UB in the News

Ronald Huefner, professor of accounting, is quoted in an article distributed by Reuters that reports AT&T plans to report a $2.7 billion non-cash charge for the fourth quarter due to a pension-related accounting change aimed at making its numbers more transparent for investors. "Earnings will probably be more volatile. One of the reasons for the rules that we had is that they tried to take the volatility out, recognizing that there would be good years and bad years," he said. The article appeared in outlets that include CNBC, MSN Money and International Business Times.

An article in Philadelphia City Paper about the increase in the number of slot casinos opening around the country and the implications for creating new problem gamblers reports that a study by the Research Institute on Addictions found that a casino within 10 miles of home was associated with a 90 percent increased risk of someone being a pathological or problem gambler.

An article in the St. Petersburg Times about the first anniversary of the 2010 Haiti earthquake and a Florida football player who has helped build schools and orphanages in Haiti for more than a decade reports that Andre Filiatrault, director of MCEER and professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering, is one of 10 American inspectors sent by the United Nations to figure out how Haiti should be rebuilt, given the possibility of hurricanes and earthquakes.

An article distributed by HealthDay News reports lung cancer patients should be assessed for sleep disturbances, anxiety, smoking and alcohol consumption following a study conducted by Grace E. Dean, assistant professor of nursing, and colleagues who found a link between the rates of smoking and alcohol consumption in lung cancer patients and their relationship to anxiety and insomnia. The article appeared in news outlets that include MDNews.com, Modern Medicine and Doctors Lounge.

An article in the Legislative Gazette reports 11 of SUNY's 64 campuses were rated by Kiplinger's Personal Finance as among the Top 100 Best Values in Public Colleges, with UB coming in 46th on the list. The article reports SUNY had more schools in the top 100 list than any other state university system.

An article on the blog TheraBreath reports biological physicists in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences have found that a strain of bacteria that emits volatile sulfur compounds may be the cause of a significant amount of human halitosis.

An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education about the fear and uncertainty foreign students and scholars are experiencing every time they leave their campuses because U.S. Border Patrol agents have been setting up roadblocks reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection has greatly increased its manpower along the northern border, and quotes Ellen Dussourd, director of international student and scholar services.

UB Law professor Suzanne Tomkins, director of the school's Women, Children and Social Justice Clinic, is quoted in an article distributed by the Associated Press about jury selection that is starting for the trial of man accused of beheading his estranged wife and who claims he acted in self-defense after suffering years of physical and emotional trauma. The article appeared in news outlets throughout the nation, including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC and the Huffington Post. In the international press, the article appeared in the Arab Times. Local coverage includes WBEN-AM and the Buffalo News.

Research led by Paras N. Prasad, PhD, executive director of the UB Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics and SUNY Distinguished Professor, and colleagues in the institute, was the focus of the "Sightings" column in American Scientist magazine. In the column, institute research assistant professor Artem Pliss recounts the new approach to mapping macromolecules that he and colleagues, including Aliaksandr Kachynski and Andrey Kuzmin, developed.

An op-ed in the Toronto Globe and Mail about the physical dangers of youth hockey reports a study by UB researchers found that 66 percent of overall injuries were the result of game accidents.