Impact of inter-modal four-wave mixing on the performance of mode- and wavelength-division-multiplexing systems

In this paper, we investigate the impact of inter-modal four-wave mixing on mode- and wavelength-division-multiplexing systems. A set of coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations, including linear mode coupling, is derived allowing to isolate the inter-modal four-wave mixing terms. The efficiency of inter-modal four-wave mixing between degenerate LP modes is found to be significantly higher than the intra-modal four-wave mixing efficiency. However, it is shown that the inter-modal four-wave mixing efficiency between degenerate modes is significantly reduced by the linear mode coupling.

Outage-optimal relay strategy under outdated channel state information in decode-and-forward cooperative communication systems

In this study, the authors investigate the outage-optimal relay strategy under outdated channel state information (CSI) in a decode-and-forward cooperative communication system. They first confirm mathematically that minimising the outage probability under outdated CSI is equivalent to minimising the conditional outage probability on the outdated CSI of all the decodable relays' links. They then propose a multiple-relay strategy with optimised transmitting power allocation (MRS-OTPA) that minimises the conditional outage probability. It is shown that this MRS is a generalised relay approach to achieve the outage optimality under outdated CSI. To reduce the complexity, they also propose a MRS with equal transmitting power allocation (MRS-ETPA) that achieves near-optimal outage performance. It is proved that full spatial diversity, which has been achieved under ideal CSI, can still be achieved under outdated CSI through MRS-OTPA and MRS-ETPA. Finally, the outage performance and diversity order of MRS-OTPA and MRS-ETPA are evaluated by simulation.

The Foodservice Industry's Social Responsibility Regarding the Obesity Epidemic, Part I: Parallels to Other Public Health Issues and Potential Legal Implications

The incidence of obesity among both children and adults in the United States (U.S.) has reached epidemic level. If not quickly curtailed, it represents significant long-term costs to all facets of the U.S. economy. The foodservice industry has contributed to this major public health issue. Parallels between the obesity epidemic and the public health issues of smoking and foodborne illnesses could influence the foodservice industry's response to obesity concerns. Of particular note are the parallels between the liability litigation and legislative actions related to smoking and the tobacco industry. This industry has a history of taking socially responsible actions regarding public health issues. There is potential for costs to the foodservice industry from similar anti-obesity litigation and legislation if the industry does not once again assume social responsibility relative to the current obesity crisis and is not proactive in efforts to combat obesity

Through wafer 3D Vertical Micro-Coaxial Probe for high frequency material characterization and millimeter wave packaging systems

This work presents the development of an in-plane vertical micro-coaxial probe using bulk micromachining technique for high frequency material characterization. The coaxial probe was fabricated in a silicon substrate by standard photolithography and a deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) technique. The through-hole structure in the form of a coaxial probe was etched and metalized with a diluted silver paste. A co-planar waveguide configuration was integrated with the design to characterize the probe. The electrical and RF characteristics of the coaxial probe were determined by simulating the probe design in Ansoft's High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS). The reflection coefficient and transducer gain performance of the probe was measured up to 65 GHz using a vector network analyzer (VNA). The probe demonstrated excellent results over a wide frequency band, indicating its ability to integrate with millimeter wave packaging systems as well as characterize unknown materials at high frequencies. The probe was then placed in contact with 3 materials where their unknown permittivities were determined. To accomplish this, the coaxial probe was placed in contact with the material under test and electromagnetic waves were directed to the surface using the VNA, where its reflection coefficient was then determined over a wide frequency band from dc-to -65GHz. Next, the permittivity of each material was deduced from its measured reflection coefficients using a cross ratio invariance coding technique. The permittivity results obtained when measuring the reflection coefficient data were compared to simulated permittivity results and agreed well. These results validate the use of the micro-coaxial probe to characterize the permittivity of unknown materials at high frequencies up to 65GHz.

The Barriers to the Integration of the Uterine Balloon Tamponade into South Africa and Ghana's Health Systems for the Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage

Background

Postpartum hemorrhage is the most significant contributor to maternal mortality globally, claiming 140,000 lives annually. Postpartum hemorrhage is a leading cause of maternal death in South Africa, with the literature indicating that 80 percent of the postpartum hemorrhage deaths in South Africa are avoidable. Ghana, as of 2010, witnesses 2700 maternal deaths annually, primarily because of poor quality of care in health facilities and services being difficult to access. As per WHO recommendations, uterotonics are integral to treating postpartum hemorrhage as soon as it is diagnosed. In case of persistent bleeding or limited availability of uterotonics, the uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) can be used as a second line of defense. If both these measures are unable to counter the bleeding, providers must perform surgical interventions. Literature on the UBT, as one tool in the protocol to address postpartum hemorrhage, has shown it to have success rates ranging from 60 to 100 percent. Despite the potential to lower the number of postpartum hemorrhage deaths in South Africa and Ghana, the UBT has not been incorporated widely in South Africa and Ghana. The aim of this study is to describe the barriers involved with integrating the UBT into South Africa and Ghana’s health systems to address postpartum hemorrhage.

