Number Of Taps Research Articles

Cluster-aware channel estimation with deep learning method in deep-water acoustic communications.

In underwater acoustic (UWA) communications, channels often exhibit a clustered-sparse structure, wherein most of the channel impulse responses are near zero, and only a small number of nonzero taps assemble to form clusters. Several algorithms have used the time-domain sparse characteristic of UWA channels to reduce the complexity of channel estimation and improve the accuracy. Employing the clustered structure to enhance channel estimation performance provides another promising research direction. In this work, a deep learning-based channel estimation method for UWA orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems is proposed that leverages the clustered structure information. First, a cluster detection model based on convolutional neural networks is introduced to detect the cluster of UWA channels. This method outperforms the traditional Page test algorithm with better accuracy and robustness, particularly in low signal-to-noise ratio conditions. Based on the cluster detection model, a cluster-aware distributed compressed sensing channel estimation method is proposed, which reduces the noise-induced errors by exploiting the joint sparsity between adjacent OFDM symbols and limiting the search space of channel delay spread. Numerical simulation and sea trial results are provided to illustrate the superior performance of the proposed approach in comparison with existing sparse UWA channel estimation methods.

A VCO-Based ADC With Inherent Mixing Capability and Local Oscillator Suppression in 55-nm CMOS

This brief introduces a new circuit that can be used as a mixer and as a VCO-ADC simultaneously. The power supply nodes of the inverters in a ring oscillator are sorted in two sets, and connected to two different input signals. We prove mathematically that the oscillator frequency of such configuration reacts to the product of the two analog inputs. Therefore, the ring oscillator can be used as an ADC to directly digitize the low pass down converted component. A first system-level approach is made to minimize the non desired beat components by a proper number of taps in the ring oscillator. To confirm the concept of the Mixer VCO-ADC and its performance, a 55nm CMOS chip has been designed and fabricated. Measurements show a SNDR of 51.3 dB in a 100 kHz bandwidth in the down converted signal from a 1.001 MHz input signal mixed with a 1 MHz local oscillator.

Comparative analysis of motor functional asymmetry indicators in athletes of cyclic sports, martial arts, and esports

Background and Study Aim. Understanding and assessing functional asymmetry among athletes is pivotal, as it has the potential to reveal hidden strengths and weaknesses that can profoundly influence competitive performance. Study Aim: to perform a comparative analysis of functional asymmetry indicators among athletes in cyclic sports (short track), martial arts (karate, taekwondo), and esports (CS:GO). Material and Methods. The study involved athletes of martial arts (n=10, age 18.9±0.12, experienced athletes), elite players of semi-professional CS:GO teams (n=10, age 19.2±0.50), and short track athletes (n=10, age 19±0.09, experienced athletes). The functional asymmetry was determined using a specialized program for iOS tablets. Results. Esports athletes a higher number of taps during the test within a given unit of time. They also exhibit shorter reaction times and have briefer tap durations using both their right and left hands, in comparison to athletes specializing in other disciplines. Across all three specializations, athletes display minimal disparities between their right and left hands regarding tap count, reaction time, and tap duration at each of the six test stages. The variance in tap count ranges from 0 to 1.40 times, while reaction time differs by 0 to 2.33 milliseconds, and tap duration varies between 1.53 to 8.69 milliseconds. Conclusions. The exploration of motor functional asymmetry holds significant importance in analyzing the motor skills and perceptual-motor capabilities of athletes across diverse sports and proficiency levels. A comparison of functional asymmetry metrics among athletes from three distinct specializations affirmed the similarity in outcomes across all measures. This suggests that elite athletes possess a heightened level of movement coordination and symmetry in their execution between their right and left hands. The advanced level of sports training contributes to the balanced enhancement of intermuscular coordination, further positively impacting visual-motor reaction times.

