nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Morbid obesity is not an independent predictor of graft failure or patient mortality after kidney transplantation.

Obesity is often an absolute contraindication to kidney transplant, but an internal analysis of our center's recipients suggests that not all obese populations exhibit poor outcomes. We used national data to compare outcomes in select groups of morbidly obese and normal-weight recipients after kidney transplant.



This study was a retrospective analysis of the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network/United Network for Organ Sharing database.



The study sample consisted of 30,132 morbidly obese (body mass index [BMI] 35-40 kg/m(2)) and normal-weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)) patients who underwent primary kidney-only transplantation between 2001 and 2006.



Crude 3-year graft and patient survival rates of morbidly obese and normal-weight subgroups were evaluated. Logistic regression modeling compared 3-year graft failure and patient mortality in morbidly obese and normal-weight subgroups with opposite characteristics. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were created for 3-year graft and patient survival. Cox proportional hazard regression modeling was used to determine hazards for patient and graft mortality.



No differences in crude graft and patient survival rates were seen between normal weight and morbidly obese recipients who were African American, diabetic, and 50 to 80 years of age. Morbidly obese recipients who were nondialysis dependent, nondiabetic, had good functional status, and received living-donor transplants had significantly lower 3-year graft failure and patient mortality risk compared with normal-weight recipients who were dialysis dependent, diabetic, had poor functional status, and received a deceased-donor transplant, respectively (P < .01). Morbidly obese recipients have significantly lower graft and patient survival curves compared with normal-weight recipients; however, multivariate regression analysis reveals that morbid obesity is not an independent predictor of graft failure or patient mortality.



Morbid obesity is not independently associated with graft failure or patient mortality; therefore, it should not be used as a contraindication to kidney transplantation.

Field of study: Medicine
Benchmarks for Image Classification and Other High-dimensional Pattern Recognition Problems

A good classification method should yield more accurate results than simple heuristics. But there are classification problems, especially high-dimensional ones like the ones based on image/video data, for which simple heuristics can work quite accurately; the structure of the data in such problems is easy to uncover without any sophisticated or computationally expensive method. On the other hand, some problems have a structure that can only be found with sophisticated pattern recognition methods. We are interested in quantifying the difficulty of a given high-dimensional pattern recognition problem. We consider the case where the patterns come from two pre-determined classes and where the objects are represented by points in a high-dimensional vector space. However, the framework we propose is extendable to an arbitrarily large number of classes. We propose classification benchmarks based on simple random projection heuristics. Our benchmarks are 2D curves parameterized by the classification error and computational cost of these simple heuristics. Each curve divides the plane into a "positive- gain" and a "negative-gain" region. The latter contains methods that are ill-suited for the given classification problem. The former is divided into two by the curve asymptote; methods that lie in the small region under the curve but right of the asymptote merely provide a computational gain but no structural advantage over the random heuristics. We prove that the curve asymptotes are optimal (i.e. at Bayes error) in some cases, and thus no sophisticated method can provide a structural advantage over the random heuristics. Such classification problems, an example of which we present in our numerical experiments, provide poor ground for testing new pattern classification methods.

Field of study: Computer science
Low Temperature Characteristics of Ion Implanted Silicon Position Sensitive Detectors

The operation of ion implanted silicon position sensitive detectors at low temperatures will be described. The improved noise performance of the detector at these temperatures in both the energy and position modes will be analyzed and its implications on low energy applications will be discussed. A large part of the investigation was devoted to the study of boron implanted resistors and their noise properties both at room temperature and cryogenic temperatures.

Field of study: Physics
Calibration estimators for quantitative sensitive mean estimation under successive sampling

The problem of estimation of sensitive population mean has been investigated using the item sum technique (IST) with calibration estimators in two occasion successive sampling. Generic sampling design have been assumed at each occasion to define calibration estimators. Properties of the proposed estimators has been discussed including asymptotic variance. Different possible allocation designs for allocating long list and short list samples pertaining to IST has been elaborated. Simulation study using a natural population has also been added to substantiate the theoretical results.

