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Blog and Media Roundup - Thursday, November 4, 2010; News Roundup
Topic Started: Nov 4 2010, 04:59 AM (258 Views)
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http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story_news_durham/10156476/article-Potti-s-patent-bid-is-denied?instance=main_article

Potti's patent bid is denied
The Herald Sun
11.03.10 - 10:51 pm
Duke scientist's credentials, work being scrutinized

By Neil Offen

noffen@heraldsun.com; 419-6646

DURHAM -- A U.S. patent application based on research by the Duke University scientist whose credentials and work have come under scrutiny has been rejected.

It's the second time in a year that a patent based on research conducted by Anil Potti's group has been turned down by the U.S. patent office.

The scientific review Nature reported that patent application US20090105167, which includes Potti as co-inventor, was rejected partly because the co-inventors did not provide the DNA sequences, called probe sets, that they used on their microarray chips to detect gene activity, wrote Sean Aeder, the examiner.

The review said it had contacted several biostatisticians who said they could not think of any reason for withholding such information, because the sequences from which probe sets are assembled have been made public by their manufacturer Affymetrix, based in Santa Clara, Calif..

In 2009, another patent application, which included similar data, was rejected. That application does not list Potti as a co-inventor, but does name his co-authors Johnathan Lancaster, an oncologist at the University of South Florida, and Joseph Nevins, a cancer geneticist at Duke.

Last week, Nevins, a long-time collaborator of Potti's, asked to retract a paper the two had worked on that provides the scientific basis for two clinical trials conducted at Duke.

In an e-mail to the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nevins acknowledged that patients at Duke were assigned cancer therapies based on a test he now says was inaccurate.

"The authors have been unable to reproduce the experiments using the original data sets. Therefore, the data in the paper don't support the conclusions that were reported," Nevins wrote.

The journal has begun the process of looking into the retraction request, following guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics and JCO's internal procedures. But prior to retracting any paper, the journal must receive a signed statement from each author saying that he or she agrees that the article should be retracted and that the wording of the retraction is satisfactory to him or her.

Potti has been on paid leave at Duke since last summer when allegations arose that he padded his resume, falsely claiming among other things to have been a Rhodes Scholar. The university's review of Potti's credentials, completed this fall, found what school officials termed "issues of substantial concern," confirming that he had embellished his credentials.

The review, the university said at the time, had already "resulted in corresponding sanctions."

Potti is currently the subject of two other investigations, a formal Duke inquiry into whether there's been any scientific misconduct and an outside review of the work of Potti and his team by the national Institute of Medicine.

Both reviews are expected to take several months.

Potti's status at the university will be determined only upon completion of the scientific misconduct investigation and the study being conducted by the IOM, according to Duke officials.

In an e-mail to staff last week, Victor Dzau, CEO of the Duke University Health System, called Nevins' action the "latest in a series of regrettable events that have occurred over the past year related to the science that was the source of the requested retraction."

But officials said that nevertheless they believe that the more than 100 area patients involved in the clinical trials based on Potti's work have not been put at risk.

Last year, Duke briefly halted the trials, which are focused on whether physicians can use information about a patient's genes to decide the best tactics for treating cancer, amid allegations that the science behind them didn't hold up. They resumed the trials after a review, but stopped them again this fall as Potti's credentials came into question.
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http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/11/04/779765/working-class-roots-bred-bergers.html

Published Thu, Nov 04, 2010 04:51 AM
Modified Thu, Nov 04, 2010 04:56 AM
State Senate's new leader is solid conservative

Phil Berger is a pickup-truck Republican, and not just because he drives a 2001 Ford.

Berger, 59, of Eden, worked his way up from a blue-collar background to become an attorney and Senate Republican leader. With the Republican takeover of the legislature on Tuesday - a 31-19 majority in the Senate - in January he will replace Democrat Marc Basnight as president pro tem of the state Senate.

His background helped shape his politics, making him one of the more conservative voices in the legislature. If he can pull himself up by his bootstraps through hard work and discipline, why can't others, he asks.

