Properties and Performance of the ABCDe Random Graph Model with Community Structure

In this paper, we investigate properties and performance of synthetic random graph models with a built-in community structure. Such models are important for evaluating and tuning community detection algorithms that are unsupervised by nature. We propose ABCDe, a multi-threaded implementation of the ABCD (Artificial Benchmark for Community Detection) graph generator. We discuss the implementation details of the algorithm and compare it with both the previously available sequential version of the ABCD model and with the parallel implementation of the standard and extensively used LFR (Lancichinetti--Fortunato--Radicchi) generator. We show that ABCDe is more than ten times faster and scales better than the parallel implementation of LFR provided in NetworKit. Moreover, the algorithm is not only faster but random graphs generated by ABCD have similar properties to the ones generated by the original LFR algorithm, while the parallelized NetworKit implementation of LFR produces graphs that have noticeably different characteristics.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, 1 tabl

Knowledge of medical students on the use of opioids in the management of pain in patients receiving palliative care

Introduction. Pre- and post-graduate education, provided for many years, has quite significantly changedthe perception of the role of opioids in the treatment of patients with pain, mainly chronic pain. However,research on the knowledge of students on opioids has not been conducted, which makes it difficult toimplement desired changes in educational programmes. The aim of the paper was to evaluate the knowledgeof medical students on selected opioid drugs: tramadol, buprenorphine and oxycodone, based ona survey filled in after one-week classes in palliative medicine and pain management.Respondents and methods. The study included 140 fourth-year students of medicine at the University ofMedical Sciences in Poznań who completed one-week classes in palliative medicine and pain management.Their knowledge on opioid analgesics was checked using an anonymous survey that included 7 statements.Results. Students demonstrated better knowledge in statements regarding theoretical aspects of the useof specific opioids and their mechanisms of action. The percentage of correct answers in the group ofstatements concerning the availability of specific opioid analgesics was much lower, which confirms thatthey have less knowledge in this area.Conclusions. Paying attention to the characteristics of specific opioids should improve the individual selection,effectiveness and safety of treatment. Better knowledge on pain management among students,doctors and the general public may dispel their concerns about using opioid analgesics as well as increasethe effectiveness of pain management and improve the quality of life of patients with cancer and chronicpain in palliative care