f(T) cosmology against the cosmographic method: A new study using mock and observational data

In this paper, we study the power-law $f(T)$ model using Hubble diagrams of type Ia supernovae (SNIa), quasars (QSOs), Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) and the measurements from baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) in the framework of the cosmographic method. Using mock data for SNIa, QSOs and GRBs generated based on the power-law $f(T)$ model, we show whether different cosmographic methods are suitable to reconstruct the distance modulus or not. In particular, we investigate the rational PADE polynomials $(3,2)$ and $(2,2)$ in addition to the fourth- and fifth- order Taylor series. We show that PADE $(3,2)$ is the best approximation that can be used in the cosmographic method to reconstruct the distance modulus at both low and high redshifts. In the context of PADE $(3,2)$ cosmographic method, we show that the power-law $f(T)$ model is well consistent with the real observational data from the Hubble diagrams of SNIa, QSOs and GRBs. Moreover, we find that the combination of the Hubble diagram of SNIa and the BAO observation leads to better consistency between the model-independent cosmographic method and the power-law $f(T)$ model. Finally, our observational constraints on the parameter of the effective equation of state of DE, described by the power-law $f(T)$ model, show the phantom-like behavior, especially when the BAO observations are included in our analysis.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, 6 table

Environmental and energy performances optimization of a neighborhood in Tehran, via IMM® methodology.

Due to the fact that urbanization, as a dominating global development process, has been reached a dramatic measure, series of questions have been arisen about its environmental impacts. The urbanization soaring rate, which its impetus has been provided by unprecedented population growth, has had serious of direct consequences such as inconceivable and unbalanced consumption of natural resources and global warming rate acceleration. In such a dramatic circumstances how urban planning and governance could contribute to climate mitigation and emissions reduction? How urban vulnerability and urban resilience should be managed? Again, how urban transformation should be propelled in order to address these challenges. To demonstrate that sustainability and environmental efficiency is an urban issue this paper shows the application of IMM® (Integrated Modification Methodology) on Shahrak-e Golestan, a newly settled neighborhood located in District 22 of Tehran. Forming this neighborhood for accommodating a part of city’s growing population is a well representative of the common developing manners in Tehran, therefore the transformed model resulted from the study could be considered as a model for further developments of the other districts

Data mining MR image features of select structures for lateralization of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

PURPOSE: This study systematically investigates the predictive power of volumetric imaging feature sets extracted from select neuroanatomical sites in lateralizing the epileptogenic focus in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) patients. METHODS: A cohort of 68 unilateral mTLE patients who had achieved an Engel class I outcome postsurgically was studied retrospectively. The volumes of multiple brain structures were extracted from preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) images in each. The MR image data set consisted of 54 patients with imaging evidence for hippocampal sclerosis (HS-P) and 14 patients without (HS-N). Data mining techniques (i.e., feature extraction, feature selection, machine learning classifiers) were applied to provide measures of the relative contributions of structures and their correlations with one another. After removing redundant correlated structures, a minimum set of structures was determined as a marker for mTLE lateralization. RESULTS: Using a logistic regression classifier, the volumes of both hippocampus and amygdala showed correct lateralization rates of 94.1%. This reflected about 11.7% improvement in accuracy relative to using hippocampal volume alone. The addition of thalamic volume increased the lateralization rate to 98.5%. This ternary-structural marker provided a 100% and 92.9% mTLE lateralization accuracy, respectively, for the HS-P and HS-N groups. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed tristructural MR imaging biomarker provides greater lateralization accuracy relative to single- and double-structural biomarkers and thus, may play a more effective role in the surgical decision-making process. Also, lateralization of the patients with insignificant atrophy of hippocampus by the proposed method supports the notion of associated structural changes involving the amygdala and thalamus

Vent-proximal sub-seafloor replacement clastic-carbonate hosted SEDEX-type mineralization in the Mehdiabad world-class Zn-Pb-Ba-(Cu-Ag) deposit, southern Yazd Basin, Iran

