Low-complexity iterative frequency domain decision feedback equalization

Single-carrier transmission with frequency domain equalization (SC-FDE) offers a viable design alternative to the classic orthogonal frequency division multiplexing technique. However, SC-FDE using a linear equalizer may suffer from serious performance deterioration for transmission over severely frequency-selective fading channels. An effective method of solving this problem is to introduce non-linear decision feedback equalization (DFE) to SC-FDE. In this contribution, a low complexity iterative decision feedback equalizer operating in the frequency domain of single-carrier systems is proposed. Based on the minimum mean square error criterion, a simplified parameter estimation method is introduced to calculate the coefficients of the feed-forward and feedback filters, which significantly reduces the implementation complexity of the equalizer. Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed simplified design is similar to the traditional iterative block DFE under various multipath fading channels but it imposes a much lower complexity than the latter

Loss of ATF3 exacerbates liver damage through the activation of mTOR/p70S6K/ HIF-1α signaling pathway in liver inflammatory injury.

Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) is a stress-induced transcription factor that plays important roles in regulating immune and metabolic homeostasis. Activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) transcription factors are crucial for the regulation of immune cell function. Here, we investigated the mechanism by which the ATF3/mTOR/HIF-1 axis regulates immune responses in a liver ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) model. Deletion of ATF3 exacerbated liver damage, as evidenced by increased levels of serum ALT, intrahepatic macrophage/neutrophil trafficking, hepatocellular apoptosis, and the upregulation of pro-inflammatory mediators. ATF3 deficiency promoted mTOR and p70S6K phosphorylation, activated high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and TLR4, inhibited prolyl-hydroxylase 1 (PHD1), and increased HIF-1α activity, leading to Foxp3 downregulation and RORγt and IL-17A upregulation in IRI livers. Blocking mTOR or p70S6K in ATF3 knockout (KO) mice or bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) downregulated HMGB1, TLR4, and HIF-1α and upregulated PHD1, increasing Foxp3 and decreasing IL-17A levels in vitro. Silencing of HIF-1α in ATF3 KO mice ameliorated IRI-induced liver damage in parallel with the downregulation of IL-17A in ATF3-deficient mice. These findings demonstrated that ATF3 deficiency activated mTOR/p70S6K/HIF-1α signaling, which was crucial for the modulation of TLR4-driven inflammatory responses and T cell development. The present study provides potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of liver IRI followed by liver transplantation

Molecular characterization of a mosaic locus in the genome of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus'

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Huanglongbing (HLB) is a highly destructive disease of citrus production worldwide. '<it>Candidatus </it>Liberibacter asiaticus', an unculturable alpha proteobacterium, is a putative pathogen of HLB. Information about the biology and strain diversity of '<it>Ca</it>. L. asiaticus' is currently limited, inhibiting the scope of HLB research and control.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A genomic region (CLIBASIA_05640 to CLIBASIA_05650) of '<it>Ca</it>. L. asiaticus' showing hyper-sequence variation or locus mosaicism was identified and investigated using 262 bacterial strains (188 from China and 74 from Florida). Based on the characteristic electrophoretic profiles of PCR amplicons generated by a specific primer set, eight electrophoretic types (E-types) were identified, six E-types (A, B, C, D, E, and F) in China and four E-types (A, C, G, and H) in Florida. The '<it>Ca</it>. L. asiaticus' strains from China consisted predominately of E-type A (71.3%) and E-type B (19.7%). In contrast, the '<it>Ca</it>. L. asiaticus' strains from Florida was predominated by E-type G (82.4%). Diversity of '<it>Ca</it>. L. asiaticus' in China was also evidenced. Strains from the high altitude Yunnan Province consisted of five E-types with E-type B being the majority (62.8%), whereas strains from the low altitude coastal Guangdong Province consisted of only two E-types with E-type A as the majority (97.0%). Sequence analyses revealed that variation of DNA amplicons was due to insertion/deletion events at CLIBASIA_05650 and the downstream intergenic region.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study demonstrated the genomic mosaicism of '<it>Ca</it>. L. asiaticus' resulted from active DNA insertion/deletion activities. Analyses of strain variation depicted the significant inter- and intra-continent diversity of '<it>Ca</it>. L. asiaticus'.</p

First Spectroscopic Identification of Pyrocarbonate for High CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Flux Membranes Containing Highly Interconnected Three Dimensional Ionic Channels

Identification of the existence of pyrocarbonate ion C2O52− in molten carbonates exposed to a CO2 atmosphere provides key support for a newly established bi-ionic transport model that explains the mechanisms of high CO2 permeation flux observed in mixed oxide-ion andcarbonate-ion conducting (MOCC) membranes containing highly interconnected three dimensional ionic channels. Here we report the first Raman spectroscopic evidence of C2O52− as an active species involved in the CO2-transport process of MOCC membranes exposed to a CO2atmosphere. The two new broad peaks centered at 1317 cm−1 and 1582 cm−1 are identified as the characteristic frequencies of the C2O52− species. The measured characteristic Raman frequencies of C2O52− are in excellent agreement with the DFT-model consisting of six overlapping individual theoretical bands calculated from Li2C2O5 and Na2C2O5

Advanced machine learning optimized by the genetic algorithm in ionospheric models using long-term multi-instrument observations

The ionospheric delay is of paramount importance to radio communication, satellite navigation and positioning. It is necessary to predict high-accuracy ionospheric peak parameters for single frequency receivers. In this study, the state-of-the-art artificial neural network (ANN) technique optimized by the genetic algorithm is used to develop global ionospheric models for predicting foF2 and hmF2. The models are based on long-term multiple measurements including ionospheric peak frequency model (GIPFM) and global ionospheric peak height model (GIPHM). Predictions of the GIPFM and GIPHM are compared with the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model in 2009 and 2013 respectively. This comparison shows that the root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) of GIPFM are 0.82 MHz and 0.71 MHz in 2013 and 2009, respectively. This result is about 20%-35% lower than that of IRI. Additionally, the corresponding hmF2 median errors of GIPHM are 20% to 30% smaller than that of IRI. Furthermore, the ANN models present a good capability to capture the global or regional ionospheric spatial-temporal characteristics, e.g., the equatorial ionization anomaly andWeddell Sea anomaly. The study shows that the ANN-based model has a better agreement to reference value than the IRI model, not only along the Greenwich meridian, but also on a global scale. The approach proposed in this study has the potential to be a new three-dimensional electron density model combined with the inclusion of the upcoming Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC-2) data