Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Working memory and multilingualism: balanced language proficiency predicts verbal working memory

ABSTRACT This study investigated the relationship between balanced multilingualism and working memory. Specifically, it reports on the relationship between balanced proficiency in speaking, reading and comprehension (across three languages), and verbal and visuospatial working memory in young South African adults. Information about participants’ language experience and proficiency in up to three languages was used to create variables capturing the extent of balance among languages spoken. Participants also completed a comprehensive working memory test battery (tapping verbal and visuospatial storage and processing). While effect sizes were small across all regressions, balanced proficiency among languages had a significant effect on verbal (but not visuospatial) working memory, after controlling for socioeconomic status. The results suggest that multilingualism may lead to domain-specific working memory advantages when processing verbal content. The absence of any domain-general effects supports the scepticism surrounding a bilingual effect on working memory (and executive function more generally). The implications of these findings for theories of working memory are discussed.
The mitochondrial gene-CMPK2 functions as a rheostat for macrophage homeostasis

In addition to their role in cellular energy production, mitochondria are increasingly recognized as regulators of the innate immune response of phagocytes. Here, we demonstrate that altering expression levels of the mitochondria associated enzyme, cytidine monophosphate kinase 2 (CMPK2), disrupts mitochondrial physiology and significantly de-regulates the resting immune homeostasis of macrophages. Both CMPK2 silenced as well as constitutively over expressing macrophage lines portray mitochondrial stress with marked depolarization of their membrane potential, enhanced ROS and disturbed architecture culminating in the enhanced expression of the pro-inflammatory genes-IL1β, TNFα and IL8. Interestingly, the long-term modulation of CMPK2 expression resulted in an increased glycolytic flux of macrophages akin to the altered physiological state of activated M1 macrophages. While infection induced inflammation for restricting pathogens is regulated, our observation of a total dysregulation of basal inflammation by bidirectional alteration of CMPK2 expression, only highlights a critical role of this gene in mitochondria mediated control of inflammation.
Learning Style Trends and Laptop Use Patterns: Implications for Students in an IT Business School

Recent years have seen a widespread application of information and communication technology (ICT) in learning and teaching across a large number of universities and high schools. The effectiveness of technology-enabled learning very much depends on the extent to which the technologies enhance learning. Despite a number of studies on laptop programs, however, there is little research on whether the application of ICT to assist learning, (e.g., laptops or notebooks) effectively delivers expected learning outcomes. To address this problem, we examined students’ learning styles, use pattern, and satisfaction with learning using technology. Two surveys were administered to students enrolled in the laptop program at the School of Information Technology Management (ITM) at Ryerson University. Our findings provide a basis for further research on learning styles in this technology enabled environment. In particular, the impact of this laptop teaching and learning environment on students is the subject of a longitudinal study.
Negotiating the deal to enable the first Rea Vaya Bus operating company: agreements, experiences and lessons

A City of Johannesburg team and a taxi industry team, representing taxi operators affected by the implementation of Phase 1A of the Rea Vaya bus rapid transit system, spent over a year in negotiations to sign a contract for the operation of the Rea Vaya bus services. The process was not simply about agreeing a contract, but dealt with the complexity of creating a new bus operating company owned by more than 300 minibus-taxi operators and putting together a deal that enabled the operators to give up their current businesses. This paper describes the key agreements reached during the negotiations. It shares some of the lessons learned by the City negotiations team in the process that may be useful to other cities transforming their public transport networks with the participation of affected public transport operators.
Perinatal Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Status and Obesity Risk

High obesity rates in almost all regions of the world prompt an urgent need for effective obesity prevention. Very good scientific evidence from cell culture and rodent studies show that the availability of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and their long-chain polyunsaturated derivatives, namely, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, influence adipogenesis; for this reason, early life status may influence later obesity risk. The respective PUFA effects could be mediated via their eicosanoid derivatives, their influence on cell membrane properties, the browning of white adipose tissue, changes to the offspring gut microbiome, their influence on developing regulatory circuits, and gene expression during critical periods. Randomized clinical trials and observational studies show divergent findings in humans, with mostly null findings but also the positive and negative effects of an increased n-3 to n-6 PUFA ratio on BMI and fat mass development. Hence, animal study findings cannot be directly extrapolated to humans. Even though the mechanistic data basis for the effects of n-3 PUFA on obesity risk appears promising, no recommendations for humans can be derived at present.
A multi-agent intelligent system for detecting unknown adverse drug reactions through communication and collaboration

Several thousands of drugs are currently available on the U.S. market. A complete understanding of the safe use of drugs is not possible at the time when drug is developed or marketed. At that time, the safety information is only obtained from a few thousand people in a typical pre-marketing clinical trial. Clinical trials are not capable of detecting rare adverse drug reactions (ADRs) because of limitations in sample size and trial duration. Early detection of unknown ADRs could save lives and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations. Current methods largely rely on spontaneous reports which suffer from serious underreporting, latency, and inconsistent reporting. Thus they are not ideal for rapidly identifying rare ADRs. In this dissertation, I developed a team-based multi-agent intelligent system approach for proactively detecting potential ADR signal pairs (i.e., potential links between drugs and apparent adverse reactions). The basic idea is that intelligent agents are capable of collaborating with one another by sharing information and knowledge which will accelerate the process of detecting ADR signal pairs. Each agent is equipped with a fuzzy inference engine, which enables it to find the causal relationship between a drug and a potential ADR (i.e., a signal pair). The fuzzy inference uses detection rules developed by me in this dissertation. The detection rules are based on different factors. I have also developed a methodology to find similar patients in the multi-agents system. The developed methodology uses similarity fuzzy rules in order to find similar patients in each agent's patient database. In this dissertation, I developed a cooperative learning mechanism that was used by the agents in identifying ADR signal pairs and finding similar patients. The basic idea is that the agents are capable of collaborating with one another by sharing their knowledge. The agents start collaboration by providing their knowledge (i.e. rules) to the other agents. Using confidence level, the most important and insightful detection rules will be found and used for the benefit of the entire agent system. The new updated rules will lead to improve the agents' decision performance. To evaluate our approach, I designed a four-agent system and implemented it using JADE and FuzzyJess software packages. I choose four because it is representative enough while computing time is still reasonable. To assess the performance of the developed system, I conducted two simulation experiments that involved over 20,000 patients treated at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Detroit between 2005 and 2008. From the software standpoint, the four agents collaboratively worked one another as designed. Two physicians on the team independently reviewed the multi-agent system results. The results indicate that the agents can successfully collaborate in finding ADR signal pairs and finding similar patients.
Manual curation and phylogenetic analysis of chitinase family genes in the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri

Chitinases are enzymes that digest the polysaccharide polymer chitin. Chitin is a major component of insect exoskeletons, which must be replaced multiple times during growth and development in a process known as molting. Insect genomes usually have multiple chitinase genes, some of which are required for molting and some whose functions are still unknown. Since knockdown of the chitinases required for molting causes high levels of lethality, chitinase genes have drawn interest as targets for RNAi-based pest control methods. The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, carries the bacterium that causes Huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening disease, which is devastating the citrus industry worldwide. We have identified and annotated 12 chitinase family genes from D. citri as part of a community effort to create high quality gene models to facilitate the design of interdictory molecules for pest control. Using predicted protein domain content and phylogenetic analysis, we categorized the D. citri chitinases according to a previously established classification scheme and re-evaluated the classification of chitinases in other hemipterans. In addition to chitinases belonging to known groups, we identified a novel class of chitinases present in D. citri and several related hemipterans that appears to be the result of horizontal gene transfer.
Enhancement of pre-pulse and picosecond pedestal contrast of the petawatt J-KAREN-P laser

Abstract We have experimentally improved the temporal contrast of the petawatt J-KAREN-P laser facility. We have investigated how the generation of pre-pulses by post-pulses changes due to the temporal overlap between the stretched pulse and the post-pulse in a chirped-pulse amplification system. We have shown that the time at which the pre-pulse is generated by the post-pulse and its shape are related to the time difference between the stretched main pulse and the post-pulse. With this investigation, we have found and identified the origins of the pre-pulses and have demonstrated the removal of most pre-pulses by eliminating the post-pulse with wedged optics. We have also demonstrated the impact of stretcher optics on the picosecond pedestal. We have realized orders of magnitude enhancement of the pedestal by improving the optical quality of a key component in the stretcher.
Radiation Effects And Soft Errors In Integrated Circuits And Electronic Devices

This book provides a detailed treatment of radiation effects in electronic devices, including effects at the material, device, and circuit levels. The emphasis is on transient effects caused by single ionizing particles (single-event effects and soft errors) and effects produced by the cumulative energy deposited by the radiation (total ionizing dose effects). Bipolar (Si and SiGe), metal-oxide- semiconductor (MOS), and compound semiconductor technologies are discussed. In addition to considering the specific issues associated with high-performance devices and technologies, the book includes the background material necessary for understanding radiation effects at a more general level.
Thin-Film Luminescent Solar Concentrator Based on Intramolecular Charge Transfer Fluorophore and Effect of Polymer Matrix on Device Efficiency

