Our Sorrows They've Seen: The Tennessee Mormon Massacre

The Tennessee Mormon Massacre, or the Cane Creek Massacre, occurred on August 10, 1884, in Lewis County, Tennessee. A masked mob attacked the James Conder farm during a Sunday worship service and murdered four members of the Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including two missionaries. The leader of the mob died in the violence as well. Several historians have explored the events of the massacre and have connected it to the national anti-polygamy movement of the 1880s. However, noone has approached it from the local level. This thesis introduces the Lewis County Circuit Court records to the literature and reexamines the sources that other scholars of the massacre have used. It reveals several points of local tension that were present before the Mormons arrived and demonstrates community relationships that have previously been left unexplored.M.A

Using Academic And Demographic Characteristics to Determine Whether or Not Admitted Transfer Students Will Enroll in a Four-Year Research-Extensive University in the Southeastern Region of the United States

Abstract The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether or not selected demographic, academic, and institutional characteristics influence the decision of admitted transfer students to enroll in a research-extensive university in the southeastern region of the United States. The transfer student population is an untapped student population that could help benefit many universities. If these students are targeted like potential freshmen, then universities can increase their enrollment. Being able to identify the correct characteristics for potential transfer students would help conserve resources and maximize the incoming transfer student population. This study used the standards of a research-extensive university in the Southeastern region of the United States to identify transfer students who were admitted and either enrolled or did not enroll. A transfer student was defined as a student with at least 30 hours of college course work, a college-level English, a college-level math, and a minimum 2.5 GPA. The population came from the summer 2013-spring 2014 academic semesters. There were 12 independent variables provided by the Office of Enrollment Management and input into a computerized statistics program. Using logistic regression, the researcher was able to identify two characteristics that were statistically significant in correctly classifying enrollment status. Residence and having a higher education degree correctly classified 77.5% of the transfer student population. The other variables that were statistically significant were the variable multi-racial, transfer hours attempted, and transfer hours earned. The researcher recommended that surveys be conducted to determine why students complete a higher education degree and get admitted, but do not enroll in university. The researchers also recommended working with different ethnicities to determine why multi-racial students have a different enrollment pattern than the other ethnicities. Research also needs to be conducted concerning the role transfer parent alumni have on whether or not a student will or will not enroll after being admitted to the university

Mapping the Buried Fort of Los Adaes, Capital of Spanish Texas 1729-1770, Using Geophysics

Presidio Los Adaes (16NA16), located in present day northwest Louisiana, once served as the capital of Spanish Texas for much of the 18th century. Named after the Adaes Native Americans who inhabited the region, Los Adaes consisted of both a Presidio (fort) and a mission that occupied two adjacent hilltops. Ostensibly constructed to act as a deterrent to French expansion, Los Adaes would instead come to serve as the epicenter of illegal trade between imperial holdings of Spain and France as well as the local Native Americans. Los Adaes presents a unique archaeological opportunity: a Spanish colonial capital that has not been continually inhabited and developed. Previous archaeological investigations revealed intact earthworks of fortifications and structures as well as evidence of a cooperative relationship between the European inhabitants and the Native Americans through artifacts. Maps and other historical documents provide architectural plans for the fort as well as other buildings on the site. A multi-instrument geophysical survey was conducted in 2009, but the results were never published. Geophysical survey allows for large areas of site to be surveyed in a noninvasive manner that traditional archaeological investigation could not accomplish. This project seeks to critically examine the 2009 data by performing a new analysis of the geophysical data using more modern processing techniques where possible and comparing the results to the historical documents and archaeological evidence to help create a more nuanced understanding of the subsurface remains of the fort of Los Adaes

Relationships between Students’ Fitness Levels and Academic Achievement

This study compared fifth grade students\u27 physical fitness levels to academic achievement based on the premise that health and physical fitness has an effect on one\u27s ability to learn and achieve academically. Due to No Child Left Behind and the mounting pressures to reach Adequate Yearly Progress, many school officials view non-assessed activities like physical education and recess as unnecessary, consequently creating a case for the elimination of any subject that is not directly measured through standardized testing. Finding a link between fitness and academic achievement may cause educational leaders to reevaluate time spent during the school day. Data was collected for 113 students during the 2008-2009 school year by using the FitnessGram, STAR Reading and Math Percentiles, and Grade Point Averages (GPA\u27s). Through multiple regression, the researcher found statistically significant relationships between physical fitness and two of the three measures used for academic achievement: STAR Math Percentiles (p = 0.0063 \u3c 0.05; R = 0.26 \u3e 0.195) and GPA\u27s (p = 0.0124 \u3c 0.05; R = 0.23 \u3e 0.195). Therefore, the hypothesis was accepted, validating a link between fitness and academic achievement. This study does not prove causality; it is more probable that physical fitness and academic achievement influence each other in ways that are still vague

Validity of hand hygiene compliance measurement by observation: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Hand hygiene is monitored by direct observation to improve practice, but this approach can potentially cause information, selection, and confounding bias, threatening the validity of findings. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the potential biases in hand hygiene compliance monitoring by direct observation; develop a typology of biases and propose improvements to reduce bias; and increase the validity of compliance measurements. METHODS: This systematic review of hospital-based intervention studies used direct observation to monitor health care workers' hand hygiene compliance. RESULTS: Seventy-one publications were eligible for review. None was free of bias. Selection bias was present in all studies through lack of data collection on the weekends (n = 61, 86%) and at night (n = 46, 65%) and observations undertaken in single-specialty settings (n = 35, 49%). We observed inconsistency of terminology, definitions of hand hygiene opportunity, criteria, tools, and descriptions of the data collection. Frequency of observation, duration, or both were not described or were unclear in 58 (82%) publications. Observers were trained in 56 (79%) studies. Inter-rater reliability was measured in 26 (37%) studies. CONCLUSIONS: Published research of hand hygiene compliance measured by direct observation lacks validity. Hand hygiene should be measured using methods that produce a valid indication of performance and quality. Standardization of methodology would expedite comparison of hand hygiene compliance between clinical settings and organizations

Development of Rapid Detection and Genetic Characterization of Salmonella in Poultry Breeder Feeds

Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States, with poultry and poultry products being a primary source of infection to humans. Poultry may carry some Salmonella serovars without any signs or symptoms of disease and without causing any adverse effects to the health of the bird. Salmonella may be introduced to a flock by multiple environmental sources, but poultry feed is suspected to be a leading source. Detecting Salmonella in feed can be challenging because low levels of the bacteria may not be recovered using traditional culturing techniques. Numerous detection methodologies have been examined over the years for quantifying Salmonella in feeds and many have proven to be effective for Salmonella isolation and detection in a variety of feeds. However, given the potential need for increased detection sensitivity, molecular detection technologies may the best candidate for developing rapid sensitive methods for identifying small numbers of Salmonella in the background of large volumes of feed. Several studies have been done using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and commercial kits to detect Salmonella spp. in a wide variety of feed sources. In addition, DNA array technology has recently been utilized to track the dissemination of a specific Salmonella serotype in feed mills. This review will discuss the processing of feeds and potential points in the process that may introduce Salmonella contamination to the feed. Detection methods currently used and the need for advances in these methods also will be discussed. Finally, implementation of rapid detection for optimizing control methods to prevent and remove any Salmonella contamination of feeds will be considered

Monitoring health disparities in healthcare-associated infection surveillance: A Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Research Network (SRN) Survey

We investigated whether and how infection prevention programs monitor for health disparities as part of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance through a survey of healthcare epidemiology leaders. Most facilities are not assessing for disparities in HAI rates. Professional society and national guidance should focus on addressing this gap

Genetic-morphometric variation in Culex quinquefasciatus from Brazil and La Plata, Argentina

Variation among natural populations of Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus Say is associated with different vectorial capacities. The species Cx. quinquefasciatus is present in the equatorial, tropical and subtropical zones in the Brazilian territory, with intermediate forms between Cx. quinquefasciatus and Culex pipiens occurring in regions of latitudes around 33°-35°S. Herein, we studied geographically distinct populations of Cx. quinquefasciatus by genetic characterization and analysis of intra-specific wing morphometrics. After morphological analysis, molecular characterization of Cx. quinquefasciatus and intermediate forms was performed by polymerase chain reaction of the polymorphic nuclear region of the second intron of the acetylcholinesterase locus. Additionally, the morphology of adult female wings collected from six locations was analyzed. Wing centroid sizes were significantly different between some geographical pairs. Mean values of R2/R2+3 differed significantly after pairwise comparisons. The overall wing shape represented by morphometric characters could be divided into two main groupings. Our data suggest that Brazilian samples are morphologically and genetically distinct from the Argentinean samples and also indicated a morphological distinction between northern and southern populations of Brazilian Cx. quinquefasciatus. We suggest that wing morphology may be used for preliminary assessment of population structure of Cx. quinquefasciatusin Brazil