Determinants of Multitasking Behavior Among Young Adults During Group Meetings: Attitudes on Norms, Polychronicity and Multicommunicating

Research on the influence of multitasking behavior on efficacy of outcomes is mixed. Many researchers consider multitasking to enhance individuals’ productivity when it is managed properly, and others argue that it is detrimental in some cases. This study is about understanding multitasking behavior of young adults during group meetings. Group meetings are an integral part of communication practices in organization. Group meetings are essential for training, planning, and completing a task that requires participation from all members of a group. One of the norms in group meetings is the expectation to focus on task at hand and pay attention to what is going on in the meeting. However, today, as all of us carry powerful computing handheld devices, such as smartphones, there is a likelihood that we may use it to communicate with people outside a group meeting or to do a task unrelated to the meeting at hand. When young adults enter college, they get the opportunity to develop professional skills and abide by norms that guide such professional settings. They often put the skills and norms into practice as part of class projects, student organizations, work study employees in offices, or as interns in organizations. College students carry their experiences of working in groups and participating in office group meetings to the professional world when they graduate. However, today’s college students as digital natives seem to be more accepting of multitasking, especially using their handheld devices such as smartphones during group meetings. Studying college students’ attitudes with regards to multitasking during group meetings will help us understand their motivations for these behaviors. This study will examine the factors that influences multitasking behavior with respect to polychronicity, multicommunicating, utility of media and technology, social and professional norms, and big-five personality. The findings show that perception of media utility and technology and observing others behavior is stronger in predicting multitasking behavior. Additionally, the study found that when students come into college, they tend to be high multitaskers in group meetings, but as they stay in college and move from freshmen to senior, they tend to get socialized into multitasking during group meetings

Determinants of Multitasking Behavior Among Young Adults During Group Meetings: Attitudes on Norms, Polychronicity and Multicommunicating

Research on the influence of multitasking behavior on efficacy of outcomes is mixed. Many researchers consider multitasking to enhance individuals’ productivity when it is managed properly, and others argue that it is detrimental in some cases. This study is about understanding multitasking behavior of young adults during group meetings. Group meetings are an integral part of communication practices in organization. Group meetings are essential for training, planning, and completing a task that requires participation from all members of a group. One of the norms in group meetings is the expectation to focus on task at hand and pay attention to what is going on in the meeting. However, today, as all of us carry powerful computing handheld devices, such as smartphones, there is a likelihood that we may use it to communicate with people outside a group meeting or to do a task unrelated to the meeting at hand. When young adults enter college, they get the opportunity to develop professional skills and abide by norms that guide such professional settings. They often put the skills and norms into practice as part of class projects, student organizations, work study employees in offices, or as interns in organizations. College students carry their experiences of working in groups and participating in office group meetings to the professional world when they graduate. However, today’s college students as digital natives seem to be more accepting of multitasking, especially using their handheld devices such as smartphones during group meetings. Studying college students’ attitudes with regards to multitasking during group meetings will help us understand their motivations for these behaviors. This study will examine the factors that influences multitasking behavior with respect to polychronicity, multicommunicating, utility of media and technology, social and professional norms, and big-five personality. The findings show that perception of media utility and technology and observing others behavior is stronger in predicting multitasking behavior. Additionally, the study found that when students come into college, they tend to be high multitaskers in group meetings, but as they stay in college and move from freshmen to senior, they tend to get socialized into multitasking during group meetings

Establishing an in vitro model to study avian carotenoid ketolation

Carotenoid coloration is among the most widely recognized condition-dependent signal of quality in animals. This project first explored the possibility of establishing an in-vitro model to study carotenoid ketolation in two avian species, where both species use red keto-carotenoids for plumage pigmentation. Secondly, this project tested whether the carotenoid ketolation pathway would be affected by antioxidant and mitochondrial uncoupler treatments. We observed that most carotenoid ketolation could happen in in-vitro settings using primary hepatocytes for both House Finch and Domestic Canary. However, interestingly, the in-vitro system using House Finch hepatocytes failed to convert β-cryptoxanthin to 3-HE. Then, we tested the resources tradeoff hypothesis and shared pathway hypothesis using our newly established in vitro model. We have shown that antioxidant treatments, regardless of general antioxidant or mitochondria-targeted antioxidant did not change the carotenoids conversion. However, mitochondrial uncoupler, which decreases mitochondrial membrane potential, disrupted the carotenoid ketolation processes in the hepatocytes of a House Finch

