nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Extent of Integration of Information and Communication Technologies in Classroom Instruction in Nepad E-Schools, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which teachers integrate ICTs in classroom teaching and learning in NEPAD e-Schools, Kenya.  This study adopted a descriptive survey design and collected quantitative and qualitative data using mixed methods. The target population were 256 teachers. Sampling was done employing a mixture of techniques; stratified sampling to pick 5 schools, and purposive sampling to pick 110 teachers. Data were collected using questionnaire, resources checklist and observation. Data were coded, and run for descriptive analysis; including frequencies, percentages, measures of central tendency and measures of variability using SPSS version 22.0. Data were then presented aided by notes, frequency tables, percentages, charts and figures.   Schools had functional, but unreliable electricity, and had altered ICTs to different degrees and directions; some had either been replaced or totally lost. The schools faced maintenance challenges; impeding ICTs integration in instruction. More teachers infrequently, or rarely integrated ICTs than those who did so regularly. The mean frequency of ICTs integration was once a month. Computers and word processing were teachers’ most preferred ICT tools. Teachers mainly used ICTs to illustrate main ideas during lessons. Subject content mostly determined choice and use of instructional ICTs. Most teachers found ICTs integration being generally easy, had above average proficiency in integrating ICTs, and could apply their technological, pedagogical and content knowledge well. The study concludes that teachers are alienated from integrating ICTs frequently owing to their location. Therefore, there is need to designate more places for teachers to be unimpeded from accessing and integrating ICTs. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study lends insights to other instructional ICTs initiatives to reminisce and study as they initiate or expand their projects; like provision and sustenance of infrastructure, tools, and support services. It also contributes to the body of knowledge in educational technology, which might inform theory and practice in ICTs integration. It could also inform the development of best practices in application and integration of ICTs in instruction.

Field of study: Education
Evidence for the presence of thermophilic Fe(III)-reducing microorganisms in deep-sea hydrothermal vents at 13 degrees N (East Pacific Rise).

Microorganisms capable of dissimilatory Fe(III) reduction in the temperature range of 52-90 degrees C were enriched from outer and inner parts of chimney-like structures, tubes of the polychaetous annelid Alvinella sp., and hydrothermal fluids collected at 13 degrees N hydrothermal vent sites on the East Pacific Rise at a depth of 2650 m. Numbers of culturable Fe(III)-reducing thermophiles estimated by the serial dilution technique varied from 10 to 10(7) cells per cm(3) of sample. Phylogenetic analysis of bacterial and archaeal PCR-amplified 16S rDNA genes obtained from Fe(III)-reducing enrichments and separated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed sequences related to Deferibacter, Thermotogales (Bacteria) and Thermococcus (Archaea) for which the capacity for Fe(III) reduction had been reported. This was confirmed by isolating a hyperthermophilic iron reducer that belongs to the genus Thermococcus. Other bacterial thermophiles found in the enrichments were related to so far uncultured members of the Clostridiaceae, and epsilon-subdivision of the Proteobacteria.

Field of study: Biology, Environmental science
A new principle of oligomerization of plant DEG7 protease based on interactions of degenerated protease domains

Deg/HtrA proteases are a large group of ATP-independent serine endoproteases found in almost every organism. Their usual domain arrangement comprises a trypsin-type protease domain and one or more PDZ domains. All Deg/HtrA proteases form homo-oligomers with trimers as the basic unit, where the active protease domain mediates the interaction between individual monomers. Among the members of the Deg/HtrA protease family, the plant protease DEG7 is unique since it contains two protease domains (one active and one degenerated) and four PDZ domains. In the present study, we investigated the oligomerization behaviour of this unusual protease using yeast two-hybrid analysis in vivo and with recombinant protein in vitro. We show that DEG7 forms trimeric complexes, but in contrast with other known Deg/HtrA proteases, it shows a new principle of oligomerization, where trimerization is based on the interactions between degenerated protease domains. We propose that, during evolution, a duplicated active protease domain degenerated and specialized in protein–protein interaction and complex formation.

Field of study: Biology, Computer science
Photolysis Controls Atmospheric Budgets of Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosol.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) accounts for a large fraction of tropospheric particulate matter. While SOA production rates and mechanisms have been extensively investigated, loss pathways remain uncertain. Most large-scale chemistry and transport models account for mechanical deposition of SOA, but not chemical losses, such as photolysis. There is also a paucity of laboratory measurements of SOA photolysis, which limits how well photolytic losses can be modeled. Here we show, through a combined experimental and modeling approach, that photolytic loss of SOA mass significantly alters SOA budget predictions. Using environmental chamber experiments at variable relative humidity between 0 and 60%, we find that SOA produced from several biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) undergoes photolysis-induced mass loss at rates between 0 and 2.2% ± 0.4% of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) photolysis, equivalent to average atmospheric lifetimes as short as 10 hours. We incorporate our photolysis rates into a regional chemical transport model to test the sensitivity of predicted SOA mass concentrations to photolytic losses. The addition of photolysis causes a ~50% reduction in biogenic SOA loadings over the Amazon, indicating that photolysis exerts a substantial control over the atmospheric SOA lifetime, with a likely dependence upon SOA molecular composition and thus production mechanisms.

