nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Florida seagrass habitat evaluation: a comparative survey for chemical quality.

Contaminant concentrations were determined for media associated with 13 Florida seagrass beds. Concentrations of 10 trace metals were more commonly detected in surface water, sediment and two seagrass species than PAHs, pesticides and PCBs. Concentrations of copper and arsenic in surface water exceeded Florida aquatic life criteria more frequently than other trace elements. Total organic carbon, mercury, chromium, zinc, total chlordane, total PAHs, total PCBs, DDD and DDE were significantly greater in seagrass-rooted sediments than adjacent non-vegetated sediments. Total DDT, DDD, DDE, total chlordane, arsenic, copper and nickel exceeded proposed sediment quality guidelines at six of 13 grass beds. Pesticides, PAHs, and PCBs were below detection in seagrass tissues. Mercury, cadmium, nickel, lead and silver were detected in 50% or more of the tissues for Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) and Halodule wrightii (shoal grass). Spatial, interspecific and tissue differences were usually an order of magnitude or less.

Field of study: Environmental science
Fetal safety of calcium channel blockers.

Many of my pregnant or lactating patients are taking calcium channel blockers (CCBs) for hypertension. How safe is maternal use of CCBs for fetuses and nursing infants?



Generally, CCBs have not been shown to increase teratogenic risk. Information regarding the safety of CCBs during lactation is limited, although they are not likely to pose a risk to the nursing infant.

Field of study: Medicine
The Behavioral and Social Sciences: Contributions and Opportunities in Academic Medicine

The Association of American Medical Colleges plays a leading role in supporting the expansion and evolution of academic medicine and medical science in North America, which are undergoing high-velocity change. Behavioral and social science concepts have great practical value when applied to the leadership practices and administrative structures that guide and support the rapid evolution of academic medicine and medical sciences. The authors are two behavioral and social science professionals who serve as academic administrators in academic medical centers. They outline their career development and describe the many ways activities have been shaped by their work with the Association of American Medical Colleges. Behavioral and social science professionals are encouraged to become change agents in the ongoing transformation of academic medicine.

Field of study: Psychology
Measuring Core Inflation

In this paper we argue that measured (RPI) inflation is conceptually mismatched with core inflation: the difference is more than just "measurement error". We propose a technique for measuring core inflation, based on an explicit long-run economic hypothesis. Core inflation is defined as that component of measured inflation that has no (medium-to) long-run impact on real output - a notion that is consistent with the vertical long-run Phillips curve interpretation of the co-movement in inflation and output. We construct a measure of core inflation by placing dynamic restrictions on a vector autoregression (VAR) system.

Field of study: Economics
Multivariate Fay–Herriot Bayesian estimation of small area means under functional measurement error

Area level models, such as the Fay–Herriot model, aim to improve direct survey estimates for small areas by borrowing strength from related covariates and from direct estimates across all areas. In their multivariate form, where related population characteristics are jointly modelled, area level models allow for inference about functions of two or more characteristics and may exploit dependence between the response variables to improve small area predictions. When model covariates are observed with random error, such as those drawn from another survey, it is important to account for this error in the modelling. We present a Bayesian analysis of a multivariate Fay–Herriot model with functional measurement error, allowing for both joint modelling of related characteristics and accounting for random observation error in some of the covariates. We apply it to modelling 2010 and 2011 poverty rates of school-aged children for US counties, for predicting 2011 poverty rates and the 2010–2011 changes. For this application, the measurement error model results in great improvements in prediction when compared with the direct estimates, and ignoring the measurement error results in uncertainty estimates that are misleading. We propose a computational approach to implementing this model via an independence chain Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm and prove the propriety of the posterior distribution under a class of non-informative priors.

Field of study: Mathematics
Internet Scrapbook: Automating Web Browsing Tasks by Programming-by-Demonstration

This paper describes an intelligent Web browsing system, called Internet Scrapbook, which allows users with little programming skill to automate their repetitive browsing tasks using a programming-by-demonstration technique. With the system, the user can create a personal page by clipping only the necessary portions from multiple Web pages. Once the personal page is created, the system updates it on behalf of the user by extracting the specified parts from the latest Web pages.

