Using neutron methods SANS and PGAA to study evolution of structure and composition of alkali-doped polybenzimidazole membranes

Babcock, E.,Szekely, N.,Konovalova, A.,Lin, Y.,Appavou, M.-S.,Mangiapia, G.,Revay, Z.,Stieghorst, C.,Holderer, O.,Henkensmeier, D.,Lehnert, W.,Carmo, M. Elsevier 2019 Journal of membrane science Vol.577 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Potassium hydroxide (KOH) doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes are investigated as compelling candidates for water electrolysis applications, drastically reducing the ohmic losses in contrast to thick ZrO<SUB>2</SUB> based diaphragms. Using small angle neutron scattering (SANS) we have found that the structure of the (KOH doped) PBI changes with doping time on a minute time scale, and that the development of the structure is highly dependent on the KOH concentration. This data is correlated with macroscopic measurements of membrane swelling resulting from the doping process which also occurs on a minute time scale. Then, using prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) to follow the changes in time of the chemical composition, we have found that the K concentration of these samples only increases slightly with doping times after a very rapid initial uptake, reaching a saturation value that is relatively independent of KOH concentration for long doping times of up to 24 h. However measurements of similarly doped samples show increases in ion-conductivity of nearly 3 fold, and resistivity reductions of over 2 fold on the same time scales. These measurements prove that PGAA is a sensitive method to follow changes in the chemical compositions during doping, while SANS can give information on the sub-micro structural changes of polymer electrolyte membranes. Since these methods can be correlated with <I>ex-situ</I> measurements of composition, resistance, ion-conductivity and macro-structure, the combined use of PGAA and SANS provides a promising means for <I>in-operando</I> study in order to elucidate changes in membrane performance due to electrochemical cycling, as well as to help characterize and optimize doping parameters though in-situ doping measurements, by enabling real-time study of such membrane systems.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Elucidating the doping of Alkali-doped Polybenzimidazole membranes. </LI> <LI> Complementary structure and composition information from SANS and PGAA to study functional membranes. </LI> <LI> Structure varies over doping time for KOH doped Polybenzimidazole membranes. </LI> <LI> New possibilities for in-situ and in-operando characterization. </LI> </UL> </P>

(De)coupling Positional Whiteness and White Identities through “Good English” in Singapore

Babcock Joshua 한국외국어대학교 HK 세미오시스 연구센터 2023 Signs and Society Vol.11 No.1

English in Singapore occupies an ambivalent status as both global bridge and threat to local “cultural values” (Tan 2017). English is also constructed as threatened by Singlish, or Singaporean Colloquial English (Wee 2018). This article first elaborates the historical-institutional production of a covert raciolinguistic community—“Caucasian” English speakers—whose speech ideologically contrasts with Singaporeans’ “non-native” English. It then analyzes a crowdsourced self-help column, “English as It Is Broken,” and participant observation at a Singlish awareness class. I argue that the figure of the native-English-speaking foreigner (by default white and, increasingly, American) continues to anchor what counts as “Good English” and rescales intersectional self- and other evaluations of Singaporeans’ linguistic deficiency. Good English thus invites aspirational investments in whiteness-as-position (a superordinate position in global, racializing hierarchies) but remains a target that Singaporeans are cast as forever failing to meet due to their nonwhite identities (not “being” white).

Toward a “Both-And” Semiotics of Intersectionality: Raciolinguistics beyond White Settler-Colonial Situations

Babcock Joshua,Ke-Schutte Jay 한국외국어대학교 HK 세미오시스 연구센터 2023 Signs and Society Vol.11 No.1

In proposing a “both-and” semiotics of intersectionality, this special issue responds to recent timely studies of white supremacy, anti-Blackness, settler supremacy, and other oppressive systems undertaken by linguistic anthropologists and other critical scholars of language. Contributors to this issue turn our attention toward two pressing concerns that are at stake in the continued theorization of raciolinguistics: First, we insist that the conaturalization of language and race is flexible and expansive, not reductive, narrow, or epiphenomenal. Second, we situate our projects at what has until now been a point of breakdown in raciolinguistic discussions by examining and theorizing raciolinguistic ordering in situations that are reflexively positioned as lying beyond the white settler colonial.

