What Is an “Arachnid”? Consensus, Consilience, and Confirmation Bias in the Phylogenetics of Chelicerata

The basal phylogeny of Chelicerata is one of the opaquest parts of the animal Tree of Life, defying resolution despite application of thousands of loci and millions of sites. At the forefront of the debate over chelicerate relationships is the monophyly of Arachnida, which has been refuted by most analyses of molecular sequence data. A number of phylogenomic datasets have suggested that Xiphosura (horseshoe crabs) are derived arachnids, refuting the traditional understanding of arachnid monophyly. This result is regarded as controversial, not least by paleontologists and morphologists, due to the widespread perception that arachnid monophyly is unambiguously supported by morphological data. Moreover, some molecular datasets have been able to recover arachnid monophyly, galvanizing the belief that any result that challenges arachnid monophyly is artefactual. Here, we explore the problems of distinguishing phylogenetic signal from noise through a series of in silico experiments, focusing on datasets that have recently supported arachnid monophyly. We assess the claim that filtering by saturation rate is a valid criterion for recovering Arachnida. We demonstrate that neither saturation rate, nor the ability to assemble a molecular phylogenetic dataset supporting a given outcome with maximal nodal support, is a guarantor of phylogenetic accuracy. Separately, we review empirical morphological phylogenetic datasets to examine characters supporting Arachnida and the downstream implication of a single colonization of terrestrial habitats. We show that morphological support of arachnid monophyly is contingent upon a small number of ambiguous or incorrectly coded characters, most of these tautologically linked to adaptation to terrestrial habitats.

Desain Media Pembelajaran Berbasis Android pada Materi Praktikum Pengenalan Alat Laboratorium Kimia Sekolah Menengah Atas

ABSTRACTThe development of technology that is termed ad Industrial Revolution 4.0 is an era of innovation developed rapidly that can help the creation of new technology. The research findings developed an Android based instructional media that was named as WINLAB (Wawasan didalam Pembelajaran Laboratorium), it consisted of the introduction of laboratory equipment, and it was expected to ease students in the learning process. It was Mixed Method Research. The research findings showed that this instructional media had the appropriateness with 85% percentage and very valid criterion by the validators of media experts, 96.92% percentage and very valid criterion by the validator of material experts, practicality test by Chemistry subject teachers showed 92% percentage with very practical criterion, the response test of the tenth-grade student of MIA 1 at State Sport Senior High School Riau Province stated that Android based instructional media was very good with 90% percentage. However, this research still consisted of some shortcomings, so it was expected in the future that the effectiveness test would be done to know the effectiveness of the media. Keywords: WINLAB, android, chemistry instructional media ABSTRAK Perkembangan teknologi yang diistilahkan dengan revolusi industri 4.0 merupakan era inovasi yang berkembang sangat pesat sehingga mampu membantu terciptanya teknologi baru. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mendesain dan uji coba media pembelajaran berbasis android pada materi praktikum pengenalan alat laboratorium kimia yang digunakan sebagai sumber belajar yang mudah di akses bagi peserta didik SMA. Hasil penelitian menghasilkan sebuah media pembelajaran berbasis android yang diberi nama “WINLAB” (Wawasan didalam Pembelajaran Laboratorium) yang berisikan tentang pengenalan alat-alat laboratorium yang diharapkan dapat memudahkan peserta didik dalam proses pembelajaran. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian Mixed Method. Research. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa media pembelajaran ini memiliki kelayakan oleh validator ahli media dengan persentase 85% dengan kriteria sangat valid, validator ahli materi dengan persentase 96.92% dengan kriteria sangat valid, uji praktikalitas oleh guru kimia dengan persentase 92% dengan kriteria sangat praktis, dan uji respon peserta didik kelas X MIA 1 SMAN Olahraga Provinsi Riau menyatakan bahwa media pembelajaran berbasis android sangat bagus dengan persentase 90%. Namun, penelitian ini masih memiliki beberapa kekurangan sehingga diharapkan kedepannya dilakukan uji efektifitas untuk mengetahui keefektifan media. Kata kunci: WINLAB, android, media pembelajaran kimia

Pitfalls of Machine Learning based Personnel Selection - Fairness, Transparency and Data Quality

In recent years, machine learning (ML) modeling (often referred to as artificial intelligence) has become increasingly popular for personnel selection purposes. Numerous organizations use ML-based procedures for screening large candidate pools, while some companies try to automate the hiring process as far as possible. Since ML models can handle large sets of predictor variables and are therefore able to incorporate many different data sources (often more than common procedures can consider), they promise a higher predictive accuracy and objectivity in selecting the best candidate than traditional personal selection processes. However, there are some pitfalls and challenges that have to be taken into account when using ML for a sensitive issue as personnel selection. In this paper, we address these major challenges - namely the definition of a valid criterion, transparency regarding collected data and decision mechanisms, algorithmic fairness, changing data conditions as well as adequate performance evaluation - and discuss some recommendations for implementing fair, transparent, and accurate ML-based selection algorithms.

