November 14, 2006, 4:48 AM CT

Helping Children Resolve Past Conflicts

When young children argue with their siblings, they are rarely counseled to address their conflicts after the fighting is over. Rather than encouraging children to forget past disagreements, it might be better for parents to use these quarrels to help their children develop useful skills in conflict resolution.

That's the conclusion of researchers at the Universities of Waterloo and Chicago, who asked 64 pairs of siblings ages 4 to 12 to try to solve an ongoing conflict between them. Their goals: to determine whether young children can negotiate with each other to resolve long-standing disagreements; to learn whether siblings can reach compromises that allow both children to meet at least some of their goals, and to identify strategies used when children agree and when they fail to resolve their differences.

The study, reported in the November/December 2006 issue of Child Development, found that at the time conflicts occur, it's difficult for siblings to negotiate constructively and compromise with one another. In contrast, when dealing with past disagreements, many children are able to productively discuss and resolve their differences.

Research shows that children don't readily forget past grievances. But siblings were able to resolve their past differences when they worked together, compromised, and made flexible plans for the future. When children failed to discuss the future or lobbed accusations at each other, they were unable to resolve these conflicts. Even when disagreements were expressed in a reasoned or toned-down manner, they often stood in the way of solutions.........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source

November 13, 2006, 9:07 PM CT

Where Chimp And Human Brains Diverge

Six million years ago, chimpanzees and humans diverged from a common ancestor and evolved into unique species. Now UCLA researchers have identified a new way to pinpoint the genes that separate us from our closest living relative and make us uniquely human. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports the study in its Nov. 13 online edition.

"We share more than 95 percent of our genetic blueprint with chimps," explained Dr. Daniel Geschwind, principal investigator and Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine. "What sets us apart from chimps are our brains: homo sapiens means 'the knowing man.'

"During evolution, changes in some genes altered how the human brain functions," he added. "Our research has identified an entirely new way to identify those genes in the small portion of our DNA that differs from the chimpanzee's." .

By evaluating the correlated activity of thousands of genes, the UCLA team identified not just individual genes, but entire networks of interconnected genes whose expression patterns within the brains of humans varied from those in the chimpanzee.

"Genes don't operate in isolation each functions within a system of related genes," said first author Michael Oldham, UCLA genetics researcher. "If we examined each gene individually, it would be similar to reading every fifth word in a paragraph you don't get to see how each word relates to the other. So instead we used a systems biology approach to study each gene within its context." .........

Posted by: Ashley      Permalink         Source

November 13, 2006, 9:03 PM CT

Phosphorus Another Culprit

Nitrogen is flowing down the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico faster than it can be consumed by floating microscopic plants called phytoplankton, increasing the size of the "dead zone" off the Louisiana coast. The findings, based on analysis of data gathered in 2001, are published online this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Because of the increased nitrogen levels, phytoplankton blooms are growing, and the Gulf's hypoxia zone -- an area lacking enough oxygen to sustain most life -- is getting bigger.

"In a pristine system, nutrients would flow down the river and into the Gulf, and there would be limited phytoplankton growth and no hypoxia," said James Ammerman, co-author of the paper and a biological oceanographer at Rutgers. "Heavy use of fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus in the agriculture of the Mississippi Valley has thrown the system out of balance".

As per Ammerman, phytoplankton need both nitrogen and phosphorus to grow. Because they require a 16-to-1 ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus, phytoplankton commonly run out of nitrogen first; most coastal surface waters have ratios lower than 16-to-1.

"There is now so much nitrogen in the Gulf that even though phytoplankton consume it faster than they consume phosphorus, they can't get rid of it fast enough, and it's the phosphorus, instead of nitrogen, that runs out first and becomes the limiting nutrient," Ammerman said.........

Posted by: Sarah      Permalink         Source

November 13, 2006, 9:00 PM CT

When Jobs in the Nation Change

Dr. Arden L. Bement, Jr., the National Science Foundation director, meets with Rice University students tonight to discuss how the role of the scientist shifts in an ever-changing job market. The world is experiencing a tectonic economic shift in which an increasing number of jobs require some understanding of science and technology, and today, industries hungry for science and technology workers compete with each other for talent. When the nature of everyone else's job changes, so do the jobs of the scientist and engineer.

This event is being webcast live November 9, 2006, from Baker Hall on the campus of Rice University. The webcast will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern time and can be viewed at: http://webcast.rice.edu/index.php?action=details&event=812.........

Posted by: Mac      Permalink         Source

November 13, 2006, 8:44 AM CT

Diskette Handbag from Fractalspin

This whimsical little handbag, made by Zelle and available at Fractalspin, is a bit of a surprise. From a distance, what you see is a black bag with interesting metallic shapes forming an eye-catching pattern. Up close, you notice that it's made of recycled computer diskettes (12 genuine 1.44 MB diskettes, to be exact). A magnetic latch holds the two sides together at top (though it doesn't close the opening all the way). For a different look, you can remove the latch and take out the bottom liner to convert it into a slim bag you can hold close to your body.

The label on the bag suggests that you "allocate interior pockets to manage internal fragmentation." There are five interior pockets -- 2 with snaps, two elasticized, and one zippered) -- for your cell phone, iPod, credit cards and cash, lipstick, etc. The main compartment is big enough to hold a book, a pack of tissues, a hairbrush, candy. "Available memory: 17.28 MB." Gimmicky, yes, but super cute. It's $65 on the Fractalspin website.........

Posted by: Kevin      Permalink         Source

November 13, 2006, 8:11 AM CT

Cardiocerebral Resuscitation better than CPR Outside

Survival rates following cardiac arrest went up 300 percent when emergency responders used Cardiocerebral Resuscitation, a new resuscitation approach for cardiac arrest pioneered at The University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center. Because the new technique does away with mouth-to-mouth breathing, it enhances the willingness to perform resuscitation in lay individuals.

"In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, the brain and the heart need resuscitation, not the lungs," said Gordon A. Ewy, director of UA Sarver Heart Center, where the new approach was developed. Ewy is one of few people in the world named a "CPR Giant" by the American Heart Association.

In CPR according to current AHA guidelines, 30 chest compressions are delivered, followed by two mouth-to-mouth breaths. While the responder presses on the chest, oxygenated blood is moved through the body and delivered to the organs.

"But when you stop chest compressions to give mouth-to-mouth ventilations, no blood is moved and the organs essentially are starved," Ewy says. "In fact, during CPR, blood flow to the brain and the organs is so poor that stopping chest compression for any reason including so called 'rescue breathing' is not helpful".

At the American Heart Association's 2006 Scientific Sessions in Chicago, Ewy presented data from Emergency Medical Services in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area showing that 9 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survived after the implementation of Cardiocerebral Resuscitation. This equals a 300-percent increase compared to the time when first responders used guideline CPR, resulting in a mere 3 percent survival rate.........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source

November 13, 2006, 7:46 AM CT

Psychological Needs Of Breast Cancer Patients

Almost half of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients are found to have clinically significant emotional distress or symptoms of psychiatric disorders before treatment is begun, according to a new study published in the recent issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study reveals that while virtually all of the women admitted to,experiencing some level of emotional distress, 47 percent met clinically significant screening criteria for emotional distress or a psychiatric disorder, including major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Studies have shown that significant emotional distress, including mood disorders and related functional impairments, afflict up to one-third of breast cancer survivors for up to 20 years after treatment. However, little was previously known about the baseline psychological status of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

To help characterize pre-treatment psychological status, Mark T. Hegel, Ph.D. of the Department of Psychiatry and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center of Dartmouth Medical School and colleagues conducted psychiatric and functional screening of 236 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

Their findings indicate that almost one in two women met clinically significant criteria for emotional distress or a psychiatric disorder. The most common problem was moderate to severe emotional distress (41 percent). The most commonly reported source of distress was related to the cancer diagnosis (100 percent), followed by uncertainty about treatment (96 percent) and concern about physical problems (81 percent). Twenty-one percent of women met criteria for psychiatric disorders, including major depression (11 percent) and PTSD (10 percent). These women also demonstrated significant declines in daily functioning that were due to the emotional disorders. Treatment for their cancer had not yet begun.........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source

November 10, 2006, 5:04 AM CT

To slow AIDS in Russia, treat HIV-positive addicts

The key to combating AIDS in Russia may be to treat HIV-infected drug users. A new model estimating the spread of HIV in Russia suggests that treating injection drug users with antiretroviral medicine will slow transmission of the virus among the general population.

