Research
in Brief
Penn State Intercom......August 8, 2002
New gene discovered
for male fertility in plants
A new gene shown to be essential for pollen production in flowering plants has been discovered. A paper describing the team’s discovery of the gene, whose activity they found is necessary for the formation of cells required for pollen production, was published in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Genes and Development. “This research is the first indication that a specific kind of protein known as a receptor-linked protein kinase, which results from the gene, is important for pollen production in the anther — the male reproductive organ in flowers,” said Hong P. Ma, professor of biology and the leader of the research team that made the discovery. For the full story, check the Web at http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Ma7-2002.htm.
Study identifies drug target
for preserving brain cells
Doctors know that the body’s natural response to injury — inflammation — can do more harm than good when it comes to the brain. New research from Steven Levison, associate professor of neuroscience and anatomy in the College of Medicine, explains the cellular and molecular reasons for this and provides important information that could lead to new drugs to prevent brain cell death after injury or as a consequence of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Levison’s study on mice, published in the July 15 print edition of Journal of Neuroscience, not only describes an important mechanism by which the body reacts to brain injury, but goes farther to show why inhibiting the effects of interleukin-1 — a protein immune cells release in response to injury — will stop additional brain tissue damage. For the full story, check the Web at http://www.hmc.psu.edu/news/pr/2002/jul/Levison.htm.
Bacterial genome sequencing
reveals distant evolutionary link
A team of scientists has, for the first time, completely deciphered the genome sequence of a green-sulfur bacterium — a finding that may provide new insights into the evolution of photosynthesis and energy production in plant cells. The team includes Donald A. Bryant, the Ernest C. Pollard professor of biotechnology and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. For the full story, check the Web at http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Bryant7-2002.htm.
Deformed frogs form when
parasites, pesticides combine
Deformities in Pennsylvania wood frogs are linked to the combination of their infection by parasites and a weakening of their immune system caused by exposure to pesticides, according to a study by researchers led by Joseph Kiesecker, assistant professor of biology. For the full story, check the Web at http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Kiesecker7-2002.htm.
Researchers contribute to
CDC report
on cancer death rates in Appalachia
A report released
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and conducted
by researchers from Penn State and the University of Kentucky confirms
that residents of Appalachia, a largely rural area following the spine
of the Appalachian mountains and including a large part of Pennsylvania,
are at higher risk of dying from cancer.
For the full story, check the Web at http://www.hmc.psu.edu/news/pr/2002/jun/cdcreport.htm.
Researchers correct theory
about how gene switch works
A discovery by College of Medicine researchers refutes an idea widely accepted by scientists and throws new light on how certain genes are regulated by so-called gene switches. The findings offer a new set of parameters for understanding gene switches as scientists search for the reasons why faulty gene switches cause illness. For the full story, check the Web at http://www.hmc.psu.edu/news/pr/2002/jun/Gene_switch.htm.
Getting directors to
think like owners
Numerous critics
have raised serious concerns recently about outside directors who do not
have much riding on the financial performance of their firms. One method
for improving corporate governance is to make outside directors owners,
but not necessarily by just giving them shares, suggests Donald Hambrick,
Smeal chair of management in The Smeal College of Business. For the full
story, check the Web at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/jun02/newidea.html.
Study examines concentration
in cable television industry
A new study on the
cable television industry and ownership limits, co-authored by Anthony
Kwasnica, assistant professor of management science in The Smeal College
of Business, shows that a cable operator that serves 27 percent of the
multichannel video programming distributors market is as powerful as one
that serves 51 percent of the market.
For the full story, check the Web at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/jun02/study.html.
NASA extends Chandra
X-ray Observatory contract
NASA has extended
its contract with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge,
Mass., to August 2003 to provide science and operational support for the
Chandra X-ray Observatory, one of the world’s most powerful tools
to better understand the structure and evolution of the universe. The
telescope’s Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS), one its primary
X-ray cameras, was conceived and developed for NASA by Penn State and
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the leadership of Gordon
Garmire, Evan Pugh professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State.
TRW Inc. of Redondo Beach, Calif., served as the prime contractor for
the telescope. The contract is an 11-month period of performance extension
to the Chandra X-ray Center contract, with an estimated value of $50.75
million. Total contract value is now $298.2 million. The contract covers
mission operations and data analysis, which includes both the observatory
operations and the science data processing and general observer (astronomer)
support.
Pasko receives
NSF Career Award
Victor Pasko, associate
professor of electrical engineering, has received a five-year, $350,000
grant from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career
Development (CAREER) program. The CAREER program is designed to help engineers
and scientists develop their research and teaching simultaneously as they
begin their academic careers. Pasko joined the Penn State faculty in 2000.
He holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
Niemann receives
Presidential Early Career Award
Jeffrey Niemann, assistant professor of civil engineering, has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award is the nation’s highest honor for researchers at the outset of their independent careers. A Penn State faculty member since 2000, Niemann received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado and his master’s degree and doctorate in civil and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Srebric receives
NSF Career Award
Jelena Srebric, assistant professor of architectural engineering and Pearce development professor, has received a five-year, $375,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program. The CAREER program recognizes and supports the early career-development activities of engineers and scientists who are likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century. Srebric joined Penn State in 2000. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Belgrade and a doctorate in building technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Kozlowski
awarded 3-year
grant
Lynn T. Kozlowski, professor and head of the Department of Biobehavioral Health, has received a three-year, $373,968 grant from the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Funding from the grant will be used to study and assess policy related to using over-the-counter medicinal nicotine to quit smoking and thus reduce the health risks associated with tobacco use.
Assistant professor receives
American Heart Association award
Joseph
Reese, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, has
earned an American Heart Association Established Investigator Grant, a
four-year career-development award worth $300,000, to support his research
on gene expression mechanisms that eventually could impact the treatment
of cardiovascular disease and cardiac injuries. Reese joined the University
faculty in 1997. For the full story, check the Web at http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Reese8-2002.htm.