An Iterative 5G Positioning and Synchronization Algorithm in NLOS Environments with Multi-Bounce Paths

5G positioning is a very promising area that presents many opportunities and challenges. Many existing techniques rely on multiple anchor nodes and line-of-sight (LOS) paths, or single reference node and single-bounce non-LOS (NLOS) paths. However, in dense multipath environments, identifying the LOS or single-bounce assumptions is challenging. The multi-bounce paths will make the positioning accuracy deteriorate significantly. We propose a robust 5G positioning algorithm in NLOS multipath environments. The corresponding positioning problem is formulated as an iterative and weighted least squares problem, and different weights are utilized to mitigate the effects of multi-bounce paths. Numerical simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm. Compared with the benchmark positioning algorithms only using the single-bounce paths, similar positioning accuracy is achieved for the proposed algorithm

Etiology of Childhood Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Shandong Province, China.

Objectives The purpose of this study is to ascertain the etiology of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in children aged ≤ 18 years living in Shandong province. Method Data were taken from a cross-sectional study, which was conducted between 2015 and 2017. The study included children aged ≤ 18 years, recruited from special schools for children with hearing loss and from hearing rehabilitation centers in Shandong province of China. Children were screened for bilateral SNHL through audiological testing. Clinical examination, genetic testing, and structured interviews were conducted for those children who were identified as having hearing loss to identify the potential cause. Results The etiology of bilateral SNHL in our sample was genetic in 874 (39.3%), acquired in 650 (29.3%), and unknown in 697 (31.4%) children. Among children with acquired SNHL, the cause was maternal viral infection in 75 (11.5%); perinatal factors in 238 (36.6%); meningitis, measles, and mumps in 146 (22.5%); and ototoxic exposure in 117 (18%) children. Among the children with genetic SNHL, only 44 (4.9%) were identified as having syndromic hearing loss, and the remainder (95.1%) were classified as nonsyndromic hearing loss. Conclusion The findings indicated that nearly 30% of bilateral SNHL in Shandong province could be preventable through immunization, early prenatal diagnosis, proper treatment of infections, and avoidance of prescription of ototoxic drugs. This finding emphasizes the need for programs aimed at improving the health services at primary and secondary levels of health care, which will in turn prevent childhood hearing loss

Discovery of six high-redshift quasars with the Lijiang 2.4m telescope and the Multiple Mirror Telescope

Quasars with redshifts greater than 4 are rare, and can be used to probe the structure and evolution of the early universe. Here we report the discovery of six new quasars with $i$-band magnitudes brighter than 19.5 and redshifts between 2.4 and 4.6 from the YFOSC spectroscopy of the Lijiang 2.4m telescope in February, 2012. These quasars are in the list of $z>3.6$ quasar candidates selected by using our proposed $J-K/i-Y$ criterion and the photometric redshift estimations from the SDSS optical and UKIDSS near-IR photometric data. Nine candidates were observed by YFOSC, and five among six new quasars were identified as $z>3.6$ quasars. One of the other three objects was identified as a star and the other two were unidentified due to the lower signal-to-noise ratio of their spectra. This is the first time that $z>4$ quasars have been discovered using a telescope in China. Thanks to the Chinese Telescope Access Program (TAP), the redshift of 4.6 for one of these quasars was confirmed by the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) Red Channel spectroscopy. The continuum and emission line properties of these six quasars, as well as their central black hole masses and Eddington ratios, were obtained.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, published in Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics (RAA) as a lette

Oś MIF/CD74 jako cel terapii metforminą w podocytopatii cukrzycowej — rzeczywista praktyka kliniczna

Introduction：To observe the effects of metformin on urinary excretion of MIF, CD74 and podocalyxin in type 2 diabetics and to explore its possible renoprotective mechanisms. Methods: 202 uncontrolled type 2 diabetics, who were previously prescribed sulfonylurea monotherapy(n=100) or sulfonylurea in combination with metformin (n=102) were enrolled in the study. The amount of macrophage migration inhibitory factor(MIF) and CD74 in serum, urinary MIF to creatine ratio(UMCR), urinary CD74 to creatine ratio(UCCR), urinary albumin to creatine ratio(UACR) and urinary podocalyxin to creatine ratio (UPCR) were determined. Results: Metabolic parameters including fasting blood glucose, postprandial 2 hours blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, MIF and CD74 in serum were comparable between the two groups. Moreover, metformin add-on therapy showed significantly better efficacy in reducing UMCR, UCCR, UPCR and UACR in comparison with those in sulfonylurea monotherapy group, respectively. UPCR had positive correlation with UACR, UMCR and UCCR (r＝0.73, r=0.69, r=0.62, P < 0.01), respectively. Conclusions: Metformin could present its podocyte-protective capacity in type 2 diabetics and the underlying mechanisms may be partly attributed to its effects in suppressing MIF-CD74 axis mediated inflammatory cascade response. Wstęp: Celem pracy było zaobserwowanie efektów działania metforminy na wydalanie MIF, CD74 i podokaliksyny w moczu pacjentów z cukrzycą typu 2 oraz zbadanie jej możliwych mechanizmów nefroprotekcyjnych. Materiał i metody: W badaniu wzięło udział 202 pacjentów z niewyrównaną cukrzycą typu 2, którym zalecono wcześniej monoterapię sulfonylomocznikiem (n = 100) lub sulfonylomocznikiem skojarzonym z metforminą (n = 102). Podczas badania określono ilość czynnika hamującego migrację makrofagów (MIF) i CD74 w surowicy krwi, wskaźnik MIF/kreatynina (urinary MIF to creatinine ratio; UMCR), wskaźnik CD74/kreatynina (urinary CD74 to creatinine ratio; UCCR), wskaźnik albumina/kreatynina (urinary albumin to creatinine ratio; UACR) oraz wskaźnik podokaliksyna/kreatynina (urinary podocalyxin to creatinine ratio; UPCR). Wyniki: Parametry metaboliczne, w tym glikemia na czczo, stężenie glukozy we krwi dwie godziny po posiłku, hemoglobina A1c, MIF i CD74 w surowicy krwi były porównywalne w obu grupach. Ponadto, terapia z dodatkiem metforminy wykazała znacznie lepszą skuteczność w redukowaniu wskaźników UMCR, UCCR, UPCR i UACR w porównaniu z grupą, w której zastosowano monoterapię sulfonylomocznikiem. Wskaźnik UPRC wykazywał dodatnią korelację ze wskaźnikami UACR, UMCR i UCCR (odpowiednio: r = 0,73, r = 0,69, r = 0,62, p &lt; 0,01). Wnioski: Metformina może wykazywać zdolność do ochrony podocytów u pacjentów z cukrzycą typu 2, a mechanizmy leżące u pod­staw tego procesu mogą być częściowo przypisane jej właściwościom hamowania kaskady reakcji zapalnych zależnych od osi MIF-CD74

Evaluation of satellite-based products for extreme rainfall estimations in the eastern coastal areas of China

Remotely sensed rainfall plays an important role in providing efficient approaches for global or regional rainfall analysis. However, the accuracy of satellite-based products is mainly affected by the errors in sensor observation and retrieval algorithms, particularly with respect to extreme rainfall estimates. The objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of satellite-based products in capturing rainfall extremes. The eastern coastal areas of China were chosen as the case study area to compare the accuracy of three mainstream satellite-based products with respect to extreme rainfall estimates during 2003–2015 period. This included the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) rainfall product 3B42V7, the Climate Prediction Centre Morphing technique RAW (CMORPH-RAW), and the CMORPH bias-corrected product (CMORPH-CRT). In general, all satellite-based products demonstrated numerous errors in extreme rainfall estimates. Based on three different indices of extreme rainfall, it was observed that the satellite-based products underestimated the amounts of rainfall extremes and their respective average values. It was noted that CMORPH-RAW demonstrated the largest relative bias (RB) and underestimated the average extreme rainfall by −31% to −35%. Additionally, all satellite-based products exhibited poor capabilities in capturing the variations in hourly extreme rainfall processes. Finally, a simple potential flood index was developed to simulate the potential flood areas in the eastern coastal areas of China. We found that the potential flood areas can be simulated by combining the potential flood index with the amounts of rainfall derived by satellite-based products