Wi-Fi Coexistence with Duty Cycled LTE-U

Coexistence of Wi-Fi and LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) technologies has drawn significant concern in industry. In this paper, we investigate the Wi-Fi performance in the presence of duty cycle based LTE-U transmission on the same channel. More specifically, one LTE-U cell and one Wi-Fi basic service set (BSS) coexist by allowing LTE-U devices transmit their signals only in predetermined duty cycles. Wi-Fi stations, on the other hand, simply contend the shared channel using the distributed coordination function (DCF) protocol without cooperation with the LTE-U system or prior knowledge about the duty cycle period or duty cycle of LTE-U transmission. We define the fairness of the above scheme as the difference between Wi-Fi performance loss ratio (considering a defined reference performance) and the LTE-U duty cycle (or function of LTE-U duty cycle). Depending on the interference to noise ratio (INR) being above or below -62dbm, we classify the LTE-U interference as strong or weak and establish mathematical models accordingly. The average throughput and average service time of Wi-Fi are both formulated as functions of Wi-Fi and LTE-U system parameters using probability theory. Lastly, we use the Monte Carlo analysis to demonstrate the fairness of Wi-Fi and LTE-U air time sharing

Patient acceptability, safety and access : A balancing act for selecting age-appropriate oral dosage forms for paediatric and geriatric populations

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The selection and design of age-appropriate formulations intended for use in paediatric and geriatric patients are dependent on multiple factors affecting patient acceptability, safety and access. The development of an economic and effective product relies on a balanced consideration of the risks and benefits of these factors. This review provides a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of oral dosage forms considering key aspects of formulation design including dosage considerations, ease of use, tolerability and safety, manufacturing complexity, stability, supply and cost. Patient acceptability has been examined utilising an evidence-based approach to evaluate regulatory guidance and literature. Safety considerations including excipients and potential risk of administration errors of the different dosage forms are also discussed, together with possible manufacturing and supply challenges. Age appropriate drug product design should consider and compare i) acceptability ii) safety and iii) access, although it is important to recognise that these factors must be balanced against each other, and in some situations a compromise may need to be reached when selecting an age-appropriate formulation.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Narratives of Human Agency Among Low Income Incarcerated Fathers

Prior literature has focused on studying low income or incarcerated fathers from a deficit perspective. For example, there is ample evidence showing that high risk behaviors are associated with children who have non-custodial fathers and about mothers' perspectives on father absence. However, there is still a lack of literature about how these fathers experience agency to take control and make change in their lives in spite of the barriers they face. I conduct a secondary analysis of life history interviews of 40 fathers in a work release program. The theoretical framework that guides this study is narrative inquiry, using sensitizing concepts from McAdams' (2001) four themes of agency: self mastery, status/victory, achievement/responsibility, and empowerment. Out of McAdams' four themes, self mastery and achievement/responsibility were the most prominent themes of agency. Additional emergent themes of agency are found in fathers' life history narratives

The Case for Small Data in Higher Education

While colleges and universities seek to utilize big, complex and aggregated data to generate insights to support students, big data is limited in its use to design interventions due to limits it inherently has. Small data, or onedimensional teaching and learning analytics, provide quality feedback to teachers and students. In this paper, we will discuss how Abilene Christian University (ACU), a private university in the western region of the United States, uses alert system to serve at-risk students, IDEA evaluations to gather feedback to improve teaching, and data from the use of a learning management system Canvas to identify ways to improve student learning by providing formative evaluation for faculty to improve their practices. Towards the end of the paper we will discuss what students can do to make informed choices about their learning

Symmetry indicators in commensurate magnetic flux

We derive a framework to apply topological quantum chemistry in systems subject to magnetic flux. We start by deriving the action of spatial symmetry operators in a uniform magnetic field, which extends Zak's magnetic translation groups to all crystal symmetry groups. Ultimately, the magnetic symmetries form a projective representation of the crystal symmetry group. As a consequence, band representations acquire an extra gauge invariant phase compared to the non-magnetic theory. Thus, the theory of symmetry indicators is distinct from the non-magnetic case. We give examples of new symmetry indicators that appear at $\pi$ flux. Finally, we apply our results to an obstructed atomic insulator with corner states in a magnetic field. The symmetry indicators reveal a topological-to-trivial phase transition at finite flux, which is confirmed by a Hofstadter butterfly calculation. The bulk phase transition provides a new probe of higher order topology in certain obstructed atomic insulators.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figure

Stability of extemporaneously prepared ophthalmic solutions for mydriasis

Purpose Results of an evaluation of the physical and chemical stability of extemporaneously prepared adult and pediatric ophthalmic solutions containing combinations of phenylephrine, tropicamide, and cyclopentolate are reported. Methods A stability study was conducted to help determine the feasibility of innovative formulations to meet an unmet clinical need for combination mydriatic ophthalmic eyedrops. An adult mydriatic ophthalmic solution containing phenylephrine hydrochloride 2.5% and tropicamide 1.0% and a pediatric formulation containing phenylephrine hydrochloride 2.5%, tropicamide 0.5%, and cyclopentolate hydrochloride 0.5% were prepared using proper aseptic techniques. Triplicate samples of each formulation were stored for 60 days at refrigeration temperatures (2–8 °C) and analyzed on day 0 and days 7, 14, 28, and 60. At each time point, the stability samples were assessed by visual inspection, pH measurement, and stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Results Over the 60-day storage period, there was no significant change in the visual appearance or pH level of any of the adult or pediatric solution samples. The results of HPLC analysis indicated that all samples retained 97–102% of the initial drug concentrations for up to 60 days. Conclusion Both adult and pediatric ophthalmic formulations containing combinations of phenylephrine, tropicamide, and cyclopentolate were stable physically and chemically for up to 60 days when stored at refrigeration temperatures (2–8 °C)

The China National Tobacco Corporation: From Domestic to Global Dragon?

The China National Tobacco Corporation (CNTC), which produces one-third of the world’s cigarettes, is the largest tobacco company in the world.  Over the past sixty years, the CNTC has been focused on supplying a huge domestic market.  As the market has become increasingly saturated, and potential foreign competition looms, the company has turned to expansion abroad.  This paper examines the ambitions and prospects of the CNTC to “go global”.   Using Chinese and English language sources, this paper describes the globalization ambitions of the CNTC, and its global business strategy focused on internal restructuring, brand development and expansion of overseas operations in selected markets.  The paper concludes that the company has undergone substantial change over the past two decades and is consequently poised to become a new global player in the tobacco industry