AUTOMATED VERSUS MANUAL COMPONENT IMPACTION IN TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY: EFFECTS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION, PHYSICAL FATIGUE, AND STRESS LEVEL

Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) surgery is a physical and cognitive challenge for surgeons. Data on stress levels, cognitive and physical load of orthopaedic surgeons, as well as ergonomic impact, are limited. With and without the use of an automated impaction device, operational efficiency and the surgeon's ergonomic, mental, and physical load was investigated.In a total of thirty THA procedures, a standard manual technique was compared with an automated impaction device. Three computerized cognitive tasks (Simon, pattern comparison, and pursuit rotor) and five physical tests (isometric wall-sit, plank-to-fatigue, handgrip, supra-postural task, and shoulder endurance) were used to assess psychophysiological load of the surgeon. Surgeon's cortisol concentration was evaluated from saliva samples. Postural risk was assessed by Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). Efficiency was assessed by timing surgical steps and instrumentation flow.Cognitive performances after automated impaction showed faster response times and lower error rates with a greater time-on-target (+1.5 s) and a lower mouse deviation from target (−1.7 pixels). Manual impaction showed higher physical exhaustion in the isometric wall-sit test (10.6% vs. 22.9%), plank-to-fatigue (2.2% vs. 43.8%), the number of taps in the supra-postural task (−0.7% vs. −7.7%), handgrip force production in the dominant (−6.7% vs. −12.7%) and contralateral hand (+4.7% vs. +7.7%), and in shoulder endurance (−15s vs. −56s). An increase of 38.2% in salivary cortisol concentration between the midday (1.31 nmol/l) and afternoon session (1.81 nmol/l) was observed with manual impaction. After using automated impaction, salivary cortisol concentration decreased (−51.2%). Manual broaching time was on average 6′20’’ versus 7’3’’ with automated impaction. RULA of manual impaction scored 6 for cup impaction and 5 for femoral broaching, versus 3 and 3 for automated impaction, respectively. REBA of manual impaction scored 9 for cup impaction and 5 for femoral broaching, versus 4 and 3 for automated impaction, respectively.Automated impaction lowers surgeons’ cognitive and physical fatigue and leads to reduced stress and improved ergonomics without loss of surgical efficiency.

A Simplified Method of Flexible Conductors Mechanic Calculation in Switchgears without Restrictions on the Number of Taps

The purpose of the mechanical calculation of flexible conductors of switchgears and power lines is to determine the sag, tensions, and loads on support structures, minimum distances to adjacent live parts and some other parameters. Calculations should be made taking into account distributed and concentrated loads. Distributed loads directed vertically are determined by the weight of the wire, insulator strings, and possible ice deposits on them. Distributed loads in the horizontal plane should be calculated in climatic conditions with lateral wind pressure. Concentrated loads are created by such elements as taps to electrical devices, phase-to-phase insulating spacers, barrier balls, loops, etc. Concentrated loads mainly act in the vertical plane, and in the case of taps, they can have an almost arbitrary spatial direction. The most accurate methods of mechanical calculation of flexible conductors include methods based on the numerical solution of the equation of wires in the form of a flexible elastic thread. Such an algorithm is implemented in the author's computer program MR21. However, in many cases, simplified methods of mechanical calculation are preferable, as they are available to a wider range of users. The simplified method of mechanical calculation of flexible conductors proposed in the article is based on the equation of state of the wire and allows taking into account concentrated and distributed loads. Various climatic regimes and loads are taken into account using the horizontal and vertical load factors in the calculated and initial modes. Expressions are proposed for calculating the above coefficients for any number of taps in a span and with an accurate approach to taking into account their spatial arrangement. Formulas for calculating sag and horizontal deflections of conductors are given, too. The MR21 computer program, tested earlier, has been used in this work as a tool for checking the calculation results using the proposed simplified method.

