Many-body physics describes phenomena that cannot be understood by looking only at the constituents of a system1. Striking examples are broken symmetry, phase transitions and collective excitations2. To understand how such collective behaviour emerges as a system is gradually assembled from individual particles has been a goal in atomic, nuclear and solid-state physics for decades3–6. Here we obse

Accelerated telomere shortening has been associated with several age-related diseases and/or decreased lifespan in humans. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is considered to be 1 of the most recognized diets for disease prevention and healthy aging, partially due to its demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties which may impact on telomere length (TL). The aim of this meta-analysi

Protein-based drugs often require targeted drug delivery for optimal therapy. A successful strategy to increase the circulation time of the protein in the blood is to link the therapeutic protein with an albumin-binding domain. In this work, we characterized such a proteinbased drug, GA-Z. Using asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation coupled with multi-angle light scattering (AF4-MALS) we inve

Migration and mobility is an increasingly important topic within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The very first ENP Strategy Papers already acknowledged that perspectives for lawful migration and common efforts to combat illegal migration, as well as the establishment of efficient mechanisms for return, are crucial determinants for successful cooperation with neighbouring countries. With

Background: Incidental perforation in rectal cancer surgery is considered a risk factor for poorer oncological outcome. Most studies emanate from the era before total mesorectal excision when staging, neoadjuvant treatment and surgical technique were suboptimal. This study assessed the impact of incidental perforation on oncological outcome in a cohort of patients with optimized management. Method

The present study generally aims to provide a comparison between the performance and suitability of different types of models for estimation of daily global solar radiation in Iran, based on duration of sunshine hours and diurnal air temperature. These models consist of empirical, ordinary ANN, and ANN models coupled with genetic algorithm (so called coupled ANN models). The models’ performance wa

PURPOSE: Free skin grafts are frequently used in reconstructive surgery. However, little is known about the course of reperfusion due to the previous lack of reliable perfusion monitoring techniques. The aim of this study was to use state-of-the-art laser speckle contrast imaging to monitor free skin grafts in the periocular area.METHODS: Seven patients needing surgery due to tumor removal or cica

OBJECTIVE: Assess the quality of healthcare across African countries based on health providers' clinical knowledge, their clinic attendance and drug availability, with a focus on seven conditions accounting for a large share of child and maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhoea, pneumonia, diabetes, neonatal asphyxia and postpartum haemorrhage.METHODS: With nation

Understanding the complex interplay of mass transport, heat transport and deformation in swelling cellulose based materials is a challenging task. To aid in this endeavour a multiphysics model is developed within the mixture theory framework. The model is macroscopic and accounts for swelling, non-equilibrium mass exchange of water, elastic deformation and multiphase transport phenomena, where non

We report on the fabrication and transport properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) blended with P3HT (poly 3-hexyl thiophene-2, 5-diyl). The composite is used as a hybrid organic active channel transistor. The performances of the fabricated devices were investigated as a function of the SWCNTs' loads in the composite, and their response evaluated under white light illumination. Our re

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the guiding policy for agriculture and the largest single budget item in the European Union (EU). Agriculture is essential to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but the CAP's contribution to do so is uncertain. We analyzed the distribution of €59.4 billion of 2015 CAP payments and show that current CAP spending exacerbates income inequality withi

Background: Mitral valve (MV) and tricuspid valve (TV) apparatus geometry are essential to define mechanisms and etiologies of regurgitation and to inform surgical or transcatheter interventions. Given the increasing use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) for the evaluation of valvular heart disease, we aimed to establish CMR-derived age- and sex-specific reference values for mitral annula

Context. In the era of large spectroscopic surveys, massive databases of high-quality spectra coupled with the products of the Gaia satellite provide tools to outline a new picture of our Galaxy. In this framework, an important piece of information is provided by our ability to infer stellar ages, and consequently to sketch a Galactic timeline. Aims. We aim to provide empirical relations between s

Virtual Clinical Trials (VCT) are an effective tool to evaluate the performance of novel imaging systems using computer simulations. VCT results depend on the selection of virtual patient populations. In the case of breast imaging, virtual patients should be matched to a desired clinical population in terms of selected anatomical or demographic descriptors. We are developing a virtual population o

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications are increasingly seeing use in breast imaging, particularly to assist in or automate the reading of mammograms. Another novel technique is mechanical imaging (MI) which estimates the relative stiffness of suspicious breast abnormalities by measuring the distribution of pressure on the compressed breast. This study investigates the feasibility of combining

The purpose of the present study is to introduce a point process model for characterizing the pattern of atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes. A variant of the bivariate Hawkes process is proposed, accounting for clustered episodes. The model parameters are inferred by the maximum likelihood method. The goodness-of-fit analysis show that model fits the data in most of the recordings (27 out of 32). T

The Sun provides the principal energy input into the Earth system and solar variability represents a significant external climate forcing. Although observations of solar activity (sunspots) cover only the last about 400 years, radionuclides produced by cosmic rays and stored in tree rings or ice cores serve as proxies for solar activity extending back thousands of years. However, the presence of w

We inventoried lichens in Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska, USA We assembledthe known information on occurrence and ecology of lichens in this park by combiningfield, herbarium, and literature studies. Our results provide baseline data on lichenoccurrence that may be used in resource condition assessments, vulnerability assessments, long-term ecological monitoring, and resource management. We

The development of biomaterials for wound healing applications requires providing a number of properties, such as antimicrobial action, facilitation of cell proliferation, biocompatibility and biodegradability. The aim of the present study was to investigate morphological and mechanical properties of zein-based microfibers, ultimately aimed at creating an environment suitable for wound healing. Th

In compressed sensing a sparse vector is approximately retrieved from an underdetermined equation system Ax = b. Exact retrievalwouldmean solving a large combinatorial problem which is well known to be NP-hard. For b of the form Ax0 + ϵ, where x0 is the ground truth and ϵ is noise, the 'oracle solution' is the one you get if you a priori know the support of x0, and is the best solution one could h