Academic literature on the topic 'Encoding device'

In this work, the results of quantum key distribution through an urban fiber communication line with a length of 30.6[Formula: see text]km and losses of 11.7[Formula: see text]dB, obtained by both phase and polarization encoding-based devices, are presented. For phase encoding, a two-pass auto-compensating optical scheme, commonly called “plug&play”, was used. For polarization encoding, a self-developed unconventional optical scheme was made. A continuous key distribution with a sifted key generation rate of 1.0[Formula: see text]kbit/s and a quantum bit error rate of 5.7% was implemented when using “plug&play” device, whereas 0.1[Formula: see text]kbit/s and 5.5% was observed when using one with polarization encoding. The features and conveniences of both implementations are discussed.

Quantum private query is an important cryptography protocol aiming to protect both user’s and database’s privacy. However, to execute even the simplest quantum private queries, one must establish and maintain a shared reference frame. Here we propose a rotation-invariant Measurement-device-independent quantum private queries with hybrid encoding approach, combined polarization and transverse spatial modes to overcome the polarization misalignment associated with random rotations in long-distance transmission. The initial encoding and final decoding of information in our protocol can be conveniently performed in the polarization space. Furthermore, our hybrid encoding approach only needs to insert four q-plates in practical experiment and to overcome the polarization misalignment problem.

Neurostimulation devices applied for the treatment of epilepsy that collect, encode, temporarily store, and transfer electroencephalographic (EEG) signals recorded intracranially from epileptic patients, suffer from short battery life spans. The principal goal of this study is to implement strategies for low power consumption rates during the device’s smooth and uninterrupted operation as well as during data transmission. Our approach is organised in three basic levels. The first level regards the initial modelling and creation of the template for the following two stages. The second level regards the development of code for programming integrated circuits and simulation. The third and final stage regards the transmitter’s implementation at the evaluation level. In particular, more than one software and device are involved in this phase, in order to achieve realistic performance. Our research aims to evolve such technologies so that they can transmit wireless data with simultaneous energy efficiency.

This paper proposes a method of coding information by changing two interfering femtosecond pulses.There is no secret that using femtosecond lasers it is possible to get supercontinuum, which implies a set of discrete closely spaced spikes of radiation decomposed in the frequency domain.

Multi-track run-length-limited (d,k) modulation codes were recently introduced as a method to increase storage densities in magnetic and optical recording systems. These codes are a generalization of the usual run-length-limited (d,k) codes and provide for increased storage density by relaxing the k-constraint and encoding multiple tracks in parallel. This dissertation focuses on methods of constructing such codes. Two methods are presented. The first uses state-splitting to construct multi-track (d,k) trellis codes. An example is presented in which a (1,3) trellis code is constructed having a code rate of R = 2/3. The second method results in the construction of multi-track (d,k) block codes which are implemented via an enumeration scheme based on the trellis description of the (d,k) constraints. This implementation results in memory requirements which increase only linearly with block length as opposed to the exponential increases arising from look-up table implementations. Additionally, a new class of multi-track codes referred to as redundant multi-track (d,k) codes, is introduced. These redundant codes, unlike the original multi-track (d,k) codes which are completely intolerant of faulty tracks, allow for r faulty tracks while maintaining synchronization.

Tato diplomová práce se zabývá návrhem elektronického informačního štítku, jehož základem je maticový LED displej. V teoretické části jsou probrány použitá rozhraní a periferie mikrokontroléru a PC a diskutuje se nad možnostmi kódování českých znaků. Dále se probírá krok za krokem návrh zařízení. Nejdříve jsou vytyčeny hlavní požadavky a funkcionalita zařízení, následuje výběr vhodných komponent a je navrženo elektrické schéma. Jádrem zařízení je mikrokontrolér Microchip PIC, pro který je dále navržen program. Nakonec je popsána a naprogramována aplikace pro MS Windows, která se se zařízením komunikuje.