Methods

The study took place in multiple sites in South Africa (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Mpumalanga) and in Accra, Ghana. South Africa and Ghana were selected because postpartum hemorrhage contributes greatly to their maternal mortality numbers and there is potential in both countries to lower those rates through greater use of the UBT. A total of 25 participants were interviewed through purposive sampling, snowball sampling and participant referrals, and included various categories of stakeholders integral to the integration process of a medical device. Individual in-depth interviews were used for data collection, with interview questions being tailored to each stakeholder category. The focus of the interviews was on the protocol used to counter postpartum hemorrhage, the frequency with which the UBT is used as part of the protocol, and the process of integrating it into the South Africa and Ghana’s health systems. The data collected were coded using NVivo and analyzed using content analysis.

Results

The barriers to integration of the uterine balloon tamponade to address postpartum hemorrhage in South Africa and Ghana were evident on the political, economic and health delivery levels. The results indicated that the barriers to integration in South Africa included the low recognition of postpartum hemorrhage as a problem, the lack of clarity surrounding the role of the Medicines Control Council as a regulatory body for medical devices, and low awareness of the UBT as an intervention to control postpartum hemorrhage. The barriers in Ghana were the cash constraints experienced by the Ghana Health Services to fund medical devices, a heavy reliance on donors for funding, and the lack of consistent knowledge on processes involving clinical trials for new medical devices in Ghana.

Conclusion

Existing literature on methods to counter postpartum hemorrhage to reduce maternal mortality has focused on and emphasized the efficacy of the UBT. Despite overwhelming evidence supporting the use of the UBT, many health systems across the world, particularly low-income countries, do not have access to the device owing to numerous barriers in integrating the device into obstetric care. This study illustrates the need to focus on incorporating the UBT into health systems for greater availability to health workers and its use as standard of care. Ultimately, this study can be used as a stepping-stone for more research on this subject, providing evidence to influence policymakers to integrate the UBT into their protocols for postpartum hemorrhage response.

Uplink Performance of Conventional and Massive MIMO Cellular Systems with Delayed CSIT

This work studies the uplink of a cellular network with zero-forcing (ZF) receivers under imperfect channel state information at the base station. More specifically, apart from the pilot contamination, we investigate the effect of time variation of the channel due to the relative users' movement with regard to the base station. Our contributions include analytical expressions for the sum-rate with finite number of BS antennas, and also the asymptotic limits with infinite power and number of BS antennas, respectively. The numerical results provide interesting insights on how the user mobility degrades the system performance which extends previous results in the literature.

Iowa Department of Public Health Maternal and Child Health Administrative Manual 4th Edition, October 23, 2012

The MCH Administrative Manual provides the basis for the development of business practices and programming for maternal and child health services made available through an Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) competitive bid process every five years. For each five year project period, policies in the manual provide the basis for the competitive Request for Proposal (RFP). During intervening years, policies provide the basis for the RFP and the Request for Application (RFA) covering the applicable contract year.

Essays on market design and regulation in electricity systems

This thesis discusses market design and regulation in electricity systems, focusing on the information exchange of the regulated grid firm and the generation firms as well as the regulation of the grid firm. In the first chapter, an economic framework is developed to consistently analyze different market designs and the information exchange between the grid firm and the generation firms. Perfect competition between the generation firms and perfect regulation of the grid firm is assumed. A numerical algorithm is developed and its feasibility demonstrated on a large-scale problem. The effects of different market designs for the Central Western European (CWE) region until 2030 are analyzed. In the second chapter, the consequences of restricted grid expansion within the current market design in the CWE region until 2030 are analyzed. In the third chapter the assumption of efficient markets is modified. The focus of the analysis is then, whether and how inefficiencies in information availability and processing affect different market designs. For different parameter settings, nodal and zonal pricing are compared regarding their welfare in the spot and forward market. In the fourth chapter, information asymmetries between the regulator and the regulated firm are analyzed. The optimal regulatory strategy for a firm, providing one output with two substitutable inputs, is defined. Thereby, one input and the absolute quantity of inputs is not observable for the regulator. The result is then compared to current regulatory approaches.