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George Avrunin, professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Massachusetts, has received a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation for research on the effective linking of computer systems. He is working in conjunction with UMass computer science professors Lori Clarke and Leon Osterweil. The group's research could eventually be used in the development of computer systems used in areas such as air traffic control, airline reservation systems, and the monitoring of hospital patients.

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The National Science Foundation has appointed University of Washington Professor Mark Haselkorn to coordinate its external efforts to address the year 2000 computer problem.

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Research over the past 10 years has shown that acute leukemia is in fact a genetic disorder. It arises when genes essential to correct blood cell function are not expressed at the appropriate times. In many cases, the failure of gene expression can be traced to an altered protein known as a transcription factor.

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Spurred by predictions that we may have only 90 years of high-quality rock phosphate fertilizer left, Purdue University researchers have taken a step toward helping plants get the nutrient out of soil. They were the first to isolate genes that help plant roots take up phosphate, a common form of phosphorus.

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Faculty in the Purdue University School of Agriculture give a better-than-educated guess of what the future holds for American food and fiber industries with a new book and video set entitled "FoodSystem 21: Gearing Up for the New Millennium." Purdue Agricultural economist Mike Boehlje calls it "a frank and brutal look" at where farms, input suppliers, processors and consumers are heading.

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Highlights of New Scientist for Nov 6, 1997.

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A new study has found that filtering leukocytes (white blood cells) out of transfused blood and blood that passes through a heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery resulted in significantly decreased length of stay and therefore, cost of care, for a majority of patients.

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The National Science Board (NSB) will meet on Wednesday, November 12 through Friday, November 14, 1997 at National Science Foundation headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Sessions open to the public include: Thursday, November 13, from 2:20 p.m.-5:45 p.m. and Friday, November 14 from 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

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Initial outcomes for participants in Diabetes Treatment Centers of America's (DTCA) comprehensive health care management system, Diabetes NetCareTM, show a 26%, or $141 per member per month, reduction in direct health care costs within six months of implementation, according to the current issue of Managed Healthcare magazine.

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Older people with chronic congestive heart failure can significantly improve their functional independence by exercising moderately three times a week, according to a study led by Johns Hopkins physicians.

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The number of Atlantic salmon in American rivers has dropped dramatically in recent years. UC Santa Cruz ecologist Marc Mangel is probing the biological and environmental factors that trigger the salmon's patterns of migration and spawning.

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A supercomputer is ushering in a new era of high-precision weather forecasting. The University of Washington has switched on the latest version of its MM5 weather forecasting system, the world's first to diagnose and forecast local weather on a scale of a few thousand yards. The four-kilometer system can follow a region's topography so accurately that it can "see" rain showers on one side of a mountain and the rain shadow on the other.

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A daily supplement of 1000 micrograms (mcg) of chromium picolinate can have "pronounced" beneficial effects on the management of adult-onset diabetes, according to a new study published in the November Diabetes, the journal of the American Diabetes Association.

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There is no established correlation between the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) dissolution test and the body's ability to absorb multivitamin supplements. None the less, The Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter tries hard to make a story out of the fact that two out of ten brands of multivitamins failed to pass a USP dissolution test.

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Long-term use of multi-vitamins may reduce the risk of colon cancer by 50 percent. Consumption of 200 international units (IU) of vitamin E per day may reduce the risk by 57 percent. A new study published in the October journal of Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention showed that there was a significant relationship between multivitamin use and supplemental use of vitamins A, C, E, folic acid, and calcium and lower colon cancer rates.

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Unusually warm temperatures can wreak havoc on the world's climate, but these warming periods also have an upside that may help researchers better understand global climate change. In a study published in "Science" magazine, University of New Hampshire scientists describe how a warm anomaly helps temporarily brake the ongoing rise in atmospheric CO2 attributed to human activity.

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From the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology , November 1997: 1) More evidence of role of Chlamydia in Heart Disease, 2) Possible Vaccine Target for Ulcer Bacteria, 3) Airlines Carry Infectious Diseases in Lavatory Sewage

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Muzak may be capable of reducing stress in a "high stress" work environment and help reduce the risk of the common cold at the same time. That's the implication of a new study, "The Influence of Muzak on Stress and Immune System Function in a Newspaper Newroom," by two professors at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA. It is being presented at the annual meeting of the International Congress of Applied Psychology which takes place in San Francisco during August 1998.

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Dave A. Berque, DePauw University associate professor of computer science, and his students have developed an electronic blackboard that enables the professor to write lecture notes on a laser board on the wall, and the professor's handwritten lecture notes are automatically transferred to PCs at the students' desks. Students can use a light pen to annotate the notes on their PC screens and then save the notes for future review and study.

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Microorganisms require a different way of thinking in terms of diversity. Cultivated soils, for example, often have more microbial diversity than do native grassland soils. Whereas in undisturbed soil, microbes tend to develop pockets and communities, in tilled soils they become evenly distributed. When we till soil, we think we're doing the right thing, says Kennedy. But what's happening is the community is going berserk.

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Although the benefits of breast reconstruction for mastectomy patients have been well documented, the costs associated with surgery have led some insurance companies to resist or even deny coverage for covered participants. A 1996 survey conducted by the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons revealed that 84 percent of plastic surgeons across the country reported up to ten patients each who were denied coverage for breast reconstruction surgery in a one-year period.

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A color additive extracted from dried bugs and commonly used in cosmetics, clothing fibers, fruit drinks, candy, yogurt and other foods can cause life-threatening allergic reactions, a University of Michigan physician has confirmed. As a "natural" ingredient, the color additive is often not listed on labels.

