Simulated holographic three-dimensional intensity shaping of evanescent-wave fields

The size of bright structures in traveling-wave light fields is limited by diffraction. This in turn limits a number of technologies, for example, optical trapping. One way to beat the diffraction limit is to use evanescent waves instead of traveling waves. Here we apply a holographic algorithm, direct search, to the shaping of complex evanescent-wave fields. We simulate three-dimensional intensity shaping of evanescent-wave fields using this approach, and we investigate some of its limitations. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.</p

Protocol for: The use of intra-gastric balloons as an adjunct to a lifestyle support programme to promote weight loss in severely obese adolescents

Background: Severe childhood and adolescent obesity (BMI>3.5SD) remains a significant public health priority with an increasing incidence [1] and is associated with significant morbidity including immediate and long-term cardiovascular, metabolic and psychological consequences [2]. Current non-invasive treatments including lifestyle modification and pharmaceutical intervention are of limited effectiveness in this population, which leaves permanent bariatric surgery as the only viable option. As an alternative, intra-gastric balloons offer a reversible, potentially safer and less invasive option for severely obese adolescents for whom all other available treatments have been exhausted. Methods/design: - BOB is a non-randomised pilot study. A cohort of 12 obese adolescents (BMI > 3.5SD, puberty stage 4 or more) aged 13 - 16 years, will be recruited to the study, where an intragastric balloon (ORBERA – inflated to 500-700ml) will be inserted into the stomach for 6 months, whilst receiving intense, weekly, behavioural support for the family. Follow-up will continue for 18 months after balloon removal with reduced behavioural support. The primary outcome measure will be the change in body weight and BMI standard deviation score from baseline following six months with the intragastric balloon and lifestyle therapy. Secondary outcome measures include the assessment of weight maintenance at 18 months post balloon removal, biomedical outcomes including blood glucose levels, physical activity and physical fitness, and psychosocial outcomes such as paediatric health-related quality of life

Intragastric balloon as an adjunct to lifestyle programme in severely obese adolescents: Impact on biomedical outcomes, and skeletal health"

Intragastric Balloons are a temporary, reversible, and safer option compared to bariatric surgery to promote significant weight loss leading to improved metabolic outcomes. However due to subsequent weight regain, alternative procedures are now preferred in adults. In adolescents, more amenable to lifestyle change, balloons may be an alternative to less reversible procedures. Our aim was to assess the tolerability and efficacy of the intragastric balloon in severely obese adolescents and the impact of associated weight loss on biomedical outcomes (glucose metabolism, blood pressure, lipid profiles) and bone density. A 2-year cohort study of 12 adolescents (BMI >3.5 s.d., Tanner stage >4) following 6 months intragastric balloon placement was carried out. Subjects underwent anthropometry, oral glucose tolerance test, and DEXA scans at 0, 6 and 24 months. Results showed clinically relevant improvements in blood pressure, insulin: glucose metabolism, liver function and sleep apnoea at 6 months. Changes were not sustained at 2 years though some parameters (Diastolic BP, HBA1c, insulin AUC) demonstrated longer-term improvement despite weight regain. Despite weight loss, bone mass accrual showed age appropriate increases. In conclusion, the intra-gastric balloon was safe, well tolerated and effective in supporting short-term weight loss and clinically relevant improvement in obesity related complications, which resolved in some individuals. Benefits were not sustained in the majority at 2 years.International Journal of Obesity accepted article preview online, 05 September 2017. doi:10.1038/ijo.2017.215

Combining machine learning with high-content imaging to infer ciprofloxacin susceptibility in isolates of Salmonella Typhimurium

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing public health crisis that requires innovative solutions. Current susceptibility testing approaches limit our ability to rapidly distinguish between antimicrobial-susceptible and -resistant organisms. Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is an enteric pathogen responsible for severe gastrointestinal illness and invasive disease. Despite widespread resistance, ciprofloxacin remains a common treatment for Salmonella infections, particularly in lower-resource settings, where the drug is given empirically. Here, we exploit high-content imaging to generate deep phenotyping of S. Typhimurium isolates longitudinally exposed to increasing concentrations of ciprofloxacin. We apply machine learning algorithms to the imaging data and demonstrate that individual isolates display distinct growth and morphological characteristics that cluster by time point and susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, which occur independently of ciprofloxacin exposure. Using a further set of S. Typhimurium clinical isolates, we find that machine learning classifiers can accurately predict ciprofloxacin susceptibility without exposure to it or any prior knowledge of resistance phenotype. These results demonstrate the principle of using high-content imaging with machine learning algorithms to predict drug susceptibility of clinical bacterial isolates. This technique may be an important tool in understanding the morphological impact of antimicrobials on the bacterial cell to identify drugs with new modes of action

Interest in coloured objects and behavioural budgets of individual captive freshwater turtles

Recent studies showed that freshwater turtles display inter-individual differences in variousbehavioural traits, which may influence their health and welfare in captivity due to differences inresponse to husbandry and enrichment strategies and in ability to cope with the limitations of thecaptive environment. This study investigated a possible correlation between individual level ofescape behaviour under standard enrichment conditions and level of interest in coloured objects ina group of cooters Pseudemys sp. and sliders Trachemys scripta ssp. on display at a public aquarium.Interest in different colours, colour preference and individual differences in behavioural changes inthe presence of the new enrichment were also studied. Turtles categorised as ‘high’ and ‘moderateescape behaviour’ (17–34 of behavioural budget) showed more interest in coloured objects andtended to display less escape behaviour in their presence, while turtles categorised as ‘low escapebehaviour’ (<10 of behavioural budget) were less interested in coloured objects and tended todisplay more escape behaviour in their presence. Overall, there was more interest in yellow than inred, white or green objects, with more contacts with coloured objects before feeding and at the startof each observation period and a preference for yellow against red objects. The individual differencesin behavioural changes in the presence of the new enrichment suggested that more studies into colourpreference and response to novelty in turtles would be beneficial to ensure that no individuals areunduly stressed by new enrichments

Transabdominal Embryofetoscopy for the Detection of Short Rib-polydactyly Syndrome, Type II(Majewski), in the First Trimester

Our aim was to demonstrate the potential of first-trimester embryofetoscopy for prenatal diagnosis in a continuing pregnancy. A patient at risk for giving birth to an infant with short rib-polydactyly syndrome, type II (Majewski), presented for prenatal diagnosis at 9 weeks of gestation. A 1 mm semirigid fiberoptic endoscope with an 18 gauge examination sheath and a single-chip digital camera were used for transabdominal embryofetoscopy. Transabdominal embryofetoscopy was performed at 13 weeks of gestation. Direct visualization of the fetus was achieved and no gross limb or facial abnormalities were seen. This case shows that embryofetoscopy is a useful tool for early diagnosis in high-risk patients in the first trimester for continuing pregnancies

Editorial

Over the past year, we’ve had a change of hands from our founder, Matt Barr, to our new editor-in-chief, Mahli-Ann Butt. We’ve taken some extra time to put together this issue with great pride and care. Through a friendly double-open peer-reviewing process, for this open-call issue we’ve published 7 excellent game studies student articles: Dennis Jansen’s ‘The Environment at Play: Confronting Nature in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the “Frostfall” Mod,’ argues that the natural environment in the base game of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) is devoid of agency and power in the face of the player’s colonialist endeavours to explore, conquer and master that environment. Jansen thus discusses how the “Frostfall” counteracts the destructive and oppositional relationship between the player and nature in Skyrim. Brianna Dym’s ‘The Burden of Queer Love,’ explores attempts by game development studio Bioware to create video games that are inclusive of gay, lesbian, and bisexual players by writing in queer romantic narrative subplots into their games. While Bioware’s attempts are certainly not malicious, they fail time and time again, game after game, to break free of the hypermasculine and heterocentric culture dominant in the gaming industry. Instead, Bioware appropriates queer experiences and construes them as a burden to the player so as not to displace the fantasies of male, heterosexual gamers. Chris Alton’s ‘Aya of the Beholder: An Examination of the Construction of Real-World Locations in Parasite Eve,’ uses the foundational example of Square’s Parasite Eve (1997) to examine the ways in which real-world locations and approximations of such are represented within video game worlds. Alton examines the methods through which videogames can create spaces which evoke the conceptual idea of a given place, both through audio/visual and interactive means, without constructing a one-to-one simulacrum of the location. Thus, the player actively contributes in the transformation of an actionable virtual space into an actualized lived place. Anna Maria Kalinowski’s ‘Silent Halls: P.T., Freud, and Psychological Horror,’ draws from Sigmund Freud’s concept of the uncanny to address how the psychological concepts surface within the never-ending hallway of P.T. (2014) and create a deeply psychologically horrifying experience. Sean Pellegrini’s ‘And How Does That Make You Feel?: A Psychological Approach to a Classic Game Studies Debate – Violent Video Games and Aggression,’ investigates the claim that violent video games can cause aggression. The findings of this study suggest that people highly correlated with the Dark Triad of personality are a high-risk group for aggression, but that this aggression is unrelated to video games. Daniel Odin Shaw’s ‘Ideology in BioShock: A Critical Analysis,’ analyses the Bioshock series, with a particular focus on the treatment of ideology. By examining the games, with a particular reference the use of procedural rhetoric, this paper argues that this series presents a critique of extreme ideology itself. Hayley McCullough’s ‘“Hey! Listen!”: Video Game Dialogue, Integrative Complexity and the Perception of Quality,’ explores potential complexity differences between winning and losing video games at the Spike Video Game Awards. It compared the integrative complexity of a sample of video game dialogue for three categories (Best Shooter, Best RPG and Best Action/Adventure). Across all analyses a consistent mean pattern emerged: The winning games averaged lower complexity scores than the losing games. These findings suggest a general association between simplistic dialogue and high-quality video games, providing keen insight into the underlying psychology of video games, and establishes a strong foundation for future research. As this issue demonstrates, Press Start is always delighted to be publishing the best new work by early career researchers from a wide variety of disciplinary fields. The Press Start Journal team also welcomed many new members to our editorial board. During this transition period, we’ve begun a mentoring program for our senior members to share their knowledge of the editorial process. This spirit of mentorship, guidance, and support is something we hope to continue into our journal’s future as it reflects our larger goal of encouraging game studies students to share their work and take part in a lively, academic community. Once again, we’re seeking new members to replace our outgoing board, who are graduating and moving on to other things. Board members of Press Start serve as key stakeholders and decision-makers for developing the journal and actively work to support student scholarship in game studies. Current students and graduates within one year of their graduation date are eligible to apply. Our deadline to apply to be on the editorial board this year has just past, but if you are interested in working with Press Start in the future, you can find more information on the responsibilities of an editor here. In 2018, we saw some of our editors present on a panel at DiGRA in Turin, Italy. This was an exciting opportunity for our new members to sit down with established members and discuss our hopes, expectations, and advice regarding the publishing process in general, and with Press Start in particular. While everyone has a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, some commonalities emerged. Fostering an open, supportive, caring – in other words, overtly feminist – atmosphere for editors, reviewers, and contributors has been our most important goal. Reaching out to, and encouraging, junior scholars, new graduate students, upper year undergraduate students, and scholars whose first language is not English are also central goals for Press Start. Given the often intimidating, daunting, and confusing process of academic publishing, we hope to make Press Start an appealing home for exciting, innovative, unusual, and social justice-oriented games research. As students and emerging academics, we believe Press Start should embody the kinds of practices that we want to see become standards for academia. Thus, in order to see a greater diversity in game studies scholarship, we have introduced an initiative to translate our calls for papers into as many languages as we can find volunteers: http://tinyurl.com/yblfxkk4. Press Startencourages submissions from ESL writers, especially if they are not yet fully confident of their ability to write academically in English but want to learn and improve. Press Start Journal is a labour of love and we thank you for your continued support of our journal. Best wishes from the Press Start editorial board, Mahli-Ann Butt, Landon Kyle Berry, Sarah Stang, Alicia Copeland, Leandro Augusto Borges Lima, Erin MacLean, Reece Thomson, and Dennis Wilson

Editorial

Over the past year, we’ve had a change of hands from our founder, Matt Barr, to our new editor-in-chief, Mahli-Ann Butt. We’ve taken some extra time to put together this issue with great pride and care. Through a friendly double-open peer-reviewing process, for this open-call issue we’ve published 7 excellent game studies student articles: Dennis Jansen’s ‘The Environment at Play: Confronting Nature in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the “Frostfall” Mod,’ argues that the natural environment in the base game of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) is devoid of agency and power in the face of the player’s colonialist endeavours to explore, conquer and master that environment. Jansen thus discusses how the “Frostfall” counteracts the destructive and oppositional relationship between the player and nature in Skyrim. Brianna Dym’s ‘The Burden of Queer Love,’ explores attempts by game development studio Bioware to create video games that are inclusive of gay, lesbian, and bisexual players by writing in queer romantic narrative subplots into their games. While Bioware’s attempts are certainly not malicious, they fail time and time again, game after game, to break free of the hypermasculine and heterocentric culture dominant in the gaming industry. Instead, Bioware appropriates queer experiences and construes them as a burden to the player so as not to displace the fantasies of male, heterosexual gamers. Chris Alton’s ‘Aya of the Beholder: An Examination of the Construction of Real-World Locations in Parasite Eve,’ uses the foundational example of Square’s Parasite Eve (1997) to examine the ways in which real-world locations and approximations of such are represented within video game worlds. Alton examines the methods through which videogames can create spaces which evoke the conceptual idea of a given place, both through audio/visual and interactive means, without constructing a one-to-one simulacrum of the location. Thus, the player actively contributes in the transformation of an actionable virtual space into an actualized lived place. Anna Maria Kalinowski’s ‘Silent Halls: P.T., Freud, and Psychological Horror,’ draws from Sigmund Freud’s concept of the uncanny to address how the psychological concepts surface within the never-ending hallway of P.T. (2014) and create a deeply psychologically horrifying experience. Sean Pellegrini’s ‘And How Does That Make You Feel?: A Psychological Approach to a Classic Game Studies Debate – Violent Video Games and Aggression,’ investigates the claim that violent video games can cause aggression. The findings of this study suggest that people highly correlated with the Dark Triad of personality are a high-risk group for aggression, but that this aggression is unrelated to video games. Daniel Odin Shaw’s ‘Ideology in BioShock: A Critical Analysis,’ analyses the Bioshock series, with a particular focus on the treatment of ideology. By examining the games, with a particular reference the use of procedural rhetoric, this paper argues that this series presents a critique of extreme ideology itself. Hayley McCullough’s ‘“Hey! Listen!”: Video Game Dialogue, Integrative Complexity and the Perception of Quality,’ explores potential complexity differences between winning and losing video games at the Spike Video Game Awards. It compared the integrative complexity of a sample of video game dialogue for three categories (Best Shooter, Best RPG and Best Action/Adventure). Across all analyses a consistent mean pattern emerged: The winning games averaged lower complexity scores than the losing games. These findings suggest a general association between simplistic dialogue and high-quality video games, providing keen insight into the underlying psychology of video games, and establishes a strong foundation for future research. As this issue demonstrates, Press Start is always delighted to be publishing the best new work by early career researchers from a wide variety of disciplinary fields. The Press Start Journal team also welcomed many new members to our editorial board. During this transition period, we’ve begun a mentoring program for our senior members to share their knowledge of the editorial process. This spirit of mentorship, guidance, and support is something we hope to continue into our journal’s future as it reflects our larger goal of encouraging game studies students to share their work and take part in a lively, academic community. Once again, we’re seeking new members to replace our outgoing board, who are graduating and moving on to other things. Board members of Press Start serve as key stakeholders and decision-makers for developing the journal and actively work to support student scholarship in game studies. Current students and graduates within one year of their graduation date are eligible to apply. Our deadline to apply to be on the editorial board this year has just past, but if you are interested in working with Press Start in the future, you can find more information on the responsibilities of an editor here. In 2018, we saw some of our editors present on a panel at DiGRA in Turin, Italy. This was an exciting opportunity for our new members to sit down with established members and discuss our hopes, expectations, and advice regarding the publishing process in general, and with Press Start in particular. While everyone has a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, some commonalities emerged. Fostering an open, supportive, caring – in other words, overtly feminist – atmosphere for editors, reviewers, and contributors has been our most important goal. Reaching out to, and encouraging, junior scholars, new graduate students, upper year undergraduate students, and scholars whose first language is not English are also central goals for Press Start. Given the often intimidating, daunting, and confusing process of academic publishing, we hope to make Press Start an appealing home for exciting, innovative, unusual, and social justice-oriented games research. As students and emerging academics, we believe Press Start should embody the kinds of practices that we want to see become standards for academia. Thus, in order to see a greater diversity in game studies scholarship, we have introduced an initiative to translate our calls for papers into as many languages as we can find volunteers: http://tinyurl.com/yblfxkk4. Press Startencourages submissions from ESL writers, especially if they are not yet fully confident of their ability to write academically in English but want to learn and improve. Press Start Journal is a labour of love and we thank you for your continued support of our journal. Best wishes from the Press Start editorial board, Mahli-Ann Butt, Landon Kyle Berry, Sarah Stang, Alicia Copeland, Leandro Augusto Borges Lima, Erin MacLean, Reece Thomson, and Dennis Wilson

