GREEN WEEK 2013

Green Week 2013 kicks off next Monday for a week of free events to promote green living and sustainability across campus and in the community. Following the success of last year's Green Week, Keele has put together an even bigger and better programme with the aim of getting everyone involved and to show their support for Keele's commitment to sustainability by participating in at least one event during the week.

The week's highlights include a public lecture by our Chancellor, Jonathon Porritt, entitled 'Our Unknowable Future', a debate on fracking between Professor Andy Dobson and Professor Peter Styles, a workshop on green careers, an outdoor cycling drop-in event, including cycling goodie giveaways, Sustainability Hub tours, a campus nature lunchtime tour and a candle light gig, featuring local bands.

There are workshops and discussion opportunities on key environmental topics, and students in halls can take part in the waste reduction inter-halls competition to win prizes.

For more information and timetable of events please visit: http://www.keele.ac.uk/greenweek

PROGNOSIS RESEARCH PUBLISHED IN TOP MEDICAL JOURNALS

Two top medical journals have joined together to publish a series on the issues surrounding research into prognosis by a team of international researchers, including three staff from Primary Care Sciences at Keele, professors Danielle van der Windt, pictured, Peter Croft and George Peat.

The aim of prognosis research is to provide high quality information for patients about the likely course of their disease or health problem. Information about prognosis helps patients and clinicians to make better decisions regarding treatment.

This week, PLOS Medicine and the BMJ have each published two articles in the PROGRESS series on prognosis research (http://www.progress-partnership.org): PLOS Medicine is publishing the second and third articles in the series and the BMJ is publishing the first and fourth articles.

The joint international collaboration highlights the importance of this area of research. More people now live with chronic health problems than at any other time in history and "prognosis" is no longer simply about how long people will live with a given disease or condition, but how well they can live – in terms of staying active, being able to do the things they want to do, and receiving treatment that is right for them.

PHYSIODIRECT TRIAL PUBLISHED IN BMJ

A team of researchers, including Professor Nadine Foster, pictured, and Dr Annette Bishop, from the Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre, Primary Care Sciences at Keele, have had their PhysioDirect trial – 'Effectiveness of PhysioDirect telephone assessment and advice services for patients with musculoskeletal problems' - published in the BMJ.

The research was to assess the clinical effectiveness, effect on waiting times, and patient acceptability of PhysioDirect services in patients with musculoskeletal problems, compared with usual care.

Access the article at: http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/bmj.f43?ijkey=WnZdsGM3pK8EsOx&keytype=ref

FUTURE HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE DELIVERY

The European Science Foundation has just published a Science Position Paper on the issues facing European nations in the face of an ageing population.  This paper has been authored by a group led by Professor Michael Rigby, Emeritus Professor of Health Information strategy, at the request of the ESF Standing Committee on the Social Sciences.

Developing a New Understanding of Enabling Health and Wellbeing in Europe – Harmonising Health and Social Care Delivery and Informatics Support to Ensure Holistic Care (available from www.esf.org/publications.html) identifies the societal issues created by longevity, including more persons surviving with chronic health conditions. 

The ratio of adults to elderly will decline, as proportionately will the workforce available for care functions.  At the same time, consumer expectations will be for greater coordination and personalisation of health support.  Better use of IT support, and integration of service delivery, are solutions but raise many social science research issues, ranging from new patterns of devolved consent to common understanding of health and care terms. 

The publication is based on a workshop run by Professor Rigby at Keele in 2010, and subsequent work, and will be promoted by the ESF to influence the research agenda in Europe in the future.

DEAFNESS RESEARCH UK AWARD

Dr Dave Furness, ISTM, has received a grant from the charity Deafness Research UK for approximately £15,000 to study the hair cells of the inner ear which detect sound. The hair cells are highly sensitive to very quiet sounds and have a specialised region of tiny hairs at their tops that detect vibrations (pictured).  The method of detecting these vibrations involves an unkown protein ion channel. 

The study uses Keele's  high resolution electron microscopes to examine changes in mutant hair cells. The work is in collaboration with Professor CM Hackney (visiting professor at the University of Sheffield) and Professor Robert Fettiplace, of the University of Wisconsin Madison.

EC INVITE FOR COMMITMENTS TO JOIN INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP ON ACTIVE AND HEALTHY AGEING

The European Commission is inviting commitments to join its Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. Any stakeholder can submit a commitment, which should be joint-actions of different organisations and respond to one of the partnership's six action plans.

Commitments are measurable, concrete solutions to caring for Europe's growing number of ageing citizens. The invitation is open until 28 February. Full details are available at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/index_en.cfm?pg=commitment&section=active-healthy-ageing and from Keele's European Research Funding Officer Katherine Shepherd, k.e.shepherd@keele.ac.uk

WINTER KING FILMING AT KEELE

Filming took place in the University Archives last week, for a forthcoming BBC 2 documentary Henry VII: Winter King, presented by Thomas Penn, author of the critically-acclaimed book Winter King.

The sixteenth century copy petition of Edmund Dudley and the Lambeth Palace accounts are part of the Paget Papers deposited at Keele. These unique manuscripts provide a fascinating insight into the reign of the first Tudor monarch and are set to be screened in spring as part of the BBC Tudor season.

WHAT'S ON

Monday, 11 February -

Inaugural lecture:

Professor Sue Read, School of Nursing and Midwifery, will give the latest lecture in the University's programme of Inaugural Professorial Lectures for 2012/13. The title of the lecture is "Living in the Shadow of Grief: lessons from people with a learning disability."

The lecture starts at 6 pm in the Westminster Theatre.

Sri Lankan Curry night

KPA and Comus restaurant would like to welcome staff, students and visitors  to enjoy an authentic  Sri Lankan curry at Comus restaurant on the 11 February from 17.00- 19.00. Main course is £2.99 with student Keele card, and £3.79 with staff Keele card. Cash price £3.99.

Any queries please contact Sameera (Sam) Hewa Wellalage on kpa.international@ keele.ac.uk 

Wednesday, 13 February - Concerts at Keele: Red Priest
 
Westminster Theatre, Chancellor's Building at 7.30pm

Founded in 1997 and named after the flame-haired priest, Antonio Vivaldi, Red Priest has given several hundred sell-out concerts in many of the world's most prestigious festivals.

In its regular line-up Red Priest comprises recorder player Piers Adams, violinist Julia Bishop, 'cellist Angela East and harpsichordist David Wright. These musicians have redefined the art of period performance, creating a virtual orchestra through their creative arrangements, performing from memory with swashbuckling virtuosity, heart-on-sleeve emotion and compelling stagecraft.

Their repertoire ranges from obscure 17th century sonatas to the most famous works of Bach and
Vivaldi.

Tickets £14 per person (£7 concessions).

Please call the 24 hour booking line on 01782 717058 to order tickets.
 
For more information please email concerts@keele. ac.uk.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Ten years ago -

Images produced by eye tracker equipment in the MacKay Institute of Communications and Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, form part of a new work of art launched at the Royal Institute.

A video installation forms part of Photon (Light Entering Caves) by the artist Andrew Stone. The eye tracker is used in research to record where people are looking in a scene and it does this by shining infra-red light into the eye and measuring the reflections. 7 February 2003.