uncnews.unc.edu

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:

International Coverage

Thai Calm May Rely on Delaying Thaksin Return to Please Army
Bloomberg News
...“These people continue to hate Thaksin and they don’t want him back,” said Kevin Hewison, a professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of North Carolina. “If there is any move that looks like he’s closer to coming back or if there’s anything they interpret as a whitewash, they will be up for the fight.”

Thai government plans coalition to consolidate election win
The Guardian (United Kingdom)
Yingluck Shinawatra has moved fast to consolidate the Thai opposition's resounding electoral victory by announcing a coalition deal that supporters say should buy her valuable breathing space from opponents of her brother Thaksin. ..."The vote is about having a voice that is heard," Kevin Hewison, professor of Asian studies at the University of North Carolina, told Associated Press.

Mental Problems of Soldiers' Kids Tied to Wars
Reuters (Wire Service)
The longer U.S. soldiers were deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, the more likely their children would be diagnosed with mental health problems, according to a study published Monday. The study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, analyzed medical records of 307,520 children of active-duty Army personnel, aged 5 to 17 years old. It found almost 17 percent of them exhibited mental health problems. ...The lead researcher was Alyssa Mansfield, who was at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at the time the study was conducted.

Obama’s game plan (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirates)
...Rekindling the enthusiasm of African-Americans, educated white liberals, Latinos, young people, and union members — the Democratic Party’s most loyal and progressive members — will be a huge challenge. After all, you can only elect the first African-American president once, and the past two and a half years have deeply disappointed many liberals. “I know a lot of the kids who worked hard in 2008,” says Hodding Carter III, adviser to the last one-term Democratic president (Jimmy Carter) and now a professor at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

National Coverage

Thailand's election winner puts together coalition
The Associated Press
..."In many ways, for Pheu Thai voters, Thaksin is symbolic of the lack of democracy and fairness," commented Kevin Hewison, professor of Asian studies at the University of North Carolina. "More than that, the vote is about having a voice that is heard. If you could yell into the ballot box, this is that yell. It is not a 'rebel yell,' but a demand for elections and votes that count in Thailand."

Regulator of Brokerages Takes Heat Over the Fate of Victims of Fraud
The Wall Street Journal
The government agency tasked with insuring investors' brokerage accounts has come under fire again for not doing enough to cover victims in a pair of recent high-profile frauds. ..."We should have better procedures in place to protect injured investors," says Thomas Hazen, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law. "If there's a beef, it may be with the fact that the legislation is limited."

Parents' Military Deployment May Harm Kids' Mental Health
HealthDay News
..."We observed a clear dose-response pattern such that children of parents who spent more time deployed between 2003 and 2006 fared worse than children whose parents were deployed for a shorter duration," wrote Alyssa J. Mansfield, then of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, now of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Honolulu, and colleagues.

Unusual warrior takes unlikely path — to peace
The Chicago Tribune
Some see war and peace as opposites. But at one point, former U.S. Marine Capt. Rye Barcott found himself fully committed to serving both. In 2000, the ROTC scholarship recipient from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill traveled to Kibera, a crowded slum in Nairobi, Kenya, to study ethnic violence for his senior thesis. His experiences prompted him to co-found a nongovernmental youth development organization there called Carolina for Kibera.

State and Local Coverage

Area Scientists Ready For Last Shuttle Flight
WUNC-FM (Chapel Hill)
...Ted Bateman first worked on space experiments as an undergraduate student 20 years ago. Now, he’s an associate professor in rehabilitation engineering in the joint department of biomedical engineering at UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State. This will be his fourth time sending mice into space.

NC weighing more gambling at Cherokee casino
The Associated Press
During the last frantic week of this year's legislative session, a little-known proposal suddenly surfaced to open the door to poker, blackjack and other table games at the Cherokee Indian casino in western North Carolina. ...At the same time, the Cherokees' cash cow that is casino gambling took a hit during the recession, said the report by a trio of businesses professors at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Related Link:
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20110705/NEWS/306300080/Harrah-s-casino-raises-incomes
?odyssey=tab|mostpopular|text|FRONTPAGE
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4607/107/

UNC Journalism School Names Interim Dean And Digital Newsroom Leader
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
The UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication named a new leader for its digital newsroom, as well as a new interim dean. The Reese Felts Digital Newsroom has announced John Clark as its new leader. ...In addition, Dulcie Straughan, senior associate dean of the Journalism School, has been named interim dean after Jean Folkerts announced that she would step down to a faculty position.

N.C., N.Y. only states where 16-year-olds considered adults by criminal justice system
The Star News (Wilmington)
...Although reform hasn't passed, progress has been made, said Janet Mason, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Government who studies juvenile law and assisted the task force. “I think the Youth Accountability Task Force was a big step because the efforts up until then had pretty much focused on whether to raise the age, and this group kind of began with an assumption of raising the age and what would that look like,” Mason said.

A quieter kind of health care
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...A year and a half ago, UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill started using "quiet" measures: dimming the lights, closing doors and encouraging naps during certain hours of the afternoon. The hospital also bought a handful of "Yacker Trackers," devices that resemble small stoplights and flash red if noise levels spike. They're usually kept near the nurses' desks - the loudest areas in the hospital, said Priscilla Merryman, the director for Medicine Service at UNC.

UNC study shows why America is getting fat
The Triangle Business Journal
Americans have been eating more food, more often during the past 30 years, according to a study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers. The three major contributors to America’s obesity “epidemic” are increasing portion sizes, food energy density and eating frequency, the study found. “This study shows how this epidemic has crept up on us,” said Barry Popkin, a UNC professor who is the study’s senior author.'
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4611/71/

Virtual liver may be real lifesaver
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Forget virtual reality - the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is building virtual human organs. ...Last week, the EPA awarded nearly $3 million to four groups - including North Carolina's Hamner Institute and UNC-Chapel Hill - to expand its virtual liver project. They will collaborate with current virtual liver researchers based at the EPA's National Center for Computational Toxicology in the Research Triangle Park.

UNC Scientists: NLR Protein Plays Crucial Role In Immune Response
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
UNC scientists have discovered more about how proteins work with the immune system as it reacts to a virus. UNC research associate Coy Allen has done lab work on the NLR family of proteins which help start the immune system’s response to bacteria or viruses like the flu. "As humans, when we're exposed to the flu virus it's critical that we have a very rapid and strong immune response to fight off the virus," he says. "Some of these NLR proteins are critical for initiating this response."
UNC Release:
http://www.med.unc.edu/www/news/2011/june/unc-scientists-describe-new-
protein2019s-role-in-immune-response-to-pathogens

UNC Researcher: Spanking Can Lead To Negative Behavioral Consequences
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
The UNC School of Medicine has found through a new study that a high rate of spanking leads to significant behavioral consequences in children. "Spanking at all ages has been shown to lead to a variety of negative consequences," says Adam Zolotor, an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UNC and the lead author of the study.
UNC Release:
http://uncmedne.ws/spanking

Cancer Genome Atlas completes detailed ovarian cancer analysis
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
As part of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project, UNC Lineberger researchers have contributed to the most comprehensive and integrated view of cancer genes for any cancer type produced to date. The UNC team, which includes Charles Perou, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and genetics, Neil Hayes, associate professor of hematology/oncology, and Katie Hoadley, research associate, completed the microRNA and mRNA microarray analysis that contributed to the findings.
UNC Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2011/june/the-cancer-genome-
atlas-completes-detailed-ovarian-cancer-analysis

UNC cancer docs prevail
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
..."In an ENT practice parotid tumors are not terribly rare, and about 80 percent of them are benign," said Mark C. Weissler, distinguished professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the UNC School of Medicine. He diagnosed Rogers' tumor as malignant, removed it and dead nerve, and conducted a nerve graft. Weissler is also a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Town to benefit from UNC library school grant
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The Town of Chapel Hill is poised to benefit from a grant received by UNC Chapel Hill's School of Information and Library Science to increase the digital curation work force, focusing on the public information and the integration of public policy with information technology. The $897,449 grant, awarded to UNC faculty member Helen Tibbo from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, will provide funding for graduate level students to intern over three years with the Communications and Public Affairs Department.

Rural newspapers could get digital aid
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Rural newspapers can develop sustainable business models around hyper-local news, thanks to a $275,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Assistant professor Ryan Thornburg leads the project, which will help local newspapers develop new online revenue by using public information and open source software.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4602/67/

Progress seeks proposals for wind-energy production
The Associated Press
Progress Energy Carolinas is seeking proposals for wind-energy projects as it continues to ramp up its alternative energy production. ...Progress officials said it already generates over 100 megawatts of renewable energy, but does not yet have any contracts for electricity generated by wind power. Progress is also investing in a three-year study with UNC Chapel Hill of the potential for offshore wind energy.

Provocative reading from Carolinas schools
The Charlotte Observer
Across the country, college-bound students already have their first homework - required summer reading. The books colleges assign tend to highlight important social issues and spark discussion. If you're looking for a thought-provoking book this summer, check out these choices from Carolinas colleges: ...Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill: "Eating Animals," by Jonathan Safran Foer. An examination of the stories we use to justify our eating habits.

Study raises funding questions
The Laurinburg Exchange
A study has been published that indicates that Scotland County may be spending millions of dollars on education without effecting a commensurate result. The study was written by University of North Carolina Master of Public Administration student Jennifer Warren Butler. It posits that a NC state mandate enacted in 1963, which imposed a specific formula for determining the amount of Scotland County’s local contribution to the school system, has no positive influence on student performance.

Air authority off the table for Orange
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
State lawmakers have repealed legislation that would have allowed the UNC Board of Governors to create an airport authority to replace Horace Williams Airport with another airport in Orange County. Senate Bill 593, the Government Reduction Act, eliminated state boards that had not met recently or were not deemed critical. The airport authority, which had never been appointed, was on that list.

Issues and Trends

Provide resources to keep effective teachers (Editorial)
The Charlotte Observer
...Teacher turnover is a perennial problem in North Carolina, as it is nationwide, and it takes its toll on student achievement. Former University of North Carolina system President Erskine Bowles recognized that and made improving K-12 education the university system's top priority by focusing on teacher preparation and partnerships. Those moves will be stalled as the university system absorbs state funding cuts, including a $12.5 million cut to teacher training.

WSSU to lay off 11 full-time workers
The Winston-Salem Journal
Expect to see fewer faces around Winston-Salem State University this fall. Eleven full-time employees will have lost their jobs, the number of adjunct professors will be cut in half and the temporary employees the university has hired in the past to do small jobs around campus will be cut in the wake of a state budget reduction that could be more than 15 percent.
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/07/04/1320559/winston-salem-
state-braces-for.html#storylink=misearch

Retiring chancellor worries for UNC system (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The UNC system said goodbye to two longtime leaders last week: John Bardo, chancellor of Western Carolina University for 16 years, and Rosemary DePaolo, chancellor of UNC Wilmington for eight years. Both retired Thursday after overseeing growth and change at their universities.

System has tightened controls (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...In recent years, the UNC system has taken a number of steps to strengthen fiscal oversight and operational efficiencies. Under Bowles' leadership, a 2008 operational assessment conducted by Ernst & Young identified high-risk operations and proposed recommendations for improvement in key areas including accounting, budgeting and financial reporting; financial aid; contracts and grants; payroll and purchasing. Those recommendations are being implemented system-wide. (Tom Ross, President, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)

Mayors file to retain their seats on busy first da
The Chapel Hill News
Mark Kleinschmidt edged past Town Council colleague Matt Czajkowski for mayor two years ago by 246 votes, or 3 percentage points. ...The first day of filing for November races brought out 12 candidates: all three mayors, three candidates for Town Council, three for Carrboro Board of Aldermen, one for Hillsborough Town Board and two for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board.

NCAA Investigation

Lenox Rawlings: UNC's handling of NCAA investigation should be revealing (Column)
The Winston-Salem Journal
The clock ticks, right through the holiday weekend. The University of North Carolina, charged with nine major football violations, has 11 weeks left to file documents and counterclaims. If the information flow suits the NCAA, the infractions committee will hear the case Oct. 28 and rule later.