Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chemical peeling in ethnic skin: an update

With the growth of cosmetic dermatology worldwide, treatments that are effective against skin diseases and augment beauty without prolonged recovery periods, or exposing patients to the risks of surgery, are increasing in popularity. Chemical peels are a commonly used, fast, safe and effective clinic room treatment that may be used for cosmetic purposes, such as for fine lines and photoageing, but also as primary or adjunct therapies for acne, pigmentary disorders and scarring. Clinicians are faced with specific challenges when using peels on ethnic skin (skin of colour). The higher risk of postinflammatory dyschromias and abnormal scarring makes peels potentially disfiguring. Clinicians should therefore have a sound knowledge of the various peels available and their safety in ethnic skin. This article aims to review the background, classification, various preparations, indications, patient assessment and complications of using chemical peels in ethnic skin.
Well Posedness of Fully Coupled Fracture/Bulk Darcy Flow with XFEM

In this work we consider the coupled problem of Darcy flow in a fracture and the surrounding porous medium. The fracture is represented as a (d-1)-dimensional interface, and it is nonmatching with the computational grid thanks to a suitable extended finite element method (XFEM) enrichment of the mixed finite element spaces. In the existing literature well posedness has been proven for the discrete problem in the hypothesis of a given solution in the fracture. This work provides theoretical results on the stability and convergence of the discrete, fully coupled problem, yielding sharp conditions on the fracture geometry and on the computational grid to ensure that the inf-sup condition is satisfied by the enriched spaces, as confirmed by numerical experiments.
Experimental comparison of the ultrasonically-activated scalpel to electrosurgery and laser surgery for laparoscopic use

SummaryEnergy sources used in laparoscopic surgery are associated with thermal damage to tissues. In this study, we sought to compare the safety and efficacy of the ultrasonically-activated scalpel to electrosurgery and laser surgery in laparoscopic applications using an animal model (cholecystectomy). Variables examined were gall bladder perforation, bile spillage, smoke generation, operative time, tissue injury, bleeding, liver function tests and post-operative adhesion formation following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Female pigs were randomized to one of three groups: laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed using electrosurgery (ES), laser surgery (LS), or ultrasonically-activated scalpel (UAS). At the termination of the procedure, the animals were either recovered for 7, 14, or 28 days or immediately euthanized with an intracardiac injection of saturated potassium chloride solution for necropsy (0 day). There was no difference in mean operative time between UAS, ES or LS. LS required greater smoke eva.
Adaptive Thermostats for Noisy Gradient Systems

We study numerical methods for sampling probability measures in high dimension where the underlying model is only approximately identified with a gradient system. Extended stochastic dynamical methods are discussed which have application to multiscale models, nonequilibrium molecular dynamics, and Bayesian sampling techniques arising in emerging machine learning applications. In addition to providing a more comprehensive discussion of the foundations of these methods, we propose a new numerical method for the adaptive Langevin/stochastic gradient Nos\'{e}--Hoover thermostat that achieves a dramatic improvement in numerical efficiency over the most popular stochastic gradient methods reported in the literature. We also demonstrate that the newly established method inherits a superconvergence property (fourth order convergence to the invariant measure for configurational quantities) recently demonstrated in the setting of Langevin dynamics. Our findings are verified by numerical experiments.
Saddle-Point Dynamics: Conditions for Asymptotic Stability of Saddle Points

This paper considers continuously differentiable functions of two vector variables that have (possibly a continuum of) min-max saddle points. We study the asymptotic convergence properties of the associated saddle-point dynamics (gradient-descent in the first variable and gradient-ascent in the second one). We identify a suite of complementary conditions under which the set of saddle points is asymptotically stable under the saddle-point dynamics. Our first set of results is based on the convexity-concavity of the function defining the saddle-point dynamics to establish the convergence guarantees. For functions that do not enjoy this feature, our second set of results relies on properties of the linearization of the dynamics, the function along the proximal normals to the saddle set, and the linearity of the function in one variable. We also provide global versions of the asymptotic convergence results. Various examples illustrate our discussion.
A New Algorithm for Enumeration of Cells of Hyperplane Arrangements and a Comparison with Avis and Fukuda's Reverse Search

We design a new algorithm, called Incremental Enumeration (IncEnu), for the enumeration of full-dimensional cells of hyperplane arrangements (or dually, for the enumeration of vertices of generator-presented zonotopes). The algorithm is based on an incremental construction of the graph of cells of the arrangement. IncEnu is compared to Avis and Fukuda's Reverse Search (RS), including its later improvements by Sleumer and others. The basic versions of IncEnu and RS are not directly comparable, since they solve different numbers of linear programs (LPs) of different sizes. We therefore reformulate our algorithm as a version that permits comparison with RS in terms of the number of LPs solved. The result is that both IncEnu and RS have “the same” complexity-theoretic properties (compactness, output-polynomiality, worst-case bounds, tightness of bounds). In spite of the fact that IncEnu and RS have the same asymptotic bounds, it is proved that IncEnu is faster than RS by a nontrivial additive term. Our comput.
Developments in in‐flight catering

Notes the increasing expectations of passengers with regard to in‐flight meals, tracing the development of in‐flight meals from the 1920s up to the present day. Considers innovations such as Lufthansa’s introduction of a gate buffet service for passengers, and lists the factors the airlines need to bear in mind such as: passenger specification, e.g. ethnic origin, effects of delay on loading meals on to the aircraft and balance of the menu in terms of dietary requirements, etc.
Curación de hepatitis crónica C con 12 semanas de tratamiento con peginterferón-alfa y ribavirina

El tratamiento actual de la hepatitis crónica C consiste en la administración de peginterferón y ribavirina (1). La duración de este tratamiento varía en función del genotipo del virus de la hepatitis C (VHC): 48 semanas en los genotipos 1 y 4 y 24 semanas en los genotipos 2 y 3. Sólo en el 1% de los pacientes con hepatitis crónica por VHC de genotipo 1, que presentan una respuesta virológica sostenida (ARN-VHC negativo 6 meses después de finalizar el tratamiento), aparece una recidiva de la infección por VHC en el primer año de seguimiento. Por tanto, una respuesta virológica sostenida más de 18 meses indica “curación” de la infección por VHC, ya que se aclara definitivamente el VHC de la sangre y del tejido hepático (2). Nosotros comunicamos el caso de una hepatitis crónica por VHC de genotipo 3 en la que con un tratamiento de sólo 12 semanas se obtuvo una respuesta virológica sostenida tras más de 18 meses de seguimiento.
Role of Virus-Specific Immunoglobulin E Antibody Responses in Obstructive Airway Disease

Viral infections are an important cause of obstructive airway disease in infancy in particular, but also in later childhood and adult life. Previous studies have identified potential mechanisms by which these infections might result in airway obstruction (Table 1). However, the relative contribution of each of the mechanisms has not been simultaneously evaluated in a single patient group. Several lines of evidence suggest a link between an atopic predisposition and the development of wheezing or croup at the time of infection with certain viruses. The purpose of this article is to review the evidence implicating virus-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) responses in bronchiolitis and croup in childhood.
Quantum Bilinear Optimization

We study optimization programs given by a bilinear form over noncommutative variables subject to linear inequalities. Problems of this form include the entangled value of two-prover games, entanglement-assisted coding for classical channels, and quantum-proof randomness extractors. We introduce an asymptotically converging hierarchy of efficiently computable semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxations for this quantum optimization. This allows us to give upper bounds on the quantum advantage for all of these problems. Compared to previous work of Pironio, Navascues, and Acin [SIAM J. Optim. , 20 (2010), pp. 2157--2180], our hierarchy has additional constraints. By means of examples, we illustrate the importance of these new constraints both in practice and for analytical properties. Moreover, this allows us to give a hierarchy of SDP outer approximations for the completely positive semidefinite cone introduced by Laurent and Piovesan.
Convergence of a Finite Difference Scheme for Two-Dimensional Incompressible Magnetohydrodynamics

