Research to be reported October 29 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides evidence that some molecular interactions on cell surfaces may have a “memory” that affects their future interactions. The report could lead to a re-examination of results from certain single-molecule research.
Monthly Archive for October, 2007
Herpes viruses, though not life-threatening, are usually considered to be embarrassing and annoying. Researchers at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, however, are using the virus to potentially fight breast cancer, which, according to the American Cancer Society, is the most common cancer among women.
In fact, excluding cancers of the skin, breast cancer accounts for nearly one in three cancers diagnosed in U.S. women.
“Our immune systems are engineered to fight cancer,” said Dr. Konstantin “Gus” Kousoulas, professor of virology in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences and director of the Division of Biotechnology & Molecular Medicine. “The human body’s T-cells belong to a group of white blood cells and play a central role in immunity. However, cancer cells cause the T-cells to essentially fall asleep.
“The tumor emits signals to down-regulate the T-cells. Our herpes virus can be engineered to awaken those cells and modulate the immune system so that it recognizes the tumor cells and destroys them.”
The herpes virus was engineered to selectively replicate in cancer cells; it does not affect normal cells.
“Herpes virus replicate cells on their own,” said Kousoulas. “Cold sores are caused when the herpes virus replicates and kills normal cells; the cold sore is made up of the dead cells. Our herpes virus has been engineered to only replicate and destroy cancer cells, thus killing the tumor. Patients would not contract the herpes virus itself.”
The traditional flat solar panel looks like becoming a thing of the past now that a Japanese company has developed a spherical equivalent that is both more efficient and far cheaper to make.
The Sphelar, which is the brainchild of Kyoto-based Kyosemi, is a perfectly round solar cell that can be made as small as 1mm in diameter. In serial or parallel, hundreds or thousands of the devices can be used to form a solar panel of any shape.
While it may not seem like a major difference, the practical effect of making a non-flat solar panel is that it doesn’t have to precisely face the sun to capture energy. In fact, Sphelar cells can generate electricity from both direct and indirect sunshine; effectively soaking up available light whatever direction it comes from.
Lockheed Martin Corp.’s history is built on making jets, missiles and other weapons of war. But lately, its growth plans also call for securing more U.S. government contracts for an array of behind-the-scenes services throughout the world—everything from managing military bases and embassies to helping write constitutions for developing nations.
Lockheed is making its move through Pacific Architects & Engineers Inc., a little-known Los Angeles company it acquired last year. For more than five decades, PAE quietly worked on Army bases and provided facilities-management services to the State Department. That meant such work as maintaining fresh paint at the U.S. embassy in Moscow to providing logistics for African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, Sudan. Half of the company’s revenue comes from the State Department.
Lockheed, of Bethesda, Md., sees PAE as a vehicle to provide more crucial—and lucrative—services to governments and other entities. PAE has developed expertise in areas such as disaster relief, peacekeeping missions and election monitoring. Such work has historically been the State Department’s turf.
As the Defense Department’s budget begins to plateau and U.S. forces are stretched thin, Lockheed needs to find ways to grow beyond big weapons systems. To capitalize on the changing nature of military activity around the globe, the company is seeking a role in everything from the occupation of Iraq to disaster response to antiterror efforts.
“We believe that the definition of global security is changing. Expanding, actually,” Lockheed Chairman and Chief Executive Bob Stevens said.
oil on photo printed canvas, 40×60 inches
When Chinese authorities implement a new law this month on the “reincarnation of Living Buddhas,” it will open a new and controversial phase in the looming battle to find a successor for the 72-year-old Dalai Lama.
The Chinese government described the new law as an “important move to institutionalize the management of reincarnation of Living Buddhas,” or lamas, as the monks in senior positions are known in Tibetan Buddhism.
The concept of reincarnation is viewed by non-believers around the world with a considerable degree of scepticism and amusement, but within the context of Tibetan culture it remains a centerpiece in spiritual life.
These Living Buddhas form the core of leadership in Tibetan Buddhism. They constitute a clergy of influential figures who are believed to be continuously reincarnated to pursue their religious work. At the apex of this spiritual elite is the Dalai Lama, which has an unbroken lineage of reincarnations extending 600 years. The current Dalai Lama is considered as the 14th Dalai Lama.
But the new measure has little to do with the esoteric realm of the afterlife and reincarnation. What Beijing is more concerned with has to do with the realm of politics and its political control over the future of Tibet.
The new regulations stipulate the Chinese government’s approval as a requirement in the search and recognition of reincarnated lamas. Though the Dalai Lama is not mentioned directly, the reference to the Tibetan spiritual leader is clear in a provision stating that “the reincarnation of a Living Buddha with a particularly great impact” has to be approved by the top Chinese leaders in Beijing. Otherwise, the government will consider the reincarnation as “illegal or invalid.”
Photographs in “China in Colors” series.
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