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) provide a transformative approach to integrating photovoltaics into a built environment. In this paper, we report thin-film LSCs composed of intramolecular charge transfer fluorophore (DACT-II) and discuss the effect of two polymers, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and poly (benzyl methacrylate) (PBzMA) on the performance of large-area LSCs. As observed experimentally, DACT-II with the charge-donating diphenylaminocarbazole and charge-accepting triphenyltriazine moieties shows a large Stokes shift and limited re-absorption losses in both polymers. Our results show that thin-film LSC (10 × 10 × 0.3 cm3) with optimized concentration (0.9 wt%) of DACT-II in PBzMA gives better performance than that in the PMMA matrix. In particular, optical conversion efficiency (ηopt) and power-conversion efficiency (ηPCE) of DACT-II/PBzMA LSC are 2.32% and 0.33%, respectively, almost 1.2 times higher than for DACT-II/PMMA LSC.
The Responses of the Lipoxygenase Gene Family to Salt and Drought Stress in Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica)

Plant lipoxygenases (LOXs), a kind of non-heme iron-containing dioxygenases, participate plant physiological activities (especially in response to biotic and abiotic stresses) through oxidizing various lipids. However, there was few investigations on LOXs in foxtail millet (Setaria italica). In this study, we identified the LOX gene family in foxtail millet, and divided the total 12 members into three sub-families on the basis of their phylogenetic relationships. Under salt and drought stress, LOX genes showed different expression patterns. Among them, only SiLOX7 showed up-regulated expression in Yugu1 (YG1) and Qinhuang2 (QH2), two stress-tolerant varieties, indicating that SiLOX7 may play an important role in responses to abiotic stress. Our research provides a basis for further investigation of the role of LOX genes in the adaptation to abiotic stresses and other possible biological functions in foxtail millet.
The Impact of Vegan and Vegetarian Diets on Physical Performance and Molecular Signaling in Skeletal Muscle

Muscular adaptations can be triggered by exercise and diet. As vegan and vegetarian diets differ in nutrient composition compared to an omnivorous diet, a change in dietary regimen might alter physiological responses to physical exercise and influence physical performance. Mitochondria abundance, muscle capillary density, hemoglobin concentration, endothelial function, functional heart morphology and availability of carbohydrates affect endurance performance and can be influenced by diet. Based on these factors, a vegan and vegetarian diet possesses potentially advantageous properties for endurance performance. Properties of the contractile elements, muscle protein synthesis, the neuromuscular system and phosphagen availability affect strength performance and can also be influenced by diet. However, a vegan and vegetarian diet possesses potentially disadvantageous properties for strength performance. Current research has failed to demonstrate consistent differences of performance between diets but a trend towards improved performance after vegetarian and vegan diets for both endurance and strength exercise has been shown. Importantly, diet alters molecular signaling via leucine, creatine, DHA and EPA that directly modulates skeletal muscle adaptation. By changing the gut microbiome, diet can modulate signaling through the production of SFCA.
Transmission pattern of shigellosis in Wuhan City, China: a modelling study

Abstract The article aims to estimate and forecast the transmissibility of shigellosis and explore the association of meteorological factors with shigellosis. The mathematical model named Susceptible–Exposed–Symptomatic/Asymptomatic–Recovered–Water/Food (SEIARW) was used to explore the feature of shigellosis transmission based on the data of Wuhan City, China, from 2005 to 2017. The study applied effective reproduction number (Reff) to estimate the transmissibility. Daily meteorological data from 2008 to 2017 were used to determine Spearman's correlation with reported new cases and Reff. The SEIARW model fit the data well (χ2 = 0.00046, p > 0.999). The simulation results showed that the reservoir-to-person transmission of the shigellosis route has been interrupted. The Reff would be reduced to a transmission threshold of 1.00 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82–1.19) in 2035. Reducing the infectious period to 11.25 days would also decrease the value of Reff to 0.99. There was a significant correlation between new cases of shigellosis and atmospheric pressure, temperature, wind speed and sun hours per day. The correlation coefficients, although statistically significant, were very low (<0.3). In Wuhan, China, the main transmission pattern of shigellosis is person-to-person. Meteorological factors, especially daily atmospheric pressure and temperature, may influence the epidemic of shigellosis.
The G20, climate change and COVID-19: critical juncture or critical wound?

