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Shades of Stress: Colorism as Minority Stress for Women of Color
No full textWomen of color often endure indignities shaped by colorism and skin tone discrimination, pressuring them to adhere to racialized beauty ideals (i.e., lighter skin). In response, some women of color may internalize these standards (i.e., through internalized coping and racial self-hatred) which can foster psychological distress. Yet, these associations remain underexplored. Using minority stress theory, in our cross-sectional study we collected online survey data to examine whether internalization and racial self-hatred explained the indirect link between colorist microaggressions and psychological distress among 121 women of color at a Midwestern US historically white institution. Using path analysis, we found support for our hypothesized model. Darker skin complexion was positively associated with greater exposure to colorist microaggressions; experiences with colorist microaggressions were positively related to racial self-hatred and internalization, which in turn were associated with psychological distress. Furthermore, skin tone was indirectly associated with psychological distress through exposure to colorist microaggressions, racial self-hatred, and internalization. Our model demonstrated good fit, indicating that among women of color with darker skin tones, exposure to colorist microaggressions was associated with greater racial self-hatred and increased use of internalization to cope with discrimination, which in turn was indirectly related to heightened psychological distress. Increased attention to societal colorism is necessary to curate strategies, policies, and programs that affirm racial identity and skin tone for women of color
Coloring Outside the Lines: Antiracist Aesthetics in the Detective Novels of Chester Himes
No full textIn a series of detective novels published between 1957 and 1969 Chester Himes portrayed diverse individuals struggling for survival, wealth, and status in a fictionalized postwar Harlem, combining what Richard Wright called a “bio-social” perspective with an antiracist aesthetics that falsified simplistic racial categories. In this essay, I trace Himes’s renderings of bodily difference and transformation, highlighting features neglected by contemporaries such as Ellison and Baldwin as well as more recent critics and readers who frame Himes’s writings as protests against anti-Black violence. I conclude that Himes’s Harlem novels did not simply reflect violent realities of African American lives but instead exhibited unresolved conflicts between antiracist imperatives, namely a recognition of individual complexities on the one hand, and organized struggle against racially discriminatory institutions and practices on the other
The State of Funding for Curriculum Materials Centers and Collections
Full text linkUsing Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, researchers analyzed whether there was a correlation between education student enrollment and curriculum materials center/collection (CMC) budget across eighty universities in the United States. Findings indicate that there is a positive correlation between those variables, although the relationship is weak. Universities with large education programs tend to have better-funded CMCs; however, variability across institutions is still significant. Findings suggest that many university CMCs may be comparatively underfunded based on student enrollment in education and historical trends
A Probabilistic Modeling Analysis of the Longitudinal Immune Response to Infection and Vaccination Across Demographic Groups and Pulmonary Symptoms
No full textAntibody and cytokine kinetics describe the dynamic response to immune events such as infection and vaccination. These dynamics are not fully understood, and mathematical characterization may help explain variability across demographic groups and pulmonary symptoms post-acute infection. We fit time-dependent probability models to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) data to obtain distributions of longitudinal antibody response and cytokine values. To assess differences between groups, an overlap metric is applied to the modeled response curves. Our antibody models suggest significant differences between male and female populations and demonstrate deficient antibody responses of less-healthy groups such as smokers. Our cytokine models suggest that those with pulmonary symptoms post-acute infection have elevated responses over time. Further, we find that the cytokine response increases and then decays more rapidly than the antibody response. These results are consistent with clinical observations
Linking Women’s Empowerment and Community Contexts To Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Ten West African Countries
No full textAbstract Purpose Intimate partner violence (IPV) is experienced by over one-third of women in sub-Saharan Africa, yet evidence on the associations between women’s empowerment, community contexts, and IPV risk remains limited and inconsistent. This study examines the association between individual empowerment and community socioeconomic conditions and different forms of IPV across West Africa, using the Survey-based Women’s Empowerment Index. Method Demographic and Health Survey data (2018–2022) from ten West African countries were pooled, yielding a sample of 38,434 ever-married or cohabiting women who completed the domestic violence module. Multilevel binary logistic regression models estimated associations between empowerment dimensions, community characteristics, and physical, emotional, and sexual violence. Results IPV prevalence varied markedly by country, ranging from 9% in Senegal to 38% in Sierra Leone. Emotional violence was most common (25.9%), followed by physical (14.6%) and sexual violence (4.9%). Three distinct risk profiles emerged: emotional violence exhibited higher risk in highly educated communities, reflecting