From Encounters to Engagement - Examining Political Engagement in an Age of Social Media.

In the current information environment that is increasingly defined by digital technologies, this dissertation focuses on exploring the political implications of citizens’ everyday interactions in online social networks. This dissertation suggests that the user-directed flow of content and the newsfeed structure that enable users to broadcasts information among social ties generate an important shift from purposefully seeking politics online to encountering politics through social networking. In this context, this dissertation presents three studies that examine the outcomes of routine social media use on three different dimensions of democratic citizenship. The first project examines whether social media use can contribute to an informed citizenry. Granted that a healthy participatory democracy is the product of citizens’ political deliberation, this dissertation asks if social media can serve as an effective source for information and promote an informed and engaged citizenry. The second project explores the potential of social media to serve as a democratic sphere that facilitates citizens’ engagement in political discourse. This project sheds light on the potential of social media to embrace diversity and plurality in political discussion and facilitate expressive behavior, despite the high sensitization toward the social presence of others. Finally, the third project examines whether encountering news and politics in social media can ultimately promote citizens’ behavioral participation in the democratic process. Taken together, the findings of this dissertation provide evidence on the possibilities as well as limitations of encountering politics to contribute to engagement in politics.PhDCommunicationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107106/1/sybae_1.pd

Effects of Radix Adenophorae and Cyclosporine A on an OVA-Induced Murine Model of Asthma by Suppressing to T Cells Activity, Eosinophilia, and Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness

The present study is performed to investigate the inhibitory effects of Radix Adenophorae extract (RAE) on ovalbumin-induced asthma murine model. To study the anti-inflammatory and antiasthmatic effects of RAE, we examined the development of pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation and inhibitory effects of T cells in murine by RAE and cyclosporine A (CsA). We examined determination of airway hyperresponsiveness, flow cytometric analysis (FACS), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), quantitative real time (PCR), hematoxylin-eosin staining, and Masson trichrome staining in lung tissue, lung weight, total cells, and eosinophil numbers in lung tissue. We demonstrated how RAE suppressed development on inflammation and decreased airway damage

The Medium and the Backlash: The Disparagement of the #MeToo Movement in Online Public Discourse in South Korea

This study examines the #MeToo movement in South Korea to understand the role of online platforms in the development of a backlash discourse. We apply computational methods to analyze how the #MeToo movement was discussed by citizens on Twitter and in online news comments, in contrast to the traditional news media. Our findings show that the public discourse in user-driven online platforms enabled the proliferation of a disparaging narrative that challenged the movement, while the patterns of the backlash differed across platforms. Using word-embedding techniques and network analyses, we illustrate the shift in frames around #MeToo movement and highlight how platform affordances meaningfully shaped the way the backlash unfolded

The Dynamics of Public Attention: Agenda‐Setting Theory Meets Big Data

Researchers have used surveys and experiments to better understand communication dynamics, but confront consistent distortion from self‐report data. But now both digital exposure and resulting expressive behaviors (such as tweets) are potentially accessible for direct analysis with important ramifications for the formulation of communication theory. We utilize “big data” to explore attention and framing in the traditional and social media for 29 political issues during 2012. We find agenda setting for these issues is not a one‐way pattern from traditional media to a mass audience, but rather a complex and dynamic interaction. Although the attentional dynamics of traditional and social media are correlated, evidence suggests that the rhythms of attention in each respond to a significant degree to different drummers .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106877/1/jcom12088.pd

Printing of wirelessly rechargeable solid-state supercapacitors for soft, smart contact lenses with continuous operations

Recent advances in smart contact lenses are essential to the realization of medical applications and vision imaging for augmented reality through wireless communication systems. However, previous research on smart contact lenses has been driven by a wired system or wireless power transfer with temporal and spatial restrictions, which can limit their continuous use and require energy storage devices. Also, the rigidity, heat, and large sizes of conventional batteries are not suitable for the soft, smart contact lens. Here, we describe a human pilot trial of a soft, smart contact lens with a wirelessly rechargeable, solid-state supercapacitor for continuous operation. After printing the supercapacitor, all device components (antenna, rectifier, and light-emitting diode) are fully integrated with stretchable structures for this soft lens without obstructing vision. The good reliability against thermal and electromagnetic radiations and the results of the in vivo tests provide the substantial promise of future smart contact lenses

Crocin Suppresses LPS-Stimulated Expression of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase by Upregulation of Heme Oxygenase-1 via Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase 4

Crocin is a water-soluble carotenoid pigment that is primarily used in various cuisines as a seasoning and coloring agent, as well as in traditional medicines for the treatment of edema, fever, and hepatic disorder. In this study, we demonstrated that crocin markedly induces the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) which leads to an anti-inflammatory response. Crocin inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and nitric oxide production via downregulation of nuclear factor kappa B activity in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. These effects were abrogated by blocking of HO-1 expression or activity. Crocin also induced Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular pools and phosphorylation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase 4 (CAMK4). CAMK4 knockdown and kinase-dead mutant inhibited crocin-mediated HO-1 expression, Nrf2 activation, and phosphorylation of Akt, indicating that HO-1 expression is mediated by CAMK4 and that Akt is a downstream mediator of CAMK4 in crocin signaling. Moreover, crocin-mediated suppression of iNOS expression was blocked by CAMK4 inhibition. Overall, these results suggest that crocin suppresses LPS-stimulated expression of iNOS by inducing HO-1 expression via Ca2+/calmodulin-CAMK4-PI3K/Akt-Nrf2 signaling cascades. Our findings provide a novel molecular mechanism for the inhibitory effects of crocin against endotoxin-mediated inflammation

Exposure to sound vibrations lead to transcriptomic, proteomic and hormonal changes in Arabidopsis

Sound vibration (SV) is considered as an external mechanical force that modulates plant growth and development like other mechanical stimuli (e.g., wind, rain, touch and vibration). A number of previous and recent studies reported developmental responses in plants tailored against SV of varied frequencies. This strongly suggests the existence of sophisticated molecular mechanisms for SV perception and signal transduction. Despite this there exists a huge gap in our understanding regarding the SV-mediated molecular alterations, which is a prerequisite to gain insight into SV-mediated plant development. Herein, we investigated the global gene expression changes in Arabidopsis thaliana upon treatment with five different single frequencies of SV at constant amplitude for 1 h. As a next step, we also studied the SV-mediated proteomic changes in Arabidopsis. Data suggested that like other stimuli, SV also activated signature cellular events, for example, scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS), alteration of primary metabolism, and hormonal signaling. Phytohormonal analysis indicated that SV-mediated responses were, in part, modulated by specific alterations in phytohormone levels; especially salicylic acid (SA). Notably, several touch regulated genes were also up-regulated by SV treatment suggesting a possible molecular crosstalk among the two mechanical stimuli, sound and touch. Overall, these results provide a molecular basis to SV triggered global transcriptomic, proteomic and hormonal changes in plant