Brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in the neuromuscular junction during developmental axonal competition and synapse elimination

During the development of the nervous system,there is an overproduction of neurons and synapses.Hebbian competition between neighboring nerve endings and synapses performing different activity levels leads to their elimination or strengthening.We have extensively studied the involvement of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor-Tropomyosin-related kinase B receptor neurotrophic retrograde pathway,at the neuromuscular junction,in the axonal development and synapse elimination process versus the synapse consolidation.The purpose of this review is to describe the neurotrophic influence on developmental synapse elimination,in relation to other molecular pathways that we and others have found to regulate this process.In particular,we summarize our published results based on transmitter release analysis and axonal counts to show the different involvement of the presynaptic acetylcholine muscarinic autoreceptors,coupled to downstream serine-threonine protein kinases A and C(PKA and PKC)and voltage-gated calcium channels,at different nerve endings in developmental competition.The dynamic changes that occur simultaneously in several nerve terminals and synapses converge across a postsynaptic site,influence each other,and require careful studies to individualize the mechanisms of specific endings.We describe an activity-dependent balance(related to the extent of transmitter release)between the presynaptic muscarinic subtypes and the neurotrophin-mediated TrkB/p75NTR pathways that can influence the timing and fate of the competitive interactions between the different axon terminals.The downstream displacement of the PKA/PKC activity ratio to lower values,both in competing nerve terminals and at postsynaptic sites,plays a relevant role in controlling the elimination of supernumerary synapses.Finally,calcium entry through L-and P/Q-subtypes of voltage-gated calcium channels(both channels are present,together with the N-type channel in developing nerve terminals)contributes to reduce transmitter release and promote withdrawal of the most unfavorable nerve terminals during elimination(the weakest in acetylcholine release and those that have already become silent).The main findings contribute to a better understanding of punishment-rewarding interactions between nerve endings during development.Identifying the molecular targets and signaling pathways that allow synapse consolidation or withdrawal of synapses in different situations is important for potential therapies in neurodegenerative diseases.

Cascaded ELM-Based Joint Frame Synchronization and Channel Estimation over Rician Fading Channel with Hardware Imperfections

Due to the interdependency of frame synchronization(FS)and channel estimation(CE),joint FS and CE(JFSCE)schemes are proposed to enhance their functionalities and therefore boost the overall performance of wireless communication systems.Although traditional JFSCE schemes alleviate the influence between FS and CE,they show deficiencies in dealing with hardware imperfection(HI)and deterministic line-of-sight(LOS)path.To tackle this challenge,we proposed a cascaded ELM-based JFSCE to alleviate the influence of HI in the scenario of the Rician fading channel.Specifically,the conventional JFSCE method is first employed to extract the initial features,and thus forms the non-Neural Network(NN)solutions for FS and CE,respectively.Then,the ELMbased networks,named FS-NET and CE-NET,are cascaded to capture the NN solutions of FS and CE.Simulation and analysis results show that,compared with the conventional JFSCE methods,the proposed cascaded ELM-based JFSCE significantly reduces the error probability of FS and the normalized mean square error(NMSE)of CE,even against the impacts of parameter variations.

Dynamics and synchronization of neural models with memristive membranes under energy coupling

Dynamical modeling of neural systems plays an important role in explaining and predicting some features of biophysical mechanisms.The electrophysiological environment inside and outside of the nerve cell is different.Due to the continuous and periodical properties of electromagnetic fields in the cell during its operation,electronic components involving two capacitors and a memristor are effective in mimicking these physical features.In this paper,a neural circuit is reconstructed by two capacitors connected by a memristor with periodical mem-conductance.It is found that the memristive neural circuit can present abundant firing patterns without stimulus.The Hamilton energy function is deduced using the Helmholtz theorem.Further,a neuronal network consisting of memristive neurons is proposed by introducing energy coupling.The controllability and flexibility of parameters give the model the ability to describe the dynamics and synchronization behavior of the system.

Transient Damping of Virtual Synchronous Generator for Enhancing Synchronization Stability during Voltage Dips

Virtual synchronous generators(VSGs)are widely introduced to the renewable power generation,the variablespeed pumped storage units,and so on,as a promising gridforming solution.It is noted that VSGs can provide virtual inertia for frequency support,but the larger inertia would worsen the synchronization stability,referring to keeping synchronization with the grid during voltage dips.Thus,this paper presents a transient damping method of VSGs for enhancing the synchronization stability during voltage dips.It is revealed that the loss of synchronization(LOS)of VSGs always accompanies with the positive frequency deviation and the damping is the key factor to remove LOS when the equilibrium point exists.In order to enhance synchronization stability during voltage dips,the transient damping is proposed,which is generated by the frequency deviation in active power loop.Additionally,the proposed method can realize seamless switching between normal state and grid fault.Moreover,detailed control design for transient damping gain is given to ensure the synchronization stability under different inertia requirements during voltage dips.Finally,the experimental results are presented to validate the analysis and the effectiveness of the improved transient damping method.

