nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Vertebrate taphonomy in circum-lake environments: three cases in the Guadix-Baza Basin (Granada, Spain)

This work analyses the origin and taphonomy of three Plio-Pleistocene mammal assemblages from the Guadix-Baza basin (Granada, Spain): Huelago; Huescar-1; and Cullar de Baza-1. Similarities and differences in the taphonomic features are evaluated with regard to marginal lacustrine sedimentary processes involved in the accumulation of these mammal assemblages. Selective preservation of skeletal-part and taxa in relation to facies have been explored to determine their suitability for palaeoecological analysis. The mortality in Cullar de Baza-1 and Huelago-1 corresponds to a catastrophic pattern, but other taphonomic features of the bones indicate that accumulation processes were diachronic as occurred in Huescar-1. This could be explained by selective-predation and/or seasonal accumulation of bones. Hydraulic sorting and transportation greatly controlled the size and shape of accumulated skeletal elements, and the different preservational circumstances of each environment largely constrained the taxonomic composition of the fossil bone assemblages. Autochthonous fauna only occurs in Huescar-1 corresponding to subaquatic environments. The absence of carnivores among the identifiable remains from Huelago-1 has no plausible taphonomic or sedimentological explanation. Nevertheless, after taking into account the taphonomic factors, the differences in taxonomic composition between these three mammal assemblages reflect differences in the surrounding habitats. The great diversity of ruminant artiodactyls, in particular browsers, is indicative of wooded or bushy areas in the surroundings of Huelago-1 although not in the immediate area of the lake margin. This diversity coincides with that observed in other Villafranchian localities and represents the greatest diversity of artiodactyls known from the Neogene and Quaternary record of Western Europe. In turn, the high diversity of sub-aquatic forms and a smaller variety of artiodactyl species in Huescar-1, reflects an open, sparsely forested environment susceptible to seasonal drought. A similar sparse forested environment has been deduced for Cullar de Baza-1. The climate and environmental conditions in Huescar-1 and Cullar de Baza-1 are consistent with a climatic deterioration at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene (‘Glacial Pleistocene’).

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Postmodernism and Institutionalism: Toward a Resolution of the Debate on Relativism

Probably the major event in the philosophy of science over the last several decades has been the death of foundationalism. It was Kuhn's revolutionary 1962 book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, that first announced this death to the world. But Kuhn was not alone; other philosophers too-Michael Polanyi, H. G. Gadamer, Richard Rorty, Paul Feyerabend, Charles Taylor, and Jurgen Habermas-have all pronounced foundationalism dead and have sought to move beyond it. Briefly stated, foundationalism is the notion that we can come to a true understanding of the world if our theories are logically based on some indubitable foundation, the fabled Archimedean fixed point from which we can leverage the rest of the world. But no such foundation apparently exists. Philosopher Richard Bernstein points out that since Descartes, there have been numerous attempts to establish such a foundation, but no sooner is a foundation posited than the process of critical undercutting begins, and after a while we come to see that the foundation is not so sound as originally thought. It is now widely accepted that there exists no grand or meta-narrative that explains the world from some objective, disinterested standpoint. There are only narratives based on particular perspectives and viewpoints. But though philosophers have generally agreed to jettison foundationalism, many of the sciences have not been so quick to throw it overboard, for they have long histories of allegiance to

Field of study: Economics
Po‐Poster ‐ 36: Using the internet for real‐time medical physics education

This presentation is an update on the Remote Real‐Time Learning Project (http://www.neteinfach.com/rrtl/index.htm). The goal of the project is to promote the use of Internet to provide classroom style real‐time interactive education in Medical Physics. This project was started 3 years ago as a collaboration between the Department of Medical Physics at the Toronto‐Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre in Canada and the Department of Radiology at the University of Malaya in Malaysia. A class of Medical Physicsgraduate students at the University of Malaya attended lectures provided by lecturers in Toronto, using the Internet as the main tool of communication. As part of the study, the different methods that can be used to provide real‐time interactive remote education were explored, and various topics including traditional classroom lectures as well as hands‐on workshops were also delivered. Based on our experience, a reasonably stable methodology has been established. This methodology allows a fairly smooth set‐up and conduction of the lectures, at an insignificant cost, while offering flexible convenience to the lecturers as well as the students, despite the widely different time zones. The current plan is to expand the process to allow students at multiple sites of the world to attend the online lectures at the same time. Our project welcomes the participation of both lecturers and students who are interested in taking advantage of the advance of the Internet to promote greater accessibility of quality education in the field.

