AFAR: adaptive fuzzy ant-based routing for communication networks

We propose a novel approach called adaptive fuzzy ant-based routing （AFAR）, where a group of intelligent agents （or ants） builds paths between a pair of nodes, exploring the network concurrently and exchanging obtained information to update the routing tables. Routing decisions can be made by the fuzzy logic technique based on local information about the current network state and the knowledge constructed by a previous set of behaviors of other agents. The fuzzy logic technique allows multiple constraints such as path delay and path utilization to be considered in a simple and intuitive way. Simulation tests show that AFAR outperforms OSPF, AntNet and ASR, three of the currently most important state-of-the-art algorithms, in terms of end-to-end delay, packet delivery, and packet drop ratio. AFAR is a promising alternative for routing of data in next generation networks.     

A review of empirical studies of social media on language learners’ willingness to communicate

Education and Information Technologies - Many studies have explored educational and pedagogical affordances of social media, but few studies have investigated their impact on emotional and...     

Use of Reference in the Narratives of Kurdish-Persian Bilingual Children

This study investigates some of the differences and similarities between Kurdish-Persian bilinguals and Persian monolinguals with respect to the use of referring expressions in spoken narratives. The narratives were elicited from 36 participants, consisting of 24 bilinguals （Groups l and 2） and 12 monolinguals （Group 3） in the first four grades of primary school using picture narrative book. The results have revealed that Group 1 （bilinguals told the story in Kurdish） used definite noun phrases most frequently followed by zero anaphors, indefinite noun phrases, and pronouns. Group 2 who narrated the story in Persian produced definite nouns most frequently followed by pronouns, zero anaphors, and indefinite noun phrases. Group 3 （Persian monolinguals） employed definite noun phrases most frequently followed by zero anaphors, pronouns, and indefinite noun phrases. The significant difference between Groups 1 and 2 and Groups 2 and 3 has been in indefinite noun phrases and between Groups 1 and 3 in the use of pronouns. One reason is that children universally apply similar strategies regardless of their first language （L l）. The conclusion is that some of the differences are due to the difference in the structure between Persian and the dialects of Kurdish.     

Preparation,Characterization and Cytotoxic Effects of Pegylated Nanoliposomal Containing Carboplatin on Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines

Carboplatin is a chemotherapeutic agent used against various malignancies such as ovarian carcinoma. The aim of this study is to improve the therapeutic efficacy of carboplatin using pegylated liposomal nanocarriers. Nanoparticles were synthesized using thin film hydration technique and characterized for shape morphology, particle size, zeta potential and drug-release properties. In the next step, A2780S and A2780CP ovarian cancer cell lines were used to determine the efficacy of nanodrug by MTT assay. The particle size and zeta potential of nanodrug were measured 244.3 ± 19.6 nm and ?22.9 ± 1.7 mV, respectively. High encapsulation capacity (78.6 ± 3.7 %) confirmed the efficiency of technique. The cytotoxicity results also showed that nanodrug compared to free drug improve the efficacy of carboplatin against both A2780S (P < 0.01) and A2780CP (P < 0.05) cell lines. In conclusion, the findings of our study suggested pegylated liposomal nanocarriers are proper for carboplatin delivery to ovarian cancer cell lines A2780S and A2780CP.