The trend in wireless communications is towards utilization of multiple antenna systems. While techniques such as beam-forming and spatial diversity have been implemented for some time, the emergence of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communications has increased commercial interest and development in multiple-antenna technology. Given this trend it has become increasingly important that we understand the propagation characteristics of the environments where this new technology will be deployed. In particular the development of low-cost, high-performance system architectures and protocols is largely dependent on the accuracy of available channel models for approximating realized propagation behavior. The first contribution of this thesis is a methodology for the modeling of wireless propagation in multiple antenna systems. Specifically we consider the problem of propagation modeling from the perspective of the protocol designer and system engineer. By defining the wireless channel as the complex narrow-band channel response h e C between two devices, we characterize the important degrees of freedom associated with the channel by modeling it as a function of its path-loss, multipath/frequency, time stability, spatial, and polarization characteristics. We then motivate this model by presenting a general set of design decisions that depend on these parameters such as network density, channel allocation, and channel-state information (CSI) update rate. Lastly we provide a parametrization of the environment into measurable factors that can be used to predict channel behavior including link-length, Line-Of-Sight (LOS), link topology (e.g. air-to-ground), building density, and other physical parameters. The second contribution of this thesis is the experimental analysis and development of this modeling space. Specifically we have gathered a large database of real wireless channel data from a diverse set of propagation environments. A mobile channel-data collection system was built for obtaining the required data which includes an eight-channel software receiver and a collection of WiFi channel sounders. The software receiver synchronously samples the 20-MHz band centered at 2.4 GHz from eight configurable antennas. Measurements have been carried out for both air-to-ground and ground-to-ground links for distances ranging from tens of meters to several kilometers throughout the city of Cambridge, MA. Here we have developed a collection of models for predicting channel behavior, including a model for estimating the path-loss coefficient a in street environments that utilizes two physical parameters: P1 = percentage of building gaps averaged over each side of the street, P2= percentage of the street length that has a building gap on at least one side of the street. Results show a linear increase in a of 0.53 and 0.32 per 10% increase in P1 and P2, respectively, with RMS errors of 0.47 and 0.27 a for a's between 2 and 5. Experiments indicate a 10dB performance advantage in estimating path-loss with this multi-factor model over the optimal linear estimator (upper-bound empirical model) for link lengths as short as 100 meters. In contrast, air-to-ground links have been shown to exhibit log-normal fading with an average attenuation of a ; 2 and standard deviation of 8dB. Additionally we provide exhaustive evidence that the small-scale fading behavior (frequency domain) of both Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) air-to-ground and ground-to-ground links as short as tens of meters is Rayleigh distributed. More specifically, fading distributions across a diverse set of environments and link lengths have been shown to have Rician K-factors smaller than 1, suggesting robust performance of the Rayleigh model. A model is also presented that defines a stochastic distribution for the delay-spread of the channel as a function of the link-length (do), multipath component (MPC) decay-rate (/3 = attenuation per unit delay [1 dB' ), and MPC arrival-rate (q = MPCs per unit delay [-MPC]). Ex10"log10 (m)] m periments support the use of this model over a spectrum of link-lengths (50m-700m) and indicate a dense arrival-rate (q) (on the order of 1 MPC) in ground-to-ground links. In this range the frequency structure of the channel is insensitive to q, which reduces the modeling complexity to a single unknown parameter, P. We provide estimators for 3 over a variety of environment types that have been shown to closely replicate the fade width distribution in these environments. The observed time-coherence length (tc) of MPCs tend to be either less than 300ms (high-frequency) or 5 seconds and longer (low-frequency), resulting in a Rician-like distribution for fading in the time domain. We show that the time characteristics of the channel are accurately modeled as the superposition of two independent circularly symmetric complex gaussian random variables corresponding to the channel response due to a set of stable and unstable MPCs. We observe the S-factor, defined as the ratio of average power in stable to unstable MPCs (distinct from the Rician K-factor), which ranges between 0-30dB depending on environment and link length, and can be estimated with an rms error of 3dB in both ground-to-ground and air-to-ground link regimes. Experiments show improved performance of this model over the Rician fading model which has been shown to underestimate high fade events (tails) in the time domain, corresponding to cases where the stable MPCs destructively combine to form a null. Additionally, the Kronecker MIMO channel model is shown to predict channel capacity (of a 7x7 system) with an rms error of 1.7 bt' (at 20dB SNR) over a diverse set of observed outdoor environments. Experiments indicate a 3dB performance advantage in this prediction when applied to environments that are not dominated by single-bounce propagation paths (Single-bounce: 2.1 rms, Multi-bounce: 1 rms). Thesis Supervisor: David H. Staelin Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering


Objectives. We examined whether residence in neighborhoods with high levels of incarceration is associated with psychiatric morbidity among nonincarcerated community members. Methods. We linked zip code-linked information on neighborhood prison admissions rates to individual-level data on mental health from the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study (2008-2012), a prospective probability sample of predominantly Black individuals. Results. Controlling for individual- and neighborhood-level risk factors, individuals living in neighborhoods with high prison admission rates were more likely to meet criteria for a current (odds ratio [OR] = 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.7, 5.5) and lifetime (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.4, 4.6) major depressive disorder across the 3 waves of follow-up as well as current (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.0, 4.2) and lifetime (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.2, 4.5) generalized anxiety disorder than were individuals living in neighborhoods with low prison admission rates. These relationships between neighborhood-level incarceration and mental health were comparable for individuals with and without a personal history of incarceration. Conclusions. Incarceration may exert collateral damage on the mental health of individuals living in high-incarceration neighborhoods, suggesting that the public mental health impact of mass incarceration extends beyond those who are incarcerated.


Motivation: The mapping of RNA-seq reads to their transcripts of origin is a fundamental task in transcript expression estimation and dierential expression scoring. Where ambiguities in mapping exist due to transcripts sharing sequence, e.g. alternative isoforms or alleles, the problem becomes an instance of non-trivial probabilistic inference. Bayesian inference in such a problem is intractable and approximate methods must be used such as Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and Variational Bayes. Standard implementations of these methods can be prohibitively slow for large datasets and complex gene models. Results: We propose an approximate inference scheme based on Variational Bayes applied to an existing model of transcript expression inference from RNA-seq data. We apply recent advances in Variational Bayes algorithmics to improve the convergence of the algorithm beyond the standard variational expectation-maximisation approach. We apply our algorithm to simulated and biological datasets, demonstrating that the increase in speed requires only a small trade-o in accuracy of expression level estimation. Availability: The methods were implemented in R and C++, and are available as part of the BitSeq project at https://code.google.com/p/bitseq/. The methods will be made available through the BitSeq Bioconductor package at the next stable release. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com or


Medication errors represent the largest category of adverse events affecting hospitalized patients. Some fatal medication errors occurred as a result of administration of an incorrect drug and/or improper dosing of a drug. After repeated incidences of such serious medication errors, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO) has established essential patient safety goals requiring each health care organization to implement comprehensive medication reconciliation at admission, transfer, and discharge in a way that maintains patient safety at all times.
The purpose of this "Never" list is to present a gentle reminder to all healthcare providers to be more vigilant towards some serious medication errors.


The process of identifying pathological patterns in dental radiographic images (panorama images) is one of the most important stages of diagnosing diseases for dentists, and in light of the tremendous technological development, especially in the field of machine learning and pattern recognition, the Digital Image processing department has the most important role in the field of image fragmentation Extract the necessary features in order to identify pathological patterns and thus easily extract the pathological features of the input images. In this research, a methodology has been proposed to extract the features related to tooth decay from the digital Panorama radiographs obtained from the VaTech 400 device using image texture analysis based on the gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) algorithm where the digital image was first entered into the computer and then converted to the Gray level, processed and noise removal facilities for the extraction process and then the statistical features of the GLCM matrix were extracted and then the choice of optimum features that lead to improved decay detection. The obtained results are shown increasing of accuracy of the results and improve the diagnosis process.


Organic volatile impurities (OVIs), residual solvents in herbal formulations and extracts were monitored using gas chromatography (GC) with Flame Ionisation detector (FID). As per GMP, measuring residual solvents is mandatory. It is now possible to take advantage of GC equipment with faster temperature ramping capabilities, in combination with shorter capillary GC columns, to achieve considerable gain in efficiency and reduction in analysis time. In the present study Gas chromatographic method for the determination of methanol, ethanol and isopropyl alcohol at residual levels in herbal formulations and extracts was developed using a flame ionization detector and the separation was carried out on BP 624 column, using GC 17 A shimadzu, with nitrogen as carrier gas in the split mode by direct injection method. The retention time for standard methanol, ethanol and isopropyl alcohol was found to be 3.72, 5.26 and 6.28 min respectively. The linearity for methanol, ethanol and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) was found to be in the range of 10-400 μL mL -1 , 10 - 500μL mL -1 and 1 -240μL mL -1 respectively. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines. The method described is simple, sensitive, rugged, reliable and reproducible for the quantitation of methanol, ethanol and isopropyl levels from herbal formulations and extracts and their levels are found to be within the ICH limits.