El nostre sistema auditiu codifica regularitats acústiques i les compara amb els inputs sensorials de forma continuada. Els sons novedosos o canvis acústics són detectats inconscientment de forma ràpida i automàtica, permetent així la mobilització de recursos atencionals i un ajustament adequat de la nostra conducta. La tesi aquí present inclou tres estudis que utilitzen Magnetoencefalografia i la localització de camps evocats auditius generats en un paradigma oddball per tal d'investigar els correlats neuronals de la detecció de novetat i la codificació de regularitats en estadis primerencs del sistema auditiu humà. El primer estudi, portat a terme al Grup de Recerca en Neurociència Cognitiva (Universitat de Barcelona), mostra diferents generadors neuronal involucrats en la codificació de son novedodos en finestres temporals primerenques i tardanes; respectivament indicades per les Respostes de Latència Mitja (MLR) generades entre els 20 i 50 milisegons després del inici de un so, i el posterior Potencial de Disparitat (MMN), evocat entre els 100 and 250 milisegons. El segon estudi, portat a terme a l'Institut für Biomagnetismus & Biosignalanalys (Universitat de Münster), mostra que característiques acústiques novedoses formades per nivells de complexitat diferents són processades en intervals de temps diferents i en àrees neuronals separades, suggerint per tant una organització jeràrquica de la detecció de novetat i codificació de regularitats. El tercer estudi, portat a terme al Grup de Recerca en Neurociència Cognitiva emprant un paradigma roving-standard, mostra que tant la supressió com l'increment neuronal relacionats amb la repetició de un estímul estan involucrats en el procés de formació de traces de memòria, i que els generadors neuronals relacionats amb aquest procés estan localitzats tant en regions auditives com regions no auditives d'alt ordre. En resum, els resultats d'aquesta tesi doctoral suggereixen que la percepció auditiva es basa en un sistema sensorial organitzat jeràrquicament que té com a objectiu la predicció d'esdeveniments futurs partint de la predicció de regularitats prèviament codificades.
Our auditory system is continuously encoding acoustic regularities and comparing them with incoming sensory inputs. Novel sounds or acoustic changes must be detected fast in an automatic and unconscious fashion, thus allowing for the reallocation of attentional resources and the proper adjustment of our behaviour. The present thesis encloses three studies that employ Magnetoencephalography and source localization of auditory evoked fields as generated in oddball paradigms to assess the neural correlates of deviance detection and regularity encoding in early stages of the human auditory system. The first study, conducted at the Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group (University of Barcelona), shows distinct neuronal generators involved in the encoding of novel sounds in early and late time intervals; as respectively indexed by Middle Latency-Responses (MLR) evoked between 20 and 50 milliseconds after sound onset, and the later Mismatch component (MMN) generated between 100 and 250 milliseconds. The second study, conducted at the Institut fur Biomagnetismus & Biosignalanalys (University of Munster), shows that deviant acoustic features involving different levels of complexity are processed in distinct time ranges and generated in separated neuronal sources, thus suggesting a hierarchical organization of deviance detection and regularity encoding. The third study, conducted in the Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group using a roving-standard paradigm, indicates that neural repetition-related suppression and repetition enhancement underlie auditory memory trace formation, and that neural generators involved in this process are located in both auditory and non-auditory high-order regions. In sum, results from this thesis suggest that auditory perception is based on a hierarchically organized sensory system whose goal is to predict future events on the basis of previously encoded regularities.

