Ascribe Higher Education News Service articles from November 2006

Ascribe Higher Education News Service archives from November 2006

Single Molecule Given to Fat Mice Reverses Disease Pathways Associated With Obesity; Findings Suggest Broad Implications for Treatment of Age-Related Diseases, Including Diabetes and Heart Disease.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Harvard University Medical School BOSTON, Nov. 1 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers have used a single compound to increase the lifespan of obese mice, and found that the drug reversed nearly all of the changes in gene expression...

Reduced Body Temperature Extends Lifespan in Study From Scripps Research Institute; Lifespan Lengthened Without Dietary Restriction.
November 2, 2006... Byline: The Scripps Research Institute LA JOLLA, Calif., Nov. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that reducing the core body temperature of mice extends their median lifespan by up to 20 percent....

Neuron Cell Stickiness May Hold Key to Evolution of Human Brain.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- The stickiness of human neurons may have been a key factor in why the human brain evolved beyond the brains of our primate relatives. In a study...

Scientists: New Phylum Sheds Light on Ancestor of Animals, Humans.
November 2, 2006... Byline: University of Florida GAINESVILLE, Fla., Nov. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- Genetic analysis of an obscure, worm-like creature retrieved from the depths of the North Atlantic has led to the discovery of a new phylum, a rare event in an...

Bentley College Professors Update Data on Candidates' Use of Facebook as Campaign Heads Into Final Days.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Bentley College WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- As the 2006 campaign season comes to a close, Bentley College political science professors Christine Williams and Jeff Gulati continue to track U.S. Congressional and...

Study Identifies Basic Link Between Age, Cardiovascular Disease.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Oregon State University CORVALLIS, Ore., Nov. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University have discovered a fundamental mechanism that causes aging blood vessels to lose their...

Accelerating Loss of Ocean Species Threatens Human Well-Being; Current Trend Projects Collapse of All Currently Fished Seafoods Before 2050.
November 2, 2006... Byline: SeaWeb WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- In a study published in the Nov. 3 issue of the journal, Science, an international group of ecologists and economists show that the loss of biodiversity is profoundly reducing the...

Learning How Nature Splits Water: High-Resolution Structure of Photosynthetic Catalyst Holds Promise for Clean Energy.
November 3, 2006... Byline: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 3 (AScribe Newswire) -- About 3.2 billion years ago, primitive bacteria developed a way to harness sunlight to split water molecules into protons, electrons and oxygen,...

Nanotechnology Trio at University of Texas at Dallas Named to Prestigious Scientific American 50 List; Baughman, Zhang, Fang Among Science, Technology Leaders of Past Year.
November 6, 2006... Byline: University of Texas at Dallas RICHARDSON, Texas, Nov. 6 (AScribe Newswire) -- A trio of nanotechnologists from The University of Texas at Dallas has been named to the 2006 Scientific American 50, a prestigious list published...

Chronic Jet-Lag Conditions Hasten Death in Aged Mice.
November 6, 2006... Byline: University of Virginia CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 6 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers at the University of Virginia have found that aged mice undergoing weekly light-cycle shifts - similar to those that humans experience with jet...

Fighting HIV With HIV: New Gene Therapy Vector Shows Promise in Penn HIV Study.
November 7, 2006... Byline: University of Pennsylvania Health System PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 7 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report the first clinical test of a new gene therapy based on a disabled AIDS virus...

University of Illinois at Chicago Study Evaluates Two Medications for ADHD.
November 7, 2006... Byline: University of Illinois at Chicago CHICAGO, Nov. 7 (AScribe Newswire) -- University of Illinois at Chicago researchers are comparing two drugs commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to determine if genetic...

'Buy Low/Sell High' Is Great Advice, but Few Heed It, Award-Winning Research Finds.
November 7, 2006... Byline: Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University KENNESAW, Ga., Nov. 7 (AScribe Newswire) -- The old adage "buy low; sell high" doesn't necessarily resonate with many stockholders, according to an award-winning research paper...

