EMOGA: a hybrid genetic algorithm with extremal optimization core for multiobjective disassembly line balancing

In a world where products get obsolescent ever more quickly, discarded devices produce million tons of electronic waste. Improving how end-of-life products are dismantled helps reduce this waste, as resources are conserved and fed back into the supply chain, thereby promoting reuse and recycling. This paper presents the Extremal MultiObjective Genetic Algorithm (EMOGA), a hybrid nature-inspired optimization technique for a multiobjective version of the Disassembly Line Balancing Problem (DLBP). The aim is to minimize the number of workstations, and to maximize profit and disassembly depth, when dismounting products in disassembly lines. EMOGA is a Pareto-based genetic algorithm (GA) hybridized with a module based on extremal optimization (EO), which uses a tailored mutation operator and a continuous relaxation-based seeding technique. The experiments involved the disassembly of a hammer drill and a microwave oven. Performance evaluation was carried out by comparing EMOGA to various efficient algorithms. The results showed that EMOGA is faster or gets closer to the Pareto front, or both, in all comparisons

Imaging characteristics and treatment of a penetrating brain injury caused by an oropharyngeal foreign body in a dog

A 4-year-old Border collie was presented with one episode of collapse, altered mentation, and a suspected pharyngeal stick injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography showed a linear foreign body penetrating the right oropharynx, through the foramen ovale and the brain parenchyma. The foreign body was surgically removed and medical treatment initiated. Complete resolution of clinical signs was noted at recheck 8 weeks later. Repeat MRI showed chronic secondary changes in the brain parenchyma. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of the advanced imaging findings and successful treatment of a penetrating oropharyngeal intracranial foreign body in a dog

Evaluation of macular pigment optical density following femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery

Background: To evaluate macular pigment optical density (MPOD) after bimanual femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) compared to standard bimanual phacoemulsification (B-MICS). Methods: Aprospective, casematched, comparative cohort study conducted at theInstitute of Ophthalmology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy); 30 eyes under wentbimanual FLACS with low-energy Ziemer LDV Z8 (FLACS) and 30 underwent B-MICS standard technique (B-MICS). All interventions were conducted by the same expert surgeon. MPOD using the Macular Pigment Screener II (MPS II) was evaluated at baseline, 7 and 30 days after surgery. As secondary outcomes, we considered best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) obtained using optical coherence tomography. Results: In all cases, a BunnyLens AF IOL was safely implanted in the capsular bag through a1.4 mm incision. We found asignificant reductionin MPOD in both groups at 7 and 30 days; 0.16 ±0.14 and 0.10±0.12 (FLACS) and 0.18±0.13 and 0.15±0.14 (B-MICS), respectively (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups at either 7 (P=0.52) or 30 days (P=0.18). BCVA improved significantly in both groups and CMT increased in both groups (P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively). BCVA and CMT were similar between the groups with a significant difference in CMT in favor of the FLACS group at 30 days (P=0.017). Conclusions: MPOD was reduced in both groups without any significant difference between the FLACS and B-MICS cataract interventions. FLACS is associated with a significantly higher increase of macular thickness at 30 days compared to B-MICS

A radiological visual scale to predict the potentially recruitable lung in ALI/ARDS patients

Introduction In ALI/ARDS patients the amount of potentially recruitable lung is extremely variable and it is poorly predictable by the changes of oxygenation, carbon dioxide or compliance during a PEEP trial [1]. At the present time the gold standard to compute the lung recruitability is the quantitative lung CT scan, in which each lung image, after being manually drawn, is analyzed by dedicated software. However, this is both a laborious and time-consuming technique. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of a visual radiological scale compared with lung CT scan analysis to predict the lung recruitability in ALI/ARDS patients. Methods A whole lung CT scan was performed at 5 and 45 cmH2O airway pressure. For CT scan analysis each lung image was manually outlined and analyzed by a dedicated software. The potentially recruitable lung was defi ned as the proportion of the nonaerated lung tissue in which aeration was restored [1]. For radiological visual scale analysis, two radiologists performed a blinded evaluation of the consolidation/collapsed areas in each lobe by visual inspection [2]. The overall lung change in consolidation/collapsed was obtained by the sum of each lobe and computed as the diff erence between the two conditions. Results Twenty-four ALI/ARDS patients (age 59 \ub1 15 years, BMI 26 \ub1 4 kg/m2, PaO2/FiO2 170 \ub1 60, PEEP 10 \ub1 2 cmH2O) were enrolled. The percentage of potentially recruitable lung was 16.2 \ub1 7.1% and 14.7 \ub1 7.0%, computed by CT scan and by the visual radiological scale, respectively. The mean diff erence between CT scan analysis and visual radiological analysis was 3.3 \ub1 4.6% (median: 2.91, interquartile range: 0.38 to 6.56). The error of the visual method was lower than 5% in 14 patients (58.3%), between 5% and 10% in eight patients (33.3%) and between 10% and 15% in two patients (8.3%). Conclusions The application of a radiological visual scale is able to predict the amount of potentially recruitable lung similarly to those obtained by a dedicated software avoiding the need of manually drawing each lung image. References 1. Gattinoni L, et al.: N Engl J Med 2006, 354:1775-1786. 2. Pierce RJ, et al.: Thorax 1980, 35:773-780

Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids Fitted According to NAL and DSL Procedures in Adults with Mixed Hearing Loss

BACKGROUND: Bone-anchored hearing aids represent a valid alternative for patients with conductive/mixed hearing loss who cannot use hearing aids. To date, these devices have given good audiological results, thanks to various fitting prescription programs (i.e., National Acoustic Laboratories and Desired Sensation Level). The aim of this study is to compare 2 types of fitting algorithms (National Acoustic Laboratories and Desired Sensation Level) implemented for bone-anchored hearing devices. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 10 patients followed at our operative unit, suffering from bilateral symmetrical mixed hearing loss and who underwent bone-anchored hearing aid implantation. All patients experienced each prescriptive procedure, National Acoustic Laboratories and Desired Sensation Level, for 7 months (on average), and they were subjected to audiological tests and questionnaires to evaluate the best program. RESULTS: National Acoustic Laboratories and Desired Sensation Level prescriptions yielded similar results. Desired Sensation Level allowed less amplification of the low frequencies than the National Acoustic Laboratories prescription, and these differences were the only statistically significant. Desired Sensation Level allowed better disyllabic word and sentence recognition scores only in quiet and not in noisy conditions. The subjective questionnaires showed similar results. At the end of the trial sessions, more patients (60%) definitively chose the Desired Sensation Level program for their device. These patients were those with a worse hearing threshold. CONCLUSION: The 2 prescriptive programs allowed similar results although patients with a worse threshold seem to prefer the DSL program. This is the first evaluation of the 2 prescriptive programs, National Acoustic Laboratories versus Desired Sensation Level, for bone conduction devices available in the literature. Further studies are needed to confirm this initial finding

Clinical Management of Acinic Cell Carcinoma of the Lacrimal Gland

To report a case of acinic cell carcinoma occurred in the lacrimal gland. A 59-year-old man was admitted because of sudden blurring of vision, progressive proptosis of the left eye, and mild double vision in left and down directions of the gaze (Hess-Lancaster test). His medical history detailed controlled bilateral keratoconus and open angle glaucoma. On examination, the best corrected visual acuity decreased from 8/20 till 1/50 in one week. There was a swelling of the left upper eyelid. A hard and tender mass was palpated in the superior temporal left orbit. Ultrasound scan showed an extraconal solid mass, situated in the superior lateral corner of the orbit. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass of two centimeters in diameter, with round well-defined outline, within the lacrimal gland. We per-formed an enucleoresection of the mass, via a coronal approach and a lateral orbitotomy by a piezosurgical device. The lesion appeared nodular, brownish, measuring about 2 7 1.5 cm. Histopathological findings were consistent with acinic cell carcinoma with a microcystic, focally papillary-cystic growth of pattern. Follow-up MRI outcomes led to removal of the residual lacrimal gland for suspicion of recurrence. No tumor recurrences where detected at 7-year follow-up

La memoria territorioafectiva del alerce y la tejuela como la huella de una identidad que permanece viva

Native wood is becoming increasingly scarce, as a result of the abuse and indiscriminate felling of the forest that we have practised. La madera nativa cada vez es más escasa, producto del abuso y la tala indiscriminada del bosque, que hemos practicado. A madeira nativa está se tornando cada vez mais escassa, como resultado do abuso e do corte indiscriminado da floresta que temos praticado.&nbsp

C-Si hybrid photonic structures by full infiltration of conjugated polymers into porous silicon rugate filters

Loading of one-dimensional (1-D) porous silicon photonic crystals (PS-PhCs), known as rugate filters, with luminescent materials is generally limited by the potential for (undesired) "pore clogging," in relation to the size of the nanoparticles (e.g. quantum dots) or molecular species, and so far mainly restricted to small molecular weight materials or small nanocrystals, or in situ polymerized dyes. Here we report the infiltration 1-D PS-PhCs with a green-emitting commercial luminescent polymer (F8BT, poly[(9,9-di-n-octylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-(benzo[ 2,1,3]thiadiazol-4,8-diyl)]), with a molecular weight of approximately 46 kDa across their whole depth (approximately 7.5 mu m), thereby showing that pore clogging is not a concern for these structures. We also characterize the modification of the photoluminescence (PL) and decay rates, and investigate the detailed inner morphology of the filters with the help of (scanning) transmission electron microscopy. We observe both suppression (in the stop-band) and enhancement (at the high-energy band-edge) of the PL. We also find that the photonic stop-band is red-shifted after polymer infiltration, due to the increased effective refractive index of the polymer-infiltrated nanostructured system. The presence of just one unbroadened peak in the reflectance spectra after infiltration confirms that infiltration extends for the whole depth of the rugate filters