Probabilistic Bias Mitigation in Word Embeddings

It has been shown that word embeddings derived from large corpora tend to incorporate biases present in their training data. Various methods for mitigating these biases have been proposed, but recent work has demonstrated that these methods hide but fail to truly remove the biases, which can still be observed in word nearest-neighbor statistics. In this work we propose a probabilistic view of word embedding bias. We leverage this framework to present a novel method for mitigating bias which relies on probabilistic observations to yield a more robust bias mitigation algorithm. We demonstrate that this method effectively reduces bias according to three separate measures of bias while maintaining embedding quality across various popular benchmark semantic tasksComment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Workshop on Human-Centric Machine Learning at NeurIPS 201

Factors influencing nursing time spent on administration of medication in an Australian residential aged care home

Aims: To examine nursing time spent on administration of medications in a residential aged care (RAC) home, and to determine factors that influence the time to medicate a resident. Background: Information on nursing time spent on medication administration is useful for planning and implementation of nursing resources. Methods: Nurses were observed over 12 morning medication rounds using a time-motion observational method and field notes, at two high-care units in an Australian RAC home. Results: Nurses spent between 2.5 and 4.5 hours in a medication round. Administration of medication averaged 200 seconds per resident. Four factors had significant impact on medication time: number of types of medication, number of tablets taken by a resident, methods used by a nurse to prepare tablets and methods to provide tablets. Conclusion: Administration of medication consumed a substantial, though variable amount of time in the RAC home. Nursing managers need to consider the factors that influenced the nursing time required for the administration of medication in their estimation of nursing workload and required resources. Implications for nursing management: To ensure safe medication administration for older people, managers should regularly assess the changes in the factors influencing nursing time on the administration of medication when estimating nursing workload and required resources

Interpretation of NASA-STD-3001 Levels of Care for Exploration Medical System Development

No abstract availabl

Talocalcaneal Coalition

CASE HISTORY: A 13-year-old male lacrosse athlete presented with gradual onset right ankle pain. Symptoms began at age ten, including multiple ankle sprains. The physician suspected plantar fasciitis and advised gel inserts, NSAID pain relievers, and physical therapy to no avail. The pain persisted as sports became more demanding. His performance continued to decrease, and gait became labored and disjointed, with an occasional limp. PHYSICAL EXAM: Lower extremity examination showed no varus or valgus deformities in the coronal plane. The symptomatic foot dorsiflexion was 20/35, with the knee flexed and extended. Manual strength test scores for plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion were 5/5. No hindfoot motion was observed. Lateral lunge test exhibited abduction of the foot with hip external rotation. Labored gait and a lack of coordination upon ground impact were observed during running. DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSES: Subtalar Joint Fracture, Calcaneal Stress Fracture, Achilles Tendonitis, Plantar Fasciitis. TESTS & RESULTS: A multiplanar MRI revealed a fibrous coalition of the talocalcaneal facet (TC). Medial facet was conjoined. Mild sprains were observed for both the anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligaments. Joint effusion from stress-related mild osseous edema was found at the calcaneus. FINAL DIAGNOSIS: Talocalcaneal coalition DISCUSSION: TC is a fibrous connection between the talus and calcaneal bone. The coalition locks the hindfoot in the valgus position. The deformity usually forms around 13-14 weeks of fetal development, and 75% of TC cases are asymptomatic until adolescence. TC accounts for 45% of all tarsal coalitions and is often bilateral. OUTCOME OF THE CASE: Surgical excision of fibrous coalition with autograft buttock fat was performed, followed by four months of physical therapy. Rehabilitation started with aquatic therapy. After four weeks, he had a normal gait and progressed to unilateral movements. Followed by reactive, plyometrics, and unpredictable loads training. RETURN TO ACTIVITY AND FURTHER FOLLOW-UP: After four months, the athlete returned to sport at a pre-operation performance level and continued to show improvement

The impact of electronic health records on risk management of information systems in Australian residential aged care homes

To obtain indications of the influence of electronic health records (EHR) in managing risks and meeting information system accreditation standard in Australian residential aged care (RAC) homes. The hypothesis to be tested is that the RAC homes using EHR have better performance in meeting information system standards in aged care accreditation than their counterparts only using paper records for information management. Content analysis of aged care accreditation reports from the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency produced between April 2011 and December 2013. Items identified included types of information systems, compliance with accreditation standards, and indicators of failure to meet an expected outcome for information systems. The Chi-square test was used to identify difference between the RAC homes that used EHR systems and those that used paper records in not meeting aged care accreditation standards. 1,031 (37.4%) of 2,754 RAC homes had adopted EHR systems. Although the proportion of homes that met all accreditation standards was significantly higher for those with EHR than for homes with paper records, only 13 RAC homes did not meet one or more expected outcomes. 12 used paper records and nine of these failed the expected outcome for information systems. The overall contribution of EHR to meeting aged care accreditation standard in Australia was very small. Risk indicators for not meeting information system standard were no access to accurate and appropriate information, failure in monitoring mechanisms, not reporting clinical incidents, insufficient recording of residents\u27 clinical changes, not providing accurate care plans, and communication processes failure. The study has provided indications that use of EHR provides small, yet significant advantages for RAC homes in Australia in managing risks for information management and in meeting accreditation requirements. The implication of the study for introducing technology innovation in RAC in Australia is discussed