That small-government view is also likely to influence him as he leads the Senate Republicans next year in trying to patch a gaping $3.5 billion budget shortfall through painful cuts, while looking for ways to reduce taxes to stimulate North Carolina's lagging economy.

"It would be my hope that we would be in a position to reduce the tax burden on the people and the businesses of North Carolina because that is the way we are going to unleash the creative and growth potential of the private sector," Berger said in an interview Wednesday, one day after Republicans captured control of the legislature.

Like Basnight, Berger, has made a long journey to his position of power.

The son of a Danville, Va. factory worker, Berger in his early 20s seemed headed for a different sort of life. He married, dropped out of community college and worked for U.S. Gypsum unloading large sheets of cardboard at the end of a conveyer belt.

"It didn't take me too long to realize that is not where I wanted to be in five years down the road," Berger recalled.

He got a job at a Kroger grocery store and moved up to become manager of the produce department, which allowed him the flexibility to go to night school. He graduated from college at age 28.

With his wife working, Berger attended Wake Forest University law school and eventually joined a law practice in Rockingham County, near the Virginia border. One son is now a local district attorney and another is his law partner.

Believes in opportunity

His path is a life lesson he has taken to heart.

"I think if I was able to do something to help improve my education, to improve opportunity for our family, that is something that ought to be available to everybody," Berger said. "That is something that is available to everybody who is willing to take a risk and work hard. The hard work and determination part of it, for me, is a key component."

Berger has long had an interest in politics and history - he is currently reading a biography of Calvin Coolidge. He cites George Washington, Ronald Reagan and William F. Buckley among the figures he admires.

He ran for the state House in 1994, losing a close GOP primary.

In 2000, he was elected to the state Senate and rose to Senate Republican leader in 2005. When the GOP caucus meets Nov. 18, he is expected to be unanimously chosen their leader.

Leading conservative

Berger has carved out a reputation as one of the more conservative members of the Senate. He notes that the Civitas Institute, a Raleigh-based think tank, ranked him as having the most conservative voting record in the Senate one year and the third most conservative record last year.

"I would say, from a fiscal standpoint, I would consider myself very conservative," Berger said. "From an overall standpoint, I believe that individuals have a right and have a duty to lead their lives and make their own decisions. I chafe at the idea of their government telling them how to live their lives. Is that libertarian? I don't know."

Berger is a soft-spoken, genial, unflappable man who runs two miles every morning. He is comfortable handling questions from reporters.

"He is a very thoughtful man," said Sen. Richard Stevens, a Cary Republican. "He is very deliberate. He is intelligent. He knows the issues."

"He is a consensus builder," Stevens added. "His style is not top-down. I see Phil reaching out to the new minority and working with the Democrats where possible and trying to find compromise. I think he will work well with the governor."

Vows cooperation

Berger pledges to work with Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue, noting that she was elected the state's chief executive.

"It is important that we do everything we can to move forward with an agreement on a broad range of things," Berger said.

The Republicans have pushed for issues in recent years that have been blocked by the Democratic majority, including a constitutional amendment to restrict the growth of government, a constitutional amendment forbidding same-sex marriages, a ban on annexation by towns and cities and changes to laws regarding eminent domain.

Economy is tops

Berger said that while some of those issues may be debated - and perhaps even voted upon - the Republican Senate caucus would focus on economic issues.

"The message from voters," Berger said, "is they want our budget in order, and they want our education system improved and they want opportunity for businesses and people to grow and prosper. And they want a good quality of life in North Carolina. That is job one for us."
rob.christensen@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4532
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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/11/03/2010-11-03_more_controversy_at_duke_sexist_halloween_invitations_spark_furor_debate_at_elit.html?r=news/national

More controversy at Duke: Sexist Halloween invitations spark furor, debate at elite university

By Nina Mandell
Daily News Staff Writer

Wednesday, November 3rd 2010, 2:45 PM
Emails distributed across the Duke campus sparked outrage.
Matt Phillips
Emails distributed across the Duke campus sparked outrage.

Invitations to Halloween parties from two Duke fraternities have many women on campus screaming in horror.

