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Who sings the queer island body?
Exhibition: March 3 to 25, 2023
Vernissage and Artist-guided gallery tour: March 2 at 6 pm
Art Hive with Kama La Mackerel (in-person): March 4, 10:30 am to 1 pm
Island spaces have a long and persisting history of being represented as terra nullius— wild, empty spaces, in a pristine state of nature, to be exploited for transactional, colonial enterprises. In this new interdisciplinary exhibition, Kama La Mackerel reclaims the sovereignty of islands as a decolonial and spiritual force in relationship to their queer/trans body. Bringing together ancestral, geological and ecological memories through sound, poetry, photography, moving image and textile installations, Who sings the queer island body? offers a new cartography for the coming-into-being of island sovereignty.
Kama La Mackerel (they//them) is a Mauritian-Canadian multi-disciplinary artist, educator, cultural mediator, writer and literary translator who lives and loves in tio’tia:ke (Montréal), Canada. Their work is grounded in the exploration of justice, love, healing, decoloniality and self- and collective-empowerment. Kama’s artistic practice spans across textile, visual, poetic, digital, and performative work; their work is at once narratological and theoretical, at once personal and political. A firm believer that artistic practices have the power to build resilience, to heal and to act as forms of resistance to the status quo, their work articulates an anti-colonial praxis through cultural production.
Kama moved to tio’tia:ke (Montréal) in 2012, where they have since developed a multi-disciplinary and community-based arts practice. The creator and host of GENDER B(L)ENDER: queer open stage (2013-18), Kama generated a cornerstone of the Montreal queer performance scene where, over the span of 5 years, they presented 650+ performances from 300+ artists and collectives from Montreal and beyond. They also curated and hosted The Self-Love Cabaret: l’amour se conjugue à la première personne (2012-16), résistance//résidence (2012), Home Invasion: Queers Shaking the foundations of all White Houses (2015), Contemporary Poetics of Trans Women of Colour (2016-18), SPEAK B(L)ACK: a Black History Month Spoken Word Show (2016-19), Voix et Résiliences (2019) and Qœur-à-Qœur (2020). In 2016, was named one of 9 artists whose work is making a difference in Canada by CBC/Radio Canada. | https://www.visualartscentre.ca/mcclure-gallery/exhibitions/season-2022-2023-kama-la-mackerel/ |
I was fortunate to see a great presentation by Michael Ditullo at Strukur Conference 2017 the other week, where he spoke about the top traits of great design leaders.
Michael is a pretty top notch character in the world of design. With an interesting and successful background paired to a very visionary outlook. His presentation on design leadership referenced key characters in the history of Industrial Design, like Raymond Lowey, Eliot Noyse and Walter Dorwin Teague to name a few.
Here are Micheal’s top 4 traits of great design leaders.
The ability to manage up and down with success and ease.
A couple of interesting side words that come up during the Q&A that I wholeheartedly believe in.
“make people feel uncomfortable, if they feel comfortable it means they have already seen it from their competition” – this relates to pushing the boundaries and creating a vision and at the end of the day doing your job, not recreating the old.
“i make it a goal to have that feeling like I am almost going to get fired” – this relates to the aspect of design making a change, challenging the status quo and having the tough conversations that move things forward. | https://jdbdesign.co/2017/05/05/top-traits-of-great-design-leaders/ |
Words and their creative function have always played a big role in Robin’s artistic endeavors. From his University days studying literature and having poems published in college journals, to his continued active participation in the Helsinki poetry and storytelling scenes, the Word has always been crucial. From poetry slams to professional and open mic gigs, his passion for spoken word and storytelling has led him to stage after stage.
He is also a freelance journalist, blogger, and former columnist for Six Degrees, a Finnish English language magazine.
Robin is available for spoken word and storytelling performances as well as English language text editing and consulting. He has a track record of providing creative and professional solutions to English language conundrums. | https://robindewan.net/wordsmith/ |
How spoken word saved my life
Poetry allows us to use the nuance of language to talk about some of the most difficult feelings that humans can experience. Like poetry, spoken word is also an excellent tool for helping others understand depression, which helps to end mental health stigma. Poetry gives mental illness a name, a face, and a story.
Patrick struggled with depression for many years which led to a suicide attempt. He was then diagnosed with BPD which has given him a better understanding of himself. Here he talks about how he found poetry and spoken word helped him to express himself and raise awareness of mental illness.
Lost and confused
When I was young, I was always lost, confused and never felt like what we would call ‘normal’. I didn’t care about anything and had no idea of my goals or whether I was even meant to have goals. All I wanted to do was mess about at school and use TV and mischief to ignore my problems. A tricky childhood didn’t help. No motherly presence and moving from one country to another into an area where I struggled to fit in added to my issues. Don’t get me wrong, I was lucky. Privileged even. I had a hardworking, intelligent Dad, two older brothers who looked out for me, a decent home with food on the table every day. Supported.
However, there was something I always gravitated towards no matter what I had. Self-hatred, no value for myself, depression and a curiosity for suicide and pain. I had always noticed it throughout my life but never took it seriously but after the typical confusion of teenage times it got heavier and heavier into my 20s.
I had chosen the artist’s life, wanting to be an actor or a writer which is a very challenging life to choose no matter what your mental state but it was the only thing that had got me through so far. I was bad at school and Drama and Art were the only classes where I could flourish and I was very lucky to get into drama school and train. I met a wonderful girl and fell in love and pursued the actor life in London. I was still always so empty, and I blamed it on my success as an artist and never addressed my internal self.
Pushing me further down the path
My depression affected me, but it pushed away friends, family and at the time the love of my life. This pushed me even further down the path of worthlessness. I had been diagnosed with depression more than once by this time and had been on and off medication but this time I chose not to seek help. Instead I chose my own path of drugs, alcohol and self deprecating living to push me forward. It worked for a bit until I realised how lonely I had become. I met someone new and fell for her quickly maybe clinging to her as a way out of my lost journey. Sadly, all the ignorance of myself had created a person that she could not be with and my demons pushed her away and I was lonelier than ever. That’s when I truly gave up.
It was when I first tried to kill myself that my wake-up call came to seek help again which began the path I am on now and I have been on medication and psychological support for some time. I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) just last year. It was a shock at the time, but it has given more focus and a better understanding of myself and why I have been the way I am for so long. I could see myself again and know how to regulate and find peace with my process.
A positive outlet
What really saved me was poetry. Writing my thoughts down and combining it with rhythmic verse gave me a positive outlet and I discovered poetry and Spoken Word nights. I shared my work at various nights talking about my problems and I was touched by how grateful people were for my words. It was very inspiring to see other people like me getting up in front of a crowd of people and talking openly about their mental health struggles and I could see a positive shift in everyone when I was there.
People were using their pain to create awareness and help others. I continued to share my work and I found a new identity as a Spoken Word poet and it gave me an empowering momentum to combine my creative goals with the need to prevent people like me getting worse.
I have now created my own Spoken Word night called ‘Word Soul’ and I host and perform at the night. I create the atmosphere of sharing how you feel and it not being about how great a poet or performer you are but the reward of ‘stepping up’ being what everyone in the room should support and respect. It has attracted a diverse group of people from all ages and communities and organically every night so far has had the running theme of talking openly about mental health issues.
Interestingly a lot of the poets have been men, which as a man growing up in a ‘don’t show your feelings’ environment gave me great courage in eradicating that stigma. Overall it has helped people and has helped myself find the drive I need, and I hope to achieve my goal of combing Spoken Word with my cause to fight mental health issues to make the world be OK with not being OK. | https://www.sane.org.uk/how-we-help/sane-community/your-blogs/how-spoken-word-saved-my-life |
According to his family hierarchy in Guinea, IBé should not be performing spoken word poetry. Poems in Guinea are usually recited to uplift the spirit of others. There are people in the community who are meant to be poets—but for IBé, his surname Kaba puts him in a somewhat higher class. By Guinean tradition, he ought to be listening to the poetry rather than being the poet, but his passion for the art drives him to perform time and time again.
For more information on IBé Kaba—including upcoming performances—see his Web site atlanticrock.com. Also, read his piece Funktify That Winter Blues on the Daily Planet.
Born in Kankan, Central Guinea to a Maninka family, IBé Kaba was four when he moved to Sierra Leone where he was raised by one of his aunts, a tradition common amongst his people. His childhood and education would, however, be cut short when the civil war begun in Sierra Leone in 1991. He moved back to his his country of birth as a refugee, but as an English speaker, he unfortunately couldn’t attend school in French-speaking Guinea. In the fall of the same year, IBé was given the opportunity to move to America and continue his high school education at Evanston Township High School in Chicago.
While living in Sierra Leone, IBé was very involved in storytelling. Storytelling is a revered practice within the ethnic groups in Guinea and neighbouring West African countries. Like many Guinean families, IBé’s Maninka family helps preserve their untranscribed language through griots who pass on historical and traditional stories from generation to generation. Many times IBé was given the chance to tell stories, a task he took on with great pleasure.
His love for books was profound, and he grew up reading as much as he did narrating stories. In high school in Chicago, he wrote a lot of prose and attempted writing his first book. The book, which has no title, reflected upon the war in Sierra Leone and also incorporated a love story between a young boy and girl.
After graduating from high school, IBé moved to Minnesota to attend St. Cloud State University. Though he majored in business and computer science, he continued to pursue his artistic interests. He wrote his second book, Sonofagod, while in college. This book concentrated on the life of a black African student in a predominantly white town. IBé depicts a life of loneliness in a culture that differs from his own, and how easily one can get lost within oneself.
IBé acknowledges that it was difficult living in the confines of St. Cloud—though his cousin went to the university at the same time, it was a challenging period in his life. Nonetheless, IBé involved himself with actitivities on campus. He was, for example, the committee director of the annual Mississippi River Festival at the university and served for two years as vice president of the African Student Association.
In his junior year, during a performance arts concert held at the Radisson Hotel in St. Paul, IBé witnessed a student from Macalester College perform spoken word poetry and he was immediately captivated. “I can do that,” he remembers thinking with confidence, despite the fact that he was in awe of the performance. At that, IBé begun performing spoken word poetry.
Over the years he has had major performances in New York and Las Vegas. Here in Minnesota, he has had the opportunity to present his art at a United Way board meeting, for the CEO of US Bank, and at schools across the state. IBé teaches performance writing and poetry to high school and middle school students in the Twin Cities, a job he finds very gratifying. In 2004, he was nominated for the Minnesota Academy Award for Best Spoken Word Performance, and was the recipient of the Jerome/SASE Verve Grant the following year.
Though his first two books were never published, IBé now has a third book—titled Bridge Across Atlantic which is a compilation of all his poems. The book is set for release in March of this year. The title, a signature line from one of his favorite poems, refers to the journey of Africans crossing into America. Besides the book, he hosts Souls on Display Open Mic at the Salam Coffee Shop on Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis. | https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/poet-ib-kaba-celebrating-traditions-challenging-traditions/ |
An inherent characteristic of our culture is to keep pushing back the boundaries. Discovering new markets, generating more value – all this is possible only with people who continuously strive to move things forward. For the same reason, challenging the status quo with confidence is a quality intricately woven into the employee fabric at GEG.
We value our people as our prime asset and ensure our corporate culture acts as a fertile ground for talent that is characterized by courage, foresight and the ability to initiate actions. These are team players who are goal-oriented, strong in leadership and good in communications. These are people who are passionate about their work responsibilities but with a judicious dose of compassion. If you’re someone like this, you will find the corporate culture you seek at Global Excellence Group.
Diversity in people and perspective is valued at GEG. We continually invest in our people and provide opportunities to grow and foster their skills. We share information, cooperate across functional boundaries; focus on adding value and earning the trust of our teammates. Our people are empowered to make decisions and initiate change at all levels. This way, we achieve success through collaborative efforts committed to achieving common, defined objectives.
Entrepreneurial thinking is the basis for value-oriented action. GEG expects and promotes such thinking, at every level. As a group, our efforts go into creating conducive environment: clear and constructive cooperation, with a fair and candid management style. We foster a nurturing and diverse corporate culture where everyone conducts operations with honesty, loyalty and integrity. Employees are encouraged to maintain work-life balance, care for the environment and adhere to work ethics. Colleagues are motivated to stand-in for each other and be empathetic towards each others’ concerns.
At GEG, we help each other become better human beings. | https://globalexcellence.in/human-capital |
More often than not, when I look for people who might fit in what I want to share with you here, I stumble upon middle-aged people who after a first career decided to change and started building a portfolio career over time. The person I’m presenting to you today is not middle aged, he is only 26, but has a resume beyond his years. He is the proof that the new generations naturally embrace their multiple interests and implement them in their life and career early on.
Clint Smith is a High school English teacher in the United States. He is a proud alumnus of the New Orleans Public School System and earned a BA in English from Davidson College (North Carolina). In 2013, he was named the Christine D. Sarbanes Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Humanities Council. He has been featured in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, The Root, NBC News and is profiled in the book, “American Teacher: Heroes in the Classroom” by Katrina Fried (Welcome Books, 2013). (NB: The picture below was taken for this book and you can read more about the 12 rules the best teacher live by here.)
Clint Smith has definitely brought his passions into the classroom. His main one is poetry, which he discovered in 2008 when he still was in college. His second one is justice. So he combined them and uses spoken word as a way to address social issues in many of his pieces. That led him to become an award-winning spoken word artist (a 2014 National Poetry Slam champion and an Individual World Poetry Finalist).
In the classroom, Mr. Smith combines his passion for poetry and justice to teach students the importance of their own stories as catalysts for meaningful social action. His passion for language inspires his students to find, express, and believe in their own inner voices. Says Smith, “We sit in our classroom as ambassadors of our past, I tell my students. We will learn to read critically, write consciously, speak clearly, and tell our truth because that is the only way this world will ever listen to what we have to say. We are not here to celebrate the status quo of stereotypes. Whether it is what you look like, what you sound like, what your name is, or where your family is from, our role is to break out of these boxes the world has put us in. Every day in my class, we try to use literature to break out of these boxes. We question. We criticize. We agitate. We advocate. We read. We write. We recognize that we all have a story.”
Outside of the classroom, he serves as the school’s slam poetry coach and runs an organization called Collective Voices for Justice a club training students in the principles of community organizing and activism.
To take all of this a step further, Clint Smith now is a doctoral candidate in Education at Harvard University with a concentration in Culture, Institutions, and Society (CIS). His research interests include critical pedagogy, mass incarceration, the intersection of art and activism, how literacy shapes the formation of adolescent identity, and youth civic education. His intention is to mesh narratives and storytelling with research. As he told Tove K. Danovich for the website Food Politic, “My profession and my work could not exist without poetry and poetry couldn’t exist without the work.” Embracing his multiple passions definitely worked for him. What do you think ? | http://whychooseonlyone.com/en/clint-smith-teacher-poet-activist/ |
Committed to a critical, youth-centered pedagogy, Youth Speaks places young people in control of their intellectual and artistic development. We are urgently driven by the belief that literacy is a need, not a want, and that literacy comes in various forms. As we move more deeply into the 21st Century, oral poetry is helping to define the new American Voice. By making the connection between poetry, spoken word, youth development and civic engagement, Youth Speaks aims to deconstruct dominant narratives in hopes of achieving a more inclusive, and active, culture. Believing that young people have the tools to take control of their lives through language, Youth Speaks encourages youth to express themselves using their own vernacular.
Youth Speaks believes that having knowledge, practice, and confidence in the written and spoken language is essential to the self-empowerment of an individual. We fill a need for creative approaches to literary arts education and literacy development; we believe it is crucial to provide spaces where youth can undergo a process of personal growth and transformation in a program that enriches their educational, professional, artistic and leadership skills.
We Believe In…
VOICE
We believe it is critical that young people have opportunities to find, develop, publicly present, and intentionally apply their voices. Silence is a powerful thing when chosen, but incredibly oppressive when forced upon.
CONTINUUM
We are committed to providing opportunities for youth to engage with the traditions of orality so as to immortalize the voices of today’s young writers.
COMMUNITY
Youth Speaks reflects diversity and engenders a community of young artists who reach across demographic boundaries toward self-exploration and growth, providing a platform where conflicts are resolved on the page or the stage, rather than on the street.
CONTEMPORARY CULTURE
Youth Speaks is committed to the written and spoken word, innovating our programs so they remain accessible and attractive to the populations we serve, and reflects their stories without leaving out the stories that have come before.
INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
Youth Speaks provokes movement from silence to empowerment based in liberatory pedagogy and youth development. We work to democratize a civic population of youth by giving them a platform to critically and creatively analyze their worlds, and then share what they’ve come up with.
We Believe in EXCELLENCE
We challenge young people to find their own voices, to work hard to apply them, and to do so responsibly. We ask youth to not be afraid of their own potential; we promise them we won’t be.
We Believe in LIFE
We are firmly attached to the idea that every young person matters, that we all deserve to be safe in our local environments, and have the right to know that our voices will be heard and will live on.
Guiding Principles
By providing free arts education to youth with limited access, our programs seek to empower young people with opportunities to discover and develop their own voices. We firmly believe that young people must think of their voices as vital tools through which they can process their lives, shape the world around them, and hone their abilities to envision and create long-lasting impact. To achieve this, our programs employ best practices of arts education and youth development, while encouraging young people to write about issues relevant to them, in their own vernacular. We ask young people to engage their own cultures to help bridge their personal literacies and the traditional academic literacies presented in school. | http://youthspeaks.org/pedagogy-2/ |
where $F$ is the gravitational force, $G$ the gravitational constant, $m_1$ and $m_2$ are the respective masses of two bodies being pulled together by said force, and $r$ is the distance between them.
Now Galileo asserted that regardless of the difference in mass of two objects falling onto Earth, their acceleration rate will always be the same, i.e. 9.8 meters per second squared.
It is clear from the above equation that the larger the object's mass (either of the $m$'s), the greater the force ($F$).
In other words, should we leave the distance ($r$) the same but increase the mass of either object, the force ($F$) would increase proportionately, resulting in a greater acceleration rate. Which was what Aristotle and everyone else after him thought until Galileo decided Aristotle was wrong and proved it by throwing two different objects from the tower of Pisa. They hit the ground at the same time: yes. So far as the naked eye could judge, anyway.
Compared to the Earth's mass, the masses of the two objects would have been so small that any difference in their respective acceleration rates would have been too tiny to detect, i.e. NEGLIGIBLE.
In other words, to all, or most, PRACTICAL (i.e. earth-based) purposes, Galileo was right.
But was he TECHNICALLY right?
Einstein's theory states that gravity and inertia are the same exact force. This strikes me as perfectly reasonable. However, it is asserted that this somehow confirms Galileo's conclusion. I don't see how.
Let's say my identical twin and I are pushing two different boulders along the ground. Because we're identical, we provide the same force. But my boulder is much heavier than his. The result is that my boulder moves more slowly.
So I find someone much more muscled to push my boulder for me. Muscly McMuscles applies a greater force, enough to get the boulder moving exactly as fast as my twin's.
Yes, bigger objects have a greater force acting on them.
No, this doesn't make them fall faster.
The greater force and the greater mass exactly balance each other out, so the big and small objects move just as fast (more precisely, they accelerate the same).
Now Galileo asserted that regardless of the difference in mass of two objects falling onto Earth, their acceleration rate will always be the same, i.e. 9.8 meters per second squared. Question: Is this actually true?
Yes, and it is fairly straightforward to derive. For an object in free fall near the earth’s surface.
Where $F$ is the gravitational force, $G$ is the universal gravitational constant, $M$ is the mass of the earth, $m$ is the mass of the object, $r$ is the radius of the earth, and $a$ is the object’s acceleration.
The correct replies to this question have already been written elsewhere in SE.Physics (better if ignoring the negative score answers).
However, it is probably useful to stress the basic issue underlying the answer to this question: if we describe motions in non-inertial frames, accelerations depend on the frame. Therefore, the fact that different masses are acclerated in the same way in inertial frames, does not imply that the same is true in non-inertial frames. And observing free fall of bodies on the Earth, means that we are using a non-inertial frame whose acceleration depends on the force between Earth and falling body. It is only the huge ratio between the mass of Earth and that of (reasonable size) falling bodies which makes practically unobservable the difference of accelerations.
The gravitational force is proportional to the masses of the two interacting objects. Since force is mass times acceleration, instantaneous gravitational acceleration is independent of mass. This is a approximation. The solution to the full two body problem does depend on both masses. See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_two-body_problem.
To put more words into @Dale answer, the greater the gravitational mass,the greater the force due to gravity per Newton's law of gravity. But the greater the mass the greater its inertial mass as well, i.e., its resistance to a change in velocity, and therefore a greater force is required to accelerate the mass per Newton's second law, $F=ma$. Gravitational mass equals inertial mass, thus the acceleration is the same for all masses in the gravitational field.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged newtonian-mechanics mass acceleration free-fall equivalence-principle or ask your own question.
Why do objects with different masses fall at the same rate?
Why do objects fall at the same acceleration?
Was Aristotle Actually Correct About Gravitation?
If inertial mass were equal to for example half of gravitational mass why would things not still fall at same rate?
How does Newtonian gravity violate law of inertia? | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/468349/if-an-object-with-more-mass-experiences-a-greater-gravitational-force-why-dont |
Speed problems: What is the speed of a bicycle whose distance time-time graph indicates that the bicycle traveled 75 m in 25 s? Mm/s 5. What is the rate at which velocity changes? Acceleration 6. What are the 3 parts of the definition for acceleration? Speeding up, slowing down and change in direction 7. What do objects in free fall experience near the surface of Earth? Constant acceleration 8. What are some examples of an object achieving constant acceleration due only to a change in direction? E.
G. Moving in a circle, turning around a corner, running around a circular track 9.
Practice acceleration calculations: What is the acceleration of a car that increases in speed from km to 60 km in 55? 3 m/ so 10. Practice acceleration calculations: What is the acceleration of an object that goes from 45 m/s to stopping in ass? -Mm/so Chapter 12 Forces and Motion 1 1 . What happens when an unbalanced force acts on an object? It accelerates 12. What is the net force when balanced forces act on an object? Zero 13.
What are the 2 main forces that act on an object when it is falling? Gravity and air resistance 14. What is the property of matter that resists change in action?
Inertia 15. What is the equation for Newton’s 2nd law of motion? Acceleration = net force divided by mass 16. What is Newton’s 3rd Law of motion? For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. 17. Practice momentum calculations: What is the momentum of a 1000 keg truck that moving at a speed of 25 km/h? 25000kg. M/s 18. What is the name of the force that is responsible for the repulsion between 2 positively charged or 2 negatively charged particles? Electric force 19. What happens when the 2 opposite poles of 2 magnets are brought together? They attract each other 20.
Which universal force acts only on the protons and neutrons in a nucleus? Strong nuclear forces 21 . With what is weak nuclear force associated? Nuclear decay 22. The gravitational force between 2 objects increases as mass or distance Power ? Increases/decreases Chapter 14 Work and 23. The force acting on an object does no work when . The force is not in the direction Of the object’s motion 24. Practice work problems: How much work is done if the force acting on an object is INN causing It to move mm? 80 J 25. Practice work problems: If you perform 25 J fork lifting a 5 N object from he floor, how high was the object lifted? M Chapter 15 Energy 26. What is the energy of motion? Kinetic energy 27. What is the energy stored in gasoline? Chemical energy 28. What does the total potential and kinetic energy of the particles in an object make up? Thermal energy 29. What are the 2 main energy conversions when walking? Chemical energy into mechanical energy 30. What is the nuclear energy from a nuclear power plant converted into? Electric energy 31 . Solar cells convert what kind of energy into electrical energy? Electromagnetic energy 32. What is the law of conservation of energy?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed instead it is converted from one form to another. 33. What is mechanical energy? Potential energy plus kinetic energy 34. Nonrenewable energy resources include Coal, oil, natural gas, uranium, petroleum 35. Why do fossil fuels make up most of the world’s energy use? Because they are relatively inexpensive and readily available. 36. What are the disadvantages of solar energy? Depends on climate, expensive in the beginning Chapter 17 Mechanical Waves 37. Does a mechanical Wave move through a medium or move the medium from place to place?
Move through a medium 38. Through what do transverse and longitudinal transfer thermal energy? A medium 39. Practice wave problems: What is the speed of a wave that has a wavelength of 20 mm and a frequency of 10 hertz? 200 m’s 40. What is the difference between reflection and diffraction/ refraction? Reflection is the only one in which the wave does not continue moving forward. 41 . What happens to wave when it refracts? It travels from one medium to another and changes speed. 42. What is it called when 2 waves interact and the resulting wave is smaller than the original waves?
Destructive interference 43. A sound wave is an example of a ? Longitudinal wave 44. In which medium does sound travel the fastest? Cast iron 45. What does sonar do? Sonar equipment sends sound wave deep into the water and measures the time delay of the returning echoes. 46. What is it called when an ambulance sounds different as it approaches you than when it moves away from you? The Doppler Effect Chapter 18 The Electromagnetic Spectrum 47. How do electromagnetic waves vary? They vary in wavelength and frequency 48. What does light act like? Both a wave and a particle 49.
What is the order of the waves of the electromagnetic spectrum in order of wavelength? Radio waves, Microwaves and radar (which are actually radio waves also), Infrared waves, Visible light, Ultraviolet rays, X-rays, Gamma rays 50. What is the full range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation called? The electromagnetic spectrum 51 . What are the waves with the longest wavelengths in the ME spectrum? The radio waves 52. Visible light is found between which waves Of the ME spectrum? Infrared rays and Ultraviolet rays 53. What kind of waves do cellular telephones use?
Microwaves 54. What does X-ray photographs show? It shows softer tissue as dark, highly exposed areas. 55. What is it called when light wave bends as it passes from one medium to another/ Refraction 56. What is white light made up of? All of the colors of the visible spectrum Chapter 20 Electricity 57. What type of current is produced by a battery? Direct current 58. What type of is found in your homes and in the school building? Alternating current 59. What is an electrical conductor? Materials that allow electrons/charges to flow easily. 60. What is an electrical insulator? | https://graduateway.com/physical-science-question-paper-essay/ |
1.1.1. The concept of linear motion can be well seen in the cop and perp activity. Bot h the cop and the perp are traveling in a straight line, thus linear motion.
1.1.2. another example of linear motion would be if the catapult launched like a ballista, which applies more force to launch an object straight ahead while pointed upwards at a 45 degree angle.
1.1.3. Kinematics, the study of only motion, has a subset of study known as linear kinematics, which is the description of the motion in space of a point along a trajectory.
1.1.3.1. the trajectory can be rectilinear(straight),
1.1.3.2. or curvilinear, which means it's on a curve.
1.1.4. acceleration is a topic of interest when talking about the catapult. The catapult, in order to accelerate the projectile, must store a lot of potential energy in order to shoot it far and powerfully. Also, kinetic energy is spent as the projectile loses momentum and its velocity is slowed when the drag of gravity eventually pulls the projectile downward.
1.1.4.1. New node
1.1.5. Position is the location of the object in space-time. It has to be relative to something, usually an origin on a plane, when translated from reality to the drawing board.
1.1.6. Displacement is the distance the object has gone from its original start point. It can help to describe velocity and direction, and in turn, these two values help to describe displacement.
1.2. Non-linear Motion
1.2.1. An example of non-linear motion would be the usual method of catapulting, in which objects are flung in an arc, resulting in a non-linear motion.
1.2.2. another example of non-linear motion would be the logger pro example tutorial in which the basketball player throws a ball towards the hoop, which also results in an arc movement.
1.3. Forces and Momentum
1.3.1. the neat video in which i posted the topic of stopping bullets with phone book armor is a good example of force; the force of the bullet is severely slowed by the metal of the car and then furthermore by the phone book under the armor.
1.3.2. also, the metal of the car is a great deterrant to the bullet, and slows the bullet's momentum by a lot. on the other hand, if the bulllet were to hit the books first, the momentum would not be reduced as drastically as by the metal and thus would pierce the car moreso.
1.3.3. the mallow traveling through the air accepts force of gravity pulling on it and also exerts force on the earth by pulling on it simultaneously.
1.3.4. the mallow also has momentum due to the sheer force at which it is shot out of the catapult.
1.3.5. nweton's law of action reaction states that if a force is applied to an object, then the object applies the same force back.
1.3.5.1. newton's laws also reference momentum through the other two laws; an object at rest will stay at rest because there is no momentum; no velocity to multiply to the mass.
1.3.5.1.1. force equals mass times acceleration, while momentum equals mass times velocity, which is speed and direction.
1.3.6. the forces described in hooke's law are thus: there is a force exerting on the object that is elastic, constant F, and there is another force pulling the object in the opposite direction, which is the spring constant, or k.
1.3.7. The range equation describes, formally, the capability of a plane to fly a certain range. Factoring in gear, oil, crew, etc, and traveling at so-and-so velocity, will the plane will reach location x. In our interpretation, the formula describes the range of the flying mallow, which leads to descriptions of the force and amount of force involved in propulsion, and at the mass that the object is, at what velocity will it fly at for how long, and thusly, what is the momentum of the object in any point in time during its flight.
1.4. Work, Energy Storage and Transfer
1.4.1. the mallow is a good example of energy storage; the force that is created by puling back on the catapult is translated and stored in the mallow as it is moving through the air.
1.4.2. also, energy storage occurs in the catapult, where the arm of catapult stores the energy created from the human arm as it pulls back the catapult mechanism. all that stored energy is released when the catapult is fired.
1.4.3. Hooke's Law describes the storing of potential energy and using kinetic energy of the force holding the spring back and the load of the object being launched to launch the object essentially. The law refers explicitly to the elasticity of objects when a lot of mass and force is applied to the object.
1.4.3.1. the law is also very concerned with a spring constant, which measures how much elasticity an object has before losing its shape. Spring constant is commonly the variable K.
1.4.3.2. Another variable of the hooke's law formula is the x, or displacement of the object in question. Essentially the length it stretches to before the breaking point.
1.4.3.3. The final variable in the equation is F, which is the force exerted on the object.
1.4.4. potential energy is energy stored in an object, like a loaded spring. the energy is there, but is not being released.
1.4.5. kinetic energy is the energy released by the object after storing potential energy.
1.4.6. energy transfers by stages. during the launch of the mallow, we have potential energy transferring to the rubber band and then the mallow in flight as kinetic energy. As the kinetic energy winds down, gravitational energy takes over and drags the mallow down. Finally the bounce of the mallow dissipates the energy of the mallow in flight through the ground. All energy is transferred from object to object, surface to surface, state to state.
1.5. Properties of Matter
1.5.1. matter cannot be destroyed or created
1.5.2. elasticity is the property that allows matter to store great amounts of energy.
2. Competencies
2.1. Effectively communicate qualitative and quantitative information orally and in writing.
2.1.1. a good demo of capturing qualitative info would be the motion diagrams. they do not use any sort of detailed calculation, but rather are used to describe the event of motion.
2.1.2. quantitative info of the motion diagram is translated into the p vs t and v vs t diagrams where the velocity and change in velocity is graphed on xy axes.
2.1.3. logger pro is a tool that is used to further aid in describing the quantitative data that exists when trying to calculate motion and displacement and velocity.
2.1.4. using the motion and force diagrams, we have learned to qualitatively evaluate motion through verbal and written description.
2.1.5. communicated to classmates describing position vs displacement, making distinctions between speed versus velocity, and discussing the implications of the reality of physics.
2.2. Explain the application of fundamental physical principles to various physical phenomena.
2.2.1. the catapult experiment taught a lot about the laws of acceleration, when the mallow was either accelerating via force from launch or when gravity's force began to take over on the way down.
2.2.1.1. also, mallow's flight introduced actualization of the principle of inertia, when various factors affected the mallow's velocity.
2.2.2. all the neat videos taught us about the actualization of real physics principles in real life scenarios.
2.3. Apply appropriate problem-solving techniques to practical and meaningful problems using graphical, mathematical, and written modeling tools.
2.3.1. using logger pro to calculate the motion of various objects, basketball and mallow.
2.3.2. excel is a good tool to collect all the data in numerical form to perform calculations later on.
2.3.3. vpython is a good simulator to real life physics, something we can use to lay out an experiment without having to use real life resources.
2.3.3.1. modeling out the motion of scenarios is also much easier in python than it is in real life, because in python, things will only go one way; the way you programmed it to go.
2.3.4. Applying hooke's law to rubber bands to determine how much force the rubber band would take, then increasing the spring constant of the band by adding on more bands to support it.
2.4. Work effectively in collaborative groups.
2.4.1. effectively communicated with a group to pass along data collected in mallow launcher experiment, and to progress collectively as a group while working individually.
2.4.2. we all divided up work evenly and set scheduled dates on when we were all going to turn in stuff to the same site, and one person had the responsibility to upload everything.
2.4.3. don't be the group leader if you don't want the responsibility of keeping track of everyone else as well.
2.4.4. For P2, our group did things a bit more differently, given time constraints and smaller scope of project. simply adding on to P1, we just did our parts individually on the glogs and googledoc, by formatting ourselves and doing the layouts individually. | https://www.mindmeister.com/52835858/norm-s-mindmeister |
Linear: Angular: General:
9
Newton’s Laws of Motion
First Law of Motion Law of Inertia “An object will remain at rest or continue with constant velocity unless acted on by an unbalanced force.” Bodies or objects stay where they are or keep moving unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
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2nd Law of Motion Law of Acceleration
“The acceleration (for a body/object of constant mass) is proportional to, and in the same direction as the unbalanced force applied to it.” F = m x a
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3rd Law of Motion Law of Reaction
“When one body or object applies a force to another, the second body or object will apply a force equal in size but opposite in direction to the first body or object.” Simply put – For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
12
Projectile Motion Any object released into the air.
Factors affecting Projectile Motion Height of release Angle of release Speed of release Air resistance Gravity
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The spring scale is a tool that measures the mass and gravity of an object using the spring’s elastic force.
The spring of this scale is lengthened by gravity and shortened by elasticity.
You can find out the gravity (or mass) of an object by reading the scale at the point where gravity and elastic force balance.
Try the slide to change the mass of the object.
If you want to know the magnitude and direction of gravity and elasticity, check the box below.
Measuring limit of spring scale
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Click the radio button to switch to a different spring scale.
If it does not move in the state of maximum value, replace it with another scale with a more large range.
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Mass and gravity
All objects on the ground receive force towards the center of the earth (= gravity).
Gravity is a force proportional to the mass of an object. On the surface we live on, this proportionality constant becomes ‘gravity acceleration’. Gravitational acceleration is often known by the number ‘9.8’.
Gravity(N) = 9.8 × mass(kg)
If you look closely at the spring scale, you can see that the scales on the left and right scales are different. Moreover, the scales do not fit each other. This is because the force increases by 9.8N each time an object’s mass increases by 1kg. | https://javalab.org/en/spring_scales_en/ |
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There is growing evidence that ecosystem function depend on biodiversity. For example, experimental studies with different number of plant species show that microbial biomass, fungal abundance and N mineralisation rates increase with increasing plant diversity. Global warming is expected to have major impacts on ecosystems in future, influencing biodiversity in a wide range of ecosystems. Specifically, low diversity ecosystems in extreme environments are thought to be more vulnerable to global change than ecosystem with higher diversity, at the same time they have received less attention than ecosystems with higher diversity. At present, there are only a few long-climate change studies that have incorporated diversity and richness based on species level data for both above and below ground communities across several trophic levels. The impact on low diversity ecosystem in extreme environments is exemplified from preliminary results from two decades of experimental warming on the linkages between above and below ground communities across contrasting vegetation communities in the arctic. The study includes species level data on vascular plants, lichens, bryophytes, collembola, mites, fungi and bacteria. | https://www.qscience.com/content/papers/10.5339/qproc.2016.qulss.12 |
About 66% of rangelands in South Africa are moderately to severely degraded as a result of bush encroachment or bush thickening. Bush encroachment has nearly doubled over the past decade in many commercial, communal and conservation areas, Limpopo being no exception. Bush encroachment (increase in density of woody species) results in a temporary or permanent loss of ecosystem functions and processes and can have significant socio-ecological implications for land users since it can cause a decrease in the economic value of the land and reduces ecosystem services. To control bush encroachment and to compensate for economic losses, active and/or passive restoration methods are applied. Studies have shown that success with the restoration of bush-encroached rangelands is not only restricted to the environmental (biophysical) conditions of the rangeland but also dependent on active intervention as far as social and economic conditions are concerned. The research presented in this thesis aimed to evaluate the impacts of bush clearing and the use of brush packing restoration technique at two study sites representing two different land-use types: communal and conservation. In essence, brush packing involves covering bare degraded soil surfaces with woody branches from bushes that have been cleared in the surrounding area. Since the success of restoration projects depends on community involvement, the socio-economic benefits for local communities were also investigated. Specific objectives were, therefore, to test the effect and cost-effectiveness of brush packing as a restoration technique (1) to improve grass diversity in bush-cleared areas and (2) to improve aboveground biomass in these areas. In addition, the study set out (3) to determine whether bush clearing and restoration activities address any ecosystem services (especially those of a socio-economic nature). To test the objectives, six different non-brush packing ((1) un-cleared (control plot) (UC); (2) clearing only (CO); (3) clearing and re-seeding (CRS)) and brush packing ((4) clearing and brush packing (C-BP); (5) clearing, re-seeding and brush packing (CRS-BP); and (6) clearing, soil disturbance, re-seeding and brush packing (CSRS-BP)) treatments were compared. The treatments were replicated three times on 18 randomly distributed plots within 3 blocks and the effects compared. The results obtained from this study showed that the brush packing restoration treatments had a positive effect on improving grass species diversity particularly in the continuously grazed communal area. Grass species richness and abundance were highest for the brush packing and re-seeded treatments in the year 2019. The grass composition between the two sites were dissimilar, with the conservation site having a higher heterogeneity than at the communal site. On the other hand, a higher number of decreaser and perennial grass species were identified in the brush packing treatments particularly in the communal area. Aboveground biomass was significantly higher on the brush packing treatments than on non-brush packing treatments over the two years (2018 and 2019) at both sites. Although the total establishment costs were highest for the brush-packing treatments, this was outweighed by other positive impacts such as higher biomass production, improved grass diversity and contributions to the local community’s well-being in the form of socio-economic benefits. Brush packing undoubtedly creates a micro-environment that is favourable for the growth and recruitment of grass species. Additionally, brush packing serves as an effective protection to shield grass seedlings from grazing by livestock and/or game, thus affording grasses an opportunity for re-growth. Essentially, brush packing improves biodiversity, thereby contributing to the ecosystem services of rangeland ecosystems. It is recommended that all bush clearing and restoration projects should not concentrate on the biophysical aspects only, but take regard of the human factor as well. Furthermore, long-term studies on the permanent plots in the communal area and in the conservation area are required to investigate vegetation and diversity changes and to evaluate the effectiveness and restoration success of, particularly, bush clearing, brush packing and re-seeding restoration techniques. | https://repository.nwu.ac.za/handle/10394/37890 |
Biological diversity is complex and can be described and quantified in various ways. Research exploring the consequences of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning has generally focused on the effects of four components of biodiversity: species richness and composition, and functional group richness and composition. Most of the research to date has focused on biodiversity effects within single trophic levels. The aim of this study was to compare the relative effects of these four components of biological diversity across pond food webs using aquatic mesocosm experiments in which all four community properties were manipulated independently. Functional groups were defined in terms of trophic groups, and consisted of aquatic macrophytes, periphyton grazers, and invertebrate predators. Species composition and species richness were manipulated within functional groups. Ecosystem response variables included the final biomass of the manipulated taxa (macrophytes, grazers, and predators), ecosystem rates (productivity and decomposition), and trophic structure (phytoplankton and periphyton biomass). Results reveal strong effects of species composition on a significant proportion of ecosystem response variables. In contrast, species richness, functional group richness, and functional group composition altered the biomass of the manipulated taxa, but had no additional effects on other ecosystem variables. Results suggest that the roles of species in ecosystems, when considered in a food web context, are often the result of both direct and indirect effects that are difficult to predict based on the association of a species to a particular functional group. If a goal of biodiversity research is to predict the response of ecosystems to biodiversity loss, effects of composition and species losses across food webs must be fully integrated into biodiversity–ecosystem functioning research.
ISSN
0012-9658
First Page
701
Last Page
715
Recommended Citation
Downing, Amy L., "Relative Effects of Species Composition and Richness on Ecosystem Properties in Ponds" (2005). Zoology Faculty Work. 83. | https://digitalcommons.owu.edu/zool_pubs/83/ |
Species’ ecology and evolution can have strong effects on communities. Both may change concurrently when species colonize a new ecosystem. We know little, however, about the combined effects of ecological and evolutionary change on community structure. We simultaneously examined the effects of top-predator ecology and evolution on freshwater community parameters using recently evolved generalist and specialist ecotypes of three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We used a mesocosm experiment to directly examine the effects of ecological (fish presence and density) and evolutionary (phenotypic diversity and specialization) factors on community structure at lower trophic levels. We evaluated zooplankton biomass and composition, periphyton and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration, and net primary production among treatments containing different densities and diversities of stickleback. Our results showed that both ecological and evolutionary differences in the top-predator affect different aspects of community structure and composition. Community structure, specifically the abundance of organisms at each trophic level, was affected by stickleback presence and density, whereas composition of zooplankton was influenced by stickleback diversity and specialization. Primary productivity, in terms of chlorophyll-a concentration and net primary production was affected by ecological but not evolutionary factors. Our results stress the importance of concurrently evaluating both changes in density and phenotypic diversity on the structure and composition of communities.
Copyright: © 2013 Des Roches et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: Financial support for this study was supplied by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Evidence that species’ phenotypic diversity and composition influence the structure of ecosystems is accumulating , , , , . Until recently, however, this work has mostly ignored contemporary evolution, presuming that ecological and evolutionary processes occur over dramatically different time scales , . Increasing evidence for rapid evolution over the order of a few generations , , , , , has made it clear that ecological and evolutionary time scales overlap broadly , , , , , , and that both ecological and evolutionary factors can have strong effects on communities, even over short periods of time. For example, ecological studies show how predator presence and density influence lower trophic levels , , , , . Evolutionary studies demonstrate how trophic ecology within a predator population is affected by among-population variation in life history , , age structure , and ontogeny . A few studies have further characterized the dynamic feedback loops between evolutionary diversification and ecosystem properties, such as community structure and organization , , , .
Although much current work focuses on whether or not interactions between ecology and evolution occur, some studies have begun to explore the quantitative effects of eco-evolutionary dynamics using mathematical models (e.g. , ). Such models require detailed quantitative information about the relative magnitude of both ecological and evolutionary changes on the structure of communities. Here we examine the community-wide effects of a top predator, the three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), on organisms at lower trophic levels that result from its presence and density (ecology) and its specialization and speciation (evolution). Recent work by Harmon et al. has shown the importance of stickleback speciation and trophic specialization on ecosystem parameters. Here we add to the findings of that research by evaluating the importance of these evolutionary effects in the context of the potentially larger effects of changing stickleback density. Specifically, we simultaneously investigate ecological (fish presence and density) and evolutionary (phenotypic diversity and specialization) effects on community structure and composition. The goal of our study was to compare the magnitude of change in community structure driven by evolutionary diversification (recently shown by Harmon et al. ) to that brought about by differences in fish density due to the well-established mechanisms of trophic cascades.
The threespine stickleback is a model organism for evolutionary and ecological research (e.g. , , , , , ). Marine stickleback probably invaded coastal lakes in British Columbia, Canada, between 10–12,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age . Most colonists gave rise to solitary populations of generalist ecotypes that opportunistically feed in both limnetic (open-water) and benthic (lake-bottom) habitats. In a few “species pair” lakes two ecologically divergent, reproductively isolated ecotypes exist in sympatry , : a limnetic type with a narrow gape, many long gill rakers and a slender body, and a benthic type with a large gape, few short gill rakers, and a deep body . The morphological features that differ between the two types improve feeding performance in their respective niches . Limnetic stickleback feed primarily on zooplankton in the open-water, whereas benthic stickleback consume larger invertebrates from the lake-bottom . Individuals of each type grow most rapidly in their respective habitats . Diversification in the species pair lakes probably arose from double colonization followed by character displacement, whereby the first colonist evolved into the benthic ecotype, and the second became confined to the limnetic niche .
Researchers have shown that stickleback can affect community structure via both their ecology and evolution . For example, the limnetic stickleback, like other zooplanktivorous predators (see , , ), affect the pelagic food chain through cascading trophic interactions in which they increase primary productivity by reducing the abundance of herbivorous zooplankton. Other studies using mesocosms have shown evolutionary diversification and specialization of stickleback traits affect both biotic (invertebrate abundance, and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration) and abiotic components (attenuation of light through the water column) of the surrounding ecosystem . Like stickleback, the density and diversity of guppies and alewives , also influences their ecological surroundings. In all cases, the effects of fish density and diversity are a result of classical trophic interactions , , and/or the liberation of nutrients by excretion .
In this paper, we examine whether zooplankton abundance and composition, benthic and limnetic chlorophyll-a concentration and dissolved oxygen were affected by changes in stickleback ecology and evolution concurrently. We use these measures to represent the biotic components of community structure that are most commonly mediated by a top-predator via trophic cascades or nutrient liberation. Previous research has shown that changes in density and evolutionary diversification and specialization of stickleback can affect these aspects of community structure . Here we describe a study carried out before a previously published experiment by Harmon et al. in which we simultaneously quantified and compared the ecological (fish presence and density) and evolutionary (phenotypic diversity and specialization) effects of stickleback on community structure using a mesocosm experiment.
We make the following predictions for the ecological and evolutionary effects of stickleback based on the findings of previous research , , . In general, for ecological effects, increasing predation brought about by higher fish density will decrease large zooplankton biomass. Smaller inedible microzooplankton, such as copepod nauplii and rotifers, will be liberated from competition with the larger species and therefore increase in biomass. Finally, primary producers (phytoplankton and periphyton) and thus primary productivity (dissolved oxygen concentration) will increase due to reduced herbivory by large zooplankton species and through nutrient liberation by foraging stickleback. For evolutionary effects, we expect the magnitude of differences between treatments will be less pronounced due to opportunistic feeding behaviors of all fish and strong linkages between the “limnetic” and “benthic” habitats. In general, limnetic fish should have the strongest affect on large zooplankton, followed by generalist, and then benthic fish. As described above, smaller microzooplankton species should increase in the absence of larger species. Finally, because we expect large zooplankton species to graze both in the limnetic and benthic habitats, we predict both periphyton and phytoplankton (and dissolved oxygen concentration) to increase in the presence of limnetic fish.
We collected stickleback from wild freshwater populations on Texada Island, British Columbia, Canada (British Columbia Ministry of the Environment Collection Permit No.: NA/SU06-21454), thus all phenotypic variation we attribute to “evolutionary” differences is also that which is present in natural systems. We caught specialist limnetic and benthic individuals from Paxton Lake, and generalist individuals from a solitary population in Cranby Lake. We collected and used only female fish in the experiment because within the ecotypes, females exhibit the most specialized feeding behaviors; male limnetics, for example, will opportunistically feed in the littoral zone during the spring when they are nesting . We used disinfected metal minnow traps and dip nets and transported the fish to the University of British Columbia campus, Vancouver, Canada, where we housed them in 20 gallon glass aquariums. We euthanized fish using MS-222 throughout the experiment only when they showed signs of physiological stress. We housed fish that survived the experiment in laboratory aquariums indefinitely. Our study was carried out in accordance with the Canadian Council of Animal Care Guidelines and approved by the University of British Columbia Animal Care Committee (Protocol Number: A04-0208).
We performed the experiment from 25 May to 17 July 2006 at the University of British Columbia in cattle tank mesocosms. Although community responses in mesocosms only provide a window into what occurs in natural systems and the inferences can be made from their use in ecological experiments are limited , they allow us to compare treatments with high levels of replication and control. Our mesocosms had a maximum volume of 1136 L (approximate dimensions L: 1.61 m, W: 1.75 m, H: 0.64 m). Prior to the addition of water we added approximately 30 liters of loosely packed of leaf litter and benthic sediments per tank. We collected the litter and sediments from a nearby fish-less experimental pond to provide an inoculum for the initial community of invertebrates, plankton, macrophytes, dead organic matter and detritus. We used inoculum from a fish-less pond to simulate an ecosystem prior fish colonization. We filled the tanks with well water to approximately 20 cm below the rim and let the water sit for one week before adding fish. Before we added fish, we fertilized the tanks with NaNO3 (2.46 g per tank) and NaH2PO4 (0.18 g per tank; ) to boost initial primary productivity.
To test the effects of top predator ecology and evolution on aquatic community structure, we manipulated both fish density and phenotypic diversity across six mesocosm treatments. We divided forty tanks into the six treatments as follows: no fish control (NF, six tanks); generalist fish only (G, eight tanks); limnetic fish only (L, six tanks); benthic fish only (B, six tanks); both benthic and limnetic fish (BL, eight tanks); and benthic and limnetic fish at twice the fish biomass (g of fish per L) as the other fish treatments (BBLL, six tanks). We used more replicates of the G and BL treatments to make use of all available tanks and all our statistical analyses allowed for this unequal replication. All single density tanks (G, B, L, BL) had a summed fish weight between 3.0 and 3.5 g, while the double density tanks (BBLL) had a total fish weight of 6.0 to 7.0 g. Tanks from different treatments contained different total numbers of fish (L treatment: four fish, B treatment: two fish, G treatment: three fish, BL treatment: three fish, one benthic and two limnetics, BBLL treatment: six fish, two benthics and four limnetics). Adult benthic individuals are roughly double the weight of limnetics, whereas generalist individuals are intermediate between the two. Furthermore, natural populations of stickleback in Paxton Lake contain approximately two limnetic individuals for every benthic fish . In all treatments, we used fish densities of two to four fish per 2.40 square meters in diameter, which are within the ranges found in natural populations , , including those found in Paxton Lake, which contains densities from fewer than one to up to 28 fish per square meter of water surface area. Our experimental densities were also comparable to those used in recent studies of intraspecific competition in stickleback , . Finally, evidence suggests that there is a strong link between body size and prey consumption in other species of stickleback ; this trend is also apparent, however is less pronounced, for the threespine stickleback species pairs .
We arranged the tanks in four rows of 10. We divided the 40 tanks into six spatially clustered blocks, four of which contained six tanks and two of which contained eight. We arranged the blocks from bottom to top across the columns. We randomly assigned all six treatments to the tanks within each block (NF, G, B, L, BL, BBLL), with the two blocks of eight tanks assigned one additional replicate of both the G and BL treatments.
We weighed and measured all 120 fish before adding them to the tanks on 25 May 2006. Because all fish treatments experienced some mortality throughout the experiment, we systematically surveyed for living and dead fish three times weekly. We replaced a total of 40 dead fish (33% of the total number) as soon as possible with fish of similar mass to maintain the top predator biomass at a constant level, while minimizing the potential affects of fish decay on ecosystem variables. We recovered all fish at the termination of the experiment using minnow traps, anesthetized them with MS222 and preserved them in 95% ethanol.
We sampled invertebrates (including both edible large zooplankton species, and smaller, inedible microzooplankton species) from the water column one month after the addition of fish to the mesocosms. We took water samples using a 10 cm diameter PVC pipe that could be sealed at the bottom with a tennis ball attached to a string. This apparatus allowed us to sample planktonic organisms throughout the water column at a volume equal to ∼1 L. We took samples from both the periphery and center of the tank and emptied them into a bucket until we obtained a total volume of about 11 L. We filtered the sample water through a 54 µm sieve to concentrate zooplankton and other planktonic invertebrates, which we then stained and fixed with Lugol’s Iodine solution. We identified zooplankton under a stereo-microscope at 3.2 times magnification. We attempted to identify individuals to genus; however, in some cases (e.g. cyclopoid copepods), we identified individuals to sub-order. We estimated the average biomass of each taxon by taking the mean lengths of 30 haphazardly selected individuals and applying length-weight regression . To estimate total community biomass per liter, we multiplied average genus weights by total invertebrate population densities.
We measured standing stock of both the limnetic (phytoplankton) and benthic (periphyton) primary producers by chlorophyll-a concentration. We collected 100 mL water samples from each tank within three days of invertebrate sampling for estimating phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration. On the same day we suction filtered these samples through GF/C 24 mm Whatman glass microfiber filters. We then cold-extracted each filter in 10 mL of 90% acetone in darkness overnight before measuring fluorescence using a Trilogy Fluorometer (model 7200-000). We sampled periphyton growth on unglazed ceramic tiles (26 cm2 area; ), which we had added to all tanks prior to the addition of fish. We removed a tile from the bottom of each tank one month after fish were added and scraped the algae from the entire surface of the tile with a nylon brush into 100 mL of distilled water. We filtered and measured chlorophyll-a from the periphyton samples in acetone using the same method as for phytoplankton.
We also measured net primary productivity (NPP) in the mesocosms by recording daily dissolved oxygen cycles with an YSI DO2 Probe (model 55) at sunset and sunrise of the same night. We measured instantaneous DO2 for all 40 tanks over a 30 to 45 minute period surrounding sunset and sunrise. We estimated NPP for the system by taking the difference in dissolved oxygen concentration between sunset and sunrise for a given date. Thus we can estimate the quantity of oxygen produced by all photosynthetic organisms for the entire tank minus the respiration of all organisms .
We compared differences in zooplankton biomass and composition, and primary productivity among the six different treatments before performing planned contrasts for our specific hypotheses regarding stickleback ecology (density) and evolution (diversity, specialization). We used one-way ANOVAs to evaluate differences in zooplankton dry biomass (mg/L) for both large, edible zooplankton (such as cladocerans and copepods) and inedible microzooplankton (rotifers and copepod nauplii) among treatments. To examine the effect of different treatments on zooplankton community structure, we performed MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) on two-dimentional nonmetric multidimentional scaling (NMDS) using each zooplankton genus’ total normalized dry biomass per tank (mg/L). For NMDS we used Bray-Curtis distances and retained two axes , which represent the species with the strongest positive and negative loadings. We plotted the species loadings of these axes to determine the species that explained the most variation among treatments (see Figure S1). We performed the same planned contrasts described above to determine differences in zooplankton community composition between pairs of treatments. For productivity measures, we used one-way ANOVAs to determine differences periphyton chlorophyll-a concentration (µg/cm2), phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration (in µg/L), and dissolved oxygen concentration (mg/L). All our ANOVAs included possible interactions of treatments with block effects.
We used Welch’s t-tests to test our specific hypotheses regarding the effects of changing stickleback density and diversity on community structure. We performed two planned contrasts to evaluate the effects of stickleback ecology: the effects of lake colonization by a generalist (NF/G), and the impact of increasing density of specialists (BL/BBLL). We performed the planned contrasts G/BL, G/L, and G/B (adapted from , ) to evaluate effects of stickleback evolution. These contrasts focus on the community-wide effects of evolutionary changes in stickleback: the first tests the effects of diversification from a generalist to two specialists, the second and third test the effects of trophic specialization. We did not correct for multiple comparisons since all contrasts were planned; instead, we set alpha = 0.05 for all comparisons. We calculated effect sizes to determine the degree of response of our measured ecological parameters between planned treatment comparisons . For any given contrast, we measured effect size as ln[(mean treatment_1)/(mean treatment_2)] . Therefore, large effect sizes for NF/G or BL/BBLL indicated a strong effect of increasing fish density or presence and large effect sizes for contrasts between G/BL, G/B and G/L indicated a strong effect of diversity or specialization.
Differences in stickleback ecology, evolution or both affected nearly all parameters measured. Whereas differences in stickleback density (ecology effects) had larger effects on the abundance of organisms at lower trophic levels, stickleback diversity and specialization (evolutionary effects) mainly affected zooplankton community composition.
Zooplankton response to changes in stickleback ecology and evolution was not as strong as predicted. Total large zooplankton biomass did not differ among treatments (ANOVA, treatment effect: F5, 28 = 2.5; P>0.05, block effect: F1, 28 = 5.7; P<0.05, no interaction effect, Figure 1A), thus demonstrating no significant effects of either stickleback ecology or evolution. Here, the largest effect size was between the generalist (G) and benthic-limnetic (BL) treatments. Microzooplankton biomass, however, differed significantly among treatments (ANOVA, treatment effect: F5, 28 = 2.4; P = 0.05, block effect: F5, 28 = 2.2; P>0.05, no interaction effect, Figure 1B); however, only one planned contrast, which tested the effects of stickleback ecology, was marginally significant (all others P>0.05): the generalist (G) treatment had higher biomass of microzooplankton than the no fish (NF) treatment (planned contrast t-test: t10.3 = −2.13, P = 0.02, Table 1). Furthermore, this comparison had the largest effect size of all planned contrasts. Overall, microzooplankton effect sizes for different stickleback ecology comparisons (NF/G and BL/BBLL) were higher than those for different stickleback evolution comparisons (G/BL, G/B and G/L; Table 1).
Figure 1. Zooplankton mass in grams per liter across different treatments for (A) crustaceans and (B) rotifers; primary producer abundance in terms of (C) concentration of periphyton and (D) phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration in milligrams per liter across treatments and total system net productivity (E) in terms of daily changes in dissolved oxygen concentration in milligrams per liter across treatments.
Bars represent standard error of the mean. Treatments correspond to NF = no fish, G = generalist ecotype, B = benthic ecotype, L = limnetic ecotype, BL = limnetic and benthic ecotype together, BBLL = double density of limnetic and benthic ecotype together.
Table 1. Test statistics and effect sizes for planned contrasts showing the importance of stickleback ecology and evolution on different community parameters.
Community composition of zooplankton (both larger zooplankton and microzooplankton) was influenced by stickleback treatment (MANOVA, Wilk’s l5, 28 = 0.51, P = 0.03, Figure 2). Our NMDS demonstrated strong positive loadings for Diaphanosoma and negative loadings for Daphnia on axis 1, and strong positive loadings for Daphnia and negative loadings for Chydoras on axis 2. Planned contrasts indicated significant differences in composition for the comparison between the generalist (G) and benthic-limnetic (BL) treatments (planned contrast t-test, t30 = 11.6, P = 0.02), demonstrating an effect of stickleback evolution. These treatments differed most drastically on NMDS axis 2, with the BL treatment tanks showing less variation, with a higher proportion of diaphanosoma, and a smaller proportion of daphnia than the G treatments. All other comparisons were insignificant (P>0.05).
Figure 2. The first two non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) axes for zooplankton community composition.
Points represent individual tanks, colors represent treatments (NF = no fish, G = generalist ecotype, B = benthic ecotype, L = limnetic ecotype, BL = benthic and limnetic ecotype together, BBLL = double density of benthic and limnetic ecotype together), and polygons surround all tanks of a given treatment. The numbers on each axis correspond to the genera of zooplankton with the strongest loadings (negative and positive). For a graphical representation of the zooplankton genera loadings, please refer to Figure S1.
Differences in stickleback ecology affected both benthic and limnetic primary producers to a greater extent than differences in stickleback evolution. Periphyton chlorophyll-a concentration was significantly different among treatments (ANOVA, F5, 28 = 2.8, P = 0.03, Figure 1C). The generalist (G) treatment had significantly higher periphyton chlorophyll-a concentration when compared the no fish (NF) treatment (planned contrast t-test: t12.0 = −2.76, NF/G, P = 0.002, Table 1), demonstrating an effect of differences in stickleback density. This comparison also had the largest effect size. All other planned comparisons, however, were nonsignificant (P>0.05). Phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration also differed significantly among treatments (ANOVA, F5, 28 = 3.8, P = 0.008, Figure 1D), and only the planned contrast between the single and double density benthic-limnetic treatments was significant (planned contrast t-test, t11.9 = −2.84, BL/BBLL, P = 0.02, Table 1), showing an effect of stickleback density. Phytoplankton chlorophyll-a effect sizes were generally higher for ecological comparisons (Table 1), with the BL/BBLL effect size being the largest. Finally, NPP was significantly different among treatments (ANOVA, F5, 34 = 3.6; P = 0.01, Figure 1E). However, our planned contrasts did not include comparisons that were significant. The effect sizes for NPP were comparable among treatments differing in stickleback ecology and evolution (Table 1).
Our treatment tanks experienced consistent fish mortality throughout the experiment. Although the mean recovery for the different treatments was only 62% of the fish, we found approximately equivalent proportions of total missing fish from each treatment at the end of the experiment (Chi Squared Test, X27 = 21, P = 0.2, Table S1). Furthermore, we replaced equivalent proportions of each ecotype throughout the experiment (Chi Squared Test X27 = 21, P = 0.2, Table S1). These results suggest that fish mortality did not differ across treatments throughout the study and at the termination of the experiment, so that fish mortality does not explain differences among treatments in our experiment (also see ).
Ecological and evolutionary changes in top-predator density and diversification, respectively, may occur simultaneously upon colonization of a new environment. Although research has shown the importance of both these factors, less is known about the magnitude of community-wide change brought about by one or the other. In our experiment we showed that both ecological differences in density and evolutionary differences in diversity of lake stickleback can have independent and immediate effects on the surrounding community. In particular, our results show that fish density affects the relative abundance of organisms at lower trophic levels to a higher degree than fish diversity. On the other hand, fish diversity more strongly influences community structure of prey items.
Nearly all community parameters measured (zooplankton biomass and composition, periphyton and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration, net primary productivity) were affected by either density or diversity of stickleback. Although we acknowledge that the inferences we make from our analyses are limited based on our decision to use an alpha value of 0.05 with multiple planned contrasts, our results are consistent with numerous other studies that describe how predators affect community structure of organisms at lower trophic levels (e.g. , , , , , , ). Specifically, our study relates closely to the work of Harmon et al. , which provided evidence for multiple community-level effects that we also documented here. Our results expand on these findings by showing that that fish density has a greater impact than fish diversity on these aspects of community structure.
Changes in density of stickleback largely influenced the abundance of organisms at lower trophic levels. The most notable exception was the biomass of large zooplankton species, which did not differ significantly among treatments. Previous research has shown that the initial effect of stickleback is a shift in zooplankton community structure towards smaller bodied, inedible microzooplankton species such as copepod nauplii and rotifers. In our study, however, large bodied, edible zooplankton (such as Daphnia, and calanoid copepods), were generally in low abundance across all treatments. The absence of these larger species, which are usually selectively predated on by fish, may explain why we observed no differences between density treatments. Despite the lack of response in large zooplankton biomass, we did record a small increase in biomass of microzooplankton (such as Polyarthra and Keratella) in generalist stickleback treatments compared to no fish treatments (Figure 1A–B, Table 1), a contrast which also had the largest effect size. We have no evidence of stickleback selectively foraging on large zooplankton and liberating microzooplankton from competition , as the former do not show significant differences among treatments. Therefore, a more likely explanation for an increase in microzooplankton biomass is the regeneration of nutrients through fish excretion , or mortality stimulating primary production and thus microzooplankton grazing. However, because overall mortality did not differ among treatments, we do not attribute microzooplankton biomass to differential fish death; instead, we suggest variation in abundance among treatments is related to more complex changes in nutrient cycling caused by differences in fish traits across treatments, as described below.
Stickleback diversity caused a significant change in zooplankton community composition (Figure 2), similar to results found by Post et al. . Treatments varied most in their presence of Diaphanosoma (prominent in benthic-limnetic treatments) and Daphnia (prominent in generalist treatments). Indeed, a significant difference in zooplankton community composition was only found between the generalist and benthic-limnetic treatments. Of these, the generalist treatments represented a wide variety of zooplankton communities, whereas the benthic-limnetic treatments commonly had high abundance of Diaphanosoma and lower abundance of Daphnia. The observed shift may have been driven by opportunistic feeding behaviors of the generalist type, causing the reduction in the most abundant zooplankton species, whereas specialist feeding behaviors may have been dictated by competition-mediated character displacement . Future studies that sample multiple times throughout the experiment could examine the possibility of this mechanism. Finally, although zooplankton biomass did not differ significantly between the generalist and benthic-limnetic treatments, changes in zooplankton body size may have been an important response to specialized predation by benthic and limnetic fish.
Stickleback density had varying effects on periphyton and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration (Figure 1C–D). In both cases, there were significant differences among treatments with ecological contrasts having higher effect sizes than evolutionary contrasts. Periphyton chlorophyll-a concentration was higher in the presence of generalist stickleback than in the no fish treatment (Figure 1C, Table 1), but non-significant for all other contrasts. Increased chlorophyll-a concentration in the benthic environment may have resulted from strong linkage between limnetic and benthic communities in the small mesocosm environment. By consuming invertebrate grazers, fish liberate the nutrients from sediments and invertebrate biomass to a dissolved form, useable by periphyton , . The lack of differences in periphyton growth among all fish treatments could be a result of generalist and limnetic fish opportunistically feeding in the benthos and coupling the two habitats . Phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration was not significantly different between no fish and the generalist fish treatment (Figure 1D, Table 1), contrary to results in other experiments , , , . However, phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration was significantly higher in the double density treatment when compared to the single density benthic/limnetic treatment (Table 1). A higher density of fish may be required for observable differences in limnetic productivity (see , where a higher stickleback biomass used per volume led to differences in limnetic productivity). Competitor-driven feeding behaviors of stickleback may have caused limnetic fish to become more specialized in their resource consumption and cause a stronger trophic cascade in the limnetic food chain. Finally, differences in stickleback numbers used in the treatments (four limnetics/two benthics/three generalists) may have influenced the liberation of nutrients via excretion; however, because periphyton and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration did not differ among these treatments, it is unlikely this influenced our results. Harmon et al. present more detailed evidence for the mechanism behind how dissolved nutrient levels may have influenced primary productivity in our mesocosm experiments.
Stickleback density and diversity also affected net system primary productivity as measured by daily oxygen cycles (Figure 1E, Table 1). Although none of our planned contrasts showed significant differences in net primary production, dissolved oxygen appeared to increase gradually from our no fish treatment, to our single density treatments, to our double density treatment (Figure 1E). Furthermore, all treatments with limnetic fish appeared to have higher primary productivity levels than the no fish control, although we did not evaluate this comparison directly (Figure 1E). It may be that specialization or introduction of a limnetic top predator could have a large effect on entire system primary productivity. Other evidence supports the importance of diversity for entire system primary productivity, and demonstrates a marginally significant difference between benthic-only and benthic/limnetic treatment primary productivity . Harmon et al. suggest dissolved organic carbon composition and attenuation of light can be strongly altered by the diversity and specialization of stickleback. Because we did not measure these same physical attributes in our mesocosms, we cannot evaluate how different densities and diversities of stickleback may influence these abiotic attributes of the ecosystem; however, it is likely that stickleback density has a large role in ecosystem function as has been shown for other fish (e.g. , , ). Changes in food chain length can shift the carbon balance between water bodies and the atmosphere from positive to negative . Our results indicate that changes in the mean value and variance of phenotypic traits among predators can also have substantial impacts on the rate of carbon loss or uptake by freshwater ponds.
We observed smaller effects of stickleback evolution on community structure than Harmon et al. . We attribute these differences to a lower density of stickleback used in the current study, which was performed prior to the Harmon et al. experiment. For example, our single density treatments contained a total fish biomass of between 3.0 and 3.5 g, where as Harmon et al. had a constant density of between 5.0 and 6.0 g (see supplementary material). As such, competition was likely very severe only in our double density treatment where resources were more limited . Density is often more important than diversity across predator clades in influencing ecosystem function ; indeed, only at high predator densities does resource partitioning make phenotypic diversity important . The importance of these observations should be supported by further investigation into whether species pair lakes contain a higher density of stickleback than solitary species lakes, and if so, whether this is a result of resource partitioning. Furthermore, although several studies have shown that stickleback have ecological effects in ponds and mesocosms, it remains to be shown whether these extend to natural lake environments. Future studies comparing the effects of stickleback diversity and density on community composition and ecosystem processes in lakes would provide insight into how extensively we can apply our results to natural systems.
When evolution of species is rapid, its effects on the surrounding environment can be closely tied to ecology , . Although ecosystem function is frequently related to the overall effect of biodiversity across lineages , , , the level of diversity within a lineage is less commonly shown to influence ecological dynamics. Diversification within a lineage in novel environments can occur rapidly, such as over a few generations, and be accompanied by changes in density and phenotypic diversity , , , . Our results suggest that ecological factors (stickleback presence and density) have a more prominent impact on community abundance, whereas evolutionary factors (speciation and specialization) more strongly influences community composition. Although predator presence and density may cause more obvious changes in abundance of organisms at lower trophic levels via trophic cascades, phenotypic diversity may have more subtle effects on community composition as a result of trophic specialization.
Loadings plotted on NMDS axes 1 and 2 demonstrating the zooplankton genera responsible for the most variation in community composition across treatments.
Percent replacement (of deceased/sick fish with new fish throughout experiment) and recovery (total number of fish collected at end of experiment) of each fish ecotype in each treatment.
We thank D. Yim, P. Tamkee, P. Louie, A. Albert, J. Courchesne, A. Dalziel, D. Irwin, M. Arnegard and members of the Shurin and Schluter laboratories for assistance in the laboratory and field. We also thank S. Rogers, A. Fremier, M. Pennell, E. B. Rosenblum, T. Schoener, and members of the RoHa laboratory for comments on the manuscript. We especially thank B. Matthews for advice on statistical analysis.
Conceived and designed the experiments: SD LJH JBS DS. Performed the experiments: SD LJH. Analyzed the data: SD LJH. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: JBS DS. Wrote the paper: SD LJH.
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Is the Subject Area "Sticklebacks" applicable to this article?
Is the Subject Area "Zooplankton" applicable to this article?
Is the Subject Area "Freshwater ecology" applicable to this article? | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0059644 |
Smith, R. G. and K. L. Gross. 2007. Assembly of weed communities along a crop diversity gradient. Journal of Applied Ecology 44:1046-1056.
1. Increasing cropping system diversity is one strategy for reducing reliance on external chemical inputs in agriculture and may have important implications for agro-ecosystem functions related to the regulation of weed populations and community assembly. However, the impacts of cropping system diversity on weed communities have not been evaluated formally in a study comparable with those performed in experimental grasslands, where much of the evidence regarding diversity–ecosystem function has been reported. We performed a field experiment in Michigan, USA, in which we manipulated the number of crop species grown in rotation and as winter cover crops over a 3-year period and in the absence of fertilizer and pesticides, to determine the impact of crop diversity on the abundance, composition and structure of the weed community. 2. Crop diversity treatments consisted of three row-crops, corn Zea mays L., soybean Glycine max (L.) Merr. and winter wheat Triticum aestivum L., grown in continuous monoculture and in 2- and 3-year annual rotations with and without cover crops (zero, one or two legume/small grain species). Weed communities were measured each year at peak biomass, with soil resources and light availability being measured over the course of the growing season in the final year of the study. 3. The effects on weed communities of the crop diversity treatments were dependent on rotation phase. In winter wheat, weed abundance and diversity (species richness, H and D) were lowest in the two highest crop diversity treatments. Across all phases of the rotation, weed community structure was affected more by crop identity than crop diversity per se. 4. In general, the effects of crop diversity on weed ommunities were mainly the result of the presence of cover crops, which had strong effects on soil resource and light levels, particularly in winter wheat. 5. Synthesis and applications. Increasing crop diversity in the absence of external chemical inputs can result in changes in soil resource availability without a concomitant increase in the abundance of weeds or a shift to weed ommunities that are more difficult to manage.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01335.x
Associated Treatment Areas: | https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/citations/2290 |
Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change. | https://www.wur.nl/de/Publicatie-details.htm?publicationId=publication-way-353833363536 |
Jaschinski, Sybill and Sommer, Ulrich (2008) Functional diversity of mesograzers in an eelgrass-epiphyte system Marine Biology, 154 (3). pp. 475-482. DOI 10.1007/s00227-008-0942-y.
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Abstract
Historically, small invertebrate grazers in marine plant communities have been considered to be a relatively homogeneous group in their impact on ecosystem processes. However, recent studies propose that species composition is an important agent in determining grazer effects. We used four mesocosm experiments to test the biomass-specific and density-dependent effects of common mesograzers in temperate regions (Littorina littorea, Rissoa membranacea, Idotea baltica and Gammarus oceanicus) on epiphyte and eelgrass biomass and productivity. Mesograzer species identity strongly influenced epiphyte accumulation and eelgrass growth, where Rissoa was the most efficient mesograzer (per biomass) and Gammarus had the weakest impact. Density-dependent effects varied considerably among species. Both gastropod species reduced epiphyte accumulation in direct proportion to their density, and Littorina had the strongest negative effect on epiphyte biomass. The impact of Idotea seemed to level off to a threshold value and Gammarus had no density-dependent effect on epiphyte accumulation at all. Rissoa and Idotea increased eelgrass productivity in accordance with their effect on epiphyte accumulation, whereas Littorina showed a less positive effect than could be expected by its strong impact on epiphyte biomass. Gammarus had no significant impact on eelgrass growth. Our results show that the different functional traits of superficially similar mesograzers can have important consequences for ecosystem processes in macrophyte systems. | http://eprints.uni-kiel.de/2239/ |
Wim van der Putten is Head of the Department of Terrestrial Ecology at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. He graduated at Wageningen University in 1984 and defended his research on 'establishment, growth and degeneration of Ammophila arenaria in coastal foredunes' (performed at the Institute for Ecological Research in Oostvoorne) at Wageningen University in 1989. From 1988 onwards, he was appointed as a Postdoc the institute of Ecology at Heteren. In 1994 he became senior scientist at the department of Plant-Microorganism Interactions and acted as interim head in 1997. In 2000, he became head of the newly established department of Multitrophic Interactions at the Netherlands institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW). In September 2003, he was appointed extraordinary professor in Functional Biodiversity at Wageningen University. In 2005, he was awarded a VICI-grant from NWO-ALW (the Dutch research council), and in 2012 he obtained an ERC-Advanced grant from the European Research Council. Currently.
Wim has been associate editor of the Journal of Coastal Research, Plant and Soil, Plant Biology, the Journal of Applied Ecology, Oikos and Oecologia. Currently, he is associate editor of Ecology Letters and Board Reviewing Editor at Science. Since 1992, he has been coordinator of a number of European research projects (EUREED, CLUE, INVASS, EcoTrain), as well as PI in others (TLinks, Biorhiz, Consider, Soilservice, EcoFinders, and Liberation). He has been co-editor of a book on Soil Ecology, as well as on the European Atlas of Soil Biodiversity.
In 2010 he initiated the Wageningen Centre for Soil Ecology (CSE; http://www.soilecology.eu/) and since then he is chairman of the daily board. Aims of this centre are to stimulate utilization of knowledge from fundamental research and to attract and support young researchers in soil ecology. In 2011, he was one of the founders of the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI; http://www.globalsoilbiodiversity.org/) that integrates and disseminates information on the biological status of soils world-wide, a.o. serving as an expert centre for FAO, CBD and other global organizations.
Awards and distinctions
2021 Elected member of Academia Europaea
2020 Marie Curie award to Lilia Serrano
2019 Marie Curie individual grants to Safaa Wasof and Elizabeth Wandrag
2013 Co-author on paper by O. Kostenko et al. Ecology Letters 2012: NERN-prize and PE&RC prize of best paper 2012
2012 ERC-Advanced grant on 'aboveground-belowground community re-assemblages under global warming'
2012 Co-author on paper by T.F.J. van de Voorde et al.: runner-up for John Harper prize from Journal of Ecology
2009 Visiting scientist at Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College at Silwood Park, UK
2008 Co-author on paper by T. Engelkes et al. receiving the NERN-prize 2008
2007 Teachers award Wageningen University
2006 Co-author of paper by R. Soler et al. receiving Charles Elton award from the Journal of Animal Ecology
2005 Co-author of paper by G.B. De Deyn et al. receiving John Harper award from the Journal of Ecology
2004 VICI-award Dutch Research Council for personal innovation
2003/4 Visiting scientist at Landcare Research institute New Zealand
Main research areas
The research of Wim van der Putten has shown how soil-borne pathogens and parasites can drive compositional change in natural vegetation (Nature, 1993). Before that time, the traditional view in ecology was that symbiotic soil biota (mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing microbes) and abiotic soil conditions (nutrients, pH, porosity, structure, and water availability) were the main belowground drivers of species composition and productivity of natural vegetation. His breakthrough on the role of soil-borne pathogens has stimulated numerous studies that advance understanding the role of plant-soil feedback interactions in functioning of natural ecosystems. He and coworkers have demonstrated that these feedback interactions promote diversity in plant communities (De Deyn et al. Nature, 2003), which is important information for ecological restoration, and that plant species that successfully shift range under current climate warming have similar properties as invasive species because of escape from aboveground and belowground enemies (Engelkes and Morrien et al. Nature, 2008). He and co-workers showed that extreme weather events may remain as legacy effects in the soil biota thus influencing plant invasiveness (PNAS, 2013). Future breakthroughs are expected to come from his ERC advanced grant (awarded in 2012), which enables him to gain insights in belowground-aboveground community re-assemblage process following climate warming-induced range shifts. These insights will provide fundamental understanding of ecological-evolutionary dynamics in terrestrial communities, which may lead to novel ways of ecosystem management by enhancing adaptation in natural communities to global environmental changes. Wim is also known for his contributions to many conceptual papers, such as on aboveground-belowground interactions (Van der Putten et al. TREE, 2001, Wardle et al. Science, 2004), species range shifts under climate warming (Van der Putten AREES 2012), species gain and loss (Wardle et al. Science, 2011), and belowground biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (Bardgett and Van der Putten Nature, 2014).
Recent books & reports
Jeffery S, Gardi C, Jones A, Montanarella L, Marmo L, Miko L, Ritz K, Peres G, Römbke J. and Van der Putten WH (eds.), 2010, European Atlas of Soil Biodiversity. European Commission, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. ISBN 978-92-79-15806-3, ISSN 1018-5593, doi 10.2788/94222, 128 pp.
http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/library/maps/Biodiversity_Atlas/Download...
Wall, D.H., Bardgett, R.D., Behan-Pelletier, V., Herrick, J.E., Jones, T.H., Ritz, K., Six, J., Strong, D.R., and van der Putten, W.H. (eds.) 2012. Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199575923.do
Turbé, A, De Toni, A, Benito, P, Lavelle, P, Lavelle, P, Ruiz, N, Van der Putten, W.H., Labouze, E, and Mudgal, S. 2010 Soil biodiversity: functions, threats and tools for policy makers. Bio Intelligence Service, IRD, and NIOO, Report for European Commission (DG Environment), Brussels.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/biodiversity.htm
Rhizosphere 4 Conference (June 21-25, 2015, Maastricht, The Netherlands)
http://www.rhizo4.org/
Management and organization
2017- Member of the RNWT of the KNAW
2016- Review panel KNAW Fund Ecology
2016-2017 Advisory board 2nd Global Soil Biodiversity Conference, Nanjing, China
2016-2018 Chair EASAC Committee on Soils at Risk
2016 Onderwijsprijs (Education prize) 2016 committee KNAW
2016 Evaluation committee environment panel Strategic Alliances Netherlands-China
2014-2017 Technical Chairman VICI committee of Dutch Research Council Life Sciences
2013- Chairman Althof Foundation
2012- Member of Editors group of Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas
2012- Organization committee of Soil Biodiversity symposium (Dijon, 2014)
2012- Member of organization of Rhizosphere 4 conference (Maastricht, 2015)
2012- Chairman De Levende Natuur Foundation
2012- Management team BE-Basic project
2012- Scientific Advisory Committee Gegevensautoriteit (Dutch Authority for Ecological Data)
2011- Member daily board Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI)
2011- PI-Management Team Jena Experiment
2010- Chairman daily board Centre for Soil Ecology NIOO-WUR
2010- Scientific Advisory Board Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra, Portugal
2010- Steering Committee Ecotron CEFE-CNRS Montpellier
2010-2011 Member Knowledge Table SKB
2008-2012 Functional Agro Biodiversity Steering Committee
2006-2008 NWO-ALW VIDI committee
2006-2008 NWO Mozaiek committee (chairman in 2008)
2006-2007 Year Planet Earth Steering Committee
2002-2006 Coordinator EU-Ecotrain
2002-2005 Daily Board EU-TLinks
2002-2011 Replacing Director of Centre for Terrestrial Ecology
1997- NWO-ALW ad hoc selection committees
1997-1999 Coordinator EC-INVASS project
1996-1998 Coordinator EC-CLUE project
1996-1999 Board of the Dutch-Flemish Ecological Society (Secretary)
1994-1995 Coordinator EC-EUREED project
1992 Interim management Bird Ring Department at the Institute for Ecological Research
1989-1991 Coordinator Applied Ecology projects at the Institute for Ecological Research
Soils contain biotic and abiotic legacies of previous conditions that may influence plant community biomass and associated aboveground biodiversity. However, little is known about the relative strengths and interactions of the various belowground legacies on aboveground plant–insect interactions. We used an outdoor mesocosm experiment to investigate the belowground legacy effects of range-expanding versus native plants, extreme drought and their interactions on plants, aphids and pollinators. We show that plant biomass was influenced more strongly by the previous plant community than by the previous summer drought. Plant communities consisted of four congeneric pairs of natives and range expanders, and their responses were not unanimous. Legacy effects affected the abundance of aphids more strongly than pollinators. We conclude that legacies can be contained as soil ‘memories’ that influence aboveground plant community interactions in the next growing season. These soil-borne ‘memories’ can be altered by climate warming-induced plant range shifts and extreme drought.
Climate change is causing range shifts of many species to higher latitudes and altitudes and increasing their exposure to extreme weather events. It has been shown that range-shifting plant species may perform differently in new soil than related natives; however, little is known about how extreme weather events affect range-expanding plants compared to related natives. In this study we used outdoor mesocosms to study how range-expanding plant species responded to extreme drought in live soil from a habitat in a new range with and without live soil from a habitat in the original range (Hungary). During summer drought, the shoot biomass of the range-expanding plant community declined. In spite of this, in the mixed community, range expanders produced more shoot biomass than congeneric natives. In mesocosms with a history of range expanders in the previous year, native plants produced less biomass. Plant legacy or soil origin effects did not change the response of natives or range expanders to summer drought. During rewetting, range expanders had less biomass than congeneric natives but higher drought resilience (survival) in soils from the new range where in the previous year native plant species had grown. The biomass patterns of the mixed plant communities were dominated by Centaurea spp.; however, not all plant species within the groups of natives and of range expanders showed the general pattern. Drought reduced the litter decomposition, microbial biomass, and abundances of bacterivorous, fungivorous, and carnivorous nematodes. Their abundances recovered during rewetting. There was less microbial and fungal biomass, and there were fewer fungivorous nematodes in soils from the original range where range expanders had grown in the previous year. We concluded that in mixed plant communities of range expanders and congeneric natives, range expanders performed better, under both ambient and drought conditions, than congeneric natives. However, when considering the responses of individual species, we observed variations among pairs of congenerics, so that under the present mixed-community conditions there was no uniformity in responses to drought of range expanders versus congeneric natives. Range-expanding plant species reduced soil fungal biomass and the numbers of soil fungivorous nematodes, suggesting that the effects of range-expanding plant species can trickle up in the soil food web.
Beneficial soil microbes can enhance plant growth and defense, but the extent to which this occurs depends on the availability of resources, such as water and nutrients. However, relatively little is known about the role of light quality, which is altered during shading, resulting a low red: far-red ratio (R:FR) of light. We examined how low R:FR light influences arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF)-mediated changes in plant growth and defense using Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and the insect herbivore Chrysodeixis chalcites. We also examined effects on third trophic level interactions with the parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris. Under low R:FR light, non-mycorrhizal plants activated the shade avoidance syndrome (SAS), resulting in enhanced biomass production. However, mycorrhizal inoculation decreased stem elongation in shaded plants, thus counteracting the plant’s SAS response to shading. Unexpectedly, activation of SAS under low R:FR light did not increase plant susceptibility to the herbivore in either non-mycorrhizal or mycorrhizal plants. AMF did not significantly affect survival or growth of caterpillars and parasitoids but suppressed herbivore-induced expression of jasmonic acid-signaled defenses genes under low R:FR light. These results highlight the context-dependency of AMF effects on plant growth and defense and the potentially adverse effects of AMF under shading.
Evaluation of restoration activities is indispensable to assess the extent to which targets have been reached. Usually, the main goal of ecological restoration is to restore biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but validation is often based on a single indicator, which may or may not cope with whole-ecosystem dynamics. Network analyses are, however, powerful tools, allowing to examine both the recovery of various biotic and abiotic properties and the integrated response at community and ecosystem level. We used restoration sites where topsoil was removed from former intensively managed grassland and seeds were added. These sites were between 3 and 32 years old. We assessed how plants, soil biota, soil properties and correlation-based interactions between biotic communities and their abiotic environment developed over time and compared the results with (i) intensively managed (not restored), and (ii) well-preserved targeted semi-natural grasslands. Plant, nematode, fungal and prokaryotic diversity and community structures of the restored grasslands revealed clear successional patterns and followed similar trajectories towards targeted semi-natural grasslands. All biotic communities reached targeted diversity levels no later than 18 years post-restoration. Ecological networks of intensively managed and short-term (~4 years) restored grasslands were less tightly connected compared to those found in mid- and long-term (~18–30 years) restored and target grasslands. Restoration specifically enhanced interactions among biotic communities, but reduced interactions between biotic communities and their abiotic environment as well as interactions among abiotic properties in the short- and mid-term. Synthesis and applications: Overall, our study demonstrated that topsoil removal and seed addition were successful in restoring diverse, tightly coupled and well-connected biotic communities above- and below-ground similar to those found in the semi-natural grasslands that were restoration targets. Network analyses proved to be powerful in examining the long-term re-establishment of functionally connected biotic communities in restored ecosystems. Thus, we provide an approach to holistically assess restoration activities by notably considering the complexity of ecosystems, much in contrast to most traditional approaches.
Aviation biofuels are promising to reduce carbon emissions in the aviation sector. However, emerging concerns over biofuels indicate a need for sustainability analyses that take into consideration the context around biofuel production. Here, we present a novel ex-ante sustainability analysis of production alternatives for aviation biofuel in Southeast Brazil. Considering local stakeholders’ concerns, the analysis is focused on climate change, commercial acceptability, efficiency, energy security, investment security, profitability, social development, and soil sustainability. By identifying tensions between production alternatives and these sustainability aspects, we discuss opportunities for further developments, such as sugarcane ethanol-to-jet production in the short term, and in-house production of hydrogen and power with renewable energy. Additionally, producer–operator partnerships and opening the decision-making to stakeholder participation are suggested to stimulate social cohesion, and reconcile diverging interests with biobased production. Analyzing sustainability with consideration of the local context can contribute to identify opportunities for more sustainable decarbonization alternatives.
Plant and soil microbial community composition play a central role in maintaining ecosystem functioning. Most studies have focused on soil microbes in the bulk soil, the rhizosphere and inside plant roots, however, less is known about the soil community that exists within soil aggregates, and how these soil communities influence plant biomass production. Here, using field-conditioned soil collected from experimental ungrazed and grazed grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China, we examined the composition of microbiomes inside soil aggregates of various size classes, and determined their roles in plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs), diversity-productivity relationships, and diversity-dependent overyielding. We found that grazing induced significantly positive PSF effects, which appeared to be mediated by mycorrhizal fungi, particularly under plant monocultures. Despite this, non-additive effects of microbiomes within different soil aggregates enhanced the strength of PSF under ungrazed grassland, but decreased PSF strength under intensively grazed grassland. Plant mixture-related increases in PSF effects markedly enhanced diversity-dependent overyielding, primarily due to complementary effects. Selection effects played far less of a role. Our work suggests that PSF contributes to diversity-dependent overyielding in grasslands via non-additive effects of microbiomes within different soil aggregates. The implication of our work is that assessing the effectiveness of sustainable grassland restoration and management on soil properties requires inspection of soil aggregate size-specific microbiomes, as these are relevant determinants of the feedback interactions between soil and plant performance.
Global change frequently disrupts the connections among species, as well as among species and their environment, before the most obvious impacts can be detected. Therefore, we need to develop a unified conceptual framework that allows us to predict early ecological impacts under changing environments. The concept of coupling, defined as the multiple ways in which the biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems are orderly connected across space and/or time, may provide such a framework. Here, we operationally define the coupling of ecosystems based on a combination of correlational matrices and a null modeling approach. Compared with null models, ecosystems can be (1) coupled; (2) decoupled; and (3) anticoupled. Given that more tightly coupled ecosystems displaying higher levels of internal order may be characterized by a more efficient capture, transfer, and storage of energy and matter (i.e., of functioning), understanding the links between coupling and functioning may help us to accelerate the transition to planetary-scale sustainability. This may be achieved by promoting self-organized order.
Embedded in longer term warming are extreme climatic events such as heatwaves and droughts that are increasing in frequency, duration and intensity. Changes in climate attributes such as temperature are often measured over larger spatial scales, whereas environmental conditions to which many small ectothermic arthropods are exposed are largely determined by small-scale local conditions. Exposed edges of plant patches often exhibit significant short-term (daily) variation to abiotic factors due to wind exposure and sun radiation. By contrast, within plant patches, abiotic conditions are generally much more stable and thus less variable. Over an eight-week period in the summer of 2020, including an actual heatwave, we measured small-scale (1 m2) temperature variation in patches of forbs in experimental mesocosms. We found that soil surface temperatures at the edge of the mesocosms were more variable than those within mesocosms. Drought treatment two years earlier, amplified this effect but only at the edges of the mesocosms. Within a plant patch both at the soil surface and within the canopy, the temperature was always lower than the ambient air temperature. The temperature of the soil surface at the edge of a patch may exceed the ambient air temperature when ambient air temperatures rise above 23 °C. This effect progressively increased with ambient temperature. We discuss how microscale-variation in temperature may affect small ectotherms such as insects that have limited ability to thermoregulate, in particular under conditions of extreme heat.
1. Climate change is known to disrupt above-ground food chains when the various trophic layers respond differently to warming. However, little is known about below-ground food chains involving microbial preys and their predators. Here, we study how climate warming-induced heat shocks influence resistance (change immediately after a disturbance) and resilience (ability to recover back to pre-disturbance levels) in rhizosphere microbial communities.
2. We used three species of rhizosphere protists as microbial predators and six different rhizosphere bacterial communities as their prey. Protist species and bacterial communities were extracted from Centaurea stoebe—a range-expanding plant species in the Northern Europe. We then examined the temporal dynamics of protists and bacterial communities after an extreme heat event for several generations with sufficient recovery periods. We hypothesized that bacterial community resistance and resilience after the extreme heat event would be higher particularly when extreme heat effects would negatively affect their predators.
3. Our results show that prey community biomass was strongly reduced after the extreme heat event and persisted with lower biomass throughout the recovery period. Opposite to what was expected, predators showed negligible changes in their active density after the same heat event. However, abundances of the three predators varied markedly in their temporal dynamics independent of the extreme heat event. Extreme heat event further increased the inactive density of predators, whereas one of the predators showed a decline in its body size owing to extreme heat event. Bacterial community resistance and resilience after the extreme heat event were independent of predator presence, although species-specific effects of predators on bacterial community resilience were different in the last week of recovery. Predator resilience (based on active predator density) also varied among the three predators but converged over time.
4. Our results highlight that extreme heat events can be more detrimental to microbial prey communities than microbial predators when microbial predators can exhibit thermal acclimation (e.g. change in body size or become inactive) to overcome heat stress. Such thermal acclimation may promote predator resilience after extreme heat events.
The restoration of Nardus grasslands is often hampered by high bioavailability of soil phosphorus and disturbed soil communities. In order to better understand these bottlenecks, we studied Nardus grassland species grown together in communities with fast-growing species in 50-liter pots along a gradient of bioavailable phosphorus with or without inoculated soil biota. These mesocosms allowed the plants to freely interact, including competition for light and nutrients. We investigated changes in the plant community composition along the phosphorus gradient using Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN). We found a negative threshold of 11.5 mg POlsen kg−1 with six significant indicator plant species. Above the threshold, a small increase in phosphorus resulted in a disproportionally large drop in biomass for the indicator species, including four typical Nardus grassland species. The decline in these ‘oligotrophic indicator species’ was also linked to increasing plant community biomass, so we suggest the oligotrophic indicator species to be outcompeted for light by fast-growing plant species. We did not find an effect of the soil biota treatment on the biomass of the oligotrophic indicator species, but did observe a positive effect of inoculation with soil biota on the total biomass of the plant community. Interestingly, the threshold for the plant communities in the mesocosm experiment was comparable to the upper bioavailable phosphorus concentrations in remnant Nardus grasslands in northern Belgium. For the restoration of Nardus grasslands, such phosphorus-poor soil conditions appear to be essential, because the plant species that typically occur in these grasslands are able to handle nutrient limitation, but not light limitation.
Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) have been shown to strongly affect plant performance under controlled conditions, and PSFs are thought to have far reaching consequences for plant population dynamics and the structuring of plant communities. However, thus far the relationship between PSF and plant species abundance in the field is not consistent. Here, we synthesize PSF experiments from tropical forests to semiarid grasslands, and test for a positive relationship between plant abundance in the field and PSFs estimated from controlled bioassays. We meta-analyzed results from 22 PSF experiments and found an overall positive correlation (0.12 ≤ (Formula presented.) ≤ 0.32) between plant abundance in the field and PSFs across plant functional types (herbaceous and woody plants) but also variation by plant functional type. Thus, our analysis provides quantitative support that plant abundance has a general albeit weak positive relationship with PSFs across ecosystems. Overall, our results suggest that harmful soil biota tend to accumulate around and disproportionately impact species that are rare. However, data for the herbaceous species, which are most common in the literature, had no significant abundance-PSFs relationship. Therefore, we conclude that further work is needed within and across biomes, succession stages and plant types, both under controlled and field conditions, while separating PSF effects from other drivers (e.g., herbivory, competition, disturbance) of plant abundance to tease apart the role of soil biota in causing patterns of plant rarity versus commonness.
Establishment and growth of grassland plant species is generally promoted by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) when grown in isolation. However, in grassland communities AMF form networks that may connect individual plants of different ages within and between species. Here, we use an ingrowth core approach to examine how mycorrhizal networks influences performance of seedlings in grasslands. We selected four grass and four forb species with known negative or neutral-positive plant–soil feedback and grew them individually in steel mesh cores filled with living field soil. Cores were placed in six restored grasslands, three grasslands were of relatively young and three were of older successional age. Ingrowing mycorrhizal fungal hyphae were severed twice a week in half of all cores, which resulted into reduced AMF colonization and increased seedling biomass, irrespective of the fields' succession stage, and the plants' grass/forb group, or plant–soil feedback type. In the control cores, root colonization by AMF was negatively correlated to seedling biomass, whereas there was no such relationships in the cores that had been lifted. We conclude that connections to arbuscular mycorrhizal networks of surrounding plants had a negative impact on biomass of establishing forb and grass seedlings.
Plant–soil feedback (PSF) and diversity–productivity relationships are important research fields to study drivers and consequences of changes in plant biodiversity. While studies suggest that positive plant diversity–productivity relationships can be explained by variation in PSF in diverse plant communities, key questions on their temporal relationships remain. Here, we discuss three processes that change PSF over time in diverse plant communities, and their effects on temporal dynamics of diversity–productivity relationships: spatial redistribution and changes in dominance of plant species; phenotypic shifts in plant traits; and dilution of soil pathogens and increase in soil mutualists. Disentangling these processes in plant diversity experiments will yield new insights into how plant diversity–productivity relationships change over time.
The mycobiome (fungal microbiome) influences plants—from seed germination to full maturation. While many studies on fungal-plant interaction studies have focused on known mutualistic and pathogenic fungi, the functional role of ubiquitous endophytic fungi remains little explored. We examined how root-inhabiting fungi (endophytes) influence range-expanding plant species. We isolated endophytes from three European intra-continental range-expanders and three congenerics that are native both in the range expander's original (southern Europe) and new (northern Europe) range. To standardize our collection, endophytes were obtained from all six plant species growing under controlled conditions in northern (new range of the range expander) and southern (native range of the range expander) soils. We cultivated, molecularly identified and tested the effects of all isolates on seed germination, and growth of seedlings and older plants. Most of the 34 isolates could not be functionally characterized based on their taxonomic identity and literature information on functions. Endophytes affected plant growth in a plant species–endophyte-specific manner, but overall differed between range-expanders and natives. While endophytes reduced germination and growth of range-expanders compared to natives, they reduced seedling growth of natives more than of range-expanders. Synthesis. We conclude that endophytic fungi have a direct effect on plant growth in a plant growth stage-dependent manner. While these effects differed between range expanders and natives, the effect strength and significance varied among the plant genera included in the present study. Nevertheless, endophytes likely influence the establishment of newly arriving plants and influence vegetation dynamics.
It is generally assumed that restoring biodiversity will enhance diversity and ecosystem functioning. However, to date, it has rarely been evaluated whether and how restoration efforts manage to rebuild biodiversity and multiple ecosystem functions (ecosystem multifunctionality) simultaneously. Here, we quantified how three restoration methods of increasing intervention intensity (harvest only < topsoil removal < topsoil removal + propagule addition) affected grassland ecosystem multifunctionality 22 yr after the restoration event. We compared restored with intensively managed and targeted seminatural grasslands based on 13 biotic and abiotic, above- and belowground properties. We found that all three restoration methods improved ecosystem multifunctionality compared to intensively managed grasslands and developed toward the targeted seminatural grasslands. However, whereas higher levels of intervention intensity reached ecosystem multifunctionality of targeted seminatural grasslands after 22 yr, lower intervention missed this target. Moreover, we found that topsoil removal with and without seed addition accelerated the recovery of biotic and aboveground properties, and we found no negative long-term effects on abiotic or belowground properties despite removing the top layer of the soil. We also evaluated which ecosystem properties were the best indicators for restoration success in terms of accuracy and cost efficiency. Overall, we demonstrated that low-cost measures explained relatively more variation of ecosystem multifunctionality compared to high-cost measures. Plant species richness was the most accurate individual property in describing ecosystem multifunctionality, as it accounted for 54% of ecosystem multifunctionality at only 4% of the costs of our comprehensive multifunctionality approach. Plant species richness is the property that typically is used in restoration monitoring by conservation agencies. Vegetation structure, soil carbon storage and water-holding capacity together explained 70% of ecosystem multifunctionality at only twice the costs (8%) of plant species richness, which is, in our opinion, worth considering in future restoration monitoring projects. Hence, our findings provide a guideline for land managers how they could obtain an accurate estimate of aboveground-belowground ecosystem multifunctionality and restoration success in a highly cost-efficient way.
Biobased production has been promoted as an alternative to fossil-based production to mitigate climate change. However, emerging concerns over the sustainability of biobased products have shown that tensions can emerge between different objectives and concerns, like emission reduction targets and food security, and that these are dependent on local contexts. Here we present the Open Sustainability-in-Design (OSiD) framework, the aim of which is to integrate a context-sensitive sustainability analysis in the conceptual design of biobased processes. The framework is illustrated, taking as an example the production of sustainable aviation fuel in southeast Brazil. The OSiD framework is a novel concept that brings the perspectives of stakeholders and considerations of the regional context to an ex ante sustainability analysis of biobased production. This work also illustrates a way to integrate methods from different scientific disciplines supporting the analysis of sustainability and the identification of tensions between different sustainability aspects. Making these tensions explicit early in the development of biobased production can make them more responsive to emerging sustainability concerns. Considering the global pressure to reduce carbon emissions, situating sustainability analyses in their socio-technical contexts as presented here can help to explain and improve the impacts of biobased production in the transition away from fossil resources.
Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change.
Soil organisms, including earthworms, are a key component of terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about their diversity, their distribution, and the threats affecting them. We compiled a global dataset of sampled earthworm communities from 6928 sites in 57 countries as a basis for predicting patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, and biomass. We found that local species richness and abundance typically peaked at higher latitudes, displaying patterns opposite to those observed in aboveground organisms. However, high species dissimilarity across tropical locations may cause diversity across the entirety of the tropics to be higher than elsewhere. Climate variables were found to be more important in shaping earthworm communities than soil properties or habitat cover. These findings suggest that climate change may have serious implications for earthworm communities and for the functions they provide.
Soil organisms are a crucial part of the terrestrial biosphere. Despite their importance for ecosystem functioning, few quantitative, spatially explicit models of the active belowground community currently exist. In particular, nematodes are the most abundant animals on Earth, filling all trophic levels in the soil food web. Here we use 6,759 georeferenced samples to generate a mechanistic understanding of the patterns of the global abundance of nematodes in the soil and the composition of their functional groups. The resulting maps show that 4.4 ± 0.64 × 1020 nematodes (with a total biomass of approximately 0.3 gigatonnes) inhabit surface soils across the world, with higher abundances in sub-Arctic regions (38% of total) than in temperate (24%) or tropical (21%) regions. Regional variations in these global trends also provide insights into local patterns of soil fertility and functioning. These high-resolution models provide the first steps towards representing soil ecological processes in global biogeochemical models and will enable the prediction of elemental cycling under current and future climate scenarios.
We assembled communities of bacteria and exposed them to different nutrient concentrations with or without predation by protists. Taxa that were rare in the field were less abundant at low nutrient concentrations than common taxa, independent of predation. However, some taxa that were rare in the field became highly abundant in the assembled communities, especially under ample nutrient availability. This high abundance points at a possible competitive advantage of some rare bacterial taxa under nutrient-rich conditions. In contrast, the abundance of most rare bacterial taxa decreased at low resource availability. Since low resource availability will be the prevailing situation in most soils, our data suggests that under those conditions poor competitiveness for limiting resources may contribute to bacterial rarity. Interestingly, taxa that were rare in the field and most successful under predator-free conditions in the lab also tended to be more reduced by predation than common taxa. This suggests that predation contributes to rarity of bacterial taxa in the field. We further discuss whether there may be a trade-off between competitiveness and predation resistance. The substantial variability among taxa in their responses to competition and predation suggests that other factors, for example abiotic conditions and dispersal ability, also influence the local abundance of soil bacteria. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Interactions between aboveground and belowground organisms are important drivers of plant growth and performance in natural ecosystems. Making practical use of such above-belowground biotic interactions offers important opportunities for enhancing the sustainability of agriculture, as it could favor crop growth, nutrient supply, and defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the operation of above-and belowground organisms at different spatial and temporal scales provides important challenges for application in agriculture. Aboveground organisms, such as herbivores and pollinators, operate at spatial scales that exceed individual fields and are highly variable in abundance within growing seasons. In contrast, pathogenic, symbiotic, and decomposer soil biota operate at more localized spatial scales from individual plants to patches of square meters, however, they generate legacy effects on plant performance that may last from single to multiple years. The challenge is to promote pollinators and suppress pests at the landscape and field scale, while creating positive legacy effects of local plant-soil interactions for next generations of plants. Here, we explore the possibilities to improve utilization of above-belowground interactions in agro-ecosystems by considering spatio-temporal scales at which aboveground and belowground organisms operate. We identified that successful integration of above-belowground biotic interactions initially requires developing crop rotations and intercropping systems that create positive local soil legacy effects for neighboring as well subsequent crops. These configurations may then be used as building blocks to design landscapes that accommodate beneficial aboveground communities with respect to their required resources. For successful adoption of above-belowground interactions in agriculture there is a need for context-specific solutions, as well as sound socio-economic embedding.
DNA methylation is one of the mechanisms underlying epigenetic modifications. DNA methylations can be environmentally induced and such induced modifications can at times be transmitted to successive generations. However, it remains speculative how common such environmentally induced transgenerational DNA methylation changes are and if they persist for more than one offspring generation. We exposed multiple accessions of two different apomictic dandelion lineages of the Taraxacum officinale group (Taraxacum alatum and T. hemicyclum) to drought and salicylic acid (SA) treatment. Using methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism markers (MS-AFLPs) we screened anonymous methylation changes at CCGG restriction sites throughout the genome after stress treatments and assessed the heritability of induced changes for two subsequent unexposed offspring generations. Irrespective of the initial stress treatment, a clear buildup of heritable DNA methylation variation was observed across three generations, indicating a considerable background rate of heritable epimutations. Less evidence was detected for environmental effects. Drought stress showed some evidence for accession-specific methylation changes, but only in the exposed generation and not in their offspring. By contrast, SA treatment caused an increased rate of methylation change in offspring of treated plants. These changes were seemingly undirected resulting in increased transgenerational epigenetic variation between offspring individuals, but not in predictable epigenetic variants. While the functional consequences of these MS-AFLP-detected DNA methylation changes remain to be demonstrated, our study shows that (1) stress-induced transgenerational DNA methylation modification in dandelions is genotype and context-specific; and (2) inherited environmental DNA methylation effects are mostly undirected and not targeted to specific loci.
Established theory addresses the idea that herbivory can have positive feedbacks on nutrient flow to plants. Positive feedbacks likely emerge from a greater availability of organic carbon that primes the soil by supporting nutrient turnover through consumer and especially microbially-mediated metabolism in the detrital pool. We developed an entirely novel stoichiometric model that demonstrates the mechanism of a positive feedback. In particular, we show that sloppy or partial feeding by herbivores increases detrital carbon and nitrogen allowing for greater nitrogen mineralization and nutritive feedback to plants. The model consists of differential equations coupling flows among pools of: plants, herbivores, detrital carbon and nitrogen, and inorganic nitrogen. We test the effects of different levels of herbivore grazing completion and of the stoichiometric quality (carbon to nitrogen ratio, C:N) of the host plant. Our model analyses show that partial feeding and plant C:N interact because when herbivores are sloppy and plant biomass is diverted to the detrital pool, more mineral nitrogen is available to plants because of the stoichiometric difference between the organisms in the detrital pool and the herbivore. This model helps to identify how herbivory may feedback positively on primary production, and it mechanistically connects direct and indirect feedbacks from soil to plant production. | https://nioo.knaw.nl/en/employees/wim-h-van-der-putten |
Macrofauna are known to have a significant effect on intertidal sediment stability and biogeochemical properties. A series of manipulative in situ mudflat studies at Breydon Water, Great Yarmouth, UK investigated the effect of biodiversity on selected biogeochemical sedimentary properties related to mudflat sediment stability including the sediment erosion threshold and relative erosion rate, microphytobenthos biomass and health, sediment particle size and size distribution, sediment water content, chlorophyll a and b concentration, and colloidal carbohydrate concentration. Mudflat sediment macrofaunal biomass was removed using cryo-defaunation and the abundances of three common mudflat species Hediste diversicolor, Hydrobia ulvae and Corophium volutator manipulated to examine different aspects of macrofaunal biodiversity including species identity, density, biomass distribution, and richness. An additional laboratory study enabled two and three dimensional high resolution visualisation of fluid and particle mixing as a result of organism sediment bioturbation. Species identity was found to have a significant effect on sediment properties. The three species have distinct bioturbatory actions with consequences for sediment stability. In some circumstances a single organism was found to have as great an effect on selected ecosystem processes as a whole community. Variations in species density significantly changed the effect of the species on the measured sedimentary processes. Species richness effects were negatively interactive, with species mixtures underyielding in comparison to their monoculture counterparts. Changes in species biomass distribution and richness resulted in significant context dependent changes to sediment properties, moderated by inter- and intraspecific interactions. Species were also observed to exhibit a functional abundance threshold, below which they did not contribute significantly to ecosystem processes. Temporal and spatial variability observed in the experiments emphasised the potential of environmental and abiotic factors to also influence ecosystem processes. Investigating these subtle aspects of biodiversity will be key in the determination of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem processes. | http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.614495 |
Tree species richness, tree identity and non-native tree proportion affect arboreal spider diversity, abundance and biomass.
Abstract
Sustainable forest management increasingly favors mixtures, but effects on many ecosystem characteristics, such as biocontrol by predators and their biodiversity, are still not well understood. This knowledge gap can be particularly problematic when these mixtures include non-native tree species, such as Douglas fir (
Pseudotsuga menziesii
(Mirb.) Franco), which are planted because of their high growth rates and climatic suitability but might have negative effects on forest biota. Available studies have mostly focused on epigeic communities, even though tree-associated predator communities can be assumed to make an important contribution to biocontrol that differs significantly from conditions on the forest floor. Here, we analyzed the responses of spiders, as generalist arboreal predators, along a tree species richness gradient in a young tree diversity experiment in Thuringia, Germany, utilizing four of the most economically important deciduous and coniferous tree species in Europe: European beech (
Fagus sylvatica
L.), Norway spruce (
Picea abies
(L.) H. Karst.), Douglas fir and sessile oak (
Quercus petraea
Liebl.), planted in stands of 1-4 tree species. We tested for effects of tree species richness, tree identity and composition (tree species proportion and position of individual trees) on arboreal spider species richness, functional diversity, abundance, biomass and community structure at both the tree and plot level. Tree species richness promoted arboreal spider species richness and functional richness at the plot level and community-weighted mean spider biomass at the tree level. Tree identity and composition had a stronger influence than tree species richness on structuring spider communities, with arboreal spiders having higher numbers per tree on conifers, especially on Douglas fir. However, at the plot level spider species richness, abundance and biomass decreased with an increasing proportion of conifers due to lower species turnover among coniferous trees. The observed effects of tree species richness, tree identity and tree species proportions early in the establishment of forest stands might influence the strength of top-down control of herbivores in critical stages of development of forest stands. Tree species selection and the proportion in which these trees are mixed with other species should be determined with care in order to concomitantly promote biodiversity and biocontrol. In this context, an important finding of our analyses is that potentially negative effects of non-native Douglas fir on arboreal arthropods were not more severe than effects of native conifers that are planted outside of their natural habitats.
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Abstract details
Author(s)
Matevski, D.
;
Schuldt, A.
Author Affiliation
Department of Forest Nature Conservation, Faculty of Forest Science and Ecology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. | https://www.cabi.org/isc/abstract/20210063005 |
BACKGROUND: Plant-parasitic nematodes and herbivorous insects have a significant negative impact on global crop production. A successful approach to protect crops from these pests is the in planta expression of nematotoxic or entomotoxic proteins such as crystal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or plant lectins. However, the efficacy of this approach is threatened by emergence of resistance in nematode and insect populations to these proteins. To solve this problem, novel nematotoxic and entomotoxic proteins are needed. During the last two decades, several cytoplasmic lectins from mushrooms with nematicidal and insecticidal activity have been characterized. In this study, we tested the potential of Marasmius oreades agglutinin (MOA) to furnish Arabidopsis plants with resistance towards three economically important crop pests: the two plant-parasitic nematodes Heterodera schachtii and Meloidogyne incognita and the herbivorous diamondback moth Plutella xylostella. RESULTS: The expression of MOA does not affect plant growth under axenic conditions which is an essential parameter in the engineering of genetically modified crops. The transgenic Arabidopsis lines showed nearly complete resistance to H. schachtii, in that the number of female and male nematodes per cm root was reduced by 86-91 % and 43-93 % compared to WT, respectively. M. incognita proved to be less susceptible to the MOA protein in that 18-25 % and 26-35 % less galls and nematode egg masses, respectively, were observed in the transgenic lines. Larvae of the herbivorous P. xylostella foraging on MOA-expression lines showed a lower relative mass gain (22-38 %) and survival rate (15-24 %) than those feeding on WT plants. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our in planta experiments reveal a robust nematicidal and insecticidal activity of the fungal lectin MOA against important agricultural pests which may be exploited for crop protection.
AssuntosAglutininas/farmacologia , Arabidopsis/parasitologia , Herbivoria , Marasmius/química , Nematoides/fisiologia , Aglutininas/química , Animais , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica de Plantas/efeitos dos fármacos , Mariposas/fisiologia , Doenças das Plantas/prevenção & controle , Plantas Geneticamente Modificadas
RESUMO
Plant-soil feedbacks are shaped by microbial legacies that plants leave in the soil. We tested the persistence of these legacies after subsequent colonization by the same or other plant species using 6 typical grassland plant species. Soil fungal legacies were detectable for months, but the current plant effect on fungi amplified in time. By contrast, in bacterial communities, legacies faded away rapidly and bacteria communities were influenced strongly by the current plant. However, both fungal and bacterial legacies were conserved inside the roots of the current plant species and their composition significantly correlated with plant growth. Hence, microbial soil legacies present at the time of plant establishment play a vital role in shaping plant growth even when these legacies have faded away in the soil due the growth of the current plant species. We conclude that soil microbiome legacies are reversible and versatile, but that they can create plant-soil feedbacks via altering the endophytic community acquired during early ontogeny.
AssuntosEndófitos/fisiologia , Microbiota/fisiologia , Raízes de Plantas/microbiologia , Poaceae/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Microbiologia do Solo , Biologia Computacional , Pradaria , Raízes de Plantas/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Poaceae/microbiologia
RESUMO
How climate change will modify belowground tritrophic interactions is poorly understood, despite their importance for agricultural productivity. Here, we manipulated the three major abiotic factors associated with climate change (atmospheric CO2, temperature, and soil moisture) and investigated their individual and joint effects on the interaction between maize, the banded cucumber beetle (Diabrotica balteata), and the entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. Changes in individual abiotic parameters had a strong influence on plant biomass, leaf wilting, sugar concentrations, protein levels, and benzoxazinoid contents. Yet, when combined to simulate a predicted climate scenario (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5, RCP 8.5), their effects mostly counter-balanced each other. Only the sharp negative impact of drought on leaf wilting was not fully compensated. In both current and predicted scenarios, root damage resulted in increased leaf wilting, reduced root biomass, and reconfigured the plant sugar metabolism. Single climatic variables modulated the herbivore performance and survival in an additive manner, although slight interactions were also observed. Increased temperature and CO2 levels both enhanced the performance of the insect, but elevated temperature also decreased its survival. Elevated temperatures and CO2 further directly impeded the EPN infectivity potential, while lower moisture levels improved it through plant- and/or herbivore-mediated changes. In the RCP 8.5 scenario, temperature and CO2 showed interactive effects on EPN infectivity, which was overall decreased by 40%. We conclude that root pest problems may worsen with climate change due to increased herbivore performance and reduced top-down control by biological control agents.
RESUMO
Soil legacy effects are commonly highlighted as drivers of plant community dynamics and species co-existence. However, experimental evidence for soil legacy effects of conditioning plant communities on responding plant communities under natural conditions is lacking. We conditioned 192 grassland plots using six different plant communities with different ratios of grasses and forbs and for different durations. Soil microbial legacies were evident for soil fungi, but not for soil bacteria, while soil abiotic parameters did not significantly change in response to conditioning. The soil legacies affected the composition of the succeeding vegetation. Plant communities with different ratios of grasses and forbs left soil legacies that negatively affected succeeding plants of the same functional type. We conclude that fungal-mediated soil legacy effects play a significant role in vegetation assembly of natural plant communities.
AssuntosPradaria , Solo , Fungos , Plantas , Microbiologia do Solo
RESUMO
The continuing loss of global biodiversity has raised questions about the risk that species extinctions pose for the functioning of natural ecosystems and the services that they provide for human wellbeing. There is consensus that, on single trophic levels, biodiversity sustains functions; however, to understand the full range of biodiversity effects, a holistic and multitrophic perspective is needed. Here, we apply methods from ecosystem ecology that quantify the structure and dynamics of the trophic network using ecosystem energetics to data from a large grassland biodiversity experiment. We show that higher plant diversity leads to more energy stored, greater energy flow and higher community-energy-use efficiency across the entire trophic network. These effects of biodiversity on energy dynamics were not restricted to only plants but were also expressed by other trophic groups and, to a similar degree, in aboveground and belowground parts of the ecosystem, even though plants are by far the dominating group in the system. The positive effects of biodiversity on one trophic level were not counteracted by the negative effects on adjacent levels. Trophic levels jointly increased the performance of the community, indicating ecosystem-wide multitrophic complementarity, which is potentially an important prerequisite for the provisioning of ecosystem services.
AssuntosEcossistema , Pradaria , Biodiversidade , Ecologia , Humanos , Plantas
RESUMO
Microorganisms are found everywhere and have critical roles in most ecosystems, but compared to plants and animals, little is known about their temporal dynamics. Here, we investigated the temporal stability of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil and how their temporal variation varies between grasses and forb species. We established 30 outdoor mesocosms consisting of six plant monocultures and followed microbial communities for an entire year in these soils. We demonstrate that bacterial communities vary greatly over time and that turnover plays an important role in shaping microbial communities. We further show that bacterial communities rapidly shift from one state to another and that this is related to changes in the relative contribution of certain taxa rather than to extinction. Fungal soil communities are more stable over time, and a large part of the variation can be explained by plant species and by whether they are grasses or forbs. Our findings show that the soil bacterial community is shaped by time, while plant group and plant species-specific effects drive soil fungal communities. This has important implications for plant-soil research and highlights that temporal dynamics of soil communities cannot be ignored in studies on plant-soil feedback and microbial community composition and function.IMPORTANCE Our findings highlight how soil fungal and bacterial communities respond to time, season, and plant species identity. We found that succession shapes the soil bacterial community, while plant species and the type of plant species that grows in the soil drive the assembly of soil fungal communities. Future research on the effects of plants on soil microbes should take into consideration the relative roles of both time and plant growth on creating soil legacies that impact future plants growing in the soil. Understanding the temporal (in)stability of microbial communities in soils will be crucial for predicting soil microbial composition and functioning, especially as plant species compositions will shift with global climatic changes and land-use alterations. As fungal and bacterial communities respond to different environmental cues, our study also highlights that the selection of study organisms to answer specific ecological questions is not trivial and that the timing of sampling can greatly affect the conclusions made from these studies.
AssuntosBactérias/classificação , Fungos/classificação , Micobioma , Poaceae/fisiologia , Microbiologia do Solo , Simbiose , Biodiversidade , Temperatura
RESUMO
Plant diversity has been shown to determine the composition and functioning of soil biota. Although root-derived organic inputs are discussed as the main drivers of soil communities, experimental evidence is scarce. While there is some evidence that higher root biomass at high plant diversity increases substrate availability for soil biota, several studies have speculated that the quantity and diversity of root inputs into the soil, i.e. though root exudates, drive plant diversity effects on soil biota. Here we used a microcosm experiment to study the role of plant species richness on the biomass of soil bacteria and fungi as well as fungal-to-bacterial ratio via root biomass and root exudates. Plant diversity significantly increased shoot biomass, root biomass, the amount of root exudates, bacterial biomass, and fungal biomass. Fungal biomass increased most with increasing plant diversity resulting in a significant shift in the fungal-to-bacterial biomass ratio at high plant diversity. Fungal biomass increased significantly with plant diversity-induced increases in root biomass and the amount of root exudates. These results suggest that plant diversity enhances soil microbial biomass, particularly soil fungi, by increasing root-derived organic inputs.
AssuntosBactérias/isolamento & purificação , Biodiversidade , Fungos/isolamento & purificação , Poaceae/microbiologia , Microbiologia do Solo , Solo/química , Bactérias/classificação , Benzaldeídos/isolamento & purificação , Benzaldeídos/metabolismo , Biomassa , Ácidos Carboxílicos/isolamento & purificação , Ácidos Carboxílicos/metabolismo , Fungos/classificação , Glucosídeos/isolamento & purificação , Glucosídeos/metabolismo , Consórcios Microbianos/fisiologia , Raízes de Plantas/microbiologia , Raízes de Plantas/fisiologia , Poaceae/classificação , Poaceae/fisiologia , Estilbenos/isolamento & purificação , Simbiose/fisiologia
RESUMO
Flooding frequency is predicted to increase during the next decades, calling for a better understanding of impacts on terrestrial ecosystems and for developing strategies to mitigate potential damage. Plant diversity is expected to buffer flooding effects by providing a broad range of species' responses. Here we report on the response of soil processes to a severe summer flood in 2013, which affected major parts of central Europe. We compared soil microbial respiration, biomass, nutrient limitation and enzyme activity in a grassland biodiversity experiment in Germany before flooding, one week and three months after the flood. Microbial biomass was reduced in the severely flooded plots at high, but not at low plant functional group richness. Flooding alleviated microbial nitrogen limitation, presumably due the input of nutrient-rich sediments. Further, the activity of soil enzymes including 1,4-ß-N-acetylglucosaminidase, phenol oxidase and peroxidase increased with flooding severity, suggesting increased chitin and lignin degradation as a consequence of the input of detritus in sediments. Flooding effects were enhanced at higher plant diversity, indicating that plant diversity temporarily reduces stability of soil processes during flooding. The long-term impacts, however, remain unknown and deserve further investigation.
AssuntosBactérias/classificação , Plantas/classificação , Microbiologia do Solo , Bactérias/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Biodiversidade , Biomassa , Inundações , Alemanha , Pradaria , Fixação de Nitrogênio
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Several studies have examined the effects of plant colonization on aboveground communities and processes. However, the effects of plant colonization on soil microbial communities are less known. We addressed this gap by studying effects of plant colonization within an experimental plant diversity gradient in subplots that had not been weeded for 2 and 5 years. This study was part of a long-term grassland biodiversity experiment (Jena Experiment) with a gradient in plant species richness (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 60 sown species per plot). We measured plant species richness and productivity (aboveground cover and biomass) as well as soil microbial basal respiration and biomass in non-weeded subplots and compared the results with those of weeded subplots of the same plots. RESULTS: After 2 and 5 years of plant colonization, the number of colonizing plant species decreased with increasing plant diversity, i.e., low-diversity plant communities were most vulnerable to colonization. Plant colonization offset the significant relationship between sown plant diversity and plant biomass production. In line with plant community responses, soil basal respiration and microbial biomass increased with increasing sown plant diversity in weeded subplots, but soil microbial properties converged in non-weeded subplots and were not significantly affected by the initial plant species richness gradient. CONCLUSION: Colonizing plant species change the quantity and quality of inputs to the soil, thereby altering soil microbial properties. Thus, plant community convergence is likely to be rapidly followed by the convergence of microbial properties in the soil.
AssuntosBiodiversidade , Fenômenos Fisiológicos Vegetais , Microbiologia do Solo , Especificidade da Espécie
RESUMO
Higher plant diversity is often associated with higher soil microbial biomass and diversity, which is assumed to be partly due to elevated root exudate diversity. However, there is little experimental evidence that diversity of root exudates shapes soil microbial communities. We tested whether higher root exudate diversity enhances soil microbial biomass and diversity in a plant diversity gradient, thereby negating significant plant diversity effects on soil microbial properties. We set up plant monocultures and two- and three-species mixtures in microcosms using functionally dissimilar plants and soil of a grassland biodiversity experiment in Germany. Artificial exudate cocktails were added by combining the most common sugars, organic acids, and amino acids found in root exudates. We applied four different exudate cocktails: two exudate diversity levels (low- and high-diversity) and two nutrient-enriched levels (carbon- and nitrogen-enriched), and a control with water only. Soil microorganisms were more carbon- than nitrogen-limited. Cultivation-independent fingerprinting analysis revealed significantly different soil microbial communities among exudate diversity treatments. Most notably and according to our hypothesis, adding diverse exudate cocktails negated the significant plant diversity effect on soil microbial properties. Our findings provide the first experimental evidence that root exudate diversity is a crucial link between plant diversity and soil microorganisms.
RESUMO
Soil food webs comprise a multitude of trophic interactions that can affect the composition and productivity of plant communities. Belowground predators feeding on microbial grazers like Collembola could decelerate nutrient mineralization by reducing microbial turnover in the soil, which in turn could negatively influence plant growth. However, empirical evidences for the ecological significance of belowground predators on nutrient cycling and plant communities are scarce. Here, we manipulated predator density (Hypoaspis aculeifer: predatory mite) with equal densities of three Collembola species as a prey in four functionally dissimilar plant communities in experimental microcosms: grass monoculture (Poa pratensis), herb monoculture (Rumex acetosa), legume monoculture (Trifolium pratense), and all three species as a mixed plant community. Density manipulation of predators allowed us to test for density-mediated effects of belowground predators on Collembola and lower trophic groups. We hypothesized that predator density will reduce Collembola population causing a decrease in nutrient mineralization and hence detrimentally affect plant growth. First, we found a density-dependent population change in predators, that is, an increase in low-density treatments, but a decrease in high-density treatments. Second, prey suppression was lower at high predator density, which caused a shift in the soil microbial community by increasing the fungal: bacterial biomass ratio, and an increase of nitrification rates, particularly in legume monocultures. Despite the increase in nutrient mineralization, legume monocultures performed worse at high predator density. Further, individual grass shoot biomass decreased in monocultures, while it increased in mixed plant communities with increasing predator density, which coincided with elevated soil N uptake by grasses. As a consequence, high predator density significantly increased plant complementarity effects indicating a decrease in interspecific plant competition. These results highlight that belowground predators can relax interspecific plant competition by increasing nutrient mineralization through their density-dependent cascading effects on detritivore and soil microbial communities.
RESUMO
Anthropogenic changes in biodiversity and atmospheric temperature significantly influence ecosystem processes. However, little is known about potential interactive effects of plant diversity and warming on essential ecosystem properties, such as soil microbial functions and element cycling. We studied the effects of orthogonal manipulations of plant diversity (one, four, and 16 species) and warming (ambient, +1.5 degrees C, and +3 degrees C) on soil microbial biomass, respiration, growth after nutrient additions, and activities of extracellular enzymes in 2011 and 2012 in the BAC (biodiversity and climate) perennial grassland experiment site at Cedar Creek, Minnesota, USA. Focal enzymes are involved in essential biogeochemical processes of the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles. Soil microbial biomass and some enzyme activities involved in the C and N cycle increased significantly with increasing plant diversity in both years. In addition, 16-species mixtures buffered warming induced reductions in topsoil water content. We found no interactive effects of plant diversity and warming on soil microbial biomass and growth rates. However, the activity of several enzymes (1,4-beta-glucosidase, 1,4-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, phosphatase, peroxidase) depended on interactions between plant diversity and warming with elevated activities of enzymes involved in the C, N, and P cycles at both high plant diversity and high warming levels. Increasing plant diversity consistently decreased microbial biomass-specific enzyme activities and altered soil microbial growth responses to nutrient additions, indicating that plant diversity changed nutrient limitations and/or microbial community composition. In contrast to our expectations, higher plant diversity only buffered temperature effects on soil water content, but not on microbial functions. Temperature effects on some soil enzymes were greatest at high plant diversity. In total, our results suggest that the fundamental temperature ranges of soil microbial communities may be sufficiently broad to buffer their functioning against changes in temperature and that plant diversity may be a dominant control of soil microbial processes in a changing world.
AssuntosBiodiversidade , Mudança Climática , Enzimas/análise , Plantas , Microbiologia do Solo , Biomassa , Temperatura Alta , Solo/química
RESUMO
Soil microbial biomass is a key determinant of carbon dynamics in the soil. Several studies have shown that soil microbial biomass significantly increases with plant species diversity, but it remains unclear whether plant species diversity can also stabilize soil microbial biomass in a changing environment. This question is particularly relevant as many global environmental change (GEC) factors, such as drought and nutrient enrichment, have been shown to reduce soil microbial biomass. Experiments with orthogonal manipulations of plant diversity and GEC factors can provide insights whether plant diversity can attenuate such detrimental effects on soil microbial biomass. Here, we present the analysis of 12 different studies with 14 unique orthogonal plant diversity × GEC manipulations in grasslands, where plant diversity and at least one GEC factor (elevated CO2 , nutrient enrichment, drought, earthworm presence, or warming) were manipulated. Our results show that higher plant diversity significantly enhances soil microbial biomass with the strongest effects in long-term field experiments. In contrast, GEC factors had inconsistent effects with only drought having a significant negative effect. Importantly, we report consistent non-significant effects for all 14 interactions between plant diversity and GEC factors, which indicates a limited potential of plant diversity to attenuate the effects of GEC factors on soil microbial biomass. We highlight that plant diversity is a major determinant of soil microbial biomass in experimental grasslands that can influence soil carbon dynamics irrespective of GEC.
AssuntosBiodiversidade , Mudança Climática , Pradaria , Plantas , Microbiologia do Solo , Biomassa , Carbono/metabolismo , Secas
RESUMO
The natural world is increasingly defined by change. Within the next 100 years, rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations will continue to increase the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events. Simultaneously, human activities are reducing global biodiversity, with current extinction rates at ~1,000 × what they were before human domination of Earth's ecosystems. The co-occurrence of these trends may be of particular concern, as greater biological diversity could help ecosystems resist change during large perturbations. We use data from a 200-year flood event to show that when a disturbance is associated with an increase in resource availability, the opposite may occur. Flooding was associated with increases in productivity and decreases in stability, particularly in the highest diversity communities. Our results undermine the utility of the biodiversity-stability hypothesis during a large number of disturbances where resource availability increases. We propose a conceptual framework that can be widely applied during natural disturbances. | https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/?lang=pt&q=au:%22Steinauer,%20Katja%22 |
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Researchers have proposed that solving complex reasoning problems, a key indicator of fluid intelligence, involves the same cognitive processes as solving working memory tasks. This proposal is supported by an overlap of the functional brain activations associated with the two types of tasks and by high correlations between interindividual differences in performance. We replicated these findings in 53 older participants but also showed that solving reasoning and working memory problems benefits from different configurations of the functional connectome and that this dissimilarity increases with a higher difficulty load. Specifically, superior performance in a typical working memory paradigm ( n -back) was associated with upregulation of modularity (increased between-network segregation), whereas performance in the reasoning task was associated with effective downregulation of modularity. We also showed that working memory training promotes task-invariant increases in modularity. Because superior reasoning performance is associated with downregulation of modular dynamics, training may thus have fostered an inefficient way of solving the reasoning tasks. This could help explain why working memory training does little to promote complex reasoning performance. The study concludes that complex reasoning abilities cannot be reduced to working memory and suggests the need to reconsider the feasibility of using working memory training interventions to attempt to achieve effects that transfer to broader cognition.
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Perceptual decision-making performance depends on several cognitive and neural processes. Here, we fit Ratcliff's diffusion model to accuracy data and reaction-time distributions from one numerical and one verbal two-choice perceptual-decision task to deconstruct these performance measures into the rate of evidence accumulation (i.e., drift rate), response criterion setting (i.e., boundary separation), and peripheral aspects of performance (i.e., nondecision time). These theoretical processes are then related to individual differences in brain activation by means of multiple regression. The sample consisted of 24 younger and 15 older adults performing the task in fMRI before and after 100 daily 1-hr behavioral training sessions in a multitude of cognitive tasks. Results showed that individual differences in boundary separation were related to striatal activity, whereas differences in drift rate were related to activity in the inferior parietal lobe. These associations were not significantly modified by adult age or perceptual expertise. We conclude that the striatum is involved in regulating response thresholds, whereas the inferior parietal lobe might represent decision-making evidence related to letters and numbers. | https://direct.mit.edu/jocn/search-results?f_Authors=Martin+L%C3%B6vden |
The Lakeside Academy Titans Club is a positive group of students. The Titans Club reflects the positive peer culture’s need to identify and give exposure to acknowledged positive student leaders. A Titan serves as a role model and representative to the rest of the student body. This group of students will always hold significant influence over the peer culture in modifying behavior. For this reason, a Titan is given great opportunities, is highly recognized, responsible and held directly accountable for the functioning of the peer culture as a whole. This level of approach has proven successful in maintaining a very high level of structure at the Academy.
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All students residing at Lakeside Academy attend school on campus. Our school is operated by Kalamazoo Regional Education Services Agency (KRESA). The education department focuses on the four core disciplines of education: English, Math, Science and Social Studies. After analyzing the transcripts of a student, the education department works to create an educational plan that follows the graduation requirements of the student’s home district. This process allows the courses that a student takes at the Academy to transfer back to the student’s home district. In addition to traditional coursework, students are also offered the chance to work toward the completion of the General Educational Development (GED) test.
All students attend school for 6.1 hours a day, five days a week (30.5 hours per week). The school is a year round program and maintains a flexible schedule that permits enrollment at any time in the year. School attendance is required and all missed work must be made up.
The vocational opportunities enhance job skills and assists students in developing a work ethic. Students are expected to budget money and pay outstanding restitution.
Students participate in daily physical fitness training, which is designed to give students the opportunity to experience the physical and emotional benefits of healthful living and exercise. Additional benefits of this training are increased self-esteem, discipline, confidence and leadership skills.
All students admitted to Lakeside Academy will be provided with adequate medical and dental care as determined by qualified medical personnel. An initial nursing assessment takes place within 24 hours of arrival followed by a complete medical exam within one week of admission.
Students have the right to hold any religious belief. Reasonable efforts will be made to allow students to attend religious services of their choice. However, the right to express or exercise these beliefs by word or action is subject to the security and rehabilitative needs of the student and the Academy.
It is important that students stay busy and occupied at Lakeside Academy. There is little idle time allowed in order to ensure maximum opportunities for growth and education and minimum opportunity for boredom and wasted time. Therefore, a daily routine is set in place to achieve these expectations, as well as a multitude of activities and facilities to foster physical and mental growth.
Click here to view our "Students Daily Schedule" | http://lakesideacademy.net/student_life.html |
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Inter-jurisdictional cooperation on pharmaceutical product listing agreements: views from Canadian provinces
BMC Health Services Research volume 13, Article number: 34 (2013)
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Abstract
Background
Confidential product listing agreements (PLAs) negotiated between pharmaceutical manufacturers and individual health care payers may contribute to unwanted price disparities, high administrative costs, and unequal bargaining power within and across jurisdictions. In the context of Canada’s decentralized health system, we aimed to document provincial policy makers’ perceptions about collaborative PLA negotiations.
Methods
We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with a senior policy maker from nine of the ten Canadian provinces. We conducted a thematic analysis of interview transcripts to identify benefits, drawbacks, and barriers to routine collaboration on PLA negotiations.
Results
Canadian policy makers expressed support for joint negotiations of PLAs in principle, citing benefits of increased bargaining power and reduced inter-jurisdictional inequities in drug prices and formulary listings. However, established policy institutions and the politics of individual jurisdictional authority are formidable barriers to routine PLA collaboration. Achieving commitment to a joint process may be difficult to sustain among heterogeneous and autonomous partners.
Conclusions
Though collaboration on PLA negotiation is an extension of collaboration on health technology assessment, it is a very significant next step that requires harmonization of the outcomes of decision-making processes. Views of policy makers in Canada suggest that sustaining routine collaborations on PLA negotiations may be difficult unless participating jurisdictions have similar policy institutions, capacities to implement coverage decisions, and local political priorities.
Background
To avoid the negative effects of widely-used external reference pricing policies, manufacturers are placing tighter restrictions on list prices for prescription drugs [1–3]. Final drug prices are therefore increasingly determined by confidential contracts negotiated between drug plans and manufacturers [4, 5]. The secrecy of negotiated price rebates effectively segments the market, allowing firms to price discriminate across payers. This gives payers an opportunity for savings but also creates new challenges related to negotiation and enforcement.
While there are several examples of inter-jurisdictional cooperation on health technology assessment (HTA) for drug coverage decision-making [6–8], there have been few instances of inter-jurisdictional cooperation on price negotiations. However, to increase purchasing power, reduce administrative costs, and prevent unwanted price disparities across payers, cooperation on price negotiation might be justified in some cases. Canada offers an illustrative example.
Canada differs from some other federal states, such as Italy or Australia, where pharmaceutical pricing policies are centralized with a national authority. Responsibility for health care in Canada is devolved to its ten provinces, which vary considerably in population size and income – see Table 1. Prescription drug coverage policy is highly decentralized as there is no federal funding incentives to promote consistency of public drug coverage across provinces . As a result, each province independently operates limited public drug benefit programs. These programs vary widely in structure and account for 26 to 45% of prescription drug expenditures in their provinces, leaving a significant role for private financing through insurance and out-of-pocket payments. All provinces except Quebec cooperate on health technology assessment for public drug coverage decision-making ; however, they remain responsible for their own coverage decisions and price negotiations.
Price contracts for pharmaceuticals are known as product listing agreements (PLAs) in Canada. Prior to approximately 2006, they were seldom ever used by any province. Today, use of PLAs varies widely across provinces: they are virtually never used in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador; they are used for virtually all drugs covered by the public drug plans in Ontario and Manitoba; and they are used to varying degrees in other provinces.
In 2010, provincial premiers announced that a Pan-Canadian Purchasing Alliance would facilitate joint price negotiations among interested provinces . Joint negotiations related to three drugs had taken place by mid-2012 . Such collaboration indicates potential for joint PLA negotiations; however, it is not yet clear whether PLA collaboration can be sustained and applied universally to new medicines as is collaboration on HTA. We therefore sought to explore provincial policy makers’ views of the benefits and drawbacks of joint negotiations and the potential barriers to making such collaborations routine.
Methods
After ethics review and approval, we conducted telephone interviews with purposefully selected provincial drug plan executives. In January 2012, we sent study invitations to each of the ten provincial drug plans. Invitations were sent to the most senior executive within each plan or, where identifiable, the executive responsible for contract negotiations. Invitees were asked to participate in a telephone interview or to identify an appropriate individual to speak on behalf of their jurisdiction. Nine provinces agreed to participate; only one province, Newfoundland and Labrador, declined.
Seven of the nine policy makers interviewed had worked with their respective drug plans for at least five years. The other two policy makers were hired more recently to manage new PLA negotiation processes in their jurisdictions. All policy makers from provinces that had used PLAs had direct experience with PLA negotiations and related inter-provincial collaboration efforts.
The confidential nature of PLAs meant that policy makers could not be asked to comment on particular negotiations or signed PLAs. Participants were therefore asked to describe the general benefits and drawbacks of collaboration on PLA negotiation and to provide their opinion about the barriers and facilitators to collaborating on a routine basis. Additional file 1 contains the interview guide.
Interviews lasted an average of 40 minutes (range 28 to 54 minutes), and were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis . All four authors read all transcripts and independently identified themes that emerged from the text. Authors met and jointly developed a coding scheme that then was used by two authors to independently code each transcript. Coding discrepancies were resolved through consensus or by consulting the lead author.
Results
Table 2 lists the benefits, drawbacks and barriers to joint PLA negotiation most commonly mentioned by participating policy makers. Key themes are described here.
Benefits of collaboration
Policy makers from all participating provinces expressed general support for collaborative PLA negotiations. Seven of the nine policy makers participating in our study noted that the increased bargaining power achieved through collective negotiations would likely lead to lower prices and cost savings for participating jurisdictions (see Table 2). Several policy makers noted that this benefit would not be shared equally as price savings are likely to be greatest for the smaller provinces, which in isolation have lower bargaining power due to population size.
Five policy makers also explicitly identified interprovincial price consistency as a benefit of a joint negotiation process. Under the current system of independent negotiations, policy makers in several provinces expressed concerns that manufacturers may provide the first and most generous price concessions to one or two large provinces, increasing political pressure on other provinces to provide coverage. This strategy, known as whipsawing, could force small provinces – with limited negotiating capacity and purchasing power – to pay the highest prices. Policy makers from five provinces – large and small – stated PLA collaboration may be one way of addressing this issue and improving interprovincial equity in medicine prices and access. As a policy maker from one of the larger provinces stated, by working together, provinces could “…break down barriers [to access] wherein depending on where you live, you may have different access to medications” (Interviewee #6).
Drawbacks from collaboration
Policy makers from five of the participating provinces expressed concerns that joint negotiations might increase the time it takes to list a drug on provincial formularies. They argued that multilateral negotiations, by nature of the number of stakeholders at the table, would require more time than bilateral negotiations. Two policy makers also noted that joint negotiations may require more resources overall because each jurisdiction would still need to bear the cost of evaluating and adapting PLAs for the local health system and policy framework.
Perceived loss of provincial autonomy was one the most cited drawbacks of joint negotiations. This included concerns about lines of accountability for PLA decisions that often have significant budget impacts. It also included considerations related to the ability of individual jurisdictions to respond to the varying politics of their jurisdiction, each with different political parties, priorities, and dominant interest groups. One policy maker noted that “politicians have different pressures at different times” (Interviewee #3) making it difficult to predict whether a jointly negotiated PLA will have local support.
Barriers to expanded collaboration
Institutional barriers
Policy makers from six provinces mentioned institutional barriers to routine collaboration on PLA negotiations, ranging from constitutional authority over health care to local policy processes. Related to the former, several policy makers noted that provinces have independent authority for health care policy and related decision-making. It was argued that co-operation among the autonomous provinces is difficult without financial incentives from the federal government. Reflecting more local considerations, policy makers also noted that drug coverage decision-making processes vary considerably across provinces. While some provinces cede coverage decisions to executives responsible for public drug programs, others require ministerial or even cabinet approval. These differences affect decision-making timelines and consultation requirements in ways that might impede routine collaboration.
Policy makers from five provinces also cited institutional variations in provincial drug benefit structures as a barrier to routine collaboration on PLA negotiation. Given that some provinces provide comprehensive coverage for the elderly and the poor and others only cover residents against “catastrophic” drug costs, the coverage priorities, decision-making frameworks, and even bargaining positions will differ significantly from province to province. One policy maker went so far as to conclude that joint negotiations are unlikely to become commonplace unless all participating provinces offered comparable drug benefit plans: “Fundamentally, you’ve got to have the same drug benefit plan before you actually negotiate together” (Interviewee #5).
Political barriers
Political will was one of the most frequently mentioned obstacles to routine collaboration on PLA negotiation. Policy makers from several provinces felt that joint negotiations are likely to be explicitly or implicitly driven by larger provinces – because they have the greatest purchasing power and political influence – and that this would not sit well with some governments. Reflecting the constitutional autonomy mentioned above, some policy makers said that provinces would not voluntarily cede the decision-making authority required to sustain joint PLA negotiations. As one policy maker stated, “[you have to] give one group authority to make decisions that would be binding on all provinces, which isn’t going to happen” (Interviewee #7).
Related to the broader concerns about political will, policy makers from four provinces cited concerns about the local political acceptability of final listing decisions that would result from a joint negotiation. Two of these policy makers specifically noted that there is a risk of provinces circumventing the collective process on a drug-by-drug basis, either by pursuing individual negotiations or by “cherry-picking” only those jointly-negotiated PLAs that suit their interest. Though acting in the interest of one’s own jurisdiction is the primary responsibility of provincial policy makers, such outcomes were viewed as significant threats to the effectiveness and sustainability of routine joint negotiations.
Resource barriers
Policy makers from five of the participating provinces cited scarcity of required resources as a barrier to expanding joint PLA negotiations. As stated above, some policy makers felt that joint processes, at least currently, represent an increase in negotiation costs. Some provincial policy makers argued that the federal government should support the infrastructure required for collaboration among the provinces. They also noted that this was unlikely given the federal government’s current spending priorities and fiscal constraints.
Discussion
Policy makers from Canadian provinces express general support for joint PLA negotiations. Despite support in principle, none suggested that routine collaborations would be sustainable at present because of variations in existing policy institutions and politics. This view might be surprising given the longstanding collaborations among all but one province on health technology assessment related to drug coverage decision-making . However, a critical difference in these processes is that collaboration on health technology assessment harmonizes the evidence underpinning coverage decisions while collaboration on PLA negotiations effectively harmonizes the coverage decisions. To provide firms with maximum incentive to negotiate better deals than would be the case in independent negotiations, a PLA collaboration has to result in consistent funding decisions: failure to reach agreeable terms through joint negotiations must result in a “no” listing decision by all participating drug plans, and a successful joint negotiation must result in a “yes” decision. Achieving and sustaining such commitment to joint decision-making is a formidable challenge.
The insights provided to us by policy makers from Canadian provinces illustrate that joint negotiations may break down for a number of reasons. Acting in self-interest, payers may perceive that a better (or faster) deal can be achieved by negotiating independently or may resort to “cherry picking” their commitment to joint negotiations. Manufacturers may even have incentive to try to break a negotiation alliance by offering side deals in the hope that individual drug plans could be played against each other.
Beyond these self-interested incentives to defect, policymakers expressed greater concern that solidarity in negotiations would break down as a result of institutional and political barriers. Willingness to implement consistent funding decisions through joint negotiations requires, at least, that participating drug plans have comparable decision-making frameworks and negotiating leverage. Differences in policies as simple as decision-making protocols can limit the potential for routine collaboration. Variations in the benefit structure of drug programs – that is, who is covered and with what types of user charges-are even more important because they may be more costly to harmonize and they have a more profound effect on decision-making frameworks. This raises the broader issue of the politics of decision making autonomy and accountability.
Being committed to the decision-making outcomes associated with joint PLA negotiations requires that decision-making autonomy be ceded to a collective process. This requires a great deal of political will because different governments have different health care priorities and competing interests, such as attracting or retaining pharmaceutical industry investment. It was not stated explicitly by any policy makers in our study, but variations in provincial incomes and, therefore, governments’ revenue generating powers will also affect the acceptability of centralized decisions. Given the significant economic disparity among negotiation partners, some participating jurisdictions may simply not be able to “afford” to commit to collective decisions.
Limitations
Our study is not without limitations. First, we only interviewed one policy maker in each province. These policy makers were senior executives and managers with direct experience related to PLA negotiations and related collaborative efforts, or direct experience with drug coverage decision-making if PLAs were not used in their province. Their views are those of people closely engaged in the file but will not necessarily reflect views of other officials, such as ministers or deputy ministers of health. As with any study of this kind, the views expressed by respondents represent a snapshot of perceptions in a complex policy arena. Policy makers’ perceptions will evolve as provinces’ gain more experience with PLAs and related cooperative efforts. Finally, we are aware that interview responses may have been influenced by social desirability bias. In an effort to mitigate that bias, participants were informed that our study would not attribute themes or quotes to specific provinces or speakers unless absolutely necessary and only after consent was provided.
Conclusions
Joint negotiation of PLAs may be seen as a logical extension of inter-jurisdictional cooperation on health technology assessment; however, the extension is arguably a significant leap, one requiring a move from collaboration simply on decision-making processes to collaboration on decision-making outcomes. Canada’s experience suggests that building and sustaining a PLA negotiation alliance will likely require more than simple commitment to avoid defection due to self-interest. Differences in policy institutions, political pressures, and economic opportunities of participating jurisdictions can place considerable strain on a joint negotiation process.
Choice of “negotiating partner” is a key determinant of effective, routine collaboration on PLA negotiations. Sustaining routine collaborations on a voluntary basis will require partners with similar drug plans, compatible priorities for health care and industrial development, and comparable income levels. Whether across provinces in Canada or across countries internationally, such collaborations would address some of the shortcomings of by increasing purchasing power and administrative efficiencies among negotiation partners. They would not, however, address concerns about global disparities in drug prices that might arise in the new paradigm of confidential drug pricing.
To promote equity in negotiation processes and outcomes in a federation such as Canada, it would be possible for the federal government to either centralize this policy file as is done in countries like Italy and Australia, or to actively encourage collaborations among disparate states/provinces. Given the politics of jurisdictional responsibility in Canada, centralization is unlikely. The Canadian government could, however, exercise its spending power to encourage collaboration. By sharing part of the cost of the negotiation process and related funding decisions, conditional on provinces harmonizing the structures of drug benefit programs, it could incentivize participation while equalizing decision-making frameworks and addressing income disparities that limit voluntary efforts by provinces.
While centralization by way of vertical policy integration is possible in the context of a federation, it is not possible across countries. It will therefore be more difficult to improve equity in drug pricing across nations with disparate income levels. If the new global pricing paradigm is resulting in increasingly inflated list prices for medicines, mechanisms will be needed to assist less wealthy countries in negotiations, co-ordinated through agencies such as the World Health Organization.
Abbreviations
- PLA:
-
Product listing agreement.
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Pre-publication history
The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/13/34/prepub
Acknowledgements
Funding for this project was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The sponsor had no role in the project or in decisions to publish results.
Additional information
Competing interests
Steven Morgan has been retained as a consultant on matters related to pharmaceutical policy by Health Canada, the Department of Justice Canada, and the British Columbia Ministry of Health Services. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Authors’ contributions
SM is responsible for project conception and acquisition of funding. All authors contributed to the study design. SM and PT conducted the telephone interviews. All authors contributed to the thematic coding of interview transcripts. SM wrote the first draft of the paper. All authors revised and provided comments on paper drafts and have approved the final version of this paper.
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Morgan, S.G., Thomson, P.A., Daw, J.R. et al. Inter-jurisdictional cooperation on pharmaceutical product listing agreements: views from Canadian provinces. BMC Health Serv Res 13, 34 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-13-34
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Published: | https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6963-13-34 |
When life gives you lemons . . . make lemonade. Something we have all probably heard one too many times in an effort to make the best out of a bad situation. The impact of COVID 19 has certainly turned life upside down, forcing us to live in less than ideal conditions. My personal experience with the virus was pretty much the metaphor of being handed a bowl full of lemons.
I was studying abroad in Florence with seven of my best friends when our program was abruptly, and we were all sent home, stripping us of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Upon returning home, I slipped into the stereotypical colligate quarantine lifestyle, staying up late and sleeping the day away.
After about a week of this, I decided that in NO WAY was this going to be my lifestyle during an undefined period of social isolation. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and use all this newly found free time to work on myself.
Developing a Routine
Getting into a good routine is perhaps one of the most beneficial strategies when trying to be productive and maintain a healthy lifestyle. You should develop a routine that is feasible to attain and realistic for your abilities, so you can stick to it. For example, when creating a routine, I would not say “wake up at 5 am and go for a morning run”. That might work well for you, and if it does, hey power to you, but for me, I know there is no way I would realistically abide by that day in and day out, thereby making it ineffective.
Instead, a more feasible morning routine is waking up between 8 and 9, walking your dog, eating breakfast, and then tackling any word you have for the day. Some days it can be tough to roll out of bed. Everyone is familiar with that feeling; however, I found when you force yourself to get up and get going, you feel better and more productive throughout the day.
Now I know this probably seems boring and monotonous, but what you are actually doing by following a routine is introducing structure into your life in a time where there is not much structure. Everyone complains about commuting to work or going to class, but in reality, it’s that daily routine that keeps people sane. It gives you a structured schedule to follow, enabling you to be productive and progress throughout the day.
Multiple studies have shown positive benefits on mental health stability when a routine is followed. Now that you understand the importance of following a routine, how do you create a good one?
Something For The Body
I cannot emphasize enough how incredibly important it is to take care of your body, especially in a time like this. Obviously, staying healthy is essential during the pandemic, and performing daily exercise is a great way to stay healthy both mentally and physically. I enjoy lifting weights and running, but if that’s not your jam, find something that is and do it! It could be anything.
For example, it could be a less rigorous routine like doing yoga or just going for long walks (either with their dog or a friend). While this may not seem like a big deal, it’s a way to get out of the house and keep your sanity in check. It’s a great way to release pent up energy in a positive and productive manner.
The positives of incorporating activity into your daily routine go past the obvious physical benefits. In fact, there are many mental health benefits with exercise such as improved memory, attention span, decision-making skills and even improved growth of nerve cells and blood vessels.
Think of it as a kind of domino effect. By taking care of your body, your mind will automatically reap the benefits which allow you to be productive during the day. That’s why I love getting my workout in earlier in the morning as it leaves me feeling confident and ready to take on the day’s work.
That being said, if you find yourself more productive in the morning and you enjoy taking an evening walk to release the stresses of the day, by all means, take that evening walk! Adjust your routine to what works best for you.
Something For The Mind
I am going to place a special emphasis on this point because I feel like there is so much negativity surrounding the virus that impacts our psychological health in our day to day lives. You can’t turn on the TV or open a newspaper without hearing about the death toll, PPE shortage, or the possibility of a second wave hitting. With bad news constantly circulating, it becomes easy to fall into an unproductive slump making it crucial to take a step back from reality and ease your mind.
For me, I like to sit in my backyard and read a book or listen to music. If I am being completely honest, I was never much of a reader, but diving into a good book has helped me escape the sometimes-depressing reality we face and get lost in a different world. If you aren’t into books, there has been a huge increase at the rate new music has been released, so throw on a new album and get to listening! Music provides a great escape for the mind and will put you in a better place mentally.
Another way to relax the mind and give your brain a sense of normalcy is to partake in improvised social contact. Humans crave social interaction, and quarantine has certainly shown how one can become unnerved when not available. To combat this, my friends and I would often gather in group zoom meetings where we talk, laugh, and even knock back a few drinks to loosen up and feel normal again. With restrictions easing up, my friends and I can hang out together and go on a bike ride. Even the simple things like that have allowed me to release stress and gives us all a place to ease our minds.
Homeostasis
So, what’s the point of all this? What are we trying to accomplish? Balance, or what I like to call homeostasis. You can achieve this balance through a routine that encompasses something for the body, mind, and soul. Just because we are stuck at home, that doesn’t mean we have to stop pursuing homeostasis.
Key Takeaways
While none of us saw this coming or really know what the future holds, the best we can do right now is to make the best out of a bad situation and try to work on ourselves from home. The best way to do this is to develop a routine that consists of something for the mind and body, allowing us to stay in a state of homeostasis. Times are tough, but remember when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. | https://thesuccessbug.com/ways-to-work-on-yourself-during-the-pandemic/ |
Could a good night’s sleep lead to a better Brexit deal?
For the past three years, Brexit and its bewildering state of affairs have dominated news headlines both in the UK and abroad. Now, with less than two weeks to go until the 29th March deadline, it looks like the fate of the British people will be shaped by the late-night, last-minute decisions of overworked, underslept members of Parliament.
Given the complexity and immense scale of the matter at hand, Brexit is bound to have taken a heavy toll on the wellbeing of the decision-makers involved. How can we be sure, therefore, that they are physically and mentally up to the task of making the right decisions for the nation at large? And, could a few hours of extra sleep lead to a better deal for everyone?
How much do leaders sleep?
It is a unanimous fact in science; good quality sleep is on par with diet and exercise to fully prosper and thrive in life. So it’s surprising to see many of the world’s leaders, those who are in charge of ensuring their country lives a long and prosperous life, boast of how little sleep they get, as if this makes them seem more capable somehow.
Mimicking, perhaps, the behaviour of leaders past (Margaret Thatcher famously claimed to get by with just four hours of sleep every night), many leaders continue to deprive themselves of the most powerful performance enhancer known to man.
Although it may be an attempt to seem hard working, they are actually putting themselves at the risk of burnout and sabotaging their decision-making ability. Unfortunately, this group of bad sleepers includes the PM, who has been reportedly spearheading the Brexit negotiations whilst getting a mere five hours of sleep every night.
The good news is that we might be on the brink of a change in attitude towards sleep. A recent study looking at the sleeping patterns of 35,000 leaders found that the higher up in an organisation, the more sleep people actually got. On the one hand, one reason for this may be that with seniority comes delegation, which is bound to free up time for those higher up the ladder, allowing for more sleep. On the other hand, however, it also seems that senior executives have begun to realise the benefits of a good night’s sleep on their performance and their ability to lead.
Sleep more to be a better, healthier leader
We have all felt on edge, anxious and distracted after a poor night’s sleep. But did you know that a night of sleep deprivation affects brain function to a similar degree as alcohol intoxication? Chronic sleep deprivation can have an even more serious effect, with research showing that potential consequences include: poor judgement, greater impulsivity, reduced decision-making skills, and an increased risk of dementia and heart disease.
Even though sleep may seem like a dormant process, it is actually a highly active time during which our bodies are undergoing a series of important processes that help optimise our physical, mental, and cognitive health. Outlined below are some examples of the ways in which better sleep can help make a better leader out of everyone!
Memory
To be a great leader, good memory is an important ability. From facts to deadlines to names, a good leader relies on their ability to remember all the things that matter when it comes to doing a good job.
There are three steps required for something to become a memory, all of which are dependent on good quality sleep. First, one needs the ability to acquire a memory which is the process of learning or experiencing something new. However, a sleep deprived person will experience difficulty when trying to do so, as their ability to focus and concentrate will be greatly diminished.
Secondly, the memory needs to “stick, a process called consolidation which occurs in the hippocampus. As we sleep, the hippocampus replays the events of the days and are then stored across different, interconnected brain regions. But with a lack of sleep, these connections significantly weaken, affecting our ability to remember things in the long term.
Last but not least, you need to able to recall the memory, which if sleep deprived, would be difficult as the storing process may not have occurred.
Decision making
Great leaders are great decision makers. We depend on leaders to make the right choices, especially during a challenging time with great uncertainty and change. But what lies behind one’s ability to choose the better course of action is their ability to balance emotion, reason, and logic.
However, research has shown that compared to normal sleepers, those with chronic sleep loss such as insomnia sufferers, are much more likely to engage in risky behaviour. Imaging studies have shown that these sleep-deprived participants have reduced activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for decision making. This area of the brain guides us to make decisions maintaining links between previous experience and the associated emotional state which we’ve associated such experiences with.
It should, therefore, go without saying that good quality sleep is a very important step towards making sound decisions and avoiding potentially disastrous outcomes.
More emotional
Good communication is at the core of good leadership. Whether in an effort to motivate, negotiate, encourage or train others, being a strong communicator is key. However, even a single night of reduced sleep has been shown to increase levels of stress, anger and anxiety in response to low-stress conditions.
This is because when you are sleep deprived, your amygdala, the emotional part of your brain becomes hyperactive. In a study that investigated the ability to read emotions, participants who slept less interpreted neutral facial expressions as fearful. The inability to recognise another's emotions correctly can not only lead to poor judgement but can cloud your decisions as well as cause problems in relationships both at work and at home.
Overall, it is very clear that sleep deprivation has a disastrous effect on all the prerequisites of a strong leader. Good sleepers are not lazy. A minimalistic sleep routine should not be glorified but should instead be recognised as an uneducated habit. By depriving themselves of sleep, people are putting themselves in serious danger of deteriorating mental and physical health and putting the rest of the country at risk…
Therefore, sleep better to lead better. Here you may ask, how you can turn all this knowledge into sustained behaviour change. Follow our 5 Sleep Essentials and ACT article, which provides some simple, practical, research-backed guidance to ensure that you get better rest to help you become a more successful leader. | https://www.blog.thesleepschool.org/blog/could-a-good-nights-sleep-lead-to-a-better-brexit-deal |
Cognitive impairment is highly prevalent in patients with COPD and demonstrates multiple detrimental effects on many aspects of patient state and therapeutic outcomes. It is attributed to several overlapping pathophysiological factors, with the most common being the low level of oxygen saturation due to respiratory insufficiency. Despite the impact of cognitive impairment on clinical outcomes, the screening for coexisting cognitive deficits which may interfere with the successful progress of respiratory treatment is yet neglected. There is a special consideration that cognitive deficits should be taken into account when developing respiratory therapy plans. Cognitively impaired patients are likely to require more support and have need of an individualised respiratory care plan which can also be beneficial for their cognitive deficits. Pulmonary rehabilitation as a multidisciplinary approach could be prioritised for COPD patients with cognitive impairment.
To illustrate the common signs of cognitive impairment and define potential associations between lung and cognitive dysfunction.
To illustrate the potential influence of cognitive deficits on the optimal progress of respiratory therapy.
To illustrate the importance of cognitive evaluation as part of a comprehensive clinical assessment for patients suspected of suffering cognitive impairment.
Abstract
Cognitive impairment in COPD may affect respiratory treatment and should be considered in therapeutic strategy http://ow.ly/aK3s309RiS9
Introduction
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation . It is a progressive condition which is associated with pulmonary and systemic inflammation with numerous extrapulmonary consequences such as cognitive deterioration . In particular, the brain can be vulnerable to the systemic effects of COPD as several features of the disease may increase the risk for impaired cognitive function and also contribute to cognitive decline across the progress of disease severity and the ageing process . Cognitive impairment is characterised by several common signs (table 1) and seems to have detrimental effects on many aspects of patient function, health status and quality of life, as well as being related to lower adherence to medical treatment and increased rates of hospitalisation and mortality in COPD [4–6].
A growing amount of evidence has demonstrated an association between cognitive impairment, a pathological condition that acts as a barrier to cognition, and COPD manifestation [7, 8]. Indeed, the prevalence estimates of cognitive impairment are increased in patients with COPD, indicating lung dysfunction as a risk factor for cognitive impairment even when data are adjusted for age, sex, smoking habits and education level . The degree of prevalence ranges from 10 to 61% amongst COPD patients and seems to depend on the study population and the method of neuropsychological assessment [7, 10]. The prevalence amongst older adults in the general population, as assessed in community samples, seems to be lower with between 3 and 20% having cognitive deficits depending on the way that cognitive function is assessed [11, 12]. On average, 36% of patients with COPD will present with incidents of cognitive impairment , whereas only 12% of individuals amongst the general population will be cognitively impaired. These higher prevalence estimates for cognitive impairment in COPD indicate an association between impaired lung-function and brain pathology that cannot be disputed. Nevertheless, defining all the complex pathophysiological mechanisms in COPD that may interfere with brain function is really challenging. Lung dysfunction and disease severity in COPD do not fully explain the development of cognitive impairment in COPD patients. Moreover, the typical profile of patients with COPD includes numerous of comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes or a combination thereof (so called “multi-morbidity”), which may contribute to the genesis of cognitive impairment to a varying extent [14, 15]. In addition, the impact of disease severity (including comorbidities or other risk factors) can affect different domains of cognition variably, with some being unaffected while others present substantial impairment.
Cognition and neuropsychological domains
The word “cognition” is of Latin derivation but originally comes from the Greek verb “gignosko” which means to recognise, perceive and know . Specifically, cognition is the mental action or intellectual process of acquiring, understanding and using knowledge or information, through thinking, experience and the senses, by which human behaviour can be adapted to new situations and/or preferences changed [17, 18]. Cognition involves different cognitive processes which can be divided into six basic neuropsychological domains including learning and memory, visuospatial and motor function, attention/concentration, language, social cognition/emotions and executive functions (figure 1). Each domain contains specific functions which provide individuals with basic and more complex capabilities that determine personal intellectual skills and knowledge (figure 1) [18, 19].
Assessment of cognitive function
Cognitive function can initially be assessed without complex procedures or sophisticated equipment. Using appropriately validated screening tests for cognitive impairment, healthcare professionals may obtain a first overview of the cognitive status of a patient, as inferred from the relationship of the patient’s score to reference norms. Patients with very low screening scores can be considered as cognitively impaired and may therefore be referred to a mental health clinic, whereas patients with borderline scores may be referred for further comprehensive assessment by a specialist with expertise in evaluating mental function . A borderline score may identify patients in the first stages of cognitive decline, which is defined as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), differentiating patients who have worse cognitive deficits than those expected in normal ageing but not severe enough to warrant a diagnosis of dementia .
A wide range of tools has been developed for screening cognitive function. Some of them are freely available whereas for others a licence is required. These tools can be described as comprehensive when they cover each of the primary cognitive domains in cognitive function (figure 1) or non-comprehensive when they identify clinically significant levels of cognitive impairment across a limited spectrum of cognitive abilities . The duration of screening ranges from a few minutes up to several hours in the case of a formal neuropsychological assessment . Most of the tests designed for use in prompt cognitive evaluation during the daily clinical routine take from 4 to 12 min to be completed. The most widely-used tests which cover multiple cognitive domains are the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) , the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACE) [24, 25], the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) , the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and the Mini-Cog test . In addition, telephone interviews have been developed for use in distance situations where in-person cognitive screening is impractical or impossible [29, 30]. These tests have good diagnostic accuracy and can provide healthcare professionals with a prompt overview of patients' cognitive status when cognitive impairment is suspected.
Lung impairment and cognitive function
Cognitive function refers to the general competence of cognitive abilities that can be affected by COPD pathophysiology. The relationship between lung impairment and cognitive function decline has already been confirmed in numerous studies, which have demonstrated the particularly negative impact of inadequate respiratory function on cognitive domains such as memory and learning, attention, psychomotor speed, visuospatial abilities, executive functions, and language skills [32–34]. These negative consequences on cognitive function are a result of complex interactions amongst COPD pathophysiological, genetic and environmental factors.
The most obvious independent risk factor for cognitive impairment in patients with COPD is reduced oxygen availability as a result of lung dysfunction. From a physiological point of view it is reasonable to consider that the brain, which has almost the highest oxygen demand of any organ in the human body (the biggest oxygen consumers are the liver (20.4%), the brain (18.4%), and the heart (11.6%)) , is highly sensitive and exposed to ischaemic damage. If oxygen supply is insufficient to meet the metabolic demands of the brain due to impaired lung mechanics or inadequate respiratory function in COPD patients, this can trigger the loss of vulnerable cerebral neurons . Therefore, arterial hypoxia seems to be a major contributor to cognitive impairment with higher levels of oxygen desaturation increasing the risk of cognitive dysfunction . Moreover, lower cognitive performance has been found to be related to elevated carbon dioxide tension (PCO2) and the occurrence of hypercapnia at rest or during activity [38, 39]. Evidence has shown that increased PCO2 is related to lower reaction times, delayed memory, slower information processing speed, and deficits in attention and concentration . Also, study data has demonstrated that chronic hypoxia–hypercapnia can negatively affect patients’ cognitive function including some distinctive patterns of cognitive dysfunction . In addition, Liesker et al. have observed that overall cognitive impairment is significantly worse in both hypoxaemic and non-hypoxaemic COPD patients when compared to healthy individuals. Also, the overall relationship between PCO2 and cognitive impairment is even less clear when compared to low levels of oxygen. Van de Ven et al. did not find abnormal cerebrovascular responses to carbon dioxide in hypercapnic patients with COPD and hypoxaemia or hypercapnia alone are not enough to entirely account for the observed cognitive deficits in patients with COPD. Additional risk factors that are not directly related to lung function could therefore be potential contributors to cognitive impairment in COPD.
Risk factors for cognitive impairment in COPD
Besides lower oxygen and/or higher carbon dioxide levels in blood, a complex interaction between pulmonary and non-pulmonary risk factors may account for COPD-related cognitive deficits . According to the literature, other major risk factors which may potentially be associated with cognitive impairment are: 1) the presence of increased inflammation and oxidative stress [44, 45]; 2) reduced physical activity [46, 47]; 3) peripheral vascular disease ; 4) high or low blood pressure (non-normotensive patients) [49, 50]; 5) increased intracranial pressure associated with the narrowing of blood vessels in the brain ; 6) coexisting comorbidities ; 7) tobacco smoking ; and 8) genetic predisposition .
The pathophysiological mechanisms which link these risk factors with cognitive impairment are not clearly understood. It appears that there is a general concept that increased inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as the lack of physical activity, can express the ageing process and, therefore, increase age-related neurodegenerative changes . Moreover, vascular disturbances leading to systemic hypertension or increased intracranial pressure are a risk factor for ischemic cortical infarcts . On the other hand, systemic hypotension, which seems to be related to cerebral hypoperfusion in response to the reduced blood flow often caused by increased medication, may be responsible for protein synthesis abnormalities and reduced oxygen availability resulting in neurodegenerative lesions . Moreover, reduced tonic cortical arousal related to hypoperfusion may contribute to lower cognitive performance . Coexisting comorbidities that contribute to overall lung disease severity and tobacco smoking, which appears to modulate brain function through nicotine , may also be accountable for cognitive dysfunction. Furthermore, genetic abnormalities are a major contributor to cognitive disability . Several risk factors for cognitive deterioration, both with an independent impact and with overlapping contributions towards the development of cognitive impairment, are illustrated in Figure 2.
Should cognitive function be evaluated in the initial respiratory assessment?
Cognitive impairment has a negative impact on the personal characteristics of COPD patients including psychological profile, conscientiousness and the general ability to communicate and understand. The prevention of cognitive impairment by early intervention is thus important for treating, delaying or postponing its underlying processes and dealing with potential functional impairments that can act as barriers to the therapeutic management of COPD . Specifically, cognitive deficits can result in an inability to accurately perform given instructions in respiratory examinations, such as in spirometry where several respiratory manoeuvres are included. A concerning issue then arises, as this could result in erroneous estimations of lung function capacity and potential misdiagnosis of the stage of disease severity in COPD . Similarly, these patients may not understand the meaning of maximal exercise tests resulting in lower effort and underestimation of their exercise performance . Moreover, cognitive impairment may be held responsible for insufficient adherence to therapeutic modalities and/or to medication and this is costly. The lack of adherence to a therapeutic strategy is a significant obstacle in optimal management of COPD and results in increased rates of morbidity, healthcare expenditure, and hospitalisation, as well as increased risk of mortality, unnecessary escalation of therapy and poorer quality of life . Evidence has shown that an average of 40 to 60% of patients with COPD are committed to the prescribed regimen while only 1 in 10 patients with a metered-dose inhaler perform all of the essential steps correctly . Communication problems and/or misunderstandings between patient and doctor may also result in refusal of treatment . Forgetting or refusing to take a prescribed dose is usually the most frequent cause of non-adherence . Furthermore, COPD patients with cognitive impairment may exhibit more functional dependence during a pulmonary rehabilitation programme and gain less benefits from it compared to cognitively intact counterparts .
Taking into account all the aforementioned issues, it is reasonable to conclude that cognitive function should be part of the initial respiratory assessment, especially for those patients presenting evident or self-reported symptoms of cognitive deficit, preferably corroborated by a close-informant . Cognitive function also deserves particular attention in older patients (>65 yrs) at high risk, such as COPD patients with hypoxaemia, increased inflammation and coexisting comorbidities. Therefore, healthcare professionals who deal with elderly COPD patients are advised to be skilled in administering at least one brief cognitive test to a patient when cognitive impairment is suspected . Timely detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and awareness of this disorder is of great importance as actions can be taken to minimise or even to reverse cognitive decline and its consequences, and identify patients with increased risk of developing dementia.
Treatment of cognitive impairment as part of respiratory care
The goal of COPD management is to improve a patient’s functional status by preserving optimal lung function and to improve quality of life by mitigating the symptoms of disease and preventing secondary complications or recurrence of exacerbations . However, the high prevalence of cognitive impairment in patients with COPD, in association with the detrimental consequences of cognitive deficits on functional status and quality of life, may indicate that action should be taken towards dealing with cognitive impairment within the frame of respiratory treatment. According to the literature there are some modifiable factors, such as physical activity [71, 72], balanced diet , cognitive training and social engagement , that can be improved to provide beneficial effects to patients with COPD who have presented evidence of cognitive impairment.
Pulmonary rehabilitation as a multidimensional programme of exercise and education can be highly recommended for COPD patients with cognitive impairment . The exercise programmes implemented during pulmonary rehabilitation, along with nutritional support, have been recommended as effective strategies to counteract neurological and cognitive disorders . In addition, pulmonary rehabilitation provides patients with the opportunity to establish social contacts, obtain support and sympathy, and interact with, encourage, and motivate the other participants . Pulmonary rehabilitation has also been found to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in COPD patients [79,80,81]. All these aforementioned favourable effects can be very promising for cognitively impaired patients with COPD. Indeed, Pereira et al. have investigated the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation on cognitive function in patients with COPD and have reported significant improvements in cognitive performance even after adjustment for sociodemographic factors. Clinical improvements in visual attention, verbal memory and visuospatial skills have also been demonstrated in cognitively impaired COPD patients after participating in a 3-week rehabilitation programme . Moreover, oxygen therapy may ameliorate or delay the progression of some cognitive deficits. Karamanli et al. have demonstrated that the global cognitive function of COPD patients who did not use long-term oxygen therapy was worse compared to those who did. Indeed, the effect of such therapy on cognitive function has been found to be especially beneficial in hypoxaemic patients . Considering the high prevalence of cognitive impairment, its consequences in patients with COPD and the importance of timely detection of cognitively impaired patients, special attention to COPD-related cognitive impairment is needed within the frame of respiratory assessment. Moreover, the beneficial effects of pulmonary rehabilitation on cognitive function could be an argument for prioritising the attendance of COPD patients with cognitive deficits in a comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation programme.
Conclusions
Cognitive impairment is a prevalent limitation in patients with COPD and cognitive deficits should therefore be considered prior to healthcare planning. It is important for healthcare professionals to be aware of potential cognitive deficits in patients with COPD that could limit the effectiveness of respiratory therapy. Healthcare professionals in respiratory settings are advised to know how to administer a brief cognitive assessment test to detect COPD-related cognitive impairments when required. Early detection of cognitive impairment can prevent or delay its underlying processes and minimise potential obstacles in therapeutic strategy. COPD patients exhibiting evidence of cognitive impairment should be prioritised for participation in a comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation programme.
Educational questions
Regarding the impact of lung impairment on cognitive function in COPD, which of the following is true?
a) COPD patients with cognitive impairment present disadvantageous cognitive deficits in all the major cognitive domains.
b) COPD patients with cognitive impairment present profound cognitive deficits, primarily on memory ability, even though they are able to provide detailed examples of forgetfulness.
c) COPD patients developing cognitive impairment present cognitive deficits in at least one cognitive domain, whilst the rest of the domains can be unaffected.
d) COPD patients developing cognitive impairment may only occasionally present cognitive deficits in several cognitive domains.
What is the major problem related to cognitive impairment in respiratory assessment?
a) Patients’ forgetfulness and inability to understand instructions for the ongoing management of their disease may cause delays and act as a barrier to therapeutic management.
b) Communication problems or memory deficits due to cognitive impairment may result in misleading information being provided to healthcare professionals by patients.
c) Communication problems between patients and healthcare professionals may limit the application of important tests during respiratory assessment.
d) Patients’ inability to accurately perform respiratory manoeuvres and their lack of effort in stress tests may result in erroneous estimations of the progress of disease severity.
Why is early detection of cognitive impairment within the respiratory assessment important?
a) Because it averts or addresses potential safety issues.
b) Because there are certain modifiable factors (i.e. physical activity, cognitive training and social engagement) that can be improved, presenting beneficial effects on cognitive impairment.
c) Because it ensures that patients will have a caregiver or someone else to help them with their medical treatment.
d)Because it allows healthcare professionals to plan long-term treatment and care.
Why can pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) be beneficial to cognitive impairment in COPD?
a) Because exercise training may counteract neurological and cognitive disorders.
b) Because patients establish social contacts, obtain support and reduce anxiety/depression, and these factors have favourable effects on cognitive impairment.
c) Because clinical improvement has been reported in visual attention, verbal memory and visuospatial skills even after a short-term PR program (3 weeks).
d) Because of all of the above.
Suggested answers
c
d
b
d
Footnotes
Support statement V. Andrianopoulos is the recipient of an ERS Long-Term Research Fellowship (LTRF 63-2012) and an ERS–EU RESPIRE2 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (MCF 8465-2015). Funding information for this article has been deposited with the Crossref Funder Registry.
Conflict of interestNone declared.
- Received January 31, 2017.
- Accepted February 13, 2017.
- Copyright ©ERS 2017
Breathe articles are open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence 4.0. | https://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/13/1/e1?ijkey=43c90e5ec8b64ba390f532f99cbc93066e332d74&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha |
This article was originally published in the Commercial Litigation Journal January/February 2020. It looks at what we can learn from five years of case law since the landmark decision in Braganza v BP Shipping UKSC 17.
In Braganza, the Supreme Court held that, where one party to a contract had the right to exercise a discretion or to form an opinion which might be to the detriment of the other party, steps might have to be taken to ensure that such rights were not abused. Protection was provided by implying a term as to the manner in which such discretion should be exercised.
Braganza concerned a dispute over employment (death-in-service) rights, but in the five years since the Supreme Court’s decision, the principles of the case have been applied to a wider variety of contracts.
Mr Braganza, an employee of BP Shipping, disappeared without trace in 2009 whilst working on one of BP’s oil tankers. Under the terms of his employment contract, BP did not have to pay death-in-service benefits to his widow if, in BP’s opinion, Mr Braganza’s death resulted from his wilful act, default or misconduct. BP’s conclusion that Mr Braganza had committed suicide meant that no benefits were payable.
The Supreme Court held that the clause that required BP to form an opinion as to the circumstances of Mr Braganza’s death was subject to an implied term requiring BP to do so 'rationally'. This was not a radical decision; terms had been implied before Braganza which required a decision-maker to exercise discretion in a way that was not arbitrary, capricious or irrational (Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust v Compass Group UK and Ireland Ltd EWCA Civ 200).
However, the Supreme Court specifically applied public law principles to a private law matter, holding that the two limbs of the Wednesbury unreasonableness test (Associated Provincial Picture Houses Ltd v Wednesbury Corporation 1 KB 223) should apply to a contractual discretion clause. This required the courts to consider whether:
The result was that BP’s conclusion that Mr Braganza had committed suicide was unreasonable and in breach of the implied term. Mrs Braganza’s claim for death-in-service benefits succeeded.
Braganza therefore, is a rare example of judicial intervention to limit private parties’ freedom to contract.
This article looks at how the courts have applied Braganza and offers practical tips for those who want to exercise contractual discretion.
Braganza has not opened the floodgates and those cases in which a Braganza term has been implied are few and far between.
Indeed, the courts appear more likely, at least in the cases to-date, to find that the relevant decision-maker was not exercising a discretion but rather a contractual power – to which Braganza is not relevant.
Contractual Power
A contractual discretion affords a party some freedom to decide what should be done or what opinion to reach. A party may, for example, be required to exercise its discretion over the interest rate for a loan or, as in the case of Braganza, form an opinion as to how an employee died. In contrast, a contractual power is binary; a party may exercise the power or not. Post-Braganza, the courts have been willing to find that many disputed clauses, including those that refer to a party’s ‘discretion’, are, in fact, powers that are not subject to the implied term.
For example, in Shurbanova v Forex Capital Markets Ltd EWHC 2133 (QB), the defendant (FX) revoked Shurbanova’s forex trades on the basis they had been 'abusive', in breach of its terms of business.
Shurbanova argued that FX’s decision was either:
In either case, the decision should be subject to an implied Braganza term that it be exercised rationally.
HHJ Waksman QC was unpersuaded by Shurbanova’s arguments, holding FX’s stated contractual remedies could not be subject to a rationality provision and that, in any event, FX’s decision had been the exercise of a binary contractual power (there either had, or had not, been abusive trading), and not a discretion.
In contrast, in BHL v Leumi ABL Limited ( EWHC 1871 (QB)), the bank’s entitlement to charge the claimant an additional collection fee at up to 15% per cent of amounts collected was subject to the implied term. HHJ Waksman QC found that 'otherwise [the bank’s right] could be exercised oppressively or abusively' and 'must be exercised in a way which is not arbitrary, capricious or irrational in the public law sense'. The bank could not simply charge 15 per cent because it wanted to.
In those cases where a Braganza term has been implied, there is a clear justification that the term is necessary in order to prevent, or protect against, an abuse of power by the decision-maker. There are two occasions in particular when this might happen.
First, where the decision-maker has a conflict of interest when exercising their discretion or forming their opinion. Clearly, in Braganza, BP had an interest in the outcome of their factual inquiry into Mr Braganza’s death that would either result in BP paying, or not paying, death-in-service benefits.
Secondly, where there is an imbalance of power between the parties. In the employment context, an employee often has to contract on the employer’s terms and the employer has greater negotiating power and resources.
There may not be an imbalance of power in other contexts, such as banking disputes. Take, for example, UBS AG v Rose Capital Ventures Ltd EWHC 3137 (Ch). UBS provided a loan to Rose that gave UBS an 'absolute discretion' to require repayment on three months’ notice. A factor in favour of finding that there was no implied term limiting how UBS could exercise its discretion was the relative balance of power between UBS and Rose.
Necessity
The Braganza term will also only be implied if it is necessary to make the contract work or if its inclusion would have been so obvious at the time of contracting that it goes without saying (UBSv Rose and Watson v Watchfinder, both applying Marks and Spencer plc v BNP Paribas Securities Services Trust Co (Jersey) Ltd UKSC 72). Chief Master Marsh saw no basis in UBS for implying a Braganza term because, in part, mortgage lending has built up its own protections in the form of the duty of good faith.
Five years after Braganza, the courts continue to scrutinise contractual discretion clauses where an imbalance of power and a conflict of interest could lead to the decision maker abusing their powers. However, a proper application of Braganza will depend on the facts of each case, and this generates uncertainty for parties trying to apply the judgment in Braganza in practice. Looking at both the exercise and outcome of the discretion raises two practical problems: one for the claimant/decision-recipient and one for the defendant/decision-maker.
Claimant problem – Demonstrating irrationality
How can a claimant demonstrate that a decision-making process was irrational? Both parties will know the outcome. The claimant will rely on the contract and its context to explain, in their opinion, why the outcome was so unreasonable that it breached the Braganza requirement for a reasonable decision.
If the outcome is clearly unreasonable, the claimant may also be able to argue that the decision-making process was prima facie irrational – it would, arguably, be difficult for a defendant to maintain that an unreasonable outcome was the product of a rational decision making process. As a result, the claimant may be able to shift on to the decision-maker the burden of proving that the process adopted was rational.
But what can the claimant do if the outcome appears reasonable? Only the decision-maker will know what its decision-making process was, and it is likely that only they hold the evidence that will demonstrate the rationality, or otherwise, of that process.
Individuals, including those in the employment law context, may be able to access relevant information by making a data subject access or Freedom of Information Act request. The information provided in response may only paint a limited picture of the decision-making process, but this may nevertheless be sufficient to suggest the decision-making process was irrational, and, in turn, shift the burden on to the employer to justify its decision (UBS).
In other contexts, such as banking disputes between a bank and a corporate borrower, we do not yet know at what point the burden of proof may pass to the decision-maker. At the very least, claimants must adduce sufficient evidence that there has been a breach of the Braganza term (UBS). We anticipate that pre-action disclosure will become a key battleground in these disputes going forward, as claimants seek to gather enough evidence of irrationality to transfer the burden of proof.
Defendant problem – How to make a decision
This will depend, in part, on what standards the decision-maker is expected to meet under the implied term. In Braganza, the Supreme Court said that '[I]t may very well be that the same high standards of decision-making ought not to be expected of most contractual decision-makers as are expected of the modern state.' (our emphasis). There is a great deal to be uncertain about in this statement:
BHL v Leumi EWHC 1871 (QB) is an interesting decision in which the court applied a higher standard to Leumi’s decision-making. Leumi was a sophisticated organisation with experience of performing collections. It was familiar with the process for estimating collection fees and, therefore, the court held that it was appropriate to hold Leumi to a high standard when considering its decision.
The nature of the decision to be reached will also be relevant. In Braganza, the fact that suicide was an 'improbability' meant 'cogent evidence [was] required to form the positive opinion that it has taken place'.
How should a decision-maker evidence their decision?
Evidence was an issue in Watson v Watchfinder EWHC 1275 (Comm). The claimants sought specific performance of a share option agreement between themselves and Watchfinder in which the claimants would receive options in Watchfinder if they introduced new shareholders to the company. Watchfinder relied on a clause which they said gave them a right to veto the option being exercised, but the claimants contended that the clause amounted to a discretionary power which should be subject to an implied Braganza term. HHJ Waksman QC held that the clause was subject to an implied term; the issue then became whether it had been breached.
Watchfinder provided inconsistent evidence about who was involved in making their decision, when it happened, and what (if any) discussion led to the decision. This was, in part, because the directors worked on the mistaken belief that they had an unconditional right to veto any payment to the claimants. As a result, the claimants were able to establish breach. In the extreme, if there is no evidence, it might appear that the decision was made “by throwing darts at a dart board” (Hills v Niksun Inc EWCA Civ 115).
The nature of the evidence needed to demonstrate that a decision-making process was rational will depend on the facts of each case, but evidence of how, when and by whom the decision was made will be a starting point for any decision-maker seeking to resist a claim. The decision-maker will also need to follow any contractually agreed procedures (Daniels v Lloyds EWHC 660 (Comm)). Balance needs to be struck between the provision of sufficient evidence to show that the discretion was exercised properly but not so much that, if disclosed, it could be used against the decision-maker.
A final, short, point on exclusion. A Braganza term acts as a brake on a potential abuse of power and as such, it is extremely difficult, although not impossible, to exclude its application to a contract (Mid Essex). Rather than exclusion, it may be preferable to draft a contract to avoid the need for a Braganza term at all.
As we have highlighted above, a clause which grants a contractual power rather than a discretion is not subject to a Braganza implied term. Similarly, providing a contractual mechanism for determining what action a party should take, as in Mid Essex, provides operational certainty and removes the need for a Braganza implied term.
However, drafting a contractual power or mechanism may not be suitable in all circumstances; the decision-maker may need flexibility over the decision that they need to reach. For example, a bank may require flexibility to set interest rates in case unforeseen economic problems arise.
In UBS, a case in which where there was no implied term, the court appeared to attach a great deal of relevance to the contractual words 'absolute discretion'. However, the court also had regard to the underlying banking relationship, which placed UBS under a duty of good faith and which itself operated as a restraint on UBS’s powers. In those circumstances, it was not necessary for the court to find that a Braganza term should be implied.
In its most basic form, the position of the law, at present, is that:
There will always be a need for certain contracts to grant one party the authority to reach a decision or form an opinion on a matter which impacts on the other party. We anticipate that, over the coming years, we will see a growth in Braganza-type disputes and the development of a body of legal guidance on the key principles. For now:
This article was written by David Hall, Tom Whittaker and Harry Jewson. For more information please get in touch with the key contact or your usual Burges Salmon contact. | https://www.burges-salmon.com/news-and-insight/legal-updates/disputes/time-to-decide-how-to-exercise-contractual-discretion-five-years-after-the-braganza-case |
See how a regular fitness routine helps stimulate the brain.
Regular exercise is vital for our heart and lung health, but did you know it also affects our brain function? Here are some of the ways regular exercise can improve your mental health:
- By raising your heart rate, you stimulate the nervous system, making you think more clearly and concentrate.
- After at least 10 minutes of exercise, the brain releases “feel-good” chemicals serotonin and dopamine, which can help to reduce anxiety and depression while boosting wellbeing.
- Yoga and tai chi help reduce stress, focus your thoughts and balance body and mind.
- An increase in size and number of brain cells occurs due to circulation of oxygen and glucose to the brain. This not only protects against memory loss in older adults, but also improves memory and learning abilities in younger children.
- Risk of Alzheimer’s disease with ageing is reduced due to the improved physical health of the brain.
- A half hour of morning exercise has been shown to have a positive impact on information retention. | http://theguymagazine.com/2016/02/25/why-exercise-might-make-you-smarter/ |
While writing about the book Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, I have primarily focused on an idea that the authors call Libertarian Paternalism. The idea is to structure choices and use nudges (slight incentives and structural approaches) to guide people toward making the best possible decision as judged by themselves. Maintaining free choice and the option to investigate or chose alternatives is an important piece of the concept, as is the belief that we will influence people’s decisions no matter what, so we should use that influence in a responsible way to help foster good decision-making.
But the authors also ask if it is reasonable to go a step beyond Libertarian Paternalism. Is it reasonable for choice architects, governments, and employers to go further than gentle nudges in decision situations? Are there situations where decision-making is too important to be left to the people, where paternalistic decision-making is actually best? Sunstein and Thaler present an introduction to Asymmetric Paternalism as one possible step beyond Libertarian Paternalism.
“A good approach to thinking about these problems has been proposed by a collection of behavioral economists and lawyers under the rubric of Asymmetric Paternalism. Their guiding principle is that we should design policies that help the least sophisticated people in society while imposing the smallest possible costs on the most sophisticated.”
This approach is appealing in many ways, but also walks the line between elitism, the marginalization of entire segments of society, and maximizing good decision-making. I hate having to make lots of decisions regarding appropriate tax filings, I don’t want to have to make decisions on lots of household appliances, and I don’t really want to have to spend too much time figuring out exactly what maintenance schedule is the best for all of my cars. However, I do want to get into the weeds of my healthcare plan, I want to micromanage my exercise routine, and I want to select all the raw ingredients that go into the dinners and lunches that I cook. On some decisions that I make, I want to outsource my decision-making and I would often be happy with having someone else make a decision so that I don’t have to. But in other areas, I feel very sophisticated in my decision-making approach, and I want to have maximum choice and freedom. Asymmetric Paternalism seems like a good system for those of us who care deeply about some issues, are experts in some areas, and want to maintain full decision-making in the areas we care about, while exporting decision-making in other areas to other people.
Of course, prejudices, biases, and people’s self-interest can ruin this approach. What would happen if we allowed ourselves to deem entire groups of people as unworthy of making decisions for themselves by default? Could they ever recover and be able to exercise their freedom to chose in important areas like housing, retirement, and investment spaces? Would we be able to operate for long periods of time under a system of Asymmetric Paternalism without the system devolving due to our biases and prejudices? These are real fears, and while we might like to selectively trade off decision-making when it is convenient for us, we also have to fear that someone else will be making decisions for us that are self-serving for someone other than ourselves.
The point, according to Sunstein and Thaler, would be to maintain the freedom of decision-making for everyone, but to structure choices in a way where those with less interest and less ability to make the best decisions are guided more strongly toward what is likely the best option for them. However, we can see how this system of asymmetric paternalism would get out of control. How do we decide where the appropriate level is to draw the line between strong guidance and outright choosing for people? Would people voluntarily give up their ability to chose and overtime hand over too many decisions without an ability to get their decision authority back? Transparency in the process may help, but it might not be enough to make sure the system works. | https://novellearning.blog/2021/02/03/asymmetric-paternalism/ |
How To Create A Realistic Daily Routine For Elderly?
- The optimal amount of moderate endurance activity you should be able to fit into your week is 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity if you are an older adult trying to start an exercise regimen.
- This can include activities such as walking, swimming, cycling, and dedicating a little amount of time each day to strengthening, flexibility, and balance.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a government organization that works to prevent and control disease.
Establishing a Routine for Seniors on a Daily Basis
- 7:30 a.m. is the time to get up
- Take care of your personal hygiene needs and put on your clothes
- Breakfast on the patio while listening to your favorite music is a treat.
- Take a walk around the block
- Solve a problem or complete an art project
- Prepare a picnic lunch to be taken to the neighborhood park, if possible.
- Run an errand for me
What is a daily routine for seniors?
What is the definition of a daily routine? A routine is defined as performing the same fundamental actions at the same time every day. The day is given structure and a natural flow as a result of this. Having a schedule also makes it easy to recall if your elderly loved one has completed vital tasks such as taking medication, going to the restroom, drinking water, and consuming food.
What is an example of a regular daily routine?
For example, waking up at 8 a.m., going to the bathroom, brushing teeth, washing face, combing hair, changing from pajamas to ordinary clothing, and then sitting down to a nice breakfast of oatmeal and coffee would be part of a regular daily routine. It would then be time for your elderly relative to take their morning meds.
How to create a personalized daily routine?
- The following are five steps to creating a personalized daily routine.
- Make a list of everything.
- First and foremost, make a list of everything you need to accomplish each day, both at home and in the office.
Don’t be concerned about how you plan to organize this Structure Your Day session.Get a specific (optional) schedule in advance so that you may be flexible.Take Your New Vehicle for a Test Drive
What are the benefits of routine for older adults?
2. An increased sense of well-being and protection Surprises and persistent uncertainty are not liked by the majority of individuals. Routines allow your older adult to forecast and arrange their day, which helps them feel more secure and stable. When everything else is known and predictable, it is also simpler to manage with memory and cognitive impairments.
What are the daily routine of the elderly?
Assistance in waking up in the morning, including personal hygiene and preparing breakfast. I am available for company at all hours of the day and night – anytime you require it. Light cleaning and laundry duties are required. Shopping and other activities are on the agenda.
Why is there a need to have a routine schedule for the elderly?
Routines allow your older adult to forecast and arrange their day, which helps them feel more secure and stable. When everything else is known and predictable, it is also simpler to manage with memory and cognitive impairments.
How do I create a custom daily routine?
Creating a personalized daily routine may be accomplished in five steps:
- Make a list of everything. In the first instance, make a list of everything you need to accomplish each day, both in your personal and professional life.
- Make a plan for your day.
- Make a Specification (Optional)
- Schedule ahead of time to allow for flexibility.
- Take Your New Routine for a Test Drive
What do seniors want most?
In addition to companionship, the elderly require the development of relationships with other members of their communities. They can accomplish this through engaging in group activities and themed events, as well as going on field trips and excursions. It is shown that having the chance to socialize enhances their overall well-being and mental health.
How do you maximize the well being of the elderly person?
Six strategies for improving the psychological health and well-being of elderly
- Make an effort to be physically active every day.
- Relax both your mind and body.
- Increase your social network.
- Participate in a life skills program that is based in the community.
- Helping others is a kind of self-help.
- Consider counseling or talk therapy as an alternative.
How do you entertain a senior?
Take a look at these wonderful possibilities that you may be able to locate at your local senior living facility.
- Exercise Classes in a Group.
- Wii Sports
- Wii Fit.
- Walking groups.
- Walking clubs.
- Gardening clubs are available.
- Book clubs are a good idea.
- Exercises based on your life story.
- Lectures and classes for continuing education
- Classes in Visual Arts
What are daily care routines?
Care routines include activities like as diaper change, eating, clothing, and sleeping, all of which fall under the umbrella phrase ″care routines.″ These routines are not only vital for the health of children, but they also have the ability to aid in the learning and general development of newborns and toddlers.
How do you get into a routine when retired?
Get into a routine and enjoy life after retirement with these 14 suggestions.
- 1 Make a conscious decision to begin your day with a purpose
- 2 Maintain your interest in your activities.
- 3 Continue to engage in social activities.
- 4 Engage in physical activity to maintain your fitness and health
- 5 Spend at least 30 minutes each day outside
- 6 Experiment with new things
- 7 Maintain a record of your financial transactions
- 9 Pick up new talents or further your studies
Does routine help with dementia?
When people with dementia attempt to learn new skills, they have more difficulties.. A consistent pattern can help to keep a person with dementia from being distracted and losing track of what they were doing at any one time. Even if they have little or no conscious awareness of the passage of time, regularity serves to keep them grounded.
What is the best morning routine?
- The best morning routine includes 21 actions that can help you have a more productive day. Make sure you get a decent night’s sleep
- Avoid pressing the snooze button.
- Set a reasonable amount of time aside to go to work
- Drink a full glass of water before you begin
- Take pleasure in a cup of coffee or tea
- Ensure that you have a nutritious breakfast
- Take advantage of self-care opportunities.
- Make time for a brief workout
What is the best daily routine?
- Daily Routines for a Healthy Lifestyle Eat a Healthy Breakfast
- Exercise on a Regular Basis
- Maintain proper hydration.
- Purchase a Healthy Lunch.
- Do some stretches in the middle of the day.
- Dinner.
- Take some time to unwind.
- Before going to bed, take a vitamin C supplement.
- Put yourself to bed at a reasonable hour. Even though it may seem simple, getting adequate sleep is essential if you want to function at your peak performance.
How do you create a routine with an irregular work schedule?
Make a daily schedule that works for you. Organizational techniques such as waking up at the same time every day, taking a shower in the morning, scheduling relaxation periods, and scheduling other duties such as cooking and cleaning at specific times will help you structure your day more effectively.
How can I make my home elderly safer?
Step 1: Safety recommendations at a low cost
- Create non-slip strips in the bathtub and shower to prevent slipping and falling.
- Floors should be treated with non-slip wax.
- In the shower, place a seat or chair that is waterproof
- Steps should have nonskid treads installed.
- Throw rugs should be removed.
- Lever handles should be used in place of traditional doorknobs.
- Replace the toilet with one that is elevated or has a high profile.
What do seniors fear most?
The loss of one’s independence The worry of losing physical abilities and having to rely on others for daily care is the most common among older citizens. According to a 2010 research by the Disabled Living Foundation, seniors are more concerned about losing their independence than they are about dying.
How old is elderly?
The elderly have traditionally been defined as those who have reached the age of 65 or older. People between the ages of 65 and 74 are typically referred to as early elderly, while those above the age of 75 are referred to as late elderly. | http://elrenosacredheart.com/help-for-the-elderly/how-to-create-a-realistic-daily-routine-for-elderly.html |
19 Mar Power of telekinesis: Concentration
The ability to totally concentrate at will is not only extremely beneficial but in fact is one of the most important of all abilities, and one upon which most other abilities, including Telekinesis ultimately rely. Without adequate powers of concentration nothing worthwhile including Telekinesis can be achieved or true progress accomplished; this really is such an important truth that everyone should fully understand. On the other hand with the ability of complete powers of concentration quite literally anything is possible.
In addition to Telekinesis and related abilities, the benefits of developing the ability to totally concentrate at will includes but is certainly not in any way limited to the complete control of thoughts, absolute peace of Mind, self-confidence, inner strength, will power, ability to focus your Mind, improved memory, better ability to make and carry out decisions, more control over your daily life, ability to study and learn much more quickly and efficiently, control over extraneous passing thoughts and not giving in to them, freedom from needless, annoying, obsessive, compulsive or upsetting thoughts, routines and habits, inner happiness, the development of extremely valuable abilities, more advanced powers of the imagination including visualization, and the ability to meditate effectively.
There are many more valuable benefits arising from the ability to fully concentrate, these being just a few of the more important ones.
Many people unfortunately have considerable difficulty in concentrating for more than a few seconds at a time, with the Mind constantly jumping around from thought to thought and subject to subject without any sort of conscious control or structure whatsoever. People are often heard to complain for example, “I cannot possibly think of a hundred things at once”; and therein is a real issue; they are indeed thinking of a hundred things at once instead of just one single thought; the immediate task in hand or point of focus.
Another expression for this inability to concentrate on a single thought is “monkey Mind”; the Mind is constantly chattering away endlessly creating noise and thus dimming its true power, abilities and therefore effectiveness.
In some parts of the world people who are unable to maintain any single thought for more than a few moments are known as “quinhentos pensamentos”, which literally means, “five hundred thoughts”. This situation applies equally to people of all cultures throughout the world.
Diluting the Mind with thoughts is like diluting anything; the totality of its effectiveness will be reduced in proportion to the amount of dilution as the concentrated effectiveness is scattered and dissipated. A single strongly focused thought is extremely powerful, this simply cannot be emphasized enough. “Phenomena” which to most people would seem to be completely miraculous are easily possible by means of single pointed, completely focused and concentrated powers of the Mind.
Thought is Energy and therefore focused thought is focused Energy the vibrations of which can have a profound effect on the object of the thought, with results that might appear to the casual observer to be truly miraculous.
A graphic example of such immense power of concentration has often been observed and related by those who have traveled in India. They tell of how they personally witnessed a seed actually being planted in the earth, and which seed not only then immediately sprouts and grows before their very eyes, but very soon thereafter also yields fruits that could actually be plucked and even tasted. All of this occurring in just a few moments. This “phenomena” was accomplished by the use of the most intense use of the powers of concentration and imagination by Fakirs who used these powers to such focused, single pointed and profound effect, that the objects of their intense powers of concentration and imagination actually manifest for all to see, sense and experience in the physical world.
To control your thoughts is to exercise a much higher level of control over every aspect of your life with all of the profound resultant benefits. Lack of concentration and control over thoughts generally can be likened to piercing a sheet of thin paper with a blunt pencil; piercing a sheet of paper with a blunt pencil will prove to be difficult, and the paper will very often simply tear. However if the pencil is sharp, the point will pierce the sheet of paper very easily indeed leaving a small neat hole.
The same situation can be applied to concentration; if concentration is blunt and undisciplined and the Mind is crowded by hundreds of thoughts, the Mind will be equally blunt and ineffective, and accomplishing any single objective or indeed anything at all worthwhile will be very difficult indeed or quite often impossible to do. If on the other hand the concentration of the Mind is sharp and single pointed, then the entire Energy of the point is focused in one place on one single intended action, and the results will be that much more effective. The stronger, more focused and single pointed your concentration, the more powers and abilities you will enjoy in controlling every aspect of your life, ongoing evolution, and therefore your own personal happiness, peace and harmony.
The ultimate objective of concentration is to attain a state of “single pointedness” of Mind. Such single pointedness is the total, complete and unwavering focus on either one single thought, or very often no specific thoughts at all; in other words a focus on a total emptiness of Mind, totally devoid of all thoughts of any kind. Such a complete concentration on emptiness of Mind is fundamental to another very important ability, that of meditation, the benefits of which are profound, numerous and extremely valuable. A highly developed ability of concentration is therefore crucial for Telekinesis, but will also assist in the processes of achieving Astral Projection, OBE, healing and many other valuable powers of the Mind.
Although almost anyone can develop high levels of concentration and willpower there are certain barriers to success that should be taken into account. Any inherent physical or mental weaknesses brought about for example by an ongoing illness, can effect concentration. At the same time such conditions can fortunately be healed, as we will also discuss later. A lifestyle too filled with a wide range of activities can also make it difficult to achieve the ability of total concentration, the Mind of such a person always being preoccupied with thoughts pertaining to their ongoing activities. Such a person will also have difficulty in finding the time and motivation required to put aside the necessary time each day.
That said, we can now move on to the actual practice of achieving the levels of concentration that will make Telekinesis a much more natural process, as well as providing for the basis of all of the other valuable abilities mentioned.
The practice of concentration
Initially concentration can be practiced from any sufficiently relaxed position. Ultimately however, once a good degree of concentration has been achieved, the ability can be taken to a much higher level with a more formal posture such as for meditation, a subject we will discuss in much more detail later. You should ideally start by devoting at least ten minutes each day to these exercises, later increasing to at least thirty minutes each day if possible.
There are several progressive stages involved in achieving a high level of concentration abilities. First of all you need to ensure you are completely relaxed, ideally by performing deep physical relaxation exercises. As previously mentioned, once your levels of concentration and will power have reached a certain level it will no longer be necessary to perform formal relaxation exercises, you will be able to sit in your upright chair, take up your posture with back completely straight and relax instantly simply by willing to do so; everything must comply with your will but this first requires the necessary level of concentration.
The following concentration exercises are progressive. It will accordingly prove to be counterproductive to move on to the next exercise until the previous exercise has been successfully and fully accomplished. Sit straight up in hard chair, spine absolutely vertical, not leaning back, knees together and hands face down on your knees or thighs and proceed as follows:
Exercise 1: Close your eyes and count backwards in your Mind from 100 to 0. Should you miss any numbers go back to 100 and start over again. You should be able to do this 10 times in a row before proceeding to the next exercise.
Exercise 2: Close your eyes and count backwards from 100 in increments of two. In other words count backwards 100, 98, 96, 94, 92, 90 and so on down to 0. Should you miss any numbers start again from 100. You should be able to succeed with this exercise 10 times in a row before proceeding to the next exercise.
Exercise 3: Repeat exercise 2, but this time counting backwards in increments of three; 100, 97, 94, 91 and so on. As before should you miss any numbers you must start over again. You should be able to succeed with this exercise 10 times in a row before proceeding to the next exercise.
Exercise 4: Select any word of your choice, an interesting one is better, and continuously repeat the same word over and over again in your Mind. Should another word enter your Mind then start over again. When you can repeat the same word in your Mind for at least 10 minutes without interruption this exercise is complete.
Exercise 5: Select a convenient object such as a fruit, and spend at least 10 minutes examining it from all sides. You must apply your entire unwavering attention to this exercise, the objective being to memorise the object as completely and in as much detail as possible.
Examine the object from all angles, not allowing any other thoughts to intrude within your Mind while doing so. Your entire focus and attention should be examining and memorising your chosen object in as much detail as you possibly can. Only when you have completely memorized this object should you move on to the next exercise.
Exercise 6: Close your eyes, concentrate, and visualise your chosen object from Exercise 5 as realistically as possible. Visualize the object exactly as it appeared when you were previously examining it, making it appear so lifelike in fact that you believe you can easily reach out and touch it. Should you have difficulty with this return to exercise 5 and memorise the object for a further 10 minutes. This is an extremely valuable exercise for many of the abilities we will be discussing later. Once you have successfully completed this exercise with the original object, repeat exactly the same exercise again with a range of different objects of various shapes, sizes and colours.
Exercise 7: Obtain a fruit of your choice and divide it into sections. Examine your fruit thoroughly, not only with your visual senses but also with your senses of smell, touch and taste. Examine it visually, smell it, feel it and taste it, committing all of these received impressions to memory in as much vivid detail as possible.
Exercise 8: Close your eyes and imagine exactly how the fruit appeared while previously examining it utilising all of your senses; sight, smell, taste and touch. Imagine you can smell, taste and feel the texture of the fruit thereby completely re-creating it in your Mind.
The fruit should appear to be so solid and lifelike that you desire to actually reach out and eat it. As with the previous exercises should you not be able to achieve task this at the first attempt then go back to Exercise 7 and embed the characteristics of the fruit in your Mind as firmly as possible once again before progressing on with Exercise 9. It is most important not to proceed with any exercise until the previous one is complete.
Exercise 9: Close your eyes and imagine you can hear the sound of a clock ticking loudly. The ticking must seem totally real as if there actually is a clock in your room. Once you have established the sound of the clock realistically ticking in your imagination, maintain the ticking for a full 10 minutes without interruption. If your concentration is broken and you miss a few ticks of the clock, you should either start over again or leave the exercise for another day until you can imagine the ticking with total reality for a full 10 minutes.
Exercise 10: The objective of this final exercise is to achieve a total emptiness of Mind, a total void of all thoughts. This is an extremely valuable state to be able to achieve, and is the basis for achieving many inner abilities, and should therefore be practiced for as long as it takes to perfect this ability which is also the basis of meditation.
Close your eyes, relax, and vigorously reject any thoughts attempting to enter your Mind. At first this might seem difficult as thought after thought tries to encroach upon your imposed silence. If thoughts do encroach upon your silence, rather than feeling distracted or even frustrated, simply passively observe the thoughts and allow them to drift through your Consciousness without giving them any focus. If you do latch onto a thought and start to give it any sort of importance it will then occupy your Mind and might well prove to be very difficult to remove.
The objective of this exercise is to hold your Consciousness totally and completely clear of all thoughts whatsoever for at least ten minutes. This exercise might well take several weeks of practicing for at least ten minutes each day before fully achieved. It should be stressed however that this final exercise is extremely useful and important in the development of a wide range of inner abilities, and should ideally be practiced daily until perfected. Eventually it will become possible to maintain this state of Mind for as long as you wish, and certainly for many hours at a time, during which profound experiences can occur.
Having successfully completed all of these exercises, your concentration and willpower will have increased considerably and will prove to be an excellent asset in the future. It is most important however to maintain the practice of these exercises regularly, ideally every day, otherwise you could very easily start to diminish your powers of concentration. Should this happen repeat whichever exercises are necessary in order to bring your concentration levels back to those of exercise 10 once again; you should be able to achieve total vacancy of Mind at will.
Having acquired the most valuable ability of total concentration at will, it is also highly beneficial to be able to control all of your thought processes throughout the day. This involves focusing your thoughts exclusively on whatever it is you are doing at any particular moment in time and never allowing your thoughts to wander on to other matters. Remember: focused thought is extremely powerful, but scattered, random, transient thoughts will result in the same effects and nothing worthwhile will be achieved. Such focus of thought might seem difficult at first; most people tend to naturally let their Minds wander as a lifetime habit, however with perseverance ongoing control of thoughts will in turn become a habit which will find yourself doing subconsciously without even thinking about it.
Thought control will further enhance your concentration abilities and will also sharpen your levels of Consciousness and powers of memory, as well as other valuable attributes of the Mind and Spirit, attributes that will enable you to assume full control over your daily life as well as your ongoing personal evolution. | https://egelywheel.net/power-telekinesis-concentration/ |
Given the substantial financial penalties imposed by the UK's economic regulators it is surprising that, unlike competition law enforcement cases, very few regulatory enforcement cases have ever been the subject of contested proceedings. As a result, those facing enforcement action face enormous uncertainty when sanctions are threatened and negotiated settlements are therefore reached in something of a vacuum. A recent decision in Ofgem's enforcement action against npower provides a rare and valuable glimpse into how the regulator handles contested cases.
On 2 August Ofgem announced a proposal to fine npower £2.4 million for supply licence breaches arising from failure to install advanced meters for some electricity business customers by a deadline which expired in April 2014. Along with other energy suppliers, npower was obliged to install such meters for all of its customers (except where, having taken "all reasonable steps" to do so, this was not possible).
To settle or not to settle?
Ofgem had initially sought to agree a settlement of its case against npower (in terms of which npower would likely have paid an amount by way of penalty and redress), but agreement could not be reached and so it had initiated a (hitherto untested) step in its enforcement process by referring the case to a body known as the Enforcement Decision Panel (EDP). In presenting its case to the EDP, Ofgem had submitted that a financial penalty of "at least £3.7m" should be imposed in respect of the relevant breaches (which suggests that the (discounted) figure at which Ofgem would have sought to settle the case would have been lower than that).
Decision-making by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (GEMA) in enforcement cases consists of an investigative phase undertaken by staff employed in the Office which supports the GEMA board (Ofgem), followed by a decision-making phase. Virtually all cases dealt with prior to the most recent npower case have ended in a settlement and the decision-making phase has been handled by a settlement committee of the GEMA board. In this case, however, it was dealt with by the EDP, which is a panel of independent individuals established in 2014 to exercise delegated decision-making powers on behalf of the GEMA board. The EDP's decision forms part of GEMA's administrative decision-making process, but is made independently of Ofgem. The EDP determines contested matters on the basis of the evidence and submissions put before it by both Ofgem and the licensee(s) alleged to have contravened the relevant regulatory requirement.
The EDP determination produced what might be described as a mixed result for npower. On the one hand, the EDP decided that npower had indeed breached the relevant requirements (and had, in particular, failed to satisfy the "all reasonable steps" requirement). On the other hand, the EDP disagreed with Ofgem on the extent of npower's failings and decided to impose a significantly lower penalty than the one for which Ofgem had contended.
Formal dispute resolution – wider benefits
Beyond those narrow considerations, however, the EDP determination provides stakeholders with something long missing from enforcement activity in the sector, i.e., a rigorous, impartial and transparent assessment of the legal and factual merits of an enforcement case brought by an Ofgem case team. The EDP was particularly dismissive, for instance, of Ofgem's attempts to apply contract law concepts to interpret an expression such as, "all reasonable steps", in the context of regulatory obligations. It was also fully engaged with the facts of the case and had been prepared (although the opportunity did not arise) to hear oral evidence from (and cross-examination of) witnesses.
The publication of the EDP determination in the npower case offers a valuable insight into the handling of contested cases within the energy regulator. Those contemplating the alternatives to settling enforcement cases in future will be able to derive substantial comfort from the evident quality of the EDP's approach to handling the case.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances. | https://www.mondaq.com/uk/utilities/731112/shining-a-light-resolving-contested-energy-sector-enforcement-cases |
Mark McMullen, partner – CEO, Family Office, at Stonehage Fleming (Switzerland), explains the practicalities of successful succession planning. McMullen explains that succession planning is the most important tool of long-term risk management.
It is often repeated that families go from “clogs to clogs in three generations”, namely that wealth earned in one generation seldom lasts through to the third generation.
Given the hard work involved in building such fortunes, it can be difficult to understand how such seemingly successful families so often fail in their attempts to transfer wealth.
Some immediate explanations spring to mind: a lack of diversification of assets; insufficient interest from the inheriting generation; or rigid control by the previous generation.
A more insidious, and less well-known, cause of wealth destruction is a breakdown of communication within the family.
Such breakdowns in communication can come at any time, but there are certain key moments when they are more likely to occur: the death of the head of the family; divorce; when a family business is sold; or when a member of the next generation assumes a leadership role (within the family or within the business).
These inflection points are all part and parcel of life, but they can become very damaging in instances when a family lacks both a clear framework for making decisions and an agreed set of objectives, which have been originated by the founder and renewed by successive generations.
Succession planning
Succession planning is the most important tool of long-term risk management. It does not guarantee the preservation of wealth through the generations, but it can, and does improve, the chances that the wealth will survive.
Each individual family has a unique culture which can be thought of as an amalgam of beliefs, values, practices, norms and ideas.
These are what help drive a family’s strategy.
Despite all family cultures being different, there is a common theme that rests on the belief that culture brings the family together to identify common values.
Succession best practice therefore begins by identifying and understanding these values and addressing three key elements of next generational planning and family governance.
The purpose of wealth
Agreeing the purpose of wealth is key when faced with the decision as to how to leave wealth, to whom and in what form. Asking the question ‘what is it all for?’ is an exercise which provides many benefits, especially to those who are beginning to plan the transition to the next generation.
Consideration must also be given to whether to leave it unconditionally, or to leave guidance on how wealth should be used and managed.
At one extreme, there are some entrepreneurs who leave nearly all their money to charity, and at the other extreme, there is a family trying to create a 200 years trust with guidelines for distributions across eight generations.
Dividing the wealth
The next question is how the wealth is to be divided between different family members.
Fairness and equality are easy words to use, but it is not so easy to define what they mean in practice.
It could be argued that the wealth should be divided equally between members of the next generation. Alternatively, that a greater share is allocated to those with responsibility for carrying forward the family business or other assets.
The responsibilities of family leaders must be specified and mechanisms put in place to protect the interests of others. Without a guiding philosophy every decision has the potential to cause a rift.
Making decisions
Finally, processes by which decisions are made is critical to the future wellbeing of a family.
Constitutions define the overall objectives and decision-making processes for the entire family and most see a benefit in this tool.
It is also true that some families prefer a less business-like management approach, finding such documents to be too structured and restrictive.
Communications will usually include family meetings (the whole family and consultative only) and the family council (a representative body with some decision-making powers).
Where there is as a family business making up a substantial part of the assets, the relationship between the family and the business will be critical, as will the rules which govern the highly sensitive area of family members working in the business.
Succession best practice therefore is not just one set prescribed procedure. The biggest challenge is to agree the format and get the process started.
Regardless, it goes beyond reasonable doubt that in the majority of cases an effective succession planning exercise brings considerable benefit to a wealthy family.
In our experience, families that navigate wealth transfer positively are those willing to communicate freely, take outside advice when necessary and keep an open mind about their long-term goals, and what they would consider a successful outcome. | https://www.privatebankerinternational.com/analysis/succession-planning-strategies-work/ |
Daily exercise outdoors, even for a short time, would significantly improve mood and self-esteem, as well as increase physical and mental health according to a study from University of Essex, UK. Although this study is not the first to demonstrate that spending time in nature has a significant impact on physical and mental health, it would be the only one to measure quantitatively the benefits of physical exercise in nature.
Scientists studied 1252 people of different ages, experiences and health levels to determine if green exercise (such as walking, cycling, fishing, water sports, horseback riding, gardening or farming) would have a positive effect on their health, especially mental health. Although all types of outdoor environments were beneficial, it was noted that those that included a water surface provided the greatest improvement. Finally, green exercise would have the greatest impact on young people and people suffering from mental illness, according to the study.
Interestingly, researchers speculate that the costs associated with health could be reduced by increasing access to nature and “self-medicating” with green exercise.
So, is not that a beautiful walk in a park is more attractive than going to a stinky gym walking on the spot? This study demonstrates that physical activity in nature greatly improves the over-familiar discomfort resulting from poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, walk, run, bike, garden, golf, skateboard, swim, go bird watching … no matter what you like, do it! And do it on a daily basis!
Do you join me * out * for my daily walk?
Sheryl-Anne
If you liked this article, maybe you’ll also enjoy: | https://alternativemedicinecollege.com/green-exercise/ |
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New study puts 40 patients through 12-week course
Tango dancing benefits Parkinson’s patients
Montreal, QC, Canada (April 13, 2015) – Dancing the Argentine tango could have potential benefits for people at certain stages in the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to findings in a new study by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital -The Neuro, McGill University and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. The study looked at changes in patients‘ motor abilities following a 12-week tango course, and is also the first study to assess the effect that tango has on non-motor symptoms.
The study looked at whether a social and physical activity linked to music, such as tango, could have possible therapeutic value for PD patients who characteristically suffer from motor dysfunctions—tremor, rigidity, gait dysfunction—as well as from non-motor symptoms, such as depression, fatigue and cognitive degeneration. Forty men and women with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease participated in the study, which involved studio classes with two professional dance teachers. Patients were from the Movement Disorders Clinics of the McGill University Health Centre.
"There’s accumulating evidence that habitual physical activity is associated with a lower risk of developing PD, which suggests a potential slowing of PD progression," says Dr. Silvia Rios Romenets, lead researcher in the study with a special interest in Parkinson’s disease and dance therapy. Dr. Rios Romenets is a clinical research fellow at the Movement Disorders Clinics at The Neuro and Montreal General Hospital. "In the study, we found the tango was helpful in significantly improving balance and functional mobility, and seemed to encourage patients to appreciate their general course of therapy. We also found modest benefits in terms of patients‘ cognitive functions and in reducing fatigue. No significant changes were detected in overall motor functions."
Argentine tango may be particularly helpful for improving balance and functional mobility in patients with PD. Tango requires specific steps that involve rhythmically walking forward and backward. This may be particularly helpful for walking difficulties especially for freezing of gait and to prevent backward falls. In addition, tango requires working memory, control of attention, and multitasking to incorporate newly learned and previously learned dance elements, to stay in rhythm with the music, and maneuver around others on the dance floor.
Many PD patients find traditional exercise programs unappealing. Over half of PD patients fail to get their recommended daily dose of physical activity. There is however, a connection between music and the dopamine systems in the brain – which are pivotal for establishing and maintaining behavior. So, combining music with exercise in dance such as the tango, can increase accessibility, enjoyability, and motivation, as well as improving mood and stimulating cognition. Also, the social interaction and social support involved in tango have positive results on mood and compliance.
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This study was published in the April 2015 issue of Complementary Therapies in Medicine and supported by the Parkinson Society of Canada and the Fonds de recherché santé Québec.
McGill University, 13.04.2015 (tB). | https://www.krankenpflege-journal.com/new-study-puts-40-patients-through-12-week-course-tango-dancing-benefits-parkinsons-patients/ |
Keywords: Energy Efficiency policies, Consumer decision-making, lab experiment, rebate programs.
Author(s): María del Mar Solà, Amaia de Ayala, Ibon Galarraga and Marta Escapa
Date: 2022-06-07
Issue: 2022-02
Download this working paper (863 KB.)
This paper aims to check in a controlled environment for evidence of the memory effect found in Solà et al. (2021b). We considered different risk framings that could lead to different cognitive processes, and therefore different appliance purchasing decisions. The experiment was staged at the Bilbao Laboratory of Experimental Analysis (Bilbao-Labean) in March 2022 and 166 subjects took part, in 4 different sessions. This lab experiment included 3 different parts: (i) a risk-elicitation task to measure subject preferences; (ii) a role-playing exercise to check for evidence of the memory effect in the purchasing decision of a fridge; (iii) a post-experiment survey to control for differences in the choices of participants and explain their decisions as well as other personal factors (e.g. socio-demographic factors). The design of the experiment staged enables the factors that nudge consumers towards investing in EE to be explained. The results show that different characteristics such as age and social class may affect consumer decision-making. The older a participant is, the more likely they are to buy energy-efficient fridges and the less likely it is that RENOVE will have any effect. This could be because older people tend to have a higher economic status and could therefore invest more in EE. Social class has a negative impact on the memory effect but a positive impact on purchasing energy-efficient fridges. The decision criteria underlying the choices made in the lab experiment (e.g. energy consumption criteria, lifetime energy cost criteria, etc) were also significant. | https://www.bc3research.org/index.php?option=com_wpapers&task=showdetails&Itemid=279&idwpaper=105 |
In the 1980's and 1990's the notion of moral luck was the topic of intense debate. Prompted by seminal papers by Bernard Williams ('Moral Luck' reprinted in Moral Luck, Cambridge UP, 1982) and Thomas Nagel ('Moral Luck', reprinted in Mortal Questions, Cambridge UP, 1979), moral philosophers engaged in heated discussions about whether and to what extent morality and moral responsibility is (and ought to be considered as) subject to different sorts of empirical contingencies. More precisely the discussion focused on the question of whether agents can and ought to be treated as morally responsible for actions, character traits or consequences, which they are causally related to, but which depend on factors beyond their control.
Nafsika Athanassoulis' book, Morality, Moral Luck and Responsibility (published in hardback in 2005; republished in paperback in 2010) provides an overview and critical discussion of this debate, while simultaneously developing a historically informed response to the problem of moral luck. Athanassoulis returns to one of the central ideas of Williams' and Nagel' original paper; their suggestion that the notion of moral luck constitutes an apparently insoluble problem for moral theories such as Kant's, which regard morality and freedom as necessarily interdependent concepts. One of the central arguments in Athanassoulis' book is to expand on this insight and show that moral luck is a problem for any moral theory which takes moral agency and moral responsibility to be related to choice, control and notions of praise and blame.
Chapter 1 lays out the basic problem raised by the notion of moral luck, attempts to define the relevant terms and presents a typology of the different types of moral luck typically discussed in the literature. Athanassoulis contends that the discussion of moral luck has typically focused on particular illustrative examples of moral luck, which are taken to provide paradigmatic instances of the phenomenon, and that this focus has prevented philosophers from appreciating the true complexity of the phenomenon. Athanassoulis thus follows (and slightly modifies) Nagel, in dividing moral luck into three distinct categories: Constitutive, developmental and resultant luck.
Employing the distinctions developed in the first chapter the rest of the book then discusses how particular moral theories and approaches deal with moral luck. Chapters 2-4 focus on Aristotle's practical philosophy; chapter 5 presents a (very) short discussion of stoicism and the stoic view of moral luck; chapters 6-7 are dedicated to Kant's moral philosophy and chapter 8 provides an overview of how contemporary virtue ethicists and neo-Kantians attempt to deal with moral luck. The main conclusions reached in these chapters are 1) that Aristotle is more vulnerable to the problem of moral luck than commonly assumed; 2) that though Kant's moral philosophy is particularly susceptible to the problem of moral luck it also contains (often overlooked) resources to respond to this problem and 3) that the problems raised by the notion of moral luck runs so deep and are so wide ranging that no single theoretical approach seems to provide a satisfactory solution.
Athanassoulis' account of Aristotle and Kant are brief (occasionally too brief) and to the point. People familiar with Aristotle's and Kant's ethics and anthropology will probably not learn anything new by reading the chapters dedicated to these philosophers. Those who still suffer from the (all too common) misconception that Aristotle had nothing to say about freedom and choice and Kant had nothing to say about the empirical conditions for moral agency will probably benefit from Athanassoulis' presentation. The chapter on Stoicism, however, is so short (only 17 pages) that no adequate presentation or discussion of particular stoic thinkers is possible. Athanassoulis settles for a broad overview of basic stoic ideas and concepts, but the discussion of these ideas is so general and non-specific that it does not really provide any insight into the particular views and ideas of stoicism. Besides, the main function of the chapter on stoicism seems to be to serve as a sort of bridge or link between Aristotle and Kant. In my opinion the book would have been better if this chapter had been dropped and more space had been dedicated to the discussion of Aristotle and Kant. Chapter 8, the chapter on contemporary virtue ethical and neo-Kantian responses to the problem of moral luck, is interesting but unfortunately the discussions here are also quite brief and would have benefited considerably from a more detailed and in depth treatment.
In short: Athanassoulis' book represents a valuable and historically informed contribution to the discussion of moral luck. The discussions of Kant and Aristotle are adequate given the aim and scope of the book, but do not provide any new insights into the central doctrines of these two thinkers. But that is not necessarily a problem since exegesis is not the primary purpose of the book.
Though the notion of moral luck is not nearly as popular or central for discussions within moral philosophy as it was a decade ago, the problems raised by this concept and the question of whether contingent factors outside the agent's own control can and should influence our moral assessment of the agent, remain as pressing as ever. Athanassoulis' books should be read as an attempt to provide us with a better, more adequate, grasp of this question, and as such it is quite successful. | http://metapsychology.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=book&id=5908&cn=394 |
The principle of double effect depends on prudent intentions of using trolleys. Now naturally in moral discussions purpose is an important and indispensable criterion. This does not remove the problematic nature of the intentions. The intentions of a given person cannot be intentionally understood by others (i.e., you may not really know my intentions). Furthermore, although a given person may observe their own intentions, they do not clearly understand it.
Given this, an alternative argument would be useful in determining when and where we should throw the switch. Such an alternative argument, however subtle and one that we can apply without conscious belief, would be that there was a symmetrical risk in this situation.
Symmetrical uses
Well, yes, you agree that such an argument – symmetrical risk – should be less than your conscious belief because you have never heard it before. So, what do I mean by this unusual, compound word of symmetrical crisis?A situation is a symmetrical crisis if the relative risks of different groups of individuals inevitably depend on one or a limited number of trolley variables.
Thus, which group is at greater risk, aka relative risk, depends on the position of the switch, aka essentially a trolley variable. The hypothesis is that in such situations we are not allowed to be morally bound by the current state of the switch.
So, let’s step through the details.
Is the position of the switch random? It is not as trolley as throwing a coin, but it is trolley in the sense that the situation is based on a common phenomenon. The position of the switch at any given time depends on: the time of day, the characteristics of the trolley traffic, the destination of the next trolley, the need for periodic testing and maintenance, and the number of other events in the general flow of the trolley system. The position of the switch depends on such a large number of variables that its position is inevitably trolley at any given time.
What is the significance of trolleys?
This is it. Trolley events in a negligible number of cases will unfortunately and arbitrarily determine whether one person is the victim of a more tragic accident than another. A commuter train collided, killing several people. One person took the next train – and survived – because they decided to stop for gas at the train station, while another took the previous train – and died – because the line for coffee was shorter than usual.In such situations, we do not impose any moral blame on individuals for the events that determine whether they live or drown. We assume that randomness is not
What is the relevance of the trolley problem? The relevance is that, since the position of the switch is random, we cannot give that position moral importance. If the trolley problem had occurred later in the day, the switch could have been made toward the side track. To the extent that there is no moral weight or consideration for the position of the switch, then there is no ethical estimate of the current position of the switch. We are not bound by it; We are morally allowed to move the switch regardless of its current position. | https://www.dailymagazinespro.com/why-you-need-to-switch-to-industrial-trolleys/ |
We live the ideal time to reinvent ourselves. The situation invites us to think about the source of success. Or rather, to reflect where we believe that comes. Our mind works with the auto-pilot since. It is full of unconscious thoughts that cause us to interpret reality and to execute the actions in a way unthought-of and automatic. However, our brain is also wrong. We can fall into the risk of being caught up in thoughts that do not help us in difficult times or change as the current. To the extent that we identify the ways in which we think we can strengthen our mind to succeed in the challenges that we face.
Bernard Weiner, professor of the University of Los Angeles, in California (USA), is one of the classic authors in social psychology. Weiner and his colleagues analyzed in the seventies, what powers did the achievement that we were getting or reaching others. They identified three dimensions. The first is the locus of control or what is the source of success. This can be internal, depend on us, our skills, our effort. Or, on the contrary, can be external and due to external factors such as luck, the boss or a third party. A second dimension is the degree of stability that has success, that is to say, if we think that achievement is something that is due to issues stable (because it is something innate in us) or unstable (driven by the luck or time effort). Weiner added a third dimension on the level of control we can exercise. It would be the ability to change the causes that produce certain actions, which may be due to controllable factors, or to other uncontrollable.
If we take into account the first two dimensions raised by the teacher we can notice that there are four ways of thinking about the origin of the success and its stability in time. Let’s look at them to recognize where we are and how we project unconsciously. According to Wiener, we can believe that the success depends on:
– Personal skills. Can I get a project or a job because of my talent or my skills. This way of thinking is positive because it does not take balls outside. We assume our responsibility. However, if one believes that it does not have enough intelligence or if it considers that the skills are just innate, it is possible that this belief can come to us no harm, as demonstrated by some subsequent studies.
– The effort. As in the previous case, the success depends on oneself. However, this achievement is not stable. You may one day reach it and another does not. Therefore, we must strive. Personally, I think that is the healthier way to conceive of the achievement, because it puts emphasis on the potential of training and personal and professional development to achieve our goals. This alternative would be the call the mentality of growth defended by different authors in their research.
– The difficulty of the task. If I have success or not depends on how easy or difficult is the work, not of my skills or the effort that you have dedicated. This way of thinking attributes the achievement to a locus of control external, that is to say, in that same one does not have an impact. Have harmful consequences, since the person who thinks so is at the mercy of the circumstances, be the boss, the teacher or whoever set the standards. From this belief falls in the complaint: “As it does not depend on me, because I complain about what happens to me, or critical to the success”.
– Lucky. The achievement has an external source. In this case, as in the previous section, it is something intermittent or unstable, since it depends on the fortune that one has. It appears also to be the most appropriate way to face the future success because it is at the mercy of something as slippery as the luck, have a good day or to be inspired.
If we want to reinvent ourselves on a professional level, or want to have more success in what we do, we should reflect on our way of thinking. To evaluate if we put the locus of control internal or external, and if we consider that the success is stable or not. Just so we can train our mind to reach the goal.
Pillar Jericho is an entrepreneur, writer, lecturer, phd in Business Organization and disseminator of research on human behavior. www.pilarjerico.com
. | https://infosurhoy.com/entertainment/tell-me-what-you-have-success-and-ill-tell-you-how-you-are-blog-laboratory-of-happiness/ |
Drones, trolleys and dirty hands
Review of the film "Eye in the Sky"
Eye in the Sky is a 2015 British fictional thriller which explores the ethical challenges of drone warfare, cleverly invoking subtle hints of the moral concept of dirty hands (DH). Although academics differ significantly in their understanding of the concept of “dirty hands” and the “problem of DH”, the general consensus confers that such notions concern the “idea that correct political action must sometimes conflict with profound moral norms” (Coady, 2018).
Eye in the Sky depicts how a multinational team works on a mission to capture three high-level Al-Shabaab leaders currently meeting in a safe-house based in Nairobi, Kenya. The team is linked together by video and voice systems: Colonel Powell, based in Surrey, United Kingdom, has just taken command of the mission; aerial surveillance in Nairobi is provided by a drone controlled by military personnel based in Nevada, USA; and undercover field agents in Nairobi are using short-range cameras to link in ground intelligence. Additionally, the Joint Intelligence Center Pacific at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii is involved to carry out facial recognition to identify the human targets. The operation is supervised in the United Kingdom in a meeting held in the Cabinet Office which includes Lieutenant General Benson, two full government ministers and a ministerial under-secretary.
Upon discovering that the mission’s three targets are currently arming two suicide bombers, Powell demands the operation to capture be swiftly escalated to an operation to kill via missile attack. The lawyers and politicians involved in the chain of command argue the personal, political and legal merits of and the justification for launching such an attack, until eventually legal clearance is granted.
Yet a young girl has now entered the scene, set on selling bread near the target’s building. Political tactics and legal clearance aside, this new element transforms the moral dimension of the situation for the political actors and military personnel, for some more than for others. The alternative courses of action now present an unbearable moral conflict: the risk of letting three high-level terrorist leaders and two suicide bombers leave the house to presumably carry out an attack on a targeted civilian group such as a shopping mall, versus the significant risk of the collateral damage which could occur should the military team strike now, particularly the probable death of an innocent child. The film systematically evokes the idea of weighing up reasonably calculable costs and benefits and of choosing “the lesser of two evils” (de Wijze, 2007, p.4), strikingly depicting an aspect of the problem of DH and stressing the possibility – or even the necessity - of “doing wrong to do right” (de Wijze, 2007, p.3).
The film’s attention now turns to the air force drone pilot in Nevada who has been ordered to fire the missile. He hopes to delay this until the child moves, demanding to have the collateral damage estimate (CDE) rerun. Unsuccessful attempts, under the command of Powell, are also made by the field agents to get the child to go home by buying all of her loaves of bread. With the CDE crudely re-assessed at a lower risk of civilian deaths, the pilot now fires the missile and the building is destroyed, leaving the girl injured but unconscious. However, one of their targets has also survived, and so a second missile is ordered to be fired, this time leaving the young girl on the brink of death. She is rushed to hospital, where she subsequently dies.
Unlike theories of Deontology and Consequentialism which refute the existence of the problem of DH, the situation depicted in Eye in the Sky highlights the idea that in some situations there is no clearly definitive “right” or “wrong” way to resolve a conflict. That is, there is no systematic proper moral theory to refer to in regards to each specific case, for example by always following a strict moral code regardless of outcomes, or by choosing the course of action which results in the “lesser of two evils” (de Wijze, 2007, p.4), regardless of the morality of the action itself. As the director Gavin Hood remarked upon reading the producer’s script, “what I liked was that it didn’t tell me what to think, it forced me to think” (2016). The film effectively encourages the audience to think about situations involving conflicting considerations with no good outcomes and then deciding what would be the best, or rather the least bad, course of action.
It thus resonates with another significant aspect of DH, which some theorists insist upon, that “in all dirty hands scenarios, the agent knows that by acting as she did, she did wrong, violating a moral principle, leaving her feeling remorse or “agent-regret”” (de Wijze, 2007, p.9).
Upon accomplishing the mission, most of the film’s characters are seen left with feelings of remorse and guilt. A type of “moral residue” remains from their decisions and their actions, emphasising the idea that choosing “the lesser of two evils doesn’t mean you’re not still having to choose something deeply immoral” (Hood, 2016). The film’s storyline is an elaborate version of the classic ethical trolley problem, in which an agent must choose between saving five lives from an oncoming train by pulling a lever to redirect the train onto a side track where one person stands and would subsequently be killed, or not pulling the lever, allowing the train to kill the first five. This thought experiment can be recast in many different ways to stretch our thinking and re-evaluate our moral considerations with each new variation of the problem. For example, one version of the thought experiment asks us to consider our familial ties and duties, questioning whether we’d pull the lever if the person standing on the side track was our own child. Another variant involves the choice between pushing a fat man onto the track to stop the trolley from killing five people, hence leading to his death, versus doing nothing and letting the five people die. This version better highlights the notions of active versus passive killing.
Eye in the Sky also raises new ethical considerations for the 21st century. Hood suggests that through drone warfare and similar types of military technology, “we are pulling levers from a distance”, that we are able to kill our enemies without putting our own troops in danger. Does this create a sort of detachment from the horrors of traditional warfare? The film suggests that this is not necessarily so, as most of the characters appear to battle with the moral challenges of their situation to a lesser or, in the case of the pilot, greater extent, both during the mission and afterwards.
It seems likely that the unstoppable advance of technology will create many more DH conflicts for society in the years to come – many of which could confront the average citizen in the course of their routine work day.
__________________________________________________________________
Coady, C.A.J. (2018), "The Problem of Dirty Hands", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2018 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.).
Available at https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dirty-hands/(accessed 22/10/2018)
Hood, A. (2016), “Interview: Director Gavin Hood on Eye in the Sky, Drone Warfare, and Alan Rickman”, HuffPost (2017).
Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/zaki-hasan/interview-director-gavin_b_9605436.html(accessed 22/10/2018)
de Wijze, S. (2007) ‘Dirty Hands: Doing Wrong to do Right’ in Primoratz, I. (ed.), Politics and Morality (New York: Palgrave Macmillan)
For more on the Trolley Problem:
Woollard, Fiona and Howard-Snyder, Frances, (2016), "Doing vs. Allowing Harm", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.). | https://www.junctureuom.co.uk/post/drones-trolleys-and-dirty-hands |
Moral luck is a phenomenon whereby a moral agent is assigned moral blame or praise for an action or its consequences even though it is clear that said agent did not have full control over either the action or its consequences. This term, introduced by Bernard Williams, has been developed, along with its significance to a coherent moral theory, by Williams and Thomas Nagel in their respective essays on the subject.
Contents
Responsibility and voluntarism
Broadly speaking, human beings tend to correlate, at least intuitively, responsibility and voluntary action. Thus, the most blame is assigned to persons for their actions and the consequences they entail when we have good cause to believe that 1) the action was performed voluntarily and without outside coercion, and 2) the agent understood the full range of the consequences of his decisions and actions, as could have reasonably been foreseen either at or prior to the time that the action was performed.
Conversely, there is a tendency to be much more sympathetic to those who satisfy any of the following conditions: 1) the agent was coerced to perform the action; 2) the agent performed the action through accident and without any fault or negligence of his own; and 3) the agent did not know, and had no way of knowing, at the time, the consequences that his actions would bring.
Parenthetically, the above criteria do not correlate exactly with moral praise – while it may be true that one can, and should assign a good deal of moral praise to those who had performed a good action, or an action entailing good consequences, completely on his own volition and uncoerced, it is debatable that the same distinction holds for involuntary actions that happened to turn out well or happened to produce good outcomes.
This correlation between responsibility and voluntary action is acceptable to most people on an intuitive level; indeed, this correlation is echoed in American and European law: for this reason, for example, manslaughter, or killing in self-defense carries a significantly different type of legal punishment (i.e., formalized moral blame) than premeditated murder.
The problem of moral luck
Given the notion of equating moral responsibility with voluntary action, however, moral luck becomes a problem. This problem is perhaps best illustrated by an example that many moral luck philosophers employ – that of a traffic accident.
There are two people driving cars, Driver A, and Driver B. They are alike in every way. Driver A is driving down a road, and, in a second of inattention, runs a red light as an old lady is crossing the street. Driver A slams the brakes, swerves, in short, does everything to try to avoid hitting the woman – alas, she hits the woman and kills her. Driver B, in the meantime, also runs a red light, but since no woman is crossing, he gets a traffic ticket, but nothing more.
If a bystander were asked to morally evaluate Drivers A and B, there is very good reason to expect him to say that Driver A is due more moral blame than Driver B. After all, her course of action resulted in a death, whereas the course of action taken by Driver B was quite uneventful. However, there are absolutely no differences in the controllable actions performed by Drivers A and B. The only disparity is that in the case of Driver A, an external uncontrollable event occurred, whereas it did not in the case of Driver B. The external uncontrollable event, of course, is the woman crossing the street. In other words, there is no difference at all in what the two of them could have done – however, one seems clearly more to blame than the other. How does this occur?
This is the problem of moral luck. If it is given that moral responsibility should only be relevant when the agent voluntarily performed or failed to perform some action, Drivers A and B should be blamed equally, or praised equally, as may be the case. At the same time, this is at least intuitively problematic, as – whatever the external circumstances are – one situation resulted in an unfortunate death, and the other did not.
Four types of moral luck
Thomas Nagel identified four kinds of moral luck in his essay. The kind most relevant to the above example is "resultant moral luck".
Resultant moral luck
Resultant moral luck concerns the consequences of actions and situations. In the above example, both drivers were affected by resultant moral luck in that a particular set of circumstances turned out in two different ways: in one situation, a pedestrian appeared on the road; in the other, she did not.
Circumstantial moral luck
Circumstantial moral luck concerns the surroundings of the moral agent. The best-known example is provided in Nagel's essay. Consider Nazi followers and supporters in Hitler's Germany. They were and are worthy of moral blame either for committing morally reprehensible deeds or for allowing them to occur without making efforts to oppose them. But, if in 1929, those people were moved to some other country, away from the coming hostilities by their employers, it is quite possible that they would have led very different lives, and we could not assign the same amount of moral blame to them. It is down, then, to the luck of the circumstances in which they find themselves.
Constitutive moral luck
Constitutive moral luck concerns the personal character of a moral agent. There can be little argument that education, upbringing, genes and other largely uncontrollable influences shape personality to some extent. Furthermore, one's personality dictates one's actions to some extent. Moral blame is assigned to an individual for being extremely selfish, even though that selfishness is almost certainly due in part to external environmental effects.
Causal moral luck
Causal moral luck, which equates largely with the problem of free will, is the least-detailed of the varieties that Nagel details. The general definition is that actions are determined by external events and are thus consequences of events over which the person taking the action has no control. Since people are restricted in their choice of actions by the events that precede them, they should not be held accountable or responsible for such actions.
Nagel has been criticized[attribution needed] for including causal moral luck as a separate category, since it appears largely redundant. It does not cover any cases that are not already included in constitutive and circumstantial luck, and seems to exist only for the purpose of bringing up the problem of free will.
Alternatives
Some philosophers, such as Susan Wolf, have tried to come up with “happy mediums” that strike a balance between rejecting moral luck outright and accepting it wholesale. Wolf introduced the notions of rationalist and irrationalist positions as part of such a reconciliation.
The rationalist position, stated simply, is that equal fault deserves equal blame. For example, given two drivers, both of whom failed to check their brakes before driving, one of them runs over a pedestrian as a consequence while the other does not. The rationalist would say that since both of the drivers were equally at fault in failing to check their brakes, it should make no difference that one of them was lucky in not hitting a pedestrian while the other was unlucky – moral fault is independent of consequence. Since the fault here is equal, the agents should respond equally.
The irrationalist position argues that equal fault need not deserve equal blame, as blame should depend on the consequences. By this logic, the lucky driver certainly does not deserve as much blame as the unlucky driver, even though their faults were identical.
Wolf combines these two approaches in trying to reconcile the tensions associated with moral luck by introducing the concept of a virtuous agent. A virtuous agent should accept that he has a special connection with the consequences of his actions, including equal-fault cases (such as the lucky / unlucky drivers above), and even in no-fault cases. This argument essentially retains the rationalist claim that equal fault is equally deserving of blame while also retaining the irrationalist claim that different outcomes should result in moral agents feeling and acting differently.
It is important to underline the distinction between internal and external moral blame or praise. Wolf believes that the outsiders should blame the lucky and unlucky drivers equally despite their intuition that the two of them should not feel equally bad (i.e., the unlucky driver that ran over a pedestrian should feel worse). However, the unlucky driver himself should voluntarily accept the notion of the special connection between his actions and the unfortunate consequences, and assign more blame to himself than the lucky driver should.
See also
- Thomas Nagel
- Bernard Williams
- Susan Wolf
- Determinism
References
- Nagel, Thomas. "Moral Luck." Mortal Questions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979. pp. 24–38.
- Williams, Bernard. "Moral Luck." Moral Luck. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982. pp. 20–39.
External links
- Moral Luck - an entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Moral Luck - an entry in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. | https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Moral_luck |
2017 : WHAT SCIENTIFIC TERM OR CONCEPT OUGHT TO BE MORE WIDELY KNOWN?
The history of science is littered with “thought experiments,” a term dreamed up by Albert Einstein (“gedankenexperiment”) for an imagined scenario able to sharply articulate the crux of some intellectual puzzle, and in so doing excite some deep thinking on the way to a solution or related discovery. Among the most famous are Einstein’s tale of chasing a light beam that led him to a theory of special relativity and Erwin Schrödinger’s story of the poor cat, stuck in a fiendishly designed quantum mechanical box, forever half-alive and half-dead, that highlighted the complex interactions between wave mechanics and measurement.
“The Trolley Problem” is another thought experiment, one that arose in moral philosophy. There are many versions, but here is one: A trolley is rolling down the tracks and reaches a branchpoint. To the left, one person is trapped on the tracks, and to the right, five people. You can throw a switch that diverts the trolley from the track with the five to the track with the one. Do you? The trolley can’t brake. What if we know more about the people on the tracks? Maybe the one is a child and the five are elderly? Maybe the one is a parent and the others are single? How do all these different scenarios change things? What matters? What are you valuing and why?
It’s an interesting thought experiment, but these days it’s more than that. As we increasingly offload our decisions to machines and the software that manages them, developers and engineers increasingly will be confronted with having to encode—and thus directly code—important and, potentially, life and death decision making into machines. Decision making always comes with a value system, a “utility function,” whereby we do one thing or another because one pathway reflects a greater value for the outcome than the other. Sometimes the value might seem obvious or trivial—this blender is recommended to you over that one for the probability that you will purchase it, based on various historical data; these pair of shoes are a more likely purchase (or perhaps not the most likely, but worth a shot because they are kind of expensive—this gets us to probabilistic calculations and expected returns) than another. This song versus that song, etc.
But sometimes there is more at stake: this news or that news? More generally, this piece of information or that piece of information on a given subject? The values embedded in the program may start shaping your values and with that, society’s. Those are some pretty high stakes. The trolley problem shows us that the value systems that pervade programming can literally be a matter of life and death: Soon we will have driverless trolleys, driverless cars, and driverless trucks. Shit happens and choices need to be made: the teenager on the bike in the breakdown lane or the Fortune 500 CEO and his assistant in the stopped car ahead? What does your algorithm do and why?
We will build driverless cars and they will come with a moral compass—literally. The same will be true of our robot companions. They’ll have values and will necessarily be moral machines and ethical automata, whose morals and ethics are engineered by us. “The Trolley Problem” is a gedankenexperiment for our age, shining a bright light on the complexities of engineering our new world of humans and machines. | https://www.edge.org/response-detail/27051 |
One reason for the attempt to repeal all prior law was statism, the glorification of the nation-state. Earlier law was not French but European, the jus commune, and that was offensive to the aspirations of French nationhood. Another reason was rampant rationalism. Only an exaggerated rationalism can explain the belief that history can be abolished by a repealing statute yet the assumption of the time was that by reasoning from basic principles, established by natural law thinkers, one could derive a legal system that would meet the needs of the new, revolutionary society. Although one cannot simply abolish the legal culture and thought-ways of a community the fiction was certainly maintained by many jurists in France for several decades after the enactment of the Code Napoleon, that is, the French Civil Code of 1804, that history was irrelevant to interpretation and application of the Code.
Consistent with its Utopian aspirations, one of the objectives of the French Revolution was to make lawyers unnecessary ... there was a desire for a legal system that was simple, non-technical, and straight forward - one in which the obscurities and technicalities, often blamed on the legal profession, could be avoided. One way to do this was to state the law clearly in a straight forward fashion so that the ordinary citizen could read the law and understand his rights and obligations without having to consult lawyers. The French civil code was envisaged as a kind of popular book that could be put on the shelf next to the family Bible in every household, as a handbook for citizens, rather like the "small paperback" that Canadian citizens can buy for C$25 which contains everything one needs to know about the substantive criminal law in Canada (referred to by Lord Bingham in 1998 Crim LR 969). Indeed some of the revolutionaries were so disillusioned with judicial law making disguised as interpretation that they sought - somewhat absurdly - to deny judges even the power to interpret legislation. But if the code was to be lawyer-proof and judge proof, it had to be a comprehensive and exhaustive source of all law. It had to be complete, clear and coherent. So the attempt was to construct a code with no gaps (to stop judges filling them) There could be no conflict in the provisions (to stop the judges exercising a creative choice). Nor could there be any ambiguities (for the same reason). So the radical separation of powers whereby the legislature only made law and the judiciary only applied law demands a comprehensive, clear and coherent code. Meanwhile the optimistic rationalism insisted that the task could be done and that leads to detailed provisions designed to reduce the role of the judge to merely selecting the applicable provisions and giving them their obvious meaning in the context of the individual case. As Montesquieu put it, on such assumptions, the judges are merely the "mouthpieces that speak the law"
So we have as the first of four models of codification the Justinianic, Benthamite, Napoleonic, French style, the radical, revolutionary, rationalist, non-technical code - addressed to the populace at large - and entirely new.
In contrast to this there is the German Civil Code of 1896 (effective in 1909) which was historically oriented, scientific and professional (discussed at some length by Professor Zimmermann in his Claredon Lectures earlier this term). Much of the responsibility for this difference rests with Karl Von Savigny, perhaps the single most famous thinker in the history of European codification. There was much interest in codification and the Napoleonic Code (1804) was much admired. There were advocates urging that Germany follow France's lead. Savigny prevented this by arguing his powerfully persuasive "Volksgeist thesis" namely that unless a code corresponded to the spirit of a people, it could not be successfully implemented. This in turn was closely linked to the "historical school in jurisprudence" whose main tenets include the notion that the law of a people was a historically determined product of that people's development and not something to be gleaned from the rationalistic principles of natural law and imposed from above.
Consequently a thorough study of existing German law and of its historical development was the necessary prelude to effective codification ...under Savigny's influence German scholars turned their attention to an intensive study of legal history. Savigny's idea was that by this study one would glean the historically derived principles that were an essential part of the law of a people. These principles, rather than the a priori rationalist principles of natural law would then be the basis for a code that grew out of its own culture. Codification was therefore an essentially empirical and scientific activity. In this way Savigny as has often been remarked, "delayed codification in Germany for a century (i.e. French Civil Code 1804; German Civil Code of 1896 effective 1909)
Finally, the Germans were convinced that it was neither possible nor desirable to rid the world of lawyers though Hitler, apparently had different ideas: "I shall not rest content until every German sees that it is a shameful thing to be a lawyer" [Adolf Hilter 1889 - 1945 in Kennbeth Redden, Modern Legal Glossary (1983)]The idea that law could be clearly and simply stated so that it could be understood and applied by everyone was expressly rejected. The German view was that lawyers would be needed, that they would engage in interpreting and applying the law, and accordingly that the code should be prepared to be responsive to the needs of those trained in the law. Thus the German Civil Code of 1896 is the opposite of revolutionary. It was not intended to abolish prior law and substitute a new legal system. The idea was to codify emergent historical principles gleaned from painstaking historical study of German law and culture. Here there are no a priori assumptions about man's nature and fundamental human rights; rather there is a scientific study of existing German law and its rational reconstruction in the form of a code, which is not conceived of nor intended to be a text book for the layman. Rather it is a tool to be used chiefly or solely by those trained in the profession of law.
So we have as the second of four models of codification the Von Savignyan, Historical, Germanic style, celebrating tradition and culture, and addressed to professional elite.
A third style of code is the English, consolidation style which is technical and legislative and which, essentially, gathers together in one consolidated statute legislation previously enacted in piecemeal fashion over many years. Such a "code", if code it is at all, does not purport to be an exhaustive and exclusive source of all law, nor is it founded either in rationalist or historical principles, and it is not aimed specifically at a universal audience
A fourth style is the American "Model Code", the restatement of an area of law which is advisory only and provides guidance which states may but need not adopt.
The obvious question is what style of code is appropriate to the Criminal Law of England and Wales? The rhetoric of the codification lobby is oftentimes suggestive of the radical model, but, as we have seen, one senior member of the codification lobby, Professor Sir John Smith is open to some amount of judicial rewriting by way of incorporating cultural values through the creation, where appropriate, of new defences or the extension of old ones. Bentham of course would have none of this culturally or historically based revisionism. If the moral sentiments of the people were inconsistent with his code that was because they were misinformed. "The people is my Caesar but I appeal to Caesar better informed". Bentham could contemplate a closed, exceptionless code because he had, he believed, access to the one right moral answer. Bentham was a Utilitarian. That is, he accepted the principle of the greatest happiness for the greatest number. In practical terms that requires a felicific calculation; and assessment of total happiness resulting from the one's acts. In principle one is to act in such a way as to maximise (human) happiness. Bentham had a literal cast of mind. He genuinely believed that the principle of utility was necessarily the basic principle of morality and that it was determinate in application. I disagree with both points but it suffices to address only the second of these two points. What I call the "tract of future time argument" shows that the principle of utility is indeterminate.
1 (a) French Revolution; "Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive and to be young was very heaven" [don't believe it. I've been young and I've been old: old is better!]
(b) Nuclear Power
2 Meat-eating
3 Environmental questions
Do my rule fetishist argument on act cf rule utilitarianism.
Then values generally: What values should inform the code ?
Bentham was a radical and exhaustive utilitarianism. That principle, he thought, would provide all the answers but, as we have seen, even that apparently scientific and rationalist principle is indeterminate and cannot eliminate judicial interpretation in the course of applying law in particular cases. So what values do inform our criminal law ? (1)Subjectivism (mind); (2) Objectivism (harmful consequences) (3) A Synthesis of Subjectivism and Objectivism ? [See, further Tur, "Synthesis ..." pp 213-214] Subjectivism is frequently presented as morally compelling, locking criminal liability into the favoured conceptual apparatus of consciousness, choice and control. Objectivism is frequently stigmatised as random and unfair, visiting liability for harmful consequences on those who did not choose nor could control outcomes that they did not contemplate.
In discussing the issue of what values should inform a criminal code, and especially the opposition of subjectivism and objectivism, I invoke the concept of "moral luck" and here I rely on Nagel's chapter on "Moral Luck" in his book Mortal Questions (1979) pp 24-38 and more directly upon my own article on "Criminal Law and Legal Theory" at pp 210-211: Nagel observes that "...it is intuitively plausible that people cannot be morally assessed for what is not their fault, or for what is due to factors beyond their control". Of course this makes sense in the case of insanity, automatism or involuntary movement but the range of factors over which one has no control is obviously wider than such clear instances of total lack of control. Nagel identifies four classes of situation in which the agent might plausibly be regarded as lacking control. These are -
constitutive luck - the kind of person one is; contemporary circumstantial luck - the kind of circumstances in which one is placed; antecedent circumstantial luck - the kind of circumstances which led up to the situation one faces; and consequential luck - the way things turn out.
These categories of luck threaten the very notion of moral responsibility in that if the precondition of control is consistently applied we would be disbarred from making the wide range of moral judgments that we find it entirely natural to make. Nagel offers several examples: "Whether we succeed or fail in what we try to do nearly always depends to some extent on factors beyond our control. This is true of murder, altruism, revolution the sacrifice of certain interests for the sake of others - almost any morally important act. What has been done, and what is morally judged, is partly determined by external factors. However jewel-like the good will may be in its own right, there is a morally significant difference between rescuing someone from a burning building and dropping him from a twelfth storey window while trying to rescue him. Similarly there is a morally significant difference between reckless driving and manslaughter. But whether a reckless driver hits a pedestrian depends upon the presence of the pedestrian at the point where he recklessly passes a red light."
Such examples lead on to Nagel's definition of moral luck: "Where a significant aspect of what someone does depends upon factors beyond his control, yet we continue to treat him in that respect as an object of moral judgment, it can he called moral luck. In such circumstances actual results influence judgments of responsibility and culpability even though the agent did not contemplate the result which occurred. The traditional response of moral philosophy has been to narrow down each act to its pure and innermost core, an act of pure will that, alone, is susceptible of moral assessment. This is how Kant, for example, dealt with morality. Nagel's profound point is that even where the agent is at the mercy of fate, and though it seems irrational upon reflection, our ordinary moral attitudes would be unrecognizable without attributing to the agent responsibility and culpability in a wide range of cases of moral luck. Although the Kantian, subjectivist approach is appealing to logic and the intellect, it appears to be lacking in social validity Nagel refers to Adam Smith whom he takes to he advocating, as a matter of reason, the restriction of moral judgment only to that which the agent has done in a narrow sense because to attribute responsibility for that beyond the agent's control seems irrational and is akin to strict liability. However, Nagel is well aware that this Smith himself had doubts as to the social validity of the subjective principle. Indeed, Adam Smith tried very hard to be a "good" subjectivist, advocating, as a matter of reason, the restriction of moral judgment only to that which the agent has done in the narrow sense of chosen and/or contemplated but as the following passage from The Theory of Moral Sentiments reveals, he succeeded imperfectly, if at all: "... how well soever we may seem to be persuaded of the truth of this equitable maxim, when we consider it after this manner, in abstract, yet when we come to particular cases, the actual consequences which happen to proceed from any action, have a very great effect upon out sentiments concerning its merit or demerit, and almost always either enhance or diminish our sense of both. Scarce in any one instance, perhaps, will out sentiments be found, after examination, to be entirely regulated by this rule, which we acknowledge ought entirely to regulate them". [A Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) Part II section 3 Introduction para 5.]
I conclude that it can be argued that the elements of harmful consequences liability which are exhibited by the criminal law do not disqualify it on ethical grounds because conventional morality (as opposed to the critical morality of Kant or Bentham, for example) incorporates a notion of moral luck and indeed our ordinary moral attitudes would he unrecognizable without some such idea. Furthermore, I think that the categories of constitutive, circumstantial, and consequential moral luck contribute to and enrich out understanding of the subjectivist-objectivist debate in criminal law. The category of moral luck allows us to treat individuals as objects of moral judgment even where some elements of their conduct, circumstances, and consequences are beyond the individual's control even though that runs counter to the subjectivism prevailing in much of the criminal law literature and in reform proposals. So in our ordinary day-to-day lives we adopt a style of moral judgment quire different from that urged upon us by subjectivist theorists and that seems to me to be quite an important fact. Clearly the moral sentiments of the people may not coincide with the deliverances of subjectivist philosophy and if such a conflict is recognised, then it is difficult indeed to see how a code, based remorselessly on subjectivist principles could endure. Nor is it clear what point enacting such a code would serve if it is susceptible of judicial rewriting in response to the promptings of the moral sentiments of the people
Professor Smith recognises, in the crucial passages already cited in these lectures that the "dreaded conflict" between code and moral sentiments of the people is to be avoided but the consequence of that is to allow the code to be modified, indeed subverted, where it clashes with these sentiments. The limitation of the role of moral sentiment to defences may appear to leave much of the code intact and immune from such revision but that depends on the following central consideration: However, a technical legal argument that Smith's attractive proposal nonetheless supposes that definition and defence are clearly distinguishable. But they may not be. This is especially important re "consent". Do my Turner versus Morgan argument. Did the judges in Morgan (a) create a defence or (b) define or redefine an offence ?
I turn to assault and to Legislating the Criminal Code Law Commission Report No 218 which contains a Draft Criminal Law Bill (1993) which is a useful source of reform proposals. I will focus on Clause 6 relating to Assault but, first, a few words about the Law Commission itself may be helpful. The following is the Law Commission's own account of itself: "The Law Commission is the independent body set up by Parliament in 1965 (along with a similar Commission for Scotland) to keep the law of England and Wales under review and to recommend reform when it is needed. Our law is a combination of the common law - decisions of judges of the higher courts - and of statute law enacted or authorised by Parliament; sometimes those decisions and statutes may go back many centuries".
"Reform of the law is a task for Parliament and not for the judges who, in the course of deciding a particular case, are not usually able to consider the wider social and legal implications of a particular decision. But proposals for reform may well not be satisfactory unless they are preceded by research and by wide consultation with experts and with those who may be affected by the reforms. Our job is to carry out this research and consultation, and to modernise, improve and simplify the law by formulating proposals on a systematic basis for consideration by Parliament"
"There are five Commissioners all of whom work full-time at the Commission. The Chairman is a High Court judge. The other four Commissioners are experienced barristers, solicitors or teachers of law. They are appointed by the Lord Chancellor for up to five years, and their appointments can be extended. They are supported by a Secretary to the Commission and 15 other members of the Government Legal Service, four or five Parliamentary Counsel (who draft the Bills to amend and consolidate the law), and about 15 research assistants (usually recently qualified law graduates), as well as a librarian and other administrative staff."
"Our main work is the reform of the law, but we also work on consolidation of statutes and statute law revision" and under the 1965 Act, there is a requirement to keep "all the law" under review. At any one time the Commission will be engaged on between 20 and 30 projects of law reform, at different stages of completion. A typical project will begin with a study of the area of law in question, and an attempt to identify its defects. Foreign systems of law will be examined to see how they deal with similar problems. It will usually appear that a number of different solutions are possible, and a consultation paper will be issued setting out in detail the existing law and its defects, giving the arguments for and against the possible solutions, and inviting comments. The paper will be circulated widely to practising and academic lawyers, and other interested persons and bodies including the media. It will be available to the public at The Stationery Office and on order from other bookshops [and increasingly on the internet]"
"This process enables the Commissioners to draw, not just on their own experience, but also on that of others - lawyers, other professionals, interest groups, the public and especially those likely to be particularly affected by a change in the area of law In question. In the light of the comments we receive, and of our own knowledge of the law, we will decide on the solution
which seems to us best. We will prepare a report to the Lord Chancellor, giving our final recommendations with the reasons for them; and if, as is nearly always the case, we recommend a change in the law, we will append to our report a draft Bill to give effect to our recommendations. That Bill is ready to be introduced into Parliament. The report, like the consultation paper, will be available to the general public".
Codification: "In most countries whole areas of law are contained in a single code rather than, as in England, being divided between the common law, which is derived from decisions of judges over the centuries, and statute law enacted by Parliament. It has always been the Commission's objective that English law should similarly be governed by a series of statutory codes, to make the law more accessible to the citizen and easier for the courts and litigants to
understand and handle. For instance, in family law much of the Commission's work has resulted in the production of what is in effect a code, though contained in a series of separate Acts of Parliament.
More particularly, since 1968 (now 31 years) the Commission has had in hand a project to produce a criminal code, such as exists in almost every other country in the world. In 1989 we published a Draft Code in rational and modern form and language, and we have now embarked upon a programme to produce a series of draft Bills, based on the Code but incorporating appropriate law reform treatment, which will in themselves make substantial improvements in the law. If enacted, these Bills will form the criminal code which this country has lacked for so long."
Some measure of the extent of the Commission's activities may be gleaned from the number and range of items including in the list of materials and sources that accompany these lectures.
In particular, I turn to Legislating the Criminal Code Law Com No 218, Draft Bill Clause 6 on Assault :-
6.- (1) A person is guilty of the offence of assault if-
(a) he intentionally or recklessly applies force to or causes an impact on the body of another-
(i) without the consent of the other, or
(ii) where the act is intended or likely to cause injury, with or without the consent of the other: or
(b) he intentionally or recklessly, without the consent of the other, causes the other to believe that any such force or impact is imminent.
(2) No such offence is committed if the force or impact, not being intended or likely to cause injury, is in the circumstances such as is generally acceptable in the ordinary conduct of daily life and the defendant does not know or believe that it is in fact unacceptable to the other person.
Clause 6 is an attempt to put the law as it then stood into statutory form but there are difficulties with it. "The Criminal Law Bill presented with Law Com 218 in Nov 1993 maintains the common law position as it was confirmed in Brown" (Law Com 134, 1994 at 1.6) . That may be a trifle optimistic in that it is quite difficult to state the criminal law of assault after Brown or to state clearly how the common law treats the relationship of violence and consent. There are two ways in which I can develop this point. One is to review Lord Mustill's judgment in Brown. The other is to review articles by Leng and by Shute in Crim L R I will deal with each in turn (when we meet next week). | http://unjustis.co.uk/SubWebs/lawf0013/Lecture2.htm |
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How To Get Off Our Trolleys
Phil Badger tackles the famous ‘Trolley Problem’ of ethics.
So-called ‘Trolley Problems’, in which we are confronted by tortuously difficult ethical dilemmas, have become part of the stock-in-trade of moral philosophy over the last few years. The basic scenario, which can be endlessly tweaked to provoke ever more rigorous examination of our moral reasoning, concerns a run-away trolley on an imaginary railway line. The trolley is on a lethal collision course with an oblivious group of (say, five) workmen, but can potentially be diverted onto another track by your pulling on a conveniently-placed lever. The problem is that this will place the trolley on a different, equally lethal collision course with an innocent individual.
Readers who haven’t come across this thought-experiment before might pause for a moment to consider what they might do. Some of you will undoubtedly be in favour of hauling on the lever and consigning the poor innocent singleton to oblivion. We can certainly understand why some people might be minded to do so. In the situation presented there seems a clear choice between allowing the deaths of a group of people, and acting to end the life of one. For them the ‘best’ option – meaning the one that will cause the least suffering – is to favour the many. For others the story will not be so simple, and they will draw a distinction between ‘killing’ one individual by active intervention and ‘letting several die’ by remaining passive. This is a distinction we’ll return to later.
Problems With Morality
What we have in this thought-experiment is a place to start thinking about our instinctive moral responses (what philosophers call our ‘moral intuitions’) and the way that these intuitions may or may not cohere together or be capable of any kind of rational justification.
For a so-called ‘act utilitarian’ like Jeremy Bentham (1784-1832), the measure of the moral validity of any particular act is the extent to which it promotes pleasure/benefit and minimises pain/suffering. For Bentham our trolley problem would be a ‘no brainer’: levers would be pulled and our lone protagonist squashed without regret. But an unequivocal utilitarian would be a colder fish than most of us might want to spend any time with. Perhaps one of Mr Spock’s fully Vulcan friends might be an unperturbed ‘trolley diverter’; but the rest of us would be in for a lot of bad dreams. The ‘lever puller’ would deserve our utmost sympathy and support (even if we disagreed with her decision) precisely because we would empathise both with her momentary dilemma and her subsequent anguish.
What this tells us depends on our philosophical perspective. Presumably, Bentham would bemoan our lily-livered sentimentality and remind us of the superior rationality of the utilitarian case. Someone had to die, and it is better, in this case, that it should be some one and not a whole group. Of course this highlights the problem of what we might call the essential ‘relativism’ of the utilitarian position: any act might be permitted and a similar act be prohibited depending on the circumstances. Sometimes it will be acceptable to squash the individual, and sometimes the group (imagine that we recognise the lone individual as a world famous surgeon whom we anticipate will go on to save and improve many lives). Of course, making morality relative to the consequences of actions is, on another level, a morally absolute principle (we must always act to maximise ‘utility’). But this is a principle that most of us find deeply disturbing for the following reason.
Imagine applying our trolley logic to the case of the death penalty. Imagine further that a new study showed that, without question, the death penalty really does cut down the number of murders committed in any given year. Surely, under such (admittedly hypothetical) circumstances, the lever diverting the trolley would be rapidly replaced by the lever operating the executioner’s trapdoor. In fact, the replacement is made easier when we consider that the ‘sacrificed’ individual is likely to be a cold-blooded murderer. The wrinkle here is the word ‘likely’, because, from a purely utilitarian perspective, the occasional execution of an innocent makes no difference to the morality of the death penalty – the net benefit justifies the sacrifice.
At this point some readers might be feeling a little uneasy because they can feel that no slope is slipperier than the one we’re now on. So let’s say that it turns out that executing the family of a murderer is even more likely to produce a net reduction in pain and suffering – perhaps the deterrence effect is so strong that we only need to wipe out one family per year to guarantee a violence-free life for the rest of us.
Or, imagine a further series of trolley-like situations. Firstly, a terrorist group hijacks an airliner and demands that David Cameron be handed over to them for ‘revolutionary justice’. If we do not comply with their demands, they will blow up the airliner and all on board. We might construct a utilitarian argument for not giving in to the terrorists on the grounds that doing so will encourage further outrages of the same kind; but is this the only moral reason not to drag Mr Cameron to his death? Most of us would think not.
Take another situation: a variation on the classic ‘ticking bomb’ problem, in which we are invited to consider the morality of using torture to help discover the location of a device primed to explode with devastating effects on the lives of hundreds or even thousands. We might be sympathetic to the desperation of the field officer who reluctantly gets out his pliers; but what if, to extract the necessary information, they end up being employed on the terrorist’s five-year-old child?
We can’t dodge the ethical issue by claiming that torture doesn’t work, any more than we could by arguing that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent. The point of such thought-experiments is to face up to how utilitarian we actually would be prepared to be when the ‘utility’ of an act is not in question. Does there come a point where we must say that some actions, such as the torture of children, are always wrong, no matter what the net benefit to others may be?
However, again, the answer is not obvious. The problem with the ‘morally absolute’ position is two-fold. Firstly, the consistent utilitarian might insist that we be clear what our limits are to how much avoidable suffering are we prepared to allow in order to keep our hands clean: do we waver when the stakes are sufficiently high? Let’s say torturing the child saves 100,000 lives. Does that make a difference? How about a million? Secondly, what kinds of act do we decide to be beyond the pale?
Shall we reply that morality has nothing to do with consequences, or should we try to find a way in which the consequences can be given a weight, but only so far that they don’t lead to ‘unacceptable’ places? The first position is associated with Kant, and leads to some very odd moral conclusions.
