nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Not Waving but Striving: Research Collaboration in the Context of Stratification, Segmentation, and the Quest for Prestige

In this article we examine the ways in which institutional stratification and academic labor segmentation contribute to shaping faculty collaborative activities. We draw on interviews from science and engineering faculty at two institutions in the United States to highlight how collaboration, as an essential form of academic labor, is shaped by institutional factors like resource stress and isomorphic pressures to fit the ideal of the “world-class” research-intensive university. The findings suggest that a university’s relative position in the institutional status hierarchy has a significant impact on the types of resources faculty seeking to establish collaborations can access and mobilize, thus reinforcing existing patterns of institutional stratification where “striving” institutions can never catch up to their more prestigious peers. At the same time, the pressure to maximize institutional prestige can create paradoxical interinstitutional dynamics where seemingly successful “Mode 2” units that rely almost exclusively on external resources and partnerships with industry are expected to mold themselves more closely to the activity streams of traditional academic units.

Field of study: Education
High-voltage pulse generation with MOSFET

Based on high-speed MOSFET switches,the dual ultrafast high voltage pulses are generated with the inductive adder circuit topology.The pulses' half-width is 300 ns,the rise time is about 60 ns and the time interval between two pulses is 600 ns.The peak pulse current could be 365 A for a load of 11.5 Ω and the corresponding output peak pulse power is 1.5 MW.

Field of study: Physics
Stimulation of Erythrocyte Cell Membrane Scrambling by Mitotane

Mitotane (1,1-dichloro-2-[o-chlorophenyl]-2-[p-chlorophenyl]ethane), a cytostatic drug used for the treatment of adrenocortical carcinomas, is effective by triggering tumor cell apoptosis. In analogy to apoptosis of nucleated cells, eryptosis is the suicidal death of erythrocytes, which is typically paralleled by cell shrinkage and breakdown of cell membrane phosphatidylserine asymmetry with subsequent phosphatidylserine exposure at the erythrocyte surface. Eryptosis may be triggered by increase of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). The present study tested, whether treatment of human erythrocytes with mitotane is followed by eryptosis.  [Ca2+]i was estimated from Fluo3 fluorescence, cell volume from forward scatter, phosphatidylserine exposure from annexin V binding, and hemolysis from hemoglobin release.  Exposure to mitotane (≥ 5 µg/ml ≈ 16 µM) significantly increased [Ca2+]i, increased annexin V binding and triggered hemolysis, but did not significantly modify forward scatter. The effect on annexin V binding was significantly blunted in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Within 30 min Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin (1 µM) decreased forward scatter, an effect virtually abolished in the presence of mitotane (15 µg/ml).  Mitotane increases [Ca2+]i with subsequent phosphatidylserine translocation. By the same token mitotane inhibits Ca2+ induced cell shrinkage.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry
Comparing Childhood Cancer Care Costs in Two Canadian Provinces

Cancer in children presents unique issues for diagnosis, treatment and survivorship care. Phase-specific comparative cost estimates are important for informing healthcare planning.  The aim of this paper is to compare direct medical costs of childhood cancer by phase of care in British Columbia (BC) and Ontario (ON).  For cancer patients diagnosed at <15 years of age and propensity-score-matched non-cancer controls, we applied standard costing methodology using population-based healthcare administrative data to estimate and compare phase-based costs by province.  Phase-specific cancer-attributable costs were 2%–39% higher for ON than for BC. Leukemia pre-diagnosis costs and annual lymphoma continuing care costs were >50% higher in ON. Phase-specific in-patient hospital costs (the major cost category) represented 63%–82% of ON costs, versus 43%–73% of BC costs. Phase-specific diagnostic tests and procedures accounted for 1.0%–3.4% of ON costs and 2.8%–13.0% of BC costs.  There are substantial cost differences between these two Canadian provinces, BC and ON, possibly identifying opportunities for healthcare planning improvement.

Field of study: Medicine, Political science
[A novel immunization strategy to induce strong humoral responses against HIV-1 using combined DNA, recombinant vaccinia virus and protein vaccines].

To optimize the immunization strategy against HIV-1, a DNA vaccine was combined with a recombinant vaccinia virus (rTV) vaccine and a protein vaccine. Immune responses against HIV-1 were detected in 30 female guinea pigs divided into six groups. Three groups of guinea pigs were primed with HIV-1 DNA vaccine three times, boosted with rTV at week 14, and then boosted with gp140 protein at intervals of 4, 8 or 12 weeks. Simultaneously, the other three groups of animals were primed with rTV vaccine once, and then boosted with gp140 after 4, 8 or 12 weeks. The HIV-1 specific binding antibody and neutralizing antibody, in addition to the relative affinity of these antibodies, were detected at different time points after the final administration of vaccine in each group. The DNA-rTV-gp140 immune regimen induced higher titers and affinity levels of HIV-1 gp120/gp140 antibodies and stronger V1V2-gp70 antibodies than the rTV-gp140 regimen. In the guinea pigs that underwent the DNA-rTV-gp140 regimen, the highest V1V2-gp70 antibody was induced in the 12-week-interval group. However, the avidity of antibodies was improved in the 4-week-interval group. Using the rTV-gp140 immunization strategy, guinea pigs boosted at 8 or 12 weeks after rTV priming elicited stronger humoral responses than those boosted at 4 weeks after priming. In conclusion, this study shows that the immunization strategy of HIV-1 DNA vaccine priming, followed by rTV and protein vaccine boosting, could strengthen the humoral response against HIV-1. Longer intervals were better to induce V1V2-gp70-specific antibodies, while shorter intervals were more beneficial to enhance the avidity of antibodies.

Field of study: Biology
The Utility of Embryonic Stem Cells

"From the time that the ovum is fertilized, a new life is begun which is neither that of the father or the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already. To this perpetual evidence .... modern genetic science brings valuable confirmation. It has demonstrated that from the first instant, the program is fixed as to what this living being will be: a man, this individual man with his characteristic aspects already well determined. Right from fertilization is begun the adventure of a human life, and each of its great capacities requires time .... to find its place and to be in a position to act . .. 2

Field of study: Medicine, Philosophy
Phase contrast imaging of preclinical portal vein embolization with CO2 microbubbles.

Preoperative portal vein embolization (PVE) is employed clinically to avoid postoperative liver insufficiency. Animal models are usually used to study PVE in terms of mechanisms and pathophysiological changes. PVE is formerly monitored by conventional absorption contrast imaging (ACI) with iodine contrast agent. However, the side effects induced by iodine can give rise to animal damage and death. In this study, the feasibility of using phase contrast imaging (PCI) to show PVE using homemade CO2 microbubbles in living rats has been investigated. CO2 gas was first formed from the reaction between citric acid and sodium bicarbonate. The CO2 gas was then encapsulated by egg white to fabricate CO2 microbubbles. ACI and PCI of CO2 microbubbles were performed and compared in vitro. An additional increase in contrast was detected in PCI. PCI showed that CO2 microbubbles gradually dissolved over time, and the remaining CO2 microbubbles became larger. By PCI, the CO2 microbubbles were found to have certain stability, suggesting their potential use as embolic agents. CO2 microbubbles were injected into the main portal trunk to perform PVE in living rats. PCI exploited the differences in the refractive index and facilitated clear visualization of the PVE after the injection of CO2 microbubbles. Findings from this study suggest that homemade CO2 microbubbles-based PCI is a novel modality for preclinical PVE research.

Field of study: Physics
CT scan examination on stroke patients

This study was conducted in patients with clinical stroke. The results showed that 61.3% patients had cerebral infarction, 33.0% hemorrhagic lesions and 5.7% was normal by CT scan examination. 12 of 29 hemorrhagic lesionswere associated with in [raven tri cular bleeding and these lesions have a poor prognosis. The cerebral infarctions were located mostly in capsula interna and nucleus le n tiforrnis, but the thalamus and capsula interna demonstrated as the main location for hemorrhagic lessons. The usefulness of CT scan in stroke lies especially in detecting the location, extension of lesion and in differentiating between ischemic and hemorrhagic lesions.  CT scan - in traventricular bleeding - hem iparesis - cerebral infarction - stroke

Field of study: Medicine
Determining Salary Equity: Policies, Procedures, and Problems.

In recent years much attention has been focused on the equity of salary policies within higher education. The legal impetus for eliminating sex discrimination began with the Equal Pay Act (1963), followed by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which as amended in 1972, specifically included educational institutions and created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to enforce the act. Most recently, regulations of Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 specify that "employers must provide either equal contributions to or equal benefits under pension plans for male and female employees."' Today the legal and moral need to end discrimination is not the issue: rather the issue is the procedure or method that most fairly determines equitable compensation of any faculty member regardless of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. There is considerable evidence that the salaries of female faculty are lower than those of comparable male faculty. Studies conducted at individual universities [2, 5, 10, 12, 15, 18, 29] and national surveys [1, 10, 14, 24] have generally shown that women have been earning lower salaries than comparable men. A number of different methods or procedures have been used on individual campuses to determine possible salary inequities, but most repre-

Field of study: Education
A modified QRD for smoothing and a QRD-LSL smoothing algorithm

This paper introduces a modified QR-decomposition (QRD) that extends the method of QRD to a more general case to solve the least-squares lattice smoothing problems. We show that the conventional QRD is a special form of the modified QRD that occurs when no future data values are used. Within the framework of the modified QRD procedure, an order-recursive QRD based least-squares lattice (QRD-LSL) smoothing algorithm is formulated. The algorithm combines all the desirable features of the standard QRD-LSL filtering algorithm with a more accurate smoothing process. The results of some computer simulations of a channel equalizer are also presented.

Field of study: Engineering
Predict the Phase Angle Master Curve and Study the Viscoelastic Properties of Warm Mix Crumb Rubber-Modified Asphalt Mixture

To identify the most accurate approach for constructing of the dynamic modulus master curves for warm mix crumb rubber modified asphalt mixtures and assess the feasibility of predicting the phase angle master curves from the dynamic modulus ones. The SM (Sigmoidal model) and GSM (generalized sigmoidal model) were utilized to construct the dynamic modulus master curve, respectively. Subsequently, the master curve of phase angle could be predicted from the master curve of dynamic modulus in term of the K-K (Kramers–Kronig) relations. The results show that both SM and GSM can predict the dynamic modulus very well, except that the GSM shows a slightly higher correlation coefficient than SM. Therefore, it is recommended to construct the dynamic modulus master curve using GSM and obtain the corresponding phase angle master curve in term of the K-K relations. The Black space diagram and Wicket diagram were utilized to verify the predictions were consistent with the LVE (linear viscoelastic) theory. Then the master curve of storage modulus and loss modulus were also obtained. Finally, the creep compliance and relaxation modulus can be used to represent the creep and relaxation properties of warm-mix crumb rubber-modified asphalt mixtures.

Field of study: Materials science
MECHANISM AND KINETICS OF EXPANSION IN THE ALKALI-CARBONATE ROCK REACTION

Certain fine-grained argillaceous dolomitic limestones show an increase in solid volume when placed in strong alkali. Mineralogical analysis shows that the dolomite is replaced by magnesium hydroxide (brucite), calcium carbonate, and alkali carbonate. This reaction does not account directly for the expansion, as the volume of the solid products is less than the volume of the dolomite.Expansion is shown to be the result of an increase in solid volume that results from water uptake. The behavior is accounted for by a hypothesis that may be summarized as follows.(1) Alkaline attack on the dolomite crystals releases included clay in an "active" state with an unwetted surface.(2) Some of the Ca++ and Mg++ ions probably present on exchange sites are replaced by Na+ ions.(3) Development of a hydrated double layer made up of oriented water molecules, cations near the newly exposed clay surface, and anions further from the surface.(4) Development of the double layer and accompanying hydration processes cause the w...

Field of study: Environmental science
Expression and Localization of S-Adenosylhomocysteine-Hydrolase in the Rat Kidney Following Carbon Monoxide Induced Hypoxia

Tissue hypoxia induces a variety of functional changes including enhanced transcriptional activity associated with high transmethylation activity (e.g. mRNA cap methylation) in the nucleus. It is well known that the kidney responds to hypoxia with enhanced transcription of erythropoietin (EPO) in the interstitial cells. Since S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy)-hydrolase regulates most S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) dependent transmethylation reactions by hydrolyzing the potent feedback inhibitor AdoHcy to adenosine and homocysteine we studied the effect of hypoxia by carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation (1200ppm) on AdoHcy-hydrolase gene expression and its localization in rat kidneys.  CO lowered renal AdoHcy-hydrolase mRNA expression by 64% whereas AdoHcy-hydrolase activity was not changed during 4h of CO exposure 0.7±0.04mU/mg (control) vs. 0.75±0.06mU/mg protein. Using two-channel immunofluorescence confocal laser scanning microscope AdoHcy-hydrolase was visualized in different cells of the hypoxic rat kidney. A very bright immunofluorescence of AdoHcy-hydrolase was observed in the nuclei of single interstitial cells of renal cortex and outer medulla which respond to hypoxia with increased EPO secretion indicating translocation of AdoHcy-hydrolase from the cytosol to the nucleus.  These data suggest that AdoHcy-hydrolase accumulation in the nucleus of adult mammalian cells is involved in maintaining efficient transmethylation reactions in transcriptionally active cells by removing the product inhibitor AdoHcy.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry
A Full Mean Square Analysis of CLMS for Second-Order Noncircular Inputs

A full mean square transient and steady-state analysis of the complex least mean square (CLMS) algorithm is provided for strictly linear estimation of general second-order noncircular (improper) Gaussian inputs. To this end, we also consider the performance assessment in terms of the evolution of the complementary mean square error (CMSE) and the complementary covariance (pseudocovariance) matrix of the weight error vector of CLMS. This makes it possible to measure the degrees of noncircularity of the output error and the weight error vector, which arise due to second-order noncircularity (improperness) of the system input and system noise. The recently introduced approximate uncorrelating transform, which allows for joint direct diagonalization of both the input covariance and complementary covariance matrices with a single singular value decomposition, is then employed in order to derive a unified bound on the step-size, which guarantees the convergence of both the standard MSE and the proposed CMSE. A joint consideration of the standard mean square performance analysis and the proposed complementary performance analysis is shown to provide full second order, closed form, statistical descriptions of both the transient and steady state performances of CLMS for second-order noncircular (improper) Gaussian input data. Simulations in the system identification setting support the analysis.

Field of study: Engineering
Quantifying the polarization properties of non-depolarizing optical elements with virtual distorting elements.

It is well known that polarization can be potentially distorted by optical elements in optical paths, which intensively influences researches and techniques related to polarization analysis. For this, we proposed to exactly quantify the polarization properties of non-depolarizing optical elements with virtual distorting elements characterized by three parameters: orientation Θ, diattenuation Γ, and retardation Δ. Utilizing the least-squares fitting method, these three parameters can be determined by fitting the measured output polarization states from the optical element with the polarization responses of VDEs. The principle of this method is detailed, and a corresponding experimental setup is further presented. The feasibility of this method has been verified in reflective mirrors and a dichroic mirror. Based on the quantification results with our setup, we have successfully compensated the polarization distortion induced by a dichroic mirror. The precision of this method has been investigated in detail with Monte Carlo simulations. The investigation results show that this method has high precision at certain measurement conditions, and the precision can be further improved.

