Case Studies in Indentured Servitude in Colonial America

The image of America as a land of freedom and opportunity emerged long before its establishment as an independent nation. After Columbus and other early explorers discovered the rich and vast territories of North America, it was only a matter of time before a frenzied and hopeful mass of European peoples would follow them across the Atlantic. In the early stages of development, the institution of indentured servitude provided substantial numbers of Europeans with both a means of living as well as the possibility of future prosperity. Emigrants would enter contracts of servitude that required labor for a designated period of time, after which the individual received freedom and usually a small tract of land. The nature of indentured servitude as well as the experiences of several individual emigrants encourage a re-examination of the “land-of-opportunity” paradigm. In particular, the auto-biographical accounts of John Harrower and William Moraley provide great insight into early American life, a rollercoaster of devastating hardships made tolerable by periods of prosperity and improvement. Harrower and Moraley’s accounts indicate that indentured servitude did offer an instrument for self betterment but also reveal that the idealistic view of America fell far short of reality

Progressive Values in the Women\u27s Ku Klux Klan

Few scholars come across original documents or declarations of the Women’s Ku Klux Klan. In fact, most Americans are unaware that during the revival of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920’s, women were not only active participants but also created their own branch of the Invisible Empire. The evidence we do have of the Women’s Klan reveals that the organization and the Klan itself had similar aims, but the women’s branch grew to encompass a wider variety of values and beliefs. For a more thorough understanding of the Women’s Klan one needs to examine the historical backdrop of the 1920’s and, in particular, the Progressive movement. Both the efforts to create the WKKK and the beliefs espoused by its members reflect the Progressive movement’s pattern of intervention into society to ameliorate its problems and uphold Victorian moral values

Reaching Millennials: Implications for Advertisers of Competitive Sporting Events that Use Animals

The purpose of this mixed method, multi-modal case study was to identify the most acceptable video images of animals to use when advertising competitive sporting events. Data were collected from college students at Arizona State University, California State University-Fresno, Texas A&M University, University of California-Berkeley, University of California-San Diego, and University of Texas. We investigated which sporting events are most acceptable among members of the Millennial generation, if there were differences in responses based on Millennials’ gender, and if perceptions differed among rodeo and non-rodeo events. Based on our results, gender did not influence Millennials’ perceptions of the use and treatment of animals in the 16 competitive sporting events presented in this study. However, non-rodeo events were perceived more positively than rodeo events. Of the eight rodeo events, respondents perceived barrel racing as most acceptable and the event in which the animal was treated most kindly. Respondents perceived team roping as least acceptable and the event in which the animals were treated least kindly. The results of this study include strategies that may improve advertising rodeo and non-rodeo events to Millennials by selecting images that are most acceptable to Millennials and considerations for reaching target audiences

A randomised, controlled study of outcome and cost effectiveness for RA patients attending nurse-led rheumatology clinics: Study protocol of an ongoing nationwide multi-centre study

Background: The rise in the number of patients with arthritis coupled with understaffing of medical services has seen the deployment of Clinical Nurse Specialists in running nurse-led clinics alongside the rheumatologist clinics. There are no systematic reviews of nurse-led care effectiveness in rheumatoid arthritis. Few published RCTs exist and they have shown positive results for nurse-led care but they have several limitations and there has been no economic assessment of rheumatology nurse-led care in the UK. Objective: This paper outlines the study protocol and methodology currently being used to evaluate the outcomes and cost effectiveness for patients attending rheumatology nurse-led clinics. Design and methods: A multi-centred, pragmatic randomised controlled trial with a non-inferiority design; the null hypothesis being that of 'inferiority' of nurse-led clinics compared to physician-led clinics. The primary outcome is rheumatoid arthritis disease activity (measured by DAS28 score) and secondary outcomes are quality of life, self-efficacy, disability, psychological well-being, satisfaction, pain, fatigue and stiffness. Cost effectiveness will be measured using the EQ-5D, DAS28 and cost profile for each centre. Power calculations: In this trial, a DAS28 change of 0.6 is considered to be the threshold for clinical distinction of 'inferiority'. A sample size of 180 participants (90 per treatment arm) is needed to reject the null hypothesis of 'inferiority', given 90% power. Primary analysis will focus on 2-sided 95% confidence interval evaluation of between-group differences in DAS28 change scores averaged over 4 equidistant follow up time points (13, 26, 39 and 52 weeks). Cost effectiveness will be evaluated assessing the joint parameterisation of costs and effects. Results: The study started in July 2007 and the results are expected after July 2011. Trial registration: The International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number ISRCTN29803766. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd

Customers’ experiences of contact with the Pension, Disability and Carers Service

