Freedom Dreaming Through Waking Nightmares: A Duoethnography Of Education Scholars Navigating Public Schooling As Parents

As advocates for public schools, public school teachers, and the promise of public education, we experience tension related to our roles as parents of school-aged children. While our vision of both schools and our own children’s education goes beyond “academic” success, a struggle arises at the intersection of our personal and professional roles. With that in mind, this paper discusses the tensions we experience as both teacher educators and parents. Our inquiry took a reflective nature as we worked to gain clarity into and highlight the differences between the pushes and pulls we feel given the intersections of our personal and professional roles. This tension is even more palpable at a time when being critical of public education, even in a loving and productive manner, only feeds its critics and further burdens its exhausted and alienated teachers

A Call to Action: Introducing the Initiative for Eradicating Racism

In June of 2020, several faculty and staff members in the School of Education and Human Services at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan began developing plans to launch a new project entitled The Initiative for Eradicating Racism. This article begins by defining key terms used throughout the article, followed by underscoring the purpose and need for this type of academic initiative. Next, the frameworks used to guide the development of this initiative are highlighted, along with a brief introduction of the current diversity, inclusion, and social justice efforts in progress in the School of Education and Human Services. Lastly, we share our plans to move from our current initiative status to a self-sustaining center in the near future

It's all about the drama! The necessity of critical media literacy in public education

This paper draws on the experiences of pre-teens and teenagers and their relationships with reality television.  Using the lenses of liquid modernity and critical media literacy, I will examine interactions with reality television, and the ways in which young people construct their own meaning and understanding of different forms of media.&nbsp

Inequalities in Math: Using the Algebra Classroom as a Site for Social Justice

This article examines what can happen when issues of Social Justice and Equity are explored in a 7th grade Algebra classroom. While the project was met with resistance along the way and it was clear that there was not a great deal of support from other teachers or administration, my classroom became a place of rich dialogue, critical inquiry and vibrant discussion. Work like this is indispensable to providing students with a framework for social justice and equity in their own lives.</p

So what IS critical media literacy? The differences between media literacy and critical media literacy.

While Douglas Kellner and Jeff Share (2005) have continually tried to define critical media literacy and its core concepts, the idea continues to go mostly ignored in both scholarly work, as well as in educational settings. A quick internet search for media literacy yields countless websites that focus on media literacy projects and how to get students to evaluate and create new forms of media; unfortunately, these popular sites continue to leave out the critical piece of the puzzle, resulting in a generation of young people who are unable to make sense of the images and content that they are exposed to and interact with in our media-saturated world. This paper seeks to define the difference between the two practices, as well as outline why we cannot leave out the critical in critical media literacy

Do We Dare Question Kindness? The Commodification of Becoming a Strong, Kind Female

Neoliberalism and its focus on consumption, disposability, and individualism has managed to undercut ideals of female empowerment and kindness. This paper discusses the problematic approach to commercializing and incentivizing being kind and being strong, specifically as it relates to young girls and women. Through an analysis of clothing and commercials, this paper looks at the commodification of personality traits and empowerment. It is through these mechanisms that marketers commodify kindness -- it is palatable enough to sell, and just far enough away from the word feminism to not upset potential brand loyalists. By taking this soft approach, rather than working to bolster the identities of women and girls and to empower them, these companies in their commercial advertising and clothing options continue to center girls and women as consumers, while failing to challenge the dominant structures in place

Critical Media Literacy and Environmental Pedagogy: Children’s Books, Hip-Hop, Fake News and Hell

