A Novel Clustering Algorithm Inspired by Membrane Computing

P systems are a class of distributed parallel computing models; this paper presents a novel clustering algorithm, which is inspired from mechanism of a tissue-like P system with a loop structure of cells, called membrane clustering algorithm. The objects of the cells express the candidate centers of clusters and are evolved by the evolution rules. Based on the loop membrane structure, the communication rules realize a local neighborhood topology, which helps the coevolution of the objects and improves the diversity of objects in the system. The tissue-like P system can effectively search for the optimal partitioning with the help of its parallel computing advantage. The proposed clustering algorithm is evaluated on four artificial data sets and six real-life data sets. Experimental results show that the proposed clustering algorithm is superior or competitive to k-means algorithm and several evolutionary clustering algorithms recently reported in the literature

Identifying the orbital angular momentum of light based on atomic ensembles

We propose a scheme to distinguish the orbital angular momentum state of the Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beam based on the electromagnetically induced transparency modulated by a microwave field in atomic ensembles. We show that the transverse phase variation of a probe beam with the LG mode can be mapped into the spatial intensity distribution due to the change of atomic coherence caused by the microwave. The proposal may provide a useful tool for studying higher-dimensional quantum information based on atomic ensembles.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

A new stripe rust resistance gene transferred from Thinopyrum intermedium to hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Wheat stripe rust (Puccinia striiforis f. sp. tritici) races CYR31 and CYR32, prevalent in China, are virulent to many wheat stripe rust resistance genes (Yr genes). To expand the availability of effective resistance to CYR31 and CYR32, stripe rust resistance was transferred from intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) to common wheat (Triticum aestivum). The susceptible wheat cultivar CM107 was crossed with amphiploid TAI7047, derived from the wide cross Taiyuan768/Thinopyrum intermedium//76(64). Two wheat lines originating from the cross, YU24 and YU25, were resistant to CYR31 and CYR32. Pedigree analysis showed that the resistance to stripe rust in YU24 and YU25 originated from intermediate wheatgrass. Genetic analyses indicated that the resistance to stripe rust is controlled by a single dominant gene. Allelic tests determined that the resistance gene(s) in YU24 and YU25 are identical. The new gene has temporarily been designated as YrYU25. SSR and RAPD analyses showed that YrYU25 was introduced by cryptic translocation into common wheat.Les races CYR31 et CYR32 de la rouille jaune du blé (Puccinia striiforis f. sp. tritici), très répandues en Chine, sont virulentes pour plusieurs gènes de résistance à cette maladie (gènes Yr). Afin d'accroître la disponibilité d'une résistance efficace aux races CYR31 et CYR32, la résistance à la rouille jaune du blé a été transférée de l'agropyre intermédiaire (Thinopyrum intermedium) au blé tendre (Triticum aestivum). CM107, un cultivar de blé sensible, a été croisé avec l'amphiploïde AI7047 dérivé du croisement éloigné Taiyuan768/Thinopyrum intermedium//76(64). Deux lignées de blé provenant de ce croisement, soit YU24 et YU25, étaient résistantes aux races CYR31 et CYR32. Une analyse généalogique a démontré que la résistance à la rouille jaune du blé chez les lignées YU24 et YU25 provenait de l'agropyre intermédiaire. Des analyses génétiques ont indiqué que cette résistance était contrôlée par un seul gène dominant. Des tests d'allélisme ont révélé que le(s) gène(s) de résistance dans les lignées YU24 et YU25 étaient identiques. Le nouveau gène a temporairement été nommé YrYU25. Des analyses SSR et RAPD ont démontré que le gène YrYU25 avait été introduit dans le blé tendre par translocation cryptique

An Error Rate Comparison of Power Domain Non-orthogonal Multiple Access and Sparse Code Multiple Access

Non-orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) has been envisioned as one of the key enabling techniques to fulfill the requirements of future wireless networks. The primary benefit of NOMA is higher spectrum efficiency compared to Orthogonal Multiple Access (OMA). This paper presents an error rate comparison of two distinct NOMA schemes, i.e., power domain NOMA (PD-NOMA) and Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA). In a typical PD-NOMA system, successive interference cancellation (SIC) is utilized at the receiver, which however may lead to error propagation. In comparison, message passing decoding is employed in SCMA. To attain the best error rate performance of PD-NOMA, we optimize the power allocation with the aid of pairwise error probability and then carry out the decoding using generalized sphere decoder (GSD). Our extensive simulation results show that SCMA system with “5×10” setting (i.e., ten users communicate over five subcarriers, each active over two subcarriers) achieves better uncoded BER and coded BER performance than both typical “1×2” and “2×4” PD-NOMA systems in uplink Rayleigh fading channel. Finally, the impacts of channel estimation error on SCMA , SIC and GSD based PD-NOMA and the complexity of multiuser detection schemes are also discussed

AFDM-SCMA: A Promising Waveform for Massive Connectivity over High Mobility Channels

This paper studies the affine frequency division multiplexing (AFDM)-empowered sparse code multiple access (SCMA) system, referred to as AFDM-SCMA, for supporting massive connectivity in high-mobility environments. First, by placing the sparse codewords on the AFDM chirp subcarriers, the input-output (I/O) relation of AFDM-SCMA systems is presented. Next, we delve into the generalized receiver design, chirp rate selection, and error rate performance of the proposed AFDM-SCMA The proposed AFDM-SCMA is shown to provide a general framework and subsume the existing OFDM-SCMA as a special case. Third, for efficient transceiver design, we further propose a class of sparse codebooks for simplifying the I/O relation, referred to as I/O relation-inspired codebook design in this paper. Building upon these codebooks, we propose a novel iterative detection and decoding scheme with linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) estimator for both downlink and uplink channels based on orthogonal approximate message passing principles. Our numerical results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed AFDM-SCMA systems over OFDM-SCMA systems in terms of the error rate performance. We show that the proposed receiver can significantly enhance the error rate performance while reducing the detection complexity

Spin polarization separation of reflected light at Brewster angle

A novel spin polarization separation of reflected light is observed, when a linearly polarized Gaussian beam impinges on an air-glass interface at Brewster angle. In the far-field zone, spins of photons are oppositely polarized in two regions along the direction perpendicular to incident plane. Spatial scale of this polarization is related to optical properties of dielectric and can be controlled by experimental configuration. We believe that this study benefits the manipulation of spins of photons and the development of methods for investigating optical properties of materials.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Continuous and low-energy 125I seed irradiation changes DNA methyltransferases expression patterns and inhibits pancreatic cancer tumor growth

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Iodine 125 (¹²⁵I) seed irradiation is an effective treatment for unresectable pancreatic cancers. However, the radiobiological mechanisms underlying brachytherapy remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the influence of continuous and low-energy ¹²⁵I irradiation on apoptosis, expression of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and cell growth in pancreatic cancers.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>For <it>in vitro </it>¹²⁵I seed irradiation, SW-1990 cells were divided into three groups: control (0 Gy), 2 Gy, and 4 Gy. To create an animal model of pancreatic cancer, the SW 1990 cells were surgically implanted into the mouse pancreas. At 10 d post-implantation, the 30 mice with pancreatic cancer underwent ¹²⁵I seed implantation and were separated into three groups: 0 Gy, 2 Gy, and 4 Gy group. At 48 or 72 h after irradiation, apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry; changes in DNMTs mRNA and protein expression were assessed by real-time PCR and western blotting analysis, respectively. At 28 d after ¹²⁵I seed implantation, <it>in vivo </it>apoptosis was evaluated with TUNEL staining, while DNMTs protein expression was detected with immunohistochemical staining. The tumor volume was measured 0 and 28 d after ¹²⁵I seed implantation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>¹²⁵I seed irradiation induced significant apoptosis, especially at 4 Gy. DNMT1 and DNMT3b mRNA and protein expression were substantially higher in the 2 Gy group than in the control group. Conversely, the 4 Gy cell group exhibited significantly decreased DNMT3b mRNA and protein expression relative to the control group. There were substantially more TUNEL positive in the ¹²⁵I seed implantation treatment group than in the control group, especially at 4 Gy. The 4 Gy seed implantation group showed weaker staining for DNMT1 and DNMT3b protein relative to the control group. Consequently, ¹²⁵I seed implantation inhibited cancer growth and reduced cancer volume.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>¹²⁵I seed implantation kills pancreatic cancer cells, especially at 4 Gy. ¹²⁵I-induced apoptosis and changes in DNMT1 and DNMT3b expression suggest potential mechanisms underlying effective brachytherapy.</p

