
	:: Home
	:: News
	:: People
	:: Out & About
	:: Voices
	:: Campus
	:: Briefs
	:: Contact Us

	:: UCLA HOME

VOL. 27. NO.11 AUGUST 1, 2006

BRIEFS ONLINE

UCLA among the ‘New Ivies’

UCLA has been named to Kaplan and Newsweek's elite “New Ivies” list, published in the 2007 Kaplan/Newsweek “How to Get into College Guide.” This year's guide introduces for the first time the “New Ivies” — colleges whose first-rate academic programs, combined with a population boom in top students, have fueled their rise in stature and favor among the nation's top students, administrators and faculty. UCLA was one of 25 schools selected for their competitive status with Ivy League schools. The magazine and test preparation service based their picks on admissions statistics and interviews with administrators, students, faculty and alumni. UCLA was the only public university in California selected. “UCLA has always been an outstanding school, but in recent years it has clearly become one of the most sought-after schools in the country; just last year alone, the number of applicants jumped by 12%,” said Annette Riffle, contributing editor for the 2007 guide. “UCLA has been able to appeal to a growing number of the nation's top students because of its commitment to academic excellence, range of program options, variety of campus activities and desirable location, and the Kaplan/Newsweek guide is pleased to recognize this accomplishment.”

New hope for epileptics

A unique nerve-stimulation treatment for epilepsy developed at UCLA offers a potential alternative for tens of thousands of individuals unable to control their seizures with medication and ineligible for surgery. Developed by neuroscientists at the David Geffen School of Medicine and Valencia-based Advanced Bionics Corp., trigeminal nerve stimulation uses a “brain pacemaker” to stimulate a nerve involved in inhibiting seizures. The trigeminal nerve extends into the brain from the face and forehead, and is known to play a role in seizure inhibition. The stimulator and electrodes used to transmit an electrical current to the nerve can be worn externally or implanted. Approximately 40% of the 2.5 million Americans with epilepsy have poorly controlled seizures. Recurrent seizures lead to social isolation, unemployment, inability to drive and injuries from falls and burns, as well as drowning.

UC rules

The Washington Monthly, in its second annual rankings of national universities and liberal arts colleges, found that - in its words — “UC schools continue to rule.” While UC Berkeley came in second, UCLA took fourth place in this listing of 245 American universities. Four of the nine UC general education campuses made the top 10. The Washington Monthly ranks schools according to criteria that differs from other rankings, such as the one done by U.S. News & World Report. Among the Monthly’s measures are: How well does a college or university perform as an engine of social mobility? How well does it foster scientific and humanistic research? And how well does it promote an ethic of service to country? More than half of UCLA’s students participate in community service. The campus has the highest graduation rates in the UC system and among the highest in the country. To see the rankings, go to www.washingtonmonthly.com.

Warning for Westwood residents

Police are warning Westwood residents that there have been five reported incidents of subjects loitering and/or peeping into apartment bedroom windows on the westside of the campus since July 25. Three of these incidents occurred on Aug. 9; all have occurred during the late night and early morning hours. The suspects have been described as being male, white, with brown hair, 6 feet tall, approximately 20 years old, and being Hispanic, with black hair, 5 feet, 11 inches, thin build and approximately 25 years old.

Come tailgate with friends, co-workers

Get ready to par-deee down at the 9th Annual Faculty & Staff Tailgate Party at the Rose Bowl. Faculty and staff can attend pre-game festivities and mingle with fellow co-workers on Nov. 11, when Bruin Football hosts the Oregon State Beavers. Admission to the catered tailgate party is $15, and a reserved game day ticket can be purchased for an additional $10. To RSVP, call (310) UCLA-WIN or visit the Central Ticket Office in the James West Alumni Center weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You must present a valid UCLA ID or paycheck stub at the time of purchase. The deadline to RSVP is Nov. 6.

