The ArtsSmarts Program: Description and Evaluation

ArtsSmarts is a national program that promotes the teaching of arts infused curricula and the invaluable lessons that artistic practices can contribute to self-awareness, creativity, empathy, and community. The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation funds the ArtsSmarts program, and the Canadian Conference of the Arts acts as the ArtsSmarts Secretariat. Organizations from across Canada have been chosen as ArtsSmarts Partners to oversee projects that meld the program objectives with localized needs, resources, and visions for learning through the arts. More than 125,000 young people, 2,500 artists, and 4,500 teachers and community members have participated in Phase I (1998-2001) of the ArtsSmarts program.The evaluative research into Phase I of ArtsSmarts has shown that the program is meeting its goal of promoting collaborative efforts that bring the arts to schools and communities. Artists are bringing new insights and skills to learning, while passing on their passion for the arts. Teachers and administrators are expressing gratitude for the infusion of the arts into their teaching, their schools, and their community centres. Young people are enthusiastically engaging in art making and showing consistent signs of gaining new understandings of curriculum subjects, of themselves, and of their communities. Parents are volunteering time to the implementation and support of the projects. Whole communities are beginning to recognize the benefits of having the ArtsSmarts program in their midst and are providing venues, media coverage, collaboration, and, in some case, additional funding for the projects.ArtsSmarts is embarking on Phase II of its programming, in which it will continue to support existing projects, expand the reach of ArtsSmarts to other Partners and communities, and identify strategies that will ultimately allow localized projects to become self-sustaining. The ArtsSmarts program is providing both leadership and opportunities to ensure that the arts remain a vital component of the lives and learning of Canadian young people

X-ray Variability of the Magnetic Cataclysmic Variable V1432 Aql and the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 6814

V1432 Aquilae (=RX J1940.2-1025) is the X-ray bright, eclipsing magnetic cataclysmic variable ~37' away from the Seyfert galaxy, NGC 6814. Due to a 0.3% difference between the orbital (12116.3 s) and the spin (12150 s) periods, the accretion geometry changes over the ~50 day beat period. Here we report the results of an RXTE campaign to observe the eclipse 25 times, as well as of archival observations with ASCA and BeppoSAX. Having confirmed that the eclipse is indeed caused by the secondary, we use the eclipse timings and profiles to map the accretion geometry as a function of the beat phase. We find that the accretion region is compact, and that it moves relative to the center of white dwarf on the beat period. The amplitude of this movement suggest a low-mass white dwarf, in contrast to the high mass previously estimated from its X-ray spectrum. The size of the X-ray emission region appears to be larger than in other eclipsing magnetic CVs. We also report on the RXTE data as well as the long-term behavior of NGC 6814, indicating flux variability by a factor of at least 10 on time scales of years.Comment: 44 pages including 16 figures; ApJ, in pres

Particle diffusion in active fluids is non-monotonic in size

We experimentally investigate the effect of particle size on the motion of passive polystyrene spheres in suspensions of Escherichia coli. Using particles covering a range of sizes from 0.6 to 39 microns, we probe particle dynamics at both short and long time scales. In all cases, the particles exhibit super-diffusive ballistic behavior at short times before eventually transitioning to diffusive behavior. Surprisingly, we find a regime in which larger particles can diffuse faster than smaller particles: the particle long-time effective diffusivity exhibits a peak in particle size, which is a deviation from classical thermal diffusion. We also find that the active contribution to particle diffusion is controlled by a dimensionless parameter, the Peclet number. A minimal model qualitatively explains the existence of the effective diffusivity peak and its dependence on bacterial concentration. Our results have broad implications on characterizing active fluids using concepts drawn from classical thermodynamics.Comment: 5 Figure

Echocardiographic assessments of longitudinal left ventricular function in healthy English springer spaniels

