Background and aims: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures can result in significant patient radiation exposure. This retrospective multicenter study aimed to assess the influence of procedural complexity and other clinical factors on radiation exposure in ERCP. Methods: Data on kerma-area product (KAP), air-kerma at the reference point (Ka,r), fluoroscopy time, and the

The Bible appears regularly in Margaret Atwood’s novels, from The Edible Woman in 1969 to The Testaments in 2019. Atwood’s characters do not tend to be religious, but like most people in the Western world, they encounter the Bible in schools, at funerals, in headlines, advertisements, and occasionally from religious people themselves. Atwood’s Bible is a Christian Bible, the references running fro

Insulin is packaged into secretory granules that depart the Golgi and undergo a maturation process that involves changes in the protein and lipid composition of the granules. Here, we show that insulin secretory granules form physical contacts with the endoplasmic reticulum and that the lipid exchange protein oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP) is recruited to these sites in a Ca2+-dependent manner.

Cemented carbide inserts coated with CVD α-alumina, particularly those exhibiting a (0001) texture, have proven highly effective in steel turning. Despite the established superior performance of (0001) textured alumina coatings, the underlying reasons remain unclear. This study explores the influence of the crystallographic texture of alumina on wear mechanisms in various chip-tool contact zones o

We establish the theory of normal families of meromorphic functions taking values in the extended complex plane, which can be regarded as a metric space equipped with the spherical metric. Using the notion of spherical derivatives, we state and prove Marty's theorem on normal families of meromorphic functions. As a result, we deduce the classical Montel's theorem on relatively compact fami

OBJECTIVE: Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) is a genetic neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder commonly associated with psychiatric symptoms and delays to accurate diagnosis and treatment. This study investigated biomarker levels and diagnostic utility of plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in NPC compared to healthy controls. METHODS: Patients with NP

Introduction: Neurofilament light chain (NfL), a blood biomarker of neuronal injury, shows promise in distinguishing neurodegenerative disorders from psychiatric conditions. This is especially relevant in psychosis, given neurological conditions such as autoimmune encephalitis and Niemann Pick Type C disease (NPC) may initially present with psychotic symptoms. Whilst NfL levels have been studied i

The ability of machine learning (ML) techniques to forecast the shear strength of corroded reinforced concrete beams (CRCBs) is examined in the present study. These ML techniques include artificial neural networks (ANN), adaptive-neuro fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS), decision tree (DT) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). A thorough databank with 140 data points about the shear capacity of CR

In this chapter, I address the “containment” of meaning in relation to questions of authorship (or lack of authorship) in biblical studies. By revisiting Roland Barthes’ and Michel Foucault’s critiques of the author figure, I suggest that the implication for biblical studies is the opening of meaning-making beyond the figure of the author in his or her original context. Engaging with Brennan Breed

This study aims to analyse how the competition in the Swedish banking market affects major banks´ net interest income, which has increased dramatically over the past two years. To gain a broader understanding of factors affecting the net interest income of the Swedish major banks, this study has identified eight independent variables that according to prior research determine the net interest inco

The 2010s have raised questions about the influence of small central banks in an integrated economy. This thesis investigates the efficacy of the Swedish Riksbank and the effect of economic integration since the adoption of a floating exchange rate in 1993. Theoretically, I examine how financial integration and trade may impact the Mundell-Fleming trilemma. To investigate the impact of integration

This paper examines the effect of the recurrent tax on immovable property on wealth distribution. It also investigates how the wealth distributive effect of property prices is affected by the homeownership rate in a country. Data on the mean to median wealth ratio, tax sizes, property prices, homeownership rate, and economic freedom of 36 OECD member countries over the years 2000-2021 are used to

This thesis investigates the application of sentiment analysis in predicting stock returns for the companies listed in the OMXS30 index. The recent development of large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, has substantially advanced the field of sentiment analysis. This thesis utilizes Meta’s LlaMA 2 LLM for sentiment analysis, while a random forest model is employed to predict monthly stock retu

This research delves into the nuanced relationship between Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations and portfolio performance in the Nordic stock market. Employing the mean-variance method, this study analyzes in-sample (2013-2017) and out-of-sample (2018-2023) periods, comparing high and low-rated E-, S-, G-, and ESG portfolios against the Nordic index OMX40. Findings suggest a

The integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in investment decisions is pivotal, driven by global initiatives and a surge in sustainable investment strategies. This study, therefore, examines the relationship between ESG scores and stock returns over the period 2018-2022, focusing on the European financial, healthcare, and industrial sectors to identify potential d

There are several economic variables used by investors to assess the risk of financial downturns. In this paper, we test twelve variables, divided into three categories: macroeconomic-, financial risk-, and sentiment indicators, in a logistic regression model, on in-sample data, with a binary outcome to evaluate their predictive power of economic downturns in the US, including the S&P 500, US

In the last ten years labor economists have become increasingly interested in convex earnings structures in the labor market and their impact on the gender pay gap, an approach spearheaded by Claudia Goldin in her 2014 Presidential Address to the American Economic Association. The study has seen widespread acclaim, but very little replication. This study replicates parts of Claudia Goldin’s work,

The recent increase in popularity of the financial instrument Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) and sustainable investments has pushed financial research in the direction of long-term and viable investing. When researching sustainable finance, factors like Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) are commonly studied to determine whether an investment is considered “sustainable” or not. This paper int

The population of Europe consumes a relatively large amount of alcohol per capita and countries differ somewhat from each other regarding policy dealing with alcohol consumption. Sweden has an established state monopoly on the sales of alcohol in retail and during the Covid-19 pandemic, retail played a larger part in the sales of alcohol, since bars and restaurants were negatively impacted by rest