Oral history interview with Kenneth S. Greenberg (SOH-049)

Kenneth Greenberg, distinguished professor of history and former dean of Suffolk University’s College of Arts & Sciences, discusses his life from childhood in the 1950s to college and graduate work in the 1960s and 1970s. He describes his first teaching opportunity at the Harriett Beecher-Stowe Middle School in New York City and how it influenced his teaching style. Greenberg also goes into detail about his scholarship, service, and leadership activities within New York, Wisconsin, and Boston. He explains the background and motivations behind his books, essays, and documentary film surrounding the stories of Nat Turner. Related to Suffolk University, he reflects on the school’s history, his tenure as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and as chair of the history department. The interview ends with brief a discussion of his recent return to the faculty and his ongoing scholarly research and writing.https://dc.suffolk.edu/soh/1044/thumbnail.jp

Fasces Americae and Walt Whitman’s House

Poetry by Fred Marchan

The Pulse of War: Writing a Response

Introduction and a series of articles and poetry concerning the war on terror being imposed by the U.S., and more. Writes Kevin Bowen: One year into the war in Iraq, the ugliness of the undertaking has become more and more inescapable. If anything, the experience has reaffirmed a few simple facts that deserve reiteration. There is no such thing as an easily winnable war. There is no such thing as a humane war. In every war, long after the fighting ends, peace will remain elusive, and memories of suffering will endure through generations. Of course we knew all this before. Writers have been trying to tell us such things for centuries. The writings that follow illustrate ways contemporary writers confront these truths. From Tony Aiello\u27s memories of the First Gulf War, a war that Colin Powell told us was conducted more humanely than any war in history through Almira El-Zein\u27s incredible evocation of mortality in Is this Desolation for Me Alone ; through Carolyn Forche\u27s testimony to the role of writers; Chris Agee\u27s meditation on conflicts in Bosnia and Rwanda to present-day Iraq; Fred Marchant\u27s essay on war poetry and Fanny Howe\u27s beautiful understated testiment we are reminded of the ways good writers take the complicated pulse of war and why now, more than ever, we need their voices

How equitable is bed net ownership and utilisation in Tanzania? A practical application of the principles of horizontal and vertical equity

BACKGROUND: Studies show that the burden of malaria remains huge particularly in low-income settings. Although effective malaria control measures such as insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) have been promoted, relatively little is known about their equity dimension. Understanding variations in their use in low-income settings is important for scaling up malaria control programmes particularly ITNs. The objective of this paper is to measure the extent and causes of inequalities in the ownership and utilisation of bed nets across socioeconomic groups (SEGs) and age groups in Tanga District, north-eastern Tanzania. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to heads of 1,603 households from rural and urban areas. Households were categorized into SEGs using both an asset-based wealth index and education level of the household head. Concentration indices and regression-based measures of inequality were computed to analyse both vertical and horizontal inequalities in ownership and utilisation of bed nets. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were used to explore community perspectives on the causes of inequalities. RESULTS: Use of ITNs remained appallingly low compared to the RBM target of 80% coverage. Inequalities in ownership of ITNs and all nets combined were significantly pro-rich and were much more pronounced in rural areas. FGDs revealed that lack of money was the key factor for not using ITNs followed by negative perceptions about the effect of insecticides on the health of users. Household SES, living within the urban areas and being under-five were positively associated with bed net ownership and/or utilisation. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the need for mass distribution of ITN; a community-wide programme to treat all untreated nets and to promote the use of Long-Lasting Insecticidal nets (LLINs) or longer-lasting treatment of nets. The rural population and under-fives should be targeted through highly subsidized schemes and mass distribution of free nets. Public campaigns are also needed to encourage people to use treated nets and mitigate negative perceptions about insecticides

Oral History Interview with Anthony Merzlak (SOH-055 video recording and transcript)

Tony Merzlak, Professor Emeritus of English and past department chair, discusses his upbringing and education in Los Angeles and then his Ph.D. studies at Harvard. He goes on to describe his arrival at Suffolk, his many and varied teaching experiences over the years, his tenure as chair, and his contributions to the English Department’s overall educational approach. Merzlak describes teaching as his vocation and how Suffolk provided an inspiring and sustaining environment for him. He then discusses the authors and courses that he loved to teach, year in and year out, plus memories of the students and colleagues who had meant the most to him over his lengthy career at Suffolk. He also reflection on Suffolk’s evolution in the years leading up to his retirement

THE IMPACTS OF LESSER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ON SOUTHERN REGION AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS

Lesser developed countries (LDCs) serve as both customers and competitors for agricultural commodities produced in the Southern region of the United States. This paper focuses on the impacts of LDCs on exports of the major agricultural commodities produced in the South (cotton, rice, tobacco, poultry, and, to a lesser extent, citrus and peanuts). First the importance of LDCs as export markets for Southern commodities is explored. Then the role LDCs play as producers and exporters of these commodities is considered. Finally, these separate roles are combined into an index of LDC competitiveness with Southern agricultural commodities. Data analysis shows that Southern agricultural interests truly are divided over the role LDCs play in Southern agriculture, where poultry and rice rank highest, and peanuts lowest, in terms of a LDC markets/competition index. Thus, it is not surprising that calls for protectionism (e.g., the Bumpers' Amendment) should arise from the South

THE IMPACTS OF LESSER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ON SOUTHERN REGION AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS

Lesser developed countries (LDCs) serve as both customers and competitors for agricultural commodities produced in the Southern region of the United States. This paper focuses on the impacts of LDCs on exports of the major agricultural commodities produced in the South (cotton, rice, tobacco, poultry, and, to a lesser extent, citrus and peanuts). First the importance of LDCs as export markets for Southern commodities is explored. Then the role LDCs play as producers and exporters of these commodities is considered. Finally, these separate roles are combined into an index of LDC competitiveness with Southern agricultural commodities. Data analysis shows that Southern agricultural interests truly are divided over the role LDCs play in Southern agriculture, where poultry and rice rank highest, and peanuts lowest, in terms of a LDC markets/competition index. Thus, it is not surprising that calls for protectionism (e.g., the Bumpers' Amendment) should arise from the South.International Relations/Trade,

Oral History Interview with Fred Marchant (SOH-048)

Fred Marchant, a professor emeritus in Suffolk University’s English Department and founder of the Poetry Center and Creative Writing Program, discusses his poetry, teaching, and continued involvement with the university post-retirement. He describes the meaning behind specific lines of his poetry, and how he combined his love of poetry with a love of teaching at Suffolk. Marchant discusses his time serving in the military during the Vietnam War, including leaving the military as a consequence of becoming a conscientious objector. He also describes the university’s growth and changes to its culture as an undergraduate institution from the 1970s until present day. The interview concludes with a discussion of the potential of Suffolk’s emerging retirement association and the importance of preserving institutional memory.https://dc.suffolk.edu/soh/1036/thumbnail.jp

Difficulties in Determining the Future of China’s Commodity Trade: Policy Issues and Grain Production

Demonstrate the difficulty in developing long-term commodity projections for global markets based on current assumptions about China’s agriculture trade policies and production potential. Analyze two independent issues affecting China’s long-term projections,which affect the global markets and other country projections. Analyze the impact of restricting sorghum imports by China. What are the effects of these restrictions on global market trade, international and domestic prices, producers and consumers? Analyze impact of limiting the continuous expansion in area planted to corn in China and lowering restrictions on corn imports. What will be the effect on global markets, international prices and trade as China increases corn imports for domestic feed demand

Bacteriophages Isolated From Turkeys Infecting Diverse Salmonella Serovars

Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illnesses worldwide. The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella strains has increased global concern for salmonellosis. Recent studies have shown that bacteriophages (phages) are novel and the most promising antibacterial agents for biocontrol in foods because phages specifically kill target bacteria without affecting other bacteria, do not alter organoleptic properties or nutritional quality of foods, and are safe and environmentally friendly. Due to the vast variation in Salmonella serotypes, large numbers of different and highly virulent Salmonella phages with broad host ranges are needed. This study isolated 14 Salmonella phages from turkey fecal and cecal samples. Six phages (Φ205, Φ206, Φ207, ΦEnt, ΦMont, and Φ13314) were selected for characterization. These phages were from all three families in the Caudovirales order. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) revealed that each phage had a unique structural protein profile. Each phage had a distinct host range. Φ207 and ΦEnt are both siphophages. They shared eight hosts, including seven different Salmonella serovars and one Shigella sonnei strain. These two phages showed different restriction banding patterns generated through EcoRI or HindIII digestion, but shared three bands from EcoRI digestion. ΦEnt displayed the broadest and very unusual host range infecting 11 Salmonella strains from nine serovars and three Shigella strains from two species, and thus was further characterized. The one-step growth curve revealed that ΦEnt had a short latent period (10 min) and relatively large burst size (100 PFU/infected cell). ΦEnt and its host showed better thermal stabilities in tryptic soy broth than in saline at 63 or 72°C. In the model food system (cucumber juice or beef broth), ΦEnt infection [regardless of the multiplicity of infections (MOIs) of 1, 10, and 100] resulted in more than 5-log10 reduction in Salmonella concentration within 4 or 5 h. Such high lytic activity combined with its remarkably broad and unusual host range and good thermal stability suggested that ΦEnt is a novel Salmonella phage with great potential to be used as an effective biocontrol agent against diverse Salmonella serovars in foods