Remote Monitoring of Neurological Patients (P14-3.018)

<h3>Objective:</h3> Our long-term goal is to employ smartphone-embedded sensors to measure various neurological functions in a patient-autonomous manner. The interim goal is to develop simple smartphone tests and evaluate the clinical utility of these tests by selecting optimal outcomes that correlate well with clinician-measured disability in different neurological domains. <h3>Background:</h3> There is a world-wide shortage of neurologists, which is predicted to only worsen as the world population ages. This shortage along with the recent Covid-related restrictions, has resulted in fewer neurological exams and this can result in a delayed diagnosis and cause suboptimal care for the patient. DTM Health worked with NIH to address this “gap in care” with a self-administered mobile app that can remotely monitor a patient’s condition. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> We hypothesized that aggregating data from two simple smartphone tests of fine finger movements with differing contributions of specific neurological domains ( strength, cerebellar functions, vision, and reaction time) will allow establishment of secondary outcomes that reflect domain-specific deficit. This hypothesis was tested by assessing correlations of smartphone-derived outcomes with relevant parts of neurological examination in multiple sclerosis patients. We developed a mobile app consisting of two simple tests: Finger Tapping and Balloon Popping. The study consisted of 76 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and 19 healthy volunteers (HV). The balloon popping and finger tapping tests were self-administered by the participants while the 9-hole peg test (9HPT) was administered by an investigator. <h3>Results:</h3> The primary outcomes of smartphone tests, the average number of taps and the average number of pops differentiated MS from HV with similar power to traditional, investigator-administered test of fine finger movements of 9HPT. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> In the time necessary for performing 9HPT, smartphone tests provide much richer and reliable measurements of several distinct neurological functions. This data suggests that combining more creatively-construed smartphone apps may one day recreate the entire neurological examination. <b>Disclosure:</b> Marc Fischer has nothing to disclose.

Impact of resampling interpolation FIR filter in the practical Kramers-Kronig receiver.

The practical Kramers-Kronig (KK) receiver has been a competitive receiving technique in the data-center, medium reach, and even long-haul metropolitan networks. Nevertheless, an extra digital resampling operation is required at both ends of the KK field reconstruction algorithm due to the spectrum broadening caused by adopting the nonlinear function. Generally, the digital resampling function can be implemented by using linear interpolation (LI-ITP), the Lagrange cubic interpolation (LC-ITP), the spline cubic interpolation (SC-ITP), time-domain anti-aliasing finite impulse response (FIR) filter method (TD-FRM) scheme, and fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based scheme. However, the performance and the computational complexity analysis of different resampling interpolation schemes in the KK receiver have not been thoroughly investigated yet. Different from the interpolation schemes of conventional coherent detection, the interpolation function of the KK system is followed by the nonlinear operation, which will broaden the spectrum significantly. Due to the frequency-domain transfer function of different interpolation schemes, the broadened spectrum will have a potential spectrum aliasing, which will cause serious inter-symbol interference (ISI) and further impair the KK phase retrieval performance. We experimentally investigate the performance of different interpolation schemes under different digital up-sampling rates (i.e. the computational complexity) as well as the cut-off frequency, the tap number of the anti-aliasing filter, and the shape factor of the TD-FRM scheme in a 112-Gbit/s SSB DD 16-QAM system over 1920-km Raman amplification (RFA)-based standard single-mode fiber (SSMF). The experimental results involve that the TD-FRM scheme outperforms other interpolation schemes and the complexity is reduced by at least 49.6%. In fiber transmission results, take 20% soft decision-forward error correction (SD-FEC) of 2×10-2 as the threshold, the LI-ITP and LC-ITP schemes only reach 720-km while others can reach up to 1440-km.

