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The Nobel Peace Prize for 2005

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2005 is to be shared, in two equal parts, between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way.

At a time when the threat of nuclear arms is again increasing, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to underline that this threat must be met through the broadest possible international cooperation. This principle finds its clearest expression today in the work of the IAEA and its Director General. In the nuclear non-proliferation regime, it is the IAEA which controls that nuclear energy is not misused for military purposes, and the Director General has stood out as an unafraid advocate of new measures to strengthen that regime. At a time when disarmament efforts appear deadlocked, when there is a danger that nuclear arms will spread both to states and to terrorist groups, and when nuclear power again appears to be playing an increasingly significant role, IAEA's work is of incalculable importance.

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The 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has awarded The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2005 to Barry J. Marshall and J. Robin Warren for their discovery of “the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease"

This year's Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine made the remarkable and unexpected discovery that inflammation in the stomach (gastritis) as well as ulceration of the stomach or duodenum (peptic ulcer disease) is the result of an infection of the stomach caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.

Robin Warren (born 1937), a pathologist from Perth, Australia, observed small curved bacteria colonizing the lower part of the stomach (antrum) in about 50% of patients from which biopsies had been taken. He made the crucial observation that signs of inflammation were always present in the gastric mucosa close to where the bacteria were seen.

Barry Marshall (born 1951), a young clinical fellow, became interested in Warren's findings and together they initiated a study of biopsies from 100 patients. After several attempts, Marshall succeeded in cultivating a hitherto unknown bacterial species (later denoted Helicobacter pylori) from several of these biopsies. Together they found that the organism was present in almost all patients with gastric inflammation, duodenal ulcer or gastric ulcer. Based on these results, they proposed that Helicobacter pylori is involved in the aetiology of these diseases.

Marshall, 54 is the senior principal research fellow at the University of Western Australia, and Warren, 68, is a former pathologist at the Royal Perth Hospital.

Even though peptic ulcers could be healed by inhibiting gastric acid production, they frequently relapsed, since bacteria and chronic inflammation of the stomach remained. In treatment studies, Marshall and Warren as well as others showed that patients could be cured from their peptic ulcer disease only when the bacteria were eradicated from the stomach. Thanks to the pioneering discovery by Marshall and Warren, peptic ulcer disease is no longer a chronic, frequently disabling condition, but a disease that can be cured by a short regimen of antibiotics and acid secretion inhibitors.

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The 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2005 to Roy J. Glauber of Harvard University, John Hall of the University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology and Theodor W. Hänsch of Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, "for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique".

As long as humans have populated the Earth, we have been fascinated by optical phenomena and gradually unraveled the nature of light. This year's Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to three scientists in the field of optics. Roy Glauber is awarded half of the Prize for his theoretical description of the behavior of light particles. John Hall and Theodor Hänsch share the other half of the Prize for their development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, that is, the determination of the colour of the light of atoms and molecules with extreme precision.

Just like radio waves, light is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Maxwell described this in the 1850s. His theory has been utilized in modern communication technology based on transmitters and receivers: mobile telephones, television and radio. If a receiver or a detector is to register light, it must be able to absorb the radiation energy and forward the signal. This energy occurs in packets called quanta and a hundred years ago Einstein was able to show how the absorption of a quantum (a photon) leads to the release of a photoelectron. It is these indirect photoelectrons that are registered in the apparatuses when photons are absorbed.

Thus light exhibits a double nature – it can be considered both as waves and as a stream of particles. Roy Glauber has established the basis of Quantum Optics, in which quantum theory encompasses the field of optics. He could explain the fundamental differences between hot sources of light such as light bulbs, with a mixture of frequencies and phases, and lasers which give a specific frequency and phase.

The important contributions by John Hall and Theodor Hänsch have made it possible to measure frequencies with an accuracy of fifteen digits. Lasers with extremely sharp colors can now be constructed and with the frequency comb technique precise readings can be made of light of all colors. This technique makes it possible to carry out studies of, for example, the stability of the constants of nature over time and to develop extremely accurate clocks and improved GPS technology.

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The 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2005 jointly to Yves Chauvin of Institut Français du Pétrole, Robert H. Grubbs of California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and Richard R. Schrock of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) "for the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis".

This year's Nobel Prize Laureates in chemistry have made metathesis into one of organic chemistry's most important reactions. Fantastic opportunities have been created for producing many new molecules - pharmaceuticals, for example. Imagination will soon be the only limit to what molecules can be built!

Organic substances contain the element carbon. Carbon atoms can form long chains and rings, bind other elements such as hydrogen and oxygen, form double bonds, etc. All life on Earth is based on these carbon compounds, but they can also be produced artificially through organic synthesis.

The word metathesis means 'change-places'. In metathesis reactions, double bonds are broken and made between carbon atoms in ways that cause atom groups to change places. This happens with the assistance of special catalyst molecules. Metathesis can be compared to a dance in which the couples change partners.

In 1971 Yves Chauvin was able to explain in detail how metatheses reactions function and what types of metal compound act as catalysts in the reactions. Now the "recipe" was known. The next step was, if possible, to develop the actual catalysts.

Richard Schrock was the first to produce an efficient metal-compound catalyst for methasesis. This was in 1990. Two years later Robert Grubbs developed an even better catalyst, stable in air, that has found many applications.

Metathesis is used daily in the chemical industry, mainly in the development of pharmaceuticals and of advanced plastic materials. Thanks to the Laureates' contributions, synthesis methods have been developed that are

This represents a great step forward for "green chemistry", reducing potentially hazardous waste through smarter production. Metathesis is an example of how important basic science has been applied for the benefit of man, society and the environment.

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Korea Joins International Computing Infrastructure

The Global Ring Network for Advanced Applications Development (GLORIAD) reached a milestone in its vision to create a network of high-speed computing capability around the northern hemisphere when it celebrated connectivity with Korea in a ceremony last month. Facilitated by the Korea Institute for Science and Technology Information (KISTI), two new 10-gigabit-per-second (10G) circuits between Korea-North America and Korea-China add significant new capacity to the existing base of global research and education network connectivity.

U.S. GLORIAD project director, Greg Cole, said, "The ceremony in Seoul celebrated much more than circuits. This new infrastructure points the way toward the future of research and engineering networking and will undoubtedly advance the globalization of science."

The GLORIAD network--a highly cooperative effort--includes Canada, China, Korea, the Netherlands, Russia and the United States. The advanced network infrastructure provided by GLORIAD promotes secure dialog and research activities between science and engineering communities in countries that form new and different geopolitical partnerships.

The diplomatic efforts of GLORIAD participants have resulted in a human networking infrastructure whose presence centers on an effective global cyberinfrastructure made available to its scientific users.

In the United States, the project provides resources for research conducted at universities, the Department of Energy, NASA, National Institutes of Health, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U. S. Geological Survey.

Among the many international science collaborations enabled by these new connections is Korea's Molecular Simulation Grid (MGrid), a component of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Pacific Rim Applications and Grid Middleware Assembly project (PRAGMA), which uses GLORIAD's network infrastructure to create an open "problem-solving environment" for molecular analyses of protein structures. MGrid, coupled with GLORIAD, fosters collaborative research and enables calculations that require enormous computational power and months of compute time--even on supercomputers.

GLORIAD allows for the transfer of incredible amounts of data. In the United States for example, residential cable technology can theoretically support the transfer of approximately 30-megabits per second (Mbps). That's 30 million bits--or 30 million "0s" and "1s" of computer data--sent per second. However, actual performance may be closer to 3 Mbps because of many factors, such as service glitches, spyware, routers and old computers. GLORIAD's 10G network transfers 10 billion bits per second, over 1,000 times more data than the average home cable connection. Said another way, GLORIAD users can send the amount of data contained in a pickup truck full of paper between Korea and North America every second.

GLORIAD also maintains a strong partnership with the telecommunications provider, VSNL International, for high-speed trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific links. VSNL envisions continued collaboration with GLORIAD and is currently implementing additional capacity for the team.

Science organizations and agencies in each of the partner countries provide substantial funding for their respective components. A total of five awards including GLORIAD are funded by NSF's International Research Network Connections (IRNC) program. Links and services funded by the IRNC program connect U.S. research networks with peer networks in other parts of the world. NSF currently supports the U.S. GLORIAD management team, based at the Joint Institute for Computational Science of the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, until 2009. The Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) funds the new Korea-North America and Korea-China circuits.

GLORIAD originated as a U.S.-Russia science Internet-based project called NaukaNet, which was funded by the NSF and the Russian Ministry of Science from 1998 to 2004. "Little GLORIAD," an initial networking endeavor between the United States, Russia and China, was formally launched in Jan. 2004.

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Nottingham's New Campus in Malaysia Opens

The University of Nottingham's new Malaysia Campus was formally opened by the country's Prime Minister late last month.

The opening of the new Malaysia campus, on a 101-acre site close to Semenyih, 30 kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur, follows the opening of the University's campus in Ningbo, China earlier in September.

The ceremony was performed by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.  Also present was senior government officials and industrialists, the Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, Professor Fujia Yang, and the Vice-Chancellor, Sir Colin Campbell.

The opening of the new campus enables The University of Nottingham in Malaysia to expand the range of programs offered, to include laboratory intensive courses. For the academic year 2005/06, new programs on offer are Pharmacy (undergraduate MPharm) and Master of Laws (LLM) International Legal Studies. Additional courses in Applied Psychology, Civil Engineering, Education and Plant Bio-Technology, will be introduced in the 2006/2007 academic year.     

Since opening its doors in Kuala Lumpur in September 2000, with just over 90 students, the student population has now grown to an international population of 1300 students from more than 30 countries.

The new campus in Semenyih, built at a cost of RM 120 Million (US$31 million), offers a high quality learning and living environment. Facilities include laboratories, library, sports complex, and Student Association building, bookshop, café and convenience stores, amongst others.

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National Cancer Institute Awards $26.3 Million to Establish Seven Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced the implementation of a major component of its US$144.3 million five-year initiative for nanotechnology in cancer research. First year awards totaling $26.3 million will help establish seven Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCNEs).

Nanotechnology, the development and engineering of devices so small that they are measured on a molecular scale, has demonstrated promising results in cancer research and treatment. NCI launched the plan to create the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer in September 2004, as a comprehensive, integrated initiative to develop and translate cancer-related nanotechnology research into clinical practice.

NCI's Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer encompasses four major program components, including the CCNEs. CCNEs are multi-institutional hubs that will focus on integrating nanotechnology into basic and applied cancer research and provide new solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Each of the CCNE awardees is associated with one or more NCI-designated Cancer Centers, affiliated with schools of engineering and physical sciences, and partnered with not-for-profit organizations and/or private sector firms, with the specific intent of advancing the technologies being developed.

The CCNE awardees (in alphabetical order) are:

Other components of the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer include the following:

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Vernon and Shirley Hill Pledge $10 Million to Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine

Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, and Alan Kelly, dean of Penn School of Veterinary Medicine, have announced a US$10 million gift from Vernon and Shirley Hill to the School of Veterinary Medicine.

The gift will be used towards the completion of a new teaching and research center, currently under construction, to be called The Vernon and Shirley Hill Pavilion.  The building will open in the fall of 2006 and is the first new Penn Veterinary Medicine building in Philadelphia in 25 years.

Vernon W. Hill II is the founder and chairman of Commerce Bancorp Inc.  Shirley Hill is the founder and president of InterArch, an architecture and design firm in Mt. Laurel, N.J.  The Hills are residents of Moorestown, N.J.  Vernon Hill is a graduate of the Wharton School at Penn.

The Hill Pavilion will be the new academic center of the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine.  It will contain five floors, including surgery centers, teaching and library space, research laboratories and a vivarium.  It will be the state-of-the-art veterinary teaching and research facility in the world.

The gift from the Hills is the largest gift the Veterinary School has ever received from a living donor.  

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U. T. Southwestern Awarded $9.7 Million for Clinical Research Training

 UT Southwestern Medical Center has received a highly competitive five-year, $9.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support the next generation of leaders in patient-oriented research.

"This grant represents formal recognition by the NIH of our clinical research initiative, particularly our focus on the career development of young faculty," said Dr. Milton Packer, director of UT Southwestern's Center for Biostatistics and Clinical Science and principal investigator on the grant.

UT Southwestern is one of five institutions nationwide to receive the Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development Program grant this year. In 2004, seven institutions received similar NIH grants, which are designed to promote clinical investigation that will have a significant impact on improving health and preventing disease.

The new grant will be used to continue and enhance UT Southwestern's Clinical Scholars Program, initiated earlier this year by the Center for Biostatistics and Clinical Science. That program currently supports 12 investigators who commit 75 percent of their time to an intense three-year educational and training program to prepare for careers as independent clinical investigators. The program includes rigorous course work, an apprenticeship in an ongoing research project and the conduct of an independent research project, all leading to a master's degree in clinical science.

Fourteen individuals will be chosen early in 2006 to begin in July 2006 as the first class of clinical scholars supported by the new NIH grant. The scholars will be chosen not only from Southwestern Medical School, but also from Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy and UT Austin School of Nursing.

Dr. Packer said the grant will strengthen UT Southwestern's commitment to clinical research.

The grant is part of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, a series of initiatives aimed at accelerating both the pace of discovery of new knowledge in the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease and the translation of those discoveries into applications that will improve the health of the nation.

The objective of the NIH's Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development Program is to enhance the career development and training of postdoctoral and junior faculty health professionals in multidisciplinary, team research settings for leadership roles in the design and oversight of future clinical investigation.

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Bats Identified As Likely Origin Of SARS

Collaborative research involving scientists in Australia, China and the US concludes – in a paper published on September 29 in Sciencexpress, the special online edition of Science – that bats are highly likely to be the natural host of the virus responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Caused by a previously unrecorded coronavirus, SARS emerged in the southern China province of Guangdong in 2002. By July 2003 it had spread worldwide killing 774 people and infecting a further 8,000.

SARS research team leader at CSIRO Livestock Industries' Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong, Dr Linfa Wang, says although earlier studies indicated a cat-sized mammal found throughout Asia - the civet - could be a natural host of SARS, subsequent studies have revealed no widespread infection in wild or farmed civets.

The study sampled more than 400 bats in their native habitat from four locations in China. Blood, fecal and respiratory swabs were collected and independently analyzed at AAHL and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The serological findings were supported by genetic analysis of the fecal samples.

The Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre funded a collaborative CSIRO research project, enabling researchers to test for potential SARS virus infection in different animals.

Another research team, including Professor Yeun Kwok-Yung, microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, published similar findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 27 September.

The five institutions involved in this research were: Institute of Virology and Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science ( China); AAHL; the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Queensland; and the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, New York ( USA).

© 2005-2007 The University of Texas at Dallas
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