‘Blessed Are They That Mourn’: Expressions of Grief in South Central Kentucky, 1870-1910

During the nineteenth century, Americans were gradually changing their funeral and burial practices in an effort to soften death\u27s harshness. In large northern communities, the professionalization of undertaking services and the opening of community cemeteries on the outskirts of population centers occurred prior to the Civil War.1 But in rural areas such as south central Kentucky, changes in burial customs transpired primarily between 1870 and 1910. While adapting the etiquette described in period literature, south central Kentuckians sought to establish expressions of grief which would testify to their traditional values of family, community, and religio

The influence of physicochemical factors and wind-induced resuspension on microalgal and zooplankton community assemblages in a shallow coastal embayment, South Bay, TX, USA

Plankton communities are important members of the food web in coastal systems and are regulated by top-down and bottom-up controls. This study examined the influence of bottom-up controls, such as physicochemical factors, and top-down controls, such as predation, on the plankton communities in South Bay, Texas. Microalgal photopigments were ascertained by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine the relative abundances of major algal classes. Zooplankters were identified to the lowest possible taxon and enumerated. No spatial trends were observed for the physicochemical factors. The northern bay sections exhibited significantly higher phytoplankton and microphytobenthic diatom biomass, probably due to their proximity to the bay inlet. Copepod, gastropod veliger and brachyuran zoea abundances were also higher in this area, albeit insignificantly. The southern bay sections experienced significantly higher cyanobacterial, euglenophyte and chlorophyte biomass, and polychaete larval abundances. Total zooplankton and nauplii abundances were also higher in the southern areas, albeit insignificantly. Sampling the inaccessible areas of the bay in the future may reveal spatial variability among the physicochemical factors which could be influencing the distribution of plankton. Temporal variation for the physicochemical factors followed a typical trend for subtropical climates and influenced the seasonality of the plankton communities. Phytoplankton biomass peaked in February, August and October but these maximums were not significantly different from the other months sampled. Microphytobenthic biomass peaked during the summer months, while diatom biomass also peaked in February. Zooplankton abundances peaked in October, while nauplii and polychaete larvae also peaked in February. Relationships between wind speed, turbidity and the microalgal pigments were assessed to determine if wind-induced resuspension influenced the location of the major algal classes within the water column compared to the sediments. Wind speed and turbidity were directly related to each other, albeit insignificantly. Some phytoplankton and microphytobenthos were considered tychopelagic because wind-induced resuspension increased their biomass in the water column compared to the sediments. The physicochemical factors exerted bottom-up control of plankton community dynamics in this study, while top-down controls, such as predation, require further investigation. Future studies should focus on which of these controls have more influence on plankton community dynamics in South Bay

Breaking Ground: Planning and Building in Priority Growth Districts

The need to control sprawl, encourage Smart Growth, and create more livable neighborhoods that instill a sense of community through traditional neighborhood design, are topics in the forefront of national discussions about community planning and development. There is an innovative land use technique that can be used by communities to manage and define future growth in a way that creates more livable places, places that are environmentally, socially, and fiscally sound. Specifically, a community may designate mixed-use Priority Growth Districts, or PGDs, which direct development to selected locations and also specify a design that is attractive to the community’s current and future residents. This report provides the necessary tools and describes the steps that a community may take to designate Priority Growth Districts and reap their many benefits. The PGD concept discussed here is particularly suited for outlying suburban and exurban counties, where the rate of growth is significant but there is still a rural character that can be preserved. Growth in these areas may result from the actions of transportation agencies, which make outlying communities more accessible, from housing shortages in areas near job centers, or from the changing housing needs of current residents. The pressure to provide new homes can best be addressed through the identification of PGDs where roadways and other infrastructure either exist or can be accommodated. This report draws examples primarily from Dutchess and Orange counties in New York State, but the principles and techniques discussed here are applicable in various locations

Feasibility of a structured group education session to improve self-management of blood pressure in people with chronic kidney disease: an open randomised pilot trial

Objectives: We aimed to test, at pilot level, a structured group educational intervention to improve self-management of blood pressure in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The current paper explores patient acceptability of the intervention. Design: This was an open randomised pilot trial. Participants were randomly assigned to either: ● A control group (n=41) receiving standard clinical management of hypertension. ● An intervention group (n=40) receiving standard clinical care plus the educational intervention. Setting: Renal outpatient clinics at a single study centre. Participants: Patients with early CKD and hypertension were identified and approached for recruitment. Intervention: An evidence-based structured group educational intervention (CHEERS) using the principles of social cognitive theory to improve knowledge and self-management skills. Outcomes: Recruitment, uptake of the intervention and patient satisfaction were evaluated to explore patient acceptability of the intervention and to determine any differences between patients regarding recruitment and retention. Measures: Data on age, sex and ethnicity were collected for all patients approached to take part. For recruited patients, data were also collected on self-efficacy (ability to self-manage). Reasons given by patients declining to take part were recorded. Patients attending the educational session also completed an evaluation form to assess satisfaction. Results: A total of 267 patients were approached, and 30% were randomly assigned. Lack of time (48%) and lack of interest (44%) were the main reasons cited for non-participation in the study. Men were significantly more likely to be recruited (p=0.048). The intervention was rated enjoyable and useful by 100% of participants. However, 37.5% of the intervention group failed to attend the educational session after recruitment. Participants failing to attend were significantly more likely to be older (p=0.039) and have lower self-efficacy (p=0.034). Conclusion: The findings suggest that delivering and evaluating an effective structured group educational intervention to promote better blood pressure control in patients with CKD would be challenging in the current context of kidney care

Immunocytochemical evidence for co-expression of Type III IP(3) receptor with signaling components of bitter taste transduction

