UCLA In the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription to view. See more UCLA In the News.
For math fans, nothing can spoil Pi Day – except maybe Tau Day | Wall Street Journal
While a tau switch-over would simplify some mathematical equations, it wouldn’t be the seismic event that in the math world that happened, for example, when we switched from Roman to Hindu-Arabic numerals, said Terence Tao, a noted mathematician and a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “This may all be an instance of the Bike-Shed Effect, also known as the Law of Triviality: Important complex problems are difficult to solve and discuss, so often people focus on unimportant problems that are easier to argue over instead,” he said.
American astronomy’s future goes on trial in Washington | New York Times
In his own testimony, Tommaso Treu, an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a member of the TMT project, ticked off some of the questions that “the power of 2” — two telescopes — could address: Are we alone? What is the universe made of? Even if the European telescope beats the American telescopes to the sky, plenty of science remains to be done: “They’re not going to clean out astronomy in three years,” Dr. Treu said.
UC’s solution to coronavirus testing shortage: Do it in house | Los Angeles Times
“The academic medical centers, Stanford and the UCs, are leading the charge in California,” said Omai Garner, an associate clinical professor who directs clinical microbiology testing for UCLA Health. “We have the resources and we have the in-house expertise.” UCLA, along with UC San Francisco and UC San Diego, already have begun in-house testing for their patients and hope to rapidly ramp up in coming days.
Eerily empty freeways show how the coronavirus has hurt L.A. | Los Angeles Times
“Pretty much every freeway lane in L.A. experiences some degree of this phenomenon: everything is going fine, then suddenly, it all slows down,” said Juan Matute, the deputy director of UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies.
Experts aim to curtail coronavirus skepticism among baby boomers | Los Angeles Times
“Based on the epidemiology of the disease so far, the greatest risk are in the elderly and those with chronic conditions,” said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, an infectious disease expert at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health.
SoCal home buying hasn’t been slammed by coronavirus fear, yet | Los Angeles Times
“It’s kind of a tug of war: interest rates on the one side and some of the business fundamentals on the other side,” said Stuart Gabriel, director of the Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA. “How we are going to sort of muscle through this depends very significantly on the path of the virus, the severity of the incidents and the related cycle of fear.”
Disneyland closes amid coronavirus spread | Associated Press
The state’s economy has been growing for nearly 10 years, the longest economic expansion on record. But Thursday, UCLA’s Anderson Forecast predicted California would begin losing jobs, largely because of effects from the virus on the manufacturing, transportation and tourism industries. “The growth in those sectors has come to a screeching halt, and in some cases we are beginning to see layoffs,” said Jerry Nickelsburg, director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast.
How long does the coronavirus last on surfaces? | Wired
In that case, you might want to know: How long does SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, last on surfaces we touch every day? Potentially several hours, or even days, according to a preprint published this week by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Princeton, and the University of California, Los Angeles. The researchers exposed various materials to the virus in the lab. They found that it remained virulent on surfaces for a lengthy period: from up to 24 hours on cardboard to up to two or three days on plastic and stainless steel. (Also: MarketWatch, ABC News, Voice of America)
Relapses possible in viral infections | CNN
“I think that this is a likely indication of a relapse in a patient. We did see this in the SARS epidemic, that there were many patients that were treated with steroids and other things. A few weeks later they had relapse. This is not unheard of when it comes to viral infection,” said UCLA’s Dr. Anne Rimoin.
Coronavirus Q&A | KCBS-TV
“The fever, cough, and trouble breathing are the most common symptoms of COVID-19,” said UCLA’s Dr. David Eisenman.
Should you take public transit during a pandemic? | Vox
“I have not seen any data on the relative risk of public transportation compared with [dense places like] workplaces or schools,” Timothy Brewer, an epidemiology professor at the University of California Los Angeles, told me in an email. “Preliminary data from China suggests that household contact was an important means of transmission outside of Wuhan, suggesting that prolonged contact [with a sick person] increases the risk of transmission. If correct, then the time spent commuting and the density of people commuting could be important factors in assessing if public transportation is a risk factor for the disease’s transmission.” (Brewer is also interviewed in Salon)
How are hospitals addressing the pandemic? | NBC’s “Meet the Press”
“This is definitely an unprecedented time for health care systems in our country. I want your viewers to also know the remarkable effort that our staff are making around the clock to really prepare and implement our emergency preparedness plan for the COVID-19 outbreak,” said UCLA’s Johnese Spisso (approx. 1:35 mark.)
Hit by coronavirus panic? Look for data not drama | HealthDay News
That thought was seconded by Emanuel Maidenberg, director of cognitive-behavioral therapy with the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). “It’s very important to get access to balanced information, like what you can find at the WHO, CDC or a department of health site,” he said. “Those are sources that offer you data.”
Scholars talk writing | Chronicle of Higher Education Column
Eric Jager, a professor of medieval literature at the University of California at Los Angeles, may soon be the exception. After several years of being teased, lured, and paid (!) for the film rights to his 2004 book, The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France, he is actually going to see it up on the big screen. An adaptation — starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, and directed by Ridley Scott — is now being filmed in France.
Why you should take all your vacation days | Outside
A 2016 study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of California at Los Angeles found that, when asked, most Americans said they would prefer more money as opposed to more time off. But those who answered the latter showed higher levels of happiness.
Possible ‘Parasite’ spinoff raises whitewashing concerns | Washington Post
The percentage of top roles starring Asians in Hollywood has grown from 3.1 percent in 2016 to 5 percent in 2019, according to the Hollywood Diversity Report by the University of California at Los Angeles. While Asians are still underrepresented, the percentage is slowly inching up to their share of the U.S. population — 5.9 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
‘Mulan’ film gets backlash for lack of Asian talent behind camera | NBC News
While the film’s cast is all-Asian, Yuen noted that much of the power and decision-making is held in roles behind the camera, where Hollywood continues to struggle. A 2019 study published by the University of California at Los Angeles revealed that the percentage of writers of color credited on top films failed to increase from 2011 to 2017, remaining under 8 percent.
179 countries have paid sick leave, but not the U.S. | PRI’s “The World”
“We know that sick leave makes it dramatically less likely that people spread disease. If you don’t have sick leave, you’re twice as likely to send your child to school or daycare sick. You’re 1 1/2 times as likely, even when you feel sick yourself and are contagious to go to work sick,” said UCLA’s Dr. Jody Heymann.
Modelers struggle to predict the future of the COVID-19 pandemic | The Scientist
In an editorial published this week in Science Translational Medicine, Scott Layne, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health, and his colleagues propose a new data bank be created in which researchers can share results on, for example, how much virus is shed by infected people and when that starts. “We’re all in the process of collecting that information. What this effort would do is, as that data comes in, it would point to it and help to organize it,” Layne tells The Scientist.
UCLA explores virtual care | Santa Monica Daily Press
A virtual therapy program developed by UCLA researchers may give patients access to early intervention treatments, helping bridge the healthcare gap between rural areas and cities. The program allows parents to video call therapists to learn play-based treatment methods and then review home-recorded videos of their session with specialists. In conditions like autism, early intervention can dramatically alter the course of the disorder’s progression. Shafali Jeste, the director of the Care and Research in Neurogenetics Clinic, developed this program after conducting a clinical trial on the importance of early intervention for autistic children.
White dwarfs reveal composition of gobbled planets | Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Ali Young and Edward Young at UCLA are studying the composition of planets which once existed in our galaxy. These bodies are within 600 light years of Earth. As they get consumed by their former star, now a high density, high gravity white dwarf, the planets’ heavy metals are still being consumed and can be detected as they enter the white dwarf. The pair employ long-distance geochemistry to reveal the former planet’s composition.