nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Possible Multigap Superconductivity in the Heavy Fermion Ferromagnetic Superconductor UCoGe Revealed by Thermal Conductivity Measurements

We performed thermal conductivity measurements on a single crystal of the ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe under magnetic field. Two different temperature dependencies of the thermal conductivity are observed, for H//b: linear at low magnetic field and quadratic for magnetic field larger than 1T. A the same field value, a plateau appears in the field dependence of the residual term of thermal conductivity. Such observations suggest a multigap superconductivity with a line of nodes in the superconducting gap.

Field of study: Physics
Role Conflict and the Special Education Supervisor: a Qualitative Analysis

This paper examines the role conflict experienced by the special education supervisor. Following an historical analysis of that role, the constant comparative method is used to analyze data gathered through direct interview and participant observation. Results indicate that the special education supervisor is forced to compromise the administrative and technical assistance aspects of his/her job description. A typology of special education supervisors is presented. This model suggests that the role conflict experienced by the special education supervisor is a function of the supervisor's view of the legitimate activities of that role. A further finding of this study suggests a relationship between the degree of role conflict experienced by the special education supervisor and the perception of the supervisory effectiveness held by administrators and teachers.

Field of study: Education
Applying genetic programming in estimation of frost layer thickness on horizontal and vertical plates at ultra-low temperature

In this study, the intelligent method of genetic programming (GP) was used for developing predictive models for estimating the frost layer thickness under natural and forced convection on ultra-low temperature surfaces. The affecting dimensionless parameters were used as GP input variables, and realistic empirical correlations were developed for estimating the frost thickness under different conditions. The coefficient of determination of 0.9731, 0.9812, and 0.9906, and average absolute relative error of 6.52%, 11.65%, and 2.87%, were obtained by the developed models for natural convection on vertical plates, natural convection on horizontal plates, and forced convection on horizontal plates, respectively. The physical trends of the developed models were evaluated by comparing the model predictions with the experimental data for different operating conditions, and reasonable agreements were obtained. The same experimental database was also compared to some existing correlations for ordinary-low temperature surfaces, but they failed to provide reasonable estimates for the data.

Field of study: Engineering
Managing Difficult Patient Encounters: Simulation Design, Findings, and Call to Action

To implement and evaluate a difficult patient encounter skills laboratory simulation emphasizing students’ self-assessed communication abilities and affective skills.  Twelve simulation scenarios represented difficult patient encounters in a variety of practice settings. All students completed a self-assessment of their ability to communicate during difficult patient encounters before and after the simulations and wrote a guided reflection afterward. The impact of the simulation was evaluated through quantitative and qualitative methodology. Three student cohorts were analyzed for significance of change in self-perceived communication abilities. Thematic analysis of the qualitative reflection responses was performed.  Over three years, three independent student cohorts of third-year professional students participated in the simulations (n = 236). Variability between cohorts was not statistically significant. Students self-rated their ability to communicate on a 0-100 scale. Mean self-rating of ability prior to the simulation was 57.7 and after was 79.2 (SD 15.9, 15.2). This mean difference of 21.5 shows an approximate 20% increase in self-rated ability. Qualitative analysis revealed that students found the simulation revealed areas needing further development, promoting self-awareness. Students discussed that a safe, formative environment contributed to their growth and was relevant to their future professional practice.  This simulation fills a gap in skills-based education, addresses the affective domain of ACPE Standards, transfers easily to schools and colleges of pharmacy, and demonstrates significant quantitative and qualitative findings. This supports a call to action for pharmacy educators to provide purposeful opportunities for students to practice communicating with patients during difficult encounters.

Field of study: Education, Medicine
Cloning of interlukin-1 β-converting enzyme (ICE) apoptosis-related genes from Bombyx mori and its expression in Escherichia coli

ICE(interlukin-1β-converting enzyme),the first member of caspases(cys-teinylaspartate specific proteinase),plays an important role in executing of programmed cell death in multicellular organisms.In order to obtain more information about ICE of the model insect-silkworm on apoptosis pathways,ultraviolet radiation was used to stimulate silkworm cells.The total RNA of the stimulated cells was extracted and two novel isoforms of ice family were obtained by RT-PCR.They were named as ice-2 and ice-5(GenBank accession numbers:DQ360829 and DQ360830).The cDNA fragments of ice-2 and ice-5 were inserted into expression vector of pET28a.The expression of ice-2 and ice-5 in E.coli strain DE3 was induced at 37℃ and 25℃,respectively.The results showed that both the products of ice-2 and ice-5 can be modified after protein expression.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
An unusual presentation of human immunodeficiency virus and dengue coinfection

The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades, with around half of the world’s population currently at risk. Despite an overlapping epidemiology, limited data are available on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and dengue coinfection. Some reported evidence suggests that the patients with HIV infection are more at risk of a severe dengue outcome, while other reports suggest a transitory inhibition of the HIV-1 viral load, as well as a benign clinical progression of dengue. Our case is of a 44-year-old HIV-infected obese gentleman with typical features of dengue infection. He was closely monitored and his clinical profile was thoroughly studied during in-hospital stay and post-discharge. However, further research is required to comprehend the pathology, as well as the clinical course of these coinfections.

