Polar codes were invented as the first error-correcting codes to achieve the capacity for the discrete channels with relatively low-complexity for encoding and decoding. However, this is only possible with significantly large code lengths which are not practical for many systems. Meanwhile, the performance of the finite-lengths polar codes is not competitive with other modern error-correcting codes. This can be attributed to the suboptimality of the decoding process and the relatively poor minimum Hamming distances. This thesis aims to improve the performance of polar codes. The contributions include improving the performance of the conventional successive cancellation decoder. This is based on a novel technique, namely one-step decision delay, which incorporates some extra computational nodes to the code tree. Also, this thesis presents two methods for increasing the Hamming distances of polar codes; in the first, the code rate remains unchanged, while in the second, that produces superior performance, a modest reduction in the code rate occurs. Both methods enhance the performance with using belief propagation decoder. In addition, the latency of the decoding process is reduced by applying the fast Hadamard transform decoder on polar codes for the first time. In this regard, a method to modify the encoder is presented for some lengths that are not normally compatible with the proposed decoder. Interestingly, this modification method has another advantage that in the sense that it increases the minimum Hamming distances of the codes. Furthermore, this thesis presents the utilisation of polar codes in some practical communication systems. Firstly, polar codes are examined over power line communication systems. In this respect, the construction of polar codes is analysed by using three different methods. Additionally, the practical performance of polar codes is illustrated for both single-carrier and multi-carrier channels. Secondly, this thesis explores polar codes for unequal error protection by partitioning the information sets into a number of subsets with different reliabilities. JPEG2000, which is an image compression method, is used for validating the advantages of the proposed technique. Moreover, a new joint source channel decoding is proposed from the combination of the polar decoder and JPEG2000 decoder in order to enhance the quality of the compressed images. Finally, polar codes are investigated for the energy transfer by presenting new subcodes that are chosen according to the weights of the produced codewords. In this context, two modes of energy transfer are presented. The proposed modes can successfully extend the lifetime of the receiver's battery.

The processes of transport and mixing in stratified open channel flows are investigated in this thesis. Detailed measurements of velocity and salinity were conducted, through the use of Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIP) technique together with Laser Doppler anemometry, so that the effects of secondary current and stratification on the flow behaviour could be analysed. Two configurations were investigated: a rectangular open channel, and a compound open channel. For each configuration, four different stratification levels were analysed. The main flow characteristics, such as corner flow and velocity dip in a rectangular channel, and the twin vortices formed in compound channels, were found to be affected by stratification. In order to understand the mechanisms involved in secondary flow generation, the vorticity balance was carried out. Through the vorticity balance, the contribution of each term in the longitudinal vorticity equation could be evaluated. The mechanisms involved in the turbulence generation were also verified through the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget. One of the contributions of this work refers to the understanding of the effects of stratification on turbulence and secondary flow generation. The exchange coefficients of momentum and solute were also investigated. These coefficients were found to depend not only on stratification level but also on other flow parameters, like for instance the aspect ratio. A new formulation is proposed for narrow channels, but more research is necessary in order to evaluate the effect of other parameters on the exchange coefficients.

