Bidirectional Communication System Research Articles

GASTROINTESTINALTRACT: THE WORLD OF ‘SECOND BRAIN’

Mothers gift not just life but also a microbial profile to their babies, i.e., for vaginally delivered babies, these communities resemble the specific microbial communities found in the mother’s birth canal; for babies delivered by caesarean section, the communities resemble the skin communities of the mother. These gut microbiota, via a complex bidirectional communication system, interact with the Central Nervous System, the enteric nervous system, and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) (cognitive and emotional centers), referred to as the Gut-Brain axis. Though in contemporary societies microbes have a strong negative connotation and are viewed in a warlike context, not all are harmful but beneficial and indeed crucial for a normal healthy life. As many ongoing research studies link the pathogenesis of various diseases to altered gut microbiota, many studies on the other hand show dramatic recovery with faecal microbiota transplantation, confirming the earlier.

Photonics millimeter wave bidirectional full-duplex communication based on polarization multiplexing.

We have proposed and experimentally implemented a photonics-aided large-capacity long-distance mm-wave bidirectional full-duplex communication system at the W-band based on polarization multiplexing. The same radio frequency (RF) carrier source is shared by both the uplink and the downlink, and a pair of orthomode transducers (OMTs) are used to separate the dual orthogonally polarized channels. To achieve the maximum spectrum efficiency and throughput, 10-Gbaud probabilistically shaped 256-level quadrature-amplitude-modulation (PS-256QAM) signals with 7.07 bit/symbol/Hz are transmitted in Ch. H and Ch. V. The system can support the bidirectional transmission with 103-Gbps data rate over 4600-m RF wireless distance. To the best of our knowledge, based on a photonics-aided bidirectional full-duplex system, this is the first time to realize a record-breaking bit rate-distance product at the W-band, i.e., 103 Gbps × 4.6 km = 473.8 Gbps•km.

Microbial-derived metabolites induce actin cytoskeletal rearrangement and protect blood-brain barrier function.

The gut microbiota influences host brain function, but the underlying gut-brain axis connections and molecular processes remain unclear. One pathway along this bidirectional communication system involves circulating microbially derived metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which include butyrate and propionate. Brain endothelium is the main interface of communication between circulating signals and the brain, and it constitutes the main component of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Here, we used a well-established invitro BBB model treated with physiologically relevant concentrations of butyrate and propionate with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to examine the effects of SCFAs on the actin cytoskeleton and tight junction protein structure. Both SCFAs induced distinct alterations to filamentous actin directionality. SCFAs also increased tight junction protein spikes and protected from LPS-induced tight-junction mis-localization, improved BBB integrity, and modulated mitochondrial network dynamics. These findings identify the actin cytoskeletal dynamics as another target further illuminating how SCFAs can influence BBB physiology.

Multi-layer defense algorithm against deep reinforcement learning-based intruders in smart grids

The Internet of Energy envisions the next generation of smart grids as a highly interconnected network, including advanced metering infrastructures, distributed energy resources, and bidirectional communication systems. The open architecture of IoE-based smart grid results in manifold security concerns, especially the risk of False Data Injection Attacks. The attack may target the technical aspects of a system since fabricating the network's data misleads power scheduling and routing strategies and interrupts the healthy operation of the power system. Additionally, monetary motivation for the intruder sometimes is the main motivation. The conventional cyber defense strategies are unable to detect well-developed False Data Injection Attacks, particularly once the intruder takes advantage of a Deep Reinforcement Learning-based attack development framework that analyzes the dynamic nature of the smart grids. This paper primarily outlines various possible passive attacks using statistical methods. Then, a reinforcement learning-based intruder as an active attack generator is developed, initialized by modeled passive attacks. The attack generator algorithm can simulate the network environment and subsequently creates unclassified attacks. After creating a dynamic attacker, a multilayer defense framework is developed using Snapshot Ensemble Deep Neural Network and an adoptable Deep Auto Encoder network to detect known and unknown threats. Performance evaluations and a real-world simulation prove that the proposed framework can successfully detect both passive and active, where the accuracy and false positive detection rate of the developed framework are 98.82% and 97.42%, respectively.

The Role of Bidirectional VLC Systems in Low-Latency 6G Vehicular Networks and Comparison with IEEE802.11p and LTE/5G C-V2X.

