Bacterial Toxin Surprises Scientists
... previous work, the scientists knew that a portion of colicin Ia changes from a harmless clus... Never before has anyone seen such a large portion of protein cross to the opposite side of a membrane to open a channel. This protein movement...Researchers Pinpoint Site For Petit Mal Seizures In Brain
... parts of the nervous system to the neocortex, the portion of the brain that processes higher functions such as language. "In a sense the thalamus is thought to be the gateway to consciousness," Hosford said. "During a petit mal seizure, the thalamus switches to a burst pattern of signal transmission, simila...Nitric Oxide May Hold Key To First Treatment For Deadly Form Of Malaria, Duke Scientists Report
...ism -- the attachmentof nitric oxide (NO) to a key portion of a protein called a thiol -- thatcan directly activate genes. The work was funded by the National Heart,Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. The researchers theorize that the process of flagging prote...Nitric Oxide Found To Control Cells By Turning On Genes; Suggests New Role In Health And Disease
...ism -- the attachmentof nitric oxide (NO) to a key portion of a protein called a thiol -- thatcan directly activate genes. The work was funded by the National Heart,Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. The researchers theorize that the process of flagging prote...Florida Company Using ORNL Technology For Revolutionary Wheelchair
...d transport in a car's trunk or back seat. Theseat portion of the unit, expected to be provided by Superior UnlimitedCorp. of Bristol, sits atop a platform propelled by three sphericalcasters. A spin-on-itself turning capability eliminates the wide turningradius typical of conventional power wheelchairs. "Th...Methane Deep In Ocean Crust Could Feed Chemical-Hungry Microorganisms
...t Indian Ridge near Madagascar. It's there that a portion of layer three has been thrust up to where humans can drill it for the first time and get samples that have not been affected or weathered by seawater or the atmosphere. For her analysis she creates paper-thin slices of rock and mounts them on a st...Corn Byproduct Shows Promise As Biodegradable Packaging Material
...ctureand also from dry milling waste. Only a small portion of the zein currentlyavailable is used commercially in the formulation of specialty coatingsfor candies, rice, dried fruits and pharmaceutical tablets. U. of I. researchersthink their process could give zein -- and corn -- a new market at a timewhen ...How Dry Is The Tropical Free Troposphere? Implications For Global Warming Theory
...e very low humidity in this region allows a larger portion of the infraredradiation to escape from the Earth, thereby cooling the atmosphere. Currentcomputer models do not accurately handle the processes which control thehumidity in this region, which are related to how much cloud material fallsout of rainfa...Lethal Parasite Prime Suspect In Fish Kills At Salton Sea
...tional wildlife refuge occupies a significant portion of the Salton Sea, the Health Center's assistance was sought and delivered," said USGS Chief Biologist Dennis B. Fenn. "Over the last five years", Dr. Friend said, " the Salton Sea has been the site of several major die-offs. ...Geologist Finds Evidence Supporting Mysterious Ancient Sea
...hat is now Texas and the southernApplachians and a portion of Argentina known as thePrecordillera. Those similarities have led some geologists toargue that ancient North and South America were smashed togetherside by side. That would leave no room for the Iapetus Ocean. Huff and his collaborators have examin...Chlamydia Vaccine Developed At UMass
...d with tiny amounts of a bacterium or the relevant portion of it. This material is seen as "foreign" by the recipient, prompting the body to generate specific antibodies, which result in immunity to disease. But the hard-to-handle GLXA led these scientists to use a two-step approach in creating a vaccine. Ma...Divorce, Insect Style: Termites Swap Mates
...og they intend to mine. The nitrogen-rich cambium portion of trees is the mostcoveted by termites because other parts of wood are less nutritious for agrowing family. The wood-mining colony, clustered around the original termitepair, can remain in place for years as offspring help with family duties, andon...Transgenic Mice Created By Researchers May Shed Light On Human Heart Disease
...e disease has been shown tobe a mutation on a tiny portion of a single gene that produces the proteinmyosin, it is not known why the myosin gene causes mortality, she said."We have created these transgenic mice to help us understand the biologicalprocesses and hopefully test new therapeutic agents." ......s that reducedhomocysteine may account for a major portion of the apparent protection fromheart disease afforded by folate and vitamin B-6. Notably, the findings suggest a benefit for intake of both vitamins at levelsbeyond those currently recommended for the general population. The currentrecommended die...Hormone Control Of Rare Leukemia Sheds Light On Molecular Basis Of Cancer
... with retinoic acid go into remission, but a small portion ofpatients do not." Retinoic acid and its receptor regulate gene expression using a complexinterplay of blocking and activating molecules. In the absence of retinoic acid,the receptor blocks a gene by binding to a co-repressor. In the pr...Hormones Found In The Brain May Determine How Much You Eat And Affect Obesity And Diabetes
... signalingcascade. These proteins are located in a portion of the brain calledthe lateral hypothalamus, the region that controls appetite. After determining that they had the locks (receptors) and keys(ligands) that fit together to begin the intercellular communicationprocess, the investigators tested it...Pennsylvania's R&D Climate Improving
...terms of federal R&D dollarsreceived. The largest portion of the $2.45 billion that the state received in1995 went to industrial firms, accounting for 51 percent of the funds. Universities received 30 percent of the funds, placing second. According to thereport, although the Department of Defense (DOD) prov...Growth Factors Shown To Increase Vitamin C In The Immune System
...Building on this discovery, Dr. Golde identified a portion of the GM-CSFreceptor on the cell's surface that stimulates the immune cell to takein glucose. This discovery just happened to coincide with earlier researchin his laboratory led by Dr. Juan Carlos Vera establishing that specificglucose transporter m...Hard Hearts: New Discovery Of Bone In Heart Tissue May Explain Valve Disease
... in the human skeleton--ispresent in a substantial portion of diseased heart valves. This finding, whichsets the stage for more in-depth research on the biochemical process by whichvalves transform into bone, could lead to the development of therapies toprevent or treat heart-valve disease. The broader probl...... and prominences. On the other hand,"the remaining portion seems to be associated with the nextsolar cycle" Hathaway said, "although there's no conclusionon what produces this connection." This latter componentseems to be related to recurrent features on the sun. "It's probably related to the polar fields,"...