nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Obesity and IL-6 interact in modulating the response to endotoxemia in mice.

Obesity is associated with elevated levels of IL-6. High IL-6 is prognostic of mortality in sepsis, while controversial data link obesity to sepsis outcome. We used Lean and diet-induced obese (DIO) WT and IL-6 KO mice to investigate the interaction between obesity and IL-6 in endotoxemia. Circulating levels of IL-6 were significantly higher in WT DIO versus WT Lean mice receiving LPS (2.5 μg/mouse, ip). Obesity lead to greater weight loss in response to LPS, with IL-6 deficiency being partially protective. Plasma TNFα, IFNγ, Galectin-3 and leptin were significantly elevated in response to LPS and were each differentially affected by obesity and/or IL-6 deficiency. Plasma Galectin-1 and adiponectin were significantly suppressed by LPS, with obesity and IL-6 deficiency modulating the response. However, LPS comparably increased IL-10 levels in each group. Leukopenia with relative neutrophilia and thrombocytopenia developed in each group after injection of LPS, with obesity and genotype affecting the kinetics, but not the magnitude, of the response. Hepatic induction of the acute-phase protein SAA by LPS was not affected by obesity or IL-6 deficiency, although baseline levels were highest in WT DIO mice. Injection of LPS significantly increased hepatic mRNA expression of PAI-1 in Lean WT and Lean KO mice, while it suppressed the high baseline levels observed in the liver of DIO WT and DIO KO mice. Thus, both IL-6 and obesity modulate the response to endotoxemia, suggesting a complex interaction that needs to be considered when evaluating the effect of obesity on the outcome of septic patients.

Field of study: Medicine
Anti-flavin antibodies.

Antibodies were elicited to FAD by using the hapten N-6-(6-aminohexyl)-FAD conjugated to the immunogenic carrier protein bovine serum albumin. Cross-reactivity was determined by Ouchterlony double-diffusion analysis with N-6-(6-aminohexyl)-FAD coupled to rabbit serum albumin. Anti-FAD IgG was partially purified by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation followed by DEAE-cellulose/CM-cellulose and bovine serum albumin-agarose chromatography. The partially purified anti-FAD IgG fraction failed to inhibit the catalytic activities of the flavin-containing enzymes nitrate reductase, xanthine oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase, whereas enzyme activity could be inhibited by addition of antibodies elicited against the native proteins. However, the partially purified anti-FAD IgG fraction could be used as a highly sensitive and specific probe to detect proteins containing only covalently bound flavin, such as succinate dehydrogenase, p-cresol methylhydroxylase and monoamine oxidase, by immuno-blotting techniques. Detection limits were estimated to be of the order of femtomolar concentrations of FAD with increased sensitivity for the 8 alpha-N(3)-histidyl linkage compared with 8 alpha-O-tyrosyl substitution.

Field of study: Biology, Computer science
Altitudinal patterns of wind transport and deposition of Yungas tree pollen in northwestern Argentina: Implications for interpreting the Quaternary fossil record

The presence of pollen from Yungas tree species in fossil sequences located above the tree-line has led to alternative interpretations of past climate changes in tropical and subtropical Andes. We studied atmospheric and surface pollen deposition rates of Yungas trees along an altitudinal gradient (1700–3800 m a.s.l.) to understand the role of local wind patterns in modern pollen transport to mountain regions. Pollen from the Montane forest (Alnus and Juglans) and the Montane rainforest (Anadenanthera, Celtis and Myrtaceae) becomes airborne and is transported upslope well above the tree-line. The resulting patterns of pollen deposition show a secondary maximum in the Montane grassland, consistent with the development of a mountain-valley breeze system during the flowering period of the pollen producer species. Given that the pattern is also preserved in the surface sediment, we propose that these tree pollen types are good indicators of mesoscale atmospheric circulation and could provide a proxy for this circulation system in Quaternary records. This alternative approach to interpreting fossil pollen records of Yungas species in highlands of the Central Andes has implications for regional reconstructions of past climate.

