An Events-Based T&L Simulation Game

The paper outlines enhancements to a sustainable tourism simulation game designed for use in undergraduate tourism and hospitality T&L. The extensions to the original game are based on student feedback and allow players to choose between different event/festival options as an engine for destination development and rejuvenation. Each event type has different economic, environmental and social impacts and factoring these into the simulation game is the focus of the extended abstract that follows

Student experiences of virtual reality - a case study in learning special relativity

We present a study of student learning through the use of virtual reality. A software package is used to introduce concepts of special relativity to students in a game-like environment where users experience the effects of travelling at near light speeds. From this new perspective, space and time are significantly different to that experienced in everyday life. The study explores how students have worked with this environment and how these students have used this experience in their study of special relativity. A mixed method approach has been taken to evaluate the outcomes of separate implementations of the package at two universities. Students found the simulation to be a positive learning experience and described the subject area as being less abstract after its use. Also, students were more capable of correctly answering concept questions relating to special relativity, and a small but measurable improvement was observed in the final exam

Helmholtz concentric ring target: Correlation with the JCC technique and significance between far and near cylinder corrections

Helmholtz concentric ring target: Correlation with the JCC technique and significance between far and near cylinder correction

The role of Denisons organisational culture on email usage among academician in Malaysian private universities

Academician in Malaysian private universities. For the research, a scale of measurement was used based upon the concepts that are found in values as well as practices in regards to organisational culture developed by Denison and Mishra (1995) model namely Involvement- Capability Development (ICD), Consistency-Agreement (CA), Adaptability-Organisational Learning (AOL) and Mission- Goals & Objectives (MGO). In this study, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis (1989) was used as part of the perspective theory on technology adoption, using the constructs; perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) as mediator for organisational culture and email usage. Data used in the study were based on questionnaires of 128 academician from two Malaysian private universities. The study found that all constructs of organisational culture were having significant in the relationship to the perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) with ICD, AOL and MGO having significant positive relationship with PEOU and PU while CA has significant negative relationship with PEOU and PU on email usage. Finally, PU and PEOU had significant positive relationship with email usage while PEOU had significant positive relationship with PU on email usage. This means that the usage of email among academician in Malaysian private universities depend on both the user’s perception of email usefulness and the perception of ease of use

Production of crystallizable human chymase from a Bacillus subtilis system

AbstractA Bacillus subtilis strain deficient in seven extracellular proteases was used to produce human mast cell chymase and is a viable expression system for serine proteases and other classes of proteins. Chymase is produced at 0.3–0.5 mg/l and is purified by three chromatography steps. Two crystal forms of PMSF-treated chymase were optimized. The first is C2 with a=47.94 Å, b=85.23 Å, c=174.18 Å, β=96.74°, and diffracts to at least 2.1 Å, while the second is P212121, with cell dimensions a=43.93 Å, b=58.16 Å, and c=86.09 Å, and a diffraction limit of approximately 1.9 Å. The first crystal form has either three or four molecules/asymmetric unit, while the second has one molecule/asymmetric unit

Botulinum toxin type A injections for the management of muscle tightness following total hip arthroplasty: a case series

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Development of hip adductor, tensor fascia lata, and rectus femoris muscle contractures following total hip arthroplasties are quite common, with some patients failing to improve despite treatment with a variety of non-operative modalities. The purpose of the present study was to describe the use of and patient outcomes of botulinum toxin injections as an adjunctive treatment for muscle tightness following total hip arthroplasty.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ten patients (14 hips) who had hip adductor, abductor, and/or flexor muscle contractures following total arthroplasty and had been refractory to physical therapeutic efforts were treated with injection of botulinum toxin A. Eight limbs received injections into the adductor muscle, 8 limbs received injections into the tensor fascia lata muscle, and 2 limbs received injection into the rectus femoris muscle, followed by intensive physical therapy for 6 weeks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At a mean final follow-up of 20 months, all 14 hips had increased range in the affected arc of motion, with a mean improvement of 23 degrees (range, 10 to 45 degrees). Additionally all hips had an improvement in hip scores, with a significant increase in mean score from 74 points (range, 57 to 91 points) prior to injection to a mean of 96 points (range, 93 to 98) at final follow-up. There were no serious treatment-related adverse events.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Botulinum toxin A injections combined with intensive physical therapy may be considered as a potential treatment modality, especially in difficult cases of muscle tightness that are refractory to standard therapy.</p

