Strange and familiar : narratives of embodiment and objects after breast cancer

Abstract from short.pdf file.Dissertation supervisor: Srirupa Prasad.Includes vita.Pink ribbon culture has, for better or worse, helped to transform survivors' experiences with breast cancer. Scholars argue that pink ribbon culture has shaped the types of narratives shared, informs normative depictions of the post-breast cancer body, and contributes to cultural understandings of breast cancer in general (King 2006, Sulik 2012, Dubrinwy 2013). Through analysis of data from interviews and participant observations I add to this discussion by first examining underrepresented narratives and embodiments in pink ribbon culture; namely, those that detail discrepancies with the dominant narrative related to race, class, gender, sexuality, and health. I argue that the absence of these narratives contributes to a survivor hierarchy, which ranks women's experiences according to the extent to which they approximate the dominant narrative. Finally, I provide an analysis of narratives that feature cancer artifacts and pink ribbon commodities in order to demonstrate the complexity of survivor embodiment. Ultimately, breast cancer survivors are tasked with easing cultural anxieties through their bodies and narratives. This is exacerbated by a neoliberal political climate which emphasizes individual responsibility for health, privatization, and equates purchasing pink ribbon goods with altruism.Includes bibliographical references (pages 134-140)

Packed modulation loops to reduce band broadening in two-dimensional liquid chromatography

Modulation interfaces employing sample loops are applied in many hyphenated separations such as two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC). When the first-dimension effluent in 2D-LC is eluted from the modulation loop, dispersion effects occur due to differences in the laminar flow velocity of the filling and emptying flow. These effects were recently studied by Moussa et al. whom recommended the use of coiled loops to promote radial diffusion and reduce this effect. In the 1980s, Coq et al. investigated the use of packed loops, which also promote radial diffusion, in large volume injection 1D-LC. Unfortunately, this concept was never investigated in the context of 2D-LC modulation. Our work evaluates use of packed loops in 2D-LC modulation and compares them to unpacked coiled and uncoiled modulation loops. The effect of the solvents, loop volume, differences in filling and emptying rates, and loop elution direction on the elution profile was investigated. Statistical moments were used as a pragmatic tool to quantify elution profile characteristics. Decreased dispersion was observed in all cases for the packed loops compared to unpacked loops and unpacked coiled loops. In particular for larger loop volumes the dispersion was reduced significantly. Furthermore, countercurrent elution resulted in narrower elution profiles in all cases compared to concurrent elution. We found that packed modulation loops are of high interested when analytes are not refocussed in the second-dimension separation (e.g. for size-exclusion chromatography). Moreover, our work suggests that the use of packed loops may aid in prevention of loop overfilling.</p