Can & Kant
For Kant, morality was a matter of ‘categorical imperatives’, which are best understood as absolute rules which could be generated by the use of reason by any morally-competent individual. Kant gives three formulations of the categorical imperative which are superficially dissimilar but which turn out to be equivalent. There isn’t space here to do anything like justice to any of the formulations; but, to begin with, we’ll consider his idea that we should only act in such a way as we would will the principle (his word is ‘maxim’) of our action to be a universal law. In other words, we should act only in ways that we would want others to act in similar circumstances.
It is notoriously easy to misread Kant as arguing that the consequences of our actions are what matters in judging their moral rectitude. If we say, as Kant says, that we should only act in ways we wouldn’t mind other people acting, it looks pretty much as if we’re asking ‘what would the consequences be if everyone acted that way?’ But as Michael Sandel has pointed out in Justice (2009), this is not what Kant is saying. In fact, Kant thinks that we need to act towards others in a way that respects what it is in them that I demand is respected by them in me – my capacity for autonomous (self-governing) action. What’s wrong with stealing is not that the world would descend into chaos if everyone did it (this would be a ‘rule utilitarian’ argument), but that in stealing I act without respect for the autonomy of the person I steal from, and so imply that no one’s autonomy matters.
Kant’s view of morality is hugely demanding, and in the words of another of his formulations, asks us to ‘treat others as not a means to an end but as an end in themselves’. Thus for Kantians, utilitarian calculations about the benefits of sacrificing David Cameron, executing the innocent or pulling ‘trolley diverting’ levers are not to be entertained. On this deontological (duty-based) perspective, some things are absolute wrongs.
This position might make us all feel a lot more comfortable than the utilitarian nightmare described earlier; but once again, things are not so easy, because in severing the connection between the morality of an act and its consequences, Kant commits himself to a position many of us find just as difficult.
Famously, Kant argues that to lie is an absolute wrong – how can we respect the autonomy of others if we intentionally deprive them of the truth? This sounds fine until we run into what I’ll call ‘the case of the hidden Jews’. Imagine that you’re hiding a family of Jewish people from the Nazis, and that you have an SS officer at the door asking you if you’ve seen them. Kant does some famous wriggling about such issues, in that he suggests that we’re allowed to fail to give the information (we might tell the SS officer that “there were Jews about at some point in the past”) but not to lie. But this is not very convincing: we all want to say that the moral thing is to lie in the most convincing way possible to save them. In other words, in this and equivalent cases, the terrible consequences of not lying are more important than any abstract principle [see also here].
Attempts at Reconciliation
To say I’ve oversimplified things here might be a bit of an understatement, but the point remains that our ‘moral intuitions’ – our gut instincts – evidently pull us in two directions. At times it seems right that we aim to minimise suffering in a utilitarian style, while, at others, we want to be deontologists (absolutely principled) like Kant. The big question is, can the two positions be coherently reconciled?
If we think a bit more about our David Cameron example, we might get a clue about how to make a start in this direction. One response would be to argue that the terrorists who hijack the plane and threaten to blow it up are responsible, so the terrible consequences of not complying with their demands should not weigh on our consciences. This position, proposed by the neo-Kantian Alan Gewirth in Reason and Morality, (1980), is plausible, but not altogether helpful. One problem with it is that it does not apply to situations in which we cannot blame someone else for our actions. We might suppose that we could try to blame the terrorist for the agonies of his tortured child in the ‘ticking bomb’ case; but very few will be much convinced by this move. Similarly, if we pull the lever in our initial trolley scenario, there can be no doubt that we have chosen to do something and that responsibility rests with us. The same logic applies, for example, to the use of deadly force against civilian populations in war time. Dropping atom bombs might seem justified on grounds of utility – to curtail even more extensive suffering by ending the war – but not on the grounds that the leaders of the other side made us do it.
Another try would be to distinguish between ‘acts’ and ‘omissions’, such that we see ourselves as responsible for the former but not the latter. The most usual employment of this distinction is in distinguishing between ‘killing’ and ‘letting die’ in the case of gravely ill patients nearing the end of life. ‘Killing’ would involve administering drugs to terminate the patient’s life in order to end their suffering, while ‘letting die’ might involve the withholding of treatment in order to hasten death. The problem here is that doing nothing might cause significant amounts of suffering in its own right. Not hydrating or feeding a patient (or not pulling the lever to divert the trolley) might cause more suffering than active intervention. (This is one reason why many philosophers share my sense that the distinction between acts and omissions is inherently dubious.)
Thirdly, we can invoke the so called ‘principle of double effect’, which suggests that we can’t be held responsible for the unintended or secondary effects of particular actions. A terminally ill patient may be given large doses of morphine to alleviate pain, and this might also, incidentally, hasten his death. Or perhaps a leader might believe he can bring an end to some period of terrible human suffering by, for instance, dropping an atomic bomb on a Japanese city. In this case his principle goal is not to kill the maximum number of non-combatants, but rather to save lives in the long run. Similarly, when we pull the lever to divert the trolley, we do not intend the death of the hapless individual who is now in its path, but rather to save the lives of the group who now aren’t. Yet the trolley example is not quite analogous to the atomic bomb scenario, and we have to invoke a famous refinement to make it so. Imagine that we can only save the group by pushing an fat individual into the trolley’s path. Now we have to will the death of the fat man to bring about our goal. This surely feels closer to the situation of nuclear attack that President Truman must have agonised over (ironically, one of the bombs dropped on Japan was codenamed ‘fat man’). Yet by the same logic, we have to acknowledge that killing the innocents is not just a side effect of dropping the bomb, so the principle of double effect does not apply.
Freedom and Sacrifice
Again, we have to face the competing demands of powerful and intuitively plausible understandings of morality. Some things seem wrong no matter what the supposed benefits might be. Torturing children to extract information from the enemy seems to fall under this heading: the ends don’t justify the means. However, the sacrifice of the few for the many is difficult to resist. So if the trolley or the bomb or the hangman’s rope kills a few innocents and saves many, what are we to do? It is easy to be an absolutist when you don’t have Truman’s job, and a true utilitarian will tell us we are just being self-indulgent when we entertain our moral qualms anyway.
At this point let’s consider the psychology of the situation. Firstly, few of us would object to the notion of individual sacrifice when such sacrifice is voluntary. Imagine the fat man hurling himself in the path of the trolley, or Mr Cameron stoically arriving at the airport and, unimpressed by our pleas, handing himself over to the terrorists to face his fate. Under these circumstances, the horror of using a person as a means to an end is transformed to awe at an act of human nobility. Being the beneficiary of such an act would be a huge burden, but less so t han being the beneficiary of the death of an unwilling and terrified individual. This acknowledges our natural revulsion to the horrific injustice perpetrated upon the involuntary sacrifices.
So, where does all this leave us? Can we give a plausible account of morality which takes into consideration both the sense that we have to weigh the consequences of our actions and also the sense that, nonetheless, there are moments when consequences are secondary to higher principles? Perhaps we can, but only at a great cost, which includes substituting Kant’s notion of ‘autonomy’ for a sense of autonomy we’ll find more familiar.
The first point is that autonomy, in the sense of my ability to choose my actions uncoerced by others, doesn’t always matter to us. My freedom is limited by many laws, and yet I don’t feel conspicuously ‘un-free’. In some countries I’ll be fined for crossing a road on a red light, but that doesn’t make me ‘un-free’. What matters supremely is that those things about which I get to make choices are the ones which make life meaningful to me (this is the more familiar, non-Kantian sense of ‘autonomy’). The law doesn’t prescribe my values or my deepest commitments, nor should it. My big life choices must remain matters of non-interference, because robbing me of these things would render my life meaningless to me. Thus, on neo-Kantian grounds, I have to will the same respect for what I call ‘the large-scale concepts of the good’ of others. On this basis, nobody can be handed over to terrorists against their will, unjustly hung, or thrown in front of a runaway trolley. (Although, i n the case of our initial trolley scenario, since there is no possibility of consulting any of the potential victims about what they would choose to do, we might argue that their autonomy becomes irrelevant to the situation and utilitarian considerations become primary. Thus it is right to pull the lever and save the many. We might even decide to ascribe heroic status to the lone victim – after all, she might have decided to sacrifice herself. This is certainly more likely than the whole group of people on the other track doing so for her.)
At this point we might be feeling a little smug because we have, apparently, rendered two plausible but apparently conflicting moral principles compatible. However, I mentioned earlier that there was a cost to my strategy. In making the holding of personal large-scale concepts of the good a criteria for moral status, I’ve opened up two unpalatable possibilities. Firstly, that beings who have no capacity for holding such concepts must be accounted to be morally inferior – which might sound okay until you realise that small children, the mentally ill, the intellectually impaired and animals all come into this category. Secondly, if, for ‘morally immature’ beings, we then make the capacity to suffer the only applicable criteria for their moral consideration, there are no ethical grounds for favouring infant or mentally challenged humans over many other creatures. For some philosophers, such as Peter Singer (Practical Ethics, 1979), this moral equality with animals is not much of a problem – but for others it certainly will be. You might also point out that I seem to have committed myself to the position that a comatose fat man can be dropped onto the tracks without a quibble (we can’t consult him on his large-scale concept of the good, and he’s likely to suffer far less than the fully conscious guy who’ll get quashed if we pull our original lever).
Perhaps, in the end, we have to invoke the collective ‘large-scale concept of the good of society’ (or even humanity) to resolve these remaining issues. Perhaps, to use Rawls’ phrase, we can rely on an ‘overlapping consensus’ about values in society’s concept of large-scale good: no decent human being would want to be saved by information acquired by the torture of a child. Perhaps; but there seems some serious question-begging going on at this point about what’s decent. Yet my hope is that a social consensus on non-negotiable goods is the result of the kind of discussion we’ve been engaged in, rather than being a fairly implausible foundation for it. This is a place to start a conversation and not to end it.
© Phil Badger 2011
Phil Badger teaches philosophy and psychology in Sheffield. He would like to thank Tony Cole for provoking him into writing this article.
The Trolley Problem
Philippa Foot first introduced the Trolley Problem in her 1967 paper ‘Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect’. It continues to provoke debate amongst moral philosophers.
Judith Jarvis Thompson first proposed the ‘fat man’ version of the famous dilemma, in which someone can prevent five deaths by hurling a fat man in front of the trolley. Thompson draws a distinction between this scenario and the original one, in which harm is diverted from the group to the individual. The latter case requires deliberately involving the ‘fat man’ in the incident.
On the other hand, are the two scenarios substantively different other, given that one involves a shove and the other a pull on a lever? American philosopher Peter Unger would argue that a fundamental difference is hard to pin down, even if throwing the fat man in front of the trolley appears more cruel and involved. If the fat man is standing next to us, are we not in the same way merely ‘diverting damage’ by hurling him to his death (albeit in a more ugly way)?
An act utilitarian – someone who judges the value of each action according to its net yield of happiness – would sympathise with this view. However, a rule utilitarian, who thinks that laws should be set up in order to increase the net happiness in the long run, may disagree on the basis that if a ‘moral rule’ were created which permitted the hurling of fat people in front of trolleys to save lives, adherence to this rather unjust rule would not maximise net happiness, so the rule should therefore never be sanctioned. | https://philosophynow.org/issues/86/How_To_Get_Off_Our_Trolleys |
By Calvin Liu, ’24
Historically, the world of thinking has been dominated by men. We can all look back on political guidance from Plato and Machiavelli, “how to live the best life” from Marcus Aurelius and the Buddha, and even pamphlets on how to think from Freud. However, one final, at times unanswerable question remains: how should we act?
To answer this question has been attempted countless times by countless people through a hodgepodge of ethics. John Stewart Mill and John Rawls say in consequential utilitarianism we must look at the consequences of actions. If stealing from the rich and giving to the poor saves more lives, that’s what we should do. Immanuel Kant says in deontology that reasons for actions matter just as much as the consequence: we cannot steal, since the intention of stealing is bad, even if it results in good. We must go to the bakery, buy the bread, then feed the poor.
An Aside: I personally like to think of actions as a set of personal obligations, and choices as decisions about how to honour certain obligations. Phillipa Foot’s classical Trolley Problem, which will probably be the subject of another piece, can also be considered in the same terms. In the face of crisis, we, as citizens of a society, have an obligation to pull the lever and save people because it is morally correct if we can do so at no harm to ourselves.
But just as Wollstonecraft is buried by Rousseau, feminist ethics rose only in the late twentieth century, heralded by Carol Gilligan’s In a Different Voice. She confronts the reality of reasoning: while historically men are focused on supposed justice and truth, women have been focused on providing care, and have considered moral problems from a view of how they affect individual relationships instead of the world.
As a result, the ethics of care is hardly a set of ethics at all. Instead of considering what to do in a certain situation and backtracking to see if we made the right choice, the ethics of care honours the pre-ethical conception of natural care, recognizing that everyone has certain needs and concerns, and if “we are in a position to meet these needs, … [the] situation makes a moral claim on us.” Thus, it is superior to ethical care as it recognizes what is best done in consideration of the other instead of what is simply ‘best done.’
In historical, male-dominated education systems, we are often taught what the most rational choice in a perfect situation is. If a person is inherently evil, they are worse than a person who is inherently good. If we were to pick which person to flip the lever for the trolley towards, it should always be the evil one.
However, problems in life are not so simple. People can be a variety of different things beyond being branded “evil” or “good.” Decency is not given but earned. Individuals are so much more complex than the 16 groups Myers tries to separate them into or the labels we easily place upon them. They are built up of layers upon layers of emergent factors which cannot even be approached with our current levels of sociological understanding.
Alas, I hope that the message of this is not that “we should take mercy upon each and every situation.” I stand by that adequate reactions be doled out for wrongful actions, possibly another topic for another time. However, especially as for the first time in human history, what Simone de Beauvoir referred to as “the second sex” approaches the male-dominated hierarchy, it is high time to ask:
Do we care about the ethics of our act, or do we act for the ethics of our care?
Further (Literary) Investigations, in order of relevance: | https://wolfingtonpost.com/2022/11/21/why-now-is-the-time-to-care/ |
EMF is short for electromagnetic fields or sometimes known as electromagnetic radiation (EMR) or electromagnetic energy (EME). Electromagnetic fields are present everywhere in our environment – the earth, sun and ionosphere are all natural sources of EMF.
What are the sources of electromagnetic radiation?
Examples of EM radiation include radio waves and microwaves, as well as infrared, ultraviolet, gamma, and x-rays. Some sources of EM radiation include sources in the cosmos (e.g., the sun and stars), radioactive elements, and manufactured devices. EM exhibits a dual wave and particle nature.
What are two types of electromagnetic radiation?
Radiation is energy that travels and spreads out as it goes – the visible light that comes from a lamp in your house and the radio waves that come from a radio station are two types of electromagnetic radiation.
What is the primary source of Earth’s electromagnetic radiation?
The Sun is the primary source of electromagnetic radiation on Earth. The Earth is constantly bombarded with electromagnetic radiation (EMR), but before the electromagnetic energy from the Sun reaches the Earth’s surface, it must pass through the atmosphere.
What are the 7 types of electromagnetic radiation?
The EM spectrum is generally divided into seven regions, in order of decreasing wavelength and increasing energy and frequency. The common designations are: radio waves, microwaves, infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), X-rays and gamma rays.
What is the most important source of electromagnetic radiation?
The most important source of electromagnetic waves on Earth is the sun. Electromagnetic waves travel from the sun to Earth across space and provide virtually all the energy that supports life on our planet.
How many types of radiation are there?
four
What electromagnetic radiation is harmful?
There are two main categories of EMFs: Higher-frequency EMFs, which include x-rays and gamma rays. These EMFs are in the ionizing radiation part of the electromagnetic spectrum and can damage DNA or cells directly.
What are the 7 types of electromagnetic waves and their uses?
Though the sciences generally classify EM waves into seven basic types, all are manifestations of the same phenomenon.
- Radio Waves: Instant Communication. …
- Microwaves: Data and Heat. …
- Infrared Waves: Invisible Heat. …
- Visible Light Rays. …
- Ultraviolet Waves: Energetic Light. …
- X-rays: Penetrating Radiation. …
- Gamma Rays: Nuclear Energy.
Which is not electromagnetic radiation?
Beta Rays are not Electromagnetic Waves
Beta rays also known as beta radiation is obtained through the emission of an electron. Beta rays are not electromagnetic waves because they are charged particles and are capable of getting deflected by the magnetic field.
What happens when electromagnetic radiation is absorbed?
Absorption of a photon occurs when it transfers its energy to atoms within a substance it’s striking. … When electromagnetic radiation is absorbed by a substance, a common effect is the generation of heat, but different effects can happen depending on the type of electromagnetic radiation and the absorbing substance.
What form of electromagnetic radiation does a microwave use?
Microwaves are a form of “electromagnetic” radiation; that is, they are waves of electrical and magnetic energy moving together through space. Electromagnetic radiation spans a broad spectrum from very long radio waves to very short gamma rays.
What types of radiation are not harmful?
Alpha, beta, and gamma rays also cause damage to living matter, in varying degrees. Alpha particles have a very small absorption range, and thus are usually not harmful to life, unless ingested, due to its high ionizing power.
What are the 5 types of radiation?
The radiation one typically encounters is one of four types: alpha radiation, beta radiation, gamma radiation, and x radiation. Neutron radiation is also encountered in nuclear power plants and high-altitude flight and emitted from some industrial radioactive sources.
How do you identify radiation type?
To determine the type of radiation (alpha, beta or gamma), first determine the background count rate, then the source count rate with no absorber. Next, place a sheet of paper between the source and the monitor. If the counts are significantly reduced, the source emits alpha particles. | https://klikyballs.com/electromagnetism/what-are-two-natural-sources-of-electromagnetic-radiation.html |
Electromagnetic waves include different types of waves: visible light, ultraviolet, infrared rays, X-rays and gamma-rays etc.
Electromagnetic Spectrum is the classification of these waves according to their frequency.
The visible light from the sun is in between infrared (IR) and ultraviolet rays (UV) in the electromagnetic spectrum.
The emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium is called radiation.
Wavelength is the distance between identical points (adjacent crests) in the adjacent cycles of a waveform signal.
Frequency and wavelength are inversely proportional to each other, twice the frequency means one-half the wavelength.
The wave with the greatest frequency has the shortest wavelength.
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that is produced by oscillating electric and magnetic disturbance, or by the movement of electrically charged particles traveling through a vacuum or matter.
Electromagnetic spectrumElectromagnetic spectrum is divided into seven regions, i.e. Radio waves, Microwaves, Infrared (IR) waves, Visible light, Ultraviolet (UV) rays, X rays and Gamma rays.
|Name||Frequency||Wavelength||Generation||Usage|
|Radio Waves||< 3 X 1011 Hz||> 1 mm||The accelerated motion of charges in conducting wires generates Radio waves.||AM, FM, TV and Cellular phones.|
|Microwaves||3 X 1011 - 1013 Hz||1 mm - 25 μm||Special vacuum tubes called klystrons, magnetrons and Gunn diodes generate microwaves.||Radar systems and Microwave ovens.|
|Infrared Rays
|
(Heat Waves)
|1013 - 4 X 1014 Hz||25 μm - 750 nm||Hot bodies and molecules generate Infrared rays.||Physical therapy, Earth Satellites and Remote switching of TV, video recorders, etc.|
|Visible Rays||4 X 1014 - 7.5 X 1014 Hz||750 nm - 400 nm||The Sun, Light Bulb etc.|
|Ultraviolet Rays||1015 - 1017 Hz
||400 nm - 1 nm||Welding arcs, special lamps and very hot bodies.
|
The sun.
|LASIK eye surgery and Water purifiers.|
|X-rays||1017 - 1020 Hz||1 nm - 1 pm||X-rays are commonly generated by bombarding a metal target with high energy electrons.||As a diagnostic tool in medicine.|
|Gamma Rays||1020 - 1024 Hz||< 10 -12 m||Gamma rays are produced in nuclear reactions.||Destroy cancer cells.|
The range of the AM (amplitude modulated) band is between 530 kHz and 1710 kHz.
TV waves range from 54 MHz to 890 MHz.
The FM (frequency modulated) radio band is from 88 MHz to 108 MHz.
Cellular phones also use radio waves to transmit voice communication in an ultra-high frequency (UHF) band.
Microwaves form the basis of microwave ovens. In microwave ovens, the frequency of the microwaves is selected to match the resonant frequency of water molecules.
This results in a direct transfer of energy from the waves to the kinetic energy of the water molecules raising the temperature of any food containing water.
Water molecules present in most materials readily absorb Infrared Rays.
After absorption, their thermal motion increases which increases their heat and that of their surroundings.
Ultraviolet Rays can have harmful effects on humans if exposed to in large quantities.
Ultraviolet Rays have shorter wavelengths.
Hence, they are focused into very narrow beams and used in high-precision applications like LASIK eye surgery.
Water purifiers use UV lamps to kill germs in water. | https://www.preparationworld.com/notes/electromagnetic-waves/179 |
Electromagnetic radiation is a flow of energy in which electrical and magnetic fields vary simultaneously. Radio waves, microwaves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma rays are all electromagnetic radiations. … It can act as a wave and a particle as well.
What is meant by electromagnetic waves?
Radiation that has both electric and magnetic fields and travels in waves. It comes from natural and man-made sources. Electromagnetic radiation can vary in strength from low energy to high energy. It includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, x-rays, and gamma rays.
What is electromagnetic spectrum Class 11?
Class 11 Chemistry Structure of Atom. Electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic spectrum. When all the electromagnetic radiations are arranged in order of increasing wavelengths, and decreasing frequencies the complete spectrum is called electromagnetic spectrum as shown below: Limitations of this theory.
What is electromagnetic waves and its properties?
Every form of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, oscillates in a periodic fashion with peaks and valleys, and displaying a characteristic amplitude, wavelength, and frequency that defines the direction, energy, and intensity of the radiation.
What are 3 characteristics of electromagnetic waves?
Characteristics of electromagnetic waves
As you learned in Wave Motion, all waves have amplitude, wavelength, velocity and frequency.
Are humans electromagnetic?
The human is a electromagnetic field or is like a electron that come form the electromagnetic field . the photon is a electron magnetic field and it generates the electron and positron. The photon may also be a resultant of an electromagnetic field .
How do we use electromagnetic waves in everyday life?
Behaviour and uses of electromagnetic waves
- Radio waves. Radio waves are used for communication such as television and radio. …
- Microwaves. Microwaves are used for cooking food and for satellite communications. …
- Infrared. …
- Visible light. …
- Ultraviolet radiation.
What is wavelength Class 11?
The term wavelength means length of the wave. Wavelength is defined as the minimum distance between two consecutive points in the same phase of wave motion. It is denoted by λ. In case of transverse wave we use the term crest for thepeak of the maximum displacement.
Is an electromagnetic wave?
Definition: Electromagnetic waves or EM waves are waves that are created as a result of vibrations between an electric field and a magnetic field. In other words, EM waves are composed of oscillating magnetic and electric fields. … They are also perpendicular to the direction of the EM wave.
What is black body radiation Class 11?
Hot objects emit electromagnetic radiation. … A black-body is an ideal object that emits all frequencies of radiation with a spectral distribution that depends only on the temperature and not on its composition. The radiation emitted by such an object is called black-body radiation.
What are the 4 main properties of electromagnetic waves?
Like other waves, electromagnetic waves have properties of speed, wavelength, and frequency.23 мая 2019 г.
What are the 7 electromagnetic waves and their uses?
The EM spectrum is generally divided into seven regions, in order of decreasing wavelength and increasing energy and frequency. The common designations are: radio waves, microwaves, infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), X-rays and gamma rays.
How safe are electromagnetic waves?
There is no doubt that short-term exposure to very high levels of electromagnetic fields can be harmful to health. … Despite extensive research, to date there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health.
What are two characteristics of an electromagnetic wave?
What are the Characteristics of Electromagnetic Waves?
- Electromagnetic waves are transverse in nature as they propagate by varying the electric and magnetic fields such that the two fields are perpendicular to each other.
- Accelerated charges are responsible to produce electromagnetic waves.
Do all electromagnetic waves have the same energy?
Radio, microwaves, UV, visible light and gamma rays have completely different effects, but they’re all exactly the same kind of thing: electromagnetic radiation (EMR). They’re just waves of energy travelling through space — or through things. … Radio waves have got the lowest energy on the electromagnetic spectrum.
What properties do all electromagnetic waves have in common?
All electromagnetic waves: are transverse waves; can travel through a vacuum ; travel at exactly the same speed in a vacuum, the speed of light, 300,000,000 m/s.
…
Like all waves, electromagnetic waves:
- transfer energy from one place to another;
- can be reflected;
- can be refracted . | https://klikyballs.com/electromagnetism/what-are-electromagnetic-waves-class-11.html |
Take a moment to look around yourself. Now consider exactly what you’re surrounded by. Most people will come up with a list of various colorful items in their vicinity. Others might also note feeling the warmth of the sun beating down on them. Yet others may glance at the streaming media on their phone. These examples might not seem to have much in common at first. But in reality each of them comes about through invisible electromagnetic waves.
It’s often difficult to remember that we’re essentially swimming in a sea of electromagnetic waves. Our phone signal, heat and even ability to see color come from our relationship to electromagnetic waves. Our ability to perceive these waves varies on a case by case basis. Some areas of the electromagnetic spectrum are fully hidden from us unless we augment our senses with technology. We’re able to perceive other parts of the spectrum through our various biological senses. However, we’re not usually conscious of this process.
When we see color we don’t intellectually calculate values of the light spectrum. Instead this is all handled by our eyes and brain before we become conscious of a color. It’s only by learning about the seven most important types of electromagnetic waves that we can fully appreciate just how much value they add to our lives.
1. Visible Colors of Light
The visible colors of light can be considered both the most and least appreciated types of electromagnetic waves. On one hand we’re all continually amazed by a wide variety of different colors. Almost everyone loves the bright and vivid spectacle we see around ourselves on a daily basis.
We’re far less aware of the fact that we’re perceiving color through reflected light in the form of electromagnetic waves. The lower range of the visual light spectrum is seen as red. If we go a little beneath that we reach a non-visible color known as infrared. In the middle of the visible light spectrum is green. And at the very top of the visible spectrum of electromagnetic waves we can find violet. A little above that and we see another color invisible to the eye – ultraviolet. But between the extremes of infrared and ultraviolet we find wavelengths that deliver every color we’ve ever seen or will see in our lives.
2. Infrared
Infrared is located just below red on the electromagnetic spectrum. Humans are only able to see into the infrared range through the use of specially designed cameras. When we do, it basically operates as a heat sensing device. If you’ve ever seen movies where living beings appear to be blobs of color then you already have a good idea of what it’d be like to see into the infrared range. Of course we need to translate that data into the color patterns we’re able to see in order to make use of the data.
Interestingly, snakes may be able to see into the infrared range through their own sensory apparatus. Some snakes possess a special structure called a pit organ. People often assume that the pit organ functions as a heat sensor in a similar way to what we experience when putting our hands near an open flame. However, the pit organ communicates with a snake’s visual system. This means that they truly do integrate infrared data into their vision.
3. Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet is the other invisible element of light. Or, rather, invisible to humans. As with infrared we can only see ultraviolet light with special cameras. We also see another shared element with infrared light. As with infrared there are animals which can see into the ultraviolet spectrum. In this case the honor primarily goes to insects. Insects are usually able to see color in a way that’s shifted slightly upward from human perception.
The vision of most insects cuts off at the lower end of what we consider visible light. In practical terms this means that insects are usually unable to see the color red. You might imagine that this would make it harder rather than easier to see the flowers so many insects use as food. But this is where their ability to see into the ultraviolet range comes into play. Insects use their ability to see ultraviolet light to help them navigate patterns on flowers. Though some insects, like the butterfly, are especially attuned to a wider range of color than others.
4. Radio Waves
Don’t be fooled by its name. There’s far more to radio waves than what you can pick up on a radio. Radio waves refer to the bottom of the electromagnetic spectrum. This means that a wide variety of natural and artificial objects emit radio waves. This even includes the sun and stars.
But for most people the radio wave’s claim to fame is their phone. Radio waves are used to transmit data between your phone and cell towers. This can highlight just how well radio waves travel. A cell tower can provide coverage for up to 45 miles. But that pales in comparison to what the signals can achieve outside of the interference on earth. In fact, rovers on Mars are able to use radio waves to communicate with orbital satellites.
5. Microwaves
Think back to the impressive range of radio waves. Even with all the interference we find on earth a radio wave can travel for miles without much degradation. Microwaves can travel only a minuscule distance in comparison. We usually only see microwaves cover a few centimeters to a foot away from their point of origin.
It might seem like microwaves are severely limited. But what they lack in traveling power they make up for in penetrative capacity. Microwaves are able to move through obstacles which would block or degrade radio signals. For example, microwaves are unperturbed by smoke or clouds.
Of course we’re most familiar with microwaves due to the device of the same name. As you might have guessed, a microwave oven heats food by using microwaves. This also highlights just how well microwaves are able to move through obstructions. A microwave oven heats food by exciting molecules in food. These waves can often penetrate quite far into frozen food.
Microwaves might not be able to fully penetrate an object placed into a microwave oven. But in those cases heat from the food’s outer layer will heat up its inner layer. This is also why some foods have longer cooking times in a microwave oven. It takes more time to heat matter through conduction rather than direct stimulation. In these cases microwaves heat the outer layer of your food. And this outer layer slowly heats up the inner layer.
6. X-rays
X-rays are found on the upper end of the electromagnetic spectrum. They’re emitted by the core of the sun, black holes and some similar astronomical phenomena.
Of course today we’re mostly familiar with x-rays through procedures which borrow the name. X-ray machines, as the name suggests, generate and output x-rays. These x-rays travel through someone’s body and will then register within an x-ray receiver. This generates images based on the density of material the x-rays passed through.
7. Gamma Rays
Gamma rays might sound like something out of the latest superhero movie. But gamma rays are very much science fact rather than science fiction. As with x-rays we see them occur within stars and black holes. But we also see gamma rays occur right here on earth during lightning storms.
Gamma rays might not be science fiction but they’re certainly strange. They’re so far up on the electromagnetic spectrum that they can even pass through the empty space of an atom. This would cause a severe risk if gamma rays were more common on earth. Thankfully our planet’s atmosphere blocks most gamma rays from outer space.
A Huge World Filled With Invisible Wonders
These seven items highlight just how immense the unseen world around us really is. We’re only able to directly perceive a small subset of the larger electromagnetic spectrum. But we nonetheless live in a world where they all directly impact our lives in one way or another. From the convenience of microwave food to the bees using ultraviolet light to help them pollinate flowers. All of these items in the electromagnetic spectrum highlight how amazing and intertwined the various complexities of life really are. | https://www.color-meanings.com/types-electromagnetic-waves/ |
Answer 1: The most obvious source of electromagnetic energy and radiation is the sun. The sun provides the initial energy source for much of the remote sensing of the Earth surface.
What is the main source of electromagnetic energy?
Many sources of electromagnetic radiation come from man-made technology. On the other side of the spectrum, we have ultraviolet radiation, which is emitted by black lights and fluorescent lamps. Of course, the main source of UV rays is the sun, which is also a major source of X-rays.
What type of electromagnetic energy does Earth give off at night?
The ground heats up and re-emits energy as longwave radiation in the form of infrared rays. Earth emits longwave radiation because Earth is cooler than the sun and has less energy available to give off.
What emits electromagnetic energy?
The other types of EM radiation that make up the electromagnetic spectrum are microwaves, infrared light, ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma-rays. … Fireflies, light bulbs, and stars all emit visible light. Ultraviolet: Ultraviolet radiation is emitted by the Sun and are the reason skin tans and burns.
Where is electromagnetic energy found?
Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is a form of energy that is all around us and takes many forms, such as radio waves, microwaves, X-rays and gamma rays. Sunlight is also a form of EM energy, but visible light is only a small portion of the EM spectrum, which contains a broad range of electromagnetic wavelengths.
Which color has the highest energy?
violet
Is infrared dangerous to humans?
IR, particularly IR-A or near IR [700nm-1400nm], raises the internal temperature of the eye, essentially “baking” it. Medical studies indicate that prolonged IR exposure can lead to lens, cornea and retina damage, including cataracts, corneal ulcers and retinal burns, respectively.
Do humans emit energy?
Humans give off mostly infrared radiation, which is electromagnetic radiation with a frequency lower than visible light. … “Thermal radiation” is all the electromagnetic waves given off by an object because of its temperature, and includes radio waves, infrared waves, and even visible light.
What are the 7 types of waves?
Though the sciences generally classify EM waves into seven basic types, all are manifestations of the same phenomenon.
- Radio Waves: Instant Communication. …
- Microwaves: Data and Heat. …
- Infrared Waves: Invisible Heat. …
- Visible Light Rays. …
- Ultraviolet Waves: Energetic Light. …
- X-rays: Penetrating Radiation. …
- Gamma Rays: Nuclear Energy.
How do we use electromagnetic energy?
Up to the end of the microwave spectrum, most all modern conveniences that use electromagnetic energy in one way or another are in the lower frequency region, including millimeter waves, cell phones, WiFi, microwave ovens, space and terrestrial communications, radar for airports and military uses, AM and FM radio, …
How does electromagnetic energy travel?
Electromagnetic waves differ from mechanical waves in that they do not require a medium to propagate. This means that electromagnetic waves can travel not only through air and solid materials, but also through the vacuum of space. … This proved that radio waves were a form of light!
What causes electromagnetic?
Electromagnetic radiation is made when an atom absorbs energy. The absorbed energy causes one or more electrons to change their locale within the atom. When the electron returns to its original position, an electromagnetic wave is produced.
What is another name for electromagnetic energy?
The energy in electromagnetic waves is sometimes called radiant energy.
What are the 4 main properties of electromagnetic waves?
Like other waves, electromagnetic waves have properties of speed, wavelength, and frequency.23 мая 2019 г.
Is an electromagnetic wave?
Definition: Electromagnetic waves or EM waves are waves that are created as a result of vibrations between an electric field and a magnetic field. In other words, EM waves are composed of oscillating magnetic and electric fields. … They are also perpendicular to the direction of the EM wave. | https://klikyballs.com/electromagnetism/what-is-earths-main-source-of-electromagnetic-energy.html |
Radiant energy, also known as electromagnetic radiation (EMR), is energy transmitted without the movement of mass. Practically speaking, this is the energy found in electromagnetic waves, also known as light. Light is made of individual particles called photons, each carrying a small "packet" of energy. Because photons are so small, light energy is often measured in electron volts. Examples of radiant energy include the warmth that radiates from a hot stove and the warmth from direct sunlight. This electromagnetic wave can be seen in figure 1.
Not all radiant energy is visible (see figure 2). Only photons within a very small range of energies can be seen by people, commonly known as visible light. Photons with lower energies are found in microwaves, radio waves, and as infrared radiation (which is felt as heat). Photons with higher energies are found in ultraviolet rays, in x-rays, and in gamma rays.
Ways to use collect radiant energy include:
Ways to use radiant energy include: | https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Radiant_energy |
Why Cell Phone Radiation Does Not Cause Cancer
Physics explains why no links were found. The microwaves used in cell phone transmissions do not have enough energy to break the chemical bonds of DNA, which is how cell mutations occur and cause cancer. How do we know this? Light and other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, including microwaves, radio waves, infrared waves, and ultraviolet light waves, are all forms of radiation. A single unit of radiation is called a photon. A photon can be thought of either as a particle or as a wave. A century ago, Albert Einstein showed that the energy (E) of a photon can be calculated as Planck's constant (h) times the frequency (v) of its wave form, or E = hv This formula was set out in one of his early papers, among his most famous, which was published in 1905 and is one of the reasons for which he won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics. Photons with low frequencies are at the red end of the spectrum. They include radio photons, whose waves can be as long as a football field and thus fly past us with low frequency and low energy. Microwaves are slightly stronger, followed by infrared radiation and then visible light waves. Waves at the high end of the spectrum fly past us at much faster frequencies (and thus have more energy) and appear more blue. This part of the spectrum includes ultraviolet light, followed by the even more energetic X-rays, followed by gamma rays, whose waves can be shorter than the diameter of the nucleus of an atom and thus very high frequency and very highly energetic.
Microwaves are slightly more energetic than radio waves, but far less energetic than even the infrared radiation that our skin gives off, which is how we can be seen by someone wearing infrared night vision goggles. Both visible light and microwaves can be used to cook food and heat up your coffee by concentrating them in very large amounts, such as in a solar oven or a microwave oven. The concentrated waves excite the molecules in a way that increases their vibration, and the friction H that produces increases their temperature, but they still don't have anywhere near enough energy to break chemical bonds. If they did, the food would turn into goop.
Microwaves are much weaker than visible light, though, so it takes a lot more of them to make an oven work than it does to make a solar oven work, which is why microwave ovens are such electricity hogs. It'st's not until you travel into the red end of the visible light photons, then on to the yellow emitted by incandescent bulbs, then to the blue that illuminates many fluorescent bulbs, and then on past the visible spectrum: into ultraviolet light that you get photons that have a high enough frequency and thus enough energy to break DNA bonds. These photons have about million times more energy than microwave photons, enough that they can act like cue balls and knock electrons out of atoms, ionizing the atoms and changing their chemical nature. This is w^hat Einstein's 1905 paper showed. Just imagine the force of a wave the length of a football field being concentrated into a wave the length of a molecule and then flashing past you over and over and over, and you can get a sense of the vast difference in the power of the two. That is what can break the bond between two carbon atoms, damaging DNA and causing cancer. Bi these ultraviolet photons still don't have enough energy to penetrate us very deeply, so they can only give us skin cancer.
Electromagnetic radiation above this level grows increasingly dangerous. X-rays are sometimes stopped by our skin, but if we are bombarded by enough of them they have enough energy to penetrate through us, a few of them being absorbed by skin and muscle, many more by our bones. which are denser, and many shooting that cue ball of a photon clear through us, which is why we can use them to make images of the inside of our bodies. X-rays can and do cause cancer, but our bodies can almost always stop them if the exposure is low enough. Gamma rays are so energetic that they can penetrate us, kill cells, and cause cancer very easily, and in high exposures they cause radiation poisoning, which kills much more quickly by damaging our bone marrow and gastrointestinal tract.
Notes:
An explanation of radiation, it's different wavelengths, and why microwave radiation cannot damage a cell because it cannot break molecular bonds.
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Concepts: | https://mxplx.com/meme/2509/ |
In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EM radiation or EMR) refers to the waves (or their quanta, photons) of the electromagnetic field, propagating (radiating) through space, carrying electromagnetic radiant energy. It includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, (visible) light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.
What is another word for electromagnetic radiation?
•radio wave (noun)
microwave, frequency wave.
What are electromagnetic waves also known as?
Electromagnetic waves are produced by the motion of electrically charged particles. … These waves are also called “electromagnetic radiation” because they radiate from the electrically charged particles. They travel through empty space as well as through air and other substances.
What is another name for radiation?
In this page you can discover 44 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for radiation, like: diffusion, emission, ramification, propagation, divarication, polarization, spread, transmission, broadcast, circulation and dissipation.
What are the 7 types of electromagnetic radiation?
The EM spectrum is generally divided into seven regions, in order of decreasing wavelength and increasing energy and frequency. The common designations are: radio waves, microwaves, infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), X-rays and gamma rays.
What is electromagnetic radiation in simple words?
Electromagnetic radiation, in classical physics, the flow of energy at the universal speed of light through free space or through a material medium in the form of the electric and magnetic fields that make up electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, visible light, and gamma rays.
Why is it called electromagnetic?
Scientists call them all electromagnetic radiation. The waves of energy are called electromagnetic (EM) because they have oscillating electric and magnetic fields. … If it has low frequency, it has less energy and could be a TV or radio wave. All EM energy waves travel at the speed of light.
What are the uses of the 7 electromagnetic waves?
Behaviour and uses of electromagnetic waves
- Radio waves. Radio waves are used for communication such as television and radio. …
- Microwaves. Microwaves are used for cooking food and for satellite communications. …
- Infrared. …
- Visible light. …
- Ultraviolet radiation.
What are the types of waves?
Based on the orientation of particle motion and direction of energy, there are three categories: Mechanical waves. Electromagnetic waves.
…
Electromagnetic Wave
- Microwaves.
- X-ray.
- Radio waves.
- Ultraviolet waves.
What is another name for exposure?
Exposure Synonyms – WordHippo Thesaurus.
…
What is another word for exposure?revelationdisclosureuncoveringdivulgencedivulgingbetrayaldenunciationdisplayexposémanifestationЕщё 142 строки
Is radiation a energy?
Radiation is energy. It can come from unstable atoms that undergo radioactive decay, or it can be produced by machines. Radiation travels from its source in the form of energy waves or energized particles.
What is radiation related?
Here are some words that are associated with radiation: energy, irradiation, radioactivity, neutron, cosmic ray, alpha particle, nuclear fission, particles, ionizing radiation, radioactive, radiotherapy, electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic spectrum, physics, nuclear fusion, gamma ray, radon, positron, cancer, …
What are the four types of radiation?
There are four major types of radiation: alpha, beta, neutrons, and electromagnetic waves such as gamma rays.
What are the 5 types of radiation?
The radiation one typically encounters is one of four types: alpha radiation, beta radiation, gamma radiation, and x radiation. Neutron radiation is also encountered in nuclear power plants and high-altitude flight and emitted from some industrial radioactive sources.
What types of radiation are not harmful?
Alpha, beta, and gamma rays also cause damage to living matter, in varying degrees. Alpha particles have a very small absorption range, and thus are usually not harmful to life, unless ingested, due to its high ionizing power. | https://klikyballs.com/electromagnetism/what-is-another-name-for-electromagnetic-radiation.html |
Ionizing radiation is any radiation (particles or electromagnetic waves) that carries enough energy to knock electrons from atoms or molecules, thereby ionizing them. For ionizing radiation, the kinetic energy of particles (photons, electrons, etc.) is sufficient and the particle can ionize (to form ion by losing electrons) target atoms to form ions.
The boundary between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation is not sharply defined, since different molecules and atoms ionize at different energies. This is typical for electromagnetic waves. Among electromagnetic waves belong, in order of increasing frequency (energy) and decreasing wavelength: radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays. Gamma rays, X-rays, and the higher ultraviolet part of the spectrum are ionizing, whereas the lower ultraviolet, visible light (including laser light), infrared, microwaves, and radio waves are considered non-ionizing radiation.
All biological damage effects begin with the consequence of radiation interactions with the atoms forming the cells. All living things are composed of one or more cells. Every part of your body consists of cells or was built by them. Although we tend to think of biological effects in terms of the effect of radiation on living cells, in actuality, ionizing radiation, by definition, interacts only with atoms by a process called ionization.
The danger of ionizing radiation lies in the fact that the radiation is invisible and not directly detectable by human senses. People can neither see nor feel radiation, yet it deposits energy to the molecules of the body. The energy is transferred in small quantities for each interaction between the radiation and a molecule and there are usually many such interactions.
An equivalent dose of one Sievert represents that quantity of radiation dose that is equivalent, in terms of specified biological damage, to one gray of X-rays or gamma rays. Equivalent dose is a non-physical quantity (wR is derived from biological consequences of ionizing radiation) widely used in dosimetry measured by dosimeters. Equivalent dose is designated by the ICRP as a “limiting quantity”; to specify exposure limits to ensure that “the occurrence of stochastic health effects is kept below unacceptable levels and that tissue reactions are avoided”.
A nitrogen atom, for example, requires the following ionization energy to remove the outermost electron.
There is an ionization energy for each successive electron removed. The electrons that circle the nucleus move in fairly well-defined orbits. Some of these electrons are more tightly bound in the atom than others. For example, only 7.38 eV is required to remove the outermost electron from a lead atom, while 88,000 eV is required to remove the innermost electron. Helps to understand reactivity of elements (especially metals, which lose electrons). | https://www.nuclear-power.net/nuclear-power/reactor-physics/atomic-nuclear-physics/radiation/ionizing-radiation/ |
Sound waves are examples of mechanical waves while light waves are examples of electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves are created by the vibration of an electric charge. This vibration creates a wave which has both an electric and a magnetic component.
Why is sound a wave?
Sound is a mechanical wave that results from the back and forth vibration of the particles of the medium through which the sound wave is moving. … The motion of the particles is parallel (and anti-parallel) to the direction of the energy transport. This is what characterizes sound waves in air as longitudinal waves.
What does electromagnetic wave mean?
Definition: Electromagnetic waves or EM waves are waves that are created as a result of vibrations between an electric field and a magnetic field. In other words, EM waves are composed of oscillating magnetic and electric fields. … They are also perpendicular to the direction of the EM wave.
What is the difference between electromagnetic waves and sound waves?
What are the differences between sound waves and electromagnetic waves? Propogation: Sound waves are longitudinal, meaning that the vibrations occur parallel to the direction of propogation (travel). Electromagnetic waves are transverse, meaning that the vibrations occur perpendicular to the direction of propogation.
Why is light referred to as an electromagnetic wave?
The waves of energy are called electromagnetic (EM) because they have oscillating electric and magnetic fields. … If it has low frequency, it has less energy and could be a TV or radio wave. All EM energy waves travel at the speed of light. No matter what their frequency or wavelength, they always move at the same speed.
What are the 3 types of sound?
Sound can be of different types—soft, loud, pleasant, unpleasant, musical, audible (can be heard), inaudible (cannot be heard), etc. Some sounds may fall into more than one category. For instance, the sound produced when an aeroplane takes off is both loud and unpleasant.9 мая 2019 г.
What type of wave is sound?
longitudinal waves
How does an electromagnetic wave begin?
An electromagnetic wave begins when an electrically charged particle vibrates. This causes a vibrating electric field, which in turn creates a vibrating magnetic field. The two vibrating fields together form an electromagnetic wave.
What is another name for electromagnetic wave?
•electromagnetic wave (noun)
Nonparticulate Radiation.
How safe are electromagnetic waves?
There is no doubt that short-term exposure to very high levels of electromagnetic fields can be harmful to health. … Despite extensive research, to date there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health.
What are the 7 types of waves?
Though the sciences generally classify EM waves into seven basic types, all are manifestations of the same phenomenon.
- Radio Waves: Instant Communication. …
- Microwaves: Data and Heat. …
- Infrared Waves: Invisible Heat. …
- Visible Light Rays. …
- Ultraviolet Waves: Energetic Light. …
- X-rays: Penetrating Radiation. …
- Gamma Rays: Nuclear Energy.
Is sound electromagnetic wave?
Electromagnetic radiation is the propagation through space of electrical and magnetic waves while sound is the result of small changes in the air pressure that propagate through the air. We can sometimes see electromagnetic radiation (as light) or feel it (as warmth) while we can only hear sound.
Is music an electromagnetic wave?
Radio Waves. … However, sound and radio waves are completely different phenomena. Sound creates pressure variations (waves) in matter, such as air or water, or your eardrum. Conversely, radio waves are electromagnetic waves, like visible light, infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.
Is light is an electromagnetic wave?
Radio waves, gamma-rays, visible light, and all the other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation can be described in terms of a stream of mass-less particles, called photons, each traveling in a wave-like pattern at the speed of light.
What type of wave is light?
transverse waves
What do all electromagnetic waves have in common?
All electromagnetic waves have two wavefronts, which are an oscillating electric field and an oscillating magnetic field. | https://klikyballs.com/electromagnetism/you-asked-why-is-sound-an-electromagnetic-wave.html |
What are the units for frequency and wavelength?
Herts and any unit of distance.
How are speed, wavelength, and frequency related?
Speed = wavelength x frequency.
What are the three shaped of waves?
transverse, longitudinal, and surface
How does a transverse wave move?
S with a perpendicular motion like the motion of a snake
How does a longitudinal wave move?
compression and rarefaction and goes in the direction it is aimed (like sound)
How does a surface wave move?
surface waves roll (like ocean waves)
What are the 7 different kinds of EM waves
Radio, Microwave, Infrared, Visible, Ultraviolet, X Ray, Gamma
What is the use of a radio waves?
transmits television and radio programs.
What is the use of a microwave?
to cook food and is found in your phone
What is the use of infrared waves?
felt as heat and is found in tv controller.
What is the use of visible light?
the sunlight
What is the use of ultraviolet waves?
causes the body to produce vitamin D
What is the use of x-rays?
used in hospitals to produce photographs of bones which can be checked for breaks or fractures.
What is the use of gamma rays?
kill cancer cells, to sterilise medical equipment and in radioactive tracers.
What are the colors of visible light?
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
What are the 3 primary colors of light?
red, green, and blue
What are the 3 types of seismic waves?
Primary, Secondary, Surface
Does the EM spectrum go in order of low to high or high to low frequency?
low to high
What is the order of of EM spectrum?
radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet rays, x-rays, and gamma rays
Definition of Electromagnetic Waves
travels at the speed of light, does not travel through a medium, has an electric and magnetic component.
Definition of Mechanical Waves
must travel through a medium
Defintion of Frequency
The number of waves that pass a point in a second.
Definition of Wavelength
The distance from one wave crest to the next.
Definition of Amplitude
The distance from the middle of the wave to the crest.
Definition of Crest
The top of the wave
Definition of Trough
The lowest part of the wave
Definition of Interference (positive/constructive and negative/destructive)
adding to or subtracting from a wave
Definition of Infrasound and ultrasound
sound below the human range of hearing and sound above the human range of hearing
Definition of Medium
any material that a mechanical wave travels through (like water or air)
Definition of Doppler Effect
the change in apparent pitch of a wave as it comes towards you or goes away from you
Definition of Sonar
navigation by sound (Sound navigation and ranging)
What speed does light travel at?
300,000 km a sec
Definition of Lasers
Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
Definition of Refraction
the bending of light
Definition of Cones
the color receptors in the eye
Definition of Blind spot
When you visual field is obscured because of the optic nerve on the back your eye
Definition of Color blindness and causes
Color blindness is hereditary and keeps you from seeing some colors. | https://quizlet.com/208569396/wave-test-study-guide-flash-cards/ |
For the avant-garde art scene of 1960s London, photographer Clay Perry was a key figure, documenting many of the most innovative international artists of the period. Perry worked with artists such as Yoko Ono, David Medalla, Robert Rauschenberg, Sérgio de Camargo, Gustav Metzger, Jesús Rafael Soto, Mark Boyle, Mira Schendel, Liliane Lijn and Takis. In the summer of 1964, he became ‘house photographer’ for SIGNALS Gallery, and produced iconic images for the SIGNALS Newsbulletin, the publication that provided a forum for artists, writers and poets involved in experimental art and was “dedicated to the adventure of the modern spirit”.
After SIGNALS closed, Perry went on to take photographs for Indica Gallery in 1966, and to make a series of photographs of Yoko Ono at her Lisson Gallery Half-a-Wind exhibition in 1967. Perry became an established editorial photographer, working extensively for The Sunday Times Magazine, producing books with Thames & Hudson. His work is represented in the National Portrait Gallery, London, and has been included in museum exhibitions in London and New York. His photographs from the 1960s have been exhibited internationally and reproduced in numerous publications.
This display brings together some key images from Clay Perry’s Archive, including images of Yoko Ono, David Medalla, Mira Schendel, Sérgio de Camargo and Jesús Rafael Soto; together with archival material including original copies of SIGNALS Newsbulletins. | https://www.englandgallery.com/clay-perry-archive/ |
Charles is an exhibiting photographer with numerous one man and group exhibitions covering a diverse range of subject matter within the context of Social Documentation. His work has been exhibited in the Queensland Art Gallery and the Australian National Gallery as well as many other major venues and has been included in major public collections throughout Australia. Charles has also been the recipient of several major photographic commissions.
Charles has travelled extensively having photographed in over 60 countries. He has also been involved with the International Red Cross to document crisis activities in various conflict zones such as Afghanistan, Malawi, Somalia and Chechnya.
In 1993 he journeyed to the Antarctic under the auspices of the Australian Antarctic Division. Christmas 1994 saw him again photographing under the auspices of the Australian Red Cross, this time in Thailand.
In July 1995 he undertook a one-month International Committee of Red Cross project in Chechnya in the Russian Federation.
Charles returned to Chechnya in July 1996 as an ICRC-contracted photographer to document the ICRC humanitarian activities in that devastated country. In 1997 he undertook a project for the Federation of the Red Cross to document urbanisation in India, Jordan, Colombia and Peru.
In 2001 he completed a Centenary of Federation commission for the Cairns Art Gallery documenting social structures within Cairns society. Charles is now a lecturer in photography for the Queensland College of Art at Griffith University.
Images from Charles’ Antarctic visit have found their way to Norway to take part in an exhibition at the Fram Museum.
Antarctic impression
“It was early 1993 and I was at 35,000 feet over the Indian Ocean on my way home from photographing the war in Somalia for the International Red Cross. After that project and an earlier visit to Afghanistan, I desperately needed a change of subject matter and environment. I decided to re-apply to the Antarctic Fellowships program offered by Australian Antarctic Division, I retrieved my notebook out of my camera bag, and offset the boredom of the flight by writing my submission. This time my application was successful.
After I returned from Antarctica I extended the experience by slowly printing my images, however I just couldn’t begin photographing again. The experience of Antarctica was so residual and so intense that I didn’t know what I could do to match that experience. I have photographed in almost 70 countries, but Antarctica was unique, and its influence still pervades my work and my life
Six months after my return there was a call from the Red Cross in Geneva; would I be available to go to Chechnya? I went to Chechnya and my career was back on track. However when I see the violence and inhumanity that is still so prevalent in the world, I re-visit Antarctica through my images and memories. I am then reminded and encouraged that a place still exists that exemplifies sublime beauty and peace. My visit really did change many aspects of my life.”
In recent years Charles reflected on his Antarctic experience, “I find it intriguing that my 1993 Antarctic experience still resonates within my practice as a documentary photographer”.
Solo exhibitions
1994 Antarctic folio Tasmanian Art Gallery and Museum Hobart Tasmania
2003 Visible traces of another life Rockhampton Art Gallery Queensland
2006 South of Sixty, Benalla Art Gallery, Victoria
2007 — 2008 Cross section, travelling exhibition.
- Horsham Regional Art Gallery, Victoria
- Bundoora Homestead Art Centre, Victoria
- Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Victoria
- Ararat Regional Art Gallery, Victoria
- Mildura Arts Centre, Victoria
- Murray Bridge Regional Art Gallery, South Australia
- Wangaratta exhibitions Gallery, Victoria
- Ipswich Art Gallery, Queensland
- QUT Art Museum and Art Gallery, Queensland
Group exhibitions
1999 The art of Inclusion: Queensland Art Gallery travelling exhibition
- Queensland Art Gallery Brisbane
- Cairns Regional Gallery
- Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery
- Gladstone Regional Art Museum
- Winton Art Gallery
- Logan Art Gallery
2003 Impressions of Antarctica, Parliament House Canberra
2004 Ice and Snow- Antarctica to Mt Everest, Josef Lebovic gallery, Sydney
2004 Antarctic Exhibition, Fram Museum Norway
- Australian Embassy Denmark
2005 Hell Bent for the South Pole, Tasmanian Art Gallery and Museum
2012 THINGS photographing the constructed world, National Library of Australia. | https://heardisland.antarctica.gov.au/about-us/antarctic-arts-fellowship/alumni/charles-page-93-94/ |
Life is a play with many roles. Whether from teddy bears, toys, or fashion icons, parents, siblings, or complete strangers, we seek out models for how to be human. This exhibition features recent work by New England artists skilled in playful mimicry, inversion, and assemblage. Representing photography, collage, sculpture, and painting, the works shown here share a sense of "serious play" with the modes, methods, materials, and processes of forming, inheriting, and expressing personal and social identities. They offer a reminder to children of all ages that identity is not fixed or inherited but made and maintained, and despite the differences and, at times, discord of our many senses of self, we share something in common in the way we enjoy the creative possibilities of becoming human.
About the artists:
Hannah Barrett is a New York-based artist who until recently was based in Boston. Since 2000 she has painted invented portraits based on collage. Copies of photos or in some cases, copies of paintings are cut apart and reassembled into figures of ambiguous gender. Fusing the features of both sexes creates a range of androgynous characters that may be straight, queer, hermaphroditic or just cross-dressing. Her aim is to create portraiture that deviates from the conventional male or female, and to explore the resulting pictorial and conceptual possibilities. The series exhibited here, Tales from the House of Gibson, is a group of invented portraits inspired by Charles Hammond Gibson Junior and his museum. The paintings originally hung in a fantastic three story, exotically wallpapered staircase in the Gibson House Museum at 137 Beacon Street in Boston from April to December of 2010. Other recent solo exhibitions include Stephan Stoyanov Gallery, New York (2012), Howard Yezerski Gallery, Boston (2011), and Childs Gallery, Boston (2011) as well as major group exhibitions at National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. (2010) and Massachusetts College of Art's Bakalar Gallery, Boston (2009). Hannah Barrett's Tales form the House of Gibson are included in the exhibition courtesy of Childs Gallery, Boston and Howard Yezerski, Boston.
Caleb Cole is a Boston-based artist and photographer. Born in Indianapolis (1981), he is a former altar server, scout, and 4-H Grand Champion in Gift Wrapping. His mother instilled in him a love of garage sales and thrift stores, where he developed a fascination with the junk that people leave behind. Cole has exhibited at a variety of venues, including Gallery Kayafas (Boston), the Danforth Museum of Art, Photo Center Northwest (Seattle), Good Citizen Gallery (St. Louis), Childs Gallery (Boston), and Jenkins Johnson Gallery (NYC). Cole was also featured in Boston Magazine (HOME) as an emerging photographer who is "shaking up New England's visual arts scene." His work exhibited here, Other People's Clothes, is a product of his exploration of private moments of expectation, a visual expression of his experiences stepping into the shoes of the types of people he sees on a daily basis. In Cole's words, "Each photograph in the series is a constructed scene that begins with an outfit or piece of clothing (either bought, found, or borrowed), then a person that I imagine to fill those clothes, and finally a location where that person can play out a silent moment alone. This moment is the time right before something changes, the holding in of a breath and waiting, the preparing of oneself for what is to come. Though I am the physical subject of these images, they are not traditional self-portraits. They are portraits of people I have never met but with whom I feel familiar, as well as documents of the process wherein I try on the transitional moments of others' lives in order to better understand my own." Caleb is represented locally by Gallery Kayafas in Boston.
Jane Maxwell is a mixed media artist based in Boston, MA. Maxwell's artistic voice grew out of a passion for vintage materials, modern fashion and design—mingled with a deep fascination for pop culture and female icons. In the late 1990's she studied mixed media at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and at the Decordova Museum School in Lincoln, Massachusetts. She graduated with a BA in Literature from Middlebury College in 1986 then worked in the public relations industry for 10 years. Her current work, exhibited here, largely focuses on women, body image and the feminine ideal. Her collages are deeply layered works, combining color, texture and text that surround and become the female figure. Jane's work is shown in major galleries throughout the country and a has been collected by art patrons around the world. Recently, she was selected to be included in the 30th anniversary edition of Who's Who in American Art. She has been a guest lecturer at Wellesley College, Stonehill College and The New England Art Institute, on the topic of body image and art. Her work has been the focus of numerous newspaper and magazine articles and has been featured in many art books, including Collage for the Soul (Rockport Books) and Mixed Media Collage (Quarry Books).
Randy Regier is a mixed media and installation artist now based in Wichita, Kansas but who was until recently based in Portland, Maine. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1964. For many years, he worked in Oregon in the auto-body industry, restoring and repairing antique toys, and was a free-lance cartoonist. Moving with his wife and children to Abilene, Kansas in 1997, he was able to attend university, and it was at Kansas State where he was first encouraged to take his artistic intentions seriously. In 2005 he moved to Portland, Maine to undertake graduate studies at Maine College of Art and launch his artist career. Earlier this year, he relocated to Wichita with his family. Regier's artistic statement begins with the words of the German literary critic Walter Benjamin who wrote wrote in his 1928 essay, "The Cultural History of Toys," that, "Children do not constitute a community cut off from everything else...their toys cannot bear witness to any autonomous separate existence, but rather are a silent signifying dialogue between them [children] and their nation." This is not only true for toys (of which much of my work is concerned), but for all manner of objects – artifacts – from our collective past that are formed and fabricated by human hands and intentions. This is the realm in which I work and play, and seek to understand my culture and history.
Kent Rogowski is an artist/photographer living and working in Brooklyn, NY. In 2000, Rogowski received his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he is now a Critic. He has also taught at the Pratt Institute and the School of Visual Arts in New York. His first monograph, Bears, was published by powerHouse books in 2007. He has had solo shows in New York at both the Foley Gallery and the Jen Bekman Gallery. His first European solo show opened at the In Focus Gallery in Cologne, Germany in 2009. His work exhibited here, Bears, is a series of portraits of the most unusual sort: ordinary teddy bears that have been turned inside out and restuffed. Each animal’s appearance is determined by the necessities of the manufacturing process. Simple patterns and devices never meant to be seen are now prominent physical characteristics, giving each one a distinctly quirky personality: their fasteners become eyes, their seams become scars, and their stuffing creeps out in the most unexpected places. Together these images form a typology of strange yet oddly familiar creatures. They are at once hideous yet cuddly, disturbing yet endearing, absurd yet adorable, while offering a metaphor for us all to consider. These bears, which have lived and loved and lost as much as their owners, have suffered and endured through it all. It is by virtue of revealing their inner core might we better understand our own.
TRIIIBE is a Boston-based collaborative that obscures the seams of authorship, fusing the input of several parties, most prominently that of photographer Cary Wolinsky and triplets Alicia, Kelly and Sara Casilio. In the way one can imagine the social futility of distinguishing identical sisters growing up, the collaboration required by a multimedia production (including performance, photography, and installation) evades singularity. In fact, TRIIIBEʼs intent is to shake-up and shift familiar modes of behavior by confusing boundaries and challenging definitions of self. The Casilio triplets received their BFAs from Massachusetts College of Art. Wolinsky is a notable photographer who shot for National Geographic for 35 years, co-founded Picture Network International and the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University, has been published widely, and is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, deCordova Museum, Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, Tikotin Museum Haifa, and the Cleveland Art Museum. Barbara Wolinsky and their son Yari Wolinsky run Trillium Studio with Cary, supporting the design and film components of the collaboration. In 2009, TRIIIBE had their first solo exhibition of photographs at Kayafas Gallery. They unveiled a major solo exhibition in Boston University's 808 in the fall of 2010. In 2011, they made their New York debut at DODGE gallery. TRIIIBE has also performed at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Republican National Convention, samsøn, Ground Zero, and Massachusetts College of Art. Their work has been covered by New York Public Radio, The Village Voice, Boston Globe, Forbes Online, Chronicle, Channel 5, The Improper Bostonian, and Philadelphia Weekly. TRIIIBE is represented locally by Gallery Kayafas in Boston. | https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/arts/bell-gallery/exhibitions/rolemodelplaytime |
Fashion, music and politics collide in this landmark photography publication by one of Australia's most acclaimed artists. The images are inspired by and reference the iconic women of punk history, as embodied and re-enacted by those who channel the punk movement in contemporary daily life.
November 2017
Product Information
Liz Ham is a photographer with a body of work spanning more than two decades. Her photographs have appeared in Vogue, Elle, Russh, Oyster, Dazed & Confused and i-D. In addition to working professionally in fashion editorial and advertising, Ham's photographs continue to be exhibited, with previous solo and group exhibitions including those at Stills Gallery, Sydney; Project Contemporary Artspace, Wollongong; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Monster Children Gallery, Sydney. Her work has been collected by the Australian National Library Archives, the State Library of New South Wales and The State Library of Victoria. She has been the recipient of the Yen Young Woman of the Year Award for Photography, the National Youth Media Award, and the CCP/Leica Documentary Photography Award. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and two children. | https://www.hares-hyenas.com.au/p/popular-culture-punk-girls |
Richard Aldred is a photographer with both commercial and artistic practice, undertaking mostly architectural, editorial, and documentary-style work. Lifelong influences include Maurice Sendak (illustration), Joe Colombo (industrial design), and Lt. Columbo (detective). His work has been published and exhibited worldwide.
Delaney Allen was born in Fort Worth, Texas and is based in Portland, Oregon. His work has been widely published and exhibited internationally, and resides in collections at the Museum of Modern Art library, the Beinecke Library at Yale University, and the Tokyo Institute of Photography.
Michael Bach resides in Troy New York along with his wife, the painter, Ruth Young. He holds an A.A.S. in Fine Arts with a Photography concentration from the Junior College of Albany, He earned a B.A. in Photography from the Bard College Undergraduate Photography Program. He was awarded a M.F.A. from the Yale School of Art Graduate Photography Program. He has exhibited his work nationally and internationally. His work is held in public and private collections the most notable being the Catskill Center For Photography At Woodstock's Permanent Collection held at the Samuel Dorsky Museum in New Paltz , New York, The Munson Williams Proctor Institute, Utica, New York, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, and Bard College, Annandale on hudson, New York.
Karl Baden's photographs have been exhibited at the Robert Mann Gallery, Zabriskie Gallery, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Institute of Contemporary Art, and The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and The Photographers Gallery in London. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities. His photographs and visual books are included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, NYC, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Addison Gallery of American Art, and the Guggenheim Museum Library. He is represented by the Howard Yezerski Gallery in Boston, Massachusetts.
Sophie Barbasch is a photographer based in New York City. She earned her MFA in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design and her BA in Art and Art History from Brown University. Selected grants and residencies include the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, the Blue Mountain Center, and a 2016 Fulbright Fellowship to Brazil. She has exhibited internationally.
Sergiy Barchuk was born in Ukraine in 1989. He spent most of his childhood exploring the outdoors in a remote region in rural Russia. Currently, he lives and works in Brooklyn.
Anna Beeke is a documentary and fine arts photographer based in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. She holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and a certificate in photojournalism and documentary photography from the International Center of Photography. In 2015, she was included in PDN’s 30 and published her first monograph, Sylvania, with Daylight Books. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally since 2009.
Adam Bellefeuil Born in Michigan and living in North Carolina. For more than 15 years I have worked professionally as a video games designer making noisy explosions. With the camera, I'm concerned with making my own quiet discoveries about the places we live.
Magda Biernat A native of Poland currently based in NYC, Magda Biernat is a contemporary art photographer specializing in architecture and interiors and is the former photo editor of Metropolis Magazine. Her photographs have been published in, among others, The New Yorker, The NYTimes, Interior Design and Wallpaper. Her personal work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. She has been the recipient of several awards, such as the TMC/Kodak Grant, Lucie Foundation Awards and Magenta Foundation.
Priscilla Briggs is an artist based in Minneapolis, MN. She earned a MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She has received various awards for her work, including multiple MN State Arts Board Grants, a McKnight Artist Fellowship, and residencies at Art Channel in Beijing and the Chinese European Art Center in Xiamen. Priscilla is currently an Associate Professor of Studio Art at Gustavus Adolphus College.
Ole Brodersen Following 11 generations before him, Ole Brodersen grew up on an island-society without cars holding about 40 inhabitants. Son of a sail maker, grandson of a captain, he used to row to school, where the only other pupil joined him in a class of two. Ole first started sailing at the age of six, and has spent most of his life close to the ocean, in constant company of the elements.
Jennifer Calivas I first fell in love with photography through the work of documentary photographers. However, after attempting several projects in this style, I felt that something was falling short. I fought against the impersonal nature of documentary work, not knowing how to incorporate my own voice in a meaningful and coherent way. This problem is what fuels my work today.
Penn Chan is a photographer based out of Portland, Maine. He attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and received a BA from Bard College for creative writing. He currently works as an artist mentor at The Art Department, a non-profit art studio catering to adults with developmental disabilities.
Bear Cieri Originally from the Adirondacks of NY, I am currently Vermont based photographer focusing on the social landscapes that surround me.
Lane Coder grew up New Canaan, Connecticut. He studied fine art, photography and art history at Parsons School of Design in NYC and Paris, The Rhode Island School of Design and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, where he graduated with a BFA. Lane's clients include: Apple, Vogue, Elle, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Architectural Digest, Ogilvy & Mather, Saatchi & Saatchi, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute (Permanent Collection.) Lane's fine art work is represented by Clamp Art NYC.
Clarke Condé is a photographer and New York expatriate based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Alexis Courtney grew up in Delaware. In 2002 she went to college to study advertising photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In 2006, she moved to Brooklyn, NY to pursue a professional career. In 2011, she jumped ship to San Francisco so she could pursue a Master of Fine Arts. She currently lives in Richmond, VA, where she's working towards melding those two degrees in to one successful practice. In between San Francisco and Richmond, she lived off the grid in Northern California, with her boyfriend and two dogs.
Elena Cremona was born to an Italian father and a German mother, and is now living in London as a photographer. The content of her work centers around environmental and landscape coverage, bringing issues around Climate Change into focus, as well as shooting social documentary photography; Often experimenting with a variety of abstract techniques in their formulation. Underlying notions within her work is the exploration of distant memories and the feeling of Nostalgia, as well as increasing problematic social and environmental issues such as the destruction of nature and its irreplaceable landscapes.
Peter Croteau was born in Boston, MA in 1988. Moving many times through various tract house suburbs as a youth gave him a further understanding of the differences and similarities in the landscape across the USA. He became most interested in the concepts of the in-between and the sublime in the landscape and how the two may intersect. He considers himself to be an explorer of mundane spaces looking to transform the everyday into something otherworldly through the use of 8x10 and 4x5 view cameras. Peter received his Masters of Fine Arts in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design in 2012 and his Bachelors of Science in Photography from Drexel University in 2010. He currently lives and works out of Providence, RI.
Katrina d'Autremont is a fine art and editorial photographer based in Philadelphia, PA. Her work has received various awards, including the PDN 30, the Silver Eye Fellowship for Photography, Photolucida's Critical Mass and has been published in a variety of publications including Real Simple, the American Photography, and has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She is often on the road traveling and photographing, most frequently in the West and South America.
Suzanne Delaney has been photographing her friends and family for as long as she can remember.
Edyta Dufaj was born in 1988. Phd student at Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland. Selected achievements: One of the winners Nikon Photo Contest 2015, Fulbright Graduate Student Awards Nominee 2014, Finalist Adobe Design Achievement Awards in New York 2013, Grand Prix of the International Landscape Photography Biennale 2012.
Adam Ekberg received his MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has recently had solo exhibitions at ClampArt, New York; DeSoto Gallery, Los Angeles; Thomas Robertello Gallery, Chicago; Platform Gallery, Seattle; and Fotografiska, Stockholm, Sweden. His first monograph titled The Life of Small Things was published by Waltz Books (2015). Ekberg lives and works in New Jersey.
Christine Elfman explores the qualities of permanence and change within picture making. She received her BFA in Painting from Cornell University and her MFA in Photography from California College of the Arts. Her work has been exhibited nationally, and is represented by Gallery Wendi Norris in San Francisco. She has worked extensively with 19th century photographic processes and collections at: Scully & Osterman Studio, The George Eastman House Museum, University of Rochester, and the Berkeley Art Museum. Elfman’s awards and fellowships include the San Francisco Artist Award, the Murphy and Cadogan Fellowship, and residency at the Constance Saltonstall Foundation. She currently teaches photography at the San Francisco Art Institute.
Sherif Elhage was born on the 25th of March 1980 in Leningrad and raised between Lebanon and Russia by his Russian-Estonian mother and Lebanese father, he now lives in France. This autodidactic photographer employs no corrective methods to his photography. His formal training is in communications, his professional experience ranging from fashion to advertising. His influences include Nicolas de Staël, Edward Weston and Harry Callahan. Sherif seeks to play with the human eye rather than address traditional methods of iconography; his photographs break scenographic conjunctions through optical trickery and a combination of inventive minimalism.
Sean Ellingson was born in 1982 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He began his photography studies at the Art Institute of Seattle, and went on to receive his BFA in 2008 from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, most recently at Collège des Bernardins in Paris, France in coordination with Société Générale. His photographs have been published by M&C Saatchi Little Stories and featured in Aint-Bad Magazine. Additional online features have been included on sites such as Flak Photo, Humble Arts Foundation, Landscape Stories, Problemata Physica, The Latent Image, and Feature Shoot. He is currently based in Tai Hang, Hong Kong where he has been living and working since 2012.
Celeste Fichter holds an MFA in Photography and Related Media from the School of the Visual Arts in New York City. She has had solo exhibitions at the Point of Contact Gallery at Syracuse University, Go North Gallery (Beacon, NY), PH Gallery (NYC), and the Boyden Gallery at St Mary's College, MD. Her work has also been included in group exhibitions at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Islip Art Museum and the Bronx Museum of Art. Her work has been reviewed in the New York Times and the Village Voice. She lives and works in Brooklyn.
Mark Fitton was born in Foxborough, Massachusetts and lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He recently received his BFA in Photography from Parsons, the New School for Design. His practice explores performance, identity, and sexuality that exist within familial relationships.
Jorge Fuembuena has been exhibited internationally. He has published in specialized journals such as EXIT, GUP Magazine, Fotografía Magazine, OjodePez, EFE24 and 30y3 Spanish Photography andhe is currently represented by la Galerie JeanMichel Jagot (Chalon-sur-Saône, Bourgogne. Francia) , Galerie Frey ( Viena. Austria), La New Gallery (Madrid) , Addaya Art Contemporani (Mallorca), Carolina Rojo ( Zaragoza) , La Carbonería ( Huesca) , by MataderoMadrid and by Plainpicture agency based inNew York, París, Londres and Hamburgo. His work can be found in private and public collections such as the Spallart Collection, Nancy Novogrod Collection, Polly Meyer Collection, Jessica Levy Collection, Rafael Tous Collection, Los Bragales Collection, DKW Collection, orAlcobendas Art Center Collection, the largest in spanish photography.
Matthieu Gafsou (CH, 1981) lives and works in Lausanne, Switzerland. After completing a master of arts in philosophy, literature and cinema at the Université de Lausanne, he studied photography at the School of Applied Arts in Vevey. Since 2006, Gafsou has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, and published a four photobooks. In 2009 Gafsou was awarded the prestigious “Prix de la fondation HSBC pour la photographie” and subsequently was invited to contribute to the Aperture Foundation's 2010 reGeneration2 exhibition. In 2014, Lausanne’s influential Musée de l'Elysée hosted Gafsou’s solo show titled Only God Can Judge Me. In parallel to his artistic practice, Gafsou is on faculty at the University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL).
Hal Gage is a photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska.
Tim Georgeson is a multi-award-winning photographer, film maker and creative director whose visual approach is raw and real. Tim's experience shooting in war zones, punk squats, rock concerts, boudoirs, and on streets around the world, has given him unique insight into the human condition, which he has honed into a very powerful tool for the relatability of advertising. His approach has garnered his work an international reputation for art and ad campaigns that stir.
Robert Gill is a visual artist and educator working in multiple platforms of lens-based media. His photographic efforts include fine art, photojournalism, documentary (film/still) and duration performance art. As a Teaching Assistant at Harvard University’s Visual and Environmental Studies program, he received the “Harvard University Certificate of Distinction in Teaching.” His fine art photography has been exhibited and collected around the U.S. as well as abroad, in France, England, Russia, and Brazil.
Julia Gillard is a graduate of the International Center of Photography’s Photojournalism and Documentary Studies program. Her work has been exhibited at The Brooklyn Museum, The New York Historical Society, The International Center of Photography, Capricious and Powerhouse Gallery. She is the photo editor of the Diner Journal and lives in Brooklyn.
John Goldsmith I am a fine art photographer based in Vancouver, Canada. My personal work follows a long tradition of straight photography but in a contemporary and often theatrical mode, and examines the authenticity of life in picture. It is photography portraying a true account of a moment within a medium that manipulates the spatial and temporal reality. My photographs are featured regularly at exhibitions including the Capture Photography Festival, Format Festival, Third Floor Gallery, and the Head On Photo Festival. My artwork has been featured in numerous printed and online publications including 01 Magazine, LPV Magazine, and SHUTR Fotomagazine. I’m a founding member of the Strange.rs Collective.
Lauren Grabelle My work falls in the matrix where fine art and documentary meet; where I can tell truths about our relationships to other people, animals, nature, and ourselves. My work is about empathy.
Joshua Dudley Greer (b.1980 Hazleton, PA) earned a BFA from MICA and an MFA from the University of Georgia. His photographs have been exhibited throughout the United States in venues such as the Knoxville Museum of Art, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Catherine Edelman Gallery. He is currently living in Johnson City, Tennessee where he is a visiting assistant professor of photography at East Tennessee State University.
Jahel Guerra Jahel is a Venezuelan photographer based in London. She’s been on an ongoing exploration of language and identity through personal projects since getting her first camera, when she was 17 yrs old. She thrives in nature, prefers natural light and often turns to see the magic of the mundane. Jahel has an special interest in travel diaries, which for her mean both a new visual experience as well as unique inner journey.
Tytia Habing lives and works in Watson, Illinois very near where she grew up on a working farm. Having spent most of her adult life living in the Cayman Islands, she moved back to her roots a few short years ago. She holds degrees in both horticulture and landscape architecture and is a self taught photographer. Tytia's been published in Lenscratch, Black + White Magazine, Shots Magazine and National Geographic to name but a few. Her work has been featured in solo and joint exhibitions nationally and internationally. Most notably, her work has been shortlisted for both the Black and White Photographer of the Year 2015 sponsored by Leica and Critical Mass 2015.
Alexi Hobbs is a freelance photographer living and working in Montreal. His work, diaristic in nature, revolves around the exploration of ambiguously implied narratives emerging from the juxtaposition of images, where tension rises from the layering of possible meanings. In 2012, and again in 2013, Alexi was selected as a winner in the Magenta Foundation's Flash Forward competition for emerging photographers. Alexi also regularly shoots editorial work for a variety of publications.
Adam Hoff (b. 1978) Raised in Wheaton, IL, a suburb of Chicago, and earned my BFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2002. I now live in Brooklyn NY.
Jon Horvath’s interdisciplinary practice adapts systems-based strategies to photography, performance, and new media works. His work is influenced by American literature, pop culture, and his interest in the unfixed nature of a photographic experience. Currently, Horvath is working on a project concentrating on traditional mythologies of the American West and the vanishing roadside geography of a small town in rural Idaho. Horvath teaches in the New Studio Practice program at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design.
Kevin Hoth I have used traditional and digital photographic technologies creatively since 1995 and have exhibited photography, digital images, video, and solo performance work in over 70 exhibitions around the U.S. I have taught design, digital art, and photography at many reputable universities around the country. I now teach full-time in the Technology, Arts, and Media program at The University of Colorado.
Ellen Jantzen I don’t consider myself a "photographer" but an image-maker, as I create work that bridges the world of photography, prints and collage. As digital cameras began producing excellent resolution, I found my perfect medium. It was a true confluence of technical advancements and creative desire that culminated in my current explorations in photo-inspired art using both a camera to capture imagery and a computer to alter, combine and manipulate the pieces. My work is shown and published internationally; I just learned that I am one of 15 women photographers chosen to receive the Julia Margaret Cameron Award!!! This is quite a distinction in the photography world honoring women photographers!!!
Eirik Johnson Seattle-based artist Eirik Johnson has exhibited his work at institutions including the Aperture Foundation, NY, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston MA, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, and the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY. His monographs include “Borderlands”, Twin Palms, and “Sawdust Mountain”, Aperture. Johnson’s work is in the permanent collections of institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX.
Dede Johnston Growing up in Vermont, Johnston developed an early passion for snow laden alpine landscapes. Johnston studied photography at The Black and White School of Photography, London. She has had solo exhibitions in LondonKitzbuhel and Verbier. She has exhibited at the London Art Fair with TAG Fine Arts and since 2013 has shown at Eleven Gallery and Photo London 2015. Johnston’s work has appeared in several publications, most recently in Lens Culture and Harpers Bazaar.
Phil Jung was born and raised in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York. Jung received a BFA in Photography from The San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. His artwork has been featured in numerous publications including The Boston Globe, Incandescent, The Photo Review, Mossless, and Kiblind Magazine in France. He was a recipient of the TMC Kodak International Film Grant in 2009 and Saint Botoph Foundations Emerging Artist Award in 2013. Jung has participated in exhibitions throughout the United States including The Griffin Museum of Photography in Massachusetts, Houston Center for Photography in Texas and Foley Gallery in NYC. His work is in the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Phillip Jung currently lives and works in both Honolulu and Boston. He teaches at the University of Hawaii throughout the school year and at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design through the summer.
Melissa Kaseman received her BFA in photography from the California College of the Arts in 2005, after studying Contemporary Photography at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Utrecht, Netherlands. She was named to the PDN30 in 2009. Since then her work has been exhibited at the NewSpace Center for photography, SF Camerawork, and was an artist in residence at Minot State University in her home town of Minot, North Dakota. She currently lives and works in Oakland, California.
Katrin Koenning is a German-born, Melbourne-based photographer with a particular interest in our physical and emotional connection to place and to that which surrounds us. She regularly exhibits both nationally and internationally, including at festivals such as the Noorderlicht, FORMAT, Athens Photo Fest, PhotoIreland, New York Photo Festival, HeadOn and others. Katrin’s work has been published in Photographers’ Sketchbooks, Hijacked III, The Guardian, The New York Times, GUP Magazine and Der Spiegel amongst others. She has won a number of awards, including the 2015 Daylight Photo Awards, Australia’s Top Emerging Documentary Photographer, and the 2012 JGS Annual Artist Award.
Fred Lahache Self-taught, Paris. I have enjoyed publications with my past works in Ain't Bad magazine (online+paper), Pik Magazine, Synonym Journal, Scroll, some online features like Paper Journal, Selektor, Latent Image, ThisisPaper, Boooooom, SPBH, It'sNiceThat, and more; I also contribute to Freunde von Freunden, Brownbook mag, and other editorials, and I had a show at Galerie Madé in Paris in 2013.
Gillian Laub is a photographer and filmmaker based in New York. Her feature documentary film Southern Rites (HBO), as well as theaccompanying book (Damiani 2015), examines race relations in a small Georgia town.
Patty Lemke is the current Resource Editor for the photography blog, Lenscratch. Her work has been exhibited in galleries through out the United States. Known primarily for her work with plastic cameras, Ms. Lemke works with both film and digital images.
Morgan Levy is a freelance photographer currently living in Denver, Colorado. Originally from Philadelphia, she lived and worked in New York and San Francisco for many years and has a degree in photography from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. In recent years her editorial work has been featured in US and international publications including the New York Times and the Guardian. Her fine art work has been included in numerous exhibitions including a solo show at the Gulf & Western Gallery, group exhibitions at the New York Photo Festival, the Invisible Dog Art Center, and the Winkleman Gallery. Her work was selected for AI-AP 31 and Review CENTER Santa Fe. She was awarded the 2015 Lucie Foundation Emerging Photographer Scholarship.
Carson Lynn I use photography to visualize the unknowable and to blur the line between reality and virtual reality.
Brittany Marcoux is a photographer living in Boston, MA. She received her BFA from the Maine College of Art in 2010 and is pursuing her MFA in photography at MassArt. She has exhibited at the Danforth Museum of Art, AS220 in Providence RI, and Nave Gallery in Cambridge MA. Marcoux is currently a teaching assistant in the Visual and Environmental Science department at Harvard University.
Andy Mattern is a visual artist whose work focuses on unintentional aspects of experience and the limits of human control. His work has been exhibited at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, Photo Center NW in Seattle, and Candela Gallery in Richmond, Virginia. He holds an MFA from the University of Minnesota and a BFA from the University of New Mexico. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Photography at Oklahoma State University.
Henna Mattila is a Finnish photographer who works predominantly with landscape photography, experimenting with printing techniques, photomontages and still lifes. Mattila’s artwork deals with the notions of romantic melancholy, memory and aesthetics of landscape. She lives and works in Whitstable, on the coast of South East England.
Paula McCartney makes photographs and artists’ books that explore the idea of constructed landscapes and the way that people interact with and manipulate the natural world. Her work is included in numerous public collections including the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Museum of Modern Art’s Artist Book Collection. Silas Finch published her second monograph, A Field Guide to Snow and Ice, in 2014.
Bobby Mills My work explores the complexities and subtleties of light and form within the natural landscape.
Paolo Morales is a photographer. Exhibitions include the Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography, Kings Highway Library, Pingyao International Photography Festival, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, and ClampArt, among others. Residencies include Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. He received a BFA from The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University and an MFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design. He currently teaches in the Department of Visual Arts at The Potomac School.
Chelsea Mosher received her MFA from California State University, Long Beach (2014) and her BA with Honors from Portland State University in Portland, OR. Her work explores the slippery space of landscape and how the perception of that space is mediated through photography to suggest truth or reveal new fictions. She works in the in-between-spaces, where cultivated and wild areas. She is currently visiting faculty at CSULB and UCLA. Mosher lives in Long Beach, CA.
Robin Myers was born and raised in Houston, Texas and is currently based in New Haven, Connecticut. She received her BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and is an MFA candidate in Photography at the Yale School of Art.
Alex Nelson was born in New York in 1989 and raised in a small town in Maine. She received her BFA in Photography from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She lives in Brooklyn and works for photographers Susan Meiselas and Nan Goldin while continuing to pursue her own photographic projects. Her work has been exhibited in New York and featured and published internationally.
Chris Norris lives and works in Madison, Wisconsin. He occasionally shows photographs in galleries, makes prints, and publishes books and zines. He is a founding member of strange.rs, an international photography collective.
Bob O'Connor is a Boston based photographer that photographs the spaces where people work and live.
Cian Oba-Smith (b.1992) is an Irish Nigerian photographer from London. His work focuses on communities and subcultures around the world with a particular interest in approaching subjects that are often misrepresented and presenting them in a different light. The relationship between human experience and environment is at the core of his projects. His photographs can be found in a variety of places including FT Weekend Magazine, The Guardian, Dazed & Confused, Vice and others.
Richard Petit Tbilisi - Kolga Photo, Bordeaux - Itinéraire des Photographes Voyageurs, London Art Fair, Paris - Slick, Pierrevert - Jury Award, Paris - Fotofever, Epinal - Musée de l’Image, Strasbourg - La Chambre, Berlin - Exposure 12 Gallery, Lannion - L'Imagerie, Phnom Penh - MRPF festival, Arles - Voies Off, Montpellier - les Boutographies. Represented by Galerie Voies Off. École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie - Master in Philosophy.
Sarah Pfohl An artist and teacher, Sarah Pfohl lives and works in Mount Pleasant, MI, where she teaches at Central Michigan University. Sarah is currently working on a book of drawings that examine issues of teaching. The book is under contract with Information Age Publishing.
Paula Prats is a spanish photographer who received a BA from the Polytechnic University of Valencia in 2011. Afterwards she obtained a grant to work at the National Museum of Photography in Reykjavik. Her work has been exhibited individually and collectively participating in shows in Spain, UK, Canada, Mexico and Iceland and featured in sites like Phases Mag, Aint-Bad, YET Magazine or The Latent Image.
Jussi Puikkonen is based in Amsterdam, but even though adapting quickly to the big city antics in the small-town-seeming surroundings, you can still detect the Finnish influence of someone who grew up in rural Finland. You can take the man out of Jokioinen but you can't take the mud off his boots.
Matt Rahner recently received his MFA from the University of Missouri at Columbia, after receiving his BFA from Columbia College in 2010. Mr. Rahner's latest work, Eminent Domain, has been shown as a solo-exhibit at the Genevieve Guldner Gallery, in Kansas City, The Red Lady Gallery, in Kansas City, the Bingham Gallery, in Columbia, Missouri, and in September of 2015 was displayed at the Elder Gallery located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Rachel Rampleman is a Brooklyn-based artist and curator best known for her work challenging gender stereotypes and constructions of “feminine” identity. Her work has been shown at BAM, Socrates Sculpture Park, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Cleopatra’s, Flux Factory, CEPA, the Shanghai Biennale (Brooklyn Pavilion), JAM (Thailand), S.M.A.K., OFFoff, Monte Arts Centre (Belgium), and C/O Berlin, The Secret Cabinet (Germany). She is currently preparing for a solo exhibition at These Things Take Time in Ghent, Belgium.
Bandia Ribeira I am a Spanishphotographer based in UK. I have received my BA (Honors) in Documentary Photography at the University of South Wales in Newport. I have been working previously as a press photographer and volunteering as a photography teacher workshop in a prison in Barcelona. My interests in photography are related to contemporary issues and cultural expressions in Western societies , having the human being as a center.
Olga Rodina lives in Moscow. She likes to travel around her great country and takes photos. She is a participant of the project CREATIVE UNION «TROYKA, a cultural and ethnographic research project performed in different parts of Russia. They go back to their roots, learn our traditions and get to know the everyday life of "timekeepers". While away from home, they realized their unity with the characters they chose thanks to the shared roots, language and elation. To cut it short, despite all differences, they can understand each other.
Serrah Russell is a visual artist and independent curator, living and working in Seattle. She uses instant film, found imagery and digital photography to create works of collage, photography and sculpture. Employing the malleability of the photographic image, her work often investigates the relationship between subject and surrounding, as visualized in the merging of body and landscape. Russell received a BFA in Photography (2009) from the University of Washington and has mounted solo exhibitions in Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; Vancouver, B.C.; and exhibited in group exhibitions in Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Miami, FL; London, England; and Athens, Greece. Additionally, Russell is a co-founder and director of Violet Strays with Alyssa Volpigno, an online curatorial project with an emphasis on temporality and artist experimentation. She also works as managing partner and curator of Vignettes with founder, Sierra Stinson and served on the 2014 and 2015 curatorial team for the NEPO 5K.
David Schalliol is an assistant professor of sociology at St. Olaf College who studies the transformation of urban centers. His writing and photographs have appeared in such publications as Design Observer, The New York Times, and Social Science Research, as well as in numerous exhibitions, including the Belfast Photo Festival and the Museum of Contemporary Photography’s Midwest Photographers Project. Utakatado published his first book, Isolated Building Studies, in 2014.
Matthew Schenning is a Brooklyn based photographer originally from Baltimore, MD where he spent his youth playing in the abandoned spaces under highway overpasses. While seeking to understand his own relationship to his surroundings he interjects a bit of humor and poetry into the imagery of the everyday.
Anya Schiller (1988) is a multidisciplinary artist working on the fields of personal photo and video art documentary. Based in Saint-Petersburg (Russia).
Jay Seawell is a photographer based in Washington, DC. He earned his MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago in 2013. His photographs have been included in numerous exhibitions in the United States as well as the Pingyao International Photography Festival in China. Seawell is a two-time nominee of The Baum Award for An Emerging American Photographer (2014, 2016). His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Photography.
Tod Seelie: has photographed in 25 countries on five different continents. Originally from Cleveland, he relocated to Brooklyn in 1997. Tod has exhibited work in solo and group shows around the world and at Mass MoCA and the Philadelphia Art Alliance. In 2013 Tod published his first book of photography, BRIGHT NIGHTS: Photographs of Another New York, with Prestel Publishing. The book chronicles 15 years of living and shooting in NYC.
Nate Larson & Marni Shindelman’s collaborative practice investigates the data tracks we amass through networked communication. Numerous publications have featured their work including Wired, The Picture Show from NPR, the New York Times, and the British Journal of Photography. Their work is in the permanent collection of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Orlando Museum of Art, and the Portland Art Museum. Flash Powder Projects released their first monograph in January 2016.
George Slade is a writer, reader, and occasional maker of images. He is the founder and director of TC Photo, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit dedicated to connecting photographs, artists, and communities through public programs.
Brant Slomovic is a Canadian photographer based in Toronto. His long form documentary projects employ landscapes and portraits, exploring a personal relationship to narratives of cultural identity. His approach turns the lens on details of subtext, yielding images characterized as quiet and contemplative. Brant’s work has appeared in a variety of publications, including: Incandescent, the FlakPhoto Collection, and The One’s We Love Project.
Jolanta Sopek I take pictures of sensations rather than stories.
Isabella Ståhl is a swedish photographer who's work has been published in several online and print publications including GUP Magazine, Somewhere Magazine and Burn Magazine. Her work is exhibited in galleries such as the Museum of Photography in Stockholm, Menier Gallery in London and Kasher|Potamkin Gallery in New York.
Doug and Mike Starn Doug and Mike Starn, American artists, identical twins, born 1961. First having received international attention at the 1987 Whitney Biennial, the Starns have been primarily known for working conceptually with photography, and are concerned largely with chaos, interconnection and interdependence. Over the past two and half decades, they have continued to defy categorization, effectively combining traditionally separate disciplines such as photography, sculpture, architecture-most notably their series Big Bambú.
Heather Sten is a photographer based in New York. She is attracted to shooting portraits of people, dogs and the things she sees around her. Much of her work deals with peculiarities feelings of uneasiness and the sublime.
Andrejs Strokins was born in Latvia, and holds a BA degree in graphic printmaking from the Art Academy of Latvia. In 2006, he started work as a professional photographer for local press photo agencies. Since 2011, he has worked on a freelance basis, and continues to pursue documentary projects based on the daily life of ordinary people.
JJ Sulin I grew up in a working class suburb of Chicago, graduated from the U of I with a liberal arts degree. More recently I worked as the creative director for Canteen Magazine from 2008-2015 and I currently work as a freelance photographer.
Remi Thornton One can only wonder what Remi Thornton would be doing if his first Digital SLR had been delivered during daylight hours. But because UPS dropped by after dark, the earliest exposures captured by Thornton were necessarily long ones. Using only atmospheric street lighting, he has developed a style that some have referred to as “…the epitome of proper creepy.” Thornton lives in Melrose, Massachusetts, with his wife and a heavily photographed Chihuahua/Pug mix named Winnie Cooper.
John Toohey Born in Australia, after living and working in Asia an Turkey I moved to Montreal, where I am currently finishing a PhD in art history at Concordia and teaching courses in the history of photography.
André Viking is a Danish photographer currently living and working in Copenhagen, Denmark. He graduated from Copenhagen Photography School in 2012 and from The International Center of Photography in 2014. He is right now part of two group exhibitions - "The Artists' Autumn Exhibition" in Copenhagen and "Illuminate" at The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins. His work has been featured in HotShoe Magazine, Secret Behavior Magazine, GUP Magazine and more.
Anna White is a photographer located in Brooklyn, New York. She attended the International Center of Photography in 2013 and has worked as a freelance photographer since graduating from the General Studies program.
Thomas Wieland is a photographer from Munich, Germany. After having worked for quite some time as a historian of science and technology at university he finally quit his job to follow his long standing passion for photography and the visual arts. A particular focus of his work is on our built environment.
Amani Willett is an artist and photographer based in Brooklyn. He received his MFA in Photography, Video and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts. In 2013 his monograph, Disquiet, was published by Damiani. Amani’s photographs have been collected in the books Street Photography Now (Thames and Hudson) and New York: In Color (Abrams). In print, his images have been featured in publications such as American Photography, Harper’s, Newsweek and The New York Times.
Alan Winslow is a photographer based in Brooklyn, NY. He has shown work at institutions such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Triennial of Photography Hamburg, International Photo Festival Leiden, the DUMBO Arts Festival. He is a 2015 Artist in Residence in Everglades Fellow. He teaches photography at International Center for Photography as well as at The Maine Media Workshops and College. His personal work revolves around the exploration and documentation of intentional subcultures and communities.
Rachel Wolfe was born and raised in the open spaces of the rural, American Midwest. She has trained in photography, writing, design, dance, yoga, and sociology, and worked professionally in these areas as well. After receiving an MFA from Otis College of Art and Design, she moved to Oslo, Norway, where she learns Bokmål, and continues work in the development of her practices and projects.
Jacob Yeung is a documentary photographer living in Chicago (USA). Many of his projectsset out to vignette the breadth of daily life within specific cultures and regions. By engaging others through visual storytelling, he hopes to encourage empathy, introspection, and curiosity for others. | http://hafny.org/group-show-48-winter-pictures-biosstatements |
Hill began his career in the Midlands during the 1960s, working as a freelance photojournalist for publications including the Birmingham Post, The Express and Star, The Guardian, The Observer, The Financial Times, New Society and the Telegraph Magazine. His work was amongst that shown at the World Press Photo Exhibition in The Hague in 1966 and in the following year he was the recipient of the Midlands Press Photographer of the Year Award.
He gradually developed a conviction that the photographic record was more than a simple inventory of appearances. The discovery of what, for him, was the nature of that further dimension, and the need to communicate with others about it led Hill away from commercial photographic documentation towards an area most readily described as fine art oriented practice, located within the context of photographic education.
In 1972 Hill was appointed Head of the joint Nottingham-Trent Polytechnic and Derby College of Higher Education course in Creative Photography. This course was the forerunner of every art photography degree now available, unlacing the straight jacket of technical and vocational photographic higher education.
In 1976, with his wife, Angela, he established The Photographer’s Place, a workshop and study centre at their home in Bradbourne, Derbyshire. It was through workshops here that Hill invoked a powerful presence that helped change the mindset of a generation of British photographers.
During his career Hill's work has been exhibited extensively, and includes individual exhibitions at The Photographers Gallery, London (1972 and 1992); Focus Gallery, San Francisco (1977); Arnolfini, Bristol (1978); Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield (1980); Stills Gallery, Edinburgh (1990) and Derby Museum and Art Gallery (1995). He has also been involved in group exhibitions at The Serpentine Gallery, London (1973); the V&A (1980); and The Barbican Art Gallery, London (1989). His work is held in the permanent collections of many major galleries and museums, including in this country the V&A, the British Council and the Arts Council; and, overseas, the Japanese Photography Foundation, the Australian National Gallery and the Bibliotheque Nationale.
Hill has written several seminal books on photography, whilst also being the subject of many articles. His published works include Dialogue with Photography (1979), which he co-wrote with Thomas Joshua Cooper, Approaching Photography (1982) and White Peak, DarkPeak (1990).
Paul Hill has received numerous awards in recognition of his role in British photography, including a Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society (1990), a fellowship of the Hasslebald Foundation (1993), and an MBE (1994). | https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50140/photography/1416/paul_hill |
“Rather we need to consider them in terms of ‘cultures of display’, that is, with reference to the different ideas and values that can shape their formation and functioning.” (Barker 1999:8).
‘The museum without walls’ was a phrase first coined by the French writer Andre Malraux in 1947 but it has since been used in terms of the circulation and presentation of art beyond the museum through reproduction. This, of course, expanded the audience for art way beyond the previous boundaries. Museums in their own right have done much to extend access to art beyond a wealthy elite. But ‘the museum without walls’ concept is also applied to temporary exhibitions and public art, often exhibited outside, such as sculptures.
Carol Duncan refers to art museums as ‘ritual sites’ dedicated to the ‘religion of art’. The word display is interesting, as it is both a noun and a verb, and it is the verb version that implies the act of directing and curating exhibitions. Those directors and curators of exhibitions present individual works in the context of particular aims and objectives and the collection of works as a whole. Art Museums also classify exhibits, and their very existence in a museum suggests the individual piece is worthy of inclusion in terms of quality, originality or authenticity – curating in and of itself becomes an art form. The act of creating a contemplative space in which art can be viewed primarily for its aesthetic interest, is viewed from some critical perspectives as a form of fetishism, and Barker gives the example of placing objects under spotlights in dimly-lit rooms thus providing a sense of mystery and value and so doing taking it out of their original context. The viewing experience is also influenced by the perceived value of the work of art.
Barker also refers to art as spectacle. The obvious example is the Wrapped Reichstag by Christo and Jeanne Claude where the building was covered in silver fabric.
The work, of course had a political message and gained consent in 1994 at the end of the Cold War. The installation cost around £8 million pounds and was a temporary construction. The concept of the spectacle is an example of what Marx would term ‘commodity fetishism’ – a fact of modern life. The problem of spectacle is therefore seen as a means of subordinating art to commercial priorities. Baudrillard went further by suggesting that rather than being in ‘the society of the spectacle’ the world had moved on to a regime of the simulacrum. Furthermore, he argued that in trying to recapture a sense of the real, the world was compensating through a sense of ‘hyper-reality’.
I enjoy the work of Thomas Struth taken in various galleries across the world capturing audiences’ behaviour – watching the audience looking at the painting, Struth watching the audience looking at the painting and the audience aware and watching Struth.
Emma Barker refers to the gallery setting encouraging us to slow down and contemplate over an image we enjoy or captures our imagination for whatever reason.
Whilst Struth captures some of that behaviour in the images above he also records what appear to be groups of tourists seemingly wanting to move quickly to complete their whistle-stop tour and move onto the next gallery experience.
I particularly like this final image from Struth where just the image itself is captured leaving it to reflects its aura.
I also enjoyed hearing more about how Rirkrit Tiravanija in Untitled (Free) converted 303 Gallery in New York into a kitchen where he served Thai curry and rice.
But for me, the most interesting discussion in this week’s work were the provocative comments from Jonathan Jones (2014) about photography not being art but technology and the practice of hanging photographs in galleries:
“It looks stupid when a photograph is framed or backlit and displayed vertically in an exhibition, in the way paintings have traditionally been shown. A photograph in a gallery is a flat, soulless, superficial substitute for painting. Putting up massive prints is a waste of space, when the curators could provide iPads and let us scroll through a digital gallery that would easily be as beautiful and compelling as the expensive prints.” (Jones 2014).
Whilst I would agree with Jones that some photography is better viewed on some type of screen, many photographers work would be diminished if they were exhibited solely in this form. Thomas Struth’s work, for example, would not work on an iPad and we saw the sheer size and presence of his images displayed in the Whitechapel Gallery. Similarly, Salgado’s images work effectively in a traditional gallery setting.
Sean O’Hagan hit back in The Guardian the following day by arguing that ‘the photography is not art debate’ has raged for so long it is hardly debating and that using the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition and images from the Taylor Wessing Prize as a poor yardstick for judging such matters. O’Hagan refers to postmodernists Cindy Sherman and Jeff Wall who are artists that use photography. On the other he cites Julia Margaret Cameron, Robert Frank and Diane Arbus, amongst others, who photography is art – of which all successfully hang their work on gallery walls. O’Hagan questions whether Jones has ever stood in front of a Julia Margaret Cameron portrait. He argues that digital photography, rather than turning everyone into a good photographer, has rather enabled everyone to take and disseminate their images quickly and easily.
I have enjoyed this week’s topic and found it helpful to be reminded how the white wall can influence how work is viewed, how it might encourage certain behaviours in the audience, and the commercial and economic context in which museums and galleries operate. It has also led me to consider whether a gallery wall is the best location for my work. This I will need to consider further as I move into the Final Major Project.
References
BARKER, E. (ed). 1999. Contemporary Cultures of Display in Art and its Histories. London: Yale University Press in association with The Open University.
JONES, J. 2014. The $6.5m canyon: it’s the most expensive photograph ever – but it’s like a hackneyed poster in a posh hotel. The Guardian, 10 December 2014.
O’HAGAN, S. 2014. Photography is art and always will be. The Guardian, 11 December 2014. | https://www.wildreflections.photography/coursework/contemporary-cultures-of-display-week-9 |
Cordelia Bailey (b. 1949) is a fine-art photographer, oil-on-canvas artist, author, and filmmaker. She attended the University of Illinois, where she earned a PhD in 1976. She was a Professor at several universities, served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the US Department of State, and was Assistant Director of the US Arms Control & Disarmament Agency. In 1999, she became a full-time professional artist and photographer. Her award-winning photography is in many private collections and has been shown in galleries and exhibits throughout the United States. In 2016, Fresco Fine Arts Books published a volume, Cordelia Bailey Photography (distributed by the University of New Mexico Press). It contains over 100 of her images in addition to her poetry and prose, as well as essays by art curators and professionals.
In addition to several solo exhibits, Bailey's works have been included in many exhibitions nationwide. The following lists by year the names of the works shown, where they were exhibited, and in some cases the name of the juror(s) and/or curators.
November 1, 2017 through January 30, 2018 — Solo exhibit entitled “Cordelia Bailey at the Junction” in the Junction Restaurant in Deep Ellum, Dallas, TX.
March 7 – April 27—Solo exhibit entitled “Cordelia Bailey on Elm Street” curated by Shelly Hye at the Elm Street Gallery in Keller, TX.
March – Solo exhibit entitled “One Last Shot” at the Fort Works Art Gallery, Ft. Worth, TX.
October – Solo exhibit entitled “The Essence of Élan” held at the Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, TX.
September – Solo exhibit entitled “One Step Beyond” held at the Arts Center, Mesquite, TX.
February - Food For The Godsand Spinal Rupturewere selected in a juried competition for the Citation Exhibit sponsored by the Texas Visual Arts Association. Jurors were Vicki Mahan, Chair of Art and Photography at Richland College, and Matt Anzak, Art Director for LuminArte Gallery. There were 147 entries to the contest, of which 44 were selected.
March - Three artworks — Oh,My!, Track/Shoes, and Crustacean Steering Committee— were selected for the annual juried competition and exhibition sponsored by the Gilbert Visual Arts League in Arizona. Crustacean Steering Committee, won first place.
June - Paniclewas selected in an international competition and was exhibited at the Yeiser Art Gallery in Kentucky. There were 893 entries, of which only 75 were selected by juror Sarah Sudhoff, Executive Director of the Houston Center for Photography and former photo editor for Timemagazine.
June – Portapottywas exhibited at Artspace 111 in Ft. Worth. The juror, artist Vernon Fisher, chose only 76 works from a total of 765 entries to the photography contest and exhibition.
June – Four Flightswon Second Place award at the Texas Visual Arts Association exhibit, “Blue,” at the Gallery in Plaza of the Americas, Dallas.
April - Will To Livereceived the award of Honorable Mention in the exhibit “Celebrate The Earth” curated by artist Shari Hornish at the Texas Visual Arts Association Gallery.
May - Molten Trainwas awarded Honorable Mention in the international photography competition and exhibit entitled “Transportation,” sponsored by the New York Center for Photographic Art. Over 700 images were submitted; only 40 were selected as winners by the juror, renowned photographer Lester Lefkowitz.
June - Four Flightswas selected by juror Kurt Mutchler for inclusion in an exhibit at the PhotoPlace Gallery in Middlebury, Vermont. Over 900 entries were received in the international competition, only 40 of which were selected for the exhibit. Mutchler is Executive Editor of Photography for National Geographic Magazine.
July - Exhibited Icemenin the 2014 Texas Visual Arts Association show at Medical City where it was honored with the “Best In Show” award. The judge was Liliana Bloch, Dallas art gallery owner.
July/August - Troupewas selected by juror Andrea Mellard for the "The Portrait: Up Close and Personal" exhibit at MPLS Photo Centerin Minneapolis in July & August 2012. There were over 1,600 entries to the contest, from which only 75 images were selected for the exhibit.
August – Grazingwon Second Place award at the Texas Visual Arts Association “Black & White” exhibit at the Gallery in Plaza of the Americas, Dallas.
September - Palm At Dawnwas selected by juror and PhotoPlace Gallery owner Kirsten Hoving for inclusion in the exhibition “In Praise of Trees.” There were 1280 images entered in the competition, from which only 75 were chosen for the exhibit.
November - Solo exhibition at Hotel Za Za Art House for Morgan Stanley reception.
May - City Livingwas exhibited at the Minneapolis-St. Paul MPLS Photography Gallery as a winner in the national competition, “Ambient Light”. Over 1600 images were submitted to the competition; juror Jim Brandenburg, a photographer for National Geographic, selected only 70 images as winners for the exhibit.
June – City Livingwas selected by juror Mary Ann Redding in a nationwide competition for an exhibit held at the Yeiser Art Gallery in Paducah, Kentucky. Redding was a professor at Santa Fe University of Art and Design.
July/August – Icemenand Troupewere selected by an international panel of three judges (John Guider, Nathalie Daoust, and Laura El-Tantawy) as winners in the Paducah Photo Contest. There were 550 entries from around the world, from which only 74 were selected. The exhibit was held at the Yeiser Art Center in Kentucky.
December – Jellyfishand Self-Centered, were selected by juror Christiona Owen as winners in the Professional Women Photographers International Photography Competition. Over 1100 images were entered in the contest; only 83 were chosen for the exhibit. Jellyfishwas honored as a “Juror's Selection.” Owen is the Director of the Steven Kasher Gallery in Manhattan and has worked with Guggenheim Asher Associates, international art advisory consultants.
Spring - Move Backwas selected by a panel of judges as a Finalist in the 32nd Annual Photography Contest co-sponsored by Photographer's Forummagazine and Sigma. The jurors were Ann Cutting, Gene Strickland, and Sherri Taylor. Over 12,000 images were submitted to the contest from 62 countries; 1,560 images were selected and were published in Best of Photography 2012.
December - Waitingwas selected by juror Madeline Yale to be in the MPLS Photo Center "Off the Cuff" exhibit in Minneapolis. There were 1,100 entries to the competition from photographers in 12 countries, only 73 of which were selected. Madeline Yale is a curator and photography consultant to auction houses in the Middle East and London, and was formerly Executive Director for the Houston Center for Photography.
January – On Edgewas exhibited in the MPLS Photo Center “UrbanView/Rural Sight” show. There were 1,200 entries to the contest, of which only 80 were chosen for the exhibit by juror David Travis, former Curator at the Art Institute of Chicago.
February - Culture Clashearned Honorable Mention in the 2011 International Photography Competition sponsored by the Professional Women Photographers organization in New York City. Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Ruth Fremson was juror for the competition. Over 1,000 photographs were entered in the contest, of which only 52 were chosen.
June – Body Languagewas exhibited in the Paducah Photo National at the Yeiser Art Gallery in Kentucky. Only 76 photographs were selected by juror Karen Irvine from over 1,000 entries. Irvine is Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago.
August - Move Backwas selected by juror Andrew Binkley to be in the Kauai Society of Artists annual competition, where it was given the Paul Yardley Award for Excellence.
April – Retreating Zebrasand Tidy Kioskwere chosen for inclusion in the Paducah International Photo Contest and Exhibit. There were 1,190 entries; only 101 were selected by juror Michael Johnson, Professor of Photography at Murray State University.
July – Grandfather and Mewas exhibited at the annual juried exhibit “Byte Me” sponsored by the Kaua’i Society of Artists. It received the Invitational Award for Excellence.
November - Cart 505and Hard Times Earlywere chosen by juror Ken Merfeld for inclusion in the Kentucky National 2010 photo exhibit. Over 1,000 images were entered in the contest; only 50 photographs were selected for the exhibition.
September – Solo artist show at the Kaua’i Society of Artists’ Gallery at Kukui Grove Mall in Hawai’i.
December- Tokyo Towerwas selected by juror Carol McCusker for inclusion in the Wall Space Gallery “Down and Out” exhibit in Seattle in January 2010. The exhibit also travelled to the 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland during February. There were over 1,000 entries; only 45 were selected for the exhibit.
January – Tropical Beautywas chosen for a juried art exhibit at Hanapepe Art Gallery on Kaua’i in Hawai’i.
August – Hibiscus Stamenwon First Honorable Mention by Honolulu Magazineand was published in the magazine.
December – Five works (Awaiting, Poppy Center, Basking, Water Garden, and Still Working) were chosen in a juried exhibition by the Kaua’i Society of Artists and exhibited at the Gallery at Kukui Grove Mall in Hawai’i. Water Gardenwas awarded Honorable Mention.
February 06 – August 07 – Multiple exhibits at the Gallery at the Kuku’i Grove Mall on Kaua’i in Hawai’i. | http://www.cordeliabailey.com/bio.html |
OTTAWA, Oct. 16, 2013 /CNW/ - Since 2005, Montreal photographer Michel Campeau has photographed the vestiges of what is now termed "analogue" photography. His subject matter—darkrooms, film cameras, safety lights, and flashbulbs—is now almost archaic, products of a by-gone industrial era. From October 18, 2013, to next January 5, the National Gallery of Canada presents some forty of these photographs in the exhibition Michel Campeau: Icons of Obsolescence. The photographs capture and commemorate not only darkrooms across Canada, but those in Mexico, Cuba, France, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Vietnam and Nigeria. In other images, the artist isolates old cameras and photographic paraphernalia in a void of black, transforming them into icons worthy of veneration. More than documents, these images are first and foremost works of visual art and poetry. For more information, visit gallery.ca.
Organized by NGC Associate Curator, Photographs, Andrea Kunard, Michel Campeau: Icons of Obsolescence highlights the materiality of the older photographic method, while alluding to the psyche of a culture increasingly removed from the physical in its embrace of the intangible world of the digital.
In his photos, Campeau transforms the previously familiar; safety lights glow as suns, blue moons appear at the bottom of waste bins, an Alexander Calder sculpture blossoms from light dodgers, and strips of coloured tape transmute into a Guido Molinari painting. The artist's images blend documentary and art, nostalgia with rational clarity, purposefulness with chance. They are a reminder of the enormous transformation that has occurred in just over a decade for one of humanity's most accessible and ubiquitous mediums.
Andrea Kunard is Associate Curator, Photographs at the National Gallery of Canada. She has presented several important exhibitions, including Shifting Sites (2000), Susan McEachern: Structures of Meaning (2004), Michael Semak (2005), The Painted Photograph (2006), Cheryl Sourkes: Public Camera (2007), Steeling the Gaze (2008) and Scott McFarland: A Cultivated View (2009), Fred Herzog (2011), Spaces of the City (2011), and Clash: Conflict and Its Consequences (2012). She has taught the history of photography, Canadian art and cultural theory at Carleton and Queen's University. In addition, she has co-edited The Cultural Work of Photography in Canada, and written articles on contemporary and historical photography in a variety of publications including The Journal of Canadian Art History, the International Journal of Canadian Studies, Early Popular Visual Culture, Muse, C Magazine and ETC Montréal.
Michel Campeau and Robert Burley in conversation with Marc Mayer
On Saturday, October 26, come listen to Robert Burley and photographer Michel Campeau speak on their respective exhibitions addressing the disappearance of analogue photography. Hosted by NGC Director Marc Mayer. At 2:30 pm in the Auditorium. Free admission.
NGC Magazine
NGCmagazine.ca, the National Gallery of Canada's online magazine is a frequently updated source of information on the Canadian art world and the goings-on at the National Gallery of Canada. Correspondents from across the country provide engaging and exclusive content on historical and contemporary art in Canada. This online magazine includes exclusive interviews with artists. This month, read the article Requiem for film: Robert Burley and Michel Campeau and the interview with the artist.
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About the National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada is home to the most important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian art. The Gallery also maintains Canada's premier collection of European Art from the 14th to the 21st century, as well as important works of American, Asian and Indigenous Art and renowned international collections of prints, drawings and photographs. Created in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada has played a key role in Canadian culture for well over a century. Among its principal missions is to increase access to excellent works of art for all Canadians. To do so, it maintains an extensive touring art exhibition programme. For more information: gallery.ca.
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Towner is delighted to present a major exhibition by English artist and photographer Richard Billingham, showing together for the first time his panoramic photographs and video work from 2002 to 2014.
Capturing the British countryside, from the South Downs to the Norfolk Fen and Constable Country of East of England, these immersive works explore the rich textures of these landscapes. His panoramic views unearth the particular geology, vegetation, changing weather and light of these places, some of which he visited over a period of years.
The collected works in Panoramic have a visceral aesthetic, revealing Billingham’s emotional and creative relationship to nature and landscape, drawing on his background and sensibilities as a painter. The works reference the pictorial rhetoric of British landscape painters, from the 19th century to the present, John Constable to David Hockney. They explore rhythm, pattern, repetition, dynamic composition as well as the tableaux in nature and often record a transformative moment in the landscape.
Richard Billingham is best known for his 1996 photobook Ray’s A Laugh, which documents the life of his alcoholic father Ray and mother, Liz and brother Jason. In 2001, he was shortlisted for the Turner Prize for his solo show at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. He holds professorships at the University of Gloucestershire and Middlesex University.
Towner will also be showing Billingham’s 2004 film work Sweep, which portrays trees moving in wind, commissioned by ArtSway. The exhibition has been supported by Middlesex University and University of Gloucestershire.
Richard Billingham’s Panoramic, 25 April – 28 June 2015, Towner, Devonshire Park, College Road, Eastbourne BN21 4JJ, free entry. Open Tuesday – Sunday, and Bank Holiday Mondays, 10am – 5pm. For more information see townereastbourne.org.uk
ENDS
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For interviews, film and photograph opportunities and any additional information or images, please contact
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NOTES TO EDITOR
Towner (Registered Charity 115676) is an award-winning gallery set in Eastbourne. We present major exhibitions of contemporary and historic visual art and displays from our internationally renowned 4500-strong Towner Collection. The Collection is best known for its modern British art – including the largest and most significant body of work by Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) – and a growing collection of international contemporary art.
Towner delivers a dynamic associated public programme and learning offer. We welcome more than 120,000 visitors each year, with a strong commitment to inclusive practice and accessibility.
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On 1 July 2014, Towner became an independent charitable Trust, supported by a Board of Trustees, chaired by David Dimbleby. Towner is supported by Eastbourne Borough Council and Arts Council England through its National Portfolio Programme.
http://www.townereastbourne.org.uk/
Richard Billingham (born 25 September 1970) is an English photographer and artist who is best known for his photobook Ray’s A Laugh which documents the life of his alcoholic father Ray, and obese, heavily tattooed mother, Liz. Billingham was born in Birmingham and studied as a painter at Bournville College of Art and the University of Sunderland.
He came to prominence through his candid photography of his family in Cradley Heath, a body of work later added to and published in the acclaimed book Ray’s A Laugh(1996). Ray’s a Laugh is a portrayal of the poverty and deprivation in which he grew up. The photographs, which were taken on the cheapest film he could find, provide brash colours and bad focus which adds to the authenticity and frankness of the series.
In 1997, Billingham was included in the exhibition Sensation at the Royal Academy of Art which showcased the art collection of Charles Saatchi and included many of the Young British Artists. Also in 1997, Billingham won the Citigroup Photography Prize. He was shortlisted for the 2001 Turner Prize, for his solo show at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham.
He has also made landscape photographs at places of personal significance around the Black Country, and more of these were commissioned in 2003 by the arts organisation The Public, resulting in a book. He has also experimented with video films and video projections.
In late 2006, Billingham exhibited a major new series of photographs and videos inspired by his memories of visiting Dudley Zoo as a child. The series, entitled Zoo, was commissioned by Birmingham-based arts organisation, VIVID and was exhibited at Compton Verney Art Gallery in Warwickshire.
In the following year he created a series of photographs of “Constable Country”, the area on the Essex / Suffolk border painted by John Constable. These were exhibited at the Town Hall Galleries, Ipswich.
He now lives near Swansea, and travels widely. He is a lecturer in Fine Art Photography at the University of Gloucestershire and Professor at Middlesex University (2012). | https://www.townereastbourne.org.uk/press/richard-billingham-panoramic/ |
Exhibiting your artwork in a professional gallery space, meeting fellow artists, and sharing a passion for creativity with fellow students and employees at Douglas—the reasons to submit to past present future are myriad.
The Amelia Douglas Gallery’s upcoming past present future exhibition runs from January 11 to February 25, 2018 and will feature artwork by current students and current and retired employees. Submissions are currently open for artwork of any skill level and in any medium. Interested artists simply need to apply by sending in a brief statement and up to three images of artwork before November 17, and the gallery’s Art Exhibit Committee will do its best to include at least one of these works.
The previous Douglas employee and student exhibition, Avocations, was held several years ago. Avocations featured a range of works and styles by artists from various corners of the college and levels of expertise, including Maria Janicki, a professor in the Department of Psychology and an avid photographer who exhibited three of her works in Avocations.
Janicki told the Other Press via email that she found the experience of participating in the show to be very rewarding. It gave artists the opportunity to showcase their own work to their colleagues, students, or instructors, and to see the diverse range of talent in the Douglas community, which might not be expressed in ordinary college interactions.
“Many people have a creative and artistic side but we don’t always get to see it, and may not be aware of it. What a shame to miss out!” said Janicki.
In addition to participating in Avocations and a previous student and employee show at Douglas, Janicki has also exhibited her photography in a variety of other local group shows, including with the Vancouver Photowalks group and the Pacific Digital Photography Club’s annual Photomotion show.
Compared to these other exhibitions, Janicki said she appreciates the diversity of the Douglas shows, given their size—Avocations included works by 20 employee and student artists.
The in-house shows also stand out because of their ties to the college. “I got to present my art alongside my colleagues and students to the rest of the Douglas community. We all get to learn a bit more about each other,” she wrote.
In addition to the benefit of sharing her work with others, she said she finds that planning to submit to a gallery motivates her creativity, and she highly encourages people who are considering participating in past present future to take the opportunity. She is currently planning herself which photographs to submit for the upcoming exhibition. | http://theotherpress.ca/submissions-still-open-for-in-house-art-show/ |
Norman McBeath is a photographer and printmaker who lives in Edinburgh. The National Portrait Galleries in Scotland and Australia also have his portraits in their collections. His work has been shown as part of exhibitions at the Leica Gallery in New York, the National Portrait Galleries in Edinburgh and London, the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy of Arts. His collaborations with Paul Muldoon, Jeanette Winterson, Kathleen Jamie, Janice Galloway and Robert Crawford have been exhibited in Chicago, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford and at Yale.
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Sooyeun Ahn was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea where she worked as a writer for 10 years before moving to Japan to study photography at the Tokyo Polytechnic University. After spending two years in Japan, Ahn decided to move to New York in 2008 to attend the International Center of Photography’s Documentary Photography and Photojournalism Program.
Upon graduating from ICP, Ahn continued to photograph the streets of New York mainly at night. Rather than documenting in a more traditional form and content of narrative storytelling, Ahn focuses on variations of possibilities and changes that could happen from photographing her subjects through a very subjective personal vision.
Ahn’s photographs were exhibited at the Art & Culture Complex Gallery in South Korea, Nikon Gallery in Japan, and ICP’s Education Gallery in New York. Ahn published a book, Keitai Tokyo in 2008, a collection of photographs and writings she produced in Japan. Ahn lives and works in New York City.
Vicky Azcoitia is a Spanish photographer based in New York. Her images document the relationship between people and nature. Her work strives to address the importance of our natural environment, as well as to foster its respect and renewal.
Our undeniable connection to the world around us, and the impact of today’s actions on all of our tomorrows lies at the heart of her work. Vicky’s passionate commitment to “green living” and the sustainable arts allows her to use her skills in a manner to effect serious and profound change in the way we co-exist with nature. Her work is meant not only to elicit reaction, but also to inspire action.
Degree in Graphic Design by the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) Madrid. Graduated in Photojournalism & Documentary Photography by the International Center of Photography (ICP) New York. Exhibitions in Spain, Portugal, New York.
Lives and works in New York City. A recent graduate of the International Center of Photography-Bard College’s MFA Program in Advanced Photographic Studies, she conducted her undergraduate studies at the National School of Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking “La Esmeralda” in Mexico City, where she combined drawing, sculpture and photography as her major studies.
Her work has been shown in museums, galleries and venues in Mexico, U.S.A. and Scotland and she recently obtained an honorable mention at the 2010 edition of the New York Photo Festival. In March 2010 she presented her first US solo show this place meant, at the ICP-Bard MFA Studios in Long Island City, NY.
In 2009, her book Finding Grandma Bear was selected for the Artists Books International Fair that took place in Mexico City as part of the Fotoseptiembre festival.
In 2005, her images and writing were published in no. 25 of the photography journal Luna Cornea.
Besides her photographic practice, she has collaborated in numerous film projects as a production designer, art director and set decorator both in Mexico and the US.
Originally from England, Sieglinde Cassel moved to New York in 2007 to study at the International Center of Photography. She completed the one year general studies course and has since been involved in a number of group shows in Glasgow (Scotland) and New York. Most recently she was seen in ‘Gladiatores’, a documentary photography exhibition of cockfighting in Mexico. She has featured in American Photo Magazine’s ‘Images of the Year’ edition, 2009.
Sieglinde has also assisted a number of photographers, and is currently the head archivist and studio assistant for Jack Pierson, a successful artist and photographer in New York.
There are places that are part of what we call Home. We have memories of them yet we know they are not part of our current file of experiences. I explore ways to discover that Place, a memory of a place that could be both standing in our world and yet have never quite existed.
What is it that separates us? Much more seems to bring humans together than divide us. Because of past psychiatric illness and hospitalizations I grew distant from myself and others; I became very interested in the things that are in those in-between spaces among people.
Tara Cronin is recent 2010 MFA graduate from the International Center of Photography-Bard Program in New York City. She finished her undergraduate work with a BA in Writing at New School University. While Tara battled hospitalizations and illness during her undergraduate work, her healing process guided her to veer toward photography and art-making in response.
Tara’s work most often involves photography, drawing, video and installation.
In 2008 Tara completed a 1-year certificate program at the International Center of Photography. Tara is twice the recipient of the ICP Director’s Fellowship Award, and has been exhibited in various venues throughout New York City.
Christian Erroi [b. 1973] is an Italian and Swiss artist who lives and works in New York, where he studied at the International Center of Photography.
His work has had solo exhibitions in galleries in Lugano and Chiasso in Switzerland, as well as a solo show at Houston Fotofest in 2008, a 2009 group show at Michael Mazzeo’s and a solo show and lecture at the NYPL, in 2010 in New York City.
In 2005 and 2006 Erroi was included in the Art + Commerce Festival of Emerging Photographers in New York, which traveled to Stockholm, Tokyo, Milan and Madrid, and resulted in a book called Peek. Erroi self-published a limited edition book called as above in 2008.
His work is in private collections throughout the world, and in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne.
Rachel Gardam [b.1983] is a Brooklyn based photographer who recognizes the importance of documenting the lives of others. Gardam’s wanderlust has driven her to travel extensively, photographing in more than twenty countries.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Gardam moved to New York in 2006 and studied at The International Center of Photography where she completed the Documentary Photography and Photojournalism program in 2008.
She spent the summer of 2008 teaching photography workshops for Canon’s Photography in the Parks Program based in Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Parks. Gardam’s work has been exhibited at Drury and Catherine Dianich galleries in Vermont, ICP gallery in New York and at Pingyao International Photography Festival in China.
Sarah Girner moved a lot when she was a child – first within Germany, where she was born and later in the United States and Europe. Her sense of rootlessness informs her work and in her projects she focuses on the inextricable link between a person’s identity and their sense of place.
Sarah graduated from the International Center of Photography’s 2009 Documentary Photography and Photojournalism Program and her work has been exhibited at the National Arts Club, the Julia Dean Gallery, the International Center of Photography, Pratt Manhattan and the Pingyao International Photography Festival. She is the recipient of the 2009 Berenice Abbott Prize for an Emerging Photographer. Sarah lives and works in New York City.
Awards Include, a Directors Fellowship from the International Center of Photography in 2007, nomination for a New York Photo Award, Second place in the American Society of Media Photographers Image 08 Contest, and two International Photography Awards. Her work has been included in numerous New York shows as well as the 2008 Pingyao Photo Festival in China.
Becky Holladay is a documentary and portrait photographer who divides her time between New York City and Los Angeles.
Her written essays and photo essays have appeared in The New York Times and Vision Magazine, as well as several other regional and local newspapers. Exhibitions include: “The Human Condition,” group show at Festival of the Photograph 2007, Slideluck Potshow XII in Brooklyn, NY, “What We Saw,” group show at the 2008 Pingyao International Photo Festival, and What We Saw: Dialects at the International Center of Photography’s education gallery. Her work is held in numerous private collections in the U.S.
Becky graduated from the full-time Photojournalism & Documentary Photography Program at the International Center of Photography in June 2008. While at ICP, she was awarded an ICP Director’s Fellowship and nominated for a 2008 New York Photo Award.
She is a member of the international collective of documentary photographers, What We Saw.
Daniel Kukla, a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, currently resides in Brooklyn, New York where he works as a freelance and fine art photographer, as well as an urban gardener. He is a graduate of The International Center of Photography program in Documentary Photography and Photojournalism. Prior to his photographic education he attended The University of Toronto and received his B.Sc. Biology & Evolutionary Ecology. His work is informed by the intersection of science and visual language. This photographic practice aims to generate an interdisciplinary and progressive discourse regarding our ever-changing relationship with the natural world.
Jesse Newman is a freelance photographer specializing in documentary photography and portraiture. Her editorial work has been published in the New York Times, Time Magazine and Newsweek. She has been exhibited in the U.S. and abroad. She is a graduate of the Photojournalism & Documentary Photography Program at the International Center of Photography. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Minny Lee, a native of Seoul, South Korea is a New Jersey-based photographer. Lee is a 2008 graduate of the International Center of Photography’s one-year certificate program. In February 2009, Lee was selected to attend the Reflexions Masterclass in Europe, a two-year seminar which cultivates fifteen fledgling photographers by mentoring and field projects. Lee is also a candidate for a Master of Arts in Art History degree.
Lee’s photographs were exhibited at ICP’s Education Gallery in 2010 and Pingyao International Photography festival in 2008 among other venues. Through Reflexions Masterclass program, Lee photographed institutions such as La Fenice Theater (Italy), Actes Sud publishing company (France) and Novartis Campus (Switzerland).
Lee’s prior career includes being a guest-reporter at Monthly Photography, a Korean periodical for which she published 15 articles about internationally noted photographers. Lee worked at the International Center of Photography in New York as an intern and as a collections assistant during 2006-2007 contributing to two exhibitions, Unknown Weegee and Amelia Earhart: Image and Icon.
Unhee Park was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea where she studied Glass Art and Art Therapy. After graduating from a university, Park worked as a photography intern at a daily newspaper before moving to New York in 2008. Park studied photography at the International Center of Photography’s General Studies Program in 2009-2010 year.
Park continues to work on her long-term project on museum. Utilizing photography and video interview, Park examines the relationship between art viewers and art they contemplate. Besides working on her personal project, Park is also interning at Chelsea West Gallery.
Ruben E. Reyes (Mexico D.F., 1979) is a documentary photographer currently based in Cincinnati, OH. Born and raised in Mexico city, having lived in the U.S. for the past 12 years, and traveled to several other countries has given him a sense of place from different cultures around the world, and this is what inspires him to pursue photographic projects.
Liz is recent 2010 MFA graduate from the International Center of Photography-Bard College Program in New York City. She finished her undergraduate work with a BA from the Evergreen State College with a focus in Lens-Based Media Studies in 2001. After this Liz worked for several years as a motion picture camera technician. Liz is the recipient of the ICP Director’s Fellowship Award, and has been exhibited in various venues throughout New York City.
Erica Beth Silberstein is a freelance photographer currently living in New York City. After graduating college, Erica spent a number of years working and traveling abroad. She returned to the States and attended the International Center of Photography to study photography. Her photography has been published in magazines such as the New York Times Magazine, PDN, and American Photo, and her work has won recognition through a number of awards, including PDN’s Photo Annual, American Photo Images of the Year, National Geographic’s Discover Photography and the International Photography Awards. Erica has exhibited work in group and solo shows in New York and New Jersey, her home state.
Yasmine Soiffer is an award-wining documentary and fine art photographer. Her work is driven by a desire to understand and connect with others through the camera. She performs a kind of cultural anthropology, studying people and seeking to relate on a primal human level. Yasmine graduated from the International Center of Photography in 2008, and has since exhibited in New York, Tel Aviv, and Beijing. She was raised mostly in Japan and Ivory Coast; she often did not share a verbal language with her peers, so found visual arts as a means of communication. Yasmine’s most recent work is on Israel and the Palestinian territories, including stories on settlers, Bethlehem, and nightlife in Ramallah.
Brendon Stuart is a fine art and documentary photographer currently based in Brooklyn New York. Originating from northern California and born in 1976, he initially came from a background in illustration and music before discovering his passion for photography in 2000.
After moving to New York in 2002, he began photographing Brooklyn based indie rock band Pela. Some of that work has been published in “A.M. New York” and “The Metro” daily publications. In 2006 his photos of touring the United States with Pela were featured by the Lomographic Society International.
In 2008 he graduated from the full time certificate program at the International Center of Photography in New York focusing on Photojournalism and Documentary. During that time he was a recipient of an ICP Directors Scholarship and has had his work published in “The Progressive” magazine in 2008. His work has been internationally exhibited and published, including exhibitions in New York as well as “What We Saw,” a group show featured in the Pingyao International Photo Festival in 2008.
New York City based fine art photographer Hiroshi Sumiyama was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1973. He moved to New York City in 1995 when he was 21 years old. He graduated from the General Studies program at the International Center of Photography in 2008. After graduation, he starts working at a fine art photographer’s studio in Chelsea, New York City as a darkroom assistant.
The current project began in the summer of 2009. All images were photographed with his handmade large format pinhole camera. He purposefully photographed using soft-focus and a pale color palate which is the characteristic of pinhole cameras.
Alessandro Vecchi, born in Alba, Italy in 1981, is a freelance photographer currently living between Brooklyn, NY and his hometown. Influenced by his interest in cinema, he started taking pictures in his teens and later realized photography’s incredible power to reveal people and the world. He studied architecture in Florence and Paris and then photography at the International Center of Photography in New York. His work has been shown in the United States, Italy, France and China in various collective exhibitions and has appeared on European and American publications. He enjoys speaking different languages.
I grew up in the north of England though I now live in New Jersey with my wife and two children.
I initially intended to become a painter but photography took hold of me. I spent many nights photographing the underground music scene of the UK and exploring the streets of South London. I travelled; my interest in society and politics grew. I got involved in some social work with youth offenders, continued documenting my life, decided to quit my job and with the support of my then girlfriend (now wife) I left London to attend the International Center of Photography in New York, where I studied Photojournalism.
I currently work as a freelance photographer, educator and curator. My work has been published in the U.S. and the U.K. and I have exhibited in England, America and Japan.
I have taught classes at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and am a faculty member of the ICP where I have worked extensively with their Community Programs department. Photography has given me direction in life, and I intend to continue to do photography based social work in the future as a counterpoint to my documentary and fine art practice. | http://www.naturewithinexhibit.com/?page_id=4 |
As a photographer living and working in and around the North York Moors National Park, Richard Burdon’s passion is to share its beauty with the viewer.
His landscape photographs, in both colour and monochrome, highlight the area’s stunning qualities, be it rugged moorland, craggy cliff or spectacular coastal scene. He feels privileged to record a glorious sunset in a beautiful place and to be able to share it with others.
Richard’s work regularly features in galleries, exhibitions and magazines.
In 2008 and 2009 he was selected as a finalist in Charlie Waites’ ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year’ competition, having images chosen for inclusion in both the exhibition and the associated book.
Richard Burdon
Landscape photographer
Exhibited in gallery: 2013
- Visiting
- Time for You
- See and do
- Explore the North York Moors
- Amazing views
- Capital of Cake
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- Explore our quieter spots
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- Retreat and romance
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- Inspired by... gallery
- Sutton Bank National Park Centre
- Danby Lodge National Park Centre
- Out and About guide
- National Park Experiences
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- Enjoy outdoors
- What's on
- Eat
- Made in... | https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/nl/visiting/see-and-do/inspired-by-gallery/a-to-z-of-artists/richard-burdon |
Art as an Act of Omission is a single panel text work quoting from the philosopher Eric D’Arcy’s book Human Acts – An Essay in their Moral Evaluation (1963). D’Arcy considers an omission to be the ‘not-doing’ of something that was expected to be done, leading Arnatt to ask the question: ‘If art is what we do and culture is what is done to us – what would culture do to us if art is what we didn’t do?’ In other words, Arnatt asks that if art was an expected action that was not carried out, how would this particular omission affect our lives, if at all? This work also exists as a printed card that Arnatt sent to close friends and colleagues, examples of which can be found in Tate Archive (TGA 786.5.2.6 and TGA 830.2.1.12, the latter postmarked March 1971).
A significant aspect of Arnatt’s work at this time addressed ‘non-production’ or ‘not-doing’ as a form of artistic practice. For instance, for the exhibition Idea Structures at the Camden Arts Centre in London in 1970, he presented the text work Is It Possible for Me to Do Nothing as My Contribution to This Exhibition, alongside Self-Burial 1969 (Tate T01747). Later that same year he sent a card to Charles Harrison on which was typed ‘10.9.70. 8.25pm. THE DECISION TO DO NO ART WORK FOR AN INDEFINITE PERIOD OF TIME IS THE WORK (the work ceases to exist upon production of a subsequent work)’. This card is also in Tate Archive (TGA 839.12.1.11).
Art as an Act of Omission is one of a group of works which were exhibited, or intended to be exhibited in Keith Arnatt’s participation in Seven Exhibitions at the Tate Gallery, London in 1972. Other works from this group are Invisible Hole Revealed by the Shadow of the Artist 1968 (Tate P13145), Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of his Former Self 1969–72 (Tate P13143), Art as an Act of Retraction 1971 (Tate P13140), I Have Decided to Go to the Tate Gallery next Friday 1971 (Tate P13142) and Rejected Proposal for the Peter Stuyvesant ‘City Sculpture Project’ (For Cardiff City) 1972 (Tate P13141). In their range they illustrate the move in Arnatt’s work from the making of situational sculptures to a documentation of performative acts that question – through a linking of philosophical text with image – the status of art and the role and identity of the artist, whom Arnatt shows to be in different states of disappearance. This group of work was presented by the artist to Tate Gallery Archive in 1972 and transferred to the collection in 2010.
Further reading
Seven Exhibitions, exhibition catalogue, Tate Gallery, London 1972.
The New Art, exhibition catalogue, Hayward Gallery, London 1972.
I’m a Real Photographer: Keith Arnatt Photographs 1974–2002, exhibition catalogue, Photographer’s Gallery, London 2007.
Andrew Wilson
May 2010
Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you. | https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/arnatt-art-as-an-act-of-omission-p13144 |
On view at Fountain Street Gallery through July 24th is Melange, featuring the work of Marie Craig and Mary Marley. The artists employ abstraction, bold color, and novel combinations of artistic media, with each resulting piece a vibrant mix. Craig, working in cyanotype and ink, interprets both the natural and built worlds. Marley, in combining acrylic paint and cut paper, creates environs rich with pattern and texture. Taken together, “Melange” presents a show of hybrids in many varieties and a wholly inviting collection of new and experimental work.
Marie Craig uses alternative process photography to explore the overlap between concrete bodies, or still moments, and the life instilled in them. Working primarily with cyanotype, an early lens-less photographic process, she combines digital negatives and plant material to create images that she then embellishes using line and color. Riffing on the classic method of hand-coloring photos, Craig uses bold color blocking to respond to the indigo of cyanotype and to call attention to the spaces in and around the forms.
Craig began her career as a medical photographer and illustrator specializing in cell biology before shifting her role to become a photographer, teacher, and curator in the fine art community. She studied at Clark University, MA and Massachusetts College of Art, and has shown her work in exhibitions at Danforth Art Museum, Framingham, MA, COSO, Boston, and BigCi Open Day, Australia. In 2011, Craig co-founded Fountain Street Gallery, and serves as its director. She works from her studio in Natick, MA.
Mary Marley’s newest mixed media collage series, “Three Times as Much,” combines acrylic paint and cut paper. Marley works on many pieces at once, and her images are built with no fixed notion of a finished product. She begins with loose gestural shapes and large blocks of color, creating her own game of sorts by walking the border of play and disciplined composition.
Marley studied fine art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and
Lesley University. She has exhibited at The Arts Club, Washington D.C., The Coral Springs Museum of Art, The Whistler Art Museum, as well as in many private collections. Her work is published in How Art Heals and Artscope magazines. Mary has taught art for many years and works from her studio in Millis, Massachusetts. She is a member of NAWA, Encaustic Art Institute, International Society of Experimental Artists, Collage Artists of America, and Gallery Artists at South Shore Art Center. Marley is a Core Member of Fountain Street.
For more information on the gallery please visit www.fsafountain.com. | https://womenartdealers.org/melange-at-fountain-street-gallery/ |
Carmichael Gallery is pleased to announce a special screening of the new documentary short Bumblebeelovesyou, a visual profile of Los Angeles-based artist Bumblebee. Presented by The Downey Arts Coalition, Bumblebeelovesyou was produced by HANDi, a team of Downey-based filmmakers.
There will be a reception and screening at the Epic Lounge in Downey on Sunday, August 19, 2012, followed by a discussion on the documentary and the growing art scene in Downey. A series of new works by Bumblebee will also be on view.
About the artist:
Bumblebee’s work first came to life on the streets and abandoned buildings of Downey, a city located in southeast Los Angeles County. With a focus on themes of innocence, communication and coming of age, his stencil and sculptural works are most often rendered in the simple, but instantly identifiable color palette of yellow and black. Ongoing campaigns range from the remodeling of urban furniture such as abandoned phone kiosks and newspaper boxes to large-scale mural projects that address and work to raise awareness of issues such as youth homelessness.
Bumblebee has exhibited his work in group exhibitions at Carmichael Gallery, Mark Moore Gallery, Thinkspace Gallery (who also included him in their curated exhibitions at Together Gallery and London Miles Gallery), LeBasse Projects and the Portsmouth Museum of Art. Online and print media outlets in which he and his work have been featured include tasj magazine, Ekosystem, TEDxBloomington, The Downey Patriot, Unurth, SlamxHype, Arrested Motion, PSFK, The Dirt Floor, Vandalog, GOOD, Wooster Collective, My Modern Met, Sour Harvest, Daily du Jour and The Daily Portsmouth. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
About the filmmakers:
The person next to you has a story. If you could see the world through their eyes for a moment or two, your heart would open up just a little more. With each story we tell, we hope to highlight what makes us human and show that we can all relate to each other in some way. We want to erase the lines that divide us so we can see each other clearly.
HANDi is a team of filmmakers based in Downey, CA.
The name HANDi is synonymous with the prefix “handy” which is associated with a convenient and useful product. “Handy” also pertains to the hands and a handmade quality. Our philosophy is embedded in this single idea. Being handmade, we use whatever we can find on a shoestring budget and craft everything ourselves.
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Antonio Sorrentino is an Italian photographer who lives in the Peruvian Andes where he is experiencing life through the ancient Andean practice and developing photography focused on documenting indigenous communities and their traditions. “Apu – A spiritual Geography of the Andes” is a story about the relationship of respect that Andean people have with the spirits of their mountains (Apu). Antonio participated in several exhibitions in Europe and South America and has published his editorial work in international magazines. He studied a Master of Documentary Photography and Narrative at EFTI Madrid and a Master of Visual Arts, Photography and Creative Projects at UMH in Spain. He has worked as a photographer in Lima, Peru, where he founded a photographic agency named Phoss, as well as teaching at Corriente Alterna, a visual arts academy in Lima.
www.antoniosorrentino.info | https://www.instagram.com/anton_sorrentino/
Aria Rose is a photographer whose work focuses on femininity and how it is expressed in nature, in history, and in our day to day lives. ‘This does not limit my work to a certain type of person but instead allows me to focus on different manifestations of femininity and the movement and fluidity between them. Living in Washburn, WI, on the shores of Lake Superior, nature surrounds and informs me. An area that has farmed for well over a century, there is something enchanting — in a romantic sense — about the pastoral degrading back into nature, as fields turn into forest and barns start to crumble. Just as we shape the land, my work is shaped by the landscape. I capture everyday fragments — ephemeral, visceral, intimate’.
www.ariarosedurward.com | www.facebook.com/ariarosephoto | www.instagram.com/ariarose__
Benjy Owusu-Daaku (CPMX SIMPLICITY) is a freelance photographer based in London, who expresses a particular focus on people, music and colour. ‘More than most things in my life, the trinity of my Christian faith, my love for hip hop and pursuit to capture this through photography has been the driving force behind my artistic direction. Both my faith and the spoken word through hip hop have the power to articulate the many situations I have been in and to give hope where there seems to be none. This body of work aims to showcase these interwoven themes in a manner that has influences from the sometimes dark and mysterious to bright and playful 90’s Hip Hop’.
www.cmpxsimplicity.com | https://www.instagram.com/cmpx_simplicity/
Jacqui Dean is an award-winning Sydney based professional photographer and artist. Her work is held in numerous collections and by Adelaide University, Port Noarlunga Art Gallery in S.A. and the Bundanon Trust. Her commercial work focuses on architecture and form, while her art practice explores the natural world, hidden forms and processes of change and transformation.
‘Translucence’ is a body of work inspired by the unseen beauty hidden within plants and flowers. In exploring both Australian and introduced flora I see a strong correlation between poetic currents and equivalent patterns also seen and felt in nature. In pursuing this visual beauty through digital imaging, I am nourished by family, Nature and friendship. But above all, as the novelist Nabokov once proclaimed, it is the divinity within the detail (of Nature) that inspires my vision. A small, expectant gathering of seeds waiting, hidden within a flower’s petals can now be clearly witnessed through the Xrayograms I have created for Translucence. It is Nature that has given birth to this visual feast – not any single process’.
Jacqui has exhibited widely, including solo and group exhibitions at the 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 Head On Photo Festivals in Sydney; Ballarat Photography Festival; Gallery 1140, Malvern Victoria; the 2011 Loupe Awards in Melbourne, and successive Canon Australian Professional Photography Award exhibitions over the past two decades. In 2012 her show TRANSLUCENCE was a featured exhibition at Head On. In 2014 it was exhibited at the Maud Creative Gallery, Newstead, Brisbane, and was also a featured show in Shimmer Photo Biennale, Port Noarlunga Art Gallery where Translucence was voted the most popular photographic exhibition and earned Jacqui the Robert McFarlane inaugural prize. In 2015 Translucence was also exhibited at Inverell Regional Art Gallery, 2017 Black Eye Gallery Darlinghurst, Sydney and is currently showing at Shoalhaven Regional Art Gallery,Nowra NSW Jacqui has been extensively involved in the photographic industry, holding Board positions with the ACMP and the AIPP, and was the first female AIPP President (2006-2008).
www.deanphotographics.com.au | https://www.facebook.com/jackie.dean.7505
Martin de la Foi is exhibiting two works in his unique DELAFOI-method of ‘Print & Destroy’, that aims to produce the highest form of exclusive photography. The result is that the owner will be in possession of the only existing copy. Each print using ‘Print & Destroy’ is guaranteed 1 of 1 since all original print files are deleted post production. The image will not – and can not – be reprinted. In the world of photography this is extremely rare – probably unique – but it’s both significant and aligned with the over all creative process of Martin de la Foi. ’To let things go is a very special feeling for a photographer. We are used to several photo copies, different sizes and there is always that feeling, that possibility, that you can go back and change whatever you think needs changing. But by fully committing to a ‘print and destroy production’ I eliminate all of that. It makes me sharper, it makes me better’. | https://thebricklanegallery.com/art-in-mind-april-2018-2-2/ |
The Lowry has curated a new exhibition from award winning, internationally renowned photographer Nadav Kander, featuring work that has never been exhibited before, including striking images of Eric Cantona and Cheryl Cole. Other works exhibited for the first time include photographs that were part of a sensational shoot with Tinie Tempah for The Observer magazine this February, and head shots of Take That for their latest album, Progress.
London based Kander is celebrated for his portraiture and landscape works, many of which exist within National collections such as the National Portrait Gallery and The V&A Museum. His images are readily seen within high-end editorial press as well as in contemporary art galleries and museums across the world, capturing subjects as diverse as Barack Obama's administration, and life alongside the epic Yangtze River in China.
Kander manages to capture a well known face in a new, and often vulnerable light, using the lens to peer into the soul of the subjects he photographs, as well as his own. The remarkable effect of this process is displayed within this unmissable exhibition.
Nadav Kander: Selected Portraits, 1999 – 2011 is in The Lowry galleries from Sat 16 April until Sun 4 September 2011. It shows alongside Warhol and the Diva (Sat 25 June – Sun 25 September), another newly curated exhibition by The Lowry, presenting an unprecedented collection of some of Andy Warhol’s most iconic works, focusing on the most alluring Divas of his time.
Both exhibitions are presented as part of The Lowry’s performance related visual art programme, which explores performance practice in its broadest sense. | https://www.nadavkander.com/exhibitions/nadav-kander-selected-portraits-1999-2011 |
A D R I E N N E M A R T Y N
I am a New Zealand photographer based in Wellington who photographs mainly interiors of cultural buildings in a state of emptiness. Some buildings are earthquake prone awaiting structural strengthening and others have has their objects removed in order to reveal their interiors without intrusive objects. I have played with this idea in different ways using several heritage buildings by photographing elements of rooms stripped to accommodate my arrangements of objects.
I was born in Wellington and brought up in Invercargill where at the age of eighteen I left to live in Dunedin to learn photographic and darkroom practices from commercial photographers. In 1970 I returned to Invercargill where I was a photographer's assistant for Campbell Studios. From there I worked as a freelance darkroom technician for fashion photographer Euan Sarginson in Christchurch who encouraged me to take photographs using his expensive camera equipment. After a brief stint with advertising photographer Cyril Taft in Auckland I secured a position in 1972 at the Sydney Morning Herald as a darkroom technician and studio photographer. During this time I became involved with the Sydney Women’s Film Group, and contributed documentary photographs to the movie 'Home', feminist newspapers, magazines and books including feminist poet Kate Jennings seminal work ‘Mother I’m Rooted – an anthology of Australian women poets’.
Upon returning to Dunedin I briefly attended Otago Polytechnic School of Art in 1977 where I was introduced to the works of Vermeer by art history lecturer Raymond Ward and abstract painting. From this experience I explored abstraction in landscape and architectural subjects which were exhibited at Bosshard Galleries Dunedin. I returned to Sydney in 1979 to attend the Australian Centre for Photography workshops in Paddington. Encouraged by Australian photographers Greg Weight and Robert McFarlane I committed to exploring portraiture based on my own ideas of what I wanted a portrait to be.
In 1980 I set up a photography studio in Moray Place, Dunedin where I continued photographing portraits of friends and commissions. During this time I also produced ‘Surfaces’, a series of abstract photographs on the play of light on stucco textures. Prints from these early portrait and architectural studies are represented in permanent collections including Te Papa Museum of New Zealand Auckland Art Gallery Dunedin Public Art Gallery and The Dowse. In 1986 NAG/Te Papa commissioned me to photograph ‘Artist Portraits’ for its permanent collection and in 1988 Dunedin Public Art Gallery mounted and toured a survey exhibition of my portrait work covering 1979 - 1987 period. A fully illustrated catalogue accompanied this touring exhibition.
During the late 1980’s I juxtaposed architectural elements with portraiture creating ‘Absence: Presence’ using my images of the interior stairwell of the vacated Excelsior Hotel, Dunedin with theatrically styled portraits of my friends. The images from this body of work were shown at Artspace, Auckland 1990.
From 1995 to 1998 I lived in Melbourne returning to NZ to live in Napier where I photographed taonga and environs at the Otatara Pa Historic Reserve, Hawkes Bay. ‘Otatara’ was shown at Hawkes Bay Museum 1999. I became Artist in Residence 2000 at Waikato Museum exploring volcanic history of Lake Taupo – a selection of images from this residency were shown and collected by Waikato Museum.
In 2005 I gained my MFA (1st Class Hons.) from Elam School of Art, University of Auckland, where I created a series of analogue/digital images of the Louvre, which I photographed in 1990, and Auckland Art Gallery that investigated the power of the frame. I digitally erased the content of classical and contemporary paintings within their frames drawing attention to how museum and gallery display devices can influence the viewers perception of art. This project ‘Looking for the Subject’ was exhibited at City Gallery Wellington in 2007.
Since 2017 I have extended this body of work by photographing gallery and museum interiors devoid of their objects. I focused on the inter-play of light on the empty surfaces to show gallery interiors as art works in themselves. The spaces include Anderson Park Art Gallery, Sarjeant Gallery, Robert McDougall Art Gallery and Southland Museum.
In 2019 I ventured into new territory photographing the decaying interiors of hotel rooms at Bluff's Club Hotel. Eight images from this series were exhibited with poetry written by Cilla McQueen stamped and displayed on silk sheets. Our exhibition, titled 'Gossamer', was presented at Miharo Gallery, Invercargill in 2020.
I continue to photograph heritage building interiors including The Southland Times and Cambridge Arcade which I did immediately prior to their demolition. Future exhibitions of new work include images of the three desolate lighthouse keepers dwellings on Dog Island south of Bluff, stripped rooms at the heritage Golder Cottage in Upper Hutt and gallery rooms at the earthquake prone Aigantighe Gallery in Timaru. My latest exhibition 'Durham Street | as she left' presents a series of images of the interior of Marilynn Webb's villa as she left it before she died. This series opens at Olga Gallery Dunedin on 28 January 2022.
From April to June 2022 I shall be residing in Dunedin as Artist in Residence at Dunedin School of Art. | https://adriennemartyn.com/about |
# Stanko Abadžić
Stanko Abadžić (born 1952 in Vukovar) is a Croatian photographer and photojournalist. He lives and works in Zagreb, Croatia.
Stanko Abadžić began his professional career in photography as a photojournalist for the Croatian daily newspaper Vjesnik. During that period he made well-known reportages from Tunisia, Malta, Turkey and other countries. After the onset of the Croatian war of independence in 1991, Abadžić moved abroad and would not return to Croatia for many years. After four years in Germany, he spent seven years in the Czech Republic in Prague, a city which had the greatest impact on his artistic expression. At this point in his career he moved away from photojournalism towards art photography. In the Czech Republic he participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, the largest of which was a retrospective exhibition at the gallery Dom Jozefa Sudka in Prague, on which occasion his first monograph U ogledalu života (In The Mirror of Life) was published. In 2002 he returned to Croatia and the Croatian photography scene with a large exhibition at the Mimara Museum, where he exhibited In Absentia, his most famous series from Prague. As an art photographer Abadžić's works almost exclusively in black-and-white film, evoking a sense of nostalgia and times gone by in his works. The artist also cites the influence of old masters of photography like Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Abadžić has had solo exhibitions in numerous European countries: the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain, to name a few. He has also exhibited outside of Europe in Argentina, the USA and Japan. He has received professional recognition as well as many awards for his work. Abadžić’s photographs are part of collections at the Modern Gallery, Zagreb and the Modern Gallery, Rijeka, Croatia, the Umelecko-průmyslová Museum in Prague, the Czech Republic, the John Cleary Gallery in Houston, USA, the Verve Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, the Stockeregg gallery, Switzerland, Kazutami Ando, Tokyo, Japan, as well as in other private and public collections. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abad%C5%BEi%C4%87 |
Country:
United States
Birth:
1963
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Michael Light is a San Francisco-based photographer focused on the environment and how contemporary American culture relates to it. He has exhibited globally, and his work has been collected by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Getty Research Institute, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The New York Public Library, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, among others.
For the last fifteen years, Light has aerially photographed over settled and unsettled areas of American space, pursuing themes of mapping, vertigo, human impact on the land, and various aspects of geologic time and the sublime. A private pilot and Guggenheim Fellow in photography, he is currently working on an extended aerial survey of the arid Western states. Radius Books published the first of a multi-volume series of this work,
Bingham Mine/Garfield Stack
, in 2009. The second,
LA Day/LA Night
, was released in 2011. The third,
Lake Las Vegas/Black Mountain
, was published in 2015. The fourth,
Lake Lahontan/Lake Bonneville
, was released in September 2019.
Light is also known for his globally published archival works. His first,
FULL MOON
(1999), used lunar geological survey imagery made by the Apollo astronauts to show the moon both as a sublime desert and an embattled point of first human contact.
100 SUNS
(2003), focused on the politics and landscape meanings of military photographs of U.S. atmospheric nuclear detonations from 1945 to 1962.
Galleries
Danziger Gallery
Hosfelt Gallery
Craig Krull Gallery
Website
www.michaellight.net
Selected Books
×
Lake Lahontan-Lake Bonneville
By Michael Light
Publisher : Publisher : Radius Books
2019 | 140 pages
San Francisco-based photographer Michael Light's (b. 1963) fourth Radius book of his aerial survey Some Dry Space: An Inhabited West journeys into the vast geological space and time of the Great Basin—the heart of a storied national "void" that is both actual and psychological, treasured as much for its tabula rasa possibilities as it is hated for its utter hostility to human needs.
Twelve thousand years ago most of the Great Basin-that part of the country between California and Utah where water does not drain to the ocean- was 900 feet underwater, covered by two vast and now largely evaporated historical lakes, Bonneville and Lahontan. The shrunken remnants of Lake Bonneville today are the Great Salt Lake in Utah and its eponymous salt flats, while the best known portion of the former Lake Lahontan is the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, an alkali bed that floods and dries each year, creating the flattest topography on earth, home to the annual counterculture festival Burning Man.
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Lake Lahontan-Lake Bonneville
Michael Light
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×
Lake Las Vegas/Black Mountain
By Rebecca Solnit, Lucy Lippard, Michael Light
Publisher : Publisher : Radius Books
2015 | 70 pages
Until 2008 Nevada was the fastest-growing state in America. But the recession stopped this urbanizing gallop in the Mojave Desert, and Las Vegas froze at exactly the point where its aspirational excesses were most baroque and unfettered. In this third Radius Books installment of noted photographer Michael Light's aerial survey of the inhabited West, the photographer eschews the glare of the Strip to hover intimately over the topography of America's most fevered residential dream: castles on the cheap, some half-built, some foreclosed, some hanging on surrounded by golf courses gone bankruptcy brown, some still waiting to spring from empty cul-de-sacs. Throughout, Light characteristically finds beauty and empathy amidst a visual vertigo of speculation, overreach, environmental delusion and ultimate geological grace. Janus-faced in design, one side of the book plumbs the surrealities of "Lake Las Vegas," a lifestyle resort comprised of 21 Mediterranean-themed communities built around a former sewage swamp. The other side of the book dissects nearby Black Mountain and the city's most exclusive-and empty -future community where a quarter billion dollars was spent on moving earth that has lain dormant for the past six years. Following the boom and bust history of the West itself, Light's photographs terrifyingly and poignantly show the extraction and habitation industries as two sides of the same coin.
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Lake Las Vegas/Black Mountain
Rebecca Solnit, Lucy Lippard, Michael Light
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×
LA Day/LA Night
By Michael Light
Publisher : Publisher : Radius Books
2011 | 72 pages
The greater Los Angeles area covers 4,850 square miles--the size of a small country--and holds almost 18 million people. Perhaps America's largest human creation, it has been vilified and celebrated in equal measure since its inception. Is L.A. the face of the apocalypse, or an ultimate paradise at continent's edge--or both? With LA Day/LA Night, photographer Michael Light continues his aerial examination of the arid American West by bringing together two opposing views of the city in a double-volume set. LA Day stares directly into the sun, which blasts the metropolis in a relentless and specific light. LA Night drifts over the city as it grows darker, and begins to resemble the starry sky vaulted above. Referencing Ed Ruscha, Peter Alexander, Julius Schulman and writers from Philip K. Dick to Raymond Chandler, LA Day/LA Night continues Los Angeles's rich cultural legacy of examining its favorite schizophrenic subject--itself.
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LA Day/LA Night
Michael Light
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×
100 Suns
By Michael Light
Publisher : Publisher : Knopf
2003 | 208 pages
Between July 1945 and November 1962 the United States is known to have conducted 216 atmospheric and underwater nuclear tests. After the Limited Test Ban Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1963, nuclear testing went underground. It became literally invisible-but more frequent: the United States conducted a further 723 underground tests, the last in 1992. 100 Suns documents the era of visible nuclear testing, the atmospheric era, with one hundred photographs drawn by Michael Light from the archives at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the U.S. National Archives in Maryland. It includes previously classified material from the clandestine Lookout Mountain Air Force Station based in Hollywood, whose film directors, cameramen and still photographers were sworn to secrecy.
The title, 100 Suns, refers to the response by J.Robert Oppenheimer to the world's first nuclear explosion in New Mexico when he quoted a passage from the Bhagavad Gita, the classic Vedic text: "If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once in the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One . . . I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." This was Oppenheimer's attempt to describe the otherwise indescribable. 100 Suns likewise confronts the indescribable by presenting without embellishment the stark evidence of the tests at the moment of detonation. Since the tests were conducted either in Nevada or the Pacific the book is simply divided between the desert and the ocean. Each photograph is presented with the name of the test, its explosive yield in kilotons or megatons, the date and the location. The enormity of the events recorded is contrasted with the understated neutrality of bare data. Interspersed within the sequence of explosions are pictures of the awestruck witnesses.
The evidence of these photographs is terrifying in its implication while at same time profoundly disconcerting as a spectacle. The visual grandeur of such imagery is balanced by the chilling facts provided at the end of the book in the detailed captions, a chronology of the development of nuclear weaponry and an extensive bibliography. A dramatic sequel to Michael Light's Full Moon, 100 Suns forms an unprecedented historical document.
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100 Suns
Michael Light
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Inspiring Portfolios
Manuello Paganelli
© Manuello Paganelli
Norm Diamond
© Norm Diamond
George Mayer
© George Mayer
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More Great Photographers To Discover
Nando Morales
Spain
Amateur photographer addict and seduced by nature, trying to one day be able to devote myself 100% and not have it as a hobby. Started in the world of photography, when I was very young and my sister gave me my first film camera. From that moment I do not remember having been without a camera in my hands until today. I feel good and happy especially doing landscapes and wildlife photography and enjoying the environment in which I am. Always that I can, travel around the world and meeting good friends. in each photo I try to convey the experience I feel when I'm behind the camera
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Loretta Lux
Germany
1969
Loretta Lux was born in Dresden, East Germany and is a fine art photographer known for her surreal portraits of young children. She currently lives and works in Monaco. Lux graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts in Munich in the 1990s, and debuted at the Yossi Milo gallery, New York in 2004. The show put both Yossi Milo and Loretta Lux on the map, selling out and setting prices never before seen from a new gallery. In 2005, Lux received the Infinity Award for Art from the International Center of Photography. Her work has since been exhibited extensively abroad, including solo exhibitions in 2006 at the Fotomuseum Den Haag, The Netherlands, and the Sixth Moscow Photobiennale. Her work is included in numerous museums collections worldwide, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; J.Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Art Institute of Chicago; Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Fotomuseum, den Haag; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid and Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland, and National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan. She has had portfolios featured in numerous fine art magazines. The artist executes her compositions using a combination of photography, painting and digital manipulation. Lux's work usually features young children and is influenced by a variety of sources. She originally trained as a painter at Munich Academy of Art, and is influenced by painters such as Agnolo Bronzino, Diego Velázquez, Phillip Otto Runge. Lux also owes a debt to the famous Victorian photographic portraitists of childhood such as Julia Margaret Cameron and Lewis Carroll. Source: Wikipedia Loretta Lux was born in Dresden, Germany, in 1969. In 1989 she left East Germany for Munich, a few months before the fall of the Berlin Wall. From 1990–96, she studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich. Trained as a painter, Lux began taking photographs in 1999. Although Lux first experimented with self-portraits in works like The Hush (1999) and Self-Portrait (2000), she soon transitioned to images of children and adolescents, typically the offspring of friends who she often used as models. Her subjects, with gazes ambiguously empty yet psychologically activated, assume formal poses and appear in calculated garb and hairstyles. Employing photography, painting, and computer manipulation, Lux alters the images, extracting extraneous details, distorting proportions, and setting the children against mediated backgrounds that exist somewhere between Old Master paintings and cheesy studio-portrait backdrops. Lux's earliest works set children against icy blue skies, for example in Troll (2000), Lois (2000), and Isabella (2001). In 2001, while the skies continued to serve as backdrops in some works, Lux began to increasingly stage her images within barren pale pink interiors; such images include Hidden Rooms (2001) and Study of a Girl (2002). In several works including The Book (2003), Lux borrowed poses from Balthus, endowing those works with the rigidity and sense of perversion that characterized the French artist's oeuvre. Lux moved to Ireland in 2004 and increasingly depicted pairs of children rather than the solitary figures that occupied her earlier work. In her images of siblings like The Walk (2004), The Irish Girls (2005), and Hugo and Dylan (2006), the figures are psychologically isolated and physically interact quite gingerly with minimal and half-hearted gestures, perhaps an arm around a shoulder. Lux photographed the twins Sasha and Ruby (2005), girls who again sat for multiple images the artist produced in 2008. In 2007 Lux created her first self-portrait in seven years, this time occupying the pale blue and pink world of the children and bearing their ambiguous, confounding expression. Solo exhibitions of Lux's work have been organized by Stadtmuseum in Muenster (2003), Fotomuseum den Haag in The Hague (2005), Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Monterrey (2008), and Kulturhuset in Stockholm (2009), among others. Lux's work has also been included in major exhibitions such as Arbeit an der Wirklichkeit, German Contemporary Photography at the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo (2005–06), Global Feminisms at the Brooklyn Museum (2007), Family Pictures at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (2007), and the Havana Biennale (2009). In 2005 she received the Infinity Award for Art from The International Center of Photography in New York. Lux lives and works in Monaco. Source: Guggenheim
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Klaus Lenzen
Germany
1953
I am a non-professional photographer (born in 1953) living in Ratingen, a neighboring city of Duesseldorf, which is located in the western part of Germany. Photography is my passion since 2011. With my mostly minimalist photographs, I try to focus especially on shapes, colors and structures in our everyday surroundings. Several of my pictures were awarded at national and international Photo awards. For example: Category Winner at the Sony World Photography Awards 2018 and the Siena International Photo Awards 2018, IPA 2018 Fine art Photographer of the Year, Editor's Pick at the Lensculture Black&White Photography Award 2018, Gold Winner at Tokyo International Photo Awards 2018, shortlisted at the Sony World Photography Awards 2019 and choosing for the LensCulture Winter Print Show 2017. In 2018 my works were shown at exhibitions in London Somerset House, CLB Gallery Berlin, Willy-Brandt-Haus Berlin, Lo Stellino Siena, Espace des Arts Sans Frontierès Paris and the Klompching Gallery New York
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Hai Bo
China
1962
Hai Bo (b. 1962, Changchun, China) graduated from the Printmaking Department of the Fine Art Institute of Jilin in 1984. His artistic ideals involve the restoration of the past through photography. Hai Bo’s work is less about what changes through time and more about what endures. His photography often depicts people shown in various stages of life as well as the passage of time.
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Mohammad Sorkhabi
Iran
1985
Mohammad Sorkhabi was born in Mashhad-Iran in 1985. He has been engaged in portrait photography since 2013. Most of his artworks are inspired by Renascence and Baroque portrait paintings so he mostly uses the classical lighting techniques and pictorial editing of the works with a subtle expression-filled by emotions and poetic feelings that indicate social issues. Mood Photography is the style of Mohammad which makes the audience communicate with the poetic feeling of his art better. His portraits emphasizing on social issues through deep abstract feelings and delicate expressions in the eyes of his models. Awards: Fine Art's first reward in Canada Tirgan Festival-2015. Two artworks of him have been chosen for the final section and have been displayed in Malaysia-Kuala Lumpur portrait contest-2015. Also second and third place in beauty and portrait category and four honorable mention in Moscow photo awards(MIFA)-2015. Winning medal in Asahi Shimbun photo contest, Japan 2017 Mourning for the father War is defined as a long-term structured conflict involving the use of arms and weapons between nations, governments and different groups, which is associated with severe hostility, social disruption, and excessive financial loss and casualties. Today, we constantly witness such conflicts across the world, with the media spotlighting the loss of thousands of soldiers and death of civilians during wars. However, we are rarely informed on the survivors of wars and their destiny. What becomes of them? How does war influence the lives of those who have lost their loved ones? How do women mourn the deaths of their husbands, fathers, and brothers and cope with such grave tragedies? These contemplations have urged me to start a project in order to shed light on these events and reflect the grand suffering of war survivors only partly. My photographs have been inspired by the works of Renaissance painters, and this can be seen in the classical lighting techniques and pictorial editing of the works. In addition, the black veils on the models signify the spiritual aspect of the photographs, symbolizing the catharsis born out of a plethora of grief and agony.
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Denise Grunstein
Sweden
1950
Denise Grunstein is one of the best known and most highly respected profiles in Swedish photography. Her images are easily recognized for their characteristic, intensely present, highly personal and quite romantic artistic expression. Considered one of Sweden´s foremost portrayers of people, be they models, actors, dancers, directors or authors, she has a unique ability to imprint her own feelings and temperament on film. Besides people, nature has been another main source of inspiration for Denise throughout her career, with much of her most powerful work distiguished by often subtle natural romantic elements. Denise Grunstein works in her very own lifestyle tradition, always with strong fashion sense, regardless of project and commission. She has staged a large number of high profile solo exhibitions and contributed to numerous celebrated books. For her personal art work, Denise is represented by Galleri Charlotte Lund.
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Hyun De Grande
South Korea/Belgium
1987
My name is Hyun De Grande. I was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1987 and I was adopted to Belgium when I was around 4 months old. I grew up in a small town called Oostkamp together with my parents and my brother, who is also adopted. At the age of 15, I started studying film and photography at the Art Academy in Bruges, which was my introduction to both artforms. After two more years of studying film at the School of Arts in Ghent, I moved to Brussels in 2008 to specialize in cinematography at the RITCS. I'm still residing in Brussels, and I currently work as a cinematographer in the narrative and commercial fields. Street photography is a passion to which I love devoting my energy to in between jobs. It's obvious that my cinematography background has heavily influenced my photography style, yet I try to approach things in a different way when I'm taking pictures compared to shooting a movie. It's mainly much more personal because I don't share the creative process with other people, which allows me to explore themes that are closer to myself as a person. Statement As a photographer I'm very fascinated by the feelings of loneliness, isolation and/or alienation because they strongly resonate with me personally. Perhaps it can be back-tracked to my adoption, which has created a sense of never really feeling at home anywhere I go, and therefore these emotions have always been a big part of my life. Esthetically, I'm mainly looking for clear shapes and lines as an arena for my subjects, both coming from light and/or architecture. I feel that the solidity of these shapes enhances the fragility of the people portrayed within these lines. Trapped or lost in a cold and unforgiving environment. I also love working in a wider frame as it allows me to use that extra horizontal space to evoke emptiness. I find it interesting to utilize the surroundings of my characters to create emotional context, even when these surroundings are blank or abstract. I use a 2:1 ratio on all of my photographs, which stems from my cinematography background.
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Susan Borowitz
United States
1959
After a successful career writing for American television comedies, Susan Borowitz embarked on a study of the practice of photography in 2011 and discovered a new medium by which to tell stories. Classes at New York City's International Center for Photography led to creative self-portraiture and ultimately fine art photography, specifically staged narratives, where she expresses reflections of psychological journeys. She has won several awards for images in her series Locked-In, most notably Pollux Awards, LifeFramer, One Eyeland, and Chromatic Awards, and has been the subject of several artist interviews/profiles for online and print publications. Exhibition venues include New York, Ohio, Berlin and Barcelona. Locked-In The series “Locked-In” explores the phenomenon of feeling stuck and the accompanying sense of failure to control the forces that seem to dictate our lives. Using metaphor and imagery that suggest the inability to move on, the series evokes the absence of agency and a perceived futility of each waking day. The choice to use self-portraiture reflects not only a personal journey, but also a common experience of women who feel consciously aware of what they should pursue or speak up about but feel impotent in the face of a dominant power: unequal relationships, demons residing in the subconscious, societal expectations and especially the disappearance of relevancy with encroaching age.
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Nan Goldin
United States
1953
Nancy "Nan" Goldin is an American photographer. As a teenager in Boston in the 1960s, then in New York starting in the 1970s, Nan Goldin has taken intensely personal, spontaneous, sexual, and transgressive photographs of her family, friends, and lovers. In 1979 she presented her first slideshow in a New York nightclub, and her richly colored, snapshotlike photographs were soon heralded as a groundbreaking contribution to fine art photography. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency—the name she gave her ever-evolving show—eventually grew into a forty-five-minute multimedia presentation of more than 900 photographs, accompanied by a musical soundtrack. Goldin first exhibited at Matthew Marks Gallery in 1992. Her work has been the subject of two major touring retrospectives: one organized in 1996 by the Whitney Museum of American Art and another, in 2001, by the Centre Pompidou, Paris, and Whitechapel Art Gallery, London. Recent exhibitions include the slide and video presentation Sisters, Saints & Sybils at La Chapelle de la Salpêtrière, Paris, and her contributions to the 40th Les Rencontres d'Arles in 2009. Goldin was admitted to the French Legion of Honor in 2006 and received the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in 2007. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency was most recently presented live in Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, London, in 2008, and the slideshow was installed in the exhibition Here is Every. Four Decades of Contemporary Art at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, September 2008 to March 2009. Her Scopophilia exhibition is currently part of Patrice Chéreau's special program at the Louvre. Goldin lives and works in Paris and New York.Source: www.matthewmarks.com
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General principles:
The XXI Century has already witnessed impressive advances in the brain sciences made possible by new research initiatives based on national partnerships and international collaborations. McGill, Oxford and the University of Zurich/ETH are universities of high international standing, and as such, their faculties can make important contributions to joint projects with other elite universities.
On 29 May 2017, Brain@McGill, the Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ) and Oxford Neuroscience extended their Partnership in Neuroscience for the next five years.
Under the agreement, researchers are expected to leverage the seed funding obtained from the partnership to apply for external research grants. This outcome remains the key objective of this collaborative program and is evaluated as such at the reporting stage.
Student mobility and training are also an integral part of this joint program. By providing a framework to promote and sustain ambitious research projects in emerging fields of neuroscience, the agreement facilitates exciting new international synergies and exchanges, exposing researchers to different scientific cultures. Such partnerships also help to move research forward at a faster pace and maximize research opportunities and support.
Applications may be made in two categories, ‘pilot projects’ and ’joint workshops’.
Call for Joint Project Proposals
Joint applications may originate from any two or all three of the partner institutions. Proposals should show scientific excellence with clear evidence of added value and synergy between the groups of the partner institutions.
Preference will be given to new applicants pursuing novel, innovative, or high-risk collaborative projects. Research projects should be new initiatives and funding will not be provided to extend existing awards/fellowships. Investigators who have previously received a Tripartite Partnership award may apply for funding of a new joint initiative. Applications from investigators who have previously received a Tripartite Partnership award and wish to apply must be aware that preference will be given to new applicants. If such researchers apply, they should also include a summary detailing the success of their previous collaboration. On the new application please include the number of publications produced, awards received, and scientific meetings attended as a result of the previous Tripartite Partnership award.
Projects may encompass any area relevant to the nervous system and its disorders. Where appropriate, applicants should consider the potential translational outputs of their project e.g. novel targets, in vitro/in vivo models, diagnostics, biomarkers and the development of novel therapies/interventions. In such cases, the potential application to the understanding and/or treatment of neurologic and mental health disorders in humans should be clearly outlined in the application.
Pilot projects can explore the feasibility of a new approach or research path and may have duration of up to one year. These may take the form of a staff, graduate or postgraduate student exchange. However, undergraduate student exchanges will not be supported. The objective of a pilot project would be to generate preliminary data that will be used to support external research grant applications which should be submitted within six to twelve months of the completion of the award. The maximum amount that can be requested for a pilot project is generally C$30,000. The budget will usually be split evenly between partners covering the activities of their own participating groups.
High risk approaches will be considered. In these cases risk will be evaluated against the potential to deliver ground breaking results.
Call for Joint Workshops
To discuss areas of potential collaboration, where Oxford, McGill and ZNZ research teams present their own data and showcase their own research capabilities. The maximum amount that can be requested for a workshop is C$10,000 or the equivalent in £GB/SFr.
Time Line
- Call for Pilot Projects and Workshops Announced:1 December 2018
- Application Deadline: 18 February 2019
- Decision Expected by: 29 March 2019
- Earliest Start Date: TBA
Relative Distribution of Awards
The distribution of awards will be decided on the basis of the scientific merit of the applications and the strategic objectives of the partnership as agreed at that time. The distribution of awards between each partner will be subject to the availability of sufficient funds available at the partner institutions.
Funds for successful applications will be allocated by the partner institutions involved in each award. The basis for the allocation of funding between institutions will be agreed by the steering committee.
If an applicant has been awarded by this program in an earlier call, a project report must have been sent after the termination of the earlier project (see “Reporting” below) to be eligible for this current call.
Application Procedure
Application forms are provided in appendix 1. Applications should include a completed application form, CVs of each investigator and budget breakdown. The budget breakdown should include a proposed breakdown of costs between the partner institutions. The funding requested for each institution should be given in the local currency and should include all matching contributions to the project (personnel, equipment, consumables, etc).
New applicants are strongly encouraged. If someone has received prior funding they must also submit a report highlighting the deliverables such as publications, new funding, oral presentation which they made as a result of the Oxford-Zurich McGill funding
The current exchange rate, at the time of application, will be used for all cost calculations.
Assessment Procedure
Each partner institution will establish a committee of approximately 3-5 senior researchers to evaluate proposals. Each proposal will be evaluated by the committees of the institutions involved in the proposed project. Partner institutions that are not involved in the proposal will not ordinarily be involved in the review process at this stage. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the assessment criteria provided in appendix 2. Applicants may not take part in the review of their own proposals.
The results of each institution’s evaluation will be provided to the steering committee members representing the partnership at that institution, who may choose to seek further scientific expert advice if it is deemed necessary. It may be possible to ask applicants to resubmit, taking into account the reviewer’s comments.
Funding decisions will be made by the steering committee. These may take into account the longer term strategic objectives of the partnership as agreed at that time; or any other factors deemed appropriate. The panel’s decision will be final and there will be no appeal procedure.
Review committee comments will not be made available to applicants, unless they are invited to revise and resubmit their proposal. However, the committee may wish to provide feedback if it is deemed this will assist the development of early career researchers.
Reporting
At project end, pilot projects and workshops should provide a brief (normally 1 page max) report detailing achievements. This should highlight key results, potential impacts of continued research in the area, student mobility, abstracts, talks at scientific meetings, funding applications, publications in preparation and any media highlights.
Any publications generated as a result of either award type must acknowledge the partnership specifically referring to support from ‘The Oxford McGill ZNZ Partnership in the Neurosciences’. Investigators should update the partnership coordinators on the progress of publications arising from these awards.
Should a project cease for any reason, including project end, unspent funds will be returned to the partnership.
Click here to acccess the Appendix and Application form:
oxford_mcgill_znz_partnership_appendix_fillable_dec_2018.pdf
For Oxford, all PI information can be accessed via
http://www.neuroscience.ox.ac.uk/research-directory
For ZNZ, all PI information can be accessed via
http://www.neuroscience.uzh.ch/research/index
Please direct inquiries to: | https://www.mcgill.ca/brain/funding-researchers/tripartite-partnership-oxford-bm-zurich |
Tips to Winning a Scholarship and How to Write a Winning Research Proposal: Applying for a scholarship can be very exciting it can as well be a tedious exercise if one lacks the efficient and effective skill to approach it. There are several processes and procedures involved in the scholarship application pathway, one of such is writing a good research proposal that will get the attention of the scholarship selection committee.
Some scholars do not know that their research proposals speak volume about their career achievements and their intellectual capacity. A research proposal is a description of what the researcher will be investigating, why the chosen area is important and how the entire research process will be carried out. In a way, it gives a quick judgement on how well you know the project you are proposing.
How to Write a Winning Research Proposal
Research proposals are in varying formats between fields, as such, researchers and students should be able to know the format that is peculiar to their field of study. Although there is variation in the format of research proposals from field to field, most proposals should, at least, contain the following sections:
- A cover page
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Research design or methodology
- Expected outcome
- Research Timeline or schedule
- Research Budget
- List of References
Why is a Research Proposal Important?
Often times, researchers and students will have to write a research proposal for several reasons which may be to access funding or to get a thesis or dissertation approved in the case of a student. The importance of writing a research proposal is to persuade an assessor such as a funding organization, educational institution or a supervisor that your research work is worth researching.
A research proposal should be relevant to the researcher’s field or the thematic area in which the funding organization is interested in. Being relevant means that the proposal should be able to convince the reader that the research work is original and important.
A research proposal should show to the readers that you are familiar with the field of study and that you have a thorough understanding of recent advances in the topic and that the idea you are proposing has a strong academic connotation.
A research proposal tells the reader that you know the best approach to use in other to arrive at the expected result. It entails making a case for your choice methodology, the type of data to use, the tools and the procedure you will deploy to carry out the research. A good research proposal should also show that the proposed research can be done within the time and funds available.
Sections of a Research Proposal
As mentioned earlier, a research proposal in whichever field of study to think, must contain a cover page; an Introduction; Literature Review; Research design or methodology; Expected outcome; Research Timeline or schedule; Research Budget; and a List of References section. Let’s look at the format in details;
Cover page:
The cover page should contain enough information about the researcher or student. It should contain the following:
- The researcher or student’s proposed title
- The name of the researcher
- The name of the researcher’s supervisor
- The department and institution affiliation
However, students and researchers are encouraged to check with the institution or funding organization for any specific format requirements.
Introduction:
The opening section into the proposal is the introduction and it is important for the student to structure it perfectly as it is the initial pitch of your research. The introduction should be able to introduce the topic, provide background information as well as outline the statement of problem and the research questions. Some salient questions to guide the introduction section which students and researchers should look out for include:
- Knowing the audience for which the research proposal will be made for. For example, will the proposal be read by scientists who are interested in the topic, practitioners, policymakers etc.
- What is already known about the subject matter?
- What is the knowledge gap in the proposed topic?
- What new insights will your proposed research bring?
If the introduction is lengthy, one might choose to segment the different sections with detailed information about the background to the study, statement of problem, aim and objectives and the research questions.
Literature Review:
The literature review section shows how knowledgeable the researcher is with the topic of interest. A good literature review convinces the reader or assessor that the research work has a solid foundation in existing body of knowledge. It shows that the research work is not a repetition of work that has been done by other researchers. The section should compare and contrast existing theories, methods and controversies about the topic of interest. It should show the strengths and weaknesses of other research work.
Research Designs or Methodology:
The section should describe in detail the approach that will be employed to answer the research questions and it should show the step by step approach that will help in achieving the aim and objectives of the research. It should state the methods of data generation and collection while also looking out for the best approach that will give the best result while avoiding or limiting errors.
Research Timeline or Schedule:
Some funding organization or academic institution require that students and researchers give a detailed timeline or schedule of their research project. The essence is to help keep track of the progress achieved so far. A Gantt Chart can be employed to show a pictorial view of the progress of work and how each steps of the research is accomplished.
Research Budget:
It is important to state the funds that will be required for a successful execution of the research proposal. The funding body in most cases will have to assess the budgetary allocation to each item to ensure compliance.
Lists of References:
A good research proposal must include proper citation for every source from which information was sourced and full publication details provided in the reference list. It is important for the researcher or student to know the referencing style that is preferred by the funding organization or institution to ensure compliance.
Research Proposal Samples
If you are also looking to download a research proposal sample (pdf), the links below may be useful in finding a handful samples. | https://scholars4study.com/2021/03/29/good-tips-to-winning-a-scholarship-and-how-to-write-a-winning-research-proposal/ |
The WFI was founded to highlight the centrality of Communication in the creation of social change. Our goal is to serve as the center of an international network of Communication scholars, students, practitioners, and activists working to create a more just social world.
WFI Research Grants
The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society (WFI) – housed within Villanova University’s Department of Communication – was founded on the principle that the study and practice of communication requires attention to values, ethics and social justice. One of the ways that we enact this mission is through the funding of research grants. These grants support the scholarly work of Communication scholars across the world, work examining communication, its impact on the world around us, and its ability to create social change and social justice.
Call for Research Proposals
Communication scholars, national and international, are invited to apply for funds to support initial or ongoing phases of scholarly research aimed at presentation and publication. Although we do not limit our grants to a specific methodological orientation or subdisciplinary focus, all projects supported by the WFI have two things in common: they make communication the primary, and not secondary, focus, and they engage communication in terms of its impact on the world around us, its ability to create social change.
Eligibility
Research Grants are available for faculty at all institutions of higher education, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral candidates, and other doctoral-level scholars. However, eligibility to apply for the WFI grant program is limited to those in Communication or a closely related discipline.
Awards
The WFI Research Grants are awarded selectively on the basis of academic peer review of all submitted proposals; in recent years, our acceptance rate has typically been 13-15% and roughly 18.9% for grants accepted in 2022-2023. Awards for research grants are typically in the range of $5,000-$10,000, though larger amounts may be awarded for projects that are deemed especially meritorious. The total number of grants awarded will vary, based upon budgetary constraints; however, in recent years, we have annually awarded 5-10 WFI Research Grants. Funds granted by the WFI and Villanova University (as an educational institution) may be applied to the hiring of graduate assistants, acquisition of resources or equipment, travel, and/or any other appropriate research related expenses. However, these funds may not be used to provide or supplement salaries. In addition, the WFI and Villanova (as an educational institution) do not provide funds for indirect costs associated with any grant. Each submitted proposal should include a budget that clearly indicates how granted funds will be used, excluding using funds for salary payments or indirect costs.
Application Process
Applicants for the WFI research grant program should submit formal proposals to the Director of the Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society, Dr. Bryan Crable, using Submittable. All applications will be evaluated by a committee convened by the WFI Director, one whose members' expertise reflects the content and methodology of the proposed project. The application deadline for 2023/24 is May 15, 2023, at 11:59pm EST. Absent extraordinary circumstances, proposals will not be reviewed or considered for funding if received after this date. Review of proposals will normally be completed within one-month. For purposes of planning, for grant year 2023/2024, we anticipate that funds will be available by the middle of July, 2023.
All proposals MUST be submitted through Submittable's online system. You will be asked to create a Submittable account (if you don’t currently have one); this website will take you through the process of submitting your application and will allow you to upload three files to support this application. You will be asked to provide contact information (including institutional affiliation) for the PI(s) who will be directing the project, along with the title of your project.
The following three items must be included in .doc, pdf, or rtf formats:
1. A current CV of Principal Investigator(s). Multiple files can be uploaded.
2. Abstract of the proposed research project in no more than 200-350 words.
3. The full proposal. This should be prepared for blind review, using an abbreviated title as the file name (e.g., whitenessproject_wfiproposal.pdf). Since we evaluate proposals using anonymous peer review, please do NOT include identifying information in the naming, running heads, or content of these documents, such as last names, institutional affiliations, or the like.
The proposal must include the following elements:
1. Narrative of the proposed research project. This should be no more than 10 pages in length (single-spaced, 12-point font, 1" margins), and should include:
o Rationale: (a) a clear statement of the research goals of the project and importance of the topic, (b) a description of how the proposed project specifically exemplifies the mission of the WFI, and (c) a description of the potential audience(s) for and concrete impact of the research project.
o Research Proposal: (a) brief positioning of the project within the relevant scholarly literature, (b) a clear statement of the theoretical/conceptual framework and/or methodology to be employed in the project, and, if applicable, (c) statement explaining any ethical considerations (e.g., human subjects review) related to the proposed research.
NB: Although we will award grants to projects that are in the process of securing IRB approval, we will not disburse funds until we have been provided with evidence of IRB approval. Approval for and work on grant project must be started by May of the same fiscal award year or funds will be forfeited, and the project will have to be resubmitted the following year for consideration; for this grant year, this means the deadline will be May 31, 2024.
o Time schedule: a description of the stages of the project and its expected beginning and ending dates.
o Outcome section: a description of the research outcome that will evidence success of the project.
2. References: a complete and properly formatted list of sources cited within proposal narrative.
3. Budget: A complete list of all resources and financial support needed for the project should be provided. This should also include a list and brief description of any other sources of funding for the proposed project (grants, awards, etc.).
Evaluation Process
Evaluation will be proceed according to the standards of anonymous peer review. The following criteria will be used by the Director and the evaluation committee to judge the merits of each proposal:
· The proposal includes all information requested and is formatted according to guidelines.
· The proposal has a clear rationale and a set of well-defined objectives which will advance the understanding of communication as central to social change and social justice.
· The proposed project addresses timely and important topics, in a novel or innovative way.
· The proposal is methodologically and conceptually sound and makes a significant contribution to the scholarly literature.
· The project is judged as feasible, given the time schedule, the amount of support requested, and the resources available to the researcher(s).
· The funding requested is appropriate to the scope of the project.
· The project has the potential to have significant impact, either within the academy or in relation to a specific community.
NB: The WFI Director and evaluation committee reserve the right to award grants to applicants that may be less than or more than the amount requested.
Outcomes Report
Successful grant recipients will be required to submit a brief progress report to the WFI Director midway through the timeline proposed, indicating progress toward the project's goals. Following the completion of the project, grant recipients may be asked to present the results of a project supported by a WFI grant on Villanova's campus, to provide an interview to be published on the WFI’s or Villanova’s website, or to summarize initial results in a WFI or Villanova University publication. Recipients will also be required to complete a final report, summarizing the outcome of the research project supported by the grant. Recipients are required to submit this report before requesting additional grants from the WFI, or no later than 12 months after receiving the grant. Failure to submit a report may result in ineligibility for consideration of future grants.
WFI Recognition
All scholars whose WFI-supported research is published (whether online or in print) are required to include an acknowledgement of the support of Villanova University’s Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society—and to provide a copy to the WFI’s director. | https://wfi.submittable.com/submit |
PURPOSE:
The LA CaTS Center is seeking research applications to support highly innovative projects aimed at preparing major publications and grant applications to compete for extramural funding (e.g. NIH, DOD, or Foundations). The 2022 round will favor applications from junior investigators, and applications must include a mentoring component. Collaborative projects that include investigators from more than one LA CaTS institution are highly encouraged. These projects should address biological, epidemiological, or clinical issues related to specific diseases that have a high prevalence among the population of Louisiana, including, but not limited to, obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and HIV/AIDS. LA CaTS is also interested in funding projects that determine the interaction of COVID-19 with these highly prevalent diseases within the context of the Louisiana population. The program will support research activities and will also provide eligible pilot projects with access to scientific, statistical, and regulatory cores to facilitate their development.
Each award may be up to $50,000/year in total costs for one year. A second year of support may be offered but is not guaranteed and will depend on availability of funds and scientific productivity of the pilot project team.
Areas of research may be related but not limited to:
- Early phase clinical trials, including early phase I studies to test or evaluate tolerability in humans, stemming from investigator-initiated research that are ready to start (trials supported by pharmaceutical companies are excluded from these grants).
- Animal studies required to support the development of early-stage clinical trials and the testing of novel compounds in the clinic.
- Research using patient materials (biological samples, questionnaires, surveys, etc.) that are important for the development of new diagnostic tools, prognostic or pathophysiological information.
- Population research projects that aim to develop interventions that improve health outcomes of the residents of Louisiana by using Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods, health literacy methodologies (i.e. use of health literacy as a variable, impact of health literacy on outcomes, use of questionnaires and education that is usable and actionable) and behavior modification studies related to managing risk factors.
- Cost effectiveness of prevention or treatment modalities
As outlined, priority will be given to projects that are very close to initiation, so projects for which the relevant human subjects’ and/or animal care and use reviews are in process or approved will be given priority.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants will be faculty members of the participating institutions that are part of the LA CaTS Center. Applicants must hold a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent degree. All junior faculty (i.e., assistant professors), house officers, instructors, and senior post-doctoral fellows, will require a letter of support that must indicate a commitment to recruitment or retention of the faculty at a participating institution and also a letter of support from the primary mentor.
A pre-application is required prior to full applications to ensure eligibility and appropriateness of the research topic. Only investigators who submitted and received an approval of the pre-application will be eligible to submit a full application.
There is no citizenship requirement for pilot funding recipients but visiting scientists with whom the LA CaTS Center’s institutions do not have a long-term collaborative relationship will not be considered for support.
Prior and current pilot grant awardees and scholars are eligible to submit a pre-application for this round. Applications that seek to extend a current pilot project must demonstrate suitable progress on the current award to be considered for additional funding.
The Project lead for Pilot projects may not concurrently have research funding from other IDeA Program award mechanisms (e.g. INBRE, COBRE). Pilot projects may not overlap with ongoing funded projects.
Mentoring Component
Applicants must identify two senior mentors (Primary and Secondary Mentors) in their application. A short description of the mentoring plan must be provided in the full application, including the role of the mentors on the project and the nature and frequency of communication between the Principal Investigator and the mentors.
Criteria for Selection and Scoring Method
All applications will be sent to three reviewers who are assigned by the Pilot Grants Program Review Committee. Reviewers will score proposals based on the five NIH criteria:1) significance, 2) investigator(s), 3) innovation, 4) approach and 5) environment; with special consideration of the following questions:
- Does the project meet the published objectives of the LA CaTS Center to enhance clinical and translational research?
- Is the project at an advanced stage, i.e., ready to initiate protocol and/or has regulatory (i.e., IRB)?
- Will the proposed project obtain sufficient data to compete for extramural funding during the period of funding? If successful, will the project likely lead to new research or therapeutic avenues?
- Does the project involve novel methodologies to enhance translational research and/or does it meet a need identified in represented populations?
- Is the project a collaboration between investigators at one or more of LA CaTS Center institutions (e.g., LSU Health-NO, LSU Health-S, Tulane, Pennington Biomedical, Xavier, LSU, Children’s Hospital, Ochsner Health System, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System, LSU-NO School of Dentistry)?
- Is the project a collaborative project between investigators (e.g., junior/senior, mentee/mentor, MD/PhD, spans across disciplines)?
- If the project involves community-based research, does it follow the Community Based Participatory Research model and consider effective health communication strategies to recognize and address differences in culture, language and health literacy between investigators and community members?
Scores will be based on the current NIH scale of scoring ranging from 1.0 (outstanding, few weaknesses) to 9.0 (major weaknesses). Reviewers will be asked to provide scores and an overall impact paragraph to include comments on the significance and potential impact of the proposed work, relevance to the LA CaTS Center mission and overall project strengths and weaknesses.
TIMELINE:
Announcement Released: Monday, July 18, 2022
Pre-Application Deadline: Monday, August 15, 2022 (submit by email to [email protected])
Announcement for Full Application Submission by Monday August 29, 2022; Applicants will be notified directly if, based on their pre-application, they are selected to submit a full application for the competition. Notice of applicants selected to submit full applications will also be sent to the Grants/Sponsored Projects Office or designee at each applicant’s respective institution.
Full Application Deadline: Monday, October 17, 2022; Applications must be submitted online on the LA CaTS Center SPARC Request System (https://sparc.lacats.org).
Applicants will need to create a profile and answer basic information about the proposal before uploading the application. More detailed instructions will be sent to the selected applicants.
- Please submit in PDF format in color on the LA CaTS Center SPARC
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: January 1, 2023; Projects selected for funding may begin after project and written assurances (e.g., IRB/IACUC) and subcontracts are reviewed/approved by the LA CaTS Center Executive Committee and/or NIH.
PRE-APPLICATION GUIDELINES:
The Pre-Application MUST include the following information:
- Project title, Principal Investigator, names of primary and secondary mentors, and any inter-institutional or multi-disciplinary collaborations
- Abstract of intended work including a clinical research component or potential for a clinical component utilizing human
- The Specific Aims of the project (limited to 1 page)
- Biosketch of the Principal Investigator and Primary Mentor
- Statement that the applicant’s Sponsored Projects/Grants Office was notified of the Pre-Application
- If applicable, list any current or pending funding from another NIH IDeA (Institutional Development Award) program (i.e., COBRE, INBRE, etc.) for the Principal Investigator. Include the funding period start and end dates.
- Senior Post-Doctoral Fellows (ONLY): Post-docs are NOT eligible to receive NIH federal funds to lead pilot projects, however, they are eligible to compete for institutional funds if provided. Therefore, post-docs must include a letter from their institution stating support of the application, acknowledging the application will not be funded by NIH funds, and agreement to be included in the competition with other highly ranked proposals from their institution for institutional funding purposes.
FORMAT OF FULL APPLICATION:
The full application packet must include the following (applicants are required to use the NIH PHS 398 forms):
- Submission Checklist (found on website, at the bottom of RFA instructions)
- NIH Form Page 1: Face Page (signed by authorized institutional representative)
- NIH Form Page 2: Project Summary
- NIH Form Page 4: Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period
- NIH Form Page 5: Budget for Entire Proposed Project Period and Detailed Budget Justification
- NIH Biosketch of PI and Primary and Secondary Mentors
- LA CaTS Project Data Form (To be posted on website)
- LA CaTS Core Service Planned Usage Form (To be posted on website)
- Research plan (Plans should range 5 to 10 pages (maximum) excluding references, abstract, human subjects protection and vertebrate animals section(s); Arial 11, single-spaced).
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- Abstract of proposed work (150 words or less), not included in 10 page max, for dissemination purposes if awarded (i.e. LA CaTS Center website, LA CaTS Center governing & advisory boards, LA CaTS Center meetings, ).
- Specific Aims
- Research Strategy
- Significance (address translational relevance and transition to external funding), including how project relates to obesity, diabetes or health disparities in the population of Louisiana and how it has potential to be applied to clinical practice.
- Innovation (describe any novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation
or intervention[s] to be developed or used, and any advantage over existing methodologies,
instrumentation or intervention[s]).
- Provide brief description of any background intellectual property associated with the proposed research. Please contact your institution’s Office of Intellectual Property for assistance.
- Research Approach (describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project; please include anticipated use of LA CaTS Center resources as well as the investigator’s institutional environment).
- Statistical Analysis: Applicants are required to consult with the LA CaTS Biostatistics & Epidemiology Core regarding their statistical
plan and provide a plan for approval to the Core OR work with the Core to develop
a statistical plan. If the applicant has a statistician, the statistical plan proposed
must be sent to the LA CaTS Biostatistics & Epidemiology Research Design (BERD) Core ([email protected]) for review prior to submission of the full application. [This is a requirement for
submission.] Requests for a biostatistical consultation are made online on the LA CaTS Center SPARC Request website (https://sparc.lacats.org). Search the SPARC service catalog for the necessary
services. Search the SPARC service catalog for the necessary services. Please provide acknowledgement of this requirement in the proposal.
- Future funding plans: Explain how the completion of the study and data obtained will be used for future funding applications.
- Timeline for project completion: Outline major milestones for project completion over the one-year timeframe and include regulatory approvals.
- Description of mentoring plan: Briefly describe the mentoring plan, including the role of the mentors on the project and the nature and frequency of communication between the Principal Investigator and the mentors.
- For previously awarded LA CaTS Pilot Investigators applying for second year of funding for the same project, also include a progress
report (not part of the 10-page Research Plan max):
- Specific progress made on project in the first year (1 page maximum) including data collection, specific findings to date, presentations and publications resulting from the LA CaTS work, and outline clearly how this award differs from the prior award.
- For NIH-defined clinical research, include a completed NIH Inclusion Enrollment Report (NIH PHS 398 form).
- When human subjects are involved, please include a Human Subjects Protection Plan in accordance with NIH (Link: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/forms-e/general/g.500-phs-human-subjects-and-clinical-trials-htm#3.1). The NIH PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information Form (SF424 R&R-Version E) is not required in the application review stage, however this form will be required prior to funding if awarded. Applicants should include a description of each section below following the NIH guidelines.
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- Protection of Human Subjects plan
- Inclusion of Women and Minorities
- Inclusion of Children
- NIH Inclusion Enrollment Report – https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/inclusion-enrollment-report.pdf
- When vertebrate animals are included, please also provide a Vertebrate Animals Section in accordance with NIH (https://olaw.nih.gov/guidance/vertebrate-animal-htm):
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- Description of Procedures: Detailed description of proposed use of animals. Identify species, strains, ages, sex and numbers of animals to be used.
- Justifications: Provide justification that the species are appropriate for the proposed research. Explain why the research goals cannot be accomplished using an alternative model (e.g., computational, human, invertebrate, in vitro).
- Minimization of Pain and Distress: Describe procedures for ensuring discomfort, distress, pain and injury will be limited
to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sounds research (describe
analgesic, anesthetic and tranquilizing drugs, and/or comfortable restraining devices).
Method of Euthanasia: State whether the method of euthanasia is consistent with the recommendations of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. If not, describe the method and provide a scientific justification.
- NIH 398 forms can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html
If necessary, additional materials, such as reprints relevant to the project from the PI (2 maximum) or letters can be submitted as an appendix.
- Copy of IRB or IACUC submission or approval letter (if approval is pending, provide submission date and #) if project involves human or animal subjects.
- Letter(s) of Support: If a junior faculty serves as PI, a letter of support from the applicant’s mentor must accompany the application. The letter must confirm that the mentor and the institution support an overall plan to establish an independent research career for the applicant.
- If project requires a sponsor, consultant or collaborator, this individual must write a letter of support for the application and clarify any potential overlap between their support and the subject of the proposal. This letter should accompany the application.
Allocation and Expenditure of Funds
Please provide a detailed budget and budget justification using NIH PHS 398 Form Page 4 and Form Page 5. These forms can be found: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html
Expenditures Allowed:
- Technical and clinical staff salary support
- Subject stipends
- Special fees (pathology, photography, )
- Research supplies and animal maintenance costs directly related to the project
- Consulting costs directly related to the project
- Publication costs, including reprints
- Subawards (follow NIH policy)
Expenditures NOT Allowed:
- Principal Investigator salary support
- Secretarial/administrative personnel salary support
- Office equipment and office supplies
- Computers
- Tuition
- Domestic or Foreign Travel
- Dues and membership fees in scientific societies
- Honoraria and travel expenses for visiting lecturers
- Equipment costing more than $5,000
- Alterations and Renovations
The LA CaTS Center Cores and Resources offer many no-cost or discounted services for pilot grants. Applicants are strongly encouraged not to budget for services (i.e., biostatistics, community engagement, clinical sites, etc.), which the LA CaTS Center Cores and Resources can provide.
Although facilities and administrative costs are allowed under the terms of the prime award, it is our belief that these funds should be used in the spirit intended (i.e., direct costs) in support of this project. It is suggested for an award of this type, institutions forego the facilities and administrative costs and consider these costs as matching funds for the project.
CONSULTATIONS WITH LA CaTS CENTER CORES & RESOURCES
In addition to the required consultation with the LA CaTS Biostatistics & Epidemiology Core for the proposal, applicants are encouraged to consult with other LA CaTS Cores and Resources during proposal development and the pilot grants application process. To request a consultation or to review all available services, please go to LA CaTS Center SPARC Request (https://sparc.lacats.org) and search the service catalog for the necessary services.
Additional Information: Please check the LA CaTS Center website or email questions to [email protected].
Related files: | https://www.lacats.org/research-funding/available-opportunities/funding_opp_PG_R11.aspx |
Frequently asked questions on research management and COVID-19
The following provides information around how research can be managed at UTS as the current COVID-19 situation continues to evolve.
UTS has published other information around COVID-19 with:
- General advice and information for UTS students
- Frequently asked questions for graduate research students
Managing research projects
Should I proceed with my current research project?
Please follow any advice from your faculty or school about reviewing research activities and re-designing these in accordance with official NSW Health advice.
The following should be considered:
- Researchers should review the feasibility and appropriateness of continuing to conduct human research studies and/or clinical trials at the current time. All study protocols must be reviewed to ensure compliance with current advice from state health authorities
- For projects that depend on campus facilities and equipment, consider whether undertaking your laboratory-based research is essential right now or could be postponed.
Some research delays may have significant consequences, so seek advice from your manager or supervisor before taking any action on your research project.
All research must follow precautionary measures including social distancing and normal hygiene practices to minimise potential risk.
What do I do with my research-related travel?
All work-related travel arrangements need to comply with advice from governments and UTS. This advice is changing constantly. If you consider your domestic work travel to be essential, please provide a business case to your dean/director.
Managing research with face-to-face interactions
What if my research involves face-to-face contact with human participants?
UTS researchers can re-commence previously approved research involving face-to-face contact with human participants from 27 July, once they have completed a COVIDSafe Research Activity Risk Assessment Checklist, received approval from their faculty, and ensured that ethics approvals are in place (noting any specific amendments).
Where feasible and appropriate, we strongly suggest researchers consider remote data collection methods (telephone, online, skype, zoom etc.) or delay data collection.
If you can continue your research without face-to-face participant contact, we ask that you submit a request to modify your project. This might be a good time to consider other ways that information may be gained to explore your research questions.
To ensure their project has valid ethics approval, researchers must follow these processes, complete the risk assessment checklist and (where required) submit an amendment application.
Do I need to complete a risk assessment to conduct my research?
You are required to submit COVIDSafe Research Activity Risk Assessment Checklist request if:
- You currently have ethics approval to undertake face-to-face research activities, but have been using remote methods and now wish to revert to face-to-face; or
- You are planning to undertake face-to-face research activities (once ethics approval is obtained)
What should I consider if I want to change my research from face-to-face to online?
Interviews and some other fieldwork can be conducted online instead of in person.
If you wish to change your methodology, there are a few questions to consider:
- Are the participant and researcher in safe and private places?
- Is the device used to record the interview secure?
- Is your data backed up to a secure location such as OneDrive or CloudStor? Consider the UTS-endorsed solutions for storing your active research data.
- Will the interview be audio or video-recorded? If video-recorded, you should provide further justification and consider the amount of detail captured (such as in the background).
- How will you ensure that privacy and confidentiality is maintained?
- Will video footage and/or image stills be used for any purpose other than data collection and analysis (such as in publication)?
How should I manage participant information and consent online?
Where it is no longer feasible for participants to provide a signed consent form, you should consider obtaining consent online and/or through a verbal consent process. A script must be used when collecting verbal consent - a template verbal consent script is available on Staff Connect.
All participants must receive a Participant Information Statement (PIS) clearly outlining how data and videos will be used, stored, the timeline of their storage and destruction. Existing PIS should be updated to include this information in track-changes.
To submit updated documents, complete the email template and return it to [email protected]
What should I do if research participants could face distress and need support?
You should consider whether the protocol/s you have in place for managing potential distress are still appropriate in an online format. Participants should be provided with appropriate advice regarding support and/or referral options including online support providers and helplines. You should also have information available for those concerned about the potential impact of COVID-19, consider providing links to Australia.gov.au and the NSW government information.
Managing ethics and integrity
I may need to change my human research ethics approval. What do I do?
To modify your human ethics approval, simply complete the email template and return it to [email protected]
Please ensure your request meets the following criteria:
- The change is being requested in order to adhere to current advice provided by the Australian Government, NSW Health and UTS
- The change will not impact the feasibility of the research (in terms of meeting the expected aims & outcomes of the research), nor research merit and integrity
- No other changes are being made to the protocol
Any proposed changes that do not meet these criteria must be submitted via the normal amendment process in ResearchMaster in accordance with submission deadlines.
Requests to modify your project will be triaged based on complexity and may be referred to a subcommittee or faculties for review. The Ethics Secretariat will liaise with faculties on your behalf. Please note we will be working as quickly as possible to ensure projects continue in a timely manner.
Projects only changing to an online platform may receive executive approval for the change within 48 hours. Projects requiring subcommittee review may be asked to allow at least 7-10 days for review, not including public holidays.
For more information, email [email protected]
What should I do about my clinical research?
For studies and trials that have been primarily approved by an external local hospital district human research ethics committee (and ratified by UTS), researchers should follow the specific advice of that heath district and notify UTS of the outcome by email at [email protected].
Researchers involved in studies based in clinical settings and/or using health professionals should consider the impact their research may have on existing resources, even if adjustments are made to eliminate face-to-face contact.
NSW Health is drafting guidance for clinical research and we’ll provide a link when it is released. Further topics for planning clinical research during this time can be found on the Bellberry website (see ‘Research Participant Welfare & Study Changes’).
For all research, it’s important that you continue to maintain accurate records. Where participants withdraw from a study or deviate from the planned protocol (miss a visit or assessment), you must record this detail.
If there is any indication that a participant has contracted a COVID-19 infection, this should be immediately reported to the [email protected] as with all adverse events.
What if my research involves working with animals?
The UTS Animal Care and Ethics Committee (ACEC) will continue to review new applications involving animal research in UTS animal facilities. However, a final decision on whether or not new research can commence will be made in consultation with the Facility Manager and Animal Welfare Officer based on the availability of technical staff and any potential impact on animal welfare.
Research currently being conducted in UTS facilities can continue if there are enough competent staff to undertake specialist tasks. Please discuss with your Facility Manager if you’re unsure how or if your research will be affected.
Interstate and/or international fieldwork experiments will be suspended effective immediately until further notice, unless an exemption is provided in consultation with the ACEC.
Where an urgent decision needs to be made to protect animal welfare, please email [email protected]. Any amendments related to this will be expedited by the Ethics Secretariat.
For more information, email [email protected].
Working with external partners and funding bodies
What should I consider when planning to continue my research project?
There are a few steps you can take when planning for the continuity of your research as the COVID-19 situation evolves.
Consider the implications of COVID-19 on the ability of you and your team to achieve the milestones and deliverables for your research project
- Do social distancing measures impact your ability to undertake the research planned?
- Are there restrictions to accessing the facilities, equipment and supplies you need for your research?
- Are there any indications that the funder of your project may want to vary the arrangement or have difficulty paying?
Proactively communicate with the funder/s of your research project to agree a way to manage it through this uncertainty.
- Reassure the funder that you’re committed to continuing the research and that you value their ongoing support.
- Explore ways to adapt the research project so that progress can continue.
- Consider if the milestones and deliverables can be changed in scope or timeline.
Agree any variations to the research project either in overall scope, milestones, deliverables and timing.
- Capture in writing what you’ve agreed with the funder.
- If the agreed changes require a formal variation to the contract or agreement, submit a variation request to the Research Office.
- Communicate the agreed changes to the research team and stay in touch with the funder.
What do I do if there are likely to be delays in my research project’s funding deliverables?
Researchers who have existing funding agreements need to ensure that they are still able to meet deliverables agreed to with funding bodies. These include project scope and timeline, and use of funds on categories other than that specified in your funding application/agreement.
If you need staff to work on your research project, all recruitment must be in accordance with the most up to date rules. Rules around staff recruitment are changing as the impacts of COVID-19 are being felt.
At 24 March, the Vice Chancellor has advised a pause on recruitment of roles that become vacant through normal attrition or the appointment of budgeted new roles. There will be exceptions including importantly for roles that are operationally critical or generate additional revenue for the university - which includes positions funded by external research income that has already been gained but recruitment hasn’t yet commenced.
Any delays or variations on a research projects will need to be notified to the funding body via the Research Office.
How do I manage all the other activities with partners and funding bodies to deliver my current research projects and opportunities?
Researchers engaging in opportunities with potential funders should ensure that proposed deliverables are sufficiently flexible in light of further potential restrictions that may be advised by NSW Health and UTS.
All activities, workshops and current opportunities discussed with funders, as well as any activities to do with existing projects (e.g. team meetings, collaborations, etc.), should consider the following:
- Postpone any non-essential meetings, workshops or other gatherings that are not essential at this time or conduct meetings by Zoom
- Ensure rooms for necessary meetings are of sufficient size to allow social distancing as recommended
- Consider whether field work requiring long distance travel of groups in vehicles can be postponed
Support for research
Where can I go for help and support?
We understand that you may be feeling anxious or having difficulty coping at this time. We would like to remind you that UTS provides free, confidential counselling and support by qualified professionals for staff through its Employee Assistance Program (log-in via Staff Connect).
What online resources are there to help me work remotely?
Managers are prepare their teams to practise increased social distancing and work remotely. To support this, a central portal has been developed on StaffConnect (UTS Staff log-in required) and more resources will be added as needed.
The Working Remotely portal includes resources for accessing technology remotely, safety and wellbeing considerations and managing remote workers. It also provides links to useful information on teaching and undertaking research remotely, and where to go for support.
Many secure systems can be accessed through the UTS virtual private network.
There are also links to a range of data collection and analysis tools for research staff and HDR students is available on Staff Connect.
There is also updated information on ServiceConnect around using online data platforms Qualtrics and REDCap, as well as instructions to access to Qualtrics.
UTS Library
UTS Library can assist with:
- Research data management planning
- How to find and use citation based metrics
- Plan your literature search
- Organise your references
- Develop a publishing strategy
Make a research consultation and your faculty librarian will be in touch.
They also have a range of resources for researchers including one-on-one consultations on Zoom, making it easier for you to access specialist faculty advice and support around your research area.
What central research support is available?
The Research Office and Graduate Research School are all available to support our students and staff. You can continue to access our central facilities but we ask that precautions are taken, such as physical distancing measures, to safeguard everyone's health and wellbeing. | https://www.uts.edu.au/research-and-teaching/our-research/frequently-asked-questions-research-management-and-covid-19 |
Consumers as Creators: Understanding the annotation needs of the scientific community through the domain of botany
Consumers as Creators seeks to analyze botanical researchers’ annotation needs and develop a prototype of how those needs may be met within a digital library platform. The intended outcome of the proposed project is to illuminate literature annotation needs of scientific and other research communities by honing in on the annotation needs of a well-defined user group in systematic botany. Assessment of the practicality of an existing tool to satisfy the annotation needs of botanical users, including technical, economic, and operational considerations, will inform developers on best practices to integrate an annotation tool within a virtual library. Ultimately, a list of planning activities and partner commitments needed for a more robust project proposal will result. Results will help to illuminate and inform about the annotation needs of botanists as well as those within the broader scientific research community.
Deliverables
a. Needs Analysis Report with prioritized list of annotation needs for users of a botanical virtual library. (Appendix 3. | Appendix 4.)
b. Feasibility Study with the evaluation of four open source existing annotation tools based on their potential to address the needs identified in the Analysis Report. (Appendix 5. | Appendix 6.).
c. Proof of concept prototype installed within a virtual library to demonstrate the functional capacity of one of the evaluated tools. (Appendix 7. | GitHub).
d. Outcomes Assessment with next step recommendations to propose a full-scale project adopting an annotation tool as part of a virtual library. (Appendix 8. | Bibliography ).
Timeline
May 1st, 2018 through April 30th, 2020
Project Partners
The Missouri Botanical Garden’s Center for Biodiversity Informatics
Saint Louis University’s Center for Digital Humanities
Project Team
Missouri Botanical Garden
Saint Louis University
Original Proposal & Schedule
Narrative
Schedule of Completion
Final Report
Final Performance Report
(including Appendices 1. and 2.)
List of open source Annotation Tools reviewed
Also included:
Presentations
Example of annotation in botanical community
Project Communications
Sponsor
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. (LG-87-18-0057-18)
Contact Us
For more information please contact Project Director, William Ulate.
Regions
Featured Projects
Themes
Thank You!
The Garden wouldn't be the Garden without our Members, Donors and Volunteers. | https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plant-science/plant-science/consumers.aspx |
As a leader in consumer oral care, GSK recognizes the need for pioneers to produce innovative technologies that can be used routinely by the public to maintain and improve oral health and quality of life. The Award(s) is intended to help investigators pursue innovative and novel research in oral care, above and beyond the bounds of traditional dental research.
counteracting the oral effects of dry mouth, systemic illness, hormonal disturbances or physiological aging.
The Award(s) will be provided in the form of an unrestricted research grant which carries no obligation to the recipient’s organization for licensure, patenting, or transfer confidential information, although GSK may discuss the possibility of future collaboration with some applicants.
devices fabricated by the assistance of dental professionals and placed in the oral cavity, and which require frequent or daily maintenance by the consumer.
Any proposed innovation or new technology should provide significant benefits to the consumer, such as improved oral health and/or quality of life.
Ultimately the proposed innovations or technologies should be available to large numbers of people through retail channels such as ‘over-the-counter’ (OTC) or general sale. Initially, however, it may be appropriate for availability to be on a prescription basis for a limited period before transitioning to OTC.
Restorative materials, dental instruments and equipment, and diagnostics for non-oral conditions should not receive much consideration unless the technological advance provides significant benefit to the oral health and quality of life status of the public.
The principal investigator listed in the application must be a current member of, or at the time of submission have made bona fide application to, IADR.
To fulfill the quest for innovation, proposals should be collaboratively sponsored by at least one researcher whose principal expertise is in an area of biotechnology other than a dental science.
The intent is to encourage collaboration with researchers from outside the dental institution; nevertheless, the most important criterion involves the innovative nature of the proposed research.
Applicants should possess advanced degrees and must hold an affiliation with an academic center, not-for-profit institution, or for-profit entities such as biotechnology start-up companies.
Letters of support from the principal investigator’s (PI) institution are required and should describe the nature of the PI’s appointment and commitments to the PI, such as lab and office space, technical assistance or travel funds.
The IADR Innovation in Oral Care Awards Committee will consider all proposals received by the deadline.
Originality and novelty of the oral care, (as defined above), research proposal. Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Are existing paradigms challenged or new methods or technologies developed?
Appropriateness of methodologies and scope. Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Does the project employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support?
Budgetary emphasis should be on additional technical assistance, equipment, etc. related specifically to pursuing the new idea or method rather than providing significant salary support for principal investigators.
The IADR and Review Panel members will treat all application materials submitted for consideration for funding in a confidential manner. The IADR and Review Panel members will not use application materials submitted by prospective awardees and evaluation materials for any purposes other than those related to the acceptance and evaluation of applications or the administration of awards. GSK is not privy to the review and judging process.
GSK shall not use, disclose, or transfer for any purpose other than the award program any information or intellectual property disclosed in the course or as part of the Award Program.
Budget (tables for the Budget are included in the online submission package and are not part of the 6-page limit).
No appendices (other than investigator resumes and letters of support) are allowed.
Space limitations will be defined by the online application program.
Time Frame - Provide an estimated time for accomplishing key goals. If the proposed work is likely to take longer than two years, indicate the total time frame and overall scope of the project and what applicant hopes to accomplish.
Literature Cited - Provide a short list (not more than 10 citations).
The sketch should include the applicant's name and position title.
Research and professional experiences (concluding with the current position).
Complete references to all scientific/clinical publications during the past four years, as well as pertinent earlier publications should be included.
All biographical sketches should include the following: Education Degrees, Postgraduate Training, Postgraduate Qualifications, Awards, Current Position Positions Held, Voluntary Experience, Committee Assignments, Professional Memberships, Activities/Interests, Bibliography. A biographical sketch for each applicant should be submitted.
A completed budget is required for acceptance. Please supply explanation and justification where necessary. Per IADR policy, reimbursed institutional overhead cannot exceed eight (8) percent of the award amount. You MUST download and utilize one of the pre-defined GSK's project budgets and save it on your computer. For projects lasting 12 months or less, please complete the "One Year Budget Form". For projects lasting between 12 and 24 months, please complete the "Two Year Budget Form", which breaks down the budget by year. Projects longer than 2 years will not be considered.
IADR shall be responsible for establishing and enforcing all rules and regulations concerning the grant of Award(s) and complying with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.
Successful applicants will be required to sign a Letter of Agreement and Acceptance concerning the conditions and policies under which the grant is awarded prior to receipt of the Award(s).
Innovation in Oral Care grants are not renewable. Any continuation of funding after the initial grant is contingent upon GSK interest in a specific project and subsequent negotiation with the applicants beyond the Innovation in Oral Care grant per se.
The Award(s) will be made to the grantee institution and not to the individual. The clinical investigator(s) is responsible for the scientific conduct of the research and the institution is responsible for financial and administrative matters. The institution is responsible for administration of the funds in accordance with acceptable policies and procedures for sponsored project accounting and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Award(s).
Projects must be completed within two years. For those projects that require more than one year for completion, the principal investigator must provide an interim report. Payment will be made in two installments. The second payment is contingent upon receipt of the interim report where appropriate.
IADR and GSK reserve the right to make no Award.
All research conducted as part of the IADR Innovation in Oral Care Awards involving human subjects shall follow all applicable laws, regulations, and guidelines and, if involving human subjects or otherwise appropriate, have the approval of the relevant Institutional Review Board (IRB). Copies of the IRB approval must be submitted prior to funding of the Award(s).
All presentations and publications (as well as posters and/or abstracts at scientific meetings) that result from the support provided by the Award(s) ward should acknowledge that support in writing. The following citation is suggested: "Funding for this project [research title], has been provided through an Innovation in Oral Care Award, conducted by the International Association for Dental Research and sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare."
Except for disclosures to IADR or GSK as agreed to by applicant, all applicants shall agree not to disclose their application or the contents thereof to others until after the IADR General Session & Exhibition. After the judging process has been completed, GSK will have access to applicant names, their institutions, the proposal title and abstract only, and may wish to discuss potential commercialization of the concepts disclosed in the applications with the applicants, if the applicants so agree.
Further information can be obtained from the Sheri S. Herren, Strategic Programs Manager (Email: [email protected]).
Interested parties are welcome to submit a brief proposal letter outlining the research to IADR and asking for a determination as to whether such research would qualify for consideration. | http://www.iadr.org/IADR/Awards/Grants-Awards/IOCA |
PURPOSE: The Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science (LA CaTS) Center is focused around the theme of “prevention, care and research of chronic diseases in the underserved populations of Louisiana”. The LA CaTS Center will fund two new multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, multi-investigator awards in 2019. The goal is to develop collaborative research that results in highly significant preliminary data that can be used to compete for large multi-institutional or multi-PI federal grants, such as center planning grants, center grants, or program project grants. The projects should be focused on understanding the epidemiology, etiology and pathophysiology of chronic diseases that are relevant to the Louisiana population, and should help develop new approaches to disease prevention and/or treatment.
The total amount of the award for each project may vary depending on the scope of the project and the number of collaborating institutions. The LA CaTS Center will contribute up to $60,000 to each award and each participating institution will contribute up to $70,000 for each project that includes a PI at their respective institutions. Thus, the support for a single project involving two institutions will be up to $200,000 for one year. In this scenario the awardee at each institution would receive $100,000 ($30,000 LA CaTS + $70,000 institutional match). A second year of support may be offered, but will depend on availability of funds and scientific progress on the project.
We encourage collaborations in all areas of clinical translational science related to our theme of chronic diseases and health disparities. In this round of applications we are prioritizing applications that include an obesity, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, or cardiovascular disease focus.
Eligibility Criteria
This special emphasis multi-institutional program is available to researchers that are faculty members of the institutions which are providing the support: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, LSUHSC–New Orleans School of Medicine, LSUHSC-Shreveport, Tulane University School of Medicine, LSU Dental School, Ochsner Health System, LSU A&M, Children’s Hospital, and Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (“New Orleans VA”). Applicants must hold a PhD, M.D., or equivalent degree. Post-doctoral fellows are not eligible for this funding opportunity. A pre-application will be requested prior to full applications to ensure eligibility and appropriateness of the research topic.
Criteria for Selection and Scoring Method
All applications are sent to a minimum of three reviewers assigned by the Review Committee, who score them based on the following review criteria:
1. Does the project meet the objectives of the LA CaTS Center to enhance clinical research and translation?
2. Does the project provide the opportunity of obtaining the necessary preliminary data to compete for a large federal grant, i.e. center planning grant, a center grant or a program project.
3. Is the project feasible within the time and budget constraints requested?
4. Is the project a collaboration between at least 2 investigators from participating partners?
5. If the project involves population research, does it follow the Community Based Participatory Research model and consider effective health communication strategies to recognize and address differences in culture, language and health literacy between investigators and community members?
The criteria will carry equal weight, and the overall scores will be based on the current NIH scale of scoring ranging from 1.0 (outstanding, few weaknesses) to 9.0.
TIMELINE:
Announcement Released: November 5, 2018
Pre-application Deadline: February 1, 2019 by 5:00pm CST; Preapplications must be sent by email to [email protected]. Applicants will be notified directly if, based on their pre-application, they are selected to submit a full application for the competition.See Pre-application Guidelines below for requirements.
Announcement for Full Application Submission: February 15, 2019; Applicants will be notified directly if their pre-application is selected to move on to the full application stage of the competition. Notice of selected pre-applications will also be sent to the Grants/Sponsored Projects Office or designee at each applicant’s respective institution.
Full Application Deadline: April 15, 2019 by 5:00pm CST; Applications must be submitted online on the LA CaTS Center SPARC Request System (https://sparc.lacats.org). Applicants will need to create a profile and answer basic information about the proposal before uploading the application. More detailed instructions will be sent to the selected applicants .
· Please submit in PDF format in color on the LA CaTS website.
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: July 1, 2019; Projects selected for funding may begin after project and assurances (IRB/IACUC) are reviewed/approved by NIH.
Pre-application GUIDELINES:
pre-applications accepted for review MUST include the following information:
· Project title, Principal Investigator, or Co-Principal Investigators and their inter-institutional or multi-disciplinary collaborations
· Abstract of intended work including a clinical research component or potential for a clinical component utilizing human subjects.
· Statement that the applicant’s Sponsored Projects/Grants Office (s) were notified of the preapplication submission.
· If applicable, list any current or pending funding from another NIH IDeA (Institutional Development Award) program (i.e. COBRE, INBRE, etc.) for the Principal Investigator. Include the funding period start and end dates.
FORMAT OF FULL APPLICATION:
The application packet must include the following (applicants are required to use the NIH PHS 398 forms):
· NIH Form Page 1: Face Page (signed by authorized institutional representative of each institution)
· NIH Form Page 2: Summary, Project/Performance Sites, Key Personnel, etc.
· NIH Form Page 4: Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period
· NIH Form Page 5: Budget for Entire Proposed Project Period and Detailed Budget Justification
· NIH Biosketch of PI (or Co-PIs) and Co-investigators (including personal statement and other support)
· LA CaTS Project Data Form (found on website, at the bottom of RFA instructions)
· LA CaTS Core Service Planned Usage Form (found on website, at the bottom of RFA instructions)
· Abstract of purposed work (150 words or less) for dissemination purposes if awarded (i.e. LA CaTS website, LA CaTS governing & advisory boards, LA CaTS Center meetings, etc.).
· Research plan (8-page maximum excluding references, Arial 11, single-spaced). A. Specific Aims
B. Research Strategy
1. Significance (address translational relevance and transition to external funding), including how project fits with LA CaTS Center theme and how it has potential to be applied to clinical practice.
2. Innovation (Describe any novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation or intervention[s] to be developed or used, and any advantage over existing methodologies, instrumentation or intervention[s]).
· Provide brief description of any background intellectual property associated with the proposed research. Please contact your institution’s Office of Intellectual Property for assistance.
3. Research Approach (Describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project; please include anticipated use of Center resources and institutional environment).
4. Statistical Analysis: Applicants are required to consult with the LA CaTS Biostatistics & Epidemiology Core regarding their statistical plan, and provide a plan for approval to the Core OR work with the Core to develop a statistical plan. If the applicant has a statistician, the statistical plan proposed must be sent to the LA CaTS Biostatistics & Epidemiology Core ([email protected]) for review prior to submission of the full application. [This is a requirement for submission.] Requests for a biostatistical consultation are made online on the LA CaTS Center SPARC Request website (https://sparc.lacats.org). Please provide acknowledgement of this requirement in the proposal.
5. Future funding plans: Explain how the completion of the study and data obtained will be used for future funding applications.
6. Timeline for project completion: Outline major milestones for project completion over the one year timeframe and include regulatory approvals.
When Human Subjects are involved, please also provide please include a Human Subjects Protection Plan in accordance with NIH (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/forms-d/supplemental-instructions-forms-d.pdf) :
A. Protection of Human Subjects plan
B. Inclusion of Women and Minorities
C. NIH Inclusion Enrollment Report (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/inclusion-enrollment-report.pdf)
D. Inclusion of Children
When Vertebrate Animals are included, please also provide a Vertebrate Animals Section that addresses the following:
A. Detailed description of proposed use of animals. Identify species, strains, ages, sex and numbers of animals to be used.
B. Justify use of animals, choice of species and numbers to be used.
C. Information on veterinary care to be provided.
D. Describe procedures for ensuring discomfort, distress, pain and injury will be limited to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research (describe analgesic, anesthetic and tranquilizing drugs, and/or comfortable restraining devices).
E. Describe any method of euthanasia to be used and reason(s) for selection. State whether method is consistent with AVMA recommendations.
· NIH 398 forms can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html
If necessary, additional materials, such as reprints (2 maximum) or letters can be submitted as an appendix, such as:
· Copy of submission to IRB or IACUC if project involves human or animal subjects.
The submission to the IRB/IACUC will be requested as per the NIH practice of Just-In-Time (JIT) mechanism.
· If project requires a sponsor, consultant or collaborator, this individual must write a letter of support for the application and clarify any potential overlap between their support and the subject of the proposal. This letter should accompany the application.
· NIH Biosketch including personal statement from the mentor and “Other Support” if currently independently funded.
Expenditures Allowed:
· Technical and clinical staff salary support
· Subject stipends
· Special fees (pathology, photography, etc.)
· Research supplies and animal maintenance costs directly related to the project
· Consulting costs directly related to the project
· Publication costs, including reprints
· Subawards (follow NIH policy)
Expenditures NOT Allowed:
· Principal Investigator or Co-investigator salary support
· Secretarial/administrative personnel salary support
· Office equipment and office supplies
· Computers
· Tuition
· Domestic or Foreign Travel
· Dues and membership fees in scientific societies
· Honoraria and travel expenses for visiting lecturers
· Equipment costing more than $5,000
· Alterations and Renovations
The LA CaTS Center Cores and Resources offer many no-cost or discounted services for pilot grants. Applicants are strongly encouraged not to budget for services (i.e. biostatistics, community engagement, clinical sites, etc.), which the LA CaTS Center Cores and Resources can provide.
Although facilities and administrative costs are allowed under the terms of the prime award, it is our belief that these funds should be used in the spirit intended (i.e. direct costs) in support of this project. It is suggested for an award of this type, institutions forego the facilities and administrative costs and consider these costs as matching funds for the project.
CONSULTATIONS WITH LA CaTS Center CORES & RESOURCES
In addition to the required consultation with the LA CaTS Biostatistics & Epidemiology Core for the proposal, applicants are encouraged to consult with other LA CaTS Cores and Resources during proposal development and the pilot grants application process. To request a consultation or to review all available services, please go to LA CaTS Center SPARC Request (https://sparc.lacats.org) and search the service catalog for the necessary services.
Additional Information: Please check the LA CaTS website or email questions to [email protected]. | https://lacatsfunding.pbrc.edu/members/researchfunding/View.aspx?key=9c78dcb6-66f5-4bc7-beb7-d809c96c3d13 |
In the constantly shifting landscape an ongoing pandemic, project management and planning is understandably challenging. Changing your approach to the project timeline can help.
Administrators, staff and faculty are struggling with uncertainty as the impact of the pandemic continues to unfold at colleges and universities across the country. Handling myriad changes — in-person vs. remote learning, repurposed facilities, adjusted curriculum, staffing shifts — can wreak havoc on project management and planning. Predicting and adjusting to changing restrictions and protocols can be overwhelming as schools struggle to remake themselves on the fly.
Education employees in management roles have the added challenge of predicting and communicating when new projects and initiatives will be complete, then rolling those initiatives out to an entire community of students. Given the shifting timelines associated with an ongoing pandemic, adjusting timing based on world events and pulling new levers to make projects happen is creating frustration across many campuses. A missed forecast can have a considerable impact on the institution as a whole, with delays resulting in a cascading effect on all other parts of the organization. When it comes to education planning, a major consideration is the impact on students. As you'd imagine, poor planning doesn't just affect staff; it can also impact the larger student body and community as a whole. In many cases, missing a planned deadline simply isn't an option.
It would seem logical, then, that the number one goal would be to hit these projections every time. However, accurately predicting dates in a rapidly changing world is incredibly challenging. It's hard to determine resource availability, assess all the dependencies and communicate across teams. There is a lot that can throw the timeline off track. This process, which is usually difficult even in the best of times, was exacerbated this year by the ongoing pandemic, with the relocation of teams from campus to remote locations and students spread across the country. A constantly shifting set of rules that institutions need to follow to ensure safety adds another level of complexity to future planning. Even before the pandemic struck, a 2019 project management survey found only 19 percent of organizations deliver successful projects most of the time. Educational institutions are no exception; despite careful planning, most higher ed institutes fail to execute projects successfully.
Why does the higher ed sector struggle to complete projects on time? Partly because the conventional approach to project management relies on a static plan, pre-determined resources and a set list of activities that leave little room for obstacles or uncertainties. This varies drastically from the true non-linear progression of projects in the real world. Truth is, almost all projects experience setbacks and unforeseen roadblocks. Traditional tools and trackers fail to account for these inevitable fluctuations.
This boils down to determining the "when" of project delivery and accounting for roadblocks at a fundamental level. In particular, predicting the efficiency, conflicts, schedules and availability of contributors is arguably the most critical factor — and one of the hardest parts of a project manager's job. These people are the resources that are expected to get the job done, and when they're suddenly unavailable, delivery dates are inevitably missed.
Fortunately, some tools and techniques can help ensure managers accurately identify the "when" of project delivery. Let's look at two key elements:
Most project management techniques assume that the contributing team members will have the same 40 hours available for the duration of a project. However, as we all know, this isn't realistic. Resources are always changing. Team members may get suddenly pulled into a higher-priority project; they could leave the institution, become ill or need time off. Or, their motivation could be waning, meaning that they're delivering far less than predicted during their scheduled work hours. For many projects, there is a complete lack of transparency. Some of the biggest blockers to success:
Without a way to track this information, you have no insight into where project bottlenecks are — or how you can solve them with available resources. The solution is functionality in newer project management tools known as resource leveling. Rather than relying on a process, these tools consider availability and use automation to identify under/over-capacity resources and automatically redistribute based on availability. This helps ensure that projects keep marching toward delivery, despite fluctuations in resources.
As we discussed previously, uncertainty is a given in any project. The only thing we know for sure is that the unexpected will occur. However, acknowledging this challenge is not the same as effectively managing it. When you tie your team to a specific deadline, one small delay can ruin the entire project and lead to cost overrun. Projects are built entirely around assumptions — in other words, guesses. We estimate how much our team can accomplish in a given amount of time, struggling to allow for some discrepancies but inevitably failing to predict all the challenges that will arise. People are notoriously bad at estimating efficiency.
Even if you seek input from the delivering team, workers often underestimate their timelines because they don't want to disappoint project stakeholders, or they overestimate the ease with which they can complete the tasks. Other times they're just wildly optimistic. This "glass half full" mentality results in missed deadlines because of unanticipated delays or project schedules that almost immediately become out-of-date. This quickly turns the dynamic from one of excitement to one of stress and anxiety.
Newer project management tools bring automation to play to forecast scheduling and adjust timelines based on the system's changes. This sort of predictive scheduling uses integrated time tracking programmatically to refresh estimates and schedules for greater project timeline accuracy. A "high-confidence" estimate is provided, along with best- and worst-case plan estimates to allow for better preparation in the face of uncertainty, thereby mitigating risk. For those that aren't leveraging a tool or system for their planning, the same idea can be accomplished by setting delivery "windows" instead of set dates. Planning in phases can allow for flexibility as the initiative proceeds and builds team confidence, while still allowing for some unexpected challenges.
No project manager or tool can hit every delivery date with 100 percent certainty. However, by making subtle tweaks to your project timeline, you can empower your institution and set teams up for success, while still producing for your students, staff and community. | https://campustechnology.com/articles/2021/02/01/managing-uncertainty-in-higher-ed.aspx |
DS-I Africa Funding Opportunities Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the drop-down menus to read frequently asked questions specific to each topic as listed below.
Q1. How can I find out more about DS-I Africa?
Information about DS-I Africa can be found on the program website. The individual funding opportunities are accessible through the DS-I Africa funding opportunities page.
Q2. Where can I find more information on how to apply to NIH?
Potential applicants can find instructions for how to apply in the Application Guide. Applicants must follow both the instructions in the SF424 Application Guide and the funding opportunity announcement for which they are applying.
Q3. Are there other resources available for new NIH applicants?
Potential applicants may want to register for the 2020 NIH Virtual Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration.
The DS-I Africa symposium also held short funding clinics and the recorded videos from those clinics are accessible on the symposium website
Additionally, tips for NIH applicants are provided in a video in which reviewers and staff at the NIH offer their insights to scientists seeking to improve their chances of getting a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Q4. I’m interested in the funding opportunities, but I need to find a new partner to develop a strong application. Where should I start?
To learn more about potential partner organizations, we recommend using the networking platform designed for the DS-I Africa symposium. Registration is required to join, please register at this . You will then receive instructions on joining the platform (it may take a day or so to get this information). In this platform, called KIStorm, we have a section for “Partner Profiles” where different organizations have expressed interest in the initiative. You may also want to peruse the People Explorer to learn more about different individuals’ interests.
You can also find information about all funded NIH awards through the public database NIH RePORTER, which may be helpful in locating experts in specific scientific or geographic regions. Additionally, potential applicants may want to use World RePORT as a resource. This is an open-access, interactive mapping database project highlighting biomedical research investments and partnerships across many large funding organizations.
Q5. Where can I watch recorded videos from the DS-I Africa symposium?
All the recorded videos can be found on the NIH Common Fund website for the DS-I Africa Symposium.
Q6. Can an institution apply to more than one DS-I Africa funding opportunity or submit multiple applications to the same funding opportunity?
Yes, institutions are allowed to submit multiple applications to the same opportunity as long as each application is scientifically distinct and to submit to more than one funding opportunity. Applicants should be aware, however, that geographic distribution will be considered in making funding decisions.
Q7. Are letters of intent required to apply?
No. Letters of intent are not required nor binding. They are encouraged since they help NIH begin preparing for the upcoming review.
Q8. Do all PDs/PIs need to have an eRA Commons ID?
All PDs/PIs must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. For additional information, see the eRA Commons Registration FAQs.
Q1. Who can serve as the applicant institution for a DS-I Africa Research Hub?
The applicant institution must be an African public or private institution of higher education or an African non-profit organization. Non-domestic entities of U.S. institutions are not eligible as a primary applicant institution.
Q2. Are entities within African Ministries of Health or other government entities eligible to apply as a primary applicant institution?
An research institution within an African Ministry of Health or other governmental organization would be considered a non-profit institution, and thus eligible to apply as a prime institution, but must have all registrations for receiving NIH funds, as stipulated in the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).
Partnerships are required for submitting a Research Hub application; what types of partnerships are eligible?
Applicants must include at least two partner organizations and one must be a non-academic partner. Beyond this requirement, partnerships are not limited and can include any sectors, including for-profit institutions, from all World Bank-classified country income groups (i.e., low- and middle-income countries as well as high-income countries).
Q4. The ability to provide sub-awards for pilot projects is a required element within the Research Hub Administrative Core; what are the purposes of these pilot projects and how should they be budgeted for?
Pilot projects are meant as an opportunity to support new research that has significant potential to address developing needs and opportunities while being shorter term and varying throughout the period of award. These pilot projects will allow the grantees to take advantage of new directions stimulated by their projects, form new partnerships, provide support to early-stage investigators to undertake data science-related research and innovation, and support relevant cross-consortium projects. Funds should be set aside within the budget to support these projects and a plan should be developed to solicit proposals, review applications, select recipients, and manage oversight. You are encouraged to speak with NIH program staff if you have questions regarding your specific proposed pilot projects program.
Q5. Do all the required Research Hub Projects or Cores need to be located at the same institution?
The DS-I Africa Research Hubs requires each Hub application to propose at least two Research Projects, an Administrative Core with the ability to solicit and fund yearly pilot projects, and a Data Management and Analysis Core, along with optional Support Cores. While the Administrative Core should be housed at the primary applicant organization and led by the contact PI, the other projects and cores can be led by partner institutions, if deemed most appropriate for the success of the Hub.
Q6. Does a Research Hub application need to involve regional partnerships instead of just in-country partnerships?
No. There are no requirements for involving multiple countries across a region or the continent in your Research Hub proposal, although this is not prohibited.
Q7. The Research Hubs funding opportunity requires capacity building elements as a part of the Hub, but there are also separate DS-I Africa Training awards; what is different between these? Should a Research Hub also prepare a Training award application?
While applicants can submit applications for both the Research Hubs FOA and the Training FOA, this is not required. Training awards will support more formalized masters and doctoral-level education in data science for health innovation while the Research Hubs will provide capacity building opportunities that are less stipulated and should be designed to address specific, contextualized needs associated with your Research Hub institutions, your region, or partner capacity building priorities.
Q8. Does the Research Hub need to budget for using the Open Data Science Platform for their data management needs?
The Research Hub’s Data Management and Analysis Core is responsible for coordinating data management needs for the Hub and funds should be budgeted to support this Core. The Open Data Science Platform will serve to coordinate data sharing, as appropriate, and drive shared research efforts but will not serve as the database for all Research Hub data.
Q9. How much thematic continuity is expected in the grant application?
Applications should be focused on a central health theme that addresses priorities in an African country or region.
Q10. How much is the selection criteria dependent on the complementarity with other funded Research Hubs?
The NIH selection criteria will not only consider the initial peer review score of each application but also the following criteria:
- Availability of funds.
- Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.
- Relevance of the proposed project to the goals of DS-I Africa.
- Relevance of proposed project to the priorities of co-funding components.
- Commitment to compliance with DS-I Africa procedures.
- Consideration of programmatic, geographic, and institutional distribution.
Q11. How will applications be handled that focus on HIV/AIDS?
Applications that address HIV/AIDS or associated comorbidities are encouraged and will be reviewed together with all non-AIDS applications. Be aware, though, that the AIDS-related research application receipt date in the FOA applies to this type of research, which is different than the non-AIDS application receipt date.
Q12. What are the key components of the Research Hub? Do you need to add data management in the research grant?
The required components of each Research Hub application include:
- Two or more research projects (at least one research proposal must be problem-based, solution-oriented, where the research directly addresses a specific need associated with health, while the other can be defined by the research team).
- One Administrative Core that oversees the hub and its partnerships, the solicitation and administration of pilot projects, and the overall integration of the hub within the larger DS-I Africa Consortium.
- One Data Management and Analysis Core.
Q13. Will partners with no prior partnerships, collaborations, or common publications score well? How will NIH reviewers deal with this?
Applicants are encouraged take advantage of longstanding partnerships, but these are not required. Having a mix of new and longstanding partnerships is also a good model. New partnerships are a key component of the DS-I Africa Research Hubs program to continually expand the network and reach of the Hub, but it is often very important to show at least some existing partnerships when developing your application. Letters of Support within your application representing broad stakeholders can also be very beneficial to describe the strength of new partnerships where there is no joint funding or publication history.
Q14. What are the expectations for the specific aims portion of the overarching strategy section of the application?
The overarching strategy section, as opposed to the research project and core subsections, should give an introduction to your Hub’s theme, overarching goals, description of partnerships, introduce the significance and innovation of your proposed work, and provide an overview of how the research projects and cores work together to address the problem you are solving (please see the Research Hubs FOA for more information).
Q15. What are the expectations for data ownership and sharing? How do you handle proprietary data?
Grantees will own their data and come together as a consortium to develop a Data Sharing and Access Policy in the first year of the awrads that applies to data and resources funded with NIH support. The policy will address the data sharing needs of the Consortium while safeguarding the privacy of research participants and protecting confidential and proprietary data and resources. NIH does not own your data, nor does the DS-I Africa Open Data Science Platform—you maintain control of the inflow and outflow of data that you either currently possess or develop during the award. Please note, though, the data reporting requirements of any NIH-funded clinical trial, which involves registration and data reporting through clinicaltrials.gov.
Q1. Who can serve as the applicant institution for a DS-I Africa Research Training Program?
The applicant institution can either be a U.S. or African public or private institution of higher education or other non-profit organization. U.S. applicant organizations must apply in partnership with at least one African institution.
Q2. Does the proposed training program have to create a new masters or PhD degree program and new curriculum?
Proposed programs can either enhance, build on, or leverage existing degree programs or establish new degree programs. Regardless of the approach, new capacity should be established either through the development of completely new curriculum or through the revision and enhancement of existing curriculum and courses.
Q3. Can training occur in the United States or other non-African countries?
Some aspects of the training may occur in the United States or other non-Africa countries or through online mechanism that incorporate faculty from outside Africa. However, the program should increase training capacity at least one African institution.
Q4. How many trainees should be supported in the programs?
The number of trainees proposed should reflect the needs of the institution and capabilities of the proposed program within the designated budget cap.
Q5. Is there a limit on mentor compensation?
The salary for the PD(s)/PI(s), other key personnel, training faculty/mentors and administrative staff must be commensurate with the salary structure and benefits at the institution where they are employed and within the limits described in the NIH Grants & Funding Salary Cap Summary. Collaborators may receive appropriate compensation for significant activities on the program. The administrative, training or teaching responsibilities and time commitment for personnel receiving salary should be thoroughly described and justified. Applicants will have to ensure that sufficient costs are allocated to support the trainees in the program.
Q6. What are the expectations for the timeline of trainee recruitment?
Trainee recruitment must occur within the first year of the award so that training can begin no later than the second year of the award.
Q7. Does a trainee already need to be affiliated with the institution before the appointment or can the affiliation happen after they are appointed?
Trainees do not need to be affiliated with a specific institution before they are recruited into a training program, but they should be affiliated by the time financial support is provided.
Q8. The funding opportunity asks applicants to describe the history of collaboration between partners, but I’d like to collaborate with someone that I met through the DS-I Africa symposium. How do I demonstrate that our partnership is feasible?
Applicants are encouraged to include any information that can help demonstrate that a partnership is feasible. This may include publications, grants, research training activities, joint meetings, workshops or other activities. Strong and detailed letters of support within an application from partner institutions can also be very beneficial to describe the strength of new partnerships where there is no joint funding or publication history.
Q1. Who can serve as the primary applicant institution for a DS-I Africa Open Data Science Platform and Coordinating Center?
The primary applicant institution must be an African public or private institution of higher education or an African non-profit organization.
Q2. Does NIH intend for the Open Data Science Platform (ODSP) to interoperate with other platforms under the NIH Data Commons umbrella? And do you expect it to run in "the cloud"?
As stated in the funding opportunity announcement, the ODSP must provide Application Programming Interface (API) access to data, tools, and computation as well as to support interoperability with other relevant Systems, including those not funded by the NIH.
Q3. Does the requirement for the use of FAIR principles mean Open Source?
Any software developed under this award must be released under an Open Source Initiative-approved, non-viral, open source license. For an understanding of FAIR principles, see doi: 10.1038/sdata.2016.18.
Q4. Are applicants allowed to work with the private sector/for-profit companies for developing research platforms or infrastructure?
As stated in the funding opportunity announcement, proposed multisectoral partnerships with investigators/organizations outside the applicant institution are highly encouraged and can include all types of organizations in Africa, the U.S., or other countries, including for-profit and government entities. For more details, please see eligibility criteria.
Q5. Will the ODSP be a database?
Q6. Since the Open Data Science Platform & Coordinating Center have distinctive components, can an application have two multiple PIs from different organizations?
Yes, multiple PI applications are encouraged.
Q7. Is the ODSP expected to conduct automated analysis/data mining of the data uploaded by users or is it primarily intended as a research data management and publication platform?
The ODSP must have the ability to search and browse federated data within and across scientifically relevant studies to support common use cases. The ODSP must provide a user-workspace to store, manage, compute on and share user’s own data and analysis results with collaborators or the larger research community. The goal is not to serve as a data coordination / management center(s) but instead to serve as gateway to the assets and outcomes of the DS-I Africa Research Hubs and other related data science research resources. Please read the funding opportunity Research Objectives and Scope for more information.
Q8. Does the Open Data Science Platform and Coordinating Center award include funding for the infrastructure to run the platform?
The award primarily includes funding for the platform infrastructure. The applicant is required to provide plans for a sustainable cost model for the operations of the platform including storage and computes.
Q9. What mechanism will be in place to prevent misuse of data in the ODSP?
The applicant must address data security and privacy in the proposed architecture of the ODSP, as discussed under the Scope section of the funding opportunity. | https://commonfund.nih.gov/africadata/faq |
Collaborative research grant proposals are now closed. Please check back for revised guidelines in spring 2016.
Grants for Collaborative Research
With the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Digital Humanities at Berkeley encourages faculty members, librarians, and museum curators to propose collaborative research projects in the digital humanities. These grants will fund collaborative projects in which faculty, students, research librarians, or museum curators will play the “leading” role. We encourage the involvement of undergraduates in a meaningful way. Each project must include at least one participant affiliated with an academic department and at least one affiliated with a UC Berkeley nonacademic unit, such as a library, museum, research centers and labs, or campus IT organization. We especially wish to encourage projects that will open new pathways for established scholars as well as those who are at early career stages.
Because the success of projects can be calibrated according to many different measures, and because the field is so diverse, we are asking each applicant group to identify the measures of success they believe to be most appropriate to their work.
Evaluation of Collaborative Research Proposals
Eligible proposals will be reviewed on the following criteria:
- Scholarly excellence. The proposal fills a research gap in the digital arts and humanities in terms of the project’s intellectual ambitions and technological underpinnings.
- Quality of collaboration. There is evidence of a strong collaborative relationship between academic and non-academic partner or there is evidence of great potential for a newly-formed collaborative relationship.
- Impact. The collaborative research will have a considerable reach and impact.
- Feasibility. The project optimizes existing resources and has a realistic timeline and implementation plan.
- Sustainability. The plan explains the project’s portability, accessibility, and scalability.
- Sound technology. Uses software and/or languages that are widely supported on campus. Open source. High degree of reuse of existing tools / libraries. See the resource guide on technical evaluation for projects for more information about issues you should address in your proposal.
Collaborative Research Budget
- Grants will not exceed $5,000 dollars for undergraduate and graduate students and $10,000 for faculty and staff.
- Research that is leveraging other funding will be prioritized.
- Funding may be used to cover training costs (e.g. workshops, subscriptions to training videos, etc.) but local or virtual training is preferred over training that requires travel to be covered by the grant.
- Funding may pay for graduate or undergraduate research assistants, but may not be used to compensate the PI.
- Equipment purchases will be considered only if the equipment is not already available on campus through a collaborative partner. Additionally, equipment that will benefit more than one individual will be seen as more favorable.
- Exhibits, workshops, and installations will not be funded through the collaborative research funds. However, please inquire about intership funding opportunities.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact a digital humanities consultant to review their budget before May 15, 2015.
Timeline
Funding for these projects will be available on July 1, 2015. All funds must be spent by June 30, 2016.
How to Apply
Proposal submission
Proposals should be submitted by May 26, 2015 at midnight PST, using this form. Letters of support can be submitted later via the same form, if necessary.
The entire proposal will be no more than 3 pages total, excluding CVs. You may have up to one additional page of screenshots, mockups, diagrams, or other supporting visualizations. Applications must include:
1) Applicants’ names, departments, contact information, and abbreviated CV (no more than 3 pages).
2) Research Proposal - The narrative statement should explain, briefly but specifically, what you plan to do and why, as well as describing any progress already made, making clear the relevance of the project to your professional experience, and discuss the significance of this work within. Applicants should consider disability access issues.
3) Collaborators’ specific and general fields. Please balance the description of specific work plans against an overview of your goals and the contribution this project will make to digital scholarship generally and to the particular scholarly field(s) it engages.
- Proposals should explicitly state the means and tools (software, applications, interfaces) to be used to accomplish the project's goals.
- Proposals should present plans for how the project will be sustained and preserved over time, and how the applicant will disseminate notice of its availability.
- Please give your proposal a brief, descriptive title, and label sections of your narrative as appropriate to assist readers.
- Please explain the nature of your collaboration.
- Each project should submit a single application, regardless of the number of collaborative partners.
4) Project plan - providing a coherent plan for development of the project, including a description of tasks to be accomplished within the period of the fellowship. This plan should reflect a thoughtful approach to the project's sustainability, scalability, dissemination, and preservation, and include a statement addressing intellectual property issues.
5) Budget plan - providing a detailed account of the proposed use of the research funds. | https://digitalhumanities.berkeley.edu/rfp/research2015 |
The Senior Analyst will be responsible for developing SEO strategies for our strategic practice. The senior analyst reports to the Director of Strategy in a highly collaborative and team-oriented environment with the aim of providing SEO leadership in managing the strategic marketing programs for some of the most recognized brands in the world.
BA/BS Business, Marketing or information technology, minimum of three years of advertising or interactive agency SEO experience.
Have an understanding of all digital media disciplines.
Knowledge of SEO platforms including BrightEdge, Conductor Searchlight, Raven Tools, Advanced Web Ranking, and/or SEOmoz.
Flexibility with schedule to meet client commitments, traveling as required.
The Senior Analyst position requires ongoing and in-depth interactions with the following: The SA reports to the Head of Strategic Services. Within the agency, the SA is a project leader for our SEO strategic programs and client integration efforts. As assigned, the SA has overall project responsibility for leading assigned client strategic services effort. Within the agency, the SA works closely with all agency personnel in developing plans, recommendations and deliverables. The SA will have direct client contact with new and existing assigned agency clients, PR and consultants, media partners and potential agency partners.
Collaborates with other members of the strategy department, Account Supervisor or Manager, Client Services, on preparation of marketing recommendations, strategies and actions for the client.
Reviews, analyzes and evaluates the following, relative to the client’s needs and objectives: SEO & SEM needs and programs, media output, creative output, research reports and client data.
Manage assigned agency strategy efforts and projects, involved with projects from start to finish, ensuring successful project completion against deadlines. | http://adsubculture.com/planning-strategy/2014/12/4/example-of-an-analyst-job-description |
NIH prior approval is required for the transfer of the legal and administrative responsibility for a grant-supported project or activity from one legal entity to another before the expiration date of the approved project period.
With Change of Recipient Organization requests, timing is critical. NIAMS expects to be notified at least three months prior to the date of transfer. Any notification after this time could cause delays that could adversely impact research. Please also consider that transfer applications that come in close to the end of the Fiscal Year may be deferred for processing until after fiscal year close.
NIAMS usually will not consider or approve the transfer of a grant in a no-cost extension, except under an extraordinary circumstance. If a recipient believes they have an extraordinary circumstance NIAMS should consider, they must contact both assigned grants management specialist and program officer prior to requesting a transfer of a grant in a no-cost extension.
For prior approval requests, a complete package of materials is needed in order for NIH to transfer a grant from one organization to another.
Current Institution Requirements
The old institution must submit the following documentation:
- Relinquishing Statement (PHS Form 3734) or signed letter in lieu of the form (only if transfer is taking place prior to award of competitive application). If applicable, include a list of equipment that is transferring to the new institution. This form gives information about the date the investigator proposes to leave the old institution and proposes to start at the new institution. It provides an estimated amount of funds to be relinquished in the current grant year. The relinquishment statement can be submitted electronically through eRA Commons.
Important to Note: The Form 3734 requests “the unexpended balance on the termination date of _____calculated on the basis of the total amount awarded for the grant year.” A common error is to include the total balance from all grant years (including carryover); however, this estimate should come ONLY from funds awarded in the budget period being relinquished.
Form 3734 should be completed as soon as possible and always before the PI moves. While some grantees will wait until all charges are cleared, this significantly delays the process. If there is an underestimation of expenditures, the awards will be revised.
- Final Invention Statement (PHS Form 568).
- A final Federal Financial Report (FFR) is required for grant closeout and is due 120 days after the end of the competitive segment.
Important to Note: The FFR should be submitted on time. Its acceptance triggers transfer of unexpended funds to the new institution. FFRs must be submitted electronically via the Payment Management System. See NIH Guide Notice OD-21-060 for additional details on this requirement.
New Institution Requirements - Submitting an Electronic Application
The new institution may submit an electronic Type 7 application using the Change of Grantee Organization opportunity found on the Parent Funding Opportunity Announcement page under Post-award Administrative Action Announcements. This is the preferred submission method; however if the new institution is unable to submit electronically, they may use the PHS 398 forms sent via email.
The electronic application submitted in response to the Change of Grantee Organization (Type 7 Parent Clinical Trial Optional) Parent Announcement from the Proposed/New recipient institution should include, at a minimum, the following:
- SF 424 (R&R) Cover Component
- SF 424 (R&R) Project Performance Site Location(s)
- SF 424 (R&R) Other Project Information:
- Certification of IRB/IACUC approval, including OHRP and OLAW assurance numbers, if applicable.
- Facilities and Other Resources, including probable effect of the move on the project.
- Detailed list of any equipment purchased with grant funds to be transferred to the new organization (inclusion of the list in the transfer application from the new organization indicates its acceptance of title to that equipment).
- SF 424 (R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile:
- Updated biographical sketches for the PD/PI and existing senior/key personnel and biographical sketches for any proposed new senior/key personnel
- Updated "other support" page(s) as necessary.
- PHS 398 Research Plan: If transferring on the anniversary date, include the progress report for the current year including a statement regarding the goals for the upcoming year. For all transfer applications include also a statement indicating whether the overall research plans/aims have changed from the original submission, and, if so, provide updated information.
- R&R Budget forms applicable for activity code (current and future years).
- If the grant is transferring in the middle of a budget period, a partial year direct cost budget, at the relinquished direct cost level is required. For grants transferring on their anniversary date or within 90 days of the end of the budget period, a full year budget, at the committed direct cost level is required. Future year budget pages should also be provided at the committed direct cost level. For modular grants, only narrative budget information, including total direct costs and F&A costs is required;
- Important to Note: Generally, the negotiated F&A cost rate on file with the DHHS for the new institution will be applied to the direct costs for the grant, regardless if the rate is higher or lower than that of the old institution. If there are major increases in F&A costs in the current grant year, increases in the award will be contingent upon availability of funds. Future year F&A costs will be provided at the appropriate negotiated rate
- PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement
- PHS 398 Checklist
NIH also expects that requests for change in recipient institution, as outlined in 8.1.2.7, should include mention as to whether the change in recipient institution is related to concerns about safety and/or work environments (e.g. due to concerns about harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions) involving the PD/PI. The NIH expects both the relinquishing and applicant organizations to disclose whether a Change of Recipient Organization is occurring within the context of an ongoing or recent investigation of misconduct of any kind, including but not limited to professional misconduct or research misconduct (see: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-124.html).
Resources
Basic procedures for change of institution are also outlined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement
Find all of the forms you need for the process. | https://www.niams.nih.gov/grants-funding/administering-grant/change-grantee-institution-transfers |
Your supervisor will be an important part of your PhD programme. It's a close relationship over many years, through which you develop your ideas, skills, thinking and research. Your supervisor's research interests should therefore closely align to yours.
If you aren't applying for a specific project, you'll need to find potential supervisors who will support your research. Details on recent publications, ongoing projects and particular research interests are all available on our academics' profiles.
Your potential supervisor should be able to give you advice on developing your research proposal as well as critical feedback to help make your proposal strong and competitive when it comes to applying for funding.
If you'd like us to match you to a suitable supervisor, providing clear details of your research area or group within your application will make it easier for us to identify suitable opportunities for you. Include any details in section six of your application form under `Proposed programme of study'.
Please read the guidelines for the research proposals and watch our recorded webinar .
If you have not contacted a potential supervisor yet and are unsure about the feasibility of your application (eg regarding eligibility and/or availability of expert supervision in the department), you can email the Postgraduate Admissions Tutor Prof Maia Green with:
- a draft research proposal (max 1,500 words, including bibliography);
- a summary of the proposal (max 150 words);
- a CV that includes marks for previous degrees, ongoing studies, and any anthropological research experience (no transcripts required at this stage).
Supporting documents required for your online application:
- research proposal;
- CV;
- two academic references (including one from your most recent institution);
- degree transcripts.
Interview requirements
As part of the offer making process applicants will be required to undertake an interview assessment. This may be in the form of a face-to-face interview, Skype or telephone. | https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/programmes/list/03205/phd-social-anthropology/application-and-selection/ |
Researcher's Manual - Process Overview
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is responsible for assisting researchers with all parts of sponsored program development and administration. The first step begins with the researcher’s idea: an idea for research or creative works that requires resources of any kind that may be obtained from an entity or person outside of Lehman College. With the idea in mind, the researcher searches for potential funding sources, identifying solicitations for applications that she believes would be a good match intellectually and financially with the content and scope of her research needs. Once potential sponsors and solicitations are identified, the next step is to touch base with the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the department chair (and maybe divisional dean) to get started with the application process.
In academia, most grants and contracts are awarded to the institution rather than the individual. In addition, many projects require resources committed from the institution such as the researcher’s time and effort, equipment, space, or the infrastructure to hire staff and students. Therefore, the institution must be involved in the development and submission of any research proposal.
In addition to a description of the project, sponsors request information about the institution, researcher(s), requested budget, and other sponsored program support. The format of these items, along with any restrictions in what can be included in the project and in the budget, varies widely from sponsor to sponsor.
In most cases, institutional involvement will be limited to assisting the researcher in developing a budget, identifying the correct information and forms for the application, and a final review and signature before submission. At Lehman College, each proposal requires approval by the individual researcher leading the project, the researcher’s department chair, dean, and the Director of Research and Sponsored Programs prior to submission to the Office. Approval for department chairs and deans in other departments and divisions should only be included if faculty or resources from those areas will be included in the performance of the project. This series of approvals is required to allow maximum communication on the administrative side of the College so that when the research is funded, all parties are aware of any institutional commitments that are needed to ensure the project’s success.
Once the proposal is approved at Lehman College, it may be submitted to the sponsor by following any sponsor-specific submission requirements identified in the solicitation for applications or sponsor documentation. It is increasingly common for sponsors to require online submission with approval of the appropriate authorized official from Lehman College.
Upon review, the sponsor will decide whether or not to fund the proposal, and will notify Lehman College or the researcher. When the sponsor notifies the researcher, the researcher must bring all information to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs in order for the agreement to be authorized and for an account to be set up. If the project is not funded, the sponsor will often provide feedback to the researcher on why their proposal was rejected, and may or may not suggest that the researcher revise and resubmit the application. If the project is selected for funding, the sponsor will enter into a contractual agreement with the Research Foundation of CUNY on behalf of Lehman College to provide funds to cover the scope of work outlined in the proposal within a specific time period. Generally, these contracts will also include the requirement for Lehman College to report on the financial and academic progress of the project at least annually.
The Research Foundation of CUNY (RF) is a non-profit organization formed specifically to handle the contractual and financial aspects of sponsored program (grant and contract) awards for each of the schools in the City University of New York. Awards are not considered approved or signed without approval of the authorized official at Lehman Colleg, as well as legal and fiscal review by the staff of the Research Foundation.
Once the award documents are approved and signed, the Research Foundation will create a financial account detailing the approved expense categories for the award. This account is similar to a checking account from which the researcher can pay staff and students and purchase materials and supplies as needed within the period of performance awarded by the sponsor. All expenses charged to the sponsored program account must support the specific project funded by the sponsor. In accordance with federal law, each sponsored program is given a separate account.
As part of their financial oversight responsibility, the Research Foundation checks every expense request to make sure that it is allocable, allowable, and reasonable for the project as required by federal law and CUNY policies. The Research Foundation web site contains a wealth of information about the federal and CUNY policies and practices that affect sponsored program spending.
The Research Foundation also has other fiscal responsibilities for each project. These include assisting the researcher with financial reporting, the required financial auditing of the project, and with all aspects of spending funds on a sponsored project. As the employer of all staff and students that researchers hire, the RF also provides extensive resources for human resource issues.
At the end of the project, the sponsor usually requires some version of a final report that covers the expenditure of funds and the results of the project. For research, results may be the confirmation or denial of expected results to an experiment; the publication of studies, art, or music; or simply the written assurance from the researcher that the project progressed. For sponsored programs that support training, programs, or the availability of resources the reporting may be based on services rendered or tangible deliverables. If the project has been successful and the sponsor feels that the project has been well run, the researcher has a higher chance of receiving additional and increased funding in the future from the same and other sponsors.
- Return to the Researcher's Manual
- Part 1 of the Researcher's Manual is available here as a PDF. | https://www.lehman.edu/orsp/process-overview.php |
Develop and Prepare Proposal Process
The staff of Research Services is committed to assisting the Principal Investigator (PI) through the proposal preparation and submission process. The office ensures that proposals conform to all agency and organization’s funding guidelines, that the proposed financial arrangements are acceptable and consistent with Georgia Southern (GS) and University System of Georgia (USG) requirements, and that special commitments (e.g. in-kind and matching funds) have had prior internal review and approval prior to inclusion in proposed budgets.
Develop and Prepare Proposal Responsibilities
Research Services must review and understand sponsor guidelines when contacted by PI; must gather initial compliance/proposal data i.e., cost-sharing, export control, etc. to help ensure the submission process is smooth; must advise PI on sponsor and university requirements; should collaborate on a reasonable timeline with PI; must confirm budget and justification meets sponsor requirements and adheres to University policies; should provide editorial services for PI’s project descriptions when requested and there is enough time to do so. Additionally, grant coordinators help PIs determine when proposal applications are to be submitted by Research Services: 1) if funds will go into any University Account or if the proposed project will make use of any University facilities beyond the PI’s office or entail any commitment or expenditure of funds by the University; and 2) if there are any personnel costs aside from payments made directly to the project team, as in the case of most fellowships or consulting positions. The grant coordinator offers assistance in preparing all necessary forms, representations, certifications, assurances, budget development, and other non-technical data. | https://research.georgiasouthern.edu/orssp/about-the-orssp/standard-operating-procedures-and-policies/pre-award-processes-and-procedures/develop-and-prepare-proposal-process/ |
In essence, this would allow the Commission to hold back 10% of the funds allocated to regional development projects until the project managers show by means of a mid-term audit that they are running their programmes efficiently. The Commission would draw up the criteria against which project managers’ performance would be judged.
Earlier this month, Regional Affairs Commissioner Monika Wulf-Mathies bowed to pressure from national governments and indicated that she was willing to cut the proportion of cash to be withheld to 5%. But some governments remain hostile to the plan and are likely to press for it to be scrapped altogether.
Member states’ opposition to the reserve scheme should not have come as a surprise.
Before its reform proposals were made public, the Commission hired a group of national experts to advise on the viability of the performance reserve, only to ignore their strong recommendation that the plan should be watered down. None of their advice was actually taken into account in the final proposals.
The experts concluded in their final report that the Commission did not have the staff resources to carry out the necessary evaluation procedures, and argued that deciding which projects should receive the 10% top-up would put the institution under intense political pressure from national authorities.
They also claimed that project managers would come under pressure to mislead the mid-term auditors, and said that the mechanism would act as a more powerful incentive for efficient management if the ‘performance reserve’ took the form of an extra payment instead.
“The Commission is already struggling to fulfil its existing monitoring commitments,” said one of the report’s authors, Professor John Bachtler of Strathclyde University’s European Policy Research Centre.
“The only way it could take on the extra workload would be to hire external consultants, for whom the proposed system would be a bonanza.
“Also, the Commission’s role as the sole arbiter of which projects would qualify would open it up to heavy political pressure, which would not be in its best interests.”
Bachtler argues that the way in which EU regional projects are managed varies so widely from country to country that it would be more practical to transfer responsibility for evaluating them to national authorities.
Amongst Union governments, the efficiency reserve has been widely condemned as a blatant attempt by the Commission to retain a degree of political leverage over key regional pending decisions, despite the institution’s commitment under other parts of the Agenda 2000 reforms to withdraw from the day-to-day management of the EU regional funds.
Wulf-Mathies’ recent decision to reduce the proposed reserve by half brings her into line with the recommendations made by national experts,who recommended a reserve of 3% to 5%. But the Commission remains attached to the scheme.
“It is true that we will come under political pressure. But why is this a problem?
Political pressure is a fact of life,” said one Commission official. | https://www.politico.eu/article/getting-full-funding-turns-into-a-real-performance/ |
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