The social construction of art

Sociologists have tended (a), to assume art as a 'given', and, (b), to attempt to relate art to society' , thus conceptually separating the two. I argue that art is a social phenomenon, and that, historically, until the Renaissance, painting and sculpting were no more nor less 'art' than houses, building or saddle-making. The sociologist should, therefore, examine the conditions under which painting, and sculpting came to be constructed as art, and the social relations through which art is reproduced and maintained as an ideology and practice. Taking William Morris's analysis of art and the division of labour under capitalism as a starting point, I examine and develop his analysis in four areas. First, I examine the development of state intervention in the arts in Britain in the period 1830-1975. Second, I examine the ideological preconditions for, and assumptions implicit in, the present day art market. Third, I examine the impact of the ideology of art on the working classes. Fourth, I examine the present position and experiences of the producers of art, craft and design. Through examining these four areas, I attempt to show not only the usefulness of Morris's analysis, but also the way in which the ideology of art is bound up with the class divisions and work relations of 19th and 20th century British society. Furthermore, I show that the producer of art, while being in control of the production of his work, is not generally in control of how it is defined, presented, bought, sold and valued

A depletable pool of adenosine in area CA1 of the rat hippocampus

Adenosine plays a major modulatory and neuroprotective role in the mammalian CNS. During cerebral metabolic stress, such as hypoxia or ischemia, the increase in extracellular adenosine inhibits excitatory synaptic transmission onto vulnerable neurons via presynaptic adenosine A1 receptors, thereby reducing the activation of postsynaptic glutamate receptors. Using a combination of extracellular and whole-cell recordings in the CA1 region of hippocampal slices from 12- to 24-d-old rats, we have found that this protective depression of synaptic transmission weakens with repeated exposure to hypoxia, thereby allowing potentially damaging excitation to both persist for longer during oxygen deprivation and recover more rapidly on reoxygenation. This phenomenon is unlikely to involve A1 receptor desensitization or impaired nucleoside transport. Instead, by using the selective A1 antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine and a novel adenosine sensor, we demonstrate that adenosine production is reduced with repeated episodes of hypoxia. Furthermore, this adenosine depletion can be reversed at least partially either by the application of exogenous adenosine, but not by a stable A1 agonist, N6-cyclopentyladenosine, or by endogenous means by prolonged (2 hr) recovery between hypoxic episodes. Given the vital neuroprotective role of adenosine, these findings suggest that depletion of adenosine may underlie the increased neuronal vulnerability to repetitive or secondary hypoxia/ischemia in cerebrovascular disease and head injury

Encouraging Student Sense of Belonging Through Instructor Face Support

Research has established important links between student sense of belonging in the classroom and levels of academic engagement, motivation, and persistence (e.g., Jang et al., 2016; Reeve, 2012) yet more work is needed to identify specific teacher communication tactics and strategies that can foster sense of belonging and increased engagement. Using a conceptual framework centered on organizational identification, we surveyed 172 undergraduates and found that instructor interpersonal skills—specifically face support during student feedback—significantly correlated with increased class identification and sense of belonging. These results hold important implications for promoting student engagement, motivation, and persistence, particularly for underrepresented students

What do we know about the attitudes, experiences and needs of Black and minority ethnic carers of people with dementia in the United Kingdom? A systematic review of empirical research findings

This paper reviews recent literature on the experiences, attitudes and needs of caring for someone with dementia in Black and minority ethnic communities in the United Kingdom. Eight articles, which investigated carer experiences from Black and minority ethnic communities when caring for someone with dementia, were critically appraised. All eight studies used a qualitative methodology. The review identified several themes and issues across the qualitative studies. These included memory loss being viewed as a normal process of ageing, care being perceived as an extension of an existing responsibility, a poor understanding of what support services provide, the influence of migration, the impact of stigma and increased female responsibility. Methodological limitations of the research literature studies are also highlighted and clinically relevant implications are discussed, alongside recommendations for future research in this area

The crux of the matter: did the ABC's Catalyst program change statin use in Australia?