Field of study: Medicine, Physics
Plant reintroduction: an overview

The reintroduction of plants will become an increasingly utilized strategy in plant conservation and protected area management. Reintroduction is the deliberate establishment of individuals of a species into an area and/or habitat where it has become extirpated with the specific aim of establishing a viable self-sustaining population for conservation purposes. Plant reintroduction can involve the establishment of an extirpated species into a relatively intact habitat or it can be part of the restoration of a degraded habitat. This will be performed as species become extinct for a number of reasons, such as collecting, introduced herbivores or pathogens and potentially climate change. Although plant reintroductions have the potential to play an important role in species' conservation the long term viability of many reintroductions has yet to be assessed. For the technique to reach it's full potential it requires greater integration with habitat management, restoration and increased international coordination between both theex situ andin situ agencies. In addition the value of introducing stocks of endangered species lacking viable sites for reintroduction to non native sites is discussed.

Field of study: Environmental science
Induction of c-Jun by air particulate matter (PM₁₀) of Mexico city: Participation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The carcinogenic potential of urban particulate matter (PM) has been partly attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content, which activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Here we report the effect of PM with an aerodynamic size of 10 μm (PM10) on the induction of AhR pathway in A549 cells, evaluating its downstream targets CYP1B1, IL-6, IL-8 and c-Jun. Significant increases in CYP1B1 protein and enzyme activity; IL-6 and IL-8 secretion and c-Jun protein were found in response to PM10. The formation of PAH-DNA adducts was also detected. The involvement of AhR pathway was confirmed with Resveratrol as AhR antagonist, which reversed CYP1B1 and c-Jun induction. Nevertheless, in IL-6 and IL-8 secretion, the Resveratrol was ineffective, suggesting an effect independent of this pathway. Considering the role of c-Jun in oncogenesis, its induction by PM may be contributing to its carcinogenic potential through induction of AhR pathway by PAHs present in PM10.

Field of study: Environmental science
Doublecortin-Like Kinase 1 (DCLK1) Regulates B Cell-Specific Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus Insertion Site 1 (Bmi-1) and is Associated with Metastasis and Prognosis in Pancreatic Cancer

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are largely responsible for tumor relapse and metastatic behavior. Doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1) was recently reported to be a biomarker for gastrointestinal CSCs and involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor progression. B cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus insertion site 1 (Bmi-1) is a crucial regulator of CSC self-renewal, malignant transformation and EMT, and a previous study from our group showed that Bmi-1 is upregulated in pancreatic cancer progression and participates in EMT. However, it remains unclear whether DCLK1 is involved in pancreatic cancer or whether DCLK1 is associated with the altered level of Bmi-1 expression.  The correlation of DCLK1 expression and clinical features of pancreatic cancer was analyzed in 210 paraffin-embedded archived pancreatic cancer specimens by immunohistochemical analysis. The biological effects of DCLK1 siRNA on cells were investigated by examining cell proliferation using a cell counting kit and cell colony assays, cell migration by wound healing assay and cell invasion by Transwell invasion assay. We further investigated the effect of therapeutic siRNA targeting DCLK1 on pancreatic cancer cell growth in vivo. Moreover, the molecular mechanism by which DCLK1 upregulates Bmi-1 expression was explored using real-time PCR, western blotting and Co-immunoprecipitation assay.  DCLK1 is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer and is related to metastasis and prognosis. Knockdown of DCLK1 markedly suppressed cell growth in vitro and in vivo and also inhibited the migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, we found that DCLK1 silencing could inhibit EMT in cancer cells via downregulation of Bmi-1 and the mesenchymal markers Snail and Vimentin and upregulation of the epithelial marker E-cadherin. Moreover, high DCLK1 expression in human pancreatic cancer samples was associated with a mesenchymal phenotype and increased cell proliferation. Further co-immunoprecipitation indicated that DCLK1 did not interact with Bmi-1 directly.  Our data suggest that upregulation of DCLK1 may contribute to pancreatic cancer metastasis and poor prognosis by increasing Bmi-1 expression indirectly. The findings indicate that inhibiting DCLK1 expression might be a novel strategy for pancreatic cancer therapy.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry
DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF INTACT PEAR

