3,278 research outputs found
Brain Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Neuromuscular Pathology in a Patient with GM1 Gangliosidosis
Receiver Windowing Design for Narrowband Interference Mitigation in MB-OFDM UWB System
In 2005, the WiMedia Alliance working with the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) announced the establishment of the WiMedia MB-OFDM (Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) UWB radio platform as their global UWB standard. It was also chosen as the physical layer (PHY) of high data rate wireless specifications for high speed Wireless USB (W-USB), Bluetooth 3.0 and Wireless High-Definition Media Interface (HDMI). However, due to the low power and wide bandwidth nature of UWB systems, in-band narrowband interference (NBI) may hinder the receiver performance. This thesis presents an analysis of NBI impact on the MB-OFDM system for UWB communication. The intent of our analysis is to provide practical solutions for interference mitigation under different NBI models. In our work, a new receiver windowing for zero padding (ZP) OFDM system is proposed to reduce NBI spreading in the MB-OFDM UWB system. Simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of windowing under different NBI models.Microelectronics & Computer EngineeringElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Platelet-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Stimulate Migration through Partial Remodelling of the Ca2+ Handling Machinery in MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells
Background: Platelets can support cancer progression via the release of microparticles and microvesicles that enhance the migratory behaviour of recipient cancer cells. We recently showed that platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (PEVs) stimulate migration and invasiveness in highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells by stimulating the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and the myosin light chain 2 (MLC2). Herein, we assessed whether the pro-migratory effect of PEVs involves the remodelling of the Ca2+ handling machinery, which drives MDA-MB-231 cell motility. Methods: PEVs were isolated from human blood platelets, and Fura-2/AM Ca2+ imaging, RT-qPCR, and immunoblotting were exploited to assess their effect on intracellular Ca2+ dynamics and Ca2+-dependent migratory processes in MDA-MB-231 cells. Results: Pretreating MDA-MB-231 cells with PEVs for 24 h caused an increase in Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) due to the up-regulation of SERCA2B and InsP3R1/InsP3R2 mRNAs and proteins. The consequent enhancement of ER Ca2+ depletion led to a significant increase in store-operated Ca2+ entry. The larger Ca2+ mobilization from the ER was required to potentiate serum-induced migration by recruiting p38 MAPK and MLC2. Conclusions: PEVs stimulate migration in the highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line by inducing a partial remodelling of the Ca2+ handling machinery
Altered immunolocalization of FGF23 in murine femora metastasized with human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells
Introduction After the onset of bone metastasis, tumor cells appear to modify surrounding microenvironments for their benefit, and particularly, the levels of circulating fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 23 in patients with tumors have been highlighted. Materials and methods We have attempted to verify if human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells metastasized in the long bone of nu/nu mice would synthesize FGF23. Serum concentrations of calcium, phosphate (Pi) and FGF23 were measured in control nu/nu mice, bone-metastasized mice, and mice with mammary gland injected with MDA-MB-231 cells mimicking primary mammary tumors. Results and conclusions MDA-MB-231 cells revealed intense FGF23 reactivity in metastasized lesions, whereas MDA-MB-231 cells cultured in vitro or when injected into the mammary glands (without bone metastasis) showed weak FGF23 immunoreactivity. Although the bone-metastasized MDA-MB-231 cells abundantly synthesized FGF23, osteocytes adjacent to the FGF23-immunopositive tumors, unlike intact osteocytes, showed no FGF23. Despite significantly elevated serum FGF23 levels in bone-metastasized mice, there was no significant decrease in the serum Pi concentration when compared with the intact mice and mice with a mass of MDA-MB-231 cells in mammary glands. The metastasized femora showed increased expression and FGFR1 immunoreactivity in fibroblastic stromal cells, whereas femora of control mice showed no obvious FGFR1 immunoreactivity. Taken together, it seems likely that MDA-MB-231 cells synthesize FGF23 when metastasized to a bone, and thus affect FGFR1-positive stromal cells in the metastasized tumor nest in a paracrine manner
ASIC FFT processor for MB-OFDM UWB system
