Financialization is more rapid when interested sectors are more active in politics and unions and the Democratic Party are weaker

The past three decades have seen a rapid increase in the financialization of the American economy, with the financial sector growing in importance to the economy. In new research, Christopher Witko finds that this growth in financialization was not a ‘natural’ economic development, but a consequence of public policy choices that occur when large firms in the FIRE (finance, insurance and real estate) sector are active in politics, and the Democratic Party and unions are not as strong

Democrats, those with low income, and those concerned with inequality are likely to support “Robin Hood” tax policies

As income inequality has grown in the U.S., so too have movements to increase taxes on the wealthy, such as the addition of the “Buffet Rule” to President Obama’s tax plan. But what drives support for these so-called “Robin Hood” tax initiatives? Using data taken from Proposition 1098, a citizen initiative to impose an income tax on the wealthy, Christopher Witko, along with co-authors William Franko and Caroline Tolbert, find that personal gain is only one motive for supporting these policies; an ideological concern with inequality and allegiance to the Democratic Party are also significant predictors of support

Pulitzer Prize Photograph Brings Awareness-At a Price

In 1994, Kevin Carter submitted a photograph he had taken during a trip to Sudan to cover the civil war that was ravaging the country. He had no idea at the time that he would eventually win the coveted Pulitzer Prize. He had even less of an idea that soon after receiving the award, he would succumb to depression. Although it brought about Carter’s untimely death, the photograph showed the world a tragedy occuring in Sudan. It shattered the complacency that existed among people generally walled off from such struggles. It was a disturbing call to action to help those in other parts of the world who truly needed it. Catherine Witko is a rising sophomore Marketing major at JMU and a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha. Catherine has always had an immense interest in journalism and writing. She looks forward to using her interest in writing in the future, no matter where her career path takes her. Catherine hopes readers can think deeply about problems outside the United States by learning about the tragedy that brought the photographer to take the photograph in this essay, and the tragedy that ensued from it: “I first saw the photograph that I wrote about in this paper during my junior year of high school. I was very sheltered in my teenage years, but just seeing the picture shocked me into the real world more than anything had ever before. Our elders, parents, and professors all have told us time and time again to learn about the past so that history won’t repeat itself.

Effects of bioengineering scaffolds releasing neurotrophins and body weight supported treadmill training on H-reflex after spinal cord injury

Changes in monosynaptic reflex, often used to study spasticity, has been tested through the H-reflex in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients after rehabilitation training, such as body weight support treadmill training or cycling. The combinational effects of rehabilitation training and a bioengineered scaffold on spasticity in SCI animal model have not been studied. We used a clinically relevant animal model of spinal cord moderate contusion at T9/T10 with BWSTT and the bioengineered scaffold PNIPAAm-g-PEG loaded with the growth factors BDNF/NT-3 to measure the efficiency of the combinational bioengineered approach to treat spasticity. Five animal groups were included in the study: sham, injury, SCI + BWSTT, SCI + PNIPAAm-g-PEG with BDNF/NT-3 (Transplant), and SCI + BWSTT/PNIPAAm-g-PEG with BDNF/NT-3 (combinational). Results indicate that there was an increase in the over ground BBB test scores from the BWSTT, and combinational groups from weeks 6-8, but not in the transplant only or injury groups when compared to the sham. There was also a decrease in habituation of the H-reflex and restoration of rate depression properties in both the BWSTT and combinational groups

In times of growth, states with Democratic governments are more able to stimulate employment than those with conservative ones

In the years following the Great Recession, unemployment rates have varied markedly across U.S. states. While much of this is down to national trends, how do state politics influence unemployment levels? In new research, Christopher Witko and Nate Kelly find that while in recessions, both Republican and Democratic governments have little effect on unemployment rates, during times of increasing growth, states with Democratic governments see larger reductions in unemployment. They argue that liberal governments have more freedom to introduce policies that stimulate employment such as consumption spending when growth is on the rise

Ligation of water to magnesium chelates of biological importance

Water binding to several Mg^{2+} chelates, ethylenediamine, ethylenediamine-N,N’-diacetate, porphyrin, chlorophyll a and bacteriochlorophyll a, to form five- and six-coordinate complexes is studied by means of density functional theory. The results obtained for magnesium chelates are compared with the properties of the respective aqua complexes and the influence of the permittivity of environment on the ligand binding energies is discussed. Although the most common coordination number of Mg^{2+} is six, in the tetrapyrrolic chelates it is reduced to five because the accommodation of the sixth water ligand results in no gain in energy. This is in line with the experimental observations made for coordination of chlorophylls in vivo. The binding between Mg^{2+} and water is mostly of electrostatic nature, which is supported by the finding that its energy is correlated both with the electron density of the chelator and with electrostatic potential determined at the ligand binding site

Corpus et pathologie du langage. Quelle approche en orthophonie-logopédie ?

L’objet de cet article est l’usage des corpus en orthophonie-logopédie. Après avoir rappelé le cadre légal francophone de l’orthophonie et les dispositions relatives à la protection des patients, une triple approche thérapeutique répartie entre Langage, Communication et langue (L. C. l.) est préalablement présentée. Deux apports de la linguistique de corpus sont ensuite développés : d’une part son approche exploratoire et ouverte sur le langage atypique, d’autre part la nécessité de se référer à des bonnes pratiques afin de respecter les données personnelles confiées au thérapeute et pointer la dimension relationnelle de tout processus de soin. À partir d’une démarche en ethnographie de la communication enrichie d’une analyse conversationnelle, une étude de cas unique s’appuie sur un recueil de corpus auprès d’un adolescent atteint d’un trouble du langage sévère. Afin d’exploiter l’histoire singulière d’un patient, une véritable linguistique clinique permet de concevoir un suivi langagier à partir des conversations spontanées, et plus précisément en exploitant les thèmes émergents dans la prise de contact avec le thérapeute. En conclusion, des analyses cliniques « guidées par les corpus » permettraient aux thérapeutes du langage : (1) de dépasser une approche exclusivement normative du trouble en exploitant la richesse des données qualitatives, et (2) d’envisager la pathologie comme une source de variation, et pas seulement comme une déviance. Grâce aux nouvelles techniques informatisées, il devient possible de promouvoir des pratiques normalisées de recueil de données en langue parlée collectées en contexte orthophonique, et de soumettre ces ressources à des analyses sous forme de corpus.This paper focuses on the status of using a language corpus in speech therapy. After a brief presentation of the French framework of speech therapy and the place given to patients’ legal protection, we look at a triadic therapeutic approach based on Language, Communication and linguistic code (L. C. l.). Two contributions of corpus linguistics are then investigated : on one hand its exploratory and open approach of atypical language ; on the other hand the necessity of referring to best practice to respect personal data entrusted to the therapist and to point to the relational dimension of any process of care. From an approach in the ethnography of communication enriched by a conversation analysis, a single-case study leans on the collection of a corpus with a teenager affected by a severe language disorder. In order to explore the singular story of a patient, real clinical linguistics allows conceiving speech therapy from spontaneous conversations, and more particularly, emergent topics in making contact with the therapist. In conclusion, “corpus-driven” clinical analyses are an attempt : (1) to surpass a normative approach of language disorders by using the richness of qualitative data, and (2) to consider pathology as a source of variation, and not simply as a deviance. With the development of computer technology, it is becoming possible to promote standardized practices in the collection of spoken data in speech therapy, and to then submit this data to corpus analyses

Corpus et pathologie du langage. Quelle approche en orthophonie-logopédie ?

L’objet de cet article est l’usage des corpus en orthophonie-logopédie. Après avoir rappelé le cadre légal francophone de l’orthophonie et les dispositions relatives à la protection des patients, une triple approche thérapeutique répartie entre Langage, Communication et langue (L. C. l.) est préalablement présentée. Deux apports de la linguistique de corpus sont ensuite développés : d’une part son approche exploratoire et ouverte sur le langage atypique, d’autre part la nécessité de se référer à des bonnes pratiques afin de respecter les données personnelles confiées au thérapeute et pointer la dimension relationnelle de tout processus de soin. À partir d’une démarche en ethnographie de la communication enrichie d’une analyse conversationnelle, une étude de cas unique s’appuie sur un recueil de corpus auprès d’un adolescent atteint d’un trouble du langage sévère. Afin d’exploiter l’histoire singulière d’un patient, une véritable linguistique clinique permet de concevoir un suivi langagier à partir des conversations spontanées, et plus précisément en exploitant les thèmes émergents dans la prise de contact avec le thérapeute. En conclusion, des analyses cliniques « guidées par les corpus » permettraient aux thérapeutes du langage : (1) de dépasser une approche exclusivement normative du trouble en exploitant la richesse des données qualitatives, et (2) d’envisager la pathologie comme une source de variation, et pas seulement comme une déviance. Grâce aux nouvelles techniques informatisées, il devient possible de promouvoir des pratiques normalisées de recueil de données en langue parlée collectées en contexte orthophonique, et de soumettre ces ressources à des analyses sous forme de corpus.This paper focuses on the status of using a language corpus in speech therapy. After a brief presentation of the French framework of speech therapy and the place given to patients’ legal protection, we look at a triadic therapeutic approach based on Language, Communication and linguistic code (L. C. l.). Two contributions of corpus linguistics are then investigated : on one hand its exploratory and open approach of atypical language ; on the other hand the necessity of referring to best practice to respect personal data entrusted to the therapist and to point to the relational dimension of any process of care. From an approach in the ethnography of communication enriched by a conversation analysis, a single-case study leans on the collection of a corpus with a teenager affected by a severe language disorder. In order to explore the singular story of a patient, real clinical linguistics allows conceiving speech therapy from spontaneous conversations, and more particularly, emergent topics in making contact with the therapist. In conclusion, “corpus-driven” clinical analyses are an attempt : (1) to surpass a normative approach of language disorders by using the richness of qualitative data, and (2) to consider pathology as a source of variation, and not simply as a deviance. With the development of computer technology, it is becoming possible to promote standardized practices in the collection of spoken data in speech therapy, and to then submit this data to corpus analyses