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Diversity Inc (October 1, 2013)
Study: Black Children Treated Differently in ER Than Whites
Black children are less likely to be prescribed painkillers when they go to the ER than white children, according to a new study. Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHoP) found that 27 percent of white children who arrived in severe stomach pain were prescribed some form of painkiller, but only 16 percent of Black and 19 percent of Latino kids received the same treatment.

The results of the CHoP study are similar to those of a study of adult patients by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers earlier this year.

Dr. Robert Fortuna, author of the University of Rochester study, disagreed about the cause, however. "I don't believe the vast majority of physicians knowingly or consciously treat patients differently," he said. "The bottom line is that minority children in this study were less likely to receive pain medications, and that's concerning."

Smithsonian.com (September 30, 2013)
Why Do Naked Mole Rats Live So Long?
That hairless, wrinkly, fanged rodent in the photo above? It's a naked mole rat, and deep inside its cells, its molecular machinery might hold the secret to living a very, very long time.

"They are an incredibly striking example of longevity and resistance to cancer," says Vera Gorbunova, a biologist at the University of Rochester who studies the long - lived rodents, which have been shown to survive for up to 28 years - a lifespan eight times that of similarly-sized mice - and have never once been observed to develop cancer, even in the presence of carcinogens.

Gorbunova and Seluanov want to proceed by seeing whether either of their special mechanisms - or cancer resistance - be introduced into mouse cells, and whether they might lead to corresponding extensions in lifespan. If they're successful, they hope that, someday, we might even be able to extend our own lifespans by copying the naked mole rats' success. (Also Reported in: Environmental News Network, PhysOrg.com, Health Canal)

Diversity Inc (September 30, 2013)
Study: Modern Racists Live in the Legacy of Slavery
Is modern racism one of the lasting effects of slavery? A new study suggests so. University of Rochester researchers found that white Southerners who have negative attitudes toward Blacks are more concentrated in areas that were home to slave plantations a century and a half ago.

"In political circles, the South's political conservatism is often credited to 'Southern exceptionalism,'" study co-author Matthew Blackwell said. "But the data show that such modern-day political differences primarily rise from the historical presence of many slaves." (Also Reported in: Anniston Star )

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (September 25, 2013)
Woman to watch: Wendi Heinzelman
While so many young girls are inadvertently discouraged from math and science careers, (Wendi) Heinzelman's parents encouraged her growing abilities in these subject areas. So, it should come as no surprise that when it was time to choose a career, Heinzelman chose to pursue an advanced degree in electrical engineering from MIT.

She is now a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Dean of Graduate Studies for Arts, Sciences and Engineering at the University of Rochester, where also serves as faculty advisor for the Society of Women Engineers on campus.

Rochester City Newspaper (September 25, 2013)
The slavery effect
White Southerners living in the former Cotton Belt are more likely to have negative attitudes toward African Americans than other Southerners, according to a new University of Rochester study.

Researchers Avidit Acharya, Matthew Blackwell, and Maya Sen say that the study provides quantitative evidence of the long-lasting effects of slavery on political attitudes in the South.

The research doesn't suggest that slavery is the root cause of racism in contemporary America. But it does show that there is a link between the cotton plantation economy of the Old South and its reliance on slave labor and stronger racial bias in the region. (Also Reported in: American Thinker)

Scientific American (September 24, 2013)
Making Computers Smarter, and Helping Deaf People, Too
A friend of mine is very hard of hearing - not quite deaf enough to fully belong to the deaf community, but sufficiently deaf that participating in a conversation is terribly hard work for her.

One of the young researchers here is developing a solution that could make a big difference for people like her, as well as the fully deaf - and even for journalists. In particular, Walter Lasecki of the University of Rochester (together with his advisor Jeffrey Bigham) is creating a system to transcribe conversations in real time, with no advance planning, for a fraction of the cost of a skilled human transcriber.

Lasecki's basic idea is to crowdsource the problem, using Amazon's Mechanical Turk (or another service) to get six or seven people to simultaneously transcribe bits of the conversation. His software then stitches together the transcriptions using their overlaps to get a single coherent, accurate transcript.

Chicago Tribune (September 24, 2013)
Insurance type tied to dying dementia patients' care
The chance that nursing home residents with advanced dementia will receive inappropriate care may be related to their insurance coverage, a new study suggests.

"There is no question that the care that was provided in nursing homes was superior to the care they got in hospitals," Dr. William Hall, who wrote an editorial accompanying the new study in JAMA Internal Medicine, said.

Hall, a professor of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, said people should not switch to managed care organizations solely based on these findings.  (Also Reported in: Yahoo! News, Baltimore Sun)

Optics.org (September 24, 2013)
US National Photonics Initiative spreads the word
The recently-launched US National Photonics Initiative (NPI) is focused on promoting to policy makers the vital role optics and photonics plays in the American economy. In a series of events, visits and town hall meetings NPI activists are bringing legislators out of the halls of Congress and into the labs.

More than 60 photonics-related companies are located within a 20 mile radius of Rochester, and local institutions such as the University of Rochester's Institute of Optics provide much-needed research and job training programs.

As an indication of the importance of political support for the sector, Rep. Slaughter has over the past 10 years secured over $680 million in federal funding for the University of Rochester’s laser lab, as well as for projects involving local companies such as Exelis and Lumetrics.

Fox News (September 23, 2013)
Kids' race may play a role in ER treatment for pain
Black children who are brought to the emergency room for stomach pain and cramps are less likely than white children to be given painkillers, a new study suggests.

Dr. Robert Fortuna, a health services researcher from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, said it was "especially concerning" to see that pattern show up among kids. Fortuna's own work and other studies have found similar racial disparities in painkiller prescribing with adult patients. (Also Reported in: Baltimore Sun)

Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (September 23, 2013)
Douglas Lowry, dean, resigns from Eastman School of Music
The dean of the Eastman School of Music has stepped down for health reasons, the school announced Monday.

Douglas Lowry's departure came with honors bestowed by the school's Board of Trustees, which named him the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean Emeritus and awarded him an honorary Doctor of Music degree. (Also Reported in: Rochester Business Journal, WXXI, YNN, WHEC-TV)

The Wall Street Journal (September 23, 2013)
The Family That Fights Together
It is a quandary every couple with children eventually faces: Should we fight in front of the kids?

"Kids are going to have disagreements with their friends, their peers, co-workers," says Patrick Davies, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. "If they don't witness disagreements and how they are handled in constructive ways, they are not well-equipped to go out into the world and address inevitable conflict."

Dr. Davies and fellow researchers found that "constructive" marital conflict was associated with an increase in children's emotional security, in their study of 235 families with children ages 5 to 7 published in 2009 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Canada Globe and Mail (September 23, 2013)
Kids' race may play a role in some U.S. ER treatments
Black children who are brought to the emergency room for stomach pain and cramps are less likely than white children to be given painkillers, a new study suggests.

Dr. Robert Fortuna, a health services researcher from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, said it was "especially concerning" to see that pattern show up among kids.

"Moving forward, we need to better understand why these disparities exist and work to correct them," he said, noting that blaming the differences on doctors' racial biases would be an "oversimplified response."

NPR (September 23, 2013)
Don't Try To Clean That Messy Desk
Writer and astrophysicist Adam Frank says: Make friends with science, and the ordinary, everyday stuff will transform into the extraordinary. Now look around you - the mail, the kids' toys, the mess on your desk, the constant daily chaos? It's inevitable, and science proves it.

SIEGEL: Adam Frank teaches physics at the University of Rochester, and he blogs for us at npr.org. His most recent book is called "About Time: Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang."

Institute for Southern Studies (September 23, 2013)
How slavery continues to shape Southern politics
Whites who live in areas of the South once dominated by the plantation economy and slavery are much more likely than other Southerners to express colder feelings toward African Americans, to oppose affirmative action, and to vote Republican.

Those are among the findings of a groundbreaking new study titled "The Political Legacy of American Slavery" by a team of political scientists from the University of Rochester in New York. It was based on a county-by-county analysis of census data and opinion polls of more than 39,000 Southern whites.

Inside Higher Ed (September 23, 2013)
Academic Minute: Performance and Beneficial Stress September 23, 2013
In today's Academic Minute, Jeremy Jamieson of the University of Rochester explains why stress can be useful for performers. Learn more about the Academic Minute here.

Huffington Post (September 20, 2013)
Former Slavery Strongholds Harbor Majority Of Nation's Racists, Study Shows (INFOGRAPHIC)
In what is believed to be the first report to quantitatively demonstrate the lasting effects of slavery on contemporary political attitudes in the American South, a team of political scientists from the University of Rochester examined party affiliations and views on race-related policies such as affirmative action of more than 39,000 southern whites.

