Megachurches and Economic Development: Pastoral Interpretations of Internal and External Expectations on Church Behavior

What sorts of economic development activities do megachurches engage in, and what rationale do leaders give for this behavior? This study provides theoretical guidance for answering this research question through an investigation of megachurches’ extra-role behaviors (ERB) in economic development activities. ERB is a “behavior that attempts to benefit the organization and that goes beyond existing role expectations” (Organ, Podsakoff & MacKenzie, 2006, p. 33). This field study includes an online survey completed by 42 megachurch senior or executive pastors in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown Metropolitan Statistical Areas and 23 follow-up telephone interviews. The researcher used these data to explore arguments based on self-interest as well as obligations with regard to megachurch involvement in economic development. The findings of this study indicate both theories hold some explanatory power. These findings have implications for megachurch partnerships with public and secular organizations that advance economic opportunities across communities

Economic Feasibility of Aquaponics in Arkansas

Concerns regarding population growth and resource scarcity have led to a recent renaissance of food production research. Over the past few decades, scientists have discovered new and innovative methods for growing food that, cumulatively, may hold the key to efficiently and sustainably feeding an ever-increasing world population. One method, known as aquaponics, has shown promise as being a sustainable solution for producing food locally in all parts of the world. Although many studies have shown aquaponic food production to be technically feasible, there are relatively few studies concerning the economic feasibility of aquaponics in various regions. To determine whether aquaponics could be economically feasible under greenhouse conditions in temperate climates, cost and revenue data for constructing and operating the University of the Virgin Islands’ Commercial Aquaponics 2 system were collected from various sources. These data were then used to develop enterprise budgets for the aquaponic production of tilapia, lettuce and basil. Additional financial analyses included the calculation of break-even prices for each crop, a cash-flow analysis of three farm scenarios and the determination of investment payback period. Overall, it appears that aquaponic food production using the UVI CA2 system could be economically feasible in temperate climates, assuming a proper selection of crops, in conjunction with the existence of viable markets. The results also show, however, that greater focus on hydroponic production may potentially yield higher profits than those attainable through a fully integrated aquaponic production system

Megachurches and Economic Development: A Theoretical Understanding of Church Involvement at the Local Level

Why do megachurches participate in economic development, and who benefits from their participation? Frumkin's framework for understanding nonprofit and voluntary action and extra-role behavior are theories tested to answer these questions. My research employs a mixed-methods research design conducted in two phases. In phase one, I analyze 42 responses to an online survey to provide data about the prevalence and nature of economic development activities offered by megachurches in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Phase two involved 23 semi-structured telephone interviews with megachurch leadership to provide data that explains the rationale for why megachurches offer economic development activities and who benefits. Evidence from this research demonstrates that megachurches are participating in economic development for reasons consistent with both demand-side and supply-side arguments. Findings also show that megachurches take on extra-role behaviors for in response to community expectations and the values of members and staff. Implications for understanding partnership decisions and collaborations between faith-based organizations and local governments are discussed

Transitions of Care Operations at a Family Medicine Clinic: Patient Follow Up and Financial Outcome Analysis

Introduction: Coordinating smooth patient transitions remains a growing area of interest among healthcare professionals in light of the addition of the Readmission Reductions Program to the Affordable Care Act, which enables CMS to penalize hospitals for 30-day readmissions due to myocardial infarction, pneumonia, heart failure, and in due time, COPD. 2 Many facilities have tested varying TOC models previously piloted at other institutions, focusing on ensuring the proper measures are in place before patients depart. However, there is a significant lack in data quantifying the rate of timely patient follow up after discharge, despite the evidence supporting the value of this visit. The purpose of this study is to analyze TOC outcomes at a local family medicine clinic to assess potential lack of billing utilization and gaps of care related to patient follow up. Methods: The investigators were provided with emergency department discharge charts from the local hospital affiliated with the family medicine clinic; discharge dates ranged from April 2014 to August 2014. Discharge charts were analyzed to establish medical complexity. Investigators used electronic medical records to extract descriptive data to analyze patient and financial outcomes. A subgroup analysis was performed utilizing a subset of patients identified as “established” at the clinic. Results: A total of 317 unique discharge reports were evaluated, with 104 of those in the “established” patient subgroup. During the study period, 8.8% of the total group of patients demonstrated timely follow-up. Additionally, rate of incorrect billing techniques was 79%. A consequence of the low percentage of patient follow up and improper billing is missed revenue opportunity for the clinic; financial consequences range from $3,248.60-$67,150 over the 5 month period. Conclusion: A coordinated outpatient TOC procedure cannot be determined from this study. However, need for further analysis of outcomes at outpatient facilities has been identified.   Type: Original Researc

