nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Personal Meaning, Social Support, and Perceived Stigma in Individuals Receiving HIV Mental Health Services

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) stigma represents a significant source of stress among individuals living with HIV disease, prompting interest in research to identify factors that may help to ameliorate the stress burden associated with HIV stigma. Consistent with this research line, the current study was conducted as a cross-sectional investigation examining associations between positive global personal meaning, social support, and perceived HIV stigma. Global personal meaning refers to beliefs and aspirations through which one ascribes value and purpose in living. The study sample was comprised of individuals living with HIV disease who presented for an initial visit in a specialty HIV mental health services program. In bivariate analyses, social support was negatively correlated with multidimensional aspects of HIV stigma that included distancing, blaming, and discrimination stigma, whereas personal meaning was negatively associated only with blaming stigma. In further analyses using structural equation modeling, social support significantly mediated the association between personal meaning and both distancing and blaming stigma. Interactions between positive personal meaning and social support may be useful to consider in future research on psychological resource factors and HIV stigma. Understanding these interactions may also inform clinical efforts to address HIV stigma concerns.

Field of study: Psychology
A Nonconvex Framework for Structured Dynamic Covariance Recovery

We propose a flexible yet interpretable model for high-dimensional data with time-varying second order statistics, motivated and applied to functional neuroimaging data. Motivated by the neuroscience literature, we factorize the covariances into sparse spatial and smooth temporal components. While this factorization results in both parsimony and domain interpretability, the resulting estimation problem is nonconvex. To this end, we design a two-stage optimization scheme with a carefully tailored spectral initialization, combined with iteratively refined alternating projected gradient descent. We prove a linear convergence rate up to a nontrivial statistical error for the proposed descent scheme and establish sample complexity guarantees for the estimator. We further quantify the statistical error for the multivariate Gaussian case. Empirical results using simulated and real brain imaging data illustrate that our approach outperforms existing baselines.

Field of study: Computer science
Learning (not) to predict: Grammatical gender processing in second language acquisition

In two experiments, this article investigates the predictive processing of gender agreement in adult second language (L2) acquisition. We test (1) whether instruction on lexical gender can lead to target predictive agreement processing and (2) how variability in lexical gender representations moderates L2 gender agreement processing. In a pretest–posttest design, Experiment 1 trained 34 intermediate first language (L1) English learners of German on gender assignment. After training, the L2 group showed predictive gender processing; yet, performance correlated with accuracy in gender assignment. Experiment 1 suggests that target knowledge of lexical gender in the L2 lexicon is a prerequisite for predictive use of gender agreement in L2 syntax: Non-target gender assignment would lead to partially erroneous gender prediction such that use of gender agreement is costly for the parser and therefore abandoned. To test this account, Experiment 2 investigated predictive processing in 42 German native speakers who have target-like gender assignment and agreement. In a between-group design, one group received target input and the other received filler items with non-target gender assignment. The latter group subsequently stopped using gender agreement predictively in all experimental trials. Hence, L2 problems with gender agreement can be emulated in native processing. Taken together, the experiments suggest that variability of lexical gender assignment affects processing of gender agreement in natives and non-natives. We interpret the findings in the context of current probabilistic theories of implicit learning and processing adaptation.

Field of study: Linguistics
Design of Dual-Junction Three-Terminal CdTe/InGaAs 
Solar Cells

In this paper we report the modeling-based design of a CdTe (1.5 eV) on InGaAs (0.74 eV) dual-junction three-terminal solar cell. The device was optimized for thickness of active layers and for doping levels. Efficiency of 26.6% was predicted for the tandem photovoltaic (PV) device under standard testing conditions (STC). We investigated tandem PV device performance at different temperatures and found the device had a total efficiency temperature coefficient of approximately −0.15%/°C. We also investigated device suitability for concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) applications in addition to its conventional PV applications. The device proved a good candidate for CPV applications under 1000 suns.

