substrates. Small soil samples were exposed to fuel components, which were volatilized from spatially separate reservoirs of 2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane (HMN) as an organic carrier. Respiration was determined as CO(2) production by means of a pH-indicator and bicarbonate-containing agar, or as (14)CO(2) evolution from (14)C-labelled substrates. Substrate concentrations inducing maximum microbial activity or inhibition were determined and CO(2) production profiles examined by multivariate analysis. When high concentrations of fuel components were applied, distinction of hydrocarbon exposed soils from unexposed soil was achieved within 6 h of incubation. With low concentrations, adequate distinction was achieved after 24 h, probably as a result of community adaptation. Nutrient limitation was identified with the (14)C method for toluene, and the optimal N and P amendment determined. Further potential applications of this rapid and inexpensive method are outlined.

Field of study: Environmental science
Terrestrial methylmercury bioaccumulation in a pine forest food chain revealed by live nest videography observations and nitrogen isotopes

In comparison to the extensively documented mercury (Hg) biomagnification in food chains of aquatic/or aquatic-related systems, Hg biomagnification in food chains in strictly terrestrial systems is poorly explored. Here, we report Hg biomagnification through food webs in a monoculture subtropical pine forest in southwest China. A clear pine needle-caterpillar-tit nestling food chain was determined with the use of live nest videography observations combined with stable isotope analysis (SIA). Simultaneously, a potential pine needle-herbivorous/omnivorous insect-mantis/lacewing/spider food chain was identified by SIA. The results verify that dietary composition plays a pivotal role in terrestrial food chains. Distinct total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) biomagnification through the determined and potential food chains was observed, with quite similar efficiency of Hg biomagnification based on the trophic magnification slope (TMS) (TMSTHg was 0.18 ± 0.03 and TMSMeHg was 0.36 ± 0.05 for the determined food chain; and TMSTHg was 0.18 ± 0.04 and TMSMeHg was 0.38 ± 0.07 for the potential food chain). The TMS values were significantly higher than those from freshwater studies in tropical regions (0.12 ± 0.12 for THg and 0.16 ± 0.07 for MeHg) and forest studies in temperate regions (0.20–0.28 for MeHg). We recommend live nest videography observations combined with nitrogen isotope analysis when specifically assessing the biomagnification of environmental pollutants through food webs involving nestlings of free-living birds.

Field of study: Environmental science
Mild traumatic brain injury. Introduction.

MTBI may be caused by diffuse (affecting the whole brain) or focal (affecting a specific area) injury. In diffuse injuries, a blow to the head leading to temporary loss of consciousness can result in stretching and tearing of nerve fibres throughout the brain. Most stretched nerve cells will return to normal, but some may be permanently damaged, either functioning abnormally or not functioning at all. This causes the symptoms of MTBI.

Field of study: Medicine
Certain L^2-norm and Asymptotic bounds of Whittaker Function for GL(n)

Whittaker functions of $GL(n, \mathbb R)$ , are most known for its role in the Fourier-Whittaker expansion of cusp forms. Their behavior in the Siegel set, in large, is well-understood. In this paper, we insert into the literature some potentially useful properties of Whittaker function over the group $GL(n, \mathbb R)$ and the mirobolic group $P_n$. We proved the square integrabilty of the Whittaker functions with respect to certain measures, extending a theorem of Jacquet and Shalika . For principal series representations, we gave various asymptotic bounds of smooth Whittaker functions over the whole group $GL(n, \mathbb R)$. Due to the lack of good terminology, we use whittaker functions to refer to $K$-finite or smooth vectors in the Whittaker model.

Field of study: Mathematics
A new restarting method in the harmonic projection algorithm for computing the eigenvalues of a nonsymmetric matrix

The harmonic projection method can be used to find interior eigenpairs of large matrices. Given a target point or shift τ to which the needed interior eigenvalues are close, the desired interior eigenpairs are the eigenvalues nearest τ and the associated eigenvectors. 
 
However, it has been shown that the harmonic projection method may converge erratically and even may fail to do so. In this paper, we present a new restarting method in the harmonic projection algorithm for computing the eigenvalues of a nonsymmetric matrix. The implementation of the algorithm has been tested by numerical examples, the results show that the algorithm converges fast and works with high accuracy.

