Race in Rhetoric: A Textual Analysis of Barack Obama\u27s Campaign Discourse Regarding His Race

This study is a textual analysis of Barack Obama\u27s nine most noteworthy speeches from 2004 to 2009 during his rise to prominence and presidential campaign. Because Obama was considered an inspiring speaker and because he was the first African American to win either a major party\u27s presidential nomination or a general • • presidential election, this study examines how Obama\u27s use of language about his race may have contributed to his success. Previous research has shown that use of six rhetorical devices resonates with the American people: abstraction, democratic speech conversational speech, valence messages, conciliatory messages and imagery. The study analyzed Obama\u27s speeches for use of these devices in relation to his race. In the nine speeches studied, Obama addressed his race twenty-nine times and used all six rhetorical devices frequently when doing so. Recurring themes he discussed using these devices were the American dream, heritage and family, and unity. His overarching message about his race was that racial differences and a negative history of race relations could be overcome because the U.S. is a land of possibility, and he offered himself as proof of that idea. Previous research shows that the rhetorical devices Obama used to present this message about his race are those that would have helped him connect with his audience and appeal to the public. Thus, Obama\u27s use of rhetorical devices and presentation of a positive message about his race may have helped him win votes to become the first African American president of the United States

Identification of a responsive gene set to evaluate the potential impact of seismic exposure on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) inner ear

Considerable interest and controversy has arisen over the potential effects of seismic surveys carried out during exploration for oil and gas deposits. Regarding fish, there is a concern that intense sound sources, such as seismic airguns, may injure their auditory system. Salmonid cDNA microarrays, reciprocal suppression subtractive hybridization libraries and quantitative reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction were used to identify and study a responsive gene set in the inner ear of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) following seismic airgun exposure. Taken together results point to seismic noise exposure altering salmon ear transcripts that likely play important roles in a variety of processes, including sensory perception of sound. Also, initial results demonstrate that genomics has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of the impact of seismic airguns on gene and molecular pathways involved in hearing, and provide valuable molecular biomarkers that can act as an early warning sensor to acoustic stress. -- Keywords: seismic; fish; ear; microarray; expressed sequence tags; genomic

Understanding the educational experiences and opinions, attainment, achievement and aspirations of looked after children in Wales

This report presents the findings of research that explored the educational experiences attainment and aspirations of looked after children and young people (LACYP) in Wales. The findings of the report are drawn from interviews with LACYP and an analysis of available statistics and literature on the looked after children population

The influence of neighbourhoods and the social environment on sedentary behaviour in older adults in three prospective cohorts

Sedentary behaviour is an emerging risk factor for poor health. This study aimed to identify ecological determinants of sedentary behaviour, for which evidence is currently scarce. The analysed participants were community dwelling adults aged around 79, 83, and 64 years from, respectively, the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (n=271) and the 1930s (n=119) and 1950s (n=310) cohorts of the West of Scotland Twenty-07 study. The outcome measure, percentage of waking time spent sedentary (sedentary time), was measured using an activPAL activity monitor worn continuously for seven days. Potential determinants included objective and subjective neighbourhood measures such as natural space, crime, social cohesion and fear of crime. Other determinants included measures of social participation such as social support, social group membership and providing care. Results from multivariable regression analyses indicated that providing care was associated with reduced sedentary time in retired participants in all cohorts. Fear of crime and perceived absence of services were associated with increased sedentary time for retired 1950s cohort members. Higher crime rates were associated with increased sedentary time in all cohorts but this was not significant after adjustment for socio-demographic characteristics. Most other neighbourhood and social participation measures showed no association with sedentary time

Inclusive partnership: Enhancing student engagement in geography

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in on , available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03098265.2015.1066316Partnership is currently the focus of much work within higher education (HEA, 2014; Healey et al., 2014; Cook-Sather et al., 2014) and advocated as an important process to address a range of higher education goals. In this paper, we propose the term inclusive partnership to conceptualise a non-selective staff-student relationship

Utilization and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA for the prophylactic treatment of chronic migraine from an observational study in Europe

Objective To examine treatment utilization patterns and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA for the prophylactic treatment of chronic migraine in routine clinical practice. Background Clinical trials support onabotulinumtoxinA for the prophylaxis of headache in patients with chronic migraine, but real-world data are limited. Design/methods A prospective, observational, post-authorization study in adult patients with chronic migraine treated with onabotulinumtoxinA. Data were collected at the first study injection and approximately every three months for 52 weeks for utilization and 64 weeks for safety data, and summarized using descriptive statistics. Results Eighty-five physicians (81% neurologists) at 58 practices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Sweden participated and recruited 1160 patients (84.2% female, median age 46.6 years). At baseline, 85.8% of patients had physician diagnoses of chronic migraine/transformed migraine and reported an average of 11.3 (SD=6.9) severe headache days per 28 days;50.6% had previously used onabotulinumtoxinA for chronic migraine. A total of 4017 study treatments were observed. The median number of injection sites (n=31) and total dose (155 U) were consistent across all treatment sessions, with a median 13.7 weeks observed between sessions. At least one treatment-related adverse event was reported by 291 patients (25.1%);the most frequently reported treatment-related adverse event was neck pain (4.4%). Most patients (74.4%) were satisfied/extremely satisfied with onabotulinumtoxinA treatment. Conclusions Patient demographics/characteristics are consistent with published data on the chronic migraine population. Utilization of onabotulinumtoxinA treatment for chronic migraine appears to be consistent with the Summary of Product Characteristics and published PREEMPT injection paradigm. No new safety signals were identified

Enabling talk and reframing messages: working creatively with care experienced children and young people to recount and re-represent their everyday experiences

The educational experiences and outcomes of care experienced children and young people is of longstanding concern. The pervasive inequalities they face suggest that current policies have been unable to respond fully to the complex causes of the problem. This paper reflects on a qualitative study into the educational experiences and aspirations of children and young people who are looked after in Wales. The project worked with care experienced peer researchers and drew on visual, creative and participatory techniques to explore 67 children’s and young people’s experiences of education and, importantly, their opinions on what could be done to improve it. This multimodal approach allowed space for participants to think through their subjective, mundane, but important, experiences that operate alongside, and interact with, more structural challenges. A range of films, magazines, artwork, and music outputs were developed to ensure that the project recommendations could reach wide and diverse audiences. This paper argues the voices of children and young people need to be given a platform to inform policy and practice. For this to happen researchers need to be creative in their approaches to both fieldwork and dissemination; harnessing the power of the arts to make positive changes in the everyday lives of children and young people

The consequences of being labelled ‘looked‐after’:Exploring the educational experiences of looked‐after children and young people in Wales

The educational experiences and attainment of looked-after children and young people (LACYP) remains an issue of widespread international concern. Within the UK children and young people in care achieve poorer educational outcomes compared to individuals not in care. Despite proliferation of research documenting the reasons for educational disadvantage amongst this population, there remains limited empirical consideration of the lived experiences of the educational system, as perceived by LACYP themselves. This paper draws upon qualitative research with 67 care-experienced children and young people in Wales. The sample was aged 6-27 years, and comprised of 27 females and 40 males. Participants had experienced a range of care placements. Findings focus on how educational policies and practices alienate LACYP from dominant discourses of educational achievement through assignment of the ‘supported’ subject position, where children and young people are permitted and even encouraged not to succeed academically due to their complex and disrupted home circumstances. However, such diminished expectations are rejected by LACYP, who want to be pushed and challenged in the realization of their potential. The paper argues that more differentiated understandings of LACYP’s aspirations and capabilities need to be embedded into everyday practices, to ensure that effective educational support systems are developed