Engineering calculations for communications satellite systems planning

Observed solution times were analyzed for the extended gradient and cyclic coordinate search procedures. The times used in the analysis come from computer runs made during a previously-reported experiment conducted to assess the quality of the solutions to a BSS synthesis problem found by the two search methods. The results of a second experiment with a Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) test problem are also presented. Computational results are summarized for mixed integer programming approaches for solving FSS synthesis problems. A promising heuristic algorithm is described. A synthesis model is discussed for orbital arc allotment optimization. Research plans for the near future are also presented

Tuning Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings: Effects on singlet and triplet condensation with Fermi atoms

We investigate the pair condensation of a two-spin-component Fermi gas in the presence of both Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings. We calculate the condensate fraction in the BCS-BEC crossover both in two and in three dimensions by taking into account singlet and triplet pairings. These quantities are studied by varying the spin-orbit interaction from the case with the only Rashba to the equal-Rashba-Dresselhaus one. We find that, by mixing the two couplings, the singlet pairing decreases while the triplet pairing is suppressed in the BCS regime and increased in the BEC regime, both in two and three dimensions. At fixed spin-orbital strength, the greatest total condensate fraction is obtained when only one coupling (only Rashba or only Dresselhaus) is present.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, final versio

Exact numerical simulation of power-law noises

Many simulations of stochastic processes require colored noises: I describe here an exact numerical method to simulate power-law noises: the method can be extended to more general colored noises, and is exact for all time steps, even when they are unevenly spaced (as may often happen for astronomical data, see e.g. N. R. Lomb, Astrophys. Space Sci. {\bf 39}, 447 (1976)). The algorithm has a well-behaved computational complexity, it produces a nearly perfect Gaussian noise, and its computational efficiency depends on the required degree of noise Gaussianity.Comment: 14 postscript figures, accepted for publication on Phys. Rev.

The associations of malaria parasite and ABO blood groups with aggressive periodontitis in Nigerians - a preliminary study

Objective: Aggressive Periodontitis (AgP) is a rare form of periodontitis which has been associated with aetiological factors including genetic predisposition, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, and blood group B. It seems to have a racial predisposition being more common among blacks, particularly people of West African origin. The role of endemic factors such as malaria is yet to be investigated in AgP. The aim of this study was to explore the associations of malaria parasites and ABO blood groups with aggressive periodontitis. Method: A preliminary case-control study on localized aggressive periodontitis patients and age and gender matched controls. Microbiological and hematological tests were performed to determine the presence of malaria parasites and ABO blood groups respectively. Result: Eight LAgP patients and 9 age and gender-matched controls were seen. Six patients were positive for Plasmodium Falciparum malaria parasite, compared with 2 controls. This difference was statistically significant (p=0.044). The prevalence of malaria infection was not significantly associated with age (p = 0.44) or gender (p = 0.34) of the subjects. Conclusion: This preliminary study showed a high prevalence of malaria parasites among patients with aggressive periodontitis. Malaria infection may be associated with AgP. Studies with larger sample sizes may be needed to further investigate the relationship between aggressive periodontitis and malaria infection

Economic inequalities in burden of illness, diagnosis and treatment of five long-term conditions in England: panel study

We compared the distribution by wealth of self-reported illness burden (estimated from validated scales, biomarker and reported symptoms) for angina, cataract, depression, diabetes and osteoarthritis, with the distribution of self-reported medical diagnosis and treatment. We aimed to determine if the greater illness burden borne by poorer participants was matched by appropriately higher levels of diagnosis and treatment

Condensate Fraction of a Two-Dimensional Attractive Fermi Gas

We investigate the Bose-Einstein condensation of fermionic pairs in a two-dimensional uniform two-component Fermi superfluid obtaining an explicit formula for the condensate density as a function of the chemical potential and the energy gap. By using the mean-field extended BCS theory, we analyze, as a function of the bound-state energy, the off-diagonal long-range order in the crossover from the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) state of weakly-bound Cooper pairs to the Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) of strongly-bound molecular dimers.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Creating a Reading Culture in an Academic Library

Aliteracy is becoming a growing concern on college campuses, including East Tennessee State University (ETSU). Several years ago, a colleague emailed the librarians at Sherrod Library an article from the online edition of the Washington Post (Weeks 2001) about a graduate student at Park University in Kansas City who was making it through school by skimming texts, drawing information and themes from dust jackets, watching television, and listening to audio books. Jeremy Spreitzer, the focus of the Washington Post story, represented the growing number of students in the United States who are aliterate. After discussing this article at our faculty meeting, we came to the conclusion that there were a number of students on our campus that fit this description, and that the library must be creative in encouraging students to cultivate a lifelong reading habit

Is real world evidence influencing practice? A systematic review of CPRD research in NICE guidances.

BACKGROUND: There is currently limited evidence regarding the extent Real World Evidence (RWE) has directly impacted the health and social care systems. The aim of this review is to identify national guidelines or guidances published in England from 2000 onwards which have referenced studies using the governmental primary care data provider the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). METHODS: The methodology recommended by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was followed. Four databases were searched and documents of interest were identified through a search algorithm containing keywords relevant to CPRD. A search diary was maintained with the inclusion/exclusion decisions which were performed by two independent reviewers. RESULTS: Twenty-five guidance documents were included in the final review (following screening and assessment for eligibility), referencing 43 different CPRD/GPRD studies, all published since 2007. The documents covered 12 disease areas, with the majority (N =7) relevant to diseases of the Central Nervous system (CNS). The 43 studies provided evidence of disease epidemiology, incidence/prevalence, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacovigilance and health utilisation. CONCLUSIONS: A slow uptake of RWE in clinical and therapeutic guidelines (as provided by UK governmental structures) was noticed. However, there seems to be an increasing trend in the use of healthcare system data to inform clinical practice, especially as the real world validity of clinical trials is being questioned. In order to accommodate this increasing demand and meet the paradigm shift expected, organisations need to work together to enable or improve data access, undertake translational and relevant research and establish sources of reliable evidence