Imaginary companions and the characteristics of the children who invent them were explored through interviews. Twenty-six children took part. The first aim was to explore the phenomenon in general, the second to investigate the functions of imaginary companions. General findings concerned the kinds of imaginary companions and some facts about the children who created them. The imaginary companions

Natural radiative lifetimes, measured by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy, are reported for eighteen levels of neutral erbium belonging to the odd-parity 4f(12)6s6p, 4f(11)5d6s(2), 4f(11)5d(2)6s and 4f(11)5d6s7s configurations in the wavenumber range from 26 237 to 42 154 cm(-1). Free erbium atoms were produced in a laser-induced plasma. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) t

HSL (hormone-sensitive lipase) is a key enzyme in the mobilization of fatty acids from acylglycerols in adipocytes as well as non-adipocytes. In adipocytes, catecholamines stimulate lipolysis mainly through PKA (protein kinase A)-mediated phosphorylation of HSL and perilipin, a protein coating the lipid droplet. The anti-lipolytic action of insulin is mediated mainly via lowered cAMP levels, accom

A key unanswered question in smooth muscle biology is whether phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) is sufficient for regulation of contraction, or if thin-filament-based regulatory systems also contribute to this process. To address this issue, the endogenous RLC was extracted from single smooth muscle cells and replaced with either a thiophosphorylated RLC or a mutant RLC (T

Background: Sphingomyelin (SM) hydrolysis generates biologically active products regulating cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Dietary SM has been found to inhibit colonic tumorigenesis. Alkaline sphingomyelinase (alk-SMase) is the key enzyme responsible for sphingomyelin digestion in the gut. Whether or not dietary sphingomyelin affects alk-SMase expression was examined in a colon cancer

We analyzed the presenting features and survival in 1689 patients with multiple myeloma aged younger than 50 years compared with 8860 patients 50 years of age and older. Of the total 10 549 patients, 7765 received conventional therapy and 2784 received high-dose therapy. Young patients were more frequently male, had more favorable features such as low International Staging System (ISS) and Durle-S

Abstract in UndeterminedIn this paper, different multivariate statistical approaches for analysing wastewater treatment process data are presented and compared. For this purpose, all the methods have been tested using one-year operational data in a simulation model benchmark. The general monitoring strategy adopted includes a screening stage to improve data quality, all adaptive model to detect an

The 2nd Helsingborg Consensus Conference on European Stroke Strategies, was held March 2006 with the aims to update core issues in stroke management, to monitor progress, and to set new targets for the year 2015. the congress was organized by the International Society of Internal Medicine, endorsed by the European Stroke Council and the International Stroke Society, and co-sponsored by the WHO Reg

Objective. To investigate whether IgG-degrading enzyme of Streptococcus pyogenes (IdeS), a bacterial cysteine endopeptidase that cleaves human IgG in the hinge region, can be used for blocking the development of arthritis. Methods. Recombinant IdeS was purified and tested for specificity against mouse IgG. IdeS was injected intravenously into mice with collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA), c

Purpose. To explore musculoskeletal findings in patients with cervicogenic dizziness and how these findings relate to pain and dizziness. To study treatment effects and long-term symptom progress. Method. Twenty-two patients ( 20 women, 2 men; mean age 37 years) with suspected cervicogenic dizziness underwent a structured physical examination before and after physiotherapy guided by the musculoske

Background:Approximately 10-20% of stroke cases have normal blood pressure (BP). The objective of this study was to explore whether the risk of ischemic stroke is related to the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and atherosclerotic lesions in a cohort of subjects with normal BP. Methods:Common CIMT and the presence of carotid plaque were determined by B-mode ultrasound in 6,103 subjects, rando

The application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for characterization of mixed plutonium and uranium particles from nuclear weapons material is presented. The particles originated from the so-called Thule accident in Greenland in 1968. Morphological properties have been studied by SEM and two groups were identified: a “popcorn” structure and a spongy