Extreme events and event size fluctuations in biased random walks on networks

Random walk on discrete lattice models is important to understand various types of transport processes. The extreme events, defined as exceedences of the flux of walkers above a prescribed threshold, have been studied recently in the context of complex networks. This was motivated by the occurrence of rare events such as traffic jams, floods, and power black-outs which take place on networks. In this work, we study extreme events in a generalized random walk model in which the walk is preferentially biased by the network topology. The walkers preferentially choose to hop toward the hubs or small degree nodes. In this setting, we show that extremely large fluctuations in event-sizes are possible on small degree nodes when the walkers are biased toward the hubs. In particular, we obtain the distribution of event-sizes on the network. Further, the probability for the occurrence of extreme events on any node in the network depends on its 'generalized strength', a measure of the ability of a node to attract walkers. The 'generalized strength' is a function of the degree of the node and that of its nearest neighbors. We obtain analytical and simulation results for the probability of occurrence of extreme events on the nodes of a network using a generalized random walk model. The result reveals that the nodes with a larger value of 'generalized strength', on average, display lower probability for the occurrence of extreme events compared to the nodes with lower values of 'generalized strength'

Dichromacy: Color Vision Impairment and Consanguinity in Heterogenous Population of Pakistan

Background and Objectives: Dichromacy, an X-linked recessive disorder is identified worldwide, more in males than females. In European Caucasians, its incidence is 8% in males and 0.5% in females. In India, it is 8.73% in males and 1.69% in females, and in Iran, it is 8.18% in males and 0.43% in females. Population based epidemiological data about dichromacy in different ethnic groups in Pakistan is not available. The aim of this study was to find out the population prevalence of inherited red-green dichromacy in a heterogenous population of the district of Chiniot, Punjab, Pakistan, and to determine the impact of consanguinity and ethnicity. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, boys and girls of the higher secondary schools were examined in the three tehsils of district Chiniot. Pseudoisochromatic Ishihara Test has been employed for detection of dichromacy in the study population. The sample size was calculated statistically as 260, which was expanded to 705 and divided by population density of the three tehsils. Results: Screening of 359 males and 346 females revealed 19 (5.29%) dichromat males and only 2 (0.58%) females. The study population belonged to 23 castes / isonym groups. The consanguinity found in the district of Chiniot is 84.82% and in the dichromat families, it is 85.71%, of which 52.37% are first cousin. Interpretation & Conclusion: The study has shown that the incidence of dichromacy could be reduced through genetic counselin

Phytotherapy for the treatment of Glioblastoma: a review

Background: Phytotherapy; the study of extracts of natural origin in the treatment of disease, has scarcely been applied in the management of GBM. A body of literature exists studying in-vitro, the use of natural extracts against GBM cells. Given persisting poor prognoses, we evaluated, through systematic literature-review the therapeutic potential of naturally sourced extracts in-vivo. Methods: Using OVID, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched with compound search term. Abstracts and full-texts were double-screened by independent reviewers. Results: Nine hundred and eighty-seven articles, excluding duplicated were screened, leading to the inclusion of 14. Amongst murine studies, Ashwagandha, Coptis Chinensis and Fructus Ligustri Lucidi in unprocessed forms, produced significant reductions in tumour volume. Amongst human studies, Perrilyl alcohol, derived from Lavender, reduced angiogenic cytokines in 31% of subjects, halted 6 month disease progression in 48.2% of subjects, and improved mean survival by 4.9 months in separate studies, respectively. Conclusion: Although cursory, current trends in literature demonstrate the value of inhaled Lavender extract in the treatment of GBM, offering tangible clinical benefit to patients receiving conventional treatments. Furthermore, the administration of 8, discrete extracts in mice to produce significant responses in survival and tumour volume, suggest there is further scope for study. Although additional safety tests are required, currently, phytotherapeutics are the crossover to clinical translation, and additional trials are warranted to expound upon thus far promising results

