When There Will Be Great Women Artists

Linda Nochim has posed the question why there are no great women artists? (Nochim 1988) While this question can be challenged as a issue of perspective, I attempt to address it as an actual phenomenon. What is it that limits the productivity of women in art? Historically, women in the modem industrialized world have been objectified and stereotyped, and I will present a brief overview that discusses the definition of woman in this context (Bohan 1993, West and Zimmerman 1987, Hare-Mustin and Marecek 1990), and also demonstrate this view has saturated society. As a first step to change, women must recognize the impact of this historic perspective on their attitudes, thinking, and behavior. A second step considers the research that the psychology of women differs significantly from that of men, and this can influence how relationships and priorities are developed in their lives (Gilligan, 1993, Bepko and Krestan, 1993, Miller, 1986, Belenky, et. al., 1986). These two steps attempt to define some of the internal conflicts facing women artists. In addition, I will also examine the material impediments women artist face. For example, Csikszentmihalyi \u27s (1991) research highlights obstacles many women artists encounter entering a predominantly male art world. The forces that determine the commercial success or failure of an artist are generally male-controlled, and this can add to the invisibility of the woman as artist (Mavor 1996, Nemser 1975). These influences should be recognized for the artist to make clear choices to exercise her creativity. External supports, with mentoring as an example, would provide compatible structure, both in terms of women\u27s ways of knowing (Belenky, et.al., 1986), and their need for connection. Through the combined strategies of metacognition as well as external supports, women artists will have another tool to find their voice in the world of art

Agricultural Communications Lesson Plans for High School Agriculture Programs

In today’s workforce, individuals are expected to be able to communicate effectively through all means of communication. This includes video, graphics, emails, social media, and in person. In the agriculture industry, these means of communication have become crucial to promoting agricultural literacy throughout the world. It is important for young people to have a grasp on professionally utilizing these communication methods so that they can use them in future careers as well as advocating for the agriculture industry. The role of technology and social media is rapidly increasing in everyday life and becoming a key learning tool in secondary education. Social media has become one of the most effective ways for people to promote agricultural literacy (The Power of Social Media in Agriculture: A Guide to Social Media Success, n.d.). Lesson plans incorporating technology should “help students work at their own pace, encourage creative, original expression, improve higher order thinking skills, and expose students to authentic, real-world examples and situations” (Seamon, 1999). It is crucial for students to properly understand how to use social media websites as well as email and in person communication to increase their credibility when promoting agriculture

Let’s Focus In: A Guide to Eye Tracking Technology in Agricultural Communications Research

Communicating with the public about the agricultural industry often presents challenges in learning how to convey messages that are deemed as salient to various types of people. Media is understood through complex cognitive processes that result in varying attitudes throughout interaction with a stimulus, thus requiring methods that go beyond traditional self-report measures. The majority of agricultural communication research has encompassed quantitative and qualitative research, which often does not account for changes throughout media consumption. Eye tracking is an underutilized resource in agricultural communication that can be used to yield further insight into areas of interest that elicit visual attention and can signal further processing of information. This professional development paper examines the contributions of eye tracking research in agricultural communication and provides an overview of strategies for implementation in both research and practice

PPAR_2 expression in growth plate chondrocytes is regulated by p38 and GSK-3

Although peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)_ remains a critical regulator of preadipocyte differentiation, new roles have been discovered in inflammation, bone morphogenesis, endothelial function, cancer, longevity and atherosclerosis. Despite the demonstration of PPAR expression in chondrocytes, its role and the pathways affecting its expression and activity in chondrocytes remain largely unknown. We investigated the effects of PPAR activation on chondrocyte differentiation and its participation in chondrocyte lipid metabolism. PPAR2 expression is highly regulated during chondrocyte differentiation in vivo and in vitro PPAR activation with troglitazone resulted in increased Indian hedgehog expression and reduced collagen X expression, confirming previously described roles in the inhibition of differentiation. However, the major effect of PPAR2 in chondrocytes appears to be on lipid metabolism. During differentiation chondrocytes increase expression of the lipid-associated metabolizing protein, Lpl, which is accompanied by increased gene expression of PPAR. PPAR expression is suppressed by p38 activity, but requires GSK-3 activity. Furthermore, Lpl expression is regulated by p38 and GSK-3 signalling. This is the first study demonstrating a relationship between PPAR2 expression and chondrocyte lipid metabolism and its regulation by p38 and GSK-3 signalling

