Campus Honors Peruvian President
Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo was honored by UCSD’s Institute of the Americas this week with its Award for Democracy and Peace for his efforts in promoting both Peru’s economic growth and commitment to strengthening democracy.
He became the eighth Latin American leader to receive the award. Jeffrey S. Davidow, the head of the institute, said that Toledo was chosen because of his dedication to free trade and regional economic integration.
Under Toledo’s leadership, Peru’s income from exports has tripled since 2001 and the number of Peruvian citizens living in poverty has dropped from 54 percent to 48 percent. Last week, he signed a free trade agreement in Washington, D.C., though the treaty still has to be ratified by both the U.S. and Peruvian congresses.
Physicists Say ‘No’ to Iran Nuclear Strike
In a harshly worded letter to President George W. Bush, 13 prominent physicists urged the president not to authorize the use of nuclear weapons against Iran, calling it “gravely irresponsible.”
Led by UCSD physicist Jorge Hirsch, the letter was written in response to the president’s refusal to neither confirm nor deny that a nuclear strike against Iran is being considered as a viable option to resolve international concerns over Iran’s plans to develop nuclear technology.
The physicists who signed the letter include five Nobel Prize laureates, three former presidents of the American Physical Society and a winner of the National Medal of Science.
Hirsch’s decision to send the letter followed a petition he organized last year signed by more than 1,800 physicists that criticized U.S. nuclear policies.
Unique Lung Defenses Detailed in Report
A team of researchers from UCSD School of Medicine has discovered that special white blood cells located only in lung tissue help protect it from microbial attacks, marking the discovery of the first innate, organ-specific immune response.
The special cell, called an alveolar macrophage, is unique because its activity is kept in check by epithelial lung cells. The researchers found that if the alveolar macrophages were always in battle-mode, they could damage the fragile microenvironments found in lung tissue.
The project, which was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, also revealed that the regulation of the cells allows them to use their “killer” function, or ability to engulf invaders, for only a limited amount of time before being put “back to sleep.”