In this article, dynamic equilibrium is determined according to sinusoid stress-strain. Experiments were conduced 
to measure the complex modulus of intact Dangshan pears, the phase angle by which the strain lagged the stress, and their 
relationship with initial pre-load and vibration input power over a range of frequencies. Both the complex modulus and the 
phase angle increased as the frequency increased from 20 to 200 Hz. Initial pre-load had a significant effect on the complex 
modulus, but not on the phase angle. Vibration input power had no significant effect on the complex modulus and the phase 
angle. The ripeness of pear had a significant effect on the complex modulus, but not on the phase angle. The firmness had 
positive correlation with the complex modulus and negative correlation with the phase angle. The coefficient of determination 
(R2) of the quadratic relationship between the complex modulus and firmness, and between the phase angle and firmness was 
0.92 to 0.93.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Receiver Differences and the Comprehension of Spoken Messages

The purpose of this investigation was to develop receiver difference indices descriptive of organized and disorganized spoken message comprehension. Two months after the completion of four psychological tests, 149 subjects were divided into two groups, one of which heard an organized informative speech, and the other a disorganized version. The comprehension of each speech was measured with a multiple-choice test. Analyses of the data allowed for the interpretation of different indices appropriate for the explication and description of receiver comprehension in a variety of message conditions. These indices provide frameworks for a contemporary approach to the investigation of spoken message organization and receiver comprehension.

Field of study: Education
Fetal alcohol syndrome: glucose and liver metabolism in term rat fetus and neonate.

The combined effects of chronic ethanol ingestion and fasting (24-hr fast, except water, prior to delivery) were examined in term pregnant rats and their offspring. Rats fed liquid diet containing 5% (w/v) ethanol (EF) consumed fewer calories than those fed control diet and exhibited reduced weight gain relative to either ad libitum-fed (AF) or pair-fed (PF) controls. While the number of live fetuses at term was unaffected, fetal body and liver weights were reduced in EF litters. Blood glucose levels were significantly lower in EF fetuses although maternal glucose levels did not differ between the groups. Liver glycogen levels also were reduced in EF fetuses, without any change in plasma immunoreactive insulin or immunoreactive glucagon levels. Both active and total glycogen synthase and phosphorylase were significantly lower in livers of EF fetuses than in livers of control fetuses. After delivery, blood glucose and plasma immunoreactive insulin levels fell more slowly in EF neonates than in either control group, but EF neonates remained hypoglycemic at 4 hr postnatal, whereas glycemia in both control groups had recovered to normal. Plasma immunoreactive glucagon levels in EF were elevated during the first 2 hr following delivery relative to either AF or PF controls, and hepatic glycogen levels were reduced in EF neonates during the entire interval studied.



Fetal exposure to ethanol in utero and to a short maternal fasting prior to delivery results in fetal growth retardation, hypoglycemia, hypoinsulinemia, and liver glycogen depletion at term. Also, both glycogen synthase (active and total) and phosphorylase (active and total) were decreased as well.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Field of study: Medicine
Carbon monoxide enhances salt tolerance by nitric oxide-mediated maintenance of ion homeostasis and up-regulation of antioxidant defence in wheat seedling roots.

