ACL tears cause harmful changes in our brain structure

Newswise — ANN ARBOR—It\’s known that some joint function is often permanently lost after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and re-injury is common even with intensive physical therapy, but it\’s unclear why.

New research from the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology shows structural changes in the brains of patients who underwent ACL reconstruction. These changes hinder recovery and may contribute to performance deficits and re-injury, says study co-author Lindsey Lepley, U-M assistant professor of athletic training.

Lindsey Lepley and colleague Adam Lepley, clinical assistant professor of athletic training, took MRI brain scans of 10 ACL-reconstructed patients. The scans showed that part of the corticospinal tract—the pathway that scuttles messages from brain to muscles—had atrophied in the patients.

The corticospinal tract runs from front to back through both hemispheres of the brain. The side of the tract that controls the ACL-reconstructed knee was about 15% smaller than on the uninjured side, the researchers say.

Think of the altered corticospinal tract as a traffic tunnel that narrows, letting fewer cars pass through, they say. In the ACL reconstructed patients, less information gets from the brain to the muscle because less information can travel along the smaller tract.

\”In essence, the brain not only alters the way it communicates with the rest of the body, joints, muscles, etc., but the structural makeup of the basic building blocks of the brain are also changed after ACL injury,\” Adam Lepley said. \”We think that this is a protective mechanism, in which our body is trying to limit unwanted movement around a joint injury … and can be applied to not just ACL injuries, but other musculoskeletal injuries as well.\”

Another recent study shows that downstream neural activity in the quadriceps is impaired during sport-like movements after ACL surgery, which suggests that poor brain structure and communication can lead to reduced functioning, the researchers say.

The bottom line for patients and clinicians is that a knee injury is not just about knees––other areas, like the brain structure, are negatively impacted, too.

\”It means that during treatment, a systemic approach should be taken not just to improve range of motion or swelling at the injured joint, but also consider other impairments like poor movement patterns and muscle activation in order to get better outcomes,\” Lindsey Lepley said. \”There is evidence of using visual retraining, different motor learning modalities like external focus of attention and biofeedback, which can help \’rewire\’ the brain to help the body adapt to a new normal.\”

Study:

Corticospinal tract structure and excitability in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A DTI and TMS study

Related research:

Protracted alterations in muscle activation strategies and knee mechanics in patients after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Lindsey Lepley

Adam Lepley

Fun Learning Activities for Kids You Can Do at Home

Gloucestercitynews.net (January 29, 2020)–Are you trying to give your kids a little advantage at school? Or are you just interested in finding fun ways you can bond at home and learn a little something along the way? Well, there are so many amazing activities you can do with your kids and teach them plenty of useful things while having

courtesy of unsplash.com

fun.

Doing experiments

Kids are fascinated by the world around them, so you can take easy advantage of that and turn their curiosity into a fun learning opportunity. There are easy experiments you can conduct at home to spark your kids’ interest in science. With only a few ingredients you can find in your pantry or grab at a store, you can create a volcano, make your own lava lamp, make slime or write invisible letters. Kids will learn a lot about material and ingredient properties and have fun in the meantime.

Playing with educational toys

Toys are always fun, but also a great educational material if you know where to look. You can easily fill your kids’ rooms with toys like Legos, building blocks and jigsaws which are great for motor skills and creativity; music instruments for artistic expression; connect four for logical thinking; and many more. These are all fun both for kids and parents and they are a great way to incorporate engineering, math, reading and measuring lessons.

Painting and drawing

Artistic expression is one of the rare fun and useful activities your kid can safely pursue at home. If you just provide them with plenty of (non-toxic) supplies like markers, water colors and different types of material, they will experiment for hours. And you can easily find the best crayons (and toys) at this site –

Home

and provide your kids with all the fun they need from an art supply. Try giving them drawing ideas and allow them to explore them and add their own details. In order to make the situation even more fun, play some music and try drawing what you feel.

Cooking

If you’re often short on time and have a busy schedule, you can use your time spent in the kitchen to encourage your kids to learn and acquire new skills. There’s nothing more fun for kids than handling dough, measuring ingredients and stirring bowls of pasta or cream. Older kids can even get their own knife (there are kid-friendly kinds) and help you chop veggies and fruit. All of these activities will incorporate math (measuring and counting ingredients), reading (recipe books), motor skill practice (stirring and chopping) and learning vocabulary.

Reading before bed

This classic activity is perfect for hard-working parents who come home from work exhausted. No matter how long your day was, you can always tuck your kids in, grab a book and have some quiet time reading and relaxing. Kids love stories, so you can’t really go wrong with any sort of fairytale, pop-up book or kids’ poetry. Make sure to show them pictures, discuss different scenarios and talk further about characters. This activity is great for developing reading and vocabulary skills as well as exercising creativity.

Talk about numbers

Kids are never too young to start learning about numbers. Numbers are present all around us and you don’t have to limit kids’ learning to math books. Calendars, remote controls, phones, registration plates all have numbers, so you can study them from your home. Come up with fun games like Find the Number and ask your kids to go around the house and search for certain numbers. It’s a great way to keep them busy and learning at the same time.

Who says kids can’t have fun and learn at the same time? And the best part, they can do all of that right at home where you can keep a watchful eye on them.

How to Cook Wild Game Meat

Gloucestercitynews.net (January 29, 2020)–When talking about wild game meat, it’s important to remember that we’re not talking about a single type of meat. Instead, wild game meat can come from all sorts of animals – from quail and hare to wild boars and deer. That’s why it can be a bit tricky to discuss general ways you can cook the meat as not all of them require the same treatment or temperature.

image courtesy of unsplash.com

That being said, we will try to give some guidelines on how to cook wild game meat the right way, which generally apply to most cases. Here, you will find some tips as well as some of the most common mistakes to avoid for a great cooking experience and delicious results. Check them out.

Temperature plays a huge role

The sous-vide cooking technique is definitely the preferred approach when it comes to cooking game meat. This low-temperature long-time cooking technique enables you to control the way in which your meat is being cooked to ensure that everything is cooked evenly. Since the game is usually best when served slightly pink this technique will allow you to avoid overcooking it as you will be able to control the temperature of the environment the meat is cooking in at all times.

The way you cut the meat is very important

Another thing you need to pay attention to is the way you cut the meat before you start preparing it. While there are some animals whose meat is similar to one of the domesticated breeds and doesn’t really require special skills, there are some animals that will require not only special skills but the right tools as well. That’s why you will need to ensure that you have the right equipment for the meat of your choice in particular. If you’re not sure where you can look for such utensils, you can always do some online research and find more information at this website –

https://thegearhunt.com/

Choose the meat carefully

Furthermore, in order to prepare a great dish, you first need to ensure that your main ingredient – the meat – is of the appropriate quality. If you are not the one who hunted the animal yourself, you will need to find a reliable vendor. This way, not only will you ensure that the meat you bought is actually the meat you intended to buy and that it’s safe for you to use, but you can also rest assured that the meat was treated properly. If you’re not sure how or where you can buy fresh game meat you can always resort to the frozen options.

Avoid common mistakes

In the end, you should get to know some of the most common mistakes people make when cooking wild game so that you can easily avoid them. The first and arguably the most important mistake to avoid is not letting the meat age properly. Since this process allows the enzymes in the meat to improve the flavor of the meat, it should definitely not be overlooked. Additionally, not marinating the meat can arguably destroy it. Since juiciness plays a huge role in wild game meat, it is very important to allow it to soak up all the juices and flavors from the marinade.

Even though cooking wild game meat will require somewhat of a different approach than cooking regular meat, it really is not too difficult to do it right, once you master the basics. One of the best tips for cooking game is to keep the dish simple and not overwhelm it with different spices. Instead, you should allow the quality and the taste of game to shine in its full glory.

