Binder’s Syndrome

Binder's Syndrome also known as Maxillo-Nasal Dysplasia is a developmental disorder primarily affecting the anterior part of the maxilla and nasal complex (nose and jaw). It is a rare disorder and the causes are unclear. It is an uncommon condition characterized by a retruded mid-face with an extremely flat nose. Hereditary factors and vitamin D deficiency during embryonic growth have been researched as possible causes. Morphological characteristics of the syndrome are of fundamental importance for the correct diagnosis and treatment planning of these patients. We hereby report to you a rare case of Binder's syndrome with clinical, radiographic features and discussed the treatment options

Simulation of Human Ankle Trajectory during Stance Phase of Gait

A simulation was developed which mimics the human gait characteristics based on the input of an individual’s gait trajectory. This simulation also estimates the impedance of the human ankle based on the ground reaction forces measured by the force plate. This simulation will accept alterations of the following parameters: total body weight, weight of the shank, weight of the foot, trajectories of the shank and foot of the individual and orientation of the force plate, which would generate a new gait trajectory for the ankle during the stance phase of gait. The goal of this simulation was to validate the protocols followed during experiments conducted on human participants to estimate the impedance of the ankle. It also allowed us to understand and explore different system identification methods. The gait data of two individuals measured experimentally was used to build this simulation model. The simulation implements proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control and impedance control to regenerate the ankle trajectories with time-varying impedance of the ankle joint. This model was tested using the trajectories of the shank and foot from two additional individuals and replicated experimentally obtained ankle trajectories of these individuals, with a mean relative error of 0.53±0.3%, 5.74±4.85% and 4.94±3.13%, in ankle translational trajectory and ankle angular trajectories in dorsi-plantarflexion and inversion-eversion respectively

Estimating mobility values from electroluminescence measurements on organic polymers

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-74).by Judith Andrea Castelino.M.Eng

Pheochromocytoma Crisis

Pheochromocytomas are rare tumours of the adrenal gland that secrete catecholamines. The classical presentation of these tumours consists of a clinical triad of headaches, palpitations and diaphoresis. This clinical presentation should not be confused with the potentially fatal presentation of pheochromocytoma crisis, which may include severe haemodynamic instability and collapse, multi‐organ failure, hyperthermia and encephalopathy. When patients present in profound shock, supportive care and treatment are initiated. Patients presenting with pheochromocytoma crisis have an underlying adrenal tumour, but the clinical manifestations of this life‐threatening condition can mimic other entities. Once diagnosis is made, previous anecdotal evidence has shown that pheochromocytoma crisis is a surgical emergency. However, retrospective study of a larger sample of patients presenting with pheochromocytoma crisis suggests that medical management in the acute setting is appropriate and safe. The ultimate treatment is indeed surgical; however, there is no clear recommendation for the acute management of pheochromocytoma crisis. This chapter will focus on the medical and surgical management of potentially life‐threatening pheochromocytoma crisis. An in‐depth review of the clinical presentation, pathophysiology, causes and treatments of pheochromocytoma crisis will be provided, including the controversial areas surrounding decision‐making and timing for adrenalectomy

Interstitial lung disease in connective tissue diseases: evolving concepts of pathogenesis and management

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a challenging clinical entity associated with multiple connective tissue diseases, and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Effective therapies for connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) are still lacking. Multidisciplinary clinics dedicated to the early diagnosis and improved management of patients with CTD-ILD are now being established. There is rapid progress in understanding and identifying the effector cells, the proinflammatory and profibrotic mediators, and the pathways involved in the pathogenesis of CTD-ILD. Serum biomarkers may provide new insights as risk factors for pulmonary fibrosis and as measures of disease progression. Despite these recent advances, the management of patients with CTD-ILD remains suboptimal. Further studies are therefore urgently needed to better understand these conditions, and to develop effective therapeutic interventions

