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Supplementary Material for Feasibility of a Modified Otago Exercise Program for Older Adults With Cognitive Vulnerability by Kathleen K. Mangione, Hope Darreff, McKenna Welsh, Weihong Ni, Edward Wolff, Julie T. Booth, Susan S. Glenney, and Richard H. Fortinsky in Journal of Applied Gerontology.

The benefits of using a low-voltage insulation monitoring system on loads grounded with the three most common grounding methods are reviewed in this article. Premature motor failures caused by moisture will be discussed. An introduction to the concept of continuous offline monitoring will be provided as well as its safety benefits, and the advantage of using a low-voltage monitoring signal will be explored.

Cognitive vulnerability, that is, clinically significant symptoms of dementia, depression, or delirium, puts older adults at high risk for physical inactivity and falls. Programs addressing activity and falls are needed. The purpose was to determine feasibility of an in-home, modified, Otago Exercise Program (OEP) for those with cognitive vulnerability, based on acceptability (retention and adherence), safety (pain intensity and falls), and potential positive effects (change in short physical performance battery (SPPB)). This secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial included 80 participants who received the OEP; 64 completed it, 48% had depression, 22% had dementia, and 30% had a combination dementia/depression/delirium. Adherence to home exercise was low to moderate; pain was stable over 16 weeks; 31% of participants reported falls unrelated to OEP. SPPB increased from 6.95 to 7.74 ( p < .01); age by time and diagnosis by time interactions were not significant. The modified OEP shows promising feasibility for older adults with cognitive vulnerability.

We trained volunteers from conservation organizations to collect environmental DNA (eDNA) from 21 ponds with amphibian communities that had a history of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and ranavirus (Rv) infections. Volunteers were given sampling kits to filter pond water and preserve eDNA on filter paper, as were the principal investigators (PIs), who made independent collections within 48 h of volunteer collections. Using multi-scale occupancy modeling, we found no evidence to suggest the observer who collected the water sample (volunteer or PI) influenced either the probability of capturing eDNA on a filter or the probability of detecting extracted eDNA in a quantitative PCR (qPCR) reaction. The cumulative detection probability of Bd eDNA at a pond decreased from May through July 2017 because there was a decrease in the probability of detecting eDNA in qPCR reactions. In contrast, cumulative detection probability increased from May to July for Rv due to a higher probability of capturing eDNA on filters later in the year. Our models estimate that both pathogens could be detected with 95% confidence in as few as 5 water samples taken in June or July tested with either 4 or 3 qPCR reactions, respectively. Our eDNA protocols appeared to detect pathogens with 95% confidence using considerably fewer samples than protocols which typically recommend sampling ≥30 individual animals. In addition, eDNA sampling could reduce some biosecurity concerns, jurisdictional and institutional permitting, and stress to biota at ponds.

There is ample evidence, both historical, and more recent electrophysiological, that children with a variety of speech, language and learning labels in fact have disorders of hearing and balance. O...

This research argues that the spaces of skateboarding are hybrid. This is evidenced by not only the construction of numerous skateparks throughout the world, and their incorporation of design elements from the city, but the exclusion of skateboarders from urban spaces through hostile architecture. More specficially, skateparks, which are unique among sport facilities, are shown to be evolving hybrid places in a continuing dialogue with the city under which they are geographically and politically contained.

Highlights • A quantitative LAMP method for identification of EEDV has been developed. • Analytical sensitivity of the qLAMP is as low as 78 pg extracted DNA from tissue. • The method is highly specific for EEDV. • The EEDV qLAMP method was evaluated against the qPCR method., Epizootic Epitheliotropic Disease Virus (EEDV; Salmonid Herpesvirus-3) causes a serious disease hatchery-reared lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), threatening restoration efforts of this species in North America. The current inability to replicate EEDV in vitro necessitates the search for a reproducible, sensitive, and specific assay that allows for its detection and quantitation in a time- and cost-effective manner. Herein, we describe a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay that was developed for the quantitative detection of EEDV in infected fish tissues. The newly developed LAMP reaction was optimized in the presence of calcein, and the best results were produced using 2 mM MgCl2, 1.8 mM dNTPs and at an incubation temperature of 67.1 °C. This method was highly specific to EEDV, as it showed no cross-reactivity with several fish viruses, including Salmonid Herpesvirus-1, -2, -4, and -5, Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus, Spring Viremia of Carp Virus, Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus, Golden Shiner Reovirus, Fathead Minnow Nidovirus, and Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus. The analytical sensitivity of the EEDV-LAMP method was estimated to be as low as 16 copies of plasmid per reaction. When infected fish tissue was used, a positive reaction could be obtained when an infected gill tissue sample that contained 430 viral copies/μg was diluted up to five orders of magnitude. The sensitivity and specificity of the newly developed LAMP assay compared to the SYBR Green qPCR assay were 84.3% and 93.3%, respectively. The quantitative LAMP for EEDV had a correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.980), and did not differ significantly from the SYBR Green quantitative PCR assay (p > 0.05). Given its cost- and time-effectiveness, this quantitative LAMP assay is suitable for screening lake trout populations and for the initial diagnosis of clinical cases.

Over the past century, populations of Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush have declined throughout the Great Lakes basin due to overfishing, habitat destruction, introduction of invasive species, and associated recruitment issues from high thiaminase, as well as emerging infectious diseases. To combat these declines, state and federal fishery management agencies undertook substantial stock enhancement efforts, including more stringent regulation of sport and commercial catch limits and increasing hatchery propagation of Lake Trout stocked into Great Lakes basin waterways. One state fish hatchery involved in these rehabilitation efforts experienced mass mortality events in 2012 and 2017. In 2012, following a period of abnormally heavy rain, hatchery staff observed abnormal behavior followed by increased mortalities in two strains of Lake Trout fingerlings, reaching upwards of 20% mortality and totaling a loss of approximately 100,000 fish. In 2017, following another heavy-rain season, 6-8% of 2-year-old Lake Trout experienced morbidity and mortality similar to that observed in 2012. During the 2012 event, Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis and splake (Lake Trout × Brook Trout hybrid) reared in flow-through systems receiving water from diseased Lake Trout remained clinically unaffected. Molecular analyses revealed all lots of affected Lake Trout were infected with the salmonid herpesvirus-3 (epizootic epitheliotropic disease virus [EEDV]), a disease that caused complete depopulation of this hatchery in the late 1980s and until 2012 was never again detected in this hatchery or in Michigan. Further sampling detected EEDV in apparently healthy 5-year-old Lake Trout and in wild Mottled Sculpin Cottus bairdii collected in the hatchery source water. The ability of the virus to replicate in tissues of infected fish was verified by exposing naïve Lake Trout to the filtered tissue homogenates of infected fish resulting in similar disease signs. Despite the virus going undetected for many years, these two EEDV episodes clearly demonstrate the continued presence of this deadly herpesvirus in the Great Lakes basin.

Objectives We compared the health benefits of two different Tai Chi interventions tailored for improving blood pressure (BP) (PRESSURE) or balance (BALANCE). Design randomized controlled trial. Setting Community dwelling older adults (≥60yr) practiced Tai Chi at the fitness center of a continuous care community. Interventions We tailored PRESSURE to emphasize breathing techniques and mental relaxation and BALANCE to emphasize movement principles that challenged balance. Subjects were randomized to PRESSURE (n = 12), BALANCE (n = 13), or CONTROL (n = 10). Tai Chi was practiced 3 sessions/wk, 60 min/session for 12 wk. CONTROL performed normal daily activities. Main outcome measures We compared the change in cardiometabolic health, balance, and functional fitness between groups with ANCOVA using baseline values, age, and body mass index as covariates. Results Subjects were physically active, Tai Chi naive (97.1 %), white, mostly female (82.9 %), and older (78.9 ± 5.7 yr) with resting systolic BP (SBP) of 126.5 ± 14.4 mmHg and diastolic BP of 69.3 ± 8.4 mmHg. PRESSURE significantly improved Chair Sit-to-Stand Test (CSTS) (1.0 ± 1.8 vs.−0.6 ± 0.8times/30s,p = 0.03) versus CONTROL, and gait speed (12.8±43.3 vs.−24.1±22.4cm/sec, p = 0.02) versus BALANCE. Meanwhile, BALANCE significantly improved Single Leg Stance Test (5.4±18.0 vs.−8.2±10.3 s, p = 0.049) and CSTS (1.0±1.7 vs.−0.6±0.8times/30s, p = 0.03), and tended to lower SBP (-4.2±16.0 vs. 3.5±8.3mmHg, p = 0.052) versus CONTROL. Conclusion Within 3 months, Tai Chi improved several health outcomes independent of the type of practice among physically active, Tai Chi naive older adults. Therefore, healthcare and exercise professionals may recommend Tai Chi to physically active older adults without specifying the type of practice.