Academic Computing Newsletter: April 1994

Academic Computing Newsletter (Vol 9 Number 3, April1994) is published on an irregular schedule by Academic Computing Services, State University of New York, College at Brockport. This issue focuses on policies, workshops, and Educational Technology Initiative awards.https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/lits_news/1048/thumbnail.jp

Celebrity culture and public connection: bridge or chasm?

Media and cultural research has an important contribution to make to recent debates about declines in democratic engagement: is for example celebrity culture a route into democratic engagement for those otherwise disengaged? This article contributes to this debate by reviewing qualitative and quantitative findings from a UK project on 'public connection'. Using self-produced diaries (with in-depth multiple interviews) as well as a nationwide survey, the authors argue that while celebrity culture is an important point of social connection sustained by media use, it is not linked in citizens' own accounts to issues of public concern. Survey data suggest that those who particularly follow celebrity culture are the least engaged in politics and least likely to use their social networks to involve themselves in action or discussion about public-type issues. This does not mean 'celebrity culture' is 'bad', but it challenges suggestions of how popular culture might contribute to effective democracy

Gastro-intestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) – the Pretoria experience and a literature review

AIM: To analyse the presentation and management of patients with gastro-intestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) at Pretoria hospitals. DESIGN: A retrospective study was done in which all available clinical records of primary c-KIT positive GISTs were analysed. SETTING: Secondary and tertiary care institutions in Pretoria, including both private and public hospitals. SUBJECTS: The population studied included all individuals treated at Pretoria hospitals from 17 July 2000 to 1 April 2009 who had a GIST confirmed with immunohistochemical c‑KIT staining. Patients with incomplete or inaccessible clinical records were excluded. OUTCOME MEASURES. Patient demographics including gender, age and race; presenting symptoms and signs; results of special investigations; and treatment. RESULTS: Fifty-four cases were identified for inclusion in the study. The age of the subjects ranged from 15 to 83 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.5:1. The organ most commonly affected was the stomach, and abdominal pain and weight loss were the most common presenting symptoms. Seventy-six per cent of the patients were treated surgically, and 24% received imatinib. CONCLUSION: GISTs often present late with nonspecific symptoms, and are frequently discovered incidentally. Large tumours tend to be malignant.http://www.hmpg.co.za/journaldetail.php?journalno=

Pre-M Phase-promoting Factor Associates with Annulate Lamellae in Xenopus Oocytes and Egg Extracts

We have used complementary biochemical and in vivo approaches to study the compartmentalization of M phase-promoting factor (MPF) in prophase Xenopus eggs and oocytes. We first examined the distribution of MPF (Cdc2/CyclinB2) and membranous organelles in high-speed extracts of Xenopus eggs made during mitotic prophase. These extracts were found to lack mitochondria, Golgi membranes, and most endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but to contain the bulk of the pre-MPF pool. This pre-MPF could be pelleted by further centrifugation along with components necessary to activate it. On activation, Cdc2/CyclinB2 moved into the soluble fraction. Electron microscopy and Western blot analysis showed that the pre-MPF pellet contained a specific ER subdomain comprising "annulate lamellae" (AL): stacked ER membranes highly enriched in nuclear pores. Colocalization of pre-MPF with AL was demonstrated by anti-CyclinB2 immunofluorescence in prophase oocytes, in which AL are positioned close to the vegetal surface. Green fluorescent protein-CyclinB2 expressed in oocytes also localized at AL. These data suggest that inactive MPF associates with nuclear envelope components just before activation. This association may explain why nuclei and centrosomes stimulate MPF activation and provide a mechanism for targeting of MPF to some of its key substrates