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Why we need a public understanding of social science
Copyright © The Author(s) 2023. Who is licensed to make knowledge claims about society? A more diffuse group of individuals are afforded the status of legitimate speakers on society in the public sphere than is the case when the questions relate to the expertise of the natural sciences. We draw on the concept of the ‘locus of legitimate interpretation’ and the sensibilities of Collins and Evans’ Studies of Expertise and Experience programme to help make sense of these issues. The social sciences are not the natural sciences, and one key difference is their relationship with publics. The social sciences are intrinsically entangled, at both the level of the research question and the research subject/object, with public knowledge, the knowledges of publics and public interests. We therefore outline what these differences might mean for a serious, distinct and purposive Public Understanding of Social Science programme and how this differs from current work in the Public Understanding of Science.The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article
Bias in Matter Power Spectra ?
We review the constraints given by the linear matter power spectra data on
cosmological and bias parameters, comparing the data from the PSCz survey
(Hamilton et al., 2000) and from the matter power spectrum infered by the study
of Lyman alpha spectra at z=2.72 (Croft et al., 2000). We consider
flat-- cosmologies, allowing , and to vary, and we
also let the two ratio factors and () vary independently. Using a simple
minimisation technique, we find confidence intervals on our parameters for each
dataset and for a combined analysis. Letting the 5 parameters vary freely gives
almost no constraints on cosmology, but requirement of a universal ratio for
both datasets implies unacceptably low values of and . Adding
some reasonable priors on the cosmological parameters demonstrates that the
power derived by the PSCz survey is higher by a factor compared to
the power from the Lyman forest survey.Comment: Accepted in A&
Bioinformatics : indispensable, yet hidden in plain sight?
BACKGROUND: Bioinformatics has multitudinous identities, organisational alignments and disciplinary links. This variety allows bioinformaticians and bioinformatic work to contribute to much (if not most) of life science research in profound ways. The multitude of bioinformatic work also translates into a multitude of credit-distribution arrangements, apparently dismissing that work. RESULTS: We report on the epistemic and social arrangements that characterise the relationship between bioinformatics and life science. We describe, in sociological terms, the character, power and future of bioinformatic work. The character of bioinformatic work is such that its cultural, institutional and technical structures allow for it to be black-boxed easily. The result is that bioinformatic expertise and contributions travel easily and quickly, yet remain largely uncredited. The power of bioinformatic work is shaped by its dependency on life science work, which combined with the black-boxed character of bioinformatic expertise further contributes to situating bioinformatics on the periphery of the life sciences. Finally, the imagined futures of bioinformatic work suggest that bioinformatics will become ever more indispensable without necessarily becoming more visible, forcing bioinformaticians into difficult professional and career choices. CONCLUSIONS: Bioinformatic expertise and labour is epistemically central but often institutionally peripheral. In part, this is a result of the ways in which the character, power distribution and potential futures of bioinformatics are constituted. However, alternative paths can be imagined
Behavior change interventions: the potential of ontologies for advancing science and practice
A central goal of behavioral medicine is the creation of evidence-based interventions for promoting behavior change. Scientific knowledge about behavior change could be more effectively accumulated using "ontologies." In information science, an ontology is a systematic method for articulating a "controlled vocabulary" of agreed-upon terms and their inter-relationships. It involves three core elements: (1) a controlled vocabulary specifying and defining existing classes; (2) specification of the inter-relationships between classes; and (3) codification in a computer-readable format to enable knowledge generation, organization, reuse, integration, and analysis. This paper introduces ontologies, provides a review of current efforts to create ontologies related to behavior change interventions and suggests future work. This paper was written by behavioral medicine and information science experts and was developed in partnership between the Society of Behavioral Medicine's Technology Special Interest Group (SIG) and the Theories and Techniques of Behavior Change Interventions SIG. In recent years significant progress has been made in the foundational work needed to develop ontologies of behavior change. Ontologies of behavior change could facilitate a transformation of behavioral science from a field in which data from different experiments are siloed into one in which data across experiments could be compared and/or integrated. This could facilitate new approaches to hypothesis generation and knowledge discovery in behavioral science
The Strayed Reveller, No. 1
The Strayed Reveller is a literary magazine of stories, songs, poems, essays, reviews and artwork by students at Stephen F. Austin State University. It is published monthly andsponsered by the School of Liberal Arts and Department of English.https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/reveller/1000/thumbnail.jp
Risk factors for failure to rescue after hepatectomy in a high-volume UK tertiary referral center
BACKGROUND: Mortality after severe complications after hepatectomy (failure to rescue) is strongly linked to center volume. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for failure to rescue after hepatectomy in a high-volume center.METHODS: Retrospective study of 1,826 consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy from 2011 to 2018. The primary outcome was a 90-day failure to rescue, defined as death within 90 days posthepatectomy after a severe (Clavien-Dindo grade 3+) complication. Risk factors for 90-day failure to rescue were evaluated using a multivariable binary logistic regression model.RESULTS: The cohort had a median age of 65.3 years, and 56.6% of patients were male. The commonest indication for hepatectomy was colorectal metastasis (58.9%), and 46.9% of patients underwent major or extra-major hepatectomy. Severe complications developed in 209 patients (11.4%), for whom the 30- and 90-day failure to rescue rates were 17.0% and 35.4%, respectively. On multivariable analysis, increasing age (P = .006) and modified Frailty Index (P = .044), complication type (medical or combined medical/surgical versus surgical; P < .001), and body mass index (P = .018) were found to be significant independent predictors of 90-day failure to rescue.CONCLUSION: Older and frail patients who experience medical complications are particularly at risk of failure to rescue after hepatectomy. These results may inform preoperative counseling and may help to identify candidates for prehabilitation. Further study is needed to assess whether failure to rescue rates could be reduced by perioperative interventions.</p
Border Terriers under primary veterinary care in England: demography and disorders
The Border Terrier is a working terrier type that is generally considered to be a relatively healthy and hardy breed. This study aimed to characterise the demography and common disorders of Border Terriers receiving veterinary care in England using de-identified electronic patient record data within the VetCompassâ„¢ Programme
Prevalence of Disorders Recorded in Dogs Attending Primary-Care Veterinary Practices in England
Purebred dog health is thought to be compromised by an increasing occurence of inherited diseases but inadequate prevalence data on common disorders have hampered efforts to prioritise health reforms. Analysis of primary veterinary practice clinical data has been proposed for reliable estimation of disorder prevalence in dogs. Electronic patient record (EPR) data were collected on 148,741 dogs attending 93 clinics across central and south-eastern England. Analysis in detail of a random sample of EPRs relating to 3,884 dogs from 89 clinics identified the most frequently recorded disorders as otitis externa (prevalence 10.2%, 95% CI: 9.1-11.3), periodontal disease (9.3%, 95% CI: 8.3-10.3) and anal sac impaction (7.1%, 95% CI: 6.1-8.1). Using syndromic classification, the most prevalent body location affected was the head-and-neck (32.8%, 95% CI: 30.7-34.9), the most prevalent organ system affected was the integument (36.3%, 95% CI: 33.9-38.6) and the most prevalent pathophysiologic process diagnosed was inflammation (32.1%, 95% CI: 29.8-34.3). Among the twenty most-frequently recorded disorders, purebred dogs had a significantly higher prevalence compared with crossbreds for three: otitis externa (P = 0.001), obesity (P = 0.006) and skin mass lesion (P = 0.033), and popular breeds differed significantly from each other in their prevalence for five: periodontal disease (P = 0.002), overgrown nails (P = 0.004), degenerative joint disease (P = 0.005), obesity (P = 0.001) and lipoma (P = 0.003). These results fill a crucial data gap in disorder prevalence information and assist with disorder prioritisation. The results suggest that, for maximal impact, breeding reforms should target commonly-diagnosed complex disorders that are amenable to genetic improvement and should place special focus on at-risk breeds. Future studies evaluating disorder severity and duration will augment the usefulness of the disorder prevalence information reported herein
Parameterization Effects in the analysis of AMI Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Observations
Most Sunyaev--Zel'dovich (SZ) and X-ray analyses of galaxy clusters try to
constrain the cluster total mass and/or gas mass using parameterised models and
assumptions of spherical symmetry and hydrostatic equilibrium. By numerically
exploring the probability distributions of the cluster parameters given the
simulated interferometric SZ data in the context of Bayesian methods, and
assuming a beta-model for the electron number density we investigate the
capability of this model and analysis to return the simulated cluster input
quantities via three rameterisations. In parameterisation I we assume that the
T is an input parameter. We find that parameterisation I can hardly constrain
the cluster parameters. We then investigate parameterisations II and III in
which fg(r200) replaces temperature as a main variable. In parameterisation II
we relate M_T(r200) and T assuming hydrostatic equilibrium. We find that
parameterisation II can constrain the cluster physical parameters but the
temperature estimate is biased low. In parameterisation III, the virial theorem
replaces the hydrostatic equilibrium assumption. We find that parameterisation
III results in unbiased estimates of the cluster properties. We generate a
second simulated cluster using a generalised NFW (GNFW) pressure profile and
analyse it with an entropy based model to take into account the temperature
gradient in our analysis and improve the cluster gas density distribution. This
model also constrains the cluster physical parameters and the results show a
radial decline in the gas temperature as expected. The mean cluster total mass
estimates are also within 1 sigma from the simulated cluster true values.
However, we find that for at least interferometric SZ analysis in practice at
the present time, there is no differences in the AMI visibilities between the
two models. This may of course change as the instruments improve.Comment: 19 pages, 13 tables, 24 figure
Signatures of Relativistic Neutrinos in CMB Anisotropy and Matter Clustering
We present a detailed analytical study of ultra-relativistic neutrinos in
cosmological perturbation theory and of the observable signatures of
inhomogeneities in the cosmic neutrino background. We note that a modification
of perturbation variables that removes all the time derivatives of scalar
gravitational potentials from the dynamical equations simplifies their solution
notably. The used perturbations of particle number per coordinate, not proper,
volume are generally constant on superhorizon scales. In real space an
analytical analysis can be extended beyond fluids to neutrinos.
The faster cosmological expansion due to the neutrino background changes the
acoustic and damping angular scales of the cosmic microwave background (CMB).
But we find that equivalent changes can be produced by varying other standard
parameters, including the primordial helium abundance. The low-l integrated
Sachs-Wolfe effect is also not sensitive to neutrinos. However, the gravity of
neutrino perturbations suppresses the CMB acoustic peaks for the multipoles
with l>~200 while it enhances the amplitude of matter fluctuations on these
scales. In addition, the perturbations of relativistic neutrinos generate a
*unique phase shift* of the CMB acoustic oscillations that for adiabatic
initial conditions cannot be caused by any other standard physics. The origin
of the shift is traced to neutrino free-streaming velocity exceeding the sound
speed of the photon-baryon plasma. We find that from a high resolution, low
noise instrument such as CMBPOL the effective number of light neutrino species
can be determined with an accuracy of sigma(N_nu) = 0.05 to 0.09, depending on
the constraints on the helium abundance.Comment: 38 pages, 7 figures. Version accepted for publication in PR
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