Salt stress induced an increase in endogenous carbon monoxide (CO) production and the activity of the CO synthetic enzyme haem oxygenase (HO) in wheat seedling roots. In addition, a 50% CO aqueous solution, applied daily, not only resulted in the enhancement of CO release, but led to a significant reversal in dry weight (DW) and water loss caused by 150 mm NaCl treatment, which was mimicked by the application of two nitric oxide (NO) donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and diethylenetriamine NO adduct (DETA/NO). Further analyses showed that CO, as well as SNP, apparently up-regulated H(+)-pump and antioxidant enzyme activities or related transcripts, thus resulting in the increase of K/Na ratio and the alleviation of oxidative damage. Whereas, the CO/NO scavenger haemoglobin (Hb), NO scavenger or synthetic inhibitor methylene blue (MB) or N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (l-NAME) differentially blocked these effects. Furthermore, CO was able to mimic the effect of SNP by strongly increasing NO release in the root tips, whereas the CO-induced NO signal was quenched by the addition of l-NAME or cPTIO, the specific scavenger of NO. The results suggested that CO might confer an increased tolerance to salinity stress by maintaining ion homeostasis and enhancing antioxidant system parameters in wheat seedling roots, both of which were partially mediated by NO signal.

Field of study: Environmental science
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS: Waveguide CO laser with a wide tuning range of the emission frequency

An investigation was made of a cw waveguide CO laser with a selective resonator without circulation or water cooling. Diffraction gratings with 300 and 150 lines/mm were used as selectors. Lasing was observed due to 40 vibrational–rotational transitions in the CO molecule with an output power of 0.02–0.08 W for the strongest lines. The maximum range of continuous tuning of the emission frequency was 420 MHz for the P(17) transition in the 10–9 vibrational band.

Field of study: Engineering, Physics
Method for increasing the yield of properly folded recombinant human gamma interferon from inclusion bodies.

A strategy is described for improved refolding and purification of recombinant human gamma interferon (rh-IFN gamma), which could warrant a higher yield and specific activity than reported previously. The optimal conditions of refolding are obtained by addition of a labilizing agent, L-arginine, in the refolding buffer. A 10-fold increase in the yield was observed with 0.5 M L-arginine, compared with renaturation in its absence. By varying renaturation parameters, the conditions that allow functional refolding of approximately 25-30% of the recombinant protein have been standardized. A simple process is also described for the purification of rh-IFN gamma. The purification involves a single-column chromatography on S-Sepharose, after refolding of rh-IFN gamma in arginine containing buffer. This procedure has consistently produced rh-IFN gamma having a purity of at least 97%, the rest being the aggregated form of gamma interferon. The purified protein is a dimer under non-denaturing conditions and has a specific activity of 2 x 10(8) IU mg-1 protein, as measured by viral cytopathic assay.

Field of study: Biology, Engineering
Imaginary Betrayals: Subjectivity and the Discourses of Treason in Early Modern England (review)

of her text. The overall result is a study that is more descriptive than analytical in character. Nevertheless, A Place in the Story is a timely book, joining the excellent studies of service in Shakespeare done by Judith Weil, Michael Neill, David Evett, Mark Thornton Burnett, and others in recent years. In fact, it seems fair to say that service in early modern England is no longer a neglected topic, but rather one that is flourishing in current scholarship. This is a welcome development in Shakespeare studies and one to which Anderson’s own book makes an important contribution. MICHELLE M. DOWD University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Field of study: History
Molecular cloning and expression of human interleukin-6 in insect cells.

670-bp hIL-6 cDNA fragments have been amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using recombinant plasmid pBMIL-6A as templates and two synthetic oligonucleotides containing the optimized translation initiation sequence and restriction sites suitable for cloning as primers. The amplified IL-6 cDNA fragments have then been recombined with a non-fusion expression baculovirus vector pVL1393. The resultant recombinant plasmid pVL. IL-6 together with wtAcMNPV DNAs were transferred into cultured lepidopteran insect cells (Sf9) by calcium phosphate coprecipitation procedure. The recombinant baculoviruses were formed by homologous recombination in vivo between pVL. IL-6 and wtAcMNPV DNAs, screened for plaque assay, and identified by means of dot blotting hybridization. The expressed rhIL-6 was secreted into the culture medium, and its bioactivity was measured through half-maximum H-TdR incorporation into IL-6-dependent cells 7TD1. As a result, the supernatant collected from recombinant baculovirus rAc. IL-6-infected Sf9 cells showed IL-6 activity of 10(6) U/mL. The expression level of rhIL-6 of the supernatant determined by IL-6 ELISA quantitation kit was 1 microgram/mL.

