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Editorial: Centering Humanism in STEM Education
Get PDFTo understand why this Research Topic exists, it is important to recall the original goal from our call for proposals: to reorient STEM researchers and practitioners to reconsider the actual purpose of the practice of teaching and learning. Bryan Dewsbury often invokes us in his writing and talks to understand our why. As educators, we wish to provide insights, practices, and proposed theories to reflect on our WHY in STEM education—from one instructor’s empathetic approach to understanding the undergraduate student experience in gateway courses to the cultural initiation ceremonies at the disciplinary level. These components of humanism and the lens in which we see the human experience throughout a STEM ecosystem serve to bring humanistic thinking to the pedagogical praxis within STEM. We see this Research Topic as grounded in futures-oriented thinking, proactive scholarship, and equity-minded inclusive practices that will drive new conversations in STEM education toward feasible, meaningful ways to codify equity-minded higher education STEM ecosystems
Animating Gender: Conflicting Narrative and Character Design in \u3cem\u3eGravity Falls\u3c/em\u3e
Get PDFThis thesis analyzes the character designs from the Disney XD animated series Gravity Falls (Alex Hirsch, 2012-2016) through a third-wave feminist lens, arguing that these designs reflect an essentialized perception of gender that is in conflict with the themes of acceptance present in the series’ narrative. The series’ narrative pushes forth the idea that female characters are the moral center of the series and serve as an example to their peers, that they are self-assured and in control, and that men can push past any ignorance to care for the people around them, but this effort is undermined by the portrayal of gendered stereotypes of ignorance in the designs of these characters.
By looking at these character designs through the lens of two character design techniques, color theory and shape language, it becomes apparent that these designs perpetuate the stereotype that strong, independent women and girls are doomed to a life of disorganization, dissatisfaction, alienation as perpetuated by Backlash Theory as outlined by feminist journalist Susan Faludi. These designs also reinforce stereotypes against single men that claim that single men are ignorant, selfish, dangerous, cold, and incapable, a stereotype that actively harms real men according to Hannah E. Dupuis and Yuthika U. Girme’s study about discrimination against single men and women. Mobilizing the work of third-wave feminist scholars Kimberlé Crenshaw, Sara L. Crawley, Lara J. Foley, Constance L. Shehan, Elizabeth Grosz, and Judith Lorber also allows one to examine how these character designs represent a constructed concept of an essentialized gender that reinforces gender stereotypes of ignorance.
Finally, when comparing the narrative themes of selflessness and strength in the series to the character designs of female unruliness and male selfishness, this analysis highlights a disconnect between these two elements. This possibility for a disconnect encourages further discussion in the animation and film industry as well as film studies as to the relationship between narrative themes and character design which additionally allows for a deeper understanding of the shaping of gender and character design, which is especially important due to the youth-oriented nature of the animation industry in the United States
Inflation\u27s Historical Presidential Election Impact
No full textWe recently published an article in Social Science Research Network, ID 4657592, that identifies the economic forces that influence the share of the popular vote received by the incumbent party for the 17 Presidential elections over the 1956-2020 period. Our work identifying those forces has uncovered that voters remember inflation data only from nine months before an election. Employment data also have an impact on Presidential elections: here, voters’ memories go back 21 months. We derived these lags by testing every possible combination of monthly lags back from the election date, for every Presidential election since 1956. The 9-month memory for CPI and 21-month memory for employment held up consistently better than any other lag structure
Rising Threats to Public Officials: A Review of 10 Years of Federal Data
No full textA review of federal charges for the past decade highlights that the number of threats to public officials is growing. While 2013-2016 had an average of 38 federal charges per year, that number sharply increased to an average of 62 charges per year between 2017-2022. Across the time series, ideologically motivated threats, on average, accounted for almost half of the cases, and the portion steadily increased year over year. A preliminary review of cases from 2023 and 2024 shows that the number of federal prosecutions is on pace to hit new record highs. The rising threat level may produce significant consequences for the U.S. democratic system of governance
Talking DEI, Outreach and Bibliotheque d’Alexandrie!!
