Impact of Spectrum Sharing on the Efficiency of Faster-Than-Nyquist Signaling

Capacity computations are presented for Faster-Than-Nyquist (FTN) signaling in the presence of interference from neighboring frequency bands. It is shown that Shannon's sinc pulses maximize the spectral efficiency for a multi-access channel, where spectral efficiency is defined as the sum rate in bits per second per Hertz. Comparisons using root raised cosine pulses show that the spectral efficiency decreases monotonically with the roll-off factor. At high signal-to-noise ratio, these pulses have an additive gap to capacity that increases monotonically with the roll-off factor.Comment: IEEE copyrights notice applies. This paper is accepted at WCNC 201

Preparation of hydrolyzed lactose syrup from cottage cheese whey

A concentrated syrup with 80% solids was prepared from whey after hydrolysis of lactose. Four enzymes were evaluated for efficiency, and Maxilact 20,000 was used in the study. Appropriate treatments for hydrolysis of lactose, deproteinization, decolorization, demineralization and concentrations were established. The syrup had a pleasantly sweet flavor, was light yellow in color, and had an apparent viscosity of 2050 centiposes. When corn syrup (3.75% by wt) in vanilla ice cream was replaced by the hydrolyzed lactose syrup, there was no reduction of quality as judged by an expert panel

The role of small manufacturing enterprises in sustainable regional development: Ismailia governorate as a case study in Egypt

During the last ten years the small manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) sector has become firmly established at the top of the development agenda for many countries, hence, marking this sector's increasingly acknowledged economic importance. Evidence from various parts of the world has shown clear signs of the growth of SMEs. Despite this, little attention has been given to understanding the environmental impacts these enterprises produce or to defining the role these entities play in terms of sustainable regional development. This thesis sets out to contribute to a better understanding of the influence of SMEs on sustainable regional development, as well as the contribution of SMEs to the economy in terms of job creation in the context of developing countries using Egypt and its Ismailia region as the basis for case study. Three main hypotheses were formulated relevant to the role of SMEs in sustainable regional development. In general, these hypotheses relate to the following: 1) The contribution of SMEs to the regional economy; 2) Problems and barriers SMEs face in achieving sustainable development; and 3) The potential for SMEs to utilize available existing resources to enhance their role in achieving sustainable regional development. In order to test these three hypotheses and to answer related questions, an analysis was undertaken within the framework of two spatial tiers: national and regional, that is Egypt and Ismailia, respectively. Two types of data were used - primary and secondary. A sample of 101 entrepreneurs and 100 workers were interviewed from the Ismailia region. The results of these interviews were analyzed in the empirical portions of this thesis. Chapter one pertains to the justification of the thesis; its objectives; the development of related research questions and hypotheses; the methodology used for data analysis; data sources used; questionnaire design; survey methods; and problems of data collection. Chapter two discusses the concept of SMEs worldwide and in Egypt as a basis from which to provide a concrete definition of SMEs that is used in the empirical portion of this study. In addition, the potential of SMEs and the problems facing SMEs in terms of sustainable regional development, the differences between SMEs and larger enterprises, as well as the importance of SMEs for the Egyptian economy are discussed in this chapter. The relationship between SMEs and sustainable urban and regional development is highlighted in more detail in chapter three. This relationship is discussed within the context of the notions of the overall concept of sustainable development, the sustainable regional development agenda in Egypt and related regulations, and the positive characteristics SMEs need in order to bring sustainable urban and regional development to fruition. Chapter four examines the first hypothesis of this study; this hypothesis states that, in general, SMEs have a positive effect on the economic and social development of a region. This chapter evaluates the ability of SMEs to drive the regional and national chains of economic added value; the capability of SMEs to create job opportunities at the regional level; and the effects of SMEs in terms of improved life-style and standard of living of workers and their families. Chapter five tests the second hypothesis in this thesis which states that the affects of a variety of types and sizes of SMEs on regional sustainable development is limited, at least for the time being. This chapter provides an analysis of economic, social and environmental obstacles and constraints that SMEs must face on a daily basis to achieve sustainable development in the region. In chapter six the potential by which SMEs can utilize their assets to enhance their contribution to sustainable regional development is evaluated; the potential opportunities available to SMEs to make better use of local raw materials and to drive the chain of economic activity within the Ismailia region were examined. The ability of SMEs to work more efficiently through the use of clusters and networks as a potential strategy is clarified. Chapter Seven presents a compilation of the detailed findings of this thesis along with the lessons that have emerged as a result of the research conducted. A series of policies and recommendations are provided as a means from which to create favourable conditions to encourage SMEs to play a more significant role in the national economy and in subsequent sustainable regional development. From a national perspective, the activities of SMEs are not usually the most serious source of environmental degradation, but, collectively, their sheer numbers may translate into substantial impacts on the eco-system. While the individual SME has financial problems related to the treatment and disposal of its waste, the adoption of an industrial cluster strategy for SMEs can provide an efficient solution to this problem. A cluster should consist of several single enterprises located in close proximity to one another, thereby, improving the ease of and costs associated with the treatment and disposal of environmental wastes. This study advocates the necessity of raising the degree of environmental awareness for organizations, syndicates, unions and societies related to SMEs, as well as entrepreneurs and labourers in their respective domains. Opportunities for raising environmental awareness can be implemented through a series of organized seminars, meetings and workshops designed to motivate individuals and small businesses within the society of SMEs to incorporate an ecological sense and approach into their daily behaviour and practices. A national policy must be adopted in Egypt in order for the SMEs sector to be successful in its contribution to sustainable development. Such policy must be all-inclusive and provide for the technical support of SMEs, financial support to SMEs, environmental support to SMEs, as well as provide overarching legislative support relevant to this particular sector of the business environment

Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocomposite Based on Waste Polystyrene and Cellulose Nanowhiskers

A superabsorbent   nanocomposite composed of waste polystyrene chitosan acrylic and cellulose nanowhiskers(CNWs) were synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM).The effect of major factors  on water absorbency were investigated to obtain optimum conditions with high swelling capacity.It was found that the incorporation of CNWs improved the swelling capacity as well as improved the mechanical properties.The composite showed responsive behavior in relation to pH and salt solution which make these smart materials suitable for several technological applications. Finally the use of waste polystyrene provided a new method for converting waste resources into variable products. Keyword: waste polystyrene, cellulose nanowhiskers, chitosan, superabsorbent, hydrogel

Prevalence of Pressure Ulcers with the Study of the Impact of Pressure Ulcer Educational Program on Registered Nurses’ Knowledge and Practice in Prince Miteb Bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Sakaka City, Saudi Arabia

Critically ill patients are at high risk for pressure ulcers. Prevalence differs based on settings but is 25% on the average. Cost of its treatment is two and a half times the cost of preventing them. Its development is an index of poor Nursing care. Nursing remains at the forefront of protecting and safeguarding the patient from pressure ulcers. Successful prevention of pressure ulcers requires that caregivers have adequate knowledge of this complication and preventive practice measures. This study describe the prevalence of pressure ulcers among inpatients of ICU and CCU departments, assess intensive care nurses’ knowledge and practice about pressure ulcers management and the impact of an educational program on knowledge and practice. An experimental research design was adopted to conduct the study on (39) nurses working in Intensive Care Units  of Prince Miteb Bin Abdulaziz  Hospital, Sakaka City, Saudi Arabia. Two tools were used for data collection: Knowledge questionnaire sheet and observation checklist. Completion of the educational program resulted in improved levels of nurses' knowledge  and practice regarding PU management. Findings of the present study suggest continued nursing education for the enrichment of nurses' knowledge and augmenting their practices about identification, prevention and management of pressure ulcer is effective in minimizing pressure ulcer for immobilized patients. Keywords: key words, Nurses’ Knowledge, Nurses’ Practice, Pressure Ulcer Prevention, educational programs

Lifecycle Based Modeling of Smart City Ecosystem

International audienceSmart city services have an inevitable role in addressing the complexity of modern city operation. Smart transport, smart parking, smart energy, smart water and many others are examples of vertical smart city systems that are mainly concerned with its particular domain. Realizing the full promise of smart city will require interoperability among those systems and data fusion between heterogeneous components from different domains. In this regard, many standardization organizations have been working on modeling smart city and similar or related systems and concepts, such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), to ensure common technical grounding and architectural principles. Though, there is still a need to address the higher-level requirements of smart city as a complete ecosystem. To this end, this paper discusses different Smart City solutions and highlights lifecycle based modeling to better integrate people, processes, and systems; and assure information consistency, traceability, and long-term archiving

