Davis, D.L., et al. 1997. Short-term improvements in public health from global-climate policies on fossil-fuel combustion: An interim report. Lancet 350(Nov. 8):1341.

Burnett, R.T., et al. 1997. The role of particle size and chemistry in the association between summertime ambient air pollution and hospitalization for cardiorespiratory diseases. Environmental Health Perspectives 105(June):614.

Burtraw, D., and M. Toman. 1997. Benefits of reduced air pollutants in the U.S. from greenhouse gas mitigation policies. Resources For the Future Discussion Paper 98-01. Washington, D.C. Available at http://www.rff.org/DPAPERS/dps98.htm.

Health Effects Institute. 1997. Particulate air pollution and daily mortality: Analyses of the effects of weather and multiple air pollutants. Phase 1.B Report of the Particle Epidemiology Project March. Cambridge, Mass.

Monastersky, R. 1997. Beyond hot air. Science News 151(May 24):320.

Pope III, C.A., et al. 1995. Particulate air pollution as a predictor of mortality in a prospective study of U.S. adults. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 151:669.

Raber, L.R. 1997. Clean air: Dollars versus lives. Chemical & Engineering News 75(Feb. 3):28.

Raloff, J. 1995. Heart-y risks from breathing fine dust. Science News 148(July 1):5.

_____. 1991. Dust to dust: A particularly lethal legacy. Science News 139(April 6):212.

_____. 1989. Smallest aerosol pollutants linked to disease. Science News 135(May 6):277.

Schwartz, J. 1994. What are people dying of on high air pollution days? Environmental Research 64(January):26.

Wilson, R., and J. Spengler. 1996. Particles in Our Air. Cambridge, Mass.: Ballinger.

Woodruff, T.J., J. Grillo, and K.C. Schoendorf. 1997. The relationship between selected causes of postneonatal infant mortality and particulate air pollution in the United States. Environmental Health Perspectives 105(June):608.

Yuhnke, R. 1997. Particles of concern. Environmental Forum 14(March-April):24.

Gamma-ray glow bathes Milky Way

A mysterious halo of gamma rays, not associated with any known celestial object, extends thousands of light-years from the core of the Milky Way.

References:

Sreekumar, P., D.L. Bertsch, et al. In press. EGRET observations of the extragalactic gamma ray emission. Astrophysical Journal.

1997. Scientists report halo of gamma rays surrounding Milky Way galaxy. University of California, Riverside press release.

One-way molecules channel electric current

Researchers have synthesized a molecular rectifier, in which electric current flows more easily from one side of the molecule to the other than in the reverse direction.

References:

Metzger, R.M., et al. 1997. Unimolecular electrical rectification in hexadecylquinolinium tricyanoquinodimethanide. Journal of the American Chemical Society 119(Oct. 29):10455.

Zhou, C., et al. 1997. Nanoscale metal/self-assembled monolayer/metal heterostructures. Applied Physics Letters 71(Aug. 4):611.

Further Readings:

Goldhaber-Gordon, D.J., et al. 1997. Overview of nanoelectronic devices. Proceedings of the IEEE 85(April). Available at http://www.mitre.org/research/nanotech/IEEE_article.html.

Martin, A.S., J.R. Sambles, and G.J. Ashwell. 1993. Molecular rectifier. Physical Review Letters 70(Jan. 11):218.

Peterson, I. 1997. Fine lines for chips. Science News 152(Nov. 8):302.

______. 1983. The incredible shrinking computer. Science News 123(June 11):378.

Reed, M.A., et al. 1997. Conductance of a molecular junction. Science 278(Oct. 10):252.

The MITRE nanoelectronics and nanocomputing home page is at http://www.mitre.org/research/nanotech/index.html.

New schizophrenia therapy shows promise

A new therapy for schizophrenia, which teaches individuals how to cope with stress and function socially, helps patients who are stable enough to live with their families.

References:

Fenton, W.S., and T.H. McGlashan. 1997. We can talk: Individual psychotherapy for schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry 154(November):1493.

Hogarty, G.E., et al. 1997. Three-year trials of personal therapy among schizophrenic patients living with or independently of family, I: Description of study and effects on relapse rates. American Journal of Psychiatry 154(November):1504.

Hogarty, G.E., et al. 1997. Three-year trials of personal therapy among schizophrenic patients living with or independently of family, II: Effects on adjustment of patients. American Journal of Psychiatry 154(November):1514.

