Towards an Indigenous History: Indigenous Art Practices from Contemporary Australia and Canada

The debate of Indigenous art as contemporary art in Western art discourse has been ongoing since the acceptance of Indigenous art as contemporary art in the early 1990s. This has resulted in a collision of four diverse fields; Western art history, Western art criticism, anthropology and Indigenous cultural material. The debate stems from the problematised way the term contemporary is defined by globalised Euro-Western art and its institutions. This thesis considers the value of applying the concept of the contemporary to Indigenous art practices and art, in particular as a mode for cultural self-determination in order to avoid the historical domination of Western art history, history and its discursive power arrangements. The term, concept or theory of the contemporary remains elusive, indefinable and widespread in Western art discourse. Various definitions exist and are based on notions of openness, newness or plurality. Criticism of the contemporary’s openness has led to speculation of the contemporary as a valid concept or theory and or as a field of art practice, particularly its claim to social or political engagement and its inability to historicise current art. This thesis contends that the openness of the contemporary concept provides a gateway in which to situate it in a much broader cultural analysis that embraces different historiographies and worldviews. Thereby directly contributing to the ongoing critical discourse of Indigenous art as contemporary art debate. This thesis contributes to addressing this debate by proposing a definition of the contemporary that bridges history, art history and contemporary art and explores the potential for administering a contemporary art practice within this view. It highlights the historical analysis of the journey of Indigenous art from the ethnographic to the contemporary art museum by examining Indigenous rupture and transformation through Western history and art history. The thesis examines Terry Smith’s recent contextualisation of contemporary theory, as Smith is the only art historian to include Indigenous art in the discussion on contemporary theory.[1] Richard Meyer’s theory on the contemporary is also examined as Meyer is unique in approaching contemporary theory from an artistic practice that embraces co-temporalities, art production and modes of trans-historicity. In ‘rendering the past as newly present’, this thesis proposes methods of contemporary art analysis in the examination of contemporary Indigenous artworks in the context that the socio-political and cultural use of contemporary art as a form of history production. Description of Creative Work An exhibition of one large installation took place at Sydney College of the Arts Galleries, Sydney in September 2016. Media included two- and three-dimensional artworks that were hung on the walls and placed on the floor. The installation used Indigenous forms, designs, processes and social, political, and cultural content as a result of the thesis research and demonstrated Indigenous artists are creating their Indigenous histories within the context of contemporary art. Photographic documentation is available in Appendix 3. [1] Terry Smith, What is Contemporary Art? (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009), 133

The Misses Martin’s School for Young Ladies Portland, Maine, 1803-1834

During the Early Republic, education for the daughters of Portland\u27s elite families usually included “ornamental” subjects such as needlework, music, and painting in addition to the “useful” subjects of reading history, arithmetic, and geography. This curriculum mirrored that of fashionable schools for young ladies in New York, Philadelphia, and, of course, Boston. The “Misses Martin\u27s School for Young Ladies, ” opened in 1803 by the English “gentlewoman” Penelope Martin, instructed girls in “useful” and “ornamental ”subjects while also offering Portland’s best families the added cache of sending their daughters to a British-style boarding school for training as “proper” young ladies. Yvonne Souliere’s essay sets the Misses Martin’s School in the context of education in Maine in the early nineteenth century and points to the importance of these types of schools for elite families interested in both educating and socializing their daughters. Yvonne Souliere works for the Division of Academic Support at the University of Southern Maine