We investigate a finite difference scheme for the two-dimensional, incompressible magnetohydrodynamics equations that was introduced in [J.-G. Liu and W. -C. Wang, J. Comput. Phys., 174 (2001), pp. 12--37]. It uses central difference and averaging operators on a staggered grid and was shown not only to keep the magnetic and the velocity field divergence free but, moreover, to preserve the energy exactly. We extend Liu and Wang's result by a discrete $H^1$ bound, or more precisely, we show that the discrete solution for the velocity and the magnetic field is bounded in $L^\infty(0,\infty;H^1(\Omega))$ and $L^2(0,T;H^2(\Omega))$. This bound allows us to prove the convergence of the scheme. The convergence is strong in $L^2$ and weak in $H^1$.
EM-800, a Novel Antiestrogen, Acts as a Pure Antagonist of the Transcriptional Functions of Estrogen Receptors α and β.

Estrogens act as potent mitogens in a large number of breast cancers, and the use of estrogen receptor (ER) antagonists is, therefore, considered the endocrine therapy of choice in the management of this disease. We describe the molecular properties of EM-652, the active metabolite of EM-800, a novel nonsteroidal antiestrogen compound, on the transcriptional functions of ERα and ERβ. Using RT-PCR, we show that ERα and ERβ are expressed in mouse mammary glands, suggesting that both receptors should be considered putative targets for antiestrogen action in the breast. In cotransfection assays using a synthetic estrogen-responsive promoter, EM-652 shows no agonistic activity on ERα and ERβ transcriptional function and blocks the estradiol (E2)-mediated activation of both ERα and ERβ. EM-652 is also very effective in abrogating E2-stimulated ERα and ERβ trans-activation of the pS2 promoter in HeLa cells. EM-652 does not alter binding of ERα and ERβ to DNA. The Ras-mediated induction of ERα and ERβ transcripti.
Equilibria of Greedy Combinatorial Auctions

We consider auctions in which greedy algorithms, paired with first-price or critical-price payment rules, are used to resolve multiparameter combinatorial allocation problems. We study the price of anarchy for social welfare in such auctions. We show, for a variety of equilibrium concepts, including Bayes--Nash equilibria, low-regret bidding sequences, and asynchronous best-response dynamics, that the resulting price of anarchy bound is close to the approximation factor of the underlying greedy algorithm.
Indistinguishability Obfuscation for RAM Programs and Succinct Randomized Encodings

We show how to construct indistinguishability obfuscation (\bf iO) for RAM programs with bounded space, assuming \bf iO for circuits and one-way functions, both with subexponential security. That is, given a RAM program whose computation requires space $s(n)$ in the worst case for inputs of length at most $n$, we generate an obfuscated RAM program that, for inputs of size at most $n$, runs in roughly the same time as the original program, using space roughly $s(n)$. The obfuscation process is quasi-linear in the description length of the input program and $s(n)$. At the heart of our construction are succinct randomized encodings for RAM programs. We present two very different constructions of such encodings, each with its own unique properties. Beyond their use as a tool in obfuscation for RAM programs, we show that succinct randomized encodings are interesting objects in their own right. We demonstrate the power of succinct randomized encodings in applications such as publicly verifiable delegation, func.
Regulated, Side-Directed Secretion of Proguanylin from Isolated Rat Colonic Mucosa1.