This article argues that the ABC’s Catalyst program criticising statins affected people’s willingness to take these drugs. Abstract Objectives: To examine the impact of a two-part special edition of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation\u27s science journalism program Catalyst (titled Heart of the matter), aired in October 2013, that was critical of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (“statins”). Design, setting and participants: Population-based interrupted time-series analysis of a 10% sample of Australian long-term concessional beneficiaries who were dispensed statins under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (about 51% of all people who were dispensed a statin between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2014); dispensing of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) was used as a comparator. Main outcome measures: Change in weekly dispensings and discontinuation of use of statins and PPIs, adjusting for seasonal and long-term trends, overall and (for statins only) stratified by the use of cardiovascular and diabetes medicines. Results: In our sample, 191 833 people were dispensed an average of 26 946 statins weekly. Following the Catalyst program, there was a 2.60% (95% CI, 1.40%–3.77%; P < 0.001) reduction in statin dispensing, equivalent to 14 005 fewer dispensings Australia-wide every week. Dispensing decreased by 6.03% (95% CI, 3.73%–8.28%; P < 0.001) for people not dispensed other cardiovascular and diabetes medicines and 1.94% (0.42%–3.45%; P = 0.01) for those dispensed diabetes medicines. In the week the Catalyst program aired, there was a 28.8% (95% CI, 15.4%–43.7%; P < 0.001) increase in discontinuation of statin use, which decayed by 9% per week. An estimated 28 784 additional Australians ceased statin treatment. Discontinuation occurred regardless of the use of other cardiovascular and diabetes medicines. There were no significant changes in PPI use after the Catalyst program. Conclusions: Following airing of the Catalyst program, there was a temporary increase in discontinuation and a sustained decrease in overall statin dispensing. Up until 30 June 2014, there were 504 180 fewer dispensings of statins, and we estimate this to have affected 60 897 people

Personalisation and the promise of independent living: Where now for cash, care and control for disability organisations across the UK?

Personalisation has dominated social care across OECD countries over the past 20 years. UK policy evolved from the efforts of disabled peoples’ organisations (DPOs) to secure the availability of cash payments as part of a wider drive to enable independent living. Implementation of personalisation across the UK has seen significant divergence in how governments have developed their own responses, but in each country the DPOs’ role and impact has shifted from campaigning and promoting the voices of disabled people to a more muted focus on service provision and limited policy engagement. This article draws on a series of interviews with DPOs and leading disabled activists. It highlights concerns raised related to themes around austerity, changing relationships with local government and the role of co-production in developing policy. We conclude the article by discussing the future directions for personalisation and developments in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

Oxygen isotopes in foraminifera: Overview and historical review

—Foraminiferal tests are a common component of many marine sediments. The oxygen isotope ratio (δ 18 O) of test calcite is frequently used to reconstruct aspects of their life environment. The δ 18 O depends mainly on the isotope ratio of the water it is precipitated from, the temperature of calcification, and, to a lesser extent, the carbonate ion concentration. Foraminifera and other organisms can potentially preserve their original isotope ratio for many millions of years, although diagenetic processes can alter the ratios. Work on oxygen isotope ratios of foraminifera was instrumental in the discovery of the orbital theory of the ice ages and continues to be widely used in the study of rapid climate change. Compilations of deep sea benthic foraminifer oxygen isotopes have revealed the long history of global climate change over the past 100 million years. Planktonic foraminifer oxygen isotopes are used to investigate the history of past sea surface temperatures, revealing the extent of past 'greenhouse' warming and global sea surface temperatures

Provenance and identity of a large bronze statue currently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

A large bronze statue in the Metropolitan Museum in New York is currently identified as the emperor Trebonianus Gallus. According to an early account, it was excavated with many other statues in the remains of an ancient hall near San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome, in the early nineteenth century, but this story has recently been dismissed as probable invention. Here additional information is presented that lends credence to the traditional provenance and supports a proposal that the hall in question may have been in the headquarters of the imperial horseguard. New evidence is presented for the history of the statue, and that the identification as Trebonianus Gallus was made prior to its final sale. However an alternative is proposed which could explain various peculiarities of the piece: the emperor Maximinus I ‘Thrax’, reportedly a physical giant of a man

Prospectus, March 5, 1997

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1997/1007/thumbnail.jp