China's February exports down 18 percent

BEIJING — China's exports plunged by an unexpectedly large 18 percent in February, possibly denting hopes trade will help drive the slowing economy while communist leaders push ambitious promised reforms.

Exports declined to $114.1 billion while imports rose a stronger-than-expected 10.1 percent to $137.1 billion, customs data showed Saturday.

Weakness in key European and U.S. export markets could raise the risk of politically dangerous job losses in trade-reliant industries that employ millions of workers at a time when communist leaders want to focus on restructuring China's economy.

China's official 2014 economic growth target of 7.5 percent, announced this week by Premier Li Keqiang, assumes trade also will grow by 7.5 percent. But customs data show combined imports and exports so far this year have shrunk by 4.8 percent.

The ruling Communist Party is trying to reduce reliance on trade and investment to drive growth by promoting domestic consumption and giving market forces a "decisive role" in the economy. A surge in job losses could force them to shore up growth with a stimulus based on state-led investment, setting back their reform effort.

China's trade data can be distorted by the Lunar New Year holiday, which falls at different times in January and February each year. But even grouping together the first two months of this year still showed exports fell 1.6 percent from a year earlier, while imports rose 10.1 percent.

This year's data also were expected to be unusually weak because during the comparison period in 2013 exporters were believed to be inflating sales figures as an excuse to evade currency controls and bring extra money into China for investment.

Despite that, the decline in February trade far exceeded forecasters' expectations of a contraction in low single digits. They also expected imports to grow by a similar small margin.

The official economic growth target looks unusually ambitious after last year's expansion rate fell to a two-decade low of 7.7 percent. Manufacturing weakened in February and an HSBC Corp. survey showed employers cut jobs at the fastest rate in five years.

The finance minister said this week that growth as low as 7.2 percent would be acceptable and Beijing's priority is creating jobs. Plans call for creation of 11 million jobs but the minister said as many as 13 million might be possible.

China's global trade balance swung to a deficit of $23 billion. The country often runs a trade deficit for one or months early in the year as factories restock following the Lunar New Year shutdown.

The surplus with the 27-nation European Union, China's biggest trading partner, narrowed by 22 percent to $4.1 billion. China's trade surplus with the United States narrowed by 36 percent to $7 billion.

A plunge in global demand in mid-2013 prompted Beijing to launch a mini-stimulus based on higher spending on railway construction and other public works. Growth accelerated but quickly faded once the government spending ended.

Since then, Chinese leaders have said there is little that additional stimulus can do to spur growth and improvements will have to come from longer-term reforms.

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Still no price on fix for botched Health Connector site

Beleaguered Health Connector officials continue to chip away at the massive backlog of Bay Staters' applications for health insurance, but still won't say how much taxpayers will have to shell out to fix the state's entire Obamacare fiasco.

"We are working really hard to pull that together," said Sarah Iselin, the state's new temporary Obamacare czar, during a weekly conference call with reporters. "It's a complicated picture, but we'll begin reporting on that next week at the connector meeting."

Despite repeated inquiries from the Herald, state officials have said they don't yet know how much it's costing to place 62,000 Bay Staters on temporary insurance.

The good news for the Health Connector is that the total backlog of applications — once a staggering 72,000 — is now down to 43,000.

"That's a decrease of 40 percent in about three weeks," said Iselin.

She said the state is seeing an increasing interest in insurance, receiving about 2,000 applications a day, half on paper, the other half electronically.

It used to take staffers two hours to enroll each paper application — that figure is now down to 33 minutes.

Chaos and confusion have dogged the state Health Connector's woeful 
$69 million website since it launched on Oct. 1, frustrating users who have struggled to sign up for health insurance by key deadlines.

Adding insult to injury, the Herald reported this week that many Bay Staters are seeing astounding spikes in their health insurance premiums — some soaring as much as nearly $11,000 a year.

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Spotify snags Echo Nest

Music streaming company Spotify has bought The Echo Nest, a Somerville company that powers many online streaming radio services.

