cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Allopurinol an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase reduces uric acid levels and modifies the signs associated with copper deficiency in rats fed fructose

This study was designed to focus on the potential stress that xanthine oxidase could produce in copper-deficient rats fed fructose. Fructose consumption results in an excess production of uric acid due to an increased degradation of nucleotides. The enzyme xanthine oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of both hypoxanthine and xanthine. During the oxidation process free radicals are generated, which in turn, induce lipid peroxidation and premature death. Allopurinol -- a competitive inhibitor of xanthine oxidase -- could alleviate the combined effects of fructose feeding and copper deficiency. Twenty-five male rats were fed for 4 weeks from weaning a copper-deficient or adequate diet containing fructose. Twelve rats were given a daily oral dose of 5 mg allopurinol/100 g b.wt. Two copper-deficient rats that were not treated with allopurinol died prematurely during the fourth week of the study. No mortality occurred in the group of copper-deficient rats that had been treated with allopurinol. Anemia was alleviated by allopurinol, which in turn, could be responsible for improved growth rate. Allopurinol was effective in inhibiting xanthine oxidase activity in vivo as measured by the dramatic reduction of uric acid production. Lipid peroxidation, however, was not affected by allopurinol. It is concluded that the beneficial effects of allopurinol in copper deficiency do not appear to be related to prevention of oxygen radicals, but rather, to the protection against the catabolic destruction of purines, which in turn, increases nucleotide pool.
4-Substituted 1-acyloxypyridine-2(1H)-thiones: experimental and computational studies of the substituent effect on electronic absorption spectra.

A series of eight 4-substituted 1-(adamantane-1-carbonyloxy)pyridine-2(1H)-thiones (1, X = H, OC7H15, Me, CF3, SC3H7, CN, COOMe, and Cl) was prepared and characterized by UV−vis spectroscopy in MeCN and cyclohexane. The observed lowest energy transition, designated as πCS → π*ring, exhibits a substantial substituent effect and λmax ranges from 333 (X = OC7H15) to 415 nm (X = CN). Experimental λmax values for all esters except for 1b (X = OC7H15) correlate with the σp− parameter (ρ = 0.41 ± 0.03, r2 = 0.95). In contrast, the energy of the absorption band at about 295 nm, designated as πCS → π*CS, is practically substituent independent. Both absorption bands exhibit a modest negative solvatochromic effect. The experimental absorption energies correlate better with excitation energies calculated for N-acetyloxy analogues 2 with the ZINDO//DFT than with the TD-DFT//DFT method. Calculations for a series of 12 N-acetates 2 predict the most blue-shifted π → π* transition for the alkoxy substituent and most red-s...
Adolescents’ Perceptions of Parental Management of Peer Relationships in an Ethnically Diverse Sample:

Relations between adolescents’ reports of parental management of peer relationships (consulting, mediating, and autonomy granting in regard to peer relationships) and positive friendship quality, f...
A New Direct Electron Imaging System for Biomedical Applications

High resolution electron imaging of biological assemblies such as proteins, viruses, and cells are important for biomedical diagnosis and drug discovery. We report on the design of a new CMOS direct-detection camera system for electron imaging. The active pixel sensor array includes 512 by 550 pixels, each 5 by 5 μm in size, with a ~8 μm epitaxial layer to achieve an effective fill factor of 100%. Spatial resolution of 2.3 μm for a single incident e- has been measured. A sample image of a mouse’s muscle cell is presented.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
The changing incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma among patients with AIDS

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), the most common cancer in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), occurs predominantly in homosexual men. However, the percentage of homosexual AIDS patients with KS has declined during the past 6 years. This and other findings suggest that one or more cofactors associated with the homosexual lifestyle, rather than a special viral strain, probably influence the development of KS in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Possible reasons for the decline include changes in homosexual behaviors, leading to the practice of safer sexual techniques, and a decrease in use of nitrite inhalants. Identification of the KS-AIDS cofactor(s) could be invaluable to developing prevention and treatment strategies.
NASA Robotics Education: Inspiring the Next Generation of Explorers

Abstract This article highlights robotics related outreach activities at NASA that are relevant to secondary education, as well as educational robotics initiatives involving NASA and universities. An overview is provided of the work of both the NASA Robotics Alliance Project and Mars Public Engagement, which foster science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education through experiences with robots. Efforts toward sharing robotics software with universities aze also discussed, including results of a study highlighting university needs and preferences regarding robotics hardware and software for education and reseazch. The overview provides a glimpse of NASA’s efforts towazds providing students with multiple entry-points into robotics, working to develop a skilled robotics workforce of the future.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids and eicosanoids in insects

