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Sample records for thalamic relay neurons

Model-based iterative learning control of Parkinsonian state in thalamic relay neuron

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Liu, Chen; Wang, Jiang; Li, Huiyan; Xue, Zhiqin; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xile

2014-09-01

Although the beneficial effects of chronic deep brain stimulation on Parkinson's disease motor symptoms are now largely confirmed, the underlying mechanisms behind deep brain stimulation remain unclear and under debate. Hence, the selection of stimulation parameters is full of challenges. Additionally, due to the complexity of neural system, together with omnipresent noises, the accurate model of thalamic relay neuron is unknown. Thus, the iterative learning control of the thalamic relay neuron's Parkinsonian state based on various variables is presented. Combining the iterative learning control with typical proportional-integral control algorithm, a novel and efficient control strategy is proposed, which does not require any particular knowledge on the detailed physiological characteristics of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loop and can automatically adjust the stimulation parameters. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed control strategy to restore the fidelity of thalamic relay in the Parkinsonian condition. Furthermore, through changing the important parameter—the maximum ionic conductance densities of low-threshold calcium current, the dominant characteristic of the proposed method which is independent of the accurate model can be further verified.
Generation of thalamic neurons from mouse embryonic stem cells.

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Shiraishi, Atsushi; Muguruma, Keiko; Sasai, Yoshiki

2017-04-01

The thalamus is a diencephalic structure that plays crucial roles in relaying and modulating sensory and motor information to the neocortex. The thalamus develops in the dorsal part of the neural tube at the level of the caudal forebrain. However, the molecular mechanisms that are essential for thalamic differentiation are still unknown. Here, we have succeeded in generating thalamic neurons from mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) by modifying the default method that induces the most-anterior neural type in self-organizing culture. A low concentration of the caudalizing factor insulin and a MAPK/ERK kinase inhibitor enhanced the expression of the caudal forebrain markers Otx2 and Pax6. BMP7 promoted an increase in thalamic precursors such as Tcf7l2 + /Gbx2 + and Tcf7l2 + /Olig3 + cells. mESC thalamic precursors began to express the glutamate transporter vGlut2 and the axon-specific marker VGF, similar to mature projection neurons. The mESC thalamic neurons extended their axons to cortical layers in both organotypic culture and subcortical transplantation. Thus, we have identified the minimum elements sufficient for in vitro generation of thalamic neurons. These findings expand our knowledge of thalamic development. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.
From Parkinsonian thalamic activity to restoring thalamic relay using deep brain stimulation: new insights from computational modeling

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Meijer, H. G. E.; Krupa, M.; Cagnan, H.; Lourens, M. A. J.; Heida, T.; Martens, H. C. F.; Bour, L. J.; van Gils, S. A.

2011-10-01

We present a computational model of a thalamocortical relay neuron for exploring basal ganglia thalamocortical loop behavior in relation to Parkinson's disease and deep brain stimulation (DBS). Previous microelectrode, single-unit recording studies demonstrated that oscillatory interaction within and between basal ganglia nuclei is very often accompanied by synchronization at Parkinsonian rest tremor frequencies (3-10 Hz). These oscillations have a profound influence on thalamic projections and impair the thalamic relaying of cortical input by generating rebound action potentials. Our model describes convergent inhibitory input received from basal ganglia by the thalamocortical cells based on characteristics of normal activity, and/or low-frequency oscillations (activity associated with Parkinson's disease). In addition to simulated input, we also used microelectrode recordings as inputs for the model. In the resting state, and without additional sensorimotor input, pathological rebound activity is generated for even mild Parkinsonian input. We have found a specific stimulation window of amplitudes and frequencies for periodic input, which corresponds to high-frequency DBS, and which also suppresses rebound activity for mild and even more prominent Parkinsonian input. When low-frequency pathological rebound activity disables the thalamocortical cell's ability to relay excitatory cortical input, a stimulation signal with parameter settings corresponding to our stimulation window can restore the thalamocortical cell's relay functionality.
Two distinct populations of projection neurons in the rat lateral parafascicular thalamic nucleus and their cholinergic responsiveness.

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Beatty, J A; Sylwestrak, E L; Cox, C L

2009-08-04

The lateral parafascicular nucleus (lPf) is a member of the intralaminar thalamic nuclei, a collection of nuclei that characteristically provides widespread projections to the neocortex and basal ganglia and is associated with arousal, sensory, and motor functions. Recently, lPf neurons have been shown to possess different characteristics than other cortical-projecting thalamic relay neurons. We performed whole cell recordings from lPf neurons using an in vitro rat slice preparation and found two distinct neuronal subtypes that were differentiated by distinct morphological and physiological characteristics: diffuse and bushy. Diffuse neurons, which had been previously described, were the predominant neuronal subtype (66%). These neurons had few, poorly-branching, extended dendrites, and rarely displayed burst-like action potential discharge, a ubiquitous feature of thalamocortical relay neurons. Interestingly, we discovered a smaller population of bushy neurons (34%) that shared similar morphological and physiological characteristics with thalamocortical relay neurons of primary sensory thalamic nuclei. In contrast to other thalamocortical relay neurons, activation of muscarinic cholinergic receptors produced a membrane hyperpolarization via activation of M(2) receptors in most lPf neurons (60%). In a minority of lPf neurons (33%), muscarinic agonists produced a membrane depolarization via activation of predominantly M(3) receptors. The muscarinic receptor-mediated actions were independent of lPf neuronal subtype (i.e. diffuse or bushy neurons); however the cholinergic actions were correlated with lPf neurons with different efferent targets. Retrogradely-labeled lPf neurons from frontal cortical fluorescent bead injections primarily consisted of bushy type lPf neurons (78%), but more importantly, all of these neurons were depolarized by muscarinic agonists. On the other hand, lPf neurons labeled by striatal injections were predominantly hyperpolarized by muscarinic
Strong, reliable and precise synaptic connections between thalamic relay cells and neurones of the nucleus reticularis in juvenile rats

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Gentet, Luc J; Ulrich, Daniel

2003-01-01

The thalamic reticular nucleus (nRT) is composed entirely of GABAergic inhibitory neurones that receive input from pyramidal cortical neurones and excitatory relay cells of the ventrobasal complex of the thalamus (VB). It plays a major role in the synchrony of thalamic networks, yet the synaptic connections it receives from VB cells have never been fully physiologically characterised. Here, whole-cell current-clamp recordings were obtained from 22 synaptically connected VB-nRT cell pairs in slices of juvenile (P14–20) rats. At 34–36 °C, single presynaptic APs evoked unitary EPSPs in nRT cells with a peak amplitude of 7.4 ± 1.5 mV (mean ± s.e.m.) and a decay time constant of 15.1 ± 0.9 ms. Only four out of 22 pairs showed transmission failures at a mean rate of 6.8 ± 1.1 %. An NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated component was significant at rest and subsequent EPSPs in a train were depressed. Only one out of 14 pairs tested was reciprocally connected; the observed IPSPs in the VB cell had a peak amplitude of 0.8 mV and were completely abolished in the presence of 10 μm bicuculline. Thus, synaptic connections from VB cells to nRT neurones are mainly ‘drivers’, while a small subset of cells form closed disynaptic loops. PMID:12563005
Thalamic physiology of intentional essential tremor is more like cerebellar tremor than postural essential tremor

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Zakaria, R; Lenz, FA; Hua, S; Avin, BH; Liu, CC; Mari, Z

2013-01-01

The neuronal physiological correlates of clinical heterogeneity in human essential tremor are unknown. We now test the hypothesis that thalamic neuronal and EMG activities during intention essential tremor are similar to those of the intention tremor which is characteristic of cerebellar lesions. Thalamic neuronal firing was studied in a cerebellar relay nucleus (ventral intermediate, Vim) and in a pallidal relay nucleus (ventral oral posterior, Vop) during stereotactic surgery for the treatm...
Thalamic gap junctions control local neuronal synchrony and influence macroscopic oscillation amplitude during EEG alpha rhythms

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Stuart eHughes

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Although EEG alpha ( (8-13 Hz rhythms are often considered to reflect an ‘idling’ brain state, numerous studies indicate that they are also related to many aspects of perception. Recently, we outlined a potential cellular substrate by which such aspects of perception might be linked to basic  rhythm mechanisms. This scheme relies on a specialized subset of rhythmically bursting thalamocortical (TC neurons (high-threshold bursting cells in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN which are interconnected by gap junctions (GJs. By engaging GABAergic interneurons, that in turn inhibit conventional relay-mode TC neurons, these cells can lead to an effective temporal framing of thalamic relay-mode output. Although the role of GJs is pivotal in this scheme, evidence for their involvement in thalamic  rhythms has thus far mainly derived from experiments in in vitro slice preparations. In addition, direct anatomical evidence of neuronal GJs in the LGN is currently lacking. To address the first of these issues we tested the effects of the GJ inhibitors, carbenoxolone (CBX and 18-glycyrrhetinic acid (18-GA, given directly to the LGN via reverse microdialysis, on spontaneous LGN and EEG  rhythms in behaving cats. We also examined the effect of CBX on  rhythm-related LGN unit activity. Indicative of a role for thalamic GJs in these activities, 18-GA and CBX reversibly suppressed both LGN and EEG  rhythms, with CBX also decreasing neuronal synchrony. To address the second point, we used electron microscopy to obtain definitive ultrastructural evidence for the presence of GJs between neurons in the cat LGN. As interneurons show no phenotypic evidence of GJ coupling (i.e. dye-coupling and spikelets we conclude that these GJs must belong to TC neurons. The potential significance of these findings for relating macroscopic changes in  rhythms to basic cellular processes is discussed.
Response sensitivity of barrel neuron subpopulations to simulated thalamic input.

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Pesavento, Michael J; Rittenhouse, Cynthia D; Pinto, David J

2010-06-01

Our goal is to examine the relationship between neuron- and network-level processing in the context of a well-studied cortical function, the processing of thalamic input by whisker-barrel circuits in rodent neocortex. Here we focus on neuron-level processing and investigate the responses of excitatory and inhibitory barrel neurons to simulated thalamic inputs applied using the dynamic clamp method in brain slices. Simulated inputs are modeled after real thalamic inputs recorded in vivo in response to brief whisker deflections. Our results suggest that inhibitory neurons require more input to reach firing threshold, but then fire earlier, with less variability, and respond to a broader range of inputs than do excitatory neurons. Differences in the responses of barrel neuron subtypes depend on their intrinsic membrane properties. Neurons with a low input resistance require more input to reach threshold but then fire earlier than neurons with a higher input resistance, regardless of the neuron's classification. Our results also suggest that the response properties of excitatory versus inhibitory barrel neurons are consistent with the response sensitivities of the ensemble barrel network. The short response latency of inhibitory neurons may serve to suppress ensemble barrel responses to asynchronous thalamic input. Correspondingly, whereas neurons acting as part of the barrel circuit in vivo are highly selective for temporally correlated thalamic input, excitatory barrel neurons acting alone in vitro are less so. These data suggest that network-level processing of thalamic input in barrel cortex depends on neuron-level processing of the same input by excitatory and inhibitory barrel neurons.
Urethane anesthesia depresses activities of thalamocortical neurons and alters its response to nociception in terms of dual firing modes

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Yeowool eHuh

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Anesthetics are often used to characterize the activity of single neurons in-vivo for its advantages such as reduced noise level and convenience in noxious stimulations. Of the anesthetics, urethane had been widely used in some thalamic studies under the assumption that sensory signals are still relayed to the thalamus under urethane anesthesia and that thalamic response would therefore reflect the response of the awake state. We tested whether this assumption stands by comparing thalamic activity in terms of tonic and burst firing modes during ‘the awake state’ or under ‘urethane anesthesia’ utilizing the extracellular single unit recording technique. First we have tested how thalamic relay neurons respond to the introduction of urethane and then tested how urethane influences thalamic discharges under formalin-induced nociception. Urethane significantly depressed overall firing rates of thalamic relay neurons, which was sustained despite the delayed increase of burst activity over the 4 hour recording period. Thalamic response to nociception under anesthesia was also similar overall except for the slight and transient increase of burst activity. Overall, results demonstrated that urethane suppresses the activity of thalamic relay neurons and that, despite the slight fluctuation of burst firing, formalin-induced nociception cannot significantly change the firing pattern of thalamic relay neurons that was caused by urethane.
Successive neuron loss in the thalamus and cortex in a mouse model of infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.

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Kielar, Catherine; Maddox, Lucy; Bible, Ellen; Pontikis, Charlie C; Macauley, Shannon L; Griffey, Megan A; Wong, Michael; Sands, Mark S; Cooper, Jonathan D

2007-01-01

Infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (INCL) is caused by deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme, palmitoyl protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1). We have investigated the onset and progression of pathological changes in Ppt1 deficient mice (Ppt1-/-) and the development of their seizure phenotype. Surprisingly, cortical atrophy and neuron loss occurred only late in disease progression but were preceded by localized astrocytosis within individual thalamic nuclei and the progressive loss of thalamic neurons that relay different sensory modalities to the cortex. This thalamic neuron loss occurred first within the visual system and only subsequently in auditory and somatosensory relay nuclei or the inhibitory reticular thalamic nucleus. The loss of granule neurons and GABAergic interneurons followed in each corresponding cortical region, before the onset of seizure activity. These findings provide novel evidence for successive neuron loss within the thalamus and cortex in Ppt1-/- mice, revealing the thalamus as an important early focus of INCL pathogenesis.
Feedforward inhibitory control of sensory information in higher-order thalamic nuclei.

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Lavallée, Philippe; Urbain, Nadia; Dufresne, Caroline; Bokor, Hajnalka; Acsády, László; Deschênes, Martin

2005-08-17

Sensory stimuli evoke strong responses in thalamic relay cells, which ensure a faithful relay of information to the neocortex. However, relay cells of the posterior thalamic nuclear group in rodents, despite receiving significant trigeminal input, respond poorly to vibrissa deflection. Here we show that sensory transmission in this nucleus is impeded by fast feedforward inhibition mediated by GABAergic neurons of the zona incerta. Intracellular recordings of posterior group neurons revealed that the first synaptic event after whisker deflection is a prominent inhibition. Whisker-evoked EPSPs with fast rise time and longer onset latency are unveiled only after lesioning the zona incerta. Excitation survives barrel cortex lesion, demonstrating its peripheral origin. Electron microscopic data confirm that trigeminal axons make large synaptic terminals on the proximal dendrites of posterior group cells and on the somata of incertal neurons. Thus, the connectivity of the system allows an unusual situation in which inhibition precedes ascending excitation resulting in efficient shunting of the responses. The dominance of inhibition over excitation strongly suggests that the paralemniscal pathway is not designed to relay inputs triggered by passive whisker deflection. Instead, we propose that this pathway operates through disinhibition, and that the posterior group forwards to the cerebral cortex sensory information that is contingent on motor instructions.
Thalamic neuron models encode stimulus information by burst-size modulation

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Daniel Henry Elijah

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Thalamic neurons have been long assumed to fire in tonic mode during perceptive states, and in burst mode during sleep and unconsciousness. However, recent evidence suggests that bursts may also be relevant in the encoding of sensory information. Here we explore the neural code of such thalamic bursts. In order to assess whether the burst code is generic or whether it depends on the detailed properties of each bursting neuron, we analyzed two neuron models incorporating different levels of biological detail. One of the models contained no information of the biophysical processes entailed in spike generation, and described neuron activity at a phenomenological level. The second model represented the evolution of the individual ionic conductances involved in spiking and bursting, and required a large number of parameters. We analyzed the models' input selectivity using reverse correlation methods and information theory. We found that n-spike bursts from both models transmit information by modulating their spike count in response to changes to instantaneous input features, such as slope, phase, amplitude, etc. The stimulus feature that is most efficiently encoded by bursts, however, need not coincide with one of such classical features. We therefore searched for the optimal feature among all those that could be expressed as a linear transformation of the time-dependent input current. We found that bursting neurons transmitted 6 times more information about such more general features. The relevant events in the stimulus were located in a time window spanning ~100 ms before and ~20 ms after burst onset. Most importantly, the neural code employed by the simple and the biologically realistic models was largely the same, implying that the simple thalamic neuron model contains the essential ingredients that account for the computational properties of the thalamic burst code. Thus, our results suggest the n-spike burst code is a general property of
Thalamic neuron models encode stimulus information by burst-size modulation.

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Elijah, Daniel H; Samengo, Inés; Montemurro, Marcelo A

2015-01-01

Thalamic neurons have been long assumed to fire in tonic mode during perceptive states, and in burst mode during sleep and unconsciousness. However, recent evidence suggests that bursts may also be relevant in the encoding of sensory information. Here, we explore the neural code of such thalamic bursts. In order to assess whether the burst code is generic or whether it depends on the detailed properties of each bursting neuron, we analyzed two neuron models incorporating different levels of biological detail. One of the models contained no information of the biophysical processes entailed in spike generation, and described neuron activity at a phenomenological level. The second model represented the evolution of the individual ionic conductances involved in spiking and bursting, and required a large number of parameters. We analyzed the models' input selectivity using reverse correlation methods and information theory. We found that n-spike bursts from both models transmit information by modulating their spike count in response to changes to instantaneous input features, such as slope, phase, amplitude, etc. The stimulus feature that is most efficiently encoded by bursts, however, need not coincide with one of such classical features. We therefore searched for the optimal feature among all those that could be expressed as a linear transformation of the time-dependent input current. We found that bursting neurons transmitted 6 times more information about such more general features. The relevant events in the stimulus were located in a time window spanning ~100 ms before and ~20 ms after burst onset. Most importantly, the neural code employed by the simple and the biologically realistic models was largely the same, implying that the simple thalamic neuron model contains the essential ingredients that account for the computational properties of the thalamic burst code. Thus, our results suggest the n-spike burst code is a general property of thalamic neurons.
Performance limitations of relay neurons.

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Rahul Agarwal

Full Text Available Relay cells are prevalent throughout sensory systems and receive two types of inputs: driving and modulating. The driving input contains receptive field properties that must be transmitted while the modulating input alters the specifics of transmission. For example, the visual thalamus contains relay neurons that receive driving inputs from the retina that encode a visual image, and modulating inputs from reticular activating system and layer 6 of visual cortex that control what aspects of the image will be relayed back to visual cortex for perception. What gets relayed depends on several factors such as attentional demands and a subject's goals. In this paper, we analyze a biophysical based model of a relay cell and use systems theoretic tools to construct analytic bounds on how well the cell transmits a driving input as a function of the neuron's electrophysiological properties, the modulating input, and the driving signal parameters. We assume that the modulating input belongs to a class of sinusoidal signals and that the driving input is an irregular train of pulses with inter-pulse intervals obeying an exponential distribution. Our analysis applies to any [Formula: see text] order model as long as the neuron does not spike without a driving input pulse and exhibits a refractory period. Our bounds on relay reliability contain performance obtained through simulation of a second and third order model, and suggest, for instance, that if the frequency of the modulating input increases or the DC offset decreases, then relay increases. Our analysis also shows, for the first time, how the biophysical properties of the neuron (e.g. ion channel dynamics define the oscillatory patterns needed in the modulating input for appropriately timed relay of sensory information. In our discussion, we describe how our bounds predict experimentally observed neural activity in the basal ganglia in (i health, (ii in Parkinson's disease (PD, and (iii in PD during
Corticothalamic Synaptic Noise as a Mechanism for Selective Attention in Thalamic Neurons

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Béhuret, Sébastien; Deleuze, Charlotte; Bal, Thierry

2015-01-01

A reason why the thalamus is more than a passive gateway for sensory signals is that two-third of the synapses of thalamocortical neurons are directly or indirectly related to the activity of corticothalamic axons. While the responses of thalamocortical neurons evoked by sensory stimuli are well characterized, with ON- and OFF-center receptive field structures, the prevalence of synaptic noise resulting from neocortical feedback in intracellularly recorded thalamocortical neurons in vivo has attracted little attention. However, in vitro and modeling experiments point to its critical role for the integration of sensory signals. Here we combine our recent findings in a unified framework suggesting the hypothesis that corticothalamic synaptic activity is adapted to modulate the transfer efficiency of thalamocortical neurons during selective attention at three different levels: First, on ionic channels by interacting with intrinsic membrane properties, second at the neuron level by impacting on the input-output gain, and third even more effectively at the cell assembly level by boosting the information transfer of sensory features encoded in thalamic subnetworks. This top-down population control is achieved by tuning the correlations in subthreshold membrane potential fluctuations and is adapted to modulate the transfer of sensory features encoded by assemblies of thalamocortical relay neurons. We thus propose that cortically-controlled (de-)correlation of subthreshold noise is an efficient and swift dynamic mechanism for selective attention in the thalamus. PMID:26733818
Corticothalamic Synaptic Noise as a Mechanism for Selective Attention in Thalamic Neurons.

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Béhuret, Sébastien; Deleuze, Charlotte; Bal, Thierry

2015-01-01

A reason why the thalamus is more than a passive gateway for sensory signals is that two-third of the synapses of thalamocortical neurons are directly or indirectly related to the activity of corticothalamic axons. While the responses of thalamocortical neurons evoked by sensory stimuli are well characterized, with ON- and OFF-center receptive field structures, the prevalence of synaptic noise resulting from neocortical feedback in intracellularly recorded thalamocortical neurons in vivo has attracted little attention. However, in vitro and modeling experiments point to its critical role for the integration of sensory signals. Here we combine our recent findings in a unified framework suggesting the hypothesis that corticothalamic synaptic activity is adapted to modulate the transfer efficiency of thalamocortical neurons during selective attention at three different levels: First, on ionic channels by interacting with intrinsic membrane properties, second at the neuron level by impacting on the input-output gain, and third even more effectively at the cell assembly level by boosting the information transfer of sensory features encoded in thalamic subnetworks. This top-down population control is achieved by tuning the correlations in subthreshold membrane potential fluctuations and is adapted to modulate the transfer of sensory features encoded by assemblies of thalamocortical relay neurons. We thus propose that cortically-controlled (de-)correlation of subthreshold noise is an efficient and swift dynamic mechanism for selective attention in the thalamus.
Corticothalamic Synaptic Noise as a Mechanism for Selective Attention in Thalamic Neurons

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Sébastien eBéhuret

2015-12-01

Full Text Available A reason why the thalamus is more than a passive gateway for sensory signals is that two-third of the synapses of thalamocortical neurons are directly or indirectly related to the activity of corticothalamic axons. While the responses of thalamocortical neurons evoked by sensory stimuli are well characterized, with ON- and OFF-center receptive field structures, the prevalence of synaptic noise resulting from neocortical feedback in intracellularly recorded thalamocortical neurons in vivo has attracted little attention. However, in vitro and modeling experiments point to its critical role for the integration of sensory signals. Here we combine our recent findings in a unified framework suggesting the hypothesis that corticothalamic synaptic activity is adapted to modulate the transfer efficiency of thalamocortical neurons during selective attention at three different levels: First, on ionic channels by interacting with intrinsic membrane properties, second at the neuron level by impacting on the input-output gain, and third even more effectively at the cell assembly level by boosting the information transfer of sensory features encoded in thalamic subnetworks. This top-down population control is achieved by tuning the correlations in subthreshold membrane potential fluctuations and is adapted to modulate the transfer of sensory features encoded by assemblies of thalamocortical relay neurons. We thus propose that cortically-controlled (de-correlation of subthreshold noise is an efficient and swift dynamic mechanism for selective attention in the thalamus.
Cortically-controlled population stochastic facilitation as a plausible substrate for guiding sensory transfer across the thalamic gateway.

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Sébastien Béhuret

Full Text Available The thalamus is the primary gateway that relays sensory information to the cerebral cortex. While a single recipient cortical cell receives the convergence of many principal relay cells of the thalamus, each thalamic cell in turn integrates a dense and distributed synaptic feedback from the cortex. During sensory processing, the influence of this functional loop remains largely ignored. Using dynamic-clamp techniques in thalamic slices in vitro, we combined theoretical and experimental approaches to implement a realistic hybrid retino-thalamo-cortical pathway mixing biological cells and simulated circuits. The synaptic bombardment of cortical origin was mimicked through the injection of a stochastic mixture of excitatory and inhibitory conductances, resulting in a gradable correlation level of afferent activity shared by thalamic cells. The study of the impact of the simulated cortical input on the global retinocortical signal transfer efficiency revealed a novel control mechanism resulting from the collective resonance of all thalamic relay neurons. We show here that the transfer efficiency of sensory input transmission depends on three key features: i the number of thalamocortical cells involved in the many-to-one convergence from thalamus to cortex, ii the statistics of the corticothalamic synaptic bombardment and iii the level of correlation imposed between converging thalamic relay cells. In particular, our results demonstrate counterintuitively that the retinocortical signal transfer efficiency increases when the level of correlation across thalamic cells decreases. This suggests that the transfer efficiency of relay cells could be selectively amplified when they become simultaneously desynchronized by the cortical feedback. When applied to the intact brain, this network regulation mechanism could direct an attentional focus to specific thalamic subassemblies and select the appropriate input lines to the cortex according to the descending
Neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus are selective for diverse and complex visual features

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Vishal eVaingankar

2012-12-01

Full Text Available All visual signals the cortex receives are influenced by the perigeniculate sector of the thalamic reticular nucleus, which receives input from relay cells in the lateral geniculate and provides feedback inhibition in return. Relay cells have been studied in quantitative depth; they behave in a roughly linear fashion and have receptive fields with a stereotyped centre-surround structure. We know far less about reticular neurons. Qualitative studies indicate they simply pool ascending input to generate nonselective gain control. Yet the perigeniculate is complicated; local cells are densely interconnected and fire lengthy bursts. Thus, we employed quantitative methods to explore the perigeniculate, using relay cells as controls. By adapting methods of spike-triggered averaging and covariance analysis for bursts, we identified both first and second order features that build reticular receptive fields. The shapes of these spatiotemporal subunits varied widely; no stereotyped pattern emerged. Companion experiments showed that the shape of the first but not second order features could be explained by the overlap of On and Off inputs to a given cell. Moreover, we assessed the predictive power of the receptive field and how much information each component subunit conveyed. Linear-nonlinear models including multiple subunits performed better than those made with just one; further each subunit encoded different visual information. Model performance for reticular cells was always lesser than for relay cells, however, indicating that reticular cells process inputs nonlinearly. All told, our results suggest that the perigeniculate encodes diverse visual features to selectively modulate activity transmitted downstream
Neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus are selective for diverse and complex visual features

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Vaingankar, Vishal; Soto-Sanchez, Cristina; Wang, Xin; Sommer, Friedrich T.; Hirsch, Judith A.

2012-01-01

All visual signals the cortex receives are influenced by the perigeniculate sector (PGN) of the thalamic reticular nucleus, which receives input from relay cells in the lateral geniculate and provides feedback inhibition in return. Relay cells have been studied in quantitative depth; they behave in a roughly linear fashion and have receptive fields with a stereotyped center-surround structure. We know far less about reticular neurons. Qualitative studies indicate they simply pool ascending input to generate non-selective gain control. Yet the perigeniculate is complicated; local cells are densely interconnected and fire lengthy bursts. Thus, we employed quantitative methods to explore the perigeniculate using relay cells as controls. By adapting methods of spike-triggered averaging and covariance analysis for bursts, we identified both first and second order features that build reticular receptive fields. The shapes of these spatiotemporal subunits varied widely; no stereotyped pattern emerged. Companion experiments showed that the shape of the first but not second order features could be explained by the overlap of On and Off inputs to a given cell. Moreover, we assessed the predictive power of the receptive field and how much information each component subunit conveyed. Linear-non-linear (LN) models including multiple subunits performed better than those made with just one; further each subunit encoded different visual information. Model performance for reticular cells was always lesser than for relay cells, however, indicating that reticular cells process inputs non-linearly. All told, our results suggest that the perigeniculate encodes diverse visual features to selectively modulate activity transmitted downstream. PMID:23269915

From Parkinsonian thalamic activity to restoring thalamic relay using deep brain stimulation: new insights from computational modeling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijer, Hil Gaétan Ellart; Krupa, M.; Cagnan, H.; Lourens, Marcel Antonius Johannes; Heida, Tjitske; Martens, H.C.F.; Bour, L.J.; van Gils, Stephanus A.

2011-01-01

We present a computational model of a thalamocortical relay neuron for exploring basal ganglia thalamocortical loop behavior in relation to Parkinson's disease and deep brain stimulation (DBS). Previous microelectrode, single-unit recording studies demonstrated that oscillatory interaction within
Morphological Abnormalities of Thalamic Subnuclei in Migraine

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Magon, Stefano; May, Arne; Stankewitz, Anne

2015-01-01

UNLABELLED: The thalamus contains third-order relay neurons of the trigeminal system, and animal models as well as preliminary imaging studies in small cohorts of migraine patients have suggested a role of the thalamus in headache pathophysiology. However, larger studies using advanced imaging te...... is a disorder of the CNS in which not only is brain function abnormal, but also brain structure is undergoing significant remodeling....... a fully automated multiatlas approach. Deformation-based shape analysis was performed to localize surface abnormalities. Differences between patients with migraine and healthy subjects were assessed using an ANCOVA model. After correction for multiple comparisons, performed using the false discovery rate.......9) was observed in patients. This large-scale study indicates structural thalamic abnormalities in patients with migraine. The thalamic nuclei with abnormal volumes are densely connected to the limbic system. The data hence lend support to the view that higher-order integration systems are altered in migraine...
Serotonin gating of cortical and thalamic glutamate inputs onto principal neurons of the basolateral amygdala.

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Guo, Ji-Dong; O'Flaherty, Brendan M; Rainnie, Donald G

2017-11-01

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a key site for crossmodal association of sensory stimuli and an important relay in the neural circuitry of emotion. Indeed, the BLA receives substantial glutamatergic inputs from multiple brain regions including the prefrontal cortex and thalamic nuclei. Modulation of glutamatergic transmission in the BLA regulates stress- and anxiety-related behaviors. Serotonin (5-HT) also plays an important role in regulating stress-related behavior through activation of both pre- and postsynaptic 5-HT receptors. Multiple 5-HT receptors are expressed in the BLA, where 5-HT has been reported to modulate glutamatergic transmission. However, the 5-HT receptor subtype mediating this effect is not yet clear. The aim of this study was to use patch-clamp recordings from BLA neurons in an ex vivo slice preparation to examine 1) the effect of 5-HT on extrinsic sensory inputs, and 2) to determine if any pathway specificity exists in 5-HT regulation of glutamatergic transmission. Two independent input pathways into the BLA were stimulated: the external capsule to mimic cortical input, and the internal capsule to mimic thalamic input. Bath application of 5-HT reversibly reduced the amplitude of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) induced by stimulation of both pathways. The decrease was associated with an increase in the paired-pulse ratio and coefficient of variation of eEPSC amplitude, suggesting 5-HT acts presynaptically. Moreover, the effect of 5-HT in both pathways was mimicked by the selective 5-HT 1B receptor agonist CP93129, but not by the 5-HT 1A receptor agonist 8-OH DPAT. Similarly the effect of exogenous 5-HT was blocked by the 5-HT 1B receptor antagonist GR55562, but not affected by the 5-HT 1A receptor antagonist WAY 100635 or the 5-HT 2 receptor antagonists pirenperone and MDL 100907. Together these data suggest 5-HT gates cortical and thalamic glutamatergic inputs into the BLA by activating presynaptic 5-HT 1B receptors
Visuomotor signals for reaching movements in the rostro-dorsal sector of the monkey thalamic reticular nucleus.

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Saga, Yosuke; Nakayama, Yoshihisa; Inoue, Ken-Ichi; Yamagata, Tomoko; Hashimoto, Masashi; Tremblay, Léon; Takada, Masahiko; Hoshi, Eiji

2017-05-01

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) collects inputs from the cerebral cortex and thalamus and, in turn, sends inhibitory outputs to the thalamic relay nuclei. This unique connectivity suggests that the TRN plays a pivotal role in regulating information flow through the thalamus. Here, we analyzed the roles of TRN neurons in visually guided reaching movements. We first used retrograde transneuronal labeling with rabies virus, and showed that the rostro-dorsal sector of the TRN (TRNrd) projected disynaptically to the ventral premotor cortex (PMv). In other experiments, we recorded neurons from the TRNrd or PMv while monkeys performed a visuomotor task. We found that neurons in the TRNrd and PMv showed visual-, set-, and movement-related activity modulation. These results indicate that the TRNrd, as well as the PMv, is involved in the reception of visual signals and in the preparation and execution of reaching movements. The fraction of neurons that were non-selective for the location of visual signals or the direction of reaching movements was greater in the TRNrd than in the PMv. Furthermore, the fraction of neurons whose activity increased from the baseline was greater in the TRNrd than in the PMv. The timing of activity modulation of visual-related and movement-related neurons was similar in TRNrd and PMv neurons. Overall, our data suggest that TRNrd neurons provide motor thalamic nuclei with inhibitory inputs that are predominantly devoid of spatial selectivity, and that these signals modulate how these nuclei engage in both sensory processing and motor output during visually guided reaching behavior. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Nonlinear predictive control for adaptive adjustments of deep brain stimulation parameters in basal ganglia-thalamic network.

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Su, Fei; Wang, Jiang; Niu, Shuangxia; Li, Huiyan; Deng, Bin; Liu, Chen; Wei, Xile

2018-02-01

The efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD) depends in part on the post-operative programming of stimulation parameters. Closed-loop stimulation is one method to realize the frequent adjustment of stimulation parameters. This paper introduced the nonlinear predictive control method into the online adjustment of DBS amplitude and frequency. This approach was tested in a computational model of basal ganglia-thalamic network. The autoregressive Volterra model was used to identify the process model based on physiological data. Simulation results illustrated the efficiency of closed-loop stimulation methods (amplitude adjustment and frequency adjustment) in improving the relay reliability of thalamic neurons compared with the PD state. Besides, compared with the 130Hz constant DBS the closed-loop stimulation methods can significantly reduce the energy consumption. Through the analysis of inter-spike-intervals (ISIs) distribution of basal ganglia neurons, the evoked network activity by the closed-loop frequency adjustment stimulation was closer to the normal state. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Neurochemical pathways that converge on thalamic trigeminovascular neurons: potential substrate for modulation of migraine by sleep, food intake, stress and anxiety.

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Rodrigo Noseda

Full Text Available Dynamic thalamic regulation of sensory signals allows the cortex to adjust better to rapidly changing behavioral, physiological and environmental demands. To fulfill this role, thalamic neurons must themselves be subjected to constantly changing modulatory inputs that originate in multiple neurochemical pathways involved in autonomic, affective and cognitive functions. Our overall goal is to define an anatomical framework for conceptualizing how a 'decision' is made on whether a trigeminovascular thalamic neuron fires, for how long, and at what frequency. To begin answering this question, we determine which neuropeptides/neurotransmitters are in a position to modulate thalamic trigeminovascular neurons. Using a combination of in-vivo single-unit recording, juxtacellular labeling with tetramethylrhodamine dextran (TMR and in-vitro immunohistochemistry, we found that thalamic trigeminovascular neurons were surrounded by high density of axons containing biomarkers of glutamate, GABA, dopamine and serotonin; moderate density of axons containing noradrenaline and histamine; low density of axons containing orexin and melanin concentrating hormone (MCH; but not axons containing CGRP, serotonin 1D receptor, oxytocin or vasopressin. In the context of migraine, the findings suggest that the transmission of headache-related nociceptive signals from the thalamus to the cortex may be modulated by opposing forces (i.e., facilitatory, inhibitory that are governed by continuous adjustments needed to keep physiological, behavioral, cognitive and emotional homeostasis.
Sensory processing of deep tissue nociception in the rat spinal cord and thalamic ventrobasal complex.

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Sikandar, Shafaq; West, Steven J; McMahon, Stephen B; Bennett, David L; Dickenson, Anthony H

2017-07-01

Sensory processing of deep somatic tissue constitutes an important component of the nociceptive system, yet associated central processing pathways remain poorly understood. Here, we provide a novel electrophysiological characterization and immunohistochemical analysis of neural activation in the lateral spinal nucleus (LSN). These neurons show evoked activity to deep, but not cutaneous, stimulation. The evoked responses of neurons in the LSN can be sensitized to somatosensory stimulation following intramuscular hypertonic saline, an acute model of muscle pain, suggesting this is an important spinal relay site for the processing of deep tissue nociceptive inputs. Neurons of the thalamic ventrobasal complex (VBC) mediate both cutaneous and deep tissue sensory processing, but in contrast to the lateral spinal nucleus our electrophysiological studies do not suggest the existence of a subgroup of cells that selectively process deep tissue inputs. The sensitization of polymodal and thermospecific VBC neurons to mechanical somatosensory stimulation following acute muscle stimulation with hypertonic saline suggests differential roles of thalamic subpopulations in mediating cutaneous and deep tissue nociception in pathological states. Overall, our studies at both the spinal (lateral spinal nucleus) and supraspinal (thalamic ventrobasal complex) levels suggest a convergence of cutaneous and deep somatosensory inputs onto spinothalamic pathways, which are unmasked by activation of muscle nociceptive afferents to produce consequent phenotypic alterations in spinal and thalamic neural coding of somatosensory stimulation. A better understanding of the sensory pathways involved in deep tissue nociception, as well as the degree of labeled line and convergent pathways for cutaneous and deep somatosensory inputs, is fundamental to developing targeted analgesic therapies for deep pain syndromes. © 2017 University College London. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals
At the centre of neuronal, synaptic and axonal pathology in murine prion disease: degeneration of neuroanatomically linked thalamic and brainstem nuclei

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Reis, Renata; Hennessy, Edel; Murray, Caoimhe; Griffin, Éadaoin W.

2015-01-01

Aims The processes by which neurons degenerate in chronic neurodegenerative diseases remain unclear. Synaptic loss and axonal pathology frequently precede neuronal loss and protein aggregation demonstrably spreads along neuroanatomical pathways in many neurodegenerative diseases. The spread of neuronal pathology is less studied. Methods We previously demonstrated severe neurodegeneration in the posterior thalamus of multiple prion disease strains. Here we used the ME7 model of prion disease to examine the nature of this degeneration in the posterior thalamus and the major brainstem projections into this region. Results We objectively quantified neurological decline between 16 and 18 weeks post‐inoculation and observed thalamic subregion‐selective neuronal, synaptic and axonal pathology while demonstrating relatively uniform protease‐resistant prion protein (PrP) aggregation and microgliosis across the posterior thalamus. Novel amyloid precursor protein (APP) pathology was particularly prominent in the thalamic posterior (PO) and ventroposterior lateral (VPL) nuclei. The brainstem nuclei forming the major projections to these thalamic nuclei were examined. Massive neuronal loss in the PO was not matched by significant neuronal loss in the interpolaris (Sp5I), while massive synaptic loss in the ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM) did correspond with significant neuronal loss in the principal trigeminal nucleus. Likewise, significant VPL synaptic loss was matched by significant neuronal loss in the gracile and cuneate nuclei. Conclusion These findings demonstrate significant spread of neuronal pathology from the thalamus to the brainstem in prion disease. The divergent neuropathological features in adjacent neuronal populations demonstrates that there are discrete pathways to neurodegeneration in different neuronal populations. PMID:25727649
Simple cortical and thalamic neuron models for digital arithmetic circuit implementation

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Takuya eNanami

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Trade-off between reproducibility of neuronal activities and computational efficiency is one ofcrucial subjects in computational neuroscience and neuromorphic engineering. A wide variety ofneuronal models have been studied from different viewpoints. The digital spiking silicon neuron(DSSN model is a qualitative model that focuses on efficient implementation by digital arithmeticcircuits. We expanded the DSSN model and found appropriate parameter sets with which itreproduces the dynamical behaviors of the ionic-conductance models of four classes of corticaland thalamic neurons. We first developed a 4-variable model by reducing the number of variablesin the ionic-conductance models and elucidated its mathematical structures using bifurcationanalysis. Then, expanded DSSN models were constructed that reproduce these mathematicalstructures and capture the characteristic behavior of each neuron class. We confirmed thatstatistics of the neuronal spike sequences are similar in the DSSN and the ionic-conductancemodels. Computational cost of the DSSN model is larger than that of the recent sophisticatedIntegrate-and-Fire-based models, but smaller than the ionic-conductance models. This modelis intended to provide another meeting point for above trade-off that satisfies the demand forlarge-scale neuronal network simulation with closer-to-biology models.
Dynamics of action potential initiation in the GABAergic thalamic reticular nucleus in vivo.

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Muñoz, Fabián; Fuentealba, Pablo

2012-01-01

Understanding the neural mechanisms of action potential generation is critical to establish the way neural circuits generate and coordinate activity. Accordingly, we investigated the dynamics of action potential initiation in the GABAergic thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) using in vivo intracellular recordings in cats in order to preserve anatomically-intact axo-dendritic distributions and naturally-occurring spatiotemporal patterns of synaptic activity in this structure that regulates the thalamic relay to neocortex. We found a wide operational range of voltage thresholds for action potentials, mostly due to intrinsic voltage-gated conductances and not synaptic activity driven by network oscillations. Varying levels of synchronous synaptic inputs produced fast rates of membrane potential depolarization preceding the action potential onset that were associated with lower thresholds and increased excitability, consistent with TRN neurons performing as coincidence detectors. On the other hand the presence of action potentials preceding any given spike was associated with more depolarized thresholds. The phase-plane trajectory of the action potential showed somato-dendritic propagation, but no obvious axon initial segment component, prominent in other neuronal classes and allegedly responsible for the high onset speed. Overall, our results suggest that TRN neurons could flexibly integrate synaptic inputs to discharge action potentials over wide voltage ranges, and perform as coincidence detectors and temporal integrators, supported by a dynamic action potential threshold.
Discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for solving population density functions of cortical pyramidal and thalamic neuronal populations.

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Huang, Chih-Hsu; Lin, Chou-Ching K; Ju, Ming-Shaung

2015-02-01

Compared with the Monte Carlo method, the population density method is efficient for modeling collective dynamics of neuronal populations in human brain. In this method, a population density function describes the probabilistic distribution of states of all neurons in the population and it is governed by a hyperbolic partial differential equation. In the past, the problem was mainly solved by using the finite difference method. In a previous study, a continuous Galerkin finite element method was found better than the finite difference method for solving the hyperbolic partial differential equation; however, the population density function often has discontinuity and both methods suffer from a numerical stability problem. The goal of this study is to improve the numerical stability of the solution using discontinuous Galerkin finite element method. To test the performance of the new approach, interaction of a population of cortical pyramidal neurons and a population of thalamic neurons was simulated. The numerical results showed good agreement between results of discontinuous Galerkin finite element and Monte Carlo methods. The convergence and accuracy of the solutions are excellent. The numerical stability problem could be resolved using the discontinuous Galerkin finite element method which has total-variation-diminishing property. The efficient approach will be employed to simulate the electroencephalogram or dynamics of thalamocortical network which involves three populations, namely, thalamic reticular neurons, thalamocortical neurons and cortical pyramidal neurons. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Subset of Cortical Layer 6b Neurons Selectively Innervates Higher Order Thalamic Nuclei in Mice.

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Hoerder-Suabedissen, Anna; Hayashi, Shuichi; Upton, Louise; Nolan, Zachary; Casas-Torremocha, Diana; Grant, Eleanor; Viswanathan, Sarada; Kanold, Patrick O; Clasca, Francisco; Kim, Yongsoo; Molnár, Zoltán

2018-05-01

The thalamus receives input from 3 distinct cortical layers, but input from only 2 of these has been well characterized. We therefore investigated whether the third input, derived from layer 6b, is more similar to the projections from layer 6a or layer 5. We studied the projections of a restricted population of deep layer 6 cells ("layer 6b cells") taking advantage of the transgenic mouse Tg(Drd1a-cre)FK164Gsat/Mmucd (Drd1a-Cre), that selectively expresses Cre-recombinase in a subpopulation of layer 6b neurons across the entire cortical mantle. At P8, 18% of layer 6b neurons are labeled with Drd1a-Cre::tdTomato in somatosensory cortex (SS), and some co-express known layer 6b markers. Using Cre-dependent viral tracing, we identified topographical projections to higher order thalamic nuclei. VGluT1+ synapses formed by labeled layer 6b projections were found in posterior thalamic nucleus (Po) but not in the (pre)thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). The lack of TRN collaterals was confirmed with single-cell tracing from SS. Transmission electron microscopy comparison of terminal varicosities from layer 5 and layer 6b axons in Po showed that L6b varicosities are markedly smaller and simpler than the majority from L5. Our results suggest that L6b projections to the thalamus are distinct from both L5 and L6a projections.
An autopsy-verified case of FTLD-TDP type A with upper motor neuron-predominant motor neuron disease mimicking MM2-thalamic-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

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Hayashi, Yuichi; Iwasaki, Yasushi; Takekoshi, Akira; Yoshikura, Nobuaki; Asano, Takahiko; Mimuro, Maya; Kimura, Akio; Satoh, Katsuya; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Yoshida, Mari; Inuzuka, Takashi

2016-11-01

Here we report an autopsy-verified case of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD)-transactivation responsive region (TAR) DNA binding protein (TDP) type A with upper motor neuron-predominant motor neuron disease mimicking MM2-thalamic-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). A 69-year-old woman presented with an 11-month history of progressive dementia, irritability, insomnia, and gait disturbance without a family history of dementia or prion disease. Neurological examination revealed severe dementia, frontal signs, and exaggerated bilateral tendon reflexes. Periodic sharp-wave complexes were not observed on the electroencephalogram. Brain diffusion MRI did not reveal abnormal changes. An easy Z score (eZIS) analysis for 99m Tc-ECD-single photon emission computed tomography ( 99m Tc-ECD-SPECT) revealed a bilateral decrease in thalamic regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). PRNP gene analysis demonstrated methionine homozygosity at codon 129 without mutation. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed normal levels of both 14-3-3 and total tau proteins. Conversely, prion protein was slowly amplified in the CSF by a real-time quaking-induced conversion assay. Her symptoms deteriorated to a state of akinetic mutism, and she died of sudden cardiac arrest, one year after symptom onset. Despite the SPECT results supporting a clinical diagnosis of MM2-thalamic-type sCJD, a postmortem assessment revealed that this was a case of FTLD-TDP type A, and excluded prion disease. Thus, this case indicates that whereas a bilateral decreasing thalamic rCBF detected by 99m Tc-ECD-SPECT can be useful for diagnosing MM2-thalamic-type sCJD, it is not sufficiently specific. Postmortem diagnosis remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of this condition.
Selective retrograde labeling of cholinergic neurons with [3H]choline

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Bagnoli, P.; Beaudet, A.; Stella, M.; Cuenod, M.

1981-01-01

Evidence is presented which is consistent with a specific retrograde labeling of cholinergic neurons following [ 3 H]choline application in their zone of termination. [ 3 H]Choline injection in the rat hippocampus leads to perikaryal retrograde labeling in the ipsilateral medial septal nuclease and nucleus of the diagonal band, thus delineating an established cholinergic pathway, while only diffuse presumably anterograde labeling was observed in the lateral septum, the entorhinal cortex, and the opposite hippocampus. After [ 3 H]choline injection in the pigeon visual Wulst, only the ipsilateral thalamic relay, of all inputs, showed similar perikaryal retrograde labeling, an observation supporting the suggestion that at least some thalamo-Wulst neurons are cholinergic
Variable Action Potential Backpropagation during Tonic Firing and Low-Threshold Spike Bursts in Thalamocortical But Not Thalamic Reticular Nucleus Neurons.

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Connelly, William M; Crunelli, Vincenzo; Errington, Adam C

2017-05-24

Backpropagating action potentials (bAPs) are indispensable in dendritic signaling. Conflicting Ca 2+ -imaging data and an absence of dendritic recording data means that the extent of backpropagation in thalamocortical (TC) and thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) neurons remains unknown. Because TRN neurons signal electrically through dendrodendritic gap junctions and possibly via chemical dendritic GABAergic synapses, as well as classical axonal GABA release, this lack of knowledge is problematic. To address this issue, we made two-photon targeted patch-clamp recordings from rat TC and TRN neuron dendrites to measure bAPs directly. These recordings reveal that "tonic"' and low-threshold-spike (LTS) "burst" APs in both cell types are always recorded first at the soma before backpropagating into the dendrites while undergoing substantial distance-dependent dendritic amplitude attenuation. In TC neurons, bAP attenuation strength varies according to firing mode. During LTS bursts, somatic AP half-width increases progressively with increasing spike number, allowing late-burst spikes to propagate more efficiently into the dendritic tree compared with spikes occurring at burst onset. Tonic spikes have similar somatic half-widths to late burst spikes and undergo similar dendritic attenuation. In contrast, in TRN neurons, AP properties are unchanged between LTS bursts and tonic firing and, as a result, distance-dependent dendritic attenuation remains consistent across different firing modes. Therefore, unlike LTS-associated global electrical and calcium signals, the spatial influence of bAP signaling in TC and TRN neurons is more restricted, with potentially important behavioral-state-dependent consequences for synaptic integration and plasticity in thalamic neurons. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In most neurons, action potentials (APs) initiate in the axosomatic region and propagate into the dendritic tree to provide a retrograde signal that conveys information about the level of
Visual Orientation and Directional Selectivity through Thalamic Synchrony

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Stanley, Garrett B.; Jin, Jianzhong; Wang, Yushi; Desbordes, Gaëlle; Wang, Qi; Black, Michael J.; Alonso, Jose-Manuel

2012-01-01

Thalamic neurons respond to visual scenes by generating synchronous spike trains on the timescale of 10 – 20 ms that are very effective at driving cortical targets. Here we demonstrate that this synchronous activity contains unexpectedly rich information about fundamental properties of visual stimuli. We report that the occurrence of synchronous firing of cat thalamic cells with highly overlapping receptive fields is strongly sensitive to the orientation and the direction of motion of the visual stimulus. We show that this stimulus selectivity is robust, remaining relatively unchanged under different contrasts and temporal frequencies (stimulus velocities). A computational analysis based on an integrate-and-fire model of the direct thalamic input to a layer 4 cortical cell reveals a strong correlation between the degree of thalamic synchrony and the nonlinear relationship between cortical membrane potential and the resultant firing rate. Together, these findings suggest a novel population code in the synchronous firing of neurons in the early visual pathway that could serve as the substrate for establishing cortical representations of the visual scene. PMID:22745507
Fear conditioning leads to alteration in specific genes expression in cortical and thalamic neurons that project to the lateral amygdala.

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Katz, Ira K; Lamprecht, Raphael

2015-02-01

RNA transcription is needed for memory formation. However, the ability to identify genes whose expression is altered by learning is greatly impaired because of methodological difficulties in profiling gene expression in specific neurons involved in memory formation. Here, we report a novel approach to monitor the expression of genes after learning in neurons in specific brain pathways needed for memory formation. In this study, we aimed to monitor gene expression after fear learning. We retrogradely labeled discrete thalamic neurons that project to the lateral amygdala (LA) of rats. The labeled neurons were dissected, using laser microdissection microscopy, after fear conditioning learning or unpaired training. The RNAs from the dissected neurons were subjected to microarray analysis. The levels of selected RNAs detected by the microarray analysis to be altered by fear conditioning were also assessed by nanostring analysis. We observed that the expression of genes involved in the regulation of translation, maturation and degradation of proteins was increased 6 h after fear conditioning compared to unpaired or naïve trained rats. These genes were not expressed 24 h after training or in cortical neurons that project to the LA. The expression of genes involved in transcription regulation and neuronal development was altered after fear conditioning learning in the cortical-LA pathway. The present study provides key information on the identity of genes expressed in discrete thalamic and cortical neurons that project to the LA after fear conditioning. Such an approach could also serve to identify gene products as targets for the development of a new generation of therapeutic agents that could be aimed to functionally identified brain circuits to treat memory-related disorders. © 2014 International Society for Neurochemistry.
Decoding thalamic afferent input using microcircuit spiking activity.

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Sederberg, Audrey J; Palmer, Stephanie E; MacLean, Jason N

2015-04-01

A behavioral response appropriate to a sensory stimulus depends on the collective activity of thousands of interconnected neurons. The majority of cortical connections arise from neighboring neurons, and thus understanding the cortical code requires characterizing information representation at the scale of the cortical microcircuit. Using two-photon calcium imaging, we densely sampled the thalamically evoked response of hundreds of neurons spanning multiple layers and columns in thalamocortical slices of mouse somatosensory cortex. We then used a biologically plausible decoder to characterize the representation of two distinct thalamic inputs, at the level of the microcircuit, to reveal those aspects of the activity pattern that are likely relevant to downstream neurons. Our data suggest a sparse code, distributed across lamina, in which a small population of cells carries stimulus-relevant information. Furthermore, we find that, within this subset of neurons, decoder performance improves when noise correlations are taken into account. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.
Frontotemporal dementia with severe thalamic involvement : a clinical and neuropathological study

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Radanovic Márcia

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Frontotemporal dementia (FTD is the third-leading cause of cortical dementia after Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, and is characterized by a dementia where behavioral disturbances are prominent and appear early in the course of the disease. We report the case of a 58 year-old man affected by dementia with behavioral disturbances, in addition to rigid-hypokinetic and a lower motor neuron syndrome that were present at later stages of the illness. Neuroimaging studies showed frontotemporal atrophy. Neuropathological studies revealed intense thalamic neuronal loss and astrocytic gliosis, as well as moderate frontotemporal neuronal loss, astrocytosis and spongiform degeneration. Thalamic degeneration has previously been described among the wide group of neuropathological features of FTD. The aim of the present study is to show the clinical and neuropathological aspects of thalamic degeneration in FTD, along with its role in behavioral disturbances, a common finding in this condition.
Seizures and Sleep in the Thalamus: Focal Limbic Seizures Show Divergent Activity Patterns in Different Thalamic Nuclei.

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Feng, Li; Motelow, Joshua E; Ma, Chanthia; Biche, William; McCafferty, Cian; Smith, Nicholas; Liu, Mengran; Zhan, Qiong; Jia, Ruonan; Xiao, Bo; Duque, Alvaro; Blumenfeld, Hal

2017-11-22

The thalamus plays diverse roles in cortical-subcortical brain activity patterns. Recent work suggests that focal temporal lobe seizures depress subcortical arousal systems and convert cortical activity into a pattern resembling slow-wave sleep. The potential simultaneous and paradoxical role of the thalamus in both limbic seizure propagation, and in sleep-like cortical rhythms has not been investigated. We recorded neuronal activity from the central lateral (CL), anterior (ANT), and ventral posteromedial (VPM) nuclei of the thalamus in an established female rat model of focal limbic seizures. We found that population firing of neurons in CL decreased during seizures while the cortex exhibited slow waves. In contrast, ANT showed a trend toward increased neuronal firing compatible with polyspike seizure discharges seen in the hippocampus. Meanwhile, VPM exhibited a remarkable increase in sleep spindles during focal seizures. Single-unit juxtacellular recordings from CL demonstrated reduced overall firing rates, but a switch in firing pattern from single spikes to burst firing during seizures. These findings suggest that different thalamic nuclei play very different roles in focal limbic seizures. While limbic nuclei, such as ANT, appear to participate directly in seizure propagation, arousal nuclei, such as CL, may contribute to depressed cortical function, whereas sleep spindles in relay nuclei, such as VPM, may interrupt thalamocortical information flow. These combined effects could be critical for controlling both seizure severity and impairment of consciousness. Further understanding of differential effects of seizures on different thalamocortical networks may lead to improved treatments directly targeting these modes of impaired function. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Temporal lobe epilepsy has a major negative impact on quality of life. Previous work suggests that the thalamus plays a critical role in thalamocortical network modulation and subcortical arousal

Embryonic Cell Grafts in a Culture Model of Spinal Cord Lesion: Neuronal Relay Formation is Essential for Functional Regeneration

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Anne Tscherter

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Presently there exists no cure for spinal cord injury. However, transplantation of embryonic tissue into spinal cord lesions resulted in axon outgrowth across the lesion site and some functional recovery, fostering hope for future stem cell therapies. Although in vivo evidence for functional recovery is given, the exact cellular mechanism of the graft support remains elusive: either the grafted cells provide a permissive environment for the host tissue to regenerate itself or the grafts actually integrate functionally into the host neuronal network reconnecting the separated spinal cord circuits. We tested the two hypotheses in an in vitro spinal cord lesion model that is based on propagation of activity between two rat organotypic spinal cord slices in culture. Transplantation of dissociated cells from E14 rat spinal cord or forebrain re-established the relay of activity over the lesion site and, thus, provoked functional regeneration. Combining patch-clamp recordings from transplanted cells with network activity measurements from the host tissue on multi-electrode arrays we here show that neurons differentiate from the grafted cells and integrate into the host circuits. Optogenetic silencing of neurons developed from transplanted embryonic mouse forebrain cells provides clear evidence that they replace the lost neuronal connections to relay and synchronize activity between the separated spinal cord circuits. In contrast, transplantation of neurospheres induced neither the differentiation of mature neurons from the grafts nor an improvement of functional regeneration. Together these findings suggest, that the formation of neuronal relays from grafted embryonic cells is essential to re-connect segregated spinal cord circuits.
External pallidal stimulation improves parkinsonian motor signs and modulates neuronal activity throughout the basal ganglia thalamic network.

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Vitek, Jerrold L; Zhang, Jianyu; Hashimoto, Takao; Russo, Gary S; Baker, Kenneth B

2012-01-01

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) are effective for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). We have shown previously that DBS of the external segment of the globus pallidus (GPe) is associated with improvements in parkinsonian motor signs; however, the mechanism of this effect is not known. In this study, we extend our findings on the effect of STN and GPi DBS on neuronal activity in the basal ganglia thalamic network to include GPe DBS using the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1.2.3.6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) monkey model. Stimulation parameters that improved bradykinesia were associated with changes in the pattern and mean discharge rate of neuronal activity in the GPi, STN, and the pallidal [ventralis lateralis pars oralis (VLo) and ventralis anterior (VA)] and cerebellar [ventralis lateralis posterior pars oralis (VPLo)] receiving areas of the motor thalamus. Population post-stimulation time histograms revealed a complex pattern of stimulation-related inhibition and excitation for the GPi and VA/VLo, with a more consistent pattern of inhibition in STN and excitation in VPLo. Mean discharge rate was reduced in the GPi and STN and increased in the VPLo. Effective GPe DBS also reduced bursting in the STN and GPi. These data support the hypothesis that therapeutic DBS activates output from the stimulated structure and changes the temporal pattern of neuronal activity throughout the basal ganglia thalamic network and provide further support for GPe as a potential therapeutic target for DBS in the treatment of PD. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A computational relationship between thalamic sensory neural responses and contrast perception.

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Jiang, Yaoguang; Purushothaman, Gopathy; Casagrande, Vivien A

2015-01-01

Uncovering the relationship between sensory neural responses and perceptual decisions remains a fundamental problem in neuroscience. Decades of experimental and modeling work in the sensory cortex have demonstrated that a perceptual decision pool is usually composed of tens to hundreds of neurons, the responses of which are significantly correlated not only with each other, but also with the behavioral choices of an animal. Few studies, however, have measured neural activity in the sensory thalamus of awake, behaving animals. Therefore, it remains unclear how many thalamic neurons are recruited and how the information from these neurons is pooled at subsequent cortical stages to form a perceptual decision. In a previous study we measured neural activity in the macaque lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) during a two alternative forced choice (2AFC) contrast detection task, and found that single LGN neurons were significantly correlated with the monkeys' behavioral choices, despite their relatively poor contrast sensitivity and a lack of overall interneuronal correlations. We have now computationally tested a number of specific hypotheses relating these measured LGN neural responses to the contrast detection behavior of the animals. We modeled the perceptual decisions with different numbers of neurons and using a variety of pooling/readout strategies, and found that the most successful model consisted of about 50-200 LGN neurons, with individual neurons weighted differentially according to their signal-to-noise ratios (quantified as d-primes). These results supported the hypothesis that in contrast detection the perceptual decision pool consists of multiple thalamic neurons, and that the response fluctuations in these neurons can influence contrast perception, with the more sensitive thalamic neurons likely to exert a greater influence.
Individual mediodorsal thalamic neurons project to multiple areas of the rat prefrontal cortex: A single neuron-tracing study using virus vectors.