Further Readings:

Bower, B. 1997. Kids with schizophrenia yield brain clues. Science News 152(Oct. 25):261.

Repeating DNA linked to schizophrenia

An unusual type of genetic mutation, already known to cause Huntington's disease and some other brain disorders, may increase susceptibility to schizophrenia.

References:

Chandy, K.G. . . . J.J. Gargus. 1997. Gene encoding neuronal calcium-activated potassium channel has polymorphic CAG repeats, a candidate role in excitotoxic neurodegeneration and maps to 22q11-q13, critical region for bipolar disease and schizophrenia disorder 4. American Society of Human Genetics meeting. Baltimore.

Further Readings:

Bower, B. 1997. Manic depression linked to absent DNA. Science News 151(Jan. 4):7.

Obesity poses cancer risk for older women

An extensive survey finds a strong link between obesity and breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

References:

Huang, Z., et al. 1997. Dual effects of weight and weight gain on breast cancer risk. American Medical Association 278(Nov. 5):1407.

Further Readings:

Hankinson, S.E., et al. 1995. Alcohol, height, and adiposity in relation to estrogen and prolactin levels in postmenopausal women. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 87:1297.

Kelsey, J.L., and J. Baron. 1997. Weight and risk for breast cancer. American Medical Association 278(Nov. 5):1448.

Lipworth, L., et al. Serum steroid hormone levels, sex hormone-binding globulin, and body mass index in the etiology of postmenopausal breast cancer. Epidemiology 7:96.

Potischman, N., et al. 1996. Reversal of relation between body mass and endogenous estrogen concentrations with menopausal status. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 88(June 5):756.

Willett, W.C., et al. 1985. Relative weight and risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women. American Journal of Epidemiology 122:731.

Ziegler, R.G., et al. Relative weight, weight change, height, and breast cancer risk in Asian-American women. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 88(May 15):650.

SOHO craft helps solve a solar mystery

Satellite observations reveal that the visible solar surface is carpeted with tens of thousands of magnetic field bundles that loop upward into the corona and may account for its high temperature.

References:

1997. NASA press briefing. Washington, D.C.

Further Readings:

Cowen, R. 1996. How to light a fire. Science News 150(Aug. 31):136.

Mighty mouths: How whales keep the heat

An array of heat-exchanging veins and arteries in their massive tongues enable gray whales to conserve heat.

References:

Heyning, J.E., and J.G. Mead. Thermoregulation in the mouths of feeding gray whales. Science 278(Nov. 7):1138.

Further Readings:

Monastersky, R. 1994. The pulse of T. rex. Science News 145(May 14):312.

Research Notes:

Behavior

AA's motivated benefits

Drug abuse treatment based on the 12-step, self-help model seems to work for much the same reasons as other types of treatment, such as giving confidence in one's ability to resist drug use in various social situations.

References:

Morgenstern, J., et al. 1997. Affiliation with Alcoholics Anonymous after treatment: A study of its therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 65(October):768.

Getting a read on the brain

Language areas in the brain work with additional neural regions to foster understanding of written sentences.

References:

Bavelier, D., et al. 1997. Sentence reading: A functional MRI study at 4 Tesla. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 9(September):664.

Biology

Hot stuff: A receptor for spicy foods

The cell protein that responds to capsaicin, the spicy agent in hot peppers, also acts as a heat sensor.

References:

Caterina, M.J. . . . D. Julius. The capsaicin receptor: A heat-activated ion channel in the pain pathway. Nature 389(Oct. 23):816.

Clapham, D.E. Some like it hot: Spicing up ion channels. Nature 389(Oct. 23):783.

New genes debut on the Y chromosome

Investigators have discovered a dozen new genes on the Y chromosome, ones likely to contribute to male fertility or essential cellular duties.

References:

Lahn, B.T., and D.C. Page. 1997. Functional coherence of the human Y chromosome. Science 278(Oct. 24):675.

Further Readings:

Travis, J. 1996. The Y copies another chromosome's gene. Science News 150(Nov. 16):311.

Just do it (but only if you want to)

Unlike healthful, voluntary workouts, compulsory exercise appears to suppress the immune system.

References:

Fleshner, M., et al. 1997. Voluntary exercise potentiates whereas forced exercise suppresses anti-KLH responses. Society for Neuroscience meeting. New Orleans.

What do platypuses dream of?

The platypus experiences REM sleep, challenging theories that this type of slumber evolved relatively recently.

References:

Siegel, J. 1997. REM sleep in the platypus. Society for Neuroscience meeting. New Orleans.

Thanks, Ma, my brain needed that

Infant mice deprived of their mother's attention for a single day experience more brain cell death than is normal during development.

References:

Zhang, L.X. . . . M.A. Smith. 1997. Maternal deprivation induces neuronal death. Society for Neuroscience meeting. New Orleans.

Physics

Ringing up a coffee stain

Capillary flow while the liquid evaporates within a coffee droplet spilled on a surface leads to a characteristic ring of powdery residue.

References:

Deegan, R.D., et al. 1997. Capillary flow as the cause of ring stains from dried liquid drops. Nature 389(Oct. 23):827. Additional information is available at http://mrsec.uchicago.edu/MRSEC/Nuggets/Coffee.

Further Readings:

Ball, P. 1997. How coffee leaves its mark. Nature 389(Oct. 23):788.

Walker, G. 1997. The thrill of the spill. New Scientist (Oct. 25):34.

Chemical analysis with atom tweezers

Scanning tunneling microscopy combined with mass spectrometry allows identification of atoms at particular positions on a surface.

References:

Weierstall, U., J.C.H. Spence, and U. Knipping. 1997. Atom species identification in STM with time-of-flight technique. Forty-fourth National Symposium of the American Vacuum Society. San Jose, Calif. Abstract available at http://www.vacuum.org/symposium/sessions/abdetail.cfm?abstractID=646.

Further Readings:

Additional information about chemical analysis with atomic tweezers can be found at http://www.public.asu.edu/~weier/STAP.html, http://www.asu.edu/graduate/SEM/spence.htm, and http://www.public.asu.edu/~weier/sap/sap.j.vac.sci.html.

Articles:

Return of the Tuatara

A relict from the age of dinosaurs gets a human assist

A colony of the rare, lizardlike tuatara is being reestablished on an island off New Zealand.

References:

Daugherty, C.H., et al. 1990. Neglected taxonomy and continuing extinctions of tuatara (Sphenodon). Nature 347(Sept. 13):177.

Daugherty, C.H., S.N. Keall, and N.J. Nelson. 1997. Conservation of the Brothers Island tuatara (Sphenodon guntheri). Society for Conservation Biology annual meeting. Victoria, British Columbia.

Fine Lines for Chips

Competing technologies for downsizing the transistor

To create sufficiently small features on an integrated-circuit chip, the semiconductor industry must develop advanced lithography methods that are viable on the factory floor.

Further Readings:

Geppert, L. 1996. Semiconductor lithography for the next millennium. IEEE Spectrum April:33.

Gibson, J.M. 1997. Reading and writing with electron beams. Physics Today October:56.

Goodwin, I. 1997. Intel, Motorola and Advanced Micro Devices enlist 3 DOE labs to develop new computer chip. Physics Today October:85.

Holstein, W.J. 1997. What's good for Intel. . . . U.S. News & World Report Oct. 6:47.

MacIlwain, C. 1997. Chip-making equipment industry warns of threat from Intel deal. Nature 389(Sept.18):215.

Peterson, I. 1997. Tinier transistors for tomorrow's chips. Science News 152(Sept. 20):180.

Schaller, R.R. 1997. Moore's law: Past, present, and future. IEEE Spectrum June:52.

Service, R.F. 1996. Can chip devices keep shrinking? Science 274(Dec. 13):1834.

Spencer, W.J., and C.L. Seitz. 1997. Engines of progress: Semiconductor technology trends and issues. In Defining a Decade: Envisioning CSTB's second 10 years, computer science and telecommunications board. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Available at http://www.nap.edu/reading/room/books/decade.

Wu, C. 1997. Computer chips take a leap forward. Science News 152(Sept. 27):196.

Information about extreme ultraviolet lithography can be found at http://www.ca.sandia.gov/news/euvl/ and at http://xray.eecs.berkeley.edu:8080/EUV/overview.html.

An overview of X-ray lithography is available at http://www.xraylith.wisc.edu/overview/overview.html.

Additional information about the SCALPEL project at Lucent Technologies is available at http://www.bell-labs.com/project/SCALPEL/.

The reactions of four Democratic members of Congress to the agreement between Intel and its partners and DOE is at http://www.house.gov/science_democrats/welcome.htm.

Table of Contents - 11/8/97

SEARCH!

copyright 1997
Science Service