The Value of Scholarly Writing: A Temporal-Material Rhetorical Analysis of Delivery in Google Documents

This project examines the impact that cloud-based writing has on scholars’ material work processes and the temporal value shift that occurs as we write in an ‘always-on’ environment. It analyzes how interactive writing software (IWS) like Google Documents serve to forefront functions of interactivity between writers, and by doing so, reshape and create Western values surrounding the academic writing process that are uniquely post-industrial. Using James Porter’s (2009) components of digital delivery as a lens, this project contextualizes the ways that the work of writing is performed online by looking at the features embedded in a Google Document. This examination confirms that the canon of delivery itself has undergone a shift. In arguing for different values assigned to the performance of scholarly writing, that decenter the autonomous writer free of material needs, this project illustrates the affordances and limitations of scholarly writing that is both developed and delivered in and through interactive writing software. This dissertation then offers readers a theory of temporal-materiality that creates a model through which to exact an in-depth exploration into the impact Web 2.0 tools have had on writers and writing

"My life in the new South Africa": a youth perspective

The young people of South Africa hold the future of society in their hands. They will become the new leaders who will make or break South Africa's fledgling democracy. Of course, it is impossible to know how society will fare in the millennium; but knowledge of where the youth think their lives and their country are heading will provide some clues to what the future holds. The research for this book was inspired by the "Monitoring the future" project, a regular survey of young people's values and aspirations by the Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan. Our research was informed by recent comprehensive inquiries on the youth conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Co-operative Research Programme on South African Youth and the research by the Joint Enrichment Programme and the Community Agency for Social Enquiry (CASE). The present study also builds on more focused research on leisure, educational aspirations and quality of life conducted by researchers attached to the University of Natal's Quality of Life Research Unit. The evidence for the two large-scale inquiries and the quality of life studies was collected before South Africa's first open general elections. The material presented in this book is about young people who have experience of living under the new democracy. This report may be among the first to inform the newly formed National Youth Commission of young people's needs and aspirations. Urgently needed for planning and policy formation is a systematic programme of research into the evolving situation of South African youth under the new political dispensation. Until such time as the values and lifestyles of young people are monitored at regular intervals, ad hoc studies such as the one reported here may help to fill the gap. It is hoped that the views of young people expressed in this book will deepen our understanding of young people's expectations and aspirations for the future. My life in the New South Africa provides a snapshot of society two years after the first open general elections as seen through the lenses of the youth. The book, which was written by the young people themselves, documents contemporary everyday life and hopes and fears for the future as envisaged by the youth. The material was gathered through an innovative research project which aimed to learn how young people see themselves and their society two years into the new democracy. Over 900 of the youth gave descriptions of "my life in the New South Africa" in the first half of 1996 in response to a letter writing competition designed by the Quality of Life Research Unit at the University of Natal. The competition fits the currently fashionable genre of "participatory" research, in which subjects double as analysts of their life situation. Although a fairly recent addition to the South African research repertoire, the participatory method is not unfamiliar to quality of life researchers. For many years, students of quality of life have advocated that ordinary people and not the external experts are the best judges of what makes people's lives satisfactory or not. Working in this research tradition, the Quality of Life research team at the University of Natal took on the task of shaping a book around the issues addressed by the youth in their letters. The material produced by the letter writing competition was content-analysed by a team of experts and organised in a number of thematic chapters which cover many of the dominant concerns of contemporary youth. Essentially, the youth wrote the script and the researchers did the editing. The mood of the letters is overwhelmingly positive and inspiring for a new democracy intent on overcoming the shortcomings of the past. Energy, youthful optimism and good intentions radiate from the letters. There is no doubt that My life in the New South Africa will provide useful pointers for current policy formation. It is hoped that the contents of this book will also serve as benchmark information against which South African society will be able to measure itself in years to come. The majority of the young people who entered the competition fervently believe, or at least wish to believe, that their hopes for an ideal society in which all South Africans live in harmony will be realised. Their idealism is as refreshing and touching in its naivetέ as it is sobering. The youth who wrote to the Quality of Life research team, boldly outline the challenges that lie ahead for a new democracy. Time will tell if the hopes and fears of contemporary youth can be laid to rest and their dreams for the future fulfilled. South Africa owes it to the next generation that its young people not be disappointed

Re-Assessment of Driving Simulators for the Training, Testing and Licensing of Commercial Vehicle Drivers

Simulators have been successfully employed within the military sector and commercial airline industry for over 30 years. Simulation technology may supplement the training, testing, and licensing of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers if its value can be sufficiently demonstrated. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is planning to conduct a simulation validation (“Sim Val”) study in fiscal year 2002 (FY 2002) to do just that. In April 1996, FMCSA (the-then Federal Highway Administration) published a research report which discussed the availability and performance of truck driving simulators available at that time. The research indicated that the truck simulators were sufficiently mature to conduct a validation study. Thus the FMCSA developed and publish Sim Val Research Design (May 1999). Given breakthroughs in technology in recent years and to gain a better understand of the functionalities of the truck simulator currently available, FMCSA is conducting a truck simulator reassessment. To help accomplish this work, FMCSA engaged Veridian Engineering. This paper describes the interim results of the reassessment of truck simulators to ascertain their performance and functionalities in support of the FMCSA SimVal Program. NOTE: This paper contains interim assessments of the simulators discussed. The interim assessments, made by Veridian Engineering and the Expert Team, were reviewed and approved by the respective vendors. Final assessments will be contained in the FMCSA final report

RAMPART (Rapid Anticonvulsant Medication Prior to Arrival Trial): A double‐blind randomized clinical trial of the efficacy of intramuscular midazolam versus intravenous lorazepam in the prehospital treatment of status epilepticus by paramedics

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86836/1/j.1528-1167.2011.03235.x.pd

CRISE SANITAIRE MONDIALE ET TRANSFORMATIONS DES PRATIQUES FUNÉRAIRES EN EUROPE

"Entrevista realizada por Simone Rodrigues e Valerie Robin à coordenadora do programa COFUNERAIRE, Gaëlle Clavandier, e a dois membros da equipe de pesquisa, Philippe Charrier e Guillaume Rousset. Entretien avec la coordinatrice du programme COFUNERAIRE, Gaëlle Clavantier, et deux membres de l'équipe de recherche, Philippe Charrier et Guillaume Rousset. L'objectif du programme Cofuneraire (https://cofuneraire.hypotheses.org) est de documenter le plus rapidement possible les dispositions proposées par les professionnels du monde funéraire au moment de la crise dans le respect des contraintes liées à la gestion des pandémie dans trois pays différents : la France, la Suisse et l'Italie. Il s'agit également d'évaluer l'impact (matériel et psychologique) de ces nouvelles procédures sur les personnes endeuillées et d'analyser au mieux l'inventivité dont elles font preuve face à cette situation singulière. Ce programme propose donc de suivre non seulement la crise elle-même, mais aussi sa sortie et les mois suivants, afin de rendre compte des pratiques, des arbitrages, des ajustements, des innovations et des conflits éventuels découlant de ces situations. Une démarche qualitative est mise en œuvre, respectant les principes éthiques en vigueur ; il s'appuie sur une ethnographie - observations, entretiens formels et informels - des pratiques des pompes funèbres, des chambres funéraires, des crématoires et des cimetières en temps de crise ; des entretiens avec des membres de la famille touchés par la réorganisation des funérailles sont également prévus. Le programme de recherche part de l'hypothèse qu'en raison de l'ampleur et de la durée de cette crise sanitaire, les conséquences en termes d'obsèques vont - et nécessitent déjà - une réponse collective co-construite prenant en compte les pratiques de reconnaissance et d'assurance professionnelle, la gestion des corps selon les recommandations sanitaires et sociales, les rituels funéraires au moment du décès et la protection juridique des personnes concernées

