Taxonomy for Humans or Computers? Cognitive Pragmatics for Big Data

Criticism of big data has focused on showing that more is not necessarily better, in the sense that data may lose their value when taken out of context and aggregated together. The next step is to incorporate an awareness of pitfalls for aggregation into the design of data infrastructure and institutions. A common strategy minimizes aggregation errors by increasing the precision of our conventions for identifying and classifying data. As a counterpoint, we argue that there are pragmatic trade-offs between precision and ambiguity that are key to designing effective solutions for generating big data about biodiversity. We focus on the importance of theory-dependence as a source of ambiguity in taxonomic nomenclature and hence a persistent challenge for implementing a single, long-term solution to storing and accessing meaningful sets of biological specimens. We argue that ambiguity does have a positive role to play in scientific progress as a tool for efficiently symbolizing multiple aspects of taxa and mediating between conflicting hypotheses about their nature. Pursuing a deeper understanding of the trade-offs and synthesis of precision and ambiguity as virtues of scientific language and communication systems then offers a productive next step for realizing sound, big biodiversity data services

Estimating youth locomotion ground reaction forces using an accelerometer-based activity monitor.

To address a variety of questions pertaining to the interactions between physical activity, musculoskeletal loading and musculoskeletal health/injury/adaptation, simple methods are needed to quantify, outside a laboratory setting, the forces acting on the human body during daily activities. The purpose of this study was to develop a statistically based model to estimate peak vertical ground reaction force (pVGRF) during youth gait. 20 girls (10.9 ± 0.9 years) and 15 boys (12.5 ± 0.6 years) wore a Biotrainer AM over their right hip. Six walking and six running trials were completed after a standard warm-up. Average AM intensity (g) and pVGRF (N) during stance were determined. Repeated measures mixed effects regression models to estimate pVGRF from Biotrainer activity monitor acceleration in youth (girls 10-12, boys 12-14 years) while walking and running were developed. Log transformed pVGRF had a statistically significant relationship with activity monitor acceleration, centered mass, sex (girl), type of locomotion (run), and locomotion type-acceleration interaction controlling for subject as a random effect. A generalized regression model without subject specific random effects was also developed. The average absolute differences between the actual and predicted pVGRF were 5.2% (1.6% standard deviation) and 9% (4.2% standard deviation) using the mixed and generalized models, respectively. The results of this study support the use of estimating pVGRF from hip acceleration using a mixed model regression equation

The status of music education in the public junior high schools of Massachusetts as of the year 1945-1955

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Empirical Insights into Survivorship Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of CoC Accredited Hospitals in Kentucky

ABSTRACT Background: Cancer survivorship care programs play a vital role in supporting cancer survivors and improving their quality of life. Understanding the landscape of survivorship and the potential barriers is key to optimizing care delivery. Methods: The primary purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore existing cancer survivorship care programs offered by Commission on Cancer (CoC) accredited hospitals in Kentucky. Data from the Markey Cancer Affiliate Network (MCCAN) from 2022 through 2023 was analyzed. Variables included hospital characteristics such as rural code, types of survivorship services offered, and reported barriers to these services. Results: Analysis of n=19 CoC facilities revealed significant variations in hospital and oncology bed numbers, as well as analytic caseloads. A notable increase in MCCAN affiliations for the years 2006 and 2017 was observed. Most hospitals served rural populations. It was also noted that patient navigators were limited or not available at all in some hospitals. All facilities’ survivorship activities were in alignment with the list of services outlined by CoC standard 4.8, but variance in service types offered were observed. Reported barriers included a lack of promotion, limited financial resources, and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) technical issues. Discussion: Clinical implications for this study included raising awareness of available survivorship series and addressing barriers at both the urban and rural levels. Practice and policy implications involved interventions to increase service promotion and funding to expand survivorship care services and staff – particularly in rural areas. Conclusions: This study helped to highlight survivorship care delivery in Kentucky and the need for continued research and improvement. Through addressing barriers, gaps in services, and sufficient survivorship staffing, improved quality of life for cancer survivors and caregivers could be achieved. Continued research efforts and continued involvement of survivors, caregivers, and healthcare providers are vital to improving survivorship care and outcomes

Bioreceptive design: a novel approach to biodigital materiality

Today, at a time of unprecedented urban development, there is urgency to improve the environmental quality of cities. The present ‘greening’ of urban spaces is an ongoing response to a dirty industrial past and present, with a drive to transform cities to have better air and water, more tree-lined streets and open parks. But the amount of urban public green space varies massively between cities around the world and increasing this, or designing for it, is a particular challenge where there is pressure for space, resources, and development. The architectural fabric itself – building envelopes, roofs, and façades – has been targeted as an opportunity for additional greening. A number of strategies integrating vegetation and other photosynthetic systems onto buildings have been developed, which provide passive climatic control as well as aiding storm-water management and creating new ecological habitat, in addition to lowering atmospheric CO2. However, ‘green walls’, where plants and foliage are grown on the sides of buildings as a kind of secondary skin, have been less successful and have proven expensive to implement. Maintenance costs are significant due to the need to overcome gravity, primarily through mechanical irrigation.</jats:p

The Palaeontology and Palaeoecology of the Upper Leintwardine and Lower Whitcliffe Formations, Upper Silurian, of Ludlow, England

The boundary of the Upper Leintwardine and Lower Whitcliffe Formations in the Upper Silurian (Ludfordian) of the Welsh Borderlands is examined in an attempt to explain the (sudden and gradual) faunal changes which occur. Faunal variations are both lateral and vertical. A transect across the depositional area from basin to shelf is examined in order to describe and explain lateral variations. Faunal abundances are examined using collections and information from published literature. Other aspects are considered e.g. biochemistry and geochemistry. Time and finance were found to be major limiting factors in this case, but there is some potential for future work in these disciplines. Faunal variations occur at this level independently of lithological or obvious environmental changes. Comparison with rocks of similar age in Gotland reveals an absence of such variations, and a greater abundance and diversity of fauna. This is largely due to palaeogeographic differences. The presence of phosphate deposits throughout the Welsh Borderlands succession is indicative of unstable and discontinuous deposition, possibly linked to sea level changes. The depositional environment at the Leintwardine-Whitcliffe boundary is considered to be one of soft medium-fine grained sediment covered by a layer of living, dead, and fragmented shells. This cover was probably patchy, with areas of free soft sediment providing ecospace for infauna. The disturbance of shell cover and living organisms was caused by larger organisms walking, feeding and burrowing. Storms and currents provided only minor disturbance. Algae occurred as floating masses and as rooted forests, possibly utilising large bivalve or brachiopod shells as substrate, and probably supporting small epiplanktonic brachiopods and bivalves. Distribution of species tends to be dominated by one or two main species (Shaleria ornatella. Protochonetes ludloviensis etc). Most shells were quickly colonised by bryozoa unless buried quickly. Some organisms supported epifauna during life. The disappearance of the dominant brachiopod Shaleria ornatella at the top of the Upper Leintwardine Formation is thought to be due to disease, selective predation, or changing current systems

Mechanisms by which circadian rhythm disruption may lead to cancer

Humans have evolved in a rhythmic environment and display daily (circadian) rhythms in physiology, metabolism and behaviour that are in synchrony with the solar day. Modern lifestyles have compromised the exposure to bright light during the day and dark nights, resulting in the desynchronisation of endogenously generated circadian rhythms from the external environment and loss of coordination between rhythms within the body. This has detrimental effects on physical and mental health, due to the misregulation and uncoupling of important cellular and physiological processes. Long-term shift workers who are exposed to bright light at night experience the greatest disruption of their circadian rhythms. Studies have shown an association between exposure to light at night, circadian rhythm disruption and an increased risk of cancer. Previous reviews have explored the relevance of light and melatonin in cancer, but here we explore the correlation of circadian rhythm disruption and cancer in terms of molecular mechanisms affecting circadian gene expression and melatonin secretion

Age differences in the use of serving size information on food labels: numeracy or attention?

ObjectiveThe ability to use serving size information on food labels is important for managing age-related chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cancer. Past research suggests that older adults are at risk for failing to accurately use this portion of the food label due to numeracy skills. However, the extent to which older adults pay attention to serving size information on packages is unclear. We compared the effects of numeracy and attention on age differences in accurate use of serving size information while individuals evaluated product healthfulness.DesignAccuracy and attention were assessed across two tasks in which participants compared nutrition labels of two products to determine which was more healthful if they were to consume the entire package. Participants' eye movements were monitored as a measure of attention while they compared two products presented side-by-side on a computer screen. Numeracy as well as food label habits and nutrition knowledge were assessed using questionnaires.SettingSacramento area, California, USA, 2013-2014.SubjectsStratified sample of 358 adults, aged 20-78 years.ResultsAccuracy declined with age among those older adults who paid less attention to serving size information. Although numeracy, nutrition knowledge and self-reported food label use supported accuracy, these factors did not influence age differences in accuracy.ConclusionsThe data suggest that older adults are less accurate than younger adults in their use of serving size information. Age differences appear to be more related to lack of attention to serving size information than to numeracy skills