nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Individual and Institutional Accountability: The Case of Research Assessment

Performance measurement is a particular type of accountability, which might be imposed by governments but is institutionally implemented and individually experienced. Over the last three decades, the emphasis on measuring the performance of publicly funded services has risen, along with concerns about the need to demonstrate a wise use of public funds. This paper examines the dynamic interaction of the institutional and individual levels of accountability, by focusing on research assessment systems. A study of three universities in different nations reveals that the perceived impacts of these systems relate to specific institutional contexts, but that individuals’ views from within the same context also vary considerably. Professionals understand and interact with accountability systems in a manner that reflects their own values, and this ensures that they will interpret and react to them in different ways. This makes designing accountability systems without negative affects on individuals a difficult task.

Field of study: Political science
Les crises du Dévonien supérieur par l'étude des faunes d'ostracodes dans leur cadre paléogéographique

Ostracod evolution, studied at a global scale, can contribute to an evaluation of the palaeobilogical crises during the Late Devonian. The mostly pelagic Entomozoidae are not affected. Data on benthic neritic ostracods come from the Western Canadian platform, Europe, the Russian platform, North Africa and the Middle East. Species extinction rates vary according to provinces and areas. Extinction occur at the Givetian/Frasnian, Lower/Upper Frasnian and Frasnian/Famennian boundaries. Only five families seem to disappear during the Late Devonian. The appearance of new assemblages since the earlisst Famennian is worldwide on platforms. The Thuringian ecotype ostracod assemblages underwent a major change since the Early Famennian. It is characterized by many species with spinous carapaces and is known in the Paleotethys during Famennian-Dinantian times. It is related to a glacial event in the North of the Gondwana which generated cold deep water currents invading the paleotethysian basins. The Thuringian ecotype allows to propose a paleobathymetric model. Its species composition shows a double origin: by evolution of Early Devonian roots and with lineages proceeding from circalittoral species. Causes of these Late Devonian events can be understood in a particular paleogeographic reconstruction where the Paleotethys has no western faunal communication since the Givetian/Frasnian boundary. Warming water, associated with an oxygen deficiency, eliminated several species at the Givetian/Frasnian and Lower/Upper Frasnian boundaries. A first cooling at the Frasnian/Famennian time was sufficient to decimate species strongly adapted to the Frasnian conditions. The generalized regression at this time probably increased this last phenomenon.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Superconducting nanodrop model

Superconducting nanodrop model is constructed on the basis of the assumption of equality of the free energy functional gradient term to zero due to the order parameter value constancy in the superconducting nanodrop volume. In the investigation, we have defined the superconducting nanodrop thermodynamical characteristics: partition function, the magnitudes of the jumps in entropy and specific heat at the second order phase transition, total energy, energy fluctuation, specific heat, free energy, and entropy.

Field of study: Physics
Littlewood-Richardson rule for $F\wr S_{n}$

We give a new proof for the Littlewood-Richardson rule for the wreath product $F\wr S_{n}$ where $F$ is a finite group. Our proof does not use symmetric functions but more elementary representation theoretic tools. We also derive a branching rule for inducing $F\wr S_{n}$ to $F\wr S_{n+1}$.

Field of study: Mathematics
First Report on the Outbreak of a Mirid Bug, Mecistoscelis sp. in Bamboo Plantations in Karnataka, India

Though many sucking pests are reported from different species, their incidence was sporadic and was not on epidemic proportions. The bamboo mirid bug, Mecistoscelis sp. (Hemiptera: Miridae) for the first time attained epidemic proportions in a plantation at Koppa, Chickmangalur district of Karnataka during 2009 and 2010. The pest was polyphagous feeding on 4 species of bamboos Bambusa balcooa, B. pallida, Dendrocalamus asper and D. strictus. The severity of attack was studied and upto 100% attack was observed in some plants. Application of 0.05% of synthetic Pyrethroids or Dichlorvos as spray on affected leaves could effectively control the pest infestation.

Field of study: Biology
Reinvestigation of Inhomogeneous Superconductors and High $T_{c}$ Superconductors

We review the recent progress in the theory of inhomogeneous superconductors. It was shown that Gor'kov's self-consistency equation needs a pairing constraint derived from the Anomalous Green's function. The Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations also need a pairing constraint in order to obtain a correct vacuum state by the corresponding unitary transformation. This new study opens up a reinvestigation of inhomogeneous superconductors. We discuss (i) problems of the conventional Green's function theory, (ii) reinvestigation of impure superconductors, and (iii) impurity doping effect in high $T_{c}$ superconductors. It is also pointed out that a new formalism is required to tackle the macroscopically or mesoscopically inhomogeneous systems such as the junction and the vortex problems.

