Energy Conversion Using New Thermoelectric Generator

During recent years, microelectronics helped to develop complex and varied technologies. It appears that many of these technologies can be applied successfully to realize Seebeck micro generators: photolithography and deposition methods allow to elaborate thin thermoelectric structures at the micro-scale level. Our goal is to scavenge energy by developing a miniature power source for operating electronic components. First Bi and Sb micro-devices on silicon glass substrate have been manufactured with an area of 1cm2 including more than one hundred junctions. Each step of process fabrication has been optimized: photolithography, deposition process, anneals conditions and metallic connections. Different device structures have been realized with different micro-line dimensions. Each devices performance will be reviewed and discussed in function of their design structure.Comment: Submitted on behalf of TIMA Editions (http://irevues.inist.fr/tima-editions

Thermoelectric and microbattery hybrid system with its power management

Submitted on behalf of EDA Publishing Association (http://irevues.inist.fr/handle/2042/5920)International audienceIntegration of a power source with a MEMS to obtain an autonomous or remote system is a very challenging task. Such a device is currently being developed. It consists in hybriding an energy storage system (thin film solid state battery) with a scavenging energy system (thermogenerator) in a very small volume. It requires also power management to both control charge of the battery by the thermogenerator and discharge of the battery by the load, i.e. a sensor for instance

Controversies in Surgical Staging of Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological malignancy and its incidence is increasing. In 1998, international federation of gynaecologists and obstetricians (FIGO) required a change from clinical to surgical staging in endometrial cancer, introducing pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy. This staging requirement raised controversies around the importance of determining nodal status and impact of lymphadenectomy on outcomes. There is agreement about the prognostic value of lymphadenectomy, but its extent, therapeutic value, and benefits in terms of survival are still matter of debate, especially in early stages. Accurate preoperative risk stratification can guide to the appropriate type of surgery by selecting patients who benefit of lymphadenectomy. However, available preoperative and intraoperative investigations are not highly accurate methods to detect lymph nodes and a complete surgical staging remains the most precise method to evaluate extrauterine spread of the disease. Laparotomy has always been considered the standard approach for endometrial cancer surgical staging. Traditional and robotic-assisted laparoscopic techniques seem to provide equivalent results in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival compared to laparotomy. These minimally invasive approaches demonstrated additional benefits as shorter hospital stay, less use of pain killers, lower rate of complications and improved quality of life

One-Step Laparoscopic Management of a Female Adnexal Tumor of Wolffian Origin

We report a case of female adnexal tumor of Wolffian origin (FATWO), a rare neoplasm arising from the mesonephric ducts. A 48-year-old woman came first to our center for a recent discovery of a pelvic mass. Transvaginal ultrasonographic findings suggested a solid right para-ovarian mass suspected to be malignant. After thorough counseling, the patient underwent operative laparoscopy for excision of the para-ovarian mass with frozen section (FS) examination resulting in the diagnosis of a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. In this case, FS results allowed performing a comprehensive oncological staging, through a totally laparoscopic extrafascial hysterectomy, bilateral adnexectomy, total omentectomy, pelvic wall peritonectomy, and pelvic, parasacral and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. Final pathological and immunohistochemical results confirmed the diagnosis of FATWO. To our knowledge, this is the first case of FATWO managed entirely by a minimally invasive laparoscopic approach in a single surgical session

On Flux Quantization in F-Theory II: Unitary and Symplectic Gauge Groups

We study the quantization of the M-theory G-flux on elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau fourfolds with singularities giving rise to unitary and symplectic gauge groups. We seek and find its relation to the Freed-Witten quantization of worldvolume fluxes on 7-branes in type IIB orientifold compactifications on Calabi-Yau threefolds. By explicitly constructing the appropriate four-cycles on which to calculate the periods of the second Chern class of the fourfolds, we find that there is a half-integral shift in the quantization of G-flux whenever the corresponding dual 7-brane is wrapped on a non-spin submanifold. This correspondence of quantizations holds for all unitary and symplectic gauge groups, except for SU(3), which behaves mysteriously. We also perform our analysis in the case where, in addition to the aforementioned gauge groups, there is also a 'flavor' U(1)-gauge group.Comment: 33 pages, 4 figure

Non-simply-laced Lie algebras via F theory strings

In order to describe the appearance in F theory of the non--simply--laced Lie algebras, we use the representation of symmetry enhancements by means of string junctions. After an introduction to the techniques used to describe symmetry enhancement, that is algebraic geometry, BPS states analysis and string junctions, we concentrate on the latter. We give an explicit description of the folding of D_{2n} to B_n of the folding of E_6 to F_4 and that of D_4 to G_2 in terms of junctions and Jordan strings. We also discuss the case of C_n, but we are unable in this case to provide a string interpretation.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure

On Flux Quantization in F-Theory

We study the problem of four-form flux quantization in F-theory compactifications. We prove that for smooth, elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau fourfolds with a Weierstrass representation, the flux is always integrally quantized. This implies that any possible half-integral quantization effects must come from 7-branes, i.e. from singularities of the fourfold. We subsequently analyze the quantization rule on explicit fourfolds with Sp(N) singularities, and connect our findings via Sen's limit to IIB string theory. Via direct computations we find that the four-form is half-integrally quantized whenever the corresponding 7-brane stacks wrap non-spin complex surfaces, in accordance with the perturbative Freed-Witten anomaly. Our calculations on the fourfolds are done via toric techniques, whereas in IIB we rely on Sen's tachyon condensation picture to treat bound states of branes. Finally, we give general formulae for the curvature- and flux-induced D3 tadpoles for general fourfolds with Sp(N) singularities.Comment: 46 page

Tate Form and Weak Coupling Limits in F-theory

We consider the weak coupling limit of F-theory in the presence of non-Abelian gauge groups implemented using the traditional ansatz coming from Tate's algorithm. We classify the types of singularities that could appear in the weak coupling limit and explain their resolution. In particular, the weak coupling limit of SU(n) gauge groups leads to an orientifold theory which suffers from conifold singulaties that do not admit a crepant resolution compatible with the orientifold involution. We present a simple resolution to this problem by introducing a new weak coupling regime that admits singularities compatible with both a crepant resolution and an orientifold symmetry. We also comment on possible applications of the new limit to model building. We finally discuss other unexpected phenomena as for example the existence of several non-equivalent directions to flow from strong to weak coupling leading to different gauge groups.Comment: 34 page

The new Checklist of the Italian Fauna: marine Mollusca.

The mollusc fauna of the Mediterranean Sea is still considered as the best-known marine mollusc fauna in the world. The previous modern checklists of marine Mollusca were produced by joint teams of amateurs and professionals. During the last years the Italian Society of Malacology (Società Italiana di Malacologia – S.I.M.) maintained an updated version of the Mediterranean checklist, that served as the backbone for the development of the new Italian checklist. According to the current version (updated on April 1st, 2021), 1,777 recognised species of marine molluscs are present in the Italian Economic Exclusive Zone, including also the Tyrrhenian coasts of Corsica and the continental shelf of the Maltese archipelago. The new checklist shows an increase of 17% of the species reported in the 1995 Checklist. This is largely (yet not solely) due to the new wave of studies based on Integrative Taxonomy approaches. A total of 135 species (7.6%) are strictly endemic to the Italian waters; 44 species (2.5%) are alien and correspond to the 28% of the Mediterranean alien marine molluscs. All eight extant molluscan classes are represented. The families represented in the Italian fauna are 307, an increase of 14.6% from the first checklist, partly due to new records and partly to new phylogenetic systematics. Compared with the whole Mediterranean malacofauna, the Italian component represents 71% in species and 61% in families, which makes it a very remarkable part of the Mediterranean fauna

Evaluating the risk of ovarian cancer before surgery using the ADNEX model to differentiate between benign, borderline, early and advanced stage invasive, and secondary metastatic tumours: prospective multicentre diagnostic study

Objectives To develop a risk prediction model to preoperatively discriminate between benign, borderline, stage I invasive, stage II-IV invasive, and secondary metastatic ovarian tumours. Design Observational diagnostic study using prospectively collected clinical and ultrasound data. Setting 24 ultrasound centres in 10 countries. Participants Women with an ovarian (including para-ovarian and tubal) mass and who underwent a standardised ultrasound examination before surgery. The model was developed on 3506 patients recruited between 1999 and 2007, temporally validated on 2403 patients recruited between 2009 and 2012, and then updated on all 5909 patients. Main outcome measures Histological classification and surgical staging of the mass. Results The Assessment of Different NEoplasias in the adneXa (ADNEX) model contains three clinical and six ultrasound predictors: age, serum CA-125 level, type of centre (oncology centres v other hospitals), maximum diameter of lesion, proportion of solid tissue, more than 10 cyst locules, number of papillary projections, acoustic shadows, and ascites. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the classic discrimination between benign and malignant tumours was 0.94 (0.93 to 0.95) on temporal validation. The AUC was 0.85 for benign versus borderline, 0.92 for benign versus stage I cancer, 0.99 for benign versus stage II-IV cancer, and 0.95 for benign versus secondary metastatic. AUCs between malignant subtypes varied between 0.71 and 0.95, with an AUC of 0.75 for borderline versus stage I cancer and 0.82 for stage II-IV versus secondary metastatic. Calibration curves showed that the estimated risks were accurate. Conclusions The ADNEX model discriminates well between benign and malignant tumours and offers fair to excellent discrimination between four types of ovarian malignancy. The use of ADNEX has the potential to improve triage and management decisions and so reduce morbidity and mortality associated with adnexal pathology