A Critical Race and Critical Whiteness Theory Analysis of Preservice Teachers\u27 Racialized Practices in a Literacy Across the Curriculum Course

ABSTRACT The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the racialized practices enacted by seven preservice teachers while they participated in a university-based literacy across the curriculum course that included a school-based tutoring component. Research questions asked: 1) what racialized practices were enacted by preservice content-area teachers when they participated in a required literacy across the curriculum course that included one-on-one tutoring of youth at an urban secondary school, and 2) how did preservice content-area teachers\u27 backgrounds contribute to their racialized practices? This study drew on the premises of critical race theory and critical whiteness theory to define racialized practices. The study began with these theories\u27 assumptions that race is an important social construction in U.S. society that is used to position people hierarchically, especially oppressing people of color. Racialized practices are ways of acting, speaking, and teaching that construct race as important. These practices include colorblindness, essentializing, and microaggression, as well as culturally responsive teaching, a positive racialized practice grounded in students\u27 funds of knowledge and intended to counter more oppressive practices. Data sources included transcripts from semi-structured interviews, field notes from classroom and tutoring observations and various course and tutoring related artifacts such as the course syllabus, lesson plans, unit plans and written reflections. Data were analyzed first, using a reflexive, constant comparative approach to gain insights into participants\u27 rhetoric and actions. Second, data were reconsidered to delineate racialized practices. The racialized practices of the preservice teachers involved in this literacy study were categorized as relationship-focused or instructionally-focused. Although all participants enacted both positive and negative racialized practices, relationship-focused participants tended to exhibit qualitatively different practices compared to the instructionally-focused participants. Regardless of their orientation, when participants shared their view of whether race mattered in education, the mostly White participants spoke predominantly of the significance of other people\u27s races and not their own race. Racialized practices that were consistent with culturally-based pedagogies included intentionally nurturing relationships with students at the tutoring site, talking about ways to help students understand and negotiate the culture of power that is dominant in educational institutions including higher education and cautioning preservice peers that they need to be cognizant not to advance stereotypes. Racialized practices that reflected participants\u27 deficit thinking about their tutees, as well as their own discomfort in talking about racial issues included the enactments of racial microaggressions, distancing strategies and White talk. This study provides new insights into how preservice teachers\u27 racialized practices shape and are shaped by the racial hierarchy that continues to exist in schools. Findings have implications for school professionals, teacher educators and researchers who are interested in identifying and disrupting racialized literacy practices that may be harmful to students. Additionally, this study suggests that further exploration is needed to understand how race is implicated in relationship-focused literacy teaching, content-focused literacy teaching and students\u27 engagement in learning across the curriculum

Forecasting electricity demand using regression and Monte Carlo simulation under conditions of insufficient data

The problem studied is that of a summer peak residential energy demand model for Appalachian Power Company\u27s service area in West Virginia. By restricting the forecast to a region smaller than the state, serious data problems result due to insufficient data to obtain reliable forecasts.;Regression analysis and Monte Carlo Simulation are the two methods used to forecast energy demand. Both methods incorporate risk into the analysis in different ways. Regression analysis yields a measure of the reliability of the coefficients of the variables and of the reliability of the forecast. The resulting forecast and confidence limits of the forecast values give an indication of the risk using regression analysis and Monte Carlo Simulation. Monte Carlo Simulation uses a probabilistic range of input values rather than a single discrete value, which accounts for future uncertainty to determine the probabilistic future summer peak

Brainstem processing of vestibular sensory exafference: implications for motion sickness etiology

Penultimate version of manuscript accepted 4/20/14, and after minor edits, published online May 18, 2014 at Springer Online First as DOI 10.1007/s00221-014-3973-2The origin of the internal “sensory conflict” stimulus causing motion sickness has been debated for more than four decades. Recent studies show a subclass of neurons in the vestibular nuclei and deep cerebellar nuclei that respond preferentially to passive head movements. During active movement, the semicircular canal and otolith input (“reafference”) to these neurons is cancelled by a mechanism comparing the expected consequences of self-generated movement (estimated with an internal model- presumably located in the cerebellum) with the actual sensory feedback. The un-cancelled component (“exafference”) resulting from passive movement normally helps compensate for unexpected postural disturbances. Notably, the existence of such vestibular “sensory conflict” neurons had been postulated as early as 1982, but their existence and putative role in posture control, motion sickness has been long debated. Here we review the development of “sensory conflict” theories in relation to recent evidence for brainstem and cerebellar reafference cancellation, and identify some open research questions. We propose that conditions producing persistent activity of these neurons, or their targets, stimulates nearby brainstem emetic centers – via an as yet unidentified mechanism. We discuss how such a mechanism is consistent with the notable difference in motion sickness susceptibility of drivers as opposed to passengers, human immunity to normal self-generated movement, and why head restraint or lying horizontal confers relative immunity. Finally, we propose that fuller characterization of these mechanisms, and their potential role in motion sickness could lead to more effective, scientifically based prevention and treatment for motion sickness.Dr. Oman was supported in part by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute through NASA NCC 9-58. Dr. Cullen’s research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the National Institutes of Health (DC002390), and the Fonds Que´be´cois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies (FQNRT), and US National Institute of Health Grant R01 DC239