Field of study: Mathematics
Self-Healing Concrete Using Rubber Particles to Immobilize Bacterial Spores

Bacteria-based self-healing concrete is a construction material used to repair cracks in concrete, in which the bacterial spores are immobilized by bacteria carriers. However, the currently available bacteria carriers are not always suitable due to a complicated procedure or high cost. To develop a more suitable bacteria carrier as well as improve the anti-crack capability of self-healing concrete, in this study we evaluate the feasibility of using rubber particles as a novel bacteria carrier in self-healing concrete. Two types of self-healing concrete are prepared with rubber particles of different sizes to quantify the crack-healing effect. In addition, the fluidity and mechanical properties of the self-healing rubber concrete are compared with those of plain concrete and normal rubber concrete. The experimental results show that the self-healing rubber concrete with a particle size of 1~3 mm has a better healing capacity than the self-healing rubber concrete with a particle size of 0.2~0.4 mm, and the width value of the completely healed crack is 0.86 mm. The self-healing rubber concrete has a higher slump than the plain concrete and normal rubber concrete. According to the strength tests, the compressive strengths of the self-healing rubber concrete are low early on but they exceed those of the corresponding normal rubber concrete at 28 days. Moreover, the self-healing rubber concrete has higher splitting tensile strengths than the plain concrete and a better anti-crack capability. The results of a comparison to the other two representative bacterial carriers indicate that rubber particles have potential to be a widely used bacteria carrier for practical engineering applications in self-healing concrete.

Field of study: Materials science
Über Antamanid, XI. Merrifield-Synthese Tyrosin-haltiger Analoga des Antamanids

Analoge des Antamanids (AA), in denen die Phenylalanine der Positionen 5, 6, 9 und 10 durch Tyrosin ersetzt sind, werden durch Lochstreifen-programmierte, automatische Synthese der linearen Decapeptide-Vorstufen an Polystyrolharzen unter Verwendung von O-Benzyl-tyrosin aufgebaut und zwar: Tyr5-AA (1), Tyr6-AA (2), Tyr9-AA (3), Tyr10-AA (4), Ile1. Tyr6-AA (5), Ile1. Tyr5. Tyr10-AA (6), Gly1. Gly4. Tyr5-AA (7), Gly1. Gly4. Tyr6-AA (8), und Tyr9. des-Ala-AA (9). Die Cyclopeptide 1, 2 und 5 schutzen wie Antamanid mit ca. 1 mg pro kg die weise Maus vor dem Tod durch 5 mg Phalloidin pro kg, die Variante 3 mit 2 mg pro kg; 4 und 6 wirken mit 5 mg pro kg, wahrend die Glycin-haltigen Tyrosin-Antamanide 7 und 8 noch mit 20 mg pro kg unwirksam sind. Im Cyclononapeptid 9, dem das Ala4 der Antamanidsequenz fehlt, liegt das erste wirksame, verkurzte Antamanid-Analog vor; es schutzt die Maus bei einer Dosis von 5–10 mg pro kg. 
 
 
 
Antamanide, XI. – Merrifield Synthesis of Tyrosine-containing Analogues of Antamanide 
 
 
 
Analogues of antamanide (AA) in which the phenylalanines in positions 5, 6, 9 and 10 are replaced by tyrosine are synthesized by punched tape programmed automatic synthesis on polystyrene resins. Tyrosine is used as its O-benzyl derivative: Tyr5-AA (1), Tyr6-AA (2), Tyr9-AA (3), Tyr10-AA (4), Ile1. Tyr6-AA (5), Ile1. Tyr5. Tyr10-AA (6), Gly1. Gly4. Tyr5-AA (7), Gly1. Gly4. Tyr6-AA (8), and Tyr9. de-Ala-AA (9). The cyclopeptides 1, 2 and 5 like AA protect in a dose of 0.5–1 mg per kg the white mouse from being killed by 5 mg phalloidine per kg, the analogue 3 with 2 mg per kg; 4 and 6 have the same effect with 5 mg per kg and the glycine-containing tyrosine-antamanides 7 and 8 are ineffective even with 20 mg per kg. The cyclononapeptide 9 without Ala4 of the antamanide sequence is found to be the first effective shortened analogues of AA with a protecting dose of 5–10 mg per kg.

Field of study: Chemistry
MINERAL PARAGENESIS OF PRECAMBRIAN ROCKS IN THE TENMILE RANGE, COLORADO

A Precambrian complex of granulite, gneiss, and migmatite, intruded by numerous plutons of granitic rocks correlated with the Silver Plume granite, is exposed in a long narrow belt along the crest and upper slopes of the Tenmile Range, Colorado. The metamorphic rocks are predominantly felsic; bands, lenses, and irregular bodies of mafic rocks rich in biotite, hornblende, and locally in sillimanite and garnet, are interlayered with the felsic rocks. The major lithologic variations in the metamorphic rock complex are believed to be due chiefly to variations in the original sedimentary rocks, which probably were interbedded sandstone, shale, and limestone. The metamorphic rocks and the Silver Plume granite reveal the age relations of quartz and the feldspars, and these relations afford considerable information on the origin and progressive transformation of the rocks. Quartz is the earliest mineral in the metamorphic rocks and is probably a relict mineral of a sandstone. It has been partially replaced by feldspar. It occurs chiefly in irregular clusters, some of which show sutured grains, enclosed in a ramifying network of feldspar. Irregular small apophyses, barbs, and prongs of feldspar penetrate the quartz clusters along grain boundaries and healed fractures in the quartz. In some of the least feldspathized quartzose metamorphic rocks the feldspar is clearly interstitial to the quartz. Quartz also occurs in feldspar as small spherical inclusions. The relations of the quartz to the feldspars show clearly that a quartzose host rock was replaced by feldspar along quartz grain boundaries, pre-existing healed fractures, and margins of shadowy areas in strained quartz grains. The textural relations of the other principal minerals in the metamorphic rocks show that plagioclase formed earlier than the microcline and that the micas were the last of the principal minerals to form. Identical paragenetic relations are found in the Silver Plume granite, and the writer concludes that the Silver Plume granite was derived by partial fusion of quartzose metamorphic rocks.

Field of study: Geology
On the relationship between river-basin geomorphology, aquifer hydraulics, and ground-water flow direction in alluvial aquifers

The delineation of ground-water flow in alluvial valley stream-aquifer systems is important in studies of water availability, environmental impact, and aquifer remediation and is required by some states' water laws. Published potentiometric surfaces and head data, however, are not always available. When data are absent, it is commonly assumed that ground water and dissolved solutes flow toward the river. Analysis of published geomorphologic and hydraulic data in 24 alluvial systems and the results of digital simulations indicate that in some cases this assumption is only valid immediately adjacent to an effluent river. Ground-water flow in the remaining portions of an alluvial valley aquifer may be dominated by downstream or underflow components. This paper investigates the nature of ground-water flow in alluvial valleys and presents a new classification scheme for alluvial aquifers. The geomorphologic conditions that may allow underflow to be the predominant regional ground-water flow component are described.

In order to classify alluvial aquifers, two Darcy flux end-member components are defined. The baseflow component is that portion of the ground-water flux that moves perpendicular to the river. The baseflow component may flow toward the river or away from the river depending on whether the river is effluent or influent, respectively. The underflow component of the Darcy flux moves parallel to the river and in the same direction as the stream flow. The alluvial stream-aquifer systems are classified based on the predominant regional ground-water flow component as underflow-component dominated, baseflow-component dominated, or mixed. On the basis of the results of this study, we conclude that the dominant regional ground-water flow component, base-flow or underflow, can be inferred in an alluvial valley aquifer from geomorphologic data. These data include the channel slope, the river sinuosity, the degree of penetration (incision through the alluvium) of the river, the width-to-depth ratio, and the fluvial depositional system. The underflow component is demonstrably predominant when the following conditions exist: (1) the channel gradient exceeds .0008, (2) the sinuosity is less than 1.3, (3) the river penetration is less than 20%, (4) the width-to-depth ratio is greater than 60, and (5) the fluvial depositional system is either valley fill or mixed load to bed-load. The underflow component can also be dominant on flood plains where the lateral valley slope is negligible.

Field of study: Geology
P28 derived from C3d enhances the immune responses against HBV-preS2/S induced by gene immunization

To investigate the possibility of P28 derived from C3d to enhance the immune response to HBV-preS2/S that is induced by direct injection of naked plasmids containing different repeats of P28 and HBV-preS2/S in fusion form.  Copies of C3d-P28 coding gene, amplified by PCR and modified by restriction endonucleases digestion, were subcloned into a eukaryotic expression vector pVAON33 to construct pVAON33-P28.[1-4], respectively. HBV-preS2/S coding sequence was then introduced into pVAON33, pVAON33-P28.[1-4] and then identified by both PCR and DNA sequencing. BALB/c mice were primed by im gene immunization with different recombinant plasmids on day 0 and were boosted by sc inoculation with HBsAg protein 12 weeks post-priming. The levels of specific IgG in sera collected at the indicated times from each group were determined by ELISA. Results HBsAg specific antibody response was elicited in groups primed with plasmids pVAON33-S2/S-P28.[1-4] and pVAON33-S2/S. However, the response against HBsAg in the groups primed with pVAON33-S2/S-P28.[1-4] was significant higher than that in pVAON33-S2/S group, the highest level of the specific antibody response was observed in the group primed with pVAON33-S2/S-P28.4 (P0.01). The booster immunization with HBsAg protein accelerated and increased specific antibody in all groups except pVAON33 control, a stronger response was still found in the group vaccinated with pVAON33-S2/S-P28.[1-4] than that in pVAON33-S2/S group (P0.05).  Different repeats of C3d-P28 enhanced both primary and secondary response induced by gene immunization, in which 4 copies of C3d-P28 sequence showed the strongest effect of enhancement.

Field of study: Biology
SU-FF-T-168: The Evaluation of Several Commercial IMRT Treatment Planning Systems Heterogeneity Dose Calculation Algorithms Using An Anthropomorphic Thorax Phantom

To measure the accuracy of heterogeneity dose calculation algorithms from several commercial IMRTtreatment planning systems using an anthropomorphic thorax phantom.  Four planning trials were designed to characterize heterogeneity dose calculation algorithms. The four trials were 1) evaluation of ADAC Pinnacle's conventional 3D algorithm as a baseline, 2) evaluation of Pinnacle IMRT, 3) evaluation of Corvus IMRT and 4) evaluation of a hybrid plan consisting of the Pinnacle dose calculation optimized by Corvus. The accuracy of the algorithms was determined by delivering the clinically relevant treatment plans to the Radiological Physics Center's anthropomorphic thorax phantom. The phantom contained radiochromic film in the three major planes and TLDs in the center of the tumor target. The film data were normalized to the TLD readings. Point doses and planar dose distributions were extracted from the treatment planning system and compared to TLD and film measurements. Dose profiles and planar dose distributions were compared point by point using criteria of ±5% and 3mm distance to agreement.  Preliminary results for Pinnacle reveal TLD‐to‐calculation dose ratios of 0.994 and 0.990 for 3D and IMRT, respectively. Points on dose profiles through the target and adjacent lung met the agreement criteria 96% and 84% of the time for the respective treatment techniques. The 3D TPS planar dose distribution agreed with measurements to within the criteria at 74% of the points, while the IMRT TPS agreed at 73% of the points.  The Pinnacle conventional and IMRT heterogeneous dose calculation algorithms agree well with measured data in an anthropomorphic thorax phantom.

Field of study: Medicine, Physics
NEW PROGRESS IN SELF-ADAPTIVE FEMOL ANALYSIS OF 2D FREE VIBRATION PROBLEMS

The finite element method of lines(FEMOL) is a general and powerful semi-discretized method for BVPs. By viewing it as a generalized one-dimensional method, the well-established Element Energy Projection(EEP) method for super-convergence computation and the corresponding self-adaptive strategy in one-dimensional FEM can readily be incorporated into FEMOL, making the semi-discretized method to be a fully analytical and numerically exact method. Based on the earlier successful implementation of linear self-adaptive strategy in two-dimensional FEMOL analysis, the present paper intends to give a brief report of recent success and progress in adaptively solving two-dimensional free vibration problems. The paper briefly describes the main ideas of the self-adaptive strategy in the two-dimensional FEMOL analysis of free vibration problems, which forms a clean, simple, effective and reliable algorithm that can adaptively produce FEMOL results with accuracy of both the frequency and the mode satisfying the user specified error tolerance in a most restrict form. The numerical examples given show that the proposed method is highly efficient, stable, general and reliable.

