"People to Our Selves": Chickasaw Diplomacy and Political Development in the Nineteenth Century

This project adopts an international relations perspective to examine how the Chickasaws conceptualized their position within the unraveling system of western imperial involvement in North America from the American Revolution until the end of the nineteenth century. In their attempts to assert their right to sovereignty during the Early American Republic, the Chickasaws transformed from a coalescent society into a consolidated nation-state. As a result, the Chickasaws established a strong political organization that prolonged their ability to thwart American attempts to subjugate them to the status of domestic dependent nations further than conventional historiography admits. Whereas most scholars credit removal with establishing an understanding among Native Americans that they must accept United States hegemony, I argue that the federal-state power struggle offered opportunities for the Chickasaw to negotiate for autonomous sovereignty through the end of the Civil War. In settling the debate over authority within the United States, the process of reconstruction--not removal--demonstrated to the Chickasaws that the United States was able to impose a permanent semi-sovereign status on Native Americans. By developing a native understanding of the debates concerning the nature of authority during the first century of the United States' existence, therefore, I reexamine the process through which Native Americans understood that a semi-sovereign status under the United States became permanent

Bedded Pack Management System Case Study

Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Farm Management,

Information Technology Usage In Accounting Firms: The Best Versus The Rest

The purpose of this paper is to analyze information technology expenditures in public accounting firms from a multi-year sample.  This study also focuses on identifying possible IT spending trends in public accounting firms and attempts to determine if additional spending on IT increased the profitability of these firms

Aryl Ethers from Arenediazonium Tetrafluoroborate Salts: from Neat Reactions to Solvent-mediated Effects

A general procedure for the synthesis of various aryl ethers via the thermal decomposition of benzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate salts is described. Studies performed in neat alcohol at 60°C gave aryl ethers in yields ranging from 0-73%. Upon completion of a series of reactions, the effect of solvent was explored to expand the scope and relevance of this procedure. It was found that even solvents that are traditionally non-nucleophilic gave rise to products including bi-aryls and N-aryl acetamides. The utilization of an ionic liquid, l-butyl-4-methylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate, resulted in yields comparable to reactions performed in neat alcoholic solvents

The Effects of Transitioning an Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Course from Shorter and More Frequent Class Periods to Longer and Fewer In-Class Sessions

Class frequency and duration are fundamental parameters within engineering education across nearly all pedagogical methods. Optimizing these factors enables programs to achieve a higher level of learning in the classroom while providing for more efficient time management. The objective of this paper is to document the perceived effect on students and instructors when transitioning from a traditional 40 lesson course with 55 minutes duration, to one comprised of 30 lessons at 75 minutes in length. This analysis limits research to a mechanical engineering curriculum at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. Major assessment performance under the new structure was compared with historical results to provide objective qualitative comparison. Anonymous student feedback was also collected at the midpoint and end of each course. Survey questions centered on perceived information absorption and synthesis, impact on problem solving opportunities, and the effect of variation in classroom contact time. Changes in course syllabi to accommodate the 75 minute structure generally resulted in no net gain or loss of new material to the original curriculum, though outliers did occur and are discussed in more detail. Class size averaged 18 students over four different courses, ranging from Helicopter Aeronautics to Vehicle Dynamics. Course size averaged 34 students with a total of 135 students enrolled across all courses. The change in course structure demonstrates potential opportunity for both greater depth and application of learning in the classroom as well as increased schedule flexibility. Conversely, the heightened implications of students missing class and the administrative feasibility of such a shift can be problematic. Instructor assessment of student learning and student feedback through end-of-course evaluations will be presented in this paper, as well as recommendations for future instructors wishing to apply similar changes

Travel Agency Awareness of the Health Risks of International Travel; A Pilot Study

Introduction: Travel agencies may be consulted by intending travelers seeking pre-travel health advice. Travel agents should be equipped to deal with such queries and have access to a source of high quality travel health advice. This study aimed to establish the level of knowledge of travel health risks among Irish travel agencies. Methods: A web-based survey was distributed to travel agents affiliated with the Irish Travel Agents Association. The questionnaire recorded the travel agents´ approach to clients seeking pre-travel health advice. Specific knowledge relating to health risks in specific destinations, the mode of spread of infectious tropical diseases and the need to direct clients to a source of professional travel health advice was assessed. Results: Twenty four travel agents responded to the questionnaire. Sixty-three percent of respondents reported that traveling clients frequently seek their advice about destination health risks. The majority of travel agents respond to their enquiries by suggesting that the traveler attend their general practitioner or travel medicine specialist. Less than a third (32%) of those questioned provide health information leaflets to their clients. The majority of agents estimated that fewer than 20% of travelers attend their practice with insufficient time remaining to consult with a healthcare professional. Travel agents generally underestimated the health risks associated with popular travel itineraries. There was a low level of knowledge of the mode of transmission of various tropical infectious diseases. The majority of respondents (81%) welcomed an opportunity to engage with travel medicine specialists. Conclusions: This study highlights the need to educate travel agents on travel health risks and travel health advice provision

