That Charm of Remoteness : A Study of Landscape Stability in Little Compton, Rhode Island

Little Compton, Rhode Island has long been considered a stable, isolated and rural location relative to surrounding towns and cities. A geophysical and archaeological examination in the front yards of the Wilbor house and Brownell farm was undertaken in order to gain a better understanding about how residents of the town maintained stable, rural lifeways during the period of industrialization and urbanization that characterized the rest of the state in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The results from these examinations revealed that there was a distinct lack of features and landscaping changes in the archaeological record in the front yards of these two farmsteads. An examination of historical and genealogical documents coupled with the above data revealed that family structure played an important role in the everyday lives of residents in Little Compton, as it does in many agricultural communities. As many archaeologists have demonstrated in the past, changes in the household are often identifiable in the archaeological record. The current research in this essay demonstrates that the longevity of a single family on a single site coupled with the fact that households changed very infrequently is a likely reason for the lack of landscaping changes present at both the Wilbor house and Brownell farm. Furthermore, this family continuity on the land is most likely part of larger trends in the town that have contributed to its stability over the past 300 years. These include: the initial settlement processes, maintenance of agricultural practices, stable population influx and outmigration, reification of rural idealism in the midst of an industrializing world, and modern conservation efforts

An exploration of movement and handling by physiotherapists in a rehabilitation setting: a motion analysis study.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD) affect between 56-80% of physiotherapists, with patient handling often reported as a risk factor. Physiotherapists use therapeutic handling to aid patient rehabilitation. Therapeutic handling involves the physiotherapist "guiding, facilitating, manipulating or providing resistance" to the patient. Therapeutic handling can subject physiotherapists to high loading forces during patient handling. The aims of this doctoral thesis were to quantify physiotherapists' movement during therapeutic patient handling tasks, assess risk of injury against a frequently used ergonomic tool, and investigate whether there may be a relationship between patient handling and WRMSD. This research employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design and a positivistic approach to explore and quantitatively measure physiotherapist movement. A portable three-dimensional motion analysis system, Xsens MTw Awinda, was used to measure physiotherapist movement during patient treatments in a neurological setting. The physiotherapists' movement and posture were quantified, described and assessed using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) tool. The incidence and personal impact of WRMSD were investigated with the extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ-E) and potential patient tasks of risk were discussed. The physiotherapists used four main positions during patient handling tasks: 1) kneeling; 2) half-kneeling; 3) standing; and 4) sitting. Eight patient handling tasks were identified: 1) lie-to-sit; 2) sit-to-lie; 3) sit-to-stand; 4) upper limb; 5) lower limb; 6) trunk; 7) standing; and 8) walking facilitation. Kneeling or sitting positions were used by the physiotherapists most often during lie-to-sit, sit-to-lie, sit-to-stand, upper limb, trunk and standing facilitation tasks. Standing was the most common physiotherapist position during lower limb and walking tasks. Kneeling, half-kneeling and sitting positions demonstrated greater neck extension, which scored highly with the RULA and indicated potential risk of injury. Standing demonstrated more cervicothoracic flexion than kneeling and sitting, which demonstrated greater lumbosacral flexion than standing. The physiotherapists' hips and knees often maintained end-range flexion when kneeling or half-kneeling, which is discouraged in ergonomics literature. The low back was the most frequent anatomical area of WRMSD, with 60% of the physiotherapists having experienced discomfort there within their career. Physiotherapists were found to temporarily have changed jobs, sought professional help or taken medication for their shoulder, elbow or low back discomfort. However, none of the physiotherapists had taken sick leave in the last twelve months. This research found that tasks were more often performed in kneeling or sitting positions than in standing. Moving and handling guidance considers the handler in a standing position; guidance should therefore start to consider the handler in the variety of positions found in clinical practice. Ergonomic assessments, such as the RULA, consider the trunk as one joint. This research investigated three trunk joints, with different postures found at the cervicothoracic and lumbosacral junctions. Future research should appreciate how the position of the handler can impact trunk posture. More research needs to be conducted to qualitatively investigate physiotherapists' perceptions and experiences of patient handling. This research has provided a detailed exploration into therapeutic handling the neurological setting which can be used to guide future research

Civil Society and Inequality in Jordan: A Study on the Effectiveness of the Community Development Center in Ashrafiyah

Poverty exists across the globe, in almost every region and area there is present a form of social injustice. This inequality comes from several different factors and is caused by a multitude of both domestic and foreign affairs alike. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is no exception to the rule. This study is aimed at measuring the effectiveness of the Community Development Center in reducing the inequalities that exist in the town of Ashrafiyah, however, through the method of teaching civil society. Civil society, originally a western, democratic concept, is not often spoken about in Jordanian society. However, with the elections of Parliament approaching, the constant surge of media from the west, and the ever-changing world we live in many believe that the democratic route is currently the best path for Jordan. Through the use of the concepts of civil society organizations introduced in Civil Society and Urban Poverty-examining complexity by Diana Mitlin, this study will analyze how implementing a democratic concept in a non-democratic society successfully reduces inequality in Jordan

Manual patient handling in the healthcare setting: a scoping review.

