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While You Were Away:

THE SUMMER'S TOP STORIES REVISITED

Yale joins state's effort
to revitalize Science Park

The State of Connecticut has launched a three-year, $100 million effort to revitalize Science Park and its surrounding neighborhoods. As part of that effort, Yale will contribute $600,000 over the next two years to help stabilize the park's operating budget while construction of new space is underway. The revitalization plans for Science Park, a business incubation complex on Winchester Avenue in New Haven, call for the razing of 35 of the park's nearly 80 buildings; the creation of new facilities, including a laboratory and office building; and the renovation of existing space. In addition, $86 million will be spent on the replacement of 462 public housing units in the surrounding neighborhoods with 455 units of privately owned and managed units. Science Park was created through a collaboration between the state, the City of New Haven, Olin Corp. and Yale, which has contributed nearly $1.7 million to the complex in the past four years.

Teachers Institute bringing model program
to nation's classrooms

The Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, which was established in 1978 to improve teaching in New Haven schools, has launched a national initiative to improve classroom teaching in public schools across the country. The effort, which seeks to duplicate the successful professional development program in other cities, is being underwritten by a $2.5 million grant from the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. The Teachers Institute has selected five universities to receive $20,000 planning grants so they can work with local public schools to develop a demonstration project based on the Yale model: Carnegie Mellon University/Chatham College, the University of California campuses at Irvine and at Santa Cruz, and the Universities of Houston and of New Mexico. According to James R. Vivian, director of the Teachers Institute, "[T]he national demonstration project will guarantee that the fruits of our experience are not limited to New Haven, and that the seeds they contain are planted and cultivated in other cities across the country."

Bright Horizons cofounder
is new alumni fellow

Linda A. Mason, president and cofounder of Bright Horizons Children's Centers, Inc., was elected by her fellow Yale graduates as the new alumni fellow on the Yale Corporation. Bright Horizons is the nation's largest provider of corporate-sponsored early childhood education, operating 163 child development centers in 29 states that care for more than 15,000 children. Mason founded the company in 1986 with her husband, Roger Brown, whom she met at the School of Management when the two were working toward Master of Public and Private Management degrees.

Faculty named to endowed posts

Eight faculty members were recently named to endowed posts by vote of the Yale Corporation. The faculty and their new titles are: Marilyn McCord Adams, the Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology; Richard Beals, the James E. English Professor of Mathematics; Ronald R. Coifman, the Phillips Professor of Mathematics; Lászlo Lovász, the William K. Lanman Jr. Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics;
W. Michael Reisman, the Myres McDougal Professor of Law (the first incumbent of the newly established chair); Provost Alison F. Richard, the Franklin Muzzy Crosby Professor of the Human Environment; Kate Stith, the Lafayette S. Foster Professor of Law; and Steven W.
Zucker
, the David and Lucille Packard Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Many sick urban infants exposed
to crack cocaine smoke, says study

More than one-third of the sickest infants examined recently in an urban hospital emergency department tested positive for cocaine exposure, according to a School of Medicine study that suggests passive exposure to crack cocaine smoke may post a significant health risk for the very young. "We decided to check for cocaine after two children who had died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome were found to have low levels of cocaine at autopsy," explains Dr. Andrew S. Lustbader, a child psychiatrist and a member of the research team. "Not only did we find a surprisingly high incidence of cocaine exposure in our sample of sick infants, we also found a high incidence of upper and lower respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat and asthma among those with measurable cocaine levels. Those infants also were brought in for medical care more frequently during the first year of life." The research team also included Drs. Linda C. Mayes and Peter Jatlow and Yale medical student Barbara McGee.

Travel guide touts Yale as tourist attraction

The Yale campus is a not-to-be-missed attraction, according to the 1998 "Yankee Magazine Travel Guide to New England." The guide, which for the past 25 years has been the most widely distributed and best-selling guide to the six-state region, this year highlighted the University as one of its "Editor's Picks" as places that are "sure not to disappoint." According to Mel Allen, editor director of the Yankee travel products, "With so many unique and diverse places to choose from, we felt Yale University is especially worthy of a traveller's stop."

Study shows Syringe Exchange Program
reduces HIV infection, drug abuse

New Haven's Syringe Exchange Program (SEP), which provides new, sterile syringes in a one-for-one exchange for old ones and offers referrals for entry into substance abuse programs, is not only effective in curbing the spread of HIV infection, but also reduces substance abuse, according to a study by Robert Heimer, associate professor of epidemiology and lecturer in pharmacology at the School of Medicine. The study, published in the June issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, showed that during the first eight months of SEP's operation, approximately 20 people per month asked for referrals to treatment programs; when the center hired a drug treatment coordinator, the number of referrals increased to an average of one per day. Furthermore, Heimer found that
60 percent of the drug abusers kept their appointments to enter treatment programs. "These results highlight how a program combining syringe exchange and drug treatment referral services encourages drug users to behave in healthy ways," says Heimer.

Team develops the world's
fastest single-electron transistor

Yale scientists have developed the world's best electrometer, a tiny transistor so fast and sensitive that it can count individual electrons as they pass through a circuit. This single-electron transisiter is about 1,000 times faster than the previous record holder and one million times faster than a typical single-electron transistor, according to a report in the May 22 issue of the journal Science by Robert J. Schoelkopf, associate research scientist in applied physics. The new device could be useful in developing highly miniaturized computer circuits as well as improved light sensors for more powerful telescopes and microscopes. It could also help establish a standard of electric current. Other Yale-affiliated members of the research team included Professor Daniel E. Prober and graduate student Alexay Kozhevnikov.

Phase one of Project X begins

Phase one of Project X began in earnest on July 1, with the launching of new initiatives in two areas: Human Resources and Procurement. In the Human Resources area, new Oracle systems have been introduced that are transforming the way employees records are entered and updated, and how changes are made in the University Directory. New timekeeping systems for hourly employees are being put into effect around campus. In addition, a new software system called Resumix is not only helping Human Resources staff to scan and sort resumes automatically, but allows job seekers to submit cover letters and resumes via the World Wide Web. New innovations in the Procurement area include: the introduction of new forms; a new query mechanism for looking up vendor, requisition, purchase order or invoice payments status; new policies and procedures describing purchasing/accounts payable methods and limits; and the beginning of a distributed authority model for releases, reimbursement and "okay-to-pay" payment approvals up to certain dollar amounts, depending on an individual's role and responsibilities. For more information about these changes, see the Project X web site: www.yale.edu/pjx.

Biochemists create molecular version
of 'Jurassic Park'

Yale scientists report that they have synthesized molecules like those that probably gave rise to the earliest life forms on Earth nearly four billion years ago, thus creating a biochemist's version of "Jurassic Park" populated by exotic molecular "fossils" that have long since become extinct. Biology professor Ronald R. Breaker and postdoctoral associate Adam Roth reported in the May issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they used a technique known as test-tube evolution to create an unusual hybrid molecule made up of a scaffold of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) with chemical "scissors" attached to it. This tailor-made enzyme is the first known nucleic acid enzyme that uses an amino acid to trigger chemical activity, and it brings scientists closer to finding the precursor to all life -- a single molecule containing both genetic code and an enzyme capable to triggering self-replication. Breaker and his colleagues have previously created dual-purpose genetic enzymes in the laboratory out of DNA or RNA. "We believe these are like ancient molecular 'fossils' that might have been found stomping around the planet -- or more likely floating in the seas -- during the Archean Era between 3.8 and 4 billion years ago," says Breaker.

