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Multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) technology is widely used in integrated radar and communication systems (IRCSs). Moreover, index modulation (IM) is a reliable OFDM transmission scheme in the field of communication, which transmits information by arranging several distinguishable constellations. In this paper, we propose a sparse reconstruction-based joint signal processing scheme for integrated MIMO-OFDM-IM systems. Combining the advantages of MIMO and OFDM-IM technologies, the integrated MIMO-OFDM-IM signal design is realized through the reasonable allocation of bits and subcarriers, resulting in better intercarrier interference (ICI) resistance and a higher transmission efficiency. Taking advantage of the sparseness of OFDM-IM, an improved target parameter estimation method based on sparse signal reconstruction is explored to eliminate the influence of empty subcarriers on the matched filtering at the receiver side. In addition, an improved sequential Monte Carlo signal detection method is introduced to realize the efficient detection of communication signals. The simulation results show that the proposed integrated system is 5 dB lower in the peak sidelobe ratio (PSLR) and 1.5 × 10 5 lower in the number of complex multiplications than the latest MIMO-OFDM system and can achieve almost the same parameter estimation performance. With the same spectral efficiency, it has a lower bit error rate (BER) than existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the possibility of improving target detection performance in passive bistatic radar by exploiting a frequency agile (FA) signal is investigated, namely frequency agile signal-based passive bistatic radar (FAPBR) coherent integration. Since the carrier frequency of each pulse signal is agile, FAPBR coherent integration suffers from the problems of random range and Doppler phase fluctuations. To tackle these challenges, a novel FA signal coherent integration target detection scheme for PBR is proposed. In particular, the phase quadratic difference principle is presented for eliminating Doppler phase hopping. Then, frequency rearrangement is adopted to compensate for random range phase fluctuation while obtaining the high-range-resolution profiles (HRRPs) of the detecting target. Further, we innovatively present a sliding-range ambiguity decoupling (S-RAD) method to remove the range ambiguity effect in the case of the high pulse repetition frequency (HPRF). Compared with the existing methods, the proposed method can effectively mitigate Doppler phase hopping without requiring prior target velocity information, offering improved coherent integration performance in frequency agile signals with reduced computational complexity. Moreover, it successfully corrects the range ambiguity issue caused by HPRF. Finally, a series of simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to traditional single orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) radar and OFDM communication systems, integrated OFDM radar and communication systems have the advantages of improved sharing of scarce spectrum resources, a simple hardware structure and a reduced interference between signals. In this paper, a constraint relaxation-based robust OFDM multiplexing waveform (ROW-CR) design method for integrated radar and communication systems is proposed. Considering the influence of correlated clutter and jamming signals, transmission and reception models of different system platforms are established by allocating subcarrier complex weights of different antenna signals so as to determine radar conditional mutual information and communication channel capacity parameters. Meanwhile, a restricted closed model is introduced through the limit range of the target frequency response. Then, a robust OFDM waveform optimization problem for integrated radar and communication systems is constructed by the minimax criterion, and the closed-form solution is obtained by adopting an improved method based on trace function properties and constraint relaxation, resulting in a better radar and communication performance trade-off. In addition, a parameter hierarchical optimization-based robust OFDM waveform (ROW-PHO) design method is further explored to reduce the computational complexity, and this method can also ensure a low system performance loss. Finally, the numerical simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forward-looking multi-channel synthetic aperture radar (FLMC-SAR) can realize two-dimension image formation in monostatic mode. This system must face the problem of left–right Doppler ambiguity. In the traditional methods, the spatial degrees of freedom of the FLMC-SAR system is expected to achieve Doppler ambiguity resolving by beamforming approaches. However, the influence of array error on beamforming cannot be ignored. In practice, the array error will lead to the mismatch of the space–time characteristic, which will reduce the performance of the Doppler ambiguity resolving method based on beamforming. This paper proposes a sparsity-based joint array calibration and ambiguity resolving method to enhance the robustness of FLMC-SAR imagery. For the FLMC-SAR system, the space–time characteristic of targets is first analyzed, based on which the observation model of FLMC-SAR Doppler ambiguity combined with array error is derived. Then, the Doppler ambiguity resolving and array error estimation are transformed into a sparse recovery problem. A modified quasi-Newton method is proposed to realize the array error estimation and Doppler ambiguity resolving of all targets in the local area. Finally, the results of the simulation and the real-data experiments verify that the proposed method can achieve FLMC-SAR Doppler ambiguity resolving and imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Global demand for chicken is increasing. Antibiotics are widely added to feed because of their ability to prevent zoonotic diseases and improve the growth performance of livestock. However, because of problems of food safety and environmental pollution caused by antibiotics, there is an increasing demand to develop and apply antibiotic alternatives in feed. Probiotics are one of the ideal alternatives to antibiotics. The Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is a common and healthy probiotic. Our previous studies have shown that Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TL016 has good probiotic effects in animals and also has the potential to be an alternative to in-feed antibiotic. In this study, different levels of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens were added to broiler diets to investigate the probiotic mechanism of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens on broilers. The results indicate that dietary TL106 improves the growth performance, immune response ability, and intestinal health of broilers and regulates the development and intestinal microbiota composition of broilers. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TL106 may be a suitable alternative to feeding antibiotics to improve the health and performance of broilers. A total of 240 1-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were randomly divided into five dietary treatments (control feed (CON), supplemented with 75 mg/kg aureomycin (ANT), supplemented with 7.5 × 108 CFU/kg (Ba1) and 2.5 × 109 CFU/kg (Ba1), and 7.5 × 109 CFU/kg (Ba3) Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TL106, respectively) to investigate the probiotic effect of TL106 instead of antibiotics in broilers. On days 1–21, the average daily gain of broilers in the Ba groups was increased compared with the CON group (p < 0.05). In addition, the feed/gain ratio of broilers in the Ba groups was lower than that of broilers in the CON and ANT groups on days 22–42 and days 1–42 (p < 0.05). Compared with the CON group, dietary TL106 increased the digestibility of crude fiber and crude protein (p < 0.05), and the effect was similar to that of the ANT group. The levels of IL-1β, IFN-γ, and IL-6 in serum, jejunum, and ileum of broilers fed TL106 were decreased compared with the control group (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression of tight junction proteins in broilers of ANT and Ba groups was higher than the control group (p < 0.05). After 21 days, villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth of duodenum and jejunum of broilers fed TL106 were higher than the control group (p < 0.05). The concentrations of short-chain fatty acids such as lactate, acetate, propionate, and butyrate in cecal digesta of broilers dietary TL106 were higher than the control group (p < 0.05). The supplementation with TL106 altered the compositions and diversity of the cecal microbiota of broilers. Moreover, supplementation with TL106 improved the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes and decreased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria on days 21 and 28, while the abundance of Peptostreptococcaceae, Ruminococcaceae and Lactobacillaceae was increased. On days 35 and 42, broilers fed TL106 had an increased total abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes and decreased abundances of Lactobacillaceae, while the abundance of Barnesiellaceae was increased. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with TL106 improved the broiler's growth performance, immune response capacity, gut health, modulated development, and composition of the gut microbiota in broilers. It is suggested that Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TL106 may be a suitable alternative to in-feed antibiotics to improve broiler health and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Randomized stepped‐frequency (RSF) radar has the potential of realizing joint high‐resolution range‐Doppler estimation. However, estimating multiple targets' two‐dimensional parameters at high efficiency based on RSF waveforms is still a difficult issue. In this study, a novel algorithm, which estimates multiple targets' velocities by using different frequencies pulses and then generates their high‐range‐resolution profiles (HRRPs), is proposed for RSF radar. In the velocities estimation, by setting a certain difference‐frequency parameter, a set of signals with constant range‐phase terms and changing velocity‐phase terms is constructed and then used to generate a new generalized Doppler spectrum called the difference‐frequency Doppler spectrum (DFDS). To suppress rising noise floors caused by sidelobes and cross‐terms in the DFDS, DFDSs corresponding to different difference‐frequency parameters are non‐coherently integrated to obtain a so‐called accumulated DFDS. From the accumulated DFDS, targets are detected and their velocities are estimated. In the HRRPs generation, a special dictionary matrix is structured by using the estimated velocities, and each target HRRP, without interference from other targets, is generated via the compressed sensing (CS) technique. The proposed algorithm avoids huge computation burden by separately performing Doppler and range process, and guarantees the performance in a multi‐target scenario via the noise floors suppression and CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method of direction of arrival (DOA) and direction of departure (DOD) angle estimation based on polynomial rooting for bistatic multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar with uniform circular array (UCA) configuration is proposed in this paper. The steering vector of the UCA is firstly transformed into a steering vector with a Vandermonde structure by using the Jacobi-Anger expansion. Then the null-spectrum function of the MIMO radar can be written as an expression in which the transmit and receive steering vectors are decoupled. Finally, a two-step polynomial rooting is used to estimate DOA and DOD of targets instead of two-dimensional multiple signal classification (MUSIC) search method for bistatic UCA MIMO radar. The angle estimation performance of the proposed method is similar to that of the MUSIC spectral search method, but the computation burden of the proposed polynomial rooting algorithm is much lower than that of the conventional MUSIC method. The simulation results of the proposed algorithm are presented and the performances are investigated and analyzed.

