reStAGEactivist art/disruptive technologies

In this article, I explore, with you, artists’ socio-political disruptions with communication technologies to inspire political action and social change, and how such art can be environmentally and socially useful. How does art function politically? What is activist art? What non-violent forms of dissent or disruptions to harmful practices are possible today with digital technologies, and how do artists manifest political perspectives in their practice

New approaches to the measurement of chlorophyll, related pigments and productivity in the sea

In the 1984 SBIR Call for Proposals, NASA solicited new methods to measure primary production and chlorophyll in the ocean. Biospherical Instruments Inc. responded to this call with a proposal first to study a variety of approaches to this problem. A second phase of research was then funded to pursue instrumentation to measure the sunlight stimulated naturally occurring fluorescence of chlorophyll in marine phytoplankton. The monitoring of global productivity, global fisheries resources, application of above surface-to-underwater optical communications systems, submarine detection applications, correlation, and calibration of remote sensing systems are but some of the reasons for developing inexpensive sensors to measure chlorophyll and productivity. Normally, productivity measurements are manpower and cost intensive and, with the exception of a very few expensive multiship research experiments, provide no contemporaneous data. We feel that the patented, simple sensors that we have designed will provide a cost effective method for large scale, synoptic, optical measurements in the ocean. This document is the final project report for a NASA sponsored SBIR Phase 2 effort to develop new methods for the measurements of primary production in the ocean. This project has been successfully completed, a U.S. patent was issued covering the methodology and sensors, and the first production run of instrumentation developed under this contract has sold out and been delivered

An Integrative Approach to Modelling Human-Wildlife Coexistence Landscapes in the Northern Great Plains

Restoring wildlife populations in a human dominated world requires a deep understanding of the ecological conditions required for species persistence as well as the human social factors that influence restoration outcomes. Until recently, the majority of prior research has focused on understanding the ecological conditions and human social processes that contribution to wildlife restoration success separately, and often assign a higher value to ecological factors. I studied the human dimensions surrounding ongoing wildlife restoration efforts in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) of Montana to better understand how human social factors can affect and inform restoration efforts for a variety of wildlife species that have been repeatedly targeted for restoration across the NGP. In Chapter 1, I replicated a 1993 study to assess the long-term trends in attitudes and knowledge towards critically endangered black-footed ferrets and black-tailed prairie dogs among Montana resident representing five different stakeholder groups (local ranchers, statewide ranchers, rural residents, urban residents and members of conservation organizations) following nearly 30 years of recovery attempts. I found that stakeholder negative attitudes persisted over time despite outreach and incentive programs increasing knowledge of these species over time. Specifically, stakeholder closest to recovery sites (local ranchers and rural residents) maintained the most negative attitudes, were most knowledgeable, and had significantly lower temporal thresholds for achieving recovery goals (years). Next, in Chapter 2 I evaluated attitudes and behaviors towards a suite of species and ecological processes targeted for landscape-scale rewilding, as well as support for incentives for those species and processes. I found that there were differences in attitudes and behaviors towards species and processes as well as support for incentives among stakeholders. In particular, species perceived as threats to humans and livestock, as well as species that have the potential to limit land use practices due to associated regulatory constraints, were most negatively perceived, had a higher likelihood of negative behaviors, and had lower support for incentives. However, attitudes towards conserving migration as ecological processes were favorable among all stakeholders, suggesting the benefit of undertaking restoration of processes rather species in the future. In Chapter 3, I conducted a systematic literature search to evaluate the characteristics of variables used to describe anthropogenic impacts in connectivity and species distribution models for carnivores globally. I found that variables used to describe environmental conditions were four times more common than variables used to describe anthropogenic influences, which were more commonly used for larger bodied carnivores. However, the number of anthropogenic variables included were increasing at a rate of 3.35% a year and the spatial resolution of those variables has on average been decreasing by 53 meters per year. I also developed a recommended framework for integrating sociological data into predictive distribution and connectivity models throughout multiple steps in the modelling process based on my findings. Finally, in Chapter 4 I spatially predicted tolerance for swift fox, pronghorn, black-tailed prairie dogs, and mountain lions as a function of four landscape attributes and assessed the amount of spatial overlap between levels of tolerance and habitat suitability across three counties commonly targeted for restoration in the NGP of Montana. I found that tolerance was negatively affected by the amount of public land surrounding ranchlands and positively affected by the presence of conservation easements. I found that highly suitable habitats were in areas of medium-low tolerance for nearly all species, except swift fox which appear to have high restoration potential, suggesting the need for extensive outreach and incentive programs to achieve landscape-level restoration. My predictive maps of social tolerance and the spatial relationship with high suitability provides guidance towards priority areas for community engagement in areas with low social tolerance while simultaneously identifying potential pathways for connecting areas of high socio-ecological suitability. Collectively, my research highlights the value of using sociological information to inform approaches to multi-species restoration in working lands. Specifically, I show that variability in human social factors can limit multi-species restoration potential, but also provide guidance on developing mechanisms to increase social capacity to restore those species

