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Racial discourse as praxis: Reflections on becoming an anti-racist through a university-level course power and education
No full textThis qualitative study captures the narrative of six culturally diverse doctoral students’ after they have participated in an anti-racist course. The course immersed students in literature surrounding race and school-based criminalization to heighten their awareness of ways internalized racism and perpetuated anti-Black racism harms the students they educate. Within this study, we conducted two focus group sessions and analyzed responses from six doctoral students at Wayne State University. As they reflected on the racism being perpetuated in education and their daily challenges within a system based on white supremacy, they ignited their determination to work for racial equity having realized their past contributions to perpetuating these ideologies. Critical race theory (CRT) was used to take a deeper look at the historical and ongoing aspect of race and racism in American culture, including within the education system. The participants of color discussed their personal experiences with oppression as well as their initial resistance to become anti-racist. At the end of the course, that resistance evolved into an increased desire for racial advocacy. This study implicates that teacher education and educational leadership course work should promote comprehension of racism, provide opportunities for scholars to grow moral courage, and the need to advocate for curriculum reform at all levels
Hope for the Past: The Aboriginal Sport System, Wikipedia and Reconciliation in Canada
No full textVictoria Paraschak is a non-indigenous ally who has researched and written about indigenous peoples’ engagement in sport in Canada since the 1980s. She was fortunate to begin that learning in the Northwest Territories, where she completed her dissertation research on the differences between federal/territorial government and community understandings of available recreation and sport opportunities. This exposure to mainstream as well as traditional sport/games opportunities laid the groundwork for recognizing and writing about both mainstream and all-indigenous sport systems, and euro-Canadian and traditional forms of physical cultural practices as being equally legitimate and worthy of note. Adopting a strengths and hope perspective has more recently pointed her towards consistently documenting the strengths demonstrated by indigenous participants within sport broadly understood, as well as identifying resources that are/can be accessed to further those strengths or create new strengths. As part of this perspective, she engages with indigenous participants and their allies to identify and intentionally work towards their ‘preferred future’. She is also committed to addressing calls to action #87-91, as outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission final report, and to ensuring that her students become engaged in this process as well.The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report (2015) provided a foundation for fostering reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous individuals living in Canada. Call to action #87 most directly implicated the field of sport history: “We call upon all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, sports halls of fame, and other relevant organizations, to provide public education that tells the national story of Aboriginal athletes in history.” (p. 336) Through this paper, I will contribute towards call to action #87. Missing from Wikipedia at present is a well-developed, coordinated depiction of the Aboriginal sport system as a legitimate, historically notable feature of Indigenous peoples’ lives in Canada. Elements would include entries on the Aboriginal Sport Circle, the North American Indigenous Games (entry exists), The Tom Longboat Award (entry exists), the Indspire Award (entry exists) and various longstanding sporting events where participants require an indigenous heritage. I will work to create and coordinate this historical context and make it publicly accessible so that indigenous and non-indigenous individuals have a fuller grasp on the varied sporting contexts within which indigenous participants have found meaning. Strengths and challenges emerging through this process will be outlined, such as a heightened appreciation for the contributions of indigenous organizers (strength) and challenges to the ‘notability’ of elements of the aboriginal sport system by Wikipedia gatekeepers. Publicly accessible sporting accounts of this ilk enable Canadians to better understand the ways that indigenous sport administrators and their allies have created meaningful sport opportunities within dominant colonial relations
Road noise exposure over development increases baseline auditory activity and decision-making time in adult crickets
No full textFemale crickets reared in traffic noise have been reported to be faster or slower to locate male song than those reared in silence across species. We reared female Teleogryllus oceanicus in traffic noise and silence, and had adult females locate male song broadcast amidst traffic noise or silence. We recorded activity of two auditory interneurons in a subset of individuals under identical acoustic conditions. Regardless of rearing treatment, crickets were slower to leave their shelter when presented with male song in silence than in traffic noise, while crickets reared in traffic noise were also slower to leave overall. Crickets reared in traffic noise also had higher baseline AN2 activity, but rearing condition did not affect hearing thresholds or auditory response to male song. Our results demonstrate behavioural and auditory effects of long-term exposure to anthropogenic noise. Further, they support the idea that silence itself is a potentially aversive acoustic condition
Depth-resolved paired metagenomes and metatranscriptomes from the Lake Erie ‘dead zone’
No full textMetagenomes and metatranscriptomes were generated from the surface mixed layer and hypolimnion at a NOAA-Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory Real-Time Coastal Observation Network (ReCON) site in Lake Erie’s central basin during the onset of hypolimnetic hypoxia. Here, we describe the sequencing of the samples, metagenome assembly, and binning of microbial taxa
Experiences of Youth With Incongruent Habitus in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program
