682 research outputs found
A note on drastic product logic
The drastic product is known to be the smallest -norm, since whenever . This -norm is not left-continuous, and hence it
does not admit a residuum. So, there are no drastic product -norm based
many-valued logics, in the sense of [EG01]. However, if we renounce standard
completeness, we can study the logic whose semantics is provided by those MTL
chains whose monoidal operation is the drastic product. This logic is called
in [NOG06]. In this note we justify the study of this
logic, which we rechristen DP (for drastic product), by means of some
interesting properties relating DP and its algebraic semantics to a weakened
law of excluded middle, to the projection operator and to
discriminator varieties. We shall show that the category of finite DP-algebras
is dually equivalent to a category whose objects are multisets of finite
chains. This duality allows us to classify all axiomatic extensions of DP, and
to compute the free finitely generated DP-algebras.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
Parameterized Compilation Lower Bounds for Restricted CNF-formulas
We show unconditional parameterized lower bounds in the area of knowledge
compilation, more specifically on the size of circuits in decomposable negation
normal form (DNNF) that encode CNF-formulas restricted by several graph width
measures. In particular, we show that
- there are CNF formulas of size and modular incidence treewidth
whose smallest DNNF-encoding has size , and
- there are CNF formulas of size and incidence neighborhood diversity
whose smallest DNNF-encoding has size .
These results complement recent upper bounds for compiling CNF into DNNF and
strengthen---quantitatively and qualitatively---known conditional low\-er
bounds for cliquewidth. Moreover, they show that, unlike for many graph
problems, the parameters considered here behave significantly differently from
treewidth
The central role of endothelium in hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency
An impairment of the endothelial barrier function underlies a wide spectrum of pathological conditions. Hereditary angioedema due to C1-inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) can be considered the \u201cpathophysiological and clinical paradigm\u201d of Paroxysmal Permeability Diseases (PPDs), conditions characterized by recurrent transient primitively functional alteration of the endothelial sieving properties, not due to inflammatory-ischemic-degenerative injury and completely reversible after the acute flare. It is a rare yet probably still underdiagnosed disease which presents with localized, non-pitting swelling of the skin and submucosal tissues of the upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, without significant wheals or pruritus. The present review addresses the pathophysiology of C1-INH-HAE with a focus on the crucial role of the endothelium during contact and kallikrein/kinin system (CAS and KKS) activation, currently available and emerging biomarkers, methods applied to get new insights into the mechanisms underlying the disease (2D, 3D and in vivo systems), new promising investigation techniques (autonomic nervous system analysis, capillaroscopy, flow-mediated dilation method, non-invasive finger plethysmography). Hints are given to the binding of C1-INH to endothelial cells. Finally, crucial issues as the local vs systemic nature of CAS/KKS activation, the episodic nature of attacks vs constant C1-INH deficiency, pros and cons as well as future perspectives of available methodologies are briefly discussed
Intraocular pressure changes during femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery: A comparison between two different patient interfaces
Purpose. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate intraocular pressure (IOP) changes during femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) using two different patient interface systems. Methods. 116 eyes of 116 patients scheduled for cataract surgery were divided into 2 groups: group 1 (61 eyes) and group 2 (55 eyes) underwent FLACS using Catalys Laser with fluid interface (liquid optics interface, LOI) and LenSx Laser with curved interface and soft contact lens (SoftFit), respectively. IOP was assessed using a portable rebound tonometer (Icare\uae) preoperatively, after docking, immediately after surgery, at one and seven days postoperatively. Results. In group 1, the mean IOP (\ub1SD) was 14.1 \ub1 0.4 mmHg before surgery, 33.2 \ub1 1.1 mmHg after docking, and 21.4 \ub1 0.9 mmHg immediately after surgery. In group 2, the mean IOP was 13.8 \ub1 0.4 mmHg before surgery, 24.2 \ub1 1.4 mmHg after docking, and 20.2 \ub1 1.2 mmHg immediately after surgery. After the docking procedure, a statistically significant increase in IOP from the baseline was found in both groups (p0.05) using both laser platforms. No intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed. Conclusions. FLACS suction phase resulted in a transient increase of IOP in both groups, especially with the LOI system, and it is probably related to the greater pressure of a suction ring and suction generated through the vacuum, independently from the effect of femtosecond laser itself
Management of amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis at a cardiac transplantation centre
Background: Amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in patients with cardiac failure. The aim of the study was to evaluate the management of AIT at a tertiary hospital specialising in cardiac failure and transplantation.
Methods: Retrospective audit of 66 patients treated for AIT by Endocrinology (2007â2016), classified as type 1 (T1) or type 2 (T2) based on radiological criteria. Main outcome measurements were response rate to initial treatment, time to euthyroidism, and frequency/safety of thyroidectomy.
