Food Habits and Ecology of Beavers in Southeastern Virginia

The food habits and ecology of three beaver colonies in James County, Virginia were studied. Vegetation surrounding the colonies was characterized as southern mixed hardwood forest or lowland swamp forest. Stream flow values ranged from 0.013 to 0.369 m3/sec. Water depth ranged from 0.5 60 4.0 m. Caloric value of 13 heavily used woody species ranged from 3305 to 6204 cal/g. Considerable seasonal variation was noted in most species with the lowest caloric values noted in summer. No relationship was found between caloric value and frequency of use. Fresh cutting was monitored on a weekly basis and a daily tally was made of all cut stumps. Alder, tulip poplar, red maple, white oak, bayberry, dogwood, pine, ironwood, viburnum, beech, and spicebush were heavily used. The latter three species have not been previously reported in the literature as food for beavers. Beaver were found to be active year-round, building an extensive food cache but using it only lightly

Test-Retest Reliability and Construct Validity of the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment in People With Stroke

Background and Purpose: The Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA) is commonly used to measure balance ability in older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) of the POMA and explore its cross-sectional and longitudinal construct validity for use in people early after stroke. Methods: Participants were recruited if they had a first documented stroke and were receiving physical therapy during inpatient rehabilitation. The POMA, gait speed, and motor Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores were collected at admission and at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. A second trial of the POMA was conducted 1 day after the first trial for reliability analysis. Correlations (Spearman rho) between raw scores of admission and discharge outcome measures, as well as change in scores between admission and discharge, were used to explore the construct validity of the POMA. Results: Fifty-five people, with average age of 75 ± 11 years, who had experienced first documented stroke participated in the study and began inpatient physical therapy at a mean of 8 ± 5 days poststroke. Test-retest reliability intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1) was 0.84 and MDC was 6 points. The POMA scores were moderately correlated to motor FIM and gait speed scores at admission (rs = 0.55 and 0.70) and discharge (rs = 0.55 and 0.82.) Change scores of all 3 measures had a fair correlation (rs = 0.28-0.51). Discussion and Conclusions: Test-retest reliability and MDC of the POMA in people with stroke is similar to previous research in older adult long-term care residents. Results support cross-sectional and longitudinal construct validity of the POMA in persons early after stroke and demonstrate validity and reliability to measure balance ability in this population

Test-Retest Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change Scores for the Timed Up & Go Test, the Six-Minute Walk Test, and Gait Speed in People With Alzheimer Disease

Background. With the increasing incidence of Alzheimer disease (AD), determining the validity and reliability Of Outcome measures for people with this disease is necessary. Objective. The goals of this study were to assess test-retest reliability of data for the Timed Up & Go Test (TUG), the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and gait speed and to calculate minimal detectable change (MDC) scores for each outcome measure. Performance differences between groups With mild to moderate AD and moderately severe to severe AD (as determined by the Functional Assessment Staging [FAST] scale) were Studied. Design. This was a prospective, nonexperimental, descriptive methodological study. Methods. Background data collected for 51 people with AD included: use of an assistive device, Mini-Mental Status Examination scores, and FAST scale scores. Each participant engaged in 2 test sessions, separated by a 30- to 60-minute rest period, which included 2 TUG trials, I 6MWT trial, and 2 gait speed trials using a computerized gait assessment system. A specific cuing protocol was followed to achieve optimal performance during test sessions. Results. Test-retest reliability values for the TUG, the 6MWT, and gait speed were high for all participants together and for the mild to moderate AD and moderately severe to severe AD groups separately (intraclass correlation coefficients \u3e=.973); however, individual variability of performance also was high. Calculated MDC scores at the 90% confidence interval were: TUG=4.09 seconds, 6MWT=33.5 m (110 ft), and gait speed=9.4 cm/s. The 2 groups were significantly different in performance of clinical tests, with the participants who were more cognitively impaired being more physically and functionally impaired. Limitations. A single researcher for data collection limited sample numbers and prohibited blinding to dementia level. Conclusions. The TUG, the 6MWT, and gait speed are reliable outcome measures for use with people with AD, recognizing that individual variability of performance is high. Minimal detectable change scores at the 90% confidence interval can be used to assess change in performance over time and the impact of treatment. © 2009 American Physical Therapy Associatio

Upper Extremity Strength Characteristics in Female Recreational Tennis Players With and Without Lateral Epicondylalgia

STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional. OBJECTIVES: To compare static strength characteristics of the upper extremity musculature in female recreational tennis players with lateral epicondylalgia to those of nonsymptomatic tennis players and a control group of women who did not play tennis. BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of research describing the relationship between lateral epicondylalgia and strength characteristics of the upper extremity musculature, despite the functional relationship between the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. METHODS: Sixty-three women were recruited into 3 groups (n = 21 per group): symptomatic tennis players (SIP) with lateral epicondylalgia, nonsymptomatic tennis players, and controls. Data collection was performed during a single session, during which the strength of selected muscle groups of the dominant upper extremity was measured using a combination of force transducers. Strength ratios of selected muscle groups were then calculated. RESULTS: The SIP group reported median pain level of 3/10 on a numeric pain rating scale and a symptom duration of 16 weeks. The SIP group had weaker lower trapezius strength (mean difference, -9.0 N; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -13.5, -4.4) and wrist extensor strength (-12.7 N; 95% CI: -24.4, -1.1), and a higher shoulder internal/external rotation strength ratio (0.19; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.35) and upper/lower trapezius strength ratio (1.32; 95% CI: 0.41, 2.23), compared to those of the nonsymptomatic group. Compared to the control group, the SIP group demonstrated a significantly higher shoulder internal/external rotation strength ratio (0.21; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.38) and wrist flexion/extension strength ratio (0.14; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.27). CONCLUSION: In this group of recreational female tennis players, significant differences in strength and strength ratio characteristics were identified. Although the design of the study precludes establishing a cause-and-effect relationship, the results suggest further study and treatment of the muscle groups of interest

Dependence in Prestroke Mobility Predicts Adverse Outcomes Among Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose - Stroke survivors are commonly dependent in activities of daily living; however, the relation between prestroke mobility impairment and poststroke outcomes is poorly understood. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between prestroke mobility impairment and 4 poststroke outcomes. The secondary objective was to evaluate the association between prestroke mobility impairment and a plan for physical therapy. Methods - This was a secondary analysis of the National Stroke Project data, a retrospective cohort of Medicare beneficiaries who were hospitalized with an acute ischemic stroke (1998 to 2001). Logistic-regression modeling was used to examine the adjusted association between prestroke mobility impairment with patient outcomes and a plan for physical therapy. Results - Among the 67 445 patients hospitalized with an ischemic stroke, 6% were dependent in prestroke mobility. Prestroke mobility dependence was independently associated with an increased odds of poststroke mobility impairment (odds ratio [OR]=9.9; 95% CI, 9.0 to 10.8); in-hospital mortality (OR=2.4; 95% CI, 2.2 to 2.7); discharge to a skilled nursing facility (OR=3.5; 95% CI, 3.2 to 3.8); and the combination of in-hospital death or discharge to a skilled nursing facility (OR=3.5; 95% CI, 3.3 to 3.8). Prestroke mobility dependence was independently associated with a decreased odds of having a plan for physical therapy (OR=0.79; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.85). Conclusions - These data, obtained from a large, geographically diverse cohort from the United States, demonstrate a strong association between dependence in prestroke mobility and adverse outcomes among elderly stroke patients. Clinicians should screen patients for prestroke mobility impairment to identify patients at greatest risk for adverse events

The JWST/NIRCam coronagraph flight occulters

The NIRCam instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope will have a Lyot coronagraph for high contrast imaging of extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks at λ=2 - 5 μm. Half-tone patterns are used to create graded-transmission image plane masks. These are generated using electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching of a metal layer on an antireflection coated sapphire substrate. We report here on the manufacture and evaluation of the flight occulters

JWST/NIRCam coronagraph: mask design and fabrication

The NIRCam instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope will provide coronagraphic imaging from λ =1-5 μm of high contrast sources such as extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks. A Lyot coronagraph with a variety of circular and wedge-shaped occulting masks and matching Lyot pupil stops will be implemented. The occulters approximate grayscale transmission profiles using halftone binary patterns comprising wavelength-sized metal dots on anti-reflection coated sapphire substrates. The mask patterns are being created in the Micro Devices Laboratory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory using electron beam lithography. Samples of these occulters have been successfully evaluated in a coronagraphic testbed. In a separate process, the complex apertures that form the Lyot stops will be deposited onto optical wedges. The NIRCam coronagraph flight components are expected to be completed this year

The JWST/NIRCam coronagraph flight occulters

The NIRCam instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope will have a Lyot coronagraph for high contrast imaging of extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks at λ=2 - 5 μm. Half-tone patterns are used to create graded-transmission image plane masks. These are generated using electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching of a metal layer on an antireflection coated sapphire substrate. We report here on the manufacture and evaluation of the flight occulters

JWST/NIRCam coronagraph: mask design and fabrication

The NIRCam instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope will provide coronagraphic imaging from λ =1-5 μm of high contrast sources such as extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks. A Lyot coronagraph with a variety of circular and wedge-shaped occulting masks and matching Lyot pupil stops will be implemented. The occulters approximate grayscale transmission profiles using halftone binary patterns comprising wavelength-sized metal dots on anti-reflection coated sapphire substrates. The mask patterns are being created in the Micro Devices Laboratory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory using electron beam lithography. Samples of these occulters have been successfully evaluated in a coronagraphic testbed. In a separate process, the complex apertures that form the Lyot stops will be deposited onto optical wedges. The NIRCam coronagraph flight components are expected to be completed this year