Trade Regulations - Monopolizing under Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act

An inquiry into an alleged violator\u27s willfulness is necessitated. United States v. Grinnell Corp., 384 U.S. 563 (1966)

Weight bearing after arthrodesis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint: A randomized study of 61 cases

We performed a prospective randomized study of 61 cases of arthrodesis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint in 56 patients. In the first group, full weight bearing was allowed after 2-4 days and in the second group at 4 weeks. Radiographic union of the arthrodesis in the two groups did not differ

Stable isotope records for the last 10 000 years from Okshola cave (Fauske, northern Norway) and regional comparisons

The sensitivity of terrestrial environments to past changes in heat transport is expected to be manifested in Holocene climate proxy records on millennial to seasonal timescales. Stalagmite formation in the Okshola cave near Fauske (northern Norway) began at about 10.4 ka, soon after the valley was deglaciated. Past monitoring of the cave and surface has revealed stable modern conditions with uniform drip rates, relative humidity and temperature. Stable isotope records from two stalagmites provide time-series spanning from c. 10 380 yr to AD 1997; a banded, multi-coloured stalagmite (Oks82) was formed between 10 380 yr and 5050 yr, whereas a pristine, white stalagmite (FM3) covers the period from ~7500 yr to the present. The stable oxygen isotope (δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>c</sub>), stable carbon isotope (δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>c</sub>), and growth rate records are interpreted as showing i) a negative correlation between cave/surface temperature and δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>c</sub>, ii) a positive correlation between wetness and δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>c</sub>, and iii) a positive correlation between temperature and growth rate. Following this, the data from Okshola show that the Holocene was characterised by high-variability climate in the early part, low-variability climate in the middle part, and high-variability climate and shifts between two distinct modes in the late part. <br><br> A total of nine Scandinavian stalagmite δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>c</sub> records of comparable dating precision are now available for parts or most of the Holocene. None of them show a clear Holocene thermal optimum, suggesting that they are influenced by annual mean temperature (cave temperature) rather than seasonal temperature. For the last 1000 years, δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>c</sub> values display a depletion-enrichment-depletion pattern commonly interpreted as reflecting the conventional view on climate development for the last millennium. Although the δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>c</sub> records show similar patterns and amplitudes of change, the main challenges for utilising high-latitude stalagmites as palaeoclimate archives are i) the accuracy of the age models, ii) the ambiguity of the proxy signals, and iii) calibration with monitoring data

Neutrophil Trafficking in Pulmonary Inflammation: Monitoring Migration and Blockade with 111In-Labeled Leukocytes

AbstractAim: Although imaging of In vitro labeled leukocytes is commonly used for diagnosing inflammation and infection, data concerning the use of this technique to monitor neutrophil trafficking are scarce. Here we investigated thepotential of 111In-in vitro labeled leukocytes (InWBC) to monitor neutrophil trafficking in an animal model of pulmonary inflammation.Methods: F344 rats were divided into 3 groups: Controls (received only InWBC), Inflammation (intra-tracheally challenged with lipoteichoic acid (LTA)+peptidoglycan (PGN) two hours before InWBC injection), and Blockade(pulmonary challenge with receptor blockade [LTAPGN+Antileukinate, a CXC receptor 1 and 2 antagonist]). Leukocytes were obtained from donor rats and labeled with 111In-oxine using standard procedures. Labeling efficiencyand leukocyte integrity were determined. Animals were administered 3.7-4.6 MBq InWBC via the tail vein, and were imaged 18-30 hours later and then euthanized. Post mortem the lungs were lavaged and total and differential alveolar cell counts performed. Lung tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was determined. Lung, heart, liver, spleen, kidney, marrow, intestine, blood, and muscle were harvested and organ activity/gm tissue determined. Results: InWBC labeling efficiency and cell integrity were not significantly different among groups. InWBC pulmonary activity was significantly higher (p<0.0001) in the Inflammation group (17.10 ± 2.04%) than in the Controls (1.76 ± 0.60%) and the Blockade group (9.74 ± 1.14%). Hemocytometer assessment of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed that the total number of neutrophils was significantly higher in the Inflammation group than in Controls and the Blockade group. Pulmonary MPO activity (pg/mg tissue) was significantly higher (p<0.01) in the Inflammation group (14.11 ± 5.56%) than in Controls (5.22 ± 4.77%) and the Blockade group (3.66 ± 3.77%). InWBC splenic activity was significantly higher (p<0.0001) in the Controls than in the Inflammation and Blockade groups. In the remaining organs, InWBC activity was significantly higher in the Blockade group than in the Control and the Inflammation groups.Conclusions: In a rat model of pulmonary inflammation using Antileukinate to block neutrophil chemokine receptors, InWBC accurately characterized both pulmonary and extrapulmonary neutrophil trafficking. These data indicate that InWBC may be useful to monitor both pulmonary and extrapulmonary neutrophil trafficking associated with lung inflammation and its regulation

