Robot cranes may improve trading
The technology placed into giving football fans sky-cam views of their favorite NFL teams could one day offer another method by which cargo could be transported across the globe.
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The technology placed into giving football fans sky-cam views of their favorite NFL teams could one day offer another method by which cargo could be transported across the globe.
Quick, what does the everyday fruit fly have in common with a week-weary Hopkins student on a Saturday night? It might seem odd, but both are probably looking for a tasty drink of alcohol for a bit of a boost. As much as this sounds like a poorly constructed joke, researchers from Emory University's Department of Biology actually looked into the role that alcohol consumption plays in protecting Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, from one of its natural enemies, the endoparasitoid wasp. As their name implies, endoparasitoids lay their eggs inside a host species, allowing the parasitic egg to feed off of the host and ultimately kill it. Fruit fly larva have been known to mount a defense called encapsulation against two types of wasps - the Leptopilina boulardi species, which specializes in infecting fruit fly larva, and the Leptopilina heterotoma species, which is a general endoparasitoid. When the larva detects an infection, it begins a process in which it wraps the parasite in layers of tissue, forming a capsule and immobilizing and killing the target. However, in a recent study published in the journal Current Biology, the research team from Emory, led by Assistant Professor Todd Schlenke, realized the potential for a new defense mechanism for fruit fly larva based on their eating habits. Fruit flies often eat from rotting fruit which contains about four percent ethanol by volume due to fermentation. As a result, D. melanogaster has evolved a slight resistance to ethanol to combat its potentially poisonous effects. This adaptation allows fruit flies to reach blood alcohol levels of up to 0.02 percent, which is a fourth of the minimum amount of alcohol considered illegal for driving. Wasps, on the other hand, have no such diet and are See FLIES, page B8 FLIES, from B7 therefore susceptible to alcohol poisoning. From these two facts, researchers hypothesized that perhaps ethanol content in fruit flies could offer some protection to fly larva against wasp infection. Milan and his team went about testing their hypothesis with a variety of different experiments, each looking at different aspects of how ethanol consumption could alter fruit fly resistance. The group began by setting up two types of food mediums, one with 6% ethanol content by volume and another normal food medium without any ethanol. They then went on to compare D. melanogaster larval infection rates, larval survival, L. heterotoma and L. boulardi parasite survival, and larval movement when fed on the two different mediums. The results were astounding. In every category, the data revealed that ethanol has a major impact on the larva-wasp interaction. 'Drunken' fruit fly larvae were less likely to be infected and more likely to survive infection, while the wasp parasites living in these inebriated hosts fared far worse. In an interview with Live Science, Schlenke explained how wasp parasites were essentially "turned inside out" by larva that had been fed on the ethanol-containing medium. Perhaps the most intriguing result the Emory group came across occurred when they placed infected D. melanogaster larva on petri dishes half-filled with ethanol medium and half with normal medium. Researchers observed the larva moving back and forth between the two mediums. But instead of a drunken amble, the larva were apparently finding a balance between consuming enough ethanol to fight off the parasitic wasps while not consuming enough to cause alcohol poisoning. While connecting fly diet with wasp infection seems farfetched, the researchers were able to prove that ethanol truly does protect fly larva from potential wasp infection.
The neonatal mortality rate in the United States is significantly lower than in many countries across the globe. Based on data from 2009 collected by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, an average of 4.19 infants out of every 1000 dies before becoming 28 days old in our country (this represents 0.42 percent of all births). However, this is not the case for many families in low-income regions around the world. In an effort to identify methods of lowering neonatal mortality, researchers from the Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, led by Dr. Abdullah Baqui, set out to test the effect umbilical cord cleansing could have on mortality rates. When a child is first born, umbilical cord infection can account for up to 50 percent of neonatal deaths in areas researchers call "resource-poor settings." The umbilical cord blood vessels are exposed to the environment for several days following birth, making it a prime location for pathogens to find their way into an infant host. This is especially true in rural areas where good hygiene is difficult to maintain. To that end, the World Health Organization recommends the best method for reducing infection in high risk locations is to keep the umbilical area clean without the application of any topical cleanser, a method called "dry cord care." However, understanding the fact that cleanliness is not always possible, the WHO also recommends that washing with a solution of chlorohexidine can offer protection from infection for newborns. Although the name sounds like some rare and complex molecule from your Organic Chemistry course, chlorohexidine is actually a relatively cheap and easy-to-use disinfectant found in many household products, such as mouthwash and skin cleansers. As a neonatal care product, it provides a way for lower-income regions to prevent infection and protect newborn babies. As a result, the cleaner was the focal point of study for Baqui and his team. The work had its genesis in an early study done in Nepal where researchers found that infants who received anywhere from one to seven cord cleansings with chlorohexidine in the first 10 days of birth reduced infection of the umbilical cord area by 32 percent. Furthermore, cleansing within the first 24 hours of birth led to a 24 percent lower mortality rate. From this, experts then raised the question "would a simpler cleaning regimen (cord cleansing only once after birth) be equally beneficial?" To answer that question, the Hopkins team went to the three sub-districts of Beanibazar, Zakiganj and Kanaighat in Bangledesh. In total, the team broke down these rural regions into 133 random clusters which were assigned to one of three possible cleansing regimens: single cleansing with chlorohexidine immediately after birth, daily cleansing for seven days after birth and the typical dry cord care which implemented no form of antiseptic as a means of comparison. From June 2007 to September 2009, and with the help of local community helpers, the researchers enrolled 29,760 babies in the study with 10,329 having multiple cleanings, 9,324 undergoing a single cleaning and 10,008 utilizing dry cord care. From these trials, the researchers carefully monitored child health over the course of a month, looking for any signs of umbilical cord infection. After compiling the data and breaking down the numbers, the researchers found an interesting twist in the data. As expected, even a single cleaning with antiseptic significantly prevented mortality compared with dry cord care. However, when comparing dry cord care with multiple cleanings, contrary to expectation, there was no significant difference in mortality rates. These results contradicted the previous study done in Nepal which showed that cleansing anywhere from one to seven days lowered infant mortality. While the study offers several possible explanations for this apparent aberration, the simple fact is that more research needs to be done in order to understand chlorohexidine's fullest impact on neonatal mortality. Despite the deviation in data from multiple cleanings, Baqui and his group emphasize the fact that chlorohexidine "has an excellent safety record and it is simple and inexpensive to deliver." By increasing awareness to implement these methods of cleansing, Baqui hopes to improve neonatal survival in the places that need it most.
Amidst the slow crawl of life in Antarctica, from the strut of the Emperor Penguin to the waddle of the Weddell Seal out of water, there is a flurry of activity by scientists from Russia's Artic and Antarctic Research Institute, as they attempt to reach an ice-buried lake which sits two miles beneath the surface. But of the millions of lakes on Earth, what makes this one dubbed Lake Vostok so special? According to calculations by researchers, the lake may be up to 14 million years old with its waters reaching an age of one million years. Furthermore, underneath the frigid Antarctic atmosphere, Vostok has been sealed off from sunlight for over 1,000 years. Thus, the potential for unique life forms adapted to not only cold environments but also lightless ones is enough to make any biologist salivate. Work on Lake Vostok officially began in 1999; however, the story goes back as far as the early 1970's. At that time, Russia began drilling into the Antarctic ice searching for air bubbles caught in the ice, giving atmospheric freeze frames at different times of the planet's history. But when the team found evidence of a lake present beneath all that ice, and satellite detection confirmed their findings, researchers knew it was big. Vostok stretches up to 155 miles long and 50 miles wide in some spots and as deep as 1,600 feet. Of the 400-something below-ice lakes discovered on Antarctica, Lake Vostok is by far the largest. Teams from the United States and United Kingdom are now also working to reach the lake. Because the Russian drilling project was not originally designed for sampling water beneath the ice, the latest reports from the site say their work is progressing at only 5.7 feet per day. However, both the U.S. and U.K. have begun moving state-of-the-art drilling equipment to Antarctica and plan on drilling as soon as 2013. When the two teams do start working, they will be able to reach the ice in a matter of days with their hot-water drills and bring up water samples within 24 hours. One concern is that as temperatures drop lower and lower, aircraft will no longer be able to operate in the frigid environment. As a result, if researchers cannot withdraw samples soon, they will have to stop work for two whole years until the next time summer reaches the South Pole. And while the thought of workers stranded in the frozen tundra may remind some people of movies such as Shackleton in 2002 or The Thing in 1982 and 2011, the team has remained in close contact with headquarters in St. Petersburg and has given assurances that they are safe and sound. While the work has been long and difficult, the possibilities that lie under all that ice makes the effort worthwhile for scientists such as John Priscu, a microbiologist from the University of Montana. Priscu has been keeping in close contact with the Russian team, and, regardless of who gets the first sample, whether it be the Russians, the Brits or the Americans, he knows that what researchers find may blow the minds of scientists across the globe.
Airborne pollution can come in many forms, but one of the most dangerous ones is secondhand smoke. While many individuals can avoid significant exposure, employees of bars and restaurants that do not have bans on smoking are forced to work in a potentially hazardous environment.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Nebraska offers evidence of differences between conservatives and liberals that extend beyond political beliefs. The researchers found that conservatives more often focus on negative stimuli in comparison to liberals when it comes to observing their environments.
The next time you head to the grocery store for your seafood fix, perhaps think again before picking up some of your favorites. We all know that many farmers of seafood use veterinary drugs in order to prevent disease in their products. However, those same drugs protecting our fishy friends can collect in the food and be harmful to humans at high concentrations. To protect against the potential of human infection, regulating agencies of importing countries set concentration limits on these drugs and are responsible for testing all imported seafood.
While most Blue Jays were at home feasting on turkey all week, the Hopkins women's basketball team was hard at work, kicking off their 2011 winter season to the tune of a 4-1 start.
oss country team with four freshmen among the top seven runners, first year runner Hannah Eckstein has stood out this season for her tremendous work on the course. With a sixth place finish at the NCAA Mid East Regional championships, Eckstein was voted as the JHU News-Letter's Athlete of the Week.
All across the nation, patients with kidney disorders have only one option in order to live a normal life without undergoing dialysis multiple times a week: obtaining a kidney transplant. Oftentimes the transplanted kidney comes in the form of deceased donor kidney transplantation (a situation where a kidney becomes available from an individual who has volunteered their organs for donation upon their death). However, this option has countless variables such as whether the deceased individual will match the patient's blood work or whether the patient is even eligible for a transplant at the time of the donor's death.
During rough economic periods, people often cut out nonessential aspects of their lives in an effort to save money. The principle is especially prevalent in the unemployed, who reserve their cash until the next job, but also in those with jobs who fear the possibility of unemployment. Statistics from across industries over periods of recession and depression show that businesses, such as gym memberships and cosmetic procedures, take a dip when the money starts running dry.
While much of Hopkins' attention this fall has rested on Blue Jay football and Lady Jay soccer, and rightfully so for their stellar undefeated regular seasons, the men's soccer team has quietly put together a noteworthy season of their own. And it may just be beginning.
Our Lady Jays gathered another two wins over the past week, this time versus 3-17 Notre Dame (MD) and 9-15 Bryn Mawr, the Johns Hopkins women's volleyball team took another step towards the postseason in a sparkling second year for Head Coach Matt Troy.
In the scientific field of protein study, the ability to actually purify and collect a protein of interest is the very first obstacle to overcome. In that endeavor, recent work by Hopkins researchers in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has shed light on one area of improving protein yields: cell apoptosis, a pathway which ultimately leads to cell death.
13 games into the fall season and the Hopkins women's soccer is still perfect. The team showed no signs of letting up last Saturday afternoon at Centennial Conference rival Haverford, downing the Fords with ease, 5-1.
If you're like me and many of my Hopkins friends, your daily study routine probably involves getting your desk space all ready to go, your computer open, and a good iTunes playlist to help you through the next few hours of math, chemistry, English or whatever other subject you may be taking.
Despite going 1-3 at Claremont, CA Convergence over the weekend, the Hopkins water polo team could hardly call their west coast swing a poor showing considering they played four of the top-five ranked teams in the nation.
Regardless of who lines up under center for the Hopkins football team, the Blue Jay's offense just keeps rolling. Under senior quarterback Hewitt Tomlin, the Centennial Conference leader with a sparkling 160.8 quarterback rating and 257.7 yards per game, Hopkins had amassed a total of 142 points and 1,521 yards of offense on their way to a 3-0 record.
With the NFL headed into its third weekend, MLB in the heat of pennant races, and the NBA in a grueling lockout, it seems the NHL has once again taken a backseat to the other three major sports.
Senior midfielder Erica Suter has had a sensational soccer career at Hopkins, and it only got better this weekend against Drew and Arcadia Universities.