Reproducible Research: a Dissenting Opinion

Reproducible Research, the de facto title of a growing movement\ud within many scientific fields, would require the code, used to\ud generate the experimental results, be published along with any\ud paper. Probably the most compelling argument for this is that it is\ud simply following good scientific practice, established over the\ud years by the greats of science. It is further claimed that\ud misconduct is causing a growing crisis of confidence in science.\ud That, without this requirement being enforced, science would\ud inevitably fall into disrepute. This viewpoint is becoming\ud ubiquitous but here I offer a dissenting opinion. I contend that\ud the consequences are somewhat overstated. Misconduct is far from\ud solely a recent phenomenon; science has succeeded despite it.\ud Further, I would argue that the problem of public trust is more to\ud do with other factors. I would also contend that the effort\ud necessary to meet the movement's aims, and the general attitude it\ud engenders, would not serve any of the research disciplines well

Skeptical Theism Proved

Skeptical theism is a popular response to arguments from evil. Many hold that it undermines a key inference often used by such arguments. However, the case for skeptical theism is often kept at an intuitive level: no one has offered an explicit argument for the truth of skeptical theism. In this article, I aim to remedy this situation: I construct an explicit, rigorous argument for the truth of skeptical theism

Health and cancer prevention: knowledge and beliefs of children and young people

Objective: To collect information from children and young people about their knowledge of and attitudes towards cancer and their understanding of health and health related behaviours to inform future health promotion work. Design: Questionnaire survey of 15-16 year olds, and interviews with play materials with 9-10 year old children. Setting: Six inner city, suburban, and rural schools. Subjects: 226 children aged 15-16 years and 100 aged 9-10 years. Main outcome measures: Knowledge about different types of cancer; beliefs about health; sources of information; quality of research data obtainable from young children about cancer and health. Results: Both samples knew most about lung cancer, but there was also some knowledge of breast and skin cancer and leukaemia. Smoking, together with pollution and other environmental factors, were seen as the dominant causes of cancer. Environmental factors were mentioned more often by the inner city samples. Television and the media were the most important sources of information. Young people were more worried about unemployment than about ill health. More than half the young people did not describe their health as good, and most said they did not have a healthy lifestyle. Children were able to provide detailed information about their knowledge and understanding by using drawings as well as interviews. Conclusions: Children and young people possess considerable knowledge about cancer, especially about lung cancer and smoking, and show considerable awareness of predominant health education messages. Despite this knowledge, many lead less than healthy lifestyles. Health is not seen as the most important goal in life by many young people; the circumstances in which many children and young people live are not experienced as health promoting

The Doxastic Account of Intellectual Humility

This paper will be broken down into four sections. In §1, I try to assuage a worry that intellectual humility is not really an intellectual virtue. In §2, we will consider the two dominant accounts of intellectual humility in the philosophical literature—the low concern for status account the limitations-owing account—and I will argue that both accounts face serious worries. Then in §3, I will unpack my own view, the doxastic account of intellectual humility, as a viable alternative and potentially a better starting place for thinking about this virtue. And I’ll conclude in §4 by trying to defend the doxastic account against some possible objections

An exploratory study of the effects of mindfulness on perceived levels of stress among school-children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds

Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are at increased risk of experiencing stress and associated social-emotional difficulties and behavioural problems, which can undermine academic performance and lead to school drop-out. Previous studies investigating the effects of mindfulness have evidenced positive outcomes among children pertaining to enhanced well-being, school-based competence and decreased levels of stress and anxiety. However, these studies have typically examined teacher’s perceptions of change or quantitative outcomes without consideration of children’s experiences. The present study employs an interpretative qualitative approach to gain a greater understanding of children’s experiences of mindfulness in dealing with stress. A 5-week school-based mindfulness program was performed with 63 primary school children at risk of social exclusion in education. Interviews were undertaken with 16 children and 2 teachers. Thematic analysis identified five key themes labelled conceptualisation of stress, awareness, self-regulation, classroom regulations and addressing future stress. Quantitative measures of children’s perceived stress levels evaluated at baseline and follow-up also revealed significant reductions post intervention. These findings offer support for the incorporation of mindfulness interventions into the school curriculum, as a means of empowering children to address stress in their lives and improving full participation in the education system.peer-reviewe

“It’s the end of the world as we know it and we feel fantastic: examining the end of suffering”