Field of study: Computer science
Soil Erodibility Variation During the Year

SIX years of data from erosion plots at Holly Springs, MS, and 10 yr of data from plots at Morris, MN, were used to study variation in soil erodibility through the year. Monthly values of soil erodibility were related to time with a cosine curve. Erodibility varied from a high of 169% of annual average K (K of the Universal Soil Loss Equation) on February 4 to a low of 31% of annual average on August 5 for the Mississippi data. Minnesota erodibility data were described similarly except the maximum and minimum of the erodibility function lagged the Mississippi curve by about 2 months. It was suggested that erodibility could be predicted using a variability function based on normal air temperature data described by a cosine function and average annual K factor values.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Study on Phase Transformation of TC21 Alloy During Aging Treatment

Phase transformation during solution treatment,the decomposition mechanism and microstructure evolution of α" phase during aging treatment were systematically studied using XRD,SEM,TEM and microhardness analysis.The results show that TC21 alloy solution treated at 1000 ℃ for 30 min,water quenched,present an martensitic structure consisting of α" phase and little β phase,O phase (Ti2AlNb).With the increase of aging temperature,the mechanism of the decomposition of α" phase is α"→α+α"富→α+β亚稳→α+β,α"+α'+β亚稳→α+β,α"→α+β.The microhardness of TC21 alloy depends on the aging temperature and aging time.The microhardness increases rapidly,reachs the maximum and gradually decreases with increasing aging time,with increasing aging temperature,the time to reach the maximum microhardness and the final microhardness of TC21 alloy decreases.

Field of study: Materials science
Nerve sheath tumors involving the sacrum. Case report and classification scheme.

Nerve sheath tumors that involve the sacrum are rare. Delayed presentation is common because of their slow-growing nature, the permissive surrounding anatomical environment, and nonspecific symptoms. Consequently, these tumors are usually of considerable size at the time of diagnosis. The authors discuss a case of a sacral nerve sheath tumor. They also propose a classification scheme for these tumors based on their location with respect to the sacrum into three types (Types I-III). Type I tumors are confined to the sacrum; Type II originate within the sacrum but then locally metastasize through the anterior and posterior sacral walls into the presacral and subcutaneous spaces, respectively; and Type III are located primarily in the presacral/retroperitoneal area. The overwhelming majority of sacral nerve sheath tumors are schwannomas. Neurofibromas and malignant nerve sheath tumors are exceedingly rare. Regardless of their histological features, the goal of treatment is complete excision. Adjuvant radiotherapy may be used in patients in whom resection was subtotal. Approaches to the sacrum can generally be classified as anterior or posterior. Type I tumors may be resected via a posterior approach alone, Type III may require an anterior approach, and Type II tumors usually require combined anterior-posterior surgery.

Field of study: Medicine
Critical role of divalent cations and Na+ efflux in Arabidopsis thaliana salt tolerance

Detrimental effects of salinity on plants are known to be partially alleviated by external Ca2+. Previous work demonstrated that the Arabidopsis SOS3 locus encodes a Ca2+-binding protein with similarities to CnB, the regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin). In this study, we further characterized the role of SOS3 in salt tolerance. We found that reduced root elongation of sos3 mutants in the presence of high concentrations of either NaCl or LiCl is specifically rescued by Ca2+ and not Mg2+, whereas root growth is rescued by both Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the presence of high concentrations of KCl. Phenocopies of sos3 mutants were obtained in wild-type plants by the application of calmodulin and calcineurin inhibitors. These data provide further evidence that SOS3 is a calcineurin-like protein and that calmodulin plays an important role in the signalling pathways involved in plant salt tolerance. The origin of the elevated Na : K ratio in sos3 mutants was investigated by comparing Na+ efflux and influx in both mutant and wild type. No difference in Na+ influx was recorded between wild type and sos3; however, sos3 plants showed a markedly lower Na+ efflux, a property that would contribute to the salt-oversensitive phenotype of sos3 plants.

