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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (9 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2006)
Using multiple antennas at both the transmitter and the receiver is one of the most promising techniques that can offer significant increases in channel capacity of a communication system in a wireless fading environment. However, the performance of the MIMO system depends heavily upon the availability of the channel state information (CSI) at the transmitter (CSIT) and at the receiver (CSIR). In this dissertation, we focus our attention on the design and analysis of MIMO systems over wireless fading channels with practical CSI assumptions, which can broadly be divided into the following two categories. The first part considers the development of a general framework for the analysis of multiple antenna systems with finite-rate feedback, wherein the CSI is quantized at the receiver and conveyed back to the transmitter through a rate-constrained reverse link. Inspired by the results of classical high resolution quantization theory, the problem of finite rate quantized communication system is formulated as a general fixed-rate vector quantization problem with side information available at the encoder (or the quantizer) but unavailable at the decoder. The framework of the quantization problem is sufficiently general to include quantization schemes with general non-mean square distortion functions, and constrained source vectors. Asymptotic distortion analysis of the proposed general quantization problem is provided by extending the vector version of the Bennett's integral. Specifically, tight lower and upper bounds of the average asymptotic distortion are provided together with useful insights from a source coding perspective. The proposed general methodology provides a powerful analytical tool to study a wide range of finite-rate feedback systems which includes both MISO systems over spatially correlated fading channels and MIMO systems over i.i.d. fading channels. The established framework is also versatile enough to provide analysis of sub-optimal mismatched CSI quantizers and quantizers with transformed codebooks. The second part of this dissertation is focused the on the design and analysis of MIMO systems over fading channels with CSI unavailable both at the transmitter and at the receiver. To be specific, we first provide an improved capacity lower bound for MIMO systems with unknown CSI. By analyzing (and optimizing) the proposed capacity lower bound with respect to different system parameters, we improve our intuition and understanding of the effects of training on the overall performance of MIMO systems under unknown CSI assumptions. Moreover, based on the capacity analysis results, we also provide the design of practical LDPC-coded MIMO systems under the same unknown CSI assumption at both component level and structural level. We first propose at the component level several soft-input soft-output MIMO detectors whose performances are much better than the conventional MMSE-based detectors. At the structural level, an unconventional iterative decoding scheme is proposed whose structure leads to a simple and efficient LDPC code degree profile optimization algorithm with proven global optimality and guaranteed convergence from any initialization
    Cover page: Design and analysis of MIMO systems with practical channel state information assumptions
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC San Diego Previously Published Works (2007)

    This paper employs a high resolution quantization framework to study the effects of finite-rate quantization of the channel state information (CSI) on the performance of MISO systems over correlated fading channels. The contributions of this paper are twofold. First, as an application of the general distortion analysis, tight lower bounds on the capacity loss of correlated MISO systems due to the finite-rate channel quantization are provided. Closed-form expressions for the capacity loss in high-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and low-SNR regimes are also provided, and their analysis reveals that the capacity loss of correlated MISO channels is related to that of i.i.d. fading channels by a simple multiplicative factor which is given by the ratio of the geometric mean, to the arithmetic mean of the eigenvalues of the channel covariance matrix. Second, this paper extends the general asymptotic distortion analysis to the important practical problem of suboptimal quantizers resulting from mismatches in the distortion functions, source statistics, and quantization criteria. As a specific application, two types of mismatched MISO CSI quantizers are investigated: quantizers whose codebooks are designed with minimum mean square error (MMSE) criterion but the distortion measure is the ergodic capacity loss (i.e., mismatched design criterion), and quantizers with codebook designed with a mismatched channel covariance matrix (i.e., mismatched statistics). Bounds on the channel capacity loss of the mismatched codebooks are provided and compared to that of the optimal quantizers. Finally, numerical and simulation results are presented and they confirm the tightness of theoretical distortion bounds.