Rhetorical Analysis of an Organizational Artifact: A University’s Response in Defense of Hate Speech

In 2017, a hate speech flier targeting the LGBTQ community was posted in the main classroom building at Cleveland State University (CSU). This article explores the rhetoric surrounding the hate speech posted at this institution. The President’s insensitive email response to this hate speech sparked outrage from students, faculty, staff, and the public. To correct his mistake, he delivered an apologia. In this study, I analyze the President’s email response to the hate crime and his apology to the university. His apologia reveals strong evidence of emotional intelligence (pathos), an appeal to the university’s credibility (ethos), and use of claims and evidence (logos) which were all lacking in his initial email to the hate speech. Keywords: Hate speech, Rhetoric, Legitimacy, Institution DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/95-07 Publication date: March 31st 202

A Notch Above Bowl: Specification of Niche Cells in the Drosophila Testis

Niche cells exercise elaborate control over the behavior of many tissue-specific stem cells. However, in no system do we fully understand how niche cells are specified, develop and then begin producing the signals necessary to properly regulate stem cells. Here, we take advantage of the paradigmatic stem cell-niche system of the Drosophila testis to address these fundamental questions. We first find that the Notch signaling pathway is necessary for niche cell specification and that its activity in precursor cells prevents those cells from adopting the alternative somatic cyst cell fate. We also discover that the Notch-activating ligand, Delta, is presented from the neighboring endoderm, rather than from within the gonad “proper.” Moreover, we show that niche specification occurs very early during gonadogenesis, before the expression of extant niche cell markers. We also uncover a role for the bowl pathway in influencing niche cell specification, where bowl promotes niche cell fate, while its antagonist, lines, promotes cyst cell fate. Additionally, we present data suggesting that bowl functions as a transcriptional repressor to restrict cyst cell gene expression in precursor cells, thereby inducing niche cell specification. Ultimately since niche cells influence stem cell behavior, understanding how niche cells develop and dissecting the interactions between niches and their resident stem cells is paramount if we seek to use stem cells as tools in regenerative medicine

Candida albicans Ethanol Stimulates Pseudomonas aeruginosa WspR-Controlled Biofilm Formation as Part of a Cyclic Relationship Involving Phenazines

In chronic infections, pathogens are often in the presence of other microbial species. For example, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common and detrimental lung pathogen in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) and co-infections with Candida albicans are common. Here, we show that P. aeruginosa biofilm formation and phenazine production were strongly influenced by ethanol produced by the fungus C. albicans. Ethanol stimulated phenotypes that are indicative of increased levels of cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP), and levels of c-di-GMP were 2-fold higher in the presence of ethanol. Through a genetic screen, we found that the diguanylate cyclase WspR was required for ethanol stimulation of c-di-GMP. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that ethanol stimulates WspR signaling through its cognate sensor WspA, and promotes WspR-dependent activation of Pel exopolysaccharide production, which contributes to biofilm maturation. We also found that ethanol stimulation of WspR promoted P. aeruginosa colonization of CF airway epithelial cells. P. aeruginosa production of phenazines occurs both in the CF lung and in culture, and phenazines enhance ethanol production by C. albicans. Using a C. albicans adh1/adh1 mutant with decreased ethanol production, we found that fungal ethanol strongly altered the spectrum of P. aeruginosa phenazines in favor of those that are most effective against fungi. Thus, a feedback cycle comprised of ethanol and phenazines drives this polymicrobial interaction, and these relationships may provide insight into why co-infection with both P. aeruginosa and C. albicans has been associated with worse outcomes in cystic fibrosis. Author Summary : In many human infections, several species of microbes are often present. This is typically the case with the disease cystic fibrosis, characterized by thick mucus in the lungs that is colonized by bacteria and fungi. Here, we show evidence that interactions between the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the fungus Candida albicans result in attributes of infection that are worse for the human host. We found that ethanol, such as that produced by C. albicans, causes increased levels of a signaling molecule in P. aeruginosa that promotes biofilm formation. Biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa is associated with infections that are more difficult to treat. Ethanol stimulated P. aeruginosa colonization of plastic surfaces and airway cells, and we identified components of this mechanism. Fungally-produced ethanol also changes the spectrum of phenazine toxins produced by P. aeruginosa, and phenazines are associated with worse lung function in people with cystic fibrosis. In light of the fact that phenazines interact with C. albicans to promote ethanol production, we propose a positive feedback loop between C. albicans and P. aeruginosa that contributes to worse disease. Our findings could have implications for the study and treatment of multi-species infections

