Johns Hopkins Gazette: March 6, 1995

Newsbriefs


Johns Hopkins Credit Union member accounts 
not affected by federal government decision 

     Johns Hopkins Credit Union members' accounts will not be
affected by the federal government's decision to take over
another credit union where JHFCU has investments.
     A decision by the National Credit Union Administration
regulators to place under conservatorship the Capital Corporate
Federal Credit Union will only affect a minimal investment the
JHFCU has there. JHFCU is well-reserved and strong and maintains
the majority of its investment portfolio at other institutions,
said Lynn Cataneo, of the JHFCU. Loans and withdrawals will
continue with no interruption or problems, she said.



Researchers use computer images to identify 
patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

     Hopkins researchers have created color-coded, computer-
enhanced images of the brains of patients with obsessive-
compulsive disorder. The images highlight areas of the brain
where increased activity marks the distinctive patterns of this
form of mental illness.
     Using an imaging technique called single photon
emission-computed tomography, researchers, led by Gordon Harris,
an instructor in psychiatry, found that OCD patients had
significantly heightened activity in an area at the front of the
brain called the frontal lobe, which is part of the cortex and is
involved in higher mental functions. Higher activity also
occurred in the cerebellum, a part of the brain that helps
control movements and also may be involved in thought processes.
     "This study promises to give us more insight into how the
brain of an OCD patient functions," said Rudolf Hoehn-Saric,
professor of psychiatry and one of the authors of a paper on the
study. "The technique provides a useful tool to study how various
areas of the brain respond to drugs or psychotherapy."



Facilities Management                                           
pleased with SEA energy audit

     Administrators in Homewood Facilities Management have
reviewed an energy audit report prepared by Students for
Environmental Action, and they like what they see.
     "The students put in a good effort," said Rick Eschenbach,
energy manager for the department. "Some of the things they
pointed out, like exit light conversion, is something the
university has already started on. Other data is useful to me as
I begin my own [energy] audit of each campus building."
     Robert Schuerholz, executive director of Facilities
Management for the university, and a longtime proponent of energy
efficiency at Hopkins, welcomed the student report.
     "This was good for the students because it raised their
awareness of energy conservation," said Schuerholz. "And we
welcome their observations, because it's always good to see
things from another perspective."
     The report stemmed from a daylong, small-scale energy audit
of four Homewood buildings the SEA conducted Nov. 4, 1994, with
guidance from Pepper White, a Hopkins alumnus who runs an energy
consulting firm in Massachusetts. White briefed the students on
how to conduct an audit, and then four groups of students visited
the New Engineering Building and Garland, Remsen and Ames halls.
     The students' findings, summarized in a recently released
report prepared by SEA president Eric Lee, focused on suggestions
for upgrading lighting in all the halls but Remsen, which already
has energy-efficient fixtures in place as a result of its recent
renovation. They calculated replacement costs and cost payback
periods for each suggestion.
     Also, the students completed a plug-load survey of the
buildings, which involved counting the various electrical
machines as a means of calculating the total energy use of each
building. Eschenbach found this data to be especially useful, as
he is in the process of determining how many computers are used
in campus buildings.
     "In the last 22 years, we've saved close to $40 million in
energy costs," said Schuerholz. "But the energy conservation
business is a  continuing process, and this audit by the students
is a useful tool for us. They should be commended for their
efforts."

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