Photographic assessment of nasal morphology following rapid maxillary expansion in children

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to use facial analysis to determine the effects of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) on nasal morphology in children in the stages of primary and mixed dentition, with posterior cross-bite. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Facial photographs (front view and profile) of 60 patients in the pre-expansion period, immediate post-expansion period and one year following rapid maxillary expansion with a Haas appliance were evaluated on 2 occasions by 3 experienced orthodontists independently, with a 2-week interval between evaluations. The examiners were instructed to assess nasal morphology and had no knowledge regarding the content of the study. Intraexaminer and interexaminer agreement (assessed using the Kappa statistic) was acceptable. RESULTS: From the analysis of the mode of the examiners' findings, no alterations in nasal morphology occurred regarding the following aspects: dorsum of nose, alar base, nasal width of middle third and nasal base. Alterations were only detected in the nasolabial angle in 1.64% of the patients between the pre-expansion and immediate post-expansion photographs. In 4.92% of the patients between the immediate post-expansion period and 1 year following expansion; and in 6.56% of the patients between the pre-expansion period and one year following expansion. CONCLUSIONS: RME performed on children in stages of primary and mixed dentition did not have any impact on nasal morphology, as assessed using facial analysis.

Definition of priority areas for forest conservation through the ordered weighted averaging method

The general objective of this study was to evaluate the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) method, integrated to a geographic information systems (GIS), in the definition of priority areas for forest conservation in a Brazilian river basin, aiming at to increase the regional biodiversity. We demonstrated how one could obtain a range of alternatives by applying OWA, including the one obtained by the weighted linear combination method and, also the use of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to structure the decision problem and to assign the importance to each criterion. The criteria considered important to this study were: proximity to forest patches; proximity among forest patches with larger core area; proximity to surface water; distance from roads: distance from urban areas; and vulnerability to erosion. OWA requires two sets of criteria weights: the weights of relative criterion importance and the order weights. Thus, Participatory Technique was used to define the criteria set and the criterion importance (based in AHP). In order to obtain the second set of weights we considered the influence of each criterion, as well as the importance of each one, on this decision-making process. The sensitivity analysis indicated coherence among the criterion importance weights, the order weights, and the solution. According to this analysis, only the proximity to surface water criterion is not important to identify priority areas for forest conservation. Finally, we can highlight that the OWA method is flexible, easy to be implemented and, mainly, it facilitates a better understanding of the alternative land-use suitability patterns. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preventive effect of iron gel with or without fluoride on bovine enamel erosion in vitro

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the preventive effect in vitro of experimental gel containing iron and/or fluoride on the erosion of bovine enamel. Methods: To standardize the blocks (n = 80), specimens (4 x 4 mm) were previously selected to measure the initial microhardness. The blocks were randomly allocated into four groups of 20 samples each: C (control, placebo gel); F (fluoride gel, 1.23% NaF); Fe (iron gel, 10 mmol/L FeSO(4)) and F + Fe (fluoride + iron gel). The gels were applied and removed after 1 minute. The blocks were then submitted to six alternating remineralization and demineralization cycles. The beverage Coca-Cola (R) (10 minutes, 30 mL) was used for demineralization, and artificial saliva (1 hour) for remineralization. The effect of erosion was measured by wear analysis (profilometry). Data were analysed by ANOVA and the Tukey test for individual comparisons (p <0.05). Results: The mean wear (+/- SD, mu m) was C: 0.94 +/- 0.22; F: 0.55 +/- 0.12; Fe: 0.49 +/- 0.11 and F + Fe: 0.55 +/- 0.13. When the experimental gels were used, there was statistically significant reduction in enamel wear in comparison with the control (p <0.001). However, the experimental gels did not differ significantly among them. Conclusions: The gels containing iron with or without fluoride are capable of interfering with the dissolution dental enamel in the presence of erosive challenge.

