BACKGROUND:Identification and characterization of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) with reduced susceptibility to β-lactam antibiotics due to mutations in penicillin binding protein 3 (PBP3) is a clinical challenge. We analyzed a blood isolate, NTHi93-57485, that was categorized as aminopenicillin resistant but lacked key amino acid substitutions in PBP3 that have previously been associa

The spatial and spectral filtering characteristics of a microphone array can be greatly enhanced through the use of an appropriately designed spatial/spectral filter. In this paper, we consider the design of optimum, in the minimax sense, spatial/spectral filters. The optimum minimax design problem is solved using the new efficient computational technique of Jiang et al. Numerical results demonstr

Purpose: We examined if data-driven food-patterns associate with weight change, incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), coronary events (CE) and stroke. Methods: The study included 20,487 individuals (61% women) from the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort, 45–74 years, without diabetes and CVD at baseline (1991–1996) and who did not report dietary changes. Diet was measured with a modified diet history meth

This paper treats development and research at the regulatory control layer in process control. It is noticed that very little attention is payed to this subject, with the exception PID controller tuning. The reason for this is discussed. Two examples of recent advances in the field treating feedforward control and ratio control, respectively, are presented. A goal of the paper is to point out the

In the present study, we characterize the binding of divalent cations to insulin in aqueous salt solutions by means of capillary electrophoresis and molecular dynamics simulations. The results show a strong pH dependence. At low pH, at which all the carboxylate groups are protonated and the protein has an overall positive charge, all the cations exhibit only weak and rather unspecific interactions

Human exposure to radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields should not exceed the exposure limits set by the relevant regulatory guidelines. In this paper, we provide approaches to determine upper bounds of maximum exposure from multiple antennas. When the total transmitted power is fixed, the maximum exposure can be determined by an eigenvalue decomposition. If an individual antenna has additio

Feedforward control schemes to compensate for disturbances are very well known in process control. In those control approaches, PID controllers are usually considered in the feedback loop, where nominal design for both feedback and feedforward controllers are commonly performed. This paper presents a robustness analysis to study how uncertainties can affect the classical feedforward control scheme

Timescale uncertainties between paleoclimate reconstructions often inhibit studying the exact timing, spatial expression and driving mechanisms of climate variations. Detecting and aligning the globally common cosmogenic radionuclide production signal via a curve fitting method provides a tool for the quasi-continuous synchronization of paleoclimate archives. In this study, we apply this approach

This paper proposes a simple and improved approach of estimating MIMO capacity from antenna magnitude patterns, i.e., the antenna patterns are phaseless. The simple approach synthesizes the phases according to the antenna spacing, and it compares favorably with an existing approach based on random phase synthesis. Moreover, the simple approach can be improved by taking into account the correlation

We discuss in this paper the relevance of the territorial scalar approach in the analysis of biodiversity conservation and natural resource exploitation. We do this by using an empirical case study focused on the use of the forest ecosystems by diverse stakeholders in Korup region, South West Cameroon.Our aim is to contextualize biodiversity conservation in Korup National Park in a larger territor

The effective use of multiple antenna systems in compact terminal devices is plagued by the problems of mutual coupling and spatial correlation. Consequently, increasing the number of antennas per unit volume results in rapidly diminishing returns after an upper limit is reached. We review recent advances on this topic of closely coupled antennas, including several existing techniques that may be

Background: Controversy exists as to the health effects of exposure to asphalt and crumb rubber modified (CRM) asphalt, which contains recycled rubber tyres. Objective: To assess exposures and effects on airway symptoms, lung function and inflammation biomarkers in conventional and CRM asphalt road pavers. Methods: 116 conventional asphalt workers, 51 CRM asphalt workers and 100 controls were inve

In the last century, starch present in foods was considered to be completely digested. However, during the 1980s, studies on starch digestion started to show that besides digestible starch, which could be rapidly ors lowly hydrolysed, there was a variable fraction that resisted hydrolysis by digestive enzymes. That fraction was named resistant starch (RS )and it encompasses those forms of starch t

Background: Perioperative complications can affect outcomes after gastrectomy for cancer, with high mortality and morbidity rates ranging between 10 and 40%. The absence of a standardized system for recording complications generates wide variation in evaluating their impacts on outcomes and hinders proposals of quality-improvement projects. The aim of this study was to provide a list of defined ga

Background: Although low birthweight (LBW) babies represent only 15.5% of global births, it is the leading underlying cause of deaths among newborns in countries where neonatal mortality rates are high. In Uganda, like many other sub-Saharan African countries, the progress of reducing neonatal mortality has been slow and the contribution of low birthweight to neonatal deaths over time is unclear.

Background: In recent years, our group has developed electro-optical remote sensing methods for the monitoring and classification of aerofauna. These methods include active lidar methods and passive, so-called dark-field methods that measure scattered sunlight. In comparison with satellite- and airborne remote sensing, our methods offer a spatiotemporal resolution several orders of magnitude highe

Climate change and variability are likely to increase in most parts of the world, leading to more extreme events, which may increase the stress on already threatened water resources. This study focuses on the effects of the El Niño Southern Oscillation in the rainfall of Pucara basin and in the groundwater levels of the Punata alluvial fan in the Bolivian sub-Andes. Climate change and variability

We examine the effect of birth weight on health throughout childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, focusing on two health outcomes: all-cause and cause-specific hospitalizations and sickness absences. The outcomes are important, not only from a health perspective but also from a labor market perspective, as the inability to fully participate in the labor force due to impaired health is known

The analysis of aggregates of therapeutic proteins is crucial in order to ensure efficacy and patient safety. Typically, the analysis is performed in the finished formulation to ensure that aggregates are not present. An important question is, however, what happens to therapeutic proteins, with regard to oligomerization and aggregation, after they have been administrated (i.e., in the blood). In t

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarct (AMI) size depicted by late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is increasingly used as an efficacy endpoint in randomized trials comparing AMI therapies. Infarct size is quantified using manual planimetry (MANUAL), visual scoring (VISUAL), or automated techniques using signal-intensity thresholding (AUTO). Although AUTO is considered