Artificial Intelligence Techniques Applied to Electromagnetic Interference Problems Between Power Lines and Metal Pipelines

European ecological regulations meant to protect nature and wild life along with construction cost reduction policies generated a set of government regulations that limit the access to new transmission and distribution corridors. As a result, gas, water or oil supply pipelines are forced to share the same distribution corridors with Electrical Power Lines (EPL), AC Railway Systems or Telecommunication Lines (figure 1)

Copper removal from industrial wastewaters by means of electrostatic shielding

Electrostatic shielding zones made of electrode graphite powder were used as a new type of ionic and electronic currentsinks. Because of the local elimination of the applied electric field, voltage and current within the zones, ions are led insidethem and accumulate there. We implemented the current sinks in electrodialysis of a simulated copper plating rinse watercontaining 100 mg L-1 Cu2+ ions and electrodeionization of a 0.001 M CuSO4 solution with simultaneous electrochemicalregeneration of the used ion exchange resin beds and obtained pure water with a Cu2+ ion concentration of less than 0.12 mgL-1 at a flow rate of 1.29x10-4 L s-1 diluate stream and a current density of 2 mA cm-2

Abdominoperineal Resection for Rectal Cancer: Is the Pelvic Drain Externalization Site an Independent Risk Factor for Perineal Wound Healing?

Aim. The aim of this paper is to investigate if the insertion of the pelvic drainage tube via the perineal wound could be considered as an independent risk factor for perineal healing disorders, after abdominoperineal resection for rectal malignancy. Patients and Methods. The last two decades, 75 patients underwent elective abdominoperineal resection for malignancy. In 42 patients (56%), the pelvic drain catheter was inserted through the perineal wound (PW group), while in the remaining 33 (44%) through a puncture skin wound of the perineum (SW group). Patients' data with respect to age (P = 0.136), stage (P > 0.05), sex (P = 0.188) and comorbidity (P = 0.128) were similar in both groups. 25 patients (PW versus SW: 8 versus 17, P = 0.0026) underwent neoadjuvant radio/chemotherapy. Results. The overall morbidity rate was 36%, but a significant increase was revealed in PW group (52.4% versus 9%, P = 0.0007). In 33.3% of the patients in the PW group, perineal healing was delayed, while in the SW group, no delay was noted. Perineal healing disorders were revealed as the main source of increased morbidity in this group. Conclusion. The insertion of the pelvic drain tube through the perineal wound should be considered as an independent risk factor predisposing to perineal healing disorders

The unresolved case of sacral chordoma: from misdiagnosis to challenging surgery and medical therapy resistance.

PURPOSE: A sacral chordoma is a rare, slow-growing, primary bone tumor, arising from embryonic notochordal remnants. Radical surgery is the only hope for cure. The aim of our present study is to analyse our experience with the challenging treatment of this rare tumor, to review current treatment modalities and to assess the outcome based on R status. METHODS: Eight patients were treated in our institution between 2001 and 2011. All patients were discussed by a multidisciplinary tumor board, and an en bloc surgical resection by posterior perineal access only or by combined anterior/posterior accesses was planned based on tumor extension. RESULTS: Seven patients underwent radical surgery, and one was treated by using local cryotherapy alone due to low performance status. Three misdiagnosed patients had primary surgery at another hospital with R1 margins. Reresection margins in our institution were R1 in two and R0 in one, and all three recurred. Four patients were primarily operated on at our institution and had en bloc surgery with R0 resection margins. One had local recurrence after 18 months. The overall morbidity rate was 86% (6/7 patients) and was mostly related to the perineal wound. Overall, 3 out of 7 resected patients were disease-free at a median follow-up of 2.9 years (range, 1.6-8.0 years). CONCLUSION: Our experience confirms the importance of early correct diagnosis and of an R0 resection for a sacral chordoma invading pelvic structures. It is a rare disease that requires a challenging multidisciplinary treatment, which should ideally be performed in a tertiary referral center

A DYNAMIC CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR THE VISUALIZATION OF CULTURAL INFORMATION; THE CASE OF THE STATE CONSERVATORY OF THESSALONIKI, GR

