Distant Voices Then and Now: The Impact of Isolation on the Courtroom Narratives of Slave Ship Captives and Asylum Seekers

Part I compares the nineteenth century cases of the Antelope and the Amistad to identify why they resulted in different outcomes despite having similar fact patterns. The Antelope concerned the fate of approximately 280 African captives discovered on a slave trade ship upon its interception by a U.S. revenue cutter. Since the slave trade in the United States was illegal at the time, the captives were transported to Savannah for trial through which their status—free or slave—would be determined. After a lengthy trial and appeals process in which Spain and Portugal laid claim to the captives, the Supreme Court determined that those captives claimed by a non-U.S. nation were slaves. The Court reasons that however “abhorrent” the slave trade was, the United States was obligated to recognize the rights of other nations to participate in it. In comparison, the Amistad concerned the fate of captives aboard a slave trade ship in which the captives committed mutiny, attempted to sail to Africa, but were captured by a U.S. vessel. The Supreme Court ordered them free despite the Spanish government’s claim that the captives were its property. Part I explores these different outcomes and argues that the absence of Antelope captives’ stories in the litigation process was partly due to the decision to isolate captives in slavery before their status was determined. In particular, it argues that this isolation affected the outcome of the Antelope by preventing captives from sharing their anecdotes and translating them to a format that would resonate with their legal counsel, the public, and judges. In contrast, the Amistad captives, while also detained, were situated close to those who could help them. They were able to transform their truths into a winning narrative for the court by understanding and leveraging the talents and expertise of counsel, and the biases of judges and the public. Part II argues that 200 years later, a similar environment of isolation suppresses the stories of another group with undetermined legal status: asylum seekers. Although slave ship captives were forced into the country with chains, while asylum seekers are driven into the country by fear, the legal status of both groups in their respective time periods was undetermined upon their arrival. Both groups deserved, by legal and moral standards, the opportunity to present the truth behind their arrival and to prove their legal status. Part II argues that the detention of asylum seekers mirrors the isolation of the Antelope captives by removing detainees from those most able to help them develop a persuasive narrative truth. Detention silences important voices, aggravates ineffective representation, damages public perception, and ultimately harms case outcomes

The social status of Indian women during the last fifty years 1900-1950

The present social, political, legal and economic status of women in India has been the result of many kaleidoscopic changes during the last 150 years. As the pace of enlightenment and progress has been quicker and marked during the present century a more detailed study is made of this period. An attempt is made in this work to trace the various trends, activities, factors, efforts and forces which contributed to the general amelioration in the position of women as individuals, as integral constituents of the family and as members of society. The subject is treated historically in the first three chapters in order to facilitate a clearer perspective for the understanding and evaluation of the progress made. Chapter I deals briefly with the status of women during Vedic times (before 2500 B.C.) when the women enjoyed almost equal status with men in order to show that enlightened attitude was not foreign to Indian society and culture. The second chapter gives briefly the gradual deterioration from the Smriti period (500 B.C. to 500 A.D. ) to the end of the nineteenth century which marked the beginning of an enlightened attitude. Chapter III traces mainly the contribution of social reformers, the growth of women's institution and the immense awakening as a consequence of political struggle during the present century. The next seven chapters deal topically with the relation of women to marriage and family life, the customs of child marriage and enforced widowhood, social evils like purdah (veil) and prostitution, education of women and their legal, political and economic status during the last fifty years. In the last chapter an effort is made to collect the threads and give an overall picture of the status of women with a few suggestions for further progress.<p

What are the ethical and legal considerations when your patient refuses the standard of care?

In medical practice, physicians are sometimes faced with patients who reject the gold-standard treatment for a condition. In this hypothetical clinical scenario, we present the case of a patient who refuses Mohs micrographic surgery for management of infiltrative basal cell carcinoma and instead requests off-label therapy with imiquimod. We discuss the treating dermatologist's options in response to this patient's request and the ethical considerations surrounding the case. We conclude that the physician has the right to refuse to provide treatment that deviates from standard clinical practice but that the physician should counsel the patient on all options, provide thorough informed consent, offer contact information for the patient to pursue a second opinion or a radiation oncology referral, and ensure safe transfer of care should the patient desire treatment with a different provider

Pro-vaccination personal narratives in response to online hesitancy about the HPV vaccine: The challenge of tellability

