Journal publishing with Acrobat: the CAJUN project

The publication of material in electronic form should ideally preserve, in a unified document representation, all of the richness of the printed document while maintaining enough of its underlying structure to enable searching and other forms of semantic processing. Until recently it has been hard to find a document representation which combined these attributes and which also stood some chance of becoming a de facto multi-platform standard. This paper sets out experience gained within the Electronic Publishing Research Group at the University of Nottingham in using Adobe Acrobat software and its underlying PDF (Portable Document Format) notation. The CAJUN project1 (CD-ROM Acrobat Journals Using Networks) began in 1993 and has used Acrobat software to produce electronic versions of journal papers for network and CD-ROM dissemination. The paper describes the project's progress so far and also gives a brief assessment of PDF's suitability as a universal document interchange standard

Woe from stones: commemoration, identity politics and Estonia's 'War of Monuments'

No abstract available

Long-term variability of CO2 and O in the Mars upper atmosphere from MRO radio science data

We estimate the annual variability of CO2 and O partial density using approximately 6years of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) radio science data from August 2006 to January 2012, which cover three full Martian years (from the northern hemisphere summer of 28 to the northern hemisphere summer of 31). These two elements are the dominant species at the MRO periapsis altitude, constituting about 70-80% of the total density. We report the recovered annual cycle of CO2 and the annual and seasonal cycle of O in the upper atmosphere. Although no other observations are available at those altitudes, our results are in good agreement with the density measurements of the Mars Express Spectroscopy for Investigation of Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars, which uses stellar occultations between 60 and 130km to determine the CO2 variability, and with the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model 2010 for the O annual and seasonal variabilities. Furthermore, the updated model provides more reasonable MRO drag coefficients (CD), which are estimated to absorb mismodeling in the atmospheric density prediction. The higher content of dust in the atmosphere due to dust storms increases the density, so the CDs should compensate for this effect. The correlation between the drag coefficient and the dust optical depth, measured by the Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) instrument, increases from 0.4 to 0.8 with the a priori and adjusted models, respectively. The trend of CDs not only confirms a substantial improvement in the prediction of the atmospheric density with the updated model but also provides useful information for local dust storms, near MRO periapsis, that cannot be measured by the opacity level since THEMIS does not always sample the southern hemisphere evenly

An X-ray measurement of Titan's atmospheric extent from its transit of the Crab Nebula

Saturn's largest satellite, Titan, transited the Crab Nebula on 5 January 2003. We observed this astronomical event with the {\it Chandra} X-ray Observatory. An ``occultation shadow'' has clearly been detected and is found to be larger than the diameter of Titan's solid surface. The difference gives a thickness for Titan's atmosphere of 880 $\pm$ 60 km. This is the first measurement of Titan's atmospheric extent at X-ray wavelengths. The value measured is consistent with or slightly larger than those estimated from earlier Voyager observations at other wavelengths. We discuss the possibility of temporal variations in the thickness of Titan's atmosphere.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, AASTeX preprint. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Development of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Mixed-Methods Study in Nigerian Hospitals.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major concern facing global health today, with the greatest impact in developing countries where the burden of infectious diseases is much higher. The inappropriate prescribing and use of antibiotics are contributory factors to increasing antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial stewardship programmes (AMS) are implemented to optimise use and promote behavioural change in the use of antimicrobials. AMS programmes have been widely employed and proven to improve antibiotic use in many high-income settings. However, strategies to contain antimicrobial resistance have yet to be successfully implemented in low-resource settings. A recent toolkit for AMS in low- and middle-income countries by the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognizes the importance of local context in the development of AMS programmes. This study employed a bottom-up approach to identify important local determinants of antimicrobial prescribing practices in a low-middle income setting, to inform the development of a local AMS programme. Analysis of prescribing practices and interviews with prescribers highlighted priorities for AMS, which include increasing awareness of antibiotic resistance, development and maintenance of guidelines for antibiotic use, monitoring and surveillance of antibiotic use, ensuring the quality of low-cost generic medicines, and improved laboratory services. The application of an established theoretical model for behaviour change guided the development of specific proposals for AMS. Finally, in a consultation with stakeholders, the feasibility of the plan was explored along with strategies for its implementation. This project provides an example of the design, and proposal for implementation of an AMS plan to improve antibiotic use in hospitals in low-middle income settings