Results: Mean age was 60 ± 2 years; 80% were male. Sixty-four patients commenced medical treatment: thionamides (THIO) in 23, glucocorticoids (GC) in 17 and combination (COMB) in 24. Median thyroxine (fT4) was 35.1 (31.2â46.7) in THIO, 43.1 (30.4 â60.7) in GC, and 60.0 (39.0 â\u3e99.9) pmol/L in COMB (p = 0.01). Initial therapy induced euthyroidism in 52%: 70% THIO, 53% GC, and 33% COMB (p = 0.045) by 100 (49â167), 47 (35â61), and 53 (45â99) days, respectively (p = 0.02). A further 11% became euthyroid after transitioning from monotherapy to COMB. Thyroidectomy was undertaken in 33%. Patients who underwent thyroidectomy were younger (54 ± 3 vs. 63 ± 2 years; p = 0.03), with higher prevalence of severely impaired left ventricular function prior to diagnosis of AIT (38 vs. 18%; p = 0.08). Despite median American Society of Anaesthesiologists classification 4, no thyroidectomy patient experienced cardiorespiratory complications/death.
Conclusions: Patients with AIT had limited response to medical treatment. The poorest response was observed in COMB group, likely related to greater hyperthyroidism severity. Thyroidectomy is safe in patients with severe cardiac failure if performed in a centre with cardiac anaesthetic expertise. There should be low threshold for proceeding to thyroidectomy in patients with severe AIT and/or cardiac failure
Effects of aging on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) subpopulations in peripheral blood: a possible rationale for age-associated vascular dysfunction
Normothermic and hypothermic oxygenated perfusion for donation after circulatory death in kidney transplantation: Do we pay higher risk of severe infection after transplantation?: A case report
Background: Normothermic and hypothermic oxygenated perfusion for donation after circulatory death in kidney transplantation are becoming popular in Italy, with the purpose of reducing the risk of primary non function and delayed graft function due to the prolonged warm ischemia time. Potential complications related to these procedures are currently under investigation and are continuously emerging with the increasing experience. Post-operative infections - in particular graft arteritis - are a rare complication but determine high risk of mortality and of graft loss. The acute onset of the arterial complications makes it very difficult to find an effective treatment, and early diagnosis is crucial for saving both patient and graft. Prevention of such infections in this particular setting are advisable. Case presentation: We present a patient with an acute arterial rupture after transplantation of a DCD graft treated in-vivo hypothermic oxygenated perfusion. The cause was a severe arteritis of the renal artery caused by Candida krusei and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We discussed our treatment and we compared it to the other reported series. Conclusion: Fungal infections in DCD transplant may be treacherous and strategies to prevent them should be advocated
Wound repair capacity in type 2 diabetes elder patients: assessment by gene expression profiling (GEP) analysis
Emotional processes and stress in children affected by hereditary angioedema with C1-inhibitor deficiency : a multicenter, prospective study
Background: Hereditary angioedema with C1-inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) is characterized by recurrent edema of unpredictable frequency and severity. Stress, anxiety, and low mood are among the triggering factors most frequently reported. Impaired regulation and processing of emotions, also known as alexithymia, may influence outcomes. The aim of this study was to confirm the presence of alexithymia and stress in children with C1-INH-HAE, to determine whether they are also present in children affected by other chronic diseases, and to investigate their relationship with C1-INH-HAE severity. Data from children with C1-INH-HAE (n = 28) from four reference centers in Italy were compared with data from children with type 1 diabetes (T1D; n = 23) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n = 25). Alexithymia was assessed using the Alexithymia Questionnaire for Children scale; perceived stress was assessed using the Coddington Life Event Scale for Children (CLES-C). Results: Mean age (standard deviation [SD]) in the C1-INH-HAE, T1D, and RA groups was 11.8 (3.3), 11.7 (2.9), and 11.1 (2.6) years, respectively. Mean C1-INH-HAE severity score was 5.9 (2.1), indicating moderate disease. Alexithymia scores were similar among disease groups and suggestive of difficulties in identifying and describing emotions; CLES-C scores tended to be worse in C1-INH-HAE children. C1-INH-HAE severity was found to correlate significantly and positively with alexithymia (p = 0.046), but not with perceived stress. Alexithymia correlated positively with perceived stress. Conclusions: Alexithymia is common in children with chronic diseases. In C1-INH-HAE, it may result in increased perceived stress and act as a trigger of edema attacks. Comprehensive management of C1-INH-HAE children should consider psychological factors
How many variables are needed to express an existential positive query?
The number of variables used by a first-order query is
a fundamental measure which has been studied in numerous contexts,
and
which is known to be highly relevant to the task of query evaluation.
In this article, we study this measure in the context of
existential positive queries.
Building on previous work,
we present a combinatorial quantity defined on
existential positive queries;
we show that
this quantity not only characterizes the minimum number of variables
needed to express a given existential positive query
by another existential positive query,
but also that
it characterizes the minimum number of variables needed
to express a given existential positive query,
over all first-order queries.
Put differently and loosely,
we show that for any existential positive query,
no variables can ever be saved by moving
out of existential positive logic to first-order logic.
One component of this theorem's proof
is the construction of a winning strategy
for a certain Ehrenfeucht-Fra\"{i}ss\'{e} type game
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