Science Talks最新文献

{"title":"The transformation process as an adaptive cycle and its application to recovery from desertification in Shinyanga","authors":"Bryan Jenkins","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100398","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100398","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Using Holling's adaptive cycle, a framework for social-ecological system assessment and transformation is described. It includes assessments of disturbance beyond the biophysical system capacity to recover. This can trigger a transformation process for recovery with elements of an adaptive cycle: an exploitation phase of using human and economic resources, an accumulation phase of acquiring knowledge and social, cultural, and economic capital, a disturbance phase of formulating new approaches to biophysical system management, and a reorganization phase of developing new institutional arrangements. Management interventions are then implemented. These interventions relate to the four phases of the biophysical system adaptive cycle: reducing pressure on the resource in the exploitation phase, addressing legacy issues in the accumulation phase, increasing system resilience in the disturbance phase, and rehabilitating adverse effects in the reorganization phase. This framework is applied to woodland clearance to expand agriculture and eradicate tsetse fly that led to soil erosion and desertification in Shinyanga, Tanzania. After centralized attempts at restoration failed, the program manager worked in partnership with local farmers and incorporated traditional knowledge and institutions. The transformation led to woodland restoration and increased ecosystem services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100398"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142416680","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":"Machine learning algorithms to forecast wet-period rainfall using climate indices in Northern Territory of Australia","authors":"Rashid Farooq ,&nbsp;Monzur Alam Imteaz ,&nbsp;Donghui Shangguan ,&nbsp;Kamila Hlavčová","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100397","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100397","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate rainfall prediction is crucial for understanding and managing a region's social and agricultural environment. As a key indicator of climate change, natural disasters, and local geography, rainfall data empowers us to make informed decisions for various beneficial purposes. Machine learning offers powerful tools for improving rainfall prediction accuracy and estimation capabilities. This study examines how multiple climate indices simultaneously influence wet-period rainfall patterns at two Northern Territory (NT) stations, Hermannsburg and Undoolya. We selected two machine learning models, Random Forest (RF) for its robustness and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) for its ability to capture temporal patterns, to investigate these relationships. For this purpose, a variety of input sets, including lagged Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO), were proposed and utilized to calibrate and validate, RF and LSTM Models. Our analysis revealed that large-scale climate factors like IOD, Nino 3.4, and MJO significantly influence wet-period rainfall predictions of the NT. Furthermore, the LSTM model outperformed the RF model to predict the wet-period rainfall at the selected stations. For instance, the LSTM achieved higher R² i.e., 0.86 and lower values for both RMSE (ranging from 0.63 to 0.72) and MAE (ranging from 0.43 to 0.64) during the testing phase, indicating a closer fit between predicted and actual wet-period rainfall values.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100397"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142416681","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":"Academic visitor management system with pervasive mobile integration","authors":"Jose Naldrix D. Rivera","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100396","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100396","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Protecting faculty, staff and student is one of the main obligations of any educational institution but having a visitor at school grounds may mean sacrificing their safety. Visitors who enter the school come for different reasons and intentions. Some are legitimate visitors but some are burglars and troublemakers that disrupt the educational process. This becomes the primary security challenge for many educational institutions. The gate entrance and security personnel are the primary line of defense of the school against unwanted visitor. On the other hand, legitimate visitors are very important for the school since they can be a potential client and potential marketer if they witness how good the school system and infrastructure is. Most schools are still using a traditional and paper-based method. The visitor fill-out their information in the log book which can be falsified and some hand writing were hard to read. Hence, the report submitted is unreliable when administrator or school employee ask for a particular purpose, like theft or fighting incident. In addition, instructions of office, student, or employee whereabouts is very time consuming. This research study addresses these issues by developing an academic visitor management system (AVMS) with pervasive mobile integration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100396"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142416684","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":"Automated surface roughness classification using robot vision","authors":"Sanjay Krishnarao Darvekar ,&nbsp;Juttuka Yaswanth Sai Venkatesh ,&nbsp;Abbaraju Bala Koteswara Rao ,&nbsp;Ravi Sekhar ,&nbsp;Pritesh Shah ,&nbsp;Gautam Ingle","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100395","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100395","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A robot vision system, also known as a Machine Vision (MV) system, enables automatic inspection using image processing techniques. This research focuses on the classification of turned surface images into four categories (A, B, C, and D) using deep learning algorithms with transfer learning. Images were captured under varying machining conditions (speed, feed, depth of cut) as per a full factorial experimental design. The dataset was divided with 70 % for training, 15 % for validation, and 15 % for testing the algorithms. Surface roughness parameters were analyzed using a robot vision system, comprising a Mitsubishi articulated robot with 6 degrees of freedom and a 4 kg payload, and a Cognex In-Sight 7801 camera (1.3 MP, 1280 × 1024 resolution). The performance of the models was evaluated based on average accuracy. The system demonstrated significant potential in enhancing the surface finish inspection process in high-production industries, reducing labor costs, inspection time, operator errors, and setup requirements, thereby increasing productivity and lowering production costs<em>.</em></div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100395"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142416679","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":"Long-term recovery of taste and smell following acute COVID-19 infection in a New Jersey cohort","authors":"Samuel C.Z. Gautier ,&nbsp;Vaishnavi Coneti ,&nbsp;Daniel B. Horton ,&nbsp;Patricia Greenberg ,&nbsp;Tracy Andrews ,&nbsp;Emily S. Barrett ,&nbsp;Jeffrey L. Carson ,&nbsp;Martin J. Blaser ,&nbsp;Reynold A. Panettieri Jr ,&nbsp;Shristi Rawal","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Loss of taste and smell is one of the most troubling symptoms of long COVID and may be permanent for some. Correlation between subjectively and objectively assessed olfactory and gustatory impairment is low, leading to uncertainty about how many people are affected, how many recover, and to what extent. We prospectively investigated the effects of COVID-19 on long-term chemosensory function in a university and hospital-based cohort in NJ. We followed 856 participants from March 2020 through April 2022, of which 58 were diagnosed with COVID-19 and completed the NHANES 2013–2014 taste and smell protocol, including a chemosensory questionnaire, whole-mouth taste tests, and an 8-item odor identification test at and/or before acute COVID-19 infection. Of these, 29 repeated taste and smell assessments at 6 months (183.0 ± 54.6) follow-up. Total overall smell score significantly improved from baseline to 6-month follow up (6.9 ± 1.4 vs 7.6 ± 0.8; <em>p</em> = .01). Taste intensity also improved across 6 months, but not significantly. Our study is the first to show psychophysically-assessed and self-reported long-term recovery of olfactory and gustatory function in the same population after acute COVID-19.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100390"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772569324000987/pdfft?md5=cbf437fe0e72e0a9c92d5c09fe2b2db3&pid=1-s2.0-S2772569324000987-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142098029","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":"Development of a virtual reality spacecraft environment as a ground-based analog for collecting space food sensory data (‘Food in Space’)","authors":"Julia Low,&nbsp;Grace Loke","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100391","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100391","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The present study aimed to address the potential of ground-based food and sensory research in representing the isolated and confined environment of a spacecraft. Virtual Reality (VR) technology was employed to simulate the experience of perceived isolation and confinement within space. The VR simulation emulates the International Space Station in low Earth orbit, comprising interconnected space modules equipped with integrated sensory analysis tools for evaluating food odor cues within the VR environment (‘Food in Space’, Supplementary A). In our first experiment, 44 healthy participants were asked to rate the intensity of three commercially available food odor samples (vanilla, lemon, almond) and a control on a 5-point Likert scale, in the neutral sitting posture, a NASA-Neutral sitting posture (mimicking a ‘microgravity’ posture using a commercial ‘Zero-gravity’ outdoor chair set at 122–124°), and within the VR simulation. This first phase revealed large individual variations across odors. Importantly, there were no significant differences for most odors when the odor perceptions of the three odors between the neutral and ‘microgravity’ neutral postures were compared. However, there were significant differences for select odors between VR and both the postures (Supplementary B) indicating that the VR ‘Food in Space’ environment may impact odor perception differently across odors. A second pilot study with 16 participants evaluated four food odor samples (vanilla, lemon, almond, eucalyptus) and a control across different contexts (baseline control, virtual reality) and time points during virtual reality. The emotional responses during the experiences were also evaluated explicitly using validated scales such as the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) and the short-formed Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-SF). This second phase revealed that participants' descriptions of their emotional responses underwent changes before and after their virtual reality experiences. Terms used were generally more neutral and positive before VR (e.g., ‘interested’, ‘attentive’) and more negative after spending an average of 9 min 35 s in virtual reality (e.g., ‘nervous’, ‘guilty’). There was also variation across participants in terms of emotional responses and odor intensity perception (blank control) especially after spending a longer time in the virtual reality environment (Supplementary C). This exploratory study underscores the potential of using VR technology as a space analog to simulate context for studying sensory responses in relation to food as the current data matches anecdotal eating behavior of space travelers. Personal variation in odor perception should also be taken into consideration, especially in creating personalized meal plans for space applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100391"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772569324000999/pdfft?md5=55f3aebb50ccde572fe3e4172f409dc5&pid=1-s2.0-S2772569324000999-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142097902","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":"Cutting forces in ultraprecision machining freeform optics: Analysis through virtual simulations and experiments","authors":"Shangkuan Liu,&nbsp;Kai Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100392","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100392","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In ultraprecision manufacturing of freeform surfaced optics and devices, the ultraprecision diamond turning process holds a significant importance. However, high costs, quality assurance and long machining times are inevitable challenges in ultraprecision manufacturing. This scientific talk presents the concept of a virtual lens model based on the requirement of ‘deterministic manufacturing’ in the ultraprecision machining process, while enabled by scientific understanding of micro cutting mechanics and its applicational affect. By analysis of the freeform surface modelling and machining toolpaths and underlying micro cutting mechanics, this research aims to define surface quality and its optical performance prior to the machining process. The research further delves into cutting force modelling and 3D surface parameters to analyze the machining toolpath, and virtual simulations and experiments are conducted. The simulations and experiments are focused on verifying the correlations between the surface characteristics, such as surface roughness, peak valley distance and most importantly, surface texture aspect ratio, and the optical performance of the freeform surface. The analysis of surface texture formation and cutting forces modelling are essential for the simulation development and experimental design. The cutting forces modelling integrates the Akins' model with the influence of continuously varying shear angles on the freeform surface. Toolpath data from the cutting process is used to meticulously analyze depth-of-cut (DoC), curvature variations, and shear angle variations throughout the process, and thus to enable the consistent surface texture aspect ratio at the surface generation as desired.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100392"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772569324001002/pdfft?md5=c777a3deaf95a36898aafdec588eba8d&pid=1-s2.0-S2772569324001002-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142149419","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":"A holistic strategy for generating low-carbon high-octane gasoline biofuel using several renewable and sustainable additives","authors":"Tamer M.M. Abdellatief ,&nbsp;Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem ,&nbsp;Abdul Ghani Olabi","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100389","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100389","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The development of sustainable and renewable gasoline additives is necessary to provide green engine fuels in response to environmental issues and the energy crisis. From this angle, the current study aims to assess the impact of environmentally friendly and renewable gasoline additives on generating low-carbon high-octane gasoline biofuel using multiple renewable and sustainable additives. Renewable and sustainable gasoline biofuel additives include ethanol, methanol, ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE), isopropanol, and so on, which have exceptional anti-detonation properties and excellent chemical and physical characteristics. Furthermore, the base commercial gasoline components involve straight-run naphtha (SRN), naphtha made from natural gas condensate, heavy hydrocracked naphtha (HHN), gasoline Fisher Tropsch, and so on, which have poor chemical and physical attributes and low octane rating. Physicochemical characteristics and operational properties of various gasoline biofuel components are studied. Research findings indicated that these encouraging constituents have yielded favorable synergistic chemical, physical, mechanical, and environmental properties when combined with low-octane hydrocarbon fractions. Besides, the results reported that by combining with gasoline components to create high-octane gasoline, the amount and quality of low-octane gasoline fractions were optimized. The primary issues that affect the entire planet are the scarcity of water, energy, and the environment. Two of the above energy and environmental issues might be resolved by utilizing these motor gasoline components. Finally, environmental gasoline offers refining firms favorable prospects due to its low overhead, improved product grade, and significant environmental impact.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100389"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772569324000975/pdfft?md5=f3788ae1212ea5cc00cf528bd323d860&pid=1-s2.0-S2772569324000975-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142048334","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 fate of Zostera marina as part of beach wrack at the Baltic Sea coast in Poel, Germany","authors":"Philipp-Konrad Schätzle ,&nbsp;Katharina Kesy ,&nbsp;Mia Bengtsson ,&nbsp;Katarzyna Koziorowska-Makuch ,&nbsp;Karol Kuliński ,&nbsp;Hendrik Schubert","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100388","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100388","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Beach wrack plays an important role as an ecosystem engineer with its function to beach fauna in and off the water and its role to dune formation and preventing coastal erosion at land.</p><p>The seasonality and species composition of beach wrack at the micro-tidal coast of the Baltic Sea was evaluated at the island of Poel and litterbag experiments were conducted, both at land and in the water column of the shallow coast. Special interest was given to the seasonal decay of seagrass of the species <em>Zostera marina</em> in the water until its complete disintegration. The decomposition experiments were divided into a light group in translucent mesh bags, and a dark group in black mesh bags: The influence of abiotic parameters on the microbial community during decay was the objective of these experiments.</p><p>The results provide an important insight into the decomposition processes of seagrass at a micro-tidal coast, its lasting effects on beach management processes at recreational beaches and coasts and also into a balanced co-existence between humanity and nature.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100388"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772569324000963/pdfft?md5=1e97a9cb371b73468040a1aa1adb8040&pid=1-s2.0-S2772569324000963-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142021523","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":"When machine learning meets econometrics: Can it build a better measure to predict multidimensional poverty and examine unmeasurable economic conditions?","authors":"Emmanuel A. Onsay ,&nbsp;Jomar F. Rabajante","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100387","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100387","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Poverty is as old as human civilization, hard to eradicate, multidimensional, and difficult to measure. The methods used to measure poverty today are costly, labor-intensive, and time-consuming. Therefore, policymakers find it difficult to target policies when putting poverty reduction initiatives into action. Indigenous communities are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable populations in society. Their socioeconomic situations are complex and multifaceted. While research on poverty is usually generic, prone to large sampling errors, and intended to guide national policy, research on indigenous people is qualitative. Thus, to measure multidimensional poverty with disaggregated techniques, this work blends machine learning and econometrics. Researchers who have been studying poverty worldwide can replicate all of the approaches, strategies, and resources used in this study. With the best R-square and accuracy, random forest models perform better than all regressors and classifiers combined. It also confirms the causal relationship and current econometric association between multidimensional characteristics and poverty consequences. This study demonstrates the viability of using machine learning to predict poverty in a way that can save costs, cut labor, and maximize time to empower indigenous communities and alleviate the poverty of impoverished societies in the poorest region of Luzon, Philippines.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100387"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772569324000951/pdfft?md5=99506727c503045e67227941dcd1e243&pid=1-s2.0-S2772569324000951-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141852144","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}