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Most stars form in some sort of stellar cluster or association. In such clusters the number density of stars can be very high. Thus, single stars in such clusters may undergo frequent close encounters with other stars and exchange encounters with binary systems. The perturbation caused by the other star in a close encounter or by the companion star in a binary can have significant effects on the e
INTRODUCTION: Administration of human serum albumin (HSA) solutions for the resuscitation of critically ill patients remains controversial. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of continuing medical education (CME) on health care professionals' clinical decision making with regard to HSA administration and the costs of quality (COQ). A quasi-experimental study of time series associ
In this thesis, we study quantum transport properties of superconductor-semiconductor nanowire hybrid devices. We mainly focus on the quantum transport in InSb nanowire Josephson quantum dot devices, i.e. quantum dots coupled to two pieces of superconductors. In such a structure, many-body interacting phenomena occur, such as Kondo correlation, multiple Andreev reflection, and the formation of And
Most land-living organisms regularly experience dehydration. In nature, one commonly applied strategy to protect against this osmotic stress is to introduce small polar molecules with low vapor pressure, commonly called osmolytes. Two examples of naturally occurring small polar compounds are urea and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), which are known to have counteracting effects on protein stability.
Although the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster isarguably the most studied organism on the planet,fundamental aspects of this species’ natural ecologyhave remained enigmatic [1]. We have here investigateda wild population of D. melanogaster from amopane forest in Zimbabwe. We find that these fliesare closely associated with marula fruit (Sclerocaryabirrea) and propose that this seasonally abunda
Fashion is a social phenomenon par excellence. A simple sociological definition of fashion is 'being first with the latest.' Its underlying principle is revealed in the link between the modus derivatives and the term 'modern,' with its original meaning of 'now' or 'for today.' Fashion revolves around imitation and diffusion, and it applies to all domains of social life, though most of the research
We consider Bayesian inference for stochastic differential equation mixed effectsmodels (SDEMEMs) exemplifying tumour response to treatment and regrowth in mice. We produce an extensive study on how an SDEMEM can be fitted by using both exact inference based on pseudo-marginal Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling and approximate inference via Bayesian synthetic likelihood (BSL). We inv
Ternary alloyed CdSexTe1–x colloidal QDs trap-passivated by iodide-based ligands (TBAI) are developed as building blocks for UV–NIR photodetectors. Both the few surface traps and high loading of QDs are obtained by in situ ligand exchange with TBAI. The device is sensitive to a broad wavelength range covering the UV–NIR region (300–850 nm), showing an excellent photoresponsivity of 53 mA/W, a fast
The aggregation of the 42-residue form of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ42) is a pivotal event in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The use of chemical kinetics has recently enabled highly accurate quantifications of the effects of small molecules on specific microscopic steps in Aβ42 aggregation. Here, we exploit this approach to develop a rational drug discovery strategy against Aβ42 aggregation that uses as
Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) is a bacterial carrier state in the urinary tract that resembles commensalism at other mucosal sites. ABU strains often lack the virulence factors that characterize uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains and therefore elicit weak innate immune responses in the urinary tract. In addition, ABU strains are active modifiers of the host environment, which they i
The past few decades have seen an increasing demand for environmental information on which to make more informed decisions, strengthened by several international calls for improving available environmental information. In a democratic South Africa, the involvement of people in policy and decision-making processes has led to an even greater need for accessible information. In response to this deman
CD46 is a cell surface complement inhibitor widely expressed in human tissues, in contrast to mice, where expression is limited to the testes. In humans, it has been identified as an important T cell costimulatory receptor, and patients deficient in CD46 or its endogenous ligands are unable to mount effective Th1 T cell responses. Stimulation of human CD4(+) T cells with CD3 and CD46 also leads to
Manual selection of finger trabecular bone texture regions on hand X-ray images is time-consuming, tedious, and observer-dependent. Therefore, we developed an automated method for the region selection. The method selects square trabecular bone regions of interest above and below the second to fifth distal and proximal interphalangeal joints. Two regions are selected per joint (16 regions per hand)
We present the first results of an experiment which is aimed at ultimately producing recommendations for analysing archaeologic ceramics specimens using hand held XRF analysis devices. In the experiment we study the effects of different measurement durations, different number of measured points, and three different types of surface treatments (breakage, polished, grounded) when analysing ceramics
Building on narratives of students in adult education in Sweden, where the majority of the students are young adults, this paper argues that adult education has both negative and positive aspects in helping individuals to be recognised as valuable. Students, often part of the precariat class, have not always been able to survive in the job market and have a history of failing in upper secondary sc
OBJECTIVES To examine which individual and environmental factors correlate with unmet physical activity need in old age and predict development of unmet physical activity need (the feeling that one's level of physical activity is inadequate and thus distinct from the recommended amount of physical activity) over a 2-year follow-up. DESIGN Observational prospective cohort study and cross-sectional