American Institutes for Research Issues Updated Rating of 22 Widely Used Comprehensive School Reform Models.
November 7, 2006... Byline: American Institutes for Research WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (AScribe Newswire) -- The American Institutes for Research (AIR) has released an updated consumer guide rating the effectiveness and quality of 22 widely used comprehensive...

'Muscle' Protein Drives Prostate Cancer.
November 8, 2006... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Nov. 8 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have for the first time implicated the muscle protein myosin VI in the development of prostate cancer...

Himalayan Megaquakes Powered by Elastic Energy in Tibetan Plateau.
November 8, 2006... Byline: University of Colorado, Boulder BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 8 (AScribe Newswire) -- Computer simulations indicate that Himalayan mega-earthquakes must occur every 1,000 years or so to empty a reservoir of energy in southern Tibet not...

Study: Transplantation of Eye Photoreceptor 'Precursor' Cells Restores Visual Function in Mice With Retinal Degeneration; University of Michigan and London Team Says Technique Has Implications for Degenerative Eye Diseases.
November 8, 2006... Byline: University of Michigan Health System ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 8 (AScribe Newswire) -- Scientists have successfully transplanted light-sensing cells called photoreceptors directly into the eyes of mice and restored their visual...

Harvard Researchers of The Institute for Community Health at Cambridge Health Alliance Study Mental Health Screening on Children.
November 8, 2006... Byline: Cambridge Health Alliance CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 8 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Institute for Community Health, which is based at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), announced today that a team of clinicians released a study in the...

AIDS-Related Virus Tricks Cells to Become Tumors, New Penn Study Finds; Implications for Kaposi's Sarcoma, Other Viral Cancers.
November 8, 2006... Byline: University of Pennsylvania Health System PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 8 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered how the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) subverts a...

Why Our Shifty Eyes Don't Drive Us Crazy: Pitt, NIH Researchers Discover Circuit Underlying Visual Stability.
November 8, 2006... Byline: University of Pittsburgh PITTSBURGH, Nov. 8 (AScribe Newswire) -- Our eyes are constantly making saccades, or little jumps. Yet the world appears to us as a smooth whole. Somehow, the brain's visual system "knows" where the eyes...

Next Generation Imaging Detectors Could Enhance Space Missions; Homeland Security, Biomedical Imaging Could Benefit From New Detector Technology.
November 9, 2006... Byline: Rochester Institute of Technology ROCHESTER, N.Y., Nov. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- A new generation of imaging detectors with low-noise and high-speed capabilities may transform imaging applications on NASA space missions, impact...

Wheaton College Scientists Decode Sea Urchin Genome; Members of Team That Sequenced Genome Discover Novel Immune System, Unexpected Sensory Proteins, Broad Similarity to Human Genes.
November 9, 2006... Byline: Wheaton College NORTON, Mass., Nov. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- Wheaton faculty and students, members of the Sea Urchin Genome Sequencing Project Consortium, led by the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine in...

New Evidence Race-IQ Gap Remains; Findings Could Undermine Affirmative Action Policies.
November 9, 2006... Byline: Charles Darwin Research Institute PORT HURON, Mich., Nov. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- Despite widespread claims that the gap is closing between Blacks and Whites in educational achievement and intelligence test scores, new research...

Safe Food Handling Helps Keep Holiday Guests Healthy.
November 9, 2006... Byline: University of California Division of Agriculture DAVIS, Calif., Nov. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- To make the Thanksgiving meal memorable for delicious food and lively conversation, not gastrointestinal distress, hosts should practice...

Consumer Reports Presents Best Holiday Gifts in More Than 50 Categories From Cameras to Vacuums, Plus Dozens of CR Best Buys From Under $50 To Over $400.
November 9, 2006... Byline: Consumers Union YONKERS, N.Y., Nov. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- The December Consumer Reports (CR) Best Gifts issue presents the best products from its tests for everyone on a holiday shopper's gift list - whether they like to cook,...

