Newsroom Stories

WHAT: International Business Outlook Conference An annual conference organized by Washington University Olin School of Business MBA students. Event includes breakout sessions and keynote speakers from experts in doing business globally. WHEN: Friday, April 7, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE: The Charles F. Knight Center, Washington University Hilltop Campus WHO: Keynote speakers include David N. Farr, Chairman, CEO & President of Emerson, Sir Tom McKillop, Former CEO of AstraZeneca and current Chairman (Designate) of The Royal Bank of Scotland, Jai Nagarkatti, President & CEO of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation. For a rundown fo the day’s events go to: http://www.olin.wustl.edu/IBOC/events.cfm

Kelle H. Moley, M.D., an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, has been named vice chair for basic science research and director of the Division of Basic Science Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Erin McGlothlin, 2006 faculty fellow and assistant professor of Germanic languages & literatures, will speak on “Narrative Transgression in Contemporary German-Jewish Holocaust Literature” April 17. The talk will investigate ways in which contemporary German-Jewish writing on the Holocaust overtly attempts to puncture the sacred taboo on Holocaust representation by deploying satire, irony, farce, the grotesque, the burlesque and the pornographic.

Researchers at the School of Medicine have added a gene in the bacterium Salmonella to the short list of genes regulated by a new mechanism known as the riboswitch.

Illustration of a lung volume reduction surgeryIn many cases of advanced emphysema, reducing the size of the lungs surgically has been shown to improve both survival and quality of life. But some emphysema patients can’t tolerate this bilateral operation. Now a study conducted by researchers at the School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania Health System has shown that unilateral, or one-sided, lung volume reduction surgery has significant benefits, offering help to those who are not candidates for the bilateral surgery.

The straightforward solution for many people living in poverty is building savings. For the 9 million disabled Americans living in poverty, the answer isn’t as simple. “The poverty rate among Americans with disabilities is nearly double that of persons without disabilities, and while there is a complex web of federal and state-based programs offering financial assistance to eligible persons with disabilities, policy rules often preclude the accumulation of assets, which are often key for exiting poverty,” says Michelle Putnam, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work at Washington University. “”New research and public policies have the potential to help people with disabilities to have greater economic resources and become more integrated into their communities.” More …

The television show “The Office”  portrays more truth than fiction. But the consequences of bad management can be more serious than the awkward moments portrayed on the program. Employees get cynical when they endure multiple changes in company strategy and when they are overworked, according to experts at Washington University’s Olin School of Business. As a result, people produce work, but they don’t care how they produce it. The drive to get things done in today’s business environment is so strong that workers start thinking only of short-term gains and ignoring long-term consequences. More…

Your mood at the time might determine whether or not you help this woman.Do you consider yourself a moral person? Most of us do. But what is it exactly that makes us moral beings? A philosopher at Washington University in St. Louis thinks that circumstance and mood often have an extraordinary impact on how people behave, no matter what kind of character they may appear to have. Or, in other words, seemingly Sweet Sally may turn into Selfish Sally if in a foul mood. More …

Fueled by the simplicity of red state-blue state election maps, some pundits have leaped to the conclusion that America is experiencing a landmark shift in traditional political allegiances, with poor, working-class voters leaving the Democratic Party to become “NASCAR Republicans” while wealthier voters join the ranks of an increasingly elite bunch of liberal, limousine-driving “Latte Democrats.” Not so, says the WUSTL co-author of a new study of how income influences state-by-state voting patterns. More …

Neurons (shown here in green) fire more frequently in mice lacking Kv4.2 potassium channels.Studying mice, pain researchers at the School of Medicine have identified key components in the pain cascade that may provide targets for more effective analgesic drugs with potentially fewer side effects. Scientists have identified a potassium channel that plays a crucial role in what scientists call pain plasticity, the ability of molecules in the spinal cord to amplify or diminish the response to a painful stimulus.