In this paper, we present very recent results regarding the latency characterization of a novel bidirectional visible light communication (VLC) system for vehicular applications, which could be relevant in intelligent transportation system (ITS) safety applications, such as the assisted and automated braking of cars and motorbikes in critical situations. The VLC system has been implemented using real motorbike head- and tail-lights with distances up to 27 m in a realistic outdoor scenario. We performed a detailed statistical analysis of the observed error distribution in the communication process, assessing the most probable statistical values of expected latency depending on the observed packet error rate (PER). A minimum attainable observed round-trip latency of 2.5 ms was measured. Using our dataset, we have also estimated the probability to receive correctly a message with a specific average latency for a target PER, and we compare it to the ultra-reliable low-latency (URLL) 5G communications service. In addition, a mobility model is implemented to compare the VLC and radio frequency (RF) technologies (IEEE802.11p, LTE, 5G) to support an automated braking systems for vehicles in urban platooning.

Bi-directional ultra-violet communication with self-interference.

We investigate the self-interference characterization, achievable rate, signal detection and parameter estimation for bi-directional ultra-violet (UV) communication. We firstly characterize and experimentally demonstrate the self-interference of UV communication, which is non-negligible as the angle between the transmission and receiver directions is blow 60°. Then, we present the achievable rate and symbol detection under self-interference, which show that the offset between self-interference and desirable symbols can increase the achievable rate and decrease the symbol detection error probability. We propose the practical system design with parameter estimation under self-interference. Finally, we experimentally evaluate the receiver-side signal detection with self-interference generated by Field Programmable Gate Array, and the signal detection of a real bidirectional UV communication system. Lower symbol detection error probability can also be observed as the offset between desirable symbols and self-interference symbols increases to half-symbol length from both system-level simulation and real experiments, which further validates the theoretical results.

The Gut Microbiome and Alzheimer's Disease: A Growing Relationship.

Evidence that the gut microbiota plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is already unravelling. The microbiota-gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication system that is not fully understood but includes neural, immune, endocrine, and metabolic pathways. The progression of Alzheimer's disease is supported by mechanisms related to the imbalance in the gut microbiota and the development of amyloid plaques in the brain, which are at the origin of Alzheimer's disease. Alterations in the composition of the gut microbiome led to dysregulation in the pathways governing this system. This leads to neurodegeneration through neuroinflammation and neurotransmitter dysregulation. Neurodegeneration and disruption of the blood-brain barrier are frontiers at the origin of Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, bacteria populating the gut microbiota can secrete large amounts of amyloid proteins and lipopolysaccharides, which modulate signaling pathways and alter the production of proinflammatory cytokines associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Importantly, through molecular mimicry, bacterial amyloids may elicit cross-seeding of misfolding and induce microglial priming at different levels of the brain-gut-microbiota axis. The potential mechanisms of amyloid spreading include neuron-to-neuron or distal neuron spreading, direct blood-brain barrier crossing, or via other cells such as astrocytes, fibroblasts, microglia, and immune system cells. Gut microbiota metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids, pro-inflammatory factors, and neurotransmitters may also affect AD pathogenesis and associated cognitive decline. The purpose of this review is to summarize and discuss the current findings that may elucidate the role of gut microbiota in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Understanding the underlying mechanisms may provide new insights into novel therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease, such as probiotics and targeted oligosaccharides.

Diet Patterns, the Gut Microbiome, and Alzheimer’s Disease

Given the complex bidirectional communication system that exists between the gut microbiome and the brain, there is growing interest in the gut microbiome as a novel and potentially modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Gut dysbiosis has been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of AD by initiating and prolonging neuroinflammatory processes. The metabolites of gut microbiota appear to be critical in the mechanism of the gut-brain axis. Gut microbiota metabolites, such as trimethylamine-n-oxide, lipopolysaccharide, and short chain fatty acids, are suggested to mediate systemic inflammation and intracerebral amyloidosis via endothelial dysfunction. Emerging data suggest that the fungal microbiota (mycobiome) may also influence AD pathology. Importantly, 60% of variation in the gut microbiome is attributable to diet, therefore modulating the gut microbiome through dietary means could be an effective approach to reduce AD risk. Given that people do not eat isolated nutrients and instead consume a diverse range of foods and combinations of nutrients that are likely to be interactive, studying the effects of whole diets provides the opportunity to account for the interactions between different nutrients. Thus, dietary patterns may be more predictive of real-life effect on gut microbiome and AD risk than foods or nutrients in isolation. Accumulating evidence from experimental and animal studies also show potential effects of gut microbiome on AD pathogenesis. However, data from human dietary interventions are lacking. Well-designed intervention studies are needed in diverse populations to determine the influence of diet on gut microbiome and inform the development of effective dietary strategies for prevention of AD.

