Ethics-Rorty-cultural studies : towards an understanding of the cultural production of solidarity : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Is cultural studies on the verge of an ethical turn? What role could the work of Richard Rorty play in such an ethical turn? Rorty may be considered as a cultural theorist whose work enables a productive articulation of cultural studies and that area of experience known as "ethics" – one's sensitivity and sense of responsibility to others in pain. Through an extended "misreading" of the dispersed texts Rorty has written on and around the topic, it is possible to formulate a Rortian account of ethics as solidarity, including such concepts as the moral subject, the other, moral identification, moral community, as well as the ethical implications of Rorty's theoretical ethnocentrism. This account, by virtue of its antifoundationalist and discursive theoretical position, holds much interest for a cultural studies concerned to understand the normative dimension of discursive meaning

Aspects of scattering theory

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A Study On The Effects Of Cementless Total Knee Arthroscopy Implants’ Surface Morphology With Finite Element Analysis

Total knee arthroscopy is one of the most performed and most successful orthopedic surgeries, with nearly a million procedures performed in 2020 in the United States alone. Due to changing patient demographics, the use of cementless fixation for implant stability is becoming more prevalent amongst recipients. Cementless implants rely on the surface morphology of a porous coating to bond implant to bone; the quality of this bond is dependent on an interference fit and the roughness, or coefficient of friction, between implant and bone. Stress shielding is a comparison of the properties in implanted bone to natural bone; it is a commonly used measurable when using a finite element model to optimize implant design. The purpose of this study is to investigate how different coating types (coefficients of friction) and the location of their application affect the stress shielding response in the tibia. A finite element model was constructed to investigate the impact of these variables. The results concluded that the stress distribution in an implanted tibia is dependent on the coefficient of friction applied at the tip of the stem. Lower friction coefficients applied to the stem tip resulted in higher compressive stresses, and higher friction coefficients resulted in lower compressive stresses. Thus, lower friction coefficients provided more favorable stress shielding responses, however, at the expense of stress concentrations of greater magnitude

Bayesian networks and decision trees in the diagnosis of female urinary incontinence

This study compares the effectiveness of Bayesian networks versus Decision Trees in modeling the Integral Theory of Female Urinary Incontinence diagnostic algorithm. Bayesian networks and Decision Trees were developed and trained using data from 58 adult women presenting with urinary incontinence symptoms. A Bayesian Network was developed in collaboration with an expert specialist who regularly utilizes a non-automated diagnostic algorithm in clinical practice. The original Bayesian network was later refined using a more connected approach. Diagnoses determined from all automated approaches were compared with the diagnoses of a single human expert. In most cases, Bayesian networks were found to be at least as accurate as the Decision Tree approach. The refined Connected Bayesian Network was found to be more accurate than the Original Bayesian Network accurately discriminated between diagnoses despite the small sample size. In contrast, the Connected and Decision Tree approaches were less able to discriminate between diagnoses. The Original Bayesian Network was found to provide an excellent basis for graphically communicating the correlation between symptoms and laxity defects in a given anatomical zone. Performance measures in both networks indicate that Bayesian networks could provide a potentially useful tool in the management of female pelvic floor dysfunction. Before the technique can be utilized in practice, well-established learning algorithms should be applied to improve network structure. A larger training data set should also improve network accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity

The Workers' Compensation System of British Columbia: Still in Transition

This inventory addresses eight core issues in the British Columbia workers' compensation system:* How is the system administered?* How do claims flow through the system?* What dispute resolution procedures are used, and to what effect?* What benefits are paid?* How are vocational rehabilitation services provided?* How is the system financed?* What are the actual costs of administration, benefits, claims processing, and appeal?* What aspects of the system deserve further attention

Assessing the impact of the New Student Support Arrangements (NSSA) on higher education institutions (BIS research paper no.12)

"The research explores the impact on the policies, planning and behaviours of universities nearly four years after the introduction of new arrangements for student support in higher education (known as NSSA). It is set within the context of continued policy focus on increasing and widening participation, rising importance of university performance indicators in student choices, and a challenging economic climate. The research uses qualitative evidence collected from over 120 staff in 15 case studies across England..." - exec. summary

Washington Pension System Review

The purpose of this study is to analyze the incidence of Total Permanent Disability (TPD)pensions in Washington State's workers' compensation program. Concerns exist at both thelegislature and in the Department of Labor and Industries as there appears to have been a sharp upturn in the number of pensions awarded since late in the 1990s. This report examines the factors that may be causally related to any upsurge in such awards. Our task is to evaluate pension incidence for both the state fund and the self-insured populations, with a view towards identifying causes of the trend in both sectors, although we concentrate more on the state fund Cclaims due to data limitations

Accommodating Complex Substitution Patterns in a Random Utility Model of Recreational Fishing

We employed a cross-nested logit (CNL) model that permits a rich pattern of substitution among alternatives within a closed form choice model. The specification we employed is ideal for applications with many choice alternatives, such as the 431 fishing sites in this application. The CNL model provided a significant improvement over multinomial and nested logit model specifications at explaining observed recreational fishing site choices by residents of northern Ontario, Canada. Results from two scenarios illustrated the implications of using the CNL model on spatial substitution patterns and welfare measures associated with attribute change scenarios. The CNL model forecasts demonstrated that the relative change in fishing site use was lower at the most affected sites and higher at sites near the affected sites than was predicted by the multinomial logit model. No consistent pattern was found in mean or variance of welfare estimates associated with hypothetical attribute changes.Compensating variation, cross-nested logit, fishing site choice, random utility model, spatial substitution, Demand and Price Analysis, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Q26,

Factors associated with wheelchair use and the impact on quality of life among individuals with spinal cord injury

We systematically examined the standard of care for wheelchair provision, factors associated with wheelchair choice, disparities in access to wheelchair technology, and the impact of wheelchair use on quality of life among individuals with spinal cord injury (ISCI), participants of the National Model Spinal Cord Injury Systems (NMSCIS). We administered the Assistive Technology Survey developed by the consensus of the directors of the NMSCIS to a convenient sample of 635 adult full-time wheelchair users who met the eligibility criteria for the NMSCIS in 2 separate data collection periods. About 97% of manual and 54% power wheelchair users had customizable wheelchairs, lending evidence to show that ultralight weight customizable manual wheelchairs and customizable power wheelchairs with programmable controls are the standard of care for wheelchair users with SCI. Power wheelchair users were significantly older (p=0.000) than manual wheelchair users. However, regardless to the level of SCI, manual wheelchair users were able to use manual wheelchairs for an average of more than 10 years. Although the socioeconomic statuses (SES) of manual and power wheelchair users were similar, minorities with lower SES had less access to customizable wheelchairs and additional wheelchairs. We were not able to establish an association between the types and design features of wheelchair used on quality of life. Quality of life outcomes were measured in terms of physical/structural barriers, mobility, physical independence, social integration, and life satisfaction; all of these measures are part of the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors, the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale. However, we were able to conclude that having additional wheelchairs significantly enhanced mobility for wheelchair users. The results of our study generated new knowledge for the field of SCI rehabilitation by elucidating the standard of care for wheelchair provision, the characteristics of wheelchair users with SCI, and the impact of wheelchair use for this population. Furthermore, this study also provided policy makers with valuable data to address disparities in access to customizable wheelchairs and the lack of insurance coverage for additional wheelchairs