Experimental studies have shown that narratives can be effective persuasive tools in addressing vaccine hesitancy, including regarding the vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted via sexual contact and can cause cervical cancer. This paper presents an analysis of a thread from the online parenting forum Mumsnet Talk where an initially undecided Original Poster is persuaded to vaccinate their child against HPV by a respondent’s narrative of cervical cancer that they describe as difficult to share. This paper considers this particular narrative alongside all other narratives that precede the decision announced on the Mumsnet thread. It shows how producing pro-vaccination narratives about HPV involves challenges regarding ‘tellability’ – what makes the events in a narrative reportable or worth telling. We suggest that this has implications for the context-dependent nature of tellability, the role of parenting forums in vaccination-related discussions, and narrative-based communication about vaccinations more generally

A REVIEW ON DISSOCIATIVE PERSPECTIVE OF ATTENTION AND CONSCIOUSNESS

Purpose of the study: To answer the two existing controversies regarding attention and consciousness as brain processes. 1) Can one be aware of objects or events without attending to it? 2) Can one attend to objects or events without being aware of it? And also how top-down attention and awareness have opposing functions. Methodology: This article is a systematic review of the relationship between visual attention and awareness. An extensive elaborate study on concepts relating to attention and consciousness dissociation has been done. In this article we also narrow it down to experimental design that requires independent manipulation of each. Which include top-down attention and awareness aspect of consciousness? Main Findings: Many researches have been put forward supporting the independent nature of attention from awareness using sophisticated experimental and physiological shreds of evidence. On the other hand, some researches still stick to the contemporary common-sense notion of no awareness no attention. Our evaluation suggests an independent nature of attention and awareness. Application: This article intends to give a clear perspective of the ongoing debate on the relationship between attention and consciousness. Simplification of both umbrella terms will give basis for building more empirical evidence. Novelty: Further, this article put forward studies on both sides of debate aiming to bridge the gap to get a conclusive outlook in the future

Relationships among classifications of ayurvedic medicine diagnostics for imbalances and western measures of psychological states: An exploratory study.

BackgroundAccording to Ayurveda, the traditional medical system of India, doshas are a combination of characteristics based on a five-element philosophy that drive our mental and physical tendencies. When the doshas, or functional principles, are out of balance in quality or quantity, wellbeing is adversely affected and symptoms manifest.ObjectiveThis study examined relationships among imbalances in the doshas (termed Vikruti) reported via questionnaire and Western measures of psychological states.Materials and methodsStudy participants were 101 women (n = 81) and men (n = 20), mean age 53.9 years (SD = 11.7; range 32-80). Participants completed questionnaires to categorize their Vikruti type and psychological states, which included depressed mood (CESD), anxiety (PROMIS), rumination &amp; reflection (RRQ), mindfulness (MAAS), stress (PSS), and quality of life (Ryff).ResultsMultivariate general linear modeling, controlling for age, gender and body mass index (BMI), showed that Vata imbalance was associated with more anxiety (p ≤ 0.05), more rumination (p ≤ 0.01), less mindfulness (p ≤ 0.05), and lower overall quality of life (p ≤ 0.01). Pitta imbalance was associated with poorer mood (p ≤ 0.01) and less mindfulness (p ≤ 0.05), more anxiety (p ≤ 0.05) and stress (p ≤ 0.05). Kapha imbalance was associated with more stress (p ≤ 0.05), more rumination (p ≤ 0.05) and less reflection (p ≤ 0.05).ConclusionThese findings suggest that symptoms of mind-body imbalances in Ayurveda are differentially associated with western assessments of psychological states. Ayurvedic dosha assessment may be an effective way to assess physical as well as emotional wellbeing in research and clinical settings

Identifying potential moderators for response to treatment in low back pain : a systematic review

Background: Identifying which patients with non-specific low back pain are likely to gain the greatest benefit from different treatments is an important research priority. Few studies are large enough to produce data on sub-group effects from different treatments. Data from existing large studies may help identify potential moderators to use in future individual patient data meta-analyses. Objective: To systematically review papers of therapist delivered interventions for low back pain to identify potential moderators to inform an individual patient data meta-analysis. Data sources: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Citation Index and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRALhttp://www.cochrane.org/editorial-and-publishing-policy-resource/cochrane-central-register-controlled-trials-central) for relevant papers. Data extraction and data synthesis: We screened for randomised controlled trials with ≥500 or more participants, and cohort studies of ≥1000 or more participants. We examined all publications related to these studies for any reported moderator analyses. Two reviewers independently did risk of bias assessment of main results and quality assessment of any moderator analyses. Results: We included four randomised trials (n=7208). Potential moderators with strong evidence (p<0.05) in one or more studies were age, employment status and type, back pain status, narcotic medication use, treatment expectations and education. Potential moderators with weaker evidence (0.05<p≤0.20) included gender, psychological distress, pain/disability and quality of life. Conclusion: There are insufficient robust data on moderators to be useful in clinical practice. This review has identified some important potential moderators of treatment effect worthy of testing in future confirmatory analyses

Strength Training to Enhance Early Recovery after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Intensive cancer treatment followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) results in moderate to severe fatigue and physical inactivity, leading to diminished functional ability. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of an exercise intervention, strength training to enhance early recovery (STEER), on physical activity, fatigue, muscle strength, functional ability, and quality of life after HCT. This single-blind, randomized clinical trial compared strength training (n = 33) to usual care plus attention control with health education (UC + AC with HE) (n = 34). Subjects were stratified by type of transplantation and age. STEER consisted of a comprehensive program of progressive resistance introduced during hospitalization and continued for 6 weeks after hospital discharge. Fatigue, physical activity, muscle strength, functional ability, and quality of life were assessed before HCT hospital admission and after intervention completion. Data were analyzed using split-plot analysis of variance. Significant time × group interactions effects were noted for fatigue (P = .04). The STEER group reported improvement in fatigue from baseline to after intervention whereas the UC + AC with HE group reported worsened fatigue from baseline to after intervention. Time (P < .001) and group effects (P = .05) were observed for physical activity. Physical activity declined from baseline to 6 weeks after hospitalization. The STEER group was more physically active. Functional ability tests (timed stair climb and timed up and go) resulted in a significant interaction effect (P = .03 and P = .05, respectively). Subjects in the UC + AC with HE group were significantly slower on both tests baseline to after intervention, whereas the STEER group's time remained stable. The STEER group completed both tests faster than the UC + AC with HE group after intervention. Study findings support the use of STEER after intensive cancer treatment and HCT. Strength training demonstrated positive effects on fatigue, physical activity, muscle strength, and functional ability. The exact recovery patterns between groups and over time varied; the STEER group either improved or maintained their status from baseline to after intervention (6 weeks after hospital discharge) whereas the health education group generally declined over time or did not change

Protein futures for Western Europe: potential land use and climate impacts in 2050

Multiple production and demand side measures are needed to improve food system sustainability. This study quantified the theoretical minimum agricultural land requirements to supply Western Europe with food in 2050 from its own land base, together with GHG emissions arising. Assuming that crop yield gaps in agriculture are closed, livestock production efficiencies increased and waste at all stages reduced, a range of food consumption scenarios were modelled each based on different &lsquo;protein futures&rsquo;. The scenarios were as follows: intensive and efficient livestock production using today&rsquo;s species mix; intensive efficient poultry&ndash;dairy production; intensive efficient aquaculture&ndash;dairy; artificial meat and dairy; livestock on &lsquo;ecological leftovers&rsquo; (livestock reared only on land unsuited to cropping, agricultural residues and food waste, with consumption capped at that level of availability); and a &lsquo;plant-based eating&rsquo; scenario. For each scenario, &lsquo;projected diet&rsquo; and &lsquo;healthy diet&rsquo; variants were modelled. Finally, we quantified the theoretical maximum carbon sequestration potential from afforestation of spared agricultural land. Results indicate that land use could be cut by 14&ndash;86 % and GHG emissions reduced by up to approximately 90 %. The yearly carbon storage potential arising from spared agricultural land ranged from 90 to 700 Mt CO2 in 2050. The artificial meat and plant-based scenarios achieved the greatest land use and GHG reductions and the greatest carbon sequestration potential. The &lsquo;ecological leftover&rsquo; scenario required the least cropland as compared with the other meat-containing scenarios, but all available pasture was used, and GHG emissions were higher if meat consumption was not capped at healthy levels.&nbsp