American Practice Research Articles

A Critique of Philosophical Shamanism

A Critique of Philosophical Shamanism

The Study of Australian Jazz and the Issue of Methodological Nationalism

The Study of Australian Jazz and the Issue of Methodological Nationalism

Captives of Liberty: Prisoners of War and the Politics of Vengeance in the American Revolution by T. Cole Jones

Reviewed by: Captives of Liberty: Prisoners of War and the Politics of Vengeance in the American Revolution by T. Cole Jones Noah Shusterman T. Cole Jones, Captives of Liberty: Prisoners of War and the Politics of Vengeance in the American Revolution (Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 2019). Pp. 336; 11 illus. $39.95 cloth. In the fall of 1776, George Washington received a letter from William Howe criticizing the conditions in which British prisoners of war were being held, including the American practice of holding them in common jails. Such treatment of soldiers, Howe noted, was not in line with the "Custom of War." Nor was it consistent with Washington's own views of how war should be conducted. According to T. Cole Jones, Howe's reproach "hit a nerve" with Washington, for whom "any feeling of indignation was overcome by shame" (100). Washington had hoped to lead a well-trained army in a European-style war against the British army, following the rules of war that prevailed in Europe at the time—norms that included humane treatment of all prisoners, and through which captured officers were freed on their own parole. But the American Revolutionary War was something different. This was in part because the British, at the start, were hesitant to categorize the Americans as enemy soldiers. The British saw the Americans as "rebels" and therefore outside of the rules of war, as they had declared the Jacobites during the 1740s. Over the course of the war, Washington eventually realized that his view of what the war should be was one that few of his fellow Americans shared. Instead, British prisoners who had surrendered under relatively lenient agreements (including at Saratoga and at Yorktown) found themselves facing a population that wanted vengeance. Local governments responsible for keeping the prisoners according to the terms of the surrender agreements had neither the desire nor the funding to do so. Congress accomplished little other than the occasional retroactive rejection of the surrender agreements which, in practice, had long become dead letters. American prisoners, meanwhile, were held in near-starvation conditions in prisons or even on boats anchored offshore, where diseases ran rampant. Though part of the Americans' mistreatment was a result of British disdain for the rebels, they also suffered from Congress's inability to foot the bill for their food and lodging. As the war dragged on, military leaders on both sides hoped for large-scale prisoner exchanges. For a variety of reasons, including confusion on the American side about the respective prerogatives of state, local, and national governments, those exchanges rarely occurred, and the men were left to either wait out the war in prison or escape. Captives of Liberty, which grew out of Jones's doctoral dissertation, is a detailed and thorough history of the way that the British treated their American prisoners of war and, even more, the way that the Americans treated British prisoners. It is divided into five chapters, organized chronologically and following the course of the war. Jones incorporates an impressive amount of evidence. Its most striking passages are also its bleakest, a result of Jones's decision to center "the war and its consequent horrors." Including both large-scale surveys of the sweep of the war and specific vignettes—many of them horrific—Jones traces the history of prisoners from 1775 until 1783, and also shows how violence toward prisoners increased over the course of the war. By the end, during the Southern Campaign, the story is one of "bloodlust" and kangaroo courts, especially in the violence between local loyalists and patriots (202). [End Page 576] There is a curious tension throughout the book, though—almost as if Jones shares some of Washington's disappointment. By the end of the book, after reading about the repeated failures of Congress to arrange any large-scale prisoner transfers, the numerous attacks on British prisoners by their guards or by local patriots, the population's continued calls for retaliation against prisoners of war, and the willingness on so many levels to ignore agreed-upon conditions for the prisoners' surrender, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the war was waged by a bloodthirsty population and...

American Indian Traditions and Religious Ethics

ABSTRACTTheJournal of Religious Ethicshas published only two full‐length articles focusing on American Indian religious ethics in the last decade. This may signal that the field is uneasy about integrating American Indian religious ethics into its broader discourse. To fill this research lacuna and take a step toward normalizing religious‐ethical engagement with American Indian ethics, this article argues that the field needs an intentionally anticolonial, self‐aware approach to understanding American Indian religious ethics—one that decenters methods and approaches that may facilitate the analysis of Christian texts, groups, and phenomena, yet limit insights into the religious‐moral beliefs and practices of Native Americans. The article first shows examples of how religious‐ethical methods, definitions, and epistemological starting points can obfuscate rich and accurate understandings of Native American religious‐ethical systems and phenomena. Next, it turns to historical and anthropological studies and Native American philosophy and ethics to outline an interdisciplinary framework for integrating American Indian traditions into the discourses of religious ethics.

