Radiographic outcomes and evaluation of developmental dysplasia of the hip in children

The Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH), also know as Congenital Dislocation of the Hip, is common in infants and children and may persist into adulthood. The radiographic interpretation is highly conditioned by appropriate patient positioning and image quality criteria. The main goal of this study is to demonstrate the value of radiographic evaluation of DDH. Through the retrospective analysis of 65 radiographs of the hips, only 2 (3.1%) female patients with 1-2 years of age presented radiographic findings of DDH. The inappropriate field size and the improper placement and size of the gonadal shields, were the most common errors observed.A Displasia de Desenvolvimento da Anca (DDA), também conhecida como Luxação Congénita da Anca, é comum em bebés e crianças, podendo persistir na idade adulta. A interpretação radiográfica é altamente condicionada pelo posicionamento do paciente e critérios de qualidade da imagem. O principal objectivo deste estudo é demonstrar o valor da avaliação radiográfica da DDH. Através da análise retrospectiva de 65 radiografias da bacia, apenas 2 (3,1%) pacientes do sexo feminino com idades entre 1-2 anos apresentaram achados radiográficos de DDH. O tamanho inadequado do chassi e a colocação e tamanho incorrecto das protecções gonadais, foram os erros mais comumente observados

Estrategias de marketing territorial aplicadas a un gran proyecto urbano desde la perspectiva de sus actores: el caso de Puerto Madero en Buenos Aires

La revitalización económica-social y territorial de Puerto Madero (antiguo puerto de Buenos Aires), produjo nuevas geografías socio-económicas sustentadas en la construcción de una nueva imagen de ciudad, que redefinió el “sentido del lugar” y tiñó al área de nuevos significados. Las estrategias de marketing territorial potenciaron la reactivación de un mercado de suelo (uno de los más importante) que se encontraba inmóvil. Este artículo indaga sobre cuáles han sido las estrategias de marketing territorial aplicadas en un gran proyecto urbano (GPU) como es Puerto Madero, desde la mirada de los Actores intervinientes (constructores y beneficiarios/usuarios del proyecto), con el objetivo de la reconversión económica de un área.The economic-social and territorial revitalization of Puerto Madero (the old port of Buenos Aires), produced new socio-economic geographies supported by the construction of a new image of the city, which redefined the "sense of place" and dyed the area of new meanings. Territorial marketing strategies enhanced the revival of a land market (one of the most important) that was motionless. This article explores what were the territorial marketing strategies applied in a large urban project (GPU) as Puerto Madero, from the perspective of the participants Actors (builders and beneficiaries / users of the project), with the objective of economic restructuring the area

Modelos morfológicos tridimensionais por IRM do tracto vocal para as principais vogais do Português Europeu

O entendimento da produção da fala tem sido ampla mente procurado, recorrendo à imagem por ressonância magnética (IRM), mas não é totalmente conhecido, particularmente no que diz respeito aos sons do Português Europeu (PE). O principal objectivo deste estudo foi a caracterização das vogais do PE. Com base na IRM recolheram-se conjuntos de imagens bidimensionais, em cinco posições articulatórias distintas, durante a produção sustentada do som. Após extracção de contornos do tracto vocal procedeu-se à reconstrução tridimensional, constatando-se que a IRM fornece in formação morfológica útil e com considerável precisão acerca da posição e forma dos diferentes articuladores da fala

A Transformation Class for Spatio-temporal Survival Data with a Cure Fraction

We propose a hierarchical Bayesian methodology to model spatially or spatio-temporal clustered survival data with possibility of cure. A flexible continuous transformation class of survival curves indexed by a single parameter is used. This transformation model is a larger class of models containing two special cases of the well-known existing models: the proportional hazard and the proportional odds models. The survival curve is modeled as a function of a baseline cumulative distribution function, cure rates, and spatio-temporal frailties. The cure rates are modeled through a covariate link specification and the spatial frailties are specified using a conditionally autoregressive model with time-varying parameters resulting in a spatio-temporal formulation. The likelihood function is formulated assuming that the single parameter controlling the transformation is unknown and full conditional distributions are derived. A model with a non-parametric baseline cumulative distribution function is implemented and a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm is specified to obtain the usual posterior estimates, smoothed by regional level maps of spatio-temporal frailties and cure rates. Finally, we apply our methodology to melanoma cancer survival times for patients diagnosed in the state of New Jersey between 2000 and 2007, and with follow-up time until 2007

