Critical size of ego communication networks

With the help of information and communication technologies, studies on the overall social networks have been extensively reported recently. However, investigations on the directed Ego Communication Networks (ECNs) remain insufficient, where an ECN stands for a sub network composed of a centralized individual and his/her direct contacts. In this paper, the directed ECNs are built on the Call Detail Records (CDRs), which cover more than 7 million people of a provincial capital city in China for half a year. Results show that there is a critical size for ECN at about 150, above which the average emotional closeness between ego and alters drops, the balanced relationship between ego and network collapses, and the proportion of strong ties decreases. This paper not only demonstrate the significance of ECN size in affecting its properties, but also shows accordance with the "Dunbar's Number". These results can be viewed as a cross-culture supportive evidence to the well-known Social Brain Hypothesis (SBH).Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

The Analysis of the Properties of Bus Network Topology in Beijing Basing on Complex Networks

The transport network structure plays a crucial role in transport dynamics. To better understand the property of the bus network in big city and reasonably configure the bus lines and transfers, this paper seeks to take the bus network of Beijing as an example and mainly use space L and space P to analyze the network topology properties. The approach is applied to all the bus lines in Beijing which includes 722 lines and 5421 bus station. In the first phase of the approach, space L is used. The results show that the bus network of Beijing is a scale-free network and the degree of more than 99 percent of nodes is lower than 10. The results also show that the network is an assortative network with 46 communities. In a second phase, space P is used to analyze the property of transfer. The results show that the average transfer time of Beijing bus network which is 1.88 and 99.8 percent of arbitrary two pair nodes is reachable within 4 transfers

Ammonium 2-(2,4-dichloro­phen­oxy)acetate hemihydrate

The title compound, NH4 +·C8H7Cl2O6 −·0.5H2O, was prepared by the reaction of 2-(2,4-dichloro­phen­oxy)­acetic acid and ammonia in water at 367 K. The mol­ecular structure and packing are stabilized by N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O inter­molecular hydrogen-bond inter­actions

Research on Public Transit Network Hierarchy Based on Residential Transit Trip Distance

To the problem of being lack of transit network hierarchy theory, a research on public transit network hierarchy optimization based on residential transit trip distance is conducted. Firstly, the hierarchy standard of transit network is given, in addition, both simulating electron cloud model and Rayleigh distribution model are used to fit the residential transit trip distance. Secondly, from the view of balance between supply and demand, the hierarchy step of transit network based on residential transit trip distance is proposed. Then, models of transit’s supply turnover and demand turnover are developed. Finally, the method and models are applied into transit network optimization of Baoding, Hebei, China

Identification of biomarkers and mechanisms of diabetic cardiomyopathy using microarray data

Background: The study aimed to uncover the regulation mechanisms of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and provide novel prognostic biomarkers. Methods: The dataset GSE62203 downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database was utilized in the present study. After pretreatment using the Affy package, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by the limma package, followed by functional enrichment analysis and protein– protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. Furthermore, module analysis was conducted using MCODE plug-in of Cytoscape, and functional enrichment analysis was also performed for genes in the modules. Results: A set of 560 DEGs were screened, mainly enriched in the metabolic process and cell cycle related process. Hub nodes in the PPI network were LDHA (lactate dehydrogenase A), ALDOC (aldolase C, fructose-bisphosphate) and ABCE1 (ATP Binding Cassette Subfamily E Member 1), which were also highlighted in Module 1 or Module 2 and predominantly enriched in the processes of glycolysis and ribosome biogenesis. Additionally, LDHA were linked with ALDOC in the PPI network. Besides, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) was prominent in Module 3; while myosin heavy chain 6 (MYH6) was highlighted in Module 4 and was mainly involved in muscle cells related biological processes. Conclusions: Five potential biomarkers including LDHA, ALDOC, ABCE1, ATF4 and MYH6 were identified for DCM prognosis

The impact of COVID-19 on the cascade of care of HCV in the US and China

COVID-19 pandemic; Direct-acting antivirals; TelemedicinePandemia de COVID-19; Antivirales de acción directa; TelemedicinaPandèmia del Covid-19; Antivirals d'acció directa; TelemedicinaAbstract Background and objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic imperiled the global health system. We aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on the care continuum of HCV-infected patients. Material and Methods: Two hundred and fifty-six patients who were prescribed a course of DAA therapy at three tertiary medical centers in the US and China between January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 were included. We assessed the proportions of patients who completed DAA therapy and had HCV RNA testing during and after the end of therapy. We also assessed the impact of utilization of telemedicine. Results: The proportion of patients undergoing HCV RNA testing during DAA treatment decreased from >81.7% before pandemic to 67.8% during the pandemic (P=0.006), with a more prominent decrease in the US. There were significant decreases in HCV RNA testing >12 (P20 weeks (P<0.001) post-treatment during COVID-19 era. Compared to pre-COVID period, post-treatment clinic encounters during COVID-19 era decreased significantly in China (Xi'an: 13.6% to 7.4%; Nanjing: 16.7% to 12.5%) but increased in the US (12.5% to 16.7%), mainly due to the use of telemedicine. There was a 4-fold increase in utilization of telemedicine in the US. Conclusions: COVID-19 pandemic carried profound impact on care for HCV patients in both the US and China. HCV cure rate assessment decreased by half during COVID era but the proportion of patients finishing DAA therapy was not significantly affected. Increased utilization of telemedicine led to increased compliance with DAA therapy but did not encourage patients to have their laboratory assessment for HCV cure.None