Magister Chirurgiae Dentium - MChD / Measurements and a variety of analyses of dental casts are essential for precise diagnosis of an orthodontic case. Study models have long been an essential part of orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. Currently virtual computerized models are available to clinicians, supplemented by dedicated software for performing needed measurements (Zilberman et al, 2003). Digital impression methods are now available and intraoral digital scanning techniques make it possible to generate study models directly from the scanning of the dentition. The aim of this study was to compare measurements taken after scanning the dental impressions to the measurements obtained from using direct intraoral scanning of the dentition. Alginate impressions of the maxillary and mandibular dentitions were taken on 20 patients and these impressions were scanned using a 3 Shape R 700 TM scanner. Direct intraoral scans of both dentitions were then performed for the same patient. Ortho analyzer TM software was used to measure the mesiodistal widths of individual teeth, and the intercanine and intermolar on digital models of the scanned impressions and digital models obtained from direct intraoral scans of the maxillary and the mandibular dentitions. The results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between mesiodistal widths, and intercanine and intermolar distances between the two techniques (p > 0.05). Because of the high level of accuracy of the virtual measurements compared to those of the scanned impressions, it can be concluded that direct intraoral scanning of the dentition can be used with confidence in the clinical situation to measure tooth sizes and inter-arch distances for orthodontic purposes. Orthodontists commonly use models for various areas in the practice, clinical research and medico-legal documentation (Marcel, 2001)

Purpose: To assess and measure the compatibility of irreversible hydrocolloids (alginates) readily available in South Africa with available gypsum products by testing the quality reproducibility of lines on a standard die. Method: Under controlled laboratory conditions six brands of alginate impression material were tested against six types of gypsum products using the EN 21563:1991 (ISO 1563:1990) recommended protocol. Photomicrographs of the resultant gypsum surfaces were taken and a scoring method similar to that described by Owen (1986b) was used by previously calibrated independent examiners in order to evaluate the acceptable alginate/gypsum combinations. Results: There was an unexpected variability in the rater scores, and considerable variability in the quality of the casts from the various possible alginate/gypsum combinations. Statistical analysis allowed for the use of combination mean scores taking into account all the scores of all the raters, but discrimination was limited to those combinations with the best scores. The best possible score was 3 and the worst 12. In light of the inter-rater variability the combinations with scores of 4 or less were considered to be the recommended combination for clinical application. No alginate proved to be universally compatible with all the gypsum products tested and no gypsum product was universally compatible with all alginates. Conclusion: This study has highlighted the fact that not all alginates are compatible with all gypsum products, and that it is possible to find appropriate combinations for the clinical requirements of a dental cast. However, the fact that there were nine combinations which scored in the very worst category means that manufacturers of alginates should recommend specific gypsum products with which they are compatible and which were used to obtain their ISO rating, and clinicians should be more aware of the need for compatibility.

Ce travail de doctorat a permis de développer un biocapteur dédié à l’analyse de l'activité hydrolytique d'une enzyme sur un composant de la paroi végétale, l'arabinoxylane, dans un contexte où le nombre d'enzymes à tester augmente.Ce biocapteur permet non seulement de détecter une enzyme active mais également de classer son activité hydrolytique au sein d’un ensemble d’enzyme. L’identification est réalisée simplement à l'œil nu mais le classement nécessite une observation instrumentée. Des techniques de micro-fabrication sont utilisées pour dispenser de manière précise l’arabinoxylane sur un support. La composition de la solution à base d'arabinoxylane a été optimisée afin d’assurer sa stabilité ainsi que l’uniformité de l’épaisseur du dépôt solide. L’influence de la mouillabilité du support est également étudiée. Notre suivi permet de détecter l’hydrolyse enzymatique et de quantifier le taux d’hydrolyse. La fonctionnalité du biocapteur est validée avec une xylanase commerciale par comparaison avec une technique standard en enzymologie utilisant un substrat colorimétrique. Ce nouvel outil a également été évalué sur des enzymes issues de clonage métagénomique. Son seuil de sensibilité est de 3 nkat/ml, comparable aux autres techniques mais permet de diviser par deux le temps d’analyse. / This thesis focused on the development of a biosensor able to detect the hydrolysis capabilities of enzymes. In a context in which an increasing number of enzymes must be tested for their ability to decompose biomass, we choose to use arabinoxylan as our sensor's active layer as it is a major component of plant cell walls. This biosensor doesn’t only make it possible to detect an enzymatic activity but also to rank several enzymes according to their respective activities. While the precise ranking of enzymes requires an instrument, detecting a hydrolytic activity can be done without it. We rely on microfabrication techniques to precisely deposit arabinoxylan on a solid support. We have developed an arabinoxylan based and tuned its composition to maximize its stability and ensure deposits’ homogeneity. The influence of the wetting properties of the support itself was also thoroughly investigated. We are able to quantify the progressive degradation of the arabinoxylan deposits and thus extract the hydrolysis rate. We have benchmarked our approach with the standard techniques (colorimetry) used in enzymology on a commercial Xylanase. Our approach was further evaluated in a metagenomic enzyme screening context. We have demonstrated that while twice faster than the existing techniques, we maintain a limit of detection at the state of the art (3nkat/mL).

