nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Identification of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in human vascular endothelial cells and its induction by lipopolysaccharide.

Cytokines play an important role in inflammation and immunity. In this study, the authors examined expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in vascular endothelial cells, using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)/Southern blot, Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry. The RT-PCR/Southern blot showed that MIF mRNA was exceedingly upregulated by the stimulation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and reached the maximum 12 h after the stimulation. At the range of 10 pg/ml to 10 ng/ml of LPS, the MIF mRNA expression was induced in a dose-dependent manner, but drastically decreased at doses of more than 100 ng/ml. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry using an anti-human MIF antibody revealed the presence of MIF protein in cytoplasm of the unstimulated cells. The precise pathophysiological role of MIF in HUVEC has not been fully understood; however, the upregulation of MIF mRNA expression in vascular endothelial cells by LPS stimulation suggests the possibility that the cytokine plays an important role in systemic inflammatory events such as endotoxaemia.

Field of study: Medicine
Electrochemical Determination of Baicalin in Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on the Enhancement Effect of MoO3-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite

The nanocomposites of MoO3-reduced graphene oxide (MoO3-RGO) were synthesized by hydrothermal reduction using MoCl5 and graphene oxide as precursors. The resulting composites were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and Raman spectra, and were further used to modify the glassy carbon electrode (GCE). After optimizing the parameters, the electrochemical behavior of baicalin on different types of electrodes was investigated. The MoO3-RGO composite-modified GCE exhibited remarkably enhanced electrochemical signals of baicalin. After 90 s, under open circuit potential, oxidation and reduction peaks appeared at 0.207 V and 0.103 V, respectively. A sensitive and simple electrochemical method was proposed for the determination of baicalin in which the calibration curve ranges from 1.0 × 10−9 M to 4.3 × 10−5 M, and the detection limit is 3.81 × 10−10 M.

Field of study: Materials science
Spectral Estimation Using Multitaper Whittle Methods With a Lasso Penalty

Spectral estimation provides key insights into the frequency domain characteristics of a time series. Naive nonparametric estimates of the spectral density, such as the periodogram, are inconsistent, and the more advanced lag window or multitaper estimators are often still too noisy. We propose an $L_1$ penalized quasi-likelihood Whittle framework based on multitaper spectral estimates which performs semiparametric spectral estimation for regularly sampled univariate stationary time series. Our new approach circumvents the problematic Gaussianity assumption required by least square approaches and achieves sparsity for a wide variety of basis functions. We present an alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm to efficiently solve the optimization problem, and develop universal threshold and generalized information criterion (GIC) strategies for efficient tuning parameter selection that outperform cross-validation methods. Theoretically, a fast convergence rate for the proposed spectral estimator is established. We demonstrate the utility of our methodology on simulated series and to the spectral analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) data.

Field of study: Engineering
Iron down‐regulates macrophage anti‐tumour activity by blocking nitric oxide production

Although the inhibitory effect of iron on macrophage production of tumoricidal free radical nitric oxide (NO) has been reported, its possible influence on macrophage anti‐tumour activity has not been established. In the present study, FeSO4 markedly reduced IFN‐γ + LPS‐induced NO synthesis in mouse and rat macrophages. The effect of iron coincided with the loss of macrophage cytotoxic activity against NO‐sensitive C6 rat astrocytoma and L929 mouse fibrosarcoma cell lines, as measured by MTT assay for cellular respiration and the crystal violet test for cell viability. Tumour cell survival did not improve further in the presence of FeSO4 if macrophage NO release and cytotoxicity were already blocked by aminoguanidine. In accordance with the results obtained with exogenous iron, cell membrane permeable iron chelator o‐phenanthroline enhanced both macrophage NO release and anti‐tumour activity. Iron also down‐regulated NO production and increased the viability of L929 fibrosarcoma cells stimulated with IFN‐γ + LPS in the absence of macrophages. However, neither NO release nor cell viability was affected by iron addition to cultures of the C6 astrocytoma cell line. Iron was unable to prevent L929 and C6 cell death induced by the NO releasing chemicals SNP and SIN‐1, indicating that iron‐mediated inhibition of NO synthesis, rather than interference with its cytotoxic action, was responsible for the protection of tumour cells. Collectively, these results indicate that iron might protect tumour cells by reducing both macrophage and tumour cell‐derived NO release.

Field of study: Biology, Medicine
Statistic Test and Network Software on Statistic Significance of Biological Diversity and Evenness

Shaanon-Wiener measures on biodiversity and evenness were widely used in community ecology and bio diversity researches.Their reliability,however,were largely restricted because of the shortage of statistic test on the measures.In this study,the Web-based computational software for the test based on Ewens-Caswell model and Shaanon-Wiener measure,EwensCaswellTest,which is comprised of4Java classes and a HTML file,was developed.It can be run on various Web browsers.Rice invertebrate diversity(15sampling sites,17functional groups)and human HLA-DQB1allele gene polymorphism(12human races or populations,17allele genes)were analysed using software Ewens CaswellTest.The results showed that the statistic significance of diversity and evenness can be effectively detected by the test.

