Identity Term Sampling for Measuring Gender Bias in Training Data

Predictions from machine learning models can reflect biases in the data on which they are trained. Gender bias has been identified in natural language processing systems such as those used for recruitment. The development of approaches to mitigate gender bias in training data typically need to be able to isolate the effect of gender on the output to see the impact of gender. While it is possible to isolate and identify gender for some types of training data, e.g. CVs in recruitment, for most textual corpora there is no obvious gender label. This paper proposes a general approach to measure bias in textual training data for NLP prediction systems by providing a gender label identified from the textual content of the training data. The approach is compared with the identity term template approach currently in use, also known as Gender Bias Evaluation Datasets (GBETs), which involves the design of synthetic test datasets which isolate gender and are used to probe for gender bias in a dataset. We show that our Identity Term Sampling (ITS) approach is capable of identifying gender bias at least as well as identity term templates and can be used on training data that has no obvious gender label

Exploring the Impact of Gender Bias Mitigation Approaches on a Downstream Classification Task

Natural language models and systems have been shown to reflect gender bias existing in training data. This bias can impact on the downstream task that machine learning models, built on this training data, are to accomplish. A variety of techniques have been proposed to mitigate gender bias in training data. In this paper we compare different gender bias mitigation approaches on a classification task. We consider mitigation techniques that manipulate the training data itself, including data scrubbing, gender swapping and counterfactual data augmentation approaches. We also look at using de-biased word embeddings in the representation of the training data. We evaluate the effectiveness of the different approaches at reducing the gender bias in the training data and consider the impact on task performance. Our results show that the performance of the classification task is not affected adversely by many of the bias mitigation techniques but we show a significant variation in the effectiveness of the different gender bias mitigation techniques

Distinct Hypothalamic Neurons Mediate Estrogenic Effects on Energy Homeostasis and Reproduction

SummaryEstrogens regulate body weight and reproduction primarily through actions on estrogen receptor-α (ERα). However, ERα-expressing cells mediating these effects are not identified. We demonstrate that brain-specific deletion of ERα in female mice causes abdominal obesity stemming from both hyperphagia and hypometabolism. Hypometabolism and abdominal obesity, but not hyperphagia, are recapitulated in female mice lacking ERα in hypothalamic steroidogenic factor-1 (SF1) neurons. In contrast, deletion of ERα in hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons leads to hyperphagia, without directly influencing energy expenditure or fat distribution. Further, simultaneous deletion of ERα from both SF1 and POMC neurons causes hypometabolism, hyperphagia, and increased visceral adiposity. Additionally, female mice lacking ERα in SF1 neurons develop anovulation and infertility, while POMC-specific deletion of ERα inhibits negative feedback regulation of estrogens and impairs fertility in females. These results indicate that estrogens act on distinct hypothalamic ERα neurons to regulate different aspects of energy homeostasis and reproduction

Discordant Zika Virus Findings in Twin Pregnancies Complicated by Antenatal Zika Virus Exposure: A Prospective Cohort.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the natural history of antenatal Zika virus (ZIKV) exposure in twin pregnancies, especially regarding intertwin concordance of prenatal, placental, and infant outcomes. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included twin pregnancies referred to a single institution from September 2015 to June 2016 with maternal ZIKV. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of maternal, placental, and neonatal samples was performed. Prenatal ultrasounds were completed for each twin, and histomorphologic analysis was performed for each placenta. Abnormal neonatal outcome was defined as abnormal exam and/or abnormal imaging. Two- to three-year follow-up of infants included physical exams, neuroimaging, and Bayley-III developmental assessment. RESULTS: Among 244 pregnancies, 4 twin gestations without coinfection were identified. Zika virus infection occurred at 16-33 weeks gestation. Zika virus PCR testing revealed discordance between dichorionic twins, between placentas in a dichorionic pair, between portions of a monochorionic placenta, and between a neonate and its associated placenta. Of the 8 infants, 3 (38%) had an abnormal neonatal outcome. Of 6 infants with long-term follow-up, 3 (50%) have demonstrated ZIKV-related abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal PCR testing, placental findings, and infant outcomes can be discordant between co-twins with antenatal ZIKV exposure. These findings demonstrate that each twin should be evaluated independently for vertical transmission

Impact of timing of delivery for type 2 diabetes on perinatal outcomes

Aims: To compare obstetric and neonatal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who had scheduled delivery at full term (≥ 39 0/7 weeks) compared to early term (37 0/7 – 38 6/7 weeks) for T2DM indications. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that included all singletons with T2DM with a scheduled delivery at a single tertiary care center between January 2008 and March 2022. Outcomes were compared using Fisher's exact test. Results: 107 singleton pregnancies were included. There was no significant difference in primary cesarean delivery between the two groups. The early term group had significantly higher rates of NICU admission compared to the term group (52% vs 32%, p = 0.05, OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.0–5.0), a finding that remained statistically significant on adjusted analysis (adjusted OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.04–7.58). Conclusions: In singleton pregnancies undergoing scheduled delivery for T2DM-specific indications, early term deliveries were associated with significantly increased odds of NICU admission when compared to term deliveries, even after adjusting for surrogate markers of glycemic control. These findings suggest that early term delivery contributes to risk of NICU admission, rather than the indication for delivery itself. These findings should be replicated in a larger cohort

Stability of Silica Nanoparticle Dispersion in Brine Solution: An Experimental Study

Nanotechnology has various applications in oil and gas industry such as enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The main challenge in using nanoparticles in EOR processes is their stability in harsh conditions such as high temperature, high pressure, and intermediate to high salinity. However, most of the recent experimental works have been performed under unrealistic conditions such as the use of distilled water as the injected fluid and room temperature. The main objective of this work is to study the effect of these factors on the stability of nanoparticle dispersions through several methods such as direct observation, optical absorption measurement, and nanoparticle effective diameter in different periods of time. The critical salt concentration (CSC) was determined for two kinds of monovalent electrolytes in various particle concentrations and temperatures. The results have shown that CSC for potassium chloride (KCl) is less than sodium chloride (NaCl) and it decreases as nanoparticle concentration and temperature increase. Moreover, the influence of two types of surfactants on the stability of silica dispersions was studied and the results revealed that an anionic surfactant increases the CSC, while a nonionic surfactant leads to the instability of dispersion even at low electrolyte concentrations