Demo: Non-classic Interference Alignment for Downlink Cellular Networks

Our demo aims at proving the concept of a recent proposed interference management scheme that reduces the inter-cell interference in downlink without complex coordination, known as non-classic interference alignment (IA) scheme. We assume a case where one main Base Station (BS) needs to serve three users equipments (UE) while another BS is causing interference. The primary goal is to construct the alignment scheme ; i.e. each UE estimates the main and interfered channel coefficients, calculates the optimal interference free directions dropped by the interfering BS and feeds them back to the main BS which in turn applies a scheduling to select the best free inter-cell interference directions. Once the scheme is build, we are able to measure the total capacity of the downlink interference channel. We run the scheme in CorteXlab ; a controlled hardware facility located in Lyon, France with remotely programmable radios and multi-node processing capabilities, and we illustrate the achievable capacity gain for different channel realizations.Comment: Joint NEWCOM/COST Workshop on Wireless Communications JNCW 2015, Oct 2015, Barcelone, Spain. 201

Nonlinear oscillations and chaotic dynamics of a supported FGM rectangular plate system under mixed excitations

In this paper, we investigated the nonlinear oscillations, vibrations and chaotic dynamics of a simply supported rectangular plate made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) through a temperature field subjected to mixed excitations. The rectangular FGM plate system described by a coupled of nonlinear differential equations (two degree of freedom) including the quadratic and cubic nonlinear terms. The mathematical solutions of the governing equations of motion for the FGM plate derived using the perturbation method based on the power series expansion up to and including the second order approximation. The numerical simulations investigated using Runge-Kutta of fourth order using MATLAB and MAPLE programs. All different resonance cases reported and studied numerically. We applied both frequency response equations and phase-plane technique and also Lyapunov’s first method near the worst resonance cases to analyze the stability of the steady state solution of vibrating system. The effects of the different parameters of the rectangular plate system studied numerically. Results compared to previously published work. In the future work, we can deal with the same system subjected multi-external and tuned and parametric excitation forces. Also, the system can be studied at another worst different resonance cases, active and passive controller

Non Linear Techniques for Increasing Harvesting Energy from Piezoelectric and Electromagnetic Micro-Power-Generators

Non-linear techniques are used to optimize the harvested energy from piezoelectric and electromagnetic generators. This paper introduces an analytical study for the voltage amplification obtained from these techniques. The analytical study is experimentally validated using a macro model of piezoelectric generator. Moreover, the integration influences on these techniques is studied. Through all the obtained results, a suitable structure for autonomous microsystems is proposed.Comment: Submitted on behalf of TIMA Editions (http://irevues.inist.fr/tima-editions

Prevalence, Electron Microscopy and Molecular Characterization of Cryptosporidium species Infecting Sheep in Egypt

Cryptosporidium sp. is predominant universally and sheep are an imperative zoonotic supply of the disease. Owing to the little information presented with respect to Cryptosporidium sp. infecting sheep, this study was directed to survey the predominance and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium sp. among sheep of different ages and sexes in Qalyubia governorate, Egypt. The fecal specimens were gathered from 432 sheep of various ages (≤1 to <6, 6-12 and >12 months) and sexes. The samples were microscopically examined after staining by modified Zeihl- Neelsen technique and the intestinal mucosa was scanned by electron microscopy. A nested PCR was connected to amplify a 830 bp of 18S rRNA sequence of Cryptosporidium. RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) technique using SspI and VspI enzymes for digestion of the secondary product of PCR for species identification was applied. The total infection rate was 25.93%. The parasite was more prevalent in males than females of different age groups. Two zoonotic Cryptosporidium species were distinguished after RFLP-PCR sequencing: C. parvum and C. ubiquitum (identified previously as Cervine genotype). The finding recommends that sheep must be considered as a noteworthy potential source of human cryptosporidiosis. A strict reconnaissance of zoonotic cryptosporidiosis must be set up to counteract human infection and to assess forthcoming disease when applying control programs

Comparison of In Vivo and In Vitro Digestibility in Rabbits

SIMPLE SUMMARY: We tested the Ankom Daisy(II) Incubator as an alternative to the in vivo procedures for measuring the in vitro dry matter digestibility of diets for rabbits. The results were variable according to the methods. Among those tested in the trial, the enzymatic one was more effective than those based on fecal inocula. We conclude that the Ankom Daisy(II) Incubator can be used to estimate the in vivo dry matter digestibility of rabbit diets, but the choice of the method proved to be fundamental for the reproducibility of results. ABSTRACT: The apparent dry matter digestibility of diets for rabbits was measured in vivo (ADMD(vv)) and in vitro with the Ankom Daisy(II) Incubator. Four diets were tested: low fiber (LF), LF + 5% of pregerminated fenugreek seeds (PGFS) (LF5), LF + 10% PGFS (LF10), and high fiber (HF). For the ADMD(vv), feces samples were collected from 56 White New-Zealand × Californian rabbits fed the 4 diets; animals were randomly allocated into 4 groups and housed in individual cages. For the in vitro trial, 3 methods were tested: fecal inoculum (FA) with Kansans State buffer; fecal inoculum with artificial saliva (FB); and multienzyme (ENZ). Fecal inocula were collected at slaughtering from the distal colon of rabbits fed ad libitum the LF diet. For FA and FB methods, the digestibility was measured at 36 and 48 h. The in vitro methods ranked the apparent dry matter digestibility of diets in the same order as in vivo, but ENZ values were always higher than FA and FB at 36 and 48 h. The prediction equations of in vivo digestibility with the ENZ method showed higher coefficient of determination (R(2) = 0.69) and lower SE (0.190) than FA and FB; also, reproducibility was higher with ENZ (CV = 3.1%). In conclusion, different methods can be applied to the Ankom Daisy(II) Incubator to study the digestibility in rabbits. In our trial, the better reproducibility was observed with the multienzyme method than FA and FB were probably related to the variability of inocula

