Thermal probe technology for buildings: the transition from laboratory to field measurements

This article reports the results of an investigation into the transfer of thermal probe measurement technology from laboratory use to actual buildings in order to undertake the in situ determination of thermal material properties. The imperative for using in situ measurements is 1) the impact of moisture content on thermal properties, 2) the possible wide range of variation of properties across most materials used in construction, and 3) the lack of data for new and innovative materials. Thermal probe technology offers the prospect of taking building specific data, addressing these issues. Based on commercially available thermal probes a portable measurement kit and accompanying measurement procedure have been developed. Three case study buildings, each having different materials, have been studied to ascertain whether or not the technique can be transferred to relatively uncontrolled environments while remaining capable of achieving a precision that is similar to an ASTM standard that can be related to thermal conductivity measurements of building materials. The results show that this is indeed the case, and that the use of thermal probe technology may yield thermal properties that vary significantly from the laboratory values currently used in building thermal engineering calculations

Intra-Abdominal Sarcoma Spread Risk due to Morcellation in Minimal-Invasive Myoma Surgery

In April 2014 the food and drug administration (FDA) discouraged the use of laparoscopic morcellation in minimal-invasive hysterectomy or myoma surgery (MIS) [2]. The American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopists [3] and the European Society of Gynecological Endoscopy [4] stated the importance of further evaluation and the necessity of scientific data-based studies before final conclusions could be taken. As the results of prospective, register-based studies can take several years to be generated, we performed a retrospective singlecenter evaluation of 10,731 uterine morcellations, being the biggest series ever, which data will be published soon. Out of the 10,731 intra-abdominal uterine morcellations in laparoscopic hysterectomy, 81.3 % showed myomata; in those 8,720 six patients histologically showed to have a leiomyosarcoma (≥ 10 mitoses per high power field). After secondary oncological surgery and a follow-up of ≥ 2 years, five women were cured; one patient died due to diffuse intra-abdominal sarcoma spread