Influence of left ventricular size and hemodynamics on the systolic longitudinal myocardial Doppler velocity response to stress

Background Systolic myocardial Doppler velocity accurately identifies coronary artery disease. However, these velocities may be affected by age, hemodynamic responses to stress, and left ventricular cavity size. We sought to examine the influences of these variables on myocardial velocity during dobutamine stress in patients with normal wall motion. Methods One hundred seventy-nine consecutive patients with normal dobutamine echocardiograms were studied. Color myocardial tissue Doppler data were obtained at rest and peak stress, and peak systolic myocardial velocity (PSV) was measured in all basal and midventricular segments. Velocities at rest and peak stress were compared with left ventricular diastolic and systolic volumes, blood pressure, heart rate, and age by Pearson correlation and interdecile analysis by use of analysis of variance. Results The only clinical variable correlating with velocity was age; PSV showed only mild correlation with age at rest (r(2) = 0.01, P = .001) and peak stress (r(2) = 0.02, P = .001), but the normal peak velocity was significantly different between the extremes of age (<44 years and >74 years). There was very weak correlation of PSV with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (r(2) < 0.01), heart rate (r(2) < 0.01), systemic vascular resistance (r(2) = 0.08), and left ventricular volumes (r(2) < 0.01). Conclusions Peak systolic velocity during dobutamine stress is relatively independent of hemodynamic factors and left ventricular cavity size. The extremes of age may influence peak systolic Doppler velocities. These results suggest that peak systolic velocity may be a robust quantitative measure during dobutamine echocardiography across most patient subgroups.

Efeitos subjetivos do processo de trabalho vivenciados por profissionais em um Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Drogas

Esta tese apresenta os resultados da pesquisa que teve como objetivo analisar como os trabalhadores vivenciam os efeitos subjetivos produzidos pelo processo de trabalho de um Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Drogas (CAPSad). A pesquisa foi realizada sob uma abordagem qualitativa, em um CAPSad do município de Vila Velha, Espírito Santo. A coleta de dados se deu por meio de cinco etapas: 1. Análise documental das políticas vigentes sobre uso de drogas; 2. Análise de prontuários; 3. Entrevista coletiva com dez trabalhadores; 4. Oitenta horas de observação do cotidiano de trabalho; 5. Entrevista em profundidade com treze trabalhadores. Para análise de dados foi utilizada a técnica da Análise Temática. Constatamos que no plano das políticas sobre o assunto,há prevalência de ideias relacionadas à repressão dos usuários, apesar da tentativa do Ministério da Saúde (MS) em abordar a redução de danos como uma estratégia que valoriza o sujeito e sua singularidade. A análise ainda apontou as dificuldades que os profissionais enfrentam neste município para atuar segundo as diretrizes do MS, uma vez que as ações municipais dão ênfase à repressão, à religiosidade e ao amedrontamento como estratégia de prevenção, com apoio da justiça e da polícia. Enfatizamos que tais ambiguidades repercutem no trabalho e para o trabalhador. Apontamos ainda outros aspectos que geram efeitos para os trabalhadores: condições de trabalho precárias (devido à estrutura do serviço, baixos salários e rede de atenção inexistente), falta de reconhecimento (devido à omissão da gerência e à ausência de normas) e sobrecarga (devido à falta de profissionais e aos conflitos nas divisões de tarefas). Essas situações levam a efeitos subjetivos como: desgaste, adoecimento, medo, incapacidade de agir, apatia, desvalorização, desmotivação e no aprisionamento do trabalhador. Notamos que estes efeitos são todos negativos e que os profissionais os vivenciam por meio do distanciamento afetivo no processo de trabalho, o que repercute negativamente na possibilidade de produção de um cuidado efetivo. Sugerimos que haja investimentos na formação de todos os trabalhadores que atuam nesse local, com foco na educação permanente, uma vez que por meio desta há o incentivo da aprendizagem e o enfrentamento criativo dos efeitos vivenciados no cotidiano.É preciso que haja diálogo, seja entre os trabalhadores e a gestão, entre os próprios trabalhadores e entre trabalhadores e usuários.

Multidimensional Scaling Visualization using Parametric Similarity Indices

In this paper, we apply multidimensional scaling (MDS) and parametric similarity indices (PSI) in the analysis of complex systems (CS). Each CS is viewed as a dynamical system, exhibiting an output time-series to be interpreted as a manifestation of its behavior. We start by adopting a sliding window to sample the original data into several consecutive time periods. Second, we define a given PSI for tracking pieces of data. We then compare the windows for different values of the parameter, and we generate the corresponding MDS maps of ‘points’. Third, we use Procrustes analysis to linearly transform the MDS charts for maximum superposition and to build a global MDS map of “shapes”. This final plot captures the time evolution of the phenomena and is sensitive to the PSI adopted. The generalized correlation, the Minkowski distance and four entropy-based indices are tested. The proposed approach is applied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock market index and the Europe Brent Spot Price FOB time-series.

