Multiuser relaying over mixed RF/FSO links

A multiuser dual-hop relaying system over mixed radio frequency/free-space optical (RF/FSO) links is investigated. Specifically, the system consists of m single-antenna sources, a relay node equipped with n≥ m receive antennas and a single photo-aperture transmitter, and one destination equipped with a single photo-detector. RF links are used for the simultaneous data transmission from multiple sources to the relay. The relay operates under the decode-and-forward protocol and utilizes the popular V-BLAST technique by successively decoding each user's transmitted stream. Two common norm-based orderings are adopted, i.e., the streams are decoded in an ascending or a descending order. After V-BLAST, the relay retransmits the decoded information to the destination via a point-to-point FSO link in m consecutive timeslots. Analytical expressions for the end-to-end outage probability and average symbol error probability of each user are derived, while closed-form asymptotic expressions are also presented. Capitalizing on the derived results, some engineering insights are manifested, such as the coding and diversity gain of each user, the impact of the pointing error displacement on the FSO link and the V-BLAST ordering effectiveness at the relay.

A hybrid mixed cost-function TEQ initialization algorithm for ADSL modems

In this paper, we present a hybrid mixed cost-function adaptive initialization algorithm for the time domain equalizer in a discrete multitone (DMT)-based asymmetric digital subscriber loop. Using our approach, a higher convergence rate than that of the commonly used least-mean square algorithm is obtained, whilst attaining bit rates close to the optimum maximum shortening SNR and the upper bound SNR. Moreover, our proposed method outperforms the minimum mean-squared error design for a range of TEQ filter lengths.

Healthcare Staff Experience of Providing End-of-Life Care to Children: A Mixed Method Review

Background: Staff who provide end-of-life care to children not only have to deal with their own sense of loss, but also that of bereaved families. There is a dearth of knowledge on how they cope with these challenges.
Aim: The aim of this review is to explore the experiences of health care professionals who provide end-of-life care to children in order to inform the development of interventions to support them, thereby improving the quality of paediatric care for both children and their families.
Data sources: Searches included CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and The Cochrane Library in June 2015, with no date restrictions. Additional literature was uncovered from searching reference lists of relevant studies, along with contacting experts in the field of paediatric palliative care.
Design: This was a systematic mixed studies review. Study selection, appraisal and data extraction were conducted by two independent researchers. Integrative thematic analysis was used to synthesise the data.
Results: The 16 qualitative, six quantitative, and eight mixed-method studies identified included healthcare professionals in a range of settings. Key themes identified rewards and challenges of providing end-of-life care to children, the impact on staff’s personal and professional lives, coping strategies, and key approaches to help support staff in their role.
Conclusions: Education focusing on the unique challenges of providing end-of-life care to children and the importance of self-care, along with timely multidisciplinary debriefing are key strategies for improving healthcare staffs’ experiences, and as such the quality of care they provide.

Gold nanoparticle surface functionalization: mixed monolayer versus hetero bifunctional peg linker

To create a clinically relevant gold nanoparticle (AuNP) treatment, the surface must be functionalized with multiple ligands such as drugs, antifouling agents and targeting moieties. However, attaching several ligands of differing chemistries and lengths, while ensuring they all retain their biological functionality remains a challenge. This review compares the two most widely employed methods of surface co-functionalization, namely mixed monolayers and hetero-bifunctional linkers. While there are numerous in vitro studies successfully utilizing both surface arrangements, there is little consensus regarding their relative merits. Animal and preclinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of mixed monolayer functionalization and while some promising in vitro results have been reported for PEG linker capped AuNPs, any potential benefits of the approach are not yet fully understood.

The effectiveness of peer mentoring in promoting a positive transition to higher education for first-year undergraduate students: a mixed methods systematic review protocol

Background: The global transfer of nursing and midwifery education to higher education institutes has led to student nurses and midwives experiencing challenges previously faced by traditional third-level students, including isolation, loneliness, financial difficulties and academic pressure. These challenges can contribute to increased stress and anxiety levels which may be detrimental to the successful transition to higher education, thus leading to an increase in attrition rates. Peer mentoring as an intervention has been suggested to be effective in supporting students in the transition to third-level education through enhancing a sense of belongingness and improving student satisfaction, engagement and retention rates. This proposed systematic review aims to determine the effectiveness of peer mentoring in enhancing levels of student engagement, sense of belonging and overall satisfaction of first-year undergraduate students following transition into higher education.
Methods: MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, ProQuest, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO and CENTRAL databases will be searched for qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies on the implementation of peer assessment strategies in higher education institutes (HEIs) or universities for full-time, first-year adult students (>17 years). Included studies will be limited to the English language. The quality of included studies will be assessed using a validated Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The findings will be presented as a narrative synthesis or meta-analysis as appropriate following sequential explanatory synthesis.
Discussion: The review will provide clear, non-biased evidence-based guidance to all third-level educators on the effectiveness of peer-mentoring programmes for first-year undergraduates. The review is necessary to help establish which type of peer mentoring is most effective. The evidence from qualitative and quantitative studies drawn from the international literature will be utilised to illustrate the best way to implement and evaluate peer mentoring as an effective intervention and will be useful in guiding future research and practice in this area. These findings may be applied internationally across all disciplines.