past imperfect

How do we understand the various structures that sustain our consciousness? How do these structures form, evolve, and eventually fail? Geologic layers of experiences and memories accrete, evolve, and erode continuously. Microscopic genes mutate creating new iterations of life; diseased cells multiply to a critical mass. The interplay of the seen and unseen, and the space between what is tangible and the shadow it casts fuels my research. Exploring biological underpinnings provides opportunity for communicating about the force, delicacy, and ambiguity of life even through its decay. The small sculptures are intimate tableaus about presence and absence, outmoded ideas, as well as memory creation, loss, and authenticity. Enameled forms layered with decals of Victorian-era engravings, patterns, and/or hand-drawn imagery evoke a sense of wonderment through not understanding everything, as if piecing together a mystery or reading between the lines. Is the whole greater than - or, conversely, less than - the sum of its parts? The use of found objects and other non-metal materials lends more contextualization and spirit to the work. The art and craft of metalsmithing itself brings with it historical significance, materiality, and emphasis on process that melds with the work’s conceptual potential. I look to contemporary metalsmiths Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, who creates ambiguity and cultural commentary by mutating traditional forms, and Haley Renee Bates, who innovates with her studies on structure and perception, as they set high benchmarks for conceptual development without compromising craftsmanship. The jewelry works present small-scale narratives and contrasts in form. The Vanitas Series brooches strike a balance between the familiar and the unrecognizable using cast natural objects placed in formal portrait-like settings. Matte finishes suggest a latency and “frozen in time” quality. Placing these objects within such constraints examines their preciousness and potential in an absurd way, seeking a nostalgic experience of biology. Other jewelry pieces explore perceptions of structure through conflating the natural with the machine-made. My attraction to this contrast in form is inspired in part by Lee Bontecou’s wall sculptures that appear at once mechanical and anatomical. They strike a subliminal chord. Jeweller Cristel van der Laan is also influential for her astute marriage of geometric and organic forms. This body of work invites the viewer to spend time contemplating what constitutes and changes our conscious lives. There is a melancholy naturally associated with themes of loss, but my hope is that the work evokes a sense of embracing the unknown in a curious way.https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/1006/thumbnail.jp

Fenestrate Bryozoans from the Glen Dean Limestone (Middle Chester) of Southern Indiana

Indiana Geological Survey Bulletin 19Fenestrate bryozoans are particularly abundant in shale and argillaceous limestone beds in the upper part of the Glen Dean Limestone (middle Chester) of late Mississippian age In south-central Indiana. Several hundred specimens were obtained from two excellent collecting localities in Perry County and from one exposure in northwestern Crawford County. The collected specimens are assigned to the genera Fenestella Lonsdale, Lyroporella Simpson, and Polypora McCoy of the Family Fenestellidae King and to the genus Septopora Prout, a member of the Family Acanthocladiidae Zittel. Fenesteila is the most abundantly represented genus in our collections and includes five species, Fenestella burlingtonensis Ulrich, F. cestriensis Ulrich, F. exigua Ulrich, F. matheri Condra & Elias, and F. tenax Ulrich. Polypora is the next most abundant genus and is represented in the fauna by three species, Polypora corticosa Ulrich, P. multispinosa McFarlan, and P. nodolinearis McFarlan. Frequency-distribution diagrams showing number of branches and fenestrules in a 10-millimeter distance and number of zooecia and nodes in a 5millimeter distance have been prepared for each described species except Septopora cestriensis Prout; only one specimen of this species displays the obverse side of the frond. Such diagrams permit clearer differentiation of closely allied species in which ranges of one or more structural characters may overlap, and these diagrams present a more accurate understanding of each species. The Glen Dean fenestrate bryozoan fauna, exclusive of Archimedes Owen, which is not treated in this study, includes 11 species. Although fenestrate bryozoan faunas have been described in considerable detail from Glen Dean beds in Illinois and Kentucky, these faunal elements of the Glen Dean of Indiana hitherto have not received significant attention.Indiana Department of Conservatio

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Cover page for Steeplechase Vol. 1, Issue

A Biogeochemical Comparison of Fossil (Carboniferous) and Modern Crustose Red Algae

The nature of the contribution of the various types of algae to sedimentary organic matter continues to be a topic of research interest. Crustose red algae have however received less attention than other types. The fossil calcareous red algae (Rhodophyta) analyzed in this study are two relatively unrecrystallized specimens of Parachaetetes (Family Solenoporacea) from the lower part of the Ste. Genevieve Formation (Carboniferous, Visean) in Union County, Illinois, USA. They occurred in the patch reef phase of a small carbonate mudmound-patchreef. The three modern specimens (collected and identified by F. Collier) are the crustose algae Lithothamnion, Clathromorphum and Phymatolithon, (Family Corallinacea, Subfamily Melobesoidea), from a rocky intertidal area near Cape May, Massachusetts, USA. The pyrolyzates of the three (dried, unextracted) modern algal specimens exhibited strong similarities, including a predominance of alkylbenzenes, phenols and indoles. Polysaccharide pyrolysis products are also important, as would be expected. The minor dipeptides detected indicate the presence of proteins. A variety of simpler nitrogen compounds, including pyrroles and benzonitriles may be derived from proteins or from more resistant macromolecular structures. The long-chain alkylnitrile is also noteworthy. The fossil specimens of Parachaetetes (pyrolyzed at 610°C after HCl digestion to remove carbonates and thermodesorption at 310° for 20 sec. to remove bitumen) yielded relatively abundant monoaromatic hydrocarbons and phenols. While their distributions are different, the importance of monoaromatic and phenolic compounds in both the Carboniferous and modern specimens demonstrates a significant similarity. The fossil specimen\u27s pyrolyzate also contains a variety of minor nitrogen compounds, some of which are also found in the modern samples and all of which are unusual in the pyrolyzates of such ancient (ca. 340 Ma) organic matter. The C16 and C18 alkylnitriles are relatively important, but normal hydrocarbons are not, except for the C15 and C17 n-alkanes. Coincidentally, the C17 n-alkane is the only significant normal hydrocarbon in the modern sample. In this study we have found significant chemical similarities between the pyrolyzates of specimens of modern and fossil coralline red algae. The encrustation of the organic matter of Parachaetetes by calcite greatly enhanced its preservation, in spite of the specimens\u27 great geologic age

Parents with mental illness - what about the children?

Hensikt: Hensikten med oppgaven er å sette oss inn i hvordan vi som sykepleiere kan ivareta barn som pårørende av psykisk syke foreldre, i hjemmet. Hovedfoksuet ligger på barn mellom åtte og ni år. Problemstilling: Hvordan kan vi som sykepleiere ivareta barn som pårørende av foreldre med psykisk lidelse? Metode: Litteraturstudie, basert på pensumlitteratur, selvvalgt litteratur, forskning og erfaringer gjort i praksis. Teori: I teoridelen vil vi ta for oss ulike temaer, som er nødvendige for å svare på problemstillingen vi har valgt. Relevant er sykepleierteoretikerne Kari Martinsen, Florence Nightingale og Joyce Travelbee. Vi har satt oss inn i barn som pårørende, lovverk og retningslinjer vi som sykepleiere må forholde oss til, samt kommunikasjon. Konklusjon: Mange barn av psykisk syke foreldre føler seg redde og ensomme. Det er derfor viktig at sykepleierne involverer barnet i situasjonen i hjemmet, med tilpasset informasjon, i forhold til alder og utvikling. Vi som sykepleiere trenger derfor kunnskap om lovverk, barnets utvikling, og risikofaktorer for at barnet selv skal utvikle psykisk sykdom

The Development and Initial Validation of a Measure of Coaching Behaviors in a Sample of Soldiers Under Training

In this article we outline a model of coaching that is conceptually grounded in workplace and sport coaching literature and present 2 studies conducted to test this model: the extent that coaching behaviors are present in a military training setting, and their association with performance-related outcomes. Following an extensive review of literature and rigorous development and validation procedures the 28-item Military Coaching Behavior Scale was tested. The measure showed good content and predictive validity for 2 dependent variables (satisfaction and resilience). We concluded that the Military Coaching Behavior Scale offers a psychometrically sound, brief, and easy-to-administer measure of high-performance coaching behavior

STXBP1 promotes Weibel-Palade body exocytosis through its interaction with the Rab27A effector Slp4-a.

Vascular endothelial cells contain unique rod-shaped secretory organelles, called Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs), which contain the hemostatic protein von Willebrand factor (VWF) and a cocktail of angiogenic and inflammatory mediators. We have shown that the Rab27A effector synaptotagmin-like protein 4-a (Slp4-a) plays a critical role in regulating hormone-evoked WPB exocytosis. Using a nonbiased proteomic screen for targets for Slp4-a, we now identify syntaxin-binding protein 1 (STXBP1) and syntaxin-2 and -3 as endogenous Slp4-a binding partners in endothelial cells. Coimmunoprecipitations showed that STXBP1 interacts with syntaxin-2 and -3, but not with syntaxin-4. Small interfering RNA-mediated silencing of STXBP1 expression impaired histamine- and forskolin-induced VWF secretion. To further substantiate the role of STXBP1, we isolated blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) from an early infantile epileptic encephalopathy type 4 (EIEE4) patient carrying a de novo mutation in STXBP1. STXBP1-haploinsufficient EIEE4 BOECs contained similar numbers of morphologically normal WPBs compared with control BOECs of healthy donors; however, EIEE4 BOECs displayed significantly impaired histamine- and forskolin-stimulated VWF secretion. Based on these findings, we propose that the Rab27A-Slp4-a complex on WPB promotes exocytosis through an interaction with STXBP1, thereby controlling the release of vaso-active substances in the vasculature

The Shear Stress-Induced Transcription Factor KLF2 Affects Dynamics and Angiopoietin-2 Content of Weibel-Palade Bodies

BACKGROUND: The shear-stress induced transcription factor KLF2 has been shown to induce an atheroprotective phenotype in endothelial cells (EC) that are exposed to prolonged laminar shear. In this study we characterized the effect of the shear stress-induced transcription factor KLF2 on regulation and composition of Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) using peripheral blood derived ECs. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Lentiviral expression of KLF2 resulted in a 4.5 fold increase in the number of WPBs per cell when compared to mock-transduced endothelial cells. Unexpectedly, the average length of WPBs was significantly reduced: in mock-transduced endothelial cells WPBs had an average length of 1.7 µm versus 1.3 µm in KLF2 expressing cells. Expression of KLF2 abolished the perinuclear clustering of WPBs observed following stimulation with cAMP-raising agonists such as epinephrine. Immunocytochemistry revealed that WPBs of KLF2 expressing ECs were positive for IL-6 and IL-8 (after their upregulation with IL-1β) but lacked angiopoietin-2 (Ang2), a regular component of WPBs. Stimulus-induced secretion of Ang2 in KLF2 expressing ECs was greatly reduced and IL-8 secretion was significantly lower. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: These data suggest that KLF2 expression leads to a change in size and composition of the regulated secretory compartment of endothelial cells and alters its response to physiological stimuli

Investigating the effect of a robotic presence compared to a virtual robot in teaching angles and turn measurements to children

In the later years robotics has seen a huge increase within domestic use, and have now become an affordable tool in the daily life of most people. The goal of this project was to investigate the differences between a physical and virtual robot in terms of increased content knowledge, learning motivation, and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). To investigate this we conducted an experiment at Trondheim m International School (THIS), using a quasi-experimental setup with two treatment group, virtual and physical robot. The results showed that there does not exist a statistically significant difference in content knowledge gain, motivation or interest between the robotics group and the simulator group