Business Communication Research and Theory Development in Asia: Past, Present, and Future Prospects

Bertha Du-Babcock 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2018 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.1 No.1

Objectives: Multinational corporations headquartered in Asia have steadily taken a greater market share in the global marketplace. This growth will continue, and Asia will be the leading economic force in the 21st century. This article attempts to provide a critical review of the literature of international business and business communication in Asia over the last two decades. Methods: This paper describes and reviews intercultural communication and business research and theory development in Asian multinational corporations. It traces the development of cultural, linguistic, and international business streams of research and theory development. Existing models and frameworks that can guide research and theory building are presented to lead to a unified theory of Asian business communication. Results: It was shown how distinct management and communication systems developed in Japan, Korea, overseas Chinese countries, and Mainland China. These streams were largely independent and are now going through an initial period of integration. Conclusions: There are hopeful signs for expanded research and theory building on Asian business communication. Scholarship and research is shifting to Asia as a way of following the movement of global business communication. A comprehensive framework, theories, and models are needed in order to guide future research endeavors in this increasingly diverse and complex globalized business communication environment and to provide a more complete and comprehensive explanation of international and Asian business communication.

Can Simulated Data be Comparable to Authentic Data?: A Comparative Analysis of Meeting Chairing Activities

Bertha Du-Babcock,Angela Chi Kuen Chan 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2019 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.2 No.2

Objectives:This paper examines an under-researched issue - the comparability between authentic and simulated data, both of which are commonly used in business and professional communication. By analysing face-to-face business meetings, this paper aims to investigate (1) whether the four meeting chairing activities are accomplished in similar or different ways in authentic and simulated meetings?, and (2) under what settings simulated data would be comparable to authentic data for business and professional communication research. Methods:The study employs a fine-grained discourse-analytic approach to examine and compare four meeting chairing/facilitation activities (i.e., meeting opening, agenda management, turn allocation, meeting closing) in two authentic and two simulated business meetings. Results:Analysis shows that simulated meetings display a considerable degree of similarities to authentic meetings in terms of communicative strategies used to open or close a meeting, to manage the meeting agenda, and to allocate speakership while differences are observed in the actual discourse used to accomplish these chairing activities. The observed differences can be attributed in terms of the participants’ orientations to the meetings’ contextual factors including the setting that a simulated meeting is embedded, the organizational roles that a meeting chair is playing, and the relationship among the meeting participants. Conclusion:Findings suggest that simulated data can be compatible for studying communicative patterns at macro-levels although it may not be suitable for researching business communication at a micro-level of interaction. We also provide implications of using simulated data for conducting research in business communication.

Changing perspectives on Cambrian chronostratigraphy and progress toward subdivision of the Cambrian System

Loren E. Babcock,Shanchi Peng,Gerd Geyer,John H. Shergold 한국지질과학협의회 2005 Geosciences Journal Vol.9 No.2

Important steps have been made toward global subdivision of the Cambrian System. The consensus of opinion is that the system should be subdivided into four series representing subequal spans of time. The lower two series will correspond approximately to the traditional Lower Cambrian, the third series will correspond approximately to the traditional Middle Cambrian, and the fourth series corresponds approximately to the traditional Upper Cambrian. The fourth series, called the Furongian Series, has been ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). Selection of horizons representing evolutionary events that can be correlated on a global scale, and which can be used as stage or series boundaries, is much more difficult for the lower two series intervals of the Cambrian than it is for the upper two series intervals of the Cambrian. The most practical concept for subdividing the system into stages involves the establishment of two stages each for the first and second series, and establishment of three stages each for the third and fourth series. The lowermost stage of the Furongian, called the Paibian Stage, has been ratified by the IUGS, and the International Subcommission on Cambrian Stratigraphy (ISCS) is nearing decisions on the levels that will used to mark the bases of the upper two stages of the Furongian. Concerning stage boundaries within the proposed third series of the Cambrian, the ISCS is close to decisions on two levels that will be used to mark boundaries.

