Minority as a majority: Does it make a difference?

The relationship between race and crime has long been a primary concern of criminal justice researchers. Numerous studies have examined this relationship through the use of official statistics, self-reports, and victimization surveys. The results of these studies present multiple and often conflicting results. Studies examining official statistics and victimization data have generally found a significant difference in delinquency between White and minority juveniles, with minority juveniles responsible for more delinquency than White youth in terms of both incidence and seriousness. Self-report studies, on the other hand, have often found no differences between minority and White youth, or smaller differences than those reported in official statistics and victimization data. One structural element which has received little attention by researchers is numerical minority or majority status in a community. The terms minority and majority are generally used to describe groups based on their relative power in a society, regardless of their numerical proportion in specific areas. Yet researchers have alluded to the potential importance of numerical minority-majority status in examinations of such diverse areas as homicide rates, police expenditures, and fear of crime. This thesis will add to the debate by examining the relationship between race and crime in terms of numerical minority-majority status and self-reported delinquency within two public school districts. Three research questions are addressed. First, do African­ American and White youth differ in terms of self-reported attitudes and behaviors? Secondly, if differences do exist, does the city in which students reside have an impact? Finally, what role does numerical minority-majority status play? Data used here are taken from the cross-sectional component of the National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program, a study conducted by researchers from the University of Nebraska at Omaha during the Spring of 1995. While the larger evaluation included eleven cities purposely selected to represent the geographic and demographic diversity of the United States, this paper will examine only two sites: Kansas City and Omaha which provide a unique opportunity to examine the effect of minority-majority status on delinquency. The cities are similar in geographic location, historical development, and demographic composition. The cities differ, however, in terms of the demographic characteristics of their public school districts; African-American students comprise a majority of Kansas City public school students while they constitute a minority in Omaha. Findings suggests that race, city, and minority/majority status each have an independent impact on self-reported delinquency, but the effect of city of residence is more important than both race and minority/majority status. Additionally, these variables were much less powerful than other variables associated with social disorganization and anomie theories: specifically, peer delinquency, school environment, and school commitment

Minority As A Majority: Does It Make A Difference?

The relationship between race and crime has long been a primary concern of criminal justice researchers. Numerous studies have examined this relationship through the use of official statistics, self-reports, and victimization surveys. The results of these studies present multiple and often conflicting results. Studies examining official statistics and victimization data have generally found a significant difference in delinquency between White and minority juveniles, with minority juveniles responsible for more delinquency than White youth in terms of both incidence and seriousness. Self-report studies, on the other hand, have often found no differences between minority and White youth, or smaller differences than those reported in official statistics and victimization data. One structural element which has received little attention by researchers is numerical minority or majority status in a community. The terms “minority” and “majority” are generally used to describe groups based on their relative power in a society, regardless of their numerical proportion in specific areas. Yet researchers have alluded to the potential importance of numerical minority-majority status in examinations of such diverse areas as homicide rates, police expenditures, and fear of crime. This thesis will add to the debate by examining the relationship between race and crime in terms of numerical minority-majority status and self-reported delinquency within two public school districts. Three research questions are addressed. First, do African-American and White youth differ in terms of self-reported attitudes and behaviors? Secondly, if differences do exist, does the city in which students reside have an impact? Finally, what role does numerical minority-majority status play? Data used here are taken from the cross-sectional component of the National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program, a study conducted by researchers from the University of Nebraska at Omaha during the Spring of 1995. While the larger evaluation included eleven cities purposely selected to represent the geographic and demographic diversity of the United States, this paper will examine only two sites: Kansas City and Omaha which provide a unique opportunity to examine the effect of minority-majority status on delinquency. The cities are similar in geographic location, historical development, and demographic composition. The cities differ, however, in terms of the demographic characteristics of their public school districts; African-American students comprise a majority of Kansas City public school students while they constitute a minority in Omaha. Findings suggests that race, city, and minority/majority status each have an independent impact on self-reported delinquency, but the effect of city of residence is more important than both race and minority/majority status. Additionally, these variables were much less powerful than other variables associated with social disorganization and anomie theories: specifically, peer delinquency, school environment, and school commitment

