Released: 19-Dec-1997 12:00 AM EST
Make Short-Term Capital Flows More Costly
Washington University in St. Louis

World-wide financial crises--like the ongoing one Asia--will recur until the G-7 nations throw "sand in the gears" of globalized financial markets. So says Dr. David Felix, an economist at Washington University, in two papers he wrote well before the latest crisis.

Released: 7-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Two Major Inventions Should Make Internet 10 Times Faster
Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University computer scientists have patented two major inventions that should make Internet applications like e-mail, the World Wide Web and electronic commerce 10 times faster than they are now.

   
Released: 13-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Super Bowl Sunday No 'Day of Dread' for Children
Washington University in St. Louis

Women's groups claim Super Bowl Sunday is the "biggest day of the year for violence against women." Brett Drake of Washington University co-authored a study which found no correlation between reported cases of child abuse and the broadcast of national playoff games for baseball, basketball or football.

Released: 21-Mar-1998 12:00 AM EST
Women can inherit drinking problem too, study finds
Washington University in St. Louis

In the first major twin study to compare genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the risk of alcoholism in both sexes, researchers have found that genetics plays an important role in determining alcohol dependence in women as well as in men. The study contradicts the long-held assumption that a womanís environment is more likely to influence whether she becomes dependent on alcohol.

Released: 21-Mar-1998 12:00 AM EST
Employees don't understand legal rights in firings
Washington University in St. Louis

Your employer unjustly accuses you of stealing $50 from the office coffee fund. You are able to prove your innocence, but your employer fires you anyway. Can your boss legally do this? If, like most non-union employees, you do not have a specific ìjust-causeî employment contract, the answer is: Yes. A survey conducted by a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis uncovered that an overwhelming majority of employees erroneously believe they are legally protected against being unjustly or arbitrarily discharged.

Released: 27-Mar-1998 12:00 AM EST
No sweat! Positive thoughts help exercisers stick with it
Washington University in St. Louis

Although researchers know that half of all folks who take up exercise quit during the first six months, they have failed to ask how peopleís thoughts and feelings during workouts affect their decision to drop out.

Released: 26-Feb-1999 12:00 AM EST
One of Five Children Will Try Inhalants
Washington University in St. Louis

Approximately one out of every five American children will experiment with inhalants before they complete eighth grade, said Matthew Howard, author of two recently published studies on inhalant abuse among children.

Released: 10-Mar-1999 12:00 AM EST
Age Determines Corporate Loyalty
Washington University in St. Louis

Age might be the single most reliable indicator of corporate loyalty, according to a Washington University researcher and author of a book on corporate loyalty, "The Old Dispensation."

Released: 2-Mar-2006 5:00 AM EST
Sarbanes-Oxley Might Lower Investor Confidence
Washington University in St. Louis

A fairer system of governance may not enhance trust when returns do not meet investors' expectations. This is sobering news for businesses that have spent countless hours and large amounts of money complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in hopes of of building stronger corporate governance.

Released: 8-Mar-2006 4:00 AM EST
Health Savings Accounts -- A Partial Solution, at Best
Washington University in St. Louis

The Bush administration's call for health savings accounts is unlikely to lower healthcare costs, says a business professor at Washington University. H.S.A.'s could be useful if the relationship between most doctors and patients changes, and if there were a more flexible definition of healthcare.

Released: 28-Mar-2006 3:20 PM EST
GM Making Deals 10 Years Too Late
Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University business professor has little sympathy for the difficulties American carmakers are experiencing. She says the financial problems from pensions and benefits could have been settled years ago when they had the resources to do so.

Released: 6-Apr-2006 3:00 AM EDT
Why the Market Undervalues Complex, Unique Business Strategies
Washington University in St. Louis

Successful strategies combine resources or businesses in unique or complex ways that other firms may fail to recognize. Yet the market tends to undervalue companies with complex or unique strategies. The reason: they receive less analyst coverage.

Released: 7-Apr-2006 4:00 AM EDT
Without Clear Goals, Employees Cut Corners to Get the Job Done
Washington University in St. Louis

Employees get cynical when they endure multiple changes in company strategy and when they are overworked. As a result, they play it fast and loose with the rules. The drive to get things done is so strong that workers start thinking only of short-term gains and ignoring long-term consequences.

