Hybrid pulse interval modulation-code-division multiple-access for optical wireless communications.

The work in this thesis investigates the properties of the IR diffuse wireless link with regard to: the use of sets of signature sequences with good message separation properties (hence providing low BER), the suitability of a hPIM-CDMA scheme for the IR diffuse wireless systems under the constraint of eye safety regulations (i.e. when all users are transmitting simultaneously), the quality of message separation due to multipath propagation. The suitability of current DS-CDMA systems using other modulation techniques are also investigated and compared with hPIM-CDMA for the performances in power efficiency, data throughput enhancement and error rate.A new algorithm has also been proposed for generating large sets of (n,3,1,1)OOC practically with reduced computation time. The algorithm introduces five conditions that are well refined and help in speeding up the code construction process. Results for elapsed computation times for constructing the codes using the proposed algorithm are compared with theory and show a significant achievement. The models for hPIM-CDMA and hPPM-CDMA systems, which were based on passive devices only, were also studied. The technique used in hPIM-CDMA, which uses a variable and shorter symbol duration, to achieve higher data throughput is presented in detail. An in-depth analysis of the BER performance was presented and results obtained show that a lower BER and higher data throughput can be achieved. A corrected BER expression for the hPPM-CDMA was presented and the justification for this detailed. The analyses also show that for DS-CDMA systems using certain sets of signature sequences, the BER performance cannot be approximated by a Gaussian function

KINEMATICS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECT OF A SYNCHRONIZED BIPEDAL “RISE-SIT-GO” CYCLING EXERCISE

This study demonstrated the kinematics and physiological effect of a synchronized bipedal cycling exercise. Fifteen male subjects performed a 30-minutes exercise on a synchronized bipedal stationary bike and a conventional stationary bike at same cycling speed. The performance was evaluated by a metabolic testing system, a subjective rating of perceived exertion, an electromyography system and a motion analysis system, and was compared by paired t-tests. Results showed significant increases in oxygen uptake, energy expenditure, rating of perceived exertion, muscle activity in triceps, biceps, rectus abdominis, left gluteus maximus, left medial gastrocnemius, right tibialis anterior and left tibialis anterior, and range of motion of left hip, left and right knees, shoulders, elbows and wrists. The synchronized bipedal cycling exercise was more physically demanding

eIF5A hypusination, boosted by dietary spermidine, protects from premature brain aging and mitochondrial dysfunction

Summary Mitochondrial function declines during brain aging and is suspected to play a key role in age-induced cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. Supplementing levels of spermidine, a body-endogenous metabolite, has been shown to promote mitochondrial respiration and delay aspects of brain aging. Spermidine serves as the amino-butyl group donor for the synthesis of hypusine (Nε-[4-amino-2-hydroxybutyl]-lysine) at a specific lysine residue of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A). Here, we show that in the Drosophila brain, hypusinated eIF5A levels decline with age but can be boosted by dietary spermidine. Several genetic regimes of attenuating eIF5A hypusination all similarly affect brain mitochondrial respiration resembling age-typical mitochondrial decay and also provoke a premature aging of locomotion and memory formation in adult Drosophilae. eIF5A hypusination, conserved through all eukaryotes as an obviously critical effector of spermidine, might thus be an important diagnostic and therapeutic avenue in aspects of brain aging provoked by mitochondrial decline

Functional and clinical outcomes of delusional disorder and schizophrenia patients after first episode psychosis: a 4-year follow-up study

Abstract Background Literature has typically associated delusional disorder with a poorer prognosis relative to schizophrenia, without considering the confounding effect of age despite the differential age of onset. This study therefore aims to investigate the diagnostic stability, clinical, functional, and neurocognitive differences of Chinese first-episode psychosis age-matched patients with delusional disorder and schizophrenia at four years. Methods 71 delusional disorder and 71 age-matched schizophrenia patients were followed up for four years after their initial episode. Their symptoms, insight in psychosis, side effects of medication, medication compliance, functioning, and neurocognitive performance were assessed at four years. Results At four years, 65% of DD patients maintained the same diagnosis, while the rest shifted to SZ. Only those without a diagnostic shift were included in the analysis. Delusional disorder patients (n = 46) experienced greater general psychopathology and poorer insight, but better attitude towards medication than schizophrenia patients (n = 71). Social and occupational functioning, quality of life, and cognitive functioning, however, were similar in delusional disorder and schizophrenia patients. Conclusions Results indicate that delusional disorder is less diagnostically stable than schizophrenia. Their outcomes in a Chinese population were largely similar at four years after removing the confounding age factor, implying that delusional disorder and schizophrenia may not be as distinct as previously thought