ScienceCache
Vol. 211
Dec. 1, 2005
MORE THAN $72 MILLION SECURED FOR LABORATORY FOR LASER ENERGETICS
The Laboratory for Laser Energetics will receive $72.6 million in funding
for current operations and construction of its new, four-beam extension
facility through a bill signed last month by President George W. Bush.
The $72.6 million, including $25 million for the new Omega EP facility,
is part of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for
2006. “The Laboratory for Laser Energetics has played a leading,
national role in efforts to develop nuclear fusion as a reliable energy
source and in the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship program,” says
University President Joel Seligman. “This funding keeps this
unique facility at the forefront of high-technology research, training,
and education for the nation.” The facility, headed by physicist
Robert L. McCrory, is home to the world's most powerful laser, Omega,
and serves a particularly crucial role as the nation's main fusion
program while the U.S. Department of Energy builds the National Ignition
Facility. LLE’s new Robert L. Sproull Center for Ultra High Intensity
Laser Research will extend Omega's capabilities to include a “petawatt” facility,
meaning the laser will produce 1 million billion watts of power. The
extended performance facility will make possible new experiments in
areas such as modeling the very young universe, understanding the quantum
world, and studying relativistic laser-matter interactions. The new
laser is scheduled to begin operation in 2007.
Full story
CHILDBIRTH NOT LINKED TO URINARY INCONTINENCE
Postmenopausal women who have given birth vaginally do not appear to
suffer from urinary incontinence at higher rates than their sisters who
have never given birth, according to a study published in the December
Obstetrics and Gynecology journal. The study results are contrary to
conventional thinking that vaginal delivery will result in urinary incontinence
later in life. In fact, elective caesarean sections are now being performed
for the sole purpose of preventing future incontinence, the authors report,
even though the scientific literature is inconsistent on this link. In
the current study, lead author Gunhilde Buchsbaum compared 143 pairs
of biological, postmenopausal sisters from western New York and northern
Vermont. The study showed that an underlying genetic predisposition,
not childbirth, seemed to play the largest role in determining risk. “If
we can find a clear genetic link, it would have great implications for
the direction of basic research, treatment approaches, risk management
and potential prophylactic interventions,” says Buchsbaum.
Full story
HOW NEWLYWEDS TRAVERSE THE FIRST FIVE YEARS
The early years of marriage can be a treacherous time for couples: About
40 percent of all divorces occur within the first five years, studies
show. A new research project is seeking 800 couples to follow during
this critical time in their relationship to better understand how some
couples are able to make it through this period when so many fall apart
or grow unhappy. Ronald D. Rogge, assistant professor of psychology,
is tracking the course of relationships during this early but high-risk
stage of marriage. "This is one of the largest efforts to follow
couples through this stage of marriage, and it will include a relatively
comprehensive set of measures, assessing everything from how supportive
spouses are to the quality of the neighborhoods they live in," Rogge
says. "We know that a myriad of variables -- like how spouses treat
each other, their individual personalities, and the quality of their
friends and neighbors -- can impact marital outcomes." About 160
couples from Miami to Toronto have already answered the online survey,
and on-campus interviews are starting. "One of the life lessons
that's coming out is that humor always helps," acknowledges Rogge. "Laughing
together is a good sign."
Full story
THREE SCIENTISTS NAMED FELLOWS OF AAAS
Chemist Richard S. Eisenberg, biochemist Fred Sherman, and neuroscientist
David R. Williams have been elected fellows of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest federation
of scientists. Eisenberg is being honored for his contributions to the
fields of inorganic and organometallic chemistry as a researcher, teacher,
leader, and mentor. The group of chemists he leads is engaged in a number
of projects, including several that focus on reactions related to catalysis
and the design of new catalytically active complexes. Sherman, a member
of the National Academy of Sciences, has been investigating various broad
aspects of gene expression in yeast since his years as a graduate student
in biophysics at the University of California at Berkeley. Considered
one of the founding fathers of yeast molecular biology, his current research
is directed toward understanding protein modifications and degradation
of mRNA in the nucleus. Williams is the creator of technology that allows
high resolution imaging in the living human retina, which has led to
dramatic discoveries about human vision. The work has led to an unprecedented
quality of eyesight for thousands of people and could lead to better
diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.
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