Estudo morfológico-dinâmico do tracto vocal humano

Tese de Mestrado. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200

Radiographic image quality criteria for osteoarthritis of the knee

The femorotibial joint is the most affected in osteoarthritis (OA) and the main symptom is pain. Weight-bearing plain radiographs of the knees are the most reliable diagnostic tool for evaluating and grading the severity of this disease. The joint space width (JSW) has been increasingly used to assess the severity of OA from radiographs. To present a reliable method for visual image quality assessment of weight-bearing knee radiographs and proposes guidelines for diagnostic measurements predictors of OA.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A utilização da ressonância magnética na caracterização funcional da fala

Documento confidencial. Não pode ser disponibilizado para consultaTese de Programa Doutoral. Engenharia Biomédica. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia. 201

The Choice of Prior Distribution for A Covariance Matrix in Multivariate Meta-Analysis: A Simulation Study

Bayesian meta-analysis is an increasingly important component of clinical research, with multivariate meta-analysis a promising tool for studies with multiple endpoints. Model assumptions, including the choice of priors, are crucial aspects of multivariate Bayesian meta-analysis (MBMA) models. In a given model, two different prior distributions can lead to different inferences about a particular parameter. A simulation study was performed in which the impact of families of prior distributions for the covariance matrix of a multivariate normal random effects MBMA model was analyzed. Inferences about effect sizes were not particularly sensitive to prior choice, but the related covariance estimates were. A few families of prior distributions with small relative biases, tight mean squared errors, and close to nominal coverage for the effect size estimates were identified. Our results demonstrate the need for sensitivity analysis and suggest some guidelines for choosing prior distributions in this class of problems. The MBMA models proposed here are illustrated in a small meta-analysis example from the periodontal field and a medium meta-analysis from the study of stroke

The Choice of Prior Distribution for A Covariance Matrix in Multivariate Meta-Analysis: A Simulation Study

Bayesian meta-analysis is an increasingly important component of clinical research, with multivariate meta-analysis a promising tool for studies with multiple endpoints. Model assumptions, including the choice of priors, are crucial aspects of multivariate Bayesian meta-analysis (MBMA) models. In a given model, two different prior distributions can lead to different inferences about a particular parameter. A simulation study was performed in which the impact of families of prior distributions for the covariance matrix of a multivariate normal random effects MBMA model was analyzed. Inferences about effect sizes were not particularly sensitive to prior choice, but the related covariance estimates were. A few families of prior distributions with small relative biases, tight mean squared errors, and close to nominal coverage for the effect size estimates were identified. Our results demonstrate the need for sensitivity analysis and suggest some guidelines for choosing prior distributions in this class of problems. The MBMA models proposed here are illustrated in a small meta-analysis example from the periodontal field and a medium meta-analysis from the study of stroke

Three-dimensional modeling of tongue during speech using MRI data

The tongue is the most important and dynamic articulator for speech formation, because of its anatomic aspects (particularly, the large volume of this muscular organ comparatively to the surrounding organs of the vocal tract) and also due to the wide range of movements and flexibility that are involved. In speech communication research, a variety of techniques have been used for measuring the three-dimensional vocal tract shapes. More recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) becomes common; mainly, because this technique allows the collection of a set of static and dynamic images that can represent the entire vocal tract along any orientation. Over the years, different anatomical organs of the vocal tract have been modelled; namely, 2D and 3D tongue models, using parametric or statistical modelling procedures. Our aims are to present and describe some 3D reconstructed models from MRI data, for one subject uttering sustained articulations of some typical Portuguese sounds. Thus, we present a 3D database of the tongue obtained by stack combinations with the subject articulating Portuguese vowels. This 3D knowledge of the speech organs could be very important; especially, for clinical purposes (for example, for the assessment of articulatory impairments followed by tongue surgery in speech rehabilitation), and also for a better understanding of acoustic theory in speech formation