VIRTUALLY AMISH: PRESERVING COMMUNITY AT THE INTERNET’S MARGINS

My forthcoming book (MIT Press), Virtually Amish, is an ethnographic study of the adoption, design and use of digital communication technologies among members of Old Order Amish communities. This paper explores a section of the book focusing on Amish strategies for internet management. These strategies are in place to protect Amish communities from perceived negative impacts of technologically mediated connectivity. Today it is increasingly common for the Amish to adopt computers, the internet and mobile devices in calculated ways to remain competitive in business. Often the use of these devices blends into the personal sphere as well. This research is notable for its empirical observations that show shared values are key to determining patterns of technology use in Amish communities. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews with thought-leaders (business and religious leaders) in Indiana Amish settlements. Findings show that the Amish consider their own cultural, social, political and religious autonomy in deciding how to engage with a broader social and economic system as technologies are essential to the mediation of these relationships.

Preferential preservation of visuospatial memory over verbal memory in the Old Order Amish

Background: While studying cognition in the Old Order Amish (OOA), we have observed strong performance on the constructional praxis delayed recall (CPDR) as compared to other cognitive tests, independent of overall cognitive status. This may indicate a preferential preservation of visuospatial memory in this population. Here, we investigate this by comparing the CPDR to the word list delayed recall (WLDR) within the OOA, as well as by comparing these results to a non-Amish cohort. Method: 420 OOA individuals in Indiana/Ohio age 66-95 who had complete data for the CPDR and WLDR were included. From the non-Amish CERAD cohort, 401 individuals age 60-96 with the same tests were included. For both cohorts, education-adjusted Z-scores were calculated for the CPDR and WLDR. The difference between the CPDR Z-score and the WLDR Z-score was calculated as a measure of the preservation of visuospatial memory over verbal memory. T-tests were first used to compare the tests within both cohorts and then stratified by case/control status. Linear regression was then used to investigate the effects of age, sex, cognitive status, and cohort on the Z-scores and difference between Z-scores. Additional t-tests and regressions were then performed to further investigate the effect of sex and its interaction with cohort. Result: We found a significantly better performance on CPDR over WLDR in every cognitive status group in the OOA, but not in all groups of the CERAD cohort. After controlling for age, sex, and cognitive status, this preferential preservation remains significantly higher in the Amish, with being in the Amish cohort increasing the difference between Z-scores by an average of 0.615 units when compared to being in the CERAD cohort. When adjusting for age, sex, cognitive status, and cohort, the interaction between cohort and sex is significant, with the Amish males exhibiting a greater difference between Z-scores compared to other groups, with a significant interaction value of 0.676. Discussion: Overall, these findings suggest that the OOA preferentially preserve visuospatial memory over verbal memory, regardless of cognitive status. This effect is particularly strong in OOA males. In summary, this study gives additional evidence that the Amish exhibit unique patterns of memory loss and aging, with a preferential preservation of visuospatial memory over verbal memory. Additional studies are needed to further explain this phenomenon.

АМИШИ СТАРОГО ПОРЯДКА: КОНСЕРВАТИВНАЯ РЕЛИГИОЗНОСТЬ, ОСТАНОВИВШАЯ ВРЕМЯ

В статье исследуются механизм формирования и сохранения очень своеобразной конфессиональной группы – амишей старого порядка и влияние религиозного учения на их повседневные практики. По существу, весь жизненный уклад амишей старого порядка определяется Орднунгом – сводом правил, позволяющим сохранять самобытность и приверженность традициям. В Орднунге выделяется письменная часть (составленные религиозными лидерами документы, содержащие основные догматические положения, обусловившие особенности религиозной и повседневной жизни) и устная (неписанные правила, постепенно складывавшиеся и определяющие отдельные детали быта). Устная часть Орднунга может несколько различаться в разных общинах и меняться с течением времени. Однако к любым переменам амиши старого порядка подходят очень осторожно – изменения могут касаться лишь незначительных частностей. Вся жизнь этой группы предполагает жесткую регламентацию норм поведения внутри общины и отношений с внешним миром; определены не только допустимые технологии, но и конкретные предметы хозяйства, быта и личного пользования. Амиши старого порядка верят, что Орднунг наставляет их на праведный путь и оберегает от грехов внешнего мира. Следование своему религиозному учению и своим традициям обеспечило формирование и воспроизводство амишей старого порядка как особой группы, сильно отличающейся от своего окружения не только религиозной принадлежностью. The article studies the formation and conservation of a very specific religious group – Old Order Amish, and how their religious doctrine affected their everyday practices. In fact, the whole life style of Old Order Amish is determined by Ordnung – a scope of rules that allowed them to preserve their distinctiveness and devotion to traditions. Ordnung consists of its written part (documents written by religious leaders that contain dogmatic statements determining specifics of religious and daily life) and oral part (unwritten rules that gradually developed in each community and determined particular details of daily life, not recorded in the written documents). Unwritten rules of the Ordnung may lightly vary in different communities and change over time. Yet, Old Order Amish are very cautious about any changes, which can only affect minor details. All their life is strictly regulated by the rules of conduct inside and outside the community and permitted technologies, tools and personal use items. Old Order Amish believe that Ordnung sets them on the right path and helps them not to let sins of the outside world into their lives. Following both religious doctrine and traditions determined by the oral part of Ordnung ensured the formation and reproduction of Old Order Amish as a particular group that dramatically differs from its neighboring population.

