Computation Offloading and User-Clustering Game in Multi-Channel Cellular Networks for Mobile Edge Computing.

Mobile devices may use mobile edge computing to improve energy efficiency and responsiveness by offloading computation tasks to edge servers. However, the transmissions of mobile devices may result in interference that decreases the upload rate and prolongs transmission delay. Clustering has been shown as an effective approach to improve the transmission efficiency for dense devices, but there is no distributed algorithm for the optimization of clustering and computation offloading. In this work, we study the optimization problem of computation offloading to minimize the energy consumption of mobile devices in mobile edge computing by adaptively clustering devices to improve the transmission efficiency. To address the optimization problem in a distributed manner, the decision problem of clustering and computation offloading for mobile devices is formulated as a potential game. We introduce the construction of the potential game and show the existence of Nash equilibrium in the game with a finite enhancement ability. Then, we propose a distributed algorithm of clustering and computation offloading based on game theory. We conducted a simulation to evaluate the proposed algorithm. The numerical results from our simulation show that our algorithm can improve offloading efficiency for mobile devices in mobile edge computing by improving transmission efficiency. By offloading more tasks to edge servers, both the energy efficiency of mobile devices and the responsiveness of computation-intensive applications can be improved simultaneously.

Association of LncRNA-GAS5 gene polymorphisms and PBMC LncRNA-GAS5 level with risk of systemic lupus erythematosus in Chinese population.

Growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5) is a kind of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Previous studies showed that down-regulation of LncRNA-GAS5 was involved in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the regulatory mechanism of down-expressed LncRNA-GAS5 in SLE remains obscure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of LncRNA-GAS5 polymorphism with SLE risk. And further explore how LncRNA-GAS5 is involved in the occurrence of SLE. Here, we evaluated the relationship between the risk for the development of SLE and the 5-base pair (AGGCA/-) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism (rs145204276) in the LncRNA-GAS5 promoter region. A custom 36-Plex SNPscan kit was used for genotyping the LncRNA-GAS5 polymorphisms. The LncRNA-GAS5 and miR-21 target prediction was performed using bioinformatics software. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) were performed to assess GAS5 and miR-21 mRNA expression and PTEN protein expression. The results revealed that rs145204276 resulted in a decreased risk of SLE (DD genotypes vs II genotypes: adjusted OR = 0.538, 95% CI, 0.30-0.97, P = .039; ID genotypes vs II genotypes: adjusted OR = 0.641, 95% CI, 0.46-0.89, P = .007; ID/DD genotypes vs II genotypes: adjusted OR = 0.621, 95% CI, 0.46-0.84, P = .002; D alleles vs I alleles: adjusted OR = 0.680, 95% CI, 0.53-0.87, P = .002). A reduced incidence of renal disorders in SLE was found to be related to ID/DD genotypes and D alleles (ID/DD genotypes vs II genotypes: OR = 0.57, 95% CI, 0.36-0.92, P = .020; D alleles vs I alleles: OR = 0.63, 95% CI, 0.43-0.93, P = .019). However, no significant association of rs2235095, rs6790, rs2067079 and rs1951625 polymorphisms with SLE risk was observed (P > .05). Additionally, haplotype analysis showed that a decreased SLE risk resulted from the A-A-C-G-D haplotype (OR = 0.67, 95% CI, 0.49-0.91, P = .010). Also, patients in the SLE group showed a down-regulated expression of LncRNA-GAS5 and PTEN than the healthy volunteers; however, patients with rs145204276 ID/DD genotypes showed up-regulated expression of LncRNA-GAS5 and PTEN compared with patients carrying the II genotype. Furthermore, the miR-21 levels were considerably up-regulated in the SLE group than the healthy volunteers, and patients with rs145204276 ID/DD genotype had lower miR-21 levels than the ones with the II genotype. Thus, we found that the LncRNA-GAS5/miR-21/PTEN signalling pathway was involved in the development of SLE, where LncRNA-GAS5 acted as an miR-21 target, and miR-21 regulated the expression of PTEN. These findings indicated that the rs145204276 ID/DD genotypes in the LncRNA-GAS5 gene promoter region may be protected against SLE by up-regulating the expression of LncRNA-GAS5, which consecutively regulated miR-21 and PTEN levels.

[A method of marking neurons on brain slices using patch clamp technique].

Objective: To introduce a method of marking neurons using patch clamp technique. Methods: The brain slices of the target area was cut with a vibrating microtome. The glass microelectrode was perfused with the electrode liquid containing NeurobiotinTM Tracer, and the whole-cell patch-clamp recording was performed. After recording, the brain slices were fixed and rinsed with 4% paraformaldehyde. After stained in phosphate buffer with Streptavidin-Texas Red and Triton X-100 for at least 2 hours, the neurons can be observed under a fluorescence microscope. Results: The cell membrane voltage was clamped at -70 mV, and the neuron showed a gradually increasing membrane current after step stimulation. When recording in the current clamp mode, the step stimulus caused the neuron to depolarize to the threshold potential and then burst into action potentials. The morphology of intact neurons with clear cell body and protrusions of a neuron could be observed under a fluorescence microscope. Conclusion: This method is suitable for observing the morphological features of the recorded neuron after patch clamp experiments, which is easy to operate, and the image is intuitive and clear.