nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Key environmental determinants of global and regional richness and endemism patterns for a wild bee subfamily

Reports of world-wide decline of pollinators, and of bees in particular, raise increasing concerns about maintenance of pollination interactions. While local factors of bee decline are relatively well known and potential mitigation strategies at the landscape scale have been outlined, the regional and continental-scale threats to bee diversity have only been marginally explored. Here we document large-scale spatial patterns for a representative bee subfamily, the determinants of its species richness, and assess major threats to these pollinators. Using a comprehensive global dataset of Colletinae (genera Colletes, also called “polyester” or “cellophane” bees for their underground nests lined with a polyester secretion, and Mourecotelles), a species-rich subfamily whose organismal and physiological ecology is representative of many bees, we measured species richness and endemism on global to continental scales. We explored the relationships between bee species richness and potential environmental stress factors grouped into three categories: contemporary climate, habitat heterogeneity, and anthropogenic pressure. Bees of the subfamily Colletinae demonstrate the reversed latitudinal gradient in species richness and endemism suggested for bees; the highest species richness of Colletinae was found between 30° and 50° latitude in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Centres of endemism largely overlapped with those of species richness. The importance of the Greater Cape Floristic Region, previously identified as a centre of richness and endemism of bees, was confirmed for Colletinae. On the global scale, present-day climate was a significant predictor of species richness as was flowering plant diversity represented by vascular plant species richness and centres of plant diversity. Our main conclusion is that climate change constitutes a potential threat to bee diversity, as does declining diversity of vascular plants. However, a significant overlap between centres of bee richness and plant diversity might increase chances for developing conservation strategies.

Field of study: Environmental science
Discourse and the Institutional Approach to Law and Economics: Factors That Separate the Institutional Approach to Law and Economics From Alternative Approaches

The importance of the rhetoric of economics has recently been realized in the work of such authors as Donald N. McCloskey [McCloskey 1985] and Arjo Klamer [Klamer 1983, 1987]. Economics is seen to advocate a point of view or ideology, as discourse and not necesssarily truth. Recognition of the channeling, obfuscation, selective perception, and fictions involved in economic discourse is necessary for a complete analysis of economic models and their policy prescriptions. This article explores the rhetoric of the interrelations between legal and economic processes as expounded in neoclassical law and economics, critical legal studies, and neo-institutional law and economics. Space limitations preclude anything more than a taste of the rhetoric involved in each approach.

Field of study: Economics
Does Circumcision Cause Meatal Strictures

The causal relationship between circumcision and meatal strictures is controversial. We reviewed our data and assessed the roles of possible etiologic factors.  Seventy six patients who underwent circumcision both for traditional and medical reasons at the department of Urology between 2004 and 2006 were included in the study. Meatal calibrations were achieved using lubricated polyethyhlene tubes by the same surgeon, such that the largest caliber tube that did not stretch the external meatus and fossa navicularis represented the meatal size. Postoperative meatal caliber was assessed at 1 to 3 months (mean:1.4) after the circumcision. Circumcision techniques were categorized with respect to the competence of phrenular artery. Circumferential incision was made at a more proximal level on the ventral aspect of the penis and no cautery to, or ligation of phrenular artery was performed in those who underwent phrenulum-sparing circumcisions. The influence of phrenulum sparing, diapers and preoperative gonadotropin treatment on the postoperative percent change in meatal calibration was assessed statistically.  Mean patient age was 35.4 months (range 1 to 102). Pre and postoperative mean meatal calibers were 10.53F and 10.11F respectively. Overall decrease in meatal caliber (3.98%) was statistically significant (p=0.0001). Preoperative gonadotropins, although statistically insignificant, seemed to have a protective effect. Phrenulum sparing did not prevent meatal downsizing (p=0.005). Having diapers seemed to be a greater risk factor for meatal strictures (p=0.001).  Decrease in meatal caliber as early as 1 to 3 months after circumcision is statistically significant, though clinical importance of this decrease is yet to be determined.

Field of study: Medicine
Cleaning fouled polyvinylidenefluoride hollow fibre ultrafiltration membrane by ultrasound

Hollow fibre ultrafiltration membrane is frequently employed in the water treatment processes.However, the fouling of ultrafiltration membrane significantly affects the economics of the process.In this study the fouled polyvinylidenefluoride ultrafiltration membrane and its module were cleaned by flat ultrasonic treatment with 2000 mg·L~ -1 citric acid.The cleaning results were determined by a cleaning ratio defined by the authors and SEM, and also validated by membrane flux.Ultrasound was shown to be beneficial to cleaning and the cleaning ratio was 80% with no damage of membrane and was 25% more than that without ultrasonic treatment.The optimal ultrasonic treatment parameters were: frequency 40 kHz,sound intensity 2200 W·m~ -2 ,treatment time 30 min.For the fouled module, the flux increased from 0.0368 cm~3·cm~ -2 ·min~ -1 to 0.1254 cm~3·cm~ -2 ·min~ -1 , i.e., the flux recovery was 72.5% of the new membrane without back purge and the flux was increased to 241% of the initial flux of fouled membrane.

Field of study: Chemistry, Environmental science
Thermochronologic evidence for orogen-parallel variability in wedge kinematics during extending convergent orogenesis of the northern Apennines, Italy

Analysis of 146 new apatite (U-Th)/He ages, six new apatite fi ssion-track ages, and 165 previously published apatite fi ssiontrack (AFT) ages from the northern Apennine extending convergent orogen reveals a signifi cant along-strike change in post-late Miocene wedge kinematics and exhumation history. East of ~11°30′E, age patterns and age-elevation relationships are diagnostic of ongoing frontal accretion and slab retreat consistent with a northeastward-migrating “orogenic wave.” Enhanced erosion rates of ~1 mm/yr over a period of ~3‐5 Ma are recorded on the contractional pro-side of the orogen and ~0.3 mm/yr on the extending retro-side. West of ~11°30′E, ongoing exhumation has been restricted to the range core since at least ca. 8 Ma at rates of ~0.4 mm/yr increasing to ~1 mm/yr in the Pliocene (ca. 3 Ma) accompanied by post-Pliocene tilting and associated faulting. This pattern can be attributed to either continued convergence (but a switch in the transfer of material into the wedge to a regime dominated by underplating or out-of-sequence shortening), or a slowdown or cessation of frontal accretion and slab retreat with enhanced Pliocene uplift and erosion triggered by a deeper seated process such as lithospheric delamination, complete slab detachment, or slab tear. These fi ndings emphasize that no single model of wedge kinematics is likely appropriate to explain long-term northern Apennine orogenesis and synconvergent extension, but rather that different lithospheric geodynamic processes have acted at different times in different lateral segments of the orogen.

Field of study: Geology
Modélisation semi-empirique des écoulements et des transferts dans un milieu poreux en régime turbulent

Resume Le modele propose permet de predire les ecoulements turbulents et les transferts thermiques au sein d'un empilement d'objets considere comme un milieu poreux. Il relie l'intensite des transferts entre le fluide et les objets aux valeurs locales de la vitesse et du taux de turbulence. La variation de l'energie cinetique turbulente est predite par une equation de transport inspiree de la litterature et qui est generalisable en plusieurs dimensions. Les parametres du modele ont ete identifies experimentalement pour un empilement de spheres d'un taux de vide de 34%, notamment d'apres des mesures par anemometrie laser effectuees a l'aval de l'empilement. L'ecart moyen entre les coefficients de transfert predits et mesures pour differentes vitesses debitantes et positions dans l'empilement est de 5%.

Field of study: Engineering
Indoor particle levels in small- and medium-sized commercial buildings in California.

This study monitored indoor and outdoor particle concentrations in 37 small and medium commercial buildings (SMCBs) in California with three buildings sampled on two occasions, resulting in 40 sampling days. Sampled buildings included offices, retail establishments, restaurants, dental offices, and hair salons, among others. Continuous measurements were made for both ultrafine and fine particulate matter as well as black carbon inside and outside of the building. Integrated PM(2.5), PM(2.5-10), and PM(10) samples were also collected inside and outside the building. The majority of the buildings had indoor/outdoor (I/O) particle concentration ratios less than 1.0, indicating that contributions from indoor sources are less than removal of outdoor particles. However, some of the buildings had I/O ratios greater than 1, indicating significant indoor particle sources. This was particularly true of restaurants, hair salons, and dental offices. The infiltration factor was estimated from a regression analysis of indoor and outdoor concentrations for each particle size fraction, finding lower values for ultrafine and coarse particles than for submicrometer particles, as expected. The I/O ratio of black carbon was used as a relative measure of the infiltration factor of particles among buildings, with a geometric mean of 0.62. The contribution of indoor sources to indoor particle levels was estimated for each building.

Field of study: Environmental science
Steps and pips in the history of the cumulative recorder.

From its inception in the 1930s until very recent times, the cumulative recorder was the most widely used measurement instrument in the experimental analysis of behavior. It was an essential instrument in the discovery and analysis of schedules of reinforcement, providing the first real-time analysis of operant response rates and patterns. This review traces the evolution of the cumulative recorder from Skinner's early modified kymographs through various models developed by Skinner and his colleagues to its perfection in the 1950s, and then into the 1960s when it proliferated as different scientific instrument companies began marketing their own models of the cumulative recorder. With the rise of digital computers, the demise of the cumulative recorder as a scientific instrument was inevitable; however, the value of the cumulative record as a monitoring device to assess schedule control of behavior continues. The cumulative recorder remains, along with the operant conditioning chamber, an icon of Skinner's approach to psychology.