A framework for using real data with distributed low cost sensors

Currently, due to the widespread use of computers and the internet, students are trading libraries for the World Wide Web and laboratories with simulation programs. In most courses, simulators are made available to students and can be used to proof theoretical results or to test a developing hardware/product. Although this is an interesting solution: low cost, easy and fast way to perform some courses work, it has indeed major disadvantages. As everything is currently being done with/in a computer, the students are loosing the “feel” of the real values of the magnitudes. For instance in engineering studies, and mainly in the first years, students need to learn electronics, algorithmic, mathematics and physics. All of these areas can use numerical analysis software, simulation software or spreadsheets and in the majority of the cases data used is either simulated or random numbers, but real data could be used instead. For example, if a course uses numerical analysis software and needs a dataset, the students can learn to manipulate arrays. Also, when using the spreadsheets to build graphics, instead of using a random table, students could use a real dataset based, for instance, in the room temperature and its variation across the day. In this work we present a framework which uses a simple interface allowing it to be used by different courses where the computers are the teaching/learning process in order to give a more realistic feeling to students by using real data. A framework is proposed based on a set of low cost sensors for different physical magnitudes, e.g. temperature, light, wind speed, which are connected to a central server, that the students have access with an Ethernet protocol or are connected directly to the student computer/laptop. These sensors use the communication ports available such as: serial ports, parallel ports, Ethernet or Universal Serial Bus (USB). Since a central server is used, the students are encouraged to use sensor values results in their different courses and consequently in different types of software such as: numerical analysis tools, spreadsheets or simply inside any programming language when a dataset is needed. In order to do this, small pieces of hardware were developed containing at least one sensor using different types of computer communication. As long as the sensors are attached in a server connected to the internet, these tools can also be shared between different schools. This allows sensors that aren't available in a determined school to be used by getting the values from other places that are sharing them. Another remark is that students in the more advanced years and (theoretically) more know how, can use the courses that have some affinities with electronic development to build new sensor pieces and expand the framework further. The final solution provided is very interesting, low cost, simple to develop, allowing flexibility of resources by using the same materials in several courses bringing real world data into the students computer works.

Análise de Soluções Construtivas no Âmbito do seu Desempenho Térmico

No presente relatório de estágio académico é mencionado o trabalho desenvolvido na empresa Civigest – Gestão de Projetos, Lda. por um período de seis meses, entre Dezembro de 2012 e Junho de 2013. O relatório que se apresenta é, antes de mais, o reflexo do produtivo período passado na empresa, na qual se executou diversificadas tarefas, atribuindo-se maior ênfase ao estudo e elaboração de projetos e fiscalização de empreitadas em todas as suas componentes. Procura-se pois abordar áreas de conhecimento que têm relacionamento direto com os projetos de engenharia civil. No âmbito do planeamento em empresas de projeto de engenharia, as previsões assumem-se como uma ferramenta incontornável para o cumprimento dos objetivos. A calendarização dos projetos e o esforço dos técnicos para o seu cumprimento são fundamentais, visto que as despesas fixas desta atividade prendem-se sobretudo com o custo de mão-de-obra. Incontornavelmente ligado ao departamento de estudos e projetos encontra-se o departamento de orçamentação, auxiliando os técnicos projetistas a optar por soluções que não comprometam os valores alvo da empreitada. O relatório de estágio descreve as atividades desenvolvidas nos vários departamentos da organização, com destaque para o departamento de fiscalização de empreitadas, que tem como principais objetivos a coordenação e gestão de obras envolvendo a elaboração e aprovação de autos de medição e autos de pagamento, a verificação do estrito cumprimento dos projetos, a promoção de alterações de melhoria de projeto, a verificação das especificações técnicas dos materiais e sua correta aplicação, bem como promover um bom relacionamento e diálogo entre as partes interessadas da empreitada. A passagem pelo departamento de fiscalização de empreitadas é fulcral para uma melhor perceção das dificuldades encontradas em obra. Por outro lado, o relatório aborda outra atividade relativa à análise de soluções construtivas, visando o desempenho térmico dos edifícios. Este é o conceito do relatório de estágio onde serão apresentados alguns casos de obras iniciadas na Civigest e posteriormente acompanhadas em obra. Relativamente a este ponto serão analisadas soluções de melhoria térmica. Com menor ênfase no trabalho, mas não menos importante, referir-se-á a profissão de coordenação de segurança em obra.

