A permutation flowshop model with time-lags and waiting time preferences of the patients

The permutation flowshop is a widely applied scheduling model. In many real-world applications of this model, a minimum and maximum time-lag must be considered between consecutive operations. We can apply this model to healthcare systems in which the minimum time-lag could be the transfer times, while the maximum time-lag could refer to the number of hours patients must wait. We have modeled a MILP and a constraint programming model and solved them using CPLEX to find exact solutions. Solution times for both methods are presented. We proposed two metaheuristic algorithms based on genetic algorithm and solved and compared them with each other. A sensitivity of analysis of how a change in minimum and maximum time-lags can impact waiting time and Cmax of the patients is performed. Results suggest that constraint programming is a more efficient method to find exact solutions and changes in the values of minimum and maximum time-lags can impact waiting times of the patients and Cmax significantly

MixTailor: Mixed Gradient Aggregation for Robust Learning Against Tailored Attacks

Implementations of SGD on distributed systems create new vulnerabilities, which can be identified and misused by one or more adversarial agents. Recently, it has been shown that well-known Byzantine-resilient gradient aggregation schemes are indeed vulnerable to informed attackers that can tailor the attacks (Fang et al., 2020; Xie et al., 2020b). We introduce MixTailor, a scheme based on randomization of the aggregation strategies that makes it impossible for the attacker to be fully informed. Deterministic schemes can be integrated into MixTailor on the fly without introducing any additional hyperparameters. Randomization decreases the capability of a powerful adversary to tailor its attacks, while the resulting randomized aggregation scheme is still competitive in terms of performance. For both iid and non-iid settings, we establish almost sure convergence guarantees that are both stronger and more general than those available in the literature. Our empirical studies across various datasets, attacks, and settings, validate our hypothesis and show that MixTailor successfully defends when well-known Byzantine-tolerant schemes fail.Comment: To appear at the Transactions on Machine Learning Research (TMLR

Scientometric analysis of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging publications of Iran in the Web of Science and Scopus Databases

     Scientometric analysis should be given great heed in university and research centers for various research and educational reasons. This study aimed to carry out a scientometirc analysis of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging articles authored by Iranian researchers and published in journals indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases from 2001 to 2016. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study in which as many as 3335 documents authored by Iranian researchers were identified on the two citation databases using field-specific keywords. HistCite™, MS Excel and VOSviewer™ were used to analyze the data. The study discovered that in terms of publications in both citation databases, Iran is almost among the top 30 countries in quantitative and qualitative studies. Iran's contribution was, however, very low in both web of Science (0.32%) and Scopus (0.52%). It was found that “Iranian Journal of Radiation Research” and “Iranian Journal of Radiology” are indexed in both databases; Tehran University of Medical Sciences and University of Tehran are also the most contributing institutions in the databases. According to the findings of the study, it is recommended that Iranian researchers increase their scientific cooperation with researchers from other leading countries in these fields including the United States, Japan and Germany to gain a better quantity and quality of publications

Evaluation of frictional resistance between monocrystalline (ICE) brakcets and Stainless Steel, Beta TMA and NiTiarch wires

Introduction: When using sliding mechanics for space closure during orthodontic treatment, friction occurs at the bracket-wire interface. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frictional resistance between monocrystalline (ICE) brackets and Stainless Steel, Beta TMA and NiTi wires. Methods: In this experimental study, we used 5 different types of orthodontic wires. Brackets and wires were divided in to 5 groups: 1-(monocrystalline+stainless steel 18) 2–(monocrystalline+stainless steel 19×25) 3-(monocrystalline+Beta-TMA) 4–(monocrystalline+Beta TMA 19×25) 5-(monocrystalline+NiTi 18). Instron Universal Testing Machine was used to investigate the static frictional resistance. The angulation between bracket and wire was 0 and the wires were pulled through the slots at a speed of 10 mm/min. Tests were performed 10 times for each group in artificial saliva. The average of 10 forces recorded was considered as static friction. One-way ANOVA and SPSS Version 18 and LSD post hoc test were used to evaluate the results of the study. Results: The mean static frictional force for each group was: group1: 0.82±0.14, group 2: 1.09±0.30, group 3: 0.87±0.53, group 4: 1.9±1.16, group 5: 1.42±0.30. There was a significant difference when comparing the two groups of similar wires in terms of shape (round or rectangular cross-section) as when comparing Beta TMA 18 and 19×25 arch wires with each other, the obtained p-value was 0.023, while the obtained p-value for the comparison of stainles steel arch wires was 0.034. Conclusions: The result of this study shows that Stainless Steel 18 wires generate the least amount of friction and round wires produce less friction than the rectangular wires. Beta TMA wires generate the highest amount of friction

Global, regional, and national burden of colorectal cancer and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Funding: F Carvalho and E Fernandes acknowledge support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT), in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy i4HB; FCT/MCTES through the project UIDB/50006/2020. J Conde acknowledges the European Research Council Starting Grant (ERC-StG-2019-848325). V M Costa acknowledges the grant SFRH/BHD/110001/2015, received by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma Transitória DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006.proofepub_ahead_of_prin

