Recursive neuro fuzzy techniques for online identification and control

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Modelling and Forecasting Mortality Patterns

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Statistics and Information Management

Nested-PCR using MPB64 fragment improves the diagnosis of pleural and meningeal tuberculosis

Fluids in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis are seldom found, such as pleural and cerebrospinal liquids, are good candidates to be studied using PCR techniques. We detail our experience with a PCR assay applied to pleural and cerebrospinal fluids using the primer MPB64. Seventy three specimens were analyzed: 30 pleural fluids (PF), 26 pleural biopsies (PB) and 17 cerebrospinal fluids (CSF). The gold standard for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis was the positive culture for M. tuberculosis in CSF. Tuberculous pleural effusion was diagnosed when cultures of PF and/or PB were positive for M. tuberculosis, or the PB histology showed granulomas. Our results, compared to the gold standards employed, showed a sensitivity of 70%, specificity of 88%, positive predictive value of 82% and negative predictive value of 80%. The high specificity of the MPB64 fragment while still retaining a good sensitivity makes it very well suited for pleural and cerebrospinal tuberculosis diagnosis.

Use of multi-sensory marketing techniques and its influence on brand experience in retail and HORECA sector

Double degree. 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 and Warsaw School of Economics

The thermal effects on the methanol-to-olefins reaction: A modelling and experimental approach

With the projection of an increasing world population, hand-in-hand with a journey towards a bigger number of developed countries, further demand on basic chemical building blocks, as ethylene and propylene, has to be properly addressed in the next decades. The methanol-to-olefins (MTO) is an interesting reaction to produce those alkenes using coal, gas or alternative sources, like biomass, through syngas as a source for the production of methanol. This technology has been widely applied since 1985 and most of the processes are making use of zeolites as catalysts, particularly ZSM-5. Although its selectivity is not especially biased over light olefins, it resists to a quick deactivation by coke deposition, making it quite attractive when it comes to industrial environments; nevertheless, this is a highly exothermic reaction, which is hard to control and to anticipate problems, such as temperature runaways or hot-spots, inside the catalytic bed. The main focus of this project is to study those temperature effects, by addressing both experimental, where the catalytic performance and the temperature profiles are studied, and modelling fronts, which consists in a five step strategy to predict the weight fractions and activity. The mind-set of catalytic testing is present in all the developed assays. It was verified that the selectivity towards light olefins increases with temperature, although this also leads to a much faster catalyst deactivation. To oppose this effect, experiments were carried using a diluted bed, having been able to increase the catalyst lifetime between 32% and 47%. Additionally, experiments with three thermocouples placed inside the catalytic bed were performed, analysing the deactivation wave and the peaks of temperature throughout the bed. Regeneration was done between consecutive runs and it was concluded that this action can be a powerful means to increase the catalyst lifetime, maintaining a constant selectivity towards light olefins, by losing acid strength in a steam stabilised zeolitic structure. On the other hand, developments on the other approach lead to the construction of a raw basic model, able to predict weight fractions, that should be tuned to be a tool for deactivation and temperature profiles prediction.

Pádua Ramos (1931-2005) – o coleccionador

Centrada na análise do arquivo pessoal de Luís Duarte Pádua Ramos (1931-2005), a presente dissertação tem como objectivo conhecer a sua faceta de coleccionador, compreendendo as especificidades do seu coleccionismo e o modo como construiu e conviveu com a sua colecção. O coleccionismo, iniciado nos tempos em que estuda arquitectura na Escola Superior de Belas-Artes do Porto, tem um papel preponderante na vida de Pádua Ramos. Isto é visível a julgar pelo tempo que dedica ao seu hobby, pela relação afectiva que tem com as suas peças, pelas soluções que vai criando em sua casa para as expor, pelos condicionalismos que a própria colecção impõe à família, pela forma como se expressa sobre o seu “vício equilibrado”. Pádua Ramos reuniu apaixonadamente uma colecção eclética e polinucleada compreendendo – maioritariamente – objectos de artes decorativas, que se inscrevem numa linha temporal extensa: do século XV à década de 90 do século XX. O coleccionador preocupou-se com a documentação da sua colecção – consciente de que a informação associada aos objectos contribuía para a valorização dos mesmos. Esta consciência traduziu-se numa série de cuidados e tentativas do coleccionador para ter um corpus documental consistente e completo sobre a sua colecção. A riqueza da documentação guardada é fruto também da presença da colecção na esfera pública. Para além da participação em exposições, Pádua Ramos facilitou a investigadores e jornalistas o acesso à sua colecção, resultando daí várias referências em publicações especializadas e, sobretudo, na imprensa escrita. O protagonismo da colecção, muito notório nos anos 90, é um factor que contribui para que Pádua Ramos tivesse idealizado um museu de artes decorativas e um museu de arte popular. O primeiro nunca avançou; o segundo concretizou-se num projecto designado Casa da Cultura de Fão, mas a doação ao município de Esposende acabou por não se efectivar.

Girls out of school. State, culture and education in poor rural Lao People's Democratic Republic

Tese de Doutoramento em Sociologia

Finance and Balanced Growth

The Uzawa (1961) theorem applied to finance and growthsuggests that a long-run positive correlation between financial efficiency and depth is only present when variations in the extent of access to financial services are considered. Improvements in financial efficiency can lead to new capital augmenting technologies along the balanced path, but only improvements in financial efficiency directed towards labor can change the rate of growth in the long-run. These findings suggest ways to understand some of the more nuanced relationships between finance and growth observed in the data and point in a number of directions for future research.

Genetics of Parkinson disease and essential tremor.

Purpose of review: Elucidating the genetic background of Parkinson disease and essential tremor is crucial to understand the pathogenesis and improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Recent findings: A number of approaches have been applied including familial and association studies, and studies of gene expression profiles to identify genes involved in susceptibility to Parkinson disease. These studies have nominated a number of candidate Parkinson disease genes and novel loci including Omi/HtrA2, GIGYF2, FGF20, PDXK, EIF4G1 and PARK16. A recent notable finding has been the confirmation for the role of heterozygous mutations in glucocerebrosidase (GBA) as risk factors for Parkinson disease. Finally, association studies have nominated genetic variation in the leucine-rich repeat and Ig containing 1 gene (LINGO1) as a risk for both Parkinson disease and essential tremor, providing the first genetic evidence of a link between the two conditions. Summary: Although undoubtedly genes remain to be identified, considerable progress has been achieved in the understanding of the genetic basis of Parkinson disease. This same effort is now required for essential tremor. The use of next-generation high-throughput sequencing and genotyping technologies will help pave the way for future insight leading to advances in diagnosis, prevention and cure.

A rapid, reliable method of evaluating growth and viability of intraerythrocytic protozoan hemoparasites using fluorescence flow cytometry

Fluorescence flow cytometry was employed to assess the potential of a vital dye, hydroethiedine, for use in the detection and monitoring of the viability of hemoparasites in infected erythrocytes, using Babesia bovis as a model parasite. The studies demonstrated that hydroethidine is taken up by B. bovis and metabolically converted to the DNA binding fluorochrone, ethidium. Following uptake of the dye, erythrocytes contamine viable parasites were readily distinguished and quantitated. Timed studies with the parasiticidal drug, Ganaseg, showed that it is possible to use the fluorochrome assay to monitor the effects of the drug on the rate of replication and viability of B. bovis in culture. The assay provides a rapid method for evaluation of the in vitro effect of drugs on hemoparasites and for analysis of the effect of various components of the immune response, such as lymphokines, monocyte products, antibodies, and effector cells (T, NK, LAK, ADCC) on the growth and viability of intraerythrocytic parasites.

Perceptions of Europe in political and economic elites: a geographical compared analysis of Germany, Spain and Poland

Elite perceptions about Europe are a very important point in order to understand the current European integration process, as well as the future perspectives for the continent. This study makes a comparison between the perceptions which political and economical elites in some European countries have about the European Union process and its mechanisms. The main goal is to identify the differences in positions of each type of elites, as well as the variations among three key countries. The database built thanks to the INTUNE (Integrated and United? A quest for Citizenship in an ¨ever closer Europe¨) Project Survey on European Elites and Masses, funded by the Sixth Framework Programme of the EU [Contract CIT 3-CT-2005-513421] have being used. The questionnaire was applied between February and May 2007, in a total of 18 European countries. The national teams got a total of almost 2000 valid responses at European level. In the analysis we have showed some general descriptive statistics about the perception of Europe taking as a reference two dimensions of the INTUNE project: identity (attachment to the national level, the meaning of being a truly national, and the threats from Turkey that EU is facing at this moment) and representation (trust in European and national institutions, preferences for a national or an European army). The results are presented distinguishing between political (national MP’s in low chambers) and economical elites (presidents of corporations, general managers…) and, at the same time, among three countries: Germany as an original member of the European Union; Spain, incorporated in 1986; and a new member, Poland, joining the EU in 2004.

Las nuevas tecnologías en la circulación de los discursos literarios y artísticos

La acelerada invención de nuevos hardware y software van modificando, casi diariamente, la percepción del mundo, y, por lo tanto, la producción cultural, permeabilizando conceptos como arte-literatura, cuadro-libro, imagen-texto. Si bien estas parejas han sido siempre objeto del discurso teórico, la discusión asume hoy una urgencia creciente al momento que las nuevas tecnologías exponen lo que estaba refugiado en el reino de la teoría. La misma forma de comprender la realidad se ve afectada por la inmediatez de estos medios. La investigación analiza la obra de diferentes autores de los nuevos medios que trabajan en torno a la problemática de la representación de la memoria en esta perspectiva contemporánea. El trabajo de investigación desarrollado en la Tesis Doctoral se centra en la forma de representación de la memoria, así como esta planteada en la obra de Chris Marker. Interesan especialmente los últimos dispositivos creados por el autor en el marco de las llamadas nuevas tecnologías y los nuevos espacios de exposición de cine. El proyecto propone un análisis en torno a la memoria que dichos discursos sugieren a través de los temas que les son propios: archivo, identidades culturales, contribución del espectador, base de datos y tratamiento tecnológico de la información. Se ha seleccionado la obra de Chris Marker por las características de realización y de discurso que permiten una amplia discusión sobre las llamadas nuevas tecnologías y el mundo que éstas representan en el nuevo espacio híbrido construido entre las artes visuales, la literatura y la tecnología.