Released: 9-May-2006 6:00 AM EDT
Measurements of a Firm’s IQ Linked to Its Profitability
Washington University in St. Louis

A business professor at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a way to measure a company's IQ based on how effective it is at innovating. Using data from SEC filings, the Olin School of Business professor computed the IQs of all the publicly traded US firms that engaged in R&D.

Released: 10-May-2006 6:00 AM EDT
Surgeons’ Costs Differ Widely within the Same Hospital
Washington University in St. Louis

Two surgeons at the same hospital could perform the same operations on patients with similar medical histories but their costs to the hospital could be difference as high as 45 percent. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis say the findings could address rising health care costs.

   
Released: 12-May-2006 2:00 AM EDT
Timing Interest Rates Helps Firms Meet Forecasts
Washington University in St. Louis

By swapping short term, flexible interest rates for long-term, fixed contracts, or vice-versa, firms may be more likely to meet analysts' forecasts. Washington University in St. Louis professors' findings explain why non-financial firms time the interest rate market.

Released: 12-Jun-2006 2:00 AM EDT
Wall Street Will Feel the Strain of Baby Boomers’ Retirements
Washington University in St. Louis

The closer people get to retirement, the more they shift their assets to less risky investments. There is cause for concern when the baby boomers start switching their investments. According to a professor at the Olin School of Business, the impact on the stock market could be formidable.

Released: 9-Jun-2006 4:40 PM EDT
Low End, Chinese Goods Threaten Margins for Upscale Firms
Washington University in St. Louis

Chinese manufacturers have moved up the quality-spectrum and are gaining global market share. Producers of lower quality products actually have better prospects for gaining market share and improving their bottom line. American must be ready for to compete against potent, Chinese manufacturers.

Released: 19-Jul-2006 12:00 PM EDT
Discovering Why Study Groups Are More Effective
Washington University in St. Louis

Studying in groups helps students learn more effectively. More than 20 years of academic research has consistently demonstrated that fact. But what exactly is it about studying with other people that makes it so effective? Through painstaking research, an expert in creativity and everyday conversation at Washington University in St. Louis has identified two patterns of group dynamics that show why group study is optimal.

Released: 19-Jul-2006 12:00 PM EDT
Letting Go as Children Head Off to College for the First Time
Washington University in St. Louis

Sending your child off to college for the first time isn't easy. But it can be especially tough on "helicopter parents," those who tend to hover over their children and can have a hard time letting go. But not to worry, says an expert on the freshman transition at Washington University in St. Louis. Even helicopter parents can make a successful break.

Released: 19-Jul-2006 12:00 PM EDT
Time Management Is Key to Avoiding Dreaded Weight Gain College May Bring
Washington University in St. Louis

For many college freshmen, the first few weeks on campus are an exciting yet scary time. There are new friends to meet, classes to attend and extracurricular activities to join. And for many, it's also their first time away from home -- their first time making decisions completely on their own. When those decisions involve what to eat for lunch from the student center food court, the consequences can have a far-reaching effect.

Released: 19-Jul-2006 4:00 PM EDT
School of Law and St. Louis Law Firm Help South Dakota Indian Tribe
Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University School of Law's American Indian Law and Economic Development Program and the law firm of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal have garnered an important legal victory concerning the sovereignty of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.

Released: 26-Jul-2006 4:45 PM EDT
Medical Steroid's Baffling Connection to Osteoporosis Becomes Clearer
Washington University in St. Louis

Scientists are closing in on the solution to a persistent medical puzzle: why do high doses of cortisone, widely prescribed for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, weaken bones?

26-Jul-2006 4:50 PM EDT
Keep the Baby, Toss the Bathwater: How Kidneys Retain Proteins
Washington University in St. Louis

New research may finally settle a decades-old debate about how the kidney keeps valuable blood proteins from harmfully slipping into the urine, a serious health symptom that often precedes kidney failure. Scientists have shown that a structure known as the glomerular basement membrane plays a key role in blocking proteins.

Released: 27-Jul-2006 4:40 PM EDT
Nanotechnology Enables Low-Dose Treatment of Atherosclerotic Plaques
Washington University in St. Louis

In laboratory tests, one very low dose of a drug was enough to show an effect on notoriously tenacious artery-clogging plaques. What kind of drug is that potent? It's not so much the drug itself as how it was delivered.

Released: 15-Aug-2006 12:00 PM EDT
Campus Architecture: Maki Returns
Washington University in St. Louis

The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, home to one of the nation's finest university art collections, will open new facilities October 25. The building is designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki, who taught at the university from 1956 to 1963.

