Halitosis and the pH variation with four mouthwashes

Poster apresentado no XXV Congresso da Ordem dos Médicos Dentistas, 10-12 Novembro 2016. Porto, PortugalSob uma licença CC-BY-NC - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/Introduction: It is estimated that the prevalence of halitosis, varies between 2-44% at world population. It is suggested that the oral pH value is an important factor on the oral microbiota composition which has impact in gaseous breath constitution (2).The aim of this study was to compare the effect of four mouthwashes on salivary pH values, over time.N/

Optimisation-based refinement of genesis indices for tropical cyclones

Tropical cyclone genesis indices are valuable tools for studying the relationship between large-scale environmental fields and the genesis of tropical cyclones, supporting the identification of future trends of cyclone genesis. However, their formulation is generally derived from simple statistical models (e.g., multiple linear regression) and are not optimised globally. In this paper, we present a simple framework for optimising genesis indexes given a user-specified trade-off between two performance metrics, which measure how well an index captures the spatial and interannual variability of tropical cyclone genesis. We apply the proposed framework to the popular Emanuel and Nolan Genesis Potential Index, yielding new, optimised formulas that correspond to different trade-offs between spatial and interannual variability. Result show that our refined indexes can improve the performance of the Emanuel and Nolan index up to 8% for spatial variability and 16%-22% for interannual variability; this improvement was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.01). Lastly, by analysing the formulas found, we give some insights into the role of the different inputs of the index in maximising one metric or the other

The effect of different remineralizing agents on caries-like lesions – a pilot study

Poster apresentado no XXV Congresso da Ordem dos Médicos Dentistas, 10-12 Novembro 2016, Porto, PortugalSob uma licença CC-BY-NC - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/Aim: To quantify the surface microhardness of enamel when using different remineralizing agents, after the induction of artificial dental caries.N/

Coding binary local features extracted from video sequences

Local features represent a powerful tool which is exploited in several applications such as visual search, object recognition and tracking, etc. In this context, binary descriptors provide an efficient alternative to real-valued descriptors, due to low computational complexity, limited memory footprint and fast matching algorithms. The descriptor consists of a binary vector, in which each bit is the result of a pairwise comparison between smoothed pixel intensities. In several cases, visual features need to be transmitted over a bandwidth-limited network. To this end, it is useful to compress the descriptor to reduce the required rate, while attaining a target accuracy for the task at hand. The past literature thoroughly addressed the problem of coding visual features extracted from still images and, only very recently, the problem of coding real-valued features (e.g., SIFT, SURF) extracted from video sequences. In this paper we propose a coding architecture specifically designed for binary local features extracted from video content. We exploit both spatial and temporal redundancy by means of intra-frame and inter-frame coding modes, showing that significant coding gains can be attained for a target level of accuracy of the visual analysis task

Making music for mental health: how group drumming mediates recovery

BACKGROUND: While music-making interventions are increasingly recognised as enhancing mental health, little is known of why music may engender such benefit. The objective of this article is to elucidate the features of a programme of group drumming known to enable mental health recovery. METHODS: Qualitative research was conducted with 39 mental health patients and carers who had demonstrated recovery following engagement with a programme of group djembe drumming in the UK. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and focus group interviews designed to understand the connection between drumming and recovery and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). RESULTS: Results revealed three overarching features of the drumming intervention: (1) the specific features of drumming, including drumming as a form of non-verbal communication, as a connection with life through rhythm, and as a grounding experience that both generates and liberates energy; (2) the specific features of the group, including the group as a space of connection in and through the rhythmic features of the drumming, as well as facilitating feelings of belonging, acceptance, safety and care, and new social interactions; (3) the specific features of the learning, including learning as an inclusive activity in which the concept of mistakes is dissolved and in which there is musical freedom, supported by an embodied learning process expedited by the musical facilitator. CONCLUSION: The findings provide support for the conceptual notion of 'creative practice as mutual recovery', demonstrating that group drumming provides a creative and mutual learning space in which mental health recovery can take place

Re-Naturing Cities: evaluating the effects on future air quality in the city of Porto

The effect of different “green” measures, such as the increase of urban green areas, the application of green roofs and the increase of surfaces albedo on urban air quality were evaluated with the WRF-CHIMERE modelling system. In order to account for the heterogeneity of urban areas, a single layer urban canopy model was coupled to the WRF model. The case study consists of a heat wave occurring in the Porto (Portugal) urban area in a future climate scenario, considering the Representative Concentration Pathway RCP8.5. The influence of the selected measures on PM10, NO2 and O3 concentrations was quantified and compared with a control run (without measures) simulation scenario. The results revealed that all the measures are able to mitigate the effects of heat waves by reducing the air temperature between −0.5 °C and −1 °C (maximum differences for the mean of the episode). Positive and negative effects were found in terms of air quality. The implementation of green roofs and the increase of surfaces albedo promoted an overall increase of PM10 (between +0.6% and +1.5%) and NO2 (between +0.8% and 3.5%) concentrations, which are closely related to a decrease of vertical mixing in the urban boundary layer. The increase of green urban areas promoted an overall decrease (on average) of both PM10 and NO2, by around −1% and −3%, respectively. The O3 levels increased with the increase of urban green areas, mostly located over the Porto urban area. Slight differences were promoted by the implementation of green roofs. For the increase of surfaces albedo, both increases and decreases of O3 concentrations were observed. The obtained results contribute to the knowledge of the chemical composition of the urban atmosphere and can be of great importance for stakeholders and decision-makers to deal with climate change impacts.publishe

The Answer is Blowing in the Wind

A 'News & Views' article -- no abstract

Imaging the dense stellar cluster R136 with VLT-MAD

We evaluate the performance of the Multi-conjugate Adaptive optics Demonstrator (MAD) from H and Ks imaging of 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Maps of the full-width half maximum (FWHM) of point sources in the H and Ks images are presented, together with maps of the Strehl ratio achieved in the Ks-band observations. Each of the three natural guide stars was at the edge of the MAD field-of-view, and the observations were obtained at relatively large airmass (1.4-1.6). Even so, the Strehl ratio achieved in the second pointing (best-placed compared to the reference stars) ranged from 15% to an impressive 30%. Preliminary photometric calibration of the first pointing indicates 5 sigma sensitivities of Ks=21.75 and H=22.25 (from 22 and 12 min exposures, respectively).Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, to appear in "Adaptive Optics Systems", SPIE conference, Marseille, 23-28 June 2008. Full resolution version can be downloaded from http://www.roe.ac.uk/~mac/MAD.htm