Founded at the MIT Media Lab, The Echo Nest has more than a billion data points about more than 35 million songs, information that is currently used by Spotify and many of its competitors, including Rdio, MOG and 
SiriusXM.

"We've been fans of The Echo Nest for a really long time and honored to have their talented team join Spotify," said Daniel Ek, founder and CEO of Spotify, in a release.

"Together, we're going to change how the world listens," wrote The Echo Nest co-founders Tristan Jehan, Brian Whitman and CEO Jim Lucchese in a blog post.

The Echo Nest will continue to operate independently in its Somerville and San Francisco offices.

David Blutenthal, whose app Moodsnap taps into both The Echo Nest and Spotify, said the acquisition makes sense.

"It's going to make Spotify better," he said.

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Top brokers draw wealthy clients

Selling super high-end properties in Boston, those over $10 million, is a rarefied world dominated by a handful of Hub brokers.

Sometimes these brokers represent the sellers, sometimes they bring buyers to the deal.

Jonathan Radford of Coldwell Banker represented the seller of the Mason House, a 14,580-square-foot 11-bedroom mansion at 211 Commonwealth Ave., which sold last month for $12,736,000.

Radford said buyers are initially wowed by palatial homes like Mason House with features such as an ornate music room, an elevator and a five-car garage. But these signature spaces can also be intimidating.

"What can hold a buyer back is whether the home works with their current lifestyle," he said. "It's up to the agent to bring ideas to the table. If the top floor has three extra bedrooms you don't need, you bring in designers with ideas on converting the floor to an entertainment room."

Buyers are often personalities from the sports or entertainment worlds, business leaders and royalty, so not only is discretion critical, but so is having an in-depth knowledge of the high-end market here and internationally, Radford said.

"A buyer for one of these properties could come from around the corner or around the world," Radford said.

Negotiations are intense affairs, often involving not just the buyer and seller and their agents, but also each side's lawyers and financial advisers, said Radford.

"It's a juggling act keeping everyone in the loop and focused on getting the deal done," Radford said. "But the incentive is that these properties change hands rarely and for a buyer it could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance."

But even in super high-end homes that seemingly have it all, there can be something besides price that keeps the property from selling.

That's the case with 74 Beacon St., the so-called Benjamin Mansion, a six-floor townhouse with a media room, library, gym, elevator, a Brimmer Street garage space — and even a rooftop lap pool. It's on the market for $13.95 million and had been rented for the past year at an eye-popping $40,000 a month after failing to sell.

"As we started showing it again after the rental lease ran out, we saw that while the house has everything a person could want, what didn't click for many buyers was that the kitchen was on the garden level," said John Neale of Sprogis & Neale, which is the co-exclusive listing broker for the property along with Tracy Campion of Campion & Co.

The 8,450-square-foot six-
bedroom townhouse that overlooks the Public Garden had already undergone a three-year gut renovation several years earlier. But Neale convinced local owner/developers Peter and Elizabeth Georgantas of Peg Properties & Design to relocate the kitchen to the first floor, and to convert the former basement kitchen into a family room. Neale will relaunch the mansion when the renovations are completed next month.

Next door, Beth Dickerson of Gibson Sotheby's sold 
78 Beacon St., a six-bedroom, 7,878-square-foot renovated townhouse for $9.3 million last November, down from its original asking price of $10.75 million.

"High-end buyers at this level are all cash and can close quickly," said Dickerson. "At this price level they want garage parking and for everything to be newly done."

Will Montero of Gibson Sotheby's works as both a seller's and a buyer's agent, having brought the buyers for recent high-end property sales at the Four Seasons and The Clarendon. He's now working with three local CEOs who are looking to buy.

Montero is also the listing broker for a 9,817-square-foot Parisian-style mansion at 130 Commonwealth Ave., with its six parking spaces and 2,200-bottle wine cellar that's on the market for $13.9 million. The property is owned by a Singapore investor, who bought it for $9.5 million in 2012.

"A home like this in Singapore would cost $40 million, which appeals to international investors," Montero said. "And a lot of properties in this range are also bought by wealthy business or royal families whose children are, or will be, going to school in Boston. They want the extra space for when they come to visit."

