Showing papers by "John Law published in 2007"

Making a mess with method

Abstract: If the world is non-coherent, then methods that seek and describe it as coherent are making a mess of doing so. This argument is developed empirically and philosophically. After showing that the comment sense realism of standard methods works to other non-coherence, the chapter recommends non-coherent or 'messy' methods.

Risk factors for induction of breast cancer by X-rays and their implications for breast screening

Abstract: In order to discuss the balance of benefit and radiation risk in a breast screening programme, it is necessary to have numerical values for the probability of breast cancer induction by X-rays, stratified by age. Various sets of such values have been used hitherto, mainly in relation to breast screening in the UK, both within the NHS Screening Programme and more generally for younger age groups. Further sets have recently been reported. These different sets of values are described and discussed, together with the effects of using additive or relative risk models, and the effect of using a dose and dose rate modifying factor (DDREF). Possible new radiation risk factors for breast cancer induction by X-rays, drawn from these sets, are identified. These are used to calculate fresh values of cancer detection/induction ratios, as an index of benefit/risk, for screening age women and for younger women with and without a family history of breast cancer.

Pinboards and books: Learning, materiality and juxtaposition

Abstract: How might we know and represent non-coherent realities? Using the example of the UK's 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease, this chapter juxtaposes a patchwork of not particularly consistent narratives and descriptions of the epidemic and its consequences, before arraying them visually on a pinboard in a way that respects both their relations and their mutual irreducibility.