The Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad

Though the factors responsible for the failure of Florida to experience the rapid economic development which took place in the vast western areas of the United States during the latter half of the nineteenth century are numerous and diverse, lack of adequate railroad transportation, certainly until the 1880’s, stands out as one of the most important

The Notorious Swepson-Littlefield Fraud: Railroad Financing in Florida (1868-1871)

A full account of the financial manipulations of George W. Swepson and Milton S. Littlefield in Florida during the hectic post-Civil War period would entail consideration of scores of events with which a great number of persons were concerned. It is possible, however, to indicate the essential elements involved in their activities through the examination of six major developments that occurred between 1868 and 1871

Examining the Indirect Effect of Trauma on Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms through Responsibility/Threat Beliefs

Inflated responsibility beliefs and threat estimations have been implicated in the etiology and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms. Research suggests that early life experiences that involve actual or perceived serious harm to oneself or others may lead to inflated responsibility/threat beliefs and OC symptoms. Research has yet to explore if traumatic experiences influence responsibility/threat beliefs or if the associations between trauma and OC symptoms are at all dependent on trauma’s influence on responsibility/threat beliefs. The present study aims to examine associations among exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), responsibility/threat beliefs, and OC symptoms. A sample of 886 undergraduate students completed a battery of self-report questionnaires online, including measures of lifetime exposure to PTEs, pathways to responsibility beliefs, obsessive beliefs, including responsibility/threat estimation, and OC symptoms. Multiple regression using the PROCESS macro was used to examine the effects of cumulative exposure to PTEs on responsibility/threat beliefs and OC symptoms, the effects of responsibility/threat beliefs on OC symptoms, and the indirect effect of cumulative exposure to PTEs on OC symptoms through responsibility/threat beliefs. The three primary variables were significantly and positively correlated, and the indirect effect of cumulative exposure to PTEs on OC symptoms was significant, even when controlling for other obsessive belief categories. These findings suggest that trauma exposure may influence responsibility/threat beliefs to increase OC symptomatology, though longitudinal studies are needed to support this interpretation

The Struggle for Control of the Florida Central Railroad, 1867-1882

A golden age of laissez-faire capitalism began throughout the United States within a few years after Appomattox. This was an age of economic expansion which, led by railroad developments, transformed the United States within a generation, changing this country from an essentially agricultural nation into one of the most powerful industrial nations in the world. This era of transformation is sometimes called the period of the greatest industrial revolution in the history of mankind, but it was also a time when skillful financial manipulators fleeced thousands of investors and when there was widespread corruption of many local, state and federal legislators and officials

RESTORE: an exploratory trial of an online intervention to enhance self-efficacy to manage problems associated with cancer-related fatigue following primary cancer treatment: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: There are over 25 million people worldwide living with or beyond cancer and this number is increasing. Cancer survivors face a range of problems following primary treatment. One of the most frequently reported and distressing symptoms experienced by cancer survivors is fatigue. There is growing support for survivors who are experiencing problems after cancer treatment to engage in supported self-management. To date there is some evidence of effective interventions to manage fatigue in this population; however, to our knowledge there are no online resources that draw on this information to support self-management of fatigue. This paper describes the protocol for an exploratory randomized controlled trial of an online intervention to support self-management of cancer-related fatigue after primary cancer treatment.Methods/design: This is a parallel-group two-armed (1:1) exploratory randomized controlled trial including 125 cancer survivors experiencing fatigue (scoring ≥4 on a unidimensional 11-point numeric rating scale for fatigue intensity) within five years of primary treatment completion with curative intent. Participants will be recruited from 13 NHS Trusts across the UK and randomized to either the online intervention (RESTORE), or a leaflet comparator (Macmillan Cancer Backup, Coping with Fatigue). The primary outcome is a change in Perceived Self-Efficacy for Fatigue Self-Management (as measured by the Perceived Self-Efficacy for Fatigue Self-Management Instrument). Secondary outcomes include impact on perception and experience of fatigue (measured by the Brief Fatigue Inventory), and quality of life (measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General and the Personal Wellbeing Index). Outcome measures will be collected at baseline, 6 weeks (completion of intervention), and 3 months. Process evaluation (including telephone interviews with recruiting staff and participants) will determine acceptability of the intervention and trial processes.Discussion: Data from this trial will be used to refine the intervention and contribute to the design of an effectiveness trial. This intervention will be expanded to address other cancer-related problems important to cancer survivors following primary cancer treatment

CT colonography reporting and data system: A consensus proposal

We have proposed a practical reporting scheme that includes recommendations for the follow-up of colonic polyps that are based on currently available published assessments of the clinical importance and expected growth potential of these lesions. © RSNA, 2005

Mini-AFTERc: a controlled pilot trial of a nurse-led psychological intervention for fear of breast cancer recurrence

Objectives To determine the feasibility and acceptability of implementing the Mini-AFTERc intervention. Design Non-randomised cluster-controlled pilot trial. Setting Four NHS out-patient breast cancer centres in Scotland. Participants Ninety-two women who had successfully completed primary treatment for breast cancer were screened for moderate levels of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). Forty-five were eligible (17 intervention and 28 control) and 34 completed 3-month follow-up (15 intervention and 21 control). Intervention Mini-AFTERc, a single brief (30 min) structured telephone discussion with a specialist breast cancer nurse (SBCN) trained to target the antecedents of FCR. Outcomes Feasibility and acceptability of Mini-AFTERc and the study design were assessed via recruitment, consent, retention rates, patient outcomes (measured at baseline, 2, 4, and 12 weeks), and post-study interviews with participants and SBCNs, which were guided by Normalisation Process Theory. Results Mini-AFTERc was acceptable to patients and SBCNs. SBCNs believe the implementation of Mini-AFTERc to be feasible and an extension of discussions that already happen routinely. SBCNs believe delivery, however, at the scale required would be challenging given current competing demands for their time. Recruitment was impacted by variability in the follow-up practices of cancer centres and COVID-19 lockdown. Consent and follow-up procedures worked well, and retention rates were high. Conclusions The study provided invaluable information about the potential challenges and solutions for testing the Mini-AFTERc intervention more widely where limiting high FCR levels is an important goal following recovery from primary breast cancer treatment

Experiences of men with breast cancer: an exploratory focus group study

Management and care of men with breast cancer is based on that developed for women. Our study reports that men have specific issues regarding certain aspects of their breast cancer experience, including diagnosis, disclosure, support and gender-specific information, and offers suggestions for improved patient care