Maximalism as a Cosmopolitan strategy in the art of Ruth Novaczek and Doug Fishbone

Ruth Novaczek and Doug Fishbone: Cosmpolitanism, Jewishness and Art This paper looks at the work of the experimental film-maker Ruth Novaczek and the artist Doug Fishbone to think through the relationship between the cosmopolitan imagination, Jewishness and the visual arts. I suggest through my analysis of their art work that both artists proffer a cosmopolitan subject that arises out of their Jewish subjectivity. I will do this in different ways, discussing the art- works both in their various forms as well as the subject matter within the films. I will think through two recent publications on the cosmopolitan and art by Marsha Merskimmon and Nikos Papastergiadis to discuss what is at stake in the cosmopolitan in relation to the two artist case studies. Central to my argument is a maximalist tendency that goes against the usual current paradigmatic trend of the “long look” that was first articulated by the influential André Bazin as more real than the dialectical editing techniques argued (and performed) by Sergei Eisenstein. But neither am I arguing for a return to Eisenstein. Maximalism, as offered by the work of these artists signifies an excessive overloading that allows the viewer to insert themselves into the narrative of the work through the editing, the collage, and in the density of the range of the material. Finally, I will be bringing the formal discussion into dialogue with the explicit meaning developed by the art-work. Each of these artists proffer an unstable subject that is profoundly formed out of their Jewish and Diasporic subjectivity. This arises not just out of the formal structural scaffolding of the work but in terms of the subject matter within the work. They both explicitly use Jewish cultural references as a normative navigational tools in the work and as a way of forming their cultural worlds. These references range from dialogues of Jewish characters in cinema, to Jewish jokes and use of Yiddish or Hebrew. Importantly Jewish religion or ritual is absent. For both of these artists the Holocaust is a backdrop but not as way to valorize a victim status but as a way to reach out to a wider humanity and to understand its legacies. This is done through multi-positionality and the questioning of what a ‘home’ might be outside of an attachment to a nation state or a singular geographic location and embracing that estrangement. In sum, I will argue that the work offers a reiterative provisionality as a refusal to judge or to know the world; instead there is an attempt to incorporate its complexities and range into the vision of the work, challenging the viewer to identify what is at stake in the work and in the subject

Health Centers\u27 Role as Safety Net Providers for Medicaid Patients and the Uninsured

In order to understand the role of health centers as safety net providers, as well as the potential impact of these trends, this issue paper provides an in-depth examination of federally-funded health centers. Using data from the Uniform Data System (UDS), a government-maintained system that collects extensive patient, revenue, and service data on a calendar-year basis from health centers that receive federal grants, this issue paper profiles federally-funded health centers. It presents information on health center patients and revenue sources and analyzes similarities and differences both between health centers and private practices and among health centers. Health centers perform a unique role in the American health care system as nearly 85 percent of their patients are low-income and more than a third of their revenue comes from the Medicaid program, compared with less than 10 percent for most physician practices. The paper also reviews trends in health center patients and funding and concludes with an assessment of current challenges facing health centers

Effects of FDA Advisories on the Pharmacologic Treatment of ADHD, 2004–2008

This study assessed the effect of public health advisories issued between 2005 and 2007 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on treatments of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and physician prescribing practices

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Cost effectiveness of support for people starting a new medication for a long term condition through community pharmacies: an economic evaluation of the New Medicine Service (NMS) compared with normal practice

Background: The English community pharmacy New Medicine Service (NMS) significantly increases patient adherence to medicines, compared with normal practice. We examined the cost-effectiveness of NMS compared with normal practice by combining adherence improvement and intervention costs with the effect of increased adherence on patient outcomes and healthcare costs. Methods: We developed Markov models for diseases targeted by the NMS (hypertension, type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and antiplatelet regimens) to assess the impact of patients’ non-adherence. Clinical event probability, treatment pathway, resource-use and costs were extracted from literature and costing tariffs. Incremental costs and outcomes associated with each disease were incorporated additively into a composite probabilistic model and combined with adherence rates and intervention costs from the trial. Costs per extra quality-adjusted-life-year(QALY) were calculated from the perspective of NHS England, using a lifetime horizon. Results: NMS generated a mean of 0.05 (95%CI: 0.00, 0.13) more QALYs per patient, at a mean reduced cost of -£144 (95%CI: -769, 73). The NMS dominates normal practice with probability of 0.78 (ICER: - £3166 per QALY). NMS has a 96.7% probability of cost-effectiveness compared with normal practice at a willingness-to-pay of £20000 per QALY. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that targeting each disease with NMS has a probability over 0.90 of cost-effectiveness compared with normal practice at a willingness-to-pay of £20000 per QALY. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the New Medicine Service increased patient medicine adherence compared with normal practice, which translated into increased health gain at reduced overall cost

Alterations in gap junction connexin43/connexin45 ratio mediate a transition from quiescence to excitation in a mathematical model of the myometrium