Magical attachment: Children in magical relations with hospital clowns

The aim of the present study was to achieve a theoretical understanding of several different-age children's experiences of magic relations with hospital clowns in the context of medical care, and to do so using psychological theory and a child perspective. The method used was qualitative and focused on nine children. The results showed that age was important to consider in better understanding how the children experienced the relation with the hospital clowns, how they described the magical aspects of the encounter and how they viewed the importance of clown encounters to their own well-being. The present theoretical interpretation characterized the encounter with hospital clowns as a magical safe area, an intermediate area between fantasy and reality. The discussion presented a line of reasoning concerning a magical attachment between the child and the hospital clowns, stating that this attachment: a) comprised a temporary relation; b) gave anonymity; c) entailed reversed roles; and d) created an emotional experience of boundary-transcending opportunities

Detection of splice junctions from paired-end RNA-seq data by SpliceMap

Alternative splicing is a prevalent post-transcriptional process, which is not only important to normal cellular function but is also involved in human diseases. The newly developed second generation sequencing technique provides high-throughput data (RNA-seq data) to study alternative splicing events in different types of cells. Here, we present a computational method, SpliceMap, to detect splice junctions from RNA-seq data. This method does not depend on any existing annotation of gene structures and is capable of finding novel splice junctions with high sensitivity and specificity. It can handle long reads (50–100 nt) and can exploit paired-read information to improve mapping accuracy. Several parameters are included in the output to indicate the reliability of the predicted junction and help filter out false predictions. We applied SpliceMap to analyze 23 million paired 50-nt reads from human brain tissue. The results show at this depth of sequencing, RNA-seq can support reliable detection of splice junctions except for those that are present at very low level. Compared to current methods, SpliceMap can achieve 12% higher sensitivity without sacrificing specificity

Solution structure of the inner DysF domain of myoferlin and implications for limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2b

Mutations in the protein dysferlin, a member of the ferlin family, lead to limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B and Myoshi myopathy. The ferlins are large proteins characterised by multiple C2 domains and a single C-terminal membrane-spanning helix. However, there is sequence conservation in some of the ferlin family in regions outside the C2 domains. In one annotation of the domain structure of these proteins, an unusual internal duplication event has been noted where a putative domain is inserted in between the N- and C-terminal parts of a homologous domain. This domain is known as the DysF domain. Here, we present the solution structure of the inner DysF domain of the dysferlin paralogue myoferlin, which has a unique fold held together by stacking of arginine and tryptophans, mutations that lead to clinical disease in dysferlin

The structure of a resuscitation-promoting factor domain from Mycobacterium tuberculosis shows homology to lysozymes

Resuscitation-promoting factor (RPF) proteins reactivate stationary-phase cultures of (G+C)-rich Gram-positive bacteria including the causative agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We report the solution structure of the RPF domain from M. tuberculosis Rv1009 (RpfB) solved by heteronuclear multidimensional NMR. Structural homology with various glycoside hydrolases suggested that RpfB cleaved oligosaccharides. Biochemical studies indicate that a conserved active site glutamate is important for resuscitation activity. These data, as well as the presence of a clear binding pocket for a large molecule, indicate that oligosaccharide cleavage is probably the signal for revival from dormancy