Manual patient handling is the most frequently reported risk factor for work-related musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare. Patient handling tasks are routinely performed manually without assistive devices, and can create awkward postures and high loads for nurses and allied health professionals (AHPs). However, AHPs - notably physiotherapists - also utilize therapeutic handling to facilitate patient movement during rehabilitation. The objective of this study was to comprehensively map the literature surrounding manual patient handling (without assistive devices) by healthcare practitioners. AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus and EMBASE databases were searched. Grey literature was sourced from Google Scholar, EThOS, Open Grey, Health and Safety Executive, National Institute for Occupational Safety, and Health and Work Safe Australia. Literature published in English between 2002 and 2021 was included. Forty-nine records were identified: 36 primary research studies, 1 systematic review and 12 "other", including narrative and government reports. Primary research was predominantly observational cross-sectional (n=21). The most common settings included laboratories (n=13) and hospitals (n=13). Seven research questions were identified, with patient handling practices (n=13) the most common. Nurses formed the largest practitioner population (n=13) and patients were often simulated (n=12). Common outcomes included tasks performed (n=13) and physical demands during patient handling (n=13). This comprehensive scoping review identified that most research was observational, investigating nurses in hospitals or laboratories. More research on manual patient handling by AHPs and investigation of the biomechanics involved in therapeutic handling is needed. Further qualitative research would allow for greater understanding of manual patient handling practices within healthcare

Documentary Research and Archaeological Investigations at the Waite-Kirby-Potter Site, Westport, Massachusetts

Research on the Waite-Kirby-Potter house in Westport, Massachusetts, included mapping historical resources visible on the surface and excavating 25 test pits and units near the house foundations in the fall of 2009. Field investigations were complemented by extensive documentary research including a complete chain of title and genealogical research on the three families who have owned the property between the late 17th century and the present. The visible historical features include elements associated with the former stone ender (the standing stone end and chimney, an adjacent brick chimney, and a stone-lined cellar hole), stone walls, a 19th-century barn foundation, a family cemetery, and the standing Restcome Potter house. The excavations uncovered a clean gravel work yard in front of the stone end house and sheet trash scatters with artifacts from the mid-18th to early 20th centuries behind and west of the house, as well as the remains of post holes for an agricultural outbuilding or fence at the edge of the near-by agricultural field. A primary trash deposit from a space within the chimney complex was probably deposited c. 1860 and contained numerous reconstructable ceramic vessels and glass bottles. Several of the ceramic vessels date to the previous century and had been curated for some time before being discarded. The most significant contributions are to the architectural history of the property; the combination of archaeological and documentary research has suggested some new or more specific dates for events previously dated only by tradition. We suggest that the stone-end house, traditionally dated to 1677, may have been constructed in the early 18th century between 1707 and 1721 by Thomas or Benjamin Waite. The western addition to the house, attributed to David Kirby, was constructed during the period when David and his father Ichabod’s families both occupied the house (1763-1793). The construction of the Restcome Potter house has traditionally been attributed to Restcome in 1838, but the property’s previous owner David Kirby mentions his “new dwelling house” in his 1832 will, pushing the construction date of this house earlier. Finally, the modifications to the stone chimney took place after 1858, demonstrating the Potter family’s continued use and upkeep of the older house. Test pits around the foundations of the western addition to the stone ender uncovered stone foundations and sill supports intact immediately beneath the modern ground surface

Recruiting and Hiring Millennial Talent in Northeast Ohio

Since October 2015, the Honors Business From and Awesome Inc. has been working with The J. M. Smucker Company to investigate the employment preferences, motivations and geographic preferences of millennial talent in Northeast Ohio. Through extensive secondary and primary research, Awesome Inc has provided an in-depth review of millennials in Northeast Ohio, and has provided two significant and applicable recommendations as supported by the research findings to assist The J. M. Smucker Company in their recruiting efforts

Enhanced Leak Detection

A key requirement for Veeder-Root’s Enhanced Leak Detection System is that it be able to test in situ for the presence of leaks at gasoline dispensing facilities. Aside from the obvious issues of safety and lost product, this functionality is obligatory for compliance with environmental standards mandated by federal and state oversight bodies, such as the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). The SWRCB demands a testing procedure that includes conditions as close to operational as possible, while still using environmentally safe gases as a test fluid. Although the test parameters (e.g., pressure) are allowed to deviate from operating conditions in order to facilitate the test procedure, a prescribed rescaling of the test thresholds must then be applied to account for the deviation. Whether the test is run at operation conditions or in a slightly different parameter regime, the fact that the testing must be done on the product and return lines after installation at a service station presents significant challenges in devising an effective test strategy

Empirically Derived Dietary Patterns in UK Adults Are Associated with Sociodemographic Characteristics, Lifestyle, and Diet Quality

The aim of this study was to examine empirical dietary patterns in UK adults and their association with sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, self-reported nutrient intake, nutrient biomarkers, and the Nutrient-based Diet Quality Score (NDQS) using National Diet and Nutrition Survey data 2008-2012 (n= 2083; mean age 49 years; 43.3% male). Four patterns explained 13.6% of the total variance: 'Snacks, fast food, fizzy drinks' (SFFFD), 'Fruit, vegetables, oily fish' (FVOF), 'Meat, potatoes, beer' (MPB), and 'Sugary foods, dairy' (SFD). 'SFFFD' was associated positively with: being male; smoking; body mass index (BMI); urinary sodium; intake of non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES), fat and starch; and negatively with: age; plasma carotenoids; and NDQS. 'FVOF' was associated positively with: being non-white; age; income; socioeconomic classification (National Statistics Socio-economic Classifications; NSSEC); plasma carotenoids; intake of non-starch polysaccharides and polyunsaturated fatty acids. It was negatively associated with: being male, smoking, BMI, urinary sodium, intake of saturated fat; and NMES and NDQS. Whilst the patterns explained only 13.6% of the total variance, they were associated with self-reported nutrient intake, biomarkers of nutrient intake, sociodemographic and lifestyle variables, and the NDQS. These findings provide support for dietary patterns analyses as a means of exploring dietary intake in the UK population to inform public health nutrition policy and guidance