“Structural Dissatisfaction”: academics on safari in the novels of Jennifer Egan

Jennifer Egan's acclaimed 2010 novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, is a text populated by a disproportionately high number of, often unfulfilled, postgraduate researchers: “I'm in the PhD program at Berkeley”, proclaims Mindy; “Joe, who hailed from Kenya [...] was getting his PhD in robotics at Columbia”; “Bix, who's black, is spending his nights in the electrical-engineering lab where he's doing his PhD research”; while only Rebecca “was an academic star”. Indeed, in this text, academia seems a place of misery, of “harried academic slaving”, and, ultimately, of “immaturity and disastrous choices”. Over the course of this article I will demonstrate that, in fact, Egan's critique of the university is an immanent meta-critique. While the history of the campus novel is often premised on hermetically sealing the campus (the genre usually functions through an explicit focus on a delineated campus space or, at least, predominantly upon the social milieu of the academy), Egan's novels seem to play on bursting the very notions of inside and outside that facilitate this genre, blurring the boundaries between fiction and critique; the leeching of the university into everyday life. She also, simultaneously, however, critiques the structures of labour upon which much of the academy is founded. While I will move towards Egan's latest novel, A Visit From the Goon Squad, throughout this article I will make reference to her entire novelistic canon, demonstrating that the treatment of academics throughout cannot be viewed as merely incidental, even if the appearances of such characters are sporadic and diffuse

Crossing the threshold of death: James Merrill's exploration in the form of his poetry

Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses

Exploring Post-Wildfire Water Quality: The Photodegradation of Dissolved Pyrogenic Carbon

Nearly 80% of the United States&rsquo; freshwater originates in forested landscapes at risk of wildfires, which influence both the terrestrial landscape and hydrologic regime by introducing a heterogeneous spectrum of thermally altered carbon compounds, known as pyrogenic carbon (PyC). Given the projected increase in both wildfire frequency and intensity, understanding the coupling of hydrologic transport and chemical fractionation that wildfires impose on water sources is critical. New research has begun to show that PyC can be quite mobile and reactive with turnover time of decades or years in soils rather than previously assumed millennia timescales, emphasizing the importance of dissolved PyC (DPyC) translocation from soils to rivers. While riverine PyC transport has been identified as a key component of the global PyC cycle, the extent to which photodegradation contributes to both short-term and long-term DPyC chemical fraction has yet to be resolved. We investigate the role of photodegradation as a major driver altering aquatic DPyC physical and chemical properties using fluorescence spectroscopy. Artificial PyC was created by burning organic matter at various temperatures to isolate distinct portions of the PyC spectrum. The organic matter, comprised of leaves and soils, was collected from Great Smoky Mountain National Park where ongoing research was being conducted following the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 wildfire. Each temperature range of the PyC spectrum was separately leached, filtered, and the dissolved fraction was placed outside and exposed to natural sunlight for various exposure times ranging from zero to 28 days. This photodegradation experiment took place in Boulder, Colorado during the summer months to maximize daily sun exposure. Photochemistry was confirmed by monitoring the photochemical formation of hydrogen peroxide via fluorescence spectroscopy. The dissolved organic matter was characterized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption and excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy. By isolating distinct portions of the PyC spectrum, we will better be able to anticipate the fate of PyC in watersheds effected by wildfires.</p

Changes in Perceptions of First Responders After Witnessing a Drug Overdose: Individual and Contextual Variations Among People Who Use Opioids in West Virginia

Introduction: Success of opioid overdose interventions involving first responders is dependent on the comfort level that bystanders have with first responders and their willingness to call for assistance. Positive or negative experiences with first responders following witnessing an overdose may influence a person’s willingness to call a first responder for assistance in the future. Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine changes in bystanders’ perceptions of first responders following witnessing an overdose attended by emergency medical services or a law enforcement official. It specifically explored perception changes among a sample of individuals residing in Appalachia who use prescription opioids nonmedically. Methods: Individuals from West Virginia who used prescription opioids nonmedically were interviewed to examine changes in perceptions of first responders following witnessing an overdose. The analytic sample (N = 50) consisted of participants who witnessed an overdose for which 911 was called and stayed until a first responder arrived. Chi-square contingency tables and ANOVA were conducted to assess relationships between individual and contextual characteristics with changes in perceptions. Results: Findings indicate that the majority (63%) had improved perceptions of first responders, 6% had diminished perceptions, and 24% were unchanged. Changes in perceptions varied by income, presence during substance use, and prior concerns about first responders. Implications: Individuals who reported experiencing a positive interaction with first a responder after witnessing an overdose may be more likely to call 911 during an overdose and support other interventions by first responders (e.g., referral to syringe service programs or treatment with medications for opioid use disorder)