The smooth muscle cells of the uterus contract in unison during delivery. These cells achieve coordinated activity via electrical connections called gap junctions which consist of aggregated connexin proteins such as connexin43 and connexin45. The density of gap junctions governs the excitability of the myometrium (among other factors). An increase in gap junction density occurs immediately prior to parturition. We extend a mathematical model of the myometrium by incorporating the voltage-dependence of gap junctions that has been demonstrated in the experimental literature. Two functional subtypes exist, corresponding to systems with predominantly connexin43 and predominantly connexin45, respectively. Our simulation results indicate that the gap junction protein connexin45 acts as a negative modulator of uterine excitability, and hence, activity. A network with a higher proportion of connexin45 relative to connexin43 is unable to excite every cell. Connexin45 has much more rapid gating kinetics than connexin43 which we show limits the maximum duration of a local burst of activity. We propose that this effect regulates the degree of synchronous excitation attained during a contraction. Our results support the hypothesis that as labour approaches, connexin45 is downregulated to allow action potentials to spread more readily through the myometrium

Industrial-strength ecology: trade-offs and opportunities in algal biofuel production.

Microalgae represent one of the most promising groups of candidate organisms for replacing fossil fuels with contemporary primary production as a renewable source of energy. Algae can produce many times more biomass per unit area than terrestrial crop plants, easing the competing demands for land with food crops and native ecosystems. However, several aspects of algal biology present unique challenges to the industrial-scale aquaculture of photosynthetic microorganisms. These include high susceptibility to invading aquatic consumers and weeds, as well as prodigious requirements for nutrients that may compete with the fertiliser demands of other crops. Most research on algal biofuel technologies approaches these problems from a cellular or genetic perspective, attempting either to engineer or select algal strains with particular traits. However, inherent functional trade-offs may limit the capacity of genetic selection or synthetic biology to simultaneously optimise multiple functional traits for biofuel productivity and resilience. We argue that a community engineering approach that manages microalgal diversity, species composition and environmental conditions may lead to more robust and productive biofuel ecosystems. We review evidence for trade-offs, challenges and opportunities in algal biofuel cultivation with a goal of guiding research towards intensifying bioenergy production using established principles of community and ecosystem ecology

Effects of FDA Advisories on the Pharmacologic Treatment of ADHD, 2004–2008

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effect of public health advisories issued between 2005 and 2007 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on treatments of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and physician prescribing practices. METHODS: Data obtained from the IMS Health National Disease and Therapeutic Index, a nationally representative audit of ambulatory physicians, were used to examine trends in office visits by children and adolescents (under age 18) during which ADHD was treated with Adderall, other psychostimulants, or atomoxetine. Segmented time series regressions were conducted to determine changes in use associated with three advisories issued between 2005 and 2007. RESULTS: In 2004, before the first FDA advisory, Adderall accounted for 36% of ADHD pharmacotherapy treatment visits. Other stimulants accounted for 46%, and atomoxetine accounted for 19%. Overall pharmacotherapy treatment rates were stable over the study period, but by 2008 the treatment visits accounted for by Adderall (that is, market share) declined to 24%, and the market share for atomoxetine declined to 8%. The market share for substitute therapies—clonidine, guanfacine, and bupropion—was stable over this period, ranging from 5% to 7%. Despite the declines in the use of Adderall and atomoxetine over the study period, results from the regression models suggest that the advisories did not have a statistically significant effect on ADHD medication prescribing. CONCLUSIONS: FDA advisories regarding potential cardiovascular and other risks of ADHD medications had little discernible incremental effect on the use of these medicines in this nationally representative ambulatory audit

Laparoscopic versus open abdominal surgery and thoracotomy for patients with oesophageal cancer:the ROMIO pragmatic parallel group randomised controlled trial

Objective: We investigated if hybrid oesophagectomy with minimally invasive gastric mobilisation and thoracotomy enabled faster recovery than open surgery. Methods: In eight UK centres, this pragmatic randomised controlled trial recruited patients for oesophagectomy to treat localised cancer. Participants were randomly allocated to hybrid or open surgery, stratified by centre and receipt of neoadjuvant treatment. Large dressings aimed to mask patients to their allocation for six days post-surgery. We present the intention-to-treat analysis of outcome measures from the first three months post-randomisation, including the primary outcome, the patient-reported physical function scale of the EORTC QLQ-C30, and cost-effectiveness. Current Controlled Trials registration: ISRCTN 59036820 (feasibility study), 10386621 (definitive study).Findings: There was no evidence of a difference between hybrid (n=267) and open (n=266) surgery in average physical function over three months post-randomisation: difference in means 2.1, 95% confidence interval -2.0 to 6.2, p=0.3. Complication rates were similar, for example 88 (34%) participants in the open and 82 (32%) participants in the hybrid surgery groups experienced a pulmonary infection within 30 days. There was no evidence that hybrid surgery was more cost-effective than open surgery at three months.Conclusions: Patient reported physical function in the three months post-randomisation provided no evidence of a difference in recovery time between hybrid and open surgery, nor a difference in cost-effectiveness. Both approaches to surgery were completed safely, with a similar risk of key complications, suggesting that surgeons who have a preference for one of the two approaches need not change their practice