The surprising decision by federal prosecutors in San Francisco to drop pursuit of a potential $562 million fine against one of the nation’s largest utilities after a deadly pipeline blast marked the second time in recent months that the office has backed down in a high-profile criminal case against a major corporation. Brandon Garrett, a UVA law professor who studies corporate crime, said the moves indicate “the office is not adequately planning and investigating its corporate cases before trial.”
Babies and young children are much less likely to learn from a video than from a live person. UVA’s Judy DeLoache and colleagues looked at “baby media” in a study in the journal Psychological Science in 2011. Babies watched a popular DVD meant to teach them new words. Though they saw the DVD repeatedly, they were no more likely to learn the words than babies in a control group. But in live conversation with their parents, babies did learn the words.
Heart disease risk factors – such as abnormal cholesterol levels and high blood pressure – appear to increase before a woman goes through menopause, not after, new research finds. "These risk factors related to heart disease and stroke appear to worsen rapidly in the years leading up to menopause, and during the postmenopausal period they progress less rapidly," said Dr. Mark DeBoer, the study's senior author and a UVA associate professor of pediatric endocrinology.
Entrepreneur Magazine and Livability.com recently named Charlottesville fourth in their ranking of 50 Best Cities for Entrepreneurs. The ranking cites the Innovation Laboratory at UVA as well as the Community Investment Collaborative and the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council as assets helping to accelerate business growth.
From surveillance cameras to smartphones, today’s crimes are increasingly being captured on video. But could showing slow-motion replays of crimes in court be producing harsher verdicts? This is the suggestion from a new study published in PNAS by a team including UVA researchers. They argue that slow-motion replays can give viewers “the false impression that the actor had more time to premeditate before acting.”
A soon-to-be-published paper in the Journal of Family Psychology provides data on a question pondered in bars all across America: Are we all just drinking because we’re lonely and single? It’s important to look separately at the questions of how often people drink and how much they drink, said lead author Diana Dinescu, a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Virginia.
Doctors thought the onset of menopause increased women’s risk of heart disease. New research led by Dr. Mark DeBoer, a UVA associate professor of pediatric endocrinology, shows the trouble starts even earlier.
“History doesn’t repeat itself; it rhymes,” said Ed Ayers, one of the hosts of “BackStory with the American History Guys,” a history-focused radio show and podcast recorded at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Ayers, Peter Onuf and Brian Balogh – all of whom have taught at UVA – each specialize in a specific slice of American history.
In a legal filing, Wells Fargo said its lending practices “did not cause the City’s financial difficulties any more than they caused the City to thrive in the years leading up to the financial crisis.” Bank of America expressed a similar sentiment in its filings. “If the Supreme Court finds standing for the city, then you’ll see a lot more of these lawsuits,” said George Rutherglen, a UVA law professor. “And if not, then the court is retrenching on a very broad approach to litigation under the Fair Housing Act.”
Larry Sabato, director of UVA’s Center for Politics, said Trump pointing to these voting anomalies as evidence of “rigged” elections is “a laughable and even irresponsible allegation. … With no evidence at all, Trump is charging – in advance of the election – that if he loses, it might well be because the election is rigged. Puh-leaze.”
“Mike Pence appears to be the parent in this relationship, and Donald Trump is the manchild,” said Larry Sabato, director of UVA’s Center for Politics. “The campaign would be better off handing Donald Trump’s iPhone to Mike Pence and letting him handle the tweets from now on.”
The Clinton campaign could also bring in national Democratic luminaries such as former President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama or Vice President Joe Biden, all of whom provided full-throated support during the Democratic National Convention. “Clinton has an army of high-level Democrats she can deploy,” said Kyle Kondik of UVA’s Center for Politics.
The Clinton campaign could also bring in national Democratic luminaries such as former President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama or Vice President Joe Biden, all of whom provided full-throated support during the Democratic National Convention. “Clinton has an army of high-level Democrats she can deploy,” said Kyle Kondik of UVA’s Center for Politics.
A new smartphone app is helping UVA Health System surgery patients with surgery. Since 2013, colorectal surgery patients at UVA have used the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program, designed to help make patients more comfortable before and after surgery.
The UVA Medical Center is the best hospital in the state, according to the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report.
Cities, counties and states are working to implement “ban the box” policies, which bar employers from asking about an individual’s criminal record on employment forms. But does ban the box really work? A new working paper from UVA’s Jennifer Doleac of the University of Virginia and Benjamin Hansen of the University of Oregon suggests they may not.
Researchers at UVA’s School of Medicine have made a discovery that could assist in increasing patients’ ability to fight off pneumonia.
The family's middle child, Humayun reportedly took on the role of comforter early in life. He was described as serious-minded and admirably balanced, with a strong sense of responsibility. In high school, he taught swimming lessons for disabled children. That sense of responsibility -- along with a clear desire to give back to his community -- would lead him to enter the University of Virginia's ROTC program in college. Captain Humayun Khan became the first UVA graduate to die in combat since the Vietnam War.
Born April 19, 1996 Leah Smith is a distance swimmer originally from Pittsburgh, Pa. Smith is a member of USA Swimming’s National Team in addition to the women’s swimming team at the University of Virginia, where she’s a school record holder in the 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyles. Her best event is probably the 500 freestyle – she’s the second-fastest U.S. swimmer ever in the event.
“Polls show that there’s a trend toward marijuana legalization, so the energy behind this issue seems to be on the legalization side,” said Geoffrey Skelley, media relations coordinator for the University of Virginia’s Center For Politics. So if there are citizens who turn out and vote because of this issue, it’s probably going to favor Democrats.” But, Skelley notes, a certain slice of voters motivated by marijuana politics may not support Clinton or Trump.