Geophysical Investigations of United States Revolutionary War Era (1777–1778) Mass Burial Sites in Pennsylvania, USA

The United States Revolutionary War (1775–1783) resulted in numerous mass burials in the eastern United States, with deaths occurring not just directly related to the battles fought, but also from disease, starvation, and exposure. Current information relating to these mass burials is often gathered from myths and rumors, leaving the truth of the historical aspects of that time period ambiguous. Geophysical techniques are increasingly utilized in archaeologic and forensic studies to locate unmarked burials. GPR, magnetics, and electrical resistivity have been used to successfully identify burial locations around the world in a non-invasive manner. This paper aims to illustrate how different burials of the US Revolutionary War period can be detected and characterized with geophysics, providing important knowledge of a better historical understanding of that time period, as well as optimizing equipment instrumentation and processing procedures for such targeted investigations. Three case studies of Revolutionary War Era mass burial sites in Pennsylvania, USA are described here: the Paoli Battlefield Memorial, the Old Charlestown Cemetery, and Saint Peter's Church in the Great Valley. These sites are within 9 km of each other and have historic records that suggest mass burials during this period. Results show GPR to provide the most useful data overall, with supporting information gathered from the supplemental geophysical techniques of magnetometry and resistivity. 2D profiles tend to provide a more valuable image of the subsurface than 3D slices. Larger burials leave a greater footprint and have a higher chance of causing a geophysical disturbance that can be measured more than 200 years after the burial. Soil moisture content and vegetation type can impact quality of results. Study implications demonstrate the challenges and potential usefulness of geophysical techniques to successfully locate and characterize mass burials of this time period.

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The prevalence of MS in the United States

Neurology ◽

10.1212/wnl.0000000000007035 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 92 (10) ◽

pp. e1029-e1040 ◽

Cited By ~ 183

Author(s):

Mitchell T. Wallin ◽

William J. Culpepper ◽

Jonathan D. Campbell ◽

Lorene M. Nelson ◽

Annette Langer-Gould ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Census Data ◽

Adult Population ◽

The United States ◽

Health Claims ◽

The North ◽

Time Period ◽

The Us ◽

Group A ◽

Us Census

ObjectiveTo generate a national multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence estimate for the United States by applying a validated algorithm to multiple administrative health claims (AHC) datasets.MethodsA validated algorithm was applied to private, military, and public AHC datasets to identify adult cases of MS between 2008 and 2010. In each dataset, we determined the 3-year cumulative prevalence overall and stratified by age, sex, and census region. We applied insurance-specific and stratum-specific estimates to the 2010 US Census data and pooled the findings to calculate the 2010 prevalence of MS in the United States cumulated over 3 years. We also estimated the 2010 prevalence cumulated over 10 years using 2 models and extrapolated our estimate to 2017.ResultsThe estimated 2010 prevalence of MS in the US adult population cumulated over 10 years was 309.2 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval [CI] 308.1–310.1), representing 727,344 cases. During the same time period, the MS prevalence was 450.1 per 100,000 (95% CI 448.1–451.6) for women and 159.7 (95% CI 158.7–160.6) for men (female:male ratio 2.8). The estimated 2010 prevalence of MS was highest in the 55- to 64-year age group. A US north-south decreasing prevalence gradient was identified. The estimated MS prevalence is also presented for 2017.ConclusionThe estimated US national MS prevalence for 2010 is the highest reported to date and provides evidence that the north-south gradient persists. Our rigorous algorithm-based approach to estimating prevalence is efficient and has the potential to be used for other chronic neurologic conditions.

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Central American-American Identity and Politics

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.013.429 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Maritza E. Cárdenas

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Identity Politics ◽

Asian American ◽

The United States ◽

Central American ◽

Geographic Space ◽

Cultural Specificity ◽

Time Period ◽

The Us ◽

Identity Category

The use of the term “Central American” as an identity category is neither new nor restricted to the US diaspora. However, it is within the last forty years and in the geopolitical setting of the United States that a thriving identity politics has developed. It is during this time period that the use of the term Central American has emerged to denote a tactical American pan-ethnic social identity. This act of consciously employing the term “Central American” as a unification strategy for peoples from the isthmus in the United States echoes other US-based ethnoracial identity politics. Such movements often utilize a pan-ethnic term not only to advocate on the behalf of a racialized minoritarian community but also seeking to provide them a space of belonging by focusing on sociopolitical, cultural, and ethnic commonalities. As other identity markers in the United States such as “Asian American” and “African American” illustrate, Central Americans are not the first population to utilize a region as a strategic unifying term of self-identification. Yet, unlike these other US ethnoracial categories, for those who identify as “Central American” the term “Central America” often connotes not simply a geographic space but also a historical formation that advances the notion that individuals from the isthmus comprise a distinct but common culture. Another key difference from other US ethnoracial identities is that use of the term “Central American” in US cultural politics emerged during a historical era where the broader collective terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” were already in place. The creation and deployment of “Central American” is therefore an alternative to this other supra-ethnic identity category, as subjects view this isthmian-based term as being able to simultaneously create a broader collective while still invoking a type of geographic and cultural specificity that is usually associated with national identities.

