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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2017)
Page 10A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Thursday, September 7, 2017 Staff photo by Kathy Aney Staff photo by Kathy Aney Two dogs team up to retrieve a disc Wednesday during Doggie Dip Day at the Pendleton Aquatic Center. A woman throws a disc for her golden retriever Wednesday during Doggie Dip Day at the Pendleton Family Aquatic Center. Smoke doesn’t damper Doggie Dip Day in Pendleton New testing probe to help cancer surgeons AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais In this Aug. 15 photo, President Donald Trump steps out of the elevator to speaks to the media in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. New York state is getting $26 million in federal funds to reimburse law enforce- ment agencies for costs associated with guarding Trump, his family and their Manhattan home. New York to get $26M to pay for Trump security costs NEW YORK (AP) — New York state is getting nearly $26 million in federal funds to reimburse law enforcement agen- cies for costs associated with guarding President Donald Trump, his family and their Manhattan resi- dence. Congresswoman Nita Lowey announced the grants Wednesday. She says the money covers costs incurred during the 2 1/2 months between Election Day and the Republican president’s Inauguration Day. Lowey is a Democrat and a ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee. The New York Police Department is getting $18.9 million. The Suffolk County Police Department is getting $7 million. NYPD commissioner James O’Neill had written to New York’s congres- sional delegation seeking the reimbursement. The original estimate had been lowered from $35 million to $24 million. Democratic New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says his city’s taxpayers are getting back part of what they’re owed. WASHINGTON (AP) — Patients emerging from cancer surgery want to know, “Did you get it all?” Now scientists are developing a pen-like probe to help surgeons better tell when it’s safe to stop cutting or if stray tumor cells still lurk. The device is highly exper- imental, but laboratory tests show it uses molecular finger- prints to distinguish between cancerous cells and healthy ones far faster than today’s technology, Texas researchers reported Wednesday. “That’s really anyone’s worst nightmare, to go through surgery and know there’s a chance” some cancer remains, said assistant chemistry professor Livia Eberlin of the University of Texas at Austin, who is leading the work. “By providing real-time molecular information, we could really improve accuracy.” Her team aims to begin testing the device during surgeries, starting with breast cancer, early next year. When surgeons think they’ve removed all of a tumor, they often also remove a thin layer of surrounding tissue, called the margin, to be sure no cancer cells linger at the edge and increase the risk of relapse. The problem: That check takes time, for pathologists to process the tissue and examine it under the microscope. For certain especially tricky tumors, surgeons sometimes pause for a half-hour to more than an hour, the patient still University of Texas at Austin via AP This photo provided by the University of Texas at Austin, shows scientist Jialing Zhang as he demonstrates using the MasSpec Pen to analyze a human tissue sample. Scientists are developing a highly experimental pen-like probe to help surgeons better tell when it’s safe to stop cutting or if stray tumor cells still lurk. under anesthesia, to await the results. For breast cancer and certain other types, often the answer doesn’t arrive until a few days after surgery, raising the possibility of repeat opera- tions. In contrast, “our device is able to give an immediate read-out in under a minute,” said UT research engineer Noah Giese. How it works: Cells produce unique sets of small molecules that perform various functions — and thus also act as fingerprints. Researchers place the pen-like device directly onto tissue, press a foot pedal to switch it on, and a tiny amount of water emerges to gently pull molecules from the cells in that spot. A tube carries the droplet to a machine called a mass spectrometer that identifies molecules by calculating their mass. Software then imme- diately analyzes whether the resulting fingerprint matches cancer or healthy tissue. In lab tests of samples that had been taken from 253 patients with lung, ovary, thyroid or breast tumors, the so-called “MasSpec Pen” was more than 96 percent accurate in diagnosing cancer, researchers reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine. They also success- fully used the pen during a handful of operations on mice. “It’s intriguing tech- nology,” said Dr. Nita Ahuja, chief of surgical oncology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, who wasn’t involved in the work. Surgeons need new tools to catch residual cancer in the operating room, and devel- oping molecular techniques to try is a hot new field, Ahuja said. While she stressed that the hand-held pen needs lots more research to prove if it really works, she said it might be easier to use than some other candidates under devel- opment. TURKEYS: ODFW called into Milton-Freewater five years ago for similar problem Continued from 1A are 15 that hang out in a tree on his property. Low said she once counted 68 birds in her mother’s yard. The council suggested a few clever solutions for ousting the birds, including a spay and neuter program. Councilors also debated what gauge of shotgun would best take care of the problem. But in the end, they agreed it was a serious problem that would require the ODFW’s expertise. When it comes to dealing with unwanted turkeys, it’s not the ODFW’s first rodeo. Five