Field of study: Materials science
High-performance green semiconductor devices: materials, designs, and fabrication

From large industrial computers to non-portable home appliances and finally to light-weight portable gadgets, the rapid evolution of electronics has facilitated our daily pursuits and increased our life comforts. However, these rapid advances have led to a significant decrease in the lifetime of consumer electronics. The serious environmental threat that comes from electronic waste not only involves materials like plastics and heavy metals, but also includes toxic materials like mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and lead, which can leak into the ground and contaminate the water we drink, the food we eat, and the animals that live around us. Furthermore, most electronics are comprised of non-renewable, non-biodegradable, and potentially toxic materials. Difficulties in recycling the increasing amount of electronic waste could eventually lead to permanent environmental pollution. As such, discarded electronics that can naturally degrade over time would reduce recycling challenges and minimize their threat to the environment. This review provides a snapshot of the current developments and challenges of green electronics at the semiconductor device level. It looks at the developments that have been made in an effort to help reduce the accumulation of electronic waste by utilizing unconventional, biodegradable materials as components. While many semiconductors are classified as non-biodegradable, a few biodegradable semiconducting materials exist and are used as electrical components. This review begins with a discussion of biodegradable materials for electronics, followed by designs and processes for the manufacturing of green electronics using different techniques and designs. In the later sections of the review, various examples of biodegradable electrical components, such as sensors, circuits, and batteries, that together can form a functional electronic device, are discussed and new applications using green electronics are reviewed.

Field of study: Materials science
Effects of oil on the amphipod Gammarus oceanicus

The effects of a number of oils (one crude and two refined products) were tested under various conditions on larvae and adults of the amphipod Gammarus oceanicus. Acute toxicity tests were performed, as well as long-term bioassays. Larvae were found to be several hundred times more sensitive to the oils than the adults during acute exposure. A number of sublethal effects appeared during long-term bioassays. The adults showed impaired swimming performance, decreased tendency to precopulate, impaired light reaction and decreased production of larvae. Decreased growth was found among larvae during chronic exposure to crude oil. Delayed mortality occurred among adults after a short-term exposure to crude oil with a long recovery period.

Field of study: Environmental science
Factors of Students Network Formation: Case of Russian University

This paper investigates the process of students’ network formation in National Research University–Higher School of Economics. Using pairwise regression, estimated on a network of second-year students from two faculties, we find that geographical closeness along with the homophily effects of gender, grade point average, smoking, and leisure preferences have a strong impact on the probability of being friends.  10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n7p647

Field of study: Education, Sociology
Optically based technique for producing merged spectra of water-leaving radiances from ocean color remote sensing.

An optically based technique is presented that produces merged spectra of normalized water-leaving radiances L(WN) by combining spectral data provided by independent satellite ocean color missions. The assessment of the merging technique is based on a four-year field data series collected by an autonomous above-water radiometer located on the Acqua Alta Oceanographic Tower in the Adriatic Sea. The uncertainties associated with the merged L(WN) obtained from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer are consistent with the validation statistics of the individual sensor products. The merging including the third mission Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer is also addressed for a reduced ensemble of matchups.

Field of study: Physics
Simultaneous absorbing SO_2 and NO using solution of triethylenediamine cobalt(III) coupled with urea

Absorption and catalytic oxidation of nitric oxide could be achieved by using Co(en)~~(3+)_3.When simultaneous absorbing SO_2 and NO,the precipitation of Co_2(SO_3)_3 would be yielded and the NO removal would be decreased.When urea existed in the absorbing solution,the oxidation rate of SO~(2-)__3 would be increased and high NO removal would be achieved for a long time.A larger concentration of Co(en)~~(3+)__3 could increase NO removal rate.The existence of urea could keep a high NO removal rate when simultaneous absorbing SO_2 and NO.A higher NO removal rate and a higher oxidation rate of SO~~(2-)__3 could be achieved in the range of 60—70℃.The NO removal rate and SO~(2-)__3 oxidation rate are controlled by the surface area and coefficient of gas-liquid mass transfer.

