Application of smart antennas to wideband code division multiple access : the uplink performance

Adaptive antenna arrays have recently been introduced to cope with the high capacity required by the 3rd generation (3G) wireless communications systems. As adaptive antenna arrays focus narrow high gain beams towards the desired user and nulls towards interferers, both coverage and capacity of the network can be improved. To establish the performance gain that a smart antenna can deliver in a 3G environment (i.e., with mixed traffic), the implementation of adaptive antenna arrays for the uplink of a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system in the Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode is addressed in this thesis. The beam-forming is implemented with a LS - DRMTA algorithm and a Lagrange multiplier based algorithm using the Q channel only. The results show that the adaptive antenna arrays offer significant performance enhancement over switched beam and single antennas in a 3G environment (i.e., with mixed traffic)

Synthesis of Li (Ni_1/3Mn_1/3Co_1/3) O₂ by Glycine Nitrate combustion process

Glycine Nitrate Combustion (GNC) method was successfully employed for the synthesis of Li(Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3)O2 with powder characteristics appropriate for the cathode of rechargeable  Li-ion batteries (LIBs). The outcome of this study proposed an optimum value of 0.6 for the Glycine: Nitrate ratio to obtain phase pure, well crystalline and rather spherical shaped Li(Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3)O2 micron size secondary particles by the GNC process. These secondary particles were composed of softly agglomerated primary particles of 200 - 300 nm in size. This particle morphology is regarded as a highly favorable for the functioning as a cathode in LIB. The electrical conductivity of Li (Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3) O2, determined by the dc four-probe technique, revealed the semiconducting nature with conductivity of the order of 10-7 S cm-1, at  25 °C. Lithium ion half-cell constructed with this prepared cathode material showed initial discharge capacity of 187 mAhg-1 with irreversible capacity of 25 mAhg-1 at C/5 rate with a cut-off voltage of 2.5 - 4.6 V, at 25 °C. This performance can be attributed to the highly favorable particle morphology obtained by the successful use of GNC process for the powder synthesis

Synthesis of Li(Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3-xBax)O-2 cathode materials for lithium-ion rechargeable battery by glycine-nitrate combustion process

This study was based on developing Li(Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3-xBax)O-2 (x=0.04, 0.08, 0.11, 0.22, and 0.33) materials by substituting expensive Co with Ba, for the use in the cathode of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Glycine-nitrate combustion method, which is a low-cost combustion technique, was employed to synthesize spherical shaped micron size secondary particles formed by densely agglomerated primary particles. The phase analysis performed by the X-ray diffractometry revealed the formation of the required layered phase of R-3m structure with trace amounts of a secondary phase. Furthermore, these Ba-substituted novel materials showed considerably higher electrical conductivity than those of the Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O-2 base material. In the cell performance studies, the Ba-substituted cathode materials synthesized in this study showed slightly lower initial discharge capacity of 162.4mAhg(-1) but with considerably improved cycle performance compared to those of the Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O-2 base material (187.7mAhg(-1)). More importantly, the Li(Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3-xBax)O-2, x=0.04 material clearly showed its ability to eliminate and prevent structural transformation usually associated with excess Li extraction at potentials above 4.5V. Therefore, the Li(Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3-xBax)O-2, x=0.04 material can be proposed as a potential candidate for the high-voltage cathode application of LIB

The role of peripheral afferents in persistent inguinal postherniorrhaphy pain:a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of ultrasound-guided tender point blockade

BACKGROUND: Severe, persistent inguinal postherniorrhaphy pain (PIPP) is a debilitating condition that develops in 2–5% of patients. PIPP may be neuropathic in nature, yet the lesion in the peripheral nervous system has not been located. Most PIPP-patients demonstrate a tender point (TP) in the medial aspect of the inguinal region that triggers pain upon minimal pressure. As TPs may play a role in the pathophysiology of PIPP, the aim of this trial was to investigate the analgesic effects of local anaesthetic TP-blockade. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial was performed in 14 PIPP-patients and six healthy volunteers. All participated in two sessions, seven days apart, receiving 10 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine or normal saline via an ultrasound-guided fascial plane block at the TP. The TP-area was used for pain assessments (at rest, on movement, with 100 kPa pressure-algometry) and quantitative sensory testing (pressure pain thresholds, thermal detection/pain thresholds, supra-threshold heat perception), before and after the TP-blockade. RESULTS: The median (95% CI) reduction in pain was 63% (44.1 to 73.6%) after bupivacaine compared with 36% (11.6 to 49.7%; P=0.003) after placebo. Significant increases in cool detection (P=0.01) and pressure pain thresholds (P=0.009) with decreases in supra-threshold heat pain perception (P=0.003) were seen after bupivacaine only. In four out of six volunteers, increased thermal and evoked-pain thresholds after bupivacaine compared with placebo, was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: This trial demonstrates that peripheral afferent input from the TP-area is important for maintenance of spontaneous and evoked pain in PIPP. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02065219