Field of study: Biology, Psychology
Domestic landings and imports of seafood in emerging economies: The Brazilian sardines market

Seafood imports have increased strongly in emerging economies during the last decades. However, the impacts of increased imports on price determination process, local fishers' income and fish stocks have received limited attention. This paper presents a market integration and price transmission analysis for the Brazilian sardine market, comprising the fresh and canned sardines segments, to shed light on these issues. Imports currently supply about one-half the sardines in the Brazilian market, and even more when the domestic fishery landings are low. The results suggest not only a fully integrated market but also a complete price transmission in both sardine value chains. Hence, import competition with domestic fisheries limit price increases in the domestic fishery and reduce fishers' income and fishing effort. However, the canneries, consumers and fish stocks are better off.

Field of study: Environmental science
The Heir Must Die: One Hundred Years of Solitude as a Gothic Novel

A brief survey of the salient conventions that distinguish the Gothic novel may convince readers of Gabriel GarcÃ-a MÃ¡rquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude that the book suits the genre. Reading Solitude as a Gothic novel not only yields a comprehensive interpretation but also heightens appreciation of its wit and craftsmanship. If the reader bears in mind the Gothic conventions dear to devotees of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the Edgar Allan Poe canon, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, and Alejo Carpentier's Explosion in a Cathedral, the reader will see how ably the Gothic conventions in any one of them can also pump the pedals of Pietro Crespi's pianola though the birds of magic realism sing other songs. Gothic novels began in romances, sentimental novels, and Oriental tales, notably The Thousand and One Nights.1 Edmund Burke's theory of the sublime added the most distant geographical reaches to the influence of Gothic architecture that in itself accentuated effects of spatial stress through contrasting light and dark, height and

Field of study: Art
Analysis of Thermoelectric Generators with General Material Property Variations

A theoretical analysis is performed on thermoelectric generators of functionally graded materials with arbitrary material property variations described by power series. The temperature field is obtained by the power series method of ordinary differential equations. The thermoelectric energy conversion efficiency is calculated and maximized as a function of the current density. Systematic numerical studies are performed for exponential, linear, and trigonometric material property variations. Our theoretical model with general material property variation allows us to explore for higher efficiency more flexibly. The maximum efficiency found is about 25% which is substantially higher than what is in the literature on the same topic.

Field of study: Materials science
Structure of wild-type Plk-1 kinase domain in complex with a selective DARPin.

As a key regulator of mitosis, the Ser/Thr protein polo-like kinase-1 (Plk-1) is a well validated drug target in cancer therapy. In order to enable structure-guided drug design, determination of the crystal structure of the kinase domain of Plk-1 was attempted. Using a multi-parallel cloning and expression approach, a set of length variants were identified which could be expressed in large amounts from insect cells and which could be purified to high purity. However, all attempts to crystallize these constructs failed. Crystals were ultimately obtained by generating designed ankyrin-repeat proteins (DARPins) selective for Plk-1 and using them for cocrystallization. Here, the first crystal structure of the kinase domain of wild-type apo Plk-1, in complex with DARPin 3H10, is presented, underlining the power of selective DARPins as crystallization tools. The structure was refined to 2.3 A resolution and shows the active conformation of Plk-1. It broadens the basis for modelling and cocrystallization studies for drug design. The binding epitope of 3H10 is rich in arginine, glutamine and lysine residues, suggesting that the DARPin enabled crystallization by masking a surface patch which is unfavourable for crystal contact formation. Based on the packing observed in the crystal, a truncated DARPin variant was designed which showed improved binding characteristics.

Field of study: Chemistry
Design of High Power Density TVC Driving Motor for Space Launch Vehicle Using Halbach Magnet Array Structure

This paper presents a high power density motor design process of a thrust vector control (TVC) system to modify the thrust vector of the gimbal engine of a space launch vehicle. For this system, the high power density motor designing requires computation of the maximum current density by considering the driving environment, operating conditions, and electromagnetic optimum design process. This paper describes the computation of the maximum allowable current density in vacuum, which is the driving environment of a TVC drive motor. In addition, a Halbach magnet array structure is applied as a high output density design method for a surface-mounted synchronous motor. The characteristics of the output and loss of this structure are compared with those of an existing design. Moreover, we highlight the advantages of applying a Halbach magnet array in terms of the demagnetization resistance.

