Back pain affects 80 percent of the average population and knowing how to deal with it will be useful, according to two University of Wisconsin physical therapists. Fortunately for most people, back pain will subside in two to three days, said Lori Thein Brody, physical therapist and athletic trainer with the UW Sports Medicine and Spine Center.
Category: UW Experts in the News
Reports Say Paul Ryan is ‘Open’ To Running For House Speaker
The news is that Paul Ryan is open to running for Speaker of the House. The House doesn’t return to Washington from recess until Tuesday evening, but people close to Ryan are already saying that he is considering launching a bid for Speaker. Interviewed: Political scientist David Canon.
BMO Harris is No. 1 bank in the Madison area
Quoted: A couple of factors probably have led to the growth, said UW-Madison business professor James Johannes.”One is a generally stronger economy, and with that, there are more deposits to be had,” said Johannes, director of the Puelicher Center for Banking Education.
Wisconsin jury says Apple owes $234 million in patent case
A jury has awarded the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation more than $234 million in a patent infringement lawsuit against computer maker Apple Inc.
Noted: The patent dispute involved chip technology that was co-invented by University of Wisconsin-Madison computer sciences professor Gurindar Sohi, who was in the courtroom for the decision. U.S. District Judge William Conley told Sohi he hoped he felt his work was vindicated.
Neighbors troubled by string of coyote attacks in Madison
Experts say conflicts with coyotes seem to be on the rise in the last couple months in Wisconsin.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin Madison Urban Canid Project say recent reports of those conflicts, and in some cases attacks, have come from Madison, Milwaukee, Neenah and Mequon. Some coyotes have attacked and killed dogs, or even followed residents who were walking their dog.
Coyote attacks put Madison East Side pet owners on edge
Noted: David Drake, a researcher with the UW-Madison Urban Canid Project, comments.
DIGGING DEEPER: The use and disclosure of personal email in the Walker administration
Quoted: Bob Drechsel, director of the UW-Madison Center for Journalism Ethics, told 27 News the state’s open records law doesn’t directly address the use of personal email.
“I don’t think there’s anything that says you can’t use it, but I think the law is written and interpreted in such a way that says if you do use it you still will be subject to an open records request,” said Drechsel.
Forecast calls for warmer, drier than average winter
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison atmospheric and oceanic sciences professor Dr. Jonathan Martin said the weather pattern could be reminiscent of the El Niño that hit Madison in the late 1990s.
“Which was extremely warm,” Martin said. “That winter we were able to throw rocks in Lake Mendota in mid-February.”
Martin said with less snow likely that will have an impact on ground water.
“So if you have a snowless wintertime in Madison, you tend to lose a lot of groundwater through evaporation, sublimation. That’s bad for farmers in the spring,” Martin said.
Colleges Consider Adopting Inclusive Language in Their Systems
Quoted: Gabriel C. Javier is assistant dean of students and director of the LGBT Campus Center at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, which also uses a chosen-name system. “I see it as a universal-access issue,” he says. As of June, about 4,300 of the approximately 44,000 students and 20,000 employees on the campus had designated a chosen name.
The use and disclosure of personal email
Quoted: Bob Drechsel, director of the UW-Madison Center for Journalism Ethics, told 27 News the state’s open records law doesn’t directly address the use of personal email.
Dogs from Georgia get a second chance at life in Wisconsin
Noted: Dr. Sandra Newbury is the master mind behind this project. She’s the director of the Shelter Medicine Program at UW-Madison. This program played a big role in helping the Georgia shelter work through its distemper outbreak. She also realized shelter trends across the country.
“In most of the northern states, we see lower intake per capita than we see in a lot of the southern states. That shelter has struggled in the past, but this is kinda of a new beginning for them. They are on this new life saving path,” said Dr. Newbury.
The Missing Boom in Small-Business Sales
Quoted: “The demographics would very much point you to the idea that there should have been this huge outflow of business owners,” says Daniel Olszewski, director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin School of Business. “But it hasn’t really happened.”
Legislators try to persuade panel to approve blaze pink bill
Noted: Majid Sarmadi, a University of Wisconsin-Madison textile expert who studied the visibility of blaze pink for Milroy and Kleefisch, told the committee that blaze pink is more visible against the orange fall landscape than blaze orange.
“The pink is more visible when everything is turning yellow and orange,” Sarmadi said. “The orange will get lost between those oranges that are there in nature. Therefore, it will be less safe.”
Koko the gorilla adopts two kittens and cuddles up to them in footage
Noted: Dr. Perlman, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, started research work at The Gorilla Foundation in 2010, where Koko has spent more than 40 years living immersed with humans and interacting for hours a day with psychologist Penny Patterson and biologist Ron Cohn.
Wisconsin legislators speak in favor of blaze-pink hunting gear bill
Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison textile expert Majid Sarmadi, who studied blaze pink’s visibility for Milroy and Kleefisch earlier this year, told the committee that pink stands out better than orange against Wisconsin’s orange-brown fall landscape. He also said deer have an easier time seeing blaze orange than blaze pink.
Campus Concealed Carry Proposal sparking controversy at UW Madison
Quoted: UW Political Science Professor Mike Wagner is voicing opposition on Twitter.
“Am I worried, about it? Yeah, I would be worried about going into a classroom knowing 120 students are not enjoying a lecture…or worrying themselves, yeah I worry.”
And UW Madison Police Spokesman Marc Lovicott says his department opposes the bill.
“We don’t feel putting more weapons in the hands of our students, even though they legally have a permit to do so elsewhere will make our campus safer.
Report: Climate change could bring spring 3 weeks early
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say warmer weather earlier in the year might have consequences for farmers as well as wildlife.
“Our projections show that winter will be shorter—which sound great for those of us in Wisconsin,” Andrew Allstadt, a [postdoctoral] researcher [in forest and wildlife ecology] at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an author on the paper, said in a statement “But long distance migratory birds, for example, time their migration based on day length in their winter range. They may arrive in their breeding ground to find that the plant resources that they require are already gone.”
Pesky Asian beetles return in great numbers
Noted: P.J. Liesch directs the Insect Diagnostic Lab at the University of Wisconsin. Liesch told Minnesota Public Radio the beetles were first spotted in the Upper Midwest in large numbers in the mid-1990s. The insects can bite and will secrete a foul-smelling odor if they’re disturbed.
Proposal To Move Floating Bog Prompts Questions
Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison wetland ecologist Quentin Carpenter said bogs can also go out of sight in cooler weather when decomposition slows.
Dang beetles: Warm weather triggers Asian ladybug breakout
Noted: They first were spotted in the Upper Midwest in droves in the mid-1990s, said P.J. Liesch, who directs the Insect Diagnostic Lab at the University of Wisconsin.
UW researchers blaze a trail toward better breast cancer treatment
Chemotherapy drugs usually succeed at killing cancer cells, but some cancers have a tendency to develop a resistance to treatment, according to a University of Wisconsin Health release.
“If a patient will not be sensitive to a treatment, they should not be placed on that treatment. They should not be over-treated,” said Dr. Wei Xu, professor of oncology at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center and McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research and senior author of the study. “Also, we want to give timely treatments, because if you match the patient to the right treatment, you’re more likely to save someone’s life.”
City pays ‘recess coaches’ to teach kids to play nice
Quoted: “Children need some sort of unorganized and unsupervised playtime, specifically because it stokes their imagination and allows them to create imaginary worlds,” said Erik P. Hoel, a Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin.
New UT-Dallas institute to be at forefront of training the brain
Quoted: “In principle, there isn’t an age at which you can no longer learn new things,” said Bradley Postle, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who is not involved with the institute.
Why It’s So Hard to Know How Much Retirement Savings Is Enough
Noted: The arguments from those Wisconsin economists, John Karl Scholtz and Ananth Seshardi, are often used to justify policies that would limit the expansion of Social Security and prevent the formation of a universal pension system. Because these policies have far-reaching implications, it’s worth inspecting Scholtz and Seshardi’s argument, which essentially boils down to this: Spending a lot of money to raise children is good preparation for retirement.
In small-town Wisconsin, the arts are having a moment
Noted: To be effective, placemaking initiatives need to grow from the ground up, according to Sherry Wagner-Henry, director of the Bolz Center for Arts Administration at the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The staggering cost of drinking and driving in Wisconsin
Noted: Julia Sherman is the coordinator for the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project. She says despite little action in the state legislature, progress is happening in town after town and through volunteer programs like police saturation patrols.
The Burden of Debt on Black America
Quoted: Low-income families generally do “very, very well given the very meager resources and high expenses they have,” said Michael Collins, the faculty director of the Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “But there comes a point in time when there’s just nothing there. There’s no more income, there’s no more savings, and the options are pretty limited, because you don’t have the social network, you don’t have the legal and other resources available to you to find a solution.”