Evaluation of the Burma Art Therapy Project for Adolescent Refugees from Burma in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

Background: North Carolina has a growing refugee population from Burma, with an estimated 400 Burmese families living in Orange County alone. For refugee youth, coping with past hardship, immigration, and acculturation often leads to excessive stress and increased risk of mental health disorders. The Art Therapy Institute (ATI) implements an innovative, school-based art therapy program for refugee youth from Burma in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. This program, known as the Burma Art Therapy Project (BATP), uses art therapy to facilitate self-expression and alleviate mental health symptoms through non-verbal communication methods. During the 2013-2014 academic year, a team of students from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health worked with ATI to evaluate BATP and increase organizational capacity through the creation of a user guide, submission of a grant proposal, and subsequent dissemination of evaluation results. Through this work, the Capstone team aimed to fill gaps in the literature regarding art therapy, to improve ATI's capacity to attract funding, and to ensure sustainability of the BATP program. Methods: To scale-up the evaluation, we modified and added to the data collection protocol created by the previous Capstone team. We created an evaluation user guide and data management system and trained clinicians on data collection protocols. BATP clients were assessed at baseline and follow up after four months of art therapy sessions to measure impact of art therapy on mental health indicators. During the evaluation, assessments were collected, entered into the data management system, and analyzed. Findings were used to show impact and need and incorporated into a grant proposal, evaluation report, and presentation of findings. We wrote a manuscript to share lessons learned from the evaluation with broader academic community. Results: The evaluation demonstrated that refugee clients needed access to mental health services. ATI clients experienced many traumatic events in Burma, and had higher symptoms of anxiety and depression as compared to age-matched US populations. Following 12-16 weeks of art therapy, ATI client showed significant decreases in symptoms of anxiety. Throughout the evaluation process, we noticed that the assessments were not fully capturing the strengths and difficulties of ATI clients. These findings resulted in a manuscript that we intend to submit to the Journal of Health Promotion Practice. In addition, the grant proposal strengthened ATI's business model and created relationships with funders. Discussion: The results from the outcome evaluation are the first step toward building ATI's evidence base for the effectiveness of BATP and art therapy. The five deliverables produced each contribute uniquely to the sustainability of BATP and ATI. The user guide and data management system improved ATI's capacity to conduct program evaluation in years to come. The evaluation report documented need among ATI clients, and the grant proposal contributed to the financial sustainability of BATP. Lastly, the presentation of findings and manuscript contribute to the art therapy field as a whole by demonstrating the effectiveness of this therapy for refugee populations. In the future, we recommend that ATI utilize a mixed methods approach to fully capture the benefits of art therapy and further build evidence for the positive impacts of BATP.Master of Public Healt

Optimal omegas – barriers and novel methods to narrow omega-3 gaps. A narrative review