Introduction and Aim: A sharp worldwide rise in bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents in both nosocomial and community acquired pathogens has recently been observed. This may complicate treatment of infectious disease or increase the cost of its management. It is, therefore, important to regularly investigate the patterns of resistance to antimicrobial agents at both local and national levels. Methods: The antibiograms of organisms isolated over a one-year period in King Fahd Hospital of the University were analyzed. Results: Of the 3679 microbial isolates of 35 types of organisms identified, the most common were Streptococcous spp (25.5%), S. aureus (16.1%), E. Coli (12.7%), Psueudomonas spp (9.3%) and Klebsiella spp (7%) High resistance rates (>50%) to ampicillin and to amoxycillin + clavulanate (AMX+CLV) were encountered in Enterobacter spp., and H. influenzae while in E. coli, the resistance was higher to ampicillin (60.0%) than to AMX+CLV (38.1%). With regard to S. aureus, 98.3%, 91.1% and 25.5% of isolates were resistant to penicillin, AMX+CLV and methicillin respectively but all were sensitive to vancomycin. High resistance (53% of 2830 isolates) to tetracycline was also observed especially in H. influenzae (80.5%), Streptococcous spp (72.9%) and E. Coli (54.5%). The same organisms were also highly resistant to trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole with rates of 75.5%, 80.4% and 48.1% respectively. Moderate resistance (26% of 1567 isolates) to gentamicin was noted but the drug remained very effective against most tested gram-negative organisms. In addition, multiple resistance to gentamicin and AMX+CLV was also detected in 24.3% of 839 isolates. Conclusions and Recommendations: It is concluded that the alarmingly high pattern of bacterial resistance to antibiotics may reflect the extent of use of each antibiotic in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. It is recommended that hospital antibiotic policies (purchasing, prescribing and dispensing) be based on, and regularly reviewed in accordance with hospital antibiogram results. A center for infectious disease control should also be established in each region of the Kingdom to disseminate information and coordinate antibiotic policies among hospitals.


Mediating between the criminal justice system and the lifeworld
In the last few years, criminal justice has increasingly become the object of critical social attention. Commentators are by now even speaking of a crisis of legitimacy that centres on the problematic relationship between the ever more emancipated citizen and the criminal justice system. This book aims to offer a new perspective in this debate on 'social legitimacy': the acceptability to persons seeking justice. Many attempts to reinforce this consist of narrowing the gap between the citizen and criminal justice. As in many public domains, in criminal justice too we are currently seeing a 'deliberative shift': the solution is sought in transparency, rational explanation and increased participation, and reckons with responsive criminal courts. In this, mediation between perpetrators and victims forms a relatively new search area surrounding the criminal process, besides modalities such as the right to be heard of victims and experiments with the reasoning of judgments. The central element is always that the lifeworld of presumably emancipated citizens is given a larger role. However, despite all the efforts made, this unilateral responsive direction appears to be effective only to a limited extent. In this book I elaborate through mediation practice how this sense of unease may be better understood. The mediation shows that, in addition to emancipation, argumentative explanation and participation as reinforcements of social legitimacy, a second register emerges which I elaborate in this book as 'rituality'. The participatory exposition is limited by that which cannot be expressed in arguments and reason: the contingent experience of perpetratorhood or victimhood, the moral emotions and the way in which the experiences behind crime are dealt with socially. With the elimination of traditional meaning-providing institutions, a cultural emergency arises and the sense of being at a loss as to what to do about the moral and ethical aspects (such as punishment, vengeance, guilt, loss) of this lack of meaning is reinforced. In this book I defend the thesis that the social legitimacy of criminal justice takes on the guise of a deliberative ritual. I elaborate this thesis in accordance with an empirical analysis of interviews with victims and perpetrators. By means of a qualitative research method I confront the theoretical exposition of discursive law with the practical experiences as told by the respondents who took part in mediation or who refused to take part, and who always also went through mediation in addition to the regular criminal settlement of the case. It emerges from such an analysis that legitimacy at the same time refers to the emancipated citizen who in the rationality of arguments wishes to have a say in his/her case and understand what is happening and to a ritual and symbolic meaning of criminal justice. A notion like deliberativeness comes together in tension with rituality. Moreover, the mediation practices demonstrate how the ritual has become deliberative of itself in a late-modern, secular society. The mediation, as I elaborate in this book, places this aspect of deliberative rituality on the agenda as a contribution to the debate on legitimacy.


We present a triangle mesh-based technique for tracking the evolution of three-dimensional multimaterial interfaces undergoing complex deformations. It is the first non-manifold triangle mesh tracking method to simultaneously maintain intersection-free meshes and support the proposed broad set of multimaterial remeshing and topological operations. We represent the interface as a non-manifold triangle mesh with material labels assigned to each half-face to distinguish volumetric regions. Starting from proposed application-dependent vertex velocities, we deform the mesh, seeking a non-intersecting, watertight solution. This goal necessitates development of various collision-safe, label-aware non-manifold mesh operations: multimaterial mesh improvement; T1 and T2 processes, topological transitions arising in foam dynamics and multiphase flows; and multimaterial merging, in which a new interface is created between colliding materials. We demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of our approach on a range of scenarios including geometric flows and multiphase fluid animation.


Kaiser Permanente (KP) is a not-for profit health care organi- zation that provides care for approximately 8.7 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. In 2004, it began implementation of its current electronic health record (EHR), Abstract Purpose: Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) in electronic health records (EHR) has been recognized as an important tool in optimal health care provision that can reduce errors and improve safety. The objective of this study is to describe documentation completeness and user satisfaction of medical charts before and after implementation of an outpatient oncology EHR/ CPOE system in a hospital-based outpatient cancer center within three treatment sites. Methods: This study is a retrospective chart review of 90 patients who received one of the following regimens between 1999 and 2006: FOLFOX, AC, carboplatin (cid:4) paclitaxel, ABVD, cisplatin (cid:4) etoposide, R-CHOP, and clinical trials. Documentation completeness scores were assigned to each chart based on the number of documented data points found out of the total data points assessed. EHR/CPOE documentation completeness was compared with completeness of paper charts orders of the same regimens. A user satisfaction survey of the paper chart and EHR/CPOE system was conducted among the physicians, nurses, and pharmacists who worked with both systems. Results: The mean percentage of identified data points suc-cessfully found in the EHR/CPOE charts was 93% versus 67% in the paper charts ( P (cid:7) .001). Regimen complexity did not alter the number of data points found. The survey response rate was 64%, and the results showed that satisfaction was statistically significant in favor of the EHR/CPOE system. Conclusion: Using EHR/CPOE systems improves completeness of medical record and chemotherapy order documentation and improves user satisfaction with the medical record system. EHR/CPOE requires constant vigilance and maintenance to op-timize patient safety.


OBJECTIVES
To determine the progression-free survival at 12 weeks, to evaluate the toxic effects, and to analyze the biological activity of thalidomide in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma (MM) after high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
From 1999 to 2001, we performed a multicenter prospective phase 2 study in patients with MM that relapsed after high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation to evaluate the efficacy of oral thalidomide, with dose escalation from 200 to 600 mg/d over 12 weeks and a subsequent maintenance phase of 200 mg/d for up to 1 year. Outcome was correlated with serum and plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, interferon gamma, interleukin (IL) 2, and IL-6 during treatment.

RESULTS
Thirty patients were treated (19 men and 11 women; median age, 58 years). The median number of prior therapies was 5, and the median duration from diagnosis of MM to study enrollment was 4.3 years. The 12-week progression-free survival rate was 67% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48%-86%). The observed response rate (partial response plus minor response) was 43% (95% CI, 28%-60%) with a median duration of 6 months. Attributable toxicities included constipation, fatigue, rash, and neuropathy, which was dose limiting in 8 patients (27%). Dose escalation from 200 to 600 mg/d was achieved in 50% of patients. Although responses were observed with lower doses, possibly eliminating the need to escalate the dose, responses were also seen in patients who completed the dose escalation. Some patients had disease progression while receiving the maintenance dose of 200 mg/d. Analysis of biomarker assays did not identify any biomarker associated with greater response, but a significant increase in levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, IL-2, and interferon gamma was seen with thalidomide therapy.

CONCLUSION
The optimal thalidomide dose varies, and adverse effects can be dose limiting. The dose of thalidomide therapy should be based on the individual patient to ensure that it is well tolerated and that a response is achieved.


Four spectral analysis techniques were applied to pulsed Doppler ultrasonic quadrature signals to compare the relative merits of each technique for estimation of flow velocity and Doppler spectra. The four techniques were (1) the fast Fourier transform method, (2) the maximum likelihood method, (3) the Burg autoregressive algorithm, and (4) the modified covariance approach to autoregressive modeling. Both simulated signals and signals obtained from an in vitro flow system were studied. Optimal parameter values (e.g. model orders) were determined for each method, and the effects of signal-to-noise ratio and signal bandwidth were investigated. The modern spectral analysis techniques were shown to be superior to Fourier techniques in most circumstances, provided the model order was chosen appropriately. Robustness considerations tended to recommend the maximum likelihood method for both velocity and spectral estimation. Despite the restrictions of steady laminar flow, the results provide important basic information concerning the applicability of modern spectral analysis techniques to Doppler ultrasonic evaluation of arterial disease.<<ETX>>


When amorphous solids are subjected to simple or pure strain, they exhibit elastic increase in stress, punctuated by plastic events that become denser (in strain) upon increasing the system size. It is customary to assume in theoretical models that the stress released in each plastic event is redistributed according to the linear Eshelby kernel, causing avalanches of additional stress release. Here we demonstrate that contrary to the uniform affine strain resulting from simple or pure strain, each plastic event is associated with a non-uniform strain that gives rise to a displacement field that contains quadrupolar and dipolar charges that typically screen the linear elastic phenomenology and introduce anomalous length-scales and influence the form of the stress redistribution. An important question that opens up is how to take this into account in elasto-plastic models of shear induced phenomena like shear-banding.


