Protein kinase C modulates estrogen receptors in differentiated osteoblastic cells in vitro

Ventriculo-peritoneal shunts (VPS) are the most frequent operative procedures used to treat hydrocephalic children. Abdominal complications of VPS are now a rare event; however, their frequency varies from 5% to 47% according to reports. Anything that causes an obstruction or impediment of the VP derivation system will lead to intracranial hypertension, which requires immediate surgery. From 1985 to 1995 at the Division of Pediatric Surgery of the Federico II University of Naples, ten laparoscopies were performed in ten children with VPS complications. Cerebrospinal fluid pseudocysts were found in four infants. There was one case of abdominal wall perforation by the tip of the catheter at the umbilical level, two bowel obstructions, and one catheter was lost in the abdominal cavity. Finally, two children had malfunctioning of the peritoneal limb of the catheter. The laparoscopic technique was curative in all ten cases, thus avoiding a conventional laparotomy and the consequent risk of adhesions, which could cause further complications.     

Traffic of dynamin within individual Drosophila synaptic boutons relative to compartment-specific markers

Presynaptic terminals contain several specialized compartments, which have been described by electron microscopy. We show in an identified Drosophila neuromuscular synapse that several of these compartments-synaptic vesicle clusters, presynaptic plasma membrane, presynaptic cytosol, and axonal cytoskeleton-labeled by specific reagents may be resolved from one another by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Using a panel of compartment-specific markers and Drosophila shibire(ts1) mutants to trap an intermediate stage in synaptic vesicle recycling, we have examined the localization and redistribution of dynamin within single synaptic varicosities at the larval neuromuscular junction. Our results suggest that dynamin is not a freely diffusible molecule in resting nerve terminals; rather, it appears localized to synaptic sites by association with yet uncharacterized presynaptic components. In shi(ts1) nerve terminals depleted of synaptic vesicles, dynamin is quantitatively redistributed to the plasma membrane. It is not, however, distributed uniformly over presynaptic plasmalemma; instead, fluorescence images show "hot spots" of dynamin on the plasma membrane of vesicle-depleted nerve terminals. We suggest that these dynamin-rich domains may mark the active zones for synaptic vesicle endocytosis first described at the frog neuromuscular junction.     

Some sexological characteristics of stress incontinent women

The goal of stress incontinence surgery is to prevent opening of the urethra during increases in intra-abdominal pressure. Greater refinements in the understanding of the pathophysiology of incontinence and experience with newer treatments have extended surgical thinking beyond the familiar paradigm "to place the urethra in a high retropubic position." When incontinence is associated with vaginal hypermobility, vaginal support may be sufficient to restore continence if the suburethral vaginal wall is sufficiently strong, an evaluation which must often be made by physical examination alone. However, when the vaginal wall is weak, the urethra will require an alternative form of support, usually a sling. If the urethra is intrinsically deficient, vaginal support may not be sufficient to prevent opening during increased intra-abdominal pressure, and coaptation by sling obstruction or periurethral bulking injection may be required. Most laparoscopic approaches to stress incontinence use Burch's method, which offers excellent urethral stability provided the suburethral vaginal wall is strong. Newer insights into the relation between vaginal mobility and urethral closure are discussed, as well as anatomic aspects of the Burch suspension relevant to laparoscopic repair.     

Particle swarm optimisation based AdaBoost for object detection

This paper proposes a new approach to using particle swarm optimisation (PSO) within an AdaBoost framework for object detection. Instead of using exhaustive search for finding good features to be used for constructing weak classifiers in AdaBoost, we propose two methods based on PSO. The first uses PSO to evolve and select good features only, and the weak classifiers use a simple decision stump. The second uses PSO for both selecting good features and evolving weak classifiers in parallel. These two methods are examined and compared on two challenging object detection tasks in images: detection of individual pasta pieces and detection of a face. The experimental results suggest that both approaches can successfully detect object positions and that using PSO for selecting good individual features and evolving associated weak classifiers in AdaBoost is more effective than for selecting features only. We also show that PSO can evolve and select meaningful features in the face detection task.     

Water,image, gesture and sound: composing and performing an interactive audiovisual work

Performing and composing for interactive audiovisual system presents many challenges to the performer. Working with visual, sonic and gestural components requires new skills and new ways of thinking about performance. However, there are few studies that focus on performer experience with interactive systems. We present the work Blue Space for oboe and interactive audiovisual system, highlighting the evolving process of the collaborative development of the work. We consider how musical and technical demands interact in this process, and outline the challenges of performing with interactive systems. Using the development of Blue Space as a self-reflective case study, we examine the role of gestures in interactive audiovisual works and identify new modes of performance.     

Healthcare foodservice report 1993. Getting ready for reform. Interview by Mitchell Schechter

Hospital foodservice directors & dietitians are facing the greatest challenge of their careers -- to prepare, along with their institutions, for the most thoroughgoing reform of America's healthcare system ever proposed. Healthcare institutions across the country are seeking the means to offer enhanced patient services & gain competitive advantages by forming new alliances, new patient-centered care systems & cost-reduction programs. To aid in these efforts, their foodservices are developing comprehensive cross-training schemes, inter-departmental teams with other service groups & new ways to cut operating subsidies. Here's how five hospital foodservice departments are using cost controls, revenue building, quality management processes & enhanced efficiencies to help their institutions prepare for the changes ahead.     

Transient temperature responses of hydronic radiant floor heating system by different pipe embedding depth and water supply condition

"Ondol" is a Korean unique heating system. It is a specific radiant floor heating system using combustion heat of briquette or timber in Korea. Such traditional "Ondol" is changed to radiant heating system with pipe-coil embedded in the floor or slab. This study has contributed to the understandings of the transient behaviours of Ondol-heated floor panels and enclosure exposed to this type of heating system. The result is that the water supply temperature had a large effect on the rate of increase in floor surface and room air temperature. But, in spite of a higher water supply temperature, the heat flow rate was not increased considerably. The shallow pipe embedding depths, of course, result in a low heat flow rate.     

Magnetic properties of RE x Mo6Se8 compounds between 0.7 and 295 K

Magnetization measurements are reported for seven members of the series of compounds RE _x Mo ₆ Se ₈ (x1; RE=La, Ce, Pr, Eu, Gd, Yb, and Lu). These measurements establish that Ce, Pr, and Gd ions are trivalent in these compounds, but that Eu and Yb are primarily divalent, in agreement with crystallographic data. Large deviations of the susceptibilities for CeMo ₆ Se ₈ , PrMo ₆ Se ₈ , and YbMo ₆ Se ₈ from Curie-Weiss behavior above 10 K are attributed predominantly to crystal field effects, and quantitative agreement between crystal field theory and the experimental data was obtained for CeMo ₆ Se ₈ above 25 K. Further, we find for Gd _1.2 Mo ₆ Se ₈ an unusually small spin exchange interaction between the Gd ions and conduction electrons, consistent with previous estimates of this quantity based on superconductivity data. For the Gd, Eu, and Ce compounds, the low-temperature data indicate very small Curie-Weiss temperatures of –1.7, –0.6, and +0.4 K, respectively. No evidence for magnetic ordering of the RE ions in any of the above compounds was observed, with the exception of CeMo ₆ Se ₈ , for which the magnetization data at 0.7–1.3 K suggest the onset of ferromagnetic order.Research sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Air Force Systems Command, USAF, under AFOSR Contract No. AFOSR/F-44620-72-C-0017.     

Water Resource Models in the Mekong Basin: A Review

Development of the water resources of the Mekong Basin is the subject of intense debate both within the Mekong region and internationally. Water resources modelling is playing an increasingly important role in the debate, with significant effort in building integrated modelling platforms to describe the hydrological, ecological, social and economic impacts of water resource development. In the hydrological domain, a comprehensive set of models has been effective in building understanding of the system, and in identifying and describing the issues and trade-offs involved in basin-scale water planning. In the ecological and social domains, quantitative modelling has not progressed very far; geo-spatial analysis and qualitative frameworks remain the most commonly used tools. Economic models have been used to assess the costs and benefits of water resources development and to describe the trade-offs between different sectors and users. These analyses are likely to play an important role in the policy and planning debate, but are hampered by uncertainties in valuation of ecosystem services. Future efforts should focus on optimising the use of existing model platforms for the Mekong, including structured comparison of multiple hydrological models to quantify errors and identify an optimum set of modelling tools for different applications. A comprehensive research effort is needed to incorporate groundwater into hydrological models for regional planning. Options for social impact assessment should be reassessed before major investments are made in complex modelling platforms, and participatory social survey methods evaluated as part of an integrated assessment framework.