These Behaviors Make You A Scam Target

(NAPSI)—If you spend a lot of time on social media sites or looking for great online deals, you may wear a

bullseye

when it comes to scammers hunting for prey, according to groundbreaking fraud research from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust and the Stanford Center on Longevity.

A recent study found nearly half of America is likely to interact with fraudsters-but you can protect yourself.

Researchers surveyed more than 1,400 Americans and Canadians who were targeted by scammers and reported the fraud to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which tracks scams. Nearly half of those surveyed did not engage with the fraudster. However, 30 percent engaged to some degree but ultimately did not lose money, while 23 percent engaged with the fraudster or offer and lost money.

What separates victims from non-victims?

“The path to victimization begins with engagement,” said FINRA Foundation President Gerri Walsh. “Social media and website scams are flourishing. Every time you respond to a friend request from someone you don’t know or click through to an unfamiliar website, you run the risk of being exposed to a scam.”

Your chance of falling victim to a scam varies by type—for instance, online purchase scams, tech support ploys,

fake

check or sweepstakes frauds—and by the method in which you are exposed to the offer. For those exposed to a scam through social media or a website, the numbers are chilling. When exposed to a scam on social media, 91 percent engaged and 53 percent lost money. The odds of losing money to website scams were only slightly lower: 81 percent of consumers in the study who were exposed to a fraud via a website said they engaged—and 50 percent lost money.

Other factors heighten the likelihood of falling for a fraud. Consumers were more likely to be victimized if they were isolated and didn’t have anyone to discuss the offer with, according to the study. Consequently, those who engaged scammers and lost money were less likely to be married and more likely to be widowed or divorced. “Sadly, loneliness and fraud victimization seem to go hand in hand,” noted Walsh.

You’re also more likely to engage and lose money if you’re feeling financial strain, or have low levels of financial literacy, the study found.

Protect Yourself

Take these steps to protect yourself from fraud:

• Ask for input from others.

Scammers try to isolate their victims. Don’t be afraid to contact a friend, or a company or organization you trust for advice. It also helps to do additional research before sending any money. One easy action: Do an Internet search to see if the website or pitch has been flagged as fraudulent or potentially fraudulent by news organizations or members of the public.

• Focus on your financial health and literacy.

Individuals under financial strain and those with lower levels of financial literacy may be more susceptible to scammers.

• Knowledge is power.

Knowing about scams and scammer tactics can be your best defense in successfully reducing the effect of scams. Keep up with the latest frauds by subscribing to consumer newsletters and seeking out information on current scams.

One-third of consumers who were targeted by a scammer, but did not engage with the offer, already knew about the specific type of scam. In addition, consumers who understood the tactics and behaviors of scammers tended not to engage with fraudsters.

To learn more about how to protect your money, visit

www.FINRA.org/LearnMore

“Journalist” Can’t Decide: Slumping Gun Sales or Best Year Ever?

source NRA-ILA

On the eve of the annual Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, Associated Press reporter Lisa Marie Pane wrote an article titled, “

Gun industry gathers amid slumping sales, rising tensions

.” But it seems as though the AP and their reporter were more concerned with promoting an agenda than accurately reporting the news or reviewing readily available data.

The story was published by the AP on January 19

, picked up by

ABC News on the same day

, and reproduced in various other national and local outlets in the following days.

The opening paragraph references “slumping sales,” and later paragraphs expound on the reasons and impact of this supposed downturn. The author also makes sure to gratuitously proclaim that the SHOT show is being held “about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the deadliest mass shooting modern U.S. history” [sic].

Slumping firearm sales? Really?

Pane’s half-cocked story came out about two weeks after

The Washington Examiner

published “

Record gun sales checks in 2019, NICS at all-time high: FBI

” and after

The Hill

published an article titled, “

2019 gun sale background checks highest since system launch in 1998

.”

NICS checks are not a mystery or a Friday afternoon news dump; detailed reports are issued monthly. In early December, MarketWatch published a piece titled “

Gun-purchase background checks on track for record high in 2019

.” Similar articles were run in other outlets.