Copyright © 2024 Derbyshire, Birch, Bonwick, English, Metcalfe and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Dietary intakes of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (O3LC-PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid are central to development and health across the life course. O3LC-PUFAs have been linked to neurological development, maternal and child health and the etiology of certain non-communicable diseases including age-related cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. However, dietary inadequacies exist in the United Kingdom and on a wider global scale. One predominant dietary source of O3LC-PUFAs is fish and fish oils. However, growing concerns about overfishing, oceanic contaminants such as dioxins and microplastics and the trend towards plant-based diets appear to be acting as cumulative barriers to O3LC-PUFAs from these food sources. Microalgae are an alternative provider of O3LC-PUFA-rich oils. The delivery of these into food systems is gaining interest. The present narrative review aims to discuss the present barriers to obtaining suitable levels of O3LC-PUFAs for health and wellbeing. It then discusses potential ways forward focusing on innovative delivery methods to utilize O3LC-PUFA-rich oils including the use of fortification strategies, bioengineered plants, microencapsulation, and microalgae

Long wavelength-sensing cones of zebrafish retina exhibit multiple layers of transcriptional heterogeneity

IntroductionUnderstanding how photoreceptor genes are regulated is important for investigating retinal development and disease. While much is known about gene regulation in cones, the mechanism by which tandemly-replicated opsins, such as human long wavelength-sensitive and middle wavelength-sensitive opsins, are differentially regulated remains elusive. In this study, we aimed to further our understanding of transcriptional heterogeneity in cones that express tandemly-replicated opsins and the regulation of such differential expression using zebrafish, which express the tandemly-replicated opsins lws1 and lws2.MethodsWe performed bulk and single cell RNA-Seq of LWS1 and LWS2 cones, evaluated expression patterns of selected genes of interest using multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization, and used exogenous thyroid hormone (TH) treatments to test selected genes for potential control by thyroid hormone: a potent, endogenous regulator of lws1 and lws2 expression.ResultsOur studies indicate that additional transcriptional differences beyond opsin expression exist between LWS1 and LWS2 cones. Bulk RNA-Seq results showed 95 transcripts enriched in LWS1 cones and 186 transcripts enriched in LWS2 cones (FC > 2, FDR < 0.05). In situ hybridization results also reveal underlying heterogeneity within the lws1- and lws2-expressing populations. This heterogeneity is evident in cones of mature zebrafish, and further heterogeneity is revealed in transcriptional responses to TH treatments.DiscussionWe found some evidence of coordinate regulation of lws opsins and other genes by exogenous TH in LWS1 vs. LWS2 cones, as well as evidence of gene regulation not mediated by TH. The transcriptional differences between LWS1 and LWS2 cones are likely controlled by multiple signals, including TH

On a theorem of Y. Miyashita

Background: Portion size is an important driver of larger meals. However, effects on food choice remain unclear. Objective: Our aim was to identify how portion size influences the effect of palatability and expected satiety on choice. Methods: In Study 1, adult participants (n = 24, 87.5% women) evaluated the palatability and expected satiety of 5 lunchtime meals and ranked them in order of preference. Separate ranks were elicited for equicaloric portions from 100 to 800 kcal (100-kcal steps). In Study 2, adult participants (n = 24, 75% women) evaluated 9 meals and ranked 100–600 kcal portions in 3 contexts (scenarios), believing that 1) the next meal would be at 1900, 2) they would receive only a bite of one food, and 3) a favorite dish would be offered immediately afterwards. Regression analysis was used to quantify predictors of choice. Results: In Study 1, the extent to which expected satiety and palatability predicted choice was highly dependent on portion size (P < 0.001). With smaller portions, expected satiety was a positive predictor, playing a role equal to palatability (100-kcal portions: expected satiety, β: 0.42; palatability, β: 0.46). With larger portions, palatability was a strong predictor (600-kcal portions: β: 0.53), and expected satiety was a poor or negative predictor (600-kcal portions: β: −0.42). In Study 2, this pattern was moderated by context (P = 0.024). Results from scenario 1 replicated Study 1. However, expected satiety was a poor predictor in both scenario 2 (expected satiety was irrelevant) and scenario 3 (satiety was guaranteed), and palatability was the primary driver of choice across all portions. Conclusions: In adults, expected satiety influences food choice, but only when small equicaloric portions are compared. Larger portions not only promote the consumption of larger meals, but they encourage the adoption of food choice strategies motivated solely by palatability

Assessment of two malaria rapid diagnostic tests in children under five years of age, with follow-up of false-positive pLDH test results, in a hyperendemic falciparum malaria area, Sierra Leone

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Most malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) use HRP2 detection, including Paracheck-Pf(R), but their utility is limited by persistent false positivity after treatment. PLDH-based tests become negative more quickly, but sensitivity has been reported below the recommended standard of 90%. A new pLDH test, CareStartTM three-line P.f/PAN-pLDH, claims better sensitivity with continued rapid conversion to negative. The study aims were to 1) compare sensitivity and specificity of CareStartTM to Paracheck-Pf(R) to diagnose falciparum malaria in children under five years of age, 2) assess how quickly false-positive CareStartTM tests become negative and 3) evaluate ease of use and inter-reader agreement of both tests. METHODS: Participants were included if they were aged between two and 59 months, presenting to a Medecins Sans Frontieres community health centre in eastern Sierra Leone with suspected malaria defined as fever (axillary temperature > 37.5degreesC) and/or history of fever in the previous 72 hours and no signs of severe disease. The same capillary blood was used for the RDTs and the blood slide, the latter used as the gold standard reference. All positive participants were treated with supervised artesunate and amodiaquine treatment for three days. Participants with a persistent false-positive CareStartTM, but a negative blood slide on Day 2, were followed with repeated CareStartTM and blood slide tests every seven days until CareStartTM became negative or a maximum of 28 days. RESULTS: Sensitivity of CareStartTM was 99.4% (CI 96.8-100.0, 168/169) and of Paracheck-Pf(R), 98.8% (95% CI 95.8-99.8, 167/169). Specificity of CareStartTM was 96.0% (CI 91.9-98.4, 167/174) and of Paracheck-Pf(R), 74.7% (CI 67.6-81.0, 130/174) (p<0.001). Neither test showed any change in sensitivity with decreasing parasitaemia. Of the 155 eligible follow-up CareStartTM participants, 63.9% (99/155) had a false-positive test on day 2, 21.3% (33/155) on day 7, 5.8% (9/155) on day 14, 1.9% (3/155) on day 21 and 0.6% (1/155) on day 28. The median time for test negativity was seven days. CareStartTM was as easy to use and interpret as Paracheck-Pf(R) with excellent inter-reader agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Both RDTs were highly sensitive, met WHO standards for the detection of falciparum malaria monoinfections where parasitaemia was >100 parasites/mul and were easy to use. CareStartTM persistent false positivity decreased quickly after successful anti-malarial treatment, making it a good choice for a RDT for a hyperendemic falciparum malaria area

Clinical outcomes and response to treatment of patients receiving topical treatments for pyoderma gangrenosum: a prospective cohort study

Background: pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an uncommon dermatosis with a limited evidence base for treatment. Objective: to estimate the effectiveness of topical therapies in the treatment of PG. Methods: prospective cohort study of UK secondary care patients with a clinical diagnosis of PG suitable for topical treatment (recruited July 2009 to June 2012). Participants received topical therapy following normal clinical practice (mainly Class I-III topical corticosteroids, tacrolimus 0.03% or 0.1%). Primary outcome: speed of healing at 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes: proportion healed by 6 months; time to healing; global assessment; inflammation; pain; quality-of-life; treatment failure and recurrence. Results: Sixty-six patients (22 to 85 years) were enrolled. Clobetasol propionate 0.05% was the most commonly prescribed therapy. Overall, 28/66 (43.8%) of ulcers healed by 6 months. Median time-to-healing was 145 days (95% CI: 96 days, ∞). Initial ulcer size was a significant predictor of time-to-healing (hazard ratio 0.94 (0.88;80 1.00); p = 0.043). Four patients (15%) had a recurrence. Limitations: No randomised comparator Conclusion: Topical therapy is potentially an effective first-line treatment for PG that avoids possible side effects associated with systemic therapy. It remains unclear whether more severe disease will respond adequately to topical therapy alone