Introduction: Dual bronchodilators are recommended as maintenance treatment for patients with symptomatic COPD in the UK; further evidence is needed to evaluate cost-effectiveness versus monotherapy. Cost-effectiveness of umeclidinium/vilanterol versus umeclidinium and salmeterol from a UK healthcare perspective in patients without exacerbations in the previous year was assessed using post hoc EMA

Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a rare genetic disorder in which patients present a scarcity of erythroid precursors in an otherwise normocellular bone marrow. Most, but not all, patients carry mutations in ribosomal proteins such as RPS19, suggesting that compromised mRNA translation and ribosomal stress are pathogenic mechanisms causing depletion of erythroid precursors. To gain further insight

Background: Treatment options for spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) are limited. A possible inflammatory response in the brain tissue surrounding an ICH may exacerbate the initial injury and could be a target for treatment of subsequent secondary brain injury. The study objective was to compare levels of inflammatory mediators in the interstitial fluid of the perihemorrhagic zone (PHZ) an

Low-rank inducing unitarily invariant norms have been introduced to convexify problems with a low-rank/sparsity constraint. The most well-known member of this family is the so-called nuclear norm. To solve optimization problems involving such norms with proximal splitting methods, efficient ways of evaluating the proximal mapping of the low-rank inducing norms are needed. This is known for the nuc

This paper revisits the clay mineralogy of the “smectite” alteration zone in the Krafla geothermal field via the study of an exploratory well in which temperatures range from 40 °C to 215 °C. The clay alteration consists of several mineral assemblages superimposed in time and space, resulting from different stages of water-rock interaction. Trioctahedral clay minerals (chlorite, cor-rensite and sm

Processing of geophysical data is a time consuming task involving many different steps. One approach for accelerating and automating processing of geophysical data is to look towards machine learning (ML). ML encompasses a wide range of tools, which can be used to automate complicated and/or tedious tasks. We present strategies for automating the processing of time-domain induced polarization (IP)

Studies on the mechanical behaviour of rocks, including volcanic rocks, usually seek for unaltered and simple material: rocks without macroscopic defects. However, volcanic rocks are often naturally altered due to the circulation of hydrothermal fluids. This alteration may influence mechanical and physical properties. Here, we study the effect of hydrothermal alteration on the elasticity and failu

In volcanic environments, the presence of smectite may indicate recent hydrothermal circulations. Smectite is also responsible for enhanced rock electrical conductivity, as well as mechanical weakening. Therefore, quantifying smectite is important in geothermal exploration. Smectite identification requires X-ray diffraction (XRD) but quantification based on XRD is time-consuming and not always acc

A growing literature illuminates the limits of claims made on the basis of sensory perception in scientized, rationalized, and bureaucratic contexts. How to understand exceptions to the rule – cases where claims based on sensory experience are taken at face value, even without corroborating evidence? Here, I focus on one such exception, in which citizen complaints about the smell of a small shanty

Rapid advances in the development of sequencing technologies, numbers of commercial providers and diminishing costs have made DNA-based identification and diagnostics increasingly accessible to doctors and laboratories, eliminating the need for local investments in expensive technology and training or hiring of skilled technicians. However, reliable and comparable molecular analyses of bacteria in

Purpose: Infections from the oral microbiome may lead to exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We investigated whether advanced dental cleaning could reduce exacerbation frequency. Secondary outcomes were disease-specific health status, lung function, and whether the bacterial load and composition of plaque microbiome at baseline were associated with a difference in outcom

We investigate the complex conductivity behaviour of natural volcanic rocks containing variable amounts of smectite in multi-salinity experiments. We compare the results with relationships established for sandstones. Considering only samples with little volume of metallic particles, we observe similar and small phase-angles at low frequency for all samples at all salinities (less than 25 mrad at 1

Interaction of H2S and basaltic rocks in volcanic geothermal areas can originate from natural up-flow of magmatic fluids or H2S artificial re-injection in relation to geothermal exploitation, both causing pyrite mineralization. We study the possibility to track these processes with electrical impedance field measurements. Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Time- Domain Induced Polarizatio

Interaction of H2S escaping from magma and basaltic rocks leads to pyrite mineralization, witnessing active hydrothermal circulation. We study the possibility to track this process using geoelectrical methods. Complex conductivity spectra of 30 core samples from the Krafla volcano, Iceland, measured in the laboratory, indicate that pyrite can be discriminated from other minerals present in volcani

The underground circulation of hot water, of interest for geothermal energy production, is often indirectly inferred from the presence of minerals formed by hydrothermal alteration at different temperatures. Clay minerals, such as smectite and chlorite, can be mapped from the surface using electrical soundings and give information about the structure of the geothermal system. Here, we investigate

Introduction: Pre-analytical sample handling might affect the results of Alzheimer's disease blood-based biomarkers. We empirically tested variations of common blood collection and handling procedures. Methods: We created sample sets that address the effect of blood collection tube type, and of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid plasma delayed centrifugation, centrifugation temperature, aliquot vol

Infections by pathogenic microorganisms remain one of the most serious concerns in several areas, particularly in hygienic applications. Antimicrobials have been used to combat these infections. Using small molecular antimicrobials as additives or coatings is an industrially adopted strategy. However, small antimicrobial agents always suffer from many drawbacks, such as leaching potential, toxicit