Six Pathways to Enduring Results: Lessons from Spend-Down Foundations

Fifty years ago, only 5 percent of the total assets of America's largest 50 foundations were held by spend-downs, compared to 24 percent in 2010. Spend-downs are even more influential when measured as a percent of giving, since they disburse money at a higher annual rate than foundations that aim to last forever. In 2010, 31 percent of giving from the largest foundations came from spend-downs (a figure that reflects the outsized effect of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett)

\u3ci\u3eNow I Will Believe That There Are Unicorns\u3c/i\u3e

George R. Erickson hurled the twenty-five-percent cotton fiber paper across the room, visions of following it with his Selectric dancing through his head like sugar plums

\u3ci\u3eCat\u27s Paw\u3c/i\u3e

The frozen expanse of Balion Wood was silent, save for deerskin boots crunch­ing against snow

\u3ci\u3eArtorius Wyvernis\u3c/i\u3e

Leigh squinted as she rounded a grassy corner, dazzled by the brightness of another L.A. day

An Exploration of the Career Paths of Industry Accountants in a Public Accounting World

Accounting is one of the hottest careers with many job options available to accounting graduates. Most people believe all accountants are Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and work for public accounting firms; however, many work as industry accountants. Despite this fact, today's educational programs often focus on preparing students for public accounting careers. Through the primary research of this study, the Accountant Career Path Survey, 31 industry accountants reported their career paths and rated how well their education helped them develop a variety of skills. The respondents also rated the importance of these skills to their success in the jobs they have held since graduating. Of those surveyed, only two people started their careers in public accounting firms, which contradicts the common assumption that most accountants start in public and later move to industry. Surprisingly, 15 of these respondents obtained their CPA, despite the fact that this certification is focused on public accounting content. Finally, the results show that many accounting programs focus on skills that are not important to industry accountants' job success. These results should help students better understand alternative career paths and aid educators in improving the relevance of curricula for a broader range of students.B.S. (Bachelor of Science

In Vitro Studies of Nuclear Changes in Mammalian CNS Neurons Subjected to Rapid Acceleration Impact Injury

An in vitro model of Rapid Acceleration Impact (RAI) Injury was used to study the effects of multiple impact (220 g/impact, 3-5 sec intervals) trauma on cultures of murine CNS cells. Investigations with spinal cord cultures showed that 1) multiple impacts delivered tangential to the plane of cell growth caused neuronal death (12% after 3 impacts to 46% after 10 impacts); 2) multiple impacts delivered normal to the plane of cell growth were much less effective (8% dead after 10 impacts); 3) most neuronal death occurred within 15 minutes after injury 4) morphological changes observed included increased nuclear prominence and somal swelling; and 5) pretreatment with ketamine (0.1mM) reduced cell death from 51 to 14% and reduced somal swelling. Identical studies performed on cortical cultures revealed minimal differences between the two tissues in their response to multiple tangential impacts

Is there a role for vitamin C in preventing osteoporosis and fractures?:A review of the potential underlying mechanisms and current epidemiological evidence

Osteoporosis and related fractures are a major global health issue, but there are few preventative strategies. Previously reported associations between higher intakes of fruits and vegetables and skeletal health have been suggested to be partly attributable to vitamin C. To date, there is some evidence for a potential role of vitamin C in osteoporosis and fracture prevention but an overall consensus of published studies has not yet been drawn. The present review aims to provide a summary of the proposed underlying mechanisms of vitamin C on bone and reviews the current evidence in the literature, examining a potential link between vitamin C intake and status with osteoporosis and fractures. The Bradford Hill criteria were used to assess reported associations. Recent animal studies have provided insights into the involvement of vitamin C in osteoclastogenesis and osteoblastogenesis, and its role as a mediator of bone matrix deposition, affecting both the quantity and quality of bone collagen. Observational studies have provided some evidence for this in the general population, showing positive associations between dietary vitamin C intake and supplements and higher bone mineral density or reduced fracture risk. However, previous intervention studies were not sufficiently well designed to evaluate these associations. Epidemiological data are particularly limited for vitamin C status and for fracture risk and good-quality randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm previous epidemiological findings. The present review also highlights that associations between vitamin C and bone health may be non-linear and further research is needed to ascertain optimal intakes for osteoporosis and fracture prevention

“It just makes me feel a little less alone” a qualitative exploration of the podcast “menopause unmuted” on women's perceptions of menopause

Objective: Menopause can negatively impact women's quality of life, with many women reporting inadequate information and support. Podcasts have grown in popularity in recent years and have been found to be accessible methods for increasing knowledge and challenging perceptions of stigmatized topics. The current research aimed to understand the impact of the podcast “menopause: unmuted” on women's menopause-related knowledge, understanding, and communication practices. Methods: A diverse sample of 30 women aged 40 to 60 years listened to the podcast series, which focused on menopause stories, before taking part in semistructured interviews to discuss the impact of the podcast on how they understood and communicated about menopause. The interviews were analyzed thematically. Results: Two overarching themes were identified in the data. A “journey of knowledge gain” explores participants’ understanding of menopause before listening to the podcast and describes how this is deepened by hearing and connecting with women's stories. “Reframing menopause” describes the impact of the podcast, where women reflect on the value of communication amongst women, challenge and re-evaluate the stigmatization of menopause, and discuss ways to make positive behavioral changes in their lives. Conclusions: The podcast “menopause: unmuted” helped women to learn about the menopause experience, have a greater sense of belonging to a community of women, and feel empowered to make changes in their own lives. Sharing stories via podcasts has potential as an accessible and impactful medium to educate women and reduce the widespread stigma associated with menopause