Search results

BACKGROUND: ECG abnormalities are associated with adverse outcomes in the general population, but their prognostic significance in severe mental illness (SMI) remains unexplored. We investigated associations between no, minor, and major ECG abnormalities and fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) among patients with SMI compared with controls without mental illness. METHODS AND RESULTS: We cross-linke

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease associated with a polybacterial dysbiosis devoid of a known pathogen. Here, we report that HS patients mount IgA and IgG responses against skin colonizers, notably Porphyromonas uenonis (Pu), a rare species selectively enriched in severe disease. In these patients, Pu foci are detected in the epidermis, surrounded by IgA deposits

We present a new type of nanometer-scale semiconductor nonlinear device, called self-switching device (SSD). The device was realized by simply etching insulating grooves into a semiconductor, between which a narrow channel with a broken symmetry was formed. Because of the asymmetry in the channel boundary, an applied voltage V not only changes the potential profile along the channel direction, but

The World Health Organization (WHO) tuberculosis (TB) symptom screening instrument (WHO-TB) can identify human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals at low risk of tuberculosis (TB); however, many patients report WHO-TB symptoms and require further TB investigations. We hypothesized that further clinical scoring could classify subjects with a positive WHO-TB screening result (WHO-TB(+)

Factor I (FI) is the major complement inhibitor that degrades Ob and C4b in the presence of cofactors such as factor H (FH) and membrane cofactor protein (MCP). Recently, mutations and polymorphisms in complement regulator molecules FH and MCP but also in FI have been associated with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). HUS is a disorder characterized by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia an

This paper presents a new real-time architecture for motion control of industrial robots. The new control system obtained has two main advantages: first it provides a total open control architecture and the second advantage is the simplicity and the interactivity of the platform developed. Experimental evaluation of a passivity-based control scheme shows the benefits of the architecture which is u

This pre-study is aimed to investigate the feasibility of a normoxic polyacrylamide gel (nPAG) dosimeter with implanted gold fiducials to evaluate the geometric precision, including setup correction strategies, in the delivery of hypofractionated treatments. For this purpose a phantom consisting of three parts was constructed: (1) the patient simulating volume, providing realistic scatter conditio

A number of trends like globalisation, outsourcing, single sourcing, and leanness have together created a more vulnerable supply chain. This increased vulnerability has made supply chain risk issues a hot topic in academia as well as in industry. There has, however, been a lack of suitable models. The objective of this paper is to develop one such model – a conceptual model with the help of which

Purpose The purpose is to explore if a potential gap exists between information sharing as recommended in academic literature and the information actually shared among companies and their supply chain partners. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on an extensive literature review to structure the terminology for information sharing in supply chains and an in-depth interview study to ex

Ley crops can be grown to provide a substrate for biogas vehicle-fuel production on a range of soils including marginal land. According to EU regulations, such biofuel currently has to achieve an emission reduction of 35%, but tightened goals of 50 and 60% will come into effect as early as 2017. In two field trials (one on marginal soil, one on productive soil) ley crop mixtures were tested and th

To improvise together for the pure curiosity, joy, and beauty of it constitutes a central but often neglected ability of human beings. Integrating pragmatic, practical, and technical skills with conceptual understanding, improvisation is adaptive and collaborative. It seems made to counter the challenges of living in a fleeting present, unconstrained by physical and historical boundaries, and very

Bacteriophages present huge potential both as a resource for developing novel tools for bacterial diagnostics and for use in phage therapy. This potential is also valid for bacteriophages specific for Yersinia enterocolitica. To increase our knowledge of Y. enterocolitica- specific phages, we characterized two novel yersiniophages. The genomes of the bacteriophages vB_YenM_TG1 (TG1) and vB_YenM_φR

Obesity impairs the relaxant capacity of adipose tissue surrounding the vasculature (PVAT) and has been implicated in resultant obesity-related hypertension and impaired glucose intolerance. Resident immune cells are thought to regulate adipocyte activity. We investigated the role of eosinophils in mediating normal PVAT function. Healthy PVAT elicits an anti-contractile effect, which was lost in m

BACKGROUND: Non-fatal outcomes of disease and injury increasingly detract from the ability of the world's population to live in full health, a trend largely attributable to an epidemiological transition in many countries from causes affecting children, to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) more common in adults. For the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015), we

Use of clay brick masonry in façades is often motivated by its aesthetic values and durability. Yet, mortar joints exposed to climate agents erode over time, expected to cause elevated moisture content and water absorption. Thus, it is often recommended that 40- to 50-year-old facades should be repointed – a measure which is intrusive and costly. Decision is in many cases taken without a clear evi

We introduce the 'Engineering Dwarfs at Galaxy Formation's Edge' (EDGE) project to study the cosmological formation and evolution of the smallest galaxies in the Universe. In this first paper, we explore the effects of resolution and sub-grid physics on a single low-mass halo (Mhalo = 109M⊙), simulated to redshift z = 0 at amass and spatial resolution of ∼ 20 M⊙ and ∼3 pc. We consider different st

Phage display technology is a common approach for discovery of therapeutic antibodies. Drug candidates are typically isolated in two steps: First, a pool of antibodies is enriched through consecutive rounds of selection on a target antigen, and then individual clones are characterized in a screening procedure. When whole cells are used as targets, as in phenotypic discovery, the output phage pool