Near-capacity FEC codes for non-regenerative MIMO-aided relays

In this contribution, we derive the Discrete-inputContinuous-output Memoryless Channel (DCMC) capacity of the non-regenerative Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) relay channel, when the source-to-destination link is inferior and hence considered absent. We design near-capacity Forward Error Correction (FEC) codes for approaching this capacity limit. It is shown that our design is capable of approaching the DCMC capacity within 0.4 dB, when communicating over uncorrelated Raleigh fading channels, where the source node, relay node and destination node are equipped with two antennas each

Trypsin Isoinhibitors with Antiproliferative Activity toward Leukemia Cells from Phaseolus vulgaris cv “White Cloud Bean”

A purification protocol that comprised ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, affinity chromatography on Affi-gel blue gel, ion exchange chromatography on SP-Sepharose, and gel filtration by FPLC on Superdex 75 was complied to isolate two trypsin inhibitors from Phaseolus vulgaris cv “White Cloud Bean”. Both trypsin inhibitors exhibited a molecular mass of 16 kDa and reduced the activity of trypsin with an IC50 value of about 0.6 μM. Dithiothreitol attenuated the trypsin inhibitory activity, signifying that an intact disulfide bond is indispensable to the activity. [Methyl-3H] thymidine incorporation by leukemia L1210 cells was inhibited with an IC50 value of 28.8 μM and 21.5 μM, respectively. They were lacking in activity toward lymphoma MBL2 cells and inhibitory effect on HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and fungal growth when tested up to 100 μM

Low Frequency Quantum Transport in a Three-probe Mesoscopic Conductor

The low frequency quantum transport properties of a three-probe mesoscopic conductor are studied using B\"uttiker's AC transport formalism. The static transmission coefficients and emittance matrix of the system were computed by explicitly evaluating the various partial density of states (PDOS). We have investigated the finite size effect of the scattering volume on the global PDOS. By increasing the scattering volume we observed a gradual improvement in the agreement of the total DOS as computed externally or locally. Our numerical data permits a particular fitting form of the finite size effect.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Poly[[diaqua­(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)(μ3-4-sulfonato­benzene-1,2-dicarboxyl­ato-κ4 O 1:O 2 ,O 2′:O 4)dysprosium(III)] dihydrate]

The 4-sulfophthalate trianion in the polymeric title complex, {[Dy(C8H3O7S)(C12H8N2)(H2O)2]·2H2O}n, bridges three water/phenanthroline-coordinated DyIII atoms to form a three-dimensional network architecture. The metal atom is further chelated by a carboxyl­ate group and is covalently bonded to a monodentate carboxyl­ate group and to a monodentate sulfonate group in a distorted square-anti­prismatic geometry. The coordinating and the solvent water mol­ecules are hydrogen bonded to the network. In the crystal, one solvent water mol­ecule is disordered over two positions [major component = 59 (3)%]

Stochastic Variance Reduced Gradient for affine rank minimization problem

We develop an efficient stochastic variance reduced gradient descent algorithm to solve the affine rank minimization problem consists of finding a matrix of minimum rank from linear measurements. The proposed algorithm as a stochastic gradient descent strategy enjoys a more favorable complexity than full gradients. It also reduces the variance of the stochastic gradient at each iteration and accelerate the rate of convergence. We prove that the proposed algorithm converges linearly in expectation to the solution under a restricted isometry condition. The numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithm has a clearly advantageous balance of efficiency, adaptivity, and accuracy compared with other state-of-the-art greedy algorithms

Bis(acetone 4-phenyl­thio­semi­carbazonato-κ2 N 1,S)zinc(II)

The ZnII atom in the title compound, [Zn(C10H12N3S)2], is N,S-chelated by the deprotonated Schiff base in a tetra­hedral environment. The metal atom lies on a twofold rotation axis that relates one anion to the other. The amino H atom forms an intermolecular N—H⋯π inter­action to an aromatic ring

Cartilage Development and Maturation In Vitro and In Vivo

The articular cartilage has a limited capacity to regenerate. Cartilage lesions often result in degeneration, leading to osteoarthritis. Current treatments are mostly palliative and reparative, and fail to restore cartilage function in the long term due to the replacement of hyaline cartilage with fibrocartilage. Although a stem-cell based approach towards regenerating the articular cartilage is attractive, cartilage generated from human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) often lack the function, organization and stability of the native cartilage. Thus, there is a need to develop effective methods to engineer physiologic cartilage tissues from hMSCs in vitro and assess their outcomes in vivo. This dissertation focused on three coordinated aims: establish a simple in vivo model for studying the maturation of osteochondral tissues by showing that subcutaneous implantation in a mouse recapitulates native endochondral ossification (Aim 1), (ii) develop a robust method for engineering physiologic cartilage discs from self-assembling hMSCs (Aim 2), and (iii) improve the organization and stability of cartilage discs by implementing spatiotemporal control during induction in vitro (Aim 3). First, the usefulness of subcutaneous implantation in mice for studying the development and maintenance of osteochondral tissues in vivo was determined. By studying juvenile bovine osteochondral tissues, similarities in the profiles of endochondral ossification between the native and ectopic processes were observed. Next, the effects of extracellular matrix (ECM) coating and culture regimen on cartilage formation from self-assembling hMSCs were investigated. Membrane ECM coating and seeding density were important determinants of cartilage disc formation. Cartilage discs were functional and stratified, resembling the native articular cartilage. Comparing cartilage discs and pellets, compositional and organizational differences were identified in vitro and in vivo. Prolonged chondrogenic induction in vitro did not prevent, but expedited endochondral ossification of the discs in vivo. Finally, spatiotemporal regulation during induction of self-assembling hMSCs promoted the formation of functional, organized and stable hyaline cartilage discs. Selective induction regimens in dual compartment culture enabled the maintenance of hyaline cartilage and potentiated deep zone mineralization. Cartilage grown under spatiotemporal regulation retained zonal organization without loss of cartilage markers expression in vivo. Instead, cartilage discs grown under isotropic induction underwent extensive endochondral ossification. Together, the methods established in this dissertation for investigating cartilage maturation in vivo and directing hMSCs towards generating physiologic cartilage in vitro form a basis for guiding the development of new treatment modalities for osteochondral defects

Culture and state boredom: A comparison between European Canadians and Chinese

The primary goal of the present research was to examine cross-cultural validity of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS) by comparing a European Canadian sample and a Chinese sample. The secondary goal was to explore cross-cultural differences in the actual experience of boredom between European Canadian and Chinese participants when they completed a psychological survey. After establishing cross-cultural validity of the MSBS by eliminating items that functioned differentially across the two cultural groups, we found that European Canadians scored higher on the MSBS than did Chinese. Results are consistent with the literature on cultural differences in ideal affect, such that European North Americans (vs. East Asians) tend to value high-arousal positive affects (e.g., excitement) more, and low-arousal positive affect less (Tsai, Knutson, & Fung, 2006)