Optimization of Joint Power and Bandwidth Allocation in Multi-Spot-Beam Satellite Communication Systems

Multi-spot-beam technique has been widely applied in modern satellite communication systems. However, the satellite power and bandwidth resources in a multi-spot-beam satellite communication system are scarce and expensive; it is urgent to utilize the resources efficiently. To this end, dynamically allocating the power and bandwidth is an available way. This paper initially formulates the problem of resource joint allocation as a convex optimization problem, taking into account a compromise between the maximum total system capacity and the fairness among the spot beams. A joint bandwidth and power allocation iterative algorithm based on duality theory is then proposed to obtain the optimal solution of this optimization problem. Compared with the existing separate bandwidth or power optimal allocation algorithms, it is shown that the joint allocation algorithm improves both the total system capacity and the fairness among spot beams. Moreover, it is easy to be implemented in practice, as the computational complexity of the proposed algorithm is linear with the number of spot beams

Endothelial cells derived from patients' induced pluripotent stem cells for sustained factor VIII delivery and the treatment of hemophilia A.

Hemophilia A (HA) is a bleeding disorder characterized by spontaneous and prolonged hemorrhage. The disease is caused by mutations in the coagulation factor 8 gene (F8) leading to factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency. Since FVIII is primarily produced in endothelial cells (ECs) in a non-diseased human being, ECs hold great potential for development as a cell therapy for HA. We showed that HA patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (HA-iPSCs) could provide a renewable supply of ECs. The HA-iPSC-derived ECs were transduced with lentiviral vectors to stably express the functional B domain deleted F8 gene, the luciferase gene, and the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene (GFP). When transplanted intramuscularly into neonatal and adult immune deficient mice, the HA-iPSC-derived ECs were retained in the animals for at least 10-16 weeks and maintained their expression of FVIII, GFP, and the endothelial marker CD31, as demonstrated by bioluminescence imaging and immunostaining, respectively. When transplanted into HA mice, these transduced HA-iPSC-derived ECs significantly reduced blood loss in a tail-clip bleeding test and produced therapeutic plasma levels (11.2%-369.2%) of FVIII. Thus, our studies provide proof-of-concept that HA-iPSC-derived ECs can serve as a factory to deliver FVIII for the treatment of HA not only in adults but also in newborns

Optimization of Power Allocation for Multiusers in Multi-Spot-Beam Satellite Communication Systems

In recent years, multi-spot-beam satellite communication systems have played a key role in global seamless communication. However, satellite power resources are scarce and expensive, due to the limitations of satellite platform. Therefore, this paper proposes optimizing the power allocation of each user in order to improve the power utilization efficiency. Initially the capacity allocated to each user is calculated according to the satellite link budget equations, which can be achieved in the practical satellite communication systems. The problem of power allocation is then formulated as a convex optimization, taking account of a trade-off between the maximization of the total system capacity and the fairness of power allocation amongst the users. Finally, an iterative algorithm based on the duality theory is proposed to obtain the optimal solution to the optimization. Compared with the traditional uniform resource allocation or proportional resource allocation algorithms, the proposed optimal power allocation algorithm improves the fairness of power allocation amongst the users. Moreover, the computational complexity of the proposed algorithm is linear with both the numbers of the spot beams and users. As a result, the proposed power allocation algorithm is easy to be implemented in practice

A Cooperative Mobile Satellite Communication System with the Dynamic Space-Time Coding

Channels of mobile satellite communications are affected by multipath fading and shadowing attenuation. At the same time, diversity gains are believed to improve the transmission reliability in fading channels. Considering that the traditional Space-Time Coding (STC) is not suitable for the cooperative mobile satellite communication, in this paper, a new cooperative mobile satellite communication system is proposed based on the Dynamic Space-Time Coding (D-STC). The transmitting energy of the proposed scheme is saved by avoiding forwarding erroneous signals in cooperative users. Meanwhile, this system benefits from diversity gains and the transmission is robust. Additionally, a closed-form expression of the outage probability for the proposed scheme is derived, and then it is demonstrated that this scheme is much better than the existing noncooperative scheme and schemes with traditional STCs in the outage performance. Finally, the analytical result is supported and validated by numerical simulations

Helium bubble nucleation in Laser Powder Bed Fusion processed 304L stainless steel

The interest in application of Additive Manufacturing (AM) to nuclear industry stems not only from the benefits of design freedom and shortened lead time, but also from the possibility of enhancing the performance through microstructure control. One of the most important requirements for in-core structural material in nuclear power plants is helium resistance. The Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) processed 304L stainless steel possesses strong defect sinks such as high densities of dislocation-surrounded sub-grains and dispersed nano-inclusions. In this work the LPBF processed 304L in as-built and solution-annealed conditions along with a conventionally rolled counterpart were implanted with 350\ua0keV He+\ua0ion at 300\ua0\ub0C to 0.24 dpa (displacement per atom). Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) observations indicate significantly higher helium resistance of the as-built LPBF 304L compared to the other two samples. The sink strengths in the three samples are calculated based on the measurements of the microstructural features using simplified equations for the correlation between microstructural characteristics and helium tolerance. Based on the calculation, the cellular sub-grains and the dispersed nano-inclusions are the primary and secondary contributors to the helium resistance of LPBF 304L steel

A Generalization Belief Propagation Decoding Algorithm for Polar Codes Based on Particle Swarm Optimization

We propose a generalization belief propagation (BP) decoding algorithm based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) to improve the performance of the polar codes. Through the analysis of the existing BP decoding algorithm, we first introduce a probability modifying factor to each node of the BP decoder, so as to enhance the error correcting capacity of the decoding. Then, we generalize the BP decoding algorithm based on these modifying factors and drive the probability update equations for the proposed decoding. Based on the new probability update equations, we show the intrinsic relationship of the existing decoding algorithms. Finally, in order to achieve the best performance, we formulate an optimization problem to find the optimal probability modifying factors for the proposed decoding algorithm. Furthermore, a method based on the modified PSO algorithm is also introduced to solve that optimization problem. Numerical results show that the proposed generalization BP decoding algorithm achieves better performance than that of the existing BP decoding, which suggests the effectiveness of the proposed decoding algorithm

Comprehensive Analysis of Peripheral Exosomal circRNAs in Large Artery Atherosclerotic Stroke

Exosomes are crucial vehicles in intercellular communication. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), novel endogenous noncoding RNAs, play diverse roles in ischemic stroke. Recently, the abundance and stability of circRNAs in exosomes have been identified. However, a comprehensive analysis of exosomal circRNAs in large artery atherosclerotic (LAA) stroke has not yet been reported. We performed RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to comprehensively identify differentially expressed (DE) exosomal circRNAs in five paired LAA and normal controls. Further, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to verify the RNA-Seq results in a cohort of stroke patients (32 versus 32). RNA-Seq identified a total of 462 circRNAs in peripheral exosomes; there were 25 DE circRNAs among them. Additionally, circRNA competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network and translatable analysis revealed the potential functions of the exosomal circRNAs in LAA progression. Two ceRNA pathways involving 5 circRNAs, 2 miRNAs, and 3 mRNAs were confirmed by qRT-PCR. In the validation cohort, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis identified two circRNAs as possible novel biomarkers, and a logistic model combining two and four circRNAs increased the area under the curve compared with the individual circRNAs. Here, we show for the first time the comprehensive expression of exosomal circRNAs, which displayed the potential diagnostic and biological function in LAA stroke

GWAS Identifies Novel Susceptibility Loci on 6p21.32 and 21q21.3 for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Carriers

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have recently identified KIF1B as susceptibility locus for hepatitis B virus (HBV)–related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To further identify novel susceptibility loci associated with HBV–related HCC and replicate the previously reported association, we performed a large three-stage GWAS in the Han Chinese population. 523,663 autosomal SNPs in 1,538 HBV–positive HCC patients and 1,465 chronic HBV carriers were genotyped for the discovery stage. Top candidate SNPs were genotyped in the initial validation samples of 2,112 HBV–positive HCC cases and 2,208 HBV carriers and then in the second validation samples of 1,021 cases and 1,491 HBV carriers. We discovered two novel associations at rs9272105 (HLA-DQA1/DRB1) on 6p21.32 (OR = 1.30, P = 1.13×$10^{−19}$) and rs455804 (GRIK1) on 21q21.3 (OR = 0.84, P = 1.86×$10^{−8}$), which were further replicated in the fourth independent sample of 1,298 cases and 1,026 controls (rs9272105: OR = 1.25, P = 1.71×$10^{−4}$; rs455804: OR = 0.84, P = 6.92×$10^{−3}$). We also revealed the associations of HLA-DRB1*0405 and 0901*0602, which could partially account for the association at rs9272105. The association at rs455804 implicates GRIK1 as a novel susceptibility gene for HBV–related HCC, suggesting the involvement of glutamate signaling in the development of HBV–related HCC