Does postoperative radiation therapy represent a contraindication to expander-implant based immediate breast reconstruction? An update 2012-2014

Post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) is well known in the plastic surgery community for having a negative impact on expander-implant based immediate breast reconstruction (IBBR), although recently some technical improvements allow better results. Very recent papers would suggest that there is no difference in postoperative complications in patients receiving post-mastectomy radiotherapy using modern techniques. However, study results are often biased by small groups of patients and by heterogeneity of radiotherapy timing, different surgical techniques and measured outcomes

Structural Properties of the Disordered Spherical and other Mean Field Spin Models

We extend the approach of Aizenman, Sims and Starr for the SK-type models to their spherical versions. Such an extension has already been performed for diluted spin glasses. The factorization property of the optimal structures found by Guerra for the SK model, which holds for diluted models as well, is verified also in the case of spherical systems, with the due modifications. Hence we show that there are some common structural features in various mean field spin models. These similarities seem to be quite paradigmatic, and we summarize the various techniques typically used to prove the structural analogies and to tackle the computation of the free energy per spin in the thermodynamic limit.Comment: 24 page

REPRESENTING WITH LIGHT. VIDEO PROJECTION MAPPING FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE

In this paper, we describe a cross-disciplinary process that uses photogrammetric surveys as a precise basis for video projection mapping techniques. Beginning with a solid basis that uses geoinformatics technologies, such as laser scanning and photogrammetric survey, the method sets, as a first step, the physical and geometrical acquisition of the object. Precision and accuracy are the basics that allow the analysis of the artwork, both at a small or large scale, to evaluate details and correspondences. Testing contents at different scales of the object, using 3D printed replicas or real architectures is the second step of the investigation.The core of the process is the use of equations of collinearity into an interactive system such as Max 7, a visual programming language for music and multimedia, in order to facilitate operators to have a fast image correction, directly inside the interactive software. Interactivity gives also the opportunity to easily configure a set of actions to let the spectators to directly change and control the animation content. The paper goes through the different phases of the research, analysing the results and the progress through a series of events on real architecture and experiments on 3d printed models to test the level of involvement of the audience and the flexibility of the system in terms of content.The idea of using the collinearity equation inside da software Max 7 was developed for the M.Arch final Thesis by Massimo Visonà and Tommaso Pasini of the University of Venice (IUAV) in collaboration with the Digital Exhibit Postgraduate Master Course (MDE Iuav)

A note on the Guerra and Talagrand theorems for Mean Field Spin Glasses: the simple case of spherical models

The aim of this paper is to discuss the main ideas of the Talagrand proof of the Parisi Ansatz for the free-energy of Mean Field Spin Glasses with a physicist's approach. We consider the case of the spherical $p$-spin model, which has the following advantages: 1) the Parisi Ansatz takes the simple ``one step replica symmetry breaking form'', 2) the replica free-energy as a function of the order parameters is simple enough to allow for numerical maximization with arbitrary precision. We present the essential ideas of the proof, we stress its connections with the theory of effective potentials for glassy systems, and we reduce the technically more difficult part of the Talagrand's analysis to an explicit evaluation of the solution of a variational problem.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures. Added references and minor language correction

Accuracy of Siri and Brozek equations in the percent body fat estimation in older adults

To identify which equation, Siri or Brozek, based on the two compartment model, provides a more accurate conversion of body density (BD) in percent body fat (%BF) in a group of older adults. Cross-sectional study. Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto. 60 older adults, aged 60-92 years. Skinfold thickness was used to estimate BD through Visser et al. prediction equation. The conversion of BD to %BF was done with Siri (%BF-Siri) and Brozek (%BF-Brozek) formulas and these determined values were both compared to Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (%BF-DXA) evaluations. A strong correlation between the %BF-DXA value and %BF-Siri (r=0.91, p < 0.001) and %BF-Brozek (r=0.91, p < 0.001) was found, although %BF-Siri and %BF-Brozek overestimated %BF-DXA (p < 0.001). The comparison of the %BF-Siri and %BF-Brozek mean values also revealed significant differences (p < 0.001). The %BF-Brozek reflects a better agreement than the %BF-Siri with %BF-DXA with respectively a mean difference of -4.0%BF (limits of agreement = -10.9 to 2.9%) and -5.7%BF (-12.6 to 1.2). The Bland and Altman plots confirmed that %BF-Brozek reflects a better agreement with %BF-DXA. The results of the present study show that the use of Brozek equation may correspond to a more accurate alternative than Siri equation for the conversion of BD in %BF in older adults

Development of a gas absorption heat pump for residential applications

Thermally Driven Heat Pumps represent an option to reduce the energy consumption for space heating and domestic hot water in hard-to-decarbonize buildings without impacting the electrical grid and utilizing the current and future gaseous energy vectors with high efficiency. Ariston Group and Politecnico di Milano developed a gas absorption heat pump for the residential market, exploiting design and manufacturing solutions to enable large-scale production and introducing technical features to assure high performance over the entire working range. In particular, the use of a variable restrictor setup coupled with a patented solution, called “booster”, can reduce the temperature of the generator at high load and high lift conditions, enabling the heat pump to provide the nominal capacity from -22 °C to +40 °C of outdoor air temperature, with supply temperature up to 70 °C. Moreover, coupled with a specifically designed combustion system, the heat pump can modulate at 1:6 ratio of its nominal capacity. This feature makes it possible to maintain high efficiency also at part load conditions, avoiding the on-off operation and making redundant the installation of inertial buffer. Additionally, an innovative strategy to perform the defrosting of the air-sourced heat exchanger without the need of acting on the thermodynamic cycle has been developed. This allows defrosting operations extremely fast, while offering an almost negligible effect on the heat pump performance and substantially no interruption to the heating service and contributing to the elimination of the need to install an inertial buffer. The thermodynamic core of the appliance was built targeting large scale production. It allows for high specific capacity (kg/kW) and a small footprint (m2/kW) with the ability to serve nominal capacities ranging from 8 to 15 kW based on the configurations. Laboratory test to assess the performances based on the European Standard EN 12309 returned a seasonal gas utilization efficiency on the net calorific of 1.50, a seasonal primary energy ratio of 1.27, and extremely low electrical consumption for the auxiliaries

Caprellids (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from India

The caprellid fauna of India is investigated. A total of 538 samples (including algae, seagrasses, sponges, hydroids, ascidians, bryozoans, encrusted dead corals, coral rubble, fine and coarse sediments) were collected from 39 stations along the coast of India, covering a wide diversity of habitats from intertidal to 12 m water depth. A new species (Jigurru longimanus n.sp.) is described, and figures of the 11 valid species reported so far from India are given together with a key for their identification. No caprellids were found in sediments from the northeast (16–208N) coast of India while they were abundant in the southeast and west coast. Decreases in salinity due to river discharges associated with lower values of oxygen, higher water temperatures and lower nutrient inputs along the east coast could explain these differences in caprellid composition between the two coastlines. Significantly, lower abundance of caprellids in India, as in other tropical ecosystems, is probably related to the lack of species belonging to the genus Caprella, which reach very high abundances in temperate waters.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España y fondos FEDER de la Unión Europea. CGL2007-60044/ BOSConsejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa, Junta de Andalucía, España. P07-RNM-02524Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) de India. DOD/10-MLR/1/2002/DT 19.12.200