Virtual contexts: investigating physicality and rhetorical situation

My research stems from a service-learning project in my technical communication course---a project that involved the creation of print, oral, and electronic instructions for filming within a virtual reality chamber. Soon into the project, I realized that students had difficulty conceptualizing the project\u27s rhetorical situation---the context, purpose, and audience of a high-tech research center. Although I provided students with abstracted textual descriptions, oral explanations, and visual depictions of the virtual environment, they were unable to engage with or respond to the assignment\u27s rhetorical situation. My dissertation postulates the impasse was due to students\u27 lack of access to a virtual reality chamber. In other words, the virtual environment represented, for students, a new conceptualization of physical space/place: a physical materiality, or physicality, that could not be abstracted via text-based case study pedagogies;My research confirms that an inherent contradiction appears to exist between actual and virtual contexts---a contradiction that defies textual abstraction and reveals the importance of space/place in our interpretations of and responses to communicative situations. More important to my study, the contradiction confirms a gap in the heuristic for rhetorical situation when observing the available means of persuasion in any communicative situation: the heuristic does not currently allow analyses of the ways in which space/place may impact interpretations of and responses to rhetorical situation (Aristotle, 1.2.1)

Combating Systemic Racism With Truth Commissions

The main form of justice practiced in the United States when it comes to criminal proceedings and individual wrongdoings is a form of justice called Retributive Justice. Retributive justice is committed to following these three principles, 1: that those who commit certain kinds of wrongful acts, morally deserve to suffer an equivalent punishment; 2: that it is intrinsically morally good—good without reference to any other goods if some legitimate punisher gives them the punishment they deserve; and 3: that it is morally impermissible to punish the innocent intentionally or to inflict disproportionately large punishments on offenders. From the three principles that retributive justice must follow, we can see that retributive justice is concerned with the philosophical ideas of assigning moral responsibility, desert, and obtaining justice through the means of punishment. From my observations, retributive justice in the United States has not properly implemented nor practiced its philosophical ideas or duties. The existence of many societal and cultural factors and pressures has made the proper implementation of retributive justice hard to achieve. My argument is that the philosophical ideas found in retributive justice have been lost and have not been followed due to the existence of societal conflicts affecting the individuals in place who are meant to carry out these policies. In contrast, transitional justice does not face these same issues when practiced. This is due to a variety of reasons, primarily this is the case due to the end goal of transitional justice. I showcase the benefits and differences of the processes found in transitional justice, and why it is more likely to combat the negative effects of systemic racism, in a way that could allow us to correct the problems found in retributive justice

Diary of Charles Lowell Walker

https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/usupress_pubs/1170/thumbnail.jp

Targeting, monitoring and effect of oral iron therapy on haemoglobin levels in older patients discharged to primary care from inpatient rehabilitation:a cohort study using routinely collected data

Background: Oral iron is commonly prescribed to older patients with suspected or confirmed iron deficiency anaemia, however few studies have examined the effectiveness of oral iron therapy in the real world in this population. We therefore determined the prevalence of iron deficiency in older people prescribed oral iron, examined the response mounted to therapy and ascertained predictors of response to oral iron.Methods: We analysed a routinely collected, linked dataset from older patients who had undergone inpatient rehabilitation between 1999 and 2011. An initial analysis examined patients within this cohort who were prescribed iron after rehabilitation and derived three groups based upon their ferritin and transferrin indices; probably, possibly and not iron deficient. A second analysis compared pre- and post-treatment haemoglobin to determine the degree of response to iron therapy across each category of deficiency. Finally, patient demographics, linked biochemistry data and comorbid disease based on International Statistical Classification of Disease (ICD-10) codes from previous hospital admissions were used in regression modelling to evaluate factors affecting response to therapy.Results: 490 patients were prescribed oral iron within 90 days of rehabilitation discharge. 413/490 (84%) had iron indices performed; 94 (23%) were possibly deficient, 224 (54%) were probably deficient, and 95 (23%) were not deficient. 360/490 patients had both pre and post treatment haemoglobin data and iron indices; probably deficient patients mounted a slightly greater response to oral iron (17g/L vs 12g/L for not deficient; p&lt;0.05). Only pre-treatment haemoglobin, mean cell volume (MCV) and lower gastrointestinal pathology were significant predictors of a response to oral iron therapy. Notably, acid-suppressant use was not a predictor of response.Conclusion: We conclude that many older patients are exposed to oral iron without good evidence of either iron deficiency or a significant response to therapy.<br/

Greening Archives: Mitigating the Environmental Impact of the Archives with Designated Storage for Photographic Materials

In 2015, 196 countries adopted the Paris Agreement to reduce global warming in order to fight against climate change. Its overall goal was to limit warming to no more than 2°C by 2050¹. However, commitments made by governments to date fall far short of what is required and if we stick to the current national climate plans submitted, it would lead to an increase of almost 14% in global carbon emissions by 2030, compared to 2010 levels². We need the whole world; Global, Governmental, Organisational and Individuals’ commitments to take bold steps towards reducing emissions as soon as possible to have any chance of meeting the 2°C goal. Collecting institutions such as Archives and Museums are facing difficult choices between lowering carbon footprint and preserving collections. Early photographic materials are particularly known for their high dependency on low temperature and low RH storage environment. Therefore, institutions with historical photographs need to plan the step carefully, as allowing collections to deteriorate in sub-optimal environmental conditions would be a significant loss to the humanities and to society. It is crucial for institutions to make realistic changes and integrate sustainable energy use practices by Collection Care and Facilities Management staff working together to manage the environment closely to reach both preservation and energy saving goals. This research will explore the sustainable update options for existing purpose built archive buildings that hold vulnerable historical photographic materials with HE Archive as the main case study

Transmitochondrial embryonic stem cells containing pathogenic mtDNA mutations are compromised in neuronal differentiation

Objectives:  Defects of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) cause a series of rare, mainly neurological disorders. In addition, they have been implicated in more common forms of movement disorders, dementia and the ageing process. In order to try to model neuronal dysfunction associated with mitochondrial disease, we have attempted to establish a series of transmitochondrial mouse embryonic stem cells harbouring pathogenic mtDNA mutations. Materials and methods: Transmitochondrial embryonic stem cell cybrids were generated by fusion of cytoplasts carrying a variety of mtDNA mutations, into embryonic stem cells that had been pretreated with rhodamine 6G, to prevent transmission of endogenous mtDNA. Cybrids were differentiated into neurons and assessed for efficiency of differentiation and electrophysiological function. Results:  Neuronal differentiation could occur, as indicated by expression of neuronal markers. Differentiation was impaired in embryonic stem cells carrying mtDNA mutations that caused severe biochemical deficiency. Electrophysiological tests showed evidence of synaptic activity in differentiated neurons carrying non-pathogenic mtDNA mutations or in those that caused a mild defect of respiratory activity. Again, however, neurons carrying mtDNA mutations that resulted in severe biochemical deficiency had marked reduction in post-synaptic events. Conclusions:  Differentiated neurons carrying severely pathogenic mtDNA defects can provide a useful model for understanding how such mutations can cause neuronal dysfunction

Lawyers Should Keep Their Eyes on Cuba Sanctions Cases

A dramatic change in the executive branch position on Cuban sanctions recently led to a wave of litigation in the federal courts and could have broad implications for entities that conduct business in or with Cuba. In April, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Title III of the Helms-Burton Act would no longer be suspended, thereby allowing U.S. nationals to file lawsuits against any individual or entity that “traffics” in property expropriated by the Cuban government

G97-1319 Management of Smooth Sumac on Grasslands

The herbicide 2,4-D LV4 ester provides excellent low-cost smooth sumac control. Prescribed burning before herbicide application does not substantially improve sumac control, but may ease herbicide application and provide other benefits. Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra L.) is a native deciduous shrub that forms dense thickets from widely spreading roots. It is found in the Sandhills, mixed-grass, and tallgrass areas throughout Nebraska. Introduced cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), invade the thickets, and production of desirable forage species is reduced below the dense canopies. Trees and other shrubs readily establish in aging sumac thickets, accelerating the conversion of grassland to woodland. Small amounts of smooth sumac may be desirable because it provides wildlife habitat and food and has attractive fall foliage

Assessment of multiple choice question exams quality using graphical methods

Exams should be valid, reliable, and discriminative. Multiple informative methods are used for exam analysis. Displaying analysis results numerically, however, may not be easily comprehended. Using graphical analysis tools could be better for the perception of analysis results. Two such methods were employed: standardized x-bar control charts with standard error of measurement as control limits and receiver operator characteristic curves. Exams of two medical classes were analyzed. For each exam, the mean, standard deviation, reliability, and standard error of measurement were calculated. The means were standardized and plotted against the reference lines of the control chart. The means were chosen as cut-off points to calculate sensitivity and specificity. The receiver operator characteristic curve was plotted and area under the curve determined. Standardized control charts allowed clear, simultaneous comparison of multiple exams. Calculating the control limits from the standard error of measurement created acceptable limits of variability in which the standard deviation and reliability were incorporated. The receiver operator characteristic curve graphically showed the discriminative power of the exam. Observations made with the graphical and classical methods were consistent. Using graphical methods to analyse exams could make their interpretation more accessible and the identification of exams that required further investigation easier