Evidence for dust reddening in DLAs identified through CaII H&K absorption

We present a new sample of 31 CaII(H&K) 3935,3970 absorption line systems with 0.84<z_abs<1.3 discovered in the spectra of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 3 quasars, together with an analysis of their dust content. The presence of Calcium absorption together with measurements of the MgII 2796, FeII 2600 and MgI 2853 lines lead to the conclusion that the majority of our systems are Damped Ly-alpha (DLA) absorbers. The composite spectrum in the rest frame of the absorber shows clear evidence for reddening. Large and Small Magellanic Cloud extinction curves provide satisfactory fits, with a best-fit E(B-V) of 0.06, while the Galactic dust extinction curve provides a poor fit due to the lack of a strong 2175A feature. A trend of increasing dust content with equivalent width of CaII is present. Monte Carlo techniques demonstrate that the detection of reddening is significant at >99.99% confidence. The discovery of significant amounts of dust in a subsample of DLAs has direct implications for studies of the metallicity evolution of the universe and the nature of DLAs in relation to high redshift galaxies. The gas:dust ratio is discussed. Our results suggest that at least ~40% of the CaII absorption systems are excluded from the magnitude-limited SDSS quasar sample as a result of the associated extinction, a fraction similar to the upper limit deduced at higher redshifts from radio-selected surveys.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted MNRAS Letter

Peering through the OH Forest: public release of sky-residual subtracted spectra for SDSS DR7

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) automated spectroscopic reduction pipeline provides >1.5 million intermediate resolution, R~2000, moderate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), SNR~15, astronomical spectra of unprecedented homogeneity that cover the wavelength range 3800-9200AA. However, there remain significant systematic residuals in many spectra due to the sub-optimal subtraction of the strong OH sky emission lines longward of 6700AA. The OH sky lines extend over almost half the wavelength range of the SDSS spectra, and the SNR over substantial wavelength regions in many spectra is reduced by more than a factor two over that expected from photon counting statistics. Following the OH line subtraction procedure presented in Wild & Hewett (2005), we make available to the community sky-residual subtracted spectra for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Relase 7. Here we summarise briefly the method, including minor changes in the implementation of the procedure with respect to WH05. The spectra are suitable for many science applications but we highlight some limitations for certain investigations. Details of the data model for the sky-residual subtracted spectra and instructions on how to access the spectra are provided.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. Spectra may be downloaded from the JHU SDSS server http://www.sdss.jhu.edu/skypca/spSpec, additionally the QSOs can be found on the DR7 Value Added Catalogue web page: http://www.sdss.org/dr7/products/value_added/index.html#quasar

Urban Poverty and Health in Developing Countries: Household and Neighborhood Effects

In the U.S. and other high-income countries, where most of the population lives in urban areas, there is intense scholarly and program interest in the effects of household and neighborhood living standards on health. Yet very few studies of developing-country cities have examined these issues. This paper investigates whether in these cities, the health of women and young children is influenced by both household and neighborhood standards of living. Using data from the urban samples of some 85 Demographic and Health surveys, and modelling living standards using factor-analytic MIMIC methods, we find, first, that the neighborhoods of poor households are more heterogeneous than is often asserted. To judge from our results, it appears that as a rule, poor urban households do not tend to live in uniformly poor communities; indeed, about 1 in 10 of a poor household's neighbors is relatively affluent, belonging to the upper quartile of the urban distribution of living standards. Do household and neighborhood living standards influence health? Applying multivariate models with controls for other socioeconomic variables, we discover that household living standards have a substantial influence on three measures of health: unmet need for modern contraception; birth attendance by doctors, nurses, or trained midwives; and children's height for age. Neighborhood living standards exert significant additional influence on health in many of the surveys we examine, especially in birth attendance. There is considerable evidence, then, indicating that both household and neighborhood living standards can make a substantively important difference to health.poverty, health, developing countries, urban, factor analysis, neighborhood

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program: Lessons learned from the pilot test program

This document presents an evaluation of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP), which is comprised of three major components: 1) safe spaces groups in which girls meet once a week over the course of two years for training on sexual and reproductive health, life skills and financial education. Groups are facilitated by a mentor, a young female from the same community as the girls; 2) a health voucher that girls can use at contracted private and public facilities for general wellness and sexual and reproductive health services; and 3) a saving account that has been designed to be girl-friendly. A randomized control trial (RCT) using a cluster design is being used to evaluate the impact of AGEP. The research aims to identify the impact of the intervention on the following key indicators: HIV prevalence, HSV-2 prevalence, age at first sex, age at first birth, contraceptive use, experience of gender-based violence, and educational attainment

Superclustering of damped Lyman-alpha absorption systems at redshifts above two

Two high redshift QSOs (z = 3.23 and z = 3.18) separated by 8 arcmin, and containing two strong Ly-alpha absorption systems each, were observed. In both cases, the velocities of the absorption systems between the lines of sight differ by only about 300 km/s. Low ionization metal lines are related to at least one of the absorption systems, and the neutral hydrogen column densities deduced from the profiles lie between 1.2 x 10 exp 18 and 1.2 x 10 exp 20/sq cm. The probability of observing both redshift coincidences is very low, about 0.0003. The probability of seeing the wavelength matches is increased if the absorbers are clustered. Giant gas clouds cover both lines of sight, they must have solar masses of more than 10 exp 11. These observations all hint at the presence of large dense structures in the early universe.P.J.F. is supported by a SERC/NATO advanced fellowship. Computing support was provided in part by the Starlink Project, which is funded by the UK SERC. We also thank the staff at the AAT for their invaluable assistance

Obtaining more accurate and reliable information from adolescents regarding STI/HIV risk behaviors

To investigate the quality of self-reported data on sexual behavior, Population Council researchers conducted a study in a rural district of Malawi. They implemented a randomized experiment to assess whether audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) produces more valid data on sexual behavior than face-to-face interviews. The Malawi study builds on an experiment conducted as part of a household-based survey of Kenyan adolescents. In Kenya and Malawi, there is clear evidence that mode of interviewing and probing of various sexual partnerships affect the reporting of sexual activity. According to Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 25, ACASI is a feasible methodology to use in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa among adolescent populations unfamiliar with computers. Computerized interviewing improves quality of data on highly sensitive behaviors collected from adolescents. Given the importance of data on sexual behavior both in understanding the etiology of the AIDS epidemic and in clinical testing of products and technologies to reduce transmission of sexually transmitted infections, more research is needed on the interaction between interviewers and respondents and on reactions to the computer in developing-country populations

Benchmark assessment of orphaned and vulnerable children in areas of the Zambia Family (ZAMFAM) Project—Brief

The US Agency for International Development and US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are supporting the Zambia Family (ZAMFAM) project to strengthen comprehensive, integrated service delivery and support to children living with, affected by, or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS (OVC) in the Lusaka, Copperbelt, Southern, and Central Provinces of Zambia. To inform that effort, Project SOAR conducted a benchmark survey among beneficiaries in the four provinces of the ZAMFAM program. The benchmark survey measured the status and conditions of OVC and their families. This brief provides a summary of the findings outlined in the final report on the needs of OVC families and the gaps in service provision, as well as suggestions for strengthening care and support strategies for OVC in Zambia