Chromatin Profiling Techniques: Exploring the Chromatin Environment and Its Contributions to Complex Traits

The genetic architecture of complex traits is multifactorial. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified risk loci for complex traits and diseases that are disproportionately located at the non-coding regions of the genome. On the other hand, we have just begun to understand the regulatory roles of the non-coding genome, making it challenging to precisely interpret the functions of non-coding variants associated with complex diseases. Additionally, the epigenome plays an active role in mediating cellular responses to fluctuations of sensory or environmental stimuli. However, it remains unclear how exactly non-coding elements associate with epigenetic modifications to regulate gene expression changes and mediate phenotypic outcomes. Therefore, finer interrogations of the human epigenomic landscape in associating with non-coding variants are warranted. Recently, chromatin-profiling techniques have vastly improved our understanding of the numerous functions mediated by the epigenome and DNA structure. Here, we review various chromatin-profiling techniques, such as assays of chromatin accessibility, nucleosome distribution, histone modifications, and chromatin topology, and discuss their applications in unraveling the brain epigenome and etiology of complex traits at tissue homogenate and single-cell resolution. These techniques have elucidated compositional and structural organizing principles of the chromatin environment. Taken together, we believe that high-resolution epigenomic and DNA structure profiling will be one of the best ways to elucidate how non-coding genetic variations impact complex diseases, ultimately allowing us to pinpoint cell-type targets with therapeutic potential.     

基于锁相环混沌同步

文中给出基于锁相环的混沌同步设计方案.仿真结果表明若系统参数选的合适,两个混沌锁相环可达到很好的同步.证实该方案用于保密通信的可性行和有效性.文中还发现了一个非常有趣的现象并对它作了必要的分析.     

偏振无关的全光纤窄带通梳状滤波器

提出了一种基于二阶高双折射光纤(HBF)Sagnac环Sagnac环镜的全光纤窄带通梳状滤波器。二阶HBFSagnac环镜由单环构成,环中包含2段HBF。对照由2个一阶HBFSagnac环镜级联实现的窄带通梳状滤波器,进行了理论推导和试验证明。结果表明,当二阶HBFSagnac环镜中的2段HBF的长度设定为L1∶L2=1∶2,入射光与HBF快轴间的夹角为θ1+θ3=45°、θ2=45°时,实现了类似于2个一阶HBFSagnac环镜级联的传输谱,具有窄带通和宽信道间隔的特点。与对照的方案相比,边模抑制比高出3dB,此外还具有插入损耗低、实现简单等优点。理论推导与实验结果吻合。     

Ferroelectric and electromechanical performance of diverse engineered states of Mn-doped 0.75Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.25PbTiO3 ceramics

The materials processing history has a great influence on their properties and finally determines their application effect. In this paper, the ferroelectric, polarization-switching current, and strain properties of Mn-doped 0.75Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.25PbTiO₃ ceramics were studied in fresh state, aged state, and poled state, respectively. Compared with the symmetric polarization-electric-field (P-E) hysteresis loops, current-density-electric-field (J-E) curves, and bipolar electric-field-induced strain (S-E) curves in fresh state samples, asymmetric P-E loops, J-E curves, and bipolar S-E curves were obtained in poled state samples. Well-aged-state samples exhibit double hysteresis P-E loop, four peaks J-E curves, and symmetric S-E curves without negative strain. The symmetry-conforming short-range order (SC-SRO) principle of point defects and internal electric field E_i is employed to clarify the different phenomenon of three states. Results indicated that randomly oriented defect polarization P_D in aged samples can reverse the spontaneous polarization P_S back and result in the double hysteresis P-E loop and four peaks J-E curves. The oriented P_D and resulting E_i in poled-state samples will lead to the asymmetric loops and strain memory effect.     

Mechanics-aided digital image correlation for the investigation of piezoelectric and ferroelectric behaviour of a soft PZT

The strain response of a polarised PZT was characterised using Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The DIC algorithm is based on a global approach and regularises the displacement field using the balance equations of solid mechanics. The measurement error is reduced by correcting the displacements that are mechanically not admissible. A ferroelectric test showed that the standard deviations of strain fields remain mostly under 1.2 × 10^?4 for an element size of 64 px. The standard deviation on the average value is 3 × 10^?6. The strain field is homogeneous and its average value is consistent with the strain obtained from a CCD laser measurement device. The longitudinal strain, transverse strain and polarisation response of the PZT were measured for bipolar and unipolar loadings ranging from 50 to 5000 V/mm. Material properties were extracted from these measurements. This work shows the advantages of a novel 2D-DIC algorithm for piezoelectric strain characterisation.     

Programming with event loops and control loops – From actors to agents

Event loops are a main control architecture to implement actors. In this paper we first analyse the impact that this choice has on the design of actor-based concurrent programs. Then, we discuss control loops as the main architecture adopted to implement agents, and we frame them as an extension of event loops effective to improve the programming of autonomous components that need to integrate both reactive and proactive behaviors, in a modular way.     

NURBS output based tool path generation for freeform pockets

A robust method is proposed to generate tool paths for NURBS-based machining of arbitrarily shaped freeform pockets with islands. Although the input and output are all of higher-degree NURBS curves, only one simple category of geometric entities, i.e., line segments, is required for initial offsetting and for detecting and removing self-intersecting loops. Furthermore, using those linear non-self-intersecting offsets as the legs of NURBS control polygons, NURBS-format tool paths can be smoothly reconstructed with G¹-continuity, no overcutting, no cusps, and global error control. Since all operations involved in computing tool path curves are linear geometric calculations, the method is robust and simple. Examples with integrated rough and finish cutting tool paths of pockets demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of this method.     

电荷泵锁相环电路建模与仿真

电荷泵锁相环是一种能够跟踪输入信号相位变化的闭环自动跟踪系统,此类电路具有负反馈闭环特点,系统状态多,工作特性复杂,其设计与仿真分析一直是电子设备时钟系统的难点问题。针对上述问题,研究了电荷泵锁相环电路的设计步骤与仿真分析方法。首先,推导电荷泵锁相环各模块的数学模型;其次,建立了各模块电路仿真模型,仿真分析了环路稳定性以及各模块对环路整体性能的影响。研究结果为电荷泵锁相环电路的设计与仿真提供了理论依据,对实际电路设计具有一定参考价值。     

基于多反馈环结构提高硬件储备池记忆能力

针对单反馈环硬件储备池记忆能力不足的问题,提出一种基于多反馈环结构提高储备池记忆能力的方法.通过增加反馈环将更早输入信号产生的响应重新注入回储备池,使更早期的输入信号也影响储备池的内部动态,从而增强储备池的记忆能力.仿真研究了单个和多个反馈环结构的储备池的记忆能力及其在需要更长记忆能力的NARMA30任务中的预测性能.结果表明,把反馈环增加到10个,虚节点数为50时储备池的记忆能力由单反馈环的18.2提高到40.2.仅用两个反馈环,虚节点数为1000时NARMA30预测的归一化均方根误差可从单反馈环的0.27降到0.09.说明通过合理设置多个反馈环的参数,可以设计出任务需要的特定记忆能力,部分解决了储备池的适应性问题.