Social Sciences

Consuming a milk formula high in carbohydrates during the critical early weeks of postnatal life causes permanent changes in pancreatic islets and leads to overproduction of insulin and development of obesity in adulthood, University at Buffalo biochemists, working with rats, have found.

The showing of right-wing extremist Jean-Marie Le Pen in the April 21 qualifying race for the French presidential election, which has caused an uproar throughout Europe and in the United States, is a fluke, according to a historian at the University at Buffalo.

The past, present and future of the Buffalo Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics will be the topic on April 23 as faculty members, staff members and administrators from the University at Buffalo, as well as center partners and representatives of the Buffalo business community, travel to Capitol Hill as part of UB Day in Washington.

The University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has launched the nation's first program to certify practicing pharmacists in the management of antiviral treatment for patients with HIV.

The rapid increase in the number of homeless children in cities in the developing world is a matter of grave concern, particularly with regard to their physical well-being. A study by a University at Buffalo researcher, however, supports earlier findings that although fraught with danger and poverty, the conditions under which these children live are more optimal for survival than originally thought.

A supportive relationship with a spouse or partner often is a source of comfort and strength, a buffer against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. By helping both partners manage stress from a variety of sources, it not only can lengthen life, but make it more pleasant. But research shows that close relationships fraught with conflict increase blood pressure, produce cardiovascular strain and alter the function of the immune system, according to Frank Fincham, Ph.D., professor of social and clinical psychology at the University at Buffalo.

The University at Buffalo School of Social Work is taking a pivotal role in a collaborative, community-based program aimed at reducing youth violence in one of the most distressed neighborhoods in Buffalo.

Frank Fincham, UB professor of psychology, will discuss the findings of 30 years of psychological research on marriage and family issues, as well as expose some of the prevalent myths currently held by the public, during a lecture at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 17, in the Screening Room in the Center for the Arts on the North Campus.

In response to concerns that the American health-care system offers almost no palliative care for terminally ill children, psychologist James Donnelly, Ph.D., of the University at Buffalo, is conducting an assessment of the palliative-care needs of terminally ill children and their parents. The needs assessment will be conducted, in part, through brainstorming sessions over the World Wide Web between palliative-care workers, medical personnel and patients' families.

In the wake of the Enron debacle, many Americans will begin to question how much they trust their employers, says a University at Buffalo School of Management professor who researches the development and consequences of trust in the workplace.