Field of study: Environmental science, Geography
Rb-Sr glauconite isochron of the Eocene Castle Hayne Limestone, North Carolina: Further discussion

An examination of the calcareous nannoplankton and planktonic foraminifera of the lectostratotype Castle Hayne Formation, New Hanover County, North Carolina, has shown that it is of late middle Eocene (latest Lutetian or earliest Bartonian) age (upper zone NP16 to lower NP17 and P12–13, respectively), rather than latest Eocene (Zone NP19–20) as has been reported recently. Dinoflagellate biostratigraphy supports this age assignment.

A Rb-Sr glauconite isochron date of 34.8 ± 1 Ma reported from the lectostratotype in support of an age estimate of about 33 Ma for the Eocene-Oligocene boundary is shown to be irrelevant to the boundary age problem, anomalously young, and, indeed, about 8 to 10 rn.y. younger than the age estimated on the basis of magnetobiochronology.

Field of study: Geology
EXPERIMENTAL DESCRIPTION OF SIZE EFFECT FOR BRITTLE MATERIALS USING SPECIMENS WITH FIXED CRACK LENGTH

Due to the existence of various micro-defects in brittle or quasi-brittle materials, the mechanical behavior, such as the nominal failure stress, stiffness and fracture toughness etc., varies with the dimension of specimens. This is defined as the size effect of such materials. In general, the Bazant size effect law is established experimentally using a series of similar specimens. In this paper, a new experimental procedure by which the fracture toughness and effective fracture process zone length are measured using the specimens with fixed crack length is proposed, and the associated formulas are also presented. Under the condition that identical brittleness numbers must be ensured for both the proposed and commonly-used similar specimen method, relatively small specimens can be used under laboratory conditions. It is shown that and good agreement is reached in comparison with the results of the commonly-used similar specimen method.

Field of study: Engineering
Evaluation of adverse drug reactions in dermatology department of a charitable hospital in India

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can be confined to either skin or be a part of systemic reaction such as drug hypersensitivity syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis.  The objective is to evaluate the incidence, causality, severity, preventability, and risk factors of ADRs in the dermatology department of a charitable hospital in India.  A prospective observational study was carried out over a period of 8 months in the dermatology department. The WHO and Naranjo's scales evaluated the suspected ADRs for causality assessment, severity by Hartwig and Siegel Scale, and preventability by modified Schumock and Thornton Scale.  A total number of 200 eligible patients were enrolled in the study. Out of 200, 18 patients developed ADRs. The incidence of dermatological ADRs in the study was 9%. The most commonly manifested ADRs were Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) (22.2%) followed by skin rashes (16.7%) and others. The maximum number of ADRs were observed with antibiotics (33.5%), followed by antiepileptic drugs (16.7%) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (16.7%). According to the WHO and Naranjo's scales, most of the reactions were probable with 61.1% and 55.6%, respectively. Most of the ADRs were moderately severe (66.6%) and were not preventable (55.6%).  SJS and rashes were the most commonly observed clinical pattern of ADRs. The most common drug class responsible for ADRs was antibiotics, followed by antiepileptic drug and NSAID's. Dermatological ADRs varied in their causality, severity, and preventability.

Field of study: Medicine
Monte Carlo and discrete-ordinate simulations of spectral radiances in a coupled air-tissue system.

We perform a detailed comparison study of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and discrete-ordinate radiative-transfer (DISORT) calculations of spectral radiances in a 1D coupled air-tissue (CAT) system consisting of horizontal plane-parallel layers. The MC and DISORT models have the same physical basis, including coupling between the air and the tissue, and we use the same air and tissue input parameters for both codes. We find excellent agreement between radiances obtained with the two codes, both above and in the tissue. Our tests cover typical optical properties of skin tissue at the 280, 540, and 650 nm wavelengths. The normalized volume scattering function for internal structures in the skin is represented by the one-parameter Henyey-Greenstein function for large particles and the Rayleigh scattering function for small particles. The CAT-DISORT code is found to be approximately 1000 times faster than the CAT-MC code. We also show that the spectral radiance field is strongly dependent on the inherent optical properties of the skin tissue.