The study undertaken was an attempt to provide information on the effect that oceanographic features common in the Mozambique Channel have on primary production. Oligotrophic conditions dominated the Mozambique Channel at the time of sampling and the introduction of nutrients into the euphotic zone by upwelling processes were identified as cyclonic eddies. Differences in physico-chemical variables between surface and F-max across all sites proved to be stronger than the physico-chemical variables between 4 grouped oceanographic features. This was revealed by stronger variations in phytoplankton community structure and chlorophyll a concentration between surface and F-max compared to oceanographic features sampled. One of the hypotheses presented for the study was that diatoms would dominate phytoplankton communities within a cyclonic eddy. This was not the case as the coccolithophorid, Emiliania huxleyi Lohmann (Hay and Mohler 1967) dominated F-max and surface water in the cyclonic eddies and most other sites. Phytoplankton community structure did not differ significantly between the oceanographic features sampled which contradicted another one of hypotheses presented in the study. Chlorophyll a concentration in surface water of the cyclonic eddies was significantly higher than in surface waters within the anti-cyclonic eddy. F-max was not significantly different in phytoplankton biomass between these two system types. The cyclonic eddies and anti-cyclone had similar phytoplankton diversity which did not verify the hypothesis that there would be less phytoplankton species diversity within cyclonic eddies compared to the anti-cyclonic eddy. Phytoplankton community structure differed between F-max (depth at which maximum chlorophyll a is found) and the surface. This phytoplankton community difference was linked to differences in physico-chemical variables between the two depths. The diatoms Thalassionema nitzschioides, Pseudo-nitzschia sp.A, Pseudo-nitzschia sp.B, Thalassiosira sp.C, Thalassiosira sp.E, Bacteriastrum furcatum, Guinardia cylindrus, Nitzschia closterium, Hemiaulus hauckii, and Nitzschia braarudii revealed the only discernible ecological similarity amongst phytoplankton species across all sites and depths. This is important as it revealed that these species were regularly found occupying similar depths and potentially similar physico-chemical ranges in the water column which suggest these diatom species responded to a dominant source of variation. Distribution patterns of species and of ecologically defined groups support the hypothesis that diatom species and assemblages are good indicators of the changing character of an upwelling system. These statements lead to the assumption that the diatom grouping found in this study indicates areas of upwelling where water temperatures are reduced and nutrients are more readily available. One must keep in mind that ordination techniques are only descriptive and no significance is tested. The coccolithophorid D. anthos and the dinoflagellate Phalacroma spp. were noted as being most dissimilar to all other phytoplankton species with regards to their position in the water column and their response to physico-chemical variables. Finally, the dominance of E. huxleyi in the Mozambique Channel during November/December of 2009 reveals the potential vulnerability of phytoplankton in the channel to ocean acidification.

This thesis aims to answer the research question of how an industrial retailer’s level of channel integration can be evaluated and improved. A conceptual model is developed and applied in a case study context of the shop channel of a large international industrial distributor of maintenance, repair and operations goods. Marketing channel integration is proven to improve customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and customer expenditure - despite these benefits, there does not exist any evaluation method that helps researchers or practitioners determine the level of channel integration of an industrial retail channel. The case study follows a mixed method approach and uses qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 11 managers and 24 employees, as well as quantitative data from a management survey with 26 respondents. Using the conceptual model the shop channel of the German parent company was rated at a multi-channel level of integration and the Dutch shop channel at a multiple channel level of integration. Any improvement to the level of channel integration of an industrial retail channel depends on the understanding of and commitment to the integrated channel strategy by the shop management.

No description available.

Influenza viral infection causes several hospitalizations and claims the lives of many people each year. The threat of epidemic and pandemic are more pressing than ever with newly mutated strains developing every year. Understanding the mechanism of infection of influenza can help identify new potential drug targets and help progress the development of antivirals. Currently there are two classes of FDA approved drugs, neuraminidase inhibitors and M2 ion channel inhibitors, to combat influenza infection. Unfortunately, viral resistance to M2 ion channel blockers has caused them to stop being used for treatment. This paper focuses on understanding influenzas ability to mutate and it mechanism of infection to develop new M2 ion channel blockers.

Abstract The present dissertation deals with the evaluation of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radio channel characteristics from time-division multiplexing (TDM)-switched MIMO channel sounding. The research can be divided into three main areas. First, the impacts of phase noise in TDM-switched MIMO channel sounding on channel capacity are studied. Second, we focus on those impacts on channel parameter estimation using the SAGE algorithm. And in the last part, spatial correlation, channel eigenvalue distribution, and ergodic capacity in realistic environments are analyzed. The rationale behind the first two areas is that most advanced MIMO radio channel sounders employ the TDM technique, which has significant problems from phase noise of the TX and RX phase locked loop (PLL) oscillators causing measurement errors in terms of estimated channel capacity and parameters. We propose statistical models that reproduce the capacity estimates. The effects of the sounding mode (SM), the length of pseudo-random noise (PN) sequence L of the sounding signal, and the system size are disclosed. The distinctive basis is to consider the impact of the actual phase noise in TDM switched MIMO channel sounding, instead of assuming white Gaussian-type phase noise. In a reality, the short-term phase noise component affecting one measurement cycle of a MIMO system plays an important role in the traditional estimators of the radio channel parameters and capacity. We show that the performance impairment is less than that been under the hypothesis of uncorrelated white Gaussian phase-noises samples. The difference is due to the non-vanishing correlation of phase-noise within the measurement cycle. Two approaches to mitigating the impact of phase noise are proposed. The former is the simple and efficient sliding averaging method, where the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the channel impulse response can be increased. The latter is the choice of SM and L, which is more thorough. In the second part, two approaches to mitigating its impact on channel parameter estimation using the SAGE algorithm are also discussed. Besides the sliding averaging, which in general can increase the SNR, the new SAGE algorithm based channel parameter estimation based on the improved signal model accounting for the phase noise in the measurement device is proposed. Finally, the channel eigenvalue distribution and ergodic capacity based on complex hypergeometric functions and their asymptotic characteristics are analyzed. It is shown that the derived theoretical expressions closely approximate the simulated results of the measured finite-dimensional MIMO channels. The spatial correlation and the eigenvalue statistics in frequency selective channels for single and dual polarized antennas are investigated. This knowledge is useful when different MIMO and beamforming techniques are applied.

Voltage clamp fluorometry (VCF) was first developed in the mid 1990s by Isacoff and his colleagues. In this approach fluorophores are attached to substituted cysteine residues that are engineered by site-directed mutagenesis. Changes in the dielectric environment of the fluorophore report local transitions that are associated with electrically-related and electrically-silent transitions. VCF provides a powerful technique to observe real time reports of ion channel gating conformations. It has proven to be a useful technique because it adds insight that is not available using other techniques. X-ray crystallography studies give a predominantly static picture of the channel, while patch clamping of channels gives information only about residues that effect ionic current flow. Similarly, gating current provides insight only about residues that are charged and move across the membrane electric field. In this thesis we examined the structural rearrangements of the Shaker channel and the effect of 4-AP on channel gating. We also examined for the first time the structural rearrangements of the Kv1.5 gating and the how the channel responds to depolarization pulses. This work is instrumental in the examination of the potassium channel gating. / Medicine, Faculty of / Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Department of / Graduate

Records of subglacial drainage features of previous ice sheets, such as tunnel channels (TCs), provide insight into drainage mechanisms of modern ice sheets. More than 60 tunnel channels were identified in the formerly glaciated landscape of Wisconsin, USA, in the footprint of the Green Bay Lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. I used a combination of a reflection-seismic survey and a hydraulic-potential model to reveal the geometry of a TC and attempt to further understand the dynamics of TC formation. The seismic cross section along the Plainfield tunnel channel (PTC), 16 km up-ice from the terminal margin, shows an absence of a channelized feature in the subsurface. Therefore, the Plainfield tunnel channel likely initiates between 7-16 km up-ice from its terminus in a subglacial setting where the water-flow velocity may have increased, as dictated by the regional bed slope. Relatively fast subglacial water flow would have caused erosion at the ice-bed interface, whereas slower velocities produced little to no erosion of the underlying sediments. The hydraulic-potential model suggests a total area of ~107 km2 for potential subglacial lakes up-ice from the PTC, although this estimate is not sufficient to account for the volume of water needed to form the channel. However, when water does pool in subglacial lakes, permafrost in the area helps to seal in large amounts of water at the ice-bed interface. Additionally, an increase in traction at the bed after a single discharge event likely facilitates supraglacial lake formation. The supraglacial water sources subsequently drain into the subglacial system, which can cause successive subglacial drainage events to occur. The results from the seismic cross-section and the hydraulic-potential model, along with inferences from previous studies, indicate that the PTC is likely formed over several drainage events and had a substantial influence from moulin drainage of supraglacial water in addition to the water stored in subglacial lakes. The Laurentide Ice Sheet was able to store large amounts of subglacial water in this region due to the combination of an adverse bed slope, as well as expansive permafrost during the time of TC formation. This likely means that modern ice sheets, such as along the Western edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet or Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, could exhibit similar subglacial and supraglacial drainage behavior in areas with adverse bed slopes similar to this portion of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. / Geology

No description available.