Analyzing and Modeling Real-World Phenomena with Complex Networks: A Survey of Applications

The success of new scientific areas can be assessed by their potential for contributing to new theoretical approaches and in applications to real-world problems. Complex networks have fared extremely well in both of these aspects, with their sound theoretical basis developed over the years and with a variety of applications. In this survey, we analyze the applications of complex networks to real-world problems and data, with emphasis in representation, analysis and modeling, after an introduction to the main concepts and models. A diversity of phenomena are surveyed, which may be classified into no less than 22 areas, providing a clear indication of the impact of the field of complex networks.Comment: 103 pages, 3 figures and 7 tables. A working manuscript, suggestions are welcome

Dedifferentiation of rat mammary myoepithelial-like cell lines after passage in vivo or cloning in vitro

Myoepithelial-like cell lines from normal mammary glands of neonatal Ludwig Wistar rats, rat mammary (Rama) 401 and Rama 704E, were injected into fat pads of syngeneic animals or were single-cell cloned in vitro. Rama 401 produced tumors that were predominantly composed of elongated cells, while the subclones of both cell lines yielded multilayered structures of elongated cells when grown on floating 0.3% collagen gels in vitro. Immunocytochemical analysis of histologic sections for markers of myoepithelial cells revealed that anti-actin-myosin and human keratin sera failed to stain the Rama 401 tumor cells or subclones of both cell lines on collagen gels, but both were stained with antilaminin serum. Immunofluorescent analysis of cultures of Rama 401 tumors showed that the resulting elongated cells failed to stain with antikeratin serum, but abundant staining was observed with antilaminin and antivimentin sera, as in the tumors. Ultrastructural analysis of the Rama 401 tumor cells identified intermediate junctions and extracellular basement membrane-like material in the vicinity of plasma membrane-associated pinocytotic vesicles, but neither true desmosomes nor myofilamental bundles were observed. Thus growth of rat mammary myoepithelial-like cells as tumors in syngeneic animals or as subclones in vitro can lead to selective loss of myofilaments and prekeratin-containing intermediate filaments. Similar relatively undifferentiated elongated cells may be responsible for some of the cellular heterogeneity observed in certain carcinogen-induced rat mammary tumors

Managing and coping with organizational failure: introduction to the special issue

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