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Vocabulary is the hallmark of an educated person as it not only promotes reading comprehension but also enables to actively participate in the society. The four practices that teachers can use to expand students' vocabularies and improve their reading are presented.

Personal location devices (PLDs) combined with mobile communication devices (MCDs) (mobile phones being one and the same thing) provide a powerful technology for location services and a major challenge in terms of the ethics of their application. In this article we ask some provocative questions' about the use (and abuse) of personal location information, and discuss the ethical dilemmas by developing scenarios of use and availability of information from various points of view. If the location and communication devices are linked to a third device the consequences could be the worst kind of 'geoslavery'. We present both the advantages and disadvantages of location tracking by a third party, and discuss what is required legally and technically to prevent misuse of personal location information.

The type 1 Simpson--Golabi--Behmel overgrowth syndrome (SGBS1) is caused by loss-of-function mutations of the X-linked GPC3 gene encoding glypican-3, a cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan that apparently plays a negative role in growth control by an unknown mechanism. Mice carrying a Gpc3 gene knockout exhibited several phenotypic features that resemble clinical hallmarks of SGBS1, including somatic overgrowth, renal dysplasia, accessory spleens, polydactyly, and placentomegaly. In Gpc3/[DELTA]H19 double mutants (lacking GPC3 and also carrying a deletion around the H19 gene region that causes bialellic expression of the closely linked Igf2 gene by imprint relaxation), the Gpc3-null phenotype was exacerbated, while additional SGBS1 features (omphalocele and skeletal defects) were manifested. However, results from a detailed comparative analysis of growth patterns in double mutants lacking GPC3 and also IGF2, IGF1, or the type 1 IGF receptor (IGF1R) provided conclusive genetic evidence inconsistent with the hypothesis that GPC3 acts as a growth suppressor by sequestering or downregulating an IGF ligand. Nevertheless, our data are compatible with a model positing that there is downstream convergence of the independent signaling pathways in which either IGFs or (indirectly) GPC3 participate. Key Words: growth; proteoglycans; glypican; insulin-like growth factor; Simpson--Golabi--Behmel syndrome.

The role of conflict in the church is discussed. Topics include 'koinonia' ecclesiology in relation to conflict, ways in which conflict can be constructive, and 'rules of engagement' for more fruitful conflict in the church.

Tumorigenesis is discussed in this research communication article based on what has been seen in mice carrying a truncating Brca1 mutation. Mutant mice carrying a modification in the Bra1 locus that eliminates the C-terminal half of the protein product have been generated. Results show that the missing BRCT and/or other domains are dispensable for survival, but required for tumor suppression, depending on genetic background Lymphomas were seen at all ages. Sarcomas and carcinomas were seen after long latency. Striking variability was seen in histopathology.

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain is a popular comedy film. Much of the humour in the film is derived from the fact that the concept of a mountain is not well defined. In this article we use the film (or rather the book from which it derives - see Monger, 1995) to introduce the problem of making satisfactory definitions and we show that many other geographical phenomena are poorly defined, especially those found in the behavioural and natural environment. In the legal political divisions of space, on the other hand, well defined geographical phenomena are the rule because the conceptual model does not admit to doubt. In this article it is argued that fuzzy set theory which has been applied successfully to some geographical concepts is a way of formalising lack of definition. As well as leading to a more sensitive description of the phenomena involved, fuzzy set theory can also benefit the outcome of analysis.

Public health officials need to work together with medical societies and health organizations to fight the tobacco industry's attempt to preempt local tobacco control ordinances. The industry encourages state lawmakers to pass state laws that prohibit local communities from passing stricter laws. Over 1,000 communities have passed such laws banning smoking in public places and the sale of tobacco to minors. However, 29 state legislatures have passed laws preempting these local laws. Twenty-six such bills were introduced in 1996 alone. Only Maine has successfully repealed their state law preempting local ordinances., Objective. -- To describe the nature, extent, and public health significance of state legislation that preempts the local regulation of tobacco. Data Sources. -- A computerized database of local tobacco control ordinances, state tobacco control laws, preemption bills introduced during the 1996 state legislative session, articles obtained through a MEDLINE search (1984-1996) using the key word "preemption" or identified from bibliographies of these articles, public opinion surveys, and newspaper articles. Study Selection. -- All identified data sources were used. Data Extraction. -- Content analyses of preemption bills and state laws were conducted independently by multiple observers. Data Synthesis. -- There has been a striking increase in the adoption of local tobacco control ordinances during the past decade; by the end of 1995, approximately 1006 communities had enacted a local tobacco control ordinance. In response, the tobacco industry has advanced legislation in 29 states that preempts local authority to regulate tobacco. During the 1996 state legislative session alone, 26 bills containing preemption were introduced, and 2 were enacted. Emerging trends in the tobacco industry's strategy to advance preemption laws include (1) amending legitimate tobacco control bills to preempt local tobacco regulation, (2) using the Synar amendment as a vehicle to advance preemption, and (3) promoting "superpreemption" bills that eliminate all local control of tobacco policy. Conclusions. -- Preemption of local tobacco regulation is an important tobacco industry strategy that undermines the public's health. Preventing the enactment of new preemption laws and repealing existing ones should become a public health priority.

The cation-dependent and cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptors (CD- and CI-MPRs) bind the phosphomannosyl recognition marker of lysosomal hydrolases, but in mammals the latter also interacts with insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II). While IGF signaling is mediated by the type 1 IGF receptor (IGF1R), the type 2 receptor (IGF2R/CI-MPR) serves IGF-II turnover. Mouse mutants inheriting maternally a targeted disruption of the imprinted Igf2r gene, which is normally expressed only from the maternal allele, have increased serum and tissue levels of IGF-II and exhibit overgrowth (135% of normal birthweight) and generalized organomegaly, kinky tail, postaxial polydactyly, heart abnormalities, and edema. These mutants usually die perinatally, but a small minority can survive depending on genetic background and can occasionally reproduce, except for some females characterized by an imperforate vagina and hydrometrocolpos. Consistent with the hypothesis that lethality in the absence of IGF2R-mediated turnover is caused by excess of IGF-II overstimulating IGFIR, Igf2r mutants are completely rescued when they carry a second mutation eliminating either IGF-II or IGF1R. Normal embryonic development of the Igf1r/Igf2r double mutants, which differ from wild-type siblings only in the pattern of postnatal growth, appears to occur by signaling of IGF-II, being in excess, through a genetically identified unknown receptor, since triple mutants lacking IGF1R, IGF2R, and IGF-II are nonviable dwarfs (30% of normal size). In contrast with the Igf2r/Igf2 double mutants, mice lacking IGF2R/CI-MPR and CD-MPR survive in an IGF-II null background at a very low frequency and only for a few postnatal weeks, indicating that the mannose 6-phosphate-mediated lysosomal enzyme trafficking is essential for viability.

Rat brain and mouse pre-B-cell cDNA libraries were screened for genes that control B-cell differentiation. The screening process yielded one gene, designater LH-2, which contains both a homeodomain and two copies of the LIM domain. Sequence analysis further showed that the LH-2 gene is similar to the Drosophila apterous gene. Northern blot and in situhybridization analyses demonstrated that the LH-2 gene is expressed during development at sites of primary lymphocyte differentiation and in discrete regions of the developing central nervous system. These results indicate that LH-2 is a transcription factor mediating the differentiation of some immune andnervous system cells.

Vocabulary is the hallmark of an educated person as it not only promotes reading comprehension but also enables to actively participate in the society. The four practices that teachers can use to expand students' vocabularies and improve their reading is presented.

PTEN phosphatase acts as a tumor suppressor by negatively regulating the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway. It is unclear which downstream components of this pathway are necessary for oncogenic transformation. In this report we show that transformed cells of [PTEN.sup.+/-] mice have elevated levels of phosphorylated Akt and activated p70/S6 kinase associated with an increase in proliferation. Pharmacological inactivation of mTOR/ RAFT/FRAP reduced neoplastic proliferation, tumor size, and p70/S6 kinase activity, but did not affect the status of Akt. These data suggest that p70/S6K and possibly other targets of mTOR contribute significantly to tumor development and that inhibition of these proteins may be therapeutic for cancer patients with deranged PI3K signaling.

Cites a report by Peter R. Fisher on the foreign exchange operations of the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Federal Reserve System for the period from April to June, 2000. Reasons for the decline in the U.S. equity markets; Decline in the market value of euro and yen against the dollar during the first half of the quarter of 2000; Depreciation of the dollar during the second half of the quarter of 2000.

Reports on the foreign exchange operations of the United States Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve System, during the first quarter of 1999. Appreciation of the US dollar against the euro and the yen; Influence of changes in market expectations for economic growth on the dollar's value; Lack of intervention on the part of US monetary authorities.

Reports on the United States Department of Treasury and Federal Reserve System's foreign exchange operations from April to June 1998. Expectations for near-term interest rate policy; Response to the weakening Japanese yen; Yen purchases by monetary authorities; Value of reserve holdings.

Describes the United States Treasury and System foreign exchange operations for the period from July 1995 through September 1995. Increase in the purchasing power of the United States dollars vis-a-vis other formidable monetary currencies; Intervention of the US monetary authorities in the foreign exchange markets; Changes in the global economic outlook; Factors behind the surge of US dollars.