Multi-user Scheduling Schemes for Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer

In this paper, we study the downlink multi-user scheduling problem for a time-slotted system with simultaneous wireless information and power transfer. In particular, in each time slot, a single user is scheduled to receive information, while the remaining users opportunistically harvest the ambient radio frequency (RF) energy. We devise novel scheduling schemes in which the tradeoff between the users' ergodic capacities and their average amount of harvested energy can be controlled. To this end, we modify two fair scheduling schemes used in information-only transfer systems. First, proportionally fair maximum normalized signal-to-noise ratio (N-SNR) scheduling is modified by scheduling the user having the jth ascendingly ordered (rather than the maximum) N-SNR. We refer to this scheme as order-based N-SNR scheduling. Second, conventional equal-throughput (ET) fair scheduling is modified by scheduling the user having the minimum moving average throughput among the set of users whose N-SNR orders fall into a certain set of allowed orders Sa (rather than the set of all users). We refer to this scheme as order-based ET scheduling. The feasibility conditions required for the users to achieve ET with this scheme are also derived. We show that the smaller the selection order j for the order-based N-SNR scheme, and the lower the orders in Sa for the order-based ET scheme, the higher the average amount of energy harvested by the users at the expense of a reduction in their ergodic capacities. We analyze the performance of the considered scheduling schemes for independent and non-identically distributed (i.n.d.) Ricean fading channels, and provide closed-form results for the special case of i.n.d. Rayleigh fading.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Submitted for possible conference publicatio

Interaction between primary alveolar macrophages and primary alveolar type II cells under basal conditions and after lipopolysaccharide or quartz exposure

Evidence suggests that hyperproduction of reactive oxidants and inflammatory mediators plays a critical role in adverse pulmonary responses to silica or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The main objective of this study was to contribute to advancing the understanding of the role of AM\u27s and type II (TII) cells in the induction of pulmonary inflammation and injury in response to silica and LPS, and improve our understanding of the interaction between AM\u27s and TII cells which would occur in vivo. To reach this objective, three aims were put forth. (1) Determine the relative responsiveness of primary rat AM\u27s, primary rat TII cells and RLE-6TN, a rat TII cell line to silica and LPS under comparable conditions. (2) Determine if AM/TII intercellular interactions exist and under what conditions they can be demonstrated. (3) Attempt to identify the mediator(s) responsible for this interaction. The following findings were made: (1) although AM\u27s were generally found to release more inflammatory mediators than TII cells following LPS or silica exposures, primary TII cells clearly produced significant levels of mediators which could be capable of contributing considerably to lung inflammation and injury. (2) Since the RLE-6TN cell line responses to LPS and silica exposures were generally considerably less intense and required higher doses of stimulant than those measured in primary TII cells, RLE-6TN cells may not be a good substitute for primary TII cells in studying the pulmonary epithelium. (3) LPS was more potent than silica in inducing inflammatory cytokines from the three cell types. However, silica was found to be as potent as LPS or even slightly more potent as an inducer of cellular oxidants, especially from primary TII cells. (4) Surfactant appears to be an inhibitory mediator released from TII cells and acts on AM\u27s. (5) Basal transwell co-culture conditions are better than mixed co-culture conditions to study AM/TII cell interactions since the inhibitory effect of the surfactant in the transwell co-culture is minimized. (6) Oxidants, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, prostaglandins and leukotrienes, probably do not directly affect the AM/TII intercellular interaction; instead, they (and especially TNF-alpha) appear to indirectly modulate the complex pathways of the AM/TII communication

The Poetic Image of Water in Jāhilī and Andalusian Poetry; A Phenomenological Comparative Study

The subject of the poetic image in Classical Arabic poetry is considered to be one of the most controversial topics in contemporary literary criticism. A great deal of attention has been directed towards this subject in literary and critical studies through the application of different approaches. Such images require knowledge of the nature of classical poetry and the nature of the Classical Arabic language. It also requires knowing the imaginative and rhetorical potentiality of the poetic image as well as its role in conveying human culture and consciousness. An understanding of Western and critical approaches and the possibility of applying them in the study of poetic images in Classical Arabic poetry is also essential. This thesis studies and analyses the poetic image of water between the Jāhilī and Andalusian eras through the application of Gaston Bachelard’s phenomenological approach. Through this analysis, the study aims to achieve the following points: (1) examining the nature of the poetic image in the Arabic and Western critical studies; (2) understanding the phenomenological approach generally, and that of Gaston Bachelard in particular, and how to apply it in the analysis of the poetic image of the imagination of the four primitive elements in European literature, especially the poetic image of water; (3) applying Bachelard’s approach to the poetic image of water in Jāhilī and Andalusian poetry as a model; (4) concluding with an analysis that measures Arab poets’ awareness of the universe in the two focal eras and the impact of religion, culture and the environment on that; and (5) comparing the ancient Arab imagination regarding water to Western perceptions undr the shadow of Bachelard’s ideas in his analysis of the poetic image of water. To achieve these aims, this study provides an analysis of some examples from Jāhilī and Andalusian poetry according to the divisions of Bachelard’s phenomenological approach to the image of water in poetry. A qualitative comparative approach is used in the analysis. The results show that 25% of poetic images of water in the Jāhilī and Andalusian eras were archetypal; 62.5% of these were cultural and changeable images arising from religion, culture and geographic environment. Moreover, 12.5% were primitive images and were displaced from the Arabian imagination for the same reasons. The study also emphasises that there is a remarkable similarity and agreement in many of the images between the Arab human imagination of water specifically and the European imagination, which Bachelard offered in his analysis. This proves the hypothesis of the study that there is a connection in human consciousness across civilizations, regardless of the impact of religion, culture and geographic environment

Cross-Cohort Differences in Health on the Verge of Retirement

Baby Boomers have left a unique imprint on US culture and society in the last 60 years, and it might be anticipated that they will also put their own stamp on retirement, the last phase of the life cycle. Yet because Boomers have not all fully retired, we cannot yet judge how they will fare as retirees. Instead, we focus on how this group compares with prior groups on the verge of retirement, that is, at ages 51-56. Accordingly, this chapter evaluates the stock of health which Early Boomers bring to retirement and compare these to the circumstances of two prior cohorts at the same point in their life cycles. Using three sets of responses from the Health and Retirement Study, we find some interesting patterns. Overall, the raw evidence indicates that Boomers on the verge of retirement are in poorer health their counterparts 12 years ago. Using a summary health index designed for this study, we find that those born 1948 to 1953 share health risks with the War Baby cohort. This suggests that most of the health decline instead began before the late 1940's. A more complex set of health conclusions emerges from the specific self-reported health measures. Boomers indicate they have relatively more difficulty with a range of everyday physical tasks, but they also report having more pain, more chronic conditions, more drinking and psychiatric problems, than their HRS earlier counterparts. This trend portends poorly for the future health of Boomers as they age and incur increasing costs associated with health care and medications. Using our health index, only those at the 75th percentile or higher are likely to be characterized as having good or better health.

Asset ownership along gender lines: evidence from Thailand

Gender differences have long been documented in earnings, employment opportunities, and time spent within the unpaid care economy. This paper joins the recent efforts in the economics literature on gender differences in asset ownership. Specifically, it investigates whether a gender-specific composition in asset ownership between heads of households and spouses can be detected among low-income, urban households in Bangkok, Thailand. The present case study explores this issue empirically, using a sample of 134 couples from a 2002 survey that collected data at the level of the individual respondent on accumulated physical and financial assets. Both husband and wife were interviewed separately and the data gathered from the interviews include pertinent household and individual information on employment, credit and household decisionmaking issues. The findings suggest that asset composition varies by gender, indicating that further investigation is warranted on this topic. Tobit and Probit tests are used to examine the factors that may affect this gendered pattern

Asset depletion among the poor: Does gender matter? The case of urban households in Thailand

The paper analytically and empirically examines the issue of gender inequality in household wealth in the form of tangible assets among urban poor households Thailand. It seeks to answer the following questions: (1) is there a gendered pattern of asset ownership between husbands and wives; 2) during times of crises, is there a gendered pattern of asset depletion and 3) does asset depletion impact on men and women differently in regards to their income earnings capabilities? The answers are especially important since asset ownership and access impact the form of coping mechanisms and income earnings of men and women, hence on their individual well-being as well as the longer term well-being of the household. This paper joins in the recent efforts in the literature in investigating gender differences in asset ownership and depletion. In particular, we explore analytically and empirically this type of gender inequality among 135 couples, with and without dependents using quantitative and qualitative data drawn from a random sample of 152 urban, low-income households in Bangkok (Thailand) in 2002. The multi-purpose survey included information at the level of the individual respondent on accumulated tangible or physical assets as well as the status of those owned assets six months later. Both husband and wife were interviewed separately and the data gathered from the multi-visit interviews include pertinent household and individual information, employment, credit as well as household decision making issues, division of tasks and earnings allocation for various expenses. Tobit and probit tests are used to examine the varied factors that may affect the gendered pattern of asset depletion and whether there are any significant differences in asset depletion between men and women in the same households. In addition, two probit models are estimated in order to determine the effects of various individual and household characteristics on the probability of pawning or selling real assets and more specifically, business-related assets . The empirical results demonstrate that, alongside gender equality in employment opportunities and earnings, there is need to raise the importance of and promote advocacy for gender equality in wealth and assets, both public as well as private, and for policy interventions that addresses the gender-wealth gap

Governmental Trust, Active Citizenship, and E-Government Acceptance in Lebanon

This research investigates important issues related to e-government services utilization and adoption in a developing country. The purpose was to investigate the primary antecedents related to intention to use e-government services within the context of an emerging market. Lebanon is a small developing market that is making significant investments in e-government technology. The expectation is that it will help to improve quality of life and decrease corruption, which is often connected to governmental services that lack automated processes or transparency in payments. A population of 454 Lebanese citizens were field surveyed, with a final useable sample of 296 respondents. The strong predictive power of the model is an important contribution to understanding consumer consumption of e-government services in a developing country with a pervasive perception of corruption by citizens