PurposeThe Group of 20 (G20) is tasked with responding to economic shocks in the global financial system, with COVID-19 having proved to be the most significant shock since the G20's inception. COVID-19 also represents the first economic crisis accompanied by a concerted attempt to “build back better”, principally through a climate-compatible recovery. In 2021, there is little clarity as to the G20's response to this challenge, primarily due to considerable divergence in the green stimulus practices of its member states. The paper aims to investigate whether the G20, climate change and COVID-19 are critical juncture or critical wound.Design/methodology/approachHistorical institutionalism (HI) suggests that one can explain an institution's future response by reference to its developmental pathway to date. This contribution adopts its concept of “critical junctures” to shed light on the G20's possible institutional response to COVID-19. The contribution undertakes a comparative analysis of the global financial crisis (GFC) and COVID-19 as possible critical junctures for the G20.FindingsIn doing so, the work demonstrates that the G20 “building back better” from COVID-19 requires a shift away from its institutional orthodoxy to a much larger degree than its response to the GFC. Accordingly, whilst both the GFC and COVID-19 may be considered critical junctures for the G20, only COVID-19 has the potential to be a “critical wound” that leads to institutional redundancy.Research limitations/implicationsThrough interrogating this further, this exposition prospectively outlines two possible futures the G20 faces as a consequence of COVID-19: reform or redundancy. In this way, it offers an ex ante perspective on policy-reform options for the G20's ongoing response to COVID-19.Practical implicationsWhichever choice the G20 makes in its response to COVID-19 has profound consequences for global governance in an increasingly unpredictable world.Originality/valueHerein lies the importance of an exploratory assessment of COVID-19 as a critical juncture or a critical wound for the G20.
Online Activism and Real Life Environmentalism

Past and present human activities have created and accelerated an array of environmental catastrophes and various systems in the environment remain under threat as a result of human behavior. In hopes of mitigating environmental consequences, a social movement has arisen to encourage people to behave in ways that are more environmentally sustainable. Research shows that individual behavior choices impact the environment, and this influence can be used to positively affect the environment through engagement in pro-environmental behavior. Like with many other social movements, the internet has been a tool in spreading awareness of a cause and allowing people the opportunity to engage in online activism. This paper considers the relationship between engaging in online activism via social media and pro-environmental behavior. Prior literature has mixed findings regarding this relationship; some have criticized engaging in online activism for its potential to replace, rather than complement, other forms of participation in a cause, described by a concept known as slacktivism. In addition to exploring this relationship, this paper focuses on motivation for social media use as an explanation for the relationship found between online activism and proenvironmental behavior. Correlation analyses indicate there is a significant positive correlation between online activism and pro-environmental behavior. The data also reveals a significant positive relationship between social media use motivated by altruism and ii pro-environmental behavior, aligning with prior research about altruistic values and pro-environmental behavior.
Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability: A Pilot Study Exploring Associations between Child Sleep Problems, Child Factors and Parent Factors

Sleep problems are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, few studies have undertaken group comparisons of sleep profiles and factors associated with poorer sleep between children with ASD without intellectual disability (ID; hereafter referred to as ASD) and ASD with co-occurring ID (hereafter referred to as ASD + ID). This study aimed to (1) compare child (sleep problems and emotional and behavioural problems (EBPs)) and parent factors (parenting stress and mental health) for children with ASD compared to children with ASD + ID, and (2) examine the associations between sleep problems and child and parent factors in both groups. Parents of 56 children with ASD (22 ASD, 34 ASD + ID) aged 6–13 years took part in the study. No statistically significant differences in sleep problems were found between children with ASD compared to children with ASD + ID. However, total EBPs were independently associated with child sleep problems in both groups. Further, ‘Self-Absorbed’ and ‘Communication Disturbance’ EBPs were significantly greater in the ASD + ID compared to the ASD group. Overall treatment outcomes for children with ASD may be further improved if consideration is given to the specific types of EBPs being experienced by the child and their association with sleep problems.
Graph Theory on Brain Cortical Sources in Parkinson’s Disease: The Analysis of ‘Small World’ Organization from EEG

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly population. Similarly to other neurodegenerative diseases, the early diagnosis of PD is quite difficult. The current pilot study aimed to explore the differences in brain connectivity between PD and NOrmal eLDerly (Nold) subjects to evaluate whether connectivity analysis may speed up and support early diagnosis. A total of 26 resting state EEGs were analyzed from 13 PD patients and 13 age-matched Nold subjects, applying to cortical reconstructions the graph theory analyses, a mathematical representation of brain architecture. Results showed that PD patients presented a more ordered structure at slow-frequency EEG rhythms (lower value of SW) than Nold subjects, particularly in the theta band, whereas in the high-frequency alpha, PD patients presented more random organization (higher SW) than Nold subjects. The current results suggest that PD could globally modulate the cortical connectivity of the brain, modifying the functional network organization and resulting in motor and non-motor signs. Future studies could validate whether such an approach, based on a low-cost and non-invasive technique, could be useful for early diagnosis, for the follow-up of PD progression, as well as for evaluating pharmacological and neurorehabilitation treatments.