Sharing the baryons : Stars and gas in local volume galaxies

The baryonic content of a galaxy is divided into two distinct, albeit related, components; the stellar component and the gaseous component. Although many individual galaxies have had their stars and gas studied in great detail, overall the relation between these two baryonic components is poorly understood. This thesis presents a study of the stellar and gas properties of galaxies in the Local Volume (D < 10 Mpc) and investigates the relation between the atomic hydrogen and stellar components of a galaxy. We present H-band (1.65um) surface photometry of 57 galaxies drawn from the Local Sphere of Influence (LSI) with distances of less than 10 Mpc from the Milky Way. The images with a typical surface brightness limit 4 mag fainter than 2MASS (24.5 mag/arcsec{u0302}2 < SB_lim < 26 mag/arcsec{u0302}2 ) have been obtained with IRIS2 on the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescope. A total of 22 galaxies that remained previously undetected in the near-IR and potentially could have been genuinely young galaxies were found to have an old stellar population with a star density 1-2 magnitudes below the 2MASS detection threshold. The cleaned near-IR images reveal the morphology and extent of many of the galaxies for the first time. For all program galaxies, we derive radial luminosity profiles, ellipticities, and position angles, together with global parameters such as total magnitude, mean effective surface brightness and half-light radius. Our results show that 2MASS underestimates the total magnitude of galaxies with effective surface brightness between 18-21 mag/arcsec{u0302}2 by up to 2.5 mag. The Sersic parameters best describing the observed surface brightness profiles are also presented. Adopting accurate galaxy distances and a H-band mass-to-light ratio of 1.0 +/- 0.4, the LSI galaxies are found to cover a stellar mass range of 5.6 < log_10 M < 11.1. The results are discussed along with previously obtained optical data. Our sample of low luminosity galaxies is found to follow closely the optical-infrared B versus H luminosity relation defined by brighter galaxies with a slope of 1.14 +/- 0.02 and scatter of 0.3 magnitudes. Finally we analyse the luminosity - surface brightness relation to determine an empirical mass-to-light ratio of 0.78 +/- 0.08 for late-type galaxies in the H-band. The atomic hydrogen distribution and kinematics for Local Volume galaxies have been obtained as part of the 'Local Volume \HI\ Survey' (LVHIS). We use the new, high resolution, HI line data obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array for a kinematical analysis of 12 nearby galaxies. For six galaxies in our sample we present the only resolved HI imaging available to date which reveals the atomic hydrogen distribution for the first time. Detailed kinematic information is presented as global HI line profiles and rotation curves. The rotation parameters obtained from the HI line profile are shown to be an accurate measure of the true rotation derived via rotation curve analysis. The kinematics of the 12 galaxies are analysed in detail and the classical and baryonic Tully-Fisher relations determined. Near-IR and 21cm data for 1394 nearby galaxies are analysed to investigate the relation between the atomic hydrogen and stellar components of a galaxy. We show that there is an upper limit for the HI mass in a galaxy, a quantity that correlates with its stellar mass. We examine the relation between the stellar and baryonic mass and find that the minimum stellar mass fraction for galaxies increases systematically to unity as their baryonic mass goes from 108 to 1012 solar masses. This result suggests that there is a physical limit to the maximum baryonic mass a galaxy has at the current epoch with giant cluster ellipticals being the most extreme systems. A similar mass limit has been proposed on theoretical grounds by Rees & Ostriker (1977) and Silk (1977)

What students value as inspirational and transformative teaching

Evidence presented here stems from an analysis of student comments derived from a student-nominated inspirational teaching awards scheme at a large university in the United Kingdom (UK). There is a plethora of literature on teaching excellence and the scholarship of teaching, frequently based upon portfolios or personal claims of excellence, and often related to monetary reward or promotion. However there is a paucity of research into student-nominated awards and the student perception of inspirational and transformative teaching despite a growing number of student-led schemes in the UK. This article seeks to address this gap in knowledge at the same time presenting some of the challenges in managing a student-nominated teaching awards scheme

What socio-cultural, emotional and relational factors shape older people's experiences of death and dying in residential aged care? A scoping review