Tulp1 deficiency causes early-onset retinal degeneration through affecting ciliogenesis and activating ferroptosis in zebrafish

Mutations in TUB-like protein 1 (TULP1) are associated with severe early-onset retinal degeneration in humans. However, the pathogenesis remains largely unknown. There are two homologous genes of TULP1 in zebrafish, namely tulp1a and tulp1b. Here, we generated the single knockout (tulp1a(−/−) and tulp1b(−/−)) and double knockout (tulp1-dKO) models in zebrafish. Knockout of tulp1a resulted in the mislocalization of UV cone opsins and the degeneration of UV cones specifically, while knockout of tulp1b resulted in mislocalization of rod opsins and rod-cone degeneration. In the tulp1-dKO zebrafish, mislocalization of opsins was present in all types of photoreceptors, and severe degeneration was observed at a very early age, mimicking the clinical manifestations of TULP1 patients. Photoreceptor cilium length was significantly reduced in the tulp1-dKO retinas. RNA-seq analysis showed that the expression of tektin2 (tekt2), a ciliary and flagellar microtubule structural component, was downregulated in the tulp1-dKO zebrafish. Dual-luciferase reporter assay suggested that Tulp1a and Tulp1b transcriptionally activate the promoter of tekt2. In addition, ferroptosis might be activated in the tulp1-dKO zebrafish, as suggested by the up-regulation of genes related to the ferroptosis pathway, the shrinkage of mitochondria, reduction or disappearance of mitochondria cristae, and the iron and lipid droplet deposition in the retina of tulp1-dKO zebrafish. In conclusion, our study establishes an appropriate zebrafish model for TULP1-associated retinal degeneration and proposes that loss of TULP1 causes defects in cilia structure and opsin trafficking through the downregulation of tekt2, which further increases the death of photoreceptors via ferroptosis. These findings offer insight into the pathogenesis and clinical treatment of early-onset retinal degeneration

Groundwater Nitrogen Pollution and Assessment of Its Health Risks: A Case Study of a Typical Village in Rural-Urban Continuum, China

Protecting groundwater from nitrogen contamination is an important public-health concern and a major national environmental issue in China. In this study, we monitored water quality in 29 wells from 2009 to 2010 in a village in Shanghai city, whick belong to typical rural-urban continuum in China. The total N and NO3-N exhibited seasonal changes, and there were large fluctuations in NH4-N in residential areas, but without significant seasonal patterns. NO2-N in the water was not stable, but was present at high levels. Total N and NO3-N were significantly lower in residential areas than in agricultural areas. The groundwater quality in most wells belonged to Class III and IV in the Chinese water standard, which defines water that is unsuitable for human consumption. Our health risk assessments showed that NO3-N posed the greatest carcinogenic risk, with risk values ranging from 19×10−6 to 80×10−6, which accounted for more than 90% of the total risk in the study area

The splicing factor DHX38 enables retinal development through safeguarding genome integrity

DEAH-Box Helicase 38 (DHX38) is a pre-mRNA splicing factor and also a disease-causing gene of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP). The role of DHX38 in the development and maintenance of the retina remains largely unknown. In this study, by using the dhx38 knockout zebrafish model, wedemonstrated that Dhx38 deficiency causes severe differentiation defects and apoptosis of retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) through disrupted mitosis and increased DNA damage. Furthermore, we found a significant accumulation of R-loops in the dhx38-deficient RPCs and human cell lines. Finally, we found that DNA replication stress is the prerequisite for R-loop-induced DNA damage in the DHX38 knockdown cells. Taken together, our study demonstrates a necessary role of DHX38 in the development of retina and reveals a DHX38/R-loop/replication stress/DNA damage regulatory axis that is relatively independent of the known functions of DHX38 in mitosis control