The study, which will appear in the recent issue of the journal AIDS, was led by Douglas Owens, MD, a researcher at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and professor of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and Margaret Brandeau, PhD, professor of engineering at Stanford.

Estimates vary, but around 1 million Russians - slightly more than 1 percent of the adult population - are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Injection drug users account for three-quarters of all HIV cases in Russia, and the epidemic is spreading rapidly to non-drug users. According to the United Nations, Russia's HIV infection rate is among the fastest-growing in the world. By 2020, HIV could afflict 14.5 million Russians, according to a study from the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

Advances in antiretroviral therapies have the potential to stem the spread of the virus in Russia, but in 2005 less than 1 percent of HIV-infected Russians - 5,000 people - received the life-extending drugs.........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source

November 10, 2006, 4:38 AM CT

Antioxidant Therapies And Radiation Treatment

Cancer patients can get the vital nutritional benefits from taking antioxidants without the risk of interfering with radiation therapy, as per research findings being presented this weekend at the Society of Integrative Oncology's Third International Conference in Boston. The Society for Integrative Oncology is a non-profit organization of oncologists and other health professionals studying and integrating effective complementary therapies in cancer care.

The study, Effect of Concomitant Naturopathic Therapies on Clinical Tumor Response to External Beam Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer, was conducted by scientists at Cancer Treatment Centers of America and evaluated PSA levels of patients with prostate cancer after receiving radiation treatment. Scientists found no difference between patients taking antioxidants and those who did not. Antioxidants used in the study included green tea extract, melatonin, high-potency multivitamins, vitamin C and vitamin E.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America chose this study to address clinical concerns about the use of dietary supplements in conjunction with conventional cancer therapies. The study addressed the concern that antioxidants might interfere with cancer cell oxidation levels that contribute to tumor killing by chemotherapy and radiation treatment.........

Posted by: Sean      Permalink         Source

November 10, 2006, 4:29 AM CT

From Light To Sodium Atoms

For the first time, tornado-like rotational motions have been transferred from light to atoms in a controlled way at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The new quantum physics technique can be used to manipulate Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), a state of matter of worldwide research interest, and possibly used in quantum information systems, an emerging computing and communications technology of potentially great power.

As published in the Oct. 27 issue of Physical Review Letters,* the research team transferred orbital angular momentum--essentially the same motion as air molecules in a tornado or a planet revolving around a star--from laser light to sodium atoms.

The NIST experiment completes the scientific toolkit for complete control of the state of an atom, which now includes the internal, translational, and rotational behavior. The rotational motion of light previously has been used to rotate particles, but this new work marks the first time the motion has been transferred to atoms in discrete, measurable units, or quanta. Other researchers, as well as the NIST group, previously have transferred linear momentum and spin angular momentum (an internal magnetic state) from light to atoms.

The experiments were performed with more than a million sodium atoms confined in a magnetic trap. The atoms were chilled to near absolute zero and in identical quantum states, the condition known as a Bose-Einstein condensate in which they behave like a single "super-atom" with a jelly-like consistency. The BEC was illuminated from opposite sides by two laser beams, one of them with a rotating doughnut shape. Each atom absorbed one photon (the fundamental particle of light) from the doughnut laser beam and emitted one photon in the path of the other laser beam, picking up the difference in orbital angular momentum between the two photons. The interaction of the two opposing lasers created a corkscrew-like interference pattern, inducing the BEC to rotate--picture a rotating doughnut, or a vortex similar to a hurricane.........

Posted by: Sarah      Permalink         Source