Abstract Novel aspects of the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), precursors of prostaglandins and other eicosanoids, in insects are reviewed. A number of insect species are able to produce linoleic acid, 18:2 ( n-6 ), de novo, a fatty acid that was previously believed to be essential for all animals. These insect species are unique among animals in that they possess a Δ12 desaturase which converts oleic acid, 18:1 ( n-9 ) to 18:2 ( n-6 ) and makes them nutritionally independent of plant derived polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The potential role of microorganisms in linoleate production was ruled out by studies using isolated tissue under axenic conditions from the house cricket, Acheta domesticus, an insect which does not contain intracellular microorganisms. The results showed that it is insect tissue that contains the Δ12 desaturase. This enzyme has been charactized from the house cricket and the American cockroach. In contrast to the plant Δ12 desaturase, which converts 18:1 esterified in a phospholipid as substrate to 18:2 ( n-6 ), the insect Δ12 desaturase uses oleoyl-CoA as substrate. A number of insect species, including representatives of both those that do and do not produce linoleate, elongate and desaturate 18:2 ( n-6 ) and 18:3 ( n-3 ) to 20:4 ( n-6 ) and 20:5 ( n-3 ), respectively. A conspicuous exception to this are mosquitoes, which require 20:4 ( n-6 ) or structurally related fatty acids in their diet. A number of insect species have been shown to metabolize 20:4 to prostaglandins and other eicosanoids.
Fano Factor in Germanium at 77°K

The Fano factor in germanium at liquid-nitrogen temperature has been found to be $F=0.129\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.003$ using $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays at energies from 0.122 to 4.8 MeV. $F$ appears to be independent of the primary energy in the investigated energy range. Care has been exercised to eliminate the influence of ballistic deficit, recombination, and trapping in planar lithium-drifted structures as well as noise, drift, and pile-up in the apparatus. Measurements with crystals having volumes from 0.8 to 13 cm gave consistent results. We examined the line shift and the linewidth dependence up to and into electric field strengths where saturation of electron and hole velocities occurs.
Ion mobility-mass spectrometry of intact protein--ligand complexes for pharmaceutical drug discovery and development

Mass spectrometry (MS) plays a number of key roles in the discovery and development phases for modern pharmaceutical compounds, ranging from the assessment of protein-ligand binding to biomarker discovery. Historically, however, MS has had a relatively limited role in the drug discovery process in comparison to high-throughput fluorescence and radiometric screens. This picture may be changing, however, as many presumptive protein targets are coupled to human disease pathways through specific protein-protein interactions and protein conformations, rather than enzyme activities. This fact will likely drive the development of high-throughput analytical tools that put a stronger emphasis on the structural information content produced in a screen. Here we summarize recent developments surrounding ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS), one such MS-based tool that is capable of rapidly measuring changes in protein structure, oligomeric state, and binding stoichiometry from complex mixtures at relatively low concentrations.
Immunocytochemical evidence for the presence and location of the neurotrophin-Trk receptor family in adult human preovulatory ovarian follicles.

Objective This study was undertaken to evaluate the presence or absence of neurotrophins and their respective receptors within adult human preovulatory follicles. Study design Prospective study of neurotrophins and their receptors in follicular cells and unfertilized oocytes from women undergoing aspiration for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Cells (mural and cumulus granulosa cells, unfertilized oocytes) were examined for immunocytochemical staining of neurotrophin and receptor proteins. Results Mural and cumulus granulosa cells were positive for BDNF, NT-4/5, NT-3, and NGF, as well as for Trk B, Trk C, and Trk A receptors. Unfertilized oocytes were positive for Trk B, Trk C, and Trk A receptors. Conclusion Neurotrophins and their respective receptor proteins are present within the mural and cumulus granulosa cells of adult human preovulatory follicles. Neurotrophin receptors are present in human unfertilized oocytes. The location of the neurotrophins and their receptors suggest both an autocrine and paracrine function within the adult human ovarian follicle.
Adrenergic differentiation potential in PC12 cells: influence of sodium butyrate and dexamethasone

Abstract The ability of sodium butyrate and dexamethasone to promote adrenergic differentiation in PC12 cells was examined using the gene encoding the epinephrine biosynthetic enzyme, phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT 1 ), as a marker. Sodium butyrate and dexamethasone independently stimulated expression of PNMT mRNA in PC12 cells, and the combined action of these drugs led to synergistic activation of the PNMT gene. Despite the induction of the PNMT gene, epinephrine is not produced in these cells, in part due to the absence of a corresponding induction in PNMT enzymatic activity. Another contributing factor appears to be a reduction in the precursor catecholamines, norepinephrine and dopamine, in the presence of sodium butyrate. Thus, while sodium butyrate and dexamethasone can induce PNMT gene expression, treatment of PC12 cells with these drugs appears insufficient for full acquisition of the adrenergic phenotype. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
A modified manometric vessel for special studies on tissue metabolism.