A Study of the Nutritional Effect of Grains in the Diet of a Dog

The present study was designed to address the prevalence of the lack of knowledge for what owners are feeding their dogs, and to determine if grain should be within the diet. It was hypothesized that a bag of feed containing protein at no specific level, with a low level of grain will be more beneficial for the animal, and that a diet needs to contain grains. The crude protein, crude fat, and first five ingredients listed were compared for four bags chosen, and to the nutritional requirements for a dog. “Holistic Blend Grain Free”, contained an extremely high amount of protein, too much for a maintaining dog, thus would cause damage to the dog’s kidneys if consumed for prolong time. “Nature’s Variety Instinct Grain Free” contained too much protein for a dog to use, and had a high fat content. “Natural Balance” contained protein and fat within the nutritional requirements, and was the best choice out of the four bags chosen. “Purina Dog Chow” was within the nutritional requirements of a maintaining dog but was composed mainly of corn, which is not as nutritious. Owners should not feed high protein diets that are grain free because the kidneys could be over worked and cannot remove urea as efficiently, therefore, grains need to be in feed. Owners need to read labels before buying a feed for their dog, and accommodate the pet’s needs. Otherwise, more dogs will be fed too high protein diets or lower quality ingredients, and more dogs will develop kidney disease, or become obese from high fat content

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Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29360/1/0000428.pd

Soil quality assessment for an alfisol undergoing alternative organic weed management systems

As organic agriculture farmland continues to increase on a global scale with 6.5 million hectares added during 2014-2016, the increased number of organic producers will be expected to fulfill sustainability obligations. However, tillage is the dominant practice for weed control in organic agriculture, but because tillage reduces soil organic carbon (SOC) and can alter soil properties this leads to soil degradation and erosion. This study utilized propane flaming, hot water spraying, cultivation, and between-row mowing for suppression of weeds. Furthermore, the use of summer cover crops (SCC), representing an opportunity to benefit annual cropping systems by improving soil quality without drastically altering management practices, was also studied. Alternative weed treatments were integrated into an organic system that included grain crops and winter cover crops in a two year rotation, consisting of corn (Zea mays L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Post-wheat harvest practices consisted of SCC and double crop soybean (DCS). Other organic practices included compost application, crimped cover crops, and tillage after harvest. Multiple soil quality indicators were analyzed for the three properties of soil, physical, biological, and chemical. Crimped cover crop plots with hot water spray had highest overall soil quality indicator values. Soil physical properties achieved optimal values under mowing. Flaming had decreased soil quality indicator values similar to the cultivation treatment; however this showed potential improvement in soil quality when combined with high compost rates. Hot water spray had significant yield results in soybeans, but was not as effective in corn. SCC had higher overall soil quality indicator values compared to a cultivated DCS. However, with minimal cultivation and high compost rates DCS had similar soil biological values to SCC. Combined with additional organic practices, alternative weed practices can conserve and sustain soil. Inclusion of a SCC has potential to build soil productivity within a grain row-crop rotation

Insights into the molecular determinants involved in cap recognition by the vaccinia virus D10 decapping enzyme

Decapping enzymes are required for the removal of the 5′-end m7GpppN cap of mRNAs to allow their decay in cells. While many cap-binding proteins recognize the cap structure via the stacking of the methylated guanosine ring between two aromatic residues, the precise mechanism of cap recognition by decapping enzymes has yet to be determined. In order to get insights into the interaction of decapping enzymes with the cap structure, we studied the vaccinia virus D10 decapping enzyme as a model to investigate the important features for substrate recognition by the enzyme. We demonstrate that a number of chemically modified purines can competitively inhibit the decapping reaction, highlighting the molecular features of the cap structure that are required for recognition by the enzyme, such as the nature of the moiety at positions 2 and 6 of the guanine base. A 3D structural model of the D10 protein was generated which suggests amino acids implicated in cap binding. Consequently, we expressed 17 mutant proteins with amino acid substitutions in the active site of D10 and found that eight are critical for the decapping activity. These data underscore the functional features involved in the non-canonical cap-recognition by the vaccinia virus D10 decapping enzyme

Being relevant: Practical guidance for early career researchers interested in solving conservation problems

