FREE ADMISSION TO MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS: AN EXPLORATION OF SOME PERCEPTIONS OF THE AUDIENCES.

This paper considers the theme of the audiences' perceptions of free admission in national French museums and monuments. The results show that, from an individual perspective, perceptions of free admission are linked to perceptions of price, of money and of payment, hence complementing perceptions expressed in a collective perspective (a symbolic, political measure, causing either adhesion or rejection). These perspectives are generally put forward by both advocates and opponents of the measure in their discussions. This different vision of free admission has managerial implications for managers of museums and monuments.Free admission, price, museums and monuments, multiangulation

An exploratory study of the implications of free admission to museums and monuments : perceptions and effects on visiting behaviors.

What perceptions of free admission to museums and monuments do French visiting and non-visiting audiences have ? What are the consequences of such perceptions on individuals' perceptions, visit-planning and behavior patterns in museums and monuments ? Research conducted between 2002 and 2003 tried to answer these questions by multiangulation applied to data production and analysis. Results show that free admission alter the perceptions of museums and monuments, it is secondary in planning and implementation of visit-planning, and finally it can spark a learning process from the visit that results in the appropriation of a free admission scheme. Conclusions are related to the need to create involvement toward the visit and communicate on free admission at first.Free admission, price, museums and monuments, multiangulation

Steady-state dynamics of Cajal body components in the Xenopus germinal vesicle

Cajal bodies (CBs) are evolutionarily conserved nuclear organelles that contain many factors involved in the transcription and processing of RNA. It has been suggested that macromolecular complexes preassemble or undergo maturation within CBs before they function elsewhere in the nucleus. Most such models of CB function predict a continuous flow of molecules between CBs and the nucleoplasm, but there are few data that directly support this view. We used fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) on isolated Xenopus oocyte nuclei to measure the steady-state exchange rate between the nucleoplasm and CBs of three fluorescently tagged molecules: U7 small nuclear RNA, coilin, and TATA-binding protein (TBP). In the nucleoplasm, the apparent diffusion coefficients for the three molecules ranged from 0.26 to 0.40 μm2 s−1. However, in CBs, fluorescence recovery was markedly slower than in the nucleoplasm, and there were at least three kinetic components. The recovery rate within CBs was independent of bleach spot diameter and could not be attributed to high CB viscosity or density. We propose that binding to other molecules and possibly assembly into larger complexes are the rate-limiting steps for FRAP of U7, coilin, and TBP inside CBs

Scanning Electron Microscopy Studies of Staphylococcal Adherence to Heart Valve Endothelial Cells in Organ Culture: An In Vitro Model of Acute Endocarditis

Organ cultures of human heart valves were used as a model to study the initial pathobiology of acute infective bacterial endocarditis. We used Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a case of infective endocarditis to infect the in vitro culture of the heart valves. Using scanning electron microscopy, we assessed the initial damage, attachment to and invasion of the endothelial cell layer by staphylococci. Our results indicate there is initial damage to the endothelium prior to observation of staphylococci attaching to the endothelial cell. By 12 h post infection, there is significant attachment and damage. At 24 h after infection, destruction of the heart valve endothelium is complete. The attachment and destruction arc progressive events and can be correlated quantitatively with bacterial numbers from the culture medium and those attached to the valves. This is correlated with increasing adherence ratios of the attaching staphylococci

Workload and influencing factors in non-emergency medical transfers: a multiple linear regression analysis of a cross-sectional questionnaire study

