Anatomies of the subject: Spinoza and Deleuze

PhDThis thesis centres on an examination of Gilles Deleuze's non-subject centred philosophy and the influence of the earlier (seventeenth century) work of Benedict Spinoza, whom Deleuze describes as one of an "alternative" tradition of philosophers, and whom he claims as an antecedent. Historically, the subject has always appeared as a question, or as in question, as a problem around which concepts cluster. The focus here is on Deleuze's approach to the problem of subjectivity, his treatment of it and his attempt to configure an "antisubject" based on his own transformations of Spinozist concepts, which he takes up and modifies for his own purposes. The proposal is that Spinoza provides a key or a way into Deleuzean concepts, and at the same time that Deleuze's readings of Spinoza's theories reinvigorate them. What unites Spinoza and Deleuze, and is a recurring theme of this thesis, is that they both conduct their critiques and elaborate models from within a conceptual framework of a radical immanence that opposes all transcendence, and especially the' transcendent subject of consciousness. It is on the basis of Spinoza's radical immanence and his non-analogical approach to Being/beings that Deleuze constructs a theory of becoming - as "de-individualising" process - that will be his alternative to models of the subject based on identity

Vocation, caring and nurse identity

This study begins with a premise that ‘caring’ is no longer as evident in nursing practice, which in turn has repercussions for understanding nursing as a ‘vocation’. The study, therefore, sets out to problematise both ‘caring’ and ‘vocation’ and in so doing identifies that whilst both are elusive ‘caring’ is particularly difficult to ‘pin down’ - in terms of abstracting a definitive definition, and importantly, how it is articulated in practice. By situating the study within social constructionism (Berger and Luckmann, 1991) and communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and by additionally drawing on narrative inquiry, the study pays attention to the stories of six final year student nurses. By closely reading these accounts, through a number of theoretical frames, including Sheldon Stryker (1980), it becomes possible to glimpse some of the interactions and oscillations where an individual’s nursing ideals situates them in what MacLure describes as a ‘moral universe (2003: 9). It is by disentangling this ‘universe’ that I am able to catch some of the meanings that circulate around ‘care’ and which reverberate with the notion of nursing as a ‘vocation’. Further disentanglements, especially those relating to discourses and discursive power occur when Foucault is brought into the picture. Whilst this study is unable to provide a definitive account of what it means to care or provide guidelines for nursing as a vocation it does nevertheless raise a number of pressing and critical questions; questions that highlight the political, social, emotional and ethical work that student nurses have to undertake where hopes, beliefs and ideals in relation to ‘care’ have to find ‘some sort of place’. Moreover, by working with Judith Butler’s theoretical ideas relating to ‘performance’ I am obliged to (re)turn again to the data so as to radically (re)consider the means by which the participants are con(script)ed to perform care in some ways and not others. The study also illustrates the reflexive journey that I have undertaken, where my own ideological longings in relation to ‘care’ have been sorely tampered. It is argued that such tampering is a necessary irritant and component within the context of the university classroom where it obliges both me and the students to work together so that we can, together, (re)think and (re)configure what it means to ‘care’

Professional Responsibility, Nurses, and Conscientious Objection: A Framework for Ethical Evaluation

Conscientious objections (CO) can be disruptive in a variety of ways and may disadvantage patients and colleagues who must step-in to assume care. Nevertheless, nurses have a right and responsibility to object to participation in interventions that would seriously harm their sense of integrity. This is an ethical problem of balancing risks and responsibilities related to patient care. Here we explore the problem and propose a nonlinear framework for exploring the authenticity of a claim of CO from the perspective of the nurse and of those who must evaluate such claims. We synthesized the framework using Rest’s Four Component Model of moral reasoning along with tenets of the International Council of Nursing’s (ICN) Code of Ethics for Nurses and insights from relevant ethics and nursing ethics literature. The resulting framework facilitates evaluating potential consequences of a given CO for all involved. We propose that the framework can also serve as an aid for nurse educators as they prepare students for practice. Gaining clarity about the sense in which the concept of conscience provides a defensible foundation for objecting to legally, or otherwise ethically, permissible actions, in any given case is critical to arriving at an ethical and reasonable plan of action

Clinical interventions, implementation interventions, and the potential greyness in between -a discussion paper

