Connections of Self-Esteem and Gang Membership

Reasons for gang membership have been hypothesized but very little empirical research has been conducted trying to determine why individuals join and remain in delinquent gangs. Low self-esteem has been suggested as a reason for entering into delinquency and joining a gang. Research has shown gang members have lower overall self-esteem than do non-gang individuals (Wang, 1994). An enhancement in this low self-esteem has been suggested as a reason for continuing with gang membership and delinquent behavior. There are mixed results in the research examining the connection of delinquent behavior and increased self-esteem. Kaplan\u27s (1975) self-esteem enhancement theory has not been tested empirically to find out if an increase in self-esteem is a reason for continuing as a gang member. Because delinquency and gang membership are interrelated, the present study will examine Kaplan\u27s self-esteem enhancement theory as a reason for continuing with both gang membership and delinquent behavior. The cross sectional data from is a diverse national sample of eighth grade students. All of the hypotheses are based on the theory that continued gang membership and delinquency will increase self-esteem. First, overall self-esteem measures of gang members and non-gang individuals are compared. Second, it is hypothesized that the higher overall self-esteem levels will be found for those members with longer time investments in a gang. Third, a new measure of place in the gang, which is trying to determine a possible structure for gangs, will be examined for validity. The measure will then be used to determine if members reporting to be close to the center of the gang have higher overall self-esteem levels than those reporting to be near the outside of the gang. None of these hypotheses using Rosenberg\u27s overall self-esteem measure support Kaplan\u27s self-esteem enhancement theory. In recent years, the concept of overall or global self-esteem has been divided into domain specific areas. Research has related school, peer and homebased self-esteem to delinquency and gang membership (Spergel, 1995). The present study employs a gang-specific self-esteem scale in order to examine Kaplan\u27s self-esteem enhancement theory. This scale directly asks the gang member if his or her gang is connected to his or her self-assessment. The sample of gang members agreed that the gang was influential in having positive self-esteem. Then, the gang-specific scale is compared to Rosenberg\u27s overall self-esteem measure. The two scales were found to be negatively correlated. Next, the gang-specific self-esteem scale is examined using the same hypotheses as was done with the overall measure. Kaplan\u27s self-esteem enhancement theory was supported when self‐esteem was assessed with the gang-specific scale

Tnf(alpha)-dependent and Tnf(alpha)-independent Activation of Macrophage Effector Function

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) is a pleiotropic cytokine that is predominantly produced by activated macrophages. The effects of TNFα are as diverse as the cells with which it interacts, e.g., stimulating fibroblast growth, exerting cytotoxic/cytostatic; activity against various human and murine cell lines, promoting inflammation through upregulation of endothelial adhesion molecules and IL-8 production. Yet TNFα is best known, and in fact was originally described, for its role in the bacterial-induced hemorrhagic necrosis of tumors and exacerbation of septic shock in which aberrant TNFα production leads to vascular collapse, cachexia, multiple organ failure, and ultimately death in as many as 100,000 people each year in the United States alone. LPS, a component of the outer cell wall of gram-negative bacteria, is the principal inducer of macrophage TNFα production. TNFα production can be enhanced by IFNγ which also induces upregulation of TNFα receptors allowing for the establishment of a TNFα autocrine loop. It has been hypothesized that autocrine TNFα stimulation plays a critical role in the induction of macrophage effector function, e.g., nitric oxide production. This dissertation represents efforts to evaluate the respective roles of the TNFα receptors in the induction of macrophage effector function, in addition to examining the mechanism by which autocrine TNFα exerts its effects on macrophages. Exploiting the species specificity of the murine TNFα receptor type 2 (TNF-R2), splenic macrophages were stimulated with human TNFα (which binds to TNF-R1 but not TNF-R2), in the presence of IFNγ. Human TNFα was effective in the induction of nitric oxide production, albeit at concentrations 12.5-fold greater than those required by murine TNFα to achieve the same result. Addition of anti-TNF-R1 completely inhibited the murine TNFα mediated induction of macrophage effector function. However, treatment with anti-TNF-R2 resulted in partial inhibition of macrophage activation. Taken together this data suggests that the primary TNFα mediated signals involved in macrophage activation are transduced through TNF-R1, although TNF-R2 appears to contribute to the intensity of the macrophage response. To evaluate the role of autocrine TNFα signaling in the induction of macrophage effector function, immortalized macrophages from normal C57Bl/6J mice (B6/J2) and C57Bl/6J mice containing gene targeted disruptions of the TNF-R1 and TNF-R2 genes (TRN) were stimulated under CD14-dependent and CD14-independent conditions. Although the B6/J2 and TRN clones mounted similar NO responses to LPS in the presence of serum, the TRN macrophages generated a weak nitric oxide response as compared to B6/J2 when stimulated with LPS under serum-free conditions. The involvement of TNFα autocrine stimulation in the CD14-independent activation was corroborated by the ability of soluble TNF-R1 to inhibit the response of B6/J2 macrophages to LPS in serum-free medium. CD14-independent LPS stimulation of TRN and B6/J2 resulted in equivalent levels of IL-1β, TNFα, and NOS gene expression, as determined by RT-PCR, and in release of equivalent amounts of biologically active TNFα. However, western blot analysis revealed that NOS protein production by TRN was as much as 50% less than that produced by B6/J2. These results indicate that autocrine TNFα stimulation contributes to the signaling pathways initiated by ligation of CD14-independent LPS receptors and may be involved in NOS post-transcriptional regulation