Research internationally has revealed a range of medical and health-related issues that shape care at the end of life for people living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), their families and the staff who care for them. Yet, less is known about the lived experiences of residents, and the broader socio-cultural, emotional and relational factors that shape experiences of dying within such settings. In this article, we present findings from a scoping review designed to establish what is known about the lived experience of residents nearing the end of life. In doing so, we identify research gaps and move towards an agenda for future research. Five electronic databases were used to identify empirical research articles investigating end-of-life experiences from the perspective of older people living in RACFs, from which we selected 22 papers for thematic analysis. Our analysis highlighted three key themes: connections and closeness; place and the end of life; and temporality, care and the anticipation of dying. A majority of the articles (15) highlighted the importance of social connectedness with staff, co-residents and family in enabling people to die with dignity and a sense of belonging in residential settings. The physical layout and living arrangements in RACFs were found to affect the ways in which residents relate within the space, especially during and after the death of a resident. Anticipatory fears of dying were oriented towards the context of illness and care, and its management within the RACF, rather than death itself. Our analysis highlights considerable evidence that'good deaths'are embedded in experiences of socio-emotional wellbeing, connectedness and relationality. However, much of the extant research analysed is exploratory, pointing to the need for further social scientific study of the social and cultural embeddedness of end-of-life experiences with residential aged care

Maintaining standing stones benefits biodiversity in lowland heathland

The exploitation of natural resources by people generally has detrimental effects on nature but in some cases anthropogenic activities can result in changes to the natural environment that produce new habitats and increase biodiversity. Understanding and supporting such cultural aspects of land use is an important part of effective conservation strategies. The UK has a range of cultural landscapes that contribute to the landscape matrix and are often important for biodiversity. However, little research has been conducted on the relationship between various types of cultural landscapes or their effects on biodiversity. We examined the interaction between semi-natural sacred sites and lowland heathland in Cornwall, and the contribution these sites make to the overall biodiversity within the habitat. We found that semi-natural sacred sites had significantly higher levels of biodiversity compared to surrounding heathland; the existence and use of the sites created new and important habitats for rare and threatened heathland species; and the spiritual and cultural use of the sites aids the management of heathland. Promoting the use of semi-natural sacred sites could therefore contribute to biodiversity conservation. Furthermore, the cultural and spiritual importance of such sites potentially increases the availability of volunteer resources for their management. We highlight the importance of an integrated management approach for achieving effective biodiversity conservation in areas containing multiple types of cultural landscapes

Is there a link between overactive bladder and the metabolic syndrome in women? : A systematic review of observational studies

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.To conduct a systematic review to determine whether there is an association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) or overactive bladder (OAB) in women. We systematically reviewed English language observational studies on the effect of MetS (or component factors) on the presence of OAB or LUTS in women. We searched PubMed, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library with no date restrictions, checked reference lists and undertook citation searches in PubMed and Google Scholar. Studies were assessed for risk of bias. Because of heterogeneity, results were not pooled, but are reported narrativelyPeer reviewe

Cultures of resistance? A Bourdieusian analysis of doctors’ antibiotic prescribing

The prospect of an ‘antimicrobial perfect storm’ in the coming decades through the emergence and proliferation of multi-resistant organisms has become an urgent public health concern. With limited drug discovery solutions foreseeable in the immediate future, and with evidence that resistance can be ameliorated by optimisation of prescribing, focus currently centres on antibiotic use. In hospitals, this is manifest in the development of stewardship programs that aim to alter doctors' prescribing behaviour. Yet, in many clinical contexts, doctors' antibiotic prescribing continues to elude best practice. In this paper, drawing on qualitative interviews with 30 Australian hospital-based doctors in mid-2013, we draw on Bourdieu's theory of practice to illustrate that ‘sub-optimal’ antibiotic prescribing is a logical choice within the habitus of the social world of the hospital. That is, the rules of the game within the field are heavily weighted in favour of the management of immediate clinical risks, reputation and concordance with peer practice vis-à-vis longer-term population consequences. Antimicrobial resistance is thus a principal of limited significance in the hospital. We conclude that understanding the habitus of the hospital and the logics underpinning practice is a critical step toward developing governance practices that can respond to clinically ‘sub-optimal’ antibiotic use

Designing for palliative care: Three ideas toward an architecture of generosity

Palliative care has a distinct philosophy that is not always reflected in the architecture created for it. From a study conducted to better understand the relationship of the built environment to patient and family experiences of palliative care, this article discusses the benefits of access to nature, the provision of semi-private spaces beyond the patient room, and environments that support the rituals of home. Research methods included semi-structured interviews, an online survey, and an architectural precedent study

Piezoelectric energy harvesting : enhancing power output by device optimisation and circuit techniques

Energy harvesting; that is, harvesting small amounts of energy from environmental sources such as solar, air flow or vibrations using small-scale (≈1cm 3 ) devices, offers the prospect of powering portable electronic devices such as GPS receivers and mobile phones, and sensing devices used in remote applications: wireless sensor nodes, without the use of batteries. Numerous studies have shown that power densities of energy harvesting devices can be hundreds of µW; however the literature also reveals that power requirements of many electronic devices are in the mW range. Therefore, a key challenge for the successful deployment of energy harvesting technology remains, in many cases, the provision of adequate power. This thesis aims to address this challenge by investigating two methods of enhancing the power output of a piezoelectric-based vibration energy harvesting device. Cont/d.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Practice transformations to optimize the delivery of HIV primary care in community healthcare settings in the United States: A program implementation study.