The physical layer (PHY) standard of Multi-band Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MB-OFDM) Ultra Wideband (UWB) system was defined by ECMA International. In this standard, the data sampling rate from the analog-to-digital converter to the physical layer is up to 528 Msample/s. Therefore, it is a challenge to realize the physical layer of the UWB system-especially the components with high computational complexity in Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) implementation. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) block is one of these components. FFT plays an important role in Multi-band OFDM UWB system, which is the demodulation block of OFDM signals. The purpose of this project is to design an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) FFT solution for this system. The specification is defined from the system analysis and literature research. All the design choices and considerations are concluded and explained.Based on the algorithm and architecture analysis, a novel Radix22Parallel processor is proposed, which is a small-area and low-power-consumption solution for MB-OFDM UWB system. Both Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and ASIC targeted synthesis results of this architecture are presented.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Model-Based Image Reconstruction for Linear Array Optoacoustic Imaging
Optoacoustic imaging is a promising biomedical imaging technique that combines optical contrast with ultrasonic resolution by detecting acoustic waves generated from pulsed light absorption in tissues. Two main issues with optoacoustic imaging are image reconstruction algorithms and the impact of probe geometry. Traditional reconstruction methods offer reasonable image quality but struggle with physical limitations; hence model-based (MB) reconstruction methods that incorporate complex tissue properties have been explored. Linear ultrasound probes are affordable and easy to manufacture, but they suffer from limited-view artifacts that degrade image quality. Concave probes, with better angular coverage, provide higher image quality but are more expensive and complex to manufacture. This study compares MB reconstruction using linear and concave probes across in-silico, in-vitro, and in-vivo images. The results show that regularized MB reconstruction can significantly enhance the quality of images obtained with linear probes, reducing the performance gap with concave arrays. For Shearlet L1 regularization, the structural similarity index (SSIM) was 0.66 ± 0.06, and the mean absolute error (MAE) was 0.057 ± 0.017, and a qualitative analysis revealed fewer artifacts in MB-reconstructed images when compared to traditional methods. Future work will focus on larger datasets and exploring deep learning to further improve MB reconstruction for linear arrays
Characterization of the tertiary structure of the de novo designed protein MB-1
Milk Bundle-1 (MB-1) is a de novo designed protein with 100 amino acids, having a molecular weight of 11.4 kilodaltons. MB-1 is enriched with 57% of selected essential amino acids (methionine, threonine, lysine and leucine), which are known to be limiting in dairy cattle. Recently, on the basis of a digestibility study, MB-1 was predicted to be unstable in rumen conditions.Characterization of the protein's structure was achieved using fluorescence spectroscopy (steady state measurements). MB-1 contains one tyrosine at position 62, expected to be in position "d" of helix III, in the hydrophobic core. Data obtained using fluorescence quenching indicates that the tyrosine is protected from the solvent in the putative hydrophobic core, as per design.Once it was established that MB-1 was not misfolded, further experiments were done to assess the fluidity of its hydrophobic core. For this, the amphiphillic dye ANSA was used. Results obtained for MB-1 compare favourably to those of many natural proteins, suggesting that MB-1 has achieved some degree of nativeness. Interestingly, MB-1 was found to exclude ANSA from its hydrophobic core more efficiently than all other de novo designed proteins reported to date.Finally, an analysis of folding thermodynamics of MB-1 was attempted. It was found that the fluorescence intensity of tyrosine was not sensitive to unfolding, making thermodynamic data impossible to obtain.Analysis of the data on MB-1 as compared to other natural proteins indicates that MB-1 is folded and compact. The lack of resistance to proteases must be caused by other factors other than the lack of compactness or misfolding. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 36-06, page: 1623.Adviser: Marc Beauregard
Stochastic Lie bracket (derivation, derivation) in MB-algebras
By a stochastic controller, we make stable the pseudo stochastic Lie bracket (derivation, derivation) in complex MB-algebras. Next, we get an approximation by a stochastic Lie bracket (derivation, derivation) and calculate the maximum error of the estimate. © 2020, The Author(s)
Weerkat: An extensible semantic Wiki
Wikis are Web applications that blur the boundaries between readers and authors, allowing non-technical people to author hypertexts through a web interface. A Semantic Wiki is a Wiki that attempts the same thing with the Semantic Web, allowing non-technical users to create semantic resources and/or ontologies. In this paper we characterise the different ways in which a Wiki might support the Semantic Web and present Weerkat, a modular and extensible Wiki that has ontological hypertext support. Key to this has been the design and development of a highly flexible Wiki architecture which allows easy modification and augmentation of functionality
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