Field of study: Environmental science
Comparison of Plant Water Stress Detection Ability of Color and Gray-Level Texture in Sunagoke Moss

Imaging is emerging as a novel technique for real-time and non-invasive stress diagnosis in plants. In this study, water stress detection ability of six texture features extracted using color co-occurrence matrix (CCM) and gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) methods were compared. Multi-layer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) models were developed and used to predict or classify water stress in five samples of Sunagoke moss (Rhacomitrium canescens) using the texture features. Hue-saturation-intensity (HSI) texture features had an average water stress prediction mean square error (MSE) of 0.0043. The average water stress prediction MSE of GLCM texture features was 0.0053. The CCM and GLCM texture features showed average water stress misclassification errors of 3.05% and 1.78%, respectively. Texture features extracted from HSI color space showed a higher ability and reliability to predict and classify water stress in the plant. By discarding the intensity component, the HSI texture features can be used to detect water stress in Sunagoke moss under natural lighting conditions. Use of hyperspectral reflectance imaging can enable this method to detect specific stress signatures for particular plants and make it a powerful biophysical, non-invasive, and pre-visual stress diagnosis method for a wide variety of stresses in plants.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Neuroprotection mediated by subtoxic dose of NMDA in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cultures: activity-dependent regulation of PSA-NCAM expression.

The NMDA class of glutamate receptors plays a critical role in CNS, such as synaptic plasticity, axonal sprouting, growth, and migration. NMDA receptor stimulation has been shown to regulate polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) expression in glial cell cultures and in hippocampal slice cultures. There is also growing evidence that molecular chaperons and ROS are related to the synaptic plasticity phenomena. We have examined the neuroprotective effect of subtoxic dose of NMDA in retinoic acid differentiated SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. SH-SY5Y cell line differentiated with retinoic acid (10 muM) was exposed to NMDA (100 microM) or to antagonist MK-801 (200 nM) + NMDA and cells harvested after 24 h of treatment for PSA-NCAM, NCAM, and HSP70 expression study and for biochemical analysis. A significant increase was observed in PSA-NCAM, NCAM-180, NCAM-140, and HSP70 expression as seen by Western blotting and immunocytofluorescent studies in NMDA-treated cultures. Biochemical analysis revealed a significant increase in the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and copper zinc-superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) upon exposure to NMDA. No significant change was observed in the level of lipid peroxidation. All the changes observed reverted back to the control values upon pretreatment of cultures with MK-801, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, prior to NMDA exposure indicating the involvement of NMDA receptor in these changes. These results illustrate the neuroprotective role of subtoxic dose of NMDA in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.

Field of study: Biology
NMR determination of ionic structure in plasticized polyether-urethane polymer electrolytes

Solid polymer electrolytes based on amorphous polyether-urethane networks combined with lithium or sodium salts and a low molecular weight cosolvent (plasticizer) have been investigated in our laboratories for several years. Conductivity enhancements of up to two orders of magnitude can be obtained whilst still retaining solid elastomeric properties. In order to understand the effects of the plasticizers and their mechanism of conductivity enhancement, multinuclear NMR has been employed to investigate ionic structure in polymer electrolyte systems containing NaCF 3 SO 3 , LiCF 3 SO 3 and LiClO 3 salts. With increasing dimethyl formamide (DMF) and propylene carbonate (PC) concentration the increasing cation chemical shift with fixed salt concentration indicates a decreasing anion-cation association consistent with an increased number of charge carriers. 13 C chemical shift data for the same systems suggests that whilst DMF also decreases cation-polymer interactions, PC does the opposite, presumably by shielding cation-anion interactions. Temperature dependent 7 Li spin-lattice relaxation times indicate the expected increase in ionic mobility upon plasticization with a shift of the T 1 minimum to lower temperatures. The magnitude of T 1 at the minimum increases upon addition of DMF whereas there is a slight decrease when PC is added. This also supports the suggestion that the DMF preferentially solvates the cation whereas the action of PC is limited to coulomb screening, hence freeing the anion.

Field of study: Materials science
Atmospheric mercury measurements onboard the CARIBIC passenger aircraft

Goal of the project CARIBIC (Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the atmosphere Based on an Instrumented Container) is to carry out regular and detailed observations of atmospheric composition (particles and gases) at cruising altitudes of passenger aircraft, i.e. at 9–12 km. Mercury has been measured since May 2005 by a modified Tekran instrument (Tekran Model 2537 A analyser, Tekran Inc., Toronto, Canada) during monthly intercontinental flights between Europe and South and North America, Africa, and Asia. Here we describe the instrument modifications, the post-flight processing of the raw instrument signal, and the fractionation experiments.

