Cultural hybrids, post-disciplinary digital practices and new research frameworks: Testing the limits

Discipline boundaries are currently undergoing considerable redefinition, and the process of forging new frontiers results in both theoretical and practical challenges that require exploration. New and hybrid forms of interdisciplinary research not only test existing disciplinary limits, they also produce new objects for study which, in turn, require new methodologies. This paper explores the impact on current research cultures of the blurring of discipline boundaries and the emergence of cultural hybrids. One of the key arguments in the paper is that the capacity to move reflexively between cultural practices and across discipline boundaries is central to the development of a more expansive research culture.   As boundaries continue to erode, the post disciplinary practices that are tentatively emerging are porous, fuzzy-edged and indeterminate. Post disciplinary practices are cultural hybrids, and as such they are well placed to refuse to accept hierarchies of knowledge that are offered as repositories of universal values. As cultural hybrids, post disciplinary practices retain knowledge of the specificities of disciplines and of their histories, but they are also inherently transgressive and capable of operating outside the limitations imposed by those disciplines. Feminist theory has already pointed out that, if the disciplinary space is defined as autonomous and ahistorical, then the social relations of power and dominance that are inherent in that space remain unacknowledged. The paper argues that post disciplinarity is emerging in the context of an evolving cultural narrative in which the notion of situated knowledge is emphasised.   Digital technologies make a particular contribution to the erosion of discipline boundaries, and practitioners in new media are often ahead of the thinking in the disciplines themselves. While this can produce a fluid and intellectually exciting environment for research, it doesnt necessarily generate a shared and commonly accepted critical language. This is a situation that can create real difficulties for academics and students alike as far as recognition of, and funding for, research is concerned. Since an increasing amount of research is also collaborative, there are also unresolved issues to do with authorship and ownership. The gap between accepted and familiar boundaries of research territories and new and emergent conceptual boundaries and territories clearly affects the development of future research agendas. This paper will discuss some of the implications of an evolving post disciplinary and digitised environment for research practices in art and design, in the context of the on-going tension between the objectification of knowledge on the one hand, and innovation and creativity on the other.     Summary Redefined discipline boundaries produce new and hybrid forms of interdisciplinary research that test existing disciplinary limits, and produce new objects for study. Digital technologies have a particular contribution to make to the evolving cultural narrative in which post disciplinarity and the significance of situated knowledge are increasingly recognised

Alfabetización Científica desde la perspectiva de las y los docentes de Física en Uruguay Un estudio en Primer Año de Bachillerato de Enseñanza Secundaria

La presente investigación refiere a las finalidades de la enseñanza de la Física, concepciones de enseñanza, opciones didácticas y orientaciones metodológicas en las prácticas docentes del profesorado de Física de primer año de Bachillerato de Enseñanza Secundaria en Uruguay, poniendo énfasis en la alfabetización científica. Construir conceptual y analíticamente respecto a la alfabetización científica a partir de los discursos de los profesores, expresados en sus clases, su relato, sus materiales didácticos, han sido los objetivos de trabajo. Para ello se utilizó una metodología mixta, con fuerte énfasis en lo cualitativo. Las estrategias de indagación fueron observación participante, entrevistas en profundidad, observación de documentos curriculares, observación de materiales didácticos elaborados por el cuerpo docente e implementación de formulario en línea. Las hipótesis de partida preveían que el profesorado de Física en Uruguay no atiende o lo hace escasamente, a la alfabetización científica, y que esta, por tanto, no participa ni orienta sus prácticas de enseñanza. Dentro de los principales hallazgos se encuentra que existe una importante distancia entre las pretensiones provenientes tanto del campo de la investigación didáctica y de las reflexiones de expertos, como del campo político, respecto a considerar a la alfabetización científica como finalidad de la enseñanza de las ciencias y las prácticas educativas concretas que llevan adelante las y los docentes. Otro asunto relevante es algunas discrepancias o conflictos evidenciados entre el decir y el hacer del profesorado de Física respecto a asuntos de su práctica docent

Vulnérabilité, soin et accueil des demandeurs d’asile

Cet article s’interroge sur l’utilisation du concept de vulnérabilité dans les dispositifs de gestion de la crise européenne de l’asile et sur les stratégies proposées – notamment l’utilisation de questionnaires – pour détecter la vulnérabilité des personnes. Au croisement des perspectives juridiques, politiques et cliniques, cet article met en lumière les problèmes éthiques et épistémologiques soulevés par l’utilisation de la notion de vulnérabilité. En effet si la protection des personnes en situation de vulnérabilité est légitimement un objectif prioritaire de l’Union Européenne, il n’est pas garanti que les dispositifs envisagés à cette fin bénéficient véritablement à la protection des personnes et à la reconnaissance de ces situations.This article examines the use of the concept of vulnerability in the management of the European asylum crisis and the strategies - in particular the use of questionnaires - to detect people’s vulnerability. At the crossroads of legal, political and clinical perspectives, this article highlights the ethical and epistemological issues raised by the use of the notion of vulnerability. Indeed, while the protection of vulnerable people is legitimately among the priority objectives of the European Union, there is no guarantee that the proposed measures will truly benefit the protection of individuals and the recognition of such situations

