The impact of race/ethnicity, neighborhood context, and police/citizen interaction on residents' attitudes toward the police

The purpose of this study was to extend the current knowledge of public attitudes toward the police. Independent variables derived from three models, the demographic, the neighborhood context, and the police/citizen interaction models, were used to explain public perceptions of the police. More specifically, public attitudes toward the police was measured in two dimensions-- General Attitudes toward the police and Specific Trust in the police. The data was obtained by a telephone survey of 756 respondents in Houston, TX in 2008. The primary findings suggested that race, gender, age, victimization, and satisfaction with police work were significant predictors. Hispanic respondents reported lower levels of General Attitudes toward the police than their White counterparts. In addition, there was no significant difference between Whites and Hispanics in terms of Specific Trust in police such as the use of Taser guns. These results and their practical implications for police agencies were addressed in discussion.

The impact of political entity on confidence in legal authorities: A comparison between China and Taiwan

The current study compared the public confidence in legal authorities in two different political entities: China and Taiwan. Data from the 2005 World Values Surveys were used, and the results from the ordinal logistic regression models indicated that the Chinese had significantly more confidence in their police and the courts than did the Taiwanese. The variable, nation, was found to be the strongest predictor of the levels of public confidence in legal authorities between China and Taiwan. In addition, interests in politics and a sense of anomie were two other significant predictors of the confidence. Those who were interested in politics showed a higher level of confidence in legal authorities whereas those suffered from anomie demonstrated a reduced level of confidence in both societies. It is concluded that public opinions must be understood within the broader entity contexts and data from an authoritarian state should only be used with caution.

CHARACTERIZATION OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF MISCANTHUS FLORIDULUS STEMS AND STUDY OF THEIR OIL ABSORPTION ABILITY USING GOLD NANOPARTICLES

Miscanthus floridulus, which originated from a high elevation mountain area in Taiwan, is a newly cultivated species of Miscanthus. Instead of Miscanthus × giganteus, M. floridulus can be used as an alternative fuel for energy production as well. Except for leaves, stems of M. floridulus count for a major portion of the biomass. In this study, the lignin and cellulose contents of M. floridulus stems were determined to be 22.33 ± 2.21% and 43.13 ± 2.79%, respectively. In addition, a new application of M. floridulus stems was proposed. Oil absorption ability represented by the amount of soybean and motor oils absorbed by one gram of pulverized M. floridulus stems was estimated to be 2.25 ± 0.25 and 2.33 ± 0.18 g, respectively. Gold nanoparticles were used to investigate the absorption ability of M. floridulus stems. The absorption of gold nanoparticles by M. floridulus stems was visualized using SEM and TEM. In addition, the IR spectrum of M. floridulus stems was recorded for comparison with other studies

Characterization of physicochemical properties of Miscanthus floridulus stems and study of their oil absorption ability using gold nanoparticles

Miscanthus floridulus, which originated from a high elevation mountain area in Taiwan, is a newly cultivated species of Miscanthus. Instead of Miscanthus x giganteus, M. floridulus can be used as an alternative fuel for energy production as well. Except for leaves, stems of M. floridulus count for a major portion of the biomass. In this study, the lignin and cellulose contents of M. floridulus stems were determined to be 22.33 +/- 2.21% and 43.13 +/- 2.79%, respectively. In addition, a new application of M. floridulus stems was proposed. Oil absorption ability represented by the amount of soybean and motor oils absorbed by one gram of pulverized M. floridulus stems was estimated to be 2.25 +/- 0.25 and 2.33 +/- 0.18 g, respectively. Gold nanoparticles were used to investigate the absorption ability of M. floridulus stems. The absorption of gold nanoparticles by M. floridulus stems was visualized using SEM and TEM. In addition, the IR spectrum of M. floridulus stems was recorded for comparison with other studies

Oil adsorption ability of Miscanthus floridulus leaves determined using gold nanoparticles

This study was to demonstrate the possibility of using Miscanthus floridulus leaves to adsorb oils. The oil adsorption ability of Miscanthus leaves was approximately 3.59???0.19 and 3.91???0.15 (g oil/g leaves) for soybean oil and motor oil, respectively. The adsorption ability of Miscanthus leaves was directly visualized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscop (TEM) using gold nanoparticles that were adsorbed on the surface and edge of M. floridulus leaves. Changes in IR absorbance were used to exhibit specific interactions and the adsorption ability of M. floridulus leaves. The results showed M. floridulus leaves have hydrophobic structure on the leaf surface

Ultrasound-Assisted Anthocyanin Extraction of Purple Sweet Potato Variety TNG73, Ipomoea batatas, L

The acidic-ethanol anthocyanin extraction process of TNG73 sweet potatoes was improved with introducing the sonication treatment. The linear terms of sonication time and extraction temperature were determined to be significant factors. Response surface methodology (RSM) models were successfully established to perform the extraction study and energy requirement analysis. After calculating the required energy for collected anthocyanins (J/µg), the process with higher extraction temperature became less effective. Based on the combined results of extraction study and energy requirement analysis, the recommended operating condition of anthocyanin extraction process was at 25°C with 22 min sonication

Studies of sugar composition and starch morphology of baked sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam)

Sugar composition of seven sweet potato cultivars was successfully analyzed. Fresh CYY95-26 sweet potatoes had the highest (8.41%) total sugar content while TNG73 had the lowest (4.5%). For these fresh sweet potatoes, maltose content was very low (0 ~ 0.39%). Because 49.92 ~ 92.43% of total sugars were sucrose, sucrose was the major sugar composition of fresh sweet potatoes. After the baking treatment, the total sugar content of baked sweet potatoes was dramatically increased due to the formation of maltose. The maltose content significantly increased from 0 ~ 0.39% to 8.81 ~ 13.97% on dry weight basis. Therefore, maltose should be included in calculating the total sugar content. Electronic micrographs of fresh sweet potato samples showed that the size of starch granules was generally less than 20 μm. After the baking treatment, starch granules completely gelatinized

Influence of purple sweet potato extracts on the UV absorption properties of a cosmetic cream

Anthocyanins were added to a cosmetic cream to provide additional protection against UV radiation. The influence of anthocyanins on UV absorption ability was carefully evaluated. Anthocyanins were successfully extracted from TNG73 purple sweet potato using acidic ethanol and acidic water. Acidic ethanol-extracted anthocyanins had better radical scavenging ability, higher total phenolic content, and stronger reducing ability than acidic water-extracted anthocyanins. The cosmetic cream with 0.61 mg of total anthocyanins (per 100 g cream) absorbed approximately 46% of the incident UV radiation. Although the anthocyanins absorbed both UV-A and UV-B radiation, they were particularly effective against UV-B rays. This study demonstrates that the addition of anthocyanin extracts of purple sweet potato to a cosmetic cream improves the cream’s UV absorption ability