Youth Gangs: An Overview of Key Findings and Directions for the Future

Youth gangs have received considerable attention for many decades. Undoubtedly, their disproportionate involvement in violence is one main reason for this attention. While gang members spend most of their lives engaging in the same types of behaviors as other youth (sleeping, eating, playing video games, going to school), they are also much more likely than non-gang members to be involved in violence and other criminal activity. Indeed, scholars have often highlighted the functional nature of violence as it pertains to gangs. Gangs come in a variety of forms: prison gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, extremist groups, and drug trafficking organizations, among others. The current essay summarizes what is known about youth gangs. This is done for two primary reasons. First, gangs differ across types. Second, more research has been conducted on youth gangs than any other gang type. So, in order to keep the topic both manageable and empirically sound, what we know about youth gangs is highlighted here

XMM-Newton observations of the Galactic Supernova Remnant CTB 109 (G109.1-1.0)

We present the analysis of the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC) data of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) CTB 109 (G109.1-1.0). CTB 109 is associated with the anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP) 1E 2259+586 and has an unusual semi-circular morphology in both the X-ray and the radio, and an extended X-ray bright interior region known as the `Lobe'. The deep EPIC mosaic image of the remnant shows no emission towards the west where a giant molecular cloud complex is located. No morphological connection between the Lobe and the AXP is found. We find remarkably little spectral variation across the remnant given the large intensity variations. All spectra of the shell and the Lobe are well fitted by a single-temperature non-equilibrium ionization model for a collisional plasma with solar abundances (kT = 0.5 - 0.7 keV, tau = n_e t = 1 - 4 x 10^11 s cm^-3, N_H = 5 - 7 x 10^21 cm^-2). There is no indication of nonthermal emission in the Lobe or the shell. We conclude that the Lobe originated from an interaction of the SNR shock wave with an interstellar cloud. Applying the Sedov solution for the undisturbed eastern part of the SNR, and assuming full equilibration between the electrons and ions behind the shock front, the SNR shock velocity is derived as v_s = 720 +/- 60 km s^-1, the remnant age as t = (8.8 +/- 0.9) x 10^3 d_3 yr, the initial energy as E_0 = (7.4 +/- 2.9) x 10^50 d_3^2.5 ergs, and the pre-shock density of the nuclei in the ambient medium as n_0 = (0.16 +/- 0.02) d_3^-0.5 cm^-3, at an assumed distance of D = 3.0 d_3 kpc. Assuming CTB 109 and 1E 2259+586 are associated, these values constrain the age and the environment of the progenitor of the SNR and the pulsar.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 9 figures. Figs. 1 + 2 are in color (fig1.jpg, fig2.jpg

Interlaboratory Evaluation of Rodent Pulmonary Responses to Engineered Nanomaterials: The NIEHS Nano GO Consortium

Background: Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have potential benefits, but they also present safety concerns for human health. Interlaboratory studies in rodents using standardized protocols are needed to assess ENM toxicity. Methods: Four laboratories evaluated lung responses in C57BL/6 mice to ENMs delivered by oropharyngeal aspiration (OPA), and three labs evaluated Sprague-Dawley (SD) or Fisher 344 (F344) rats following intratracheal instillation (IT). ENMs tested included three forms of titanium dioxide (TiO2) [anatase/rutile spheres (TiO2-P25), anatase spheres (TiO2-A), and anatase nanobelts (TiO2-NBs)] and three forms of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) [original (O), purified (P), and carboxylic acid “functionalized� (F)]. One day after treatment, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected to determine differential cell counts, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and protein. Lungs were fixed for histopathology. Responses were also examined at 7 days (TiO2 forms) and 21 days (MWCNTs) after treatment. Results: TiO2-A, TiO2-P25, and TiO2-NB caused significant neutrophilia in mice at 1 day in three of four labs. TiO2-NB caused neutrophilia in rats at 1 day in two of three labs, and TiO2-P25 and TiO2-A had no significant effect in any of the labs. Inflammation induced by TiO2 in mice and rats resolved by day 7. All MWCNT types caused neutrophilia at 1 day in three of four mouse labs and in all rat labs. Three of four labs observed similar histopathology to O-MWCNTs and TiO2-NBs in mice. Conclusions: ENMs produced similar patterns of neutrophilia and pathology in rats and mice. Although interlaboratory variability was found in the degree of neutrophilia caused by the three types of TiO2 nanoparticles, similar findings of relative potency for the three types of MWCNTs were found across all laboratories, thus providing greater confidence in these interlaboratory comparisons

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead