Dehydration in Nursing Home Residents: A meta-analysis of causes of dehydration, implications, and those most at risk.

Dehydration in nursing home and long term care facility residents is frequently dismissed and not treated as a primary concern. However, research has shown that prolonged dehydration in the elderly can result in serious health and cognitive issues. Due to deteriorating physiological conditions and preexisting diseases, dehydration will further complicate a patient’s health condition and exacerbate certain symptoms, lowering overall quality of life. There are a number of underlying factors which contribute to a patient’s hydration status. Research has identified physical, mental and behavioral factors all play a significant role in the willingness and capability of patients to be properly hydrated. In addition, it has been shown that caretakers are critical when it comes to ensuring patient hydration. If effective hydration screening is implemented and caretakers encourage patients to increase their fluid intake, fewer dehydration episodes will occur and the overall quality of life will be improved

Behavioral Factors Governing the Extinction of Ambiguous Threat Cues

The purpose of this experiment was to examine the cognitive mechanisms by which an animal uses associations to learn about temporally ambiguous aversive events. Traditionally, associative learning using forwards conditioning, where a conditioned stimulus (CS) presentation precedes the delivery of an unconditioned stimulus (US), and thus responses to the CS following conditioning can be attributed to the predictive value that the CS acquires. However, studies have also shown that animals acquire conditioning responses (CR) in a backwards fashion (US → CS), despite the lack of temporal information that the stimulus provides about the US (Heth 1976; Ayres et al., 1987). To examine this, in a 64-rodent study, animals were conditioned to either a forward (temporally predictable) or backward (temporally unpredictable) conditioned stimulus (CS). Following conditioning, animals were given extinction training in which they experienced repeated presentations of the CS in the absence of the US. On the final day of the experiment, the animals were returned to the original context to test whether fear to the context would be attenuated by a preceding reduction of fear to the tone. We hypothesized that the relationship between the shock stimulus and cognizance of the conditioning context will be mediated by the unpredictable tone. Analogously, the results indicated that extinguishing fear to the conditioned tone will attenuate fear to the global context fear during retrieval

Compatibility Evaluation of Glass/Epoxy Insulation for Use in ITER’s Central Solenoid Superconducting Electromagnets

A variety of glass fiber types are being considered for use as insulation material in the central solenoid superconducting electromagnets for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Before these materials can be used, a compatibility of these glass products with an epoxy matrix has to be characterized. In this study, three candidate glass types (1581, 7781, and 38050) were considered and their compatibility with a DGEBF epoxy matrix was determined via three-point flexure tests at room temperature (295K) and liquid nitrogen temperature (77K) and constant load flexure creep tests at room temperature. The material variables among these glass products were – type of weave pattern (8-harness satin versus plain), fiber surface treatment (epoxy compatible surface treatment versus no treatment), and cloth density. Based on the stiffness and strength data at both 77K and 295K, the 7781/epoxy composites showed the highest values followed closely by 1581/epoxy. However, 38050/epoxy performed quite poorly. Evidence in an increase of interfacial strength as the temperature was lowered to 77K was seen through examination of the failure pattern. The correlations of the glass cloth density and fiber volume fraction with stiffness and strength at both temperatures were almost linear. It was also found that the failure modes of samples having fibers with epoxy compatible surface treatment differed from those having no surface treatment. Constant load flexural creep tests showed that the 7781/epoxy composites performed the best with the least amount of strain at higher loads than the other types of composites. The 1581/epoxy composite followed with the 38050 again performing quite poorly

Don\u27t Touch Me Like That: Masculinity, Touch, and the Role of Affect in Media Representations of Animal Attacks

Don\u27t Touch Me Like That: Masculinity, Touch, and the Role of Affect in Media Representations of Animal Attack

Do Thigh Circumference and Mass Changes Associated With Obesity Alter Walking Biomechanics?

Differences in gait biomechanics have been observed between obese and healthy weight adults. It is possible that body segment parameters, particularly the thigh, contribute to the differences in knee biomechanics observed during gait between obese and healthy weight adults. The purpose of this study was to determine if increases in thigh circumference and/or mass associated with obesity alter walking biomechanics in healthy weight males and females. Thigh mass and circumference were increased proportional to a 10 unit increase in body mass index. Frontal and sagittal plane knee angles and moments, and temporospatial variables were recorded. For all dependent variables no main effect for gender was observed. Peak knee flexion angle was similar across conditions with no interaction. There was an interaction for peak internal knee extension moment however post hoc comparisons did not reveal differences in condition among males or females. A main effect for condition was observed for peak knee adduction angle, however post hoc comparisons did not reveal differences among conditions. Peak internal knee abduction moment was similar across conditions with no interaction. Stance time and step width increased during the experimental conditions compared to the control. A interaction was observed for stance time. Females had a longer stance time during the circumference only condition compared to the control condition. A greater step width was observed in conditions that increased thigh circumference. Overall, thigh segment parameters altered gait temporospatial variables. Increases in stance time and step width in obese adults compared to healthy weight adults could be a result of their larger thigh segment parameters

A Case Study of the Edwards House: How a Community Fought to Preserve Their Cultural Heritage

This study examines why an architecturally significant, Queen Anne style mansion in Downers Grove, Illinois was demolished even though citizens valiantly tried to save it for one year. With all the information available in the form of books, journals, websites and videos concerning historic preservation, why did the citizens of Downers Grove fail to save this historic gem? Academic literature shows the significance of historic preservation from economic and sustainability standpoints. Communities have used historic preservation to revitalize main streets across America, and large corporations like American Express and Walmart have supported historic preservation. Unfortunately, architecture is the most fragile of the arts. Thousands of historic houses and buildings are demolished across America each year. So, how can we help communities preserve their cultural heritage? My thesis examines those possibilities. Urban renewal can coexist with historic preservation. We cannot, and we must not, take our cultural heritage for granted

Management Systems in Secondary Reading Classrooms

One outcome of federal, state or district funding of reading programs has been the development of a competency based curriculum with the inclusion of a classroom management system. This management system is the structure for the implementation of the goals, guidelines and behavioral objectives of the program. Each program with its management system is developed and written by teachers In consultation with school and/or district level cooperation

Social media for international students:It's not all about Facebook

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discover which social networking sites international students prefer for information dissemination activities. As more libraries experiment with social networking to inform and connect with students, there is a need to determine the effectiveness of this strategy for reaching international students. The paper seeks to address three questions: what social networking sites do international students prefer and why? Which sites do they use to socialise and which do they use to gather and distribute information? How can libraries leverage this information to enhance the international student experience?Design/methodology/approachInformation on social networking preferences and usage was gathered from 13 per cent of students at Bond University via an online survey.FindingsThe findings confirm that for some international student populations, social networking preferences differentiated between the domestic students' preferences. In addition to social activities, international and domestic students are using particular social networking sites for a wide range of educational purposes, including group work and sharing and gathering information. Although Facebook is still the predominant choice for the majority of students, the findings suggest particular sites such as Twitter and YouTube should be considered by libraries as a means to engage both international and domestic students. Institutions with large Chinese student populations should consider the use of Renren.Originality/valueAs of yet there have been no studies that have investigated and compared international students' social networking preferences to domestic students. The study connects the findings to practical implications for academic library use of social networking sites.</jats:sec