Influence of the Extrinsic Curvature on 2D Nematic Films

Nematic interfaces are thin fluid films, ideally two-dimensional, endowed with an in-plane degenerate nematic order. In this letter we examine a generalisation of the classical Plateau problem to an axisymmetric nematic interface bounded by two coaxial parallel rings. The equilibrium interface shape results from the competition between surface tension, which favours the minimization of the interface area, and the nematic elasticity which instead promotes the alignment of the molecules along a common direction. We find two classes of equilibrium solutions with intrinsically uniform alignments: one in which the molecules are aligned along the meridians, the other along parallels. Depending on two parameters, one geometric and the other constitutive, the Gaussian curvature of the equilibrium interface may be negative, vanishing or positive. The stability of these equilibrium configurations is investigated

Hydrodynamic theory for nematic shells: the interplay among curvature, flow and alignment

We derive the hydrodynamic equations for nematic liquid crystals lying on curved substrates. We invoke the Lagrange-Rayleigh variational principle to adapt the Ericksen-Leslie theory to two-dimensional nematics in which a degenerate anchoring of the molecules on the substrate is enforced. The only constitutive assumptions in this scheme concern the free-energy density, given by the two-dimensional Frank potential, and the density of dissipation which is required to satisfy appropriate invariance requirements. The resulting equations of motion couple the velocity field, the director alignment and the curvature of the shell. To illustrate our findings, we consider the effect of a simple shear flow on the alignment of a nematic lying on a cylindrical shell

Interactive freehand sketching as the means for online communication of design intent in conceptual design conducted by Brainwriting

AbstractSketching is becoming an irrelevant activity of engineering studies. The availability of many software that aids designers in all phases of design, not only analytic but synthetic, push technicians, designers to use such tools, giving up the employment of a simple pencil and eraser on a sheet of paper. The productivity of software tools is obliged to speed and manage the whole design process; even freehand sketching remains the fundamental means to communicate the first ideas immediately. During Brainwriting sessions, the ability to explain by sketches first elaborations of a possible solution, that must be understood by co-designers, is the first step that allows more fruitful discussion and immediate adjustment towards a quick embodiment of valid proposals. The paper describes how such techniques has been introduced in the mechanical engineering curriculum. The case of study reports the experience of the Brainwriting online, which has been tested during lockdown due to the pandemic disease of COVID-19. Further in the paper it is suggested a new interpretation of the de Saussure general linguistic studies, in term of a communication that is associated to a drawing

T.O.F. LASER SCANNER FOR THE SURVEYING OF STATUES: A TEST ON A REAL CASE

Abstract. The contribution regards the surveying of two statues of famous contemporary sculptors that have been placed in the central zone of Cosenza, which has been transformed in an open air museum. To realize a 3-D representation of the museum, different methodologies have been used, based on classical surveying (total stations and GNSS), image data and range data. The increasing performances of the new models of Time Of Flight (T.O.F.) laser scanners allow to build accurate models also for medium-size objects; on the other hand, the recent techniques of 3D modeling enable the processing of large amount of data and the effective removal of noises. Thus, if an extreme accuracy is not required, one can think to use the T.O.F. laser scanner, also for the surveying of statues. For the acquisition of the surfaces of the statues, two different types of laser scanning have been used: the Leica Scan StationC10, based on Time Of Flight, and the Minolta VIVID 300 triangulation scanner. In the paper, the comparison between the results obtained by using the different techniques is described

Once upon a time the Self: cinema and online identity playground tales

ABSTRACT More than any other medium, Cinema can express the ‘spirit’ of modern industrial civilization (Abruzzese, 2006; 2008; Casetti, 2008), by telling about other media (Frezza, 1996; 2014) through the post-modern phase up to the present Post-Media age (Krauss, 2004) even foreshadowing the mediascape evolution (Young, 2006). Over the last decade Cinema has told about social media as complex contests where identity building or re-configuration take place. Identity’s building is an on-going and almost infinite process, well expressed by the concept of identization (Melucci, 1991). This process grounds on the reflexive project of the self (Giddens, 1992), and on individuals’ abilities to assume each other’s perspective in order to be self-reflective (Cooley, 1902; Mead, 1934; Schutz, 1962); it spreads from the internal conversation (Archer 2003) and the narrative process (Bruner, 1990; Ricoeur, 1991; Pecchinenda, 2008). Social media make these perspectives cutting-edge since they allow subjectivization practices and offer the opportunity for identity textualization (Salzano, 2008), enhancing the dialectic between the embodied self and the desired self (Salzano, 2014). For instance, Memorable moi (2013) is a short film which tells the obsession regarding the identity acknowledgment. Some scholars claim a sort of disconnection between online and offline: late modernity identity — by means of digital media — is uninhibited and non-conforming (Reid 1991), or fluid and fragmented (Turkle, 1984; 1995) — because of the disembodiment — or alone despite always connected (Turkle, 2011). This kind of disconnection is told by several cinematic storytelling (Catfish, 2010, Acht Blumen, 2012). According to other scholars, the digital Self is stable and sustained (Baym 1998), though disseminated along multiple relationships and conversations: it is rather enriched thanks to the connected reflexivity (Ito, 2008; Baym and boyd, 2012; Boccia Artieri, 2012) and anchored to the body presence — even though in a mediated form. Two movies, among others, tell about the body as an ‘identity stake’ through the digital interactions: Me, You and Everyone We Know (2005) and Her (2013). In particular, social media platforms work as identity playground during Adolescence (boyd, 2008; 2014; Buckingham, 2008): young people’s identity-in-action (Weber and Mitchell, 2008) builds up between on line and offline interactions (Hine, 2000; 2013). Many movies tell about these identity performance, ranging over the sexual identity building (InCONTACT, 2012) or the political one (The Real Social Network, 2012, #chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on A Dictator, 2013); others focus on the reputation management of the online identity (Chef, 2014), or on the offline augmentation of mediated relations (Face 2 Face, 2012). Cinema also describes the other side of the coin. Many movies about young people and media — which can be analyzed by means of an anthropo-mediologic approach (Frezza, 2014 ) — tell about the risks regarding the online identity building: the cyberbullying (Disconnect, 2014), the problems in the identification processes (Adoration, 2008, Chatroom, 2011), the good judgment (Hard Candy, 2005) and the mourning (UnFRIEND, 2014). Matrix (1999) is the founder of those movies which tell about the online dark side where, following Foucault (1988) the Self fluidity is intended as a consequence and expression of Power. As for this point of view, social media are interpreted as cultural device that trigger — by means of technical constraints (Couldry, 2010) and individuals’ control — a sociable power (Colombo, 2013) which imposes to conform the imagined audience and the social stereotypes. Documentaries like We Live in Public (2009), Generation Social (2012), Online Now (2012), InRealLife (2013), Terms And Conditions May Apply (2013) and the short movie Look Up (2014) describe the complaint of social media power and effect in the individuals’ daily life. Once upon a time the Self: cinema and online identity playground tales (PDF Download Available). Available from: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/280224702_Once_upon_a_time_the_Self_cinema_and_online_identity_playground_tales [accessed Nov 22, 2015]

Adeguatezza della linfoadenectomia nel trattamento chirurgico del carcinoma del colon destro: analisi comparativa tra procedure laparotomiche e laparoscopiche

Il numero di linfonodi analizzati dipende da molteplici fattori che possono essere suddivisi in modificabili (tecnica chirurgica, accuratezza dell’esame istologico, tipo di ospedale) e non modificabili (obesità, età, sesso, fattori associati al tumore). Il nostro è uno studio retrospettivo che si pone l’obiettivo di evidenziare quanto alcuni di questi fattori influenzino la linfoadenectomia nell’emicolectomia destra e, se tali fattori, possano essere utilizzati preventivamente nella scelta della tecnica chirurgica più appropriata per il trattamento dei pazienti affetti da carcinoma del colon destro. Esso nasce dalle seguenti considerazioni: il numero di linfonodi esaminati nel trattamento chirurgico del carcinoma colico, in pazienti privi di metastasi a distanza alla diagnosi, è il fattore predittivo più importante di sopravvivenza a lungo termine; un maggior numero di linfonodi esaminati e un minore lymph node ratio correlano con una maggiore sopravvivenza a 5 anni dei pazienti operati; i risultati degli studi di Baxter et al del 2005 e di Bilimoria et al del 2008 hanno evidenziato che meno del 40% dei pazienti operati per carcinoma del colon ricevono un’adeguata linfoadenectomia (considerando come limite minimo 12 linfonodi esaminati

Engaging in Product Development as Means to Understand the Basics of Design

AbstractTeaching product design is not a trivisal task. Considering the experience done along 20 years of teaching at master level class in mechanical engineering it is possible to take stock. The model followed is Project-Based Learning and this method can be licensed as the model that gives greater satisfaction to all attendees. Students give high score to the survey organized by university at the end of the course to assess didactic validity. Also, teachers have many stimuli when discussing with students the activities proposed. The course is based on the development of an industrial product that solves a problem, eventually posed by industry or emerged by customers. Based on the course schedule, the different phases of product development put in evidence the steps that require divergent thinking and those where it is necessary to employ convergent thinking. A case study allows explaining all the phases of product design

Increasing Transparency of Reinforcement Learning using Shielding for Human Preferences and Explanations

The adoption of Reinforcement Learning (RL) in several human-centred applications provides robots with autonomous decision-making capabilities and adaptability based on the observations of the operating environment. In such scenarios, however, the learning process can make robots' behaviours unclear and unpredictable to humans, thus preventing a smooth and effective Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). As a consequence, it becomes crucial to avoid robots performing actions that are unclear to the user. In this work, we investigate whether including human preferences in RL (concerning the actions the robot performs during learning) improves the transparency of a robot's behaviours. For this purpose, a shielding mechanism is included in the RL algorithm to include human preferences and to monitor the learning agent's decisions. We carried out a within-subjects study involving 26 participants to evaluate the robot's transparency in terms of Legibility, Predictability, and Expectability in different settings. Results indicate that considering human preferences during learning improves Legibility with respect to providing only Explanations, and combining human preferences with explanations elucidating the rationale behind the robot's decisions further amplifies transparency. Results also confirm that an increase in transparency leads to an increase in the safety, comfort, and reliability of the robot. These findings show the importance of transparency during learning and suggest a paradigm for robotic applications with human in the loop

Current guidelines for the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review with comparative analysis

The current epidemic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is reshaping the field of hepatology all around the world. The widespread diffusion of metabolic risk factors such as obesity, type2-diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia has led to a worldwide diffusion of NAFLD. In parallel to the increased availability of effective anti-viral agents, NAFLD is rapidly becoming the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Western Countries, and a similar trend is expected in Eastern Countries in the next years. This epidemic and its consequences have prompted experts from all over the word in identifying effective strategies for the diagnosis, management, and treatment of NAFLD. Different scientific societies from Europe, America, and Asia-Pacific regions have proposed guidelines based on the most recent evidence about NAFLD. These guidelines are consistent with the key elements in the management of NAFLD, but still, show significant difference about some critical points. We reviewed the current literature in English language to identify the most recent scientific guidelines about NAFLD with the aim to find and critically analyse the main differences. We distinguished guidelines from 5 different scientific societies whose reputation is worldwide recognised and who are representative of the clinical practice in different geographical regions. Differences were noted in: the definition of NAFLD, the opportunity of NAFLD screening in high-risk patients, the noninvasive test proposed for the diagnosis of NAFLD and the identification of NAFLD patients with advanced fibrosis, in the follow-up protocols and, finally, in the treatment strategy (especially in the proposed pharmacological management). These difference have been discussed in the light of the possible evolution of the scenario of NAFLD in the next years

Combination of antibodies directed against different ErbB3 surface epitopes prevents the establishment of resistance to BRAF/MEK inhibitors in melanoma

Patients with metastatic melanoma bearing V600 mutations in BRAF oncogene clinically benefit from the treatment with BRAF inhibitors alone or in combination with MEK inhibitors. However, a limitation to such treatment is the occurrence of resistance. Tackling the adaptive changes helping cells survive from drug treatment may offer new therapeutic opportunities. Very recently the ErbB3 receptor has been shown to act as a central node promoting survival of BRAF mutated melanoma. In this paper we first demonstrate that ErbB3/AKT hyperphosphorylation occurs in BRAF mutated melanoma cell lines following exposure to BRAF and/or MEK inhibitors. This strongly correlates with increased transcriptional activation of its ligand neuregulin. Anti-ErbB3 antibodies impair the establishment of de novo cell resistance to BRAF inhibition in vitro. In order to more potently ablate ErbB3 activity we used a combination of two anti-ErbB3 antibodies directed against distinct epitopes of its extracellular domain. These two antibodies in combo with BRAF/MEK inhibitors potently inhibit in vitro cell growth and tumor regrowth after drug withdrawal in an in vivo xenograft model. Importantly, residual tumor masses from mice treated by the antibodies and BRAF/ERK inhibitors combo are characterized almost exclusively by large necrotic areas with limited residual areas of tumor growth. Taken together, our findings support the concept that triple therapy directed against BRAF/MEK/ErbB3 may be able to provide durable control of BRAF mutated metastatic melanoma