What triggers a radio AGN? The intriguing case of PKSB 1718-649

We present new Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) observations of the young (< 10^2 years) radio galaxy PKS B1718-649. We study the morphology and the kinematics of the neutral hydrogen (HI) disk (M(HI) = 1.1x 10^10 M(sun), radius ~ 30 kpc). In particular, we focus on the analysis of the cold gas in relation to the triggering of the nuclear activity. The asymmetries at the edges of the disk date the last interaction with a companion to more than 1 Gyr ago. The tilted-ring model of the HI disk shows that this event may have formed the disk as we see it now, but that it may have not been responsible for triggering the AGN. The long timescales of the interaction are incompatible with the short ones of the radio activity. In absorption, we identify two clouds with radial motions which may represent a population that could be involved in the triggering of the radio activity. We argue that PKS B1718-649 may belong to a family of young low-excitation radio AGN where, rather than through a gas rich merger, the active nuclei (AGN) are triggered by local mechanisms such as accretion of small gas clouds.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, Accepted to A&

The WA Goldfields Aboriginal Community Antenatal Program: A community midwifery initiative

Aim: To investigate the acceptability and satisfaction with the Aboriginal Community Antenatal Program by staff in the program and partner agencies. Design: A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats framework guided the research and data collection methods. Mixed methodology was used, accessing qualitative and quantitative information from data bases, program and supporting agency staff. Quantitative data were analysed through a social sciences statistical package. Qualitative data were identified through questionnaires and analysed using thematic analysis. Setting: Remote Aboriginal communities in the Goldfields region of Western Australia. Participant sources: Twenty two participants including program and supporting agency staff. Main outcome measures: This study measures acceptability and satisfaction of program antenatal and pre-conception activities by program staff and partner agencies. Results: Qualitative results indicate acceptability and satisfaction with the program, identifying a range of organisational, staffing, cultural and interagency issues relating to a model of service provision. Quantitative data suggested positive program outputs from service delivery. Conclusion: Findings suggest the Aboriginal Community Antenatal Program and partner agencies are increasing provision of community based pre-conception and antenatal health services and enhancing collaboration between a range of health provider agencies, with partnerships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal program staff contributing to an emerging model of community antenatal care

Public crises, public futures

This article begins to map out a novel approach to analyzing contemporary contexts of public crisis, relationships between them and possibilities that these scenes hold out for politics. The article illustrates and analyses a small selection of examples of these kinds of contemporary scenes and calls for greater attention to be given to the conditions and consequences of different forms and practices of public and political mediation. In offering a three-fold typology to delineate differences between ‘abject’, ‘audience’ and ‘agentic’ publics the article begins to draw out how political and public futures may be seen as being bound up with how the potentialities, capacities and qualities that publics are imagined to have and resourced to perform. Public action and future publics are therefore analysed here in relation to different versions of contemporary crisis and the political concerns and publics these crises work to articulate, foreground and imaginatively and practically support

Cultural institutions in the digital age: British Museum’s use of Facebook Insights

Over the last decade, museums have experienced a strong cultural shift from objectoriented towards audience-oriented strategic approaches. This paper reviews the relevant literature on this transition and provides supportive evidence of the impact that social media have upon the relationship between cultural organisations and their audiences. Data deriving from the use of the British Museum’s Facebook page provides a comprehensive evaluation of the museum’s general social media strategy. Given the dominance and widespread use of Facebook and other social media, the degree of engagement of cultural organisations with them, seem to have become an inseparable factor on the scale of effectiveness of the relation with their audiences and the levels of visitor attendance. This research aims, by using one of the most prestigious museums in Britain as a case study, to provide an initial comprehensive set of insights into the use of social media by cultural organisations. The findings of this study are based on research conducted for the first author’s postgraduate studies at the Centre for Digital Humanities, Department of Information studies, University College London

Is there scope to discontinue non-essential medication in patients with advanced lung cancer?

Focal Points 1. Patients with advanced lung cancer take many ‘non-essential’ medicines 2. A simple audit tool could be used to identify ‘non-essential’ medicines that could be discontinued 3. Pharmacists have a potential role in identifying and reviewing ‘non-essential’ medicines Background Lung cancer patients can present with complex medical histories often taking medications to manage existing conditions and prevent future morbidity e.g. antihypertensives and antiplatelets. Guidelines for discontinuing these medications in life-limiting illnesses, such as advanced lung cancer, have not been produced despite the potential to reduce burden, in terms of cost and, more importantly, discomfort to the patient.1 The objectives of this work was to audit the number of medications in patients taking erlotinib for the treatment of advanced lung cancer; and, develop a draft tool that can be used to identify non-essential medications which could, potentially, be discontinued. Methods This clinical audit was undertaken at an acute NHS Trust in April 2011. A clinical audit tool was used to extract data from medical notes of patients receiving erlotinib for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and compared to a set of criteria to establish if the medicine is essential, non-essential or uncertain. These criteria were based on a study that defined unnecessary medication as where there is no anticipated short-term benefit to patients with respect to survival, quality of life or symptom control.2 All patients who had received erlotinib in the Trust for the treatment of NSCLC within 18 months were selected for the audit. A consensus group (consultant pharmacist, lung nurse specialist and consultant oncologist) reviewed results and considered which medications they would have stopped. Results Of the 20 patients audited, 19 were taking at least one medication that could have been discontinued. The mean number of medications taken was 8 (range 1–16). Seventeen patients were taking essential medications (e.g. analgesics) necessary for symptom control in cancer. Non-essential medicines were regarded as those which provided no short term benefit to the patients with respect to survival, quality of life or symptom control or any medicine which had potential to cause harm. The focus group concurred that the majority of non-essential medications identified by the criteria could have been discontinued. Medications classified as uncertain were taken by 7 patients. These medications need to be further reviewed. Discussion For patients undergoing treatment for terminal lung cancer the issue of discontinuing medications is not an immediate priority. However, at some point in their treatment pathway a discussion regarding their medications should be instigated. The focus group revealed that timing of this discussion is crucial. The futile use of medication in terminally ill cancer patients has been reported in the literature and this work is in agreement with this by showing that patients with NSCLC taking erlotinib are taking unnecessary medications.2 Patients take medications such as statins and antihypertensives with the belief that they will be taking them for the rest of their lives, therefore if an appropriate explanation for discontinuation is not given the patients and/or their families may misconceive this as a death-hastening intervention. This work also showed that a significant number of patients who are taking erlotinib also take a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) despite the fact there is a clinically significant drug interaction between erlotinib and PPIs where the absorption of erlotinib is reduced.3 In conclusion, patients taking erlotinib for the treatment of advanced NSCLC take many unnecessary medications and written guidelines on what can be withdrawn are needed. There is the potential for pharmacists to become involved in the review of patients with terminal cancer to facilitate discontinuing potentially unnecessary medicines

Silica Vesicle Nanovaccine Formulations Stimulate Long-Term Immune Responses to the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus E2 Protein

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV) is one of the most serious pathogen, which causes tremendous economic loss to the cattle industry worldwide, meriting the development of improved subunit vaccines. Structural glycoprotein E2 is reported to be a major immunogenic determinant of BVDV virion. We have developed a novel hollow silica vesicles (SV) based platform to administer BVDV-1 Escherichia coli-expressed optimised E2 (oE2) antigen as a nanovaccine formulation. The SV-140 vesicles (diameter 50 nm, wall thickness 6 nm, perforated by pores of entrance size 16 nm and total pore volume of 0.934 cm(3)g(-1)) have proven to be ideal candidates to load oE2 antigen and generate immune response. The current study for the first time demonstrates the ability of freeze-dried (FD) as well as non-FD oE2/SV140 nanovaccine formulation to induce long-term balanced antibody and cell mediated memory responses for at least 6 months with a shortened dosing regimen of two doses in small animal model. The in vivo ability of oE2 (100 mu g)/SV-140 (500 mu g) and FD oE2 (100 mu g)/SV-140 (500 mu g) to induce long-term immunity was compared to immunisation with oE2 (100 mu g) together with the conventional adjuvant Quil-A from the Quillaja saponira (10 mu g) in mice. The oE2/SV-140 as well as the FD oE2/SV-140 nanovaccine generated oE2-specific antibody and cell mediated responses for up to six months post the final second immunisation. Significantly, the cell-mediated responses were consistently high in mice immunised with oE2/SV-140 (1,500 SFU/million cells) at the six-month time point. Histopathology studies showed no morphological changes at the site of injection or in the different organs harvested from the mice immunised with 500 mu g SV-140 nanovaccine compared to the unimmunised control. The platform has the potential for developing single dose vaccines without the requirement of cold chain storage for veterinary and human applications