THE ROW-COLUMN CONFOUNDED 2\u3csup\u3em\u3c/sup\u3eX4\u3csup\u3en\u3c/sup\u3e FACTORIAL DESIGN AND ITS DIFFERENT FRACTIONS

The row-column confounded 2mX4n factorial designs and its different fractions can be constructed and analyzed using pseudo factors in the 4n portion. (Examples are shown

THE USE OF PSEUDO FACTORS IN 4\u3csup\u3en\u3c/sup\u3e, 8\u3csup\u3en\u3c/sup\u3e, 2\u3csup\u3em\u3c/sup\u3eX4\u3csup\u3en\u3c/sup\u3e, 2\u3csup\u3en\u3c/sup\u3ex8\u3csup\u3en\u3c/sup\u3e FACTORIAL DESIGNS

The confounded factorial designs of the experiments 4n, 2mX4n, 8n, etc, and their different fractions can be constructed and analyzed using a suitable method of pseudo factors known as Rotation-Conversion Method. An example is shown

Developing Scaling Laws to Predict Compressive Mechanical Properties and Determine Geometrical Parameters of Modified BCC Lattice Structures

The objective of this study is to develop generalized empirical closed-form equations to predict the compressive mechanical properties and determine geometrical parameters. To achieve that, 117 models are built and analyzed using ABAQUS/CAE 2016 to provide two types of reliable data: one for lattice mechanical properties based on finite element method and the other for geometrical parameters using the measurements of ABAQUS diagnostic tool. All the models are created by modifying the basic feature of body-centered cubic lattice structure based on a range of strut angles, a set of relative densities, and two design sets. Also, the influence of lattice cell tessellations and material distribution at strut intersections are considered within these models to provide accurate results. The first data set is fitted with the scaling laws, relating relative elastic modulus and stress with the relative density, to determine Gibson and Ashby\u27s coefficients. The second type of data regarding lattice geometries is correlated with the relative density to estimate actual lattice volume, strut radius, aspect ratio, and overall lattice volume. By this way, these equations can be used to predict directly the lattice characteristics and geometrical parameters without the need for ABAQUS. The results show that the generalized empirical closed-form equations can predict well both the lattice characteristics and geometries. In addition, the relative stresses and elastic modulus increase with increasing the strut angles since the main deformation mechanisms move toward stretch-dominated rather than bending. Besides, Gibson and Ashby\u27s coefficients along with the geometrical factors of aspect ratios are found to be approximately similar for both generations. This study contributes to developing efficient equations to provide the researchers with a preliminary insight about the best lattice design and its compatibility in a certain application before starting the fabrication process

Raman Spectroscopic Analysis of Normal, Dysplastic and Cancerous Oral Mucosa: A Tissue Engineering Approach

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide. Squamous cell carcinoma, the primary cause of HNC, evolves from normal epithelium through dysplasia before invading the connective tissue to form a carcinoma. Only 5% of suspicious lesions progress to cancer and diagnosis currently relies on histopathological evaluation, which is invasive and time consuming. A non-invasive, real-time point-of-care method could overcome these problems and facilitate regular screening. Infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy (RS) can non-invasively provide information regarding biochemical differences between normal and abnormal tissues. In this study, RS was employed to distinguish between different tissues-engineered models. 3D tissue engineered models of normal, dysplastic and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using normal oral keratinocytes, dysplastic (D19, D20 and DOK) and HNSCC cell lines (Cal27 , SCC4 and FaDu) were constructed and their biochemical content predicted by interpretation of their spectral characteristics. Spectral features of normal tissue samples were mainly attributed to lipids, whereas, malignant tissue samples were observed to be protein dominant. Visible differences were found between the spectra of normal, dysplastic and cancerous models, specifically in the bands of amide I and III. The spectra of HNSCC models showed a broad and strong peak of amide I instead of the sharp and weak lipid peak in normal models at band centred at 1667 cm-1. A shift at 2937 cm-1 was only observed in DOK, differentiating them from the other tissue types. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA) distinguished noticeable differences between tissues

Deregulated expression of aurora kinases is not a prognostic biomarker in papillary thyroid cancer patients.