Released: 7-Aug-2006 3:00 AM EDT
Why Teamwork Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Everyone Learns
Washington University in St. Louis

Managers often assume workers learn more and help each other when they are put into groups composed of people with a variety of expertise. But does this always happen? Recent research suggests that it may not ... at least not always.

Released: 9-Aug-2006 1:00 AM EDT
Who Really Wins and Loses in Class Action Securities Litigation?
Washington University in St. Louis

When investors buy stock at inflated prices, they can sue the company for any losses. Unfortunately, securities litigation isn't paying off for shareholders - even when they win. Instead, large institutional investors and lawyers rake in the money and existing shareholders end up losing out.

7-Aug-2006 3:25 PM EDT
Unmasking Nutrition's Role in Genes and Birth Defects
Washington University in St. Louis

Expectant mothers may someday get a personalized menu of foods to eat during pregnancy to complement their genetic makeup as a result of new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Released: 7-Aug-2006 3:45 PM EDT
High Blood Pressure Induces Low Fat Metabolism in Heart Muscle
Washington University in St. Louis

The heart is an energy-hungry organ and defects in its energy metabolism contribute to heart disease. According to research published by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, high blood pressure leading to hypertrophy causes heart muscle to switch to a low fat metabolism, which can be detrimental.

Released: 7-Aug-2006 3:50 PM EDT
Reversing Malnutrition a Spoonful at a Time
Washington University in St. Louis

Swollen bellies, orange hair, listlessness and dull eyes "” these are the traits of child malnutrition in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and where roughly one of every three children is chronically malnourished. To try to change that statistic, Patricia Wolff, associate clinical professor of pediatrics, founded Meds & Food for Kids.

Released: 7-Aug-2006 3:55 PM EDT
Almost Half of Kids with ADHD Are Not Being Treated
Washington University in St. Louis

In contrast to claims that children are being overmedicated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that a high percentage of kids with ADHD are not receiving treatment. In fact, almost half of the children who might benefit from ADHD drugs were not getting them.

Released: 7-Aug-2006 4:00 PM EDT
Current Technology for Brain Cooling Unlikely to Help Trauma Patients
Washington University in St. Louis

Attempts to cool the brain to reduce injury from stroke and other head trauma may face a significant obstacle: current cooling devices can't penetrate very deeply into the brain. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a method for calculating brain temperature that may be used to improve brain cooling techniques.

Released: 15-Aug-2006 12:00 PM EDT
Awareness Can Prevent Heat Exhaustion in Children, Teens
Washington University in St. Louis

As children begin practices for fall sports in the sweltering heat, it's important to take steps to prevent heat exhaustion. Children and teenagers adjust more slowly than adults to changes in environmental heat, produce more heat with activity than adults and sweat less. They also may not think to rest or drink enough fluids when playing sports or exercising.

Released: 15-Aug-2006 12:00 PM EDT
Add Vaccinations to Your Child’s Back-to-School Supply List
Washington University in St. Louis

Educating your child's immune system is an important part of preventing disease and an important part of preparing for the upcoming school year. By following a regular vaccination schedule you can educate your child's immune system, thereby maximizing the learning opportunities for reading, writing and arithmetic.

Released: 15-Aug-2006 5:10 PM EDT
Inappropriate Use of Antibiotics May be Harmful
Washington University in St. Louis

The sniffles. A runny nose. A cough. That's right "” the cold season is upon us. But before you head off to your doctor demanding antibiotics to lessen your symptoms, be aware that those drugs don't always work and can have serious side effects, say two physicians at Washington University in St. Louis.

Released: 16-Aug-2006 6:20 PM EDT
MRI Scans in Premature Infants Can Predict Future Developmental Delays
Washington University in St. Louis

A Washington University pediatrician at St. Louis Children's Hospital has found that performing MRI scans on pre-term infants' brains assists dramatically in predicting the babies' future developmental outcomes.

Released: 16-Aug-2006 8:10 PM EDT
Experts Available to Address Backdating of Stock Options
Washington University in St. Louis

Granting options doesn't align managers interests with that of shareholders, Washington University finance professors say. The practice of backdating should come as a surprise.

