Telomere Crisis: Crucial
Stage in Breast Cancer

Telomere crisis: left, hyperplasia; right, carcinoma in situ
Gray

Telomere crisis is an important early event in the development of breast cancer, and its occurrence can be identified with precision, according to recent findings by a team of scientists at Berkeley Lab and UC San Francisco. Joe Gray, director of Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division and a professor of laboratory medicine and radiation oncology at UCSF, is one of the paper's lead authors. "Our research establishes two things," Gray says. "First is that telomere crisis does appear to play an important role in the development of most breast cancers. Second is where it occurs: at the transition from hyperplasia to carcinoma in situ." Co-authors were Koei Chin and Britt Marie Ljung of UCSF; Carlos Ortiz de Solorzano, Paul Yaswen, and Martha Stampfer of Berkeley Lab; and Stephen J. Lockett from the National Cancer Institute. Full story.

Report Shows DOE Tops
In Implementing Reforms

At the direction of Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a report Monday detailing the results of its department-wide effort to implement management reforms called for under President Bush's Management Agenda (PMA). In July 2004, the DOE was ranked first among all cabinet agencies in its efforts to implement the PMA. The report, entitled “Energizing America for a New Century - Results from Implementing the President's Management Agenda,” highlights management reforms that are changing the way the department conducts business. "The (DOE’s) employees and contractors have transformed the department from an organization generally thought to be one of the government's worst managed agencies, to one of the very best,” Abraham said. Access the report as a pdf file here.

Harnessing the Power
From Particle Annihilation
By Keay Davidson

"Antimatter men" haunted comic books and TV science-fiction shows. Now, what used to be pure fantasy has become serious science. Real-life professors and scientists are grappling with real antimatter — the particle physicists' "mirror image" of ordinary matter — in today's laboratories. Antimatter might have practical uses, visionaries claim. Full story.

Lab’s Ethanol Program
Gets UC Video Spotlight

Berkeley Lab’s recently installed ethanol dispensing station, for powering a fleet of 60 alternate-fuel vehicles, gets feature treatment on the University of California’s web site this week. Footage of the new storage tank, a review of the filling process, and an interview with fleet manager Don Prestella are included in the video, which can be viewed from a promotional slide on the Office of the President home page. Watch for the "Spotlight" feature, top right.

ASD Academy To Hold
Covey Classes

The Administrative Services Department (ASD) will be sponsoring a two-day workshop in September on Franklin Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Seven Habits represents a holistic, integrated approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness. Sign up now to learn how to become a highly effective individual and develop life empowering habits. The workshop will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, September 21-22 from 8:00-5:00 in Building 2-100B. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Please register at Employee Self Service under the Admin skill development course type, ASD 0225. A small fee for non-ASD employees is required.

Update Now With New
Norton Virus Protection

The new Norton AV update that protects against the latest Beagle variant has just become available. All Windows users at the Lab should update Norton AV immediately to protect against this latest threat. To update, launch the Norton AV application and click on the "LiveUpdate" button to get the latest virus protection. Go here for full instructions.