Tracing Star Formation Around Quasars With Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

The feedback processes linking quasar activity to galaxy stellar mass growth are not well understood. If star formation is closely causally linked to black hole accretion, one may expect star formation confined to nuclear regions rather than extended over several kpc scales. Since Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) emission features are widely used as tracers of stellar formation, it is, therefore, possible to use PAH emission detected around QSOs to help resolve this question. PAH data from a sample of 63 QSOs procured from the Spitzer Space Telescope's Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) is used, employing the Spectroscopic Modelling Analysis and Reduction Tool's (SMART) Advanced Optimal (AdOpt) extraction routines. A composite spectrum was also produced to help determine the average conditions and compositions of star forming regions. It is found, from our high redshift (z > 1) sample of QSOs, there is a marginally significant extended star formation on average of 34 kpc scales. At low redshift, the median extension after deconvolving the instrumental point spread function is 3.2 kpc, potentially showing evolutionary variations in star formation activity. However, limitations of the spatial resolving power constrain the ability to make any absolute conclusive remarks. It is also found that the QSO/AGN composite has more neutral PAHs than the starbursting and the main sequence galaxies, consistent with the AGN having no contribution to heating the PAH emission, and also consistent with the average PAH emission found on kpc scales (i.e. not confined to the nuclear regions). A tentative detection of water vapour emission from the gravitationally lensed Einstein Cross quasar, QSO J2237+0305, is also presented suggesting a strong molecular outflow possibly driven by the active nucleus

The motions of galaxies within large-scale structures

Galaxy clusters represent one of the largest-scale structures in the Universe, with their en- vironments of varying density being ideal for inducing an increase in activity of the cluster galaxy members and the pervading Intracluster Medium (ICM) between them. However the precise drivers, thereby the inferred consequences, of differing states of galaxy cluster activity have not been adequately disentangled. If one can procure a sufficient dichotomic sample of cluster galaxies of differing sub-populations from relaxed and unrelaxed galaxy cluster dynamical states, one could analyse how these sub-populations ‘move’ as a function of both radius and dynamical state. Specifically, using velocity dispersion profiles (VDPs) that weight against cluster galaxies across all radii with a Gaussian window function, one can determine how cluster galaxies of properties that pertain to galaxy evolutionary indicators respond to the cluster environment as a function of the clustocentric radius. In addition, analysing the rotational profiles of these sub-populations as a function of the clustocentric radius can help identify where the bulk of the kinetic energy lies. In view of these points, we have pooled data of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) two composite galaxy clusters are assembled into unrelaxed and relaxed states, which are compared with one another through splitting their cluster galaxy populations by their evol- utionary proxies (i.e. morphology, colour, mass and AGN), thus analysing their resultant VDPs and rotational profiles. It is therefore found that unrelaxed galaxy clusters possess increased interaction between cluster galaxies as the radius increases, driven by blue and red elliptical galaxies, suggesting an induction of activity by pre-processed groups. AGN- hosting cluster galaxy sub-populations within these unrelaxed environs however present increased activity as → 0, indicating these are recent infallers, potentially triggered due to interactions with the ICM. Rotational profiles of unrelaxed clusters build upon the VDPs, showing significant bulk rotation of cluster galaxies with prominent core rotation driven by redder sub-populations

A treatment evaluator tool to monitor the real-world effectiveness of inhaled aztreonam lysine in cystic fibrosis

Background: Studies are required that evaluate real-world outcomes of inhaled aztreonam lysine in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods: Our treatment-evaluator tool assessed the effectiveness of inhaled aztreonam in routine practice in 117 CF patients across four time periods (6–12 (P2) and 0–6 months (P1) pre-initiation, and 0–6 (T1) and 6–12 months (T2) post-initiation). Outcomes were: changes in %-predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), body-mass index (BMI), hospitalisation days and intravenous antibiotic usage. Results: Median FEV1% predicted for each 6-month period was 38.9%, 34.6%, 37.1% and 36.5%; median change was − 2.0% between P2 and P1, increasing to + 0.6% (p < 0.001) between P1 and T1. Annualised hospital bed-days was reduced (p = 0.05) post-initiation, as was intravenous antibiotics days (p = 0.001). BMI increased over 6 months post-initiation (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: In patients with CF in routine practice, inhaled aztreonam lysine is associated with improved lung function and weight, and reduced hospitalisation and intravenous antibiotic use

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes

Water beetles as models in ecology and evolution

Beetles have colonized water many times during their history, with some of these events involving extensive evolutionary radiations and multiple transitions between land and water. With over 13,000 described species, they are one of the most diverse macroinvertebrate groups in most nonmarine aquatic habitats and occur on all continents except Antarctica. A combination of wide geographical and ecological range and relatively accessible taxonomy makes these insects an excellent model system for addressing a variety of questions in ecology and evolution. Work on water beetles has recently made important contributions to fields as diverse as DNA taxonomy, macroecology, historical biogeography, sexual selection, and conservation biology, as well as predicting organismal responses to global change. Aquatic beetles have some of the best resolved phylogenies of any comparably diverse insect group, and this, coupled with recent advances in taxonomic and ecological knowledge, is likely to drive an expansion of studies in the future.We are grateful to Steven Routledge for supplying fresh Acilius specimens for imaging and to Jiří Hájek and Ján Kodada for providing some of the habitus images used in Figure 1. Dawn Higginson kindly supplied the sperm images used in Figure 2. D.T.B. is grateful to the Leverhulme Trust for initially funding work on water beetle macroecology. I.R. acknowledges funding from grant CGL2013-48950-C2-1-P (AEI/FEDER, UE)

Headache for ophthalmologists:current advances in headache understanding and management

Patients with headache and head pain are often referred to ophthalmologists. These symptoms can either be associated with underlying ophthalmic conditions, or more often are headache disorders unrelated to the eyes. Understanding the phenotype of the headache is critical for advice, safe discharge or onward referral. This review will provide an update on the criteria for common headache disorders that are often seen by ophthalmology and embrace disorders associated with ophthalmic diseases. It will also describe the changing management of migraine and outline recent therapies that are currently available