Bidirectional high-speed chaotic communication system based on an all-optical time-delay feedback loop

A bidirectional high-speed chaotic optical communication scheme with physical layer encryption is proposed and studied theoretically. The external cavity optical feedback method is analyzed. An erbium-doped fiber amplifier is used to represent the all-optical delay feedback loop of the traditional external cavity; it can overcome the shortcomings of the traditional method such as lower precision and high equipment volume requirements. The bidirectional communication scheme is discussed; it sets the encryption device at the transmitter, uses the correlation between the two encryption signals to decrypt, and cancels the decryption device at the receiver, which not only simplifies the experimental equipment but also solves the problem that the receiver cannot decrypt synchronously due to the channel damage in remote communication. Further, it is easily applied in production and life. Finally, the simulation results show that the bit error rate is <10 − 5, and the bidirectional transmission of 10-Gb / s information over an 85-km single-mode fiber is successfully realized.

Bioinspired Soft Robotic Fish for Wireless Underwater Control of Gliding Locomotion

Animal locomotion offers valuable references as it is a critical component of survival as animals adapting to a specific environment. Especially, underwater locomotion poses a challenge because water exerts a high antagonistic drag force against the direction of progress. However, marine vertebrates usually use much lower aerobic energy for locomotion than aerial or terrestrial vertebrates due to their unique intermittent gliding locomotion. None of the prior works demonstrate the locomotive strategies of marine vertebrates. Herein, an untethered soft robotic fish capable of reconstructing the marine vertebrates’ effective locomotion and traveling underwater by controlling localized buoyancy with thermoelectric pneumatic actuators is introduced. The actuators enable both heating and cooling to control a localized buoyancy while providing a substantial driving force to the system. Besides mimicking the locomotion, the bidirectional communication system enables the untethered delivery of commands to the underwater subject and real‐time acquisition of the robotic fish's physical information. Underwater imaging validates the fish's practical use as a drone, allowing for inspecting the aquatic environment that is not easily accessible to humans. Future work studies the operation of the robotic fish as a collective swarm to examine a broader range of the underwater area and conduct various strategic missions.

Neonatal immune challenge influences the microbiota and behaviour in a sexually dimorphic manner

There is comorbidity between anxiety disorders and gastrointestinal disorders, with both linked to adverse early life events. The microbiome gut-brain-axis, a bidirectional communication system, is plastic throughout the neonatal period and is a possible mediator of this relationship. Here, we used a well-established neonatal rodent immune activation model to investigate the long-term effect of neonatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure on adult behaviour and the relationship to microbiome composition. Wistar rats were injected with LPS (0.05 mg/kg) or saline (equivolume) on postnatal days 3 and 5. In adulthood, behavioural tests were performed to assess anxiety-like behaviour, and microbiota sequencing was performed on stool samples. There were distinctly different behavioural phenotypes for LPS-exposed males and females. LPS-exposed males displayed typical anxiety-like behaviours with significantly decreased social interaction (F(1,22) = 7.576, p = 0.009) and increased defecation relative to saline controls (F(1,23) = 8.623, p = 0.005). LPS-exposed females displayed a different behavioural phenotype with significantly increased social interaction (F(1,22) = 6.094, p = 0.018), and exploration (F(1,24) = 6.359, p = 0.015), compared to saline controls. With respect to microbiota profiling data, Bacteroidota was significantly increased for LPS-exposed females (F(1,14) = 4.931p = 0.035) and Proteobacteria was decreased for LPS-exposed rats of both sexes versus controls (F(1,30) = 4.923p = 0.035). Furthermore, alterations in predicted functional pathways for neurotransmitters in faeces were observed with a decrease in the relative abundance of D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism in LPS exposed females compared to control females (p < 0.05). This suggests that neonatal immune activation alters both later life behaviour and adult gut microbiota in sex-specific ways. These findings highlight the importance of sex in determining the impact of neonatal immune activation on social behaviour and the gut microbiota.

Rethinking Parkinson Disease: Exploring Gut-Brain Interactions and the Potential Role of Exercise.