Field of study: Environmental science
Operation of the Orsay Cevil and Its Extraction Systems

It is possible to obtain an isochronous magnetic field over a wide range of average induction for a given ion by changing the structure of the electro-magnet. This new structure allows great reduction of correcting adjustements. We obtained, at Orsay, encouraging results by the use of shims with variable permeability and damping gaps. Only two correction coils were necessary to make the average field isochronous to within 30 gauss, for all the ions. The internal beam tests confirmed the good quality of the magnetic field and verified the theoretical calculations ; the intensity of the multicharged ion beam was generally greater than the initial evaluation. Two extractors are at present set up : an electrostatic deflector and a stripping extractor. This latter device perserves the optical qualities of the beam. Furthermore, one or more simultaneous beams can be obtained with an excellent efficiency, and with various energies, depending on the radius.

Field of study: Physics
Magnetothermoelasticity with two relaxation times in conducting medium with variable electrical and thermal conductivity

The equations of magneto-thermoelasticity with two relaxation times and with variable electrical and thermal conductivity for one-dimensional problems including heat sources are cast into matrix form using the state space and Laplace transform techniques. The resulting formulation is applied to a problem for the whole conducting space with a plane distribution of heat sources. It also is applied to a semispace problem with a traction-free surface and plane distribution of heat sources located inside the conducting medium. The inversion of the Laplace transforms is carried out using a numerical approach. Numerical results for the temperature, displacement and stress distributions are given and illustrated graphically for both problems. A comparison is made with the results obtained in the following cases: (a) the electrical and thermal conductivities have constant values, (b) the absence of magnetic field and (c) the coupled theory in magneto-thermoelasticity.

Field of study: Mathematics
LOCAL GAS-SOLID SLIP VELOCITY IN RISER

Local slip velocity is an important factor in mass,momentum and heat transfer of riser reactors.Based on the EMMS model, the qualitative and quantitative analysis is made for local slip velocity and its components (the slip velocity in the dense phase (cluster), the slip velocity in the dilute phase and the slip velocity between dense phase and dilute phase).It is found that the slip velocity between dense phase and dilute phase makes the most contribution to the local slip velocity and clusters lead to the high local slip velocity, from which the correlation of local slip velocity with local voidage is derived.Using this correlation, the local gas-solids slip velocities in gas-solids up-risers are predicted.Calculation results are well consistent with experimental data. Furthermore, the effects of operating conditions on local slip velocities are discussed. It is concluded that local slip velocity increases with the increase of solids circulating rate and decreases with the increase of superficial gas velocity.

Field of study: Chemistry, Environmental science
An Empirical Investigation of Emulators in Mobile Web Research

In spite of affordability, portability, and convenience of mobile handheld devices, there are a number of usability problems associated with Web access through those devices, largely attributable to their inherent physical constraints. In the past decade, there have been increasing empirical studies on interface issues and usability of mobile handheld devices and mobile Web. However, researchers have been frequently using emulators of handheld devices running on desktop computers instead of real, physical handheld devices in those studies. Such a phenomenon raises validity and generalizability concerns given the differences between emulators and physical devices. This research empirically investigates whether the user performance and perception of mobile Web on an emulator is equivalent to or at least consistent with that on a physical device. The findings suggest that an emulator may not be able to emulate user performance and perception with physical handheld devices, and thus should be used with caution.

Field of study: Computer science
Electrochemical Detection of Alkaline Phosphatase Using Ionic Liquid Modified Carbon Nanotubes Electrode

An electrochemical assay of a steady and dynamic detection method of alkaline phosphatase(AP) was investigated.Using a new composite electrode fabricated with carbon nanotubes and ionic liquids(CNTs-ILE),after working on the characteristics of the electrode,and the electrochemical research of the catalytic reaction substrate p-nitrophenyl phosphate(PNPP) and product p-nitrophenol(PNP),continuous dynamic amperometric detection of the enzymatic reaction was achieved.The results indicated that the cyclic voltammetry characteristics of the CNTs-ILE were better than those of glassy carbon electrode,and the CNTs-ILE had good anti-fouling property when detected PNP.When the concentration range of AP was 1 U/L to 1×102 U/L,the current had a good proportional relationship with the concentration of AP.This method could be used to detect AP within 20 min.CNTs-ILE′s good anti-fouling and low production cost properties made this electrode expect to have a further development in detection of AP.This technique can also be used to analyze a specific sample,which was,on basis of the traditional ELISA method,using CNTs-ILE to electrochemically detect the catalytic reaction product of AP.This method can be used to determine the concentrations of antigen through the current peak,and provide theory basis for the future detection of AP marked antigen or antibody.

