Today's News: Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Research
U of M researchers call for better flu vaccines
Dr. Michael Osterholm of the U of M’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy said at a news conference yesterday that people should still get flu vaccines this fall, but Osterholm also presented results from his research on flu vaccines that show the effectiveness of flu shots is not as high as most believe. “We believe current influenza vaccines will continue to have a role in reducing influenza … but we can no longer accept the status quo regarding vaccine research and development.”
Pioneer Press
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_21776661/university-minnesota-infectious-disease-expert-calls-better-flu
WCCO-FM
To Listen: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/10/15/u-of-m-report-flu-vaccines-not-as-effective-as-previously-reported/
KARE-TV
To Watch: http://www.kare11.com/news/article/994888/391/U-of-M-study-challenges-effectiveness-of-flu-vaccine
KMSP-TV
To Watch: http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/19825250/u-details-compelling-need-for-better-flu-vaccines-in-report
Montreal Gazette
http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/report+questions+science+behind+vaccine+efficacy+policy/7396313/story.html
U of M institute looks to ‘find solutions where they are needed’
The U of M’s Institute on the Environment, which was founded in 2008, is looking for real-world environmental solutions. These solutions, according to the institute’s website, include examining the heat-island effect, finding irrigation solutions in India and working with government in east Africa to better utilize the African Great Lakes. On top of these solutions, the institute also focuses on local problems.
Post-Bulletin
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1511786
U of M developing homegrown diesel alternative
David Kittelson, a mechanical engineering professor in the U of M’s College of Science and Engineering, is leading a research project to develop a clear-burning, renewable alternative to diesel and a fuel-injection system for it. With the developed alternative, Minnesota pulp mills could meet 10 percent of the state’s diesel fuel needs. The project is receiving funding and consulting from a state grant as well as big-name industry partners, like General Motors and Volvo.
Finance & Commerce
http://finance-commerce.com/2012/10/university-of-minnesota-developing-home-grown-diesel-alternative/
Director of vascular medicine found a new treatment for blocked vessels
Dr. Alan Hirsch, director of vascular medicine at the U of M Medical School, headed a study funded by the National Institute of Health involving exercise. The study concluded that a six-month supervised exercise program proved more effective than using a stent to treat a blocked vessel in the pelvis called the iliac artery in improving time and distance a patient could walk on a treadmill.
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443624204578058911131004802.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
U of M Sea Grant awarded $400,000
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has awarded the U of M Sea Grant $400,000 through t he EPA to extend education efforts on preventing the spread of invasive species. This grant will help spread information about alternatives to releasing live bait, aquarium, and watergarden species when out boating on the Great Lakes.
Northland’s News Center
http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/400000-Grant-to-Prevent-Invasives-from-Spreading-in-the-Great-Lakes-174241681.html
Business and Politics
Professor at U of M discusses crucial political regions in Minnesota
Myron Orfield, director of the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity at the U of M, discussed the areas that Republicans and Democrats tend to control in Minnesota.
Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/174300561.html?refer=y
People and Lifestyle
Student architects help make a U alum’s home accessible
In 2008, 63-year-old Minneapolis native and U alum John Carter Holmes suffered a heart attack that left him unable to walk on his own. After recovering in the hospital for three months, he returned to living alone in his inaccessible childhood home, which he views as “an obstacle course.” Freedom by Design, a U of M student group, heard about Holmes’ situation last year and began work to make his home more accessible through the installment of door modifications and grab bars.
Minnesota Daily
http://www.mndaily.com/2012/10/16/student-architects-help-u-alum
Updates and Events
Board of Regents OK revamp of U of M clinic
The Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC) that caters to medically underserved patients will now be able to serve more. Located in the Phillips neighborhood on Bloomington Avenue, the clinic provides medical, mental health, and dental care to about 12,000 patients each year. The $2.7 million in renovations, the majority of which is being paid by a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant, were approved by the Board of Regents Friday, and the renovations to the building will allow for about 1,250 more patients by 2013.
Minnesota Daily
http://www.mndaily.com/2012/10/16/clinic-revamp-way-regents%E2%80%99-ok
Swine educator at U of M has advice for feeding swine & avoiding mycotoxins
Higher levels of mycotoxins in corn grain harvested this fall have been produced due to the hot, dry weather this past summer. Mark Whitney, swine educator with the U of M Extension, believes pork producers should be especially cautious and evaluate grain for mycotoxins prior to its use as feed. “Once the grain is contaminated with mycotoxins, there are no known methods of detoxifying it,” says Whitney.
National Hog Farmer
http://nationalhogfarmer.com/nutrition/seven-tips-feeding-swine-avoid-mycotoxins
Retired U of M professor to share Holocaust experience at St. Paul cathedral event
Robert Fisch, a retired U of M professor of pediatrics and author who also creates painting and other artwork, is a Holocaust survivor and will be sharing “a narrative of his experiences through eloquent paintings, moving prose and music offered by the [St. Paul Cathedral chamber orchestra” at an event on Oct. 21. The presentation intends to showcase how cathedrals have been a place where the arts and humanities meet.
Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/174398431.html
U of M professor chosen to give O. Fritiof Ander Lecture
Dr. Donna Gabaccia, a professor who specializes in international migration, women and gender, and culinary studies, has been chosen to give the 23rd annual O. Fritiof Ander Lecture in Immigration History on Saturday, Oct. 20, at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Dr. Gabaccia’s lecture, “The Freedom to Move: Immigrants and Natives 1779-present,” will focus on immigration policy and histories of groups that were forced to move or not allowed to move, providing a different way of thinking about immigration policy and notions of liberty. Dr. Gabaccia is one of the leading scholars in the field of American immigration history today.
Quad-Cities Online
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=612276
Housing & Residential Life kick off Live Green Games competition
The folks from Housing & Residential Life have teamed up with It All Adds Up to create the Live Green Games competition – a year-long sustainability program challenging students in the residence halls to take steps each month in an effort to be more sustainable. More than $40 million each year is spent by the U of M on electricity and fossil fuels for campus buildings, and recovers about 41 percent of all recyclables – both numbers that can be improved. The Live Green Games hope to encourage residents to do their part in reducing their environmental footprint.
Minnesota Daily
http://www.mndaily.com/2012/10/16/housing-residential-life-kicks-live-green-games-competition
Did a lion really befriend a baby antelope? U of M ecologist says no
Adri De Visser recently documented a lion hunt in Uganda, and came across a surprising sight: a lioness seeming to “adopt” a baby antelope after killing and eating its mother. ...Ecologist Craig Packer, who is also the director of the Lion Research Center at the U of M, doesn’t think this was the case, “the lamb always gets eaten … It’s quite common for cats to play with their prey and they can look very gentle doing it. But it always ends in tears.”
Mother Nature Network
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/did-lioness-really-befriend-baby-antelope-in-photographs