African History and Identity: A Case Study of Black British Students in London

Through the administration of questionnaires and interviews in six of London’s secondary schools, this case study seeks to investigate Black Britons’ self-concepts and attitudes toward curricular depictions of continental and diasporan Africans and the extent to which the African Union’s (A.U.) Pan-African outreach agenda may be advanced or challenged

Run Me a River

The rich history of river life in Kentucky permeates Janice Holt Giles’s novel Run Me a River. Set in 1861, at the beginning of Kentucky’s reluctant entry into the Civil War, the novel tells the story of a five-day adventure on the Green River. Aboard the Rambler, a ramshackle steamboat, Captain Bohannon Cartwright and his crew journey 184 miles and pick up two extra passengers along the way. The boatmen rescue “Sir Henry” Cole, a former Shakespearean actor, and his granddaughter Phoebe from their skiff when it overruns in a squall. As romance blossoms between Phoebe and Captain Bo, a conflict escalates between Confederate and Union forces fighting for control of the river. Janice Holt Giles (1905-1979), author of nineteen books, lived and wrote near Knifley, Kentucky, for thirty-four years. Her biography is told in Janice Holt Giles: A Writer\u27s Life.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_english_language_and_literature_north_america/1066/thumbnail.jp

The Plum Thicket

Janice Holt Giles had a life before her marriage and writing career in Kentucky. Born in Altus, Arkansas, Giles spent many childhood summers visiting her grandparents there. After the success of her historical novel The Kentuckians in 1953, she planned to write a second frontier romance. But a visit to Altus caused her imagination to drift from Kentucky in 1780 to western Arkansas in 1913. At age forty-eight—the same age as Giles at the writing of the novel—the heroine Katie Rogers recalls her first visit alone to her grandparent’s home in Stanwick, Arkansas. Eight-year-old Katie spends her summer climbing the huge mulberry tree and walking with her wise grandfather, a veteran of bloody Shiloh. She is fascinated, not frightened, by the grave of an unknown child in the nearby plum thicket. Throughout the visit Katie helps Aunt Maggie plan her wedding and looks forward to the three-day Confederate Reunion. But the Reunion—and the summer—end violently, as guilt, repression, and miscegenation are unearthed. “That summer was the end of a whole way of life,” Katie realizes, for she can never again dwell in the paradise of childhood. In Katie Rogers, Giles voiced her own lament for “the beautiful and the unrecoverable past.” To her publisher Giles wrote, “Out of my forty-odd years of living, much of whatever wisdom I have acquired has been distilled into this book.” This new edition of The Plum Thicket gives Giles’s many fans a powerful, moving glimpse into the mind and heart of this beloved author. Janice Holt Giles (1905-1979), author of nineteen books, lived and wrote near Knifley, Kentucky, for thirty-four years. Her biography is told in Janice Holt Giles: A Writer\u27s Life.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_english_language_and_literature_north_america/1065/thumbnail.jp

A Proposed Methodology to Promote Adoption of \u27Green\u27 Production by Small Firms

Small firms are critical to all economies but also have a significant negative impact on the environment. Their collective footprint equates to 60% of industrial pollution yet small firm owner-managers are not convinced of the necessity for behaviour change. This paper develops a proposed methodology to engage small firm owner-managers in \u27green\u27 production, in particular adoption of energy saving and waste recycling practices. This methodology includes a suggested approach to determining the \u27tipping point\u27 for the investment of time and resources by small firms. The paper argues that knowing the \u27tipping point\u27 and making a realistic business case should encourage small firm owner-managers to improve their participation in environmental impact management. The end result of this will be a reduction in the collective environmental footprint made by small firms, thereby making a positive contribution to Australia\u27s overall response to climate change

Preface to special Issue: Environmental sustainability and business

The issue of environmental sustainability and the need to address the collective environmental impact of business is discussed. In particular, the need to engage small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in environmental management is highlighted. The papers presented in the Special Issue of \u27The International Journal of Business Studies\u27 are dicussed

Teacher Retention and the Impact of North Carolina’s New Definition of a Low-performing School

Teachers are a resource, and equitable resource allocation must include the equitable distribution of teachers across all schools. Previous research has found that high poverty and minority students are more likely to be taught by inexperienced and unqualified teachers, and teachers frequently leave schools serving these students for schools with fewer disadvantaged students (Boyd, Lankford, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2005; Goldring, Taie, & Riddles, 2014; Hanushek, Kain, & Rivkin, 2004; Ingersoll, 2004; Loeb, Darling-Hammond, & Luczak, 2005). Further, previous research indicates that the challenges these schools face retaining effective teachers is due to poor working conditions, not teachers’ discontent with their students (Boyd et al., 2011; Johnson, Kraft, & Papay, 2012; Ladd, 2011). These findings establish a need to investigate how current polices may have contributed to the disparities in teacher retention rates. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of North Carolina’s new definition of a low-performing school on teacher retention and teacher working conditions. This study used a quantitative causal-comparative design and analyzed secondary administrative data files from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as well as survey data from the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that newly designated low-performing schools had lower average teacher retention rates and lower average North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey results than other schools in the state. Multiple regression analysis found that the relationship between the state’s new definition of a low-performing school and teacher retention rates was not statistically significant, and the relationship between the state’s new definition of a low-performing school and teacher working condition survey results was statistically significant. Findings indicate that the state’s new definition a low-performing school negatively impacted teacher working conditions at newly designated low-performing schools and suggest that these schools will need to improve teacher working conditions in order to raise teacher retention rates to the state average

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Knowledge of Symptoms Among Vietnamese Americans

BACKGROUND: There are few population-based studies of cardiovascular risk factors, knowledge, and related behaviors among Vietnamese Americans. OBJECTIVE: To describe cardiovascular risk factors, knowledge, and related behaviors among Vietnamese Americans and compare the results to non-Hispanic whites. DESIGN: Comparison of data from two populationbased, cross-sectional telephone surveys

A community-based lifestyle and weight loss intervention promoting a Mediterranean-style diet pattern evaluated in the stroke belt of North Carolina: the Heart Healthy Lenoir Project

Abstract Background Because residents of the southeastern United States experience disproportionally high rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), it is important to develop effective lifestyle interventions for this population. Methods The primary objective was to develop and evaluate a dietary, physical activity (PA) and weight loss intervention for residents of the southeastern US. The intervention, given in eastern North Carolina, was evaluated in a 2 year prospective cohort study with an embedded randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a weight loss maintenance intervention. The intervention included: Phase I (months 1–6), individually-tailored intervention promoting a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern and increased walking; Phase II (months 7–12), option of a 16-week weight loss intervention for those with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 offered in 2 formats (16 weekly group sessions or 5 group sessions and 10 phone calls) or a lifestyle maintenance intervention; and Phase III (months 13–24), weight loss maintenance RCT for those losing ≥ 8 lb with all other participants receiving a lifestyle maintenance intervention. Change in diet and PA behaviors, CVD risk factors, and weight were assessed at 6, 12, and 24 month follow-up. Results Baseline characteristics (N = 339) were: 260 (77 %) females, 219 (65 %) African Americans, mean age 56 years, and mean body mass index 36 kg/m2. In Phase I, among 251 (74 %) that returned for 6 month follow-up, there were substantial improvements in diet score (4.3 units [95 % CI 3.7 to 5.0]), walking (64 min/week [19 to 109]), and systolic blood pressure (−6.4 mmHg [−8.7 to −4.1]) that were generally maintained through 24 month follow-up. In Phase II, 138 (57 group only, 81 group/phone) chose the weight loss intervention and at 12 months, weight change was: −3.1 kg (−4.9 to −1.3) for group (N = 50) and −2.1 kg (−3.2 to −1.0) for group/phone combination (N = 75). In Phase III, 27 participants took part in the RCT. At 24 months, weight loss was −2.1 kg (−4.3 to 0.0) for group (N = 51) and −1.1 kg (−2.7 to 0.4) for combination (N = 72). Outcomes for African American and whites were similar. Conclusions The intervention yielded substantial improvement in diet, PA, and blood pressure, but weight loss was modest. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT0143348

Clinical outcomes and response to treatment of patients receiving topical treatments for pyoderma gangrenosum: a prospective cohort study

Background: pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an uncommon dermatosis with a limited evidence base for treatment. Objective: to estimate the effectiveness of topical therapies in the treatment of PG. Methods: prospective cohort study of UK secondary care patients with a clinical diagnosis of PG suitable for topical treatment (recruited July 2009 to June 2012). Participants received topical therapy following normal clinical practice (mainly Class I-III topical corticosteroids, tacrolimus 0.03% or 0.1%). Primary outcome: speed of healing at 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes: proportion healed by 6 months; time to healing; global assessment; inflammation; pain; quality-of-life; treatment failure and recurrence. Results: Sixty-six patients (22 to 85 years) were enrolled. Clobetasol propionate 0.05% was the most commonly prescribed therapy. Overall, 28/66 (43.8%) of ulcers healed by 6 months. Median time-to-healing was 145 days (95% CI: 96 days, ∞). Initial ulcer size was a significant predictor of time-to-healing (hazard ratio 0.94 (0.88;80 1.00); p = 0.043). Four patients (15%) had a recurrence. Limitations: No randomised comparator Conclusion: Topical therapy is potentially an effective first-line treatment for PG that avoids possible side effects associated with systemic therapy. It remains unclear whether more severe disease will respond adequately to topical therapy alone