UCLA group develops treatment for cat allergies
AMES, Iowa (U-WIRE) - A new treatment for cat allergy sufferers may be available in a few years.
A team of six doctors at the University of California at Los Angeles has created a molecule, GFD, which combines the cat protein that triggers allergies with a human protein that stops the reaction, according to their research report published in medical journal Nature Medicine.
Injections of GFD successfully stopped airway swelling in mice that had been sensitized to cat allergies. In blood cultures from people who were allergic to cats, GFD reduced histamine release by more than 90 percent. Histamines are proteins commonly produced in allergic reactions.
Princeton students protest Senate's filibuster stance
PRINCETON, N.J. (U-WIRE) - For more than 12 hours Tuesday, Princeton University students on Frist North Lawn continuously read from the U.S. Constitution, "My Pet Goat" and other documents to protest actions by the man whose family funded the building they were standing in front of.
The group was still reading as of 2 a.m. and planned to continue through the night.
The protest was a symbolic gesture against a rule change that would eliminate the Senate filibusters Democrats have used to block some of Bush's judicial nominees.
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GAO report documents effects of Pell Grant cuts
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (U-WIRE) - The Government Accountability Office released a report last week, which revealed that 81,000 students will lose their eligibility to receive financial aid in the form of Pell Grants.
The GAO, an investigative branch of Congress, created the report to analyze the effects of a decision made by the U.S. Department of Education to change the student-aid eligibility formula by using more up-to-date tax information.
'One of the things that could happen with a change in the formula is that a family's need may be less rather than greater - according to the formula - when their situation hasn't actually changed,' Robin White, AccessU.Va. Project Manager said.
UC-Berkeley reveals speaker for graduation
BERKELEY, Calif. (U-WIRE) - After attracting big names such as ABC News anchor Ted Koppel and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in the past, this year's keynote speaker for the University of California at Berkeley's general commencement ceremony has left some graduating seniors scratching their heads.
Benjamin Barber will give UC Berkeley's 2005 Commencement Convocation in May.
Barber, a professor at University of Maryland, is best known for his book "Jihad vs. McWorld," an analysis of ethnic nationalism against global consumerism.
"Most seniors are trying to figure out who he is," said Camille Llanes, president of the California Alumni Association.
Man invents small device to accurately ID criminals
SAN JOSE, Calif. (U-WIRE) - San Jose State University electrical engineering alumnus Russell Hanabusa is ready to make the world a safer place.
After years of failed attempts, Hanabusa said he has invented a technology that captures and stores the DNA of those guilty of child abductions, murder, rape and other violent crimes.
The capsule is about the size of a pearl or a button and can be worn on clothing, jewelry or any other daily wear.
Team develops software to simulate human heart
BERKELEY, Calif. (U-WIRE) - To build one of the most detailed models of the human body ever, it takes some heart.
University of California at Berkeley computer science professor Katherine Yelick has brought one of the first steps of that goal to life with software designed to simulate the human heart.
In a joint project with mathematicians at the New York University, Yelick developed a program that models fluid dynamics of the heart, which include mapping blood flow and blood cell coagulation.
Math team receives honor for optimizing traffic flow
DURHAM, N.C. (U-WIRE) - The next time you're stuck in rush hour traffic, you might want to give a call to the Duke University math department.
Three mathematics majors who formed Team 770 tackled the problem of optimizing tollbooth numbers as a function of highway lanes for the Mathematical Contest in Modeling, which took place in February.
The Mathematical Association of America has the students to speak at the MathFest conference in Albuquerque this August.
Report: Job market looks positive for 2005 grads
CARBONDALE, Ill. (U-WIRE) - The job market is looking bright for students preparing to enter the workforce, as labor economists predict higher salaries and more job opportunities in the upcoming months.
According to a report published by the National Association of College and Employers, the average starting salary offers to college graduates are climbing at a steady pace.