This Perspective raises awareness that dysregulations to the gut microbiota have recently been attributed to PD symptoms and pathology and that exercise can be an effective therapeutic strategy to improve gut health in individuals with PD. People with PD have been found to have reduced microbial diversity in their gut, which can play an important role in the progression of the disease. Physical therapists can design therapeutic exercises that might help improve gut health in people with PD.

The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of Taxonomic Alterations and Potential Avenues for Interventions.

The gut microbiome is a complex community of microorganisms that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract. The microbiota-gut-brain axis encompasses a bidirectional communication system that allows the gut to influence the brain via neural, endocrine, immune, and metabolic signaling. Differences in the gut microbiome have been associated with psychiatric and neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's Disease (ad). Understanding these ad-associated alterations may offer novel insight into the pathology and treatment of ad. We conducted a narrative review of clinical studies investigating the gut microbiome in ad, organizing the results by phyla to understand the biological contributions of the gut microbial community to ad pathology and clinical features. We also reviewed randomized clinical trials of interventions targeting the microbiome to ameliorate ad symptoms and biomarkers. Alpha diversity is reduced in patients with ad. Within Firmicutes, taxa that produce beneficial metabolites are reduced in ad, including Clostridiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcus, and Eubacterium. Within Bacteroidetes, findings were mixed, with studies showing either reduced or increased abundance of Bacteroides in mild cognitive impairment or ad patients. Proteobacteria that produce toxins tend to be increased in ad patients, including Escherichia/Shigella. A Mediterranean-ketogenic dietary intervention significantly increased beneficial short-chain fatty acids and taxa that were inversely correlated with changes in ad pathological markers. Probiotic supplementation with Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. improved cognitive function and reduced inflammatory and metabolic markers in patients with ad. The gut microbiome may provide insight into ad pathology and be a novel target for intervention. Potential therapeutics include probiotics and dietary intervention.

Organ-on-a-Chip for Studying Gut-Brain Interaction Mediated by Extracellular Vesicles in the Gut Microenvironment.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a group of membrane vesicles that play important roles in cell-to-cell and interspecies/interkingdom communications by modulating the pathophysiological conditions of recipient cells. Recent evidence has implied their potential roles in the gut–brain axis (GBA), which is a complex bidirectional communication system between the gut environment and brain pathophysiology. Despite the evidence, the roles of EVs in the gut microenvironment in the GBA are less highlighted. Moreover, there are critical challenges in the current GBA models and analyzing techniques for EVs, which may hinder the research. Currently, advances in organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technologies have provided a promising solution. Here, we review the potential effects of EVs occurring in the gut environment on brain physiology and behavior and discuss how to apply OOCs to research the GBA mediated by EVs in the gut microenvironment.

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We present a real-time bidirectional communication system that lets two people, separated by distance, experience a face-to-face conversation as if they were copresent. It is the first telepresence system that is demonstrably better than 2D videoconferencing, as measured using participant ratings (e.g., presence, attentiveness, reaction-gauging, engagement), meeting recall, and observed nonverbal behaviors (e.g., head nods, eyebrow movements). This milestone is reached by maximizing audiovisual fidelity and the sense of copresence in all design elements, including physical layout, lighting, face tracking, multi-view capture, microphone array, multi-stream compression, loudspeaker output, and lenticular display. Our system achieves key 3D audiovisual cues (stereopsis, motion parallax, and spatialized audio) and enables the full range of communication cues (eye contact, hand gestures, and body language), yet does not require special glasses or body-worn microphones/headphones. The system consists of a head-tracked autostereoscopic display, high-resolution 3D capture and rendering subsystems, and network transmission using compressed color and depth video streams. Other contributions include a novel image-based geometry fusion algorithm, free-space dereverberation, and talker localization.

Signaling through the S1P-S1PR Axis in the Gut, the Immune and the Central Nervous System in Multiple Sclerosis: Implication for Pathogenesis and Treatment.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a signaling molecule with complex biological functions that are exerted through the activation of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors 1–5 (S1PR1–5). S1PR expression is necessary for cell proliferation, angiogenesis, neurogenesis and, importantly, for the egress of lymphocytes from secondary lymphoid organs. Since the inflammatory process is a key element of immune-mediated diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), S1PR modulators are currently used to ameliorate systemic immune responses. The ubiquitous expression of S1PRs by immune, intestinal and neural cells has significant implications for the regulation of the gut–brain axis. The dysfunction of this bidirectional communication system may be a significant factor contributing to MS pathogenesis, since an impaired intestinal barrier could lead to interaction between immune cells and microbiota with a potential to initiate abnormal local and systemic immune responses towards the central nervous system (CNS). It appears that the secondary mechanisms of S1PR modulators affecting the gut immune system, the intestinal barrier and directly the CNS, are coordinated to promote therapeutic effects. The scope of this review is to focus on S1P−S1PR functions in the cells of the CNS, the gut and the immune system with particular emphasis on the immunologic effects of S1PR modulation and its implication in MS.