Designing and Psychometric Evaluation of the Competency Inventory for Postgraduate Students of Intensive Care Nursing

Background: Today, the role of expert clinical nurses is highlighted because their presence is necessary for guaranteeing the quality of nursing care provided for the patients. However, there are no proper instruments for measuring the clinical competence of postgraduate students in intensive care nursing. Objectives: The present study aimed at development and psychometric evaluation of the clinical-competence inventory for postgraduate students of intensive care nursing. Patients and Methods: A methodological study was conducted at state nursing schools of Iran. The participants were postgraduate students of intensive care nursing, who were being trained at 16 nursing schools throughout Iran, during year 2014. After examining some relevant texts, the first draft of the inventory was designed with 60 items. In order to confirm its face and content validity, a panel of experts and students examined the inventory. The final draft, which contained 44 items, was distributed among postgraduate students of intensive care nursing, and 217 students answered the inventory. The construct validity was verified using exploratory factor analysis. The reliability of the inventory was verified using consistency tests. Results: Firstly an instrument with 60 items was developed. Next, the face and content validity of the instrument was assessed by 15 students and 11 experts. Overall, 16 items were removed through validity assessment and 44 items remained in the final draft. The content validity index of the final draft was 0.90. Moreover, the content validity ration of 44 items ranged between 0.75 and 1. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the inventory was 0.95 and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the test-retest results was 0.96. To examine the construct validity of the final draft, it was administered for 217 postgraduate students of intensive care nursing and five factors, with Eigenvalues above one and loading level equal to or above 0.4, were extracted through exploratory factor analysis. Conclusions: The inventory developed in this study is a suitable index for evaluating the efficacy of postgraduate students in the field of intensive care nursing

Immune Recognition of Gene Transfer Vectors: Focus on Adenovirus as a Paradigm

Recombinant Adenovirus (Ad) based vectors have been utilized extensively as a gene transfer platform in multiple pre-clinical and clinical applications. These applications are numerous, and inclusive of both gene therapy and vaccine based approaches to human or animal diseases. The widespread utilization of these vectors in both animal models, as well as numerous human clinical trials (Ad-based vectors surpass all other gene transfer vectors relative to numbers of patients treated, as well as number of clinical trials overall), has shed light on how this virus vector interacts with both the innate and adaptive immune systems. The ability to generate and administer large amounts of this vector likely contributes not only to their ability to allow for highly efficient gene transfer, but also their elicitation of host immune responses to the vector and/or the transgene the vector expresses in vivo. These facts, coupled with utilization of several models that allow for full detection of these responses has predicted several observations made in human trials, an important point as lack of similar capabilities by other vector systems may prevent detection of such responses until only after human trials are initiated. Finally, induction of innate or adaptive immune responses by Ad vectors may be detrimental in one setting (i.e., gene therapy) and be entirely beneficial in another (i.e., prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine based applications). Herein, we review the current understanding of innate and adaptive immune responses to Ad vectors, as well some recent advances that attempt to capitalize on this understanding so as to further broaden the safe and efficient use of Ad-based gene transfer therapies in general

Variations in association of nasal microbiota with virulent and non-virulent strains of Glaesserella (Haemophilus) parasuis in weaning piglets

International audienceAbstractGlaesserella (formerly Haemophilus) parasuis causes Glässer’s disease, which results in high economic loss in the swine industry. To understand the polymicrobial interactions of G. parasuis and the nasal microbiota, the statistical association patterns of nasal colonizing bacteria with virulent and non-virulent strains of G. parasuis were studied accounting for the farm management practices as potential risk factors for the occurrence of Glässer’s disease. The nasal microbiota from 51 weaned-piglets from four farms with Glässer’s disease and three farms with no respiratory diseases was previously characterized and included in this study. The presence of virulent and/or non-virulent G. parasuis strains in the nasal cavities was determined in order to establish the potential association with other members of the nasal microbiota. Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were performed among the various members of nasal microbiota and G. parasuis. The multi-site production system and disease presence in the farm were both significantly associated with the presence of G. parasuis virulent strains in the nose of the piglets. Differential bacterial associations were observed with virulent or non-virulent G. parasuis. Chitinophagaceae, Corynebacteriaceae and Corynebacterium were positively associated with the virulent G. parasuis strains, while Enterobacteriaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, Clostridium XI, and Escherichia/Shigella were negatively associated with virulent G. parasuis. On the other hand, Flavobacteriaceae, Planobacterium, and Phascolarctobacterium were positively associated with the non-virulent G. parasuis strains, while Rikenellaceae, Enterococcaceae, Odoribacter, and Corynebacterium were negatively associated with non-virulent G. parasuis. In conclusion, the nasal microbiota communities showed variations in the association with the G. parasuis strains type