Using critical media literacy to create a decolonial, anti-racist teaching philosophy

Media educators must address their personal teaching philosophies to adequately participate in anti-racist pedagogy. Using critical media literacy principles, educators can be aware of student’s bodies and performance in relation to reinforced systems of whiteness in the media classroom. This article proposes ways for higher education media educators to adjust their classroom content, and classroom environment, to adopt an anti-racist, decolonial pedagogy

A more equitable film pedagogy: Including media literacy in higher education film classrooms to result in better media practitioners

This article explains the importance of including critical media literacy practices in skills-based classrooms in film education. Students continue to use methods of filmmaking that are inherently biased because they continue to be taught an age-old set of skills that do not engage in critical analysis. With the convergence of contemporary film theory in the classroom, educators can help students learn new methods of filmmaking that are representative for all communities and people. Through textual analysis of three films, this article shows why educators in higher education film programs must include critical media literacy in the skills course curriculum and how to do so. With this change in film education, we can learn to help make more equitable filmmakers

Methods for the synthesis of polyhydroxylated piperidines by diastereoselective dihydroxylation: Exploitation in the two-directional synthesis of aza-C-linked disaccharide derivatives

Background: Many polyhydroxylated piperidines are inhibitors of the oligosaccharide processing enzymes, glycosidases and glycosyltransferases. Aza-C-linked disaccharide mimetics are compounds in which saturated polyhydroxylated nitrogen and oxygen heterocycles are linked by an all-carbon tether. The saturated oxygen heterocycle has the potential to mimic the departing sugar in a glycosidase-catalysed reaction and aza-C-linked disaccharide mimetics may, therefore, be more potent inhibitors of these enzymes. Results: The scope, limitations and diastereoselectivity of the dihydroxylation of stereoisomeric 2-butyl-1-(toluene-4-sulfonyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-pyridin-3-ols is discussed. In the absence of a 6- substituent on the piperidine ring, the Upjohn (cat. OsO4, NMO, acetone-water) and Donohoe (OsO4, TMEDA, CH2Cl2) conditions allow complementary diastereoselective functionalisation of the alkene of the (2R*,3R*) diastereoisomer. However, in the presence of a 6-substituent, the reaction is largely controlled by steric effects with both reagents. The most synthetically useful protocols were exploited in the two-directional synthesis of aza-C-linked disaccharide analogues. A two-directional oxidative ring expansion was used to prepare bis-enones such as (2R,6S,2'S)-6- methoxy-2-(6-methoxy-3-oxo-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-ylmethyl)-1-(toluene-4-sulfonyl)-1,6- dihydro-2H-pyridin-3-one from the corresponding difuran. Selective substitution of its N,O acetal was possible. The stereochemical outcome of a two-directional Luche reduction step was different in the two heterocyclic rings, and depended on the conformation of the ring. Finally, twodirectional diastereoselective dihydroxylation yielded seven different aza-C-linked disaccharide analogues. Conclusion: A two-directional approach may be exploited in the synthesis of aza-C-linked disaccharide mimetics. Unlike previous approaches to similar molecules, neither of the heterocyclic rings is directly derived from a sugar, allowing mimetics with unusual configurations to be prepared. The work demonstrates that highly unsymmetrical molecules may be prepared using a two directional approach. The deprotected compounds may have potential as inhibitors of oligosaccharide-processing enzymes and as tools in chemical genetic investigations

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Exploring the North American Arctic benthos: community structure and oil degradation potential of sediment bacteria and archaea

Dissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2022The Chukchi and Beaufort seas benthic habitats are home to a multitude of ecologically and commercially important organisms that are subject to ongoing environmental changes, including the impacts of climate change and increased exposure to contaminants. Benthic bacteria and archaea can be considered biogeochemical engineers. They play a major role in organic matter (OM) degradation and nutrient cycling and their community structure can reflect changes in environmental conditions such as OM composition and quantity, nutrient availability, redox conditions, and natural/anthropogenic contaminants (e.g. petroleum hydrocarbons). Yet, sediment microbial communities have rarely been examined in these marginal seas of North American Arctic. In this dissertation, I characterized marine sediment microbial communities along environmental gradients in the Beaufort (Chapter 2) and Chukchi seas (Chapter 3) and assess Arctic benthic microbial community response to oil exposure (Chapter 4). I assessed diversity, community structure, and environmental correlates of prokaryotic communities via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing in surface sediments (upper 1 cm) from the Northern Bering Sea to the Amundsen Gulf in the southern Beaufort Sea. On a broad spatial scale encompassing the whole study area, I observed three distinct microbial assemblages. One assemblage was characteristic of the Northern Bering-Chukchi seas shelf, and two distinguished nearshore and offshore sediments in the Beaufort Sea. Within the Beaufort Sea, four assemblages were identified, reflecting habitat heterogeneity with respect to OM loading, water depth, and nearshore/riverine input, including a major influence of the Mackenzie River. Two assemblages were distinguished within the Bering-Chukchi region, including one representative of suboxic sediments and one suggesting influence of phytodetrital OM input as evidenced by the abundance of diatom/particle-associated microbes. These two assemblages may also reflect differences between local versus advective OM inputs. Incubation experiments exposing Arctic marine sediments to fresh and weathered crude oil under anaerobic and aerobic conditions were performed to assess oil biodegradation potential and identify putative oil-degrading microbes in the benthos. Molecular analyses revealed that significant community shifts occurred in the oiled treatments, with distinct communities emerging following exposure to fresh versus weathered oil, and in oxic versus anoxic conditions. The work presented here constitutes the first large-scale survey of benthic microbes in this region of the North American Arctic, including their response to petroleum contamination, generating valuable baseline data for the changes to come.US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Coastal Marine Institute graduate student fellowship program (Grant# M16AC00004), North Pacific Research Board (Project #1303, #1907), Oil Spill Recovery Institute (Project #19-10-06), Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant number 2P20GM103395Chapter 1: General introduction -- Chapter 2: Patterns in benthic microbial community structure across environmental gradients in the Beaufort Sea shelf and slope -- Chapter 3: Benthic bacteria and archaea in the North American Arctic reflect food supply regimes and impacts of coastal and riverine inputs -- Chapter 4: Microbial community response to crude oil exposure in Arctic marine sediments -- Chapter 5: General conclusion

Parenting Stress: A Comparison of Mothers and Fathers of Disabled and Non-Disabled Children

This study compared perceived levels of parenting stress between mothers and fathers of children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), children with developmental disabilities, and normally developing children. The relationship of certain demographic variables, such as Socio-economic Status (SES), number of children, years married, parent age, and child age, as well as social support with parenting stress was also examined for mothers and fathers of these three groups. Identification of factors related to parenting stress in fathers was of particular importance for this study, as fathers are often an underrepresented group within parenting research. Identifying effective methods for predicting high levels of parenting stress is important, as stress has been linked to psychological well-being, potential for abuse, and a greater likelihood of poor adjustment for both parent and child. Results from the present study comparing reported stress levels between groups of parents were supportive of previous studies indicating that parents of children with ADHD and developmentally disabilities experience significantly greater parenting stress, specifically with respect to child characteristics. Significant gender differences were also found between mothers and fathers in terms of parent characteristics related to stress. Fathers reported greater stress in the areas of attachment, while mothers reported more parent role restrictions. Additionally, significant negative relationships were found between parents' perceived helpfulness of informal social support and parenting stress scores in both mothers and fathers, affirming positive effects of social support on stress. Helpfulness of informal social support was also significantly predictive of parenting stress in both mothers and fathers across both the child and parent domains of the PSI, although, it had more predictive power with regard to parent related contributors to parenting stress. Family demographic factors, including age of the child and SES demonstrated some predictive power of parenting stress in mothers. Mothers with younger children and lower SES were more likely to report greater parenting stress. Implications of these results and future directions for research are also discussed

Decolonizing Media Higher Education: Building Critical Media Literacy Principles that Adopt Understandings of the Body and Performance

Media Education has the opportunity to provide positive change in the media industry. Additionally, media educators have the responsibility to ensure students from all backgrounds feel comfortable and accepted in the classroom. In my dissertation, I proposed that, for media education to instill positive change in the media industry, a more explicit objective of decolonizing media education is necessary by first integrating diversity and inclusivity in the higher education classroom. Using an autoethnographic approach to reflect on my experiences as a student and educator with an intersectional identity, I consider the gaps in understanding among media education programs for making their courses more equitable. By reflecting on my past experiences, expanding on some of my teaching methods, demonstrating materials and lesson plans used in classroom action research, and proposing additional principles and frameworks for the higher education media classroom, I further engage with what decentering whiteness and heteronormativity in the classroom could look like. In all, to decolonize media education, I propose an ambitious start: By dismantling current classroom norms and rebuilding from the perspective of performance as it is connected to the bodies of those in the classroom and the field, a refashioned critical media literacy (CML) framework contributes to equitable education. This adjusted CML framework provides an accessible model that educators can use when designing their courses and populating them with content. When educators include important principles of diversity, inclusion, and equity in their classrooms the greater likelihood that students will bring those skills with them into the field to bring equity and inclusion to media production.Doctor of Philosoph

Intercomparison of Multiple UV-LIF Spectrometers using the Aerosol Challenge Simulator

Measurements of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) have been conducted worldwide using ultraviolet light-induced fluorescence (UV-LIF) spectrometers. However, how these instruments detect and respond to known biological and non-biological particles, and how they compare, remains uncertain due to limited laboratory intercomparisons. Using the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Aerosol Challenge Simulator (ACS), controlled concentrations of biological and non-biological aerosol particles, singly or as mixtures, were produced for testing and intercomparison of multiple versions of the Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Spectrometer (WIBS) and Multiparameter Bioaerosol Spectrometer (MBS). Although the results suggest some challenges in discriminating biological particle types across different versions of the same UV-LIF instrument, a difference in fluorescence intensity between the non-biological and biological samples could be identified for most instruments. While lower concentrations of fluorescent particles were detected by the MBS, the MBS demonstrates the potential to discriminate between pollen and other biological particles. This study presents the first published technical summary and use of the ACS for instrument intercomparisons. Within this work a clear overview of the data pre-processing is also presented, and documentation of instrument version/model numbers is suggested to assess potential instrument variations between different versions of the same instrument. Further laboratory studies sampling different particle types are suggested before use in quantifying impact on ambient classification.Peer reviewe