Study of Power Consumption in a Cooperative Wireless Network

A cooperative wireless network is defined to be a network where nodes cooperate in routing and/or improving the quality of transmission of each other’s packets [1]-[5]. The cooperation is especially useful when the channel between a pair of nodes (source and destination) is in a deep shadow-fading state. In this situation increasing the power level may either not resolve the problem or be too power consuming, while generating interference for other receivers on the same channel. A cooperating node, which has good propagation channels to both the source and the destination, may be used to relay the packets between them. This paper presents the comparison of the average amounts of power consumed by nodes in a standard wireless network that uses single-hop transmission and a cooperative wireless network that uses two-hop transmission. It is shown that under certain conditions the ratio of the average power consumptions in the two networks, when N cooperating nodes on average are available for each node, can be approximated by k ln N + q . The constants k and q are related to the propagation channel. For a Nakagami fading channel with parameter m, k =1/ lnm and q=1, while for a shadowing channel with standard deviation σ dB, k =σdB/ √ π and q = 0.23σdB dB

AKT/GSK3 signaling pathway and schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a prevalent complex trait disorder manifested by severe neurocognitive dysfunctions and lifelong disability. During the past few years several studies have provided direct evidence for the involvement of different signaling pathways in schizophrenia. In this review, we mainly focus on AKT/GSK3 signaling pathway in schizophrenia. The original study on the involvement of this pathway in schizophrenia was published by Emamian et al. in 2004. This study reported convergent evidence for a decrease in AKT1 protein levels and levels of phosphorylation of GSK-3β in the peripheral lymphocytes and brains of individuals with schizophrenia; a significant association between schizophrenia and an AKT1 haplotype; and a greater sensitivity to the sensorimotor gating-disruptive effect of amphetamine, conferred by AKT1 deficiency. It also showed that haloperidol can induce a stepwise increase in regulatory phosphorylation of AKT1 in the brains of treated mice that could compensate for the impaired function of this signaling pathway in schizophrenia. Following this study, several independent studies were published that not only confirmed the association of this signaling pathway with schizophrenia across different populations, but also shed light on the mechanisms by which AKT/GSK3 pathway may contribute to the development of this complex disorder. In this review, following an introduction on the role of AKT in human diseases and its functions in neuronal and non-neuronal cells, a review on the results of studies published on AKT/GSK3 signaling pathway in schizophrenia after the original 2004 paper will be provided. A brief review on other signaling pathways involved in schizophrenia and the possible connections with AKT/GSK3 signaling pathway will be discussed. Moreover, some possible molecular mechanisms acting through this pathway will be discussed besides the mechanisms by which they may contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Finally, different transcription factors related to schizophrenia will be reviewed to see how hypo-activity of AKT signaling pathway may impact such transcriptional mechanisms

The potential of additive manufacturing in the smart factory industrial 4.0: A review

Additive manufacturing (AM) or three-dimensional (3D) printing has introduced a novel production method in design, manufacturing, and distribution to end-users. This technology has provided great freedom in design for creating complex components, highly customizable products, and efficient waste minimization. The last industrial revolution, namely industry 4.0, employs the integration of smart manufacturing systems and developed information technologies. Accordingly, AM plays a principal role in industry 4.0 thanks to numerous benefits, such as time and material saving, rapid prototyping, high efficiency, and decentralized production methods. This review paper is to organize a comprehensive study on AM technology and present the latest achievements and industrial applications. Besides that, this paper investigates the sustainability dimensions of the AM process and the added values in economic, social, and environment sections. Finally, the paper concludes by pointing out the future trend of AM in technology, applications, and materials aspects that have the potential to come up with new ideas for the future of AM explorations

Membrane and Bioseparation

Although one of the strongest methods of purification is chromatography, the major problem of porous bed chromatography is that purification takes place using the diffusion. This will prolong the purification process and bring down the efficiency. In recent years, membrane methods have greatly overcome this limitation due to low membrane thickness, low pressure drop, and convective flow, and they are a great alternative to chromatography columns. Unfortunately, the membranes have a low surface area. For solving such problem, membrane modification with polymeric brushes and layer-by-layer adsorption in polyelectrolyte films can be attractive. Accordingly, in this chapter we introduce types of biomolecule purification methods, the best purification method, membrane modification techniques, and their limitations and assets. Also, we introduce the membrane as an attractive tool for selective purification and separation of biomolecules

Methodology of the Commentary Makhzan Al-‘Irfān by Lady Amin (Regarding the Interpretation of the Verses Related to “Women” in the Qur'an)

This descriptive-analytical research is devoted to the review of the methodology and interpretive approach of Lady Nusrat Begum Amin in her commentary of Makhzan al-‘Irfān. The results show that Lady Amin, considering various narrations that confirm and encourage the use of the Qur’an in interpretation, has widely used the interpretive method of Qur'an by Qur'an. Narrations, as the second source of interpreting the Qur'an, have played a significant role in this commentary as well. In addition, the use of the source of reason (aql) and rational arguments is also often seen in the interpretation of verses to the extent that sometimes the commentator prefers the rule of reason to the appearance (zāhir) of the verse and commentators’ opinions. In this commentary, sufficient attention has been paid to the role of Arabic literature for interpreting the Qur'an, since in its different places, morphological and syntactic issues have been used extensively and the interpreter sometimes mentions the use of rhetorical methods in the verses. There are also many philosophical issues in this book, which itself proves the author's profound philosophical knowledge. The commentator has also tried to discover the esoteric meanings of the verses of the Qur'an, noting that in discovering the esoteric meanings, she has paid attention to the appearance of the verses and has taken very cautious steps in this field. In this commentary, theological and doctrinal issues are also discussed in detail along with some verses. Theological discussions are in some cases with an independent title and in some cases in the form of questions and answers. In her commentary, Lady Amin has dealt with jurisprudential issues very little and only for a brief explanation of the verses. Considering the prominent role of different interpretive methods and approaches, her interpretation can be considered as a comprehensive one. In interpreting the verses related to women in the Qur'an, Lady Amin has emphasized paying attention to the types of inherent and non-intrinsic differences between men and women. He stressed the need to pay attention to these differences in providing a correct interpretation of verses related to women

Iran and the European Energy Union: Prospects, Developments, and Challenges for a New Natural Gas Partner in the European Energy Market

This thesis explores European energy policy with respect to Iran in the context of the European Energy Union and the European Commission’s mission to diversify and secure the EU’s supply of natural gas. The potential for Iran, a gas-rich nation and former EU fuel supplier, to accelerate the EU’s coordination of its institutions, Member States, and private stakeholders offers a litmus test for the Commission’s progress on the European Energy Union. The Commission’s ability to drive energy policy management and coordination remains a challenge, as the near-term interests of Member States and private stakeholders often diverge from the European Commission’s strategic energy objectives. Furthermore, the difficulties with coordination of a European energy strategy across Member States and need for increased investments in infrastructure are predicted to result in Iranian natural gas remaining a small part of the EU’s energy mix in the short to medium-term.Master of Art

In-Situ TiC-Fe Deposition on Mild Steel Using a Laser Cladding Process

The growing interest in increasing the wear resistance and hardness of surfaces that are in contact with abrasives or corrosive materials has inspired the development of several processes for creating protective coatings. In-situ laser cladding is one of the most promising of these processes. It enables the formation of a uniform coating by melting powder to form the desired composition from a pure powder component. In this research, pure Ti, graphite, and Fe are used for in-situ laser cladding on a steel substrate to form an Fe-TiC metal matrix composite (MMC). The effect of laser parameters on both the quality of the bonding and morphology of the in-situ-formed TiC iron-based composite clad are investigated. Results show that laser parameters play a crucial role in determining the clad quality and clad microstructure. Two combined parameters, effective energy and powder deposition density, are used to study the effect of laser parameters (i.e., laser power, scan speed and powder feed rate) on the clad properties. While results indicate that combined parameters help to determine the quality limit, laser process parameters need to be taken into account in order to study the clad microstructure. To increase the clad hardness and TiC volume fraction, C:Ti atomic ratio should increase from 45:55 to 55:45, and Fe percentages in the powder composition should decrease from 70 wt% to the 10 wt%. By varying the powder composition, a change in TiC morphology, clad microstructure and clad hardness occurs. The dilution effect is also considered in the interpretation of results. In order to estimate wear resistance, the ASTM G65-A procedure was selected to perform tests on various clad compositions. An increased wear resistance is seen when the volume fraction of TiC is increased