Field of study: Physics
The United States: A Persistent Debate

he United States has been described in many ways: a land of opportunity, liberal, democratic, republican, capitalistic, multicultural, pluralistic, imperialistic, and materialistic. However, history students must understand that, foremost, the United States is an idea that is sustained through debate. The health and existence of American democracy depend on the quality of that debate. This is what Abraham Lincoln meant in the Gettysburg Address by “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Perhaps students would show more interest in history and understand its central role in education if teachers started from the proposition that representative democracy must be developed and sustained through debate. Students must also understand that this debate is not sustained for the purpose of establishing absolute rights and wrongs; it is a debate about the relationship of important American values. To participate productively in this debate, students must develop and cultivate a distinctive American mindset. The American democratic mind must be capable of debating two conflicting values while noting the essential merit of both. Four sets of value tensions central to the American debate allow students to understand historic events, analyze current issues, and address the problems of democracy. The mark of an enlightened citizen is the ability to intelligently use these four sets of values—(1) law versus ethics, (2) private wealth versus common wealth, (3) freedom versus equality, and (4) unity versus diversity—in addressing matters of public interest. These pairs of values are inherently antagonistic, yet together they hold the promise for a progressive and better society. In a healthy democracy, citizens and their representatives attempt to bring these value pairs into balance as they address problems. The result is a continuing debate to establish and maintain balance among the value tensions. Without that debate, democracy is threatened and may even cease to exist. No single value is adequate. Taken to their logical ends, freedom leads to anarchy, equality to collectivism, diversity to tribalism, unity to totalitarianism, common wealth to communism, private wealth to plutocracy, law to fascism, and ethics to nihilism. Together, these value tensions represent the ethos and aims of the United States.

Field of study: Sociology
Protection effect of the convalescent serum from HFRS patient on the HTNV infected neurons in vitro

Convalescent serum from patient of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (CSPH) was added to the HTNV infected embryo mouse brain neurons to test the protective action of CSPH on HTNV.  Morphological changes were observed with Phase contrast microscopy and the viability of neuron cells were examined with MTT colorimetric assay.  Significant difference of the A value formd between the HTNV infected neuron cell cultures and uninfected normal control cultures ( P 0.001). While no obvious differences were observed among different serum dose groups both in the convalescent serum protection group and in the negative serum control group ( P 0.05), significant differences of the A value were formed between the convalescent serum groups and the negative serum groups ( P 0.001).  Convalescent serum from patient with HFRS may produce protective action to the mouse brain neuron culture cells infected with HTNV.

Field of study: Biology
Protonation effects on dynamic flux properties of aqueous metal complexes

The degree of (de)protonation of aqueous metal species has significant consequences for the kinetics of complex formation/dissociation. All protonated forms of both the ligand and the hydrated central metal ion contribute to the rate of complex formation to an extent weighted by the pertaining outer-sphere stabilities. Likewise, the lifetime of the uncomplexed metal is determined by all the various protonated ligand species. Therefore, the interfacial reaction layer thickness, µ, and the ensuing kinetic flux, J kin , are more involved than in the conventional case. All inner-sphere complexes contribute to the overall rate of dissociation, as weighted by their respective rate constants for dissociation, k d . The presence of inner-sphere deprotonated H 2 O, or of outer-sphere protonated ligand, generally has a great impact on k d of the inner-sphere complex. Consequently, the overall flux can be dominated by a species that is a minor component of the bulk speciation. The concepts are shown to provide a good description of experimental stripping chronopotentiometric data for several protonated metal–ligand systems

Field of study: Chemistry
Remediation of cadmium-contaminated paddy soils by washing with calcium chloride: verification of on-site washing.

We developed a new, three-step soil-wash method to remediate Cd-contaminated paddy fields. The method comprises (1) chemically washing the field soil with a CaCl2 solution; (2) washing the treated soil with water to eliminate residual Cd and CaCl2; and (3) on-site treatment of wastewater using a portable wastewater treatment system. Cd concentrations in the treated water were below Japan's environmental quality standard (0.01 mg Cd L-1), and the removal of Cd from the exchangeable fraction was 55% and from the acid-soluble fraction 15%. While soil fertility properties were affected by the soil washing, adverse effects were not crucial and could be corrected. The washing had no affect on rice growth, and reduced the average Cd concentration in rice grains by about two-thirds compared to a control plot. These results confirmed the effectiveness of the soil-wash method in remediating Cd-contaminated paddy fields.