Guanylin, an activator of the guanylyl cyclase C receptor in the apical membrane of intestinal epithelium, modulates intestinal fluid and electrolyte transport. The bioactive 15-amino acid peptide originally isolated from rat intestine represents the C-terminal part of a longer, 115-residue prepropeptide. The aim of the present study was to characterize the direction and molecular form in which guanylin is secreted from the colonic mucosa, as well as the mechanisms that trigger its secretion. Isolated rat colonic mucosa was mounted in Ussing chambers, allowing the separate determination of apical and basolateral release. After HPLC purification, two different molecular forms of guanylin were identified in the apical incubation media by combining a bioassay for guanylyl cyclase C activation, a specific guanylin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and mass spectrometry, as well as sequence analysis: a bioactive form coeluting with synthetic 15-residue guanylin and the 94-residue propeptide, guanylin-22–115. T.
Verhalten des intraokularen Druckes unter Anästhesie mit Isofluran im Vergleich zu Propofol/Alfentanil

AIM To investigate the influence of isoflurane anaesthesia versus total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol/alfentanil on intraocular pressure (IOP). METHODS 40 patients undergoing ophthalmic surgery were randomly allocated to two study groups. In group 1 (n = 20), anaesthesia was induced with thiopentone 4 mg/kg and alfentanil 15 micrograms/kg. Maintenance of anaesthesia was achieved with isoflurane 0.5-0.8 Vol.% and 70% nitrous oxide in oxygen. Patients in group 2 (n = 20) received propofol 1.5 mg/kg, which was followed by a continuous infusion of 6 mg/kg/h. In addition, alfentanil 15 micrograms/kg was administered, followed by a continuous infusion of 15 micrograms/kg/h. In both groups, endotracheal intubation was facilitated by succinylcholine 1 mg/kg, and further muscle relaxation was achieved with vecuronium 0.07 mg/kg. Measurements of IOP using an applanation tonometer were taken in each patient at 10 different time points. RESULTS In both groups, there was a significant decrease in IOP after induction of anaesthesia. No significant differences in IOP occurred between groups, with patients in group 2 showing a trend towards lower IOP values. CONCLUSION We conclude from our results that both anaesthetic techniques can be administered if increases in IOP have to be avoided.
A New Approach for Robust Segmentation of the Noisy or Textured Images

Segmentation of noisy or textured images remains challenging in both accuracy and computational efficiency. In this paper, we propose a new approach for segmentation of noisy or textured images that exist widely in real life. The proposed approach finds the mean values of different pixel classes more efficiently and accurately than the benchmark expectation maximization (EM) and K-means methods. With these mean values, the segmentation is achieved by clustering the pixels to its nearest mean. When too much noise is left for the presegmentation result or when textured objects are involved, we propose transforming the density distribution of labeled pixels into grayscale distribution by down-sampling the image with a bicubic function. An optimal threshold is automatically selected from the slope difference distribution of the histogram for the final segmentation. The extracted boundary is then refined by an energy minimization function with the detected edges when enough clear edges can be obtained. A large.
Drug prevention with vulnerable young people: A review

The aim of this study was to carry out a comprehensive and systematic review of the literature on drug-use prevention with vulnerable young people. A search of electronic databases was conducted to find evaluations of prevention programmes targeted at high-risk young people and including illegal drug use as an outcome measure. Sixteen relevant studies were found that used a suitable quality of research design, involving at least a comparison group. The most common setting for these evaluations was in schools, where life-skills training interventions showed positive results in reducing drug use (at least in the short term). In the community an intensive multi-component intervention (the Children at Risk program) was the most effective. Across different settings the 11–13 age range appeared to be a crucial period for intervention with vulnerable young people. All of the sixteen studies included in the review were from North America and therefore there is a need for outcome evaluations of targeted drug prevention initiatives in the UK.
Totally Implantable Access Ports: Approach via Femoral Vein

