Science Talks最新文献

{"title":"Bringing Motor Imagery BCI systems outside of the laboratory into daily activities","authors":"Sonal Santosh Baberwal,&nbsp;Shirley Coyle","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Motor Imagery Brain-Computer Interfaces(MI-BCIs) transform imagined movements into actionable control signals, enabling applications such as wheelchair navigation and robotic device operation. By leveraging the brain's ability to generate neural activity similar to actual movement during imagination, MI-BCIs hold great promise for assisting individuals with mobility impairments or neuromuscular disorders, such as spinal cord injuries. Despite decades of research, these systems remain confined to controlled laboratory environments due to technological, usability, and environmental challenges. This research aims to bridge the gap between laboratory and real-world applications by addressing key challenges at every stage, across the MI-BCI pipeline. Enhanced training methods using Virtual Reality(VR) were shown to significantly improve signal quality, as demonstrated in a study involving 21 participants. To simplify system setups, novel channel reduction techniques based on Fisher's ratio and Pearson's correlation identified optimal features, enabling reliable single-channel classification. Furthermore, integrating soft robotics as intuitive control interfaces for performing daily activities, such as pressing spray buttons, exemplifies potential for seamless human-machine interaction. By advancing training protocols, reducing complexity, and enhancing usability, this work brings MI-BCIs closer to real-world applications. These efforts aim to unlock MI-BCIs' transformative potential, empowering individuals with impaired mobility to regain independence and improve quality of life.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100420"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial audio signal processing for augmented telepresence applications","authors":"Thomas Deppisch","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100421","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100421","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift to remote communication, particularly through video calls, led to both opportunities and challenges. While initially a welcome alternative to in-person meetings, virtual gatherings became increasingly overwhelming, culminating in the term “zoom fatigue.” However, reduced travel highlighted the potential environmental benefits of online meetings. My PhD research focuses on improving the naturalness of remote communication to enhance the appeal of virtual meetings. Specifically, I develop signal processing techniques that preserve spatial and acoustic cues important for natural speech perception, such as the cocktail party effect. By modeling microphone array signals, particularly those integrated into smart glasses or augmented reality headsets, I estimate and apply spatial room transfer functions to create natural binaural audio experiences. My work also addresses challenges posed by head movement, using continuous-space domain estimation to update room transfer functions during head rotations. First results show the effectiveness of the method under controlled conditions. Future work will investigate the approach in more realistic scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100421"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating livelihood resilience in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's pastoral communities: Insights from an entropy-TOPSIS and geospatial analysis approach","authors":"Tong Li ,&nbsp;Lizhen Cui ,&nbsp;Zhihong Xu ,&nbsp;Xiaoyong Cui ,&nbsp;Yanfen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100416","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100416","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address the gap in evaluating herders' livelihood resilience with a comprehensive methodology, this research harnessed survey data from 758 pastoralists within the Three River Headwater Region (TRHR) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Augmented by focus group discussions and transect walks, we pioneered a livelihood resilience evaluation index that integrates key dimensions of buffer capacity, self-organization, and learning capacity, offering a holistic view of resilience factors. At the heart of our analytical approach is the entropy-TOPSIS method, utilized to dissect the livelihood resilience and sustainability of local herders, revealing intricate spatial resilience patterns through spatial autocorrelation analysis. This nuanced application allows for a detailed mapping of resilience across the TRHR, highlighting variances and spatial trends. Our findings illustrate a spectrum of resilience levels, with the Yellow River headwater area displaying a relative resilience zenith, indicated by a score of 0.931 in Zeku County, and a contrasting low in Yushu County with a resilience score of 0.532. This delineates a clear “high in the east and low in the west” resilience gradient across the counties, underpinned by significant differences in self-organization, buffer, and learning capacities among the pastoral communities. Employing a methodological framework that blends empirical data with advanced analytical tools like entropy-TOPSIS and spatial autocorrelation, this study not only unveils the layered resilience landscape within the TRHR but also contributes a methodological blueprint for future resilience assessments in similar pastoral ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100416"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Eco-innovativebreak through: Tamarindshell-derived silver nanoparticlesforadvancedwastewaterbacterialpurification","authors":"Alaknanda J. Adur ,&nbsp;Shilpashree Mayachar ,&nbsp;N. Nandhini ,&nbsp;Manjushree Mahadeva ,&nbsp;Raajasubramanian Devarajan ,&nbsp;Ramu Loganathan ,&nbsp;Narendra Kuppan","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100417","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100417","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Access to clean drinking water remains a critical global issue, with over one billion people lacking reliable sources, as highlighted by the World Health Organization in 2005. Bacterial contamination, which leads to severe diseases like cholera and typhoid, exacerbates this challenge. Recent advancements in nanotechnology, particularly the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in water purification, offer promising solutions due to their potent antibacterial properties. This study explores the green synthesis of AgNPs utilizing tamarind shell extract as both a reducing and capping agent. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), revealing a crystalline structure with particle sizes ranging from 10 to 100 nm. To enhance antibacterial efficacy, these AgNPs were integrated with activated carbon, forming a composite material. This composite achieved a 90 % reduction in microbial load during wastewater treatment, effectively mitigating foul odors and discoloration. Our results demonstrate that the integration of AgNPs with activated carbon not only addresses the limitations of conventional water purification methods but also offers a cost-effective and efficient approach to bacterial contamination control. This research highlights the potential of green-synthesized AgNPs as a sustainable solution for water and wastewater management, with broader implications for public health and environmental safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100417"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Challenges in academic performance among nursing students during flood disasters at a University in Dagupan City","authors":"Jordan Llego,&nbsp;Princess Erika Permison,&nbsp;Nicole Imbuido,&nbsp;Mikaella Concepcion,&nbsp;Lara Jane Caneja,&nbsp;Francine Joy Zaulda","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100418","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100418","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Disasters, both natural and human-made, universally affect communities and are recognized as major environmental and global challenges.</div></div><div><h3>Aim</h3><div>This study seeks to investigate the specific academic challenges faced by nursing students during flood disasters at a university in Dagupan City. It also seeks to compare the academic performance of these students during and after the flood season.</div></div><div><h3>Design</h3><div>Descriptive-comparative study.</div></div><div><h3>Settings</h3><div>A private university in Dagupan City, known for its flooding susceptibility, hosted the study.</div></div><div><h3>Participants</h3><div>A total of 236 nursing students participated in the study.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>For data collection, the study adopted a total enumeration approach, categorizing the data into archived and survey categories. The study utilized descriptive statistics like frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Paired sample <em>t</em>-tests were conducted to evaluate differences in academic performance during and after the flood.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Flood-related disruptions, including class suspensions and academic difficulties, affected many nursing students. The floods led to reduced study hours, unavoidable absences, and health risks, all of which detrimentally impacted their academic achievements. Additionally, transportation disruptions significantly hindered educational activities. After the disaster, the students' academic performance improved noticeably.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Flooding profoundly affects the educational journey of nursing students, impairing both their academic outcomes and overall health. Despite these challenges, the students demonstrated remarkable resilience by improving their academic performance post-disaster. This improvement underscores the importance of robust support systems, including disaster-related health education and flexible academic policies to manage unexpected disruptions. The observed post-flood academic recovery attests to the effectiveness of educational institutions' rehabilitation and support strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100418"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social, ecological and governance perspectives of small-scale fisheries wellbeing in marine protected areas of Malaysia","authors":"Gazi Md Nurul Islam ,&nbsp;Prateep Kumar Nayak","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100415","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100415","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The government of Malaysia has established several marine protected areas (MPAs) in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia since 1980s to protect overexploited fisheries resources and coral reefs habitat. Tourism industry generates substantial revenue from the islands in Malaysia. The “no take” MPAs are restricted for fishing activities. The main challenge is to how overexploited marine resources can be protected and restored for sustainable use. Several studies demonstrate that coral reefs and fisheries in MPA suffer from natural and anthropogenic disturbances mainly caused by increased tourism activities. This study examines how social and ecological factors are influenced by governance of MPA. The data for this study was obtained from face-to-face interviews with local people from two islands using a structured questionnaire. The results show that the governance factors contributed significantly to the ecological conditions of MPAs, indicating that governance factors play very important roles for enhancing coral health and fisheries resources. Local stakeholders' participation and cooperation could effectively protect the coral reef habitat for sustaining livelihoods of local people in the islands in Malaysia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100415"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing the comprehensibility of multidimensional phenomena: The optimal-entropy method for constructing composite indicators. A new index to measure the quality of the public health system in the municipalities of Minas Gerais","authors":"André Gomes Coimbra ,&nbsp;Matheus P. Libório ,&nbsp;Marcos Flávio S.V. D'Angelo ,&nbsp;Chris Brunsdon ,&nbsp;Paulo F. Carvalho ,&nbsp;Petr Ekel","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The analysis of multidimensional phenomena, such as the public health system, poses significant challenges due to the need to integrate and interpret data from different sources and natures, and composite indicators offer an aggregated and simplified view of the multidimensional