Examination of the Crime of Genocide Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

The crime of genocide has historical antecedents, dating back to several decades before its eventual acceptance as an international crime and codified as such. Ironically, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948 (the Genocide Convention) did not provide punishment for the crime of genocide or genocide related matters. Instead, it empowered the Contracting Parties to undertake to enact, in accordance with their respective Constitutions, the necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions of the Convention and, in particular, to provide effective penalties for persons guilty of genocide. But this lacuna is covered in Part 7 of Article 77 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC Statute), which provides applicable penalties for a person convicted of genocide or genocide related matters. Generally, conducts that amount to genocide are clear even though definition of the four classes of group ‘is an intricate problem that requires serious interpretative efforts’. This paper examines the crime of genocide under the Statute of the International Criminal Court. The paper begins by examining the general overview of the crime of genocide by way of introduction and historical background; and then proceeds to appraise the very nature of the crime and the requirement of proving the offence. Noting the difficulties associated with proving the crime of genocide, particularly ‘intent’, the paper examines situations wherein inference can be drawn.  The paper concludes with overarching recommendations. Keywords: Genocide, Genocide Convention, intent, dolus specialis, jus cogens, ICC. DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/105-05 Publication date: January 31st 202

Connecting Cellular Redox State and Community Behavior in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14

Redox chemistry is the basis for biological energy generation and anabolism. Redox conditions also serve as critical cues that modulate the development of many organisms. Roles for redox chemistry in the control of gene expression have been well characterized in multicellular eukaryotes, where oxygen availability in particular is a major developmental cue. As a gaseous metabolic substrate, oxygen becomes limiting as cellular communities grow, and can act as an indicator of aggregate size or developmental stage. In many of these cases, there are dedicated sensory and signal transduction networks that link oxygen and other redox signals to changes in gene expression and morphogenesis. The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, like many species of microbes, forms multicellular structures called biofilms. Cells in biofilms can assume physiological states that differ from cells grown in well-mixed, homogeneous liquid cultures. They often exhibit increased resistance to environmental stresses and antibiotics, rendering biofilm physiology an important focus in the study of microbial pathogens. Biofilm development and architecture are tuned by environmental conditions. In turn, growth and survival in the community, and the specific structure of that community, give rise to internal microenvironments that are experienced by cells within a biofilm. Mechanisms that tune biofilm developmental programs in response to redox conditions are not well understood. This is due to challenges presented by most popular laboratory models of biofilm formation, which are not amenable to perturbation, characterization at the microscale, or high-throughput screening or analysis. In this thesis, I describe a standardized colony morphology assay for the study of P. aeruginosa PA14 biofilm development and use this model to address fundamental questions about the relationships between electron acceptor availability, biofilm cell physiology, and the regulation of biofilm morphogenesis. In the colony morphology assay, PA14 grows as ~1cm-diameter biofilms on agar-solidified media under controlled conditions, and displays a developmental pattern that is predictably influenced by changes in redox conditions. Microscale heterogeneity in chemical ecology can be profiled using microelectrodes, and the effects of specific mutations on development can be rigorously tested through high-throughput screening and the application of metabolic assays directly to biofilm samples. Prior to the work described here, application of the colony morphology assay had revealed that endogenous redox-active antibiotics called phenazines influence PA14 biofilm development such that defects in phenazine production promote colony wrinkling and the formation of a distinct wrinkle pattern. As phenazines can act as alternate electron acceptors for cellular metabolism, this provided an early clue to the role of redox conditions in determining biofilm architecture. The introduction to this thesis (Chapter 1) provides an overview of observations in P. aeruginosa and other microbes, drawing parallels between the physiology of colony biofilm development across phylogeny and highlighting specific preliminary studies that hint at redox-sensing mechanisms and signaling pathways that drive community morphogenesis. The associated Appendix A examines the effects of CORM-2, a synthetic compound that releases the respiratory poison carbon monoxide, on P. aeruginosa biofilm development. The inhibitory effects of CORM-2 are ameliorated by reducing agents and increased availability of electron donors for P. aeruginosa metabolism. Chapter 2 describes the foundational characterization of the P. aeruginosa PA14 colony morphology assay model, which showed that colony wrinkling is invoked under high intracellular NADH levels and electron acceptor-limiting conditions, suggesting that it is an adaptive strategy to increase access to electron acceptor. The associated Appendices B and C describe (i) a mathematical modeling approach demonstrating that wrinkle geometry is indeed optimized for efficient access to electron acceptors, and (ii) a study investigating the effects of phenazine antibiotics on the multicellular development of a eukaryotic microbe. Chapter 3 details the identification and characterization of a candidate mediator of the multicellular response to electron acceptor availability in PA14 called RmcA. RmcA contains domains that have been implicated in redox-sensitive developmental control in eukaryotic systems and domains that modulate intracellular levels of cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP). C-di-GMP is an important secondary messenger that controls social behaviors, including the secretion of factors required for colony biofilm structure formation, in diverse bacteria. RmcA thus bridges the gap between sensing of redox signals and colony morphogenesis. Appendix D outlines my approaches to purification and attempts to crystallize this and one other protein contributing to PA14 redox-driven colony morphogenesis. Finally, Appendix E describes the role of another protein that modulates c-di-GMP in response to metabolite-dependent signaling and physiological effects during interactions between P. aeruginosa and the fungus C. albicans. Together, the findings presented in this thesis have expanded our knowledge about the role that redox chemistry plays in biofilm development

