Critical Perspectives on Undergraduate Black Women

This project is one of reclamation, an attempt to explore and name Black undergraduate women’s experiences in higher education scholarship. As a Black queer trans person, Audre Lorde knew all too well the ways in which society defined Black women and the dangers associated with the confinement embedded in those definitions. Today, there are many fantasies about Black women in higher education that must be critically interrogated and examined to illuminate the complexities of our experiences across the higher education landscape. This project is one effort devoted to the interruption of epistemic violence enacted to silence, marginalize, and dehumanize Black women, particularly at the undergraduate level. Scholars and practitioners know little about the experiences of Black undergraduate women, and what is presumed to be known has in large part been constructed outside Black women’s communities, devoid of a critical lens, and treated as insignificant

Seasonal facilitative and competitive trade‐offs between shrub seedlings and coastal grasses

Shrub expansion is occurring in grasslands globally and may be impacted by the balance of competition and facilitation with existing grasses. Along the mid‐Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the native shrub Morella cerifera (wax myrtle) is rapidly expanding and displacing other native coastal species. Recent research suggests that much of this expansion is due to warming winter temperatures, as temperatures below −15°C kill M. cerifera. The objective of this project was to understand the importance of species interactions with grasses on the growth and physiology of M. cerifera at the seedling life stage through both field and laboratory experiments. In the field, grasses were removed around seedlings and microclimate and shrub physiology and growth were measured. Seeds and seedlings were experimentally frozen to measure the freeze tolerance at both life stages. We found that grasses provided ~1.3°C insulation to shrubs during winter. A freezing threshold for M. cerifera seedlings was experimentally found between −6°C and −11°C, but seeds remained viable after being frozen to the coldest ecologically relevant temperatures. Seedlings competed for light with grasses during warm months and grew more where grasses were clipped, revealing a trade‐off between winter insulation and summer light competition. Morella cerifera exhibits ecosystem engineering at the seedling stage by significantly reducing summer maximum temperatures. When seedlings are very young (less than one year), grasses appear to improve germination and seedling survival. These phenomena enable rapid expansion of M. cerifera across the landscape and likely inform shrub expansion mechanisms in other systems. Although seedlings are small and relatively vulnerable, this life stage appears to have significant implications for ecosystem trajectory in grasslands undergoing shrub encroachment

Ciproxifan, an H~3~ Receptor Antagonist, Improves Learning and Memory in the APP Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Mice that express the mutant form of the human amyloid precursor gene associated with early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease demonstrate memory deficits and amyloid plaques. We show here that ciproxifan, a prototypical antagonist of H~3~-type histamine receptors, alleviates two types of learning and memory impairments in such mice. These data support the idea that modulation of H~3~ receptors represents a viable therapeutic strategy in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Pengembangan Media Video Animasi Anti Kekrasan Verbal dalam Layanan Informasi di SMPN 1 Srengat

Tindak kekerasan pada siswa di sekolah juga dikenal sebagai tindak kekerasan atau penindasan yang disebut bullying.  Banyak terjadi tindak kekerasan verbal yang sering dilakukan oleh siswa SMP tapi tidak mereka sadari jika tindakan tersebut termasuk perilaku menyimpang. Berdasarkan hasil wawancara yang dilakukan dengan guru BK di SMPN 1 Srengat mengatakan bahwa ada enam  siswa disekolah telah mengalami bullying secara verbal. Pelaku kekerasan verbal tidak lain adalah teman sebaya disekolah. Upaya yang diberikan guru BK adalah adalah pemberian layanan informasi tentang kekerasan verbal dengan metode ceramah, tetapi masih banyak siswa yang tidak memahami dan malas mendengarkan. Minimnya pemahaman tentang kekerasan verbal menyebabkan pelaku bullying tidak menyadari jika perbuatanya merugikan orang lain. Oleh karena itu, dibutuhkan sebuah media yang lebih menarik yang dapat digunakan sebagai layanan informasi.        Penelitian ini menggunakan video animasi anti kekerasan verbal sebagai media. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menghasilkan suatu produk berupa media video animasi yang lebih menarik agar siswa lebih tertarik untuk memperhatikan dalam pelaksanaan layanan informasi.Media tersebut dikembangkan dengan memenuhi criteria akseptabilitas (kegunaan, kelayakan, kepatutan, danketepatan). Selain itu, terdapat buku panduan sebagai acuan penggunaan media untuk konselor. Dalam proses pengembangannya, pengembang menggunakan model pengembangan Borg and Galls (1983) yang telah disederhanakan menjadi lima tahap oleh tim Puslitjaknov sebagai acuan. Terdapat tiga tahap yang dilaksanakan dalam penelitian ini, yaitu analisis produk yang akan dikembangkan, mengembangkan produk awal, validasi ahli dan revisi. Analisis data yang digunakan untuk mengolah data hasil validasi dari ahli materi, ahli media, dan ahli lapangan adalah presentase. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah angket untuk mengetahui kelayakan media video animasi anti kekerasan verbal yang memenuhi kriteria akseptabilitas. Dari hasil uji coba dengan ahli materi diperoleh rerata presentase sebesar 87,9%, hasil ahli media diperoleh 84,8%, danhasil uji coba dengan ahli lapangan diperoleh rerata 90,1%. Selanjutnya rata-rata dari semua presentase hasil validasi adalah 87,6%. Setelah mendapatkan data tersebut dihasilkan pula data kualitatif berupa saran atau masukan untuk perbaikan produk. Berdasarkan hasil penilaian tersebut,media video animasi anti kekerasan verbal telah memenuhi kriteria akseptabilitas dengan predikat sangat baik dan dapat digunakan oleh konselor dalam memberikan layanan informasi di sekolah. Kata Kunci: Pengembangan,  Media, Kekerasan Verbal, Video Animas

Kajian Aspek Interior Ruang Belajar dan Bermain pada Taman Kanak-kanak di Surakarta

One of the methods to increase the qualitiy of human resources is to improve education. As a formal pre-school education center, a kingergarden can contribute in building a strong foundation in a child's development in terms of character, behaviour, knowledge, skill and creativity. Accomodating the activities and designing the facilities in the learning spaces are thus important factors to consider. The objective of this research is thus to investigate whether the interior design of the kindergardens in Surakarta have been designed to accommodate the learning activities effectively. TK Negeri Pembina Kecamatan Banjarsari and TK Kristen Kalam Kudus Surakarta have been chosen as case studies as they are the largest public and private schools repsectively. The research findings conveyed that the preschools in Surakarta have considered the learning aims adopted from the Deparment of National Education along with additional curriculums adapted by the schools' foundations when desigining the interior of the learning and playing spaces

Imprisoned by Sex, Spirit, and Speech: Complicating Diasporic Negritude

This dissertation seeks to complicate racial performance by suggesting that writers of the diaspora are actually using geographical, historical, and cultural touchpoints to create a sense of identity and belonging. Through analysis of African diasporic fictional characters that lie outside of classic black archetypes--I seek to seal the rift between these “outsiders” and the greater black community through their journeys in the texts. While my focus is on three points of contention within the black community--spirituality, sexuality, and speech--I suggest that the conscious movement to black Southern spaces allows RCBs agency to reconcile with their communities

An Erratic Performance: Constructing Racial Identity and James Baldwin

This thesis analyzes James Baldwin\u27s essays as a method for understanding racial identity and authenticity. By using Vetta Sanders-Thompson\u27s racial identification parameters, I suggest that Baldwin\u27s struggle with his identity as a black American is crucial to deposing the idea of a monolithic black experience, which opens up new ways of analyzing African American literature