Using Short Synchronous WOM Codes to Make WOM Codes Decodable

In the framework of write-once memory (WOM) codes, it is important to distinguish between codes that can be decoded directly and those that require that the decoder knows the current generation to successfully decode the state of the memory. A widely used approach to construct WOM codes is to design first nondecodable codes that approach the boundaries of the capacity region, and then make them decodable by appending additional cells that store the current generation, at an expense of a rate loss. In this paper, we propose an alternative method to make nondecodable WOM codes decodable by appending cells that also store some additional data. The key idea is to append to the original (nondecodable) code a short synchronous WOM code and write generations of the original code and of the synchronous code simultaneously. We consider both the binary and the nonbinary case. Furthermore, we propose a construction of synchronous WOM codes, which are then used to make nondecodable codes decodable. For short-to-moderate block lengths, the proposed method significantly reduces the rate loss as compared to the standard method.Comment: To appear in IEEE Transactions on Communications. The material in this paper was presented in part at the 2012 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory, Cambridge, MA, July 201

Signal Processing for Caching Networks and Non-volatile Memories

The recent information explosion has created a pressing need for faster and more reliable data storage and transmission schemes. This thesis focuses on two systems: caching networks and non-volatile storage systems. It proposes network protocols to improve the efficiency of information delivery and signal processing schemes to reduce errors at the physical layer as well. This thesis first investigates caching and delivery strategies for content delivery networks. Caching has been investigated as a useful technique to reduce the network burden by prefetching some contents during o˙-peak hours. Coded caching [1] proposed by Maddah-Ali and Niesen is the foundation of our algorithms and it has been shown to be a useful technique which can reduce peak traffic rates by encoding transmissions so that different users can extract different information from the same packet. Content delivery networks store information distributed across multiple servers, so as to balance the load and avoid unrecoverable losses in case of node or disk failures. On one hand, distributed storage limits the capability of combining content from different servers into a single message, causing performance losses in coded caching schemes. But, on the other hand, the inherent redundancy existing in distributed storage systems can be used to improve the performance of those schemes through parallelism. This thesis proposes a scheme combining distributed storage of the content in multiple servers and an efficient coded caching algorithm for delivery to the users. This scheme is shown to reduce the peak transmission rate below that of state-of-the-art algorithms

Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8

Background: Transgender healthcare is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field. In the last decade, there has been an unprecedented increase in the number and visibility of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people seeking support and gender-affirming medical treatment in parallel with a significant rise in the scientific literature in this area. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is an international, multidisciplinary, professional association whose mission is to promote evidence-based care, education, research, public policy, and respect in transgender health. One of the main functions of WPATH is to promote the highest standards of health care for TGD people through the Standards of Care (SOC). The SOC was initially developed in 1979 and the last version (SOC-7) was published in 2012. In view of the increasing scientific evidence, WPATH commissioned a new version of the Standards of Care, the SOC-8. Aim: The overall goal of SOC-8 is to provide health care professionals (HCPs) with clinical guidance to assist TGD people in accessing safe and effective pathways to achieving lasting personal comfort with their gendered selves with the aim of optimizing their overall physical health, psychological well-being, and self-fulfillment. Methods: The SOC-8 is based on the best available science and expert professional consensus in transgender health. International professionals and stakeholders were selected to serve on the SOC-8 committee. Recommendation statements were developed based on data derived from independent systematic literature reviews, where available, background reviews and expert opinions. Grading of recommendations was based on the available evidence supporting interventions, a discussion of risks and harms, as well as the feasibility and acceptability within different contexts and country settings. Results: A total of 18 chapters were developed as part of the SOC-8. They contain recommendations for health care professionals who provide care and treatment for TGD people. Each of the recommendations is followed by explanatory text with relevant references. General areas related to transgender health are covered in the chapters Terminology, Global Applicability, Population Estimates, and Education. The chapters developed for the diverse population of TGD people include Assessment of Adults, Adolescents, Children, Nonbinary, Eunuchs, and Intersex Individuals, and people living in Institutional Environments. Finally, the chapters related to gender-affirming treatment are Hormone Therapy, Surgery and Postoperative Care, Voice and Communication, Primary Care, Reproductive Health, Sexual Health, and Mental Health. Conclusions: The SOC-8 guidelines are intended to be flexible to meet the diverse health care needs of TGD people globally. While adaptable, they offer standards for promoting optimal health care and guidance for the treatment of people experiencing gender incongruence. As in all previous versions of the SOC, the criteria set forth in this document for gender-affirming medical interventions are clinical guidelines; individual health care professionals and programs may modify these in consultation with the TGD person

a tumblr book

"This book takes an extensive look at the many different types of users and cultures that comprise the popular social media platform Tumblr. Though it does not receive nearly as much attention as other social media such as Twitter or Facebook, Tumblr and its users have been hugely influential in creating and shifting popular culture, especially progressive youth culture, with the New York Times referring to 2014 as the dawning of the “age of Tumblr activism.”   Perfect for those unfamiliar with the platform as well as those who grew up on it, this volume contains essays and artwork that span many different topics: fandom; platform structure and design; race, gender and sexuality, including queer and trans identities; aesthetics; disability and mental health; and social media privacy and ethics. An entire generation of young people that is now beginning to influence mass culture and politics came of age on Tumblr, and this volume is an indispensable guide to the many ways this platform works.

Quinceañera: Girls’ Coming-of-Age Rituals in Contemporary Havana, Cuba

In this chapter, the author explores the phenomenon of flamboyant girls’ fifteenth birthday parties (quinceañeras) as a gender–specific ritual. The author discusses the ways that this life–cycle ritual celebrates the girl’s entry into sexual adulthood, portrays her as an object of heterosexual desire, while simultaneously granting the girls ritual and exotic agency. The author concludes that contemporary quinceañera rituals also reflect the island’s recent political and economic turn toward a more capitalist society and displays the growing racialized and gendered inequalities on the island.Peer reviewe

How Do Nonprofits Increase Civic Engagement? Testing A Model Of Online And Offline Advocacy And Activism.

The current landscape of Americans’ civic engagement has changed and taken new forms that are strongly impacted by the internet and social media communication. This dynamic can potentially influence nonprofit organizational effectiveness and nonprofit public relations strategies, yet it lacks in-depth scholarly investigation and understanding. Therefore, this dissertation sought to understand public support behaviors from the general population toward nonprofits, considering four different modes of civic engagement activities and three geographic levels of nonprofit organizations. Specifically, this dissertation introduced a conceptual model to explain individual factors that lead Americans to engage in online and offline advocacy and activism through and on behalf of nonprofits combating food insecurity at the local, national, and global levels. This project laid its foundation in the Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS) and undertook a national online survey with an experimental manipulation embedded in it. The data collected were mainly analyzed through OLS regression and serial multiple mediation techniques. Results of this study indicate that the proposed conceptual model successfully explains how Americans arrive at the four categories of civic engagement behaviors and demonstrate that Americans do not exhibit significant differences in civic engagement intent across the three levels of analysis (local, national, or global)

Gender and the Violence(s) of War and Armed Conflict

Drawing on historical and contemporary case studies, Gender and the Violence(s) of War and Armed Conflict delves into visual as well as text-based materials to unpack gender-based violence(s) perpetrated and experienced by both genders within and beyond the conflict zone. Considering examples of old and new wars ranging from the Holocaust, the 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh; and the armed conflicts in the DRC, Iraq, Syria and Darfur, this book uncovers sexualised, genocidal and reproductive violence against both genders. Crucially, the author showcases examples of male victimisation, and thus redresses gaps within the literature. In particular, as part of an original gendered analysis of the war on terror, Banwell unpacks women’s involvement in sexual violence against male prisoners at Abu Ghraib. By going beyond instances of interpersonal violence, and looking additionally at structural forms of gender-based violence, state violence, institutional violence and climate variability, this book broadens our understanding of both the causes and consequences of modern conflicts. Through her critique of gender essentialism, the author challenges gendered notions of who ‘is dangerous’ and who is ‘in danger’ during war/armed conflict. Eclectic in its approach, and multi-disciplinary in scope, Banwell’s text is illuminating reading for academics, students and professionals working with war-affected populations

Gender and the Violence(s) of War and Armed Conflict

Drawing on historical and contemporary case studies, Gender and the Violence(s) of War and Armed Conflict delves into visual as well as text-based materials to unpack gender-based violence(s) perpetrated and experienced by both genders within and beyond the conflict zone. Considering examples of old and new wars ranging from the Holocaust, the 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh; and the armed conflicts in the DRC, Iraq, Syria and Darfur, this book uncovers sexualised, genocidal and reproductive violence against both genders. Crucially, the author showcases examples of male victimisation, and thus redresses gaps within the literature. In particular, as part of an original gendered analysis of the war on terror, Banwell unpacks women’s involvement in sexual violence against male prisoners at Abu Ghraib. By going beyond instances of interpersonal violence, and looking additionally at structural forms of gender-based violence, state violence, institutional violence and climate variability, this book broadens our understanding of both the causes and consequences of modern conflicts. Through her critique of gender essentialism, the author challenges gendered notions of who ‘is dangerous’ and who is ‘in danger’ during war/armed conflict. Eclectic in its approach, and multi-disciplinary in scope, Banwell’s text is illuminating reading for academics, students and professionals working with war-affected populations