Reconceiving the Spoiled Female Identity: Childbearing and Motherhood among Women with Hepatitis C

This thesis explores the impact of hepatitis C on women’s childbearing decisions and experiences of motherhood. A partial grounded theory approach was used, in which 34 women living with hepatitis C participated in semi-structured interviews to determine the direct and indirect effects of hepatitis C on their own personal decisions regarding childbearing and to describe their lived experiences of motherhood. The qualitative interview data were analysed thematically, in which common themes were identified and explored. ¶ Three key areas are explored: women’s social experience of hepatitis C; hepatitis C and childbearing decisions; and the meaning of motherhood for women with hepatitis C. ¶ ..

An Educational History of the Gullahs of Coastal South Carolina from 1700 to 1900 (black Education)

The educational efforts of the first fifty years of the 1700s for the Gullahs, black slaves brought to South Carolina\u27s low country, were a by-product of the Church of England\u27s concern for the souls of heathens. Through the Church\u27s offspring, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, missionaries were sent to South Carolina beginning in 1702. By 1704, Samuel Thomas, the Society\u27s first missionary there, reported that he had taught about twenty blacks to read, and by 1743 the Society opened a school for blacks in Charleston despite a 1740 law prohibiting slave education. Using two black slaves as teachers, the Society\u27s school continued until 1764, graduating about twenty students a year. After the Revolutionary War, the free person of color population grew in numbers and influence, establishing the Brown Fellowship Society, the first non-white benevolent society in Charleston. One of its activities was the education of members\u27 children. Other societies followed suit, and by 1834 there were dozens of private schools in Charleston for free persons of color. While an 1834 law created additional restrictions on the education of the free persons of color, many private schools continued to operate. As early as 1861, teachers from the North, under the auspices of freedmen aid societies, arrived in the sea islands to help the blacks adjust to their new status. In 1865, their efforts were coordinated by the federal government under the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. With a new state constitution in 1868, the public schools of South Carolina were reorganized. Although tremendous gains were made, by 1870, the majority of the black students were still studying only spelling and reading. After the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision which created a separate but equal school system, the actual situation was anything but equal, with black schools in session a shorter term and a higher pupil-teacher ratio for black students. The education of the Gullahs from 1700 to 1900 was the result of compromise, and the blacks suffered from a lack of educational opportunities, not a lack of intellectual abilities

Duck Watch: A Smart System for Public Lap Pools

This paper presents Duck Watch, a proof of concept for a smart swimming pool. With our system, a swimmer will be able to log on to our website prior to leaving his or her house to help them decide if the conditions are favorable to go to a public lap swimming pool. Our system will inform the user of a number of environmental factors such as water temperature, exterior temperature, and humidity, as well as whether or not there are any open lanes currently

The Informal Economy: Making It in Rural America

Shares entrepreneur motivations, aspirations, and struggles to operate viable businesses in several rural counties in Nebraska, and explores how policies and practices could be changed to encourage more growth among rural informal businesses

A DFT and KMC based study on the mechanism of the water gas shift reaction on the Pd(100) surface

We present a combined density functional theory (DFT) and Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) study of the water gas shift (WGS) reaction on the Pd(100) surface. We propose a mechanism comprising both the redox and the associative pathways for the WGS within a single framework, which consists of seven core elementary steps, which in turn involve splitting of a water molecule followed by the production of an H-atom and an OH-species on the Pd(100) surface. In the following steps, these intermediates then recombine with each other and with CO leading to the evolution of CO2, and H2. Seven other elementary steps, involving the diffusion and adsorption of the surface intermediate species are also considered for a complete description of the mechanism. The geometrical and electronic properties of each of the reactants, products, and the transition states of the core elementary steps are presented. We also discuss the analysis of Bader charges and spin densities for the reactants, transition states and the products of these elementary steps. Our study indicates that the WGS reaction progresses simultaneously via the direct oxidation and the carboxyl paths on the Pd(100) surface

Production physiology of three native ornamental shrubs intercropped in a young longleaf pine plantation

