170,022 research outputs found
Latent communication in artificial neural networks
No full textAs NNs (Neural Networks) permeate various scientific and industrial domains, understanding the universality and reusability of their representations becomes crucial. At their core, these networks create intermediate neural representations, indicated as latent spaces, of the input data and subsequently leverage them to perform specific downstream tasks. This dissertation focuses on the universality and reusability of neural representations. Do the latent representations crafted by a NN remain exclusive to a particular trained instance, or can they generalize across models, adapting to factors such as randomness during training, model architecture, or even data domain? This adaptive quality introduces the notion of Latent Communication – a phenomenon that describes when representations can be unified or reused across neural spaces. A salient observation from our research is the emergence of similarities in latent representations, even when these originate from distinct or seemingly unrelated NNs. By exploiting a partial correspondence between the two data distributions that establishes a semantic link, we found that these representations can either be projected into a universal representation (Moschella* , Maiorca* , et al., 2023), coined as Relative Representation, or be directly translated from one space to another (Maiorca* et al., 2023). Intriguingly, this holds even when the transformation relating the spaces is unknown (Cannistraci, Moschella, Fumero, et al., 2024) and when the semantic bridge between them is minimal (Cannistraci, Moschella, Maiorca, et al., 2023). Latent Communication allows for a bridge between independently trained NN, irrespective of their training regimen, architecture, or the data modality they were trained on – as long as the data semantic content stays the same (e.g., images and their captions). This holds true for both generation, classification and retrieval downstream tasks; in supervised, weakly supervised, and unsupervised settings; and spans various data modalities including images, text, audio, and graphs – showcasing the universality of the Latent Communication phenomenon. From a practical standpoint, our research offers the potential to repurpose and reuse models, circumventing the need for resource-intensive retraining; enables the transfer of knowledge across them; and allows for downstream performance evaluation directly in the latent space. Indeed, several works leveraged the insights from our Latent Communication research (Kiefer and Buckley, 2024; Z. Wu, Y. Wu, and Mou, 2024; Jian et al., 2023; Norelli, Fumero, et al., 2023; G. Wang et al., 2023). For example, relative representations have been instrumental in attaining state-of-the-art results in Weakly Supervised Vision-and-Language Pretraining (C. Chen et al., 2023). Reflecting its significance, (Moschella* , Maiorca* , et al., 2023) has been presented orally at ICLR 2023 and Latent Communication has been a central theme in the UniReps: Unifying Representations in Neural Models Workshop at NeurIPS 2023, co-organized by our team
I rimedi a tutela dell’aggiudicatario nella vendita forzata per l’ipotesi di aliud pro alio
No full text
Bleeding Prophylaxis in a Child With Cleft Palate and Factor VII Deficiency: A Case Report
No full textBleeding prophylaxis in a child with cleft palate and factor VII deficiency: a case report.
Pirrello R, Siragusa S, Giambona C, D'Arpa S, Cordova A, Moschella F.
Source
Dipartimento di Discipline Chirurgiche ed Oncologiche, Sezione di Chirurgia Plastica e Ricostruttiva, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Abstract
The association between factor VII deficiency and cleft palate has never been described. The case of a child with cleft palate and factor VII deficiency who successfully underwent palatoplasty is described in this article. To allow surgical treatment, through maintenance of a normal prothrombin time, the patient was given 15 microg/kg of recombinant factor VIIa every 12 hours, starting 20 minutes before surgery and ending the third postoperative day. No abnormal perioperative bleeding was observed. Use of recombinant factor VIIa in bleeding prophylaxis or treatment is widespread. Doses are much higher in these cases. The reduction of dosage allows easier administration, especially in pediatric patients, without affecting drug efficac
Global economic governance: Players, power and paradigms
No full textMany have already written about the mistakes associated with the working of global economic governance and about the reforms that should be implemented to improve its efficiency and legitimacy. In this Handbook, we tackle these issues from a different perspective by disclosing the foundations of specific governance rules and arrangements.
In particular, the contributions in this volume help shedding light on the changing players, power and paradigms that have modeled the major institutions, rules and practices developed with the purposes of governing behavior in the area of trade, money and finance, and development. The book thus explores the variety of the governance infrastructures that aim at providing public goods such as an open trade system, a stable financial system, and economic development. The remaining part of this introductory chapter is organized as follows. In the next section, we discuss the concept of power, players, and paradigms within the context of global economic governance. We then provide an overview of the governance arrangements analyzed in this book and of the major themes that are the object of investigation. The lessons that can be distilled from the detailed case-studies will be taken up in the concluding chapter
LA GARANZIA IMPROPRIA: PROFILI DI DIRITTO PROCESSUALE
No full textABSTRACT
Consuelo Moschella Phd dissertation (Matr. R10699-R31)
The improper warranty: procedural law aspects.
The dissertation deals with the theme of the so called improper warranty. Traditionally distinguished and opposed to the proper warranty, the improper warranty has always been considered a minus compared to the first one.
The differentiation between the two figures, mainly based on the supposed autonomy of the questions in the hypothesis of call on an improper warranty, has seen for a long time the disapplication for all the cases included in this category of the procedural law provisions, usually applied in case of call on an improper warranty, ie articles 32, 108, 331 c.p.c. With the innovative sentence of the United Sections of the Court of Cassation, n. 24707 of December the 4th, 2015, this historical differentiation of the procedural regime between the two categories of guarantee, unknown to the other jurisdictions, has definitely vanished, remaining only as a distinction with merely descriptive character. Despite the fact that the intervention by the Court of Cassation has definitively declared as outdated the previous applicative distinction, some doubts about the appropriateness and juridical correctness of the definitive abandonment of the said distinction still remains for part of the doctrine. This study it intended to deal with the figure of improper warranty from its origins to its current regulation, without failing to examine the aspects still controversial today
Retroauricular skin: a flaps bank for ear reconstruction.
