Museum Magazine, Number 68 (2016 Winter)

The issue's feature article, "Afro-Cuban artists: a Renaissance. Manuel Mendive and Eduardo "Choco" Roca Salazar February 23-May 1, 2016," focuses on two of the most celebrated Cuban artists working today. Both men benefited from the educational and cultural initiatives instituted by Fidel Castro following the 1959 Cuban Revolution and receive inspiration from their Afro-Cuban heritage. However, their distinct selections of subject matter and divergent styles underscore the manifold ways revolution and race continue to be interpreted and understood on the island today.From the Director / Alex W. Barker (Director) -- Afro-Cuban artists : a renaissance / Kristin Schwain (Associate Professor, Art History) -- Black American artists : envisioning social change / Alisa Carlson (Curator of European and American Art) -- Recent acquisition : a German Renaissance portrait / Alisa Carlson (Curator of European and American Art) -- Special exhibitions -- Events calendar -- Missouri Folk Arts Program / Lisa Overholser (Guest Author) -- From the Museum Educator / Cathy Callaway (Museum Educator) -- From the Academic Coordinator / Arthur Mehrhoff -- Cleaning an old master / Alex Barker (Director) -- Spotlight : The Moon God Men / Benton Kidd (Curator of Ancient Art) -- Museum Associates / Gary Anger (President, Museum Associates)

Vision function in children 10 years after grade 3 or 4 intraventricular haemorrhage with ventricular dilation: A masked prospective study

Aim We examined children 10 to 11 years after grade 3 or 4 intraventricular haemorrhage and ventricular dilation (IVHVD) and investigated whether the grade of IVHVD affected their visual outcome. We explored associations between visual outcomes with cognitive outcomes and extra support at school. Method The visual examinations were part of a 10-year follow-up study for children in a randomized trial. Testers followed a protocol and were masked to whether the child had experienced grade 3 or grade 4 IVHVD and all other data. Results Thirty-two children were tested: 24 were male and mean (standard deviation) age was 10 years 5 months (1 year 2 months); range 8 years 9 months to 12 years 9 months. All had at least one visual impairment. The median (interquartile range) number of impairments per child was six (six to nine) for children who experienced a grade 4 IVHVD compared with three (two to four) for children who experienced a grade 3 IVHVD (p = 0.003). Each extra vision impairment per child was associated with increased educational support at school, after adjustment for developmental age equivalence (odds ratio = 1.7 [95% confidence interval 1.1–2.6], p = 0.015). Interpretation Children who experience grade 3 or 4 IVHVD have a high level of visual morbidity at age 10 to 11 years. These children may have unmet visual needs and their outcomes might improve if these needs could be addressed. What this paper adds Parent-reported questionnaire responses underestimated directly assessed visual morbidity. Grade 4 intraventricular haemorrhage and ventricular dilatation (IVHVD) was followed by more vision impairments than grade 3 IVHVD. Simple tests of visual perceptual skills correlated with the neuropsychology tests. Children with supranuclear eye movement disorders were more likely to be receiving extra help at school. Each additional visual impairment increased the likelihood of extra educational support

Pneumolysin Activates the NLRP3 Inflammasome and Promotes Proinflammatory Cytokines Independently of TLR4

Pneumolysin (PLY) is a key Streptococcus pneumoniae virulence factor and potential candidate for inclusion in pneumococcal subunit vaccines. Dendritic cells (DC) play a key role in the initiation and instruction of adaptive immunity, but the effects of PLY on DC have not been widely investigated. Endotoxin-free PLY enhanced costimulatory molecule expression on DC but did not induce cytokine secretion. These effects have functional significance as adoptive transfer of DC exposed to PLY and antigen resulted in stronger antigen-specific T cell proliferation than transfer of DC exposed to antigen alone. PLY synergized with TLR agonists to enhance secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-12, IL-23, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-1α and TNF-α by DC and enhanced cytokines including IL-17A and IFN-γ by splenocytes. PLY-induced DC maturation and cytokine secretion by DC and splenocytes was TLR4-independent. Both IL-17A and IFN-γ are required for protective immunity to pneumococcal infection and intranasal infection of mice with PLY-deficient pneumococci induced significantly less IFN-γ and IL-17A in the lungs compared to infection with wild-type bacteria. IL-1β plays a key role in promoting IL-17A and was previously shown to mediate protection against pneumococcal infection. The enhancement of IL-1β secretion by whole live S. pneumoniae and by PLY in DC required NLRP3, identifying PLY as a novel NLRP3 inflammasome activator. Furthermore, NLRP3 was required for protective immunity against respiratory infection with S. pneumoniae. These results add significantly to our understanding of the interactions between PLY and the immune system

UK food and nutrition security during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID‐19 pandemic is a major shock to society in terms of health and economy that is affecting both UK and global food and nutrition security. It is adding to the ‘perfect storm’ of threats to society from climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, at a time of considerable change, rising nationalism and breakdown in international collaboration. In the UK, the situation is further complicated due to Brexit. The UK COVID‐19 Food and Nutrition Security project, lasting one year, is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and is assessing the ongoing impact of COVID‐19 on the four pillars of food and nutrition security: access, availability, utilisation and stability. It examines the food system, how it is responding, and potential knock on effects on the UK’s food and nutrition security, both in terms of the cascading risks from the pandemic and other threats. The study provides an opportunity to place the initial lessons being learnt from the on‐going responses to the pandemic in respect of food and nutrition security in the context of other long‐term challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss

A comparison of the effects of two Title I models on reading comprehension

Title I Schoolwide Programs and Title I Pullout Programs represent two Title I models designed to help children of low socioeconomic status improve reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to determine which Title I model was more effective using California Achievement Test Reading Comprehension Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) scores as the measure of effectiveness and (2) to determine from structured administrative interviews how the results of this study might improve the Title I program choices of administrators. Eight school districts in rural Southeastern North Carolina were selected for this study. Six null hypotheses were formulated in order to study the effect upon reading comprehension student achievement of Title I Schoolwide Programs as compared to Title I Pullout Programs over a period of three years. Independent variables in the study were Title I Schoolwide Programs and Title I Pullout Programs; gender; ethnicity; and grade levels, 3rd, 4th and 5th. The dependent variable in the study was reading comprehension as measured by the California Achievement Test. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures. Over three grade levels the findings indicated there were no significant differences between the two programs. However, findings indicated a significant difference between Title I Schoolwide Programs and Title I Pullout Programs California Achievement Test Reading Comprehension Normal Curve Equivalent scores during the first program year which was the third grade. The general finding favored Title I Schoolwide Programs over Title I Pullout Programs. The overall results suggested that Title I Schoolwide Programs had the same effect on the total student population that Title I Pullout Programs had on a limited number of eligible students within the student population. Because there were no significant differences in the two Title I program models, grade levels third, fourth, fifth, gender, and ethnicity, administrators believe this indicates program choice flexibility. The results from the structured administrative interviews also revealed the need to consider a variety of data resources in addition to reading comprehension subtests when making Title I program decisions

Museum Magazine, Number 72 (2018 Winter)

From the Director / Alex W. Barker (Director) -- Seeing anew : a reinterpretation of modern and contemporary artworks from the permanent collection / Alisa Carlson (Curator of European and American Art) -- Electrify! / Alisa Carlson (Curator of European and American Art) -- Spotlight : The god Sarapis / Benton Kidd (Curator of Ancient Art) -- Special exhibitions -- Events calendar -- Missouri Folk Arts Program / Lisa L. Higgins (Director) -- From the Museum Educator / Cathy Callaway -- Museum Associates / Gary Anger (President, Museum Associates)

Museum magazine, Number 55 (2009 Fall)

The featured article in this issue is another look at the "The Sacred Feminine, Prehistory to Postmodernity" exhibit (not the same article featured in issue 54). After that, it offers an overview of the "Faces of Warhol" exhibit showcasing works by Andy Warhol, a spotlight on "The Sorceress and the Rediscovery of a Victorian Woman Artist," a look back called "Passing It On: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program," a list of new acquisitions, and columns from director Alex W. Barker, educator Cathy Callaway, academic coordinator Arthur Mehrhoff, and assistant director Bruce Cox.From the Director / Alex W. Barker (Director) -- The sacred feminine : prehistory to postmodernity / Benton Kid (Curator of Ancient Art) -- Faces of Warhol / Mary Pixley (Curator of European and American Art) -- Spotlight : the sorceress and the rediscovery of a Victorian woman artist / Mary Pixley, Mary (Curator of European and American Art) -- Special exhibitions -- Events calendar -- Passing it on : Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program / Claire Schmidt (Graduate Student Intern, Folk Arts) -- New acquisitions -- From the Educator / Cathy Callaway -- From the Academic Coordinator / Arthur Mehrhoff -- Museum Associates, 2009 / Bruce Cox (Assistant Director, Museum Operations)

Museum magazine, Number 51 (2007 Fall)

This issues opens with a celebration of the Museum's 50th anniversary and a look at the celebratory display "Highlights from the Permanent Collection." Other articles include: "Art in the Basement" (a profile of a Mandingo artist living in Sierra Leone), "Daumier's Paris" (a look at 19th century Paris), and columns from museum director Alex W. Barker, academic coordinator Arthur Mehrhoff, curator Mary L. Pixley, educator Cathy Callaway, and museum assistant director Bruce Cox.From the Director / Alex W. Barker (Director) -- Fifty golden years : highlights from the permanent collection -- A golden milestone : The Museum of Art and Archaeology's first fifty years / Benton Kidd (Associate Curator of Ancient Art) -- Special exhibitions -- Events calendar -- Art in the basement : Mandingo Gara from Sierra Leone / Scott Mitchell (Graduate Student Intern, Folk Arts) -- Welcome : to our new curator / Mary L. Pixley (Curator of European and American Art) -- From the Educator / Cathy Callaway -- From the Academic Coordinator / Arthur Mehrhoff -- Daumier's Paris : life in the nineteenth-century city / Rebecca A. Dunham (ate Research Assistant of European and American Art -- Museum Associates / Cox, Bruce , Assistant Director, Museum Operations -- Spotlight / Stanton, Anne Rudloff , Associate Professor, Department of Art History and Archaeolog

Museum Magazine, Number 69 (2016 Fall)

Featured in this issue, "Distinction : five centuries of portraiture. July 29-December 23, 2016." This exhibition explores the human image from 1586 to today in painting, print, photography, and textile.From the Director / Alex W. Barker (Director) -- Distinction : five centuries of portraiture / Rebecca Ruppar (Graduate Research Assistant) -- Kabuki performance and expression in Japanese prints / Alisa Carlson (Curator of European and American Art) -- Recent acquisitions -- Special exhibitions -- Events calendar -- Missouri Folk Arts Program / Dorothy Atuhura (Doctoral Candidate of English and Fulbright Scholar) -- From the Museum Educator / Cathy Callaway -- From the Academic Coordinator / Arthur Mehrhoff -- Picturing Black American families / Alisa Carlson (Curator of European and American Art) -- Spotlight : Femme fatales of Greek myth / Benton Kidd (Curator of Ancient Art) -- Museum Associates / Gary Anger (President, Museum Associates)