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Aims: To examine whether the socio-economic determinants of alcohol use found in high-income university student settings are also true of Uganda. Design: Two cross-sectional surveys, conducted in 2005 and 2010, combined into a single dataset. Setting: Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in southwestern Uganda. Participants: 2,934 students (N in 2005 = 980; N in 2010 = 1,954). To
Echocardiography has a vital role for diagnosing and monitoring infectious endocarditis. The recently published Swedish guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of infectious endocarditis recommend overuse of transoesophageal echocardiography, which is not supported by the literature. The European Society of Cardiology presents a considerably more appropriate opinion.
Conclusion Sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNBs) can be performed safely and with reasonable accuracy in HNM patients. The outcome provides important prognostic information concerning DFS and further treatment. However, one must recognize that SLNB is a multidisciplinary procedure with a learning curve for all. Objectives To evaluate efficacy of performing SLNBs in a series of consecutive patients
We are reporting on a novel approach for structured immobilisation of enzymes on gold surfaces modified with monolayers of functionalised alkylthiols. The formation of enzyme spots is achieved by shooting very small volumes of an appropriate enzyme solution (down to 100 pl) onto a thiol-monolayer modified gold surface using a micro-dispenser. Formation of enzyme patterns is obtained by moving the
Rational, autonomous agents that are able to achieve their goals in dynamic, partially observable environments are the ultimate dream of Artificial Intelligence research since its beginning. The goal of this PhD thesis is to propose, develop and evaluate a framework well suited for creating intelligent agents that would be able to learn from experience, thus becoming more efficient at solving thei
A capillary filling microfluidic proteomic sample processing system has been realized in an automated set-up. Chip-integrated solid-phase extraction is performed in a 96-array format followed by sequential capillary action elution into a piezoelectric microdispenser and subsequent transfer to MALDI targets. Samples are eluted and deposited in volumes of 200–300 nl. The robotic system offers calibr
A set of successively more accurate self-consistent equations for the one-electron Green's function have been derived. They correspond to an expansion in a screened potential rather than the bare Coulomb potential. The first equation is adequate for many purposes. Each equation follows from the demand that a corresponding expression for the total energy be stationary with respect to variations in
Aims: To assess lung function at early school age in children delivered at very early gestation owing to intrauterine growth restriction and abnormal foetal blood flow (IUGR). Methods: Spirometry was performed at median age 8.4 (range 6.5-10.7) years in 31 children born preterm with IUGR (PT-IUGR) with a median (range) birth weight (BW) of 650 (395-976) g and median (range) gestational age 27 (24
Antibodies to citrulline-modified proteins have a high diagnostic value in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, their biological role in disease development is still unclear. To obtain insight into this question, a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies was generated against a major triple helical collagen type II (CII) epitope (position 359-369; ARGLTGRPGDA) with or without arginines modified by cit
Objective: To evaluate long-term oncological outcome and surgical quality of robotic radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. Methods: Consecutive women with stage IA2 to IIA operated between March 2006 and May 2012 with a robotic radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy were prospectively followed up until five years after surgery or until death. Details regarding clinical results, recurr
A general mixed initial-boundary value problem for a non-local hyperbolic equation, relevant for the study of the propagation of transient electro-magnetic waves in flat slabs, consisting of dispersive stratified complex media, and excited by incident plane waves, is treated. Theorems regarding unique solvability and causality are presented and proved by a time domain method similar to the one use
Business Rules (BR) and Business Processes (BP) are essential pillars in any Business Information System (BIS) and important areas of BIS design (BISD). Historically, BRs have been overlooked as a part of BISD. The Business Rules Approach (BRA) focuses on concepts and methods to remedy the neglected BR design and management. BRs in this perspective are stateless and concerned with the “what” of a
This article aims at introducing to a wider circle a complementary research approach in user oriented work. Its most fundamental part is the use of technology as a tool for capturing the needs, wishes and dreams of a user. The incitement for us to start developing this method was an experience based, serious, questioning of conventional methods such as interviews, questionnaires, etc, and their c
A method for determining evaporation rates and thermodynamic properties of aqueous solution droplets is introduced. The method combines evaporation rate measurements using modified TDMA technique with data evaluation using an accurate evaporation model. The first set of data has been collected and evaluated for succinic acid aqueous solution droplets. Evaporation rates of succinic acid solution d