Literacy in the 21st Century: supporting struggling adolescent readers

Title from PDF of title page, viewed on August 13, 2013Dissertation advisor: Jennifer FriendVitaIncludes bibliographic references (pages 239-277)Thesis (Ed. D.)--School of Education. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2013The purpose of this narrative bounded case study research was to describe the different perspectives of five struggling readers regarding contributing factors to their literacy experiences and success. The theoretical framework used to make meaning included: (a) high schools and literacy, (b) school culture, (c) motivation, (d) technology, and (e) literacy as the gateway of life. The qualitative case study methodology provided an in-depth investigation into each case, where the perceptions of the individuals were explored for a deeper understanding of the experiences each participant had with literacy during their three years at one Midwestern high school. Five case studies were drawn from the initial larger sample of 15 participants identified through a criterion sampling process. The overarching question that guided this study was: What perceptions do the participants have in regards to their literacy success? With the following research questions helping to guide this study: 1. What perceptions do the participants have in regards to how the literacy strategies their teachers used in their high school classes affected their experiences? 2. What strategies or situations outside of school have influenced or affected the students' experiences with literacy? 3. What are student recommendations for teachers to help their students improve their literacy? 4. What can students pursue outside of school to help with their literacy? Official achievement data, narratives, and interviews were utilized for data collection and analysis. The most significant findings of this study were the similarities in how the participants described their personal literacy experiences. All of the participants shared similar perceptions in regards to their self-image, their successes and achievements, their struggles and the degree to which they attributed their literacy success to their teachers. It was evident that all of the participants depended heavily on their teachers for their success. The dependence on their teachers was evident as the participants sought one-on-one assistance with their teachers outside of class when they did not understand the concepts or text during class. While all of these participants struggled with literacy they also were able to find success by graduating on time and with GPAs that were a 2.5 or higher.Introduction -- Literature review -- Methodology -- Findings -- Results -- Appendix A. Narrative consent form -- Appendix B. Writing prompt -- Appendix C. Interview consent form -- Appendix D. Interview protocol -- Appendix E. In-depth coding analysis per participan

Superaluste katalüütilise skaala koostamiseks sobiva potentsiaalse mudelreaktsiooni uurimine

Käesolev töö on osa suuremast eesmärgist koostada kiiruskonstantide põhjal kvantitatiivne alusekatalüütiline skaala, mille abil saaks võrrelda eri aluste katalüütilisi aktiivsusi. Üks osa selle skaala loomisest on sobiva mudelreaktsiooni leidmine. Käesolevas töös uuriti krotonitriili ja eri asendajatega substraadi – indooli ja 5 nitroindooli – vahelise alusekatalüütilise reaktsiooni sobivust mudelreaktsiooniks. Töös kasutati kolme katalüsaatorit – PhP4(pyrr), HN=P1(imme) ja t-BuP4(pyrr) – ning reaktsioone monitooriti UV-Vis spektromeetriaga. Töö tulemusena hinnati, et uuritud reaktsioonil esineb tõsiseid puudujääke mudelreaktsiooni nõuete täitmisel ning reaktsioon on raskesti kasutatav alusekatalüütilise skaala mudelreaktsioonina. Lisaks toodi esile kolm edasist võimalikku reaktsiooni, mis võiksid vastata esitatud nõuetele

Being Hmong, being American: making sense of U.S. Citizenship

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. September 2014. Major: Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Advisor: Patricia G. Avery. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 284 pages, appendices A-Q.This ethnographic case study was conducted in one 12th-grade American Government class at a public high school in a large Mid-western city. The class included 10 Hmong students, and eight of these youth agreed to participate in the study. Multiple data sources were analyzed for themes, patterns, and issues, including classroom observations and document analyses of instructional texts and American Government curriculum utilized in the observed classroom. All eight participants contributed to at least two focus group interviews, and four of these eight students completed two additional individual interviews, acting as focal contributors to this research. Two formal and various informal interviews were also conducted with the classroom teacher regarding her ideas and intentions around citizenship education for her students.Three significant findings emerged in this study. First, the American Government classroom was a space for civic and political identity construction for Hmong youth. Second, the American Government classroom was not the only active political socialization agent; Hmong youth shaped and negotiated their citizenship identities with others including family members, and in other venues like youth clubs and cultural activities. Third, Hmong youth negotiated their citizenship identities in relationship to race, gender, and class. However, as Hmong youth prepared for adult, democratic citizenship, they experienced little opportunity in their American Government course to practice ways to navigate racialization, gender issues, and economic challenge in their personal lives. Ongoing professional development is needed to help social studies educators address critical issues around race, gender, and class in their classrooms and schools, especially for immigrant students

A faint red stellar halo around an edge-on disc galaxy in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

We analyse the detailed structure of a highly-inclined (i>~80 degrees) disc galaxy which lies within the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UDF). The unprecedented depth of the UDF data allow disc and extraplanar emission to be reliably traced to surface brightness levels of mu_{V,i,z}~29-30 mag/arcsec^2 (corresponding to rest-frame equivalents of mu_{g,r,i}~28-29 mag/arcsec^2) in this redshift z=0.32 system. We detect excess emission above the disc which is characterised by a moderately-flattened (b/a~0.6) power-law (I proportional to R^(-2.6)). The structure and colour of this component are very similar to the stellar halo detected in an SDSS stacking analysis of local disc galaxies (Zibetti, White and Brinkmann 2004) and lend support to the idea that we have detected a stellar halo in this distant system. Although the peculiar colours of the halo are difficult to understand in terms of normal stellar populations, the consistency found between the UDF and SDSS analyses suggests that they cannot be easily discounted.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters. Figure 1 substantially degraded, full resolution version available at http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/~zibetti/UDFhalo.pd

The Prologue in the Seventeenth-Century Venetian Operatic Libretto: its Dramatic Purpose and the Function of its Characters

The Italian seicento has been considered a dead century by many literary scholars. As this study demonstrates, such a conclusion ignores important literary developments in the field of librettology. Indeed, the seventeenth-century operatic libretto stands as a monument to literary invention. Critical to the development of this new literary genre was the prologue, which provided writers with a context in which to experiment and achieve literary transcendence. This study identifies approximately 260 dramatic works written in Venice between the years 1637 and 1682, drawn together for the first time from three sources: librettos in the Drammaturgia di Leone Allacci accresciuta e continuata fino all'anno MCDDLV; the musical manuscripts listed in the Codici Musicali Contariniani; and a chronological list of seventeenth-century Venetian operas found in Cristoforo Ivanovich's Minerva al Tavolino. Of the 260 Venetian works identified, over 98 begin with self-contained prologues. This discovery alone warrants a reconsideration of the seventeenth-century Italian libretto and the emergence of the dramatic prologue as a new and important literary genre

Aquilegia, Vol. 25 No. 7, November-December 2001: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1090/thumbnail.jp