Accelerated rehabilitation of an edentulous patient with an implant retained dental prosthesis: a case report

This case report details the successful rehabilitation of an edentulous patient using a complete upper prosthesis and a lower implant retained overdenture. The provision of care was split between a specialist centre and a primary care setting. This approach reduced inconvenience to the patient. Modern surgical and prosthodontic techniques also reduced the total delivery time. After initial consultation a new set of complete dentures was prescribed with changes in design to the originals. The patient was also planned for placement of two mandibular implants to stabilise and retain the mandibular denture. The first line of treatment involved provision of a new set of dentures constructed by the patient's general dental practitioner. Dental implants were then placed in a specialist centre and the patient returned to the dental practice for attachment of the lower denture to the dental implants. The benefits and success of mandibular implant retained dentures are well documented. With delivery of the overdenture, the patient reported increased satisfaction with his prostheses which allowed him to eat a greater range of foods and enabled him to feel confident when speaking and socialising.

Rules and Stereoelectronic Guidelines for the Anionic Nucleophilic Displacement of Furanoside and Furanose O-sulfonates

Rules for predicting anionic S_N2 displacement viability in furanose and furanoside sulfonates are presented

Comparative analysis of Klebsiella pneumoniae genomes identifies a phospholipase D family protein as a novel virulence factor

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae strains are pathogenic to animals and humans, in which they are both a frequent cause of nosocomial infections and a re-emerging cause of severe community-acquired infections. K. pneumoniae isolates of the capsular serotype K2 are among the most virulent. In order to identify novel putative virulence factors that may account for the severity of K2 infections, the genome sequence of the K2 reference strain Kp52.145 was determined and compared to two K1 and K2 strains of low virulence and to the reference strains MGH 78578 and NTUH-K2044.

RESULTS: In addition to diverse functions related to host colonization and virulence encoded in genomic regions common to the four strains, four genomic islands specific for Kp52.145 were identified. These regions encoded genes for the synthesis of colibactin toxin, a putative cytotoxin outer membrane protein, secretion systems, nucleases and eukaryotic-like proteins. In addition, an insertion within a type VI secretion system locus included sel1 domain containing proteins and a phospholipase D family protein (PLD1). The pld1 mutant was avirulent in a pneumonia model in mouse. The pld1 mRNA was expressed in vivo and the pld1 gene was associated with K. pneumoniae isolates from severe infections. Analysis of lipid composition of a defective E. coli strain complemented with pld1 suggests an involvement of PLD1 in cardiolipin metabolism.

CONCLUSIONS: Determination of the complete genome of the K2 reference strain identified several genomic islands comprising putative elements of pathogenicity. The role of PLD1 in pathogenesis was demonstrated for the first time and suggests that lipid metabolism is a novel virulence mechanism of K. pneumoniae.

Seasonal and geographical differences in aflatoxin exposures in Senegal

The aim of the study was to determine the geographical and seasonal variations in aflatoxin dietary exposure levels in adults from Senegal. A total of 168 adults (50% male) were recruited from three districts: Nioro du Rip (n=90), located in the Sudan Savannah agro-ecological zone where rainfall is sufficient for groundnut growth; Saint-Louis (n=40) and Mboro (n=38), located in the Sahel zone where groundnuts are produced under irrigated conditions. Diet information and samples were collected at groundnut harvest and post-harvest seasons. Plasma aflatoxin-albumin adducts (AF-alb) and total aflatoxin in household groundnut samples were measured by ELISA and a quantitative thin layer chromatography method, respectively. The blood AF-alb geometric mean was 45.7 pg/mg albumin (range 5.5-588.2 pg/mg). Nioro du Rip had a higher AF-alb level at harvest than Saint-Louis and Mboro (80.0 vs 15.6 and 33.3 pg/mg, P<0.001). Similar trends were observed at post-harvest (P<0.05). Seasonal trends were not consistent across the districts as Nioro du Rip had a higher AF-alb level at harvest than post-harvest (80.0 vs 58.6 pg/mg, P=0.026), whereas Saint-Louis had a higher level at post-harvest than harvest (25.6 vs 15.6 pg/mg, P=0.032). It is clear that aflatoxin exposure is prevalent in adults from Senegal and that season and geographical location are strong determinants of aflatoxin exposure.

