Frontiers
Monday • February
Researcher digs up new
way to examine rock art
Program to ease health carep
By Jill Reed
Science writer
Sometimes it takes an artist’s eye
to see how science can open a win
dow to history.
Carolyn Boyd, an archeology
graduate student at Texas A&M Uni
versity, has developed a new way to
justify explanations of rock art left
by early civilizations.
Boyd refined her research style
while she recorded and studied
5,000-year-old cave drawings found
along the Pecos River in South Texas.
She used hand sketches, pho
tographs and written descriptions to
record the large panels of rock art.
In the lab, Boyd viewed each mo
tif in its proper context by repro
ducing each panel in full detail us
ing graphics and notes taken from
the field.
Boyd then compared the pat
terns and variations of motifs
among the different rock art panels.
She said that early humans pro
duced this cave art as a way to un
derstand their place in the world, to
communicate with the spiritual
realm, and to display traditions, rit
uals and spiritual journeys meant to
unify the group.
“We must recognize that there
is a difference between art for art’s
sake and art for life’s sake,’’ Boyd
said.
Boyd compared motifs she com
monly found in the murals to liter
ature about the region’s myths, folk
lore and belief systems.
She was able to support her in
terpretations of the rock art using
“We must recognize
that there is a
difference between art
for art’s sake and art
for life’s sake.”
Carolyn Boyd
Archeology graduate
student
physical archeological evidence.
“These planned compositions
were entire panels that were meant
to be seen and understood as an en
tire unit as opposed to just random
motifs,” Boyd said, “and they con
tain a huge quantity of information
that was necessary for survival in
this type of society.
“The entire group became in
volved as some individuals pre
pared the paint, some built scaf
folding, and others assisted in pro
ducing the panels.
“There is a lot more involved in
this so-called art than what anyone
ever thought,” Boyd said.
Boyd and colleagues are starting
a non-profit institute that will
record, catalog and exhibit rock art
for the public.
The Cultural Communications
Systems Institute will be a cultural
data bank that collects literature
and films about music, dance and
early art forms around the world,
Boyd said.
The foundation will sponsor
traveling exhibits for museums and
will produce a virtual classroom to
teach students who would not nor
mally have access to such activities.
Boyd said that the foundation
would also arrange lectures for
archeologists to speak about their
research, and provide cooperative
education opportunities for high
school students and workshops
where artisans display their native
crafts.
Boyd said that they want to in
crease public awareness and in
volvement in studying ancient rock
art as a link to ancient history.
“It is an opportunity for re
searchers to have, in one location,
the opportunity to compare re
search from around the world,”
Boyd said.
Scientists plan to raise knockout
cows, pigs for medical research
1
AUSTIN (AP) — More barnyard celebrities could
come in the form of cloned pigs and cows whose disease
causing genes can be removed or knocked out to create
animals that are more useful to humans.
Texas A&M University researchers are trying to take
the next step in cloning by creating animals referred to
as knockouts.
Years ago, knockout mice were engineered for lab
studies of various genetic effects.
Now, researchers at Texas A&M
want to use that same knowledge
on pigs, cows and other domestic
animals. It has been har der on do
mestic animals, however.
“It could be next week or it could
be six months from now, but there’s
no question we’ll get there,” Jorge
Piedrahita, a veterinary medicine
specialist at Texas A&M, told the
Austin American-Statesman.
Piedrahita is working on cloning knockout livestock
with Mark Westhusin. He has been researching cloning
since long before the world was shocked with the sheep
Dolly, the first clone of an adult mammal.
Westhusin’s former employer, Houston-based Grana
da Corp., 10 years ago introduced seven cloned calves on
a ranch near College Station.
Now a veterinary medicine scientist at Texas A&M,
Westhusin is collaborating with Piedrahita at the van
guard of Texas research on cloning.
Seven cloned calves were
introduced on a ranch near
College Station ten years
ago. ^ _
Scientists last month announced that they had de
veloped a technique for cloning genetically cus
tomized calves able to produce medicines for hu
mans in their milk.
Several Texas Holstein bull clones were born from die
project.
So far; the Texas A&M sciendsts are trailing the field’s
leaders who have turned from copying superior breeds
of cows to altering animal ge
netics for production of drugs
for people.
But Piedrahita recently
brought a pig fetus to term
with a human gene in its DNA.
It is not a clone, but a first step
in a new way of making pig or
gans suitable for human trans
plant if recent concerns about
their carrying germs to people
can be resolved.
More dian 4,000 potential transplant recipients who
die each year in the United States from a shortage of
available human organs.
House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, said last
month the House would legislate a permanent ban on
cloning humans in the United States.
The next step for Piedrahita is a knockout pig — re
moving a gene in pig DNA that makes an enzyme that
covers pig organs. The enzyme triggers attacks from the
human immune system.
By Brian Vastag
Special to The Battalion
For people suffering from depression and other
stress-related problems, finding the right kind of health
care may not be easy. Psychological problems are often
stigmatized, appointments maybe difficult to arrange,
and often people do not realize they are suffering from
such problems.
An early detection program de
veloped by two Texas A&M Univer
sity professors and funded by Scott
& White clinics seeks to remedy
this situation. By screening for
mental health problems during
primary care visits, the program
aims to increase recovery rates and
decrease health care costs.
“Our concern is that a large
number of patients with psycho
logical problems are going un
treated,” said Mary Meagher, the
Texas A&M psychology professor
who designed the program. "Al
though 75 percent of the patients
with these stress-related illnesses
have contact with a primary care
doctor, only about 15 percent seek out mental health
treatment.”
Under the locally tested pilot program, willing pa
tients fill out questionnaires when they visit their doc
tor. The questionnaire screens for the most common
psychological problems such as depression, anxiety
disorders, eating disorders and problem drinking.
Patients flagged by the process receive a provision
al diagnosis and, if their symptoms are severe enough,
a referral to a mental health specialist.
“The question we want to answer is, ‘How do we
help regular people with mental health problems?”’
said Rachel Bramson, professor of family and com
munity medicine at Texas A&M andMe;
ner on the program. “Mental heal’
easy to miss.”
When patients do not recognize psych
lems, they often make repeat visits to the
tor complaining of physical problems.
In these cases doctors have a hard;:;!
down the problem, Bramson said.
But when the early detection prograir
mental health malady, then the real pro:
headaches and sio!
gets addressed.
‘A lot of thoser :
lems evaporateai
health problems!-
Bramson said.
Meagher sees:
of the program.
First, the pro:
dressed beforeii.:
living.
Secondly, Mead
providing patient |
priate mental heahi
duce unnecessary [I
visits. Cutting dots
sary doctor visitsrJ
,S . tS ' , nr
less tangible, but?:-.
th-
ifit i;
overall hea
The third ben _
important.
“By integrating mental health care as
ry care, the stigmatization of mental illne
said Meagher. “Mental health careisn
mented and isolated, but just a partofyo
Additional funding for the ongoingpr
started in February 1997, comes from the!
Psychology, the George Bush School of Ga
Public Service and the College of Medicine
If Meagher and Bramson receive fed
they plan to expand the program to rural:
>rld |
Foodfbr thought ‘ |
HACCP sets standards for U.S.m
By Wendy Lawrence
Special to The Battalion
In an effort to make their prod
ucts safer for the consumer, meat
and poultry plants worldwide
have turned to the International
Meat and Poultry Hazard Analysis
and Critical Control Points (HAC
CP) Alliance atTexas A&M Univer
sity for guidance, training and
food safety information.
First used in the U.S. space pro
gram, HACCP is a scientific
process created to prevent con
sumers from receiving meat and
poultry contaminated with bacte
ria such as salmonella or e. coli.
Under HACCP meat and poul
try plant inspectors continually
monitor key areas in the plant,
called “critical control points,”
throughout the entire manufac
turing process.
The presence of bacteria at
these points alerts inspectors to
unsanitary conditions that must
be brought under control and pre
vents contaminated foods from
leaving the plant.
As of January 26, 1998, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture
(USDA) required all meat and
poultry plants with over 500 em
ployees to adhere to HACCP stan
dards. By January 2000, all plants
in the United States must adopt
the HACCP system.
Recognizing a need for uni
form HACCP training guidelines
for all meat and poultry plants,
Texas A&M’s Center for Food Safe
ty formed the HACCP Alliance in
March 1994 under the supervision
of the USDA’s Food Safety and In
spection Service.
“The HACCP Alliance’s goal is
to reduce the incidence of food-
borne illness,” the Alliance’s ex
ecutive director, Dr. Kerri Harris
said. “Meat and poultry plants
staying in business is dependent
on producing the safest product
possible. All the plants I’ve
worked with are willing to take
the steps necessary to produce
the safest food possible.”
The HACCP Alliance offers ac
credited HACCP training courses
to meat and poultry plant em
ployees and readies them to go
out and train others on their
own. It also uses information
provided by the USDA to pro
duce uniform HACC1
and provides technic
search support to
poultry plants adopti
Dr. Leon Russell,all
pit fressor of veterinaii
and a member ofthePl
fiance Board ofDirec
that wfiile the HACOl
issues guidelines!
sonnel, it is up to eachij
plant to implement!
matter sntisl'actonj
inspectors^ J
“It’s likesettingupl
it," Russell said."It'stJ
watch your speedomf’
police can still stopyfc
you a ticket.”
Over 12 countriesacj
of the HACCP j
United States, membtj
meat and poultry
u ni versifies, profession^
tions, government!
vale industry, laboratoncj
ucational foundations.
Besides extensive I
courses, the HACCPAlij
contains a HACCPdaW
able over the Internet ail
CP/food safety librarv.
*3.95
pager
airtime
Aerial phones sold here
Discount Paj>in}«
System
‘Service
Free Activation I
‘Accessories i
Tiffany Inbody, Editor in Chief
Helen Clancy, News Editor
Brad Graeber, Visual Arts Editor
Robert Smith, City Editor
Matt Weber, Night News Editor
Jeremy Furtick, Sports Editor
James Francis, Aggielife Editor
Mandy Cater, Opinion Editor
Ryan Rogers, Photo Editor
Chris Huffines, Radio Producer
Sarah Goldston, Radio Producer
Dusty Moer, Web Editor
News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at
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pfjlcMt'g#
K,
* HonlTo-A firowinft 1
Hey Ags!
Don’t forget about
the grouing tradition,
Replant
Ulareh 7,
Lake Somerville
Sign-ups are available
in Koldus IZ7 at the Fish-
aides desk
and on oar web page at
http://stuaet.tanin.edu/
st u or gs/replant
Scuba Lessons
Free Discover Scuba
Every Thursday Night
Spring Break Trips:
I Cozumel March 16th - 22nd $795
Flower Gardens March 16th - 18th $395
Classes:
Feb. 16th Feb. 20th Mar.. 6th
■Paradise - ^„ ir ,
JSScuba
Pool
Texas Ave. Kroger Shopping Center
It s Time Again Ags!!!
Spring Business
ddl St- ‘*f it. ddlJI m cp • «J
February 16-19
Schedule of Events:
16 th :
17 th :
Evening Reception @ The Hilton, 7 p.m.
Company Booths; Evening Reception
@ Pebble Creek Country Club. 7 p.m.
Company Booths; Evening Reception
@ Briarcrest Country Club, 7 p.m.
Company Booths
Dress in business attire when speaking with companies at their booths
■& Prepare and bring resumes. Resume help? Contact the Career Center: 84m
ik Inquire about the appropriate attire for receptions when purchasing tickets m
reception
Have questions on how to get the most out of Career Fairs? Attend the CareeA
Networking Seminar on February 12. at 7 p.m.. in Wehner 159.
http://wehner.tamu.edu/BSC
Companies attending the Career Fair and their corresponding #|
will be posted in the Battalion each day of the Career Fair.