We have developed a prognostic index model for survival data based on an ensemble of artificial neural networks that optimizes directly on the concordance index. Approximations of the c-index are avoided with the use of a genetic algorithm, which does not require gradient information. The model is compared with Cox proportional hazards (COX) and three support vector machine (SVM) models by Van Bel

Soft particles such as polymeric microgels can form ultra-dense phases, where the average center-to-center distance a s can be smaller than the initial unperturbed particle diameter σ 0, due to their ability to interpenetrate and compress. However, despite of the effort devoted to microgels at ultrahigh densities, we know surprisingly little about their response to their environment at effective v

An individual's foraging behaviour and time allocated to feeding have direct consequences for its fitness. Despite much research on population-level foraging decisions, few studies have investigated individual differences in fine-scale daily foraging patterns among wild animals. Here, we explore the consistency and plasticity of feeding tactics of individual great tits (Parus major) and blue tits

Glycosylation is critical for the regulation of several cellular processes. One glycosylation pathway, the unusual O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine glycosylation (O-GlcNAcylation) has been shown to be required for proper mitosis, likely through a subset of proteins that are O-GlcNAcylated during metaphase. As lectins bind glycosylated proteins, we asked if specific lectins interact with mitotic O-Gl

The excitation intensity dependent carrier dynamics of blends with PC[70]BM of three new medium-band gap conjugated polymers with central chalcogen heteroatoms, PBDTfDTBX (X = O, T(Sulphur), Se) were studied. The PBDTfDTBX polymers (Poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-butyloctyl)thiophene-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b′]dithiophene-alt-4,7-bis(4-(2-ethylhexyl)-2-thienyl)-dithieno[3′,2′:3,4;2″,3″:5,6]benzo[1,2-c][1,2,5] fur

Polymorphic inversions are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom and are frequently associated with clines in inversion frequencies across environmental gradients. Such clines are thought to result from selection favouring local adaptation; however, empirical tests are scarce. The seaweed fly Coelopa frigida has an α/β inversion polymorphism, and previous work demonstrated that the α inversion freq

Background Tumour suppressor genes when mutated in the germline cause various cancers, but they can also be somatically mutated in sporadic tumours. We hypothesized that there may also be cancer-related germline variants in the genes commonly mutated in sporadic well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC). Methods We performed a two-stage case-control association study with a total of 2214 cases and

Solar variability has been hypothesized to be a major driver of North Atlantic millennial-scale climate variations through the Holocene along with orbitally induced insolation change. However, another important climate driver, volcanic forcing has generally been underestimated prior to the past 2,500 years partly owing to the lack of proper proxy temperature records. Here, we reconstruct seasonall

The R+−F+− Consistency problem takes as input two sets R+ and R− of resolved triplets and two sets F+ and F− of fan triplets, and asks for a distinctly leaf-labeled tree that contains all elements in R+ ∪ F+ and no elements in R− ∪ F− as embedded subtrees, if such a tree exists. This paper presents a detailed characterization of how the computational complexity of the problem changes under various

The diesel engine is one of the most economic power sources and is therefore used in a range of technical solutions. The low fuel consumption combined with high engine performance makes it attractive for transportation vehicles. They are relatively unproblematic in terms of emissions of carbon-monoxide and hydrocarbons but, on the other hand, they are associated with high emissions of nitrogen oxi

Background/Aim: To evaluate ovarian cancer surgery in tertiary centers (TC) and regional hospitals (RH). Patients and Methods: Data from the GynOp registry on patients undergoing surgery for ovarian cancer or borderline tumor from 2013 to 2015 were analyzed. Results: Four TC and 21 RH reported 1, 108 cases of surgery with curative intent, 770 cases (69.5%) in TC and 338 cases (30.5%) in RH. Out of

The Late Bronze of the Eastern Mediterranean (1550-1150 BCE) was a period of strong commercial relations and great prosperity, which ended in collapse and migration of groups to the Levant. Here we aim at studying the translocation of cattle and pigs during this period. We sequenced the first ancient mitochondrial and Y chromosome DNA of cattle from Greece and Israel and compared the results with

The aim of the study was to assess possible relationships between adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (FABP4) and total body fat (TBF), abdominal fat, body fat distribution, aerobic fitness, blood pressure, cardiac dimensions and the increase in body fat over 2 years in a community sample of children. A cross-sectional study was used in a community sample of 170 (92 boys and 78 girls) children ag

Context: Offspring of women with gestational diabetes (O-GDM) or type 1 diabetes mellitus (O-T1DM) have been exposed to hyperglycemia in utero and have an increased risk of developing metabolic disease in adulthood. Design: In total, we recruited 206 adult offspring comprising the two fetal hyperglycemic groups, O-GDM and O-T1DM, and, as a control group, offspring from the background population (O

Previous literature indicates that pre-diagnostic diabetes and blood glucose levels are inversely related to glioma risk. To replicate these findings and determine whether they could be attributed to excess glucose consumption by the preclinical tumour, we used data from the Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk (AMORIS) (n = 528,580) and the Metabolic syndrome and Cancer project (Me-Can) cohorts (n = 269

AGATA är en speciell positionskänslig detektor för gammastrålning. Genom attanvända en sådan detektor är det möjligt att rekonstruera den väg som gam-mastrålningen tar genom detektorn. Det garanterar en mycket högre känslighetför detektion av gamma strålning än vad var möjlig för tidigare typer av de-tektorer. Detta betyder att vi kan få tillgång till mycket mer information omatomkärnan än vad vi This thesis focuses on a high-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy experiment where the fragmenta- tion of a 208 Pb primary beam was used to populate even-mass nuclei around 208 Pb. It was conducted in 2012 using the Advanced GAmma-ray Tracking Array (AGATA) while it was placed at GSI Darmstadt, Germany. Projectile-like fragments were selected and identified with the GSI Fragment Separator. The final aim

Lamb modes with zero group velocity at nonzero wave numbers correspond to local and stationary resonances in isotropic plates. Lamb modes can be utilized for nondestructive evaluation of the elastic properties and thickness. One example of an application is the testing of plate-like concrete structures. In this example, continuous variation in the material velocity through the thickness may occur.

Structural analysis of biological membranes is important for understanding cell and subcellular organelle function as well as their interaction with the surrounding environment. Imaging of whole cells in three dimension at high spatial resolution remains a significant challenge, particularly for thick cells. Cryo-transmission soft X-ray microscopy (cryo-TXM) has recently gained popularity to image