nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Inflammation and neovascularization associated with clinically used vascular prosthetic materials.

This study was designed to evaluate and compare healing characteristics, specifically neovascularization and inflammation, of polymeric vascular graft materials commonly used in clinical applications. Our hypotheses were (i) polymeric materials used in vascular graft manufacture stimulate chronic inflammation and (ii) inflammation and neovascularization of polymeric materials are related. Impra and Gore-Tex ePTFE, Meadox weavenit and woven Dacron, Hemashield microvel and woven Dacron, and Golaski microknit Dacron were implanted as 6-mm diameter disks within rat subcutaneous and adipose tissue. Following 5 weeks of implantation samples were evaluated by histological and immunocytochemical analysis. Sections were stained using hematoxylin and eosin or reacted with ED1 antibody and GS1 lectin to quantify inflammation and neovascularization. respectively. The extent of inflammation and neovascularization were influenced by both tissue site of implantation and polymer characteristics. For subcutaneous implants, inflammation was graded as follows: Meadox weavenit > Hemashield woven > Meadox woven > Gore-Tex ePTFE > Hemashield microvel > ImpraePTFE > Golaski microknit, while only the Golaski microknit neovascularized. Inflammation was graded as follows for adipose implants: Hemashield woven > Hemashield microvel > Meadox weavenit > Meadox woven > Gore-Tex ePTFE > Golaski microknit > Imnpra ePTFE, while the following order of neovascularization was observed: Impra ePTFE > Gore-Tex ePTFE > Golaski microknit. The degree of inflammation following biomnaterial implantation has a profound effect on implant neovascularization. These data suggest an inverse relationship exists between inflammation and neovascularization.

Field of study: Biology, Medicine
Collusion in Dynamic Bertrand Oligopoly with Correlated Private Signals and Communication

This paper studies collusion in repeated Bertrand oligopoly when stochastic demand levels for the product of each firm are their private information and are positively correlated. It derives general sufficient conditions for efficient collusion through communication and a simple grim-trigger strategy. This analysis is then applied to a model where the demand signal has multiple random components which respond differently to price deviations. In this model, it is shown that the above sufficient conditions hold if idiosyncratic noise terms are sufficiently small.

Field of study: Economics
Threshold and Proactive Pseudo-Random Permutations

We construct a reasonably efficient threshold and proactive pseudo-random permutation (PRP). Our protocol needs only O(1) communication rounds. It tolerates up to (n – 1)/2 of n dishonest servers in the semi-honest environment. Many protocols that use PRPs (e.g., a CBC block cipher mode) can now be translated into the distributed setting. Our main technique for constructing invertible threshold PRPs is a distributed Luby-Rackoff construction where both the secret keys and the input are shared among the servers. We also present protocols for obliviously computing pseudo-random functions by Naor-Reingold [41] and Dodis-Yampolskiy  with shared input and keys.

Field of study: Computer science, Mathematics
Correlation of ~1H NMR chemical shift for associated systems by local composition model and two-liquid theory

The ~1H NMR chemical shift is widely used to investigate the microstructure and thermodynamics of associated solution.Based on the concept of local composition and two-liquid theory, a semi-empirical physical local composition model was proposed to correlate ~1H NMR chemical shift of associated solution.The model contained two parameters denoting the intermolecular interaction energy.The associated systems including self-associate and cross-associate mixtures were selected and investigated with the model.The results showed that the model could be used to correlate the ~1H NMR chemical shift of various associated mixtures.Assuming that the model parameters do not change with temperature, then the chemical shift of the same binary system at a different temperature is predicted.Seven associated mixtures were tested as examples to study the influence of temperature on the mixture chemical shift, and the deviations of prediction were almost of the same order of magnitude with those of correlation.