No full textEssraa delves into unconventional perspectives on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), underscores the significance of fundraising for libraries, shares insights from her beginnings in Egypt, and discusses the technological advancements that inspire her
Thiol Dough Conditioners Impact on the Formation of Advanced Glycation End-products in Bagels Containing Sunflower Seed Flour
Get PDFBaking bagels can increase advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are linked to increased metabolic and chronic diseases. This research correlated color and the proximate composition with fluorescent AGEs in bagels containing 0-20% sunflower flour (SFF) and 0-90 ppm L-cysteine (Cys) or Glutathione (GSH). No significant differences were observed in the moisture and lipid content for the bagel crust and crumb. Carbohydrate content decreased, while protein and ash content significantly increased when the SFF increased from 0 to 20 % SFF. The pH of the crust and crumb increased from 5.27 to 6.01 and 5.33 to 6.09, respectively, when sunflower flour increased from 0 to 20% SFF. The browning index for the crust decreased from 93.97 to 85.17 for Cys and 96.97 to 94.43 for GSH, while the whiteness index for the crumb increased from 72.41 to 73.59 for Cys and 72.77 to 71.45 for GSH. Total AGEs, vesperlysine A & B, and crossline were lower with GSH than cysteine in the crumb. Cysteine at 25, 50, and 90 ppm inhibited all fluorescent AGEs in the bagel crust by 5 – 27 % when SFF increased from 0 to 20%. Glutathione at 25 ppm and 0 % SFF inhibited all measured AGEs by 36 – 48 % and at the concentration of 90 ppm GSH and 0 and 20 % SFF, AGEs were lowered by 12 – 27 and 17 – 41 %. Fluorescent AGE inhibition may be due to Cys and GSH’s thiol group undergoing nucleophilic attack to the carbonyl groups of the reducing sugars present, forming hemithioacetals, hence scavenging of carbonyl groups, making them unavailable for further reaction to form AGEs. 0 to 10 % SFF and 25 and 90 ppm GSH significantly lowered AGE formation in bagels. This bagel food model for measuring AGEs could be applied to other baked bread products to highlight the ability of thiols to inhibit AGE formation, depending on the concentration and proximate composition of the food product. This bagel model inclusion is also essential for developing methods to inhibit AGEs in other baked bread products and potentially decrease metabolic diseases exacerbated by AGE accumulation
National Hispanic Heritage Month
No full textEach year, Americans observe Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans with Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean ancestry. Originally a week-long celebration initiated by President Johnson in 1968, it was extended to a month by President Reagan in 1988. The period of mid-September to mid-October was chosen to align with the independence days of several Latin American countries.[1] In this digital display, we highlight the contributions of significant Hispanic American figures in medicine and provide helpful resources to support the health of the Hispanic and Latinx communities. This display is part of the Leatherby Libraries\u27 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in alignment with the Chapman University Strategic Plan for Diversity & Inclusion, fostering a diverse and inclusive campus climate
Identifying the Roles of miR-17 in Ciliogenesis and Cell Cycle
Get PDFEmerging evidence suggests a significant contribution of primary cilia to cell division and proliferation. MicroRNAs, especially miR-17, contribute to cell cycle regulation and proliferation. Recent investigations have highlighted the dysregulated expression of miR-17 in various malignancies, underlining its potential role in cancer. However, the correlation between primary cilia and miR-17 has yet to be fully elucidated. The present study examines the presence of miR-17 in primary cilia. The miR-17 expression is studied in selected ciliary protein knockdown cells. Using in situ hybridization (ISH), we identified the subcellular localization of miR-17 in both cilium and cell body. We confirmed the importance of miR-17, progesterone receptor membrane component-2 (PGRMC2), and monosialodihexosylganglioside (GM3S) in cilia formation, as shown by the significant reduction in cilia and cilia length in knockdown cells compared to control. We also demonstrated the involvement of PGRMC2, GM3S, polycystin-2 (PKD2), and miR-17 in cellular proliferation and cell growth. Our studies revealed a hyperproliferative effect in the knockdown cells compared to control cells, suggesting the regulatory roles of PGRMC2/GM3S/PKD2/miR-17 in promoting cell proliferation. Overall, our studies conclude that ciliary proteins are involved in cell division and proliferation. We further hypothesize that primary cilia can serve as compartments to store and control genetic materials, further implicating their complex involvement in cellular processes
Fundamental Mechanisms of Energy Exchanges in Autonomous Measurements Based on Dispersive Qubit-Light Interaction
Get PDFMeasuring an observable which does not commute with the Hamiltonian of a quantum system usually modifies the mean energy of this system. In an autonomous measurement scheme, coupling the system to a quantum meter, the system\u27s energy change must be compensated by the meter\u27s energy change. Here, we theoretically study such an autonomous meter-system dynamics: a qubit interacting dispersively with a light pulse propagating in a one-dimensional waveguide. The phase of the light pulse is shifted, conditioned to the qubit\u27s state along the direction, while the orientation of the qubit Hamiltonian is arbitrary. As the interaction is dispersive, photon number is conserved so that energy balance has to be attained by spectral deformations of the light pulse. Building on analytical and numerical solutions, we reveal the mechanism underlying this spectral deformation and display how it compensates for the qubit\u27s energy change. We explain the formation of a three-peak structure of the output spectrum and we provide the conditions under which this is observable
Leveraging the Science of Early Life Predictability to Inform Policies Promoting Child Health
Get PDFAddressing the tremendous burden of early-life adversity requires constructive dialogues between scientists and policy makers to improve population health. Whereas dialogues focused on several aspects of early-life adversity have been initiated, discussion of an underrecognized form of adversity that has been observed across multiple contexts and cultures is only now emerging. Here we provide evidence for “why unpredictability?”, including: 1. Evidence that exposures to unpredictability affect child neurodevelopment, with influences that persist into adulthood. 2. The existence of a translational non-human animal model of exposure to early life unpredictability that can be capitalized upon to causally probe neurobiological mechanisms. 3. Evidence that patterns of signals in the early environment promote brain maturation across species. 4. The uneven distribution of unpredictability across demographic populations that illuminates a possible focal point for enhancing health equity. We then outline the potential of unpredictability in terms of the “what”; that is, how might the concept of unpredictability be leveraged to inform policy? We emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary and community partnerships to the success of this work and describe our community-engaged research project. Finally, we highlight opportunities for the science of unpredictability to inform policies in areas such as screening, immigration, criminal justice, education, childcare, child welfare, employment, healthcare and housing