nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
A Novel Controllable Hydrogen Sulfide-Releasing Molecule Protects Human Skin Keratinocytes Against Methylglyoxal-Induced Injury and Dysfunction

Delayed wound healing is a common skin complication of diabetes, which is associated with keratinocyte injury and dysfunction. Levels of methylglyoxal (MGO), an α-dicarbonyl compound, are elevated in diabetic skin tissue and plasma, while levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a critical gaseous signaling molecule, are reduced. Interestingly, the gas has shown dermal protection in our previous study. To date, there is no evidence demonstrating whether MGO affects keratinocyte viability and function or H2S donation abolishes these effects and improves MGO-related impairment of wound healing. The current study was conducted to examine the effects of MGO on the injury and function in human skin keratinocytes and then to evaluate the protective action of a novel H2S-releasing molecule.  An N-mercapto-based H2S donor (NSHD)-1 was synthesized and its ability to release H2S was observed in cell medium and cells, respectively. HaCaT cells, a cell line of human skin keratinocyte, were exposed to MGO to establish an in vitro diabetic wound healing model. NSHD-1 was added to the cells before MGO exposure and the improvement of cell function was observed in respect of cellular viability, apoptosis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and behavioral function.  Treatment with MGO decreased cell viability, induced cellular apoptosis, increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) content and depressed MMP in HaCaT cells. The treatment also damaged cell behavioral function, characterized by decreased cellular adhesion and migration. The synthesized H2S-releasing molecule, NSHD-1, was able to increase H2S levels in both cell medium and cells. Importantly, pretreatment with NSHD-1 inhibited MGO-induced decreases in cell viability and MMP, increases in apoptosis and ROS accumulation in HaCaT cells. The pretreatment was also able to improve adhesion and migration function.  These results demonstrate that the novel synthesized H2S donor is able to protect human skin keratinocytes against MGO-induced injury and behavior dysfunction. We believe that more reasonable H2S-releasing molecules will bring relief to patients suffering from delayed wound healing in diabetes mellitus in the future.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry
Fitting Full-Information Item Factor Models and an Empirical Investigation of Bridge Sampling

Based on item response theory, Bock and Aitken introduced a method of item factor analysis, termed full-information item factor (FIIF) analysis by Bartholomew because it uses all distinct item response vectors as data. But a limitation of their fitting algorithm is its reliance on fixed-point Gauss—Hermite quadrature, which can produce appreciable numerical errors, especially in high-dimension problems. The first purpose of this article is to offer more reliable methods by using recent advances in statistical computation. Specifically, we illustrate two ways of implementing Monte Carlo Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm to fit a FIIF model, using the Gibbs sampler to carry out the computation for the E steps. We also show how to use bridge sampling to simulate the likelihood ratios for monitoring the convergence of a Monte Carlo EM, a strategy that is useful in general. Simulations demonstrate substantial improvement over Bock and Aitken's algorithm in recovering known factor loadings in hig...

Field of study: Mathematics
Effects of Gender and Personality Traits of Front-Desk Employees on Customers' Assessment of Service Quality: Evidence from Islamic Banks in the UAE

This paper examined the effects of front-desk employees’ personality traits and their gender on customers’ assessment of Islamic banks' service quality in the United Arab Emirates. We used a sample of 104 front-desk employees and 454 customers. The Mini-Markers instrument was used to assess personality traits and the SERVPERF instrument to collect data on service quality for a pair-matching sample design. We used regression analysis to determine the relationship between the five factors of personality of front-desk employees, their gender, and the overall bank service quality as well as each of its dimensions. The paper provided evidence indicating that personality traits do not have their own independent effects on customers’ perceptions of Islamic banks' service quality. Although Lin, Chui and Hsieh (2001) found supporting results for such linkages when they studied service quality in four service sectors (not including banks) in Taiwan, we concluded that these effects may be dependent on other factors such as culture, research design, or industry characteristics. However, employees’ gender was found to have significant effects on the empathy dimension of service quality. The originality of this paper lies in its attempt to link personality traits of front-desk employees of banks to customers’ perceptions of service quality in the UAE. It is the first study that uses the Mini-Markers and SERVPERF together in the UAE to achieve its purpose. Its value lies in its contribution to the settlement of the debate about possible linkages between employees’ personality traits and service quality perceptions.

Field of study: Business
A Model of Customers' Trust in E-Businesses: Micro-Level Inter-Party Trust Formation

Trust is one of the key success factors for many online retailers and therefore many researchers have examined the topic both conceptually and empirically. Reviewing the previous studies, we found two possible improvements in the study of trust. First, we propose a more comprehensive, parsimonious, and practical conceptualization of trust, especially business-to-customer e-commerce trust. This model of trust explicitly includes key concepts that are ignored, but are deemed to be important, in the conceptualization of trust (e.g., confidence and affect). Second, this conceptualization of trust is used in a comprehensive model of customers' trust in e-businesses. This model includes, in a more comprehensive and parsimonious way, key factors that are likely to affect customers' trust in an e-business. Furthermore, we believe that the model is useful in understanding the trust development process.

Field of study: Computer science
Pervaporation membrane process for vapour absorption system

This paper describes a novel vapour absorption refrigeration system in which a pervaporation membrane replaces the conventional generator for the concentration of working fluids. The use of a pervaporation membrane gives two potential advantages to the vapour absorption system; i.e. enhanced selectivity of the components to be separated from the working fluids and a lower space requirement. Issues related to integration of a pervaporation membrane into a vapour absorption system and the performances of such a system have been investigated. The results indicate that the pervaporation membrane process could be an alternative to the distillation process that is widely used in vapour absorption systems.

Field of study: Engineering
Characterization of gene structure features of PMT protein family in Magnaporthe oryzae

To clarify the structure characteristics and the possible biological functions of the dolichyl- phosphate-mannose-protein mannosyltransferase encoding gene PMTs in Magnaporthe oryzae, the sequences of PMTs were analyzed. The results showed that the Mo PMTs are conservative in the structure of amino acid and highly homologous with the PMT protein from Botrytis cinerea, Neurospora crassa, Gibberella zeae, and Aspergillus nidulans. Further bioinformatics analysis indicated the protein of PMT is a nonsecreted protein without a signal peptide, contains transmembrane domains, and localices at the endoplasmic reticulum, and has conserved domain of PMT motif and MIR motif. These results will facilitate the further studies on the mechanism of PMTs in M. oryzae.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Ansätze zur Quantenelektrodynamik

ZusammenfassungDie Schwierigkeiten, die sich in der Quantenelektrodynamik durch das Unendlichwerden der Eigenenergie des Elektrons (Protons) und der Nullpunktsenergie des Hohlraums ergeben, werden auf dieselbe Wurzel zurückgeführt und es wird versucht, sie durch ein neues Prinzip zu beheben.

Field of study: Physics
Gerald MC. The Drug Book: From Arsenic to Xanax, 250 Milestones in the History of Drugs. New York: Sterling Publishers; 2013, 528pp, $29.95 (hardcover), ISBN 9781402782640.

Gerald MC. The Drug Book: From Arsenic to Xanax, 250 Milestones in the History of Drugs.  Sterling Publishers; 2013, 528pp, $29.95 (hardcover), ISBN 9781402782640. As the title indicates, this book describes what the author believes are the 250 milestones in the history of drugs. As stated in the introduction, the author's goal in writing the book was "to inform and entertain general readers who are interested in drugs, the biomedical sciences, or scientific history, in addition to providing new and novel information on a wide range of drugs to scientists, doctors, and scholars." Dr. Gerald certainly succeeded. At first blush, this is a history book of drugs, drug therapy, and drug regulation. However, the author clarifies that drugs "also encompass poisons, drugs of abuse, recreational substances and those chemical that are intended to improve the quality of our lives." The book is intended to be "jargon-free" in so much as it is possible with such a subject. The book is beautifully done. There are 253 monographs, arranged chronologically, each 2 pages in length, 1 page of text on the left and a page with a full-color picture related to the topic on the right. Some of the pictures and captions are themselves informational and entertaining, while others seem a bit tangential. If the page size was larger, it would be a wonderful coffee table book. Of the 253 monographs, 231 are on drugs (some monographs cover more than one drug or an entire class of drugs), while 18 cover drug-related topics such as United States drug regulation, related drug discoveries (eg, drug receptors), and a few popular topics (eg, Off-label prescribing, direct-to-consumer advertising). The last 5 monographs project 5 years into the future, speculating about milestones yet to be accomplished. The majority of the drug monographs are titled with the trade name of the drug, while some use the generic drug name. This inconsistency is not explained, but it is assumed that it was done for drug name recognition by a general audience. The author has cross-referenced the monographs, which is beneficial particularly since he has occasionally covered the same drug in different forms, eg, coca, cocaine, crack cocaine; tea, coffee, caffeine). There is also a "further reading" list that does not represent a full bibliography. It should also be pointed out that Wikipedia encyclopedia was cited as a general resource. There is also a complete index for drug names, people mentioned, etc, though not comprehensive for every term. …

Field of study: Education, Medicine
Soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering spectroscopy below 100 eV: probing first-row transition-metal M-edges in chemical complexes.