Field of study: Computer science
Design, Build and Test of an AC Coil Using $ \hbox{MgB}_{2}$ Wire for Use in a Superconducting Machine

Superconducting machines offer the significant advantage of smaller volume, lighter weight, and increased operating efficiencies compared with traditional electrical machines. To date, superconducting machines have utilized a superconducting dc field winding on the rotor of a synchronous machine. This increases the system complexity because it requires cryogenic cooling on the rotating part of the machine. The stator in these machines is generally composed of a set of conventional ac copper wire coils. Round magnesium diboride (MgB2) wire however has the potential to form low-cost ac stator coils for a superconducting machine. This could enable a stationary superconducting ac stator winding to be fabricated, reducing the complexity associated with the cryogenic cooling. This paper presents initial test results on a prototype ac solenoidal coil to represent a typical ac stator coil for a superconducting machine using MgB2 wire. The diameter of the wire with insulation was 1 mm and the coil was wound in a double-layer solenoidal arrangement. The magnetic flux density distribution, quench current level, long duration operating current level, and the ac losses of the coil were measured and discussed. This paper demonstrates the potential of MgB2 wire to develop a superconducting ac stator winding for a superconducting machine.

Field of study: Physics
An empirical formula for the half-lives of ground state and isomeric state one proton emission

An empirical formula for the half-life estimates for the one proton transition from ground state and isomeric states of 44 proton emitters is presented. The experimental data of the logarithm of the half-life corresponding to different $\ell$ℓ-values, viz., $ \ell=0$ℓ=0 (8-emitters), $\ell =2$ℓ=2 (14-emitters), and $ \ell =5$ℓ=5 (19-emitters), of different proton emitters are separately fitted as a function of the charge number of the daughter and Q -value. The slopes and the intercept values from the obtained relations are found to vary linearly with the $\ell$ℓ-values for the choices of a particular power value of 0.8 on the $ Z_{1}$Z1 dependence. A linear relation of the slopes and intercepts is obtained as a function of $\ell$ℓ, thus resulting in a simple formula involving only four parameters applicable to different $\ell$ℓ-values. The proton emitters with $\ell =3$ℓ=3 (3-emitters) are not considered for the fitting. The obtained four parameter formula is applied to estimate the half-lives of the proton emitters with ℓ = 3. The predictions of the formula are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data for the proton emitters with $\ell = 3$ℓ=3. Our calculated values are compared with the available theoretical as well as empirical estimates of the experimentally known proton emitters. Further, the redictions for most possible proton emissions reported earlier are also compared with our calculations using the proposed formula. Because of the good overall agreement with the experimental data as well as with other theoretical/model predictions, this proposed formula may serve as a handy tool for planning new experiments.

Field of study: Physics
Innovation for Emerging Markets Confronting Institutional Environment Challenges: Perspectives from Visionary Leadership and Institutional Entrepreneurship

Emerging markets are considered to be the largest untapped markets on earth with substantial business opportunities. However, emerging markets are characterised by weak institutional context. For entrepreneurs, how to achieve innovations in emerging markets confronting the challenge of institutional environment remains largely unexplored in the literature. This research study adopted a qualitative method using case study approach. Ten (10) top level and middle level managers were sampled, contacted and interviewed from an emerging market firm (EMF). Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Focusing on the product innovation for India’s masses with the creation of indigenous digital telecom switches by Centre for development of Telematics (C-DoT), our analysis reveal that entrepreneurs with visionary leadership can envision emerging market prospective and thereby have greater possibility of acting as institutional entrepreneurs to avoid uncertainty for emerging market innovations. Our proposed conceptual framework can be secured as a reference point by potential entrepreneurs to innovate targeting the emerging markets, and the study also contributes significantly to the theoretical literature on emerging market innovation formulating a set of propositions to advance research in this subject.

Field of study: Business
Lesions of basolateral and central amygdala differentiate conditioned cue preference learning with and without unreinforced preexposure.

