Rate Splitting for MIMO Wireless Networks: A Promising PHY-Layer Strategy for LTE Evolution

MIMO processing plays a central part towards the recent increase in spectral and energy efficiencies of wireless networks. MIMO has grown beyond the original point-to-point channel and nowadays refers to a diverse range of centralized and distributed deployments. The fundamental bottleneck towards enormous spectral and energy efficiency benefits in multiuser MIMO networks lies in a huge demand for accurate channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT). This has become increasingly difficult to satisfy due to the increasing number of antennas and access points in next generation wireless networks relying on dense heterogeneous networks and transmitters equipped with a large number of antennas. CSIT inaccuracy results in a multi-user interference problem that is the primary bottleneck of MIMO wireless networks. Looking backward, the problem has been to strive to apply techniques designed for perfect CSIT to scenarios with imperfect CSIT. In this paper, we depart from this conventional approach and introduce the readers to a promising strategy based on rate-splitting. Rate-splitting relies on the transmission of common and private messages and is shown to provide significant benefits in terms of spectral and energy efficiencies, reliability and CSI feedback overhead reduction over conventional strategies used in LTE-A and exclusively relying on private message transmissions. Open problems, impact on standard specifications and operational challenges are also discussed.Comment: accepted to IEEE Communication Magazine, special issue on LTE Evolutio

Spirituality Concept by Health Professionals in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Background. For years, researchers have sought to provide a clear definition of spirituality and its features and consequences, but the definitions provided of this concept still lack transparency. The present qualitative research was conducted to clarify this concept within the religious-cultural context of Iran. Materials and Methods. The present conventional qualitative content analysis was conducted with an inductive approach. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 17 spiritual health experts and activists selected through purposive sampling. Results. Three themes emerged from the analysis of the data, including (1) the structure of spirituality, (2) defects in the conceptualization of spirituality, and (3) spirituality in practice, which are explained in this paper with their relevant subthemes and codes. The definition which this study proposes for this concept is that "spirituality is the sublime aspect of human existence bestowed on all humans in order for them to traverse the path of transcendence that is closeness to God (Allah)." Conclusion. The definition provided by this study is similar to the previous definitions of this concept in its main part (transcendence) and in incorporating a God-centered view of spirituality within the context of an Islamic society. This definition has implications for health services' education, research, and practice in similar societies. © 2016 Nadereh Memaryan et al

Monogenean infestations of arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) and cat fish (Hypostomus plecostomus)

Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) and cat fish (Hypostomus plecostomus) are two species of ornamental fishes which are mostly imported to Iran. Monogenea are plathyhelminthes [sic] which can dominantly infest the fish skin and gills with high host specificity. In this research, 35 O. bicirrhosum and 50 H. plecostomus with clinical signs were collected from different ornamental fish markets in Semnan, Iran and transferred alive to the Lab. Fish skin and gills were examined for monogenean infestations. No monogenea was observed on the skin specimens, but Gonocleithrum cursitans and Unilatus unilatus infested 54.28% and 74% of gills in O. bicirrhosum and H. plecostomus, respectively. This is the first report of both G.cursitans and U. unilatus in Iran

Gaussian multiple access channels with one-bit quantizer at the receiver

The capacity region of a two-transmitter Gaussian multiple access channel (MAC) under average input power constraints is studied, when the receiver employs a zero-threshold one-bit analogue-to-digital converter (ADC). It is proven that the input distributions of the two transmitters that achieve the boundary points of the capacity region are discrete. Based on the position of a boundary point, upper bounds on the number of the mass points of the corresponding distributions are derived. Furthermore, a lower bound on the sum capacity is proposed that can be achieved by time division with power control. Finally, inspired by the numerical results, the proposed lower bound is conjectured to be tight

Integration of Spirituality in Medical Education in Iran: A Qualitative Exploration of Requirements

Background. Healthcare system has needed to provide spiritual services, and one of the reasons for not addressing spirituality in this field is lack of training in this area. This study purpose is to explore and identify main requirements for designing this education, in Iran. Materials and Methods. This is a qualitative study with conventional content analysis method. 18 participants, who were main stakeholders in spirituality, medical education, and curriculum development, were selected by purposive sampling. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, which continued until data saturation. Results. Three main themes and their categories were extracted from analysis of data. The themes are (1) educational needs including clinical practice needs; (2) opportunities including rich background and backup, perceived clinical need, and right context of medical education for change; and (3) challenges including challenges in academic planning and barriers to implementation. Conclusion. All stakeholders acknowledged the need for addressing spirituality in formal medical education. It seems that implementation of such programs requires attention to facilitating factors and challenges proposed by those involved. © 2015 Nadereh Memaryan et al