Ecological Succession on Neotropical Landslides: Comparing successional patterns of four different aged landslides in the Cerro Candelaria Reserve

Abstract In an area that is vulnerable to frequent landslides due to steep montane slopes and heavy rain falls it is important to understand how the ecosystem regenerates after it has been disturbed. This study examined ecological succession patterns by comparing the vegetation on four different aged landslides and the unharmed forest within the Cerro Candelaria Reserve, located in a cloud forest ecosystem in central Ecuador. One meter soil profiles and 5x5 meter vegetation quadrats were used to observe and characterize the habitats on the four individual landslides and unharmed forest. At each location, soil color, texture, and structure were characterized. Plants within the plots were identified, and the Jaccard Index was used to determine similarity between sites. It was discovered that succession trajectories are highly dependent on soil quality rather than allotted time for regeneration. Asteraceae was the most dominate pioneer plant family within the area, appearing on all four landslides but not in the unharmed forest. Other common pioneer plants found were ferns, Poaceae, Melastomataceae, and Urticaceae. The overall findings suggest that successional sequences are unique to the individual landslide habitats, dependent on landslide incidence, soil quality and neighboring habitats, but regenerating ecosystems share some similar pioneer plant families. \ En un lugar que es vulnerable a los derrumbes frecuentes debido a las empinadas laderas montañosas y caídas de lluvias fuertes es importante entender cómo el ecosistema se regenera después de que ha sido perturbado. Este estudio examinó los patrones de sucesión ecológica comparando la vegetación en cuatro derrumbes diferentes y el bosque ileso dentro de la Reserva Cerro Candelaria, ubicado en un ecosistema de bosque nublado en el centro de Ecuador. Se utilizaron los perfiles del suelo de un metro y los cuadrados de vegetación de 5x5 metros para observar y caracterizar los hábitats de los cuatro derrumbes individuales y bosque ileso. En cada ubicación, se caracterizó el color del suelo, la textura y la estructura. Se identificaron las plantas dentro de las parcelas, y se usó el índice Jaccard para determinar la similitud entre los sitios. Se descubrió que las trayectorias de sucesión son altamente dependientes de la calidad del suelo en lugar de tiempo asignado para la regeneración. Asteraceae fue la familia de plantas pioneras más dominada dentro de la zona, apareciendo en los cuatro derrumbes pero no en el bosque ileso. Otras plantas pioneras comunes encontradas eran helechos, Poaceae, Melastomataceae, y Urticaceae. Los hallazgos generales sugieren que las secuencias sucesionales son exclusivas de los hábitats de derrumbes individuales, dependiendo de la incidencia de derrumbes, la calidad del suelo y los hábitats vecinos, pero los ecosistemas de regeneración comparten algunas familias de plantas pioneras similares

Review: Postmodern Art Education in Practice. Gude, O. (Ed.). (n.d.). Spiral Art Education

Book review of Spiral Art Education, Olivia Gude (Editor), University of Illinois, Chicago, 2003

Cellular prion protein-dependent signaling pathway for proinflammatory cytokine- and β-amyloid-induced cofilin-actin rod formation, A

2014 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.Stimulus of oxidative stress in neurodegeneration leads to synaptic dysfunction and the eventual loss of neurons in the central nervous system. The actin cytoskeleton of neurons under acute or chronic stress experiences dynamic remodeling due to functional alterations in the actin depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin family of actin-binding proteins. Once oxidized, disulfide cross-linked cofilin incorporates into the formation of tandem arrays of 1:1 cofilin:actin rod-like bundles (rods). Rods sequester cofilin, which is required for synaptic remodeling associated with learning and memory, and interrupt vesicular transport by occluding the neurite within which they form. Different rod-inducing stimuli target distinct neuronal populations within the hippocampus. Rods form rapidly (5-30 min) in >80% of cultured hippocampal neurons which are treated with excitotoxic levels of glutamate or energy depleted (hypoxia/ischemia or mitochondrial inhibitors). In contrast, slow rod formation (50% maximum response in ~6 h) occurs in ~20% of neurons upon exposure to soluble beta-amyoid dimer/trimer (Aβd/t), a physiologically relevant species in Alzheimer disease (AD). Here we show that proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6) induce rods at the same rate and in the same subpopulation of hippocampal neurons that respond to Aβd/t. Rod formation by proinflammatory cytokines may link the neuroinflammatory hypothesis for AD with the Aβ hypothesis by providing a common target. Neurons from PrPC-null mice form rods in response to glutamate or antimycin A, but not in response to Aβd/t or proinflammatory cytokines. Prion-dependent rod inducers require the activation of NADPH oxidase (NOX) to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), but NOX activity is not required for rods induced by glutamate or energy depletion. Aβd/t and TNFα stimulate cofilin dephosphorylation and increased ROS production in a subpopulation of neurites at levels that exceed a minimum threshold to maintain stable rods. Removing inducers or inhibiting NOX activity in cells containing prion-dependent rods causes rod disappearance with a half-life of ~36 minutes. Interestingly, the overexpression of PrPC alone is sufficient to induce rods in >40% of hippocampal neurons, nearly twice the number that respond to Aβd/t or TNFα. This suggests that membrane microdomains containing PrPC recruit the oxidizing machinery necessary to initiate and sustain rod formation. Our hypothesis is supported by the inhibition and reversal of prion-dependent rods by the naturally occurring plant triterpene, ursolic acid (UA), and the pharmacological peptide RAP310. UA and related compounds to RAP310 have been proposed to inhibit changes in the membrane lipid profile that permit LR coalescence. The vast majority of neurodegenerative disorders are considered sporadic in incidence and multifactorial in cause, making treatment at an early stage a significant challenge. If cofilin-actin rods indeed bridge multiple disease initiating mechanisms into a common pathway leading to synapse loss, they provide a valuable target for therapeutic intervention

Albatross

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Book Review: African Women & ICTs: Investigating Technology, Gender and Empowerment

Review of African Women & ICTs: Investigating Technology, Gender and Empowerment, edited by Ineke Buskins & Anne Web

Diálogos Transculturais

Transcultural Dialogue builds relationships, which becomes the content for a community to create collaborative art based on the group’s dialogue. As an art education professor in the United States, I began facilitating Transcultural Dialogues in 2007 with students and colleagues at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, and at the University of Helsinki. In this chapter, I present theories, concepts, strategies, and examples of Transcultural Dialogue concerning contemporary visual culture, cultural practices in relation to particular places, and a pedagogy designed to erode assumptions, ignorance, and misunderstandings. Pedagogical strategies of Transcultural Dialogue consider positionality, subjectivity, situated knowledge, transformative learning, intra-action, speculative standpoint, and diffractive methodology. The dialogic process elicits micro-cultural views that are specific and unique (i.e., they sustain difference), yet are shared within or part of macro-cultural knowledge. The act of meaning-making from micro-cultural practices can sustain as well as change the macro-cultural beliefs. Transcultural Dialogue is conversational performative cultural critique, collaborative artmaking, and commentary surrounding artworks by those involved in Transcultural Dialogue[1]. I have developed Transcultural Dialogue as a process that exposes systemic and environmental conditions, and approaches creativity as a social process.[1]    This chapter is developed from my 2017 InSEA keynote as published in the InSEA 2017 proceedings and several publications (KABIITO, LIAO, MOTTER & KEIFER-BOYD, 2014; KEIFER-BOYD, 2012, 2016; PAATELA-NIEMINEN & KEIFER-BOYD, 2015) in which I, along with co-facilitators, reflected on our process in order to improve future Transcultural Dialogue projects and to study educational impacts in relationship to pedagogical goals.Diálogo Transcultural constrói relacionamentos, que se transforma em conteúdo para uma comunidade criar arte colaborativa com base no diálogo do grupo. Como professora de arte-educação nos Estados Unidos, comecei a facilitar Diálogos Transculturais em 2007 com alunos e colegas na Makerere Universidade em Kampala, Uganda, e na Universidade de Helsinki. Neste texto apresento teorias, conceitos, estratégias e exemplos de Diálogo Transcultural sobre cultura visual contemporânea, práticas culturais em relação a lugares particulares e uma pedagogia projetada para corroer suposições, ignorância e mal-entendidos. As estratégias pedagógicas do Diálogo Transcultural consideram posicionalidade, subjetividade, conhecimento situado, aprendizagem transformadora, intra-ação, ponto de vista especulativo, e metodologia difrativa. O processo dialógico elicita visões microculturais que são específicas e únicas, mas são compartilhadas dentro ou através do conhecimento macro-cultural. O ato de construção de significado das práticas microculturais pode sustentar bem como mudar as crenças macro-culturais. Diálogo Transcultural é crítica cultural performativa, arte colaborativa e comentário sobre obras de arte por aqueles envolvidos no Diálogo Transcultural. Desenvolvi Diálogo Transcultural como um processo que expõe condições sistêmicas e ambientais, e aborda a criatividade como um processo social