Algorithms, governance, and governmentality:on governing academic writing

Algorithms, or rather algorithmic actions, are seen as problematic because they are inscrutable, automatic, and subsumed in the flow of daily practices. Yet, they are also seen to be playing an important role in organizing opportunities, enacting certain categories, and doing what David Lyon calls ‘‘social sorting.’’ Thus, there is a general concern that this increasingly prevalent mode of ordering and organizing should be governed more explicitly. Some have argued for more transparency and openness, others have argued for more democratic or value-centered design of such actors. In this article, we argue that governing practices—of, and through algorithmic actors—are best understood in terms of what Foucault calls governmentality. Governmentality allows us to consider the performative nature of these governing practices. They allow us to show how practice becomes problematized, how calculative practices are enacted as technologies of governance, how such calculative practices produce domains of knowledge and expertise, and finally, how such domains of knowledge become internalized in order to enact self-governing subjects. In other words, it allows us to show the mutually constitutive nature of problems, domains of knowledge, and subjectivities enacted through governing practices. In order to demonstrate this, we present attempts to govern academic writing with a specific focus on the algorithmic action of Turnitin

On the interpretation of removable interactions: A survey of the field 33 years after Loftus

In a classic 1978 Memory &Cognition article, Geoff Loftus explained why noncrossover interactions are removable. These removable interactions are tied to the scale of measurement for the dependent variable and therefore do not allow unambiguous conclusions about latent psychological processes. In the present article, we present concrete examples of how this insight helps prevent experimental psychologists from drawing incorrect conclusions about the effects of forgetting and aging. In addition, we extend the Loftus classification scheme for interactions to include those on the cusp between removable and nonremovable. Finally, we use various methods (i.e., a study of citation histories, a questionnaire for psychology students and faculty members, an analysis of statistical textbooks, and a review of articles published in the 2008 issue of Psychology andAging) to show that experimental psychologists have remained generally unaware of the concept of removable interactions. We conclude that there is more to interactions in a 2 × 2 design than meets the eye

Transforming power: social science and the politics of energy choices

This paper addresses key implications in momentous current global energy choices – both for social science and for society. Energy can be over-used as a lens for viewing social processes. But it is nonetheless of profound importance. Understanding possible ‘sustainable energy’ transformations requires attention to many tricky issues in social theory: around agency and structure and the interplay of power, contingency and practice. These factors are as much shaping of the knowledges and normativities supposedly driving transformation, as they are shaped by them. So, ideas and hopes about possible pathways for change – as well as notions of ‘the transition’ itself – can be deeply constituted by incumbent interests. The paper addresses these dynamics by considering contending forms of transformation centring on renewable energy, nuclear power and climate geoengineering. Several challenges are identified for social science. These apply especially where there are aims to help enable more democratic exercise of social agency. They enjoin responsibilities to ‘open up’ (rather than ‘close down’), active political spaces for critical contention over alternative pathways. If due attention is to be given to marginalised interests, then a reflexive view must be taken of transformation. The paper ends with a series of concrete political lessons

Bone-Specific Alkaline Phosphatase In Patients Who Have Undergone The Fontan Operation

Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) is produced by osteoblasts. A recent series noted a positive association between cardiac index (CI) and BALP in patients with Fontan circulation. CI is low at baseline in these patients, and small decreases in CI may result in diverting of blood away from bone. We prospectively enrolled 15 patients (males ≤ 14 yo, females ≤ 12 yo) who had previously undergone Fontan operation and were undergoing cardiac catheterization. Serum BALP was measured at catheterization, and analysis performed to evaluate association between age-/gender-specific BALP z-score and CI as well as other patient variables. The median age at catheterization was 5.6 years (3.1–13.1), and time from Fontan was 1.5 years (0.1–12.1). The median superior vena cava saturation (SVC) was 65 % (52–74), median average between SVC and inferior vena cava (IVC) saturations was 62.5 % (51–70), and median CI was 3.8 L/min/m2 (2.0–8.4). The median BALP was 65 IU/L and BALP z-score was −2.1 (−3.2 to 0.9). BALP z-score was not associated with CI (ρ = −0.1, p = 0.7), but a positive correlation was noted with the average of SVC and IVC saturation (ρ = 0.5, p = 0.052) and with SVC saturation (ρ = 0.4, p = 0.07), both nearly reaching statistical significance. In our cohort of children with Fontan circulation undergoing catheterization, BALP z-score was not associated with CI, but an association with estimates of mixed venous saturation was noted that nearly reached statistical significance. We hypothesize that BALP is a marker of oxygen delivery in those with Fontan circulation and may represent a valuable biomarker in this population