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Mapping a Pandemic: SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity in the United States

10.1101/2021.01.27.21250570 ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Heather Kalish ◽

Carleen Klumpp-Thomas ◽

Sally Hunsberger ◽

Holly Ann Baus ◽

Michael P Fay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Regional Variability ◽

Seropositivity Rate ◽

Black African ◽

Link Type ◽

Weighted Analysis ◽

Time Period ◽

The Us ◽

Quota Sampling

ABSTRACTAsymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and delayed implementation of diagnostics have led to poorly defined viral prevalence rates. To address this, we analyzed seropositivity in US adults who have not previously been diagnosed with COVID-19. Individuals with characteristics that reflect the US population (n = 11,382) and who had not previously been diagnosed with COVID-19 were selected by quota sampling from 241,424 volunteers (ClinicalTrials.govNCT04334954). Enrolled participants provided medical, geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic information and 9,028 blood samples. The majority (88.7%) of samples were collected between May 10th and July 31st, 2020. Samples were analyzed via ELISA for anti-Spike and anti-RBD antibodies. Estimation of seroprevalence was performed by using a weighted analysis to reflect the US population. We detected an undiagnosed seropositivity rate of 4.6% (95% CI: 2.6 – 6.5%). There was distinct regional variability, with heightened seropositivity in locations of early outbreaks. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the highest estimated undiagnosed seropositivity within groups was detected in younger participants (ages 18-45, 5.9%), females (5.5%), Black/African American (14.2%), Hispanic (6.1%), and Urban residents (5.3%), and lower undiagnosed seropositivity in those with chronic diseases. During the first wave of infection over the spring/summer of 2020 an estimate of 4.6% of adults had a prior undiagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infection. These data indicate that there were 4.8 (95% CI: 2.8-6.8) undiagnosed cases for every diagnosed case of COVID-19 during this same time period in the United States, and an estimated 16.8 million undiagnosed cases by mid-July 2020.

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Abortion in the United States: The continuing controversy

Feminism & Psychology ◽

10.1177/0959353516685345 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 101-113 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Linda J Beckman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Social Issues ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

The United States ◽

Current Status ◽

Medication Abortion ◽

Abortion Debate ◽

Time Period ◽

The Us ◽

Underlying Causes

In the United States, abortion rates have been falling for several decades while attitudes have remained relatively stable. Given this background, this paper examines the current status of the fluid and contentious US abortion debate. Five relevant questions are examined: (1) What is responsible for the new wave of restrictive laws and what are their effects? (2) What is most likely responsible for changes in abortion rates? (3) What are the effects of the addition of medication abortion into the mix of abortion services? (4) What forces continue to fuel economic, geographic and racial/ethnic disparities in access to abortion services? (5) Why have gay rights been embraced by a majority of the US public and supported in legislation and judicial decisions, while during this same time period abortion rights have stagnated or declined? It is crucial for feminists to continue to promote the cause of abortion and other reproductive rights. Most important, however, is a focus on broader social issues for women (e.g., adequate education, affordable day care) and the underlying causes of unequal power in society.

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First Report of Late Blight Caused by Phytophthora infestans Clonal Lineage US-23 on Potato in Idaho

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-02-14-0196-pdn ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 99 (3) ◽

pp. 417-417 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P. S. Wharton ◽

P. Nolte ◽

W. W. Kirk ◽

S. Dangi ◽

A. J. Gevens

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Late Blight ◽

Phytophthora Infestans ◽

Agar Medium ◽

The United States ◽

Eastern United States ◽

Clonal Lineage ◽

Predominant Genotype ◽

The Us ◽

Pure Cultures

Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary, is a destructive disease of potato (Solanum tuberosum) and tomato (S. lycopersicum) in the United States. Prior to 2007, the US-8 clonal lineage was the predominant genotype in the United States (4). Since 2007, a significant genetic change in the population of P. infestans occurred in the eastern United States with the appearance of new isolates with unique genotypes and epidemiological characteristics (3). These new genotypes US-22, US-23, and US-24 are sensitive to metalaxyl and represent mating types A2, A1, and A1, respectively (1,2). Prior to 2012, only US-8 had been documented in Idaho (5). In 2013, late blight was discovered in late August on potato crops (cv. Russet Norkotah) in Bingham and Madison counties, ID. Infected foliage (four samples from Bingham County and five from Madison) was sent to Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin for confirmation of P. infestans and characterization of the isolates. Five sections from the leading edge of lesions were excised with a sterilized scalpel and placed on potato tuber slices (‘Dark Red Norkotah’). Pathogen sporulation on the excised lesions was enhanced by incubation in plastic boxes lined with moistened paper towels for 5 days at 18°C in the dark. The sporulating lesions were transferred onto pea agar medium (160 g peas, 5 g sucrose, 15 g agar, 700 ml distilled water) amended with 50 mg/ml vancomycin. Ten pure cultures were obtained for each of 4 isolates per county by hyphal tipping. Cellulose acetate electrophoresis was conducted to determine Gpi allozyme genotype of the 4 isolates (4). The allozyme banding patterns were 100/100 at the Gpi locus, consistent with previously reported analyses of the US-23 genotype (1,2). Genomic DNA was extracted from 10 pure cultures using the DNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Germantown, MD), and SSR analyses were performed. Microsatellite markers Pi02, Pi4B, Pi63, PiG11, and D13 were used in SSR analyses. Pi02, Pi4B, and Pi63 had alleles of 162/164, 213/217, and 270/279 bp in size, respectively which is consistent with the reference US-23 genotype (1). However, heterozygosity was detected at locus D13 in the Idaho genotype with allele size of 134/210 bp and an additional allele of 140/155/176 bp at locus PiG11. This is different from the standard US-23 genotype (homozygous alleles 134/134 at locus D13 and two alleles 140/155 at locus PiG11). These allele changes indicate the isolates may be variants of US-23 isolates as all other phenotypic characteristics were similar to those of reference US-23 isolates. The Idaho genotypes were sensitive to metalaxyl both in vitro on rye A agar medium amended with metalaxyl at <0.1 ppm, and in vivo on Ridomil treated foliage tests at <0.1 ppm (1,2). Mating type assays confirmed the pathogen to be the A1 mating type. In the 2009 and 2010 late blight epidemics in the eastern United States, US-23 was the predominant genotype, but to our knowledge this genotype has never been reported previously in Idaho. Thus, this is the first known report of P. infestans genotype US-23 causing late blight on potato in Idaho, indicating a change in the population of P. infestans. In Idaho, the source of this genotype remains unknown, although infected tomatoes have been implicated in the widespread dissemination of this genotype of P. infestans in the eastern United States. References: (1) G. Danies et al. Plant Dis. 97:873, 2013. (2) C. Hu et al. Plant Dis. 96:1323, 2012. (3) K. Deahl. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 100:S161, 2010. (4) S. B. Goodwin et al. Plant Dis. 79:1181, 1995. (5) USAblight. Recent US Genotypes. Online: www.usablight.org/node/52 , retrieved 3 January 2014.

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Neurosurgical workforce trends in the United States

Journal of Neurosurgery ◽

10.3171/jns.2005.102.2.0202 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 102 (2) ◽

pp. 202-208 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Oren N. Gottfried ◽

Richard L. Rovit ◽

A. John Popp ◽

Kristin L. Kraus ◽

Arlene Stolper Simon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Content Type ◽

The Past ◽

Time Period ◽

The Us ◽

The Mean ◽

First Time ◽

Second Period ◽

Fine Print

Object. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the US neurosurgery workforce by reviewing journal recruitment advertisements published during the past 10 years. Methods. The number of available academic and private neurosurgical staff positions was determined based on recruitment advertisements in the Journal of Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery for the 10-year period from 1994 to 2003. Advertisements were evaluated for practice venue, subspecialization, and location. The numbers of active neurosurgeons and graduating residents also were reviewed. The number of advertised neurosurgical positions increased from 141.6 ± 38.2 per year from 1994 through 1998 to 282.4 ± 13.6 per year from 1999 through 2003 (mean ± standard deviation, p < 0.05). The mean number of academic positions increased from 50.6 ± 11.1 to 95 ± 17.5 (p <0.05), and the mean number of private positions rose from 91 ± 30.4 to 187.4 ± 6.8 (p <0.05). Subspecialty positions represented a mean of only 15.6 ± 5% per year during the first time period and 18.8 ± 3% per year in the second period (p = 0.22), and therefore the majority of positions advertised continued to be those for generalists. The number of practicing neurosurgeons declined after 1998, and by 2002 it was less than it had been in 1991. The numbers of incoming and matriculating residents during the study period were static. Conclusions. The number of recruitment advertisements for neurosurgeons during the last 5 years has increased significantly, concomitant with a severe decline in the number of active neurosurgeons and a static supply of residents.

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Genetic Structure and Subclonal Variation of Extant and Recent U.S. Lineages of Phytophthora infestans

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto-09-18-0357-r ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 109 (9) ◽

pp. 1614-1627 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Amanda Saville ◽

Jean Beagle Ristaino

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Phytophthora Infestans ◽

Genetic Similarity ◽

Genetic Relationships ◽

The United States ◽

Time Period ◽

Rxlr Effector ◽

The Us ◽

Mexican Populations

The oomycete Phytophthora infestans is an important plant pathogen on potato and tomato crops. We examined the genetic structure of extant 20th and 21st century U.S. lineages of P. infestans and compared them with populations from South America and Mexico to examine genetic relationships and potential sources of lineages. US-23, currently the most prevalent lineage detected in the United States, shared genetic similarity primarily with the BR-1 lineage identified in the 1990s from Bolivia and Brazil. Lineages US-8, US-14, and US-24, predominantly virulent on potato, formed a cluster distinct from other U.S. lineages. Many of the other U.S. lineages shared significant genetic similarity with Mexican populations. The US-1 lineage, dominant in the mid-20th century, clustered with US-1 lineages from Peru. A survey of the presence of RXLR effector PiAVR2 revealed that some lineages carried PiAVR2, its resistance-breaking variant PiAVR2-like, or both. Minimum spanning networks developed from simple sequence repeat genotype datasets from USABlight outbreaks clearly showed the expansion of US-23 over a 6-year time period and geographic substructuring of some lineages in the western United States. Many clonal lineages of P. infestans in the United States have come from introductions from Mexico, but the US-23 and US-1 lineages were most likely introduced from other sources.

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The experience of guestworkers at a United States tourist resort

Vibrant Virtual Brazilian Anthropology ◽

10.1590/s1809-43412013000200007 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 198-228

Author(s):

Guilherme Mansur Dias

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Temporary Employment ◽

Eastern United States ◽

Labour Relations ◽

The North ◽

North Eastern ◽

The Us ◽

Ethnographic Analysis

This article examines temporary employment among foreign workers at the Okemo Mountain Resort, a tourist ski complex located in Vermont state in the north-eastern United States. I discuss the meanings associated with the international displacement of these workers, focusing especially on the ideas and imagery surrounding 'mobility', 'work,' 'travel' and 'youth.' By describing their experiences, along with the practices and discourses of the employer and the US State, the case study shows how Okemo's strategy of hiring a flexible foreign workforce is connected to the multiple meanings through which these groups represent their experience of temporary migration to the United States in the context of increasingly precarious labour relations. The ethnographic analysis proposed by the research provides a counterpoint to the 'macro-analytical' approach employed by most studies on the issue of foreign temporary work in the United States.

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Bubbles During Covid-19 Period: Evidence from the United States Using the Generalized Sub ADF Test

HOLISTICA – Journal of Business and Public Administration ◽

10.2478/hjbpa-2021-0005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 49-56

Author(s):

Tsangyao Chang ◽

Chen-Min Hsu ◽

Mei-Chih Wang

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Stock Market ◽

Stock Price ◽

The United States ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Time Period ◽

The Us ◽

Price Indexes ◽

Adf Test ◽

First Time

Abstract This study applies the generalized sub ADF (GSADF) tests to investigate whether bubbles exist in the United States markets over the period of 2015-2019, focusing on the COVID-19 period. We use daily Dow-Jones stock price indexes for the first time during the time period of 2015/1/7-2020/3/17. Empirical results demonstrate the existence of bubbles in the US stock market during some sub-sample time periods. Especially important, we find the third bubble begins from 2020/2/26 and grows gradually, not bursting until recently, a situation that is ongoing in the US market. Our results have important policy implications for investors who attempt to invest in the US stock market

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The United States and the Iranian Nuclear Programme

10.3366/edinburgh/9780748682638.001.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Steven Hurst

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Decision Making ◽

Domestic Politics ◽

The United States ◽

Nixon Administration ◽

Comprehensive Plan ◽

The Us ◽

Nuclear Issue ◽

The Relationship

The United States, Iran and the Bomb provides the first comprehensive analysis of the US-Iranian nuclear relationship from its origins through to the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. Starting with the Nixon administration in the 1970s, it analyses the policies of successive US administrations toward the Iranian nuclear programme. Emphasizing the centrality of domestic politics to decision-making on both sides, it offers both an explanation of the evolution of the relationship and a critique of successive US administrations' efforts to halt the Iranian nuclear programme, with neither coercive measures nor inducements effectively applied. The book further argues that factional politics inside Iran played a crucial role in Iranian nuclear decision-making and that American policy tended to reinforce the position of Iranian hardliners and undermine that of those who were prepared to compromise on the nuclear issue. In the final chapter it demonstrates how President Obama's alterations to American strategy, accompanied by shifts in Iranian domestic politics, finally brought about the signing of the JCPOA in 2015.

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