uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Ultrasound could give men birth control option, study finds
The Star (Toronto, Canada)
A few blasts of ultrasound to the testes could soon provide men with an effective, inexpensive and pain-free birth control option, new research suggests. Scientists at the University of North Carolina have found that zapping rats’ testes with ultrasound treatment drastically reduced sperm levels.

National Coverage

Ultrasound Zap May Be New Form of Birth Control
"World News with Diane Sawyer" ABC
Do not try this at home. A new animal study, published in the journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, revealed that a couple zaps to the testicles might be the future of contraception. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that zapping the testicles of rats with a therapeutic ultrasound machine, the type normally used by physical therapists to treat muscle injuries, abolished the germ cells that produce sperm.
Related Links:
http://blog.chron.com/momhouston/2012/01/male-birth-control-may-be-as
-easy-as-zapping-sperm-with-an-ultrasound/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57368223-10391704/scientists
-zap-sperm-counts-with-ultrasound-next-male-birth-control/

‘Sonicated’ Sperm: Could Ultrasound Be the Next Male Contraceptive?
Time
...James Tsuruta, an assistant professor of pediatrics at University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and his colleagues report in the journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology that commonly used doses of ultrasound can lower rats’ sperm concentrations to 3 million per milliliter of semen; experts define low sperm counts in men as anything less than 20 million sperm per milliliter of semen.

Mormons’ Double Legacy (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The New York Times
Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, a professor of American religious history, is the chairman of the department of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the author of the forthcoming "Mormonism: A History."

China State-Run Newspaper Praises Twitter’s New Censorship Policy
Time
...But other observers said the potential harm being posed by Twitter’s new policy might be overstated. Zeynep Tufekci, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, made this case recently in a post entitled “Why Twitter’s New Policy Is Helpful for Free-Speech Advocates.” Whereas content previously censored by Twitter would have disappeared globally, the new policy is much narrower, and applies only to individual countries.

Not Out of the Woods Yet
Inside Higher Ed
While 2011 endowment returns make it look like investing is back to the good old days, colleges and universities aren't in the clear yet. College and university endowments returned an average of 19.2 percent in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011, a rate that more closely resembles pre-recession levels than those of the preceding two years, according to an annual survey compiled by the National Association of College and University Business Officers and Commonfund, an investment firm for nonprofit organizations. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill & Foundations is included on a graph accompanying this article.)

Regional Coverage

CNN’s Sanjay Gupta gets concussion chronicle correct (Column)
The Times (Munster, Ind.)
...Sunday night's program, entitled "Big Hits, Broken Dreams," told of the football-related death in 2008 of Greenville, N.C., high school player Jaquan Waller and what his school has done since to make sure such a tragedy never happens again. ...Meanwhile, the coaching staff at Waller's school is putting to use lessons learned from University of North Carolina athletic trainer Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC. No longer are their players making initial contact with the helmet.

Ultrasound kills sperm, could be the future of male birth control: study
The Daily News (New York, Ny.)
The future of male birth control may lie in ultrasound. Zapping testicles with the high frequency sound waves effectively kills sperm, according to a new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina. Scientists discovered that two 15-minute doses of ultrasound significantly reduce sperm levels, most effective when administered two days apart and through warm salt water, BBC News reported.

State and Local Coverage

A doctor's eye view of health care consolidation: Part 1
The Triangle Business Journal
...The move to a large physician network did not happen quickly for Dr. Beth Rosenberg and Chapel Hill Internal Medicine, but the group needed to make the jump just to stay alive financially. ...Declining reimbursements and increasing overhead did not make for a sustainable business model, so the group joined the Triangle Physicians Network, which is affiliated with UNC Health Care.

Talking about hospitals (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...Next point: Rex Hospital of Raleigh has offered fine care over many generations, is a valuable asset to the community and because it is owned by UNC Health Care has connections of value to patients. Both institutions are financially sound. Both are well run, with chief executives Bill Atkinson of WakeMed and Bill Roper of UNC knowledgeable about the overall state of health care and well aware of the needs of people in this area.

A century of helping shape a moderate Muslim democracy (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
This year is the 100th year of one of the largest, most accomplished and least known Muslim organizations in the world - and one that has played and can play a critical role in peaceful leadership transitions. (James Peacock is Kenan professor in the Department of Anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill and is the author of "Grounded Globalism." Eunsook Jung is assistant professor of politics at Fairfield University in Connecticut. The writers have participated in and observed Muhammadiyah activities from 1970 to the present.)

Webinar on global selling set for today
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The Center for International Business Education and Research at UNC Chapel Hill will offer a one-hour webinar on the “Implications of Selling Globally” at 1 p.m. today. The webinar is designed for senior-level business people of small and mid-size U.S. businesses who have recently started selling worldwide or are considering doing so. The webinar will be led by David Roberts, a marketing professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5045/107/

Fracking the subject of talk
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
UNC Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment will host a public talk, “To Frack or Not to Frack: Risks and Rewards of Natural Gas Production from Shale,” today. The talk, by Larry Murdoch, professor of environmental engineering and earth sciences at Clemson University, will be at 5 p.m. in the Tate Turner Kuralt Auditorium in the UNC School of Social Work, 325 Pittsboro St.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5046/107/

Templeton honored by alumni
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A chemistry professor who has been a faculty leader and is spearheading efforts to streamline operations at UNC Chapel Hill was honored recently with the General Alumni Association’s Faculty Service Award. The association’s board of directors presented Joseph Templeton with the award, which honors faculty members who have performed outstanding service for the university or the association.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5040/107/

Issues and Trends

University system must make hard decisions (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Winston-Salem Journal
The recession has made the two most-hated words in the English language to be these: budget cuts. ...My university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is ensconced in debate over the most delicate of balancing acts. Carolina's overall permanent cut in state appropriations for this school year totaled 17.9 percent, more than $100 million. But as a public institution, its responsibility is to balance cheapness of price and richness of quality. (Corinne White is a Carolina sophomore from Winston-Salem.)

Backing for Bowles (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...The most exciting name I am hearing is Erskine Bowles. He was the chief of staff who helped former President Clinton mold bipartisan budgets and a large federal surplus, and later presided brilliantly over the University of North Carolina. He is a Tar Heel, the son of another who a generation ago left his own stamp on wholesome North Carolina politics. (Paul Hardin, Chapel Hill. The writer was chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill from 1988 to 1995.)