The Dance of the Courtier: Politics and Performance in Elizabethan and Jacobean England

In the Renaissance courts of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I, courtiers clamored for the chief role of the monarch’s “favorite”, frequently utilizing their extensive knowledge of the arts to catch the royal eye. Behind each court favorite is a story of their intensive performance for the monarch-(especially in dance, theatre, the joust, and wardrobe) –in which they played an involved role in a very unique and sensitive relationship with these powerful yet vulnerable rulers, the dance of the courtier. My research thoroughly analyzes how exacting courtiers utilized these court arts to thrust themselves into the spotlight and thereafter be in close proximity to their sovereign, exercising political influence on England. The project also explores the gendered differences between the courts of a queen and a king. The research requires extensive examination of primary sources including courtiers’ journals, personal correspondence, speeches, and financial recordings to understand how Englishmen at the time viewed these courtiers and to catch valuable clues of their calculations within the courts. It also requires the use of secondary sources such as modern scholarly journals, articles, and books for a strong comparison. Previously it has been argued that the arts were a frivolous aspect of the courts, but my findings assert instead that these performances were essential to a courtier’s rise to power. Political power in England was intricately and irrevocably intertwined with performance and the arts.No embargoAcademic Major: Histor

Retrospective evaluation of an integrated molecular-epidemiological approach to cyclosporiasis outbreak investigations - United States, 2021.

Cyclosporiasis results from an infection of the small intestine by Cyclospora parasites after ingestion of contaminated food or water, often leading to gastrointestinal distress. Recent developments in temporally linking genetically related Cyclospora isolates demonstrated effectiveness in supporting epidemiological investigations. We used 'temporal-genetic clusters' (TGCs) to investigate reported cyclosporiasis cases in the United States during the 2021 peak-period (1 May - 31 August 2021). Our approach split 655 genotyped isolates into 55 genetic clusters and 31 TGCs. We linked two large multi-state epidemiological clusters (Epidemiologic Cluster 1 [n = 136 cases, 54 genotyped] and Epidemiologic Cluster 2 [n = 42 cases, 15 genotyped]) to consumption of lettuce varieties; however, product traceback did not identify a specific product for either cluster due to the lack of detailed product information. To evaluate the utility of TGCs, we performed a retrospective case study comparing investigation outcomes of outbreaks first detected using epidemiological methods with those of the same outbreaks had TGCs been used to first detect them. Our study results indicate that adjustments to routine epidemiological approaches could link additional cases to epidemiological clusters of cyclosporiasis. Overall, we show that CDC's integrated genotyping and epidemiological investigations provide valuable insights into cyclosporiasis outbreaks in the United States

Use of a tablet-based system to perform abdominal ultrasounds in a field investigation of schistosomiasis-related morbidity in western Kenya

Chronic intestinal schistosomiasis can cause severe hepatosplenic disease and is a neglected tropical disease of public health importance in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya. Although the goal of control programs is to reduce morbidity, milestones for program performance focus on reductions in prevalence and intensity of infection, rather than actual measures of morbidity. Using ultrasound to measure hepatosplenic disease severity is an accepted method of determining schistosomiasis-related morbidity; however, ultrasound has not historically been considered a field-deployable tool because of equipment limitations and unavailability of expertise. A point-of-care tablet-based ultrasound system was used to perform abdominal ultrasounds in a field investigation of schistosomiasis-related morbidity in western Kenya; during the study, other pathologies and pregnancies were also identified via ultrasound, and participants referred to care. Recent technological advances may make it more feasible to implement ultrasound as part of a control program and can also offer important benefits to the community

Defining elimination as a public health problem for schistosomiasis control programmes: beyond prevalence of heavy-intensity infections

WHO's 2021?30 road map for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) outlines disease-specific and cross-cutting targets for the control, elimination, and eradication of NTDs in affected countries. For schistosomiasis, the criterion for elimination as a public health problem (EPHP) is defined as less than 1% prevalence of heavy-intensity infections (ie, ≥50 Schistosoma haematobium eggs per 10 mL of urine or ≥400 Schistosoma mansoni eggs per g of stool). However, we believe the evidence supporting this definition of EPHP is inadequate and the shifting distribution of schistosomiasis morbidity towards more subtle, rather than severe, morbidity in the face of large-scale control programmes requires guidelines to be adapted. In this Viewpoint, we outline the need for more accurate measures to develop a robust evidence-based monitoring and evaluation framework for schistosomiasis. Such a framework is crucial for achieving the goal of widespread EPHP of schistosomiasis and to meet the WHO road map targets. We encourage use of overall prevalence of schistosome infection (instead of the prevalence of heavy-intensity infections), development of species-dependent and age-dependent morbidity markers, and construction of a standardised monitoring and evaluation protocol

Association between water, sanitation and hygiene factors, and schistosomiasis infection

A scoping review of literature published from 2014 onwards outlining and quantifying the association between exposures related to water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, and infections with schistosomes

Association between water, sanitation and hygiene factors, and soil transmitted helminth infection

A scoping review of literature published from 2014 onwards outlining and quantifying the association between exposures related to water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, and infections with soil-transmitted helminths