Improving composite damage modelling through automatic placement of cohesive elements

Numerous experimental studies of damage in composite laminates have shown that intralaminar (in-plane) matrix cracks lead to interlaminar delamination (out-of-plane) at ply interfaces. The smearing of in-plane cracks over a volume, as a consequence of the use of continuum damage mechanics, does not always effectively capture the full extent of the interaction between the two failure mechanisms. A more accurate representation is obtained by adopting a discrete crack approach via the use of cohesive elements, for both in-plane and out-of-plane damage. The difficulty with cohesive elements is that their location must be determined a priori in order to generate the model; while ideally the position of the crack migration, and more generally the propagation path, should be obtained as part of the problem’s solution. With the aim of enhancing current modelling capabilities with truly predictive capabilities, a concept of automatic insertion of interface elements is utilized. The consideration of a simple traction criterion in relation to material strength, evaluated at each node of the model (or of the regions of the model where it is estimated cracks might form), allows for the determination of initial crack location and subsequent propagation by the insertion of cohesive elements during the course of the analysis. Several experimental results are modelled using the commercial package ABAQUS/Standard with an automatic insertion subroutine developed in this work, and the results are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of this technique.

Metabolomics reveals novel biomarkers of illegal 5-nitromimidazole treatment in pigs. Further evidence of drug toxicity uncovered

The aim of the study was to investigate the potential of a metabolomics platform to distinguish between pigs treated with ronidazole, dimetridazole and metronidazole and non-medicated animals (controls), at two withdrawal periods (day 0 and 5). Livers from each animal were biochemically profiled using UHPLC–QTof-MS in ESI+ mode of acquisition. Several Orthogonal Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis models were generated from the acquired mass spectrometry data. The models classified the two groups control and treated animals. A total of 42 ions of interest explained the variation in ESI+. It was possible to find the identity of 3 of the ions and to positively classify 4 of the ionic features, which can be used as potential biomarkers of illicit 5-nitroimidazole abuse. Further evidence of the toxic mechanisms of 5-nitroimidazole drugs has been revealed, which may be of substantial importance as metronidazole is widely used in human medicine.

La escala de intensidad de apoyos (SIS). Adaptación inicial al contexto español y análisis de sus propiedades psicométricas

Se presenta el primer estudio del proceso de adaptación transcultural y comprobación de las propiedades psicométricas de la versión española de la Escala de Intensidad de Apoyos (SIS) de Thomson et al., publicada por la Asociación Americana de Retraso Mental (AAMR) en 2004. La SIS es un instrumento de planificación exclusivo y novedoso, diseñado para ayudar a los profesionales a determinar las necesidades de apoyo que las personas con discapacidad intelectual manifiestan en su vida cotidiana. Parte de la teoría de que toda persona es única y requiere su propio sistema de apoyos para prosperar. El estudio consta de dos partes: la primer, el proceso de adaptación transcultural; y la segunda, el análisis de las propiedades psicométricas de la versión española de la Escala con una muestra de adultos con discapacidad intelectual. Los análisis sugieren que es un instrumento fiable y válido en España. La publicación inminente de la Escala SIS en lengua española (Verdugo, Arias e Ibañez, 2007) permite confirmar en una amplia muestra, y con mayor rigor aún, los resultados aquí descritos.

Perception and software architecture for mobile robotics

When developing software for autonomous mobile robots, one has to inevitably tackle some kind of perception. Moreover, when dealing with agents that possess some level of reasoning for executing their actions, there is the need to model the environment and the robot internal state in a way that it represents the scenario in which the robot operates. Inserted in the ATRI group, part of the IEETA research unit at Aveiro University, this work uses two of the projects of the group as test bed, particularly in the scenario of robotic soccer with real robots. With the main objective of developing algorithms for sensor and information fusion that could be used e ectively on these teams, several state of the art approaches were studied, implemented and adapted to each of the robot types. Within the MSL RoboCup team CAMBADA, the main focus was the perception of ball and obstacles, with the creation of models capable of providing extended information so that the reasoning of the robot can be ever more e ective. To achieve it, several methodologies were analyzed, implemented, compared and improved. Concerning the ball, an analysis of ltering methodologies for stabilization of its position and estimation of its velocity was performed. Also, with the goal keeper in mind, work has been done to provide it with information of aerial balls. As for obstacles, a new de nition of the way they are perceived by the vision and the type of information provided was created, as well as a methodology for identifying which of the obstacles are team mates. Also, a tracking algorithm was developed, which ultimately assigned each of the obstacles a unique identi er. Associated with the improvement of the obstacles perception, a new algorithm of estimating reactive obstacle avoidance was created. In the context of the SPL RoboCup team Portuguese Team, besides the inevitable adaptation of many of the algorithms already developed for sensor and information fusion and considering that it was recently created, the objective was to create a sustainable software architecture that could be the base for future modular development. The software architecture created is based on a series of di erent processes and the means of communication among them. All processes were created or adapted for the new architecture and a base set of roles and behaviors was de ned during this work to achieve a base functional framework. In terms of perception, the main focus was to de ne a projection model and camera pose extraction that could provide information in metric coordinates. The second main objective was to adapt the CAMBADA localization algorithm to work on the NAO robots, considering all the limitations it presents when comparing to the MSL team, especially in terms of computational resources. A set of support tools were developed or improved in order to support the test and development in both teams. In general, the work developed during this thesis improved the performance of the teams during play and also the e ectiveness of the developers team when in development and test phases.