This paper examines the consequences of the transhumanist goal to eliminate the suffering of all sentient beings. While transhumanists identify numerous approaches to this goal, the endgame is genetic modification of humans and natural predators. Pursuing this goal would cost trillions, and such treatments/technology would be available only to the wealthy. The transhumanist agenda around suffering is economically irresponsible, socially divisive, and inherently egotistical in its assumption that suffering is universally undesirable and meritless, and that scientists and the techno-elite have the right to modify sentient creatures. If transhumanists narrowed their focus to disease treatment and eradication, they could alleviate suffering while avoiding many of the negative consequences of their broader goal. Critically assessing the implications of the transhumanist agenda is crucial to the future of humanity, nature, and the planet as technology continues its exponential growth.Accepted manuscrip

The Psychosocial Effects of the Li-Fraumeni Education and Early Detection (LEAD) Program on Indivdiuals with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome

Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a hereditary cancer syndrome that leads to an increased risk of multiple cancers. In the past five years new screening protocols have been developed that provide improved screening options for individuals with LFS. However, very little has been published on the psychosocial impact of these screening protocols. The goals of this study were to determine how participation in screening impacts individuals psychosocially, to examine the benefits and drawbacks of screening, and to evaluate possible barriers to continued screening. This qualitative study consisted of phone interviews with 20 individuals that took part in an LFS screening program at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Data analysis showed that benefits of screening include early detection, peace of mind, centralized screening, knowledge providing power, and screening making LFS seem more livable. Perceived drawbacks included logistical issues, difficulty navigating the system, screening being draining, and significant negative emotional reactions such as anxiety, fear, and skepticism. Regardless of the emotions that were present, 100% of participants plan on continuing screening in the program. Our data indicates that the perceived benefits of screening outweigh the drawbacks of screening. Individuals in this screening program appear to have improved psychosocial well-being because of their access to the screening program

Extending the Boundaries of Decorum. The Poetry of Dennis O’Drisco

Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 dofinansowane zostało ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej nauk

EXAMINING SLEEP AND FAMILY FUNCTIONING IN PEDIATRIC CRANIOPHARYNGIOMA USING ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT

Craniopharyngiomas are among the most common brain tumors in children and are associated with greater rates of sleep problems compared to other pediatric cancers. However, research examining sleep among youth with craniopharyngioma has been limited by a reliance on retrospective reports or sleep studies. Families also play a crucial role in children’s adjustment following a pediatric cancer diagnosis, yet remarkably little is known about transactional associations between family functioning and sleep in pediatric cancer. This study examined cross-sectional and daily associations among family functioning, affect, and sleep difficulties for youth with pediatric craniopharyngioma using retrospective reports and ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Thirty-nine youth who underwent partial resection and proton therapy and their primary caregivers completed retrospective reports, and youth completed daily electronic surveys over a one-week period. At the end of the week, youth were asked for feedback about their overall experiences using EMA surveys. Ordinal least squares regression suggested significant associations between youth-reported but not parent-reported family functioning, excessive daytime sleepiness, and insomnia. Multilevel modeling did not suggest significant associations between daily family functioning, negative affect, and sleep efficiency. Youth reported overall satisfaction and minimal burden from completing EMA surveys. Findings inform clinical recommendations for systematic screening efforts to acknowledge youth perceptions of family functioning and excessive daytime sleepiness at routine follow-up visits. Results highlight the importance of using a multifaceted approach to assess and treat sleep difficulties in pediatric oncology and of identifying potential pathways explaining associations between family functioning and sleep

Modifying behaviour on STI including HIV and oncogenic HPV: a draft protocol for a registry open to the registered subject, generating the concept of a 'STI passport'

*** Background *** Sexually transmissible infections (STI) include both HIV and oncogenic HPV with the risk of cervical and oral cancer. Sexual behaviour is the key to the problem but appears very difficult to influence. The STI tend to have different channels of management and don't seem to be managed in a manner that is sufficiently comprehensive. *** Methods *** Analytical consideration of the factors involved. Induction of a solution approach. *** Findings *** Design of a protocol of a STI registry that also covers HIV and oncogenic HPV. The registry would provide a natural environment for education, discussion of doctor and client, and exchange of information between consenting clients. The registry would be open to the registered subject. Registration can be seen as not just useful for the internal system of public health itself but also as a service to the external public. While the registry would protect privacy, people are free to disclose their status to potential partners. People can also ask their potential partner to disclose that status, when it becomes common knowledge that such registration can exist. This facility adds to the sense of control, which is an important psychological factor for behaviour. Provision of this natural environment of information and control fosters the habit of safe sexual conduct. The registered status of infection then can function as a passport that guards the flows between the infected and the non- infected. Capacities, barriers, sticks and carrots determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the scheme. *** Interpretation *** The protocol offers promising avenues for both research by the academia and advance experimentation in communities.