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Category: UW Experts in the News

How low to go: Details emerge on big blood pressure study

Associated Press (WKOW)

Noted: The study involved people over 50 whose top reading was over 130. People with diabetes were excluded, so the results do not apply to them. The results also may not apply to people with previous strokes, the very old, those with severe kidney disease or people already taking a lot of different drugs, said Dr. James Stein, who heads the high blood pressure program at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

It’s Time To Change Blood Pressure Guidelines, According To Study

AP

Noted: The study involved people over 50 whose top reading was over 130. People with diabetes were excluded, so the results do not apply to them. The results also may not apply to people with previous strokes, the very old, those with severe kidney disease or people already taking a lot of different drugs, said Dr. James Stein, who heads the high blood pressure program at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Researchers Examine How To Spot A Lying Politician

NPR News

Can you tell anything about politicians’ accuracy by analyzing how they speak? A new analysis finds that lying politicians tend to be more verbose. Michael Braun, Lyn Van Swol, and Lisa Vang at Millikin University and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, they recently analyzed several hundred claims made by politicians that had been fact checked PolitiFact.

To Educate a Diverse Nation, Topple the Ivory Tower

Huffington Post

Coauthored by Clif Conrad:

Visit an American college campus today and you’ll see a more diverse student body than ever before. Over the last 30 years, the number of Hispanic students has risen five-fold, Asian and Pacific Islander enrollment has tripled, black enrollment has risen 150 percent and Native American enrollment has doubled.But the graduation rate for minority students falls far below the nationwide average. Our colleges and universities are not succeeding at educating students with diverse backgrounds. In an increasingly competitive global economy, our country cannot afford this waste of time, money and talent.

Why you should think twice before sharing that cute animal video

Columbia Journalism Review

Quoted: “In any instance where a person would have good reason to think, Whoa, what’s going on here, is this some kind of harassment or abuse of an animal? certainly you have an obligation to explore further before you would use it,” says Robert Dreschel, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “There’s a lot of disagreement about where is the line between cute animal behavior and behavior that involves something that would be abusive. I would err on the side of caution.”

The Cyberthreat Under the Street

New York Times

Quoted: Surprisingly, there isn’t even a good map of the Internet’s highways and byways to clearly show locations that, if taken out, would severely hamper the system. “Everybody assumes somebody knows, but after a while you find out nobody actually knows,” said Paul Barford, a professor of computer science at the University of Wisconsin who has made it his mission to find out where the vulnerabilities are.

Department of Workforce Development, Madison College team up to help displaced Oscar Mayer workers

Badger Herald

Quoted: Oscar Mayer has not confirmed what type of severance packages or benefits they will provide to the displaced workers, Barry Gerhart, University of Wisconsin professor of management and human resources, said. But regardless of the compensation, the closure will be a major challenge for displaced employees.

Food manufacturing jobs dropped 40 percent in Dane County between 2001 and 2014

Capital Times

Noted: In an October 2014 report on the area’s agriculture, food and beverage industry cluster prepared for the Madison Region Economic Partnership, Matt Kures of the UW Extension Center for Community and Economic Development wrote that a loss in food manufacturing employment was a result of changes at individual companies rather than declining regional competitiveness.

Turkey prices up this year

WHBY-AM, Fox Cities

Expect to pay more for your Thanksgiving dinner turkey this year, thanks to the outbreak of the bird flu last spring. UW-Madison poultry expert Ron Kean says prices will probably be up 10 to 15 percent, to around $1.15 to $1.20 per pound.

Walker: Oscar Mayer has ‘nothing to do with Wisconsin’

AP

Quoted: “Not sure the state could do much of anything to convince Kraft Heinz to change their minds,” said Steven Deller, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who specializes in community development. “From a purely corporate perspective I can understand K-H wanting the top administrative offices … located at the K-H Chicago headquarters.”

Warm Wisconsin weather expected through November

Channel3000.com

Quoted: University of Wisconsin meteorology professor Jonathan Martin said a stronger-than-normal El Nino pattern in the Pacific will push warmer temperatures into the Midwest throughout the rest of the month. But he said it will likely not be as warm as the 70 degree days Wisconsin will enjoy this week.

This is the first time in nearly two decades such a strong weather pattern has hit the Great Lakes states.

“[In ’97-’98] you could throw rocks into Lake Mendota,” Martin said. “The ice was gone Feb. 28, so I went down with my kids and threw rocks in the lake, and I told them, ‘This will never happen again.’ Well, it might this year.'”

And That’s My Opinion!

New York Times

Quoted: Paula McAvoy, the program director for the Center for Ethics and Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison — and, I should note, my son Amato’s fiancée — recently suggested a different idea: “Why don’t they spend their money on infrastructure instead?”

Music to Cats’ Ears

New York Times

Quoted: Owners often leave the radio or a playlist on for cats alone in the house, assuming they will share human musical tastes, be it classical, country or the lyrical tones of NPR hosts. But cats’ hearing develops differently and “we mindlessly turn on music” for them, said Charles Snowdon, an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who worked with Mr. Teie on the project. With its special instruments and tonal mixing, “Music for Cats” aims to bridge that sensory gap, he said.

Pediatricians Unveil Game Plan for Safer Youth Football

Live Science

Noted: The majority of studies have shown that the injury rate for youth football is quite low, and is actually significantly lower than the injury rates of high school or college football, said Dr. Gregory Landry, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, and the lead author of the policy statement.

Appleton Planned Parenthood suspends abortions

Appleton Post-Crescent

Quoted: “We have seen that clinic closures lead to burdens for women in a variety of states,” said Jenny Higgins, an assistant professor in gender and women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a board member with the Guttmacher Institute. “This is true for Planned Parenthood, but is also true for any clinic that offers abortion care.”

UW-Madison ecologist leads national society through changing scientific sphere

The Daily Cardinal

As scientific fields rapidly evolve, putting more emphasis on effective communication skills and accessibility, the newest president of the Ecological Society of America, Monica Turner, the Eugene P. Odum Professor of Ecology and Vilas Research Professor of Zoology at UW-Madison, said she will use decades of experience as an ecologist to navigate the organization through changing times.

UPDATE: WHO claims processed meats linked to cancer

WKOW TV

Quoted: Jeff Sindelar, an extension meat specialist at UW-Madison, said consumers should “certainly take note” of the WHO’s findings.

But he said the method used by the IARC in determining cancer risk levels based on red or processed meat consumption does not consider other factors, in many meat eaters, that may also be contributing to that risk.

“Lifestyle, genetics, other foods they’re eating and other habits, like smoking, drinking, etc., those all come into play,” Sindelar said.

GOP Changes Make It Harder To Investigate Political Crimes In Wisconsin

Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Even before these proposed changes, elected officials received special treatment under Wisconsin law. While the average citizen is tried for crimes where they allegedly occur, public officials are tried for violations of ethics and election laws in their home counties. Law professor Ben Kempinen, who runs the Prosecution Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that requirement coupled with the move to grand juries will present big challenges to a DA from a small county.

Study: Processed meats linked to cancer

Channel3000.com

Quoted: “To be included in the same category doesn’t mean it’s as bad for your health as smoking or obesity or lack of exercise or using tanning beds,” said Dr. Sam Lubner, with the UW Carbone Cancer Center. “It simply means that the evidence shows that the link is real.”

The study also doesn’t mean that occasional steak or brat will kill you. Lubner said it just highlights the need for a balanced diet.

“Is eating a steak going to immediately cause cancer? Absolutely not,” he said. “[But] don’t eat four pounds of meat a day and expect to live a healthy life.” .

High School Football Tackling Rule Significantly Knocks Down Concussion Rates

Associated Press (NBC15)

Noted: Findings show that the rate of sports-related concussions sustained during high school football practice was more than twice as high in the two seasons prior to the rule change as compared to the 2014 season, said University of Wisconsin–Madison senior scientist Timothy A. McGuine, PhD, ATC.

“This study confirms what athletic trainers who work with high school football programs have long believed regarding the association of full contact drills or practices and the likelihood a player will sustain a concussion,” Dr. McGuine said. “This is probably also true for other football injuries such as sprains, fractures and dislocations.”

Gorgeous fall may lead into milder winter

Appleton Post-Crescent

Noted: That’s not necessarily good news for everyone, notes Ed Hopkins, an assistant state climatologist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Apart from its positive economic effects for snow removers and ski resorts, those crisp, white flakes also help protect a farmer’s soil come spring.

No Doe? Experts say still ways to chase political misconduct

AP

Quoted: State grand juries will be cumbersome – they require 17 people – and bringing one into court day after day requires space and is expensive, said University of Wisconsin-Madison law professor David Schultz.

Still, other states have been able to pursue political corruption cases without the John Doe process. Wisconsin prosecutors still have considerable powers and there are more statutes on the books that can be broken now than ever before, said Donald Downs, a UW-Madison political science professor and an expert on criminal law and politics.

Is RushCard Really the Problem?

Pacific Standard

Quoted: “For somebody who has a low balance and doesn’t actively manage their bank account, having a traditional bank account can be pretty costly,” explains Michael Collins, a financial literacy expert at the director of the Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin. “If you’re only trying to save $300 [over the long term] and you’re paying $10 a month in fees, it becomes really hard to justify having a bank account.”

Prosecutors face limited options under law targeting John Doe probes

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: State grand juries will be cumbersome — they require 17 people — and bringing one into court day after day requires space and is expensive, said University of Wisconsin-Madison law professor David Schultz. Still, other states have been able to pursue political corruption cases without the John Doe process. Wisconsin prosecutors still have considerable powers and there are more statutes on the books that can be broken now than ever before, said Donald Downs, a UW-Madison political science professor and an expert on criminal law and politics.