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Kuramoto, Eriko; Pan, Shixiu; Furuta, Takahiro; Tanaka, Yasuhiro R; Iwai, Haruki; Yamanaka, Atsushi; Ohno, Sachi; Kaneko, Takeshi; Goto, Tetsuya; Hioki, Hiroyuki

2017-01-01

The prefrontal cortex has an important role in a variety of cognitive and executive processes, and is generally defined by its reciprocal connections with the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD). The rat MD is mainly subdivided into three segments, the medial (MDm), central (MDc), and lateral (MDl) divisions, on the basis of the cytoarchitecture and chemoarchitecture. The MD segments are known to topographically project to multiple prefrontal areas at the population level: the MDm mainly to the prelimbic, infralimbic, and agranular insular areas; the MDc to the orbital and agranular insular areas; and the MDl to the prelimbic and anterior cingulate areas. However, it is unknown whether individual MD neurons project to single or multiple prefrontal cortical areas. In the present study, we visualized individual MD neurons with Sindbis virus vectors, and reconstructed whole structures of MD neurons. While the main cortical projection targets of MDm, MDc, and MDl neurons were generally consistent with those of previous results, it was found that individual MD neurons sent their axon fibers to multiple prefrontal areas, and displayed various projection patterns in the target areas. Furthermore, the axons of single MD neurons were not homogeneously spread, but were rather distributed to form patchy axon arbors approximately 1 mm in diameter. The multiple-area projections and patchy axon arbors of single MD neurons might be able to coactivate cortical neuron groups in distant prefrontal areas simultaneously. Furthermore, considerable heterogeneity of the projection patterns is likely, to recruit the different sets of cortical neurons, and thus contributes to a variety of prefrontal functions. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:166-185, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Intralaminar and medial thalamic influence on cortical synchrony, information transmission and cognition

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Yuri B Saalmann

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The intralaminar and medial thalamic nuclei are part of the higher-order thalamus, which receives little sensory input, and instead forms extensive cortico-thalamo-cortical pathways. The large mediodorsal thalamic nucleus predominantly connects with the prefrontal cortex, the adjacent intralaminar nuclei connect with fronto-parietal cortex, and the midline thalamic nuclei connect with medial prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobe. Taking into account this connectivity pattern, it is not surprising that the intralaminar and medial thalamus has been implicated in a variety of cognitive functions, including memory processing, attention and orienting, as well as reward-based behavior. This review addresses how the intralaminar and medial thalamus may regulate information transmission in cortical circuits. A key neural mechanism may involve intralaminar and medial thalamic neurons modulating the degree of synchrony between different groups of cortical neurons according to behavioral demands. Such a thalamic-mediated synchronization mechanism may give rise to large-scale integration of information across multiple cortical circuits, consequently influencing the level of arousal and consciousness. Overall, the growing evidence supports a general role for the higher-order thalamus in the control of cortical information transmission and cognitive processing.
Proper development of relay somatic sensory neurons and D2/D4 interneurons requires homeobox genes Rnx/Tlx-3 and Tlx-1.

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Qian, Ying; Shirasawa, Senji; Chen, Chih-Li; Cheng, Leping; Ma, Qiufu

2002-05-15

Trigeminal nuclei and the dorsal spinal cord are first-order relay stations for processing somatic sensory information such as touch, pain, and temperature. The origins and development of these neurons are poorly understood. Here we show that relay somatic sensory neurons and D2/D4 dorsal interneurons likely derive from Mash1-positive neural precursors, and depend on two related homeobox genes, Rnx and Tlx-1, for proper formation. Rnx and Tlx-1 maintain expression of Drg11, a homeobox gene critical for the development of pain circuitry, and are essential for the ingrowth of trkA+ nociceptive/thermoceptive sensory afferents to their central targets. We showed previously that Rnx is necessary for proper formation of the nucleus of solitary tract, the target for visceral sensory afferents. Together, our studies demonstrate a central role for Rnx and Tlx-1 in the development of two major classes of relay sensory neurons, somatic and visceral.
Golgi-type I and Golgi-type II neurons in the ventral anterior thalamic nucleus of the adult human: morphological features and quantitative analysis.

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Al-Hussain Bani Hani, Saleh M; El-Dwairi, Qasim A; Bataineh, Ziad M; Al-Haidari, Mohammad S; Al-Alami, Jamil

2008-05-01

The morphological and quantitative features of neurons in the adult human ventral anterior thalamic nucleus were studied in Golgi preparations. Two neuronal types were found and their quantitative features were studied. Golgi-type I neurons were medium to large cells with dense dendritic trees and dendritic protrusions and short hair-like appendages. They have somatic mean diameter of 30.8 microm (+/-9.4, n = 85). They have an average 100.3 dendritic branches, 48.97 dendritic branching points, and 58.85 dendritic tips. The mean diameters of their primary, secondary, and tertiary dendrites were 3.1 microm (+/-1, n = 80), 1.85 microm (+/-0.8, n = 145), and 1.5 microm (+/-0.4, n = 160), respectively. Golgi-type II neurons were small to medium cells with few sparsely branching dendrites and dendritic stalked appendages with or without terminal swellings. They have somatic mean diameters of 22.2 microm (+/-5.8, n = 120). They have an average 33.76 dendritic branches, 16.49 dendritic branching points, and 21.97 dendritic tips. The mean diameters of their primary, secondary, and tertiary dendrites were 1.6 microm (+/-0.86, n = 70), 1.15 microm (+/-0.55, n = 118), and 1 microm (+/-0.70, n = 95), respectively. These quantitative data may form the basis for further quantitative studies involving aging or some degenerative diseases that may affect cell bodies and/or dendritic trees of the Golgi-type I and/or Golgi-type II thalamic neurons.
Mechanisms Contributing to the Induction and Storage of Pavlovian Fear Memories in the Lateral Amygdala

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Kim, Dongbeom; Pare, Denis; Nair, Satish S.

2013-01-01

The relative contributions of plasticity in the amygdala vs. its afferent pathways to conditioned fear remain controversial. Some believe that thalamic and cortical neurons transmitting information about the conditioned stimulus (CS) to the lateral amygdala (LA) serve a relay function. Others maintain that thalamic and/or cortical plasticity is…
Mediodorsal Thalamic Neurons Mirror the Activity of Medial Prefrontal Neurons Responding to Movement and Reinforcement during a Dynamic DNMTP Task.

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Miller, Rikki L A; Francoeur, Miranda J; Gibson, Brett M; Mair, Robert G

2017-01-01

The mediodorsal nucleus (MD) interacts with medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to support learning and adaptive decision-making. MD receives driver (layer 5) and modulatory (layer 6) projections from PFC and is the main source of driver thalamic projections to middle cortical layers of PFC. Little is known about the activity of MD neurons and their influence on PFC during decision-making. We recorded MD neurons in rats performing a dynamic delayed nonmatching to position (dDNMTP) task and compared results to a previous study of mPFC with the same task (Onos et al., 2016). Criterion event-related responses were observed for 22% (254/1179) of neurons recorded in MD, 237 (93%) of which exhibited activity consistent with mPFC response types. More MD than mPFC neurons exhibited responses related to movement (45% vs. 29%) and reinforcement (51% vs. 27%). MD had few responses related to lever presses, and none related to preparation or memory delay, which constituted 43% of event-related activity in mPFC. Comparison of averaged normalized population activity and population response times confirmed the broad similarity of common response types in MD and mPFC and revealed differences in the onset and offset of some response types. Our results show that MD represents information about actions and outcomes essential for decision-making during dDNMTP, consistent with evidence from lesion studies that MD supports reward-based learning and action-selection. These findings support the hypothesis that MD reinforces task-relevant neural activity in PFC that gives rise to adaptive behavior.
Neuronal hyperexcitability in the ventral posterior thalamus of neuropathic rats: modality selective effects of pregabalin.

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Patel, Ryan; Dickenson, Anthony H

2016-07-01

Neuropathic pain represents a substantial clinical challenge; understanding the underlying neural mechanisms and back-translation of therapeutics could aid targeting of treatments more effectively. The ventral posterior thalamus (VP) is the major termination site for the spinothalamic tract and relays nociceptive activity to the somatosensory cortex; however, under neuropathic conditions, it is unclear how hyperexcitability of spinal neurons converges onto thalamic relays. This study aimed to identify neural substrates of hypersensitivity and the influence of pregabalin on central processing. In vivo electrophysiology was performed to record from VP wide dynamic range (WDR) and nociceptive-specific (NS) neurons in anesthetized spinal nerve-ligated (SNL), sham-operated, and naive rats. In neuropathic rats, WDR neurons had elevated evoked responses to low- and high-intensity punctate mechanical stimuli, dynamic brushing, and innocuous and noxious cooling, but less so to heat stimulation, of the receptive field. NS neurons in SNL rats also displayed increased responses to noxious punctate mechanical stimulation, dynamic brushing, noxious cooling, and noxious heat. Additionally, WDR, but not NS, neurons in SNL rats exhibited substantially higher rates of spontaneous firing, which may correlate with ongoing pain. The ratio of WDR-to-NS neurons was comparable between SNL and naive/sham groups, suggesting relatively few NS neurons gain sensitivity to low-intensity stimuli leading to a "WDR phenotype." After neuropathy was induced, the proportion of cold-sensitive WDR and NS neurons increased, supporting the suggestion that changes in frequency-dependent firing and population coding underlie cold hypersensitivity. In SNL rats, pregabalin inhibited mechanical and heat responses but not cold-evoked or elevated spontaneous activity. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.
The neurobiology of thalamic amnesia: Contributions of medial thalamus and prefrontal cortex to delayed conditional discrimination.

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Mair, Robert G; Miller, Rikki L A; Wormwood, Benjamin A; Francoeur, Miranda J; Onos, Kristen D; Gibson, Brett M

2015-07-01

Although medial thalamus is well established as a site of pathology associated with global amnesia, there is uncertainty about which structures are critical and how they affect memory function. Evidence from human and animal research suggests that damage to the mammillothalamic tract and the anterior, mediodorsal (MD), midline (M), and intralaminar (IL) nuclei contribute to different signs of thalamic amnesia. Here we focus on MD and the adjacent M and IL nuclei, structures identified in animal studies as critical nodes in prefrontal cortex (PFC)-related pathways that are necessary for delayed conditional discrimination. Recordings of PFC neurons in rats performing a dynamic delayed non-matching-to position (DNMTP) task revealed discrete populations encoding information related to planning, execution, and outcome of DNMTP-related actions and delay-related activity signaling previous reinforcement. Parallel studies recording the activity of MD and IL neurons and examining the effects of unilateral thalamic inactivation on the responses of PFC neurons demonstrated a close coupling of central thalamic and PFC neurons responding to diverse aspects of DNMTP and provide evidence that thalamus interacts with PFC neurons to give rise to complex goal-directed behavior exemplified by the DNMTP task. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Remote effect in patients with thalamic stroke. A study using positron emission tomography

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Komaba, Yuichi; Kitamura, Shin; Terashi, Akiro

1998-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional relation between the thalamus and other cortical regions in patients with thalamic stroke from the view of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO 2 ) using positron emission tomography (PET). Twenty patients with thalamic stroke (right lesion=8, left lesion=12) and 7 normal controls were studied. Five patients were diagnosed as having thalamic infarction, and 15 (patients were diagnosed) as having thalamic hemorrhage by X-CT and/or MRI scan. Regional cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen were measured by PET using C 15 O 2 and 15 O 2 steady state inhalation technique. In the left thalamic stroke group, CMRO 2 was significantly decreased in the left cingulate, superior frontal, superior temporal, middle temporal, medial occipital, and thalamic regions, compared with the normal control group. In the right thalamic stroke group, CMRO 2 was decreased in the left cingulate, medial occipital, right hippocampal, thalamic, and the bilateral cerebellar regions, compared with the normal control group. In the left thalamic stroke group, CBF was decreased significantly in the left cingulate, middle temporal, hippocampal, thalamic, and right cerebellar regions, compared with the normal control group. In the right thalamic stroke group, CBF was significantly decreased in the right hippocampal, thalamic and left cerebellar regions compared with the normal control group. These results indicate that CBF and CMRO 2 decrease in some distant regions from thalamic lesions, perhaps due to a disconnection of neuronal fiber. Especially in the left thalamic stroke group, CMRO 2 was decreased in the ipsilateral temporal regions. This result suggests that there are more intimate functional fiber connections between the thalamus and temporal cortex in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere. (author)
Deep-brain electrical microstimulation is an effective tool to explore functional characteristics of somatosensory neurons in the rat brain.

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Han-Jia Jiang

Full Text Available In neurophysiology researches, peripheral stimulation is used along with recordings of neural activities to study the processing of somatosensory signals in the brain. However, limited precision of peripheral stimulation makes it difficult to activate the neuron with millisecond resolution and study its functional properties in this scale. Also, tissue/receptor damage that could occur in some experiments often limits the amount of responses that can be recorded and hence reduces data reproducibility. To overcome these limitations, electrical microstimulation (ES of the brain could be used to directly and more precisely evoke neural responses. For this purpose, a deep-brain ES protocol for rat somatosensory relay neurons was developed in this study. Three male Wistar rats were used in the experiment. The ES was applied to the thalamic region responsive to hindpaw tactile stimulation (TS via a theta glass microelectrode. The resulting ES-evoked cortical responses showed action potentials and thalamocortical relay latencies very similar to those evoked by TS. This result shows that the developed deep-brain ES protocol is an effective tool to bypass peripheral tissue for in vivo functional analysis of specific types of somatosensory neurons. This protocol could be readily applied in researches of nociception and other somatosensory systems to allow more extensive exploration of the neural functional networks.
Thalamic control of sensory selection in divided attention.

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Wimmer, Ralf D; Schmitt, L Ian; Davidson, Thomas J; Nakajima, Miho; Deisseroth, Karl; Halassa, Michael M

2015-10-29

How the brain selects appropriate sensory inputs and suppresses distractors is unknown. Given the well-established role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in executive function, its interactions with sensory cortical areas during attention have been hypothesized to control sensory selection. To test this idea and, more generally, dissect the circuits underlying sensory selection, we developed a cross-modal divided-attention task in mice that allowed genetic access to this cognitive process. By optogenetically perturbing PFC function in a temporally precise window, the ability of mice to select appropriately between conflicting visual and auditory stimuli was diminished. Equivalent sensory thalamocortical manipulations showed that behaviour was causally dependent on PFC interactions with the sensory thalamus, not sensory cortex. Consistent with this notion, we found neurons of the visual thalamic reticular nucleus (visTRN) to exhibit PFC-dependent changes in firing rate predictive of the modality selected. visTRN activity was causal to performance as confirmed by bidirectional optogenetic manipulations of this subnetwork. Using a combination of electrophysiology and intracellular chloride photometry, we demonstrated that visTRN dynamically controls visual thalamic gain through feedforward inhibition. Our experiments introduce a new subcortical model of sensory selection, in which the PFC biases thalamic reticular subnetworks to control thalamic sensory gain, selecting appropriate inputs for further processing.
Basal ganglia modulation of thalamocortical relay in Parkinson's disease and dystonia.

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Guo, Yixin; Park, Choongseok; Worth, Robert M; Rubchinsky, Leonid L

2013-01-01

Basal ganglia dysfunction has being implied in both Parkinson's disease and dystonia. While these disorders probably involve different cellular and circuit pathologies within and beyond basal ganglia, there may be some shared neurophysiological pathways. For example, pallidotomy and pallidal Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) are used in symptomatic treatment of both disorders. Both conditions are marked by alterations of rhythmicity of neural activity throughout basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits. Increased synchronized oscillatory activity in beta band is characteristic of Parkinson's disease, while different frequency bands, theta and alpha, are involved in dystonia. We compare the effect of the activity of GPi, the output nuclei of the basal ganglia, on information processing in the downstream neural circuits of thalamus in Parkinson's disease and dystonia. We use a data-driven computational approach, a computational model of the thalamocortical (TC) cell modulated by experimentally recorded data, to study the differences and similarities of thalamic dynamics in dystonia and Parkinson's disease. Our analysis shows no substantial differences in TC relay between the two conditions. Our results suggest that, similar to Parkinson's disease, a disruption of thalamic processing could also be involved in dystonia. Moreover, the degree to which TC relay fidelity is impaired is approximately the same in both conditions. While Parkinson's disease and dystonia may have different pathologies and differ in the oscillatory content of neural discharge, our results suggest that the effect of patterning of pallidal discharge is similar in both conditions. Furthermore, these results suggest that the mechanisms of GPi DBS in dystonia may involve improvement of TC relay fidelity.
A BMP-mediated transcriptional cascade involving Cash1 and Tlx-3 specifies first-order relay sensory neurons in the developing hindbrain.

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Hornbruch, Amata; Ma, Grace; Ballermann, Mark A; Tumova, Katerina; Liu, Dan; Cairine Logan, C

2005-07-01

The divergent homeobox-containing transcription factor, Tlx-3 (also known as Hox11L2/Rnx), is required for proper formation of first-order relay sensory neurons in the developing vertebrate brainstem. To date, however, the inductive signals and transcriptional regulatory cascade underlying their development are poorly understood. We previously isolated the chick Tlx-3 homologue and showed it is expressed early (i.e. beginning at HH15) in distinct subcomponents of both the trigeminal/solitary and vestibular nuclei. Here we show via in vivo rhombomere inversions that expression of Tlx-3 is under control of local environmental signals. Our RNA in situ analysis shows expression of the BMP-specific receptor, Bmpr-1b, correlates well with Tlx-3. Furthermore, manipulation of the BMP signaling pathway in vivo via electroporation of expression vectors encoding either BMP or NOGGIN coupled with MASH1 gain-of-function experiments demonstrate that a BMP-mediated transcriptional cascade involving Cash1 and Tlx-3 specifies first-order relay sensory neurons in the developing brainstem. Notably, high-level Noggin misexpression results in an increase in newly differentiated Tlx-3+ neurons that correlates with a corresponding increase in the number of Calretinin+ neurons in vestibular nuclei at later developmental stages strongly suggesting that Tlx-3, in addition to being required for proper formation of somatic as well as visceral sensory neurons in the trigeminal and solitary nuclei, respectively, is sufficient for proper formation of special somatic sensory neurons in vestibular nuclei.
Progressive thalamocortical neuron loss in Cln5 deficient mice: Distinct effects in Finnish variant late infantile NCL.

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von Schantz, Carina; Kielar, Catherine; Hansen, Stine N; Pontikis, Charlie C; Alexander, Noreen A; Kopra, Outi; Jalanko, Anu; Cooper, Jonathan D

2009-05-01

Finnish variant LINCL (vLINCL(Fin)) is the result of mutations in the CLN5 gene. To gain insights into the pathological staging of this fatal pediatric disorder, we have undertaken a stereological analysis of the CNS of Cln5 deficient mice (Cln5-/-) at different stages of disease progression. Consistent with human vLINCL(Fin), these Cln5-/- mice displayed a relatively late onset regional atrophy and generalized cortical thinning and synaptic pathology, preceded by early and localized glial responses within the thalamocortical system. However, in marked contrast to other forms of NCL, neuron loss in Cln5-/- mice began in the cortex and only subsequently occurred within thalamic relay nuclei. Nevertheless, as in other NCL mouse models, this progressive thalamocortical neuron loss was still most pronounced within the visual system. These data provide unexpected evidence for a distinctive sequence of neuron loss in the thalamocortical system of Cln5-/- mice, diametrically opposed to that seen in other forms of NCL.
The calcium-binding protein parvalbumin modulates the firing 1 properties of the reticular thalamic nucleus bursting neurons.

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Albéri, Lavinia; Lintas, Alessandra; Kretz, Robert; Schwaller, Beat; Villa, Alessandro E P

2013-06-01

The reticular thalamic nucleus (RTN) of the mouse is characterized by an overwhelming majority of GABAergic neurons receiving afferences from both the thalamus and the cerebral cortex and sending projections mainly on thalamocortical neurons. The RTN neurons express high levels of the "slow Ca(2+) buffer" parvalbumin (PV) and are characterized by low-threshold Ca(2+) currents, I(T). We performed extracellular recordings in ketamine/xylazine anesthetized mice in the rostromedial portion of the RTN. In the RTN of wild-type and PV knockout (PVKO) mice we distinguished four types of neurons characterized on the basis of their firing pattern: irregular firing (type I), medium bursting (type II), long bursting (type III), and tonically firing (type IV). Compared with wild-type mice, we observed in the PVKOs the medium bursting (type II) more frequently than the long bursting type and longer interspike intervals within the burst without affecting the number of spikes. This suggests that PV may affect the firing properties of RTN neurons via a mechanism associated with the kinetics of burst discharges. Ca(v)3.2 channels, which mediate the I(T) currents, were more localized to the somatic plasma membrane of RTN neurons in PVKO mice, whereas Ca(v)3.3 expression was similar in both genotypes. The immunoelectron microscopy analysis showed that Ca(v)3.2 channels were localized at active axosomatic synapses, thus suggesting that the differential localization of Ca(v)3.2 in the PVKOs may affect bursting dynamics. Cross-correlation analysis of simultaneously recorded neurons from the same electrode tip showed that about one-third of the cell pairs tended to fire synchronously in both genotypes, independent of PV expression. In summary, PV deficiency does not affect the functional connectivity between RTN neurons but affects the distribution of Ca(v)3.2 channels and the dynamics of burst discharges of RTN cells, which in turn regulate the activity in the thalamocortical circuit.
Thalamocortical Projection Neuron and Interneuron Numbers in the Visual Thalamic Nuclei of the Adult C57BL/6 Mouse.

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Evangelio, Marian; García-Amado, María; Clascá, Francisco

2018-01-01

A key parameter to constrain predictive, bottom-up circuit models of a given brain domain is the number and position of the neuronal populations involved. These include not only the neurons whose bodies reside within the domain, but also the neurons in distant regions that innervate the domain. The mouse visual cortex receives its main subcortical input from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) and the lateral posterior (LP) complex of the thalamus. The latter consists of three different nuclei: lateral posterior lateral (LPL), lateral posterior medial rostral (LPMR), and lateral posterior medial caudal (LPMC), each exhibiting specific patterns of connections with the various visual cortical areas. Here, we have determined the number of thalamocortical projection neurons and interneurons in the LP complex and dLGN of the adult C57BL/6 male mouse. We combined Nissl staining and histochemical and immunolabeling methods for consistently delineating nuclei borders, and applied unbiased stereological cell counting methods. Thalamic interneurons were identified using GABA immunolabeling. The C57BL/6 dLGN contains ∼21,200 neurons, while LP complex contains ∼31,000 total neurons. The dLGN and LP are the only nuclei of the mouse dorsal thalamus containing substantial numbers GABA-immunoreactive interneurons. These interneurons, however, are scarcer than previously estimated; they are 5.6% of dLGN neurons and just 1.9% of the LP neurons. It can be thus inferred that the dLGN contains ∼20,000 and the LP complex ∼30,400 thalamocortical projection neurons (∼12,000 in LPL, 15,200 in LPMR, and 4,200 in LPMC). The present dataset is relevant for constraining models of mouse visual thalamocortical circuits, as well as for quantitative comparisons between genetically modified mouse strains, or across species.
Migration Pathways of Thalamic Neurons and Development of Thalamocortical Connections in Humans Revealed by Diffusion MR Tractography.

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Wilkinson, Molly; Kane, Tara; Wang, Rongpin; Takahashi, Emi

2017-12-01

The thalamus plays an important role in signal relays in the brain, with thalamocortical (TC) neuronal pathways linked to various sensory/cognitive functions. In this study, we aimed to see fetal and postnatal development of the thalamus including neuronal migration to the thalamus and the emergence/maturation of the TC pathways. Pathways from/to the thalami of human postmortem fetuses and in vivo subjects ranging from newborns to adults with no neurological histories were studied using high angular resolution diffusion MR imaging (HARDI) tractography. Pathways likely linked to neuronal migration from the ventricular zone and ganglionic eminence (GE) to the thalami were both successfully detected. Between the ventricular zone and thalami, more tractography pathways were found in anterior compared with posterior regions, which was well in agreement with postnatal observations that the anterior TC segment had more tract count and volume than the posterior segment. Three different pathways likely linked to neuronal migration from the GE to the thalami were detected. No hemispheric asymmetry of the TC pathways was quantitatively observed during development. These results suggest that HARDI tractography is useful to identify multiple differential neuronal migration pathways in human brains, and regional differences in brain development in fetal ages persisted in postnatal development. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Thalamocortical neuron loss and localized astrocytosis in the Cln3Deltaex7/8 knock-in mouse model of Batten disease.

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Pontikis, Charlie C; Cotman, Susan L; MacDonald, Marcy E; Cooper, Jonathan D

2005-12-01

Juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (JNCL) is the result of mutations in the Cln3 gene. The Cln3 knock-in mouse (Cln3Deltaex7/8) reproduces the most common Cln3 mutation and we have now characterized the CNS of these mice at 12 months of age. With the exception of the thalamus, Cln3Deltaex7/8 homozygotes displayed no significant regional atrophy, but a range of changes in individual laminar thickness that resulted in variable cortical thinning across subfields. Stereological analysis revealed a pronounced loss of neurons within individual laminae of somatosensory cortex of affected mice and the novel finding of a loss of sensory relay thalamic neurons. These affected mice also exhibited profound astrocytic reactions that were most pronounced in the neocortex and thalamus, but diminished in other brain regions. These data provide the first direct evidence for neurodegenerative and reactive changes in the thalamocortical system in JNCL and emphasize the localized nature of these events.
A stereological study of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus in Down syndrome

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Karlsen, A S; Korbo, S; Uylings, H B M

2014-01-01

The total number of neurons and glial cells in the mediodorsal thalamic (MDT) nucleus of four aged females with Down syndrome (DS; mean age 69years) was estimated and compared to six age- and sex-matched controls. The MDT nucleus was delineated on coronal sections, and cell numbers (large and small...
Neuronal responses to tactile stimuli and tactile sensations evoked by microstimulation in the human thalamic principal somatic sensory nucleus (ventral caudal).

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Schmid, Anne-Christine; Chien, Jui-Hong; Greenspan, Joel D; Garonzik, Ira; Weiss, Nirit; Ohara, Shinji; Lenz, Frederick Arthur

2016-06-01

The normal organization and plasticity of the cutaneous core of the thalamic principal somatosensory nucleus (ventral caudal, Vc) have been studied by single-neuron recordings and microstimulation in patients undergoing awake stereotactic operations for essential tremor (ET) without apparent somatic sensory abnormality and in patients with dystonia or chronic pain secondary to major nervous system injury. In patients with ET, most Vc neurons responded to one of the four stimuli, each of which optimally activates one mechanoreceptor type. Sensations evoked by microstimulation were similar to those evoked by the optimal stimulus only among rapidly adapting neurons. In patients with ET, Vc was highly segmented somatotopically, and vibration, movement, pressure, and sharp sensations were usually evoked by microstimulation at separate sites in Vc. In patients with conditions including spinal cord transection, amputation, or dystonia, RFs were mismatched with projected fields more commonly than in patients with ET. The representation of the border of the anesthetic area (e.g., stump) or of the dystonic limb was much larger than that of the same part of the body in patients with ET. This review describes the organization and reorganization of human Vc neuronal activity in nervous system injury and dystonia and then proposes basic mechanisms. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.
Language disturbances from mesencephalo-thalamic infarcts. Identification of thalamic nuclei by CT-reconstructions

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Lazzarino, L G; Nicolai, A; Valassi, F [Ospedale Civile di Gorizia (Italy). Div. di Neurologia; Biasizzo, E [Ospedale di Udine (Italy). Servizio di Neuroradiologia

1991-08-01

The authors report the cases of two patients with CT-documented paramedian mesencephalo-thalamic infarcts, showing language disturbances. The first patient showed a non fluent, transcortical motor-like aphasia, the other had a fluent but severely paraphasic language disorder. The CT study disclosed that it was the dorso-median thalamic nucleus that was mostly involved in both cases. These findings agree with a few previous pathological studies suggesting that the paramedian thalamic nuclei, particlularly the dorso-median nucleus may play some role in language disturbances. However the anatomical basis for thalamic aphasia remains speculative, taking into account the importantce of cortical connections in the origin of subcortical neuropsychological disturbances. (orig.).
Compensating for Thalamocortical Synaptic Loss in Alzheimer’s Disease

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Kamal eAbuhassan

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The study presents a thalamocortical network model which oscillates within the alpha frequency band (8-13 Hz as recorded in the wakeful relaxed state with closed eyes to study the neural causes of abnormal oscillatory activity in Alzheimer’s disease (AD. Incorporated within the model are various types of cortical excitatory and inhibitory neurons, recurrently connected to thalamic and reticular thalamic regions with the ratios and distances derived from the mammalian thalamocortical system. The model is utilized to study the impacts of four types of connectivity loss on the model’s spectral dynamics. The study focuses on investigating degeneration of corticocortical, thalamocortical, corticothalamic and corticoreticular couplings, with an emphasis on the influence of each modelled case on the spectral output of the model. Synaptic compensation has been included in each model to examine the interplay between synaptic deletion and compensation mechanisms, and the oscillatory activity of the network. The results of power spectra and event related desynchronisation/synchronisation (ERD/S analyses show that the dynamics of the thalamic and cortical oscillations are significantly influenced by corticocortical synaptic loss. Interestingly, the patterns of changes in thalamic spectral activity are correlated with those in the cortical model. Similarly, the thalamic oscillatory activity is diminished after partial corticothalamic denervation. The results suggest that thalamic atrophy is a secondary pathology to cortical shrinkage in Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, this study finds that the inhibition from neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus (RTN to thalamic relay (TCR neurons plays a key role in regulating thalamic oscillations; disinhibition disrupts thalamic oscillatory activity even though TCR neurons are more depolarized after being released from RTN inhibition. This study provides information that can be explored experimentally to
Schizophrenia; from structure to function with special focus on the mediodorsal thalamic prefrontal loop

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Pakkenberg, B.; Scheel-Kruger, J.; Kristiansen, L.V.

2009-01-01

studies in postmortem brain from patients with schizophrenia have reported divergent and often opposing findings in the total number of neurons and volume of the mediodorsal (MD) thalamic nucleus, and to a lesser degree in its reciprocally associated areas of the prefrontal cortex. Similarly, quantitative...
Intracellular postsynaptic cannabinoid receptors link thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptors to TRPC-like channels in thalamic paraventricular nucleus neurons.

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Zhang, L; Kolaj, M; Renaud, L P

2015-12-17

In rat thalamic paraventricular nucleus of thalamus (PVT) neurons, activation of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) receptors enhances excitability via concurrent decrease in G protein-coupled inwardly-rectifying potassium (GIRK)-like and activation of transient receptor potential cation (TRPC)4/5-like cationic conductances. An exploration of intracellular signaling pathways revealed the TRH-induced current to be insensitive to phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) inhibitors, but reduced by D609, an inhibitor of phosphatidylcholine-specific PLC (PC-PLC). A corresponding change in the I-V relationship implied suppression of the cationic component of the TRH-induced current. Diacylglycerol (DAG) is a product of the hydrolysis of PC. Studies focused on the isolated cationic component of the TRH-induced response revealed a reduction by RHC80267, an inhibitor of DAG lipase, the enzyme involved in the hydrolysis of DAG to the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Further investigation revealed enhancement of the cationic component in the presence of either JZL184 or WWL70, inhibitors of enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of 2-AG. A decrease in the TRH-induced response was noted in the presence of rimonabant or SR144528, membrane permeable CB1 and CB2 receptor antagonists, respectively. A decrease in the TRH-induced current by intracellular, but not by bath application of the membrane impermeable peptide hemopressin, selective for CB1 receptors, suggests a postsynaptic intracellular localization of these receptors. The TRH-induced current was increased in the presence of arachidonyl-2'-chloroethylamide (ACEA) or JWH133, CB1 and CB2 receptor agonists, respectively. The PI3-kinase inhibitor LY294002, known to inhibit TRPC translocation, decreased the response to TRH. In addition, a TRH-induced enhancement of the low-threshold spike was prevented by both rimonabant, and SR144528. TRH had no influence on excitatory or inhibitory miniature
Retinal oscillations carry visual information to cortex

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Kilian Koepsell

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Thalamic relay cells fire action potentials that transmit information from retina to cortex. The amount of information that spike trains encode is usually estimated from the precision of spike timing with respect to the stimulus. Sensory input, however, is only one factor that influences neural activity. For example, intrinsic dynamics, such as oscillations of networks of neurons, also modulate firing pattern. Here, we asked if retinal oscillations might help to convey information to neurons downstream. Specifically, we made whole-cell recordings from relay cells to reveal retinal inputs (EPSPs and thalamic outputs (spikes and then analyzed these events with information theory. Our results show that thalamic spike trains operate as two multiplexed channels. One channel, which occupies a low frequency band (<30 Hz, is encoded by average firing rate with respect to the stimulus and carries information about local changes in the visual field over time. The other operates in the gamma frequency band (40-80 Hz and is encoded by spike timing relative to retinal oscillations. At times, the second channel conveyed even more information than the first. Because retinal oscillations involve extensive networks of ganglion cells, it is likely that the second channel transmits information about global features of the visual scene.
Modulation of short-term plasticity in the corticothalamic circuit by group III metabotropic glutamate receptors.

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Kyuyoung, Christine L; Huguenard, John R

2014-01-08

Recurrent connections in the corticothalamic circuit underlie oscillatory behavior in this network and range from normal sleep rhythms to the abnormal spike-wave discharges seen in absence epilepsy. The propensity of thalamic neurons to fire postinhibitory rebound bursts mediated by low-threshold calcium spikes renders the circuit vulnerable to both increased excitation and increased inhibition, such as excessive excitatory cortical drive to thalamic reticular (RT) neurons or heightened inhibition of thalamocortical relay (TC) neurons by RT. In this context, a protective role may be played by group III metabotropic receptors (mGluRs), which are uniquely located in the presynaptic active zone and typically act as autoreceptors or heteroceptors to depress synaptic release. Here, we report that these receptors regulate short-term plasticity at two loci in the corticothalamic circuit in rats: glutamatergic cortical synapses onto RT neurons and GABAergic synapses onto TC neurons in somatosensory ventrobasal thalamus. The net effect of group III mGluR activation at these synapses is to suppress thalamic oscillations as assayed in vitro. These findings suggest a functional role of these receptors to modulate corticothalamic transmission and protect against prolonged activity in the network.
Holmes' tremor as a delayed complication of thalamic stroke.

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Martins, William Alves; Marrone, Luiz Carlos Porcello; Fussiger, Helena; Vedana, Viviane Maria; Cristovam, Rafael do Amaral; Taietti, Marjorye Z; Marrone, Antonio Carlos Huf

2016-04-01

Movement disorders are not commonly associated with stroke. Accordingly, thalamic strokes have rarely been associated with tremor, pseudo-athetosis and dystonic postures. We present a 75-year-old man who developed a disabling tremor 1 year after a posterolateral thalamic stroke. This tremor had low frequency (3-4 Hz), did not disappear on focus and was exacerbated by maintaining a static posture and on target pursuit, which made it very difficult to perform basic functions. MRI demonstrated an old ischemic lesion at the left posterolateral thalamus. Treatment with levodopa led to symptom control. Lesions in the midbrain, cerebellum and thalamus may cause Holmes' tremor. Delayed onset of symptoms is usually seen, sometimes appearing 2 years after the original injury. This may be due to maturation of a complex neuronal network, leading to slow dopaminergic denervation. Further studies are needed to improve our understanding of this unique disconnection syndrome. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cyto- and chemoarchitecture of the dorsal thalamus of the monotreme Tachyglossus aculeatus, the short beaked echidna.

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Ashwell, Ken W S; Paxinos, George

2005-12-01

We have examined the cyto- and chemoarchitecture of the dorsal thalamus of the short beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), using Nissl and myelin staining, immunoreactivity for parvalbumin, calbindin, calretinin and non-phosphorylated neurofilament protein (SMI-32 antibody), and histochemistry for acetylcholinesterase and NADPH diaphorase. Immunohistochemical methods revealed many nuclear boundaries, which were difficult to discern with Nissl staining. Parvalbumin immunoreactive somata were concentrated in the ventral posterior, reticular, posterior, lateral and medial geniculate nuclei, while parvalbumin immunoreactivity of the neuropil was present throughout all but the midline nuclei. Large numbers of calbindin immunoreactive somata were also found within the midline thalamic nuclei, and thalamic sensory relay nuclei. Immunoreactivity for calretinin was found in many small somata within the lateral geniculate "a" nucleus, with other labelled somata found in the lateral geniculate "b" nucleus, ventral posterior medial and ventral posterior lateral nuclei. Immunoreactivity with the SMI-32 antibody was largely confined to somata and neuropil within the thalamocortical relay nuclei (ventral posterior medial and lateral nuclei, lateral and medial geniculate nuclei and the posterior thalamic nucleus). In broad terms there were many similarities between the thalamus of this monotreme and that of eutheria (e.g. disposition of somatosensory thalamus, complementarity of parvalbumin and calbindin immunoreactive structures), but there were some unique features of the thalamus of the echidna. These include the relatively small size of the thalamic reticular nucleus and the preponderance of calbindin immunoreactive neurons over parvalbumin immunoreactive neurons in the ventral posterior nucleus.
Network and neuronal membrane properties in hybrid networks reciprocally regulate selectivity to rapid thalamocortical inputs.

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Pesavento, Michael J; Pinto, David J

2012-11-01

Rapidly changing environments require rapid processing from sensory inputs. Varying deflection velocities of a rodent's primary facial vibrissa cause varying temporal neuronal activity profiles within the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus. Local neuron populations in a single somatosensory layer 4 barrel transform sparsely coded input into a spike count based on the input's temporal profile. We investigate this transformation by creating a barrel-like hybrid network with whole cell recordings of in vitro neurons from a cortical slice preparation, embedding the biological neuron in the simulated network by presenting virtual synaptic conductances via a conductance clamp. Utilizing the hybrid network, we examine the reciprocal network properties (local excitatory and inhibitory synaptic convergence) and neuronal membrane properties (input resistance) by altering the barrel population response to diverse thalamic input. In the presence of local network input, neurons are more selective to thalamic input timing; this arises from strong feedforward inhibition. Strongly inhibitory (damping) network regimes are more selective to timing and less selective to the magnitude of input but require stronger initial input. Input selectivity relies heavily on the different membrane properties of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. When inhibitory and excitatory neurons had identical membrane properties, the sensitivity of in vitro neurons to temporal vs. magnitude features of input was substantially reduced. Increasing the mean leak conductance of the inhibitory cells decreased the network's temporal sensitivity, whereas increasing excitatory leak conductance enhanced magnitude sensitivity. Local network synapses are essential in shaping thalamic input, and differing membrane properties of functional classes reciprocally modulate this effect.
Altered thalamic functional connectivity in multiple sclerosis

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Liu, Yaou; Liang, Peipeng; Duan, Yunyun; Huang, Jing; Ren, Zhuoqiong; Jia, Xiuqin [Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053 (China); Dong, Huiqing; Ye, Jing [Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053 (China); Shi, Fu-Dong [Department of Neurology and Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052 (China); Butzkueven, Helmut [Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010 (Australia); Li, Kuncheng, E-mail: kunchengli55@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053 (China)

2015-04-15

Highlights: •We demonstrated decreased connectivity between thalamus and cortical regions in MS. •Increased intra- and inter-thalamic connectivity was also observed in MS. •The increased functional connectivity is attenuated by increasing disease duration. -- Abstract: Objective: To compare thalamic functional connectivity (FC) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls (HC), and correlate these connectivity measures with other MRI and clinical variables. Methods: We employed resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) to examine changes in thalamic connectivity by comparing thirty-five patients with MS and 35 age- and sex-matched HC. Thalamic FC was investigated by correlating low frequency fMRI signal fluctuations in thalamic voxels with voxels in all other brain regions. Additionally thalamic volume fraction (TF), T2 lesion volume (T2LV), EDSS and disease duration were recorded and correlated with the FC changes. Results: MS patients were found to have a significantly lower TF than HC in bilateral thalami. Compared to HC, the MS group showed significantly decreased FC between thalamus and several brain regions including right middle frontal and parahippocampal gyri, and the left inferior parietal lobule. Increased intra- and inter-thalamic FC was observed in the MS group compared to HC. These FC alterations were not correlated with T2LV, thalamic volume or lesions. In the MS group, however, there was a negative correlation between disease duration and inter-thalamic connectivity (r = −0.59, p < 0.001). Conclusion: We demonstrated decreased FC between thalamus and several cortical regions, while increased intra- and inter-thalamic connectivity in MS patients. These complex functional changes reflect impairments and/or adaptations that are independent of T2LV, thalamic volume or presence of thalamic lesions. The negative correlation between disease duration and inter-thalamic connectivity could indicate an adaptive role of thalamus that is
Protective relay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, Mu Ji; Jung, Hae Sang

1974-10-01

This book is divided into two chapters, which deals with protective relay. The first chapter deals with the basic knowledge of relay on development of relay, classification of protective relay, rating of protective relay general structure of protective relay, detecting of ground protection, about point of contact, operating relay and trip relaying. The second chapter is about structure and explanation of relay on classification by structure such as motor type and moving-coil type, explanation of other relays over current relay, over voltage relay, short voltage relay, relay for power, relay for direction, test of over voltage relay, test of short voltage relay and test of directional circuit relay.
Hypertensive thalamic hemorrhage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munaka, Masahiro; Nishikawa, Michio; Hirai, Osamu; Kaneko, Takaaki; Watanabe, Syu; Fukuma, Jun; Handa, Hajime

1988-01-01

In the past six years, we have had experience with 40 patients with hypertensive thalamic hemorrhages, as verified by CT scan at our hospital within 24 hours. These patients were classified into the following three groups according to the location of the bleeding point and the size of the hematoma: (1) anteromedial (4 cases), (2) posterolateral (16 cases), and (3) massive (20 cases). The (1) and (2) hematomas were small (less than 3 cm in diameter), while those in (3) were large (more than 3 cm in diameter). Twenty cases (50% of all the thalamic hematomas) were small hematomas. The characteristic clinical symptoms of the anteromedial type were a mild disturbance of consciousness and thalamic dementia, while those of the posterolateral type were motor and sensory disturbance, and thalamic aphasia, respectively. Twenty cases (50%) were large hematomas. The clinical symptoms of these cases were mainly consciousness disturbance; 7 of them expired. Based on this experience, it may be considered that the patients whose hematoma size was larger than 3 cm had a poor prognosis and that the patients with the posterolateral type had a poor functional diagnosis. (author)
Consistent phosphenes generated by electrical microstimulation of the visual thalamus. An experimental approach for thalamic visual neuroprostheses

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Fivos ePanetsos

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Most work on visual prostheses has centred on developing retinal or cortical devices. However, when retinal implants are not feasible, neuroprostheses could be implanted in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (LGN, the intermediate relay station of visual information from the retina to the visual cortex (V1. The objective of the present study was to determine the types of artificial stimuli that when delivered to the visual thalamus can generate reliable responses of the cortical neurons similar to those obtained when the eye perceives a visual image. Visual stimuli {Si} were presented to one eye of an experimental animal and both, the thalamic {RThi} and cortical responses {RV1i} to such stimuli were recorded. Electrical patterns {RThi*} resembling {RThi} were then injected into the visual thalamus to obtain cortical responses {RV1i*} similar to {RV1i}. Visually- and electrically-generated V1 responses were compared.Results: During the course of this work we: (i characterised the response of V1 neurons to visual stimuli according to response magnitude, duration, spiking rate and the distribution of interspike intervals; (ii experimentally tested the dependence of V1 responses on stimulation parameters such as intensity, frequency, duration, etc. and determined the ranges of these parameters generating the desired cortical activity; (iii identified similarities between responses of V1 useful to compare the naturally and artificially generated neuronal activity of V1; and (iv by modifying the stimulation parameters, we generated artificial V1 responses similar to those elicited by visual stimuli.Generation of predictable and consistent phosphenes by means of artificial stimulation of the LGN is important for the feasibility of visual prostheses. Here we proved that electrical stimuli to the LGN can generate V1 neural responses that resemble those elicited by natural visual stimuli.
Dissociable Contributions of Thalamic Nuclei to Recognition Memory: Novel Evidence from a Case of Medial Dorsal Thalamic Damage

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Newsome, Rachel N.; Trelle, Alexandra N.; Fidalgo, Celia; Hong, Bryan; Smith, Victoria M.; Jacob, Alexander; Ryan, Jennifer D.; Rosenbaum, R. Shayna; Cowell, Rosemary A.; Barense, Morgan D.

2018-01-01

The thalamic nuclei are thought to play a critical role in recognition memory. Specifically, the anterior thalamic nuclei and medial dorsal nuclei may serve as critical output structures in distinct hippocampal and perirhinal cortex systems, respectively. Existing evidence indicates that damage to the anterior thalamic nuclei leads to impairments…
Language disturbances from mesencephalo-thalamic infarcts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazzarino, L.G.; Nicolai, A.; Valassi, F.; Biasizzo, E.

1991-01-01

The authors report the cases of two patients with CT-documented paramedian mesencephalo-thalamic infarcts, showing language disturbances. The first patient showed a non fluent, transcortical motor-like aphasia, the other had a fluent but severely paraphasic language disorder. The CT study disclosed that it was the dorso-median thalamic nucleus that was mostly involved in both cases. These findings agree with a few previous pathological studies suggesting that the paramedian thalamic nuclei, particlularly the dorso-median nucleus may play some role in language disturbances. However the anatomical basis for thalamic aphasia remains speculative, taking into account the importantce of cortical connections in the origin of subcortical neuropsychological disturbances. (orig.)
Reduced thalamic volume in preterm infants is associated with abnormal white matter metabolism independent of injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wisnowski, Jessica L.; Ceschin, Rafael C.; Choi, So Young; Schmithorst, Vincent J.; Painter, Michael J.; Nelson, Marvin D.; Blueml, Stefan; Panigrahy, Ashok

2015-01-01

Altered thalamocortical development is hypothesized to be a key substrate underlying neurodevelopmental disabilities in preterm infants. However, the pathogenesis of this abnormality is not well-understood. We combined magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the parietal white matter and morphometric analyses of the thalamus to investigate the association between white matter metabolism and thalamic volume and tested the hypothesis that thalamic volume would be associated with diminished N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), a measure of neuronal/axonal maturation, independent of white matter injury. Data from 106 preterm infants (mean gestational age at birth: 31.0 weeks ± 4.3; range 23-36 weeks) who underwent MR examinations under clinical indications were included in this study. Linear regression analyses demonstrated a significant association between parietal white matter NAA concentration and thalamic volume. This effect was above and beyond the effect of white matter injury and age at MRI and remained significant even when preterm infants with punctate white matter lesions (pWMLs) were excluded from the analysis. Furthermore, choline, and among the preterm infants without pWMLs, lactate concentrations were also associated with thalamic volume. Of note, the associations between NAA and choline concentration and thalamic volume remained significant even when the sample was restricted to neonates who were term-equivalent age or older. These observations provide convergent evidence of a neuroimaging phenotype characterized by widespread abnormal thalamocortical development and suggest that the pathogenesis may involve impaired axonal maturation. (orig.)
Reduced thalamic volume in preterm infants is associated with abnormal white matter metabolism independent of injury

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Wisnowski, Jessica L. [Children' s Hospital Los Angeles, Department of Radiology, Los Angeles, CA (United States); University of Pittsburgh, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); University of Southern California, Brain and Creativity Institute, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Ceschin, Rafael C. [University of Pittsburgh, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Choi, So Young [University of Southern California, Brain and Creativity Institute, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Schmithorst, Vincent J. [University of Pittsburgh, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Painter, Michael J. [University of Pittsburgh, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology, Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Nelson, Marvin D. [Children' s Hospital Los Angeles, Department of Radiology, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Blueml, Stefan [Children' s Hospital Los Angeles, Department of Radiology, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Rudi Schulte Research Institute, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Panigrahy, Ashok [Children' s Hospital Los Angeles, Department of Radiology, Los Angeles, CA (United States); University of Pittsburgh, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

2015-05-01

Altered thalamocortical development is hypothesized to be a key substrate underlying neurodevelopmental disabilities in preterm infants. However, the pathogenesis of this abnormality is not well-understood. We combined magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the parietal white matter and morphometric analyses of the thalamus to investigate the association between white matter metabolism and thalamic volume and tested the hypothesis that thalamic volume would be associated with diminished N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), a measure of neuronal/axonal maturation, independent of white matter injury. Data from 106 preterm infants (mean gestational age at birth: 31.0 weeks ± 4.3; range 23-36 weeks) who underwent MR examinations under clinical indications were included in this study. Linear regression analyses demonstrated a significant association between parietal white matter NAA concentration and thalamic volume. This effect was above and beyond the effect of white matter injury and age at MRI and remained significant even when preterm infants with punctate white matter lesions (pWMLs) were excluded from the analysis. Furthermore, choline, and among the preterm infants without pWMLs, lactate concentrations were also associated with thalamic volume. Of note, the associations between NAA and choline concentration and thalamic volume remained significant even when the sample was restricted to neonates who were term-equivalent age or older. These observations provide convergent evidence of a neuroimaging phenotype characterized by widespread abnormal thalamocortical development and suggest that the pathogenesis may involve impaired axonal maturation. (orig.)

Distinct Thalamic Reticular Cell Types Differentially Modulate Normal and Pathological Cortical Rhythms

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Alexandra Clemente-Perez

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Integrative brain functions depend on widely distributed, rhythmically coordinated computations. Through its long-ranging connections with cortex and most senses, the thalamus orchestrates the flow of cognitive and sensory information. Essential in this process, the nucleus reticularis thalami (nRT gates different information streams through its extensive inhibition onto other thalamic nuclei, however, we lack an understanding of how different inhibitory neuron subpopulations in nRT function as gatekeepers. We dissociated the connectivity, physiology, and circuit functions of neurons within rodent nRT, based on parvalbumin (PV and somatostatin (SOM expression, and validated the existence of such populations in human nRT. We found that PV, but not SOM, cells are rhythmogenic, and that PV and SOM neurons are connected to and modulate distinct thalamocortical circuits. Notably, PV, but not SOM, neurons modulate somatosensory behavior and disrupt seizures. These results provide a conceptual framework for how nRT may gate incoming information to modulate brain-wide rhythms.
Unilateral Thalamic Infarct Presenting as a Convulsive Seizure.

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Kumar, Rajesh; Brohi, Hazim; Mughul, Afshan

2017-09-01

Lesions of the thalamus and those extending into midbrain can cause various types of movement disorders such as dystonia, asterixis and ballism-chorea. Seizures are rare manifestation of thalamic disorder. Occurrence of seizures in bilateral thalamic infarct has been reported; but seizures in unilateral thalamic infarct have been reported very rarely. Literature review showed only single case of perinatal unilateral thalamic infarct presenting with seizures. We are reporting a unique case of convulsive seizure at the onset of unilateral thalamic infarct in an adult male, which has never been reported to the best of our knowledge.
Thalamic synaptic transmission of sensory information modulated by synergistic interaction of adenosine and serotonin.

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Yang, Ya-Chin; Hu, Chun-Chang; Huang, Chen-Syuan; Chou, Pei-Yu

2014-03-01

The thalamic synapses relay peripheral sensory information to the cortex, and constitute an important part of the thalamocortical network that generates oscillatory activities responsible for different vigilance (sleep and wakefulness) states. However, the modulation of thalamic synaptic transmission by potential sleep regulators, especially by combination of regulators in physiological scenarios, is not fully characterized. We found that somnogen adenosine itself acts similar to wake-promoting serotonin, both decreasing synaptic strength as well as short-term depression, at the retinothalamic synapse. We then combined the two modulators considering the coexistence of them in the hypnagogic (sleep-onset) state. Adenosine plus serotonin results in robust synergistic inhibition of synaptic strength and dramatic transformation of short-term synaptic depression to facilitation. These synaptic effects are not achievable with a single modulator, and are consistent with a high signal-to-noise ratio but a low level of signal transmission through the thalamus appropriate for slow-wave sleep. This study for the first time demonstrates that the sleep-regulatory modulators may work differently when present in combination than present singly in terms of shaping information flow in the thalamocortical network. The major synaptic characters such as the strength and short-term plasticity can be profoundly altered by combination of modulators based on physiological considerations. © 2013 International Society for Neurochemistry.
Synaptic Circuit Organization of Motor Corticothalamic Neurons

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Yamawaki, Naoki

2015-01-01

Corticothalamic (CT) neurons in layer 6 constitute a large but enigmatic class of cortical projection neurons. How they are integrated into intracortical and thalamo-cortico-thalamic circuits is incompletely understood, especially outside of sensory cortex. Here, we investigated CT circuits in mouse forelimb motor cortex (M1) using multiple circuit-analysis methods. Stimulating and recording from CT, intratelencephalic (IT), and pyramidal tract (PT) projection neurons, we found strong CT↔ CT and CT↔ IT connections; however, CT→IT connections were limited to IT neurons in layer 6, not 5B. There was strikingly little CT↔ PT excitatory connectivity. Disynaptic inhibition systematically accompanied excitation in these pathways, scaling with the amplitude of excitation according to both presynaptic (class-specific) and postsynaptic (cell-by-cell) factors. In particular, CT neurons evoked proportionally more inhibition relative to excitation (I/E ratio) than IT neurons. Furthermore, the amplitude of inhibition was tuned to match the amount of excitation at the level of individual neurons; in the extreme, neurons receiving no excitation received no inhibition either. Extending these studies to dissect the connectivity between cortex and thalamus, we found that M1-CT neurons and thalamocortical neurons in the ventrolateral (VL) nucleus were remarkably unconnected in either direction. Instead, VL axons in the cortex excited both IT and PT neurons, and CT axons in the thalamus excited other thalamic neurons, including those in the posterior nucleus, which additionally received PT excitation. These findings, which contrast in several ways with previous observations in sensory areas, illuminate the basic circuit organization of CT neurons within M1 and between M1 and thalamus. PMID:25653383
Opportunistic relaying in multipath and slow fading channel: Relay selection and optimal relay selection period

KAUST Repository

Sungjoon Park,

2011-11-01

In this paper we present opportunistic relay communication strategies of decode and forward relaying. The channel that we are considering includes pathloss, shadowing, and fast fading effects. We find a simple outage probability formula for opportunistic relaying in the channel, and validate the results by comparing it with the exact outage probability. Also, we suggest a new relay selection algorithm that incorporates shadowing. We consider a protocol of broadcasting the channel gain of the previously selected relay. This saves resources in slow fading channel by reducing collisions in relay selection. We further investigate the optimal relay selection period to maximize the throughput while avoiding selection overhead. © 2011 IEEE.
Enlarged thalamic volumes and increased fractional anisotropy in the thalamic radiations in Veterans with suicide behaviors

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Melissa eLopez-Larson

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Post-mortem studies have suggested a link between the thalamus, psychiatric disorders, and suicide. We evaluated the thalamus and anterior thalamic radiations (ATR in a group of Veterans with and without a history of suicidal behavior (SB to determine if thalamic abnormalities were associated with an increased risk of SB. Forty Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI and no SB (TBI-SB, 19 Veterans with mild TBI and a history of SB (TB+SB and 15 healthy controls (HC underwent MRI scanning including a structural and diffusion tensor imaging scan. Suicidal behaviors were evaluated utilizing the Columbia Suicide Rating Scale and impulsivity was measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS. Differences in thalamic volumes and ATR fractional anisotropy (FA were examined between 1 TBI+SB versus HC and 2 TBI+SB versus combined HC and TBI-SB and 2 between TBI+SB and TBI-SB. Left and right thalamic volumes were significantly increased in those with TBI+SB compared to the HC, TBI-SB and the combined group. Veterans with TBI+SB had increased FA bilaterally compared to the HC, HC and TBI-SB group, and the TBI-SB only group. Significant positive associations were found for bilateral ATR and BIS in the TBI+SB group. Our findings of thalamic enlargement and increased FA in individuals with TBI+SB suggest that this region may be a biomarker for suicide risk. Our findings are consistent with previous evidence indicating that suicide may be associated with behavioral disinhibition and frontal-thalamic-limbic dysfunction and suggest a neurobiologic mechanism that may increase vulnerability to suicide.
Resolving the detailed structure of cortical and thalamic neurons in the adult rat brain with refined biotinylated dextran amine labeling.

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Ling, Changying; Hendrickson, Michael L; Kalil, Ronald E

2012-01-01

Biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) has been used frequently for both anterograde and retrograde pathway tracing in the central nervous system. Typically, BDA labels axons and cell somas in sufficient detail to identify their topographical location accurately. However, BDA labeling often has proved to be inadequate to resolve the fine structural details of axon arbors or the dendrites of neurons at a distance from the site of BDA injection. To overcome this limitation, we varied several experimental parameters associated with the BDA labeling of neurons in the adult rat brain in order to improve the sensitivity of the method. Specifically, we compared the effect on labeling sensitivity of: (a) using 3,000 or 10,000 MW BDA; (b) injecting different volumes of BDA; (c) co-injecting BDA with NMDA; and (d) employing various post-injection survival times. Following the extracellular injection of BDA into the visual cortex, labeled cells and axons were observed in both cortical and thalamic areas of all animals studied. However, the detailed morphology of axon arbors and distal dendrites was evident only under optimal conditions for BDA labeling that take into account the: molecular weight of the BDA used, concentration and volume of BDA injected, post-injection survival time, and toning of the resolved BDA with gold and silver. In these instances, anterogradely labeled axons and retrogradely labeled dendrites were resolved in fine detail, approximating that which can be achieved with intracellularly injected compounds such as biocytin or fluorescent dyes.
Schizophrenia-Related Microdeletion Impairs Emotional Memory through MicroRNA-Dependent Disruption of Thalamic Inputs to the Amygdala

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Tae-Yeon Eom

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS are at high risk of developing psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia. Individuals with 22q11DS and schizophrenia are impaired in emotional memory, anticipating, recalling, and assigning a correct context to emotions. The neuronal circuits responsible for these emotional memory deficits are unknown. Here, we show that 22q11DS mouse models have disrupted synaptic transmission at thalamic inputs to the lateral amygdala (thalamo-LA projections. This synaptic deficit is caused by haploinsufficiency of the 22q11DS gene Dgcr8, which is involved in microRNA processing, and is mediated by the increased dopamine receptor Drd2 levels in the thalamus and by reduced probability of glutamate release from thalamic inputs. This deficit in thalamo-LA synaptic transmission is sufficient to cause fear memory deficits. Our results suggest that dysregulation of the Dgcr8–Drd2 mechanism at thalamic inputs to the amygdala underlies emotional memory deficits in 22q11DS.
Schizophrenia-Related Microdeletion Impairs Emotional Memory through MicroRNA-Dependent Disruption of Thalamic Inputs to the Amygdala.

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Eom, Tae-Yeon; Bayazitov, Ildar T; Anderson, Kara; Yu, Jing; Zakharenko, Stanislav S

2017-05-23

Individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) are at high risk of developing psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia. Individuals with 22q11DS and schizophrenia are impaired in emotional memory, anticipating, recalling, and assigning a correct context to emotions. The neuronal circuits responsible for these emotional memory deficits are unknown. Here, we show that 22q11DS mouse models have disrupted synaptic transmission at thalamic inputs to the lateral amygdala (thalamo-LA projections). This synaptic deficit is caused by haploinsufficiency of the 22q11DS gene Dgcr8, which is involved in microRNA processing, and is mediated by the increased dopamine receptor Drd2 levels in the thalamus and by reduced probability of glutamate release from thalamic inputs. This deficit in thalamo-LA synaptic transmission is sufficient to cause fear memory deficits. Our results suggest that dysregulation of the Dgcr8-Drd2 mechanism at thalamic inputs to the amygdala underlies emotional memory deficits in 22q11DS. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Attractor dynamics in local neuronal networks

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Jean-Philippe eThivierge

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Patterns of synaptic connectivity in various regions of the brain are characterized by the presence of synaptic motifs, defined as unidirectional and bidirectional synaptic contacts that follow a particular configuration and link together small groups of neurons. Recent computational work proposes that a relay network (two populations communicating via a third, relay population of neurons can generate precise patterns of neural synchronization. Here, we employ two distinct models of neuronal dynamics and show that simulated neural circuits designed in this way are caught in a global attractor of activity that prevents neurons from modulating their response on the basis of incoming stimuli. To circumvent the emergence of a fixed global attractor, we propose a mechanism of selective gain inhibition that promotes flexible responses to external stimuli. We suggest that local neuronal circuits may employ this mechanism to generate precise patterns of neural synchronization whose transient nature delimits the occurrence of a brief stimulus.
Using a hybrid neuron in physiologically inspired models of the basal ganglia

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Corey Michael Thibeault

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Our current understanding of the basal ganglia has facilitated the creation of computational models that have contributed novel theories, explored new functional anatomy and demonstrated results complementing physiological experiments. However, the utility of these models extends beyond these applications. Particularly in neuromorphic engineering, where the basal ganglia's role in computation is important for applications such as power efficient autonomous agents and model-based control strategies. The neurons used in existing computational models of the basal ganglia however, are not amenable for many low-power hardware implementations. Motivated by a need for more hardware accessible networks, we replicate four published models of the basal ganglia, spanning single neuron and small networks, replacing the more computationally expensive neuron models with an Izhikevich hybrid neuron. This begins with a network modeling action-selection, where the basal activity levels and the ability to appropriately select the most salient input is reproduced. A Parkinson's disease model is then explored under normal conditions, Parkinsonian conditions and during subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation. The resulting network is capable of replicating the loss of thalamic relay capabilities in the Parkinsonian state and its return under deep brain stimulation. This is also demonstrated using a network capable of action-selection. Finally, a study of correlation transfer under different patterns of Parkinsonian activity is presented. These networks successfully captured the significant results of the originals studies. This not only creates a foundation for neuromorphic hardware implementations but may also support the development of large-scale biophysical models. The former potentially providing a way of improving the efficacy of deep brain stimulation and the latter allowing for the efficient simulation of larger more comprehensive networks.
Sleep onset uncovers thalamic abnormalities in patients with idiopathic generalised epilepsy

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Andrew P. Bagshaw

Full Text Available The thalamus is crucial for sleep regulation and the pathophysiology of idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE, and may serve as the underlying basis for the links between the two. We investigated this using EEG-fMRI and a specific emphasis on the role and functional connectivity (FC of the thalamus. We defined three types of thalamic FC: thalamocortical, inter-hemispheric thalamic, and intra-hemispheric thalamic. Patients and controls differed in all three measures, and during wakefulness and sleep, indicating disorder-dependent and state-dependent modification of thalamic FC. Inter-hemispheric thalamic FC differed between patients and controls in somatosensory regions during wakefulness, and occipital regions during sleep. Intra-hemispheric thalamic FC was significantly higher in patients than controls following sleep onset, and disorder-dependent alterations to FC were seen in several thalamic regions always involving somatomotor and occipital regions. As interactions between thalamic sub-regions are indirect and mediated by the inhibitory thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN, the results suggest abnormal TRN function in patients with IGE, with a regional distribution which could suggest a link with the thalamocortical networks involved in the generation of alpha rhythms. Intra-thalamic FC could be a more widely applicable marker beyond patients with IGE. Keywords: Functional connectivity, Generalised epilepsy, Sleep, Thalamic reticular nucleus thalamus
Short-term Synaptic Depression in the Feedforward Inhibitory Circuit in the Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus.

