The Dog as a Trend in Art

I have always believed that art is one of the biggest forms of communication and signs of cultural assimilation and it has been throughout history. I choose to explore the role that dogs play in this theme. From changes in the symbolism of the dog and the ethics of breeding, art reveals a lot about our furry friends. While I learn much about dogs by themselves, the way we represent them also says a lot about our society. Do we see animals as more than us in some way and less in others? Is a dog painting really about the dog or the human that created it? Does the way we represent dogs change with time or are there still aspects from the past that continue now? Each of these questions goes back to one main idea. Humans have represented dogs in different ways throughout history, essentially making the dog a vehicle for social, economic, and artistic trends. I [will mainly] focus[ed] on the role a dog plays in humanity\u27s response to major events or continual occurrences. Most of the art I studied was European art from the late 1600s to the late 1800s, with a few outliers to explore the origins and effects of art from this time. In general, this time period is the foundation for the world as we know it. The French Revolution, the end of the Christian-Islamic Crusades, Colonialism, and the aftermath of the black death all changed the subject matter and meaning behind art. As the world around artists changed, so did the way they viewed and portrayed dogs. Overall, I have found that 1) dogs are present in art throughout the ages because they are the medium of humanity. What happens to humans must be projected onto animals because our lives are intertwined. 2) Everyone views the world differently, but we see through a limited scope based on what is trending in society. And 3) there are constants in art because there are constants on Earth. We create things on what is available to us: emotions, animals, nature, etc. What I have discovered from this research isn\u27t necessarily groundbreaking or shockingly new, but it did help me better understand the world around me. As the world around us changes, knowledge is our one constant.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/fsrs2020/1091/thumbnail.jp

Student voices: African American high school seniors\u27 perception of culturally responsive teaching.

This dissertation examined African-American high school seniors’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching in one public high school within a large urban public-school district in the southeastern region of the United States. It begins with a brief historical overview on the plight of African-Americans in the US public education system and how public school educators have failed to leverage Afrocultural learning orientations as an asset to educate and increase the academic achievement of African-American students in classrooms. The Philosophical Aspects of Cultural Difference Framework (Nichols, 1986, 1995) will guide this dissertation study. The latter part of the dissertation reveals that a critical examination of Afrocultural learning orientations, specifically communalism, verve, and movement (music), and achievement has potential to improve performance, engagement, and motivation of African-American students in US public-school classrooms. This study is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 begins with a current snapshot of African-American students’ academic achievement and outcomes in the US public-schools system. Chapter 1 connects current trend data of African-American students’ academic achievement and outcomes to the purpose and analytical strategy of this research study. Chapter 1 also provides a definition of terms and lays out the organization of the research study. Chapter 2 gives a historical overview of African-Americans in the US educational system, reviews current literature on culturally responsive teaching and how the use of Afrocultural learning orientations has produced academic successfulness for African-American students. Chapter 3 focuses on the methodological approach used for this research. Chapter 4 focuses on research findings from the purposeful sampling of nine African-American high school seniors who were recruited through a Demographic Survey to participate in one-on-one interviews, a focus group interview, and who completed a Participant Profile sheet. Chapter 5 discusses the findings, and links the findings to implications and suggestions for future research

Local Food for Local Needs

Furman alumni and students are joining the movement to promote the virtues of fresh food and healthy communities

Analytical investigation of off-design performance of a transonic turbine

The off-design performance and a breakdown of the losses of a transonic turbine were determined by an analytical method that was previously developed for turbines of more conservative design. The analytically obtained performance map is compared with the performance map obtained from an experimental investigation of the turbine. The rotor hub conditions of incidence angle, relative Mach number, and reaction calculated from the analytical results are compared with those calculated from experimental data. The loss breakdown obtained for the transonic turbine did not differ substantially from that previously obtained from a turbine of more conservative design, except that large stator-exit shock losses were predicted for the transonic turbine at low speeds. The trends of the rotor hub incidence angle, relative Mach number, and reaction calculated from the analytical results agreed well with those calculated from the experimental data over the performance range. These trends indicate that, compared with a turbine of more conservative design, the transonic turbine operated over a much smaller range of incidence angle, a much wider range of rotor relative Mach number, and at a considerably lower level of reaction. Good over-all agreement was obtained between the analytically predicted performance and the experimental performance, except at 40-percent design speed, where in the analysis the stator reached limiting loading before the rotor choked. Since this discrepancy resulted from errors in the simplifying assumptions used in the analysis, it is regarded as a limitation in the analytical method as applied to a transonic turbine