Metals and metallothionein in the liver of raccoons: utility for environmental assessment and monitoring

The relationship between metallothionein levels and concentrations of several metals and radionuclides was examined in liver tissues of raccoons (Procyon lotor, n = 47) from the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina to determine the applicability of metallothioneins as an initial screening device for exposure assessment in free-living mammals and environmental monitoring. Using a fluorescent marker and a cell sorter to measure metallothionein, a significant positive correlation was found across animals between levels of metallothioneins and concentrations of selenium (Pearson’s r = .30) , mercury (Pearson’s r = .31) , and copper (Pearson’s r = .30) in liver tissue. Arsenic, cobalt, silver, thallium, and tin were below detection limits in most or all liver samples. Other metals, including cadmium, chromium, radiocesium ( 137Cs) , copper, lead, manganese, strontium, and vanadium, showed only weak and nonsignificant correlations with metallothionein. Concentrations of mercury were correlated with concentrations of selenium (Pearson’s r = .73) , manganese (Pearson’s r = .56) , and strontium (Pearson’s r = .57). In an a posteriori test, there was a still unexplained positive correlation between mercury (Pearson r = .56) , selenium (Pearson r = .54) , and radiocesium (Pearson’s r = .38) concentrations and background cellular autofluorescence, and a negative correlation of strontium with the latter (Kendall tau = –.38) . Background cellular autofluorescence may represent a generalized cellular stress response, or a yet unidentified biomarker. To better understand which metals contribute to the induction of metallothionein, principle component analysis (PCA) was performed. The first three principle components explained 78% of the variance, with highest loadings being from mercury and radiocesium. Metallothionein levels did not correlate well with the principal components from the metals and radiocesium, while autofluorescent background levels tended to correlate better

Should Histologic Grade Be Incorporated into the TNM Classification System for Small (T1, T2) Node-Negative Breast Adenocarcinomas?

Prognosis of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) strongly correlates with tumor grade as determined by Nottingham combined histologic grade. While reporting grade as low grade/favorable (G1), intermediate grade/moderately favorable (G2), and high grade/unfavorable (G3) is recommended by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system, existing TNM (Primary Tumor/Regional Lymph Nodes/Distant Metastasis) classification does not directly incorporate these data. For large tumors (T3, T4), significance of histologic grade may be clinically moot as those are nearly always candidates for adjuvant therapy. However, for small (T1, T2) node-negative (N0) tumors, grade may be clinically relevant in influencing treatment decisions, but data on outcomes are sparse and controversial. This retrospective study analyzes clinical outcome in patients with small N0 IDC on the basis of tumor grade. Our results suggest that the grade does not impact clinical outcome in T1N0 tumors. In T2N0 tumors, however, it might be prognostically significant and relevant in influencing decisions regarding the need for additional adjuvant therapy and optimal management

Risk Factors for Hypoxia and Tachypnea Among Adolescents With Vertically-acquired HIV in Nairobi

Background: Chronic lung diseases are increasingly recognized complications of vertically-acquired HIV among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa and may manifest with hypoxia or tachypnea. We sought to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for hypoxia and tachypnea among adolescents with vertically-acquired HIV in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 258 adolescents with vertically-acquired HIV who were initiating care at the Coptic Hope Center for Infectious Diseases. Adolescents with documented pneumonia were excluded. Hypoxia was defined as resting oxygen saturation ≤92%, and tachypnea was based on the 99th percentile of age-appropriate respiratory rates. Logistic regression models adjusted for demographics, and HIV severity estimated odds ratios for risk of hypoxia and tachypnea associated with potential risk factors. Results: Overall, 11% of adolescents had hypoxia and 55% had tachypnea. Advanced HIV [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.41] and low CD4 (aOR: 1.74) were associated with greater hypoxia risk, but confidence intervals (CIs) were wide and included the null (95% CI: 0.93–6.23 and 0.69–4.39, respectively). Low CD4 (aOR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.39–4.32), current antiretroviral therapy use (aOR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.27–0.86) and stunted growth (aOR: 3.46, 95% CI: 1.94–6.18) were associated with altered tachypnea risk. Conclusions: Hypoxia and tachypnea are common among adolescents with vertically-acquired HIV. There was a suggestion that advanced HIV and low CD4 were associated with greater hypoxia risk. Low CD4, lack of antiretroviral therapy use and stunted growth are risk factors for tachypnea. Our findings highlight the chronic lung disease burden in this population and may inform diagnostic algorithms