Field of study: Mathematics
Distribution of clay minerals in Early Jurassic Peritethyan seas: Palaeoclimatic significance inferred from multiproxy comparisons

article i nfo A set of published, unpublished, and new clay mineral data from 60 European and Mediterranean localities allows us to test the reliability of clay minerals as palaeoclimatic proxies for the Pliensbachian-Toarcian period (Early Jurassic) by reconstructing spatial and temporal variations of detrital fluxes at the ammonite biochronozone resolution. In order to discuss their palaeoclimatic meaning, a compilation of low-latitude belemnite δ 18 O, δ 13 C, Mg/Ca, and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values is presented for the first time for the whole Pliensbachian- Toarcian period. Once diagenetic and authigenic biases have been identified and ruled out, kaolinite content variation is considered as a reliable palaeoclimatic proxy for the Early Jurassic. Major kaolinite enrichments occur during times of low δ 18 O, high Mg/Ca, and increasing 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, implying warm climates and efficient runoffs during the Davoei, Falciferum and Bifrons Zones. Conversely, cooler and drier times such as the Late Pliensbachian or the Late Toarcian are characterized by low hydrolysis of landmasses, and correspond to kaolinite depleted intervals. Secondary factors as modifications of sources or hydrothermalism may sporadically disturb the palaeoclimatic signal (e.g., in the Bakony area during the Late Pliensbachian). In addition, a spatial comparison of clay assemblages displays significant kaolinite enrichments towards northern parts of the Peritethyan Realm, probably related to the latitudinal zonation of hydrolyzing conditions. This implies enhanced runoffs on northern continental landmasses that reworked kaolinite-rich

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Calculation of fission product yields for uranium isotopes by using a semi-empirical model

A semi-empirical model for calculating the fission product yields (FPY) of neutron induced fissions of uranium isotopes is developed, where the FPY are assumed to be proportional to the level density of a microcanonical ensemble of a compound nucleus at the fission barrier. The fission height that determines the level density is modeled as a sum of two parts; a symmetric part and an asymmetric part. The origin of the symmetric part can be attributed to the liquid drop model, and that of the asymmetric part to the shell effect in the fission products. Our model has essentially just seven adjustable parameters. They are fitted to the ENDF/B-VII.1 fission yield data of various uranium isotopes for the mass number ranging from 232 to 238 induced by thermal and fast (500 keV) neutrons. Five of the resulting parameters are nearly independent of the mass number of the uranium isotopes. Two parameters which change with the mass number of the uranium isotopes can be expressed as a linear function of the mass number. The FPY calculated from our model are found to be in a good agreement with both the ENDF and experimental data.

Field of study: Physics
Monitoring extent of curing and thermal-mechanical property study of printed circuit board substrates

Precise control of curing conversion for epoxy-based printed circuit board (PCB) substrates and clarification of curing–property relationship are critical for the performance and reliability assessment, and for the design optimization of electronic systems. In this article, various epoxy composites for PCB substrates were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy (IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), rheometry, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Compared with mid-IR and DSC, near-IR (NIR) is found to be a reliable method for the characterization of curing conversion process by detecting the consumption of epoxy groups. And DMA is a powerful method for measuring the conversion of PCB materials by testing glass transition temperatures ( T g ) and viscoelastic properties. The curing behaviors of a variety of epoxy composites show distinct differences in both curing rate and activation energy, and the growth tendency of T g with curing conversion also changed depending on the material compositions. Correlation of curing conversion versus thermal properties shows that the activation energy of curing at different stage by DSC resembles the tendency of T g transitions tested by DMA. Mechanical properties of the composites show close relationship with the curing conversions. Peel strength, the indicator of adhesion strength between copper foil and epoxy composites, was tested on all the specimens of different curing conversions, and the results showed a maximum value at curing conversion between ca. 90 and 95%.

Field of study: Engineering
La Vida Sacra: Contemporary Hispanic Sacramental Theology (review)

It is at this point that Oleszkiewicz-Peralba might have tackled the complex issue of blackness (or non-whiteness) and its conflicted cultural meanings. Did black skin in colonial Brazil not carry any meaningful racial overtones, or is blackness ancillary to an image's potency and effectiveness? This contrast is especially fascinating in light of Our Lady Aparecida, a dark Marian figure of diminutive stature designated as the spiritual patroness and Queen of Brazil. Aparecida appeared in 1717 shortly after the emergence of nationalist movements in Brazil, but the author never addresses whether her darkness may have been deployed intentionally as a strategy to arouse patriotic as well as religious fervor. In other words, while identifying darkskinned Marian icons as "symbols of national identity" (p. 119), the author ignores the equally provocative issues of the causes and reception of their coloration. In contrast, Monique Scheer's historical reconstruction of the Black Madonna tradition cf German-speaking areas (American Historical Review, v. 107:5 [December, 2002]) concludes that the perception of blackness was a late, post Reformation phenomenon, stimulated by the progressivist discourse that surrounded copies made after the titular image. "Blackness" in other words, when made visible and thus remarkable, moves away from the allegorical to assume ethnic and/or racial implications that, in many cases, conveys a potent political message.