Decentralisation and municipalities in South Africa : an analysis of the mandate to deliver basic services.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.This thesis investigates the challenges facing local government in South Africa by developing a means of exploring to what extent the problems of providing basic services currently experienced by municipalities are influenced by the political, administrative and financial configuration of the decentralized system of governance. It is argued here that the design of the intergovernmental governance system does not promote the constitutional objectives of decentralisation. The current system of governance does not empower local government to become more distinctive and autonomous. The problem in many cases is not what to decentralize or whether a basic service should be provided by national, provincial or local government, but rather how to align shared rule or concurrency of the particular service with the various levels of government. One of the key questions posed in this thesis is to what extent the system of decentralized governance in South Africa enables or hinders municipalities. abilities to provide basic services in an autonomous and sustainable manner. It focuses particularly on their authority to make and implement autonomous political, administrative and financial decisions pertaining to the provision of basic services. While this study cannot conclusively report on the impact of decentralisation on basic service delivery in South Africa, it does identify some of the systemic and structural aspects that impact on the manner or way in which local municipalities provide basic services. It raises concerns that the basic service delivery obligations of local municipalities are strenuous and financially challenging, and will continue to be as long as local municipalities rely on or are controlled by other spheres of government in meeting their constitutional mandate, especially with regard to the intergovernmental transfers of fiscal resources

Responding to a Code Blue

For this project, there was an identified lack of proficiency and confidence in running a code blue at local long-term care facility. A questionnaire was distributed to registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nursing assistants in the facility to determine primary concerns related to initiating and running a code blue. In addition, code blue policies and procedures as well as current practices of the facility were reviewed. Combining data collected from the questionnaires, results from the policy/procedure review and review of evidence-based research, it was determined there is an importance and benefit to running a mock code to improve proficiency and confidence. The mock code took place during the regular workday and included registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nursing assistants from both the day and evening shift. The group will compare participant data collected prior to and following the mock code blue experience to determine effectiveness of this experience on participant knowledge, confidence and proficiency in performing a code blue

AICPA\u27s top technologies 2004

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_guides/1588/thumbnail.jp

Genome-wide analyses of gene expression during mouse endochondral ossification

Background: Endochondral ossification is a complex process involving a series of events that are initiated by the establishment of a chondrogenic template and culminate in its replacement through the coordinated activity of osteoblasts, osteoclasts and endothelial cells. Comprehensive analyses of in vivo gene expression profiles during these processes are essential to obtain a complete understanding of the regulatory mechanisms involved. Methodology/Principal Findings: To address these issues, we completed a microarray screen of three zones derived from manually segmented embryonic mouse tibiae. Classification of genes differentially expressed between each respective zone, functional categorization as well as characterization of gene expression patterns, cytogenetic loci, signaling pathways and functional motifs both confirmed reported data and provided novel insights into endochondral ossification. Parallel comparisons of the microdissected tibiae data set with our previously completed micromass culture screen further corroborated the suitability of micromass cultures for modeling gene expression in chondrocyte development. The micromass culture system demonstrated striking similarities to the in vivo microdissected tibiae screen; however, the micromass system was unable to accurately distinguish gene expression differences in the hypertrophic and mineralized zones of the tibia. Conclusions/Significance: These studies allow us to better understand gene expression patterns in the growth plate and endochondral bones and provide an important technical resource for comparison of gene expression in diseased or experimentally-manipulated cartilages. Ultimately, this work will help to define the genomic context in which genes are expressed in long bones and to understand physiological and pathological ossification. © 2010 James et al