Field of study: Chemistry
New process of light-salted fermentation of Brassica juncea var. integlifolia and quality variation during the fermentation process

This paper focused on the changes of the physical and chemical components as well as the change of microbe quantity of Brassica juncea var. integlifolia during pickling process with light-salted and inoculated fermentation. The results showed that compared with the traditional process, the salt dosage was reduced from 10%-15% to 7%, and the pickling time was shortened from 50 d-60 d to 30 d-40 d with the light-salted and inoculated fermentation process. Meanwhile, the content of nitrite remained lower and the peak of nitrite formed earlier than traditional pickling groups. The product has no significant difference with the traditional pickle in flavor, aroma, color and other sensory qualities.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Gene clone and prokaryotic expression of peanut allergen Ara h1

Ara h1 is one of the major allergens of peanut. Total RNA was extracted from peanut kernel and cDNA was synthesized by reverse transcription. Thereafter the gene of Ara h1 was amplified by the method of PCR using primers designed according to the reported sequence. The PCR products were ligated to a prokaryotic vector pRSET B and transfected into E. coli for expression. The expressed product was partially purified. SDS PAGE and Immunoblot demonstrated the presence of recombinant Ara h1 with IgE binding capacity. This recombinant allergen may be used to neutralize the patients′IgE reactive components as a kind of specific immunotherapy.

Field of study: Biology
Crystal structure and properties of a new magnesium heteropoly-tungstate, Mg7(MgW12O42)(OH)4(H2O)8, and the isostructural compounds of manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel

Mg7(MgW12O42)(OH)4(H2O)8 has been prepared in single crystalline form from solution. Isomorphous compounds, in which Mg is replaced by the transition metals Mn, Fe, Co and Ni have been obtained in microcrystalline form by a new reaction method. Colour and lattice constants of the Fe compound indicate that iron is trivalent, whereas all the other heteroelements are divalent. The main building unit of these structures are [MW12O42]10− anions with a metal atom M in a central twelve-coordinated cavity, crosslinked in three dimensions by MO6-octahedra. Crystallographic data for the Mg-compound are: fw=3284.8, space group I m 3 (), a = 12.862 (2) A , V = 2128 (1) A 3 , Z = 2, Dx = 5.126 g cm−1, μ = 312.28 cm−1, final R = 0.028 for 487 observed reflections. Lattice constants a for the transition metal compounds are: Mn: 13.075 A, Fe: 12.754 A, Co: 12.878 A, Ni: 12.824 A.

Field of study: Materials science
Complete genome of Gongronella sp. w5 provides insight into its relationship with plant.

Gongronella sp. w5 (w5) is a soil fungus isolated from Anhui, China. Here we report the high-quality genome sequence of w5 and its phenotypic characteristics based on genomic information. The genome of w5 consists of 34,723,828 bp assembled into 149 scaffolds and 11,302 predicted protein-coding genes. Genome analysis suggested that w5 may possess host cell infection capacity and maybe a biotrophic fungus that relies on plant sucrose as carbon source. W5 shows the ability of rapid invasion into the plant root cells based on CAZymes analysis. Further results evidenced that w5 can use sucrose as the carbon source. Plant inoculation revealed that w5 penetrates the root cells of Actinidia chinensis with its hypha, and simultaneously promotes plant growth. It may promote plant growth by secreting organic acid and facilitating phosphate acquisition. The new genomic data and phenotype features will facilitate future applications of this strain in biotechnology.

Field of study: Biology, Engineering