Higher Hamming weights for locally recoverable codes on algebraic curves

We study the locally recoverable codes on algebraic curves. In the first part of this article, we provide a bound of generalized Hamming weight of these codes. Whereas in the second part, we propose a new family of algebraic geometric LRC codes, that are LRC codes from Norm-Trace curve. Finally, using some properties of Hermitian codes, we improve the bounds of distance proposed in [1] for some Hermitian LRC codes. [1] A. Barg, I. Tamo, and S. Vlladut. Locally recoverable codes on algebraic curves. arXiv preprint arXiv:1501.04904, 2015

Minimum-weight codewords of the Hermitian codes are supported on complete intersections

Let $\mathcal{H}$ be the Hermitian curve defined over a finite field $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$. In this paper we complete the geometrical characterization of the supports of the minimum-weight codewords of the algebraic-geometry codes over $\mathcal{H}$, started in [1]: if $d$ is the distance of the code, the supports are all the sets of $d$ distinct $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$-points on $\mathcal{H}$ complete intersection of two curves defined by polynomials with prescribed initial monomials w.r.t. \texttt{DegRevLex}. For most Hermitian codes, and especially for all those with distance $d\geq q^2-q$ studied in [1], one of the two curves is always the Hermitian curve $\mathcal{H}$ itself, while if $d<q$ the supports are complete intersection of two curves none of which can be $\mathcal{H}$. Finally, for some special codes among those with intermediate distance between $q$ and $q^2-q$, both possibilities occur. We provide simple and explicit numerical criteria that allow to decide for each code what kind of supports its minimum-weight codewords have and to obtain a parametric description of the family (or the two families) of the supports. [1] C. Marcolla and M. Roggero, Hermitian codes and complete intersections, arXiv preprint arXiv:1510.03670 (2015)

Protecting the Living and the Dead: How Missouri Can Enact a Constitutional Funeral-Protest Statute

This Note will analyze the constitutionality of Missouri\u27s funeral-protest statutes under the First Amendment. This Note argues that, with certain changes, Missouri\u27s funeral-protest statutes should pass constitutional muster. In Part II, this Note analyzes the facts and holding of Phelps-Roper v. Koster. Next, in Part III, this Note explores the legal background of the First Amendment, time, place, and manner restrictions, and how other courts have decided cases involving funeral-protest laws. Part IV examines the court\u27s rationale in Phelps-Roper v. Koster. Lastly, Part V explains where the district court erred and how Missouri\u27s funeral-protest statutes can be changed to become constitutional time, place, and manner restrictions. This Note concludes with a challenge to the Missouri legislature to draft and enact a constitutional funeral-protest statute and a hope that discussion by the Supreme Court of the United States will allow Missouri to do so

Protecting the Living and the Dead: How Missouri Can Enact a Constitutional Funeral-Protest Statute

This Note will analyze the constitutionality of Missouri\u27s funeral-protest statutes under the First Amendment. This Note argues that, with certain changes, Missouri\u27s funeral-protest statutes should pass constitutional muster. In Part II, this Note analyzes the facts and holding of Phelps-Roper v. Koster. Next, in Part III, this Note explores the legal background of the First Amendment, time, place, and manner restrictions, and how other courts have decided cases involving funeral-protest laws. Part IV examines the court\u27s rationale in Phelps-Roper v. Koster. Lastly, Part V explains where the district court erred and how Missouri\u27s funeral-protest statutes can be changed to become constitutional time, place, and manner restrictions. This Note concludes with a challenge to the Missouri legislature to draft and enact a constitutional funeral-protest statute and a hope that discussion by the Supreme Court of the United States will allow Missouri to do so

The Association Between Violence Exposure and Aggression and Anxiety: The Role of Peer Relationships in Adaptation for Middle School Students

The extent and consequences of exposure to violence on child and adolescent adjustment are well documented. Empirical studies have focused on identifying the risk and protective factors that may increase or decrease the likelihood of poor outcomes. In terms of resilience and adaptation, some adolescents appear to be capable of coping with the stress of exposure to violence, while others are not. Coping with violence exposure requires both internal and external resources that ultimately determine how adaptive or maladaptive the outcome will be. Given that adolescence is a time during which peer relationships become increasingly important, they may serve as external coping resources. The present study hypothesizes that various facets of peer relationships (i.e., friends' behavior, friendship reciprocity, peer acceptance, and peer intimacy/closeness) will have an effect on the relationship between community and family violence exposure and psychological and behavioral outcomes, specifically, aggression and anxiety, as both have been consistently and empirically linked to violence exposure. Data were collected from 667 middle school students, followed from 6th grade to 8th grade, living in a high crime school district in New York City. Data were also collected from their parents and classmates. Prosocial friends and their influence on the cognitive processing of social information, leading to fewer hostile attributions, were expected to help adolescents cope by minimizing the negative impact of exposure to violence on aggression. Further, reciprocated friendships, peer acceptance, and close, intimate friends were expected to lessen the negative impact of exposure to violence on anxiety. Controlling for gender, six models were tested positing separate moderating and mediating effects of the aforementioned variables on the associations between violence exposure and aggression and also anxiety. Friends' Antisocial behavior was found to mediate the relationship between violence exposure and later aggressive behavior. Hostile attribution alone did not explain the relationship between violence exposure and later aggression, but when Friends' Antisocial behavior and hostile attribution were examined in the same model, together they mediated the association between violence exposure and later aggressive behavior. Of note, Friends' Antisocial behavior was a stronger predictor than hostile attribution. Greater social acceptance moderated the relationship between violence exposure and later reported anxiety when violence exposure was low. Peer intimacy/closeness, while demonstrating a direct effect on anxiety, failed to moderate the association between violence exposure and anxiety. Finally, Friends' Prosocial Behavior could not be tested for whether it buffered the effect of violence exposure on later aggression because the data did not meet criteria for performing tests of moderation. However, Friends' Prosocial behavior was related to other study variables in the expected direction; it was significantly negatively associated with violence exposure, hostile attribution bias, and Friends' Antisocial behavior. Therefore the emphasis on friends' prosocial behavior in current prevention efforts to reduce aggressive outcomes is warranted

Arachidonic Acid/ppara Enhancement of Ca2+-Regulated Exocytosis in Antral Mucous Cells of Guinea Pig

N is known to be the most limiting element for vegetation growth in temperate and boreal forests. The expected increases in global temperature are predicted to accelerate N mineralization, therefore incrementing N availability in the soil and affecting the soil C cycle as well. While there is an abundance of C data collected to fulfill the requirements for national GHG accounting, more limited information is available for soil N accumulation and storage in relation to forest categories and altitudinal gradients. The data collected by the second Italian National Forest Inventory, spanning a wide range of temperature and precipitation values (10° latitudinal range), represented a unique opportunity to calculate N content and C/N ratio of the different soil layers to a depth of 30 cm. Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) models were applied to investigate the main determinants of soil N distribution and C/N ratio. Forest category was shown to be the main explanatory factor of soil N variability in seven out of eight models, both for forest floor and mineral soil layers. Moreover latitude explained a larger share of variability than single climate variables. BRT models explained, on average, the 49% of the data variability, with the remaining fraction likely due to soil-related variables that were unaccounted for. Accurate estimations of N pools and their determinants in a climate change perspective are consequently required to predict the potential impact of their degradation on forest soil N pools