National Science Foundation Tipsheet--10/31/97
National Science Foundation (NSF)1) NSF, Singapore To Link High Performance Networks, 2) Harmful Algal Blooms Linked to Eutrophication, 3) New Technique Allows Visualization of Events in Living Cells
1) NSF, Singapore To Link High Performance Networks, 2) Harmful Algal Blooms Linked to Eutrophication, 3) New Technique Allows Visualization of Events in Living Cells
New York, N.Y.--Mutations in the gene P-TEN can increase a woman's risk of breast cancer, according to scientists at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. The findings identify the third breast cancer susceptibility gene; the other two such genes are BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Listed below are story ideas from the Columbia University Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at the Columbia-Presbyterian MedicalCenter: 1) Holiday Treats & Diabetes: Can The Two Mix? 2) Giving The "Sweet Talk" On Diabetes Management, 3) No Such Thing As "A Touch Of Sugar," Especially In Pregnancy, 4)Columbia University Researchers "Gaining Ground" On Obesity And Diabetes
While regulators, environmentalists and industry debate whether there's enough evidence to warrant restrictions on mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants, researchers say that questions remain on how to accurately measure such emissions and control them in a cost-effective manner.
Droughts, severe winters and air pollution may not cause obvious harm to trees until decades after these environmental stresses occur. That's according to new research by Brian S. Pedersen, visiting assistant professor of biology at Roanoke Colelge in Salem, VA, that punches holes in the theory that environmental events like droughts immediately lead to tree death.
Presidential Address of president of the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Press conference from the American College of Gastroenterology to discuss new technologies used to diagnose colon cancer, ulcers and Barrett's esophagus. Available via telephone.
Press conference from the American College of Gastroenterology to discuss new research and treatments for common GI conditions: heartburn, GERD, ulcers, Chron's disease. Available via telephone.
Post-phen/fen treatment of obesity: surgery or drugs? Experts from the American College of Gastroenterology are available via telephone from the College's Annual Scientific Meeting.
A University of Missouri-Rolla student's design is helping small-engine maker Briggs & Stratton realize big savings in its die-casting operations.
The discovery of the "two-faced" gene Pax-5 by a William and Mary research is yielding tantalizing new clues about the genesis of some types of cancer. Pax-5 is a member of a group of genes that have the unusual ability to produce multiple proteins with many different functions, some of which may lead to cancer.
If you buy a "Beamer" you're more likely to take good care of it, according to a new study by three Notre Dame management professors.
The great formal gardens at Versailles, with their geometrically precise parterres and topiry-lined allees, are usually noted for teir restrained classicism and elegance, not for their politics.
This season's prime-time television lineup of angels, space aliens, witches and other oddities may influence people to believe in such creatures, according to a survey by a Purdue University communication expert.
Free trade and more agricultural research are essential to meet the food demands of a world population expected to triple by 2050, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) told 200 Purdue University agriculture students and faculty during a recent visit.
Although El Nino events or volcanic eruptions can boost or depress global temperatures within months, their strongest impacts on the earth's biosphere may not occur until years later, according to a study published in the October 31 issue of Science and conducted at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
If more people would take an aspirin when they experience chest pain or other symptoms of a severe heart attack, 5,000 to 10,000 lives could be saved in the United States each year, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published today in the association's journal Circulation.
Dr. Florence Haseltine of the NIH is heading an expert panel put together by the American College of Gastroenterology to discuss gender-based science and its relevance for research and clinical practice. Interviews are available via telephone.
This press conference on colon cancer will be held at the Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. Doctors will review new guidelines for screening from the American Cancer Society and other research. The conference is available via telephone.
The serotonin system, an aspect of the brain's neurochemical structure associated with behavior and mood, has been shown to substantially decline with age, according to research with living humans ages 18-76 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health and presented this morning at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans.
Health care professionals can contribute to or lessen hope in cancer patients by the way they communicate, ultimately influencing the patients' ability to cope with the disease, University of Minnesota Cancer Center researchers have found.
Researchers from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons have demonstrated the long-term transfer and high level long-term expression of the normal human beta globin gene in an animal model for the first time. The study, published in the Nov. 1 issue of Blood, may lead to gene therapy for the treatment of sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia, a related disorder.
A portable,hand-held biosensor capable of detecting a wide range of medically important chemical reactions has been created by a team of researchers from The Scripps Research Insitute of La Jolla, Calif. and the University of California, San Diego.
Cytimmune Sciences, Inc. (CSI) is a cutting edge technology-based research organization. CSI immunoassay kits measure biological response in humans, suitable for consideration in future clinical diagnostics. Applications include cancer, autoimmune, allergy and bacterial diseases.
Health Briefs on the following topics: 1) Avoiding Antibiotic Overuse, 2) Treating the Common Cold, 3) The Mystery of Endometriosis, 4) Exercise is Key Ingredient in Recipe for Healthy Aging
A new study examining verbal ability and socioeconomic success casts doubt on theories advanced in the controversial 1994 book The Bell Curve.