Sharing a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar, the single platform can achieve dual functions of radar and communication (DFRC) within the same frequency spectrum, via the same transmit waveforms. In this paper, a space-time coding scheme is developed for transmit beamforming of DFRC and embedding communication information, without their cross-interference. For transmit beampattern design of DFRC, the shape approximation and integrated power approximation criteria are adopted respectively for waveforms optimization with the constant-envelope constraints of transmit waveforms and the equivalent signal in the communication direction. Based on the space-time coding scheme, the direct constellation mapping (DCM) and phase-rotation constellation mapping (PRCM) methods are proposed to embed information symbols. It turns out that the proposed space-time coding scheme for information constellation mapping can prevent missing information symbols and have better performance in bit-error rate (BER), compared to the existing information-embedding techniques. Moreover, the scheme can reduce the dependence of the communication data rate on radar pulse repetition frequency (PRF). Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultrasensitive label-free bioelectrochemical method for rapid determination of thrombin has been developed by directly detecting the redox activity of adenine (A) nucleo-bases of anti-thrombin aptamer using a pyrolytic graphite electrode. The bioelectrochemical protocol involves a sandwich format. Thrombin, captured by immobilzed anti-thrombin antibody on microtiter plates, is detected by anti-thrombin aptamer-Au nanoparticle bio bar codes. A systematic optimization of the parameters has been carried out via ELAA (enzyme linked aptamer assay) performance. The adenine nucleobases were released by acid or nuclease from Au nanoparticles bound on microtiter plates. Differential pulse voltammetry was employed to investigate the electrochemical behaviors of the purine nucleobases. Well-defined adenine signal was observed at about 0.85 V in pH 5.9 acetate buffer. Because the nanoparticle carries a large number of aptamers per thrombin binding event, there is substantial amplification and thrombin can be detected at a very low level of detection (0.1 ng/mL). This method has been used to detect thrombin in complex matrix such as fetal calf serum with minimum background interference.

Randomized stepped-frequency (RSF) radar, which transmits pulses with random carrier frequencies in a coherent processing interval, has an excellent electronic counter-countermeasures performance and the ability to generate the high-range-resolution profiles (HRRPs) of target with a narrow bandwidth receiver. Due to the random nature, the choice of carrier frequencies in RSF radar is usually an undersampling of available frequencies, which make the HRRP generated by matched filtering suffer from high noise-like sidelobes. In this article, we take the sinc-envelopes formed by linear-frequency-modulation pulses as well as RSF phases into account, and propose a novel (or generalized) range sidelobe suppression filters design method for RSF chirp waveform based on convex optimization (the model is transformed into a second-order cone program). By using these filters, the target HRRP with much lower sidelobes can be obtained, and the performance can be traded with the instantaneous bandwidth of the receiver, which provides a new idea for solving the sidelobe problem in RSF radar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xylanase has been demonstrated to improve growth performance of broilers fed wheat- or corn-based diets due to its ability to degrade arabinoxylans (AX). However, content and structure of AX in corn and wheat are different, comparing effects of xylanase on cecal microbiota of broilers fed corn- or wheat-based diets could further elaborate the mechanism of the specificity of xylanase for different cereal grains. Thus, a total of 192 one-day-old broilers were randomly allotted into four dietary treatments, including wheat-soybean basal diet, wheat-soybean basal diet with 4,000U/kg xylanase, corn-soybean basal diet, and corn-soybean basal diet with 4,000U/kg xylanase to evaluate interactive effects of xylanase in corn- or wheat-based diets on broilers cecal microbiota during a 6-week production period. The results indicated that bacterial community clustering was mainly due to cereal grains rather than xylanase supplementation. Compared with broilers fed wheat-based diets, corn-based diets increased alpha-diversity and separated from wheat-based diets (p <0.05). Xylanase modulated the abundance of specific bacteria without changing overall microbial structure. In broilers fed wheat-based diets, xylanase increased the abundance of Lactobacillus , Bifidobacterium , and some butyrate-producing bacteria, and decreased the abundance of non-starch polysaccharides-degrading (NSP) bacteria, such as Ruminococcaceae and Bacteroidetes (p <0.05). In broilers fed corn-based diets, xylanase decreased the abundance of harmful bacteria (such as genus Faecalitalea and Escherichia-Shigella) and promoted the abundance of beneficial bacteria (such as Anaerofustis and Lachnospiraceae_UCG_010) in the cecum (p <0.05). Overall, xylanase supplementation to wheat- or corn-based diets improved broilers performance and cecal microbiota composition. Xylanase supplementation to wheat-based diets increased the abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria and decreased the abundance of NSP-degrading bacteria. Moreover, positive effects of xylanase on cecal microbiota of broilers fed corn-based diets were mostly related to the inhibition of potentially pathogenic bacteria, and xylanase supplementation to corn-based diets slightly affected the abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria and NSP-degrading bacterium, the difference might be related to lower content of AX in corn compared to wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forward-looking multichannel synthetic aperture radar (FLMC-SAR) is an important tool for modern remote sensing applications, which has the capability to reconstruct the high-resolution image of the front area. However, due to the azimuth-variant characteristics of the motion errors over a long aperture, FLMC-SAR data processing is usually a challenging task, especially when involving the motion compensation (MOCO) coupled with Doppler ambiguity resolving. To accomplish an accurate MOCO for FLMC-SAR, a novel parametric azimuth-variant MOCO approach is proposed in this article. Aiming at the coupling problem of MOCO and Doppler ambiguity resolving over the full aperture, we can decouple them through the subaperture division. As a full synthetic aperture is decomposed into several subapertures, the high-order motion errors of the full aperture can be decomposed into the first-order motion errors of the subaperture. On this basis, the mismatch of the space–time spectrum caused by the motion errors can be solved by spectral estimation, yielding Doppler ambiguity resolving for each subaperture. Meanwhile, the azimuth-variant characteristic of motion errors in FLMC-SAR system is characterized by a parametric angle-dependent quadratic phase error (QPE) model. The motion parameters are estimated by a joint multichannel angle estimation-based signal quadratic decomposition method. Immediately, the MOCO for ambiguous targets with different motion errors can be processed separately to improve the imaging performance. Experimental results based on both simulated and real data demonstrate that the proposed method is suitable for FLMC-SAR system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fragments generated from the blast-fragmentation warhead after blasting are typically multiple, fast, small, and dense. In light of the epipolar multitarget feature of blasting fragments, this paper utilizes the movement characteristics of blasting fragments for modeling. Then, the modeling results are adopted in probabilistic data association (PDA) algorithm of multitarget tracking. A novel epipolar multitarget velocity PDA (VPDA) algorithm is proposed based on the movement characteristics of blasting fragments. This algorithm forms the movement characteristics with the finite element simulation results of warhead blasting fragments, utilizes the Doppler velocity probability to reassign the association probability, and updates the state and covariance of each target through the probability weighted fusion. Simulation results demonstrate that, the computational complexity of the proposed algorithm is close to that of PDA algorithm, and the association success rate and the state value update error approximates to the association effects of joint probabilistic data association (JPDA) algorithm, which can effectively track the fragments with identical velocity while reducing the complexity of the epipolar multitarget tracking algorithm, and can respond to the group target tracking scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Randomized stepped-frequency (RSF) radar, which transmits random-frequency pulses in a coherent processing interval (CPI), has an excellent electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) performance and the ability to synthesize wide-frequency band with a narrow bandwidth receiver. However, due to the use of different frequency pulses, RSF waveform is incompatible with the conventional moving-target-detection (MTD) technique, which makes clutter suppression a difficult problem for RSF radar and limits its application. In this article, the effect of clutter on the coherent processing for RSF radar is first analyzed. The result shows that coherent processing can improve the signal-to-clutter ratio on target Doppler channel by $N$ (number of pulses in one CPI) times, which suppresses weak clutter scatterers to a large extent whilst strong clutter scatterers would still be left influential. Focusing on dominant clutter scatterers, the adaptive range-Doppler clutter suppression algorithm, which is based on designing clutter suppression filters with two-dimensional property to obtain the clear high-range-resolution profile of moving target in clutter environment, is then proposed for RSF radar. The proposed algorithm, which takes into account clutter Doppler extension, can be used for RSF radar coherent processing in clutter environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]