Desperate housewives: An analysis of the characterisations of female gamblers portrayed in gambling movies in Hong Kong

This article examines portrayals of female gamblers in recent Hong Kong movies. The authors report that the depiction of female gamblers is very different from that of male gamblers in the movies made in the same period. Whereas the male gamblers are pitching a lonely and desperate battle against the evil opponent, the female gamblers portrayed in the movies are housewives or small-time players who gamble only for their personal gain. A general negative overtone in portrayals of female gamblers was interpreted as a reflection of the traditional view that discourages women from gambling. The shift of gambling themes in the Hong Kong movies has been identified to reflect the most salient concerns among Hong Kong residents. Such changes are attributed to particular social and cultural changes in the community

The NLRP3 Inflammasome Mediates In Vivo Innate Immunity to Influenza A Virus through Recognition of Viral RNA

NLR genes mediate host immunity to various pathogenic stimuli. However, in vivo evidence for NLR involvement in viral sensing has not been widely investigated and remains controversial. As an ultimate test of the physiologic role of NLRP3 during RNA viral infection, this work explores the in vivo role of NLRP3 inflammasome components during influenza virus infection. Mice lacking Nlrp3, ASC, or Caspase-1, but not Nlrc4, exhibit dramatically increased mortality but reduced immune response following influenza virus exposure. Utilizing analogs of dsRNA (poly(I:C)) and ssRNA (ssRNA40), we demonstrate that NLRP3-mediated response can be activated by RNA species. Mechanistically, NLRP3 inflammasome activation by influenza virus is dependent upon lysosomal maturation and reactive oxygen species. Inhibition of ROS induction eliminated IL-1β production in animals during influenza infection. Together, these data place the NLRP3 inflammasome as an essential component in host defense against influenza infection through the sensing of viral RNA

The ‘Great Decarceration’: Historical Trends and Future Possibilities

During the 19th Century, hundreds of thousands of people were caught up in what Foucault famously referred to as the ‘great confinement’, or ‘great incarceration’, spanning reformatories, prisons, asylums, and more. Levels of institutional incarceration increased dramatically across many parts of Europe and the wider world through the expansion of provision for those defined as socially marginal, deviant, or destitute. While this trend has been the focus of many historical studies, much less attention has been paid to the dynamics of ‘the great decarceration’ that followed for much of the early‐ to mid‐20th Century. This article opens with an overview of these early decarceration trends in the English adult and youth justice systems and suggests why these came to an end from the 1940s onwards. It then explores parallels with marked decarceration trends today, notably in youth justice, and suggests how these might be expedited, extended, and protected

Mead-halls of the Oiscingas: a new Kentish perspective on the Anglo-Saxon great hall complex phenomenon

Widely cited as a metaphor for the emergence of kingship in early medieval England, the great hall complex represents one of the most distinctive and evocative expressions of the Anglo-Saxon settlement record, yet interpretation of these sites remains underdeveloped and heavily weighted towards Yeavering. Inspired by the results of recent excavations at Lyminge, this paper undertakes a detailed comparative interrogation of three great hall complexes in Kent and exploits this new regional perspective to advance understanding of the agency and embodied meanings of these settlements as ‘theatres of power’. Explored through the thematic prisms of place, social memory and monumental hybridity, this examination leads to a new appreciation of the involvement of great hall sites in the genealogical strategies of 7th-century royal dynasties and a fresh perspective on how this remarkable yet short-lived monumental idiom was adapted to harness the symbolic capital of Romanitas

Standardized data quality acceptance criteria for a rapid Escherichia coli qPCR method (Draft Method C) for water quality monitoring at recreational beaches

There is growing interest in the application of rapid quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and other PCR-based methods for recreational water quality monitoring and management programs. This interest has strengthened given the publication of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-validated qPCR methods for enterococci fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and has extended to similar methods for Escherichia coli (E. coli) FIB. Implementation of qPCR-based methods in monitoring programs can be facilitated by confidence in the quality of the data produced by these methods. Data quality can be determined through the establishment of a series of specifications that should reflect good laboratory practice. Ideally, these specifications will also account for the typical variability of data coming from multiple users of the method. This study developed proposed standardized data quality acceptance criteria that were established for important calibration model parameters and/or controls from a new qPCR method for E. coli (EPA Draft Method C) based upon data that was generated by 21 laboratories. Each laboratory followed a standardized protocol utilizing the same prescribed reagents and reference and control materials. After removal of outliers, statistical modeling based on a hierarchical Bayesian method was used to establish metrics for assay standard curve slope, intercept and lower limit of quantification that included between-laboratory, replicate testing within laboratory, and random error variability. A nested analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to establish metrics for calibrator/positive control, negative control, and replicate sample analysis data. These data acceptance criteria should help those who may evaluate the technical quality of future findings from the method, as well as those who might use the method in the future. Furthermore, these benchmarks and the approaches described for determining them may be helpful to method users seeking to establish comparable laboratory-specific criteria if changes in the reference and/or control materials must be made

Evaluation of multiple laboratory performance and variability in analysis of recreational freshwaters by a rapid Escherichia coli qPCR method (Draft Method C)

There is interest in the application of rapid quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods for recreational freshwater quality monitoring of the fecal indicator bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli). In this study we determined the performance of 21 laboratories in meeting proposed, standardized data quality acceptance (QA) criteria and the variability of target gene copy estimates from these laboratories in analyses of 18 shared surface water samples by a draft qPCR method developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for E. coli. The participating laboratories ranged from academic and government laboratories with more extensive qPCR experience to “new” water quality and public health laboratories with relatively little previous experience in most cases. Failures to meet QA criteria for the method were observed in 24% of the total 376 test sample analyses. Of these failures, 39% came from two of the “new” laboratories. Likely factors contributing to QA failures included deviations in recommended procedures for the storage and preparation of reference and control materials. A master standard curve calibration model was also found to give lower overall variability in log10 target gene copy estimates than the delta-delta Ct (ΔΔCt) calibration model used in previous EPA qPCR methods. However, differences between the mean estimates from the two models were not significant and variability between laboratories was the greatest contributor to overall method variability in either case. Study findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of multiple laboratories implementing this or other qPCR water quality monitoring methods with similar data quality acceptance criteria but suggest that additional practice and/or assistance may be valuable, even for some more generally experienced qPCR laboratories. Special attention should be placed on providing and following explicit guidance on the preparation, storage and handling of reference and control materials

The design and testing of a dual fiber textile matrix for accelerating surface hemostasis

The standard treatment for severe traumatic injury is frequently compression and application of gauze dressing to the site of hemorrhage. However, while able to rapidly absorb pools of shed blood, gauze fails to provide strong surface (topical) hemostasis. The result can be excess hemorrhage-related morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that cost-effective materials (based on widespread availability of bulk fibers for other commercial uses) could be designed based on fundamental hemostatic principles to partially emulate the wicking properties of gauze while concurrently stimulating superior hemostasis. A panel of readily available textile fibers was screened for the ability to activate platelets and the intrinsic coagulation cascade in vitro. Type E continuous filament glass and a specialty rayon fiber were identified from the material panel as accelerators of hemostatic reactions and were custom woven to produce a dual fiber textile bandage. The glass component strongly activated platelets while the specialty rayon agglutinated red blood cells. In comparison with gauze in vitro, the dual fiber textile significantly enhanced the rate of thrombin generation, clot generation as measured by thromboelastography, adhesive protein adsorption and cellular attachment and activation. These results indicate that hemostatic textiles can be designed that mimic gauze in form but surpass gauze in ability to accelerate hemostatic reactions

NLRX1 Protein Attenuates Inflammatory Responses to Infection by Interfering with the RIG-I-MAVS and TRAF6-NF-κB Signaling Pathways

The nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat containing (NLR) proteins regulate innate immunity. Although the positive regulatory impact of NLRs is clear, their inhibitory roles are not well defined. We showed Nlrx1−/− mice exhibited increased expression of antiviral signaling molecules IFN-β, STAT2, OAS1 and IL-6 after influenza virus infection. Consistent with increased inflammation, Nlrx1−/− mice exhibited marked morbidity and histopathology. Infection of these mice with an influenza strain that carries a mutated NS-1 protein, which normally prevents IFN induction by interaction with RNA and the intracellular RNA sensor RIG-I, further exacerbated IL-6 and type I IFN signaling. NLRX1 also weakened cytokine responses to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza virus in human cells. Mechanistically, Nlrx1 deletion led to constitutive interaction of MAVS and RIG-I. Additionally, an inhibitory function is identified for NLRX1 during LPS-activation of macrophages where the MAVS-RIG-I pathway was not involved. NLRX1 interacts with TRAF6 and inhibits NF-κB activation. Thus, NLRX1 functions as a checkpoint of overzealous inflammation