Field of study: Chemistry, Environmental science
‘Does your boyfriend know you’re here?’ The spatiality of homophobia in men’s football culture in the UK

In this paper, I focus on football culture in the UK and the presence of homophobia in the men’s professional game. In particular, I explore how football fans, through sound and visual display, produce homophobia within the spaces of the stadia. In this way, I offer a contribution to existing debate surrounding the spatiality of sexuality and the social and political significance of sporting spaces. I demonstrate the normalisation of homophobic chanting and homophobic gesticulation, and suggest that it is dominant ideas surrounding gay men’s sexual activity, penetrative sex and men’s bodies, which are central to these articulations of homophobia. I explain this emphasis on men’s embodied sexuality and sexual activity in relation to the materiality of men’s bodies in sport spaces. Moving on from this context, I draw on preliminary research to consider the possibilities that may work to contest dominant versions of homophobia and the existing spatialities of homophobia in men’s football. Discussion is based on semi‐structured interviews with two men heavily involved in The Justin Campaign – an ‘anti‐homophobia in football’ project established in Brighton on 2 May 2008. The Justin Campaign seeks to make visible the tragic death of Justin Fashanu (on 2 May 1998) and his plight as a young gay black player. Fashanu remains the only professional footballer to date – in the UK – to publicly self‐identify as ‘gay’. This is significant and I consider past treatment of Fashanu as well as the campaign’s celebration of him to drive their anti‐homophobia initiatives. In all, the paper has two fundamental aims, firstly, to address the lack of existing debate on the spatiality of homophobia in men’s elite football and secondly, to raise awareness of the recently established: The Justin Campaign.

Field of study: Sociology
Fine Structure in Multi-Phase Zr8Ni21-Zr7Ni10-Zr2Ni7 Alloy Revealed by Transmission Electron Microscope

The microstructure of an annealed alloy with a Zr8Ni21 composition was studied by both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The presence of three phases, Zr8Ni21, Zr2Ni7, and Zr7Ni10, was confirmed by SEM/X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy compositional mapping and TEM electron diffraction. Distribution of the phases and their morphology can be linked to a multi-phase structure formed by a sequence of reactions: (1) L → Zr2Ni7 + L’; (2) peritectic Zr2Ni7 + L’ → Zr2Ni7 + Zr8Ni21 + L”; (3) eutectic L” → Zr8Ni21 + Zr7Ni10. The effect of annealing at 960 °C, which was intended to convert a cast structure into a single-phase Zr8Ni21 structure, was only moderate and the resulting alloy was still multi-phased. TEM and crystallographic analysis of the Zr2Ni7 phase show a high density of planar (001) defects that were explained as low-energy boundaries between rotational variants and stacking faults. The crystallographic features arise from the pseudo-hexagonal structure of Zr2Ni7. This highly defective Zr2Ni7 phase was identified as the source of the broad X-ray diffraction peaks at around 38.4° and 44.6° when a Cu-K was used as the radiation source.

Field of study: Materials science
Faculty Perceptions on Cheating in Exams in Undergraduate Engineering

Cheating in examinations transpires in every-country of the world, and it is a fraudulent-behavior that involves some-form of deception, in which a candidate’s efforts, or the efforts of other-candidates, are altered; it has negative educational, social and psychological-effects. Even though cheating is widespread, it has been observed that some-faculties rarely-discuss rules and consequences of academic-dishonesty with their-students. The main-objective of this-study is to comprehend, cheating-phenomena, on a deeper- level, by evaluating perception of the-trend from the faculty’ perspective, so that ways could be proposed for preventing it from happening. This-study is a fraction of a larger-research on cheating at the School of Engineering (SOE). The study-design used a descriptive-survey-approach and a document-analysis. A designed confidential self-report-questioner was used as the main-instrument for this-study, with the sample-size of 25-subjects and response-rate of 84%. The tool was pre-tested to ensure its validity and reliability. The study focused on the Attribution-Theory and Constructivist-paradigm of research that view knowledge as socially-constructed from the context of cheating in examinations. The data collection-instrument was subjected to the statistical-analysis to determine its reliability via Cronbach’s alpha-coefficient, and found high inter-item consistency ( a > 0.9). The results of the survey, where 81% of the respondents agreed that students frequently indulge in examination-malpractice, clearly revealed that cheating, indeed, is a significant-problem in the SOE. The challenge for the school is, therefore, to tailor effective-strategies to prevent cheating-opportunities, and to establish and enforce valuable-means of dealing with particular-patterns and types of cheating. Specific-recommendations on how to deal with cheating in examinations are also highlighted.  cheating, engineering, faculty, questioner, integrity

Field of study: Education
Preparation and identification of monoclonal antibodies against daintain.

