Daily Toreador The
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015 VOLUME 89 ■ ISSUE 129
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Marines killed during Tennessee shooting CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A gunman unleashed a barrage of gunfire at two military facilities Thursday in Tennessee, killing at least four Marines, officials said. The suspect also was killed. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press the death toll included the four U.S. Marines and the sole gunman believed responsible. Two others, a soldier and a police officer, were wounded, the official said. “Lives have been lost from some faithful people who have been serving our country, and I think I join all Tennesseans in being both sickened and saddened by this,” Gov. Bill Haslam said. The U.S. Navy said in a tweet that there was a shooting at a Navy recruiting building on Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga. A facility 7 miles away on Old Lee Highway also was attacked. Brian Lepley, a spokesman with the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Kentucky, said his recruiters there were told by law enforcement that the shooter was in a car, stopped in front of the facility, shot at the building and drove off. The Army recruiters at the facility told Lepley they were not hurt and had evacuated; Lepley said he had no information about recruiters for the other branches at the facility. Sgt. 1st Class Robert Dodge, 36, is the center leader for U.S. Army recruiting at that facility. He said four Army personnel were in the office at the time. He said the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and National Guard all have their own offices right next to each other. Around 10:30 or 10:45 a.m., Dodge and the others heard a gunshot, “which kind of sparked our attention,” he said.
George HW Bush in fair condition after breaking neck in fall PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Former President George H.W. Bush fractured a bone in his neck when he took a tumble at his oceanside summer home, but he suffered no neurological problems and the injury will likely be allowed to heal on its own, his spokesman said Thursday. Bush, at 91 the oldest living former president, was hospitalized in fair condition Thursday, a day after he fell at his home in Kennebunkport, officials said. The fracture to his C2 vertebrae — the second one below the skull — didn’t impinge on his spine and didn’t lead to any neurological deficits, spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement. The 41st president never lost consciousness and he was being fitted with a brace to immobilize his neck, McGrath said. “He is in good spirits,” McGrath said Thursday. He said the plan is to “let this injury heal on its own without surgery.” President Barack Obama called Bush on Thursday morning to wish him a speedy recovery, a White House spokesman said. Obama made the call from Oklahoma, where he spent the night ahead of a visit to a federal prison there.
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Canine Companion
Ronald McDonald House introduces new Lubbock therapy dog By JEREMY KRAKOSKY Staff Writer
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Southwest in Lubbock hosted an introduction party for its new Chief Cheer Officer, Jax, on Tuesday afternoon. Jax is a two-year-old male yellow Labrador that has been trained as a service and therapy dog. Dina Jeffries, president and CEO of the Ronald McDonald House, introduced Jax to the public. “His job is just to spread love and joy to a sick child’s day, and even the family members that are staying here at the house,” she said. “He has a very purposeful job.” The house received Jax approximately five weeks ago, Jefferies said, and he has been getting used to his new job and the families. She said Jax has been well received by everyone he has interacted with so far. “I’m sure (Jax) has already heard so many secrets, maybe, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong,’ or, ‘I don’t know if I can go on anymore,’ and he gives him strength to do just that,” Jeffries said. The Ronald McDonald House in Lubbock is operating at full capacity with 17 families, and Jax will attempt to bring daily joy into their lives, Jeffries said. “Jax’s job is also really just to cuddle and just be there with the family. With what our families go through, they really start missing their four-legged family members at home when they’re here for an extended time,” she said. “So Jax brings a little bit of normalcy back into their lives.”
PHOTO BY JAY CRAIN/The Daily Toreador
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JAX, A TWO-YEAR-OLD Labrador and new Chief Cheer Officer of the Ronald McDonald House, plays with visitors on Tuesday. Jax’s role is to provide comfort and companionship to families when a loved one is sick.
Professor discovers potential diabetes treatment By JARROD MILLER Staff Writer
When Nikhil Dhurandhar began to conduct his research on an obesity virus, he was unaware it would lead to the discovery of a drug that could potentially change the face of diabetes treatment. Dhurandhar, chairperson of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, said he researched Adenovirus 36, a virus that causes obesity in animals, and has successfully isolated a protein within the virus capable of reducing blood sugar and improving diabetes. If clinical trials prove successful, Dhurandhar said the protein could go a long way in aiding people with diabetes. Dhurandhar said he initially noticed the virus’s potential after observing the glucose levels of animals affected by Adenovirus 36. While Dhurandhar expected the obese animals’ glucose levels to be high because
of their weights, Dhurandhar said he noticed a surprising exception. “We had a situation where we infected animals, and they became fatter,” he said, “so you would expect their glycemic control to get worse. It became better, so when we saw that for the first time, I got an idea.” Dhurandhar said he decided to conduct another experiment to see if the virus improves the animals’ glycemic control. During the experiment, researchers made animals diabetic first, infected them with the virus and learned the hypothesis was accurate, he said. After this realization, Dhurandhar was successfully able to isolate which gene improved glycemic control within these animals, he said. By isolating the gene, the negative effects of the virus, including increased obesity, are eliminated, Dhurandhar said. PROFESSOR continued on Page 4 ➤➤
PORTRAIT BY JAY CRAIN/The Daily Toreador
NIKHIL DHURANDHAR, CHAIRPERSON of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, has discovered a protein to aid those with diabetes. He continues his research in diabetes along with his research in obesity.
Texas Tech surpasses previous student enrollment record Texas Tech set a new summer enrollment record with 11,975 students enrolled as of June 23, beating the previous enrollment record set in 2014 with 11,632 students. Summer enrollments are reflections of fall and spring enrollments, Chris Cook, managing director of communications and marketing at Tech, said. For the past eight years, Tech has consecutively set a new enrollment record each fall, Cook said. “Our faculty have done a wonderful job of engaging our students through effective teaching and hands-on research, which has encouraged more ADVERTISING: 806-742-3384
and more students to continue pushing toward degrees during the summer months,” Tech President M. Duane Nellis said in a Tech news release. During summer, students have an opportunity to comCOOK plete one or two of their classes in just a month, which attracts many students. It helps them to either catch up with or expedite their degree program, Cook said. There are also many study abroad opportunities
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during the summer. This summer, more than 900 students chose to study abroad, Cook said. “So you’re able to get some of the international opportunities when maybe you’re taking one or two classes during the summer,” Cook said. “We’ve seen study abroad numbers in the summer do well.” Presently, given the high interest and the increased participation in Red Raider Orientation sessions, it looks like the fall enrollment may be high, as well, Cook said. Student to faculty ratio has remained constant even with the increased enrollments, he said. The
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quality of education is not compromised. “We’re very mindful of the growth,” Cook said, “and that we need to anticipate and prepare in advance for these growing numbers.” Ultimately, there are myriad reasons that contribute to the high enrollment numbers, Cook said. Tech has a strong teaching and research faculty, he said. “We’ve seen the numbers go up. It’s fantastic,” Cook said. “I think we’ll continue to see the numbers increase.” ➤➤@DailyToreador
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