Performance Degradation Due To Specular Multipath Intersymbol Interference

Plots of performance degradation are used to compare the effects of fading and intersymbol interference in a two-component specular multipath digital communications channel. Similar plots are then used to compare two practical receivers designed to combat the interference. Degradation plots are shown to allow easy identification of each receiver\u27s range of usefulness, as well as identification of variance bounds demanded of channel parameter estimates which the receivers require. Copyright © 1973 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc

Center for Pediatric Obesity and Diabetes Prevention Research

poster abstractBackground To facilitate both research and treatment of obesity in youth who are at especially high risk for diabetes, we have created the Center for Pediatric Obesity and Diabetes Prevention Research. The mission of the center is to advance the health of vulnerable populations through obesity and diabetes prevention research focusing on mechanisms of progression from obesity to type 2 diabetes, defining best practices for obesity/diabetes prevention among youth, and cost-effective translation of the research to the community. Specific Aims 1. To promote the clinical investigation of pathophysiologic mechanisms, diagnosis, and primary prevention of type 2 diabetes among vulnerable youth 2. Foster collaboration and facilitate interdisciplinary research between investigators interested in childhood obesity and diabetes prevention 3. Participate in community-based diabetes prevention research Key Ongoing Collaborative Research Projects Youth Diabetes Prevention Clinic (YDPC) – Patient-Centered Outcomes Project This program is designed to evaluate and assess the needs of adolescents (ages 10 – 21) who have evidence of prediabetes. Our goal is to successfully intervene in the trajectory toward the development of diabetes, and to promote healthy weight-control and improved well-being through an individualized treatment plan. Not only has this allowed us to address a significant unmet clinical need, but also to advance pediatric obesity patient-centered outcomes research and comparative effectiveness research in adolescent obesity / diabetes prevention. Dietary Intervention for Glucose Intolerance in Teens (DIG-IT Study) The objective of this study is to determine the impact on glycemic control, in adolescents who have prediabetes, of an individually-tailored wellness coaching strategy used to modify lifestyle habits. Additionally, the study aims to identify lifestyle factors that drive glycemic control, independent of changes in weight. We are conducting this study in in the Youth Diabetes Prevention Clinic via a collaboration with Dr. Gletsu-Miller (Purdue University). ENCOURAGE Healthy Families Study This is a randomized trial evaluating the comparative effectiveness and costs of an adaptation of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) directed at mothers and their children. The intervention is a group based lifestyle program which we developed and implemented in partnership with the YMCA. We are comparing the ENCOURAGE intervention targeted to 1) mothers who have had gestational diabetes or prediabetes, and 2) mothers who have had GDM or prediabetes along with their school-aged children

Light Element Abundance Patterns in the Orion Association: I) HST Observations of Boron in G-dwarfs

The boron abundances for two young solar-type members of the Orion association, BD -6 1250 and HD 294297, are derived from HST STIS spectra of the B I transition at 2496.771 A. The best-fit boron abundances for the target stars are 0.13 and 0.44 dex lower than the solar meteoritic value of log e(B)=2.78. An anticorrelation of boron and oxygen is found for Orion when these results are added to previous abundances obtained for 4 B-type stars and the G-type star BD -5 1317. An analysis of the uncertainties in the abundance calculations indicates that the observed anticorrelation is probably real. The B versus O relation observed in the Orion association does not follow the positive correlation of boron versus oxygen which is observed for the field stars with roughly solar metallicity. The observed anticorrelation can be accounted for by a simple model in which two poorly mixed components of gas (supernova ejecta and boron-enriched ambient medium) contribute to the new stars that form within the lifetime of the association. This model predicts an anticorrelation for Be as well, at least as strong as for boron.Comment: 16 pages + 1 table + 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap