The Theory-Ladenness of Data: An Experimental Demonstration

Most philosophers of science now believe that scientific data are theory laden, i.e., the evaluation of data is influenced by prior theoretical beliefs. Although there is historical and psychological evidence that is consistent with the theory-laden position, experimental evidence is needed to directly test whether prior beliefs influence the evaluation of scientific data. In a fully counterbalanced design, one group of subjects received evidence that dinosaurs were cold-blooded, and another group of subjects received evidence that dinosaurs were warm-blooded. The subjects reported a strong belief in whichever theory they had read about. Then subjects were presented with a piece of data that supported one theory and contradicted the other theory. The identical piece of data was rated as more believable when it was consistent with the subject's theory than when it was inconsistent. These results provide clear support for the position that scientific data are theory laden

Determinants of Bacterial Contamination in Pools, Spas, and Wading Pools: Should Chlorine Standards Be Revised?

Using a retrospective case-control study, we compared poolside tests with bacteriological samples during three consecutive summers. A total of 844 matched samples were obtained. Increased chlorine levels were associated with lower rates of contamination. Alkalinity, pH, and TDS were not statistically associated with bacteriological failures. In swimming pools with \u3e 1 ppm of chlorine, 27/30 (90.0%) passed bacteriologic evaluation. In spas with \u3c 1.0 ppm of chlorine, only 12/28 (42.9%) passed. Of the spas with \u3e 3.0 ppm of chlorine, 170/176 (96.6%) passed. Of the wading pools with \u3c 1ppm of chlorine, only 12/25 (48.0%) passed. Of the wading pools with \u3e 2 ppm, 263/290 (90.7%) passed. Of available poolside tests, only chlorine levels are predictive of positive testing for fecal contamination. Higher levels of chlorine were associated with higher passing rates. Current standards for disinfection in spas and wading pools may need to be increased to help prevent contamination

Higher whole-blood selenium is associated with improved immune responses in footrot-affected sheep

We reported previously that sheep affected with footrot (FR) have lower whole-blood selenium (WB-Se) concentrations and that parenteral Se-supplementation in conjunction with routine control practices accelerates recovery from FR. The purpose of this follow-up study was to investigate the mechanisms by which Se facilitates recovery from FR. Sheep affected with FR (n = 38) were injected monthly for 15 months with either 5 mg Se (FR-Se) or saline (FR-Sal), whereas 19 healthy sheep received no treatment. Adaptive immune function was evaluated after 3 months of Se supplementation by immunizing all sheep with a novel protein, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). The antibody titer and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin test to KLH were used to assess humoral immunity and cell-mediated immunity, respectively. Innate immunity was evaluated after 3 months of Se supplementation by measuring intradermal responses to histamine 30 min after injection compared to KLH and saline, and after 15 months of Se supplementation by isolating neutrophils and measuring their bacterial killing ability and relative abundance of mRNA for genes associated with neutrophil migration. Compared to healthy sheep, immune responses to a novel protein were suppressed in FR-affected sheep with smaller decreases in FR-affected sheep that received Se or had WB-Se concentrations above 250 ng/mL at the time of the immune assays. Neutrophil function was suppressed in FR-affected sheep, but was not changed by Se supplementation or WB-Se status. Sheep FR is associated with depressed immune responses to a novel protein, which may be partly restored by improving WB-Se status (> 250 ng/mL)

Deweyan tools for inquiry and the epistemological context of critical pedagogy

This article develops the notion of resistance as articulated in the literature of critical pedagogy as being both culturally sponsored and cognitively manifested. To do so, the authors draw upon John Dewey\u27s conception of tools for inquiry. Dewey provides a way to conceptualize student resistance not as a form of willful disputation, but instead as a function of socialization into cultural models of thought that actively truncate inquiry. In other words, resistance can be construed as the cognitive and emotive dimensions of the ongoing failure of institutions to provide ideas that help individuals both recognize social problems and imagine possible solutions. Focusing on Dewey\u27s epistemological framework, specifically tools for inquiry, provides a way to grasp this problem. It also affords some innovative solutions; for instance, it helps conceive of possible links between the regular curriculum and the study of specific social justice issues, a relationship that is often under-examined. The aims of critical pedagogy depend upon students developing dexterity with the conceptual tools they use to make meaning of the evidence they confront; these are background skills that the regular curriculum can be made to serve even outside social justice-focused curricula. Furthermore, the article concludes that because such inquiry involves the exploration and potential revision of students\u27 world-ordering beliefs, developing flexibility in how one thinks may be better achieved within academic subjects and topics that are not so intimately connected to students\u27 current social lives, especially where students may be directly implicated