Pre-Existing Social Conditions: A Call to Prevent the Perpetuation of Gender Inequalities in Research Production during COVID-19

The global COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for systematic studies on our changing society and medical students are responding accordingly. However, emerging evidence indicates that there are changing patterns in research production since the initial COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, with an exponential increase in the number of manuscripts submitted to academic journals for peer review, but with women producing significantly less research compared to men. In an effort to contemplate what academic journals’ responsibilities are to counteract these trends among medical students, we consider three “pre-existing social conditions” that have the potential to negatively affect female medical students’ careers long-term: 1) the unequal division of labor both at home and work; 2) women’s lower well-being compared to men’s; and 3) men’s greater representation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. As a society, we need to offset these trends that threaten women’s careers, as we are at risk of reversing the diligent work achieved to improve gender equality in the fields of science and medicine. While “pre-existing conditions”—the social, economic, political, and historical forces discussed here— have led to, and exacerbated, gender disparities in research production during the pandemic, The International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS) is committed to acknowledging these gender inequalities and preventing their perpetuation among the next generation of future doctors and physician-scientists

Infection of pigs following exposure to contaminated pen floors

The objective of these studies was to determine if pigs could acquire infection when exposed to different levels of environmental contamination with Salmonella typhimurium. In experiment 1, pigs were euthanised after 2, 3 and 24 hours of exposure to a highly contaminated environment (105 organisms/100cm2)

Contamination of the lairage of a pork abattoir with Salmonella species

The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. In the lairage of a pork abattoir on different days of the week and to investigate the effect of daily washing routines and disinfection procedures on contamination levels with Salmonella spp. In total, 359 swabs were collected from lairage pen floors at three time points during the course of two slaughter days. All samples were analysed quantitatively

Tales from the crypt: a parasitoid manipulates the behaviour of its parasite host

There are many examples of apparent manipulation of host phenotype by parasites, yet few examples of hypermanipulation—where a phenotype-manipulating parasite is itself manipulated by a parasite. Moreover, few studies confirm manipulation is occurring by quantifying whether the host's changed phenotype increases parasite fitness. Here we describe a novel case of hypermanipulation, in which the crypt gall wasp Bassettia pallida (a phenotypic manipulator of its tree host) is manipulated by the parasitoid crypt-keeper wasp Euderus set, and show that the host's changed behaviour increases parasitoid fitness. Bassettia pallida parasitizes sand live oaks and induces the formation of a ‘crypt’ within developing stems. When parasitized by E. set, B. pallida adults excavate an emergence hole in the crypt wall, plug the hole with their head and die. We show experimentally that this phenomenon benefits E. set, as E. set that need to excavate an emergence hole themselves are about three times more likely to die trapped in the crypt. In addition, we discuss museum and field data to explore the distribution of the crypt-keeping phenomena

Right Here Right Now (RHRN) pilot study: testing a method of near-real-time data collection on the social determinants of health

Background: Informing policy and practice with up-to-date evidence on the social determinants of health is an ongoing challenge. One limitation of traditional approaches is the time-lag between identification of a policy or practice need and availability of results. The Right Here Right Now (RHRN) study piloted a near-real-time data-collection process to investigate whether this gap could be bridged. Methods: A website was developed to facilitate the issue of questions, data capture and presentation of findings. Respondents were recruited using two distinct methods – a clustered random probability sample, and a quota sample from street stalls. Weekly four-part questions were issued by email, Short Messaging Service (SMS or text) or post. Quantitative data were descriptively summarised, qualitative data thematically analysed, and a summary report circulated two weeks after each question was issued. The pilot spanned 26 weeks. Results: It proved possible to recruit and retain a panel of respondents providing quantitative and qualitative data on a range of issues. The samples were subject to similar recruitment and response biases as more traditional data-collection approaches. Participants valued the potential to influence change, and stakeholders were enthusiastic about the findings generated, despite reservations about the lack of sample representativeness. Stakeholders acknowledged that decision-making processes are not flexible enough to respond to weekly evidence. Conclusion: RHRN produced a process for collecting near-real-time data for policy-relevant topics, although obtaining and maintaining representative samples was problematic. Adaptations were identified to inform a more sustainable model of near-real-time data collection and dissemination in the future