What they found: That a "slavery effect" persists among white Southerners who currently live in the Cotton Belt where slavery and the plantation economy thrived from the late 18th century into the 20th century. (Also Reported in: England Daily Mail, Global Grind, RINF.com)

USA Today (September 19, 2013)
Gun groups so far unfazed by Starbucks new policy
The nation's largest gun rights groups have this early response to Starbucks no longer "welcoming" guns in its stores: Yawn.

But one university professor who specializes in corporate strategy says that Starbucks executives should not rest easy. "They will eventually face some push-back," says David Primo, associate professor of political science at University of Rochester. "They won't remain unscathed."

Bloomberg Businessweek (September 19, 2013)
Simon's Mark Zupan Stepping Down as Dean
Mark Zupan will step down as dean of the University of Rochester's Simon Graduate School of Business next year, after 10 years at the helm.

In an e-mail message to Simon faculty, students, and staff, Zupan said he plans to "pass the baton of leadership" to the next Simon dean on July 1, 2014. University President Joel Seligman, who will chair the search committee for a new dean, said Zupan will take a year's sabbatical. He will return to the Simon faculty as a professor of economics and public policy and as director of the Bradley Policy Research Center. (Also Reported in: Poets & Quants)

England Independent (September 18, 2013)
Breast cancer drug's 'brain fog' side effects are real, say researchers
The team from the University of Rochester in New York have shown that the drug is toxic to certain cells of the brain and the central nervous system, which explains the phenomenon of mental 'fogginess', similar to that experienced by some chemotherapy patients.

The team, led by senior researcher Dr Mark Noble - a professor of biomedical genetics at the University - were able to isolate cells in the brain and nervous system that are harmed by the drug.

Commenting on the findings Dr Noble added, "It's critical to find safe treatments that can rescue the brain from impairment, because despite increasing awareness and research in this area, some people continue to endure short-term memory loss, mental cloudiness, and trouble concentrating." (Also Reported in: WXXI, Third Age, Web MD, MediLexicon, MedBroadcast)

Rochester Business Journal (September 18, 2013)
Simon School's Zupan to step down
Mark Zupan will step down as dean on the Simon School of Business after the end of the school year, the University of Rochester announced Wednesday.

In a letter to the university community, Zupan said he plans to serve as dean until June 30, 2014, and then take a one-year sabbatical. When he returns, Zupan will become the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics and Public Policy and director of the Bradley Policy Research Center at Simon.  (Also Reported in: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, WHEC-TV, YNN, WHAM 1180, WXXI, Financial Times)

UPI (September 18, 2013)
Greenland icepack shows lower CO levels now than in the 1950s
Researcher Vasilii Petrenko, an assistant professor of Earth and environmental sciences at the University of Rochester in New York, concluded CO levels rose slightly from 1950 until the 1970s, then dropped to present-day values.

"The CO decline coincides with improvements in combustion technology, in particular the introduction of catalytic converters in automobiles," said Petrenko.

Petrenko said he and his team began their research by extracting air from the Greenland snowpack at various depths. After analyzing the samples, they created a CO history for the arctic over the last 60 years, showing that levels have been in decline since the 1970s despite a global increase in the number of vehicles being driven. (Also Reported in: UPI 9-17-13, Phys.org, Science Daily, Science 2.0, Summit County Voice)

CNBC (September 17, 2013)
Top court to rule on political spending limits
The Supreme Court agreed earlier this year to hear the case after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the contribution limits already in place, by dismissing the lawsuit in September of 2012.

But one analyst said donor limits have their own limitations.

"It's worth noting that there is virtually no evidence that contribution limits per race have any effect on corruption or its appearance," said David Primo, a professor of political science at the University of Rochester who has researched the issue. "We're seeing more spending with every election, but I'm not sure this would increase what we've already seen," he said. "It just may make it easier to raise money. Candidates always find a way to raise money even with limits."

Huffington Post (September 17, 2013)
Recycle Yourself: Q&A With Transplant Surgeon Chris Barry | The Morningside Post
Dr. Barry works out of the University of Rochester Medical Center and is one of the co-founders of bLifeNY, an ongoing transplant awareness campaign. In 2012, transplant surgeons like Dr. Barry performed some 28,000 organ transplants in the United States, nowhere near as many as they could have if they had the requisite parts. Here Dr. Barry discusses the reasons for the shortfall, and how it might be overcome.

