Daniel Kim, associate professor of English, comments on the perspective of Chinese-American novelist Gish Jen, who believes that “America has evolved from a society in which minorities try to bury their ethnic traits to one where they display their customs proudly.” This wire service article was distributed to media throughout North America.

James Der Derian, director of the Global Security Program at the Watson Institute for International Studies, is a guest on “Open Source,” a radio show syndicated nationally by Public Radio International. The segment (audio available at http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/ros/open_source_060810.mp3) explores a recently-foiled plot to attack airplanes between Britain and the United States.

Peter Kramer, clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior, offers his perspective on mental health practitioners who combine physical activity - such as playing tennis - with their patients’ talk therapy. The approach can violate professional guidelines, some therapists say; Kramer believes such activity may “add an unwanted element of competition.”

A new care model for bipolar disorder tested in veterans across the nation reduced their manic episodes and improved their quality of life, according to research led by Mark S. Bauer, professor of psychiatry and human behavior and staff psychiatrist with the Providence V.A. Medical Center. The press release was published in its entirety on several medicine Web sites.

Technology blog Techcrunch reviews Amie Street, a new company started by four members of the Class of 2006. Through Amie Street’s Web site, users can buy and sell independent music and form social networks with fellow music lovers.

A majority of Canadian research universities have told Maclean’s magazine that they are no longer taking part in the publication’s annual ranking of universities. But the magazine said it would go on publishing the rankings regardless. A letter signed by 11 university presidents was sent to the magazine Monday, citing what the presidents said were problems with the magazine’s ranking methodology. The letter also complained that the magazine had failed to address the presidents’ concerns over several years.

The immune system runs hot, sending out inflammatory infection-fighting proteins, then cools down by releasing anti-inflammatory soothers. A Brown University research team led by Assistant Professor George Yap explains how this “thermostat” works in the Journal of Immunology.

A study by Lily Qiu, assistant professor of economics at Brown University, quantifies just how poorly mutual funds police management in one particular area – mergers and acquisitions – and how costly that failure has been.

Wendy Schiller, associate professor of political science, discusses midterm elections live from Brown University’s remote television studio.

A cup of coffee may cause a heart attack in some people within an hour of drinking it, according to a study led by Ana Baylin, assistant professor of community health, and colleagues at Harvard School of Public Health. The study, reported in the September edition of the journal Epidemiology, found that risk was highest among people with light or occasional coffee intake and those with a sedentary lifestyle or other risk factors for coronary heart disease. The findings received international coverage in print and electronic publications and on televised newscasts.

Katharina Galor, visiting assistant professor of old world archaeology and art, is co-editor of “The Site of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Archaeological Interpretations and Debates.” Research covered in the book is cited in an article about archaeological evidence that raises fresh questions about the conventional interpretation linking the ruins of an ancient settlement known as Qumran with the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found in nearby caves. Galor convened an international conference at Brown on the topic in November 2002.

A new documentary examines the history of the Salzburg Festival, including Nazi presence at the festival during and after World War II. In a commentary about the documentary, the reviewer interviews Michael Steinberg, professor of history and music and director of the Cogut Center for Humanities. Steinberg offers his perspective on festival conductor Herbert von Karajan, whom Steinberg calls “a Nazi, a true believer.”

Associate Professor of Chemistry Shouheng Sun and colleagues report that the controlled oxidation of iron nanoparticles gives stable core�shell structures that can be dispersed in water. Nature Technology is a research journal published under the umbrella of the weekly scientific journal Nature.

Returning to an early morning sleep schedule can be challenging, but it is vital to young people’s health and successful school performance. Research conducted by Mary Carskadon, director of the E.P. Bradley Hospital Sleep and Chronobiology Research Lab at Brown University and professor of psychiatry and human behavior, notes that "irregular sleep patterns negatively affect students' biological clocks and sleep quality – which in turn affects their ability to perform well in school and their moods." This press release yielded articles on Web sites and in newspapers throughout the United States.

In an article about the popularity of YouTube, an online community for sharing videos and building TV buzz, Anthropology Professor William Beeman notes that “people in the U.S. are addicted to being famous, and they would kill their own mothers to get on TV.”

A research team led by Brown University engineers has harnessed the coding power of DNA to create zinc oxide nanowires on top of carbon nanotube tips. The feat marks the first time that DNA has been used to direct the assembly and growth of complex nanowires. The Engineer serves the UK's engineering technology community.

A pattern has emerged in recent years in which computer hackers take a recently disclosed Microsoft flaw and exploit it in dramatic fashion, often in the first two weeks of August. Paul Asadoorian, lead IT security engineer at Brown, offers his theories about what may be behind the pattern.

At the AIDS 2006 conference being held in Toronto, Anne De Groot notes that inmates are rarely mentioned in discussion about AIDS today.

“Giving Iran another tongue lashing, or worse, deciding to attack it, will do nothing to stop the violence in the region. Not only is there no evidence that Iran had a role in instigating this round of violence [between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon[, the possibility itself is unlikely,” anthropology Professor William Beeman writes in this commentary. The commentary was published on news Web sites around the U.S.

Last month, for the first time in decades, an international conference convened on the topic, the History of Alchemy and Chymistry (sic). More than 80 scholars – scientists and historians – attended the convention in Philadelphia. Among them was Tara Nummedal, assistant professor of history, who delivered a report titled "Fraud and the Problem of Authority in Early Modern Alchemy." She discusses alchemy and its history in this feature article.

Dr. Susan Cu-Uvin was among seven doctors and researchers who received the first Health Breakthrough Award from Ladies Home Journal, honoring leading medical professionals who have helped women and families. Cu-Uvin founded the world's first menopause clinic for women with AIDS or HIV infection.

Ecologists warn that saltwater marshes from Maine to Connecticut are suddenly and inexplicably dying, leaving behind land resembling honeycombs, Swiss cheese or an eroded desert landscape. Biology Professor Mark Bertness is conducting experiments to explore causes of the dieback. This article appeared in newspapers and on Web sites throughout the United States.

Competition to enroll as a student in Ivy League institutions is “as fierce as ever,” but many high school students and their parents are looking beyond the famous schools. This article and related feature articles names the colleges and universities competing for the kinds of students currently enrolled at Brown and other Ivy League institutions.

In an article about Narragansett Bay water quality, Warren Prell, a professor of geological sciences who helps conduct periodic testing of the bay, offers his perspective.