Pitfalls of Machine Learning-Based Personnel Selection

In recent years, machine learning (ML) modeling (often referred to as artificial intelligence) has become increasingly popular for personnel selection purposes. Numerous organizations use ML-based procedures for screening large candidate pools, while some companies try to automate the hiring process as far as possible. Since ML models can handle large sets of predictor variables and are therefore able to incorporate many different data sources (often more than common procedures can consider), they promise a higher predictive accuracy and objectivity in selecting the best candidate than traditional personal selection processes. However, there are some pitfalls and challenges that have to be taken into account when using ML for a sensitive issue as personnel selection. In this paper, we address these major challenges – namely the definition of a valid criterion, transparency regarding collected data and decision mechanisms, algorithmic fairness, changing data conditions, and adequate performance evaluation – and discuss some recommendations for implementing fair, transparent, and accurate ML-based selection algorithms.

Defining the Prion Type of Fatal Familial Insomnia

Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) belongs to the genetic human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), such as genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) or Gerstmann-Straeussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS). Here, we analyzed the properties of the pathological prion protein in six FFI cases by Western blot analysis, a protein aggregate stability assay, and aggregate deposition characteristics visualized with the paraffin-embedded tissue blot. While in all cases the unglycosylated fragment in Western blot analysis shared the same size with sporadic CJD prion type 2, the reticular/synaptic deposition pattern of the prion aggregates resembled the ones found in sporadic CJD type 1 (CJD types according to the Parchi classification from 1999). Regarding the conformational stability against denaturation with GdnHCl, FFI prion aggregates resembled CJD type 1 more than type 2. Our results suggest that the size of the proteinase-K-resistant fragments is not a valid criterion on its own. Additional criteria supplying information about conformational differences or similarities need to be taken into account. FFI may resemble a prion type with its own conformation sharing properties partly with type 1 and type 2 prions.

Radon Transform Based on Waveform for AVO-Preserving Data Construction

The traditional hyperbolic Radon transform suffers from the major problem of how to both obtain a high resolution and preserve the amplitude variation with offset (AVO). In the Radon domain, high resolution (sparseness) is a valid criterion. However, if a sparse model is obtained in the Radon domain due to averaging along the offset direction, then it is not possible to preserve the AVO in the inversion data. In addition, hyperbolic Radon transform has a time-variant kernel based on a traditional iterative algorithm, the conjugate gradient (CG), which requires significant computation time. To solve these problems, we propose a Radon transform based on waveform that contains both cycle and amplitude characteristics of seismic waves. The new transform entails creating an upper envelope for the seismic data and computing a preliminary forward Radon transform in the time domain. The forward Radon transform incorporates a priori information by measuring the energy of each slowness (p) trace to obtain the high-resolution result of the Radon domain. For AVO preserving, the proposed method uses polynomials to describe the AVO characteristics in the inverse Radon transform based on the least-squares inversion. Besides amplitude preserving and high resolution, the proposed method avoids using CG and greatly reduces the cost of computing hyperbolic Radon transform in the time domain. In applications to both synthetic and field data, waveform Radon transform (WRT) has a better performance than the conjugate gradient Radon transform (CGRT).

Validity of negative bone biopsy in suspicious bone lesions

Background The presence of malignant cells in bone biopsies is considered gold standard to verify occurrence of cancer, whereas a negative bone biopsy can represent a false negative, with a risk of increasing patient morbidity and mortality and creating misleading conclusions in cancer research. However, a paucity of literature documents the validity of negative bone biopsy as an exclusion criterion for the presence of skeletal malignancies. Purpose To investigate the validity of a negative bone biopsy in bone lesions suspicious of malignancy. Material and Method A retrospective cohort of 215 consecutive targeted non-malignant skeletal biopsies from 207 patients (43% women, 57% men, median age 64, and range 94) representing suspicious focal bone lesions, collected from January 1, 2011, to July 31, 2013, was followed over a 2-year period to examine any additional biopsy, imaging, and clinical follow-up information to categorize the original biopsy as truly benign, malignant, or equivocal. Standard deviations and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results 210 of 215 biopsies (98%; 95% CI 0.94–0.99) showed to be truly benign 2 years after initial biopsy. Two biopsies were false negatives (1%; 95% CI 0.001–0.03), and three were equivocal (lack of imaging description). Conclusion Our study documents negative bone biopsy as a valid criterion for the absence of bone metastasis. Since only 28% had a confirmed diagnosis of prior cancer and not all patients received adequately sensitive imaging, our results might not be applicable to all cancer patients with suspicious bone lesions.

Pengembangan Multimedia Interaktif Berbasis Macromedia Flash pada Materi Sistem Peredaran Darah Manusia Kelas V Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Al-Ikhwan Pekanbaru

This research aimed at describing the validity of Macromedia Flash based Interactive Multimedia on Human Circulatory System material and describing student and teacher responses to Macromedia Flash based Interactive Multimedia on Human Circulatory System material. This research was instigated by the conventional instructional media used by the teacher, and the lack of school facility utilization to support the learning process. It was Research and Development (R&D) with Borg and Gall development model. The subjects of this research were 31 students at the fifth grade of Islamic Elementary School of Al-Ikhwan Pekanbaru in the Academic Year of 2019/2020, and the object was Macromedia Flash based Interactive Multimedia on Human Circulatory System material. Instruments of collecting the data were interview, documentation, validation sheet given to the experts of media and material to measure the validity of Macromedia Flash based Interactive Multimedia on Human Circulatory System material, and questionnaire of teacher and student responses to see teacher and student responses to Macromedia Flash based Interactive Multimedia developed on Human Circulatory System material. The obtained data then were analyzed by using qualitative and quantitative descriptive analysis techniques. Based on the research and data analysis, it could be concluded that Macromedia Flash based Interactive Multimedia on Human Circulatory System material at the fifth grade of Islamic Elementary School of Al-Ikhwan Pekanbaru, especially in the final product developed, passed the valid criterion with mean scores of the assessments of media experts 96% and material experts 94.5%, it was on very good category and it was proper to be tested. After testing, Macromedia Flash based Interactive Multimedia on Human Circulatory System material at the fifth grade of Islamic Elementary School of Al-Ikhwan Pekanbaru showed 100% percentage result for the small group test and 100% percentage result for the field test, and it was on very good category. The result of teacher response to Macromedia Flash based Interactive Multimedia on Human Circulatory System material at the fifth grade of Islamic Elementary School of Al-Ikhwan Pekanbaru was 98.2% percentage, and it was on very good category.

Latent profiles of patients with borderline pathology based on the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders

Background There have been multiple attempts to try to parse out heterogeneity within borderline pathology by identifying patient subtypes; thus far, these works have yielded few consistent results. Recent developments in the operationalization of borderline pathology may provide new opportunities to identify clinically and conceptually meaningful subgroups of patients. The Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) offers a categorical-dimensional operationalization of Borderline personality disorder (BPD) that has yet to be tested for identification of patient subgroups. The purpose of the present study is to test whether the combination of the Criterion A elements (pertaining to level of severity) and the seven pathological facets from Criterion B that define BPD in the AMPD can yield meaningful patient profiles. Methods A total of 211 outpatients from a specialized PD treatment program (133 women, Mage = 33.66, SD = 10.97) were selected based on the presence of at least moderate borderline pathology according to cutoffs recently proposed for the Borderline Symptom List-23. Valid Criterion A (Self and Interpersonal Functioning Scale) and B (Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Faceted Brief Form) self-reports were administered to measure elements and facets that define BPD in the AMPD model; these variables were used as indicators in a latent profile analysis (LPA). Results The optimal solution generated by LPA yielded four distinct profiles: (a) Borderline traits; (b) Moderate pathology with Impulsivity; (c) Moderate pathology with Identity problems and Depressivity; and (d) Severe pathology. Clinically meaningful distinctions emerged among profiles on AMPD indicators and external variables relevant to PD, especially aggression and impulsivity. Conclusions Profiles reflected both the “severity” and “style” components imbedded within Criterion A and B of the AMPD, as they were mainly distinguished by a continuum of severity but also by some meaningful qualitative differences that may have important clinical implications for treatment planning and contracting. Results also suggest that the four Criterion A elements have independent value to identify important differences in patients with borderline pathology. They also highlight that some Criterion B facets that define BPD in the AMPD may be especially important to identify subgroups of patients, mainly Impulsivity and Depressivity.