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Complex network response to node loss is a central question in different fields of science ranging from physics, sociology, biology to ecology. Previous studies considered binary networks where the weight of the links is not accounted for. However, in real-world networks the weights of connections can be widely different. Here, we analyzed the response of real-world road traffic complex network of Beijing, the most prosperous city in China. We produced nodes removal attack simulations using classic binary node features and we introduced weighted ranks for node importance. We measured the network functioning during nodes removal with three different parameters: the size of the largest connected cluster (LCC), the binary network efficiency (Bin EFF) and the weighted network efficiency (Weg EFF). We find that removing nodes according to weighted rank, i.e. considering the weight of the links as a number of taxi flows along the roads, produced in general the highest damage in the system. Our results show that: (i) in order to model Beijing road complex networks response to nodes (intersections) failure, it is necessary to consider the weight of the links; (ii) to discover the best attack strategy, it is important to use nodes rank accounting links weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the complex network response to nodes failure is important to protect them and guarantee their functioning. Most existing studies considered binary networks where the intensity (weight) of the links is not accounted for. However, in real world networks the intensity of the links widely differ so that a realistic description of complex networks is only possible if the heterogeneity present in edge weights is taken into account. Further, the vast majority of the existing studies investigates the efficacy of the attack strategies when all the nodes are removed. Despite it is important to study the network behavior in such a circumstance, real-world networks are more likely to experience local failures involving a small amount of nodes with a decrease in the system functioning not causing an overall collapse. This is the case of crossroad closing in complex road networks. For this reason it is interesting to investigate the networks response focusing to small node removals. In this paper we analyze the response of the real-world road networks of Beijing, the capital of China, to the removal of 1 and 2 nodes and accounting the weighted structure of the network. We use both classic binary node properties and network functioning measurement, introduced a weighted rank for node importance (node strength or page rank), and used a measurement for network functioning that accounts for the weight of the links (weighted efficiency). We find that the weighted node attack strategy Str (i.e. strength attack), which removes nodes according to their strength, is the most efficient to blemish the system when evaluating the damage with a weighted efficiency. Differently, betweenness attack strategy Bet , which removes nodes according to their centrality is the most efficient when using the binary efficiency to compute the network damage. These results indicate that adopting weighted or binary efficiency to measure networks functioning changed the efficacy of the attack strategies to damage the system. Last, we found a non-negligible fraction of random removals to be more efficient than the attack strategies; given that the main goal of the attack strategies is to individuate important nodes in the system, i.e. nodes which removal triggers highest damage, our results would indicate how in order to find the most important nodes may be more efficient to simulate an higher number of random nodes removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) gene and the susceptibility of esophageal cancer in Anyang area, Henan Province., Methods: The genomic DNAs of 152 esophageal cancer patients and 191 health controls were extracted from the peripheral blood leukocytes. Three fragments covering codons 96, 194, 377, and 427 of the IRF-3 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The SNPs were revealed by DNA sequencing and the genotype of every sample was determined accordingly. The frequency distribution of the SNPs was analyzed by chi(2) test., Results: There were no IRF-3 gene SNPs at codons 96, 194, or 377 in Anyang participants. There was significant difference in the SNPs at codon 427 between the healthy controls and esophageal cancer patients in Anyang area OR=2.38 (95%CI=1.15-4.95,P<0.05)., Conclusion: The SNPs at codon 427 of the IRF-3 gene may relate to the susceptibility of esophageal cancer. The risk of esophageal cancer in participants with C allele is 2.38-fold compared to those with G allele.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) plays an important role in the development of carcinomas at various body sites. It was found previously that the p53 codon 72 polymorphism (C/G) is a high-risk factor for the development HPV-associated cervical carcinoma. However, it still was considered controversial in several studies of cervical and esophageal carcinoma., Methods: In the current study, the authors used an allele specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to analyze correlation between the p53 codon 72 (C/G) polymorphism and HPV-associated, noncancerous esophageal epithelium as well as esophageal, ovarian, and breast carcinoma in the Chinese population. Esophageal balloon cytology examination samples were obtained from high-incidence and low-incidence populations for esophageal carcinoma in Anyang (Henan Province)., Results: Thirty-six of 48 esophageal balloon samples from the high-incidence population were HPV positive, and 13 of 33 esophageal balloon samples from the low-incidence population were HPV positive. Thirty-nine of 62 esophageal carcinoma samples from Anyang Tumor Hospital were HPV positive. Twenty-six of 39 ovarian carcinoma samples from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical College were HPV positive. Nineteen of 82 breast carcinoma samples from Beijing Cancer Hospital were HPV positive. It is noteworthy that the distribution of the p53 codon 72 Arg homozygous genotype in HPV positive samples of esophageal epithelium, ovarian carcinoma, and breast carcinoma was significantly higher compared with HPV negative tumor samples. (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: The current results suggest that the p53 codon 72 Arg homozygous genotype is one of the high-risk genetic factors for HPV-associated malignancies among the Chinese population., (Copyright 2002 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11008)