A frequency domain estimation and compensation method for system synchronization parameters of distributed-HFSWR

To analyze the influence of time synchronization error,phase synchronization error,frequency synchronization error,internal delay of the transceiver system,and range error and angle error between the unit radars on the target detection performance,firstly,a spatial detection model of distributed high-frequency surface wave radar(distributed-HFSWR)is established in this paper.In this model,a method for accurate extraction of direct wave spectrum based on curve fitting is proposed to obtain accurate system internal delay and frequency synchronization error under complex electromagnetic environment background and low signal to noise ratio(SNR),and to compensate for the shift of range and Doppler frequency caused by time-frequency synchronization error.The direct wave component is extracted from the spectrum,the range estimation error and Doppler estimation error are reduced by the method of curve fitting,and the fitting accuracy of the parameters is improved.Then,the influence of frequency synchronization error on target range and radial Doppler velocity is quantitatively analyzed.The relationship between frequency synchronization error and radial Doppler velocity shift and range shift is given.Finally,the system synchronization parameters of the trial distributed-HFSWR are obtained by the proposed spectrum extraction method based on curve fitting,the experimental data is compensated to correct the shift of the target,and finally the correct target parameter information is obtained.Simulations and experimental results demonstrate the superiority and correctness of the proposed method,theoretical derivation and detection model proposed in this paper.

Synchronization and firing mode transition of two neurons in a bilateral auditory system driven by a high–low frequency signal

The FitzHugh–Nagumo neuron circuit integrates a piezoelectric ceramic to form a piezoelectric sensing neuron,which can capture external sound signals and simulate the auditory neuron system.Two piezoelectric sensing neurons are coupled by a parallel circuit consisting of a Josephson junction and a linear resistor,and a binaural auditory system is established.Considering the non-singleness of external sound sources,the high–low frequency signal is used as the input signal to study the firing mode transition and synchronization of this system.It is found that the angular frequency of the high–low frequency signal is a key factor in determining whether the dynamic behaviors of two coupled neurons are synchronous.When they are in synchronization at a specific angular frequency,the changes in physical parameters of the input signal and the coupling strength between them will not destroy their synchronization.In addition,the firing mode of two coupled auditory neurons in synchronization is affected by the characteristic parameters of the high–low frequency signal rather than the coupling strength.The asynchronous dynamic behavior and variations in firing modes will harm the auditory system.These findings could help determine the causes of hearing loss and devise functional assistive devices for patients.

Quantum synchronization with correlated baths

We study quantum synchronization under the nonequilibrium reservoirs.We consider a two-qubit XXZ chain coupled independently to their own reservoirs modeled by the collisional model.Two reservoir particles,initially prepared in a thermal state or a state with coherence,are correlated through a unitary transformation and afterward interact locally with the two quantum subsystems.We study the quantum effect of reservoir on synchronous dynamics of system.By preparing different reservoir initial states or manipulating the reservoir particles coupling and the temperature gradient,we find that quantum entanglement of reservoir is the key to control quantum synchronization of system qubits.

A Synchronization Acquisition Algorithm Based on the Frequency Hopping Pulses Combining

As modern electromagnetic environments are more and more complex,the anti-interference performance of the synchronization acquisition is becoming vital in wireless communications.With the rapid development of the digital signal processing technologies,some synchronization acquisition algorithms for hybrid direct-sequence(DS)/frequency hopping(FH)spread spectrum communications have been proposed.However,these algorithms do not focus on the analysis and the design of the synchronization acquisition under typical interferences.In this paper,a synchronization acquisition algorithm based on the frequency hopping pulses combining(FHPC)is proposed.Specifically,the proposed algorithm is composed of two modules:an adaptive interference suppression(IS)module and an adaptive combining decision module.The adaptive IS module mitigates the effect of the interfered samples in the time-domain or the frequencydomain,and the adaptive combining decision module can utilize each frequency hopping pulse to construct an anti-interference decision metric and generate an adaptive acquisition decision threshold to complete the acquisition.Theory and simulation demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly enhances the antiinterference and anti-noise performances of the synchronization acquisition for hybrid DS/FH communications.