Field of study: Environmental science
Better lead than bread? A critical analysis of the US's plan Colombia

Colombia's continuing 35‐year civil war has claimed over 300,000 lives. Plan Colombia is a $1.3 billion dollar US military aid package to the Colombian military. It is the largest international intervention into Colombia's civil war and will make Colombia the third largest US military aid recipient in the world today. The US government claims the aid will be used to wage a war on drugs against Colombia's ‘narco‐guerrillas’ as 90 per cent of all cocaine entering the US originates from Colombia. However, the US's own agencies state that while the guerrillas tax the drug traffickers for operations on their territory they are not involved in drug trafficking or transshipment to the US. These same agencies identify the paramilitary ‘death squads’ as being far more heavily involved in drug trafficking and yet the US completely ignores these groups. Furthermore, the US is using a military with an atrocious human rights record. If Plan Colombia is not about a war on drugs then what is it about? Additionally, how does the US justify using an infamous military which continues to employ clandestine paramilitary ‘death‐squads’ in the prosecution of counter‐insurgency warfare? This article argues that Plan Colombia is designed to eliminate insurgency movements which threaten US interests in South America and the US's war on drugs is a selective targeting on crops which are controlled by groups opposed to US interests. Furthermore, Plan Colombia forms part of a long term strategy of regional containment of a newly emerging radical opposition which encompasses Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Bolivia and which poses a serious threat to US corporate

Field of study: History, Sociology
Changes in stone composition according to age and gender in Tunisian children.

Studies evaluating the influence of age and gender on the distribution of the various types of pediatric urinary calculi are scarce. The aim of this study was to highlight the modification of epidemiological characteristics of this pathology according to patients' sex and age.



A total of 205 calculi (from 122 boys and 83 girls) were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy between 1993 and 2007; 54.6% of the patients were under 5 years.



Calcium oxalate was the predominant constituent in 54.7% of stones, followed by calcium phosphate and purines (14.6% each). We found a predominance of calcium oxalate in females (59.1% vs 50.8%), and a male preponderance for struvite stones (12.3% vs 1.2%). There was an increasing prevalence of calcium oxalate stones with age in both genders (42.9% in infants vs 59.3% in older children). Purine stones were predominant in 20% of cases, but prevalence decreased with age (28.6% in infants vs 18.5% in older children).



The increase in calcium oxalate stones in school-age children and the decrease in stones containing purines confirm a change in the etiology of urolithiasis according to age.

Field of study: Medicine
Mathematical Background and Attitudes toward Statistics in a Sample of Spanish College Students

To examine the relation of mathematical background and initial attitudes toward statistics of Spanish “college students in social sciences the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics was given to 827 students. Multivariate analyses tested the effects of two indicators of mathematical background (amount of exposure and achievement in previous courses) on the four subscales. Analysis suggested grades in previous courses are more related to initial attitudes toward statistics than the number of mathematics courses taken. Mathematical background was related with students' affective responses to statistics but not with their valuing of statistics. Implications of possible research are discussed.

Field of study: Psychology
Explicit finite difference methods for the EW and RLW equations

An extensive assessment of the accuracy of explicit finite difference methods for the solution of the equal-width (EW) and regularized long-wave (RLW) equations is reported. Such an assessment is based on the three invariants of these equations as well as on the magnitude of the errors of the numerical solution and has been performed as a function of the time step and grid spacing. Two of the methods presented here make use of three-point, fourth-order accurate, finite difference formulae for the first- and second-order spatial derivatives. Two methods are based on the analytical solution of second-order ordinary differential equations which have locally exponential solutions, and the fourth technique is a standard finite difference scheme. A linear stability analysis of the four methods is presented. It is shown that, for the EW and RLW equations, a compact operator method is more accurate than locally exponential techniques that make use of compact operator approximations. The latter are reported to be more accurate than exponential techniques that employ second-order accurate approximations, and, these, in turn, are more accurate than the standard explicit method.

Field of study: Mathematics
Moving photoluminescence band in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The PL spectra of these heterostructures contain an unusual band assigned to quasi-donor-acceptor recombination transitions (Q-DAP) from small-size regions of the GaN layer with perturbed conduction and valence band edges. The Q-DAP band dominates the delayed non-stationary PL spectra; its energy position changes strongly with time after the excitation pulse (up to 160 meV within 10 μs). The Q-DAP band intensity decreases under continuous excitation during tens of minutes. The appearance of the Q-DAP band is accompanied by a rise in the intensity of the PL bands associated with 2DEG.

Field of study: Materials science
Tree species diversity driven by environmental and anthropogenic factors in tropical dry forest fragments of central Veracruz, Mexico

