Camera Clubs and Fine Art Photography: Distinguishing Between Art and Amateur Activity

This research examines a medium of symbolic communication--photography--to understand how the social context of the use of that medium shapes its social meaning. Camera club photography is compared with photographic activity which is institutionally legitimized as art, in order to elucidate how art world legitimization shapes the nature of photographic activity. The distinctive featues of art as a communicational system, as manifested in photography, are described. A variety of research methods were employed. Data on camera club activities were gathered through participant-observation over a three year period. Observations of art photography activities such as exhibit openings and conferences were conducted. Interviews augmented observational data: 10 camera club members and 19 art photographers make up the interview sample. Pertinent documents were analyzed as well. Art and camera club photographic activities diverge. Art photography is highly personal and concentrates on representations of artists\u27 ideas. Successful artists contribute innovations to the field. Art photographs do not convey easily interpretable meanings. Successful work is described as mysterious and interpretations involve viewers\u27 own personal reactions to ambiguous content. Conversely camera club photographs are direct, their content straightforward. Camera clubs carry on the pictorialist tradition in photography, updated with borrowings from commercial portraiture, nature and travel photography. Camera club photographers demonstrate their competence through skillful reproduction of the camera club aesthetic code. Innovation and personal self-expression are devalued. Art photography has been constructed in contradistinction to all other uses of the medium. The accessibility of photographic technology to amateurs and professionasl alike, and the ease with which competence in the medium may be attained are inverted in art photography. Art photography transforms this democratic medium into a pursuit requiring special criteria for admission. The relationship between camera club and fine art photography may be described in terms of folklorists\u27 distinctions between folk art and fine art. While innovation attends art world legitimization, the club context frames amateur photography as a traditional activity, maintaining aesthetic values distinct from the art world. Both highly skillful uses of the medium, the social contexts of camera club and fine art photography shape the social meaning of these activities

Exploring the Feasibility of Incorporating Sexual Education into Routine Adolescent Office Visits

Preventative sexual education can reduce the negative health outcomes of sexual behavior in adolescent populations.1 The objective of this pilot study was to determine if sexual education can be delivered as a scripted five-minute module during a routine adolescent office visit in a manner that is non-disruptive of clinic flow and acceptable to both patients and providers. • 85% of providers reported the intervention did not interrupt clinic flow • 86% of patients reported the intervention to be appropriate and 92% of providers were satisfied overall with the intervention These pilot data highlight that the incorporation of brief scripted sexual education into routine adolescent preventative office visits is both feasible and acceptable to patients and providers.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/cwicposters/1024/thumbnail.jp

Riding the Third Wave of SoTL

Taking stock of an enterprise can be a stimulating exercise. It is also an essential one that allows for assessment of what one has while facilitating the planning of what one wants. In this piece, we take stock of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), mapping out what we see as the first two waves of the movement, and then identifying a ‘third wave.’ We believe it is time to think bigger. Specifically, those practicing SoTL need to: infiltrate the mainstream, run interference and catalyze the use of SoTL, and work towards a grand picture of learning

Earth, wind, water, fire: Interactions between land-use and natural disturbance in tropical second-growth forest landscapes

Climate models predict changes to the frequency and intensity of extreme events, with large effects on tropical forests likely. Predicting these impacts requires understanding how landscape configuration and land-use change influence the susceptibility of forests to disturbances such as wind, drought, and fire. This is important because most tropical forests are regenerating from anthropogenic disturbance, and are located in landscape mosaics of forest, agriculture, and other land use. This dissertation consists of four chapters that combine remote sensing and field data to examine causes and consequences of disturbance and land-use change in tropical second-growth forests. In Chapter 1, I use satellite data to identify factors associated with permanence of second-growth forest, and assess how estimates of carbon sequestration vary under different assumptions about second-growth forest permanence. I show that most second-growth forest is cleared when young, limiting carbon sequestration. In Chapter 2, I combine data from weather stations, remote sensing, and landowner surveys to model fire activity on 732 farms in the study area over ten years. The relative importance of these factors differs across scales and depending on the metric of fire activity being considered, illustrating how implications for fire prevention and mitigation can be different depending on the metric considered. Chapter 3 combines Landsat imagery and field data to map wind damage from a severe convective storm, providing strong empirical evidence that vulnerability to wind disturbance is elevated in tropical forest fragments. Finally, in Chapter 4 I integrate annual forest census data with LiDAR-derived topography metrics and tree functional traits in a hierarchical Bayesian modeling framework to explore how drought, topography, and neighborhood crowding affect tree growth, and how functional traits modulate those effects. The results from these studies demonstrate innovative approaches to understanding spatial variation in forest vulnerability to disturbance at multiple scales, and the results have implications for managing forests in a changing climate

Fire ecology and fire management in the Southern Appalachians: rationale for and effects of prescribed fire

Fire suppression in the Southern Appalachians has led to changes in forests dominated by yellow pine (Pinus subgenus pinus) and oak (Quercus) species. Recently, management agencies have begun to prescribe fire with the aim of restoring pre-suppression conditions. Here, I examine the use of prescribed fire in the Southern Appalachians from two perspectives. First, I review the values and goals that underlie fire management, how they apply in the Southern Appalachians, and what the implications of these are for fire management planning. Second, I use long-term monitoring data to examine how prescribed fire affects forest structure and composition in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and how these effects vary with environment and fire severity. I find that prescribed fire creates conditions conducive for pine reproduction and is particularly effective at high severity and at lower elevation sites where fire sensitive species are still confined to smaller size classes.Master of Scienc

Caring for Colleagues Who Have Experienced Loss

Loss and grief are challenging enough in “normal” times, but with the pandemic, it seems that everyone has undergone some sort of loss. For many who have experienced the loss of health, a loved one, a relationship, or other significant parts of their lives, the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges. UD’s mission references “educating the whole person and linking learning and scholarship with leadership and service.” In what ways can we rediscover the link between the vast scholarship on grief and our service to others who are experiencing that grief? How can we demonstrate the family spirit and care for our colleagues who have experienced loss? What resources are helpful for those supporting others in grief? Join a discussion where we pool our knowledge and dig into what we can learn about helping those around us who are grieving loss

Levonorgestrel Intrauterine Device Use for Medical Indications in Nulliparous Adolescents and Young Adults.

PURPOSE: Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are highly effective at preventing pregnancy. Levonorgestrel (LNG) IUDs also have beneficial effects on menstrual bleeding and abdominal and pelvic pain. Although there are increasing data on use of IUDs for contraception in adolescents and for medical indications in adults, there are extremely limited data on LNG IUD use for medical indications in adolescents. Our objective is to describe the characteristics and experiences of LNG IUD use in nulliparous adolescents and young women using IUDs for medical indications. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all nulliparous patients aged 22 years and younger who underwent LNG IUD insertion at a tertiary care children\u27s hospital between July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2014 primarily for noncontraceptive indications. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: We identified 231 LNG IUDs placed in 219 nulliparous women for medical indications during this time period. Mean patient age was 16.8 years (±2.2). Only 41% reported ever being sexually active. IUD continuation rate at 1 year was 86%. The amenorrhea rate at 1 year was 51%. Approximately 80% of women reported improvements in menstrual bleeding and abdominal and pelvic pain. Side effects and complications were low. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that LNG IUDs are effective, well-tolerated, and safe menstrual management options in young nulliparous women, including younger adolescents and those who have never been sexually active. This method is an excellent first-line therapy option for adolescents and young women for both contraceptive and noncontraceptive indications, regardless of age, parity, or sexual activity

Parental Perceptions of the HPV Vaccine for Prevention of Anogenital and Oropharyngeal Cancers

Background and Objectives Human papillomavirus (HPV) is implicated in the development of both anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers. Although HPV vaccination prevents the majority of anogenital and head and neck cancers (HNC), vaccination rates remain low, especially among males. Known barriers to vaccination are knowledge gaps and vaccine acceptability. The objective of this study is to explore parental knowledge, perceptions, and decision-making processes about HPV and HPV vaccination for both anogenital and HNC. Methods This qualitative study recruited parents of children and adolescents aged 8–18 to participate in semi-structured telephone interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analyses, informed by an inductive approach. Results A total of 31 parents participated in the study. Six themes emerged: 1) knowledge about HPV vaccines, 2) perceptions and attitudes toward cancers, 3) role of child’s sex in HPV vaccination, 4) decision-making processes around HPV vaccination, 5) communication with health care providers about HPV vaccines, and 6) influence of social networks. There were significant knowledge gaps about the vaccine’s indications and effects, especially for males and HNC prevention. Parents had concerns related to risks of the HPV vaccine. They cited pediatricians as important sources of information about vaccination and critical to their decision-making. Conclusions This study identified many parental knowledge gaps related to HPV vaccination, with information about males, HNC prevention, and risks particularly lacking. As parents identified pediatricians as the most important sources of information regarding HPV vaccination, this should empower pediatricians to educate families about this important preventive health measure, with a focus on addressing concerns about vaccine risks

Engineered Escherichia coli Silver-Binding Periplasmic Protein That Promotes Silver Tolerance

This is the published version. Copyright © 2012, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.Silver toxicity is a problem that microorganisms face in medical and environmental settings. Through exposure to silver compounds, some bacteria have adapted to growth in high concentrations of silver ions. Such adapted microbes may be dangerous as pathogens but, alternatively, could be potentially useful in nanomaterial-manufacturing applications. While naturally adapted isolates typically utilize efflux pumps to achieve metal resistance, we have engineered a silver-tolerant Escherichia coli strain by the use of a simple silver-binding peptide motif. A silver-binding peptide, AgBP2, was identified from a combinatorial display library and fused to the C terminus of the E. coli maltose-binding protein (MBP) to yield a silver-binding protein exhibiting nanomolar affinity for the metal. Growth experiments performed in the presence of silver nitrate showed that cells secreting MBP-AgBP2 into the periplasm exhibited silver tolerance in a batch culture, while those expressing a cytoplasmic version of the fusion protein or MBP alone did not. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of silver-tolerant cells revealed the presence of electron-dense silver nanoparticles. This is the first report of a specifically engineered metal-binding peptide exhibiting a strong in vivo phenotype, pointing toward a novel ability to manipulate bacterial interactions with heavy metals by the use of short and simple peptide motifs. Engineered metal-ion-tolerant microorganisms such as this E. coli strain could potentially be used in applications ranging from remediation to interrogation of biomolecule-metal interactions in vivo