Performance evaluation of eXtended sparse linearization in GF(2) and GF(28)

XSL (eXtended Sparse Linearization) is a recent algebraic attack aimed at the Advanced Encryption Standard. In order to shed some light into the behavior of the algorithm, which is largely unknown, we have studied XSL on equation systems with variables interpreted either as bits or bytes. The algorithm solves byte-systems much faster than it does bit-systems, which promts us to suggest that if a more compact representation of equation systems can be found, such as one where the variables are 8-byte blocks, or even a more generalized form of 8n-byte blocks, it may be possible to increase the speed of XSL dramatically

Bohr Phenomena for Laplace-Beltrami Operators

Cataloged from PDF version of article.We investigate a Bohr phenomenon on the spaces of solutions of weighted Laplace-Beltrami operators associated with the hyperbolic metric of the unit ball in ℂN. These solutions do not satisfy the usual maximum principle, and the spaces have natural bases none of whose members is a constant function. We show that these bases exhibit a Bohr phenomenon, define a Bohr radius for them that extends the classical Bohr radius, and compute it exactly. We also compute the classical Bohr radius of the invariant harmonic functions on the real hyperbolic space. © 2006 Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

Usefulness of procalcitonin for diagnosis of sepsis in the intensive care unit

INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis of sepsis in critically ill patients is challenging because traditional markers of infection are often misleading. The present study was conducted to determine the procalcitonin level at early diagnosis (and differentiation) in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis, in comparison with C-reactive protein, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8 and tumour necrosis factor-α. METHOD: Thirty-three intensive care unit patients were diagnosed with SIRS, sepsis or septic shock, in accordance with the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine consensus criteria. Blood samples were taken at the first and second day of hospitalization, and on the day of discharge or on the day of death. For multiple group comparisons one-way analysis of variance was applied, with post hoc comparison. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of PCT and each cytokine studied were calculated. RESULTS: PCT, IL-2 and IL-8 levels increased in parallel with the severity of the clinical condition of the patient. PCT exhibited a greatest sensitivity (85%) and specificity (91%) in differentiating patients with SIRS from those with sepsis. With respect to positive and negative predictive values, PCT markedly exceeded other variables. DISCUSSION: In the present study PCT was found to be a more accurate diagnostic parameter for differentiating SIRS and sepsis, and therefore daily determinations of PCT may be helpful in the follow up of critically ill patients

Faun Tail Nevus and Spinal Dysraphism: Cosmetic Improvement with Alexandrite Laser Epilation

Faun-tail presents as an abnormal lumbosacral hypertrischosis and may be associated with spinal dysrasphism. In addition to the problems due to spinal anomalies, patient's physico-social life may also be affected. Here, we report a case of 13 years old female patient with Faun-tail in association with sypinal dysraphism, in which cosmetic improvement was achieved with the help of Alexandrite laser. Alexandrite laser can be the method of choice for permanent hair removal method due to its safe, effective and easy to apply properties

Acneiform Eruptions and Pregnancy

Acne and acneiform eruptions during pregnancy need special attention. The physician should be aware of the special condition of a pregnant patient. Acne treatments may aim to prevent worsening, secondary infections, scarring and lowering self-esteem of the mother. However, the treatment of acne and acneiform eruptions are not easy to treat during pregnancy. First, because many cosmetics and procedures are not tested on pregnant patients and it is impossible to predict the possible consequences of the procedures on fetus, many women quit cosmetic procedures during pregnancy. Second, the underlying conditions such as hormonal influx and immunosuppression continue. Third, the medications for acne have limitations due to the lack of evidence of safety during pregnancy. Here, a acneiform eruptions during pregnancy, including acne vulgaris, acne rosacea, perioral dermatitis, and hidradenitis suppurativa, are reviewed focusing on these points and each of them is evaluated by clinical presentation, differential diagnosis and treatment options focusing on maternal and fetal safety

Adiponectin and Cardiac Hypertrophy in Acromegaly

Background. Adiponectin is an adipocytes-derived hormone which has been shown to possess insulin-sensitizing, antiatherogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties. In acromegaly, the data on adiponectin is contradictory. The relationship between adiponectin levels and cardiac parameters has not been studied.Objectives. The aim of this study was to find out how adiponectin levels were affected in acromegalic patients and the relationship between adiponectin levels and cardiac parameters.Material and Methods. We included 30 subjects (15 male, 15 female), diagnosed with acromegaly and 30 healthy (10 male, 20 female) subjects. Serum glucose, insulin, GH, IGF-1 and adiponectin levels were obtained and the insulin resistance of the subjects was calculated. Echocardiographic studies of the subjects were performed.Results. We determined that adiponectin levels were significantly higher in the acromegalic group than the control group. In the acromegalic group, there was no statistically significant relation between serum adiponectin and growth hormone (GH), or insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels (p = 0.3, p = 0.1). We demonstrated that cardiac function and structure are affected by acromegaly. IVST, PWT, LVMI, E/A ratio, DT, ET, IVRT, VPR, and LVESV values were increased and the results were statistically significant. In the acromegalic group, adiponectin levels were positively related with left ventricle mass index (LVMI) but this correlation was found to be statistically weak (p = 0.03). In our study, there was a positive correlation between VAI and LVM. We also could not find any correlation between VAI and adiponectin levels.Conclusions. Although insulin resistance and high insulin levels occur in active acromegaly patients, adiponectin levels were higher in our study as a consequence of GH lowering therapies. Our study showed that adiponectin levels may be an indicator of the cardiac involvement acromegaly. However, the usage of serum adiponectin levels in acromegalic patients as an indicator of cardiac involvement should be supported with other, wide, multi-centered studies

Topology optimization for inverse magnetostatics as sparse regression: application to electromagnetic coils for stellarators

Topology optimization, a technique to determine where material should be placed within a predefined volume in order to minimize a physical objective, is used across a wide range of scientific fields and applications. A general application for topology optimization is inverse magnetostatics; a desired magnetic field is prescribed, and a distribution of steady currents is computed to produce that target field. In the present work, electromagnetic coils are designed by magnetostatic topology optimization, using volume elements (voxels) of electric current, constrained so the current is divergence-free. Compared to standard electromagnet shape optimization, our method has the advantage that the nonlinearity in the Biot-Savart law with respect to position is avoided, enabling convex cost functions and a useful reformulation of topology optimization as sparse regression. To demonstrate, we consider the application of designing electromagnetic coils for a class of plasma experiments known as stellarators. We produce topologically-exotic coils for several new stellarator designs and show that these solutions can be interpolated into a filamentary representation and then further optimized