A Sampling of Clips for
December 18, 2003
*
UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing
the University
Communications Office
Are
Bigger Vehicles Safer? It Depends on Whether you're a Passenger
or a Target.
New York Times, Dec. 18-Traffic fatalities
in the United States fell steadily from 54,600 in 1972 to 34,900
in 1992. But then they started to rise again, and by 2002 there
were 38,300 traffic deaths a year. Our performance compared
with other countries has also deteriorated. A big part of the
difference between the United States and other countries seems
to be the prevalence of sport utility vehicles and pickups on
American highways. Recently, UC San Diego economist
Michelle White, examined the econometrics of
traffic accidents in an attempt to measure the benefits and
costs of changing the number of light trucks on the road.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/18/business/18scene.html
Are You Ready
for Some Science?
Wired News, Dec. 18-Do most Americans
lack the attention span to follow science news more complicated
than the latest antidepressant or flu shot? Perhaps. But Roger
Bingham of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the
University of California at San Diego has faith.
In fact, he believes that whether people know it or not, they're
actually interested in science. Along with other science stars,
including Sally Ride, the astronaut and UCSD
physicist, Bingham is building the Cable Science
Network. The network is modeled in the public-interest spirit
of C-SPAN, its founders said, but aims to be a little more fun.
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,61423,00.html
Metabolic
Syndrome Strikes Again
NBC (Indiana), Dec. 18-A new study
links individual components of the metabolic syndrome to increased
risk of heart attack and stroke. Doctors have long known certain
conditions put people at greater risk for cardiovascular disease.
Recently, they've begun classifying these factors under a common
heading called metabolic syndrome. Conditions included in the
syndrome are high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low levels
of HDL (or good) cholesterol, insulin resistance, and obesity.
Investigators from the University of California, San
Diego decided to see how each of these factors impacts
cardiovascular risk.
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=1567694
Same article
appeared in:
Health Central, Dec. 18
http://www.healthcentral.com/news/NewsFullText.cfm?id=8007596
NAFTA Gets Mixed Reviews After 10 Years
Fox News, Dec. 18-The North American
Free Trade Agreement celebrates its 10th birthday on Jan. 1
without having realized the optimistic predictions that preceded
the binding of the United States, Canada and Mexico into a continental
trade pact, several experts told Foxnews.com. (Quote by University
of California, San Diego economics professor Gordon
Hanson.)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,106056,00.html
Air Quality
Improves in County
North County Times, Dec. 18-County
health officials elevated the air level to moderate Wednesday,
a day after a dust storm made the air unhealthy. UC
San Diego Medical Center officials said the polluted
air increased the number of respiratory cases, but officials
from other hospitals in the region said there have been no increases
at their facilities.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2003/12/18/news/top_stories/12_17_0322_16_27.txt
Salk Institute
gets $7M Donation
North County Times, Dec. 18-Megaphilanthropists
Joan and Irwin Jacobs have given $7 million to the Salk Institute
for Biological Studies to found a neuroscience center at the
famed institute in La Jolla. The gift was announced Wednesday.
Together with UC San Diego, the Scripps Research
Institute and other major La Jolla biomedical research outfits,
the Salk Institute forms the academic core of San Diego County's
growing biotechnology sector.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2003/12/18/business/news/12_17_0319_23_43.txt