Apathy, but not depression, is associated with executive dysfunction in cerebral small vessel disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of apathy and depression in cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), and the relationships between both apathy and depression with cognition. To examine whether apathy is specifically related to impairment in executive functioning and processing speed. METHODS: 196 patients with a clinical lacunar stroke and an anatomically corresponding lacunar infarct on MRI were compared to 300 stroke-free controls. Apathy and depression were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale, and cognitive functioning was assessed using an SVD cognitive screening tool, the Brief Memory and Executive Test, which measures executive functioning/processing speed and memory/orientation. Path analysis and binary logistic regression were used to assess the relation between apathy, depression and cognitive impairment. RESULTS: 31 participants with SVD (15.8%) met criteria for apathy only, 23 (11.8%) for both apathy and depression, and 2 (1.0%) for depression only. In the SVD group the presence of apathy was related to global cognition, and specifically to impaired executive functioning/processing speed, but not memory/orientation. The presence of depression was not related to global cognition, impaired executive functioning/processing speed or memory/orientation. CONCLUSIONS: Apathy is a common feature of SVD and is associated with impaired executive functioning/processing speed suggesting the two may share biological mechanisms. Screening for apathy should be considered in SVD, and further work is required to develop and evaluate effective apathy treatment or management in SVD.This work was supported by a Priority Program Grant from the Stroke Association (TSA PPA 2015-02; www.stroke.org.uk). The BMET Study was supported by a grant from the Stroke Association (TSA2008/10). Valerie Lohner is supported by a Stroke Association/British Heart Foundation Program Grant (TSA BHF 2010/01; www.bhf.org.uk). Rebecca Brookes is supported by a BHF Project Grant (PG/13/30/30005). Recruitment to the BMET Study was supported by the English National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Stroke Research Network (www.crn.nihr.ac.uk/stroke). Hugh Markus is supported by an NIHR Senior Investigator award (www.nihr.ac.uk) and his work is supported by the Cambridge University Hospital Comprehensive NIHR Biomedical Research Unit (www.cambridge-brc.org.uk)

United on Sunday: The effects of secular rituals on social bonding and affect

Religious rituals are associated with health benefits, potentially produced via social bonding. It is unknown whether secular rituals similarly increase social bonding. We conducted a field study with individuals who celebrate secular rituals at Sunday Assemblies and compared them with participants attending Christian rituals. We assessed levels of social bonding and affect before and after the rituals. Results showed the increase in social bonding taking place in secular rituals is comparable to religious rituals. We also found that both sets of rituals increased positive affect and decreased negative affect, and that the change in positive affect predicted the change in social bonding observed. Together these results suggest that secular rituals might play a similar role to religious ones in fostering feelings of social connection and boosting positive affect

Biomarkers and overall survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with TGF-βRI inhibitor galunisertib.

BackgroundTransforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signalling is involved in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We followed changes in biomarkers during treatment of patients with HCC with the TGF-βRI/ALK5 inhibitor galunisertib.MethodsThis phase 2 study (NCT01246986) enrolled second-line patients with advanced HCC into one of two cohorts of baseline serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP): Part A (AFP ≥1.5x ULN) or Part B (AFP <1.5x ULN). Baseline and postbaseline levels of AFP, TGF-β1, E-cadherin, selected miRNAs, and other plasma proteins were monitored.ResultsThe study enrolled 149 patients (Part A, 109; Part B, 40). Median OS was 7.3 months in Part A and 16.8 months in Part B. Baseline AFP, TGF-β1, E-cadherin, and an additional 16 plasma proteins (such as M-CSF, IL-6, ErbB3, ANG-2, neuropilin-1, MIP-3 alpha, KIM-1, uPA, IL-8, TIMP-1, ICAM-1, Apo A-1, CA-125, osteopontin, tetranectin, and IGFBP-1) were found to correlate with OS. In addition, a range of miRs were found to be associated with OS. In AFP responders (21% of patients in Part A with decrease of >20% from baseline) versus non-responders, median OS was 21.5 months versus 6.8 months (p = 0.0015). In TGF-β1 responders (51% of all patients) versus non-responders, median OS was 11.2 months versus 5.3 months (p = 0.0036).ConclusionsConsistent with previous findings, both baseline levels and changes from baseline of circulating AFP and TGF-β1 function as prognostic indicators of survival. Future trials are needed to confirm and extend these results

Blocking mu-opioid receptors inhibits social bonding in rituals

Religious rituals are universal human practices that play a seminal role in community bonding. In two experiments, we tested the role of mu-opioids as the active factor fostering social bonding. We used a mu-opioid blocker (naltrexone) in two double-blind studies of rituals from different religious traditions. We found the same effect across both studies, with naltrexone leading to significantly lower social bonding compared with placebo. These studies suggest that mu-opioids play a significant role in experiences of social bonding within ritual contexts