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The purpose of the present study is to introduce a point process model for characterizing the pattern of atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes. A variant of the bivariate Hawkes process is proposed, accounting for clustered episodes. The model parameters are inferred by the maximum likelihood method. The goodness-of-fit analysis show that model fits the data in most of the recordings (27 out of 32). T
Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify serum microRNAs providing a link between male subfertility and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and validate their diagnostic potential. Methods: Sera were analyzed for fertility and MetS-related parameters in subfertile men (n = 79) and controls (n = 38). Literature review identified miR-155-5p, miR-122-5p, miR-200a-3p, and miR-200c-3p which previously w
Radiative lifetimes of seven excited states of Er iii have been measured using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence following two-photon excitation. Relativistic Hartree-Fock calculations taking core-polarization effects into account are found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental results. A large set of new calculated transition probabilities is presented for many transitions of
INTRODUCTION: : The aldosterone/renin ratio (ARR) is the first line screening test for primary aldosteronism (PA). However, in hypertensive patients with an increased ARR, PA needs to be confirmed by other means. METHODS: : A 25 mg oral captopril test was performed in 16 healthy subjects to obtain reference values for aldosterone and ARR at 120 minutes after the test. Subsequently these data were
Context: Pediatric cancer treatment may imply an increased risk of hypogonadism, leading to metabolic disorders and osteoporosis. Such complications are potentially preventable. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess diagnosis- and treatment-dependent risk of hypogonadism in male childhood cancer survivors (CCS). Design: Male CCS who were treated during the period 1970-2002 and who in 2004
A protective and anti-inflammatory role for CD1d-dependent NKT cells (NKTs) has been reported in experimental and human autoimmune diseases. However, their role in arthritis has been unclear, with conflicting reports of CD1d-dependent NKTs acting both as regulatory and disease-promoting cells in arthritis. These differing modes of action might be due to genetic differences of inbred mice and incom
This chapter examines the relationship between the United Nations (UN) and African troop contributing countries (TCCs). As a continent which has both hosted and contributed to numerous UN peacekeeping missions, Africa has shaped and is shaped by peacekeeping practices. This chapter considers African states' historical presence in UN peacekeeping operations since the 1960s and distinguishes between
Building on the case of three municipal currencies (in Brazil, Spain and Belgium), the policy brief argues municipal currencies can be considered transversal careinfrastructures because, depending on their design and governance, theyfacilitate the visualization and circulation of economic, social andenvironmental value in ways that directly address community needs, enhancesocial welfare, promote e
Recent research has highlighted the importance of reducing economic shrinking—periods of negative per capita growth—for long-term development. Building on this literature, this chapter proposes a new framework explicitly connecting the dynamics of poverty eradication to the dynamics of resilience to economic shrinking. It argues that a key driver of this resilience is the alignment of incentives b
Pulmonary fibrosis is a severe condition in interstitial lung diseases (ILD) such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and systemic sclerosis-ILD, where the underlying mechanism is not well defined and with no curative treatments available. Serotonin (5-HT) signaling via the 5-HT 2B receptor has been recognized as a promising preclinical target for fibrosis. Despite this, the involvement of the
Forty-two chapters have been structured according to the toxicities in cancer entities, and the late effects and follow-up proposals have been discussed by European and American authors. Cancer diseases in children, adolescents and young adults are treated within specific treatment protocols and can produce different late effects that will have to be cared for by specific follow-up recommendations
BACKGROUND: The melanoma-specific survival (MSS) is heterogenous between stages and is highly dependent on the T stage for primary localized disease. New systemic therapies for metastatic cutaneous melanoma (CM) have been introduced since 2012 in Sweden.OBJECTIVES: To analyse the incidence and MSS time trends between 1990 and 2020 in Sweden.METHODS: Nationwide, population-based, and prospectively
Background: The aim of this study was to explore the risk of invasive colorectal cancer (CRC) in relatives of patients with colorectal carcinoma in situ (CCIS), which is lacking in the literature. Patients and Methods: We collected data from Swedish family-cancer datasets and calculated standardized incidence ratio (SIR) and cumulative risk of CRC in family histories of CCIS in first- and second-d
Current immune-based therapies signify a major advancement in cancer therapy; yet, they are not effective in the majority of patients. Physically based local destruction techniques have been shown to induce immunologic effects and are increasingly used in order to improve the outcome of immunotherapies. The various local destruction methods have different modes of action and there is considerable
This book analyses and discusses the use of Islamic terms and symbols in the political party Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC). It is based on interviews with the leading members of the party and on analyses of the party’s official documents. It describes the history of Muslims in Sri Lanka, presents the analytical framework used, and discusses the official documents and narratives of party members
Cytoreduction followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is a treatment option for peritoneal surface malignancies in The Netherlands. This treatment has been available for more than 10 years. Therefore, long-term results on survival and quality of life can now be studied. With these results, the true long-term benefits of this new management strategy can be determined.
This chapter critically engages with a central policy norm developed by key international actors working on statelessness and refugeeness over the last three decades. This is the norm that for stateless refugees their refugeeness effectively trumps their statelessness. I term this norm, which arbitrarily separates and ranks statelessness and refugeeness, the “protection hierarchy”. This norm is in
In this research–in–progress paper, we employ design science research to articulate design knowledge for chatbots in higher education practice. We conducted a literature review to factor previous research into the design process. In addition, we performed a content analysis of student e-mails and forum posts from four instances of a basic Java programming course. Drawing from literature and data,
Motivated by the need for realistic, dynamically self-consistent, evolving galaxy models that avoid the complexity of full, and zoom-in, cosmological simulations, we have developed Nexus, an integral framework to create and evolve synthetic galaxies made of collisionless and gaseous components. Nexus leverages the power of publicly available, tried-and-tested packages: the stellar-dynamics, action