Sale Of Journal Sentinel Reflects Broader Trend Of Consolidation, Says Professor
Quoted: Katy Bartzen Culver, a professor of of journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that when fewer outlets are competing for stories, it does indeed jeopardize the quality of journalism, particularly when it comes to state and local government coverage.
Three years after building skyscraper, Roosevelt University plans cuts
Quoted: “It seems like a pretty high risk, that ’if you build it, they will come’ mentality,” said Nick Hillman, an assistant professor who studies higher education policy and finance at the University of Wisconsin at Madison’s School of Education.
The biggest mystery in mathematics: Shinichi Mochizuki and the impenetrable proof
Quoted: To complete the proof, Mochizuki had invented a new branch of his discipline, one that is astonishingly abstract even by the standards of pure maths. “Looking at it, you feel a bit like you might be reading a paper from the future, or from outer space,” number theorist Jordan Ellenberg, of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, wrote on his blog a few days after the paper appeared.
Here’s What’s Missing From the Stats on Campus Rape
Noted: When we asked Sarah Van Orman, the executive director of health services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about the discrepancy between the two figures at her school, she said the AAU’s claim that 133 students reported a rape last year was a realistic estimate—even though only 22 show up in UW-Madison’s 2014 Clery statistics.
UPDATE: UW review suggests first person video games boost brain power
Recent campus shooting incidents remain on the minds of many, while a new review out of UW-Madison finds first-person shooter games could actually improve cognition.
“You have to identify targets, clutter and make very quick, accurate decisions,” psychology professor Shawn Green said about the fight-or-flight styled games.
“These games will trigger the fight-or-flight response, when that response is triggered, lots of things change,” Professor Green said.
How spiders got their knees
Noted: Still, there are other arachnids like mites that have kneecaps but no copy of the Dachshund gene, says Prashant Sharma, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who was not involved in the work. “Reconciling how that occurs is something the study needs to grapple with before it can claim that one particular gene copy explains how all arachnids have patellas.”
Diversifying Higher Ed Still a Challenge
Quoted: Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson, Vilas Distinguished Professor of Higher Education and director and chief research scientist of Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (Wei LAB) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, says “there still remain significant concerns about our institutions’” commitment to diversity.
Report: Most Americans Will Receive A Late Or Wrong Diagnosis
Quoted: Dr. Lee Wilke, director of the University of Wisconsin Health Breast Center, said physicians would like to think that they don’t make mistakes.
Lawmakers seek large increase in compensation for those wrongfully imprisoned
Quoted: “It’s in all of our interests to ensure that those who are wrongfully convicted are given the assistance they need,” said Keith Findley, director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project [at the UW Law School], who joined lawmakers for a news conference on the bill at the State Capitol Thursday morning.
Unapproved drugs could be in some supplements
Quoted: UW pharmacy professor Jeanette Roberts says because [supplements] haven’t been approved, we just don’t know what side effects they could have.
“I say that we’re experimenting on ourselves, because we really don’t know a lot about these plants or products in a lot of cases,” said Roberts.
Scientists Study Past In Hopes of Being Step Ahead of Future Earthquakes
If it seems to you that the earth has seen quite a lot of major seismic activity in recent years, you’re in the good company of scientists. One of the leading centers for research into these quakes is located not along the San Andreas Fault, but at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Harold Tobin is one of those scientists looking closely at seismic events in the Department of Geoscience.
Doctors urge more parents to vaccinate kids against HPV
Quoted: Sarah Bradley, clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology; Laurel Rice, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology.
Activists Take Private Prison Issue To The Public
Quoted: University of Wisconsin researcher Anita Mukherjee published a paper in March evaluating whether private prisons save states money. She suggests one of the major issues with the system is contracts.
Low-nicotine cigarettes cut use, dependence, study finds
Quoted: Dr. Michael Fiore and Timothy Baker, tobacco researchers from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, wrote in a commentary in the journal that the study shows the potential for a policy to cut nicotine that “could help to end the devastating health consequences” of smoking.
Civil service reform is not the next Act 10
Noted: Earlier this week, University of Wisconsin-Madison public affairs professor Donald Moynihan wrote that he hoped the new civil service reforms wouldn’t become a new Act 10. According to Moynihan, the approach Walker is taking in supporting the civil service modernization bill is “echoing the divisive tactics of Act 10.”
Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Cut Use, Dependence, Study Finds
Quoted: Dr. Michael Fiore and Timothy Baker, tobacco researchers from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, wrote in a commentary in the journal that the study shows the potential for a policy to cut nicotine that “could help to end the devastating health consequences” of smoking.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Is One To Look Out For This Season, Entomologist Says
The first frost of the season is usually a trigger for bugs to start invading the house for fall and winter, according to a retired University of Wisconsin-Madison entomologist.
Professor Says Russian Airstrikes In Syria Aim To Keep Assad In Power
Noted: David McDonald, University of Wisconsin-Madison history professor and expert on the politics of contemporary Russia, said the one thing underlying Putin’s whole approach to Syria is to defend the principle of the sovereignty of established governments.
Why State Campaign Ads Are Getting Nastier
Quoted: “Negative ads insulate the campaign,” said Kenneth R. Mayer, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s not the candidate going negative; it’s someone else.”
World Bank rethinks poverty measure
Quoted: The move is meant to reflect changing standards of living, worldwide, according to Valerie Kozel, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She worked with the World Bank on poverty for many years.
UW-Madison scientist reacts to announcement of water found on Mars
A scientist at UW-Madison says while there’s been proof of water on Mars for almost 20 years, Monday’s announcement could determine whether there’s life on Mars.
“We had suspected that there was some ice underneath the surface that was melting and causing the water to flow down the slopes,” said Dr. Sanjay Limaye, a Distinguished Senior Scientist at UW-Madison. “I think most people had accepted that fact the fact that scientists can prove it that it is liquid water that is substantial.”
Students create inventions of the future in UW-Madison garage
Some of America’s greatest innovations have come from garages, or basements. The makerspace called Garage Physics at UW-Madison is both.
It’s giving young scientists like Felix Tsao the ability to reach for something brand new. “It’s like a virtual reality project where basically it extends a digital experience to your vision,” said Tsao.
Quoted: Duncan Carlsmith, professor of physics.
Chris Rickert: Progressives oppose progress, conservatives consolidate on civil service
Noted: comment from Charlie Trevor, a professor of management and human resources at UW-Madison.
Brain Series 3, Episode 3: Charlie Rose
On “Charlie Rose,” a look back at moments from the Charlie Rose Brain Series 3: Episode 3, the brain and gender identity. We are joined by Ben Barres of Stanford University, Norman Spack of Boston Children’s Hospital, Catherine Dulac of Harvard University, Melissa Hines of the University of Cambridge, Janet Hyde of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel of Columbia University. (Source: Bloomberg)
The World Will Be 6 Degrees Warmer by 2100: 6 Scary Effects That’ll Have on Our Health
Quoted: Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH, director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison echoes the sentiment, telling Yahoo Health that climate change is one of the “largest threats to public health.”
Stone’s Throw Urban Farm finds city spaces to grow produce
Quoted: Urban agriculture has always been part of cities, said Julie Dawson, assistant professor of horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a specialist in urban and regional food systems.
Wisconsin’s Adult Obesity Rate Up In 2014
Quoted: “It’s a number we really need to keep track of and hopefully see levelling off and going down in the future,” said Dr. Patrick Remington, an associate dean at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Fitness trackers: healthy little helpers or no-good gadgets?
Quoted: Lisa Cadmus-Bertram of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, took a group of 51 overweight, postmenopausal women and gave 25 of them Fitbits, while the remaining 26 used pedometers.
Drones set to take off over farm fields
Quoted: The flight technology has advanced rapidly. Brian Luck, an assistant professor of biological systems engineering at University of Wisconsin-Madison, has an aerial drone that someone could fly safely with little practice or training.
The science supporting gender-neutral marketing
Quoted: A few common perceptions held, according to psychologist Janet Shibley Hyde of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Compared with women, men could throw farther, were more physically aggressive, masturbated more and held more positive attitudes about sex in uncommitted relationships.
Fiorina hitches rise in Iowa to untested strategy
Quoted: “What we’re seeing is campaigns experimenting with new techniques. Some will work. Others will not,” said campaign finance analyst Ken Mayer, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s almost a legal fiction that they are separate from the campaign, but as long as that distinction is permitted, campaigns will leverage that.”
F.D.A. Panel Weighs Complaints on Essure Contraceptive Implant
Quoted: Several of the panelists questioned why it was so difficult for women to find a doctor who was trained in removing the device. Many of the women, in desperation, simply had a hysterectomy, which Dr. Charles Coddington, of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said was “like shooting flies with a cannon.”
Enjoy the start of fall with apple recipes
(Video) Julie Andrews from the UW Health Learning Kitchen visits News 3 at Noon to share apple recipes.