Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are a family of autoantibodies that react with proteins predominantly expressed in cytoplasmic granules of polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes (PMNs). ANCA was initially detected using indirect immunofluorescence, allowing for different patterns such as p-ANCA (perinuclear) and c-ANCA (cytoplasmic) to be distinguished. Today it is common to detec

A group of pauci-immune vasculitides, characterized by neutrophil-rich necrotizing inflammation of small vessels and the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs), is referred to as ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). ANCAs against proteinase 3 (PR3) (PR3-ANCA) or myeloperoxidase (MPO) (MPO-ANCA) are found in over 90% of patients with active disease, and these ANCAs are implicated in

We apply spectral stability theory to investigate nonlinear gravity waves in the atmosphere. These waves are determined by modulation equations that result from Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin theory. First, we establish that plane waves, which represent exact solutions to the inviscid Boussinesq equations, are spectrally stable with respect to their nonlinear modulation equations under the same conditi

One of the factors that can contribute to the resolution of long, doped inorganic scintillators used for nuclear spectroscopy is the variation of the dopant concentration over the length the detector crystal. In this work an investigation of such potential variations in one of the CsI(Tl) scintillators used in the calorimeter, CALIFA, of the R3B experiment at FAIR, has been performed using particl

Topology optimization is a mathematical tool for finding optimal distributions of material phases within a design domain. It is commonly used in early design stages to generate conceptual structural layouts. Ultimately, designs generated by topology optimization consist of distinct material phases with enhanced performance. Most research on topology optimization methods focuses on linear elastic m

The response of floating pile foundations in deep deposits of soft clay is governed by the settlements within the clay deposit surrounding the piles. A long-duration thermal response test (TRT) has been performed to assess the impact of heating and cooling on the geotechnical performance of a vertically loaded slender tubular steel pile in a deep deposit of sensitive clay. The results from the ins

Energy use in buildings has a significant influence on the global energy demand and environmental impacts. Among all building systems, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are the most energy-intensive in terms of their total energy requirements. The production and operation of HVAC systems have a significant impact on the environment. These systems are also among the largest

Within the context of a sharing economy, the BE-USE project aims to develop behavioural economics experiments that test, examine and generate policy recommendations to advance sustainable urban initiatives. It aims to increase the understanding of cognitive, motivational and contextual factors affecting decision-making processes and choices in urban sharing initiatives.This report is developed und

INTRODUCTION: Despite much literature on reference values of acid-base status in umbilical cord blood at birth, there are as yet no studies performed to determine gestational age-dependent references in cord venous blood and no studies on preterm acid-base standards. Similarly, the normal reference range of Apgar scores for term and preterm infants has not yet been determined.MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Abstract Introduction: Obstetricians routinely use biochemical parameters from non-pregnant women to assess the condition of the laboring mother. However, it is well known that pregnancy leads to significant physiological changes in most organ systems. The aim of this study was to determine normal values for maternal arterial blood gases during vaginal deliveries as compared to control values fro

Background: Although alcohol use disorder (AUD) runs strongly within families, studies examining the impact of rearing environment, unconfounded by genetic effects, are rare and, to date, contradictory. We here seek to conduct such a study using an adoptive co-sib control design. Methods: Defining high-risk as having 3/41 biological parent with an externalizing syndrome (AUD, drug abuse or crime),

An established MP2RAGE protocol for semi-quantitative structural brain MRI was transferred from one 7T MR scanner to that of another vendor featuring comparable hardware, but opposite polarity. On this system, the scan time could be reduced from 11 to 8 minutes, mainly by elliptical k-space sampling. Three configurations of radio-frequency (RF) transmission were compared (single channel with quadr

Although the use of induction therapy has reduced the risk of acute rejection after heart transplantation, its use may be associated with other adverse outcomes. We aimed to examine the effect of no induction (NoInd), induction with basiliximab (BAS), or induction with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) on outcome after heart transplantation. We analyzed data from the International Society for Heart and

Background: Drug abuse is frequently associated with negative sequelae such as reduced socioeconomic functioning. The extent to which these associations are attributable to a causal role of the disorder versus confounding factors that increase risk for both drug abuse and negative socioeconomic outcomes is unclear. Methods: Drug abuse cases were identified using Swedish national medical, pharmacy,

In a future climate change perspective, the interactions among different life-forms of primary producers will likely be altered, leading to changes in the relative dominance among macrophytes, filamentous, and planktonic algae. In order to improve the possibilities to forecast future ecosystem services and function, we therefore conducted a long-term mesocosm study where primary producers were exp

Objective: To clarify the preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease by estimating when β-amyloid accumulation first becomes associated with changes in cognition. Methods: Here we studied a large group (N = 4432) of cognitively unimpaired individuals who were screened for inclusion in the A4 trial (age 65–85) to assess the effect of subthreshold levels of β-amyloid on cognition and to identify which

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to identify and assess visual field defects caused by primary damage to the optic radiation in individuals with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Ten individuals with spastic CP (six females, four males, with a median age of 21 years [range 17–38y]) had their brain lesions documented with conventional magnetic resonance

Background: Assessing and communicating software engineering research can be challenging. Design science is recognized as an appropriate research paradigm for applied research, but is rarely explicitly used as a way to present planned or achieved research contributions in software engineering. Applying the design science lens to software engineering research may improve the assessment and communic

Cold intolerance and pain can be a substantial problem in patients with peripheral nerve injury. We aimed at investigating the relationships among sensory recovery, cold intolerance, and neuropathic pain in patients affected by upper limb peripheral nerve injury (Sunderland type V) treated with microsurgical repair, followed by early sensory re-education. In a cross-sectional clinical study, 100 p