The purpose of this study was to report our results of totally implantable access ports (TIAP) approached via the femoral vein. Patients and Methods: Seven patients were enrolled. The mean age was 62 years. Four patients were male, and 3 patients were female. Six patients received TIAP via the right femoral vein and 1 patient via the left femoral vein. All patients underwent local anesthesia. The reason for femoral vein TIAP placement, mean operative time, follow-up time and complications were recorded. Results: The mean operative time was 37 ± 12 min, the mean follow-up time 13.5 ± 12.0 months. The causes for repeat TIAP or conversion to femoral vein access are as follows: In 2 cases repeat TIAP was associated with thrombus formation in the subclavian vein, 2 cases developed a superior vena cava syndrome (one was accompanied by chest wall invasion), 2 cases showed repeat catheter obstruction, and in 1 case infection and catheter obstruction was found. Five of the 7 patients had 2 TIAP before, 2 patients only 1 TIAP. All interventions remained free of complications. Conclusion: TIAP via conventional central venous access such as jugular, subclavian or brachial veins are simple. However, not all cases are suitable for these methods. We present an alternative method of central vein access: the approach via the femoral vein. This method is safe and simple, but the port site should be placed far away from the groin region to avoid infections.
A Generalized Sampling and Preconditioning Scheme for Sparse Approximation of Polynomial Chaos Expansions

We propose an algorithm for recovering sparse orthogonal polynomial expansions via collocation. A standard sampling approach for recovering sparse polynomials uses Monte Carlo sampling, from the density of orthogonality, which results in poor function recovery when the polynomial degree is high. Our proposed approach aims to mitigate this limitation by sampling with respect to the weighted equilibrium measure of the parametric domain and subsequently solves a preconditioned $\ell^1$-minimization problem, where the weights of the diagonal preconditioning matrix are given by evaluations of the Christoffel function. Our algorithm can be applied to a wide class of orthogonal polynomial families on bounded and unbounded domains, including all classical families. We present theoretical analysis to motivate the algorithm and numerical results that show our method is superior to standard Monte Carlo methods in many situations of interest. Numerical examples are also provided to demonstrate that our proposed algor.
Individual Flux Study via Steady-State Poisson-Nernst-Planck Systems: Effects from Boundary Conditions

We provide a detailed study for ionic flow through ion channels for the case with three ion species, two positively charged having the same valence and one negatively charged, and with zero permanent charge. The work is based on the general geometric theory developed in [W. Liu, J. Differential Equations, 246 (2009), pp. 428--451] for a quasi-one-dimensional steady-state Poisson--Nernst--Planck model. Our focus is on the effects of boundary conditions on the ionic flow. Beyond the existence of solutions of the model problem, we are able to obtain explicit approximations of individual fluxes and the current-voltage relations, from which effects of boundary conditions on ionic flows are examined in a great detail. Critical potentials are identified and their roles in characterizing these effects are studied. Compared to ionic mixtures with two ion species, a number of new features for mixtures of three ion species arise. Numerical simulations are performed, and numerical results are consistent with our anal.
The Clausius-Mossotti Formula for Dilute Random Media of Perfectly Conducting Inclusions

We consider a large number of randomly dispersed spherical, identical, perfectly conducting inclusions (of infinite conductivity) in a bounded domain. The host medium's conductivity is finite and can be inhomogeneous. In the dilute limit, with some boundedness assumption on a large number (proportional to the global volume fraction raised to the power of -1/2) of marginal probability densities, we prove convergence in H^1 norm of the expectation of the solution of the steady state heat equation, to the solution of an effective medium problem, where the conductivity is given by the Clausius-Mossotti formula. Error estimates are provided as well.
Walksat Stalls Well Below Satisfiability

Partly on the basis of heuristic arguments from physics, it has been suggested that the performance of certain types of algorithms on random $k$-SAT formulas is linked to phase transitions that affect the geometry of the set of satisfying assignments. But, beyond intuition, there has been scant rigorous evidence that “practical” algorithms are affected by these phase transitions. In this paper we prove that Walksat, a popular randomized satisfiability algorithm, fails on random $k$-SAT formulas not very far above clause/variable density, where the set of satisfying assignments shatters into tiny, well-separated clusters. Specifically, we prove that Walksat is ineffective with high probability (w.h.p.) if $m/n>c2^k\ln^2k/k$, where $m$ is the number of clauses, $n$ is the number of variables, and $c>0$ is an absolute constant. By comparison, Walksat is known to find satisfying assignments in linear time w.h. p. if $m/n 0$ [A. Coja-Oghlan and A. Frieze, SIAM J. Comput. , 43 (2.