Exploring anti-gang advertising: Focus group discussions with gang members and at-risk youth

The use of advertising to discourage gang membership is a issue that has been heavily debated, but the controversy has continually overlooked the children for whom the ads are intended to help. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the use of anti-gang advertising by seeking the opinions of young people living in a gang environment. The results of this study provide a detailed account of discussions about anti-gang messages generated from focus groups with gang members and at-risk youth and suggest two main contributions that anti-gang advertising can make to larger gang reform efforts. In addition, the conclusions offer insight into how gang members and at-risk youth perceive themselves and their environment and how others can effectively communicate with them

A research alliance

This article explores a research alliance across fields and continents in the wake of the early and controversial HIV-prevention clinical trials of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Our research set out to understand why three trial arms prematurely closed while another was refused approval from the relevant institutional review board. We conducted ethnographic research on ‘what happened’ at two of the sites. Over time our research strategy cohered around unearthing and exploring rapidly disappearing knowledge. We analyze insider/outsider politics, the power of global public-private partnerships, and the forms of scientific knowledge (located in African countries) that get left behind in the process

An Analysis of Large-Scale Writing Assessments in Canada (Grades 5-8)

This paper reports on an analysis of large-scale assessments of Grades 5-8 students’ writing across 10 provinces and 2 territories in Canada. Theory, classroom practice, and the contributions and constraints of large-scale writing assessment are brought together with a focus on Grades 5-8 writing in order to provide both a broad view of Canada-wide assessments and specific recommendations for enhancing the validity of provincial and territorial writing assessment in Canada. We deductively analyzed the primary assessment administration documents found on the provincial and territorial education websites using the categories of (a) design (e.g., grades at which the tests are written, the goals of the tests, the number and types of written compositions that are gathered, (b) administration (e.g., time of year, length of time provided to students to write, and pre-writing activities), and (c) the scoring of the assessments. We also used tenets of effective writing assessment from a process writing approach and from a multiliteracies approach to analyze the assessment procedures. Our analysis shows that process writing approaches have influenced the administration procedures in terms of the provision of time to talk with peers before writing and the recognition of various composition and thinking processes. However, composing processes are directed to be less idiosyncratic and recursive than composition theorists and noted teachers of writing would recommend. The assessments do not yet reflect an awareness of multiliteracies theory, as there is little use of digital technology to write and portfolio assessments and the collaborative writing of Web 2.0 practices are non-existent.   Cet article fait état d’une analyse d’évaluations à grande échelle de rédactions d’élèves de la 5e à la 8e année dans 10 provinces et 2 territoires au Canada. Se penchant sur les rédactions écrites par des élèves de la 5e à la 8e année, nous réunissons la théorie, la pratique en salle de classe et les avantages et les contraintes liés aux évaluations à grande échelle pour élaborer un aperçu général des évaluations pancanadiennes et des recommandations spécifiques visant l’augmentation de la validité des évaluations de l’écriture dans les provinces et les territoires du Canada. Nous avons analysé par déduction les documents administratifs de l’évaluation principale tirés des sites Web d’éducation des provinces et des territoires. Notre analyse reposait sur les trois catégories suivantes : (a) conception (p. ex. niveau scolaire auquel on écrit les examens, objectifs des examens, nombre et type de rédactions exigées), (b) administration (p.ex. période de l’année, temps de rédaction accordée aux élèves, activités de pré-écriture et (c) évaluation des examens. Nous nous sommes également appuyés sur les principes de l’évaluation efficace des rédactions selon une approche processus et une approche axée sur la multilittératie pour analyser les procédures d’évaluation. Notre analyse démontre que les approches processus à l’écriture ont influencé les procédures administratives quant au temps accordé à la discussion avec les pairs avant l’écriture et quant à la reconnaissance de divers processus de rédaction et de réflexion. Toutefois, les processus d’écriture imposés sont moins idiosyncratiques et récursifs que des théoriciens de l’écriture et des enseignants éminents de la rédaction recommanderaient. Les évaluations ne reflètent pas encore une prise de conscience de la théorie de la multilittératie, l’emploi de la technologie numérique pour écrire étant très limité, et les évaluations de portfolios et l’écriture coopérative qui découle des pratiques de Web 2.0 étant inexistantes

Masculinity Threat and Attitudes Toward Gay Men: A Replication

This study aims to replicate and reaffirm Peter Glick et al. (2007) in their research finding that when men’s masculinity is threated, they have an increased negative affect towards gay men; more specifically feminine gay men. It also aims to see how whether or not being involved in Greek life increases negative affect towards gay men as well. All participants first answered questions regarding demographics, and then answered 30 questions of the BEM Sex Role Inventory Test. After completing this, they received bogus feedback; either they had a feminine personality, or they had a masculine personality. Afterwards, all participants then answered 20 questions relating to attitudes of three different descriptions of men: one masculine gay man (MGM), one effeminate gay man (EGM), and one average heterosexual man (AHM). After analyzing 57 participants’ data using a repeated measures ANOVA with a between-subjects factor, there was no main effect for feedback, and no interaction, but there was a significant main effect for target description. Regardless of masculinity threat, it was found that both gay male descriptions were rated lower in favorability/likeability, with the feminine gay man description rated lowest, followed by the masculine gay man, and then the average heterosexual man rated highest. However there were not enough participants who said they were involved in Greek life so there not could be an analysis done on whether it further increased negative affect or not. Course: Psychology 304 – Advanced Research Methodshttps://commons.und.edu/es-showcase/1014/thumbnail.jp

Ebola vaccine development plan: ethics, concerns and proposed measures.

BACKGROUND: The global interest in developing therapies for Ebola infection management and its prevention is laudable. However the plan to conduct an emergency immunization program specifically for healthcare workers using experimental vaccines raises some ethical concerns. This paper shares perspectives on these concerns and suggests how some of them may best be addressed. DISCUSSION: The recruitment of healthcare workers for Ebola vaccine research has challenges. It could result in coercion of initially dissenting healthcare workers to assist in the management of EVD infected persons due to mistaken beliefs that the vaccine offers protection. It could also affect equity and justice. For example, where people who are not skilled health care professionals but who provide care to patients infected with Ebola (such as in home care settings) are not prioritized for vaccination. The possibility of study participants contracting Ebola infection despite the use of experimental vaccine, and the standard of care they would receive, needs to be addressed clearly, transparently and formalized as part of the ethics review process. Future access to study products in view of current status of the TRIPS agreement needs to be addressed. Finally, broad stakeholder engagement at local, regional and international levels needs to be promoted using available communication channels to engage local, regional and international support. These same concerns are applicable for current and future epidemics. Successful Ebola vaccine development research requires concerted efforts at public dialogue to address misconceptions, equity and justice in participant selection, and honest discussions about risks, benefits and future access. Public dialogue about Ebola vaccine research plans is crucial and should be conducted by trusted locals and negotiated between communities, researchers and ethics committees in research study sites

Attitudes & Roles Regarding Firearm Access and Suicide Prevention in Vermont Middle & High Schools

Adolescent suicide is a serious public health concern in Vermont, and the presence of firearms in the home is a known risk factor. Suicide attempts with firearms are more likely to be completed than attempts with other means, with an 85% mortality rate of suicide with firearms compared to 5% with other means. This project aimed to assess attitudes, comfort, and perceived roles among school personnel in addressing gun safety and access to firearms with Vermont students and parents.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1298/thumbnail.jp

Post a Comment Below: Aesthetics and Authenticity in the YouTube Hijabi Community

Islam has become one of the fastest growing religions in the U.S., particularly among young white women. As these women have turned to online media for information about Islam, a burgeoning community has emerged, specifically on YouTube. This study analyzes elements of this community: the aesthetics of the videos, the women who are creating the videos, the narratives within the videos, and the interactions that occur in the comment sections. These videos are about more than just sharing a conversion narrative, but also the women in the videos are able to embody Islamic material forms and to visually represent themselves as Muslim. The viewers can post comments that reinforce this Islamic identity. While the religious subject is still constituted through material forms and discourse, the affordances of the YouTube medium, particularly the aesthetic style and authentic interactions, allow for the video-maker to represent herself as a Muslim

Cophylogeny and Biogeography of the Fungal Parasite Cyttaria and Its Host Nothofagus, Southern Beech

The obligate, biotrophic association among species of the fungal genus Cyttaria and their hosts in the plant genus Nothofagus often is cited as a classic example of cophylogeny and is one of the few cases in which the biogeography of a fungus is commonly mentioned or included in biogeographic analyses. In this study molecular and morphological data are used to examine hypotheses regarding the cophylogeny and biogeography of the 12 species of Cyttaria and their hosts, the 11 species of Nothofagus subgenera Lophozonia and Nothofagus. Our results indicate highly significant overall cophylogenetic structure, despite the fact that the associations between species of Cyttaria and Nothofagus usually do not correspond in a simple one to one relationship. Two major lineages of Cyttaria are confined to a single Nothofagus subgenus, a specificity that might account for a minimum of two codivergences. We hypothesize other major codivergences. Numerous extinction also are assumed, as are an independent parasite divergence followed by host switching to account for C. berteroi. Considering the historical association of Cyttaria and Nothofagus, our hypothesis may support the vicariance hypothesis for the trans-Antarctic distribution between Australasian and South American species of Cyttaria species hosted by subgenus Lophozonia. It also supports the hypothesis of transoceanic long distance dispersal to account for the relatively recent relationship between Australian and New Zealand Cyttaria species, which we estimate to have occurred 44.6–28.5 mya. Thus the history of these organisms is not only a reflection of the breakup of Gondwana but also of other events that have contributed to the distributions of many other southern hemisphere plants and fungi.Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyOther Research Uni

Voiceless Icons No More: the Self-Representations of Muslim American Lives in Digital Media

With the proposed travel bans in the U.S., niqab bans in Canadian cities, fears over terrorism, attacks on veiled women, and concerns about refugees, Muslim Americans have become prominent icons of larger political issues in North American society. While the images of Muslims have dominated public spaces, the complex lives and significant concerns of Muslim Americans have often gone untold. This study focuses on the creative work that Muslim American youth are producing and circulating through digital media spaces and mobile technologies. The projects discussed in this study include: the Places You’ll Pray photo series, which documents public prayer locations; the visual representation of the Salafi Feminist blogger; a collection of self-portraits from women who wear the niqab face veil; the artistic projects created in response to the murder of three Muslim college students in Chapel Hill, NC; and the Mipsterz Islamic fashion video. Through an analysis of these cases, this dissertation examines how Muslim American youth create innovative projects that engage with aesthetic styles and affects to shift assumptions about their lives and dis-articulate the feelings of foreignness and fear that often adhere to their bodies. These projects are an effort for Muslims, who have been marginalized from traditional political spaces, to assert the equality and value of their lives. Without over-idealizing the progressive potential of emerging media spaces, this study examines how digital media provide the flexible space and creative tools to produce and circulate these representations. Using digital media to create and distribute artistic projects is not political activism in and of itself, but rather it serves as a way for Muslim youth to formulate and articulate their own subjectivity as political actors and to connect with others in preparation for wider social action. Through this creative work, Muslim youth acquire a sense of their agency and ability to intercede in political spaces. Furthermore, these Muslim creators are not trying to assimilate into an American way of life, but rather assert that they can determine for themselves how they will be Muslim and American, along with numerous other markers