Looking laterally: The literary utopia and the task of critical social theory

This article is focused on exploring the value of literary utopias for social theory. The literary utopia, at first glance, appears irrelevant to sociology, its imaginative descriptions of social worlds both radically different and substantively better than our own seeming to skip over the central task of sociological enquiry: the diagnosis of society as it exists. In this article, the author aims to demonstrate that this is mistaken: the tradition of literary utopianising has much to contribute to sociology. Utopian authors, from Thomas More in the sixteenth century to Ursula K Le Guin in the twentieth, have developed a sophisticated and original mode of social critique. The utopian text, in bricolating and remixing aspects of actually existing society, creates something both new and astonishing. In looking laterally at the world from the perspective of utopia, consciousness of the contradictions and repressions of the dominant relations in contemporary society is sharpened. The literary utopia achieves this in two ways: first, it demonstrates how the not yet realised norms of the author’s society can be fulfilled and, second, it discloses the hidden possibilities for new ways of living that are present but denied in the social world. </jats:p

“Life Can Be a Little Bit Fluffy”: Survival Television, Neoliberalism, and the Ambiguous Utopia of Self-preservation

This article examines the utopian imaginary of two survival television shows: Born Survivor and Extreme Survival. These programs focus on the attempts by survival experts Bear Grylls and Ray Mears to remain alive in the wilderness. After considering the place of survival television in the history of nature documentaries and its articulation of a “primitive” form of masculinity, it is argued that the genre elaborates a neoliberal form of utopia. Survival television dovetails with the shadowy side of neoliberalism, ennobling a precarious, self-punishing mode of existence in which one struggles to maintain one’s present position rather than improve it. Yet, drawing on a widely shared meme featuring Grylls, I conclude by suggesting that the conservative effect of survival television is tempered by the exaggerated nature of Grylls’s performance, which offers a glimpse into how survival might be perceived from a genuinely utopian future.</jats:p

My utopia is your utopia? William Morris, utopian theory and the claims of the past

This article examines the relationship between utopian production and reception via a reading of the work of the great utopian author and theorist William Morris. This relationship has invariably been defined by an inequality: utopian producers have claimed unlimited freedom in their attempts to imagine new worlds, while utopian recipients have been asked to adopt such visions as their own without question. Morris’s work suggests two possible responses to this inequality. One response, associated with theorist Miguel Abensour, is to liberate reception, with Morris’s utopianism containing an invitation to readers to reformulate the vision proffered. However, this response, despite its dominance in contemporary utopian theory, not only misreads Morris but also undermines the political efficacy of utopianism. Consequently, I suggest that Morris responds to the problem of utopian inequality by constraining production, proposing a historical control on utopianising; new utopias are directed by an archive of visions articulated in past struggles. </jats:p

Mirizzi syndrome associated with hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: This is the first case report of Mirizzi syndrome associated with hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm. CASE PRESENTATION: A 54-year-old man presented with painful obstructive jaundice and weight loss. Computed tomography showed a hilar mass in the liver. Following an episode of haemobilia, angiography demonstrated a pseudoaneurysm of a branch of the right hepatic artery that was embolised. At surgery, a gallstone causing Mirizzi type II syndrome was found to be responsible for the biliary obstruction and a necrotic inflammatory mass and haematoma were found to be extending into the liver. The mass was debrided and drained, the obstructing stones removed and the bile duct drained with a t-tube. The patient made a full recovery. CONCLUSION: This case highlights another situation where there may be difficulty in differentiating Mirizzi syndrome from biliary tract cancer.Published versio