AbstractIn a human-altered world where biodiversity is in decline and conservation problems abound, there is a dire need to ensure that the next generation of conservation scientists have the knowledge, skills, and training to address these problems. So called “early career researchers” (ECRs) in conservation science have many challenges before them and it is clear that the status quo must change to bridge the knowledge–action divide. Here we identify thirteen practical strategies that ECRs can employ to become more relevant. In this context, “relevance” refers to the ability to contribute to solving conservation problems through engagement with practitioners, policy makers, and stakeholders. Conservation and career strategies outlined in this article include the following: thinking ‘big picture’ during conservation projects; embracing various forms of knowledge; maintaining positive relationships with locals familiar with the conservation issue; accepting failure as a viable (and potentially valuable) outcome; daring to be creative; embracing citizen science; incorporating interdisciplinarity; promoting and practicing pro-environmental behaviours; understanding financial aspects of conservation; forming collaboration from the onset of a project; accepting the limits of technology; ongoing and effective networking; and finally, maintaining a positive outlook by focusing on and sharing conservation success stories. These strategies move beyond the generic and highlight the importance of continuing to have an open mind throughout the entire conservation process, from establishing one’s self as an asset to embracing collaboration and interdisciplinary work, and striving to push for professional and personal connections that strengthen personal career objectives

A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study of Tinnitus Awareness and Impact in a Population of Adult Cochlear Implant Users.

OBJECTIVES: The primary aim was to identify the proportion of individuals within the adult cochlear implant population who are aware of tinnitus and those who report a negative impact from this perception, using a bespoke questionnaire designed to limit bias. A secondary aim was to use qualitative analysis of open-text responses to identify themes linked to tinnitus perception in this population. DESIGN: A cross-sectional questionnaire study of a large clinical population who received an implant from Cambridge University Hospitals, United Kingdom. RESULTS: Seventy-five percent of respondents reported tinnitus awareness. When impact scores for six areas of difficulty were ranked, 13% of individuals ranked tinnitus their primary concern and nearly a third ranked tinnitus in the top two positions. Tinnitus impact was not found to reduce with duration since implantation. The most common open-text responses were linked to a general improvement postimplantation and acute tinnitus alleviation specific to times when the device was in use. CONCLUSIONS: Tinnitus is a problem for a significant proportion of individuals with a cochlear implant. Clinicians, scientists, and cochlear implant manufacturers should be aware that management of tinnitus may be a greater priority for an implantee than difficulties linked to speech perception. Where a positive effect of implantation was reported, there was greater evidence for masking of tinnitus via the implant rather than reversal of maladaptive plasticity

First Case Start Times for Vascular Surgery

Problem/Impact Statement: 85% of first cases at Maine Medical Center for Vascular Surgery start late. According to one study done by Aurora Health Care; of 5,500 first case surgeries, 88% of them started late. The impact of this is far reaching. It is not in alignment with MMC value of Patient Centered Care because the patient becomes dissatisfied waiting to be brought in to surgery , they are fasting for longer than anticipated, and being away from their family while they wait causing anxiety. The financial impact is $1995 for each 1⁄2 hr. of O.R. time. Furthermore, this may result in elective cases being canceled, late cases create a back log of cases to be done, the hospital loses potential revenue, and staff stay later causing overtime accrual

Anesthetic experience using total intra-venous anesthesia for a patient with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome -A case report-

We present here the case of a 33-month-old male patient with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) and who underwent tympanoplasty and myringotomy. WHS is caused by a rare chromosomal abnormality, which is the deletion of the short arm of chromosome number 4. The typical craniofacial features of WHS patients such as micrognathia, microcephaly and the muscular weakness can make using neuromuscular blocking agents and performing intubation difficult. Moreover, there are a few previous case reports showing that malignant hyperthermia occurred during and after an operation in which the anesthesia was done with inhalation agents, so special anesthetic care is needed when operating on a WHS patient. By carefully intubating the patient and using total intravenous anesthesia, we performed successful anesthesia without any complications. We describe here the anesthetic management of a WHS patient and we review the relevant literature