No full textRetroauricular skin: a flaps bank for ear reconstruction.
Cordova A, D'Arpa S, Pirrello R, Giambona C, Moschella F.
Source
Cattedra di Chirurgia Plastica e Ricostruttiva, Dipartimento di Discipline Chirurgiche ed Oncologiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, 90127 - Palermo, Italy. [email protected]
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The retroauricular skin has always been given much attention by the reconstructive surgeon for ear and face reconstruction because it is richly vascularised, as many anatomical investigations show, it is hidden behind the ear, its skin is very similar to that of ear and face. All these reasons make it an ideal donor site for ear reconstruction. The authors propose their own algorithm for reconstruction of every kind of anterior defects of the auricle with different Retroauricular Island Flaps (RIFs) based on the location and size of the defect developed over a 16 years single institution's experience with a series of 216 consecutive cases.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
216 patients have undergone ear reconstruction with RIFs from 1999 to 2006. In 52 a Superior Pedicle RIF (SP-RIF) was used for defects of the upper half of the auricle. In 68 cases a Perforator RIF (P-RIF) was used for conchal reconstruction. In 96 cases an Inferior Pedicle RIF (IP-RIF) was used for reconstruction of nonmarginal and superficial marginal defects of the auricle.
RESULTS:
No flap failure was recorded. Excellent morphological reconstruction was obtained with these flaps with no sequealae at the donor site in terms of form and function. Only in the case of P-RIFs the sulcus becomes flat in its central part, but this has never affected the possibility of wearing spectacles. The SP-RIFs may sometimes show some signs of venous stasis that invariably resolve in the first two postoperative days.
CONCLUSIONS:
The retroauricular skin may be considered a flaps bank for ear reconstruction. It offers in fact a great variety of island flaps that are suitable for every kind of loss of substance of the ear, have a safe vascularisation, skin of similar colour and texture, are easy to harvest under local anaesthesia on an outpatient basis and cause no relevant morbidity at the donor site. Location and size of the defects lead the choice between the different types of RIFs
Welfare and labour
No full textWelfare states and labour markets, although organized, financed, and delivered in different
ways across European Union (EU) countries, are a central issue in European
Political Economy. Bound by common fiscal constraints, in the context of the Economic
and Monetary Union (EMU), Member States have aimed to enhance labour market
participation, while modernizing their welfare states and, at least in principle, maintaining
a high level of social standards. Against this backdrop, the chapter addresses
how national welfare models co-exist within the EU and explains how they are influenced
directly and indirectly through the EU’s multi-level governance structure. We
first outline key concepts and challenges pertaining to European Political Economy
of welfare and labour markets. Then, we illustrate how this policy area has evolved,
before and after the international financial crisis of 2008, from a period of EU-induced
austerity to a focus on enhancing social rights for EU citizens. Drawing from different
strands of literature, the chapter discusses the main theoretical and empirical theories
and concepts in regulating social policies and labour markets in the multi-tiered EU institutional
setting. The chapter includes three case studies, on social investment, which
aims to enhance skills development, to enable competitiveness and to maintain social
solidarity; on the conflict between labour and capital emerging from the regulation of
intra-EU migration and posted workers; and the challenges to achieve common social
rights across the EU—exemplified with the case of the EU’s work-life balance directive.
All three case studies pertain to welfare states and labour markets in the EU, but they
reflect challenges which are also present globally, in International Political Economy.
CHAPTER 7
Welfare and Labour
Caroline de la Porte and Ilaria Madama
Chapter contents
7.1 Introduction 158
7.2 Review of the issue area 158
7.3 State of the art on welfare states and
labour markets in Europe 169
7.4 What is next for future
research? 174
Moschella
Surgical treatment of pharyngostomes in irradiated patients. Our experience with musculocutaneous pectoralis major flap and hyperbaric oxygen therapy
No full textSurgical treatment of pharyngostomes in irradiated patients. Our experience with musculocutaneous pectoralis major flap and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Cordova A, Corradino B, Pirrello R, Di Lorenzo S, Dispenza C, Moschella F.
Source
Dipratimento di Discipline Chirurgiche ed Oncologiche, Divisione di Chirurgia Plastica e Ricostruttiva, Facolta di Medicina, Universita di Palermo, Palermo, Italy. [email protected]
Abstract
CONCLUSION:
Our experience confirms that pectoralis major flap is the first-choice technique for repairing recurrent hypopharyngeal fistulae in previously irradiated patients in whom microsurgical techniques are not indicated, and that hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps to solve this complex pathology.
OBJECTIVES:
A pharyngostome is a complication encountered when performing surgical operations on pharyngolaryngeal structures. The authors present their experience of treating recurrent complex pharyngostomes in previously irradiated patients in poor physical health. These patients need a simple, safe reconstruction with a low incidence of postoperative complications.
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
A pedicled pectoralis major flap was used for reconstruction: the skin side of the flap was used to restore the continuity of the pharyngeal mucosa, while the muscle was used to reconstruct the intermediate layer. The skin layer was completed by means of a free skin graft. In all cases, surgical treatment was combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy before and after the operation.
RESULTS:
A total of 10 patients, all of whom had previously undergone surgery and radiotherapy, had recurring or pluri-recurring pharyngostomes. All patients (8 males, 2 females; age range 52-80 years) had previously been affected by carcinoma of the pharyngolaryngeal region. All underwent major local Ablation together with radical neck dissection and radiotherapy. In all cases there was mucosa on the posterior wall; a musculocutaneous pectoralis major flap was used in all cases for reconstructio
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