Themis-ml: A Fairness-Aware Machine Learning Interface for End-To-End Discrimination Discovery and Mitigation

ABSTRACT

As more industries integrate machine learning into socially sensitive decision processes like hiring, loan-approval, and parole-granting, we are at risk of perpetuating historical and contemporary socioeconomic disparities. This is a critical problem because on the one hand, organizations who use but do not understand the discriminatory potential of such systems will facilitate the widening of social disparities under the assumption that algorithms are categorically objective. On the other hand, the responsible use of machine learning can help us measure, understand, and mitigate the implicit historical biases in socially sensitive data by expressing implicit decision-making mental models in terms of explicit statistical models. In this article we specify, implement, and evaluate a “fairness-aware” machine learning interface called themis-ml, which is intended for use by individual data scientists and engineers, academic research teams, or larger product teams who use machine learning in production systems.     

Analyses of infectious disease data from household outbreaks by Markov chain Monte Carlo methods

The analysis of infectious disease data presents challenges arising from the dependence in the data and the fact that only part of the transmission process is observable. These difficulties are usually overcome by making simplifying assumptions. The paper explores the use of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods for the analysis of infectious disease data, with the hope that they will permit analyses to be made under more realistic assumptions. Two important kinds of data sets are considered, containing temporal and non-temporal information, from outbreaks of measles and influenza. Stochastic epidemic models are used to describe the processes that generate the data. MCMC methods are then employed to perform inference in a Bayesian context for the model parameters. The MCMC methods used include standard algorithms, such as the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm and the Gibbs sampler, as well as a new method that involves likelihood approximation. It is found that standard algorithms perform well in some situations but can exhibit serious convergence difficulties in others. The inferences that we obtain are in broad agreement with estimates obtained by other methods where they are available. However, we can also provide inferences for parameters which have not been reported in previous analyses.     

Social Metabolism and Labour in a Local Context: Changing Environmental Relations on Trinket Island

From a material and energetic perspective, this paper outlines the patterns of society-nature interactions of a local horticultural, hunter-and-gatherer population that lives on a remote island between India and Indonesia. Based on empirical research, we present several indicators to show an economic portfolio of a local society that combines horticulture, hunting and gathering activities with elements of industrialisation and market economy. In describing these environmental relations, the study narrows its focus to the use of three socio-ecological concepts, namely socio-economic metabolism, colonising natural processes, and the energetic return on investment. Using these concepts, we show the dynamics of social and environmental transformation at a local level and the consequences this may have for sustainability.     

Willentliches Vergessen – Voraussetzung für Flexibilität und Veränderungsfähigkeit in einer sich permanent verändernden Welt

Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO) - Dieser Beitrag im Journal Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. stellt dar, wie willentliches...     

Spiritual needs of mothers with sick new born or premature infants—A cross sectional survey among German mothers

Background

Spirituality is part of the basic needs of all humans, yet often undervalued by health professionals. Less is known about the spiritual needs of mothers of preterm or sick new born children.

“Y,what do you think about what X just said?” Conversation analysis of stance-eliciting questions in open dialogue network meetings

Open dialogue is a resource-oriented approach to mental health, which aims to help those involved in a crisis situation support each other and engage in dialogue. While language use in open dialogue is generally characterized as being open-ended, nondirective, and nonevaluating on the professionals' side, little is known about the specific conversational features. The aim of this study was to analyze the interactional functions of a stance-eliciting question of the form: “Y, what do you think about what X just said?” We used conversation analysis (CA) to examine this in eight video-recorded Danish open dialogue network meetings. In CA, stance involves expressions of attitude, affect, or judgments about people or events. We describe the interactional functions of these stance-eliciting questions and discuss how clinicians used them as a tool for accomplishing neutrality. The findings can be used to gain a more nuanced understanding of open dialogue psychotherapeutic practices.     

Regret aversion and the reluctance to exchange lottery tickets

The current research finds that people are willing to forego a direct material gain, if that protects them from future regrets. In two experiments participants endowed with a lottery ticket were offered to exchange their ticket for another ticket from the same lottery. Even though they could receive a bonus for exchanging, many participants chose not to do so. Experiment 1 finds that a manipulation that prevented the anticipation of regret by offering the ticket in a sealed envelope made more participants exchange their ticket. Experiment 2 finds that an increased potential of regret over not-exchanging made more participants exchange as well. In both experiments the effect of the manipulation on choices is mediated by anticipated regret. The experiments show that people are willing to forego a material gain to prevent future regrets and that the reluctance to exchange lottery tickets is (partly) caused by regret aversion.     

Demographic Transitions and Changes in the Living Arrangements of Children: The Netherlands 1850–2010

The transformation of Europe’s demographic regime over the past two centuries has led to considerable changes in the living arrangements of children. We study long-term changes, making use of three datasets covering the living arrangements of children born between 1850 and 1993 in the Netherlands: a historical national sample of children born between 1850 and 1922, a retrospective survey covering children born between 1923 and 1985, and data from the national population registry relating to children born between 1986 and 1993. We describe the changes in terms of whether fathers, mothers, and stepparents lived with these children at birth and at age 15. We observe a massive increase in the percentage of children growing up in a complete family between the 1850–1879 cohort and the mid-twentieth century cohorts and a return to nineteenth-century conditions in the most recent birth cohort. Time spent in a complete family increased continuously from the mid-nineteenth century on, to decrease again from the 1960s on.