Abstract A modified Warburg-type manometric vessel designed for simultaneous measurement of oxygen uptake and C14O2 evolution by incubated tissue samples is described. The bottom of the center well of the vessel has been rounded to permit quantitative removal of viscous alkalies used to trap CO2, and a wide-mouthed port has been added which is sealed by a rubber stopper and aluminum crimped sealer and through which various additions to or removals from the various interior compartments of the vessel can be made. Calibration data and various potential uses are described.
Multiplexed modulation of behavioral choice

Stimuli in the environment, as well as internal states, influence behavioral choice. Of course, animals are often exposed to multiple external and internal factors simultaneously, which makes the ultimate determinants of behavior quite complex. We observed the behavioral responses of European leeches, Hirudo verbana, as we varied one external factor (surrounding water depth) with either another external factor (location of tactile stimulation along the body) or an internal factor (body distention following feeding). Stimulus location proved to be the primary indicator of behavioral response. In general, anterior stimulation produced shortening behavior, midbody stimulation produced local bending, and posterior stimulation usually produced either swimming or crawling but sometimes a hybrid of the two. By producing a systematically measured map of behavioral responses to body stimulation, we found wide areas of overlap between behaviors. When we varied the surrounding water depth, this map changed significantly, and a new feature – rotation of the body along its long axis prior to swimming – appeared. We found additional interactions between water depth and time since last feeding. A large blood meal initially made the animals crawl more and swim less, an effect that was attenuated as water depth increased. The behavioral map returned to its pre-feeding form after approximately 3 weeks as the leeches digested their blood meal. In summary, we found multiplexed impacts on behavioral choice, with the map of responses to tactile stimulation modified by water depth, which itself modulated the impact that feeding had on the decision to swim or crawl.
Submillimeter Polarimetric Observations of the Galactic Center

We report the first detection of polarized submillimeter emission from the Sagittarius A region at the Galactic center. We observed three separate 2' x 2' fields: one centered on the circumnuclear disk, one centered on the peak of the molecular cloud M -0.02-0.07 (also called the "50 kilometer per second cloud"), and one centered on the peak of the molecular cloud M -0.13-0.08 (also called the "20 kilometer per second cloud"). Linear polarization at lambda = 350 micrometers was detected in each of the three regions, at a total of 106 distinct sky positions. In the circumnuclear disk, the projected magnetic field directions that we infer from our measurements are similar to those inferred from previous far-infrared (lambda = 100 micrometers) polarimetry. In the "curved ridge" region of M -0.02-0.07 that has been compressed by the expansion of Sgr A East, our results show clearly the effects of this compression on the magnetic field. In M -0.13-0.08, we observe what appears to be a stretched magnetic field, as expected for this tidally sheared cloud. It has been suggested that a "finger-like extension" or streamer" from M -0.13-0.08 is falling into the circumnuclear disk. We tentatively interpret a flaring of magnetic field lines that we see in M -0.13-0.08 as evidence that the entire cloud has a velocity component in the Galactic eastern direction, i.e., toward the circumnuclear disk. Further observations are needed to test this interpretation. We argue that polarimetry of dust emission provides a promising tool for obtaining new information on the complex dynamics of neutral gas in the Galactic center.
Responding to ageing in crisis situations: Live experience from Arab countries

In a world ageing at ever-increasing pace, older adults have to face a myriad of challenges hindering their active participation in the economic, social and cultural life of their societies. All around the world, older persons aged 60years or over, are seen rather as a burden and drain on the resources of their families and communities than opportunities. They also suffer infringements of their rights. The situation of older adults in the Arab countries mirrors the one depicted at global level since challenging socio-economic and health conditions confront the daily life of the older population, in particular older women. In parallel, the Arab region is witnessing waves of unprecedented violent conflict and social movements that have led to massive forced migration and ever increasing numbers of refugees. The older age group is one of the refugees’ groups whose vulnerability is highly impacted in specific conflict and post-conflict situations. Drawing on the case of the Syrian crisis, the paper describes the initial socio-economic and health conditions that place older adults at a higher risk during emergencies, portrays the harsh conditions they have to face on the move and in their refuge, and argues that from a human-rights perspective the improvement of their initial socio-economic and health situation contributes to build their resilience and capacity to better cope in times of crisis. The paper also sheds light on the opportunities that are missed by overlooking the potential positive contributions of older adults in emergencies. It argues that recognizing the specific needs of the older adults in emergencies and trying to adapt the response to those needs is not sufficient. Efforts to provide adequate response are to be complemented by considering the untapped abilities of older populations which, if strengthened, could provide substantive help and support to their communities.
Strength of the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction in dilute CuMn alloys

From measurements of the magnetic properties of some dilute CuMn alloys we have determined the strength of the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction, $V(r)=\frac{({V}_{0}cos2{k}_{F}r)}{{r}^{3}}$, to be ${V}_{0}=7.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}37}$ erg ${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$. The corresponding value of the $s$-$d$ exchange parameter is $|J|=2.2$ eV.
Cell adhesion and focal adhesion kinase regulate insulin receptor substrate-1 expression.

Integrins are transmembrane receptors involved in interactions between cells and extracellular matrix proteins. Here we show that cell adhesion regulates insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) mRNA synthesis. When fibroblasts are held in suspension, lower levels of IRS-1 mRNA, but not of IRS-2 mRNA, are detected, and this effect is due to the negative regulation of IRS-1 transcription rather than to decreased mRNA stability. Upon fibronectin- or vitronectin-mediated integrin stimulation, the level of IRS-1 mRNA was restored within 4 h. The focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is known to be activated upon integrin stimulation, and we found that IRS-1 was not expressed in FAK−/− cells. Stable re-expression of epitope-tagged FAK in FAK−/−fibroblasts (DA2 cells) restored normal levels of IRS-1 expression, confirming that IRS-1 mRNA expression is regulated by FAK. It is known that integrins activate the JNK pathway. However, in adherent FAK−/− cells, we failed to detect activation of JNK, whereas JNK was stimulated in DA2 cells. This confirms the role of FAK in integrin-induced JNK stimulation. FAK-independent stimulation of JNK with anisomycin treatment both in FAK−/− cells and in suspended FAK+/+ cells confirmed that IRS-1 mRNA transcription can be partially regulated by JNK. We suggest that integrins can modulate insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling pathways by regulating the levels of IRS-1 in cells and that FAK-mediated signaling to JNK is one pathway involved in this process.
Surfaces from contours

This paper is concerned with the problem of reconstructing the surfaces of three-dimensional objects, given a collection of planar contours representing cross-sections through the objects. This problem has important aplications in biomedical research and instruction, solid modeling, and industrial inspection.The method we describe produces a triangulated mesh from the data points of the contours which is then used in conjunction with a piecewise parametric surface-fitting algorithm to produce a reconstructed surface.The problem can be broken into four subproblems: the correspondence problem (which contours should be connected by the surface?), the tiling problem (how should the contours be connected?), the branching problem (what do we do when there are branches in the surface?), and the surface-fitting problem (what is the precise geometry of the reconstructed surface?) We describe our system for surface reconstruction from sets of contours with respect to each of these subproblems. Special attention is given to the correspondence and branching problems. We present a method that can handle sets of contours in which adjacent contours share a very contorted boundary, and we describe a new approach to solving the correspondence problem using a Minimum Spanning Tree generated from the contours.
The immune system and major depression

Abstract This paper reviews research literature on the links between human immune functioning and mood disorders. It summarizes the initial steps of this fledgling research area since its inception in the late 1970s, and outlines a range of studies that are needed to increase our neuroimmunological sophistication. Future investigations will require greater specificity in several interrelated realms of inquiry: diagnostic, epidemiologic, and physiologic. In particular, this paper highlights basic physiological studies needed in both neurophysiology and immunology to provide a foundation for meaningful examination of their interface. Among the areas that require more specific investigation in both immunologic and mood disorders research is that of temporal organization. Just as psychiatric researchers have begun to scrutinize temporal cycles of mood, behavior, and neurophysiology, so too exploration of immune functioning must take into account predictable temporal cycles such as circadian and ultradian rhythms, as they shape responses to unanticipated external perturbations. Clarification of the temporal dimension will add significantly to our analysis of the links between immune functioning and mood disorders. The basic science of psychoneuroimmunology continues to mature, bringing new discoveries and revealing hitherto unknown mechanisms and interactions. This is a field of study in many ways still on the frontier, and explication of the long suspected links between mood disorders and immune functioning continues to beckon.
Note on the Spinal Accessory Nerve of Long-necked Ungulates.

Summary. In a llama the spinal portion of the accessory nerve was grossly absent. The sterno-cephalic muscle was innervated by the second cervical nerve and, presumably, also by a branch from the bulbar portion of the accessory nerve. Consideration of the literature indicates that the gross morphology of the accessory nerve and its relation to the sterno-cephalic and brachio-cephalic muscles are extremely variable features in the longest-necked ungulates (giraffe, camel, llama). Bibliography.
Machine-Assisted Indexing of Scientific Research Summaries.

The Smithsonian Science Information Exchange operates a large interdisciplinary information storage and retrieval system covering current and recently concluded research. It annually collects and indexes more than 100,000 summaries of research projects, and then retrieves selected summaries in response to specific requests for information. With the objective of improving its manual subject indexing effort, the Exchange has developed a computer system which indexes word combinations in each summary according to a Classifying Dictionary, prior to review by its professional staff. The combination creates a man-machine team which is believed to produce more consistent indexing, quicker and at less cost, while maintaining the scientific quality of current indexing practices. The system differs from some other machine approaches by condensing the multitude of text possibilities into restricted and ordered hierarchies. This article discusses the original aims of the system, its operation and the early experience with its implementation.
Social Constructionism and Social Inequality: An Introduction to a Special Issue of JCE

This article highlights two major trends in the social sciences: an increasing concern with inequality and a growing interest in interpretive variability and the creation of meaning. Despite these trends, not enough research treats inequality itself as a meaning that is socially constructed. The article proposes a list of ten ideas useful for guiding research on inequality in a more consistently constructionist direction. Then it introduces the five articles that compose this special issue on social constructionism and social inequality, articles that contribute to the constructionist agenda in varied ways.
A Free Boundary Problem Arising from Swelling-Controlled Release Processes