The movement of blog is its usage of friendly interface, which makes fearful people overcome the barriers to the technology. Moreover, blog makes people hold the power, which in the past only a few privileges could have to contact the society. Its model of usage also becomes uploading from downloading. Blogging has people be the public communicators to the whole world. Blogging, which contains the characteristics of personality, free writing style, immediateness, and hyperlinks, has become the top ten of popular internet activities in Taiwan since 2006. Blog is the virtual environment controlled by its owner. Therefore, the correct self-image presented in front of the audiences is quite important. Trammell and Keshelashvili found that A-list bloggers not only express much more self information than common users but also actively engage in the impression management. The purpose of this research uses the dramaturgy of Goffman, self-concept of James, and impression management of Jones to discuss these popular bloggers how to play each self-performance and fulfill the dreams to be super stars in their fields through the usage of some blog elements, such as words, multimedia and so on. A-list blogs are not merely searched, hyperlinked and subscribed by other blogs but their views can compete with the mainstream media as well. Therefore, this research has tried to investigate the internal characteristics of blog content and the self-presentation and the strategies of impression management of A-list bloggers. The results of this research are divided by the discussions in the three dimensions. First, the external characteristics of A-list blogs remain the basic or original structure and a little change. Moreover, A-list blogs use few stretched elements and their articles are published with both words and pictures. Second, the research has found that these A-list blogs are mainly diary-type and besides, personal and life-style typologies. In other words, A-list bloggers view blog as the platform of their expression and self-record. Especially, the female A-list bloggers prefer to the diary-type blogs. On the contrary, more male A-list bloggers have the filter-diary blogs. Furthermore, hyperlinks extend the bloggers¡¦ views, express their personal information and also present the image as¡§blog is me¡¨. Third, the self-presentation of A-list bloggers is the performance of the front stage, which most bloggers carefully control in front of the audiences to get their liking and praise with the ingratiation and self-promotion.

Leadership represents a diverse and dynamic area of study, occupying a vast area in sociological literature. However, the nonprofit sector is somewhat neglected in literature that examines leadership as a performance. Heightened demand for accountability, funding shortages and other challenges in the nonprofit sector have spurred recent trends such as coalition-building and business-like practices. Nonprofit leaders must satisfy multiple internal and external stakeholders with opposing values and expectations. This creates a rich and yet incomplete area in which to study impression management. This thesis employs an interpretivist perspective, specifically utilizing symbolic interactionism to understand how the participants create and maintain impressions. By employing Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical metaphors, this thesis addresses how the participants use symbolic representations of leadership in order to create desired impressions. It also explores the strategies used by the participants in order to present a front of competent leadership during the interviews. Lastly, the research asks the participants to reflect on their impression management activities. To address these questions, 19 leaders were interviewed at 11 different nonprofits in Canada and in Egypt for approximately one hour each, using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Simple observation was also applied. A combination of purposive, snowball and convenience sampling was used to select the organizations. iv The research offers a number of significant findings. First, the manner and appearances of the leaders and the design of their office space provides avenues in which to convey leadership, financial and organizational messages, as well as information about the leaders’ roles and statuses. For example, visual cues may be used to express their participative approach to leadership, convey organizational frugality or success and create a corporate culture. Second, the participants commonly self-identified as benevolent and humble “servant leaders” by attempting to appear as mentors. They downplayed their authority and claimed to integrate staff feedback into the organization. They also claimed to employ a benevolent form of discipline that focuses on learning. When discussing mistakes, the participants claimed to respond in an ideal way, by apologizing and learning from their errors. However, they claimed to, at times, act authoritatively and convey “professionalism.” The leaders displayed their authority during the course of the interview and laid claim to qualifications that made them especially suited for the job. These kinds of inconsistencies suggest that impression management is not static or flawless, but rather a series of performances fraught with contradiction and tension. Third, about half of the participants admitted to consciously changing their behaviour, language and appearances in situations in order to build trust with stakeholders. This involves at times appearing “professional” while at other times self-humbling in order to build a shared-identity with others. The participants struggle to appear sincere, but recognize that their impressions are sometimes met with suspicion. There are limitations to the sampling technique and research design. A larger sample that interviewed a group of leaders from one region would be preferable to this small, cross-national one. In this thesis it is impossible to know whether the participants’ claims are warranted. Longitudinal participant observation would enable the researcher to see inconsistencies and also to understand how others interpret the leaders’ impression management attempts. However, the research has many benefits; in addition to contributing to the literature and providing examples of Goffman’s dramaturgical metaphors in the context of nonprofit leadership, this thesis may assist leaders in their goals. This thesis could lead to increased self-reflexivity or sharing of impression management techniques and could potentially assist nonprofit leaders with their tenuous missions.

Leadership represents a diverse and dynamic area of study, occupying a vast area in sociological literature. However, the nonprofit sector is somewhat neglected in literature that examines leadership as a performance. Heightened demand for accountability, funding shortages and other challenges in the nonprofit sector have spurred recent trends such as coalition-building and business-like practices. Nonprofit leaders must satisfy multiple internal and external stakeholders with opposing values and expectations. This creates a rich and yet incomplete area in which to study impression management. This thesis employs an interpretivist perspective, specifically utilizing symbolic interactionism to understand how the participants create and maintain impressions. By employing Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical metaphors, this thesis addresses how the participants use symbolic representations of leadership in order to create desired impressions. It also explores the strategies used by the participants in order to present a front of competent leadership during the interviews. Lastly, the research asks the participants to reflect on their impression management activities. To address these questions, 19 leaders were interviewed at 11 different nonprofits in Canada and in Egypt for approximately one hour each, using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Simple observation was also applied. A combination of purposive, snowball and convenience sampling was used to select the organizations. iv The research offers a number of significant findings. First, the manner and appearances of the leaders and the design of their office space provides avenues in which to convey leadership, financial and organizational messages, as well as information about the leaders’ roles and statuses. For example, visual cues may be used to express their participative approach to leadership, convey organizational frugality or success and create a corporate culture. Second, the participants commonly self-identified as benevolent and humble “servant leaders” by attempting to appear as mentors. They downplayed their authority and claimed to integrate staff feedback into the organization. They also claimed to employ a benevolent form of discipline that focuses on learning. When discussing mistakes, the participants claimed to respond in an ideal way, by apologizing and learning from their errors. However, they claimed to, at times, act authoritatively and convey “professionalism.” The leaders displayed their authority during the course of the interview and laid claim to qualifications that made them especially suited for the job. These kinds of inconsistencies suggest that impression management is not static or flawless, but rather a series of performances fraught with contradiction and tension. Third, about half of the participants admitted to consciously changing their behaviour, language and appearances in situations in order to build trust with stakeholders. This involves at times appearing “professional” while at other times self-humbling in order to build a shared-identity with others. The participants struggle to appear sincere, but recognize that their impressions are sometimes met with suspicion. There are limitations to the sampling technique and research design. A larger sample that interviewed a group of leaders from one region would be preferable to this small, cross-national one. In this thesis it is impossible to know whether the participants’ claims are warranted. Longitudinal participant observation would enable the researcher to see inconsistencies and also to understand how others interpret the leaders’ impression management attempts. However, the research has many benefits; in addition to contributing to the literature and providing examples of Goffman’s dramaturgical metaphors in the context of nonprofit leadership, this thesis may assist leaders in their goals. This thesis could lead to increased self-reflexivity or sharing of impression management techniques and could potentially assist nonprofit leaders with their tenuous missions.

This study tries to reverse the direction of previous impression management studies from an employee-centric perspective to supervisor-centric perspective. By conducting supervisor¡¦s impression management as independent variables, employee¡¦s loyalty to supervisor as dependent variables, employee¡¦s social desirable response as controlling variables, and employee¡¦s positive reactions toward supervisor as a mediating role, to discuss the relationship among supervisor¡¦s impression management, employee¡¦s positive reactions and loyalty to supervisor. This research collected data from dyad questionnaires including 219 subordinates with 47 leaders in Taiwanese bank industry, and further used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine the hypotheses. Result showed that supervisor¡¦s impression management has positive effect on employee¡¦s positive reactions and loyalty to supervisor, and employee¡¦s positive reactions toward supervisor also has significant influence on employee¡¦s loyalty to supervisor. Moreover, employee¡¦s positive reactions toward supervisor will mediate the relationship between supervisor¡¦s impression management and employee¡¦s loyalty to supervisor. This study accordingly raised some suggestions for further research and practitioners.

Since 1989, Taiwan local retail businesses started forming joint ventures with foreign wholesale chain stores to bring in wholesale business into Taiwan which changed the local consumer retail scene dramatically and sparked a new round of competition among different consumer products distribution channels, and with the then retail business leader ¡V the department store. This survey targeted the department and wholesale store consumers of greater Kaohsiung area, used structured questionnaire, took convenience sampling, and based on quantified data to investigate whether there were great differences of store impression and spending behavior between these two consumer groups. The goal is to explore the degree of overlapping between department and wholesale stores markets and their respective consumers in order to provide insights that can be used for setting future marketing policies¡C The survey results reviewed that there are great disparities of profession and average monthly income levels between wholesale and department stores consumers. In the area of lifestyle, department store consumers are more life-enjoyment type whereas wholesale store consumers are more time-oriented, traditional, and cost-conscious type. Regarding the store impression, the survey found that wholesale store consumers had a higher score for overall store impression, store attributes recognition and importance level than that of department store consumers. There are obvious attribute differences except for the following seven attributes (refer to Chapter 4 and Section 3 for more details): ¡ynew product introduction frequency¡z, ¡yprofessionalism of sales staff¡z, ¡yprovide complete peripheral shopping equipment¡z, ¡ycomplete shopping facilities¡z, ¡yexcellent store atmosphere¡z, ¡ystore cleanness¡z, and¡yexcellent store reputation¡z. In the area of consumer store visit behavior, the survey found there are great differences between wholesale store and department store consumers including¡ysource of shopping information¡z,¡ystore visit motive¡z,¡ymode of transportation¡z,¡ystore visit frequency¡z,¡ymost store visit time of day¡z, ¡ystore visit duration¡z, and¡yaverage amount spent¡z.

When an individual experienced that the assumptions are different with the ones when he/she made decisions, and if the actual or imaginational current situations might be better given the information then, a kind of negative emotion named ¡§regret¡¨ emerges. Previous studies found that regret played similar roles in terms of satisfaction, repurchase behavior and intention of complain: regret lowers the satisfaction and repurchase behavior, and indirectly affects the intention of complain through low satisfaction. However, different results are found in the realm of willingness of word-of-mouth communications. Thus, this research combines the work of Zeelenberg & Pieters (2004a) and daily observations for the sake of discussing whether impression management factors causes consumers not to conduct negative word-of-mouth communications albeit regretting their previous decisions ¡V or even carry out positive word-of-mouth communications in extreme cases. The study served scenario design as the main method. Experiment 1 was used in determining the relation between subjects¡¦ word-of-mouth communication behaviorsand their level of regret. The decision category ¡§switch and maintain¡¨ is an indicatorof the subjects¡¦ level of regret. The results indicate that when subjects perceive¡§higher level of regret if experienced¡¨ (i.e. the decision category of switch), theywould possess significantly higher level of effect in word-of-mouth communications then subjects in the other category. The thesis added impression management in experiment 2, they are ¡udependence¡vand¡uself-monitoring¡v, in order to test whether would subjects be affected due to impression management behaviors in terms of the willingness to conduct negative word-of-mouth communications. The results indicate that whether the decision categories or level of experienced regret are served as the measurement of emotions, ¡§level of dependent¡¨ and ¡§level of self-monitoring¡¨ play significant harmonizing roles in communicating negative word-of-mouth information. Significant decrease of such willingness is found in the category of high level of dependent.

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