Intraoperative Indocyanine Green Laser Angiography in Pediatric Autologous Ear Reconstruction.

Skin flap vascularity is a critical determinant of aesthetic results in autologous ear reconstruction. In this study, we investigate the use of intraoperative laser-assisted indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) as an adjunctive measure of skin flap vascularity in pediatric autologous ear reconstruction. Twenty-one consecutive pediatric patients undergoing first-stage autologous total ear reconstruction were retrospectively evaluated. The first 10 patients were treated traditionally (non-ICGA), and the latter 11 patients were evaluated with ICGA intraoperatively after implantation of the cartilage construct and administration of suction. Relative and absolute perfusion units in the form of contour maps were generated. Statistical analyses were performed using independent sample Student t test. Statistically significant differences in exposure and infection were not found between the 2 groups. However, decreased numbers of surgical revisions were required in cases with ICGA versus without ICGA (P = 0.03), suggesting that greater certainty in skin flap perfusion correlated with a reduction in revision surgeries. In cases of exposure, we found an average lowest absolute perfusion unit of 14.3, whereas cases without exposure had an average of 26.1 (P = 0.02), thereby defining objective parameters for utilizing ICGA data in tailoring surgical decision making for this special population of patients. Defined quantitative parameters for utilizing ICGA in evaluating skin flap vascularity may be a useful adjunctive technique in pediatric autologous ear reconstruction

Supergraph Approach in a Higher-order LDE Calculation of the Effective Potential for F-type Broken SUSY

In this work, we adopt the simplest model that spontaneously breaks supersymmetry, namely, the minimal O'Raifeartaigh model. The effective potential is computed in the framework of the linear delta expansion (LDE) approach up to the order $\delta^2$, conjugated with superspace and supergraph techniques. The latter can be duly mastered even if supersymmetry is no longer exact and the efficacy of the superfield approach in connection with the LDE procedure is confirmed according to our investigation. That opens up a way for a semi-nonperturbative superspace computation which allows us to deal with spontaneously broken supersymmetric models and encourages us to go further and apply this treatment to the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) precision tests.Comment: 42 pages, 22 figures, text modified, new paragraph added in the conclusions, revtex

Impact of a magnetic field on the thermodynamics of magnetized quark matter

We investigate the effect of a magnetic field on the thermodynamics of magnetized quark matter at finite temperature. By using the Nambu Jona-Lasino (NJL) model, we show that the lattice results for the quark consensate can be reproduced when the coupling constant G of the model decreases with the magnetic field and the temperature. Our results show that thermodynamic quantities and quark condensates are very sensitive to the dependence of G with the temperature, even in the absence of a magnetic field.We investigate the effect of a magnetic field on the thermodynamics of magnetized quark matter at finite temperature. By using the Nambu Jona-Lasino (NJL) model, we show that the lattice results for the quark consensate can be reproduced when the coupling706FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOFAPESC - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA E INOVAÇÃO DO ESTADO DE SANTA CATARINACNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOsem informaçãosem informaçãosem informação13th International Workshop on Hadron PhysicsWe thank G. Endrodi for helpful discussions and for providing the lattice data for u and d quark condensates. We also thank FAEPEX, FAPESP, FAPESC and CNPq for financial support

Structural and dynamical properties of a quasi-one-dimensional classical binary system

The ground state configurations and the \lq{}\lq{}normal\rq{}\rq{} mode spectra of a $quasi$-one-dimensional (Q1D) binary system of charged particles interacting through a screened Coulomb potential are presented. The minimum energy configurations were obtained analytically and independently through molecular dynamic simulations. A rich variety of ordered structures were found as a function of the screening parameter, the particle density, and the ratio between the charges of the distinct types of particles. Continuous and discontinuous structural transitions, as well as an unexpected symmetry breaking in the charge distribution are observed when the density of the system is changed. For near equal charges we found a disordered phase where a mixing of the two types of particles occurs. The phonon dispersion curves were calculated within the harmonic approximation for the one- and two-chain structures.Comment: 11 pages, 11 fig