This panel consists of four presentations focusing on multiple literacies and their relationship to issues centering on critical environmental pedagogy and the global climate crisis. The presenters provide in-depth critical analysis of various forms of media from widely varying philosophical and theoretical perspectives. These various analyses help us formulate critical questions in unquestioning, authoritarian times. How are our understandings of the current global climate crisis influenced and developed through these various forms of media? The first presentation, The Power of Discourse: CML and The Tantrum that Saved the World. This research project uses both critical theory and Michel Foucault’s notion of power to analyze a new children’s picture book titled The Tantrum that Saved the World. Published in 2018 by World Saving Books, the e-version’s 64 colorfully illustrated pages tell of a little girl who stares down the climate crisis, channeling tantrum power into positive action. Equally important, the analysis brings media literacy into dialogue with discursive practices that cannot take hold in the absence of critical theory. The second presentation, Biased Coverage: How The Flint Water Crisis was Covered and Where We are Now. will focus on the media coverage immediately following the Flint water crisis and how it not only tapered off in the year that followed, but also was full of discriminatory, biased reporting and practices. Hip Hop and Climate Change the third presentation will focus on the texts and activist work of several hip-hop artists who are committed to eliminating oppressive conditions that are responsible for environmental degradation at today’s historical juncture. The final presentation, Hell: Critical Environmental Pedagogy through Popular Dystopic Films situates the critical analysis of popular fictional dystopic climate disaster films within the current historical dystopic-like milieu in which climate change is relegated to the status of hoax and the ways in which these films perpetuate the cultural hegemony (Gramsci, 1971) of the neo-liberal moment. Films such as The Day after Tomorrow and Hell are analyzed using a number of theoretical perspectives from Klein (2014) to Hedges (2015). Many documentaries have been produced on climate change but this presentation will focus on popular films. Brian Lozenski --Chair Derek Ford -- Discussan

Influência da nicotina na proliferação de miofibroblastos e de vasos sanguíneos no tecido cicatricial da parede abdominal de ratos lactentes: estudo imunoistoquímico Nicotine effects in proliferation of myofibroblasts and blood vessels on abdominal wall scar tissue of suckling rats: immunohistochemical study

RACIONAL: O tabagismo na gestação acarreta prejuízos para o crescimento intra-uterino da criança. Assim como na gestação, as suas consequências sobre a lactação e a criança amamentada constituem somatório de efeitos prejudiciais ao desenvolvimento do lactente. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a influência da nicotina na proliferação de miofibroblastos e de vasos sanguíneos no tecido cicatricial da parede abdominal de ratos lactentes nascidos e amamentados por ratas que receberam nicotina durante a gestação e lactação. MÉTODO: Ratas Wistar prenhas foram divididas aleatoriamente em dois grupos; um grupo recebeu nicotina (GN) na dose diária de 2 mg/kg de peso durante a gestação e lactação; o grupo controle (GC) recebeu solução fisiológica a 0,9%, no mesmo período. Foram utilizados 60 ratos lactentes Wistar, divididos igualmente em dois grupos. Após o término do período de lactação (21 dias), todos foram submetidos à laparotomia transversa e ao fechamento da camada músculo-aponeurótica. Cada grupo foi dividido em dois subgrupos, com 15 animais cada, de acordo com o intervalo de tempo utilizado para a avaliação. As aferições foram realizadas no 7.º dia (subgrupos C7 e N7) e no 21.º dia (subgrupos C21 e N21) de pós-operatório. Foram retirados os retalhos da parede abdominal contendo a linha de sutura, os quais foram estudados pelo método imunoistoquímico para identificação de miofibroblastos e de vasos sanguíneos. A estatística foi baseada no modelo ANOVA, ao nível de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: No subgrupo N7 houve redução do número de miofibroblastos (9,93 ± 3,06 vs. 21,87 ± 9,07, p=0,007) e do número de vasos sanguíneos (8,33 ± 4,43 vs. 13,4 ± 5,33, p=0,031) em comparação ao C7. No subgrupo N21, não houve diferença significativa do número de miofibroblastos (7,47 ± 3,96 vs. 12,00 ± 7,21, p=0,121) e do número de vasos sanguíneos (9,47 ± 2,42 vs. 12,93 ± 4,35, p=0,090) em comparação ao C21. CONCLUSÃO: Observou-se o efeito deletério da nicotina no período de gestação e lactação sobre a proliferação de miofibroblastos e de vasos sanguíneos na cicatrização dos filhotes.BACKGROUND: Smoking during pregnancy is detrimental to the intrauterine growth of the child. As in pregnancy, its effects on lactation and breast-fed child is the sum of adverse infant development. AIM: To analyze the effects of nicotine on the proliferation of myofibroblasts and of blood vessels, on the abdominal scar of suckling rats born of mothers that received nicotine, during pregnancy and lactation. METHODS: Pregnant Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups, the nicotine group (NG), in which nicotine was administered subcutaneous at a dose of 2 mg/kg/day, during pregnancy and lactation, and the control group (CG), that received subcutaneous isovolumetric saline solution at 0,9%, in the same period of time. Sixty baby rats, divided into two groups, were weaned at 21 days and a transverse laparotomy was performed. Each group was divided into two subgroups, each one containing 15 baby rats, in accordance with the date when the surgical scar was analyzed: on the 7th post-operative day, control subgroup C7 and nicotine subgroup N7, or on the 21st post-operative day, control subgroup C21 and nicotine subgroup N21. The surgical scar in the healing area was evaluated by immunohistochemistry study for identification of myofibroblasts and of blood vessels. The statistical analysis was based on the Anova model, at a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: The subgroup N7 presented lower number of myofibroblasts (9,93 ± 3,06 vs. 21,87 ± 9,07, p=0,007) and lower number of blood vessels (8,33 ± 4,43 vs. 13,4 ± 5,33, p=0,031) when compared to C7. The subgroup N21 presented no significant difference on the number of myofibroblasts (7,47 ± 3,96 vs. 12,00 ± 7,21, p=0,121) and on the number of blood vessels (9,47 ± 2,42 vs. 12,93 ± 4,35, p=0,090) when compared to C21. CONCLUSION: Adverse effect of nicotine, administrated in pregnancy and lactation period, was observed on the proliferation of myofibroblasts and of blood vessels on the abdominal wall wound healing of suckling rats

