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Assays detecting antigen (Ag)-specific T-cell responses in immune-mediated processes are increasingly employed to understand disease pathogenesis and "immune staging". The quantity and quality of starting peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) preparations are important factors in the performance of such assays. We therefore compared final PBMC yield and function by modifying parameters at the b

Spatial and temporal changes in South African solar UV-B (280-315 nm) exposure were modeled and mapped at 2.5 km2 resolution using ozone, relative humidity, cloud amount and elevation data. Computations indicated large natural gradients in UV-B exposure ranging from a 34.2% change over 14o of latitude to a 44.2% change over 16o of longitude. Modelling of future scenarios in annual UV-B exposure in

International reference materials such as International Standard reagents facilitate quality assurance of essential biopharmaceutical products and related in vitro diagnostic tests. Standardization of antibody and DNA measurements and harmonization of laboratory procedures are key to the success of cancer prevention strategies through screening methods as well as for development and implementation

Although vegetation phenology thresholds have been developed for a wide range of mapping applications, their use for assessing the distribution of natural bamboo and the related carbon stocks is still limited, especially in Southeast Asia. Here, we used Google Earth Engine (GEE) to collect time-series of Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Sentinel-2 images and employed a phenology-based t

Background: Since its discovery in 2007, the importance of the human gut bacterium Prevotella copri (P. copri) has been widely recognized with its links to diet and health status and potential as next generation probiotic. Therefore, precise, convenient and cost-effective diagnostic tools for the detection and quantification of P. copri from clinical and environmental samples are needed. Results:

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of low carbohydrate diets (LCDs) and very low carbohydrate diets (VLCDs) for people with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Searches of CENTRAL, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, CAB, and grey literature sources from inception to 25 August 2020. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized clinical trials evaluating LCDs (<130 g/day or

Background: Breast-reduction techniques are increasingly used in oncoplastic breast surgery. Bilateral therapeutic mammoplasty has the benefit of decreasing breast volume, enabling resection of larger tumors, and the potential to assure good postoperative symmetry. The aims of this study were to objectively asses the cosmetic outcomes of therapeutic mammoplasty in patients with breast cancer, usin

The boreal biome plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. However, current estimates of its sink-source strength and responses to changes in climate are primarily derived from models and thus remain uncertain. A major challenge is the validation of these models at a regional scale since empirical flux estimates are typically confined to ecosystem or continental scales. The Integrated Ca

Critical infrastructures must be both robust and resilient in order to ensure the functioning of society. A key activity in ensuring their proper function is finding and addressing system weaknesses by the means of risk and vulnerability analysis. A critical factor of such analysis is the ability to determine the negative consequences of various types of contingencies. Numerous mathematical and si

This is the third report form the CO2 Monitoring Task Force on the multiple input streams of in-situ observations that are requirement for the Copernicus CO2 Monitoring and Verification Support capacity to: (i) calibrated and validate the space component, (ii) assimilate data in the models and integrate information in the core of the system, and (iii) evaluate the output generated by the system fo

The majority of northern peatlands were initiated during the Holocene. Owing to their mass imbalance, they have sequestered huge amounts of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems. Although recent syntheses have filled some knowledge gaps, the extent and remoteness of many peatlands pose challenges to developing reliable regional carbon accumulation estimates from observations. In this work, we employed

The Dalton Project provides a uniform platform access to the underlying full-fledged quantum chemistry codes Dalton and LSDalton as well as the PyFraME package for automatized fragmentation and parameterization of complex molecular environments. The platform is written in Python and defines a means for library communication and interaction. Intermediate data such as integrals are exposed to the pl

Identifying optimal inspection and repair strategies for offshore jacket structures is a challenging task. We present an approach, which is based on recent developments in the field of risk-based operation and maintenance planning at the structural system level. The approach utilizes heuristics to define inspection and repair strategies at the system level and to reduce the search space of possibl

Under de senaste åren har västeuropeiska bedömare uttryckt oro över utvecklingen i Ungern och Polen. En ny spricka mellan Väst- och Östeuropa har tagit form, vilket märktes till exempel i samband med valet till Europaparlamentet förra året. Inte minst uppfattas Ungerns premiärminister Viktor Orbán och Frankrikes president Emmanuel Macron som representanter för ett östligt, bakåtblickande respektiv

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