Field of study: Physics
Nonsmooth minimax programming under locally Lipschitz (Φ, ρ)-invexity

Minimax programming problems involving locally Lipschitz ( Φ ,  ρ )-invex functions are considered. The parametric and non-parametric necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for a class of nonsmooth minimax programming problems are obtained under nondifferentiable ( Φ ,  ρ )-invexity assumption imposed on objective and constraint functions. When the sufficient conditions are utilized, parametric and non-parametric dual problems in the sense of Mond–Weir and Wolfe may be formulated and duality results are derived for the considered nonsmooth minimax programming problem. With the reference to the said functions we extend some results of optimality and duality for a larger class of nonsmooth minimax programming problems.

Field of study: Mathematics
Baicalein, a Natural Anti-Cancer Compound, Alters MicroRNA Expression Profiles in Bel-7402 Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Baicalein has been shown to possess significant anti-hepatoma activity by inhibiting cell proliferation. Whether the anti-proliferative effect of baicalein is related to its modulation of miRNA expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unknown.  The anti-proliferative effects of baicalein on HCC cell line Bel-7402 was assessed by detecting the proliferation activity, cell cycle distribution, expression changes of p21/CDKN1A, P27/CDKN1B, total Akt and phosphoryted AKT. Microarray analysis was conducted to determine the miRNA expression profiles in baicalein-treated or untreated Bel-7402 cells and then validated by qRT-PCR in two HCC cell lines (Bel-7402 and Hep3B). The gain-of-function of miR-3127-5p was performed by detecting anti-proliferative effects after transfecting miRNA mimics in cells. Finally, the expression level of miR-3127-5p in different HCC cell lines was determined by qRT-PCR.  Baicalein was able to inhibit the proliferation of Bel-7402 cells by inducing cell cycle arrest at the S and G2/M phase via up-regulating the expression of p21/CDKN1A and P27/CDKN1B and suppressing the PI3K/Akt pathway. Baicalein could alter the miRNA expression profiles in Bel-7402 cells. Putative target genes for differentially expressed miRNAs could be enriched in terms of cell proliferation regulation, cell cycle arrest and were mainly involved in MAPK, PI3K-Akt, Wnt, Hippo and mTOR signaling pathways. MiR- 3127-5p, one of up-regulated miRNAs, exhibits low expression level in several HCC cell lines and its overexpression could inhibit cell growth of Bel-7402 and Hep3B cell lines by inducing S phase arrest by up-regulating the expression of p21and P27 and repressing the PI3K/Akt pathway.  Modulation of miRNA expression may be an important mechanism underlying the anti-hepatoma effects of baicalein.

Field of study: Biology, Chemistry
High time-resolution chemical characterization of the water-soluble fraction of ambient aerosols with PILS-TOC-IC and AMS

A particle-into-liquid sampler (PILS) was coupled with a total organic carbon analyzer (TOC) and two ion chromatographs (IC) to enable high time-resolution measurements of water-soluble ions and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) by a single sampling and analytical set-up. The new high time-resolution measurement system, the PILS-TOC-IC, was able to provide essential chemical and physical information about fast changes in composition, concentrations and likely sources of the water-soluble fraction of atmospheric aerosol. The concentrations of major water-soluble ions and WSOC were measured by the PILS-TOC-IC system from 25 April to 28 May 2009. The data of the PILS-TOC-IC setup was compared with the data from the High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) data measured from 25 April to 8 May 2009. The measured water-soluble particulate organic matter (WSPOM) concentration varied typically from 0.10 to 8.8 μg m−3 (on average 1.5 μg m−3). The WSPOM contributed on average 51% to particulate organic matter (POM) measured with the AMS. The correlation between the data of all the online measurement devices (AMS, PILS-TOC-IC, semicontinuous EC/OC carbon analyzer and TEOM) was excellent. For sulfate, nitrate and ammonium the correlations between the PILS-TOC-IC and AMS were 0.93, 0.96 and 0.96, respectively. The correlation between WSPOM and POM was also strong (r = 0.88). The identified sources of WSPOM were long-range transported biomass burning and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. WSPOM and oxalate produced in biomass burning were clearly correlated with carbon monoxide.

Field of study: Environmental science