Diapause in the Boll Weevil, Anthonontus grandis Boheman, As Related to Fruiting Activity in the Cotton Plant

Studies in Arkansas show that boll weevil diapause is related to changes in fruiting activity of the cotton plant. Generally, when larval development took place while fruiting levels were increasing or being held at a high level, diapause in resulting adults was low (0-20%). Diapause was approximately 20-50% when larval development coincided with decreasing fruiting levels, and was 50-100% as true cut-out approached. Regrowth cotton generally lowered diapause incidence and as fruiting levels decreased, diapause increased. Therefore, the boll weevil not only responds to short photoperiods that are characteristic during the fall in the temperate zone, but also may respond throughout the season to changes in fruiting activity of the cotton plant

Researching Stonewall Nation: Interdisciplinary Considerations for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Research

The Alpine County Project, a climactic event in the gay liberation movement when activists took steps to create a self-governing separatist community in a remote region of rural California, is a largely forgotten topic of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) history. Though historical scholarship treated the project marginally within broader conceptual or regional contexts of gay liberation, the project had not been examined comprehensively in its own right. When approaching the topic, the initial historical problem to resolve was determining whether the project was a hoax staged to generate publicity or part of a genuine gay and lesbian separatist movement. Topical study consisted of archival research and an extensive literature review. The literature review included but was not limited to such seminal works as Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States 1940-1970 by John D’Emilio, and Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S.A. by Jonathan Katz, as well as more recent interdisciplinary works such as Scott Herring’s, Another Country: Queer Anti-Urbanism and Jamie Russell’s, Queer Burroughs. Research indicated that: 1) The present LGBT historical narrative of a linear march from oppression toward equality is largely an urban capitalist construct and 2) The present LGBT historiography which is focused mostly on urban LGBT population centers is incomplete because non-urban segments are not included. The study revealed that the Alpine vision was genuine and not a well conspired hoax. Of greater significance, the study demonstrated that the LGBT historical narrative marginalizes gay liberation’s radicalism, all but excludes the separatist movement, and does not adequately examine the differences that existed between opposing factions within the movement. Further interdisciplinary examination of these neglected areas will contribute to a more complete understanding of the history of the LGBT people and their experiences

The puzzle of debutant INGO participation in Guatemala’s National Reading Program Leamos Juntos: A comparative and multi-sited case study

The dynamics of nongovernmental organizations (NGO) working in Guatemala can be understood as processual, evolving with and being shaped by social and cultural events in Guatemala and around the world. Central to understanding these dynamics is NGOs’ historical relationship to the State, which has ranged from collaborative to homicidal. However, as the number and activity of NGOs increase globally and in Guatemala, specifically within the education sector, some scholars characterize them less by their opposition to the State and more by their provision of education and myriad affiliations with the State. The purpose of this dissertation is to situate and then analyze debutant INGO participation in a State-sponsored education program. This dissertation presents and then draws upon the conceptualization of NGOtenango in Guatemala, specifically exploring debutant INGO participation in the national reading program, a multi-stakeholder partnership for education (MSPE) called Leamos Juntos (Let’s Read Together). Then, this dissertation investigates factors that support and/or hinder debutant INGO participation along with strategies for increasing supportive factors and decreasing barriers to INGO participation. I employ a comparative and multi-sited case study approach with a focus on three debutant INGOs and three different public education departments in Guatemala. This case study suggests that there are specific supportive factors and barriers to debutant INGO participation in Leamos Juntos. The conclusions lay out a series of supportive factors and barriers for debutant INGO participation in Leamos Juntos along with strategies to reduce barriers and increase supportive factors. The findings highlight and show how different factors—specific to the INGOs, departments, schools, the Leamos Juntos program itself, existing challenges in the education system, and the phenomenon of NGOtenango—affect how participation takes shape. Furthermore, the ways in which debutant INGOs appropriate policy can affect how local schools engage in that policy. The findings also show how public education staff and INGO staff view participation and collaboration differently and, at times, at odds with each other. This case study provides granular detail of how debutant INGOs and public education staff navigate decision-making around INGO participation in Guatemala and provides guidance for practice and policy

Beyond PRONADE: NGOs and the Formal Education Sector in Guatemala

In Guatemala, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is overburdened with challenges;these include the most basic provision of services and support for public schools across the country. In the absence of a capable state presence, countless nongovernmental organizations (NGO) have sprung up to provide, sustain and/or take over basic education services. These NGOs come in all shapes and sizes, with different motivations, from different countries and receiving funding from a variety of national and international sources. The combination of rapidly increasing numbers of NGOs along with minimal state coordination means that the Ministry is unaware of the number of NGOs operating in the education sector, much less what they are doing, where they are and the capabilities that they bring to the sector. Recent estimates place the number of NGOs in Guatemala upwards of 10,000 with no definitive number to be determined in the near future. The National Program for Self-Managed Schools for Educational Development (PRONADE) from 1994 – 2007 was the first large-scale initiative to include NGOs in the provision of public education. The participating NGOs delivered technical services such as pedagogical training and financial reporting. However, more recently, there have been an increase in smaller foreign and national NGOs that are interacting with the education sector in new ways. This study interviews six of these smaller NGOs along with four different policymakers working at the national level to inquire about their views on NGOs working in the education sector. This study finds that the participant NGOs are involved in a complex set of interactions with the formal education sector primarily at the local level. This includes active and dependent partnerships at the local and ministerial levels and the supplementation and replacement of public services. Despite all of this NGO activity,there is a dearth of information on NGOs working in the formal education sector in Guatemala. And finally, both policymakers and NGOs expressed their interest in future NGO-MoE partnerships although each envisions such partnerships differently

Gay Outlaws: The Alpine County Project Reconsidered

Controversial from the beginning, the Alpine County project (1969-1971), a genuine, albeit unsuccessful, effort put forth by gay radicals to establish a self-governing separatist community in rural California, is a grossly misunderstood event in United States history. Contemporary historical interpretations hold that the project was primarily either a well-conspired hoax devised by Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front (LA-GLF) to attract mainstream media coverage of Gay Liberation, or a misguided effort toward systemic reform. However, evidence indicates that, for gay separatists who supported it, the project was an effort to achieve collective self-determination by creating a geographic haven for a budding gay counterculture. Differing from other historical scholarship that has treated the Alpine project within broader conceptual or regional contexts, this study examined the project from the perspective of the gay separatists who initiated or influenced the endeavor. The overall historical problem to resolve was whether the project was a hoax, tactic to achieve systemic reform, or part of a genuine effort toward gay separatism. Methodology consisted primarily of archival research and an extensive literature review. Research revealed that the Alpine project was a manifestation of gay cultural nationalism and movement toward greater self-determination. This thesis contributes toward a more complete understanding of the history of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people and their experiences by offering explanations of how the Alpine project came to be marginalized in the contemporary LGBT historical narrative. This thesis also provides a greater understanding of gay separatism, which to date has not attracted a significant amount of scholarship

Being Private in Public : Claudia Rankine and John Lucas’s “Situation” Videos

The talk was part of the faculty words Words & Process Workshop, organized by Minou Arjomand, David Kornhaber, Gretchen Murphy and Hannah C. Wojciehowski. Chad Bennett, an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin, gave a fascinating presentation on John Lucas and Claudia Rankine’s “Situation” videos as part of a series of workshops organized by the English department faculty. Bennett has published numerous articles on the intersections of poetry and queer theory, an..

Concert recording 2016-04-09c

[Track 01]. Into the air / Ivan Trevino -- [Track 02]. Preludes. II ; [Track 03]. III ; [Track 04]. I / Michael Burritt -- [Track 05]. Arabesque no. 2 / Claude Debussy ; arranged by Caleb Evans -- [Track 06]. Somewhere over the rainbow / Harold Arlen ; arranged by Max Seide Leth -- [Track 07]. Pure imagination / Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newly ; arranged by Alex Stopa -- [Track 08]. Claire de lune / Claude Debussy ; arranged by Nick Baron -- [Track 09]. Trio per uno. II ; [Track 10]. I / Nebosja Zivkovic

Setting the scene: ePortfolios for students in agriculture/agribusiness disciplines

ePortfolios are a collection of digital evidence demonstrating learning over time, and are a high-impact practice for students that can be curated for specific audiences. In multidisciplinary programs, such as agriculture/agribusiness, students often have nuanced learning journeys and graduate with a range of skills and work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences. It can be difficult for both students and potential employers to recognize the depth and breadth of the students’ individual learning journey, and the skills that they possess. Integrating ePortfolios into an agriculture/agribusiness program has the potential to improve outcomes for student, institution and employer by providing an innovative solution to this tension. It can encourage students to develop technological and reflective skills, as well as highlight their specific WIL experiences, knowledge and understanding. However, while ePortfolios can be a powerful tool, there are challenges to successful implementation. These are addressed via a series of research-driven recommendations