A Sampling of Clips for August 15, 2011

* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office

Spoilers 'Do Not Ruin Stories', Study Says
BBC, Aug. 14 -- Researchers at the University of California, San Diego gave participants 12 short stories where two versions were spoiled and a third unspoiled. In all but one story, readers said they preferred versions which had spoiling paragraphs written into it. Although the study could not explain why, it suggested the brain may find it easier to process a spoiled story. "You get this significant reverse-spoiler effect," study author and professor of social psychology Nicholas Christenfeld said. "It's sort of as if knowing things puts you in a position that gives you certain advantages to understand the plot. More

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U.S. News & World Report
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UK Guardian
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Controversial ‘Hot Chemo Bath’ Treatment Grows in Popularity
The Huffington Post, Aug. 12 -- A new cancer treatment called Hipec (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy) is slowly growing in popularity -- one that involves surgically removing cancerous tumors from the abdominal cavity, then bathing the cavity with hot chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells left in there. The idea behind the treatment is that heat at 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit) is able to kill cancer cells without affecting normal cells in the body, according to the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center, which offers the treatment to qualifying patients. More

Local Colleges, Universities Face Budget Impact
SignOnSanDiego, Aug. 14 -- As students begin returning to the region’s public colleges and universities over the next few days and weeks, they will notice myriad real effects of California’s budget crisis. The most tangible element for many likely will be higher costs for them and their families. “The impact to students will be felt because of the tuition increases,” said Gary Matthews, vice chancellor for resource management and planning at the University of California San Diego. They’ll also experience larger class sizes and fewer choice. More

Marine Reserve Sets New Standard for Recovery
SignOnSanDiego, Aug. 12 -- No-fishing reserves can restore marine ecosystems better than previously thought and can turn a heavily degraded site into an international model for conservation, according to a decade-long study led by researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla. The report showed the amount of fish in an undersea wildlife park near the southern tip of Baja California soared 463 percent between 1999 and 2009. That’s a world record, said authors of the peer-reviewed paper, which was published Friday in the journal Public Library of Science ONE. More

UCSD Grabs Near-record $960 Million for Research
SignOnSanDiego, Aug. 12 -- UC San Diego nearly matched last year's record $1 billion in research funding, even though the federal government has stopped showering American universities with stimulus money to help the country climb out of recession. New figures show that UCSD pulled in $960 million during fiscal 2011, which ended on June 30. That's second only to the $1 billion the campus raised the year before. Comparative figures aren't yet available. But UCSD is expected to remain among the 10 most heavily financed research schools in the country, and it will hold its position as San Diego County's third largest employer. More

Tritons Debut at No. 2 in Preseason Poll
La Jolla Light, Aug. 12 -- The UC San Diego women’s soccer team will debut at No. 2 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Preseason Poll, it was announced Monday. The Tritons, who went 19-3-3 last season and finished as national runners-up, are second only to defending national champions No. 1 Grand Valley State. GVSU defeated UCSD 4-0 in the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship on December 4 in Louisville, Ky. Rounding out the top-five are Saint Rose, West Chester and Florida Tech, respectively. More

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