Development of thermally formed glass optics for astronomical hard x-ray telescopes

The next major observational advance in hard X-ray/soft gamma-ray astrophysics will come with the implementation of telescopes capable of focusing 10-200 keV radiation. Focusing allows high signal-to-noise imaging and spectroscopic observations of many sources in this band for the first time. The recent development of depth-graded multilayer coatings has made the design of telescopes for this bandpass practical, however the ability to manufacture inexpensive substrates with appropriate surface quality and figure to achieve sub-arcminute performance has remained an elusive goal. In this paper, we report on new, thermally-formed glass micro-sheet optics capable of meeting the requirements of the next-generation of astronomical hard X-ray telescopes

W/SiC x-ray multilayers optimized for use above 100 keV

We have developed a new depth-graded multilayer system comprising W and SiC layers, suitable for use as hard x-ray reflective coatings operating in the energy range 100-200 keV. Grazing-incidence x-ray reflectance at E = 8 keV was used to characterize the interface widths, as well as the temporal and thermal stability in both periodic and depth-graded W/SiC structures, whereas synchrotron radiation was used to measure the hard x-ray reflectance of a depth-graded multilayer designed specifically for use in the range E ~150-170 keV. We have modeled the hard x-ray reflectance using newly derived optical constants, which we determined from reflectance versus incidence angle measurements also made using synchrotron radiation, in the range E = 120-180 keV. We describe our experimental investigation in detail, compare the new W/SiC multilayers with both W/Si and W/B4C films that have been studied previously, and discuss the significance of these results with regard to the eventual development of a hard x-ray nuclear line telescope

Aortic pulse wave velocity in children with Cushing syndrome: A window into a marker of early cardiovascular disease.

ObjectiveTo investigate early signs of cardiovascular arterial remodelling in paediatric patients with Cushing syndrome (CS) in comparison with normative values from healthy children.Study designThe metrics used to assess cardiac health were from thoracic aorta and carotid MRI. Scans were performed on 18 children with CS (mean: 12.5 ± 3.1 years, range: 6.0-16.8 years, 10 female). Pulse wave velocity (PWV), aortic distensibility (AD) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), well-validated measurements of cardiac compromise, were measured from the images and compared to normative age-matched values where available.ResultsPatients with CS had significantly higher PWV compared to age-adjusted normal median control values (4.0 ± 0.7 m/s vs. 3.4 ± 0.2 m/s, respectively, P = 0.0115). PWV was positively correlated with midnight plasma cortisol (r = 0.56, P = 0.02). Internal and common cIMT were negatively correlated with ascending AD (r = -0.75, P = 0.0022, r = -0.69, P = 0.0068, respectively).ConclusionPulse wave velocity data indicate that paediatric patients with CS have early evidence of cardiovascular remodelling. The results suggest the opportunity for monitoring as these changes begin in childhood

Factors affecting customer intention to use online food delivery services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the emerging popularity of online food delivery (OFD) services, this research examined predictors affecting customer intention to use OFD services amid the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Specifically, Study 1 examined the moderating effect of the pandemic on the relationship between six predictors (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, price saving benefit, time saving benefit, food safety risk perception, and trust) and OFD usage intention, and Study 2 extended the model by adding customer perceptions of COVID-19 (perceived severity and vulnerability) during the pandemic. Study 1 showed that all of the predictors except food safety risk perception significantly affected OFD usage intention, but no moderation effect of COVID-19 was found. In Study 2, while perceived severity and vulnerability had no significant impact on OFD usage intention, the altered effects of socio-demographic variables during the COVID-19 pandemic were found. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided

The X-ray reflection spectrum of the radio-loud quasar 4C 74.26

The relativistic jets created by some active galactic nuclei are important agents of AGN feedback. In spite of this, our understanding of what produces these jets is still incomplete. X-ray observations, which can probe the processes operating in the central regions in immediate vicinity of the supermassive black hole, the presumed jet launching point, are potentially particularly valuable in illuminating the jet formation process. Here, we present the hard X-ray NuSTAR observations of the radio-loud quasar 4C 74.26 in a joint analysis with quasi-simultaneous, soft X-ray Swift observations. Our spectral analysis reveals a high-energy cut-off of 183$_{-35}^{+51}$ keV and confirms the presence of ionized reflection in the source. From the average spectrum we detect that the accretion disk is mildly recessed with an inner radius of $R_\mathrm{in}=4-180\,R_\mathrm{g}$. However, no significant evolution of the inner radius is seen during the three months covered by our NuSTAR campaign. This lack of variation could mean that the jet formation in this radio-loud quasar differs from what is observed in broad-line radio galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap