nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Marked variation in prevalence of malaria-protective human genetic polymorphisms across Uganda.

A number of human genetic polymorphisms are prevalent in tropical populations and appear to offer protection against symptomatic and/or severe malaria. We compared the prevalence of four polymorphisms, the sickle hemoglobin mutation (β globin E6V), the α-thalassemia 3.7kb deletion, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency caused by the common African variant (G6PD A-), and the CD36 T188G mutation in 1344 individuals residing in districts in eastern (Tororo), south-central (Jinja), and southwestern (Kanungu) Uganda. Genes of interest were amplified, amplicons subjected to mutation-specific restriction endonuclease digestion (for sickle hemoglobin, G6PD A-, and CD36 T188G), reaction products resolved by electrophoresis, and genotypes determined based on the sizes of reaction products. Mutant genotypes were common, with many more heterozygous than homozygous alleles identified. The prevalences (heterozygotes plus homozygotes) of sickle hemoglobin (28% Tororo, 25% Jinja, 7% Kanungu), α-thalassemia (53% Tororo, 45% Jinja, 18% Kanungu) and G6PD A- (29% Tororo, 18% Jinja, 8% Kanungu) were significantly greater in Tororo and Jinja compared to Kanungu (p<0.0001 for all three alleles); prevalences were also significantly greater in Tororo compared to Jinja for α-thalassemia (p=0.03) and G6PD A- (p<0.0001). For the CD36 T188G mutation, the prevalence was significantly greater in Tororo compared to Jinja or Kanungu (27% Tororo, 17% Jinja, 18% Kanungu; p=0.0004 and 0.0017, respectively). Considering ethnicity of study subjects, based on primary language spoken, the prevalence of mutant genotypes was lower in Bantu compared to non-Bantu language speakers, but in the Jinja cohort, the only study population with a marked diversity of language groups, prevalence did not differ between Bantu and non-Bantu speakers. These results indicate marked differences in human genetic features between populations in different regions of Uganda. These differences might be explained by both ethnic variation and by varied malaria risk in different regions of Uganda.
Person Reidentification Using Spatiotemporal Appearance

In many surveillance applications it is desirable to determine if a given individual has been previously observed over a network of cameras. This is the person reidentification problem. This paper focuses on reidentification algorithms that use the overall appearance of an individual as opposed to passive biometrics such as face and gait. Person reidentification approaches have two aspects: (i) establish correspondence between parts, and (ii) generate signatures that are invariant to variations in illumination, pose, and the dynamic appearance of clothing. A novel spatiotemporal segmentation algorithm is employed to generate salient edgels that are robust to changes in appearance of clothing. The invariant signatures are generated by combining normalized color and salient edgel histograms. Two approaches are proposed to generate correspondences: (i) a model based approach that fits an articulated model to each individual to establish a correspondence map, and (ii) an interest point operator approach that nominates a large number of potential correspondences which are evaluated using a region growing scheme. Finally, the approaches are evaluated on a 44 person database across 3 disparate views.
Cells release subpopulations of exosomes with distinct molecular and biological properties.

Cells release nano-sized membrane vesicles that are involved in intercellular communication by transferring biological information between cells. It is generally accepted that cells release at least three types of extracellular vesicles (EVs): apoptotic bodies, microvesicles and exosomes. While a wide range of putative biological functions have been attributed to exosomes, they are assumed to represent a homogenous population of EVs. We hypothesized the existence of subpopulations of exosomes with defined molecular compositions and biological properties. Density gradient centrifugation of isolated exosomes revealed the presence of two distinct subpopulations, differing in biophysical properties and their proteomic and RNA repertoires. Interestingly, the subpopulations mediated differential effects on the gene expression programmes in recipient cells. In conclusion, we demonstrate that cells release distinct exosome subpopulations with unique compositions that elicit differential effects on recipient cells. Further dissection of exosome heterogeneity will advance our understanding of exosomal biology in health and disease and accelerate the development of exosome-based diagnostics and therapeutics.
Test of slope and intercept bias in college admissions: a response to Aguinis, Culpepper, and Pierce (2010).

