Saint Anselm College

About: Saint Anselm College is a education organization based out in Manchester, New Hampshire, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Nurse education & Extinction (psychology). The organization has 255 authors who have published 522 publications receiving 7222 citations.

A taxonomy of corruption

Abstract: This article is devoted to providing a working defi nition of corruption and an explanation as to the importance and the effects of corruption. Included is a review of economic implications as we ll as an assessment of corruption as positive, negative, or neutral in its effects on the social, political, and economic environment of a nation.

Confusion in older adults: assessment and differential diagnosis.

Abstract: Confusion has long been considered a normal consequence of aging The growing incidence and cost of this untreated symptom has unfairly condemned many elders to live out their lives at a low level of functioning and has placed unnecessary hardships on their families This article offers a complete protocol to assess and differentiate arrestible and reversible causes of confusion from irreversible presenile dementia The history is the most important aspect of the examination of the confused elder Onset of symptoms, corresponding illness, medication use and time of day that the confusion occurs should be included Objective data include mental-status exams, but only as a screening tool and stepping stone for other exams Judgment and abstraction are examined by assessing the client's ability to interpret proverbs and plot a sensible course of action Special cortical function is assessed by asking the client to draw a house, a clock and a person A functional pattern assessment specific to the confused elder is included The general assessment centers on ruling out systemic or mechanical problems in the brain Possible pathological causes with corresponding lab results, symptoms and clinical data are presented Confusion is a symptom of many different and often unrelated disease entities Many of these diseases are preventable, curable or arrestible A diagnosis of irreversible presenile dementia should never be made without thorough evaluation The health care provider should refer clients suspected of having irreversible presenile dementia to neurological specialists for confirmation of clinical findings

Linking Tooth Shape to Strike Mechanics in the Boa constrictor

Abstract: Snakes, with the obvious exception of the fangs, are considered to lack the regional specialization of tooth shape and function which are exemplified by mammals. Recent work in fishes has suggested that the definition of homodont and heterodont are incomplete without a full understanding of the morphology, mechanics, and behavior of feeding. We investigated this idea further by examining changes in tooth shape along the jaw of Boa constrictor and integrating these data with the strike kinematics of boas feeding on rodent prey. We analyzed the shape of every tooth in the skull, from a combination of anesthetized individuals and CT scanned museum specimens. For strike kinematics, we filmed eight adult boas striking at previously killed rats. We determined the regions of the jaws that made first contact with the prey, and extrapolated the relative positions of those teeth at that moment. We further determined the roles of all the teeth throughout the prey capture process, from the initiation of the strike until constriction began. We found that the teeth in the anterior third of the mandible are the most upright, and that teeth become progressively more curved posteriorly. Teeth on the maxilla are more curved than on the mandible, and the anterior teeth are more linear or recurved than the posterior teeth. In a majority of strikes, boas primarily made contact with the anterior third of the mandible first. The momentum from the strike caused the upper jaws and skull to rotate over the rat. The more curved teeth of the upper jaw slid over the rat unimpeded until the snake began to close its jaws. In the remaining strikes, boas made contact with the posterior third of both jaws simultaneously, driving through the prey and quickly retracting, ensnaring the prey on the curved posterior teeth of both jaws. The curved teeth of the palatine and pterygoid bones assist in the process of swallowing.