Enforcement and Spectrum Sharing: Case Studies of Federal-Commercial Sharing

To promote economic growth and unleash the potential of wireless broadband, there is a need to introduce more spectrally efficient technologies and spectrum management regimes. That led to an environment where commercial wireless broadband need to share spectrum with the federal and non-federal operations. Implementing sharing regimes on a non-opportunistic basis means that sharing agreements must be implemented. To have meaning, those agreements must be enforceable.\ud \ud With the significant exception of license-free wireless systems, commercial wireless services are based on exclusive use. With the policy change facilitating spectrum sharing, it becomes necessary to consider how sharing might take place in practice. Beyond the technical aspects of sharing, that must be resolved lie questions about how usage rights are appropriately determined and enforced. This paper is reasoning about enforcement in a particular spectrum bands (1695-1710 MHz and 3.5 GHz) that are currently being proposed for sharing between commercial services and incumbent spectrum users in the US. We examine three enforcement approaches, exclusion zones, protection zones and pure ex post and consider their implications in terms of cost elements, opportunity cost, and their adaptability

Tolstoy & Isaiah : an anarchist critique of Isaiah’s revolution. Developing an anarchist hermeneutic within Biblical studies.

In light of the current political climate there has been a notable increase in the presence of academic anarchist research. This year saw the second Anarchist Studies Network (ASN) conference hosted by the Centre for the Study of International Governance (CSIG) at Loughborough University. The CSIG produces notable academic journals in anarchist studies and Continuum Press has recently released the introductory volume in the first peer reviewed series on anarchism by a mainstream publishing house. This paper discusses Isaiah in relation to the political writings of Leo Tolstoy. I outline the parallels in their criticisms of human power structures and discuss their contrasting visions for society. I do this by examining prophetical images ‘Day of Lord’. It is my premise that the ‘Day of the Lord’ is a revolutionary process as it envisages a total overhaul of society and removal of the existing power structures and that Isaiah, in his role as a mediator of YHWH, acts to garner support for the revolution and encourage people to behave according to ideals of the revolution. I chiefly concern myself with how the revolutionary event is to be achieved and how the post-revolutionary society is to be organised. It is in discussing these questions that I engage the text with the works of Tolstoy. This leads me to question how political authority and power is presented in the text: how are the authorities of humans viewed in relation to the authority of YHWH? In discussing the authority of YHWH I must examine how YHWH’s position as the national figurehead of Israel is harnessed to raise patriotic and nationalist sentiment. The authority of YHWH is also relevant to my treatment of the widespread violence that is customary amongst prophetic imagery of the ‘Day of the Lord’

Why Do Electricity Policy and Competitive Markets Fail to Use Advanced PV Systems to Improve Distribution Power Quality?

The increasing pressure for network operators to meet distribution network power quality standards with increasing peak loads, renewable energy targets, and advances in automated distributed power electronics and communications is forcing policy-makers to understand new means to distribute costs and benefits within electricity markets. Discussions surrounding how distributed generation (DG) exhibits active voltage regulation and power factor/reactive power control and other power quality capabilities are complicated by uncertainties of baseline local distribution network power quality and to whom and how costs and benefits of improved electricity infrastructure will be allocated. DG providing ancillary services that dynamically respond to the network characteristics could lead to major network improvements. With proper market structures renewable energy systems could greatly improve power quality on distribution systems with nearly no additional cost to the grid operators. Renewable DG does have variability challenges, though this issue can be overcome with energy storage, forecasting, and advanced inverter functionality. This paper presents real data from a large-scale grid-connected PV array with large-scale storage and explores effective mitigation measures for PV system variability. We discuss useful inverter technical knowledge for policy-makers to mitigate ongoing inflation of electricity network tariff components by new DG interconnection requirements or electricity markets which value power quality and control

Respiratory Therapists as Physician Extenders: Perceptions of Practitioners and Educators

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of practicing respiratory therapists (RT) and respiratory care educators regarding the role of RTs serving as physician extenders. Methods: The survey instrument was an electronic questionnaire that consisted of 17 questions. Participation was voluntary and participants were selected through random and convenience sampling techniques. Results: Of 506 respondents, 234 were respiratory care educators. Overwhelmingly, the respondents held the Registered Respiratory Therapist credential (92.7%). Respondents were about equally split among three education levels: 31.7% associate degree, 31.7% bachelor’s degree, and 27.3% master’s degree. Of the respondents 62.45% had considered pursing a degree in physician assistant (PA). Respondents expressed a preference for an Advanced Practice Respiratory Therapy (APRT) program (77.9%) rather than a PA program. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents reported they felt that a master’s degree should be the minimum level of education for an APRT. Conclusions: This study suggests that practitioners and educators alike are strongly supportive of advanced practice in the profession of respiratory therapy