Designed especially for nursing, medical assistant, and allied health programmes which allow limited time for the study of medications, this updated and classroom-tested pharmacology text provides drug information in an easy-to-use, format that helps build confidence in the study of medications. Calculations are simplified into step-by-step methods, and an index of cross-referenced drugs listed by trade and generic names is included. New features include a new chapter on drugs and geriatrics, new drug tables and illustrations, addition of more than 160 drugs, and new case studies and administrative checklists. The organization of the text eliminates unnecessary detail that may overwhelm or confuse the student. Part I introduces students to the subject of drugs, their sources and uses, as well as dosage calculations that are simplified into two optional, step-by-step processes. Part II organizes the drugs according to their classifications, which are arranged in a logical order. Each classification is described, along with characteristics of typical drugs, purpose, side effects, cautions, and interactions.


The mechanism by which adipocyte-derived endocrine factors promote insulin resistance in skeletal muscle are not fully understood. MiR-27a is highly expressed in sera of obese individuals with prediabetes and T2DM, and mainly derived by adipose tissues. Thus, miR-27a secreted into circulation by adipose tissue may regulate insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Methods: The association between miR-27a and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle was determined in obese children, high-fat diet-induced miR-27a knockdown obese mice, db/db mice and C2C12 cells overexpressing miR-27a. The crosstalk mediated by exosomal miR-27a between adipose tissue and skeletal muscle was determined in C2C12 cells incubated with conditioned medium prepared from palmitate-treated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Results: We showed that serum miR-27a level correlated positively with obesity and insulin resistance in obese children, and that elevated serum miR-27a levels correlated with insulin resistance in leptin receptor-deficient db/db mice, and with obesity and insulin resistance in high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6J mice. MiR-27a released from adipocytes of high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6J mice was associated with triglyceride accumulation. MiR-27a derived from these adipocytes induced insulin resistance in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells through miR-27a-mediated repression of PPARγ and its downstream genes involved in the development of obesity. Conclusions: These results identify a novel crosstalk signaling pathway between adipose tissue and skeletal muscle in the development of insulin resistance, and indicate that adipose tissue-derived miR-27a may play a key role in the development of obesity-triggered insulin resistance in skeletal muscle.


Learning Objectives: A Microsystems needs assessment was performed in Nov 2015 in a Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). 8 out of 12(67%) members of the process improvement committee stated there was a clear lack of communication between the healthcare team and families. Members also stated interdisciplinary rounds would provide an efficient opportunity for improving patient-family involvement in the plan of care. Effective communication among critically ill patients, their families and providers is often challenging and complex. The primary objective of this quality improvement project is to improve family and patient involvement in the plan of care. Methods: The process improvement initiative was conducted in a 12 bed MICU and was completed by utilizing the Lean Six Sigma methodology. Literature synthesis and analysis was performed to determine interventions for implementation. Prior to the implementation of this project, data was collected by measuring the length of MICU rounds for a period of 10 days without family engagement, followed by data collection post implementation of 10 days with family engagement. Data was reported as mean values. Differences in data were analyzed using a t-test. Results: The time dedicated to daily MICU rounds was compared between pre and post implementation of the family initiative. Pre-implementation period included 71 patients with an average daily rounding time of 42 min, while the post initiative included 44 patients with an average rounding time of 54 min. The mean length of daily interdisciplinary rounds significantly increased by 12 min(p=0.03). Subjective data revealed the implementation of family engagement during rounds improved overall communication with families while increasing the effectiveness with which we met their needs. Conclusions: Implementation of family engagement showed an increase in the time needed to complete MICU rounds. Staff reported that collaboration with families during rounds facilitated the multidisciplinary team to be more focused on the needs of the patients and their families.


Convex optimization problems, whose solutions live in very high dimensional spaces, have become ubiquitous. To solve them, proximal splitting algorithms are particularly adequate: they consist of simple operations, by handling the terms in the objective function separately. We present several existing proximal splitting algorithms and we derive new ones, within a unified framework, which consists in applying splitting methods for monotone inclusions, like the forward-backward algorithm, in primal-dual product spaces with well-chosen metric. This allows us to derive new convergence theorems with larger parameter ranges. In particular, when the smooth term in the objective function is quadratic, e.g. for least-squares problems, convergence is guaranteed with larger values of the relaxation parameter than previously known. Indeed, it is often the case in practice that the larger the relaxation parameter, the faster the convergence.


By analyzing a paradigmatic example of the theory of dissipative systems – the classical and quantum dissipative standard map – we are able to explain the main features of the decay to the quantum equilibrium state. The classical isoperiodic stable structures typically present in the parameter space of these kind of systems play a fundamental role. In fact, we have found that the period of stable structures that are near in this space determines the phase of the leading eigenstates of the corresponding quantum superoperator. Moreover, the eigenvectors show a strong localization on the corresponding periodic orbits (limit cycles). We show that this sort of scarring phenomenon (an established property of Hamiltonian and projectively open systems) is present in the dissipative case and it is of extreme simplicity.


The QCD multipole expansion (QCDME) is based on quantum field theory and has been extensively applied to study transitions among and ψ family members. As it refers to non-perturbative QCD, however, it has only a certain application range. Even though it successfully explains the transition data among members of the (ψ) family, as Eichten indicates, beyond the production threshold of mediate states it fails to match data by several orders of magnitude. In this work, by studying a simple decay mode D*→ D + π0, where a pion may be emitted before D* transitions into D, we analyze the contribution of QCD multipole expansion. As the Dπ portal is open, the dominant contribution is an OZI-allowed process where a light quark-pair is excited out from vacuum, and its contribution can be evaluated by the 3 P 0 model. Since direct pion emission is OZI-suppressed and violates isospin conservation, its contribution must be much smaller than the dominant one. By a careful calculation, we estimate that the QCDME contribution should be 3–4 orders smaller than the dominant contribution and this result can offer a quantitative interpretation for Eichten's statement.


The extreme heavy tail and the power-law decay of the turbulent flux correlation observed in hot magnetically confined plasmas are modeled by a system of coupled Langevin equations describing a continuous time linear randomly amplified stochastic process where the amplification factor is driven by a superposition of colored noises which, in a suitable limit, generate a fractional Brownian motion. An exact analytical formula for the power-law tail exponent beta is derived. The extremely small value of the heavy tail exponent and the power-law distribution of laminar times also found experimentally are obtained, in a robust manner, for a wide range of input values, as a consequence of the (asymptotic) self-similarity property of the noise spectrum. As a by-product, a new representation of the persistent fractional Brownian motion is obtained.


The study of structured laser beams has been one of the most active fields of research for decades, particularly in exploring laser beams with orbital angular momentum. The direct generation of structured beams from laser resonators is deeply associated with the formation of transverse modes. The wave representations of transverse modes of spherical cavities are usually categorized into Hermite–Gaussian (HG) and Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) modes for a long time. Enormous experimental results have revealed that the generalized representation for the transverse modes is the Hermite–LG (HLG) modes. We make a detailed overview for the theoretical description of the HLG modes from the representation of the spectral unitary group of order 2 in the Jordan–Schwinger map. Furthermore, we overview how to derive the integral formula for the elliptical modes based on the Gaussian wave-packet state and the inverse Fourier transform. The relationship between the HLG modes and elliptical modes is linked by the quantum Fourier transform. The most striking result is that the HLG modes can be exactly derived as the superposition of the elliptical modes without involving Hermite and Laguerre polynomials. Finally, we discuss the application of the HLG modes in characterizing the propagation evolution of the vortex structures of HG beams transformed by an astigmatic mode converter. This overview certainly provides not only a novel formula for transverse modes, but also a pedagogical insight into quantum physics.


Monodispersed silica spheres have attracted much attention because of their widely applications in the areas of catalysis, adsorption, chromatography packing materials and advanced ceramics. This paper focused on its application as a packing material of function coatings for space applications. Nanosized monodispersed silica spheres can be fabricated by Stöber method. However, microsized monodispersed silica spheres are not easy obtained. In this paper monodispersed silica spheres with the size between 200nm to 2000nm were fabricated by hydrolysis of tetraethoxy silane (TEOS) in isopropyl alcohol solvent and using ammonia as catalyst through multi-step growth method. The influence of silica seed number density and TEOS concentration on monodispersity and size of silica sphere were studied. The result shows that monodispersed silica spheres could be obtained through control the concentration of TEOS and the silica seed number density during every growth step. The diameter of monodispersed silica spheres increased with the steps of growth.


We illustrate a rigorous approach to express the totally symmetric isotropic tensors of arbitrary rank in the n-dimensional Euclidean space as a linear combination of products of Kronecker deltas. By making full use of the symmetries, one can greatly reduce the efforts to compute cumbersome angular integrals into straightforward combinatoric counts. This method is generalised into the cases in which such symmetries are present in subspaces. We further demonstrate the mechanism of the tensor-integral reduction that is widely used in various physics problems such as perturbative calculations of the gauge-field theory in which divergent integrals are regularised in d = 4 − 2 ϵ space–time dimensions. The main derivation is given in the n-dimensional Euclidean space. The generalisation of the result to the Minkowski space is also discussed in order to provide graduate students and researchers with techniques of tensor-integral reduction for particle physics problems.


