nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
An immunoassay for metolachlor detection in river water and soil.

An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (EIA) for metolachlor (2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamid e) detection in river water and soil was developed using serum obtained from rabbits immunized against the acid of metalaxyl ((N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-N-(methoxy-acetyl)-DL-alanine methyl ester) conjugated to bovine serum albumin. The assay had a linear working range from 1 to 50 ng/ml with a mean I50 value of 13.6 ng/ml and a lower detection limit of 2.0 ng/ml. Both the mean interwell and interassay coefficients of variation were less than 4% over the range of the standard curves for samples which had been prepared in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), river water, or soil extract. Assay cross-reactivity to the following four structurally related chloro-acetanilide pesticides were: propachlor (0%), metazachlor (0%), alachlor (23%), and metalaxyl (5,000%). Mean recoveries of metolachlor in spiked (2.0 to 32.0 ng/ml range) PBS, river water, and soil extract were 102%, 103%, and 110%, respectively. Soil samples were taken over a 56-d period from field plots treated with metolachlor and analyzed by GC and EIA. The correlation coefficient for comparison of the two methods was 0.96 with the slope of the linear regression line being 0.78. Furthermore, no statistical difference (P less than 0.05) was found between the dissipation curves of metolachlor derived from GC data versus EIA data.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Papa Revisited: A Current Empirical Study of the Mason Framework

Nearly twenty years ago in MIS Quarterly, Richard Mason proposed that there were four key “issues of the information age.” This influential article and concepts have been used by many researchers as the basis for information technology ethics studies. This manuscript revisits the current state of information technology ethics by empirically measuring current attitudes toward these “four issues of the information age” as originally proposed by Mason: privacy, accessibility, property, and accuracy (commonly referred to as PAPA). More than 200 individuals are polled with regard to recognition of the specific information technology issues and their views on the importance of these issues as ethical topics. The four issues raised directly map to the four Mason PAPA issues. The study validates the PAPA issues and finds all the topics are currently viewed as important ethical issues. The study also finds that overall there are high levels of concern with all four issues but finds that privacy is viewed as most important followed by accessibility and accuracy which are viewed equally and property which is viewed lowest, but still very important. A demographic analysis reveals that gender plays a significant role in determining recognition of privacy and accuracy as important ethical issues. The implications of the study are discussed.

Field of study: Computer science
Role of magnesium and calcium in alcohol-induced hypertension and strokes as probed by in vivo television microscopy, digital image microscopy, optical spectroscopy, 31P-NMR, spectroscopy and a unique magnesium ion-selective electrode.

It is not known why alcohol ingestion poses a risk for development of hypertension, stroke and sudden death. Of all drugs, which result in body depletion of magnesium (Mg), alcohol is now known to be the most notorious cause of Mg-wasting. Recent data obtained through the use of biophysical (and noninvasive) technology suggest that alcohol may induce hypertension, stroke, and sudden death via its effects on intracellular free Mg2+ ([Mg2+]i), which in turn alter cellular and subcellular bioenergetics and promote calcium ion (Ca2+) overload. Evidence is reviewed that demonstrates that the dietary intake of Mg modulates the hypertensive actions of alcohol. Experiments with intact rats indicates that chronic ethanol ingestion results in both structural and hemodynamic alterations in the microcirculation, which, in themselves, could account for increased vascular resistance. Chronic ethanol increases the reactivity of intact microvessels to vasoconstrictors and results in decreased reactivity to vasodilators. Chronic ethanol ingestion clearly results in vascular smooth muscle cells that exhibit a progressive increase in exchangeable and cellular Ca2+ concomitant with a progressive reduction in Mg content. Use of 31P-NMR spectroscopy coupled with optical-backscatter reflectance spectroscopy revealed that acute ethanol administration to rats results in dose-dependent deficits in phosphocreatine (PCr), the [PCr]/[ATP] ratio, intracellular pH (pHi), oxyhemoglobin, and the mitochondrial level of oxidized cytochrome oxidase aa3 concomitant with a rise in brain-blood volume and inorganic phosphate. Temporal studies performed in vivo, on the intact brain, indicate that [Mg2+]i is depleted before any of the bioenergetic changes. Pretreatment of animals with Mg2+ prevents ethanol from inducing stroke and prevents all of the adverse bioenergetic changes from taking place. Use of quantitative digital imaging microscopy, and mag-fura-2, on single-cultured canine cerebral vascular smooth muscle, human endothelial, and rat astrocyte cells reveals that alcohol induces rapid concentration-dependent depletion of [Mg2+]i. These cellular deficits in [Mg2+]i seem to precipitate cellular and subcellular disturbances in cytoplasmic and mitochondrial bioenergetic pathways leading to Ca2+ overload and ischemia. A role for ethanol-induced alterations in [Mg2+]i should also be considered in the well-known behavioral actions of alcohol.

Field of study: Medicine
Hydroxylated and methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in a marine food web of Chinese Bohai Sea and their human dietary exposure.

Hydroxylated (OH-) and methoxylated (MeO-) polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been identified ubiquitous in wildlife and environment. However, understanding on their trophic accumulation and human exposure was hitherto limited. In this study, the occurrences and trophic behaviors were demonstrated for OH- and MeO-PBDEs using the biota samples collected from Dalian, a coastal city near Chinese Bohai Sea. ∑OH-PBDEs exhibited a wider concentration range (<MDL (method detection limit)-25 ng/g dry weight (dw)) compared with ∑MeO-PBDEs (<MDL-2 ng/g dw) and ∑PBDEs (<MDL-2 ng/g dw). The congener profiles and distribution patterns revealed that majority of OH- and MeO-PBDEs in marine biota were naturally produced and largely attributed to preying on lower trophic level biota. Though tertiary consumers accumulated more MeO-PBDEs and PBDEs, these chemicals did not show statistically significant biomagnification in the selected food web. Conversely, trophic dilution was determined for ortho-substituted OH-tetraBDEs and OH-pentaBDEs, revealing that trophic dilution was prevalent for naturally produced OH-PBDEs. The dietary intake evaluation of OH-PBDEs (0.4 ng/kg/d) and MeO-PBDEs (0.8 ng/kg/d) via seafood consumption showed that coastal residents were in higher exposure risks to OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs via the massive seafood consumption.

Field of study: Environmental science
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for depression: What do we know now and what should be done next?

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy is the first US Food and Drug Administration-approved somatic clinical intervention for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Long-term open data suggest a sustainable antidepressant response over time. Here we review the clinical data that exist so far and their limitations. We also discuss guidelines that may inform the clinical utilization of this procedure. Further clinical studies, in addition to prospective cost utilization and health economic investigations, are needed to better understand VNS therapy and the impact it holds on TRD care.

Field of study: Medicine, Psychology
Occupational intensity and environmental changes during the Howiesons Poort at Klipdrift Shelter, southern Cape, South Africa

The Howiesons Poort, characterised by sophisticated lithic technologies and evidence of innovative behaviours, was a significant cultural phase in southern Africa during Marine Isotope Stage 4. It also coincided with substantial palaeoenvironmental and possible demographic changes in the southern Cape of South Africa, especially with regard to the shifting palaeo-coastline off the Agulhas Bank. The newly-excavated Klipdrift Shelter in the southern Cape presents a rare opportunity to compare faunal, lithic and palaeoenvironmental evidence from a single Howiesons Poort site along the present-day southern coast of South Africa. Here, we use faunal data from Klipdrift Shelter to explore the relationship between occupational intensity, subsistence behaviour and environment in the southern Cape during the Howiesons Poort period. Our results suggest a shift from a mixed terrain/browse-dominated environment during the earlier Howiesons Poort to open grasslands in the mid–later Howiesons Poort. This environmental shift corresponds to potential changes in occupational intensity or frequency throughout the sequence with evidence of increased occupations associated with grassier environments. Aspects of the cultural sequence, for example raw material procurement strategies, may be associated with shifting environmental conditions. The faunal evidence suggests links between occupation, environment and prey selection at Klipdrift. This raises interesting questions about the interplay between population density and the environment of the southern Cape, and its influence on subsistence behaviour during Marine Isotope Stage 4.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Multiuser processes and shared capability lists for shared workspace collaboration