Climate change and maple syrup: Producer observations, perceptions, knowledge, and adaptation strategies

IntroductionClimate change is impacting forest-based agricultural systems with implications for producer decision-making and livelihoods. This article presents a case study on the observations, perceptions, knowledge, and adaptation strategies of maple syrup producers in the United States to climate change.MethodsWe carried out two semi-structured surveys with maple producers on: (1) climate change and its impacts on the maple system (n = 106 participants); and (2) responses to climate adaptation scenarios (n = 98 participants). Additionally, we carried out two focus groups and key informant interviews (n = 70+) to understand barriers and opportunities for climate adaptation. One of these focus groups and follow up key informant interviews was with tribally affiliated community members with the intention to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples’ voices, history, and relationships to the land.ResultsFindings highlight that most of the surveyed producers (89%) have experienced the negative impacts of climate on maple syrup production. While 40% of participants feel concerned regarding the future of the maple system, 39% feel hopeful, with significant differences based on the age of the surveyed producers. The majority of producers have adapted their harvesting practices to climate effects. Producers shared knowledge of multiple adaptation strategies in response to climate scenarios comprised of: (1) stand management practices such as diversification of sap species tapped; (2) harvesting practices such as changing the type and number of taps; (3) sap processing practices focused on the integration of technology such as the use of an evaporator and reverse osmosis; and (4) marketing practices such as innovation of products and marketing different maple syrup characteristics. Responses shared by tribally affiliated producers highlight knowledge of multiple adaptation strategies that focus on long-term ecological management of forests rather than technological solutions.DiscussionOverall, findings emphasize the importance of cooperation and diversification at every level and dimension of the maple system for its long-term resilience.

Gerchberg-Saxton Based FIR Filter for Electronic Dispersion Compensation in IM/DD Transmission Part II: Experimental Demonstration and Analysis

In this article, the first experimental demonstration of a non-iterative electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) solution implemented at the transmitter using a finite impulse response (FIR) filter optimized with the Gerchberg-Saxton (GS) algorithm, is presented, for intensity-modulation and direct-detection (IM/DD) systems. The theoretical framework and preliminary simulations have been presented in Part I of this work. Here, the performance is compared between the GS FIR filter and the iterative GS algorithm in 56-Gb/s on-off keying (OOK) transmissions over 80-km single mode fiber (SMF) with a post feed-forward equalizer (FFE) for combating residual inter-symbol interference. Furthermore, the influence of the pulse shape (raised cosine or rectangular) and modulation format (return-to-zero (RZ) or non-return-to-zero (NRZ)) on the measured bit error ratio (BER) is investigated, while changing the number of FIR taps, post-FFE taps, and post-FFE samples-per-symbol. It is shown that within the range of the target digital extinction ratios (DERs) for which the original iterative GS algorithm offers benefit, both analytical and numerical methods for calculating the optimum FIR taps, outlined in Part I, produce similar BER performance as predicted. Hence, the former method is extended, here, through a non-recursive frequency response formula, which offers insight into the action of the GS filter with different pulse shaping and enables the derivation of the explicit GS impulse response. It is also shown that rectangular RZ exploits the full benefit of GS filtering through a uniform spectrum, achieving BER < 3.8×10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">−3</sup> , with a 641-tap <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">T</i> /2-spaced pre-EDC FIR filter and a 3-tap adaptive <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">T</i> -spaced post-FFE.

A Gray-Encoded Ring Oscillator for Efficient Frequency-to-Digital Conversion in VCO-Based ADCs

The most common implementation of a VCO-based ADC consists of a ring oscillator connected to a thermometer-encoded frequency-to-digital converter. The area of the frequency-to-digital converter depends linearly on the ring oscillator number of taps. In this brief, we show a new frequency-to-digital converter which directly provides a Gray-encoded binary output from the ring oscillator signals. This implementation reduces the digital hardware area in a logarithmic factor keeping the same metastability robustness than the thermometric frequency-to-digital converter. Direct binary coding may simplify data compression and transfer in area-constrained multi-channel instrumentation systems such as neural probes. We show the basic system level structure along with a practical example with circuit simulations in 0.13 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu {\mathrm{ m}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> CMOS technology.

Redefining Bradykinesia.

Redefining Bradykinesia.

Developing a model for residential water demand in the Indian Himalayan Region of Ravangla, South Sikkim, India

Climate change and increased demand for human needs have led to drinking water scarcity in the cities and towns located in the Indian Himalayan region. This paper aims to address the challenge of drinking water security by proposing a model of water demand among households in Ravangla town of South Sikkim, India. Our field survey results indicate that the water demand increases significantly due to the number of household members between the age of 18 and 60. Further, we find that the number of taps in the household is positively and significantly correlated with water demand. Number of water taps, storage capacity and the water consumption are positively related. However, we did not find any such strong association with the number of toilets in the household. The GIS maps of South Sikkim shows the areas with households that will soon face acute water stress and drinking water insecurity. In order to address the scarcity of water in these regions, policymakers may develop plans like rainwater harvesting to ameliorate the situation through a GIS based decision support system.

Дослідження частоти рухів таеквондистів-юніорів

Purpose: to determine the peculiarities of the manifestation of the frequency of movements in junior taekwondo players. Material and methods. The following research methods were used in this study: theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific and methodical literature; pedagogical observation; pedagogical research; video computer analysis; psychophysiological measurements; mathematical and statistical research methods. Based on the study of scientific and methodical literature, pedagogical observations, conversations with coaches, it was determined that in martial arts, the frequency of movements is reflected in various technical and tactical combinations, which include a series of various strikes. Junior taekwondo players (n=12; 13,5±0,41 years old; 3 Gup - 1 Dan), representatives of the «Vulkan» sport school of the Cherkasy City Council took part in the study. Written consent was obtained from the parents of participants who took part in the study to participate and use the results of the study for scientific purposes. The following tests were used to solve the research tasks: performing a Dollyo chagi kick for 40 seconds; tapping test lasting 60 seconds. Results. According to the results of the assessment of the frequency of movements during the performance of a special exercise (performance of the Dollyo chagi kick in 40 seconds), it was established that the frequency of the kicks during the test gradually decreases. Regarding the duration of the active and passive phases of the impact, the duration of the passive phase is statistically significantly (p&lt;0,01) longer than the duration of the active phase by 0,077s. This may indicate some violations in the punching technique, namely in the interaction of the muscles after direct contact with the punching bag. Between the total number of hits in 40 s and the total number of taps in the tapping test in 40 s, there is a significantly significant correlation r=0,74. Also, there are reliably significant relationships between the number of Dollyo chagi hits and the number of clicks in 5 s r=0,75, in 10 s r=78. A significantly significant correlation was found between the duration of the passive phase of the stroke and the number of taps in the tapping test, r=-0,62. Correlation analysis of the relationships between the number of hits and the number of taps in the tapping test, at each 5-second interval, showed that there are significant statistical relationships at 15s (r=68), 20s (r=79) and 35s (r =64). Conclusions. Violation of the duration of the passive phase of the Dollyo chagi strike is directly related to the complex work of the muscles, namely, the level of rational technique, which affects the frequency of techniques performed in the allotted time. Analysis of the frequency of movements during kicking confirms the relationship between the level of development of special physical fitness and technique. The study of the functional state of junior taekwondo players using the tapping test showed a reliably significant correlation between the number of taps in the tapping test and the duration of the passive phase of the strike and r=-0,62. The results of the research show that both the frequency of special movements and the quality of their execution depend on the functional state of junior taekwondo players.

Studies of water flow parameters in the pipeline of wide-reach sprinklers

Optimization of the pipeline design of wide-span sprinklers and the parameters of the water flow in it can significantly reduce the material consumption and cost of the entire machine, save water and electricity. The purpose of the research is to simulate the flow of water in the pipeline of wide-reach sprinklers, to develop a methodology for optimizing the design parameters of the pipeline and the placement of drainage pipes for sprinklers. As a result of the research, dependences of flow rate changes along the pipeline were obtained, taking into account discreteness, pressure loss. The condition for obtaining identical jets from all taps for sprinklers is presented. A comparison of the results of theoretical and experimental studies confirms the reliability and validity of the use of the theory with uniform disconnection of the flow rate for the calculations of the pipeline of sprinklers, taking into account the introduced discreteness parameter, taking into account the number and location of taps for sprinklers. The presented technique was used in the design of sprinkler machines "Kuban-LK1M" (CASCADE) and CASCADE (Saratov, LLC "Reclamation machines").

Research on Distributed Compressed Sensing With Dynamic Block Sparsity for Underwater Acoustic Channel Estimation

Channel estimation plays a crucial role in Internet of Underwater Things networks. Traditional channel estimation algorithms have limited performance improvement under the block-sparsity underwater acoustic channel, and the distributed compressed sensing (DCS) method has not been researched under block-sparsity recovery. In this article, we propose DCS with block sparsity for underwater acoustic channel estimation under short observation length and low SNR scenarios. Specifically, the underwater acoustic channels are partitioned some sub-blocks that have the identical size, and the simultaneous block orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm (SBOMP) is proposed to enhance the channel estimates that have common delays. However, the number of nonzero taps located in a partitioned sub-block does not equal to the size of partitioned sub-blocks, and the channel between adjacent two data blocks may have slightly difference, when the SBOMP algorithm is applied, there would be much estimated noise. In order to address this problem, in this article, we also propose dynamic block sparsity-based SBOMP which is referred to as DSBOMP. The proposed DSBOMP consists of the SBOMP algorithm, first-order derivative of the residual method, and parallel comparison strategy. The first-order derivative is used to remove some negligible taps and dynamically measure the number of significant taps; the parallel comparison strategy is used to check whether the current taps are available. Both simulation and sea trial data indicate that, our proposed SBOMP and DSBOMP algorithms have better channel estimation performance than tradition algorithms under short observation length and low SNR. Moreover, our proposed DSBOMP achieves the best communication performance.

Is Lateral Decubitus or Upright Positioning Optimal for Lumbar Puncture Success in a Teaching Hospital?

BackgroundLumbar puncture is a common procedure performed by emergency physicians and trainees. The optimal patient positioning for lumbar puncture procedures has not been studied adequately. ObjectivesWe performed a prospective randomized study in an urban, level I academic trauma center. Patients of all ages were included. Patients were randomized to either lateral decubitus or upright positioning. Patient demographic characteristics, level of physician training and experience, number of needle insertions and redirections, need for repositioning, alternative operator use, and laboratory results of the cerebrospinal fluid were recorded. We compared the success rate of each position as our primary outcome measure. We also evaluated number of needle insertions and re-directions and success rates based on experience and patient age. ResultsA total of 116 patients were enrolled, with 55 patients assigned to lateral decubitus and 61 to upright position for initial lumbar puncture attempt. Spinal fluid was obtained successfully in 47 of the lateral decubitus group (85.5%; 95% CI 73.8–92.4%) vs. 49 (80.3%; 95% CI 68.7–88.4%) in the upright assignment group. Comparable results were also obtained for first-pass success, number of failures, and number of bloody taps. Postgraduate year 2 residents or those with 31–50 previous lumbar punctures had the highest success rates at 94.3% (95% CI 81.2–98.4%) and 90.3% (95% CI 75.1–96.7%), respectively. ConclusionsLateral decubitus and upright positioning for emergency lumbar puncture yielded equal success rates in emergency physicians and trainees.

Correlation of the Karolinska sleepiness scale with performance variables of the monotonous bimanual psychomotor test

To assess the objectivity of measuring the level of sleepiness in the subjects using a monotonous psychomotor bimanual tapping test developed by us, performed on mobile devices running Android OS. Four hundred and ninety-four hour-long experiments with the performance of a psychomotor test were conducted on 102 students. Using the method of mixed linear models, correlations between the levels of sleepiness according to the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the behavioral indicators of the test were evaluated. Statistically significant correlations between the increase in KSS scores and such indicators as a decrease in the total number of button taps and an increase in the frequency of «microsleep» episodes are shown. Statistically significant correlations of ESS score characteristics with the behavioral indicators of the test were not found. A large statistical material shows a reliable correlation of the parameters of the psychomotor test with the level of sleepiness on the Karolinska scale, which allows using the mobile application developed by us to determine the current level of sleepiness /alertness in the field.

