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Today's News Headlines is a comprehensive collection of U of M news clips including select U of M news from local, national and global sources, as well as News Service releases and multimedia content. It is delivered every morning, Monday-Friday.
Today's News: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Dating And The Single Parent: What To Do, Not Do
At a coffee shop in St. Paul, Susan Fischer said being divorced can be tough... Dr. William Doherty is a professor of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota.
WCCO - TV
To view: http://wcco.com/local/divorce.dating.parents.2.1271976.html
'Post Secret' man collects strangers' intimate tales
For the last five years people from all over the world have sent Frank Warren their intimate secrets. Then he shares them with the world... Some 600 students turned out to hear him read from the book, and share some secrets of their own, over the weekend at the University of Minnesota.
Minnesota Public Radio
To listen: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/26/warren/#at
Lack of services making refugee life more difficult
New research at the University of Minnesota shows many of the refugees coming to the Twin Cities aren't getting the mental health services they need, and university researchers are searching for a way to solve that problem just as a new group of refugees arrives.
Minnesota Public Radio
To listen: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/26/mental-health-refugees/#at
Brain food: An anthropologist visits Wall Street
Anthropologists used to study the alien: pygmies in rainforests with blowdarts and more piercings than a knife-thrower's assistant... An ethnographer at the University of Minnesota, she worked for a year in a Manhattan investment bank, then did months of in-depth interviews.
Guardian - UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/27/anthropologist-wall-street
Economist: Fall in agricultural research spending is slowing global farm productivity
A global fall in agricultural research spending - other than in China - is slowing growth in farm output and will lead to higher world food prices for the first time in five decades, an economist said Tuesday... Climate change and associated water shortages have contributed, but the productivity slowdown is "heavily related" to declining research spending since the late 1970s, said Philip Pardey, professor of science and technology policy at the University of Minnesota.
Canadian Press
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gvK0ZUN5028lNYlrDwjLXF3YazPA
Primary concern: Fewer family doctors
It's one small piece of health care reform, but it's a big deal for medical schools and doctor's offices: forgiving the student loans of doctors who choose primary care... "The financial burden drives very responsible people to make decisions that may not be in our state and country's best interest," said Dr. Patricia Simmons, a member of the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents and a professor at the Mayo Clinic.
Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/66231357.html
Money transfers increasingly dangerous for consumers
Alan Schiller just wanted to make a few hundred extra dollars when he responded to a Help Wanted advertisement looking for market researchers posing as shoppers... However, Stephen Meili, a consumer protection and immigration law professor at the University of Minnesota, questioned whether it makes sense to pursue the "conduit" of fraudulent activity, rather than the perpetrators themselves.
Baltimore Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/sns-200910
260815mctnewsservbc-cns-wirescams-ms6049,0,6
472065.story
Expert says a strong 'multi-purpose' government serves Portland well
He might find some disagreement locally, but University of Minnesota researcher Myron Orfield believes regional governments such as the Portland-area's Metro are the way to go.
Oregon Live
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.
ssf/2009/10/expert_says_a_strong_multi-pur.html
If GOP wants to win in 2012, it must reshape its primary process
The Republican presidential-primary process begins in 27 months... Lawrence Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, points to changes instituted in the 1970s as a turning point in the way primary elections were contested.
Belleville News Democrat
http://www.bnd.com/285/story/981243.html#at
To win, GOP must alter nomination path
The Republican presidential primary process begins in 27 months... Empower the party bosses. Lawrence Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, points to changes instituted in the 1970s as a turning point in the way primary elections were contested.
Lawrence Journal World and News
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/oct/27/win-gop-must-alter-nomination-path/
Genes define why we crave nicotine
A group of Indian researchers, working in collaboration with American scientists, has found two new genes responsible for nicotine addiction in zebrafish... These genes have a single human counterpart, and one is a direct potential target for developing a tobacco- cessation drug," said Stephen Ekker of University of Minnesota, who collaborated with scientists at the IGIB.
India Today
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/68044/Lifestyle
/Genes+define+why+we+crave+nicotine.html#at
A Nation Battling Flu, and Short Vaccine Supplies
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci was talking with fellow federal officials in September, a month before swine flu vaccinations were to begin, when it became clear they had a bigger problem than they feared with supplies... “To my mind, it was over-promising what there would be based on our historic experience with flu vaccines,” said Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
Star News Online
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091026/ZNYT04/910263007
?Title=A-Nation-Battling-Flu-and-Short-Vaccine-Supplies
Production of swine flu vaccine is way behind
The federal government originally promised 120 million doses of swine flu vaccine by now. Only 13 million have come through... "We're in this race against the virus, and only Mother Nature knows how many cases are going to occur over the next six to 10 weeks," said Michael Osterholm, a vaccine expert at the University of Minnesota.