X-ray absorption and scattering spectroscopies involving the 3d transition-metal K- and L-edges have a long history in studying inorganic and bioinorganic molecules. However, there have been very few studies using the M-edges, which are below 100 eV. Synchrotron-based X-ray sources can have higher energy resolution at M-edges. M-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) could therefore provide complementary information to K- and L-edge spectroscopies. In this study, M2,3-edge XAS on several Co, Ni and Cu complexes are measured and their spectral information, such as chemical shifts and covalency effects, are analyzed and discussed. In addition, M2,3-edge RIXS on NiO, NiF2 and two other covalent complexes have been performed and different d-d transition patterns have been observed. Although still preliminary, this work on 3d metal complexes demonstrates the potential to use M-edge XAS and RIXS on more complicated 3d metal complexes in the future. The potential for using high-sensitivity and high-resolution superconducting tunnel junction X-ray detectors below 100 eV is also illustrated and discussed.

Field of study: Physics
The biology and use of the African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus, Gray, 1842)as a food animal. A review

The brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus) is a hystricomorph rodent, which frequents the forests of West and Central Africa. With an average weight of 3 kg, it is a favourite source of meat for urban and rural populations of Gabon, Nigeria, Cameroon or Congo. Hunted in large quantities, its price is often higher than that of other game or domestic animals. Although its current productivity in captivity is limited to a single young per birth and two to three births per year per female, this species could be a good candidate for minilivestock programmes in African forest areas if its current reproductive potential in captivity could be improved. Further research should be encouraged on its biology and reproduction since the current level of hunting for this species is probably not sustainable. Captive breeding programmes could play a role in assessing a better knowledge of the species' biology, and in reducing the effects of intensive hunting in areas where this activi ty is no longer sustainable.

Field of study: Environmental science
Detection of Lead Ion Based on Aggregation-induced Emission of Copper Nanoclusters

A turn-on fluorescence analysis method was established for detection of Pb2+ based on aggregation-induced emission. Glutathione-protected non-noble metal copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs@GSH) showed nearly no fluorescence. However, the fluorescence intensity of Cu NCs@GSH was remarkably improved in the presence of Pb2+ and showed bright orange fluorescence. A fluorescence method for detection of Pb2+ was established based on this principle. The fluorescence change of the Cu NCs@GSH solution showed a linear relationship with Pb2+ concentration within the range of 200–700 μM. The limit of detection was 106 μM (S/N = 3). This method is simple, rapid and highly selective, and can be used for the visual qualitative detection of Pb2+ under ultraviolet (UV) lamp.

Field of study: Chemistry
Town and country: economy and institutions in late medieval Italy

W Krrhile relations between town and country have been a central theme of W Italian historiography since the mid sixteenth century,2 their social and economic features have been studied in their own right only from the i89os. Since then, two main lines of interpretation have emerged.3 Initially, historians of the 'economico-juridical' school4 put forward the view that the expansion of the north-central Italian communes between the mid twelfth century and the thirteenth transformed town-country relations. Communes subordinated the rural hinterland (contado) to their economic and jurisdictional authority in the interests of the urban population and of the commercial bourgeoisie; the passage of powers from feudal to urban lordship meant for the peasantry a sharp loss of judicial and economic freedoms. While this view has since been considerably extended and refined,5 it is generally accepted that the city states of central and northern Italy did exploit the countryside through inequitable rates of taxation, regulations restricting most trade and industry to the ruling town, compulsory labour services, and (increasingly during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries) judicial support for citizens' claims over their rural tenants.6 This view was challenged by Fiumi, who on the basis of thirteenthand early fourteenth-century Florentine evidence, argued that communal rule was of major benefit to the countryside.7 While Fiumi's defence of economic

Field of study: Economics, History
The amino acid residues 1-128 in the alpha subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor contain assembly signals.

Expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) involves complex processes including assembly of different receptor subunits into hetero-oligomers. To identify the minimal N-terminal region involved in AChR subunit association, we used a dominant negative assay. Co-expression of fragments of the alpha subunit, containing the N-terminal extracellular domain and transmembrane domain 1 (TM 1), with the parental AChR subunits in Xenopus oocytes blocked functional expression of the receptor. In contrast, co-expression of N-terminal extracellular fragments without TM1 failed to inhibit functional expression of AChRs, but altered the functional properties of co-expressed parental AChRs. Furthermore, when these alpha subunit fragments were co-expressed with the beta, gamma, and delta subunits, they were co-immunoprecipitated with a mixture of beta, gamma, and delta subunit specific antibodies. These results suggest that 'assembly signals' are confined to a local structure in the N-terminal extracellular domain. Our findings also indicate that an assembly step may be a target for genetic intervention not only to block the expression of functional receptors, but also to alter the function of the receptor.

Field of study: Biology
Degenerate doping in \b{eta}-Ga2O3 Single Crystals through Hf-doping.

