This article proposes a hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) based on the Nonlinear Simplex Method (NSM). At late stage of PSO running, when the promising regions of solutions have been located, the algorithm isolates particles which are very close to the extrema and applies the NSM to them to enhance the local exploitation. Experimental results on several benchmark functions demonstrate th...

RESULTS: Reconstruction was achieved without any failure or NAC losses in all 40/40 breasts, 20 bilateral targeted two stage risk reducing mastopexy/reduction and NSM/ SIR procedures. Patients median BMI was 30(22–44). Six patients were smokers and one had hypertension. Anatomical shaped silicone implants were used in all cases, average size 555 cc, (310 to 690). Average OR time for NSM/ SIR wa...

The present research deals with the review of the analysis and modeling of Swiss franc interest rate curves (IRC) by using unsupervised (SOM, Gaussian Mixtures) and supervised machine (MLP) learning algorithms. IRC are considered as objects embedded into different feature spaces: maturities; maturity-date, parameters of Nelson-Siegel model (NSM). Analysis of NSM parameters and their temporal an...

However, not all women are candidates for the operation. From an oncologic perspective, NSM is limited to women with small, early stage peripheral cancers [1, 2]. From a plastic surgery perspective, the NSM is typically offered to women with small breasts and minimal ptosis. The large breasted woman with significant ptosis faces risks with this operation, including NAC and skin necrosis due to ...

I would like to begin by briefly reviewing the assumptions and hypotheses the NSM approach is predicated on. The goal of this exercise is to understand how these are interrelated, what hinges on every one of them, and what consequences arise from discarding an assumption or disproving a hypothesis. This process defines a number of projects which all agree up to some point and then depart. Prima...

BACKGROUND Conservative mastectomy procedures, such as the nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM), present appealing options for patients with small invasive or noninvasive malignancies and those needing prophylactic mastectomies. Despite outstanding postoperative cosmetic results, nipple-areola complex (NAC) and mastectomy skin flap (MSF) survival remains a concern. We present our two-stage nipple-ar...

Neonatal sepsis and meningitis (NSM) remains a leading cause worldwide of mortality and morbidity in newborn infants despite the availability of antibiotics over the last several decades. E. coli is the most common gram-negative pathogen causing NSM. Our previous studies show that α7 nicotinic receptor (α7 nAChR), an essential regulator of inflammation, plays a detrimental role in the host defe...

Owing to their sampling properties in local solar time, both the TIMED and UARS spacecrafts provide the opportunity to quantitatively study the mesospheric thermal tides. The information though is limited because it takes the TIMED instruments 2 months to cover the full range of 24 hours, almost twice as long as UARS. We present here the results of an analysis, in which the seasonal and global-...

Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) is increasingly popular as a procedure for the treatment of breast cancer and as a prophylactic procedure for those at high risk of developing the disease. However, it remains a controversial option due to questions regarding its oncological safety and concerns regarding locoregional recurrence. This systematic review with a pooled analysis examines the current l...

BACKGROUND To identify risk factors of recurrence in a large series of patients with breast cancer who underwent a nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM). PATIENTS AND METHODS Breast-related recurrences and local recurrences (LR) in the breast and the nipple areola complex (NAC) were studied. Cumulative incidences of events were estimated through competing risk analysis. Multivariate Cox regression ...