Dynamics and synchronization in a memristor-coupled discrete heterogeneous neuron network considering noise

Research on discrete memristor-based neural networks has received much attention.However,current research mainly focuses on memristor–based discrete homogeneous neuron networks,while memristor-coupled discrete heterogeneous neuron networks are rarely reported.In this study,a new four-stable discrete locally active memristor is proposed and its nonvolatile and locally active properties are verified by its power-off plot and DC V–I diagram.Based on two-dimensional(2D)discrete Izhikevich neuron and 2D discrete Chialvo neuron,a heterogeneous discrete neuron network is constructed by using the proposed discrete memristor as a coupling synapse connecting the two heterogeneous neurons.Considering the coupling strength as the control parameter,chaotic firing,periodic firing,and hyperchaotic firing patterns are revealed.In particular,multiple coexisting firing patterns are observed,which are induced by different initial values of the memristor.Phase synchronization between the two heterogeneous neurons is discussed and it is found that they can achieve perfect synchronous at large coupling strength.Furthermore,the effect of Gaussian white noise on synchronization behaviors is also explored.We demonstrate that the presence of noise not only leads to the transition of firing patterns,but also achieves the phase synchronization between two heterogeneous neurons under low coupling strength.

Proposal for a realtime Einstein-synchronization-defined satellite virtual clock

Realization of high performance satellite onboard clock is vital for various positioning, navigation, and timing applications. For further improvement of the synchronization-based satellite time and frequency references, we propose a geosynchronous(GEO) satellite virtual clock concept based on ground–satellite synchronization and present a beacon transponder structure for its implementation(scheduled for launch in 2025), which does not require atomic clocks to be mounted on the satellite. Its high performance relies only on minor modifications to the existing transponder structure of GEO satellites. We carefully model the carrier phase link and analyze the factors causing link asymmetry within the special relativity. Considering that performance of such synchronization-based satellite clocks is primarily limited by the link's random phase noise, which cannot be adequately modeled, we design a closed-loop experiment based on commercial GEO satellites for pre-evaluation. This experiment aims at extracting the zero-means random part of the ground-satellite Ku-band carrier phase via a feedback loop. Ultimately, we obtain a 1σ value of 0.633 ps(two-way link), following the Gaussian distribution. From this result, we conclude that the proposed real-time Einstein-synchronization-defined satellite virtual clock can achieve picosecond-level replication of onboard time and frequency.

Geometric Error Identification of Gantry-Type CNC Machine Tool Based on Multi-Station Synchronization Laser Tracers

Laser tracers are a three-dimensional coordinate measurement system that are widely used in industrial measurement.We propose a geometric error identification method based on multi-station synchronization laser tracers to enable the rapid and high-precision measurement of geometric errors for gantry-type computer numerical control(CNC)machine tools.This method also improves on the existing measurement efficiency issues in the single-base station measurement method and multi-base station time-sharing measurement method.We consider a three-axis gantry-type CNC machine tool,and the geometric error mathematical model is derived and established based on the combination of screw theory and a topological analysis of the machine kinematic chain.The four-station laser tracers position and measurement points are realized based on the multi-point positioning principle.A self-calibration algorithm is proposed for the coordinate calibration process of a laser tracer using the Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear least squares method,and the geometric error is solved using Taylor’s first-order linearization iteration.The experimental results show that the geometric error calculated based on this modeling method is comparable to the results from the Etalon laser tracer.For a volume of 800 mm×1000 mm×350 mm,the maximum differences of the linear,angular,and spatial position errors were 2.0μm,2.7μrad,and 12.0μm,respectively,which verifies the accuracy of the proposed algorithm.This research proposes a modeling method for the precise measurement of errors in machine tools,and the applied nature of this study also makes it relevant both to researchers and those in the industrial sector.

Effects of Serum Concentration, Synchronization Time and Confluence on the Cell-Cycle Synchronization Efficiency of Goat Fibroblasts

This study aims to evaluate the effect of serum concentration, synchronization time, and confluence degree on the synchronisation efficiency of goat fibroblast cycle. The results indicated that there was no difference in the percentage of nucleated fibroblasts in the G0/G1 stage between serum concentrations of 0.3% and 0.4% (83.89% and 82.69%, respectively, P > 0.05) as well as between serum concentrations of 0.2% and 0.5% (76.95% and 75.46%, respectively, P > 0.05). The percentage of nucleated fibroblasts in the G0/G1 stage was highest at the concentration of 0.3% and lowest in the control group (83.89% vs. 62.67%, P 0.05). The beneficial effect of high confluence was confirmed by the large percentage of nucleated fibroblasts at the G0/G1 stage. The 60% confluency was significantly lower than the 80% and 100% confluency (73.44%, 86.63%, and 87.17%, respectively, P < 0.05). The results indicate that the goat fibroblast cycle synchronization is the most effective at the serum concentration of 0.3%, 72 hours of synchronization and 100% confluency.