A exploração do quartzito na faixa atlântica peninsular no final do Plistocénico

Tese de dout., Arqueologia (Arqueologia Pré-histórica), Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Univ. do Algarve, 2010

Um modelo distribuído de precipitação/escoamento superficial. Aplicação à Ribeira de Alportel em condições de cheia

Este artigo apresenta um modelo de precipitação/escoamento superficial que toma em consideração o fenómeno distribuído em toda a área da bacia. A metodologia é válida para todos os pontos da bacia, encosta ou linha de água, pelo que o modelo apresentado é uma ferramenta de análise adequada para a previsão das modificações induzidas na relação precipitação/escoamento superficial devido a modificações antrópicas ou não na bacia hidrográfica. Além disso, este modelo possibilita uma abordagem do controlo de cheias não só pela intervenção no leito como é usual, mas também pelo reordenamento da bacia, práticas de conservação do solo e alteração do seu uso. O modelo desenvolvido é aplicado à bacia hidrográfica da Ribeira de Alportel, exemplo que serve para aferir os dados por retro-análise, comparando os caudais obtidos pela simulação com os caudais medidos na estação hidrométrica de Bodega. Deste modo, é possível prever para possíveis cenários de alteração das condições da bacia hidrográfica qual a futura resposta da bacia hidrográfica a eventos pluviométricos.

Golf destinations' brand personality: the case of the Algarve

The purpose of this research is to develop and validate a measurement scale to assess golf destinations’ brand personality and therefore to perceive the destination personality of the Algarve as a golf destination. Based on literature review on human personality, brand personality, destination brand image and marketing scales validation procedures, an initial 36 unrepeated items were the base for a survey instrument. Those items were generated from the literature, from the results of individual interviews with experts in tourism and golf in the Algarve and from promotional texts in golf- related websites. After content validation, the items were allocated into categories of attributes by a panel of expert judges. A survey was then applied to a convenient sample of 600 golf players in the Algarve, and 545 (valid) questionnaires were analysed to refine the scale. Golf players assessed the components of the relational brand personality (functional, symbolic and experiential) as well as the Algarve as a golf destination. A taxonomy of brand personality was developed and tested in the Algarve as it is recognized as one of the world best golf destination. The developed taxonomy of brand personality was assessed in two ways: 1) through the overall perception of the Algarve as a golf destination and 2) through the perception of specific attributes of the destination grouped into three main categories (functional, symbolic and experiential). Therefore, two multi-dimensional brand personality models were estimated by using structural equation modelling. Findings of this study indicate that golf players ascribe personality characteristics to destinations. The brand personality of the Algarve is translated into three main dimensions enjoyableness, distinctiveness and friendliness when tourists/golf players reveal their overall perception of the destination. The brand personality of golf destination Algarve is reflected in the dimensions reliability, hospitality, uniqueness and attractiveness when tourists assess the components of the relational brand personality. Refined scales consisting of 10 and 12 items were finally derived meeting both reliability and validity requirements. This study does not replicate Aaker’s (1997) personality dimensions and very little parallelism can be drawn with Aaker’s (1997) brand personality scale since only three items from her scale were validated in both models: friendly and cheerful, (sincerity), reliable (competence). The same is verified concerning the ‘Big-five’. The human personality traits (HPT) validated to describe golf destinations personality are only four helpful, pleasant (agreeableness), relaxed (emotional stability), and innovative (intellect or openness). As far as destination image descriptors (DID) are concerned, the items appealing, relaxed and safe were validated, while traits suggested by the interviews and website promotional texts such as calm, natural, spectacular, unique, welcoming, and the best (destination-specific traits) appear to be appropriate to describe the personality of a golf destination. The results suggest that the overall perception of the Algarve´s brand personality is described by the dimensions enjoyableness, distinctiveness and friendliness. Moreover, the relational perspective revealed that the functional attributes of the destination are described by the dimension reliablility, while the symbolic attributes are described by the dimensions hospitablility and uniqueness and finally its experiential attributes are described by the dimension attractiveness. These results show that a golf destination´s brand personality should not just be based on good golf practices. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in the context of destination brand personality.

Rate adaptation for wireless video streaming based on error statistics

This paper presents a new rate-control algorithm for live video streaming over wireless IP networks, which is based on selective frame discarding. In the proposed mechanism excess 'P' frames are dropped from the output queue at the sender using a congestion estimate based on packet loss statistics obtained from RTCP feedback and from the Data Link (DL) layer. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated through computer simulation. This paper also presents a characterisation of packet losses owing to transmission errors and congestion, which can help in choosing appropriate strategies to maximise the video quality experienced by the end user. Copyright © 2007 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Internacionalização de produtos e serviços de marketing digital para Angola, Moçambique e Brasil

Dissertação de mestrado, Marketing, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Algarve, 2014