Intra-gastric balloon as an adjunct to lifestyle support in severely obese adolescents; Impact on weight, physical activity, cardio-respiratory fitness and psychosocial wellbeing.

BACKGROUND: Severe adolescent obesity (BMI>99.6th centile) is a significant public health challenge. Current non-invasive treatments, including community-based lifestyle interventions, are often of limited effectiveness in this population, with NICE guidelines suggesting the use of bariatric surgery as the last line of treatment (NICE, 2013). Health professionals are understandably reluctant to commission bariatric surgery and as an alternative, the use of an intra-gastric balloon as an adjunct to a lifestyle programme might offer a reversible, potentially safer and less invasive option. OBJECTIVES: Explore the use of an intra-gastric balloon as an adjunct to a lifestyle support programme, to promote weight loss in severely obese adolescents. Outcomes included Weight loss, Waist and Hip measurements, psychosocial outcomes including health related quality of life and physical self-perceptions, physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness. METHOD: Non-randomised pilot study. Results: 12 severely obese adolescents (5 males, 7 females; mean age 15yrs; BMI >3.5 s.d.; puberty stage 4 or more) and their families were recruited. Mean weight loss at 12 months (n=9) was 3.05 kg±14.69; d=0.002, P=0.550, and a BMI Z-score (n=12) change of 0.2 s.d.; d=0.7, P=0.002 was observed at 6 months with a large effect, but was not sustained at 12 months (mean change 0.1 s.d.; d=0.3, P=0.146 ) At 24 months (n=10) there was a weight gain from baseline of +9.9 kg±1.21 (d=0.4; P=0.433). Adolescent and parent HRQoL scores exceeded the minimal clinical important difference between baseline and 12 months for all domains but showed some decline at 24 months. CONCLUSION: An intra-gastric balloon as an adjunct to a lifestyle support programme represents a safe and well tolerated treatment approach in severely obese adolescents, with short-term effects on weight change. Improvements in psychosocial health, physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness were maintained at 12 months, with varying results at 24 months