Global warming not without cooler periods
ASHEVILLE, N.C., May 7 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say people denying global warming due to short-term periods of cooling don't understand the statistical insignificance of such periods.
David Easterling of the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., and Michael Wehner of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., said some Web sites and media articles have noted the average global temperature has not risen since 1998 and cite that as evidence against anthropogenic, or human-caused, global warming.
The researchers said although most climate scientists recognize the statistical insignificance of such short-term trends, some segments of the public pay attention to them. To quell such objections, they argue such short periods are not meaningful in the context of long-term climate change.
Easterling and Wehner said they have determined decade-long periods of cooling can occur even within a strong overall warming trend. The scientists said that due to natural variability, they expect some multi-year periods of cooling or stable temperatures to occur during the 21st century within longer-term periods of anthropogenic global warming.
The research appears in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
NASA invention aids cardiac patients
HAMPTON, Va., May 7 (UPI) -- A U.S. space agency invention -- an advanced, flexible and temperature-resistant resin -- is now part of an implantable device for heart-failure patients.
Created at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., the resin -- Langley Research Center's Soluble Imide -- is described by NASA as a "super plastic" that's biologically inert, making it suitable for medical uses.
"One of the advantages of this material is that it lends itself to a variety of diverse applications, from mechanical parts and composites to electrical insulation and adhesive bonding," said Rob Bryant, a NASA senior researcher and inventor of the material.
NASA licensed the patented technology to Medtronic Inc., a Minneapolis-based medical technology company that incorporated the material into its Attain Ability left-heart lead, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved.
"Langley Research Center's Soluble Imide is an excellent example of how taxpayer investment in NASA materials research has resulted in a direct benefit beyond the aerospace sector by extending the quality of life through medical technology," Bryant said.
Cause of U.S. Dust Bowl proposed
ASHEVILLE, N.C., May 7 (UPI) -- U.S. and Swiss scientists say unusual atmospheric circulation might have caused the 1930s Dust Bowl and could also be responsible for other droughts.
The researchers from the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science in Zurich, Switzerland; the Observatory and World Radiation Center in Davos, Switzerland, and the U.S. National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., said they used historical upper air data, reconstructions and model simulations to analyze atmospheric circulation during the Dust Bowl era.
They said they discovered the Great Plains low level jet, which transports moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to the region, was weaker on its eastern side, shallower and did not extend as far north as during wetter years.
In addition, they found during the Dust Bowl years there was unusually strong ridging in the mid-troposphere above the Great Plains and persistent flow anomalies in the upper troposphere across North America, possibly preventing moisture from reaching the region.
The researchers said their findings suggest oceanic forces triggered the changes. Models that included such forcing reproduced the atmospheric conditions associated with extreme droughts, which implies that droughts in the Midwest could potentially be predictable.
The study appears in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Testosterone gel causes safety concerns
WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it will require makers of two prescription testosterone gel products to add boxed warnings to their labels.
The federal agency said it is requiring the action after receiving reports of adverse effects in children who were inadvertently exposed to testosterone through contact with another person being treated with the topical products -- AndroGel and Testim.
The gels are approved for use in men who either no longer produce testosterone or produce it in very low amounts. Precautions on the current labels instruct users to wash their hands after using the product and to cover the treated skin with clothing.
Despite currently labeled precautions, as of Dec. 1 the FDA had received reports of eight cases of secondary exposure to testosterone in children ranging in age from nine months to five years.
Since that time, additional reports of secondary exposure have been received by the FDA and are presently under review, including inappropriate enlargement of genitalia, premature development of pubic hair and increased libido and aggressive behavior.
AndroGel is manufactured by Solvay Pharmaceuticals, and Testim is made by Auxilium