Huawei case study : a reposition challenge to achieve leadership

Having as a focus the practical dilemma of Huawei’s repositioning strategy in Portugal, the present dissertation places under analysis the efficiency of the brand’s strategy evaluated through the changes in consumers’ perceptions, and therefore, market acquisition. Huawei is a Chinese IT solutions provider since 1987. Placing the client at the center of their activities, the brand aims to offer the best experience to its consumers through their smartphones. Through strategic partnerships with well-known partners, the brand aims to build a better-connected world, acquiring the number one spot as the most preferable and trustworthy brand of its target audience. Nevertheless, Huawei entered the Portuguese market with low-quality equipment, usually the operators private labels, associated to a low performance, trust, and durability. Therefore, the brand still suffers nowadays with the consequences of this association, not be-ing seen by consumers as a trustworthy brand of reference, even with its products being of high performance and quality, a result of the great investment made in R&D. As a response to this market’s perception, the brand went through a repositioning strategy. Thus, it is intended to study, through primary and secondary research, if the repositioning strategy of Huawei managed to change the it market’s perception, and if there was actually an added value to the consumer. The main results demonstrate that the brand’s market perception is under high evolution, hav-ing acquired a favorable opinion with its consumers, which if maintained in the long-term, it will lead to buying intentions.como foco o dilema do reposicionamento da Huawei em Portugal, a presente dissertação coloca sob análise a eficiência da estratégia da marca avaliada através da alteração da percepção dos consumidores e consequente conquista de mercado. A Huawei é uma marca Chinesa, que fornece soluções de Tecnologia integradas desde 1987. Colocando o cliente no centro da sua actividade, a marca procura oferecer a melhor experiência aos seus consumidores através dos seus smartphones. Através de parcerias estratégicas, com parceiros de renome, ambiciona construir um mundo mais conectado e conquistar o lugar de marca preferida e de confiança dos consumidores. No entanto, a Huawei entrou no mercado Português com telemóveis de baixa gama, sendo muitas vezes os equipamentos de marca branca dos operadores reflexo de baixo desempenho, confiança e durabilidade. Consequentemente, a marca sofre ainda hoje com as consequências desta associação, não sendo vista pelos consumidores como uma marca de referencia e confiança apesar dos seus produtos serem actualmente de enorme desempenho e qualidade graças à grande aposta da marca em investigação e desenvolvimento. Em resposta a esta percepção de mercado a marca reposicionou-se. Assim, pretende-se estudar, através de pesquisa primária e secundária, se o reposicionamento estratégico da marca alterou as percepções de mercado sobre a Huawei representando actualmente um valor acrescentado para o consumidor. Os principais resultados mostraram que a percepção da marca está em grande evolução, tendo conquistado uma opinião favorável junto dos consumidores, factor que a manter-se a longo prazo conduzirá a intenções de compra

Chemical patterning for the highly specific and programmed assembly of nanostructures

We have developed a new chemical patterning technique based on standard lithography-based processes to assemble nanostructures on surfaces with extraordinarily high selectivity. This patterning process is used to create patterns of aminosilane molecular layers surrounded by highly inert poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) molecules. While the aminosilane regions facilitate nanostructure assembly, the PEG coating prevents adsorption of molecules and nanostructures, thereby priming the semiconductor substrate for the highly localized and programmed assembly of nanostructures. We demonstrate the power and versatility of this manufacturing process by building multilayered structures of gold nanoparticles attached to molecules of DNA onto the aminosilane patterns, with zero nanocrystal adsorption onto the surrounding PEG regions. The highly specific surface chemistry developed here can be used in conjunction with standard microfabrication and emerging nanofabrication technology to seamlessly integrate various nanostructures with semiconductor electronics

Droit naturel comme fondement du droit international chez Hobbes

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Longitudinal 5-branes as 4-spheres in Matrix theory

We present a construction in Matrix theory of longitudinal 5-branes whose geometry in transverse space corresponds to a 4-sphere. We describe these branes through an explicit construction in terms of N*N matrices for a particular infinite series of values of N. The matrices used in the construction have a number of properties which can be interpreted in terms of the 4-sphere geometry, in analogy with similar properties of the SU(2) generators used in the construction of a spherical membrane. The physical properties of these systems correspond with those expected from M-theory; in particular, these objects have an energy and a leading long-distance interaction with gravitons which agrees with 11D supergravity at leading order in N.Comment: 17 pages LaTeX; v2: references added, misleading comment removed from section 3.4, minor typo fixe