The historical evaluation and significance of the Old Joerger ranch, Martis Valley, California

United States history is full of adventure and pioneering but building the regional histories of the nation allows one to dig deeper into what it took to make this country develop socially and economically. In the mid 1800’s California experienced a boom like never before. In 1848, mill workers found gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California, which led to a huge influx of people and population spike that changed California forever. Once the Gold Rush subsided, agriculture replaced gold in California as a wealth generator. Early settlers discovered that the mild climate of the region allows a wide variety of crops, orchards, and livestock to thrive. Today, California grows a majority of the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Despite the agricultural industry’s importance after the Gold Rush to the state’s growth and development little work has been done to understand the daily lives of early settlers whose choices, hard work, and ingenuity led to California’s success. Archaeological remains of these early agricultural settlements are few and far between. Unfortunately, development and expansion throughout California has destroyed many sites. Through the lens of historical archaeological investigation and archival research, one of these rare properties, the old Joerger Ranch, in the Martis Valley of Northern California, has been evaluated for the National Register of Historic Places for its archaeological data’s potential and historical significance. This investigation adds to the knowledge and understanding of what can be learned from archaeological investigations at these types of properties and helps reveal more about the lives of the people who helped shape the state into what it is today

Successful Implementation Of Solution-Based Casework; A Child Welfare Casework Practice Model?

Across the country, child welfare agencies have started to implement casework practice models in an effort to improve the safety, permanency and well-being of vulnerable children and families. In their effort to do so, child welfare systems have faced complex contextual challenges to implementation. To date, however, there has been limited empirical research describing successful implementation of these practices. Moreover, little systematic feedback exists concerning service providers\u27 perspectives of various aspects of the implementation process. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore child welfare supervisors\u27 and case workers\u27 responses to various methods of implementation of Solution-Based Casework (SBC); a promising casework practice model recently introduced into this organizational context. For the study, case planners and supervisors were recruited within four different child welfare agencies in New York City. Participants then described their experiences with different modes of SBC implementation and efforts to adopt the model to their work in foster care and preventive services. The research applied the constructivist approach to grounded theory methodology (Charmaz, 2006). Grounded theory posits that individual perspectives and actions are fundamentally influenced by contexts and social interactions (Charmaz, 2006). The use of this methodology helped capture the organizational contexts and processes, which shaped practitioners\u27 conceptualizations of SBC. The results showed that organizational support for SBC, on-going practical training and continuous coaching from peers greatly influenced practitioners\u27 operationalization of SBC strategies. Findings also revealed ways in which caseworkers struggled to use the model with various client populations and how many foster care practitioners, unlike preventive caseworkers, expressed the need for additional clinical training to effectively use the model. Overall, the study highlighted critical contributions of service providers in SBC implementation and, more broadly, the importance of seeking feedback on practitioner experiences with evidence-supported model. Although data were drawn from practitioners\u27 feedback with a specific evidence supported model, the issues uncovered and generalizations derived were consistent with other research studies on program implementation in social services. This suggests that the results may be highly transferable and strategies for improving program implementation may be applicable to a variety of settings as well as intervention approaches

Rapid keratitis and perforation after corneal collagen cross-linking

© 2020 Purpose: To describe a case of rapid keratitis and corneal perforation after epithelium off collagen cross-linking. Observations: We report a case of a 17-year-old male who underwent collagen cross-linking with the protocol and device approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that developed a corneal infiltrate 3 days after the procedure. He later developed corneal thinning and perforation on day 5 requiring the use of cyanoacrylate glue and a Kontur lens. Despite initial improvement in the infiltrate with fortified antibiotics he later had leakage of aqueous around the glue and a flat chamber requiring an emergent penetrating keratoplasty on postoperative day 16. Conclusion and importance: While collagen cross-linking has been very effective for treating keratoconus and is being recommended more frequently since FDA approval in the United States, severe complications such as corneal perforation requiring early transplant can still occur

From SALT to START: Compliance behavior and the evolution of bargaining methodology in Soviet-American strategic arms diplomacy, 1972-1989.

This dissertation examines the development of Soviet-American strategic arms diplomacy from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. It argues that bargaining activity during this period produced an evolving set of operative principles, or a "methodology" of strategic arms diplomacy, which has bridged particular agreements and has tended to drive policymakers into recurring patterns of choice throughout the process. It further argues that compliance behavior has played a key role in stimulating adjustments in bargaining methodology, because both sides have pursued successive negotiations against a background of accumulating experience under the terms of older agreements. Chapter 1 introduces the dissertation's central arguments and discusses the links between compliance behavior and bargaining methodology. Chapter 2 identifies factors that may have compliance-enhancing and -inhibiting effects, and argues that treaty-constrained behavior is best viewed as a product of ongoing interactions among these factors. Chapter 3 explains why Soviet and U.S. compliance practices since 1972 are prone to conflicting assessments, and why these conflicts make it difficult to prove or disprove competing hypotheses regarding the motivations behind such behavior on the Soviet side. This chapter also assesses the historical record in light of the several factors discussed in Chapter 2 and identifies the presence of certain "structural" frictions in the Soviet-American context which were not previously considered. The study then explicates the rule-making process. For analytical purposes it defines an agreement as a composite of: framework rules, which represent the internal structure of restraint; scope rules, which are criteria for including or excluding weapons; and verification rules, which govern procedures for monitoring compliance and sorting out problems. After discussing the formative stages of the bargaining process in Chapter 4, patterns of rule-making in each category are analyzed. Chapter 5 demonstrates that a systematic progression in framework rules governing force concentration is juxtaposed against sharp discontinuities in those governing force modernization. Chapter 6 concludes that the inevitable trade-offs between preserving flexibility for oneself versus thwarting treaty circumvention by the other side has led to recurring patterns in scope rule selection. Chapter 7 discusses trends in verification rule-making and the significance of glasnost. Chapter 8 evaluates the impact of bargaining dynamics and compliance behavior upon the rule-making process from the SALT to the START eras

Understanding stigma as a barrier to accessing cancer treatment in South Africa: implications for public health campaigns

Introduction: Cancer contributes to significant illness burden in South Africa, with delayed diagnosis resulting from limited knowledge of cancer, lack of biomedical treatment and stigma. This study examines ways in which people are identified as having cancer through perspectives of traditional healing or the biomedical model. Additionally, we sought to understand the stigma associated with cancer, including stereotypes, anticipated discrimination and coping styles. Methods: Livestrong Foundation conducted 11 semi-structured focus groups with key community stakeholders in three South African townships. Interviews examined the negative consequences of being labeled with a cancer diagnosis as well as causes of, possible prevention of and barriers and methods to improve access to cancer treatment. Analyses were completed using directed content analysis. Results: Revealed three main labeling mechanisms: physical appearance of perceived signs/symptoms of cancer, diagnosis by a traditional healer, or a biomedical diagnosis by a Western physician. Being labeled led to anticipated discrimination in response to prevalent cancer stereotypes. This contributed to delayed treatment, use of traditional healers instead of biomedical treatment and secrecy of symptoms and/or diagnosis. Further, perceptions of cancer were commonly conflated with HIV/TB owing to prior educational campaigns. Conclusion: Our study deepens the understanding of the cancer labeling process in South Africa and the resulting negative effects of stigma. Future anti-stigma interventions should partner with traditional healers due to their respected community status and consider how previous health interventions may significantly impact current understandings of illness