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R&D Briefs

Phoning It In

An application that allows smart phone users to send CT scan images remotely has proved useful in helping radiologists make preliminary diagnoses in medical cases.

Dr. Asim Choudhri, currently a fellow in neuroradiology at Johns Hopkins University, performed a study while at UVA using a phone application available through iTunes. Researchers took CT images of 25 patients suspected of having appendicitis and sent them via iPhone to five radiology residents. In all but one instance, the images were clear enough to make the correct preliminary diagnosis.

Coping with Risk

African-American children are exposed to more high-risk circumstances, yet they have behavioral problems at the same rates as white and Hispanic kids who enjoy more stable childhoods, according to one study.

Children in three regions of the U.S. were studied for risk factors like frequent moves, low family income, substance abuse by parents and living in dangerous neighborhoods.

While African-American youths were exposed to more risk factors than the other groups, they were no more vulnerable to child behavior problems, said Melvin Wilson, a psychology professor at UVA who participated in the study.

Banging Beams

The Large Hadron Collider in Europe recorded its first collision of proton beams in late November.

“We are tremendously excited that after 15 years of preparation, physics at the LHC is beginning,” said UVA physics professor Brad Cox, a longtime member of the LHC project, which includes a team of UVA physicists.

Experiments at the facility will delve into the basic structure of matter, how the universe began and the theoretical existence of a particle that gives mass to matter.

The Large Hadron Collider Courtesy Maximilien Brice/CERN