      Cover page: Analysis of multiple antenna systems with finite-rate channel information feedback over spatially correlated fading channels
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC San Diego Previously Published Works (2006)

      This paper considers the design of a practical low-density parity check (LDPC)-coded multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system composed of transmit and receive antennas operating in a flat-fading environment where channel state information (CSI) is assumed to be unavailable both to the transmitter and the receiver. A soft iterative receiver structure is developed, which consists of three main blocks: a soft MIMO detector and two LDPC component soft decoders. We first propose at the component level several soft-input soft-output MIMO detectors whose performances are much better than the conventional minimal mean square error (MMSE)-based detectors. In particular, one optimal soft MIMO detector and two simplified suboptimal detectors are developed that do not require an explicit channel estimate and offer an effective tradeoff between complexity and performance. In addition, a modified expectation maximization (EM)-based MIMO detector is developed that completely removes positive feedback between input and output extrinsic information and provides much better performance compared with the direct EM-based detector that has strong correlations especially in fast-fading channels. At the structural level, the LDPC-coded MIMO receiver is constructed in an unconventional manner where the soft MIMO detector and LDPC variable node decoder form one super soft-decoding unit, and the LDPC check node decoder forms the other component of the iterative decoding scheme. By exploiting the proposed receiver structure, tractable extrinsic information transfer functions of the component soft decoders are obtained, which further lead to a simple and efficient LDPC code degree profile optimization algorithm with proven global optimality and guaranteed convergence from any initialization. Finally, numerical and simulation results are provided to confirm the advantages of the proposed design approach for the coded MIMO system.

        Cover page: LDPC-Coded MIMO Systems With Unknown Block Fading Channels: Soft MIMO Detector Design, Channel Estimation, and Code Optimization
        • Article
        • Peer Reviewed
        UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2017)
        This paper presents a case history of the 205 m high intake slope at the Huangjinping (HJP) hydropower station on the Dadu River. Deformation and cracks developed on the cut slope during excavation, and the deformation extended onto the natural slope above the cut, giving rise to serious safety concerns. Research was conducted to study the engineering geological conditions and the deformation characteristics of the slope during excavation. In situ monitoring data and possible causes of cracking were analyzed. The results show that the zone of loosened rock mass extended much deeper into the rock mass than it did at other sites in the region because of the tectonic history of the site and cutting. The empirically designed cable anchors with lengths of 40 m or 45 m were insufficient to stabilize the slope, while the remedial cable anchors as long as 100 m successfully stabilized the slope. The analytic method and procedure used in this paper could be useful to similar projects.
          Cover page: Stability investigation and stabilization of a heavily fractured and loosened rock slope during construction of a strategic hydropower station in China
          • Article
          • Peer Reviewed
          UC Davis Previously Published Works (2021)
          Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that can cause a variety of adverse effects on human health, including cancer. Wheat comprises approximately 20% of the human diet worldwide; therefore, reducing the concentrations of Cd in wheat grain will have significant impacts on the intake of Cd in food products. The tests for measuring the Cd content in grain are costly, and the content is affected significantly by soil pH. To facilitate breeding for low Cd content, this study sought to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) and associated molecular markers that can be used in molecular breeding. One spring wheat population of 181 doubled haploid lines (DHLs), which was derived from a cross between two hard white spring wheat cultivars UI Platinum (UIP) and LCS Star (LCS), was assessed for the Cd content in grain in multiple field trials in Southeast Idaho, United States. Three major QTL regions, namely, QCd.uia2-5B, QCd.uia2-7B, and QCd.uia2-7D, were identified on chromosomes 5B, 7B, and 7D, respectively. All genes in these three QTL regions were identified from the NCBI database. However, three genes related to the uptake and transport of Cd were used in the candidate gene analysis. The sequences of TraesCS5B02G388000 (TaHMA3) in the QCd.uia2-5B region and TraesCS7B02G320900 (TaHMA2) and TraesCS7B02G322900 (TaMSRMK3) in the QCd.uia2-7B region were compared between UIP and LCS. TaHMA2 on 7B is proposed for the first time as a candidate gene for grain Cd content in wheat. A KASP marker associated with this gene was developed and it will be further validated in near-isogenic lines via a gene-editing system in future studies.
            Cover page: Novel Quantitative Trait Loci for Grain Cadmium Content Identified in Hard White Spring Wheat.
            • Article
            • Peer Reviewed
            UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2019)
            Human homolog of mouse double minute 2 (HDM2) is an oncogene frequently overexpressed in cancers with poor prognosis, but mechanisms of controlling its abundance remain elusive. In an unbiased biochemical search, we discovered Skp1-Cullin 1-FBXO22-ROC1 (SCFFBXO22) as the most dominating HDM2 E3 ubiquitin ligase from human proteome. The results of protein decay rate analysis, ubiquitination, siRNA-mediated silencing, and coimmunoprecipitation experiments support a hypothesis that FBXO22 targets cellular HDM2 for ubiquitin-dependent degradation. In human breast cancer cells, FBXO22 knockdown (KD) increased cell invasiveness, which was driven by elevated levels of HDM2. Moreover, mouse 4T1 breast tumor model studies revealed that FBXO22 KD led to a significant increase of breast tumor cell metastasis to the lung. Finally, low FBXO22 expression is correlated with worse survival and high HDM2 expression in human breast cancer. Altogether, these findings suggest that SCFFBXO22 targets HDM2 for degradation and possesses inhibitory effects against breast cancer tumor cell invasion and metastasis.