Online and Independent Retailers Top Consumer Reports Ratings of Electronics Retailers; Insider Tips From Consumer Reports Secret Shoppers.
November 9, 2006... Byline: Consumers Union YONKERS, N.Y., Nov. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- Online merchants and independent local stores may be the best bet for buying electronics, according to the nearly 20,000 readers surveyed by the Consumer Reports National...

Consumer Reports Rates Honda Fit, Nissan Versa Tops in Tests of Thrifty, Small Cars; Fit, Versa Tested Against Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio and Comparably-Priced Ford Focus.
November 9, 2006... Byline: Consumers Union YONKERS, N.Y., Nov. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Honda Fit and Nissan Versa outperformed their competitors in Consumer Reports' tests of 11 thrifty, small cars for the December issue. As a group, these cars provide...

University of Virginia Researchers Study Link Between 'Alzheimer's Gene' and Protection From Early Childhood Diarrhea.
November 10, 2006... Byline: University of Virginia Health System CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 10 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Federal University of Ceara in Brazil have joined forces to study if the gene...

Counseling Alzheimer's Caregivers Postpones the Nursing Home.
November 13, 2006... Byline: NYU Medical Center NEW YORK, Nov. 13 (AScribe Newswire) -- A program of individual and family counseling sessions and ongoing support for people who are caring for a husband or wife with Alzheimer's disease has a major impact on...

Taking 'Chips' to the Next Level of Gene Hunting.
November 14, 2006... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Nov. 14 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers at the Johns Hopkins' High Throughput Biology Center have invented two new gene "chip" technologies that can be used to help identify otherwise...

Consumer Product Alert: Take Ozone-Emitting Air Cleaning Devices off Your Gift List.
November 14, 2006... Byline: American Lung Association OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 14 (AScribe Newswire) -- With the holiday season just around the corner, and colder weather headed our way, many people will be spending more time indoors. Breathe easier this holiday...

Chocolate 'Offenders' Teach Science a Sweet Lesson; Study Helps Explain Heart Benefits from Daily - But Small - Dose of Chocolate.
November 14, 2006... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Nov. 14 (AScribe Newswire) -- Some "chocoholics" who just couldn't give up their favorite treat to comply with a study to test blood stickiness have inadvertently done their fellow...

New Book by Cambridge Health Alliance Author Explores How Interactive Play Helps Children With Autism Disorders.
November 14, 2006... Byline: Cambridge Health Alliance CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 14 (AScribe Newswire) -- Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) is celebrating Karen Levine, PhD, on the release of her new book, "Replays: Using Play to Enhance Emotional and Behavioral...

Harvard's Professor Michael Porter Ranks Business Competitiveness of Nations; Global Study Examines Competitiveness of 121 Countries, Including U.S., India, China.
November 15, 2006... Byline: Harvard Business School BOSTON, Nov. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- Which countries have the most competitive companies and business environment - and which ones don't? To answer these questions, Harvard's Michael E. Porter, the...

Novel Regulatory Mechanism Identified for Key Tumor Suppressor p53: New Pathway Could Prove Valuable for Diagnosis, Treatment of Cancers.
November 15, 2006... Byline: The Wistar Institute PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- Collaborating scientists from The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia and The Vienna Biocenter in Austria have identified a novel mechanism involved in normal repression...

Neanderthal Genome Sequencing Yields Surprising Results, Opens New Door to Future Studies.
November 15, 2006... Byline: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- The veil of mystery surrounding our extinct hominid cousins, the Neanderthals, has been at least partially lifted to reveal surprising results....

Movies Reveal That Process of Insulating Nerves Is Surprisingly Dynamic.
November 15, 2006... Byline: Vanderbilt University NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- Much like the electrical wiring in your house, the nerves in your body need to be completely covered by a layer of insulation to work properly. Instead of...

Poor Athletic Performance May Be Linked to Nutrient Deficiency.
November 15, 2006... Byline: Oregon State University CORVALLIS, Ore., Nov. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- Active individuals lacking in B-vitamins - including college athletes and other elite competitors - may perform worse during high-intensity exercise and have a...

Don't Underestimate the Savvy Consumer in Pricing Goods, Says Research at Stanford Business School.
November 15, 2006... Byline: Stanford Graduate School of Business STANFORD, Calif., Nov. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- Misjudge the intelligence of your customers when setting a pricing strategy and you could lose significant revenues. That's the conclusion of...

Competition Improves Organizational Performance, According to Stanford Business School Research.
November 15, 2006... Byline: Stanford Graduate School of Business STANFORD, Calif., Nov. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- There's a moment in Alice in Wonderland when Alice comments that everyone in the domain of the Red Queen seems to be perpetually running. Were she...

Employee Demographics Shape Successful Mergers, According to Stanford Business School Research.
November 15, 2006... Byline: Stanford Graduate School of Business STANFORD, Calif., Nov. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- You're a manager in a company that has recently merged. Despite aggressive coaching to help your employees understand and embrace a new corporate...

'Tribbles' Protein Implicated in Common and Aggressive Form of Leukemia.
November 16, 2006... Byline: University of Pennsylvania Health System PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a new protein associated with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)....

Dark Energy Existed in Infant Universe.
November 16, 2006... Byline: Johns Hopkins University BALTIMORE, Nov. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, researchers have discovered that dark energy, a mysterious repulsive force that makes the universe expand at an ever-faster...

One Mystery of High-Tc Superconductivity Resolved.
November 16, 2006... Byline: Brookhaven National Laboratory UPTON, N.Y., Nov. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- Research published online in the journal Science this week by Tonica Valla, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory,...

Johns Hopkins-Led Team Discovers Exotic Relatives of Protons and Neutrons.
November 16, 2006... Byline: Johns Hopkins University BALTIMORE, Nov. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- A team of scientists, including four at The Johns Hopkins University, has discovered two new subatomic particles, rare but important relatives of the familiar,...

Many Consumers Lose the Holiday Shopping Price Game, Says University of Colorado Professor.
November 16, 2006... Byline: University of Colorado, Boulder BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- The holidays are right around the corner, and for many people that means a stressful search for the perfect gift at the right price. And even with...

Fires in Far Northern Forests to Have Cooling, Not Warming, Effect.
November 16, 2006... Byline: University of Florida GAINESVILLE, Fla., Nov. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- Droughts and longer summers tied to global warming are causing more fires in the Earth's vast northernmost forests, a phenomenon that will spew a steadily...

Retail Expert Says Gift Cards Can Help Avoid Holiday Gift Return Hassles.
November 17, 2006... Byline: Purdue University WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Nov. 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- The big holiday spending season that starts the Friday after Thanksgiving brings the inevitability of big holiday gift returns to stores, but a Purdue University...

Alternative Medicine May Be Key to Hormone Regulation for Some Women; Researchers Study Whether Acupuncture Can Help Women Find Balance.
November 17, 2006... Byline: University of Virginia Health System CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- Can acupuncture normalize hormones in women with irregular periods? The ancient Chinese therapy has long been thought to cure everything from...

American Dental Association Offers Tips for Enjoying Holiday Sweets and Keeping That 'Sweet Tooth' Intact.
November 17, 2006... Byline: American Dental Association CHICAGO, Nov. 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- Eating a lot of holiday sweets may satisfy that "sweet tooth," but too much of a good thing might lead to unintended results for your teeth and gums, according to...

UCLA Chemist Provides New Insights Into a Science Icon and Its History: the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements.
November 17, 2006... Byline: UCLA LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- The periodic table of chemical elements hangs in front of chemistry classrooms and in science laboratories worldwide. Yet much was unknown about its history and evolution until now....

Fighting Like a Girl or Boy Determined by Gene in Fruit Flies.
November 19, 2006... Byline: Harvard University Medical School BOSTON, Nov. 19 (AScribe Newswire) -- Fighting like a girl or fighting like a boy is hardwired into fruit fly neurons, according to a study in the Nov. 19 Nature Neuroscience advance online...

NASA'a Mars Global Surveyor May Be at Mission's End.
November 21, 2006... Byline: Jet Propulsion Laboratory PASADENA, Calif., Nov. 21 (AScribe Newswire) -- NASA's Mars Global Surveyor has likely finished its operating career. The spacecraft has served the longest and been the most productive of any mission ever...