© 2019. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/The Mehdiabad Zn-Pb-Ba (Cu-Ag) deposit in the southern Yazd Basin, central Iran, is the largest sediment-hosted Zn-Pb deposit in Iran. This deposit is hosted by organic carbon matter-rich shale, fine-grained black siltstone, and dolomite interlayered with sandstone of the Taft Formation. Sedimentological and geochemical studies of the Taft Formation have shown that these organic carbon matter-rich shales formed during a period of basin deepening and under anoxic conditions. Based on the orebody structure, mineralogy, and ore fabrics, we recognize five different ore facies types in the Mehdiabad deposit: (1) a stockwork/feeder zone, consisting of a discordant sulfide mineralization, forming a stockwork of sulfide-bearing dolomite veins, cutting the sedimentary rocks of the footwall; (2) massive-replacement ore, including pervasive replacement carbonate by pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite with minor barite; (3) a bedded ore, with laminated to disseminated pyrite, sphalerite, and galena; (4) barite ore, which contains accessory sulfide minerals and rare calcite at the top of the deposit, and (5) a distal facies, with minor disseminated and laminated pyrite, banded cherts, and disseminated barite. Two stages of base metal sulfide replacement have separate origins. Fine-grained sulfide bands (stage I), intricately interlayered with organic carbon-rich beds and thin turbidite beds, exhibit lamina and bedding textures, supporting a syn-sedimentary (onto the sea floor) origin. Coarse-grained base metal sulfides (stage II), occurring within breccias and veins to veinlets are considered to have formed by replacement during post sedimentation sub-seafloor fluid flow. d34S values of pyrite, sphalerite chalcopyrite and galena range from -22 to +4.6.8‰. The highest d34S values correspond to the feeder zone (+4.6 and -10.5‰), whereas massive-replacement (+3.7 to -13.7‰) and bedded (-22 to -17‰) ore facies display depleted compositions. The overall range of d34S values is remarkably higher than typical magmatic values, suggesting that sulfides formed from the reduction of seawater sulfate by bacteriogenic sulfate reduction in a closed or semi-closed system in the bedded ore, whereas thermochemical sulfate reduction likely played an important role in the feeder zone. The formation of the Mehdiabad deposit follows the evolution of the sedimentary basin. Abrupt lateral changes in facies and thickness, along with the existence of synsedimentary breccias and debris flows within the ore sequence, suggest the proximity to synsedimentary faults and tectonic activity contemporaneous with the sedimentation in the Lower Cretaceous, favorable for the formation of the ore deposit. The deposit formed from a combination of hydrothermal and syn-sedimentary processes. Sulfur isotopes, together with sedimentological, textural, mineralogical, and geochemical evidences, suggest that this deposit should be classified as a vent-proximal sub-seafloor replacement SEDEX ore deposit.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Hydrogel Elasticity and Microarchitecture Regulate Dental-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells -Host Immune System Cross-Talk

The host immune system (T-lymphocytes and their pro-inflammatory cytokines) has been shown to compromise bone regeneration ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). We have recently shown that hydrogel, used as an encapsulating biomaterial affects the cross-talk among host immune cells and MSCs. However, the role of hydrogel elasticity and porosity in regulation of cross-talk between dental-derived MSCs and immune cells is unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that the modulus of elasticity and porosity of the scaffold influence T-lymphocyte-dental MSC interplay by regulating the penetration of inflammatory T cells and their cytokines. Moreover, we demonstrated that alginate hydrogels with different elasticity and microporous structure can regulate the viability and determine the fate of the encapsulated MSCs through modulation of NF-kB pathway. Our in vivo data show that alginate hydrogels with smaller pores and higher elasticity could prevent pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced MSC apoptosis by down-regulating the Caspase-3- and 8-associated proapoptotic cascades, leading to higher amounts of ectopic bone regeneration. Additionally, dental-derived MSCs encapsulated in hydrogel with higher elasticity exhibited lower expression levels of NF-kB p65 and Cox-2 in vivo. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the mechanical characteristics and microarchitecture of the microenvironment encapsulating MSCs, in addition to presence of T-lymphocytes and their pro-inflammatory cytokines, affect the fate of encapsulated dental-derived MSCs

The Effect of Cosmological Background Dynamics on the Spherical Collapse in MOND

The effect of background dynamics of the universe on formation of large scale structures in the framework of Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) is investigated. A spherical collapse model is used for modeling the formation of the structures. This study is done in two extreme cases: ({\it i}) assuming a universe with a low-density baryonic matter without any cold dark matter and dark energy; ({\it ii}) a dark energy dominated universe with baryonic matter, without cold dark matter. We show that for the case ({\it ii}) the structures virialize at lower redshifts with larger radii compared to the low-density background universe. The dark energy slow downs the collapse of the structures. We show that our results are compatible with recent simulations of the structure formation in MOND.Comment: 16 pages, 4 Figures, accepted by New Astronom