Globular Cluster Systems in Brightest Cluster Galaxies. III: Beyond Bimodality

We present new deep photometry of the rich globular cluster (GC) systems around the Brightest Cluster Galaxies UGC 9799 (Abell 2052) and UGC 10143 (Abell 2147), obtained with the HST ACS and WFC3 cameras. For comparison, we also present new reductions of similar HST/ACS data for the Coma supergiants NGC 4874 and 4889. All four of these galaxies have huge cluster populations (to the radial limits of our data, comprising from 12000 to 23000 clusters per galaxy). The metallicity distribution functions (MDFs) of the GCs can still be matched by a bimodal-Gaussian form where the metal-rich and metal-poor modes are separated by ~0.8 dex, but the internal dispersions of each mode are so large that the total MDF becomes very broad and nearly continuous from [Fe/H] = -2.4 to Solar. There are, however, significant differences between galaxies in the relative numbers of \emph{metal-rich} clusters, suggesting that they underwent significantly different histories of mergers with massive, gas-rich halos. Lastly, the proportion of metal-poor GCs rises especially rapidly outside projected radii R > 4 R_eff, suggesting the importance of accreted dwarf satellites in the outer halo. Comprehensive models for the formation of GCs as part of the hierarchical formation of their parent galaxies will be needed to trace the systematic change in structure of the MDF with galaxy mass, from the distinctly bimodal form in smaller galaxies up to the broad continuum that we see in the very largest systems.Comment: In press for Astrophysical Journa

Exploring Human attitude during Human-Robot Interaction

The aim of this work is to provide an automatic analysis to assess the user attitude when interacts with a companion robot. In detail, our work focuses on defining which combination of social cues the robot should recognize so that to stimulate the ongoing conversation and how. The analysis is performed on video recordings of 9 elderly users. From each video, low-level descriptors of the behavior of the user are extracted by using open-source automatic tools to extract information on the voice, the body posture, and the face landmarks. The assessment of 3 types of attitude (neutral, positive and negative) is performed through 3 machine learning classification algorithms: k-nearest neighbors, random decision forest and support vector regression. Since intra- and intersubject variability could affect the results of the assessment, this work shows the robustness of the classification models in both scenarios. Further analysis is performed on the type of representation used to describe the attitude. A raw and an auto-encoded representation is applied to the descriptors. The results of the attitude assessment show high values of accuracy (>0.85) both for unimodal and multimodal data. The outcome of this work can be integrated into a robotic platform to automatically assess the quality of interaction and to modify its behavior accordingly

Interprofessional clinical placement involving speech pathology and counselling psychology

This paper examines the interprofessional learning of a speech pathology and counselling psychology student in an interprofessional placement within an institution of the Department of Corrective Services in Perth, Western Australia. The institution is a pre-release centre that promotes rehabilitation and community reintegration in which up to six women are able to have their children, aged 0–4 years of age, live with them. The students provided a program to the mothers to facilitate development of a healthy mother–child relationship and the children’s communication development. This paper utilised qualitative descriptive analysis to explore two examples of student learning and found perceived growth in the students’ clinical skills, their understanding of the other profession and the concept of interprofessional collaboration. While students experience growth in a range of placements, the journey described in this paper is unusual in both the nature of the student collaboration and the placement itself. The research highlights the importance of joint clinical placements in the development of interprofessional collaborative relationships

Interprofessional clinical placement involving speech pathology and counselling psychology

This paper examines the interprofessional learning of a speech pathology and counselling psychology student in an interprofessional placement within an institution of the Department of Corrective Services in Perth, Western Australia. The institution is a pre-release centre that promotes rehabilitation and community reintegration in which up to six women are able to have their children, aged 0–4 years of age, live with them. The students provided a program to the mothers to facilitate development of a healthy mother–child relationship and the children’s communication development. This paper utilised qualitative descriptive analysis to explore two examples of student learning and found perceived growth in the students’ clinical skills, their understanding of the other profession and the concept of interprofessional collaboration. While students experience growth in a range of placements, the journey described in this paper is unusual in both the nature of the student collaboration and the placement itself. The research highlights the importance of joint clinical placements in the development of interprofessional collaborative relationships

The positive side of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid cross-interactions: The case of the Aβ 1-42 peptide with tau, TTR, CysC, and ApoA1

Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents a progressive amyloidogenic disorder whose advancement is widely recognized to be connected to amyloid-β peptides and Tau aggregation. However, several other processes likely contribute to the development of AD and some of them might be related to protein-protein interactions. Amyloid aggregates usually contain not only single type of amyloid protein, but also other type of proteins and this phenomenon can be rationally explained by the process of protein cross-seeding and co-assembly. Amyloid cross-interaction is ubiquitous in amyloid fibril formation and so a better knowledge of the amyloid interactome could help to further understand the mechanisms of amyloid related diseases. In this review, we discuss about the cross-interactions of amyloid-β peptides, and in particular Aβ1-42, with other amyloids, which have been presented either as integrated part of Aβ neurotoxicity process (such as Tau) or conversely with a preventive role in AD pathogenesis by directly binding to Aβ (such as transthyretin, cystatin C and apolipoprotein A1). Particularly, we will focus on all the possible therapeutic strategies aiming to rescue the Aβ toxicity by taking inspiration from these protein-protein interactions

Hospital staff, volunteers’ and patients’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators to communication following stroke in an acute and a rehabilitation private hospital ward: A qualitative description study

Objectives To explore barriers and facilitators to patient communication in an acute and rehabilitation ward setting from the perspectives of hospital staff, volunteers and patients following stroke. Design A qualitative descriptive study as part of a larger study which aimed to develop and test a Communication Enhanced Environment model in an acute and a rehabilitation ward. Setting A metropolitan Australian private hospital. Participants Focus groups with acute and rehabilitation doctors, nurses, allied health staff and volunteers (n=51), and interviews with patients following stroke (n=7), including three with aphasia, were conducted. Results The key themes related to barriers and facilitators to communication, contained subcategories related to hospital, staff and patient factors. Hospital-related barriers to communication were private rooms, mixed wards, the physical hospital environment, hospital policies, the power imbalance between staff and patients, and task-specific communication. Staff-related barriers to communication were staff perception of time pressures, underutilisation of available resources, staff individual factors such as personality, role perception and lack of knowledge and skills regarding communication strategies. The patient-related barrier to communication involved patients’ functional and medical status. Hospital-related facilitators to communication were shared rooms/co-location of patients, visitors and volunteers. Staff-related facilitators to communication were utilisation of resources, speech pathology support, staff knowledge and utilisation of communication strategies, and individual staff factors such as personality. No patient-related facilitators to communication were reported by staff, volunteers or patients. Conclusion Barriers and facilitators to communication appeared to interconnect with potential to influence one another. This suggests communication access may vary between patients within the same setting. Practical changes may promote communication opportunities for patients in hospital early after stroke such as access to areas for patient co-location as well as areas for privacy, encouraging visitors, enhancing patient autonomy, and providing communication-trained health staff and volunteers