phenomenon. This article proposes a method for constructing composite indicators using the optimal entropy technique, applied to the evaluation of the quality of the public health system in municipalities in Minas Gerais with more than 30 thousand inhabitants. The focus is on weighting, aiming to maximize the discrimination between the indicators, solving important problems presented by the traditional entropy weighting method. The approach uses the data entropy test and sequential quadratic programming for optimization. The results indicate that the use of linear entropy instead of Shannon entropy in the entropy test increases the variability and discriminant power of the indicators, contributing to a more accurate analysis of the quality of the public health system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100414"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lessepsian migration in the Mediterranean Sea in an era of climate change: Plague or boon?","authors":"Stelios Katsanevakis ,&nbsp;Athanasios Nikolaou ,&nbsp;Konstantinos Tsirintanis ,&nbsp;Gil Rilov","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100412","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100412","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The eastern Mediterranean Sea has suffered severe impacts from climate change, causing the decline of native biodiversity. Based on a global systematic review, we found that climate change has been the main driver of local extinctions globally since the 1990s; the eastern Mediterranean is flagged as an extinction hotspot. This region is also a bioinvasions hotspot with ca 1000 reported alien species, most thermophilic, introduced through the Suez Canal (Lessepsian migrants). Although Lessepsian species have been considered a plague for native biodiversity, their positive impacts are increasingly acknowledged. In a land-locked basin like the Mediterranean Sea, where species range shifts from lower latitudes are impossible, the Suez Canal acts as an artificial climatic corridor. Without Lessepsian species, the climate-driven loss of native biodiversity in the eastern Mediterranean would have led to the loss of ecological functions and services with devastating consequences for coastal communities. In that sense, Lessepsian species are considered a boon for fisheries and other ecosystem services. Hence, the ‘alien-bad, native-good’ notion in an era of global change is misleading. In the eastern Mediterranean Sea, a realistic conservation strategy is to focus on the protection of ecosystem functioning instead of the protection of native biodiversity, which will decline anyway.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100412"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tastebuds and unculi: The sensing and anchoring systems of torrential ichthyofauna","authors":"Gitartha Kaushik ,&nbsp;Manash Pratim Sarma ,&nbsp;Late Sunkam Narayan Iyengar Ramanujam ,&nbsp;Sabitry Bordoloi","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100413","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ultrasurface structure of the oromandibular area of hillstream fishes <em>Amblyceps arunachalense</em> Nath &amp; Dey, 1989; <em>Glyptothorax trilineatus</em> Blyth, 1860; <em>Balitora brucei</em> Gray, 1830; <em>Psilorhynchus balitora</em> (Hamilton, 1822), <em>Tariqilabeo latius</em> (Hamilton, 1822); <em>Garra gotyla</em> (Gray, 1830); <em>Pseudolaguvia ferula</em> Ng, 2006; and <em>Pseudolaguvia shawi</em> (Hora, 1921) collected from the Ranganadi river, a northern tributary of the river Brahmaputra of Assam is described in the current investigation. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) study of the oromandibular areas of these fishes revealed the presence of a series of punctuation elevation from the general body surface known as the tastebuds (TBs) responsible for chemoreception, mechanoreception and thermo sensing activities. In <em>B. brucei, A. arunachalense</em> and <em>G. trilineatus</em>; the TBs were found to have two types of microvillar projections which confirm to the characteristics of type II TBs or the light cells while type III TBs or intermediate cells were seen in <em>P. balitora</em>. Dark cells (type I) were not recorded in the fishes under this investigation. Another type of cell, the basal cells, without any apical microvilli, was also recorded on the surface of all the fishes. Several mucous pores were also recorded which secrete mucous that protect the fishes from desiccation and drying.</div><div>Different shaped unculi and breeding tubercles were recorded from <em>B. brucei; P. balitora; T. latius; G. gotyla; P. ferula</em>, and <em>P. shawi</em> which were found to be helpful during anchorage to the rocky substratum (Roberts, 1982).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100413"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The most appropriate method to obtain Euler’s F =ma (1776) from Principia’s Second Law (1686): A historical analysis","authors":"Ajay Sharma","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Newton initiated physics, wrote various laws in the Principia in 1686, and explained phenomena with geometrical methods. Newton did not give any quantitative measure of force for Principia’s Second Law (PSL) even by geometrical methods, further did not write F =ma due to conceptual limitations. Euler gave F =ma in 1776 in various stages (F =ma/n in 1736, F =2ma in 1749,1752, F =ma/2 g in 1765). Then succeeding scientists tried to obtain Euler’s F =ma from PSL by two methods. Firstly, the definition of the second law is arbitrarily changed in standard textbooks, and the secondly change in motion was expressed in different ways. However, both existing methods are inconsistent. Thus, to obtain F =ma logically, the PSL is purposely altered (PSL-Altered) i.e. <em>the rate of change of momentum is equal to the impressed force</em>. This method has two advantages. Firstly, the definition of PSL is not randomly changed in textbooks; secondly, ‘change in motion’ is not assumed to have different values that are dimensionally inconsistent. As Euler’s F =ma is obtained from PSL, thus both Newton and Euler get due credits. Euler’s F =ma is logically obtained from Newton’s PSL-Altered; it indicates the far-reaching importance of PSL.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100410"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}