Twitter Use by Academic Libraries in New York State

Twitter can be a productive tool for academic libraries to use when sharing information, marketing services, and building relationships with students, yet it is difficult to know whether academic libraries are utilizing this platform by creating an independent library account. Furthermore, if academic libraries do have accounts, it is valuable to understand what academic libraries use Twitter for, and what kinds of media they share. The purpose of this study then is to investigate whether academic libraries in New York State (NYS) use Twitter, and if they do, how and why. Based on a sample of 226 academic libraries of 2- and 4-year institutions with physical locations, the results of the analysis found that approximately 48% of academic libraries in NYS have a Twitter account. A content analysis of a random sample of 21 academic libraries in NYS showed that academic libraries primarily use Twitter as a resource to share information about events in and outside of the institution, by sharing links to other information and content

When 'blood speaks': naming the father and the mystics of kinship in Dominica, Eastern Caribbean

This article explores the mystical implication of fathers in reproduction in Dominica, Eastern Caribbean. It traces naming acts that assign paternity at various points in the filial life course, each attempting to disambiguate paternity. Confronting a recurring anthropological problematic – the problem of paternity (paternity’s inherent putativity) – the article argues that Dominicans contest uncertain physical fatherhood through the proverb ‘blood speaks’. The article elaborates how relatedness reveals itself in the subtle bodies of kin at three moments: through a local version of the couvade (‘sympathetic pregnancy’); in elders’ post-partum ritual scrutiny of children’s bodies for familial resemblances; and during serendipitous encounters in later life. The article highlights how physical fatherhood is disclosed in fathers’ and children’s symptoms, appearances, and sensations, revealing their kinship in transpersonal terms. Therefore, blood ‘speaks’ to counter broad brushed narratives of Caribbean fatherly absence by revealing the physical and spiritual significance of fatherhood. Herein, the article revives classic anthropological debates on legitimacy, the couvade, and Caribbean kinship, whilst contributing to contemporary theorizations of blood and naming

Goodnight Colston. Mourning Slavery: Death Rites and Duppy Conquering in a Circum-Atlantic City

In the wake of the riotous procession that toppled the statue of Edward Colston, this essay sketches an ethnographic itinerary through the spectral geographies of Bristol, a circum-Atlantic city haunted by the ghosts of slavery. The paper offers aCaribbean cosmological reading of the toppling and aqueous burial as a kind of duppy conquering, a vital act of social renewal that clears ground for processes of spiritual and affective repair. The paper then explores two rituals of restoration—a remembrance ceremony for an enslaved woman and an inchoate ancestral invocation upon an empty plinth—alongside other, kindred paths of repair in the long afterlife of Atlantic slavery

Using GeoSpatial Analysis to Evaluate Relationships Between Cancer Incidence and Social Factors in Brooklyn, NY

This study explored the spatial distribution of cancer incidence in Brooklyn, NY. Using publicly available data, the relationships between cancer incidence and factors linked to cancer were investigated. Furthermore, the study explored the value of using large amounts of data with GIS techniques to quickly analyze geographic trends for cancer

Development of a universal impeller test rig for scaled testing of high performance impellers.

M. Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.This dissertation presents the validation of a universal impeller test rig, designed by the author and constructed at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The research was conducted as part of UKZN’s Aerospace Systems Research Group’s (ASReG) work into liquid rocket propulsion. The rig will be used to evaluate the performance of an impeller, developed as part of ASReG’s research, for use in a hypothetical launch vehicle’s fuel turbopump. Head rise versus flow rate characteristics, as well as cavitation performance will be assessed by the rig. The power requirements of the impeller necessitated the reduction in rotational speed and geometric size of the test case. Scaling laws and dimensionless numbers were used to predict the test case performance based on the design performance. This predicted performance was then used to determine specific parameters used in the rig design. Validation of the rig and testing procedures was performed using a standard industrial KSB ETA 125 – 200 centrifugal pump, by comparing the experimental results with those of the supplier. Head rise characteristics were determined by measuring the change in pressure between the inlet and discharge of the pump and then plotted against the flow rate for varying system heads. Cavitation performance was assessed by decreasing the inlet pressure while maintaining a constant flow rate. This was performed at various flow rates within the range of operation. Head breakdown, vibration and noise levels, both in the time and frequency domains, were used to assess the cavitation performance. The head rise versus flow characteristics of the pump, determined on the rig, showed good agreement with the supplier’s data. Cavitation performance, determined by head breakdown, was also in accordance with the supplier. It was found that both the vibration and general noise levels increased, indicating the presence of cavitation, before any head breakdown was detected. By monitoring the level of the high frequency noise in particular, > 10 kHz, the presence of cavitation was detected at a significantly higher inlet pressure than would be suggested by the head breakdown approach

Patterns of HIV Serostatus Disclosure Among HIV-Positive Young Adults in Haiti: a Mixed Methods Investigation

<p><bold>Background</bold>: By facilitating access to prevention and care services, HIV serostatus disclosure has been associated with improved physical health, psychological well-being, and improved health behaviors for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Disclosure to sexual partners, in particular, can help prevent the forward transmission of HIV. Disclosure can increase social support but can also lead to negative social outcomes including stigma and discrimination. Thus, disclosing HIV status to friends, family, and sexual partners is a complex psychosocial challenge that PLWHA face, particularly adolescents and youth who have an increased lifespan due to current effective treatment protocols. </p><p><bold>Objectives</bold>: This study had three objectives: 1) to determine gender-related differences in the rate and patterns of HIV serostatus disclosure to family, friends and sexual partners among HIV-positive youth in Haiti; 2) to identify gender-specific relational and psychosocial predictors of HIV disclosure to sexual partner; and 3) to qualitatively explore and describe motivations and experiences related to HIV disclosure in this population. </p><p><bold>Methods</bold>: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a random sample of 680 sexually active HIV-positive young adults (18-29 years) from six clinics in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Socio-demographic, health, sexual and reproductive history, sexual behavior, psychosocial and disclosure data were collected using a pre-tested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Rates and patterns of HIV serostatus were described, and factors associated with disclosure to all sexual partners in the past 3 months were analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression models, separately by gender. Qualitative data was collected through individual in-depth interviews with a purposefully selected sample of 12 young adult participants to explore whom they chose to disclose to, how they disclosed to these individuals, and how these individuals reacted. Content analysis allowed for the description of motivations and experiences related to HIV disclosure in this population. </p><p><bold>Results</bold>: Slightly over half (56%) of participants had told at least one person about their HIV status. Female respondents were more likely than male respondents to have disclosed to family or friends. Male youth were more likely to disclose their status for the first time to sexual partners (35%), while female youth were more likely to choose their mother as their first confidant (51%). Overall, 33% of participants reported having disclosed their HIV status to all their sexual partners from the last 3 months, with no significant difference across genders. For both genders, older age and being unaware of partners' HIV status were significantly associated with lower odds of HIV serostatus disclosure. Additionally for young males, disclosure stigma was negatively associated with disclosure while HIV acceptance and personalized stigma were significant predictors of disclosure. Female youth who were single, had casual or multiple partners, and experienced greater personalized stigma were less likely to disclose, whereas the availability of social support was positively associated with disclosure to all sexual partners. While disclosure to sexual partners was motivated primarily by a desire to encourage partners to test for HIV and increase condom use, or by a sense of moral responsibility, important contextual differences emerged in qualitative analysis with regards to barriers to disclosure, particularly fear of stigma and fear of partner's reaction.</p><p><bold>Conclusion</bold>: Rates of HIV serostatus disclosure to family, friends and sexual partners were low among this population of HIV-positive youth in Port-au-Prince. Context-specific gender-sensitive interventions are needed to increase social support, reduce HIV-related stigma, and assist youth living with HIV in making effective decisions on disclosure that will ultimately improve their well-being and quality of life. Further research is necessary to better understand the process and outcomes of HIV serostatus disclosure to sexual partners, as well as the relationship between HIV serostatus disclosure and sexual risk behaviors in this young HIV-positive population.</p>Thesi