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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 1981)
THE BATTALION THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 1981 Page 3 .ocal 181 ^ert here anemia may now be treated Past A&M research pays off Two man-made amino acids studied nearly a generation ly Texas A&M University sci- its now show promise as a ment for Cooley’s anemia, a hey (jitary blood disorder that ts 5 percent of all Americans trace family roots to the terranean as well as about 2 Ion Greeks and Italians. ley’s anemia in its more se- form invariably leads to death e age 21 because the bodies young victims are unable to form iron into hemoglobin, ligment that makes blood red larries oxygen from the lungs staff ii ice i ie inti 1 rkers mana ttier tissues. 'owd re wi § the inCt dmna mw[\ celeii lie two compounds, known in itific shorthand as EHPG and D, provide encouraging re- because they act as effective agents called iron chelators that remove iron from the body, said Texas A&M researcher Dr. Arthur E. Martell, who holds the rank of distinguished professor of chemistry. Chemists here have begun more studies under a three-year contract from the National Insti tutes of Health to study ways to make improved iron chelators that may even be superior to HBED and EHPG. Martell has been asked to pre sent his findings at the American Chemical Society’s international meeting in NVEW York on Aug. 23. Although the most recent mod ifications of HBED and EHPG were done by Dr. Colin Pitt of the Triangle Research Park in North rchitects return y 40s style homes toning to the architectural lards of the pre-1940s would step forward in energy effi- y, says a Texas A&M |tecture expert. the days when cool air came change of the seasons rather with a flip of a switch, jtects knew how to design lings that stayed relatively mtheirown, said R.D. Reed, ifessor of architecture and a inberofthe American Institute [rchitects (AIA) national ener- committee. Ihe committee is developing a I million program to re- eate the nation’s architects. With the advent of air- itioning after World War II, i thrust of training in architec- J shifted from buildings that ^ sensitive to the climate to lings that were indifferent to (limate, he said. The architect became more of ulptor,” Reed said. “From .,i I to 1975 architecture schools ' 7 ughout the country were ling their students to design iings that were connected to a of machines that ran on a lot of ap energy.” cheap energy has on the way out since the 1973 imbargo, Reed said the major- of the nation’s architects and lols of architecture still have returned to designs that mini- the need for mechanical cli- control. irches, breezeways and white rior paint were devices used !ep houses cool in the pre-war that may experience a revival when architects begin to look for more energy-efficient designs, he said. A return to that kind of architectural design would mean significant energy savings without a loss of comfort. “We could easily cut our ener gy costs in half,” Reed said. “But this doesn’t mean we re returning to the bad old days. These next few years can become the best of times instead of the worst. The idea is that you can design with nature as opposed to overcoming nature with a machine. ” Reed believes political and eco nomic pressures have not been strong enough to make energy conservation a top priority with today’s architects. “You would think because it is so expensive they would design more energy efficient buildings, but they don’t,” he said. Reed said part of the reason is that energy costs can be passed on as rent and are tax-deductible as an operating cost. Beginning next month a series of workshops will be offered to professional architects to prepare them to design more energy effi cient buildings. Texas A&M is the first universi ty to offer the same material to its students, Reed said. “We will be offering our stu dents the same educational mate rial that is being offered to the practicing professional,” he said. “Our students will graduate with the ability to design energy effi cient buildings.” iej Bookpacks that Last... ^Lifetime. Guaramtee^-o SEE. OUR SELECTION e>e.fore you soy lilt ■A 3 of i fl li STOCK. >W\TH TH\S COUTOU GOOD THRU SEPT. 30,195V ROVISION COMPANY 105 Boyett 846-8794 J Carolina, the first synthesis and discovery of the compound’s effec tiveness as iron chelators were carried out at Texas A&M during the 1950s and 1960s by Martell and other scientists conducting basic research. Martell said recent develop ments surrounding the two synth etic amino acids are examples of the need for pure research that may not result in immediate appli cations. “These compounds wouldn’t have been looked at for Cooley’s anemia if we hadn’t realized from our early work they were very good for ‘complexing’ iron,” he said. Cooley’s anemia, Martell ex plains, takes two forms. The se vere form (thalassemia major) leaves rust-like deposits of iron which build up to impair the heart, liver, spleen and other vital tissues. The less severe form of thalassemia makes the person a carrier although he or she appears perfectly normal otherwise. If two carriers have offspring, they may produce normal chil dren, other children with the dis order, or children that also be come carriers, said the Texas A&M chemist. Only a complex blood test can confirm the condition and the only effective treatments are blood transfusions and a drug called de- sferrioxamine (DFB) which helps the body eliminate excess iron. Both new drugs are potentially far superior to DFB and are undergoing tests as replacements for desferrioxamine in treatment for Cooley’s anemia, Martell said. Researchers here have com pleted one three-year contract with NIH to study new chelating agents. That work was done under the leadership of post-doctoral re searcher Dr. R.J. Motekaitis. A&M professor says lie detectors arent reliable Many people can lie and not be detected by a polygraph test, and for that reason the tests shouldn’t be used alone in job interviews, says a Texas A&M management professor; “Giving lie detector tests for employment is on par with trying to measure intelligence based on body builds,” said Dr. Doug Stone of the College of Business Administration. “Not all tall and thin people are intel ligent.” This year more than a million Americans will take a lie detec tor test. While the tests are used at police stations and in court cases, the greatest num ber will be given in the work place, or during job interviews. Stone said none of the For tune 500 corporations for which he has worked or consulted use such tests while interviewing prospective employees. More often smaller firms, particularly retail businesses, tend to use them. The tests are often used to question employees in con nection with inventories, cash flow or other issues involving a firm’s fiscal or technological security. The American Management Association estimates that as many as 20 percent of the firms that go out of business do so because of employee crime. “The tests don’t detect lies or liars,” said Stone, “but they de tect excitability.” Psychologists say the tests are unreliable because they confuse emotions such as fear and anger or health conditions with guilt. “Each of us differs consider ably as to whether the test will say we’re being honest,” Stone said. “Some innocent people are judged to be deceptive while some deceptive people will pride themselves in their ability to get through a lie de tector test undetected.” Stone explained the poly graph test only responds to emotional reactions to ques tions asked, measuring brea thing, sweating responses and blood pressure. People don’t have to take the test, he said, but refusing to do so could pre vent them from being hired or promoted. Objecting to the test is often interpreted as ad mitting guilt. Stone advises people who feel they must take such tests for furthering their careers to be honest when they answer the questions. People who want to beat the test often try to raise responses on control questions. They do so by biting their ton gue, breathing slightly faster, rubbing a toe against a nail in a shoe and the like. Stone also advises people to refuse to answer questions that are personal and may be a basis for illegal discrimination, such as questions pertaining to one’s religion, political beliefs, sex, marriage, physical and mental handicaps or national origin. ^LouporsT* BOOKSTORE Til ill s L N f SHOP EARLY AND SAVE $$$! AND WE RE STILL PAYING CASH FOR USED BOOKS NOW! NORTHGATE At the corner across from the Post Office ONE-HOUR FREE PARKING BEHIND THE STORE 1