Diversity in the Media

Research has shown that a lack of diversity exists in the media, particularly regarding how two vulnerable populations, women and people of color, are portrayed. For example, usually only very thin women are portrayed, and people of color are misrepresented, perpetuating negative stereotypes. This study seeks to determine whether a sample of college students from Valparaiso University recognize the lack of diversity in the media and would like it changed. Through this study, society may become more aware of the lack of diversity in the media. This study may also encourage further research into how equal representation in the media can be achieved

The Epigenetic Regulators ATRX and CTCF are Required for Mouse Neuroprogenitor Cell Survival and Brain Development

Emerging evidence implicates the regulation of higher-order chromatin structure in brain development, maturation, and function. Human mutations in two important regulators of chromatin structure, ATRX and CTCF, cause microcephaly and intellectual disability and have been identified in several cancers, suggesting an important role for these proteins in the developing brain and to suppress tumorigenesis. This thesis demonstrates that chromatin structure is critical to the differentiation and survival of neural progenitor cells, and explores the mechanisms of ATRX and CTCF function in brain development. The first chapter identifies that Atrx deficiency induces replicative DNA damage at telomeres and pericentromeric heterochromatin, and the mutant mice display signs of premature aging, providing novel evidence that genetic damage restricted to the central nervous system can result in systemic defects that resemble aging. The second chapter demonstrates that the genome organizer CTCF is required for neural progenitor survival and to maintain the correct balance between proliferative and differentiative divisions in the mouse neocortex. The third chapter investigates the mechanism underlying p53- and PUMA-dependent apoptosis in Ctcf-null neural progenitor cells, focusing on a role for the protein in preventing replicative stress-induced apoptosis. Together, the findings presented here indicate that chromatin architectural proteins, such as ATRX and CTCF, are required for genomic stability to promote neural progenitor cell survival and support correct brain development

Mediating NAGPRA: Bringing Cultural Consideration Back to the Table

Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Became federal law on November 16, 1990 to correct gross inequalities between the protection of Native and non-Native cultural objects. Requires collecting institutions to: create an inventory of any Native American human skeletal remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and items of cultural patrimony in their possession. Native American or Hawaiian groups can request repatriation if: they can show that they have true ownership of the cultural object or are a lineal descendant of the human remains in question.https://fuse.franklin.edu/ss2016/1041/thumbnail.jp

Foucauldian Dynamics in the Formation of a Fifth Grade Writing Culture

This study looks at a student writing culture in a fifth grade English language arts classroom through the lens of Foucauldian power dynamics to examine the power relationships in the classroom and curriculum. The research questions were: 1) What is the nature of a writing culture in a fifth-grade writing classroom? 2) What are students’ perceptions of writing in a fifth grade ELA classroom? The methodology for the study was case study research. The research took place during the 2017-2018 school year at Southeast Elementary School in Lancaster County in the southeastern part of the United States. Data was collected from my English language arts classroom and included: student writing, student journals, student interviews, student questionnaire, anecdotal notes, teacher lesson plans, intervention plans, reflective journals, grant memos, faculty meeting memos, testing memos and documents, planning notes, and meeting notes. Triangulation of data, coding, and member checking determined themes and answered the research questions. Findings included power dynamics within the writing curriculum, student resistance and challenges in writing, and dissonance in student perceptions of writing

The Impact of Maternal Literacy Skills on Child Weight in Mozambique

Background: Infant mortality rate is a serious problem in today’s society. This statistic is often used as one measure of a country’s success and growth. One factor that is strongly associated with infant mortality is low weight in children. In Mozambique, the percentage of underweight children under the age of five was 16% in 2012 (UNICEF, 2013). In order to reduce the number of underweight children in this country, characteristics of caregivers that could potentially contribute to this problem should be investigated. One particularly important characteristic is maternal literacy, which to date has been under investigated. Objective: This study aimed to determine whether maternal literacy affected the weight and body-mass-index (BMI) of children ages 0 to 3 years old in Mozambique. Methodology: A cross-sectional study of 6,762 children between the ages of 0 and 47 months was conducted using the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey for Mozambique. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) procedures with Scheffe post hoc tests were performed in order to identify differences in mean child weight and BMI Z-score in reference to maternal literacy level. The data were analyzed using Statistical Analysis Software Version 9.4. Results: 396 (6.05%) of the children in the study sample were found to be underweight and 4467 (58.69%) of mothers were found to be illiterate. There was a statistically significant association between maternal literacy level and the weight and BMI of children between the ages of 0 and 3 years of age. Interestingly, a trend of stronger association was observed for each one-year increase in child age. Conclusion: Maternal literacy is significantly associated with child weight and BMI. Therefore, prioritizing secondary education for women is one important approach for ameliorating the risk of underweight children. Increased literacy rates in women could lead to better understanding of child nutritional needs, and ultimately, an overall reduction in the number of underweight children