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Augustinaite, Sigita; Heggelund, Paul

2018-05-24

Synaptic short-term plasticity (STP) regulates synaptic transmission in an activity-dependent manner and thereby has important roles in the signal processing in the brain. In some synapses, a presynaptic train of action potentials elicits post-synaptic potentials that gradually increase during the train (facilitation), but in other synapses, these potentials gradually decrease (depression). We studied STP in neurons in the visual thalamic relay, the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN). The dLGN contains two types of neurons: excitatory thalamocortical (TC) neurons, which transfer signals from retinal afferents to visual cortex, and local inhibitory interneurons, which form an inhibitory feedforward loop that regulates the thalamocortical signal transmission. The overall STP in the retino-thalamic relay is short-term depression, but the distinct kind and characteristics of the plasticity at the different types of synapses are unknown. We studied STP in the excitatory responses of interneurons to stimulation of retinal afferents, in the inhibitory responses of TC neurons to stimulation of afferents from interneurons, and in the disynaptic inhibitory responses of TC neurons to stimulation of retinal afferents. Moreover, we studied STP at the direct excitatory input to TC neurons from retinal afferents. The STP at all types of the synapses showed short-term depression. This depression can accentuate rapid changes in the stream of signals and thereby promote detectability of significant features in the sensory input. In vision, detection of edges and contours is essential for object perception, and the synaptic short-term depression in the early visual pathway provides important contributions to this detection process. Copyright © 2018 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Neurological manifestations and PET studies of the thalamic vascular lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Shinji; Kawamura, Mitsuru; Hirayama, Keizo

1995-01-01

We divided 38 patients with cerebrovascular disease of the thalamus into 5 groups according to the site of the thalamic lesions as confirmed by X-ray CT and/or MRI. In 16 patients, we examined the cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO 2 ) by positron emission tomography (PET). In the anteromedial thalamic lesion group, patients displayed disturbances of spontaneity, memory, reading and writing. CBF and CMRO 2 were decreased in the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes on the side of the lesion. In the dorsolateral thalamic lesion group, ataxic hemiparesis was a characteristic symptom. CBF and CMRO 2 were decreased in frontoparietal lobes on the side of the lesion. In the group with lesions confined to the nucleus ventralis posterioris thalami, the main symptoms were sensory disturbance, with cheiro-oral sensory syndrome being particularly evident. CBF and CMRO 2 were decreased in the parietal lobe on the side of the lesion. In the group with posterolateral thalamic lesions without pulvinar involvement, patients exhibited thalamic syndrome without thalamic pain. CBF and CMRO 2 were decreased in the frontoparietal and temporal lobes on the side of the lesion. In contrast, in the group with posterolateral thalamic lesions with pulvinar involvement, all patients showed thalamic pain. The decrease in CBF and CMRO 2 extended to the inferomedial region of the temporal lobe in addition to the area of decreased CBF and CMRO 2 observed in the group with posterolateral thalamic lesions without pulvinar involvement. Based on these results, we speculate that the neurological manifestations of thalamic vascular disease are associated with a decrease in cortical CBF and CMRO 2 secondary to the thalamic lesions. (author)
MM2-thalamic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: neuropathological, biochemical and transmission studies identify a distinctive prion strain.

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Moda, Fabio; Suardi, Silvia; Di Fede, Giuseppe; Indaco, Antonio; Limido, Lucia; Vimercati, Chiara; Ruggerone, Margherita; Campagnani, Ilaria; Langeveld, Jan; Terruzzi, Alessandro; Brambilla, Antonio; Zerbi, Pietro; Fociani, Paolo; Bishop, Matthew T; Will, Robert G; Manson, Jean C; Giaccone, Giorgio; Tagliavini, Fabrizio

2012-09-01

In Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), molecular typing based on the size of the protease resistant core of the disease-associated prion protein (PrP(Sc) ) and the M/V polymorphism at codon 129 of the PRNP gene correlates with the clinico-pathologic subtypes. Approximately 95% of the sporadic 129MM CJD patients are characterized by cerebral deposition of type 1 PrP(Sc) and correspond to the classic clinical CJD phenotype. The rare 129MM CJD patients with type 2 PrP(Sc) are further subdivided in a cortical and a thalamic form also indicated as sporadic fatal insomnia. We observed two young patients with MM2-thalamic CJD. Main neuropathological features were diffuse, synaptic PrP immunoreactivity in the cerebral cortex and severe neuronal loss and gliosis in the thalamus and olivary nucleus. Western blot analysis showed the presence of type 2A PrP(Sc) . Challenge of transgenic mice expressing 129MM human PrP showed that MM2-thalamic sporadic CJD (sCJD) was able to transmit the disease, at variance with MM2-cortical sCJD. The affected mice showed deposition of type 2A PrP(Sc) , a scenario that is unprecedented in this mouse line. These data indicate that MM2-thalamic sCJD is caused by a prion strain distinct from the other sCJD subtypes including the MM2-cortical form. © 2012 The Authors; Brain Pathology © 2012 International Society of Neuropathology.
Neurological manifestations and PET studies of the thalamic vascular lesions

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Matsuda, Shinji; Kawamura, Mitsuru; Hirayama, Keizo [Chiba Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

1995-02-01

We divided 38 patients with cerebrovascular disease of the thalamus into 5 groups according to the site of the thalamic lesions as confirmed by X-ray CT and/or MRI. In 16 patients, we examined the cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO{sub 2}) by positron emission tomography (PET). In the anteromedial thalamic lesion group, patients displayed disturbances of spontaneity, memory, reading and writing. CBF and CMRO{sub 2} were decreased in the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes on the side of the lesion. In the dorsolateral thalamic lesion group, ataxic hemiparesis was a characteristic symptom. CBF and CMRO{sub 2} were decreased in frontoparietal lobes on the side of the lesion. In the group with lesions confined to the nucleus ventralis posterioris thalami, the main symptoms were sensory disturbance, with cheiro-oral sensory syndrome being particularly evident. CBF and CMRO{sub 2} were decreased in the parietal lobe on the side of the lesion. In the group with posterolateral thalamic lesions without pulvinar involvement, patients exhibited thalamic syndrome without thalamic pain. CBF and CMRO{sub 2} were decreased in the frontoparietal and temporal lobes on the side of the lesion. In contrast, in the group with posterolateral thalamic lesions with pulvinar involvement, all patients showed thalamic pain. The decrease in CBF and CMRO{sub 2} extended to the inferomedial region of the temporal lobe in addition to the area of decreased CBF and CMRO{sub 2} observed in the group with posterolateral thalamic lesions without pulvinar involvement. Based on these results, we speculate that the neurological manifestations of thalamic vascular disease are associated with a decrease in cortical CBF and CMRO{sub 2} secondary to the thalamic lesions. (author).
Alternate transmission with half-duplex relaying in MIMO interference relay networks

KAUST Repository

Park, Seongho

2013-12-01

In this paper, we consider an alternate transmission scheme for a multiple-input multiple-output interference relay channel where multiple sources transmit their own signals to their corresponding destinations via one of two relaying groups alternately every time phase. Each of the relaying groups has arbitrary number of relays, and each relay operates in half-duplex amplify-and-forward mode. In our scheme, the received signals at the relay nodes consist of desired signals and two different interference signals such as the inter-source interferences and the inter-group interferences which are caused by the phase incoherence of relaying. As such, we propose an iterative interference alignment algorithm to mitigate the interferences. We show that our proposed scheme achieves additional degrees of freedom compared to the conventional half-duplex relaying system in the interference relay channels. © 2013 IEEE.
Alternate MIMO relaying with three AF relays using interference alignment

KAUST Repository

Park, Kihong

2012-06-01

In this paper, we study a two-hop half-duplex relaying network with one source, one destination, and three amplify-and-forward (AF) relays equipped with M antennas each. We consider alternate transmission to compensate for the inherent loss of capacity pre-log factor 1/2 in half duplex mode, where source transmit message to two relays and the other relay alternately. The inter-relay interference caused by alternate transmission is aligned to make additional degrees of freedom (DOFs). It is shown that the proposed scheme enables us to exploit 3M/4 DOFs compared with the M/2 DOFs of conventional AF relaying. More specifically, suboptimal linear filter designs for a source and three relays are proposed to maximize the achievable sum-rate. We verify using some selected numerical results that the proposed filter designs give significant improvement of the sum-rate over a naive filter and conventional relaying schemes. © 2012 IEEE.
Relay race

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Staff Association

2011-01-01

The CERN relay race will take place around the Meyrin site on Thursday 19th May starting at 12:15. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20-minute period. If you do meet runners while driving your car, please STOP until they have all passed. Thank you for your cooperation. Details on the course, and how to register your team for the relay race, can be found at: https://espace.cern.ch/Running-Club/CERN-Relay Some advice for all runners from the medical service can also be found here: https://espace.cern.ch/Running-Club/CERN-Relay/RelayPagePictures/MedicalServiceAnnoncement.pdf
Relay race

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Staff Association

2011-01-01

The CERN relay race will take place around the Meyrin site on Thursday 19th May starting at 12·15. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20-minute period. If you do meet runners while driving your car, please STOP until they have all passed. Thank you for your cooperation. Details on the course, and how to register your team for the relay race, can be found at: https://espace.cern.ch/Running-Club/CERN-Relay Some advice for all runners from the medical service can also be found here: https://espace.cern.ch/Running-Club/CERN-Relay/RelayPagePictures/MedicalServiceAnnoncement.pdf

Pathogenesis and prognosis of bilateral thalamic infarction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakase, Taizen; Ogura, Naoko; Maeda, Tetsuya; Yamazaki, Takashi; Kameda, Tomoaki; Sato, Yuichi; Nagata, Ken

2008-01-01

Only a few reports have discussed the detailed clinical symptoms and pathogenesis of bilateral thalamic infarction. The thalamus is composed of different functional nuclei and supplied by vessels containing several variations from the main arteries, leading to difficulty in the precise evaluation of bilateral thalamic infarction. In the present study, we assessed the prognosis of bilateral thalamic infarction based on the distribution of stroke lesions. From among the consecutive ischemic stroke patients admitted to hospital between April 2001 and March 2005, cases of acute bilateral thalamic infarction were selected for this study (n=9; 65.1±13.6 y.o.). The stroke lesions and vascular abnormalities were investigated by magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography on admission. Outcome was evaluated from the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at discharge. Good outcome patients (mRS 0-2; n=5) showed memory disturbance, cognitive impairment and hypersomnia. On the other hand, quadriplegia, oculomotor disturbance and bulbar palsy were observed in the poor outcome patients (mRS≥4; n=4). The critical features of a poor outcome were the age at onset (72.0±15.3 vs. 58.2±11.9 y.o.), inclusion of brainstem lesions and total occlusion of the basilar artery. In conclusion, older age at onset and/or basilar artery occlusion may be critical factors for predicting a poor outcome in bilateral thalamic infarction cases. (author)
Isolated thalamic tuberculoma presenting as ataxic hemiparesis

Science.gov (United States)

Sahu, Ritesh; Patil, Tushar B; Kori, Prakash; Shukla, Rakesh

2013-01-01

Lacunar syndrome is a neurodeficit secondary to a deep cerebral lesion, usually because of microatheroma of small arteries. Ataxic hemiparesis (AH) is a lacunar syndrome with unilateral pyramidal weakness and ipsilateral ataxia. Thalamic tuberculoma, as a cause of AH, has not been previously described in the literature. We describe an elderly man who presented with left hemiparesis and ipsilateral ataxia. Clinical examination revealed upper motor neuron left facial paresis and left-sided hemiparesis. The patient had incoordination in left upper and lower limbs. Mantoux test was positive and erythrocyte sedimentation rate was elevated. MRI of brain showed a conglomerated hypointense lesion in the right thalamus with a peripheral hyperintensity on T1-weighted imaging and a hyperintense lesion in T2-weighted imaging with significant perilesional oedema, suggesting a tuberculoma. The patient was treated with antitubercular therapy and was symptomatically better at the 9 months follow-up. PMID:23580686
Reactive relay selection in underlay cognitive networks with fixed gain relays

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Syed Imtiaz

2012-06-01

Best relay selection is a bandwidth efficient technique for multiple relay environments without compromising the system performance. The problem of relay selection is more challenging in underlay cognitive networks due to strict interference constraints to the primary users. Generally, relay selection is done on the basis of maximum end-to-end signal to noise ratio (SNR). However, it requires large amounts of channel state information (CSI) at different network nodes. In this paper, we present and analyze a reactive relay selection scheme in underlay cognitive networks where the relays are operating with fixed gains near a primary user. The system model minimizes the amount of CSI required at different nodes and the destination selects the best relay on the basis of maximum relay to destination SNR. We derive close form expressions for the received SNR statistics, outage probability, bit error probability and average channel capacity of the system. Simulation results are also presented to confirm the validity of the derived expressions. © 2012 IEEE.
Partial relay selection in underlay cognitive networks with fixed gain relays

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Syed Imtiaz; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Hasna, Mazen Omar; Qaraqe, Khalid A.

2012-01-01

In a communication system with multiple cooperative relays, selecting the best relay utilizes the available spectrum more efficiently. However, selective relaying poses a different problem in underlay cognitive networks compared to the traditional cooperative networks due to interference thresholds to the primary users. In most cases, a best relay is the one which provides the maximum end-to-end signal to noise ratio (SNR). This approach needs plenty of instantaneous channel state information (CSI). The CSI burden could be reduced by partial relay selection. In this paper, a partial relay selection scheme is presented and analyzed for an underlay cognitive network with fixed gain relays operating in the vicinity of a primary user. The system model is adopted in a way that each node needs minimal CSI to perform its task. The best relay is chosen on the basis of maximum source to relay link SNR which then forwards the message to the destination. We derive closed form expressions for the received SNR distributions, system outage, probability of bit error and average channel capacity of the system. The derived results are confirmed through simulations. © 2012 IEEE.
Partial relay selection in underlay cognitive networks with fixed gain relays

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Syed Imtiaz

2012-05-01

In a communication system with multiple cooperative relays, selecting the best relay utilizes the available spectrum more efficiently. However, selective relaying poses a different problem in underlay cognitive networks compared to the traditional cooperative networks due to interference thresholds to the primary users. In most cases, a best relay is the one which provides the maximum end-to-end signal to noise ratio (SNR). This approach needs plenty of instantaneous channel state information (CSI). The CSI burden could be reduced by partial relay selection. In this paper, a partial relay selection scheme is presented and analyzed for an underlay cognitive network with fixed gain relays operating in the vicinity of a primary user. The system model is adopted in a way that each node needs minimal CSI to perform its task. The best relay is chosen on the basis of maximum source to relay link SNR which then forwards the message to the destination. We derive closed form expressions for the received SNR distributions, system outage, probability of bit error and average channel capacity of the system. The derived results are confirmed through simulations. © 2012 IEEE.
Opportunistic Relay Selection in Multicast Relay Networks using Compressive Sensing

KAUST Repository

Elkhalil, Khalil

2014-12-01

Relay selection is a simple technique that achieves spatial diversity in cooperative relay networks. However, for relay selection algorithms to make a selection decision, channel state information (CSI) from all cooperating relays is usually required at a central node. This requirement poses two important challenges. Firstly, CSI acquisition generates a great deal of feedback overhead (air-time) that could result in significant transmission delays. Secondly, the fed back channel information is usually corrupted by additive noise. This could lead to transmission outages if the central node selects the set of cooperating relays based on inaccurate feedback information. In this paper, we introduce a limited feedback relay selection algorithm for a multicast relay network. The proposed algorithm exploits the theory of compressive sensing to first obtain the identity of the “strong” relays with limited feedback. Following that, the CSI of the selected relays is estimated using linear minimum mean square error estimation. To minimize the effect of noise on the fed back CSI, we introduce a back-off strategy that optimally backs-off on the noisy estimated CSI. For a fixed group size, we provide closed form expressions for the scaling law of the maximum equivalent SNR for both Decode and Forward (DF) and Amplify and Forward (AF) cases. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm drastically reduces the feedback air-time and achieves a rate close to that obtained by selection algorithms with dedicated error-free feedback channels.
Thalamic changes with mesial temporal sclerosis: MRI

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Deasy, N.P.; Jarosz, J.M.; Cox, T.C.S. [Department of Neuroradiology, King' s College Hospital, London (United Kingdom); Elwes, R.C.D. [Department of Neurology, King' s College Hospital, London (United Kingdom); Polkey, C.E. [Department of Neurosurgery, King' s College and Maudsley Hospitals, London (United Kingdom)

2000-05-01

We reviewed the preoperative images of 28 patients with pathologically proven mesial temporal sclerosis, to assess thalamic asymmetry and signal change. A further 25 nonsurgical patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and unequivocal, unilateral changes of mesial temporal sclerosis, and 20 controls, were also reviewed. None of the control group had unequivocal asymmetry of the thalamus. There was an ipsilateral asymmetrically small thalamus in five (18 %) of the surgical group and in three (12 %) of the nonsurgical patients. In four cases there was thalamic signal change. In three patients with thalamic volume loss there was ipsilateral hemiatrophy. All patients with an asymmetrically small thalamus had an asymmetrically small fornix and all but one a small ipsilateral mamillary body. (orig.)
Optimized Power Allocation and Relay Location Selection in Cooperative Relay Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianrong Bao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available An incremental selection hybrid decode-amplify forward (ISHDAF scheme for the two-hop single relay systems and a relay selection strategy based on the hybrid decode-amplify-and-forward (HDAF scheme for the multirelay systems are proposed along with an optimized power allocation for the Internet of Thing (IoT. Given total power as the constraint and outage probability as an objective function, the proposed scheme possesses good power efficiency better than the equal power allocation. By the ISHDAF scheme and HDAF relay selection strategy, an optimized power allocation for both the source and relay nodes is obtained, as well as an effective reduction of outage probability. In addition, the optimal relay location for maximizing the gain of the proposed algorithm is also investigated and designed. Simulation results show that, in both single relay and multirelay selection systems, some outage probability gains by the proposed scheme can be obtained. In the comparison of the optimized power allocation scheme with the equal power allocation one, nearly 0.1695 gains are obtained in the ISHDAF single relay network at a total power of 2 dB, and about 0.083 gains are obtained in the HDAF relay selection system with 2 relays at a total power of 2 dB.
Threshold-Based Relay Selection for Detect-and-Forward Relaying in Cooperative Wireless Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fan Yijia

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This paper studies two-hop cooperative demodulate-and-forward relaying using multiple relays in wireless networks. A threshold based relay selection scheme is considered, in which the reliable relays are determined by comparing source-relay SNR to a threshold, and one of the reliable relays is selected by the destination based on relay-destination SNR. The exact bit error rate of this scheme is derived, and a simple threshold function is proposed. It is shown that the network achieves full diversity order ( under the proposed threshold, where is the number of relays in the network. Unlike some other full diversity achieving protocols in the literature, the requirement that the instantaneous/average SNRs of the source-relay links be known at the destination is eliminated using the appropriate SNR threshold.
Astrocytes potentiate GABAergic transmission in the thalamic reticular nucleus via endozepine signaling.

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Christian, Catherine A; Huguenard, John R

2013-12-10

Emerging evidence indicates that diazepam-binding inhibitor (DBI) mediates an endogenous benzodiazepine-mimicking (endozepine) effect on synaptic inhibition in the thalamic reticular nucleus (nRT). Here we demonstrate that DBI peptide colocalizes with both astrocytic and neuronal markers in mouse nRT, and investigate the role of astrocytic function in endozepine modulation in this nucleus by testing the effects of the gliotoxin fluorocitrate (FC) on synaptic inhibition and endozepine signaling in the nRT using patch-clamp recordings. FC treatment reduced the effective inhibitory charge of GABAA receptor (GABAAR)-mediated spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents in WT mice, indicating that astrocytes enhance GABAAR responses in the nRT. This effect was abolished by both a point mutation that inhibits classical benzodiazepine binding to GABAARs containing the α3 subunit (predominant in the nRT) and a chromosomal deletion that removes the Dbi gene. Thus, astrocytes are required for positive allosteric modulation via the α3 subunit benzodiazepine-binding site by DBI peptide family endozepines. Outside-out sniffer patches pulled from neurons in the adjacent ventrobasal nucleus, which does not contain endozepines, show a potentiated response to laser photostimulation of caged GABA when placed in the nRT. FC treatment blocked the nRT-dependent potentiation of this response, as did the benzodiazepine site antagonist flumazenil. When sniffer patches were placed in the ventrobasal nucleus, however, subsequent treatment with FC led to potentiation of the uncaged GABA response, suggesting nucleus-specific roles for thalamic astrocytes in regulating inhibition. Taken together, these results suggest that astrocytes are required for endozepine actions in the nRT, and as such can be positive modulators of synaptic inhibition.
Telecommunications Relay Services

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... Home » Health Info » Hearing, Ear Infections, and Deafness Telecommunications Relay Services On this page: What are telecommunication ... additional information about telecommunication relay services? What are telecommunication relay services? Title IV of the Americans with ...
Reactive relay selection in underlay cognitive networks with fixed gain relays

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Syed Imtiaz; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Qaraqe, Khalid A.; Hasna, Mazen Omar

2012-01-01

Best relay selection is a bandwidth efficient technique for multiple relay environments without compromising the system performance. The problem of relay selection is more challenging in underlay cognitive networks due to strict interference
Individual Channel Estimation in a Diamond Relay Network Using Relay-Assisted Training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xianwen He

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We consider the training design and channel estimation in the amplify-and-forward (AF diamond relay network. Our strategy is to transmit the source training in time-multiplexing (TM mode while each relay node superimposes its own relay training over the amplified received data signal without bandwidth expansion. The principal challenge is to obtain accurate channel state information (CSI of second-hop link due to the multiaccess interference (MAI and cooperative data interference (CDI. To maintain the orthogonality between data and training, a modified relay-assisted training scheme is proposed to migrate the CDI, where some of the cooperative data at the relay are discarded to accommodate relay training. Meanwhile, a couple of optimal zero-correlation zone (ZCZ relay-assisted sequences are designed to avoid MAI. At the destination node, the received signals from the two relay nodes are combined to achieve spatial diversity and enhanced data reliability. The simulation results are presented to validate the performance of the proposed schemes.
MRI of paramedian thalamic stroke with sleep disturbance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loevblad, K.O.; Bassetti, C.; Mathis, J.; Schroth, G.

1997-01-01

The paramedian thalamus is believed to play an important role in the regulation of sleep, and disturbances of sleep regulation are known to occur in paramedian thalamic stroke (PTS). We examined 12 consecutive patients with PTS and sleep disturbance by MRI. Two distinct groups of patients could be defined: six presenting with severe hypersomnia (group 1) and six with slight sleepiness (group 2). On MRI, all patients had ischaemic lesions involving the paramedian thalamic nuclei, the centre of the lesions being the dorsomedial and centromedial thalamic nuclei. In group 1 the lesions were bilateral, butterfly-shaped infarcts involving the paramedian nuclei (three cases), or unilateral with an extension into the subthalamic nuclei. In group 2 the lesions were unilateral and limited to the paramedian nuclei, mainly the dorsomedial nucleus. Bilateral lesions can be attributed to a common origin in some cases for both paramedian thalamic arteries and the mesencephalic arteries. (orig.). With 5 figs
Efficient incremental relaying

KAUST Repository

Fareed, Muhammad Mehboob

2013-07-01

We propose a novel relaying scheme which improves the spectral efficiency of cooperative diversity systems by utilizing limited feedback from destination. Our scheme capitalizes on the fact that relaying is only required when direct transmission suffers deep fading. We calculate the packet error rate for the proposed efficient incremental relaying scheme with both amplify and forward and decode and forward relaying. Numerical results are also presented to verify their analytical counterparts. © 2013 IEEE.
Distributed Antenna Channels with Regenerative Relaying: Relay Selection and Asymptotic Capacity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aitor del Coso

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO techniques have been widely proposed as a means to improve capacity and reliability of wireless channels, and have become the most promising technology for next generation networks. However, their practical deployment in current wireless devices is severely affected by antenna correlation, which reduces their impact on performance. One approach to solve this limitation is relaying diversity. In relay channels, a set of N wireless nodes aids a source-destination communication by relaying the source data, thus creating a distributed antenna array with uncorrelated path gains. In this paper, we study this multiple relay channel (MRC following a decode-and-forward (D&F strategy (i.e., regenerative forwarding, and derive its achievable rate under AWGN. A half-duplex constraint on relays is assumed, as well as distributed channel knowledge at both transmitter and receiver sides of the communication. For this channel, we obtain the optimum relay selection algorithm and the optimum power allocation within the network so that the transmission rate is maximized. Likewise, we bound the ergodic performance of the achievable rate and derive its asymptotic behavior in the number of relays. Results show that the achievable rate of regenerative MRC grows as the logarithm of the Lambert W function of the total number of relays, that is, Ã°ÂÂ’Âž=logÃ¢ÂÂ¡2(W0(N. Therefore, D&F relaying, cannot achieve the capacity of actual MISO channels.
Dendritic calcium conductances generate high-frequency oscillation in thalamocortical neurons

OpenAIRE

Pedroarena, Christine; Llinás, Rodolfo

1997-01-01

Cortical-projecting thalamic neurons, in guinea pig brain slices, display high-frequency membrane potential oscillations (20–80 Hz), when their somata are depolarized beyond −45 mV. These oscillations, preferentially located at dendritic sites, are supported by the activation of P/Q type calcium channels, as opposed to the expected persistent sodium conductance responsible for such rhythmic behavior in other central neurons. Short hyperpolarizing pulses reset the phase and transiently increas...
Opportunistic relaying in multipath and slow fading channel: Relay selection and optimal relay selection period

KAUST Repository

Sungjoon Park,; Stark, Wayne E.

2011-01-01

In this paper we present opportunistic relay communication strategies of decode and forward relaying. The channel that we are considering includes pathloss, shadowing, and fast fading effects. We find a simple outage probability formula
A unique combination of anatomy and physiology in cells of the rat paralaminar thalamic nuclei adjacent to the medial geniculate body

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Philip H.; Bartlett, Edward L.; Kowalkowski, Anna

2010-01-01

The medial geniculate body (MGB) has three major subdivisions - ventral (MGV), dorsal (MGD) and medial (MGM). MGM is linked with paralaminar nuclei that are situated medial and ventral to MGV/MGD. Paralaminar nuclei have unique inputs and outputs when compared with MGV and MGD and have been linked to circuitry underlying some important functional roles. We recorded intracellularly from cells in the paralaminar nuclei in vitro. We found that they possess an unusual combination of anatomical and physiological features when compared to those reported for “standard” thalamic neurons seen in the MGV/MGD and elsewhere in the thalamus. Compared to MGV/MGD neurons, anatomically, 1) paralaminar cell dendrites can be long, branch sparingly and encompass a much larger area. 2) their dendrites may be smooth but can have well defined spines and 3) their axons can have collaterals that branch locally within the same or nearby paralaminar nuclei. When compared to MGV/MGD neurons physiologically 1) their spikes are larger in amplitude and can be shorter in duration and 2) can have dual afterhyperpolarizations with fast and slow components and 3) they can have a reduction or complete absence of the low threshold, voltage-sensitive calcium conductance that reduces or eliminates the voltage-dependent burst response. We also recorded from cells in the parafascicular nucleus, a nucleus of the posterior intralaminar nuclear group, because they have unusual anatomical features that are similar to some of our paralaminar cells. Like the labeled paralaminar cells, parafascicular cells had physiological features distinguishing them from typical thalamic neurons. PMID:16566009
Dynamical analysis of Parkinsonian state emulated by hybrid Izhikevich neuron models

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chen; Wang, Jiang; Yu, Haitao; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xile; Li, Huiyan; Loparo, Kenneth A.; Fietkiewicz, Chris

2015-11-01

Computational models play a significant role in exploring novel theories to complement the findings of physiological experiments. Various computational models have been developed to reveal the mechanisms underlying brain functions. Particularly, in the development of therapies to modulate behavioral and pathological abnormalities, computational models provide the basic foundations to exhibit transitions between physiological and pathological conditions. Considering the significant roles of the intrinsic properties of the globus pallidus and the coupling connections between neurons in determining the firing patterns and the dynamical activities of the basal ganglia neuronal network, we propose a hypothesis that pathological behaviors under the Parkinsonian state may originate from combined effects of intrinsic properties of globus pallidus neurons and synaptic conductances in the whole neuronal network. In order to establish a computational efficient network model, hybrid Izhikevich neuron model is used due to its capacity of capturing the dynamical characteristics of the biological neuronal activities. Detailed analysis of the individual Izhikevich neuron model can assist in understanding the roles of model parameters, which then facilitates the establishment of the basal ganglia-thalamic network model, and contributes to a further exploration of the underlying mechanisms of the Parkinsonian state. Simulation results show that the hybrid Izhikevich neuron model is capable of capturing many of the dynamical properties of the basal ganglia-thalamic neuronal network, such as variations of the firing rates and emergence of synchronous oscillations under the Parkinsonian condition, despite the simplicity of the two-dimensional neuronal model. It may suggest that the computational efficient hybrid Izhikevich neuron model can be used to explore basal ganglia normal and abnormal functions. Especially it provides an efficient way of emulating the large-scale neuron network

Relay Selection for Cooperative Relaying in Wireless Energy Harvesting Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Kaiyan; Wang, Fei; Li, Songsong; Jiang, Fengjiao; Cao, Lijie

2018-01-01

Energy harvesting from the surroundings is a promising solution to provide energy supply and extend the life of wireless sensor networks. Recently, energy harvesting has been shown as an attractive solution to prolong the operation of cooperative networks. In this paper, we propose a relay selection scheme to optimize the amplify-and-forward (AF) cooperative transmission in wireless energy harvesting cooperative networks. The harvesting energy and channel conditions are considered to select the optimal relay as cooperative relay to minimize the outage probability of the system. Simulation results show that our proposed relay selection scheme achieves better outage performance than other strategies.
Relay Selection and Resource Allocation in One-Way and Two-Way Cognitive Relay Networks

KAUST Repository

Alsharoa, Ahmad M.

2013-05-08

In this work, the problem of relay selection and resource power allocation in one- way and two-way cognitive relay networks using half duplex channels with different relaying protocols is investigated. Optimization problems for both single and multiple relay selection that maximize the sum rate of the secondary network without degrading the quality of service of the primary network by respecting a tolerated interference threshold were formulated. Single relay selection and optimal power allocation for two-way relaying cognitive radio networks using decode-and-forward and amplify-and-forward protocols were studied. Dual decomposition and subgradient methods were used to find the optimal power allocation. The transmission process to exchange two different messages between two transceivers for two-way relaying technique takes place in two time slots. In the first slot, the transceivers transmit their signals simultaneously to the relay. Then, during the second slot the relay broadcasts its signal to the terminals. Moreover, improvement of both spectral and energy efficiency can be achieved compared with the one-way relaying technique. As an extension, a multiple relay selection for both one-way and two-way relaying under cognitive radio scenario using amplify-and-forward were discussed. A strong optimization tool based on genetic and iterative algorithms was employed to solve the  formulated optimization problems for both single and multiple relay selection, where discrete relay power levels were considered. Simulation results show that the practical and low-complexity heuristic approaches achieve almost the same performance of the optimal relay selection schemes either with discrete or continuous power distributions while providing a considerable saving in terms of computational complexity.
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Joint source and relay optimization for interference MIMO relay networks

Science.gov (United States)

Khandaker, Muhammad R. A.; Wong, Kai-Kit

2017-12-01

This paper considers multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay communication in multi-cellular (interference) systems in which MIMO source-destination pairs communicate simultaneously. It is assumed that due to severe attenuation and/or shadowing effects, communication links can be established only with the aid of a relay node. The aim is to minimize the maximal mean-square-error (MSE) among all the receiving nodes under constrained source and relay transmit powers. Both one- and two-way amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying mechanisms are considered. Since the exactly optimal solution for this practically appealing problem is intractable, we first propose optimizing the source, relay, and receiver matrices in an alternating fashion. Then we contrive a simplified semidefinite programming (SDP) solution based on the error covariance matrix decomposition technique, avoiding the high complexity of the iterative process. Numerical results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.
Alternate transmission relaying based on interference alignment in 3-relay half-duplex MIMO systems

KAUST Repository

Park, Seongho; Park, Kihong; Ko, Youngchai; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

In a half-duplex relaying, the capacity pre-log factor 1/2 is a major drawback in spectral efficiency. This paper proposes a linear precoding/decoding scheme and an alternate relaying protocol in a dual-hop half-duplex system where three relays help the communication between the source and the destination. In our proposed scheme, we consider a phase incoherent method in relays in which the source alternately transmits message signals to the different relays. In addition, we propose a linear interference alignment scheme which can suppress the inter-relay interference resulting from the phase incoherence of relaying. Based on our analysis of degrees of freedom and our simulation results, we show that our proposed scheme achieves additional degrees of freedom compared to the conventional half-duplex relaying. © 2012 IEEE.
Alternate transmission relaying based on interference alignment in 3-relay half-duplex MIMO systems

KAUST Repository

Park, Seongho

2012-09-01

In a half-duplex relaying, the capacity pre-log factor 1/2 is a major drawback in spectral efficiency. This paper proposes a linear precoding/decoding scheme and an alternate relaying protocol in a dual-hop half-duplex system where three relays help the communication between the source and the destination. In our proposed scheme, we consider a phase incoherent method in relays in which the source alternately transmits message signals to the different relays. In addition, we propose a linear interference alignment scheme which can suppress the inter-relay interference resulting from the phase incoherence of relaying. Based on our analysis of degrees of freedom and our simulation results, we show that our proposed scheme achieves additional degrees of freedom compared to the conventional half-duplex relaying. © 2012 IEEE.
VGLUT1 or VGLUT2 mRNA-positive neurons in spinal trigeminal nucleus provide collateral projections to both the thalamus and the parabrachial nucleus in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chun-Kui; Li, Zhi-Hong; Qiao, Yu; Zhang, Ting; Lu, Ya-Cheng; Chen, Tao; Dong, Yu-Lin; Li, Yun-Qing; Li, Jin-Lian

2018-04-12

The trigemino-thalamic (T-T) and trigemino-parabrachial (T-P) pathways are strongly implicated in the sensory-discriminative and affective/emotional aspects of orofacial pain, respectively. These T-T and T-P projection fibers originate from the spinal trigeminal nucleus (Vsp). We previously determined that many vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT1 and/or VGLUT2) mRNA-positive neurons were distributed in the Vsp of the adult rat, and most of these neurons sent their axons to the thalamus or cerebellum. However, whether VGLUT1 or VGLUT2 mRNA-positive projection neurons exist that send their axons to both the thalamus and the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) has not been reported. Thus, in the present study, dual retrograde tract tracing was used in combination with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for VGLUT1 or VGLUT2 mRNA to identify the existence of VGLUT1 or VGLUT2 mRNA neurons that send collateral projections to both the thalamus and the PBN. Neurons in the Vsp that send collateral projections to both the thalamus and the PBN were mainly VGLUT2 mRNA-positive, with a proportion of 90.3%, 93.0% and 85.4% in the oral (Vo), interpolar (Vi) and caudal (Vc) subnucleus of the Vsp, respectively. Moreover, approximately 34.0% of the collateral projection neurons in the Vc showed Fos immunopositivity after injection of formalin into the lip, and parts of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunopositive axonal varicosities were in direct contact with the Vc collateral projection neurons. These results indicate that most collateral projection neurons in the Vsp, particularly in the Vc, which express mainly VGLUT2, may relay orofacial nociceptive information directly to the thalamus and PBN via axon collaterals.
Coordinated Direct and Relay Transmission with Linear Non-Regenerative Relay Beamforming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sun, Fan; De Carvalho, Elisabeth; Popovski, Petar

2012-01-01

Joint processing of multiple communication flows in wireless systems has given rise to a number of novel transmission techniques, notably the two-way relaying, but also more general traffic scenarios, such as coordinated direct and relay (CDR) transmissions. In a CDR scheme the relay has a central...... role in managing the interference and boosting the overall system performance. In this letter we consider the case in which an amplify-and-forward relay has multiple antennas and can use beamforming to support the coordinated transmissions. We focus on one representative traffic type with one uplink...... user and one downlink user. Two different criteria for relay beamforming are analyzed: maximal weighted sum-rate and maximization of the worst-case weighted SNR. We propose iterative optimal solutions, as well as low-complexity near-optimal solutions....
Radioisotope relay instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pozdnyakov, V.N.; Sazonov, O.L.; Taksar, I.M.; Tesnavs, Eh.R.; Yanushkovskij, V.A.

1974-01-01

The paper describes a radioisotope relay device containing a radiation source, a detector, an electronic relay block with a comparative threshold mechanism. The device differs from previously known ones in that, for the purpose of increasing stability and speed of action, the electronic relay block is a separate unit and contains two threshold pulse generators which are joined up, across series-connected ''and'' and ''or'' elements, with one of the inputs of the comparative threshold mechanism, whose second input is connected with a detector and whose outputs are connected with a relay element connected by feedback with the above-mentioned ''and'' elements. (author)
Prefrontal-Thalamic Anatomical Connectivity and Executive Cognitive Function in Schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Giraldo-Chica, Monica; Rogers, Baxter P; Damon, Stephen M; Landman, Bennett A; Woodward, Neil D

2018-03-15

Executive cognitive functions, including working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition, are impaired in schizophrenia. Executive functions rely on coordinated information processing between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and thalamus, particularly the mediodorsal nucleus. This raises the possibility that anatomical connectivity between the PFC and mediodorsal thalamus may be 1) reduced in schizophrenia and 2) related to deficits in executive function. The current investigation tested these hypotheses. Forty-five healthy subjects and 62 patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder completed a battery of tests of executive function and underwent diffusion-weighted imaging. Probabilistic tractography was used to quantify anatomical connectivity between six cortical regions, including PFC, and the thalamus. Thalamocortical anatomical connectivity was compared between healthy subjects and patients with schizophrenia using region-of-interest and voxelwise approaches, and the association between PFC-thalamic anatomical connectivity and severity of executive function impairment was examined in patients. Anatomical connectivity between the thalamus and PFC was reduced in schizophrenia. Voxelwise analysis localized the reduction to areas of the mediodorsal thalamus connected to lateral PFC. Reduced PFC-thalamic connectivity in schizophrenia correlated with impaired working memory but not cognitive flexibility and inhibition. In contrast to reduced PFC-thalamic connectivity, thalamic connectivity with somatosensory and occipital cortices was increased in schizophrenia. The results are consistent with models implicating disrupted PFC-thalamic connectivity in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and mechanisms of cognitive impairment. PFC-thalamic anatomical connectivity may be an important target for procognitive interventions. Further work is needed to determine the implications of increased thalamic connectivity with sensory cortex. Copyright © 2017 Society of
Right thalamic infarction after closed head injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagaya, Takashi; Doi, Terushige; Katsumata, Tsuguo; Kuwayama, Naoto

1986-01-01

We reported a case of right thalamic infarction after a closed head injury. A 12-year-old boy was hit by an autotruck. He was semi-comatose, with left temporal scalp swelling and excoriation in the left lower limb. Three days after the accident, he exhibited left hemiparesis. CT scans on the day of the accident showed no abnormality, but on the following day, right thalamic infarction appeared. Right carotid angiography showed only an irregular vascular shadow in the cisternal segment of the right internal carotid artery. Vascular obstruction after closed head injury is rare, especially in the intracranial vessels, and several pathogeneses may be postulated. The right thalamic infarction in this case was supposed to be due to the damage of the perforators from the right posterior communicating artery and the right posterior cerebral artery, which were struck as a contre-coup by the force from the left side. (author)
Hypertensive thalamic hematoma treated by CT stereotactic evacuation (with two cases reports)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Hongsheng; Zhu Fengqing

2002-01-01

Objective: To investigate new surgical method to treat hypertensive thalamic hematoma. Methods: Two medial-degree coma patients with hypertensive thalamic hematoma were treated by CT stereotactic evacuation. Results: One week after operation the two patients regained consciousness. The function of paraplegic appendage restored partly, and one patient could take care of himself. Conclusion: CT stereotactic evacuation to treat hypertensive thalamic hematoma has the advantages of small trauma, little complication and good clinical results. The authors suggest that it be selected firstly in treating hypertensive thalamic hematoma
Decode and Zero-Forcing Forward Relaying with Relay Selection in Cognitive Radio Systems

KAUST Repository

Park, Kihong

2014-05-01

In this paper, we investigate a cognitive radio (CR) relay network with multiple relay nodes that help forwarding the signal of CR users. Best relay selection is considered to take advantage of its low complexity of implementation. When the primary user (PU) is located close to the relay nodes, the performance of the secondary network is severely degraded due to the interference power constraint during the transmission in the second hop. We propose a decode and zero-forcing forward scheme to suppress the interference power at the relay nodes and analyze the statistics of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio when the relay nodes are located arbitrarily and experience therefore non-identical Rayleigh fading channels. Numerical results validate our theoretical results and show that our proposed scheme improves the performance of the CR network when the PU is close to the relay nodes. © 2014 IEEE.

On the achievable degrees of freedom of alternate MIMO relaying with multiple AF relays

KAUST Repository

Park, Kihong

2012-03-01

In this paper, we consider a two-hop relaying network where one source, one destination, and multiple amplify-and-forward (AF) relays equipped with M antennas operate in a half-duplex mode. In order to compensate for the inherent loss of capacity pre-log factor of 1/2 due to half-duplex relaying, we propose a new transmission protocol which combines alternate relaying and inter-relay interference alignment. We prove that the proposed scheme can (i) exploits M degrees of freedom (DOFs) and (ii) perfectly recover the pre-log factor loss if the number of relays is at least six. From our selected numerical results, we show that our proposed scheme gives significant improvement over conventional AF relaying which offers only M/2 DOFs. © 2012 IEEE.
Connectivity derived thalamic segmentation in deep brain stimulation for tremor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harith Akram

Full Text Available The ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM of the thalamus is an established surgical target for stereotactic ablation and deep brain stimulation (DBS in the treatment of tremor in Parkinson's disease (PD and essential tremor (ET. It is centrally placed on a cerebello-thalamo-cortical network connecting the primary motor cortex, to the dentate nucleus of the contralateral cerebellum through the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract (DRT. The VIM is not readily visible on conventional MR imaging, so identifying the surgical target traditionally involved indirect targeting that relies on atlas-defined coordinates. Unfortunately, this approach does not fully account for individual variability and requires surgery to be performed with the patient awake to allow for intraoperative targeting confirmation. The aim of this study is to identify the VIM and the DRT using probabilistic tractography in patients that will undergo thalamic DBS for tremor. Four male patients with tremor dominant PD and five patients (three female with ET underwent high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI (128 diffusion directions, 1.5 mm isotropic voxels and b value = 1500 preoperatively. Patients received VIM-DBS using an MR image guided and MR image verified approach with indirect targeting. Postoperatively, using parallel Graphical Processing Unit (GPU processing, thalamic areas with the highest diffusion connectivity to the primary motor area (M1, supplementary motor area (SMA, primary sensory area (S1 and contralateral dentate nucleus were identified. Additionally, volume of tissue activation (VTA corresponding to active DBS contacts were modelled. Response to treatment was defined as 40% reduction in the total Fahn-Tolosa-Martin Tremor Rating Score (FTMTRS with DBS-ON, one year from surgery. Three out of nine patients had a suboptimal, long-term response to treatment. The segmented thalamic areas corresponded well to anatomically known counterparts in the ventrolateral
Advanced Strategic and Tactical Relay Request Management for the Mars Relay Operations Service

Science.gov (United States)

Allard, Daniel A.; Wallick, Michael N.; Gladden, Roy E.; Wang, Paul; Hy, Franklin H.

2013-01-01

This software provides a new set of capabilities for the Mars Relay Operations Service (MaROS) in support of Strategic and Tactical relay, including a highly interactive relay request Web user interface, mission control over relay planning time periods, and mission management of allowed strategic vs. tactical request parameters. Together, these new capabilities expand the scope of the system to include all elements critical for Tactical relay operations. Planning of replay activities spans a time period that is split into two distinct phases. The first phase is called Strategic, which begins at the time that relay opportunities are identified, and concludes at the point that the orbiter generates the flight sequences for on board execution. Any relay request changes from this point on are called Tactical. Tactical requests, otherwise called Orbit - er Relay State Changes (ORSC), are highly restricted in terms of what types of changes can be made, and the types of parameters that can be changed may differ from one orbiter to the next. For example, one orbiter may be able to delay the start of a relay request, while another may not. The legacy approach to ORSC management involves exchanges of e-mail with "requests for change" and "acknowledgement of approval," with no other tracking of changes outside of e-mail folders. MaROS Phases 1 and 2 provided the infrastructure for strategic relay for all supported missions. This new version, 3.0, introduces several capabilities that fully expand the scope of the system to include tactical relay. One new feature allows orbiter users to manage and "lock" Planning Periods, which allows the orbiter team to formalize the changeover from Strategic to Tactical operations. Another major feature allows users to interactively submit tactical request changes via a Web user interface. A third new feature allows orbiter missions to specify allowed tactical updates, which are automatically incorporated into the tactical change process
Relay Precoder Optimization in MIMO-Relay Networks With Imperfect CSI

KAUST Repository

Pandarakkottilil, Ubaidulla

2011-11-01

In this paper, we consider robust joint designs of relay precoder and destination receive filters in a nonregenerative multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay network. The network consists of multiple source-destination node pairs assisted by a MIMO-relay node. The channel state information (CSI) available at the relay node is assumed to be imperfect. We consider robust designs for two models of CSI error. The first model is a stochastic error (SE) model, where the probability distribution of the CSI error is Gaussian. This model is applicable when the imperfect CSI is mainly due to errors in channel estimation. For this model, we propose robust minimum sum mean square error (SMSE), MSE-balancing, and relay transmit power minimizing precoder designs. The next model for the CSI error is a norm-bounded error (NBE) model, where the CSI error can be specified by an uncertainty set. This model is applicable when the CSI error is dominated by quantization errors. In this case, we adopt a worst-case design approach. For this model, we propose a robust precoder design that minimizes total relay transmit power under constraints on MSEs at the destination nodes. We show that the proposed robust design problems can be reformulated as convex optimization problems that can be solved efficiently using interior-point methods. We demonstrate the robust performance of the proposed design through simulations. © 2011 IEEE.
Regional thalamic neuropathology in patients with hippocampal sclerosis and epilepsy: A postmortem study

Science.gov (United States)

Sinjab, Barah; Martinian, Lillian; Sisodiya, Sanjay M; Thom, Maria

2013-01-01

Purpose Clinical, experimental, and neuroimaging data all indicate that the thalamus is involved in the network of changes associated with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), particularly in association with hippocampal sclerosis (HS), with potential roles in seizure initiation and propagation. Pathologic changes in the thalamus may be a result of an initial insult, ongoing seizures, or retrograde degeneration through reciprocal connections between thalamic and limbic regions. Our aim was to carry out a neuropathologic analysis of the thalamus in a postmortem (PM) epilepsy series, to assess the distribution, severity, and nature of pathologic changes and its association with HS. Methods Twenty-four epilepsy PM cases (age range 25–87 years) and eight controls (age range 38–85 years) were studied. HS was classified as unilateral (UHS, 11 cases), bilateral (BHS, 4 cases) or absent (No-HS, 9 cases). Samples from the left and right sides of the thalamus were stained with cresyl violet (CV), and for glial firbillary acidic protein (GFAP) and synaptophysin. Using image analysis, neuronal densities (NDs) or field fraction staining values (GFAP, synaptophysin) were measured in four thalamic nuclei: anteroventral nucleus (AV), lateral dorsal nucleus (LD), mediodorsal nucleus (MD), and ventrolateral nucleus (VL). The results were compared within and between cases. Key Findings The severity, nature, and distribution of thalamic pathology varied between cases. A pattern that emerged was a preferential involvement of the MD in UHS cases with a reduction in mean ND ipsilateral to the side of HS (p = 0.05). In UHS cases, greater field fraction values for GFAP and lower values for synaptophysin and ND were seen in the majority of cases in the MD ipsilateral to the side of sclerosis compared to other thalamic nuclei. In addition, differences in the mean ND between classical HS, atypical HS, and No-HS cases were noted in the ipsilateral MD (p < 0.05), with lower values observed in
Connectivity derived thalamic segmentation in deep brain stimulation for tremor.

Science.gov (United States)

Akram, Harith; Dayal, Viswas; Mahlknecht, Philipp; Georgiev, Dejan; Hyam, Jonathan; Foltynie, Thomas; Limousin, Patricia; De Vita, Enrico; Jahanshahi, Marjan; Ashburner, John; Behrens, Tim; Hariz, Marwan; Zrinzo, Ludvic

2018-01-01

The ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) of the thalamus is an established surgical target for stereotactic ablation and deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of tremor in Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET). It is centrally placed on a cerebello-thalamo-cortical network connecting the primary motor cortex, to the dentate nucleus of the contralateral cerebellum through the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract (DRT). The VIM is not readily visible on conventional MR imaging, so identifying the surgical target traditionally involved indirect targeting that relies on atlas-defined coordinates. Unfortunately, this approach does not fully account for individual variability and requires surgery to be performed with the patient awake to allow for intraoperative targeting confirmation. The aim of this study is to identify the VIM and the DRT using probabilistic tractography in patients that will undergo thalamic DBS for tremor. Four male patients with tremor dominant PD and five patients (three female) with ET underwent high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) (128 diffusion directions, 1.5 mm isotropic voxels and b value = 1500) preoperatively. Patients received VIM-DBS using an MR image guided and MR image verified approach with indirect targeting. Postoperatively, using parallel Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) processing, thalamic areas with the highest diffusion connectivity to the primary motor area (M1), supplementary motor area (SMA), primary sensory area (S1) and contralateral dentate nucleus were identified. Additionally, volume of tissue activation (VTA) corresponding to active DBS contacts were modelled. Response to treatment was defined as 40% reduction in the total Fahn-Tolosa-Martin Tremor Rating Score (FTMTRS) with DBS-ON, one year from surgery. Three out of nine patients had a suboptimal, long-term response to treatment. The segmented thalamic areas corresponded well to anatomically known counterparts in the ventrolateral (VL
Thalamic morphology in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Matthew J; Wang, Lei; Cronenwett, Will; Mamah, Daniel; Barch, Deanna M; Csernansky, John G

2011-03-01

Biomarkers are needed that can distinguish between schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder to inform the ongoing debate over the diagnostic boundary between these two disorders. Neuromorphometric abnormalities of the thalamus have been reported in individuals with schizophrenia and linked to core features of the disorder, but have not been similarly investigated in individuals with schizoaffective disorder. In this study, we examine whether individuals with schizoaffective disorder have a pattern of thalamic deformation that is similar or different to the pattern found in individuals with schizophrenia. T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were collected from individuals with schizophrenia (n = 47), individuals with schizoaffective disorder (n = 15), and controls (n = 42). Large-deformation, high-dimensional brain mapping was used to obtain three-dimensional surfaces of the thalamus. Multiple analyses of variance were used to test for group differences in volume and measures of surface shape. Individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder have similar thalamic volumes. Thalamic surface shape deformation associated with schizophrenia suggests selective involvement of the anterior and posterior thalamus, while deformations in mediodorsal and ventrolateral regions were observed in both groups. Schizoaffective disorder had distinct deformations in medial and lateral thalamic regions. Abnormalities distinct to schizoaffective disorder suggest involvement of the central and ventroposterior medial thalamus which may be involved in mood circuitry, dorsolateral nucleus which is involved in recall processing, and the lateral geniculate nucleus which is involved in visual processing. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Decode and Zero-Forcing Forward Relaying with Relay Selection in Cognitive Radio Systems

KAUST Repository

Park, Kihong; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2014-01-01

In this paper, we investigate a cognitive radio (CR) relay network with multiple relay nodes that help forwarding the signal of CR users. Best relay selection is considered to take advantage of its low complexity of implementation. When the primary
Relay Precoder Optimization in MIMO-Relay Networks With Imperfect CSI

KAUST Repository

Pandarakkottilil, Ubaidulla; Chockalingam, A.

2011-01-01

In this paper, we consider robust joint designs of relay precoder and destination receive filters in a nonregenerative multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay network. The network consists of multiple source-destination node pairs assisted by a
CERN Relay Race

CERN Document Server

CERN Running Club

2010-01-01

The CERN relay race will take place around the Meyrin site on Thursday 20 May, starting at 12.15. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20-minute period. If you do meet runners while driving your car, please STOP until they have all passed. Thank you for your cooperation. Details on the route, and how to register your team for the relay race, can be found at: https://espace.cern.ch/Running-Club/CERN-Relay
Alternate MIMO relaying with three AF relays using interference alignment

KAUST Repository

Park, Kihong; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

In this paper, we study a two-hop half-duplex relaying network with one source, one destination, and three amplify-and-forward (AF) relays equipped with M antennas each. We consider alternate transmission to compensate for the inherent loss
80537 based distance relay

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Knud Ole Helgesen

1999-01-01

A method for implementing a digital distance relay in the power system is described.Instructions are given on how to program this relay on a 80537 based microcomputer system.The problem is used as a practical case study in the course 53113: Micocomputer applications in the power system.The relay...
Unified thalamic model generates multiple distinct oscillations with state-dependent entrainment by stimulation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guoshi Li

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The thalamus plays a critical role in the genesis of thalamocortical oscillations, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. To understand whether the isolated thalamus can generate multiple distinct oscillations, we developed a biophysical thalamic model to test the hypothesis that generation of and transition between distinct thalamic oscillations can be explained as a function of neuromodulation by acetylcholine (ACh and norepinephrine (NE and afferent synaptic excitation. Indeed, the model exhibited four distinct thalamic rhythms (delta, sleep spindle, alpha and gamma oscillations that span the physiological states corresponding to different arousal levels from deep sleep to focused attention. Our simulation results indicate that generation of these distinct thalamic oscillations is a result of both intrinsic oscillatory cellular properties and specific network connectivity patterns. We then systematically varied the ACh/NE and input levels to generate a complete map of the different oscillatory states and their transitions. Lastly, we applied periodic stimulation to the thalamic network and found that entrainment of thalamic oscillations is highly state-dependent. Our results support the hypothesis that ACh/NE modulation and afferent excitation define thalamic oscillatory states and their response to brain stimulation. Our model proposes a broader and more central role of the thalamus in the genesis of multiple distinct thalamo-cortical rhythms than previously assumed.
Relay Selection and Resource Allocation in One-Way and Two-Way Cognitive Relay Networks

KAUST Repository

Alsharoa, Ahmad M.

2013-01-01

In this work, the problem of relay selection and resource power allocation in one- way and two-way cognitive relay networks using half duplex channels with different relaying protocols is investigated. Optimization problems for both single
A genetic algorithm for multiple relay selection in two-way relaying cognitive radio networks

KAUST Repository

Alsharoa, Ahmad M.; Ghazzai, Hakim; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2013-01-01

In this paper, we investigate a multiple relay selection scheme for two-way relaying cognitive radio networks where primary users and secondary users operate on the same frequency band. More specifically, cooperative relays using Amplifyand- Forward
Efficient incremental relaying

KAUST Repository

Fareed, Muhammad Mehboob; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2013-01-01

We propose a novel relaying scheme which improves the spectral efficiency of cooperative diversity systems by utilizing limited feedback from destination. Our scheme capitalizes on the fact that relaying is only required when direct transmission
A single-neuron tracing study of arkypallidal and prototypic neurons in healthy rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujiyama, Fumino; Nakano, Takashi; Matsuda, Wakoto; Furuta, Takahiro; Udagawa, Jun; Kaneko, Takeshi

2016-12-01

The external globus pallidus (GP) is known as a relay nucleus of the indirect pathway of the basal ganglia. Recent studies in dopamine-depleted and healthy rats indicate that the GP comprises two main types of pallidofugal neurons: the so-called "prototypic" and "arkypallidal" neurons. However, the reconstruction of complete arkypallidal neurons in healthy rats has not been reported. Here we visualized the entire axonal arborization of four single arkypallidal neurons and six single prototypic neurons in rat brain using labeling with a viral vector expressing membrane-targeted green fluorescent protein and examined the distribution of axon boutons in the target nuclei. Results revealed that not only the arkypallidal neurons but nearly all of the prototypic neurons projected to the striatum with numerous axon varicosities. Thus, the striatum is a major target nucleus for pallidal neurons. Arkypallidal and prototypic GP neurons located in the calbindin-positive and calbindin-negative regions mainly projected to the corresponding positive and negative regions in the striatum. Because the GP and striatum calbindin staining patterns reflect the topographic organization of the striatopallidal projection, the striatal neurons in the sensorimotor and associative regions constitute the reciprocal connection with the GP neurons in the corresponding regions.
Outage performance of two-way DF relaying systems with a new relay selection metric

KAUST Repository

Hyadi, Amal; Benjillali, Mustapha; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

This paper investigates a new constrained relay selection scheme for two-way relaying systems where two end terminals communicate simultaneously via a relay. The introduced technique is based on the maximization of the weighted sum rate of both
76 FR 24442 - Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program; Telecommunications Relay Services and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-02

... same meaning as the terms ``small business,'' ``small organization,'' and ``small governmental...] Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program; Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to... Commission's Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program; Telecommunications Relay Services...
Communication skills and thalamic lesion: Strategies of rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Amaddii, Luisa; Centorrino, Santi; Cambi, Jacopo; Passali, Desiderio

2014-01-01

To describe the speech rehabilitation history of patients with thalamic lesions. Thalamic lesions can affect speech and language according to diverse thalamic nuclei involved. Because of the strategic functional position of the thalamus within the cognitive networks, its lesion can also interfere with other cognitive processes, such as attention, memory and executive functions. Alterations of these cognitive domains contribute significantly to language deficits, leading to communicative inefficacy. This fact must be considered in the rehabilitation efforts. Whereas evaluation of cognitive functions and communicative efficiency is different from that of aphasic disorder, treatment should also be different. The treatment must be focused on specific cognitive deficits with belief in the regaining of communicative ability, as well as it occurs in therapy of pragmatic disorder in traumatic brain injury: attention process training, mnemotechnics and prospective memory training. According to our experience: (a) there is a close correlation between cognitive processes and communication skills; (b) alterations of attention, memory and executive functions cause a loss of efficiency in the language use; and (c) appropriate cognitive treatment improves pragmatic competence and therefore the linguistic disorder. For planning a speech-therapy it is important to consider the relationship between cognitive functions and communication. The cognitive/behavioral treatment confirms its therapeutic efficiency for thalamic lesions. Copyright © 2014 Polish Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Society. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z.o.o. All rights reserved.

Thalamic diffusion differences related to cognitive function in white matter lesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Andújar, Marina; Soriano-Raya, Juan José; Miralbell, Júlia; López-Cancio, Elena; Cáceres, Cynthia; Bargalló, Núria; Barrios, Maite; Arenillas, Juan Francisco; Toran, Pere; Alzamora, Maite; Clemente, Imma; Dávalos, Antoni; Mataró, Maria

2014-05-01

Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) are related to cognitive deficits, probably due to a disruption of frontal-subcortical circuits. We explored thalamic diffusion differences related to white matter lesions (WMLs) and their association with cognitive function in middle-aged individuals. Ninety-six participants from the Barcelona-AsIA Neuropsychology Study were included. Participants were classified into groups based on low grade and high grade of periventricular hyperintensities (PVHs) and deep white matter hyperintensities (DWMHs). Tract-Based Spatial Statistics was used to study thalamic diffusion differences between groups. Mean fractional anisotropy (FA) values in significant areas were calculated for each subject and correlated with cognitive performance. Participants with high-grade PVHs and DWMHs showed lower FA thalamic values compared to those with low-grade PVHs and DWMHs, respectively. Decreased FA thalamic values in high-grade DWMHs, but not high-grade PVH, were related to lower levels of performance in psychomotor speed, verbal fluency, and visuospatial skills. Thalamic diffusion differences are related to lower cognitive function only in participants with high-grade DWMHs. These results support the hypothesis that fronto-subcortical disruption is associated with cognitive function only in DWMHs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Alternate transmission with half-duplex relaying in MIMO interference relay networks

KAUST Repository

Park, Seongho; Ko, Youngchai; Park, Kihong; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2013-01-01

In this paper, we consider an alternate transmission scheme for a multiple-input multiple-output interference relay channel where multiple sources transmit their own signals to their corresponding destinations via one of two relaying groups
Opportunistic Relay Selection With Limited Feedback

KAUST Repository

Eltayeb, Mohammed E.; Elkhalil, Khalil; Bahrami, Hamid Reza; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.