Impact of Bilingual Language and Their Proficiency on Role Behaviors in Strategic Decision-Making Meetings

Bertha Du-Babcock 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2020 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.3 No.1

Objectives:This paper investigates whether (1) Hong Kong bilinguals exhibit different role behaviors in interconnected Cantonese (L1) and English (L2) strategic decision-making meetings; (2) individuals with higher L2 proficiency exhibit more task-facilitating role behaviors, while individuals with lower L2 proficiency likely exhibit more relational-maintenance role behaviors; and (3) English proficiency affect the role behavior of Hong Kong bilinguals. Methods:The study adopted a schema developed by Benne and Sheats and Barker, Wahlers, Watson, & Kibler. The data consisted of 22 meeting transcripts with a total copra of 65,397 words of English dialogs and 120,998 Chinese characters. The number and frequency of the role behaviors of each participant were codified, counted, and compared to examine the impact of language use and L2 proficiency on role behaviors. Results:The results showed that Hong Kong bilinguals performed more task-facilitating and relational-maintenance role behaviors in Cantonese meetings than in English meetings. Findings also revealed that L2 proficiency influenced task-facilitating role behaviors when making decisions in English and that the individuals who performed more task-facilitating role behaviors in English meetings had a tendency to perform more task-facilitating role behaviors in Cantonese meetings. Conclusion:The study clarifies when and why Hong Kong bilinguals communicate differently in their L1 and L2 meetings. The study provides possible markers for improving the quantity and quality of intercultural communication. When bilinguals with intermediate L2 proficiency participate in an intercultural meeting requiring interactive decision making, the challenge is to create a communication structure where their communication potential can be more fully utilized.

Adapting Western-Based Management and Business Communication Courses to Global Environments: Expatriate Professor Perspectives

Bertha Du-Babcock,Li-Ying Wu 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2023 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.6 No.1

Objectives: The present study examines an under-researched issue – the transferability and adaptations of Western-based (mainly US) business and management communication courses to the global environments. This paper investigates whether and how the Western expatriate professors adapted their US-delivered modes to accommodate the global communication environments regarding language, culture, and contexts. Methods: The present study is exploratory research using qualitative methodology. Ten expert Western professors who taught in Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, India, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Singapore were invited to participate in the research. The data were gathered through a triangulation method, including objectifying interviewing and the written responses to open-ended questions. Results: The findings demonstrate that the instructional material and teaching style used in the US or UK could serve as the framework for Asian and Middle Eastern teaching but that adaptations need to be made for language, culture, and context differences in and among Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Notably, the English competency of the students determines the quantity of teaching material that could be presented. Conclusions: Findings suggest that multifaceted adaptations, including language, culture, and context factors, are critical to the success of transforming US-based business and management courses to the global business communication environment. The paper concludes by identifying five emerging themes in an expanding business communication theory and an internationalized business communication classroom genre. Implications and suggestions for future research are also provided.

A Proposal for Global Situational Theory

Richard D. Babcock 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2021 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.4 No.1

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Sulfoxaflor, a Novel Sulfoximine Insecticide

Yi, Jeehwan,J. Babcock,M. Loso,G. Watson,T. Sparks,J. Thomas 한국응용곤충학회 2012 한국응용곤충학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2012 No.05

Sulfoxaflor, a novel sulfoximine insecticide, discovered by and proprietary to Dow AgroSciences is being developed globally. Sulfoxaflor will be used in all major crop groups, including fruits, vegetables, rice, cereals, soybean, and many other crops. Sulfoxaflor provides excellent efficacy at low use rates through contact and ingestion against important and difficult-to-control sap-feeding insect pests, including certain species of aphids, scales, plant bugs, whiteflies, planthoppers and other sap feeders. Sulfoxaflor’s mode of action is via agonism of the insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAchR), which is the same target site of neo-nicotinoid insecticides. However, relative to most neonicotinoids, sulfoxaflor is a high efficacy agonist of the nAchR with relatively low affinity for the imidacloprid binding site. Furthermore, sulfoxaflor is less susceptible to metabolism by monooxygenase enzymes and displays a broad lack of metabolism-based cross-resistance with neonicotinoids. This difference as well as its novel chemical structure led to sulfoxaflor being designated as the sole member of Group 4, Subgroup C of the IRAC Mode of Action Classification Scheme. Because of broad lack of crossresistance, sulfoxaflor will be a useful rotational partner with other insecticide chemistries, enhancing Insect Resistance Management strategies. In Korea, sulfoxaflor is being developed for use in fruit and leafy and fruiting vegetable by several companies. Results from several laboratory and field trials revealed that sulfoxaflor at use rate of 35 ppm (7% product, X2,000 dilution rate) provided excellent performance against economically important aphids in several crops compared with current sap-feeding pest control agents. Sulfoxaflor was registered in October 2011 as brandname TRANSFORM® (Sulfoxaflor 7% SC which is produced by Dongbu Hannong) will be launched for apple, pear and red-pepper in 2012.