Montero said his clients value agents who know about properties for sale before they hit the market.

"Buyers at this level are often very busy people and don't have a lot of time," Montero said. "You have to be able to get them what they want and hopefully be the first ones in. And to be able to close the deal."

He said the high-end brokers in Boston know one another and often bring buyers to one another's properties. And some properties are sold through private sales, never even hitting the market.

But Radford said he always urges sellers to list super high-end properties to get as wide exposure as possible and the most money.

"For those who do end up buying these homes, it's not just getting the right price, but they have to be the right person for the house," Radford said.

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Cybersecurity a focus for Israel’s Yehuda­ Yaakov

Forging bilateral cyber­security ties is among Yehuda­ Yaakov's goals in his new role as Israel's consul general to New England.

The Brooklyn, N.Y., native wants to model the partnerships on the life sciences relationship between Massachusetts and Israel by encouraging companies on both sides to open overseas offices and drawing in local academic institutions.

Yaakov, who is based in Boston, sees similarities between the two "ecosystems," but said there's greater urgency associated with cyber­security.

"There's a very high awareness here that the cyber­attacks are running very fast and are adapting very quickly to the solutions found," he said during a Boston Herald visit yesterday.

Israel is developing Be'er Sheva, in the country's south, as its center for cyber­security. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is in Be'er Sheva, the Israeli military is moving its cyber­security units there, and entrepreneurial incubators have been established.

"I very much think our (Israel's and Massachusetts' competition) is Silicon Valley and San Francisco," Yaakov said.

An Israeli delegation of venture capital and tech firms — including Jerusalem Venture Partners, ThetaRay and CyberArk (whose U.S. headquarters is in Newton) — took part in a cybersecurity startup forum at Harvard Business School last month.

Cybersecurity is an "approachable" issue that ties into Yaakov's background, he said, noting his experience with running a counter-­terrorism and homeland security unit for Israel's Foreign Service. Yaakov relocated to Israel 30 years ago and has been a member of its foreign ministry since 1989.

Israeli companies with a Massachusetts presence generated $6.2 billion in revenue and created 6,700 jobs in 2012, according to a study for the New England-Israel Business Council released in December.

In 2012, Gov. Deval Patrick announced $1.3 million in grants to four research and development collaborations between Bay State and Israeli companies under the Massachusetts-Israel Innovation Partnership.

MassChallenge, a Boston-based startup accelerator, also established an Israeli arm last year.

A nonstop flight between Boston and Tel Aviv — which Massport and the NEIBC have been pushing — would encourage even more entrepreneurial traffic, Yaakov said.

"It would be nice if it was El Al," he said, referring to the Israeli airline. "But there's no reason why it can't be a U.S. company."

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Cold weather puts Duck Tours on ice

Boston Duck Tours could be the latest victim of a frigid­ and stormy winter that's grounded flights, resulted in a road salt shortage and caused potholes galore.

The 20th season of the company's land-water tours could be delayed due to a frozen Charles River that could ground its fleet of nearly 30 former World War II amphibious vehicles.

Boston Duck Tours has stopped ticket sales for its March 17 launch through March 20 — a first for the company — and general manager Cindy Brown said she'll keep her fingers crossed about opening weekend.

"The river is definitely still frozen," Brown said. "Every year we say this time of year that it will melt, and every time it has melted. But this year has been unseasonably bad, and we're just worried we might not get to (that) point."

Boston Duck Tours' vehicles splash into the Charles River by the Museum of Science and could operate solely­ in the lower basin if that portion becomes ice-free, but Brown prefers being able to navigate the entire river so customers get a view of the Boston skyline.

"If it warms up, we can put (the tickets) back up for sale," Brown said. "I keep hoping for a 60-degree day, but it gets cold at night, and it keeps refreezing."

The winter weather has been a mixed bag for another winter attraction —the outdoor skating rink at the Boston Common's Frog Pond.

"Ice conditions have been amazing," general manager John Schaub said. "But given­ that it's been so cold … it keeps people away."

