Study sheds light on asthma and respiratory viruses

A new study led by Michael J. Holtzman, MD, at the School of Medicine suggests that a fundamental antiviral defense mechanism is intact in asthma. This indicates that another aspect of the immune system must explain the difficulty people with asthma have when they encounter respiratory viruses.

Aiming for the stars

Early in September, the X-Calibur mission, preparing for launch at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, N.M., put its pointing system through its paces to make sure all of its parts were working in programmed harmony.

9/11 to be remembered with 2,977 flags on Mudd Field​

Members of the Washington University in St. Louis College Republicans will spend the evening of Sept. 10 on Mudd Field planting 2,977 flags — one for each life lost on 9/11. Junior Kaitlyn Cullen says it’s important that those too young at the time to comprehend the tragedy reflect on it now.

​​WUSTL Libraries receive grant to implement open-source software

​The Washington University Libraries have received a $50,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant will allow the library system, led by University Librarian Jeffrey Trzeciak, to implement Hydra, a powerful open-source software system that facilitates collaboration among institutions that want to share their digital collections and link them to related materials held elsewhere.

Re-formed trio Tracer launches Jazz at Holmes Sept. 11

In the 1970s and ’80s, the St. Louis band Tracer was one of the area’s premiere exponents of fusion-style jazz. On Thursday, Sept. 11, the re-formed Tracer will launch Jazz at Holmes Series. The annual fall series also will include tributes to John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Gaslight Square.

Need for authenticity drives gender transitions in later life

As we age, all of us begin to think about what makes us tick and what kind of legacy we want to leave. For some, this manifests itself in the purchase of a motorcycle, a boat or an exotic vacation. But for others, the issues of age and transition are a bit more contemplative. Vanessa Fabbre, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, considers these issues in her paper “Gender Transitions in Later Life: The Significance of Time in Queer Aging,” recently published in the 2014 issue of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work.
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