Dental implant service in Hong Kong - demand and supply

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Integrated open source architectural design for high density housing with computational control and management engineering the paradoxes of chinese housing architecture

Session V (Room D): Methodology IHousing is a collection of individual units based on negotiation between global standardization by the designers and local customization by the users after occupation. Due to the economic, industrial and time constrains, it is impossible to reflect users’ different needs in the design stage for high density housing. In response to this challenge, this research paper argues that the high density housing design can adopt the individual customization by the users in the design stage without paying significantly extra cost, hence the design process could be an open-ended evolutionary and transparent process rather than deterministic execution. To overcome the deficiency in addressing the future uncertainty by different users and the one-off development without the interactive mechanism for users’ feedback in the sub-sequential housing design and procurement, This essay proposes Integrated Open Source Design for Architecture (IOSDA) for housing design practice based on collective data and parametric connectivity between the end users and the designers, discussing how to integrate top-down mechanism with designer’s empirical inputs and the bottom-up ecosystems with users’ participation in high density housing design. IOSDA reflects a different attitude to design the future, which shifts from heroic prediction of the future to engaging the present grassroots, from board proactive reaction to the capacities for new possibilities.postprin

Laparoscopic liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis

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Performance analysis of a fully-connected, full-duplex CDMA ALOHA network with channel sensing and collision detection

In cases where machines having bursty data are equally likely to transmit to one another, code-division multiple-access (CDMA) ALOHA which allows for an individual "virtual channel" for each receiving station may be a better multiple-access protocol than simple ALOHA. With the use of "receiver-based code" multiple-access protocol, it is also possible for a station to listen to the channel of the intended receiver before transmission, and also abort transmission when it detects others transmitting on the same channel. This paper describes a model for a fully-connected, full duplex, and slotted CDMA ALOHA network where channel sensing and collision detection are used. The model is analyzed using a discrete time Markov chain and some numerical results are presented. For a system with a large number of users, where Markov analysis is impractical, equilibrium point analysis is used to predict the stability of the system, and estimate the throughput as well as the delay performance of the system when it is stable. Finally, a comparison is made with a simple channel sense multiple-access with collision detection (CSMA-CD) network, showing that a substantial improvement in the performance is achieved by the proposed network.published_or_final_versio

Collaborative Mass Housing Design practice with Smart Models

中国数字建筑设计专业委员会'数字渗透'系列活动 2013DADA数字建筑国际学术研讨会Conference Theme: Digital Infiltration: Computation, Generation, Optimisation, Fabrication, Construction and ManagementMass housing, due to its repetitive patterns, provides great opportunities for the rule-based parametric design. Design rules and logics can be formulated to generate various design solutions, also known as rule-based design process. In addition, mass housing design ought to be a complex process that involves not only the architects, developers and contractors, but also ideally, includes the users. In reality, however, the users are always excluded during the design process as there is no such a system that provides simple, effective and feasible design communication mechanisms. This meta-paper aims to collates and presents all possible parameters that are affiliated with mass housing. It will explore into various levels of scales from urban to building-units to map out the interconnected relationships. The outcomes open up new possibilities to apply parametric modeling in mass housing design practice.postprin

Resection of T4 hepatocellular carcinomas with adjacent structures, is it justified?

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Late recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation

Background: Long-term survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver transplantation is affected mainly by recurrence of HCC. There is the opinion that the chance of recurrence after 2 years post-transplantation is remote, and therefore lifelong surveillance is not justified because of limited resources. The aims of the present study were to determine the rate of late HCC recurrence (≥2 years after transplantation) and to compare the long-term patient survival outcomes between cases of early recurrence (<2 years after transplantation) and late recurrence. Patients: A total of 139 adult HCC patients having liver transplantation during the period from July 1994 to December 2007 were included in the analysis. The median follow-up period was 55 months. Thirty-two patients received deceased-donor grafts and 107 received living-donor grafts. Results: Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence occurred in 24 (17.3%) patients, among them 22 (86%) had living-donor grafts and 7 (5%) developed late recurrence. Patients in the early recurrence group and patients in the late recurrence group had comparable demographics and disease pathology. The former group, when compared with the latter, had significantly worse overall survival at 3 years (13.3 versus 100%) and 5 years (6.67 versus 71.4%) (log-rank test; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Both early recurrence and late recurrence of HCC after liver transplantation were not uncommon, mostly detected at a subclinical stage. Regular and long-term surveillance with imaging and blood tests is essential for early detection. © 2011 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

A case of laparoscopic hepatectomy for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma

Conventional hepatectomy is an effective way to treat hepatocellular carcinoma. However, it is invasive and stressful. The use of laparoscopy in hepatectomy, while technically demanding, reduces surgical invasiveness and stressfulness but still achieves complete resection with adequate margins. Compared with conventional hepatectomy, laparoscopic hepatectomy provides a better chance and situation for further surgery in the case of recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. Even aged patients can successfully endure repeated hepatectomy using laparoscopy, as shown in the present report. This report presents a case of repeated laparoscopic hepatectomy treating hepatocellular carcinoma and its recurrence in an aged patient having cirrhosis, a disease causing extra difficulty for performing laparoscopic hepatectomy. The report also describes techniques of the operation and displays characteristic results of laparoscopic hepatectomy such as smaller wounds, less blood loss, less pain, less scars and adhesion, shorter postoperative hospital stay, and faster recovery. © 2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio

Management of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplant – a single center experience

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurs in 10-60% of patients after liver transplantation and carries very dismal prognosis. Optimal management of this condition has yet to be defined. Patients and Methods: All adult patients with HCC within the UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) criteria who underwent liver transplantation at Queen Mary Hospital during the period from July 1995 to September 2013 were reviewed. Two hundred and fifty-two patients were included in the analysis. They were divided into three groups for comparison: with intrahepatic recurrence (IR), with multiple or extrahepatic recurrence (MR), with no recurrence (NR). Results: HCC recurrence occurred in 35 (13.9%) patients, 3 with IR and 32 with MR. Patients in the IR and MR groups had a younger age (51 vs. 51 vs. 56 years; p=0.007), a higher pretransplant serum α-fetoprotein level (27 vs. 97.5 vs. 18 ng/mL; p=0.005), more tumor nodules (4 vs. 2 vs. 1; p=0.003) and a higher incidence of lymphovascular permeation (33% vs. 59% vs. 27%; p=0.001) than patients in the NR group. More patients in the IR and MR groups had tumors beyond the UCSF criteria on histopathology (67% vs. 56% vs. 17%) when compared with the NR group. Treatments for IR included hepatectomy, radiofrequency ablation and transarterial chemoembolization. One patient with IR remained alive 3 years after last treatment. Overall survival in the IR group was longer than that in the MR group (59 vs. 30.4 months; p<0.001). Time from transplant to recurrence was similar between the two groups (23.1 vs. 12 months; p=0.141). Conclusions: Recurrence of HCC after liver transplantation is not uncommon. Aggressive surgical treatment may prolong survival in patients with IR only. Prognosis for patients with MR is dismal. Effective systemic therapy is urgently needed.published_or_final_versio