Nursing Students' Competencies in Evidence-Based Practice and Its Related Factors

Background: Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is one of the nursing professional roles that can lead them to provide the best and more effective care. However, no studies are available on nursing students’ competencies in EBP. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the nursing students’ knowledge, attitude and intention to implement EBP and its related factors in two nursing and midwifery faculties in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 170 undergraduate nursing students were selected from two faculties of nursing and midwifery in Tehran, Iran. A census sampling method was applied and they were all before graduation in 2013. The Rubin and Parrish questionnaire was used to assess the students’ knowledge, attitude and intention to implement EBP as well as factors affecting the implementation of EBP. Students completed the instrument through self-report. Descriptive statistics, Independent sample t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. Results: The students mean scores of knowledge, attitude and intention to implement EBP was 31.08 ± 5.77, 50.40 ± 9.58, 36.01 ± 4.64, respectively. The students’ age was inversely correlated with their scores of knowledge, attitude and intention to use EBP (P < 0.05). However, the students’ GPA was in direct association with their knowledge, attitude and intention to implement EBP (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the males and females mean scores in the three subscales. However, significant differences were found between the students mean scores in the two subscales of knowledge and attitudes toward EBP in terms of familiarity with statistics and research methods (P < 0.05). Neither familiarity with research methods nor familiarity with EBP could significantly affect the students’ intention to implement EBP. Conclusions: The present study showed that nursing students have not a high mean score in the three subscales of knowledge, attitude and intention to implement EBP. It is essential for faculties and nurse managers not only to focus on education of EBP, but also to support nurses and nursing students to implement it in the process patient care

An operational information decomposition via synergistic disclosure

Abstract: Multivariate information decompositions hold promise to yield insight into complex systems, and stand out for their ability to identify synergistic phenomena. However, the adoption of these approaches has been hindered by there being multiple possible decompositions, and no precise guidance for preferring one over the others. At the heart of this disagreement lies the absence of a clear operational interpretation of what synergistic information is. Here we fill this gap by proposing a new information decomposition based on a novel operationalisation of informational synergy, which leverages recent developments in the literature of data privacy. Our decomposition is defined for any number of information sources, and its atoms can be calculated using elementary optimisation techniques. The decomposition provides a natural coarse-graining that scales gracefully with the system’s size, and is applicable in a wide range of scenarios of practical interest

Dorsal hippocampal dopamine receptors are involved in mediating ethanol state-dependent memory

In the present study, the effects of bilateral injections of dopaminergic agents into the hippocampal CA1 regions (intra-CA1) on ethanol (EtOH) state-dependent memory were examined in mice. A single-trial step-down passive avoidance task was used for the assessment of memory retention in adult male NMRI mice. Pre-training intra-peritoneal (i.p.) administration of EtOH (0.25, 0.5 and 1 g/kg) dose dependently induced impairment of memory retention. Pre-test administration of EtOH (0.5 g/kg)-induced state-dependent retrieval of the memory acquired under pre-training EtOH (0.5 g/kg) influence. Intra-CA1 administration of the dopamine D1 receptor agonist, SKF 38393 (0.5, 1 and 2 g/mouse) or the dopamine D2 receptor agonist, quinpirole (0.25, 0.5 and 1 μg/mouse) alone cannot affect memory retention. While, pre-test intra-CA1 injection of SKF 38393 (2 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) or quinpirole (0.25, 0.5 and 1 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) improved pre-training EtOH (0.5 g/kg)-induced retrieval impairment. Moreover, pre-test administration of SKF 38393 (0.5, 1 and 2 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) or quinpirole (0.5 and 1 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) with an ineffective dose of EtOH (0.25 g/kg) significantly restored the retrieval and induced EtOH state-dependent memory. Furthermore, pre-training injection of the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist, SCH 23390 (4 μg/mouse), but not the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist, sulpiride, into the CA1 regions suppressed the learning of a single-trial passive avoidance task. Pre-test intra-CA1 injection of SCH 23390 (2 and 4 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) or sulpiride (2.5 and 5 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) 5 min before the administration of EtOH (0.5 g/kg, i.p.) dose dependently inhibited EtOH state-dependent memory. These findings implicate the involvement of a dorsal hippocampal dopaminergic mechanism in EtOH state-dependent memory and also it can be concluded that there may be a cross-state dependency between EtOH and dopamine. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved