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Press Releases in January, 2012

In lab, Pannexin1 restores tight binding of cells lost in cancer

Ties that bind: Cancerous rat cells (black) expressing the protein Pannexin1 are bound within a strong network of actin (red), while adjacent cells that don't express Pannexin1 (green) have much less developed actin network around them. (Click image for higher resolution.)
By studying tumor cell behavior in a novel “scaffold-free” 3-D system, researchers have determined that the protein Pannexin1 may play an important biomechanical role in binding tissues together, an effect that is lost in cancerous cells. (Distributed January 30, 2012)

Rosenberg named faculty ombudsperson

Ruth Kohorn Rosenberg: Brown University Faculty Ombudsperson
Ruth Kohorn Rosenberg, currently director of student mediation in the Office of Student Citizenship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been named faculty ombudsperson at Brown University. She begins her duties Feb. 22, 2012.  (Distributed January 30, 2012)

Winged dinosaur Archaeopteryx dressed for flight

Everything old is new again: Using new research techniques and tools, Ryan Carney and colleagues determined that the 150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx feather was black, which would have provided structural advantages to the raven-sized dinosaur’s wings during flight.
The iconic, winged dinosaur Archaeopteryx was dressed for flight, an international team of researchers led by Brown University has concluded. The group identified the color of the raven-sized creature’s fossilized wing feather, determining it was black. The color and the structures that supplied the pigment suggest that Archaeopteryx’s feathers were rigid and durable, which would have helped it to fly. Results appear in Nature Communications. (Distributed January 24, 2012)
2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture

Claude Steele to deliver Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture

Claude Steele: The I. James Quillen Dean of the School of Education at Stanford University
Noted author and scholar Claude Steele will deliver the 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture at Brown University on Feb. 1, 2012. His talk, titled “Whistling Vivaldi and Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us” is free and open to the public. It begins at 4 p.m. in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, Martinos Auditorium. The address will be available live online. (Distributed January 23, 2012)

Biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood

Tripping the light fantastic: Each plasmonic interferometer – thousands of them per square millimeter – consists of a slit flanked by two grooves etched in a silver metal film. The schematic shows glucose molecules “dancing” on the sensor surface illuminated by light with different colors. Changes in light intensity transmitted through the slit of each plasmonic interferometer yield information about the concentration of glucose molecules in solution.
Engineers at Brown University have designed a biological device that can measure glucose concentrations in human saliva. The technique could eliminate the need for diabetics to draw blood to check their glucose levels. The biochip uses plasmonic interferometers and could be used to measure a range of biological and environmental substances. Results are published in Nano Letters. (Distributed January 20, 2012)
Year of China

Brown to celebrate Year of the Dragon

Zhejiang University Wenqin Art Troupe: Celebration of the Chinese new year — 4710 — begins Monday, Jan. 23, and concludes 15 days later with the Lantern Festival falls, marking the first full moon and the 15th day of the new year by the lunar calendar.
Brown University's Year of China is  celebrating the Chinese New Year — 4710, the Year of the Dragon. All events are free and open to the public. (Distributed January 19, 2012)

Many high-risk Americans don’t get hepatitis B vaccine

Missed opportunities: A transmission electron microscope image shows particles of the hepatitis B virus. A vaccine has existed since 1982 but many people at high risk for getting the virus nevertheless are not innoculated.
A recently published study investigating hepatitis B vaccination rates in the United States found that more than half of adults at risk for hepatitis B virus remain unvaccinated. With many of these individuals making contact with the healthcare system, including HIV testing, this statistic reflects many missed opportunities to vaccinate this population. (Distributed January 19, 2012)

A Beethoven’s Ninth to honor Ruth Simmons

A choral/orchestral tribute: The Brown University Orchestra and Chorus, with the Providence College Festival Chorus, will perform works including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on Saturday, March 3, 2012. The concert is a tribute to Brown President Ruth J. Simmons.
The Brown University Orchestra and Chorus, with the Providence College Festival Chorus, will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and other works in a tribute concert for President Ruth J. Simmons on Saturday, March 3, 2012, at the Vets, Veterans Memorial Auditorium. (Distributed January 18, 2012)
Opening January 25

Optical Noise features ’60s and ’70s print revival

Andy Warhol, Jacqueline Kennedy II (1965): Screenprint, 24 x 30 inches. David Winton Bell Gallery, Brown University.
Featuring 19 artists representative of 1960s and ’70s art movements, Optical Noise: American & British Prints/Films from the 1960s-1970s is on view at the Bell Gallery from Wednesday, Jan. 25, through Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. (Distributed January 18, 2012)

Gym benefits help Medicare plans recruit healthy seniors

Medicare Advantage plans are not allowed to exclude unhealthy (and costly) seniors, but new research in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that they have effectively used gym memberships to bring healthier (and more profitable) members into their subscriber base. (Distributed January 11, 2012)

Cosmetic chemical hinders brain development in tadpoles

Interrupted development: Even small concentrations — 1.5 parts per million — of a biocide used in cosmetics interrupted neurological development in tadpole brains. There is no evidence those  concentrations are harmful to humans.
A new study finds that low concentrations of the chemical methylisothiazolinone has subtle but measurable negative effects on the neural development of tadpoles. The chemical is found in some cosmetics, although the study does not provide any evidence that cosmetics are unsafe for humans. (Distributed January 10, 2012)