Field of study: Medicine
Comparison Computing Based on Sub-optimum Analysis: A Guide System of Network Security

Many optimal computing method do not provide optimization capabilities, but instead rely on comparison evaluation as a means for developing solutions. A kind of theory surrounding with optimum information system, the systematical sub-optimum method, has been presented, and thereby the practice courses and results of mankind are classified by their natures into three categories : “Optimum”, “sub-optimum” and “non-optimum”, and also, the way of seeking out the optimum system have been found out. It is considered that the non-optimum system does not exclude the targets and the results of sub-optimization in practice. The formation of non-optimum system serves as the basis for existence of optimum system. Besides, the various characteristics and functions of the optimum system can be measured from the sub-optimum system. By summing the practice, this paper has also come at sub-optimum principle of the system, established the conception of sub-optimum thresholds and put forward three theorems about suboptimum parameters. Through the concept of sub-optimum, it analyzes the actual significance of system optimum. Based on sub-optimum analysis, it puts out the academic idea of extension optimum. Meanwhile, it discusses about the general framework of sub-optimum. Finally, according to the previous practice of optimization, kind of method has been developed to approach the optimum from non-optimum.

Field of study: Computer science
Effects of Equal Channel Angular Pressing and Subsequent Annealing Treatment on Fe-Mn Damping Alloy

The damping capacity of Fe-Mn alloy which was subjected to equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and subsequent annealed at different temperatures was measured by reversal torsion device. The microstructure was observed using the optical microscope and transmission electronic microscope. The results show that after ECAP and annealing at low temperature (600 ℃), there are lots of high-density dislocations and obvious banded structures, which inhibit the slip of damping resources and result in the low damping capacity. With increasing annealing temperature (700～800 ℃), high-density dislocations and banded structures gradually disappear. The amount of e martensite is larger than that of specimen without ECAP, and the martensite flakes are much refiner. The increasing interfaces per unit volume result in more damping resources on vibration, thus improve damping capacity remarkably. With further increasing annealing temperature (900～1 000 ℃), the martensite flakes grow up slightly, so the damping capacity of Fe-Mn alloy decreases, but it is still higher than that of specimen without ECAP.

Field of study: Materials science
Features of homotetrameric molecular association in protein crystals.

The crystal structures of proteins showing homotetrameric association, a common feature observed in many lectins, have been analyzed in order to understand the characteristics of tetrameric association in terms of the arrangement of subunits and their biological significance. The analysis could group the tetramer units into the following four categories. (i) Tetrahedral molecules, in which the four monomers form a nearly perfect tetrahedral arrangement. The angle between the axes of any two monomers is approximately 109 degrees. (ii) Molecules that form a sandwiched dimer of dimers in which the two dimers are arranged perpendicular to each other, one upon the other. (iii) Planar molecules, in which the four monomers lie in one plane and the corresponding sides of adjacent monomers face in opposite directions. This can be considered as a flattened tetrahedral shape. (iv) Planar closed molecules, in which all four monomers lie in one plane arranged in a head-to-tail fashion in a square. The first group and its variant, the third group, are the most commonly found arrangements in crystal structures. Each arrangement has its own importance for biological function. Some tetrameric assemblies that deviate from the majority described above also have relevance to their biological function.

Field of study: Chemistry
Simultaneous quantitative imaging of surface and magnetic forces

We demonstrate quantitative force imaging of long-range magnetic forces simultaneously with near-surface van-der-Waals and contact-mechanics forces using intermodulation atomic force microscopy. Magnetic forces at the 200 pN level are separated from near-surface forces at the 30 nN level. Imaging of these forces is performed in both the contact and non-contact regimes of near-surface interactions.

Field of study: Physics
Experimental brain injury induces differential expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA in the CNS.