Confronted with the global demographic changes and the increasing pressure on modern healthcare system, there has been a surge of developing new technology platforms in the past decades. Droplet microfluidics is a prominent example of such technology platforms, which offers an efficient format for massively parallelized screening of a large number of samples and holds great promise to boost the throughput and reduce the costs of modern biomedical activities. Despite recent achievements, the realization of a compact and generic screening system which is suited for resource-limited settings and point-of-care applications remains elusive. To address the above challenges, the dissertation focuses on the development of a compact multifunctional droplet micro-magnetofluidic system by exploring the advantages of magnetic in-flow detection principles. The methodologies behind a novel technique for biomedical applications, namely, magnetic in-flow cytometry have been put forth, which encompass magnetic indexing schemes, quantitative multiparametric analytics and magnetically-activated sorting. A magnetic indexing scheme is introduced and intrinsic to the magnetofluidic system. Two parameters characteristic of the magnetic signal when detecting magnetically functionalized objects, i.e. signal amplitude and peak width, providing information which is necessary to perform quantitative analysis in the spirit of optical cytometry has been proposed and realized. Magnetically-activated sorting is demonstrated to actively select individual droplets or to purify a population of droplets of interest. Together with the magnetic indexing scheme and multiparametric analytic technique, this functionality synergistically enables controlled synthesis, quality administration and screening of encoded magnetic microcarriers, which is crucial for the practical realization of magnetic suspension arrays technologies. Furthermore, to satisfy the needs of cost-efficient fabrication and high-volume delivery, an approach to fabricate magnetofluidic devices on flexible foils is demonstrated. The resultant device retains high performance of its rigid counterpart and exhibits excellent mechanical properties, which promises long-term stability in practical applications.

The desire to enhance and make ourselves better is not a new one and it has continued to intrigue throughout the ages. Individuals have continued to seek ways to improve and enhance their well-being for example through nutrition, physical exercise, education and so on. Crucial to this improvement of their well-being is improving their ability to remember. Hence, people interested in improving their well-being, are often interested in memory as well. The rationale being that memory is crucial to our well-being. The desire to improve one’s memory then is almost certainly as old as the desire to improve one’s well-being. Traditionally, people have used different means in an attempt to enhance their memories: for example in learning through storytelling, studying, and apprenticeship. In remembering through practices like mnemonics, repetition, singing, and drumming. In retaining, storing and consolidating memories through nutrition and stimulants like coffee to help keep awake; and by external aids like notepads and computers. In forgetting through rituals and rites. Recent scientific advances in biotechnology, nanotechnology, molecular biology, neuroscience, and information technologies, present a wide variety of technologies to enhance many different aspects of human functioning. Thus, some commentators have identified human enhancement as central and one of the most fascinating subject in bioethics in the last two decades. Within, this period, most of the commentators have addressed the Ethical, Social, Legal and Policy (ESLP) issues in human enhancements as a whole as opposed to specific enhancements. However, this is problematic and recently various commentators have found this to be deficient and called for a contextualized case-by-case analysis to human enhancements for example genetic enhancement, moral enhancement, and in my case memory enhancement (ME). The rationale being that the reasons for accepting/rejecting a particular enhancement vary depending on the enhancement itself. Given this enormous variation, moral and legal generalizations about all enhancement processes and technologies are unwise and they should instead be evaluated individually. Taking this as a point of departure, this research will focus specifically on making a case for ME and in doing so assessing the ESLP implications arising from ME. My analysis will draw on the already existing literature for and against enhancement, especially in part two of this thesis; but it will be novel in providing a much more in-depth analysis of ME. From this perspective, I will contribute to the ME debate through two reviews that address the question how we enhance the memory, and through four original papers discussed in part three of this thesis, where I examine and evaluate critically specific ESLP issues that arise with the use of ME. In the conclusion, I will amalgamate all my contribution to the ME debate and suggest the future direction for the ME debate.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) allows two remote parties to generate secret keys for cryptographic purposes. Its security has been proven with some assumptions. However, practical realizations may not comply with all the assumptions, leading to various attacks. Founded on the observation that almost all attacks are on the detection part, measurement-device-independent QKD (MDI-QKD) was proposed to remove all such attacks. This thesis presents an implementation of the protocol. In our implementation, key bit information was encoded in the polarization states of weak coherent pulses at 1542 nm wavelength in optical fibers, and decoy state techniques were employed. We ensured stable polarization preparation and alignment and developed a QKD system over 10 km of standard Telecom fibers at 500 KHz repetition rate. Our work demonstrates the practicality of MDI-QKD protocol of removing all attacks, existing and yet to be discovered, on the detection part of a QKD system.

