Variable three-term conjugate gradient method for training artificial neural networks.

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been widely adopted as general computational tools both in computer science as well as many other engineering fields. Stochastic gradient descent (SGD) and adaptive methods such as Adam are popular as robust optimization algorithms used to train the ANNs. However, the effectiveness of these algorithms is limited because they calculate a search direction based on a first-order gradient. Although higher-order gradient methods such as Newton's method have been proposed, they require the Hessian matrix to be semi-definite, and its inversion incurs a high computational cost. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a variable three-term conjugate gradient (VTTCG) method that approximates the Hessian matrix to enhance search direction and uses a variable step size to achieve improved convergence stability. To evaluate the performance of the VTTCG method, we train different ANNs on benchmark image classification and generation datasets. We also conduct a similar experiment in which a grasp generation and selection convolutional neural network (GGS-CNN) is trained to perform intelligent robotic grasping. After considering a simulated environment, we also test the GGS-CNN with a physical grasping robot. The experimental results show that the performance of the VTTCG method is superior to that of four conventional methods, including SGD, Adam, AMSGrad, and AdaBelief.

Carrier phase recovery friendly probabilistic shaping scheme based on a quasi-Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution model.

A novel probabilistic shaping (PS) scheme based on the quasi-Maxwell-Boltzmann (quasi-MB) distribution model is proposed in order to solve the incompatibility between PS and carrier phase recovery (CPR) algorithms, such as blind phase search (BPS) and principal component-based phase estimation (PCPE). In the proposed quasi-MB model, the same occurrence probability is assigned to each constellation point on the same square-ring, rather than on the same circle. Signals obeying the quasi-MB model have superior CPR friendliness compared to traditional PS signals. For a PS 64 quadrature amplitude modulation system, the simulation results indicate up to 51% and 21% normalized generalized mutual information (NGMI) improvements for PCPE and BPS, respectively. Experimental verification of the proposed quasi-MB scheme was demonstrated in a 10 Gbaud coherent detection system. The results show that when the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) is low, the quasi-MB model can help the BPS algorithm to achieve better NGMI performance and, when the OSNR is high, the proposed model can also solve the incompatibility between the PCPE algorithm and PS.

CPEB3-mediated MTDH mRNA translational suppression restrains hepatocellular carcinoma progression.

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein 3 (CPEB3) is a sequence-specific RNA-binding protein. We had reported that CPEB3 is involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. However, the underlying mechanisms of CPEB3 in HCC remain unclear. In this study, we firstly performed RNA immunoprecipitation to uncover the transcriptome-wide CPEB3-bound mRNAs (CPEB3 binder) in HCC. Bioinformatic analysis indicates that CPEB3 binders are closely related to cancer progression, especially HCC metastasis. Further studies confirmed that metadherin (MTDH) is a direct target of CPEB3. CPEB3 can suppress the translation of MTDH mRNA in vivo and in vitro. Besides, luciferase assay demonstrated that CPEB3 interacted with 3'-untranslated region of MTDH mRNA and inhibited its translation. Subsequently, CPEB3 inhibited the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis of HCC cells through post-transcriptional regulation of MTDH. In addition, cpeb3 knockout mice are more susceptible to carcinogen-induced hepatocarcinogenesis and subsequent lung metastasis. Our results also indicated that CPEB3 was a good prognosis marker, which is downregulated in HCC tissue. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that CPEB3 played an important role in HCC progression and targeting CPEB3-mediated mRNA translation might be a favorable therapeutic approach.

Mitigation of crosstalk between RSB and LSB signals generated by one I/Q modulator.

Optical independent sideband (ISB) signals can be generated by exploiting one external In-phase/Quadrature (I/Q) modulator. Our theoretical analysis shows crosstalk between the two ISB (right and left side) signals can attribute to two main imperfections: amplitude difference and phase unmatched in I/Q data. To reduce the impact of crosstalk between the two ISB signals, we propose three schemes. The first is precise phase match of the I and Q data. The second has been made possible by setting different frequencies for the left sideband (LSB) and the right sideband (RSB) signals, and the last is achieved by adding Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) equalization digital signal processing (DSP) at the receiver side. Our experimental results have shown that these schemes can improve the performance of ISB signals. In our experimental system we designed dual ISB system with different modulation formats in two sidebands. Precise phase match can bring a ∼2.2dB improvement at BER of 1×10-2 and a ∼4.3dB improvement at BER of 1×10-3 for 16-ary quadrature-amplitude-modulation (16QAM) and quadrature-phase-shift-keying (QPSK) signals, respectively, in 4Gbaud with carrier frequency of 36GHz system. The BER of 4Gbaud 16QAM ISB signal at 30GHz and 4Gbaud QPSK ISB signal at 38GHz can reach hard-decision forward-error-correction (HD-FEC) when the input power is larger than -5.5 and -7.4dBm respectively in different frequencies system. For 4Gbaud with carrier frequency of 36GHz system, the BER of 16QAM signal and QPSK signal reduce ∼2.1 and ∼2.2dB at HD-FEC after using MIMO. In addition, MIMO can further improve the performance of the matched phase system or the system with different frequencies.

MicroRNA-23a suppresses the apoptosis of inflammatory macrophages and foam cells in atherogenesis by targeting HSP90.

In previous study, we have found that microRNA-23a is down regulated in atherosclerotic tissues. Here we demonstrate that miR-23a directly binds to 3'UTR of HSP90 mRNA to suppress the expression of HSP90. To investigate the potential roles of miR-23a in macrophage, THP-1 macrophages were transfected with miR-23a mimics or inhibitors. Our results showed inflammatory factors IL-6 and MCP-1 concentrations in cell culture medium of macrophage and foam cell transfected with miR-23a mimics were decreased. Furthermore, we find that apoptosis of macrophage and foam cells transfected with miR-23a mimics were inhibited. Over expression of miR-23a in foam cells could reduced lipid intake and accumulation in foam cells. Meanwhile, we found that in inflammatory macrophages and foam cells transfected with miR-23a mimcs, HSP90 and NF-κB proteins are significantly decreased. Our results have suggested a promising and potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.

Probabilistic shaped trellis coded modulation with generalized frequency division multiplexing for data center optical networks.

With the requirement for large capacity communication systems, the technology to close the gap between the achievable information rate and the Shannon capacity limit attracts more and more attention. In this paper, we present a novel scheme of trellis coded modulation combined with probabilistic shaping (PS-TCM) in the intensity-modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) system, using generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM). The principle of PS-TCM is analyzed with mutual information. We experimentally demonstrate the proposed scheme in the optical GFDM system. The results show that 4 Gb/s PS-TCM-32QAM signal achieves ∼2dB gain over the regular 16QAM signal in the back to back case. After 20 km transmission, the scheme of PS-TCM-32QAM provides 1.8 dB performance gain over that of the regular 16QAM signal. The bandwidth effect of optical filter on the performance of PS-TCM-32QAM signal is analyzed. The proposed scheme has significant gain, flexible spectrum efficiency, and approached Shannon limit, which brings a better trade-off between effectiveness and reliability performance for the multi-carrier optical system.

Robust weighted K-means clustering algorithm for a probabilistic-shaped 64QAM coherent optical communication system.

A novel weighted K-means scheme for a probabilistic-shaped (PS) 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signal is proposed in order to locate the decision points more accurately and enhance the robustness of clustering algorithm. By using a weighting factor following the reciprocal of Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, the proposed algorithm can combine the advantages of PS and K-means robustly while reducing the overall computational complexity of the clustering process. Experimental verification of the proposed clustering technique was demonstrated in a 120-Gb/s probabilistic-shaped 64QAM coherent optical communication system. The results show that the proposed algorithm has outperformed K-means with respect to bit error rate (BER), clustering robustness and iteration times in both back-to-back and 375km transmission scenarios. For the back-to-back situation, the proposed algorithm is capable of achieving about 0.6dB and 1.8dB OSNR gain over K-means clustered signals and unclustered signals. For the case of transmission, the proposed clustering procedure can robustly locate the optimal decision points with launched signal power ranging from -5dBm to 5dBm, while the working range for K-means procedure is only -4dBm to 2dBm. In addition, the proposed weighted algorithm takes less iteration times than K-means to converge, especially when the signal impairments caused by fiber Kerr nonlinearity is severe.