Research on the predictive bias of cognitive tests has generally shown (a) no slope effects and (b) small intercept effects, typically favoring the minority group. Aguinis, Culpepper, and Pierce (2010) simulated data and demonstrated that statistical artifacts may have led to a lack of power to detect slope differences and an overestimate of the size of the intercept effect. In response to Aguinis et al.'s (2010) call for a revival of predictive bias research, we used data on over 475,000 students entering college between 2006 and 2008 to estimate slope and intercept differences in the college admissions context. Corrections for statistical artifacts were applied. Furthermore, plotting of regression lines supplemented traditional analyses of predictive bias to offer additional evidence of the form and extent to which predictive bias exists. Congruent with previous research on bias of cognitive tests, using SAT scores in conjunction with high school grade-point average to predict first-year grade-point average revealed minimal differential prediction (ΔR²intercept ranged from .004 to .032 and ΔR²slope ranged from .001 to .013 depending on the corrections applied and comparison groups examined). We found, on the basis of regression plots, that college grades were consistently overpredicted for Black and Hispanic students and underpredicted for female students.
Integrating procedural generation and manual editing of virtual worlds

Because of the increasing detail and size of virtual worlds, designers are more and more urged to consider employing procedural methods to alleviate part of their modeling work. However, such methods are often unintuitive to use, difficult to integrate, and provide little user control, making their application far from straightforward.
 In our declarative modeling approach, designers are provided with a more productive and simplified virtual world modeling workflow that matches better with their iterative way of working. Using interactive procedural sketching, they can quickly layout a virtual world, while having proper user control at the level of large terrain features. However, in practice, designers require a finer level of control. Integrating procedural techniques with manual editing in an iterative modeling workflow is an important topic that has remained relatively unaddressed until now.
 This paper identifies challenges of this integration and discusses approaches to combine these methods in such a way that designers can freely mix them, while the virtual world model is kept consistent during all modifications. We conclude that overcoming the challenges mentioned, for example in a declarative modeling context, is instrumental to achieve the much desired adoption of procedural modeling in mainstream virtual world modeling.
Ecotoxicological effects of ciprofloxacin on freshwater species: data integration and derivation of toxicity thresholds for risk assessment.

Although antibiotics have been increasingly used and detected in natural samples, their ecotoxicological effects on aquatic wildlife are not yet extensively studied. Considering the environmental threat posed by the biological activity of antibiotics it is quite relevant to assess the resulting impact, especially on sub-lethal endpoints. As such, this study evaluated the effects of ciprofloxacin on Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Lemna minor growth, on the survival and reproduction of Daphnia magna and on Gambusia holbrooki survival. The risks associated with ciprofloxacin effects on non-target organisms were quantified through the calculation of the PEC/PNEC ratio. Overall, the toxicity values obtained (at the mg L(-1) level) were higher than the environmental concentrations. P. subcapitata and L. minor were more sensitive under short-term exposures than D. magna and G. holbrooki. No acute toxicity was observed for fish. The chronic assay with D. magna evidenced that long term exposures to lower concentrations of this antibiotic induced impairments on its life-history parameters. Such outcome may pre-empt potential damages on the long-term maintenance of natural populations continuously exposed to the input of antibiotics. Indeed, the PEC/PNEC ratios showed that ciprofloxacin represents a risk for the most sensitive aquatic organisms, since the defined threshold of an acceptable risk was considerably surpassed.
What Are the Odds? A Practical Guide to Computing and Reporting Bayes Factors

The purpose of this paper is to provide an easy template for the inclusion of the Bayes factor in reporting experimental results, particularly as a recommendation for articles in the Journal of Problem Solving. The Bayes factor provides information with a similar purpose to the p-value—to allow the researcher to make statistical inferences from data provided by experiments. While the p-value is widely used, the Bayes factor provides several advantages, particularly in that it allows the researcher to make a statement about the alternative hypothesis, rather than just the null hypothesis. In addition, it provides a clearer estimate of the amount of evidence present in the data. Building on previous work by authors such as Wagenmakers (2007), Rouder et al. (2009), and Masson (2011), this article provides a short introduction to Bayes factors, before providing a practical guide to their computation using examples from published work on problem solving. Correspondence: Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Andrew F. Jarosz, 1007 W. Harrison St. MC 285, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60647, or via email to ajaros5@uic.edu.
AUTOMATIC ITEM GENERATION

The principles and practices that guide the design and development of test items are changing because our assessment practices are changing. Educational visionary Randy Bennett (2001) anticipated that computers and the Internet would become two of the most powerful forces of change in educational measurement. Bennett’s premonition was spot-on. Internet-based computerized testing has dramatically changed educational measurement because test administration procedures combined with the growing popularity of digital media and the explosion in Internet use have created the foundation for different types of tests and test items. As a result, many educational tests that were once given in a paper format are now administered by computer using the Internet. Many common and wellknown exams in the domain of certification and licensure testing can be cited as examples, including the Graduate Management Achievement Test (GMAT), the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Uniform CPA examination (CBT-e), the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part I (MCCQE I), the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). This rapid transition to computerized testing is also occurring in K–12 education. As early as 2009, Education Week’s “Technology Counts” reported that educators in more than half of the U.S. states—where 49 of the 50 states at that time had educational achievement testing—administer some form of computerized testing. The move toward Common Core State Standards will only accelerate this transition given that the two largest consortiums, PARCC and SMARTER Balance, are using technology to develop and deliver computerized tests and to design constructed-response items and performance-based tasks that will be scored using computer algorithms. Computerized testing offers many advantages to examinees and examiners compared to more traditional paper-based tests. For instance, computers support the development of technology-enhanced item types that allow examiners to use more diverse item formats and measure a broader range of knowledge and skills. Computer algorithms can also be developed so these new item types are scored automatically and with limited human intervention, thereby eliminating the need for costly and timeconsuming marking and scoring sessions. Because items are scored immediately, examinees receive instant feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. Computerized tests also permit continuous and on-demand administration, thereby allowing examinees to have more choice about where and when they write their exams. But the advent of computerized testing has also raised new challenges, particularly in the area of item development. Large numbers of items are needed to support the banks necessary for computerized 21 AUTOMATIC ITEM GENERATION
Long Distance Pronominalisation and Global Focus

Our corpus of descriptive text contains a significant number of long-distance pronominal references (8.4% of the total). In order to account for how these pronouns are interpreted, we re-examine Grosz and Sidner’s theory of the attentional state, and in particular the use of the global focus to supplement centering theory. Our corpus evidence concerning these long-distance pronominal references, as well as studies of the use of descriptions, proper names and ambiguous uses of pronouns, lead us to conclude that a discourse focus stack mechanism of the type proposed by Sidner is essential to account for the use of these referring expressions. We suggest revising the Grosz & Sidner framework by allowing for the possibility that an entity in a focus space may have special status.
Reverse Compilation for Digital Signal Processors: A Working Example

We describe the implementation and use of a reverse compiler from Analog Devices 21xx assembler source to ANSI-C (with optional use of the language extensions for the TMS320C6x processors) which has been used to port substantial applications. The main results of this work are that reverse compilation is feasible and that some of the features that make small DSP's hard to compile for actually assist the process of reverse compilation compared to that of a general purpose processor. We present statistics on the occurrence of non-statically visible features of hand-written assembler code and look at the quality of the code generated by an optimising ANSI-C compiler from our reverse compiled source and compare it to code generated from conventionally authored ANSI-C programs.
The Effect of Ground Colour on Memory Performance

This study intended to examine the effect of ground colour on memory performance. Most of the past research on colour-memory relationship focus on the colour of the figure rather than the background. Based on these evidences, this study try to extend the previous works to the ground colour and how its effect memory performance based on recall rate. 90 undergraduate students will participate in this study. The experimental design will be used is multiple independent group experimental design. Fifty geometrical shapes will be used in the study phase with measurement of figure, 4.74cm x 3.39cm and ground, 19cm x 25cm. The participants will be measured on numbers of shape that are being recall in test phase in three experimental conditions, coloured background, non-coloured background and mix between coloured and non-coloured background slides condition. It is hypothesized that shape with coloured background will be recalled better than shape with non-coloured background. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical procedure will be used to analyse the data of recall performance between three experimental groups using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 17.0) to examine the cause and effect relationship between those variables.
Modeling of Progesterone Release from Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) Membranes

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) biodegradable polymeric membranes were evaluated as platform for progesterone (Prg)-controlled release. In the design of new drug delivery systems, it is important to understand the mass transport mechanism involved, as well as predict the process kinetics. Drug release experiments were conducted and the experimental results were evaluated using engineering approaches that were extrapolated to the pharmaceutical field by our research group. Membranes were loaded with different Prg concentrations and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). SEM images showed that membranes have a dense structure before and after the progesterone addition. DSC and FTIR allowed determining the influence of the therapeutic agent in the membrane properties. The in vitro experiments were performed using two different techniques: (A) returning the sample to the receptor solution (constant volume of the delivery medium) and (B) extracting total volume of the receptor solution. In this work, we present a simple and accurate “lumped” second-order kinetic model. This lumped model considers the different mass transport steps involved in drug release systems. The model fits very well the experimental data using any of the two experimental procedures, in the range 0 ≤ t ≤ ∞ or 0 ≤ M t  ≤ M ∞. The drug release analysis using our proposed approaches is relevant for establishing in vitro–in vivo correlations in future tests in animals.
A Dynamic Message-Aware Communication Scheduler for Ceph Storage System

With the proliferation of cloud computing technologies, the Ceph, a distributed object-based storage system has been an attractive alternative to building a storage backend due to its excellent performance, reliability, and scalability. As the storage system processes huge amount data and the network traffic generated from the cloud increases rapidly, designing a high-performance messenger in the storage system has created a lot of challenging issues. Although the async messenger, one of the Ceph's messengers, is known to be efficient and flexible, it contains several performance problems due to its simple round-robin based scheduling scheme that assigns a connection to a worker thread without any consideration for the amount of workloads transferred through the connections. This causes the imbalance of worker threads and adversely affects the performance of the Ceph storage system. This paper proposes a dynamic message-aware communication scheduler for Ceph storage system that balances the workloads of worker threads based on the types of incoming messages, while avoiding unnecessary connection movements among worker threads. We use genetic algorithm (GA) to solve this problem and implement the proposed scheduling algorithm using the async messenger. The benchmarking results show that the proposed approach outperforms the original async messenger by as much as 12.5% under the same workload from clients and 24% under the random workloads from clients.
EcoTour: Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Vehicles Using Eco-routes

Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transportation is essential in combating global warming and climate change. Eco-routing enables drivers to use the most eco-friendly routes and is effective in reducing vehicle emissions. The EcoTour system assigns eco-weights to a road network based on GPS and fuel consumption data collected from vehicles to enable ecorouting. Given an arbitrary source-destination pair in Denmark, EcoTour returns the shortest route, the fastest route, and the eco-route, along with statistics for the three routes. EcoTour also serves as a testbed for exploring advanced solutions to a range of challenges related to eco-routing.
The role of the business model in capturing value from innovation : evidence from Xerox Corporation ’ s technology spin-off companies

This paper explores the role of the business model in capturing value from early stage technology. A successful business model creates a heuristic logic that connects technical potential with the realization of economic value. The business model unlocks latent value from a technology, but its logic constrains the subsequent search for new, alternative models for other technologies later on—an implicit cognitive dimension overlooked in most discourse on the topic. We explore the intellectual roots of the concept, offer a working definition and show how the Xerox Corporation arose by employing an effective business model to commercialize a technology rejected by other leading companies of the day. We then show the long shadow that this model cast upon Xerox’s later management of selected spin-off companies from Xerox PARC. Xerox evaluated the technical potential of these spin-offs through its own business model, while those spin-offs that became successful did so through evolving business models that came to differ substantially from that of Xerox. The search and learning for an effective business model in failed ventures, by contrast, were quite limited.
Ameliorative effects of glycyrrhizin on streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats.

Glycyrrhizin is the main water-soluble constituent of the root of liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). The study investigates the effect of glycyrrhizin on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic changes and associated oxidative stress, including haemoglobin-induced free iron-mediated oxidative reactions.



Male Wistar rats were grouped as normal control, STZ-induced diabetic control, normal treated with glycyrrhizin, diabetic treated with glycyrrhizin and diabetic treated with a standard anti-hyperglycaemic drug, glibenclamide. Different parameters were studied in blood and tissue samples of the rats.



Glycyrrhizin treatment improved significantly the diabetogenic effects of STZ, namely enhanced blood glucose level, glucose intolerant behaviour, decreased serum insulin level including pancreatic islet cell numbers, increased glycohaemoglobin level and enhanced levels of cholesterol and triglyceride. The treatment significantly reduced diabetes-induced abnormalities of pancreas and kidney tissues. Oxidative stress parameters, namely, serum superoxide dismutase, catalase, malondialdehyde and fructosamine in diabetic rats were reverted to respective normal values after glycyrrhizin administration. Free iron in haemoglobin, iron-mediated free radical reactions and carbonyl formation in haemoglobin were pronounced in diabetes, and were counteracted by glycyrrhizin. Effects of glycyrrhizin and glibenclamide treatments appeared comparable.



Glycyrrhizin is quite effective against hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia and associated oxidative stress, and may be a potential therapeutic agent for diabetes treatment.
Mutual information-based SVM-RFE for diagnostic classification of digitized mammograms

0167-8655/$ see front matter 2009  A doi:10.1016/j.patrec.2009.06.012 * Corresponding author.  +82 2 705 8931; fax: E-mail addresses: sjyoon@sogang.ac.kr (S. Yoon), sa Computer aided diagnosis (CADx) systems for digitized mammograms solve the problem of classification between benign and malignant tissues while studies have shown that using only a subset of features generated from the mammograms can yield higher classification accuracy. To this end, we propose a mutual information-based Support Vector Machine Recursive Feature Elimination (SVM-RFE) as the classification method with feature selection in this paper. We have conducted extensive experiments on publicly available mammographic data and the obtained results indicate that the proposed method outperforms other SVM and SVM-RFE-based methods.