Alfabetización científica: pensamiento y prácticas de enseñanza del profesorado de Física en el Bachillerato de Educación Secundaria en Uruguay

El presente trabajo recoge insumos procedentes de dos investigaciones educativas recientes, que tomaron como objeto de estudio las concepciones del profesorado de Física de Uruguay sobre diversos aspectos de la enseñanza de Física en el nivel medio superior de la educación formal y las acciones que desarrollan, tomando particularmente como eje articulador la Alfabetización Científica. Opiniones sobre finalidades educativas, intencionalidades curriculares, prácticas docentes, así como la explicitación de estrategias y actividades didácticas seleccionadas y reflexiones sobre las políticas educativas, fueron relevados a través de un cuestionario semiestructurado en línea, aplicado a una muestra representativa de docentes. Se describen aspectos del recorte empírico y del enfoque metodológico, así como los principales hallazgos. Se evidencian tensiones con relación a la dimensión de alfabetización científica y prácticas de enseñanza en las aulas e instituciones educativas al tiempo que se manifiestan algunas contradicciones entre los discursos y las acciones que desarrolla el profesorado

Epirubicin With Cyclophosphamide Followed by Docetaxel With Trastuzumab and Bevacizumab as Neoadjuvant Therapy for HER2-Positive Locally Advanced Breast Cancer or as Adjuvant Therapy for HER2-Positive Pathologic Stage III Breast Cancer: A Phase II Trial of the NSABP Foundation Research Group, FB-5

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the cardiac safety and clinical activity of trastuzumab and bevacizumab with docetaxel after epirubicin with cyclophosphamide (EC) in patients with HER2-positive locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) or pathologic stage 3 breast cancer (PS3BC). Patients and Methods Patients received every 3 week treatment with 4 cycles of EC (90/600 mg/m2) followed by 4 cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m2). Targeted therapy with standard-dose trastuzumab with bevacizumab 15 mg/kg was given for a total of 1 year. Coprimary end points were (1) rate of cardiac events (CEs) in all patients defined as clinical congestive heart failure with a significant decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction or cardiac deaths; and (2) pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast and nodes in the neoadjuvant cohort. An independent cardiac review panel determined whether criteria for a CE were met. Results A total of 105 patients were accrued, 76 with LABC treated with neoadjuvant therapy and 29 with PS3BC treated with adjuvant therapy. Median follow-up was 59.2 months. Among 99 evaluable patients for cardiac safety, 4 (4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1%-10.0%) met CE criteria. The pCR percentage in LABC patients was 46% (95% CI, 34%-59%). Five-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) for all patients was 79.9% and 90.8%, respectively. Conclusion The regimen met predefined criteria for activity of interest with an acceptable rate of CEs. Although the pCR percentage was comparable with chemotherapy regimens with trastuzumab alone the high RFS and OS are of interest in these high-risk populations

Cancer survivorship research: the challenge of recruiting adult long term cancer survivors from a cooperative clinical trials group

With the growing number of adult cancer survivors, there is increasing need for information that links potential late and long term effects with specific treatment regimens. Few adult cancer patients are treated on clinical trials; however, patients previously enrolled in these trials are an important source of information about treatment-related late effects. Focusing on colorectal cancer survivors, we used the database from five phase III randomized clinical trials from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast & Bowel Project (NSABP) to recruit and enroll long term survivors in a study of late health outcomes and quality of life. We describe the challenges to recruitment of patients more than 5 –20 years after treatment. Sixty-five NSABP treatment sites were invited to enroll patients in the study. Sixty participated with the potential to recruit 2,408 patients. We received registration forms on only 976 patients (41%) of whom 744 (76%) expressed interest in participating and 708 completed interviews (95% of those expressing interest; 29% of total potential sample). There were multiple barriers to recruitment (difficulty locating patients, lack of institutional commitment, lack of patient interest). Patients treated on clinical trials are an important potential source for examining the late effects of cancer treatments. Retrospective recruitment has substantial limitations. In the future, mechanisms should be established for prospective long-term follow-up to identify and understand the frequency and type of late effects associated with cancer treatments. As cancer patients are living longer, it will be important to learn from participants in clinical trials whether or not specific treatment regimens are associated with any serious late effects

A prospective randomised phase III trial of adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in patients with stage II colon cancer

The purpose of this trial was to investigate the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) in stage II colon cancer. Patients with stage II colon cancer were randomised to either adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-FU/LV (100 mg m−2 LV+450 mg m−2 5-FU weekly, weeks 1–6, in 8 weeks cycles × 7) or surveillance only. Five hundred patients were evaluable for analyses. After a median follow-up of 95.6 months, 55 of 252 patients (21.8%) have died in the 5-FU/LV arm and 58 of 248 patients (23.4%) in the surveillance arm. There was no statistically significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the two treatment arms (hazard ratios, HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.61–1.27, P=0.49). The relative risk for tumour relapse was higher for patients on the surveillance arm than for those on the 5-FU/LV arm; however, this difference was not statistically significant (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.45–1.06, P=0.09). Consequently, disease-free survival (DFS) was not significantly different between the two trial arms. In conclusion, results of this trial demonstrate a trend to a lower risk for relapse in patients treated with adjuvant 5-FU/LV for stage II colon cancer. However, in this study with limited power to detect small differences between the study arms, adjuvant chemotherapy failed to significantly improve DFS and OS

A prospective randomised trial to study the role of levamisole and interferon alfa in an adjuvant therapy with 5-FU for stage III colon cancer

The purpose of this trial was to examine the efficacy of the addition of levamisole (LEV) or interferon alfa (IFN) to an adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in patients with stage III colon cancer. According to a 2 × 2 factorial study design, 598 patients were randomly assigned to one of four adjuvant treatment arms. Patients in arm one received 5-FU weekly for 1 year, patients in arm two 5-FU plus LEV, in arm three 5-FU plus IFN and patients in arm four 5-FU, LEV and IFN. The relative risk of relapse and the relative risk of death were significantly higher for patients treated with LEV compared with those without LEV treatment (HR 1.452, 95% CI 1.135–1.856, P=0.0028; HR 1.506, 95% CI 1.150–1.973, P=0.0027, respectively). No significant impact on survival was observed for therapy with IFN in the univariate analysis. The addition of LEV to adjuvant 5-FU significantly worsened the prognosis of patients with stage III colon cancer. Interferon alfa had no significant influence on survival when combined with adjuvant 5-FU, but increased the toxicity of therapy substantially

The optimal number of lymph nodes examined in stage II colorectal cancer and its impact of on outcomes

Background: Lymph node status is the most important prognostic factor for colorectal cancer. The number of lymph nodes that should be histologically examined has been controversial. The aims of this study were to assess the impact of the number of lymph nodes examined on survival of patients with stage II colorectal cancer and to determine the optimal number of lymph nodes that should be examined.Methods: The study included 664 patients who underwent resection for stage II colorectal cancer. The clinical and histopathologic data of the patients were prospectively collected and analyzed.Results: The median number of lymph nodes examined was 12 (range: 1 to 58). The 5-year disease free survival rate was significantly higher for patients with 12 or more lymph nodes examined compared to those with less than 12 lymph nodes examined. The significant difference in 5-year disease free survival persisted if the dividing number increased progressively from 12 to 23. However, the difference in survival was most significant (lowest p value and highest hazard ratio) for the number 21. The 5-year disease free survival of patients with 21 or more lymph nodes examined was 80% whereas that of patients with less than 21 lymph nodes examined was 60% (p = 0.001, hazard ratio 2.08). Multivariate analysis showed that 21 or more lymph nodes examined was a factor that independently influenced survival. The 5-year disease free survival also increased progressively with the number of lymph node examined up to the number 21. After the number 21, the survival rate did not increase further. It was likely that 21 was the optimal number, at and above which the chance of lymph node metastasis was minimal.Conclusions: The number of lymph nodes examined in colorectal cancer specimen significantly influences survival. It is recommended that at least 21 lymph nodes should be examined for accurate diagnosis of stage II colorectal cancer. © 2010 Choi et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.published_or_final_versio

The technologies of isolation: apocalypse and self in Kurosawa Kiyoshi's Kairo

In this investigation of the Japanese film Kairo, I contemplate how the horrors present in the film relate to the issue of self, by examining a number of interlocking motifs. These include thematic foci on disease and technology which are more intimately and inwardly focused that the film's conclusion first appears to suggest. The true horror here, I argue, is ontological: centred on the self and its divorcing from the exterior world, especially founded in an increased use of and reliance on communicative technologies. I contend that these concerns are manifested in Kairo by presenting the spread of technology as disease-like, infecting the city and the individuals who are isolated and imprisoned by their urban environment. Finally, I investigate the meanings of the apocalypse, expounding how it may be read as hopeful for the future rather than indicative of failure or doom