Background Human workload is a key factor for system performance, but data on emergency medical services (EMS) are scarce. We investigated paramedics’ workload and the influencing factors for non-emergency medical transfers. These missions make up a major part of EMS activities in Germany and are growing steadily in number. Methods Paramedics rated missions retrospectively through an online questionnaire. We used the NASA-Task Load Index (TLX) to quantify workload and asked about a variety of medical and procedural aspects for each mission. Teamwork was assessed by the Weller teamwork measurement tool (TMT). With a multiple linear regression model, we identified a set of factors leading to relevant increases or decreases in workload. Results A total of 194 non-emergency missions were analysed. Global workload was rated low (Mean = 27/100). In summary, 42.8% of missions were rated with a TLX under 20/100. TLX subscales revealed low task demands but a very positive self-perception of performance (Mean = 15/100). Teamwork gained high ratings (Mean TMT = 5.8/7), and good teamwork led to decreases in workload. Aggression events originating from patients and bystanders occurred frequently (n = 25, 12.9%) and increased workload significantly. Other factors affecting workload were the patient’s body weight and the transfer of patients with transmittable pathogens. Conclusion The workload during non-emergency medical transfers was low to very low, but performance perception was very positive, and no indicators of task underload were found. We identified several factors that led to workload increases. Future measures should attempt to better train paramedics for aggression incidents, to explore the usefulness of further technical aids in the transfer of obese patients and to reconsider standard operating procedures for missions with transmittable pathogens

Long-Term Experience of Chemoradiotherapy Combined with Deep Regional Hyperthermia for Organ Preservation in High-Risk Bladder Cancer (Ta, Tis, T1, T2).

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of chemoradiotherapy (RCT) combined with regional deep hyperthermia (RHT) of high-risk bladder cancer after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-BT).Materials and methodsBetween 1982 and 2016, 369 patients with pTa, pTis, pT1, and pT2 cN0-1 cM0 bladder cancer were treated with a multimodal treatment after TUR-BT. All patients received radiotherapy (RT) of the bladder and regional lymph nodes. RCT was administered to 215 patients, RCT + RHT was administered to 79 patients, and RT was used in 75 patients. Treatment response was evaluated 4-6 weeks after treatment with TUR-BT.ResultsComplete response (CR) overall was 83% (290/351), and in treatment groups was RT 68% (45/66), RCT 86% (178/208), and RCT + RHT 87% (67/77). CR was significantly improved by concurrent RCT compared with RT (odds ratio [OR], 2.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-5.12; p = .037), less influenced by hyperthermia (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 0.88-8.00; p = .092). Overall survival (OS) after RCT was superior to RT (hazard ratio [HR], 0.7; 95% CI, 0.50-0.99; p = .045). Five-year OS from unadjusted Kaplan-Meier estimates was RCT 64% versus RT 45%. Additional RHT increased 5-year OS to 87% (HR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.18-0.58; p = .0001). RCT + RHT compared with RCT showed a significantly better bladder-preservation rate (HR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.03-0.56; p = .006). Median follow-up was 71 months. The median number of RHT sessions was five.ConclusionThe multimodal treatment consisted of a maximal TUR-BT followed by RT; concomitant platinum-based chemotherapy combined with RHT in patients with high-grade bladder cancer improves local control, bladder-preservation rate, and OS. It offers a promising alternative to surgical therapies like radical cystectomy.Implications for practiceRadical cystectomy with appropriate lymph node dissection has long represented the standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer in medically fit patients, despite many centers reporting excellent long-term results for bladder preserving strategies. This retrospective analysis compares different therapeutic modalities in bladder-preservation therapy. The results of this study show that multimodal treatment consisting of maximal transurethral resection of bladder tumor followed by radiotherapy, concomitant platinum-based chemotherapy combined with regional deep hyperthermia in patients with Ta, Tis, T1-2 bladder carcinomas improves local control, bladder-preservation rate, and survival. More importantly, these findings offer a promising alternative to surgical therapies like radical cystectomy. The authors hope that, in the future, closer collaboration between urologists and radiotherapists will further improve treatments and therapies for the benefit of patients

Une étude exploratoire des représentations de la gratuité et de ses effets sur le comportement des publics des musées et des monuments.

