Coded Parity Packet Transmission Method for Two Group Resource Allocation

Gap value control is investigated when the number of source and parity packets is adjusted in a concatenated coding scheme whilst keeping the overall coding rate fixed. Packet-based outer codes which are generated from bit-wise XOR combinations of the source packets are used to adjust the number of both source packets. Having the source packets, the number of parity packets, which are the bit-wise XOR combinations of the source packets can be adjusted such that the gap value, which measures the gap between the theoretical and the required signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), is controlled without changing the actual coding rate. Consequently, the required SNR reduces, yielding a lower required energy to realize the transmission data rate. Integrating this coding technique with a two-group resource allocation scheme renders efficient utilization of the total energy to further improve the data rates. With a relatively small-sized set of discrete data rates, the system throughput achieved by the proposed two-group loading scheme is observed to be approximately equal to that of the existing loading scheme, which is operated with a much larger set of discrete data rates. The gain obtained by the proposed scheme over the existing equal rate and equal energy loading scheme is approximately 5 dB. Furthermore, a successive interference cancellation scheme is also integrated with this coding technique, which can be used to decode and provide consecutive symbols for inter-symbol interference (ISI) and multiple access interference (MAI) mitigation. With this integrated scheme, the computational complexity is signi cantly reduced by eliminating matrix inversions. In the same manner, the proposed coding scheme is also incorporated into a novel fixed energy loading, which distributes packets over parallel channels, to control the gap value of the data rates although the SNR of each code channel varies from each other

Preeclampsia: a renal perspective.

Preeclampsia: A renal perspective. Preeclampsia is a syndrome that affects 5% of all pregnancies, producing substantial maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this review is to summarize our current understanding of the pathogenesis of preeclampsia with special emphasis on the recent discovery that circulating anti-angiogenic proteins of placental origin may play an important role in the pathogenesis of proteinuria and hypertension of preeclampsia

Shorebird predation of horseshoe crab eggs in Delaware Bay: species contrasts and availability constraints

1. Functional responses – the relationship between resource intake rate and resource abundance – are widely used in explaining predator–prey interactions yet many studies indicate that resource availability is crucial in dictating intake rates. 2. For time-stressed migrant birds refuelling at passage sites, correct decisions concerning patch use are crucial as they determine fattening rates and an individual's future survival and reproduction. Measuring availability alongside abundance is essential if spatial and temporal patterns of foraging are to be explained. 3. A suite of shorebird species stage in Delaware Bay where they consume horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus eggs. Several factors including spawning activity and weather give rise to marked spatial and temporal variation in the abundance and availability of eggs. We undertook field experiments to determine and contrast the intake rates of shorebird species pecking for surface and probing for buried eggs. 4. Whether eggs were presented on the sand surface or buried, we demonstrate strong aggregative responses and rapid depletion (up to 80%). Depletion was greater at deeper depths when more eggs were present. No consistent give-up densities were found. Type II functional responses were found for surface eggs and buried eggs, with peck success twice as high in the former. Maximum intake rates of surface eggs were up to 83% higher than those of buried eggs. 5. Caution is needed when applying functional responses predicted on the basis of morphology. Our expectation of a positive relationship between body size and intake rate was not fully supported. The smallest species, semipalmated sandpiper, had the lowest intake rate but the largest species, red knot, achieved only the same intake rate as the mid-sized dunlin. 6. These functional responses indicate that probing is rarely more profitable than pecking. Currently, few beaches provide egg densities sufficient for efficient probing. Areas where eggs are deposited on the sand surface are critical for successful foraging and ongoing migration. This may be especially true for red knot, which have higher energetic demands owing to their larger body size yet appear to have depressed intake rates because they consume smaller prey than their body size should permit

Crystallization of the NAD(P)-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase from the hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus

I.F.= 2.24

Transcription-based prediction of response to IFNbeta using supervised computational methods

Changes in cellular functions in response to drug therapy are mediated by specific transcriptional profiles resulting from the induction or repression in the activity of a number of genes, thereby modifying the preexisting gene activity pattern of the drug-targeted cell(s). Recombinant human interferon beta (rIFNbeta) is routinely used to control exacerbations in multiple sclerosis patients with only partial success, mainly because of adverse effects and a relatively large proportion of nonresponders. We applied advanced data-mining and predictive modeling tools to a longitudinal 70-gene expression dataset generated by kinetic reverse-transcription PCR from 52 multiple sclerosis patients treated with rIFNbeta to discover higher-order predictive patterns associated with treatment outcome and to define the molecular footprint that rIFNbeta engraves on peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We identified nine sets of gene triplets whose expression, when tested before the initiation of therapy, can predict the response to interferon beta with up to 86% accuracy. In addition, time-series analysis revealed potential key players involved in a good or poor response to interferon beta. Statistical testing of a random outcome class and tolerance to noise was carried out to establish the robustness of the predictive models. Large-scale kinetic reverse-transcription PCR, coupled with advanced data-mining efforts, can effectively reveal preexisting and drug-induced gene expression signatures associated with therapeutic effects