From Disease Description and Gene Discovery to Functional Cell Pathway: A Decade-Long Journey for TMCO1

A decade has passed since transmembrane coiled-coil domains 1 (TMCO1) defect syndrome was identified in 11 undiagnosed patients within the Old Order Amish of Northeastern Ohio—a disorder characterized by a distinctive craniofacial dysmorphism, skeletal anomalies and global developmental delay. Twenty seven patients, from diverse ethnic groups, have been reported with pathogenic TMCO1 variants now recognized to cause cerebrofaciothoracic dysplasia (CFTD). The implication of previously uncharacterized TMCO1 within disease has instigated a 10-year journey to understand the function of TMCO1 protein in Ca2+ homeostasis. TMCO1 is an ER Ca2+ leak channel which facilitates Ca2+ leak upon ER “overload” through the novel Ca2+ load activated Ca2+ mechanism. This mini-review brings together the clinical and scientific advances made since the discovery of TMCO1 deficiency in disease, including broadened phenotype, understanding of pathophysiology, and implications to patient management of TMCO1 defect syndrome.

An Omics Analysis Search and Information System (OASIS) for Enabling Biological Discovery in the Old Order Amish

The "Omics Analysis Search and Information System" (OASIS), developed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, enables discovery by allowing researchers to mine results from genome wide association studies (GWAS). When interesting signals are found, the research can immediately ask follow-up questions and get answers in real-time. OASIS provides this unique capability with a web-based, scientist-friendly search system and a variety of real-time analysis tools (linkage disequilibrium calculations, conditional analysis, and direct variant comparison) plus on-demand visualizations (boxplots, histograms, LocusZoom & Haploview plots, and pedigree charts). Because OASIS uses a web-based user interface, an understanding of programming or the UNIX operating system is not required. The OASIS application has been used to enable discovery from whole-exome, whole-genome, metabolome, transcriptome and methylome association results for Old Order Amish studies at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

136 Sleep and Porphyromonas gingivalis K-Capsular IgG Serotypes: A Study in the Old Order Amish

Introduction Sleep problems and periodontal disease have a bidirectional relationship and are independently linked with depression, dementia, and metabolic disease. Inadequate sleep can worsen inflammation, a hallmark of periodontal disease, and the activation of the immune system can alter sleep/wake cycles. A key player in periodontal disease is Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacteria that can translocate to the brain and induce miRNA’s. Antibodies to P. gingivalis capsular virulence factors, K1-7, have been used to estimate P. gingivalis virulence. This study was conducted to explore cross-sectional associations between seropositivity of K serotypes of P. gingivalis and measures of self-reported impairment in sleep. If identified, these links would provide a rationale to initiate causality and mediation studies. We hypothesized that sleep impairment is positively associated with P. gingivalis K IgG serointensity. Methods 880 Old Order Amish aged 44.8 (SD: 17.2 years); 360 men (40.91%), 520 women (59.09%) responded to an adapted Pittsburgh-Sleep-Quality-Index questionnaire. IgG serointensity to 7 K-capsular P. gingivalis serotypes were measured with ELISAs. We tested for the association of log-transformed serotype IgG intensity and positivity (successively defined as within the top 5% and 25% for each serotype) with sleep parameters (as binary and continuous variables) using linear and logistic regressions, adjusting for age and sex. Results We confirmed no hypothesized associations between any of the sleep problems on the PSQI and K serotype serointensity and seropositivity. Exploratory analysis returned a negative association of log-transformed K3 IgG with daytime sleepiness (p=0.01); however, this did not resist adjustment for multiple comparisons and was inconsistent with the direction of the hypothesis. Conclusion Strengths of the study include the reduced smoking prevalence in the Amish and the relatively homogenous lifestyle, reducing confounding. The results imply P. gingivalis serotypes are not associated with sleep disturbance. Limitations are self-reporting of sleep, cross-sectional approach and limited generalizability. Results do not support an association between P. gingivalis K serotypes and sleep-problems. Support (if any) MVM-CoRE

Lower Levels of Education Are Associated with Cognitive Impairment in the Old Order Amish

Background: Lower education has been reported to be associated with dementia. However, many studies have been done in settings where 12 years of formal education is the standard. Formal schooling in the Old Order Amish communities (OOA) ends at 8th grade which, along with their genetic homogeneity, makes it an interesting population to study the effect of education on cognitive impairment. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the association of education with cognitive function in individuals from the OOA. We hypothesized that small differences in educational attainment at lower levels of formal education were associated with risk for cognitive impairment. Methods: Data of 2,426 individuals from the OOA aged 54–99 were analyzed. The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS-R) was used to classify participants as CI or normal. Individuals were classified into three education categories: <8, 8, and >8 years of education. To measure the association of education with cognitive status, a logistic regression model was performed adding age and sex as covariates. Results: Our results showed that individuals who attained lowest levels of education (<8 and 8) had a higher probability of becoming cognitvely impaired compared with people attending >8 years (OR = 2.96 and 1.85). Conclusion: Even within a setting of low levels of formal education, small differences in educational attainment can still be associated with the risk of cognitive impairment. Given the homogeneity of the OOA, these results are less likely to be biased by differences in socioeconomic backgrounds.