Electronic devices, for logical and memory applications, are constructed based on bistable electronic units that can store binary information. Molecular electronics proposes the use of single molecules—with two distinctive states of conductance—as bistable units that can be used to create more complex electronic devices. The conductance of a molecule is strongly influenced by the contacts used to address it. The purpose of this work is to determine the electrical characteristics of several candidate molecular junctions, which are composed of a molecule and contacts. Specifically, we are interested in determining whether binary information, “0” or “1,” can be encoded in the low- and high-conductance states of the molecular junctions. First, we calculate quantum-mechanically the electronic structure of the molecular junction. Second, the continuous electronic states of the contacts, originated from their infinite nature, are obtained by solving the Schrödinger equation with periodic boundary conditions. Last, the electron transport through the molecular junctions is calculated based on a chemical interpretation of the Landauer formalism for coherent transport, which involves the information obtained from the molecule and the contacts. Metal-molecule-metal and metal-molecule-semiconductor junctions are considered. The molecule used is an olygo(phenylene ethynylene) composed of three benzene rings and a nitro group in the middle ring; this molecule is referred hereafter as the nitroOPE molecule. Gold, silicon, and metallic carbon nanotubes are used as contacts to the molecule. Results from the calculations show that the molecular junctions have distinctive states of conductance for different conformational and charge states. High conductance is found in the conformation in which all the benzene rings of the nitroOPE are coplanar. If the middle benzene ring is made perpendicular to the others, low conductance is found. Also, the negatively charged junctions (anion, dianion) show low conductance. Whenever a semiconducting contact is used, a flat region of zero current is found at low bias voltages. The results indicate that the use of Si contacts is possible; however, because of the flat region, the operating point of the devices needs to be moved to higher voltages.