Although there are several attempts of embedding static content in events’ brochures and posters, the increasing need for flexibility and versatility of the content, leads to the development of a mobile application with an in-app dynamic content management system. In this context, DigiOrch is an ongoing research program where, a Content Management System is developed to organize all the digital material and maintain the appropriate connection to the analogical markers. Furthermore, a mobile application is developed that lev-erages this system using in app dynamic modules, which, by utilizing the augmented reality technology, presents multimedia data such as texts, photos, videos, and 3D Models to the end-user by “superimposing” them on mobile devices screen, providing extra additional information on any valid smart-leaflet.The overall workflow of the in-app Dynamic Content Management System (DCMS) can be described as a group of modules that managing and copying content files from a remote infrastructure such as an ftp server or a local resource if network is missing, to the mobile device’s file system.The in-app DCMS consists of 4 modules: The first module is the parser, which is responsible for reading a downloaded *.json file and creating content-linked objects. The second module is the download module which is responsible for downloading the overall content by iterating the content-linked objects, created by the previous module. The third module le is the update module that, by iterating the initial content file and the local file system, suggests whether a content update is necessary. The fourth module is the loading module, which is responsible for fetching the content on runtime to fill the content-holding components, such as 3D Models and UI photo galleries, of the AR scenes on runtime.</p

VEGF induces signalling and angiogenesis by directing VEGFR2 internalisation via macropinocytosis

Endocytosis plays critical role in receptor signalling. VEGFR2 and its ligand VEGFA are fundamental in neovascularization. Yet, our understanding of the role of endocytosis in VEGFR2 signalling remains limited. Despite the existence of diverse internalisation routes, the only known endocytic pathway of VEGFR2 is the clathrin-mediated. Here, we show that this pathway is the predominant internalisation route of VEGFR2 only in the absence of ligand. Intriguingly, VEGF introduces a novel internalisation itinerary for VEGFR2, the pathway of macropinocytosis, which becomes the prevalent endocytic route of the receptor in the presence of ligand, while the route of clathrin becomes minor. Macropinocytic internalisation of VEGFR2, which mechanistically is mediated via the small GTPase CDC42, takes place via macropinosomes generated at ruffling areas of the membrane. Interestingly, macropinocytosis plays critical role in VEGF-induced signalling, endothelial cell functions in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo, while clathrin-mediated endocytosis is not essential for VEGF signalling. These findings expand our knowledge on the endocytic pathways of VEGFR2 and suggest that VEGF-driven internalisation of VEGFR2 via macropinocytosis is essential for endothelial cell signalling and angiogenesis

The Social, Educational and Market Scenario for nZEB in Europe

Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) are a significant part of the energy efficiency strategy of the European Union. As buildings represent approximately 40% of the final energy use in Europe, the reduction of their energy demand is key for a sustainable future. This paper takes a qualitative approach and presents data about professional and market barriers, as well as the educational market in relation to the implementation of nZEB policies for new and retrofit buildings in 11 European countries. Different levels of policy enactments and market penetration are reported and are generally found to be more advanced in western and central European countries. Furthermore, gender equality is examined in the building sector in relation to nZEB and presents significant gaps, with a more balanced situation reported in southern Europe. The accreditation and targeted education of nZEB experts is still almost non-existent in the examined countries, and the need for training of building professionals is highlighted as a critical missing component of current policy. This research aims to be the first step towards the creation of educational material and programmes as a mean to accelerate the transition to nZEB.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programm

Asymmetry of Early Endosome Distribution in C. elegans Embryos

development, we examined the distribution and dynamics of early endosomes (EEs) in embryos.EEs are primarily found at the cell periphery with an initially uniform distribution after fertilization. Strikingly, we find that during the first cell cycle, EEA-1 positive EEs become enriched at the anterior cortex. In contrast, the Golgi compartment shows no asymmetry in distribution. Asymmetric enrichment of EEs depends on acto-myosin contractility and embryonic PAR polarity. In addition to their localization at the cortex, EEs are also found around the centrosome. These EEs move rapidly (1.3um/s) from the cortex directly to the centrosome, a speed comparable to that of the minus end directed motor dynein.We speculate that the asymmetry of early endosomes might play a role in cell asymmetries or fate decisions