BACKGROUND: Cystatin C is a low molecular weight cysteine proteinase inhibitor whose plasma or serum concentrations have been shown to be better correlated with glomerular filtration rate than serum creatinine concentrations. Routine assays for cystatin C are based on use of polyclonal antibodies and immunoturbidimetric and nephelometric designs. This study aimed to develop a double-monoclonal imm

Background: Validated eczema questionnaires have been available for schoolchildren only, but the incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) is highest during infancy. Objective: To validate a parental questionnaire to identify AD in children up to 2 years of age. Methods: Parents of 476 children answered a written questionnaire prior to an examination by a physician. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive

This article presents a study of 16 scholarly blogs with the aim to gain an in-depth understanding of what characterizes blogging as part of the scholarly communication. Eight blogs from high energy physics (HEP) and eight from digital history were closely followed. The analysis was made by employing an analytical framework based on genre theory. The results reveal common communicative purposes in

The upgraded tagged photon facility at the MAX IV Laboratory is presented. The pulsed electron beam from a linac system is stretched in the MAX I ring and the electron beam hits a thin aluminium foil in which bremsstrahlung is produced. One of two available magnetic spectrometers is used to determine the energy of the post-bremsstrahlung electrons. The tagged photon ranges from 10 to 180 MeV with

The purpose of this study was to clarify the causes of the smoking-schizophrenia association.

The progression of diabetes is accompanied by increasing demand to the beta-cells to produce and secrete more insulin, requiring complex beta-cell adaptations. Functionally-active and ubiquitous non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have the capacity to take part in such adaptations as they have been shown to be key regulatory molecules in various biological processes. In the pancreatic islets, the function of

BACKGROUND: Metastatic propensity of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is heterogeneous and may be determined by gene expression patterns that do not correlate well with morphology. The authors have reported gene expression patterns that distinguish 2 broad classes of clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC-gene set), and other patterns that can distinguish heterogeneity of serous ovarian carcinoma (OVCA-gene s

The space mission PLATO will usher in a new era of exoplanetary science by expanding our current inventory of transiting systems and constraining host star ages, which are currently highly uncertain. This capability might allow PLATO to detect changes in planetary system architecture with time, particularly because planetary scattering due to Lagrange instability may be triggered long after the sy

Despite the undisputed importance of organizational innovation and decades of academic research on the subject, there is surprisingly little agreement on what innovativeness is or how to achieve successful innovation in practice. Furthermore, the difference between the theory and practice is often interpreted in an ad hoc manner, which limits the potential for innovation to provide a competitive a

We present a comparison of experimentally and theoretically determined osmotic pressures for various colloidal dispersions. Experimental data is collected from several different silica and polystyrene dispersions. The theoretical pressure determinations are based on the primitive model combined with the cell model, and the physical quantities are calculated exactly using Monte Carlo simulations in

Maternal undernutrition can result in significant alterations to the post-natal offspring phenotype, including body size and behaviour. For example, maternal food restriction has been implicated in offspring hyperphagia, potentially causing increased weight gain and fat accumulation. This could result in obesity and other adverse long-term health effects in offspring. We investigated the link betw

Organo-metal halide perovskites (OMHPs) have attracted enormous interest in recent years as materials for application in optoelectronics and solar energy conversion. These hybrid semiconductors seem to have the potential to challenge traditional silicon technology. In this review we will give an account of the recent development in the understanding of the fundamental light-induced processes in OM

This paper deals with a diverse fauna of polychaetes possessing jaws (= scolecodonts) from the late Silurian Kopanina Formation of the Prague Basin (Czech Republic). The most common genera are Kettnerites, Oenonites and Pistoprion; the entire collection contains at least 16 genera. This is in stark contrast to the four genera recorded from this region by previous authors. The fauna described shows

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is by far the most common type of kidney cancer and is characterized by loss of the tumor suppressor gene von Hippel-Lindau (VHL). ccRCC patients with metastatic disease has poor prognosis and today's therapy is insufficient. The cytokine Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) has been extensively studied in tumor biology and is believed to serve a variety of

A search is presented for heavy-quark pair production (Q (Q) over bar) under the decay hypothesis Q (Q) over bar -> W(+)qW(-)(q) over bar with q = d, s, b for up-type Q or q = u, c for down-type Q. The search is performed with 1.04 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity from pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the CERN LHC. Dilepton final states are selected, requiring larg

Meltwater beneath the large ice sheets can influence ice flow by lubrication at the base or by softening when meltwater refreezes to form relatively warm ice. Refreezing has produced large basal ice units in East Antarctica. Bubble-free basal ice units also outcrop at the edge of the Greenland ice sheet5, but the extent of refreezing and its influence on Greenland’s ice flow dynamics are unknown.

This study addresses predictors of occupational value, empowerment and satisfaction with the rehabilitation received in day centres for people with psychiatric disabilities. These outcomes represent varying aspects of relevance for the day centre context and together create a manifold outcome picture. This was a longitudinal study with approval from the regional research vetting board. Self-report