Hi-GAL: The Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane Survey

Hi-GAL, the Herschel infrared Galactic Plane Survey, is an Open Time Key Project of the Herschel Space Observatory. It will make an unbiased photometric survey of the inner Galactic plane by mapping a 2° wide strip in the longitude range midlmid < 60° in five wavebands between 70 μm and 500 μm. The aim of Hi-GAL is to detect the earliest phases of the formation of molecular clouds and high-mass stars and to use the optimum combination of Herschel wavelength coverage, sensitivity, mapping strategy, and speed to deliver a homogeneous census of star-forming regions and cold structures in the interstellar medium. The resulting representative samples will yield the variation of source temperature, luminosity, mass and age in a wide range of Galactic environments at all scales from massive YSOs in protoclusters to entire spiral arms, providing an evolutionary sequence for the formation of intermediate and high-mass stars. This information is essential to the formulation of a predictive global model of the role of environment and feedback in regulating the star-formation process. Such a model is vital to understanding star formation on galactic scales and in the early universe. Hi-GAL will also provide a science legacy for decades to come with incalculable potential for systematic and serendipitous science in a wide range of astronomical fields, enabling the optimum use of future major facilities such as JWST and ALMA

Results and complications of percutaneous pelvic osteotomy and intertrochanteric varus shortening osteotomy in 54 consecutively operated GMFCS level IV and V cerebral palsy patients

This retrospective study evaluated mid-to-long-term outcome of a minimally invasive percutaneous pelvic osteotomy (PPO) approach combined with varus derotational shortening osteotomy (VDRSO) and soft tissue release in children with severe CP

Towards the Definition of a Low-Cost Toolbox for Qualitative Inspection of Painted Historical Vaults by Means of Modified DSLR Cameras, Open Source Programs and Signal Processing Techniques

Historical architecture is a primary element containing the identity values of a society. The wide diffusion of many ancient buildings gathering part of these values on painting walls over territories often characterized by poor technological or economic resources brings to consider the development of low-cost protocols to inspect valued surfaces and to give the authorities in charge of preservation and restoration adequate technical information. Here we present the preliminary results of a recent application of remote sensing micro-geophysical techniques to typical architectural targets such as vaults. A modified commercial Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera was used to acquire multispectral datasets on portions of a painted vault. Multispectral datasets were used raw or after the application of a pre-processing step with a Multi Images Stacking (MIS) algorithm. Multispectral images were then processed with spatial wavelet decomposition, histogram enhancing, thresholds application, image fusion, false colors compositing and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) techniques. Software used have been GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) and Mathworks MATLAB (which can be substituted for the processing steps proposed by the built-in functions of GNU OCTAVE open-source software). Processed images were able to highlight features on vault paintings revealing details of the surface or its very shallow layers which were impossible or very difficult to distinguish in raw data. In fact, they emphasized low-visible details, differences in apparently similar finishes or pigments, cracks and probably details of surface preparation

Distinct routes to metastasis: plasticity-dependent and plasticity-independent pathways.

The cascade that culminates in macrometastases is thought to be mediated by phenotypic plasticity, including epithelial-mesenchymal and mesenchymal-epithelial transitions (EMT and MET). Although there is substantial support for the role of EMT in driving cancer cell invasion and dissemination, much less is known about the importance of MET in the later steps of metastatic colonization. We created novel reporters, which integrate transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, to test whether MET is required for metastasis in multiple in vivo cancer models. In a model of carcinosarcoma, metastasis occurred via an MET-dependent pathway; however, in two prostate carcinoma models, metastatic colonization was MET independent. Our results provide evidence for both MET-dependent and MET-independent metastatic pathways

Is H.A. Simon a theoretician of decentralized planning? A comparison with F.A. Hayek on planning, market, and organizations

Planning, Market, Organizations, Bounded rationality, Complexity, B19, B40, D21, D40, D8, L2,