Beyond Turmeric and Yoga: Advance Care Planning and End-of-Life Considerations Among Asian Indian American Hindus.

Hinduism is the fourth largest religion in the United States; an understanding of Hindu beliefs and practices will help health care providers deliver culturally sensitive care while discussing advance care planning and end-of-life care for adult patients. For many Westerners, the practice of yoga, Ayurveda, and vegetarianism is used by people striving to live healthfully. However, what might be unfamiliar to Westerners is how for Hindus, these practices reflect their millennia-old spirituality and religiosity. Knowing the Hindu beliefs of atman, Brahman, karma, and moksha will help nurses connect to Hindus' various end-of-life wishes. In addition, getting familiar with interrelating factors such as lack of knowledge on palliative care and advance care planning, family dynamics, acculturation, and personal preferences will allow nurses to provide culturally competent care. By facilitating end-of-life conversations at an early stage, nurses can promote confidence and self-efficacy for patients who may fear that their religiosity and personal priorities are trivialized by acculturated family members or disregarded by their adopted homeland. This clinical article provides nurses with information about Asian Indian American Hindus' beliefs and practices, clinical implications for assessment, and suggestions to support patients' and families' end-of-life wishes.

Management Dynamics for De-Stereotyping the Corporate Culture: An Alternative to European and North American Concepts

In countries where the management is not dominated by the established orthodoxy of European and North American theories, principles and practices, it is possible to use alternative concepts with less ponderous resistance. Most of the researchers who follow the established orthodoxy either: (a) take it for granted that the corporate cultures are preconditioned by or reflect their country cultures, and therefore they begin their research with a study of country cultures, and then proceed to interpret corporate cultures in terms of country cultures; or (b) infer the country cultures from an aggregate of corporate cultures. In both cases they intentionally or unintentionally stereotype corporate cultures as well as country cultures. A corollary to this homogenistic reasoning is : (c) to assume that all individuals are saturated with the country culture, and therefore if a firm wants to deviate from the country culture, it must force the employees to change, and this change must be made from top-down.

Faith and Fortitude: 10-Year Assessment of Recidivism at a New Church-Based Prison in South Korea.

Substantial desistance from re-offending is one pragmatic goal of punishment. But that goal seemingly is not achieved in the contemporary experience of corrections within the U.S. This article marvels at how the abysmal record of desistance failure has characterized American penological practices in an age of mass incarceration. It notes prison programs are operationally desirable with short of empirical evidence for reduced recidivism. Religious immersion provides a promising avenue for lower recidivism. The article discusses a private prison in South Korea, built and operated by a church organization, that now has a decade of operating experience with sizable lower recidivism. The preliminary analysis shows a 3-year recidivism rate (re-incarceration) of about 10% compared with about 23% in comparable Korean prisons.

Contextualizing Current Events and Asian Pacific American Experiences for A More Inclusive Political Science Curriculum

Our current political situation and the demographic realities of our country require Political Science educators to be more intentional about integrating Asian Pacific American (APA) histories and experiences in the Political Science curriculum. By including the multifaceted ways in which APAs have and continue to participate in American civil society and practice citizenship in our democracy, we can help to combat persistent stereotypes and mis/disinformation that have had dangerous consequences for this community throughout American history and in the present moment.

Christian Citizens: Reading the Bible in Black and White in the Postemancipation South

Christian Citizens: Reading the Bible in Black and White in the Postemancipation South

Current State of Cytologic-Histologic Correlation Implementation for North American and International Laboratories: Results of the College of American Pathologists Cytopathology Committee Laboratory Practices in Gynecologic Cytology Survey.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) updated the Laboratory Accreditation Program Cytopathology Checklist to assist laboratories in meeting and exceeding the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments standards for gynecologic cytologic-histologic correlation (CHC). To survey the current CHC practices. Data were analyzed from a survey developed by the committee and distributed to participants in the CAP Gynecologic Cytopathology PAP Education Program mailing. Worldwide, CHC practice is nearly universally adopted, with an overall rate of 87.0% (568 of 653). CHC material was highly accessible. CHC was commonly performed real time/concurrently at the time the corresponding surgical pathology was reviewed. Investigation of CHC discordances varied with North American laboratories usually having a single pathologist review all discrepant histology and cytology slides to determine the reason for discordance, while international laboratories have a second pathologist review histology slides to determine the reason for discordance. The cause of CHC discordance was primarily sampling issues. The more common statistical metrics for CHC monitoring were the total percentage of cases that correlated with subsequent biopsies, screening error rate by cytotechnologist, and interpretative error rate by cytotechnologist. Many laboratories have adopted and implemented the CHC guidelines with identifiable differences in practices between North American and international laboratories. We identify the commonalities and differences between North American and international institutional practices including where CHC is performed, how CHC cases are identified and their accessibility, when CHC is performed, who investigates discordances, what discordances are identified, and how the findings affect quality improvement.