Republican American
http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2009/10/26/news/national/445318.txt#at
Experts weigh in on calorie lists on menus, despite "mixed" science
Scientific uncertainty exists about the benefits of requiring restaurants to prominently display calorie information on menu boards in the US, but key researchers in the field say that the obesity problem is so great that society needs to act now to increase awareness about the calorie content of these typically fast-food meals... Similarly, Dr Lisa Harnack (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis), who presented data on the consumer use of labeling at fast-food restaurants and how much people eat when using that information [2], said there are conflicting results in the literature.
The Heart
http://www.theheart.org/article/1015787.do
Kurzweil Receives Innovation Award
Ray Kurzweil has been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Economist Innovation Award in the category of Computing and Telecommunication for his optical character recognition and speech recognition technology... According to Andrew Odlyzko, a professor in the School of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota and one of this year's judges, "Ray Kurzweil has used the advances in basic electronic technologies to pioneer a range of innovative products in optical character recognition, speech recognition, music, text to speech synthesis, and medicine.
Dr Dobbs Journal
http://www.ddj.com/architect/220900587
Death of a wolf raises questions about research
In life, 527F was reclusive — even for an alpha-female wolf... The loss of 527F leaves a hole in research that had been under way at the University of Minnesota and elsewhere, said Daniel MacNulty, a U of M research associate.
MinnPost
http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2009/10/27/12851/
death_of_a_wolf_raises_questions_about_research
Wolves Lose Hunting Skills in Mid-Life
The savvy hunting skills of wolves decline when they reach mid-life, suggests a new study... "Wolves are not perfect predators," said Dan MacNulty, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Minnesota.
Live Science
http://www.livescience.com/animals/091026-wolf-abilities.html
Scientists use genetic markers to develop 'light fry' potatoes
In Idaho and across the nation, freshly harvested potatoes are in the early days of a storage season that — for some varieties — could continue through next August... While at the University of Minnesota, Gupta began developing two biochemical markers that reveal a potato’s propensity to tolerate cold storage.
Idaho Business
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2009/10/26/
Scientists-use-genetic-markers-to-develop-light-fry-
potatoes
The Hungry Planet: What the world eats
How much food does your family eat in a week? A fascinating new exhibit at the Bell Museum shows how dinner varies throughout the world in quantity, substance and cost.
MinnPost
http://www.minnpost.com/scientificagenda/2009/
10/21/12622/hungry_try_the_bell_museum
CityPages
http://www.citypages.com/events/hungry-planet-what
-the-world-eats-1054754/
U of M spin-out wins $2.2M federal grant
BioCee Inc., a startup that’s commercializing technology invented by a University of Minnesota professor, has received a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/
stories/2009/10/26/daily4.html#at
U lab's fuel idea gets big boost
Shewanella is a bacteria found in lakes and soil as remote as Antarctica, but researchers at the University of Minnesota are tweaking a variant they think can one day produce gasoline.
Pioneer Press
http://www.twincities.com/business/ci_13647280#at
To the FDA, This Indonesian Smoke Is Close but No Cigar
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar -- unless the Food and Drug Administration and a congressional committee think it might be a cigarette... For high-schoolers, kreteks are one of those "short-term fads that have not caught on with mainstream American youth," according to a 2006 University of Minnesota survey that traced a 40% drop in 12th-grade clove smokers since 2001.
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125660066262509223.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
DOE funds extreme research projects
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, has selected 37 forward-thinking energy research projects to receive a portion of $151 million in funding... A research team at the University of Minnesota received $2.2 million to advance their research of direct solar hydrocarbon biofuels made from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide using bacteria as the catalyst.
Mother Nature Network
http://www.mnn.com/business/finance/blogs/doe-funds-extreme-research-projects#at
Smart Grid Technologies of Tomorrow Get DOE Funding
DOE has picked an exotic mix of 37 advanced energy research projects to receive Recovery Act grants totaling $151 million... Bacteria for Producing Direct Solar Hydrocarbon Biofuels: University of Minnesota researchers have developed a bioreactor with the potential to produce a flow of gasoline directly from sunlight and CO2 using a symbiotic system of two organisms.
Smart Grid News
http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Stimulus_Awards
_Projects_News/Smart-Grid-Technologies-of-Tomorrow-Getting-
151-Million-1324.html#at
MIT, Storage, ‘Direct Solar’ Among DOE Research Grant Winners
MIT and startups that hail from the university were some of the big recipients today in a $151 million round of grants from the Department of Energy for experimental energy concepts... The University of Minnesota has a microbe that can take sunlight and make a hydrocarbon.
Greentech Media
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/mit-
storage-direct-solar-among-doe-research-grant-
winners/
Innovative Energy Research Agency Opens By Funding 37 Projects
Liquid metal grid-scale battery technology that could enable constant energy supply from intermittent renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power... Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a bioreactor that has the potential to produce gasoline directly from sunlight and CO2 using a symbiotic system of two organisms.
Environmental News Service Newswire
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2009/2009-10-26-092.asp
FloDesign wins $8.3 million in U.S. funding
Hoping to promote "the next industrial revolution" in clean energy, the U.S. Department of Energy on Monday awarded $8.3 million to FloDesign Wind Turbine Corp., the developers of an innovative compact wind turbine shaped like a jet engine... Other projects that won awards from the Department of Energy Monday include a liquid metal battery developed at MIT that has the potential to significantly lower the cost of storing a large amount of electricity, and a project developed at University of Minnesota in which a flow of gasoline is produced directly from sunlight and carbon dioxide using a symbiotic system of two organisms, one that converts sunlight to sugars and another that converts the sugars to biofuel.
Mass Live
http://www.masslive.com/springfield/republican/index.
ssf?/base/news-25/1256633131237110.xml&coll=1
At Google, Chu announces grants for 'out-of-the-box' global warming projects
Fulfilling a campaign pledge to tap Silicon Valley innovation to combat global warming, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Monday at Google's headquarters the first federal grants for high-risk, high-reward clean-tech ventures — including revolutionary technologies like using bacteria to create gasoline... Awards included $2.2 million to University of Minnesota researchers working on organisms that use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into sugars, and another organism to create gasoline and diesel from the sugars; and $9 million to du Pont to produce an advanced biofuel from seaweed.
Mercury News
http://www.mercurynews.com/business-headlines/ci_13644411#at
A Closer Look at the Uninsured
The American health-care debate is a blizzard of numbers, but few get tossed around as frequently as “46 million.”... A 2008 University of Minnesota study calculated that such a national marketplace would lead to roughly 2.9 million newly insured at a minimum, with the possibility of nearly 17 million newly insured. The cost to taxpayers, meanwhile, would be zero.
National Review
http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=NTQxNjQ0YzJjMThlMmJmNzFiZmY4MDI2Yjc2MzNkOWQ=
Health IT Opportunities Abound, Some Studies Question Value
"The rest of the world has embraced e-mail, online forms and iPhone apps, but health care still communicates in the centuries-old technology of paper," McClatchy/Tribune News reports... Obama has said the changes will save billions in health-care costs and will minimize medication errors… (but) researchers at the University of Minnesota found in March that electronic records prevented only two infections a year.
Medical News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168803.php#at
The Hungry Planet: What the world eats
How much food does your family eat in a week? A fascinating new exhibit at the Bell Museum shows how dinner varies throughout the world in quantity, substance and cost.
Star Tribune - Our Voices
http://www.startribune.com/blogs/65643237.html?
BioCee Inc. wins big DOE grant
Biocee Inc., a Minneapolis-based start-up licensing technology from the University of Minnesota, has won a share of a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to promote next generation energy technology.
Star Tribune - Patent Pending Blog
http://www.startribune.com/blogs/66180372.html
A Call For More Transparency In China’s Africa Investments
China has been the target of growing criticism in recent years for the nature of its investment in Africa... That was one of the messages from Brian Atwood, dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, who spoke to the FCCC www.fccchina.org Monday night in Beijing.
Wall Street Journal Blogs
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2009/10/27/a-call-
for-more-transparency-in-chinas-africa-investments/
Why starvation can lead to longer life
Testosterone causes men essentially to be stingy, concludes a new study... A new University of Minnesota study has shown that environmental cues control reproductive timing and longevity.
Taragana Blog
http://blog.taragana.com/n/why-starvation-can-lead-to-longer-life-92719/
U of M Opera Theatre to present "Stravinsky in Paris," three short operas by Igor Stravinsky, Nov. 19-22
http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2009/UR_CONTENT_143983.html
Siehl Prize for Excellence in Agriculture seeks nominations
http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2009/UR_CONTENT_144026.html