nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Functionality of aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhR1 and AhR2) of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and implications for the risk assessment of dioxin-like compounds.

Worldwide, populations of sturgeons are endangered, and it is hypothesized that anthropogenic chemicals, including dioxin-like compounds (DLCs), might be contributing to the observed declines in populations. DLCs elicit their toxic action through activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which is believed to regulate most, if not all, adverse effects associated with exposure to these chemicals. Currently, risk assessment of DLCs in fishes uses toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) developed for the World Health Organization (WHO) that are based on studies of embryo-lethality with salmonids. However, there is a lack of knowledge of the sensitivity of sturgeons to DLCs, and it is uncertain whether TEFs developed by the WHO are protective of these fishes. Sturgeons are evolutionarily distinct from salmonids, and the AhRs of sturgeons differ from those of salmonids. Therefore, this study investigated the sensitivity of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) to DLCs in vitro via the use of luciferase reporter gene assays using COS-7 cells transfected with AhR1 or AhR2 of white sturgeon. Specifically, activation and relative potencies (RePs) of 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), 2,3,4,7,8-pentachloro-dibenzofuran, 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzofuran, 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl, 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl, and 2,3,3',4,4'-pentachlorobiphenyl were determined for each AhR. It was demonstrated that white sturgeon expresses AhR1s and AhR2s that are both activated by DLCs with EC50 values for 2,3,7,8-TCDD that are lower than those of any other AhR of vertebrates tested to date. Both AhRs of white sturgeon had RePs for polychlorinated dibenzofurans more similar to TEFs for birds, while RePs for polychlorinated biphenyls were most similar to TEFs for fishes. Measured concentrations of select DLCs in tissues of white sturgeon from British Columbia, Canada, were used to calculate toxic equivalents (TEQs) by use of TEFs for fishes used by the WHO and TCDD equivalents (TCDD-EQs) via the use of RePs for AhR2 of white sturgeon as determined by transfected COS-7 cells. TCDD-EQs calculated for endangered populations of white sturgeon were approximately 10-fold greater than TEQs and were within ranges known to cause adverse effects in other fishes, including other species of sturgeons. Therefore, TEFs used by the WHO might not adequately protect white sturgeon, illuminating the need for additional investigation into the sensitivity of these fish to DLCs.

Field of study: Environmental science
Diffusive nature of thermal transport in stanene.

Using the phonon Boltzmann transport formalism and density functional theory based calculations, we show that stanene has a low thermal conductivity. For a sample size of 1 × 1 μm(2) (L × W), the lattice thermal conductivities along the zigzag and armchair directions are 10.83 W m(-1) K(-1) and 9.2 W m(-1) K(-1) respectively, at room temperature, indicating anisotropy in thermal transport. The low values of thermal conductivity are due to large anharmonicity in the crystal resulting in high Grüneisen parameters, and low group velocities. The room temperature effective phonon mean free path is found to be around 17 nm indicating that the thermal transport in stanene is completely diffusive in nature. Furthermore, our study reveals the relative importance of the contributing phonon branches and that, at very low temperatures, the contribution to lattice thermal conductivity comes from the flexural acoustic (ZA) branch and at higher temperatures it is dominated by the longitudinal acoustic (LA) branch. We also show that the lattice thermal conductivity of stanene can further be reduced by tuning the sample size and creating rough surfaces at the edges. Such tunability of lattice thermal conductivity in stanene suggests its applications in thermoelectric devices.

Field of study: Physics
Group authentication protocol based on aggregated signatures for D2D communication

Device-to-device (D2D) communication is one of the most promising technologies of new mobile communication networks (5G), and essential for the Communicating Things Networks (CTNs) paradigm. Its application scope has been widened and billions of devices are expected to be communicating in the next years. Moreover, goals, such as end-to-end security and reductions in computational costs required by resource-constrained devices, must be accomplished for its full implementation.  The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardized authentication and key agreement (AKA) protocols are not suitable for D2D due to differences in the architecture and communication scenario. They may cause several security issues and excessive computational and transmission overhead, since they require individual executions for each pair of devices. The development of AKA protocols adapted to D2D group communication is still in its initial steps. This article introduces a new authentication and key agreement protocol for D2D groups of devices based on asymmetric cryptography and aggregated signatures. The scheme focuses on robust security and reductions in computational and communication costs. It was compared to other group AKA protocols and yielded better results regarding security and overhead reduction. A formal validation conducted by Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications tool (AVISPA) proved its robustness.

