BACKGROUND: Spatial epidemiological analyses primarily depend on spatially-indexed medical records. Some countries have devised ways of capturing patient-specific spatial details using ZIP codes, postcodes or personal numbers, which are geocoded. However, for most resource-constrained African countries, the absence of a means to capture patient resident location as well as inexistence of spatial d

This study concerns the evolution of morphological patterns that often arise on the interface of bi-material, so called metal precipitate phase, due to the instability of the interfaces. The instability leads to growth or retraction of small perturbation, which may determine the formation of a variety of morphological patterns initially arising on surfaces of growing precipitates at small length s

FN:s konvention om barnets rättigheter är en internationell överenskommelse, beslutad 1989, som fått stort inflytande på barnpolitik och lagstiftning i många av världens länder. Vi presenterar här några erfarenheter från ett mångårigt utbild-ningsprogram om barns rättigheter inom utbildningssektorn, finansierat av Sida och genomfört av Lunds universitet. Författarna har medverkat i programmet som

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease that shows one of the highest mortality rates among rheumatic diseases. We perform a large genome-wide association study (GWAS), and meta-analysis with previous GWASs, in 26,679 individuals and identify 27 independent genome-wide associated signals, including 13 new risk loci. The novel associations nearly double the number of genome-wide hits repo

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a major regulator of homeostasis and disease, yet the 3D structure of the ECM remains poorly understood because of limitations in ECM visualization. We recently developed an ECM-specialized method termed in situ decellularization of tissues (ISDoT) to isolate native 3D ECM scaffolds from whole organs in which ECM structure and composition are preserved. Here, we p

Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) have improved our understanding of the evolution of adaptive variation; for instance, their study has led us to understand that the best phenotype (e.g. large and flashy) for a tactic that uses one mating behavior (e.g. court females) is often not the best phenotype (e.g. small and inconspicuous) for a tactic that uses a different mating behavior (e.g. chase

Background and Purpose- Extracellular matrix proteins are important in atherosclerotic disease by influencing plaque stability and cellular behavior but also by regulating inflammation. COMP (cartilage oligomeric matrix protein) is present in healthy human arteries and expressed by smooth muscle cells. A recent study showed that transplantation of COMP-deficient bone marrow to apoE-/- mice increas

We present an architecture for distributed, heterogeneous systems where there is a clear separation of concerns for Computation, Coordination, Configuration. The computation part is often implemented in traditional programming code, and packaged as services. The other concerns might need to be addressed much later and by other people in separate organisations, or even by end users. In this paper w

Background: Primary indication for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is to reduce symptoms and improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL). There are data showing differences between the genders and between younger and older patients. To evaluate this, we studied a large Scandinavian cohort of patients referred for catheter ablation of AF. Methods: Consecutive patients filled out th

Recent warming in the Arctic, which has been amplified during the winter1–3, greatly enhances microbial decomposition of soil organic matter and subsequent release of carbon dioxide (CO2)4. However, the amount of CO2 released in winter is not known and has not been well represented by ecosystem models or empirically based estimates5,6. Here we synthesize regional in situ observations of CO2 flux f

Background: Medical advancements have resulted in better survival and life expectancy among those with spina bifida, but a significantly increased risk of perinatal and postnatal mortality for individuals with spina bifida remains. Objectives: To examine stillbirth and infant and child mortality among those affected by spina bifida using data from multiple countries. Methods: We conducted an obser

During the few past decades, intensive efforts have been focused toward optimizing ‘wiring’ of thylakoid membranes (TMs) to conductive surfaces for their further application for light-energy conversion and production of an electron flow. This review summarizes recent progress and current state of photobioelectrodes and systems based on TMs. We consider various electrode materials and surface modif

The self-assembly of small colloidal clusters, so-called colloidal molecules, into crystalline materials has proven extremely challenging, the outcome often being glassy, amorphous states where positions and orientations are locked. In this paper, a new type of colloidal molecule is therefore prepared, assembled from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)-based microgels that due to their well docum

Wastewater treatment and subsequent effluent recycling for non-drinking purposes such as irrigation contributes to the mitigation of the pressure on freshwater resources. In this study, two vertical sub-surface flow constructed wetland (VSSF-CW) pilot plants were operated to treat municipal wastewater and their effluents were reused for irrigation purposes. One of the wetlands was vegetated with P

The experimental methodology achieved in the present study signified that the adsorption and precipitation were main mechanisms occurred together in the removal of nickel from aqueous solution by sorption using cement kiln dust (CKD) byproduct as sorbent. Finding the contribution of each mechanism in the removal process and derivation an analytical model for finding the portion of precipitation we

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of different durations of simulated microgravity exposure on ventricular repolarization (VR) in terms of T-wave alternans (TWA) as well as to test whether an increase in VR heterogeneity could be detected once normal gravity was restored. APPROACH: A total of 63 healthy volunteers were recruited in several head-down bed-rest (HDBR) experiments in the context of the

In regions where sunlight exposure is limited, dietary vitamin D intake becomes important for maintaining status. However, Swedish children have been shown to have deficient or marginal status during the winter months even if the recommended dietary intake is met. Since low vitamin D status has been associated with several disease states, this study investigated the metabolic changes associated wi

Biomolecule derivatives are transversally used in nanotechnology. Deciphering their aggregation behavior is a crucial issue for the rational design of functional materials. To this end, it is necessary to build libraries of selectively functionalized analogues and infer general rules. In this work we enrich the highly applicative oriented collection of steroid derivatives, by reporting a rare exam