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Objective. Serum calcium concentrations have been associated with the risk of malignant disease, especially breast cancer. Thus, determinants of serum calcium concentrations, with special regard to risk factors of breast cancer, are of great interest. Material and methods. Previous studies have either been small or they have not focused on reproductive factors. The present study examined serum cal
Background: Despite considerable racial and geographical differences in human phenotypes and in the incidence of diseases that may be associated with sex steroid action, there are few data concerning variation in sex steroid levels among populations. We designed an international study to determine the degree to which geography and race influence sex steroid levels in older men. Methods: Using mass
In this study, we analysed the ease of use of three computer programs for self-registration of job seekers. The programs were developed in somewhat different activity contexts. The differences found between the programs in two experiments appeared to result from a combination of fewer constraints on individual input demanded by Job Seeker Bank and Af Explore and from the programs’ better adaptatio
Weak convergence of the multivariate point process of upcrossings of several high levels by a stationary Gaussian process is established. The limit is a certain multivariate Poisson process. This result is then used to determine the joint asymptotic distribution of heights and locations of the highest local maxima over an increasing interval. The results are generalized to upcrossings and local ma
Aims: To examine whether the socio-economic determinants of alcohol use found in high-income university student settings are also true of Uganda. Design: Two cross-sectional surveys, conducted in 2005 and 2010, combined into a single dataset. Setting: Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in southwestern Uganda. Participants: 2,934 students (N in 2005 = 980; N in 2010 = 1,954). To
Echocardiography has a vital role for diagnosing and monitoring infectious endocarditis. The recently published Swedish guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of infectious endocarditis recommend overuse of transoesophageal echocardiography, which is not supported by the literature. The European Society of Cardiology presents a considerably more appropriate opinion.
Conclusion Sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNBs) can be performed safely and with reasonable accuracy in HNM patients. The outcome provides important prognostic information concerning DFS and further treatment. However, one must recognize that SLNB is a multidisciplinary procedure with a learning curve for all. Objectives To evaluate efficacy of performing SLNBs in a series of consecutive patients
Rational, autonomous agents that are able to achieve their goals in dynamic, partially observable environments are the ultimate dream of Artificial Intelligence research since its beginning. The goal of this PhD thesis is to propose, develop and evaluate a framework well suited for creating intelligent agents that would be able to learn from experience, thus becoming more efficient at solving thei
A capillary filling microfluidic proteomic sample processing system has been realized in an automated set-up. Chip-integrated solid-phase extraction is performed in a 96-array format followed by sequential capillary action elution into a piezoelectric microdispenser and subsequent transfer to MALDI targets. Samples are eluted and deposited in volumes of 200–300 nl. The robotic system offers calibr
Antibodies to citrulline-modified proteins have a high diagnostic value in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, their biological role in disease development is still unclear. To obtain insight into this question, a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies was generated against a major triple helical collagen type II (CII) epitope (position 359-369; ARGLTGRPGDA) with or without arginines modified by cit
Objective: To evaluate long-term oncological outcome and surgical quality of robotic radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. Methods: Consecutive women with stage IA2 to IIA operated between March 2006 and May 2012 with a robotic radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy were prospectively followed up until five years after surgery or until death. Details regarding clinical results, recurr
A general mixed initial-boundary value problem for a non-local hyperbolic equation, relevant for the study of the propagation of transient electro-magnetic waves in flat slabs, consisting of dispersive stratified complex media, and excited by incident plane waves, is treated. Theorems regarding unique solvability and causality are presented and proved by a time domain method similar to the one use
Objective. Most methods for measurements of the regional cerebral blood flow are unable to provide absolute blood flow values. Until now interest has been focused on measurement of the gray matter blood flow, while the white matter blood flow has been rather neglected. The aim of the present project was to develop and evaluate an improved method for reliable tomographic measurements of absolute wh