Field of study: Chemistry, Environmental science
A Hecke action on $G_1T$-modules

We give an action of the Hecke category on the principal block $\mathrm{Rep}_0(G_1T)$ of $G_1T$-modules where $G$ is a connected reductive group over an algebraically closed field of characteristic $p > 0$, $T$ a maximal torus of $G$ and $G_1$ the Frobenius kernel of $G$. To define it, we define a new category with a Hecke action which is equivalent to the combinatorial category defined by Andersen-Jantzen-Soergel.

Field of study: Mathematics
Reversal of scopolamine-induced spatial memory deficits in rats by TAK-147.

To evaluate effect of TAK-147 on spatial memory deficit induced by scopolamine.



Morris water maze was used to measure spatial memory in rats and open field test was used to analyse locomotor activity.



In the acquisition memory process, scopolamine (0.4 mg/kg, ip) markedly increased the escape latency to the platform. Ip injection of both TAK-147 and donepezil ameliorated scopolamine-induced deficit, dose-related and significant effect was obtained at doses of 0.1-1.0 mg/kg. In the memory retrieval process, increased latency induced by scopolamine (1.5 mg/kg, ip) was also significantly reversed by treatment with TAK-147 (0.1, 0.3, and 1.0 mg/kg), donepezil (0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg), and tacrine (3 and 5 mg/kg), respectively. TAK-147 has a little potent efficacy to donepezil, and was more potent than tacrine. In the locomotor test, both TAK-147 and donepizil created no appreciable change of locomotor activities, compared with scopolamine or saline.



TAK-147 plays an important role in spatial cognition, and this result provides additional evidence that TAK-147 is an ideal AChE inhibitor and is useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry, Medicine
Reduction of tissue transglutaminase autoantibody levels by gluten‐free diet is associated with changes in subsets of peripheral blood lymphocytes in children with newly diagnosed coeliac disease

Tissue transglutaminase (tTG) autoantibodies decline after gluten‐free diet in patients with coeliac disease. We tested the hypothesis that gluten‐free diet‐induced change in tTG autoantibody levels affects subsets of peripheral blood lymphocytes. Peripheral blood was obtained from 20 children with biopsy‐proven active coeliac disease. Gluten‐free diet was initiated and the children examined again after three and six months. tTG autoantibodies were measured in radioligand binding assays and lymphocyte subsets by flow cytometry. IgA‐tTG levels at diagnosis, 2204 U/ml (median, range 113–24990), were reduced over six months to 76 U/ml (median, range 1–1261) (P < 0·001). At six months, 12/20 (60%) children had reduced their IgA‐tTG levels to < 100 U/ml and these children showed a decrease in B cells (mean change −3·8%, P = 0·014), CD4+ T cells (mean −4·32%, P = 0·011) and CD4+ T cells expressing CD25high (mean change −0·62%, P = 0·036). In contrast, the CD4+CD25highCCR4+ T cell population increased during the same period (mean change 11·5%, P = 0·0036). The decline in IgA‐tTG levels correlated to the decrease in B cells (r = 0·56, P = 0·01), CD4+ T cells (r = 0·66, P = 0·004) as well as CD4+CD25high T cells (r = 0·59, P = 0·01). A negative correlation was found between the decline in IgA‐tTG and CD4+CD25high T cells expressing CD45RO (r = –0·49, P = 0·03) and CCR4 (r = –0·54, P = 0·01). This is the first observational study on the effect of gluten‐free diet on concurrent changes of tTG autoantibodies and specific peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets. Our data suggest that flow cytometry may be a useful complement to tTG autoantibodies when studying the effects of gluten‐free diet in children with coeliac disease.

Field of study: Biology, Medicine
Temperature-induced molecule assembly effects on the near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure spectra of Zn-phthalocyanine layers on Si substrates.

