27,101 research outputs found
Linear systems analysis program, L224(QR). Volume 1: Engineering and usage
The QR computer program is described as well as its use in classical control systems analysis and synthesis (root locus, time response, and frequency response)
Interference Alignment in Regenerating Codes for Distributed Storage: Necessity and Code Constructions
Regenerating codes are a class of recently developed codes for distributed
storage that, like Reed-Solomon codes, permit data recovery from any arbitrary
k of n nodes. However regenerating codes possess in addition, the ability to
repair a failed node by connecting to any arbitrary d nodes and downloading an
amount of data that is typically far less than the size of the data file. This
amount of download is termed the repair bandwidth. Minimum storage regenerating
(MSR) codes are a subclass of regenerating codes that require the least amount
of network storage; every such code is a maximum distance separable (MDS) code.
Further, when a replacement node stores data identical to that in the failed
node, the repair is termed as exact.
The four principal results of the paper are (a) the explicit construction of
a class of MDS codes for d = n-1 >= 2k-1 termed the MISER code, that achieves
the cut-set bound on the repair bandwidth for the exact-repair of systematic
nodes, (b) proof of the necessity of interference alignment in exact-repair MSR
codes, (c) a proof showing the impossibility of constructing linear,
exact-repair MSR codes for d < 2k-3 in the absence of symbol extension, and (d)
the construction, also explicit, of MSR codes for d = k+1. Interference
alignment (IA) is a theme that runs throughout the paper: the MISER code is
built on the principles of IA and IA is also a crucial component to the
non-existence proof for d < 2k-3. To the best of our knowledge, the
constructions presented in this paper are the first, explicit constructions of
regenerating codes that achieve the cut-set bound.Comment: 38 pages, 12 figures, submitted to the IEEE Transactions on
Information Theory;v3 - The title has been modified to better reflect the
contributions of the submission. The paper is extensively revised with
several carefully constructed figures and example
Explicit Construction of Optimal Exact Regenerating Codes for Distributed Storage
Erasure coding techniques are used to increase the reliability of distributed
storage systems while minimizing storage overhead. Also of interest is
minimization of the bandwidth required to repair the system following a node
failure. In a recent paper, Wu et al. characterize the tradeoff between the
repair bandwidth and the amount of data stored per node. They also prove the
existence of regenerating codes that achieve this tradeoff.
In this paper, we introduce Exact Regenerating Codes, which are regenerating
codes possessing the additional property of being able to duplicate the data
stored at a failed node. Such codes require low processing and communication
overheads, making the system practical and easy to maintain. Explicit
construction of exact regenerating codes is provided for the minimum bandwidth
point on the storage-repair bandwidth tradeoff, relevant to
distributed-mail-server applications. A subspace based approach is provided and
shown to yield necessary and sufficient conditions on a linear code to possess
the exact regeneration property as well as prove the uniqueness of our
construction.
Also included in the paper, is an explicit construction of regenerating codes
for the minimum storage point for parameters relevant to storage in
peer-to-peer systems. This construction supports a variable number of nodes and
can handle multiple, simultaneous node failures. All constructions given in the
paper are of low complexity, requiring low field size in particular.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, in the Proceedings of Allerton Conference on
Communication, Control and Computing, September 200
Effect of glycemic control on albumin excretion in urine in diabetics
Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is commonest endocrine disorder worldwide. It is associated with variety of complications such as retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy. The severity of the complications depends on treatment strategies, duration of diabetes and glycemic control. Microalbuminuria (MA) is an earliest predictor of nephropathy in patients of diabetic nephropathy and Diabetic Nephropathy is most common cause for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) worldwide. It accounts for >40% of patients with ESRD.Methods: The present study investigated effect of glycemic control on microalbuminuria. We studied 150 diabetic patients with duration of diabetes more than 3 years. Investigations like glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and fasting blood glucose were carried out to evaluate glycemic control and albumin in urine to evaluate early renal involvement.Results: Out of 150 patients included in the study, 107 had poor glycemic control and 33 patients had good glycemic control. The HbA1C less than 7% is taken as cut off point for control of diabetes. The mean value of albumin in urine was 34.5 mg/L in the group of diabetics with good glycemic control and the same was 60.7 mg/L in the group of diabetics with poor glycemic control and this change was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: It is concluded that those patients with good glycemic control have decreased risk of developing microalbuminuria.
Participatory Ranking of Fodders in the Western Hills of Nepal
Fodder is an important source of feed of the ruminants in Nepal. In the mid hills of Nepal, farmers generally practice integrated farming system that combines crop cultivation with livestock husbandry and agroforestry. Tree fodders are good sources of protein during the forage and green grass scarcity periods especially in dry season. Local communities possess indigenous knowledge for the selection of grasses and tree fodders at different seasons in mid hills of western Nepal. A study was conducted on the perception of farmers with respect to selection of fodder species in eight clusters in Kaski and Lumjung districts that range 900-2000 meter above sea level and receive average precipitation of 2000- 4500mm per annum. During the fodder preference ranking, farmers prepared the inventory of fodders found around the villages and nearby forests and selected top ten most important fodders in terms of their availability, palatability, fodder yield, milk yield and milk fat yield. In total, 23 top ranking fodders species were selected from the eight clusters. These fodder species were also ranked using pairwise ranking and weighted scoring methods and ranking was done on the basis of merit numbers obtained from weighted scores. The analysis revealed Artocarpus lakoocha as best tree fodder followed by Ficus semicordata, Thysanolena maxima and Ficus calvata. Similarly, the calendar of fodders trees for lopping season and the best feeding time was prepared on the basis of farmers\u27 local knowledge. This study suggests strategies for promotion of locally preferred tree fodder species and supplementing tree fodder with feed in different seasons depending on their availability and local preferences
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