Field of study: Engineering
Biochemical Characterization of Recently Identified Grain Mold Resistant Sorghum Lines

Grain mold, the most important and widespread disease of sorghum worldwide, is a major constraint to sorghum productivity. Production losses due to this disease range from 30 to 100% depending on cultivars, growing season and prevailing weather conditions during flowering to harvesting (Singh and Bandyopadhyay, 2000). Grain mold can be broadly defined as preharvest grain deterioration caused by several fungal species interacting parasitically and/or saprophytically with developing grain. Fungi belonging to more than 40 genera are associated with molded grains. Among them Fusarium species, Curvularia lunata and Alterneria alternata are major pathogens of worldwide significance. Some species of Fusarium (F andiyagi, F. proliferatum, F. thapsinum, E sacchari and E verticillioides) involved in grain mold complex produce mycotoxins, such as fumonisins, moniliformis trichothecenes, and fusaproliferin (Leslie ei al. 2005). These toxins are harmful to human- and animal-health and also reduce the quality and marketability of grains as food/feed sources (Thakur et al. 2006). The disease is particularly important on improved, short- and medium-duration sorghum cultivars that mature during the rainy season in humid, tropical and sub-tropical climates.

Field of study: Biology
Gastric ulcer and cancer.

The incidence of gastric carcinoma was studied in a series of 210 patients presenting with apparently benign gastric ulcer. In eight cases (3.9 per cent), carcinoma was diagnosed within 18 months and was almost certainly present from the outset; in 2.4 per cent the diagnosis was delayed for over three months, and the five-year death-rate due to gastric carcinoma was 3.2 per cent. In a mean follow-up period of 5.7 years after the first diagnosis of an ulcer (8.2 years after first symptoms), three fresh cases of gastric carcinoma were found, and in two of these the cancer was at a different site from the ulcer. The five-year incidence of fresh gastric carcinoma was 0.6 per cent. Unsuspected superficial spreading carcinoma was detected by histology in 5.4 per cent of gastrectomy specimens. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the management of gastric ulcer and the early diagnosis of cancer.

Field of study: Medicine
Comparative genomic hybridization indicating two distinct subgroups of pilocytic astrocytomas

Object The authors investigated the spectrum of chromosomal imbalances of pilocytic astrocytoma by using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH).  Tumor DNA was extracted from surgically obtained samples of 18 pilocytic astrocytomas that were examined for the presence of neoplastic tissue on frozen sections. Comparative genomic hybridization was performed using standard procedures, and digital image analysis was conducted using out by custom-made software. The chromosomal alterations were determined by a statistical procedure in which Student's t-test (99% confidence interval) was used. Details on CGH analysis and individual ratio profiles are available at http://amba.charite.de/cgh/.  The results suggests the presence of two distinct genetic subgroups of pilocytic astrocytoma, with imbalances of chromosome 19 being the major change for differentiation. In the first group (10 samples), deletions on chromosome 19 were shown as well as multiple gains mainly on chromosomes 5 and 6q but also...

Field of study: Medicine
Exponential Stability of Impulsive Discrete Systems with Multiple Delays

The stability problem of impulsive discrete systems with multiple delays is studied. By means of the Lyapunov stability theory and discrete-time Halanay-type inequality technique, we develop sufficient conditions for the exponential stability for the impulsive discrete systems with multiple delays, which involves multiple delays not only at non-impulsive time instants but also at impulsive time instants. The results are extended to two special discrete systems: the delayed discrete systems with time delays at only impulsive time instants and the delayed discrete systems with time delays at only non-impulsive time instants. Finally, the validity of the obtained results is shown by a numerical example

Field of study: Computer science