With the recent interest in collaboration software and tools, there is a growing need and demand for operating systems to support and facilitate the construction of this new application. This article investigates desirable features for shared workspaces and discusses the relevance of operating systems supporting them. Two operating system mechanisms are proposed to support multiuser tool development and sharing of user privileges in a collaborative session. The first mechanism, multiuser processes, is a generalization of traditional operating system processes. The second mechanism, shared capabilities lists, is used to achieve finer control of object sharing among participants. An initial prototype implementation based on BSD 4.3 UNIX is described. Implementation alternatives and associated issues are discussed.

Field of study: Computer science, Engineering
Numerical investigation on building envelope optimization for low-energy buildings in low latitudes of China

Different from the high latitudes (24°N-53°N) of China, the low latitudes (4°N-24°N) present large solar elevation angle and strong solar radiation throughout the year. Radiation differences in all directions are smaller than that in high latitudes, which results in the building envelope optimization (BEO) in high latitudes is not applicable to low latitudes. Therefore, for the low latitudes, this research calculated the energy-saving effect of buildings with different shape parameters and the cooling load of thermal performance of different envelope by numerical simulation. In addition, the corresponding energy-saving indexes for cooling load reduction (CLR) are presented. And the energy saving priority of building envelope is mastered by analyzing the percentage of CLR per unit volume, the roofs have the greatest energy saving potential, followed by exterior walls, sunshade and exterior windows. Furthermore, the recommended insulation thickness for the exterior walls and roofs should be 30–40 mm, and of which the CLR value of per unit external wall area can reach 8.5 W/m 2 . The west exterior window has greater energy saving potential than other orientations. The effect of east and west sunshade on CLR is much greater than that of south sunshade. The recommended length of the north and south shading should be 500–600 mm, in which the cooling load from shading can be reduced by 95% and 15% respectively. The results can be the basis of the design method of the BEO in low latitudes of China.

Field of study: Engineering
Influence of Manufacturing Mechanical and Thermal Histories on Dimensional Stabilities of FR4 Laminate and FR4/Cu-Plated Holes

Irreversible dimension changes of an FR4 laminate board in the z-direction and FR4 laminate/Cu plated holes that depend on their manufacturing histories have been studied by thermal mechanical analysis in the temperature range from room temperature to 240 °C. It is found that the compression residual stresses generated in both materials due to manufacturing pressing are released during heating, leading to an elongation in the specified direction. This increase depends on the composition of the studied composite and number of pressing cycles. The second reason for the observed dimensional changes is insufficient curing during manufacture that causes post-curing after the first heating cycle and related board shrinkage in the z-direction. The temperature regions of these two processes are not the same. The post-curing process occurs in the transition temperature range (near the glass transition temperature), whereas the release of the compression residual stress is observed at higher temperatures. Both these processes are temperature-dependent and do not proceed to completion during one heating cycle. Moreover, the compression residual stress strongly influences the post-curing process.

Field of study: Materials science
Correspondence between asymptotically flat spacetimes and nonrelativistic conformal field theories.

We find a surprising connection between asymptotically flat spacetimes and nonrelativistic conformal systems in one lower dimension. The Bondi-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) group is the group of asymptotic isometries of flat Minkowski space at null infinity. This is known to be infinite dimensional in three and four dimensions. We show that the BMS algebra in 3 dimensions is the same as the 2D Galilean conformal algebra (GCA) which is of relevance to nonrelativistic conformal symmetries. We further justify our proposal by looking at a Penrose limit on a radially infalling null ray inspired by nonrelativistic scaling and obtain a flat metric. The BMS4 algebra is also discussed and found to be the same as another class of GCA, called semi-GCA, in three dimensions. We propose a general BMS-GCA correspondence. Some consequences are discussed.

Field of study: Physics
The effect of signaled reinforcement on rats' fixed-interval responding.

Four experiments examined the effect on rats' response rate of presenting a brief (500 ms) stimulus simultaneously with the delivery of food on fixed-interval (FI) schedules. In Experiment 1, reinforcement signals that were spatially diffuse (both tones and lights) elevated rates of responding, but responding was attenuated by localized visual stimuli. The remaining experiments examined the signal-induced potentiation of responding. In Experiment 2, a tone reinforcement signal potentiated response rates on an FI schedule, but attenuated response rates on a variable-interval (VI) schedule. This difference was obtained even though the overall rate of responding was equated on the two schedules before the introduction of the signal. Signal-induced potentiation of responding occurred over a range of FI values employed in Experiment 3. In Experiment 4, presenting a reinforcement signal when high local rates of response had occurred immediately before reinforcement resulted in potentiated rates of responding on an FI schedule. The opposite effect on response rate occurred when the reinforcement signal followed only low local rates of response. These results indicate that a variety of factors influence the effects of a reinforcement signal. They imply, however, that the local rate of response at the time of reinforcement is a key factor in establishing the nature of the signaling effect.

Field of study: Biology, Psychology
Einfluß eines Durchsatzes auf den Trenneffekt bei Clusius-Dickel-Trennrohren

ZusammenfassungFür kontinuierlich arbeitende Trennrohranlagen ist es von wesentlicher Bedeutung, in welchem Ausmaß die Gleichströmung des Durchsatzes die Trennwirkung beeinträchtigt. Für ein „ideales“ Trennrohr ergibt sich theoretisch keine Beeinträchtigung. Die im Gegensatz dazu in der vorangehenden Arbeit 1 experimentell gefundene erklärt sich zwanglos aus den von den Drahtzentrierungen herrührenden Störungen im „realen“ Trennrohr.

Field of study: Physics
Effect of physical properties and surfactant concentrations on phase separation in tebufenozide droplets: Persistence and bioactivity of the insecticide in spruce foliage

A commercial formulation, RH‐5992 2F, of tebufenozide [N'‐t‐butyl‐N'‐(3,5‐dimethylbenzoyl)‐N‐(4‐ethylbenzoyl) hydrazine] was diluted with water to provide an end‐use mix containing 35 g of active ingredient per litre. When sprayed in a laboratory chamber, the mix caused phase separation in the atomizer. Addition of surfactants at 2 to 3% level minimized the problem, although phase separation still occurred in droplets while they were in‐flight. Droplets collected on samplers showed three types of spots: (i) those containing particles in the centre surrounded by a liquid ring (PR), (ii) those containing particles only (P), and (iii) those containing liquid matrix only (L). The number of ‘PR’ spots decreased while the droplets were in‐flight, resulting in an increase in the ‘P’ and ‘L’ spots at the target level. Persistence of tebufenozide in spruce foliage was unaffected by phase separation in droplets, but bioactivity was affected. When the deposits contained mostly ‘PR’ spots, mortality in spruc...

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Development Study on the Newtype Modifier of Sodium Silicate

A newtype liquid modifier for sodium silicate was developed in this paper. On the basis of exploration experiments ,then cubic simplicial barycentric method of mixture regression design was used,the ternarycomposition modifier was originally developed. Adding this modifier when mixing sands,it can increase the storage strength after gassing of CO2 sodium silicate bonded sands by 50%,and decrease the residual strength after casting by 50% also.\=

Field of study: Materials science
Structure of Escherichia coli exonuclease I in complex with thymidine 5'-monophosphate.

In Escherichia coli, exonuclease I (ExoI) is a monomeric processive 3'-5' exonuclease that degrades single-stranded DNA. The enzyme has been implicated as primarily being involved in repairing frameshift mutations. The structure of the enzyme has previously been determined in a hexagonal space group at 2.4 A resolution. Here, the structure of ExoI in complex with a nucleotide product, thymidine 5'-monophosphate, is described in an orthorhombic space group at 1.5 A resolution. This new high-resolution structure provides some insight into the interactions involved in binding a nucleotide product. The conserved active site contains a unique metal-binding position when compared with orthologous sites in the Klenow fragment, T4 DNA polymerase and dnaQ. This unique difference is proposed to be a consequence of the repositioning of an important histidine, His181, away from the active site.

Field of study: Chemistry
Historical Refugia and Isolation by Distance of the Mud Snail, Bullacta exarata (Philippi, 1849) in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean

Many phylogeographic studies on marine organisms in the Northwestern Pacific have supported for the biogeographic hypotheses that isolation in the marginal seas of this region during the Pleistocene glaciation lower sea level led to population genetic divergence, and thus population expansion was a common phenomenon when the sea level rebounded. However, most of these studies were based on maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA markers with limited sample sites and therefore, were unable to reveal detailed pictures encompassing paternal line information covering of the entire range. In this study, we used the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nine nuclear microsatellite loci to investigate the phylogeography of the mud snail, Bullacta exarata (Philippi, 1849), a species endemic to the Northwestern Pacific. We sampled 14 natural populations spanning across 3800 km of the Chinese coastline, essentially covering most of the species distribution range. COI analysis identified a total of 149 haplotypes separated into two distinct groups with nine mutation steps, revealing a prominent phylogeographic structure. Nuclear microsatellite data also demonstrated a similar but weaker genetic structure. The estimated time to the most recent common ancestor between the two COI haplogroups is at ∼0.89 Ma, indicating that B. exarata populations survived the Pleistocene glaciation in the Sea of Japan and the Okinawa Trough, two marginal seas around the species range. The consistent significant patterns of isolation by distance of both COI and microsatellites suggests that limited mobility of adults and short planktonic stage of larvae may have played an important role in promoting or maintaining the genetic differentiation of B. exarata. Results from population demographic analyses support population expansion late in the Pleistocene era.

Field of study: Biology
A multi-site intercomparison of integrated water vapour observations for climate change analysis

Water vapour plays a dominant role in the climate change debate. However, observing water vapour over a climatological time period in a consistent and homogeneous manner is challenging. On one hand, networks of ground-based instruments able to retrieve homogeneous integrated water vapour (IWV) data sets are being set up. Typical examples are Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) observation networks such as the International GNSS Service (IGS), with continuous GPS (Global Positioning System) observations spanning over the last 15+ years, and the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET), providing long-term observations performed with standardized and well-calibrated sun photometers. On the other hand, satellite-based measurements of IWV already have a time span of over 10 years (e.g. AIRS) or are being merged to create long-term time series (e.g. GOME, SCIAMACHY, and GOME-2). This study performs an intercomparison of IWV measurements from satellite devices (in the visible, GOME/SCIAMACHY/GOME-2, and in the thermal infrared, AIRS), in situ measurements (radiosondes) and ground-based instruments (GPS, sun photometer), to assess their use in water vapour trends analysis. To this end, we selected 28 sites world-wide for which GPS observations can directly be compared with coincident satellite IWV observations, together with sun photometer and/or radiosonde measurements. The mean biases of the different techniques compared to the GPS estimates vary only between −0.3 to 0.5 mm of IWV. Nevertheless these small biases are accompanied by large standard deviations (SD), especially for the satellite instruments. In particular, we analysed the impact of clouds on the IWV agreement. The influence of specific issues for each instrument on the intercomparison is also investigated (e.g. the distance between the satellite ground pixel centre and the co-located ground-based station, the satellite scan angle, daytime/nighttime differences). Furthermore, we checked if the properties of the IWV scatter plots between these different instruments are dependent on the geography and/or altitude of the station. For all considered instruments, the only dependency clearly detected is with latitude: the SD of the IWV observations with respect to the GPS IWV retrievals decreases with increasing latitude and decreasing mean IWV.

Field of study: Environmental science