Influência da nicotina durante a gestação e lactação na cicatrização da parede abdominal de ratos lactentes: estudo tensiométrico

RACIONAL: O tabagismo na gestação acarreta prejuízos, devidamente reconhecidos e relatados, para o crescimento intra-uterino da criança. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a influência da nicotina, em relação à tensiometria (tensão, força máxima e força de ruptura), na cicatrização da parede abdominal de ratos lactentes nascidos e amamentados por ratas que receberam nicotina durante a gestação e lactação. MÉTODO: Ratas Wistar prenhas foram divididas aleatoriamente em dois grupos. Um recebeu nicotina (GN) via subcutânea na dose diária de 2mg/kg de peso durante a gestação e lactação O outro, controle (GC) recebeu solução fisiológica a 0,9% isovolumétrica, no mesmo período e via. Foram utilizados 60 ratos filhotes, divididos igualmente em dois grupos. Após o término do período de lactação (21 dias), todos foram submetidos à laparotomia transversa e ao fechamento da camada músculo-aponeurótica. Cada grupo foi dividido em dois subgrupos, com 15 animais cada, de acordo com o intervalo de tempo utilizado para a avaliação. As aferições foram realizadas no 7º (subgrupos C7 e N7) e no 21º dia (subgrupos C21 e N21) do pós-operatório, quando os animais foram sacrificados. Foram retirados os retalhos da parede abdominal contendo a linha de sutura, os quais tiveram avaliação tensiométrica computadorizada. A estatística foi baseada no modelo ANOVA, ao nível de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: A avaliação tensiométrica do subgrupo N7 comparada ao C7 demonstrou redução da força máxima (0,391 ± 0,032kgf vs. 0,586 ± 0,041kgf, P=0,0060), da força de ruptura (0,393 ± 0,032kgf vs. 0,577 ± 0,051kgf, P=0,0047) e da tensão (0,029 ± 0,002kgf/mm2 vs. 0,036 ± 0,005kgf/mm2, P=0,0493). Entre o subgrupo N21 e C21, observou-se a diminuição da força de ruptura (0,421 ± 0,004kgf vs. 0,581 ± 0,002kgf, P=0,0007) e da tensão (0,053 ± 0,002kgf/mm2 vs. 0,066 ± 0,002kgf/mm2, P=0,0056). CONCLUSÃO: Observou-se efeito deletério da nicotina no período de gestação e lactação na cicatrização dos filhotes, de acordo com parâmetros tensiométricos

Detecção da encefalopatia hepática subclínica por espectroscopia cerebral Detection of subclinical hepatic encephalopathy by magnetic resonance spectroscopy

RACIONAL: A encefalopatia hepática é anormalidade neuropsiquiátrica comum em cirróticos e está associada com alterações típicas de determinados metabólitos cerebrais, como o decréscimo de mio-inositol e colina e o aumento de glutamina-glutamato, observadas na espectroscopia cerebral por ressonância magnética. OBJETIVO: Determinar os níveis dos metabólitos cerebrais em pacientes cirróticos para diagnóstico da encefalopatia hepática em estágios iniciais. MÉTODOS Foram estudados 25 pacientes com cirrose hepática, do Serviço de Transplante Hepático da Universidade Federal do Paraná, através de avaliação clínica (exame neurológico e testes neuropsicométricos) e espectroscopia por ressonância magnética cerebral. A área espectral estudada por ressonância magnética envolveu a região occipital (substância branca e cinzenta). Trinta voluntários sadios formaram o grupo controle. RESULTADOS: A encefalopatia hepática subclínica foi diagnosticada em 12 pacientes (48%). Reduções significativas nos índices de MI/Cr foram observadas nos pacientes com encefalopatia quando comparados aos controles (0,49±0,10 vs. 0,83±0,13; P < 0,0001). Em adição, os pacientes com encefalopatia mostraram redução no índice Cho/Cr (0,54±0,15 vs. 0,77±0,09; P = 0,0001) e aumento no índice de Glx/Cr (1,12±0,26 vs. 0,89±0,19; P = 0,0146) quando comparados ao grupo controle. Os critérios quantitativos de Ross para diagnóstico espectroscópico da encefalopatia hepática (MI/Cr e Cho/Cr < média + 2 desvios-padrão do grupo controle) demonstraram sensibilidade de 61,54%, especificidade de 91,67% e precisão de 76%. O índice Cho/Cr foi o melhor parâmetro isolado. CONCLUSÃO: As alterações metabólicas cerebrais que ocorrem precocemente no curso da encefalopatia hepática podem ser demonstradas pela espectroscopia, permitindo diagnóstico preciso antes mesmo do aparecimento de sinais e sintomas clínicos.<br>BACKGROUND: Hepatic encephalopathy is a common neuro-psychiatric abnormality in liver cirrhosis associated with typical changes of cerebral metabolite pattern, such as a decrease of myo-inositol and cholina and increase of glutamine-glutamate, observed by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. AIM: To determine cerebral metabolite ratios in liver cirrhosis patients with early stages of hepatic encephalopathy. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with chronic hepatic failure from Liver Transplantation Unit of the Federal University of Paraná were studied with clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Localized magnetic resonance spectra were acquired in the occipital gray/white matter regions. Thirty healthy volunteers were also subjected to the same evaluations, making up the control group. RESULTS: Subclinical hepatic encephalopathy was diagnosed in 12 patients (48%). MI/Cr ratios were significantly reduced in cirrhotic patients with hepatic encephalopathy when compared to the control group (0,49±0,10 vs. 0,83±0,13; P < 0,0001). In addition, patients with encephalopathy, showed reduction of the Cho/Cr ratio (0,54±0,15 vs. 0,77±0,09; P = 0,0001) and an elevated Glx/Cr ratio (1,12±0,26 vs. 0,89±0,19; P = 0,0146). The Ross's quantitive criterions for spectroscopic diagnoses of hepatic encephalopathy (MI/Cr and Cho/Cr below than 2 SD of controls) demonstrated a sensibility of 61,54%, specificity of 91,67% and accuracy of 76%. Cho/Cr ratio was considered the best parameter. CONCLUSION: Cerebral metabolic alterations that occur at an early stage of hepatic encephalopathy may be demonstrated through magnetic resonance spectroscopy, allowing a precise diagnosis before the appearance of clinical signs and symptoms