182 research outputs found
Error Floor Analysis of Coded Slotted ALOHA over Packet Erasure Channels
We present a framework for the analysis of the error floor of coded slotted
ALOHA (CSA) for finite frame lengths over the packet erasure channel. The error
floor is caused by stopping sets in the corresponding bipartite graph, whose
enumeration is, in general, not a trivial problem. We therefore identify the
most dominant stopping sets for the distributions of practical interest. The
derived analytical expressions allow us to accurately predict the error floor
at low to moderate channel loads and characterize the unequal error protection
inherent in CSA
Broadcast Coded Slotted ALOHA: A Finite Frame Length Analysis
We propose an uncoordinated medium access control (MAC) protocol, called
all-to-all broadcast coded slotted ALOHA (B-CSA) for reliable all-to-all
broadcast with strict latency constraints. In B-CSA, each user acts as both
transmitter and receiver in a half-duplex mode. The half-duplex mode gives rise
to a double unequal error protection (DUEP) phenomenon: the more a user repeats
its packet, the higher the probability that this packet is decoded by other
users, but the lower the probability for this user to decode packets from
others. We analyze the performance of B-CSA over the packet erasure channel for
a finite frame length. In particular, we provide a general analysis of stopping
sets for B-CSA and derive an analytical approximation of the performance in the
error floor (EF) region, which captures the DUEP feature of B-CSA. Simulation
results reveal that the proposed approximation predicts very well the
performance of B-CSA in the EF region. Finally, we consider the application of
B-CSA to vehicular communications and compare its performance with that of
carrier sense multiple access (CSMA), the current MAC protocol in vehicular
networks. The results show that B-CSA is able to support a much larger number
of users than CSMA with the same reliability.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1501.0338
All-to-all Broadcast for Vehicular Networks Based on Coded Slotted ALOHA
We propose an uncoordinated all-to-all broadcast protocol for periodic
messages in vehicular networks based on coded slotted ALOHA (CSA). Unlike
classical CSA, each user acts as both transmitter and receiver in a half-duplex
mode. As in CSA, each user transmits its packet several times. The half-duplex
mode gives rise to an interesting design trade-off: the more the user repeats
its packet, the higher the probability that this packet is decoded by other
users, but the lower the probability for this user to decode packets from
others. We compare the proposed protocol with carrier sense multiple access
with collision avoidance, currently adopted as a multiple access protocol for
vehicular networks. The results show that the proposed protocol greatly
increases the number of users in the network that reliably communicate with
each other. We also provide analytical tools to predict the performance of the
proposed protocol.Comment: v2: small typos fixe
Unequal Error Protection in Coded Slotted ALOHA
We analyze the performance of coded slotted ALOHA systems for a scenario
where users have different error protection requirements and correspondingly
can be divided into user classes. The main goal is to design the system so that
the requirements for each class are satisfied. To that end, we derive
analytical error floor approximations of the packet loss rate for each class in
the finite frame length regime, as well as the density evolution in the
asymptotic case. Based on this analysis, we propose a heuristic approach for
the optimization of the degree distributions to provide the required unequal
error protection. In addition, we analyze the decoding delay for users in
different classes and show that better protected users experience a smaller
average decoding delay
Probabilistic Handshake in All-to-all Broadcast Coded Slotted ALOHA
We propose a probabilistic handshake mechanism for all-to-all broadcast coded
slotted ALOHA. We consider a fully connected network where each user acts as
both transmitter and receiver in a half-duplex mode. Users attempt to exchange
messages with each other and to establish one-to-one handshakes, in the sense
that each user decides whether its packet was successfully received by the
other users: After performing decoding, each user estimates in which slots the
resolved users transmitted their packets and, based on that, decides if these
users successfully received its packet. The simulation results show that the
proposed handshake algorithm allows the users to reliably perform the
handshake. The paper also provides some analytical bounds on the performance of
the proposed algorithm which are in good agreement with the simulation results
Climate change adaptation in European river basins
This paper contains an assessment and standardized comparative analysis of the current water management regimes in four case-studies in three European river basins: the Hungarian part of the Upper Tisza, the Ukrainian part of the Upper Tisza (also called Zacarpathian Tisza), Alentejo Region (including the Alqueva Reservoir) in the Lower Guadiana in Portugal, and Rivierenland in the Netherlands. The analysis comprises several regime elements considered to be important in adaptive and integrated water management: agency, awareness raising and education, type of governance and cooperation structures, information management and—exchange, policy development and—implementation, risk management, and finances and cost recovery. This comparative analysis has an explorative character intended to identify general patterns in adaptive and integrated water management and to determine its role in coping with the impacts of climate change on floods and droughts. The results show that there is a strong interdependence of the elements within a water management regime, and as such this interdependence is a stabilizing factor in current management regimes. For example, this research provides evidence that a lack of joint/participative knowledge is an important obstacle for cooperation, or vice versa. We argue that there is a two-way relationship between information management and collaboration. Moreover, this research suggests that bottom-up governance is not a straightforward solution to water management problems in large-scale, complex, multiple-use systems, such as river basins. Instead, all the regimes being analyzed are in a process of finding a balance between bottom-up and top–down governance. Finally, this research shows that in a basin where one type of extreme is dominant—like droughts in the Alentejo (Portugal) and floods in Rivierenland (Netherlands)—the potential impacts of other extremes are somehow ignored or not perceived with the urgency they might deserv
