The relationships among heritage language proficiency, ethnic identity, and self-esteem

Language plays an important role in linking with the past, with national origins; it is an indispensable tool for communication. With the trend toward globalization and the continual change of the ethnic composition of the U.S. population, there is increasing awareness in the U.S. that not every child is raised in an English-only family. The purpose of this research was to explore the relationships among heritage language proficiency, ethnic identity, and self-esteem in the American-born Chinese (ABC) children who went to the Chinese language schools for Chinese language learning on weekends. There were three research questions to be answered in this study: (1) What is the relationship between Chinese heritage language proficiency and ethnic identity, (2) Is there any connection between heritage language proficiency and self-esteem, and (3) How does ethnic identity associate with self-esteem? A total of 63 students and their 56 parents were surveyed with the Children’s Self-Perception of Chinese Language Learning Survey and the Parents’ Demographic Questionnaire, respectively. Results showed that there were positive relationships between Chinese heritage language proficiency and ethnic identity, language proficiency and self-esteem, and ethnic identity and self-esteem. There was a significant group difference on the ethnic identity by Chinese language proficiency across the two subgroups: at least one parent from Taiwan and at least one parent from Mandarin-speaking countries other than Taiwan. However, no group difference was found on the self-esteem by Chinese language proficiency. Limitations and implications were discussed. Keywords: heritage language proficiency, ethnic identity, and self-esteem

The Relationships among Heritage Language Proficiency, Ethnic Identity, and Self-Esteem

With the trend toward globalization and the continual change of the ethnic composition of the U.S. population, there is increasing awareness in the U.S. that not every child is raised in an English-only family. The purpose of this research is to explore the relationships among heritage language proficiency, ethnic identity, and self-esteem in the American-born Chinese (ABC) children who go to Chinese language schools for Chinese language learning on weekends. A total of 63 students and their 56 parents are surveyed in the quantitative study. Results show that there are positive relationships between Chinese heritage language proficiency and ethnic identity (r = .316, p = .006), language proficiency and self-esteem (r = .255, p = .022), and ethnic identity and self-esteem (r = .240, p = .029). The study provides implications for the Chinese language schools, parents, educators, and policymakers, as well as the implications for future study

Quercetin Inhibited Murine Leukemia WEHI-3 Cells In Vivo and Promoted Immune Response

[[abstract]]Enhanced flavonoid consumption is closely related with a reduced cancer incidence as shown in epidemiological studies. Quercetin (3,5,7,3',4'-pentahydroxylflavone) is one of the active components of flavonoids which exist in natural plants, particularly in onions and fruits. It was reported that quercetin induced apoptosis in human cancer cell lines, including human leukemia HL-60 cells, but there is no available information as to its effects on leukemia cells in vivo. The purpose of the present studies was to focus on the in vivo effects or quercetin on leukemia WEHI-3 cells. The effects of quercetin on WEHI-3 cells injected into BALB/c mice were examined. Quercetin decreased the percentage of Mac-3 and CD11b markers, suggesting that the differentiation of the precursors of macrophages and T cells was inhibited. There was no effect on CD3 levels but increased CD19 levels. Quercetin decreased the weight of the spleen and liver compared with the olive oil treated animals. Quercetin stimulated macrophage phagocytosis or cells isolated from peritoneum. Quercetin also promoted natural killer cell activity. Based on pathological examination, an effect of quercetin was observed in the spleen of mice previously injected with WEHI-3 cells. Apparently, quercetin affects WEHI-3 cells in vivo. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Noninvasive prediction of Blood Lactate through a machine learning-based approach.

We hypothesized that blood lactate concentration([Lac]blood) is a function of cardiopulmonary variables, exercise intensity and some anthropometric elements during aerobic exercise. This investigation aimed to establish a mathematical model to estimate [Lac]blood noninvasively during constant work rate (CWR) exercise of various intensities. 31 healthy participants were recruited and each underwent 4 cardiopulmonary exercise tests: one incremental and three CWR tests (low: 35% of peak work rate for 15 min, moderate: 60% 10 min and high: 90% 4 min). At the end of each CWR test, venous blood was sampled to determine [Lac]blood. 31 trios of CWR tests were employed to construct the mathematical model, which utilized exponential regression combined with Taylor expansion. Good fitting was achieved when the conditions of low and moderate intensity were put in one model; high-intensity in another. Standard deviation of fitting error in the former condition is 0.52; in the latter is 1.82 mmol/liter. Weighting analysis demonstrated that, besides heart rate, respiratory variables are required in the estimation of [Lac]blood in the model of low/moderate intensity. In conclusion, by measuring noninvasive cardio-respiratory parameters, [Lac]blood during CWR exercise can be determined with good accuracy. This should have application in endurance training and future exercise industry

A Community-Based Walk-In Screening of Depression in Taiwan

Depression is a crucial public health problem because of its relatively high association with suicidal attempts, prolonged social isolation, poor physical health, and dementia. However, the available data and study on the prevalence of depression in Taiwan were mostly completed within the previous 1 to 2 decades, and these studies were limited to certain areas or populations. Little is known regarding the current status of depression in Taiwan. We used a brief tool, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), to screen depression in 4 areas among the general and aged population. The results showed a higher CES-D score in the southern area among general (mean ± SD: 7.8 ± 8.4) or aged participants (mean ± SD: 7.2 ± 8.0) compared with other areas. The ratio of suspected depression patients was 16.4% of all recruited participants and 13.3% of aged participants. These results may provide information for this public health issue

A Wideband Printed Directional Antenna Array with Impedance Regulating Load

We proposed a broadband directional antenna array working at mobile communication frequency band, which achieves a relative bandwidth of 50.7%. This binary antenna array is fed by two branches of the balanced microstrip. To enhance the antenna bandwidth, we introduced a section of loading metal strip. The antenna prototype has a S11 lower than −10 dB within the 1.5 GHz to 2.52 GHz frequency band, particularly from 2.01 GHz to 2.50 GHz, the S11 is lower than −15 dB. The gain varies with relatively small variation within the working band, which is 5.4 dBi to 8.7 dBi