The Racialized Politics of Home in Slavery and Freedom

While most historians interpret the motivations of the black freedom struggle—including the acquisition of legal freedom and citizenship—as public and traditionally political issues, this project places black homes at the center of the narrative. Scholars often overlook how the rights of home—including privacy, freedom of movement, and the security of self and family in one’s dwelling—suffused the private and public politics of nineteenth-century Americans. Black women and men sought solutions to violent social injustices by drawing on a long tradition of resistance and activism that began before the opening of ballot boxes, government offices, and citizenship. They sought freedom and rights through the home. This dissertation uses a wide range of material, visual, and textual sources to demonstrate how enslaved and free black Americans gave meaning to their lives, shaped their hopes, and sought individual and social change through their dwelling space, structure, and objects. Home was a concept, space, and structure that shaped the meaning and experience of slavery and liberty. Throughout the long nineteenth century, the black home functioned simultaneously as a symbol that could destroy or invigorate the racist social structure that undergirded slavery. In physical dwellings throughout the American South, black men and women fought to build privacy and security into their dwellings and lives, even as white southerners racialized these rights for white families only. Looking across the chasm of war and emancipation uncovers the crucial role of home to evolving notions of freedom in the tumultuous long nineteenth century. Revealing the connections between race, home, and liberty, this project reorients the narrative of the black freedom struggle towards the domestic spaces and objects that shaped the politics of nineteenth-century Americans

Effect of selenium source and supplementation rate in ewes on selenium status, passive immunity and growth performance of their lambs

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient of sheep. Supplementation is especially important in young lambs in order to prevent Se-deficiency signs. In the United States, the FDA regulates Se supplementation to ruminant diets at a level of 0.3 mg/kg Se (as fed basis). Questions still exist regarding what chemical form of Se is the most bioavailable supplement and what are the best supplementation rates for optimal productivity. Three interrelated experiments from the same study were conducted 1) to evaluate the effect of Se source and supplementation rate in ewes on Se status of their lambs at birth, 2) to examine the effect of Se source and supplementation rate on IgG concentrations in ewe colostrum and lamb serum, and 3) to evaluate the effects of Se source and supplementation rate on ewe reproductive performance and subsequent vitality and growth performance of their lambs. For these experiments, 240 ewes were divided into 8 treatment groups and drenched weekly (at an amount equal to their summed daily intake) for one year, including during gestation and early lactation, with no Se (deficient); at recommended levels (0.3 mg/kg) with inorganic sodium selenite, sodium selenate, or organic Se-yeast (Se-Y); or at supranutritional levels (0.9 and 1.5 mg/kg) with sodium selenite or Se yeast. In the third experiment, 88 ewes continued the study into year two for an additional 28 weeks. Year two treatments included no Se (deficient) ewes (n = 25); ewes supplemented at recommended levels (0.3 mg/kg) with organic Se-Y (n = 20); ewes supplemented at supranutritional levels (0.9 and 1.5 mg/kg) with organic Se-Y (n = 18 and 27, respectively). In the first experiment, which assessed the effects of Se source and supplementation rate in ewes on Se status of their offspring, we found that Se administered by weekly drenching of ewes during gestation and early lactation was effective at increasing Se concentrations in ewe colostrum and milk at 30 days in milk (DIM), and in improving the Se status of lambs (whole-blood and serum Se at birth, and skeletal-muscle Se at 14 days of age) (all P 0.05). In summary, weekly oral drenching of ewes with Se yeast during gestation and early lactation was found to be an effective method for improving Se status of their newborn lambs. In the second experiment, which examined the effects of Se source and supplementation rate in ewes on colostral IgG and lamb serum-IgG concentrations, we measured colostral and lamb serum-IgG concentrations at parturition, and lamb serum-IgG concentration again at 48 hours postnatal. Although Se drenching of ewes was effective at increasing whole-blood Se concentrations in ewes and lambs (P 0.05) irrespective of Se source, or supplementation rate. Therefore, we conclude that Se supplementation in ewes, and the Se status of newborn lambs, have little effect on IgG concentrations in colostrum and subsequent IgG concentrations in lamb serum at 48 hours postnatal. The purpose of the third experiment was to examine the effect of Se source and supplementation rate on ewe reproductive performance and subsequent vitality and growth performance of lambs, over two consecutive lambing seasons. In year one, lambing percent; number of lambs born per ewe; lamb birth weights; 90- and 120-day BW and ADG; and pounds of lamb weaned per ewe were measured. The purpose of the second year of this study was to continue our observations for the SeY treated ewes, adding additional parameters to monitor ewe reproductive performance (percentage of ewes exhibiting estrus; percentage of ewes exhibiting estrus that lambed; percentage of ewes lambing; and number of lambs born per ewe). Year two lamb performance measures included birth weights; neonatal vigor scores; 10-, 20-, and 60-day BW and ADG; and percentage of lambs surviving to 60 days. In year one, Se supplementation, regardless of supplementation rate, did not affect lambing percent, number of lambs born per ewe, lamb birth weights, 90-day BW and ADG, or pounds of lamb weaned per ewe. However, lambs from ewes in the 1.5 mg/kg SeY group had greater120-day BW (P = 0.10) and ADG (P = 0.06) than lambs from ewes in the 0.3 mg/kg group. This same trend was apparent in a subgroup of lambs from Suffolk ewes receiving Se at 1.5 mg/kg that had greater 120-day BW (P = 0.07) and ADG (P = 0.09) compared to lambs receiving SeY at 0.3 mg/kg. Similarly, a subgroup of lambs reared as twins from ewes receiving Se at 1.5 mg/kg had greater120-day BW (P = 0.07) and ADG (P = 0.08) than lambs reared as twins from ewes in the 0.3 mg/kg group. In year two, there were two ewe reproductive performance measures that were negatively affected by Se supplementation. First, the percentage of ewes exhibiting estrus that lambed in the 0.3 mg/kg SeY group (75%) was lower compared to ewes receiving no Se supplement (100%; P = 0.02). Also, the percentage of ewes lambing was lower (P< 0.04) for ewes receiving 0.3 mg/kg SeY (75%) compared to ewes receiving no Se supplemental (96%). Se supplementation, regardless of source and supplementation rate did not affect percentage of ewes exhibiting estrus, or number of lambs born per ewe. There were three lamb performance measures that were affected by Se supplementation. Lambs from ewes receiving Se at 1.5 mg/kg tended to have greater lamb vigor scores compared to lambs from ewes receiving SeY at 0.3 mg/kg (P = 0.07). Second, the 60-day ADG was greater for lambs from ewes in the 1.5 mg/kg group compared to lambs from ewes in the no Se group (P =0.07). A subgroup of lambs from Suffolk ewes receiving Se at 1.5 mg/kg had greater 60-day BW (P = 0.03) and ADG (P = 0.06) compared to lambs receiving SeY at 0.3 mg/kg. Similarly, a subgroup of lambs reared as twins from ewes receiving Se at 1.5 mg/kg had greater 60-day BW (P = 0.08) and ADG (P = 0.06) than lambs reared as twins from ewes in the 0.3 mg/kg group. Third, there was an increased percentage of lambs surviving to 60 days in lambs from ewes in the 1.5 mg/kg group compared to lambs from ewes in the no Se group (86% vs. 64%, respectively; P =0.04). Se supplementation, regardless of source and supplementation rate, did not affect lamb birth weight nor 10- and 20-day BW and ADG. We conclude that supranutritional Se supplementation of ewes, primarily with SeY, positively affects later lamb performance measures (i.e., 60- and 120-day BW and ADG), and that these effects may be more pronounced for lambs of heavier breed (i.e., Suffolk) and lambs reared as twins