PNC Enabled IIoT: A General Framework for Channel-Coded Asymmetric Physical-Layer Network Coding

This paper investigates the application of physical-layer network coding (PNC) to Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) where a controller and a robot are out of each other's transmission range, and they exchange messages with the assistance of a relay. We particularly focus on a scenario where the controller has more transmitted information, and the channel of the controller is stronger than that of the robot. To reduce the communication latency, we propose an asymmetric transmission scheme where the controller and robot transmit different amount of information in the uplink of PNC simultaneously. To achieve this, the controller chooses a higher order modulation. In addition, the both users apply channel codes to guarantee the reliability. A problem is a superimposed symbol at the relay contains different amount of source information from the two end users. It is thus hard for the relay to deduce meaningful network-coded messages by applying the current PNC decoding techniques which require the end users to transmit the same amount of information. To solve this problem, we propose a lattice-based scheme where the two users encode-and-modulate their information in lattices with different lattice construction levels. Our design is versatile on that the two end users can freely choose their modulation orders based on their channel power, and the design is applicable for arbitrary channel codes.Comment: Submitted to IEEE for possible publicatio

Identification of Biologically Active Ganoderma lucidum Compounds and Synthesis of Improved Derivatives That Confer Anti-cancer Activities in vitro

We previously reported that Ganoderma lucidum extract (GLE) demonstrate significant anti-cancer activity against triple negative inflammatory breast cancer models. Herein, we aimed to elucidate the bioactive compounds of GLE responsible for this anti-cancer activity. We performed NMR, X-ray crystallography and analog derivatization as well as anti-cancer activity studies to elucidate and test the compounds. We report the structures of the seven most abundant GLE compounds and their selective efficacy against triple negative (TNBC) and inflammatory breast cancers (IBC) and other human cancer cell types (solid and blood malignancies) to illustrate their potential as anti-cancer agents. Three of the seven compounds (ergosterol, 5,6-dehydroergosterol and ergosterol peroxide) exhibited significant in vitro anti-cancer activities, while we report for the first time the structure elucidation of 5,6-dehydroergosterol from Ganoderma lucidum. We also show for the first time in TNBC/IBC cells that ergosterol peroxide (EP) displays anti-proliferative effects through G1 phase cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction via caspase 3/7 activation, and PARP cleavage. EP decreased migratory and invasive effects of cancer cells while inhibiting the expression of total AKT1, AKT2, BCL-XL, Cyclin D1 and c-Myc in the tested IBC cells. Our investigation also indicates that these compounds induce reactive oxygen species, compromising cell fate. Furthermore, we generated a superior derivative, ergosterol peroxide sulfonamide, with improved potency in IBC cells and ample therapeutic index (TI > 10) compared to normal cells. The combined studies indicate that EP from Ganoderma lucidum extract is a promising molecular scaffold for further exploration as an anti-cancer agent

Identification of rapid access to polycyclic systems via a base-catalyzed cascade cyclization reaction and their biological evaluation

A base-mediated cascade reaction between malonate esters and acrolein was developed to access complex polycyclic systems. This novel tandem reaction enables the simultaneous generation of up to seven new bonds and at least three new stereogenic centers. Mechanistic studies indicate a series of nucleophilic 1,4 and 1,6 Michael addition reactions occur, followed by an aldol condensation reaction, culminating in the formation of three fused rings. The compounds were characterized by NMR studies and the stereochemistry was confirmed by X-ray analysis. The ability to generate multigram quantities of such complex molecular scaffolds renders the method promising for medicinal chemistry campaigns. Herein, we also demonstrate that the lead compounds display promising anti-proliferative activities against human cancer cell models

Landscape Configuration Effects on Outdoor Thermal Comfort across Campus—A Case Study

As a main place for student activities on campus, outdoor spaces have positive impacts on students’ physical and mental health. Namely, outdoor heat and comfort are of great significance to improve activity quality. Here, four unique outdoor spaces were studied to explore the varying effects on human thermal comfort during hot-summer and cold-winter periods. Distinct outdoor spaces (fully open, semi-open, semi-enclosed, and fully enclosed areas) from the southern campus of Anhui Jianzhu University were chosen. The PET was used as a metric for measuring thermal comfort and analyzing correlated spatiotemporal distributions. The results showed that outdoor thermal comfort was derived from multiple factors, including vegetation, underlying surface materials, building presence, and wind-heat environment. Notably, high correlations between Tmrt and thermal comfort were revealed, where such temperatures of places with trees or building shade were low; thus, PET was low. Further, Ws showed a significantly negative correlation with PET. Of the four outdoor space forms, the fully enclosed location had the lowest thermal comfort level, while the semi-enclosed spaces showed the highest level of body comfort. Therefore, semi-enclosed space (U-shaped) is recommended in campus planning and construction. Accordingly, an improved strategy was proposed based on experimental transformation for fully enclosed spaces. The thermal comfort after optimization was simulated to provide references for outdoor space thermal comfort improvement during seasonal extremes

Cytostatic and Cytotoxic Natural Products against Cancer Cell Models

The increasing prevalence of drug resistant and/or high-risk cancers indicate further drug discovery research is required to improve patient outcome. This study outlines a simplified approach to identify lead compounds from natural products against several cancer cell lines, and provides the basis to better understand structure activity relationship of the natural product cephalotaxine. Using high-throughput screening, a natural product library containing fractions and pure compounds was interrogated for proliferation inhibition in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cellular models (SUP-B15 and KOPN-8). Initial hits were verified in control and counter screens, and those with EC50 values ranging from nanomolar to low micromolar were further characterized via mass spectrometry, NMR, and cytotoxicity measurements. Most of the active compounds were alkaloid natural products including cephalotaxine and homoharringtonine, which were validated as protein synthesis inhibitors with significant potency against several cancer cell lines. A generated BODIPY-cephalotaxine probe provides insight into the mode of action of cephalotaxine and further rationale for its weaker potency when compared to homoharringtonine. The steroidal natural products (ecdysone and muristerone A) also showed modest biological activity and protein synthesis inhibition. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that natural products continue to provide insight into structure and function of molecules with therapeutic potential against drug resistant cancer cell models