Perfusion Practice in Kenya.

Standards and guidelines for cardiopulmonary bypass have been established by various professional societies. They serve as an instrument to guide safe and effective patient care. We conducted a survey of practicing perfusionists in Kenya to learn about their background, education, current clinical practice and about their knowledge, and attitude regarding standards and guidelines. Two multiple-choice surveys were distributed to all known practicing perfusionist in Kenya using SurveyMonkey (San Mateo, CA). Multiple-choice questions related to professional background, training, annual procedure volume, staffing models, clinical practices, the use of safety devices, and the use of checklists were included in the questionnaires. The survey also inquired about familiarity with American and European perfusion practice standards and guidelines and opinions on establishing standards in Kenya. Responses were received from 12 perfusionists practicing at 10 centers. Professional backgrounds included anesthesia nursing, clinical officers, and critical care nursing. Sixty-seven percent (8/12) received formal training and 33% (4/12) trained primarily through clinical instruction. Of those that received formal training, 63% (5/8) received 1-2 years of training, 25% (2/8) <1 year but more than 6 months, and 12.5% (1/8) received 6 months of formal training. The median clinical experience was 5 years (range 1-22). The median annual case load was 54 (range 0-100). Use of safety devices was reported as follows: level sensor 75% (9/12), air bubble detector 17% (2/12), one-way vent valves 67% (8/12), continuous venous oxygen saturation monitoring 25% (3/12), and gas supply analyzers 33% (4/12). More than one-third of the respondents had no knowledge of the American and European perfusion practice standards, and nearly two-thirds were aware of or had read them. This survey provides contextual information about perfusion practice in Kenya in 2021. There was consensus among perfusionists to develop standards and practice guidelines for Kenya.

A Considered African American Philosophy and Practice of Arms

In the spring of 1963, Holmes County, Mississippi voting rights activist Hartman Turnbow fought off a terrorist attack on his home with his sixteen-shot semiautomatic rifle. Later, Turnbow explained that his gunfire was perfectly consistent with the nonviolent philosophy of the freedom movement, declaring, “I wasn’t being non-nonviolent, I was protecting my family.” Turnbow embraced armed self-defense and political nonviolence without any sense of contradiction. In this, he channeled a generations-old practice and philosophy of arms that was an integral part of Black response to racist terrorism, mobbing, state failure, and majoritarian tyranny.

Lester Kruger Born, Ernst Maximilian Posner, and the American Influence on the Reshaping of German Archives after the Second World War

ABSTRACT At the end of the Second World War, the collapse of the Prussian archival system lead to a gap in archival administration. Education and training of archivsts who broke ties with Nazi-era principles, and who adopted ties to American archival theory and practice, became a priority. This article first examines the contribution of American archival protection officers to this endeavor, including the establishment of an archival school in the American Zone, and the influence of Ernst Posner's archival theory. This article examines the historical context of these events and concludes by asking the question of what traces the American commitment has left behind in the archival system of Germany.