Field of study: History
Genetic analysis of N-acetyltransferase polymorphism in a Chinese population.

To study the genetic basis of N-acetylatransferase polymorphism in Chinese.



Genotypes in 120 healthy Han volunteers from 19 provinces of China were assayed. The 3 common mutant alleles (M1, M2, M3) and one normal wild-type (WT) allele of the N-acetyltransferase (NAT2) gene were detected by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction technique.



The NAT2 allele frequencies in 120 Chinese (WT = 0.625, M1 = 0.0458, M2 = 0.188, M3 = 0.142) were different (P < 0.01). The NAT2 genotype distribution for all detected combinations of NAT2 alleles in 120 Chinese subjects was consisitent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (chi 2 = 7.27, nu = 8, 0.7 > P > 0.5). Fifty subjects (41.7%) were homozygous wildtypes, 50 subjects (41.7%) were heterozygous mutants, and 20 subjects (16.7%) were homozygous mutants.



The lower frequency of mutant M1 allele compared with that of Caucasians explains the low frequency of slow acylators in Chinese.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry, Medicine
Hadronic effects on charmonium elliptic flows in heavy-ion collisions

We study the effects of hadron phase on the collective flows of charmonia in heavy-ion collisions. In Pb-Pb collisions, charmonia with high transverse momentum $p_T$ are produced by the primordial hard process and then travel through the hot dense medium. In the semi-central centrality, the anisotropic energy density of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in the transverse plane is transformed to the momentum anisotropy of the hadrons after the phase transition. Charmonia suffer different magnitudes of dissociation along different paths in QGP and then scatter with light hadrons in the hadron phase. We calculate both contributions and find that hadronic interactions can significantly enhance the elliptic flows of charmonia especially the excited states in the high $p_T$, which will increase the elliptic flows of prompt and inclusive $J/\psi$s with the decay process $\chi_c( \psi^\prime)\rightarrow J/\psi$ X.

Field of study: Physics
Major and trace element variations of the sediments at ODP Site 1144, South China Sea, during the last 230 ka and their paleoclimate implications

We present here the major and trace element data of the sediments at ODP Site 1144 of the last 230 ka with time resolution about 1.5 kyr to investigate their relations to the climate changes. Estimated from TiO2 and CaO contents, over 70% in weight of the sediments are terrestrial materials, and CaCO3 abundance ranges between 7% and 19%. The variation patterns of some of the major elements, such as Al, Fe, K, Mg and Mn, and some of the trace elements, such as the alkali elements (such as Rb and Cs), the alkali earth elements (such as Ba) and most transition metals (such as Sc, V, Co, Cr, Zn), well match that of the oxygen isotopes of the planktonic foraminifer, after normalized with Ti, with higher values during interglacial periods and lower values during glacial periods. Whilst the Na abundance exhibits inverse variation patterns with lower values during interglacial periods and higher values during glacial periods. However, most refractory elements, such as Y, Zr, Nb, Hf, Ta, REEs, Th and U, do not show such patterns. These agree well with the behaviors of these elements during chemical weathering. Therefore, the changes of chemical weathering intensity in South China, the source area of these sediments may account for such variation patterns. During interglacials, wet and warm climate might occur at South China, which resulted in stronger chemical weathering, and dry climate might occur during glacials, which resulted in weaker chemical weathering. Such paleoclimate interpretation agrees with those from other paleoclimate proxies, such as pollen records, indicating that change of the East Asian monsoon, especially change of the winter monsoon is the key for such paleoclimate variation patterns.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Signal transduction in alcohol-related diseases.

This article summarizes the proceedings of a symposium presented at the 12th World Congress on Biomedical Alcohol Research, organized by the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism, held at the University of Heidelberg in Mannheim, Germany, in September and October 2004. The organizers and chairpersons were Manfred V. Singer and Stephen J. Pandol. The presentations were (1) Ethanol-induced acinar cell injury, by Minoti V. Apte; (2) Oxidants and antioxidants: signal transduction and alcohol, by Thomas Zima; (3) Anti-TGF-p strategies for the treatment of chronic liver disease, by Steven Dooley; (4) Immune mechanisms in alcohol-induced liver disease, by Soren V. Siegmund; and (5) Alcoholic pancreatitis: insights from animal models, by Steven J. Pandol.

Field of study: Medicine
Masculine gender roles and counseling-related variables : Links with and mediation by personality

The authors examined the overlap of masculine gender-role conflict and stress with personality, as organized in the 5-factor model (FFM), in a sample of 300 college men. Using a subset (n = 173) of the total sample, the authors also revisited previously established relations of masculine gender-role conflict and stress with several counseling-related variables; there was a specific focus on the mediational role of personality in these relations. Results indicated that personality and masculine gender-role variables had 60% overlapping variance and that personality mediated 94% of the significant relations between masculinity and counseling-related variables.

Field of study: Psychology
Surgical management of cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament: natural history and the role of surgical decompression and stabilization.

OBJECT
Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a complex multifactorial disease process combining both metabolic and biomechanical factors. The role for surgical intervention and choice of anterior or posterior approach is controversial. The object of this study was to review the literature and present a single-institution experience with surgical intervention for OPLL.



The authors performed a retrospective review of their institutional experience with surgical intervention for cervical OPLL. They also reviewed the English-language literature regarding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, natural history, and surgical intervention for OPLL.



Review of the literature suggests an improved benefit for anterior decompression and stabilization or posterior decompression and stabilization compared with posterior decompression via laminectomy or laminoplasty. Both anterior and posterior approaches are safe and effective means of decompression of cervical stenosis in the setting of OPLL.



Anterior cervical decompression and reconstruction is a safe and appropriate treatment for cervical spondylitic myelopathy in the setting of OPLL. For patients with maintained cervical lordosis, posterior cervical decompression and stabilization is advocated. The use of laminectomy or laminoplasty is indicated in patients with preserved cervical lordosis and less than 60% of the spinal canal occupied by calcified ligament in a "hill-shaped" contour.

Field of study: Medicine
Out of equilibrium transport through an Anderson impurity: probing scaling laws within the equation of motion approach.

We study non-equilibrium electron transport through a quantum impurity coupled to metallic leads using the equation of motion technique at finite temperature T. Assuming that the interactions are taking place solely in the impurity and focusing on the infinite Hubbard limit, we compute the out of equilibrium density of states and the differential conductance G(2)(T, V) in order to test several scaling laws. We find that G(2)(T, V)/G(2)(T, 0) is a universal function of both eV/T(K) and T/T(K), T(K) being the Kondo temperature. The effect of an in-plane magnetic field on the splitting of the zero bias anomaly in the differential conductance is also analyzed. For a Zeeman splitting Δ, the computed differential conductance peak splitting depends only on Δ/T(K), and for large fields approaches the value of 2Δ. Besides studying the traditional two leads setup, we also consider other configurations that mimic recent experiments, namely, an impurity embedded in a mesoscopic wire and the presence of a third weakly coupled lead. In these cases, a double peak structure of the Kondo resonance is clearly obtained in the differential conductance while the amplitude of the highest peak is shown to decrease as ln(eV/T(K)). Several features of these results are in qualitative agreement with recent experimental observations reported on quantum dots.

Field of study: Physics
[Establishment of stable cell line and expression and purification of HIV gp120 in Drosophila S2 cells].

Constructing eukaryotic expressing vector of pMT/Bip/V5-His A-HIV gp120 and transfecting S2 cells to establish stable gp120-expressing S2 cell line. The gp120 gene of HIV CRF07-BC epidemic in China was amplified by polymerase chain reaction from the recombinant vector PRSV-gp120 and confirmed by DNA sequence analysis. The DNA fragment of HIV gp120 was digested with the restriction endonucleases NcoI and XhoI, then inserted into eukaryotic expressing vector pMT/BiP/V5-His A. A selection vector containing the streptomyces griseochromogenes bsd gene conferring blasticidin resistance was cotransfected into drosophila S2 cells by Cellfectin II reagent. The stable cell line was established following repeated screening by blasticidin. HIV gp120 was purified by a Ni-NTA affinity column followed by molecular sieve chromatography. Recombinant protein was characterized by SDS-PAGE, Western blot and ELISA. The eukaryotic expressing vector pMT/BiP/V5-His A-HIV gp120 was constructed, stable expressing cell line was established, and protein was expressed and purified successfully. This result will contribute to functional study of gp120 and vaccine design against AIDS.

Field of study: Biology