Variable-rate coding with constant BER for NOMA via multilevel IRA coding

In this correspondence paper, a variable-rate coding scheme is proposed for an uplink NOMA system. Specifically, each user employs a multilevel irregular repeat-accumulate (IRA) coding scheme, which consists of multiple common component IRA encoders. The variable-rate coding scheme is realized by flexibly adjusting the number of component IRA encoders allocated to each user. We design this common component IRA encoder based on extrinsic information transfer analysis to achieve an overall good multi-user decoding performance. The advantages of our proposed scheme are as follows: first, simple implementation of rate variation, second, flexible design of multilevel IRA coding, i.e., the well-designed component IRA encoders does not need to be re-designed when any user changes its rate, third, fair decoding convergence of each user, and finally, capacity-approaching performance.Accepted versio

RNA, the Epicenter of Genetic Information

The origin story and emergence of molecular biology is muddled. The early triumphs in bacterial genetics and the complexity of animal and plant genomes complicate an intricate history. This book documents the many advances, as well as the prejudices and founder fallacies. It highlights the premature relegation of RNA to simply an intermediate between gene and protein, the underestimation of the amount of information required to program the development of multicellular organisms, and the dawning realization that RNA is the cornerstone of cell biology, development, brain function and probably evolution itself. Key personalities, their hubris as well as prescient predictions are richly illustrated with quotes, archival material, photographs, diagrams and references to bring the people, ideas and discoveries to life, from the conceptual cradles of molecular biology to the current revolution in the understanding of genetic information. Key Features Documents the confused early history of DNA, RNA and proteins - a transformative history of molecular biology like no other. Integrates the influences of biochemistry and genetics on the landscape of molecular biology. Chronicles the important discoveries, preconceptions and misconceptions that retarded or misdirected progress. Highlights major pioneers and contributors to molecular biology, with a focus on RNA and noncoding DNA. Summarizes the mounting evidence for the central roles of non-protein-coding RNA in cell and developmental biology. Provides a thought-provoking retrospective and forward-looking perspective for advanced students and professional researchers

Analysis of chromosome condensation in saccharomyces.

Eukaryotic chromosomes reach their stable rod-shaped appearance in mitosis in a reaction dependent on the evolutionarily conserved condensin complex. It is currently unknown how and where condensin associates with chromosomes. Here, we analyse condensin binding to budding yeast chromosomes by immunoprecipitation followed by hybridization on high resolution oligonucleotide tiling arrays. We observe that condensin binding sites coincide with those of the RNA polymerase III transcription factor TFIIIC and the loading factor Scc2/4 of the related cohesin complex. Both TOc and Scc2/4 facilitate condensin loading onto chromosomes. An isolated ectopic B box motif is sufficient to prime formation of a condensin binding site. While cohesin translocates away from these loading sites, condensin persists there. This defines the loading sites of cohesin and condensin and explains how an alternating pattern of these complexes along chromosomes is established. The findings have important implications for the fields of chromosome segregegation and nuclear structure in interphase and mitosis. The identification of SMC loading sites will allow targeted probing of eukaryotic chromosomes. Beside condensation, mitotic chromosome segregation also depends on the chromosomal condensin complex. Without condensin, sister chromatids fail to resolve causing anaphase bridges and chromosome breakage. How condensin promotes sister chromatid resolution is unknown. We have used the budding yeast rDNA as a model locus, whose segregation depends on condensin activity during anaphase. We show that anaphase bridges in a condensin mutant are resolved by ectopic expression of a foreign (Chlorella vims) but not endogenous yeast topoisomerase II (topo II). This suggests that catenation prevents sister rDNA segregation, and that yeast topo II is ineffective in decatenating the rDNA in the absence of condensin. We furthermore find that expression of Chlorella virus topo II in wild type cells advances the normally late segregation timing of the rDNA locus. This suggests catenation is a mean for the cell to provide rDNA cohesion up to late anaphase, when condensin promotes decatenation. This provides the first direct evidence of condensin's role in the disengagement of topologically connected sister chromatids

Commitment, Capacity, and Community: The Politics of Multilevel Health Reform in Spain and Brazil

Inequality is a primary concern for many social and political actors, yet often the distributive profile of society seems over-determined by structure and institutions. Federalism, ethnic heterogeneity, and greater numbers of veto actors are near universally associated with higher levels of inequality and less generous public support for the most vulnerable members of society. A key challenge for scholars has been unpacking multilevel governance and empirically assessing the way the territorial distribution of authority interacts with other forces that determine policies, inhibiting clear theorizing about why and how particular territorial arrangements matter for distributive outcomes. In this dissertation I choose two "hard" cases in which we would not expect equity-enhancing social policy reforms and assess a similar attempt at universal health reform in both cases. Spain and Brazil share long histories of authoritarian rule, ethno-linguistic or racial heterogeneity, lack of fiscal capacity, and asymmetry in the territorial distribution of authority. Spain has been more successful than Brazil at establishing a universal health system that is efficient, sustainable, and broadly supported in society. In both cases the role of structural factors has been significant, yet I argue that particular constellations of ideological commitment at multiple levels of government and at key moments in the reform process, combined with fiscal and administrative capacity, explain much of the difference in outcomes. I take a mixed-method approach, using statistical and comparative historical analysis and assessing variation both between and within the countries.Doctor of Philosoph

The Cloud-to-Thing Continuum

The Internet of Things offers massive societal and economic opportunities while at the same time significant challenges, not least the delivery and management of the technical infrastructure underpinning it, the deluge of data generated from it, ensuring privacy and security, and capturing value from it. This Open Access Pivot explores these challenges, presenting the state of the art and future directions for research but also frameworks for making sense of this complex area. This book provides a variety of perspectives on how technology innovations such as fog, edge and dew computing, 5G networks, and distributed intelligence are making us rethink conventional cloud computing to support the Internet of Things. Much of this book focuses on technical aspects of the Internet of Things, however, clear methodologies for mapping the business value of the Internet of Things are still missing. We provide a value mapping framework for the Internet of Things to address this gap. While there is much hype about the Internet of Things, we have yet to reach the tipping point. As such, this book provides a timely entrée for higher education educators, researchers and students, industry and policy makers on the technologies that promise to reshape how society interacts and operates

Task Allocation in Foraging Robot Swarms:The Role of Information Sharing

Autonomous task allocation is a desirable feature of robot swarms that collect and deliver items in scenarios where congestion, caused by accumulated items or robots, can temporarily interfere with swarm behaviour. In such settings, self-regulation of workforce can prevent unnecessary energy consumption. We explore two types of self-regulation: non-social, where robots become idle upon experiencing congestion, and social, where robots broadcast information about congestion to their team mates in order to socially inhibit foraging. We show that while both types of self-regulation can lead to improved energy efficiency and increase the amount of resource collected, the speed with which information about congestion flows through a swarm affects the scalability of these algorithms