Efficient RT-QuIC seeding activity for \u3b1-synuclein in olfactory mucosa samples of patients with Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy
Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder whose diagnosis is often challenging because symptoms may overlap with neurodegenerative parkinsonisms. PD is characterized by intraneuronal accumulation of abnormal \u3b1-synuclein in brainstem while neurodegenerative parkinsonisms might be associated with accumulation of either \u3b1-synuclein, as in the case of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) or tau, as in the case of Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), in other disease-specific brain regions. Definite diagnosis of all these diseases can be formulated only neuropathologically by detection and localization of \u3b1-synuclein or tau aggregates in the brain. Compelling evidence suggests that trace-amount of these proteins can appear in peripheral tissues, including receptor neurons of the olfactory mucosa (OM). Methods: We have set and standardized the experimental conditions to extend the ultrasensitive Real Time Quaking Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay for OM analysis. In particular, by using human recombinant \u3b1-synuclein as substrate of reaction, we have assessed the ability of OM collected from patients with clinical diagnoses of PD and MSA to induce \u3b1-synuclein aggregation, and compared their seeding ability to that of OM samples collected from patients with clinical diagnoses of CBD and PSP. Results: Our results showed that a significant percentage of MSA and PD samples induced \u3b1-synuclein aggregation with high efficiency, but also few samples of patients with the clinical diagnosis of CBD and PSP caused the same effect. Notably, the final RT-QuIC aggregates obtained from MSA and PD samples owned peculiar biochemical and morphological features potentially enabling their discrimination. Conclusions: Our study provide the proof-of-concept that olfactory mucosa samples collected from patients with PD and MSA possess important seeding activities for \u3b1-synuclein. Additional studies are required for (i) estimating sensitivity and specificity of the technique and for (ii) evaluating its application for the diagnosis of PD and neurodegenerative parkinsonisms. RT-QuIC analyses of OM and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can be combined with the aim of increasing the overall diagnostic accuracy of these diseases, especially in the early stages
A systematic review of studies measuring and reporting hearing aid usage in older adults since 1999: a descriptive summary of measurement tools
Objective: A systematic review was conducted to identify and quality assess how studies published since 1999 have
measured and reported the usage of hearing aids in older adults. The relationship between usage and other dimensions of hearing aid outcome, age and hearing loss are summarised.
Data sources: Articles were identified through systematic searches in PubMed/MEDLINE, The University of Nottingham
Online Catalogue, Web of Science and through reference checking. Study eligibility criteria: (1) participants aged fifty years or over with sensori-neural hearing loss, (2) provision of an air conduction hearing aid, (3) inclusion of hearing aid usage measure(s) and (4) published between 1999 and 2011.
Results: Of the initial 1933 papers obtained from the searches, a total of 64 were found eligible for review and were quality assessed on six dimensions: study design, choice of outcome instruments, level of reporting (usage, age, and audiometry) and cross validation of usage measures. Five papers were rated as being of high quality (scoring 10–12), 35 papers were rated as being of moderate quality (scoring 7–9), 22 as low quality (scoring 4–6) and two as very low quality (scoring 0–2). Fifteen different methods were identified for assessing the usage of hearing aids.
Conclusions: Generally, the usage data reviewed was not well specified. There was a lack of consistency and robustness in
the way that usage of hearing aids was assessed and categorised. There is a need for more standardised level of reporting of hearing aid usage data to further understand the relationship between usage and hearing aid outcomes
Cervico-vaginal immunoglobulin g levels increase post-ovulation independently of neutrophils
The prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is often higher in females than in males. Although the reproductive cycle profoundly modulates local immunity in the female reproductive tract (FRT) system, significant gaps in our knowledge of the immunobiology of the FRT still exist. An intriguing and frequently observed characteristic of the FRT is the predominant presence of immunoglobulin (Ig) G in cervico-vaginal secretions. We show here that in the mouse, IgG accumulation was enhanced approximately 5-fold post-ovulation, and was accompanied by an influx of neutrophils into the FRT. To determine whether these two events were causally related, we performed short-term neutrophil depletion experiments at individual stages throughout the estrous cycle. Our results demonstrate that neutrophils were not necessary for cycle-dependent tissue remodeling and cycle progression and that cycle-dependent IgG accumulation occurred independent of neutrophils. We thus conclude that neutrophil influx and IgG accumulation are independent events that occur in the FRT during the reproductive cycle
Effect of fluoride-containing desensitizing agents on the bond strength of resin-based cements to dentin
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