Community Briefs

Research shed light on energy crisis

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have
developed a new table lamp designed to save energy while increasing
visibility.

“Widespread use of this lighting system in offices and
homes could greatly reduce the current power problems we have in
California while increasing the quality of the lighting
environment,” said Michael Siminovitch, a scientist in the
lab’s environmental energy technologies division.

At full power, the lamp matches the combined light output of a
300-watt halogen lamp and a 150-watt, incandescent table lamp while
using only a quarter of the energy.

The lamp uses two independently controllable lamps. One directs
light downward, illuminating the table or desk. The other directs
light up toward the ceiling, providing high-quality indirect
lighting.

An optical “septum” separates the two lamps,
allowing three modes of lighting: downward lighting only, upward
only, or up and down together.

“This lamp is clearly an energy saver in homes, but it is
also a great energy-efficient alternative in office spaces,”
said Staff Research Associate Erik Page. “Substantial savings
can be had by turning off overhead room lighting altogether and
using this lamp.”

UCLA doctors to visit China, bring supplies

At the request of Chinese heart specialists, a six-member
cardiac surgery team from UCLA Medical Center will travel to the
Shenyang Northern Hospital in China, on March 8 to help save the
lives of adults suffering from heart problems.

While in China, the team hopes to perform between 10-15
surgeries on critically ill adults with heart problems.

“This is the best cardiovascular department in
northeastern China,” said team-leader Dr. Fardad Esmailian.
“However, the majority of the cases these doctors treat
involve congenital cardiac surgery. Therefore, there has been a
very limited experience in the area of adult cardiac
surgery.”

The UCLA team will also bring with them, and leave behind, new
medical equipment and materials.

A few weeks after the UCLA visit, a group of the Chinese
surgeons will travel to UCLA Medical Center to gain experience in
areas of adult cardiac surgery and heart transplantation.

Famous frog wins more space to hop around

Celebrated for its jumping and protected for its scarcity, the
California red-legged frog won critical habitat designation Tuesday
on more than 4 million acres of the state.

The red-legged frog already was listed as
“threatened,” but the new designation by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service exposes developers to greater federal scrutiny
by mapping out where frog populations live or could recover.

The final plan on 4.1 million acres was scaled back from a
proposed 5.4 million acres. It does not cover the county where Mark
Twain set his classic tale “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of
Calaveras County.”

That irony was not lost on federal officials.

“We hope to work with many people in Calaveras County who
have expressed to us they would like to have Mark Twain’s
frog come home,” said Patricia Foulk of the Fish and Wildlife
Service.

Environmental groups, including the Center for Biological
Diversity, said they were pleased with the ruling but were
disappointed parts of the Sierra Nevada ““ including Calaveras
County ““ were not protected.

Compiled from Daily Bruin Wire reports.