Duration of androgen suppression before radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer: Radiation therapy oncology group randomized clinical trial 9910

Purpose To determine whether prolonged androgen suppression (AS) duration before radiotherapy improves survival and disease control in prostate cancer. Patients and Methods One thousand five hundred seventy-nine men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of AS followed by radiotherapy with an additional 8 weeks of concurrent AS (16 weeks total) or to 28 weeks of AS followed by radiotherapy with an additional 8 weeks of AS (36 weeks total). The trial sought primarily to detect a 33% reduction in the hazard of prostate cancer death in the 28-week assignment. Time-to-event end points are reported for up to 10 years of follow-up. Results There were no between-group differences in baseline characteristics of 1,489 eligible patients with follow-up. For the 8- and 28-week assignments, 10-year disease-specific survival rates were 95% (95% CI, 93.3% to 97.0%) and 96% (95% CI, 94.6% to 98.0%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.81; P = .45), respectively, and 10-year overall survival rates were66%(95% CI, 62.0% to 69.9%) and67%(95% CI, 63.0% to 70.8%; HR, 0.95; P = .62), respectively. For the 8- and 28-week assignments, 10-year cumulative incidences of locoregional progression were 6% (95% CI, 4.3% to 8.0%) and 4% (95% CI, 2.5% to 5.7%; HR, 0.65; P = .07), respectively; 10-year distant metastasis cumulative incidences were 6% (95% CI, 4.0% to 7.7%) and 6% (95% CI, 4.0% to 7.6%; HR, 1.07; P = .80), respectively; and 10-year prostate-specific antigen-based recurrence cumulative incidences were 27% (95% CI, 23.1% to 29.8%) and 27% (95% CI, 23.4% to 30.3%; HR, 0.97; P = .77), respectively. Conclusion Extending AS duration from 8 weeks to 28 weeks before radiotherapy did not improve outcomes. A lower than expected prostate cancer death rate reduced ability to detect a between-group difference in disease-specific survival. The schedule of 8 weeks of AS before radiotherapy plus 8 weeks of AS during radiotherapy remains a standard of care in intermediate-risk prostate cancer

Impact of American Joint Committee on Cancer Eighth Edition clinical stage and smoking history on oncologic outcomes in human papillomavirus‐associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the AJCC eighth edition clinical staging system for human papillomavirus (HPV)‐associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and to further understand how clinical stage and smoking history affect oncologic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to present the understanding of how clinical stage and smoking history affect oncologic outcomes in human papillomavirus (HPV)‐associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is critical for selecting patients for treatment deintensification.MethodsKaplan‐Meier and Cox regression were used to evaluate overall survival (OS), locoregional recurrence‐free survival (LRFS), and distant recurrence‐free survival (DRFS). Concordance statistics (C‐indices) were used to compare discriminating ability.ResultsThe OS and DRFS but not LRFS were significantly distributed using the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) seventh and eighth editions criteria. The C‐indices for OS, LRFS, and DRFS were 0.57, 0.54, and 0.60, respectively, using the AJCC seventh edition, and 0.63, 0.53, and 0.65, respectively, using the AJCC eighth edition. On multivariate analysis, 1 + pack‐year smoking history correlated with OS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.96; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2‐3.1; P < .01) but not LRFS or DRFS.ConclusionThese results support implementation of the AJCC eighth edition for HPV‐associated oropharyngeal SCC. Clinical stage may be more important than smoking history in selection for deintensification.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148352/1/hed25336_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148352/2/hed25336.pd

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead