On dynamical bit sequences

Let X^{(k)}(t) = (X_1(t), ..., X_k(t)) denote a k-vector of i.i.d. random variables, each taking the values 1 or 0 with respective probabilities p and 1-p. As a process indexed by non-negative t, $X^{(k)}(t)$ is constructed--following Benjamini, Haggstrom, Peres, and Steif (2003)--so that it is strong Markov with invariant measure ((1-p)\delta_0+p\delta_1)^k. We derive sharp estimates for the probability that ``X_1(t)+...+X_k(t)=k-\ell for some t in F,'' where F \subset [0,1] is nonrandom and compact. We do this in two very different settings: (i) Where \ell is a constant; and (ii) Where \ell=k/2, k is even, and p=q=1/2. We prove that the probability is described by the Kolmogorov capacitance of F for case (i) and Howroyd's 1/2-dimensional box-dimension profiles for case (ii). We also present sample-path consequences, and a connection to capacities that answers a question of Benjamini et. al. (2003)Comment: 25 pages. This a substantial revision of an earlier paper. The material has been reorganized, and Theorem 1.3 is ne

De novo pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis in isolated rat glomeruli

De novo pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis in isolated rat glomeruli. Uracil ribonucleotide–sugars and aminosugars are required for glomerular basement membrane (GBM) biosynthesis. Since these nucleotides are metabolic derivatives of uridine 5′-triphosphate (UTP), we have studied the cellular pools of uridine 5′-diphosphoglucose (UDPG), uridine 5′-diphosphoglucuronic acid (UDPGA), uridine 5′-diphospho-N-acetyl glucosamine (UDPAG) and UTP, and measured UTP synthesis de novo in isolated glomeruli incubated in vitro. Improved techniques for nucleotide quantitation were established and the optimal conditions for glomerular isolation and incubation determined. Substantial quantities of uracil ribonucleotide coenzymes and an active utilization of orotate for the synthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides were demonstrated. UTP synthesis and the pools of UDPG and UDPG A varied markedly with changes in the experimental conditions. The adverse effects of suboptimal conditions were more apparent in glomeruli from diabetic animals than in controls. The use of suboptimal conditions could provide misleading information on GBM metabolism in isolated glomeruli since uracil ribonucleotide coenzyme availability might be reduced

Assessing the ability of white-rot fungi to tolerate polychlorinated biphenyls using predictive mycology

The aim of the present study was to assess the ability of different white-rot fungi to tolerate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using predictive mycology, by relating fungal growth inhibition to ligninolityc enzyme secretion. Fungal strains were grown in the presence of PCBs in solid media and their radial growth values were modelled through the Dantigny-logistic like function in order to estimate the time required by the fungal colonies to attain half their maximum diameter. The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed an inverse correlation between strain tolerance to PCBs and the laccase secretion over time, being laccase production closely associated with fungal growth capacity. Finally, a PCA was run to regroup and split between resistant and sensitive fungi. Simultaneously, a function associated with a model predicting the tolerance to PCBs was developed. Some of the assayed isolates showed a promising capacity to be applied in PCB bioremediation. Abbreviations: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), white-rot fungi (WRF).Fil: Sadañoski, Marcela Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Velázquez, Juan Ernesto. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Fonseca, Maria Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Zapata, Pedro Dario. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Levin, Laura Noemí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; ArgentinaFil: Villalba, Laura. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentin

Preferred antiretroviral drugs for the next decade of scale up

Global commitments aim to provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) to 15 million people living with HIV by 2015, and recent studies have demonstrated the potential for widespread ART to prevent HIV transmission. Increasingly, countries are adapting their national guidelines to start ART earlier, for both clinical and preventive benefits. To maximize the benefits of ART in resource-limited settings, six key principles need to guide ART choice: simplicity, tolerability and safety, durability, universal applicability, affordability and heat stability. Currently available drugs, combined with those in late-stage clinical development, hold great promise to simplify treatment in the short term. Over the longer-term, newer technologies, such as long-acting formulations and nanotechnology, could radically alter the treatment paradigm. This commentary reviews recommendations made in an expert consultation on treatment scale up in resource-limited settings

Topology of the universe from COBE-DMR; a wavelet approach

In this paper we pursue a new technique to search for evidence of a finite Universe, making use of a spherical mexican-hat wavelet decomposition of the microwave background fluctuations. Using the information provided by the wavelet coefficients at several scales we test whether compact orientable flat topologies are consistent with the COBE-DMR data. We consider topological sizes ranging from half to twice the horizon size. A scale-scale correlation test indicates that non-trivial topologies with appropriate topological sizes are as consistent with the COBE-DMR data as an infinite universe. Among the finite models the data seems to prefer a Universe which is about the size of the horizon for all but the hypertorus and the triple-twist torus. For the latter the wavelet technique does not seem a good discriminator of scales for the range of topological sizes considered here, while a hypertorus has a preferred size which is 80% of the horizon. This analysis allows us to find a best fit topological size for each model, although cosmic variance might limit our ability to distinguish some of the topologies.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures (12 coloured), submitted to MNRAS. Figures 1,2 and 3 are not included but a complete version of the paper with high resolution figures can be downloaded from (http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/~graca/topol/