Extent of Hypoattenuation On CT Angiography Source Images In Basilar Artery Occlusion: Prognostic Accuracy Of Posterior Circulation ASPECTS And The Pons-midbrain Score In The Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study

Background: The posterior circulation Acute Stroke Prognosis Early CT Score (pc-ASPECTS) and the combined Pons-midbrain score quantify the extent of early ischemic changes in the posterior circulation. We compared the prognostic accuracy of both scores if applied to CT angiography (CTA) source images (CTA-SI) of patients in the Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study (BASICS).Methods: BASICS was a prospective, observational, multi-centre, registry of consecutive patients who presented with acute symptomatic basilar artery occlusion (BAO). Functional outcome was assessed at 1 month. We applied pc-ASPECTS and the combined Pons-midbrain score to CTA-SI by 3-reader-consensus. Readers were blinded to clinical data. We performed multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusting for thrombolysis, baseline NIHSS score and age, and used the output to derive ROC curves to compare the ability of both scores to discriminate patients with favourable (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] scores 0-3) from patients with unfavourable (mRS scores 4-6) functional outcome.Results: We reviewed CTAs of 158 patients (64% men, mean age 65 _ 15 years, median NIHSS score 25 [0-38], median GCS score 7 [3-15], median onset-to-CTA time 234 minutes [11-7380]). At 1 month, 40 (25%) patients had a favourable outcome, 49 (31%) had an unfavourable outcome (mRS score 4-5) and 69 (44%) were deceased. Both techniques of assessing CTA-SI hypoattenuation in the posterior circulation showed equally good discriminative value in predicting final outcome (C-statistics; area under ROC curve 0.74 versus 0.75, respectively; p_0.37). Pc-ASPECTS dichotomized at _6 versus _6 was an independent predictor of favourable functional outcome (RR _ 2.2; CI95 1.1-4.7; p _ 0.034).Conclusion: Compared to the combined Pons-midbrain score, the pc-ASPECTS score has similar prognostic accuracy to identify patients with a favourable functional outcome in BASICS. Dichotomized pc-ASPECTS (_6 versus _6) is an independent predictor of favourable functional outcome in this population. Author Disclosures: V. Puetz: None. A. Khomenko: None. M.D. Hill: None. I. Dzialowski: None. P. Michel: None. C. Weimar: None. C.A.C. Wijman: None. H. Mattle: None. K. Muir: None. T. Pfefferkorn: None. D. Tanne: None. S. Engelter: None. K. Szabo: None. A. Algra: None. A.M. Demchuk: None. W.J. Schonewille: None.

IPH response to DSD consultation on Marine Gardens, Bangor

A development has been proposed in Bangor, Co Down.  The Department of Social Development (DSD) consulted on the issue and IPH has responded as below.  IPH has also carried out a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) screening on the proposal which can be accessed below.  The proposed development is bounded by Main Street, King Street, Southwell Road, Queens Street and the Marine Gardens Car Park. The scheme includes a mix of retail units within a new covered street; office space and over 200 residential homes. The development proposal also contains multiple leisure aspects with plans to incorporate a 120-150 bed hotel; a 400 seat multi-use arts, performance and convention space; a family entertainment centre and restaurants, in addition to enhancing the public realm and civic uses of the waterfront area with the creation of a promenade, an outdoor performance space, public parks and tourist facilities.

Circulating natural killer and γδ T cells decrease soon after infection of rhesus macaques with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus

Rhesus macaques infected with the WE strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV-WE) serve as a model for human infection with Lassa fever virus. To identify the earliest events of acute infection, rhesus macaques were monitored immediately after lethal infection for changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Changes in CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD20 subsets did not vary outside the normal fluctuations of these blood cell populations; however, natural killer (NK) and γδ T cells increased slightly on day 1 and then decreased significantly after two days. The NK subsets responsible for the decrease were primarily CD3-CD8+ or CD3-CD16+ and not the NKT (primarily CD3+CD56+) subset. Macaques infected with a non-virulent arenavirus, LCMV-Armstrong, showed a similar drop in circulating NK and γδ T cells, indicating that this is not a pathogenic event. V³9 T cells, representing the majority of circulating γδ T cells in rhesus macaques, displayed significant apoptosis when incubated with LCMV in cell culture; however, the low amount of cell death for virus-co-cultured NK cells was insufficient to account for the observed disappearance of this subset. Our observations in primates are similar to those seen in LCMV-infected mice, where decreased circulating NK cells were attributed to margination and cell death. Thus, the disappearance of these cells during acute hemorrhagic fever in rhesus macaques may be a cytokine-induced lymphopenia common to many virus infections.