• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.53-62
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• 2019

Purpose: This research aims to study the internal and external social practices of supply chain management along with economic and social performance of eight Portuguese companies from different industrial sectors. Through empirical data derived from eight case studies, five research propositions are suggested and tested. Research, design, data and methodology: The data was collected through 22 semi-structured interviews with general, procurement, and environmental/safety managers from eight companies from different industrial sectors. Secondary data was collected from reports, websites, and companies' internal documentation. Results: The analysis identifies the most important social practices considered by managers, as well as the performance measures that are most appropriate and most widely used to evaluate the influence of social practices on corporate economic and social performance. The results support four of the five propositions of this research. Companies' economic and social performance are affected by the implementation of social practices into the supply chain, namely the internal social practices. Conclusions: The findings confirmed that there is a positive relationship between internal social practices and economic performance. Internal social supply chain practices contribute to improve social performance. It also identifies the social practices which have negative effects on focal company performance.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.148-153
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• 2016

Tooth transposition is a disorder in which a permanent tooth develops and erupts in the normal position of another permanent tooth. Fusion and gemination are developmental disturbances presenting as the union of teeth. This article reports the nonsurgical retreatment of a very rare case of fused teeth with transposition. A patient was referred for endodontic treatment of her maxillary left first molar in the position of the first premolar, which was adjacent to it on the distobuccal side. Orthopantomography and periapical radiography showed two crowns sharing the same root, with a root canal treatment and an associated periapical lesion. Tooth fusion with transposition of a maxillary molar and a premolar was diagnosed. Nonsurgical endodontic retreatment was performed. At four yr follow-up, the tooth was asymptomatic and the radiolucency around the apical region had decreased, showing the success of our intervention. The diagnosis and treatment of fused teeth require special attention. The canal system should be carefully explored to obtain a full understanding of the anatomy, allowing it to be fully cleaned and obturated. Thermoplastic techniques were useful in obtaining hermetic obturation. A correct anatomical evaluation improves the set of treatment options under consideration, leading to a higher likelihood of esthetically and functionally successful treatment.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.217-222
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• 2021

Ewing sarcoma in the head and neck is rare, and metastasis from other bones to the mandible accounts for 0.7% of cases. This report presents a case of oral metastasis in a 24-year-old male patient diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma of the femur (p53 gene mutation and EWSR1-ERG fusion). The chief complaint was numbness in the mandible and pain for 1 month and a hardened, ulcerated exophytic lesion in the right retromolar region. Imaging exams revealed an unspecified thinning of the cortical bone of the inferior alveolar canal in the right mandibular ramus, associated with erosion of the alveolar bone. Histopathological analysis confirmed metastasis of Ewing sarcoma. The patient presented an aggressive disease progression and died 1 month after the oral diagnosis. It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms compatible with rare clinical outcomes, leading to an early diagnosis that can improve patients' quality of life and survival.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 2017

Some complications can arise with the usage of local anesthesia for dental procedures, including the fracture of needles in the patient. This is a rare incident, usually caused by the patient's sudden movements during anesthetic block. Its complications are not common, but can include pain, trismus, inflammation in the region, difficulty in swallowing, and migration of the object, which is the least common but has the ability to cause more serious damage to the patient. This report describes a case in which, after the fracture of the anesthetic needle used during alveolar nerve block for exodontia of the left mandibular third molar, the fragment moved significantly in the first 2 months, before stabilizing after the third month of radiographic monitoring.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.53-60
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• 2012

On the grounds of Diane Vaughan's pioneering study into the Challenger Disaster, STS(Science and Technology Studies) scholars have recently argued that most engineers seldom face an ethical situation, in which the boundary between the ethical and the unethical is absolutely clear, and for which a serious moral decision such as "whistle blowing" is urgently needed. They have instead suggested that engineering ethics needs to address engineers' everyday routine practices, which, if accumulated, may have some impact upon the overall performance of the technological system. However, such studies have not completely resolved the tension between STS that emphasizes contextual elements in which the everyday practice of engineers are done, on the one hand, and engineering ethics that stresses individual engineer's moral decision of an existential kind, on the other. By discussing various works on the Challenger Disaster and related issues over technological risks, this paper attempts to establish an interface between STS and engineering ethics, and proposes some practical implications for the effective education of engineering ethics to engineering students.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.299-305
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• 2008

In a series of research papers, the authors have studied some of the most important models of a contemporary universities, such as: the research university, the entrepreneurial university and the digital university and construct their Generalized Net (GN) models. This paper is based on the case-studies of Sofia University, the Technical University of Munich and the University of Edinburgh. The main focus is to put the analysis of the processes of the functioning of a university which effectively integrates Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in all university activities. A concrete example based on the process of course administration at University of Edinburgh is considered. This university is in a process of developing an integrated information system covering most of the university activities. The opportunity of using GNs as a tool for modeling such processes is analyzed as well.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.431-457
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• 2010

This article provides a discussion of the mathematic modeling of connections for designing and qualifying structures, systems, and components subject to monotonic or cyclic loading. To characterize the force-deformation behavior of connections under monotonic loading, a review of the Ramberg-Osgood, Richard-Abbott, and Menegotto-Pinto models is conducted, and it is shown that these nonlinear functions can be mathematically derived by scaling up or down a linear force-deformation function. A generalized four-parameter model for simulating connection behavior is investigated to facilitate nonlinear regression analysis. In order to perform seismic analysis of frameworks, a hysteretic model accounting for loading, unloading, and reloading is described using the established monotonic model. For preliminary analysis, a method is provided to quickly determine the model parameters that fit approximately with the observed data. To reach more accurate values of the parameters, the methods of nonlinear regression analysis are investigated and the modified Levenberg-Marquardt and separable nonlinear least-square algorithms are applied in determining the model parameters. Example case studies illustrate the procedure for the computation through the use of experimental/analytical data taken form the literature. Transformation of connection curves from the three-parameter model to the four-parameter model for structural analysis is conducted based on the modeling of connections subject to fire.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.42-54
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• 2016

The aim of this clinical report is to describe the complex treatment of an adult Class III malocclusion patient who was disappointed with the outcome of a previous oral rehabilitation. Interdisciplinary treatment planning was performed with a primary indication for implant removal because of marginal bone loss and gingival recession, followed by orthodontic and surgical procedures to correct the esthetics and skeletal malocclusion. The comprehensive treatment approach included: (1) implant removal in the area of the central incisors; (2) combined orthodontic decompensation with mesial displacement and forced extrusion of the lateral incisors; (3) extraction of the lateral incisors and placement of new implants corresponding to the central incisors, which received provisional crowns; (4) orthognathic surgery for maxillary advancement to improve occlusal and facial relationships; and finally, (5) orthodontic refinement followed by definitive prosthetic rehabilitation of the maxillary central incisors and reshaping of the adjacent teeth. At the three-year follow-up, clinical and radiographic examinations showed successful replacement of the central incisors and improved skeletal and esthetic appearances. Moreover, a Class II molar relationship was obtained with an ideal overbite, overjet, and intercuspation. In conclusion, we report the successful esthetic anterior rehabilitation of a complex case in which interdisciplinary treatment planning improved facial harmony, provided gingival architecture with sufficient width and thickness, and improved smile esthetics, resulting in enhanced patient comfort and satisfaction. This clinical case report might be useful to improve facial esthetics and occlusion in patients with dentoalveolar and skeletal defects.