Developing a quick and practical screen to improve the identification of poor hydration in geriatric and rehabilitative care

Dehydration has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Dehydration risk increases with advancing age, and will progressively become an issue as the aging population increases. Worldwide, those aged 60 years and over are the fastest growing segment of the population. The study aimed to develop a clinically practical means to identify dehydration amongst older people in the clinical care setting. Older people aged 60 years or over admitted to the Geriatric and Rehabilitation Unit (GARU) of two tertiary teaching hospitals were eligible for participation in the study. Ninety potential screening questions and 38 clinical parameters were initially tested on a single sample (n=33) with the most promising 11 parameters selected to undergo further testing in an independent group (n=86). Of the almost 130 variables explored, tongue dryness was most strongly associated with poor hydration status, demonstrating 64% sensitivity and 62% specificity within the study participants. The result was not confounded by age, gender or body mass index. With minimal training, inter-rater repeatability was over 90%. This study identified tongue dryness as a potentially practical tool to identify dehydration risk amongst older people in the clinical care setting. Further studies to validate the potential screen in larger and varied populations of older people are require

A Matter of Definition: Is There Truly a Shortage of School Principals?

Analyzes the shortage of principals in basic economic terms of supply and demand. Examines the supply of candidates, and the realities of the demand for principals. Offers recommendations that address distinct elements of principal supply and demand

Music as Liturgy: Models from Ancient Syriac Christianity

During the era of late antiquity (fourth through seventh centuries AD), as part of the early Byzantine Empire yet with distinctive articulation, Syriac Christians fashioned a liturgical tradition performed through a brilliant array of sung poetry, crafted by the likes of St. Ephrem the Syrian (d. 373) and St. Jacob of Sarug (d. 521). While the music of these early liturgists does not survive, their poetry continues to inflect our liturgies to the present day.  And their poetry remains important, further, for their reflections on liturgy as song. Ephrem, Jacob, and others extolled the power of the church at song – not only in the church building, but also in the context of the larger civic community. Why did they understand singing to be the perfect expression of worship? What did the sound (music, song) of liturgy accomplish? How? Late antique Syriac Christians described and performed liturgy as music because they valued the functional, pragmatic capacities of music. Singing was an effective form of teaching and an effective form of learning. Further, singing was effective in the formation of faithful, ethical disposition – that is, a serene and unified self – whether for the individual believer or the larger church community. Finally, singing enabled the church as one voice, in unison and in harmony, to know and bear witness to its God. The music of liturgy, rightly sung, was worship in its fullest expression: all of creation joined in right relation to one another and to the Creator, as words joined syllables in metrical melodies to sing forth the one resounding Word of truth

The Farm Fresh Challenge: Formative Evaluation Results of a Multi-Component Farm-to-Grocery Store Program

Background: The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend adults consume at least 4 and a half cups of fruits and vegetables (F/V) a day, yet research indicates these guidelines are not met. Furthermore, agricultural experts are concerned with the declining number of small farms and insufficient production of F/V. The primary purpose of this study was to conduct an assessment of a farm-to-grocery store program. Methods: Using the guiding foundations of community-based participatory research, the Farm Fresh Challenge (FFC) was developed. The FFC was a multi-component campaign designed to increase the availability of locally grown F/V in grocery stores, while challenging consumers to purchase, prepare, and consume local foods. A formative evaluation was conducted to assess adoption, implementation, reach, maintenance, and perceptions of the program. Results: Findings indicated: 1) more efforts are necessary to sustain grocer-farmer partnerships; 2) promotion of the program needed to be much more targeted in an effort to better promote local farmers and educate consumers on the benefits of supporting local food systems; and 3) consumers were largely unaware of the FFC. Conclusions: Farm and grocery store partnerships can serve as a feasible way to improve access to F/V while supporting the sustainability of small farms. However, efforts to educating the public on the benefits of supporting local food systems are warranted, and strategies for enhancing farmer-grocer relationships should be considered

Generational Differences in Use of Social Media in Today’s Workplace

This study examined the use of social media at work. Undergraduate students and professors were surveyed to try to find a generational relationship between the younger generation’s view of using sites such as Facebook while working and how some participants from an older generation perceived it. We also examined the effects of Facebook outside of work and whether or not postings made there could jeopardize a position at work. The results from our survey and research conclude that social media is an increasing problem because it serves as a distraction and predict that with increasing individual use of social media it will become more of a problem at work if it is not properly managed by the employer

Hunger and Health: Taking a Formative Approach to Build a Health Intervention Focused on Nutrition and Physical Activity Needs as Perceived by Stakeholders

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.The intersections between hunger and health are beginning to gain traction. New interventions emphasize collaboration between the health and social service sectors. This study aimed to understand the nutrition and physical activity (PA) needs as perceived by food pantry stakeholders to inform a health intervention approach. The study used formative research incorporating mixed methods through surveying and semi-structured interviews with three food pantry stakeholder groups: Clients (n = 30), staff (n = 7), and volunteers (n = 10). Pantry client participants reported; high rates of both individual (60%, n = 18) and household (43%, n = 13) disease diagnosis; low consumption (0–1 servings) of fruits (67%, n = 20) and vegetables (47%, n = 14) per day; and low levels (0–120 min) of PA (67%, n = 20) per week. Interviews identified five final convergent major themes across all three stakeholder groups including food and PA barriers, nutrition and PA literacy, health status and lifestyle, current pantry operations and adjustments, and suggestions for health intervention programming. High rates of chronic disease combined with low health literacy among pantry clients demonstrate the need to address health behaviors. Further research piloting the design and implementation of a comprehensive health behavior intervention program in the food pantry setting is needed

Ensuring the Stability of the Genome: DNA Damage Checkpoints

The cellular response to DNA damage is vital for the cell�s ability to maintain genomic integrity. Checkpoint signalling pathways, which induce a cell cycle arrest in response to DNA damage, are an essential component of this process. This is reflected by the functional conservation of these pathways in all eukaryotes from yeast to mammalian cells. This review will examine the cellular response to DNA damage throughout the cell cycle. A key component of the DNA damage response is checkpoint signalling, which monitors the state of the genome prior to DNA replication (G1/S) and chromosome segregation (G2/M). Checkpoint signalling in model systems including mice, Xenopus laevis, Drosophila melanogaster, and the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe have been useful in elucidating these pathways in mammalian cells. An examination of this research, with emphasis on the function of checkpoint proteins, their relationship to DNA repair, and their involvement in oncogenesis is undertaken here

Local currency adoption and use: insights from a realist evaluation of the Bristol Pound

Local currencies (LCs) are seen as a means of achieving greater local economic and environmentalsustainability by keeping value circulating locally. However, there is weak evidence regarding theirsuccess on this score, not least because their achievement of scale is rare. There is rather moreevidence that their social dynamics and role as “moral money” constitute their main appeal to users.Given the recent promotion of LCs in the UK as a step towards low-carbon economies, this presentsan apparent contradiction since, in order to break out of their niche and reach scale, their promotersneed to go beyond their proposed economic impacts to understand the incentives and reasoninginvolved in adopting and using them. We therefore employ realist evaluation to examine theadoption pathways of Bristol Pound (B£) users, the UK’s largest LC. We find that Bristol’s identity as acentre of alternative culture is a key context for adoption. Within this the values, image and identityof the B£ as alternative, along with the social networks that identify with these values, produces anexus of potential users for the B£. At the same time, these factors also create strong boundaries toits use constraining the currency to a niche of ideologically committed and motivated users. Theanalysis also shows how even for some of these users shopping habits and financial security constrainuse. Critically, these findings highlight the bind that LCs have to address if they are to reach scale andthe economic impact to which they aspire

The Crucified Christ

This figure of the crucified Christ was originally attached to a cross and suspended above a church altar where it was visible to all during the celebration of Mass. In this version, Christ’s body appears upright with arms outstretched, as if in resurrection, in contrast to representations that depict him sagging from suspended weight. Instead of conveying suffering, his gaze expresses acceptance. The carved sculpture was originally painted in lifelike colors, traces of which remain in the wound below Christ’s ribs. Other details are more abstract, such as the patterns of parallel incisions that define his hair and beard, and the rhythmic folds of the knotted loincloth that is wrapped around his lower torso. ca. 1150-1200https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/risdmuseum_channel/1018/thumbnail.jp