OBJECTIVES: To establish reference intervals for echocardiographic measures of longitudinal left ventricular function in adult English springer spaniel dogs. ANIMALS: Forty-two healthy adult English springer spaniels. METHODS: Animals were prospectively recruited from a general practice population in the United Kingdom. Dogs were examined twice, at least 12 months apart, to exclude dogs with progressive cardiac disease. Mitral annular plane systolic excursion, tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) mitral annular velocities and two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiographic (2DSTE) left ventricular longitudinal strain and strain rate were measured. Intraoperator and intraobserver variability were examined and reference intervals were calculated. The potential effects of body weight, age and heart rate on these variables were examined. RESULTS: Intraoperator and intraobserver variability was <10% for all parameters except TDI E’ and 2DSTE variables, which were all <20%. Thirty-nine dogs were used to create reference intervals. Significant (but mostly weak) effects of age, heart rate and body weight on were detected. Reference intervals were similar to previously published values In different breeds. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Breed specific reference intervals for measures of longitudinal left ventricular function in the English springer spaniel are presented

Efficacy of pimobendan in the prevention of congestive heart failure or sudden death in doberman pinschers with preclinical dilated cardiomyopathy (the PROTECT study)

&lt;p&gt;Background: The benefit of pimobendan in delaying the progression of preclinical dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Dobermans is not reported.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hypothesis: That chronic oral administration of pimobendan to Dobermans with preclinical DCM will delay the onset of CHF or sudden death and improve survival.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Animals: Seventy-six client-owned Dobermans recruited at 10 centers in the UK and North America.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Methods: The trial was a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel group multicenter study. Dogs were allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive pimobendan (Vetmedin capsules) or visually identical placebo.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The composite primary endpoint was prospectively defined as either onset of CHF or sudden death. Time to death from all causes was a secondary endpoint.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Results: The proportion of dogs reaching the primary endpoint was not significantly different between groups (P = .1). The median time to the primary endpoint (onset of CHF or sudden death) was significantly longer in the pimobendan (718 days, IQR 441–1152 days) versus the placebo group (441 days, IQR 151–641 days) (log-rank P = 0.0088). The median survival time was significantly longer in the pimobendan (623 days, IQR 491–1531 days) versus the placebo group (466 days, IQR 236–710 days) (log-rank P = .034).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conclusion and Clinical Importance: The administration of pimobendan to Dobermans with preclinical DCM prolongs the time to the onset of clinical signs and extends survival. Treatment of dogs in the preclinical phase of this common cardiovascular disorder with pimobendan can lead to improved outcome.&lt;/p&gt

Minivan Motoring, or Why I Miss That Old Car Smell

It is very difficult to look “cool” while driving a minivan, and I never bothered to try. “Cool” is overrated anyway. What’s not overrated is the urban camouflage a minivan affords. “No one suspects the soccer mom,” Joe deadpanned as he rolled us a joint on the open door of the glove box. I had to agree as I pulled the van into the Shell station to gas up before our long trip to Charleston. I let the tank fill while I checked the various reservoir levels for brake fluid, antifreeze, power steering, and the like. As usual, I needed a quart of oil. Sam Patteson is a freshman Computer Science major. He is very active in the performing arts, and has written and directed several plays for Ampersand Arts in Staunton, Virginia. He wonders if it\u27s still possible to be a Renaissance man in the age of specialization

Dirt Circus: Queering sports and home through filth

This monograph accompanies the MFA Thesis Exhibition, “Dirt Circus”. I outline the history of circus and carnival culture and the ways in which queer identities are expressed through these artistic modes. I describe the nonconforming expressions of gender in these arenas through bearded ladies, aerialists, clowns, and the freak show. I then explore various groups from the 70’s to present day, including Bread and Puppet Theater, The Cockettes, and Split Britches, who utilize performance to further their ideologies of gender freedom, anti-capitalism, and sexual liberation. I compare our differing uses of cheap art and public engagement within the realm of performance and activism. I then discuss how these elements of queer activism and performance can be displayed in a domestic space through nostalgic home goods and carnivalesque game play. I end by investigating the social construction of the definition of ‘dirt’ and ‘freak’ and how these concepts relate to the queering and camping of intimate spaces