Even the Associated Press itself ran such an article,

published on December 3

of last year and also picked up by ABC News on that same day.

The author?

You guessed it: Lisa Marie Pane, the

same

author who wrote the more recent piece alleging slumping sales.

Record-breaking pace or slumping sales? A closer look at the NICS reports can provide some answers.

The FBI reports there were 28,369,750

NICS firearm background checks in 2019 – the most ever.

Now, this number does include permit checks and rechecks but the FBI also provides a breakdown of NICS checks by type.

Last year saw the fourth-highest number of checks for handguns and the sixth-highest year for dealer sales checks ever.

That does not include NICS checks on private sales (41,775 last year) or all dealer sales to permit holders in the 24 states that issue so-called NICS-exempt permits, which can be used as an alternative to the NICS check when purchasing a gun from a licensed dealer.

That means that the number of sales checks may appear artificially low. As the FBI notes in the “NICS Firearm Background Checks: Year by State/Type” report, “Since the permit check is done in place of the NICS check in most of the affected states, the low handgun statistics are often balanced out by a higher number of handgun permit checks.”

In other words, some number of the 3,738,203 permit checks run in NICS exemption states were likely people who ultimately purchased a handgun (or other firearm) with their permits, perhaps even multiple firearms. The overall NICS records do not necessarily account for these permit-based sales. What we do know, however, is that there were a lot of NICS checks for the issuance of NICS-exempt permits.

Another important consideration is that firearms are durable goods – they do not spoil or breakdown, assuming minimal care. Firearms purchased in 2018 still exist. Firearms purchased in the late 90s, when NICS began, still exist. Not every year will be a record-breaking year for sales, and it can be misleading to label any year that doesn’t significantly top the last one as a “slump.”

Maybe Lisa Marie Pane can’t make up her mind, but we’re here to tell you: 2019

was

a record-breaking year for sales and permit checks in total. That indicates the American tradition of firearms ownership is as strong and vibrant as ever, and attendees at the 2020 SHOT Show have much to celebrate.

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association continues to work hard to protect your Second Amendment rights, just as we have for 148 years.

How To Make Your Business Look More Professional

Gloucestercitynews.net(January 28, 2020)–Running a business is not an easy task, and it is down to every business owner to make choices that are going to benefit the company in the long term. Some of these choices will be about how to make the business look more professional to the outside world – to customers, suppliers, and investors – in order to make more sales and increase profits.

It can be hard to determine just what is going to help do this, especially when you are working in the business and are close to what is happening. Ideally, you will want to take a step back and reassess what you are doing to ensure that your business is as professional as possible. Here are some ways to achieve this.

A Good Website

When a potential customer comes across a new company and thinks about buying from it, the first thing they are going to do is check its website.

It is expected that all businesses would have a website

(if there are no results when a name is searched, it will look highly suspicious), but that website also needs to look professional in order to win business.

image courtesy of unsplash.com

There are no excuses for a poor looking website; there are many web designers who will be able to help you decide what you are looking for and create something that works perfectly for your business. Even if you choose to do the job yourself, intuitive programs such as

WordPress

mean that you don’t have to understand coding to have a great looking and user-friendly website. This is essential if you want to look professional.

Your Premises

Some people choose to

work from home

, but others would prefer not to, or they don’t have a choice; if they own and operate a customer-facing business, then working from home is not going to work for them. If this is the case and you need premises to sell items from or to meet customers in, then you need to ensure it looks good and is well maintained. A shoddy-looking building is not going to inspire confidence in any potential customer, and an investor might not want to give you any money either if you can’t look after your office or warehouse space properly.

Installing a brand new building in place of an old one, such as

a steel building from Armstrong Steel

, will help you to look more professional. Everything will look clean and well maintained, and you will be able to specify exactly what you want, ensuring that your employees are comfortable too. This will give a great first impression to anyone who visits your business.

Have Business Cards

Ordering business cards

may seem like an unnecessary expense, especially when you are just starting out, but they can show your business in a much more professional light.