2015-01-01

Relay selection is a simple technique that achieves spatial diversity in cooperative relay networks. Generally, relay selection algorithms require channel state information (CSI) feedback from all cooperating relays to make a selection decision
CERN Relay Race

CERN Document Server

2008-01-01

The CERN relay race will take place around the Meyrin site on Thursday 5 June starting at 12:15 p.m. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20-minute period. If you do meet runners while driving your car, please STOP until they have all passed. Thank you for your cooperation. Details on how to register your team for the relay race are given on the Staff Association Bulletin web site. You can access the online registration form at: http://cern.ch/club-running-relay/form.html
CERN Relay Race

CERN Document Server

2007-01-01

The CERN relay race will take place around the Meyrin site on Wednesday 23 May starting at 12:15. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20-minute period. If you do meet runners while driving your car, please STOP until they have all passed. Thank you for your cooperation. Details on how to register your team for the relay race are given on the Staff Association Bulletin web site. You can access the online registration form at: http://cern.ch/club-running-relay/form.html
Power system relaying

CERN Document Server

Horowitz, Stanley H; Niemira, James K

2013-01-01

The previous three editions of Power System Relaying offer comprehensive and accessible coverage of the theory and fundamentals of relaying and have been widely adopted on university and industry courses worldwide. With the third edition, the authors have added new and detailed descriptions of power system phenomena such as stability, system-wide protection concepts and discussion of historic outages. Power System Relaying, 4th Edition continues its role as an outstanding textbook on power system protection for senior and graduate students in the field of electric power engineering and a refer
MIMO Four-Way Relaying

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Huaping; Sun, Fan; De Carvalho, Elisabeth

2013-01-01

Two-way relaying in wireless systems has initiated a large research effort during the past few years. Nevertheless, it represents only a specific traffic pattern and it is of interest to investigate other traffic patterns where such a simultaneous processing of information flows can bring...... performance advantage. In this paper we consider a \\emph{four-way relaying} multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scenario, where each of the two Mobile Stations (MSs) has a two-way connection to the same Base Station (BS), while each connection is through a dedicated Relay Station (RS). The RSs are placed...... the sum-rate of the new scheme for Decode-and-Forward (DF) operational model for the RS. We compare the performance with state-of-the-art reference schemes, based on two-way relaying with DF. The results indicate that the sum-rate of the two-phase four-way relaying scheme largely outperforms the four...
Role of inhibitory feedback for information processing in thalamocortical circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayer, Joerg; Schuster, Heinz Georg; Claussen, Jens Christian

2006-01-01

The information transfer in the thalamus is blocked dynamically during sleep, in conjunction with the occurrence of spindle waves. In order to describe the dynamic mechanisms which control the sensory transfer of information, it is necessary to have a qualitative model for the response properties of thalamic neurons. As the theoretical understanding of the mechanism remains incomplete, we analyze two modeling approaches for a recent experiment by Le Masson et al. [Nature (London) 417, 854 (2002)] on the thalamocortical loop. We use a conductance based model in order to motivate an extension of the Hindmarsh-Rose model, which mimics experimental observations of Le Masson et al. Typically, thalamic neurons posses two different firing modes, depending on their membrane potential. At depolarized potentials, the cells fire in a single spike mode and relay synaptic inputs in a one-to-one manner to the cortex. If the cell gets hyperpolarized, T-type calcium currents generate burst-mode firing which leads to a decrease in the spike transfer. In thalamocortical circuits, the cell membrane gets hyperpolarized by recurrent inhibitory feedback loops. In the case of reciprocally coupled excitatory and inhibitory neurons, inhibitory feedback leads to metastable self-sustained oscillations, which mask the incoming input, and thereby reduce the information transfer significantly
Outcome After Pituitary Radiosurgery for Thalamic Pain Syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Motohiro; Chernov, Mikhail F.; Taira, Takaomi; Ochiai, Taku; Nakaya, Kotaro; Tamura, Noriko; Goto, Shinichi; Yomo, Shoji; Kouyama, Nobuo; Katayama, Yoko; Kawakami, Yoriko; Izawa, Masahiro; Muragaki, Yoshihiro

2007-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate outcomes after pituitary radiosurgery in patients with post-stroke thalamic pain syndrome. Methods and Materials: From 2002 to 2006, 24 patients with thalamic pain syndrome underwent pituitary radiosurgery at Tokyo Women's Medical University and were followed at least 12 months thereafter. The radiosurgical target was defined as the pituitary gland and its connection with the pituitary stalk. The maximum dose varied from 140 to 180 Gy. Mean follow-up after treatment was 35 months (range, 12-48 months). Results: Initial pain reduction, usually within 48 h after radiosurgery, was marked in 17 patients (71%). However, in the majority of cases the pain recurred within 6 months after treatment, and at the time of the last follow-up examination durable pain control was marked in only 5 patients (21%). Ten patients (42%) had treatment-associated side effects. Anterior pituitary abnormalities were marked in 8 cases and required hormonal replacement therapy in 3; transient diabetes insipidus was observed in 2 cases, transient hyponatremia in 1, and clinical deterioration due to increase of the numbness severity despite significant reduction of pain was seen once. Conclusions: Pituitary radiosurgery for thalamic pain results in a high rate of initial efficacy and is accompanied by acceptable morbidity. It can be used as a primary minimally invasive management option for patients with post-stroke thalamic pain resistant to medical therapy. However, in the majority of cases pain recurrence occurs within 1 year after treatment
Thalamic VPM nucleus in the behaving monkey. III. Effects of reversible inactivation by lidocaine on thermal and mechanical discrimination.

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, G H; Bushnell, M C; Oliveras, J L; Bastrash, N; Tremblay, N

1993-11-01

1. The present study evaluates the necessity of the ventroposterior medial thalamic nucleus (VPM) for discrimination of the intensity of noxious heating, innocuous cooling, and innocuous tactile (airpuff) stimulation of the maxillary skin. 2. Two rhesus monkeys were trained to detect small differences (Lidocaine hydrochloride (2%) was microinjected into regions of thalamus where single-unit recordings had identified neuronal responses to the noxious heating and/or cooling stimuli. The effectiveness of the anesthetic blockade was monitored by multiunit recordings using microelectrodes positioned 1-3 mm from the orifice of the injection cannula. The monkey's ability to detect near-threshold changes in stimulus intensity was compared before and after each injection. 3. During six experimental sessions, single injections of 1-4 microliters lidocaine near the dorsomedial border of VPM did not significantly alter the monkey's ability to detect small changes in the intensity of noxious heat, cool, airpuff, or visual stimuli despite neurophysiological evidence that spontaneous neuronal activity was blocked within parts of VPM. 4. During three experiments, dual simultaneous microinjections of lidocaine (delivered through 2 microcannulae separated by approximately 1 mm) resulted in profound deficits in noxious heat discrimination, with lesser deficits in cool and airpuff discrimination; visual discrimination was never altered. Monitoring of adjacent microelectrodes revealed that although activity ventral to the injection sites was blocked, activity in medial thalamic nuclei, implicated in nociceptive processing, was probably not altered by these injections. 5. These data suggest that VPM is important for the perception of noxious and innocuous thermal stimuli as well as for the perception of tactile stimuli. However, considering the ineffectiveness of small single microinjections of lidocaine, it appears that some critical proportion of VPM must be inactivated to disrupt
Performance analysis of two-way amplify and forward relaying with adaptive modulation over multiple relay network

KAUST Repository

Hwang, Kyusung; Ko, Youngchai; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2011-01-01

In this letter, we propose two-way amplify-and-forward relaying in conjunction with adaptive modulation in order to improve spectral efficiency of relayed communication systems while monitoring the required error performance. We also consider a multiple relay network where only the best relay node is utilized so that the diversity order increases while maintaining a low complexity of implementation as the number of relays increases. Based on the best relay selection criterion, we offer an upper bound on the signal-to-noise ratio to keep the performance analysis tractable. Our numerical examples show that the proposed system offers a considerable gain in spectral efficiency while satisfying the error rate requirements. © 2011 IEEE.
Performance analysis of two-way amplify and forward relaying with adaptive modulation over multiple relay network

KAUST Repository

Hwang, Kyusung

2011-02-01

In this letter, we propose two-way amplify-and-forward relaying in conjunction with adaptive modulation in order to improve spectral efficiency of relayed communication systems while monitoring the required error performance. We also consider a multiple relay network where only the best relay node is utilized so that the diversity order increases while maintaining a low complexity of implementation as the number of relays increases. Based on the best relay selection criterion, we offer an upper bound on the signal-to-noise ratio to keep the performance analysis tractable. Our numerical examples show that the proposed system offers a considerable gain in spectral efficiency while satisfying the error rate requirements. © 2011 IEEE.
Opportunistic Relay Selection With Limited Feedback

KAUST Repository

Eltayeb, Mohammed E.

2015-08-01

Relay selection is a simple technique that achieves spatial diversity in cooperative relay networks. Generally, relay selection algorithms require channel state information (CSI) feedback from all cooperating relays to make a selection decision. This requirement poses two important challenges, which are often neglected in the literature. Firstly, the fed back channel information is usually corrupted by additive noise. Secondly, CSI feedback generates a great deal of feedback overhead (air-time) that could result in significant performance hits. In this paper, we propose a compressive sensing (CS) based relay selection algorithm that reduces the feedback overhead of relay networks under the assumption of noisy feedback channels. The proposed algorithm exploits CS to first obtain the identity of a set of relays with favorable channel conditions. Following that, the CSI of the identified relays is estimated using least squares estimation without any additional feedback. Both single and multiple relay selection cases are considered. After deriving closed-form expressions for the asymptotic end-to-end SNR at the destination and the feedback load for different relaying protocols, we show that CS-based selection drastically reduces the feedback load and achieves a rate close to that obtained by selection algorithms with dedicated error-free feedback. © 1972-2012 IEEE.
Transitions to Synchrony in Coupled Bursting Neurons

Science.gov (United States)

Dhamala, Mukeshwar; Jirsa, Viktor K.; Ding, Mingzhou

2004-01-01

Certain cells in the brain, for example, thalamic neurons during sleep, show spike-burst activity. We study such spike-burst neural activity and the transitions to a synchronized state using a model of coupled bursting neurons. In an electrically coupled network, we show that the increase of coupling strength increases incoherence first and then induces two different transitions to synchronized states, one associated with bursts and the other with spikes. These sequential transitions to synchronized states are determined by the zero crossings of the maximum transverse Lyapunov exponents. These results suggest that synchronization of spike-burst activity is a multi-time-scale phenomenon and burst synchrony is a precursor to spike synchrony.
Transitions to synchrony in coupled bursting neurons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dhamala, Mukeshwar; Jirsa, Viktor K.; Ding Mingzhou

2004-01-01

Certain cells in the brain, for example, thalamic neurons during sleep, show spike-burst activity. We study such spike-burst neural activity and the transitions to a synchronized state using a model of coupled bursting neurons. In an electrically coupled network, we show that the increase of coupling strength increases incoherence first and then induces two different transitions to synchronized states, one associated with bursts and the other with spikes. These sequential transitions to synchronized states are determined by the zero crossings of the maximum transverse Lyapunov exponents. These results suggest that synchronization of spike-burst activity is a multi-time-scale phenomenon and burst synchrony is a precursor to spike synchrony
Ready, steady… relay!

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

Thursday 5 June. With another year comes another success for CERN’s Relay Race. With 76 teams taking part it was the second highest turnout in the race’s history. ‘The Shabbys’ won the relay race in 10 minutes 51 seconds.As popular as ever, this year the relay race took on the atmosphere of a mini carnival. Gathering on the lawn outside Restaurant 1, various stalls and attractions added to the party feeling of the event, with beer courtesy of ‘AGLUP’, the Belgian beer club, and a wandering jazz group entertaining spectators and competitors alike. Reflecting the greater involvement of other associations in the relay race, the president of the Staff Association Clubs Committee, James Purvis, was the guest of honour, launching the start of the race and presenting the prizes. As regular followers of the race could have probably predicted, The Shabbys were once again victorious and claimed first place. The team members th...
Multicentre European study of thalamic stimulation in parkinsonian and essential tremor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Limousin, P.; Speelman, J. D.; Gielen, F.; Janssens, M.

1999-01-01

Thalamic stimulation has been proposed to treat disabling tremor. The aims of this multicentre study were to evaluate the efficacy and the morbidity of thalamic stimulation in a large number of patients with parkinsonian or essential tremor. One hundred and eleven patients were included in the study
Correlation transfer from basal ganglia to thalamus in Parkinson's disease

Science.gov (United States)

Pamela, Reitsma; Brent, Doiron; Jonathan, Rubin

2011-01-01

Spike trains from neurons in the basal ganglia of parkinsonian primates show increased pairwise correlations, oscillatory activity, and burst rate compared to those from neurons recorded during normal brain activity. However, it is not known how these changes affect the behavior of downstream thalamic neurons. To understand how patterns of basal ganglia population activity may affect thalamic spike statistics, we study pairs of model thalamocortical (TC) relay neurons receiving correlated inhibitory input from the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi), a primary output nucleus of the basal ganglia. We observe that the strength of correlations of TC neuron spike trains increases with the GPi correlation level, and bursty firing patterns such as those seen in the parkinsonian GPi allow for stronger transfer of correlations than do firing patterns found under normal conditions. We also show that the T-current in the TC neurons does not significantly affect correlation transfer, despite its pronounced effects on spiking. Oscillatory firing patterns in GPi are shown to affect the timescale at which correlations are best transferred through the system. To explain this last result, we analytically compute the spike count correlation coefficient for oscillatory cases in a reduced point process model. Our analysis indicates that the dependence of the timescale of correlation transfer is robust to different levels of input spike and rate correlations and arises due to differences in instantaneous spike correlations, even when the long timescale rhythmic modulations of neurons are identical. Overall, these results show that parkinsonian firing patterns in GPi do affect the transfer of correlations to the thalamus. PMID:22355287
Dynamic analysis of the conditional oscillator underlying slow waves in thalamocortical neurons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francois eDavid

2016-02-01

Full Text Available During non-REM sleep the EEG shows characteristics waves that are generated by the dynamic interactions between cortical and thalamic oscillators. In thalamic neurons, low-threshold T-type Ca2+ channels play a pivotal role in almost every type of neuronal oscillations, including slow (<1 Hz waves, sleep spindles and delta waves. The transient opening of T channels gives rise to the low threshold spikes (LTSs, and associated high frequency bursts of action potentials, that are characteristically present during sleep spindles and delta waves, whereas the persistent opening of a small fraction of T channels, (i.e. ITwindow is responsible for the membrane potential bistability underlying sleep slow oscillations. Surprisingly thalamocortical (TC neurons express a very high density of T channels that largely exceed the amount required to generate LTSs and therefore, to support certain, if not all, sleep oscillations. Here, to clarify the relationship between T current density and sleep oscillations, we systematically investigated the impact of the T conductance level on the intrinsic rhythmic activities generated in TC neurons, combining in vitro experiments and TC neuron simulation. Using bifurcation analysis, we provide insights into the dynamical processes taking place at the transition between slow and delta oscillations. Our results show that although stable delta oscillations can be evoked with minimal T conductance, the full range of slow oscillation patterns, including groups of delta oscillations separated by Up states (grouped-delta slow waves requires a high density of T channels. Moreover, high levels of T conductance ensure the robustness of different types of slow oscillations.
Low thalamic NAA-concentration corresponds to strong neural activation in working memory in Kleine-Levin syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Vigren, Patrick; Tisell, Anders; Engström, Maria; Karlsson, Thomas; Leinhard Dahlqvist, Olof; Lundberg, Peter; Landtblom, Anne-Marie

2013-01-01

Kleine Levin Syndrome (KLS) is a rare disorder of periodic hypersomnia and behavioural disturbances in young individuals. It has previously been shown to be associated with disturbances of working memory (WM), which, in turn, was associated with higher activation of the thalamus with increasing WM load, demonstrated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this study we aimed to further elucidate how these findings are related to the metabolism of the thalamus. fMRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy were applied while performing a WM task. Standard metabolites were examined: n-acetylaspartate (NAA), myo-inositol, choline, creatine and glutamate-glutamine. Fourteen KLS-patients and 15 healthy controls participated in the study. The patients with active disease were examined in asymptomatic periods. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between thalamic fMRI-activation and thalamic NAA, i.e., high fMRI-activation corresponded to low NAA-levels. This correlation was not seen in healthy controls. Thalamic levels of NAA in patients and controls showed no significant differences between the groups. None of the other metabolites showed any co-variation with fMRI-activation. This study shows negative correlation between NAA-levels and fMRI-activity in the left thalamus of KLS-patients while performing a WM task. This correlation could not be found in healthy control subjects, primarily interpreted as an effect of increased effort in the patient group upon performing the task. It might indicate a disturbance in the neuronal networks responsible for WM in KLS patients, resulting in higher effort at lower WM load, compared with healthy subjects. The general relationship between NAA and BOLD-signal is also discussed in the article.

A genetic algorithm for multiple relay selection in two-way relaying cognitive radio networks

KAUST Repository

Alsharoa, Ahmad M.

2013-09-01

In this paper, we investigate a multiple relay selection scheme for two-way relaying cognitive radio networks where primary users and secondary users operate on the same frequency band. More specifically, cooperative relays using Amplifyand- Forward (AF) protocol are optimally selected to maximize the sum rate of the secondary users without degrading the Quality of Service (QoS) of the primary users by respecting a tolerated interference threshold. A strong optimization tool based on genetic algorithm is employed to solve our formulated optimization problem where discrete relay power levels are considered. Our simulation results show that the practical heuristic approach achieves almost the same performance of the optimal multiple relay selection scheme either with discrete or continuous power distributions. Copyright © 2013 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Inc.
Iterative Relay Scheduling with Hybrid ARQ under Multiple User Equipment (Type II) Relay Environments

KAUST Repository

Nam, Sung Sik

2018-01-09

In this work, we propose an iterative relay scheduling with hybrid ARQ (IRS-HARQ) scheme which realizes fast jump-in/successive relaying and subframe-based decoding under the multiple user equipment (UE) relay environments applicable to the next-generation cellular systems (e.g., LTE-Advanced and beyond). The proposed IRS-HARQ aims to increase the achievable data rate by iteratively scheduling a relatively better UE relay closer to the end user in a probabilistic sense, provided that the relay-to-end user link should be operated in an open-loop and transparent mode. The latter is due to the fact that not only there are no dedicated control channels between the UE relay and the end user but also a new cell is not created. Under this open-loop and transparent mode, our proposed protocol is implemented by partially exploiting the channel state information based on the overhearing mechanism of ACK/NACK for HARQ. Further, the iterative scheduling enables UE-to-UE direct communication with proximity that offers spatial frequency reuse and energy saving.
Relay Selection with Limited and Noisy Feedback

KAUST Repository

Eltayeb, Mohammed E.

2016-01-28

Relay selection is a simple technique that achieves spatial diversity in cooperative relay networks. Nonetheless, relay selection algorithms generally require error-free channel state information (CSI) from all cooperating relays. Practically, CSI acquisition generates a great deal of feedback overhead that could result in significant transmission delays. In addition to this, the fed back channel information is usually corrupted by additive noise. This could lead to transmission outages if the central node selects the set of cooperating relays based on inaccurate feedback information. In this paper, we propose a relay selection algorithm that tackles the above challenges. Instead of allocating each relay a dedicated channel for feedback, all relays share a pool of feedback channels. Following that, each relay feeds back its identity only if its effective channel (source-relay-destination) exceeds a threshold. After deriving closed-form expressions for the feedback load and the achievable rate, we show that the proposed algorithm drastically reduces the feedback overhead and achieves a rate close to that obtained by selection algorithms with dedicated error-free feedback from all relays. © 2015 IEEE.
Global suppression of electrocortical activity in unilateral perinatal thalamic stroke.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kharoshankaya, Liudmila

2014-07-01

We present an unusual case of persistent generalized electroencephalography (EEG) suppression and right-sided clonic seizures in a male infant born at 40(+2) weeks\\' gestation, birthweight 3240g, with an isolated unilateral thalamic stroke. The EEG at 13 hours after birth showed a generalized very low amplitude background pattern, which progressed to frequent electrographic seizures over the left hemisphere. The interictal background EEG pattern remained grossly abnormal over the next 48 hours, showing very low background amplitudes (<10μV). Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an isolated acute left-sided thalamic infarction. This is the first description of severe global EEG suppression caused by an isolated unilateral thalamic stroke and supports the role of the thalamus as the control centre for cortical electrical activity.
Hypertensive thalamic hemorrhage. Clinical symptoms and outcomes in 40 cases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Munaka, Masahiro; Nishikawa, Michio; Hirai, Osamu; Kaneko, Takaaki; Watanabe, Syu; Fukuma, Jun; Handa, Hajime

1988-12-01

In the past six years, we have had experience with 40 patients with hypertensive thalamic hemorrhages, as verified by CT scan at our hospital within 24 hours. These patients were classified into the following three groups according to the location of the bleeding point and the size of the hematoma: (1) anteromedial (4 cases), (2) posterolateral (16 cases), and (3) massive (20 cases). The (1) and (2) hematomas were small (less than 3 cm in diameter), while those in (3) were large (more than 3 cm in diameter). Twenty cases (50% of all the thalamic hematomas) were small hematomas. The characteristic clinical symptoms of the anteromedial type were a mild disturbance of consciousness and thalamic dementia, while those of the posterolateral type were motor and sensory disturbance, and thalamic aphasia, respectively. Twenty cases (50%) were large hematomas. The clinical symptoms of these cases were mainly consciousness disturbance; 7 of them expired. Based on this experience, it may be considered that the patients whose hematoma size was larger than 3 cm had a poor prognosis and that the patients with the posterolateral type had a poor functional diagnosis.
Mapping cortical mesoscopic networks of single spiking cortical or sub-cortical neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Dongsheng; Vanni, Matthieu P; Mitelut, Catalin C; Chan, Allen W; LeDue, Jeffrey M; Xie, Yicheng; Chen, Andrew Cn; Swindale, Nicholas V; Murphy, Timothy H

2017-02-04

Understanding the basis of brain function requires knowledge of cortical operations over wide-spatial scales, but also within the context of single neurons. In vivo, wide-field GCaMP imaging and sub-cortical/cortical cellular electrophysiology were used in mice to investigate relationships between spontaneous single neuron spiking and mesoscopic cortical activity. We make use of a rich set of cortical activity motifs that are present in spontaneous activity in anesthetized and awake animals. A mesoscale spike-triggered averaging procedure allowed the identification of motifs that are preferentially linked to individual spiking neurons by employing genetically targeted indicators of neuronal activity. Thalamic neurons predicted and reported specific cycles of wide-scale cortical inhibition/excitation. In contrast, spike-triggered maps derived from single cortical neurons yielded spatio-temporal maps expected for regional cortical consensus function. This approach can define network relationships between any point source of neuronal spiking and mesoscale cortical maps.
Optimal relay selection and power allocation for cognitive two-way relaying networks

KAUST Repository

Pandarakkottilil, Ubaidulla; Aï ssa, Sonia

2012-01-01

In this paper, we present an optimal scheme for power allocation and relay selection in a cognitive radio network where a pair of cognitive (or secondary) transceiver nodes communicate with each other assisted by a set of cognitive two-way relays
Buffer-Aided Relaying with Adaptive Link Selection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zlatanov, Nikola; Schober, Robert; Popovski, Petar

2013-01-01

In this paper, we consider a simple network consisting of a source, a half-duplex decode-and-forward relay, and a destination. We propose a new relaying protocol employing adaptive link selection, i.e., in any given time slot, based on the channel state information of the source-relay and the relay......-destination link a decision is made whether the source or the relay transmits. In order to avoid data loss at the relay, adaptive link selection requires the relay to be equipped with a buffer such that data can be queued until the relay-destination link is selected for transmission. We study both delay......-constrained and delay-unconstrained transmission. For the delay-unconstrained case, we characterize the optimal link selection policy, derive the corresponding throughput, and develop an optimal power allocation scheme. For the delay-constrained case, we propose to starve the buffer of the relay by choosing...
Relay Selection with Limited and Noisy Feedback

KAUST Repository

Eltayeb, Mohammed E.; Elkhalil, Khalil; Mas'ud, Abdullahi Abubakar; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.

2016-01-01

Relay selection is a simple technique that achieves spatial diversity in cooperative relay networks. Nonetheless, relay selection algorithms generally require error-free channel state information (CSI) from all cooperating relays. Practically, CSI
CERN Relay Race

CERN Multimedia

2009-01-01

The CERN relay race, now in its 39th year, is already a well-known tradition, but this year the organizers say the event will have even more of a festival feeling. Just off the starting line of the CERN relay race.For the past few years, spectators and runners at the CERN relay race have been able to enjoy a beer while listening to music from the CERN music and jazz clubs. But this year the organizers are aiming for "even more of a festival atmosphere". As David Nisbet, President of the CERN running club and organizer of the relay race, says: "Work is not just about getting your head down and doing the theory, it’s also about enjoying the company of your colleagues." This year, on top of music from the Santa Luis Band and the Canettes Blues Band, there will be demonstrations from the Aikido and softball clubs, a stretching session by the Fitness club, as well as various stalls and of course, the well-earned beer from AGLUP, the B...
Grey matter volume patterns in thalamic nuclei are associated with familial risk for schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Pergola, Giulio; Trizio, Silvestro; Di Carlo, Pasquale; Taurisano, Paolo; Mancini, Marina; Amoroso, Nicola; Nettis, Maria Antonietta; Andriola, Ileana; Caforio, Grazia; Popolizio, Teresa; Rampino, Antonio; Di Giorgio, Annabella; Bertolino, Alessandro; Blasi, Giuseppe

2017-02-01

Previous evidence suggests reduced thalamic grey matter volume (GMV) in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). However, it is not considered an intermediate phenotype for schizophrenia, possibly because previous studies did not assess the contribution of individual thalamic nuclei and employed univariate statistics. Here, we hypothesized that multivariate statistics would reveal an association of GMV in different thalamic nuclei with familial risk for schizophrenia. We also hypothesized that accounting for the heterogeneity of thalamic GMV in healthy controls would improve the detection of subjects at familial risk for the disorder. We acquired MRI scans for 96 clinically stable SCZ, 55 non-affected siblings of patients with schizophrenia (SIB), and 249 HC. The thalamus was parceled into seven regions of interest (ROIs). After a canonical univariate analysis, we used GMV estimates of thalamic ROIs, together with total thalamic GMV and premorbid intelligence, as features in Random Forests to classify HC, SIB, and SCZ. Then, we computed a Misclassification Index for each individual and tested the improvement in SIB detection after excluding a subsample of HC misclassified as patients. Random Forests discriminated SCZ from HC (accuracy=81%) and SIB from HC (accuracy=75%). Left anteromedial thalamic volumes were significantly associated with both multivariate classifications (p<0.05). Excluding HC misclassified as SCZ improved greatly HC vs. SIB classification (Cohen's d=1.39). These findings suggest that multivariate statistics identify a familial background associated with thalamic GMV reduction in SCZ. They also suggest the relevance of inter-individual variability of GMV patterns for the discrimination of individuals at familial risk for the disorder. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Physical Layer Security Using Two-Path Successive Relaying

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qian Yu Liau

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Relaying is one of the useful techniques to enhance wireless physical-layer security. Existing literature shows that employing full-duplex relay instead of conventional half-duplex relay improves secrecy capacity and secrecy outage probability, but this is at the price of sophisticated implementation. As an alternative, two-path successive relaying has been proposed to emulate operation of full-duplex relay by scheduling a pair of half-duplex relays to assist the source transmission alternately. However, the performance of two-path successive relaying in secrecy communication remains unexplored. This paper proposes a secrecy two-path successive relaying protocol for a scenario with one source, one destination and two half-duplex relays. The relays operate alternately in a time division mode to forward messages continuously from source to destination in the presence of an eavesdropper. Analytical results reveal that the use of two half-duplex relays in the proposed scheme contributes towards a quadratically lower probability of interception compared to full-duplex relaying. Numerical simulations show that the proposed protocol achieves the ergodic achievable secrecy rate of full-duplex relaying while delivering the lowest probability of interception and secrecy outage probability compared to the existing half duplex relaying, full duplex relaying and full duplex jamming schemes.
Handover Framework for Relay Enhanced LTE Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teyeb, Oumer Mohammed; Van Phan, Vinh; Raaf, Bernhard

2009-01-01

Relaying is one of the proposed technologies for future releases of UTRAN Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. Introducing relaying is expected to increase the coverage and capacity of LTE networks. In order to enable relaying, the architecture, protocol and radio resource management procedures...... of LTE, such as handover, have to be modified. A user can be handed over not only between two base stations, but also between relays and base stations, and between two relays. With the introduction of relaying, there is a need for a new procedure to hand over a relay and all its associated users...... to another base station, allowing a flexible and dynamic relay deployment. In this paper, we extend the LTE release 8 handover mechanisms so that it can accommodate these new handover functionalities in a flexible manner....
Optimal relay selection and power allocation for cognitive two-way relaying networks

KAUST Repository

Pandarakkottilil, Ubaidulla

2012-06-01

In this paper, we present an optimal scheme for power allocation and relay selection in a cognitive radio network where a pair of cognitive (or secondary) transceiver nodes communicate with each other assisted by a set of cognitive two-way relays. The secondary nodes share the spectrum with a licensed primary user (PU), and each node is assumed to be equipped with a single transmit/receive antenna. The interference to the PU resulting from the transmission from the cognitive nodes is kept below a specified limit. We propose joint relay selection and optimal power allocation among the secondary user (SU) nodes achieving maximum throughput under transmit power and PU interference constraints. A closed-form solution for optimal allocation of transmit power among the SU transceivers and the SU relay is presented. Furthermore, numerical simulations and comparisons are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed scheme. © 2012 IEEE.
Relay Architectures for 3GPP LTE-Advanced

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peters StevenW

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The Third Generation Partnership Project's Long Term Evolution-Advanced is considering relaying for cost-effective throughput enhancement and coverage extension. While analog repeaters have been used to enhance coverage in commercial cellular networks, the use of more sophisticated fixed relays is relatively new. The main challenge faced by relay deployments in cellular systems is overcoming the extra interference added by the presence of relays. Most prior work on relaying does not consider interference, however. This paper analyzes the performance of several emerging half-duplex relay strategies in interference-limited cellular systems: one-way, two-way, and shared relays. The performance of each strategy as a function of location, sectoring, and frequency reuse are compared with localized base station coordination. One-way relaying is shown to provide modest gains over single-hop cellular networks in some regimes. Shared relaying is shown to approach the gains of local base station coordination at reduced complexity, while two-way relaying further reduces complexity but only works well when the relay is close to the handset. Frequency reuse of one, where each sector uses the same spectrum, is shown to have the highest network throughput. Simulations with realistic channel models provide performance comparisons that reveal the importance of interference mitigation in multihop cellular networks.
What does a comparison of the alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome and thalamic infarction tell us about thalamic amnesia?

Science.gov (United States)

Kopelman, Michael D

2015-07-01

In this review, the clinical, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging findings in the alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome and in thalamic amnesia, resulting from focal infarction, are compared. In both disorders, there is controversy over what is the critical site for anterograde amnesia to occur-damage to the anterior thalamus/mammillo-thalamic tract has most commonly been cited, but damage to the medio-dorsal nuclei has also been advocated. Both syndromes show 'core' features of an anterograde amnesic syndrome; but retrograde amnesia is generally much more extensive (going back many years or decades) in the Korsakoff syndrome. Likewise, spontaneous confabulation occurs more commonly in the Korsakoff syndrome, although seen in only a minority of chronic cases. These differences are attributed to the greater prevalence of frontal atrophy and frontal damage in Korsakoff cases. Copyright © 2014 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Full-Duplex Relay Selection in Cognitive Underlay Networks

KAUST Repository

Khafagy, Mohammad Galal; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Aissa, Sonia

2017-01-01

In this work, we analyze the performance of full-duplex relay selection (FDRS) in spectrum-sharing networks. Contrary to half-duplex relaying, full-duplex relaying (FDR) enables simultaneous listening/forwarding at the secondary relay(s), thereby
Capacity gains of buffer-aided moving relays

KAUST Repository

Zafar, Ammar

2017-03-14

This work investigates the gain due to reduction in path loss by deploying buffer-aided moving relaying. In particular, the increase in gain due to moving relays is studied for dual-hop broadcast channels and the bidirectional relay channel. It is shown that the exploited gains in these channels due to buffer-aided relaying can be enhanced by utilizing the fact that a moving relay can communicate with the terminal closest to it and store the data in the buffer and then forward the data to the intended destination when it comes in close proximity with the destination. Numerical results show that for both the considered channels the achievable rates are increased as compared to the case of stationary relays. Numerical results also show that more significant increase in performance is seen when the relay moves to-and-fro between the source and the relay.
Capacity gains of buffer-aided moving relays

KAUST Repository

Zafar, Ammar; Shaqfeh, Mohammad; Alnuweiri, Hussein; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

This work investigates the gain due to reduction in path loss by deploying buffer-aided moving relaying. In particular, the increase in gain due to moving relays is studied for dual-hop broadcast channels and the bidirectional relay channel. It is shown that the exploited gains in these channels due to buffer-aided relaying can be enhanced by utilizing the fact that a moving relay can communicate with the terminal closest to it and store the data in the buffer and then forward the data to the intended destination when it comes in close proximity with the destination. Numerical results show that for both the considered channels the achievable rates are increased as compared to the case of stationary relays. Numerical results also show that more significant increase in performance is seen when the relay moves to-and-fro between the source and the relay.
Modified Dynamic Decode-and-Forward Relaying Protocol for Type II Relay in LTE-Advanced and Beyond.

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, Sung Sik; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Choi, Seyeong

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose a modified dynamic decode-and-forward (MoDDF) relaying protocol to meet the critical requirements for user equipment (UE) relays in next-generation cellular systems (e.g., LTE-Advanced and beyond). The proposed MoDDF realizes the fast jump-in relaying and the sequential decoding with an application of random codeset to encoding and re-encoding process at the source and the multiple UE relays, respectively. A subframe-by-subframe decoding based on the accumulated (or buffered) messages is employed to achieve energy, information, or mixed combining. Finally, possible early termination of decoding at the end user can lead to the higher spectral efficiency and more energy saving by reducing the frequency of redundant subframe transmission and decoding. These attractive features eliminate the need of directly exchanging control messages between multiple UE relays and the end user, which is an important prerequisite for the practical UE relay deployment.

Performance analysis of opportunistic nonregenerative relaying

KAUST Repository

Tourki, Kamel; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Qaraqe, Khalid A.; Yang, Hongchuan

2013-01-01

Opportunistic relaying in cooperative communication depends on careful relay selection. However, the traditional centralized method used for opportunistic amplify-and-forward protocols requires precise measurements of channel state information at the destination. In this paper, we adopt the max-min criterion as a relay selection framework for opportunistic amplify-and-forward cooperative communications, which was exhaustively used for the decode-and-forward protocol, and offer an accurate performance analysis based on exact statistics of the local signal-to-noise ratios of the best relay. Furthermore, we evaluate the asymptotical performance and deduce the diversity order of our proposed scheme. Finally, we validate our analysis by showing that performance simulation results coincide with our analytical results over Rayleigh fading channels, and we compare the max-min relay selection with their centralized channel state information-based and partial relay selection counterparts.
Energy efficient circuit design using nanoelectromechanical relays

Science.gov (United States)

Venkatasubramanian, Ramakrishnan

Nano-electromechanical (NEM) relays are a promising class of emerging devices that offer zero off-state leakage and behave like an ideal switch. Recent advances in planar fabrication technology have demonstrated that microelectromechanical (MEMS) scale miniature relays could be manufactured reliably and could be used to build fully functional, complex integrated circuits. The zero leakage operation of relays has renewed the interest in relay based low power logic design. This dissertation explores circuit architectures using NEM relays and NEMS-CMOS heterogeneous integration. Novel circuit topologies for sequential logic, memory, and power management circuits have been proposed taking into consideration the NEM relay device properties and optimizing for energy efficiency and area. In nanoscale electromechanical devices, dispersion forces like Van der Waals' force (vdW) affect the pull-in stability of the relay devices significantly. Verilog-A electromechanical model of the suspended gate relay operating at 1V with a nominal air gap of 5 - 10nm has been developed taking into account all the electrical, mechanical and dispersion effects. This dissertation explores different relay based latch and flip-flop topologies. It has been shown that as few as 4 relay cells could be used to build flip-flops. An integrated voltage doubler based flip flop that improves the performance by 2X by overdriving Vgb has been proposed. Three NEM relay based parallel readout memory bitcell architectures have been proposed that have faster access time, and remove the reliability issues associated with previously reported serial readout architectures. A paradigm shift in design of power switches using NEM relays is proposed. An interesting property of the relay device is that the ON state resistance (Ron) of the NEM relay switch is constant and is insensitive to the gate slew rate. This coupled with infinite OFF state resistance (Roff ) offers significant area and power advantages over CMOS
78 FR 40407 - Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program: Telecommunications Relay Services and...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-05

...] Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program: Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to... telecommunications relay services (TRS) program continues to offer functional equivalence to all eligible users and..., identified by CG Docket Nos. 10-51 and 03-123, by any of the following methods: Electronic Filers: Comments...
Midline thalamic reuniens lesions improve executive behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, J A; Abela, A R; Chudasama, Y

2017-03-14

The role of the thalamus in complex cognitive behavior is a topic of increasing interest. Here we demonstrate that lesions of the nucleus reuniens (NRe), a midline thalamic nucleus interconnected with both hippocampal and prefrontal circuitry, lead to enhancement of executive behaviors typically associated with the prefrontal cortex. Rats were tested on four behavioral tasks: (1) the combined attention-memory (CAM) task, which simultaneously assessed attention to a visual target and memory for that target over a variable delay; (2) spatial memory using a radial arm maze, (3) discrimination and reversal learning using a touchscreen operant platform, and (4) decision-making with delayed outcomes. Following NRe lesions, the animals became more efficient in their performance, responding with shorter reaction times but also less impulsively than controls. This change, combined with a decrease in perseverative responses, led to focused attention in the CAM task and accelerated learning in the visual discrimination task. There were no observed changes in tasks involving either spatial memory or value-based decision making. These data complement ongoing efforts to understand the role of midline thalamic structures in human cognition, including the development of thalamic stimulation as a therapeutic strategy for acquired cognitive disabilities (Schiff, 2008; Mair et al., 2011), and point to the NRe as a potential target for clinical intervention. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Impairments of thalamic resting-state functional connectivity in patients with chronic tinnitus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Jian [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing (China); Chen, Yu-Chen [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing (China); Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY (United States); Feng, Xu [Department of Otolaryngology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing (China); Yang, Ming; Liu, Bin; Qian, Cheng [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing (China); Wang, Jian [Department of Physiology, Southeast University, Nanjing (China); School of Human Communication Disorders, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS (Canada); Salvi, Richard [Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY (United States); Teng, Gao-Jun, E-mail: gjteng@vip.sina.com [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing (China)

2015-07-15

Highlights: • Tinnitus patients have aberrant thalamic connectivity to many brain regions. • Decreased thalamic connectivity is linked with tinnitus characteristics. • Thalamocortical connectivity disturbances can reflect tinnitus-related networks. - Abstract: Purpose: The phantom sound of tinnitus is believed to arise from abnormal functional coupling between the thalamus and cerebral cortex. To explore this hypothesis, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare the degree of thalamocortical functional connectivity in chronic tinnitus patients and controls. Materials and methods: Resting-state fMRI scans were obtained from 31 chronic tinnitus patients and 33 well-matched healthy controls. Thalamocortical functional connectivity was characterized using a seed-based whole-brain correlation method. The resulting thalamic functional connectivity measures were correlated with other clinical data. Results: We found decreased functional connectivity between the seed region in left thalamus and right middle temporal gyrus (MTG), right middle orbitofrontal cortex, left middle frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, and bilateral calcarine cortex. Decreased functional connectivity was detected between the seed in the right thalamus and the left superior temporal gyrus (STG), left amygdala, right superior frontal gyrus, left precentral gyrus, and left middle occipital gyrus. Tinnitus distress correlated negatively with thalamic functional connectivity in right MTG; tinnitus duration correlated negatively with thalamic functional connectivity in left STG. Increased functional connectivity between the bilateral thalamus and a set of regions were also observed. Conclusions: Chronic tinnitus patients have disrupted thalamocortical functional connectivity to selected brain regions which is associated with specific tinnitus characteristics. Resting-state thalamic functional connectivity disturbances may play an important role in
Impairments of thalamic resting-state functional connectivity in patients with chronic tinnitus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jian; Chen, Yu-Chen; Feng, Xu; Yang, Ming; Liu, Bin; Qian, Cheng; Wang, Jian; Salvi, Richard; Teng, Gao-Jun

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Tinnitus patients have aberrant thalamic connectivity to many brain regions. • Decreased thalamic connectivity is linked with tinnitus characteristics. • Thalamocortical connectivity disturbances can reflect tinnitus-related networks. - Abstract: Purpose: The phantom sound of tinnitus is believed to arise from abnormal functional coupling between the thalamus and cerebral cortex. To explore this hypothesis, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare the degree of thalamocortical functional connectivity in chronic tinnitus patients and controls. Materials and methods: Resting-state fMRI scans were obtained from 31 chronic tinnitus patients and 33 well-matched healthy controls. Thalamocortical functional connectivity was characterized using a seed-based whole-brain correlation method. The resulting thalamic functional connectivity measures were correlated with other clinical data. Results: We found decreased functional connectivity between the seed region in left thalamus and right middle temporal gyrus (MTG), right middle orbitofrontal cortex, left middle frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, and bilateral calcarine cortex. Decreased functional connectivity was detected between the seed in the right thalamus and the left superior temporal gyrus (STG), left amygdala, right superior frontal gyrus, left precentral gyrus, and left middle occipital gyrus. Tinnitus distress correlated negatively with thalamic functional connectivity in right MTG; tinnitus duration correlated negatively with thalamic functional connectivity in left STG. Increased functional connectivity between the bilateral thalamus and a set of regions were also observed. Conclusions: Chronic tinnitus patients have disrupted thalamocortical functional connectivity to selected brain regions which is associated with specific tinnitus characteristics. Resting-state thalamic functional connectivity disturbances may play an important role in
Effect of Spinal Cord Stimulation on Gait in a Patient with Thalamic Pain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arito Yozu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Thalamic pain is a central neuropathic pain disorder which occurs after stroke. Its severe chronic pain is often intractable to pharmacotherapies and affects the patients’ activities of daily living (ADL and quality of life (QOL. Recently, spinal cord stimulation (SCS has been reported to be effective in relieving the pain of thalamic pain; however, the effect of SCS on gait performance in patients is unknown. Therefore, we evaluated the gait performance before and after SCS in a case with thalamic pain. A 73-year-old male with thalamic pain participated in this study. We evaluated the gait of the patient two times: before SCS insertion and after 6 days of SCS. At the second evaluation, we measured the gait in three conditions: stimulation off, comfortable stimulation, and strong stimulation. SCS succeeded in improving the pain from 7 to 2 on an 11-point numerical rating scale. Step frequency and the velocity of gait tended to increase between pre- and poststimulation periods. There were no apparent differences in gait among the three stimulation conditions (off, comfortable, and strong at the poststimulation period. SCS may be effective on gait in patients with thalamic pain.
Relay test program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandyopadhyay, K.K.; Kunkel, C.; Shteyngart, S.

1994-02-01

This report presents the results of a relay test program conducted by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) under the sponsorship of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The program is a continuation of an earlier test program the results of which were published in NUREG/CR-4867. The current program was carried out in two phases: electrical testing and vibration testing. The objective was primarily to focus on the electrical discontinuity or continuity of relays and circuit breaker tripping mechanisms subjected to electrical pulses and vibration loads. The electrical testing was conducted by KEMA-Powertest Company and the vibration testing was performed at Wyle Laboratories, Huntsville, Alabama. This report discusses the test procedures, presents the test data, includes an analysis of the data and provides recommendations regarding reliable relay testing
Differential impact of thalamic versus subthalamic deep brain stimulation on lexical processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Krugel, Lea K; Ehlen, Felicitas; Tiedt, Hannes O; Kühn, Andrea A; Klostermann, Fabian

2014-10-01

Roles of subcortical structures in language processing are vague, but, interestingly, basal ganglia and thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation can go along with reduced lexical capacities. To deepen the understanding of this impact, we assessed word processing as a function of thalamic versus subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation. Ten essential tremor patients treated with thalamic and 14 Parkinson׳s disease patients with subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation performed an acoustic Lexical Decision Task ON and OFF stimulation. Combined analysis of task performance and event-related potentials allowed the determination of processing speed, priming effects, and N400 as neurophysiological correlate of lexical stimulus processing. 12 age-matched healthy participants acted as control subjects. Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation prolonged word decisions and reduced N400 potentials. No comparable ON-OFF effects were present in patients with subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation. In the latter group of patients with Parkinson' disease, N400 amplitudes were, however, abnormally low, whether under active or inactive Deep Brain Stimulation. In conclusion, performance speed and N400 appear to be influenced by state functions, modulated by thalamic, but not subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation, compatible with concepts of thalamo-cortical engagement in word processing. Clinically, these findings specify cognitive sequels of Deep Brain Stimulation in a target-specific way. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Deterministic integer multiple firing depending on initial state in Wang model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie Yong [Institute of Nonlinear Dynamics, MSSV, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China)]. E-mail: yxie@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Xu Jianxue [Institute of Nonlinear Dynamics, MSSV, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Jiang Jun [Institute of Nonlinear Dynamics, MSSV, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China)

2006-12-15

We investigate numerically dynamical behaviour of the Wang model, which describes the rhythmic activities of thalamic relay neurons. The model neuron exhibits Type I excitability from a global view, but Type II excitability from a local view. There exists a narrow range of bistability, in which a subthreshold oscillation and a suprathreshold firing behaviour coexist. A special firing pattern, integer multiple firing can be found in the certain part of the bistable range. The characteristic feature of such firing pattern is that the histogram of interspike intervals has a multipeaked structure, and the peaks are located at about integer multiples of a basic interspike interval. Since the Wang model is noise-free, the integer multiple firing is a deterministic firing pattern. The existence of bistability leads to the deterministic integer multiple firing depending on the initial state of the model neuron, i.e., the initial values of the state variables.
Deterministic integer multiple firing depending on initial state in Wang model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie Yong; Xu Jianxue; Jiang Jun

2006-01-01

We investigate numerically dynamical behaviour of the Wang model, which describes the rhythmic activities of thalamic relay neurons. The model neuron exhibits Type I excitability from a global view, but Type II excitability from a local view. There exists a narrow range of bistability, in which a subthreshold oscillation and a suprathreshold firing behaviour coexist. A special firing pattern, integer multiple firing can be found in the certain part of the bistable range. The characteristic feature of such firing pattern is that the histogram of interspike intervals has a multipeaked structure, and the peaks are located at about integer multiples of a basic interspike interval. Since the Wang model is noise-free, the integer multiple firing is a deterministic firing pattern. The existence of bistability leads to the deterministic integer multiple firing depending on the initial state of the model neuron, i.e., the initial values of the state variables
CERN Relay Race

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

The CERN relay race will take place around the Meyrin site on Wednesday 17 May starting at 12:15. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20-minute period. If you do meet runners while driving your car, please STOP until they have all passed. Details on how to register your team for the relay race are given on the Staff Association Bulletin web site.
Energy-efficient relay selection and optimal power allocation for performance-constrained dual-hop variable-gain AF relaying

KAUST Repository

Zafar, Ammar

2013-12-01

This paper investigates the energy-efficiency enhancement of a variable-gain dual-hop amplify-and-forward (AF) relay network utilizing selective relaying. The objective is to minimize the total consumed power while keeping the end-to-end signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) above a certain peak value and satisfying the peak power constraints at the source and relay nodes. To achieve this objective, an optimal relay selection and power allocation strategy is derived by solving the power minimization problem. Numerical results show that the derived optimal strategy enhances the energy-efficiency as compared to a benchmark scheme in which both the source and the selected relay transmit at peak power. © 2013 IEEE.
SWIPT in Multiuser MIMO Decode-and-Forward Relay Broadcasting Channel with Energy Harvesting Relays

KAUST Repository

Benkhelifa, Fatma

2017-02-09

In this paper, we consider a multiuser multiple- input multiple-output (MIMO) decode-and-forward (DF) relay broadcasting channel (BC) with single source, multiple energy harvesting relays and multiple destinations. Since the end-to-end sum rate maximization problem is intractable, we tackle a simplified problem where we maximize the sum of the harvested energy at the relays, we employ the block diagonalization (BD) procedure at the source, and we mitigate the interference between the relay- destination channels. The interference mitigation at the destinations is managed in two ways: either to fix the interference covariance matrices at the destination and update them at each iteration until convergence, or to cancel the interference using an algorithm similar to the BD method. We provide numerical results to show the relevance of our proposed solution.
Relaying Strategies and Protocols for Efficient Wireless Networks

KAUST Repository

Zafar, Ammar

2014-10-01

Next generation wireless networks are expected to provide high data rate and satisfy the Quality-of-Service (QoS) constraints of the users. A significant component of achieving these goals is to increase the effi ciency of wireless networks by either optimizing current architectures or exploring new technologies which achieve that. The latter includes revisiting technologies which were previously proposed, but due to a multitude of reasons were ignored at that time. One such technology is relaying which was initially proposed in the latter half of the 1960s and then was revived in the early 2000s. In this dissertation, we study relaying in conjunction with resource allocation to increase the effi ciency of wireless networks. In this regard, we differentiate between conventional relaying and relaying with buffers. Conventional relaying is traditional relaying where the relay forwards the signal it received immediately. On the other hand, in relaying with buffers or buffer-aided relaying as it is called, the relay can store received data in its buffer and forward it later on. This gives the benefit of taking advantage of good channel conditions as the relay can only transmit when the channel conditions are good. The dissertation starts with conventional relaying and considers the problem of minimizing the total consumed power while maintaining system QoS. After upper bounding the system performance, more practical algorithms which require reduced feedback overhead are explored. Buffer-aided relaying is then considered and the joint user-and-hop scheduler is introduced which exploits multi-user diversity (MUD) and 5 multi-hop diversity (MHD) gains together in dual-hop broadcast channels. Next joint user-and-hop scheduling is extended to the shared relay channel where two source-destination pairs share a single relay. The benefits of buffer-aided relaying in the bidirectional relay channel utilizing network coding are then explored. Finally, a new transmission protocol
Spoiled Onions: Exposing Malicious Tor Exit Relays

OpenAIRE

Winter, Philipp; Lindskog, Stefan

2014-01-01

Several hundred Tor exit relays together push more than 1 GiB/s of network traffic. However, it is easy for exit relays to snoop and tamper with anonymised network traffic and as all relays are run by independent volunteers, not all of them are innocuous. In this paper, we seek to expose malicious exit relays and document their actions. First, we monitored the Tor network after developing a fast and modular exit relay scanner. We implemented several scanning modules for detecting common attac...
Reconstruction of phrenic neuron identity in embryonic stem cell-derived motor neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Machado, Carolina Barcellos; Kanning, Kevin C; Kreis, Patricia; Stevenson, Danielle; Crossley, Martin; Nowak, Magdalena; Iacovino, Michelina; Kyba, Michael; Chambers, David; Blanc, Eric; Lieberam, Ivo

2014-02-01

Air breathing is an essential motor function for vertebrates living on land. The rhythm that drives breathing is generated within the central nervous system and relayed via specialised subsets of spinal motor neurons to muscles that regulate lung volume. In mammals, a key respiratory muscle is the diaphragm, which is innervated by motor neurons in the phrenic nucleus. Remarkably, relatively little is known about how this crucial subtype of motor neuron is generated during embryogenesis. Here, we used direct differentiation of motor neurons from mouse embryonic stem cells as a tool to identify genes that direct phrenic neuron identity. We find that three determinants, Pou3f1, Hoxa5 and Notch, act in combination to promote a phrenic neuron molecular identity. We show that Notch signalling induces Pou3f1 in developing motor neurons in vitro and in vivo. This suggests that the phrenic neuron lineage is established through a local source of Notch ligand at mid-cervical levels. Furthermore, we find that the cadherins Pcdh10, which is regulated by Pou3f1 and Hoxa5, and Cdh10, which is controlled by Pou3f1, are both mediators of like-like clustering of motor neuron cell bodies. This specific Pcdh10/Cdh10 activity might provide the means by which phrenic neurons are assembled into a distinct nucleus. Our study provides a framework for understanding how phrenic neuron identity is conferred and will help to generate this rare and inaccessible yet vital neuronal subtype directly from pluripotent stem cells, thus facilitating subsequent functional investigations.
Complex neurological symptoms in bilateral thalamic stroke due to Percheron artery occlusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Caruso, Paola; Manganotti, Paolo; Moretti, Rita

2017-01-01

The artery of Percheron is a rare anatomical variant where a single thalamic perforating artery arises from the proximal posterior cerebral artery (P1 segment) between the basilar artery and the posterior communicating artery and supplies the rostral mesencephalon and both paramedian territories of the thalami. Almost one-third of human brains present this variant. Occlusion of the artery of Percheron mostly results in a bilateral medial thalamic infarction, which usually manifests with altered consciousness (including coma), vertical gaze paresis, and cognitive disturbance. The presentation is similar to the "top of the basilar syndrome", and early recognition should be prompted. We describe the case of a young female with this vessel variant who experienced a bilateral thalamic stroke. Magnetic resonance angiography demonstrated bilateral thalamic infarcts and a truncated artery of Percheron. Occlusion of the vessel was presumably due to embolism from a patent foramen ovale. Thrombolysis was performed, with incomplete symptom remission, cognitive impairment, and persistence of speech disorders. Early recognition and treatment of posterior circulation strokes is mandatory, and further investigation for underlying stroke etiologies is needed.
Pathways for Emotions: Specializations in the Amygdalar, Mediodorsal Thalamic, and Posterior Orbitofrontal Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Timbie, Clare; Barbas, Helen

2015-08-26

The primate amygdala projects to posterior orbitofrontal cortex (pOFC) directly and possibly indirectly through a pathway to the magnocellular mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MDmc), which may convey signals about the significance of stimuli. However, because MDmc receives input from structures in addition to the amygdala and MDmc projects to areas in addition to pOFC, it is unknown whether amygdalar pathways in MDmc innervate pOFC-bound neurons. We addressed this issue using double- or triple-labeling approaches to identify pathways and key cellular and molecular features in rhesus monkeys. We found that amygdalar terminations innervated labeled neurons in MDmc that project to pOFC. Projection neurons in MDmc directed to pOFC included comparatively fewer "core" parvalbumin neurons that project focally to the middle cortical layers and more "matrix" calbindin neurons that project expansively to the upper cortical layers. In addition, a small and hitherto unknown pathway originated from MDmc calretinin neurons and projected to pOFC. Further, whereas projection neurons directed to MDmc and to pOFC were intermingled in the amygdala, none projected to both structures. Larger amygdalar neurons projected to MDmc and expressed the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2), which is found in highly efficient "driver" pathways. In contrast, smaller amygdalar neurons directed to pOFC expressed VGLUT1 found in modulatory pathways. The indirect pathway from the amygdala to pOFC via MDmc may provide information about the emotional significance of events and, along with a parallel direct pathway, ensures transfer of signals to all layers of pOFC. The amygdala-the brain's center for emotions-is strongly linked with the orbital cortex, a region associated with social interactions. This study provides evidence that a robust pathway from the amygdala reaches neurons in the thalamus that link directly with the orbital cortex, forming a tight tripartite network. The dual pathways from
SWIPT in Multiuser MIMO Decode-and-Forward Relay Broadcasting Channel with Energy Harvesting Relays

KAUST Repository

Benkhelifa, Fatma; Salem, Ahmed Sultan; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

In this paper, we consider a multiuser multiple- input multiple-output (MIMO) decode-and-forward (DF) relay broadcasting channel (BC) with single source, multiple energy harvesting relays and multiple destinations. Since the end-to-end sum rate

Control circuit for transformer relay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wyatt, G.A.

1984-01-01

A control circuit for a transformer relay which will automatically momentarily control the transformer relay to a selected state upon energization of the control circuit. The control circuit has an energy storage element and a current director coupled in series and adapted to be coupled with the secondary winding of the transformer relay. A device for discharge is coupled across the energy storage element. The energy storage element and current director will momentarily allow a unidirectional flow of current in the secondary winding of the transformer relay upon application of energy to the control circuit. When energy is not applied to the control circuit the device for discharge will allow the energy storage element to discharge and be available for another operation of the control circuit
Improper Signaling for Virtual Full-Duplex Relay Systems

KAUST Repository

Gaafar, Mohamed; Amin, Osama; Schaefer, Rafael F.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

Virtual full-duplex (VFD) is a powerful solution to compensate the rate loss of half-duplex relaying without the need to full-duplex capable nodes. Inter-relay interference (IRI) challenges the operation of VFD relaying systems. Recently, improper signaling is employed at both relays of the VFD to mitigate the IRI by imposing the same signal characteristics for both relays. To further boost the achievable rate performance, asymmetric time sharing VFD relaying system is adopted with different improper signals at the half-duplex relays. The joint tuning of the three design parameters improves the achievable rate performance at different ranges of IRI and different relays locations. Extensive simulation results are presented and analyzed to show the achievable rate gain of the proposed system and understand the system behavior.
Improper Signaling for Virtual Full-Duplex Relay Systems

KAUST Repository

Gaafar, Mohamed

2017-02-14

Virtual full-duplex (VFD) is a powerful solution to compensate the rate loss of half-duplex relaying without the need to full-duplex capable nodes. Inter-relay interference (IRI) challenges the operation of VFD relaying systems. Recently, improper signaling is employed at both relays of the VFD to mitigate the IRI by imposing the same signal characteristics for both relays. To further boost the achievable rate performance, asymmetric time sharing VFD relaying system is adopted with different improper signals at the half-duplex relays. The joint tuning of the three design parameters improves the achievable rate performance at different ranges of IRI and different relays locations. Extensive simulation results are presented and analyzed to show the achievable rate gain of the proposed system and understand the system behavior.
Speech-to-Speech Relay Service

Science.gov (United States)

Consumer Guide Speech to Speech Relay Service Speech-to-Speech (STS) is one form of Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS). TRS is a service that allows persons with hearing and speech disabilities ...
Outage performance of two-way DF relaying systems with a new relay selection metric

KAUST Repository

Hyadi, Amal

2012-04-01

This paper investigates a new constrained relay selection scheme for two-way relaying systems where two end terminals communicate simultaneously via a relay. The introduced technique is based on the maximization of the weighted sum rate of both users. To evaluate the performance of the proposed system, the outage probability is derived in a general case (where an arbitrary channel is considered), and then over independently but not necessarily identically distributed (i.n.i.d.) Rayleigh fading channels. The analytical results are verified through simulations. © 2012 IEEE.
Modified Dynamic Decode-and-Forward Relaying Protocol for Type II Relay in LTE-Advanced and Beyond

KAUST Repository

Nam, Sung Sik; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Choi, Seyeong

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose a modified dynamic decode-and-forward (MoDDF) relaying protocol to meet the critical requirements for user equipment (UE) relays in next-generation cellular systems (e.g., LTE-Advanced and beyond). The proposed MoDDF realizes the fast jump-in relaying and the sequential decoding with an application of random codeset to encoding and re-encoding process at the source and the multiple UE relays, respectively. A subframe-by-subframe decoding based on the accumulated (or buffered) messages is employed to achieve energy, information, or mixed combining. Finally, possible early termination of decoding at the end user can lead to the higher spectral efficiency and more energy saving by reducing the frequency of redundant subframe transmission and decoding. These attractive features eliminate the need of directly exchanging control messages between multiple UE relays and the end user, which is an important prerequisite for the practical UE relay deployment. Copyright: © 2016 Nam et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Modified Dynamic Decode-and-Forward Relaying Protocol for Type II Relay in LTE-Advanced and Beyond

KAUST Repository

Nam, Sung Sik

2016-11-29

In this paper, we propose a modified dynamic decode-and-forward (MoDDF) relaying protocol to meet the critical requirements for user equipment (UE) relays in next-generation cellular systems (e.g., LTE-Advanced and beyond). The proposed MoDDF realizes the fast jump-in relaying and the sequential decoding with an application of random codeset to encoding and re-encoding process at the source and the multiple UE relays, respectively. A subframe-by-subframe decoding based on the accumulated (or buffered) messages is employed to achieve energy, information, or mixed combining. Finally, possible early termination of decoding at the end user can lead to the higher spectral efficiency and more energy saving by reducing the frequency of redundant subframe transmission and decoding. These attractive features eliminate the need of directly exchanging control messages between multiple UE relays and the end user, which is an important prerequisite for the practical UE relay deployment. Copyright: © 2016 Nam et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Improper signaling in two-path relay channels

KAUST Repository

Gaafar, Mohamed

2017-07-03

Inter-relay interference (IRI) challenges the operation of two-path relaying systems. Furthermore, the unavailability of the channel state information (CSI) at the source and the limited detection capabilities at the relays prevent neither eliminating the interference nor adopting joint detection at the relays nodes. Improper signaling is a powerful signaling scheme that has the capability to reduce the interference impact at the receiver side and improves the achievable rate performance. Therefore, improper signaling is adopted at both relays, which have access to the global CSI. Then, improper signal characteristics are designed to maximize the total end-to-end achievable rate at the relays. To this end, both the power and the circularity coefficient, a measure of the impropriety degree of the signal, are optimized at the relays. Although the optimization problem is not convex, optimal power allocation for both relays for a fixed circularity coefficient is obtained. Moreover, the circularity coefficient is tuned to maximize the rate for a given power allocation. Finally, a joint solution of the optimization problem is proposed using a coordinate descent method based on alternate optimization. The simulation results show that employing improper signaling improves the achievable rate at medium and high IRI.
Improper signaling in two-path relay channels

KAUST Repository

Gaafar, Mohamed; Amin, Osama; Schaefer, Rafael F.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

Inter-relay interference (IRI) challenges the operation of two-path relaying systems. Furthermore, the unavailability of the channel state information (CSI) at the source and the limited detection capabilities at the relays prevent neither eliminating the interference nor adopting joint detection at the relays nodes. Improper signaling is a powerful signaling scheme that has the capability to reduce the interference impact at the receiver side and improves the achievable rate performance. Therefore, improper signaling is adopted at both relays, which have access to the global CSI. Then, improper signal characteristics are designed to maximize the total end-to-end achievable rate at the relays. To this end, both the power and the circularity coefficient, a measure of the impropriety degree of the signal, are optimized at the relays. Although the optimization problem is not convex, optimal power allocation for both relays for a fixed circularity coefficient is obtained. Moreover, the circularity coefficient is tuned to maximize the rate for a given power allocation. Finally, a joint solution of the optimization problem is proposed using a coordinate descent method based on alternate optimization. The simulation results show that employing improper signaling improves the achievable rate at medium and high IRI.
Relay self interference minimisation using tapped filter

KAUST Repository

Jazzar, Saleh

2013-05-01

In this paper we introduce a self interference (SI) estimation and minimisation technique for amplify and forward relays. Relays are used to help forward signals between a transmitter and a receiver. This helps increase the signal coverage and reduce the required transmitted signal power. One problem that faces relays communications is the leaked signal from the relay\\'s output to its input. This will cause an SI problem where the new received signal at the relay\\'s input will be added with the unwanted leaked signal from the relay\\'s output. A Solution is proposed in this paper to estimate and minimise this SI which is based upon using a tapped filter at the destination. To get the optimum weights for this tapped filter, some channel parameters must be estimated first. This is performed blindly at the destination without the need of any training. This channel parameter estimation method is named the blind-self-interference-channel-estimation (BSICE) method. The next step in the proposed solution is to estimate the tapped filter\\'s weights. This is performed by minimising the mean squared error (MSE) at the destination. This proposed method is named the MSE-Optimum Weight (MSE-OW) method. Simulation results are provided in this paper to verify the performance of BSICE and MSE-OW methods. © 2013 IEEE.
Dynamic Relaying in 3GPP LTE-Advanced Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teyeb, Oumer Mohammed; Van Phan, Vinh; Redana, Simone

2009-01-01

Relaying is one of the proposed technologies for LTE-Advanced networks. In order to enable a flexible and reliable relaying support, the currently adopted architectural structure of LTE networks has to be modified. In this paper, we extend the LTE architecture to enable dynamic relaying, while...... maintaining backward compatibility with LTE Release 8 user equipments, and without limiting the flexibility and reliability expected from relaying.With dynamic relaying, relays can be associated with base stations on a need basis rather than in a fixed manner which is based only on initial radio planning....... Proposals are also given on how to further improve a relay enhanced LTE network by enabling multiple interfaces between the relay nodes and their controlling base stations, which can possibly be based on technologies different from LTE, so that load balancing can be realized. This load balancing can...
Modular relay control

OpenAIRE

Ivarsson, Mikael

2010-01-01

Enics Sweden AB, Västerås, is an electronics manufacturing services company with its main business in manufacturing electronics. Most, if not all, electronic devices that are manufactured are being widely tested before delivery to ensure proper functionality. Often during tests a large number of signals are measured by one to a few digital multimeters and are therefore controlled through relays. Relays are also used when applying stimuli with high currents or voltages to the unit under test. ...
Characterization of in vivo MRI detectable thalamic amyloid plaques from APP/PS1 mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dhenain, M. [URA CEA CNRS 2210, I2BM, SHFJ, 4 Place du General Leclerc, 91401 Orsay Cedex (France); Dhenain, M.; El Tannir El Tayara, N.; Wu, T.D.; Volk, A.; Quintana, C. [U759 INSERM, Centre Universitaire, Laboratoire 112, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Dhenain, M.; El Tannir El Tayara, N.; Wu, T.D.; Volk, A.; Quintana, C. [Institut Curie, Centre Universitaire, Laboratoire 112, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Guegan, M.; Delatour, B. [Instituto de Microelectronica de Madrid-CSIC, 8, Isaac Newton, 28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid (Spain)

2009-07-01

Amyloid deposits are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies, in transgenic mice modeling Alzheimer's disease showed that, using in vivo, contrast agent-free, MRI, thalamic amyloid plaques are more easily detected than other plaques of the brain. Our study evaluated the characteristics of these thalamic plaques in a large population of APP/PS1, PS1 and C57BL/6 mice. Thalamic spots were detected in all mice but with different frequency and magnitude. Hence, the prevalence and size of the lesions were higher in APP/PS1 mice. However, even in APP/PS1 mice, thalamic spots did not occur in all the old animals. In APP/PS1 mice, spots detection was related to high iron and calcium load within amyloid plaques and thus reflects the ability of such plaque to capture large amounts of minerals. Interestingly, calcium and iron was also detected in extra-thalamic plaques but with a lower intensity. Hypointense lesions in the thalamus were not associated with the iron load in the tissue surrounding the plaques, nor with micro-hemorrhages, inflammation, or a neuro-degenerative context. (authors)
Parvalbumin+ Neurons and Npas1+ Neurons Are Distinct Neuron Classes in the Mouse External Globus Pallidus.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, Vivian M; Hegeman, Daniel J; Cui, Qiaoling; Kelver, Daniel A; Fiske, Michael P; Glajch, Kelly E; Pitt, Jason E; Huang, Tina Y; Justice, Nicholas J; Chan, C Savio

2015-08-26

Compelling evidence suggests that pathological activity of the external globus pallidus (GPe), a nucleus in the basal ganglia, contributes to the motor symptoms of a variety of movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Recent studies have challenged the idea that the GPe comprises a single, homogenous population of neurons that serves as a simple relay in the indirect pathway. However, we still lack a full understanding of the diversity of the neurons that make up the GPe. Specifically, a more precise classification scheme is needed to better describe the fundamental biology and function of different GPe neuron classes. To this end, we generated a novel multicistronic BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) transgenic mouse line under the regulatory elements of the Npas1 gene. Using a combinatorial transgenic and immunohistochemical approach, we discovered that parvalbumin-expressing neurons and Npas1-expressing neurons in the GPe represent two nonoverlapping cell classes, amounting to 55% and 27% of the total GPe neuron population, respectively. These two genetically identified cell classes projected primarily to the subthalamic nucleus and to the striatum, respectively. Additionally, parvalbumin-expressing neurons and Npas1-expressing neurons were distinct in their autonomous and driven firing characteristics, their expression of intrinsic ion conductances, and their responsiveness to chronic 6-hydroxydopamine lesion. In summary, our data argue that parvalbumin-expressing neurons and Npas1-expressing neurons are two distinct functional classes of GPe neurons. This work revises our understanding of the GPe, and provides the foundation for future studies of its function and dysfunction. Until recently, the heterogeneity of the constituent neurons within the external globus pallidus (GPe) was not fully appreciated. We addressed this knowledge gap by discovering two principal GPe neuron classes, which were identified by their nonoverlapping expression of the
Parvalbumin+ Neurons and Npas1+ Neurons Are Distinct Neuron Classes in the Mouse External Globus Pallidus

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, Vivian M.; Hegeman, Daniel J.; Cui, Qiaoling; Kelver, Daniel A.; Fiske, Michael P.; Glajch, Kelly E.; Pitt, Jason E.; Huang, Tina Y.; Justice, Nicholas J.

2015-01-01

Compelling evidence suggests that pathological activity of the external globus pallidus (GPe), a nucleus in the basal ganglia, contributes to the motor symptoms of a variety of movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Recent studies have challenged the idea that the GPe comprises a single, homogenous population of neurons that serves as a simple relay in the indirect pathway. However, we still lack a full understanding of the diversity of the neurons that make up the GPe. Specifically, a more precise classification scheme is needed to better describe the fundamental biology and function of different GPe neuron classes. To this end, we generated a novel multicistronic BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) transgenic mouse line under the regulatory elements of the Npas1 gene. Using a combinatorial transgenic and immunohistochemical approach, we discovered that parvalbumin-expressing neurons and Npas1-expressing neurons in the GPe represent two nonoverlapping cell classes, amounting to 55% and 27% of the total GPe neuron population, respectively. These two genetically identified cell classes projected primarily to the subthalamic nucleus and to the striatum, respectively. Additionally, parvalbumin-expressing neurons and Npas1-expressing neurons were distinct in their autonomous and driven firing characteristics, their expression of intrinsic ion conductances, and their responsiveness to chronic 6-hydroxydopamine lesion. In summary, our data argue that parvalbumin-expressing neurons and Npas1-expressing neurons are two distinct functional classes of GPe neurons. This work revises our understanding of the GPe, and provides the foundation for future studies of its function and dysfunction. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Until recently, the heterogeneity of the constituent neurons within the external globus pallidus (GPe) was not fully appreciated. We addressed this knowledge gap by discovering two principal GPe neuron classes, which were identified by their nonoverlapping
On the achievable degrees of freedom of alternate MIMO relaying with multiple AF relays

KAUST Repository

Park, Kihong; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Park, Seongho; Ko, Youngchai

2012-01-01

In this paper, we consider a two-hop relaying network where one source, one destination, and multiple amplify-and-forward (AF) relays equipped with M antennas operate in a half-duplex mode. In order to compensate for the inherent loss of capacity
Effects of donepezil on behavioural manifestations of thalamic infarction: a single case observation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo eRiveros

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To examine the effect of donepezil for the treatment of cognitive and behavioural disorders associated with thalamic lesions in a 45 years old male who suffered an infarct in the left thalamus. Background: Recent studies suggest that donepezil may improve executive functions impairments due to subcortical ischemic lesionsMethod: The crossover effects of donepezil were analyzed in a single case of thalamic infarction with cognitive and behavioural alterations. Results: Significant behavioural modifications related to improved performances in executive functions were observed with the treatment. Conclusions: The results suggest that donepezil may have significant effect on executive functions that can alter behavioural outcomes after thalamic infarctions
An experimental approach towards the development of an in vitro cortical-thalamic co-culture model.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanagasabapathi, Thirukumaran T; Massobrio, Paolo; Tedesco, Mariateresa; Martinoia, Sergio; Wadman, Wytse J; Decré, Michel M J

2011-01-01

In this paper, we propose an experimental approach to develop an in vitro dissociated cortical-thalamic co-culture model using a dual compartment neurofluidic device. The device has two compartments separated by 10 μm wide and 3 μm high microchannels. The microchannels provide a physical isolation of neurons allowing only neurites to grow between the compartments. Long-term viable co-culture was maintained in the compartmented device, neurite growth through the microchannels was verified using immunofluorescence staining, and electrophysiological recordings from the co-culture system was investigated. Preliminary analysis of spontaneous activities from the co-culture shows a distinctively different firing pattern associated with cultures of individual cell types and further analysis is proposed for a deeper understanding of the dynamics involved in the network connectivity in such a co-culture system.
Iterative Relay Scheduling with Hybrid ARQ under Multiple User Equipment (Type II) Relay Environments

KAUST Repository

Nam, Sung Sik; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Choi, Seyeong

2018-01-01

-generation cellular systems (e.g., LTE-Advanced and beyond). The proposed IRS-HARQ aims to increase the achievable data rate by iteratively scheduling a relatively better UE relay closer to the end user in a probabilistic sense, provided that the relay-to-end user
Multiple relay selection for delay-limited applications

KAUST Repository

Alsharoa, Ahmad M.

2013-12-01

A multiple relay selection system model that implements the decode-and-forward mode is investigated. All communication nodes are assumed to be equipped by multiple antennas. Furthermore, lattices space-time coded multiple-input multiple-output half duplex channel is applied. The main goal is to increase the throughput of the system by selecting multiple number of relays. The selection criteria depends on the maximum decoding delay at relays where the system implements a decoding time-out algorithm at each relay. This leads to a significant saving in the overall system power consumptions and attempts to solve the relays synchronization problem. All results are presented using numerical simulations. © 2012 IEEE.

Dynamic Relaying in 3GPP LTE-Advanced Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Van Phan Vinh

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Relaying is one of the proposed technologies for LTE-Advanced networks. In order to enable a flexible and reliable relaying support, the currently adopted architectural structure of LTE networks has to be modified. In this paper, we extend the LTE architecture to enable dynamic relaying, while maintaining backward compatibility with LTE Release 8 user equipments, and without limiting the flexibility and reliability expected from relaying. With dynamic relaying, relays can be associated with base stations on a need basis rather than in a fixed manner which is based only on initial radio planning. Proposals are also given on how to further improve a relay enhanced LTE network by enabling multiple interfaces between the relay nodes and their controlling base stations, which can possibly be based on technologies different from LTE, so that load balancing can be realized. This load balancing can be either between different base stations or even between different networks.
Airborne relay-based regional positioning system.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyuman; Noh, Hongjun; Lim, Jaesung

2015-05-28

Ground-based pseudolite systems have some limitations, such as low vertical accuracy, multipath effects and near-far problems. These problems are not significant in airborne-based pseudolite systems. However, the monitoring of pseudolite positions is required because of the mobility of the platforms on which the pseudolites are mounted, and this causes performance degradation. To address these pseudolite system limitations, we propose an airborne relay-based regional positioning system that consists of a master station, reference stations, airborne relays and a user. In the proposed system, navigation signals are generated from the reference stations located on the ground and are relayed via the airborne relays. Unlike in conventional airborne-based systems, the user in the proposed system sequentially estimates both the locations of airborne relays and his/her own position. Therefore, a delay due to monitoring does not occur, and the accuracy is not affected by the movement of airborne relays. We conducted several simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. Based on the simulation results, we demonstrated that the proposed system guarantees a higher accuracy than airborne-based pseudolite systems, and it is feasible despite the existence of clock offsets among reference stations.
Intrinsic electrical properties of mammalian neurons and CNS function: a historical perspective

OpenAIRE

Llinás, Rodolfo R.

2014-01-01

This brief review summarizes work done in mammalian neuroscience concerning the intrinsic electrophysiological properties of four neuronal types; Cerebellar Purkinje cells, inferior olivary cells, thalamic cells, and some cortical interneurons. It is a personal perspective addressing an interesting time in neuroscience when the reflex view of brain function, as the paradigm to understand global neuroscience, began to be modified towards one in which sensory input modulates rather than dictate...
Dissociation of Recognition and Recency Memory Judgments After Anterior Thalamic Nuclei Lesions in Rats

Science.gov (United States)

Dumont, Julie R.; Aggleton, John P.

2013-01-01

The anterior thalamic nuclei form part of a network for episodic memory in humans. The importance of these nuclei for recognition and recency judgments remains, however, unclear. Rats with anterior thalamic nuclei lesions and their controls were tested on object recognition, along with two types of recency judgment. The spontaneous discrimination of a novel object or a novel odor from a familiar counterpart (recognition memory) was not affected by anterior thalamic lesions when tested after retention delays of 1 and 60 min. To measure recency memory, rats were shown two familiar objects, one of which had been explored more recently. In one condition, rats were presented with two lists (List A, List B) of objects separated by a delay, thereby creating two distinct blocks of stimuli. After an additional delay, rats were presented with pairs of objects, one from List A and one from List B (between-block recency). No lesion-induced deficit was apparent for recency discriminations between objects from different lists, despite using three different levels of task difficulty. In contrast, rats with anterior thalamic lesions were significantly impaired when presented with a continuous list of objects and then tested on their ability to distinguish between those items early and late in the same list (within-block recency). The contrasting effects on recognition and recency support the notion that interlinked hippocampal–anterior thalamic interconnections support aspects of both spatial and nonspatial learning, although the role of the anterior thalamic nuclei may be restricted to a subclass of recency judgments (within-block). PMID:23731076
The Effect of Thalamic Stimulation on Memory and Language Processing in Parkinsonian Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahrasadat Ghoreishi

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS is reported to be successful in Parkinson patients with motor symptoms resistant to medication as a treatment procedure. Despite evidence of cortico-subcortico-cortical circuit involvement in motor control, the role of this neural circuitry on higher cognitive functions such as language is still controversial. In particular, research evidence pertaining to the impact of ventrolateral thalamic stimulation on linguistic processing is scarce. This paper investigates the effect of right and left thalamus-DBS on memory and language processing in Parkinson patients. Materials & Methods: In this paper as a case series research we measured memory and language processing in six Parkinson patients (2 left, 2right, 2 bilateral underwent implantation of deep brain stimulating electrode in ventrolateral thalamic nucleus. The data were collected in two “on” and “off” positions, with at least 40 days time interval in between. The patients were assessed using Wechsler memory test, verbal fluency and some sub-tests of Farsi version of Bilingual Aphasia Test (BAT. Results: The findings of this research are suggesting an improvement on grammar comprehension and a decline in sentence production and verbal fluency in “on” position versus “off” position, in both groups. The Wechsler memory scores in left thalamus group improved but declined in right thalamus group. Conclusion: The results indicate that thalamic DBS did not cause any deficit on grammar comprehension and even improved the level of comprehension. On the contrary a decrease in verbal fluency and sentence production, as two high level linguistic processing tasks, was observed. The results confirmed contemporary theories of thalamic participation on language processing and did not confirm a laterality effect on language skills. Although observed difference after thalamic DBS between right and left group on memory score can confirm laterality
The neuronal identity bias behind neocortical GABAergic plasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Allene, Camille; Lourenço, Joana; Bacci, Alberto

2015-09-01

In the neocortex, different types of excitatory and inhibitory neurons connect to one another following a detailed blueprint, defining functionally-distinct subnetworks, whose activity and modulation underlie complex cognitive functions. We review the cell-autonomous plasticity of perisomatic inhibition onto principal excitatory neurons. We propose that the tendency of different cortical layers to exhibit depression or potentiation of perisomatic inhibition is dictated by the specific identities of principal neurons (PNs). These are mainly defined by their projection targets and by their preference to be innervated by specific perisomatic-targeting basket cell types. Therefore, principal neurons responsible for relaying information to subcortical nuclei are differentially inhibited and show specific forms of plasticity compared to other PNs that are specialized in more associative functions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Bilayer expurgated LDPC codes with uncoded relaying

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Noor-A-Rahim

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Bilayer low-density parity-check (LDPC codes are an effective coding technique for decode-and-forward relaying, where the relay forwards extra parity bits to help the destination to decode the source bits correctly. In the existing bilayer coding scheme, these parity bits are protected by an error correcting code and assumed reliably available at the receiver. We propose an uncoded relaying scheme, where the extra parity bits are forwarded to the destination without any protection. Through density evolution analysis and simulation results, we show that our proposed scheme achieves better performance in terms of bit erasure probability than the existing relaying scheme. In addition, our proposed scheme results in lower complexity at the relay.
A SDP based design of relay precoding for the power minimization of MIMO AF-relay networks

KAUST Repository

Rao, Anlei

2015-09-11

Relay precoding for multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) relay networks has been approached by either optimizing the efficiency performance with given power consumption constraints or minimizing the power consumption with quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. For the later type design, previous works has worked on minimizing the approximated power consumption. In this paper, exact power consumption for all relays is derived into a quadratic form by diagonalizing the minimum-square error (MSE) matrix, and the relay precoding matrix is designed by optimizing this quadratic form with the help of semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxation. Our simulation results show that such a design can achieve a gain of around 3 dB against the previous design, which optimized the approximated power consumption. © 2015 IEEE.
Opportunistic Relay Selection with Cooperative Macro Diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Chia-Hao

2010-01-01

Full Text Available We apply a fully opportunistic relay selection scheme to study cooperative diversity in a semianalytical manner. In our framework, idle Mobile Stations (MSs are capable of being used as Relay Stations (RSs and no relaying is required if the direct path is strong. Our relay selection scheme is fully selection based: either the direct path or one of the relaying paths is selected. Macro diversity, which is often ignored in analytical works, is taken into account together with micro diversity by using a complete channel model that includes both shadow fading and fast fading effects. The stochastic geometry of the network is taken into account by having a random number of randomly located MSs. The outage probability analysis of the selection differs from the case where only fast fading is considered. Under our framework, distribution of the received power is formulated using different Channel State Information (CSI assumptions to simulate both optimistic and practical environments. The results show that the relay selection gain can be significant given a suitable amount of candidate RSs. Also, while relay selection according to incomplete CSI is diversity suboptimal compared to relay selection based on full CSI, the loss in average throughput is not too significant. This is a consequence of the dominance of geometry over fast fading.
Opportunistic Fixed Gain Bidirectional Relaying with Outdated CSI

KAUST Repository

Khan, Fahd Ahmed; Tourki, Kamel; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Qaraqe, Khalid A.

2015-01-01

In a network with multiple relays, relay selection has been shown as an effective scheme to achieve diversity as well as to improve the overall throughput. This paper studies the impact of using outdated channel state information for relay selection on the performance of a network where two sources communicate with each other via fixed-gain amplify-and-forward relays. For a Rayleigh faded channel, closed-form expressions for the outage probability, moment generating function and symbol error rate are derived. Simulations results are also presented to corroborate the derived analytical results. It is shown that adding relays does not improve the performance if the channel is substantially outdated. Furthermore, relay location is also taken into consideration and it is shown that the performance can be improved by placing the relay closer to the source whose channel is more outdated. © 2015 IEEE.
Opportunistic Fixed Gain Bidirectional Relaying with Outdated CSI

KAUST Repository

Khan, Fahd Ahmed

2015-05-01

In a network with multiple relays, relay selection has been shown as an effective scheme to achieve diversity as well as to improve the overall throughput. This paper studies the impact of using outdated channel state information for relay selection on the performance of a network where two sources communicate with each other via fixed-gain amplify-and-forward relays. For a Rayleigh faded channel, closed-form expressions for the outage probability, moment generating function and symbol error rate are derived. Simulations results are also presented to corroborate the derived analytical results. It is shown that adding relays does not improve the performance if the channel is substantially outdated. Furthermore, relay location is also taken into consideration and it is shown that the performance can be improved by placing the relay closer to the source whose channel is more outdated. © 2015 IEEE.
The expression and activity of β-catenin in the thalamus and its projections to the cerebral cortex in the mouse embryo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pratt Thomas

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The mammalian thalamus relays sensory information from the periphery to the cerebral cortex for cognitive processing via the thalamocortical tract. The thalamocortical tract forms during embryonic development controlled by mechanisms that are not fully understood. β-catenin is a nuclear and cytosolic protein that transduces signals from secreted signaling molecules to regulate both cell motility via the cytoskeleton and gene expression in the nucleus. In this study we tested whether β-catenin is likely to play a role in thalamocortical connectivity by examining its expression and activity in developing thalamic neurons and their axons. Results At embryonic day (E15.5, the time when thalamocortical axonal projections are forming, we found that the thalamus is a site of particularly high β-catenin mRNA and protein expression. As well as being expressed at high levels in thalamic cell bodies, β-catenin protein is enriched in the axons and growth cones of thalamic axons and its growth cone concentration is sensitive to Netrin-1. Using mice carrying the β-catenin reporter BAT-gal we find high levels of reporter activity in the thalamus. Further, Netrin-1 induces BAT-gal reporter expression and upregulates levels of endogenous transcripts encoding β-actin and L1 proteins in cultured thalamic cells. We found that β-catenin mRNA is enriched in thalamic axons and its 3'UTR is phylogenetically conserved and is able to direct heterologous mRNAs along the thalamic axon, where they can be translated. Conclusion We provide evidence that β-catenin protein is likely to be an important player in thalamocortcial development. It is abundant both in the nucleus and in the growth cones of post-mitotic thalamic cells during the development of thalamocortical connectivity and β-catenin mRNA is targeted to thalamic axons and growth cones where it could potentially be translated. β-catenin is involved in transducing the Netrin-1 signal to
Thalamic lesions in multiple sclerosis by 7T MRI: Clinical implications and relationship to cortical pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Daniel M; Oh, Jiwon; Roy, Snehashis; Wood, Emily T; Whetstone, Anna; Seigo, Michaela A; Jones, Craig K; Pham, Dzung; van Zijl, Peter; Reich, Daniel S; Calabresi, Peter A

2015-08-01

Pathology in both cortex and deep gray matter contribute to disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). We used the increased signal-to-noise ratio of 7-tesla (7T) MRI to visualize small lesions within the thalamus and to relate this to clinical information and cortical lesions. We obtained 7T MRI scans on 34 MS cases and 15 healthy volunteers. Thalamic lesion number and volume were related to demographic data, clinical disability measures, and lesions in cortical gray matter. Thalamic lesions were found in 24/34 of MS cases. Two lesion subtypes were noted: discrete, ovoid lesions, and more diffuse lesional areas lining the periventricular surface. The number of thalamic lesions was greater in progressive MS compared to relapsing-remitting (mean ±SD, 10.7 ±0.7 vs. 3.0 ±0.7, respectively, p < 0.001). Thalamic lesion burden (count and volume) correlated with EDSS score and measures of cortical lesion burden, but not with white matter lesion burden or white matter volume. Using 7T MRI allows identification of thalamic lesions in MS, which are associated with disability, progressive disease, and cortical lesions. Thalamic lesion analysis may be a simpler, more rapid estimate of overall gray matter lesion burden in MS. © The Author(s), 2015.
MaROS Strategic Relay Planning and Coordination Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Allard, Daniel A.

2010-01-01

The Mars Relay Operations Service (MaROS) is designed to provide planning and analysis tools in support of ongoing Mars Network relay operations. Strategic relay planning requires coordination between lander and orbiter mission ground data system (GDS) teams to schedule and execute relay communications passes. MaROS centralizes this process, correlating all data relevant to relay coordination to provide a cohesive picture of the relay state. Service users interact with the system through thin-layer command line and web user interface client applications. Users provide and utilize data such as lander view periods of orbiters, Deep Space Network (DSN) antenna tracks, and reports of relay pass performance. Users upload and download relevant relay data via formally defined and documented file structures including some described in Extensible Markup Language (XML). Clients interface with the system via an http-based Representational State Transfer (ReST) pattern using Javascript Object Notation (JSON) formats. This paper will provide a general overview of the service architecture and detail the software interfaces and considerations for interface design.
Frequency-selectivity of a thalamocortical relay neuron during Parkinson's disease and deep brain stimulation: a computational study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cagnan, Hayriye; Cagnan, H.; Meijer, Hil Gaétan Ellart; van Gils, Stephanus A.; Krupa, M.; Heida, Tjitske; Rudolph, Michelle; Wadman, Wyse J.; Martens, Hubert C.F.

2009-01-01

In this computational study, we investigated (i) the functional importance of correlated basal ganglia (BG) activity associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms by analysing the effects of globus pallidus internum (GPi) bursting frequency and synchrony on a thalamocortical (TC) relay
Synaptic changes in the thalamocortical system of cathepsin D-deficient mice: a model of human congenital neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Partanen, Sanna; Haapanen, Aleksi; Kielar, Catherine; Pontikis, Charles; Alexander, Noreen; Inkinen, Teija; Saftig, Paul; Gillingwater, Thomas H; Cooper, Jonathan D; Tyynelä, Jaana

2008-01-01

Cathepsin D (CTSD; EC 3.4.23.5) is a lysosomal aspartic protease, the deficiency of which causes early-onset and particularly aggressive forms of neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis in infants, sheep, and mice. Cathepsin D deficiencies are characterized by severe neurodegeneration, but the molecular mechanisms behind the neuronal death remain poorly understood. In this study, we have systematically mapped the distribution of neuropathologic changes in CTSD-deficient mouse brains by stereologic, immunologic, and electron microscopic methods. We report highly accentuated neuropathologic changes within the ventral posterior nucleus (ventral posteromedial [VPM]/ventral posterolateral [VPL]) of thalamus and in neuronal laminae IV and VI of the somatosensory cortex (S1BF), which receive and send information to the thalamic VPM/VPL. These changes included pronounced astrocytosis and microglial activation that begin in the VPM/VPL thalamic nucleus of CTSD-deficient mice and are associated with reduced neuronal number and redistribution of presynaptic markers. In addition, loss of synapses, axonal pathology, and aggregation of synaptophysin and synaptobrevin were observed in the VPM/VPL. These synaptic alterations are accompanied by changes in the amount of synaptophysin/synaptobrevin heterodimer, which regulates formation of the SNARE complex at the synapse. Taken together, these data reveal the somatosensory thalamocortical circuitry as a particular focus of pathologic changes and provide the first evidence for synaptic alterations at the molecular and ultrastructural levels in CTSD deficiency.
Relay selection from an effective capacity perspective

KAUST Repository

Yang, Yuli

2013-09-01

In this work, we consider a cooperative network where multiple relay nodes having different modulation capabilities assist the end-to-end communication between a source and its destination. Firstly, we evaluate the effective capacity (EC) performance of the network under study. According to the analysis, an EC-based relay selection criterion is proposed. Based on the proposed selection rule and half-duplex decode-and-forward protocol, the activated relays cooperatively help with the packet transmission from the source. At the destination, packet combining is taken into account to improve the quality of service. Compared to the popular scheme, opportunistic relay selection, numerical results are provided to prove the validity and advantages of our proposed scheme in certain scenarios. Moreover, the analysis presented herein offers a convenient tool to the relaying transmission design, specifically on which relay selection scheme should be used as well as how to choose the receiving strategy between with and without packet combining at the destination. © 2013 IEEE.
CERN Relay Race 2009

CERN Document Server

2009-01-01

The CERN relay race will take place around the Meyrin site on Thursday 14th May starting at 12:15. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20-minute period. If you do meet runners while driving your car, please STOP until they have all passed. Thank you for your cooperation. More details on how to register your team for the relay race
Reversal thyristor-relay direct current commutator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanenko, A.I.

1982-01-01

A thyristor-relay commutator used for alteration of the leading magnetic field direction in experiments with polarized neutrons is described. The commutator flowsheet is presented. Thyristors, connected so as to allow the relay trigger operation mode, are used as controllable electronic relay. Two connected in series coils with the total inductance of the order of 0.28 H serve as the electronic relay load. The arc-free current commutation is effected at the moment of the minimal current across the load terminals, which allows to easily reverse the current up to 10 A at a volatage, v <= 150 V. The experience gained within a year of operation has shown that the commutator meets the requirements of reliability and tuning
CERN Relay Race

CERN Multimedia

2011-01-01

The CERN relay race will take place around the Meyrin site on Thursday 19 May starting at 12-15. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20-minute period. If you do meet runners while driving your car, please STOP until they have all passed. Thank you for your cooperation. Details of the course and of how to register your team for the relay race can be found here. Some advice for all runners from the Medical Service can also be found here.

A low complexity algorithm for multiple relay selection in two-way relaying Cognitive Radio networks

KAUST Repository

Alsharoa, Ahmad M.

2013-06-01

In this paper, a multiple relay selection scheme for two-way relaying cognitive radio network is investigated. We consider a cooperative Cognitive Radio (CR) system with spectrum sharing scenario using Amplify-and-Forward (AF) protocol, where licensed users and unlicensed users operate on the same frequency band. The main objective is to maximize the sum rate of the unlicensed users allowed to share the spectrum with the licensed users by respecting a tolerated interference threshold. A practical low complexity heuristic approach is proposed to solve our formulated optimization problem. Selected numerical results show that the proposed algorithm reaches a performance close to the performance of the optimal multiple relay selection scheme either with discrete or continuous power distributions while providing a considerable saving in terms of computational complexity. In addition, these results show that our proposed scheme significantly outperforms the single relay selection scheme. © 2013 IEEE.
Anatomical distribution of estrogen target neurons in turtle brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Y.S.; Stumpf, W.E.; Sar, M.

1981-01-01

Autoradiographic studies with [ 3 H]estradiol-17β in red-eared turtle (Pseudemys scripta elegans) show concentration and retention of radioactivity in nuclei of neurons in certain regions. Accumulations of estrogen target neurons exist in the periventricular brain with relationships to ventral extensions of the forebrain ventricles, including parolfactory, amygdaloid, septal, preoptic, hypothalamic and thalamic areas, as well as the dorsal ventricular ridge, the piriform cortex, and midbrain-pontine periaqueductal structures. The general anatomical pattern of distribution of estrogen target neurons corresponds to those observed not only in another reptile (Anolis carolinensis), but also in birds and mammals, as well as in teleosts and cyclostomes. In Pseudemys, which appears to display an intermediate degree of phylogenetic differentiation, the amygdaloid-septal-preoptic groups of estrogen target neurons constitute a continuum. In phylogenetic ascendency, e.g. in mammals, these cell populations are increasingly separated and distinct, while in phylogenetic descendency, e.g. in teleosts and cyclostomes, an amygdaloid group appears to be absent or contained within the septal-preoptic target cell population. (Auth.)
Anatomical distribution of estrogen target neurons in turtle brain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Y.S.; Stumpf, W.E.; Sar, M. (North Carolina Univ., Chapel Hill (USA))

1981-12-28

Autoradiographic studies with (/sup 3/H)estradiol-17..beta.. in red-eared turtle (Pseudemys scripta elegans) show concentration and retention of radioactivity in nuclei of neurons in certain regions. Accumulations of estrogen target neurons exist in the periventricular brain with relationships to ventral extensions of the forebrain ventricles, including parolfactory, amygdaloid, septal, preoptic, hypothalamic and thalamic areas, as well as the dorsal ventricular ridge, the piriform cortex, and midbrain-pontine periaqueductal structures. The general anatomical pattern of distribution of estrogen target neurons corresponds to those observed not only in another reptile (Anolis carolinensis), but also in birds and mammals, as well as in teleosts and cyclostomes. In Pseudemys, which appears to display an intermediate degree of phylogenetic differentiation, the amygdaloid-septal-preoptic groups of estrogen target neurons constitute a continuum. In phylogenetic ascendency, e.g. in mammals, these cell populations are increasingly separated and distinct, while in phylogenetic descendency, e.g. in teleosts and cyclostomes, an amygdaloid group appears to be absent or contained within the septal-preoptic target cell population.
Analysis of errors of radiation relay, (1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koyanagi, Takami; Nakajima, Sinichi

1976-01-01

The statistical error of liquid level controlled by radiation relay is analysed and a method of minimizing the error is proposed. This method comes to the problem of optimum setting of the time constant of radiation relay. The equations for obtaining the value of time constant are presented and the numerical results are shown in a table and plotted in a figure. The optimum time constant of the upper level control relay is entirely different from that of the lower level control relay. (auth.)
49 CFR 236.52 - Relayed cut-section.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

..., MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Rules and Instructions: All Systems Track Circuits § 236.52 Relayed cut-section. Where relayed cut-section is used in... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Relayed cut-section. 236.52 Section 236.52...
Quantum cryptography with an ideal local relay

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Spedalieri, Gaetana; Ottaviani, Carlo; Braunstein, Samuel L.

2015-01-01

We consider two remote parties connected to a relay by two quantum channels. To generate a secret key, they transmit coherent states to the relay, where the states are subject to a continuous-variable (CV) Bell detection. We study the ideal case where Alice's channel is lossless, i.e., the relay ...
A SDP based design of relay precoding for the power minimization of MIMO AF-relay networks

KAUST Repository

Rao, Anlei; Park, Kihong; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2015-01-01

Relay precoding for multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) relay networks has been approached by either optimizing the efficiency performance with given power consumption constraints or minimizing the power consumption with quality-of-service (Qo
User Multiplexing in Relay Enhanced LTE-Advanced Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teyeb, Oumer Mohammed; Frederiksen, Frank; Redana, Simone

2010-01-01

is radio relaying. This uses relay nodes that act as surrogate base stations for mobile users whose radio links with the base stations are not experiencing good enough conditions. In the downlink, the data that is destined for the relayed users may first have to be multiplexed by the base station, sent...... over the wireless backhaul link towards the relay node, and de-multiplexed and forwarded to the individual users by the relay node. The reverse process also has to be undertaken in the uplink. In this paper, we present a novel multiplexing scheme which is able to adapt the addressing and bitmapping...... of user identification to the actual number of users being served by the relay nodes, and thus greatly reduce the multiplexing overhead....
Amplify-and-forward relaying in wireless communications

CERN Document Server

Rodriguez, Leonardo Jimenez; Le-Ngoc, Tho

2015-01-01

This SpringerBrief explores the advantage of relaying techniques in addressing the increasing demand for high data rates and reliable services over the air. It demonstrates how to design cost-effective relay systems that provide high spectral efficiency and fully exploit the diversity of the relay channel. The brief covers advances in achievable rates, power allocation schemes, and error performance for half-duplex (HD) and full-duplex (FD) amplify-and-forward (AF) single-relay systems. The authors discuss the capacity and respective optimal power allocation for a wide range of HD protocols ov
Prefrontal cortex-projecting glutamatergic thalamic paraventricular nucleus-excited by hypocretin: a feedforward circuit that may enhance cognitive arousal.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Hao; Ghosh, Prabhat; van den Pol, Anthony N

2006-03-01

The paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) receives one of the most dense innervations by hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) neurons, which play important roles in sleep-wakefulness, attention, and autonomic function. The PVT projects to several loci, including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a cortical region involved in associative function and attention. To study the effect of Hcrt on excitatory PVT neurons that project to the mPFC, we used a new line of transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the vesicular glutamate-transporter-2 promoter. These neurons were retrogradely labeled with cholera toxin subunit B that had been microinjected into the mPFC. Membrane characteristics and responses to hypocretin-1 and -2 (Hcrt-1 and -2) were studied using whole cell recording (n > 300). PVT neurons showed distinct membrane properties including inward rectification, H-type potassium currents, low threshold spikes, and spike frequency adaptation. Cortically projecting neurons were depolarized and excited by Hcrt-2. Hcrt-2 actions were stronger than those of Hcrt-1, and the action persisted in TTX and in low calcium/high magnesium artificial cerebrospinal fluid, consistent with direct actions mediated by Hcrt receptor-2. Two mechanisms of Hcrt excitation were found: an increase in input resistance caused by closure of potassium channels and activation of nonselective cation channels. The robust excitation evoked by Hcrt-2 on cortically projecting glutamate PVT neurons could generate substantial excitation in multiple layers of the mPFC, adding to the more selective direct excitatory actions of Hcrt in the mPFC and potentially increasing cortical arousal and attention to limbic or visceral states.
Full-Duplex Relay Selection in Cognitive Underlay Networks

KAUST Repository

Khafagy, Mohammad Galal

2017-09-30

In this work, we analyze the performance of full-duplex relay selection (FDRS) in spectrum-sharing networks. Contrary to half-duplex relaying, full-duplex relaying (FDR) enables simultaneous listening/forwarding at the secondary relay(s), thereby allowing for a higher spectral efficiency. However, since the source and relay simultaneously transmit in FDR, their superimposed signal at the primary receiver should now satisfy the existing interference constraint, which can considerably limit the secondary network throughput. In this regard, relay selection can offer an adequate solution to boost the secondary throughput while satisfying the imposed interference limit. We first analyze the performance of opportunistic FDRS with residual self-interference (RSI) by deriving the exact cumulative distribution function of its end-to-end signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio under Nakagami-m fading. We also evaluate the offered diversity gain of relay selection for different full-duplex cooperation schemes in the presence/absence of a direct source-destination link. When the adopted RSI link gain model is sublinear in the relay power, which agrees with recent research findings, we show that remarkable diversity gain can be recovered even in the presence of an interfering direct link. Second, we evaluate the end-to-end performance of FDRS with interference constraints due to the presence of a primary receiver. Finally, the presented exact theoretical findings are verified by numerical simulations.
Relay exchanges in elite short track speed skating.

Science.gov (United States)

Hext, Andrew; Heller, Ben; Kelley, John; Goodwill, Simon

2017-06-01

In short track speed skating, the relay exchange provides an additional strategic component to races by allowing a team to change the skater involved in the pack race. Typically executed every 1½ laps, it is the belief of skaters and coaches that during this period of the race, time can be gained or lost due to the execution of the relay exchange. As such, the aim of this study was to examine the influence of the relay exchange on a team's progression through a 5000 m relay race. Using data collected from three World Cup relay events during the 2012-2013 season, the time taken to complete the straight for the scenarios with and without the relay exchange were compared at different skating speeds for the corner exit prior to the straight. Overall, the influence of the relay exchange was found to be dependent on this corner exit speed. At slower corner exit speeds (12.01-13.5 m/s), relay exchange straight times were significantly faster than the free skating scenario (P < 0.01). While at faster corner exit speeds (14.01-15 m/s), straight times were significantly slower (P < 0.001). The findings of this study suggest that the current norm of executing relay exchanges every 1½ laps may not be optimal. Instead, varying the frequency of relay exchange execution throughout the race could allow: (1) time to be gained relative to other teams; and (2) facilitate other race strategies by providing an improved opportunity to overtake.
On Alternate Relaying with Improper Gaussian Signaling

KAUST Repository

Gaafar, Mohamed; Amin, Osama; Ikhlef, Aissa; Chaaban, Anas; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2016-01-01

In this letter, we investigate the potential benefits of adopting improper Gaussian signaling (IGS) in a two-hop alternate relaying (AR) system. Given the known benefits of using IGS in interference-limited networks, we propose to use IGS to relieve the inter-relay interference (IRI) impact on the AR system assuming no channel state information is available at the source. In this regard, we assume that the two relays use IGS and the source uses proper Gaussian signaling (PGS). Then, we optimize the degree of impropriety of the relays signal, measured by the circularity coefficient, to maximize the total achievable rate. Simulation results show that using IGS yields a significant performance improvement over PGS, especially when the first hop is a bottleneck due to weak source-relay channel gains and/or strong IRI.
On Alternate Relaying with Improper Gaussian Signaling

KAUST Repository

Gaafar, Mohamed

2016-06-06

In this letter, we investigate the potential benefits of adopting improper Gaussian signaling (IGS) in a two-hop alternate relaying (AR) system. Given the known benefits of using IGS in interference-limited networks, we propose to use IGS to relieve the inter-relay interference (IRI) impact on the AR system assuming no channel state information is available at the source. In this regard, we assume that the two relays use IGS and the source uses proper Gaussian signaling (PGS). Then, we optimize the degree of impropriety of the relays signal, measured by the circularity coefficient, to maximize the total achievable rate. Simulation results show that using IGS yields a significant performance improvement over PGS, especially when the first hop is a bottleneck due to weak source-relay channel gains and/or strong IRI.
An assessment of fire vulnerability for aged electrical relays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vigil, R.A.; Nowlen, S.P.

1995-03-01

There has been some concern that, as nuclear power plants age, protective measures taken to control and minimize the impact of fire may become ineffective, or significantly less effective, and hence result in an increased fire risk. One objective of the Fire Vulnerability of Aged Electrical Components Program is to assess the effects of aging and service wear on the fire vulnerability of electrical equipment. An increased fire vulnerability of components may lead to an overall increase in fire risk to the plant. Because of their widespread use in various electrical safety systems, electromechanical relays were chosen to be the initial components for evaluation. This test program assessed the impact of operational and thermal aging on the vulnerability of these relays to fire-induced damage. Only thermal effects of a fire were examined in this test program. The impact of smoke, corrosive materials, or fire suppression effects on relay performance were not addressed in this test program. The purpose of this test program was to assess whether the fire vulnerability of electrical relays increased with aging. The sequence followed for the test program was to: identify specific relay types, develop three fire scenarios, artificially age several relays, test the unaged and aged relays in the fire exposure scenarios, and compare the results. The relays tested were Agastat GPI, General Electric (GE) HMA, HGA, and HFA. At least two relays of each type were artificially aged and at least two relays of each type were new. Relays were operationally aged by cycling the relay under rated load for 2,000 operations. These relays were then thermally aged for 60 days with their coil energized
Microprocessor protection relays: new prospects or new problems?

OpenAIRE

Gurevich, Vladimir

2006-01-01

The internal architecture and principles of operation of microprocessor-based devices including so-called "microprocessor protective relays" have little in common with devices called "electric relays". But microprocessor-based relay protection devices are gradually driving out the traditional electromechanical and even electronic relay protection of virtually from all fields of power and electrical engineering. Advantages of microprocessor-based protection means over traditional ones are far ...
Cognitive Relay Networks: A Comprehensive Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayesha Naeem

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Cognitive radio is an emerging technology to deal with the scarcity and requirement of radio spectrum by dynamically assigning spectrum to unlicensed user . This revolutionary technology shifts the paradigm in the wireless system design by all owing unlicensed user the ability to sense, adapt and share the dynamic spectrum. Cognitive radio technology have been applied to different networks and applications ranging from wireless to public saf ety, smart grid, medical, rela y and cellular applications to increase the throughput and spectrum efficiency of the network. Among these applications, cognitive relay networks is one of the application where cognitive radio technology has been applied. Cognitiv e rela y network increases the network throughput by reducing the complete pa th loss and also by ensuring cooper ation among secondary users and cooperation among primary and secondary users. In this paper , our aim is to provide a survey on cognitive relay network. We also provide a detailed review on existing schemes in cognitive relay networks on the basis of relaying protocol, relay cooperation and channel model.
Error-rate performance analysis of opportunistic regenerative relaying

KAUST Repository

Tourki, Kamel; Yang, Hongchuan; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2011-01-01

In this paper, we investigate an opportunistic relaying scheme where the selected relay assists the source-destination (direct) communication. In our study, we consider a regenerative opportunistic relaying scheme in which the direct path can
Distinct molecular components for thalamic- and cortical-dependent plasticity in the lateral amygdala.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirante, Osvaldo; Brandalise, Federico; Bohacek, Johannes; Mansuy, Isabelle M

2014-01-01

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD) in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) is a form of synaptic plasticity thought to be a cellular substrate for the extinction of fear memory. The LA receives converging inputs from the sensory thalamus and neocortex that are weakened following fear extinction. Combining field and patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings in mice, we show that paired-pulse low-frequency stimulation can induce a robust LTD at thalamic and cortical inputs to LA, and we identify different underlying molecular components at these pathways. We show that while LTD depends on NMDARs and activation of the protein phosphatases PP2B and PP1 at both pathways, it requires NR2B-containing NMDARs at the thalamic pathway, but NR2C/D-containing NMDARs at the cortical pathway. LTD appears to be induced post-synaptically at the thalamic input but presynaptically at the cortical input, since post-synaptic calcium chelation and NMDAR blockade prevent thalamic but not cortical LTD. These results highlight distinct molecular features of LTD in LA that may be relevant for traumatic memory and its erasure, and for pathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Experimental evaluation of earthquake induced relay chattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandyopadhyay, K.; Hofmayer, C.; Shteyngart, S.

1990-01-01

An experimental evaluation of relay performance under vibratory environments is discussed in this paper. Single frequency excitation was used for most tests. Limited tests were performed with random multifrequency inputs. The capacity of each relay was established based on a two-millisecond chatter criterion. The experimental techniques are described and the effects of parameters in controlling the relay capacity levels are illustrated with test data. A wide variation of the capacity levels was observed due to the influence of parameters related to the design of the relay and nature of the input motion. 3 refs., 15 figs

Accelerated forgetting of contextual details due to focal medio-dorsal thalamic lesion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sicong eTu

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Effects of thalamic nuclei damage and related white matter tracts on memory performance are still debated. This is particularly evident for the medio-dorsal thalamus which has been less clear in predicting amnesia than anterior thalamus changes. The current study addresses this issue by assessing 7 thalamic stroke patients with consistent unilateral lesions focal to the left medio-dorsal nuclei for immediate and delayed memory performance on standard visual and verbal tests of anterograde memory, and over the long-term (> 24 hrs on an object-location associative memory task. Thalamic patients showed selective impairment to delayed recall, but intact recognition memory. Patients also showed accelerated forgetting of contextual information after a 24 hour delay, compared to controls. Importantly, the mammillothalamic tract was intact in all patients, which suggests a role for the medio-dorsal nuclei in recall and early consolidation memory processes.
Disrupted thalamic resting-state functional connectivity in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qi, Rongfeng; Zhang, Long Jiang; Zhong, Jianhui; Zhang, Zhiqiang; Ni, Ling; Zheng, Gang; Lu, Guang Ming

2013-01-01

Background and purpose: Little is known about the role of thalamus in the pathophysiology of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the thalamic functional connectivity was disrupted in cirrhotic patients with MHE by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Materials and Methods: Twenty seven MHE patients and twenty seven age- and gender- matched healthy controls participated in the rs-fMRI scans. The functional connectivity of 11 thalamic nuclei were characterized by using a standard seed-based whole-brain correlation method and compared between MHE patients and healthy controls. Pearson correlation analysis was performed between the thalamic functional connectivity and venous blood ammonia levels/neuropsychological tests scores of patients. Results: The ventral anterior nucleus (VAN) and the ventral posterior medial nucleus (VPMN) in each side of thalamus showed abnormal functional connectivities in MHE. Compared with healthy controls, MHE patients demonstrated significant decreased functional connectivity between the right/left VAN and the bilateral putamen/pallidum, inferior frontal gyri, insula, supplementary motor area, right middle frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus. In addition, MHE patients showed significantly decreased functional connectivity with the right/left VPMN in the bilateral middle temporal gyri (MTG), temporal lobe, and right superior temporal gyrus. The venous blood ammonia levels of MHE patients negatively correlated with the functional connectivity between the VAN and the insula. Number connecting test scores showed negative correlation with the functional connectivity between the VAN and the insula, and between the VPMN and the MTG. Conclusion: MHE patients had disrupted thalamic functional connectivity, which mainly located in the bilateral ventral anterior nuclei and ventral posterior medial nuclei. The decreased connectivity between thalamus and many
Disrupted thalamic resting-state functional connectivity in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qi, Rongfeng [Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Clinical School of Medical College, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002 (China); Zhang, Long Jiang, E-mail: kevinzhanglongjiang@yahoo.com.cn [Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Clinical School of Medical College, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002 (China); Zhong, Jianhui [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310027 (China); Zhang, Zhiqiang; Ni, Ling; Zheng, Gang [Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Clinical School of Medical College, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002 (China); Lu, Guang Ming, E-mail: cjr.luguangming@vip.163.com [Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Clinical School of Medical College, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002 (China)

2013-05-15

Background and purpose: Little is known about the role of thalamus in the pathophysiology of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the thalamic functional connectivity was disrupted in cirrhotic patients with MHE by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Materials and Methods: Twenty seven MHE patients and twenty seven age- and gender- matched healthy controls participated in the rs-fMRI scans. The functional connectivity of 11 thalamic nuclei were characterized by using a standard seed-based whole-brain correlation method and compared between MHE patients and healthy controls. Pearson correlation analysis was performed between the thalamic functional connectivity and venous blood ammonia levels/neuropsychological tests scores of patients. Results: The ventral anterior nucleus (VAN) and the ventral posterior medial nucleus (VPMN) in each side of thalamus showed abnormal functional connectivities in MHE. Compared with healthy controls, MHE patients demonstrated significant decreased functional connectivity between the right/left VAN and the bilateral putamen/pallidum, inferior frontal gyri, insula, supplementary motor area, right middle frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus. In addition, MHE patients showed significantly decreased functional connectivity with the right/left VPMN in the bilateral middle temporal gyri (MTG), temporal lobe, and right superior temporal gyrus. The venous blood ammonia levels of MHE patients negatively correlated with the functional connectivity between the VAN and the insula. Number connecting test scores showed negative correlation with the functional connectivity between the VAN and the insula, and between the VPMN and the MTG. Conclusion: MHE patients had disrupted thalamic functional connectivity, which mainly located in the bilateral ventral anterior nuclei and ventral posterior medial nuclei. The decreased connectivity between thalamus and many
Relay protection features of frequency-adjustable electric drive

Science.gov (United States)

Kuprienko, V. V.

2018-03-01

The features of relay protection of high-voltage electric motors in composition of the frequency-adjustable electric drive are considered in the article. The influence of frequency converters on the stability of the operation of various types of relay protection used on electric motors is noted. Variants of circuits for connecting relay protection devices are suggested. The need to develop special relay protection devices for a frequency-adjustable electric drive is substantiated.
Cerebellar Ataxia from Multiple Potential Causes: Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Thalamic Stimulation, and Essential Tremor

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Natalya V. Shneyder

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Both hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT can rarely be associated with cerebellar ataxia. Severe essential tremor (ET as well as bilateral thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS may lead to subtle cerebellar signs. Case Report: We report a 74-year-old male with hypothyroidism and a 20-year history of ET who developed cerebellar ataxia after bilateral thalamic DBS. Extensive workup revealed elevated thyroid stimulating hormone and thyroperoxidase antibody titers confirming the diagnosis of HT. Discussion: Our case demonstrates multiple possible causes of cerebellar ataxia in a patient, including hypothyroidism, HT, chronic ET, and bilateral thalamic DBS. Counseling of patients may be appropriate when multiple risk factors for cerebellar ataxia coexist in one individual.
Relay Telecommunications for the Coming Decade of Mars Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, C.; DePaula, R.

2010-01-01

Over the past decade, an evolving network of relay-equipped orbiters has advanced our capabilities for Mars exploration. NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, 2001 Mars Odyssey, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), as well as ESA's Mars Express Orbiter, have provided telecommunications relay services to the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, and to the 2007 Phoenix Lander. Based on these successes, a roadmap for continued Mars relay services is in place for the coming decade. MRO and Odyssey will provide key relay support to the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, including capture of critical event telemetry during entry, descent, and landing, as well as support for command and telemetry during surface operations, utilizing new capabilities of the Electra relay payload on MRO and the Electra-Lite payload on MSL to allow significant increase in data return relative to earlier missions. Over the remainder of the decade a number of additional orbiter and lander missions are planned, representing new orbital relay service providers and new landed relay users. In this paper we will outline this Mars relay roadmap, quantifying relay performance over time, illustrating planned support scenarios, and identifying key challenges and technology infusion opportunities.
Sum-Rate Enhancement in Multiuser MIMO Decode-and-Forward Relay Broadcasting Channel with Energy Harvesting Relays

KAUST Repository

Benkhelifa, Fatma

2016-09-20

In this paper, we consider a multiuser multipleinput multiple-output (MIMO) decode-and-forward (DF) relay broadcasting channel (BC) with single source, multiple energy harvesting (EH) relays and multiple destinations. All the nodes are equipped with multiple antennas. The EH and information decoding (ID) tasks at the relays and destinations are separated over the time, which is termed as the time switching (TS) scheme. As optimal solutions for the sum-rate maximization problems of BC channels and the MIMO interference channels are hard to obtain, the end-to-end sum rate maximization problem of a multiuser MIMO DF relay BC channel is even harder. In this paper, we propose to tackle a simplified problem where we employ the block diagonalization (BD) procedure at the source, and we mitigate the interference between the relaydestination channels using an algorithm similar to the BD method. In order to show the relevance of our low complex proposed solution, we compare it to the minimum mean-square error (MMSE) solution that was shown in the literature to be equivalent to the solution of the sum-rate maximization in MIMO broadcasting interfering channels. We also investigate the time division multiple access (TDMA) solution which separates all the information transmissions from the source to the relays and from the relays to the destinations over time. We provide numerical results to show the relevance of our proposed solution, in comparison with the no co-channel interference (CCI) case, the TDMA based solution and the MMSE based solution.
Sum-Rate Enhancement in Multiuser MIMO Decode-and-Forward Relay Broadcasting Channel with Energy Harvesting Relays

KAUST Repository

Benkhelifa, Fatma; Salem, Ahmed Sultan; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2016-01-01

In this paper, we consider a multiuser multipleinput multiple-output (MIMO) decode-and-forward (DF) relay broadcasting channel (BC) with single source, multiple energy harvesting (EH) relays and multiple destinations. All the nodes are equipped with multiple antennas. The EH and information decoding (ID) tasks at the relays and destinations are separated over the time, which is termed as the time switching (TS) scheme. As optimal solutions for the sum-rate maximization problems of BC channels and the MIMO interference channels are hard to obtain, the end-to-end sum rate maximization problem of a multiuser MIMO DF relay BC channel is even harder. In this paper, we propose to tackle a simplified problem where we employ the block diagonalization (BD) procedure at the source, and we mitigate the interference between the relaydestination channels using an algorithm similar to the BD method. In order to show the relevance of our low complex proposed solution, we compare it to the minimum mean-square error (MMSE) solution that was shown in the literature to be equivalent to the solution of the sum-rate maximization in MIMO broadcasting interfering channels. We also investigate the time division multiple access (TDMA) solution which separates all the information transmissions from the source to the relays and from the relays to the destinations over time. We provide numerical results to show the relevance of our proposed solution, in comparison with the no co-channel interference (CCI) case, the TDMA based solution and the MMSE based solution.
Blood oxygenation level dependent signal and neuronal adaptation to optogenetic and sensory stimulation in somatosensory cortex in awake animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Aksenov, Daniil P; Li, Limin; Miller, Michael J; Wyrwicz, Alice M

2016-11-01

The adaptation of neuronal responses to stimulation, in which a peak transient response is followed by a sustained plateau, has been well-studied. The blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal has also been shown to exhibit adaptation on a longer time scale. However, some regions such as the visual and auditory cortices exhibit significant BOLD adaptation, whereas other such as the whisker barrel cortex may not adapt. In the sensory cortex a combination of thalamic inputs and intracortical activity drives hemodynamic changes, although the relative contributions of these components are not entirely understood. The aim of this study is to assess the role of thalamic inputs vs. intracortical processing in shaping BOLD adaptation during stimulation in the somatosensory cortex. Using simultaneous fMRI and electrophysiology in awake rabbits, we measured BOLD, local field potentials (LFPs), single- and multi-unit activity in the cortex during whisker and optogenetic stimulation. This design allowed us to compare BOLD and haemodynamic responses during activation of the normal thalamocortical sensory pathway (i.e., both inputs and intracortical activity) vs. the direct optical activation of intracortical circuitry alone. Our findings show that whereas LFP and multi-unit (MUA) responses adapted, neither optogenetic nor sensory stimulation produced significant BOLD adaptation. We observed for both paradigms a variety of excitatory and inhibitory single unit responses. We conclude that sensory feed-forward thalamic inputs are not primarily responsible for shaping BOLD adaptation to stimuli; but the single-unit results point to a role in this behaviour for specific excitatory and inhibitory neuronal sub-populations, which may not correlate with aggregate neuronal activity. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Fast voltage-sensitive dye imaging of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in the rat granular retrosplenial cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Nixima, Ken'ichi; Okanoya, Kazuo; Ichinohe, Noritaka; Kurotani, Tohru

2017-09-01

Rodent granular retrosplenial cortex (GRS) has dense connections between the anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) and hippocampal formation. GRS superficial pyramidal neurons exhibit distinctive late spiking (LS) firing property and form patchy clusters with prominent apical dendritic bundles. The aim of this study was to investigate spatiotemporal dynamics of signal transduction in the GRS induced by ATN afferent stimulation by using fast voltage-sensitive dye imaging in rat brain slices. In coronal slices, layer 1a stimulation, which presumably activated thalamic fibers, evoked propagation of excitatory synaptic signals from layers 2-4 to layers 5-6 in a direction perpendicular to the layer axis, followed by transverse signal propagation within each layer. In the presence of ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists, inhibitory responses were observed in superficial layers, induced by direct activation of inhibitory interneurons in layer 1. In horizontal slices, excitatory signals in deep layers propagated transversely mainly from posterior to anterior via superficial layers. Cortical inhibitory responses upon layer 1a stimulation in horizontal slices were weaker than those in the coronal slices. Observed differences between coronal and horizontal planes suggest anisotropy of the intracortical circuitry. In conclusion, ATN inputs are processed differently in coronal and horizontal planes of the GRS and then conveyed to other cortical areas. In both planes, GRS superficial layers play an important role in signal propagation, which suggests that superficial neuronal cascade is crucial in the integration of multiple information sources. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Superficial neurons in the rat granular retrosplenial cortex (GRS) show distinctive late-spiking (LS) firing property. However, little is known about spatiotemporal dynamics of signal transduction in the GRS. We demonstrated LS neuron network relaying thalamic inputs to deep layers and anisotropic distribution of
Evaluation of Harmonics Impact on Digital Relays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kinan Wannous

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the concept of the impact of harmonic distortion on a digital protection relay. The aim is to verify and determine the reasons of a mal-trip or failure to trip the protection relays; the suggested solution of the harmonic distortion is explained by a mathematical model in the Matlab Simulink programming environment. The digital relays have been tested under harmonic distortions in order to verify the function of the relays algorithm under abnormal conditions. The comparison between the protection relay algorithm under abnormal conditions and a mathematical model in the Matlab Simulink programming environment based on injected harmonics of high values is provided. The test is separated into different levels; the first level is based on the harmonic effect of an individual harmonic and mixed harmonics. The test includes the effect of the harmonics in the location of the fault point into distance protection zones. This paper is a new proposal in the signal processing of power quality disturbances using Matlab Simulink and the power quality impact on the measurements of the power system quantities; the test simulates the function of protection in power systems in terms of calculating the current and voltage values of short circuits and their faults. The paper includes several tests: frequency variations and decomposition of voltage waveforms with Fourier transforms (model and commercial relay, the effect of the power factor on the location of fault points, the relation between the tripping time and the total harmonic distortion (THD levels in a commercial relay, and a comparison of the THD capture between the commercial relay and the model.
Relay testing parametric investigation of seismic fragility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandyopadhyay, K.; Hofmayer, C.; Kassir, M.; Pepper, S.

1989-01-01

The seismic capacity of most electrical equipment is governed by malfunction of relays. An evaluation of the existing relay test data base at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has indicated that the seismic fragility of a relay may depend on various parameters related to the design or the input motion. In particular, the electrical mode, contact state, adjustment, chatter duration acceptance limit, and the frequency and the direction of the vibration input have been considered to influence the relay fragility level. For a particular relay type, the dynamics of its moving parts depends on the exact model number and vintage and hence, these parameters may also influence the fragility level. In order to investigate the effect of most of these parameters on the seismic fragility level, BNL has conducted a relay test program. The testing has been performed at Wyle Laboratories. Establishing the correlation between the single frequency fragility test input and the corresponding multifrequency response spectrum (TRS) is also an objective of this test program. This paper discusses the methodology used for testing and presents a brief summary of important test results. 1 ref., 10 figs
Capacity Bounds and Mapping Design for Binary Symmetric Relay Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majid Nasiri Khormuji

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Capacity bounds for a three-node binary symmetric relay channel with orthogonal components at the destination are studied. The cut-set upper bound and the rates achievable using decode-and-forward (DF, partial DF and compress-and-forward (CF relaying are first evaluated. Then relaying strategies with finite memory-length are considered. An efficient algorithm for optimizing the relay functions is presented. The Boolean Fourier transform is then employed to unveil the structure of the optimized mappings. Interestingly, the optimized relay functions exhibit a simple structure. Numerical results illustrate that the rates achieved using the optimized low-dimensional functions are either comparable to those achieved by CF or superior to those achieved by DF relaying. In particular, the optimized low-dimensional relaying scheme can improve on DF relaying when the quality of the source-relay link is worse than or comparable to that of other links.
Duplex Schemes in Multiple Antenna Two-Hop Relaying

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anja Klein

2008-04-01

Full Text Available A novel scheme for two-hop relaying defined as space division duplex (SDD relaying is proposed. In SDD relaying, multiple antenna beamforming techniques are applied at the intermediate relay station (RS in order to separate downlink and uplink signals of a bi-directional two-hop communication between two nodes, namely, S1 and S2. For conventional amplify-and-forward two-hop relaying, there appears a loss in spectral efficiency due to the fact that the RS cannot receive and transmit simultaneously on the same channel resource. In SDD relaying, this loss in spectral efficiency is circumvented by giving up the strict separation of downlink and uplink signals by either time division duplex or frequency division duplex. Two novel concepts for the derivation of the linear beamforming filters at the RS are proposed; they can be designed either by a three-step or a one-step concept. In SDD relaying, receive signals at S1 are interfered by transmit signals of S1, and receive signals at S2 are interfered by transmit signals of S2. An efficient method in order to combat this kind of interference is proposed in this paper. Furthermore, it is shown how the overall spectral efficiency of SDD relaying can be improved if the channels from S1 and S2 to the RS have different qualities.
Two-Hop Secure Communication Using an Untrusted Relay

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Xiang He

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We consider a source-destination pair that can only communicate through an untrusted intermediate relay node. The intermediate node is willing to employ a designated relaying scheme to facilitate reliable communication between the source and the destination. Yet, the information it relays needs to be kept secret from it. In this two-hop communication scenario, where the use of the untrusted relay node is essential, we find that a positive secrecy rate is achievable. The center piece of the achievability scheme is the help provided by either the destination node with transmission capability, or an external “good samaritan” node. In either case, the helper performs cooperative jamming that confuses the eavesdropping relay and disables it from being able to decipher what it is relaying. We next derive an upper bound on the secrecy rate for this system. We observe that the gap between the upper bound and the achievable rate vanishes as the power of the relay node goes to infinity. Overall, the paper presents a case for intentional interference, that is, cooperative jamming, as an enabler for secure communication.
Energy-efficient relay selection and optimal power allocation for performance-constrained dual-hop variable-gain AF relaying

KAUST Repository

Zafar, Ammar; Radaydeh, Redha Mahmoud Mesleh; Chen, Yunfei; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the energy-efficiency enhancement of a variable-gain dual-hop amplify-and-forward (AF) relay network utilizing selective relaying. The objective is to minimize the total consumed power while keeping the end-to-end signal
Engineering a thalamo-cortico-thalamic circuit on SpiNNaker: a preliminary study towards modelling sleep and wakefulness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Basabdatta Sen Bhattacharya

2014-05-01

Full Text Available We present a preliminary study of a thalamo-cortico-thalamic (TCT implementation on SpiNNaker (Spiking Neural Network architecture, a brain inspired hardware platform designed to incorporate the inherent biological properties of parallelism, fault tolerance and energy efficiency. These attributes make SpiNNaker an ideal platform for simulating biologically plausible computational models. Our focus in this work is to design a TCT framework that can be simulated on SpiNNaker to mimic dynamical behaviour similar to Electroencephalogram (EEG time and power-spectra signatures in sleep-wake transition. The scale of the model is minimised for simplicity in this proof-of-concept study; thus the total number of spiking neurons is approximately 1000 and represents a `mini-column' of the thalamocortical tissue. All data on model structure, synaptic layout and parameters is inspired from previous studies and abstracted at a level that is appropriate to the aims of the current study as well as computationally suitable for model simulation on a small 4-chip SpiNNaker system. The initial results from selective deletion of synaptic connectivity parameters in the model show similarity with EEG time series characteristics of sleep and wakefulness. These observations provide a positive perspective and a basis for future implementation of a very large scale biologically plausible model of thalamo-cortico-thalamic interactivity---the essential brain circuit that regulates the biological sleep-wake cycle and associated EEG rhythms.
Application of a proposed overcurrent relay in radial distribution networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conde, A.; Vazquez, E. [Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, A.P. 36-F, CU, CP 66450, San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon (Mexico)

2011-02-15

This paper contains the application criteria and coordination process for a proposed overcurrent relay in a radial power system with feed from one or multiple sources. This relay uses independent functions to detect faults and to calculate the operation time. Also this relay uses a time element function that allows it to reduce the time relay operation, enhancing the backup protection. Some of the proposed approaches improve the sensitivity of the relay. The selection of the best approach in the proposed relay is defined by the needs of the application. The proposed protection can be considered as an additional function protection to conventional overcurrent relays. (author)
Time of arrival based location estimation for cooperative relay networks

KAUST Repository

Ç elebi, Hasari Burak; Abdallah, Mohamed M.; Hussain, Syed Imtiaz; Qaraqe, Khalid A.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2010-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the performance of a cooperative relay network performing location estimation through time of arrival (TOA). We derive Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the location estimates using the relay network. The analysis is extended to obtain average CRLB considering the signal fluctuations in both relay and direct links. The effects of the channel fading of both relay and direct links and amplification factor and location of the relay node on average CRLB are investigated. Simulation results show that the channel fading of both relay and direct links and amplification factor and location of relay node affect the accuracy of TOA based location estimation. ©2010 IEEE.
Time of arrival based location estimation for cooperative relay networks

KAUST Repository

Çelebi, Hasari Burak

2010-09-01

In this paper, we investigate the performance of a cooperative relay network performing location estimation through time of arrival (TOA). We derive Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the location estimates using the relay network. The analysis is extended to obtain average CRLB considering the signal fluctuations in both relay and direct links. The effects of the channel fading of both relay and direct links and amplification factor and location of the relay node on average CRLB are investigated. Simulation results show that the channel fading of both relay and direct links and amplification factor and location of relay node affect the accuracy of TOA based location estimation. ©2010 IEEE.

Full-Duplex opportunistic relay selection in future spectrum-sharing networks

KAUST Repository

Khafagy, Mohammad Galal; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Aï ssa, Sonia

2015-01-01

We propose and analyze the performance of full-duplex relay selection in primary/secondary spectrum-sharing networks. Contrary to half-duplex relaying, full-duplex relaying (FDR) enables simultaneous listening/forwarding at the secondary relay, thereby allowing for a higher spectral efficiency. However, since the source and relay simultaneously transmit in FDR, their superimposed signal at the primary receiver should now satisfy the existing interference constraint which can considerably limit the secondary network throughput. In this regard, relay selection can offer an adequate solution to boost the secondary throughput while satisfying the imposed interference limit. We first analyze the performance of opportunistic relay selection among a cluster of full-duplex decode-and-forward relays with self-interference by deriving the exact cumulative distribution function of its end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio. Second, we evaluate the end-to-end performance of relay selection with interference constraints due to the presence of a primary receiver. Finally, the presented exact theoretical findings are verified by numerical simulations.
Full-Duplex opportunistic relay selection in future spectrum-sharing networks

KAUST Repository

Khafagy, Mohammad Galal

2015-06-01

We propose and analyze the performance of full-duplex relay selection in primary/secondary spectrum-sharing networks. Contrary to half-duplex relaying, full-duplex relaying (FDR) enables simultaneous listening/forwarding at the secondary relay, thereby allowing for a higher spectral efficiency. However, since the source and relay simultaneously transmit in FDR, their superimposed signal at the primary receiver should now satisfy the existing interference constraint which can considerably limit the secondary network throughput. In this regard, relay selection can offer an adequate solution to boost the secondary throughput while satisfying the imposed interference limit. We first analyze the performance of opportunistic relay selection among a cluster of full-duplex decode-and-forward relays with self-interference by deriving the exact cumulative distribution function of its end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio. Second, we evaluate the end-to-end performance of relay selection with interference constraints due to the presence of a primary receiver. Finally, the presented exact theoretical findings are verified by numerical simulations.
Distinct molecular components for thalamic- and cortical-dependent plasticity in the lateral amygdala

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Osvaldo eMirante

2014-07-01

Full Text Available N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR-dependent long-term depression (LTD in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA is a form of synaptic plasticity thought to be a cellular substrate for the extinction of fear memory. The LA receives converging inputs from the sensory thalamus and neocortex that are weakened following fear extinction. Combining field and patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings in mice, we show that a paired-pulse low-frequency stimulation can induce a robust LTD at thalamic and cortical inputs to LA, and we identify different underlying molecular components at these pathways. We show that while LTD depends on NMDARs and activation of the protein phosphatases PP2B and PP1 at both pathways, it requires NR2B-containing NMDARs at the thalamic pathway, but NR2C/D-containing NMDARs at the cortical pathway. LTD appears to be induced postsynaptically at the thalamic input but presynaptically at the cortical input, since postsynaptic calcium chelation and NMDAR blockade prevent thalamic but not cortical LTD. These results highlight distinct molecular features of LTD in LA that may be relevant for traumatic memory and its erasure, and for pathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.
Discrete radioisotopic relays of a cyclic action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klempner, K.S.; Vasil'ev, A.G.

1975-01-01

A functional diagram of discrete radioisotopic relay equipment (RRP) with cyclic action was examined. An analysis of its rapid action and reliability under stationary conditions and transition regimes is presented. A structural diagram of radioisotopic relay equipment shows three radiation detectors, a pulse standardizer, an integrator and a power amplifier with a threshold cut-off device. It was established that the basic properties of the RRP - rapid action and reliability - are determined entirely by the counting rate of the average frequency of pulses from the radiation detector, n 0 and n 1 , in the 0 and 1 states (absence of current in the electromagnetic relay winding and activation of the winding of the output relay), capacities N 1 and N 2 of the dual counters, and the frequency of the transition threshold, f, of the generator. Formulas are presented which allow making engineering calculations for determining the optimum RRP parameters. High speed and reliability are shown, which are determined by the production purposes of the relay
Rhythmic activity of feline dorsal and ventral spinocerebellar tract neurons during fictive motor actions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fedirchuk, Brent; Stecina, Katinka; Kristensen, Kasper Kyhl

2013-01-01

(without phasic afferent feedback). In this study, we compared the activity of DSCT and VSCT neurons during fictive rhythmic motor behaviors. We used decerebrate cat preparations in which fictive motor tasks can be evoked while the animal is paralyzed and there is no rhythmic sensory input from hindlimb......Neurons of the dorsal spinocerebellar tracts (DSCT) have been described to be rhythmically active during walking on a treadmill in decerebrate cats, but this activity ceased following deafferentation of the hindlimb. This observation supported the hypothesis that DSCT neurons primarily relay...
Asymmetric Modulation Gains in Network Coded Relay Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roetter, Daniel Enrique Lucani; Fitzek, Frank

2015-01-01

Wireless relays have usually been considered in two ways. On the one hand, a physical layer approach focused on per-packet reliability and involving the relay on each packet transmission. On the other, recent approaches have relied on the judicious activation of the relay at the network level to ...
Beamforming Design for Coordinated Direct and Relay Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sun, Fan; De Carvalho, Elisabeth; Thai, Chan

2012-01-01

Joint processing of multiple communication flows in wireless systems has given rise to a number of novel transmission techniques, notably the two-way relaying based on wireless network coding. Recently, a related set of techniques has emerged, termed coordinated direct and relay (CDR) transmissions......, where the constellation of traffic flows is more general than the two-way. Regardless of the actual traffic flows, in a CDR scheme the relay has a central role in managing the interference. In this paper we investigate the novel transmission modes, based on amplify-and-forward, that arise when the relay...... an iterative solution, as well as derive an upper performance bound. The numerical results demonstrate a clear benefit from usage of multiple antennas at the relay node....
Robust distributed cognitive relay beamforming

KAUST Repository

Pandarakkottilil, Ubaidulla

2012-05-01

In this paper, we present a distributed relay beamformer design for a cognitive radio network in which a cognitive (or secondary) transmit node communicates with a secondary receive node assisted by a set of cognitive non-regenerative relays. The secondary nodes share the spectrum with a licensed primary user (PU) node, and each node is assumed to be equipped with a single transmit/receive antenna. The interference to the PU resulting from the transmission from the cognitive nodes is kept below a specified limit. The proposed robust cognitive relay beamformer design seeks to minimize the total relay transmit power while ensuring that the transceiver signal-to-interference- plus-noise ratio and PU interference constraints are satisfied. The proposed design takes into account a parameter of the error in the channel state information (CSI) to render the performance of the beamformer robust in the presence of imperfect CSI. Though the original problem is non-convex, we show that the proposed design can be reformulated as a tractable convex optimization problem that can be solved efficiently. Numerical results are provided and illustrate the performance of the proposed designs for different network operating conditions and parameters. © 2012 IEEE.
Distance relay performance in future converter dominated power systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sarkar, Moumita; Jia, Jundi; Yang, Guangya

2017-01-01

Increasing penetration of converter-based generations in power system has led to new system challenges. Short circuit power response from converter-based generations is different from that of traditional synchronous generators. Power electronic converters can be designed for over-current only up ...... of converter controls on fault current response of converter-based generations is also investigated. Index Terms—Converter control, distance relays, power system protection, system modelling....... to 1.1-1.25 times of its nominal value. Low availability of short circuit power can cause many challenges such as misoperation of distance relays. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of converter dominated systems on performance of distance relays. Backup functionality of the distance...... relay is major concern as miscoordination of backup relays in case of cascading faults can lead to severe stress in system, which can develop into blackout. In this paper, response of relays in traditional system is compared with response of relays in low short-circuit-current power systems. Impact...
Distributed stability control using intelligent voltage-margin relay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiszniewski, A.; Rebizant, W. [Wroclaw Univ. of Technology (Poland); Klimek, A. [Powertech Labs Inc., Surrey, BC (Canada)

2010-07-01

This paper presented an intelligent relay that operates if the load to source impedance ratio decreases to a level that is dangerously close to the stability limit, which leads to power system blackouts. The intelligent voltage-margin/difference relay installed at receiving substations automatically initiates action if the voltage stability margin drops to a dangerously low level. The relay decides if the tap changing devices are to be blocked and if under-voltage load shedding should be initiated, thereby mitigating an evolving instability. The intelligent relay has two levels of operation. At the first stage, which corresponds to the higher load to source impedance ratio, the relay initiates blocking of the tap changer. At the second stage, corresponding to the lower source to load impedance ratio, load shedding is initiated. The relay operates when the load to source impedance ratio reaches a certain predetermined level, but it does not depend either on the level of the source voltage or on the difference of source and load impedance phase angles. The algorithm for the relay is relatively simple and uses only locally available signals. Consequently, the transformer is well controlled to eliminate the cases of voltage instability. 6 refs., 7 figs.
Asymptotic analysis for Nakagami-m fading channels with relay selection

KAUST Repository

Zhong, Caijun

2011-06-01

In this paper, we analyze the asymptotic outage probability performance of both decode-and-forward (DF) and amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying systems using partial relay selection and the "best" relay selection schemes for Nakagami-m fading channels. We derive their respective outage probability expressions in the asymptotic high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime, from which the diversity order and coding gain are analyzed. In addition, we investigate the impact of power allocation between the source and relay terminals and derive the diversity-multiplexing tradeoff (DMT) for these relay selection systems. The theoretical findings suggest that partial relay selection can improve the diversity of the system and can achieve the same DMT as the "best" relay selection scheme under certain conditions. © 2011 IEEE.
LTE-Advanced Relay Technology and Standardization

CERN Document Server

Yuan, Yifei

2013-01-01

LTE-Advanced Relay Technology and Standardization provides a timely reference work for relay technology with the finalizing of LTE Release 10 specifications. LTE-Advanced is quickly becoming the global standard for 4G cellular communications. The relay technology, as one of the key features in LTE-Advanced, helps not only to improve the system coverage and capacity, but also to save the costs of laying wireline backhaul. As a leading researcher in the field of LTE-Advanced standards, the author provides an in-depth description of LTE-A relay technology, and explains in detail the standard specification and design principles. Readers from both academic and industrial fields can find sections of interest to them: Sections 2 & 4 could benefit researchers in academia and those who are engaged in exploratory work, while Sections 3 & 4 are more useful to engineers. Dr. Yifei Yuan is the Technical Director at the Standards Department of ZTE Inc.
Neonatal thalamic hemorrhage is strongly associated with electrical status epilepticus in slow wave sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Kersbergen, Karina J; de Vries, Linda S; Leijten, Frans S S; Braun, Kees P J; Nievelstein, Rutger A J; Groenendaal, Floris; Benders, Manon J N L; Jansen, Floor E

2013-04-01

Thalamic hemorrhage has been associated with neonatal cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT), especially when the straight sinus is involved, and often presents with neonatal seizures. Early thalamic injury has previously been shown to predispose to epilepsy and electrical status epilepticus in slow wave sleep (ESES). The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of sleep-induced epileptic electroencephalography (EEG) abnormalities and postneonatal epilepsy after neonatal thalamic hemorrhage associated with CSVT, in the absence of more widespread cerebral damage. Between 2003 and 2008 15 neonates were diagnosed with a thalamic hemorrhage due to suspected or proven CSVT. Neurodevelopment and the history of seizures were assessed at follow-up in the outpatient clinic in all 14 survivors (age 2-9 years). Whole-night or sleep-deprived EEG recordings were obtained to assess the prevalence of interictal epileptiform activity (EA) and calculate a sleep-induced spike and wave index (SWI). Three children were diagnosed with classic ESES (SWI >85%). Two children had ESES spectrum disorder (SWI between 50% and 85%), and in two children significant sleep-induced epileptiform activity (SIEA) was noted (SWI between 25% and 50%). Two other children were diagnosed with focal epilepsy, in the absence of sleep-induced epileptiform EEG abnormalities. Five children (age 2-7 years) had normal EEG recordings at follow-up. Deficits in neurodevelopment were seen significantly more often in children with ESES, ESES spectrum, or SIEA. Neonates with thalamic hemorrhage associated with straight sinus thrombosis, without evidence of more widespread cerebral damage, are at high risk of developing ESES (spectrum) disorder (35%), SIEA (14%), or focal epilepsy (14%). Electrographic abnormalities may already be present prior to recognition of cognitive deficits. Early diagnosis may guide parents and caregivers, and subsequent treatment may improve neurodevelopmental outcome. Routine
New results on performance analysis of opportunistic regenerative relaying

KAUST Repository

Tourki, Kamel; Yang, Hongchuan; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Qaraqe, Khalid A.

2013-01-01

In this paper, we investigate an opportunistic relaying scheme where the selected relay assists the source-destination (direct) communication. In our study, we consider a regenerative opportunistic relaying scheme in which the direct path may
Accurate performance analysis of opportunistic decode-and-forward relaying

KAUST Repository

Tourki, Kamel; Yang, Hongchuan; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2011-01-01

In this paper, we investigate an opportunistic relaying scheme where the selected relay assists the source-destination (direct) communication. In our study, we consider a regenerative opportunistic relaying scheme in which the direct path may
Electric equipment technical regulation on a relay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

It is about a relay for power protection. It describes the definitions of structure, a point of contact protection of contact, reclosing, relay scheme and input circuit. It explains normal use condition, special use condition, rated frequency, rated voltage and rated current, fluctuation range of permission of incoming relay. It deals with general structing outer case, correction device, operation indicator and outer terminal condition sort and method of the test. It adds the marks and pictures about currents
Assessment of paramedian thalamic infarcts: MR imaging, clinical features and prognosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weidauer, Stefan; Zanella, Friedhelm E.; Lanfermann, Heinrich; Nichtweiss, Michael

2004-01-01

Considering the highly variable vascular supply of the thalamic nuclei, MRI and clinical syndromes can be heterogeneous in ischemic diseases. We attempt to determine MRI pattern and to analyse neurological features and prognosis of paramedian infarcts. In a prospective case series within 5 years from 1999 to 2003, MRI, MRA and clinical symptoms of 38 consecutive patients were analysed. The inferomedial (posterior thalamoperforating artery) territory was affected in 89%, and lesions in the anterolateral (tuberothalamic artery) territory occurred in 42%. However, definite attribution to anterolateral or inferomedial territories was not possible in 13%. Neurological manifestations were somnolence (87%), hemisyndromes (79%), cognitive deficits (58%), oculomotor nerve palsies (53%) and vertical gaze palsies (39%). The most common aetiologies were cardiac embolism (42%), intraarterial embolism (16%), small vessel disease (13%) and large artery arteriosclerosis (13%). Pathological MRA findings were encountered in 55%, and in 18%, lesions were only visible on diffusion-weighted imaging. Correlation of MRI pattern and neurological symptoms points out anterolateral thalamic lesions as the cause of amnestic deficits. Intracranial MRA allows a non-invasive prediction of basilar tip occlusion. Our results underline the necessity of additional diffusion-weighted imaging in detecting small thalamic and midbrain lesions. (orig.)
Dopamine, fronto-striato-thalamic circuits and risk for psychosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Dandash, Orwa; Pantelis, Christos; Fornito, Alex

2017-02-01

A series of parallel, integrated circuits link distinct regions of prefrontal cortex with specific nuclei of the striatum and thalamus. Dysfunction of these fronto-striato-thalamic systems is thought to play a major role in the pathogenesis of psychosis. In this review, we examine evidence from human and animal investigations that dysfunction of a specific dorsal fronto-striato-thalamic circuit, linking the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dorsal (associative) striatum, and mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus, is apparent across different stages of psychosis, including prior to the onset of a first episode, suggesting that it represents a candidate risk biomarker. We consider how abnormalities at distinct points in the circuit may give rise to the pattern of findings seen in patient populations, and how these changes relate to disruptions in dopamine, glutamate and GABA signaling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Location-based Relay Selection and Power Adaptation Enabling Simultaneous Transmissions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jimmy Jessen; Madsen, Tatiana Kozlova; Schwefel, Hans-Peter

2010-01-01

Relaying is a well known technique to extend coverage and improve conditions for nodes in the outer coverage region. In this paper we propose a relaying scheme that exploits the spatial separation of relay and destination pairs to improve throughput by allowing simultaneous transmissions....... The proposed scheme is a cross-layer optimization for two-hop relaying that uses position information to jointly optimize relay selection and relay transmit power, maximizing Medium Access Control layer throughput. Further, in order to calculate the expected throughput, we apply a probabilistic model...... that takes into account MAC retransmissions and timing behavior of the IEEE 802.11 Distributed Coordination Function mode. Our results show an increase in throughput of approximately 20% is achievable for the proposed scheme when compared to two-hop relaying in the analyzed scenario....
Performance of hybrid-ARQ with incremental redundancy over relay channels

KAUST Repository

Chelli, Ali

2012-12-01

In this paper, we consider a relay network consisting of a source, a relay, and a destination. The source transmits a message to the destination using hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) with incremental redundancy (IR). The relay overhears the transmitted messages over the different HARQ rounds and tries to decode the data packet. In case of successful decoding at the relay, both the relay and the source cooperate to transmit the message to the destination. A maximum number M of HARQ rounds is considered. The channel realizations are independent for different HARQ rounds. We assume Rayleigh fading channels for the links source-relay, source-destination, and relay-destination. We investigate the performance of HARQ-IR over relay channel from an information theoretic perspective. Analytical expressions are derived for the information outage probability, the average number of transmissions, and the average transmission rate. We illustrate through our investigation the benefit of relaying. We also show the impact of the target outage probability and the maximum number M of HARQ rounds on the outage probability, the average number of transmissions, and the average transmission rate. © 2012 IEEE.

Distinct kinetics of inhibitory currents in thalamocortical neurons that arise from dendritic or axonal origin.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sunggu Yang

Full Text Available Thalamocortical neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN transfer visual information from retina to primary visual cortex. This information is modulated by inhibitory input arising from local interneurons and thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN neurons, leading to alterations of receptive field properties of thalamocortical neurons. Local GABAergic interneurons provide two distinct synaptic outputs: axonal (F1 terminals and dendritic (F2 terminals onto dLGN thalamocortical neurons. By contrast, TRN neurons provide only axonal output (F1 terminals onto dLGN thalamocortical neurons. It is unclear if GABAA receptor-mediated currents originating from F1 and F2 terminals have different characteristics. In the present study, we examined multiple characteristics (rise time, slope, halfwidth and decay τ of GABAA receptor-mediated miniature inhibitory postsynaptic synaptic currents (mIPSCs originating from F1 and F2 terminals. The mIPSCs arising from F2 terminals showed slower kinetics relative to those from F1 terminals. Such differential kinetics of GABAAR-mediated responses could be an important role in temporal coding of visual signals.
Cerebellar Ataxia from Multiple Potential Causes: Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Thalamic Stimulation, and Essential Tremor

OpenAIRE

Shneyder, Natalya; Lyons, Mark K.; Driver-dunckley, Erika; Evidente, Virgilio Gerald H.

2012-01-01

Background: Both hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) can rarely be associated with cerebellar ataxia. Severe essential tremor (ET) as well as bilateral thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) may lead to subtle cerebellar signs. Case Report: We report a 74-year-old male with hypothyroidism and a 20-year history of ET who developed cerebellar ataxia after bilateral thalamic DBS. Extensive workup revealed elevated thyroid stimulating hormone and thyroperoxidase antibody titers c...
Neuronal firing in the globus pallidus internus and the ventrolateral thalamus related to parkinsonian motor symptoms

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

CHEN Hai; ZHUANG Ping; ZHANG Yu-qing; LI Jian-yu; LI Yong-jie

2009-01-01

Background It has been proposed that parkinsonian motor signs result from hyperactivity in the output nucleus of the basal ganglia, which suppress the motor thalamus and cortical areas. This study aimed to explore the neuronal activity in the globus pallidus internus (GPi) and the ventrolateral thalamic nuclear group (ventral oral posterior/ventral intermediate, Vop/Vim) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).Methods Twenty patients with PD who underwent neurosurgery were studied. Microelectrode recording was performed in the GPi (n=10) and the Vop/Vim (n=10) intraoperatively. Electromyography (EMG) contralateral to the surgery was simultaneously performed. Single unit analysis was carried out. The interspike intervals (ISI) and coefficient of variation (CV) of ISI were calculated. Histograms of ISI were constructed. A unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) was used to assess the clinical outcome of surgery.Results Three hundred and sixty-three neurons were obtained from 20 trajectories. Of 175 GPi neurons, there were 15.4% with tremor frequency, 69.2% with tonic firing, and 15.4% with irregular discharge. Of 188 thalamic neurons, there were 46.8% with tremor frequency, 22.9% with tonic firing, and 30.3% with irregular discharge. The numbers of three patterns of neuron in GPi and Vop/Vim were significantly different (P <0.001). ISI analysis revealed that mean firing rate of the three patterns of GPi neurons was (80.9±63.9) Hz (n=78), which was higher than similar neurons with 62.9 Hz in a normal primate. For the Vop/Vim group, ISI revealed that mean firing rate of the three patterns of neurons (n=95) was (23.2±17.1) Hz which was lower than similar neurons with 30 Hz in the motor thalamus of normal primates. UPDRS indicated that the clinical outcome of pallidotomy was (64.3±9.5)%, (83.4±19.1)% and (63.4±36.3)%, and clinical outcome of thalamotomy was (92.2±12.9)%, (68.0±25.2)% and (44.3±27.2)% for tremor, rigidity and bradykinesia, respectively
Aphasia and unilateral spatial neglect due to acute thalamic hemorrhage: clinical correlations and outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Osawa, Aiko; Maeshima, Shinichiro

2016-04-01

Thalamic hemorrhages are associated with a variety of cognitive dysfunctions, and it is well known that such cognitive changes constitute a limiting factor of recovery of the activities of daily living (ADL). The relationship between cognitive dysfunction and hematomas is unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between aphasia/neglect and hematoma volume, hematoma type, and the ADL. One hundred fifteen patients with thalamic hemorrhage (70 men and 45 women) were studied. Their mean age was 68.9 ± 10.3 years, and patients with both left and right lesions were included. We calculated hematoma volume and examined the presence or absence of aphasia/neglect and the relationships between these dysfunctions and hematoma volume, hematoma type, and the ADL. Fifty-nine patients were found to have aphasia and 35 were found to have neglect. Although there was no relationship between hematoma type and cognitive dysfunction, hematoma volume showed a correlation with the severity of cognitive dysfunction. The ADL score and ratio of patient discharge for patients with aphasia/neglect were lower than those for patients without aphasia/neglect. We observed a correlation between the hematoma volume in thalamic hemorrhage and cognitive dysfunction. Aphasia/neglect is found frequently in patients with acute thalamic hemorrhage and may influence the ADL.
On Buffer-Aided Multiple-Access Relay Channel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Rongkuan; Popovski, Petar; Wang, Gang

2016-01-01

This letter treats uplink scenario where M user equipments (UEs) send to a base station (BS), possibly via a common relay station (RS) that is equipped with a buffer. This is a multiple-access relay channel aided by a buffer. We devise a protocol in which the transmission mode is selected...... entirely at the BS, while simultaneously a number of UEs sends new messages to the BS. The results show that the adaptive selection of direct and buffer-aided relay transmissions leads to significant average throughput gains....
Cooperative AF Relaying in Spectrum-Sharing Systems: Outage Probability Analysis under Co-Channel Interferences and Relay Selection

KAUST Repository

Xia, Minghua

2012-11-01

For cooperative amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying in spectrum-sharing wireless systems, secondary users share spectrum resources originally licensed to primary users to communicate with each other and, thus, the transmit power of secondary transmitters is strictly limited by the tolerable interference powers at primary receivers. Furthermore, the received signals at a relay and at a secondary receiver are inevitably interfered by the signals from primary transmitters. These co-channel interferences (CCIs) from concurrent primary transmission can significantly degrade the performance of secondary transmission. This paper studies the effect of CCIs on outage probability of the secondary link in a spectrum-sharing environment. In particular, in order to compensate the performance loss due to CCIs, the transmit powers of a secondary transmitter and its relaying node are respectively optimized with respect to both the tolerable interference powers at the primary receivers and the CCIs from the primary transmitters. Moreover, when multiple relays are available, the technique of opportunistic relay selection is exploited to further improve system performance with low implementation complexity. By analyzing lower and upper bounds on the outage probability of the secondary system, this study reveals that it is the tolerable interference powers at primary receivers that dominate the system performance, rather than the CCIs from primary transmitters. System designers will benefit from this result in planning and designing next-generation broadband spectrum-sharing systems.
Relay self interference minimisation using tapped filter

KAUST Repository

Jazzar, Saleh; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.

2013-01-01

In this paper we introduce a self interference (SI) estimation and minimisation technique for amplify and forward relays. Relays are used to help forward signals between a transmitter and a receiver. This helps increase the signal coverage
Neuroanatomical considerations of isolated hearing loss in thalamic hemorrhage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nitin Agarwal, M.D.

2016-12-01

Conclusion: Presumably, this neurological deficit was caused by a hypertensive hemorrhage in the posterior right thalamus. The following case and discussion will review the potential neuroanatomical pathways that we suggest could make isolated hearing loss be part of a “thalamic syndrome.”
Disrupted thalamic prefrontal pathways in patients with idiopathic dystonia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bonilha, Leonardo; de Vries, Paulien M.; Hurd, Mark W.; Rorden, Chris; Morgan, Paul S.; Besenski, Nada; Bergmann, Kenneth J.; Hinson, Vanessa K.

There are quantifiable abnormalities in water diffusion properties of the white matter in thalamic and prefrontal areas in patients with idiopathic dystonia (ID). However, it is unclear which pathways are disrupted in these patients. Using probabilistic tractography of high resolution DTI, we
ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF MIDBRAIN PERIAQUEDUCTAL GRAY INFLUENCE ON CARDIOVASCULAR NEURONS IN THE VENTROLATERAL MEDULLA-OBLONGATA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

VANDERPLAS, J; MAES, FW; BOHUS, B

1995-01-01

Stimulation of sites in the rostral or caudoventral periaqueductal gray (PAG) results in substantial increases in mean blood pressure (MBP) and heart rate (HR). The efferent pathways from these PAG subregions possibly include a relay in the ventrolateral medulla oblongata (VLM), where neurons
Lucid dreams, an atypical sleep disturbance in anterior and mediodorsal thalamic strokes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sagnier, S; Coulon, P; Chaufton, C; Poli, M; Debruxelles, S; Renou, P; Rouanet, F; Olindo, S; Sibon, I

2015-11-01

Cognitive, affective, and behavioural disturbances are commonly reported following thalamic strokes. Conversely, sleep disorders are rarely reported in this context. Herein, we report the cases of two young patients admitted for an ischemic stroke located in the territories of the left pre-mammillary and paramedian arteries. Together with aphasia, memory complaint, impaired attention and executive functions, they reported lucid dreams with catastrophic content or conflicting situations. Lucid dreams are an atypical presentation in thalamic strokes. These cases enlarge the clinical spectrum of sleep-wake disturbances potentially observed after an acute cerebrovascular event. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Relay selection from an effective capacity perspective

KAUST Repository

Yang, Yuli; Ma, Hao; Aï ssa, Sonia

2013-01-01

proposed scheme in certain scenarios. Moreover, the analysis presented herein offers a convenient tool to the relaying transmission design, specifically on which relay selection scheme should be used as well as how to choose the receiving strategy between
76 FR 72124 - Internet-Based Telecommunications Relay Service Numbering

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-22

... Docket No. 10-191; FCC 11-123] Internet-Based Telecommunications Relay Service Numbering AGENCY: Federal..., the information collection associated with the Commission's Internet- Based Telecommunications Relay... Telecommunications Relay Service Numbering, CG Docket No. 03-123; WC Docket No. 05-196; WC Docket No. 10-191; FCC 11...
Pre-stimulus thalamic theta power predicts human memory formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sweeney-Reed, Catherine M; Zaehle, Tino; Voges, Jürgen; Schmitt, Friedhelm C; Buentjen, Lars; Kopitzki, Klaus; Richardson-Klavehn, Alan; Hinrichs, Hermann; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Knight, Robert T; Rugg, Michael D

2016-09-01

Pre-stimulus theta (4-8Hz) power in the hippocampus and neocortex predicts whether a memory for a subsequent event will be formed. Anatomical studies reveal thalamus-hippocampal connectivity, and lesion, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological studies show that memory processing involves the dorsomedial (DMTN) and anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN). The small size and deep location of these nuclei have limited real-time study of their activity, however, and it is unknown whether pre-stimulus theta power predictive of successful memory formation is also found in these subcortical structures. We recorded human electrophysiological data from the DMTN and ATN of 7 patients receiving deep brain stimulation for refractory epilepsy. We found that greater pre-stimulus theta power in the right DMTN was associated with successful memory encoding, predicting both behavioral outcome and post-stimulus correlates of successful memory formation. In particular, significant correlations were observed between right DMTN theta power and both frontal theta and right ATN gamma (32-50Hz) phase alignment, and frontal-ATN theta-gamma cross-frequency coupling. We draw the following primary conclusions. Our results provide direct electrophysiological evidence in humans of a role for the DMTN as well as the ATN in memory formation. Furthermore, prediction of subsequent memory performance by pre-stimulus thalamic oscillations provides evidence that post-stimulus differences in thalamic activity that index successful and unsuccessful encoding reflect brain processes specifically underpinning memory formation. Finally, the findings broaden the understanding of brain states that facilitate memory encoding to include subcortical as well as cortical structures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Using a micromachined magnetostatic relay in commutating a DC motor

Science.gov (United States)

Tai, Yu-Chong (Inventor); Wright, John A. (Inventor); Lilienthal, Gerald (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A DC motor is commutated by rotating a magnetic rotor to induce a magnetic field in at least one magnetostatic relay in the motor. Each relay is activated in response to the magnetic field to deliver power to at least one corresponding winding connected to the relay. In some cases, each relay delivers power first through a corresponding primary winding and then through a corresponding secondary winding to a common node. Specific examples include a four-pole, three-phase motor in which each relay is activated four times during one rotation of the magnetic rotor.
Relay-assited transmission and radio resource management for wireless networks

OpenAIRE

Agustín de Dios, Adrián

2008-01-01

La transmisión asistida por relay o transmisión cooperativa es una nueva técnica de diversidad espacial donde aparece un elemento nuevo (un relay o un usuario cooperativo) en la tradicional transmisión punto a punto (fuente a destino). Ahora en la comunicación intervienen tres enlaces: fuente-relay, relay-destino y fuente-destino. El relay, además de asistir a la fuente en la transmisión de un mensaje, permite combatir las degradaciones que puede sufrir el canal como el shadowing y el pathlos...
Optimized Policies for Improving Fairness of Location-based Relay Selection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jimmy Jessen; Olsen, Rasmus Løvenstein; Madsen, Tatiana Kozlova

2013-01-01

For WLAN systems in which relaying is used to improve throughput performance for nodes located at the cell edge, node mobility and information collection delays can have a significant impact on the performance of a relay selection scheme. In this paper we extend our existing Markov Chain modeling...... framework for relay selection to allow for efficient calculation of relay policies given either mean throughput or kth throughput percentile as optimization criterium. In a scenario with static access point, static relay, and a mobile destination node, the kth throughput percentile optimization...
Generalized instantly decodable network coding for relay-assisted networks

KAUST Repository

Elmahdy, Adel M.

2013-09-01

In this paper, we investigate the problem of minimizing the frame completion delay for Instantly Decodable Network Coding (IDNC) in relay-assisted wireless multicast networks. We first propose a packet recovery algorithm in the single relay topology which employs generalized IDNC instead of strict IDNC previously proposed in the literature for the same relay-assisted topology. This use of generalized IDNC is supported by showing that it is a super-set of the strict IDNC scheme, and thus can generate coding combinations that are at least as efficient as strict IDNC in reducing the average completion delay. We then extend our study to the multiple relay topology and propose a joint generalized IDNC and relay selection algorithm. This proposed algorithm benefits from the reception diversity of the multiple relays to further reduce the average completion delay in the network. Simulation results show that our proposed solutions achieve much better performance compared to previous solutions in the literature. © 2013 IEEE.
Physical-Layer Security of a Buffer-Aided Full-Duplex Relaying System

KAUST Repository

El Shafie, Ahmed

2016-07-07

This letter proposes a novel hybrid half-/full-duplex relaying scheme to enhance the relay channel security. A source node (Alice) communicates with her destination node (Bob) in the presence of a buffer-aided full-duplex relay node (Rooney) and a potential eavesdropper (Eve). Rooney adopts two different relaying, namely randomize-and-forward and decode-andforward relaying strategies, to improve the security of the legitimate system. In the first relaying strategy, Rooney uses a codebook different from that used at Alice. In the second relaying strategy, Rooney and Alice use the same codebooks. In addition, Rooney switches between half-duplex and full-duplex modes to further enhance the security of the legitimate system. The numerical results demonstrate that our proposed scheme achieves a significant average secrecy end-to-end throughput improvement relative to the conventional bufferless full-duplex relaying scheme.
Optimal Contract Design for Cooperative Relay Incentive Mechanism under Moral Hazard

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nan Zhao

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Cooperative relay can effectively improve spectrum efficiency by exploiting the spatial diversity in the wireless networks. However, wireless nodes may acquire different network information with various users’ location and mobility, channels’ conditions, and other factors, which results in asymmetric information between the source and the relay nodes (RNs. In this paper, the relay incentive mechanism between relay nodes and the source is investigated under the asymmetric information. By modelling multiuser cooperative relay as a labour market, a contract model with moral hazard for relay incentive is proposed. To effectively incentivize the potential RNs to participate in cooperative relay, the optimization problems are formulated to maximize the source’s utility while meeting the feasible conditions under both symmetric and asymmetric information scenarios. Numerical simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed contract design scheme for cooperative relay.

Physical-Layer Security of a Buffer-Aided Full-Duplex Relaying System

KAUST Repository

El Shafie, Ahmed; Salem, Ahmed Sultan; Al-Dhahir, Naofal

2016-01-01

This letter proposes a novel hybrid half-/full-duplex relaying scheme to enhance the relay channel security. A source node (Alice) communicates with her destination node (Bob) in the presence of a buffer-aided full-duplex relay node (Rooney) and a potential eavesdropper (Eve). Rooney adopts two different relaying, namely randomize-and-forward and decode-andforward relaying strategies, to improve the security of the legitimate system. In the first relaying strategy, Rooney uses a codebook different from that used at Alice. In the second relaying strategy, Rooney and Alice use the same codebooks. In addition, Rooney switches between half-duplex and full-duplex modes to further enhance the security of the legitimate system. The numerical results demonstrate that our proposed scheme achieves a significant average secrecy end-to-end throughput improvement relative to the conventional bufferless full-duplex relaying scheme.
A Case of Midbrain and Thalamic Infarction Involving Artery of Percheron

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Almamun

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Blood supply to the thalamus and brainstem have frequent anatomic variations. One of these is where all the perforators to the above areas arise from a single branch of the posterior cerebral artery commonly known as the artery of Percheron. Infarction involving this artery leading to bilateral thalamic and midbrain lesions is not uncommon, but can cause diagnostic difficulties due to the varying clinical presentations possible and the wide differentials. Early brain imaging and diagnosis is important for initiating appropriate treatment. In this case report, we discuss a patient who presented with an artery of Percheron related stroke affecting the mid brain and paramedian thalamic areas. We also discuss the differentials of presentations with similar symptoms.
a-Band Oscillations in Intracellular Membrane Potentials of Dentate Gyrus Neurons in Awake Rodents

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Ross W.; Strowbridge, Ben W.

2014-01-01

The hippocampus and dentate gyrus play critical roles in processing declarative memories and spatial information. Dentate granule cells, the first relay in the trisynaptic circuit through the hippocampus, exhibit low spontaneous firing rates even during locomotion. Using intracellular recordings from dentate neurons in awake mice operating a…
A performance analysis in AF full duplex relay selection network

Science.gov (United States)

Ngoc, Long Nguyen; Hong, Nhu Nguyen; Loan, Nguyen Thi Phuong; Kieu, Tam Nguyen; Voznak, Miroslav; Zdralek, Jaroslav

2018-04-01

This paper studies on the relaying selective matter in amplify-and-forward (AF) cooperation communication with full-duplex (FD) activity. Various relay choice models supposing the present of different instant information are investigated. We examine a maximal relaying choice that optimizes the instant FD channel capacity and asks for global channel state information (CSI) as well as partial CSI learning. To make comparison easy, accurate outage probability clauses and asymptote form of these strategies that give a diversity rank are extracted. From that, we can see clearly that the number of relays, noise factor, the transmittance coefficient as well as the information transfer power had impacted on their performance. Besides, the optimal relay selection (ORS) model can promote than that of the partial relay selection (PRS) model.
The effects of spinal cord stimulation on the neuronal activity of the brain in patients with chronic neuropathic pain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunitake, Ayumi; Hidaka, Nami; Katsuki, Hiroshi; Iwasaki, Tatsuma; Nagamachi, Shigeki; Takasaki, Mayumi; Uno, Takeshi

2005-01-01

The effects of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on the neuronal activity of the brain were examined by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with chronic neuropathic pain. Regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in each cortical area and the thalamus decreased in several patients without SCS. Patients with central pain due to thalamic hemorrhage showed a decrease in rCBF in the thalamus contralateral to the painful side. During the stimulation period in SCS, parietal rCBF decreased on the side contralateral to the pain. In contrast, rCBF increased in the bilateral frontal and anterior cingulate cortex and in the contralateral temporal lobe in half of the patients in whom SCS was effective in relieving pain. The decrease in thalamic rCBF in two patients with central pain was improved by the SCS therapy; however, pain was relieved in only one of them. In the majority of patients in whom SCS was not effective, there was no change in rCBF in various cortical areas, even after SCS. These results suggest that, in patients with chronic neuropathic pain, SCS modulates the neuronal activities of several brain areas that are believed to be associated with pain processing. (author)
Prognosis of thalamic hemorrhage evaluated by computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Shinichiro; Sonobe, Makoto; Sugita, Kyoichi; Kuwayama, Naoya

1984-01-01

The present authors have analyzed the correlation between the clinical features and the CT findings in 66 cases of thalamic hemorrhage. Hitachi CT-H and CT-HF apparatuses (256 x 256 matrix) were used at an angle parallel to the OM line. Of the 48 patients with hematoma less than 20 ml, only four died; however, of the 18 patients with hematoma larger than 20 ml, five died. An analysis has been made of the correlation between the occurrence of brain edema in the acute stage and high density in the subthalamic area. The hematoma extending to the subthalamic area was diagnosed by means of high density at the level of 35 mm above the OM line. Of the 13 cases with hematoma in the subthalamic area, acute brain edema occurred in 9 cases. On the other hand, of the 53 cases without hematoma at the subthalamic area, brain edema occurred in only one case. It was concluded that high density in the subthalamic area is a significant index for the occurrence of acute brain edema in a thalamic hemorrhage. (author)
STUDI ANALISIS KOORDINASI OVER CURRENT RELAY (OCR DAN GROUND FAULT RELAY (GFR PADA RECLOSER DI SALURAN PENYULANG PENEBEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Dewa Gde Agung Budhi Udiana

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Short circuit causing over current problem and can might causing interference of the equipment performance such as distribution transformers also causing widespread disruption occurred. In resolving such interference is required as protection system on the distribution system. Seeing all above is needed coordination between the supporting component of the protection system which is consisted of Over Current Relay (OCR and Ground Fault Relay (GFR. The research was conducted at PT. PLN (Persero South Bali Area Network, INDONESIA on recloser in the feeder line of Penebel. OCR setting between the Relay feeder of Penebel, Recloser Celagi, Recloser Bakisan, and Recloser Benana still less selective, with time value coordination between average security was still less than 0,2 second. Then OCR setting and GFR relay feeder of Penebel, Recloser Celagi, Recloser Bakisan, and Recloser Benana was recommended for re-setting in order to minimize disruption and electric power distribution system to be reliable.
Two-way CSI-assisted AF relaying with HPA nonlinearity

KAUST Repository

Qi, Jian

2015-09-11

In this paper, we investigate half-duplex two-way dual-hop channel state information (CSI)-assisted amplify-andforward (AF) relaying in the presence of high-power amplifier (HPA) nonlinearity at relays. The expression for the end-toend signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is derived as per the modified system model by taking into account the interference caused by relaying scheme and HPA nonlinearity. The system performance of the considered relaying network is evaluated in terms of average symbol error probability (SEP) in Nakagami-m fading channels, by making use of the moment-generating function (MGF) approach. Numerical results are provided and show the effects of several parameters, such as quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) order, number of relays, HPA parameters, and Nakagami parameter, on performance. © 2015 IEEE.
Spreading Sequence System for Full Connectivity Relay Network

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Hyuck M. (Inventor); Yang, Jie (Inventor); Pham, Khanh D. (Inventor)

2018-01-01

Fully connected uplink and downlink fully connected relay network systems using pseudo-noise spreading and despreading sequences subjected to maximizing the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio. The relay network systems comprise one or more transmitting units, relays, and receiving units connected via a communication network. The transmitting units, relays, and receiving units each may include a computer for performing the methods and steps described herein and transceivers for transmitting and/or receiving signals. The computer encodes and/or decodes communication signals via optimum adaptive PN sequences found by employing Cholesky decompositions and singular value decompositions (SVD). The PN sequences employ channel state information (CSI) to more effectively and more securely computing the optimal sequences.
Four-Way Relaying in Wireless Cellular Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Huaping; Popovski, Petar; De Carvalho, Elisabeth

2013-01-01

Two-way relaying in wireless systems has initiated a large research effort during the past few years. Nevertheless, it represents only a specific traffic pattern and it is of interest to investigate other traffic patterns where such a simultaneous processing of information flows can bring...... performance advantage. In this paper we consider a \\emph{four-way relaying} scenario, where each of the two Mobile Stations (MSs) has a two-way connection to the same Base Station (BS), while each connection is through a dedicated Relay Station (RS). The RSs are placed in such a way that one RS...... of the new scheme for Decode-and-Forward (DF) operational model for the RS. We compare the performance with a state-of-the-art reference scheme, based on two-way relaying with DF. The results indicate that the achievable rate regions are significantly enlarged for the new scheme....
Systematic Network Coding with the Aid of a Full-Duplex Relay

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Giacaglia, Giuliano; Shi, Xiaomeng; Kim, MinJi

2013-01-01

is to deliver a given number of data packets to a receiver with the aid of a relay. The source broadcasts to both the receiver and the relay using one frequency, while the relay uses another frequency for transmissions to the receiver, allowing for a full-duplex operation of the relay. We analyze the decoding...... complexity and delay performance of two types of relays: one that preserves the systematic structure of the code from the source; another that does not. A systematic relay forwards uncoded packets upon reception, but transmits coded packets to the receiver after receiving the first coded packet from...
The sex of specific neurons controls female body growth in Drosophila.

Science.gov (United States)

Sawala, Annick; Gould, Alex P

2017-10-01

Sexual dimorphisms in body size are widespread throughout the animal kingdom but their underlying mechanisms are not well characterized. Most models for how sex chromosome genes specify size dimorphism have emphasized the importance of gonadal hormones and cell-autonomous influences in mammals versus strictly cell-autonomous mechanisms in Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we use tissue-specific genetics to investigate how sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is established in Drosophila. We find that the larger body size characteristic of Drosophila females is established very early in larval development via an increase in the growth rate per unit of body mass. We demonstrate that the female sex determination gene, Sex-lethal (Sxl), functions in central nervous system (CNS) neurons as part of a relay that specifies the early sex-specific growth trajectories of larval but not imaginal tissues. Neuronal Sxl acts additively in 2 neuronal subpopulations, one of which corresponds to 7 median neurosecretory cells: the insulin-producing cells (IPCs). Surprisingly, however, male-female differences in the production of insulin-like peptides (Ilps) from the IPCs do not appear to be involved in establishing SSD in early larvae, although they may play a later role. These findings support a relay model in which Sxl in neurons and Sxl in local tissues act together to specify the female-specific growth of the larval body. They also reveal that, even though the sex determination pathways in Drosophila and mammals are different, they both modulate body growth via a combination of tissue-autonomous and nonautonomous inputs.
Mobile User Connectivity in Relay-Assisted Visible Light Communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petr Pešek

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we investigate relay-assisted visible light communications (VLC where a mobile user acts as a relay and forwards data from a transmitter to the end mobile user. We analyse the utilization of the amplify-and-forward (AF and decode-and-forward (DF relaying schemes. The focus of the paper is on analysis of the behavior of the mobile user acting as a relay while considering a realistic locations of the receivers and transmitters on a standard mobile phone, more specifically with two photodetectors on both sides of a mobile phone and a transmitting LED array located upright. We also investigate dependency of the bit error rate (BER performance on the azimuth and elevation angles of the mobile relay device within a typical office environment. We provide a new analytical description of BER for AF and DF-based relays in VLC. In addition we compare AF and DF-based systems and show that DF offers a marginal improvement in the coverage area with a BER < 10–3 and a data rate of 100 Mb/s. Numerical results also illustrate that relay-based systems offer a significant improvement in terms of the coverage compared to direct non-line of sight VLC links.
47 CFR 11.20 - State Relay Network.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false State Relay Network. 11.20 Section 11.20... Network. This network is composed of State Relay (SR) sources, leased common carrier communications facilities or any other available communication facilities. The network distributes State EAS messages...
Motor and cortico-striatal-thalamic connectivity alterations in intrauterine growth restriction.

Science.gov (United States)

Eixarch, Elisenda; Muñoz-Moreno, Emma; Bargallo, Nuria; Batalle, Dafnis; Gratacos, Eduard

2016-06-01

Intrauterine growth restriction is associated with short- and long-term neurodevelopmental problems. Structural brain changes underlying these alterations have been described with the use of different magnetic resonance-based methods that include changes in whole structural brain networks. However, evaluation of specific brain circuits and its correlation with related functions has not been investigated in intrauterine growth restriction. In this study, we aimed to investigate differences in tractography-related metrics in cortico-striatal-thalamic and motor networks in intrauterine growth restricted children and whether these parameters were related with their specific function in order to explore its potential use as an imaging biomarker of altered neurodevelopment. We included a group of 24 intrauterine growth restriction subjects and 27 control subjects that were scanned at 1 year old; we acquired T1-weighted and 30 directions diffusion magnetic resonance images. Each subject brain was segmented in 93 regions with the use of anatomical automatic labeling atlas, and deterministic tractography was performed. Brain regions included in motor and cortico-striatal-thalamic networks were defined based in functional and anatomic criteria. Within the streamlines that resulted from the whole brain tractography, those belonging to each specific circuit were selected and tractography-related metrics that included number of streamlines, fractional anisotropy, and integrity were calculated for each network. We evaluated differences between both groups and further explored the correlation of these parameters with the results of socioemotional, cognitive, and motor scales from Bayley Scale at 2 years of age. Reduced fractional anisotropy (cortico-striatal-thalamic, 0.319 ± 0.018 vs 0.315 ± 0.015; P = .010; motor, 0.322 ± 0.019 vs 0.319 ± 0.020; P = .019) and integrity cortico-striatal-thalamic (0.407 ± 0.040 vs 0.399 ± 0.034; P = .018; motor, 0.417 ± 0.044 vs 0
Contralateral Supracerebellar-Infratentorial Approach for Resection of Thalamic Cavernous Malformations.

Science.gov (United States)

Mascitelli, Justin; Burkhardt, Jan-Karl; Gandhi, Sirin; Lawton, Michael T

2018-02-26

Surgical resection of cavernous malformations (CM) in the posterior thalamus, pineal region, and midbrain tectum is technically challenging owing to the presence of adjacent eloquent cortex and critical neurovascular structures. Various supracerebellar infratentorial (SCIT) approaches have been used in the surgical armamentarium targeting lesions in this region, including the median, paramedian, and extreme lateral variants. Surgical view of a posterior thalamic CM from the traditional ipsilateral vantage point may be obscured by occipital lobe and tentorium. To describe a novel surgical approach via a contralateral SCIT (cSCIT) trajectory for resecting posterior thalamic CMs. From 1997 to 2017, 75 patients underwent the SCIT approach for cerebrovascular/oncologic pathology by the senior author. Of these, 30 patients underwent the SCIT approach for CM resection, and 3 patients underwent the cSCIT approach. Historical patient data, radiographic features, surgical technique, and postoperative neurological outcomes were evaluated in each patient. All 3 patients presented with symptomatic CMs within the right posterior thalamus with radiographic evidence of hemorrhage. All surgeries were performed in the sitting position. There were no intraoperative complications. Neuroimaging demonstrated complete CM resection in all cases. There were no new or worsening neurological deficits or evidence of rebleeding/recurrence noted postoperatively. This study establishes the surgical feasibility of a contralateral SCIT approach in resection of symptomatic thalamic CMs It demonstrates the application for this procedure in extending the surgical trajectory superiorly and laterally and maximizing safe resectability of these deep CMs with gravity-assisted brain retraction.
SIMULASI SISTEM KELISTRIKAN KAMAR HOTEL MENGGUNAKAN SMART RELAY

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I Nyoman Sukarma

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Fungsi dari alat key tag atau hotel switch atau key card adalah memutus atau menyambungkan aliran listrik ke dalam suatu area tertentu atau ruang. Key tag memiliki peran penting pada kamar hotel untuk mencegah pemborosan energi pada saat kamar hotel tidak berpenghuni atau belum tersewakan. Untuk itu, penulis merancang simulasi sistem kelistrikan pada kamar hotel yang dikontrol dengan smart relay. Pada simulasi ini digunakan smart relay Zelio Logic buatan Schneider Electric. Pemrograman smart relay ini menggunakan ladder diagram yang disusun menggunakan perangkat lunak ZelioSoft2 dari Schneider Electric. Smart relay menerima sinyal masukan dari sensor, key tag dan sakelar. Sinyal masukan tersebut selanjutnya diproses agar lampu, kotak-kontak, exhaust fan, dan AC (Air Conditioner pada kamar hotel dapat bekerja.
Performance of hybrid-ARQ with incremental redundancy over relay channels

KAUST Repository

Chelli, Ali; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

In this paper, we consider a relay network consisting of a source, a relay, and a destination. The source transmits a message to the destination using hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) with incremental redundancy (IR). The relay overhears
Asymptotic analysis for Nakagami-m fading channels with relay selection

KAUST Repository

Zhong, Caijun; Wong, Kaikit; Jin, Shi; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Ratnarajah, Tharm

2011-01-01

In this paper, we analyze the asymptotic outage probability performance of both decode-and-forward (DF) and amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying systems using partial relay selection and the "best" relay selection schemes for Nakagami-m fading channels
Efficient Resource Scheduling by Exploiting Relay Cache for Cellular Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun He

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In relay-enhanced cellular systems, throughput of User Equipment (UE is constrained by the bottleneck of the two-hop link, backhaul link (or the first hop link, and access link (the second hop link. To maximize the throughput, resource allocation should be coordinated between these two hops. A common resource scheduling algorithm, Adaptive Distributed Proportional Fair, only ensures that the throughput of the first hop is greater than or equal to that of the second hop. But it cannot guarantee a good balance of the throughput and fairness between the two hops. In this paper, we propose a Two-Hop Balanced Distributed Scheduling (TBS algorithm by exploiting relay cache for non-real-time data traffic. The evolved Node Basestation (eNB adaptively adjusts the number of Resource Blocks (RBs allocated to the backhaul link and direct links based on the cache information of relays. Each relay allocates RBs for relay UEs based on the size of the relay UE’s Transport Block. We also design a relay UE’s ACK feedback mechanism to update the data at relay cache. Simulation results show that the proposed TBS can effectively improve resource utilization and achieve a good trade-off between system throughput and fairness by balancing the throughput of backhaul and access link.

Wireless Energy Harvesting Two-Way Relay Networks with Hardware Impairments.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Chunling; Li, Fangwei; Liu, Huaping

2017-11-13

This paper considers a wireless energy harvesting two-way relay (TWR) network where the relay has energy-harvesting abilities and the effects of practical hardware impairments are taken into consideration. In particular, power splitting (PS) receiver is adopted at relay to harvests the power it needs for relaying the information between the source nodes from the signals transmitted by the source nodes, and hardware impairments is assumed suffered by each node. We analyze the effect of hardware impairments [-20]on both decode-and-forward (DF) relaying and amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying networks. By utilizing the obtained new expressions of signal-to-noise-plus-distortion ratios, the exact analytical expressions of the achievable sum rate and ergodic capacities for both DF and AF relaying protocols are derived. Additionally, the optimal power splitting (OPS) ratio that maximizes the instantaneous achievable sum rate is formulated and solved for both protocols. The performances of DF and AF protocols are evaluated via numerical results, which also show the effects of various network parameters on the system performance and on the OPS ratio design.
Two-Way Multi-Antenna Relaying with Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thanaphat Srivantana

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose various kinds of two-way multi-antenna relaying with simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT and investigate their performance. Specifically, we first consider a two-way relay network where two single-antenna end nodes communicate with each other through a multi-antenna relay node that is energy constrained. This relay node harvests energy from the two end nodes and use the harvested energy for forwarding their information. Six relaying schemes that support the considered network then build on the power splitting-based relaying and time switching-based relaying protocols. The average bit error rates of these schemes are evaluated and compared by computer simulations considering several network parameters, including the number of relay antennas, power splitting ratio, and energy harvesting time. Such evaluation and comparison provide useful insights into the performance of SWIPT-based two-way multi-antenna relaying.
Developing a Domain Model for Relay Circuits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haxthausen, Anne Elisabeth

2009-01-01

In this paper we stepwise develop a domain model for relay circuits as used in railway control systems. First we provide an abstract, property-oriented model of networks consisting of components that can be glued together with connectors. This model is strongly inspired by a network model...... for railways madeby Bjørner et.al., however our model is more general: the components can be of any kind and can later be refined to e.g. railway components or circuit components. Then we show how the abstract network model can be refined into an explicit model for relay circuits. The circuit model describes...... the statics as well as the dynamics of relay circuits, i.e. how a relay circuit can be composed legally from electrical components as well as how the components may change state over time. Finally the circuit model is transformed into an executable model, and we show how a concrete circuit can be defined...
An RSS based location estimation technique for cognitive relay networks

KAUST Repository

Qaraqe, Khalid A.; Hussain, Syed Imtiaz; Ç elebi, Hasari Burak; Abdallah, Mohamed M.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2010-01-01

In this paper, a received signal strength (RSS) based location estimation method is proposed for a cooperative wireless relay network where the relay is a cognitive radio. We propose a method for the considered cognitive relay network to determine
Breaking the Myth That Relay Swimming Is Faster Than Individual Swimming.

Science.gov (United States)

Skorski, Sabrina; Etxebarria, Naroa; Thompson, Kevin G

2016-04-01

To investigate if swimming performance is better in a relay race than in the corresponding individual race. The authors analyzed 166 elite male swimmers from 15 nations in the same competition (downloaded from www.swimrankings.net). Of 778 observed races, 144 were Olympic Games performances (2000, 2004, 2012), with the remaining 634 performed in national or international competitions. The races were 100-m (n = 436) and 200-m (n = 342) freestyle events. Relay performance times for the 2nd-4th swimmers were adjusted (+ 0.73 s) to allow for the "flying start." Without any adjustment, mean individual relay performances were significantly faster for the first 50 m and overall time in the 100-m events. Furthermore, the first 100 m of the 200-m relay was significantly faster (P > .001). During relays, swimmers competing in 1st position did not show any difference compared with their corresponding individual performance (P > .16). However, swimmers competing in 2nd-4th relay-team positions demonstrated significantly faster times in the 100-m (P individual events (P team positions were adjusted for the flying start no differences were detected between relay and individual race performance for any event or split time (P > .17). Highly trained swimmers do not swim (or turn) faster in relay events than in their individual races. Relay exchange times account for the difference observed in individual vs relay performance.
Scalable DeNoise-and-Forward in Bidirectional Relay Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Jesper Hemming; Krigslund, Rasmus; Popovski, Petar

2010-01-01

In this paper a scalable relaying scheme is proposed based on an existing concept called DeNoise-and-Forward, DNF. We call it Scalable DNF, S-DNF, and it targets the scenario with multiple communication flows through a single common relay. The idea of the scheme is to combine packets at the relay...... in order to save transmissions. To ensure decodability at the end-nodes, a priori information about the content of the combined packets must be available. This is gathered during the initial transmissions to the relay. The trade-off between decodability and number of necessary transmissions is analysed...
Sum-Rate Maximization of Coordinated Direct and Relay Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sun, Fan; Popovski, Petar; Thai, Chan

2012-01-01

Joint processing of multiple communication flows in wireless systems has given rise to a number of novel transmission techniques, notably the two-way relaying based on wireless network coding. Recently, a related set of techniques has emerged, termed coordinated direct and relay (CDR) transmissions......, where the constellation of traffic flows is more general than the two-way. Regardless of the actual traffic flows, in a CDR scheme the relay has a central role in managing the interference and boosting the overall system performance. In this paper we investigate the novel transmission modes, based...... on amplify-and-forward, that arise when the relay is equipped with multiple antennas and can use beamforming. We focus on one representative traffic type, with one uplink and one downlink users and consider the achievable sum-rate maximization relay beamforming. The beamforming criterion leads to a non...
Effects of relay chatter in seismic probabilistic safety analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reed, J.W.; Shiu, K.K.

1985-01-01

In the Zion and Indian Point Probabilistic Safety Studies, relay chatter was dismissed as a credible event and hence was not formally included in the analyses. Although little discussion is given in the Zion and Indian Point PSA documentation concerning the basis for this decision, it has been expressed informally that it was assumed that the operators will be able to reset all relays in a timely manner. Currently, it is the opinion of many professionals that this may be an oversimplification. The three basic areas which must be considered in addressing relay chatter include the fragility of the relays per se, the reliability of the operators to reset the relays and finally the systems response aspects. Each of these areas is reviewed and the implications for seismic PSA are discussed. Finally, recommendations for future research are given
Thalamic reticular impairment underlies attention deficit in Ptchd1(Y/-) mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, Michael F; Wimmer, Ralf D; Schmitt, L Ian; Feng, Guoping; Halassa, Michael M

2016-04-07

Developmental disabilities, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disability (ID), and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), affect one in six children in the USA. Recently, gene mutations in patched domain containing 1 (PTCHD1) have been found in ~1% of patients with ID and ASD. Individuals with PTCHD1 deletion show symptoms of ADHD, sleep disruption, hypotonia, aggression, ASD, and ID. Although PTCHD1 is probably critical for normal development, the connection between its deletion and the ensuing behavioural defects is poorly understood. Here we report that during early post-natal development, mouse Ptchd1 is selectively expressed in the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), a group of GABAergic neurons that regulate thalamocortical transmission, sleep rhythms, and attention. Ptchd1 deletion attenuates TRN activity through mechanisms involving small conductance calcium-dependent potassium currents (SK). TRN-restricted deletion of Ptchd1 leads to attention deficits and hyperactivity, both of which are rescued by pharmacological augmentation of SK channel activity. Global Ptchd1 deletion recapitulates learning impairment, hyper-aggression, and motor defects, all of which are insensitive to SK pharmacological targeting and not found in the TRN-restricted deletion mouse. This study maps clinically relevant behavioural phenotypes onto TRN dysfunction in a human disease model, while also identifying molecular and circuit targets for intervention.
The slow oscillation in cortical and thalamic networks: mechanisms and functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garrett T. Neske

2016-01-01

Full Text Available During even the most quiescent behavioral periods, the cortex and thalamus express rich spontaneous activity in the form of slow (<1 Hz, synchronous network state transitions. Throughout this so-called slow oscillation, cortical and thalamic neurons fluctuate between periods of intense synaptic activity (Up states and almost complete silence (Down states. The two decades since the original characterization of the slow oscillation in the cortex and thalamus have seen considerable advances in deciphering the cellular and network mechanisms associated with this pervasive phenomenon. There are, nevertheless, many questions regarding the slow oscillation that await more thorough illumination, particularly the mechanisms by which Up states initiate and terminate, the functional role of the rhythmic activity cycles in unconscious or minimally conscious states, and the precise relation between Up states and the activated states associated with waking behavior. Given the substantial advances in multineuronal recording and imaging methods in both in vivo and in vitro preparations, the time is ripe to take stock of our current understanding of the slow oscillation and pave the way for future investigations of its mechanisms and functions. My aim in this Review is to provide a comprehensive account of the mechanisms and functions of the slow oscillation, and to suggest avenues for further exploration.
Relay communications strategies for Mars exploration through 2020

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Charles D., Jr.; Arnold, B.; DePaula, R.; Kazz, G.; Lee, C.; Noreen, G.

2005-01-01

In this paper we will examine NASA's strategy for relay communications support of missions planned for this decade, and discuss options for longer-term relay network evolution in support of second-decade missions.
76 FR 65965 - Contributions to the Telecommunications Relay Services Fund

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-25

...] Contributions to the Telecommunications Relay Services Fund AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION... Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Fund in a manner prescribed by regulation that is consistent with and... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Contributions to the Telecommunications Relay...
Switched diversity strategies for dual-hop relaying systems

KAUST Repository

Gaaloul, Fakhreddine; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Radaydeh, Redha M.

2011-01-01

This paper investigates the effect of different switched diversity configurations on the implementation complexity and achieved performance of dual-hop amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying networks. A low-complexity model of the relay station
Relay selection in underlay cognitive networks with fixed transmission power nodes

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Syed Imtiaz

2013-07-31

Underlay cognitive networks operate simultaneously with primary networks satisfying stringent interference constraints, which reduces their transmission power and coverage area. To reach remote destinations, secondary sources use relaying techniques. Selecting the best relay among the available ones is a well known technique. Recently, selective cooperation is investigated in cognitive networks where the secondary nodes can adapt their transmission power to always satisfy the interference threshold. In this paper, we investigate a situation where the secondary nodes have a fixed transmission power and may violate the interference threshold. We present two relay selection schemes; the first one excludes the relays not satisfying the interference constraint and then picks up a relay from the remaining ones that can provide the maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The other scheme uses a quotient of the relay link SNR and the interference from the relay to the primary user and optimizes it to maximise the relay link SNR. We derive closed form expressions for outage probability, bit error rate, channel capacity and diversity of the system for both schemes by using tight approximations. We also study mutual effects of interference. Simulation results confirm the analytical results and reveal that the relay selection is feasible at low SNRs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bilayer Protograph Codes for Half-Duplex Relay Channels

Science.gov (United States)

Divsalar, Dariush; VanNguyen, Thuy; Nosratinia, Aria

2013-01-01

Direct to Earth return links are limited by the size and power of lander devices. A standard alternative is provided by a two-hops return link: a proximity link (from lander to orbiter relay) and a deep-space link (from orbiter relay to Earth). Although direct to Earth return links are limited by the size and power of lander devices, using an additional link and a proposed coding for relay channels, one can obtain a more reliable signal. Although significant progress has been made in the relay coding problem, existing codes must be painstakingly optimized to match to a single set of channel conditions, many of them do not offer easy encoding, and most of them do not have structured design. A high-performing LDPC (low-density parity-check) code for the relay channel addresses simultaneously two important issues: a code structure that allows low encoding complexity, and a flexible rate-compatible code that allows matching to various channel conditions. Most of the previous high-performance LDPC codes for the relay channel are tightly optimized for a given channel quality, and are not easily adapted without extensive re-optimization for various channel conditions. This code for the relay channel combines structured design and easy encoding with rate compatibility to allow adaptation to the three links involved in the relay channel, and furthermore offers very good performance. The proposed code is constructed by synthesizing a bilayer structure with a pro to graph. In addition to the contribution to relay encoding, an improved family of protograph codes was produced for the point-to-point AWGN (additive white Gaussian noise) channel whose high-rate members enjoy thresholds that are within 0.07 dB of capacity. These LDPC relay codes address three important issues in an integrative manner: low encoding complexity, modular structure allowing for easy design, and rate compatibility so that the code can be easily matched to a variety of channel conditions without extensive
Causal role of thalamic interneurons on brain state transitions: a study using a neural mass model implementing synaptic kinetics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Basabdatta Sen Bhattacharya

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Experimental studies on the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN of mammals and rodents show that the inhibitory interneurons (IN receive around 47.1% of their afferents from the retinal spiking neurons, and constitute around 20 - 25% of the LGN cell population. However, there is a definite gap in knowledge about the role and impact of IN on thalamocortical dynamics in both experimental and model-based research. We use a neural mass computational model of the LGN with three neural populations viz. IN, thalamocortical relay (TCR, thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN, to study the causality of IN on LGN oscillations and state-transitions. The synaptic information transmission in the model is implemented with kinetic modelling, facilitating the linking of low-level cellular attributes with high-level population dynamics. The model is parameterised and tuned to simulate both Local Field Potential (LFP of LGN and electroencephalogram (EEG of visual cortex in an awake resting state with eyes closed and dominant frequency within the alpha (8-13 Hz band. The results show that: First, the response of the TRN is suppressed in the presence of IN in the circuit; disconnecting the IN from the circuit effects a dramatic change in the model output, displaying high amplitude synchronous oscillations within the alpha band in both TCR and TRN. These observations conform to experimental reports implicating the IN as the primary inhibitory modulator of LGN dynamics in a cognitive state, and that reduced cognition is achieved by suppressing the TRN response. Second, the model validates steady state visually evoked potential response in humans corresponding to periodic input stimuli; however, when the IN is disconnected from the circuit, the output power spectra do not reflect the input frequency. This agrees with experimental reports underpinning the role of IN in efficient retino-geniculate information transmission. Third, a smooth transition from alpha to theta band is
Medial thalamic 18-FDG uptake following inescapable shock correlates with subsequent learned helpless behavior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirrione, M.M.; Schulz, D.; Dewey, S.L.; Henn, F.A.

2009-01-01

in additional regions analyzed including the nucleus accumbens, caudate putamen, substantia nigra, and amygdala. These data suggest that medial thalamic 18-FDG uptake during inescapable shock may contribute to subsequent escape deficits, and are not confounded by shock effects per se, since all animals received the same treatment prior to scanning. We have previously explored 18-FDG differences following the escape test session which also showed hyperactivity in the medial thalamus of learned helpless animals compared to non-learned helpless, and included additional cortical-limbic changes. Given the neuroanatomical connections between the medial thalamus (and habenula) with the prefrontal cortex and monoaminergic brain stem, one possible speculation is that abnormal neuronal activity in these areas during stress may set in motion circuitry changes that correlate with learned helpless behavior.
Implementation of a Relay Coordination System for the Mars Network

Science.gov (United States)

Allard, Daniel A.

2010-01-01

Mars network relay operations involve the coordination of lander and orbiter teams through long-term and short-term planning, tactical changes and post-pass analysis. Much of this coordination is managed through email traffic and point-to-point file data exchanges. It is often difficult to construct a complete and accurate picture of the relay situation at any given moment, as there is no centralized store of correlated relay data. The Mars Relay Operations Service (MaROS) is being implemented to address the problem of relay coordination for current and next-generation relay missions. The service is provided for the purpose of coordinating communications sessions between landed spacecraft assets and orbiting spacecraft assets at Mars. The service centralizes a set of functions previously distributed across multiple spacecraft operations teams, and as such greatly improves visibility into the end-to-end strategic coordination process. Most of the process revolves around the scheduling of communications sessions between the spacecraft during periods of time when a landed asset on Mars is geometrically visible by an orbiting spacecraft. These "relay" sessions are used to transfer data both to and from the landed asset via the orbiting asset on behalf of Earth-based spacecraft operators. This paper will discuss the relay coordination problem space, overview the architecture and design selected to meet system requirements, and describe the first phase of system implementation
Hoxb1 controls anteroposterior identity of vestibular projection neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yiju; Takano-Maruyama, Masumi; Fritzsch, Bernd; Gaufo, Gary O

2012-01-01

The vestibular nuclear complex (VNC) consists of a collection of sensory relay nuclei that integrates and relays information essential for coordination of eye movements, balance, and posture. Spanning the majority of the hindbrain alar plate, the rhombomere (r) origin and projection pattern of the VNC have been characterized in descriptive works using neuroanatomical tracing. However, neither the molecular identity nor developmental regulation of individual nucleus of the VNC has been determined. To begin to address this issue, we found that Hoxb1 is required for the anterior-posterior (AP) identity of precursors that contribute to the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN). Using a gene-targeted Hoxb1-GFP reporter in the mouse, we show that the LVN precursors originate exclusively from r4 and project to the spinal cord in the stereotypic pattern of the lateral vestibulospinal tract that provides input into spinal motoneurons driving extensor muscles of the limb. The r4-derived LVN precursors express the transcription factors Phox2a and Lbx1, and the glutamatergic marker Vglut2, which together defines them as dB2 neurons. Loss of Hoxb1 function does not alter the glutamatergic phenotype of dB2 neurons, but alters their stereotyped spinal cord projection. Moreover, at the expense of Phox2a, the glutamatergic determinants Lmx1b and Tlx3 were ectopically expressed by dB2 neurons. Our study suggests that the Hox genes determine the AP identity and diversity of vestibular precursors, including their output target, by coordinating the expression of neurotransmitter determinant and target selection properties along the AP axis.
Screening test of relays used under pressurized sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutsukake, Kenichi; Matsuda, Makoto; Hanashima, Susumu; Obara, Kenjiro

2008-01-01

Many measurement and control devices inside of a high voltage terminal of the JAEA-Tokai tandem accelerator are operated under pressurized sulfur hexafluoride gas (SF 6 ) of 0.5 MPa. This screening test has been carried out to select a relay, which is usable under the pressurized SF 6 for turn on and off a large current of the devices, from commercial relays used in the atmospheric condition. Four kinds of relays were tested: electromechanical relay (EMR), magnet contactor (MAG), solid-state relay (SSR) and hybrid relay (HYB). Temperature and appearance changes of the relay were collected as measurement items. In addition, a reason of contact trouble of the relays was considered from the results of qualitative elementary analysis and observation of the contact surface using the EDS (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) and the SEM (scanning electron microscope). As a result, the EMR and the MAG showed irregular contact in spite of input voltage and electric current had fed to an operational coil of the relay normally. It is caused by the sulfide or fluoride compounds, which were formed by chemical reaction between metals and sulfur or hydrogen fluoride due to dissociation of SF 6 in electric arcs. On the other hand, the performance of the SSR and the HYB is better than the EMR and the MAG, and it was found that these relays are available in the pressurized SF 6 of 0.5MPa in spite of the standard specification. (author)

Relay-based information broadcast in complex networks

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Zhongyan; Han, Zeyu; Tang, Wallace K. S.; Lin, Dong

2018-04-01

Information broadcast (IB) is a critical process in complex network, usually accomplished by flooding mechanism. Although flooding is simple and no prior topological information is required, it consumes a lot of transmission overhead. Another extreme is the tree-based broadcast (TB), for which information is disseminated via a spanning tree. It achieves the minimal transmission overhead but the maintenance of spanning tree for every node is an obvious obstacle for implementation. Motivated by the success of scale-free network models for real-world networks, in this paper, we investigate the issues in IB by considering an alternative solution in-between these two extremes. A novel relay-based broadcast (RB) mechanism is proposed by employing a subset of nodes as relays. Information is firstly forwarded to one of these relays and then re-disseminated to others through the spanning tree whose root is the relay. This mechanism provides a trade-off solution between flooding and TB. On one hand, it saves up a lot of transmission overhead as compared to flooding; on the other hand, it costs much less resource for maintenance than TB as only a few spanning trees are needed. Based on two major criteria, namely the transmission overhead and the convergence time, the effectiveness of RB is confirmed. The impacts of relay assignment and network structures on performance are also studied in this work.
Cooperative relay-based multicasting for energy and delay minimization

KAUST Repository

Atat, Rachad

2012-08-01

Relay-based multicasting for the purpose of cooperative content distribution is studied. Optimized relay selection is performed with the objective of minimizing the energy consumption or the content distribution delay within a cluster of cooperating mobiles. Two schemes are investigated. The first consists of the BS sending the data only to the relay, and the second scheme considers the scenario of threshold-based multicasting by the BS, where a relay is selected to transmit the data to the mobiles that were not able to receive the multicast data. Both schemes show significant superiority compared to the non-cooperative scenarios, in terms of energy consumption and delay reduction. © 2012 IEEE.
Biophysical network modeling of the dLGN circuit: Effects of cortical feedback on spatial response properties of relay cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo Martínez-Cañada

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Despite half-a-century of research since the seminal work of Hubel and Wiesel, the role of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN in shaping the visual signals is not properly understood. Placed on route from retina to primary visual cortex in the early visual pathway, a striking feature of the dLGN circuit is that both the relay cells (RCs and interneurons (INs not only receive feedforward input from retinal ganglion cells, but also a prominent feedback from cells in layer 6 of visual cortex. This feedback has been proposed to affect synchronicity and other temporal properties of the RC firing. It has also been seen to affect spatial properties such as the center-surround antagonism of thalamic receptive fields, i.e., the suppression of the response to very large stimuli compared to smaller, more optimal stimuli. Here we explore the spatial effects of cortical feedback on the RC response by means of a a comprehensive network model with biophysically detailed, single-compartment and multicompartment neuron models of RCs, INs and a population of orientation-selective layer 6 simple cells, consisting of pyramidal cells (PY. We have considered two different arrangements of synaptic feedback from the ON and OFF zones in the visual cortex to the dLGN: phase-reversed ('push-pull' and phase-matched ('push-push', as well as different spatial extents of the corticothalamic projection pattern. Our simulation results support that a phase-reversed arrangement provides a more effective way for cortical feedback to provide the increased center-surround antagonism seen in experiments both for flashing spots and, even more prominently, for patch gratings. This implies that ON-center RCs receive direct excitation from OFF-dominated cortical cells and indirect inhibitory feedback from ON-dominated cortical cells. The increased center-surround antagonism in the model is accompanied by spatial focusing, i.e., the maximum RC response occurs for smaller stimuli
Biophysical network modeling of the dLGN circuit: Effects of cortical feedback on spatial response properties of relay cells

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Cañada, Pablo; Halnes, Geir; Fyhn, Marianne

2018-01-01

Despite half-a-century of research since the seminal work of Hubel and Wiesel, the role of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) in shaping the visual signals is not properly understood. Placed on route from retina to primary visual cortex in the early visual pathway, a striking feature of the dLGN circuit is that both the relay cells (RCs) and interneurons (INs) not only receive feedforward input from retinal ganglion cells, but also a prominent feedback from cells in layer 6 of visual cortex. This feedback has been proposed to affect synchronicity and other temporal properties of the RC firing. It has also been seen to affect spatial properties such as the center-surround antagonism of thalamic receptive fields, i.e., the suppression of the response to very large stimuli compared to smaller, more optimal stimuli. Here we explore the spatial effects of cortical feedback on the RC response by means of a a comprehensive network model with biophysically detailed, single-compartment and multicompartment neuron models of RCs, INs and a population of orientation-selective layer 6 simple cells, consisting of pyramidal cells (PY). We have considered two different arrangements of synaptic feedback from the ON and OFF zones in the visual cortex to the dLGN: phase-reversed (‘push-pull’) and phase-matched (‘push-push’), as well as different spatial extents of the corticothalamic projection pattern. Our simulation results support that a phase-reversed arrangement provides a more effective way for cortical feedback to provide the increased center-surround antagonism seen in experiments both for flashing spots and, even more prominently, for patch gratings. This implies that ON-center RCs receive direct excitation from OFF-dominated cortical cells and indirect inhibitory feedback from ON-dominated cortical cells. The increased center-surround antagonism in the model is accompanied by spatial focusing, i.e., the maximum RC response occurs for smaller stimuli when
Secure relay selection based on learning with negative externality in wireless networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Caidan; Xiao, Liang; Kang, Shan; Chen, Guiquan; Li, Yunzhou; Huang, Lianfen

2013-12-01

In this paper, we formulate relay selection into a Chinese restaurant game. A secure relay selection strategy is proposed for a wireless network, where multiple source nodes send messages to their destination nodes via several relay nodes, which have different processing and transmission capabilities as well as security properties. The relay selection utilizes a learning-based algorithm for the source nodes to reach their best responses in the Chinese restaurant game. In particular, the relay selection takes into account the negative externality of relay sharing among the source nodes, which learn the capabilities and security properties of relay nodes according to the current signals and the signal history. Simulation results show that this strategy improves the user utility and the overall security performance in wireless networks. In addition, the relay strategy is robust against the signal errors and deviations of some user from the desired actions.
Proof-of-Work as Anonymous Micropayment: Rewarding a Tor Relay

OpenAIRE

Biryukov, Alex; Pustogarov, Ivan

2015-01-01

In this paper we propose a new micropayments scheme which can be used to reward Tor relay operators. Tor clients do not pay Tor relays with electronic cash directly but submit proof of work shares which the relays can resubmit to a crypto-currency mining pool. Relays credit users who submit shares with tickets that can later be used to purchase improved service. Both shares and tickets when sent over Tor circuits are anonymous. The analysis of the crypto-currencies market prices shows that th...
Error-rate performance analysis of opportunistic regenerative relaying

KAUST Repository

Tourki, Kamel

2011-09-01

In this paper, we investigate an opportunistic relaying scheme where the selected relay assists the source-destination (direct) communication. In our study, we consider a regenerative opportunistic relaying scheme in which the direct path can be considered unusable, and takes into account the effect of the possible erroneously detected and transmitted data at the best relay. We first derive the exact statistics of each hop, in terms of probability density function (PDF). Then, the PDFs are used to determine accurate closed form expressions for end-to-end bit-error rate (BER) of binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation where the detector may use maximum ration combining (MRC) or selection combining (SC). Finally, we validate our analysis by showing that performance simulation results coincide with our analytical results over linear network (LN) architecture and considering Rayleigh fading channels. © 2011 IEEE.
An RSS based location estimation technique for cognitive relay networks

KAUST Repository

Qaraqe, Khalid A.

2010-11-01

In this paper, a received signal strength (RSS) based location estimation method is proposed for a cooperative wireless relay network where the relay is a cognitive radio. We propose a method for the considered cognitive relay network to determine the location of the source using the direct and the relayed signal at the destination. We derive the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) expressions separately for x and y coordinates of the location estimate. We analyze the effects of cognitive behaviour of the relay on the performance of the proposed method. We also discuss and quantify the reliability of the location estimate using the proposed technique if the source is not stationary. The overall performance of the proposed method is presented through simulations. ©2010 IEEE.
CERN’s annual relay a runaway success

CERN Document Server

Klaus Hanke for the CERN Running Club

2016-01-01

With a record participation of 128 teams of six runners each, this year’s CERN Relay Race took place on 19 May on the Meyrin site. One of the many winning teams from the 2016 relay race. (Image: Sophia Bennett/CERN) With a record participation of 128 teams and 768 runners, this year’s CERN Relay Race took place on 19 May on the Meyrin site. The teams were mainly composed of CERN staff or contractors working on the CERN site. A few external teams took also part in the race. Times ranged from 10 min 19 s to over 18 min. The Running Club website now has both the results, and the photos from race day. The CERN Relay Race is jointly organised every year by the CERN Running Club and the Staff Association. It is a tradition that is appreciated by many as a team building, rather than a competitive event. The CERN Running Club wishes to thank all runners and all volunteers for making this event a success.
Securing Relay Networks with Artificial Noise: An Error Performance-Based Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Liu

2017-07-01

Full Text Available We apply the concept of artificial and controlled interference in a two-hop relay network with an untrusted relay, aiming at enhancing the wireless communication secrecy between the source and the destination node. In order to shield the square quadrature amplitude-modulated (QAM signals transmitted from the source node to the relay, the destination node designs and transmits artificial noise (AN symbols to jam the relay reception. The objective of our considered AN design is to degrade the error probability performance at the untrusted relay, for different types of channel state information (CSI at the destination. By considering perfect knowledge of the instantaneous CSI of the source-to-relay and relay-to-destination links, we first present an analytical expression for the symbol error rate (SER performance at the relay. Based on the assumption of an average power constraint at the destination node, we then derive the optimal phase and power distribution of the AN that maximizes the SER at the relay. Furthermore, we obtain the optimal AN design for the case where only statistical CSI is available at the destination node. For both cases, our study reveals that the Gaussian distribution is generally not optimal to generate AN symbols. The presented AN design takes into account practical parameters for the communication links, such as QAM signaling and maximum likelihood decoding.
The changing roles of neurons in the cortical subplate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael J Friedlander

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Neurons may serve different functions over the course of an organism’s life. Recent evidence suggests that cortical subplate neurons including those that reside in the white matter may perform longitudinal multi-tasking at different stages of development. These cells play a key role in early cortical development in coordinating thalamocortical reciprocal innervation. At later stages of development, they become integrated within the cortical microcircuitry. This type of longitudinal multi-tasking can enhance the capacity for information processing by populations of cells serving different functions over the lifespan. Subplate cells are initially derived when cells from the ventricular zone underlying the cortex migrate to the cortical preplate that is subsequently split by the differentiating neurons of the cortical plate with some neurons locating in the marginal zone and others settling below in the subplate (SP. While the cortical plate neurons form most of the cortical layers (layers 2-6, the marginal zone neurons form layer 1 and the SP neurons become interstitial cells of the white matter as well as forming a compact sublayer along the bottom of layer 6. After serving as transient innervation targets for thalamocortical axons, most of these cells die and layer 4 neurons become innervated by thalamic axons. However, 10-20% survives, remaining into adulthood along the bottom of layer 6 and as a scattered population of interstitial neurons in the white matter. Surviving subplate cells’ axons project throughout the overlying laminae, reaching layer 1 and issuing axon collaterals within white matter and in lower layer 6. This suggests that they participate in local synaptic networks, as well. Moreover, they receive excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs, potentially monitoring outputs from axon collaterals of cortical efferents, from cortical afferents and/or from each other. We explore our understanding of the functional connectivity of
Efficient incremental relaying for packet transmission over fading channels

KAUST Repository

Fareed, Muhammad Mehboob

2014-07-01

In this paper, we propose a novel relaying scheme for packet transmission over fading channels, which improves the spectral efficiency of cooperative diversity systems by utilizing limited feedback from the destination. Our scheme capitalizes on the fact that relaying is only required when direct transmission suffers deep fading. We calculate the packet error rate for the proposed efficient incremental relaying (EIR) scheme with both amplify and forward and decode and forward relaying. We compare the performance of the EIR scheme with the threshold-based incremental relaying (TIR) scheme. It is shown that the efficiency of the TIR scheme is better for lower values of the threshold. However, the efficiency of the TIR scheme for higher values of threshold is outperformed by the EIR. In addition, three new threshold-based adaptive EIR are devised to further improve the efficiency of the EIR scheme. We calculate the packet error rate and the efficiency of these new schemes to provide the analytical insight. © 2014 IEEE.
Mapping of odor-related neuronal activity in the olfactory bulb by high-resolution 2-deoxyglucose autoradiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lancet, D.; Greer, C.A.; Kauer, J.S.; Shepherd, G.M.

1982-01-01

The spatial distribution of odor-induced neuronal activity in the olfactory bulb, the first relay station of the olfactory pathway, is believed to reflect important aspects of chemosensory coding. We report here the application of high-resolution 2-deoxyglucose autoradiography to the mapping of spatial patterns of metabolic activity at the level of single neurons in the olfactory bulb. It was found that glomeruli, which are synaptic complexes containing the first synaptic relay, tend to be uniformly active or inactive during odor exposure. Differential 2-deoxyglucose uptake was also observed in the somata of projection neurons (mitral cells) and interneurons (periglomerular and granule cells). This confirms and extends our previous studies in which odor-specific laminar and focal uptake patterns were revealed by the conventional x-ray film 2-deoxyglucose method due to Sokoloff and colleagues [Sokoloff, L., Reivich, M., Kennedy, C., DesRosiers, M. H., Patlak, C. S., Pettigrew, K. D., Sakurada, O. and Shinohara, M. (1977) J. Neurochem. 28, 897-916]. Based on results obtained by the two methods, it is suggested that the glomerulus as a whole serves as a functional unit of activity. The high-resolution results are interpreted in terms of the well-characterized synaptic organization of the olfactory bulb and also serve to illustrate the capability of the 2-deoxyglucose autoradiographic technique to map metabolic activity in single neurons of the vertebrate central nervous system
Relay discovery and selection for large-scale P2P streaming.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chengwei Zhang

Full Text Available In peer-to-peer networks, application relays have been commonly used to provide various networking services. The service performance often improves significantly if a relay is selected appropriately based on its network location. In this paper, we studied the location-aware relay discovery and selection problem for large-scale P2P streaming networks. In these large-scale and dynamic overlays, it incurs significant communication and computation cost to discover a sufficiently large relay candidate set and further to select one relay with good performance. The network location can be measured directly or indirectly with the tradeoffs between timeliness, overhead and accuracy. Based on a measurement study and the associated error analysis, we demonstrate that indirect measurements, such as King and Internet Coordinate Systems (ICS, can only achieve a coarse estimation of peers' network location and those methods based on pure indirect measurements cannot lead to a good relay selection. We also demonstrate that there exists significant error amplification of the commonly used "best-out-of-K" selection methodology using three RTT data sets publicly available. We propose a two-phase approach to achieve efficient relay discovery and accurate relay selection. Indirect measurements are used to narrow down a small number of high-quality relay candidates and the final relay selection is refined based on direct probing. This two-phase approach enjoys an efficient implementation using the Distributed-Hash-Table (DHT. When the DHT is constructed, the node keys carry the location information and they are generated scalably using indirect measurements, such as the ICS coordinates. The relay discovery is achieved efficiently utilizing the DHT-based search. We evaluated various aspects of this DHT-based approach, including the DHT indexing procedure, key generation under peer churn and message costs.
Optimal Coordination of Distance and Directional Overcurrent Relays Considering Different Network Topologies

OpenAIRE

Y. Damchi; J. Sadeh; H. Rajabi Mashhadi

2015-01-01

Most studies in relay coordination have focused solely on coordination of overcurrent relays while distance relays are used as the main protection of transmission lines. Since, simultaneous coordination of these two types of relays can provide a better protection, in this paper, a new approach is proposed for simultaneous coordination of distance and directional overcurrent relays (D&DOCRs). Also, pursued by most of the previously published studies, the settings of D&DOCRs are usually determi...
Microcomputer relay regulator in the CAMAC standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikolaev, V.P.

1984-01-01

The digital relay regulator is developed on the base of the KM001 microcomputer and KK06 controller for automatic control ob ects with transfer functions describing a broad class of systems using actuating motors (stabilitation, follow-up systems). The CAMAC relay-unit realizes the regulation law and provides the possibility to control analogous values by 8 channels
Lateral and Anterior Thalamic Lesions Impair Independent Memory Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Anna S.; Dalrymple-Alford, John C.

2006-01-01

Damage to the medial region of the thalamus, both in clinical cases (e.g., patients with infarcts or the Korsakoff's syndrome) and animal lesion models, is associated with variable amnesic deficits. Some studies suggest that many of these memory deficits rely on the presence of lateral thalamic lesions (LT) that include the intralaminar nuclei,…
Coordination of Regenerative Relays and Direct Users in Wireless Cellular Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thai, Chan; Popovski, Petar

2011-01-01

The area of wireless cooperation/relaying has recently been significantly enriched by the ideas of wireless network coding (NC), which bring substantial gains in spectral efficiency. These gains have mainly been demonstrated in scenarios with two-way relaying. Inspired by the ideas of wireless NC......, recently we have proposed techniques for coordinated direct/relay (CDR) transmissions. These techniques embrace the interference among the communication flows to/from direct and relayed users, leveraging on the fact that the interference can be subsequently canceled. Hence, by allowing simultaneous...... transmissions, spectral efficiency is increased. In our prior work, we have considered CDR with non-regenerative relay that uses Amplify-and-Forward (AF). In this paper we consider the case of regenerative Decode-and-Forward (DF) relay. This refers also to joint decoding of the interfering flows received over...
Emerging Signaling Pathway in Arcuate Feeding-Related Neurons: Role of the Acbd7

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damien Lanfray

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The understanding of the mechanisms whereby energy balance is regulated is essential to the unraveling of the pathophysiology of obesity. In the last three decades, focus was put on the metabolic role played by the hypothalamic neurons expressing proopiomelanocortin (POMC and cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART and the neurons co-localizing agouti-related peptide (AgRP, neuropeptide Y (NPY, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA. These neurons are part of the leptin-melanocortin pathway, whose role is key in energy balance regulation. More recently, the metabolic involvement of further hypothalamic uncharacterized neuron populations has been suggested. In this review, we discuss the potential homeostatic implication of hypothalamic GABAergic neurons that produce Acyl-Coa-binding domain containing protein 7 (ACBD7, precursor of the nonadecaneuropeptide (NDN, which has recently been characterized as a potent anorexigenic neuropeptide capable of relaying the leptin anorectic/thermogenic effect via the melanocortin system.
Admission Control Threshold in Cellular Relay Networks with Power Adjustment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Ki-Dong

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract In the cellular network with relays, the mobile station can benefit from both coverage extension and capacity enhancement. However, the operation complexity increases as the number of relays grows up. Furthermore, in the cellular network with cooperative relays, it is even more complex because of an increased dimension of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs formed in the cooperative wireless transmission links. In this paper, we propose a new method for admission capacity planning in a cellular network using a cooperative relaying mechanism called decode-and-forward. We mathematically formulate the dropping ratio using the randomness of "channel gain." With this, we formulate an admission threshold planning problem as a simple optimization problem, where we maximize the accommodation capacity (in number of connections subject to two types of constraints. (1 A constraint that the sum of the transmit powers of the source node and relay node is upper-bounded where both nodes can jointly adjust the transmit power. (2 A constraint that the dropping ratio is upper-bounded by a certain threshold value. The simplicity of the problem formulation facilitates its solution in real-time. We believe that the proposed planning method can provide an attractive guideline for dimensioning a cellular relay network with cooperative relays.

Implementation of a microcomputer based distance relay for parallel transmission lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phadke, A.G.; Jihuang, L.

1986-01-01

Distance relaying for parallel transmission lines is a difficult application problem with conventional phase and ground distance relays. It is known that for cross-country faults involving dissimilar phases and ground, three phase tripping may result. This paper summarizes a newly developed microcomputer based relay which is capable of classifying the cross-country fault correctly. The paper describes the principle of operation and results of laboratory tests of this relay
Performance Analysis of Selective Decode-and-Forward Multinode Incremental Relaying with Maximal Ratio Combining

KAUST Repository

Hadjtaieb, Amir

2013-09-12

In this paper, we propose an incremental multinode relaying protocol with arbitrary N-relay nodes that allows an efficient use of the channel spectrum. The destination combines the received signals from the source and the relays using maximal ratio Combining (MRC). The transmission ends successfully once the accumulated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) exceeds a predefined threshold. The number of relays participating in the transmission is adapted to the channel conditions based on the feedback from the destination. The use of incremental relaying allows obtaining a higher spectral efficiency. Moreover, the symbol error probability (SEP) performance is enhanced by using MRC at the relays. The use of MRC at the relays implies that each relay overhears the signals from the source and all previous relays and combines them using MRC. The proposed protocol differs from most of existing relaying protocol by the fact that it combines both incremental relaying and MRC at the relays for a multinode topology. Our analyses for a decode-and-forward mode show that: (i) compared to existing multinode relaying schemes, the proposed scheme can essentially achieve the same SEP performance but with less average number of time slots, (ii) compared to schemes without MRC at the relays, the proposed scheme can approximately achieve a 3 dB gain.
Spectral efficiency enhancement with interference cancellation for wireless relay network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yomo, Hiroyuki; De Carvalho, Elisabeth

The introduction of relaying into wireless communication system for coverage enhancement can cause severe decrease of spectral efficiency due to the requirement on extra radio resource. In this paper, we propose a method to increase spectral efficiency in such a wireless relay network by employing...... an interference cancellation technique. We focus on a typical scenario of relaying in a cellular system, where a mobile station (MS) requires the help of a relay station (RS) to communicate with the base station (BS). In such a case, interference cancellation can be used to achieve a small reuse distance...... of identical radio resource. We analyze a simple scenario with BS, single RS, and 2 MSs, and show that the proposed method has significant potential to enhance spectral efficiency in wireless relay networks....
Resource allocation for relay assisted cognitive radio networks

KAUST Repository

Zafar, Ammar; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Chen, Yunfei; Radaydeh, Redha M.

2012-01-01

transmission power and the relay transmission power. Numerical results show that the optimal sensing time is dependent on the primary user's signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR). They also show that SCR increases with increase in the number of relays. © 2012 IEEE.
Protective relaying of power systems using mathematical morphology

CERN Document Server

Wu, QH; Ji, TY

2009-01-01

Discusses the development of novel protective relaying algorithms, using Mathematical Morphology (MM). This book introduces the fundamental principles of MM, and brings together the applications of MM to develop different protective relaying algorithms for the protection of a variety of power system components.
Novel Material Integration for Reliable and Energy-Efficient NEM Relay Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, I.-Ru

Energy-efficient switching devices have become ever more important with the emergence of ubiquitous computing. NEM relays are promising to complement CMOS transistors as circuit building blocks for future ultra-low-power information processing, and as such have recently attracted significant attention from the semiconductor industry and researchers. Relay technology potentially can overcome the energy efficiency limit for conventional CMOS technology due to several key characteristics, including zero OFF-state leakage, abrupt switching behavior, and potentially very low active energy consumption. However, two key issues must be addressed for relay technology to reach its full potential: surface oxide formation at the contacting surfaces leading to increased ON-state resistance after switching, and high switching voltages due to strain gradient present within the relay structure. This dissertation advances NEM relay technology by investigating solutions to both of these pressing issues. Ruthenium, whose native oxide is conductive, is proposed as the contacting material to improve relay ON-state resistance stability. Ruthenium-contact relays are fabricated after overcoming several process integration challenges, and show superior ON-state resistance stability in electrical measurements and extended device lifetime. The relay structural film is optimized via stress matching among all layers within the structure, to provide lower strain gradient (below 10E-3/microm -1) and hence lower switching voltage. These advancements in relay technology, along with the integration of a metallic interconnect layer, enable complex relay-based circuit demonstration. In addition to the experimental efforts, this dissertation theoretically analyzes the energy efficiency limit of a NEM switch, which is generally believed to be limited by the surface adhesion energy. New compact (electronic device technology.
A Stochastic Geometry Approach to Full-Duplex MIMO Relay Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mhd Nour Hindia

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Cellular networks are extensively modeled by placing the base stations on a grid, with relays and destinations being placed deterministically. These networks are idealized for not considering the interferences when evaluating the coverage/outage and capacity. Realistic models that can overcome such limitation are desirable. Specifically, in a cellular downlink environment, the full-duplex (FD relaying and destination are prone to interferences from unintended sources and relays. However, this paper considered two-hop cellular network in which the mobile nodes aid the sources by relaying the signal to the dead zone. Further, we model the locations of the sources, relays, and destination nodes as a point process on the plane and analyze the performance of two different hops in the downlink. Then, we obtain the success probability and the ergodic capacity of the two-hop MIMO relay scheme, accounting for the interference from all other adjacent cells. We deploy stochastic geometry and point process theory to rigorously analyze the two-hop scheme with/without interference cancellation. These attained expressions are amenable to numerical evaluation and are corroborated by simulation results.
Minimax robust relay selection based on uncertain long-term CSI

KAUST Repository

Nisar, Muhammad Danish

2014-02-01

Cooperative communications via multiple relay nodes is known to provide the benefits of increase diversity and coverage. Simultaneous transmission via multiple relays, however, requires strong coordination between nodes either in terms of slot-based transmission or distributed space-time (ST) code implementation. Dynamically selecting a single best relay out of multiple relays and then using it alone for cooperative transmission alleviates the need for this strong coordination while still reaping the benefits of increased diversity and coverage. In this paper, we consider the design of relay selection (RS) under an imperfect knowledge of long-term channel state information (CSI) at the relay nodes, and we pursue minimax optimization to arrive at a robust RS approach that promises the best guarantee on the worst-case end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We provide some intuitive examples and extensive simulation results, not only in terms of worst-case SNR performance but also in terms of average bit-error-rate (BER) performance, to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed minimax robust RS scheme. © 2013 IEEE.
Cerebral blood flow and cerebral oxygen metabolism in thalamic hemorrhage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasui, Nobuyuki; Asakura, Ken

1987-01-01

Cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral oxygen consumption (CMRO 2 ), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) were studied in 20 cases of thalamic hemorrhage using positron CT and 15 O labeled gas steady-state inhalation method. CBF reduction was limited around the thalamus in the small sized hematoma. CBF were significantly diminished in the mean cortical, parietal, temporal, basal ganglia and thalamic area ipsilateral and cerebellar cortex contralateral to the medium sized hematoma. There was bilateral and diffuse CBF reduction in the large sized hematoma which was caused by increased intracranial pressure. CMRO 2 value were similary changed as CBF. OEF change showed within normal limit. Diffuse CBV reduction was observed in the large sized hematoma. This reduction was the result of decreased vascular bed caused by mass effect of the hematoma and hydrocephalus. Effect of surgical treatment such as ventricular drainage and hematoma evacuation were also discussed in correlation to CBF in some case using positron and single photon ECT. (author)
Quasi-period oscillations of relay feedback systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wen Guilin; Wang Qingguo; Lee, T.H.

2007-01-01

This paper presents an analytical method for investigation of the existence and stability of quasi-period oscillations (torus solutions) for a class of relay feedback systems. The idea is to analyze Poincare map from one switching surface to the next based on the Hopf bifurcation theory of maps. It is shown that there exist quasi-period oscillations in certain relay feedback systems
Interference alignment for degrees of freedom improvement in 3-relay half-duplex systems

KAUST Repository

Park, Seongho

2011-12-01

In a half-duplex relaying, the capacity pre-log factor is a major drawback in spectral efficiency. This paper proposes a linear precoding scheme and an alternate relaying protocol in a dual-hop half-duplex system where three relays help the communication between the source and the destination. In our proposed scheme, we consider a phase incoherent method in relays in which the source alternately transmits message signals to the different relays. In addition, we propose a linear interference alignment scheme which can eliminate the inter-relay interference resulted from the phase incoherence of relaying. Based on our analysis of degrees of freedom and our simulation results, we show that our proposed scheme achieves additional degrees of freedom compared to the conventional half-duplex relaying. © 2011 IEEE.
Segmental and laminar organization of the spinothalamic neurons in cat : Evidence for at least five separate clusters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klop, Esther Marije; Mouton, Leonora J.; Holstege, Gert

2005-01-01

The spinothalamic tract (STT), well known for its role in the relay of information about noxe, temperature, and crude touch, is usually associated with projections from lamina 1, but spinothalamic neurons in other laminae have also been reported. In cat, no complete overview exists of the precise
Overlay cognitive radio systems with adaptive two-way relaying

KAUST Repository

Hyadi, Amal

2013-12-01

In this paper, we propose a spectrum sharing mechanism with a two-phase two-way relaying protocol for an overlay cognitive network. The system comprises two primary users (PUs) and two secondary users (SUs). One of the SUs acts as a relay for the PUs and gains spectrum sharing as long as he respects outage probability constraints of the primary system. Moreover, we consider that the relaying node performs an optimal power allocation scheme that minimizes the outage performance of the secondary receiver. Closed form expressions for the outage probability are derived for the cases of Decode-and-Forward (DF), Amplify-and-Forward (AF), and adaptive relaying. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate and compare the obtained results. © 2013 IEEE.
Passive accessory joint mobilization in the multimodal management of chronic dysesthesia following thalamic stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffin, Kristina; O'Hearn, Michael; Franck, Carla C; Courtney, Carol A

2018-03-20

Case Report. Stroke is the most common cause of long-term disability. Dysesthesia, an unpleasant sensory disturbance, is common following thalamic stroke and evidence-based interventions for this impairment are limited. The purpose of this case report was to describe a decrease in dysesthesia following manual therapy intervention in a patient with history of right lacunar thalamic stroke. A 66-year-old female presented with tingling and dysesthesia in left hemisensory distribution including left trunk and upper/lower extremities, limiting function. Decreased left shoulder active range of motion, positive sensory symptoms but no sensory loss in light touch was found. She denied pain and moderate shoulder muscular weakness was demonstrated. Laterality testing revealed right/left limb discrimination deficits and neglect-like symptoms were reported. Passive accessory joint motion assessment of glenohumeral and thoracic spine revealed hypomobility and provoked dysesthesia. Interventions included passive oscillatory joint mobilization of glenohumeral joint, thoracic spine, ribs and shoulder strengthening. After six sessions, shoulder function, active range of motion, strength improved and dysesthesia decreased. Global Rating of Change Scale was +5 and QuickDASH score decreased from 45% to 22% disability. Laterality testing was unchanged. Manual therapy may be a beneficial intervention in management of thalamic stroke-related dysesthesia. Implications for Rehabilitation While pain is common following thalamic stroke, patients may present with chronic paresthesia or dysesthesia, often in a hemisensory distribution. Passive movement may promote inhibition of hyperexcitable cortical pathways, which may diminish aberrant sensations. Passive oscillatory manual therapy may be an effective way to treat sensory disturbances such as paresthesias or dysesthesia.
Best relay selection using SNR and interference quotient for underlay cognitive networks

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Syed Imtiaz

2012-06-01

Cognitive networks in underlay settings operate simultaneously with the primary networks satisfying stringent interference limits. This condition forces them to operate with low transmission powers and confines their area of coverage. In an effort to reach remote destinations, underlay cognitive sources make use of relaying techniques. Selecting the best relay among those who are ready to cooperate is different in underlay settings than traditional non-cognitive networks. In this paper, we present a relay selection scheme which uses the quotient of the relay link signal to noise ratio (SNR) and the interference generated from the relay to the primary user to choose the best relay. The proposed scheme optimizes this quotient in a way to maximize the relay link SNR above a certain value whereas the interference is kept below a defined threshold. We derive closed expressions for the outage probability and bit error probability of the system incorporating this scheme. Simulation results confirm the validity of the analytical results and reveal that the relay selection in cognitive environment is feasible in low SNR regions. © 2012 IEEE.
Adaptive transmission based on multi-relay selection and rate-compatible LDPC codes

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Hualing; He, Yucheng; Zhou, Lin

2017-08-01

In order to adapt to the dynamical changeable channel condition and improve the transmissive reliability of the system, a cooperation system of rate-compatible low density parity check (RC-LDPC) codes combining with multi-relay selection protocol is proposed. In traditional relay selection protocol, only the channel state information (CSI) of source-relay and the CSI of relay-destination has been considered. The multi-relay selection protocol proposed by this paper takes the CSI between relays into extra account in order to obtain more chances of collabration. Additionally, the idea of hybrid automatic request retransmission (HARQ) and rate-compatible are introduced. Simulation results show that the transmissive reliability of the system can be significantly improved by the proposed protocol.
Frame Allocation and Scheduling for Relay Networks in the LTE Advanced Standard

OpenAIRE

Roth, Stefan

2010-01-01

The use of relays is seen as a promising way to extend cell coverage and increase rates in LTE Advanced networks. Instead of increasing the number of base stations (BS), relays with lower cost could provide similar gains. A relay will have a wireless link to the closest BS as only connection to the core network and will cover areas close to the cell edge or other areas with limited rates. Performing transmissions in several hops (BS-relay & relay-user) requires more radio resources than u...
77 FR 16435 - Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standard

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-21

... conditions on all applicable transmission lines and transformers. I. Background A. Relay Protection Systems 2... and a power swing. If a power swing is detected, the protection system, ``blocks,'' or prevents the... to the reliability of the Bulk-Power System by requiring load-responsive phase protection relay...
76 FR 58424 - Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standard

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-21

... distribution providers to set load-responsive phase protection relays according to specific criteria to ensure...-part R.1.10 allows transmission owners, generation owners and distribution providers to set transformer.... Thus, requiring that transformer fault protection relays are set to not expose the transformer to a...
Development of a Relay Performance Web Tool for the Mars Network

Science.gov (United States)

Allard, Daniel A.; Edwards, Charles D.

2009-01-01

Modern Mars surface missions rely upon orbiting spacecraft to relay communications to and from Earth systems. An important component of this multi-mission relay process is the collection of relay performance statistics supporting strategic trend analysis and tactical anomaly identification and tracking.

Micro-relay technology for energy-efficient integrated circuits

CERN Document Server

Kam, Hei

2015-01-01

This book describes the design of relay-based circuit systems from device fabrication to circuit micro-architectures. This book is ideal for both device engineers as well as circuit system designers and highlights the importance of co-design across design hierarchies when optimizing system performance (in this case, energy-efficiency). This book is ideal for researchers and engineers focused on semiconductors, integrated circuits, and energy efficient electronics. This book also: · Covers microsystem fabrication, MEMS device design, circuit design, circuit micro-architecture, and CAD · Describes work previously done in the field and also lays the groundwork and criteria for future energy-efficient device and system design · Maximizes reader insights into the design and modeling of micro-relay, micro-relay reliability, integrated circuit design with micro-relays, and more
Linear Processing Design of Amplify-and-Forward Relays for Maximizing the System Throughput

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiang Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, firstly, we study the linear processing of amplify-and-forward (AF relays for the multiple relays multiple users scenario. We regard all relays as one special “relay”, and then the subcarrier pairing, relay selection and channel assignment can be seen as a linear processing of the special “relay”. Under fixed power allocation, the linear processing of AF relays can be regarded as a permutation matrix. Employing the partitioned matrix, we propose an optimal linear processing design for AF relays to find the optimal permutation matrix based on the sorting of the received SNR over the subcarriers from BS to relays and from relays to users, respectively. Then, we prove the optimality of the proposed linear processing scheme. Through the proposed linear processing scheme, we can obtain the optimal subcarrier paring, relay selection and channel assignment under given power allocation in polynomial time. Finally, we propose an iterative algorithm based on the proposed linear processing scheme and Lagrange dual domain method to jointly optimize the joint optimization problem involving the subcarrier paring, relay selection, channel assignment and power allocation. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed algorithm can achieve a perfect performance.
A study on Relay Effect via Magnetic Resonant Coupling for Wireless Power Transfer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rashid N.A.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Wireless power transfer (WPT transmits electrical energy from a power source to an electrical load wirelessly or without any conductors. The capability of WPT to transmit the energy is limited. Therefore, a relay was introduced to increase the distance of the WPT capabilities. The effect of the relay has been investigated to extend the energy transfer distance. The effect of relay was demonstrated by placing a relay coil between transmitter and receiver, relay biased to transmitter and placing two relay coils in the designed system. Experimental results are provided to prove the concept of the relay effect. The power transmission efficiency can be achieved up to 75% at 1 meter distance.
The impact of SFCL and SMES integration on the distance relay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Jun, E-mail: JYang@whu.edu.cn [School of Electrical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Zhang, Liling; Wang, Xinpu; Chen, Lei [School of Electrical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Chen, Yanxia [Beijing Electric Power Research Institute, Beijing 100075 (China)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • The impact of SFCL and SMES integration on the circle distance relay is studied. • The detailed models of SFCL and SMES with distance delay are built in MATLAB. • The integration of SFCL and SMES does influence the operation of distance relay. • An improved distance relay to prevent mal-operation is proposed and verified. - Abstract: The superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) is an ideal short-circuit fault current limiting device that can limit the fault current without any delay and control the voltage drop of the non-fault line. The superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) device can exchange the active and reactive power independently, so it is applied broadly to improve power system stability. With SFCL, the low voltage ride-through capability of SMES can be enhanced as well as its MW and MJ capacities. The distance relay is a key electrical apparatus that will trip circuit breakers to protect electrical devices from short circuit faults. Due to the application of SFCL and SMES integration, the voltage and current in power grid will change accordingly, and the operation characteristic of distance relay may be affected. In this paper, the impact of a bridge-type SFCL and SMES integration on the circle distance relay is studied. And simulation results show that the integration of SFCL and SMES does influence the measured impedance of distance relay, which can lead to mal-operation of the circle distance relay. Furthermore, an improved distance relay is proposed and verified.
The impact of SFCL and SMES integration on the distance relay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Jun; Zhang, Liling; Wang, Xinpu; Chen, Lei; Chen, Yanxia

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The impact of SFCL and SMES integration on the circle distance relay is studied. • The detailed models of SFCL and SMES with distance delay are built in MATLAB. • The integration of SFCL and SMES does influence the operation of distance relay. • An improved distance relay to prevent mal-operation is proposed and verified. - Abstract: The superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) is an ideal short-circuit fault current limiting device that can limit the fault current without any delay and control the voltage drop of the non-fault line. The superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) device can exchange the active and reactive power independently, so it is applied broadly to improve power system stability. With SFCL, the low voltage ride-through capability of SMES can be enhanced as well as its MW and MJ capacities. The distance relay is a key electrical apparatus that will trip circuit breakers to protect electrical devices from short circuit faults. Due to the application of SFCL and SMES integration, the voltage and current in power grid will change accordingly, and the operation characteristic of distance relay may be affected. In this paper, the impact of a bridge-type SFCL and SMES integration on the circle distance relay is studied. And simulation results show that the integration of SFCL and SMES does influence the measured impedance of distance relay, which can lead to mal-operation of the circle distance relay. Furthermore, an improved distance relay is proposed and verified.
Control of Somatosensory Cortical Processing by Thalamic Posterior Medial Nucleus: A New Role of Thalamus in Cortical Function.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Castejon

Full Text Available Current knowledge of thalamocortical interaction comes mainly from studying lemniscal thalamic systems. Less is known about paralemniscal thalamic nuclei function. In the vibrissae system, the posterior medial nucleus (POm is the corresponding paralemniscal nucleus. POm neurons project to L1 and L5A of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1 in the rat brain. It is known that L1 modifies sensory-evoked responses through control of intracortical excitability suggesting that L1 exerts an influence on whisker responses. Therefore, thalamocortical pathways targeting L1 could modulate cortical firing. Here, using a combination of electrophysiology and pharmacology in vivo, we have sought to determine how POm influences cortical processing. In our experiments, single unit recordings performed in urethane-anesthetized rats showed that POm imposes precise control on the magnitude and duration of supra- and infragranular barrel cortex whisker responses. Our findings demonstrated that L1 inputs from POm imposed a time and intensity dependent regulation on cortical sensory processing. Moreover, we found that blocking L1 GABAergic inhibition or blocking P/Q-type Ca2+ channels in L1 prevents POm adjustment of whisker responses in the barrel cortex. Additionally, we found that POm was also controlling the sensory processing in S2 and this regulation was modulated by corticofugal activity from L5 in S1. Taken together, our data demonstrate the determinant role exerted by the POm in the adjustment of somatosensory cortical processing and in the regulation of cortical processing between S1 and S2. We propose that this adjustment could be a thalamocortical gain regulation mechanism also present in the processing of information between cortical areas.
Cooperation schemes for rate enhancement in detect-and-forward relay channels

KAUST Repository

Benjillali, Mustapha

2010-05-01

To improve the spectral efficiency of "Detect-and-Forward" (DetF) half-duplex relaying in fading channels, we propose a cooperation scheme where the relay uses a modulation whose order is higher than the one at the source. In a new common framework, we show that the proposed scheme offers considerable gains - in terms of achievable information rates - compared to the conventional DetF relaying schemes for both orthogonal and non-orthogonal source/relay cooperation. This allows us to propose an adaptive cooperation scheme based on the maximization of the information rate at the destination which needs to observe only the average signal-to-noise ratios of direct and relaying links. ©2010 IEEE.
Physiological and morphological characterization of organotypic cocultures of the chick forebrain area MNH and its main input area DMA/DMP.

Science.gov (United States)

Endepols, H; Jungnickel, J; Braun, K

2001-01-01

Cocultures of the learning-relevant forebrain region mediorostral neostriatum and hyperstriatum ventrale (MNH) and its main glutamatergic input area nucleus dorsomedialis anterior thalami/posterior thalami were morphologically and physiologically characterized. Synaptic contacts of thalamic fibers were light- and electron-microscopically detected on MNH neurons by applying the fluorescence tracer DiI-C18(3) into the thalamus part of the coculture. Most thalamic synapses on MNH neurons were symmetric and located on dendritic shafts, but no correlation between Gray-type ultrastructure and dendritic localization was found. Using intracellular current clamp recordings, we found that the electrophysiological properties, such as input resistance, time constant, action potential threshold, amplitude, and duration of MNH neurons, remain stable for over 30 days in vitro. Pharmacological blockade experiments revealed glutamate as the main neurotransmitter of thalamic synapses on MNH neurons, which were also found on inhibitory neurons. High frequency stimulation of thalamic inputs evoked synaptic potentiation in 22% of MNH neurons. The results indicate that DMA/DMP-MNH cocultures, which can be maintained under stable conditions for at least 4 weeks, provide an attractive in vitro model for investigating synaptic plasticity in the avian brain.
IEEE C37.98-1987: IEEE standard seismic testing of relays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This standard specifies the procedures to be used in the seismic testing of relays used in power system facilities. The standard is concerned with the determination of the seismic fragility level of relays and also gives recommendations for proof testing. The purpose of this standard is to establish procedures for determining the seismic capabilities of protective and auxiliary relays. These procedures employ what has been called fragility testing in IEEE Std 344-1987. To define the conditions for fragility testing of relays, parameters in three separate areas must be specified. In general, they are (1) the electrical settings and inputs to the relay, and other information to define its conditions during the test; (2) the change in state, deviation in operating characteristics or tolerances, or other change of performance of the relay that constitutes failure; (3) the seismic vibration environment to be imposed during the test. Since it is not possible to define the conditions for every conceivable application for all relays, those parameters, which in practice encompass the majority of applications, have been specified in this standard. When the application of the relay is other than as specified under any of (1), (2), and (3), or if it is not practical to apply existing results of fragility tests to that new application, then proof testing must be performed for that new case
IEEE C37.98-1978: IEEE standard seismic testing of relays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This standard specifies the procedures to be used in the seismic testing of relays used in power system facilities. The standard is concerned with the determination of the seismic fragility level of relays and also gives recommendations for proof testing. The purpose of this standard is to establish procedures for determining the seismic capabilities of protective and auxiliary relays. These procedures employ what has been called fragility testing in ANSI/IEEE Std 344-1975, Recommended Practices for Seismic Qualification of Class 1E Equipment for Nuclear Power Generating Stations. In order to define the conditions for fragility testing of relays, parameters in three separate areas must be specified. In general they are: (1) the electrical settings and inputs to the relay, and other information to define its conditions during the test; (2) the change in state, deviation in operating characteristics or tolerances, or other change of performance of the relay which constitutes failure; (3) the seismic vibration environment to be imposed during the test. Since it is not possible to define the conditions for every conceivable application for all relays, those parameters, which in practice encompass the majority of applications, have been specified in this standard. When the application of the relay is other than as specified under any of (1), (2), and (3), or if it is not practical to apply existing results of fragility tests to that new case
Hoxb1 controls anteroposterior identity of vestibular projection neurons.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yiju Chen

Full Text Available The vestibular nuclear complex (VNC consists of a collection of sensory relay nuclei that integrates and relays information essential for coordination of eye movements, balance, and posture. Spanning the majority of the hindbrain alar plate, the rhombomere (r origin and projection pattern of the VNC have been characterized in descriptive works using neuroanatomical tracing. However, neither the molecular identity nor developmental regulation of individual nucleus of the VNC has been determined. To begin to address this issue, we found that Hoxb1 is required for the anterior-posterior (AP identity of precursors that contribute to the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN. Using a gene-targeted Hoxb1-GFP reporter in the mouse, we show that the LVN precursors originate exclusively from r4 and project to the spinal cord in the stereotypic pattern of the lateral vestibulospinal tract that provides input into spinal motoneurons driving extensor muscles of the limb. The r4-derived LVN precursors express the transcription factors Phox2a and Lbx1, and the glutamatergic marker Vglut2, which together defines them as dB2 neurons. Loss of Hoxb1 function does not alter the glutamatergic phenotype of dB2 neurons, but alters their stereotyped spinal cord projection. Moreover, at the expense of Phox2a, the glutamatergic determinants Lmx1b and Tlx3 were ectopically expressed by dB2 neurons. Our study suggests that the Hox genes determine the AP identity and diversity of vestibular precursors, including their output target, by coordinating the expression of neurotransmitter determinant and target selection properties along the AP axis.
Altered cortico-striatal-thalamic connectivity in relation to spatial working memory capacity in children with ADHD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathryn L. Mills

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD captures a heterogeneous group of children, who are characterized by a range of cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Previous resting state functional connectivity (rs-fcMRI studies have sought to understand the neural correlates of ADHD by comparing connectivity measurements between those with and without the disorder, focusing primarily on cortical-striatal circuits mediated by the thalamus. To integrate the multiple phenotypic features associated with ADHD and help resolve its heterogeneity, it is helpful to determine how specific circuits relate to unique cognitive domains of the ADHD syndrome. Spatial working memory has been proposed as a key mechanism in the pathophysiology of ADHD.Methods: We correlated the rs-fcMRI of five thalamic regions of interest with spatial span working memory scores in a sample of 67 children aged 7-11 years (ADHD and typically developing children; TDC. In an independent dataset, we then examined group differences in thalamo-striatal functional connectivity between 70 ADHD and 89 TDC (7-11 years from the ADHD-200 dataset. Thalamic regions of interest were created based on previous methods that utilize known thalamo-cortical loops and rs-fcMRI to identify functional boundaries in the thalamus.Results/Conclusions: Using these thalamic regions, we found atypical rs-fcMRI between specific thalamic groupings with the basal ganglia. To identify the thalamic connections that relate to spatial working memory in ADHD, only connections identified in both the correlational and comparative analyses were considered. Multiple connections between the thalamus and basal ganglia, particularly between medial and anterior dorsal thalamus and the putamen, were related to spatial working memory and also altered in ADHD. These thalamo-striatal disruptions may be one of multiple atypical neural and cognitive mechanisms that relate to the ADHD clinical phenotype.
Modeling and Simulation of Out of Step Blocking Relay for

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed A. Al Adwani

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates a power swing effect on a distance protection relay performance installed on (HV/EHV transmission line as well as power system stability. A conventional distance relay can’t properly operate under transient stability conditions; therefore, it cause mol-operation, and it will adversely impact on its trip signals. To overcome this problem, the Out Of Step (OOS relay has modeled and simulated to joint with distance relay to supervise and control on its trip signals response. The setting characteristics technique of the OOS based on concentric polygons scheme method to detect power swing under transient stability situation. This study ia a modeling and simulating using (Maltab\\ Simulink software. A Two relays had been performed and tested with two equivalents network connected to ends. The results of this study showed an activity and reliability of this way to control the distance relay response under a transient stability conditions and it indicated the possibility to find out faults which may occur at period of power swing
STUDI ANALISIS KOORDINASI OVER CURRENT RELAY (OCR) DAN GROUND FAULT RELAY (GFR) PADA RECLOSER DI SALURAN PENYULANG PENEBEL

OpenAIRE

I Dewa Gde Agung Budhi Udiana; I G Dyana Arjana; Tjok Gede Indra Partha

2017-01-01

Short circuit causing over current problem and can might causing interference of the equipment performance such as distribution transformers also causing widespread disruption occurred. In resolving such interference is required as protection system on the distribution system. Seeing all above is needed coordination between the supporting component of the protection system which is consisted of Over Current Relay (OCR) and Ground Fault Relay (GFR). The research was conducted at PT. PLN (Perse...
On the Outage Performance of Full-Duplex Selective Decode-and-Forward Relaying

KAUST Repository

Khafagy, Mohammad Galal

2013-02-25

We evaluate the outage performance in a three-terminal full-duplex relay channel that adopts a selective decode-and-forward protocol, taking relay self-interference into account. Previous work focused on coverage extension scenarios where direct source-destination transmissions are neglected or considered as interference. In this work, we account for the relay self-interference, and exploit the cooperative diversity offered by the independently fading source/relay message replicas that arrive at the destination. We present an approximate, yet accurate, closed-form expression for the end-to-end outage probability that captures their joint effect. With the derived expression in hand, we propose a relay transmit power optimization scheme that only requires the relay knowledge of channel statistics. Finally, we corroborate our analysis with simulations.
Whether and Where to Code in the Wireless Relay Channel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shi, Xiaomeng; Médard, Muriel; Roetter, Daniel Enrique Lucani

2013-01-01

The throughput benefits of random linear network codes have been studied extensively for wirelined and wireless erasure networks. It is often assumed that all nodes within a network perform coding operations. In energy-constrained systems, however, coding subgraphs should be chosen to control...... the number of coding nodes while maintaining throughput. In this paper, we explore the strategic use of network coding in the wireless packet erasure relay channel according to both throughput and energy metrics. In the relay channel, a single source communicates to a single sink through the aid of a half......-duplex relay. The fluid flow model is used to describe the case where both the source and the relay are coding, and Markov chain models are proposed to describe packet evolution if only the source or only the relay is coding. In addition to transmission energy, we take into account coding and reception...
An Optimal Analysis in Wireless Powered Full-duplex Relaying Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K.-T. Nguyen

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Wireless-powered cellular networks (WPCNs are currently being investigated to exploit the reliability and improve battery lifetime of mobile users. This paper investigates the energy harvesting structure of the full-duplex relaying networks. By using the time switching based relaying (TSR protocol and Amplify-and-Forward (AF model in delay-limited transmission scheme, we propose the closed-form expression of the outage probability and then calculate the optimal throughput. An important result can be taken obviously that the time fraction in TSR, the position of relay, the noise as well as the energy conversation impacting on the outage probability as well as the optimal throughput. By Monte Carlo simulation, the numerical results indicate an effective relaying strategy in full-duplex cooperative systems. Finally, we provide fundamental design guidelines for selecting time fraction in TSR that satisfies the requirements of a practical relaying system.
Toward distributed relay selection for opportunistic amplify-and-forward transmission

KAUST Repository

Tourki, Kamel

2011-05-01

Opportunistic relaying in cooperative communication depends on careful relay selection. However the traditional centralized method used for opportunistic Amplify-and-Forward (OAF) protocols requires precise measurements of channel state information (CSI) at the destination (CSI-OAF). In this paper, we propose a distributed relay selection framework for opportunistic AF (D-OAF) cooperative communications and offer an accurate performance analysis based on exact statistics of the local signalto- noise ratios of the best relay. Furthermore, we validate our analysis by showing that performance simulation results coincide with our analytical results over different network architectures, and we compare our new results with their CSI-based counterparts. © 2011 IEEE.
Spike and burst coding in thalamocortical relay cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fleur Zeldenrust

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Mammalian thalamocortical relay (TCR neurons switch their firing activity between a tonic spiking and a bursting regime. In a combined experimental and computational study, we investigated the features in the input signal that single spikes and bursts in the output spike train represent and how this code is influenced by the membrane voltage state of the neuron. Identical frozen Gaussian noise current traces were injected into TCR neurons in rat brain slices as well as in a validated three-compartment TCR model cell. The resulting membrane voltage traces and spike trains were analyzed by calculating the coherence and impedance. Reverse correlation techniques gave the Event-Triggered Average (ETA and the Event-Triggered Covariance (ETC. This demonstrated that the feature selectivity started relatively long before the events (up to 300 ms and showed a clear distinction between spikes (selective for fluctuations and bursts (selective for integration. The model cell was fine-tuned to mimic the frozen noise initiated spike and burst responses to within experimental accuracy, especially for the mixed mode regimes. The information content carried by the various types of events in the signal as well as by the whole signal was calculated. Bursts phase-lock to and transfer information at lower frequencies than single spikes. On depolarization the neuron transits smoothly from the predominantly bursting regime to a spiking regime, in which it is more sensitive to high-frequency fluctuations. The model was then used to elucidate properties that could not be assessed experimentally, in particular the role of two important subthreshold voltage-dependent currents: the low threshold activated calcium current (IT and the cyclic nucleotide modulated h current (Ih. The ETAs of those currents and their underlying activation/inactivation states not only explained the state dependence of the firing regime but also the long-lasting concerted dynamic action of the two
Flexible Use of Predictive Cues beyond the Orbitofrontal Cortex: Role of the Submedius Thalamic Nucleus.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcaraz, Fabien; Marchand, Alain R; Vidal, Elisa; Guillou, Alexandre; Faugère, Angélique; Coutureau, Etienne; Wolff, Mathieu

2015-09-23

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is known to play a crucial role in learning the consequences of specific events. However, the contribution of OFC thalamic inputs to these processes is largely unknown. Using a tract-tracing approach, we first demonstrated that the submedius nucleus (Sub) shares extensive reciprocal connections with the OFC. We then compared the effects of excitotoxic lesions of the Sub or the OFC on the ability of rats to use outcome identity to direct responding. We found that neither OFC nor Sub lesions interfered with the basic differential outcomes effect. However, more specific tests revealed that OFC rats, but not Sub rats, were disproportionally relying on the outcome, rather than on the discriminative stimulus, to guide behavior, which is consistent with the view that the OFC integrates information about predictive cues. In subsequent experiments using a Pavlovian contingency degradation procedure, we found that both OFC and Sub lesions produced a severe deficit in the ability to update Pavlovian associations. Altogether, the submedius therefore appears as a functionally relevant thalamic component in a circuit dedicated to the integration of predictive cues to guide behavior, previously conceived as essentially dependent on orbitofrontal functions. Significance statement: In the present study, we identify a largely unknown thalamic region, the submedius nucleus, as a new functionally relevant component in a circuit supporting the flexible use of predictive cues. Such abilities were previously conceived as largely dependent on the orbitofrontal cortex. Interestingly, this echoes recent findings in the field showing, in research involving an instrumental setup, an additional involvement of another thalamic nuclei, the parafascicular nucleus, when correct responding requires an element of flexibility (Bradfield et al., 2013a). Therefore, the present contribution supports the emerging view that limbic thalamic nuclei may contribute critically to

Thalamic involvement in the regulation of alpha EEG activity in psychiatric patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirazi, S.P.; Pakula, J.; Young, I.J.; Crayton, J.W.; Konopka, L.M.; Rybak, M.

2002-01-01

Aim: The thalamus is considered to be an important sub-cortical system involved in modulation of cortical activities. A relationship between thalamic activity and surface EEG was recently reported. In this study we evaluated a group of patients with psychiatric disorders who presented with asymmetric perfusion of the thalamus based on brain SPECT HMPAO studies. We predicted that asymmetrical activity of the thalamus would have asymmetrically distributed surface qEEG activity patterns. Materials and Methods: Twenty-three male psychiatric patients (age 54±14) with a primary diagnosis of depression and co-morbid substance abuse (83%) were studied with qEEG and HMPAO brain SPECT. The HMPAO ligand was administered while the EEG activity was being recorded. The SPECT analysis was conducted by means of ROI and SPM. ROI regions were determined based on the Talairach atlas coordinate system. ROI locations were verified by the automated utility, Talairach Demon. QEEG data was analyzed by a standardized protocol involving the NxLink database. Correlations between SPECT findings and qEEG absolute power were calculated. Results: Patients were divided into two groups based on thalamic perfusion patterns. Group 1 (Gr 1) had decreased perfusion to the right thalamus whereas Group 2 (Gr 2) had decreased perfusion to the left thalamus. SPM comparison of the patient groups to normal control subjects indicated significant findings. Comparison of Gr 1 to controls showed increased activity in the left temporal lobe and vermis. Decreased activity was observed in the left and right medial frontal lobes (right Brodmann 9;left Brodmann 6) as well as the left (Brodmann 30) and right (Brodmann 24) cingulate. Gr 2 comparison showed increased activity in the right middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann 10) and left inferior parietal lobe. Decreased activity was found in the left inferior frontal lobe (Brodmann 47). A positive correlation between alpha power and thalamic perfusion was identified in Gr
CT classification of small thalamic hemorrhages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawahara, Nobutaka; Kaneko, Mitsuo; Tanaka, Keisei; Muraki, Masaaki; Sato, Kengo

1984-01-01

The thalamus is located deep in the cerebral hemispheres, and most of its nuclei have reciprocal fiber connections with specific areas over the cerebral cortex. Localized lesions in the thalamus, therefore, can cause specific neurological deficits, depending on their locations. From this point of view, we reviewed 110 cases, admitted over the past 7 years, with thalamic hemorrhages 37 (34%) of which were small hematomas less than 2 cm in diameter. These small hematomas could be divided into 4 types depending on their locations as follows: antero-lateral type, postero-lateral type, medial type, and dorsal type. Each type had the peculiar clinical features described below: 1) Postero-lateral Type (PL type, 28 cases, 76%): The original symptom was a sudden onset of moderate to severe sensori-motor deficits in most cases. The patients were mostly alert or only slightly confused. 2) Antero-lateral Type (AL type, 4 cases, 11%): The patients of this type first presented with sensori-motor disturbance and prefrontal signs. Both were generally mild and often disappeared early. 3) Medial Type (M type, 3 cases, 8%): The main symptom at onset was either a disturbance of consciousness or dementia. 4) Dorsal Type (D type, 2 cases, 5%): One patient with a right thalamic hematoma of this type showed geographical agnosia and visuo-constructive apraxia. The other patient, with a left-sided hematoma, exhibited transient clumsiness of the right hand and mild dysphasia. In our experience, the above classification of small hematomas clearly delineated the clinical symptoms and neurological signs of the different types; therefore, the symptoms and signs in larger hematoma could be explained by a combination of those of each type. (J.P.N.)
Thalamic structures and associated cognitive functions: Relations with age and aging

Science.gov (United States)

Fama, Rosemary; Sullivan, Edith V.

2015-01-01

The thalamus, with its cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar connections, is a critical node in networks supporting cognitive functions known to decline in normal aging, including component processes of memory and executive functions of attention and information processing. The macrostructure, microstructure, and neural connectivity of the thalamus changes across the adult lifespan. Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have demonstrated, regional thalamic volume shrinkage and microstructural degradation, with anterior regions generally more compromised than posterior regions. The integrity of selective thalamic nuclei and projections decline with advancing age, particularly those in thalamofrontal, thalamoparietal, and thalamolimbic networks. This review presents studies that assess the relations between age and aging and the structure, function, and connectivity of the thalamus and associated neural networks and focuses on their relations with processes of attention, speed of information processing, and working and episodic memory. PMID:25862940
Use of Behavior and Influence Functions for Relay Selection in Cooperative Communications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Craciunescu, Razvan; Mihovska, Albena Dimitrova; Prasad, Ramjee

2015-01-01

This paper uses a novel set of functions to model the relay selection process in a scenario of cooperative wireless communications. We define a utility function that reflects the behavior and influence that a selected relay may have on the quality of the link to be established for the forwarding...... of data. The utility function takes into account also the strategies of other players. To this end, we define a relay selection game and a supporting Nash Equilibrium (NE) algorithm for the choice of a relay during communication. The successful selection of a relay is evaluated by simulations in terms...
CERN Relay Race

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2004-01-01

The CERN Relay Race will take place around the Meyrin site on Wednesday 19 May between 12.15 and 12.35. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20 minute period. If you do meet runners in your car, please STOP until they all have passed. Thank you for your understanding
CERN Relay Race

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2001-01-01

The CERN Relay Race will take place around the Meyrin site on Wednesday 23 May between 12:20 and 12:35. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 15 minute period. If you do meet runners in your car, please stop until they all have passed. Thank you for your understanding.
Two-way CSI-assisted AF relaying with HPA nonlinearity

KAUST Repository

Qi, Jian; Aissa, Sonia; Alouiniz, Mohamed-Slim

2015-01-01

In this paper, we investigate half-duplex two-way dual-hop channel state information (CSI)-assisted amplify-andforward (AF) relaying in the presence of high-power amplifier (HPA) nonlinearity at relays. The expression for the end-toend signal
CERN Relay Race

CERN Multimedia

Running Club

2010-01-01

This year’s CERN Relay Race will take place around the Meyrin site on Thursday 20th May at 12h00. This annual event is for teams of 6 runners covering distances of 1000m, 800m, 800m, 500m, 500m and 300m respectively. Teams may be entered in the Seniors, Veterans, Ladies, Mixed or Open categories. The registration fee is 10 CHF per runner, and each runner receives a souvenir prize. As usual, there will be a programme of entertainments from 12h in the arrival area, in front of the Restaurant no. 1. Drinks, food, CERN club information and music will be available for the pleasure of both runners and spectators. The race starts at 12h15, with results and prize giving at 13:15. For details of the race, and of how to sign up a team, please visit: https://espace.cern.ch/Running-Club/CERN-Relay The event is organised by the CERN Running Club with the support of the CERN Staff Association.
Energy-efficient cooperative protocols for full-duplex relay channels

KAUST Repository

Khafagy, Mohammad Galal

2013-12-01

In this work, energy-efficient cooperative protocols are studied for full-duplex relaying (FDR) with loopback interference. In these protocols, relay assistance is only sought under certain conditions on the different link outages to ensure effective cooperation. Recently, an energy-efficient selective decode-And-forward protocol was proposed for FDR, and was shown to outperform existing schemes in terms of outage. Here, we propose an incremental selective decode-And-forward protocol that offers additional power savings, while keeping the same outage performance. We compare the performance of the two protocols in terms of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio cumulative distribution function via closed-form expressions. Finally, we corroborate our theoretical results with simulation, and show the relative relay power savings in comparison to non-selective cooperation in which the relay cooperates regardless of channel conditions. © 2013 IEEE.
New results on performance analysis of opportunistic regenerative relaying

KAUST Repository

Tourki, Kamel

2013-12-01

In this paper, we investigate an opportunistic relaying scheme where the selected relay assists the source-destination (direct) communication. In our study, we consider a regenerative opportunistic relaying scheme in which the direct path may be unusable, and takes into account the effect of the possible erroneously detected and transmitted data at the selected relay. We first derive the signal-to-noise (SNR) statistics for each hop, which are used to determine accurate closed form expressions for end-to-end bit-error rate (BER) of binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation and end-to-end outage probability for a transmission rate R over Rayleigh fading channels. Furthermore, we evaluate the asymptotical performance and deduce the diversity order. Finally, we validate our analysis by showing that performance simulation results coincide with our analytical results over linear network architecture. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
Energy-efficient cooperative protocols for full-duplex relay channels

KAUST Repository

Khafagy, Mohammad Galal; Ismail, Amr; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Aï ssa, Sonia

2013-01-01

In this work, energy-efficient cooperative protocols are studied for full-duplex relaying (FDR) with loopback interference. In these protocols, relay assistance is only sought under certain conditions on the different link outages to ensure effective cooperation. Recently, an energy-efficient selective decode-And-forward protocol was proposed for FDR, and was shown to outperform existing schemes in terms of outage. Here, we propose an incremental selective decode-And-forward protocol that offers additional power savings, while keeping the same outage performance. We compare the performance of the two protocols in terms of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio cumulative distribution function via closed-form expressions. Finally, we corroborate our theoretical results with simulation, and show the relative relay power savings in comparison to non-selective cooperation in which the relay cooperates regardless of channel conditions. © 2013 IEEE.
Information-guided transmission in decode-and-forward relaying systems: Spatial exploitation and throughput enhancement

KAUST Repository

Yang, Yuli

2011-07-01

In addressing the issue of achieving high throughput in half-duplex relay channels, we exploit a concept of information-guided transmission for the network consisting of a source node, a destination node, and multiple half-duplex relay nodes. For further benefiting from multiple relay nodes, the relay-selection patterns are defined as the arbitrary combinations of given relay nodes. By exploiting the difference among the spatial channels states, in each relay-help transmission additional information to be forwarded is mapped onto the index of the active relay-selection pattern besides the basic information mapped onto the traditional constellation, which is forwarded by the relay node(s) in the active relay-selection pattern, so as to enhance the relay throughtput. With iterative decoding, the destination node can achieve a robust detection by decoupling the signals forwarded in different ways. We investigate the proposed scheme considering "decode-and-forward" protocol and establish its achievable transmission rate. The analytical results on capacity behaviors prove the efficiency of the proposed scheme by showing that it achieves better capacity performance than the conventional scheme. © 2011 IEEE.
Spatially Controlled Relay Beamforming

Science.gov (United States)

Kalogerias, Dionysios

This thesis is about fusion of optimal stochastic motion control and physical layer communications. Distributed, networked communication systems, such as relay beamforming networks (e.g., Amplify & Forward (AF)), are typically designed without explicitly considering how the positions of the respective nodes might affect the quality of the communication. Optimum placement of network nodes, which could potentially improve the quality of the communication, is not typically considered. However, in most practical settings in physical layer communications, such as relay beamforming, the Channel State Information (CSI) observed by each node, per channel use, although it might be (modeled as) random, it is both spatially and temporally correlated. It is, therefore, reasonable to ask if and how the performance of the system could be improved by (predictively) controlling the positions of the network nodes (e.g., the relays), based on causal side (CSI) information, and exploitting the spatiotemporal dependencies of the wireless medium. In this work, we address this problem in the context of AF relay beamforming networks. This novel, cyber-physical system approach to relay beamforming is termed as "Spatially Controlled Relay Beamforming". First, we discuss wireless channel modeling, however, in a rigorous, Bayesian framework. Experimentally accurate and, at the same time, technically precise channel modeling is absolutely essential for designing and analyzing spatially controlled communication systems. In this work, we are interested in two distinct spatiotemporal statistical models, for describing the behavior of the log-scale magnitude of the wireless channel: 1. Stationary Gaussian Fields: In this case, the channel is assumed to evolve as a stationary, Gaussian stochastic field in continuous space and discrete time (say, for instance, time slots). Under such assumptions, spatial and temporal statistical interactions are determined by a set of time and space invariant
Using the 5 P Relay in Task Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley, Paula Helen

2006-01-01

This article describes the 5 P Relay, a group exercise that can increase the effectiveness of task groups. The 5 P Relay is based on the principles and concepts of the Invitational Model, which emphasizes the importance of assessing the effectiveness or health of five aspects of an organization's environment: people, places, programs, processes,…
The findings of Tc-99m ECD brain perfusion SPECT in the patients with left anterior thalamic infarction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Y. A.; Kim, S. H.; Sohn, H. S.; Jeong, S. G. [The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2005-07-01

The thalamus has multiple connections with areas of the cerebral cortex involved in arousal and cognition. Thalamic damage has been reported to be associated with variable neuropsychological dysfunctions and dementia. This study evaluates the changes of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) by using SPM analysis of brain perfusion SPECT and examining the neuropsychological abnormalities of 4 patients with anterior thalamic infarctions. Four patients with left anterior thalamic infarctions and eleven normal controls were evaluated. K-MMSE and the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery were performed within 2 days after stroke. The normalized SPECT data of 4 patients were compared to those of 11 controls for the detection of areas with decreased rCBF by SPM analysis. All 4 patients showed anterograde amnesia in their verbal memory, which was not improved by recognition. Dysexecutive features were occasionally present, such as decreased word fluency and impaired Stroop test results. SPM analysis revealed decreased rCBF in the left supra marginal gyrus, the superior temporal gyrus, the middle and inferior frontal gyrus, the medial dorsal and anterior nucleus of the left thalamus. The changes of rCBF in patients with left anterior thalamic infarctions may be due to the remote suppression on metabolism by the interruption of the cortico-subcortical circuit, which connects the anterior thalamic nucleus and various cortical areas. The executive dysfunction and dysnomia may be caused by the left dorsolateral frontal dysfunction of the thalamo-cortical circuit. Anterograde amnesia with storage deficit may be caused by the disruption of mamillothalamic tract.
The findings of Tc-99m ECD brain perfusion SPECT in the patients with left anterior thalamic infarction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Y. A.; Kim, S. H.; Sohn, H. S.; Jeong, S. G.

2005-01-01

The thalamus has multiple connections with areas of the cerebral cortex involved in arousal and cognition. Thalamic damage has been reported to be associated with variable neuropsychological dysfunctions and dementia. This study evaluates the changes of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) by using SPM analysis of brain perfusion SPECT and examining the neuropsychological abnormalities of 4 patients with anterior thalamic infarctions. Four patients with left anterior thalamic infarctions and eleven normal controls were evaluated. K-MMSE and the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery were performed within 2 days after stroke. The normalized SPECT data of 4 patients were compared to those of 11 controls for the detection of areas with decreased rCBF by SPM analysis. All 4 patients showed anterograde amnesia in their verbal memory, which was not improved by recognition. Dysexecutive features were occasionally present, such as decreased word fluency and impaired Stroop test results. SPM analysis revealed decreased rCBF in the left supra marginal gyrus, the superior temporal gyrus, the middle and inferior frontal gyrus, the medial dorsal and anterior nucleus of the left thalamus. The changes of rCBF in patients with left anterior thalamic infarctions may be due to the remote suppression on metabolism by the interruption of the cortico-subcortical circuit, which connects the anterior thalamic nucleus and various cortical areas. The executive dysfunction and dysnomia may be caused by the left dorsolateral frontal dysfunction of the thalamo-cortical circuit. Anterograde amnesia with storage deficit may be caused by the disruption of mamillothalamic tract
77 FR 1039 - Internet-Based Telecommunications Relay Service Numbering

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-09

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 64 [WC Docket No. 10-191; Report No. 2939] Internet... toll-free numbers by users of Internet- based Telecommunications Relay Services (iTRS). DATES... any rules of particular applicability. Subject: Internet-Based Telecommunications Relay Service...
CERN Relay Race

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2003-01-01

The CERN Relay Race will take place around the Meyrin site on Wednesday May 21st between 12h15 and 12h35. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20 minute period. If you do meet runners in your car, please STOP until they all have passed. Thank you for your understanding
CERN Relay Race

CERN Document Server

2002-01-01

The CERN Relay Race will take place around the Meyrin site on Wednesday 22 May between 12h20 and 12h35. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 15 minute period. If you do meet runners in your car, please STOP until they all have passed. Thank you for your understanding.
Secrecy Capacity of a Class of Orthogonal Relay Eavesdropper Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aggarwal Vaneet

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The secrecy capacity of relay channels with orthogonal components is studied in the presence of an additional passive eavesdropper node. The relay and destination receive signals from the source on two orthogonal channels such that the destination also receives transmissions from the relay on its channel. The eavesdropper can overhear either one or both of the orthogonal channels. Inner and outer bounds on the secrecy capacity are developed for both the discrete memoryless and the Gaussian channel models. For the discrete memoryless case, the secrecy capacity is shown to be achieved by a partial decode-and-forward (PDF scheme when the eavesdropper can overhear only one of the two orthogonal channels. Two new outer bounds are presented for the Gaussian model using recent capacity results for a Gaussian multiantenna point-to-point channel with a multiantenna eavesdropper. The outer bounds are shown to be tight for two subclasses of channels. The first subclass is one in which the source and relay are clustered, and the eavesdropper receives signals only on the channel from the source and the relay to the destination, for which the PDF strategy is optimal. The second is a subclass in which the source does not transmit to the relay, for which a noise-forwarding strategy is optimal.

Secure Communication for Two-Way Relay Networks with Imperfect CSI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cong Sun

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper considers a two-way relay network, where two legitimate users exchange messages through several cooperative relays in the presence of an eavesdropper, and the Channel State Information (CSI of the eavesdropper is imperfectly known. The Amplify-and-Forward (AF relay protocol is used. We design the relay beamforming weights to minimize the total relay transmit power, while requiring the Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNRs of the legitimate users to be higher than the given thresholds and the achievable rate of the eavesdropper to be upper-bounded. Due to the imperfect CSI, a robust optimization problem is summarized. A novel iterative algorithm is proposed, where the line search technique is applied, and the feasibility is preserved during iterations. In each iteration, two Quadratically-Constrained Quadratic Programming (QCQP subproblems and a one-dimensional subproblem are optimally solved. The optimality property of the robust optimization problem is analyzed. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm performs very close to the non-robust model with perfect CSI, in terms of the obtained relay transmit power; it~achieves higher secrecy rate compared to the existing work. Numerically, the proposed algorithm converges very quickly, and more than 85% of the problems are solved optimally.
Design of Asymmetrical Relay Resonators for Maximum Efficiency of Wireless Power Transfer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo-Hee Choi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new design method of asymmetrical relay resonators for maximum wireless power transfer. A new design method for relay resonators is demanded because maximum power transfer efficiency (PTE is not obtained at the resonant frequency of unit resonator. The maximum PTE for relay resonators is obtained at the different resonances of unit resonator. The optimum design of asymmetrical relay is conducted by both the optimum placement and the optimum capacitance of resonators. The optimum placement is found by scanning the positions of the relays and optimum capacitance can be found by using genetic algorithm (GA. The PTEs are enhanced when capacitance is optimally designed by GA according to the position of relays, respectively, and then maximum efficiency is obtained at the optimum placement of relays. The capacitance of the second resonator to nth resonator and the load resistance should be determined for maximum efficiency while the capacitance of the first resonator and the source resistance are obtained for the impedance matching. The simulated and measured results are in good agreement.
Relay Placement for FSO Multihop DF Systems With Link Obstacles and Infeasible Regions

KAUST Repository

Zhu, Bingcheng

2015-05-19

Optimal relay placement is studied for free-space optical multihop communication with link obstacles and infeasible regions. An optimal relay placement scheme is proposed to achieve the lowest outage probability, enable the links to bypass obstacles of various geometric shapes, and place the relay nodes in specified available regions. When the number of relay nodes is large, the searching space can grow exponentially, and thus, a grouping optimization technique is proposed to reduce the searching time. We numerically demonstrate that the grouping optimization can provide suboptimal solutions close to the optimal solutions, but the average searching time linearly grows with the number of relay nodes. Two useful theorems are presented to reveal insights into the optimal relay locations. Simulation results show that our proposed optimization framework can effectively provide desirable solution to the problem of optimal relay nodes placement. © 2015 IEEE.
Semiconductor relay and its manufacture method. Handotai relay oyobi sono seizo hoho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, M

1993-06-01

The invention relates to a semiconductor relay in which a light emitting diode and a photovoltaic element are arranged in the opposite positions and connected with a light connection and aims to present a light transmission path to transmit input signals to the light emitting diode to the side of the photovoltaic element with a negligible light loss effectively. The invention presents a semiconductor relay, in which a light emitting diode loaded on the first lead frame and the light receiving part of the photovoltaic element to drive a MOSFET element loaded on the second lead frame and acting as a switch element are connected through an insulator tube with an opaque outer wall, and the interior of the insulator tube is filled with a transparent insulating filler, so that the invention affords a light transmission path without light leakage from the interior of the opaque insulator tube and with the stability in the form and no light loss. 3 figs.
Novel half-coherent receivers for amplify-and-forward relaying

KAUST Repository

Khan, Fahd Ahmed; Chen, Yunfei; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

Consider a system in which the signal is transmitted from the source to the destination via an amplify-and-forward relay. For such a system, we derive in this paper, novel receivers that have complete knowledge of either the source-relay link
Relay-aided multi-cell broadcasting with random network coding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lu, Lu; Sun, Fan; Xiao, Ming

2010-01-01

We investigate a relay-aided multi-cell broadcasting system using random network codes, where the focus is on devising efficient scheduling algorithms between relay and base stations. Two scheduling algorithms are proposed based on different feedback strategies; namely, a one-step scheduling...
A distinct boundary between the higher brain's susceptibility to ischemia and the lower brain's resistance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C Devin Brisson

Full Text Available Higher brain regions are more susceptible to global ischemia than the brainstem, but is there a gradual increase in vulnerability in the caudal-rostral direction or is there a discrete boundary? We examined the interface between `higher` thalamus and the hypothalamus the using live brain slices where variation in blood flow is not a factor. Whole-cell current clamp recording of 18 thalamic neurons in response to 10 min O2/glucose deprivation (OGD revealed a rapid anoxic depolarization (AD from which thalamic neurons do not recover. Newly acquired neurons could not be patched following AD, confirming significant regional thalamic injury. Coinciding with AD, light transmittance (LT imaging during whole-cell recording showed an elevated LT front that initiated in midline thalamus and that propagated into adjacent hypothalamus. However, hypothalamic neurons patched in paraventricular nucleus (PVN, n= 8 magnocellular and 12 parvocellular neurons and suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN, n= 18 only slowly depolarized as AD passed through these regions. And with return to control aCSF, hypothalamic neurons repolarized and recovered their input resistance and action potential amplitude. Moreover, newly acquired hypothalamic neurons could be readily patched following exposure to OGD, with resting parameters similar to neurons not previously exposed to OGD. Thalamic susceptibility and hypothalamic resilience were also observed following ouabain exposure which blocks the Na(+/K(+ pump, evoking depolarization similar to OGD in all neuronal types tested. Finally, brief exposure to elevated [K(+]o caused spreading depression (SD, a milder, AD-like event only in thalamic neurons so SD generation is regionally correlated with strong AD. Therefore the thalamus-hypothalamus interface represents a discrete boundary where neuronal vulnerability to ischemia is high in thalamus (like more rostral neocortex, striatum, hippocampus. In contrast hypothalamic neurons are
Thalamic deactivation at sleep onset precedes that of the cerebral cortex in humans

Science.gov (United States)

Magnin, Michel; Rey, Marc; Bastuji, Hélène; Guillemant, Philippe; Mauguière, François; Garcia-Larrea, Luis

2010-01-01

Thalamic and cortical activities are assumed to be time-locked throughout all vigilance states. Using simultaneous intracortical and intrathalamic recordings, we demonstrate here that the thalamic deactivation occurring at sleep onset most often precedes that of the cortex by several minutes, whereas reactivation of both structures during awakening is synchronized. Delays between thalamus and cortex deactivations can vary from one subject to another when a similar cortical region is considered. In addition, heterogeneity in activity levels throughout the cortical mantle is larger than previously thought during the descent into sleep. Thus, asynchronous thalamo-cortical deactivation while falling asleep probably explains the production of hypnagogic hallucinations by a still-activated cortex and the common self-overestimation of the time needed to fall asleep. PMID:20142493
Mutual Information of Buffer-Aided Full-Duplex Relay Channels

KAUST Repository

Shafie, Ahmed El

2017-04-09

We derive closed-form expressions for the achievable rates of a buffer-aided full-duplex (FD) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian relay channel. The FD relay still suffers from residual self-interference (RSI) after the application of self-interference mitigation techniques. We investigate both cases of a slow-RSI channel where the RSI is fixed over the entire codeword, and a fast-RSI channel where the RSI changes from one symbol duration to another within the codeword. We show that the RSI can be completely eliminated in the slow-RSI case when the FD relay is equipped with a buffer while the fast RSI cannot be eliminated. For the fixed-rate data transmission scenario, we derive the optimal transmission strategy that should be adopted by the source node and relay node to maximize the system throughput. We verify our analytical findings through simulations.
Mutual Information of Buffer-Aided Full-Duplex Relay Channels

KAUST Repository

Shafie, Ahmed El; Salem, Ahmed Sultan; Krikidis, Ioannis; Al-Dhahir, Naofal; Hamila, Ridha

2017-01-01

We derive closed-form expressions for the achievable rates of a buffer-aided full-duplex (FD) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian relay channel. The FD relay still suffers from residual self-interference (RSI) after the application of self-interference mitigation techniques. We investigate both cases of a slow-RSI channel where the RSI is fixed over the entire codeword, and a fast-RSI channel where the RSI changes from one symbol duration to another within the codeword. We show that the RSI can be completely eliminated in the slow-RSI case when the FD relay is equipped with a buffer while the fast RSI cannot be eliminated. For the fixed-rate data transmission scenario, we derive the optimal transmission strategy that should be adopted by the source node and relay node to maximize the system throughput. We verify our analytical findings through simulations.
Performance analysis of selective cooperation with fixed gain relays in Nakagami-m channels

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Syed Imtiaz; Hasna, Mazen Omar; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

Selecting the best relay using the maximum signal to noise ratio (SNR) among all the relays ready to cooperate saves system resources and utilizes the available bandwidth more efficiently compared to the regular all-relay cooperation. In this paper, we analyze the performance of the best relay selection scheme with fixed gain relays operating in Nakagami-. m channels. We first derive the probability density function (PDF) of upper bounded end-to-end SNR of the relay link. Using this PDF, we derive some key performance parameters for the system including average bit error probability and average channel capacity. The analytical results are verified through Monte Carlo simulations. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
Performance analysis of selective cooperation with fixed gain relays in Nakagami-m channels

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Syed Imtiaz

2012-09-01

Selecting the best relay using the maximum signal to noise ratio (SNR) among all the relays ready to cooperate saves system resources and utilizes the available bandwidth more efficiently compared to the regular all-relay cooperation. In this paper, we analyze the performance of the best relay selection scheme with fixed gain relays operating in Nakagami-. m channels. We first derive the probability density function (PDF) of upper bounded end-to-end SNR of the relay link. Using this PDF, we derive some key performance parameters for the system including average bit error probability and average channel capacity. The analytical results are verified through Monte Carlo simulations. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
[Motor neglect of thalamic origin: report on two cases (author's transl)].

Science.gov (United States)

Laplane, D; Escourolle, R; Degos, J D; Sauron, B; Massiou, H

1982-01-01

Two cases of thalamic lesions with motor neglect are presented. The syndrome of motor neglect was complete in those cases with a) underutilization of left limbs, but good utilization upon verbal orders, b) loss of placement reaction, c) weakness of movement when hand was approaching the target, d) weakness of motor reaction to nociceptive stimuli. Those cases confirm that motor neglect exists after thalamic lesions and bring pathologic clues for topographic discussion. Motor neglect seems to be a particular case of partial unilateral neglect throwing some doubt on the hypothesis of a global trouble of hemispheric activation. Prevalence of left motor neglects suggests some linkage between propositional motility and language. One may suppose that in the right hemisphere language is able to have a vicarious action when spontaneous activation is lost; at the opposite, in the left hemisphere language and motility would be too linked to let this dissociation be generally possible.
New resource allocation scheme for cognitive relay networks with opportunistic access

KAUST Repository

Zafar, Ammar

2012-06-01

In this paper, a new resource allocation scheme to minimize Symbol Error rate (SER) for relay assisted cognitive radio networks is studied. A cognitive relay network with amplify-and-forward (AF) fixed gain relays and opportunistic access to the licensed spectrum is considered. The SER objective function and the optimization constraints are derived first. The resource allocation algorithm is then derived using the Langrangian multiplier method. Closed form expressions are derived for the source and relay powers and, symbol time. Analytical results show that the optimal power allocation follows an extended water-filling solution. © 2012 IEEE.
Crossed cerebellar and uncrossed basal ganglia and thalamic diaschisis in Alzheimer's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akiyama, H.; Harrop, R.; McGeer, P.L.; Peppard, R.; McGeer, E.G.

1989-01-01

We detected crossed cerebellar as well as uncrossed basal ganglia and thalamic diaschisis in Alzheimer's disease by positron emission tomography (PET) using 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose. We studied a series of 26 consecutive, clinically diagnosed Alzheimer cases, including 6 proven by later autopsy, and compared them with 9 age-matched controls. We calculated asymmetry indices (AIs) of cerebral metabolic rate for matched left-right regions of interest (ROIs) and determined the extent of diaschisis by correlative analyses. For the Alzheimer group, we found cerebellar AIs correlated negatively, and thalamic AIs positively, with those of the cerebral hemisphere and frontal, temporal, parietal, and angular cortices, while basal ganglia AIs correlated positively with frontal cortical AIs. The only significant correlation of AIs for normal subjects was between the thalamus and cerebral hemisphere. These data indicate that PET is a sensitive technique for detecting diaschisis
The sequence relay selection strategy based on stochastic dynamic programming

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Rui; Chen, Xihao; Huang, Yangchao

2017-07-01

Relay-assisted (RA) network with relay node selection is a kind of effective method to improve the channel capacity and convergence performance. However, most of the existing researches about the relay selection did not consider the statically channel state information and the selection cost. This shortage limited the performance and application of RA network in practical scenarios. In order to overcome this drawback, a sequence relay selection strategy (SRSS) was proposed. And the performance upper bound of SRSS was also analyzed in this paper. Furthermore, in order to make SRSS more practical, a novel threshold determination algorithm based on the stochastic dynamic program (SDP) was given to work with SRSS. Numerical results are also presented to exhibit the performance of SRSS with SDP.
Channel allocation and rate adaptation for relayed transmission over correlated fading channels

KAUST Repository

Hwang, Kyusung; Hossain, Md Jahangir; Ko, Youngchai; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2009-01-01

at both the source and relay nodes, we develop an optimal channel allocation and rate adaptation policy for a dual-hop relayed transmission. As such the overall transmit power for the relayed system is minimized while a target packet dropping rate (PDR
Commercial grade item (CGI) dedication of MDR relays for nuclear safety related applications

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Ranjit K.; Julka, Anil; Modi, Govind

1994-08-01

MDR relays manufactured by Potter & Brumfield (P&B) have been used in various safety related applications in commercial nuclear power plants. These include emergency safety features (ESF) actuation systems, emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) actuation, and reactor protection systems. The MDR relays manufactured prior to May 1990 showed signs of generic failure due to corrosion and outgassing of coil varnish. P&B has made design changes to correct these problems in relays manufactured after May 1990. However, P&B does not manufacture the relays under any 10CFR50 Appendix B quality assurance (QA) program. They manufacture the relays under their commercial QA program and supply these as commercial grade items. This necessitates CGI Dedication of these relays for use in nuclear-safety-related applications. This paper presents a CGI dedication program that has been used to dedicate the MDR relays manufactured after been used to dedicate the MDR relays manufactured after May 1990. The program is in compliance with current Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) guidelines and applicable industry standards; it specifies the critical characteristics of the relays, provides the tests and analysis required to verify the critical characteristics, the acceptance criteria for the test results, performs source verification to quality P&B for its control of the critical characteristics, and provides documentation. The program provides reasonable assurance that the new MDR relays will perform their intended safety functions.
Cognitive Spectrum Efficient Multiple Access Technique using Relay Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frederiksen, Flemming Bjerge; Prasad, Ramjee

2007-01-01

Methods to enhance the use of the frequency spectrum by automatical spectrum sensing plus spectrum sharing in a cognitive radio technology context will be presented and discussed in this paper. Ideas to increase the coverage of cellular systems by relay channels, relay stations and collaborate...
Cooperative relay-based multicasting for energy and delay minimization

KAUST Repository

Atat, Rachad; Yaacoub, Elias E.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Abu-Dayya, Adnan A.

2012-01-01

mobiles. Two schemes are investigated. The first consists of the BS sending the data only to the relay, and the second scheme considers the scenario of threshold-based multicasting by the BS, where a relay is selected to transmit the data to the mobiles

Massive MIMO Relay Systems with Multipair Wireless Information and Power Transfer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongwu Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates destination-aided simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT for a decode-and-forward relay network, in which massive multiple-input multiple-output antennas are deployed at relay to assist communications among multiple source-destination pairs. During relaying, energy signals are emitted from multiple destinations when multiple sources are sending their information signals to relay. With power splitting and unlimited antennas at relay, asymptotic expression of harvested energy is derived. The analysis reveals that asymptotic harvested energy is independent of fast fading effect of wireless channels; meanwhile transmission powers of each source and destination can be scaled down inversely proportional to the number of relay antennas. To significantly reduce energy leakage interference and multipair interference, zero-forcing processing and maximum-ratio combing/maximum-ratio transmission are employed at relay. Fundamental trade-off between harvested energy and achievable sum rate is quantified. It is shown that asymptotic sum rate is neither convex nor concave with respect to power splitting and destination transmission power. Thus, a one-dimensional embedded bisection algorithm is proposed to jointly determine the optimal power splitting and destination transmission power. It shows that destination-aided SWIPT are beneficial for harvesting energy and increasing sum rate. The significant sum rate improvements of the proposed schemes are verified by numerical results.
CERN Relay Race: information for drivers

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

The CERN relay race will take place around the Meyrin site on Thursday, 24 May starting at 12.15. If possible, please avoid driving on the site during this 20-minute period. If you do meet runners while driving your car, please STOP until they have all passed. In addition, there will be a Nordic Walking event which will finish around 12.50. This should not block the roads, but please drive carefully during this time. Thank you for your cooperation. Details on how to register your team for the relay race can be found here.
Improved Relay Node Placement Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks Application in Wind Farm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Qinyin; Hu, Y.; Chen, Zhe

2013-01-01

-tolerance. Each wind turbine has a potentially large number of data points needing to be monitored and collected, as farms continue to increase in scale; distances between turbines can reach several hundred meters. Optimal placement of relays in a large farm requires an efficient algorithmic solution. A relay...... node placement algorithm is proposed in this paper to approximate the optimal position for relays connecting each turbine. However, constraints are then required to prevent relay nodes being overloaded in 3-dimensions. The algorithm is extended to 3-dimensional Euclidean space for this optimal relay...
Performance analysis of two-way amplify and forward relaying with adaptive modulation

KAUST Repository

Hwang, Kyusung

2009-09-01

In this paper, we study two-way amplify-and-forward relaying in conjunction with adaptive modulation over a multiple relay network. In order to keep the diversity order equal to the number of relays and maintain a low complexity, we consider the best relay selection scheme in this work. Based on the proposed selection criterion for the best relay, we analyze the average spectral efficiency by its approximated upper bound. In addition, we extend the proposed scheme to the case where a direct path between source and destination exists. Our numerical examples show that the proposed system offers a considerable gain in the spectral efficiency while satisfying the error rates requirements. ©2009 IEEE.
78 FR 21929 - Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standard; Notice of Compliance Filing

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-12

... Relay Loadability Reliability Standard; Notice of Compliance Filing Take notice that on February 19... Relay Loadability Reliability Standard, Order No. 733, 130 FERC ] 61,221 (2010) (Order No. 733); order..., 136 FERC ] 61,185 (2011). \\2\\ Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standard, 138 FERC ] 61,197...
78 FR 55249 - Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standard; Notice of Compliance Filing

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-10

...; RM11-16-000] Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standard; Notice of Compliance Filing Take.... \\1\\ Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standard, Order No. 733, 130 FERC ] 61, 221 (2010..., Order No. 733-B, 136 FERC ] 61,185 (2011). \\2\\ Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standard, 138...
Outage analysis for underlay relay-assisted cognitive networks

KAUST Repository

Tourki, Kamel; Qaraqe, Khalid A.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

Cooperative relay technology was recently introduced into cognitive radio networks in order to enhance network capacity, scalability, and reliability of end-to-end communication. In this paper, we investigate an underlay cognitive network where the quality of service of the secondary link is maintained by triggering an opportunistic regenerative relaying once it falls under an unacceptable level. We first provide the exact cumulative density function (CDF) of received signal-to-noise (SNR) over each hop with co-located relays. Then, the CDFs are used to determine very accurate closed-form expression for the outage probability for a transmission rate R. We validate our analysis by showing that simulation results coincide with our analytical results in Rayleigh fading channels. © 2012 IEEE.
Outage analysis for underlay relay-assisted cognitive networks

KAUST Repository

Tourki, Kamel

2012-12-01

Cooperative relay technology was recently introduced into cognitive radio networks in order to enhance network capacity, scalability, and reliability of end-to-end communication. In this paper, we investigate an underlay cognitive network where the quality of service of the secondary link is maintained by triggering an opportunistic regenerative relaying once it falls under an unacceptable level. We first provide the exact cumulative density function (CDF) of received signal-to-noise (SNR) over each hop with co-located relays. Then, the CDFs are used to determine very accurate closed-form expression for the outage probability for a transmission rate R. We validate our analysis by showing that simulation results coincide with our analytical results in Rayleigh fading channels. © 2012 IEEE.
Impaired visual short-term memory capacity is distinctively associated with structural connectivity of the posterior thalamic radiation and the splenium of the corpus callosum in preterm-born adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Menegaux, Aurore; Meng, Chun; Neitzel, Julia; Bäuml, Josef G; Müller, Hermann J; Bartmann, Peter; Wolke, Dieter; Wohlschläger, Afra M; Finke, Kathrin; Sorg, Christian

2017-04-15

Preterm birth is associated with an increased risk for lasting changes in both the cortico-thalamic system and attention; however, the link between cortico-thalamic and attention changes is as yet little understood. In preterm newborns, cortico-cortical and cortico-thalamic structural connectivity are distinctively altered, with increased local clustering for cortico-cortical and decreased integrity for cortico-thalamic connectivity. In preterm-born adults, among the various attention functions, visual short-term memory (vSTM) capacity is selectively impaired. We hypothesized distinct associations between vSTM capacity and the structural integrity of cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical connections, respectively, in preterm-born adults. A whole-report paradigm of briefly presented letter arrays based on the computationally formalized Theory of Visual Attention (TVA) was used to quantify parameter vSTM capacity in 26 preterm- and 21 full-term-born adults. Fractional anisotropy (FA) of posterior thalamic radiations and the splenium of the corpus callosum obtained by diffusion tensor imaging were analyzed by tract-based spatial statistics and used as proxies for cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical structural connectivity. The relationship between vSTM capacity and cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical connectivity, respectively, was significantly modified by prematurity. In full-term-born adults, the higher FA in the right posterior thalamic radiation the higher vSTM capacity; in preterm-born adults this FA-vSTM-relationship was inversed. In the splenium, higher FA was correlated with higher vSTM capacity in preterm-born adults, whereas no significant relationship was evident in full-term-born adults. These results indicate distinct associations between cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical integrity and vSTM capacity in preterm-and full-term-born adults. Data suggest compensatory cortico-cortical fiber re-organization for attention deficits after preterm delivery
Intrinsic electrical properties of mammalian neurons and CNS function: a historical perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Llinás, Rodolfo R.

2014-01-01

This brief review summarizes work done in mammalian neuroscience concerning the intrinsic electrophysiological properties of four neuronal types; Cerebellar Purkinje cells, inferior olivary cells, thalamic cells, and some cortical interneurons. It is a personal perspective addressing an interesting time in neuroscience when the reflex view of brain function, as the paradigm to understand global neuroscience, began to be modified toward one in which sensory input modulates rather than dictates brain function. The perspective of the paper is not a comprehensive description of the intrinsic electrical properties of all nerve cells but rather addresses a set of cell types that provide indicative examples of mechanisms that modulate brain function. PMID:25408634
INTRINSIC ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF MAMMALIAN NEURONS AND CNS FUNCTION: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodolfo R Llinas

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This brief review summarizes work done in mammalian neuroscience concerning the intrinsic electrophysiological properties of four neuronal types; Cerebellar Purkinje cells, inferior olivary cells, thalamic cells, and some cortical interneurons. It is a personal perspective addressing an interesting time in neuroscience when the reflex view of brain function, as the paradigm to understand global neuroscience, began to be modified towards one in which sensory input modulates rather than dictates brain function. The perspective of the paper is not a comprehensive description of the intrinsic electrical properties of all nerve cells but rather addresses a set of cell types that provide indicative examples of mechanisms that modulate brain function.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF COOPERATION SCHEMES IN EAVESDROPPER ASSISTED RELAY CHANNEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaibhav Kumar Gupta

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The prominence of the wireless communication has been urging the monotonically increasing demand of security and privacy. In wireless systems, the notion of perfect secrecy of information with respect to illegitimate nodes can be ensured via physical layer security (PLS techniques. Unfortunately, they can be made less effective if source- eavesdropper wiretap channel is better than the main source-receiver channel. The various node cooperation schemes can be employed to combat this limitation where a relay node assists the communication to improve the performance significantly. In this paper, a four node wireless communication system consisting of a source, a destination, a relay and an eavesdropper as wire-tapper has been considered. The performance of the traditional cooperation schemes in terms of secrecy rate has been investigated with a different scenario where relay node helps the eavesdropper to deteriorate the secrecy rate. In addition, since legitimate receiver can overhear the transmission of relay, it favours the achievable secrecy rate. We formulate an analytical expression of conditional secrecy outage probability for the investigated system. From the obtained simulation results, it has been observed that secrecy rate is monotonically increases with path loss index. Furthermore, the proper selection of the system parameters leads to enhance the secrecy performance of the system even if relay pertains to degrade the performance. Amplify-and-forward, cooperation, decode-and-Forward, secrecy rate, relay.
Relay selection in cooperative communication systems over continuous time-varying fading channel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ke Geng

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we study relay selection under outdated channel state information (CSI in a decode-and-forward (DF cooperative system. Unlike previous researches on cooperative communication under outdated CSI, we consider that the channel varies continuously over time, i.e., the channel not only changes between relay selection and data transmission but also changes during data transmission. Thus the level of accuracy of the CSI used in relay selection degrades with data transmission. We first evaluate the packet error rate (PER of the cooperative system under continuous time-varying fading channel, and find that the PER performance deteriorates more seriously under continuous time-varying fading channel than when the channel is assumed to be constant during data transmission. Then, we propose a repeated relay selection (RRS strategy to improve the PER performance, in which the forwarded data is divided into multiple segments and relay is reselected before the transmission of each segment based on the updated CSI. Finally, we propose a combined relay selection (CRS strategy which takes advantage of three different relay selection strategies to further mitigate the impact of outdated CSI.
Increased thalamic resting-state connectivity as a core driver of LSD-induced hallucinations.

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, F; Lenz, C; Dolder, P; Lang, U; Schmidt, A; Liechti, M; Borgwardt, S

2017-12-01

It has been proposed that the thalamocortical system is an important site of action of hallucinogenic drugs and an essential component of the neural correlates of consciousness. Hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD can be used to induce profoundly altered states of consciousness, and it is thus of interest to test the effects of these drugs on this system. 100 μg LSD was administrated orally to 20 healthy participants prior to fMRI assessment. Whole brain thalamic functional connectivity was measured using ROI-to-ROI and ROI-to-voxel approaches. Correlation analyses were used to explore relationships between thalamic connectivity to regions involved in auditory and visual hallucinations and subjective ratings on auditory and visual drug effects. LSD caused significant alterations in all dimensions of the 5D-ASC scale and significantly increased thalamic functional connectivity to various cortical regions. Furthermore, LSD-induced functional connectivity measures between the thalamus and the right fusiform gyrus and insula correlated significantly with subjective auditory and visual drug effects. Hallucinogenic drug effects might be provoked by facilitations of cortical excitability via thalamocortical interactions. Our findings have implications for the understanding of the mechanism of action of hallucinogenic drugs and provide further insight into the role of the 5-HT 2A -receptor in altered states of consciousness. © 2017 The Authors Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Hybrid reed: Solid-state devices are a new generation of protective relays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gurevich Vladimir

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Research and development in the field of electromechanical protective relays has not been conducted for tens of years. Author’s approach allows viewing the problem of re-equipment of relay protection in a new way. In the author’s opinion combination of reed switches with magnetic circuits and semiconductor elements opens new avenues in development of the promising protective relays featuring reliability, simplicity and low cost. Examples of protective relays made with these elements are given below.
Minimax robust relay selection based on uncertain long-term CSI

KAUST Repository

Nisar, Muhammad Danish; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2014-01-01

Cooperative communications via multiple relay nodes is known to provide the benefits of increase diversity and coverage. Simultaneous transmission via multiple relays, however, requires strong coordination between nodes either in terms of slot
On full duplex Gaussian relay channels with self-interference

KAUST Repository

Behboodi, Arash

2016-08-15

Self interference (SI) in full duplex (FD) systems is the interference caused by the transmission stream on the reception stream. Being one of the main restrictive factors for performance of practical full duplex systems, however, not too much is known about its effect on the fundamental limits of relaying systems. In this work, we consider the full duplex three-node relay channel with SI where SI is modeled as an additive Gaussian noise whose variance is dependent on instantaneous input power. The classical achievable rates and upper bounds for the single three-node relay channel no longer apply due to the structure of SI. Achievable rates for Decode-and-Forward (DF) and Compress-and-Forward (CF) and upper bounds on the capacity are derived assuming Gaussian inputs and SI. The deterministic model is also introduced and its capacity is characterized. The optimal joint source-relay distributions is discussed. Numerical results are provided comparing the achievable rates and upper bound. © 2016 IEEE.
Superimposed Training-Based Channel Estimation for MIMO Relay Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyan Xu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We introduce the superimposed training strategy into the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO amplify-and-forward (AF one-way relay network (OWRN to perform the individual channel estimation at the destination. Through the superposition of a group of additional training vectors at the relay subject to power allocation, the separated estimates of the source-relay and relay-destination channels can be obtained directly at the destination, and the accordance with the two-hop AF strategy can be guaranteed at the same time. The closed-form Bayesian Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB is derived for the estimation of two sets of flat-fading MIMO channel under random channel parameters and further exploited to design the optimal training vectors. A specific suboptimal channel estimation algorithm is applied in the MIMO AF OWRN using the optimal training sequences, and the normalized mean square error performance for the estimation is provided to verify the Bayesian CRLB results.
Selection combining for noncoherent decode-and-forward relay networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nguyen Ha

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract This paper studies a new decode-and-forward relaying scheme for a cooperative wireless network composed of one source, K relays, and one destination and with binary frequency-shift keying modulation. A single threshold is employed to select retransmitting relays as follows: a relay retransmits to the destination if its decision variable is larger than the threshold; otherwise, it remains silent. The destination then performs selection combining for the detection of transmitted information. The average end-to-end bit-error-rate (BER is analytically determined in a closed-form expression. Based on the derived BER, the problem of choosing an optimal threshold or jointly optimal threshold and power allocation to minimize the end-to-end BER is also investigated. Both analytical and simulation results reveal that the obtained optimal threshold scheme or jointly optimal threshold and power-allocation scheme can significantly improve the BER performance compared to a previously proposed scheme.
Novel half-coherent receivers for amplify-and-forward relaying

KAUST Repository

Khan, Fahd Ahmed

2012-06-01

Consider a system in which the signal is transmitted from the source to the destination via an amplify-and-forward relay. For such a system, we derive in this paper, novel receivers that have complete knowledge of either the source-relay link or the relay-destination link. These receivers are termed as, \\'half-coherent receivers\\' as they have channel-state-information (CSI) of only one of two links. These receivers can be very useful in a system in which only the relay can afford high complexity by having a channel estimation module and the destination is unable to support channel estimation or a system in which only the destination can afford higher complexity and includes the channel estimation module. The analytical bit-error-rate (BER) performances of the proposed receivers are derived for Rician fading. Numerical results show considerable performance gains of the new receivers, especially at low signal-to-noise ratio. © 2012 IEEE.

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