Differences in the Structure and Function of the Vestibular Efferent System Among Vertebrates

The role of the mammalian vestibular efferent system in everyday life has been a long-standing mystery. In contrast to what has been reported in lower vertebrate classes, the mammalian vestibular efferent system does not appear to relay inputs from other sensory modalities to the vestibular periphery. Furthermore, to date, the available evidence indicates that the mammalian vestibular efferent system does not relay motor-related signals to the vestibular periphery to modulate sensory coding of the voluntary self-motion generated during natural behaviors. Indeed, our recent neurophysiological studies have provided insight into how the peripheral vestibular system transmits head movement-related information to the brain in a context independent manner. The integration of vestibular and extra-vestibular information instead only occurs at next stage of the mammalian vestibular system, at the level of the vestibular nuclei. The question thus arises: what is the physiological role of the vestibular efferent system in mammals? We suggest that the mammalian vestibular efferent system does not play a significant role in short-term modulation of afferent coding, but instead plays a vital role over a longer time course, for example in calibrating and protecting the functional efficacy of vestibular circuits during development and aging in a role analogous the auditory efferent system

Less is More? Publicness, Management Strategy, and Organizational Performance in Mental Health Treatment Facilities

In this study, the authors seek to identify mechanisms of publicness present within mental health treatment facilities and, subsequently, explore the constraints these mechanisms impose on facilities’ capacities to achieve public outcomes. Through grounded insights from senior managers in this field, political authority, namely through governmental funding and regulation, is identified by 43 of 46 respondents as being an influence on publicness. Authors then uncover the conditions during which publicness, in the form of political authority, constrains organizational achievement of public outcomes. In leveraging managerial perspectives, two distinct constraints emerged: publicness often inhibits organizational efficiency and produces mission drift within these facilities. Findings suggest that managers, under certain conditions (and where legally feasible), may provide greater effectiveness in fulfilling organizational goals and objectives and in achieving public outcomes by maintaining or decreasing an organization’s publicness. Fundamental to effectively managing publicness is understanding the mechanisms germane to both public outcome attainment and failure—the latter of which is explored here

In vivo Conditions Induce Faithful Encoding of Stimuli by Reducing Nonlinear Synchronization in Vestibular Sensory Neurons

Previous studies have shown that neurons within the vestibular nuclei (VN) can faithfully encode the time course of sensory input through changes in firing rate in vivo. However, studies performed in vitro have shown that these same VN neurons often display nonlinear synchronization (i.e. phase locking) in their spiking activity to the local maxima of sensory input, thereby severely limiting their capacity for faithful encoding of said input through changes in firing rate. We investigated this apparent discrepancy by studying the effects of in vivo conditions on VN neuron activity in vitro using a simple, physiologically based, model of cellular dynamics. We found that membrane potential oscillations were evoked both in response to step and zap current injection for a wide range of channel conductance values. These oscillations gave rise to a resonance in the spiking activity that causes synchronization to sinusoidal current injection at frequencies below 25 Hz. We hypothesized that the apparent discrepancy between VN response dynamics measured in in vitro conditions (i.e., consistent with our modeling results) and the dynamics measured in vivo conditions could be explained by an increase in trial-to-trial variability under in vivo vs. in vitro conditions. Accordingly, we mimicked more physiologically realistic conditions in our model by introducing a noise current to match the levels of resting discharge variability seen in vivo as quantified by the coefficient of variation (CV). While low noise intensities corresponding to CV values in the range 0.04–0.24 only eliminated synchronization for low (<8 Hz) frequency stimulation but not high (>12 Hz) frequency stimulation, higher noise intensities corresponding to CV values in the range 0.5–0.7 almost completely eliminated synchronization for all frequencies. Our results thus predict that, under natural (i.e. in vivo) conditions, the vestibular system uses increased variability to promote fidelity of encoding by single neurons. This prediction can be tested experimentally in vitro

Challenges to driver licensing participation for Aboriginal people in Australia: a systematic review of the literature

Introduction: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overrepresented in transport-related morbidity and mortality. Low rates of licensure in Aboriginal communities and households have been identified as a contributor to high rates of unlicensed driving. There is increasing recognition that Aboriginal people experience challenges and adversity in attaining a licence. This systematic review aims to identify the barriers to licence participation among Aboriginal people in Australia. Method: A systematic search of electronic databases and purposive sampling of grey literature was conducted, two authors independently assessed publications for eligibility for inclusion. Results: Twelve publications were included in this review, of which there were 11 reporting primary research (qualitative and mixed methods) and a practitioner report. Barriers identified were categorised as individual and family barriers or systemic barriers relating to the justice system, graduated driver licensing (GDL) and service provision. A model is presented that depicts the barriers within a cycle of licensing adversity. Discussion: There is an endemic lack of licensing access for Aboriginal people that relates to financial hardship, unmet cultural needs and an inequitable system. This review recommends targeting change at the systemic level, including a review of proof of identification and fines enforcement policy, diversionary programs and increased provision for people experiencing financial hardship. Conclusion: This review positions licensing within the context of barriers to social inclusion that Aboriginal people frequently encounter. Equitable access to licensing urgently requires policy reform and service provision that is inclusive, responsive to the cultural needs of Aboriginal people and accessible to regional and remote communities

Parental mastery of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion skills and glycemic control in youth with type 1 diabetes

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine whether parental knowledge of the continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) device affects glycemic control as measured by hemoglobin A1c (A1C) level. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Parents of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) using CSII completed a 14-item questionnaire. Questions 1-10 were knowledge-based questions that required the parent to extract specific information from their child\u27s CSII device. Questions 11-14 asked parents to provide a self-assessment of their CSII knowledge. RESULTS: Twenty-two parents of youth with T1DM participated in the study. Ten of the youth were in the Low-A1C group (A1C/=8%). Parents of youth in the Low-A1C group scored statistically better on the 10-item performance survey than parents of youth in the High-A1C group. Most of the parents of children in the Low-A1C group responded that they knew their child\u27s insulin pump very well and that their pump knowledge had increased since their child started on the insulin pump. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal that youth with T1DM whose parents are more knowledgeable about pump functions have optimal glycemic control as evidenced by A1C. These findings underscore the importance of ongoing pump training for both pediatric patients and their parents

Multi-omic Analyses of Extensively Decayed Pinus contorta Reveal Expression of a Diverse Array of Lignocellulose-Degrading Enzymes.

Fungi play a key role cycling nutrients in forest ecosystems, but the mechanisms remain uncertain. To clarify the enzymatic processes involved in wood decomposition, the metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics of extensively decayed lodgepole pine were examined by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), respectively. Following de novo metatranscriptome assembly, 52,011 contigs were searched for functional domains and homology to database entries. Contigs similar to basidiomycete transcripts dominated, and many of these were most closely related to ligninolytic white rot fungi or cellulolytic brown rot fungi. A diverse array of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) representing a total of 132 families or subfamilies were identified. Among these were 672 glycoside hydrolases, including highly expressed cellulases or hemicellulases. The CAZymes also included 162 predicted redox enzymes classified within auxiliary activity (AA) families. Eighteen of these were manganese peroxidases, which are key components of ligninolytic white rot fungi. The expression of other redox enzymes supported the working of hydroquinone reduction cycles capable of generating reactive hydroxyl radicals. These have been implicated as diffusible oxidants responsible for cellulose depolymerization by brown rot fungi. Thus, enzyme diversity and the coexistence of brown and white rot fungi suggest complex interactions of fungal species and degradative strategies during the decay of lodgepole pine.IMPORTANCE The deconstruction of recalcitrant woody substrates is a central component of carbon cycling and forest health. Laboratory investigations have contributed substantially toward understanding the mechanisms employed by model wood decay fungi, but few studies have examined the physiological processes in natural environments. Herein, we identify the functional genes present in field samples of extensively decayed lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), a major species distributed throughout the North American Rocky Mountains. The classified transcripts and proteins revealed a diverse array of oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes involved in the degradation of lignocellulose. The evidence also strongly supports simultaneous attack by fungal species employing different enzymatic strategies

Binge-Eating Disorder in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The best treatment options for binge-eating disorder are unclear