Asymmetrical bidirectional VLC based on beam homogenizer OAM generation technology.

An asymmetric bidirectional visible light communication (B-VLC) system is presented in this Letter. It combines beam homogenizers with a spatial light modulator (SLM) to implement the orbital angular momentum (OAM) generation technology at a terminal user for uplink data transmission. The major advantage of the proposed approach is that multiple OAM modes can be arbitrarily generated simultaneously by a single SLM. The uplink transmission capacity can also be significantly improved by multiplexing more generated OAM channels. For the proof of concept, an asymmetric B-VLC based on the OAM generation technology for uplink transmission at a distance of nearly 2 m has been implemented. The baseband modulation schemes, including on-off keying (OOK) and quadrature phase-shift keying, were also implemented to validate the transmission performance. The experimental results show that the downlink transmission capacity of up to 2.2 Gbit/s can be achieved using an S-polarization beam. In comparison, the uplink transmission capacity can also be significantly enhanced by using P-polarization through multiplexing four OAM channels, each with a maximum transmission rate of up to 800 Mbit/s. The bit error rates (BERs) of both uplink and downlink transmissions were all under the forward error correction limit (BER=3×10-3).

Bidirectional hybrid optical communication system based on wavelength division multiplexing for outdoor applications

The simulation and investigation of a 32 × 10 Gb/s WDM all-optical bidirectional hybrid communication system for outdoor applications is presented in this article via multidisciplinary softwares. In order to track the system condition, a strain sensor based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is integrated in-line with the fiber optic link (FO-link). Then, a free space optical link (FSO-link) with 4-channel is simulated to act backup or rescue to the FO-link in the event of disaster or bombing. The FO-link is working well until the strain reach to 180 με, after that the FO-link has degraded. Therefore, an optical switch is incorporated in between these systems (FO-link and FSO-link) to turn-on the FSO-link which act as a backup system to FO-link and maintains the continuity of the data transmission. According to the hybrid link results, there is an efficient enhancement in the Q-factor as compared with the FO-link even when there is heavy rain.

The Gut-Brain Axis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Current and Future Perspectives.

The gut–brain axis is a bidirectional communication system driven by neural, hormonal, metabolic, immunological, and microbial signals. Signaling events from the gut can modulate brain function and recent evidence suggests that the gut–brain axis may play a pivotal role in linking gastrointestinal and neurological diseases. Accordingly, accumulating evidence has suggested a link between inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and neurodegenerative, as well as neuroinflammatory diseases. In this context, clinical, epidemiological and experimental data have demonstrated that IBD predisposes a person to pathologies of the central nervous system (CNS). Likewise, a number of neurological disorders are associated with changes in the intestinal environment, which are indicative for disease-mediated gut–brain inter-organ communication. Although this axis was identified more than 20 years ago, the sequence of events and underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly defined. The emergence of precision medicine has uncovered the need to take into account non-intestinal symptoms in the context of IBD that could offer the opportunity to tailor therapies to individual patients. The aim of this review is to highlight recent findings supporting the clinical and biological link between the gut and brain, as well as its clinical significance for IBD as well as neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. Finally, we focus on novel human-specific preclinical models that will help uncover disease mechanisms to better understand and modulate the function of this complex system.

Design Consideration of Bidirectional Wireless Power Transfer and Full-Duplex Communication System via a Shared Inductive Channel

Communication between the primary and secondary sides is pivotal to the wireless power transfer (WPT) system. The system control commands and feedback information need simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT). In this paper, a FSK-based SWIPT system with full-duplex communication via a shared channel is provided. Considering the complexity of the coupling relationship in this kind of full-duplex SWIPT system, this paper proposes an analysis method based on the transmission channel, studies the crosstalk between the power channel and the information channel, and between the forward and reverse transfer of information. A design method of full-duplex communication SWIPT system based on shared coupling channels is provided. A 60 W SWIPT prototype with a full-duplex communication rate of 20 kbps is built to verify the proposed method.