Transcatheter Patent Ductus Arteriosus Occlusion In Small Infants

Background: Transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) occlusion is feasible in small infants and may improve lung function in symptomatic patients. We aimed to describe transcatheter PDA closure in small infants including predictors of technical success and rate of complication and to identify factors associated with improved respiratory status after closure. Methods: All patients in the NICU at our center who were referred for transcatheter PDA occlusion between 1/2010 and 11/2014 were retrospectively identified. Relevant details were extracted. Additionally, a modification of the respiratory severity score (RSS) (FiO2 × mean airway pressure) was used to characterize degree of pulmonary support before and at intervals after catheterization. Results: Twenty patients were identified with median age of 96 days (13–247) and weight of 3.1 kg (1.7–4.7). The PDA was type F morphology in 14 (70%) patients. The PDA was successfully occluded in 16 (80%) patients. Ratio of minimum PDA diameter/length was \u3e0.5 in all unsuccessful attempts and \u3c0.4 in all successful cases (P =.01). Of the 16 cases of occlusion, Amplatzer Vascular Plug II was used in 15 (94%). No deaths or pulse loss occurred. Five (25%) patients required blood transfusion and transfusion was associated with lower hemoglobin (P =.049), lower weight (P =.008), and lower aortic pressure (P =.04). Excluding 1 patient with significant congenital heart disease, the RSS improved at 3 days in 9 (60%) patients and at 7 days in 12 (80%) compared with preintervention value. Patient factors were not associated with improved RSS at 3 or 7 days. Conclusions: In our cohort of symptomatic infants, transcatheter PDA occlusion was successful in most and a ratio of minimum PDA diameter/length of \u3c0.4 was predictive of technical success. Using a surrogate for pulmonary support, the majority of patients were on less support 7 days after closure

Use of Four Next-Generation Sequencing Platforms to Determine HIV-1 Coreceptor Tropism

HIV-1 coreceptor tropism assays are required to rule out the presence of CXCR4-tropic (non-R5) viruses prior treatment with CCR5 antagonists. Phenotypic (e.g., Trofile™, Monogram Biosciences) and genotypic (e.g., population sequencing linked to bioinformatic algorithms) assays are the most widely used. Although several next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms are available, to date all published deep sequencing HIV-1 tropism studies have used the 454™ Life Sciences/Roche platform. In this study, HIV-1 co-receptor usage was predicted for twelve patients scheduled to start a maraviroc-based antiretroviral regimen. The V3 region of the HIV-1 env gene was sequenced using four NGS platforms: 454™, PacBio® RS (Pacific Biosciences), Illumina®, and Ion Torrent™ (Life Technologies). Cross-platform variation was evaluated, including number of reads, read length and error rates. HIV-1 tropism was inferred using Geno2Pheno, Web PSSM, and the 11/24/25 rule and compared with Trofile™ and virologic response to antiretroviral therapy. Error rates related to insertions/deletions (indels) and nucleotide substitutions introduced by the four NGS platforms were low compared to the actual HIV-1 sequence variation. Each platform detected all major virus variants within the HIV-1 population with similar frequencies. Identification of non-R5 viruses was comparable among the four platforms, with minor differences attributable to the algorithms used to infer HIV-1 tropism. All NGS platforms showed similar concordance with virologic response to the maraviroc-based regimen (75% to 80% range depending on the algorithm used), compared to Trofile (80%) and population sequencing (70%). In conclusion, all four NGS platforms were able to detect minority non-R5 variants at comparable levels suggesting that any NGS-based method can be used to predict HIV-1 coreceptor usage