nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Influence of moisture content on measurement accuracy of porous media thermal conductivity

Thermal conductivity measurement accuracy of sands was experimentally studied with a hot disk thermal constant analyzer and water morphologies,distribution and evolution at pore scale were observed with charge coupled device(CCD)combined with microscope.It was found that thermal conductivities of samples with a low moisture content(25%)could not be accurately measured.For samples with a low moisture content,the analysis showed that the water in the region adjacent to the analyser sensor mainly existed as isolated liquid bridges between/among sand particles and would evaporate and diffuse to relatively far regions because of being heated by the sensor during measurement.Water evaporation and diffusion caused the sample composition in the region adjacent to the sensor vary throughout the whole measurement process,and accordingly low accuracy of the obtained thermal conductivities.Due to high water connectivity in pores,the rate of water evaporation and diffusion in porous media of high moisture content was relatively slow compared with that in porous media of low moisture content.Meanwhile,water in the relatively far region flowed back to the region adjacent to the sensor by capillary force.Therefore,sample composition of the region adjacent to the sensor maintained constant and thermal conductivities of porous media with a relatively high moisture content could be measured with high accuracy.

Field of study: Chemistry, Environmental science
Energy-dispersive absorption spectroscopy for hard-X-ray micro-XAS applications.

Originally developed for time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), energy-dispersive absorption spectroscopy offers new opportunities for applications such as fluorescence detection and microbeams for scanning probe spectroscopy, thanks to recent developments in both instrumentation and optics. In this context, this paper presents a first example of chemical mapping recorded at ID24, the energy-dispersive XAS beamline at the ESRF. Attributes of this geometry for microanalysis are addressed. Finally, present and future plans are discussed and developed in the light of the evolution of the focal spot on this instrument in the past ten years.

Field of study: Physics
Momentum space imaging of locally noncentrosymmetric superconductors

The failure of spatial inversion symmetry in noncentrosymmetric materials introduces two different types of spin-independent and spin-dependent electron hopping. The spin-dependent term can be translated into a quasi-spin-orbit coupling and may affect the electronic structure. In the locally noncentrosymmetric crystals, the presence of a sublattice degree of freedom generates a distinction between the inter- and intra-sublattice hopping integrals. The spin-dependent part of the former (latter), which is even (odd) under parity, is called symmetric (antisymmetric) quasi-spin-orbit coupling. Here, we show the consequences of such quasi-spin-orbit couplings on the electronic band structure and study their characteristic features via the quasiparticle interference method. We extend our discussions to a realistic class of materials, known as transition metal oxides.

Field of study: Physics
The Emotional Contagion Scale: Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties in a Portuguese Sample

This manuscript examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Emotional Contagion Scale in a Portuguese sample. The original scale was first given to a sample of 1,445 individuals to verify its internal consistency. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Results suggested that the data from the Emotional Contagion Scale are best fit by a one-factor model. Differences between sexes were assessed and higher susceptibility to emotional contagion was observed in women than in men. Convergent and discriminant validity analyses were also conducted. The Portuguese version of the Emotional Contagion Scale also had good internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities; thus it is a psychometrically sound measure within a Portuguese population.

Field of study: Psychology
Transcription regulator LMO4 interferes with neuritogenesis in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.

LMO4 is a transcription regulator interacting with proteins involved, among else, in tumorigenesis. Its function in the nervous system, and particularly in the adult nervous system, has however still to be elucidated. We decided to modify its expression in a neuronal model, human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, by permanent transfection of sense or anti-sense Lmo4 cDNAs. Generated clones overexpressing the Lmo4 transcript in sense orientation tended to aggregate. They showed significantly reduced average number of neurites per cell and average neuritic length per cell. The opposite was observed with clones overexpressing the anti-sense Lmo4 transcript. Furthermore, selected clones were subjected to 72 h long-term treatments with retinoic acid and phorbol ester (TPA), two biochemicals known to stimulate differentiation of non-transfected SH-SY5Y cells and other neuroblastoma cells. Neuritogenesis occurred after retinoic acid stimulation in all cases. The inhibitory effect of sense Lmo4 RNA overexpression on neuritic outgrowth was indeed prevented. The protein kinase C activator TPA could not induce neuritogenesis in SH-SY5Y cells overexpressing sense Lmo4 RNA. Thus, sense Lmo4 RNA overexpression, not Lmo4 endogenous transcription, overrides the stimulatory effect of TPA upon neuritic outgrowth. We also showed that Lmo4-dependent neuritic retraction and outgrowth correspond to altered phosphorylation of cytoskeletal proteins. Overall, Lmo4 RNA overexpression interferes with neuritic outgrowth, whereas anti-sense Lmo4 RNA expression favors neuritogenesis in SH-SY5Y cells. Consequently, changes in Lmo4 RNA expression levels might alter the rate of neuritic outgrowth in the developing and adult nervous system.

Field of study: Biology
Effect of lithium fluoride on thermal stability of proton-conducting Ba(Zr0.8−xCexY0.2)O2.9 ceramics

In-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and micro-Raman scattering have been used to study the thermal stability of lithium fluoride (LiF)-added (7% weight ratio) Ba(Zr 0.8− x Ce x Y 0.2 )O 2.9 (BZCY: x  = 0.1 and 0.2) proton-conducting ceramic powders as a function of temperature in 1 atm of flowing CO 2 . This work reveals that LiF-addition can reduce the thermal stability of Ba(Zr 0.8− x Ce x Y 0.2 )O 2.9 in CO 2 and cause decomposition to BaCO 3 , and possibly Ba 3 Ce 2 (CO 3 ) 5 F 2 (or CeCO 3 F), and Y 2 O 3 -like compound after exposure to CO 2 from high temperatures. LiF-related compounds can be removed after calcining (or sintering) in air above 1200 °C, but a minor amount of a Y 2 O 3 -like compound could remain after calcining at 1400 °C in air.

Field of study: Materials science
Simultaneous Solution of the Inviscid Flow and Boundary Layers for Compressor Cascades

absence of buoyancy forces, is stable to small disturbances, in contradiction to the experimental results of Block. The cellular instability which he observed perhaps was the result of some small but unknown surface contamination or, possibly, it can only be explained by nonlinear stability theory. It also might be useful to repeat the experiments to determine the range of parameters over which the observed instability occurs.

Field of study: Physics
Mis innie water : tegnologie

Vierhonderd jaar gelede was die Chesapeake-baai aan die Amerikaanse ooskus 'n ongerepte stuk water waarin Indiane vis gevang het en Engelse koloniste 'n wankelrige vastrapplek op die Noord-Amerikaanse kontinent gevind het. Vandag is van die visspesies waarmee daardie Indiane die ysige winters oorleef het, skaarser as die spreekwoordelike hoendertande.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Primary pain generator identification by CT-SPECT in patients with degenerative spinal disease.

Axial spinal pain generators are difficult to identify using current diagnostic modalities. Merging CT with SPECT (CT-SPECT) scans allows for accurate identification of areas with increased osteoblastic activity, which may reflect pain generators. In this study, the authors aimed to evaluate the degree of pain improvement in patients who underwent surgery, addressing primary pain generators identified by CT-SPECT.



The authors retrospectively reviewed all patients with chronic axial spine pain who underwent diagnostic CT-SPECT at their institution and analyzed pain improvement in those who underwent surgical treatment in order to determine whether CT-SPECT correctly identified the primary pain generator.



A total of 315 patients underwent diagnostic CT-SPECT between January 2014 and August 2018. Forty-eight patients underwent either cervical or lumbar fusion; there were 26 women (16 cervical, 10 lumbar) and 22 men (9 cervical, 13 lumbar). The overall axial spinal pain, as assessed through self-reporting of visual analog scale scores at 6 months postoperatively, improved from 9.04 ± 1.4 to 4.34 ± 2.3 (p = 0.026), with cervical fusion patients improving from 8.8 ± 1.8 to 3.92 ± 2.2 (p = 0.019) and lumbar fusion patients improving from 9.35 ± 0.7 to 4.87 ± 2.3 (p = 0.008).



CT-SPECT may offer a diagnostic advantage over current imaging modalities in identifying the primary pain generator in patients with axial spinal pain.

Field of study: Medicine
The improved homotopy analysis method for the Thomas-Fermi equation

The homotopy analysis method (HAM) is sharpened to solve the Thomas–Fermi equation. Some techniques are employed, including the use of asymptotic analysis to introduce proper transformation, and the use of optimal initial guess and optimal auxiliary linear operator to accelerate the convergence of homotopy approximations. The optimal convergence-control parameters are determined by the minimum of the squared residual error. As a result, the initial slop is provided with more-than-10-digit accuracy, which is far more accurate than the results obtained by other authors using the same method. It demonstrates the flexibility and power of the HAM equipped with these techniques.

Field of study: Mathematics
Enhanced thermotolerance by hydrostatic pressure in the deep-sea hyperthermophile Pyrococcus strain ES4

The combined effect of hydrostatic pressure and heat shock on thermotolerance was examined in the deep-sea hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus strain ES4. Pressure equivalent to the depth of isolation (22 MPa) enhanced ES4's survival at super-optimal temperatures (101–108°C) relative to low pressure (3 MPa). Pressure also raised the temperature at which a putative heat-shock protein (98 kDa) accumulated. ES4 grown at 95°C and 3 MPa displayed immediate enhanced thermotolerance to 105°C after being shifted to 22 MPa. Cultures grown at 95°C and 22 MPa and then heat shocked at 105°C and 3 MPa retained enhanced thermotolerance after decompression. These results suggest that this deep-sea hyperthermophile has developed pressure-induced responses that include increased survival to hyperthermal conditions.