Development and preliminary validation of aculture-bound somatic symptom scale

Background: Culture specific psychosomatic symptoms such as “internal heat” are a common manifestation of psychological distress among Nigerians. However, instruments that include them in diagnostic endeavour are scarce.Aim: To develop and validate a new self-rating questionnaire based on psychosomatic symptoms peculiar in the local context, for the screening of Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) in Nigeria.Method: A preliminary stage which involved a review of the Enugu somatization scale (ESS), focus group discussion with Consultant psychiatrists and pretesting with 25 patients yielded an eight-item scale which was then tested in a two stage study. In the first stage, 230 subjects were recruited from patients attending the general outpatient clinic of the University of Calabar Teaching hospital using systematic sampling. The 8-item scale as well as the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was then administered. One hundred and thirty one subjects comprising those with positive scores on the GHQ-12 and a fifth of those with negative scores underwent a clinical interview to determine a diagnosis of somatic symptom disorder (SSD) following Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM 5) criteria. Data was analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 22.Results: The 8-item scale had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.78 with a sensitivity of 0.79, a specificity of 0.72 and a misclassification rate of 28% at an  optimized cut off of 3. Higher scorers on the scale were more likely to be cases at interview X2= 14.22 p < 0.001Conclusions: The 8 item Culture Bound Somatic Symptoms scale can be a useful screen for somatic symptom disorder among patients with culture specific psychosomatic symptoms. Further validation studies are however needed to reassess its psychometric properties.Key-words: Psychosomatic, culture bound, internal heat, validation, scal

Development and performance evaluation of a mini horizontal flash dryer

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a major staple crop in Nigeria, as cassava itself and its products are found in the daily meals of Nigerians. Currently, cassava crop is undergoing a transition from a mere subsistent crop found on the field of peasants to a commercial crop that will be grown in large quantities in plantations. A flash dryer was designed, fabricated, assembled and tested following the standard procedures. The flash dryer is a mechanized way of drying cassava mash for mass production of cassava flour, for flour mills, confectionery and pharmaceutical industries. The traditional method of producing cassava flour, results to low product quality and quantity for industrial usage because the mode of drying is dependent on climatic conditions and susceptible to contamination. The equipment was tested using already prepared cassava mash dewatered to a moisture content of 40%. Twenty five samples of this prepared cassava mash at varied temperatures of 70°C, 80°C, 90°C, 100°C and 110°C were subjected to different air velocities of 5 m/s, 10 m/s, 15 m/s, 20 m/s and 25 m/s. The equipment was fed at the rate of 60 kg/h. Air velocities of 5 m/s and 10 m/s were too low to convey the cassava mash and not all the material fed into the dryer went through. Air velocities of 20 m/s and 25 m/s were too high and do not allow enough drying time instead, the materials formed knots. Thus, these velocities and their corresponding temperatures were not appropriate for use in this dryer. At air velocity of 15 m/s all the materials went through and the combination of this velocity (15 m/s) with the air temperature of 90ºC the first constant moisture content of 12.4% was obtained. The same moisture content was also obtained at a temperature of 100°C and 110°C at air velocity of 15 m/s. The flash dryer is very effective in drying cassava mash; it can be used to dry products to safe storage moisture content level