Who's looking out for aging doctors susceptible to cognitive decline?

Law professor at Case Western Reserve University says that state medical boards need to better identify clinicians with cognitive decline

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

Sharona Hoffman, the Edgar A. Hahn Professor of Law 

and co-director of the Law-Medicine Center 
Credit: Case Western Reserve University

Older physicians benefit from their many years of experience and the skills they have developed over decades of practice. At the same time, they may be at risk of cognitive decline, raising concerns about job performance deficits.

That’s according to Sharona Hoffman, the Edgar A. Hahn Professor of Law and co-director of the Law-Medicine Center, who said that state medical boards have a role to play in identifying clinicians with cognitive decline.

In an article “Physicians and Cognitive Decline: A Challenge for State Medical Boards,” published in Journal of Medical Regulation, she discusses what state medical boards currently do in this regard and analyzes whether they should do more. It also discusses relevant legal constraints and ethical obligations.

The article ultimately concludes that state medical boards would be wise to adopt late career screening programs that are carefully designed to balance the interest of clinicians and patient safety.

“Such programs could be implemented only after experts determine which preliminary tests and more comprehensive follow-up tests can best identify job-related cognitive impairment and at what age the testing program should commence,” she wrote. “Any testing program would have to include due process protections, efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to facilitate job performance, and a public relations campaign to build support among clinicians and professional organizations.”

Although the article focuses on state medical boards, its analysis and recommendation are relevant to all state licensing boards that oversee health care providers.

This article follows an article Hoffman published in the spring in the Wake Forest Law Review, entitled “Cognitive Decline and the Workplace.” That article explores the topic of cognitive decline more generally and analyzes what employers can and cannot do to address concerns about it in the workforce.

Musical tests can detect mental deterioration in old age

Integration of music with analysis of electrical brain activity

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TEL-AVIV UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: NETA MAIMON view more 

CREDIT: TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a method that employs musical tests and a portable instrument for measuring brain activity to detect cognitive decline in old age. According to the researchers, the method, which is based on the measurement of 15 minutes of electrical activity in the brain while performing simple musical tasks, can be easily implemented by any staff member in any clinic, without requiring special training. The researchers: “Our method enables routine monitoring and early detection of cognitive decline in order to provide treatment and prevent rapid, severe deterioration. Prophylactic tests of this kind are commonly accepted for a variety of physiological problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure or breast cancer; however, to date no method has yet been developed to enable routine, accessible monitoring of the brain for cognitive issues.” The researchers further note that tests of this kind are particularly important in light of increasing longevity and associated growth of the elderly population.

The study was led at Tel Aviv University by PhD student Neta Maimon from the School of Psychological Sciences and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, and Lior Molcho from Neurosteer Ltd, headed by Prof. Nathan Intrator from the Blavatnik School of Computer Science and the Sagol School of Neuroscience. Other participants included: Adi Sasson, Sarit Rabinowitz, and Noa Regev-Plotnick from the Dorot-Netanya Geriatric Medical Center. The article was published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.

As part of the study, the researchers developed a groundbreaking method combining a portable device for the measurement and innovative analysis of electroencephalography (EEG), developed by Neurosteer, and a short musical test of about 12-15 minutes, developed by Neta Maimon. During the test, the subject is connected to the portable EEG device by means of a adhesive band with only three electrodes attached to the forehead. The subject performs a series of musical-cognitive tasks according to audible instructions given automatically through earphones. The tasks include short melodies played by different instruments, with the subjects instructed to perform various tasks on them at varying levels of difficulty. For example, pressing a button each time any melody is played or pressing it only when the violin plays. In addition, the test includes several minutes of musically guided meditation designed to bring the brain to a resting state, as this state is known to indicate cerebral functioning in various situations.

Neta Maimon, who specializes in musical cognition, explains that music has great influence on different centers in the brain. On the one hand, music is known to be a quick mood stimulant, particularly of positive emotion. On the other hand, in different situations, music can be cognitively challenging, activating the frontal parts of the brain, especially if we try to concentrate on different aspects of the music, and at the same time perform a particular task.

According to Maimon, if we combine these two capabilities, we can create cognitive tests that are quite complex, yet also pleasant and easy to perform. Furthermore, music that is positive and reasonably rhythmic will enhance concentration and performance of the task. Thus, for example, the famous “Mozart effect,” showing improved performance on intelligence tests after listening to Mozart’s music, actually has nothing to do with Mozart’s music, but rather the fact that music creates a positive mood and stimulates us to a state that is optimal for performing intelligence and creativity tests.

Accordingly, the researchers hypothesized that with musical tools, it would also be possible to challenge the subjects to an extent that would enable testing of the brain’s frontal activity as well as raising their spirits, thus enhancing their performance on the test while the overall experience is pleasant.

The study included an experiment at the Dorot-Netanya Geriatric Medical Center. Neta Maimon: “Anyone hospitalized at Dorot, or any other geriatric rehabilitation institution, undergoes a standard test called “mini-mental,” designed to evaluate their cognitive condition as a routine part of the intake process. The test is conducted by an occupational therapist specially trained for it, and includes a variety of tasks. For example, enumerating the days of the week or months of the year backwards. In this test, up to 30 points can be accrued. A high score indicates normal cognition.

The experiment included the testing of 50 elderly people hospitalized at Dorot who scored 18-30 on the mini-mental test, indicating various levels of cognitive functioning. The participants performed the musical-cognitive tasks, administered automatically. The EEG device registered the electrical activity in the brain during the activity, with the results analyzed using machine learning technology. This allowed mathematical indices to be identified that were precisely correlated with the mini-mental test scores; in other words, we obtained new neuro-markers (brain markers) that may stand alone as indices of the subject’s cognitive status.

Maimon adds: “We have actually succeeded in illustrating that music is indeed an effective tool for measuring brain activity. The brain activity and response times to tasks correlated to the subjects’ cerebral conditions (correlating to the mini-mental score assigned to them). More importantly, all those who underwent the experiment reported that, on the one hand, it challenged the brain, but on the other it was very pleasant to perform”.

The researchers conclude: “Our method enables the monitoring of cognitive capability and detection of cognitive decline already in the early stages. all by simple and accessible means, with a quick and easy test that can be conducted in any clinic. This method is of special importance today due to the increase in longevity and accelerated population growth, particularly among the elderly. Today, millions of people around the world already suffer or are liable to suffer soon from cognitive decline and its dire consequences, and their number will only increase in the coming decades. Our method could pave the way towards efficient cognitive monitoring of the general population, and thus detect cognitive decline in its early stages, when treatment and prevention of severe decline are possible. It is therefore expected to improve the quality of life of millions around the world.”

Keren Primor Cohen, CEO, Ramot at TAU: “We are pleased that a company based on a technology developed at TAU continues its collaboration on creative and multidisciplinary research.

Ramot will continue to promote and invest in novel technologies, as well as help TAU researchers to maximize their research’s potential.”

Link to the article:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.773692/full

JOURNAL

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

DOI   10.3389/fnagi.2022.773692 

ARTICLE TITLE

Single-Channel EEG Features Reveal an Association With Cognitive Decline in Seniors Performing Auditory Cognitive Assessment

Mental impairment plea casts shadow over defendant’s future: study

Public perceptions can prejudice treatment after

sentencing

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: DR MELISSA DE VEL-PALUMBO, FLINDERS UNIVERSITY CRIMINOLOGIST view more 

CREDIT: FLINDERS UNIVERSITY

The defence of mental impairment gives a defendant reasons for their crime to be forgiven, but such a plea can have lingering negative effects on a person’s social standing and even civil rights, a new study led by Flinders University finds.

A defendant’s plea of reduced agency as a defence against criminal responsibility can lead to the person being seen as less morally deserving of certain rights in the community, Australian and US experts say in a new article in PLOS ONE.

“We argue that although this strategy may help defendants evade blame, it may carry longer-term consequences because lay people in society often perceive a person’s agency can be linked to some of the moral rights they grant them,” says first author Dr Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, from the Flinders University College of Business, Government and Law.

“After serving their sentence, people who have used this defence can be given fewer rights, as reduced agency can be perceived as increased dangerousness .

“This was observed through a range of different types of mental impairment, offences and sentences, and have broad implications for the legal and justice system – and defendants.”

For example, a person using a defence of mental impairment may be subjected to exclusionary policies and treatment, making it harder for them to reintegrate into the community.

Using online vignette scenarios, the analysis examined randomised responses from 1600 people to assess lay perceptions of a hypothetical defence of mental impairment to reduce their level of responsibility and punishment relative to a guilty plea.

“The research also speaks to broader philosophical questions of who is granted moral standing in the community, and why,” says Dr de Vel-Palumbo.

“Typically, we see vulnerable people as needing protection – but not in this case.”

However co-author Dr Rose Ferguson, from the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at Federation University, says the study also found a possible ways to mitigate the negative effect of the mental impairment defence on moral rights.

“When participants are given information that a defendant using this defence had subsequently engaged in treatment and was able to manage their illness independently, they were perceived as higher in agency and more worthy of rights,” says Dr Ferguson.

“This could suggest that providing the community with information about successful treatment outcomes may increase acceptance of defendants who had been found not criminally responsible for their actions due to mental impairment.”

The article, ‘Morally excused but socially excluded: Denying agency through the defense of mental impairment’ (2022) by Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Rose Ferguson, Chelsea Schein, Melissa Xue-Ling Chang and Brock Bastian has been published in PLOS ONE doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272061

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JOURNAL

PLoS ONE

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0272061 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Morally excused but socially excluded: Denying agency through the defense of mental impairment

Study finds newest generation of post-9/11 U.S. veterans experience similar, better outcomes than non-veterans in many aspects of their lives

First study to provide a holistic examination of how the health, vocational, financial and social well-being of the newest generation of U.S. military Veterans compared with non-veteran peers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

(Boston)—Prior research has examined how the post-military health and well-being of both the larger veteran population and earlier veterans differs from non-veterans. However, no study to date has provided a holistic examination of how the health, vocational, financial and social well-being of the newest generation of post-9/11 U.S. military veterans compares with their non-veteran peers.

Now a new study has found that these Veterans report similar or better outcomes than non-veterans in a number of life domains. This includes greater engagement in a number of positive health behaviors and better outcomes on some aspects of social well-being than non-Veterans.  

“The finding that post-9/11 Veterans reported greater engagement in some health-promoting behaviors is particularly interesting given that this finding contrasts with research on the Veteran population as a whole (including Veterans who served before 9/11),” explains corresponding author Dawne S. Vogt, PhD, research scientist in the Women’s Health Sciences Division, National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System and professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.

U.S. Veterans post-9/11 and non-veterans reported on their health and broader well-being as part of a confidential web-based survey in 2018. Although the researchers found that post-9/11 men and women veterans experienced poorer health status than non-Veterans, they reported greater engagement in a number of positive health behaviors (healthy eating and exercise) and were more likely to indicate having access to health care. Veterans also endorsed greater social well-being than non-veterans on several outcomes, whereas few differences were observed in vocational and financial well-being.

“Despite their greater vulnerability to experiencing health conditions, the newest generation of post-9/11 U.S. Veterans report experiencing similar or better outcomes than non-Veterans in many aspects of their lives. These findings underscore the value of examining a wider range of health and well-being outcomes in Veteran research and highlight a number of important directions for intervention, public health education, policy and research related to the reintegration of military veterans within broader civilian society,” said Vogt.

According to the researchers, the finding that post-9/11 veterans reported poorer health status than their peers, while not surprising due to their potential exposure to health risks in the military, supports the need for continued investment in the provision of high-quality health care in both the VA and community-based health-care settings. “Given that post-9/11 Veterans reported greater engagement in some health-promoting behaviors than their non-Veteran peers (diet, physical activity, and strength training), these efforts should also focus on preventing declines in veterans’ engagement in health-promoting behaviors as they move through their life course,” she added. In addition, findings support the need for greater attention to veterans’ strengths, as well as their vulnerabilities, in both research and public education efforts.

These findings appear online in the journal Social Science and Medicine – Population Health.

This material is based upon work supported by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration, Patient Care Services, Health Outcomes Military Exposures Epidemiology Program.

Vogt D., Borowski S., Maguen S., Blosnich J.R., Hoffmire C.A., Bernhard P.A., Iverson K.M. & Schneiderman A., Strengths and vulnerabilities: Comparing post-9/11 U.S. veterans’ and non-veterans’ perceptions of health and broader well-being, SSM - Population Health (2022), doi: https:// doi.org/10.10

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JOURNAL

Social Science & Medicine

DOI

10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101201 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Strengths and vulnerabilities: Comparing post-9/11 U.S. veterans’ and non-veterans’ perceptions of health and broader well-being

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

11-Aug-2022

NUS researchers invent self-charging, ultra-thin device that generates electricity from air moisture

Using sea salt as an eco-friendly moisture absorbent, this rechargeable fabric-like ‘battery’ provides higher electrical output than a conventional AA battery – potentially powering everyday electronics

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

 

IMAGE: ASSISTANT PROFESSOR TAN SWEE CHING (CENTRE), TOGETHER WITH DR ZHANG YAOXIN (LEFT) AND MR QU HAO (RIGHT), FROM NUS DEPARTMENT OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING HAVE DEVELOPED A SELF-CHARGING FABRIC THAT GENERATES ELECTRICITY FROM AIR MOISTURE. view more 

CREDIT: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

Imagine being able to generate electricity by harnessing moisture in the air around you with just everyday items like sea salt and a piece of fabric, or even powering everyday electronics with a non-toxic battery that is as thin as paper. A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) College of Design and Engineering (CDE) has developed a new moisture-driven electricity generation (MEG) device made of a thin layer of fabric - about 0.3 millimetres (mm) in thickness - sea salt, carbon ink, and a special water-absorbing gel.

The concept of MEG devices is built upon the ability of different materials to generate electricity from the interaction with moisture in the air. This area has been receiving growing interest due to its potential for a wide range of real-world applications, including self-powered devices such as wearable electronics like health monitors, electronic skin sensors, and information storage devices.

Key challenges of current MEG technologies include water saturation of the device when exposed to ambient humidity and unsatisfactory electrical performance. Thus, the electricity generated by conventional MEG devices is insufficient to power electrical devices and is also not sustainable.

To overcome these challenges, a research team led by Assistant Professor Tan Swee Ching from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering under CDE devised a novel MEG device containing two regions of different properties to perpetually maintain a difference in water content across the regions to generate electricity and allow for electrical output for hundreds of hours.

This technological breakthrough was published in the print version of scientific journal Advanced Materials on 26 May 2022.

The new moisture-driven electricity generation (MEG) device invented by researchers from the National University of Singapore capitalises on the difference in moisture content of the wet and dry regions of the carbon-coated fabric to create an electric current. Sea salt is used as a moisture absorbent for the wet region.

CREDIT

National University of Singapore

Long-lasting, self-charging fabric-based ‘battery’

The NUS team’s MEG device consists of a thin layer of fabric which was coated with carbon nanoparticles. In their study, the team used a commercially available fabric made of wood pulp and polyester.

One region of the fabric is coated with a hygroscopic ionic hydrogel, and this region is known as the wet region. Made using sea salt, the special water-absorbing gel can absorb more than six times its original weight, and it is used to harvest moisture from the air.

“Sea salt was chosen as the water-absorbing compound due to its non-toxic properties and its potential to provide a sustainable option for desalination plants to dispose of the generated sea salt and brine,” shared Asst Prof Tan.

The other end of the fabric is the dry region which does not contain a hygroscopic ionic hydrogel layer. This is to ensure that this region is kept dry and water is confined to the wet region.

Once the MEG device is assembled, electricity is generated when the ions of sea salt are separated as water is absorbed in the wet region. Free ions with a positive charge (cations) are absorbed by the carbon nanoparticles which are negatively charged. This causes changes to the surface of the fabric, generating an electric field across it. These changes to the surface also give the fabric the ability to store electricity for use later. 

Using a unique design of wet-dry regions, NUS researchers were able to maintain high water content in the wet region and low water content in the dry region. This will sustain electrical output even when the wet region is saturated with water. After being left in an open humid environment for 30 days, water was still maintained in the wet region demonstrating the effectiveness of the device in sustaining electrical output.

“With this unique asymmetric structure, the electric performance of our MEG device is significantly improved in comparison with prior MEG technologies, thus making it possible to power many common electronic devices, such as health monitors and wearable electronics,” explained Asst Prof Tan.

The team’s MEG device also demonstrated high flexibility and was able to withstand stress from twisting, rolling, and bending. Interestingly, its outstanding flexibility was shown by the researchers by folding the fabric into an origami crane which did not affect the overall electrical performance of the device.

The new moisture-driven electricity generation (MEG) device invented by researchers from the National University of Singapore can withstand twisting, rolling and bending. A small piece of the MEG device can generate up to 0.7 volts of electricity for over 150 hours.

CREDIT

National University of Singapore

Portable power supply and more

The MEG device has immediate applications due to its ease of scalability and commercially available raw materials. One of the most immediate applications is for use as a portable power source for mobile powering electronics directly by ambient humidity.

“After water absorption, one piece of power-generating fabric that is 1.5 by 2 centimetres in size can provide up to 0.7 volts (V) of electricity for over 150 hours under a constant environment,” said research team member Dr Zhang Yaoxin.

The NUS team has also successfully demonstrated the scalability of its new device in generating electricity for different applications. The NUS team connected three pieces of the power-generating fabric together and placed them into a 3D printed case that was the size of a standard AA battery. The voltage of the assembled device was tested to reach as high as 1.96V – higher than a commercial AA battery of about 1.5V – which is enough to power small electronic devices such as an alarm clock.

The scalability of the NUS invention, the convenience of obtaining commercially available raw materials as well as the low fabrication cost of about S$0.15 per metre square make the MEG device suitable for mass production.

"Our device shows excellent scalability at a low fabrication cost. Compared to other MEG structures and devices, our invention is simpler and easier for scaling-up integrations and connections. We believe it holds vast promise for commercialisation," shared Asst Prof Tan.

The researchers have filed a patent for the technology and are planning to explore potential commercialisation strategies for real-world applications.

View video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WOh-trN9cw

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JOURNAL

Advanced Materials

DOI

10.1002/adma.202201228 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

An Asymmetric Hygroscopic Structure for Moisture-Driven Hygro-Ionic Electricity Generation and Storage

Despite fears, 3D printing has positive effects on global trade

Research from UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy finds the technology is a boon to trade, allowing participating countries to provide higher income and more opportunities to their people

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN DIEGO

3D printing technology enables economies to produce goods locally, so conventional wisdom has been that it would dramatically reduce international trade; however, new University of California San Diego and World Bank research presents robust evidence that 3D printing expanded trade.

The paper coauthored by Caroline Freund, economist and dean of the School of Global Policy and Strategy, finds that 3D printing changed production processes, but supply chains remained intact. The study is the first to examine the impact 3D printing has on trade.

Published in the Journal of International Economics, the paper looks at the production of hearing aids—a good most commonly produced by 3D printing.

The results reveal that the shift to 3D printing led to a doubling or near doubling in producers’ exports after five years and the technology was the main cause for the rise in exports.

Freund and co-coauthors also examined 35 other products, such as running shoes, aircraft parts and prosthetic limbs that are increasingly being 3D printed and they found similar patterns.

“The technology is a boon, not a curse to trade,” Freund said. “A country’s exports of hearing aids increased more than trade in other similar goods following the adoption of 3D printing by manufacturers there. The new production technology in combination with trade means that consumers around the world suffering hearing loss are benefitting from better and often cheaper hearing aids.” 

One reason behind the expansion is that printing hearing aids in high volumes requires a large investment in technology and machinery. The countries that were early innovators—Denmark, Switzerland and Singapore—dominate exports of the good, while middle-income economies such as China, Mexico and Vietnam also have been able to substantially increase their market shares.

In addition, hearing aids are lightweight products, which makes them fairly cheap to ship internationally. The same is true for the other products the authors examined—lighter products are associated with more trade growth.

These results are based on comparisons of the growth of the 3D printed products to other similar goods. The authors also accounted for trends and other factors that could skew the data. 

“Policymakers often view 3D printing as a means to shorten supply chains when in fact it is more likely to enhance trade and reshape supply chains,” said Freund, former global director of Trade, Investment and Competitiveness at the World Bank.

While the analysis of 3D printing’s impact on trade is positive, it has the possibility of being short-lived. If 3D printers become more accessible to local producers or even consumers in some sectors, production could be more localized, hindering development opportunities through trade.

The study “Is 3D printing a threat to global trade? The trade effects you didn’t hear about” is coauthored by Alan Mulabdic, economist for the Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions’ Chief Economist’s Office at the World Bank, and Michele Ruta, lead economist at the World Bank.

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JOURNAL

Journal of International Economics

DOI

10.1016/j.jinteco.2022.103646 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Is 3D printing a threat to global trade? The trade effects you didn't hear about

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Sep-2022

NTU Singapore to launch centre for blockchain research, supported by Algorand Foundation’s US$50 million program

New masters and minors in blockchain technology launched

Business Announcement

NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: ACE@NTU DIRECTOR PROFESSOR WEN YONGGANG (LEFT) AND CO-DIRECTOR PROFESSOR BOH WAI FONG (RIGHT), WHO WILL SPEARHEAD RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN BLOCKCHAIN AT NTU. THE CENTRE WILL PROMOTE AND ACCELERATE THE GROWTH OF A ALGORAND BLOCKCHAIN ECOSYSTEM IN THE REGION. view more 

CREDIT: NTU SINGAPORE

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has been selected by Algorand Foundation, the world’s most green and secure blockchain ecosystem, to host a new research and education centre aimed at developing and advancing blockchain technologies.

Known as the Algorand Centre of Excellence at NTU (ACE@NTU), NTU is one of 10 new Algorand Centres of Excellence (ACE) established earlier this month.

NTU is the only lead organisation in Asia to be selected for this US$50 million programme and joins other top universities such as UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, Yale University and Purdue University, to name a few.

Algorand was first established by Professor Silvio Micali from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2017. It is a fully decentralised, secure, and scalable blockchain that provides a common platform for building products and services for a borderless economy.

The aim of the ACE programme is to establish a global network of blockchain and cryptocurrency research and education centres that advances collaborative, multidisciplinary, and cutting-edge knowledge and technology.

Over the next five years, ACE@NTU aims to become the nexus for blockchain education and research as well as foster a vibrant ecosystem to advance blockchain development and adoption in Singapore and the region.

NTU Deputy President and Provost Prof Ling San said blockchain is a rapidly evolving field where NTU faculty have made research breakthroughs, and in which industry is very keen to collaborate and build up expertise.

“As a world-leading University with deep expertise in computer science and related fields, we now aim to groom a pool of talent in blockchain for Singapore. Through research, new programmes and upgrading courses, NTU will equip undergraduates, postgraduates and industry professionals with cutting-edge blockchain knowledge and know-how, in order to accelerate industry adoption of the technology,” Prof Ling said.

ACE@NTU will also develop real-world blockchain applications in collaboration with industry partners, which will have societal, sustainability and economic for Singapore and the region.

“We are thrilled to have NTU researchers and their collaborators elsewhere be part of the ACE programme”, underlines Hugo Krawczyk, Head of the ACE Programme. “They bring blockchain expertise and blockchain community outreach in Singapore and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) sphere. Their focus on interdisciplinary research, education and community reflect the very priorities of the ACE programme."

The research conducted at ACE@NTU will be interdisciplinary, ranging from engineering and computer science to economics and business, says NTU Senior Vice President (Research) Lam Khin Yong.

“As part of NTU 2025 strategic plan to develop new technologies that can solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges, a key focus for ACE@NTU will be to develop real-world applications based on blockchain in collaboration with industry partners, which will have societal, sustainability and economic impact for Singapore and the region,” adds Prof Lam. 

There are five initial blockchain research projects, of which one of them is SGVerse – a metaverse platform for smart grid technologies to be tested out across the world. Two other projects include blockchain implementation for enterprise use, and blockchain-powered machine learning for financial data management.

To facilitate exchange and cooperation among leading institutes and to promote the use of blockchain technology among key decision makers and the public, an International Blockchain Technical Alliance will also be set up by ACE@NTU.

NTU will also look to nurture new talents in the field through a new Master of Science in Blockchain postgraduate programme and a Minor in Blockchain for undergraduates.

These modules will educate students on Algorand-related technology and content, with hands-on experience on its blockchain platform, promoting awareness and adoption of Algorand technology in the ecosystem. 

Plans are also in the works to develop these modules into bite-sized courses that can be combined to achieve a FlexiMaster or micro-credentials, with Continuing Education & Training (CET) courses made online for learners all over the world.

The NTU Smart Campus will provide an ideal test-bed for the new solutions that result from the Centre’s education, research and innovation activities.

As an open-testbed, NTU will establish an “Innovation Sandbox” for blockchain, providing an environment where appropriate safeguards are in place and specific legal and regulatory requirements are relaxed for new blockchain technologies to be test-bedded and validated. This sandbox will then help to accelerate industry uptake and commercialisation of blockchain technologies.

Leading these efforts at ACE@NTU will be Director Professor Wen Yonggang, who is the Associate Dean (Research) at NTU’s College of Engineering, and Co-Director Professor Boh Wai Fong, the Deputy Dean at the Nanyang Business School.

“Through our new education programmes, we hope to provide a pool of workforce ready talent trained in blockchain for Singapore, while the research arm will provide a steady stream of blockchain innovations for real-world applications and serve to inspire greater interest in blockchain amongst the NTU community and general public,” said Prof Wen, who won the Digital Achiever Award at the Singapore Computer Society Tech Leader Awards 2022 earlier this year. 

“We hope to establish the ACE@NTU as the epicentre of pioneering blockchain research, knowledge creation and innovation, catalysing blockchain adoption for socio-economic impact for Singapore, ASEAN and beyond, to achieve the vision set out by the Algorand Foundation – to raise and nurture diverse, courageous generations of blockchain natives who can create, build and manage and innovate across all geographies.”

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Preschoolers with larger vocabulary before they begin education, perform better in class – study shows

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP

Children who enter preschool with good vocabulary and attention skills do better in class, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Early Education and Development.

The findings based on 900 four-year-olds from eight US states show how a child’s ability to engage with teachers and peers is affected by the range of words they know.

The results also show that young children are more likely to get involved with classroom tasks if they have learned how to suppress inappropriate behavior and block out distracting thoughts and feelings.   

“This study demonstrated that the levels of vocabulary skills and inhibitory control that children exhibit in the fall (autumn) of the preschool years matter for their classroom engagement in different ways,” says lead author Qingqing Yang from The Ohio State University, Columbus, US.

“Children with lower inhibitory control and vocabulary skills appear to be at risk of displaying different kinds of non-engaging behaviors.

“This suggests that teachers need to be able to recognize who may be susceptible to more negative engagement. They also need to facilitate classroom engagement for all children.

“Given the large amount of time that children spend in the classroom, these findings have implications for optimizing children’s vocabulary and inhibitory control development.”

Preschool is defined as the years of informal education before primary school. Studies have shown that a child’s vocabulary skills during this time are critical for later academic success 

Also key is inhibitory control which is the ability to override the natural human response to distractions or stimulus and instead focus on achieving goals or tasks.

For this study, a total of 895 preschool children – including 443 girls and 452 boys – were recruited from diverse race and ethnic backgrounds, across 223 classrooms in 10 locations. 

The researchers assessed them when they started preschool in the fall and then again the following spring.  

To calculate skill levels, the researchers used several measures including the pencil tap test. This was used to assess inhibitory control – the child was instructed to tap once when the assessor tapped twice and vice versa.

For vocabulary, children were asked to name objects in pictures; and assessors rated classroom engagement with teachers, peers and tasks by spending 4 hours approx. observing each child individually.

Positive classroom engagement included sociability, communication, and self-reliance with tasks; and negative included conflict with teachers and peers as well as off-task behaviors. 

Results showed that children with stronger vocabulary skills at the start of the preschool year displayed more positive engagement with both their teachers and peers.

In addition, those with better inhibitory control had more positive engagement with tasks and less negative interaction in the classroom.

Conversely, the study suggests that negative engagement in the classroom shapes vocabulary learning. It creates the link between weak inhibitory control among children in the fall and poor skills in vocabulary and inhibitory control in the spring.

The authors say their findings are an important step forward given that ‘a small change in children’s skills and experiences’ early on can ‘improve or impair’ their chance of academic success long-term.

Potential implications for policymakers to consider, the authors report, include a need for better teacher training in order for them to identify, earlier on, at-risk pupils who lack these skills and provide the right support.

This could help children who have lower levels of inhibitory control and weaker vocabulary to thrive better once they enter formal education.

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JOURNAL

Early Education and Development

DOI

10.1080/10409289.2022.2105625 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Preschoolers’ vocabulary skills and inhibitory control: The role of classroom engagement

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

17-Aug-2022