Field of study: Biology, Environmental science
Radiation Tolerance of Nanocrystal-Based Flash Memory Arrays Against Heavy Ion Irradiation

We present new results on heavy-ion irradiation of nanocrystal non-volatile addressable memory arrays. We show that the effects of a single ion hit are negligible on these devices due to the discrete nature of the storage sites. We estimate that, in order to observe an appreciable threshold voltage shift, at least three to four ion hits are needed. Despite several cells experiencing multiple hits they are still functional after the irradiation, showing no changes on the retention characteristics. These results highlight an outstanding improvement of the nanocrystal technology over the conventional floating gate memories in terms of radiation tolerance, which are encouraging for a potential application in radiation harsh environments.

Field of study: Physics
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS: Time dependence of the divergence of the radiation emitted by a rhodamine laser pumped by a pinched discharge

It was found experimentally that the time dependence of the divergence of the radiation emitted by a rhodamine-6G laser, pumped by a pinched discharge, was governed by three factors: the propagation in the dye cuvette of ultrasonic waves generated by the pumping radiation; the distortions of the resonator as a result of nonuniform evolution of heat; the diffraction of light by the ultrasonic waves. The ultrasound was also observed when the cuvette was filled with air. Therefore, one should expect the generation of ultrasonic waves in the case of strong optical pumping of gas and liquid lasers.

Field of study: Engineering, Physics
Association study of brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene polymorphism and alcoholism.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) influences dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitters that are heavily linked to addiction. A quantitative trait loci study indicated that genes localized to 11p13, where the BDNF gene is mapped (11p13-15), increase the risk for severe alcohol withdrawal. Moreover, a recent study using a pooled-sample microarray suggested that the BDNF gene locus was included in the loci that were shown to be associated with drug abuse. These lines of evidence suggested that BDNF might play some role in the development of or vulnerability to alcoholism and/or clinical characteristics of alcoholic individuals.



The alcoholic subjects consisted of 377 male Japanese patients. A structured interview was used to obtain social background, drinking history, history of violence while intoxicated, history of alcohol withdrawal, and family history of alcoholism. The control group consisted of 336 nonalcoholic male subjects. Genotyping of the G196A polymorphism of the BDNF gene was done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism method.



Genotype and allele distributions of the BDNF gene polymorphism did not differ significantly between alcoholic and control subjects. However, comparing clinical characteristics across G196A genotypes, we found that alcoholic subjects with violent tendencies and a history of delirium tremens had a significantly higher frequency of AA genotypes and A allele frequencies than those without them. Moreover, alcoholic subjects with the A allele had earlier onset of the disease than those without it.



These results indicate that BDNF gene polymorphism might modify phenotypes of alcoholism.

Field of study: Medicine
Prenatal diagnosis: what do we know of long-term outcomes?

Although prenatal diagnosis has been a prominent feature of Paediatric Urology for more than two decades the published literature has been largely characterized by studies reporting short to medium-term follow up. This deficiency is now being addressed by the growing availability of published and unpublished long-term outcome data for a range of prenatally detected anomalies. This review analyses the evidence on long-term outcomes which is provided by studies with mean or median follow- up exceeding 5 years, with particular emphasis on the small number of studies reporting follow -up at 10 years and beyond. The natural history and outcome of conservatively managed uropathies is considered in conjunction with an appraisal of evidence- based indications for surgical intervention. This review evaluates the relative benefits and drawbacks of prenatal diagnosis for children and their parents and also considers the impact of prenatal diagnosis on the delivery of Paediatric Urological services and specialist training.

Field of study: Medicine
TRPM2-mediated intracellular Zn2+ release triggers pancreatic β-cell death.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause pancreatic β-cell death by activating transient receptor potential (melastatin) 2 (TRPM2) channels. Cell death has been attributed to the ability of these channels to raise cytosolic Ca2+. Recent studies however revealed that TRPM2 channels can also conduct Zn2+, but the physiological relevance of this property is enigmatic. Given that Zn2+ is cytotoxic, we asked whether TRPM2 channels can permeate sufficient Zn2+ to affect cell viability. To address this, we used the insulin secreting (INS1) β-cell line, human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells transfected with TRPM2 and pancreatic islets. H2O2 activation of TRPM2 channels increases the cytosolic levels of both Ca2+ and Zn2+ and causes apoptotic cell death. Interestingly, chelation of Zn2+ alone was sufficient to prevent β-cell death. The source of the cytotoxic Zn2+ is intracellular, found largely sequestered in lysosomes. Lysosomes express TRPM2 channels, providing a potential route for Zn2+ release. Zn2+ release is potentiated by extracellular Ca2+ entry, indicating that Ca2+-induced Zn2+ release leads to apoptosis. Knockout of TRPM2 channels protects mice from β-cell death and hyperglycaemia induced by multiple low-dose streptozotocin (STZ; MLDS) administration. These results argue that TRPM2-mediated, Ca2+-potentiated Zn2+ release underlies ROS-induced β-cell death and Zn2+, rather than Ca2+, plays a primary role in apoptosis.

Field of study: Biology, Computer science
Generalized linear failure rate power series distribution

In this article, we introduce a new class of lifetime distributions. This new class includes several previously known distributions such as those of Chahkandi and Ganjali (2009), Mahmoudi and Jafari (2012), and Nadarajah et al. (2012). This new class of four-parameter distributions allows for flexible failure rate behavior. Indeed, the failure rate function here can be increasing, decreasing, bathtub-shaped or upside-down bathtub-shaped. Several distributional properties of the new class including moments, quantiles and order statistics are studied. An EM algorithm for computing the estimates of the parameters involved is proposed and some maximum entropy characterizations are discussed. Finally, to show the flexibility and potential of the new class of distributions, applications to two real data sets are provided.

Field of study: Mathematics
The Influence of Different School Organizers on School-enterprise Cooperation in Vocational Colleges

Based on Transaction Cost Theory,a theoretical hypothesis is raised that different school organizers of vocational colleges exert influence on the cooperation between colleges and enterprise,by affecting the investment of "asset specificity",and the empirical analysis of the theoretical hypothesis is carried out on the basis of the personnel training data bases of national vocational colleges.The findings reveal that compared with the vocational colleges founded by the government,non-governmental sectors,significant difference is found in vocational colleges founded by enterprise;while there is no significant difference of the cooperation in the vocational colleges founded by the government and non-governmental.

Field of study: Education
The use of geographic information systems to map and assess ecosystem services

In recent years, geographic information systems (GIS) have become a powerful tool for mapping and assessing the provision of ecosystem services within a landscape. GIS can help land managers and conservationists visualize spatial and temporal patterns and changes in ecosystem services and estimate the potential impact from projected changes in land use or management or climatic conditions on the provision of these services. The end-goal of ecosystem service assessment is usually to estimate marginal values of ecosystem services to inform decisions where trade-offs in ecosystem service provision will affect human well-being. Because our ability to estimate the provision of ecosystem services underlies our ability to estimate their societal values, the theoretical bases of GIS approaches and models for assessing ecosystem services need to be well understood before they are employed for decision-making purposes. This paper reviews GIS approaches and software developed for the assessment of ecosystem services and highlights their strengths and weaknesses in the context of different end uses.

Field of study: Environmental science
Shifting public values and what they mean for increasing democracy in wildlife management decisions

Over the last century, changing public attitudes about the value of wildlife have triggered substantial changes in species management that have both benefited and hindered conservation efforts. Understanding and integrating contemporary public values is therefore critical for effective conservation outcomes. Using historic and contemporary examples, we highlight how public attitudes—expressed through the media and campaigns—are shaping the management of introduced and native species, as values shift towards animal welfare and mutualism. We focus on the issue of deliberate human-caused killing of wildlife, because protests against such management have disrupted traditional political and management structures that favoured eradication of wildlife across many jurisdictions and ecological contexts. In doing so, we show that it is essential to work with multiple stakeholder interest groups to ensure that wildlife management is informed by science, while also supported by public values. Achieving this hinges on appropriate science communication to build a better-informed public because management decisions are becoming increasingly democratised.

Field of study: Environmental science
Self-crosslinked organic-inorganic nanocomposite membranes with good methanol barrier for direct methanol fuel cell applications

The organic-inorganic latex particles with sulfonic acid groups and core-shell structure are successfully obtained and then are heated to fabricate the self-crosslinked organic-inorganic nanocomposite membranes. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra confirm the chemical structure of membranes. The effects of inorganic component on the performances of nanocomposite membranes are investigated extensively. TGA analyses show that the membrane materials possess excellent thermal stability and 5% weight loss temperature increase with increasing SiO2 content. Solvent absorption measurement suggests the membranes are less permeable to methanol than water. The obtained membranes show conductivity values above 10− 2 S cm− 1. More importantly, all the membrane materials exhibit more excellent methanol barrier and higher selectivity compared with Nafion® 117, demonstrating that those membranes could be a potential candidate as proton exchange membranes for future direct methanol fuel cells.

Field of study: Materials science