Suppression and synchronization of chaos in uncertain time-delay physical system

The mechanical horizontal platform(MHP)system exhibits a rich chaotic behavior.The chaotic MHP system has applications in the earthquake and offshore industries.This article proposes a robust adaptive continuous control(RACC)algorithm.It investigates the control and synchronization of chaos in the uncertain MHP system with time-delay in the presence of unknown state-dependent and time-dependent disturbances.The closed-loop system contains most of the nonlinear terms that enhance the complexity of the dynamical system;it improves the efficiency of the closed-loop.The proposed RACC approach(a)accomplishes faster convergence of the perturbed state variables(synchronization errors)to the desired steady-state,(b)eradicates the effect of unknown state-dependent and time-dependent disturbances,and(c)suppresses undesirable chattering in the feedback control inputs.This paper describes a detailed closed-loop stability analysis based on the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional theory and Lyapunov stability technique.It provides parameter adaptation laws that confirm the convergence of the uncertain parameters to some constant values.The computer simulation results endorse the theoretical findings and provide a comparative performance.

Anion competition for Li^(+)solvated coordination environments in poly(1,3 dioxolane)electrolyte to enable high-voltage lithium metal solid-state batteries

Gel-based polymer electrolytes are limited by the polarity of the residual solvent,which restricts the coupling-breaking behaviour during Li^(+)conduction,resulting in the Li^(+)transport kinetics being greatly affected.Here,we designed anion competitive gel polymer electrolyte(ACPE)by introducing lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate(LiDFOB)anion into the 1,3-dioxolane(DOL)in situ polymerisation system.ACPE enhances the ionic dipole interaction between Li^(+)and the solvent molecules and synergizes with Li^(+)across the solvation site of the polymer ethylene oxide(EO)unit,combination that greatly improves the Li^(+)transport efficiency.As a result,ACPE exhibits 1.12 mS cm^(−1)ionic conductivity and 0.75 Li^(+)transfer number at room temperature.Additionally,this intra-polymer solvation sheath allows preferential desolvation of DFOB−,which contributes to the formation of kinetically stable anion-derived interphase and effectively mitigates side reactions.Our results demonstrate that the assembled Li||NCM622 solid-state battery exhibits lifespan of over 300 cycles with average Coulombic efficiency of 98.8%and capacity retention of 80.3%.This study introduces a novel approach for ion migration and interface design,paving the way for high-safety and high-energy-density batteries.

RL and AHP-Based Multi-Timescale Multi-Clock Source Time Synchronization for Distribution Power Internet of Things

Time synchronization(TS)is crucial for ensuring the secure and reliable functioning of the distribution power Internet of Things(IoT).Multi-clock source time synchronization(MTS)has significant advantages of high reliability and accuracy but still faces challenges such as optimization of the multi-clock source selection and the clock source weight calculation at different timescales,and the coupling of synchronization latency jitter and pulse phase difference.In this paper,the multi-timescale MTS model is conducted,and the reinforcement learning(RL)and analytic hierarchy process(AHP)-based multi-timescale MTS algorithm is designed to improve the weighted summation of synchronization latency jitter standard deviation and average pulse phase difference.Specifically,the multi-clock source selection is optimized based on Softmax in the large timescale,and the clock source weight calculation is optimized based on lower confidence bound-assisted AHP in the small timescale.Simulation shows that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce time synchronization delay standard deviation and average pulse phase difference.

Tree allometry responses to competition and complementarity in mixed-species plantations of Betula alnoides

Tree allometry plays a crucial role in tree survival,stability,and timber quantity and quality of mixed-species plantations.However,the responses of tree allometry to resource utilisation within the framework of interspecific competition and complementarity remain poorly understood.Taking into consideration strong-and weakspace competition(SC and WC),as well as N_(2)-fixing and non-N_(2)-fixing tree species(FN and nFN),a mixedspecies planting trial was conducted for Betula alnoides,a pioneer tree species,which was separately mixed with Acacia melanoxylon(SC+FN),Erythrophleum fordii(WC+FN),Eucalyptus cloeziana(SC+nFN)and Pinus kesiya var.langbianensis(WC+nFN)in southern China.Six years after planting,tree growth,total nitrogen(N)and carbon(C)contents,and the natural abundances of^(15)N and^(13)C in the leaves were measured for each species,and the mycorrhizal colonisation rates of B.alnoides were investigated under each treatment.Allometric variations and their relationships with space competition and nutrient-related factors were analyzed.The results showed a consistent effect of space competition on the height-diameter relationship of B.alnoides in mixtures with FN or nFN.The tree height growth of B.alnoides was significantly promoted under high space competition,and growth in diameter at breast height(DBH),tree height and crown size were all expedited in mixtures with FN.The symbiotic relationship between ectomycorrhizal fungi and B.alnoides was significantly influenced by both space competition and N_(2) fixation by the accompanying tree species,whereas such significant effects were absent for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.Furthermore,high space competition significantly decreased the water use efficiency(WUE)of B.alnoides,and its N use efficiency(NUE)was much lower in the FN mixtures.Structural equation modeling further demonstrated that the stem allometry of B.alnoides was affected by its NUE and WUE via changes in its height growth,and crown allometry was influenced by the mycorrhizal symbiotic relationship.Our findings provide new insights into the mechanisms driving tree allometric responses to above-and belowground resource competition and complementarity in mixed-species plantations,which are instructive for the establishment of mixed-species plantations.

Dilemmas and Optimization of Third-Party Assessment System in Chinese Fair Competition Review

The current predominant self-review mechanism by policy-making bodies suffers from deficiencies such as insufficient motivations, limited review capabilities, and weak external supervision. Third-party assessment, characterized by independence and specialization, is designed to mitigate these shortcomings. However, the implementation of third-party assessment faces challenges too. This paper intends to improve the third-party assessment system and to realize the legislative purpose of the system. Based on social research, discussions and exchanges with relevant parties, and the existing research results, this paper analyzes the challenges and possible optimization measures for the third-party assessment. The challenges include repulsion from policy-making bodies, insufficient independence of assessment bodies, disparity of assessment quality, and limited application of assessment outcomes. Possible optimization measures include promoting fair competition culture, increasing the acceptance of third-party assessment from policy-making bodies, enhancing the quality of third-party assessment, clarifying the relationship between policy-making bodies and assessment bodies, ensuring the independence of third-party assessments, and promoting the application of assessment results.

Einstein’s Concept of Clock Synchronization Conflicts with the Second Relativity Postulate

Einstein defined clock synchronization whenever photon pulses with timetags traverse a fixed distance between two clocks with equal time spans ineither direction. Using the second relativity postulate, he found clocksmounted on a rod uniformly moving parallel with the rod’s length cannot besynchronized, but clocks attached to a stationary rod can. He dismissed thisdiscrepancy by claiming simultaneity and clock synchronization were not commonbetween inertial frames, but this paper proves with both Galilean and Lorentztransformations that simultaneity and clock synchronization are preservedbetween inertial frames. His derivation means moving clocks can never besynchronized in a “resting” inertial frame. Ultraprecise atomic clocks intimekeeping labs daily contradict his results. No algebraic error occurred inEinstein’s derivations. The two cases of clocksattached to a rod reveal three major conflicts with the currentsecond postulate. The net velocity between a photon source and detector plusthe “universal” velocity c is mathematically equivalent toEinstein’s clock synchronization method. As the ultraprecise timekeepingcommunity daily synchronizes atomic clocks on the moving Earth withultraprecise time uncertainty well below Einstein’s lowest limit ofsynchronization, the theoretical resolution of the apparent conflict isaccomplished by expanding the second relativity postulate to incorporate thenet velocity between the photon source and detector with the emitted velocity c as components of the total velocity c. This means the magnitudeof the total photon velocity can exceed the speed limit (299792458 m/s) set by the standard velocity c. .

Discussion on the Application of Technical and Tactical Skills in Mixed Martial Arts Competitions

This article mainly analyzes the application of technical and tactical skills in mixed martial arts competitions,including mixed martial arts and its competition characteristics,the main application significance of technical and tactical skills in mixed martial arts competitions,and its primary application strategies.It is hoped that this analysis can provide some guidelines for the appropriate application of mixed martial arts athletes’technical and tactical skills to improve their winning rate in mixed martial arts competitions.

Research on the Role of Guiding Students to Participate in Skills Competitions on the Development of Young Teachers in Vocational Colleges

This paper explores the role of guiding students to participate in skills competitions on the development of young teachers in vocational colleges.We investigate the impact of skills competitions on the consolidation of professional knowledge,development of innovation capabilities,improvement of hands-on abilities,and enhancement of communication skills with students.The results of this research demonstrate that skills competitions have a positive influence on the professional growth of young teachers.The consolidation of professional knowledge,development of innovation capabilities,improvement of hands-on abilities,and enhancement of communication skills collectively contribute to the effectiveness of young teachers in vocational colleges.It is recommended that vocational colleges prioritize and support the participation of young teachers in skills competitions to foster their professional development.