In the separated arms conditioned cue preference (CCP) task rats are trained by confining them in one arm of an eight-arm radial maze with food and in another arm on the opposite side of the maze with no food on alternate days. After two such trials, rats prefer the food-paired arm when allowed to move freely between the two arms, neither of which contains food. However, if the rats are preexposed to the maze by exploring it without food before training, no preference is observed and at least 4 training trials are required to produce a CCP, suggesting that unreinforced preexposure to the maze latently inhibits acquisition. If this interpretation is correct, preexposure should reduce the size of the preference acquired with both 2 and 4 training trials. In Experiment 1, this prediction was replicated for 2 training trials; however, with 4 training trials, eliminating preexposure also eliminated the CCP. A previous finding that basolateral amygdala lesions impair the CCP with preexposure and 4 training trials was replicated in Experiment 2, but similar lesions had no effect on the CCP in non-preexposed rats given 2 training trials. In contrast, lesions of the central nucleus impaired the 2 training trial CCP but had no effect on the 4 training trial CCP. This double dissociation suggests that the BLA-mediated 4 training trial CCP may be due to learning about the reward features of the maze space, while the central-nucleus-mediated 2 training trial CCP may be due to a conditioned approach response.

Field of study: Biology, Psychology
Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Sensor Based on Magnetic Beads-induced Nanoparticles Aggregation for Detection of Bacterial Deoxyribonucleic Acid

A novel method based on the separation and enrichment effect of magnetic beads and the fully complementary hybridization of two DNA strands was developed for highly sensitive detection of bacterial DNA using a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy( SERS) with 5,5'-dithio-bis( 2-nitrobenzoic acid)( DTNB)-modified gold nanoparticles as reporter probes. Capture probe was immobilized onto the surface of streptavidinenwrapped magnetic beads( SA-MB) through high affinity between biotin and avidin,by which the target bacterial DNA sequences that connected with the reported probe decorated Au NPs with DTNB and SH-DNA( Au NPs@ DTNB@ DNA) were captured and loaded onto the magnetic beads by the hybridization reaction with the capture probe. Compared with previous methods,this design shortened the distance between particles by the ways that the magnetic beads tempted to nanoparticles aggregation,and produced the plasma resonance coupling effect,which increased the SERS signal significantly. The results showed that,under the optimized conditions and in the concentration range from 5 pmol / L to 5 nmol / L,the method performed a good linear relationship between Raman intensity and DNA concentration. The limit of detection( LOD) of bacterial DNA was estimated to be 5 pmol / L. The method is simple and low cost,and can be used in the sensitive and selective detection of bacterial DNA.

Field of study: Chemistry
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS FOR COUPLED THERMO-HYDRO- MECHANICAL PROCESSES IN ENGINEERED BARRIER OF CONCEPTUAL NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY

Having considered the influence to water continuity and its energy balance due to the thermal water diffusivity and the isothermal vapor diffusivity, the control equations for analyzing coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical phenomena in saturated-unsaturated porous media are improved. Taking the Task3 BMT1 of the international co-operative project DECOVALEX III as a simulative object, the numerical analysis for the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in near field of a conceptual nuclear waste repository was carried out by using a program of finite element method developed by the author, and the changes and distributions of temperature, saturation, pore pressures and principal stresses in the engineered barrier were investigated. The part numerical results were compared with the computation data in Task3 BMT1 obtained by THAMES code of Japan, and it is shown that the regulations of both results have certain identity qualitatively and quantitatively, but there exists some differences between them. The reasons are analyzed and some conclusions are obtained.

Field of study: Engineering
The HY5 and MYB15 transcription factors positively regulate cold tolerance in tomato via the CBF pathway.

The induction of C-repeat binding factors (CBFs) is crucial for plant survival at low temperatures. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms that regulate CBF transcription is vital for the future development of crops with increased cold tolerance. Here, we provide evidence for the existence of a LONG HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5)-MYB15-CBFs transcriptional cascade that plays a crucial role in the cold response in tomato. The exposure of tomato plants to cold (4°C) increased the levels of HY5, MYB15 and CBFs transcripts. Moreover, mutations in HY5 or MYB15 decreased the levels of CBF transcripts. In contrast, overexpression of HY5 or MYB15 increased CBF transcript abundance. Crucially, the HY5 transcription factor activated the expression of MYB15 by directly binding to the promoter region, while both HY5 and MYB15 activated the expression of CBF1, CBF2 and CBF3. Taken together, these data show that HY5 can directly regulate CBF transcript levels, and also influence CBF expression indirectly via MYB15. The coordinated action of HY5 and MYB15 allows precise regulation of CBF expression and subsequent cold tolerance. These findings provide an improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms affording transcriptional regulation of CBFs, which can be exploited in the future to enhance cold tolerance in crops.

Field of study: Environmental science
Bit-Sliding: A Generic Technique for Bit-Serial Implementations of SPN-based Primitives - Applications to AES, PRESENT and SKINNY

Area minimization is one of the main efficiency criterion for lightweight encryption primitives. While reducing the implementation data path is a natural strategy for achieving this goal, Substitution-Permutation Network (SPN) ciphers are usually hard to implement in a bit-serial way (1-bit data path). More generally, this is hard for any data path smaller than its Sbox size, since many scan flip-flops would be required for storage, which are more area-expensive than regular flip-flops.

