Concubines and second sons: stereotypes, transnationalism, and the production of identity

The scope of my project identifies and critiques the fractured subjectivities of fictional characters through a transnational and transcultural lens. I focus my argument around characters who live in or originate from East and Southeast Asia. Critically, I build upon Edward Said's well-known binarist separation of latent and manifest Orientalism in order to argue that such a separation is unnecessary and in fact unproductive. I also engage with Homi Bhabha's work on stereotypes and that work's roots in Said's Orientalism (1978) in order to argue for a similar complication of Bhabha. What Bhabha applies to a post-/colonial model I wish to apply to a transnational, transcultural one in order to examine which stereotypes still have great force and influence, perhaps disproportionate, over how we relate to our fellow human beings. I approach both of these theorists through a series of close readings of drama, film, and fiction. Ultimately, I posit that those who can successfully create narratives of identity can capably manipulate stereotypes to their own advantage and then subvert them, or else re-shape that discursive framework and define themselves in different terms. However, the dissertation is particularly concerned with characters who have a harder time subverting or escaping stereotypes. These characters who struggle and fail to define themselves inevitably meet one of two fates: exile or suicide

Guideline-discordant androgen deprivation therapy in localized prostate cancer: patterns of use in the medicare population and cost implications

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in localized prostate cancer improves overall survival and is recommended by National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines in certain situations. However, ADT is without benefit in other situations and can actually cause harm. This study examines recent trends in the ADT use and quantifies the cost of guideline-discordant ADT

Toward Vocabulary Control for Chief Complaint

The chief complaint (CC) is the data element that documents the patient’s reason for visiting the emergency department (ED). The need for a CC vocabulary has been acknowledged at national meetings and in multiple publications, but to our knowledge no groups have specifically focused on the requirements and development plans for a CC vocabulary. The national consensus meeting ‘‘Towards Vocabulary Control for Chief Complaint’’ was convened to identify the potential uses for ED CC and to develop the framework for CC vocabulary control. The 10-point consensus recommendations for action were 1) begin to develop a controlled vocabulary for CC, 2) obtain funding, 3) establish an infrastructure, 4) work with standards organizations, 5) address CC vocabulary characteristics for all user communities, 6) create a collection of CC for research, 7) identify the best candidate vocabulary for ED CCs, 8) conduct vocabulary validation studies, 9) establish beta test sites, and 10) plan publicity and marketing for the vocabulary

Atmospheric Transport of the Herbicide Atrazine in South Central Kentucky

Atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamine-6-isopropylamino-S-triazine) is a triazine-class herbicide that is used widely in Kentucky to control broad-leaf weeds in corn cultivation. It is a Restricted Use Pesticide, and since 1994 has been the subject of a Special Review by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for atrazine in treated drinking water is three parts per billion (ppb), and recently attention has been drawn to potentially serious developmental impacts among amphibians exposed to low concentrations. Starting in April, 2003, atrazine concentrations in rainfall were monitored throughout south central Kentucky. Samples were collected using glass funnels that directed rainfall into glass VOC bottles, and analyzed using Quantitative Immunoassy. Of 199 samples collected between April 17 and August 29, 180 (90%) were positive (\u3e0.05 ppb). 43 samples exceeded 1 ppb, six were over 2 ppb, and two samples over the MCL of 3 ppb. The mean concentration overall was 0.5 ppb. One sample of condensed fog and one of dew had concentrations of 1.7 and 1.8 ppb, respectively. Four samples taken sequentially through one storm in April showed a clear atmospheric scavenging effect: the first sample of over 3 ppb was followed by three that were all an order of magnitude lower. This same effect resulted in high concentrations for trace rainfalls. Samples collected during the spring herbicide application season (assumed to end on May 31) had a mean (0.70 ppb) almost three times higher than later samples (0.25 ppb), and almost 80% of the non-detects also occurred after this date

Closed-loop optimization of extracellular electrical stimulation for targeted neuronal activation

We have developed a high-throughput system of closed-loop electrical stimulation and optical recording that facilitates the rapid characterization of extracellular stimulus-evoked neural activity. The ability to selectively stimulate a neuron is a defining characteristic of next-generation neural prostheses. Greater stimulus control and differential activation of specific neuronal populations allows for prostheses that better mimic their biological counterparts. In our system, we deliver square current pulses using a microelectrode array; automated real-time image processing of high-speed digital video identifies the neuronal response; and a feedback controller alters the applied stimulus to achieve a targeted response. The system controller performs directed searches within the strength-duration (SD) stimulus parameter space to build probabilistic neuronal activation curves. An important feature of this closed-loop system is a reduction in the number of stimuli needed to derive the activation curves when compared to the more commonly used open-loop system: this allows the closed-loop system to spend more time probing stimulus regions of interest in the multi-parameter waveform space, facilitating high resolution analysis. The stimulus-evoked activation data were well-fit to a sigmoid model in both the stimulus strength (current) and duration (pulse width) slices through the waveform space. The 2-D analysis produced a set of probability isoclines corresponding to each neuron-electrode pairing, which were fit to the SD threshold model described by Lapique (1907). We show that stimulus selectivity within a given neuron pair is possible in the one-parameter search space by using multiple stimulation electrodes. Additionally, by applying simultaneous stimuli to adjacent electrodes, the interaction between stimuli alters the neuronal activation threshold. The interaction between simultaneous multi-electrode multi-parameter stimulus waveforms creates an opportunity for increased stimulus selectivity within a population. We demonstrated that closed-loop imaging and micro-stimulation technology enable the study of neuronal excitation across a large parameter space, which is requisite for controlling neuronal activation in next generation clinical solutions.Ph.D