Optimization of fMRI Processing Parameters for Simutaneous Acquisition of EEG/fMRI in Focal Epilepsy

In the context of focal epilepsy, the simultaneous combination of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) holds a great promise as a technique by which the hemodynamic correlates of interictal spikes detected on scalp EEG can be identified. The fact that traditional EEG recordings have not been able to overcome the difficulty in correlating the ictal clinical symptoms to the onset in particular areas of the lobes, brings the need of mapping with more precision the epileptogenic cortical regions. On the other hand, fMRI suggested localizations more consistent with the ictal clinical manifestations detected. This study was developed in order to improve the knowledge about the way parameters involved in the physical and mathematical data, produced by the EEG/fMRI technique processing, would influence the final results. The evaluation of the accuracy was made by comparing the BOLD results with: the high resolution EEG maps; the malformative lesions detected in the T1 weighted MR images; and the anatomical localizations of the diagnosed symptomatology of each studied patient. The optimization of the set of parameters used, will provide an important contribution to the diagnosis of epileptogenic focuses, in patients included on an epilepsy surgery evaluation program. The results obtained allowed us to conclude that: by associating the BOLD effect with interictal spikes, the epileptogenic areas are mapped to localizations different from those obtained by the EEG maps representing the electrical potential distribution across the scalp (EEG); there is an important and solid bond between the variation of particular parameters (manipulated during the fMRI data processing) and the optimization of the final results, from which smoothing, deleted volumes, HRF (used to convolve with the activation design), and the shape of the Gamma function can be certainly emphasized.

Corporate social responsibility and its effect on image and reputation: The case of L’Oréal and its acquisition of The Body Shop

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Evaluation of the impact of L’Oréal’s acquisition of The Body Shop on both brands

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Acquisition of Plus Discount by Jerónimo Martins

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Finance from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Acquisition of Carrefour-Portugal by Sonae Distribuição

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Acquisition of Horizon Wind Energy by EdP

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Finance from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Pattern of acquisition of rotavirus antibody in children followed up from birth to the age of three years

Nine hundred and forty-eight serum samples from 83 children living in Belem, Brazil, collected'within their first three years of life, were testedfor the presence of group- specific rotavirus-antibody by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) blocking-test. Passively transferred maternal antibody lasted about two and half months; subsequentely, low levels of rotavirus antibody started to appear at seven months, reaching a peak at eleven months of age. From one year onwards positivity gradually increased, reaching highest values at 34 months of life. Individual responses were examined in sera from 61 children who were followed up since birth to three years of age: 38 (62,3%) ofthem developed a long-term immunity following first infection; eleven (18.0%) children developed a short-term immunity after first infection by rotavirus; seven (11.5%) had no antibody response within their first three years of life; and 5 (8.2%) showed positive antibody response from birth to three years old.

Dependence of IVIM-DWI estimations on acquisition parameters

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Biomédica

Interactive acquisition of spatial information from images for multimedia applications

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Informática

Internationalization Plan - How can UniPlaces improve its customer acquisition strategy in the London market?

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

L'Oreal acquisition policy: The Body Shop case study

The Work Project I present focuses on the analysis of L’Oréal acquisition policy, trying to outline if the M&A deals it has led over the last 14 years have succeeded in creating value. By replicating the model proposed by Todd Hazelkorn, Marc Zenner and Anil Shivdasani in their paper “Creating Value with Mergers and Acquisitions”, I analyzed the 29 M&A deals that L’Oréal has led worldwide, understanding the common factors able to explain the success of such transactions. Further, I focused on The Body Shop case study, a highly criticized and controversial acquisition that has proved to be profitable and able to create value.

Case study preparation: The whatsApp acquisition from Facebook

The purpose of this work project is to analyze the acquisition of WhatsApp from Facebook occurred on 19th February 2014. The main research has the aim to understand if the price tag of $19 billion paid by Mark Zuckerberg was fair. Along the reaction of Facebook’s EPS on the keydays after the purchase, a balanced assessment of the acquisition was obtained and discussed. Results suggest that the price tag could be reasonable. However, taking into account the industry in which the two companies operate, where competition is quite intense, Facebook should assess this deal in a longerterm perspective.

Anheuser-Busch InBev acquisition of Oriental Brewery

UNL - NSBE

Impact of mobile app user acquisition on managerial decisions: Evidence from empirical experiment

In this research we conducted a mixed research, using qualitative and quantitative analysis to study the relationship and impact between mobile advertisement and mobile app user acquisition and the conclusions companies can derive from it. Data was gathered from management of mobile advertisement campaigns of a portfolio of three different mobile apps. We found that a number of implications can be extracted from this intersection, namely to product development, internationalisation and management of marketing budget. We propose further research on alternative app users sources, impact of revenue on apps and exploitation of product segments: wearable technology and Internet of Things.

Study of the risk factors related to acquisition of urinary tract infections in patients submitted to renal transplant

INTRODUCTION: Urinary tract infections (UTI) among transplant recipients are usually caused by gram-negative microorganisms and can provoke a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors associated with the acquisition of UTIs during the first year after renal transplantation. METHODS: Here, we report a single-center retrospective cohort study of 99 renal transplant patients followed for the first year after surgery. The definition of a UTI episode was a urine culture showing bacterial growth and leucocyturia when patients presented with urinary symptoms. The absence of infection (asymptomatic bacteriuria) was defined as an absence of symptoms with negative urine culture or bacterial growth with any number of colonies. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients were included in the study. During the study, 1,847 urine cultures were collected, and 320 (17.3%) tested positive for bacterial growth. Twenty-six (26.2%) patients developed a UTI. The most frequent microorganisms isolated from patients with UTIs were Klebsiella pneumoniae (36%), with 33% of the strains resistant to carbapenems, followed by Escherichia coli (20%). There were no deaths or graft losses associated with UTI episodes. CONCLUSIONS: Among the UTI risk factors studied, the only one that was associated with a higher incidence of infection was female sex. Moreover, the identification of drug-resistant strains is worrisome, as these infections have become widespread globally and represent a challenge in the control and management of infections, especially in solid organ transplantation.