Immigration and Crime in the News, 2014-2018: Do Focusing Events and Policy Windows Affect Framing?

Although an abundance of literature demonstrates that immigrant populations are less crime-prone than the native-born population, the majority of Americans believe that immigration inherently threatens the security of the United States. Because Americans are not well versed in the complex issues of immigration and crime, public opinion is undoubtedly influenced by media outlets’ crafted narratives that simplify circumstances and events into easily digestible material. The current study examines how media behavior changes and responds to social and political events by examining “frames” utilized in articles that produce narratives about immigration and crime. Using content analysis of over 1,700 articles published between 2014 and 2018, multi-level models reveal that (1) over half of articles describe immigrants as crime-increasing; (2) some frames are more likely to occur in response to specific events; and (3) some frames are less likely to occur in response to specific events. I conclude with implications of consumer behavior and ongoing debates and research on immigration and crime

Assessing social and emotional skill development in early elementary students

Advisors: Jon G. Crawford.Committee members: Lisa Becker; Kelly Summer.Due to the current national discourse on the social and emotional well-being of our students, the examination of student progress and development in the area of social and emotional skills is a critical area of study. To date, limited research has been conducted in this area. For example, there is little documented research on the direct assessment of student skills in the specific social and emotional learning competencies. With the emergence of a new assessment tool from Rush NeuroBehavioral Center (RNBC), schools are now able to gather performance based student assessment data in key areas of social emotional skill development. The current study analyzed assessment data collected via direct assessment of students in the early elementary years using the new web-based tool developed by RNBC (SELweb(TM)).A key component of the study involved sociometric assessment data gathered directly from peers in the classroom. Two rounds of data collected over the course of one school year were utilized to investigate student skill development in two key areas of social and emotional skill: peer connection and non-verbal emotion recognition. The de-identified data was collected from the responses of approximately 300 students in two grade-centered elementary schools in one Illinois public school district. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to investigate the changes in social and emotional skill development for boys and girls across one academic year. Overall the research conducted in this study produced only one statistically significant result. Nonetheless, the implications for school-based use of the new RNCB assessment tool, SELweb(TM), are broad.Ed.D. (Doctor of Education

Breast cancer incidence highest in the range of one species of house mouse, Mus domesticus

Incidence of human breast cancer (HBC) varies geographically, but to date no environmental factor has explained this variation. Previously, we reported a 44% reduction in the incidence of breast cancer in women fully immunosuppressed following organ transplantation (Stewart et al (1995) Lancet346: 796–798). In mice infected with the mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV), immunosuppression also reduces the incidence of mammary tumours. DNA with 95% identity to MMTV is detected in 40% of human breast tumours (Wang et al (1995) Cancer Res55: 5173–5179). These findings led us to ask whether the incidence of HBC could be correlated with the natural ranges of different species of wild mice. We found that the highest incidence of HBC worldwide occurs in lands where Mus domesticus is thse resident native or introduced species of house mouse. Given the similar responses of humans and mice to immunosuppression, the near identity between human and mouse MTV DNA sequences, and the close association between HBC incidence and mouse ranges, we propose that humans acquire MMTV from mice. This zoonotic theory for a mouse-viral cause of HBC allows testable predictions and has potential importance in prevention. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Employment After Liver Transplantation: A Review

BackgroundReturn to productive employment is often an important milestone in the recovery and rehabilitation process after liver transplantation (OLT). This literature review identifies factors associated with employment in patients who underwent OLT.MethodsWe searched PubMed for articles that addressed the various factors affecting employment after OLT.ResultsThe studies demonstrated improvement in the quality of life and examined factors that predicted whether patients would return to work after OLT. Demographic variable associated with posttransplant employment included young age, male sex, college degree, Caucasian race, and pretransplant employment. Patients with alcohol-related liver disease had a significantly lower rate of employment than did those with other etiologies of liver disease. Recipients who were employed after transplantation had a significantly better posttransplant functional status than did those who were not employed.ConclusionEconomic pressures are increasing the expectation that patients who undergo successful OLT will return to work. Thus, transplant teams need to have a better understanding of posttransplant work outcomes for this vulnerable population, and greater attention must be paid to the full social rehabilitation of transplant recipients. Specific interventions for OLT recipients should be designed to evaluate and change their health perceptions and encourage their return to work