Minimum Distance Distribution of Irregular Generalized LDPC Code Ensembles

In this paper, the minimum distance distribution of irregular generalized LDPC (GLDPC) code ensembles is investigated. Two classes of GLDPC code ensembles are analyzed; in one case, the Tanner graph is regular from the variable node perspective, and in the other case the Tanner graph is completely unstructured and irregular. In particular, for the former ensemble class we determine exactly which ensembles have minimum distance growing linearly with the block length with probability approaching unity with increasing block length. This work extends previous results concerning LDPC and regular GLDPC codes to the case where a hybrid mixture of check node types is used.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Submitted to the IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT) 201

NASA/ESA CV-990 Spacelab Simulation (ASSESS 2)

To test the validity of the ARC approach to Spacelab, several missions simulating aspects of Spacelab operations have been conducted as part of the ASSESS Program. Each mission was designed to evaluate potential Shuttle/Spacelab concepts in increasing detail. For this mission, emphasis was placed on development and exercise of management techniques planned for Spacelab using management participants from NASA and ESA who have responsibilities for Spacelab 1 which will be launched in 1980

Astrometric observations of the faint satellites of Jupiter during the 1975 - 1976 opposition

The series of astrometric observations of the satellites of the trans-martian planets re-established at the McDonald Observatory in 1972 is continued. The positions deduced from photographic observations of the jovian system obtained during the 1975-76 opposition are presented together with the discovery positions of four asteroids found on these plates

Design of LDPC Code Ensembles with Fast Convergence Properties

The design of low-density parity-check (LDPC) code ensembles optimized for a finite number of decoder iterations is investigated. Our approach employs EXIT chart analysis and differential evolution to design such ensembles for the binary erasure channel and additive white Gaussian noise channel. The error rates of codes optimized for various numbers of decoder iterations are compared and it is seen that in the cases considered, the best performance for a given number of decoder iterations is achieved by codes which are optimized for this particular number. The design of generalized LDPC (GLDPC) codes is also considered, showing that these structures can offer better performance than LDPC codes for low-iteration-number designs. Finally, it is illustrated that LDPC codes which are optimized for a small number of iterations exhibit significant deviations in terms of degree distribution and weight enumerators with respect to LDPC codes returned by more conventional design tools.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to the 3rd International Black Sea Conference on Communications and Networking (IEEE BlackSeaCom 2015

Educating for Entrepreneurial Leadership: From Didacticism to Co-creation

Entrepreneurial leadership promotes organisational competitive advantage and innovation resulting in increased attention on entrepreneurial leadership development. Many higher education institutions (HEIs) claim to develop entrepreneurial leaders. However, knowledge of how to facilitate entrepreneurial leadership development is limited, the effectiveness of development practices is contestable, and current understanding of the phenomenon is mostly conceptual. We address this void by exploring educators’ perspectives of entrepreneurial leadership development and consider how the phenomenon is facilitated. We employ Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as our research methodology and analyse the data following IPA data analysis guidance. Findings signify the importance of placing strong emphasis on co-creating education experience with wider stakeholder involvement, thereby forming an entrepreneurial community which works collectively over the longer-term to facilitate entrepreneurial leadership development. The findings also reveal the pedagogic significance of facilitating supportive learning conditions and ‘handholding,’ a broader form of support which contradicts the established notion of ‘independent learners’ thereby challenging current ontologies around ‘student support’ when facilitating entrepreneurial leadership development

Radiation properties of truncated cones to enhance the beam patterns of air-coupled transducers

Radiation properties of cones are used to steer energy from the side lobes toward the center of the beam pattern of an air-coupled source. Two structures of superposed truncated cones are designed and implemented in a finite element package to modify the beam pattern of a piston model simulating an air-coupled transducer. Results show how the energy from the sides of the beam is conveyed toward the center of it thus widening the main lobe angular domain and smoothing the beam curve. This work is intended to support methods for range estimation performed with air-coupled transducers and localization strategies with broadband ultrasonic signals, as well as to investigate mathematical relationships at the base of radiation properties of conical structures

Therapeutic Targeting of Glioblastoma and the Interactions with Its Microenvironment

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumour, and it confers a dismal prognosis despite intensive multimodal treatments. Whilst historically, research has focussed on the evolution of GBM tumour cells themselves, there is growing recognition of the importance of studying the tumour microenvironment (TME). Improved characterisation of the interaction between GBM cells and the TME has led to a better understanding of therapeutic resistance and the identification of potential targets to block these escape mechanisms. This review describes the network of cells within the TME and proposes treatment strategies for simultaneously targeting GBM cells, the surrounding immune cells, and the crosstalk between them

Dynamical nonequilibrium molecular dynamics reveals the structural basis for allostery and signal propagation in biomolecular systems

A dynamical approach to nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (D-NEMD), proposed in the 1970s by Ciccotti et al., is undergoing a renaissance and is having increasing impact in the study of biological macromolecules. This D-NEMD approach, combining MD simulations in stationary (in particular, equilibrium) and nonequilibrium conditions, allows for the determination of the time-dependent structural response of a system using the Kubo–Onsager relation. Besides providing a detailed picture of the system’s dynamic structural response to an external perturbation, this approach also has the advantage that the statistical significance of the response can be assessed. The D-NEMD approach has been used recently to identify a general mechanism of inter-domain signal propagation in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and allosteric effects in \upbeta -lactamase enzymes, for example. It complements equilibrium MD and is a very promising approach to identifying and analysing allosteric effects. Here, we review the D-NEMD approach and its application to biomolecular systems, including transporters, receptors, and enzymes