Use of Smartphones to Capture Measures of Functional Status in Frail and Non-Frail Community Dwelling Older Adults

Numerous important health outcomes directly relate to one\u27s ability to maintain normal gait speed. The purpose of this study is to employ ubiquitous smartphone technology, using algorithms developed and validated by our lab in a controlled setting, to continuously and noninvasively measure aspects of subject health status, including step counts, gait speed, and activity level, in a naturalistic community setting. A total of 33 ambulatory, independently dwelling older adults were recruited from Nebraska Medicine, including 22 healthy control and 11 frail individuals. Clinical performance measurements of frailty (4MW, TUG, F8W) and validated survey responses (LLFDI, SAFFE, PROMIS) were compared to our smartphone based metrics collected in the community over 24-hours. We identified significant differences between control and frail subjects in percent activity (

Uma análise das habilidades cognitivas manifestadas na escrita por alunos do ensino médio de química em atividades experimentais investigativas

As atividades experimentais investigativas podem contribuir para a manifestação e desenvolvimento de habilidades, como por exemplo, a escrita. Entretanto, muitas vezes, os alunos não têm a oportunidade de escrever um relatório ou responder questões por escrito que os permitam sintetizar e aperfeiçoar suas idéias, se desenvolvendo conceitualmente e cognitivamente. Partindo desses pressupostos, este trabalho investigou o nível cognitivo das respostas escritas elaboradas por alunos do ensino médio de química em uma atividade experimental investigativa. Foram desenvolvidas categorias de análise para classificar as manifestações escritas em diferentes níveis cognitivos. Os resultados mostram que a escrita exige elevada demanda cognitiva e que as discussões pós-laboratório e em grupo auxiliam os alunos na elaboração de respostas de alta ordem cognitiva

Felony Offenses In Douglas County District Court, 2001

The purpose of this report is describe the offender and case characteristics and the outcomes of all felony cases (N = 2,663) bound over for trial in Douglas County (Nebraska) District Court in 2001.1 We present descriptive data on these cases, focusing on defendants’ background characteristics and prior criminal record, the nature and seriousness of the charges for which the defendant was bound over to District Court, the disposition of the case, and case processing time. We also examine case dispositions and sentences for 15 different types of felony offenses and present descriptive data and case outcome data for defendants who were held in custody prior to trial and for non-violent defendants who were charged with property crimes (burglary, theft, fraud, and forgery). In the final section of the report we provide information on case characteristics and case outcomes for white and black defendants and for male and female defendants

The Douglas County Drug Court: Characteristics Of Participants, Case Outcomes And Recidivism

The purpose of this report is to describe the characteristics of all offenders (N = 255) who were bound over to Douglas County District Court in 2001 and who were subsequently diverted to the Douglas County Drug Court. We present descriptive data on the characteristics of the drug court participants, focusing on their background characteristics and prior criminal record and on their case characteristics. We also present descriptive data on recidivism for drug court participants and for traditionally adjudicated offenders and compare the recidivism rates of these two groups of offenders, controlling for other predictors of the likelihood of recidivism

Cost/Benefit Analysis of the Douglas County Drug Court

The primary purpose of this cost-benefit evaluation of the Douglas County Drug Court (DCDC) is to provide administrators and policy-makers with critical information for future policy and funding decisions. This study expands and refines previous DCDC cost-benefit analyses through an investigation of drug court program investment, outcome and societal-impact costs and savings. This study employs a Transaction Cost model that examines complex, multi-agency events and costs for participants in drug court and non-drug court comparison groups. A “cost-to-taxpayer” approach is used that includes any criminal justice related costs (or avoided costs) generated by drug court or non-drug court comparison group participants, that directly impacts citizens either through tax-related expenditures or personal victimization costs/losses due to crimes committed by drug offenders

Structural properties of crumpled cream layers

The cream layer is a complex heterogeneous material of biological origin which forms spontaneously at the air-milk interface. Here, it is studied the crumpling of a single cream layer packing under its own weight at room temperature in three-dimensional space. The structure obtained in these circumstances has low volume fraction and anomalous fractal dimensions. Direct means and noninvasive NMR imaging technique are used to investigate the internal and external structure of these systems.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted in J. Phys. D: Appl. Phy

Hippocampal neuronal cells that accumulate α-synuclein fragments are more vulnerable to Aβ oligomer toxicity via mGluR5--implications for dementia with Lewy bodies.

BackgroundIn dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) abnormal interactions between α-synuclein (α-syn) and beta amyloid (Aβ) result in selective degeneration of neurons in the neocortex, limbic system and striatum. However, factors rendering these neurons selectively vulnerable have not been fully investigated. The metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) has been shown to be up regulated in DLB and might play a role as a mediator of the neurotoxic effects of Aβ and α-syn in vulnerable neuronal populations. In this context, the main objective of the present study was to investigate the role of mGluR5 as a mediator of the neurotoxic effects of α-syn and Aβ in the hippocampus.ResultsWe generated double transgenic mice over-expressing amyloid precursor protein (APP) and α-syn under the mThy1 cassette and investigated the relationship between α-syn cleavage, Aβ, mGluR5 and neurodegeneration in the hippocampus. We found that compared to the single tg mice, the α-syn/APP tg mice displayed greater accumulation of α-syn and mGluR5 in the CA3 region of the hippocampus compared to the CA1 and other regions. This was accompanied by loss of CA3 (but not CA1) neurons in the single and α-syn/APP tg mice and greater loss of MAP 2 and synaptophysin in the CA3 in the α-syn/APP tg. mGluR5 gene transfer using a lentiviral vector into the hippocampus CA1 region resulted in greater α-syn accumulation and neurodegeneration in the single and α-syn/APP tg mice. In contrast, silencing mGluR5 with a lenti-shRNA protected neurons in the CA3 region of tg mice. In vitro, greater toxicity was observed in primary hippocampal neuronal cultures treated with Aβ oligomers and over-expressing α-syn; this effect was attenuated by down-regulating mGluR5 with an shRNA lentiviral vector. In α-syn-expressing neuronal cells lines, Aβ oligomers promoted increased intracellular calcium levels, calpain activation and α-syn cleavage resulting in caspase-3-dependent cell death. Treatment with pharmacological mGluR5 inhibitors such as 2-Methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP) and 3-((2-Methyl-4-thiazolyl)ethynyl)pyridine (MTEP) attenuated the toxic effects of Aβ in α-syn-expressing neuronal cells.ConclusionsTogether, these results support the possibility that vulnerability of hippocampal neurons to α-syn and Aβ might be mediated via mGluR5. Moreover, therapeutical interventions targeting mGluR5 might have a role in DLB