Surface modification of natural vein graphite for the anode application in Li-ion rechargeable batteries

Natural vein graphite with high purity and crystallinity is seldom used as anode material in lithium-ion rechargeable batteries (LIB) due to impurities and inherent surface structure. This study focuses on improving the surface properties of purified natural vein graphite surface by employing mild chemical oxidation. Needle-platy graphite sample with initial average carbon percentage of 99.83% was improved to 99.98% after treatment with 5 vol.% HCl. Surface modification of purified graphite was done by chemical oxidation with (NH4)(2)S2O8 and HNO3. Fourier-transform infrared spectra of graphite after chemical indicating surface oxidation of graphite surface. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic studies show the improvement of graphite structure without modification of crystalline structure. Electrochemical performance of lithium-ion cell assembled with developed anode material shows noticeable improvement of the reversible capacity and coulombic efficiency in the first cycle and cycling behavior after surface modification

Delivering collaborative mental health care within supportive housing: implementation evaluation of a community-hospital partnership

Abstract Background Approaches to address unmet mental health care needs in supportive housing settings are needed. Collaborative approaches to delivering psychiatric care have robust evidence in multiple settings, however such approaches have not been adequately studied in housing settings. This study evaluates the implementation of a shifted outpatient collaborative care initiative in which a psychiatrist was added to existing housing, community mental health, and primary care supports in a women-centered supportive housing complex in Toronto, Canada. Methods The initiative was designed and implemented by stakeholders from an academic hospital and from community housing and mental health agencies. Program activities comprised multidisciplinary support for tenants (e.g. multidisciplinary care teams, case conferences), tenant engagement (psychoeducation sessions), and staff capacity-building (e.g. formal trainings, informal ad hoc questions). This mixed methods implementation evaluation sought to understand (1) program activity delivery including satisfaction with these activities, (2) consistency with team-based tenant-centered care and with pre-specified shared lenses (trauma-informed, culturally safe, harm reduction), and (3) facilitators and barriers to implementation over a one-year period. Quantitative data included reporting of program activity delivery (weekly and monthly), staff surveys, and tenant surveys (post-group surveys following tenant psychoeducation groups and an all-tenant survey). Qualitative data included focus groups with staff and stakeholders, program documents, and free-text survey responses. Results All three program activity domains (multidisciplinary supports, tenant engagement, staff capacity-building) were successfully implemented. Main program activities were multidisciplinary case conferences, direct psychiatric consultation, tenant psychoeducation sessions, formal staff training, and informal staff support. Psychoeducation for tenants and informal/formal staff support were particularly valued. Most activities were team-based. Of the shared lenses, trauma-informed care was the most consistently implemented. Facilitators to implementation were shared lenses, psychiatrist characteristics, shared time/space, balance between structure and flexibility, building trust, logistical support, and the embedded evaluation. Barriers were that the initial model was driven by leadership, confusion in initial processes, different workflows across organizations, and staff turnover; where possible, iterative changes were implemented to address barriers. Conclusions This evaluation highlights the process of successfully implementing a shifted outpatient collaborative mental health care initiative in supportive housing. Further work is warranted to evaluate whether collaborative care adaptations in supportive housing settings lead to improvements in tenant- and program-level outcomes

Convenient process to synthesize reduced needle platy graphite silver nanocomposite: a prospective antibiotic against common pathogenic microorganisms in the environment

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) have earned keen interest due to differences in their physical and chemical properties according to their size. In this study, reduced needle platy graphite silver (rNPG/Ag) nanocomposite has been prepared using natural vein graphite by in-situ chemical reduction method. We found an extraordinary behavior of this rNPG/Ag composite as an antimicrobial agent for pathogenic microorganisms in the environment; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus. Further, above pathogens can build a resistivity against bare silver NPs as well as the rNPG. This is due to the reduction of permeability and enzyme detoxification or efflux of the toxic metal ions. Also, the antibacterial activity of rNPG can be inhibited by poor penetration into the cell as well as the poor dispersion of the material in the medium. On the other hand, the rNPG/Ag composite is used, the Ag nanoparticles embedded with rNPG sheets can enter into the microbial cell through membrane proteins by simple diffusion or endocytosis which inhibits the microbial activity. This penetration of Ag is facilitated by the rNPG sheets as it contributes to the stability and the nano-sized formation of Ag. Our results conduct to develop broad perspective antimicrobial agent using a straightforward and low-cost chemical route