              Cover page: SCFFBXO22 targets HDM2 for degradation and modulates breast cancer cell invasion and metastasis
              • Article
              • Peer Reviewed
              UC San Diego Previously Published Works (2020)
              Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) represents a major constituent of tropospheric fine particulate matter, with profound implications for human health and climate. However, the chemical mechanisms leading to SOA formation remain uncertain, and atmospheric models consistently underpredict the global SOA budget. Small α-dicarbonyls, such as methylglyoxal, are ubiquitous in the atmosphere because of their significant production from photooxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons from traffic and industrial sources as well as from biogenic isoprene. Current experimental and theoretical results on the roles of methylglyoxal in SOA formation are conflicting. Using quantum chemical calculations, we show cationic oligomerization of methylglyoxal in aqueous media. Initial protonation and hydration of methylglyoxal lead to formation of diols/tetrol, and subsequent protonation and dehydration of diols/tetrol yield carbenium ions, which represent the key intermediates for formation and propagation of oligomerization. On the other hand, our results reveal that the previously proposed oligomerization via hydration for methylglyoxal is kinetically and thermodynamically implausible. The carbenium ion-mediated mechanism occurs barrierlessly on weakly acidic aerosols and cloud/fog droplets and likely provides a key pathway for SOA formation from biogenic and anthropogenic emissions.
                Cover page: Carbenium ion-mediated oligomerization of methylglyoxal for secondary organic aerosol formation
                • Article
                • Peer Reviewed
                UCLA Previously Published Works (2014)
                The molecular mechanism of p16-mediated senescence in cisplatin-treated cancer cells is not fully understood. Here we show that cisplatin treatment of head and neck cancer cells results in nuclear transport of p16 leading to a molecular modification of NFκB. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays show that this modification is associated with the inhibition of NFκB interacting with its DNA binding sequences, leading to decreased expression of NFκB-transcribed proteins. LCMS proteomic analysis of LAP-TAP-purified proteins from HeLa cells containing a tetracycline-inducible GFP-S peptide-NFκB expression system identified gigaxonin, an ubiquitin E3 ligase adaptor, as an NFκB-interacting protein. Immunoblotting and siRNA studies confirmed the NFκB-gigaxonin interaction and the dependence of this binding on p16-NFκB binding. Using gel shift assays, we have confirmed p16-NFκB and gigaxonin-NFκB interactions. Furthermore, we have observed increased NFκB ubiquitination with cisplatin treatment that is abolished in the absence of p16 and gigaxonin expression. Analysis of 103 primary tumors has shown that increased nuclear p16 expression correlates with enhanced survival of head and neck cancer patients (p < 0.0000542), indicating the importance of nuclear p16 expression in prognosis. Finally, p16 expression is associated with reduced cytokine expression and the presence of human papilloma virus in chemoradiation-sensitive basaloid tumors. However, the absence of p16 expression is associated with enhanced cytokine expression and the absence of human papilloma virus in aggressive tumors. These results clearly demonstrate that nuclear p16 and gigaxonin play an important role in chemosensitivity of head and neck cancers through ubiquitination of NFκB.
                  Cover page: p16 Protein and Gigaxonin Are Associated with the Ubiquitination of NFκB in Cisplatin-induced Senescence of Cancer Cells*
                  • Article
                  • Peer Reviewed
                  UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2022)
                  Transformation of low-volatility gaseous precursors to new particles affects aerosol number concentration, cloud formation and hence the climate. The clustering of acid and base molecules is a major mechanism driving fast nucleation and initial growth of new particles in the atmosphere. However, the acid-base cluster composition, measured using state-of-the-art mass spectrometers, cannot explain the measured high formation rate of new particles. Here we present strong evidence for the existence of base molecules such as amines in the smallest atmospheric sulfuric acid clusters prior to their detection by mass spectrometers. We demonstrate that forming (H2SO4)1(amine)1 is the rate-limiting step in atmospheric H2SO4-amine nucleation and the uptake of (H2SO4)1(amine)1 is a major pathway for the initial growth of H2SO4 clusters. The proposed mechanism is very consistent with measured new particle formation in urban Beijing, in which dimethylamine is the key base for H2SO4 nucleation while other bases such as ammonia may contribute to the growth of larger clusters. Our findings further underline the fact that strong amines, even at low concentrations and when undetected in the smallest clusters, can be crucial to particle formation in the planetary boundary layer.
                    Cover page: The missing base molecules in atmospheric acid–base nucleation
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