We consider a five-layer Casimir cavity, including a thin superconducting film. We show that when the cavity is cooled below the critical temperature for the onset of superconductivity, the sharp ...variation (in the microwave region) of the reflection coefficient of the film produces a variation in the value of the Casimir energy. Even though the relative variation in the Casimir energy is very small, its magnitude can be comparable to the condensation energy of the superconducting film, and thus causes a significant increase in the value of the critical magnetic field, required to destroy the superconductivity of the film. The proposed scheme might also help clarifying the current controversy about the magnitude of the contribution to Casimir free energy from the TE zero mode, as we find that alternative treatments of this mode strongly affect the shift of critical field.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the corneal biomechanical properties (CBP) and their behaviors after myopic refractive surgery both with Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) and Corvis ST (CST). ...This retrospective study included 145 eyes of 145 patients with a mean age of 33.13 ± 9.24 years, who underwent myopic photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for a refractive defect, measured as spherical equivalent, of mean -4.69 ± 2.04 D and have been evaluated before surgery and at 1, 3 and 6 months follow-up. Corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistance factor (CRF) values significantly decreased after 1 month and remained statistically stable during further follow-ups. CST parameters had a different evolution: only second applanation time (AT2) differences showed a significant variation after 1 month that did not statistically change over time. Highest concavity deformation amplitude (HCDA), highest concavity peak distance (HCPD), first applanation time (AT1) and velocity (AV1) showed continuous significant differences both after 3 and after 6 months. This study suggests that after central surface ablation surgery, such as myopic PRK, corneal shape is remodeling, and its deformation parameters are going to change even at 6 months follow-up. This indicates that it should be important to evaluate refractive surgery patients during a longer follow-up because this could allow earlier diagnosis and better management of late-onset complications.
Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming ever more frequently applied in medicine and, consequently, also in ophthalmology to improve both the quality of work for physicians and the ...quality of care for patients. The aim of this study is to use AI, in particular classification tree, for the evaluation of both ocular and systemic features involved in the onset of complications due to cataract surgery in a teaching hospital. Methods: The charts of 1392 eyes of 1392 patients, with a mean age of 71.3 ± 8.2 years old, were reviewed to collect the ocular and systemic data before, during and after cataract surgery, including post-operative complications. All these data were processed by a classification tree algorithm, producing more than 260 million simulations, aiming to develop a predictive model. Results: Postoperative complications were observed in 168 patients. According to the AI analysis, the pre-operative characteristics involved in the insurgence of complications were: ocular comorbidities, lower visual acuity, higher astigmatism and intra-operative complications. Conclusions: Artificial intelligence application may be an interesting tool in the physician’s hands to develop customized algorithms that can, in advance, define the post-operative complication risk. This may help in improving both the quality and the outcomes of the surgery as well as in preventing patient dissatisfaction.
For the street light systems, the worldwide trend of electrical standards encourages the adoption of class II equipment such as light fixtures, cabling systems, and other components with double ...insulation. In installations of a largest number of light poles, safety degradation could be possible and so dangerous electrical potentials may appear on the steel poles that expose people to shock hazards. To decrease the risk to an enhanced low level, also against natural and anthropic events, different solutions are available. In this paper, the authors deal with a combined action of two safety measures for existing installations with steel poles not interconnected by a common grounding system. In particular, these measures are the insulation of the steel poles by an adequate varnish against shock hazards in faulted conditions and the protection of supplying circuits by residual current devices. These RCDs avoid the permanence of ground faults and provide their auto-reclosing with a circuit insulation control.
In the recent paper 21, the second author proved a divergence-quasiconcavity inequality for the following functional D(A)=∫Tndet(A(x))1n−1dx defined on the space of positive definite matrices in ...Lp(Tn,Sym+(n)) with zero divergence. We consider the space Xp of tensor-fields in Lp(Tn,Sym+(n)) whose divergence is a Radon measure. We endow Xp with the weak topology given by the weak convergence in Lp and the weak-⁎ convergence of the measures representing the divergence of the tensor-fields. Our main result proves the weak upper semicontinuity of the functional D(⋅) on Xp if and only if p>nn−1. We also consider the case p≤nn−1 and show that D(⋅) is upper semicontinuous along sequences satisfying additional conditions. We use the positive result to show some properties of multi-dimensional Burgers equation.
The eyebrow region is of utmost importance for facial movement, symmetry, and the overall cosmetic appearance of the face. Trauma or tumor resection often leave scars that may dislocate the eyebrow ...producing an alteration both in static symmetry of the face and in the dynamic expressivity. The authors present a technique for eyebrow’s defects repair using the remaining eyebrow advancement by means of a “freestyle-like” V-Y flap. In the past two years a total of eight consecutive patients underwent excision of skin lesions in the superciliary region and immediate reconstruction with this technique. On histology, six patients were affected from basal cell carcinomas, one from squamous cell carcinoma, and one from congenital intradermal melanocytic nevus. The pedicle of the flap included perforators from the supratrochlear, supraorbital, or superficial temporalis artery. Advancement of the entire aesthetic subunit that includes the eyebrow using a V-Y perforator flap was performed successfully in all cases achieving full, tension-free closure of defects up to 3.0 cm. “Freestyle-like” V-Y flaps should be considered as a first-line choice for partial defects of the eyebrow. The greater mobility compared to random subcutaneous flaps allows to reconstruct large defects providing an excellent cosmetic result.
On a question of D. Serre De Rosa, Luigi; Tione, Riccardo
ESAIM. Control, optimisation and calculus of variations,
2020, Volume:
26
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
In this paper we give a negative answer to the question posed in D. Serre (Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré C Anal. Non linéaire 35 (2018) 1209–1234, Open Question 2.1) about possible gains of integrability ...of determinants of divergence-free, non-negative definite matrix-fields. We also analyze the case in which the matrix-field is given by the Hessian of a convex function.
Beyond the absolute and indisputable relevance and efficacy of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, the rapid transmission, the severity of infection, the absence of the protection on immunocompromised ...patients, the propagation of variants, the onset of infection and/or disease in vaccinated subjects and the lack of availability of worldwide vaccination require additional antiviral treatments. Since 1987, lactoferrin (Lf) is well-known to possess an antiviral activity related to its physico-chemical properties and to its ability to bind to both heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) of host cells and/or surface components of viral particles. In the present review, we summarize in vitro and in vivo studies concerning the efficacy of Lf against DNA, RNA, enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. Recent studies have revealed that the in vitro antiviral activity of Lf is also extendable to SARS-CoV-2. In vivo, Lf oral administration in early stage of SARS-CoV-2 infection counteracts COVID-19 pathogenesis. In particular, the effect of Lf on SARS-CoV-2 entry, inflammatory homeostasis, iron dysregulation, iron-proteins synthesis, reactive oxygen formation, oxidative stress, gut-lung axis regulation as well as on RNA negativization, and coagulation/fibrinolysis balance will be critically reviewed. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms underneath, including the Lf binding to HSPGs and spike glycoprotein, will be disclosed and discussed. Taken together, present data not only support the application of the oral administration of Lf alone in asymptomatic COVID-19 patients or as adjuvant of standard of care practice in symptomatic ones but also constitute the basis for enriching the limited literature on Lf effectiveness for COVID-19 treatment.
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