The Rhetoric of the Comment Box: Editorial Queries as Arguments and Relationships in Engineering Proposals

In today\u27s academic engineering environments, securing funding has become a volatile process, requiring the hard work of and collaboration between many different people. Technical editors are one of these important forces in the proposal writing process, as they help engineer writers to develop their proposals and persuade reviewers of the value of their research. However, to date, there have been very few studies on how editors convince engineer writers to accept their proposed revisions. To fill this gap in the literature, this thesis offers an in-depth style analysis of six proposals in order to determine what technical editors do when they edit engineering proposals and how they create working relationships with engineers. In particular, I will concentrate on how two editors in Clemson University\u27s College of Engineering and Science argue for changes and create stylistic relationships--and the interrelationship between argument and style--by querying writers through the Comment function in Microsoft Word. The two analyses that I will complete are based on the theories of Stephen Toulmin et al. on argumentation and Walker Gibson on style. Toulmin et al.\u27s theory will enable me to analyze how the editors argue for revisionary changes in each of the technical proposals, whereas Gibson\u27s theory will enable me to determine how editors create relationships with authors through the language they use in the comment box. The findings revealed from this thesis provide practical knowledge to technical editing students and to working technical editors

The Conceptual Politics of Democracy Promotion: The Venezuela Case

In 1970 Giovanni Sartori articulated what he saw as the greatest challenge to political science in an increasingly globalized worldconceptual stretching. Sartori was referring to the traveling of western concepts eastward and proposed the use of a conceptual ladder to help inform the decisions political scientists make regarding the concepts they wish to travel. This paper seeks to push the boundaries of Sartori’s critique beyond academia to include policy; a subject where a dynamic and informative relationship between academia and policy should exist, but are instead faced with a one-dimensional arrangement. In that vein, this paper consists of three main parts. The first employs a brief historiography of the conceptual debate between, largely, Schumpeterian and Dahlian definitions of democracy where two main schools of thought will be sketched. The second evokes Venezuela's recent political history to illustrate how the United States Government has, at different times, employed various definitions, and standards, of democracy to describe the Venezuelan regime. The third seeks to establish how American oscillation between standards erodes the value reference point of democracy and draw out the implications of this. In particular, the third part unpacks what this erosion should mean moving forward for academics engaged in the conceptual politics of democracy. In sum, the instrumentalizing of the ambiguity of the concept—democracy—by oscillating between Schumpeterian and Dahlian standards devalues the concept. And unless the academic debate regarding democratic theory begins to account for this devaluation, democracy may well be emptied of its substance.

Applying the COM-B model to assess the usability of smartphone-connected listening devices in adults with hearing loss

Background: Unlike conventional hearing aids, smartphone-connected listening devices may require limited or no input from a trained audiologist in terms of device programming and adjustment. However, there is a lack of peer-reviewed evidence assessing the real-world perspectives of people living with hearing loss toward such technological innovations. Purpose: This study assessed the everyday experiences of adults living with hearing loss toward a range of smartphone-connected listening devices using the COM-B model as a theoretical framework. Research Design: A qualitative study whereby participants trialled one of the following smartphone-connected listening devices for two-weeks in their everyday lives: made-for-smartphone hearing aids, personal sound amplification product, smartphone ‘hearing aid’ app with wired earphones or wireless hearable. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Study Sample: Twenty adults (13 male, 7 female; mean age = 62.25 years, SD = 11.59) with mild-moderate hearing loss (mean better ear pure-tone average = 30.49 dB HL, SD = 17.51) were recruited using a convenience sampling strategy. All participants owned conventional hearing aids. Results: The data were analysed using an established deductive thematic analysis procedure within the context of the COM-B model. The model stipulates that for individuals to engage in a particular behaviour (B), they must have sufficient capability (C), opportunity (O), and motivation (M). Capability: One of the key advantages facilitating use and adherence of smartphone-connected listening devices was the ability for participants to make fine-tune adjustments in any listening situation. Opportunity: Participants commented that these devices could address issues surrounding stigma, as smartphones are ubiquitous in everyday life. Motivation: Participants consistently reported that the ability to make adjustments via a smartphone provided them with a greater sense of autonomy and empowerment. As a result, they felt more in control of their hearing loss. Conclusions: This study lays the foundation for further high-quality research to explore whether smartphone-connected technologies have the potential to yield optimum benefits for people living with hearing loss

RegenBase: a knowledge base of spinal cord injury biology for translational research.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) research is a data-rich field that aims to identify the biological mechanisms resulting in loss of function and mobility after SCI, as well as develop therapies that promote recovery after injury. SCI experimental methods, data and domain knowledge are locked in the largely unstructured text of scientific publications, making large scale integration with existing bioinformatics resources and subsequent analysis infeasible. The lack of standard reporting for experiment variables and results also makes experiment replicability a significant challenge. To address these challenges, we have developed RegenBase, a knowledge base of SCI biology. RegenBase integrates curated literature-sourced facts and experimental details, raw assay data profiling the effect of compounds on enzyme activity and cell growth, and structured SCI domain knowledge in the form of the first ontology for SCI, using Semantic Web representation languages and frameworks. RegenBase uses consistent identifier schemes and data representations that enable automated linking among RegenBase statements and also to other biological databases and electronic resources. By querying RegenBase, we have identified novel biological hypotheses linking the effects of perturbagens to observed behavioral outcomes after SCI. RegenBase is publicly available for browsing, querying and download.Database URL:http://regenbase.org

Senescence regulates macrophage activation and angiogenic fate at sites of tissue injury in mice

Abnormal angiogenesis plays a key role in diseases of aging such as heart disease, certain cancers, and eye diseases including age-related macular degeneration. Macrophages have been shown previously to be both anti- and proangiogenic, and their role in regulating angiogenesis at sites of tissue injury is critical and complex. In this study, we analyzed cytokine gene expression patterns of mouse macrophages by real-time quantitative PCR and tested the functional effects of senescence on gene expression and macrophage polarization. Following laser injury to the retina, IL-10 was upregulated and Fas ligand (FasL), IL-12, and TNF-α were downregulated in ocular macrophages of old mice (>18 months of age). Downregulation of FasL on macrophages led to a loss of the antiangiogenic phenotype, as evidenced by the inability of these macrophages to inhibit vascular endothelial cells. Our results demonstrate that senescence, FasL, and IL-10 are key determinants of macrophage function that alter the growth of abnormal postdevelopmental blood vessels in disease processes including blinding eye disease

Biocompatibility and toxicity of graphene quantum dots for potential application in photodynamic therapy

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Future Medicine via the DOI in this recordAim: Achieving reliably high production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in photodynamic therapy (PDT) remains challenging. Graphene quantum dots (GQD) hold great promise for PDT. However, the photochemical processes leading to GQD-derived ROS generation have not yet been fully elucidated. Materials & methods: Physicochemical characteristics of GQDs were comprehensively investigated, including electron paramagnetic resonance analysis of singlet oxygen production. Dark toxicity was assessed in vitro and in vivo. Results: GQDs demonstrated excellent photo-luminescent features, corrosion resistance, high water solubility, high photo/pH-stability, in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility and very efficient singlet oxygen/ROS generation. Conclusion: The enhanced ROS generation, combined with good biocompatibility and minimal toxicity in vitro and in vivo support the potential of GQDs for future PDT application.This work was supported by the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Metamaterials, XM2 (grant number EP/L015331/1

Urban identities: influences on socio-environmental values and spatial inter-relations

This research focuses upon the socio-environmental dimensions and urban identity of urban environments by evaluating human behaviours and space-to-human relations. In addition, approaches to urban re-branding will be analysed to evaluate the role of engineered identities in enhancing social integration. This particular study will focus upon the installation of temporary activities into the public realm and the impact that these can have upon perception, identity and activity within public spaces. A case study of temporary markets taking place in Nottingham’s Old Market Square in the UK will be evaluated to explore possibilities of maximising the potential of urban space

Thickness dependence study of current-driven ferromagnetic resonance in Y3Fe5O12/heavy metal bilayers

We use ferromagnetic resonance to study the current-induced torques in YIG/heavy metal bilayers. YIG samples with thickness varying from 14.8 nm to 80 nm, with the Pt or Ta thin film on top, are measured by applying a microwave current into the heavy metals and measuring the longitudinal DC voltage generated by both spin rectification and spin pumping. From a symmetry analysis of the FMR lineshape and its dependence on YIG thickness, we deduce that the Oersted field dominates over spin-transfer torque in driving magnetization dynamics