The foundation of an Inclusive society hinges on the strength of its social and educational environment. To translate this into reality As the engineering and vocational training partner, ESI ,  is carrying out awareness  programmes for developing rapport with local people through the "Nandini Van", training of youth for creating positive mindset towards social health, organizing vocational training programmes for women and youth, construction of toilets in villages, water harvesting systems and compost pits in schools. As the education development partner, AGES,  is conducting activities for enhancing the quality of education in the Government run schools of five schools in four villages. This is being done through a one-time quality assessment; teacher training, leadership development and implementation and coordination of the project. An increased awareness of social welfare and possible remedies to challenges, increased health and hygiene of the people, women and girl child empowerment, vocational training for youth, infrastructure improvement, enhancing the quality of education will lead to a sense of belongingness and social pride amongst the people of these underdeveloped villages. SPEGL through their Corporate Social Responsibility for the welfare and social upliftment of the people residing in Kodinar Taluka; Junagadh District; Gujarat, has partnered with Environment Sanitation Institute (ESI) - a national level NGO working for improving the lives of the lesser privileged, Gandhinagar, Gujarat and  Academy for Global Education Services (AGES) ,Mumbai, an educational  consultancy company empanelled by CBSE for accreditation of its affiliated schools.


This paper presents the design and the performance evaluation of a coarse-grain dynamically reconfigurable platform for network applications. The platform consists of two MicroBlaze RISC processors and a number of hardware co-processors used for the processing of the packet's payload (DES encryption and Lempel-Ziv Compression). The co-processors can be connected either directly to the processors or using a shared bus. The type of the co-processors is dynamically reconfigured to meet the requirements of the network workload. The system has been implemented in the Xilinx Virtex II Pro FPGA platform and the network traces from real passive measurements have been used for performance evaluation. The use of dynamically reconfigurable co-processors for network applications shows that the performance speedup versus a static version varies from 12% to 35% in the best case and from 10% to 15% on average, depending on the variability in time and distribution of the network traffic


On the right flap, the epigastric nerve was resected and ligated (noninnervated flap), and on the left flap, the nerve was crushed (innervated flap). ASCs, dASCs, SCs, or vehicle were simultaneously injected to the dermal and hypodermal layers of flap. After 20 weeks, the reinnervation pattern of flap was assessed immunohistochemically using a neuronal marker, PGP9.5. Results: dASCs and SCs significantly increased reinnervation density in the periphery of both types of flaps, and this effect was more pronounced in non-innervated flaps. On the other hand, ASC transplantation showed no statistically significant effect on the peripheral reinnervation (P > 0.05). In the center of flap, there was no statistically significant increase in reinnervation density in all groups irrespective of flap innervation (P > 0.05). Conclusion: dASCs could improve flap reinnervation by the two mechanisms: First, neurotrophic factors produced by dASCs facilitated regrowth of cutaneous axons from the surroundings of flap. Second, NGF released by dASCs induced the collateral sprouting of undamaged axons in adjacent tissues. Although these effects are likely limited in the early stage after transplantation, dASC transplantation therapy could be a new approach to improve the sensory recovery of skin flaps.


Veterinary medicine is a major force for good, and ethics is a central, essential and unavoidable part of veterinary practice. We engage in ethical reasoning when we decide how to proceed in a clinical case, and by improving it we make better decisions for our patients, our clients and ourselves. Furthermore, it is a clinical skill that can be developed by experience, reflection, discussion and education. This article, the first in a series of three, aims to help practitioners engage in ethical reasoning and discussion. It does not (and should not) tell everyone what to do, but describes concepts and viewpoints that might provide the beginnings of a shared approach to veterinary ethical reasoning for cases faced in practice. It presents what appear to be shared values in the profession, their implications, unresolved questions and how debates might move forward. The second article in the series will apply these key principals to a specific case, and the third will present an approach to steps that can be taken in practice.


The identification of key players in a terrorist network can lead to prevention of attacks, due to efficient allocation of surveillance means or isolation of key players in order to destabilize the network. In this paper we introduce a game theoretic approach to identify key players in terrorist networks. The advantage of this approach is that both the structure of the terrorist network, which usually reflects a communication structure, as well non-network features, which represent individual parameters like financial means or bomb building skills, can be taken into account. The application of our methodology results in rankings of the terrorists in the network. We illustrate our methodology by two case studies: Jemaah Islamiyah's Bali bombing and Al Qaeda's 9/11 attack, which has led to new insights in the operational networks responsible for these attacks.


Critics have recognised folk‐tales as being among the varied sources Shakespeare has mined for the plots of his plays. However, this recognition has often formed the basis of an argument which seeks to excuse what are perceived as flaws in Shakespeare's plays, for example claiming that humanised characters jostle against their folk‐tale or popular culture archetypes, or that friction is generated when a folk‐tale plot is placed into a realistic setting. There has been little examination of Shakespeare's relationship to his sources from folk‐tale, and so in this thesis I use the motif of the "test imposed to prove worthiness" (Stith Thompson's Motif H900) as an example of the way Shakespeare develops, doubles and ultimately subverts these sources. I examine three comedies which employ this motif: The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice and All's Well That Ends Well. In the first play I argue that the testing of Katherina's obedience rebounds to test Petruccio's masculinity. In The Merchant, I argue that the casket test and doubled ring test play a crucial role in the development of Bassanio's worthiness and loyalty, simultaneously casting doubt on Portia's faithfulness. Finally, in relation to All's Well, I argue that the test motif and by extension its folk‐tale sources are subverted so that the impossible tasks rebound not only on Bertram, but on the play as a whole, testing the genres of romance and realism. I find that testing cycles have a structural function as they fall between the couples' weddings and consummations. Because of this placement, they are linked to private and public anxieties about sexuality and fidelity, in turn demonstrating their thematic function. The development, doubling and subversion of folk‐tales allow Shakespeare to explore ideas fully, often contrapuntally. Thus, my thesis seeks to address the gap in the critical studies by contending that Shakespeare makes innovative use of his folk‐tale sources. While ambiguity is certainly generated in each of the three plays, this is a deliberate effect rather than a flaw; no apology is required.


Aims. A simplified model of jet power from active galactic nuclei is proposed in which the relationship between jet power and disk luminosity is discussed by combining disk accretion with two mechanisms of extracting energy magnetically from a black hole accretion disk, i.e., the Blandford-Payne (BP) and the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) processes. Methods. By including the BP process into the conservation laws of mass, angular momentum and energy, we derive the expressions of the BP power and disk luminosity, and the jet power is regarded as the sum of the BZ and BP powers. Results. We find that the disk radiation flux and luminosity decrease because a fraction of the accretion energy is channelled into the outflow/jet in the BP process. It is found that the dominant cooling mode of the accretion disk is determined mainly by how the poloidal magnetic field decreases with the cylindrical radius of the jet. By using the parameter space we found, which consists of the black hole spin and the self-similar index of the configuration of the poloidal magnetic field frozen in the disk, we were able to compare the relative importance of the following quantities related to the jet production: (1) the BP power versus the disk luminosity, (2) the BP power versus the BZ power, and (3) the jet power versus the disk luminosity. In addition, we fit the jet power and broad-line region luminosity of 11 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and 17 steep-spectrum radio quasars (SSRQs) based on our model.


Purpose–Objective: Wilms' tumour commonly presents as abdominal mass that originates from the renal parenchyma. We
encountered and thus report and illustrate a case in which this malignant tumour filled and expand the renal pelvis with minimal parenchymal infiltration.
Material and methods: A previously healthy 2-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital for painless gross hematuria. There was no abdominal swelling or distension. No history of trauma or bleeding disorder. On examination no abdominal or flank mass was palpable. The cause was revealed from radiological investigations: on Ultrasound, a solid well defined non-vascular lobulated mass was seen occupying and expanding the left renal pelvis with moderate hydronephrosis, on Computed Tomography (CT) as a well defined non-enhancing hypodense left intrapelvic
renal mass and on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as T1
hypointense and T2 hyperintense intrapelvic mass with evidence of upper pole parenchymal infiltration.
Results: A left nephrectomy was performed and the histology
revealed a Wilms' tumour.
Discussion and conclusion: Wilms' tumour must be considered in children presenting with gross haematuria even when the location of the tumour is not typical; as illustrated in our case. The radiological images, gross specimen of the tumour and the histological images will be illustrated.


Etiological studies to determine the cause of decline and death of Pinus spp. in Delaware were initiated in 1980. The pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, was found to be the major canse of mortality in Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii). When inoculated into healthy 5-yr-old Japanese black pines, B. xylophilus produced typical decline symptoms observed in the field. The xylophilous fungi most often associated with declining trees, Rhizosphaera pini, Fusarium spp., and Pestalotia funerea, were not pathogenic to Japanese black pine in greenhouse tests. Mineral analyses of soil and foliage showed no significant differences between healthy and infested trees. B. xylolyhilus was also found on loblolly pine (P. taeda), scrub pine (P. virginiana), Scots pine (P. sylvestris), red pine (P. resinosa), Eastern white pine (P. strobus), and pitch pine (P. rigida).


Objective An association between detectable faecal haemoglobin (f-Hb) and both the risk of death from colorectal cancer (CRC) and all-cause mortality has been reported. We set out to confirm or refute this observation in a UK population and to explore the association between f-Hb, as indicated by a positive guaiac faecal occult blood test (gFOBT) result, and different causes of death. Design All individuals (134 192) who participated in gFOBT screening in Tayside, Scotland between 29/03/2000 and 29/03/2016 were studied by linking their test result (positive or negative) with mortality data from the National Records of Scotland database and following to 30/03/2016. Results Those with a positive test result (n=2714) had a higher risk of dying than those with a negative result, from CRC: HR 7.79 (95% CI 6.13 to 9.89), p<0.0001, (adjusted for, gender, age, deprivation quintile and medication that can cause bleeding) and all non-CRC causes: HR 1.58 (95% CI 1.45 to 1.73), p<0·0001.· In addition, f-Hb detectable by gFOBT was significantly associated with increased risk of dying from circulatory disease, respiratory disease, digestive diseases (excluding CRC), neuropsychological disease, blood and endocrine disease and non-CRC. Conclusion The presence of detectable f-Hb is associated with increased risk of death from a wide range of causes.


Polymeric materials have had a boom in the global industry over the past two decades, because of its adaptability, durability, and price so much so that now we cannot imagine a product that does not contain it. However, many synthetic polymers that have been developed are mainly derived from petroleum and coal as raw material, which make them incompatible with the environment, since they cannot be included in what is a natural recycling system. Aware of the environmental impacts that produce synthetic polymers, a solution could be the mixtures with different types and sources of biological materials, called biopolymers, such as starch, cellulose, chitosan, zein, gelatin among others and that gradually replace synthetic polymers to address and resolve these problems. The development of new applications, such as composite materials by incorporation of alternative materials, found in nature that has similar properties to oil‐ based polymers, but its main feature is its biodegradability and offering competitive to current material costs. In this sense, various investigations are aimed at decreasing the amounts of plastic waste and to manufacture products with less aggressive environment since the synthetic plastics are difficult to recycle and can remain in nature for over a century.


Mutations in SIMPLE cause an autosomal dominant, demyelinating form of peripheral neuropathy termed Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1C (CMT1C), but the pathogenic mechanisms of these mutations remain unknown. Here, we report that SIMPLE is an early endosomal membrane protein that is highly expressed in the peripheral nerves and Schwann cells. Our analysis has identified a transmembrane domain (TMD) embedded within the cysteine-rich (C-rich) region that anchors SIMPLE to the membrane, and suggests that SIMPLE is a post-translationally inserted, C-tail-anchored membrane protein. We found that CMT1C-linked pathogenic mutations are clustered within or around the TMD of SIMPLE and that these mutations cause mislocalization of SIMPLE from the early endosome membrane to the cytosol. The CMT1C-associated SIMPLE mutant proteins are unstable and prone to aggregation, and they are selectively degraded by both the proteasome and aggresome–autophagy pathways. Our findings suggest that SIMPLE mutations cause CMT1C peripheral neuropathy by a combination of loss-of-function and toxic gain-of-function mechanisms, and highlight the importance of both the proteasome and autophagy pathways in the clearance of CMT1C-associated mutant SIMPLE proteins.


Conventional cooling technology is a very mature technology and had been widely used in industry. However, it has many disadvantages, like environmental pollution and large space to store the device, etc. In order to solve the disadvantages and satisfy current industry requirements, many novel cooling technologies have been explored. Among them, electrocaloric cooling technology attracts a lot of attention due to its outstanding properties, where it has reversible temperature change of a polarizable material with the application of an electric field. Thus, many cooling device designs based on electrocaloric effect have been developed. However, there are two main drawbacks caused by designs to control heat transfer process. One is heat transfer fluid medium loss and the other is moving part requirements (either moving electrocaloric materials or moving fluid medium). The purpose of this thesis is for developing a new and smart heat transfer controlling method. The core design is a composite where electrocaloric layer and substrate layer are bonded together. The composite has temperature change due to electrocaloric effect with application of electric field. In the meantime, it also has converse piezoelectric effect, and thus can bend upward or downward to connect with heat source (or heat sink) for transferring heat. An analytical model is also studied and proposed by considering multi-physical effects in the composite structure, which provides a new way to explore the mechanism of solid-state cooling technology accurately. Our analytical model shows that the temperature change is a combined result from thermal, electric and mechanical field couplings, not just one coupling from electrocaloric effect, which is widely known as Indirect Method derived from Maxwell Equations. Moreover, the model clearly demonstrates that material properties, boundary conditions of the composite, electric field influence cooling performance. The rest of the thesis thoroughly studies various electrocaloric materials, substrate materials, boundary conditions, cooling composite shape. The results show a very promising way to improve cooling performance.


Existing font rasterization systems use grid constraints or hints in order to rasterize outline characters. Advanced grid constraints include snapping techniques for producing uniform raster characters without preliminary outline regularization. They also offer tools for raster character generation at screen resolution. Nevertheless, problems associated with the rasterization of strokes given by low-curvature curves cannot be solved by grid-fitting techniques. They require advanced knowledge-based character preprocessing


alpha-Adrenergic control of the oxygen delivery to the myocardium during exercise was investigated in eight conscious dogs instrumented for chronic measurements of coronary blood flow, left ventricular (LV) pressure, aortic blood pressure, and heart rate and sampling of arterial and coronary sinus blood. After alpha-adrenergic receptor blockade a standard exercise load elicited a significantly greater increase in heart rate, rate of change of LV pressure (LV dP/dt), LV dP/dt/P, and coronary blood flow than was elicited in the unblocked state. In contrast to the response pattern during control exercise, there was no significant change in coronary sinus oxygen tension (PO2), myocardial arteriovenous oxygen difference, and myocardial oxygen delivery-to-oxygen consumption ratio. It is concluded that the normal relationship between myocardial oxygen supply and oxygen demand is modified during exercise after alpha-adrenergic blockade, whereby oxygen delivery is better matched to oxygen consumption. These results indicate that the increase in coronary blood flow and oxygen delivery to the myocardium during normal exercise is limited by alpha-adrenergic vasoconstriction.


Nowadays, software developers often utilize existing third party libraries and make use of Application Programming Interface (API) to develop a software. However, it is not always obvious which library to use or whether the chosen library will play well with other libraries in the system. Fur-thermore, developers need to spend some time to understand the API to the point that they can freely use the API methods and putting the right parameters inside them. In this work, I plan to automatically recommend relevant APIs to developers. This API recommendation can be divided into multiple stages. First, we can recommend relevant libraries provided a given task to complete. Second, we can recommend relevant API methods that developer can use to program the required task. Third, we can recommend correct parameters for a given method according to its context. Last but not least, we can recommend how different API methods can be combined to achieve a given task. In effort to realize this API recommendation system, I have published two related papers. The first one deals with recommending additional relevant API libraries given known useful API libraries for the target program. This system can achieve recall rate@5 of 0.852 and recall rate@10 of 0.894 in recommending additional relevant libraries. The second one deals with recommending relevant API methods a given target API and a textual description of the task. This system can achieve recall-rate@5 of 0.690 and recall-rate@10 of 0.779. The results for both system indicate that the systems are useful and capable in recommending the right API/library reasonably well. Currently, I am working on another system which can recommend web APIs (i.e., libraries) given a description of the task. I am also working on a system that recommends correct parameters given an API method. In the future, I also plan to realize API composition recommendation for the given task.


Research frequently reports student dissatisfaction with feedback in higher education. Large class sizes and modularization challenge teachers in providing useful feedback. Most of these studies have investigated student perceptions of written feedback in coursework, and few attempts have been made considering feedback in face-to-face contexts such as bachelor's degree projects. This study aims to enrich our understanding of students' perception of feedback in the context of supervision of bachelor's degree projects using Karlsen's (2015) PLUS model to systematise factors that help improve their utilisation of feedback in learning. Qualitative interviews were used to collect data from two bachelor student cohorts doing their projects as part of industrial design programmes and computer science at a mid-sized Norwegian university college (n=28). Results indicate that students generally find teachers' feedback more useful than useless. In addition to the students own attitudes towards assessment, they report that how they perceive the supervisors' trustworthiness matters when utilising feedback.


Monitoring vacuum ultraviolet (UV/VUV) emission in plasma systems is challenging as it requires specialized diagnostic systems or sensors to be compatible with these devices. This study addresses different reactor configurations and plasma chemistries with various levels of UV emission and their effects on a known set of polymers. First, the effect of He plasma treatment of organic underlayer (NFC-1400) and e-beam resist (hydrogen silsesquioxane) on line-space patterning of polysilicon at sub-100 nm pitch was investigated. By applying He plasma exposure, both before and after patterning of the optical underlayer, a significant improvement in line edge roughness (LER) from 2.5 to 1.4 nm was observed. To understand the plasma treatment mechanisms, polymers were exposed to synchrotron VUV light at 62 nm (or 20.0 eV), which coincides with the He VUV emission range (50–60 nm), followed by etching of poly-Si, and were found to have similar LER results. The refraction index measurements for both the optical underlayer and the e-beam resist revealed the key finding that the polymers absorption maxima corresponded exactly to the wavelength of ∼60 nm. Second, the impact of inductively coupled and microwave plasma configurations on etch rates and chemical properties of photoresists were investigated. Identifying specific photon-induced modifications on polymers can help detect UV/VUV emission in the plasma and decouple ion and photon effects on materials. Poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(4-vinylphenol)-based photoresists were exposed to argon (Ar) and nitrogen (N2) plasmas. Surface and elemental analyses confirmed that plasma effects on chemical modifications, surface roughness, and etch rate were significantly higher for poly(methyl methacrylate) compared to poly(4-vinylphenol)-based photoresists. Detailed elemental and molecular structure analyses of these polymers showed relatively higher damage to both species caused from the inductively coupled plasma, which is ultimately correlated with a higher UV/VUV emission.


