From authority data, to linked open data and Wikidata: The case study of a Hebrew manuscript catalogue

Traditionally, library catalogues have served as a tool to manage library collections and as a bibliographic tool for information retrieval. Eventually this caused library catalogues to be data silos. In order to break down these metadata silos, the information must be accessible and free to use. The semantic web, and in particular, linked open data, are initiatives that can turn library catalogs into a real part of the Internet. Today libraries are an important player in the linked data arena. Converting catalogues to large linked data enables large-scale analysis of cultural heritage Big Data. By implementing linked data initiatives open library data is available for reuse in the information space. Libraries can share their open metadata with non-library communities. Wikidata is a collaboratively edited knowledge base hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. It is one central database of human knowledge which contains structured and linked data. If more collections will be added to this huge linked open network it will enable researchers to investigate and find new discoveries thereby revitalizing our cultural heritage data, which has been persevered in closed silos for hundreds of years. The potential in Wikidata for the information world in general and for libraries in particular is illustrated by research done on the National Library of Israel Hebrew manuscripts catalogue

Depiction of Jews in Classical Russian Literature

Depiction of Jewish characters in nineteenth century Russian literature has occupied the attention of numerous literary scholars and intellectuals throughout the years. Many attempts were made to tackle with the views of some of the greatest writers the world has known. Unlike other works in this field, that placed emphasis on providing examples as proof or disproof of alleged antisemitism, in this inquiry we are attempting to quantitively and visually show the extent of preoccupation by the various writers with Jews. For this purpose, we have utilized various tools commonly used by researchers in the field of Digital Humanities for Distant Reading, e.g., Topic Modeling and Sentiment Analysis in conjunction with Close Reading, the traditional method of analyzing texts. With 72% of all sentences in corpus classified as Negative and main topics suggesting Financial/Religious/Nationalistic motifs, there is a clear correlation between the definition of antisemitism as it was known in nineteenth century and the depiction of Jewish characters by the various writers of the era

Age-Related Differences in Motor Performance

The purpose of this work was to study the age effects on average performance and variability of movement responses in children, young adults, and older adults across multiple motor tasks. Optimal motor performance is observed in healthy young adults with declines observed at either end of the lifespan. This pattern has been represented as a U-shaped/inverted U-shaped curve. Little is known about if this pattern persists in chewing dynamics. While chewing has been found to improve aspects of attention, a cognitive function, research is limited on the relationship between chewing and other motor tasks. The first aim of this research was to conduct a scoping systematic review to identify what measures of variability are reported for preferred performance of chewing and walking in children, young adults, and older adults and the age-related differences across these age groups. The available research was insufficient across these groups and does not support the perspective that children and older adults are more variable than young adults. The second aim was to examine age-related differences in averages and variability of chewing, reaction time, balance, and walking responses across children, young adults, and older adults. A U-shaped curve was revealed for reaction time and postural sway with the young adults producing faster reaction times and decreased postural sway than the children and older adults. Chewing rates followed a similar curve but with children chewing at faster rates than young and older adults. No age-related differences were observed for normalized gait speed. The final aim was to examine dual task relationships between chewing and secondary motor tasks in children. Sixteen healthy children completed finger tapping, reaction time, and walking while chewing at different speeds. Chewing rates varied when produced with a secondary motor task and the secondary motor tasks were differentially influenced by chewing. Reaction times slowed during chewing while walking rates increased/decreased with changes in chewing rates. This relationship was not as strong as previous reports in adults. Overall, the anticipated patterns across the age groups were only partially revealed within this work. Understanding normal movement patterns is the foundation to identifying variations in atypical populations

A Comparison of Outcome Measures for Speech Motor Learning in Acquired Apraxia of Speech Using Motor Learning Guided Treatment

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate potential benefits of using a qualitative and quantitative outcome measure of articulation accuracy and suprasegmental characteristics in isolation for speech motor learning in acquired apraxia of speech (AOS). Methods: Baseline, retention, and maintenance measures from an oral reading task of 2 speakers with chronic AOS and aphasia were rated using an 11-point multidimensional rating scale accounting for articulation and immediacy and a hybrid scale measuring number of correctly produced words, presence of distortions in correctly produced words, and immediacy of the production. Participants received motor learning guided treatment two days a week for eighteen sessions. Results: The multidimensional rating scale and the hybrid scale comparably represented speech motor changes related to articulation accuracy and immediacy of the production across the duration of the intervention. The hybrid scale provided a sensitive measure for individual differences in immediacy and presence of distortions not represented in the multidimensional rating scale. Conclusions: The results of this pilot study provide evidence to support the benefit of using a qualitative and quantitative outcome measure for speech motor changes in acquired AOS. The individual differences identified through the hybrid scale have clinical and research implications

Effects of Increased Attention Allocation on Postural Stability Related to History of Concussion

Postural instability is among the most common symptoms associated with concussion. However, clinical screenings for concussion are heavily reliant on self-reports of cognitive symptoms such as nausea and headache to determine if a full recovery has been achieved. The objective of this study was to determine if impairments of postural stability that are associated with the acute stages of concussion persist beyond the current clinical standards for determination of recovery from concussion. Fifty-four healthy participants were recruited for the study and divided based on whether they reported having no history of concussion (n = 27) or whether they had been previously diagnosed with one or more concussions (n = 27). Individuals reporting a history of concussion averaged 2.26 (± 1.40) diagnoses and 6.91 (± 5.67) years since their most recent injury. Postural stability was assessed by having all participants stand on a force plate in order to track the center-of-pressure of their standing sway on both one and two legs, and under a single and dual-task condition implemented in the form of a concurrent cognitive task. Results revealed that individuals with a prior history of concussion exhibited greater postural sway displacement in the anterior-posterior (AP) plane (p = 0.033) as well as greater elliptical area of sway (p = 0.01) and reductions in sway regularity (p = 0.008) under dual-task conditions compared to individuals reporting no history of concussion. These findings indicate that balance impairments associated with concussion persist well beyond the resolution of cognitive symptoms. In particular, the results suggest that damage to neural tissue sustained from a concussion can impair an individual’s ability to allocate attention to multiple tasks at once and that these deficits can remain for years following the initial injury.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2020_healthsciences/1003/thumbnail.jp

Chewing Speed Does Not Follow Typical Patterns of Motor Slowing with Age

Aging adults experience gradual structural changes in nerve and muscle tissues that impair their ability to exploit speed as an effective movement strategy. The aim of the study was to examine whether chewing rates demonstrate a level of age-related neuromotor decline similar to other motor tasks. Fifteen young (20-40 years) and fifteen healthy older adults (60+ years) completed a battery of motor tasks including: walking, finger tapping, simple reaction time, postural sway, and chewing. Gait metrics were collected using a 20-foot pressure-sensitive walkway. All walking was performed at a preferred speed. Participants tapped an accelerometer affixed to a table at a preferred rate. Upper extremity reaction time was recorded by depressing a mouse button with an associated timing mechanism, whereas a similar foot pedal interface was used to measure lower extremity reaction time. Postural sway data was collected using a force plate. Surface electromyography of the masseter was used to record fast(2Hz), slow(1Hz), and preferred chewing rates. Fast and slow chewing rates were set using an auditory metronome which was switched off during recording. Age comparisons for each task were performed using general linear modeling, with additional considerations for chewing speed effects and interactions for the chewing task. The results reveal that older adults demonstrate a general slowing of movement with the exception of chewing speed which appears to be preserved with aging. Regardless of age, preferred chewing rates were nearly identical. Preservation of chewing rates compared to other motor tasks may be due to the difference in anatomical innervation between muscles of mastication and the limbs. Masticatory muscles receive bilateral innervation including ipsilateral and contralateral inputs from the motor cortices, whereas limb muscles receive mainly unilateral innervation from the contralateral cortex. The neural redundancy may preserve chewing rates despite age-related degradation of the system.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/health_sciences/1009/thumbnail.jp

Genetic Analysis of Effect of Heat Stress on Genomic DNA from Cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp.)

Aims: Genetic analysis was used to study the effect of heat st ress on young seedlings of cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp.). Study Design: Four different colors of cowpea seeds (white, dirty w hite, deep brown and light brown) were obtained from GeneBank of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, Nigeria. Seeds from each of the cowpea four colors we re first pre-germinated and young seedlings subjected to DNA extraction. Extracted DNA subjected to different temperature treatments at 75°C and 100°C for one hour and control not heated. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Chemical Sciences Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti, Nigeria between January 2015 and June 2015. Methodology: UV wavelength absorption spectrum analysis (A 200 – A 960 ) was carried out on control DNA and DNA heated at 75°C and 100°C respectively. Cl uster analysis of optical density (OD) data was carried out to establish the relationship between co ntrol DNA and heat treated DNA (75°C and 100°C). Results: DNA concentrations of Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp. were between 0.40 to 1.15 mg/ml, 0.33 to 0.84 mg/ml, and 0.26 to 0.89 mg/ml for control a nd heat treatments of 75°C and 100°C respectively. DNA UV absorption spectra of control and heat treatments of 75°C and 100°C were generally different due to differential UV wavelengt h absorption. Cluster analysis revealed three different clusters (cluster 1, cluster 2 and cluster 3) among control DNA and heat treated DNA. Cluster 1 comprised of V1-control, V1-75°C and V1-10 0°C, with V1-75°C and V1-100°C having similar characters. Cluster 2 was made up of V4-control, V4-75°C and V4-100°C, with V4-75°C and V4-100°C having the same characters. Cluster 3 was largel y characterized by dissimilar DNA extracts of V3-75°C, V2-control, V3-100°C, V2-100°C, V 3-control and V2-75°C. Conclusion: Genetic diversity among individual Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp. accession DNA as obtained in this study could possibly be as a result of variations in heat tolerance among dissimilar cowpea genomic composition