Linking with Meaning: Ontological Hypertext for Scholars

The links in ontological hypermedia are defined according to the relationships between real-world objects. An ontology that models the significant objects in a scholar’s world can be used toward producing a consistently interlinked research literature. Currently the papers that are available online are mainly divided between subject- and publisher-specific archives, with little or no interoperability. This paper addresses the issue of ontological interlinking, presenting two experimental systems whose hypertext links embody ontologies based on the activities of researchers and scholars

Building a Bijou Digital Archive

This presentation relates the experience of building a small open access archive of digitised documents. I start by looking back at my ten years experience as a developer working with the EPrints digital repository platform - this experience was the foundation for my first approach which used EPrints as the basis for the archive. I then move forward to identify the strengths and weaknesses of this approach, ultimately leading to my decision to migrate the digital archive to an alternative platform in order to provide a richer user experience

Supporting the 'Sharing Institution' - Practical Steps Towards a More Open Teaching and Learning Culture

4th International Conference on Open RepositoriesThis presentation was part of the session : Conference PresentationsDate: 2009-05-19 03:00 PM – 04:30 PMInstitutional repositories for research output have developed progressively over the last few years. Although a primary motivation is Open Access both institutional and academic needs must also be met in order to foster this spirit effectively. There is now a greater emphasis on creating a more open culture for teaching and learning and institutions are again beginning to play their part more readily. On a larger scale, there are pioneering global examples of courses being preserved and complex learning materials being deposited in national and international databases. But what does fostering a more open culture in the practice of teaching mean for the institution itself and its academics? The virtual learning environment has given greater opportunities for effective administration of courses but in other ways it has had the opposite effect on sharing and re-use. There is potential for institutional solutions which are complementary to the global landscape. In this paper we report on the practical experiences and issues met, in setting up a institutional resource, EdShare, as a vehicle for sharing educational materials more easily in a multi-disciplinary institution. With constructive feedback from faculty, within the EdSpace project, EdShare has migrated into a more visual, web 2.0 style, resource with a flexible deposit process promoting 'micro-sharing'. It now offers a range of sharing options to support the teaching workflow in an encouraging atmosphere. Other features will support the growing emphasis on multidisciplinary teaching and collaboration - both internally and externally.JIS

Can Soybean Seeding Rates Be Reduced Without Affecting Yields in Louisiana? (Bulletin #892)

A major agronomic objective for commercial soybean production is to reduce the minimum plant population required for optimal yield (i.e., minimal optimal plant population). This has occurred because seed cost, once a minor production expense, has become a major cost, accounting for about 42 percent of direct operating costs for an average U.S. soybean grower (U.S. Soy Crop Statistics, 2011).https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/agcenter_bulletins/1003/thumbnail.jp

Reliability of Kinematic Waveforms during Gait Analysis with Total Hip Arthroplasty Patients

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the test-retest reliability of lower limb kinematic waveforms derived from 3D gait analysis (3DGA) in patients following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods: Eight (7M:1F; age: 70 ± 7 years; height: 1.68 ± 0.11m; mass: 85 ± 20kg) adults with a unilateral THA attended test and retest sessions. 3DGA was undertaken with participants walking at a self-selected pace along a 7m walkway within each session. The standard error or the measurement (SEM) was calculated for hip, knee and ankle joint angles in all three planes, over the walking gait cycle. Results: The SEM ranged from 2.9 – 4.1°, 2.7 – 3.7° and 1.9 – 3.9°, in the sagittal, frontal and traverse planes at the hip. At the knee the SEM ranged from 1.6 – 4.2°, 1.0 – 1.9° and 1.3 – 2.9° in the sagittal, frontal and transverse planes, respectively. While the SEM ranged from 0.7 – 2.0°, 1.2 – 2.3° and 2.9 – 4.0° in the sagittal, frontal and transverse planes at the ankle. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that 3DGA provides a reliable means of quantifying lower limb kinematics over the walking gait cycle in patients following THA, with all SEM values below the 5° threshold previously suggested to identify clinically meaningful differences. The SEM values reported may aid in the interpretation of changes in lower limb kinematics in patients following THA

Biomechanical changes of the trunk and lower limb during walking in patients after total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Protocol for systematic literature revie

Socioeconomic deprivation, urban-rural location and alcohol-related mortality in England and Wales

Background: Many causes of death are directly attributable to the toxic effects of alcohol and deaths from these causes are increasing in the United Kingdom. The aim of this study was to investigate variation in alcohol-related mortality in relation to socioeconomic deprivation, urban-rural location and age within a national context. Methods: An ecological study design was used with data from 8797 standard table wards in England and Wales. The methodology included using the Carstairs Index as a measure of socioeconomic deprivation at the small-area level and the national harmonised classification system for urban and rural areas in England and Wales. Alcohol-related mortality was defined using the National Statistics definition, devised for tracking national trends in alcohol-related deaths. Deaths from liver cirrhosis accounted for 85% of all deaths included in this definition. Deaths from 1999-2003 were examined and 2001 census ward population estimates were used as the denominators. Results: The analysis was based on 28,839 deaths. Alcohol-related mortality rates were higher in men and increased with increasing age, generally reaching peak levels in middle-aged adults. The 45-64 year age group contained a quarter of the total population but accounted for half of all alcohol-related deaths. There was a clear association between alcohol-related mortality and socioeconomic deprivation, with progressively higher rates in more deprived areas. The strength of the association varied with age. Greatest relative inequalities were seen amongst people aged 25-44 years, with relative risks of 4.73 (95% CI 4.00 to 5.59) and 4.24 (95% CI 3.50 to 5.13) for men and women respectively in the most relative to the least deprived quintiles. People living in urban areas experienced higher alcohol-related mortality relative to those living in rural areas, with differences remaining after adjustment for socioeconomic deprivation. Adjusted relative risks for urban relative to rural areas were 1.35 (95% CI 1.20 to 1.52) and 1.13 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.25) for men and women respectively. Conclusions: Large inequalities in alcohol-related mortality exist between sub-groups of the population in England and Wales. These should be considered when designing public health policies to reduce alcohol-related harm

The human resource implications of improving financial risk protection for mothers and newborns in Zimbabwe

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