Daintain is a 17-kDa polypeptide originally purified from porcine intestine. This polypeptide is associated with insulin secretion and inflammatory responses. Daintain is highly similar in amino acid sequence to allograft inflammatory factor-1 (AIF-1). Here we report the preparation and identification of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against daintain. To enhance its immunogenicity, daintain was coupled to carrier protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) by a two-step glutaraldehyde method. Using conventional procedures, we obtained four stable hybridoma cell lines that can produce and secret anti-daintain MAbs. We further analyzed their isotypes, titer, and affinity, and found that those MAbs belong to the G1 subclass with kappa light chains. The MAbs were capable of recognizing daintain as determined by Western blotting. The produced MAbs will be a useful tool for further investigation of daintain functions in organisms.

Field of study: Biology
Understanding the Impact of Mortality-Related Health-Risk Information: A Terror Management Theory Perspective

Four studies explored the effects of providing mortality-related health-risk information from a terror management theory perspective. Study 1 (N = 48) revealed that exposure to information about the mortality-related risks of driving made mortality salient for young male drivers. Studies 2 (N = 60) and 3 (N = 139) demonstrated that young male drivers who perceived driving (fast) to be beneficial for self-esteem reported higher intentions to take driving risks (Study 2) and drive fast (Study 3) after exposure to such information compared to controls. Study 3 further demonstrated that the inclusion of a prime to behave responsibly eliminated this effect. Study 4 (N = 92) revealed that exposure to this prime alongside the mortality-related information generated increased accessibility of responsibility-related constructs and reduced accessibility of mortality-related constructs among young male drivers. The implications of these findings for terror management theory are discussed.

Field of study: Psychology
Late treatment of murine lupus erythematosus with dactinomycin (actinomycin D). I. Course and longevity.

Dactinomycin treatment a of group of (NZB X NZW)F1 hybrid female mice was delayed until the age of 6-6 1/2 months, by which time the immune complex disease was well established. Three animals of the original twenty-eight had already died, ten had heavy proteinuria and a few were oedematous. The dactinomycin dose was 3.5 microgram per day, which was suspended when significant weight loss occurred. Twelve of the thirteen experimental mice were alive at 12 months of age, eleven at 15 months, but only eight by 20 months, whereas all twelve control animals had died by the age of 11 months. These results and the supporting data on body weight and renal function indicate that dactinomycin can at least arrest the disease process and may improve it. The mechanism is not known, but it may be the result of a reduced availability of DNA or an alteration in its properties following combination with dactinomycin.

Field of study: Biology, Medicine
THE PRECISION-CONTROLLABLE GENERAL APPROACH TO ANALYZE TIME-DEPENDENT EFFECT IN PRESTRESSED CONCRETE STRUCTURES

A precision-controllable general approach (PCGA) to analyze time-dependent effect in prestressed concrete structures is presented by using finite element method (FEM) and automatically step-up method (ASUM). In this approach the FEM is only used to calculate elastic responses in which the time-related influences are not considered, while the ASUM is only used to calculate time-dependent effect due to creep and shrinkage for structures under free-constraint, thus the control of computation precision for general approach is fulfilled through precision control of FEM and ASUM, respectively. In this paper a novel built-up beam element including the effect of concrete, prestressed steels and non-prestressed steels is established, and its stiffness is adjusted by the time-dependent modulus of concrete and incessantly tensioned steels. By adopting the unified method to calculate stress distribution along prestressed steels just after anchorage is set up, the general approach can easily calculate the structural elastic response caused by each tendon, which is the base to analyze precisely the time-dependent effects in prestressed concrete structures. The discussion on theoretical values given by PCGA and current frequently used methods and tested data shows that PCGA can achieve agreeable precision.

Field of study: Engineering
A palaeogeographic context for Neoproterozoic glaciation

The distributions of 77 Neoproterozoic glacigenic formations are shown on global palaeogeographic maps for 715 Ma (Sturtian), 635 Ma (Marinoan) and 580 Ma (Ediacaran), constructed on grounds independent of palaeoclimatic indicators. The meridional distribution of Sturtian and Marinoan deposits is biased in favour of low palaeolatitudes, whereas Ediacaran deposits are biased in favour of high palaeolatitudes. All carbonate-hosted glacigenic formations (n = 22) fall within 35° of the palaeoequator. Most (6 of 8) examples of periglacial polygonal sand-wedges occur at palaeolatitudes greater than 30°, whereas most (8 of 9) occurrences of large syn-glacial Fe and Fe–Mn deposits lie within 30° of the palaeoequator. Marinoan syn-deglacial cap dolostones (n = 24) decline in maximum thickness with palaeolatitude, consistent with poleward ice retreat, normal meridional temperature gradients and a small-obliquity orbit. Meridional (N–S) mean orientations of giant wave ripples in Marinoan cap dolostones from different regions (n = 10) and absence of zonal (W–E) orientations are consistent with zonal wind-driven waves and not with hurricanes. In general, the results support the validity of the palaeogeographic reconstructions and the pan-glacial character of Sturtian and Marinoan ice ages.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Effect of composition on the structural relaxation of amorphous iron-based alloys

The structural relaxation of iron-based amorphous alloys upon changes in their relative electrical resistance and magnetic moments upon a rise in temperature is investigated. The presence of Nb in Fe(Cu, Nb)–Si,B alloys stabilizes amorphous states, lowering the Curie temperature TCam and raising the temperature of the paramagnetic–ferromagnetic magnetic phase transition.

Field of study: Physics
1D and 2D 1H NMR studies on bisantrene complexes with short DNA oligomers.

The binding of bisantrene to four DNA tetramers, d(CGCG)2, d(GCGC)2, d(CATG)2, and d(GTAC)2, was investigated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. Bisantrene is a well known anticancer drug and has been used clinically for years. DNA is believed to be one of its cellular targets. Results from both 1D and 2D 1H NMR are in agreement with an intercalation binding mode of bisantrene with the four DNA tetramers in this study. The results further indicate that a threading intercalation binding mode, in which one bisantrene side chain is in the minor groove and the other in the major groove of DNA, is preferred. The NMR results also suggest that bisantrene prefers binding at pyrimidine-(3',5')-purine intercalation sequences rather than at purine-(3',5')-pyrimidine sequences. The intramolecular and intermolecular NOE contacts of bisantrene-DNA tetramer complexes indicate that a C2'-endo uniform sugar pucker, rather than a mixed sugar conformation, is preferred by the intercalation site of both the 5'-(TA)-3' and the 5'-(CG)-3' binding steps.

Field of study: Chemistry
Construction and Analysis of Molecular Association Network by Combining Behavior Representation and Node Attributes

A key aim of post-genomic biomedical research is to systematically understand and model complex biomolecular activities based on a systematic perspective. Biomolecular interactions are widespread and interrelated, multiple biomolecules coordinate to sustain life activities, any disturbance of these complex connections can lead to abnormal of life activities or complex diseases. However, many existing researches usually only focus on individual intermolecular interactions. In this work, we revealed, constructed, and analyzed a large-scale molecular association network of multiple biomolecules in human by integrating associations among lncRNAs, miRNAs, proteins, drugs, and diseases, in which various associations are interconnected and any type of associations can be predicted. We propose Molecular Association Network (MAN)–High-Order Proximity preserved Embedding (HOPE), a novel network representation learning based method to fully exploit latent feature of biomolecules to accurately predict associations between molecules. More specifically, network representation learning algorithm HOPE was applied to learn behavior feature of nodes in the association network. Attribute features of nodes were also adopted. Then, a machine learning model CatBoost was trained to predict potential association between any nodes. The performance of our method was evaluated under five-fold cross validation. A case study to predict miRNA-disease associations was also conducted to verify the prediction capability. MAN-HOPE achieves high accuracy of 93.3% and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.9793. The experimental results demonstrate the novelty of our systematic understanding of the intermolecular associations, and enable systematic exploration of the landscape of molecular interactions that shape specialized cellular functions.

Field of study: Biology
2-Chloroethylthiol esters of dic arboxylic acids

Mono- and bis(2-chloroethyl)thiol esters of aliphatic, aromatic, and heterocyclic dicarboxylic acids have been obtained by the reaction of the dicarboxylic acid chlorides with ethylene sulfide or 2-chloroethanethiol. The compounds were characterized by their electronic spectra.

Field of study: Chemistry
Detection and Characterization of Anharmonic Overtone Vibrations of Single Molecules on a Metal Surface.

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is a powerful technique used to characterize the vibration and spin states at the single-molecule level. While IETS lacks hard selection rules, historically it has been assumed that vibrational overtones are rarely seen or even absent. Here we provide definitive experimental evidence that the hindered rotation overtone excitation of carbon monoxide molecules adsorbed on Ag(110) can be detected with STM-IETS via isotope substitution. We also demonstrate that the anharmonicity of the overtone excitation can be characterized and compared between adsorption sites and find evidence of anisotropy in the vibrational anharmonicity for CO adsorbed on the [11[over ¯]0] step edge.

Field of study: Physics
Treating the common cold during pregnancy.

Many of my pregnant patients inquire as to what medication they can use when they experience symptoms of the common cold, such as cough, congestion, sneezing, and fever. I am hesitant to recommend over-the-counter cold remedies because I have heard conflicting information regarding the safety of these products. What is known about the safety of cold medications during pregnancy?



Although there are many over-the-counter brands of cold medications, most products are quite similar, with some containing up to 5 medicinal ingredients. The evidence-based information for all these ingredients suggests no increased risk with short-term use. However, pregnant women should read labels carefully and, when necessary, consult with pharmacists to ensure they are not taking medicine they do not require.

Field of study: Medicine
Biological characteristics and fruit drop of Carya illinoensis ‘Mahan'

The flowering and fruiting habits of ‘Mahan' pecan were observed to study its biological characteristics and physiological fruit drop. The results showed that the pecan buds on the fruiting spur are usually mixed buds in near-round shape and tightly packed with scales. After germination, fruit bearing-branches elongated and compound leaves appeared. The male inflorescence was developed from the lateral buds on the low portion of the branch and the female inflorescence was developed from the proximal top of the branch. From mid to late March, buds swelled and their outer scales shed. The inner scales split and the male inflorescence appeared and bloomed on an extended fruiting branch from the apical bud in late March. In early April, leaves expanded and reached the maximum size after 20-d growth. The growth patterns of the fruit-bearing branch, compound leaf, leaf length and leaf width all showed an "S" curve, which highly fit in the logistic growth model. A correlation analysis indicated a significantly positively correlation between the growth and the effective accumulated temperature. The first time of the fruit dropping occurred at early to late June with a fruit dropping rate of 16.27%. The second time of the fruit dropping occurred from early to mid July with a fruit dropping rate of 68.75%. The third fruit dropping time was in August with a fruit dropping rate of 2.2%.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Joe Louis and the Struggle of African American Golfers for Visibility and Access

This study examines the role of Joe Louis in stimulating greater interest in golf among African Americans during his reign as world heavyweight boxing champion (1937-1949) and in joining the fight to end discrimination in golf after his retirement from boxing. During his boxing career, Louis promoted golf by participating in golf tournaments as an amateur player, employing black golf professionals as his personal golf tutors, organizing his own national tournament, and creating opportunities for interracial golf competition. Failing to achieve success in creating access for black golfers to play in the prestigious, all-white, PGA golf tournaments, Louis became more aggressive in these efforts and joined the movement to end racial discrimination in the sport. While achieving limited success, Joe Louis is credited with contributing to the initial steps in removing racial barriers in golf, which eventually led to removal of the infamous “Caucasian-only” clause from the PGA constitution, thus, paving the way for Charlie Sifford and other African Americans to attain full PGA membership.

Field of study: Economics