August 2004 Archive

Lower gas prices, stock increases help boost Floridians’ confidence

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Consumer confidence among Floridians edged up slightly this month, driven by favorable conditions for gas prices and the stock market, University of Florida economists report.
The overall preliminary index gained two points to 96, and three of the survey’s five components also rose.

Filed under Research, Business, Florida on Tuesday, August 31, 2004.

UF professor: political foes gird for 2000 presidential election repeat

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Democratic and Republican parties that bitterly fought over the 2000 presidential election outcome in Florida are gearing up for a similar confrontation again in November, says a University of Florida researcher and the author of a new book on the subject.

Filed under Research, Politics on Tuesday, August 31, 2004.

UF researchers use viruses to cure plant disease

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Spraying viruses on plants is the last thing gardeners typically want to do, but University of Florida researchers say that just might be the solution to one of the world’s most persistent plant diseases.

Filed under Research, Environment, Sciences on Friday, August 27, 2004.

New nanotube films have high potential for consumer, military applications

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A team of University of Florida researchers has made transparent and electrically conductive carbon nanotube films using a process highly suitable for industrial production, an advance that suggests new, large-scale applications for the extremely tiny cylinders, and possibly new products such as bendable video screens.

Filed under Research, Engineering, Sciences on Friday, August 27, 2004.

Orchid mania: exotic plant now the fastest growing segment of nation’s $13 billion floriculture industry

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Once just a hobby for those with the time, money and patience to care for exotic plants, orchids are now the fastest-growing segment of the nation’s $13 billion floriculture industry, and University of Florida researchers have developed a way to clone the plants to help preserve native and endangered species in the wild.

Filed under Research, Environment on Thursday, August 26, 2004.

Sea turtle health may benefit from new database of blood values

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida scientists and their collaborators have stumbled on a sea turtle treasure trove that will help them better assess the endangered animals’ health. Researchers are creating a database of unprecedented size that will chart blood profiles of turtles entering the intake canal of a nuclear power plant in Port St. Lucie.

Filed under Research, Health, Veterinary on Thursday, August 26, 2004.

Fair, responsible media debatable in Venezuela

Reading a newspaper article or watching a television newscast is not the same in Venezuela as it is in the United States — especially when the political future of the country is at stake. The referendum on Aug. 15 was a key event, of course. But as interesting as anything else taking place was the debate taking place in the media.

Filed under Op-Eds on Monday, August 23, 2004.

UF, Harvard Researchers Put A Finger On Understanding How Limbs Develop

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Fingers are key to the art of communication, whether it’s a politician flashing a thumbs-up to a cheering crowd or a bride displaying a diamond-bedecked ring finger.

Filed under Research on Thursday, August 19, 2004.

Researchers Devise Way To Detect Dangerous Brain Swelling In Diabetic Children

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A rare swelling of the brain that is nonetheless the most common diabetes-related cause of death for children with the disease could be caught earlier - potentially saving lives - if practitioners learn to recognize key signs, researchers at the University of Florida report.

Filed under Research on Tuesday, August 17, 2004.

DNA In Nanotubes Serves As Gene Capturer For Medicine, Forensics, Etc.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The molecule of life just got a new job description.

Filed under Research on Thursday, August 12, 2004.