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In Information Gap Decision Theory (IGDT) a system is said to be robust to uncertainty if specified goals are achieved with satisfaction despite large info-gaps. Under this theory an info-gap expresses the disparity between what is known and unknown in structures for which uncertainty is judged as severe. We discuss how robustness in IGDT can be merged with a perspective on risk which allows for d

Brain tumors are the most common solid tumors in children. Current treatment protocols fail in 25% of patients and are associated with significant long-term adverse effects in survivors. Experimental models of these tumors are scarce and will be crucial for the development of more efficient treatment strategies, including molecular targeting and immunotherapy. In this thesis, I describe the establ

Superantigens are toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus, called staphylococcal enterotoxins (abbreviated SEA to SEU). They can cross-link the T cell receptor (TCR) and major histocompatibility complex class II, triggering a massive T cell activation and hence disease. Due to high stability and toxicity, superantigens are potential agents of bioterrorism. Hence, antagonists may not only be usefu

The Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) photosynthetic complex found in green sulfur bacteria has over the last decades been one of the favorite "model" systems for biological energy transfer. However, even after 40 years of studies, quantitative knowledge about its energy-transfer properties is limited. Here, two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy with full polarization control is used to provide an accu

This study examines the determinants of exit from academic research that occurs when academic researchers move into positions in academe that concentrate on nonresearch activities such as teaching or administration or when researchers leave academia and move into industry. Drawing on career data for 14,000 Japanese PhD graduates in hard sciences (all scientific fields except social sciences and hu

BACKGROUND: Three-dimensional (3D) printing of highly porous orthopaedic implants aims to promote better osseointegration, thus preventing aseptic loosening. However, short-term radiostereometric analysis (RSA) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has shown higher initial migration of cementless 3D-printed tibial components compared with their cemented counterparts. Therefore, critical evaluation o

Background: Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) studies have shown that the continuous migration of tibial components is predictive of aseptic loosening following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). In the present study, we investigated whether accurate sizing and placement of tibial components are related to the degree of implant migration as measured with use of RSA.Methods:A total of 111 patients who u

Drought has negative impacts on water resources, food security, soil degradation, desertification and agricultural productivity. The meteorological and hydrological droughts prediction using standardized precipitation/runoff indices (SPI/SRI) is crucial for effective water resource management. In this study, we suggest ANFISWCA, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) optimized by the wat

GPUs in embedded platforms are reaching performance levels comparable to desktop hardware, thus it becomes interesting to apply Computer Vision techniques. We propose, implement, and evaluate a novel feature detector and descriptor combination, i.e., we combine the Harris-Hessian detector with the FREAK binary descriptor. The implementation is done in OpenCL, and we evaluate the execution time and

This article deals with an essential problem in the metal cutting industry, the problem of predicting tool wear and tool life. This is also a problem that has been studied by academia for the last century, often with very little added knowledge. The possibility to replace a large number of systematic wear tests with only a few specially designed tests provides new potentials for rapid information

Background: Cadmium bioaccumulates in the body and causes several adverse health effects. Understanding the primary sources of exposure is critical in order to implement effective prevention measures. Methods: We included 454 adults enrolled in the Florence cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) during 1992–98. At enrolment, information was collected on d

Understanding the functional characteristics of naturally acquired antibodies against P. falciparum merozoite antigens is crucial for determining the protective functions of antibodies. Affinity (measured as kd) of naturally acquired antibodies against two key targets of acquired immunity, EBA175 and PfRh2, was determined using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) in a longitudinal survey in Nigeria. A

A semi-stochastic, statistical reduction method for chemical kinetic schemes based on the ant colony optimization method, is developed for atmospheric chemistry simulations. The prime application is coupled dynamic and chemistry models for simulation of the dispersion and reactivity of chemical species on street scale, i.e. the modelling of urban air pollution in street canyons. The method is desi