The low temperatures, though, will allow the rink to stay open until March 23.

Andrew Blom contributed 
to this report.

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Radioshack sends bad signal

RadioShack plans to close a quarter of its stores as it continues its struggle with an outdated image and finding a niche in the competitive consumer electronics industry.

The chain yesterday said it plans to shutter 1,100 under-performing stores as part of a turnaround and cash management plan.

The Fort Worth, Texas, company's stock took a beating yesterday. It fell 17.28 percent to $2.25 per share after it reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss of $191.4 million — its eighth straight quarterly loss — on sales that declined 20 percent to $935.4 million.

"As we noted in the past, the RadioShack turnaround will take time, and our results will vary as we make strategic changes to improve our long-term financial performance," said CEO Joseph Magnacca, who was hired a year ago.

RadioShack is trying to reposition as a more modern brand that appeals to a new generation of shoppers. Its Super Bowl ad poked fun at the company's outdated image by showing characters and personalities from the 1980s such as Hulk Hogan, It's revamping its merchandise in part by partnering with business incubators, and trying to reinvigorate stores with interactive content and through design.

The store closings require lender approval and are subject to landlord negotiations. CFO John Fera said the company didn't consider a prepackaged bankruptcy to get out of the leases more quickly. "We feel like we have enough liquidity for the remainder of the year," he said.

But B. Riley & Co. analyst R. Scott Tilghman said the turnaround plan has come too late. "It would have been great if it would've been implemented four or five years ago, but I think today the balance sheet will ultimately be what guides them," he said. "And they'll likely be very limited in implementing massive change because they don't have deep pockets."

Tilghman also doubts the store closings will make a difference for RadioShack's profit and loss statement.

"There's still the rest of the chain that is going to be unprofitable," he said. "The company is really up against the ropes. Competitive pressures have been heightening for years."

That competition is coming from mobile carriers' own stores, a tripling of market share by Best Buy, and more retailers getting into mobile sales, such as Framingham-based Staples.

In addition to a tough holiday season, RadioShack had a few operational challenges, according to Magnacca: "Simply put, we exceeded our organization's capabilities by trying to do too much too quickly."

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Site that sells student class notes nabs another competitor

Instead of throwing binders full of notes in the trash at the end of a semester, college students can now sell their notes online to their classmates.

That, at least, is the plan for Flashnotes, a Boston-based education technology startup that is trying to improve how students share and use course materials, one test at a time.

To increase its reach, Flashnotes announced yesterday it has acquired one of its competitors, Florida-based Moolaguides.com.

Michael Matousek, founder and CEO of Flashnotes, said the acquisition of Moolaguides will help Flashnotes continue to expand, especially in Florida, and will help the company offer study materials from more classes.

"We are going for breadth and depth," Matousek said. "We're just beginning."

Large schools, like many in Florida, are the most lucrative for Flashnotes and its sellers. On Flashnotes' seller leaderboard, the top sellers are notes, flashcards, study guides and live tutoring for classes at Rutgers University, University of Georgia and Florida State University, all of which have at least 35,000 undergrads. Matousek said the schools are generally supportive, and view Flashnotes as a way for students to supplement classes.

In July, Flashnotes acquired NoteUtopia, another competitor, which was strong on the West Coast.

Flashnotes is just one of nearly 250 budding, early stage edtech companies in Boston, according to Eileen Rudden, co-founder of edtech organization LearnLaunch.

"There is a ton of entrepreneurial activity," Rudden said. "If you think about a sector in the United States that hasn't been transformed by digital technology, it might be education."

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Time may have passed for opposition to Boston MinuteClinics

Pharmacy walk-in clinics could soon come to Boston now that they no longer face mayoral opposition.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Martin J. Walsh said while he has concerns about the clinics, the mayor has no current plans to oppose their expansion into the Hub.

"As of right now, he has no intention of blocking these coming to Boston, but there's groundwork that needs to take place," Walsh spokeswoman Kate Norton said. "Convenient care clinics can provide valuable consumer service for small medical issues, but there is a real concern about the same continuity of care that an individual may receive from a neighborhood health center or from a primary care physician."

