This paper introduces a family of error-correcting codes called zigzag codes. A zigzag code is described by a highly structured zigzag graph. Due to the structural properties of the graph, very low-complexity soft-in/soft-out decoding rules can be implemented. We present a decoding rule, based on the Max-Log-APP (MLA) formulation, which requires a total of only 20 addition-equivalent operations...

Based on a tight-binding model and a recursive Green's function technique, spin-depentent ballistic transport through tinny graphene sheets (flakes) is studied. The main interest is focussed on: electrical conductivity, giant magnetoresistance (GMR) and shot noise. It is shown that when graphene flakes are sandwiched between two ferromagnetic electrodes, the resulting GMR coefficient may be qui...

In the case of zigzag air classifier of standard depth the channel depth dt is fixed by the section length Ls and the angle between the sections a. The channel width Wc remains to be specified. The author chose the square-bottom configuration (JI c = Ls = 20 cm) for three air classifiers investi­ gated in the paper. An alternative choice is to have Wc inversely proportional to sin a, 0 < a < 18...

Shifts in species' traits across contrasting environments have the potential to influence ecosystem functioning. Plant communities on unusually harsh soils may have unique responses to environmental change, through the mediating role of functional plant traits. We conducted a field study comparing eight functional leaf traits of seventeen common species located on both serpentine and non-serpen...

Water is the principal limiting resource for Californian Mediterranean-climate plants. The relationship between rainfall variation and the abundance and distribution of plant species was investigated at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve near Stanford University. Five years of rainfall data (1986-1990) were combined with a yearly census of plant species on a 100m transect to relate inter-annu...

BACKGROUND Physiologically stressful environments tend to host depauperate and specialized biological communities. Serpentine soils exemplify this phenomenon by imposing well-known constraints on plants; however, their effect on other organisms is still poorly understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We used a combination of field and molecular approaches to test the hypothesis that serpent...

We investigate periodical oscillations in the conductance of suspended Au and Pt atomic chains during elongation under mechanical stress. Analysis of conductance and shot noise measurements reveals that the oscillations are mainly related to variations in a specific conduction channel as the chain undergoes transitions between zigzag and linear atomic configurations. The calculated local electr...