Good results in preliminary studies of a potential diagnostic test for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have led Johns Hopkins scientists to call for an expanded trial immediately.
Heavy metal ions are toxic but nevertheless required by cells in tiny amounts. A special "chaperone" protein encases one of these hazardous materials, copper, to safely escort it through the cell to the specific site where needed. Other essential metals, such as zinc and iron, may have their own chaperones.
More coaching and less score-keeping by sales managers produces a more effective sales organization. That's according to results of a two-year study of sales effectiveness, "Improving the Effectiveness of Field Sales Organizations," by two marketing professors at Texas Christian University.
Highlights of New Scientist for Oct 30, 1997.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researchers have developed an antibody for phencyclidine toxicity overdose.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are living longer, presenting new treatment challenges to the physicians who care for them, said Dr. Stanley Fiel, a renowned expert on the disease.
El Nino events or volcanic eruptions can boost or depress global temperatures within months, but their strongest impacts on the earth's biosphere may not occur until one to three years later, according to a paper published in the October 31st issue of Science.
A study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Harlow Primate Laboratory demonstrates for the first time in a laboratory setting that even moderate drinking can harm infant development.
NASA and the Cleveland Clinic are studying the use of satellites and high-speed digital transmissions to provide mammograms to women in regions of the United States where physicians who specialize in diagnosing breast cancer are scarce.
University of Michigan scientists have developed a viral vector technique that delivers the gene for dystrophin, a protein critical for normal maintenance of muscle tissue, to the muscles of adult mice with muscular dystrophy.
Stumps of cedar trees are revealing details of a huge earthquake along North America's west coast more than 100 years before the arrival of the first European occupants. University of Washington researchers are reporting in Nature that evidence in the dead wood confirms that a great earthquake struck the Pacific Northwest coast in 1700 and set off a tsunami, a train of massive ocean waves, that flooded coastal Japan.
A little-known brain wave thought to be found in only small percentage of people is instead sitting inside most of our heads and could one day become a key for understanding connections between movement and vision.
People diagnosed with cancer have a lot to learn and fast. One of the greatest challenges for almost all cancer patients is acquiring the knowledge they need in order to fully understand what a diagnosis of cancer means. Unfortunately, few physicians have the kind of time or availability. William A Fintel and Gerald McDermott can answer many of the questions that consume the thoughts of cancer patients. They're co-authors of the book, Dear God It's Cancer: A Medical and Spiritual Guide for Patients and Their Families.
A decade ago, classes in the paranormal were seen as unscholarly by the psychological community. Now, with a generation of believers rasied on movies and shows like The X-Files that make the paranormal seem ordinary , universities and colleges like Texas Christian University are adding courses dealing with the paranormal.
Manganese dominates the toxicity risks of heavy metals since it may be more harmful inhaled than ingested. EPA opposed approval of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) in gasoline. This debate between EPA and industry was taken to court and won by the manufactuers on issues unrelated to health. As of Dec.1996, manganese is permitted for use as an additive in gasoline in the U.S.
Despite dramatic losses in wild honeybees and in colonies maintained by hobbyist beekeepers, Cornell University apiculturists say the pollination needs of commercial agriculture in the United States are being met -- for now -- by commercial beekeepers, although their supplies are precarious.
Los Alamos scientists are building three key instruments and providing other scientific input to NASA's Genesis spacecraft, which will be the first to return extraterrestrial material to Earth for study since the days of Apollo.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY TIP SHEET Summaries of papers which will appear in the November issue of Environmental Science & Technology, a monthly peer-reviewed journal published by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.
Science tips include 1.) Noise reduction technology applied to fast robots 2.) Virtual reality creates museum pieces 3.) New magnetic refrigeration materials 4.) Thin is in for electronic circuits
New tool used on six producing U.S. oil wells reveals stresses along sucker rod strings used to extract crude from approximately 80 percent of domestic wells. CR-ROM available free to members of petroleum industry.
Geological-sciences professors have discovered a fact about the San Andreas fault that may help in our understanding of earthquake hazards in California and other areas. Seismic reflection and refraction surveys of the deep crust show that the San Andreas fault goes straight through the crust and cuts through the Moho, the boundary between the crust and mantle of the Earth, instead of turning in the crust to connect with two other parallel faults in the area.
Environmental funding on northern ecosystems was awarded to the Natural Resources Research Institute University of Minnesota Duluth today. Seven separate grants totalling $3.9 million will fund research into the 21st century.
A missile or spaceship, spinning like a football or Olympic diver as it reenters Earth's atmosphere, can be stabilized simply by moving weights within the vehicle. The technique, like balancing an out-of-round tire, may work for satellites too.
Concern over the health of our oceans has grown, in the past two decades, from worry to alarm. Coastal waters are crucial links in the food chain of the seas, and numerous disasters, many of them man-made, have threatened these waters.