U.S. supercomputer now world's fastest
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- The Cray XT Jaguar supercomputer at the U.S. Energy Department's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is now the world's fastest open research supercomputer.
Oak Ridge engineers increased the system's computing power to a peak 1.64 petaflops -- one quadrillion mathematical calculations per second -- making Jaguar the world's first petaflop system dedicated to open, as opposed to classified, research. Scientists said they have already used the upgraded Jaguar to complete an unprecedented superconductivity calculation that achieved a sustained performance of more than 1.3 petaflops.
"Jaguar is one of science's newest and most formidable tools for advancement in science and engineering," said Dr. Raymond Orbach, the Energy Department's undersecretary for science. "It will enable researchers to simulate physical processes on a scale never seen before, and approach convergence for dynamical processes never thought possible."
Sickle cell bone marrow transplant best
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A new study says a bone marrow transplantation regimen relying on reduced-intensity conditioning is the only safe and effective cure for sickle cell disease.
Dr. Lakshmanan Krishnamurti of the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh helped pioneer the transplant method that relies on RIC regimens that involve reduced amounts of certain drugs and are, therefore, less toxic to patients. RIC can be offered to patients with severe sickle cell disease because it eliminates life-threatening side effects generally associated with routine bone marrow transplantation.
In a study published in the November issue of the journal Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Krishnamurti and colleagues report six of seven sickle cell patients who received RIC bone marrow transplants during the last decade are now free from their sickle cell disease.
"Bone marrow transplant is the only known cure for sickle cell disease. But doctors have avoided performing them in these patients because complications from a traditional bone marrow transplant can be life-threatening," Krishnamurti said. "Through the reduced-intensity approach we developed, the potential for complications is dramatically lessened. This study offers hope for a cure to thousands of patients with severe sickle cell disease."
World needs CO2 emergency backup plan
LONDON, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. climate scientist Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution has told the British Parliament the world needs a carbon dioxide emergency backup plan.
In submitted testimony, Caldeira said while steep cuts in carbon emissions are essential to stabilizing global climate, there also needs to be a backup plan should emissions cuts be insufficient to stave off catastrophic warming.
"Prudence demands we consider what we might do in the face of unacceptable climate damage, which could occur despite our best efforts to rein in greenhouse gas emissions," Caldeira said.
He said climate engineering, or geoengineering, refers to controversial proposals to deliberately modify the Earth's environment to counteract greenhouse warming. One plan would cool the planet by injecting dust into the upper atmosphere to scatter incoming sunlight. Other possibilities include enhancing cloud cover over the oceans.
"Science is needed to address critical questions, among them: How effective would various climate engineering proposals be at achieving their climate goals? What unintended outcomes might result? How might these unintended outcomes affect both human and natural systems?" Caldeira asked. "Engineering is needed both to build deployable systems and to keep the science focused on what's technically feasible."
His testimony was heard Tuesday in the House of Commons.
Flu shots may cut risk of blood clots
PARIS, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A French study suggests influenza shots might reduce the risk of blood clots forming in veins by 26 percent.
"Our study suggests for the first time that vaccination against influenza may reduce the risk of venous thrombotic embolism," said Dr. Joseph Emmerich, lead author of the study and a professor at the University Paris Descartes. "This protective effect was more pronounced before the age of 52 years."
Venous thrombotic embolism is the formation of a blood clot in a vein. The condition is dangerous because the blood clot can break loose and travel through the circulatory system to the right side of the heart. From there it can go to the lungs and create a pulmonary embolism, which can be fatal.
The research was presented this week in New Orleans during the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.