years ago, the department was called into Milton-Freewater, which had its own turkey troubles. The birds would gather on the golf course, and residents claim one postal service worker fell victim to a turkey attack. But the Milton-Freewater City Council ultimately voted to allow the turkeys to remain. “It’s not an atypical situ- ation,” said ODFW wildlife biologist Greg Rimbach. “It only gets bad if you have folks who just plain like the turkeys. They need to realize they live in a community with people who don’t like them.” Everyone — the city council, police department and residents — would need to be on the same page for a solution to work, Rimbach said. He listed six standard options for curbing unwanted wildlife: 1. Remove the animal’s food source. In other words, stop feeding the birds. Rimbach said this is the simplest option and the one that ODFW typically recommends. It would likely require bureaucratic enforcement actions, like a city ordinance designed to fine residents who repeatedly fed the birds. Rimbach admits there’s more that attracts turkeys than simply laying out seed. Gardens — full of scrump- tious bugs and flowers — can be a big draw. So too can grain, which attracted birds in big numbers to Pendleton eight years ago. “They love wheat,” Rimbach said. “They’ll just walk down the road and pick the grain out.” It’s not a quick-fix solu- tion, but if the public stopped feeding the birds, they would likely dwindle in numbers through Thanksgiving, finally disappearing around spring of next year, Rimbach said. They’d likely take over habitat up and down Birch Creek, farther from Pilot Rock. 2. Build a barrier to keep the animals out. This option is costly and, in this case, completely ineffective. Turkeys can fly. 3. Make it so uncomfort- able for the animals that they decide to go elsewhere. The birds are creatures of habit, often returning to the same trees every night. The Pilot Rock turkeys have shown a preference for the trees along Birch Creek, which has not been appreciated by the residents there. The birds can be discouraged from roosting by loud noises like gunshots, Rimbach said. But he added that Pilot Rock’s municipal code is clear on the prohibi- tion of firearm use within city limits, and it’s not always a great idea to disrupt the night silence. 4. Encourage the animals to relocate by providing a food source elsewhere. ODFW tends to discourage this option, as it could lead to the spread of disease, Rimbach said. 5. Trap and transplant the animals. This option is the most labor-intensive, time-consuming and cost- heavy. Rimbach said they’re not sure where they’d take the birds, but there’s plenty of habitat within the region. 6. Kill the animals and donate the meat to a food bank. It would be compli- cated, but might look similar to Oregon Senate Bill 373, Rimbach said. Passed this year, the bill gives cities the ability to petition ODFW to humanely euthanize urban deer populations within city limits. The ODFW is currently working on rules and a pilot program to accompany the bill. Regardless of the option the council selects, Rimbach stressed that Milton-Free- water can’t just quit the turkeys cold turkey. “No matter what we do, we’re never going to get rid of all of them,” he said. “We’ll always have a few turkeys.” Make EXTRA CASH during ROUND-UP September 12th - 16th KANAINE: Harrison spent five years working at Hanford assisting tribal consultation Continued from 1A serves as an online market for handmade and vintage items. All of her creations are inspired by her Western and American Indian roots — Harrison is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation, with close ties to the Cayuse and Walla Walla tribes. The road to fashion design, however, was anything but direct. After graduating from Weston-McEwen High School in 2001, Harrison made her way to Corvallis to begin studying public health. By the end of her junior year at OSU, she returned home where she received an internship at the Hanford Site in Washington. Harrison was ultimately hired full-time and spent five years at Hanford, assisting with tribal consultation on cleanup projects. Then came children, and Harrison decided it was time to get back to OSU and finish her undergraduate degrees — which she completed in June. In the meantime, she was looking for something to keep her busy with two babies at home. “Nearly everyone in my family sews to some extent,” Harrison said. “I had never really got into it.” That changed when Harri- son’s father brought out an old, well-worn toddler jacket that her mother made for her when she was little. Harrison was just 3 years old when her mother died, and the jacket instantly roused a connection. “It just really had a powerful impact on me,” Harrison said. “My mom was very talented in so many ways.” Four years later, Harrison said she is getting more comfortable and creative with Kanaine. Depending on the blankets and fabric she finds, she can quickly determine which items will make the most use out of her material. “It’s all based on the fabric I find,” she said. “That’s one of the tricks working with Pendleton fabric. They’re all different sizes and designs.” Perhaps not surprisingly, kids’ jackets are her favorite to make, Harrison said. “The jacket that my mom made for me is really an heir- loom in our family,” she said. “That’s why I love designing. It’s a chance for me to create something special for my customers, something that they will treasure too.” Harrison lives in Corvallis with her partner, Ryan Ashley, and their daughters Kai, Blake and Riley. Kanaine clothing can be purchased online at www.etsy.com. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0825. Become an East Oregonian Hawker and sell the East Oregonian and Round-Up Magazine 211 SE Byers Ave. Pendleton or call: 541-276-2211 1-800-522-0255