Background: There is increasing awareness that regardless of the proven value of clinical interventions, the use of effective strategies to implement such interventions into clinical practice is necessary to ensure that patients receive the benefits. However, there is often confusion between what is the clinical intervention and what is the implementation intervention. This may be caused by a lack of conceptual clarity between \u27intervention\u27 and \u27implementation\u27, yet at other times by ambiguity in application. We suggest that both the scientific and the clinical communities would benefit from greater clarity; therefore, in this paper, we address the concepts of intervention and implementation, primarily as in clinical interventions and implementation interventions, and explore the grey area in between. Discussion: To begin, we consider the similarities, differences and potential greyness between clinical interventions and implementation interventions through an overview of concepts. This is illustrated with reference to two examples of clinical interventions and implementation intervention studies, including the potential ambiguity in between. We then discuss strategies to explore the hybridity of clinical-implementation intervention studies, including the role of theories, frameworks, models, and reporting guidelines that can be applied to help clarify the clinical and implementation intervention, respectively. Conclusion: Semantics provide opportunities for improved precision in depicting what is \u27intervention\u27 and what is \u27implementation\u27 in health care research. Further, attention to study design, the use of theory, and adoption of reporting guidelines can assist in distinguishing between the clinical intervention and the implementation intervention. However, certain aspects may remain unclear in analyses of hybrid studies of clinical and implementation interventions. Recognizing this potential greyness can inform further discourse

The South Carolina Commission for the Blind and The State Board of Commissioners Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment

The South Carolina Commission for the Blind, the State Board of Commissioners and the Interwork Institute at San Diego State University jointly conducted an assessment of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) needs of persons with blindness and vision impairments residing in the state of South Carolina. The purpose of the assessment was to provide planners with VR information pertinent to the allocation of resources, to provide a rationale for the development of SCCB’s State Plan, and to comply with the needs assessment mandate in the Rehabilitation Act

REFORMS: Reporting Standards for Machine Learning Based Science

Machine learning (ML) methods are proliferating in scientific research. However, the adoption of these methods has been accompanied by failures of validity, reproducibility, and generalizability. These failures can hinder scientific progress, lead to false consensus around invalid claims, and undermine the credibility of ML-based science. ML methods are often applied and fail in similar ways across disciplines. Motivated by this observation, our goal is to provide clear reporting standards for ML-based science. Drawing from an extensive review of past literature, we present the REFORMS checklist ($\textbf{Re}$porting Standards $\textbf{For}$ $\textbf{M}$achine Learning Based $\textbf{S}$cience). It consists of 32 questions and a paired set of guidelines. REFORMS was developed based on a consensus of 19 researchers across computer science, data science, mathematics, social sciences, and biomedical sciences. REFORMS can serve as a resource for researchers when designing and implementing a study, for referees when reviewing papers, and for journals when enforcing standards for transparency and reproducibility

Systematic Review of Clinical Prediction Models for the Risk of Emergency Caesarean Births.

BackgroundGlobally, caesarean births (CB), including emergency caesareans births (EmCB), are rising. It is estimated that nearly a third of all births will be CB by 2030.ObjectivesIdentify and summarise the results from studies developing and validating prognostic multivariable models predicting the risk of EmCBs. Ultimately understanding the accuracy of their development, and whether they are operationalised for use in routine clinical practice.Search strategyStudies were identified using databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central and Scopus with a search strategy tailored to models predicting EmCBs.Selection criteriaProspective studies developing and validating clinical prediction models, with two or more covariates, to predict risk of EmCB.Data collection and analysisData were extracted onto a proforma using the Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool (PROBAST).ResultsIn total, 8083 studies resulted in 56 unique prediction modelling studies and seven validating studies, with a total of 121 different predictors. Frequently occurring predictors included maternal height, maternal age, parity, BMI and gestational age. PROBAST highlighted 33 studies with low overall bias, and these all internally validated their model. Thirteen studies externally validated; only eight of these were graded an overall low risk of bias. Six models offered applications that could be readily used, but only one provided enough time to offer a planned caesarean birth (pCB). These well-refined models have not been recalibrated since development. Only one model, developed in a relatively low-risk population, with data collected a decade ago, remains useful at 36 weeks for arranging a pCB.ConclusionTo improve personalised clinical conversations, there is a pressing need for a model that accurately predicts the timely risk of an EmCB for women across diverse clinical backgrounds.Trial registrationPROSPERO registration number: CRD42023384439

Search for supersymmetry in events with b-quark jets and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for physics beyond the standard model based on events with large missing transverse energy, at least three jets, and at least one, two, or three b-quark jets. The study is performed using a sample of proton-proton collision data collected at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2011. The integrated luminosity of the sample is 4.98 inverse femtobarns. The observed number of events is found to be consistent with the standard model expectation, which is evaluated using control samples in the data. The results are used to constrain cross sections for the production of supersymmetric particles decaying to b-quark-enriched final states in the context of simplified model spectra.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review