Design of a CMOS Adaptive Charge Pump with Dynamic Current Matching

A novel structure for a charge pump circuit is proposed, in which the charge-pump （CP） current can adaptively regulated according to phase-locked loops （PLL） frequency synthesis demand. The current follow technology is used to make perfect current matching characteristics, and the two differential inverters are implanted to increase the speed of charge pump and decrease output spur due to theory of low voltage difference signal. Simulation results, with 1st silicon 0. 25μm 2. 5 V complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor （CMOS） mixed-signal process, show the good current matching characteristics regardless of the charge pump output voltages.     

用于语音识别的鲁棒自适应麦克风阵列算法

对现实环境中存在的混响以及非平稳干扰语音信源等因素导致的算法性能下降,提出了一种用于语音识别的鲁棒旁瓣对消算法。讨论了旁瓣对消算法在自适应麦克风阵列中的应用,分析了算法在不同的混响条件下、不同的干扰源的噪声抑制能力。该算法通过分帧处理将输入信号划分为一系列短时平稳的信号片段。根据当前帧的信噪比决定自适应滤波器的权系数更新方式。采用一定的范数约束来限制自适应滤波器权系数的误调整。实验结果表明该麦克风阵列在混响的现实环境中能够有效抑制平稳噪声源和交叠谈话背景干扰,提高了语音识别器的抗噪性能。     

带有频谱补偿的基频修改算法

针对当前多数在基于拼接的语音合成系统中使用的基频修改算法缺少对频谱进行补偿的情况,提出了一种带有频谱补偿的基频修改算法.在传统基音同步叠加(PSOLA)算法的基础上,以共振峰参数和频谱倾斜参数描述频谱特性,通过对频谱参数进行预测及修改,在修改基频的同时,有效地补偿了频谱特性.频谱参数的预测公式由各基频下的条件概率密度函数导出,频谱参数的修改通过正弦模型实现.实验表明,对于不同的汉语元音、基频修改因子和听者,在平均86.25%的情况下,该算法较传统PSOLA算法能够获得更接近自然音质的语音.     

Oxygen intervention in the regulation of gene expression: the photosynthetic bacterial paradigm

The means by which oxygen intervenes in gene expression has been examined in considerable detail in the metabolically versatile bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Three regulatory systems are now known in this organism, which are used singly and in combination to modulate genes in response to changing oxygen availability. The outcome of these regulatory events is that the molecular machinery is present for the cell to obtain energy by means that are best suited to prevailing conditions, while at the same time maintaining cellular redox balance. Here, we explore the dangers associated with molecular oxygen relative to the various metabolisms used by R. sphaeroides, and then present the most recent findings regarding the features and operation of each of the three regulatory systems which collectively mediate oxygen control in this organism.Received 26 June 2003; received after revision 30 July 2003; accepted 8 August 2003     

Angiogenesis and signal transduction in endothelial cells

Endothelial cells receive multiple information from their environment that eventually leads them to progress along all the stages of the process of formation of new vessels. Angiogenic signals promote endothelial cell proliferation, increased resistance to apoptosis, changes in proteolytic balance, cytoskeletal reorganization, migration and, finally, differentiation and formation of a new vascular lumen. We aim to review herein the main signaling cascades that become activated in angiogenic endothelial cells as well as the opportunities of modulating angiogenesis through pharmacological interference with these signaling mechanisms. We will deal mainly with the mitogen-activated protein kinases pathway, which is very important in the transduction of proliferation signals; the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling system, particularly essential for the survival of the angiogenic endothelium; the small GTPases involved in cytoskeletal reorganization and migration; and the kinases associated to focal adhesions which contribute to integrate the pathways from the two main sources of angiogenic signals, i.e. growth factors and the extracellular matrix.Received 13 February 2004; received after revision 25 March 2004; accepted 19 April 2004     

