When to switch? Index policies for resource scheduling in emergency response

This paper considers the scheduling of limited resources to a large number of jobs (e.g., medical treatment) with uncertain lifetimes and service times, in the aftermath of a mass casualty incident. Jobs are subject to triage at time zero, and placed into a number of classes. Our goal is to maximise the expected number of job completions. We propose an effective yet simple index policy based on Whittle’s restless bandits approach. The problem concerned features a finite and uncertain time horizon that is dependent upon the service policy, which also determines the decision epochs. Moreover, the number of job classes still competing for service diminishes over time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of Whittle’s index policies to such problems. Two versions of Lagrangian relaxation are proposed in order to decompose the problem. The first is a direct extension of the standard Whittle’s restless bandits approach, while in the second the total number of job classes still competing for service is taken into account; the latter is shown to generalise the former. We prove the indexability of all job classes in the Markovian case, and develop closed-form indices. Extensive numerical experiments show that the second proposal outperforms the first one (that fails to capture the dynamics in the number of surviving job classes, or bandits) and produces more robust and consistent results as compared to alternative heuristics suggested from the literature, even in non-Markovian settings

Circ_0001955 promotes the progression of non-small cell lung cancer via miR-769-5p/EGFR axis

To elaborate on the role of circular RNA 0001955 (circ_0001955) on the proliferation and apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and its underlying mechanism. Circ_0001955 expression in NSCLC was screened out through bioinformatics analysis based on GEO database. Circ_0001955, microRNA-769-5p (miR-769-5p), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in NSCLC tissues and cell lines was examined using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were examined using the CCK-8 method, BrdU experiment and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. Bioinformatics prediction, dual-luciferase reporter gene experiment and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) experiments were applied to validate the targeting relationship between miR-769-5p and circ_0001955 and the 3’ UTR of EGFR. Pearson’s correlation analysis was employed to validate the correlations among them. Circ_0001955 expression was up-regulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, and its overexpression was strongly associated with increased tumor TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Circ_0001955 overexpression enhanced the proliferation and restrained the apoptosis in NSCLC cells, whereas knocking down circ_0001955 exerted the opposite effects. Circ_0001955 directly targeted miR-769-5p and negatively regulated its expression. EGFR, a target gene of miR-769-5p, could be indirectly and positively regulated by circ_0001955. Correlation analysis indicated that circ_0001955 was negatively correlated with miR-769-5p expression, while circ_0001955 was positively correlated with EGFR expression. Circ_0001955 facilitates the proliferation and represses the apoptosis of NSCLC cells by modulating miR-769-5p/EGFR axis.</p

Additional file 1 of LPS-inducible circAtp9b is highly expressed in osteoporosis and promotes the apoptosis of osteoblasts by reducing the formation of mature miR-17-92a

Additional file 1: Figure S1. The role of circAtp9b siRNA silencing in the apoptosis of osteoblasts. CircAtp9b siRNA silencing was also achieved in osteoblasts (A). Cell apoptosis after 10 μg/ml LPS treatment was also analyzed (B). *, p < 0.05

MOESM22 of Identification and characterization of genes frequently responsive to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Magnaporthe oryzae infections in rice

Additional file 22: Table S19. The distribution of the INTERPRO annotations of the up-regulated genes by Mor in the rice microarray data

When to switch? Index policies for resource scheduling in emergency response

This paper considers the scheduling of limited resources to a large number of jobs (e.g., medical treatment) with uncertain lifetimes and service times, in the aftermath of a mass casualty incident. Jobs are subject to triage at time zero, and placed into a number of classes. Our goal is to maximise the expected number of job completions. We propose an effective yet simple index policy based on Whittle’s restless bandits approach. The problem concerned features a finite and uncertain time horizon that is dependent upon the service policy, which also determines the decision epochs. Moreover, the number of job classes still competing for service diminishes over time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of Whittle’s index policies to such problems. Two versions of Lagrangian relaxation are proposed in order to decompose the problem. The first is a direct extension of the standard Whittle’s restless bandits approach, while in the second the total number of job classes still competing for service is taken into account; the latter is shown to generalise the former. We prove the indexability of all job classes in the Markovian case, and develop closed-form indices. Extensive numerical experiments show that the second proposal outperforms the first one (that fails to capture the dynamics in the number of surviving job classes, or bandits) and produces more robust and consistent results as compared to alternative heuristics suggested from the literature, even in non-Markovian settings

MOESM12 of Identification and characterization of genes frequently responsive to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Magnaporthe oryzae infections in rice

Additional file 12: Table S9. The distribution of the molecular functions of the up-regulated genes by Xoo in the rice microarray data

MOESM9 of Identification and characterization of genes frequently responsive to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Magnaporthe oryzae infections in rice

Additional file 9: Table S6. The distribution of the cellular component ontology for the down-regulated genes by Xoo in the rice microarray data

MOESM19 of Identification and characterization of genes frequently responsive to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Magnaporthe oryzae infections in rice

Additional file 19: Table S16. The distribution of the molecular functions of the down-regulated genes by Mor in the rice microarray data

MOESM25 of Identification and characterization of genes frequently responsive to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Magnaporthe oryzae infections in rice

Additional file 25: Table S22. The putative DRRG/DSRGs of the down-regulated genes identified from the rice microarray data infected by Xoo

MOESM21 of Identification and characterization of genes frequently responsive to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Magnaporthe oryzae infections in rice

Additional file 21: Table S18. The distribution of the INTERPRO annotations of the down-regulated genes by Xoo in the rice microarray data