Networking

is an essential part of business, and if you don’t have business cards to hand out, what will you do when you are meeting new people who might be able to help you? You will either miss the opportunity or write your details on a scrap of paper – both ideas are unprofessional, and a business card would solve these problems.

H1 – Is PayPal cracking down on online casino players?

Gloucestercitynews.net (January 28, 2020)–PayPal has been a cornerstone payment method for online casino players for many years now. From its beginnings, in the early 2000s, this service has processed billions of online transactions. Of these, using the

PayPal payment method for online casinos

deposits and withdrawals account for a fair chunk.

source unsplash.com

But now as we enter a new decade it seems that PayPal is following the recent trends of other payments providers with a tightening of its rules and regulations.

What could be the possible effects of this for online casino players and what will the future shape up to be? We’ll attempt to answer these questions and more below.

H2 – German online casino payment crackdown

The early warning signs that PayPal was about to make a move towards more stringent regulations for casino players started to show in 2019. Around halfway through the year PayPal announced plans to stop supporting payments to and from online casinos in Germany from October 21, 2019.

This came after a warning was issued in June 2019 by the Lower Saxony state in Germany to an unnamed international payment processor. The warning was concerned with the payment provider being used to fund illegal online casino transactions in that region.

PayPal’s terms of service in Germany were quickly updated following the warning to say that they would not process payments for “offers that are not legal in your respective whereabouts, including some online gambling offers.”

This move reflects a wider game change regarding casino licencing in Germany. At the current moment, only the state of Schleswig-Holstein is able to offer legal gambling licences but all this is set to change.

Countrywide gambling licences will be issued in early 2020 but only on very strictly limited terms for sports betting. Given this, the future of the online casino industry in Germany looks very uncertain indeed.

H2 – Will there be a worldwide PayPal casino crackdown?

The above case from Germany is for a very specific region and payment provider but it does highlight a wider trend. For many years online casinos have been viewed by some as being the ‘wild west’ of the internet. The wider industry is making drastic moves to smarten up their image and operations which in turn affects payment providers.

Now that states, governments and even trading blocks seek to enforce ever tighter rules and regulations for the gambling industry, all involved must be seen to comply. In the case of PayPal, their actions in Germany show us that they are willing and able to play by the rules when they need to.

As a business with a reputation to maintain across continents, PayPal cannot afford to be seen to be connected with any illegal activities or wrongdoing. If doing so means pulling out of one of Europe’s big casino markets then it looks as though they will do it without fear.

H2 – How does this affect casino players?

From the point of view of casino players, it means that they might have less choice of which payment provider to use in the future. Millions of casino fans around the world rely on PayPal to process their withdrawals and deposits. Not having their service as a payments option at any casino would be a major blow.

That said, let’s not forget that tighter rules and regulations should be working in favour of online casino players. If it forces PayPal and other payments providers to up their game then it is a good thing. In turn, this creates a safer and more secure playing environment which can be seen as a positive.

Brandywine Zoo Madagascar exhibit will house endangered lemurs, tortoises

WILMINGTON (Jan. 27, 2019) – The DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation Brandywine Zoo broke ground last week on its Madagascar Exhibit, an outdoor space that will soon be home to several new animals. The newcomers will include the Radiated Tortoise, and three species of lemurs: the Black and White Ruffed, Ring-Tailed and Crowned.

The Madagascar Exhibit is part of the Brandywine Zoo’s recently approved Master Plan and will be the largest capital improvement in the zoo’s history. The Master Plan focuses on improved animal welfare and guest experiences, species of conservation concern, and the inclusion of more mixed-species exhibits.

“The Madagascar exhibit and other planned upgrades will bring our guests close to rare animals and provide crucial lessons about how humans can lessen their impact on species extinction,\” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. \”This exhibit will increase the sustainability of the zoo and the endangered species we care for.\”

The zoo will be closed to the public throughout the winter months during the initial stages of construction.

