To identify risk factors for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in Danish patients consulting general practice with gastrointestinal symptoms, a prospective matched case-control study was performed; cases (N=259) had positive cultures for toxigenic C. difficile and controls (N=455) negative cultures. Data were analysed by conditional logistic regression. In patients aged 2 years (138 cases), ho

Risk factors associated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) have previously been identified, but few studies have described the relationship between IUGR and maternal stress caused by exposure to civil unrest. Here, we investigate this relationship during the Mount Elgon crisis in western Kenya between 2006 and 2008, following a period of violence. Birth weight data were compared between t

To assess the association between height and risk of cancer and cancer death. The metabolic syndrome and cancer project is a prospective pooled cohort study of 585,928 participants from seven cohorts in Austria, Norway, and Sweden. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer incidence and death were estimated in height categories and per 5-cm increment for each cancer site u

There is a need for large trials that test the clinical effectiveness of interventions in the field of perioperative medicine. Clinical outcome measures used in such trials must be robust, clearly defined and patient-relevant. Our objective was to develop standards for the use of clinical outcome measures to strengthen the methodological quality of perioperative medicine research. A literature sea

Single-shot transients and deep-level transient spectroscopy are used to investigate the origins of capacitance hysteresis in n-doped InAs nanowire/HfO2 capacitors. Capacitance transients with a characteristic time in the order of 100 mu s are attributed to emission from electron traps, located in the oxide film. The trap energy is determined to be in the range from 0.12 to 0.17 eV with capture cr

This paper examines the potential benefits of applying next best view planning to sequential 3D reconstruction from unordered image sequences. A standard sequential structure-and-motion pipeline is extended with active selection of the order in which cameras are resectioned. To this end, approximate covariance propagation is implemented throughout the system, providing running estimates of the unc

This study shows that DNA (linearized plasmid, 4331 base pairs and salmon sperm, 2000 base pairs, respectively) adsorbs to model membranes of zwitterionic liquid crystalline phospholipid bilayers in solutions containing divalent Ca(2+) cations, and also in solutions containing monovalent Na(+). The interaction between DNA and surface-supported model membranes was followed in situ using null ellips

Bacteria- and fungus-binding mesh binds and inactivates bacteria and fungus, which makes it interesting, alternative, wound filler for negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT). This study was conducted to compare the performance of pathogen-binding mesh, foam and gauze as wound fillers in NPWT with regard to pressure transduction, fluid retention, wound contraction and microvascular blood flow. Woun

Abstract in UndeterminedPurpose - The purpose of the paper is to discuss whether or not an acquisition changes the network identity of an acquired firm and, if so, how. This study aims to bring new insights to the corporate marketing field, as it examines corporate identity in the context of how a company is perceived because of its relationships with other firms. The focus of this research is acq

Industrialized building has drawn in ideas from many pioneering researchers during its decades of development; in this brief recapitulation we present some observations on selected moments in the history that have significantly shaped the approach to building construction. The first formative movement identified is prefabrication, as used by Joseph Paxton during construction of the Crystal Palace.

Autoantibodies to complement factor H (FH) are associated with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, but can also be detected in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and in patients positive for lupus anticoagulants and thus potentially antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). To our knowledge, no data are available on the association between the presence of FH autoantibodies in APS and clinical manifestation

Calmodulin is a two-domain signaling protein that becomes activated upon binding cooperatively two pairs of calcium ions, leading to large-scale conformational changes that expose its binding site. Despite significant advances in understanding the structural biology of calmodulin functions, the mechanistic details of the conformational transition between closed and open states have remained unclea

Just as the wireless communication technology develops further to achieve higher performance, new application areas emerge to challenge its limits. Vehicular ad hoc networks are one of these areas; and emergency situation warning is one of their most popular potential applications since traffic safety is a real concern for everyone. Due to the life-critical nature of emergency applications, howeve

The paper develops an analytical framework for understanding the role of social media in the 2011 North African uprisings. It argues that analysis of the role of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media tools should be broken down into two distinct phases: a pre-mobilisation phase and a collective action phase. Using frame analysis and the notion of connective action, the paper demonstrates that

Gasoline vehicles have elevated emissions of volatile organic compounds during coldstarts and idling and have recently been pointed out as potentially the main sourceof anthropogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in megacities. However, there is5 a lack of laboratory studies to systematically investigate SOA formation in real-worldexhaust. In this study, SOA formation from pure aromatic precurso

Controlling the interfacial behavior and properties of lipid liquid crystalline nanoparticles (LCNPs) at surfaces is essential for their application for preparing functional surface coatings as well as understanding some aspects of their properties as drug delivery vehicles. Here we have studied a LCNP system formed by mixing soy phosphatidylcholine (SPC), forming liquid crystalline lamellar Struc