Field of study: Chemistry
Carrier Dynamics Study of CdxZn1-xSe/ZnSe (x = 0.2) Multiple Quantum Wells

In this paper, nonlinear optical properties of CdxZn1-xSe/ZnSe (x = 0.2) multiple quantum wells were studied by low temperature steady-state and transient photoluminescence at high excitation densities. The biexciton transition was observed on the low energy side of the exciton transition. Based on the characteristics of stimulated emission observed in similar structures, we suggest the biexciton transition as the mechanism for stimulated emission. Optical degradation was also studied by room temperature photoluminescence using femtosecond laser pulses as the excitation source. The results confirm the formation of nonradiative recombination centers with a saturating degradation effect after about 10 min of exposure.

Field of study: Materials science
Korean Boolean Query Generation and Extension for Improving Retrieval Performance

In order to improve retrieval performance of information retrieval system and make it convenient to use,this paper proposed a new method that automatically converts the Korean natural language words which inputted by users into extended Boolean queries.This method firstly generates Boolean query words based on syntax information from Korean natural language words.Then it syntactically analyzes the query terms,uses syntactic tree to assemble or separate related compound nouns and extends search with expanding multi markers and brief markers.Comparing to common search method and search method based on manual extracting Boolean query,this method gets more 8% and 12% in accuracy separately.

Field of study: Computer science
Pairing with non-opposite momentum in superconductors

The basic feature of the BCS theory is that pairing occurs between electrons in states with opposite momentum and opposite spins, e.g., between states (k) and (-k), in which the symbols of vectors are neglected, and later theories followed the BCS theory. However, since the center of mass for any pair is not always static, we must consider the pairing between states (k) and (-k+q). In this letter, we derive a set of self-consistent equations for the correlation functions associated with the pairs that have non-opposite momentums, in which we find some new results. This means that some physics associated with superconductors should be re-explained in futures.

Field of study: Physics
A convergence analysis of nonlinear implicit iterative method for nonlinear ill-posed problems

Implicit iterative method acquires good effect in solving linear ill-posed problems. We have ever applied the idea of implicit iterative method to solve nonlinear ill-posed problems, under the restriction that α is appropriate large, we proved the monotonicity of iterative error and obtained the convergence and stability of iterative sequence, numerical results show that the implicit iterative method for nonlinear ill-posed problems is efficient. In this paper, we analyze the convergence and stability of the corresponding nonlinear implicit iterative method when α k are determined by Hanke criterion.

Field of study: Mathematics
Effects of different ethephon applications on agronomic traits and grain yield of maize

Two field experiments of ethephon-brushed leaves of Zhengdan 958 and ethephon-sprayed topmost canopy of Xundan 20 were carried out, and the percentage decline of each main internode length relative to respective check was employed to the measurement of the shortened degree. The results revealed that ethephon had internode-cascaded and additive inhibition elongation effects on the elongating internodes or several ones above them. When ethephon solution was sprayed on the topmost canopy of maize at the stage of "n" expanded leaves, which showed that the elongation-inhibited internodes were the several ones above the(n-2)th node, especially, the length between the(n-1)th and the(n+4)th internode was shortened obviously, and the length of the(n-1)th or the(n)th internode was usually shortened most; on the whole, percentage decline of respective internode length above the(n+4)th internode was obviously decreased with its step-up node, but except the tassel internode. Leaf age index between 55 and 70 is the best ethephon-sprayed stage for Xundan 20, which increase the ability of lodging and breaking resistance significantly; and the appropriate dosage should be decided by achieving no less than 95% kernels and leaf area of the check.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Conceptual Issues in Politics of Education

Politics of education is a vast field of study. Although, a lot of theorizing on the subject matter exists, there is need for proper documentation of the political context of education in Nigeria so as to throw more light on the relevance of the concept in this era of globalization. In other words, it is sometime necessary to undertake the explanation of the concepts used in the study of politics of education so as to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The concept politics of education thus refers to the social and political contexts of education.  Its main objectives is to identify and examine the various social and political factors that influence issues and problems which affect education production process and also to identify the possible strategies for harnessing or otherwise such controlling factors that influences issues and problems for the benefit of educational administration and planning in the society. In philosophy of education, the content of education is expressed in curriculum, syllabuses and textbooks which have tended to reflect the dominant ideologies and policy outcome of government in power. Unchendu (2004) noted that politics of education involves a complex interrelationship among interest groups, politicians, educationist, bureaucrat and knowledge brokers.  He added that across the whole gamut of educational structure, these actors want educational institutions (Schools) to serve particular goals and needs as they define them.

Field of study: Education