Abstract A number of reports indicated that Aurora-A or Aurora-B overexpression represented a negative prognostic factor in several human malignancies. In thyroid cancer tissues a deregulated expression of Aurora kinases has been also demonstrated, butno information regarding its possible prognostic role in differentiated thyroid cancer is available. Here, weevaluated Aurora-A and Aurora-B mRNA expression and its prognostic relevance in a series of 87 papillary thyroid cancers (PTC), with a median follow-up of 63 months. The analysis of Aurora-A and Aurora-B mRNA levels in PTC tissues, compared to normal matched tissues, revealed that their expression was either up-or down-regulatedin the majority of cancer tissues. In particular, Aurora-A and Aurora-B mRNA levels were altered, respectively, in 55 (63.2%) and 79 (90.8%) out of the 87 PTC analyzed. A significant positive correlation between Aurora-A and Aurora-B mRNAswas observed (p=0.001). The expression of both Aurora genes was not affected by the BRAF(V600E) mutation. Univariate, multivariate and Kaplan-Mayer analyses documented the lack of association between Aurora-A or Aurora-B expression and clinicopathological parameterssuch as gender, age, tumor size, histology, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis and BRAF status as well asdisease recurrences or disease-free interval. Only Aurora-B mRNA was significantly higher in T(3-4) tissues, with respect to T(1-2) PTC tissues. The data reported here demonstrate that the expression of Aurora kinases is deregulated in the majority of PTC tissues, likely contributing to PTC progression. However, differently from other human solid cancers, detection of Aurora-A or Aurora-B mRNAs is not a prognostic biomarker inPTC patients

Tonsillar carcinoma spreading metastases to central nervous system – Case report and literature review

We present a case report of a 51-year-old left-handed gentleman with a background of HPV 16-positive tonsil squamous cell carcinoma presenting with tonic-clonic seizure and a radiological diagnosis of secondary metastatic deposits. These were initially treated with Stereotactic RadioSurgery (SRS), and subsequently with surgery. Surgical resection was performed under general anaesthesia with right-sided temporal and parietal approaches. Both the parietal and temporal deposits were removed, while the intraventricular mass was intentionally left to avoid post-op deficits. Adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy were administered post-op. The patient experienced a satisfactory recovery post-op and was re-operated for recurrence 4 months later. He maintained a good quality of life and an excellent performance status throughout, but unfortunately passed away in November 2018 due to septic complications. This case history stresses the difficulty in managing SCC with brain metastatic deposits. There are no current guidelines about the management of patients presenting with such a rare condition. More data is thus desirable in order to better define treatment guidelines and protocols when SCC brain metastases are present

Changing dietary habits in veneto region over two decades: Still a long road to go to reach an iodine-sufficient status

Background: Fifteen years after a nationwide voluntary iodine prophylaxis program was introduced, the aims of the present study were: (a) to obtain an up-to-date assessment of dietary iodine intake in the Veneto region, Italy; and (b) to assess dietary and socioeconomic factors that might influence iodine status. Methods: Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was obtained in 747 school students (median age 13 years; range: 11–16 years). Results: The median UIC was 111 _g/L, with 56% of samples _ 100 _g/L, but 26% were < 50 _g/L, more frequently females. Iodized salt was used by 82% of the students. The median UIC was higher among users of iodized salt than among non-users, 117.0 ug/L versus 90 ug/L (p = 0.01). The median UIC was higher in regular consumers of cow’s milk than in occasional consumers, 132.0 _g/L versus 96.0 _g/L (p < 0.01). A regular intake of milk and/or the use of iodized salt su_ced to reach an adequate median UIC, although satisfying only with the combined use. A trend towards higher UIC values emerged in regular consumers of cheese and yogurt. Conclusion: Iodine status has improved (median UIC 111.0 _g/L), but it is still not adequate as 26% had a UIC < 50 _g/L in the resident population of the Veneto region. A more widespread use of iodized salt but also milk and milk product consumption may have been one of the key factors in achieving this partial improvement