Oceanographers study gulf oil plumes
ARLINGTON, Va., June 24 (UPI) -- The National Science Foundation says it's funding a 12-day research project aimed at characterizing subsurface oil plumes in the Gulf of Mexico.
Officials said a multidisciplinary team of investigators from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution embarked June 17 aboard the research vessel Endeavor, conducting three simultaneous projects.
The research involves the oil being vented into the gulf from the Deepwater Horizon well head.
Four WHOI principal investigators are each focusing on different but complementary problems associated with the oil spill.
In addition to coordinating all the research efforts, Chief Scientist Rich Camilli is using underwater mass spectrometers, an enhanced water sampler and the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry to investigate the hydrocarbon plumes.
"We have studied archived oil spill reports stretching back over 40 years, and have received data and advice from colleagues at other institutions who have recently surveyed the site. … Our team will build on their results using our own unique scientific tools to better understand the spill's extent, composition and impact in the marine subsurface," Camilli said.
WHOI Senior Scientist Dana Yoerger, a principal developer of the underwater vehicle, said Sentry will follow the hydrocarbon signal throughout the water column and build three-dimensional maps of hydrocarbons in real time "not only to define their shape, but to identify individual chemicals within the plume."
"Oceanographers usually have a year or more to prepare for an expedition of this magnitude, but these are extraordinary times," Camilli said. "We have gone from a concept to operational state in less than two weeks. It is a great credit to the National Science Foundation, University of Rhode Island, the numerous Federal agencies, our colleagues at WHOI and elsewhere, all working in high gear to make this expedition successful."
U.S. ranks last in study on healthcare
NEW YORK, June 24 (UPI) -- Despite paying almost double for healthcare compared to any other country, the United States ranked last in a study of seven developed nations, a survey says.
The non-profit group, the Commonwealth Fund, used data from the 2007 International Health Policy Survey, conducted by telephone in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States; the 2008 International Health Policy Survey of Sicker Adults and the Commonwealth Fund 2009 International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians.
The United States ranked last for access to healthcare -- 54 percent of U.S. adults with chronic conditions reported not getting a recommended test, treatment or follow-up care because of cost.
U.S. patients are most likely to report being given the wrong medication or the wrong dose of their medication -- a preventable medical error, the study found.
In measuring efficiency, the U.S ranked last due to high administrative costs, lack of use of information technology, re-hospitalization rates of patients and duplicative medical testing. U.S. patients were three times as likely as those in Germany or the Netherlands to visit an emergency department for something a regular doctor could have treated.
For any category, the highest the United States ranked was fourth.
The Netherlands ranked first and has a per capita cost of healthcare of $3,837, the United States ranked last and had a healthcare per capita cost of $7,290.
Study shows turning off car A/C saves fuel
ZURICH, Switzerland, June 24 (UPI) -- Swiss researchers say they've found the use of car air conditioning systems can account for up to 30 percent of a vehicle's fuel consumption in hot climates.
Even in Switzerland, with its temperate climate, the scientists at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research said the use of air conditioning systems is responsible for about 5 percent of total fuel usage, rising to about 10 percent in urban traffic.
The scientists said car air conditioning systems require energy to compress the cooling agent, and the greater the degree of cooling required the more fuel they use.
The researchers noted air conditioning systems in cars with automatic transmissions only turn themselves off when the external temperature drops below about 40 degrees, when the cooling system could ice up. That occurs because air conditioning systems not only cool the air before blowing it into the vehicle's interior, but also dry it to avoid causing condensation on the windshield.
The study appeared in the June 8 early, online edition of the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Study: Folate may aid spinal cord healing
MADISON, Wis., June 24 (UPI) -- A U.S. National Institutes of Health-funded laboratory study suggests the B vitamin folate can promote healing in damaged rat spinal cord tissue.
The investigation, led by University of Wisconsin-Madison Dr. Bermans Iskandar, an associate professor of neurosurgery, showed the nerve regeneration in the rats was triggered by a change in DNA.
The researchers said the healing effects of the vitamin increased with the dosage, until regrowth of the damaged tissue reached a maximum level, after which it declined progressively with increasing doses until it reached the level seen in the absence of the vitamin.
The scientists said they discovered folate stimulated a process known as DNA methylation -- a biochemical process in which chemical compounds known as methyl groups are attached to DNA.
"The ability to change gene function through DNA methylation suggests exciting new prospects for understanding the origins of disease and for developing new treatments," Iskandar said. "Our study showed that folate, a commonly available dietary supplement known to change gene functioning, did so in a way that fosters nervous system repair."
Folate occurs naturally in leafy green vegetables and other foods. The synthetic form, folic acid, is used to supplement cereal grains in the United States. The NIH said the vitamin is important for the formation of the brain and spinal cord in the early embryo.
The research is reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
