Novel injectable urethral bulking agents for the treatment of urinary incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence is a highly prevalent disorder resulting from weak urethral closure mechanisms. Endoscopic injection of a urethral bulking agent (UBA) under the urethral mucosa increases coaptation, which improves continence. Collagen is an efficient agent, although its effects are limited in time. Other materials still suffer either from a short-lasting effect or migration in distant organs. We evaluated here novel UBAs using an ex vivo model, with respect to criteria of ease of injection, ability to form a high and stable tissue bulking, implant elasticity and tissue reaction. One approach involves solutions of polymers in water-miscible organic solvents that precipitates in situ. In this manner, high and stable bulks were routinely obtained using various commercial polymers. Selected solvents reduced the tissue reaction to the implant. Microsphere suspensions in hydrogels also proved to be efficient UBA, although less stable bulks were obtained. Thermosetting chitosan hydrogels showed promising results with respect to bulk stability and isoelasticity with surrounding tissues. Different strategies have thus been compared and optimised ex vivo. Further experiments are required to compare the ability of these materials to induce a sustained in vivo bulking effect.     

Constant-distance mode scanning potentiometry. 1. Visualization of calcium carbonate dissolution in aqueous solution

Constant-distance mode scanning potentiometry was established by integrating potentiometric microsensors as ion-selective scanning probes into a SECM setup that was equipped with a piezoelectric shear force-based tip-to-sample distance control. The combination of specially designed micrometer-sized potentiometric tips with an advanced system for tip positioning allowed simultaneous acquisition of both topographic and potentiometric information at solid/liquid interfaces with high spatial resolution. The performance of the approach was evaluated by applying Ca(2+)-selective constant-distance mode potentiometry to monitor the dissolution of calcium carbonate occurring either at the (104) surface of calcite crystals or in proximity to the more complex surface of cross sections of a calcium carbonate shell of Mya arenaria exposed to slightly acidic aqueous solutions. Micrometer-scale heterogeneities in the apparent calcium activity profiles have successfully been resolved for both samples.     

A developmental study of learned helplessness.

Examined susceptibility to learned helplessness among 20 children from each of kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 3, and Grade 5 classes by exposing groups of Ss to either repeated failure or repeated success on hidden figures problems. Helplessness was measured by Ss' persistence in looking for hidden figures and their capacity to find them following repeated success or failure. It was hypothesized that younger Ss would be less susceptible to helplessness than older ones, due to age-related differences in causal attributions for success and failure. Results confirm the hypothesis in that failure, relative to success, had significantly less influence on the level of helplessness in younger Ss' behavior. It is suggested that the development of attributional capabilities during the preschool and early elementary school years has important ramifications for cognitive theories of motivation. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of GABA in the control of thyrotropin secretion in the rat

Various doses of GABA from 0.25 to 5 mumol injected into the third ventricle decrease serum TSH rapidly. The same effect was observed with GABOB (10 mumol), the hydroxylated form of GABA. The inhibitory effect of both of these drugs was prevented by picrotoxin injection (1 microgram). Peripheral injection of GABAergic drugs such as GABOB or AOAA also decreased serum TSH. In vitro, the addition of GABA (from 6.7 . 10(-6) to 6.7 . 10(-4) M) to the incubation medium of hemi-anterior pituitary did not modify the liberation of TSH. To test the physiological role of GABA in the regulation of thyrotropin function the circadian TSH rhythm was used as a model. Both GABAergic inhibitors, picrotoxin (10 microgram/kg b.w.) as well as semicarbazide (150 mg/kg b.w.), induced an increase of the low basal nocturnal level of TSH (centered on the 02.00 h time point) without altering the diurnal peak of TSH. We conclude that GABA has an inhibitory effect on central thyrotropin control via an inhibition of TRH release from the hypothalamus and might be, at least partly, responsible for the low nocturnal levels of serum TSH observed during the circadian physiological rhythm.     

Lake sedimentary evidence of phosphorus,iron and manganese mobilisation from intensively fertilised soils

A study of historical P inputs to Friary Lough, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland used a multi-sediment core approach. One of the sediment cores taken from the littoral zone at 2.5m water depth showed exceptionally high P, Fe and Mn concentrations below 20 cm sediment depth. Concentrations increased to 14 mg Pg(-1), 238 mg Feg(-1) and 35 mg Mng(-1) in the sediment profile and compared with deep basin maxima of 7 mg Pg(-1), 70 mg Feg(-1) and 2 mg Mng(-1) in surface sediments at 8.5m water depth. It is proposed that the high concentrations in the littoral zone core are due to post-depositional intrusion of chemical-rich local groundwater from soils in adjacent fields that are excessively fertilised with organic slurry. Soil analyses showed Olsen-P concentrations in these fields up to 125 mgkg(-1) at the soil surface (0-7.5 cm) and 39 mgkg(-1) in the sub-soil at 20 cm depth. We suggest that the mobilisation of P, Fe and Mn is due to leaching following P saturation and/or the loss of P absorbing chemicals due to prolonged reduction and complexing in wet soils. Further work will explore this relationship and the nature of the hydrological pathways through soil.     