Decision making processes based on innovation indicators: which implications for technology assessment?

Based on the report for “Project IV” unit of the PhD programme on Technology Assessment. This thesis research has the supervision of António Moniz (FCT-UNL and ITAS-KIT) and Manuel Laranja (ISEG-UTL). Other members of the thesis committee are Stefan Kuhlmann (Twente University), Leonhard Hennen (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology-ITAS), Tiago Santos Pereira (Universidade de Coimbra/CES) and Cristina Sousa (FCT-UNL).

Video metadata extraction in a videoMail system

Currently the world swiftly adapts to visual communication. Online services like YouTube and Vine show that video is no longer the domain of broadcast television only. Video is used for different purposes like entertainment, information, education or communication. The rapid growth of today’s video archives with sparsely available editorial data creates a big problem of its retrieval. The humans see a video like a complex interplay of cognitive concepts. As a result there is a need to build a bridge between numeric values and semantic concepts. This establishes a connection that will facilitate videos’ retrieval by humans. The critical aspect of this bridge is video annotation. The process could be done manually or automatically. Manual annotation is very tedious, subjective and expensive. Therefore automatic annotation is being actively studied. In this thesis we focus on the multimedia content automatic annotation. Namely the use of analysis techniques for information retrieval allowing to automatically extract metadata from video in a videomail system. Furthermore the identification of text, people, actions, spaces, objects, including animals and plants. Hence it will be possible to align multimedia content with the text presented in the email message and the creation of applications for semantic video database indexing and retrieving.

A high order model for piezoelectric rods: an asymptotic approach

Preprint submitted to International Journal of Solids and Structures. ISSN 0020-7683

A participação dos cidadãos na televisão: estudo de caso de programas informativos da SIC e SIC Notícias

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação (área de especialização em Informação e Jornalismo)

Shape and size variations of Aegla uruguayana (Anomura, Aeglidae) under laboratory conditions: A geometric morphometric approach to the growth

Crustacean growth studies typically use modal analysis rather than focusing on the growth of individuals. In the present work, we use geometric morphometrics to determine how organism shape and size varies during the life of the freshwater crab, Aegla uruguayana Schmitt, 1942. A total of 66 individuals from diverse life cycle stages were examined daily and each exuvia was recorded. Digital images of the dorsal region of the cephalothorax were obtained for each exuvia and were subsequently used to record landmark configurations. Moult increment and intermoult period were estimated for each crab. Differences in shape between crabs of different sizes (allometry) and sexes (sexual dimorphism; SD) were observed. Allometry was registered among specimens; however, SD was not statistically significant between crabs of a given size. The intermoult period increased as size increased, but the moult frequency was similar between the sexes. Regarding ontogeny, juveniles had short and blunt rostrum, robust forehead region, and narrow cephalothorax. Unlike juveniles crabs, adults presented a well-defined anterior and posterior cephalothorax region. The rostrum was long and stylised and the forehead narrow. Geometric morphometric methods were highly effective for the analysis of aeglid-individual- growth and avoided excessive handling of individuals through exuvia analysis.

Empiricism in ecological economics: a perspective from complex systems theory

Economies are open complex adaptive systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium, and neo-classical environmental economics seems not to be the best way to describe the behaviour of such systems. Standard econometric analysis (i.e. time series) takes a deterministic and predictive approach, which encourages the search for predictive policy to ‘correct’ environmental problems. Rather, it seems that, because of the characteristics of economic systems, an ex-post analysis is more appropriate, which describes the emergence of such systems’ properties, and which sees policy as a social steering mechanism. With this background, some of the recent empirical work published in the field of ecological economics that follows the approach defended here is presented. Finally, the conclusion is reached that a predictive use of econometrics (i.e. time series analysis) in ecological economics should be limited to cases in which uncertainty decreases, which is not the normal situation when analysing the evolution of economic systems. However, that does not mean we should not use empirical analysis. On the contrary, this is to be encouraged, but from a structural and ex-post point of view.