Independent dual single-sideband vector millimeter-wave signal generation by one single I/Q modulator.

We propose a new scheme to realize the independent dual single-sideband (SSB) vector millimeter-wave (mm-wave) signal generation based on one single in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) modulator. The two SSB vector mm-wave signals can have independent carrier frequencies and modulation formats. We experimentally demonstrate the simultaneous generation and transmission of 38 GHz 16-ary quadrature-amplitude-modulation (16QAM) and 40 GHz quadrature-phase-shift-keying (QPSK) mm-wave signals based on this scheme. The penalty of the 16QAM and QPSK mm-wave signals after transmission over 10-km standard single-mode fiber and 0.5-m wireless link can be neglected.

Photonic vector mm-wave signal generation by optical dual-SSB modulation and a single push-pull MZM.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate single-sideband (SSB) photonic vector millimeter-wave (mm-wave) signal generation enabled by optical dual-SSB modulation and a single push-pull Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM). We use software-based digital signal processing to generate the dual-SSB driving signal for the push-pull MZM. The dual-SSB driving signal has a vector-modulated sideband and an unmodulated sideband, which are spaced by our desired mm-wave carrier frequency. After linear modulation of the push-pull MZM, optical filtering, and single-ended photodiode detection, we can get an electrical mm-wave signal displaying the same vector modulation as the aforementioned vector-modulated sideband. Based on our proposed scheme, we experimentally demonstrate the generation and transmission of a 40 GHz mm-wave signal carrying 1 Gbaud 16-ary quadrature-amplitude-modulation or 4 Gbaud quadrature-phase-shift-keying transmitter data over a 10 km single-mode fiber-28 and 0.5 m air-space link, with a bit-error-ratio less than the hard-decision forward-error-correction threshold.

CADM2, as a new target of miR-10b, promotes tumor metastasis through FAK/AKT pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Cell adhesion molecules (CADMs) comprise of a protein family whose functions include maintenance of cell polarity and tumor suppression. Hypo-expression of CADM2 gene expression has been observed in several cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role and mechanisms of CADM2 in HCC remain unclear. METHODS: The expression of CADM2 and miRNA-10b (miR-10b) in HCC tissues and cell lines were detected using real-time PCR and Western blotting. Immunofluorescence was used to detect Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression in HCC cell lines. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to determine miR-10b binding to CADM2 3'UTR. Wound healing assay and Transwell assay were performed to examine the migration and invasion of HCC cells. RESULTS: We report the effect of CADM2 as a tumor suppressor in HCC. Firstly, we confirmed that CADM2 expression was significantly down regulated in HCC tissues compared to normal tissues according to TCGA data analysis and fresh HCC sample detection. Secondly, overexpression of CADM2 could inhibit EMT process, migratory and invasion ability of HCC cells. Furthermore, the results indicated that CADM2 is a direct target of miR-10b in HCC cells and miR-10b/CADM2 modulates EMT process and migration ability via focal adhesion kinase (FAK) /AKT signaling pathway in HCC. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that miR-10b-CADM2-FAK/AKT axis plays an important role in HCC metastasis, which might be a novel potential therapeutic option for HCC treatment.

Enhancement of DEN-induced liver tumorigenesis in heme oxygenase-1 G143H mutant transgenic mice.

Heme oxygenase (HO) is the rate-limiting enzyme in heme metabolism. HO-1 exhibits anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory function via the actions of its metabolite, respectively. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that HO-1 is implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of several types of cancer. However, whether HO-1 takes part in healthy-premalignant-malignant transformation is still undefined. In this study, we took advantage of transgenic mice which over-expressed HO-1 dominant negative mutant (HO-1 G143H) and observed its susceptibility to DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. Our results indicate that HO-1 G143H mutant accelerates the progression of tumorigenesis and tumor growth. The mechanism is closely related to enhancement of ROS production which induce more hepatocytes death and secretion of inflammatory cytokines, proliferation of surviving hepatocytes. Our result provides the direct evidence that HO-1 plays an important protective role in liver carcinogenesis. Alternatively, we suggest the possible explanation on effect of HO-1 promoter polymorphism which involved in tumorigenesis.

miR-483-3p regulates hyperglycaemia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in transgenic mice.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy represents severe heart complications, and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with diabetes. Although a few microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in diabetes-related complications, a functional association between miRNAs and cardiac dysfunction in diabetic cardiomyopathy remains to be demonstrated. Our results show that miR-483-3p is upregulated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, and cultured cardiomyocytes mimicking hyperglycemia. Overexpressing miR-483-3p in transgenic mice with diabetes mellitus (DM) exacerbated cardiomyocyte apoptosis by transcriptionally repressing insulin growth factor 1 (IGF1). Therefore, we have uncovered a novel signaling pathway, involving miR-483-3p-IGF1, that promotes myocardial cell apoptosis under high blood-glucose condition. Further, our study indicates that miR-483-3p could be a potential therapeutic target for managing diabetes-associated heart complications.

Epidermal radio frequency electronics for wireless power transfer.

Epidermal electronic systems feature physical properties that approximate those of the skin, to enable intimate, long-lived skin interfaces for physiological measurements, human-machine interfaces and other applications that cannot be addressed by wearable hardware that is commercially available today. A primary challenge is power supply; the physical bulk, large mass and high mechanical modulus associated with conventional battery technologies can hinder efforts to achieve epidermal characteristics, and near-field power transfer schemes offer only a limited operating distance. Here we introduce an epidermal, far-field radio frequency (RF) power harvester built using a modularized collection of ultrathin antennas, rectifiers and voltage doublers. These components, separately fabricated and tested, can be integrated together via methods involving soft contact lamination. Systematic studies of the individual components and the overall performance in various dielectric environments highlight the key operational features of these systems and strategies for their optimization. The results suggest robust capabilities for battery-free RF power, with relevance to many emerging epidermal technologies.

Differential distribution of U6 (RNU6-1) expression in human carcinoma tissues demonstrates the requirement for caution in the internal control gene selection for microRNA quantification.

Alterations in microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns have been associated with a number of human diseases. Accurate quantitation of miRNA levels is important for their use as biomarkers and in determining their functions. Although the issue of proper miRNA detection was solved with the introduction of standard reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT­qPCR) assays, numerous issues with the selection of appropriate internal control genes remain. U6 (RNU6­1) snRNA, the most commonly used internal control gene in miRNA RT­qPCR assays, was shown to be unstable in clinical samples, particularly cancer tissues. Identification of the distribution of U6 in different tissues is the premise of more accurate quantification of miRNAs. However, the distribution of U6 in human carcinoma tissues and corresponding normal tissues is unknown. In the present study, U6 levels were significantly higher in human breast carcinoma tissues compared with the corresponding normal tissues by RT­qPCR. In the carcinoma or corresponding adjacent normal tissues, the expression levels of U6 in epithelial cells were higher than those in the mesenchymal cells. Furthermore, the expression levels of U6 in the carcinoma tissues of the liver and intrahepatic bile ducts were higher than those in the adjacent normal tissues. These results suggest that the expression and distribution of U6 exhibits a high degree of variability among several types of human cells. Therefore, caution is required when selecting U6 as an internal control gene for evaluating expression profiles of miRNAs in patients with carcinoma, particularly carcinoma of the liver and intrahepatic bile ducts.