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BusinessWeek: January 17, 2000 |
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Developments to Watch
G'day? Not with the Aussie Flu Bug
The germ responsible for this year's spate of illnesses is type A Sydney, named for Sydney, Australia, where it first originated. It is a particularly robust strain: In the past, it has been associated with more deaths than other versions of flu. On average, influenza accounts for 20,000 deaths in the U.S. every year. The CDC says those numbers could be higher this year but cautions that it is too early to say for sure. Even though the flu vaccine is only 70% effective, it is still the best bet to protect against that hit-by-a Mack-truck feeling. And health experts say that if you do succumb to the virus after vaccination, your symptoms may be milder. Even though the flu season is under way, it's still not too late to go get that shot--immunity builds up in about two weeks, according to Kristine Smith of the New York State Health Dept. If all else fails, try grandma's favorite remedy: chicken soup. Return to top  "Seeds" to Attack Prostate Cancer University of Rochester Medical Center doctors are using mathematical equations to improve brachytherapy, a common treatment for prostate cancer. In this procedure, several dozen radioactive particles, each about the size of a grain of rice, are implanted into the prostate. In a few weeks, these so-called seeds destroy the cancerous cells. To avoid killing nearby healthy organs and nerves, physicians must devise a detailed map of where to plant the seeds. This labor-intensive project is normally done several weeks before implantation--and that can be a problem. A patient's prostate often changes shape or size in the interim, which may complicate the procedure. Yan Yu, a physicist at Rochester, wants to make the process faster and more precise. He has designed a computer program that automatically selects an optimal seed configuration by analyzing an ultrasound image of the patient's prostate. Yu's program chooses 64 seed patterns at random and evaluates them to find the safest and most effective ones. These patterns are put into the computer again, where they create even more powerful arrangements. Two hundred generations and just two minutes later, the program identifies the one likely to work the best. Yu, in conjunction with startup RTek Medical Systems, also in Rochester, is commercializing the technology. Return to top Shedding Light on Solar Power Engineers at Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a novel solar energy system that could prove far more efficient than today's commercially available photovoltaic cells. Current generators turn the sun's light into electricity, and then convert it back into light. Because 95% of the energy is wasted in the process, "it makes more sense to collect and distribute the light directly," says Jeff D. Muhs, a researcher in ORNL's Engineering Technology Div. Muhs has designed a roof-mounted system with a mirrored light collector and a series of large optical fibers. When light hits the collector, it is piped through the optical fibers to a specially designed light fixture. The solar portion is equipped with sensors that measure sunlight levels. If the levels fall too far, the sensors turn on a fluorescent tube in the same light fixture to maintain a constant light output. By directly harnessing the sun's energy in this way, the ORNL system is expected to reduce the amount of energy used for lighting by approximately one-third. And by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electrical power plants, the technology would be environmentally friendly. A product could be on the market as early as 2002. Return to top | |
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Innovations -- Mowing the lawn and manicuring golf-course greens may become relics of the past. An international research team at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., has found a gene that limits the length of grass and other plants. By manipulating the gene, dubbed BAS-1, the researchers say they may be able to make otherwise normal plants that stop growing at a predetermined height. The findings were reported in the Dec. 21 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. -- More confusion has just been added to the debate over the safety of cell phones--whether their microwave radiation affects the brain. Henry Lai, a bioengineer at the University of Washington, says there is evidence in rats that microwaves interfere with long-term memory. He trained 100 rats to swim to a submerged platform. Half were bombarded with microwaves during training. Later, after the platform was removed, the rats that hadn't been subjected to microwaves kept looking for it. Many of the irradiated rats didn't seem to remember it and swam around randomly. What this means for cell-phone users remains muddy--because other studies have found no adverse effects. Return to top Developments to Watch Contacts SHEDDING LIGHT ON SOLAR POWER Jeff Muhs Group Leader, Photonics & Transportation Systems P.O. Box 2009, MS-8058 Oak Ridge, TN 32831 Phone: (423) 574-9328 Fax: (423) 576-0279 G'DAY? NOT WITH THE AUSSIE FLU BUG www.cdc.gov `SEEDS' TO ATTACK PROSTATE CANCER yan_yu@urmc.rochester.edu Return to top |
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