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Introduction: Most neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and multiple sclerosis (MS), feature abnormal tau phosphorylation (p-tau) in the brain. Prior immunostaining studies have shown p-tau accumulation in the AD retina, suggesting it may mirror brain tau pathology. Methods: We used mass spectrometry to quantify p-tau peptides in matched retinal and hippocampal samples fr
Robots operating in real-world settings must manage task variability, environmental uncertainty, and failures during execution. This thesis presents a unified framework for building self-reliant robotic systems by integrating symbolic planning, reinforcement learning, behavior trees (BTs), and vision-language models (VLMs).At the core of the approach is an interpretable policy representation based
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health challenge, with financial and health impacts extending beyond treatment. Both the perspective adopted in cost-effectiveness analyses-which critically determines choices such as the inclusion of patient-incurred costs-and the extent to which long-term post-treatment considerations are incorporated have important policy implications. This study examine
BACKGROUND Orthostatic hypotension (OH), defined as a sustained drop in systolic or diastolic blood pressure upon standing, is known to negatively affect survival in the general population. However, its impact on outcomes in patients with advanced coronary artery disease remains unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and prognostic value of OH in patients undergoing isolated c
Purpose: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is used to evaluate kidney function. Creatinine and cystatin C levels C are the two endogenous substances used to estimate GFR (eGFRCR and eGFRCYS). Agreement between the two is reflected by the eGFRCYS/eGFRCR-ratio, and an eGFRCYS/eGFRCR-ratio <0.70 is strongly associated with mortality and morbidity. An explanation is a selective decrease in the filtrati
This study presents a conceptual framework for assessing the sustainability of the forest-based economy and resulting synergies and trade-offs between forest harvest, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation. The framework adopts a comprehensive systems approach to map economic activities and associated flows of resources and embodied environmental impacts along the value chain. It buil
This paper demonstrates how nostalgia entices consumers to re-circulate objects rather than discard them. Through multimethod qualitative inquiry into the Danish vintage cycling community, this paper highlights how consumers’ nostalgic attachment to the biographies of old objects propels re-circulation. The analysis builds on three distinct modes of nostalgia: reluctant, progressive, and playful n
To plan for a sustainable transportation network, we need to understand the values connected to existing structures. In the history of car dependency and petroculture, the promise of speed is everywhere. Through a frame analysis focusing on contestation, this paper examines values connected to fossil fuel infrastructure. Specifically, the paper interrogates the plans to construct a highway on the
Autonomous robots must operate reliably and safely under uncertain, dynamic conditions over extended periods. To ensure such operational robustness, it is vital that both developers and operators can clearly and verifiably specify functional requirements and safety constraints throughout the robot software lifecycle. My research targets different layers of robot operational safety: early error det
Inhibition of the Rho-kinase (ROCK) signalling pathway has widespread effects on cellular behaviour. In the cornea, ROCK inhibitors promote the integrity of the epithelial layer and limbal stem cells and regeneration of the endothelium layer. Clinical studies have demonstrated successful regeneration of the endothelium using ROCK inhibitors without a corneal graft in patients with corneal endothel
Recent developments in Alzheimer's disease biomarkers have significantly improved the early detection of Alzheimer's disease pathology (Hansson et al., 2023; Ossenkoppele and Hansson, 2021; Zetterberg and Blennow, 2021) [1-3]. However, while biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease can indicate the underlying brain pathology and have some predictive value for future cognitive decline, they do not provid
This paper acknowledges the influence of Dr Rita Fahy’s life’s work on a research project to evaluate fire evacuation guidance from high-rise residential buildings. It compares the application of agent-based simulations with Rita’s publications into pre-evacuation delay times. Her observed bi-modal distribution shape aligns with an approach to modelling pre-evacuation time as a series of component
Warfare has been commonly associated with increasing levels of inflation, with important implications for tax systems. In this chapter, we first review the literature on war finance and inflation, considering both the fiscal causes of inflation during wartimes and the effects of inflation on tax revenues. Second, we focus on developments with regard to income tax during the World Wars, building up
Sialoblastoma is an exceedingly rare, low-grade malignancy, most frequently arising in the parotid gland. Only four case reports detailing the cytomorphology of this neoplasm exist in the English literature. Here, we describe the cytological features, histopathology, and clinical data of sialoblastomas presented at birth in two additional patients. Both neoplasms were initially examined by fine-ne
A dislocation-based flow stress model is proposed to describe the behavior of Alloy 718 fabricated using laser-based and electron-beam powder bed fusion methods. This physics-based model is adaptive to microstructural variations including the size and volume fraction of γ″ precipitates, crystallographic texture, grain size and the density of immobile dislocations. Coupled with data from thermodyna
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have been the subject of extensive research in recent years and are expected to completely transform the operation of transport networks and revolutionize the automotive industry in the coming decades. Modeling detailed interactions among vehicles with varying levels of penetration rates is essential for evaluating the potential effects. One such investigation is being pe
Orbit separation dimension , previously introduced as amorphic complexity, is a powerful complexity measure for topological dynamical systems with pure-point spectrum. Here, we develop methods and tools for it that allow a systematic application to translation dynamical systems of tiling spaces that are generated by primitive inflation rules. These systems share many nice properties that permit th
Quasi-markets are increasingly used in public service provision, yet they remain highly contested. This paper develops a conceptual framework grounded in economic theory to examine how quasi-markets differ from traditional markets along five key dimensions: (1) revenues, costs, and profits, (2) the matching of supply and demand, (3) competition, (4) structural change, and (5) rent-seeking. Assumin
Long-term noninvasive respiratory support, comprising continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and noninvasive ventilation (NIV), in children is expanding worldwide, with increasing complexities of children being considered for this type of ventilator support and expanding indications such as palliative care. There have been improvements in equipment and interfaces. Despite growing experience, t