The molecular arrangement of vacuum thermally deposited polycrystalline Zn-phthalocyanine (ZnPc) layers on Si substrates is investigated using near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy in the proximity of the carbon edge at E0 = 287.33 eV. The data were collected as a function of the deposition substrate temperature TS (30, 90, 150°C) and the incidence angle θ (20°, 45°, 70°, 90°) of the synchrotron beam with respect to the sample plane. Each spectrum was analysed by mathematical simulation applying an error function for the carbon edge and a set of Voigt and (asymmetric) Gaussian functions for C1s → π* and C1s → σ* transitions of ZnPc, respectively. It turned out that part of the organic layer consists of adventitious carbon, which does not contribute to the molecular transitions of ZnPc, whereas all molecular features exhibit polarization-dependent peak areas pointing to a reasonable fraction of well-assembled molecules at any TS. The highest adventitious carbon fraction was found at TS = 30°C, whereas the highest polarization dependence was found at TS = 90°C. The calculated average molecular tilt angles for the three temperatures (30, 90, 150°C) were γ = 60.6°, 68.7° and 66.7°, respectively. If only the polarization-dependent fractions are considered, then the three samples can be mathematically described using a shared molecular tilt angle of γ = 68.7°, which corresponds to the average tilt angle of the TS = 90°C sample.

Field of study: Physics
Ordinary least squares estimation of simultaneous equation systems with trended data: further results

The paper gives sufficient conditions for the consistency and asymptotic normality of OLS in linear simultaneous equation systems with trend in some exogenous variables, extending the results of Kramer (1981, 1984) to more general types of trend. When con- sistent, OLS is also shown to have the same limiting distribution as any k-class estimator with a stochastically bounded k, and to produce a consistent estimate of the error variance in the equation.

Field of study: Mathematics
A cAMP-dependent Ca2+ signalling pathway at the endplate provided by the γ to ε subunit switch in ACh receptors

During development of neuromuscular junctions there is a switch in the expression of acetylcholine receptors (AChR) from an embryonic form (γ-AChR) to an adult form (e-AChR). Studies with γ- and e-AChRs expressed in Xenopus oocytes showed that the γ to e subunit switch accelerates rates of desensitization and increases Ca 2+ permeability. Site-directed mutagenesis of the γ and e subunits suggests that these changes are regulated by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation on the e subunit. These results suggest that the γ to e subunit switch could provide for a cAMP- dependent Ca 2+ signalling pathway at the endplate.

Field of study: Biology
An Example of the Use of Dilatancy Diagrams to Obtain Net Slip

An approximate net slip for the No. 3 Vein fault at Opemiska Copper Mines (Que.) Ltd. property, in northwestern Quebec, has been obtained by comparing ore widths with the potential dilation from several possible fault movements. A reference plane of 096 °strike, 71 °north dip, has been chosen as a compromise between the two common attitudes of the vein. The ore stays close to the footwall of the fault, so that footwall topography has been used to calculate dilation. The zero dilation contours for 10 rectilinear movements and one rotation have been constructed, and their correspondence with the boundary between ore and waste used to choose a net slip of 41 m (135 ft) downward for the footwall, along a line pitching 50° in the reference plane, as the best solution. A close match between ore widths and more detailed dilation contours confirms this choice.

Field of study: Environmental science
Methodology of food safety exposure assessment simulation model

Exposure assessment is the important part in risk assessment and it is also complicated. Many scientists come from all over the world devote themselves into these fields to cope with the large amounts of food exposure data. The methodology of exposure assessment using computer simulation is proposed and discussed systematically in this paper. The contents includes, the exposure assessment model combine food consumption and chemical substances concentration data, the dietary exposure decision model and probabilistic model, and the acute and chronic dietary exposure model. The methodology is more effective in estimating the dietary exposure and makes risk assessment more compatible with the uncertainty of real world.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
Business Intelligence Capability, Complementary Resources and Performance among Public Listed Firms in Kenya

