A Sampling of Clips for November 5^th, 2009

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

Military Trust, Transparency Still Elude U.S. and China
Reuters, Nov. 5 -- The eye-popping economic growth that has made China an attractive business partner has also funded an even faster expansion in its military spending that has raised eyebrows among U.S. policymakers. China's military spending, even after two decades of double-digit growth, is only about one-sixth of U.S. outlays and American officials say they accept the huge country's legitimate need to update antiquated defenses. But the Pentagon worcries that it knows little about China's strategic intentions and sees the People's Liberation Army building capabilities that exceed Beijing's routine assertion that its military modernization is purely defensive in nature.(Quotes Tai Ming Cheung, an expert on Chinese military technology at UCSD) More

PlayPower: 1980s Computing for the 21st Century
Guardian (U.K.), Nov. 4 -- UCSD alumnus Derek Lomas came up with the idea of cheap games to match cheap laptops while in India. It is nearly two years since Derek Lomas, then a graduate student on an internship with the communications giant Qualcomm, stumbled across a unexpected find while browsing a Bangalore market stall. Perusing the vast spread of goods, he was drawn to an array of strangely familiar computers. (Lomas joined up with his colleagues at UCSD to start playpower.org) More

Potential Therapeutic Target for Curbing
Inflammation in Fat People Identified
Yahoo India, Nov. 4 -- Researchers from UCSD  have identified a potential therapeutic target for curbing inflammation in obese people. The new evidence would help explain how saturated fatty acids, which soar in those who are obese, can lead the immune system to respond in ways that add up to chronic, low-grade inflammation. It would open up new avenues for developing treatments to curb that inflammatory state, and the insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes that come with it. More

Students' Health Symptoms are Tracked
San Diego Union Tribune, Nov. 5 -- When a student at Monterey Ridge Elementary School in 4S Ranch is ill, parents call in to report their child will be absent. But unlike parents at other schools, an automated system then prompts them to quickly answer a number of questions about the nature of the illness. Vomiting? Fever? Runny nose? The information is immediately gathered and compiled by a computer program that allows school officials almost instant access to the detailed information. The program is a prototype for what researchers at UCSD think one day might be the norm for schools nationwide. More

UCSD's Theater and Dance Season Opens Next Week
La Jolla Light, Nov. 4 -- UCSD's Theatre and Dance Department's 2009-10 season begins with two productions - the evocative drama "Topdog/Underdog," and an original dance theater collaboration, "Sexual Selection." In announcing the season, department Chair Allyson Green said audiences would see diverse works ranging from Chekhov to Garcia Lorca, produced by "the outstanding talents of the department's renowned training program." More

Sax Man or Piano man? Kenyatta is Both
North County Times, Nov. 4 -- When you ask Kamau Kenyatta if he's a pianist who also plays saxophone or a saxophonist who also plays piano, don't be surprised if he answers "yes." In truth, Kenyatta is just as much one as he is the other and a whole lot more. Like composer, arranger, faculty member in the UCSD department of jazz studies and private tutor. More

KUSI Provides the Latest Research, Advice, and Health Information (Video)
KUSI, Nov. 4 -- Viewers have been flooding the KUSI fan page on Facebook with questions about H1N1. Many questions contain the phrase "I heard" or "Is this true?" Dr. Randy Taplitz, from UCSD Medical Center, was here to answer some questions and debunk some myths about H1N1. More

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