Annular pancreas: endoscopic and pancreatographic findings from a tertiary referral ERCP center

Background and Aims Annular pancreas is a congenital anomaly whereby pancreatic tissue encircles the duodenum. Current knowledge of endoscopic findings of annular pancreas is limited to small case series. The aim of this study was to describe the endoscopic and pancreatographic findings of patients with annular pancreas at a large tertiary care ERCP center. Methods This is a retrospective observational study. Our Institutional Review Board–approved, prospectively collected ERCP database was queried for cases of annular pancreas. The electronic medical records were searched for patient and procedure-related data. Results From January 1, 1994, to December 31, 2016, 46 patients with annular pancreas underwent ERCP at our institution. Index ERCP was technically successful in 42 patients (91.3%), and technical success was achieved in all 46 patients (100%) after 2 attempts, when required. A duodenal narrowing or ring was found in most patients (n = 39, 84.8%), yet only 2 (4.3%) had retained gastric contents. Pancreas divisum was found in 21 patients (45.7%), 18 of which were complete divisum. Pancreatobiliary neoplasia was the indication for ERCP in 7 patients (15.2%). Pancreatographic findings consistent with chronic pancreatitis were noted in 15 patients (32.6%) at the index ERCP. Conclusion This is the largest series describing the endoscopic and pancreatographic findings of patients with annular pancreas. We found that 45.7% of patients had concurrent pancreas divisum. Endoscopic therapy was successful in most patients at our institution after 1 ERCP, and in all patients after a second ERCP. Nearly one-third of patients had findings consistent with chronic pancreatitis at the time of index ERCP. It is unclear whether this may be a feature of the natural history of annular pancreas

Bostonia: 1998-1999, no. 1, 3-4

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

Clinical response to dorsal duct drainage via the minor papilla in refractory obstructing chronic calcific pancreatitis

Background and study aims Complete stone removal from the main pancreatic duct might not be achieved in all patients with obstructive chronic calcific pancreatitis. We report our results for endoscopic dorsal pancreatic duct (DPD) bypass of obstructing stones in the ventral pancreatic duct (VPD). Patients and methods 16 patients with obstructive chronic calcific pancreatitis were treated with a DPD bypass. Clinical success was defined as significant pain relief and no hospital admissions for pain management during the ongoing treatment period. Results Among 16 patients meeting entry criteria, 10 (62.5%) had a history of unsuccessful endoscopic therapy, and 8 had failed extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL). Clinical success was achieved in 12 patients (75 %). Among these responders, 10 patients (83.3 %) had markedly improved or complete pain relief after the first stent placement, which persisted throughout the follow-up period; 11 patients (91.7 %) were able to discontinue their daily analgesics. Conclusions In selected patients with obstructive chronic calcific pancreatitis, the DPD bypass may be considered as a rescue endoscopic therapy, potentially obviating the need for surgery when standard endoscopic methods and ESWL fail

Bostonia

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

Additional flap on plastic stents for improved antimigration effect in the treatment of post-cholecystectomy bile leak

Background and study aims: In plastic stent insertion for treatment of post-cholecystectomy bile leak, stent migration may be more common due to the absence of a shelf to anchor the stent. We evaluated how adding a flap to straight plastic stents for this indication might influence the rate of stent migration when compared to use of conventional plastic stents. Patients and methods: This is a retrospective study including patients referred for ERCP for treatment of post-cholecystectomy bile leak. Patients with a customized anti-migration flap stent had the additional flap created on the distal end of straight plastic stents, intended to aid in anchoring in the distal supra-sphincteric biliary duct. The primary endpoint is stent migration events. The secondary endpoint is bile leak resolution after first ERCP session. Results: Thirty-two patients were treated with the experimental additional flap stents and 225 patients were treated with standard straight biliary stents. The total failure rate of bile leak resolution after a single endoscopic treatment for all treated was 10.5 % (27/257) and the total stent migration rate for all enrolled was 15.2 % (39/257). Stent migration rate was lower in the additional flap stent group than in the conventional group (3.1 % vs. 16.9 %, respectively, P  = 0.04). Furthermore, significantly more patients had resolution of their bile leak after the first ERCP session in the group with the additional flap (100 % vs. 88 %, respectively, P  = 0.03). Conclusion: A plastic biliary stent with an extra flap may have improved performance with regard to stent migration and resolution of bile leak over standard plastic biliary stents