Whereas Business Intelligence initiative has been a primary focus many organisations globally for several years and accounting for billions of dollars in capital expenditure, empirical research remains sparse on the actual impact derived from this investment. Even when the benefits are established, its indirect and delayed impact on business results make it difficult to assess its value. Available literature on how insights triggered by Business Intelligence are transformed into profitable business learning is vague and fragmented. Hence, the main objective of this study was to establish the influence of complementary resources on the relationship between Business Intelligence capability and firm performance. The study used interdisciplinary theories to achieve the research objective, namely, Information systems capability theory and organisational learning. The study was performed using a mixed methods research methodology and cross-sectional approach. Data was collected from 64 public listed companies in Kenya. Findings indicated that complementary resources have a positive and significant impact on the relationship between Business Intelligence capability and performance. The study contributed to theory by building a framework for business intelligence assessment, including factors that significantly lead to improved performance. The results also provide new insights into the existing literature and suggest directions for future research with implications for academia, policymakers and management.

Field of study: Business
Antioxidant effect of ethanolic extract of Piper betle Linn. (Paan) on erythrocytes from patients with HbE-beta thalassemia

HbE-beta thalassemia is caused by an interaction between HbE and defective β gtobin gene of thalassemia. Repeated blood transfusions cause an iron overload, triggering an enhanced generation of free radicals. In the present study, the anti-oxidant property of ethanolic extract of the leaves of Piper betle Linn. (PB) was evaluated in the erythrocytes from patients with HbE-beta thalassemia. In patients with HbE-beta thalassemia (n = 30) and age- and sex-matched healthy individuals (n = 30), the baseline level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radical scavenging activity in the erythrocytes was measured by flow cytometry using dihydrodichlorofluorescein diacetate (H 2 DCFDA), in terms of the geometric mean fluorescence channel (GMFC). The baseline generation of ROS was significantly higher in the erythrocytes from patients with HbE-beta thalassemia, as compared to healthy volunteers, the GMFC being 67.20 ± 4.64 vs. 23.03 ± 1.88 (p<0.001), which was effectively decreased by PB. Similarly, H 2 O 2 (0.5-1.0 mM) induced a higher increase in the GMFC in the erythrocytes from patients with HbE-beta thalassemia, as compared to controls which was effectively reduced by PB. Taken together, PB showed promising anti-oxidant activity against the erythrocytes from patients with HbE-beta thalassemia.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Changes of crop failure risks in the United States associated with large-scale climate oscillations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Regions that produce a large supply of agriculture commodities can be susceptible to crop failure, thus causing concern for global food security. The contiguous United States, as one of the major agricultural producers in the world, is influenced by several large-scale climate oscillations that contribute to climate variability: Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Pacific-North American (PNA). Since local weather conditions are associated with these climate oscillations through teleconnections, they are potentially causing changes of crop failure risks. The objective of this study is to assess climate-induced changes of annual crop failure risks for maize and winter wheat from 1960 to 2016, by analyzing the associations of large-scale climate oscillations with the frequency of crop failure in the rainfed regions of the United States using a Bayesian approach. The analysis revealed that crop failure frequencies showed contrast spatial patterns and different extent under different climate oscillation phases. Among individual oscillations, the positive PNA and negative AMO resulted in the most substantial increase in maize and winter wheat crop failures over a high percentage of climate divisions, respectively. Among oscillation combinations, the positive AMO and negative PDO and the positive AMO and positive PDO resulted in the highest percentage of climate divisions experiencing significant increase of maize and winter wheat crop failures, respectively. Random forest models with climate oscillations accurately predicted probabilities of crop failure, with the inclusion of local surface climate variables decreased or increased the predictive accuracy, depending on regions. These results revealed the plausible drivers of long-term changes of U.S. crop failure risks and underscore the importance for improving climate oscillation forecasting for early warning of food insecurity.

Field of study: Environmental science