Abstract In this paper a mathematical model describing the diffusion of a penetrant solvent in a polymer is studied. The model is formulated as a one-dimensional free boundary problem, which involves two free boundaries. Global existence, uniqueness, and regularity as well as asymptotic behaviors of the free boundaries are established.
Ion Composition Elucidation (ICE): an Investigative Tool for Characterization and Identification of Compounds of Regulatory Importance

Abstract Ion composition elucidation (ICE) often leads to identification of compounds and provides high-quality evidence for tracking compounds to their sources. Mass spectra for most organic compounds are not found in mass spectral libraries used to tentatively identify analytes. In addition, multiple matches are common. Ion Composition Elucidation provides the numbers of atoms of each element in the ions in the mass spectrum, greatly limiting the number of possible compounds that could produce the mass spectrum. Review of chemical and commercial literature then limits the number of possible compounds to one or a few that can be purchased to confirm tentative compound identifications by comparison of mass spectra and chromatographic retention times. Ion composition elucidation is conceptually simple relative to other analytical techniques and more easily explained to a judge or jury. It is based on sums of the exact masses of atoms and their isotopic abundances. Several applications of ICE are demonstrated for ultra-trace-level compounds in an extract of the effluent from a tertiary sewage treatment plant including: (1) measurement of five values to determine an ion’s composition and to generate evidence for the compound’s identity, (2) rejection of incorrect library matches, (3) rapid screening for a target compound in an extract, and (4) a strategy for tracking unidentified compounds to their sources.
Relationship of insulin resistance to psychobehavioral characteristics of overweight and obese African American children.

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships of insulin resistance to positive as well as negative dimensions of the child's emotions, behavior and personality (hereafter referred to as “psychobehavioral characteristics”) in a convenience sample of inner-city, overweight and obese, African American children. Methods A secondary analysis was performed on a sample of 127 children ages 9–12 yr old who were participating in a community-based, Type 2 diabetes prevention program. Psychobehavioral characteristics of children were assessed using both child and parent ratings derived from the Behavioral Assessment for Children, 2nd edition (BASC-2). Body fatness was evaluated using anthropometric techniques, and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated from fasting glucose and insulin concentrations. Hierarchical multiple linear regression models were employed with BASC scales as dependent variables and HOMA-IR as the independent variable of interest. Results After adjusting for child age, pubertal stage, gender, family socioeconomic index, and intervention group assignment, child HOMA-IR was related at p Conclusion More than one psychobehavioral characteristic were associated with body fatness and insulin resistance in the overweight children of this study. Whether the associations are due to several, or only one, of these psychobehavioral characteristics could not be determined. A much larger and future study will be needed to determine which, if any, of these psychobehavioral characteristics are independently associated with insulin resistance in overweight children.
Rates and determinants of ventriculostomy-related infections during a hospital transition to use of antibiotic-coated external ventricular drains

Object The authors evaluated the rates of ventriculostomy-related infections (VRIs) after antibiotic-coated extraventricular drains (ac-EVDs) were introduced as the standard of care. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted of adult patients admitted to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital neurological intensive care unit in whom an EVD was placed between February 2007 and November 2009, excluding individuals receiving EVDs due to an infection of a primary device. Three time periods were defined depending on type of EVD in use: Period 1, conventional EVDs; Period 2, either ac-EVDs or conventional EVDs; and Period 3, ac-EVDs. Definite/probable VRIs that occurred during the 3 periods were evaluated and established as determinants of VRIs by using a Cox proportional hazards model. Prolonged systemic antibiotics were given for the duration of EVD placement in each of the 3 periods per institutional policy. Results Data from 141 individuals were evaluated; mean patient age was 53.8 ± 17.2 years and 54% were...
Osmotic nephrosis in a renal transplant recipient

