Ertapenem is an antibiotic commonly used to treat a broad spectrum of infections and is part of a broader class of antibiotics called carbapenems. Unlike other carbapenems, ertapenem has a longer half-life and thus only has to be administered once a day. Previously, a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed to investigate the uptake, distribution, and elimination of ertapenem following a single one gram dose in normal height, normal weight males. Due to the absorption properties of ertapenem, the amount of fat in the body can influence how the drug binds, how quickly the drug passes through the body, and thus how effective the drug might be. Thus, we have revised the model so that it is applicable to males and females of differing body mass index (BMI). Simulations were performed to consider the distribution of the antibiotic in males and females with varying body mass indexes. These results could help to determine if there is a need for altered dosing regimens in the future.

The purpose of this longitudinal, descriptive study was to observe changes in maximal strength measured via isometric clean grip mid-thigh pull and home runs (total and home runs per game) across three years of training and three competitive seasons for four National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 baseball players. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed, revealing significant univariate effects of time for peak force (PF) (p = 0.003) and peak force allometrically scaled (PFa) (p = 0.002). Increases in PF were noted from season 1 to season 2 (p = 0.031) and season 3 (p = 0.004), but season 2 was not significantly different than season 3 (p = 0.232). Additionally, increases in PFa were noted from season 1 to season 2 (p = 0.010) and season 3 (p < 0.001), but season 2 was not significantly different than season 3 (p = 0.052). Home runs per game rose from the 2009 (0.32) to 2010 season (1.35) and dropped during the 2011 season (1.07). A unique aspect of the study involves 2010 being the season in which ball-bat coefficient of restitution (BBCOR) bats were introduced to the NCAA competition.

This study provides the first comparison of weight selection attempt strategies used by powerlifters competing at the international level. We observed attempts selected by elite male and female classic powerlifters and compared weight selection attempts between sexes. Male (n = 66) and female (n = 43) powerlifters who completed all lifts successfully at an International Powerlifting Federation Classic World Championship between 2012-2019 were included in the analysis. We calculated the percentage weight increase from first attempts (A1) to second attempts (A2) and from A2 to third attempts (A3). For purposes of comparison, A1 values were expressed as a percentage of A3 values. We calculated non-parametric statistics with effect sizes for between and within-group comparisons. Relative to A3, males selected greater A1s compared to females for bench press (η2 = 0.16; p = 0.004) and deadlift (η2 = 0.06; p = 0.036) for each lift. Alternatively, females selected greater A1 to A2 and A2 to A3 progressions for bench press (η2 = 0.06; p = 0.026; η2 = 0.21; p = 0.005, respectively), and A2 to A3 for deadlift (η2 = 0.04; p = 0.035) compared to males. Within-group comparisons showed that males selected greater A1s on bench press compared to deadlift (η2 = 0.06; p = 0.046), whereas females selected greater A1s on squat compared to deadlift (η2 = 0.13; p = 0.038) relative to A3. Males also selected greater A2 to A3 progressions on deadlift compared to bench press (η2 = 0.10; p = 0.044), whereas females selected greater A2 to A3 progressions for bench press (η2 = 0.15; p = 0.039) and deadlift compared to squat (η2 = 0.10; p = 0.041). In conclusion, selecting an opener of ∼91% of the expected A3 weight, followed by ∼5% increase from A1 to A2, and ∼3% increase from A2 to A3 represent the typical weight selection attempts used across lifts by elite classic powerlifters competing in the World Championships. The results of this study provide novel insight into the weight selection attempts of elite classic powerlifters.

The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the magnitude of change in maximal strength and jumping abilities over approximately 1, 2, and 3 years of supervised sport and resistance training in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division I women's volleyball athletes. This was an exploratory study on a cohort of women's volleyball athletes (n = 29) split into 3 groups based on the length of the time spent in a supervised resistance training program: Group 1 (n = 11): 0.7 ± 0.3 years, group 2 (n = 9): 1.6 ± 0.2 years, and group 3 (n = 9): 2.4 ± 0.6 years. Monitoring tests consisted of standing height (cm), body mass (kg), body fat (%), static jump height (SJH) and countermovement JH (CMJH) with 0-, 11-, and 20-kg loads (cm), and midthigh clean pull isometric peak force (IPF) and allometrically scaled IPF (IPFa) (Nkg 20.67). Increasing trends were observed for all variables from groups 1 to 2 to 3. Statistically greater improvements (p ≤ 0.05) with moderate to large effect sizes were found between groups 1 and 3 for SJH 0 (19.7%, d = 1.35), SJH 11 (23.8%, d = 1.23), SJH 20 (30.6%, d = 1.20), CMJH 11 (22.6%, d = 1.18), IPF (44.4%, d = 1.22), and IPFa (41.2%, d = 1.32). A combination of traditional resistance training exercises and weightlifting variations at various loads, in addition to volleyball practice, seem to be effective at increasing maximal strength by 44% and vertical JH by 20-30% in NCAA division I women's volleyball athletes after about 2.5 years of training. Furthermore, these characteristics can be improved in the absence of additional plyometric training outside normal volleyball-specific practice.

Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) base stations have proven, both in theory and in practice, to possess many of the qualities that future wireless communication systems will require.  They can provide equally high data rates throughout their coverage area and can concurrently serve multiple low-end handsets without requiring wider spectrum, denser base station deployment or significantly more power than current base stations.  The main challenge of massive MIMO is the immense hardware complexity and cost of the base station—each element in the large antenna array needs to be individually controllable and therefore requires its own radio chain.  To make massive MIMO commercially viable, the base station has to be built from inexpensive simple hardware.  In this thesis, it is investigated how the use of low-end power amplifiers and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) affects the performance of massive MIMO.  In the study of the signal distortion from low-end amplifiers, it is shown that in-band distortion is negligible in massive MIMO and that out-of-band radiation is the limiting factor that decides what power efficiency the amplifiers can be operated at.  A precoder that produces transmit signals for the downlink with constant envelope in continuous time is presented to allow for highly power efficient low-end amplifiers.  Further, it is found that the out-of-band radiation is isotropic when the channel is frequency selective and when multiple users are served; and that it can be beamformed when the channel is frequency flat and when few users are served.  Since a massive MIMO base station radiates less power than today's base stations, isotropic out-of-band radiation means that low-end hardware with poorer linearity than required today can be used in massive MIMO.  It is also shown that using one-bit ADCs—the simplest and least power-hungry ADCs—at the base station only degrades the signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio of the system by approximately 4 dB when proper power allocation among users is done, which indicates that massive MIMO is resistant against coarse quantization and that low-end ADCs can be used. / Massiv-MIMO-basstationer (eng: Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) har visats, både i teori och praktik, besitta många av de egenskaper som framtida trådlösa kommunikationssystem kommer att behöva.  De kan tillhandahålla enhetligt höga datatakter i hela täckningsområdet och simultant betjäna flera enkla mobilenheter utan att använda bredare spektrum, tätare basstationsplacering eller betydligt mer effekt än dagens basstationer.  Huvudutmaningen med massiv MIMO är basstationens enorma hårdvarukomplexitet och -kostnad – varje element i den stora gruppantennen skall kunna kontrolleras individuellt och kräver sålunda sin egen radiokedja.  För att massiv MIMO skall bli kommersiellt attraktiv, måste basstationen byggas av billig, enkel hårdvara.  I denna avhandling undersöks hur enkla effektförstärkare och analog-till-digital-omvandlare (AD-omvandlare) påverkar massiv-MIMO-systemets prestanda.  I studien av signaldistorsionen från enkla förstärkare visas det att inband-distorsionen är försumbar i massiv MIMO och att utombandsstrålningen är den begränsande faktorn som bestämmer vid vilken verkningsgrad förstärkarna kan arbeta.  En förkodare som åstadkommer nerlänks-sändsignaler som har konstant envelopp i kontinuerlig tid presenteras för att möjliggöra användandet av enkla förstärkare med hög verkningsgrad.  Vidare konstateras det att utombandsstrålningen är isotrop när kanalen är frekvensselektiv och när flera användare betjänas; och att den kan lobformas när kanalen är frekvensflat och när få användare betjänas.  Eftersom en massiv-MIMO-basstation utstrålar mindre effekt än dagens basstationer, betyder isotrop utombandsstrålning att enkel hårdvara med sämre linearitet än vad som krävs idag kan användas i massiv MIMO.  Det visas även att användandet av enbits-AD-omvandlare – de enklaste och mest strömsnåla AD-omvandlarna – i basstationen endast minskar signal-till-interferens-och-brus-förhållandet med 4 dB när tillbörlig effektallokering mellan användarna utförs, vilket indikerar att massiv MIMO är motståndskraftig mot grov kvantisering och att enkla AD-omvandlare kan användas. / 大規模多輸入多輸出基站，無論從理論上或實際上，皆已經證明具有許多未來無線通訊系統所需的特質。比如：在其整個覆蓋區域均一地提供高數據傳輸速率、在同一時間頻率資源上服務多個簡單的終端設備，而無需佔用更多頻譜資源或更密集地部署基站，亦無需提高基站的功耗。實現大規模多入多出系统的主要挑戰在於硬件複雜度及基站成本——大規模天線陣列中的每一個天線元必須單獨可控，因此需要其自身的射頻鏈路。爲使大規模多入多出基站有商業吸引力，基站必須以簡單低成本的硬件來建造。本論文探討簡單的功率放大器與模擬數字轉換器對大規模多入多出性能的影響。對低端功放信號失真的研究表明，帶內失真對大規模多入多出的性能影響幾乎可以忽略，而帶外泄露是限制功放效率的決定因素。爲使用高功率效率低端功放，本文提出能產生具有恆定包絡連續時間信號的預編碼。本文指出，在頻率選擇性衰落信道上服務多個用戶時，帶外泄露呈現各向同性；而在平坦衰落信道上服務少數用戶時，帶外泄露可呈現波束賦形。由於大規模多入多出基站比現用基站輻射較少功率，帶外泄露各向同性意味著大規模多入多出基站可使用低端硬件，其線性要求不比現有基站的高。另外表明，如果進行合理的多用戶功率分配，基站使用單比特模擬數字轉換器——最簡單低耗的轉換器——僅使系統的信干噪比降低約４分貝。以此可見，大規模多入多出系統對非精確量比較穩定，低端模擬數字轉換器可於此類系統中使用。

The Swan Peak Formation in southeastern Idaho and north-central Utah is a sedimentary unit consisting of orthoquartzite, sandstone, siltite, shale, and limestone. The formation is divisible into three members, and the lower two members each are divisible into two informal lithologic subunits. The lower member consists of a lower subunit of gray, calcareous sandy siltite composed of subangular to subrounded quartz grains cemented by quartz overgrowths, calcite, or iron oxide, and an upper subunit of black shale with minor interbedded silty quartzose sandstone and biomicrite (limestone). The middle member consists of a lower subunit of interbedded pale green shale and yellowish brown silty orthoquartzite and an upper subunit of purple orthoquartzite. The brown orthoquartzite consists of well-sorted, well-rounded very fine sand- to silt-sized quartz grains cemented by quartz overgrowths which are in optical continuity with the grains they surround. The purple orthoquartzite consists of wellsorted, well-rounded, very fine to medium sand-sized quartz grains cemented by quartz overgrowths and hematite. Hematite gives the rock its purple color. gydroxylapatite is locally abundant. The upper member is an orthoquartzite consisting of very fine to medium sand-sized, well-sorted, well-rounded quartz grains cemented by quartz overgrowths. The gastropod Murchisonia (Hormotoma) sp., the first body fossil found in the upper member, is reported. Previous work has shown that the upper member of the Swan Peak Formation and the Eureka Quartzite are similar in lithology, stratigraphy, and trace fossils. The Eureka Quartzite in the Newfoundland Range is a very fine to medium sand-sized, well-sorted, well-rounded orthoquartzite cemented predominantly by quartz overgrowths, locally by dolomite. The petrographic similarities of the two units, shown in the present study, strengthens their proposed correlation. High percentages of well rounded, polycrystalline and undulatory extinction quartz show that source areas for the Eureka Quartzite and Swan Peak Formation probably were immature sandstones or quartzites of Cambrian or Precambrian age, and./or exposed igneous or metamorphic rocks. The source for most of the sand probably was the Northwest Montana Uplift, although local sources along the Uinta Uplift undoubtedly played a minor role in supplying hydroxylapatite to the middle member and fine-grained elastics to the lower member.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of chiselling and elemental sulfur fertilization in improving an upland and a swale range site with fine loamy, carbonatic, typic calcixeroll soils in the Ait Rbaa Perimeter of central Morocco. Ponding infiltration, soil water content on a mass basis of the 0- to 10-cm and 10- to 20-cm soil layers, peak season biomass production, and botanical composition were monitored during the two growing seasons following the treatments (1984/85 and 1985/86). Chiselling significantly improved infiltration on both sites, although the improvement was greater on the finer and less stony swale site, where chiselling resulted in more stable ridges. The land treatment also increased the average water content by weight of the 0- to 20-cm soil layer. The increase was more frequent on the upland site and most pronounced on its o- to 10-cm surface soil layer. In the chiselled treatments, average soil water content decreased with soil depth on the upland site while it increased on the swale site because of differential furrow stability and soil texture. Both the average infiltration rates of 5 cm of water and the average water content varied with sampling time, although generally in opposite directions. The application of elemental sulfur at the rates of 0, 30, and 60 kg ha-1 did not significantly affect any of the measured variables. Average peak season biomass production was 11% greater with chiselling. Chiselling also positively affected botanical composition on the upland site by depressing average forb proportion and increasing legume ratio in the first growing season. The gain in biomass does not seem to be high enough to strongly recommend chiselling in the Ait Rbaa Perimeter before performing an economic analysis of the operation.

The Swan Peak Formation in north-central Utah thickens westward, from zero feet near Logan to 687 feet in the Promontory Range. The unit is subdivided into three distinct members: 1) A lower member of interbedded shales, limestones, and quartzites; 2) A middle member of interbedded shales and brown quartzites; and 3) An upper member of white quartzites. The Swan Peak thins southward toward the east-west-trending Tooele Arch in the area of study; this thinning probably reflects both lesser deposition and greater subsequent erosion there than elsewhere. The lower member in northern Utah probably was deposited in shallow-shelf and/or transitional shorefaceshelf environments. The middle member represents shoreface to intertidal environments. Western miogeosynclinal equivalents of the lower and middle members are more carbonate-rich, the results of their more basinward position and thus greater distance from terrigenous sediment sources. The upper member was deposited in a shallow-shelf to intertidal environment by strong, predominantly south-flowing currents.

The Swan Peak Formation in the Bear River Range of northern Utah and southeastern Idaho varies in thickness from 0 feet to over 400 feet. It consists of three units: (1) a lower unit of interbedded quartzites, shales, and limestones; (2) A middle unit of interbedded quartzites and shales; (3) An upper unit of nearly homogeneous quartzites. The different sedimentary structures, ichnofossils, body fossils, and mineral compositions of each unit represent different environments of deposition. The lower unit probably was deposited in a shallow-shelf environment, and its sediments grade upward into probably shoreface-, tidal-flat-, and lagoonal deposits of the middle unit. The upper unit is believed to be a shallow-marine sand deposited by south-flowing currents. The lower and middle uits of the Swan Peak Formation consist of a progradational suite of nearshore lithologies formed during the regression of the sea that terminated the early Paleozoic Sauk Sequence. The formation lies disconformably beneath the Ordovician Fish Haven Dolomite, and rests conformably on the underlying Ordovician Garden City Formation. The upper and middle units thin eastward and south-eastward to a feather edge, whereas the lower unit is thickest along an east-west trending belt and thins northward and southward. The lower unit could be time-equivalent to the upper and middle units in the north. Possible estuarine deposits containing detrital hydroxyapatite suggest a local fluvial source in the southeast. The immediate source for much of the sand in the middle and upper units lay northward in Idaho. "Fucoidal markings" within the middle unit appear to be feeding burrows filled with reworked sediment that was consumed or searched for the organic content by littoral to sublittoral benthonic predators or scavengers, probably orthoconic cephalopods.

Wind storms pose dangerous threats to human lives and are an enormous drain on the economy. Their damage to buildings usually starts with the failure of structural components that are subjected to excessive wind loads. In this dissertation, we investigate the characteristics of extreme loads on low-rise structures through analysis of full-scale and numerical data. We also use numerical simulations to evaluate different approaches to control the separated flow over a surface-mounted prism with the objective of reducing extreme pressure coefficients or loads on its surface. In the first part, we use a probabilistic approach to characterize peak loads as measured on a subject house during Hurricane Ivan on 2004. Time series of pressure coefficients collected on the roof of that house are analyzed. Rather than using peak values, which could vary due to the stochastic nature of the data, a probabilistic analysis is used to determine the probability of non-exceedence of specific values of pressure coefficients and associated wind loads. The results show that the time series of the pressure coefficients follow a three-parameter Gamma distribution, while the peak pressure follows a two-parameter Gumbel distribution. The results of the analysis are contrasted with the design values. In the second part, we perform numerical simulations of the flow over a surface-mounted prism as a simplified example for the flow over a low-rise structure. A Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) code is developed to solve the unsteady two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations of the flow past the prism. The pressure coefficients are then computed on the prism surface in order to assess the wind loads. The code is written on a parallel platform using the Message Passing Interface (MPI) library. We use the simulations to study the effects of inflow disturbances on the extreme loads on structures. The sensitivities of peak loads on a surface mounted prism to variations in incident gust parameters are determined. Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) is applied to obtain different combinations of inflow parameters. A non-intrusive polynomial chaos expansion is then applied to determine the sensitivities. The results show that the gust enhances the destabilization of the separation shear layer, forces it to break down and moves it closer to the roof of the prism. As for the sensitivities, the results show that the extreme loads are most sensitive to the transverse amplitude of the disturbance. Because the separated flow over sharp edges is responsible for the extreme pressure peaks, we investigate the use of active and passive control strategies to reduce wind loads. The studied active flow control strategies include blowing, suction, and synthetic jets. We implement them by using different flux injections, different slot locations and different angles. Investigation of the possible peak pressure reduction for two Reynolds numbers is performed. For Re = 1000, a reduction by nearly 50% of the peak pressure is obtained. For Re = 10, 000, the highest achieved reduction is nearly 25%. For passive control, we mount a flexible membrane on the top of the prism. In a two-dimensional framework, the membrane equation is modeled by a forced string equation. This mechanical equation is coupled with the DNS solver and integrated in time using a fourth order Hamming predictor corrector scheme. The results show that this strategy is as efficient as the active control approach, in terms of reducing extreme loads, for Re = 10, 000. / Ph. D.