The following faculty members from the University of
California, Davis, will present research at the annual
meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science in Boston, Feb. 14 through 19.

HEART-HEALTH BENEFITS OF FLAVONOIDS IN FOOD


PAPER: Food as Medicine: The Potential Aspirin-like Heart
Health Benefits of Flavonoids
AUTHOR: Carl L. Keen, professor and chair, Department of
Nutrition
SYMPOSIUM DATE AND TIME: 9 a.m. to noon, Friday, Feb. 15.
SYMPOSIUM NAME: Dietary Flavonoids: Heart-Healthy Nutrients
or an Excuse to Enjoy Wine and Chocolate?


Flavonoids are a group of naturally occurring compounds found
in plant-based foods such tea, wine, wine, cocoa and
chocolate. These compounds have a unique chemical structure
and appear to be powerful antioxidants, preventing certain
harmful biochemical processes in the body. Keen's research
on chocolate indicates that the flavonoids in cocoa and
chocolate work much like low-dose aspirin in preventing
aggregation of blood platelets, which is an important risk
factor for blood clots that can cause heart attacks and
strokes.


Contact: Carl Keen, Nutrition, (530) 752-6331,
clkeen@ucdavis.edu



VIRTUAL CELLS HELP UNRAVEL CELL MOTION


PAPER: Models of Cell Motion
AUTHOR: Alex Mogilner, associate professor of mathematics
SYMPOSIUM DATE AND TIME: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17.
SYMPOSIUM NAME: Mathematical Models for Movement and
Aggregation of Cells and Organisms


A "virtual cell" that biologists can use to test theories
about cell motion has been created by UC Davis mathematician
Alex Mogilner. As a starting point, Mogilner took the motion
of sperm cells from the hog roundworm, Ascaris. Biologists
interested in cell motion study Ascaris sperm because they
have a simple crawling mechanism driven by a single protein.
Depending on the local pH, the protein either straightens
itself out or curls up. By creating a pH gradient from the
front to the back of the cell, the cell can pull itself
along. But while biology can supply some general answers,
working out exactly how the cell moves requires some more
complex mathematics, Mogilner said. To build the model, he
wrote equations to describe the different processes inside
the cell. Solving the equations produces an animation that
shows how the virtual cell behaves under different
conditions. For example, by changing the pH gradient in the
virtual cell, the researchers could reproduce the responses
of a real cell.


Mogilner is part of a large collaboration that is exploring
cell motion through a National Institutes of Health "glue
grant." Cell motion studies have possible applications in
areas such as cancer, heart disease and wound healing.


Note: Quicktime movies of the "virtual cell" model and of
real Ascaris sperm cells in motion are available. Contact
Andy Fell for details.


Contact: Alex Mogilner, Mathematics, (530) 752-1072,
mogilner@math.ucdavis.edu



SHANGHAI'S TRANSPORTATION FUTURE


PAPER: Motorization in Shanghai and Environmental
Implications
AUTHOR: Daniel Sperling, director and professor, Institute of
Transportation
SYMPOSIUM DATE AND TIME: 9 a.m. to noon, Friday, Feb. 15.
SYMPOSIUM NAME: The Future of Personal Use Vehicles in China


Greenhouse-gas emissions from vehicles in Shanghai could rise
fourfold to sevenfold by 2020 unless policies are adopted
that promote clean technologies, public transit and other
transportation alternatives, Sperling says. The
transportation sector currently generates extremely low
levels of greenhouse-gas emissions for a city of Shanghai's
size and affluence, but that will change dramatically as the
number of cars and trucks quadruples in the next two decades.
Shanghai has already established a highly competent
transportation system, and large investments are being made
in new rail and bus transit and "intelligent" transportation
technologies. Shanghai may eventually serve as a model for
other cities in the developing world.


Contact: Daniel Sperling, (530) 752-7434,
dsperling@ucdavis.edu. On Thursday, Feb. 14: Sheraton Boston,
(617) 236-2000