Practice patterns for acute ischemic stroke workup: A longitudinal population‐based study

Background We examined practice patterns of inpatient testing to identify stroke etiologies and treatable risk factors for acute ischemic stroke recurrence. Methods and Results We identified stroke cases and related diagnostic testing from four 1‐year study periods (July 1993 to June 1994, 1999, 2005, and 2010) of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study. Patients aged ≥18 years were included. We focused on evaluation of extracranial arteries for carotid stenosis and assessment of atrial fibrillation because randomized controlled trials supported treatment of these conditions for stroke prevention across all 4 study periods. In each study period, we also recorded stroke etiology, as determined by diagnostic testing and physician adjudication. An increasing proportion of stroke patients received assessment of both extracranial arteries and the heart over time (50%, 58%, 74%, and 78% in the 1993–1994, 1999, 2005, and 2010 periods, respectively; P &lt;0.0001 for trend), with the most dramatic individual increases in echocardiography (57%, 63%, 77%, and 83%, respectively). Concurrently, we observed a decrease in strokes of unknown etiology (47%, 48%, 41%, and 38%, respectively; P &lt;0.0001 for trend). We also found a significant increase in strokes of other known causes (32%, 25%, 45% and 59%, respectively; P &lt;0.0001 for trend). Conclusions Stroke workup for treatable causes of stroke are being used more frequently over time, and this is associated with a decrease in cryptogenic strokes. Future study of whether better determination of treatable stroke etiologies translates to a decrease in stroke recurrence at the population level will be essential. </jats:sec

Prehospital neurological deterioration in stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients with stroke can experience neurological deterioration in the prehospital setting. We evaluated patients with stroke to determine factors associated with prehospital neurological deterioration (PND). METHODS: Among the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region (population ~1.3 million), we screened all 15 local hospitals' admissions from 2010 for acute stroke and included patients aged ≥20. The GCS was compared between emergency medical services (EMS) arrival and hospital arrival, with decrease ≥2 points considered PND. Data obtained retrospectively included demographics, medical history and medication use, stroke subtype (eg, ischaemic stroke (IS), intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH)) and IS subtype (eg, small vessel, large vessel, cardioembolic), seizure at onset, time intervals between symptom onset, EMS arrival and hospital arrival, EMS level of training, and blood pressure and serum glucose on EMS arrival. RESULTS: Of 2708 total patients who had a stroke, 1092 patients (median (IQR) age 74 (61-83) years; 56% women; 21% black) were analysed. PND occurred in 129 cases (12%), including 9% of IS, 24% of ICH and 16% of SAH. In multivariable analysis, black race, atrial fibrillation, haemorrhagic subtype and ALS level of transport were associated with PND. CONCLUSION: Haemorrhage and atrial fibrillation is associated with PND in stroke, and further investigation is needed to establish whether PND can be predicted. Further studies are also needed to assess whether preferential transport of patients with deterioration to hospitals equipped with higher levels of care is beneficial, identify why race is associated with deterioration and to test therapies targeting PND

Effects of Hydrophobicity of Group IV and V Framework-Substituted Zeolite Catalysts on Rates and Selectivities for Olefin Epoxidation

Group IV and V transition metal-substituted zeolites have long been used to catalyze olefin epoxidation, and several studies about how metal identity affects rates for epoxidation exist in the current literature. However, little is known about the effects of different catalytic properties, particularly hydrophobicity, on rates and selectivities for such epoxidations. Limited knowledge of these catalysts prevents hydrogen peroxide-oxidized reactions from replacing less-green methods of epoxide synthesis. Here, kinetic and thermodynamic measurements are used to demonstrate that the activity of group IV (i.e. Ti) and V (i.e. Nb and Ta) catalysts is directly related to the hydrophobicity of the catalyst. In particular, more hydrophobic catalysts give better rates for the desired epoxidation pathway and present smaller enthalpic barriers for epoxidation. Furthermore, a relationship between the Lewis acidity of a metal and its affinity to catalyze epoxidation (and the subsequent determination that Ti *BEA is the most active for epoxidation among this group) has been observed, in agreement with previously published work.NSFOpe