Influence of Landscape Elements on Visual Design Elements in Order to Enhance the Visual Quality of Urban Spaces

Visual quality of urban spaces is an important component in the process of research and development of the physical structure of the built environment. It establishes a comfortable and satisfying experience for the community. A good visual image of urban space will lead to positive perceptions and meanings stimulating the community to produce a good reaction to its urban space. The purpose of this study is to extract the most effective landscape elements that affect the visual quality which contribute designers to make better decisions for designing urban spaces. From this point of view the paper aims to identify the landscape elements and the visual design element that enhance the visual quality of urban spaces. Then the paper will rank the most effective landscape elements according to their influence on the visual design elements from the experts (urban designer and architects) point of view to reach the main objective of the paper which is to create a prospected framework for the urban designer and architects to help them in future decisions in designing landscape elements that promote the visual quality of urban spaces

Electrochemical determination of rosiglitazone by square-wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry method

AbstractSquare-wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry technique was used to determine rosiglitazone (ROS) on the hanging mercury dropping electrode (HMDE) surface, in Britton Robinson buffer, pH=5. The voltammetric cathodic peak was observed at −1520mV vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The voltammetric peak response was characterized with respect to pH, supporting electrolyte, accumulation potential, preconcentration time, scan rate, frequency, pulse amplitude, surface area of the working electrode and the convection rate. Under optimal conditions, the voltammetric current is proportional to the concentration of ROS over the concentration range of 5×10−8–8×10−7moll−1 (r=0.9899) with a detection limit of 3.2×10−11moll−1 using 120s accumulation time. The developed SW-AdSV procedure showed a good reproducibility, the relative standard deviation RSD% (n=10) at a concentration level of 5×10−7moll−1 was 0.33%, whereas the accuracy was 101%±1.0. The proposed method was successfully applied to assay the drug in the human urine and plasma samples with mean recoveries of 90±0.71% and 86±1.0%, respectively

Influence of Landscape Elements on Visual Design Elements in Order to Enhance the Visual Quality of Urban Spaces

Visual quality of urban spaces is an important component in the process of research and development of the physical structure of the built environment. It establishes a comfortable and satisfying experience for the community. A good visual image of urban space will lead to positive perceptions and meanings stimulating the community to produce a good reaction to its urban space. The purpose of this study is to extract the most effective landscape elements that affect the visual quality which contribute designers to make better decisions for designing urban spaces. From this point of view the paper aims to identify the landscape elements and the visual design element that enhance the visual quality of urban spaces. Then the paper will rank the most effective landscape elements according to their influence on the visual design elements from the experts (urban designer and architects) point of view to reach the main objective of the paper which is to create a prospected framework for the urban designer and architects to help them in future decisions in designing landscape elements that promote the visual quality of urban spaces

Some Immunohormonal Changes in Experimentally Pregnant Toxemic Goats

Pregnancy toxemia was induced in nine pregnant goat does with twins by the stress of fasting with access to water in late pregnancy to investigate the effect of pregnancy toxemia on immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, and IgG), cortisol, insulin, thyroid, and growth hormones and their correlations with the plasma levels of glucose and β-Hydroxybutyrate. Plasma samples were collected at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 hours after induction of pregnancy toxemia. The result revealed that experimental animals developed neurological findings with convulsions and acetone odor from the mouth with recumbency after 72 hours. Laboratory findings showed a significant increase in β-Hydroxybutyrate, cortisol, and insulin while there were significant decreases in glucose, thyroid, and immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, and IgG). Plasma glucose concentrations had significant negative correlations with β-hydroxybutyrate, cortisol, and insulin while the correlations were significantly positive with immunoglobulins and thyroid hormone. Plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentration was significantly positively correlated with cortisol and negatively correlated with immunoglobulins, insulin, and thyroid hormone. From this study we can conclude that pregnancy toxemia might affect humoral immune responses as well as insulin, cortisol, and thyroid hormones. Moreover, insulin might have a compensatory role to increase suppressive effect on ketogenesis in experimentally pregnant toxemic goats