University of Illinois at Chicago Evaluates New Device to Treat Brain Tumors.
November 21, 2006... Byline: University of Illinois at Chicago CHICAGO, Nov. 21 (AScribe Newswire) -- The University of Illinois at Chicago has enrolled the first patient in the United States in a study of a new treatment for the most common and aggressive type...

University of California Researchers Lead USDA-Funded Study of Farm-to-Institution Programs; Potentially Huge Market Could Spell Relief for Small and Mid-Sized Farms, Improve Eating Habits of Many.
November 21, 2006... Byline: University of California, Santa Cruz SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Nov. 21 (AScribe Newswire) -- Say goodbye to wisecracks about lousy cafeteria food and get ready for more salad bars and fresh produce in schools, universities, and hospitals....

Getting to the Heart of the Heart: Research Reveals Cardiac Stem Cells, Offering New Paradigm for Heart Formation.
November 22, 2006... Byline: Children's Hospital Boston BOSTON, Nov. 22 (AScribe Newswire) -- Helping to change scientists' thinking about how the heart is formed, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have identified a type of stem cell that is the...

Genetic Variation: We're More Different Than We Thought.
November 22, 2006... Byline: Howard Hughes Medical Institute CHEVY CHASE, Md., Nov. 22 (AScribe Newswire) -- New research shows that at least 10 percent of genes in the human population can vary in the number of copies of DNA sequences they contain - a finding...

Coral Reefs Are Increasingly Vulnerable to Angry Oceans; Study Predicts Which Corals Are at Greatest Risk.
November 22, 2006... Byline: University of California, Santa Barbara SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov. 22 (AScribe Newswire) -- Size and shape may predict the survival of corals around the world when the weather churns the oceans in the years to come, according to a...

Germ-Chemo Combo Fights Cancer.
November 24, 2006... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Nov. 24 (AScribe Newswire) -- Bacteria that can cause deadly infections in humans and animals have shown promise in treating cancer by "eating" tumors from the inside out. Now, two new...

Scientists 'See' New Ocean Floor Just Before and After It Is Created.
November 24, 2006... Byline: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution WOODS HOLE, Mass., Nov. 24 (AScribe Newswire) -- A multidisciplinary research team from six institutions has for the first time successfully anticipated and chronicled a seafloor eruption along...

Lucky Break Gives Scientists Unique View of Underwater Eruption.
November 24, 2006... Byline: University of Florida GAINESVILLE, Fla., Nov. 24 (AScribe Newswire) -- A combination of luck and being in the right place at the right time allowed a University of Florida geologist and other scientists to capture and record an...

As Hasidic Population Grows, Jewish Politics May Shift Right.
November 27, 2006... Byline: University of Florida GAINESVILLE, Fla., Nov. 27 (AScribe Newswire) -- In an era when the Jewish population in America is stable or declining, ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish numbers are growing rapidly -- a trend that may make the...

Researcher Gives Robotic Surgery Tools a Sense of Touch; Haptic Technology Will Allow Doctors to 'Feel' the Work of a Mechanical Helper.
November 28, 2006... Byline: Johns Hopkins University BALTIMORE, Nov. 28 (AScribe Newswire) -- By substituting mechanical instruments for human fingers, robotic tools give surgeons a new way to perform medical procedures with great precision in small spaces....

Night of the Living Enzyme: Nano-Chambers Mimic Living Cells to Squeeze New Activity From Stale, Defunct Proteins.
November 28, 2006... Byline: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory RICHLAND, Wash., Nov. 28 (AScribe Newswire) -- Inactive enzymes entombed in tiny honeycomb-shaped holes in silica can spring to life, scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest...

First International Gene Screen for Typical ALS Is on Track; Packard Center Researcher, Support Help Key Study.
November 28, 2006... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Nov. 28 (AScribe Newswire) -- The largest-scale search for genes that underlie sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of the disease, has crossed its first...