Insider and Outsider Perspective in Ethnographic Research

Emic and etic perspectives are consequential for research because they impact the research process, the findings of a study, and the argument made by the researcher about the implications of these findings. Moreover, because the nature of ethnographic work involves the interpretation of cultures (Geertz, 1973), there is a responsibility on the part of the researcher to the culture being studied because the perspective the researcher takes impacts the knowledge produced about the cultural group that is studied.Contributors to this discussion represent a variety of research areas including rhetoric, library studies, family, media, and intercultural communication. Recurrant themes include awareness, bias avoidance, personal distance, appreciation of one\u27s insider/ outsider status

Technetium and rhenium (I and V) complexes for radiopharmaceutical applications

Abstract from public.pdf file.Dissertation supervisors: Drs. Silvia Jurisson and Heather Hennkens.Includes vita.Technetium and rhenium have radioactive isotopes that are clinically useful for diagnostic (Tc-99m) or therapeutic (Re-186/188) purposes. This makes them attractive candidates for incorporation into pharmaceuticals. One way to incorporate radioactive metals into pharmaceuticals is through the use of a bifunctional chelating agent (BFCA), which inertly traps the metal while also attaching it to a targeting biomolecule. Technetium-99m is an attractive radionuclide not only because of its diagnostic capabilities, but also because it is a widely available and relatively affordable option. Two Tc-99m radiopharmaceuticals were created that seek to target somatostatin receptors (SSTRs), which are commonly overexpressed on neuroendocrine tumor tissues. Two different histidine-derived BFCAs were used to chelate a technetium-99m tricarbonyl core while simultaneously tethering it to an antagonist peptide with a high affinity for somatostatin receptor subtype two (SSTR2). Due to the fact that non-radioactive Re is in the same group as Tc, the analogous macroscale Re compounds were synthesized. This helped to determine the identity of the products made on the radiotracer level (nano- to picomolar) as well as determine receptor affinity through competitive binding assays in SSTR2-expressing cells. Both Re compounds, exhibited very good, low nanomolar affinities for SSTR2. The Tc-99m radiotracer products both exhibited high in vitro stability during challenges in cysteine, histidine, and mouse serum. Biodistribution and imaging studies in mice were also performed. The complexation of Re using a tetradentate diphosphinedithiol (DPDT) ligand was also explored. Rhenium is more readily oxidized than technetium, which can cause complications when seeking to use Re-186/188 radiopharmaceuticals in the body. Complexation with more reducing ligands (such as DPDT) may help stabilize Re(V) in the body. Thus, the initial chemistry of Re- and Tc-DPDT complexes was explored. This led to the creation of a highly stable Re(V)-DPDT complex, which remained stable in oxidative environments over a period of several months. Macroscale reactions using the DPDT ligand to synthesize the Tc-99 counterpart led to the formation of Tc(III) complexes from Tc(VII), without the need for additional reducing agents.Includes bibliographical references (pages 105-118)

Seeking Synchronicity: Revelations and Recommendations for Virtual Reference

A new membership report from OCLC Research, in partnership with Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Seeking Synchronicity distills more than five years of virtual reference (VR) research into a readable summary that features memorable quotes that vividly illustrate very specific and actionable suggestions. Taken from a multi-phase research project that included focus group interviews, surveys, transcript analysis, and phone interviews, with VR librarians, users, and non-users, these findings are meant to help practitioners develop and sustain VR services and systems. The report asserts that the "R" in "VR" needs to emphasize virtual "Relationships" as well as "Reference".Among the topics addressed are:The exaggerated death of ready referenceThe importance of query clarification in VRWays to boost accuracy and build better interpersonal relationships in VRWhat can be learned from VR transcriptsHow convenience is the "hook" that draws users into VR servicesGenerational differences in how people perceive reference interactions and determine successThe need for more and better marketingThe report is based on a multi-year study funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and OCLC. A rich resource for further exploration of this important topic, it includes valuable statistics, lists of references, additional readings, and specific recommendations for what libraries and librarians can do to move VR forward in local environments.Today's students, scholars and citizens are not just looking to libraries for answers to specific questions—they want partners and guides in a life long information-seeking journey. By transforming VR services into relationship-building opportunities, libraries can leverage the positive feelings people have for libraries in a crowded online space where the biggest players often don't have the unique experience and specific strengths that librarians offer

Deconstructing the Subject Condition in terms of cumulative constraint violation

Chomsky (1973) attributes the island status of nominal subjects to the Subject Condition, a constraint specific to subjects. English and Spanish are interesting languages for the comparative study of extraction from subjects, because subjects in English are predominantly preverbal, whereas in Spanish they can be either preverbal or postverbal. In this paper we argue that the islandhood of subject DPs in both English and Spanish is not categorical. The degradation associated with extraction from subjects must be attributed to the interplay of a range of more general constraints which are not specific to subjects. We argue that the interaction of these constraints has a cumulative effect whereby the more constraints that are violated, the higher the degree of degradation that results. We also argue that some speakers have a greater tolerance for constraint violations than others, which would account for widespread inter-speaker judgment variability

Parent-child interaction in Nigerian families: conversation analysis, context and culture

This paper uses a conversation analysis (CA) approach to explore parent child interaction (PCI) within Nigerian families. We illustrate how speech and language therapists (SLTs), by using CA, can tailor recommendations according to the interactional style of each individual family that are consonant with the family’s cultural beliefs. Three parent-child dyads were videoed playing and talking together in their home environments. The analysis uncovered a preference for instructional talk similar to that used in the classroom. Closer examination revealed that this was not inappropriate when considering the context of the activities and their perceived discourse role. Furthermore, this was not necessarily at the expense of responsivity or semantic contingency. The preference for instructional talk appeared to reflect deeply held cultural beliefs about the role of adults and children within the family and it is argued that the cultural paradigm is vitally important to consider when evaluating PCI. Given a potential risk that such young children may be vulnerable in terms of language difficulties, we offer an example of how PCI can be enhanced to encourage language development without disrupting the naturally occurring talk or the underlying purpose of the interaction

Service sea change: clicking with screenagers through virtual reference

Web-based reference services such as synchronous, (chat reference or \u27Ask-a-Librarian\u27 services) and asynchronous (email) virtual reference services (VRS) have become common features of academic library home pages. In the current economic and technological environment, evaluation to determine the sustainability of VRS is crucial. An international research project, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., investigates factors that influence the selection and use of synchronous VRS. This study, one of the first large-scale VRS studies to include both users and non-users of the Millennial Generation, innovatively addresses issues concerning the evaluation, sustainability, and relevance of VRS for academic libraries by soliciting screenagers\u27 perceptions. Three focus group interviews were conducted with "screenagers" - twelve to eighteen year-old non-users of VRS. These potential future academic library users are comfortable in a virtual environment, use instant messaging (IM) for socializing and collaborative homework yet perceive VRS differently than these other virtual encounters. The results of these focus group interviews provide new insights to why screenagers choose not to use VRS and what would make them try VRS. The study identifies ways to increase the visibility and use of VRS, and to improve service, which could help secure funding allocations, and the growth and improvement of services. These results can influence the development of academic library services and systems for the Millennial Generation

New assays for carbamyl phosphate synthetase applicable in the presence of exogenous carbamyl phosphate.

New assays for carbamyl phosphate synthetase applicable in the presence of exogenous carbamyl phosphate

First Season QUIET Observations: Measurements of Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization Power Spectra at 43 GHz in the Multipole Range 25 ≤ ℓ ≤ 475

The Q/U Imaging ExperimenT (QUIET) employs coherent receivers at 43 GHz and 94 GHz, operating on the Chajnantor plateau in the Atacama Desert in Chile, to measure the anisotropy in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). QUIET primarily targets the B modes from primordial gravitational waves. The combination of these frequencies gives sensitivity to foreground contributions from diffuse Galactic synchrotron radiation. Between 2008 October and 2010 December, over 10,000 hr of data were collected, first with the 19 element 43 GHz array (3458 hr) and then with the 90 element 94 GHz array. Each array observes the same four fields, selected for low foregrounds, together covering ≈1000 deg^2. This paper reports initial results from the 43 GHz receiver, which has an array sensitivity to CMB fluctuations of 69 μK√s. The data were extensively studied with a large suite of null tests before the power spectra, determined with two independent pipelines, were examined. Analysis choices, including data selection, were modified until the null tests passed. Cross-correlating maps with different telescope pointings is used to eliminate a bias. This paper reports the EE, BB, and EB power spectra in the multipole range ℓ = 25-475. With the exception of the lowest multipole bin for one of the fields, where a polarized foreground, consistent with Galactic synchrotron radiation, is detected with 3σ significance, the E-mode spectrum is consistent with the ΛCDM model, confirming the only previous detection of the first acoustic peak. The B-mode spectrum is consistent with zero, leading to a measurement of the tensor-to-scalar ratio of r = 0.35^(+1.06)_(–0.87). The combination of a new time-stream "double-demodulation" technique, side-fed Dragonian optics, natural sky rotation, and frequent boresight rotation leads to the lowest level of systematic contamination in the B-mode power so far reported, below the level of r = 0.1

Factorizable ribbon quantum groups in logarithmic conformal field theories

We review the properties of quantum groups occurring as Kazhdan--Lusztig dual to logarithmic conformal field theory models. These quantum groups at even roots of unity are not quasitriangular but are factorizable and have a ribbon structure; the modular group representation on their center coincides with the representation on generalized characters of the chiral algebra in logarithmic conformal field models.Comment: 27pp., amsart++, xy. v2: references added, some other minor addition