BackgroundThe United States HIV care workforce is shrinking, which could complicate service delivery to people living with HIV (PLWH). In this study, we examined the impact of practice transformations, defined as efficiencies in structures and delivery of care, on demonstration project sites within the Workforce Capacity Building Initiative, a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS).Methods and findingsData were collected at 14 demonstration project sites in 7 states and the District of Columbia. Organizational assessments were completed at sites once before and 4 times after implementation. They captured 3 transformation approaches: maximizing the HIV care workforce (efforts to increase the number of existing healthcare workforce members involved in the care of PLWH), share-the-care (team-based care giving more responsibility to midlevel providers and staff), and enhancing client engagement in primary HIV care to reduce emergency and inpatient care (e.g., care coordination). We also obtained Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Services Reports (RSRs) from sites for calendar years (CYs) 2014-2016, corresponding to before, during, and after transformation. The RSR include data on client retention in HIV care, prescription of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and viral suppression. We used generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to analyze changes among sites implementing each practice transformation approach. The demonstration projects had a mean of 18.5 prescribing providers (SD = 23.5). They reported data on more than 13,500 clients per year (mean = 969/site, SD = 1,351). Demographic characteristics remained similar over time. In 2014, a majority of clients were male (71% versus 28% female and 0.2% transgender), with a mean age of 47 (interquartile range [IQR] 37-54). Racial/ethnic characteristics (48% African American, 31% Hispanic/Latino, 14% white) and HIV risk varied (31% men who have sex with men; 31% heterosexual men and women; 7% injection drug use). A substantial minority was on Medicaid (41%). Across sites, there was significant uptake in practices consistent with maximizing the HIV care workforce (18% increase, p &lt; 0.001), share-the-care (25% increase, p &lt; 0.001), and facilitating patient engagement in HIV primary care (13% increase, p &lt; 0.001). There were also significant improvements over time in retention in HIV care (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.04; p &lt; 0.001), ART prescription levels (aOR = 1.01; 95% CI 1.00-1.01; p &lt; 0.001), and viral suppression (aOR = 1.03; 95% CI 1.02-1.04; p &lt; 0.001). All outcomes improved at sites that implemented transformations to maximize the HIV care workforce or improve client engagement. At sites that implemented share-the-care practices, only retention in care and viral suppression outcomes improved. Study limitations included use of demonstration project sites funded by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP), which tend to have better HIV outcomes than other US clinics; varying practice transformation designs; lack of a true control condition; and a potential Hawthorne effect because site teams were aware of the evaluation.ConclusionsIn this study, we found that practice transformations are a potential strategy for addressing anticipated workforce challenges among those providing care to PLWH. They hold the promise of optimizing the use of personnel and ensuring the delivery of care to all in need while potentially enhancing HIV care continuum outcomes

ISGylation-independent protection of cell growth by USP18 following interferon stimulation

Type 1 interferon stimulation highly up-regulates all elements of a ubiquitin-like conjugation system that leads to ISGylation of target proteins. An ISG15-specific member of the deubiquitylase family, USP18, is up-regulated in a co-ordinated manner. USP18 can also provide a negative feedback by inhibiting JAK-STAT signalling through protein interactions independently of DUB activity. Here, we provide an acute example of this phenomenon, whereby the early expression of USP18, post-interferon treatment of HCT116 colon cancer cells is sufficient to fully suppress the expression of the ISG15 E1 enzyme, UBA7. Stimulation of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells with interferon reduces their growth rate but they remain viable. In contrast, A549 USP18 knock-out cells show similar growth characteristics under basal conditions, but upon interferon stimulation, a profound inhibition of cell growth is observed. We show that this contingency on USP18 is independent of ISGylation, suggesting non-catalytic functions are required for viability. We also demonstrate that global deISGylation kinetics are very slow compared with deubiquitylation. This is not influenced by USP18 expression, suggesting that enhanced ISGylation in USP18 KO cells reflects increased conjugating activity.</p