Field of study: Computer science
(Determinants of Accurate Control in Diabetic Patients: Application of the Multilevel Analysis for Costa Rica)

To establish an initial approach to identify individual and group variables that determine adequate interventions on diabetic patients by the Basic Integral Healthcare Units of the Costa Rican social security system.  The study design is non-experimental, cross-sectional and applies multilevel logistic regression. The data were obtained from a sample chosen from the Health Services Purchasing Direction, and includes diabetic patients cared for at local levels from January to December 2004. The information was used at 2 levels of analysis: level 1 (individual) and level 2 (group), and glycosylated hemoglobin was used as a dependent variable.  Forty-nine percent of patients were controlled, with a median age above 60 years, 66% were women, and 76,6% had a body mass index reflecting overweight or obesity. On average, the Basic Integral Healthcare Units in the study had 7 years since initiating the reform process, and their average score on the “Commitment of Management” for the last 5 years was 87%. Moreover, the average population covered was 40 thousand inhabitants, and 22% of them had high school education. Multilevel logistic regression revealed that as diabetic patients age the probability of achieving control of the disease also increases. Women had a lower probability of being under control as compared to men. Diabetic patients belonging to the Basic Integral Healthcare Units that initiated their reform earlier, and those belonging to health services achieving higher scores on the “Commitment of Management” had a higher probability of being under control, even though this finding was not statistically significant, with respect to the other variables in the model.  Approximately between 6% and 10% of the variance in the control of diabetic patients is explained by differences within local health services, after controlling for other intervening variables.

Field of study: Mathematics
Autologous muscle precursor cell Transplantation for the treatment of Urinary Incontinence in Children with Classic Bladder Extrophy: One year follow up

The application of muscle derived stem cells is an area of active research that may represent an improved alternative for the treatment of urinary incontinence. We investigated the effectiveness of autologous muscle precursor cell transplantation as a treatment option for urinary incontinence due to sphincter incompetence in children with the bladder exstrophy/epispadias complex (BEEC).  Twelve patients with BEEC (11 boys and 1 girl) with persistent urinary incontinence entered the study. All patients had undergone staged bladder repair and bladder neck reconstruction and all of them (except 1) had received 1-3 transurethral injections of bulking agents with minimal effects. Muscle precursor cells were isolated from each patient's abdominal skeletal muscle, and cultured before endourethral injection. The effectiveness of treatment was evaluated with particular emphasis on clinical outcome (based on a 24-hour voiding diary), cystometric and urodynamic studies.  Eight Patients had a mean follow-up of 11.3 (from 8 to 14 months), The remaining 4 cases with less than 6 months follow-up are not presented in this data. There was a significant time-dependent improvement in patients' urinary continence. At the final follow-up, all 7 (88%) boys were socially dry (day-time dryness >3 hours) – including 3 (38%) completely dry. Urodynamic studies revealed an increase in mean bladder capacity (p  Autologous myoblast transplantation may be a safe, effective and attractive alternative treatment option for structural urinary incontinence, with possible ability for functional regeneration of urethral sphincter.

Field of study: Medicine
Influence of electron–electron scattering on carrier distributions in optically pumped terahertz laser structures under short pulse excitation

An ensemble Monte Carlo method is employed to study the carrier dynamics of optically pumped 3-subband quantum-well lasers under sub-picosecond pulse excitation. The influences in time and energy domains of electron?electron scatterings (EES) toward the electron distributions on each subband, both critically important for inter-subband THz lasers, are carefully analyzed. We find that, out of three subbands, EES would affect the occupancy on the ground subband most seriously, and the upper laser subband may be influenced more easily by EES than the lower laser subband.

Field of study: Materials science
Influence of Students’ Attitude towards Mental Harassment Ban on Student Discipline in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya: A Case Study of Ugenya, Gem and Siaya Sub-Counties

The Kenya government prohibited Mental Harassment in schools as stipulated in the Basic Education Act 2013. This was as a result of the recommendations of the Wangai Report which revealed that Physical Punishment and Mental Harassment were major causes of indiscipline among students. In spite of  the ban the level of discipline in schools is still a major problem in Ugenya, Gem and Siaya sub-Counties, where cases of indiscipline for the years 2013 – 2016 were 83 (49%) higher than those experienced in Siaya County, 123 (47%) for the same period. Teachers still use Mental Harassment to manage student discipline in schools especially in Gem, Ugenya, and Siaya sub-counties despite the ban. Mental Harassment as a strategy of student discipline management involves reprimanding, sarcasm, name calling, shouting, insults and verbal warning. The concept discipline refers to educating someone to acquire desired behaviour. Research studies have found a relationship between attitude and behaviour (discipline). Therefore this study investigated the relationship between students’ attitude to Mental Harassment ban and the level of student discipline in secondary schools. The study established that students’ attitude to Mental Harassment ban accounted for 79.3% variation in student discipline. The study concluded that there was a strong positive relationship between students’ attitude to Mental Harassment ban and the level of student discipline in secondary schools.  Influence, Students’ attitude to Mental Harassment Ban, Student Discipline, Public Secondary Schools, Ugenya, Gem and Siaya Sub counties, Kenya.