An email sent Saturday night to the Sigma Nu fraternity social listserv invited women to its Halloween party, saying "Whether your [sic] dressing up as a slutty nurse, a slutty doctor, a slutty schoolgirl, or just a total slut, we invite you to find shelter in the confines of Partners D," the Duke Chronicle reported.

A PDF of the invitation, posted on the Duke Chronicle's website, also urges revelers to join with an unidentified person who "fresh of the Emirates flight to JFK will be joining us in his traditional terrorist garb" and urged women to celebrate "not having the physique to pull off Snooki this year."

It wasn't the only questionable party invitation sent that night – the off-campus fraternity Alpha Delta Pi invited women to their house with an email that began: "Dear bi---, I mean witches."

Students told the Chronicle the invitations weren't unique for frat party shindigs. "Women get invitations that call them sluts and hos . . . and they still go to the parties," Panhellenic Association President Bogna Brzezinska said.

While many students brushed off the salacious email as boys being boys, other Duke students weren't about to take the invitations sitting down.

On Sunday morning, part of the campus was covered with copies of the invitations. Underneath the photocopied invitations, the words "If you’re not outraged, you're not paying attention" and "Is this why you came to Duke?" were written in black marker.

Members of the Sigma Nu fraternity apologized for the email, according to the Chronicle. But the damage was already done at a school where sex scandals have become less surprising than its high-paying parents and well-heeled alums would like.

The school was ninth in the latest U.S. News and World Report's rankings, but the invitations come only weeks after a PowerPoint presentation by a Duke graduate grading Duke athletes' abilities in the sack went viral on the internet. Athletes from the school's lacrosse team also made national news in 2006 when they were accused - and later declared innocent - of raping a stripper.

The invitations, students told the school paper, were an unacceptable addition to the university's line of less-than-complimentary headlines.

"I can't even describe how angry I was when I read them," senior Jessica MacFarlane told the Chronicle. "I thought they were incredibly degrading."

nmandell@nydailynews.com


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/11/03/2010-11-03_more_controversy_at_duke_sexist_halloween_invitations_spark_furor_debate_at_elit.html?r=news/national#ixzz14J9OYjWj
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Danowski Selected as USILA National Coach of the Year


- Duke Sports Information :party:


DURHAM, N.C.-Duke University men's lacrosse head coach John Danowski has been selected as the 2010 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division I Coach of the Year, the organization recently announced. Danowski recently led the Blue Devils to the 2010 NCAA Championship.

This past season Danowski led the Blue Devils to new heights as Duke captured its first men's lacrosse national title. Under Danowski's watchful eye, Duke outlasted top-seeded Virginia 14-13 in the semifinals and two days later and grinded out a 6-5 overtime victory in the championship game against Notre Dame.

Danowski mentored five All-America selections in 2010, including Tewaaraton Trophy winner and first team choice Ned Crotty. In the annual Major League Lacrosse draft, Crotty, Max Quinzani and Parker McKee were selected first, third and fourth overall, marking the first time three of the top four picks hailed from the same collegiate program.

Joining the program in July of 2006 after 21 seasons at Hofstra, Danowski has guided Duke to four of the finest seasons in Blue Devil lacrosse history. In his inaugural season at the helm, Danowski led Duke to the ACC Championship and to the NCAA title game. He garnered his first ACC Coach of the Year award after helping the Blue Devils compile a 17-3 record.

Duke captured its second consecutive ACC Championship during Danowski's tenure in 2008 and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for the second straight season. The 2008 squad won a NCAA single-season record 18 games and captured three major awards from the USILA. The native of Long Island, N.Y., added a third ACC title and third trip to championship weekend in 2009 as Duke compiled a 15-4 mark.

In his four seasons with the Blue Devils, Danowski has compiled a 66-13 overall record, won three ACC Championships, advanced to the NCAA Semifinals four times, earned a spot in the championship game twice and ultimately captured the 2010 NCAA Championship.

In his 28 years as a head coach, Danowski has mentored 60 All-America selections, 26 at Duke, 12 conference most valuable players, 101 all-conference choices and two Tewaaraton Trophy winners in his son Matt Danowski in 2007 and Crotty in 2010.

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