PurposeLeucine rich alpha-2 glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) has emerged as a promising biomarker for appendicitis, especially in pediatric patients. However, the currently available data are sparse, and the biomarker must be validated in more settings and compared to standard inflammatory markers. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and discriminative utility of serum and urine LRG1 in children with other c

Purpose: A lack of standardization exists for functional tasks in return-to-activity (RTA) guidelines for adolescents with anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACLi). Identifying the variables that discern ACLi status among adolescents is a first step in the creation of such guidelines following surgical reconstruction. This study investigated the use of classification models to discern ACLi status

Double diffusion encoding (DDE) makes diffusion MRI sensitive to a wide range of microstructural features, and the acquired data can be analysed using different approaches. Correlation tensor imaging (CTI) uses DDE to resolve three components of the diffusional kurtosis: isotropic, anisotropic, and microscopic kurtosis. The microscopic kurtosis is estimated from the contrast between single diffusi

The theoretical foundation of inflation targeting was laid out by the Swedish economist Knut Wicksell (1851–1926) in his groundbreaking treatise, Interest and Prices, published originally in German in 1898. Here he proposed price stability as the rule for monetary policy. Today, inflation targeting is considered the best-practice approach to monetary policy across the world. It has contributed to

Tackling climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Among the various sectors contributing to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the industrial sector plays a pivotal role, responsible for 24% of total GHG emissions. As the world’s largest emitter of CO₂, China has committed to peaking emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. The industrial sector in C

Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome characterized by pain, fatigue, and cognitive disturbances. The increased prevalence of contact allergy to gold in individuals with fibromyalgia when compared with the general population has previously been described. Gold contact allergy can manifest as a systemic contact dermatitis, with cutaneous and extracutaneous manifestations presenting upon systemic admin

Research on business models for sustainability (BMfS) has primarily focused on the conceptual aspects and sustainability potential of BMfS rather than their actual impact. There is a need to understand whether BMfS have less environmental impact on society than conventional business models and in what context and conditions they can reduce impact. This research conducted a systematic literature re

Land use change from agricultural intensification has been highlighted as one of the major drivers of global declines in insects, reducing species diversity and abundance and shifting community composition towards generalist species. However, it remains a challenge to determine how land use change impacts the genetic diversity of species and populations even if this diversity is vital to their lon

Prevailing winds carry seafarers across oceans and guide insects on their journeys. The South African, ball-rolling dung beetle Kheper lamarcki depends on a range of compass cues, including the azimuthal position of the sun and the directed airflow of wind to steer its plotted course. In this thesis, I set out to further our understanding for how these insects benefit from the directional componen

A decarbonized agri-food sector may provide consumers with nutritious, secure, and reasonably priced food with a lower carbon impact. Decarbonizing the agri-food sector is intricate and necessitates a holistic strategy. Technological advancements, like Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), might be the solution. This study analyses the critical success factors (CSFs) for ICT integratio

By assessing carbon footprints and raising awareness of carbon labelling, the food sector is setting long-term targets to reduce carbon emissions and accelerate the transition to low-carbon food production. Carbon labelling, also known as carbon labelling, informs customers about a product's production, distribution, and disposal carbon emissions. This study examines how customers view carbon labe

Creatinine is a widely used clinical biomarker in adult and pediatric patients to estimate kidney function and glomerular filtration rate. There are however few recent studies that have addressed method performance in the creatinine range relevant for children. This study aimed to describe measurement performance in the pediatric concentration range by comparing commonly used enzymatic methods on

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is a powerful non-invasive technique for probing tissuemicrostructure. While highly sensitive, conventional dMRI methods suffer from low specificity, due in part toexperimental designs that conflate multiple contrast mechanisms. This thesis aims to address these limitations bydeveloping advanced time-dependent dMRI techniques to disentangle competing sou

The adoption of Digital Human Resource Management (DHRM) is increasing exponentially in the present market landscape; organizations are curious to digitalize human resource practices and enhance organizational performance. The purpose of the presented research is to assess various factors impacting DHRM adoption. The presented study is grounded in social exchange theory and dynamic capability theo

AimTo fully take advantage of blood test results, comparative data are required. Today, the reference interval is a commonly used concept. This review aims to summarise the current state of reference intervals, focusing on infants.MethodsLiterature on reference percentiles (birth to 12 months of age) published from January 1950 until November 2024 was reviewed. Search terms comprised paediatric, i