Field of study: Education
Heat Acclimation Regulates the Autophagy-Lysosome Function to Protect Against Heat Stroke-Induced Brain Injury in Mice

The mechanisms underlying the protective role of heat acclimation (HA) in heat stroke (HS)-induced brain injury are still unclear. The autophagy-lysosome pathway is known to pay an important role in protecting stressed or diseased cells from death. Nevertheless, whether autophagy and lysosomes are involved in HA-mediated neuroprotection following HS exposure remains unclear.  The protective effects of HA were assessed by rectal temperature, hematoxylin-eosin staining, transmission electron microscopic analysis, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling staining, and Fluoro Jade B staining, after mice were subjected to HS. The effects of HA on autophagy and lysosomes were assessed in the presence of the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3MA). Autophagy and lysosome-associated proteins were analysed by Western blotting.  We found that HA protected against HS-induced death and brain injury. HS can robustly induce autophagy and impair lysosome function. HA pre-conditioning significantly modulated the autophagy level, and improved lysosome function in HS mice. Furthermore, 3MA completely abolished the neuroprotective effect of HA on HS.  HS may induce brain injury through lysosomal dysfunction and impaired autophagic flux. HA protected against HS-induced brain injury via a mechanism involving the autophagy-lysosome pathway.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry
Application of oxygen A-band equivalent width to disambiguate downwellingradiances for cloud optical depth measurement

This paper presents the three-waveband spectrally agile technique (TWST) for measuring cloud optical depth (COD). TWST is a portable field-proven sensor and retrieval method offering a unique combination of fast (1 Hz) cloud-resolving (0.5° field of view) real-time-reported COD measurements. It entails ground-based measurement of visible and near-infrared (VNIR) zenith spectral radiances much like the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) cloud-mode sensors. What is novel in our approach is that we employ absorption in the oxygen A-band as a means of resolving the COD ambiguity inherent in using up-looking spectral radiances. We describe the TWST sensor and algorithm, and assess their merits by comparison to AERONET cloud-mode measurements collected during the US Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP). Spectral radiance agreement was better than 1 %, while a linear fit of COD yielded a slope of 0.905 (TWST reporting higher COD) and offset of −2.1.

Field of study: Environmental science
Experimental measurement and numerical modelling of cooling rates of bulk-packed chicken drumsticks during forced-air freezing

The cooling of polylined bulk-packed drumsticks during forced-air freezing was examined experimentally and numerically. The experiments showed that, when contained within the liner bag, the packing arrangement of the chicken drumsticks within the tray did not have a significant impact on freezing rate. However, the presence of the liner bag had a significant impact on freezing times, increasing them by more than a factor of three. A 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to predict the temperature profile of bulk-packed drumsticks, based on 3D computed tomography images of the chicken, was also developed and validated against the experimental cooling data. By using temperature-dependent thermal properties of chicken meat, the mean differences between the predicted average drumstick temperatures and corresponding experimental results were less than 1.1°C for all tested conditions. Based on the validated model, a correlation was proposed to estimate the effect of operating conditions on freezing time and that correlation may be used to optimise the design of the freezing tunnel for chicken products.

Field of study: Engineering
Ensemble quasar spectral variability from the XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue

Variations of the X-ray spectral slope have been found in many Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) at moderate luminosities and redshifts, typically showing a “softer when brighter” behaviour. However, similar studies are not usually performed for high-luminosity AGNs. We present an analysis of the spectral variability based on a large sample of quasars in wide intervals of luminosity and redshift, measured at several different epochs, extracted from the fifth release of the XMM Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue. Our analysis confirms a “softer when brighter” trend also for our sample, extending to high luminosity and redshift the general behaviour previously found. These results can be understood in light of current spectral models, such as intrinsic variations of the X-ray primary radiation, or superposition with a constant reflection component.

Field of study: Physics
An International Perspective On Terminology, Prevalence, and Classification of Cognitive Disabilities

Recent psychological literature underscores interest in more focused crosscultural approach to scholarship (Cole, 1984; Kennedy, Scheirer, & Rogers, 1984; Russell, 1984; Staud & Misiak, 1984; Triandis & Brislin, 1984). The purpose of this paper is to provide some international perspective on the terminology, prevalence, and classification of cognitive disabilities. In this paper, the term cognitive disabilities will encompass such conditions described in the literature as intellectual

Field of study: Education
Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic study of a recombinant phospholipase D from cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp).

The plant phospholipase D (PLD) is considered to be a key enzyme involved in various physiological processes such as signal transduction and membrane metabolism. Crystals of the PLD protein from Vigna unguiculata have been produced from the recombinant 768 amino-acid protein. The crystals belong to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 157.7, b = 65.6, c = 90.2 A, beta = 111.5 degrees. There is one molecule in the asymmetric unit. Frozen crystals diffract to at least 1.94 A resolution using synchrotron radiation. A search for heavy-atom derivatives using ytterbium and tungstate is currently under way in order to solve the three-dimensional structure.

Field of study: Chemistry
Client Articulated Avoidance Goals in the Therapy Context.

This research investigated the relationship between clients' pursuit of avoidance (relative to approach) therapy goals and change in subjective well-being (SWB) from the beginning to the end of therapy. Results indicated that clients with more avoidance therapy goals evidenced a smaller increase in SWB over the course of therapy than those with fewer avoidance goals. Mediational analyses indicated that avoidance therapy goals predicted lower therapist satisfaction, lower therapist satisfaction predicted lower perceptions of therapy effectiveness (perceived problem improvement and perceived goal progress), and these lower perceptions of therapy effectiveness proximally predicted the observed change in SWB. Ancillary analyses linked the adoption of avoidance therapy goals to early parental loss through separation/divorce or death.

Field of study: Psychology
The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand

From the first review of it, The Metaphysical Club was a book that I knew would have a profound impact upon my thinking much as Morton White's Social Thought in America: The Revolt Against Formalism had upon me many decades ago. For followers of John Dewey and Thorstein Veblen, it is important to be able to understand their thinking in the broader context of the times in which their thinking emerged and the parallel currents of thought in law, science, and other areas that White and, now, Menand explore. The Metaphysical Club of the title was a group formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after the Civil War and included such luminaries as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., William James, and Charles Sanders Peirce among many others. Menand uses it skillfully in his narrative to introduce various of its members and the ideas that they espoused. Menand is an extraordinary writer, interweaving the ideas and personal and intellectual background of individual thinkers with a series of different topics from slavery to evolution to freedom of speech. Given the anti-science postmodernism that has come to dominate so many English departments, it is a treat to read a "Professor of English" who has a solid knowledge of the scientific issues involved in the emergence of the theory of evolution. One is never wanting for context for a particular theorist. For example, Dewey, though mentioned earlier, is introduced in a chapter titled "Burlington." We are treated to a brief biography of Dewey beginning with the infant death of an older brother, also named John Dewey, and proceeding to a thumbnail synopsis of his early career. When he returns to Burlington to study philosophy, we suddenly find the narrative back to Vermont in 1794 with the birth of the Transcendentalist James Marsh and then forward on through for the fifteen pages to the end of the chapter, where we again encounter Dewey as a student. The next chapter is titled "Baltimore" for Dewey's going on to Johns Hopkins to study, with the first twenty pages largely dealing with the founding of the university and its intellectual development. The transitions are not always seamless, but Menand's narrative is so fascinating that we delight in exploring these byways of thought. A lesser writer could have written the core narrative in less than half or even a third of the pages, but it would also have been much less of a book.

Field of study: Economics
231: Type I interferon controls gammaherpesvirus latency

Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) serves as a murine model for the human gammaherpesviruses Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein Barr virus (EBV). Like all herpesviruses, MHV-68 establishes latency with spontaneously recurring reactivation events. While it is known that type I interferon (IFN) is essential for survival of acute MHV-68 infection, its role during latency and reactivation is unclear. To define the contribution of the type I IFN system in control of MHV-68 acute infection and latency in vivo , we employed bioluminescent reporter mice ( mx2 -Luciferase and ifnb -Luciferase) to visualize IFN-b induction and type I IFN action. Splenocytes from latently infected wild type and inducible type I IFN receptor knockout (IFNAR flox/flox ) mice were adoptively transferred into wild type and IFNAR-deficient (IFNAR −/− ) mice. Survival, virus burden and reporter gene induction was determined as a measure for the extent of in vivo reactivation. Our data show that (i) acute MHV-68 infection evokes an IFN response in vivo . (ii) MHV-68 latency is controlled by type I IFN signaling. (iii) An IFN response is induced upon MHV-68 reactivation in vivo . (iv) IFN controls the frequency of reactivation by acting on latently infected cells directly, thus suppressing reactivation. Overall, our findings demonstrate a substantial impact of the type I IFN system on the control of MHV-68 latency and upon its reactivation.

Field of study: Medicine
Structure of Ba2In2-xVxO5+x phases : Complementarity of diffraction, Raman and absorption techniques

By combining X-ray and neutron diffraction with Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopies, the location of vanadium in the structure of the Ba 2 In 2 −  x V x O 5 +  x solid solution and its local environment was evidenced. Vanadium is spread over the two indium sites of the Brownmillerite structure but its surrounding is tetrahedral. This involves the introduction of oxygen vacancies in the “octahedral” layers of Ba 2 In 2 O 5 and the presence of indium with a six-fold coordination in the “tetrahedral” layers. The number of InO octahedra increases with the substitution rate which explains the stabilisation of cubic forms for substitution rate higher than 0.3.

Field of study: Materials science