Persuasive agents : the role of agent embodiment and evaluative feedback

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Persuasive agents : the role of agent embodiment and evaluative feedback

Abstract only

Asking visitors to help: research to guide strategic communication in protected area management

Central to the mission of most protected areas is managing visitor use in such a way that visitor experiences are enhanced while fragile environments are protected. Protected area management agencies annually devote significant financial and human resources to repairing biological and physical damage resulting from uninformed visitor behaviour. Resources do not exist in most agency budgets to provide adequate personnel to monitor and manage visitor behaviour directly, particularly in large or remote areas. To the extent managers are able to harness communication to persuade visitors to voluntarily behave properly in protected areas, significant benefits will accrue both to budgets and to resource protection. Over the long term, millions of dollars that would otherwise be devoted to mitigating visitor-induced impacts could be saved or redirected to other operational priorities such as improving access and visitor services

Incidental findings on coronary computed tomography in women with selected reproductive disorders

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of incidental findings (IFs) on coronary computed tomography (CCT) in women aged 45–55 years and previously diagnosed with reproductive disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) or preeclampsia (PE). METHODS: A total of 486 middle-aged women with PCOS (n = 101), POI (n = 97) or a history of PE (n = 288) underwent a CCT as part of a prior prospective study. IFs were categorized by their significance (minor, moderate and major). Follow-up information was collected from patients’ records. To investigate the impact of different field of views (FOVs), a subset of scans was analyzed in full FOV and small FOV. RESULTS: In 96/486 (19.8%) women, one or more IFs were detected, of which 54/486 (11.1%) were classified as moderate/major and 48/486 (9.9%) required follow-up. A moderate/major IF was detected in 16/101 (15.9%) women with PCOS, 13/97 (13.4%) women with POI and 25/288 (8.7%) women with a history of PE. In 78 women with an IF detected in the full FOV, the IF was still visible in 60 (76.9%) women in the small FOV. In the full FOV, 46 women required follow-up, but using the small FOV this was reduced to 30 women. CONCLUSION: Using CCT as a cardiovascular disease screening tool in women with selected reproductive disorders increases the probability of detecting IFs that can cause anxiety and may generate extra costs, but can also reveal clinically relevant findings. Using a small FOV centered around the heart resulted in a lower prevalence of IFs and required less follow-up

High numbers of activated helper T cells are associated with better clinical outcome in early stage vulvar cancer, irrespective of HPV or p53 status

Background: Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) has been suggested to consist of three subtypes; HPVpositive, HPV-negative mutated TP53 or HPV-negative TP53 wildtype, with different clinical courses. To analyze the immune infiltrate in these molecular subtypes and its impact on clinical outcome, an in-depth study of the tumor immune microenvironment was performed. Methods: Sixty-five patients with invasive VSCC matched for age, FIGO stage and treatment modality, were grouped according to the presence of HPV and p53 protein expression status. Archived tissues were analyzed for intraepithelial and stromal expression of CD3, CD8, Foxp3, PD-1, and pan-keratin in randomly selected areas using immunofluorescence. Additional phenotyping of T cells was performed ex-vivo on VSCC (n = 14) and blood samples by flow cytometry. Healthy vulvar samples and blood served as controls. Results: Based on T-cell infiltration patterns about half of the VSCC were classified as inflamed or altered-excluded while one-third was immune-deserted. High intraepithelial helper T cell infiltration was observed in 78% of the HPVinduced VSCC, 60% of the HPVnegVSCC/p53wildtype and 40% of the HPVnegVSCC with abnormal p53 expression. A high intraepithelial infiltration with activated (CD3+ PD-1+ ), specifically helper T cells (CD3+ CD8− Foxp3− ), was associated with a longer recurrence-free period and overall survival, irrespective of HPV and p53 status. Flow cytometry confirmed the tumor-specific presence of activated (CD4+ PD-1++CD161− CD38+ HLA-DR+ and CD8+ CD103+ CD161− NKG2A+/− PD1++CD38++HLA-DR+ ) effector memory T cells. Conclusion: This is the first study demonstrating an association between intraepithelial T cells and clinical outcome in VSCC. Our data suggest that abnormal p53 expressing VSCCs mostly are cold tumors whereas HPV-driven VSCCs are strongly T-cell infiltrated

Using tourism free-choice learning experiences to promote environmentally sustainable behaviour: The role of post-visit ‘action resources’

This paper argues the need for the providers of ecotourism and other free‐choice environmental learning experiences to promote the adoption of environmentally sustainable actions beyond their own sites, when visitors return to their home environments. Previous research indicates that although visitors often leave such experiences with a heightened awareness of conservation issues and intentions to adopt environmentally responsible behaviours, only a minority translate these intentions into real actions. Building on research and theory in relation to visitor experiences in free‐choice learning environments, the paper identifies three different stages in the educational process and proposes a strategy for facilitating the translation of visitors' behavioural intentions into the adoption of sustainable actions through the provision of post‐visit action resources

Impact of (chemo)radiotherapy on immune cell composition and function in cervical cancer patients

Experimental cancer immunology and therap