The role of histone acetylation in the allelic expression of the imprinted human insulin-like growth factor II gene

This study examines the relationship between the first cycle of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and subsequent cycles. The results of all IVF cycles conducted at The Hammersmith Hospital or The Royal Masonic Hospital between 1988 and 1995 were studied including those cycles where egg recovery was abandoned due to poor ovarian response. All patients underwent a standardized treatment protocol. Of those women who achieved a clinical pregnancy during their first IVF attempt, 33% achieved a pregnancy during their second cycle, statistically significantly different from the 24% of patients conceiving during a second cycle who had failed to conceive during their first. 36% of those who achieved a biochemical pregnancy in their first cycle became pregnant in their second. Age was an important factor in the success of IVF treatment, with pregnancy rates of 48% in the 20-25 year age group falling to 8% in those aged > or =41 years. Cumulative pregnancy rates were 26% after one cycle, increasing to 43% after two cycles and reached 80% after seven cycles. A previous pregnancy significantly improved a couple's probability of conception in a later IVF cycle. Overall pregnancy rates per cycle were constant for the first three attempts. Cumulative pregnancy rates continued to rise to 72% after six cycles. Thus the more cycles a couple undergo (up to six) the greater their chance of a pregnancy.     

A novel DNA duplex. A parallel-stranded DNA helix with Hoogsteen base pairing

We show here for the first time that a stable parallel double helix with Hoogsteen pairing can exist independently of the triple helix of which it is a component part. The experiments employ DNA oligonucleotides with mixed sequences of normal bases. These duplexes are distinct from previously reported ribopolynucleotide helices containing bulky substituents which prevent Watson-Crick pairing as well as from parallel duplexes with Donohue, or reversed Watson-Crick, pairing. Stoichiometry is established by mixing curves and gel electrophoresis. Tm depends linearly upon pH, increasing with acidity because of the need to protonate N3 of C. The Tm of the 20-mer studied here is 52 degrees C at pH 5.2 and 0.1 M NaCl. At pH above 6, the molecule rearranges to form an antiparallel duplex with imperfect Watson-Crick pairing and loops, and the Tm is then independent of pH. The CD spectrum of the parallel duplex is very similar to that of the corresponding triple helix but quite different from that of the Watson-Crick helix. The infrared spectrum in the double bond region closely resembles that of the triple helix but, as with the CD, is quite different from that of the Watson-Crick duplex. The infrared spectra of the duplex and triple helix are also nearly identical in the region form 800 to 1000 cm-1, which is sensitive to backbone conformation. The only symmetry element present is a pseudorotational axis coincident with the helix axis of the parallel duplex as well as with the axis of the corresponding triple helix.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Les enjeux économiques de ľinterconnexion des réseaux

The network interconnection and its regulation consist in solving the following dilemma: increase competition and preserve the universal service through access charges, which symbolizes today institutional organization within the telecommunication industry. This paper presents some of the economic and social factors that drive the interconnection policies namely ona (open network architecture) in the United States, or onp (open network provision) in Europe. In the first section, we list some social and economical issues related to open network policies. In the second section, we study the different answers brought up by the regulator through alternative interconnection price formulas. In conclusion, we discuss the stakes and risks of interconnection, while the technological evolution of network introduces intelligent software in switching équipement and implements the tremendous abilities of the digital broadband networks.     

Adaptive space-time reduced-length MMSE receiver for interferencesuppression in DS/CDMA

The authors present an adaptive space-time reduced-length minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) receiver to suppress co-channel interference in the near-far environment for an asynchronous direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS/CDMA) system. Simulation results show that better bit-error rate and faster and more stable convergence are achieved over the existing full- and reduced-length MMSE receivers     

Effect of surface-modifying macromolecules and solvent evaporation time on the performance of polyethersulfone membranes for the separation of chloroform/water mixtures by pervaporation

Polyethersulfone (PES) membranes using different evaporation periods were fabricated by the phase-inversion method. Pervaporation experiments were conducted for chloroform/water mixtures to determine the selectivity of the PES membranes. It was found that chloroform could be concentrated in the permeate from chloroform/water binary feed mixtures by PES membranes prepared using longer evaporation periods, and that the selectivity of PES membranes in pervaporation could be reversed by shorter evaporation periods. This study also showed that by adding surface-modifying macromolecules (SMM) up to 1 wt % into the casting solution, chloroform enrichment in the permeate could be increased by 50%. Chloroform enrichment increased with increasing SMM concentration until an optimal value, after which the enrichment decreased. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Covering codes with improved density

We prove a general recursive inequality concerning /spl mu//sup */(R), the asymptotic (least) density of the best binary covering codes of radius R. In particular, this inequality implies that /spl mu//sup */(R)/spl les/e/spl middot/(RlogR+logR+loglogR+2), which significantly improves the best known density 2/sup R/R/sup R/(R+1)/R!. Our inequality also holds for covering codes over arbitrary alphabets.     

Efficient reconstruction from non-uniform point sets

We propose a method for non-uniform reconstruction of 3D scalar data. Typically, radial basis functions, trigonometric polynomials or shift-invariant functions are used in the functional approximation of 3D data. We adopt a variational approach for the reconstruction and rendering of 3D data. The principle idea is based on data fitting via thin-plate splines. An approximation by B-splines offers more compact support for fast reconstruction. We adopt this method for large datasets by introducing a block-based reconstruction approach. This makes the method practical for large datasets. Our reconstruction will be smooth across blocks. We give reconstruction measurements as error estimations based on different parameter settings and also an insight on the computational effort. We show that the block size used in reconstruction has a negligible effect on the reconstruction error. Finally we show rendering results to emphasize the quality of this 3D reconstruction technique.     

Dental museums and collections in Illinois

The article explores the relationship between the cost and the quality of hospital care by elaborating a conceptual model of hospital performance. The model relates the financial health status of an organization (financial integrity) to the quality of care provided by that organization (clinical integrity) within an environment that is characterized by various forms of risk. The model suggests that both concepts determine the corporate destiny (success, bankruptcy, or merger) of the organization. If this model proves valid empirically, the results could be used as an early warning system to identify hospitals that might experience financial or clinical distress.