Field of study: Physics
Enzymatic hydroxylation of arene and symmetry considerations in efficient synthetic design of oxygenated natural products

Microbial oxidation of substituted aromatic compounds with mutant strains of Pseudomonas puridu (39D) yields the corresponding arene cis-diols in efficient quantities and >99% ee. The use of these synthons in the practical preparation of oxygenated naturalproducts is described with emphasis on the importance of symmetry considerations during synthetic planning in order to achieve enantiodivergent preparations of target compounds. The applications are highlighted by discussion of the syntheses of the following compounds from chlorobenzene : (+)- and (-)- erythrose, (+)- and (-)- ribonolactone, (+) - and (-)-trihydroxyheliotridane, (+)- and (-)-pinitol, kifunensine, lycoricidine and a model study for a short synthesis of (-)-morphine. The conclusion of the lecture places in perspective the use of halogenated aromatics in the chiral pool supply with the potential of efficiently replacing sugars. Brevity and efficiency of the synthetic sequences are emphasized.

Field of study: Chemistry
Genetic diversity and morphological differentiation in Liatris helleri (Asteraceae), a threatened plant species

Liatris helleri (Asteraceae) is an insect-pollinated herbaceous perennial endemic to several high-elevation sites in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Allozymes were used to describe the genetic diversity and population structure in nine populations of this rare, federally listed species. Differences in leaf morphology were also examined for greenhouse-grown plants representing several populations. The proportion of the total genetic diversity found among populations, as indicated by the allozyme data, was 16%. Higher levels of population differentiation were found for differences in leaf shape; population of origin accounted for 37% of the variation in maximum leaf width, while families within populations accounted for 7%. In contrast to many endemic species, L. helleri maintains fairly high levels of genetic diversity. For the species, the percent polymorphic loci was 87.5, the average number of alleles at variable loci was 3.00 and the gene diversity was 0.276. Mean population values were percent polymorphic loci =58.4, mean number of alleles per polymorphic locus =2.59 and gene diversity =0.219. The estimated gene flow was low (Nm=0.85–1.32) and a relatively high correlation (r=0.55; p<0.005) was found between linear geographic and genetic distance. This suggests that the populations are partially isolated by distance, despite the limited range (<60 km) of the species. We recommend that population distinetiveness be maintained in restoration efforts.

Field of study: Environmental science
QUALITY CONTROL OF STANDARDIZED REFERENCE SPRAY NOZZLES

One hundred and thirty-one spray nozzles were evaluated for use as reference nozzles for nozzle classification. 
Droplet spectra measurements showed that D v0.1, D v0.5 , and D v0.9 spectra indices did not overlap between classification 
categories except for one case when the addition of the standard deviation of the measurement was taken into account. 
Mean coefficients of variation (CV) for D v0.1 , D v0.5, and D v0.9 across all nozzles and all category thresholds were 3.8, 2.3, 
and 3.3%, respectively. Mean spreads (difference between maximum and minimum, divided by mean) within D v0.1 , D v0.5 , 
and D v0.9 across all nozzles and all category thresholds were 13.0, 8.6, and 12.8%, respectively. A subset of 25 of the 
nozzles were identified to serve as dedicated reference nozzles to support an ASAE Standard (X-572) to reduce variation 
in nozzle classification. Mean CV values of this subset across all category thresholds were 1.9, 0.9, and 2.0% for D v0.1 , 
D v0.5 , and D v0.9 , respectively. Similarly, mean spread values were 4.5, 2.1, and 5.0% for D v0.1 , D v0.5 , and D v0.9 , 
respectively. These levels were below those for nozzles reported in the literature used for a test of laser instruments. An 
inference of the results is that differences found between “identical” presorted nozzles raise the issue of uniformity in the 
manufacturing of nozzles. Nozzle samples being classified should be representative of production samples. Nozzle design, 
manufacturing, and tooling changes, with subsequent effects on droplet spectra, should be monitored to ensure accurate 
nozzle classification.

Field of study: Agricultural and Food sciences
The Undermining of the Sandinista Revolution (review)

Gary Prevost and Harry Vanden have done a service to the study of politics in Latin America with this volume on the 1990 Nicaraguan election and the first years thereafter. After the 1990 Sandinista electoral defeat, considerably less scholarly attention has been devoted to Nicaragua; this book begins to provide important information on a nation that is still politically vibrant and fascinating. In addition to lead essays by Prevost and Vanden respectively on the status of Sandinismo and the election itself, the volume includes three other essays on political economy under Violeta Chamorro, on women's status before and during the Chamorro years, and an update on the status of the popular organizations during Chamorro's presidency.

