On Interference Alignment and the Deterministic Capacity for Cellular Channels with Weak Symmetric Cross Links

In this paper, we study the uplink of a cellular system using the linear deterministic approximation model, where there are two users transmitting to a receiver, mutually interfering with a third transmitter communicating with a second receiver. We give an achievable coding scheme and prove its optimality, i.e. characterize the capacity region. This scheme is a form of interference alignment which exploits the channel gain difference of the two-user cell.Comment: Submitted to IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT) 2011, 5 page

Spectroscopic and redox properties of amine-unctionalized K_2[Os-^(II)(bpy)(CN)_4] complexes

We report the first examples of amine-functionalized K_2[Os^(II)(bpy)(CN)_4] (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) complexes. The tetracyanoosmate complexes were prepared by UV irradiation (λ = 254 nm) of K_4[Os^(II)(CN)_6] and primary amine-functionalized bpy ligands in acidic aqueous media. The aqueous solution pH dependences of the spectroscopic and redox properties of 4,4'- and 5,5'-substituted complexes have been investigated. The pendant amine functional groups and coordinated cyanide ligands are basic sites that can be sequentially protonated, thereby allowing systematic tuning of electrochemical and optical spectroscopic properties

Movements and Home Ranges of Mountain Plovers Raising Broods in Three Colorado Landscapes

We report movements and home-range sizes of adult Mountain Plovers (Charadrius montanus) with broods on rangeland, agricultural fields, and prairie dog habitats in eastern Colorado. Estimates of home range size (95% fixed kernel) were similar across the three habitats: rangeland (146.1 ha +/- 101.5), agricultural fields (131.6 ha +/- 74.4), and prairie dog towns (243.3 ha +/- 366.3). Our minimum convex polygon estimates of home-range size were comparable to those on rangeland reported by Knopf and Rupert (1996). In addition, movements - defined as the distance between consecutive locations of adults with broods - were equivalent across habitats. However, our findings on prairie dog habitat suggest that home-range size for brood rearing may be related to whether the prairie dog habitat is in a complex of towns or in an isolated town

Movements and Home Ranges of Mountain Plovers Raising Broods in Three Colorado Landscapes

We report movements and home-range sizes of adult Mountain Plovers (Charadrius montanus) with broods on rangeland, agricultural fields, and prairie dog habitats in eastern Colorado. Estimates of home range size (95% fixed kernel) were similar across the three habitats: rangeland (146.1 ha +/- 101.5), agricultural fields (131.6 ha +/- 74.4), and prairie dog towns (243.3 ha +/- 366.3). Our minimum convex polygon estimates of home-range size were comparable to those on rangeland reported by Knopf and Rupert (1996). In addition, movements - defined as the distance between consecutive locations of adults with broods - were equivalent across habitats. However, our findings on prairie dog habitat suggest that home-range size for brood rearing may be related to whether the prairie dog habitat is in a complex of towns or in an isolated town

Anxiety, depression, and attachment before and after the first-trimester screening for Down syndrome: comparing couples who undergo ART with those who conceive spontaneously.

OBJECTIVES: This study's aim was to describe the emotional status of parents to be before and after the first-trimester combined prenatal screening test. METHODS: One hundred three couples participated, of which 52 had undergone an in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment [assisted reproductive technology (ART)] and 51 had conceived spontaneously. Participants completed the state scale of the State-trait Anxiety Inventory, the Edinburgh Depression Scale, and the Maternal and Paternal Antenatal Attachment Questionnaire before the first-trimester combined prenatal screening test at around 12 weeks of gestational age (T1) and just after receiving the results at approximately 14 weeks of gestational age (T2). RESULTS: We observed a significant decrease in anxiety and depression symptoms and a significant increase in attachment from T1 to T2. Results showed no differences between groups at either time point, which suggests that ART parents are more similar to than different from parents conceiving spontaneously. Furthermore, given the importance of anxiety during pregnancy, a subsample of women with clinical anxiety was identified. They had significantly higher rates of clinical depression and lower attachment. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that, regardless of whether conception was through ART or spontaneous, clinical anxiety in women over the prenatal testing period is associated with more vulnerability during pregnancy (i.e. clinical depression and less attachment to fetus). © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