UC Libraries partner with Google to digitize books

The UC libraries are partnering with Google to digitize books from the libraries’ collections. UC becomes the latest partner in the Google Books Library Project, which was launched in December 2004 to digitize books drawn from the libraries of the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Stanford University, Oxford University and the New York Public Library. The digitized books will be searchable through Google Book Search. While Google has specifically designed Book Search to comply with copyright laws, anyone will be able to freely view, browse and read UC’s public domain books, including many of the treasures in the libraries’ historic and special collections. For books are protected by copyright, users will get basic background (such as the book’s title and the author’s name), at most a few lines of text related to their search and information about where they can borrow or buy the book.

Gender differences in genes

UCLA researchers report in a new study that thousands of genes behave differently in the same organs of males and females — something never detected to this degree. The study sheds light on why the same disease often strikes males and females differently, and why the genders may respond differently to the same drug. The UCLA team examined brain, liver, fat and muscle tissue from mice to find genetic clues related to mental illnesses, diabetes, obesity and atherosclerosis. The scientists focused on gene expression — the process by which a gene’s DNA sequence is converted into cellular proteins. “We saw striking and measurable differences in more than half of the genes’ expression patterns between males and females,” said Thomas Drake, co-investigator and professor of pathology. Xia Yang, first author of the study and postdoctoral fellow in cardiology, added, “Many of the genes we identified relate to processes that influence common diseases. This is crucial, because once we understand the gender gap in these disease mechanisms, we can create new strategies for designing and testing new sex-specific drugs.”

Don’t take a vacation from fitness

Stay healthy and active while you’re traveling around California this summer. Staff and faculty who are recreation members may use the recreational sports facilities at any UC campus. Just stop by the Membership Desk, 2nd floor at the John Wooden Center and pick up a UC Recreation Guest Pass. It’s all part of the UC Recreation Reciprocity Program.

First on the West Coast: Training in Rare Books

The Graduate School of Education & Information Studies on July 31 launched the California Rare Book School, a continuing-education program that provides training for students and professionals in the field of rare books and manuscripts. It is the only continuing-education program currently operating in the western U.S. that offers specific rare book and manuscript education and training. The inaugural class — curators, rare-book librarians, academics, antiquarian booksellers, book conservators and binders, book collectors and students — can take five intensive, hands-on weeklong courses on the history of books and printing, rare book librarianship and related subjects. Founding director will be Beverly P. Lynch, professor of information studies.

Lifestyle change key to losing weight

A newly published UCLA study suggests the obsession in the media and in our culture with achieving a certain weight does little to convince couch potatoes of any size to abandon their favorite sofa cushions and get active. In fact, those messages may actually undermine motivation to adopt exercise and other healthy lifestyle habits. Published in the June edition of the peer-reviewed journal Obesity, the cross-cultural study finds that women are more likely to categorize themselves as overweight than men, both overall and within each ethnic group. In addition, African Americans are least likely and whites most likely to consider themselves overweight. The study finds that even among many adults of average or normal weight — men in particular — a self-perceived weight problem correlates with sedentary behavior. “These data suggest that our society’s emphasis on weight loss rather than lifestyle change may inadvertently discourage even non-obese people from adopting or maintaining the physical activity necessary for long-term good health,” said Dr. Antronette Yancey, lead author of the study and associate professor in the School of Public Health.

Approved Stem Cell Line Inferior

Neural stem cells grown from one of the federally approved human embryonic stem cell lines proved to be inferior to neural stem cells derived from fetal tissue donated for research, a UCLA study has found. Researchers from the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine coaxed cells from the federally approved line to differentiate into neural stem cells, a process that might one day be used to grow replacement cells to treat such debilitating diseases as Alzheimer’s. However, the neural stem cells expressed a lower level of a metabolic gene called CPT 1A, a condition that causes hypoglycemia in humans. The study may shed new light on better ways to grow neural and other stem cells in the lab so they mirror normal cells and promote normal functioning, said Guoping Fan, an assistant professor of human genetics.

Stem cells in human fat become smooth muscle cells

UCLA researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have transformed adult stem cells taken from human adipose — or fat — tissue into smooth muscle cells, which help the normal function of a multitude of organs, including the intestine, bladder and arteries. The study may help lead to the use of fat stem cells for smooth muscle tissue engineering and repair. Reported in the July 24 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study is one of the first to show that stem cells derived from adipose tissue can be changed to acquire the physical and biochemical characteristics, as well as the functionality, of smooth muscle cells.

Multi-tasking hampers learning

Multi-tasking affects the brain’s learning systems, and as a result, we do not learn as well when we are distracted, UCLA psychologists reported recently in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Multi-tasking adversely affects how you learn,” said Russell Poldrack, associate professor of psychology and co-author of the study. “Even if you learn while multi-tasking, that learning is less flexible and more specialized, so you cannot retrieve the information as easily. Our study shows that to the degree you can learn while multi-tasking, you will use different brain systems. The best thing you can do to improve your memory is to pay attention to the things you want to remember,” Poldrack added.

Emotional trigger

A new UCLA imaging study finds political party allegiance affects the brain activity of partisans viewing the faces of candidates. The study finds a partisan’s brain responds to the opposition candidate’s face by activating cognitive networks designed to regulate emotion, said rsearchers at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. “We still have much to learn about the neural basis of political decision-making; however, these findings show party allegiance has a clear impact on brain activity,” said lead author Marco Iacoboni, associate professor in residence at the Semel Institute, the David Geffen School of Medicine and the UCLA Brain Research Institute. “Most importantly, our findings show how political attitudes can guide the activation of emotional systems in the brain and influence how people regulate those emotional responses.”

Diabetes care

A new UCLA study, published in the July 18 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, finds that health-care providers’ use of diabetes disease-management programs resulted in higher rates among their patients of recommended examinations, such as eye and foot exams, testing for kidney function or damage due to the disease, cholesterol checks, and getting influenza vaccinations. But these management strategies had no impact on good medication management and were not linked to improved sugar, blood pressure or cholesterol levels. The three disease-management strategies include physician reminders; regular feedback from physician groups to their doctors on the care they provide; and structured care management, which is when patients also see case managers, attend diabetes education classes and/or receive reminders about the care they need. “The good news is that physician groups that are investing in care-management strategies are doing a better job of delivering eye care, screening for kidney problems and high cholesterol, and providing regular foot exams to more of their patients with diabetes,” said Carol Mangione, professor of medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine and in the School of Public Health.

Fairness in auto insurance premiums

A new UCLA study indicates that automobile insurance premiums, based on a place-based component, adversely affect those living in African-American and poor neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The report examines the relative influence of place-based socioeconomic characteristics (or “redlining”) and place-based driving risk factors that auto insurance companies state are important in determining insurance rates. The report’s authors, Paul Ong and Michael A. Stoll, professors at the School of Public Affairs, used a hypothetical “individual” with fixed demographic and auto characteristics, driving record and insurance coverage. While the characteristics of the hypothetical driver stayed the same, quotes from multiple insurance companies varied widely across zip codes throughout Los Angeles. Those living in predominantly poor and black neighborhoods pay the highest rates.

Effects of gene mutation

UCLA researchers have unraveled a mysterious condition that causes congenital diarrhea and intestinal failure in children. The new disorder, named enteric anendocrinosis, is caused by a mutation in the gene Neurogenin-3 (NEUROG3). The findings represent the first description of a disease-causing mutation of NEUROG3 in humans and the first new discovery within the past 15 years of a disorder that causes intestinal failure. Patients with this condition have an abnormally low number of endocrine cells in their intestine and also eventually develop type I diabetes. “Rare diseases help us understand how the body works,” said principal investigator Martín G. Martín, professor of pediatrics at Mattel Children’s Hospital. “We now know that the hormone-producing endocrine cells of the intestine have an essential role in facilitating nutrient absorption.”