BACKGROUND: Taste receptor cells are responsible for transducing chemical stimuli into electrical signals that lead to the sense of taste. An important second messenger in taste transduction is IP(3), which is involved in both bitter and sweet transduction pathways. Several components of the bitter transduction pathway have been identified, including the T2R/TRB taste receptors, phospholipase C β2, and the G protein subunits α-gustducin, β3, and γ13. However, the identity of the IP(3) receptor subtype in this pathway is not known. In the present study we used immunocytochemistry on rodent taste tissue to identify the IP(3) receptors expressed in taste cells and to examine taste bud expression patterns for IP(3)R3. RESULTS: Antibodies against Type I, II, and III IP(3) receptors were tested on sections of rat and mouse circumvallate papillae. Robust cytoplasmic labeling for the Type III IP(3) receptor (IP(3)R3) was found in a large subset of taste cells in both species. In contrast, little or no immunoreactivity was seen with antibodies against the Type I or Type II IP(3) receptors. To investigate the potential role of IP(3)R3 in bitter taste transduction, we used double-label immunocytochemistry to determine whether IP(3)R3 is expressed in the same subset of cells expressing other bitter signaling components. IP(3)R3 immunoreactive taste cells were also immunoreactive for PLCβ2 and γ13. Alpha-gustducin immunoreactivity was present in a subset of IP(3)R3, PLCβ2, and γ13 positive cells. CONCLUSIONS: IP(3)R3 is the dominant form of the IP(3) receptor expressed in taste cells and our data suggest it plays an important role in bitter taste transduction

Assessment of the inherent allergenic potential of proteins in mice.

There is considerable interest in the design of approaches that will permit the accurate identification and characterization of proteins that have the inherent potential to induce sensitization and cause food allergy. Among the methods used currently as part of such assessments are consideration of structural similarity to, or amino acid sequence homology with, known human allergens; whether there exists immunologic cross-reactivity with known allergens; and measurement of resistance to proteolytic digestion in a simulated gastric fluid. Although such approaches provide information that will contribute to a safety assessment, they do not--either individually or collectively--provide a direct evaluation of the ability of a novel protein to cause allergic sensitization. For this reason, work is in progress to design and evaluate suitable animal models that will provide a more holistic assessment of allergenic potential. In this laboratory, the approach we have taken has been to examine the characteristics of immune responses induced in mice following parenteral (intraperitoneal) exposure to test proteins. The basis of this method is to determine simultaneously the overall immunogenic potential of proteins [measured as a function of immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibody responses] and to compare this with their ability to provoke IgE antibody production, IgE being the antibody that effects allergic sensitization. Although this approach has not yet been evaluated fully, the results available to date suggest that it will be possible to distinguish proteins that have the inherent potential to induce allergic sensitization from those that do not. In this article we summarize progress to date in the context of the scientific background against which such methods are being developed

Gender essentialism and occupational segregation in insolvency practice

Advances towards egalitarianism in professional recruitment may be offset by processes of occupational re-segregation. Drawing on gender theory this paper investigates horizontal segregation in the UK insolvency profession, as revealed through the lived experiences of female and male practitioners. It is shown that horizontal segregation pervades at different levels of practice and is undergirded by various elements of gender essentialism. Physical essentialism explains why insolvency practice has been traditionally gendered male. Interactional essentialism combines with the management of work-life balance to define the subfields of corporate and personal insolvency as masculine and feminine respectively. Gender essentialist assumptions also pervade the distribution of roles and the allocation of work tasks. Networks are identified as arenas for the reproduction and perpetuation of occupational segregation. The findings indicate the continuing potency of gender in everyday professional life, the limitations of diversity-orientated policies and the complexities of formulating transformative agendas

The Use of Single-Sided NMR to Study Moisture Behaviour in an Activated Carbon Fibre/Phenolic Composite

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) has been shown to be a useful technique to study the form and content of water in polymer composites. Composites using activated carbon fibres with phenolic resin have complex water absorption behaviour which would benefit from such investigation; however, the presence of the conductive fibres can make NMR problematic. In this study, single-sided NMR has been successfully used on such material by developing a method for sample-to-sample compensation for the effect of conductivity. Transverse relaxation curves showed water to be primarily in two states in the resin, corresponding to "bound" and "mobile" molecules. In addition, two much less bound states were identified in the composite, associated firstly with water adsorbed on to the fibre surface and secondly with clusters of water molecules moving more freely within the fibre pores

Clinical management of financial toxicity - identifying opportunities through experiential insights of cancer survivors, caregivers, and social workers

Perspectives of cancer survivors, caregivers, and social workers as key stakeholders on the clinical management of financial toxicity (FT) are critical to identify opportunities for better FT management. Semi-structured interviews (cancer survivors, caregivers) and a focus group (social workers) were undertaken using purposive sampling at a quaternary public hospital in Australia. People with any cancer diagnosis attending the hospital were eligible. Data were analysed using inductive-deductive content analysis techniques. Twenty-two stakeholders (n = 10 cancer survivors of mixed-cancer types, n = 5 caregivers, and n = 7 social workers) participated. Key findings included: (i) genuine concern for FT of cancer survivors and caregivers shown through practical support by health care and social workers; (ii) need for clarity of role and services; (iii) importance of timely information flow; and (iv) proactive navigation as a priority. While cancer survivors and caregivers received financial assistance and support from the hospital, the lack of synchronised, shared understanding of roles and services in relation to finance between cancer survivors, caregivers, and health professionals undermined the effectiveness and consistency of these services. A proactive approach to anticipate cancer survivors’ and caregivers’ needs is recommended. Future research may develop and evaluate initiatives to manage cancer survivors and families FT experiences and outcomes