Tese de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Biomédica e Biofísica, apresentada à Universidade de Lisboa, através da Faculdade de Ciências, 2016
A interação com o mundo é feita através de movimento - desde a locomoção até à comunicação verbal - tornando o controlo de movimento um dos aspectos fundamentais de maior interesse em neurociência. O controlo de movimento tem sido alvo de observação desde cedo em estudos comportamentais e neurofisiológicos, e sabemos hoje que os movimentos voluntários resultam de padrões de impulsos elétricos gerados no sistema nervoso. Contudo, não conhecemos ainda os aspetos mais precisos da geração de padrões de movimento nem a sua relação com parâmetros como direção, velocidade, etc. Uma característica importante do controlo de movimento é a existência de tuning direcional - que consiste numa resposta neuronal preferencial a uma direção de movimento. Ao executar movimentos numa direção preferida, alguns neurónios despolarizam a uma frequência máxima, e a mesma diminui gradualmente à medida que o movimento se afasta da direção preferida. Este fenómeno foi caracterizado em 1982 em áreas motoras (córtex motor primário) ao serem executados movimentos direcionais do braço contralateral. Contudo, estudos recentes mostram a existência de tuning direcional não só para o membro contralateral, mas também para o membro ipsilateral. Estas representações direcionais foram encontradas com medições electrofisiológicas ao nível celular, e também com técnicas modernas de imagiologia que medem sinal proveniente de volumes da ordem de mm3, como ressonância magnética funcional. Com recurso a ambos os tipos de técnicas foram encontradas representações ipsilaterais bem estruturadas para movimentos ao nível do braço bem como dos dedos. Desta forma, ambos os hemisférios cerebrais codificam movimentos direccionais de ambas as mãos. Sabemos também, por experiência quotidiana, que os movimentos bimanuais são bem coordenados, o que sugere que os mesmos são gerados tomando em conta informação de ambas as mãos. No entanto, a relação entre os padrões neuronais de movimentos bimanuais e unimanuais ainda não é clara. Nesta dissertação pretende-se localizar e caracterizar tuning direcional durante movimentos unimanuais e bimanuais no cérebro humano. Desta forma temos como objectivo procurar quais as regiões corticais que codificam movimentos direcionais da mão contralateral, da mão ipsilateral, bem como as representações de movimentos bimanuais e a sua relação com movimentos unimanuais. Para tal, foi desenhada uma experiência motora para testar movimentos direcionais, que foi executada em simultâneo com a aquisição de imagens de ressonância magnética funcional. Foi desenvolvido um dispositivo para monitorizar de forma precisa movimentos da mão. De forma a assegurar compatibilidade com o ambiente em ressonância magnética, foram construídos dois manípulos ergonómicos com recurso a impressão 3D em nylon. Os manípulos foram equipados com sensores de rotação resistivos, e foram montados numa mesa de suporte desenvolvida para o efeito. Afim de treinar os participantes e controlar a experiência, foi desenvolvido um protocolo motor organizado de forma semelhante a um jogo de alvos. Os participantes controlaram a posição de cursores num ecrã utilizando movimentos das mãos, monitorizados pelo dispositivo. O objectivo do protocolo motor foi atingir 6 alvos radiais com os cursores e voltar à posição central, com movimentos de cada uma das mãos, ou as duas (para todas as combinações de 6 alvos para cada mão). No total, a experiência consistiu em 48 condições de movimento – 6 movimentos radiais para a mão esquerda, 6 para a mão direita e 36 combinações bimanuais. A experiência motora foi executada por 7 sujeitos destros saudáveis. Após uma sessão de treino, a experiência decorreu num scanner de ressonância magnética funcional Siemens Trio 3T, onde foram adquiridas imagens funcionais durante 10 repetições da experiência para cada sujeito. Adicionalmente, foram adquiridos dados de cinemática para as duas mãos durante as sessões de treino e de teste. A análise de dados de cinemática consistiu na observação de tempos de reação e de movimento em cada condição. Comparámos condições unimanuais e bimanuais, testámos efeitos de direção, e ainda combinações bimanuais (movimentos simétricos, paralelos ou não relacionados). Para cada uma destas hipóteses foram usados os testes estatísticos aplicáveis. Não foram observados efeitos significativos nos tempos de reação, de forma consistente, para qualquer das condições em estudo. Pelo contrário, os tempos de movimento foram consistentemente sensíveis aos efeitos estudados. As imagens por ressonância magnética funcional foram analisadas numa primeira fase conforme o procedimento tradicional. Este consiste no pré-processamento - envolvendo correções espaciais de efeitos de campo magnético, filtragem temporal, alinhamento com a imagem anatómica e segmentação. De seguida foi aplicado um modelo linear de forma de forma de independente para cada voxel (unidade discreta de volume) nas imagens. O modelo consistiu em 48 variáveis categóricas, correspondentes às condições de movimento em estudo, e 10 variáveis categóricas correspondentes às sessões de repetição da experiência. O objetivo deste modelo é a estimação dos pesos (β) da regressão linear, i.e., para cada condição é estimada a influência da mesma no sinal em cada voxel. De seguida é possível fazer inferência sobre os valores β - sob a hipótese nula de que são, em média, zero. Procedendo desta forma, foi aplicado um teste t aos regressores β associados a movimentos da mão esquerda, direita, e movimentos bimanuais para as regiões: área sensorial somática I (S1), córtex motor primário (M1), córtex pré-motor ventral e dorsal (PMv, PMd), área motora suplementar (AMS), lóbulo parietal superior, anterior e posterior (LPSa, LPSp) e córtex visual (V12). Foram encontrados valores de activação predominantemente associados com movimentos contralaterais e bimanuais, e activação menor em movimentos ipsilaterais. Os resultados coincidem fortemente com a perspetiva clássica de que cada hemisfério está associado a controlo da mão contralateral. Contudo, os métodos univariados testam o quanto os voxels (ou regiões) variam a sua resposta com condições individuais, tornando a comparação entre condições de movimento difícil. Adicionalmente, estes métodos são indicados para o mapeamento de activação perante estímulos, mas não para avaliar a estrutura da representação de condições, i.e., caracterizar respostas neuronais associadas conjunto de estímulos - como é o caso de tuning direcional. Desta forma, foi aplicado um modelo de análise representacional no qual se pressupõe que os estímulos podem ser caracterizados por padrões de activação - neste caso correspondentes aos valores beta para cada voxel quando é executada uma condição. Neste modelo é calculada uma medida de (dis)similaridade entre todos os pares de condições. Neste projecto foi utilizada a distância Euclidiana, sendo que as comparações entre pares das 48 condições foram organizadas em matrizes de distância. Os resultados revelam, qualitativamente, a presença duma estrutura de tuning direcional bem definida para movimentos contralaterais, bem como ipsilaterais. Também os movimentos bimanuais apresentaram uma estrutura de tuning bem definida e diferenciada entre regiões. De forma a quantificar e inferir acerca da presença de codificação direcional, os valores de distância correspondentes às condições contralaterais, ipsilaterais e bimanuais foram testados estatisticamente. Este teste assenta no pressuposto de que, perante a inexistência de codificação, as distâncias são zero (este pressuposto foi confirmado). Os resultados indicam uma forte codificação direcional de movimentos contralaterais para todas as regiões testadas. Este resultado é coincidente com estudos anteriores que encontram tuning direcional contralateral em todas as regiões em que o mesmo foi investigado. Contudo, encontrámos também uma forte codificação de movimentos ipislaterais, excepto na AMS e LPS anterior no hemisfério direito (não dominante). Estes resultados são coerentes com estudos recentes que mostram uma forte presença de codificação de movimentos ipsilaterais. Os movimentos bimanuais estão também caracterizados por uma forte representação. Contudo, existe a hipótese de que estes estejam presentes apenas como consequência da codificação direcional de movimentos da mão contralateral (ou ipsilateral), e não directamente associados à codificação especializada de movimentos bimanuais. Esta hipótese é, contudo, de elevado interesse, já que uma codificação bimanual especializada pode explicar o mecanismo da coordenação bimanual. Desta forma, as matrizes de distância foram reorganizadas em termos de movimentos da mão esquerda e da mão direita. Os mapas resultantes foram comparados qualitativamente com simulações, revelando uma codificação bimanual maioritariamente associada com movimentos contralaterais. Contudo, a AMS e o córtex premotor ventral aparentam codificar movimentos bimanuais de forma não-linear, que poderá indicar alguma especialização em movimentos bimanuais que poderá ser útil para coordenação. Trabalho futuro envolverá avaliar quantitativamente estes mapas de forma a perceber quanta codificação bimanual é gerada de forma especializada. Os resultados deste estudo coincidem com estudos recentes de codificação ipsilateral, e revisitam questões acerca da codificação bimanual. No futuro pretende-se decompor a codificação bimanual, avaliar de forma extensa e continua a superfície cortical, cerebelo e núcleos da base. Adicionalmente, esperamos executar futuras aquisições em novos participantes. Este tipo de estudo pretende responder a questões no âmbito do controlo neural de movimento, que poderão ser úteis futuramente no contexto da reabilitação e controlo robótico. Consideramos também que os métodos de procura de codificação poderão ser utilizados para caracterização do sistema motor de sujeitos saudáveis em comparação com casos patológicos como acidente vascular cerebral, fornecendo um meio de avaliação dos mesmos.
We interact with the world by moving our body: legs for locomotion, hands for dexterous tasks, and articulatory muscles to communicate. It is known that these movements result from patterns of electrical impulses in the nervous system. However, it is not yet known how the brain controls the fine aspects of movement. One important characteristic of movement control in the brain is directional tuning - a preferential neuronal response to an executed direction. In this work, we examine where and how the brain encodes movement directions in unimanual and bimanual movements in humans. In order to address this question, we designed a motor experiment for directional movements. A hand device was developed in order to precisely monitor hand movements while 7 right-handed healthy participants executed a motor task. The task was built similarly to a game in which participants reached radial targets using wrist movements of one or both hands. After training, subjects executed the motor task in a magnetic resonance scanner. Functional imaging data were acquired and analysed using novel multivoxel pattern analysis, in which we calculate pairwise dissimilarities of patterns of fMRI voxel activity across movement conditions. We tested for encoding of unimanual (contralateral and ipsilateral) and bimanual movements in cortical regions of interest. Kinematics data were also analysed to test for performance effects of direction and hand combination. We found significant encoding of contralateral and bimanual movements in all tested regions. Ipsilateral movements were strongly represented in both hemispheres, except for right supplementary motor area and anterior-superior parietal lobule. Furthermore, the right (non-dominant) hemisphere encoded contralateral movements more preferentially than ipsilateral ones, when compared with the left hemisphere. These results are in line with recent findings of well-defined ipsilateral movement representations. Future work will involve decomposing bimanual tuning functions in order to find a quantitative relationship between bimanual and unimanual encoding.

The textbook provides a definition of communication, discusses the types and types of telecommunications, and the requirements for communication. It describes telecommunication signals, their parameters, and methods for converting, encoding, and transmitting various types of messages. The principles of construction of multi-channel transmission systems, their main characteristics, the device of terminal subscriber terminals, operational dispatch communication systems, manual and automatic telephone exchanges are described. The principles of building radio communication facilities and rules for conducting radio exchange are considered. The technical characteristics of radio stations used in the EMERCOM and SBS of Russia are given. The basics of radio-relay, satellite, cellular and trunking communications are described. Meets the requirements of the Federal state educational standard of higher education of the latest generation in the discipline "Automated control systems and communications". It is intended for students of secondary professional educational institutions studying in the specialties 20.02.02 "protection in emergency situations" and 20.02.04 "Fire safety".

This chapter presents a concise overview of the linguistic means that express categories of information structure (IS) in Slavic languages. Concentrating especially on (a) the realization of broad vs narrow focus (focus projection); and (b) the expression of given information, topic, and delimitation, the chapter covers intonation and ‘free’ word order—the two most widely discussed ways of IS encoding. It further presents less well studied IS-sensitive devices and phenomena in Slavic: clefts, predicate doubling, topic and focus particles, as well as the interaction of IS with the Slavic clitic systems, in particular, in the expression of positive and negative polarity (or verum) focus.

Abstract Linguistic communication has moved beyond simple alphabetic encoding to multimedia design, challenging the fit of structural theories of language to digital communication. This transition is barely evident in mobile language learning contexts where top-selling apps present language as a linguistic structure to be drilled, ironically bypassing the complex communicative potential of smart devices. This chapter overviews changing language norms from language as structure to language within multimodality and comparatively discusses multimodality from a social semiotics paradigm nested in linguistic theory and from Elleström’s intermediality paradigm. To illustrate how one could conceptualize multimodality from a perspective decentred from linguistics and leveraged to explain language use in multimedia contexts, the author examines two novel features of digital communication: emoji and conversational digital agents.

The computational complexity issue is critical for present and future video applications implemented by relatively new video coding standards, such as the H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding), which has a large number of coding modes. One of the main reasons for the importance of providing an efficient complexity control in video coding applications is a strong need to decrease the encoding/decoding computational complexity, especially when the encoding and/or decoding devices are resource-limited, such as portable devices. In turn, efficient complexity control enables reducing the video coding processing time and enables saving power resources during the encoding and/or decoding process. Since the recent dramatic progress in the development of multimedia technologies has made portable devices widespread everywhere, especially in order to provide or receive real-time video contents, the need to enhance the computational complexity control in video coding applications is expected to be further significantly increased as a function of the dramatic increase in the mobile/portable device penetration into the every-day life environment. In this chapter, the authors perform a comprehensive review of the recent advances in computational complexity techniques for video coding applications. This chapter will not only summarize the recent advances in this field, but will also provide explicit directions for the design of the future complexity-aware video coding applications.

ECG signal processing for holter monitoring of heart patients is still exploratory. Many signal processing techniques have been evolved for classification and compression of ECG signal. Despite an increase in research in this area, many challenges remain in designing an efficient classification and compression algorithm for ECG signal. These challenges include classification accuracy, good compression ratio with acceptable diagnostic quality etc. This chapter addresses a classification and a compression algorithm based on discrete wavelet transform. Classification algorithm uses discrete wavelet transform based feature to classify abnormal heart beat from ECG signal. Support vector machine is used as a classifier to detect abnormal heartbeat. The compression algorithm utilizes discrete wavelet transform and run-length encoding as a compression tool. Proposed classification and compression algorithms can be employed in monitoring of cardiac patients using holter device.

Healthcare solutions using anytime, and anywhere remote healthcare surveillance devices, have become a major challenge. The patients with chronic diseases who need only therapeutic supervision are not advised to occupy a hospital bed. Using Wearable Wireless Body/Personal Area Network (WWBAN), intelligent monitoring of heart can supply information about medical conditions. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is the core reference in the diagnosis and medication process. An approach on healthcare solution WBAN based, for real-time ECG signal monitoring and long-term recording will be presented. Low-power wireless sensor nodes with local processing and encoding capabilities in order to achieve maximum mobility and flexibility are our main goal. ZigBee wireless technology will be used for transmission. Sensor device will be programmed to process locally the ECG signal and to raise an alert. Low-power and miniaturization are essential physical requirements.

Abstract?The synthesizer will automatically assign the state memory codes based on the most effective use of the target technology (e.g., binary, gray code, one-hot) in FPGA. But exists alternative, when user by himself choose type of memory encoding. There was considered user defined state coding method for Quartus Altera. Keywords?FPGA, finite state machine, state memory, memory coding, synthesizer, one-hot, sequential, johnson, optimization, speed of performance

The original objectives of the approved proposal included: (a) The determination of species- and tissue-specificity of the PBAN-R; (b) the elucidation of the role of juvenile hormone in gene regulation of the PBAN-R; (c) the identificationof the ligand binding domains in the PBAN-R and (d) the development of efficient screening assays in order to screen potential antagonists that will block the PBAN-R. Background to the topic: Moths constitute one of the major groups of pest insects in agriculture and their reproductive behavior is dependent on chemical communication. Sex-pheromone blends are utilised by a variety of moth species to attract conspecific mates. In most of the moth species sex-pheromone biosynthesis is under circadian control by the neurohormone, PBAN (pheromone-biosynthesis-activating neuropeptide). In order to devise ideal strategies for mating disruption/prevention, we proposed to study the interactions between PBAN and its membrane-bound receptor in order to devise potential antagonists. Major conclusions: Within the framework of the planned objectives we have confirmed the similarities between the two Helicoverpa species: armigera and zea. Receptor sequences of the two Helicoverpa spp. are 98% identical with most changes taking place in the C-terminal. Our findings indicate that PBAN or PBAN-like receptors are also present in the neural tissues and may represent a neurotransmitter-like function for PBAN-like peptides. Surprisingly the gene encoding the PBAN-receptor was also present in the male homologous tissue, but it is absent at the protein level. The presence of the receptor (at the gene- and protein-levels), and the subsequent pheromonotropic activity are age-dependent and up-regulated by Juvenile Hormone in pharate females but down-regulated by Juvenile Hormone in adult females. Lower levels of pheromonotropic activity were observed when challenged with pyrokinin-like peptides than with HezPBAN as ligand. A model of the 3D structure of the receptor was created using the X-ray structure of rhodopsin as a template after sequence alignment of the HezPBAN-R with several other GPCRs and computer simulated docking with the model predicted putative binding sites. Using in silico mutagenesis the predicted docking model was validated with experimental data obtained from expressed chimera receptors in Sf9 cells created by exchanging between the three extracellular loops of the HezPBAN-R and the Drosophila Pyrokinin-R (CG9918). The chimera receptors also indicated that the 3ʳᵈ extracellular loop is important for recognition of PBAN or Diapause hormone ligands. Implications: The project has successfully completed all the objectives and we are now in a position to be able to design and screen potential antagonists for pheromone production. The successful docking simulation-experiments encourage the use of in silico experiments for initial (high-throughput) screening of potential antagonists. However, the differential responses between the expressed receptor (Sf9 cells) and the endogenous receptor (pheromone glands) emphasize the importance of assaying lead compounds using several alternative bioassays (at the cellular, tissue and organism levels). The surprising discovery of the presence of the gene encoding the PBAN-R in the male homologous tissue, but its absence at the protein level, launches opportunities for studying molecular regulation pathways and the evolution of these GPCRs. Overall this research will advance research towards the goal of finding antagonists for this important class of receptors that might encompass a variety of essential insect functions.