Released: 18-Aug-2006 4:50 PM EDT
New Company Will Seek Drugs Against Diabetes and Cancer
Washington University in St. Louis

A new St. Louis-based company will use a novel technology to rapidly screen thousands of drugs for their effectiveness against two of the biggest health threats in the United States "” diabetes and cancer.

Released: 23-Aug-2006 1:00 AM EDT
Ending School Violence
Washington University in St. Louis

In the battle against bullying, school officials and parents usually focus on the behavior of the bully, but to get to the root of the problem, they also must look at the physical structure of the school, says a professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

10-Sep-2006 11:00 AM EDT
Before Dementia Appears, Weight-Loss Rate Doubles
Washington University in St. Louis

A long-term study of the elderly has revealed that their average rate of weight loss doubles in the year before symptoms of Alzheimer's-type dementia first become detectable. The finding may be useful to researchers seeking to detect and treat Alzheimer's before it causes irreversible damage.

Released: 11-Sep-2006 1:45 PM EDT
Drug Can Quickly Mobilize an Army of Cells to Repair Injury
Washington University in St. Louis

To speed healing at sites of injury, doctors would like to hasten the formation of new blood vessels. One approach is to "mobilize" patients' blood vessel-forming (angiogenic) cells. Recently, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrated that a drug called AMD3100 can mobilize angiogenic cells in a matter of hours.

Released: 11-Sep-2006 1:55 PM EDT
Reconstructive Surgeon Aims for Rejection-Free Limb Transplantation
Washington University in St. Louis

To date about two dozen people around the world have received hand transplants. Thomas Tung, M.D., conducts research within this relatively unorthodox realm of surgery, investigating the use of therapy that could potentially allow the body to accept donor tissue without the use of immunosuppressive medication.

Released: 11-Sep-2006 2:20 PM EDT
Unusual Three-Drug Combo Inhibits Growth of Aggressive Tumors
Washington University in St. Louis

An experimental anti-cancer regimen combined a diuretic, a Parkinson's disease medication and a drug ordinarily used to reverse the effect of sedatives. The unusual mixture inhibited the growth of aggressive prostate tumors in laboratory mice in research conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Released: 11-Sep-2006 2:40 PM EDT
Pediatric Neurosurgeons Recommend Banning Children from ATVs
Washington University in St. Louis

Neurosurgeons at St. Louis Children's Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are renewing calls for a ban on use of all-terrain vehicles by children under age 16 after a 10-year review of injuries caused by the vehicles.

Released: 12-Sep-2006 6:50 PM EDT
Transplant Cures Rats’ Type 2 Diabetes without Need for Immune Suppression Drugs
Washington University in St. Louis

An approach proven to cure a rat model of type 1 or juvenile-onset diabetes also works in a rat model of type 2 or adult-onset diabetes, according to a new report from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

23-Sep-2006 3:45 PM EDT
Copper Circuits Help Brain Function; Could Tweaking the Circuits Make Us Smarter?
Washington University in St. Louis

The flow of copper in the brain has a previously unrecognized role in cell death, learning and memory, according to research. The researchers' findings suggest that copper and its transporter, a protein called Atp7a, are vital to human thinking. They speculate that variations in the genes coding for Atp7a, as well as other proteins of copper homeostasis, could partially account for differences in thinking among individuals.

Released: 26-Sep-2006 7:20 PM EDT
"Judgment at Nuremberg" Conference to Take Place Sept. 29-Oct. 1
Washington University in St. Louis

On Sept. 29-Oct. 1, leading scholars from Washington University in St. Louis will join former Nuremberg prosecutors and distinguished experts on international criminal justice to examine the legacy of the Nazi war trials and their impact on international law, the judicial system and world peace. The event, scheduled on the WUSTL campus, marks the 60th anniversary of the Nuremberg judgment.

Released: 12-Oct-2006 5:00 AM EDT
F.D.A. and Drug Makers Could Run Tighter Ship
Washington University in St. Louis

The pharmaceutical industry could be wasting more than $50 billion a year in manufacturing expenses"“costs that could translate in to lower prices or greater research and development - according to findings of the largest study ever of pharmaceutical manufacturing and the F.D.A. monitoring policies.

   
Released: 17-Oct-2006 8:00 PM EDT
High-Energy Clamp Simplifies Heart Surgery for Atrial Fibrillation
Washington University in St. Louis

Heart surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have helped usher in a new era in the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. Using radiofrequency devices "” rather than a scalpel "” they've greatly shortened the surgery and made it significantly easier to perform.


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