Pilgrim in the land of big G and little G - a review essay

ManuscriptIt used to be said the life is short and art is long, but now in our supposed high point for the era of the ?scientific management of aging? (Cole, 1992), our goal is instead ? the art of living longer. Our current landscape for understanding the experience of aging is representing by the following descriptors of the ?received view? which illustrate but do not exhaust the examples in the literature in the last two decades: age wave (Dychtwald, 1990); fountain of age (Friedan, 1993); from age-ing to sage-ing (Schachter-Shalomi, 1997) and that we have entered into phase of age power (Dychtwald, 2000), and the power years, (Dychtwald, 2005), and the creative age (Cohen, 2001); third age (Sadler, 2001; Weiss & Bass, 2002); successful aging (Bowling, 2007; Dillaway & Byrnes, 2009; Inui, 2003; Rowe and Khan, 1999); prime time and encore (Freedman, 2000; 2007); aging well (Valliant, 2002); positive aging (Hill, 2006); healthy aging (Stanner, Thompson & Buttriss, 2009; Weil, 2007); the art of aging (Nuland, 2007); productive aging (Bass & Caro, 2001; Morrow-Howell, Hinterlong, & Sherradan, 2001); transcendence in later life (Tornstam, 1999-2000); vital aging (Achenbaum, 2005); selfempowerment (Maples & Abnet, 2006); empowerment (Haber, 2009), and elder culture (Roszak, 2009). Thus, I propose that the culminating curvature ? or inflection point - we now find ourselves in is the operations and supreme goal of optimal aging (Aldwin & Gilmer, 2003)

Caring to cultivate on the long row of life: an eclectic look at gardens, gardening, and the aging process

ManuscriptGardening is one of the most popular home-based leisure activities in the U.S. and represents an important activity in the lives of older adults in a variety of residential settings. Yet, there has been a lack of any comprehensive and multidisciplinary examination of the nexus between gardening and the aging experience. In this paper, I focus on two domains between gardening and the aging process. One domain examines the effluence of gardening into various multidisciplinary nodes that sets the stage for the importance of gardens and gardening in the aging experience regardless of ability, settings, and historical context. The second domain highlights two specific issues: a) gardening as a significant activity to engage the cultivation of caring across the life course, and b) as a way to enhance the notion of stewardship in supporting environmental health in the context of home and community based settings. Gardening is more than an activity it also represents an intimate connection with life itself through nourishment, aesthetics, and existential meaning in the context of senescence

Lyophilisation of lentiviral pseudotypes for the development and distribution of virus neutralisation assay kits for rabies, Marburg and influenza viruses

Purpose: Some conventional serological assays can accurately quantify neutralising antibody responses raised against epitopes on virus glycoproteins, enabling mass vaccine evaluation and serosurveillance studies to take place. However, these assays often necessitate the handling of wild-type virus in expensive high biosafety laboratories, which restricts the scope of their application, particularly in resource-deprived areas. A solution to this issue is the use of lentiviral pseudotype viruses (PVs)—chimeric, replication-deficient virions that imitate the binding and entry mechanisms of their wild-type equivalents. Pseudotype virus neutralisation assays (PVNAs) bypass high biosafety requirements and yield comparable results to established assays. This study explores the potential for using lyophilisation of pseudotypes as a cost-effective, alternative means for production, distribution and storage of a PVNAbased diagnostic kit. Methods & Materials: Rabies, Marburg and H5 subtype Influenza virus pseudotypes were each suspended in cryoprotectant solutions of various molarities and subjected to freeze-drying before incubation at a variety of temperatures, humidities and time periods. Samples were then employed in antibody neutralisation assays using specific sera. Results: High levels of PV titre were retained post-lyophilisation, with acceptable levels of virus activity maintained even after medium-term storage in tropical conditions. Also, the performance of PVs in neutralisation assays was not affected by the lyophilisation process. Conclusion: These results confirm the viability of a freeze-dried PVNA-based diagnostic kit, which could considerably facilitate in-field serology for a number of clinically important viruses

The challenge and promise of autism spectrum disorders in adulthood and aging: a systematic review of the literature (1990-2013)

pre-printAbstract: In the past five years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of publications addressing the issues of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the domain of adulthood and aging. However this increase still represents an extremely small proportion of the overall literature which is predominantly focused on autism in the childhood and adolescence stages of development. The purpose of this paper is to present results from a systematic literature review covering the timeframe of 1990 to 2013 (including advance online publications). Five data bases were queried at the intersection of ASD in the domain of adulthood and aging. Using "ASD" and "adulthood and aging" as the two primary foci, we had several objectives: (1) to conduct an exhaustive and comprehensive review of the literature; (2) to determine emergent sub-themes from the comprehensive review of publications; (3) to identify the top exemplar articles per emergent theme; (4) to establish an emergent theme that had the greatest number of publications; and (5) to document three journals that most frequently publish articles exploring ASDs, adulthood and aging. This review is different than previous reviews in that: (a) it emphasizes intergenerational factors; (b) it stresses multidisciplinary perspectives; (c) it is life-course oriented; and (d) we review the promise and potential of neurodiversity and highlight the abilities and capabilities possible for individuals with ASDs into adulthood and aging

Lyophilisation of influenza, rabies and Marburg lentiviral pseudotype viruses for the development and distribution of a neutralisation-assay based diagnostic kit

Pseudotype viruses (PVs) are chimeric, replication-deficient virions that mimic wild-type virus entry mechanisms and can be safely employed in neutralisation assays, bypassing the need for high biosafety requirements and performing comparably to established serological assays. However, PV supernatant necessitates -80°C long-term storage and cold-chain maintenance during transport, which limits the scope of dissemination and application throughout resource-limited laboratories. We therefore investigated the effects of lyophilisation on influenza, rabies and Marburg PV stability, with a view to developing a pseudotype virus neutralisation assay (PVNA) based kit suitable for affordable global distribution. Infectivity of each PV was calculated after lyophilisation and immediate reconstitution, as well as subsequent to incubation of freeze-dried pellets at varying temperatures, humidities and timepoints. Integrity of glycoprotein structure following treatment was also assessed by employing lyophilised PVs in downstream PVNAs. In the presence of 0.5M sucrose-PBS cryoprotectant, each freeze-dried pseudotype was stably stored for 4 weeks at up to 37°C and could be neutralised to the same potency as unlyophilised PVs when employed in PVNAs. These results confirm the viability of a freeze-dried PVNA-based kit, which could significantly facilitate low-cost serology for a wide portfolio of emerging infectious viruses

Leveraging 3D Technology for Students with Autism: An innovative university-community collaboration for skill development and vocational exploration

This article describes a university-community collaboration in which an inter-professional team partnered to provide students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) a paid job opportunity to apply 3D modelling skills for a local construction company. Providing meaningful vocational opportunities to improve the transition to adulthood for individuals with ASD is imperative, as individuals with ASD have unemployment rates that are some of the highest of all disabilities. This novel evidence-supported educational program was designed to develop 3D technology skills, explore vocational careers and promote social engagement through shared interests for transition-age youth with ASD. Both parents and students reported many successful outcomes, including increase in student self-confidence, social and technology skill development and the opportunity for vocational exploration by these young people. Implications of the case study are reported in relation to university-community partnerships and the critical role of community collaboration in addressing the high rates of unemployment in individuals with autism

Electric vehicles as an ozone reduction strategy for New England

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (p. 144-147).by Scott D. Wright.M.S

Strategies for Wildlife Disease Surveillance

Epidemiologic surveillance is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the ongoing systematic and continuous collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data\u27: The objective of surveillance is to generate data for rapid response to the detection of a disease of concern to apply prevention, control, or eradication measures as well as to evaluate such interventions. This is distinct from disease monitoring, which usually does not involve a particular response to disease detection. Surveillance for wildlife diseases has increased in importance due to the emergence and re-emergence of wildlife diseases that are threats to human, animal, and ecosystem health, or could potentially have a negative economic impact. It has been estimated that 75% of emerging human diseases are zoonotic in origin, of which the majority originate from wildlife (Taylor et al. 2001). However, there are unique challenges concerning wildlife disease surveillance such that disease and pathogens can be very difficult to detect and measure in wild animals. These challenges have been described previously (Wobeser 2006), but one of the primary issues is that disease in wildlife often goes unrecognized, especially in remote locations. Furthermore, sick and dead animals are very difficult to detect, as animals will disguise the signs of illness or hide when diseased. Carcasses from diseased animals are also rapidly removed by scavengers or will rapidly decompose, rendering them suboptimal for diagnostic purposes. There is also a lack of validated diagnostic tests for most wildlife disease agents as well as baseline data. The paucity of laboratory capacity with expertise in wildlife disease diagnostic investigation is also an impediment. Finally, surveillance networks for wildlife diseases that perform field investigations and report disease events are under-developed in most regions of the world. Despite these challenges, a number of very important epidemiological surveillance projects have been ongoing or recently developed, and some examples are described in this chapter. The examples are mostly drawn from the experiences of the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) and are provided to illustrate the different surveillance strategies and sampling techniques that can be used and have proven successful. Some future directions for wildlife disease surveillance are also suggested

Gender, Social Networks, and Voting Behavior

This paper examines how interpersonal social networks help explain the voting behavior of men and women. We argue that the gender gap in voting is influenced by the partisan and gender composition of networks, rather than just the latter. Building on this foundation, we explain how gendering in network construction and impact helps create a cleavage between men and women even under conditions that are often close to random mixing. Analysis of the 2000 American National Election Study shows the voting gap is related to men excluding women from political networks, men being less exposed to females who support Democrats, and men being more strongly influence by women who support Republicans. The principal conclusion of the paper is that the role of social networks in explaining gendered voting is a function of combined partisan and gender segregation, principally by men

Prevalence and severity of abscesses and cellulitis, and their associations with other health outcomes, in a community-based study of people who inject drugs in London, UK.

BACKGROUND: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) are a common but preventable cause of morbidity and mortality among people who inject drugs (PWID). They can be severe, and hospitalisations of PWID with SSTI are rising. The most common SSTI presentations are abscesses and cellulitis. METHODS: We used data from Care & Prevent, a cross-sectional community survey of PWID in London. We reported the lifetime prevalence of SSTI, severity of infections, key risk factors, and associated sequelae. Pictorial questions were used to assess SSTI severity. RESULTS: We recruited 455 PWID. SSTI lifetime prevalence was high: 64% reported an abscess and/or cellulitis. Over one-third (37%) reported a severe infection, 137 (47%) reported hospitalisation. SSTIrisk factors were: aged 35+ years, injecting once or more times a day, subcutaneous or intra-muscular injections, and making four or more attempts to achieve an injection. Those who reported having other health conditions were at higher odds of having an abscess or cellulitis, with risk tending to increase with number of reported conditions. Half (46%) employed self-care for their worst SSTI, and 43% waited for ten or more days before seeking medical care or not seeking medical care at all. CONCLUSIONS: Abscess and cellulitis are very common among PWID in London. We corroborate findings indicating SSTIs are associated with risks, e.g. venous access problems, as well as other co-morbid conditions: septicaemia, endocarditis, DVT, and kidney disease. These co-morbidities may impact SSTIs severity and outcomes. Delayed healthcare seeking potentially exacerbates infection severity, which in turn increases poorer health outcomes and complications