An Investigation of the Painted Finishes of Mission San José de Tumacácori’s Façade: At the Interface of Materials Analysis, Conservation, and Cultural Confluence

Located near Tucson, Arizona, the Mission San José de Tumacácori is a Spanish-Colonial mission and the primary landmark of significance within the Tumacácori National Historical Park. Begun around 1800 and acquired by the National Park Service as a half-completed ruin in 1916, successive campaigns of repair have stabilized but also obscured much of the original surfaces of its once brilliantly painted church façade. There are comparatively very few mission structures that have not been repainted or replastered. Initial conservation methodologies at Tumacácori were experimental and would eventually give rise to the use of traditional building materials and methods. However in contrast, between the 1940s and 1970s, synthetic resins and non-traditional treatments were heavily employed. Tumacácori’s façade can thus be read as a document in itself - by studying the application of these methods in succession, one can gain a perspective of nearly a century’s worth of preservation thinking and insight into the development of architectural conservation in the United States. This particular investigation of the original polychromatic painted surface finishes of Tumacácori’s façade consisted of archival research, historic contextualization, comparative studies, in-situ investigation, and laboratory analysis – encompassing optical microscopy of the surface finish cross-sections and dispersed pigment layer particles, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, microchemical testing, and petrographic analysis of the stucco substrate. Ultimately, the analytical findings of this thesis research will be used as the basis for a pilot conservation treatment to preserve these rare and fragile finishes for the future

A Pull of Color

The inspiration of this dress came from a picture of a girl with zippers wrapped around her body. The contrast of heavy gold metal teeth against the girl inspired me to design this red carpet gown with a twist. The dress looks simple at first glance, but reveals an unexpected pop of color between zippers with a movement. Young women with a funky style will wear this dress to special occasions

Les enjeux actuels des débats sur la mémoire et la réparation pour l’esclavage à l’île Maurice

Dans l’île Maurice plurielle, les débats autour de la mémoire et de la réparation pour l’esclavage se déroulent sur fond de « malaise créole », résultant d’une perception de marginalisation et d’exclusion de cette communauté des fruits du développement économique. L’émergence du discours du malaise créole est étroitement associée à une tentative de ce groupe, majoritairement de foi catholique, de se forger une nouvelle identité ethnique à l’intérieur d’un système hautement ethnicisé, comme prélude à la mobilisation sociopolitique. Le groupe créole va ainsi se (re)fonder autour de l’esclavage et de la commémoration du 1er février, date anniversaire de son abolition, pour réclamer un programme d’empowerment tant au niveau culturel, social et économique comme réparation pour les torts causés par l’esclavage. Si les demandes identitaires ont été prises en compte à la fois par l’État et par la hiérarchie de l’Église catholique, les demandes de réparation économique, voire de compensation financière individuelle, suscitent en revanche controverses et questionnements dans une société pluriethnique qui a connu à la fois l’esclavage et l’engagisme indien. Cependant, les émeutes sanglantes de février 1999 ont démontré clairement l’urgente nécessité d’élaborer de nouvelles solidarités entre l’État, le secteur privé et la société civile dans son ensemble pour combattre l’exclusion de groupes vulnérables dans une société inégalitaire à l’heure de la globalisation.In the plural context of Mauritius, the debates over memory and reparation for slavery are unfolding against a backdrop of “malaise créole”, itself the result of a perception of marginalization and exclusion of the creole community from the fruits of economic development. The emergence of the discourse of “malaise créole” is closely associated with an attempt of the creole community, catholic in its great majority, to forge a new ethnic identity within a highly ethnicised system for the purpose of socio-political mobilization. The creole community has thus reconstructed itself by reappropriating its slave past and around the commemoration of the abolition of slavery on 1st February of each year in order to fight for a program of cultural, economic and social empowerment. The state and church hierarchy have since taken measures to satisfy most of the cultural demands of the creole community. However, its demand for economic reparation, albeit monetary compensation for each descendant of slave, have raised controversies and major objections in a society that have been constructed by slaves as well as Indian indentured laborers. Yet, the tragic event of February 1999 have revealed to each and every one the urgent need to forge a new solidarity among state, private sector and civil society at large in the struggle against the exclusion of vulnerable groups in an era of globalisation

Effective Assessment of Power Standing Device to Adults with Permanent Lower Limb Paralysis