No full textThis study explores the perceived experiences of female apprentices in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) who, due to their gendered habitus, were deemed less likely to enter the apprenticeship pathway in Ontario. These perceptions focus primarily on social and performative experiences while addressing why unlikely entrants choose apprenticeships. Through semi-structured, in-depth, open-ended interviews with a single participant focus, qualitative data was gathered from eight female participants who graduated from OYAP within the last 10 years, having participated in manufacturing (four), construction/carpentry (two), or automotive (two) Cooperative Education placements. Emphasis was placed on how gender specifically impacted participant experiences compared to their male counterparts in their respective workplaces. Research efforts revealed a diverse mix of positive and negative experiences tied to the social and performative spheres, the most significant finding being that a commitment to hard work and a high level of productivity enhances one’s secondary apprenticeship experience and may effectively circumvent difficulties that develop over the course of one’s placement. Precise reasons for entering OYAP remain largely unknown, but possible motivators include personal preference, explorative desires, financial gain, early career entry, and teacher or guidance counselor introductions to the program. Students and educators are encouraged to explore the stories of these eight women to form a fuller picture of possible placement experiences and better prepare involved parties for the common challenges facing female youth in OYAP
Modes of Action of Ubisol-Q10 Treatment in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease
No full textAs the most common neurodegenerative disorder, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias affect an estimated 750 000 Canadians. AD is associated with the deterioration of synaptic connections in the brain, as well as widespread neuronal death. As its pathophysiology is not well understood, there have been no major breakthroughs in curing or slowing disease progression. However, research has implicated oxidative stress as a potential mechanism in the development of neurodegeneration. Consequently, the efficacy of antioxidants such as oil-soluble coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), in combatting free-radical damage has been evaluated. In the past, our lab worked with a highly bioavailable, water-soluble formulation of CoQ10 known as Ubisol-Q10. The compound displayed strong neuroprotective capacities in genetic and environmental toxin rat models of Parkinson's disease. Further, in vitro analyses of Ubisol-Q10 treatment using fibroblasts from AD patients have shown increased expression of autophagy genes (crucial in clearing damaged cellular structures). We extended this work to an in vivo transgenic rodent model, in which mice were predisposed to develop early-onset AD. During a 14-month incubation period, control groups received regular drinking water and treatment groups received water supplemented with Ubisol-Q10. Immunohistochemistry and biochemical analyses of neural tissue from the mouse groups, as well as behavioural studies validated the efficacy of Ubisol-Q10 treatment for AD. Now we aim to explore the modes of action of this formulation by evaluating autophagy levels, cell proliferation, and the response of supportive glial cells. Through investigating the mechanisms by which Ubisol-Q10 combats Alzheimer's disease, we hope to further research towards the development of a treatment for this encumbering illness
“Living Under Different Skies”: Misrepresenting Egyptian Education during the British Occupation in the North American Press
Get PDFDuring the British occupation from 1882 to 1922, Egypt saw the rise of colonial educational reforms, American missionary projects, and foreign-subsidized schools. Consequently, newspapers in North America reported extensively on these colonial educational excursions. In the view of correspondents, the so-called “enlightenment” of Egyptians was dependent on their adoption of Western moral ideals and instructional models. The main criticisms levelled at Egyptian education centred on what was viewed as the “incompetence” of native instructors and schools, namely Muslim ones, as well as the need for the modern education of young women. Moreover, Christian or Western schooling was posited as the way to “civilize” these indigenous populations. Overall, these writings not only helped simultaneously construct both the “abroad” and the oppositional, superior identity of the West to readers, but also legitimated the British occupation as a whole. Therefore, journalism in North America was upholding and reinforcing a colonially-mediated representation of the realities in Egypt. In response to this misrepresentation, Egyptian writers and activists took to Western publications to dispel such denigrating narratives and appealing to readers to consider the failures of their British colonizers. This study of collected articles on Egyptian education in North American newspapers at the time reveals and deconstructs Western observers’ misrepresentations of schools and teaching and learning activities in Egypt
Bond Functionalization with a Tunable Pentanuclear Nickel Carbide Cluster
No full textSustainable IndustryThe activation and cleavage of strong bonds such as sp3 C-C bonds and C-H bonds has always been a challenging, lucrative and important field in chemistry. This is due to the vast importance of C-C and C-H bond activation across many fields, from pharmaceutical to petrochemical.1-2 Transition metals have seen use in recent years, functionalizing bonds as catalysts. This allows reactions involving these difficult functionalizations to be made more sustainable and practical.3-5 However, what are currently the most efficient choices of late transition metal catalysts must be improved drastically before they can be used. A compound discovered in recent years by the Sam Johnson Research Group at the University of Windsor, a pentanuclear nickel carbide cluster of the form Ni5(iPr3P)5H4C, shows promising reactivity using an uncommonly studied metal, Nickel, which possesses greatly untapped potential. Thanks to its' central carbide, the cluster is suspected to possess greatly increased stability for use in reactions. Using nuclear-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), the compound was discovered to perform uniquely selective reactions with fluorinated aromatics, and through x-ray diffraction crystallography, two additional modified versions of the cluster were discovered suggesting its' potential to be a tunable reagent which can be adapted to specific reactions. Through further NMR kinetics studies, X-ray diffractometer crystallography and elemental analysis, the potential for the compound to be a catalyst is to be explored further in this project. (1) Mkhalid, I. A. I.; Barnard, J. H.; Marder, T. B.; Murphy, J. M.; Hartwig, J. F. Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 890-931. (2) (10) Labinger, J. A.; Bercaw, J. E. Nature. 2002, 417, 507-514. (3) 1. Balcells, D.; Clot, E.; Eisenstein, O. Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 749-823. (4) 2. Lyons, T. W.; Sanford, M. S. Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 1147-1169. (5) 3. Crabtree, R. H. Chem. Rev. 1985, 85, 245-269