Was 49b: An Overmassive AGN in a Merging Dwarf Galaxy?

We present a combined morphological and X-ray analysis of Was 49, an isolated, dual AGN system notable for the presence of a dominant AGN Was 49b in the disk of the primary galaxy Was 49a, at a projected radial distance of 8 kpc from the nucleus. Using X-ray data from Chandra, NuSTAR, and Swift, we find that this AGN has a bolometric luminosity of L_bol ~ 2 x 10^45 erg/s, with a black hole mass of M_BH=1.3^{+2.9}_{-0.9} x 10^8 M_Sol. Despite its large mass, our analysis of optical data from the Discovery Channel Telescope shows that the supermassive black hole is hosted by a stellar counterpart with a mass of only 5.6^{+4.9}_{-2.6} x 10^9 M_Sol, making the SMBH potentially larger than expected from SMBH-galaxy scaling relations, and the stellar counterpart exhibits a morphology that is consistent with dwarf elliptical galaxies. Our analysis of the system in the r and K bands indicates that Was 49 is a minor merger, with a mass ratio of Was 49a to Was 49b between 1:7 and 1:15. This is in contrast with findings that the most luminous merger-triggered AGNs are found in major mergers, and that minor mergers predominantly enhance AGN activity in the primary galaxy.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Reforming primary health care: is New Zealand's primary health care strategy achieving its early goals?

BACKGROUND: In 2001, the New Zealand government introduced its Primary Health Care Strategy (PHCS), aimed at strengthening the role of primary health care, in order to improve health and to reduce inequalities in health. As part of the Strategy, new funding was provided to reduce the fees that patients pay when they use primary health care services in New Zealand, to improve access to services and to increase service use. In this article, we estimate the impact of the new funding on general practitioner and practice nurse visit fees paid by patients and on consultation rates. The analyses involved before-and-after monitoring of fees and consultation rates in a random sample of 99 general practices and covered the period from June 2001 (pre-Strategy) to mid-2005. RESULTS: Fees fell particularly in Access (higher need, higher per capita funded) practices over time for doctor and nurse visits. Fees increased over time for many in Interim (lower need, lower per capita funded) practices, but they fell for patients aged 65 years and over as new funding was provided for this age group. There were increases in consultation rates across almost all age, funding model (Access or Interim), socio-demographic and ethnic groups. Increases were particularly high in Access practices. CONCLUSION: The Strategy has resulted in lower fees for primary health care for many New Zealanders, and consultation rates have also increased over the past few years. However, fees have not fallen by as much as expected in government policy given the amount of extra public money spent since there are limited requirements for practices to reduce patients' fees in line with increases in public funding for primary care

ISBS 2018 AUCKLAND CONFERENCE SCHEDULE FINAL

This document contains the ISBS 2018 Auckland Conference Schedule of keynotes, oral podiums, oral posters, social events, workshops, SPRINZ-HPSNZ-AUT Millennium applied half day and teachers day

ISBS 2018 AUCKLAND CONFERENCE PROGRAMME FINAL

This document contains the final programme for the ISBS 2018 Auckland Conference

ISBS 2018 AUCKLAND CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS TITLE AND FOREWARD

The ISBS is an international society totally dedicated to biomechanics in sports, whose primary purposes are: To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas for sports biomechanics researchers, coaches and teachers. To bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners. To gather and disseminate information and materials on biomechanics in sports. ISBS 2018, held at the AUT City Campus in Auckland, New Zealand, was hosted in partnership between AUT, AUT Millennium, High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) and Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED). Conference organisers are proud to have organised an eco-friendly sustainable conference. All documents (programme, presentation schedule, papers, proceedings etc.) are electronic only. Published in the following proceedings are 275 papers across keynote, oral podium and oral poster pitch and digital poster presentations. There were at least two independent reviewers for each paper. The organising committee is indebted to all member of the scientific committee and the ISBS members who were willing to spend their time, energy and experience to undertake these reviews