This research was conducted over a six month period with customers of the Pension, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS) in a context of government initiatives to increase levels of support to low income pensioners. This study aimed to provide PDCS with detailed insights into what kinds of ‘trigger’ events encourage pensioners to make contact with PDCS; whether and how they are facilitated in doing so by others with whom they are in touch; what channels of communication they use; how they experience their contact with the service; and what PDCS might do to enhance the effectiveness of their service delivery. The findings from this research are likely also to be relevant to other government departments and organisations with responsibility for delivering services to older people

Towards increased concentration sensitivity for continuous wave EPR investigations of spin-labeled biological macromolecules at high fields

This work was performed at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), which is supported by the National Science Foundation (DMR-1157490) and the State of Florida. L.S. acknowledges support from the National Institutes of Health (AI091693) and the NHMFL User Collaboration Grants Program (Award No. 5080). G.E.F. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation (MCB-1329467) and the National Institutes of Health (GM105409 and S10RR031603). S.H. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation (DMR-1309463). J.M.E acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation (DGE-0802270).High-field, high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy at W- (∼95 GHz) and D-band (∼140 GHz) is important for investigating the conformational dynamics of flexible biological macromolecules because this frequency range has increased spectral sensitivity to nitroxide motion over the 100 ps to 2 ns regime. However, low concentration sensitivity remains a roadblock for studying aqueous samples at high magnetic fields. Here, we examine the sensitivity of a non-resonant thin-layer cylindrical sample holder, coupled to a quasi-optical induction-mode W-band EPR spectrometer (HiPER), for continuous wave (CW) EPR analyses of: (i) the aqueous nitroxide standard, TEMPO; (ii) the unstructured to α-helical transition of a model IDP protein; and (iii) the base-stacking transition in a kink-turn motif of a large 232 nt RNA. For sample volumes of ∼50 μL, concentration sensitivities of 2-20 μM were achieved, representing a ∼10-fold enhancement compared to a cylindrical TE011 resonator on a commercial Bruker W-band spectrometer. These results therefore highlight the sensitivity of the thin-layer sample holders employed in HiPER for spin-labeling studies of biological macromolecules at high fields, where applications can extend to other systems that are facilitated by the modest sample volumes and ease of sample loading and geometry.PostprintPeer reviewe

Ascaris and Escherichia coli Inactivation in an Ecological Sanitation System in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the microbial die-off in a latrine waste composting system in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Temperature data and samples were collected from compost aged 0-12+ months. Samples collected from compost bin centers and corners at two depths were assessed for moisture content, E. coli concentration, and Ascaris spp. viability. Center temperatures in compost bins were all above 58 °C, while corner temperatures were 10 - 20 °C lower. Moisture content was 67 ± 10% in all except the oldest compost. A 4-log reduction in E. coli was observed over the first sixteen weeks of composting at both locations and depths, after which E. coli was undetectable (LOD: 142 MPN g(-1) dry weight). In new compost, 10.4% and 8.3% of Ascaris eggs were viable and fully embryonated, respectively. Percent viability dropped to zero in samples older than six weeks. These findings indicate that the Haitian EcoSan composting process was effective in inactivating E. coli and Ascaris spp. in latrine waste within sixteen weeks. This study is one of the first to document efficacy of an ecological sanitation system under field conditions and provides insight into composting methods and monitoring for other international settings

Measuring educational needs among patients with rheumatoid arthritis using the Dutch version of the Educational Needs Assessment Tool (DENAT)

The Educational Needs Assessment Tool (ENAT) was developed in the United Kingdom (UK) to systematically assess the educational needs of patients with arthritis. The aim of the present study was to describe the educational needs of Dutch patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by using the Dutch version of the ENAT (DENAT). The original UK version of the ENAT, comprising 39 items grouped into seven domains, was translated into Dutch according to international guidelines for cross-cultural translation and adaptation. The DENAT was then sent to a random sample of 319 RA patients registered at the outpatient clinic of a university hospital. For each domain (score range 1–5, equalling low–high educational needs), a median score with the inter-quartile range was computed. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to determine possible associations between educational needs and age, disease duration, gender and educational background. The response rate was 165 out of 319 (52%). The median educational needs scores were 2.5 for “managing pain”, 3.0 for “movement”, 2.0 for “feelings”, 4.0 for “arthritis process”, 4.0 for “treatments from health professionals”, 3.5 for “self-help measures” and 2.5 for “support systems”. Lower age and shorter disease duration were associated with more educational needs in the domain “support systems”. In addition, younger patients had more educational needs regarding managing pain and feelings than older patients. There were no associations between gender or educational background and educational needs. The DENAT has demonstrated its ability to identify individual educational needs of Dutch patients with RA. The lower age and shorter disease duration were associated with more educational needs. The practical applicability of the DENAT needs further research