The Historicity of a Cultural Narrative

The Historicity of a Cultural Narrative Brianna Eaton (bio) Tyler D. Parry's Jumping the Broom: The Surprising Multicultural Origins of a Black Wedding Ritual, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2020 Jumping the Broom begins as a matter-of-fact account documenting the origins of the "jumping the broom" marriage tradition, where a couple walks forward and backward over a broomstick to signify their union. Historian Tyler D. Parry focuses on its historical foundations in Europe and the United States before delving into the potential reasons behind its cultural manifestations. Not content with simple explanations about the custom, Parry is concerned with the central question of why, why did some ethnic groups engage in this ritual, and why did it persist? What are the origins of the tradition, and what rich symbolism is contained within the ritual? (2). Moreover, Parry challenges the popularly held notion that jumping the broom is an exclusively Black American practice, exploring its European origins and gesturing to the broader multicultural roots of traditions throughout the African Diaspora (4). Though insistent on the varied ethnic origins of the custom, Parry cautions that the enslavement of Black people in the U.S. was unique, and therefore requires careful attention concerning the broomstick ceremony. In his introduction, he asserts that the ethnic groups explored, including Romani, Celts, and rural Euro-Americans, have similar "degrees of marginalization," but in the proceeding chapters notes the distinct experiences of Black people who were forced into enslavement (13). While the text comments on the connection between marginalization and jumping the broom, the importance of relating the traditions of varying ethnic groups to one another is not pursued in great detail, other than to clarify historical genesis. The elements I found most compelling in the text dealt with the tradition's appearance in Black American history. In chapter 2, Parry contends [End Page 338] with the experiences of enslaved Black people, parsing their agency in relation to the nearly complete power enslavers had over their lives. Differentiating degrees of autonomy in the midst of marriage ceremonies is an act made virtually impossible due to the relative lack of firsthand accounts from the enslaved and the dearth of specifics within the accounts available (47). The search for an expression of personal power leads Parry to speculate over the broom itself as an object of agency: a tool that allowed enslaved people to assert some control over their own domestic space and establish their own marriage rituals with meaning particular to their communities (55). Despite the chapter's sojourn into this history, how much control enslaved people had over their marriage rituals remains a matter of debate. Ultimately, Parry is forced to accept a sense of mystery that haunts so much of the work around the intimate lives of enslaved people. Determining the meaning of the broomstick custom becomes a much more attainable goal in chapter 6, where Parry explores the modern incarnation of the ritual as one steeped in symbolism, resurrected into the mainstream by the descendants of enslaved people who want to honor and connect to their ancestors (121). He pays particular attention to the impact of Alex Haley's book and consequent television series Roots and the contributions of authors Margaret Walker and Ernest J. Gaines (137). As scholars and storytellers, they brought jumping the broom into the popular imagination of Black Americans, distinguishing the ritual as uniquely Black. During this era, the effort to establish the history of Black culture as one separate from white Americans obscured the multicultural roots of the broomstick ritual. What impact this obfuscation ultimately had on the broader culture is difficult to discern. How does unveiling the multicultural nature of the ritual change its symbolic importance to Black Americans? Whether or not Celts or rural white Americans performed it, it was also practiced by some enslaved Black people, which is the only origin story relevant to most of the descendants of the enslaved who wish to engage with the practice. Continuing his analysis of the muddled origin story of the custom, in chapter 7, Parry discusses the shaky attempts by some historians and intellectuals to connect the broomstick ritual to the African continent throughout...

Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America

Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America

Appendectomy versus nonoperative management of simple appendicitis: A post hoc analysis of an Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma multicenter study using a hierarchical ordinal scale.

Controversy exists about the preferred initial treatment of appendicitis. We sought to compare the two treatments for initial management of simple appendicitis. In this post hoc analysis of the Multicenter Study for the Treatment of Appendicitis in America: Acute, Perforated, and Gangrenous database, subjects were divided into appendectomy or nonoperative management (NOM; antibiotics only or percutaneous drainage) cohorts. A novel topic-specific hierarchical ordinal scale was created with eight mutually exclusive categories: mortality, reoperation, other secondary interventions, readmission, emergency department visit, wound complication, surgical site infection, and no complication. Pairwise comparisons of American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Imaging Severity Grade 1 (simple appendicitis) patients were compared using win-lose-tie scoring and the sums of appendectomy/NOM groups were compared. A total 3,591 subjects were included: 3,262 appendectomy and 329 NOM, with significant differences in baseline characteristics between groups. Across 28 sites, the rate of NOM ranged from 0% to 48%, and the loss to follow-up rate was significantly higher for NOM compared with appendectomy (16.5% vs. 8.7%, p = 0.024). In the simple appendicitis hierarchical ordinal scale analysis, 2,319 subjects resulted in 8,714,304 pairwise comparisons; 75% of comparisons resulted in ties. The median (interquartile range) sums for the two groups are as follows: surgical, 400 (400-400), and NOM, 400 (-2,427 to 400) (p < 0.001). A larger proportion of appendectomy subjects (88.1%) had an outcome that was equivalent (or better) than at least half of the subjects compared with NOM subjects (NOM, 70.5%; OR [95% confidence interval], 0.3 [0.2-0.4]). In contemporary American practice, appendectomy (compared with NOM) for simple appendicitis is associated with lower odds of developing clinically important unfavorable outcomes in the first year after illness. Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III.

Use of EuroLupus Cyclophosphamide Dosing for the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis in Childhood-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in North America.

Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) has higher rates of lupus nephritis (LN) than adult-onset SLE, often requiring intensive immunosuppression. This study examined North American practices and preferences for the low-dose EuroLupus cyclophosphamide (CYC) protocol, as compared to the high-dose National Institutes of Health (NIH) CYC protocol, to treat LN in cSLE. A 35-item Web-based survey was distributed to Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) and Pediatric Nephrology Research Consortium (PNRC) providers. The survey assessed participant demographics, CYC prescribing practices, perceptions of EuroLupus protocol, and LN vignette treatment decisions; 1 vignette was taken from a 2009 CARRA survey and responses were compared. Multivariable logistic regression analyzed provider factors associated with use of low- vs high-dose CYC. Responses were provided by 185/421 (44%) pediatric rheumatologists (CARRA) and 40/354 (11%) pediatric nephrologists (PNRC). Among respondents who prescribed CYC for pediatric LN over the past year (n = 135), half reported using EuroLupus. When presented with the same vignette about an adolescent with class IV LN, 32% of pediatric rheumatologists chose EuroLupus dosing in 2020, vs 6% in 2009. Provider factors associated with choosing the low-dose regimen were familiarity with the protocol (OR 4.2, P = 0.006) and greater perceived benefit (OR 1.6, P < 0.0001). Pediatric nephrologists had similar responses to the pediatric rheumatology providers. Overall, 78% of respondents perceived EuroLupus protocol efficacy to be equivalent to the high-dose protocol in cSLE LN. Pediatric specialists are currently more likely to use low-dose CYC to treat cSLE LN than they were a decade ago. Nevertheless, familiarity with EuroLupus dosing remains low.

Health for All: A Report of the 2020 Association of American Medical Colleges Learn Serve Lead Meeting.

Learn Serve Lead (LSL) is the signature annual conference of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which focuses on the most pressing issues facing American medical practice and education. Unsurprisingly, the recent AAMC LSL conference at the end of 2020 centered on the multifaceted impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial inequity upon the medical community. At the LSL meeting, national leaders, practicing physicians from diverse specialties, and medical trainees discussed the impact of these challenges and ongoing strategies to overcome them. These efforts paralleled the AAMC mission areas of community collaborations, medical education, clinical care, and research. Additionally, this focus aligns with the ACR's core purpose: to serve patients and society by empowering members to advance the practice, science, and professions of radiological care. ACR is a member of the AAMC Council of Faculty and Academic Society and seeks to collaborate with other medical specialties to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, contribute to medical education, and voice the value of medical imaging for patient care. We summarize the major insights of this interdisciplinary conference and present tailored recommendations for applying these insights specifically within the radiology community. In addition, we review the parallels between the ACR and the AAMC strategic plans.

Evaluating Iodixanol as a safe alternative in iodinated contrast hypersensitivity reactions

Prevalence of hypersensitivity reactions to iodinated contrast media is around 0.5-3%. According to European and American practice guidelines, allergy tests should include skin tests followed by drug provocation test (DPT) with a non-related radiocontrast media (RCM) with or without premedication use.

African American mothers' racial socialization practices with preschoolers: A mixed methods study

AbstractObjectiveThis pilot study examined the racial socialization frequency, practices, and goals African American mothers use to socialize their preschool‐age children around race.BackgroundPrevious studies have demonstrated that African American mothers engage in racial socialization. However, little research has focused on how race and racism influence African American mothers' racial socialization frequency, practices, and goals.MethodsIn the quantitative phase, a racial socialization measure was used to assess African American mothers' (N = 30) racial socialization frequency. In the qualitative phase, follow‐up interviews conducted with eight African American mothers explored how race and racism influence the mothers' parenting.ResultsMothers with a high racial socialization score encouraged racial awareness, whereas mothers with low scores discouraged racial awareness. Most mothers used oppressive practices to keep their preschoolers safe. Most mothers braided their parental practices with their racial experiences from childhood.ConclusionsMothers of African American children are processing parental guidance approaches on two levels—general guidance related to their child's development and a track related to the role race may be playing.ImplicationsThe implications of this study will be influential in the development and effectiveness of culturally centered practices that support Black children as well as Black mothers' parenting.