Navigation-by-music for pedestrians: an initial prototype and evaluation

Digital mobile music devices are phenomenally popular. The devices are becoming increasingly powerful with sophisticated interaction controls, powerful processors, vast onboard storage and network connectivity. While there are ‘obvious’ ways to exploit these advanced capabilities (such as wireless music download), here we consider a rather different application—pedestrian navigation. We report on a system (ONTRACK) that aims to guide listeners to their destinations by continuously adapting the spatial qualities of the music they are enjoying. Our field-trials indicate that even with a low-fidelity realisation of the concept, users can quite effectively navigate complicated routes

Satisfactions of staff nurses in a public health agency

Thesis (M.S)--Boston University

Implementation of antibiotic stewardship in different settings - results of an international survey.

Background: Antibiotic stewardship interventions are being implemented across different healthcare settings. We report the findings of a global survey of healthcare professionals on the implementation of antibiotic stewardship programmes. Methods: Learners of a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on antibiotic stewardship were invited to complete an online survey on the core available organisational resources for stewardship. The categorical variables were analysed using chi-squared test, and Likert questions were analysed using an ordinal regression model. The p-values were considered as two-tailed. Significance was set at p-value of < 0.05. Results: The response rate was 55% (505/920), from 53 countries. The responders were 36% (182) doctors, 26% (130) pharmacists, 18% (89) nurses and 20% (104) other (researchers, students and members of the public). Post-graduate training in infection management and stewardship was reported by 56% of doctors compared with 43% (OR 0.59, 95%CI 0.35-1.00) nurses and 35% (OR 0.39, 95%CI 0.24-0.62) of pharmacists. Hospitals were significantly (83% in teaching hospitals, 79% in regional hospitals, p = < 0.01) more likely to have antibiotic policies, when compared to primary care. A surveillance mechanism for antibiotic consumption was reported in 58% (104/178) of teaching hospitals and 62% (98/159) of regional hospitals. Antimicrobial resistance, patient needs, policy, peer influence and specialty level culture and practices were deemed important determinants for decision-making. Conclusion: Postgraduate training and support in antibiotic prescribing remains low amongst nurses and pharmacists. Whilst antibiotic policies and committees are established in most institutions, surveillance of antibiotic use is not. The impact of specialty level culture, and peer influence appears to be important factors of antibiotic prescribing

Reflections on the Arts, Environment, and Culture After Ten Years of The Goose

To mark the tenth anniversary of The Goose, we asked prominent ecologically-minded scholars, writers, artists, and educators from across Canada to reflect on the relationship between the arts, culture, and the environment. Their comments illuminate a wide range of triumphs and tensions, from the politics and practices of environmentalist writing and art, to the connections between the environment and matters of diversity and justice, to the past and future of ALECC (Association for Literature, Environment, and Culture in Canada), to the world of a single poem

Phase I Study Assessing the Pharmacokinetic Profile, Safety, and Tolerability of a Single Dose of Ceftazidime-Avibactam in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients.

This study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetics (PK), safety, and tolerability of a single dose of ceftazidime-avibactam in pediatric patients. A phase I, multicenter, open-label PK study was conducted in pediatric patients hospitalized with an infection and receiving systemic antibiotic therapy. Patients were enrolled into four age cohorts (cohort 1, ≥12 to &lt;18 years; cohort 2, ≥6 to &lt;12 years; cohort 3, ≥2 to &lt;6 years; cohort 4, ≥3 months to &lt;2 years). Patients received a single 2-h intravenous infusion of ceftazidime-avibactam (cohort 1, 2,000 to 500 mg; cohort 2, 2,000 to 500 mg [≥40 kg] or 50 to 12.5 mg/kg [&lt;40 kg]; cohorts 3 and 4, 50 to 12.5 mg/kg). Blood samples were collected to describe individual PK characteristics for ceftazidime and avibactam. Population PK modeling was used to describe characteristics of ceftazidime and avibactam PK across all age groups. Safety and tolerability were assessed. Thirty-two patients received study drug. Mean plasma concentration-time curves, geometric mean maximum concentration (Cmax), and area under the concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity (AUC0-∞) were similar across all cohorts for both drugs. Six patients (18.8%) reported an adverse event, all mild or moderate in intensity. No deaths or serious adverse events occurred. The single-dose PK of ceftazidime and avibactam were comparable between each of the 4 age cohorts investigated and were broadly similar to those previously observed in adults. No new safety concerns were identified. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01893346.)

Internet Legal Research Program Materials

Internet Legal Research presentations include: Google and Beyond: Finding Information Using Search Engines, and Evaluating Your Results; Why Pay For It Twice? How to Access Federal Materials in the Public Domaind; All Politics are Local: State and Local Resources; L is for Lawyer: An Alphabet of Handy Web Pages; Internet Basics: The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of Internet Research for Lawyers; But Can I Get it in English? Finding Foreign Law; Blawgs, Podcasts, Wikis? Deciphering the Lingo and Evaluating Current Awareness Tool

Quantum Dynamics of Three Coupled Atomic Bose-Einstein Condensates

The simplest model of three coupled Bose-Einstein Condensates (BEC) is investigated using a group theoretical method. The stationary solutions are determined using the SU(3) group under the mean field approximation. This semiclassical analysis using the system symmetries shows a transition in the dynamics of the system from self trapping to delocalization at a critical value for the coupling between the condensates. The global dynamics are investigated by examination of the stable points and our analysis shows the structure of the stable points depends on the ratio of the condensate coupling to the particle-particle interaction, undergoes bifurcations as this ratio is varied. This semiclassical model is compared to a full quantum treatment, which also displays the dynamical transition. The quantum case has collapse and revival sequences superposed on the semiclassical dynamics reflecting the underlying discreteness of the spectrum. Non-zero circular current states are also demonstrated as one of the higher dimensional effects displayed in this system.Comment: Accepted to PR