In the present study, we examined the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA i specific brain regions following experimental lateral fluid percussion traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 42) were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (60 mg/kg, i.p.) and subjected to lateral fluid percussion brain injury of moderate severity (2.4 atm.) centered over the left temporoparietal cortex, or 'sham' treatment (anesthesia and surgery without injury). Animals were killed by decapitation at 1, 6 or 24 h post injury, brains removed, and tissue samples of left (injured) parietal cortex (LC), right parietal cortex (RC), left adjacent cortex (LA), right adjacent cortex (RA), left hippocampus (LH) and right hippocampus (RH) were prepared. Total RNA was isolated and Northern blot hybridization was performed. TNF-alpha mRNA is expressed as the percent relative radioactivity of macrophage (positive control) RNA. In sham or naive animals, no consistent changes in expression of TNF-alpha mRNA were observed in any of the six brain areas at any times (less than 5%). A marked increase of TNF-alpha mRNA expression was observed in LH (104 +/- 17, P < 0.05 compared with sham), LC (105 +/- 21, P < 0.05) and LA (69 +/- 8, P < 0.01) in the traumatized hemisphere 1 h following injury. An increased TNF-alpha mRNA expression was also observed in LH (46 +/- 8, P < 0.05), LC(30 +/- 3, P < 0.01) and LA(32 +/- 3, P < 0.01) at 6 h which resolved by 24 h following injury. In the contralateral hemisphere, expression of TNF-alpha mRNA was increased in RH (46 +/- 2, P < 0.01) at 1 h and in RA (26 +/- 6%, P < 0.05) at 6 h. These results indicate that following parasagittal fluid percussion brain injury, the temporal expression of TNF-alpha mRNA is altered in specific brain regions, including those of the non-traumatized hemisphere. Post-traumatic alteration in gene expression of TNF-alpha might play an important role in both the acute and regenerative response to CNS trauma.

Field of study: Biology
How much are stranding records affected by variation in reporting rates? A case study of small delphinids in the Bay of Biscay

Marine vertebrate strandings offer an opportunistic sampling scheme that can provide abundant data over long periods. Because the stranding process involves biological, physical and sociological parameters, confounding complicates the interpretation of results. The statistical analysis of these data relies on generalized linear or additive models in order to infer long-term trends, but does not easily account for drift or variation in reporting rates. Here, we capitalized on county-level (administrative) variation following the passing of a law for compulsory reporting of stranded marine mammals in France to investigate how variation in reporting rates may affect the observed trend in stranded small delphinids in the Bay of Biscay. Using a time-series spanning more than 30 years across eight administrative counties, we built variance partitioning models for the analysis of count data. We discussed the choice of an appropriate likelihood to conclude the Negative Binomial useful and interpretable in the context of small delphinid strandings. We expanded the model with a recent methodology to detect structural breaks in the time series, focusing on overdispersion. We performed statistical robustness checks with respect to variations in reporting rates and discuss their causal interpretation in the context of observational data. Stranding frequencies increased on average 7-fold over 30 years. We conclude that reporting rates to the French stranding network have been stable since the early 1990s, and the average 3-fold increase in stranded small delphinids observed in the Bay of Biscay since 1990 is due to other factors, including bycatch. Codes and data are available to replicate the analysis to other national stranding networks.

Field of study: Environmental science
Multifunctional properties of monodisperse end-functionalized oligophenylenevinylenes

Novel series of monodisperse, end-functionalized oligophenylenevinylenes (OPVs) containing up to eight phenyl rings have been designed and synthesized by a convergent approach using the stereoselective Wadsworth–Emmons reactions for an investigation of technologically useful functional properties. According to PM3 semiempirical quantum mechanical calculations, the frontier molecular orbitals and the energy gap of an OPV could be shifted or tuned by the functional substituent(s) that are incorporated as end-caps. Our theoretical and experimental evidences have shown that the end-substituents of an oligomer do not affect coplanarity of the pi-conjugated system. It has also been found that the newly synthesized OPVs can exhibit various useful functional properties such as light-emitting properties, photovoltaic effects, third-order nonlinear optical responses, and chemical sensing properties depending on the nature of the end-substituents. In this contribution, the structural factor(s) that can enhance a specific functional property of a molecule or material will be discussed.

Field of study: Chemistry
Modeling Disease Progression With Longitudinal Markers

In this article we propose a Bayesian natural history model for disease progression based on the joint modeling of longitudinal biomarker levels, age at clinical detection of disease, and disease status at diagnosis. We establish a link between the longitudinal responses and the natural history of the disease by using an underlying latent disease process that describes the onset of the disease and models the transition to an advanced stage of the disease as dependent on the biomarker levels. We apply our model to data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging on prostate-specific antigen to investigate the natural history of prostate cancer.

