The Impact of Visual Impairments on Mobility Performance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Background and Purpose: Falls are a major concern for elderly adults and can have a significant impact on overall health and well-being. Declines in vision with aging may be related to the development of fear of falling (FOF) and impaired mobility. It is possible that impaired vision due to common eye diseases can increase the FOF avoidance behavior and affect mobility function in this population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation among visual impairment, mobility performance, and FOF avoidance behavior in older adults. Methods: Inclusion criteria for eligible participants were: 50 years of age and older, able to walk 50 m without assistance, and able to understand simple instructions related to the assessments. A total of 455 participants from local community adult activity centers (males=152, females=303; age=73.1±7.7 years, range=51-97 years) participated. Physical mobility was assessed using an instrumented Timed Up-and-Go test. Visual acuity (VA) was tested using a standard Snellen chart. Avoidance behavior was assessed using the Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire (FFABQ). Participants’ general health and presence of eye diseases (age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma) was assessed using a survey of medical history. A two-way ANOVA was used to investigate effect of VA and avoidance behavior on TUG performance. An additional two-way ANOVA test was used to investigate the effect of self-reported eye disease and avoidance behavior on TUG performance. Results and Discussion: There was a statistically significant difference between avoiders and non avoiders’ TUG score (avoiders=12.45±5.85 sec, non-avoiders 8.29±3.48, p\u3c0.001). The VA has no significant effect on TUG time (no impairment= 8.69 ± 3.49 sec, mild impairment= 9.42 ± 5.05 sec, moderate impairment= 8.11 ± 2.08 sec, severe impairment= 9.45 ± 2.68 sec, p=0.791). There is no significant VA group by avoider group interaction (p=0.66). There was also a statistically significant difference in TUG scores between participants with and without eye disease (eye disease=9.37±5.08, no eye disease=8.29±2.80, p=0.004). There is no significant eye disease by avoider group interaction (p=0.144). iv Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the presence of one or more self-reported eye diseases and higher FOF avoidance behavior were both associated with decreased mobility. Contrary to the initial hypothesis of the present study, there was no relation between VA and mobility, nor VA and FOF avoidance behavior. It is important for clinicians to inquire about the presence of eye diseases and administer the FFABQ to older adults in order to identify risk factors related to decline in physical mobility. Presently, the continued use of the Snellen chart to assess for VA as a part of fall risk assessment may be inadequate. Future studies should focus on developing a more comprehensive clinical assessment of vision that expands beyond visual acuity for the geriatric population

Multimode analysis of non-classical correlations in double well Bose-Einstein condensates

The observation of non-classical correlations arising in interacting two to size weakly coupled Bose-Einstein condensates was recently reported by Esteve et al. [Nature 455, 1216 (2008)]. In order to observe fluctuations below the standard quantum limit, they utilized adiabatic passage to reduce the thermal noise to below that of thermal equilibrium at the minimum realizable temperature. We present a theoretical analysis that takes into account the spatial degrees of freedom of the system, allowing us to calculate the expected correlations at finite temperature in the system, and to verify the hypothesis of adiabatic passage by comparing the dynamics to the idealized model.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

A Cyber-Physical System

The team was tasked with the creation of an autonomous cyber-physical system that could be continually developed as a post-capstone class by future STEM students and as a means to teach future engineering students. The strict definition of a cyber-physical system is a computation machine that networks with an embedded computer that performs a physical function. The autonomous aspect was achieved through two sonic sensors to monitor object distances in order to avoid walls and obstacles. The integrated system was based on the Intel Edison computation module. A primary goal for future addition is automation capabilities and machine learning applications

Watching the hands of the Arabidopsis biological clock

Oligonucleotide and cDNA microarrays have been used to analyse the mRNA levels of 8,000 genes in Arabidopsis thaliana throughout the day/night cycle. Genes involved in signal transduction and in various metabolic pathways were found to be coordinately regulated by circadian rhythms and/or by light

Adverse Childhood Experiences in the New Mexico Juvenile Justice Population

Faculty from the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Law and the UNM School of Medicine, and New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) initiated a joint project to look at the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) nationally and in New Mexico. The study was intended to better establish the association between early childhood trauma and delinquency, as well as to explore the role that law and medicine can play in ensuring better health and juvenile justice outcomes for children who have experienced ACEs