Walsh's stance is a shift from former Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who said clinics run by for-profit retailers would compromise quality of care.

Based in retail settings, the clinics' nurse practitioners or physician assistants offer basic, non-emergency health care for common minor illnesses such as ear infections and sore throats.

CVS Caremark's MinuteClinic, which has 48 Massachusetts locations, would "welcome the opportunity to open … in Boston, where we believe we can provide enhanced access to care, lower costs and improve outcomes," spokeswoman Carolyn Castel said.

A non-emergency visit to a Massachusetts emergency room costs $474 on average, while an illness visit to a primary care doctor costs $155 and a MinuteClinic visit costs $84, according to an October report by the Pioneer Institute, a public policy research group.

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Gaming panel enlisted in lawsuit vs. Mohegan

Mohegan Sun's erstwhile Palmer landlord is roping the state Gaming Commission into its lawsuit that seeks to bar Mohegan from building a casino anywhere but Palmer, demanding the commission turn over any communications between Mohegan and Suffolk Downs that might support the claim that Mohegan undercut its own Palmer casino effort to chase an opportunity in Revere.

Northeast Realty is arguing that any talks Mohegan and its chief executive Mitchell Etess had with Suffolk Downs before the casino developer lost a referendum in Palmer would violate an exclusivity agreement.

"The public records request to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission seeks to identify any communications conducted between representatives of Mohegan Sun including its attorney, Kevin C. Conroy, relating to the Suffolk Downs property, and the MGC including, but not limited to, commission staff and its Investigations and Enforcement Bureau," Northeast spokesman Paul Robbins said in a statement.

Commission spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said the commission's legal staff is reviewing the request, and does "not have a comment on the lawsuit at this time."

The request, addressed to chairman Stephen Crosby and dated Feb. 28, asks for copies of any communications from Jan. 1, 2013, to Nov. 30, 2013, between the commission and a series of individuals "concerning the possibility or consideration of Mohegan's participating in any way in the application for a license for and/or development of a gaming facility anywhere on the Suffolk Downs Property."

The individuals include:

•   Suffolk Downs principals Richard Fields and Joseph O'Donnell.

•   House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and staff.

• Any attorneys or lobbyists associated with the law firms Foley Hoag and DLA Piper, who work for Mohegan.

• The public relations firm O'Neill and Associates, which represents Mohegan.

•   Former state Rep. Kathi-Ann Reinstein (D-Revere) and staff.

•     State Sen. Anthony Petruccelli (D-East Boston) and staff.

Mohegan Sun declined to comment on the records request.

Northeast Realty, which wants Mohegan to abandon its lease on the Palmer site, hit Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo with the same records request in January. Revere's solicitor responded that a search of voicemail and email records of Rizzo and his immediate staff "failed to produce any records responsive to your public records request."

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Medical pot shop ads to hit Mass.

Massachusetts viewers soon will get a hit of what's expected to be the Northeast's first marijuana-related commercial on major networks.

New York-based Medical Cannabis Network has booked April airtime to advertise marijuanadoctors.com, which pairs patients with doctors who'll evaluate whether medical marijuana should be used as treatment for their serious illness or chronic pain, said founder Jason Draizin.

"We consider this alternative medicine and do not condone the recreational use or marijuana," he said.

The ad campaign comes as Massachusetts prepares for the opening of its first medical marijuana dispensaries this summer.

The company hopes to add to its database of more than 93,000 patients, 300 doctors and 500 clinics already on the site, according to Draizin. Its service allows doctors to "discreetly" build a practice that includes medical marijuana prescriptions, which can be extremely profitable for them, he said.

The commercial shows a back-alley "dealer" selling the "best sushi" from inside his jacket and includes the voiceover: "You wouldn't buy your sushi from this guy, so why would you buy your marijuana from him?"

Booked through Comcast Spotlight, it will air after 10 p.m. on national cable networks and local cable channels across the state.

The timing will coincide with April 20, also known as "4/20 day" in cannabis culture, a day on which smoking pot is celebrated.

While specific networks haven't been set, they're expected to be the same used for the commercial's New Jersey launch this weekend. They include A&E, Bravo, CNBC, CNN, Discovery, ESPN, Fox News, History Channel, MTV and USA.

State Department of Public Health regulations only cover marketing and advertising by registered medical marijuana dispensaries. "The regulations require that a certifying physician may issue a written certification only for a qualifying patient with whom the physician has a bona fide physician-patient relationship," spokeswoman Anne Roach said.

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Nanocrystals come up big

In a winter of seemingly endless snow and ice, what if there were a better way of fortifying roads against potholes?

What if this same technology could be used to build stronger bridges, create solar panels, even penetrate and selectively kill cancer cells?

They're called nanocrystals — particles so small that their width measures about 1/80,000 of the diameter of a single strand of hair. And they are so light and so strong that NASA once said they theoretically could be used to build an elevator to the moon.

"The excitement to me was that they could be made out of almost anything," said Thomas Webster, chairman of Northeastern University's Department of Chemical Engineering, "and by shrinking that thing down in size, you could change its properties."

One way to do this is to start with the material in its normal form and evaporate it into individual atoms by heating it, Webster said. The degree of heat necessary depends on the material and can range from about 100 degrees to melt a polymer such as Tupperware, to as much as 9,000 degrees to melt metal. Then the atoms are collected on a cold surface, where they condense and form nanocrystals.

These tiny particles improve the strength of materials such as metal and concrete. Webster also is looking at using a combination of selenium nanoparticles, which have anti-cancer properties, and iron oxide nanoparticles, which are magnetic.

"So one can use a magnetic force to force the selenium and iron oxide nanoparticles to only go into cancer cells, and not healthy cells, to thus selectively kill cancer cells," he said. "This provides a much better solution than chemotherapy, which kills all cells."

But back to those potholes — about 6,000 of which the Boston Public Works Department filled in January and February, up nearly 400 percent from the same period last year.

Nanocrystals of asphalt could be used to keep roads from forming as many potholes by filling cracks as they begin to form and grow, Webster said, and nanocrystals of road salt could be used to keep ice from forming or to melt it more quickly by increasing the surface area to decrease the freezing point.

"To me, that is how to get the best of both worlds, using nanotechnology," he said.

So why not use that technology now? The main reason, Webster said, is the cost of heating materials.

"Some of the nanocrystals we make cost upwards of $100 per milligram," he said. "So even though using nanocrystals will make a road last longer and probably save you money in the long run on repairs to both the road and your car, filling an 
average-sized pothole would cost about $5,000 today."

Webster is optimistic, however, that if industry partners with universities, together they would be able to reduce the cost within the next five years.

"And then," he said, "the possibilities are endless."

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Area hospitals get healthier

The sustainability trend is finally coming to the hospital industry in a big way.

Dozens of Massachusetts hospitals — including six in just the past month — have signed on to a national initiative to get "healthier" by improving their food options, cutting waste and reducing energy use.

"We felt we needed to be part of the solution by providing a healthier environment," said Vanessa Kortze, spokeswoman for Lawrence General Hospital, which joined the Healthier Hospitals Initiative last week.

Lawrence General is starting with changes to its food and beverage options. Already, the hospital has cut sugary sodas from its catering menu and almost entirely from patient menus, and rearranged drinks in its cafeterias so water, not soda, is eye-level. Next, food and nutrition director Rick McIsaac plans to revamp the hot meals.

Some foods — fried chicken, Alfredo sauce, onion rings — have no place in a hospital, McIsaac said.

"That's not really appropriate to have inside a health care institution," he said. "It should be 'come get your grilled chicken on a bed of lettuce with a seltzer water.'"

At Partners Healthcare, John Messervy, director of capital and facility planning, acknowledged such changes can come with higher costs.

"That's one of the struggles: how do you balance the increased cost of the locally grown produce against the health benefits of that," Messervy said. "Some of our hospitals have said it's not a significant difference and others are still wrestling with it."

But the region's dominant health care system, which was one of the founders of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative in 2012, has made other changes that already are paying back, he said. Partners spent $60 million to reduce energy use, but that investment was returned in less than four years.

"Often, people think going green is more expensive. What we've been able to show is sustainability is a smart business decision," said Seema Wadhwa, director of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative. "Wasting less means saving more."

The initiative has enrolled about 900 hospitals nationwide, which agree to tackle any of six categories: engaged leadership, healthier food, leaner energy, less waste, safer chemicals and smarter purchasing.

These seemingly different goals are grouped together, Messervy said, because, "In the end it really is about looking to reduce the chemical exposure of our patients and our employees. The chemical exposure comes from lots of different areas: from carbon-based fuels, from additives in food, from various toxic chemicals ... even some of the clinical instruments."

The Massachusetts Hospital Association, which officially became a supporter of the program in February, is working to enroll more hospitals and share best practices with them.

"Our hospitals and staff are extremely busy right now," said Anuj Goel, the MHA's vice president of legal and regulatory affairs. "They don't have time to do a lot of searching nationally and see what is out there. We're getting all that and saying 'here you go.'"

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Volvo needs 20 minutes of highway driving to warm up

I have an issue with my car warming up slowly when the temperature gets down around 0 degrees F. The car is a 2011 S40 Volvo with the T5 engine. The dealer confirmed that the issue I describe is happening but say they checked another 2011 S40 they had on the lot and it did the same thing. I find it strange that it takes 20-minutes-plus on the highway to reach operating temperature and that if you stop and run the heater at full output the engine temperature drops.

You didn't mention how long you've owned the vehicle and whether this is the first winter in which you've experienced this problem. Regardless, I'm surprised the dealer didn't at least check the thermostat for proper function. Like most liquid-cooled engines, your vehicle utilizes a thermostat to restrict coolant flow until coolant temperature reaches 194 degrees F, then maintains coolant temperature in the 194-221 range.

If the thermostat fails to close properly when the engine is cold or sticks in a partially or fully open position, symptoms will be precisely what you've described — long warm-up times and the inability to maintain operating temperature, particularly in cold weather.

Why not apply the KISS principle and try the simple stuff first — replace the thermostat and make sure the coolant level is full. Keep in mind that if the coolant temperature gauge reads significantly below normal, but you're still getting hot air from the heater system, the issue may be a faulty coolant temperature sensor mounted on the thermostat housing.

I like to back my 2009 Silverado Hybrid 6.0-liter V8 into my driveway. That way I don't have to back out, which is considerably safer. I currently have a large snowbank at the end of my driveway. On two occasions I have backed my truck into the snowbank. The tailpipe ended up obstructed with snow and ice. When I started the truck the next day, the engine idled very roughly — almost violently — and the "Low Engine Power" alarm appeared on the dashboard. The snow and ice melted from the tailpipe fairly quickly and the engine eventually regained power and operated normally. Ultimately the "Service Engine Soon" alarm cleared on its own. It has been over a week since the second occurrence and I have noticed no ill effects after the engine started operating normally again. Is there any possibility of undetected damage?

I don't think so. The warning lights, alarm and driveability issues were directly related to the restricted exhaust. A failed catalytic converter or physically damaged exhaust pipe could cause the same thing. Potential damage, although very unlikely in this case, could include engine overheating, catalytic converter failure, pre-ignition/detonation or burned exhaust valves.

In the "Low Power" mode of operation the engine management system operates in a self-protective mode to prevent any damage — which "saved the day" in this case.

What is the current thinking on the value of daytime running lights (DRL) as a safety feature? Some states have legislated their use. Our 2006 Buick Lucerne has them, but our new Chrysler minivan does not.

The idea behind DRLs is to increase visibility of your vehicle to other vehicles around you. There is no federal mandate but some carmakers install DRLs as standard equipment. Because they need to be visible in daylight, there have been complaints that some DRLs are too bright but with the increased use of HID and LED systems I believe this issue will fade.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn. 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot provide personal replies.

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