notable community-level associations; physical violence was primarily household-driven, with partner controlling behavior as the strongest predictor (OR=4.66); and sexual violence was dominated by relationship control dynamics (OR=5.80) despite high community-level clustering. Across all violence types, high empowerment attitudes were protective after adjusting for confounders, while wealth gradients consistently reduced risk. Conclusions These findings reveal that IPV operates through distinct pathways depending on violence type, challenging one-size-fits-all prevention approaches. Effective IPV prevention in West Africa requires tailored interventions: communitylevel norm change for emotional violence, household-focused approaches for physical violence, and intensive relationship interventions for sexual violence, while simultaneously strengthening women’s empowerment and transforming harmful gender norms
Beauty of Protein
No full textWe are unable to see protein with our physical eyes, but there\u27s a way we can. Bio-Rad reagents are how I have been able to see protein in my research. When this reagent is added to proteins, a variety of colors is seen based on the concentration. The absorbance of these colorful solutions has been taken during my research and plotted on a graph. Since absorbance is directly proportional to concentration, a graphical representation is taken. There is also a direct correlation to concentration and intensity of color we see of the solution. The more concentration of protein in a solution means the higher intensity of color is seen. Even when you do not know the exact concentration of protein in solution, you can get a rough estimate based on your standard protein array you have. This is seen with the top tubes of unknown concentration.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ior2026/1008/thumbnail.jp
Living Consciousness: From Hum to Harmony
No full textMy research in philosophy examines the mind–body problem and how consciousness fits within a physical world. Drawing on panpsychism, dual-aspect theory, and process philosophy, I argue that consciousness is intrinsic to matter and expressed differently through structure, much like a single note that becomes a full orchestration as it moves through different instruments. This painting visualizes that idea. The central brain, inspired by research on mycorrhizal communication in “mother trees,” channels liquid gold representing consciousness. Its roots become musicians whose music symbolizes the modulation of consciousness from simple to complex forms. Their melodies infuse into the surrounding world: sea turtles riding an ocean current, blooming plants, cosmic elements, and gems below that echo the “low hum” of consciousness in its simplest expression. The image portrays nature and mind as mutually entangled processes within a conscious cosmos. Mediums: acrylic paint and liquid gold leaf on 16×20 paper, and consciousness itself.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ior2026/1006/thumbnail.jp
A Speaker\u27s Appeal
No full textMy research is studying listener evaluation of a speaker based on the speaker’s dialect. I hypothesize that listeners will have negative evaluations of speakers with unfamiliar dialects and that women will receive more strongly negative evaluations than men. The research has implications for anti-discrimination policy and AI development and will include New England, Southern White, Midland, and Western dialects with special attention being given to uncovering covert listener bias. The two masked listeners on either side of the female speaker in my image have stoic faces, representing how covert bias is not obvious on the outside; their “real” emotions are on the paper faces they hold. Behind the speaker is a man, arm aloft and thumb to the side waiting to deliver judgment; this illustrates the power others hold over speakers when they discriminate for or against them.
Photo Credit: Used with permission from Emmanuel Owusu.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ior2026/1012/thumbnail.jp
Inside a Plant Hair
No full textTrichomes are tiny hair-like structures on plant surfaces that protect the plants from insects, ultraviolet radiation, and water loss. Inside the trichome cell, there are fine, tube-like filaments called microtubules and a circular central structure, the nucleus, which is enclosed by a double-membrane protective layer called the nuclear envelope. Microtubules act as scaffolds for cells by guiding how the cell grows and differentiates. Microtubules support the nucleus in maintaining its shape during the growth and development of the trichome. Studying how microtubules and the nuclear envelope interact in the trichome branching process helps me understand plant cell shape regulation, cell division, and how to improve plant protection and growth.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ior2026/1011/thumbnail.jp
Cell Traffic Control
No full textProteins are shipped throughout the cell along defined trafficking routes using membrane packets called vesicles. Trafficking is essential to cell function, as incorrect trafficking can lead to disease. Here in Edwards lab, we are investigating a Drosophila phosphate transporter protein called PXo, whose human version underlies specific types of cancer and neurodegeneration. Our novel version of this protein has been fluorescently tagged allowing us to view its trafficking route within the cell using confocal microscopy. PXo is typically trafficked along a defined route; however, we noted that our tagged version follows an alternative route. Here we show that tagged PXo (Red) is trafficked to the membrane where it is then brought back into the cell in vesicles called endosomes (Green), with the nucleus (Blue) shown for reference. This research can provide valuable insight into the mechanisms of these trafficking routes and their effect on disease.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ior2026/1001/thumbnail.jp