Field of study: History
CUE Prominence as a Determinant of VMH Obesity

Food prominence was manipulated in an attempt to test Schachter's notion that VMH obesity is caused by lesion-induced hyperresponsivity to environmental stimuli. The results indicate, contrary to Schachter's proposal, that ad lib. overeating of dynamic phase VMH-lesioned rats is not affected by the amount of food present. The findings are discussed in the context of Schachter's and Thomas and Mayer's explanations for human and VMH obesity.

Field of study: Psychology
Using active networks technology for dynamic QoS

We propose a dynamic QoS, or D-QoS, model where QoS settings can be automatically reconfigured based upon requests from authorized users. Different levels of privilege can be assigned to users enabling higher privileged users to interrupt the network flows belonging to those of lower privileged levels. To request for a special QoS treatment, a user can issue an active packet to interrupt any active node along its flow path which is D-QoS enabled. The request for a specific interruption level is approved by a D-QoS enabled node which allows for multi-level interruptions to be handled. After an interrupting flow has completed transmitting all its packets, D-QoS enabled node can resume its services for those pending flows which are of lower privilege levels. In this paper, we describe the overall concept of D-QoS and demonstrate how it can be implemented by a small prototype. Using simulation, we show that the proposed system can provide assurance for privileged flows with an improved network utilization where bandwidth is shared among the flows according to the levels of privilege. D-QoS should be deployed on those bottleneck hops with limited bandwidth on the edge network to ensure the best service is given to privileged users.

Field of study: Computer science
Prediction of DNBR Using Fuzzy Support Vector Regression and Uncertainty Analysis

It is very important for operators to be informed of the departure from nucleate boiling ratio (DNBR) to prevent the fuel cladding from melting and causing a boiling crisis. Artificial intelligence methods such as neural networks and support vector regression (SVR) have extensively and successfully been applied to nonlinear function approximation. In this paper, fuzzy support vector regression (FSVR) combined with a fuzzy concept and SVR is presented to precisely predict the minimum DNBR by using the measured signals of a reactor coolant system, such as reactor power, reactor pressure, and control rod positions. Also, the prediction uncertainty for the predicted minimum DNBR is assessed. It is demonstrated that FSVR is accurate enough to be used in protection and monitoring algorithms for departure from nucleate boiling (DNB). Therefore, FSVR can be used to effectively monitor and predict the minimum DNBR in the reactor core.

Field of study: Physics
On the Probability of Extreme Rainfall Events.

In recent years, the terms, “once-in-a-century” and 100-year, have been attached to various rare and catastrophic events; recent examples are the rains associated with Hurricane Agnes and the 1972 Rapid City storm. The background for the use of these terms is examined from the points of view of both the professional and nonprofessional user. A brief review is presented of the methods of analysis of extreme values with applications to rainfalls. The main unsolved problem in rainfall frequency analysis is the lack of a satisfactory procedure for determining the frequency of various rainfall patterns over a fixed geographical area.

Field of study: Environmental science
Critical lengths for global existence of solutions for coupled semilinear singular parabolic problems

where L = — — ~ dx2 + x dx dt' and b is a constant less than 1. If Ta = oo, then z (< 1) exists globally. If Ta < oo, then lim max{z(x,/): 0 < x < a} = 1". '-77 In this latter case, z is said to quench at Ta (cf. Acker and Walter ), and Ta is called the quenching time. Recently, we  studied the critical length a* for the above problem such that Ta = oo for a < a*, and Ta < oo for a > a*\ an upper bound for the quenching time is also determined. For further references, we refer to the above paper, and those written recently by Acker and Kawohl  and Chan and Kaper . So far, only problems involving one scalar differential equation have been studied. The main purpose here is to extend our study  on critical lengths for global existence of solutions and upper bounds for the quenching time for a scalar differential equation to the following coupled parabolic problem:

Field of study: Mathematics
Travels in Academe

Travel writing is a genre of literature that has long been in vogue. Indeed, the travels of Don Quixote (1605) may well be regarded as the first novel. Although the landscape and people of the country or region under study is frequently center stage, more often than not the writing also informs the readers about the land and citizenry. Paul Theroux, for example, is perhaps the most popular travel writer alive today; he has journeyed to Patagonia (1979) and the Middle East (1990), and is famously cranky. Theroux, like VS Naipul (1998), seems not to like the people he visits or even enjoy his travels very much. Pico Iyer (1988) and Bill Bryson (1995), on the other hand, tend to be fascinated by the differences in the people they meet. All of these authors, and certainly Cervantes (1605), offer a useful portrait of both how they view their worlds and the worlds themselves. At its best, travel writing not only inspires a desire to travel and experience cultures and lands different from our own, but it also provokes the reader to reflect on his or her own inner landscapes. Two current books on the academy may be thought of as postsecondary travel writing.  Who is in Charge at the Modern University? Ron Ehrenberg assembles a collection of authors who have different takes on higher education's landscape. David Kirp, in Shakespeare, Einstein and the Bottom Line: The Murketing of Higher Education, aims to be the academy's de Tocqueville, traveling from campus to campus. What is interesting in these books is not only that they provide insights into the current conditions of the postsecondary land, but that the authors, as typical of all travel writers, find different points of interest, and occasionally disagree over what they see. Any reader of The Nation or The American Prospect will be aware that David Kirp, a professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, is a first rate writer with a penchant for irony and a clever turn of a phrase. His current book is a series of quasi-case studies of different colleges and universities. His method of choice is both maddening and comforting; he really hasn't a method. He chose institutions that he found interesting to highlight a particular

Field of study: Education
Empirical Likelihood for Semiparametric Varying-Coefficient Heteroscedastic Partially Linear Errors-in-Variables Models

The purpose of this article is to use the empirical likelihood method to study construction of the confidence region for the parameter of interest in semiparametric varying-coefficient heteroscedastic partially linear errors-in-variables models. When the variance functions of the errors are known or unknown, we propose the empirical log-likelihood ratio statistics for the parameter of interest. For each case, a nonparametric version of Wilks’ theorem is derived. The results are then used to construct confidence regions of the parameter. A simulation study is carried out to assess the performance of the empirical likelihood method.

Field of study: Mathematics
Evidence that cytosolic calcium increases are not sufficient to stimulate phospholipid scrambling in human T-lymphocytes

Phospholipid scrambling, the disruption of normal plasma-membrane asymmetry, occurs during apoptotic and necrotic cell death and during the activation of platelets and neutrophils. It is currently believed that phospholipid scrambling is triggered simply by increases in bulk cytosolic [Ca(2+)]. We have presented evidence previously that the styryl dye FM1-43 is sensitive to phospholipid scrambling in Jurkat human leukaemic T-lymphocytes. Here we have used FM1-43, in combination with fura 2 and the Ca(2+)-elevating agents ionomycin and thapsigargin, in imaging experiments to test the idea that increases in bulk cytosolic [Ca(2+)] stimulate scrambling. Intracellular Ca(2+) increases of approximately 2 microM accompanied ionomycin-stimulated scrambling in approximately 50% of cells, and scrambling occurred in >99% of cells in which intracellular Ca(2+) rose to 4 microM. Chelating intracellular Ca(2+) with bis-(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetra-acetic acid or EGTA suppressed both ionomycin-stimulated intra cellular Ca(2+) increases and scrambling, demonstrating that intracellular Ca(2+) increases are necessary for ionomycin-stimulated scrambling. However, elevating intracellular Ca(2+) to 2-4 microM with thapsigargin, a drug that depletes intracellular Ca(2+) stores and triggers Ca(2+) entry via Ca(2+)-release-activated Ca(2+) channels, did not trigger scrambling, as assessed with either FM1-43 or FITC-labelled annexin V. These results suggest that increases in intracellular [Ca(2+)] are necessary but not sufficient to stimulate scrambling in lymphoyctes, and indicate that ionomycin has an additional effect that is required to stimulate scrambling.

Field of study: Biology, Computer science