Renal Involvement in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Clinicopathologic Study of the Henry Ford Hospital Experience

To better understand renal dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus, we studied the clinical and autopsy findings in comparable cohorts of 108 diabetic and 77 nondiabetic patients. In the diabetic group, no differences were noted between black and white patients in blood glucose concentrations, mean blood pressure, or the prevalence of diabetic glomerulosclerosis. However, the prevalence of renal insufficiency was significantly greater (P = 0.002) in black diabetics (58%) than in white diabetics (35%). black controls (28%), and white controls (20%). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant association of renal insufficiency with diabetes (P = 0.006) and race (P = 0.032). butnot with mean blood pressure, age, or sex. An additional nonspecific glomerular lesion commonly found was global sclerosis. The occurrence of this lesion was significantly greater (P = O.OOI) in black diabetics (42% ± 5%) than in white diabetics (26% ± 5%), black controls (19% ± 4%), and white controls (21% ± 4%), and was highly correlated (P = O.OOI) to serum creatinine concentrations. In patients with serum creatinine concentrations lower than 1.6 mg/dL, kidney weight was significantly greater (P = 0.03) in diabetics with diabetic glomerulosclerosis (405 ± 32 g) as compared to those without it (300 ± 25 g) or to control patients (329 ± 13 g). This study demonstrates that the overall prevalence of diabetic glomerulosclerosis in this group of type 2 diabetics is 45%, and that renal enlargement is present in these patients prior to the development of significant renal insufficiency. In addition, renal insufficiency and end-stage renal failure are more common in black than in white diabetics

Treatment of Uremic Diabetic Patients: Hemodialysis or Transplantation?

Eighty-one patients with chronic renal failure associated with or secondary to diabetic nephropathy were treated with dialysis and/or transplant. Twenty-five had juvenile diabetes and 56 had adult onset diabetes. Juvenile diabetics did poorly on hemodialysis with 13 patients having a 19% four-year survival rate, whereas those who had cadaveric transplantation did well with a four-year patient and graft survival rate of 56% in nine patients. The three juvenile diabetics who received related kidney grafts are presently alive with good function. Patients with adult onset diabetes did well on hemodialysis with a four-year survival rate of 63% in 45 patients. In this last group 11 patients received cadaveric transplants, but none survived 18 months

Mycoremediation of high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls with Pleurotus sajor-caju LBM 105 as an effective and cheap treatment

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are exceptionally stable organic pollutants. An effective and economically feasible process is essential for their removal. Mycoremediation using white-rot fungal strains proved as a highly effective approach that has not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this work was to evaluate PCBs remediation efficacy applying Pleurotus sajor-caju LBM 105. Axenic cultures of the fungus, either in complex or N-limited liquid media, were spiked with 217 mg L-1 of a technical mixture of Aroclor 1242, 1254 y 1260 in oil transformer. PCBs removal capacity, toxicity reduction, changes in fungal morphology and laccase expression caused by pollutant addition and the cost-effectiveness of the remediation treatment were assessed when growing the fungus under two different nutritional conditions. P. sajor-caju LBM 105 could remove 97.7% and 91.7% of the PCBs mixture and reduced the toxicity in complex and mineral media respectively after 35 days of incubation. The addition of PCBs to P. sajor-caju LBM 105 culture media resulted in an increase in hyphal diameter, changes in biomass, glucose consumption, proteins and laccase secretion. A 3-fold rise in laccase activity was detected in both media at 28 day. Laccase mRNA augmented 16% and 91% at 21 and 28 days respectively when PCBs were added to the N-limited liquid media. Mycoremediation of PCBs with P. sajor-caju LBM 105 cultivated in N-limited liquid medium is an effective low-cost (0.69 $ g-1d-1) alternative technique for PCBs treatment.Fil: Sadañoski, Marcela Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Benitez, Silvana Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Fonseca, Maria Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Velázquez, Juan Ernesto. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Zapata, Pedro Darío. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Levin, Laura Noemí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; ArgentinaFil: Villalba, Laura Lidia. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular; Argentin

Effect of Acute Posttransplant Renal Failure on the Survival of Perfused Cadaver Kidneys

Between 7973 and 7977 we encountered 22 cases of acute renal failure after transplantation in 70 patients who received perfused cadaver kidneys. Nearly two-thirds of 76 nonfunctioning grafts were lost due to subsequent superimposed rejection, often undetected and, hence, untreated. Thirty-one percent of the 76 recovered function. The recovery rate, we believe, can be improved by earlier diagnosis and treatment of rejection and by avoiding invasive diagnostic procedures in the early postoperative period. If the oliguric period extends beyond two weeks, a closed percutaneous renal biopsy is justified. The diagnosis of rejection and/or other abnormality as well as subsequent treatment are very important in these patients