Functional scale-free networks in the two-dimensional Abelian sandpile model

Recently, the similarity of the functional network of the brain and the Ising model was investigated by Chialvo [Nat. Phys. 6, 744 (2010)]. This similarity supports the idea that the brain is a self-organized critical system. In this study we derive a functional network of the two-dimensional Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld sandpile model as a self-organized critical model, and compare its characteristics with those of the functional network of the brain, obtained from functional magnetic resonance imaging.Fil: Zarepour Nasir Abadi, Mahdi. Institute For Advanced Studies In Basic Sciences; Irán. CONICET, Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola, Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Niry, M. D.. Institute For Advanced Studies In Basic Sciences; IránFil: Valizadeh, A.. Institute For Advanced Studies In Basic Sciences; Irá

Functionalization of Magnetic Nanoparticles by Folate as Potential MRI Contrast Agent for Breast Cancer Diagnostics

In recent years, the intrinsic magnetic properties of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have made them one of the most promising candidates for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aims to evaluate the effect of different coating agents (with and without targeting agents) on the magnetic property of MNPs. In detail, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were prepared by the polyol method. The nanoparticles were then divided into two groups, one of which was coated with silica (SiO2) and hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG) (SPION@SiO2@HPG); the other was covered by HPG alone (SPION@HPG). In the following section, folic acid (FA), as a targeting agent, was attached on the surface of nanoparticles. Physicochemical properties of nanostructures were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). TEM results showed that SPION@HPG was monodispersed with the average size of about 20 nm, while SPION@SiO2@HPG had a size of about 25 nm. Moreover, HPG coated nanoparticles had much lower magnetic saturation than the silica coated ones. The MR signal intensity of the nanostructures showed a relation between increasing the nanoparticle concentrations inside the MCF-7 cells and decreasing the signal related to the T2 relaxation time. The comparison of coating showed that SPION@SiO2@HPG (with/without a targeting agent) had significantly higher r2 value in comparison to Fe3O4@HPG. Based on the results of this study, the Fe3O4@SiO2@HPG-FA nanoparticles have shown the best magnetic properties, and can be considered promising contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging applications. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel

Identification and Clinical Implications of a Novel MYO15A Variant in a Consanguineous Iranian Family by Targeted Exome Sequencing

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hereditary hearing loss (HL) is known by a very high genetic heterogeneity, which makes a molecular diagnosis problematic. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a new strategy that can overcome this problem. METHOD: A comprehensive family history was obtained, and clinical evaluations and pedigree analysis were performed in the family with 3 affected members. After excluding mutations in the GJB2 and 7 other most common autosomal recessive nonsyndromic HL genes via Sanger sequencing and genetic linkage analysis in the family, we applied the Otogenetics deafness NGS panel in the proband of this family. RESULTS: NGS results showed a novel rare variant (c.7720C>T) in the MYO15A gene. This nonsense variant in the exon 40 of the MYO15A gene fulfills the criteria of being categorized as pathogenic according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guideline. CONCLUSIONS: New DNA sequencing technologies could lead to identification of the disease causing variants in highly heterogeneous disorders such as HL

Design and Construction of Curcumin – Loaded Targeted Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Cancer Treatment

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Considering the increasing number of patients with cancer and the relative ineffectiveness of existing treatments, finding a modern technique for cancer treatment has been one of the major topics of research in recent decades. The present study aims to load curcumin anticancer drug on targeted iron oxide nanoparticles. METHODS: In this laboratory research, iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using polyol method. Then, they were coated with polyglycerol as a polymeric coating through ring – opening polymerization method. Folic acid (with three weight ratios of 2, 25 and 50%) was used to target the system constructed for specific penetration into the cancer cells. The experiments of loading the drug were performed with three weight ratios of 0.5, 1 and 2 µg nanoparticles on coated and targeted nanoparticles. Then, drug release rate was measured under in vitro conditions. Finally, MTT Assay was used to analyze cell toxicity of the loaded drug. FINDINGS: Results indicated successful construction of 20 nm nanoparticles. The maximum rate of drug loading into the system was about 88 and 82% for non-targeted nanoparticles and targeted nanoparticles, respectively, while increased targeting had adverse effects on drug loading. Moreover, the loaded drug had a more successful therapeutic effect compared with the free drug. CONCLUSION: Results of the study demonstrated that the constructed nanoparticles have the necessary efficiency to act as a system for transferring anticancer drug