At nearly 4,000 square feet, the Madagascar Exhibit will be one of the zoo’s largest display habitats. It will include interactive features and information about conservation concerns in Madagascar. The project will take approximately six months to complete; some areas of the zoo will be closed during construction. The Madagascar Exhibit cost approximately $3.5 million, funded through multiple State, Federal and private sources.

Brandywine Zoo Director Brint Spencer said combining three species of lemurs and the Radiated Tortoise into one exhibit will create a more active space.

“Having multiple animals sharing a habitat provide natural social enrichment for the animals as they interact with each other and make the exhibits more interesting for the visitors as they watch these interactions,” he said.

Delaware Zoological Society Executive Director Michael T. Allen said they are excited to see these animals join the Brandywine Zoo. All four species of animals are part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Species Survival Plans, which “are designed to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse and demographically stable population for the long-term future,” according to

aza.org

“Ninety-four percent of lemur species are endangered or critically endangered,” he said. “It is wonderful to see the Brandywine Zoo participate in these Species Survival Plans to help maintain an insurance population for generations to come.”

As part of the Crowned lemur survival plan, a male and a female will be paired for breeding at the zoo; just 30 of the species exist in the Americas, 18 males and 12 females. Brandywine Zoo will become the 12th location on the entire North American continent where Crowned lemurs can be viewed by the public.

Zoo Re-imagined Capital Campaign

To help support the new exhibit with additional habitat and facility updates, the Delaware Zoological Society just launched a three-year, $5 million Zoo-Re-imagined Capital Campaign alongside the Madagascar Habitat construction.

The Zoological Society capital campaign will help fund an entryway, updated exhibits, and a wetlands exhibit. Most of the new habitats, buildings, and viewing areas are available for sponsorship.

For more information about or to donate to the Zoo-Re-imagined Capital Campaign, visit

brandywinezoo.org/reimagined

, email

reimagined@brandywinezoo.org

, or call 302-571-7788, extension 206.

For general information about the Brandywine Zoo, visit

Home

or call 302-571-7747.

Edward D. Brynan, III, of Audubon, formerly of Glendora

Devoted father of Katie Epifano (Steven), Ashley Strain (Joseph) and Jillian Greer (Matthew). Loving Pop Pop of Bryson, Brianna, Zoey, Mason, Elianna and Brynnlee. Beloved companion of Janet Brinkman. Dear cousin of Betty-Jo Zeno.

Ed was a member of the Metal Detector Club and a member of the NRA.

There will be a viewing from 9 to 11am Friday morning at GARDNER FUNERAL HOME, RUNNEMEDE.

Funeral Service 11am at the funeral home.

Interment Hillcrest Memorial Park, Hurffville.

Donations may be made in Ed’s memory to American Heart Assoc., 1 Union St., Suite 30, Robbinsville, NJ 08691.

What Microsoft 98-349 Exam Objectives Should You Master to Become a Certified Specialist? Practice Tests Know the Answer!

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(January 27, 2020)–Microsoft offers a wide range of certifications and exams for the IT professionals. By doing so, it contributes tremendously to the growth of the IT industry. Actually, Microsoft is a giant in it. This is evident from the fact that about 80 percent of computers all over the world are running on its operating system. That is why a specialist with the credential of this vendor will be in-demand in many organizations worldwide.

Microsoft 98-349, or Windows OS Fundamentals, is the recommended starting point in the IT-sphere. This article focuses on this exam and everything else that it entails, including its topics, recertification policy, prerequisites, preparation options, and so on. Let’s start with the basic information.

What is the Microsoft 98-349 exam?

The

Exam-labs.com

98-349 certification exam was published on April 13, 2011. All this time, this test has been very popular among employers and IT professionals, particularly those who manage application folders, files, and devices. Going by the look of things, this exam will continue to be a highly sought-after test for a long time. It is intended for home PC users, developers, academic information workers, and IT specialists. The 98-349 exam is also designed for those who are looking to be recognized as system analysts and system administrators. It is meant to certify one’s competency to understand, manage, and install the Windows operating system.

