The effects of family size on the development of delinquency

This proposed study used a pre-existing data set, which is a longitudinal study of children born between 1959 to 1962. The sample consists of 987 high risk black children whose mothers were participating in the Collaborative Perinatal Project at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. Findings demonstrate that family size is more important in predicting delinquency than previously thought

Short Little Pencils

A non-fiction account of a juvenile delinquent\u27s harrowing journey through the walls of the child welfare system. This article discusses the trans formative power of writing and the act of creativity as a tool for healing trauma

Differences in conceptions of variables among students with typical achievement, low achievement and mathematics learning disabilities

Dissertation supervisor: Dr. Barbara J. Dougherty.Includes vita.This study investigated the differences in conceptions of variable among the groups of students identified as having a mathematics learning disability (MLD), other low mathematics achievement (LMA) students and typical mathematics achievement (TMA) students. This was done by analyzing the responses of these students on items involving the comparison of expressions involving generalized quantities. The theoretical framework for this study was based upon the learning trajectory (LT) of the levels of sophistication of students' conceptions of variable. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. Results from the data analysis revealed little evidence of differences between MLD and LMA students. Differences between all students with mathematics difficulties (MD), including MLD and LMA students, and their TMA peers were primarily limited to items with higher procedural or operational complexity. The lack of significant differences between the MD and TMA students on other items suggests that most students' conceptions of variables are at a low level of sophistication. Furthermore, that students characterized by low-achievement and typical-achievement labels can have similarly low-levels of sophistication of conceptions of variables suggests that not only do the current measures of achievement provide an incomplete picture of students' understandings of algebra, but they also disproportionately disadvantage those labeled as low-achieving.Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-169)

The dissociation energy of N2

The requirements for very accurate ab initio quantum chemical prediction of dissociation energies are examined using a detailed investigation of the nitrogen molecule. Although agreement with experiment to within 1 kcal/mol is not achieved even with the most elaborate multireference CI (configuration interaction) wave functions and largest basis sets currently feasible, it is possible to obtain agreement to within about 2 kcal/mol, or 1 percent of the dissociation energy. At this level it is necessary to account for core-valence correlation effects and to include up to h-type functions in the basis. The effect of i-type functions, the use of different reference configuration spaces, and basis set superposition error were also investigated. After discussing these results, the remaining sources of error in our best calculations are examined

THE EFFECTS OF STONE FRUIT EXTRACT ON THE PROCESS OF PLATELET AGGREGATION IN VITRO

This project attempts to examine the impact stone fruits can have on the clotting of blood in the human body. Plum rich anthocyanin extract (RAE) was added in different concentrations (1-25ug/ml) to rabbit platelets suspended in Tyrode’s buffer and mixed in microplate wells. Platelet aggregation was then induced by 5 uM ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate), and the percent of transmittance was measured by a microplate reader. A change in aggregation of over 10% was recorded. The results suggest that the extract inhibits the aggregation caused by ADP. This would also lead one to believe that there are compounds in stone fruits that could lower the chances of cardiovascular disease by limiting aggregation and subsequently inflammation in arterial walls

Salivarian trypanosomosis : a review of parasites involved, their global distribution and their interaction with the innate and adaptive mammalian host immune system

Salivarian trypanosomes are single cell extracellular parasites that cause infections in a wide range of hosts. Most pathogenic infections worldwide are caused by one of four major species of trypanosomes including (i) Trypanosoma brucei and the human infective subspecies T. b. gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense, (ii) Trypanosoma evansi and T. equiperdum, (iii) Trypanosoma congolense and (iv) Trypanosoma vivax. Infections with these parasites are marked by excessive immune dysfunction and immunopathology, both related to prolonged inflammatory host immune responses. Here we review the classification and global distribution of these parasites, highlight the adaptation of human infective trypanosomes that allow them to survive innate defense molecules unique to man, gorilla, and baboon serum and refer to the discovery of sexual reproduction of trypanosomes in the tsetse vector. With respect to the immunology of mammalian host-parasite interactions, the review highlights recent findings with respect to the B cell destruction capacity of trypanosomes and the role of T cells in the governance of infection control. Understanding infection-associated dysfunction and regulation of both these immune compartments is crucial to explain the continued failures of anti-trypanosome vaccine developments as well as the lack of any field-applicable vaccine based anti-trypanosomosis intervention strategy. Finally, the link between infection-associated inflammation and trypanosomosis induced anemia is covered in the context of both livestock and human infections

SeeGH – A software tool for visualization of whole genome array comparative genomic hybridization data

BACKGROUND: Array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is a technique which detects copy number differences in DNA segments. Complete sequencing of the human genome and the development of an array representing a tiling set of tens of thousands of DNA segments spanning the entire human genome has made high resolution copy number analysis throughout the genome possible. Since array CGH provides signal ratio for each DNA segment, visualization would require the reassembly of individual data points into chromosome profiles. RESULTS: We have developed a visualization tool for displaying whole genome array CGH data in the context of chromosomal location. SeeGH is an application that translates spot signal ratio data from array CGH experiments to displays of high resolution chromosome profiles. Data is imported from a simple tab delimited text file obtained from standard microarray image analysis software. SeeGH processes the signal ratio data and graphically displays it in a conventional CGH karyotype diagram with the added features of magnification and DNA segment annotation. In this process, SeeGH imports the data into a database, calculates the average ratio and standard deviation for each replicate spot, and links them to chromosome regions for graphical display. Once the data is displayed, users have the option of hiding or flagging DNA segments based on user defined criteria, and retrieve annotation information such as clone name, NCBI sequence accession number, ratio, base pair position on the chromosome, and standard deviation. CONCLUSIONS: SeeGH represents a novel software tool used to view and analyze array CGH data. The software gives users the ability to view the data in an overall genomic view as well as magnify specific chromosomal regions facilitating the precise localization of genetic alterations. SeeGH is easily installed and runs on Microsoft Windows 2000 or later environments

The effect of cognitive load on faking interrogative suggestibility on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale

In the light of recent studies into the impact of cognitive load on detecting deception, the impact of cognitive load on faking on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) was investigated. Eighty undergraduate students participated in the study, and were randomly assigned to one of four conditions resulting from a combination of the factors: instruction type (genuine or instructed faking, see Hansen, Smeets, & Jelicic, 2009) and concurrent task (yes or no). Findings show that instructed fakers, not performing a concurrent task, score significantly higher on yield 1 in comparison to genuine interviewees. This is in line with previous studies into faking on the GSS. However, instructed fakers, performing a concurrent task, achieved significantly lower yield 1 scores than instructed fakers not performing a concurrent task. Genuine (non fakers) showed a different response to increased cognitive load during the dual-task paradigm. This study suggests that increasing cognitive load may potentially indicate (and preclude) faking attempts on the yield dimension of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale