Prevalence of nutrition risk and associated social risk factors in community living older adults in the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Study : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand

Background: The New Zealand population is ageing as a result of declining mortality and birth rates. In order for older adults to remain in optimal health, good nutrition is vital. Previous research indicates approximately 50% of New Zealand’s community living older adult population are at some degree of nutrition risk. Understanding nutrition risk prevalence and factors associated with increased nutrition risk is vital to reduce healthcare spending. This study aims to determine nutrition risk prevalence and associated health and social risk factors amongst community-living older adults across New Zealand. Methods: A total of 3050 community-living older adults were invited to respond to the 2014 Health, Work and Retirement (HWR) postal survey. This included a nutrition risk assessment using the Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition, abbreviated version (SCREENII-AB) as well as demographic, social and health characteristic measures. Social provisions were determined with the 24-item Social Provisions Scale, and Social and Emotional loneliness were assessed with the 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Alcohol intake was determined by using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C), and living standards assessed with the Economic Living Standards Index Short Form (ELSI-SF). Overall, 136 participants did not complete one or more of the SCREENII-AB items, reducing the sample size to 2914. Results: Of the 2914 participants, 37.2% were found to be at nutrition risk. Half (51.2%) of Māori participants were at nutritional risk compared to a 32.7% of non-Māori. Independent risk factors for Māori were being un-partnered (OR 1.87) and rating general health as fair (OR 4.83). Independent risk factors for non-Māori were being un-partnered (OR 1.94), rating general health as good, fair or poor (OR 2.03, 3.18, 4.39), life satisfaction (OR 0.40), as well as increased total health conditions counts (OR 1.11), and emotional loneliness (OR 1.35). Conclusions: These findings suggest that social eating is required to reduce nutrition risk amongst older adults. Those who are un-partnered may benefit from public health intervention promoting social eating. As Māori had a higher prevalence of nutrition risk than non-Māori, culturally appropriate strategies are needed to encourage healthy eating practices

Triaxial Galaxies with Cusps

We have constructed fully self-consistent models of triaxial galaxies with central density cusps. The triaxial generalizations of Dehnen's spherical models are presented, which have densities that vary as 1/r^gamma near the center and 1/r^4 at large radii. We computed libraries of about 7000 orbits in each of two triaxial models with gamma=1 (weak cusp) and gamma=2 (strong cusp); these two models have density profiles similar to those of the core and power-law galaxies observed by HST. Both mass models have short-to-long axis ratios of 1:2 and are maximally triaxial. A large fraction of the orbits in both model potentials are stochastic, as evidenced by their non-zero Liapunov exponents. We show that most of the stochastic orbits in the strong- cusp potential diffuse relatively quickly through their allowed phase-space volumes, on time scales of 100 - 1000 dynamical times. Stochastic orbits in the weak-cusp potential diffuse more slowly, often retaining their box-like shapes for 1000 dynamical times or longer. Attempts to construct self- consistent solutions using just the regular orbits failed for both mass models. Quasi-equilibrium solutions that include the stochastic orbits exist for both models; however, real galaxies constructed in this way would evolve near the center due to the continued mixing of the stochastic orbits. We attempted to construct more nearly stationary models in which stochastic phase space was uniformly populated at low energies. These ``fully mixed'' solutions were found to exist only for the weak-cusp potential. No significant fraction of the mass could be placed on fully-mixed stochastic orbits in the strong-cusp model, demonstrating that strong triaxiality can be inconsistent with a high central density.Comment: 58 TEX pages, 14 PostScript figures, uses epsf.st

Detailed archaeomagnetic study of a ceramic workshop at Kato Achaia: New directional data and archaeomagnetic dating in Greece.

Στην παρούσα εργασία παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα από την αρχαιομαγνητική μελέτη δυο αρχαίων κλιβάνων που ανακαλύφθηκαν στην Κάτω Αχαΐα. Σύμφωνα με τα ευρήματα της αρχαιολογικής ανασκαφής, οι δυο αυτοί κλίβανοι αποτελούσαν μέρος ενός μεγαλύτερου κεραμικού εργαστηρίου που λειτουργούσε στην περιοχή, πιθανότατα για  την  παραγωγή  τούβλων  ή  κεραμικών.  Συστηματική  αρχαιομαγνητική δειγματοληψία πραγματοποιήθηκε σε συνεργασία με τους αρχαιολόγους και συνολικά λήφθηκαν 9 δείγματα από τον πρώτο κλίβανο (KL3) και 12 από τον δεύτερο (KL5). Συστηματικές   μετρήσεις   της   μαγνητικής   ορυκτολογίας   των   δειγμάτων πραγματοποιήθηκαν με σκοπό τον καθορισμό του  βασικού φορέα της μαγνήτισης των δειγμάτων.  Η  διεύθυνση  της  Χαρακτηριστικής  Παραμένουσας  Μαγνήτισης καθορίστηκε κατόπιν ανάλυσης της κύριας συνιστώσας μαγνήτισης και οι μέσες τιμές διεύθυνσης για τους δυο κλιβάνους υπολογίστηκαν σύμφωνα με την στατιστική του Fisher.  Η  ηλικία  των  κλιβάνων  υπολογίστηκε  χρησιμοποιώντας τις  πιο  σύγχρονες εξελίξεις στην αρχαιομαγνητική έρευνα και κατόπιν σύγκρισης της διεύθυνσης των XLVII, No 3 – 1279 κλιβάνων  με  τις  καμπύλες  αναφοράς,  όπως  αυτές  υπολογίστηκαν  από  το SCHA  .DIF  .3K  γεωμαγνητικό μοντέλο που περιγράφει την μεταβολή του μαγνητικού πεδίου στον Ευρωπαϊκό χώρο. Τα αποτελέσματα της αρχαιομαγνητικής χρονολόγησης συμφωνούν  πολύ  ικανοποιητικά  με  τις  αρχαιολογικές  ενδείξεις  για  την  περίοδο χρήσης  των  κλιβάνων  και  υποδεικνύουν  ότι  οι  κλίβανοι ήταν  σε  χρήση  κατά την διάρκεια της ελληνιστικής περιόδου και εγκαταλείφτηκαν προς το τέλος αυτής.New  archaeomagnetic  results  from  two  ancient  kilns  excavated  at  Kato  Achaia, southern Greece, are presented. According to archaeological evidence, both kilns were part of a bigger ceramic workshop, probably used for the production of bricks or  ceramics.  Systematic  archaeomagnetic  sampling  was  carried  out  collecting  9 brick samples from the first kiln (KL3) and 12 brick samples from the second kiln (KL5). Magnetic mineralogy measurements have been carried out in order to determine the main magnetic carrier of the samples and to check their thermal stability. Standard thermal demagnetization procedures have been used to determine the archaeomagnetic direction registered by the bricks during their last firing. The direction of the Characteristic Remanent Magnetization (ChRM) has been obtained from principal component analysis and the kilns mean directions were calculated using Fisher statistics. The archaeomagnetic ages of both kilns were determined using the most recent developments in data elaboration and were calculated after comparison of the kilns declination and inclination with the reference curves produced by the SCHA.DIF.3K European regional geomagnetic field model. Dating results are in good agreement with archaeological evidence of the site and suggest that both kilns were in use during Hellenistic times.

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The Sound of Fury: Teaching, Tempers, and White Privileged Resistance

This essay focuses on the resistance of students situated in positions of privilege in classrooms addressing issues of dominance, identity, and oppression related to race and racism. Examining the psycho/social history of two critical aspects of resistance – defensiveness (related to guilt and shame) and denial – the author draws from both practice and theory to explicate the roots of this resistance and offer specific, effective ways to support students in moving through resistance into responsibility