Characterising Power Saving for Device-to-Device Browser Cache Cooperation

Internet browsing over {cellular networks} is a major source of power consumption in mobile devices. A device could potentially reduce its browsing power consumption by downloading a page from the browser cache of a proximate device over the short-range low-power {non-cellular} device-to-device (D2D) wireless link, {such as Bluetooth}. Using an Android-based cooperative browser prototype, this paper experimentally characterizes the power saving opportunity of such D2D cache cooperation. In particular, we model the impact of {cellular network} power management protocol and the dynamic components of web pages on the power saving of D2D cooperation. We find that the power saving is limited (upper bounded) by the power management parameter values of {cellular} networks, which could vary significantly from operator to operator. Based on previously reported {cellular} power management data and the data obtained from our own experiments, the upper bound can vary from as low as 15\% to 51\%. Our model also shows that the existence of dynamic components in the web page decreases the power saving further proportional to the amount of dynamic components. We validate the model with power measurement data from smartphones using real {cellular} networks for Internet access and Bluetooth connectivity for D2D cache access. By downloading most popular web pages and studying the distribution of their dynamic components, we find that the expected amount of dynamic component in a popular page is rather small, allowing D2D cooperation to achieve {device} power saving close to (95 percent of) its upper bound

Role of D1- and D2-like dopaminergic receptors in the nucleus accumbens in modulation of formalin-induced orofacial pain: Involvement of lateral hypothalamus

The role of dopaminergic system in modulation of formalin-induced orofacial nociception has been established. The present study aims to investigate the role of dopaminergic receptors in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in modulation of nociceptive responses induced by formalin injection in the orofacial region. One hundred and six male Wistar rats were unilaterally implanted with two cannulae into the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and NAc. Intra-LH microinjection of carbachol, a cholinergic receptor agonist, was done 5 min after intra-accumbal administration of different doses of SCH23390 (D1-like receptor antagonist) or sulpiride (D2-like receptor antagonist). After 5 min, 50 μl of 1 formalin was subcutaneously injected into the upper lip for inducing the orofacial pain. Carbachol alone dose-dependently reduced both phases of the formalin-induced orofacial pain. Intra-accumbal administration of SCH23390 (0.25, 1 and 4 μg/0.5 μl saline) or sulpiride (0.25, 1 and 4 μg/0.5 μl DMSO) before LH stimulation by carbachol (250 nM/0.5 μl saline) antagonized the antinociceptive responses during both phases of orofacial formalin test. The effects of D1- and D2-like receptor antagonism on the LH stimulation-induced antinociception were almost similar during the early phase. However, compared to D1-like receptor antagonism, D2-like receptor antagonism was a little more effective but not significant, at blocking the LH stimulation-induced antinociception during the late phase of formalin test. The findings revealed that there is a direct or indirect neural pathway from the LH to the NAc which is at least partially contributed to the modulation of formalin-induced orofacial nociception through recruitment of both dopaminergic receptors in this region. © 2018 Elsevier Inc

Pervasive Computing and Communications (PerCom), 2015 IEEE International Conference on

Mobile device users use applications that require text input. Today there are three primary text input modalities, soft keyboard (SK), speech to text (STT) and Swype. Each of these input modalities have different energy demands, and as a result, their use will have a significant impact on the battery life of the mobile device. Using high-precision power measurement hardware and systematically taking into account the user context, we characterize and compare the energy consumption of these three text input modalities. We show that the length of interaction determines the most energy efficient modality. If the interactions is short, on average less than 30 characters, using the device SK is the most energy efficient. For longer interactions, the use of a STT applications is more energy efficient. Swype is more energy efficient than STT for very short interactions, less than 5 characters on average, but is never as efficient as SK. This is primarily due to STT enabling the users to complete tasks more quickly than when using SK or Swype. We also show that these results are independent of “user style”, the experience of using different input modalities and device characteristics. Finally we show that STT energy efficiency is dependent on application logic of whether speech samples are for a given period of time before transmitting to a server for analysis as opposed to streaming the speech to a sever for analysis. Based on these observations we recommend that the users should use SK for short interactions of less than 30 characters, and STT for longer interactions. In addition, they should use STT applications which uses storing and transmit logic, if they are willing to trade off battery life to QoE. Finally we proposed the development of an adaptive storing and analyze STT to improve the energy efficiency of it

Role of D1- and D2-like dopaminergic receptors in the nucleus accumbens in modulation of formalin-induced orofacial pain: Involvement of lateral hypothalamus

The role of dopaminergic system in modulation of formalin-induced orofacial nociception has been established. The present study aims to investigate the role of dopaminergic receptors in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in modulation of nociceptive responses induced by formalin injection in the orofacial region. One hundred and six male Wistar rats were unilaterally implanted with two cannulae into the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and NAc. Intra-LH microinjection of carbachol, a cholinergic receptor agonist, was done 5 min after intra-accumbal administration of different doses of SCH23390 (D1-like receptor antagonist) or sulpiride (D2-like receptor antagonist). After 5 min, 50 μl of 1 formalin was subcutaneously injected into the upper lip for inducing the orofacial pain. Carbachol alone dose-dependently reduced both phases of the formalin-induced orofacial pain. Intra-accumbal administration of SCH23390 (0.25, 1 and 4 μg/0.5 μl saline) or sulpiride (0.25, 1 and 4 μg/0.5 μl DMSO) before LH stimulation by carbachol (250 nM/0.5 μl saline) antagonized the antinociceptive responses during both phases of orofacial formalin test. The effects of D1- and D2-like receptor antagonism on the LH stimulation-induced antinociception were almost similar during the early phase. However, compared to D1-like receptor antagonism, D2-like receptor antagonism was a little more effective but not significant, at blocking the LH stimulation-induced antinociception during the late phase of formalin test. The findings revealed that there is a direct or indirect neural pathway from the LH to the NAc which is at least partially contributed to the modulation of formalin-induced orofacial nociception through recruitment of both dopaminergic receptors in this region. © 2018 Elsevier Inc

Power Optimization in Nano Sensor Networks for Chemical Reactors

ABSTRACT Chemical reactors are designed to efficiently produce highvalue chemical products but at the same time they also produce low-value by-products. The selectivity of a chemical process refers to the proportion of high-value product produced. A nano sensor network (NSN) monitoring the chemical process at the molecule level could help improving the selectivity by preventing the reactions that lead to low value by-products. Therefore, a central requirement to achieve high selectivity by NSN is reliable communication. A challenge to realising reliable communication within a chemical reactor is its time-varying chemical composition, which in turn creates a time-varying radio channel and noise. The sensor nodes therefore need to adjust their transmission power according to the chemical composition while maintaining a low overall power budget. We show that this problem can be modelled as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). However, the MDP solution requires the sensors to know the composition of the reactor at each time instance, which is prohibitive. We therefore derive off-line time-based policies that these sensors can use. We illustrate our work by using an important chemical process for fuel production and demonstrate the performance of our proposed off-line policies against the optimal MDP policy

Type, Talk, or Swype: Characterizing and comparing energy consumption of mobile input modalities

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. It is reported that mobile users spend most of their time on texting SMS, Social Networking, Emailing, or sending instant messaging (IM), all of which involve text input. There are three primary text input modalities, soft keyboard (SK), speech to text (STT) and Swype. Each one of them engages a different set of hardware and consequently consumes different amounts of battery energy. Using high-precision power measurement hardware and systematically taking into account the user context, we characterize and compare the energy consumption of these three input modalities. We find that the length of interaction, or the message length, determines the most energy efficient modality. For short interactions, less than 14-30 characters, SK is the most energy efficient. For longer interactions, however, STT significantly outperforms both SK and Swype. When message length distributions of popular text activities are considered, STT provides near optimal energy consumption without requiring the user to predict the message length and decide between SK and STT. In terms of battery life, the choice of input modality makes significant differences. If users always choose SK for all their text activities, they will consume nearly 50% of the phone battery each day. Choosing STT over SK can save 30%-40% of the battery depending on the choice of STT software