We examined vegetation structure and woody species diversity in relation to 14 environmental and anthropogenic factors in ten tropical dry forest (TDF) fragments in central Veracruz, Mexico. The basal area of the canopy (30.2 ± 2.11 m2/ha) and understory (1.96 ± 0.12 m2/ha) trees was similar, but density (1,014 ± 104 and 2,532 ± 227 individuals/ha, respectively) differed among sites. We recorded 98 canopy, 77 understory, and 60 seedling species. Richness was 24–45 species per site, Fisher’s alpha and Shannon’s indices increased with site altitude. Chao Jaccard indices revealed high species turnover, and a consistently higher similarity within the sites at the lowest and within the highest elevation sites. Ordination identified altitude, aspect, slope, water proximity, cattle and trails as significant explanatory variables of species patterns, and showed that sites at lower elevations were clearly separated from the other sites. Environmental heterogeneity alone did not control species diversity distribution, but species were affected by environmental filters at different stages in their life cycle, e.g., water proximity was significant for saplings and seedlings but not for adults. Anthropogenic disturbances act synergistically, e.g., trails played a key role in determining structure and tree diversity patterns. An important finding is that human disturbance diminishes species diversity in this TDF, but sites at lower elevations were more disturbed and less diverse, therefore we need to study how environmental factors would act if there were no anthropogenic disturbance.

Field of study: Environmental science
Design and Operation of the 100 MeV Aladdin Microtron Injector

At present the Synchrotron Radiation Center (SRC) is nearing completion of its Aladdin project to provide a 1 GeV electron storage ring for the production of synchrotron radiation; the injector for this machine is a 100 MeV racetrack microtron (RTM). The choice of an RTM for this purpose if multifold: monoenergiticity of the output beam; basic simplicity of design; ease of operation; and reasonable cost. It is also for these same reasons that our facility has previously built two conventional (circular orbit) microtrons, used in the same application, at energies of 10 and 45 MeV.

Field of study: Physics
Effect of Multi-heating Treatment on Microstructure and Properties of ZL105 Alloy

Microstructure and mechanical properties of ZL105 alloy in different states were studied. The results show that as-cast microstructure of ZL 105 alloy is mainly dendritic structure and eutectic phases. Dendrite arm spacing increases with the increase of heat treatment time, and eutectic silicon spheroidizes and growths, which weaken the strength and plasticity of ZL105 alloy. After more than three times of repeat heat treatment, the mechanical properties of ZL 105 cannot meet the requirements.

Field of study: Materials science
A Novel Synthesis of 1,3-Diol Diesters by the Reaction of Aldehydes with Oxime Esters Catalyzed by Samarium Complex

CP*2Sm(thf)2 was found to be an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of 1,3-diol diesters by the coupling reaction of aldehydes with oxime esters under mild conditions. For instance, the reaction of acetaldehyde with cyclohexanone oxime acetate catalyzed by CP*2Sm(thf)2 gave 1,3-diacetoxybutane in 70% yield. Treatment of acetaldehyde with isopropenyl acetate in the presence of a small amount of cyclohexanone oxime acetate and Cp*2Sm(thf)2 resulted in the corresponding 1,3-diol diester in good yield.

Field of study: Chemistry
Clearance from plasma of lymph chylomicrons and chylomicron remnants labelled with 125I-tyramine-cellobiose.

The aims of the present study were to evaluate the metabolism of chylomicrons (CM) and of CM remnants after labelling with radioactive iodine and converting the iodinated CM into remnants in vitro. Lymph CM were radiolabelled with 125I or sham-labelled with 127I by either the ICl procedure or the tyramine-cellobiose (TC) procedure, then injected into rats. The clearance from plasma of the iodinated CM was compared with control non-iodinated lipid-labelled CM. After iodination with ICl, the plasma removal of endogenously labelled CM was significantly different from non-iodinated CM, with increased uptake of CM triacylglycerols by the liver. In contrast, the clearances from plasma and the uptake by organs of radiolabelled lipids of CM iodinated by the TC method (TC-CM) were similar to control CM. About 40% of the label from 125I-TC-CM was insoluble in 50% propan-2-ol, indicating association with CM apolipoprotein B48. Only about 8% of label was lipid soluble, mostly in phosphatidylethanolamine. Radioactivity from 125I-TC-CM injected intravenously in rats was cleared rapidly and by 30 min only 20% remained in plasma, whereas 48% was recovered in the liver. After fractionation of the plasma by density-gradient ultracentrifugation, most label remained associated with d (relative density) less than 1.006 lipoproteins. In intact rats label was also found associated with the low-density and high-density lipoprotein fractions of plasma. When the liver was excluded from circulation, the recovery of label in low-density- and high-density-lipoprotein fractions was greatly decreased. CM remnants were prepared in vivo by injecting 125I-TC-CM into functionally hepatectomized donors and compared with remnants prepared in vitro by incubation with purified bovine milk lipoprotein lipase. Although remnants prepared in vitro cleared from plasma slower than remnants prepared in vivo, the size, lipid composition and apolipoprotein profile on gradient PAGE of the remnants were similar. We conclude that labelling of CM by the TC method avoided the 'artefactual' changes in metabolism seen after labelling by the ICl procedure. CM remnants when prepared in vitro using lipoprotein lipase were found to be similar to those prepared in vivo after injection into functionally hepatectomized rats.

Field of study: Biology, Computer science