Introduction: Standing routine is a known beneficial daily activity for both healthy and disabled persons, especially those with permanent lower limb paralysis. However, the prescription of standing device for adults with permanent paralysis was inadequate and non-standard in existing local practice because of lack of good design and evidence based funding support. Objective: In view of the availability of new advances in power standing device, we aim to perform an effective health technology assessment (HTA) from professional and users perspectives to develop the decision pathway in prescription for long term home use. Methodology: A functional test and social cost analysis was performed on one high cost new standing mobile devices in recent market. A practical workshop and surveys were performed to collect feedback from 24 healthcare professionals and 8 expert users on a spectrum of new standing mobile device. Results: From the survey results, there was consensus among all participants that ‘Standing’ as daily routine at home is essential and beneficial. 62.5% of healthcare professionals would provide training to users and their cares to facilitate users to perform standing at home. Eight factors were identified from factor analysis in affecting the choice of standing devices for home use by healthcare professionals and users. Users scored high (mean=9.25/10) in “compliance with the new power standing mobile device”. The cost analysis showed considerable savings in social costs in using even the high-cost power standing mobile device. Discussion: The group welcomed power standing device with or without mobile function to support their standing activity at home. A possible clinical decision for prescribing different standing devices with identified factors was summarized. Conclusion: More recent researches have reported the negative health issues associated with prolonged sitting. With more innovative product designs, the power standing devices with or without mobile function is a new concept welcomed by both healthcare professionals and users in promotion of their health, preventing complications as well as independent living in home environment. A larger scale of HTA with structured cost-effectiveness analysis is essential to inform the healthcare resources planners

Monitoring travellers from Ebola-affected countries in New South Wales, Australia: what is the impact on travellers?

Background Amidst an Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic of unprecedented magnitude in west Africa, concerns about the risk of importing EVD led to the introduction of programs for the screening and monitoring of travellers in a number of countries, including Australia. Emerging reports indicate that these programs are feasible to implement, however rigorous evaluations are not yet available. We aimed to evaluate the program of screening and monitoring travellers in New South Wales. Methods We conducted a mixed methods study to evaluate the program of screening and monitoring travellers in New South Wales. We extracted quantitative data from the Notifiable Conditions Information Management System database and obtained qualitative data from two separate surveys of public health staff and arrivals, conducted by phone. Results Between 1 October 2014 and 13 April 2015, public health staff assessed a total of 122 out of 123 travellers. Six people (5%) developed symptoms compatible with EVD and required further assessment. None developed EVD. Aid workers required lower levels of support compared to other travellers. Many travellers experienced stigmatisation. Public health staff were successful in supporting travellers to recognise and manage symptoms. Conclusion We recommend that programs for monitoring travellers should be tailored to the needs of different populations and include specific strategies to remediate stigmatisation.JC was completing a placement as part of the Masters of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology, Australian National University

The effectiveness of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against hypoxic pneumonia in children in Lao People's Democratic Republic: An observational hospital-based test-negative study

Background: Pneumococcal pneumonia is a leading cause of childhood mortality. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have been shown to reduce hypoxic pneumonia in children. However, there are no studies from Asia examining the effectiveness of PCVs on hypoxic pneumonia. We describe a novel approach to determine the effectiveness of the 13-valent PCV (PCV13) against hypoxia in children admitted with pneumonia in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Methods: A prospective hospital-based, test-negative observational study of children aged up to 59 months admitted with pneumonia to a single tertiary hospital in Vientiane was undertaken over 54 months. Pneumonia was defined using the 2013 WHO definition. Hypoxia was defined as oxygen saturation <90% in room air or requiring oxygen supplementation during hospitalisation. Test-negative cases and controls were children with hypoxic and non-hypoxic pneumonia, respectively. PCV13 status was determined by written record. Vaccine effectiveness was calculated using logistic regression. Propensity score and multiple imputation analyses were used to handle confounding and missing data. Findings: There were 826 children admitted with pneumonia, 285 had hypoxic pneumonia and 377 were PCV13-vaccinated. The unadjusted, propensity-score adjusted and multiple-imputation adjusted estimates of vaccine effectiveness against hypoxic pneumonia were 23% (95% confidence interval: -9, 46%; p=0•14); 37% (6, 57%; p=0•02) and 35% (7, 55%; p=0•02) respectively. Interpretation: PCV13 is effective against hypoxic pneumonia in Asia, and should be prioritised for inclusion in national immunisation programs. This single hospital-based, test-negative approach can be used to assess vaccine effectiveness in other similar settings. Funding: Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The prevalence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella in raw shrimp and octopus in Campeche, Mexico

Introduction: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogenic bacteria in seafood, especially shrimp and octopus, are significant public health concerns and are able to be transmitted to humans in foodstuffs, particularly when they are of animal origin. The present study was conducted to measure the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and prevalence of Salmonella isolates obtained from octopus and shrimp in San Francisco de Campeche, Mexico. Methods: Two hundred shrimp and octopus samples (one hundred each) were collected from the municipal market, and each sample consisted of 100 g. The present study used conventional methods to identify and isolate Salmonella, with the disk-diffusion method used to screen all isolates for sensitivity to 12 antibiotics. Results: The prevalence of Salmonella was found to be 56% and 45% in shrimp and octopus, respectively. The high levels of Salmonella observed in the municipal market sampled by the present study reveal poor sanitary conditions in the processing and transport of the products of interest and those handling them at the point of sale. All the Salmonella strains were resistant to at least three antimicrobial classes. All shrimp isolates (100%) presented susceptibility to chloramphenicol and the majority (88%) presented sensitivity to ciprofloxacin, while the strains isolated in the octopus individuals sampled presented sensitivity to both the foregoing antibiotics (74% and 90%, respectively). Conclusion: Based on the high prevalence in the samples analyzed, our results suggest that shrimp and octopus could be involved in Salmonella infections in the population

Risk of peanut- and tree-nut-induced anaphylaxis during Halloween, Easter and other cultural holidays in Canadian children.

BACKGROUND: It is not established whether the risk of anaphylaxis induced by peanuts or tree nuts in children increases at specific times of the year. We aimed to evaluate the risk of peanut-and tree-nut-induced anaphylaxis during certain cultural holidays in Canadian children. METHODS: We collected data on confirmed pediatric cases of anaphylaxis presenting to emergency departments in 4 Canadian provinces as part of the Cross-Canada Anaphylaxis Registry. We assessed the mean number of cases per day and incidence rate ratio (IRR) of anaphylaxis induced by unknown nuts, peanuts and tree nuts presenting during each of 6 holidays (Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Chinese New Year and Eid al-Adha) versus the rest of the year. We estimated IRRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Poisson regression. RESULTS: Data were collected for 1390 pediatric cases of anaphylaxis between 2011 and 2020. Their median age was 5.4 years, and 864 (62.2%) of the children were boys. During Halloween and Easter, there were higher rates of anaphylaxis to unknown nuts (IRR 1.66, 95% CI 1.13-2.43 and IRR 1.71, 95% CI 1.21-2.42, respectively) and peanuts (IRR 1.86, 95% CI 1.12-3.11 and IRR 1.57, 95% CI 0.94-2.63, respectively) compared to the rest of the year. No increased risk of peanut- or tree-nut-induced anaphylaxis was observed during Christmas, Diwali, Chinese New Year or Eid al-Adha. Anaphylaxis induced by unknown nuts, peanuts and tree nuts was more likely in children aged 6 years or older than in younger children. INTERPRETATION: We found an increased risk of anaphylaxis induced by unknown nuts and peanuts during Halloween and Easter among Canadian children. Educational tools are needed to increase awareness and vigilance in order to decrease the risk of anaphylaxis induced by peanuts and tree nuts in children during these holidays

A Hybrid Electrooptic Microring Resonator-Based 1 x 4 x 1 ROADM for Wafer Scale Optical Interconnects

Pairing high-quality factor (Q) silicon-on-insulator microring resonators with rapidly tunable organic electrooptic claddings has allowed the first demonstration of a silicon-organic hybrid electrooptic reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM). A coplanar electrode geometry provides up to 0.36 GHz/V of electrooptic voltage tuning for each channel, corresponding to an electrooptic coefficient of r_(33) = 64 pm/V at wavelengths around 1550 nm. Individual ring resonator devices have 40-µm ring radii, 2.7-nm free spectral range, and tuning ranges of 180 GHz. The 1 × 4 × 1 ROADM has a footprint of less than 1 mm^2 and has been shown to reconfigure in less than a microsecond

GTF2IRD2 from the Williams-Beuren critical region encodes a mobile-element-derived fusion protein that antagonizes the action of its related family members

GTF2IRD2 belongs to a family of transcriptional regulators (including TFII-I and GTF2IRD1) that are responsible for many of the key features of Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS). Sequence evidence suggests that GTF2IRD2 arose in eutherian mammals by duplication and divergence from the gene encoding TFII-I. However, in GTF2IRD2, most of the C-terminal domain has been lost and replaced by the domesticated remnant of an in-frame hAT-transposon mobile element. In this first experimental analysis of function, we show that transgenic expression of each of the three family members in skeletal muscle causes significant fiber type shifts, but the GTF2IRD2 protein causes an extreme shift in the opposite direction to the two other family members. Mating of GTF2IRD1 and GTF2IRD2 mice restores the fiber type balance, indicating an antagonistic relationship between these two paralogs. In cells, GTF2IRD2 localizes to cytoplasmic microtubules and discrete speckles in the nuclear periphery. We show that it can interact directly with TFII-IΒ and GTF2IRD1, and upon co-transfection changes the normal distribution of these two proteins into a punctate nuclear pattern typical of GTF2IRD2. These data suggest that GTF2IRD2 has evolved as a regulator of GTF2IRD1 and TFII-I; inhibiting their function by direct interaction and sequestration into inactive nuclear zones