Download PACT for Organization

+
Conventions for
Coherence:
Known/New Patterns
+
Using PACT to Consider Internal
Coherence (Known/New)

Purpose


Audience


Respond to your readers’ expectations.
Conventions


Make sure every idea/sentence/word speaks to your purpose.
Polish your draft. Errors (e.g. lack of clarity) can detract from
your purpose.
Trouble Shoot for Coherence


Don’t let your readers wander too far away from your purpose.
Provide cues in your writing to keep your reader on track.
+
Known/New (a.k.a. Old/New)

If you want to make information clear to your readers, the
following structure is useful:


The known (or old) information is placed at the beginning of a
sentence.
The new information is placed at the end of a sentence.
Example:
Promising brain markers for schizophrenia have been identified
(old information), but how brain abnormalities lead to core
psychotic symptoms of the disorder, such as hallucinations and
delusions, is still unknown (new information) (Nature Editorial,
2010). Most patients with schizophrenia experience auditory
hallucinations in the form of speech – auditory verbal hallucinations
(AVHs). Hallucinations, in contrast with delusions, are typically
intermittent events lasting a few seconds (Sommer et al., 2008).
These temporal features have afforded the design of imaging
studies that capture AVH events during external silence. These
studies. . .
+
Known/New

This is what happens when the order (known/new) is swapped.
How is your comprehension affected?
How brain abnormalities lead to core psychotic symptoms of the
disorder, such as hallucinations and delusions, is still unknown (new
information) (Nature Editorial, 2010), but promising brain markers for
schizophrenia have been identified (old information). Hallucinations,
in contrast with delusions, are typically intermittent events lasting a
few seconds (Sommer et al., 2008). Most patients with schizophrenia
experience auditory hallucinations in the form of speech – auditory
verbal hallucinations (AVHs). These temporal features have afforded
the design of imaging studies that capture AVH events during external
silence. These studies. . .
+
 You
will be handed an envelope
with 13 sentences, all from an
NIH abstract. Your job is to
arrange the sentences into a
coherent paragraph. As you
construct the abstract, look for
Known/New cues.
 Once
Ten Minutes
you’ve constructed the
abstract, consult the key. How
does your abstract resemble the
key? How does it differ? How did
you decide where to place the
sentences? Be prepared to share
your responses with the class.
+
Key

1 Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an exceedingly common disorder of the vaginal microflora
affecting >30% of all women, with higher rates in pregnancy and among AfricanAmerican populations. 6 Women with BV are at substantially increased risk of preterm
birth, which is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, as well as acquisition
of sexually transmitted diseases including human immunodeficiency virus. 3 Despite
its public health importance, the pathogenesis of BV is not well understood. 8 We have
recently characterized vaginolysin (VLY), a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin from
Gardnerella vaginalis (a bacterial species present on the vaginal mucosa in the setting
of BV and thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of disease) that exhibits exquisite
human specificity. 10We hypothesize that this species-specific toxin may be an
important virulence factor of G. vaginalis with relevance to the pathogenesis of BV. 12
In our preliminary data, we have characterized the receptor for VLY (human CD59) on
genital tract epithelial cells. 13 Introduction of this receptor into non-susceptible cells
renders them sensitive to VLY. 5 We have engineered a transgenic mouse expressing
the hCD59 receptor and also constructed a VLY chimera that is hCD59-independent.
11 These represent candidate in vivo models for BV. 9 In addition, we have developed
techniques for genetic manipulation of G. vaginalis, including transposon mutagenesis.
7 In Aim 1, we will define genetic determinants of G. vaginalis virulence using new
techniques for mutagenesis and assays of toxin production. 2 In Aim 2, we will
determine the role of VLY at the host-pathogen interface both in vitro and in vivo with a
focus on unique aspects of the VLY-hCD59 interaction. 4 At the conclusion of these
studies, we will have expanded our knowledge of G. vaginalis pathogenesis, evaluated
new in vivo models of BV, identified candidate strategies to inhibit toxin-host
interaction, and developed new tools for continued investigation into the pathogenesis
of an important disorder.
+
Known/New on a Macro-Scale
The Known/New structure doesn’t just apply at the sentence
level, it also works a the paragraph and section level.


After reading the following topic sentences, what do you
expect from each paragraph?

A growing body of work suggests that disruptions in predictive
signals that support learning, underlie psychotic symptoms.

Our findings support the hypothesis that deficient predictive
coding underlies psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia.
After reading the following sub-headings, what do you
expect to see in the paragraphs that follows?

Participants

Predictive coding explains activations in the auditory cortex
+
Minute Paper
1.
What is the most significant thing you
learned today?
1.
What question is in your mind as we finish
today’s workshop?