Newsday (September 17, 2013)
Tamoxifen's Mental Side Effects Are Real, Study Shows
Some women who take tamoxifen to treat or prevent breast cancer report experiencing a mental fogginess while on the drug, and researchers have now confirmed that there's a biological basis for those symptoms.

The researchers were able to isolate the cells in the human brain and nervous system that are harmed by tamoxifen therapy. And, in a second phase of the study conducted with mice, they were also able to find a different drug that could protect healthy cells from tamoxifen toxicity while offering no protection to cancer cells.

"And, now we know there are paths to protection. This is not a hopeless situation," added (Mark) Noble, a professor of biomedical genetics, and director of the University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, in Rochester, N.Y.  (Also Reported in: Winnipeg Free Press, Oncology Update, World Pharma News, Drug Discovery and Development)

Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (September 17, 2013)
William Kentridge, South Africa's best known artist, to visit Rochester
The films being shown at the Hartnett Gallery on the University of Rochester's River Campus give a sense of what the public can learn from this week's visit of one of South Africa's most renowned artists to Rochester.

William Kentridge, whose work has been displayed at major museums and on TV, is known for both his innovative techniques and lasting message about the evils of the apartheid system that oppressed South Africa's black majority.

The films are being shown through Sept. 29.

Wall Street Journal (September 15, 2013)
Book Review: 'Down in the Chapel,' by Joshua Dubler
Toward the beginning of "Down in the Chapel," Joshua Dubler describes a conversation he had with an inmate at Graterford Prison, a maximum-security facility about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia. "I don't want to disillusion you," the inmate tells Mr. Dubler, "but a lot of these dudes just come to the chapel for something to do."

But Mr. Dubler chronicles something remarkable at Graterford as well: committed worshipers who, at times, debate what religious belief is or should be. (Subscription required)

Editor's note: Josh is an assistant professor of Religion at the University of Rochester.

WHEC TV NBC 10 Rochester (September 14, 2013)
Students and staff use Legos to recreate natural disaster response
A busy afternoon for a group of scientists and local children working to recreate the impact of natural disasters using Legos.

It was all to kick off the Finger Lakes FIRST Lego League Tournament at the University of Rochester. Organizers wanted to show students the impact that a natural disaster can have and how crews respond. (Also Reported in: YNN)

The Wall Street Journal (September 14, 2013)
NY's Eastman School student launches peace project
A senior at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester is expanding the concept of public pianos.

Marissa Balonen-Rosen has launched a public art and music project dubbed "Pianos for Peace" that uses music to promote non-violence and community building. She's assembled supporters and volunteers to help paint donated pianos with peace themes and placed them in city neighborhoods to boost a sense of community.

CNBC (September 11, 2013)
Tax battle: Banks on offensive against credit unions
Congressional lawmakers currently working on tax reform are caught in a war of words between banks and credit unions. At issue is the longtime federal tax exemption for credit unions: The credit unions want to keep it, while the banking industry wants it to end.

As for the tax exemption itself, that's likely to stay in place, said David Primo, a professor of political science and business administration at the University of Rochester. "While it's not clear the exemption is justified, I think the credit unions have the upper hand politically," he said. "There are credit unions in so many congressional districts, it would be hard for Congress to repeal it. They can mobilize and are well connected to their lawmakers," Primo added.

PhysOrg.com (September 11, 2013)
Researcher wins best paper award for automated interview coach
University of Rochester researcher M. Ehsan Hoque has won a best paper award at the 2013 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing for a computer system designed to help people practice social interactions.

The system, called MACH (My Automated Conversation coacH), consists of an animated character that can see, hear and respond in real time.

"MACH offers the possibility for people to practice social interactions in their own home, without anyone knowing, as many times as they need and review their performance," explained Hoque. "This addresses requests we had received from people who struggled with social interactions, but feared the social stigma of seeking help from other individuals."

Fortune Magazine (September 10, 2013)
C-suite suicides: When exec life becomes a nightmare
Statistics about senior executive suicides are scarce, if non-existent. "I don't know of any data in the U.S.," says Eric Caine, a suicide researcher at the University of Rochester. "There is a literature on suicide and occupation, but that is not specified to C-level executives. There is also very little anecdotal evidence. The reason is that people tend to hide these tragedies. Only the most prominent make it to the press."

Time Magazine (September 10, 2013)
WATCH: Student Pranks Classmates on First Day of College
University of Rochester’s freshmen Chemistry 131 class kicked off the school year with an exciting start when a member of the college's prank troupe, The Chamber Boys, convinced the lecture room full of eager students that more than half would fail the class, and only a handful would have a shot at medical school.

Patrick Adelman arrived in class a few minutes before the real professor, Benjamin Hafensteiner, and instructed the class to turn off cell phones and put away laptops as he intimidated the new crop of undergrads into anticipating failure.  (Also Reported in: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Inside Higher Education (September 9, 2013)
Fake Professor, Real Course
As the first meeting for Chemistry 131 started at the University of Rochester this semester, the instructor walked to the front of the lecture hall, and started in with some introductory remarks and rules.

And the students became somewhat petrified. The instructor told them that the course was "extremely hard," and that 55 percent of last year's students failed last year. Then, another professor walked in, asking the first instructor "who the hell are you?" before taking over the class.

The first instructor was there as part of a prank pulled off by the Chamber Boys, a student radio show. The real instructor -- Benjamin Hafensteiner -- was in on the joke.

"The first class is always tough to get through and I though this would be an ice breaker to beat all ice breakers. It set a pretty high energy tone that I hope I can carry through the rest of the semester. They did a great job," he said. (Also Reported in: England Daily Mail, Huffington Post, msnNOW, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, YNN, 13WHAM-TV, CNET News)

England Daily Mail (September 6, 2013)
Don't bottle up your emotions - it'll knock years off your life and raise cancer risk by 70 percent
Keeping a lid on your emotions has long been thought to be bad for mental and physical health. Now it seems it could actually knock years off your life.

A study in the US by experts at Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Rochester shows that the risk of premature death from all causes increases by about 35 per cent among those who fail to say how they feel. But when the researchers looked at specific causes of death they discovered that the risks increased by 47 per cent for heart disease and 70 per cent for cancer.

TIME (September 5, 2013)
The Hottest Seats in Class
But professors don't have to be famous to be big names on campus. Some have hundreds or even thousands of students competing for a seat in their class. Others have developed cult followings of a few dedicated acolytes. As undergrads head back to campus, TIME surveyed students to gather the unofficial list of teaching stars.

Harry Reis, "Relationship Processes and Emotions" at University of Rochester

Reis's particular area of study makes students flock to his class. "I study the beginnings of relationships," he said, "and many college students are at the stage where that's becoming very important to them." His course titled "Relationship Processes and Emotions" covers commitment, marriage, and intimacy, and attracts students from all different majors. He recently defended online dating in The Atlantic, arguing that an increase in dating options does not actually cause a decline in commitment.

Rochester Business Journal (September 3, 2013)
URMC opens Brockport urgent care center
The University of Rochester Medical Center on Tuesday opened a Brockport urgent care center. The medical center has redubbed the facility, opened in the former Lakeside Memorial Hospital building on West Avenue, Strong West Urgent Care.

URMC, which also has taken over operation of Lakesides Spencerport urgent care center, is seeking state approval to convert the Brockport urgent care center to a full, freestanding emergency department that would serve as an adjunct of Strong Memorial Hospitals emergency department. (Also Reported in: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 13 WHAM-TV, WROC-TV, WXXI, YNN)

Boston Globe (September 1, 2013)
College swimmer sets sights on Antarctica
Avery Palardy, a junior at the University of Rochester, already was back at school last week, fast-forwarding her studies and ensconced in her cozy campus housing not too far from the Genesee River. She'll resume formal classes this week, return to workouts with the school's swim team later in the month, then in early November trade in all her college comforts for an airplane ticket and tent space on the giant block of ice that is the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica.

Palardy, 20, will be among eight scientists, four of them from the University of Rochester, charged with drilling into the glacier in order to study climate change. According to Vas Petrenko, a Rochester professor and the expedition's paleoclimatologist leader, the ice samples harvested will date back tens of thousands of years, the trapped air inside yielding a preserved snapshot of where the earth's climate stood at the time, and ultimately how it changed over millennia.