Communicative Breakdown in Conversation: Arguments for a Corpus-based Analysis

Scholars from various different disciplines have argued that the study of communicative breakdown in everyday verbal exchange provides valuable evidence of how human interactive endeavour is accomplished, since the nature of such accomplishment is not amenable to direct investigation. However, to our knowledge, there has been no systematic programme of research to consider the nature of this evidence nor indeed any attempt, other than on an ad hoc basis, to identify the structural criteria and types of interaction that can occur because of some failure to communicate successfully. By discussing what such a programme might involve with reference to the study of one particular type of breakdown, namely 'misunderstanding', this paper aims to illustrate the potentially rich contribution that a study of this kind can make in developing an appropriately evidenced analysis of communicative events in general

An investigation of the types and structure of misunderstandings

PhD ThesisThis thesis is based on the premise that when speaker-hearers are involved in misunderstandings, they provide analysts of talk with valuable evidence of a process which is not normally amenable to direct investigation, namely, the process of 'successful communication'. A number of scholars, working independently from different disciplinary perspectives, have begun to investigate such evidence but there has been no systematic programme of research to determine either the structural characteristics of misunderstandings or the different types of misunderstandings which could occur in everyday interaction. In order to facilitate such a programme, a corpus of one hundred misunderstandings was collected by the diary method. As a first step towards analysing the corpus a communication model was developed in order to account for the salient structural characteristics of misunderstandings. Four major integral components were identified which provide an important source of evidence for establishing (i) that a misunderstanding has occurred, (ii) the extent, course and outcome of a misunderstanding and (iii). the type of misunderstanding which has occurred. The components are both 'textual', such as utterances, and 'non-textual', such as understandings, and therefore enable the essential aspects of communication to be accommodated in the analysis. The fact that nineteen different types of misunderstandings were identified indicates the complexity of the phenomenon. The "process" analysis of the corpus and of additional data, drawn from the work of other researchers, shows that speaker-hearers are able to negotiate understanding by means of a number of devices'. In detailing these 'devices' and the inter-relationship between them, it is suggested that the correct use of'devices' and the recognition of inappropriate responses are crucial communicative skills. The majority of misunderstandings are detected and resolved because speaker-hearers draw on these skills. Nevertheless, some misunderstandings are not resolved and these data emphasize how important it is that speaker-hearers utilize the resources available to them. By specifying what these resources might be, this thesis argues that successful communication requires highly complex, structured interaction in which the monitoring of understanding is of paramount importance.Department of Education and Science; Isle of Man Board of Educatio

Réseau de soutien aux résidents : une démarche de soutien au bien-être des médecins résidents

Implication Statement The Resident Support Network (RSN) is a formal network of residents and medical faculty, with additional training and resources in resident wellness. RSN is accessible to residents to approach with their wellness concerns. It aims to support residents during a period of medical training that is associated with high trainee burnout rates. Implementing individual-focused and organizational strategies in residency programs has been found to reduce burnout. The RSN, in the McMaster University Pediatrics Residency program, was initiated based on the need to help address gaps in supporting resident wellness. Implementation of an RSN would likely provide similar benefits for residents in other universities and specialties by enhancing resident wellness.Énoncé des implications de la recherche Le Resident Support Network (RSN) est un réseau formel de résidents et de membres du corps professoral de médecine, ayant une formation complémentaire et des ressources sur le bien-être des résidents. Les résidents peuvent s'adresser au RSN pour faire part de leurs préoccupations quant à leur bien-être. Il vise à soutenir les résidents pendant une période de leur formation médicale qui est associée à une fréquence élevée d'épuisement. La mise en œuvre de stratégies individuelles et organisationnelles dans les programmes de résidence s'est avérée efficace pour réduire le risque d'épuisement. Le RSN, dans le programme de résidence en pédiatrie de l'Université McMaster, a été mis en place pour combler des lacunes dans le soutien au bien-être des résidents. La mise en œuvre d'un RSN apporterait probablement des avantages semblables aux résidents d'autres universités et spécialités en améliorant leur bien-être

Shallow-water Benthic Foraminifera of the Galápagos Archipelago: Ecologically Sensitive Carbonate Producers in an Atypical Tropical Oceanographic Setting

Coral reefs are currently exposed to a number of anthropogenic pressures worldwide. With ocean warming and acidification expected to continue in the near future, it is important to study coral environments within natural oceanographic gradients, particularly with respect to their effects on environmental indicator species. Benthic foraminifera are sensitive to environmental change, making them ideal indicators of reef water quality and health. Hence, we studied benthic foraminifera from samples collected throughout the Galápagos Archipelago, an equatorial island chain strongly influenced by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and deep water upwelling—resulting in an atypical natural temperature, nutrient, and pH transition zone throughout the tropical latitudes of the archipelago. While foraminiferal abundances averaged 0.7% of all sand-sized carbonate grains, assemblages were characterized by a total of 161 species in 72 genera. The northern archipelago was dominated by Miliolida and contained the highest percentages of symbiont-bearing taxa in the Galápagos. However, the archipelago as a whole strongly favored heterotrophic Rotaliida, particularly throughout the southern islands, which are directly impacted by high nutrient and low pH upwelling from the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC). While the Eastern Tropical Pacific does not show the diversity of its western counterpart, Galápagos foraminiferal assemblages revealed a relatively high foraminiferal diversity for the region as well as evidence in support of earlier reports of high endemism within the archipelago

Variable El Niño-Southern Oscillation influence on biofacies dynamics of eastern Pacific shallow-water carbonate systems

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a periodic climatic and oceanic event caused by sea-surface temperature and nutrient anomalies over the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP). Recurring ENSO events have a significant impact on climate and the ecosystems of the circum-Pacific region. In the marine realm, ENSO is known for altering temperature and nutrient patterns, affecting the pelagic food chain, and causing widespread bleaching of corals due to temperature stress. The potential impacts of ENSO on shallow benthic ecosystems as a whole, however, are poorly understood. Here, we compared biogenic sedimentary facies of ETP shallow-water carbonate systems in a strongly ENSO-influenced area (Galápagos Islands, Ecuador [GAL]) with similar systems in an area less stronglyinfluenced by ENSO (Gulf of California, Mexico [GOC]). Carbonate assemblages in both study regions range from coral-algal-dominated (photozoan) to molluscan-dominated (heterozoan) assemblages. Linear statistical models, comparing the distribution of carbonates against prominent local oceanographic parameters, show that minimum chlorophyll-a and maximum sea-surface temperature (which are both strongly influenced by ENSO) are dominant drivers shaping carbonate sediment facies in the GAL. In contrast, GOC carbonates have a distinct mean chlorophyll-a signature that is the result of anupwelling-induced north-south nutrient gradient not significantly influenced by ENSO

“Super” SERPINs—A stabilizing force against fibrinolysis in thromboinflammatory conditions

The superfamily of serine protease inhibitors (SERPINs) are a class of inhibitors that utilise a dynamic conformational change to trap and inhibit their target enzymes. Their powerful nature lends itself well to regulation of complex physiological enzymatic cascades, such as the haemostatic, inflammatory and complement pathways. The SERPINs α2-antiplasmin, plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1, plasminogen-activator inhibitor-2, protease nexin-1, and C1-inhibitor play crucial inhibitory roles in regulation of the fibrinolytic system and inflammation. Elevated levels of these SERPINs are associated with increased risk of thrombotic complications, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Conversely, deficiencies of these SERPINs have been linked to hyperfibrinolysis with bleeding and angioedema. In recent years SERPINs have been implicated in the modulation of the immune response and various thromboinflammatory conditions, such as sepsis and COVID-19. Here, we highlight the current understanding of the physiological role of SERPINs in haemostasis and inflammatory disease progression, with emphasis on the fibrinolytic pathway, and how this becomes dysregulated during disease. Finally, we consider the role of these SERPINs as potential biomarkers of disease progression and therapeutic targets for thromboinflammatory diseases

Resident Support Network: a supportive approach to resident physician wellness

Implication Statement The Resident Support Network (RSN) is a formal network of residents and medical faculty, with additional training and resources in resident wellness. RSN is accessible to residents to approach with their wellness concerns. It aims to support residents during a period of medical training that is associated with high trainee burnout rates. Implementing individual-focused and organizational strategies in residency programs has been found to reduce burnout. The RSN, in the McMaster University Pediatrics Residency program, was initiated based on the need to help address gaps in supporting resident wellness. Implementation of an RSN would likely provide similar benefits for residents in other universities and specialties by enhancing resident wellness

Histone chaperone HIRA deposits histone H3.3 onto foreign viral DNA and contributes to anti-viral intrinsic immunity

The HIRA histone chaperone complex deposits histone H3.3 into nucleosomes in a DNA replication- and sequence-independent manner. As herpesvirus genomes enter the nucleus as naked DNA, we asked whether the HIRA chaperone complex affects herpesvirus infection. After infection of primary cells with HSV or CMV, or transient transfection with naked plasmid DNA, HIRA re-localizes to PML bodies, sites of cellular anti-viral activity. HIRA co-localizes with viral genomes, binds to incoming viral and plasmid DNAs and deposits histone H3.3 onto these. Anti-viral interferons (IFN) specifically induce HIRA/PML co-localization at PML nuclear bodies and HIRA recruitment to IFN target genes, although HIRA is not required for IFN-inducible expression of these genes. HIRA is, however, required for suppression of viral gene expression, virus replication and lytic infection and restricts murine CMV replication in vivo. We propose that the HIRA chaperone complex represses incoming naked viral DNAs through chromatinization as part of intrinsic cellular immunity