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Objectives: This study examined the effects of the interaction between exercise and sleep on frailty severity in community-dwelling older adults. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data were collected in July 2019. In total, 2021 adults participated who responded to a questionnaire. Among them, 672 participants (317 men and 355 women) with valid responses were included in the analysis. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between frailty severity and the interaction between exercise and sleep. The dependent variable represents three different levels of frailty. The independent variables included basic information and interaction between exercise and sleep. Results: The results of ordinal logistic regression analysis (odds ratio [OR]) showed that the period from the start of exercise (OR=0.96), age (OR=1.00 for participants in their 60 s, OR=1.65 for those in their 70s, and OR=3.13 for those aged >80 years), poor subjective health perception (OR=2.12), poor quality of sleep (OR=1.88), stress (OR=1.62), and exercise–sleep interaction (OR=1.00 based on good-exercise–good-sleep interaction, OR=3.09 poor-exercise–good-sleep interaction, and OR=3.50 poor-exercise–poor-sleep interaction) significantly contributed to the model. The Nagelkerke coefficient of determination adjusted for degrees-of-freedom (R2), which represents the contribution rate of the regression equation, was 0.334. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a combination of good exercise and good sleep is needed to prevent frailty progression in community-dwelling older adults.

The measurement of various body dimensions of horses plays a significant role in quality improvement, genetic breeding, health, and soundness. There has been significant advancement in the technology for acquiring stereoscopic images with a three-dimensional (3D) scanner. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of body measurements obtained from stereoscopic images taken with a 3D scanner. We manually took the following body measurements for 8 riding horses: height at the withers, height at the back, height at the croup, chest depth, width of the chest, width of the croup, width of the waist, girth circumference, cannon circumference, and body length. Using a versatile tablet-type 3D scanning device, we captured a 3D image of each horse. Relative errors varied from −1.37% to 6.25%. The correlation coefficient between manual and 3D measurements was significant for all body measurements (P

The effects of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) on human cerebral activity are not clearly understood, although many studies have reported psychological and physiotherapeutic benefits associated with ...

Pf-SCP, a 21 kDa protein with two EF-hand motifs and a phosphorylation site, was identified from mantle tissue and binds to calcium ions and transports calcium components from cell to the shell of Pinctada fucata. To reveal the molecular basis of the calcium binding activity of Pf-SCP, we expressed the recombinant protein of full-length Pf-SCP in Escherichia coli. Recombinant Pf-SCP (rPf-SCP) purified by Ni affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography appeared as a single band on SDS-PAGE. The circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that the α-helix content decreased when rPf-SCP interacted with both calcium ions and calcium carbonate. Western blotting and immunostaining verified the Pf-SCP expression in the shell and localization most in the mantle epithelial cells. To further understand the structural and functional regulation of Pf-SCP by calcium ions and calcium carbonate, the crystallization experiments of rPf-SCP in the presence of calcium ions were performed. A crystal of rPf-SCP obtained in the presence of calcium ions diffracted X-rays up to a resolution of 1.8 A. The space group of the crystal is C2 with unit cell parameters of a = 96.828 A, b = 55.906 A, c = 102.14 A and β = 90.009°, indicating that three molecules of rPf-SCP are contained in an asymmetric unit as estimated at the value of the Matthews coefficient. These results suggest that Pf-SCP may play a role in calcium ions transportation and shell mineralization by concentrating calcium ions inside the mantle epithelial cells and interacting with calcium carbonate molecules.

We present an interactive MR system in which hot wind is sent to a player’s face synchronously to the virtual environment. The system uses a VR accessory called Windtherm, which is attachable to a HMD, heats the air inside, and blows the wind with changeable forces and directions. We improve the device to work interactively to the virtual events. We also develop an MR content in which a player interacts with a small dragon and occasionally receives its breathing fire with simultaneous tactile stimulus of actual wind for enhancing the sense of presence in this fictitious world.

The short-term joint immobilization induces a decrease of corticospinal excitability; however, detailed time course of the immobilization-induced central nervous system changes and their extent have not yet been clarified. To evaluate the time course of changes in corticospinal excitability during forearm/hand immobilization for 24 h and investigate the effect on muscle strength, adhesive casting tape was used to immobilize the nondominant forearm/hand. The amplitude of the motor-evoked potential of the flexor pollicis brevis muscle induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation was measured during immobilization and after cast removal. The muscle strength was evaluated after the termination of immobilization. The resting motor-evoked potential recorded from flexor pollicis brevis muscle showed a significant decrease 3 h after initiation of immobilization and gradually declined further until the end of immobilization. It then increased over 2 h after cast removal, but was still significantly below baseline. However, no significant difference from baseline was observed at 3 h. Both pinch power and integrated electromyogram were significantly reduced by immobilization, and then gradually returned to baseline after the cast was removed. These results indicate that short-term forearm/hand immobilization rapidly reduces corticospinal excitability, and this change is rapidly reversed after resumption of movement.

This study aimed to determine the load-bearing capacity of trotting Kiso horses using gait analysis. Ten Kiso horses with a height at withers of 128 cm were included. Their riders were fitted with a marker (70 mm in diameter placed on their chest) recorded by two digital DVD cameras while trotting along a short, straight course. In total, eight tests were performed for each horse: the first with a 70 kg load; six with randomly loaded weights ranging 80–130 kg; and then a final test again with a 70 kg load. Three-dimensional movement of the marker was analyzed using a motion capture system. The time series of vertical displacement of the marker underwent spectrum analysis by the maximum entropy method, and the autocorrelation coefficient was calculated. The first two peaks of the autocorrelation were defined as symmetry and regularity, and their sum was defined as stability. Regularity in the 120 kg test (0.54) was lower than that in the first 70 kg test (0.61), and stability in the 120 kg test (1.31) was lower than that in the first 70 kg test (1.42). We concluded that the maximum permissible load for a trotting Kiso horse is

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of rider's skill on the plasma cortisol levels of trekking horses on two courses, walking on field and forest courses (about 4.5 to 5.1 km each). Three riders of different skills did horse trekking (HT) in a tandem line under a fixed order: advanced-leading, beginner-second and intermediate-last. A total of six horses were used and they experienced all positions in both courses; a total of 12 experiments were done. Blood samples were obtained before HT, immediately after and 2 h after HT. As a control, additional blood samples were obtained from the same horses on non-riding days. Irrespective of the course and the rider's skill, the cortisol level before HT was higher than that of control (P