A Pain to the Patient and to the Doctor

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On the use of polynomial models in multiobjective directional direct search

FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia PTDC/MAT-APL/28400/2017; UIDB/00297/2020.Polynomial interpolation or regression models are an important tool in Derivative-free Optimization, acting as surrogates of the real function. In this work, we propose the use of these models in the multiobjective framework of directional direct search, namely the one of Direct Multisearch. Previously evaluated points are used to build quadratic polynomial models, which are minimized in an attempt of generating nondominated points of the true function, defining a search step for the algorithm. Numerical results state the competitiveness of the proposed approach.authorsversionpublishe

Rice husk-earth based composites: A novel bio-based panel for buildings refurbishment

With the aim of developing economic and ecological bio-based composite panels to be used on indoor wall or ceiling coating systems, contributing to hygrothermal comfort and health, three different composite formulations were produced, differing on the content and pre-treatment of rice husk: 15% and 30%, only dried or previously boiled. Composite samples were tested for biological development and several physic-mechanical characteristics. Increasing on rice husk content decreases thermal conductivity due to bulk density decrease, decreasing ultrasound velocity, flexural strength, abrasion and fire resistance, but improving the moisture buffering capacity at least in 20%. For high rice husk-content composites, its pre-boiling decreases biological susceptibility although decreasing resistance to fire, most probably due to destruction of the cellulose wall, but significantly increases abrasion resistance and compressive strength, probably because of a better bond between the rice husk and the earthen matrix, quicker reaching a high water vapour adsorption limit

Parallel strategies for Direct Multisearch

Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.Direct multisearch (DMS) is a derivative-free optimization class of algorithms, suited for computing approximations to the complete Pareto front of a given multiobjective optimization problem. In DMS class, constraints are addressed with an extreme barrier approach, only evaluating feasible points. It has a well-supported convergence analysis and simple implementations present a good numerical performance, both in academic test sets and in real applications. Recently, this numerical performance was improved with the definition of a search step based on the minimization of quadratic polynomial models, corresponding to the algorithm BoostDMS. In this work, we propose and numerically evaluate strategies to improve the performance of BoostDMS, mainly through parallelization applied to the search and to the poll steps. The final parallelized version not only considerably decreases the computational time required for solving a multiobjective optimization problem, but also increases the quality of the computed approximation to the Pareto front. Extensive numerical results will be reported in an academic test set and in a chemical engineering application.preprintpublishe

Treatment of Lupus Erythematosus of the Eyelids with Pulsed Dye Laser

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A dermatosis of pregnancy

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Popeye Deformity: a Red Flag for Wild-Type Transthyretin Amyloidosis

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Effectiveness of mortars composition on the embodied carbon long-term impact

Refurbishment activities represent more than 17% of the saving potential of the EU up to 2050. However, studies on buildings structure and finishing reparation of rendering mortars using LCA are still lacking. An innovative design approach is required to drive the minimisation of embodied carbon using objective performance information of buildings behaviour. This research work is focused on the reparation of rendering mortars and intends to demonstrate that the choice of mortars for buildings affects the maintenance actions needed and can increase the construction environment liability and embodied carbon expenditure. A new leaching risk analysis combined with LCA of different mortars composition (cement and lime based) was implemented enabling to predict the longevity of the rendering and the embodied carbon expenditure on 20th century buildings. It is demonstrated that some mortars may have a higher impact at the outset, such as cement-based mortars, but result in a much lower impact across the building service life. The embodied carbon of repair actions of mortars similar to OPC are expected to reduce the environmental impact of rendering repair actions at least in 10 times in comparison to less hydraulic mortars

Drug Allergy with Cutaneous Manifestations. Diagnostic Approach

As reacções adversas a fármacos (RAF) representam um problema frequente na prática clínica. A alergia a fármacos resulta de mecanismos de hipersensibilidade imunológica e representa 6-10% do total de RAF. Clinicamente, as reacções alérgicas a fármacos podem ser classificadas como imediatas (tipo I) ou não-imediatas (com manifestações clínicas diversas e associadas sobretudo a reacções de tipo IV). Neste artigo são abordados aspectos gerais, nomeadamente os mecanismos imunopatogénicos implicados na alergia a fármacos e reactividade cruzada mas também as manifestações cutâneas mais relevantes, nomeadamente exantemas máculo-papulares, eritema fixo a fármacos (EFF), pustulose exantemática aguda generalizada (PEAG), síndrome de hipersensibilidade a fármacos (DRESS – drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms), síndrome de Stevens-Johnson/necrólise epidérmica tóxica (SSJ/NET). O papel dos testes cutâneos (epicutâneos ou intradérmicos de leitura tardia) na abordagem de reacções não-imediatas é também revisto. Os beta-lactâmicos (BL) são o grupo farmacológico mais frequentemente envolvido em reacções de hipersensibilidade imunológica e que mais dificuldades coloca na prática clínica diária, nomeadamente devido aos riscos de reactividade cruzada, pelo que é analisado em maior detalhe ao longo da revisão. A indução de tolerância a fármacos poderá ser considerada em casos selecionados, sobretudo quando na ausência de alternativas terapêuticas igualmente eficazes ou seguras