The Largest Known Survival Analysis of Patients with Brain Metastasis from Thyroid Cancer Based on Prognostic Groups

To analyze the clinical features and prognostic factors associated with the survival of patients with a very rare occurrence of brain metastasis (BM) from differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).A total of 37 patients with DTC who were diagnosed with BM between 1995 and 2014 were included. We reviewed the clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, and image findings of BM. Factors associated with survival were evaluated, and the patients were divided into three prognostic groups (Groups A, B, and C) for comparative analysis.The median age at BM was 63 years, and the median time from initial thyroid cancer diagnosis to BM was 3.8 years. The median survival and the 1-year actuarial survival rate after BM were 8.8 months and 47%, respectively. According to univariate and multivariate analyses, four good prognostic factors (GPFs) were identified including age ≤ 60 years, PS ≤ ECOG 2, ≤ 3 BM sites, and without extracranial metastasis prior to BM. Three prognostic groups were designed based on age and number of remaining GPFs: patients ≤ 60 years of age with at least 2 GPFs (Group A) had the most favorable prognosis with a median survival of 32.8 months; patients ≤ 60 years of age with fewer than 2 GPFs and those > 60 years of age with at least 2 GPFs (Group B) had an intermediate prognosis with a median survival of 9.4 months; and patients > 60 years of age with fewer than 2 GPFs (Group C) had the least favorable prognosis with a median survival of 1.5 months.The survival of patients with BM form DTC differed among the prognostic groups based on the total number of good prognostic factors

Retail foodservice employees’ perceptions of barriers and motivational factors that influence performance of safe food behaviors

This study identified the barriers and motivational factors that influence nonsupervisory foodservice employees’ decisions to perform safe food handling behaviors. Responses to a bilingual questionnaire were received from 1,103 employees working in four types of retail foodservice. Respondents rated 8 of 16 listed barriers as important obstacles in keeping them from handling food safely, including “the work pace” (mean = 4.28 on a 5-point scale, where 1 = Not Important and 5 = Very Important) and “lack of good habits” (mean = 4.19). Using the same scale, respondents assessed importance of 27 listed items that encourage them to follow safe practices. Of the 27 items, 23 were rated at a mean of 4.0 or higher. The item rated highest was “Keeping customers safe from food-related diseases,” (mean of 4.91), and the item rated lowest (mean of 3.39) was “An unsupportive work group.” Results show employees know what behaviors are considered proper to ensure the safety of food; however, real barriers exist, such as time pressures and habits that are not compatible with safe food practices, suggesting that improved organization and routinization of safe food handling practices in a work culture that values food safety would reduce the risk of foodborne illness

Combining mGRASP and Optogenetics Enables High-Resolution Functional Mapping of Descending Cortical Projections

We have applied optogenetics and mGRASP, a light microscopy technique that labels synaptic contacts, to map the number and strength of defined corticocollicular (CC) connections. Using mGRASP, we show that CC projections form small, medium, and large synapses, and both the number and the distribution of synapse size vary among the IC regions. Using optogenetics, we show that low-frequency stimulation of CC axons expressing channelrhodopsin produces prolonged elevations of the CC miniature EPSC (mEPSC) rate. Functional analysis of CC mEPSCs reveals small-, medium-, and large-amplitude events that mirror the synaptic distributions observed with mGRASP. Our results reveal that descending ipsilateral projections dominate CC feedback via an increased number of large synaptic contacts, especially onto the soma of IC neurons. This study highlights the feasibility of combining microscopy (i.e., mGRASP) and optogenetics to reveal synaptic weighting of defined projections at the level of single neurons, enabling functional connectomic mapping in diverse neural circuits

The effects of health value on healthful food selection intention at restaurants: Considering the role of attitudes toward taste and healthfulness of healthful foods

This study investigated restaurant customers’ intent to choose healthful (e.g., low-fat or low-calorie) menu items using the value–attitude–behavior model. The sample was comprised of customers who had previously consumed these types of healthful items at a casual dining restaurant. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data. Results revealed that customers’ health values had a positive effect on attitudes and behavioral intentions and that customers’ attitudes toward low-fat or low-calorie menu items positively influenced behavioral intentions. However, attitudes toward taste of healthful menu items exerted a greater impact on behavioral intentions to choose, recommend, and spread a positive word-of-mouth about those menu items. To meet customers’ desire, restaurants should continue to focus on great-tasting healthful foods

Towards Sustainable Urban Riverfront Redevelopment: Adaptability as a Design Strategy for the Hangang Riverfront in Seoul

The design of urban spaces, including waterfronts, must consider the flexibility to respond to urban and environmental changes and the continuity that respects the existing urban factors that have determined the essential characteristics of the place. The Hangang River in Seoul, South Korea, has been susceptible to significant changes over the years and has accumulated considerable historical traces and an irrevocable relationship with its urban contexts. On the other hand, as the country experienced rapid development, most urban plans have been executed based on shortsighted perspectives without considering sustainability. This study suggests adaptability as the main driver to achieve sustainability of the urban riverfront by viewing the site condition dichotomously. The components of the site were distinguished as fixed and variable factors. Considering fixed factors, six design intervention types were applied to the site through extensive macroanalysis and correlation studies, and each intervention was proposed to respond to the variable factors of the site. This study proposed four strategies to upgrade the riverfront as an adaptable space. First, five types of waterfronts were introduced with more distinct functions and identities to accommodate various activities. Second, commercial development was introduced to build a stable financial base that could respond to economic fluctuations. Third, the ecological waterfront space was expanded to react to climate change in the long term and achieve the goals of improving the microclimate, biodiversity, and educational function in the short term. Lastly, connective infrastructure was introduced to address the rapidly increasing demand for open space. The significance of this study was twofold. First, the site condition was interpreted more comprehensively by applying a framework for analysis by distinguishing the fixed and variable factors. Second, the strategy presented in this study can be applied to establish a waterfront redevelopment plan in other cities that have a context similar to the Hangang River of Seoul

Understanding customers' healthful menu item selection behaviors at casual dining restaurants

Recognizing that psychological factors affect customers' healthy eating behaviors, this study investigated psychological factors which might affect customers' healthful menu item selections at casual dining restaurants based on the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB). While TPB consists of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intentions, the extended version includes two new constructs (prototype and behavioral willingness). The extended TPB also subdivided the original TPB constructs of attitudes and subjective norms into affective and cognitive attitudes and injunctive and descriptive norms, respectively. An online survey was used; 744 responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression. Results indicated that customers' healthful menu item selection behaviors were affected by intentional (behavioral intention) and reactive (behavioral willingness) decision making processes. Affective attitudes (feelings or emotions) and injunctive norms (perceived social pressure from others) regarding healthful menu item consumption had positive effects on intention and willingness to choose those menu items, whereas cognitive attitudes (rational assessment) and descriptive norms (perception of what others commonly do) had positive effects only on behavioral intention. In addition, the prototype image of unhealthy eaters had a negative effect on willingness to choose healthful menu items, indicating that when people hold negative viewpoints about unhealthy eaters, they are more willing to choose healthful menu items. Finally, the findings confirmed the importance of alignment between descriptive and injunctive norms in forming intentions to choose healthful items. In other words, when an individual perceives that most other people consume healthful menu items and that others expect him/her to do so also, the individual is likely to have stronger intention to choose those menu items. There are theoretical and practical implications. From the theoretical perspective, to the best of our knowledge this is the first known empirical study to investigate customers' healthful menu item selections at restaurants within an extended TPB framework. Moreover, this study confirmed the importance of alignment between descriptive and injunctive norms in promoting healthy eating at restaurants, which had not previously been investigated. From the practical perspective, this study suggests strategies for developing effective promotional and marketing materials.</p

Towards a Smarter Urban Park: Busan Citizens Park

Among various types of external space, a park, which is a critical urban public infrastructure, must be planned and redeveloped as a smart park that can reflect new technologies rather than being designed and managed in a traditional way. This study sets Busan Citizens Park, a representative urban park of Busan in Korea, as a case study site and presents guidelines for transforming the existing park into a smart park. To set the direction for presenting the guideline for park smartization, the role and function of desirable urban park in the 4th industrial age are defined. After that, smart technologies concerning park management are comprehensively organized through precedent project studies and literature research to examine the applicability of smart technologies. Based on the information obtained through field surveys, manager interviews, specialist interviews, and literature review, the management and usage status of Busan Citizens Park are identified. In order to improve Busan Citizens Park into a smart urban park, we propose smart technologies that can be applied to five components of the park: furnishings and facilities, water, green space, pavement and roads, and users. This study also suggests ways to distinguish management as urban and local dimensions by categorizing the hierarchy of technologies as urban, park, and facility scale. In conclusion, this presents guidelines for the introduction of next-generation technologies that can be applied to urban parks as a way to actively respond to changes that have already begun