'Inventors, tinkerers and mad-scientist types, that's really our core constituency' Fireworks watching pads? Philip Cable buys a lot of stuff people don't want, to sell to people who do

If you are trying to find a gift for the person who haseverything, Philip Cable might be able to help. Because, odds are,even the person who has everything doesn't have his own radiationmeter or military-issue body bag or mining helmet or suture removalkit or roll of yellow crime scene tape.

Philip Cable has all of these things. And they are all for sale,right alongside the bonsai potato kit, the Jell-O molds for everyletter of the alphabet and the build-your-own "Visible Cow" plasticmodel kit. Cable runs American Science & Surplus, a Niles-basedretailer of, well, odd stuff. With stores in Chicago, Geneva andMilwaukee, plus a monthly catalog and a Web site …

A Lipid-Specific Toxin Reveals Heterogeneity of Sphingomyelin-Containing Membranes

ABSTRACT Little is known about the heterogenous organization of lipids in biological membranes. Sphingomyelin (SM) is a major plasma membrane lipid that forms lipid domains together with cholesterol and glycolipids. Using SM-specific toxin, lysenin, we showed that in cultured epithelial cells the accessibility of the toxin to SM is different between apical and basolateral membranes. Apical membranes are highly enriched with glycolipids. The inhibitory role of glycolipids in the binding of lysenin to SM was confirmed by comparing the glycolipid-deficient mutant melanoma cell line with its parent cell. Model membrane experiments indicated that glycolipid altered the local density of SM so …

FIFA extends compulsory heart testing program

FIFA will extend the compulsory heart testing program first used at the 2006 World Cup in Germany to players of both sexes at all world tournaments, including junior championships, after four more players died from undiagnosed heart problems last season.

"It is a recommendation to the world of football, to all physicians dealing with high-profile players," said Dr. Jiri Dvorak, FIFA's chief medical officer.

The bid to better protect players comes after players from clubs in England, Israel, Scotland and Spain died from undiagnosed heart problems last season. There were also two recent health scares in France, including former national team captain …

Pedestrian crossing still in dark ; In brief

BRENTWOOD: Street lights were still out at a busy junction at thebeginning of this week, despite promises to fix them.

Concerns were raised when two lamps went out at either side ofthe …

Sun-Times wins five Lisagors Train crash coverage praised

The Chicago Sun-Times received five honors Friday in Chicago'sPeter Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism.

The awards are given by the Chicago Headline Club, a chapter ofthe Society of Professional Journalists. They are named for the latePeter Lisagor, a Chicago Daily News correspondent.

Sun-Times winners include Bill Rumbler and Alex Rodriguez inconsumer journalism for articles on abuses in subprime mortgagelending; Jay Mariotti for three sports columns; Richard A. Chapmanfor sports photography for "Trampled," a photo of celebratingfootball players falling over a photographer, and Jack Higgins foreditorial cartoons.

The Sun-Times staff was honored for …

16 militants killed in NATO-Afghan operations

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — NATO and Afghan officials say 16 militants have been killed in operations throughout Afghanistan over the past 24 hours.

NATO says an airstrike killed the "shadow" governor of Faryab province, identified as Qari Ziauddin, and four other insurgents in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday.

The Afghan Ministry of Defense says joint NATO-Afghan operations …

Jennifer Convertibles files for Chapter 11

Jennifer Convertibles Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following liquidity problems, the sofabed seller said Monday.

The company agreed with its largest creditor and foreign supplier Haining Mengnu Co. to convert a large part of its pre-filing debt into equity of the company.

Jennifer Convertibles, based in Woodbury, N.Y., says it was unable to get alternative financing to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection.

The company, which filed its petition in the Southern District of New York, plans to keep operating and emerge from bankruptcy reorganization as a going concern. It does not expect the filing to hurt its fulfillment of …