Field of study: Physics
The Evolving Diagnostic and Genetic Landscapes of Autism Spectrum Disorder

The autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a heterogeneous set of neurodevelopmental syndromes defined by impairments in verbal and non-verbal communication, restricted social interaction, and the presence of stereotyped patterns of behavior. The prevalence of ASD is rising, and the diagnostic criteria and clinical perspectives on the disorder continue to evolve in parallel. Although the majority of individuals with ASD will not have an identifiable genetic cause, almost 25% of cases have identifiable causative DNA variants. The rapidly improving ability to identify genetic mutations because of advances in next generation sequencing, coupled with previous epidemiological studies demonstrating high heritability of ASD, have led to many recent attempts to identify causative genetic mutations underlying the ASD phenotype. However, although hundreds of mutations have been identified to date, they are either rare variants affecting only a handful of ASD patients, or are common variants in the general population conferring only a small risk for ASD. Furthermore, the genes implicated thus far are heterogeneous in their structure and function, hampering attempts to understand shared molecular mechanisms among all ASD patients; an understanding that is crucial for the development of targeted diagnostics and therapies. However, new work is beginning to suggest that the heterogeneous set of genes implicated in ASD may ultimately converge on a few common pathways. In this review, we discuss the parallel evolution of our diagnostic and genetic understanding of autism spectrum disorders, and highlight recent attempts to infer common biology underlying this complicated syndrome.

Field of study: Biology
Multi-step high-throughput conjugation platform for the development of antibody-drug conjugates.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) form a rapidly growing class of biopharmaceuticals which attracts a lot of attention throughout the industry due to its high potential for cancer therapy. They combine the specificity of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) and the cell-killing capacity of highly cytotoxic small molecule drugs. Site-specific conjugation approaches involve a multi-step process for covalent linkage of antibody and drug via a linker. Despite the range of parameters that have to be investigated, high-throughput methods are scarcely used so far in ADC development. In this work an automated high-throughput platform for a site-specific multi-step conjugation process on a liquid-handling station is presented by use of a model conjugation system. A high-throughput solid-phase buffer exchange was successfully incorporated for reagent removal by utilization of a batch cation exchange step. To ensure accurate screening of conjugation parameters, an intermediate UV/Vis-based concentration determination was established including feedback to the process. For conjugate characterization, a high-throughput compatible reversed-phase chromatography method with a runtime of 7 min and no sample preparation was developed. Two case studies illustrate the efficient use for mapping the operating space of a conjugation process. Due to the degree of automation and parallelization, the platform is capable of significantly reducing process development efforts and material demands and shorten development timelines for antibody-drug conjugates.

Field of study: Biology, Engineering
Microearthquake survey of the Miramichi, New Brunswick, epicentral region, 1985

A survey of the continuing microearthquake activity in the 1982 Miramichi earthquake epicentral region of central New Brunswick took place between July 3 and August 19, 1985. MEQ-800 analog seismographs were deployed at six recording stations for the 47 day period of the survey. Three BakPak digital seismographs were added to the network on July 23, two at the same locations as analog units and one at a seventh site.Three hundred and twenty-five microearthquakes were recorded during the survey. The activity was episodic, with days of few earthquakes being followed by periods when events clustered together in miniswarms. Coda-magnitude relationships for five stations were established from regression analysis of scaled coda lengths of events on the MEQ 800 records and Nuttli magnitudes determined at an Eastern Canadian Telemetered Network station KLN. Only 21 of the events had coda magnitudes (Mc) greater than 0, the largest being 2.0. The larger magnitude earthquakes occurred in zones where there had been ...

Field of study: Environmental science
Optimization for Large-Scale Machine Learning with Distributed Features and Observations

As the size of modern data sets exceeds the disk and memory capacities of a single computer, machine learning practitioners have resorted to parallel and distributed computing. Given that optimization is one of the pillars of machine learning and predictive modeling, distributed optimization methods have recently garnered ample attention in the literature. Although previous research has mostly focused on settings where either the observations, or features of the problem at hand are stored in distributed fashion, the situation where both are partitioned across the nodes of a computer cluster (doubly distributed) has barely been studied. In this work we propose two doubly distributed optimization algorithms. The first one falls under the umbrella of distributed dual coordinate ascent methods, while the second one belongs to the class of stochastic gradient/coordinate descent hybrid methods. We conduct numerical experiments in Spark using real-world and simulated data sets and study the scaling properties of our methods. Our empirical evaluation of the proposed algorithms demonstrates the out-performance of a block distributed ADMM method, which, to the best of our knowledge is the only other existing doubly distributed optimization algorithm.

Field of study: Computer science