Book Review: ProLife Feminism: Yesterday and Today

Review of ProLife Feminism: Yesterday and Today, edited by Mary Krane Kerr, Rachel MacNair, and Linda Naranjo-Huebe

The role of NADPH oxidase in blood -brain barrier dysfunction following stroke in aged rats

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term adult disability and the third leading cause of death in the United States. More that 72% of stroke victims are over the age of 65, yet most studies utilize young animals. Aged rats suffer exacerbated stroke volume and inflammation, as well as worsened functional outcome when compared to young adult rats. While the blood brain barrier (BBB) remains intact with age, it becomes more susceptible to external factors. BBB permeability in the penumbra appears acutely, 20 min after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in aged rats. Importantly, BBB permeability is earlier and more severe in aged animals and occurs before neuronal damage. Interestingly, our permeability studies using a small vascular space marker indicated small, subtle, permeability changes in the contralateral hemisphere. Permeability changes in the contralateral hemisphere were not found in young rats and were not found in aged rats when using a large vascular space marker (Evan\u27s blue).;The free radical theory of aging contends that age-related diseases result from accumulation of oxidative stress damage as a result of increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased antioxidant enzyme activity. Of particular interest are the NADPH oxidases (NOX1, NOX2, and NOX4), which have been implicated as a damaging source of ROS during the aging process. However, the role of NADPH oxidase isoforms during the progression of cerebral ischemia in aged rats is poorly understood. Apocynin, a NOX2 inhibitor, reduces infarct volume, neuron death, activated microglia, and edema formation in young rodents following brain injury. However, when administered to aged rats, apocynin significantly increased mortality and edema formation. These results indicate an age-dependent difference in the mechanism of action of apocynin.;Our studies demonstrate that aged rats have significantly worse strokes both in gross size as well as structure as compared to young rats. Aged rats consistently have worsened and prolonged functional impairment, exacerbated BBB permeability, increased neuronal damage, and intensified inflammatory cell infiltration post MCAO and reperfusion when compared to young adult rats. Importantly, BBB permeability and increased oxidative stress markers were found in the contralateral hemisphere of aged rats after MCAO and reperfusion. These findings provide evidence for a compensatory role of the contralateral hemisphere after stroke that can only be studied in aged animals. Utilizing aged animals to study the mechanisms of brain injury after MCAO and reperfusion is vital to finding clinically applicable therapies

Introduction to Special Issue: Reproductive Politics in the Classroom: Feminist Approaches to Teaching about Abortion and Reproductive Justice

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The impact of teacher achievement emotions on the co-production of education services

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2013Educational policy in the United States has evolved into a more intense system of accountability, resulting in an intensification of achievement emotions experienced by teachers. Two theoretical paradigms were used to analyze whether such emotions impact teacher effectiveness in the classroom: the control-value theory of achievement emotions and the theory of co-production. Path analysis was used to test the hypothesized model of teacher effectiveness. Two of the four hypothesized factors contributing to teacher achievement emotions, perceived level of control over instruction and perceived levels of student achievement, were found to be significant. The remaining two variables, attribution of responsibility for student achievement and the correlation between teachers' values and educational reforms, were non-significant. The post-hoc model removed these two non-significant factors and added additional paths from the variable teachers' perceived control to teacher's coping response and teacher effectiveness. The post-hoc model fit the data well as demonstrated by significant path.and goodness of fit scores. The path model was transferable across the study's demographic subgroups with the exception of experience level. Modifications were made to the post-hoc model for this subgroup by addressing paths to the coping response variable, and such changes resulted in a significant fit to the data for this subgroup. The results of this study underscore the need for teachers to feel in control of their teaching in order to implement effective teaching strategies. Therefore, educational policies that diminish or remove such control may impact teacher effectiveness Under No Child Left Behind legislation, schools labeled as failing progressively remove more and more control from the teacher. The findings of this study indicate that such practices may be counterproductive and instead may be contributing to the problem of undesired student achievement levels. Enhancing teachers' feelings of self-efficacy in the classroom is recommended for enhancing student achievement, as is looking at the issue through the lens of co-production. Co-production of education services posits that education is co-produced by the teacher and the student. Effective reforms in education, therefore, must address both sides of the teacher-student nexus.Chapter one: Introduction -- Chapter two: Review of the literature -- The accountability movement -- The post-Sputnik crisis -- The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 -- A nation at-risk -- 1989 Education Summit -- The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 -- Race to the top -- The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act -- State of Alaska: reform & accountability -- Teacher effectiveness -- Measuring teaching effectiveness -- Teaching and learning International Survey (TALIS) -- Co-production -- Theoretical concept of co-production -- Porter and co-production of education services -- Co-production and contingent inputs from outside the student-teacher nexus -- Factors impacting the co-production of education services -- Motivation -- Ability -- Effort -- Co-production and reciprocal interdependency -- Co-production and educational reforms -- Co-production and educational reforms: U.S. Department of Education Teachers' opinions on the concept of co-production -- Achievement emotions -- Pekrun's control-value theory of achievement emotions -- Frenzel's contribution to the control-value theory of achievement emotions -- The impact of educational reforms on achievment emotions -- Coping -- The coalescence of two theories -- Theoretical model for the study -- Differences between this study's design and Frenzel et al.'s design -- Chapter three: Methodology -- Chapter four: results -- Psychometrics of study's scales -- Reliability of the Teacher Co-Production Survey -- Selection of study variables -- Analyses of participant demographic variables and assessment measures -- Means and standard deviations of scales, and correlations between demographic variables and scale items -- The teachers' sense of efficacy scale -- The teacher questionnaire of values and attitude towards educational reforms -- Causal dimension scale, revised, and student achievement vignettes -- The assessment of teacher enjoyment, anxiety, and anger related to teaching -- The brief COPE scale -- The teacher and learning international survey teacher questionnaire -- Correlations between study scales -- Path analyses to evaluate hypotheses -- Assumptions -- Model estimation -- Post hoc model -- Group comparisons -- Summary of results -- Chapter five: discussion -- Implications -- High stakes accountability and co-production of education services -- Study limitations -- Recommendations -- Suggestions for further research -- References