一种适用于软件雷达系统的数据流驱动机制

针对雷达信号处理各功能模块之间显著的流水性特征 ,结合一个通用的雷达信号处理系统———由清华大学研制的通用高速实时雷达信号处理系统的实验样机DSM(dataflow ,sharedmemoryandmultiplebusinterconnec tion) ,在研究现有静态、动态数据流驱动机制特点的基础上 ,提出了一种新型的适用于软件雷达系统的进程间准动态数据流驱动机制 ,并针对一个雷达信号处理的范例程序说明了编译器数据流驱动表的生成和系统数据流驱动的过程。     

F-box proteins in flowering plants

In eukaryotes, the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway has been shown to control several key biological processes such as cell division, development, metabolism and immune response. F-box proteins, as a part of SCF (Skp1-Cullin (or Cdc53)-F-box) complex, functioned by interacting with substrate proteins, leading to their subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome. To date, several F-box proteins identified in Arabidopsis and Antirrhinum have been shown to play important roles in auxin signal transduction, floral organ formation, flowering and leaf senescence. Arabidopsis genome sequence analysis revealed that it encodes over 1000 predicted F-box proteins accounting for about 5% of total predicted proteins. These results indicate that the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation involving the F-box proteins is an important mechanism controlling plant gene expression. Here, we review the known F-box proteins and their functionsin flowering plants.     

Polyisoprenyl phosphates: natural antiinflammatory lipid signals

Lipoxins (LX) and aspirin-triggered 15-epimer LX are leukocyte-derived eicosanoids generated during host defense that serve as down-regulatory signals. The specific intracellular events that govern cellular responses to inhibitory extracellular signals are of wide interest in order to understand pivotal intracellular events in diseases characterized by enhanced inflammatory responses, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis. We recently uncovered a novel role for polyisoprenyl phosphates, in particular presqualene diphosphate (PSDP), as natural down-regulatory signals in human neutrophils that directly inhibit phospholipase D and superoxide anion generation. Activation of LXA₄ receptors (ALXR) reverses proinflammatory receptor-initiated decrements in PSDP and inhibits cellular responses. These findings represent evidence for a novel paradigm for lipid-protein interactions in the control of cellular responses, namely receptor-initiated degradation of repressor lipids that is subject to regulation by aspirin treatment via the actions of aspirin-triggered 15-epimer LX at the ALXR, and identify new templates for antiinflammatory drugs by design.     

Sphingolipids in mammalian cell signalling

Sphingolipids and their metabolites, ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate, are involved in a variety of cellular processes including differentiation, cellular senescence, apoptosis and proliferation. Ceramide is the main second messenger, and is produced by sphingomyelinase-induced hydrolysis of sphingomyelin and by de novo synthesis. Many stimuli, e.g. growth factors, cytokines, G protein-coupled receptor agonists and stress (UV irradiation) increase cellular ceramide levels. Sphingomyelin in the plasma membrane is located primarily in the outer (extracellular) leaflet of the bilayer, whilst sphingomyelinases are found at the inner (cytosolic) face and within lysosomes/endosomes. Such cellular compartmentalisation restricts the site of ceramide production and subsequent interaction with target proteins. Glycosphingolipids and sphingomyelin together with cholesterol are major components of specialised membrane microdomains known as lipid rafts, which are involved in receptor aggregation and immune responses. Many signalling molecules, for example Src family tyrosine kinases and glycosylinositolphosphate-anchored proteins, are associated with rafts, and disruption of these domains affects cellular responses such as apoptosis. Sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate derived from ceramide are also signalling molecules. In particular, sphingosine-1-phosphate is involved in proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Sphingosine-1-phosphate can act both extracellularly through endothelial-differentiating gene (EDG) family G protein-coupled receptors and intracellularly through direct interactions with target proteins. The importance of sphingolipid signalling in cardiovascular development has been reinforced by recent reports implicating EDG receptors in the regulation of embryonic cardiac and vascular morphogenesis. Received 16 May 2001; received after revision 29 June 2001; accepted 3 July 2001