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HEALTH
University lab makes new E. Coli discovery CsgC protein in bacteria could help treat degenerative disorders By ALAINA WYGANT
Survey finds support for federal emission limits
EPA plans to cut carbon by 30 percent of 2005 levels by 2030 By EMMA KINERY Daily Staff Reporter
According to a University survey released earlier this month,
67 percent of Americans support the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, a framework for curbing carbon emissions. The Center for Local, State and Urban Policy at the University’s Ford School of Public Policy and the Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg College conducted the telephone survey
from Oct. 6, 2014 through Nov. 6, 2014. Pollsters spoke with a random sample of 942 Americans, and report a 3.5 percent margin of error. The Obama Administration created the Clean Power Plan in June 2014 to increase efforts to combat climate change. By 2030, the EPA hopes the plan will have
cut emissions from electricitygenerating facilities by 30 percent below the 2005 output levels. Additionally, the survey showed 73 percent of Americans support proposed requirements that would require new power plants to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. See SURVEY, Page 3A
For the Daily
University researchers have discovered CsgC, a protein made by the gut bacteria E. coli, which may one day play a role in treating dieses such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. Molecular Biology Prof. Matthew Chapman was a principal investigator on the project and Rackham student Margery Evans served as the study’s lead author, acting as a research assistant and conducted her doctorate thesis on the study. A number of undergraduate students both from the University and abroad collaborated on the research. Chapman explained how the CsgC is able to prevent the formation of amyloids — inappropriate-
HOCKEY
RESEARCH
Rivalry week cuts deeper for Cliff Martin
‘M’ freshman spent his childhood in East Lansing By JEREMY SUMMITT Daily Sports Editor
It’s rivalry week for the Michigan hockey team, and that means this week cuts a little deeper for freshman defenseman Cutler Martin. He spent his entire childhood in East Lansing and admits to rooting for the Spartans, though his parents were never adamant about supporting any particular school. Michigan State has been a part of Martin’s life in one way or another for 20 years. He grew up a short drive from Spartan Stadium and attended East Lansing High School, a building that essentially rests on Michigan State’s campus, directly next to one of its sorority houses. Martin attended games at Munn Ice Arena, home of the Spartans’ hockey program, and soaked in the splendor of the heated Michigan-Michigan State matchups of the 2000s.
Martin watched Ryan Miller line up against Josh Blackburn and witnessed offensive duels between Justin Abdelkader and Kevin Porter. Now he’s on the other side of the glass, immersed inside all he knew as a young hockey fan. For nearly a year now, Martin has been a part of the Michigan family, but his first game against the Spartans still brought back a flurry of memories. “I think it was strange the first time I played against them in the (Great Lakes Invitational),” Martin said. “But now I think I’ve come to grips with it a little bit, and I’m ready to play them hard and play them tough.” The first opportunity to line up against his hometown team might turn out to be the most memorable, too, as the Wolverines eked out a 2-1 victory to claim the GLI championship at Joe Louis Arena on Dec. 29. But there’s more to be desired. Martin hopes there are even better days ahead for one of college hockey’s premier rivalries, one he’ll never cease to treasure. Friday, another chapter will See RIVALRY, Page 3A
ly folded proteins that have been known to cause neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. “For decades it was thought that amyloid formation was always a cellular mistake,” he said. “We realized that cells sometimes build amyloid fibers on purpose. That is why we were looking for factors in E. coli that prevented intracellular amyloid formation.” After working on the study for two to three years, Chapman and his colleagues discovered that CsgC, native to E. coli bacteria cells, guards the cells and prevents amyloids from forming inside them. Evans emphasized the role of amyloid formation in diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and said isolating CsgC is a positive step in treating these ailments. “Our discoveries have moved the field closer to understanding and preventing the very widespread biological process of amySee BACTERIA, Page 3A
Safer lithium battery shell developed in ‘U’ program
ANDREW COHEN/Daily
Dr. Ruth Browne, CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, discusses how the health care delivery system can work with community partners to address issues regarding health equity.
Urban health expert talks community partnerships Dr. Ruth Browne stresses role of expertise in medical inequity By JACKIE MILLER For the Daily
Inside several Brooklyn barbershops and salons, stylists are beginning to talk not only about hair, but also health. Wednesday afternoon, Ruth Browne, CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute of Urban
Health, lectured on the Community Health Empowerment model, of which the Institute’s barbershop programs are just one example. “I think that the process of community engagement with the academic medical center and with government allows us to really affect change at a level that we couldn’t each individually, as organizations, do,” she said. “The power of that, I think, is very profound.” Salons and barbershops, Browne said, are examples of community assets or key plac-
es to foster conversations on health and wellness. Within salons, the program Heart of a Woman works to train stylists to engage their clientele in discussions about heart health for women. Barbers are similarly trained to talk about HIV/AIDS among the heterosexual Black, male community through a program called Barbershop Talk With Brothers. For many, this environment may be more favorable than the traditional medical facilSee URBAN HEALTH, Page 3A
Kevlar found to block buildup of electrical currents, prevent short circuit By CARLY NOAH Daily Staff Reporter
In 2013, the lithium-ion battery on a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner caused a fire. Though no one was harmed in the accident, the issues still needed a solution. Lithium batteries work by moving the ions in the element lithium from one electrode to another. The motion creates a charge imbalance, ultimately causing electrons to move through a circuit and power systems. To prevent future accidents like the Japan Airlines battery fire, University researchers developed an advanced type of barrier between the electrodes in a lithium-ion battery. University researchers used Kevlar, the tough material in bulletproof vests, to create the barSee BATTERY, Page 3A
the weed-side This week, our arts staff examines a local dispensary
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 57 ©2015 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A SPORTS......................6A
SUDOKU.....................2A CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A B-SIDE ....................1B