Que représente la gratuité des musées et des monuments pour les publics français, visiteurs ou non-visiteurs ? Quelles en sont les conséquences sur leurs représentations, leurs projets d'usage et leurs comportements vis-à-vis des musées et des monuments ? Cette recherche a tenté de répondre à ce questionnement, à l'aide d'une méthodologie de multiangulation croisant différentes méthodes de production et d'analyse des données. Les résultats montrent que la gratuité déstabilise les représentations des musées et des monuments qu'ont les publics, qu'elle est secondaire dans la construction et la réalisation d'un projet de visite et enfin que l'expérience de la visite gratuite peut permettre, pour certains publics, un apprentissage de la visite ainsi que l'appropriation de la mesure de gratuité. Nous concluons sur la nécessité, avant toute chose, d'accroître l'implication des publics dans l'activité de visite et le besoin d'accompagner la mesure de gratuité.gratuité, prix, musées et monuments, multiangulation

La gratuité : un prix !

Cet article aborde la question des représentations de la gratuité par les publics des musées et des monuments nationaux français. Dans le domaine culturel et dans une perspective individuelle, ces représentations sont liées à celles du prix, de l'argent et du fait de payer. La gratuité est vue comme un prix : elle supprime le coût monétaire lié à la visite mais ne change rien aux autres coûts monétaires et non monétaires dont elle modifie cependant la perception. Elle annule ce que représente le fait de payer l'entrée : visa » d'entrée dans les musées et les monuments, distance créée entre le visiteur et ces lieux, formalisation de l'engagement du visiteur. Enfin, la gratuité interpelle de façon très controversée la valeur des musées et des monuments, montrant que la gratuité, même dans une perspective individuelle, n'est pas perçue de manière univoque.Pirx, gratuité, musées et monuments

Environment and Obesity in the National Children\u27s Study

Objective: In this review we describe the approach taken by the National Children’s Study (NCS), a 21-year prospective study of 100,000 American children, to understanding the role of environmental factors in the development of obesity. Data sources and extraction: We review the literature with regard to the two core hypotheses in the NCS that relate to environmental origins of obesity and describe strategies that will be used to test each hypothesis. Data synthesis: Although it is clear that obesity in an individual results from an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, control of the obesity epidemic will require understanding of factors in the modern built environment and chemical exposures that may have the capacity to disrupt the link between energy intake and expenditure. The NCS is the largest prospective birth cohort study ever undertaken in the United States that is explicitly designed to seek information on the environmental causes of pediatric disease. Conclusions: Through its embrace of the life-course approach to epidemiology, the NCS will be able to study the origins of obesity from preconception through late adolescence, including factors ranging from genetic inheritance to individual behaviors to the social, built, and natural environment and chemical exposures. It will have sufficient statistical power to examine interactions among these multiple influences, including gene–environment and gene–obesity interactions. A major secondary benefit will derive from the banking of specimens for future analysis

Presynaptic BDNF Promotes Postsynaptic Long-Term Potentiation in the Dorsal Striatum

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) facilitates the formation of long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampus but whether this involves release from pre- vs. post- synaptic pools is unclear. We therefore tested if BDNF is essential for LTP in dorsal striatum, a structure in which the neurotrophin is present only in afferent terminals. Whole cell recordings were collected from medium spiny neurons in striatal slices prepared from adult mice. High frequency stimulation (HFS) of neocortical afferents produced a rapid and stable NMDA receptor-dependent potentiation. The ratio of AMPA to NMDA receptor-mediated components of the EPSPs was substantially increased after inducing potentiation, suggesting that potentiation involved post-synaptic changes. In accord with this, paired pulse response ratios, a measure of transmitter release kinetics, were reduced by elevated calcium but not by LTP. Infusion of the BDNF scavenger TrkB-Fc blocked the formation of potentiation, beginning with the second minute post-HFS, without reducing responses to HFS. These results suggest that presynaptic pools of BDNF can act within 2 minutes of HFS to support the formation of a post-synaptic form of LTP in striatum