N type conductivity of \b{eta}-Ga2O3 grown from the melt is typically achieved using Sn and Si. In this paper, we experimentally and computationally investigate Hf doping of \b{eta}-Ga2O3 single crystals using UV-Vis-NIR absorption and Hall Effect measurements and hybrid functional calculations. Unintentionally-doped and Hf-doped samples with a nominal concentration of 0.5at% were grown from the melt using vertical gradient freeze (VGF) and Czochralski method in mixed Ar+O2 atmosphere. We demonstrate Hf dopants, predicted to incorporate on the octahedral GaII site as a shallow donor, achieve degenerate doping in \b{eta}-Ga2O3 with a measured electron concentration 2 x 10^19 cm^-3 , mobility 80-65 cm^2 /Vs, and resistivity down to 5 mOhm-cm in our samples. The concentration of Hf was measured to be 1.3 x 10^19 atoms/cm^3 using glow discharge mass spectroscopy (GDMS) on doped samples, confirming Hf to be the cause of n-type conductivity (electron concentration ~2 x 10^19 cm-3).

Field of study: Materials science
A clinical and laboratory study of benign multiple sclerosis.

In a hospital-based study of 400 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), 42 per cent of patients who had had MS for 10 years or more had benign disease. Early age of onset and a long first remission were significantly associated with a good prognosis. There was a suggestion that initial presentation with paraesthesiae and possibly optic neuritis were associated with a benign prognosis, but the only significant finding was the association between limb weakness and a poor outcome (p less than 0.05). Fewer patients with benign disease had a progressive element to their disease than those in the more disabled group (p less than 0.001). The only laboratory test which was associated with a benign prognosis was the absence of CSF myelin basic protein in remission. Abnormalities of visual evoked response, CSF IgG and peripheral blood T lymphocytes appeared to have no value in assessing prognosis in the patients studied.

Field of study: Medicine
Student perceptions of stylistic variation in introductory university textbooks

Previous research on university textbooks has focused on their use of objective linguistic features, without any reference to the perceptions of student readers. This study uses a new dual methodology to measure student perceptions of linguistic variation in textbook passages. Undergraduate university students ( N  = 80) read textbook passages from two disciplines (psychology and geology) and rated them using a new instrument, the Perceptions of Effectiveness, Comprehensibility, and Organization (PECO) Scale. After objectively quantifying 74 key linguistic features of university textbooks, Biber's Multi-Dimensional analysis was used to identify and interpret underlying ‘dimensions’ of linguistic variation in introductory textbook prose. This resulted in five interpretable dimensions of variability in textbook language. Finally, statistical correlations between the perceptual and linguistic variables suggest that academic involvement and elaboration, colloquial discourse, academic clarity, and contextualized narration are related to student perceptions of textbook effectiveness, comprehensibility, and organization.

Field of study: Education, Linguistics
Blue Light Emitting Poly(N-arylcarbazol-2,7-ylene)s

N-(4-alkoxyphenyl) substituted poly(carbazol-2,7-ylene)s were synthesized by Ni-catalyzed polycondensations of 2,7-dihalogenocarbazoles. The polymers intensely fluoresced blue in solution and in the solid-film state by irradiation of UV light. The introduction of the aryl group at the N-position of poly(carbazol-2,7-ylene) enhanced fluorescent quantum efficiency of the polymer, which showed higher performance than N-alkyl substituted polymers.

Field of study: Chemistry
My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir by Clarence Thomas, Harper Collins Publisher New York, 2007, 289 pages.

AbstractIn spite of a birth with low probability for significance, Clarence Thomas proved the greatness of this country by magnificently demonstrating the positive potential available to all who pursue and maintain the transcendental life. This book is an inspiration for all young people—who, after reading it, will no longer be able to feel sorry for themselves when life is found to be hard.

Field of study: Medicine, Philosophy
Effects of Forbush decreases of galactic cosmic rays on anticyclone activity at middle latitudes

The baric response of the lower atmosphere to Forbush decreases of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) is investigated. It is shown that Forbush decreases are accompanied by a weakening of cyclonic activity and a strengthening of anticyclonic activity at the extratropical latitudes (45°–70°) of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. These results show an important role of cosmic rays in solar-terrestrial relationships.

Field of study: Physics
Democratic voting and the mixed-motivation problem

1. What do we do when we vote? A standard assumption is that voters express their interests or personal preferences. Voters act as if they are answering the question: 'which outcome would suit you best?' Indeed this is often taken to be one of the arguments in favour of democracy, for otherwise how would rulers know the interests of the people? (For the purpose of this discussion I will not distinguish interests and preferences: to do so would add further complications to a story which, as we will see, is complex enough.) But it has also been argued that voters can, should, or at least sometimes do, express their opinion of where the common good lies. They can also vote, then, as if they are answering the question 'which outcome is preferable on moral grounds?' Thus Mill claimed that [The citizen's] vote is not a thing in which he has an option; it has no more to do with his personal wishes than the verdict of a juryman. It is strictly a matter of duty; he is bound to give it according to his best and most conscientious opinion of the public good.

Field of study: Philosophy