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Law students at Nova Southeastern University are mediating employment discrimination cases for the U.S. Postal Service. This is the only program of its kind in the nation which works with the Postal Service. It's been so successful that it is now expected to be duplicated at other law schools throughout the country. The cases are complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that go to mediation instead of hearing with the EEOC's administrative judges.

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Minority psychologists in academic settings are generally less satisfied than their White counterparts. That's according to a new study co-authored by John D. Dovidio, professor of psychology at Colgate University which examines how perceptions of racial distinctivess relate to job satisfaction of White and ethnic/racial minority American Psychological Association members working in psychology departments in academia.

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1) Sore Feet Don't Need to Be Your Achilles' Heel, 2) Tonsils May Cause Child's Restless Nights, Daytime Problems, 3) Baby Talk Can Be Stimulating Conversation, 4) Impotence Is Commonly Treated Without Surgery, 5) Supplement Your Calcium Knowledge, 6) Slimming Procedures Still Being Tested

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A new study found that chronic heartburn is increasing while patients suffer and ignore potentially serious consequences. The study also found that many of these heartburn sufferers use over-the-counter (OTC) medications on a regular basis, even though they may not be getting adequate symptom resolution.

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Neurosurgeons at the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that they can cure a relatively common type of brain tumor, called a meningioma, without performing open surgery in the skull base, an extremely vulnerable area.

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Washington, DC -- Thousands of school children and American Chemical Society volunteers across the country will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of National Chemistry Week in their communities through exhibits in local museums, malls and parks, and in displays organized to demonstrate the wonders of chemistry and its impact on our lives.

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Chemists graduating in 1998 should find a favorable job market that will offer the most opportunities since the late 1980s, according to the annual employment outlook published in the Nov. 3 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly news magazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. "Only four years ago," says C&EN editor Madeleine Jacobs, "the job market was being described as the bleakest in 20 years." But now "there are more recruiters with more job openings coming out sooner to get the jump on their competition," notes Paul A. Bartlett, chemistry department chair at the University of California, Berkeley.

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A new series explores how evidence-based emergency medicine can close the gap between research and practice in the November issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine. New studies also are released on how telemedicine technology can be used to improve health care in underserved areas and how emergency departments can be used to identify alcohol-related problems.

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Most children with early-stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can be cured. That's good, but what's even better is the news that the standard chemotherapy regimen for many of these children can be reduced by more than two-thirds with no negative consequences.

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Chemists from the University of California, San Diego will measure and analyze the oxygen content of winds flowing from the Sun as part of a $216 million international space mission scheduled for launch in 2001.

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International M&A, Joint Ventures and Beyond: Doing the Deal, the first comprenehsive, hands-on manual designed for those charged with the day-to-day implementation of such transactions, is set to be published by John Wiley and Sons on Nov. 28. The book is edited by mergers & acquisitions experts David J. BenDaniel, professor of entreprneurship at Cornell's Johnso Graduate School of Management, and Arthur H. Rosenbloom, special partner and former chairman of Patricof & Co. Capital Corp.

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More women with heart disease are surviving to adulthood and contemplating pregnancy, but precautions may be needed to prevent complications in both the mother and child, according to a study in today's Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association.

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A new study of more than 20,000 children on three continents has found significant differences in blood cholesterol -- particularly in cholesterol's healthiest component, abbreviated HDL.

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-- Putting portable defibrillators in commercial airliners and at airports would save both lives and money for the airlines, according to a study published in today's Circulation, an American Heart Association journal.

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People with heart failure fared far better in the care of cardiologists and trained specialists than in the hands of internists and family physicians with limited expertise in treating the condition, a new study published today in the American Heart Association journal Circulation shows.

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Even small weight gains can increase a person's risk of having a heart attack, according to a report that stresses the importance of a low-fat diet and regular physical activity to prevent obesity.

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What does it mean if your doctor is not among those listed as "Best Doctors"? Maybe nothing in terms of good care, says Dr. Arthur Hartz, University of Iowa professor of family medicine.

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Two studies presented at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology highlighted the importance of colorectal cancer screening for individuals suffering from inflammatory bowel disease and for African Americans, who are thought to have an increased incidence of colorectal cancer.

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Unlocking some of the mysteries of genetic materials offers some promising early results in a new treatment approach to Crohn's disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects over 2 million people in the United States.

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The common domestic cat is not a carrier for H. pylori, the bacterium that causes most ulcers, according to a study presented to the American College of Gastroenterology. This news counters the suggestion that cats might be a reservoir and transmission source for H. pylori infection.

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Data presented to the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology revealed no statistically significant differences between Caucasians and African Americans in their experience of inflammatory bowel disease ("IBD").

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Patients who tested positive for the bacterium H. pylori were unlikely to present pathological changes to the esophagus indicating severe complications according to a Mayo Clinic study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

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Ten percent of Internet sites offering treatment advice for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases posted remedies that are of no proven benefit, according to a study presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

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An analysis of the lifesaving benefits of colorectal cancer screening, presented to the American College of Gastroenterology, showed that without proper screening, colorectal cancer decreases life expectancy by more than eight months for adults in their early 50's.

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Compliance with colorectal cancer screening suffers because of factors related to health insurance coverage and encouragement, as well patient perceptions of the screening experience, according to studies presented to the American College of Gastroenterology.

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A study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology found that although a surgical procedure used to treat severe GERD is viewed as curative, as many as 64% of patients experienced persistent reflux symptoms and significantly impaired quality of life afterwards.

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The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs among the elderly is associated with significant complications of gastroesophageal reflux disease, including peptic stricture, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Chicago.

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Astronomers using the 5-meter Hale telescope on California's Mount Palomar report the discovery of two "new" moons orbiting the planet Uranus. The objects -- first observed Sept. 6 and 7 and photographed again by the astronomers in late October -- bring to 17 the number of satellites known to orbit Uranus.