This dissertation is an analysis of the political economy of the Republic of Ireland's television broadcasting policy in the period between 1997 and 2007. It is primarily concerned with Irish policy approaches to the introduction of digital terrestrial television (DTT) and the restructuring of public service broadcasting (PSB). Whereas policy addressing these two policy areas had been articulated in the late 1980s, it was not until the period under review that significant policy endeavours took place. The research is primarily concerned with identifying the
articulation of state/market relations as manifested in policy making and assessing the relative effectiveness/success of such policy changes relative to
specific policy aims in communications and media and the larger strategies and activities of the Irish state.


Background: Healthcare acquired infections (HCAIs) otherwise call nosocomial infection is associated with increased morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients and predisposes healthcare workers (HCWs) to an increased risk of infections. The study explores the knowledge and practices of infection control among HCW in a tertiary referral center in North-Western Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. A self-administered structured questionnaire was distributed to the study group (of doctors and nurses). Data on knowledge and practice of infection control were obtained and analyzed. Study population were selected by convenience sampling. Results: A total of 200 responses were analyzed, 152 were nurses while 48 were doctors. The median age and years of working experience of the respondents were 35 years (interquartile range [IQR] 31–39) and 7 years (IQR 4–12), respectively. Most of the respondents 174/198 (87.9%) correctly identified hand washing as the most effective method to prevent HCAI, with nurses having better knowledge 139/152 (91%) (P = 0.001). Majority agreed that avoiding injury with sharps 172/200 (86%), use of barrier precaution 180/200 (90%) and hand hygiene 184/200 (92%) effectively prevent HCAI. Only 88/198 (44.4%), 122/198 (61.6%), and 84/198 (42.4%) of the respondents were aware of the risks of infection following exposure to human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus-infected blood, respectively. About 52% of doctors and 76% of nurses (P = 0.002) always practice hand hygiene in between patient care. Conclusion: Gaps have been identified in knowledge and practice of infection control among doctors' and nurses' in the study; hence, it will be beneficial for all HCW to receive formal and periodic refresher trainings.


Test construction is a fundamental constituent in the field of education. Many researches are being conducted in the field of testing across the academic world. Development of Achievement tests and standardization of achievement tests is a prime area research for academic researchers. In continuous assessment, teachers develop tests to measure students' achievement through the duration of course or study. The main objective of this study was the development of an objective type test in the subject of Measurement and Assessment in Education. Initially, the test comprised 60 items. Test reliability through Cronbach Alpha was 0.77. The test was administered to 385 students enrolled in the department of Education. A convenient sampling technique was used to select the sample. Item analysis was conducted using item response theory (IRT). This study suggests that a parallel form test with more test items and more syllabus coverage might be constructed. Tests might be administered in teacher education departments of all public sector universities. Test responses might be used to diagnose learning difficulties in the subject of measurement and assessment. The study recommended that test construction theories might be the part of course outlines.


Effects of inorganic phosphate (Pi) on contractile function, ionic exchange, and cellular energetic state were investigated in isolated, arterially perfused, interventricular rabbit septa. The addition of 10 or 20 mM Pi to a N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffered perfusate showed 1) a decrease in developed tension due to a decrease in free Ca concentration; 2) an increase in diastolic tension; 3) a decrease in 42K uptake at the same time that 42K efflux was depressed; 4) an increase of 24Na activity; 5) an increase in tissue 47Ca activity; and 6) a decrease in tissue adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) levels. If a 10-mM Pi intervention was applied without changing the free Ca concentration of the perfusate, the mechanical record showed a transient positive inotropic effect without changes in K efflux. These results are consistent with Pi-induced stimulated mitochondrial Ca uptake and Na-K pump inhibition that combine to increase cellular Ca uptake. The increase in cellular Ca and the decrease in cellular ATP would both tend to increase diastolic tension. In the presence of antimycin A, respiration-dependent Ca uptake is inhibited, and mitochondrial Ca uptake is then maintained at the expense of cellular ATP. This process of mitochondrial Ca uptake could account for the deficiency of ATP and the rigor type contracture that occurs with antimycin A. This energy-deficient state is modified if mitochondrial ATP consumption is blocked by oligomycin, and such treatment prevents the ATP-deficient rigor. Under these conditions, although mitochondrial Ca uptake is blocked by the presence of antimycin A and oligomycin, Ca uptake remains augmented secondary to Na-K pump inhibition by Pi.


The dire prospects of global warming have been increasing the pressure on policymakers to use trade policy as a mitigation tool, challenging trade economists canonical "targeting principle." Even though the justifications for this stance remain as valid as ever, it no longer seems feasible in a world that is already engaging actively in using trade policy for climate purposes. However, the search for second-best solutions remains warranted. In this paper, we focus on the climate benefits of tariff reform for a broad sample of Latin American and Caribbean countries, drawing on Shapiros (2021) insights about the environmental bias of trade policy. Using a partial equilibrium approach and GTAP 10-MRIO data for 2014, we show that even though there is evidence of a negative bias toward "dirty goods" in half of the countries studied, translating this into actionable tariff reforms is plagued by interpretation and implementation difficulties, as well as by jurisdictional and efficiency trade-offs. There are also questions about their efficacy in curbing greenhouse gas emissions.


In the construction industry, building facade systems are gaining significance as reflected in the number of facade product innovations available on the market. While research studies on the adoption of these facade product innovations are comparatively limited in number. An awareness of the advantages and impacts that a product innovation brings is critical in its adoption, and therefore the purpose of this paper is to develop a classification framework for the use of producers/vendors present the advantages and impacts of their innovative facade products to the architects.,The study, in addition to literature review, consisted of four main steps without distinct boundaries, namely, (1) case study sample selection regarding facade products, (2) data collection through review of published documents, analysis of the data via content analysis and generation of a preliminary framework for the evaluation of facade product innovations, (3) further data collection through semi-structured interviews and analysis of the products and (4) redefining innovation types and finalizing classification framework through assessment of new facade products.,Innovation types may vary according to the product groups under investigation and viewpoints of the classifications. Selected facade products were evaluated in terms of their specific characteristics through identified viewpoints: as a physical object and as an agent. It was revealed that assessing a product innovation in terms of changes in its structural composition and impact on other related physical objects/processes can change the type of innovation. Additionally, insights about improved characteristics specific to facade products, forms of change in these products and architects' new actions in the facade design process were obtained.,Only the products stated by the producers/vendors as being new to the Turkish market at the time they were introduced were evaluated in terms of all aspects proposed in the framework. For these products and others that were evaluated, the product data obtained from the producers/vendors have been deemed to be accurate. Research on equivalent products in the market has not been conducted.,Studies identifying innovation types in the facade industry are very rare. The proposed framework can be regarded as a detailed investigation of product innovation types in the facade industry which offers component-system level improvement/change analysis. Moreover, it can be an effective tool for producers/vendors to ensure that architects have knowledge about their innovative products and their impacts on facade design and also to facilitate the adoption of these products.


Abstract
A sensitive, precise and reliable indirect spectrophotometric method for the determination of chlordiazepoxide (CDE) in pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms is described. The method is based on oxidative coupling reaction between amino group resulting from acidic decomposition of CDE with phenothiazine in the presence of sodium periodate to produce an intense green soluble dye that is stable and shows a maximum absorption at 602 nm. The calibration plot indicates that Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration range of 0.1?50 µg/mL, with a molar absorptivity of 1×104 L/mol cm and correlation coefficient of 0.9994.All the conditions that affecting on the stability and sensitivity of the formed product were studied and optimized and the suggested method was effectively applied for the determination of CDE in commercial dosage forms.


This work constructs a class of non-symmetric periodic Schrodinger operators on metric graphs (quantum graphs) whose Fermi, or Floquet, surface is reducible. The Floquet surface at an energy level is an algebraic set that describes all complex wave vectors admissible by the periodic operator at the given energy. The graphs in this study are obtained by coupling two identical copies of a periodic quantum graph by edges to form a bilayer graph. Reducibility of the Floquet surface for all energies ensues when the coupling edges have potentials belonging to the same asymmetry class. The notion of asymmetry class is defined in this article through the introduction of an entire spectral A-function $a(\lambda)$ associated with a potential--two potentials belong to the same asymmetry class if their A-functions are identical. Symmetric potentials correspond to $a(\lambda)\equiv0$. If the potentials of the connecting edges belong to different asymmetry classes, then typically the Floquet surface is not reducible. An exception occurs when two copies of certain bipartite graphs are coupled; the Floquet surface in this case is always reducible. This includes AA-stacked bilayer graphene.


There was a particular instinct that drove us to produce a special issue on decolonising knowledge practices. We thought that by paying close attention to how research is being done by researchers who are working intentionally to subvert some of the dominant Western paradigms and hegemonies, we may gain some insight into what decolonising knowledge practices look and feel like. This original instinct has been well and truly borne out by the wonderful contributions made by the papers in this issue. Each paper holds tremendous value on its own, but collectively, this issue provides us with a better understanding of the requirements and possibilities of doing decolonising knowledge work.


Reforms in Australian higher education in the 1980s and 1990s have led to declining levels of real government funding to universities, particularly in the late 1990s, requiring universities to develop alternative revenue sources. In 2001, the Senate released a report "Universities in Crisis" which found government funding to be inadequate. Despite the consistent denials by the Australian Government, this was perceived by many others as a sector in crisis. The Australian Government responded to claims of deteriorating standards with the "Crossroads" Ministerial papers and has reasserted its aim of achieving 'world class' universities in Australia. Are the recent responses of the Government likely to enhance excellence in higher education? What does 'excellent' mean to various higher education stakeholders and how do they perceive the current response of Australia's higher education system to these challenges? These issues will be analysed in the context of the Government's reforms as detailed in the "Crossroads" papers. The authors conclude that the Australian Government's decisions in relation to the levels and sources of funding for Australia's universities will have future implications for the nation's social capital. Australian Higher Education in Crisis


The concept of the More Electric Aircraft, where the majority of the aircraft's secondary needs will be supplied by electrical power, is under continuous research over a number of years in order to conform the recent demand for more efficient and environmentally friendly aircrafts. Advancements in power electronics have contributed towards the realization of that demand, by introducing lightweight, high-power density and highly efficient in harsh environment power electronics. The increase in power density of power electronic systems was made feasible, so far, by developments in the semiconductors field, namely by semiconductors that can operate at higher switching frequencies and generate less power loss. Wide-bandgap devices, such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistors, have emerged as possible candidates to replace silicon and even silicon carbide devices in various power conversion applications offering potential benefits for high frequency power conversion due to their intrinsic material properties. Another step towards higher power densities is to utilize appropriate circuit topologies since they can reduce the stress upon the components and the cooling requirements. However, as the frequency goes up, the switching behavior of the device is not only influenced by the die itself and the device package's and circuit's parasitic elements can not be neglected any more. One of these parasitic elements is the the equivalent parasitic capacitance (EPC) of the magnetic component, which is part of almost every topology. This thesis project aims at two things: first, to observe the switching behavior of a high-voltage cascode GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) under inductive clamped load condition, which is the same commutation mode for the power devices as switching in a PWM, hard-switching type converter and second, to investigate the influence of the magnetic component's EPC on the switching behavior of the GaN HEMT. For this, an analytical loss model of the device was developed and a double-pulse tester (DPT), which is considered to be a very good example of that load condition, was optimally designed and manufactured in order to verify the analytical model. Two pulses are launched to the device under test (DUT) and the switching transitions of the DUT can be captured for any desired current and voltage rating under hard-switching conditions. Moreover, when operating under that load conditions, applying active devices with reverse recovery charge has significant influence on the switching behavior of the DUT, so both cases will be examined. Finally, in order to characterize the device and eventually verify the analytical loss model, current and voltage measurements need to be taken during the turn-on and turn-off switching transitions. As the GaN HEMT is capable of switching are very high speed, there are issues and limitations that need to be taken into consideration in order to ensure the fidelity and the accuracy of these high frequency measurements


Removal of remaining teeth and same day loading of an implant-supported full-arch bridge may be a sensible treatment modality for many patients presenting with a severely diseased partial dentition. The aim of the present study was to retrospectively analyse 30 consecutive patients (21 female/ 9 male, mean age 61.9 + 11.1 years) subjected to removal of all remaining teeth, placement of four to six implants and loading of a full-arch provisional bridge the same day. A total of 156 dental implants (Proactive Straight, Neoss Ltd, Harrogate, UK) 3.5 to 5 mm in diameter and 9 to 13 mm in lengths were placed in 21 maxillae and 14 mandibles. Provisional acrylic bridges were fabricated in the in-house dental laboratory and fitted after a few hours from the surgical procedures using screw retention. The fabrication of the definitive prostheses was initiated between three to six months from the implant placement. A total of four implants failed in three patients during the initial healing period with provisional bridges in place, giving a cumulative survival rate of 97.3 % during a mean follow-up period of 3.5 + 1.0 years (range 2–5 years). Two failures occurred in the maxilla as a result of fracture of the provisional bridge and two in the mandible due to infection. These three patients had new implants placed and could maintain the repaired or a new provisional bridge during the additional healing period. A total of seven provisional acrylic bridges fractured. No implant failures were observed after placement of the permanent fixed bridges. Few minor other complications occurred during the follow-up. It is concluded that the evaluated treatment concept resulted in a high implant survival rate and few complications after a follow-up of 2 to 5 years. Although not quantified, the positive effects on self-esteem and psychosocial wellbeing was obvious. Keyword: Dental Implants, Full-Arch Bridge, Follow-Up Study, Extraction Sockets, Immediate Loading, Screw-Retained Prosthesis


Planar-type thin film Bi-Mn-Co-doped ZnO varistors were fabricated on a silica glass substrate or a sintered alumina substrate using a visible light (532 nm) pulsed laser ablation method. The deposited thin films were annealed at 800°C or 900°C in air. For the thin films deposited on alumina substrates and then annealed, the contents of Bi and Mn decreased compared with those of the as-deposited films. Voltage-current (V-I) characteristics of the thin-film varistor fabricated on the alumina substrates and annealed showed nonlinearity. The nonlinearity index α was approximately 10 for the thin film deposited on the alumina substrate and annealed at 800°C in air using a target of ZnO doped with 2.5 mol% Bi2O3, 0.5 mol% MnO2 and 0.2 mol% Co3O4. Moreover, the current density of 20 A/cm3 was relatively high for safety use.


Group C beta-hemolytic streptococci cause rare epidemic outbreaks of pharyngitis, but their role in sporadic endemic pharyngitis has been uncertain. We addressed the question of whether non-group A beta-hemolytic streptococci are associated with endemic pharyngitis in two ways. First, we compared rates of isolation from throat swabs of group A, B, C, and G and ungrouped beta-hemolytic streptococci ("culture negative") in adult patients vs those rates in controls. Second, we collected in standardized form clinical indexes of patients with pharyngitis: signs and symptoms graded for severity, the examining physician's subjective estimate of the probability of streptococcal pharyngitis, a logistic regression score predicting streptococcal pharyngitis, and whether antibiotic therapy was prescribed. After collecting data and cultures on 1425 patients with sore throats and cultures on 284 controls, we found the following: group C streptococci were isolated significantly more frequently in patients with sore throats than in controls (6% vs 1.4%); four clinical signs and two symptoms distinguished group C-associated pharyngitis as more severe than culture-negative pharyngitis; and six clinical signs and one symptom distinguished group C-associated pharyngitis as less severe than group A pharyngitis. Physicians' subjective estimates, logistic regression scores, and antibiotic treatment all characterized group C-associated pharyngitis as more severe than culture-negative sore throats but less severe than group A pharyngitis. From these data we present the first definitive evidence that group C streptococci are associated with endemic pharyngitis, show that clinical presentation distinguishes a group of patients with group C-associated pharyngitis from populations with culture-negative sore throats and from those with group A pharyngitis. Physicians' response to that presentation merits consideration in the context of rapid group-specific diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis by group A antigen tests.


We have studied the angular magnetoresistance of iron pnictides BaFe2−xNixAs2, which shows clear 180 degree periodicity as fitted by a cosine function. In the x = 0.065 sample, the phase of the two-fold symmetry changes 90 degrees above the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural transition temperature Ts. Since the phase at low temperature is associated with the rotation of orthorhombic domains by magnetic field, we show that even vacuum grease can push the presence of orthorhombic domains at temperatures much higher than Ts. Our results suggest that residual stress may have significant effects in studying the nematic orders and its fluctuations in iron pnictides.


Accurate segmentation of medical images poses one of the major challenges in computer vision. Approaches that rely solely on intensity information frequently fail because similar intensity values appear in multiple structures. This paper presents a method for using shape knowledge to guide the segmentation process, applying it to the task of finding the surface of the brain. A 3-D model that includes local shape constraints is fitted to an MR volume dataset. The resulting low-resolution surface is used to mask out regions far from the cortical surface, enabling an isosurface extraction algorithm to isolate a more detailed surface boundary. The surfaces generated by this technique are comparable to those achieved by other methods, without requiring user adjustment of a large number of ad hoc parameters.


In this work, we describe a scatterometer, which is devised to detect defect patterns in the molded plastic cases of mobile phones. Fourier transform is applied to the scattered image of the defect pattern to calculate the distribution of spatial frequency of the pattern. By examining the spatial frequency distribution, which meets the defect patterns, we can greatly enhance the image contrast of the defect by separating the defect and background patterns. For practical purposes, a dielectric-layer coating containing micrometer-sized TiO2-coated urethane balls is proposed for the molded case to reduce the visibility of defect patterns. The resulting changes in visibility are analyzed to investigate the effect of the weight ratio of the microballs in the dielectric layer. The visibility decreases by a factor of 2.7 with 5% weight ratio of the microball.


Topic modelling is a widely used technique to extract relevant information from large arrays of data. The problem of finding a topic structure in a dataset was recently recognized to be analogous to the community detection problem in network theory. Leveraging on this analogy, a new class of topic modelling strategies has been introduced to overcome some of the limitations of classical methods. This paper applies these recent ideas to TCGA transcriptomic data on Breast and Lung cancer. The established cancer subtype organization is well reconstructed in the inferred latent topic structure. Moreover, we identify specific topics that are enriched in genes known to play a role in the corresponding disease and are strongly related to the survival probability of patients. Finally, we show that a simple neural network classifier operating in the low dimensional topic space is able to predict with high accuracy the cancer subtype of a test expression sample.


An integrated system of dynamic nondestructive experiments for material process monitoring is proposed, consisting of a combination of the AE technique with Nonlinear Elastic Wave Spectroscopy (NEWS). Using this system, we evaluate the microstructural properties of freshly poured concrete during hydration, with the ultimate goal to correlate these properties to its long-term behavior. The integrated system allows online monitoring of the condition parameters, of the internal microstructural activity by continuously triggering AE events and of the linear and nonlinear elastic properties of the microstructure through ultrasonic pulsed and continuous wave transmission measurements at regular time intervals. The internal temperature readings, the evolution in the acoustic emission events and the behavior of the linear and nonlinear elastic properties can be related to the different stages in the hydration process of concrete. The data are analyzed as a function of the degree of hydration for various concrete compositions during the first three days of the hydration process.


The thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and volumetric heat capacity of monocrystalline AgCl and AgBr were measured simultaneously, by Advantageous Transient Plane Source method in the temperature range 77-350 K. Both thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity follow Eucken's law in the temperature region studied. The heat capacity at constant pressure (CP) determined from the volumetric heat capacity agrees with the calculated one at room temperature. The values of CP obtained from this experiment along with the reported data as a function of temperature are also reported. The ratio of the thermal conductivity (λ) of AgBr and AgCl calculated from the Leibfried-Schlömann (LS) formula are in excellent agreement with the ratio measured experimentally. The dielectric constant and loss factor, of these crystalline hallides, are also reported as a function of frequency in the range 100 Hz to 1 MHz at room temperature.


Enteric bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the emergence of resistant pathogens in the environment is a global threat to public health. In Kenya, sewage treatment plants are not designed to eliminate enteric microbes, whereas domestic, medical and other hazardous wastes are all discarded in common solid-waste dump sites. Arising from these practices, waste treatment sites in developing countries may be important selection sites for antimicrobial resistant microbes. This study, present information on the levels and patterns of antimicrobial resistance among members of the Enterobacteriaceae family, in dump sites and sewage treatment plants in Kakamega town, Kenya.   We employed Standard Microbiological Methods to recover microbes and identify enteric bacteria. Disc diffusion was used in performing the susceptibility profiling of the enteric bacteria identified. Members of Enterobacter, Citrobacter,  Klebsiella, Escherichia, Serratia, Shigella and Proteus were recovered at varied rates, with Enterobacter recording the highest occurrence at 37.14% in dumpsites, where E.coli recorded the highest occurence at  36.11 and  38.71% in wastewater and sludge, respectively. Serratia, Shigella  and Proteus  species were  the least recovery (n < 2). Amoxicillin recorded the highest level of resistance at 72%, Cephalexin at 54%, while Amikacin showed the smallest level of antibiotic resistance at 2%.  The highest multi-drug resistance was 9 out of 10 different antibiotics tested.  All antibiotics tested except for Sxt-Amc and Cip-C showed  positive correlations (p<0.05) with bacteria resistant to amoxicillin, being more resistant to other antibiotic with a percentage relative resistance frequencies ranging from 64 to 100%.  Finding show high levels of multiple antibiotic resistance commonly used as antibiotics.  The study further depicts waste treatment sites in tropics, as important sites for recruitment of antibiotic resistance traits.

 Key words: Antibiotic resistance, Enterobacteriaceae, wastewater, dumpsite.


This paper develops and applies new measures of poverty that overcome a number of specific methodological flaws in the official US poverty statistics. Sen's distribution sensitive index of poverty and each of its components are estimated at several distinct poverty thresholds for the period 1961-1996. Distribution sensitive measures of urban poverty are corrected for interarea differences in the cost of living and for comprehensive incomes. Recently developed statistical inference procedures are applied. Official poverty statistics are shown to be seriously misleading in some time periods and the choice of a poverty line affects conclusions concerning changes in poverty.


Indigenous peoples of the North are affected by climate change, and future changes in climate are likely to continue to pose serious challenges. Climate change and the resulting change in the environment and communities are believed to further compound existing health issues. There is considerable regional variation within the circumpolar world, and each area of the Canadian Arctic has its own unique environmental and societal characteristics. Therefore, to track the impacts on human health in Nunavut, a monitoring framework—one that takes into account the territory's unique context—must be implemented. The objective of this study was to identify human health indicators of climate change on a global scale with a focus on indicators relevant to the Canadian Arctic atmosphere, habitats, and peoples. The Piliriqatigiinniq Community Health Research Model provided the guiding framework for this exploratory study. First, a scoping review of health-related indicators of climate change was conducted. From this review, an initial list of 30 indicators was produced. Second, individuals from multiple sectors were invited to participate in a consensus-building process to identify health-related indicators of climate change for Nunavut. Through individual selection and group discussion, a final set of 20 indicators was chosen by workshop participants. The indicators identified in both phases focused on four key themes: 1) environmental health; 2) morbidity and mortality; 3) population vulnerability; and 4) mitigation, adaptation, and policy. Participants felt these indicators would be useful in practice in Nunavut. Next steps are to implement and monitor the utility of the selected indicators.


We study the problem of construction by autonomous mobile robots focusing on the coordination strategy employed by the robots to solve a simple construction problem efficiently. In particular we address the problem of constructing a linear 2D structure in a planar bounded environment. A "minimalist" single-robot solution to the problem is given, as well as two multi-robot solutions, which are natural extensions to the single-robot approach, with varying degrees of inter-robot communication. Results show that with minimal inter-robot communication (1 bit of state), there is a significant improvement in the system performance. This improvement is invariant with respect to the size of the environment.


Focussing on the pragmatic dimension of literary dialogue in narrative fiction, this paper analyses: (a) the negotiation of power carried out by characters and the way it is relayed in the text as signalled by forms of address; and (b) the negotiation performed by the translator in order to reproduce a power relation when dealing with the cultural and social environments of the source- and the target-language texts. By analysing one hundred years of Robinson Crusoe translated into European Portuguese (189–to 1992) the paper will attempt to reveal a possible historical development of translational norms and the way in which the historical, cultural and social environments may have influenced them.


Secondary tumors were noted in 8 out of 675 patients with Hodgkin's disease during remission following treatment. The following diseases were diagnosed:acute myeloblastic leukemia (1), lung cancer (2), gastric cancer (3), cervical cancer (1), and basalioma (2). The incidence of secondary tumors among patients with Hodgkin's disease turned out to be much higher than in general population. Complications were more frequently observed in men after combined therapy (radio- and drug therapy).


Proteasomal and autophagic pathways of protein degradation are two essential, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated proteolytic systems involved in the ER stress response. The functional interaction between them has been shown by proteasome pharmacological inhibition. However, little data have been found concerning autophagy induction using an RNA interference approach due to the multisubunit composition of proteolytic systems. We suggested that silencing of single proteasome subunits can induce massive autophagy. Psmb7-specific small interference RNA added to isolated cardiomyocytes significantly affected mRNA expression of essential ER stress marker proteins, including DDIT3/CHOP and HSPA5/GRP78. mRNA expression of the key autophagy regulator MTOR was also increased. These findings were confirmed by single-cell reverse transcription real-time PCR on individual monodansylcadaverine (MDC)-labeled cardiomyocytes. RNA interference that decreased the levels of non-catalytic PSMB7 subunits of the proteasome had no influence on chymotrypsin- and trypsin-like activities, but significantly decreased peptidyl-glutamyl peptide-hydrolyzing activity. Immunohistochemical analysis showed increased levels of LC3-marked vacuoles in the cytoplasm of Psmb7-knockdown cells, and MDC staining showed significantly increased numbers of neonatal cardiomyocytes with autophagic vacuoles. After anoxia-reoxygenation, the number of cells with signs of autophagy after Psmb7 gene silencing was higher. Our results indicate that Psmb7 knockdown induces ER stress and autophagy in cardiomyocytes, which may be a useful approach to activate specific autophagy.


This paper describes a new approach to the problem of enhancing the performance of a multiuser multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) system for communication from one base station to many mobile stations in both frequency-flat and frequency-selective fading channels. This problem arises in space-division multiplexing systems with multiple users where many independent signal streams can be transmitted in the same frequency and time slot through the exploitation of multiple antennas at both the base and mobile stations. Our new approach is based on maximizing a lower bound for the product of signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) of a multiuser MIMO system. This provides a closed-form (noniterative) solution for the antenna weights for all the users, under the constraint of fixed transmit power. Our solution is shown by simulation to have better performance than previously proposed iterative or noniterative solutions. In addition, our solution requires significantly reduced complexity over a gradient search-based method that directly optimizes the product SINRs while still maintaining similar performance. Our solution assumes channel state information is present at the base station or transmitter.