Field of study: Computer science, Mathematics
The Application of Pitch Concrete Panel in Reinforcement Project of Dam

As for the existing crack stretch and seepage analysis calcium in the process of dam operation of Luo wan hydro station,we adopt pitch concrete panel to do anti-seepage treatment.Many years of operation monitoring data analysis research of dam body seepage quantity and raised pressure after completion of phase 1 construction project indicates that the pitch concrete anti-seepage panel is good for reducing creep age of dam body.It can prevent crack stretch and seepage analysis calcium of dam body effectively and improve the safety of dam body operation.The paper introduces design characteristics of Luo wan main dam pitch concrete anti-seepage panel in detail and describes construction process and technical requirements of pitch concrete.

Field of study: Materials science
Pale Reflections and Fables of Life: George Osodi's "Real People" of the Niger Delta

Documentary photography, in a very fundamental sense, locates the self and the other in determinate historical relationships. In these relationships documentary photographs usually capture what organized establishments like governments would rather have ignored. Documentary photography is George Osodi's strong suit. His images of the not so pleasant and the contestatory in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and the apparent ease with which he confronts the documentary photography genre are the topics of this essay. His photographs embody narratives of diverse contexts that inflect the identity and history of the Nigerian nation in general. In addition, the photographs hint at years of neglect to which the Niger Delta region has been subjected even as it continues to fund government and governance in Nigeria.

Field of study: Art
Efficient and stable photocatalytic systems for reductive dechlorination of p-chlorobiphenyl by sodium borohydride

Acridine Derivatives (9,10-dihydro-10-methylacridine and acriflavine) act as efficient and stable photocatalysts for reductive dechlorination of p-chlorobiphenyl as well as dehalogention of bromochlorobenzenes with sodium borohydride in acetonitrile/H2O (9:1 v/v) at 298 K. In the case of acriflavine, the limiting quantum yield at irradiation wavelength λ = 350 nm has reached 0.63.

Field of study: Chemistry
Investigation on Heat Treatment of Cold-rolled Stell 15 Under High Pressure

The martensitic steel 15 was heat treated under high pressure in the CS-IB type hexahedron anvils press.The Vickers hardness of the sample was measured.The morphology and the crystal structure were analyzed by TEM and X-ray diffraction.The results show that recovery and recrystallization occurr at 350℃ and 450~650℃ at 6GPa,respectively.Martensitic transformation takes place when heated to 750℃ and 850℃ at 6GPa.The product has two microstructures,one is acicular martensite(bcc) and the other is latticework martensite(hcp).The sample hardness changes due to the changes of the microstructure.

Field of study: Materials science
Paleogeographic evolution of a rifted cratonic margin: S.W. Australia

Early rifting in Gondwanaland created the Westralian Aulacogen during the Ordovician and this complex rift valley has accumulated up to 10.5 km of sediment, much of it during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic. The western borders ruptured in the late Jurassic and sea-floor spreading began forming the eastern Indian Ocean. The southern borders suffered, in contrast, downwarping and crustal rupture in Eocene time. Geomorphic, stratigraphic, and paleopedologic studies disclose marginal upward following rupture, leading to deep gorge incision. Crustal relaxations and eustatic sea-level rises led to repeated infillings followed by re-excavations of these gorges. On the plateau the most significant event appears to have been the Permo-Carboniferous glaciation and subsequent to that time there was a complex history of fluvial and lacustrine sedimentation. The mean denudation rate of the West Australian craton has been about 10–20 cm per million years. Four distinctive paleodrainage systems have been mapped in a small sector of the shield: (a) the “Kirup system” is Permian, proglacial, with braided streams, flowing to the northwest as did the continental ice; (b) the “Westralian system” involved deep Jurassic dissection (by 300 m) of the craton's western margin (Darling Range), was westerly trending, mainly following structural control; (c) the “Darling system” of Late Cretaceous to Eocene age was related to high eustatic sea levels and moist and warm climates, the drainage pattern being dendritic within the deep-weathering mantle, the former Eocene shoreline (at about 280 m) of the ria-indented coast being marked by prominent knickpoints and dry valleys; and (d) the “Ravensthorpe system”, also of Eocene age, was directed southwards as a result of the crustal thinning, downwarping and eventual rupture with Antarctica creating the Southern Ocean. Subsequent history has been marked by general desiccation and indurations beginning in the Oligocene and continuing on and off into the Quaternary. At the same time there was progressive cratonic emergence, accompanied by exposure of marine coastal plains and exhumation of the marginal gorges.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography