Art (that) works: design guidelines for equitable public art

Master of Landscape ArchitectureDepartment of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community PlanningJessica CanfieldPublic art within a public space should be experienced by all people (Hein 2006; Phillips 1989; Zebracki 2013). However, when attitudinal, organizational or systemic, and architectural or physical barriers exist, the experience of public art may exclude Persons with Disabilities (Council of Ontario Universities 2013; Schaffer 2020). When people are unable to equitably experience public art, they are also excluded from cultural communities and artistic interpretations of society. If artists and designers do not know how to purposefully accommodate the experiential needs of diverse audiences, including Persons with Disabilities, public art may not be equitably experienced by all people. While some guidelines exist for equitable art in private settings, such as museums, there is a lack of knowledge about how to create and site equitable public art in public spaces. Thus, to fill this knowledge gap, this project developed design guidelines for artists, designers, and creatives when creating and siting equitable public art in public space. The guidelines consider the needs of “all” people to include mobility (physical disabilities), cognition (intellectual disabilities and/or neurodiversity), hearing (D/deaf and Hard of Hearing), and vision (B/blind and Low Vision) disabilities. Notably, the graphic design of the guidelines adheres to established graphic design standards for accessibility. Methods used to inform the development of the guidelines included interviews with artists and site designers, and precedent analysis of multi-sensory art and universally-design sites. To demonstrate how the guidelines can be used, a projective art and site design was developed with site analysis and documented through memoing. Findings reveal that for public art to be equitably experienced by all people, it must be both physically accessible and multi-sensory, to engage two or more senses (Barnes 2003; National Recreation and Parks Association 2015; Robinson 1998). Additionally, and most importantly, findings indicate that the most essential component of equitable public art is social. Public art needs to foster social interaction, which can occur when the art is interactive and “comes alive” with engagement (Papalia 2022). By considering the needs of Persons with Disabilities, artists, designers, and creatives have an opportunity to make a more enriching art experience for all people- an experience that all people may not have had otherwise

The Business Plot in the American press

Master of ArtsDepartment of HistoryDonald J. MrozekIn the fall of 1934 Major General Smedley Butler, U.S.M.C. (ret.) testified before Congress that he had been approached by a representative of a cabal of wealthy Wall Street bankers, powerful industrial magnates, and shady political operatives to lead a fascist coup to overthrow the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Congress investigated Butler’s allegations of a conspiracy against the government and deemed them to be true. The American news media, however, was noticeably divided in the nature of their coverage of the congressional investigation. Previous historians have claimed that elements of the American news media were markedly sympathetic toward fascism in the United States during the 1930s. An analysis of the newspaper coverage of this investigation reveals a stark contrast between ways in which media outlets headed by individuals suspected of fascist sympathies portrayed the story as opposed to media outlets known to be editorially anti-fascist. These findings lend credence to previous historians’ claims about identifiably pro-fascist strains in the American media during the time in question

Revisiting the role of swine on the risk of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) transmission in the United States: a rapid systematic review of the literature

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is an emerging, zoonotic disease caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), which is transmitted primarily by Culex species mosquitoes (particularly Culex tritaeniorhynchus). The JEV maintains its life cycle between mosquitoes and vertebrate hosts, primarily pigs and wading birds (Le Flohic et al., 2013). In humans, JEV infection causes inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) as well as fever, headache, respiratory distress, gastrointestinal pain, confusion, seizures, and, in some cases, death (Fischer et al., 2012; Hills et al., 2014). The global incidence of JE is uncertain. Effectiveness and quality of JE surveillance in endemic countries vary (Jayatilleke et al. 2020), as does availability of diagnostic testing throughout the world. Between 50,000 and 100,000 JE cases per year are estimated to occur in endemic countries (WHO, 2006; Campbell et al., 2011, Quan et al., 2020). Among all clinical cases, children under the age of 10 comprise the majority affected (WHO, 2006). Whereas less than 1% of the cases are accompanied by symptoms, 30% of the symptomatic cases are fatal (Campbell et al., 2011). Being untreatable and incurable, once introduced in a community, JE can lead to devastating economic and health impacts. The United States (US) is considered a susceptible region with great potential for JEV introduction. The availability of competent vectors, susceptible maintenance hosts (avian), intensive travel and trade activities to and from JEV-affected countries, areas with similar climatic and environmental conditions to countries where the virus is epidemic, and large populations of susceptible, amplifying hosts (domestic and feral pigs), makes the US suitable for JEV emergence. In fact, the US is the world’s third-largest producer and consumer of pork and pork products (ERS, USDA 2022). The importance of the swine industry to the US economy and the sizeable naïve pig populations, magnify the severity of a potential viral incursion. As pigs are considered the main amplifying host of JEV, an extensive review of the literature and identification of knowledge gaps will assist researchers, stakeholders, and policy makers with effort prioritization, development of precautionary intervention measures, and evaluation of disease control measures. Although current conditions have not been favorable for JEV to establish in the US, increases in international trade and globalization, as well as changes in climate and land use, and reductions in pesticide use, can contribute to its rapid and wide geographical spread (Oliveira et al., 2018). A good understanding of the role of swine as an amplifying host for this virus is critical to public health authorities when planning prevention and preparedness measures

The Mysterious Geography of The Shepherd of Guadaloupe

The Shepherd of Guadaloupe was Zane Grey’s twenty-third Western romance novel. Grey wrote it in mid-1928 and it was serialized in Collier’s magazine that fall. With the publication of the book in 1930, Harper and Brothers celebrated 20 years of publishing Zane Grey and included a special anniversary band on the book. As is the case with nearly all of Grey’s romance novels, understanding the geography of the book starts with understanding Grey’s travels

To Power, a Dictator: An Evaluation of Midwestern Religious and Secular News About Early Nazi Germany

News media has the unique ability to shape the perceptions of a mass audience. Writing or relaying messages directly influences the collective consciousness of the audience by painting a portrait of events. The pre-war coverage of Nazi Germany is no exception to this rule. This paper aims to evaluate the coverage of midwestern newspapers and the perceptions that their respective audience would have had of Nazi Germany. This includes two religious newspapers, The Jewish Press of Nebraska and the Catholic Advance of Kansas, and two secular newspapers, The Lincoln Journal-Star of Nebraska and The Kansas City Star of Missouri. In reading these papers, one finds that they each present very different interpretations and perceptions of what exactly the Nazi state was. The Kansas City Star saw Germany as an unstable nation whose leader was scarcely competent but who eventually evolved into a tyrannical and iron-fisted dictator. Lincoln Journal Star was concerned with the concept of reasonability that caused it to question any and all actions taken. The religious papers both concerned themselves with their faiths within Germany, with The Catholic Advance focusing on persecution of Catholics and the thoughts of the Vatican and The Jewish Press opting to focus on Nazi aggression against Jews as well as protests and events within the United States hoping to raise awareness of Nazi atrocities

Evaluation of Fusarium Head Blight and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus Incidences and Severity Among Winter Wheat Association Mapping Population

Fusarium head blight (FHB) and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYD) are diseases in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) that caused an estimated $2.7 billion in damage and 0.65 bushels/acre in yield loss in a three-year period, respectively. Disease-resistant lines are the most efficient way to combat disease pressure. Disease resistances are quantitative in nature and many genes have not been well characterized. In addition, several minor effect QTLs identified in wheat make it difficult to design effective markers for resistance to FHB and BYD. Thus, the aim of this study is to identify genetic markers in genomic regions associated with resistance phenotypes. To do this, a panel of 270 different winter wheat lines from across the wheat-growing regions in the United States were scored for disease incidence and severity in the Kansas State University FHB nursery. The causative agent for FHB was introduced via corn spawn and the BYD was presented via natural infection by aphids. These wheat lines were also sequenced using exome capture, providing 450,000 high-quality SNPs for genome-wide association study (GWAS). We observed phenotypic variation in the field, suggesting an association study can be done. There were 30 significant (p<0.00001) SNPs for BYD resistance/susceptibility and 9 significant (p<0.0001) SNPS for FHB resistance/susceptibility. We identified 26 lines representing 10.4% of the total lines carrying the major Fhb1 resistance gene with lower area under the disease progressive curve (AUDPC) compared to the lines with no Fhb1 gene. Our results suggest that high-quality markers for both diseases may be designed. In the future, we hope to test these SNPs by developing KASP assays for these QTLs and validate the SNPs as gene markers in our trial population.

A Kinome RNAi Screen Reveals Genes Required for Muscle Tissue Maintenance

NUAK is an AMPK-related kinase which controls autophagy (cellular recycling) of an important linker protein in muscle called Filamin1. The absence of NUAK prevents the turnover of Filamin, presents an accumulation of autophagic markers such as p62 and ATG8 and leads to muscle degeneration. The goal of our research was to determine which other kinase genes might be required to regulate autophagy by turning them off with RNA interference (RNAi) and looking for abnormal muscle structure and attachment. 25 candidate kinase genes were selected and turned off in the muscle of Drosophila melanogaster larvae using RNAi. The larvae were then dissected and imaged under a laser confocal microscope to observe muscle structure. Knockdown of seven kinase genes yata, nippedA, CDK9, for, RIOK1, lic, and Vps15 showed abnormal muscle structure such a detachment and muscle thinning. These kinase genes will be further analyzed for their requirement in the proper autophagy of Filamin

Lived and Learned Experience with Accessible and Inclusive Pedagogy

I have always walked in two different worlds. Because I am low vision, not blind, I know the joy of seeing and capturing the perfect image in my digital camera’s viewfinder. I know the joy of teaching a dance class. I know what it’s like to be perceived as abled. Because I am low vision, not “normal,” I know the frustration and sometimes humiliation of a teacher caring more about their seating plans or their favorite activity than my ability to participate fully in class. I know the frustration of missing parts of presentations because the presenter did not explain visual content on a slide. I know what it feels like to have an instructor ignore accessibility needs that you have clearly articulated. I know the humiliation of people commenting on the appearance of my eyes. I know what it is to be underestimated or not taken seriously because of preconceived notions about my capabilities

What kind of bird is this? She will stop a galloping horse: an autoethnographic exploration of transnationality, motherhood, work, and education

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Educational LeadershipSusan Yelich BinieckiAdult learners who are also parents are often faced with balancing several responsibilities. Many are juggling family, academics, and work. The purpose of this study is to describe my lived experiences while navigating and negotiating transnationality, motherhood, work, and education identities. By applying the social, intersectional, non-linear conceptual framework of identity development (Cerulo, 1997; Crenshaw, 1989; Hoare, 2006; Josselson; Keller & Werchan, 2006; Tajfel & Turner, 1986; Yelich Biniecki & Conceição, 2014) as a researcher, I explore my lived experiences of transnationality and becoming a mother while pursuing a doctoral degree and working full-time through the lens of feminist autoethnography (Ettorre, 2016). In addition, I also incorporate interactions with family, friends, coworkers, other students and faculty, and the world. My experience is a unique example. My aim is to share a slice of personal reality and contribute to the bigger understanding of cultural experience that may impact other students as well. The findings of this study have the potential to greatly benefit the field of adult education by providing valuable insights on how institutions can effectively attract, retain, and support students throughout their academic journeys