Background Aging is associated with progressive loss of musculoskeletal performance. Exercise interventions can improve physical function in the elderly but there is a paucity of comparative assessments in order to understand what specific goals can be achieved particularly with less demanding exercise interventions readily accessible for untrained men. Methods Prospective randomized, controlled, single center exploratory trial to compare four distinct exercise interventions, i.e. Resistance Training (RT), Whole Body Vibration Exercise (WBV), Qi Gong (QG) and wearing a Spinal orthosis (SO) for 6 months in men at risk for osteoporosis aged 65–90 years. Primary endpoint was change in isometric one repetition maximum force trunk strength for extension (TSE) and flexion (TSF) compared to baseline, secondary endpoints covered key parameters of geriatric functional assessment, including Handgrip Strength (HS), Chair-Rise-Test (CRT), Usual Gait Speed (UGS) and Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG). Results Altogether 47 men (mean age 77 ±6.1 years) were randomized to RT, ( n = 11) WBV ( n = 13), QG ( n = 10) and SO(n = 13). RT, defined as reference exercise intervention, lead to significant improvements for TSE ( p = 0.009) and TSF ( p = 0.013) and was significantly superior in the between-group analysis for TSE ( p = 0.038). Vibration exercise caused sign. Improvements in TSE ( p = 0.014) and CRT ( p = 0.005), the Spinal orthosis improved CRT ( p = 0.003) and Gait Speed ( p = 0.027), while the QG intervention did not attain any sig. Developments. Subgroup analyses revealed most pronounced musculoskeletal progress in vulnerable patients (age ≥ 80 years, pre-sarcopenia, multimorbidity ≥3chronic diseases). Irrespective of the type of exercise, participants ≥80 years experienced significant gains in TSE ( p = 0.029) and CRT ( p = 0.017). Presarcopenic subjects (Skeletal muscle Index (SMI) ≤10.75 kg/m 2 ) improved in TSE ( p = 0.003), CRT ( p = 0.001) and UGS ( p = 0.016). Multimorbid participants achieved sig. Gains in TSE ( p < 0.001), TSF ( p = 0.002), UGS ( p = 0.036) and HS ( p = 0.046). Conclusions In this exploratory trial we found that simple exercise interventions are feasible in elderly men eliciting specific benefits, i.e. improvements are attained in those tasks addressed with the respective exercise modality. While targeted resistance training is superior in increasing TSE, alterna...

In this paper we present results from a research and development project focusing on the use of mobile phones at a music festival. Our aim is to explore how the festival experience can be enhanced with the introduction of mobile services. Two questions are addressed: Are there any design-openings for new services supporting groups at large-scale events? If so, what design challenges can be identified as important to consider in order to enhance the festival experience? Our conclusion is that there are several design-openings for new services supporting groups at large-scale events. We identify two different design challenges to address when designing new services; Supporting ad-hoc re-planning and shareability. The study contributes to better suited designs of services and technology in mobile settings as this music festival as well as for other large-scale events.

Background: Aging is associated with progressive loss of musculoskeletal performance. Exercise interventions can improve physical function in the elderly but there is a paucity of comparative assessments in order to understand what specific goals can be achieved particularly with less demanding exercise interventions readily accessible for untrained men. Methods: Prospective randomized, controlled, single center trial to compare efficacy and feasibility of four distinct exercise interventions for 6 months in men at risk for osteoporosis aged 65-90 years. Primary endpoint was change in isometric one repetition maximum force trunk strength for extension (TSE) and flexion (TSF) compared to baseline, secondary endpoints covered key parameters of geriatric functional assessment, including Handgrip Strength (HS), Chair-Rise-Test (CRT) Usual Gait Speed (UGS) and Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG).Results: Altogether 47 men (mean age 77 +/-6.1years) were randomized to Resistance Training (RT, n=11), Whole Body Vibration Exercise (WBV, n=13), Qi Gong (QG, n=10) and wearing a Spinal Orthosis (SO, n=13). RT lead to significant improvements for TSE (p=0.009) and TSF (p=0.013). Vibration exercise caused sign. Progress in TSE (p=0.014) and CRT (p=0.005), the Spinal Orthosis improved CRT (p=0.003) and Gait Speed (p=0.027), while the QG Group did not attain any sig. developments. Subgroup analyses revealed most pronounced musculoskeletal progress in vulnerable patients (age ≥80years, pre-sarcopenia, multimorbidity ≥3chronic diseases). Irrespective of the type of exercise, participants ≥80years experienced significant gain in TSE (p=0.029) and CRT (p=0.017). Presarcopenic subjects (Skeletal muscle Index (SMI) ≤10.75 kg/m²) improved in TSE (p=0.003), CRT (p=0.001) and UGS (p=0.016). Multimorbid participants achieved sig. gains in TSE (p<0.001), TSF (p=0.002), UGS (p=0.036) and HS (p=0.046).Conclusions: Simple exercise interventions are feasible in elderly men with specific efficacy, i.e. improvements are attained in those tasks addressed with the training. Consequently, exercise strategies in elderly men should comprise multiple modalities to comprehensively cover various deficits. For vulnerable patients, any simple training appears beneficial.