Paper] Memory Bandwidth Constrained Overlapped Block Motion Compensation for Video Coding

Overlapped block motion compensation (OBMC) is an inter prediction tool that improves coding performance by blending reference samples of the current and neighboring block across the block boundaries. For this mechanism, OBMC increases the reference samples fetched from the external memory on hardware decoders, i.e., memory bandwidth. This is a disadvantage when introducing OBMC to video coding standards such as VVC, especially for mobile devices with limited batteries, because the extended memory bandwidth increases decoders' power consumption. In this paper, we propose a memory bandwidth constrained OBMC method with adaptive number of motion vectors and interpolation filter taps of the neighboring blocks depending on the current block sizes. Simulation results show that the proposed method achieves -0.22 % performance improvements over VVC reference software without exceeding the maximum memory bandwidth of VVC, which is comparable to the full performance of OBMC (-0.33 %), requiring 3.8 times its memory bandwidth.

Exploring the possible mechanism involved in the anti-nociceptive effect of β-sitosterol: modulation of oxidative stress, nitric oxide and IL-6.

Β-sitosterol is a phytosterol, documented to possess various activities including protection againstinflammation, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. The current investigation was designed to explore the analgesic potential of β-sitosterol and the possible molecular mechanism involved in the observed effect. β-sitosterol was administered at varying doses of 10, 20, and 40mg/kg before subjecting the mice to acetic acid and formalin challenges. The number of writhings in acetic acid and the number of flinchings and foot tappings were quantified in the formalin test. For mechanistic studies, substance P (cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) stimulator) and L-Nitro arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (nitric oxide synthetases (NOS) inhibitor) and L-arginine (nitric oxide precursor) were administered before β-sitosterol treatment. β-sitosterol (10, 20, 40mg/kg) treatment significantly reduced acetic acid-induced writhings and ameliorated the formalin-induced inflammatory phase dose-dependently. Whereas, 40mg/kg dose of β-sitosterol abrogated the formalin-induced neurogenic phase. Substance-P abrogated the effect of β-sitosterol in both neurogenic and inflammatory phases. Whereas, L-arginine only abrogated the inflammatory phase. In biochemical analysis, β-sitosterol treatment reduced the level of interleukin-6 (IL-6), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and increased the level of reduced glutathione (GSH). Furthermore, L-arginine and substance-P abrogated the GSH increasing and TBARS lowering effect of β-sitosterol (40mg/kg). Overall, the current study delineated that β-sitosterol may induce an anti-nociceptive effect via inhibiting the IL-6, oxidative stress, cyclo-oxygenase and nitric oxide.

Demonstration of 200 Gbps PAM-4 transmission in a limited-bandwidth system using a two-tap THP with nonlinearity compensator

In this paper, we have proposed a digital signal processing (DSP) method for a 200 Gbps pulse-amplitude modulation level-4 (PAM-4) transmission in a bandwidth-limited system. To mitigate inter-symbol interferences (ISI) in the system and reduce the propagation of errors in the receiver, the Tomlinson-Harashima precoding (THP) technique was applied to the transmitter. For simplicity, the number of THP taps was limited to two (i.e., one coefficient to be optimized); the residual ISI resulting from the short tap was compensated for with a decision feedback equalizer (DFE). The performance of the proposed DSP was analyzed via experiments and simulations. Compared to conventional DSP techniques (such as DFE and the maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) without THP), the proposed DSP performs better within the limited-bandwidth region. As a result, the soft-decision forward error correction (SD-FEC) threshold (of 2 × 10−2) was satisfied even when the bandwidth fell to below 35% of the baud rate. To enhance this performance, post-filter and MLSE were additionally applied, after which its performance was investigated. In addition, the nonlinear characteristics of the components were alleviated by applying a pre-distortion technique to the THP using look-up tables; this further enhanced performance, lowering the SD-FEC threshold’s bandwidth to 32% of the baud rate.