Analysis of time-series MODIS 250 m vegetation index data for crop classification in the U.S. Central Great Plains

The global environmental change research community requires improved and up-to-date land use/land cover (LULC) datasets at regional to global scales to support a variety of science and policy applications. Considerable strides have been made to improve large-area LULC datasets, but little emphasis has been placed on thematically detailed crop mapping, despite the considerable influence of management activities in the cropland sector on various environmental processes and the economy. Time-series MODIS 250 m Vegetation Index (VI) datasets hold considerable promise for large-area crop mapping in an agriculturally intensive region such as the U.S. Central Great Plains, given their global coverage, intermediate spatial resolution, high temporal resolution (16-day composite period), and cost-free status. However, the specific spectral-temporal information contained in these data has yet to be thoroughly explored and their applicability for large-area crop-related LULC classification is relatively unknown. The objective of this research was to investigate the general applicability of the time-series MODIS 250 m Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) datasets for crop-related LULC classification in this region. A combination of graphical and statistical analyses were performed on a 12-month time-series of MODIS EVI and NDVI data from more than 2000 cropped field sites across the U.S. state of Kansas. Both MODIS VI datasets were found to have sufficient spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions to detect unique multi-temporal signatures for each of the region's major crop types (alfalfa, corn, sorghum, soybeans, and winter wheat) and management practices (double crop, fallow, and irrigation). Each crop's multi-temporal VI signature was consistent with its general phenological characteristics and most crop classes were spectrally separable at some point during the growing season. Regional intra-class VI signature variations were found for some crops across Kansas that reflected the state's climate and planting time differences. The multi-temporal EVI and NDVI data tracked similar seasonal responses for all crops and were highly correlated across the growing season. However, differences between EVI and NDVI responses were most pronounced during the senescence phase of the growing season.     

Distance metric-based time-efficient fuzzy algorithm for abnormal magnetic resonance brain image segmentation

Image segmentation is one of the significant computational applications of the biomedical field. Automated computational methodologies are highly preferred for medical image segmentation since these techniques are immune to human perception error. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based techniques are often used for this process since they are superior to other automated techniques in terms of accuracy and convergence time period. Fuzzy systems hold a significant position among the AI techniques because of their high accuracy. Even though these systems are exceptionally accurate, the time period required for convergence is exceedingly high. In this work, a novel distance metric-based fuzzy C-means (FCM) algorithm is proposed to tackle the low-convergence-rate problem of the conventional fuzzy systems. This modified approach involves the concept of distance-based dimensionality reduction of the input vector space that substantially reduces the iterative time period of the conventional FCM algorithm. The effectiveness of the modified FCM algorithm is explored in the context of magnetic resonance brain tumor image segmentation. Experimental results show promising results for the proposed approach in terms of convergence time period and segmentation efficiency. Thus, this algorithm proves to be highly feasible for time-oriented real-time applications.     

Evaluation of spatio-temporal variations in chlorophyll-a in Lake Naivasha,Kenya: remote-sensing approach

Restoration of the ecosystem services and functions of lakes requires an understanding of the turbidity dynamics in order to arrive at informed environmental management decisions. The understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of turbidity requires frequent monitoring of the turbidity components such as chlorophyll-a concentration. In this study, we explored the use of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Aqua (MODIS-Aqua) satellite data in studying the spatio-temporal changes in chlorophyll-a concentration in Lake Naivasha, a turbid tropical system. The temporal trend of chlorophyll-a concentration over the study period in the lake was also evaluated. The temporal trend assessment was achieved through the removal of periodic seasonal interference using Seasonal-Trend decomposition based on the LOESS (Local Regression) procedure. The resultant chlorophyll-a concentration maps derived from MODIS-Aqua satellite data give an indication of the monthly spatial variation in chlorophyll-a concentration from 2002 to 2012. The results of regression analyses between satellite-derived chlorophyll-a and in situ measurements reveal a high level of precision, but with a measureable bias with the satellite underestimating actual in situ measurements (R² = 0.65, P < 0.001). Although the actual values of the chlorophyll-a concentrations are underestimated, the significant relationship between satellite-derived chlorophyll-a and in situ measurements provides reliable information for studying spatial variations and temporal trends. In 2009 and 2010, it was difficult to detect chlorophyll-a from the MODIS-Aqua imagery, and this coincided with a period of the lowest water levels in Lake Naivasha. An inverse relationship between de-seasoned water level and chlorophyll-a concentration was evident. This study shows that MODIS-Aqua satellite data provide useful information on the spatio-temporal variations in Lake Naivasha, which is useful in establishing general trends that are more difficult to determine through routine ground measurements.     

Large-Scale Tracing of Ground Water with Sulfur Hexafluoride

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) was injected into a 9 km reach of the Santa Ana River in Orange County, CA, over a period of two weeks. The entire flow of this river, which averaged 2.8 m3 s?1, percolated into the ground in the field area. The tracer was monitored at wells near the river to determine subsurface flow patterns and flow times with an accuracy much greater than could be achieved using numerical simulations of ground-water flow. During the experiment, SF6 effectively tagged 3.7 × 106 m3 of water. The tracer plume was mapped in the subsurface for 18 months and indicates that linear ground-water velocities averaged about 2 km year?1. The tracer reached two wells adjacent to the river (about 200 m away) within three weeks, giving evidence that SF6 was not retarded significantly relative to the ground-water flow. This is in agreement with previous laboratory experiments.