title: "The use of the dead to the living": Gothic surgical horror in Six Feet Under

authors: Schott, Gareth R.

subjects: Six Feet Under

abstract: US television drama Six Feet Under has been examined for its contemporary expansion of Gothic tropes (e.g. Coghlan et al., 2016). This paper develops existing readings by focusing on the evocation of Gothic surgical and body horror (Conrich & Sedgwick 2017) within Six Feet Under and the manner in which it directs attention to treatment of the body post-mortem. Death care, it is argued, reflects a broader cultural unwillingness to concede to the inescapable decay, deterioration and demise of the body. This paper examines the various cultural logics attached to revulsion aroused by dead bodies, hidden carnographic transformation of the body, and their uncanny social reappearance “cleansed, purified, immobile” (Bronfen 1992, 99). It is argued that the Gothic corpse in Six Feet Under represents “potential that has yet to be realized in full” (Shapira 2018, 2) referring to the illimitable aesthetic values of ‘makeover culture’ (Jones 2008) that are imposed on the dead. By delving deeper into the industry practices portrayed in the funeral drama, a connection is revealed between the increasing tendency for living bodies to become “a mixture of nature and artifice” (Van Dijck 2001, 100) and its uncomplicated extension to the dead.

text: "The use of the dead to the living": Gothic surgical horror in Six Feet Under US television drama Six Feet Under has been examined for its contemporary expansion of Gothic tropes (e.g. Coghlan et al., 2016). This paper develops existing readings by focusing on the evocation of Gothic surgical and body horror (Conrich & Sedgwick 2017) within Six Feet Under and the manner in which it directs attention to treatment of the body post-mortem. Death care, it is argued, reflects a broader cultural unwillingness to concede to the inescapable decay, deterioration and demise of the body. This paper examines the various cultural logics attached to revulsion aroused by dead bodies, hidden carnographic transformation of the body, and their uncanny social reappearance “cleansed, purified, immobile” (Bronfen 1992, 99). It is argued that the Gothic corpse in Six Feet Under represents “potential that has yet to be realized in full” (Shapira 2018, 2) referring to the illimitable aesthetic values of ‘makeover culture’ (Jones 2008) that are imposed on the dead. By delving deeper into the industry practices portrayed in the funeral drama, a connection is revealed between the increasing tendency for living bodies to become “a mixture of nature and artifice” (Van Dijck 2001, 100) and its uncomplicated extension to the dead.

year: 2018-12

title: A simple approach to ordinal classification.

authors: Frank, Eibe

subjects: Machine learning

abstract: Machine learning methods for classification problems commonly assume that the class values are unordered.  However, in many practical applications the class values do exhibit a nature order, for example, when learning how to grade.  The standard approach to ordinal classification converts the class value into numeric quantity and applies a regression learner to the transformed data, translating the output back into a discrete class value in a post-processing step.  A disadvantage of this method is that it can only be applied in conjunction with a regression scheme.
In this paper we present a simple method that enables standard classification algorithms to make use of ordering information in class attributes.  By applying it in conjunction with a decision tree learner we show that it outperforms the naïve approach, which treats the class values as an unordered set.  Compared to special-purpose algorithms for ordinal classification our method has the advantage that it can be applied without any modification to the underlying learning scheme.

text: A simple approach to ordinal classification. Machine learning methods for classification problems commonly assume that the class values are unordered.  However, in many practical applications the class values do exhibit a nature order, for example, when learning how to grade.  The standard approach to ordinal classification converts the class value into numeric quantity and applies a regression learner to the transformed data, translating the output back into a discrete class value in a post-processing step.  A disadvantage of this method is that it can only be applied in conjunction with a regression scheme.
In this paper we present a simple method that enables standard classification algorithms to make use of ordering information in class attributes.  By applying it in conjunction with a decision tree learner we show that it outperforms the naïve approach, which treats the class values as an unordered set.  Compared to special-purpose algorithms for ordinal classification our method has the advantage that it can be applied without any modification to the underlying learning scheme.

year: 2001-11-01

title: Will access to COVID-19 vaccine in Aotearoa be equitable for priority populations?

authors: Whitehead, Jesse

abstract: AIM: This research examines the equity implications of the geographic distribution of COVID-19 vaccine delivery locations in Aotearoa New Zealand under five potential scenarios: (1) stadium mega-clinics; (2) Community Based Assessment Centres; (3) GP clinics; (4) community pharmacies; and (5) schools.
METHOD: We mapped the distribution of Aotearoa New Zealand’s population and the location of potential vaccine delivery facilities under each scenario. Geostatistical techniques identified population clusters for Māori, Pacific peoples and people aged 65 years and over. We calculated travel times between all potential facilities and each Statistical Area 1 in the country. Descriptive statistics indicate the size and proportion of populations that could face significant travel barriers when accessing COVID-19 vaccinations.
RESULTS: Several areas with significant travel times to potential vaccine delivery sites were also communities identified as having an elevated risk of COVID-19 disease and severity. All potential scenarios for vaccine delivery, with the exception of schools, resulted in travel barriers for a substantial proportion of the population. Overall, these travel time barriers disproportionately burden Māori, older communities and people living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation.
CONCLUSION: The equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines is key to an elimination strategy. However, if current health services and facilities are used without well-designed and supported outreach services, then access to vaccination is likely to be inequitable.

text: Will access to COVID-19 vaccine in Aotearoa be equitable for priority populations? AIM: This research examines the equity implications of the geographic distribution of COVID-19 vaccine delivery locations in Aotearoa New Zealand under five potential scenarios: (1) stadium mega-clinics; (2) Community Based Assessment Centres; (3) GP clinics; (4) community pharmacies; and (5) schools.
METHOD: We mapped the distribution of Aotearoa New Zealand’s population and the location of potential vaccine delivery facilities under each scenario. Geostatistical techniques identified population clusters for Māori, Pacific peoples and people aged 65 years and over. We calculated travel times between all potential facilities and each Statistical Area 1 in the country. Descriptive statistics indicate the size and proportion of populations that could face significant travel barriers when accessing COVID-19 vaccinations.
RESULTS: Several areas with significant travel times to potential vaccine delivery sites were also communities identified as having an elevated risk of COVID-19 disease and severity. All potential scenarios for vaccine delivery, with the exception of schools, resulted in travel barriers for a substantial proportion of the population. Overall, these travel time barriers disproportionately burden Māori, older communities and people living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation.
CONCLUSION: The equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines is key to an elimination strategy. However, if current health services and facilities are used without well-designed and supported outreach services, then access to vaccination is likely to be inequitable.

year: 2021