An Assessment of Factors Affecting Population Growth of the Mountain Plover

Effective conservation measures should target the most sensitive life history attributes of a species, assuming they are responsive to potential management actions. The Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) is a species of conservation concern with a patchy breeding distribution in western North America. Plovers prefer areas with short vegetation, bare ground, and disturbance for nesting. Current management tools, including grazing and burning, have been used to attract plovers and enhance nesting success. We used a stage-specific matrix model to study the influence of vital rates, e.g., juvenile and adult annual survival, on population growth rate in the Mountain Plover at two breeding sites in Colorado, South Park and Eastern Colorado, and one breeding site in Montana, USA. Our analysis was motivated by a need to 1) better understand the relationship between demographic rates and population growth rate, 2) assess current management tools for the plover by exploring their effect on population growth rate, and 3) identify areas of the plover’s population biology where additional demographic work is needed. Stochastic population growth rate was most influenced by adult survival, especially in Montana and South Park, Colorado (elasticities \u3e 0.60), and was least influenced by first-year reproduction (all elasticities \u3c 0.20). The modeled relationships between lambda and each demographic rate were generally weak (r2 \u3c 0.30) with the exception of number of eggs hatched per nest in Eastern Colorado (r2 = 0.63), chick survival in South Park (r2 = 0.40) and Montana (r2 = 0.38), and adult survival in Montana (r2 = 0.36). We examined the predicted increase in lambda that would result from increasing each demographic rate from its mean to the maximum value observed in our simulations. Chick and adult survival showed the greatest increase in lambda while eggs hatched per nest produced the smallest increase. Our results suggest that future conservation efforts should favor ways to increase adult or chick survival over efforts to increase nest success. In particular, adult survival rates during the stationary periods, i.e., summer and winter, are relatively high, implying that efforts to increase adult survival rates may need to focus on the migratory periods. Increasing chick survival should be a priority for efforts that are restricted to the breeding grounds because this life history stage is relatively short (\u3c 3 mo) and it offers opportunities for targeted short-term management activities in breeding areas

An Assessment of Factors Affecting Population Growth of the Mountain Plover

Effective conservation measures should target the most sensitive life history attributes of a species, assuming they are responsive to potential management actions. The Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) is a species of conservation concern with a patchy breeding distribution in western North America. Plovers prefer areas with short vegetation, bare ground, and disturbance for nesting. Current management tools, including grazing and burning, have been used to attract plovers and enhance nesting success. We used a stage-specific matrix model to study the influence of vital rates, e.g., juvenile and adult annual survival, on population growth rate in the Mountain Plover at two breeding sites in Colorado, South Park and Eastern Colorado, and one breeding site in Montana, USA. Our analysis was motivated by a need to 1) better understand the relationship between demographic rates and population growth rate, 2) assess current management tools for the plover by exploring their effect on population growth rate, and 3) identify areas of the plover’s population biology where additional demographic work is needed. Stochastic population growth rate was most influenced by adult survival, especially in Montana and South Park, Colorado (elasticities \u3e 0.60), and was least influenced by first-year reproduction (all elasticities \u3c 0.20). The modeled relationships between lambda and each demographic rate were generally weak (r2 \u3c 0.30) with the exception of number of eggs hatched per nest in Eastern Colorado (r2 = 0.63), chick survival in South Park (r2 = 0.40) and Montana (r2 = 0.38), and adult survival in Montana (r2 = 0.36). We examined the predicted increase in lambda that would result from increasing each demographic rate from its mean to the maximum value observed in our simulations. Chick and adult survival showed the greatest increase in lambda while eggs hatched per nest produced the smallest increase. Our results suggest that future conservation efforts should favor ways to increase adult or chick survival over efforts to increase nest success. In particular, adult survival rates during the stationary periods, i.e., summer and winter, are relatively high, implying that efforts to increase adult survival rates may need to focus on the migratory periods. Increasing chick survival should be a priority for efforts that are restricted to the breeding grounds because this life history stage is relatively short (\u3c 3 mo) and it offers opportunities for targeted short-term management activities in breeding areas

The inter-rater reliability of the diagnosis of surgical site infection in the context of a clinical trial.

ObjectivesThe diagnosis of surgical site infection following endoprosthetic reconstruction for bone tumours is frequently a subjective diagnosis. Large clinical trials use blinded Central Adjudication Committees (CACs) to minimise the variability and bias associated with assessing a clinical outcome. The aim of this study was to determine the level of inter-rater and intra-rater agreement in the diagnosis of surgical site infection in the context of a clinical trial.Materials and methodsThe Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens in Tumour Surgery (PARITY) trial CAC adjudicated 29 non-PARITY cases of lower extremity endoprosthetic reconstruction. The CAC members classified each case according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) criteria for surgical site infection (superficial, deep, or organ space). Combinatorial analysis was used to calculate the smallest CAC panel size required to maximise agreement. A final meeting was held to establish a consensus.ResultsFull or near consensus was reached in 20 of the 29 cases. The Fleiss kappa value was calculated as 0.44 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35 to 0.53), or moderate agreement. The greatest statistical agreement was observed in the outcome of no infection, 0.61 (95% CI 0.49 to 0.72, substantial agreement). Panelists reached a full consensus in 12 of 29 cases and near consensus in five of 29 cases when CDC criteria were used (superficial, deep or organ space). A stable maximum Fleiss kappa of 0.46 (95% CI 0.50 to 0.35) at CAC sizes greater than three members was obtained.ConclusionsThere is substantial agreement among the members of the PARITY CAC regarding the presence or absence of surgical site infection. Agreement on the level of infection, however, is more challenging. Additional clinical information routinely collected by the prospective PARITY trial may improve the discriminatory capacity of the CAC in the parent study for the diagnosis of infection.Cite this article: J. Nuttall, N. Evaniew, P. Thornley, A. Griffin, B. Deheshi, T. O'Shea, J. Wunder, P. Ferguson, R. L. Randall, R. Turcotte, P. Schneider, P. McKay, M. Bhandari, M. Ghert. The inter-rater reliability of the diagnosis of surgical site infection in the context of a clinical trial. Bone Joint Res 2016;5:347-352. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.58.BJR-2016-0036.R1