Field of study: Environmental science
Comparison Experienced and Les Experienced Academic Staffs’ Beliefs on Post Graduate Stuedents’ Educational Quality (PEQ): Case Study University of Guilan and Islamic Azad University, Rasht Unit, Iran

The present paper investigated the relationship among the level of experience of academic staffs, the beliefs they hold and the outcome of their successfulness in teaching quality. Two research questions have been rose which are concluded: whether teaching experiences affect the efficiency of teaching and whether the beliefs of academic staffs about teaching affect how well their students’ satisfaction. The investigation is based on a study of the approach to PEQ, by 15 experienced and 15 less experienced academic staffs in two different Universities. All the academic staffs were involved in the postgraduate programs in the University of Guilan and Islamic Azad University in the Rasht Unit. All 15 experienced had at least 10 years of experience in teaching and the less experienced staffs had less than 5 years of experience and most of them had no formal practice. The research procedure involved semi-structured interviews with the academic staffs and questionnaire with post graduate students. Academic staffs’ interviews included questions about how they planned their conceptions of PEQ the results showed that the experienced academic staffs employed an interactive and discovery approach to their teaching. Some of the questions asked in lessons were quite demanding cognitively. This should communicate two important messages to the post graduate students. The first was that they were responsible for their own teaching process and the second one was that teaching was about making sense out of interactions. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n7p24

Field of study: Education, Sociology
Two Electron Quantum Dot - A Variational Treatment For The Ground State

A variational treatment for a two-electron quantum dot (the artificial helium atom) is proposed which leads to exact answer for the ground state energy. Depending on the magnetic field value the singlet-triplet and triplet-triplet transitions of the ground state take place, which are captured in our solution.Using the same variational technique we find corrections to wave function and energy and the transition field srengths in a realistic dot where electron wave function has a finite extent in the direction perpendicular to the x-y plane in which usually 2-D dot electrons are confined. Using the variational wave function we show that photoemission cross-section as a function of magnetic field has sharp discontinuities, which can be used for experimental verification of the singlet-triplet transitions. Quantum dots  are little two-dimensional islands of electrons, which are laterally confined by an artificial potential. They can be thought of as artificial atoms with the field of nucleus replaced by an imposed external potential.The artificial hydogen atom is a single electron in a two dimensional circular geometry confined by a harmonic potential. The problem becomes interesting in the presence of magnetic field in the perpendicular direction and wave funcions for this case were worked out by Fock [2] shortly after the Schroendiger equation was established. The artificial ’helium atom’ problem was, however taken up more than forty years later. In an extensive numerical work Maksym and Chakraborty  and Wagner et al  found extremely interesting effect of the competition between magnetic field and Coulomb repulsion between electrons in two-electron quantum dots. In particular these authors found that the ground state can change character as the magnetic field changes, leading 1 Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed

Field of study: Physics
Modulation by nicotine on binding of cerebral muscarinic receptors with muscarinic agonist and antagonist.

To study the modulatory effects of nicotine on the binding of brain muscarinic receptors.



The binding of brain muscarinic receptors with the agonist [3H] oxotremorine-M or the antagonist l-[3H]QNB was determined in the presence/absence of nicotine.



Pre-incubation of the membrane fraction derived from rat cerebral cortex with nicotine 1.0 mumol.L-1 led to a decrease in the dissociation constant (Kd) for [3H] oxotremorine-M binding to muscarinic receptors, while the maximal binding value (Bmax) was unchanged. The Kd value for binding of the muscarinic antagonist l-[3H]QNB was concentration-dependently increased by preincubation with nicotine 0.1 nmol.L-1-10.0 mumol.L-1, with Bmax unchanged. The effect of nicotine on the Kd for l-[3H]QNB binding was prevented by mecamylamine 10 nmol.L-1, but was enhanced by dithiothreitol 10 mumol.L-1, which by itself was also capable of increasing the Kd value.



