Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors that determine esthetic outcome after breast cancer conservative treatment, based on a consensual classification obtained with an international consensus panel. Photographs were taken from 120 women submitted to conservative unilateral breast cancer surgery (with or without axillary surgery) and radiotherapy. The images were sent to a panel of observers from 13 different countries and consensus on the classification of esthetic result (recorded as excellent, good, fair or poor) was obtained in 113 cases by means of a Delphi method. For each patient, data were collected retrospectively regarding patient characteristics, tumor, and treatment factors. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to evaluate the correlation between these factors and overall cosmetic results. On univariate analysis, younger and thinner patients as well as patients with lower body mass index (BMI) and premenopausal status obtained better cosmetic results. In the group of tumor- and treatment-related factors, larger removed specimens, clearly visible scars, the use of chemotherapy and longer follow-up period were associated with less satisfactory results. On multivariate analysis, only BMI and scar visibility maintained a significant association with cosmesis. BMI and scar visibility are the only factors significantly associated with cosmetic results of breast cancer conservative treatment, as evaluated by an international consensus panel.

Abstract
In a broad sense, computing is an area of knowledge from which a popular and efSective technology emerged long before a solid, specific, scientific methodology, let alone formal foundations, had been put forward. This might explain some of the weaknesses in the software industv, on the one hand, as well as an excessively technology-oriented view which dominates computer science training at pre-university and even undergraduate teaching, on the other. Modelling, understood as the ability to choose the right abstractions for a problem domain, is consensually recognised as essential for the development of true engineering skills in this area, as it is in all other engineering disciplines. But, how can the basic problemsolving strategy, one gets used to from school physics: understand the problem, build a mathematical model, reason within the model, calculate a solution, be taken (and taught) as the standard way of dealing with software design problems? This paper addresses this question, illustrating and discussing the interplay between modelling and reasoning. © 2007 Woodhead Publishing Limited.

Abstract
Several international Projects and Collaborations have emerged in the last years due to the increasing demand for Grid resources. One important aspect of these initiatives deals with the gridification of computing intensive scientific applications otherwise difficult to run efficiently. The EELA Project (E-Infrastructure shared between Europe and Latin America) is a collaboration of Latin America and Europe Institutions which has developed a performance e-Infrastructure for e-Science applications in the fields of Biomedicine, High Energy Physics, e-Learning and Climate. Nowadays many groups have already ported their applications on the EELA Grid and are obtaining first results. This paper describes the first year of EELA and the progress achieved so far.

Abstract
This work presents a temperature independent strain/load sensor using a highly birefringent photonic crystal fibre loop mirror. The length of the sensing head is 38 centimetres and its corresponding wavelength spacing between two interferometer minima is 8 nm. The obtained strain and transverse load sensitivity were 1.21 pm/mu epsilon and 0.37 nm/Kg/mm, respectively, while is insensitive to temperature (0.3 pm/degrees C).

Abstract
The INESC Porto group has participated in the search task (automatic and interactive). Our approach combines high-level features (the 39 con- cepts of the LSCOM-Lite set) with low-level features. We use a large set of low-level features with the intention of analysing as many facets as possible of each shot. The aggregation of large feature sets can be time consuming as it needs to be done at query time. We have developed the BitMatrix indexing method to speed up the search process. For each shot, binary signatures in the form of bit sequences are obtained in an on-line process. At query time, the query bit signature is compared to each of the shots signatures. The automatic run performs above the median, in spite of not using any classifier or any other knowledge sources except the translation of the query into LSCOM-Lite concepts.

Abstract
The cosmetic result after breast surgery is an important marker in clinical studies. Most authors used subjective scales to judge breast cosmesis. However, inter-observer discrepancies are very high and the use of such subjective scales for prospective trials is highly disputed. In this study we present for the first time a new invented breast symmetry index This BSI is calculated by subtracting the size and the shape between both breasts (frontal view and side view). The BSI is measured with a software system called breast analysing too( (BAT (c))) from digital. photographs. The photographs of 27 patients have been analysed with this software by different physicians to evolve inter-observer reproducibility. The Harris scale for subjective cosmetic analyses has been correlated with the BSI. In our study the inter-observer reproducibility was excellent (Pearson correlation r = 0.9; p < 0.05) and the 1351 was able to significantly differentiate between good and bad cosmesis (BSI values from 0%d to 30%d is good, BSI > 30%d is bad cosmesis). Thus the BSI may be used for clinical studies.