The Microsoft 98-349 certification exam consists of about 40-60 questions in total, and the time limit is 2 hours. The questions are of various types. Precisely, there are scenario-based and multiple-choice questions that are included in this test. The maximum score for this Windows OS

Fundamentals exam is 1000 points, and the passing score is 700

. The available languages: Russian, German, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), English, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean, Japanese, and Chinese (Simplified/Traditional).

What are the prerequisites for Microsoft 98-349 exam?

There are no official prerequisites for Microsoft 98-349. Although this gives anyone the opportunity to take this exam, it would be almost impossible to do well and achieve even the passing score without having prior knowledge of Windows fundamentals. Microsoft has stated it very clear on its website that the individuals considering this certification test should know the concepts of Windows OS.

The candidates are also advised to use study materials that Microsoft offers on its webpage. The resources are as follows: training courses, practice tests, study guides, videos. Apart from these official prep tools, there are also other verified resources such as braindumps and video tutorials that can be found on exam-Labs. This platform is one of the best places that provide students with up-to-date study materials.

What topics do you need to cover in Microsoft 98-349 exam?

The exam is based on 6 main knowledge domains, and each of them will cover about 15-20% of the whole test. So, all the topics are usually given the same prominence in the exam. These objectives should always act as the general guidelines for the applicants about what content the examiners are most likely to include in Microsoft 98-349. Let’s take a quick look at each topic. You can check the whole list with the details by visiting the certification webpage.

Understanding the operating system configuration

This is the first topic that is included in the Microsoft 98-349 certification exam. The questions from this objective test the students’ knowledge of a number of concepts, but the main ones include the usage and configuration of Control Panel options, desktop settings, native tools and applications, mobility settings, and management tools. It also covers administrative tools, profiles and display settings, file explorer settings, start menu, taskbar, notifications, Microsoft Edge, Hyper-V, MSCONFIG, Windows PowerShell, Sync Center, and more.

Installing and upgrading client systems

This is the second topic from which the questions are taken in the certification exam. This objective measures one’s ability to identify editions of Windows OS, understand installation types, identify the appropriate upgrade paths, and understand OS architecture, and so on. You should know how to identify and understand hardware and compatibility requirements, apps compatibility, kernel mode, user mode, 32-bit vs. 64-bit architecture, perform a clean install and upgrade via Windows Update.

Managing applications

Various concepts are being tested on this objective. The questions evaluate the candidates’ knowledge of configuring and understanding applications, antivirus settings, UAC, services start-up types, service dependencies, and service accounts. You should also know a thing or two about local and network apps, desktop apps, Windows SmartScreen and Store apps, standard user and administrative ones, Malicious Software Removal Tool and Windows Defender.

Managing folders and files

The questions on this topic cover various concepts. They basically verify the ability of the test takers to understand file systems, print and file sharing, encrypting files systems and BitLocker, and libraries. To master the skills, you need to understand NTFS, FAT32, and ReFS, and can be able to configure share permissions, file system permissions, HomeGroup settings, effective permissions, and print drivers.

Managing devices

The questions on this objective are designed to measure the individuals\’ ability in connecting devices, understanding storage, printing devices, and system devices, such as device management, video, devices, infrared input devices, and audio devices. You should master your knowledge of plug-and-play and Bluetooth devices, printers, device drivers, third-party software, disk types, OneDrive, and Device Manager.

Understanding operating system maintenance

The last topic area majorly tests if the candidates understand backup and recovery methods, maintenance tools, and know-how to configure updates. You need to learn about recovery drive, recovery boot options, system restore, safe mode options, task scheduler, disk cleanup, disk defragmenter, system information, Windows update options, roll back updates, and more.

Conclusion

The Microsoft 98-349 certification exam is an important step for your career growth. With the relevant credential, which is earned after clearing this test, you will be a highly sought-after IT professional. Remember that Exam-Labs will always partner with you on your journey to achieving high results. You can always rely on its training materials to help you prepare for your exams in two ticks.