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Improving care for women with recurrent urinary tract infections:From patient expectations to a possible eHealth solution
No full textRecurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections in women. Between 20–50% of women experience at least one recurrence. This PhD-thesis explores how care for women with recurrent UTIs can be improved, considering the perspectives of patients, general practitioners, and urologists.Chapter 1 provides background information on the epidemiology, risk factors, and key stakeholders involved. Chapter 2 investigates the expectations of women referred to secondary care. Three main themes emerged: the care pathway, patient knowledge, and social implications. These findings informed the development of a patient survey.Chapter 3 assesses the quality of international clinical guidelines, concluding that many fall short in several areas. Chapter 4 compares diagnostic practices in two hospitals, showing that routine ultrasound and cystoscopy add limited value. Chapter 5 presents a patient survey revealing that primary care often deviates from guideline-based practice. Although patients frequently expect diagnostic testing, many primarily seek explanations and understanding.Chapter 6 introduces myRUTIcoach, an eHealth tool designed to support self-management and patient education. The tool was positively received in a feasibility study. Chapter 7 describes the design of a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of myRUTIcoach.In conclusion, improved education and prevention in primary care are essential. Diagnostic testing should be applied more selectively, and eHealth offers a promising avenue for delivering personalized care to women with recurrent UTIs
A Linear Time Algorithm for Local Minimum and Maximum Filters
No full textWe present a linear-time algorithm for computing sliding window maximum and minimum filters over one-dimensional signals. The algorithm is based on a single forward pass using a double-ended queue (deque) and requires only a small amount of memory. It supports in-place and streaming implementations. We provide a self-contained description of the algorithm, including illustrative examples, pseudocode, a practical implementation in C, and an analysis of its runtime behavior. We compare the performance of the algorithm against the well-known Van Herk–Gil–Werman (HGW) algorithm, which performs three scans over the data and offers data-independent performance.</p
Choice of Law for Consumer Contracts in Theory and Practice:A Guide to Article 6 Rome I Regulation
No full textReal World Lung Cancer Screening Challenges:Lung nodule management and integration of AI
No full textLung cancer screening has the potential to save millions of lives. Sufficient evidence has now been provided to support the implementation of lung cancer screening worldwide. Implementation, however, is complex and presents new challenges which mandate further scientific research. Key findings from this thesis could be used to help address some of the challenges associated with the implementation of a lung cancer screening program. Part I (chapter 1 and 2) explored existing literature and international expert opinions to comprehensively review and highlight challenges associated with the implementation of global lung cancer screening programs. Part II (chapters 3 and 4) investigated the association between Influenza season and incidence of baseline detected lung nodules using data collected during the ImaLife general population study, and also resolution of new nodules detected in the NELSON study which included participants at high-risk of developing lung cancer. Part III (chapters 5-7) introduced the concept of using AI as a first-reader to rule out negative baseline CT scans in order to achieve significant reduction in radiologist CT-reading workload. This concept was explored using data from MLCS and then validated in the UKLS dataset with histological outcomes providing the gold standard. Finally, supporting evidence on the implementation of AI as a first reader was provided using data from the ongoing 4ITLR study. In this chapter, a summary of main findings per chapter will be presented followed by general discussion, future perspectives and conclusions
Novel fish-polychaete interactions, including the description of a unique partnership between a frogfish and a sabellid worm
No full textCoral reefs host diverse ecological interactions, including a recently documented novel association between reef blennies and gobies and the species of Spirobranchus (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) commonly known as Christmas tree worms. We extend these records by adding Ecsenius bandanus Springer, 1971 to Spirobranchus-associated blennies. Furthermore, we report a previously unrecorded interaction between the frogfish Antennarius pictus (Shaw, 1794) and a species of Sabellidae likely belonging to Sabellastarte, two widely-distributed Indo-Pacific species. The frogfish directly approached the sabellid passing a pectoral fin through its extended radioles without triggering the worm’s typical withdrawal response, and then settled beside it while extending its lure for feeding. This behavior may confer enhanced camouflage and feeding advantages to the frogfish and potential protective or energetic benefits to the worm. Further research is needed to assess its prevalence and ecological significance across Indo-Pacific reefs