Flight Test of an Intelligent Flight-Control System

The F-15 Advanced Controls Technology for Integrated Vehicles (ACTIVE) airplane (see figure) was the test bed for a flight test of an intelligent flight control system (IFCS). This IFCS utilizes a neural network to determine critical stability and control derivatives for a control law, the real-time gains of which are computed by an algorithm that solves the Riccati equation. These derivatives are also used to identify the parameters of a dynamic model of the airplane. The model is used in a model-following portion of the control law, in order to provide specific vehicle handling characteristics. The flight test of the IFCS marks the initiation of the Intelligent Flight Control System Advanced Concept Program (IFCS ACP), which is a collaboration between NASA and Boeing Phantom Works. The goals of the IFCS ACP are to (1) develop the concept of a flight-control system that uses neural-network technology to identify aircraft characteristics to provide optimal aircraft performance, (2) develop a self-training neural network to update estimates of aircraft properties in flight, and (3) demonstrate the aforementioned concepts on the F-15 ACTIVE airplane in flight. The activities of the initial IFCS ACP were divided into three Phases, each devoted to the attainment of a different objective. The objective of Phase I was to develop a pre-trained neural network to store and recall the wind-tunnel-based stability and control derivatives of the vehicle. The objective of Phase II was to develop a neural network that can learn how to adjust the stability and control derivatives to account for failures or modeling deficiencies. The objective of Phase III was to develop a flight control system that uses the neural network outputs as a basis for controlling the aircraft. The flight test of the IFCS was performed in stages. In the first stage, the Phase I version of the pre-trained neural network was flown in a passive mode. The neural network software was running using flight data inputs with the outputs provided to instrumentation only. The IFCS was not used to control the airplane. In another stage of the flight test, the Phase I pre-trained neural network was integrated into a Phase III version of the flight control system. The Phase I pretrained neural network provided realtime stability and control derivatives to a Phase III controller that was based on a stochastic optimal feedforward and feedback technique (SOFFT). This combined Phase I/III system was operated together with the research flight-control system (RFCS) of the F-15 ACTIVE during the flight test. The RFCS enables the pilot to switch quickly from the experimental- research flight mode back to the safe conventional mode. These initial IFCS ACP flight tests were completed in April 1999. The Phase I/III flight test milestone was to demonstrate, across a range of subsonic and supersonic flight conditions, that the pre-trained neural network could be used to supply real-time aerodynamic stability and control derivatives to the closed-loop optimal SOFFT flight controller. Additional objectives attained in the flight test included (1) flight qualification of a neural-network-based control system; (2) the use of a combined neural-network/closed-loop optimal flight-control system to obtain level-one handling qualities; and (3) demonstration, through variation of control gains, that different handling qualities can be achieved by setting new target parameters. In addition, data for the Phase-II (on-line-learning) neural network were collected, during the use of stacked-frequency- sweep excitation, for post-flight analysis. Initial analysis of these data showed the potential for future flight tests that will incorporate the real-time identification and on-line learning aspects of the IFCS

5-aminolevulinic acid as a potential contrast agent for image-guided surgery in pancreatic cancer

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer often recurs following surgery suggesting new operative approaches are required. Fluorescence-guided surgery aims to assist surgeons in identifying tumour intraoperatively to facilitate complete resection. However, the ideal contrast agent for this purpose is not yet determined. The Rose criterion states that accurate imageguided surgery requires a Tumour-to-Background Ratio of contrast agent greater than 5. We investigated the potential of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) for this purpose. Methods: Pancreatic cancer cell lines CFPAC-1 and PANC-1 were compared with the control pancreatic ductal cell line H6c7. Cells were seeded on day 1 and fluorescence measured on day 4 following 4, 8, 24 or 48 hours incubation with 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 or 1.00mM ALA. Fluorescence was measured using a plate reader and microscopy. Results: The maximum ALA-induced fluorescence for CFPAC-1 and PANC-1 was achieved after 48 hours incubation with 0.50mM ALA. Compared to cells incubated without ALA, a relative fluorescence increase of 39.4-fold in CFPAC-1 and 2.7-fold in PANC-1 was seen. ALA concentrations above 0.50mM did not result in higher fluorescence. In contrast, the control cell line H6c7 showed progressively increasing fluorescence with increasing ALA concentrations. The highest cancer/control cell fluorescence ratios for ALA were after 48 hours incubation with 0.25mM ALA; 122.9 in CFPAC-1 and 9.7 in PANC-1. Conclusion: ALA-induced fluorescence in CFPAC-1 is significantly higher than the control cell line H6c7. PANC-1 achieved only mildly increased fluorescence compared to H6c7. ALA has the potential to provide an adequate level of fluorescence for image-guided pancreatic surgery in ALA-susceptible cancers

Effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid on the haem biosynthesis pathway in pancreatic cancer and pancreatic ductal epithelial cell lines

Introduction: 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) generates protoporphyrin IX (PpIX)-induced fluorescence by acting as a substrate for the haem biosynthesis pathway. Despite suggestions that ALA could be used for pancreatic cancer photodiagnostics, the pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1 only shows weak fluorescence following ALA administration. A possible explanation was that the haem biosynthesis pathway varies between cancers. Methods: We compared the mRNA expression of the haem biosynthesis pathway of PANC-1 (weak fluorescence) with the pancreatic cancer cell line CFPAC-1 (strong fluorescence) and the pancreatic ductal cell line H6c7 (control) with or without 24 hours ALA incubation. Cells were seeded on day one, fresh media with or without ALA (0.5mM) added on day two, and RNA extracted on day three. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to assess the relative mRNA expression of four membrane transporters and eight enzymes responsible for haem biosynthesis. Results: Post-ALA incubation, CFPAC-1 demonstrated significant downregulation of cell membrane ALA influx transporter PEPT1, downregulation of ALA synthase and upregulation of the mitochondrial membrane transporter ABCB6. PANC-1, whilst showing similar changes to ALA synthase and ABCB6, showed significant upregulation of the PpIX efflux transporter ABCG2. PANC-1 also had minimal PEPT1 expression pre- and post-ALA. H6c7 demonstrated significant up- or downregulation of three transporters and five enzymes. Conclusion: Poor PpIX-induced fluorescence in PANC-1 is likely to be secondary to decreased ALA influx from low PEPT1 expression and increased ABCG2 expression. The use of nanocarriers to deliver ALA and/or ABCG2 inhibitors may improve ALA-induced fluorescence in PANC-1 and other ALA-resistant cancers

The Impact of Flavour Changing Neutral Gauge Bosons on B->X_s gamma

The branching ratio of the rare decay B->X_s gamma provides potentially strong constraints on models beyond the Standard Model. Considering a general scenario with new heavy neutral gauge bosons, present in particular in Z' and gauge flavour models, we point out two new contributions to the B->X_s gamma decay. The first one originates from one-loop diagrams mediated by gauge bosons and heavy exotic quarks with electric charge -1/3. The second contribution stems from the QCD mixing of neutral current-current operators generated by heavy neutral gauge bosons and the dipole operators responsible for the B->X_s gamma decay. The latter mixing is calculated here for the first time. We discuss general sum rules which have to be satisfied in any model of this type. We emphasise that the neutral gauge bosons in question could also significantly affect other fermion radiative decays as well as non-leptonic two-body B decays, epsilon'/epsilon, anomalous (g-2)_mu and electric dipole moments.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures; version published on JHEP; added magic QCD numbers for flavour-violating Z gauge boson contribution to B -> X_s gamm

Lack of insurance coverage and urgent care use for asthma: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a common chronic disease with profound impacts upon individuals and the US health care system. Inadequate health care coverage has been associated with more frequent and severe exacerbations of the disease. We examined the relationship between adequacy of health care coverage and use of emergent care of adults with asthma. METHODS: The 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was the source of data on adults with current asthma. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analysis modeled identifiable factors in predicting urgent or emergent care. RESULTS: Key variables included demographics and information on self-reported gaps in health care coverage. The primary outcome was emergency room or urgent care visits for worsening of asthma symptoms. Of 16,234 subjects nationally with current asthma, 2,195 from eight states had valid responses to a supplemental module asking about emergency room use or urgent care visits because of asthma. Thirty four percent of these individuals required such care in the previous year. Having an interruption in health care coverage in the past year was associated with an increased risk of needed urgent or emergent care (crude Odds Ratio [OR] 1.48, 95% confidence intervals [CI]1.03, 2.1). The association was not statistically significant in the adjusted multivariate model including race/ethnicity, employment status, gender, age, education and the ability to identify a primary physician (adjusted OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.8, 1.8). CONCLUSION: This study provides population-level, generalizable evidence of increased risk of exacerbations of asthma in adults and (1) their demographic characteristics, and (2) continuous adequate health care coverage