TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Congressman Allen Boyd toured Florida A&M University's Center for Plasma Science and Technology in Innovation Park to talk to FAMU researchers to learn more about the federally funded and defense related research that FAMU is conducting. FAMU President James H. Ammons and Larry Robinson, FAMU's vice president for Research, accompanied Boyd.




During the tour, Congressman Boyd visited the modern fluid physics and the laser remote sensory laboratories. He also had the opportunity to learn more about FAMU research for the U.S. Army and FAMU's Spheromak Turbulent Plasma Experiment.






FAMU researchers are developing stronger lightweight materials that may be used by the U.S. Army in its development of future combat systems. These materials could cost less to produce, manufacture quicker and maximize soldier protection. Researchers are also working to develop a new generation of laser and sensor technologies that can be used on the battlefield to determine potential threats from long-range distances.




Researchers at CePaST also discussed that our national security is in jeopardy unless we develop new energy sources. The planet is at risk of CO2 suffocation unless we discover clean energy alternatives, which is the focus of a new research project at FAMU.




FAMU faculty and students are now positioned to lead with innovations into a 22nd century of worry free electricity. A spheromak uses magnets to squeeze plasma and produce fusion much like the more expensive and government utilized tokamaks. Fusion leaves no carbon footprints behind and is a pollution-free source of energy.




"FAMU is now funded at $1 million to design and begin a vigorous pursuit of a fusion facility," said FAMU Physics Professor Joseph Johnson, Ph.D.




According to Johnson, FAMU would need an additional funding of $5 million for the second year (2010), and $5 million for the third year (2011). FAMU will collaborate with West Virginia University and Auburn University on this project. This research will provide new career and research opportunities for students, along with models for the development of expanded job opportunities throughout the nation.




According to Congressman Boyd, the Congressional earmarks are different now.




"The money is not there the way it used to be," said Boyd.




President Ammons thanked Congressman Boyd for his support.




"We are very appreciative for Congressman Boyd's relentless support for Florida A&M University," said Ammons. "We will continue to do our part to secure more grant opportunities for FAMU to make sure FAMU remains a leader in research."

Delonia Wiggins, a Florida A&M University Ph.D. physics candidate, (left) and Joseph Johnson, Ph.D., a distinguished professor of science and engineering and physics, (far right) gives a demonstration for Congressman Allen Boyd in the modern fluid physics lab during his tour of the FAMU Center for Plasma Science and Technology in Innovation Park.

Smart Spring & Summer Travel Tips from Lifestyle Expert Susie Coelho

As the weather heats up, more people are out and about! Whether you are planning a weekend getaway with friends, a family vacation or just traveling on business, there are ways to make sure you are sticking to your healthy lifestyle and not succumbing to quick food fixes while on the road.

- When heading for the airport, I always try to pack light and make sure all my necessities are in my carry-on bag for easy access. Just as I like to travel light, I like to eat light as well. Instead of sitting down to a heavy breakfast or other meal, I try to eat smaller meals or snacks throughout the day. I feel much more energized. Weight Watchers Banana Nut Muffins and other snack cakes are perfect to drop in my bag and be on the go.

- On the road or at a hotel, it might be easy to just get something out of the vending machine or stop by a quick fast food place. Pack bites to eat beforehand and anticipate times when hunger might strike. Be ready with fruits, vegetables and other quick fixes to prevent giving in to poor food choices.

- The last thing I want on a car trip is a snack that leaves my hands sticky or greasy, especially if I am traveling with my kids. I make sure the items I pack can be zipped or completely sealed. Weight Watchers individually wrapped foods, like their Light String Cheese, are perfect for carrying along on an outing and I don't have to worry about things rolling around or getting messy in the car.

Inexpensive Magnesium Proves Impressive at Protecting the Brain

Magnesium is a powerhouse. It is inexpensive and is used to treat a vast array of medical problems, often better than any drug or medical procedure available. The latest feather in magnesium's cap is its newly discovered ability to protect the brain and improve the neurologic outcomes of infants and adults who have had oxygen deprivation to their brains. Pretty impressive for a cheap mineral present in practically every multivitamin supplement on the market.