CASE PRESENTATION A 59-year-old Hispanic male with a history of type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and end-stage renal disease (on hemodialysis for 2 years) was called in for a kidney transplant. He was in his usual health, having received dialysis earlier in the day. The kidney donor was from an expanded criteria pool and was a 59-year-old Caucasian male with diabetes mellitus who expired following a cerebrovascular accident. He had a terminal creatinine of 1.3mg/dl (114.92 μmol/l (nl range 0.6-1.2 mg/dl/53.04-106.08 μmol/l)) and no evidence of proteinuria. A donor renal biopsy revealed 10-15% tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis. There was a six-antigen mismatch, and cold ischemia time was 31 h. The final complement-dependent cytotoxic and flow cytometry crossmatch were negative. Renal transplantation was performed. At the time of transplantation, the patient received alemtuzumab (Campath; anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody) and solumedrol as induction therapy. The patient had an intra-operative episode of hypotension that resolved with a 500 ml bolus of normal saline and 250 ml of 6% hetastarch lactate electrolyte solution. At the completion of surgery, the patient was stable and was extubated and moved to recovery. On physical exam, he was normotensive with normal sinus rhythm, clear lungs, good dorsalis pedis pulses, and no peripheral edema. He had been anuric before surgery, but had made 10 ml of urine during the first hour. One hour after surgery, the patient's systolic blood pressure dropped to 80 mmHg. In an effort to sustain his blood pressure, he was given multiple boluses of normal saline, lactate Ringers solution, and an additional 11 of 6% hetastarch. He was eventually started on vasopressin and moved to the Intensive Care Unit. His hematocrit remained stable, but his potassium was elevated at 6.0 mM/I. Continuous renal replacement therapy was initiated. Renal ultrasound initially was unable to demonstrate arterial or venous blood flow. After 4 h, his blood pressure improved and he was weaned off vasopressin. A repeat ultrasound 24 h later showed restoration of arterial and venous blood flow. Maintenance immunosuppression was started on post-operative day 1 and included tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil. His tacrolimus trough level ranged between 9 and 13 ng/ml. The patient remained oliguric and hemodialysis-dependent during the first week. Due to delayed graft function and a creatinine of 6.2 mg/dl (548.08 μmol/l), renal allograft biopsy was performed on post-operative day 8.
Goodness-of-fit testing: the thresholding approach

The classical Pearson's chi-square test for goodness-of-fit has found extensive applications in areas such as contingency tables and, recently, multiple testing. Mann and Wald [(1942), ‘On the Choice of the Number of Class Intervals in the Application of the Chi Square Test’, The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 13, 306–317] were the first to establish the power advantages of letting the number n bin of bins tend to infinity with n, and found n bin=n 2/5 to be the optimal rate. For a corresponding development in the area of contingency tables, see Holst [(1972), ‘Asymptotic Normality and Efficiency for Certain Goodness-of-Fit Tests’, Biometrika, 59, 137–145], Morris [(1975), ‘Central Limit Theorems for Multinomial Sums’, The Annals of Statistics, 3, 165–188], and Koehler and Larntz [(1980), ‘An Empirical Investigation of Goodness-of-Fit Statistics for Sparse Multinomials’, Journal of the American Statistical Association, 75, 336–344]. In this paper, we consider the use of thresholding methods to further...
Phosphate and FGF-23

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-23 is probably the most important regulator of serum phosphate and calcitriol (1,25(OH)2D3) levels. It is secreted by osteocytes and osteoblasts in response to oral phosphate loading or increased serum 1,25(OH)2D3 levels. In human chronic kidney disease (CKD), plasma FGF-23 appears to be a sensitive biomarker of abnormal renal phosphate handling, as FGF-23 levels increase during early stages of kidney malfunction. In humans and animals with CKD, elevated FGF-23 levels increase fractional phosphate excretion, reduce serum phosphate levels, and reduce 1α-hydroxylase activity, which reduces 1,25(OH)2D3 formation thereby increasing parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. FGF-23 thus has a key adaptive role in maintaining normophosphatemia. Plasma FGF-23 continues to increase as CKD progresses, increasing by orders of magnitude in end-stage renal disease. At the same time, responsiveness to FGF-23 declines as the number of intact nephrons declines, which is associated with reduced expression of Klotho, the co-receptor required for FGF-23 signaling. In late CKD, FGF-23 cannot reduce serum phosphate levels, and abnormally high plasma FGF-23 concentrations appear to exert unwarranted off-target effects, including left ventricular hypertrophy, faster CKD progression, and premature mortality. Lowering serum phosphate levels through the use of oral phosphate binders and/or long-acting PTH agents may reduce FGF-23 levels in early CKD stages, thereby limiting off-target effects, which may improve patient outcomes.
Households Moving within the Rental Sector: Mental Schemata and Search Spaces

This paper is a report on a simultaneous study of renter movers' mental schemata, their overt search behaviour, and the structure of a housing submarket. Past research suggests that the pattern of intraurban migration can be rationalised using a model based upon an individual's mental image of the city. The mental image both facilitates search, and acts as a behavioural constraint upon the resident when he or she is searching for new accommodation. However, cognitive mapping per se has been less than exemplary in exposing the elusive bond between urban images and housing search behaviour. It is suggested that mental schemata are more appropriate than mental maps in delineating behaviour, as they represent cognitive structures and coding systems which enable the individual to respond to the shifting patterns of environmental stimuli. Personal construct theory is used to investigate the mental schemata of relocating renter households in London, Ontario. A strong correspondence between the respondents' menta...
Estimating misclassification error: a closer look at cross-validation based methods.

To estimate a classifier’s error in predicting future observations, bootstrap methods have been proposed as reduced-variation alternatives to traditional cross-validation (CV) methods based on sampling without replacement. Monte Carlo (MC) simulation studies aimed at estimating the true misclassification error conditional on the training set are commonly used to compare CV methods. We conducted an MC simulation study to compare a new method of bootstrap CV (BCV) to k-fold CV for estimating clasification error. For the low-dimensional conditions simulated, the modest positive bias of k-fold CV contrasted sharply with the substantial negative bias of the new BCV method. This behavior was corroborated using a real-world dataset of prognostic gene-expression profiles in breast cancer patients. Our simulation results demonstrate some extreme characteristics of variance and bias that can occur due to a fault in the design of CV exercises aimed at estimating the true conditional error of a classifier, and that appear not to have been fully appreciated in previous studies. Although CV is a sound practice for estimating a classifier’s generalization error, using CV to estimate the fixed misclassification error of a trained classifier conditional on the training set is problematic. While MC simulation of this estimation exercise can correctly represent the average bias of a classifier, it will overstate the between-run variance of the bias. We recommend k-fold CV over the new BCV method for estimating a classifier’s generalization error. The extreme negative bias of BCV is too high a price to pay for its reduced variance.
Thermal Expansion Mismatch in Electronic Packaging

Thermal expansion mismatch causes serious problems in operating device reliability because of the various stresses imposed on the joint materials undergoing temperature changes. Silicon has a low expansion coefficient so strain buffers are often employed between the silicon and the outer metal covers with relatively high expansion coefficients. These buffers can be metals like molybdenum, ceramics like alumina, or a brush structure of copper, with soft solders at the joints. However, solders themselves have finite fatigue lives which can be estimated from material and dimensional data.
The Gixel array descriptor (GAD) for multimodal image matching

Feature description and matching is a fundamental problem for many computer vision applications. However, most existing descriptors only work well on images of a single modality with similar texture. This paper presents a novel basic descriptor unit called a Gixel, which uses an additive scoring method to sample surrounding edge information. Several Gixels in a circular array create a powerful descriptor called the Gixel Array Descriptor (GAD), excelling in multi-modal image matching, especially when one of the images is edge-dominant with little texture. Experiments demonstrate the superiority of GAD on multi-modal matching, while maintaining a performance comparable to several state-of-the-art descriptors on single modality matching.
Features of the reflection of an acoustic beam from a surface with nonuniform boundary conditions. II. Experiments

A method for testing the quality of joints of materials proposed earlier and based on the revealed patterns of the reflection of elastic waves from modeled nonuniform boundaries of the free—rigid, free—slip, and slip—rigid types is experimentally verified. The technique and setup for studying the reflection of longitudinal, head, and Rayleigh waves is developed. The results of the investigations are in good qualitative agreement with the calculation data. It is shown that, as a result of interference of waves reflected from an nonuniform interface, transmission-reception angles exist at which the amplitude of a reference signal during scanning changes by tens of decibels or more. The fundamental possibility of using this method for evaluating the quality of cohesion between materials, testing the quality of acoustic contacts, controlling the directivity characteristic of elastic waves, etc., is confirmed.
Critical comments on 'On the constancy of the velocity of light'

A new theory of four-dimensional symmetry introduced by Hsu has been criticized as logically inconsistent. We answer the criticisms that have been raised and show that in fact this theory is not logically inconsistent.
Alteration of kappa-opioid receptor system expression in distinct brain regions of a genetic model of enhanced ethanol withdrawal severity

Abrupt withdrawal from chronic alcohol exposure can produce convulsions that are likely due to ethanol (EtOH) neuroadaptations. While significant efforts have focused on elucidating dependence mechanisms, the alterations contributing to EtOH withdrawal severity are less well characterized. The present studies examined the kappa-opioid receptor (KOP-R) system in Withdrawal Seizure-Prone (WSP) and Withdrawal Seizure-Resistant (WSR) mice, selected lines that display severe and mild convulsions upon removal from chronic EtOH exposure. Previous data demonstrated significant increases in whole brain prodynorphin (Pdyn) mRNA in WSP mice only during EtOH withdrawal. No significant effects of EtOH exposure or withdrawal were observed in WSR mice. The present study characterized Pdyn mRNA and the KOP-R in WSP and WSR mice during EtOH withdrawal using in situ hybridization (ISH) and KOP-R autoradiography. Analyses were performed in brain regions that express Pdyn mRNA and/or KOP-R and that might participate in seizure circuitry: the piriform cortex, olfactory tubercle, nucleus accumbens, caudate-putamen, claustrum, dorsal endopiriform nucleus, and cingulate cortex. ISH analyses confirmed previous findings; EtOH withdrawal increased Pdyn mRNA in multiple brain regions of WSP mice, but not WSR. Basal KOP-R binding was higher in WSR mice than in WSP mice, suggesting an anti-convulsant role for receptor activation. Finally, increased KOP-R density was present during EtOH withdrawal in WSP mice. These data suggest that differences in the KOP-R system among the lines might contribute to their selected difference in EtOH withdrawal severity.
Distribution of radioactivity after administration of3H-5-hydroxytryptamine by three different routes to the musselMytilus edulis