Vaccines proven effective
against Lyme disease

Two vaccines designed to protect humans against Lyme disease have been shown to be effective in tests at the School of Medicine, where one of the vaccines was pioneered and where the tick-borne illness was first described in 1975. Tests showed that LYMErixTM, a vaccine based on discoveries by Yale researchers, prevented 49 percent of definite Lyme disease cases after two injections and 76 percent after a third injection; it also prevented 100 percent of cases of asymptomatic infections, which is considered significant because people who do not know they have been infected can develop health problems months or years later. SmithKline Beecham has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a license to market LYMErixTM. The second vaccine tested (although not developed) at Yale prevented 68 percent of Lyme disease after two injections and 92 percent after a third dose; data about its effectiveness against asymptomatic infections were not provided. The research team included Drs. Robert T. Schoen and Erol Fikrig.

More powerful microlasers could lead
to creation of faster computers

Using chaos theory, a team of scientists have developed novel semi-conductor microlasers with more than 1,000 times the power of conventional disk-shaped microlasers. The discovery -- made by a researchers from Yale, Bell Labs and the Max-Planck Institut of Physics in Germany -- may help scientists develop faster computers that use light instead of electrons in some components to shuttle information. In the new microlasers, which are only roughly as wide as a human hair, light creates a bow-tie pattern as it bounces around inside an assymetrical disk before being emitted as a laser beam. The new shape was first proposed by A. Douglas Stone, chair and professor of applied physics at Yale. Yale applied physicist E.E. Narimanov was also part of the international research team, which announced its findings in a June issue of the journal Science.

Five scholars named
to historic learned society

Five Yale-affiliated scholars were recently elected as fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in recognition of their contributions to science, scholarship, public affairs and the arts. The new fellows are President Richard C. Levin, an economist who is nationally known for his studies of technological change and its impact on industry; José Cabranes, a Yale trustee and a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, who has played a major role in Puerto Rican affairs; David Bromwich, the Bird White Housum Professor of English, a scholar of Romantic and modern poetry, the history of literary criticism, and 18th- and 19th-century moral philosophy; Peter W. Jones, professor of mathematics and a specialist in complex and harmonic analysis, probability theory, dynamical systems and the theory of complexity in theoretical political science; and J.D. McClatchy, editor of The Yale Review, prize-winning poet, literary critic and opera librettist.

Scientists test new method
of fighting flu -- at the genetic level

By simultaneously attacking two genes that are found in all strains of the influenza virus, Yale researchers have succeeded in curbing reproduction of the virus in mouse cells in tissue cultures. If successful in animal and human studies, Yale's general method for thwarting the virus could bring relief to millions suffering from flu and other viral diseases. Sidney Altman, Sterling Professor of Biology, and graduate student Debora Plehn-Dujowich used a method based on research that earned Altman the 1989 Nobel Prize in chemistry to craft synthetic genes coding for specific strings of RNA and introduced them into influenza cells. Once inside the cells, small strings of RNA nucleotides seek out and destroy the "messenger RNA" associated with particular diseases.

Grant to support Yale Press project
on Chinese culture

The Starr Foundation has presented a $1 million grant to the Yale University Press for its project "The Culture and Civilization of China Series," a landmark venture being published in collaboration with the China International Publishing Group of Beijing. The grant is not only the largest gift to the project to date, it is reported to be the largest single grant ever received by a university press. It will support the work of 150 scholars, curators, translators and editors from around the world who have come together to work on the series.

Study of female sex hormones may aid
development of drugs for breast cancer, etc.

Yale researchers have visualized in atomic detail how two important sex hormones, progesterone and estrogen, bind to their receptors. Because knowledge of a receptor's molecular structure makes it possible to craft medications that bind to it more tightly (and therefore have fewer side effects), the discovery could help scientists design better medications to treat breast cancer, ease the symptoms of menopause and prevent unwanted pregnancies. Paul B. Sigler, professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, and his colleagues were the first to solve the structure of progesterone binding with its receptor and to make the data available to other researchers around the world through the Protein Data Bank at Brookhaven National Laboratories on Long Island. The team, which included graduate student David M. Tanenbaum and postdoctoral associates Shawn P. Williams and Yong Wang, also reported its findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Although the Yale team was not the first to solve the structure of estrogen binding, it was the first to make the information available to scientists through the Protein Data Bank.

Training diabetic adolescents in coping skills
helps them better manage disease

Teaching coping skills to adolescents with Type-1 diabetes significantly improves their metabolic control over the disease as well as their overall quality of life, according to a study by a team of researchers led by Margaret Grey, associate dean and the Independence Foundation Professor at the School of Nursing. In fact, youths who received coping skills training, based on a model designed to combat drug and alcohol abuse, showed a 42 percent improvement in metabolic control, compared with their peers who did not have the training, according to Grey. They also scored better on quality of life measurements, reporting fewer worries about their diabetes. "This is a relatively inexpensive, brief intervention that has real potential to help adolescents," says Grey.

Scientists discover electrons' spin states
more stable than once thought

Physicists at Yale and Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs have found that the direction in which electrons spin -- i.e., their spin states -- are surprisingly long-lived. The researchers were able to "heat" the electron spins using either laser or radio frequency radiation, and then used nuclear magnetic resonance to monitor the "cooling time." Their discovery showed that the electrons stayed in one spin state a surprisingly long time, albeit fleeting by most standards -- in the neighborhood of 100 microseconds, or 1/10,000th of a second -- before "flipping back." The discovery may aid scientists in the creation of new "quantum computers" that encode information in different spin states. The team was led by Sean E. Barrett, assistant professor of physics and applied physics, and included Yale graduate students Nicholas N. Kuzma and Pankaj Khandelwal.

Many patients with heart disease
reject resuscitation

One of four patients who were hospitalized with congestive heart failure said they did not want to be resuscitated if their hearts stop beating, according to a study by cardiologist Dr. Harlan M. Krumholz of the School of Medicine, which was published in the journal of the American Heart Association. Patients who believed they would live only two more months or less were most likely to reject the prospect of resuscitation, as were patients who were older, wealthier and less able to take care of their own basic needs in the two weeks before hospitalization, according to the study. Unlike patients with other terminal illnesses, however, those with congestive heart failure may feel much better once their symptoms fade, notes Krumholz. "It's also clear from our study that patients do change their minds about resuscitation, so continuing conversations about resuscitation preferences are important, particularly when the patient's condition is stable and the prognosis is better," he says. The study also found that nearly one-quarter of the physicians had incorrect perceptions about their patients' resuscitation preferences. In a separate study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Krumholz reported that beta-blockers are not prescribed for many older patients who could benefit from their use after heart attacks, although the drugs have been shown to be effective in younger patients.

Obituaries

News of the death of the following members of the Yale community was received this summer:

Myres Smith McDougal, 92, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law, who died on May 7 after a long illness. He was a renowned authority on international law and cofounder (with Harold D. Lasswell) of the New Haven School of Jurisprudence.

Floyd Glenn Lounsbury, 84, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, who died on May 14 at Connecticut Hospice. An expert in American Indian languages, he also made many contributions to the study of linguistic theory, Mayan hieroglyphic writing and kinship systems.

George Alfred Schrader Jr., 81, professor emeritus of philosophy, who died on May 4. He was a leading authority on German philosopher Immanuel Kant and was a former master of Branford College.

Joseph A. Miller, 64, librarian and lecturer at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES), who died on July 5 after a long illness. He guided the F&ES library through several generations of technological changes.

Dr. William W. Douglas, 75, professor of pharmacology at the School of Medicine, who died on July 2 in Connecticut Hospice. He made many major contributions to the field of neuroscience.

Ralph S. Brown, 85, the Simeon E. Baldwin Professor Emeritus of Law and the Frank E. Taplin Professorial Lecturer in Law, who died on June 17 after a brief illness. He was a nationally recognized expert in the areas of copyright and unfair competition, defamation issues, and issues of privacy and publicity. A memorial service in his honor will be held at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, at the Yale University Press, 302 Temple St.


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