Trafficking in persons monitoring report: January 2009–June 2011

Since 2008, the Australian Government has increased the tempo on investigating and understanding these crimes, and the Australian Institute of Criminology’s research and monitoring program is part of this effort.  The Government has introduced new legislation to crack down on trafficking slavery and servile marriages. Human trafficking is a serious but underreported problem as victims are unwilling to come forward. Since 2004 only 14 people have been convicted of people trafficking-related offences (nine of the 14 defendants were convicted of slavery offences, three of sexual servitude, one of people trafficking and one of labour exploitation). Between January 2009 and June 2011 there were 73 police investigations in Australia and 145 trafficked people entering the government’s victim support program—slightly more than in the previous period. Victims continue to be overwhelmingly from south-east Asia, one-third from Thailand alone. Authored by Jacqueline Joudo Larsen, Lauren Renshaw, Samantha Gray-Barry, Hannah Andrevski, and Toby Corsbie

Anticipating the clinical adoption of regenerative medicine : building institutional readiness in the UK

This perspective paper examines the challenges of implementing regenerative medicine (RM) therapies within hospitals and clinics. Drawing on recent work in the social sciences, the paper highlights dynamics within existing healthcare systems that will present both hindrances and affordances for the implementation of new RM technologies within hospitals and clinics. The paper argues that identifying suitable locations for cell- and gene-therapy treatment centers requires an assessment of their institutional readiness for RM. Some provisional criteria for assessing institutional readiness are outlined, and the paper will suggest that it is necessary to begin developing a program for the phased introduction of RM in the longer ter

A novel method for viral protein tracking in host cells

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infects approximately 70 million people worldwide and chronic infection can lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV contains a perplexing protein that has a number of proposed functions. This protein, termed p7, is essential for virus infectivity in vivo, however its function is a matter of controversy. Research into the function of p7 has been limited because there are no reliable antibodies available for the visualization of this protein. The goal of this project was to establish a system that utilizes fluorescent unnatural amino acids in order to label p7 within the context of a replicating virus. Strategically placed mutations within the viral p7 protein were selected to test their amenability to incorporation of an unnatural amino acid. In order to optimize the incorporation system, plasmids containing mutations in the viral core protein were synthesized for further screening of positions tolerable to substitution. Ultimately, we were successful in incorporating a fluorescent unnatural amino acid into the viral core protein in a single protein expression system. If we can successfully transfer this system back into the context of a replicating virus, this technique could be used to facilitate the study of viral proteins in HCV and other viruses

Archaeobotanical and soil chemistry investigation of a woodland site on Whitefish Lake, Northwestern Ontario

Whitefish Lake is a large, shallow lake abundant in wild rice (Zizania palustris) that lies near the transitional zone between the Boreal Forest and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest regions of Northwestern Ontario. The lake exhibits extensive use during the Woodland period (150 BC- AD 1600) inferred from the lithic and pottery recoveries and the presence of burial mounds at several archaeological sites. The soils here are typical of those elsewhere in the Boreal Forest, characterized by poor organic preservation and disturbed, compacted stratigraphy thus limiting knowledge of plant use at many sites. On-going research from Whitefish Lake, particulary the Martin-Bird site (DbJm-5), is revealing aspects of paleoecology and human paleodiet in the absence of conventional lines of evidence through the analysis of plant microfossils, like starch and phytoliths. The objectives of this thesis are to further understand aspects of paleoecology and precontact land-use at the Martin-Bird site and to assess the utility of subtle lines of evidence at sites exhibiting poor organic preservation. A multi-proxy approach, combining the analysis of plant microfossils (starch, phytoliths, and charcoal) and soil chemistry (phosphorus) on soils from the site, is used to address these objectives. My thesis explores the information and land-use patterns that can be obtained from plant microfossils and soil chemistry analyses in the absence of organic lines of evidence, while providing a greater understanding of the Woodland period of the Eastern Woodlands culture history