Field of study: Mathematics
Non-linear Viscoelastic and Physical Ageing Characterisation of Thermoset PR-500 Epoxy Resin

It is now well known that because of their polymeric matrices (and sometimes their use of viscoelastic fibres) structural polymer composites can exhibit creep or stress relaxation behaviour, leading to delayed failure long after the initial design and fabrication process. In addition, these time-dependent viscoelastic properties are significantly influenced by the sub-T physical ageing of these materials. Therefore any durability study of polymer composites for elevated use-temperature applications should address both the nonlinear viscoelastic response and the physical ageing effect of the constituents. The material nonlinearity in the resin has a ‘softening’ effect whereas physical ageing causes polymers to become stiffer and more brittle with age, increasing the likelihood of the more rapid progression of various damage states. Therefore, coupled material nonlinear and physical ageing conditions should be analysed to predict which effect would dominate under the applied loads and duration of loading. The primary objective of this paper is to present an experimental investigation of the nonlinear viscoelastic response of the PR500 resin at various stress levels. Also, the physical ageing characterisation results for a set of temperature and stress conditions are summarised. The properties summarised were successfully used in a multi-scale micro-mechanical methodology1, to study the AS4/PR500 five-harness satin woven-fibre composite laminate. PR500 is the polymer matrix that was modelled using the data presented here.

Field of study: Materials science
Proposed Rules Would Govern Sec. 41 Credit for Software: The IRS Offers a Test and Safe Harbor for Qualifying Dual-Junction Internal-Use Software

The IRS issued long-awaited proposed rules on what type of internal-use software qualifies for the Sec. 41 research credit (REG-153656-03). Although the new rules are proposed, not final, the IRS says it will not challenge taxpayers' return positions that apply these rules currently. Final regulations (T.D. 8930) on internal-use software and the research credit were released in 2001 but caused considerable controversy among practitioners. In response, in 2004, the IRS issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (2004 ANPRM), announcing that it would consider the comments it had received and promulgate new proposed regulations. Internal-use software is software developed by (or for the benefit of) the taxpayer primarily for use in general and administrative functions that facilitate or support the conduct of the taxpayer's trade or business. General and administrative functions are limited to financial management, human resources management, and support services functions. Internal-use software generally does not qualify for the credit but can if it meets a high-threshold-of-innovation test with three requirements: 1. The software is innovative (defined as resulting in a reduction in cost or improvement in speed or other measurable improvement that is substantial and economically significant, if the development is or would have been successful); 2. The taxpayer incurs significant economic risk in developing the software (has committed substantial resources to develop it and, due to technical risk, there is substantial uncertainty that the costs of development will be recovered in a reasonable time); and 3. The software is not commercially available without considerable modification (i.e., the software cannot be purchased, leased, or licensed and used for the intended purpose without modifications that would satisfy the first two requirements). Dual-function internal-use software, which serves functions that are general and administrative and those that are not, must overcome a presumption in the proposed rules that it is developed for nonqualifying internal use. The presumption will not apply if the taxpayer "can identify a subset of elements of dual function computer software that only enables a taxpayer to interact with third parties or to allow third parties to initiate functions or review data (third party subset)" (REG-153656-03, preamble). However, if the taxpayer can identify a third-party subset of the dual-function computer software, the portion of research expenditures allocable to the third-party subset may be eligible for the research credit, provided all the other applicable requirements are met. …

Field of study: Business
Ion neutralization model of galvanic cell operation

An ion neutralization model of galvanic cell operation is developed. The electromotive force in this model is formed at the electrode interface owing to the different energies of conduction electrons bonds in electrodes. Constant continuous current is ensured by neutralization of electrolyte ions on the electrode surface. Charge capacity is determined by electrolyte volume and the rate of electrochemical degradation of electrode surfaces in the electrolyte. Potential energy of electrolyte ions serve as the energy source.

Field of study: Physics
Assessment of Physical Activity (PA) Readiness and Participation among Staff in Nigerian Universities

Inactivity and sedentary living are on the increase globally. Readiness to begin, continue and sustain PA (physical activity) behaviour plays key roles in attaining desirable health outcome. Evidence-based data regarding readiness to begin and /or maintain physical activity among staff in workplaces including the University environment have become indispensable for initiating PA behaviour promotion policies and programmes. This study adopted the descriptive survey research design to assess the prevalence of PA readiness and participation behaviors among university staff in south-eastern Nigeria. Six hundred staff, (age ranged from 25-65 years old, male and female, teaching and non-teaching) from two Federal Universities participated in the study. Self-reported data were obtained with PA stages of change assessment instrument. Results indicate 60% of all respondents representing (pre-contemplation, contemplation and preparation) were not participating in PA or doing so infrequently, while 40% were actively participating. T-test yielded no significant differences for both gender, [Males (M=3.09; SD=1.39), Females (M=2.95, SD=1.37) t=1.20, p= .23] and staff categories, [Teaching staff (M=3.13; SD=1.33), Non-teaching staff (M = 3.03; SD = 1.43) t=1.78, p= .07]. In conclusion, majority of university staff were at the pre-adoption or pre-action stages irrespective of gender and staff categories. PA programme to facilitate transition to action and maintenance stages was recommended.  physical activity (PA), university staff, stages of change, health, behavior

Field of study: Education