Fibrosis is the result of dysregulated inflammation and tissue repair, and is characterized by the excessive accumulation of extra cellular matrix (ECM) proteins. It causes detrimental effects to the afflicted tissue and can subsequently lead to organ failure. Sterile liver inflammation and hepatic fibrosis are associated with many liver disorders of different etiologies. Both type 1 and type 2 in

Abstract Background: Dyspnea is a common manifestation of a range of conditions and diseases, sometimes with multiple contributing factors. A subgroup of these patients present with acute hypecapnic respiratory failure (AHRF) and are treated with non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV). Despite the biomarkers and clinical signs available to predict outcome in patients with respiratory fa

The radiotherapy workflow for prostate cancer is associated with systematic uncertainty stemming from the registration between the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) images. A radiotherapy workflow based solely on MR imaging (MRI), called an MRI-only workflow, has been suggested as a means of eliminating this uncer¬tainty. The aim of the work presented in this thesis was to valid

Tidal inlets are narrow channels connecting coastal lagoons to the sea and in this way controlling the exchange of water while serving as navigational pathways. These important components of the coast are also very dynamic environments, having their morphology determined by multiple sediment transport processes, making tidal inlets difficult to model. Expected future sea level rise imposes an adde

In this paper we consider adaptive distributed stabilization for uncertain multivariable linear systems with a time-varying diagonal matrix gain. We show that an unknown system matrix being an M-matrix is a sufficient condition to ensure uncertain linear systems to be stabilizable by matrix high gains, and derive a threshold condition to ensure exponential stability of uncertain linear systems sta

Departing from the idea that cultural mechanisms are capable of allowing for conceptual dichotomies to create oppression, this paper challenges the engrained tradition of using ‘urban/rural’ as guiding labels in societal organisation when seen through the prism of deprivation. Two Polish deprivation-ridden estates – one ‘urban’ and one ‘rural’ – were investigated. Having taken account of the resid

Part II of this volume, because of both its size (by far the greatest part of this book) and the central importance to our work of empirical evidence, merits its own introduction. We provide this in the form of the present Overview of Case Studies.

Background: Germ cell tumor patients with intermediate prognosis (IPGCT) according to the IGCCCG classification represent a heterogeneous group exhibiting a variety of clinical features. We established a registry to identify prognostic markers to further characterize IPGCT. Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed. Eligibility criteria were intermediate prognosis according to IG

The assessment of causal relationships between exposure and disease usually requires epidemiological studies. Randomized trials on humans are rarely achievable but can sometimes be accomplished in a secondary follow-up of the long-term side effects, e. g., of drugs. The association between smoking and lung cancer is a classical example of important information discovered by epidemiological studies

To what extent does the visual system process color and form separately? Proponents of the segregation view claim that distinct regions of the cortex are dedicated to each of these two dimensions separately. However, evidence is accumulating that color and form processing may, at least to some extent, be intertwined in the brain. In this perspective, we review psychophysical and neurophysiological

Perceptual interpretation of the same multisensory stimuli may rely upon influence of attention on multisensory integration. We tested this hypothesis by recording the brain activity using magnetoencephalography in a passing-bouncing illusion with sound. Early activation of the attention-related brain areas and subsequent involvement of the multisensory areas were associated with the bouncing perc

We investigated the relationship between visual experience and temporal intervals of synchronized brain activity. Using high-density scalp electroencephalography, we examined how synchronized activity depends on visual stimulus information and on individual observer sensitivity. In a perceptual grouping task, we varied the ambiguity of visual stimuli and estimated observer sensitivity to this vari

We studied an effect of predictability in an audio-visual apparent motion task using magnetoencephalography. The synchronous sequences of audio-visual stimuli were self-triggered by subjects. The task was to detect the direction of the apparent motion in experimental blocks in which the motion either started from the side selected by subjects (predictable condition) or was random (unpredictable co

Two trends intersect in the present: rising temperatures and the rise of the far right. What happens when they meet? In recent years, the far right has done everything in its power to accelerate the heating: an American president who believes it is a hoax has removed limits on fossil fuel production. The Brazilian president has opened the Amazon and watched it burn. In Europe, parties denying the