Alimentation and Acadienité : food and cultural identity in rural Nova Scotia tourist destinations

Two and a half centuries after the devastation of l'Acadie in The Deportation, one may still think of oneself as Acadian. In this dissertation, I examine how people from the birthplace of l'Acadie today use eating and food in understanding themselves this way. Through fieldwork in the Acadian communities of Nova Scotia between 2002 and 2004 and in auto-ethnography, I examine symbolic and affective processes of alimentation that I find are imperiled by contemporary economic relations. Our sense of ourselves as a group that is achieved in these social processes I term acadienité . In this dissertation, restaurants are the entry point for examining alimentation in acadienité . Restaurants are an essential part of tourism development, as it is presently undertaken in Nova Scotia. Tourism development here is an economic discourse that devalues localized culture produced by and for the local people, what Braroe (2002) terms ethnologic culture, valuing 'ethnic' culture instead. It cannot be dismissed outright, however, since tourism development promises relief from the economic trials that plague the people of rural Nova Scotian communities. I argue that the locals' own practices and narratives of alimentation are indicative of alternative, counter-hegemonic social processes that offer the possibility of an authentic ethnic Acadian-ness. The 'ethnic cuisine' that is postulated within economic discourses is challenged by local practices and narratives that draw heavily from the peoples' ethnologic representations and experiences of Acadian-ness. While I raise questions about the long-term prospects for Acadian cultural vitality given the ongoing ethnicization of Acadian villages, I find reason to be hopeful insofar as the Acadian people continue to struggle to define ethnic Acadian-ness in terms of our heritage, emotion, cultural narratives, and ethnological selves. I have reason to believe that the Acadians' sense of acadienité is, in fact, strengthened in this struggle to define our ethnic selves in the face of tourism development and economic relation

Cervical spine motion during transfer and stabilization techniques

Objectives: To compare paramedics’ ability to minimize cervical spine motion during patient transfer onto a vacuum mattress with two stabilization techniques (Head Squeeze vs. Trap Squeeze) and two transfer methods (log roll with one assistant (LR2) vs. 3 assistants (LR4)). Methods: We used a cross-over design to minimize bias. Each lead paramedic performed 10 LR2 transfers and 10 LR4 transfers. For each of the 10 LR2 and 10 LR4 transfers, the lead paramedic stabilized the cervical spine using the Head Squeeze technique five times and the Trap Squeeze technique five times. We randomized the order of the stabilization techniques and LR2 / LR4 across lead paramedics to avoid a practice or fatigue effect with repeated trials. We measured relative cervical spine motion between the head and trunk using Inertial Measurement Units placed on the forehead and sternum. Results: On average, total motion was 3.9° less with three assistants compared to one assistant (p=0.0002), and 2.8° less with the Trap Squeeze compared to the Head Squeeze (p=0.002). There was no interaction between the transfer method and stabilization technique. When examining specific motions in the six directions, the Trap Squeeze generally produced less lateral flexion and rotation motion but allowed more extension. Examining within paramedic differences, some paramedics were clearly more proficient with the Trap Squeeze technique and others were clearly more proficient with the Head Squeeze technique. Conclusion: Paramedics performing a log roll with three assistants created less motion compared to a log roll with only one assistant, and using the Trap Squeeze stabilization technique resulted in less motion than the Head Squeeze technique. However, the clinical relevance of the magnitude remains unclear. However, large individual differences suggest future paramedic training should incorporate both best evidence practice as well as recognition that there may be individual differences between paramedics