Intracardiac injection gives proportionately higher and earlier peak concentration in tissues that specifically accumulates it, i.m. injection gives slower but longer lasting accumulations, and topical application to a ganglia essentially localizes the drug in that structure.
Biphenotypic B‐cell lymphoma in 2 cats

The clinical and pathologic features of biphenotypic B-cell lymphoma in 2 cats are reported. Clinical presentation varied from multiple cutaneous masses identified on the thigh in one cat to signs of lethargy from acute hemorrhage due to neoplastic infiltration of one kidney in the other. Cytology and histopathology confirmed round cell neoplasia in both cats and immunochemical staining demonstrated expression of both B- and T-lymphocyte markers by the neoplastic cells in both animals. In PCR analysis of antigen receptor gene rearrangement, clonal rearrangement of B-cell receptor genes and polyclonal T-cell receptor gene rearrangement were demonstrated in both lymphomas. These findings were consistent with a diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma with aberrant CD3 expression in both cases. Clinical progression of disease post diagnosis was rapid in both cats, suggesting a poor prognosis for this lymphoma type. Although bigenotypic receptor rearrangement of lymphoma cells appears relatively common, this is the first known report of actual biphenotypic lymphoma in cats.
Maximizing The Benefit Of Load Information

A task that is transferred from a heavily loaded processor need not experience a reduced response time, even if this processor is fully informed of a comparatively lighter loaded destination for the task. This paper discusses the process of maximizing the gain in reduced response time by examining categories of load sharing algorithms according to the quantity and quality of information that is made available to a processor. The operation of a local area network is simulated using algorithms from each category to determine the effect of the available information. The paper shows that with a poorly constructed algorithm a reduction in response time in fact could be consumed by the time it takes to fully inform the processor about the current state of the system, and how a carefully tuned algorithm could produce an optimum response time.
Difference in Plumage Color Used in Species Recognition between Incipient Species Is Linked to a Single Amino Acid Substitution in the Melanocortin‐1 Receptor

Abstract: Many studies demonstrate that differences in mating signals are used by incipient species in recognizing potential mates or sexual competitors (i.e., species recognition). Little is known, however, about the genetic changes responsible for these differences in mating signals. Populations of the Monarcha castaneiventris flycatcher vary in plumage color across the Solomon Islands, with a subspecies on Makira Island having chestnut bellies and blue‐black upper parts (Monarcha castaneiventris megarhynchus) and a subspecies on neighboring satellite islands being entirely blue‐black (melanic; Monarcha castaneiventris ugiensis). Here we show that a single nonsynonymous point mutation in the melanocortin‐1 receptor (MC1R) gene is present in all melanic birds from one island (Santa Ana) but absent in all chestnut‐bellied birds from Makira Island, implicating this mutation in causing melanism. Birds from a second satellite island (Ugi) do not show the same perfect association between this MC1R variant and...
Mechanisms for electric and magnetic fields effects on biological cells

The application of electric and magnetic fields to biological systems can lead to changes that occur through a variety of physical mechanisms. These include changes in the ionic and molecular currents, changes in temperature due to heating, the lifetimes of free radicals, and the orientation of molecules. The importance of these mechanisms is a function of the biological system, the applied frequency, amplitude, and the length of exposure. These physical mechanisms, in turn, lead to changes in chemical reaction rates, molecular bindings to membranes, signaling between cells, and changes in the biology by way of changes in growth rates and cell functions, etc. In this paper, some ways in which measurements can be made to help sort out the physics leading to some of observed biological changes are described.
A CMOS differential amplifier with well-controlled voltage gain

A topology for a differential CMOS buffer amplifier is introduced. When compared to a popular differential amplifier cascaded with a source follower buffer, the new topology offers a better-controlled voltage gain at the same power dissipation. The new topology can have increased settling time, but the factors affecting its time domain response are discussed.
High-salt diet impairs vascular relaxation mechanisms in rat middle cerebral arteries

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained on a low-salt (LS) diet (0.4% NaCl) or a high-salt (HS) diet (4% NaCl) for 3 days or 4 wk. Po 2reduction to 40–45 mmHg, the stable prostacyclin analog iloprost (10 pg/ml), and stimulatory G protein activation with cholera toxin (1 ng/ml) caused vascular smooth muscle (VSM) hyperpolarization, increased cAMP production, and dilation in cerebral arteries from rats on a LS diet. Arteries from rats on a HS diet exhibited VSM depolarization and constriction in response to hypoxia and iloprost, failed to dilate or hyperpolarize in response to cholera toxin, and cAMP production did not increase in response to hypoxia, iloprost, or cholera toxin. Low-dose angiotensin II infusion (5 ng · kg−1 · min−1iv) restored normal responses to reduced Po 2and iloprost in arteries from animals on a HS diet. These observations suggest that angiotensin II suppression with a HS diet leads to impaired relaxation of cerebral arteries in response to vasodilator stimuli acting at the cell membrane.