May 4, 1999

Here are descriptions of the radio stories available on the Ohio State University Info Line, May 7 through May 14, 1999. Stories are changed at noon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. All feeds include one wraparound report of approximately 1:00 and at least one other actuality plus background material. If you have questions, want additional information, or need a re-feed of a missed story, call Amy Murray at 614-292-8385.

Friday 5/7-Monday 5/10 - The conditions that spawned the ethnic displacement in Kosovo aren’t the result of centuries of animosity as many analysts believe. An Ohio State University Political Scientist blames the trouble on the political elite in the former communist nation. Goldie Shabad says politicians like Milosevic successfully used ethnic nationalism to win votes to lead the various Yugoslav republics. Shabad also discusses historic parallels between the ethnic cleansing in the 1990s and the 1940s.

Monday 5/10-Wednesday 5/12 - Ohio State University researchers have discovered a new approach to removing heavy metals that contaminate the Great Lakes. Richard Sayre, an associate professor of plant biology, is developing a system that uses a biologically modified algae to extract heavy metals from water. He says the modified Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has recovered 90 percent of the metals from polluted water.

Wednesday 5/12-Friday 5/14 - Women who smoke menthol cigarettes may be more likely to inhale deeper with each drag on their cigarette and potentially take in more nicotine than do smokers of non-menthol cigarettes. Ohio State University Nursing Professor Karen Ahijevych studies how smoking affects smokers. Her research also shows that users of menthol cigarettes tend to smoke their first cigarette of the day earlier than do non-menthol smokers--a sign of greater nicotine dependence. Ahijevych says her findings should caution smokers who think menthol cigarettes are in some way healthier or less irritating than non-menthol brands.

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