The global burden of adolescent and young adult cancer in 2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background In estimating the global burden of cancer, adolescents and young adults with cancer are often overlooked, despite being a distinct subgroup with unique epidemiology, clinical care needs, and societal impact. Comprehensive estimates of the global cancer burden in adolescents and young adults (aged 15-39 years) are lacking. To address this gap, we analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, with a focus on the outcome of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), to inform global cancer control measures in adolescents and young adults. Methods Using the GBD 2019 methodology, international mortality data were collected from vital registration systems, verbal autopsies, and population-based cancer registry inputs modelled with mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs). Incidence was computed with mortality estimates and corresponding MIRs. Prevalence estimates were calculated using modelled survival and multiplied by disability weights to obtain years lived with disability (YLDs). Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated as age-specific cancer deaths multiplied by the standard life expectancy at the age of death. The main outcome was DALYs (the sum of YLLs and YLDs). Estimates were presented globally and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintiles (countries ranked and divided into five equal SDI groups), and all estimates were presented with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). For this analysis, we used the age range of 15-39 years to define adolescents and young adults. Findings There were 1.19 million (95% UI 1.11-1.28) incident cancer cases and 396 000 (370 000-425 000) deaths due to cancer among people aged 15-39 years worldwide in 2019. The highest age-standardised incidence rates occurred in high SDI (59.6 [54.5-65.7] per 100 000 person-years) and high-middle SDI countries (53.2 [48.8-57.9] per 100 000 person-years), while the highest age-standardised mortality rates were in low-middle SDI (14.2 [12.9-15.6] per 100 000 person-years) and middle SDI (13.6 [12.6-14.8] per 100 000 person-years) countries. In 2019, adolescent and young adult cancers contributed 23.5 million (21.9-25.2) DALYs to the global burden of disease, of which 2.7% (1.9-3.6) came from YLDs and 97.3% (96.4-98.1) from YLLs. Cancer was the fourth leading cause of death and tenth leading cause of DALYs in adolescents and young adults globally. Interpretation Adolescent and young adult cancers contributed substantially to the overall adolescent and young adult disease burden globally in 2019. These results provide new insights into the distribution and magnitude of the adolescent and young adult cancer burden around the world. With notable differences observed across SDI settings, these estimates can inform global and country-level cancer control efforts. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Electrochemical Sensor for the Direct Determination of Warfarin in Blood

Detecting warfarin levels in the blood is of critical importance in anticoagulant therapy because it is imperative that the concentration of the drug is maintained within a specific range. In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept of a novel sensing device based on ion-selective electrode (ISE) technology for the direct detection of warfarin in blood samples without any sample pretreatment. We used tetradodecylammonium chloride (TDDA) as an ion-exchanger to fabricate an ion-selective membrane. The ISE we developed showed high sensitivity, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.25 × 10−7 M and 1.4 × 10−5 M for detecting warfarin in buffer and blood, respectively. The sensor also exhibited promising selectivity in identifying the presence of various ions including chloride and salicylate, the most abundant ions in blood with a calibration slope of 58.8 mV/dec. We envision combining the ISE with a microfluidic system and a simple potentiometer to produce a sensitive, selective, and portable point-of-care testing device for monitoring the level of warfarin in patients’ blood during treatment

Electrochemical Sensor for the Direct Determination of Warfarin in Blood

Detecting warfarin levels in the blood is of critical importance in anticoagulant therapy because it is imperative that the concentration of the drug is maintained within a specific range. In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept of a novel sensing device based on ion-selective electrode (ISE) technology for the direct detection of warfarin in blood samples without any sample pretreatment. We used tetradodecylammonium chloride (TDDA) as an ion-exchanger to fabricate an ion-selective membrane. The ISE we developed showed high sensitivity, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.25 × 10−7 M and 1.4 × 10−5 M for detecting warfarin in buffer and blood, respectively. The sensor also exhibited promising selectivity in identifying the presence of various ions including chloride and salicylate, the most abundant ions in blood with a calibration slope of 58.8 mV/dec. We envision combining the ISE with a microfluidic system and a simple potentiometer to produce a sensitive, selective, and portable point-of-care testing device for monitoring the level of warfarin in patients’ blood during treatment

Evaluation of frictional resistance between monocrystalline (ICE) brakcets and Stainless Steel, Beta TMA and NiTi arch wires

Introduction: When using sliding mechanics for space closure during orthodontic treatment, friction occurs at the bracket-wire interface. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frictional resistance between monocrystalline (ICE) brackets and Stainless Steel, Beta TMA and NiTi wires. Methods: In this experimental study, we used 5 different types of orthodontic wires. Brackets and wires were divided in to 5 groups: 1-(monocrystalline+stainless steel 18) 2–(monocrystalline+stainless steel 19×25) 3-(monocrystalline+Beta-TMA) 4–(monocrystalline+Beta TMA 19×25) 5-(monocrystalline+NiTi 18). Instron Universal Testing Machine was used to investigate the static frictional resistance. The angulation between bracket and wire was 0 and the wires were pulled through the slots at a speed of 10 mm/min. Tests were performed 10 times for each group in artificial saliva. The average of 10 forces recorded was considered as static friction. One-way ANOVA and SPSS Version 18 and LSD post hoc test were used to evaluate the results of the study. Results: The mean static frictional force for each group was: group1: 0.82±0.14, group 2: 1.09±0.30, group 3: 0.87±0.53, group 4: 1.9±1.16, group 5: 1.42±0.30. There was a significant difference when comparing the two groups of similar wires in terms of shape (round or rectangular cross-section) as when comparing Beta TMA 18 and 19×25 arch wires with each other, the obtained p-value was 0.023, while the obtained p-value for the comparison of stainles steel arch wires was 0.034. Conclusions: The result of this study shows that Stainless Steel 18 wires generate the least amount of friction and round wires produce less friction than the rectangular wires. Beta TMA wires generate the highest amount of friction