The joint influence of area income, income inequality, and immigrant density on adverse birth outcomes: a population-based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The association between area characteristics and birth outcomes is modified by race. Whether such associations vary according to social class indicators beyond race has not been assessed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study evaluated effect modification by maternal birthplace and education of the relationship between neighbourhood characteristics and birth outcomes of newborns from 1999–2003 in the province of Québec, Canada (N = 353,120 births). Areas (N = 143) were defined as administrative local health service delivery districts. Multi-level logistic regression was used to model the association between three area characteristics (median household income, immigrant density and income inequality) and the two outcomes preterm birth (PTB) and small-for-gestational age (SGA) birth. Effect modification by social class indicators was evaluated in analyses stratified according to maternal birthplace and education.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Relative to the lowest tertile, high median household income was associated with SGA birth among Canadian-born mothers (odds ratio (OR) 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06, 1.20) and mothers with high school education or less (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02, 1.24). Associations between median household income and PTB were weaker. Relative to the highest tertile, low immigrant density was associated with a lower odds of PTB among foreign-born mothers (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.63, 1.00) but a higher odds of PTB among Canadian-born mothers (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.07, 1.21). Associations with income inequality were weak or absent.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The association between area factors and birth outcomes is modified by maternal birthplace and education. Studies have found that race interacts in a similar manner. Public health policies focussed on perinatal health must consider the interaction between individual and area characteristics.</p

Autonomous Agents Modelling Other Agents: A Comprehensive Survey and Open Problems

Much research in artificial intelligence is concerned with the development of autonomous agents that can interact effectively with other agents. An important aspect of such agents is the ability to reason about the behaviours of other agents, by constructing models which make predictions about various properties of interest (such as actions, goals, beliefs) of the modelled agents. A variety of modelling approaches now exist which vary widely in their methodology and underlying assumptions, catering to the needs of the different sub-communities within which they were developed and reflecting the different practical uses for which they are intended. The purpose of the present article is to provide a comprehensive survey of the salient modelling methods which can be found in the literature. The article concludes with a discussion of open problems which may form the basis for fruitful future research.Comment: Final manuscript (46 pages), published in Artificial Intelligence Journal. The arXiv version also contains a table of contents after the abstract, but is otherwise identical to the AIJ version. Keywords: autonomous agents, multiagent systems, modelling other agents, opponent modellin

Possible Drug-Associated Sialolithiasis by the Bicarbonate Anhydrase Inhibitor Topiramate: A Case Report and Literature Review

Topiramate is an antiepileptic drug indicated for the treatment of seizure disorders, migraine prophylaxis, and more recently, for weight loss. This new indication will likely increase use of this agent significantly. As a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, topiramate can affect the pH of bodily fluids, and is known to increase risk of nephrolithiasis. However, as discussed here, these properties also result in an as so far unaddressed risk for development of sialoliths, calcified stones formed in the salivary duct or glands. The physiological mechanisms for stone development in the salivary gland are reviewed, and the pharmacological effects of topiramate on sialolith formation are discussed. This report describes a female patient treated with topiramate for migraine prophylaxis who subsequently presented with a sialolith in the left submandibular duct. Disclosures: This study did not receive any sponsorship or funding from the industry, government, or institution within the last 2 years and during the time in which the case was written and reviewed

A new approach to belief modeling

It has been shown that, despite the differences in approach and interpretation, all belief function based models without the so-called dynamic component lead essentially to mathematically equivalent theories - at least in the finite case. In this paper, we first argue that at the logical level these models seem to share a common formal framework and various interpretations just come at the epistemic level. We then introduce a framework for belief modeling formally based on Dempster’s structure with adopting Smets’ view of the origin of beliefs. It is shown that the proposed model is more general than previous models, and may provide a suitable unified framework for belief modeling