Nicotine increases the affinity of brain muscarinic receptors for muscarinic agonist, but decreases the affinity of brain muscarinic receptors for muscarinic antagonist.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry, Medicine
Structural enzymology of Helicobacter pylori methylthioadenosine nucleosidase in the futalosine pathway.

The recently discovered futalosine pathway is a promising target for the development of new antibiotics. The enzymes involved in this pathway are crucial for the biosynthesis of the essential prokaryotic respiratory compound menaquinone, and as the pathway is limited to few bacterial species such as the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori it is a potential target for specific antibiotics. In this report, the crystal structure of an H. pylori methylthioadenosine nucleosidase (MTAN; an enzyme with broad specificity and activity towards 6-amino-6-deoxyfutalosine), which is involved in the second step of menaquinone biosynthesis, has been elucidated at a resolution of 1.76 Å and refined with R factors of Rwork = 17% and Rfree = 21%. Activity studies on the wild type and active-site mutants show that the hydrolysis of 6-amino-6-deoxyfutalosine follows a mechanism similar to that of Escherichia coli MTAN. Further evidence for this mode of action is supplied by the crystal structures of active-site mutants. Through the use of reaction intermediates, the structures give additional evidence for the previously proposed nucleosidase mechanism. These structures and the confirmed reaction mechanism will provide a structural basis for the design of new inhibitors targeting the futalosine pathway.

Field of study: Chemistry
Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov-Like State in Ferromagnet-Superconductor Proximity System

We discuss some properties of the ferromagnet — superconductor proximity system. In particular, the emphasis is put on the physics of the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) like state. In addition to Andreev reflections it features a number of unusual thermodynamic and transport properties, like: oscillatory behavior of the pairing amplitude, density of states and superconducting transition temperature as a function of the ferromagnet thickness. Surprisingly, under certain conditions spontaneous spin polarized current is generated in the ground state of such a system. We provide some informations regarding experimental observations of this exotic state.

Field of study: Physics
Teaching the Holocaust as a Cautionary Tale

Teaching about the Holocaust as an atrocity of the 1940s misleads students into thinking that it is a genocide occurred, that the world agreed “Never Again,” and that the United Nations would prevent future genocides. With genocides in Rwanda, Srebrenica, and Syria occurring in the years since the Holocaust, teachers need to use the Holocaust as a vehicle for teaching about and preventing future genocides. Five main points need to be taught to students, all of which can be shown in the Holocaust and other genocides, specifically: (1) the meaning of genocide and problems surrounding its early identification; (2) the idea that governments are not always ethical or moral; (3) the effectiveness of propaganda; (4) dehumanization; and (5) using one's voice to stand up against injustice.

Field of study: Sociology
Effects of transient global ischemia and kainate on poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) gene expression and proteolytic cleavage in gerbil and rat brains.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is involved in various cellular functions, including DNA repair, the cell cycle and cell death. While PARP activation could play a critical role in repairing ischemic brain damage, PARP inactivation caused by caspase 3-cleavage may also be important for apoptotic execution. In this study we investigated the effects of transient global ischemia and kainic acid (KA) neurotoxicity, in gerbil and rat brains, respectively, on PARP gene expression and protein cleavage. PARP mRNA increased in the dentate gyrus of gerbil brains 4 h after 10 min of global ischemia, which returned to basal levels 8 h after ischemia. KA injection (10 mg/kg) also induced a marked elevation in PARP mRNA level selectively in the dentate gyrus of rat brains 1 h following the injection, which returned to basal levels 4 h after the injection. These observations provide the first evidence of altered PARP gene expression in brains subjected to ischemic and excitotoxic insults. Using both monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to PARP cleavage products, little evidence of significant PARP cleavage was found in gerbil brains within the first 3 days after 10 min of global ischemia. In addition, there was little evidence of significant PARP cleavage in rat brains within 2 days after kainate (KA) injection. Though these findings show that caspase induced PARP cleavage is not substantially activated by global ischemia and excitotoxicity in whole brain, the PARP mRNA induction could suggest a role for PARP in repairing DNA following brain injury.

Field of study: Biology
SU‐GG‐T‐426: Feasibility of an Independent Dose Calculation for VMAT with Monte Carlo

To investigate the feasibility of a Monte Carlo based independent dose calculation for VMAT in a Novalis Tx linear accelerator equipped with high definition MLC.Method and Materials: Percent depth dose curves were calculated and compared against measured ones in water to commissioning the linear accelerator built on BEAMNRC. From the DICOM containing the information of the VMAT plan all the parameters needed for the simulation were extracted using a MATLAB in‐house software, which with this data create the files for the Monte Carlo simulation and is exported to a LINUX environment where the simulation is done in MCSim egs4 Monte Carlo code. MCSim egs4 software was used to simulate the VMAT treatment plans, in which a cylindrical phantom (15 cm radius and 18 cm depth) is used to compute the dose. In‐house software using a MATLAB platform was utilized to convert the 3D dose file obtained from the Monte Carlo simulation to a file which can be read using commercially‐available software for dose visualization (RIT software), in which can be compared with the treatment plan exported form the TPS.  Several simulations in the MCSim egs4 platform were performed and good results have been observed. The accuracy of the calculation is still low but the main purpose of this preliminary work is just for demonstrating the feasibility of the VMAT calculation in Monte Carlosoftware. Based on the results, the Monte Carlo based NovalisTx linear accelerator and the MCSim simulations of treatment on a cylindrical phantom it was demonstrate the feasibility of VMAT independent dose calculation in Monte Carlo.

Field of study: Medicine, Physics
13C and 1H NMR Study of Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) Isolated from the Surface of Wheat Starch Granules

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) has been isolated from the surface of starch granules by extraction and subsequent chromatographic purification. The purified extract was examined by mono and bidimensional 1H and 13C NMR and identified as LPC. The NMR information also allowed the assignment of the length and nature of the acyl chains (18—20 carbon atoms, saturated). Se ha aislado lisofosfatidilcolina (LPC) de la superficie de gránulos de almidón mediante extracción y posterior purificación cromatográfica. El extracto purificado se analizó por espectroscopía de RMN de 1H y 13C mono y bidimensional, lo que permitió identificarlo como LPC. Las cadenas acilo se identificaron como cadenas pertenecientes a ácidos saturados de 18—20 átomos de carbono.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Airborne lidar measurements of aerosol and ozone above the Canadian oil sands region

Aircraft-based lidar measurements of atmospheric aerosol and ozone were
conducted to study air pollution from the oil sands extraction industry in
northern Alberta. Significant amounts of aerosol were observed in the
polluted air within the surface boundary layer, up to heights of 1 to 1.6 km above ground. The ozone mixing ratio measured in the polluted boundary
layer air directly above the oil sands industry was equal to or less than the
background ozone mixing ratio. On one of the flights, the lidar measurements
detected a layer of forest fire smoke above the surface boundary layer in
which the ozone mixing ratio was substantially greater than the background.
Measurements of the linear depolarization ratio in the aerosol backscatter
were obtained with a ground-based lidar and this aided in the discrimination
between the separate emission sources from industry and forest fires. The
retrieval of ozone abundance from the lidar measurements required the
development of a method to account for the interference from the substantial
aerosol content within the polluted boundary layer.

Field of study: Environmental science
New dyes for passive switches in ruby lasers

Dyes suitable for passive switching in the generation of ultrashort pulses in ruby lasers were synthesized and investigated. Two groups of polymethine dyes were studied: 1) Cation cyanines; 2) electron–neutral merocyanines. The absorption spectra and cross sections of these dyes were determined. The shifts resulting from the replacement of the solvent (solvatochromism) were found. Suitable dye — solvent combinations were tested as passive switches under Q-switching and mode-locking conditions. The characteristics of the output radiation obtained using these switches were determined.

Field of study: Engineering, Physics