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Deep learning has recently been applied to automatically classify the modulation categories of received radio signals without manual experience. However, training deep learning models requires massive volume of data. An insufficient training data will cause serious overfitting problem and degrade the classification accuracy. To cope with small dataset, data augmentation has been widely used in image processing to expand the dataset and improve the robustness of deep learning models. However, in wireless communication areas, the effect of different data augmentation methods on radio modulation classification has not been studied yet. In this paper, we evaluate different data augmentation methods via a state-ofthe-art deep learning-based modulation classifier. Based on the characteristics of modulated signals, three augmentation methods are considered, i.e., rotation, flip, and Gaussian noise, which can be applied in both training phase and inference phase of the deep learning algorithm. Numerical results show that all three augmentation methods can improve the classification accuracy. Among which, the rotation augmentation method outperforms the flip method, both of which achieve higher classification accuracy than the Gaussian noise method. Given only 12.5% of training dataset, a joint rotation and flip augmentation policy can achieve even higher classification accuracy than the baseline with initial 100% training dataset without augmentation. Furthermore, with data augmentation, radio modulation categories can be successfully classified using shorter radio samples, leading to a simplified deep learning model and shorter the classification response time.

Although it has long been recognized that water deficit in plants reduces photosystem (PS) II mRNAs and proteins, the detailed mechanisms behind this have not been thoroughly elucidated. In the present study, effects of water stress in barley leaves on degradation of major PSII mRNA and dissociation and migration of PSII proteins were investigated. The results indicated that (1) the steady‐state levels of major PSII mRNAs and proteins declined with increasing water stress, as a consequence of increased degradation; under severe water stress, the half‐lives of D1 and D2 proteins decreased from 12–14 h to 7–8 h and the half‐lives of psbA and psbD mRNA decreased from above 16 to 6–10 h; (2) monomerization of PSII were increased during water stress. Severe water stress accelerated turnover of PSII and inhibited PSII activities.

The effects of osmotic dehydration on the photochemical activity, gene transcription, and protein content of photosystem 2 (PS 2) in leaves of two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars Miannnong No. 4 and No. 5 were studied. Roots of both cultivars were submerged into polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions with an osmotic potential of -0.5 MPa for 0, 24, 48, and 72 h. Relative water content (RWC) decreased markedly after 48 and 72 h. Simultaneously, marked increase in electrolyte leakage, decrease in contents of chlorophylls (Chl) a and b, and inhibition in PS 2 activity were observed. Northern hybridization indicated that progressive water stress remarkably reduced contents of the chloroplast gene psbA and psbD and nuclear gene cab transcripts. Urea-SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analysis showed that the contents of major PS 2 proteins, including the D1 and D2 proteins in the PS 2 reaction centre (RC) and the light-harvesting Chl a/b-protein complex (LHC 2) in periphery, declined with increasing water stress. Miannong No. 5 had less destroyed plasma membranes and higher RWC, Chl contents, and PS 2 activity during water stress than Miannong No. 4, which suggested its better drought resistance. The significant difference in steady state contents of LHC 2 proteins of two cultivars can be mainly attributed to the marked difference in transcript level of cab gene, which indicated that LHC 2 proteins protect PS 2 RC.Additional key words: chlorophylls a and b, DCIP reduction, D1 and D2 proteins, electrolyte leakage of cell membrane, gene expression, LHC 2, Northern blot, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Triticum aestivum, Western blot.

Ionospheric responses to sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) are not well understood, particularly in the midlatitudes and under high solar conditions. During the 2013 SSW, ionospheric disturbances were observed in eight locations on the meridional chain from 30.5°N to 42.8°N in northern China. The midlatitude ionosphere responded strongly to the SSW despite being under high solar flux. The F2 layer maximum electric density increased by more than 80%, and the peak height was elevated more than 60 km. Well‐set and organized semidiurnal variations were recorded in early and middle January during the SSW in eight observation locations. The expected foF2 decrease in the afternoon hours was not clearly discernible; however, nighttime enhancements occurred frequently. The time‐period spectra of the average foF2 and zonal winds and meridional winds at altitudes of 86–95 km presented quasi‐16 day planetary wave‐like oscillations during the warming event. The coupling between the atmosphere and ionosphere may be strengthened by the quasi‐16 day waves. The amplified diurnal, semidiurnal, and terdiurnal tides in foF2 were also recorded during the warming, in good agreement with earlier observations. Importantly, the variations in the semidiurnal tides included a 16 day periodic component, indicating that the modulated semidiurnal tides may transmit these 16 day planetary wave‐like oscillations to the F region through wind dynamo. Although the PW‐tide interaction theory is not novel, it is of significance in the midlatitude ionospheric response to SSW.

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The alternative pathway is a cyanide-resistant and non-phosphorylatory electron transport pathway in mitochondria of higher plants. Alternative oxidase (AOX) is the terminal oxidase of this pathway. Our present study investigated the effect of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) on alternative pathway in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings under low temperature stress. Results showed that during the process of low temperature stress, the alternative pathway capacity was enhanced as AOX expression increased in SA pretreated seedlings. Compared with seedlings without SA pretreatment, slower decrease of relative water content and lower levels of electrolyte leakage, H 2 O 2 and malonyldialdehyde content were detected in SA pretreated seedlings. These results indicated that SA could alleviate the injury caused by low temperature on cucumber seedlings. Since the special protective functions of alternative pathway and AOX in plants, we suggested that the alternative pathway was related to SA-mediated plant resistance to environmental stresses such as low temperature.

The solar eclipse effects on the ionosphere are very complex. Except for the ionization decay due to the decrease of the photochemical process, the couplings of matter and energy between the ionosphere and the regions above and below will introduce much more disturbances. Five ionosondes in the Northeast Asia were used to record the midlatitude ionospheric responses to the solar eclipse of 20 May 2012. The latitude dependence of the eclipse lag was studied first. The f o F 2 response to the eclipse became slower with increased latitude. The response of the ionosphere at the different latitudes with the same eclipse obscuration differed from each other greatly. The plasma flux from the protonsphere was possibly produced by the rapid temperature drop in the lunar shadow to make up the ionization loss. The greater downward plasma flux was generated at higher latitude with larger dip angle and delayed the ionospheric response later. The waves in the f o E s and the plasma frequency at the fixed height in the F layer are studied by the time period analytic method. The gravity waves of 43-51 min center period during and after the solar eclipse were found over Jeju and I-Cheon. The northward group velocity component of the gravity waves was estimated as~108.7 m/s. The vertical group velocities between 100 and 150 km height over the two stations were calculated as~5 and~4.3 m/s upward respectively, indicating that the eclipse-induced gravity waves propagated from below the ionosphere.