Paper presented at the 11th North American Agroforesty Conference, which was held May 31-June 3, 2009 in Columbia, Missouri.In Gold, M.A. and M.M. Hall, eds. Agroforestry Comes of Age: Putting Science into Practice. Proceedings, 11th North American Agroforestry Conference, Columbia, Mo., May 31-June 3, 2009.The production of woody floral products -- the fresh or dried stems that are used for decorative purposes -- may be an attractive option for southeastern landowners looking to generate income from small landholdings. Since many shrubs native to the understory of the longleaf pine ecosystem have market potential, one possibility is the intercropping of select species in the between-row spacing of young longleaf pine plantations. The objective of this study was to evaluate how competition affects the physiology, and thus the productivity of American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana L.), wax myrtle (Morella cerifera (L.) Small) and inkberry (Ilex glabra (L.) A.Gray) when intercropped in a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) plantation in the southeastern United States. The effect of competition was assessed via comparisons of mortality, biomass, light transmittance, gas exchange and soil moisture between intercropping and monoculture (treeless) treatments. Overall, shrubs in the intercropping treatment performed worse than those in the monoculture, with higher mortality, and reductions in biomass of 75.5 [percent], 50.6 [percent], and 68.7 [percent] for C. americana, M. cerifera and I. glabra, respectively. Root-shoot ratios for all species were significantly higher and soil moisture during dry periods was significantly lower in the intercropping treatment. Light transmittance below the pine canopy was high (57.7 [percent]) and I. glabra was the only species that exhibited reduced photosynthesis due to shading. These results suggest that the effect of shading is minimal and belowground competition is likely the most important determinant of productivity in this system.Donald L. Hagan (1), Shibu Jose (1), Mack Thetford (2), and Kimberly Bohn (3) ; 1. School of Forest Resources & Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA 32611. 2. Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida, Milton, FL, USA 32583. 3. School of Forest Resources & Conservation, University of Florida, Milton, FL, USA 32583.Includes bibliographical references

DFT modelling of methane oxidation with H2O2 over heterogeneous catalysts

DFT methods were used to study the mechanism of methane oxidation using H2O2 over a TiO2 supported Au and Fe-ZSM-5 catalyst to produce CH3OH. DFT+U was employed to improve the model of the oxide surface, framework and framework metal centre in CHA and MFI structures. The catalysts were modelled in VASP. Au10 clusters were used to produce a preliminary mechanism, which was tested on the different design catalysts. The Au10 clusters were supported on TiO2 to model small clusters and extended Au, Pd and PdO surfaces were used to model larger clusters. The mechanism is tested on [Fe2O2]2+ which is in the zeolite extra-framework in both the CHA structure and MFI structure with two Al ions in the framework as counter ions. H2O2 is found to spontaneously break the HO – OH bond in the presence of Au10 clusters, Au(111) surface and Pd(111) surface. CH3OOH is produced via OOH formed from H2O2 and a radical methyl on the Au(111) and Pd(111) surfaces. Fe2O2 as an extra-framework species is modified with water to produce an active site. The active site was then further modified with H2O2 to produce a Fe4+ ═ O which is used to break a C – H bond in methane. The mechanism on the metal/oxide was shown to differ from the mechanism in the zeolite. The formation of the C – O bond in CH3OOH is the most important step on the metal/oxide whereas this is low energy or spontaneous in the zeolite. CH4 directly producing CH3OOH has a barrier of 50 kJ mol-1 on the modified Fe2O2 in the Al-MFI structure

Competition for applied 15N fertilizer in a longelaf pine/native woody ornamental intercropping system

Paper presented at the 11th North American Agroforesty Conference, which was held May 31-June 3, 2009 in Columbia, Missouri.In Gold, M.A. and M.M. Hall, eds. Agroforestry Comes of Age: Putting Science into Practice. Proceedings, 11th North American Agroforestry Conference, Columbia, Mo., May 31-June 3, 2009.The cultivation of ornamentals to produce woody floral products -- the fresh or dried stems that are used for decorative purposes -- may be an attractive option for southeastern landowners looking to generate income from small landholdings. Since many shrubs native to the understory of the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) ecosystem have market potential, one possibility is the intercropping of select species in the between-row spacing of young longleaf pine plantations. The objective of this study was to evaluate how interspecific competition affects the fate of 15N fertilizer when American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana L.), wax myrtle (Morella cerifera (L.) Small) and inkberry (Ilex glabra (L.) A.Gray) are intercropped with longleaf pine. Nitrogen derived from fertilizer (NDF), utilization of fertilizer N (UFN) and recovery of fertilizer N (RFNsoil) were compared between agroforestry and monoculture (treeless) treatments to assess the effect of competition. Results varied by species, with NDF being higher for C. americana foliage and lower for all M. cerifera tissues in the agroforestry treatment. No effect was observed for I. glabra. UFN was lower for all species in the agroforestry treatment. RFNsoil was higher in the agroforestry treatment for I. glabra, but no treatment effects were observed for C. americana or M. cerifera. Overall, while it is clear that interspecific competition was present in the agroforestry treatment, the inefficiency of fertilizer use suggests that nitrogen was not the most limiting resource. Management interventions, particularly those that address competition for water, will likely be critical to the success of this system.Donald L. Hagan (1), Shibu Jose (1), Mack Thetford (2), and Kimberly Bohn (3) ; 1. School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA 32611. 2. Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida, Milton, FL, USA 32583. 3. School of Forest Resources & Conservation, University of Florida, Milton, FL, USA 32583.Includes bibliographical references

Injecting Drug Users' Understanding of Hepatitis C

Most Australians who have hepatitis C contracted the virus through the shared use of drug injecting equipment. Further, the prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) are high among Australian injecting drug users (IDUs), around 50 to 60 percent and 15 percent respectively. The task, therefore, of controlling the spread of hepatitis C depends largely on controlling transmission among IDUs. Although there is a considerable body of research describing hepatitis C epidemiology and infection risk factors, very little research has examined IDUs’ understanding of hepatitis C. The aim of the current study, therefore, was to examine IDUs’ knowledge of hepatitis C, their understanding of virus transmission, the clinical markers and symptoms of the virus, and treatment in particular. How IDUs prioritise hepatitis C relative to other life areas was also examined. A cross-sectional survey, using an interviewer administered, structured questionnaire, was conducted across inner-city, suburban and regional sites of New South Wales. Participants were recruited through advertisements at needle and syringe programs (NSPs), methadone clinics, and snowballing (word-of-mouth) techniques. Participation was not determined by hepatitis C status. One hundred and forty nine IDUs were interviewed. The median age of the sample was 34 years and approximately two-thirds were male. The median age of first drug injection was 17 years, with the most commonly reported illicit drugs injected in the last month being amphetamine (62%) and heroin (61%). Over half of the sample (62%) was in treatment for drug use at the time of interview, with the majority in a methadone or buprenorphine program. Over half the sample rated their knowledge and understanding of hepatitis C as either ‘good’ (30%) or ‘very good’ (23%). Testing for hepatitis C was common among the sample, with all but one participant tested for hepatitis C in their lifetime, and the majority (74%) tested one or more times in the past 12 months. ‘Routine screening’ was the main reason selected for their last test (39%), followed by ‘mandatory testing’ (13%) and then ‘risky behaviour’ (12%). Seventy six percent of the sample believed they had hepatitis C at the time of interview. Despite most participants reporting recent and often multiple testing, a number of IDUs were clearly confused about the results of the various tests. Only about 40 percent of those tested during or after 2000 reported receiving pre- and post-test counselling. Significant gaps in IDUs’ knowledge of hepatitis C were uncovered in the study, with respect to transmission risks, symptoms, clinical markers and treatment. For instance, substantial proportions of participants believed it was possible to contract hepatitis C by re-using their own needle (48%), or from dirt (17%). Forty-two percent of participants believed antibodies to hepatitis C gave protection against acquiring the virus (42%), and over one-third (35%) believed that some people are immune to hepatitis C. IDUs’ understanding of their own hepatitis C infection was similarly confused, with one in five participants who reported having hepatitis C believing they could not infect others (19%), and that they were immune to hepatitis C (19%). One in three participants stated they did not have antibodies for hepatitis C, and an even greater number were unsure, despite reporting themselves to have hepatitis C. Very few IDUs were found to prioritise hepatitis C highly relative to other life areas. For many IDUs, hepatitis C appears to be a relatively low priority compared with the numerous health, welfare and social concerns that exist among this often economically and socially marginalised group. However, health was frequently selected as one of the most important life areas determining quality of life, which may incorporate symptoms and sequelae resulting from hepatitis C impacting on day-to-day life. Given the high prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C among Australian IDUs, and that many continue to share injecting equipment, the findings of this study are of great concern. The fundamental misconceptions held about hepatitis C, particularly regarding ‘antibodies’ and their perceived role in providing immunity, place IDUs at serious risk of transmitting and contracting hepatitis C. These findings warrant further development of, and research into, strategies to improve IDUs’ understanding of hepatitis C