Magnesium is a simple element, abbreviated Mg, and is number 12 on the Table of the Elements. It is only present in small amounts in the body, yet it is imperative for many bodily processes and is essential for several lifesaving emergency treatments in the hospital in cases where there are simply no other procedures or drugs that exist to help.




One of the common lifesaving uses in the hospital is literally the ONLY treatment. In the movies, when someone's heart stops beating and the doctors or paramedics rush on scene with CPR and a defibrillator to "shock" the patient's heart back into a normal rhythm, they often portray the heart rhythm as a 'flatline' with no electrical activity. But in reality, if it is very soon after a person's heart stops, s/he often has a heart rhythm called 'Ventricular Fibrillation'- which is treated by 'shocking' it back to a normal rhythm. This is something that you cannot do with a 'flatline'.




But occasionally, if this rhythm remains despite the best efforts to get the heart started it may be that the rhythm is a specific subtype of Ventricular Fibrillation called torsade de pointes. This rhythm is hard to distinguish from 'simple' ventricular fibrillation, but the importance of recognizing it quickly can't be understated because the ONLY effective treatment is the immediate infusion of intravenous magnesium. Without emergency magnesium, the patient will die.




Additionally, intravenous magnesium is the only effective treatment for the prevention of seizures in women with late stage pregnancy, where blood pressure is extremely high. This is a very dangerous condition called eclampsia that requires immediate delivery of the baby in order to resolve(3). Magnesium also shines as helpful additional treatment for many other problems such as heart rhythm disturbances(2), migraine headaches, depression, diabetes and constipation among only a few of its many achievements.

But some of the latest and most exciting new research is showing its protective effects on the brain. Strokes, often called 'Brain Attacks', are one of the most devastating neurologic events. With few treatment options after the first few hours after the onset of symptoms, most of the time the family is relegated to just 'watch and wait' to see if the patient gets better. Often they don't get better and are faced with a lifetime of disability.




Some studies have shown that a higher daily magnesium intake can help to prevent strokes. But even more remarkably, a recent study found that intravenous magnesium, when used with other treatments, has "synergistic neuroprotective effects and reduces brain injury"(1) in strokes caused from lack of blood flow to the brain.




While that study is impressive in its own right, another new study shows that magnesium also protects the brains of infants during childbirth when complications cause the baby to have a lack of oxygen to the brain. This devastating event called perinatal asphyxia often leads to permanent brain damage and disability. When magnesium was given to infants after these highly stressful births, researchers concluded that it "improves neurologic outcomes". An impressive feat since giving oxygen and having hope is the current standard treatment for these infants.




So, while doctors still don't even recommend that the general population take magnesium regularly despite its impressive list of accomplishments and its incredible record of safety, magnesium continues to rack up successes in treating and preventing some of the most difficult to treat medical problems that exist today.




(1)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19372444?ordinalpos=5&itool;=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumitool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum(2)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12663588?ordinalpos=1&itool;=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos;=2&log;$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom;=pubmed(3)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18803445?ordinalpos=2&itool;=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum








About the author


Kerri Knox, RN is a Registered Nurse and Functional Medicine Practitioner. With over 14 years of experience in health care, she has the unique perspective of being solidly grounded in Conventional Medicine and being well versed in Alternative Medicine. She uses a scientifically based 'What Works Best' approach in order to help people actually OVERCOME chronic health problems that have not been helped by any other means. She has a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, but works primarily by telephone consultation so that she can help you wherever you happen to live in the US. She can be reached through her website at http://www.easy-immune-health.com"Stop managing your illness and start getting well..."

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Hypnosis Improves Academic Performance and Reduces Test-Anxiety for College Students

A lot is expected of today's college students. They are under an enormous amount of pressure to succeed in academics. The pressure comes from themselves, parents, professors, and friends. This causes a lot of stress for students. Success in college is a stepping stone to being successful in a career after graduation, so students feel the need to perform at their full potential. It is important for struggling college students to seek help in reducing their stress with natural treatments such as hypnotherapy.




For some students, the stress and anxiety of school and academics can become overwhelming. Stress affects students in many different ways. For some students, their grades start to suffer, which can affect their GPA in the long-run. Other students become so overwhelmed by stress that they drop out of college. According to the 2000 census, 50% of the population in the United States over the age of 25 attended college. However, only 60% of those who attended college earned an associate, bachelor, or graduate degree. This means that 40% did not finish college for various reasons.




Sapp (1990) studied the role hypnosis plays on treating test-anxiety in college students. The participants in the study were randomly divided into two groups. One group served as the control group and received no form of treatment. The other group received cognitive-behavioral hypnosis. The researcher evaluated the effects of hypnosis in improving academic performance and decreasing test anxiety.



Both groups were enrolled in a demanding psychology course. All students were evaluated based on their midterm grade and anxiety levels. The hypnosis group reported a significant reduction in test anxiety and improvement in academic achievement. Both groups were evaluated 6 weeks after the end of the course and the hypnosis group was found to have maintained their hypnosis treatment gains in achievement and reduction in anxiety. Cognitive behavioral hypnosis is a highly effective form of treatment that helps students improve performance and reduce anxiety.




Carrese (1998) outlines the benefits of teaching self-hypnosis to college freshman. The researcher describes the steps taught to students, including relaxation techniques and the usage of imagery. Self-hypnosis was able to help the college freshman cope with stress and the pressures of college.




Whether cognitive-behavioral hypnosis is used or self-hypnosis is used, hypnotherapy is a very effective form of treating stress and anxiety in college students. Having the ability to better manage stress not only improves their academic performance in college, but will continue to help them cope with stress in other situations throughout their lives.




Sources




2000 Census. Census Scope. Retrieved on May 15, 2009: http://www.censusscope.org/us/chart_education.html

Resveratrol Found to Treat Fatty Liver Disease

The naturally occurring plant chemical resveratrol -- made famous for its role in the health benefits of red wine -- may not only prevent but even reverse the dangerous buildup of fat in the liver caused by alcohol abuse.




"Our study suggests that resveratrol may serve as a promising agent for preventing or treating human alcoholic fatty liver disease," the researchers from the University of South Florida Health Sciences Center in Tampa wrote in the American Journal of Physiology -- Gastrointestinal and Live Physiology.




Scientists have known for some time that part of the way that alcohol damages the liver is by inhibiting the action of two proteins, known as AMPK and SIRT1. These proteins play a critical role in helping break down fats to remove them from the liver; when their activity is disrupted, it leads to the fatty buildup associated with liver diseases such as cirrhosis and fibrosis. Left untreated, this fat buildup can eventually cause total liver failure.




In the current study, researchers looked directly at resveratrol's effects on AMPK and SIRT1. They fed mice a low-fat diet, supplemented with either resveratrol, alcohol or a combination of the two. They then observed that mice that had been given both resveratrol and alcohol had higher levels of SIRT1 and higher activity of AMPK than mice that were given alcohol alone.




The higher levels and activity of the two key proteins led to a decrease in other proteins, specifically those involved in the buildup of liver fat. They also led to an increase in levels of the hormone adiponectin, which metabolizes fat.




When the researchers looked at the mice's livers, they found that the livers of resveratrol-treated mice produced less fat than mice that were given alcohol alone, and that this fat was also broken down more quickly.




Previous research has linked resveratrol to a decreased risk of cancer and heart disease, as well as to longer life and reduced age-related decline. Recent research, published in the Nutrition Review, found that it successfully reduced cholesterol and insulin sensitivity, and protected the nervous system.




Resveratrol is widely believed to contribute to the health-protective effects of wine, which are partially responsible for the so-called "French paradox."

"Despite eating a diet equally high in saturated fat as the typical American diet, the French were shown to have about one-third the level of cardiovascular disease," said Debra Miller, director of nutrition at candy company Hershey. "Continued research indicates that moderate consumption of red wine, along with fruits, vegetables, nuts and lower amounts of red meat, may contribute to this lower risk of heart of disease."




The FDA has approved statements that drinking a glass or two of red wine per day can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.




Resveratrol is found in high quantities in grape skins, peanuts and products made with them, such as red wine and peanut butter. A new study conducted by Hershey in partnership with Planta Analytica has also detected high levels in cocoa products for the first time.




"This study shows that the levels of resveratrol found in cocoa and chocolate products is second to red wine among known sources of resveratrol and forms yet another important link between the antioxidants found in cocoa and dark chocolate to other foods," said David Stuart, Hershey director of natural product science.




Among the cocoa products tested, the highest resveratrol levels were found in cocoa powder, followed by baking chocolate, dark chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate and chocolate syrup. The top three chocolate products all contained significantly more resveratrol per serving than peanuts or peanut butter, but less resveratrol per serving than California red wine.




The Hershey study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.




Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com; mangalorean.com.

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What people are saying about Rally

"It's very easy to introduce the Rally Program to your school. For us it began with a school assembly and a short video. Everyone was very excited about the program and eager to get started. Our St. Jude representative was very helpful throughout the process. She carefully explained instructions and was present every step of the way." -Jason, student, Georgetown Preparatory School




"To date, this is the largest task our student council has ever taken upon themselves, and it was a success. It was a blessing to see so many high school students came together with one purpose, helping the children of St. Jude. In a day and age in which educators are all too often focusing on test scores and performance, we were able to witness what truly matters most-giving and caring for others." -Chris Kerrick, Student Council Sponsor, Marshall County High School, Benton, KY




"I really loved the Rally Against Childhood Cancer event. I really never want to leave the St. Jude family. I had the best time and my St. Jude representative was so fun and helpful. Wherever I go next year, Rally is coming with me. I'm addicted." -Pat Lambert, senior, Portsmouth High School, Portsmouth, RI

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The D.C lead-poisoning episode,To learn

Washington, D.C. -- In a major exposé, Salon magazine has alleged that from 2004 to 2007 the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta ignored -- whether inadvertently or not -- a major episode of lead poisoning in the District of Columbia that involved hundreds, perhaps thousands, of infants and children. The poisoning occurred from 2001 to 2004, when the level of lead in the tap water of some D.C. homes soared because of a switch from chlorination to chloramination.

In 2004, the CDC concluded that these elevated levels of lead did not constitute a public-health problem, but its analysis was based on incomplete data -- the test results for many affected children were not included. Based on that report, the CDC also told other water suppliers not to worry about elevated lead concentrations in drinking water like those that occurred in the District of Columbia.

The agency claims that it released its falsely reassuring report in 2004 because the missing lab reports -- almost half the total -- were all for children with blood-lead levels of less than 10 micrograms per deciliter (mg/dl).

But the CDC knew in 2004 that the peer-reviewed literature showed substantial harmful effects for lead concentrations below 10 mg/dl and that some of the most prominent independent scientists in the field, like Dr. Herbert Needleman and Dr. Philip Landrigan, were arguing for a much lower level. California, for example, had already set a much more stringent level.

Worse, when the CDC discovered that its findings had been incorrect, and that blood poisoning in the district had increased, it quietly released a new study to that effect in 2007. But until Salon blew the whistle, the agency made little effort to correct the record by publicizing the new data.

Unfortunately, the lead-poisoning episode isn't the only recent example of the CDC engaging in behavior that looks suspiciously like a cover-up. The agency was heavily implicated in the effort to avoid public exposure of the potentially lethal concentrations of formaldehyde in FEMA's toxic trailer scandal. The CDC also suppressed a study it had prepared showing toxic hot spots threatening citizens of the Great Lakes region -- and fired the scientist who prepared the report.

Congress is already investigating the D.C. lead-poisoning episode. It ought to dig deeper and find out what was really going on at the Centers for Disease Control during the past eight years. After three strikes, a watchdog agency like the CDC ought to be called out.