Sept. 8 - Sleep and mental health; AI ethics
Section 1
Anteater Time Machine: Someone dancing in a duck costume in April 1984. No other details were available.
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Pierre Baldi, left, and Amal Alachkar analyzed the most prevalent mental health disorders and found an intriguing common thread: circadian rhythm disruption.
Sleep problems linked to mental disorders
Anxiety, autism, schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome and other mental health issues each have their own distinguishing characteristics, but they all seem to share one common denominator – circadian rhythm disruption, according to a new study by UCI researchers. “The telltale sign of circadian rhythm disruption – a problem with sleep – was present in each disorder,” said Amal Alachkar, a neuroscientist and professor of teaching in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Circadian rhythms, which regulate the body’s physiological activity and biological process, are likely tied to other mental health issues beyond the ones studied by UCI, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia, bulimia, food addiction and Parkinson’s disease, she said.
New class tackles ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence
Aiming to “see beyond the hype of AI in the media,” a new School of Business class explores “the Wild West” of artificial intelligence and how to tame its negative side. The course is taught by Professor Masheika Allgood, an expert in law and technology who sits on the board of the Foundation for Best Practices in Machine Learning.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
Study IDs antibodies that neutralize all COVID strains
Israeli scientists say they have identified two antibodies that are so powerful in neutralizing the coronavirus that they could eliminate the need for more vaccine boosters. The researchers tested nine antibodies and found that two disarmed all known strains of the virus, including delta and omicron, apparently by binding to a different part of the coronavirus spike protein.
4 ways UC helps families pay for college
Increases in federal and state funding, as well as from UC’s own coffers, are expanding financial support for students. Under the state’s recently expanded Middle Class Scholarship program, families with incomes up to $201,000 are now eligible for help with college costs. These and other efforts are part of UC’s goal to provide a path to debt-free education by 2030 to any California undergraduate through a combination of financial aid that doesn’t need to be paid back and working 15 hours a week or less.
UC ranks first among top universities for patents
The University of California system again ranked first among the top 100 universities worldwide for the most U.S. patents granted for inventions in 2021. The rankings were based on utility patents issued between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2021.
EVENTS
UCI Anti-Cancer Challenge Rally
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (sponsored by UCI Health)
Men’s Water Polo vs. UCLA (live on YouTube)
Saturday, 2 p.m. (sponsored by UCI Athletics)
Visit today.uci.edu to see and submit event listings. Events of general interest will be shared in UCI Digest two days before they occur.
UCI IN THE NEWS
Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register and The Washington Post for students, faculty and staff.
How to Save a Forest by Burning It
The New York Times, Sept. 7
Cited: Tirtha Banerjee, assistant professor of engineering, and James T. Randerson, Chancellor’s Professor of Earth system science
What China Wants
The Open Mind, Sept. 5 (video)
Guest: Jeff Wasserstrom, Chancellor’s Professor of history
For Jackson and Flint, the water may be back but the trust is gone
CNN, Sept. 8
Cited: Maura Allaire, assistant professor of water economics and policy
#UCICONNECTED
Misprinted ‘UC Urvine’ shirts become a collector’s item
In less than a day, Costco began selling and then removed stacks of misprinted UCI sweatshirts (spelled “UC Urvine”), prompting some students and alumni to pine for the merchandise on social media and television. “I think it’s really funny, and UCI should maybe consider changing the name of the school,” one woman told CBS News.
#UCIconnected spotlights student, alumni, faculty and staff photos, essays, shoutouts, hobbies, artwork, unusual office decorations, activities and more. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.