Science Talks最新文献

{"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":"2025-03-01","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":"Smart natural technology & maintenance of sustainable aquatic environment: A study during lockdown","authors":"Sucharita Bhattacharyya ,&nbsp;Anwesh Bhowmick","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100426","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100426","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Natural climatic changes and human activities affect environmental balance influencing various global ecosystems including the aquatic one. Here the Gangetic ecosystem of India with Dolphin is focused. The Ganges is India's longest river and its lifeline contributing immensely to the country's overall GDP. Again, it is home to many animals including the Dolphin, recognized to be a reliable health indicator with its hydrodynamic body system which works efficiently by the smart natural technique of echolocation and desquamation. However, industrial effluents, agricultural runoffs, discharge of untreated wastewater along with sedimentation produce gross negative effects on the Gangetic environment. These directly pollute the river, disrupt its regular flow, and obstruct the normal activities of the Dolphin, thus destroying its habitat which ultimately reduces the population and affects the river's bio-diversity balance. Country-wide lockdown during the COVID-19 Pandemic temporarily stops all human interventions. The net outcome is the rejuvenation of the water quality confirmed by the reappearance of the Dolphins after several years along its various stretches. So how the identified steps should be practiced to maintain the Gangetic ecosystem, while maintaining the country's economic growth, has been considered as the greatest challenge here.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100426"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143204331","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":"3MT Competition (EUSIPCO2024): A peek into the black box: Insights into the functionality of complex-valued neural networks for multichannel speech enhancement","authors":"Annika Briegleb","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have become an important part of signal processing research. While ANNs outperform model-based signal processing methods in many applications, their internal processing often remains unclear. In this thesis, a framework for analyzing the signal processing performed by ANN-based filters for multichannel speech enhancement is proposed. By designing specific training and test scenarios that allow to associate each time frame with certain information, e.g., spatial cues, and using low-cost analysis tools such as clustering, interpretable information can be extracted from the hidden features of the ANN. The proposed framework allows to assess whether and where spatial information is represented inside the ANN, answering the question whether these ANNs exploit spatial cues in addition to spectral information. Furthermore, the impact of the choice of training target on the functionality and interpretability of the ANN is considered. By applying the proposed analysis tools to two conceptually different speech enhancement frameworks, it is shown that the amount of spatial information extracted inside the ANN varies depending on the training target and the test scenario. The insights from this thesis help to assess the signal processing capabilities of ANNs and allow to make informed decisions when configuring, training, and deploying ANNs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100430"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143376885","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":"Remote sensing applications for managing a large-scale restoration dynamics project throughout the City of Gold Coast conservation estate","authors":"Jean-Marc Hero ,&nbsp;Luke Shoo ,&nbsp;Michael Duncan ,&nbsp;Darren Roche ,&nbsp;Jesse Kenny ,&nbsp;Howard Taylor ,&nbsp;Tim Robson ,&nbsp;Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava ,&nbsp;Josh Veitch-Michaelis","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100429","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100429","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The City of Gold Coast established a program to restore native forests throughout the conservation estate (∼13,789 ha) utilizing constructed (CNR), assisted (ANR), and unassisted natural regeneration (UNR). Each year the city maintains over 4000 Ha of restoration works. The program is supported by an environmental decision support tool (oRestore) for the smart allocation of restoration funds over space and time (see [<span><span>1</span></span>] for details). We introduce the Restoration Dynamics Project, a quantitative evidence-based evaluation of the success of restoration actions undertaken between 2005 and 2022. Based on 17 restoration work areas (historically pasture dominated by exotic grasses, and open eucalypt forest vegetation (preclearing Regional Ecosystem 12.11.3), we compared optical and LiDAR vegetation metrics with field BioCondition assessments. UNR is suppressed by the presence of weed species that dominate cleared areas, resulting in low BioCondition. Unassisted, weeds can persist for decades, and intervention (ANR) is required for the recovery of native vegetation. CNR (tree-planting) provides canopy cover, however, lacks species diversity in the shrub layer. Assisted NR (controlling invasive species) is optimal for maximizing biodiversity in open eucalypt forests. LiDAR analytics can be a surrogate for BioCondition however field surveys are needed to determine non-native plant cover.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100429"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143348488","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":"Unveiling nature's secrets: Deep learning for enhanced biogenic emission resolution","authors":"Antonio Giganti","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100433","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100433","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Natural ecosystems contribute significantly to releasing numerous chemical substances into the atmosphere, including various volatile and semi-volatile compounds. A significant group of these chemicals, emitted predominantly by plants, are known as Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs). These compounds, such as carbon monoxide and nitric oxide, play a pivotal role in atmospheric processes and have become a key focus of research over the past two decades due to their influence on atmospheric chemistry.</div><div>Studying BVOC emissions is essential for numerical evaluations of past, current, and future air quality and climate conditions. To support such studies, quantitative estimations of BVOC emissions are required. As a result, various ground-based measurement techniques have been developed to sample BVOC emissions at multiple scales, from the leaf level to regional and global scales.</div><div>However, current BVOC measurements are often limited in space and time, as generating a fine-grained map of BVOC emissions over a large region is costly and time-consuming. Consequently, many existing BVOC emission maps may not be fully suitable for reliable atmospheric, climate, and forecasting model simulations.</div><div>My research aims to explore and assess the use of novel AI-based algorithms to improve the spatiotemporal modeling of BVOC emissions. By enhancing these models, we can assist policymakers in developing more effective regulations to address climate change, reduce the environmental impact of industrial activities, and mitigate the harmful effects of emissions on human health.</div><div>This technology has practical applications in agriculture, forestry, and urban planning. For instance, understanding gas emissions from crops can help farmers optimize their activities, reducing fertilizer and pesticide use while improving yields. In forestry, better management practices can minimize the environmental impact of logging. In urban planning, accurate gas emission maps can inform the design of green spaces and other urban features, helping reduce emissions and health impacts on city populations.</div><div>Additionally, this research can generate dense datasets for atmospheric chemistry, climate, and air quality models. These data can help capture small-scale processes, improve our understanding of BVOC interactions with other chemical compounds, and better quantify emissions caused by abiotic stress and ozone stress.</div><div>As the need to tackle atmospheric chemical shifts and climate change intensifies, BVOC emission maps are emerging as critical resources for enhancing our understanding of these compounds' impact on Earth's future. This research marks a vital advancement in pursuing a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future for both present and future generations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100433"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143464845","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":"2025-03-01","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":"A critical appraisal on the performance of natural products as a green alternative for the management of PCOS: A bibliometric overview","authors":"Sinchan Das ,&nbsp;Souvik Mukherjee ,&nbsp;Varsha Yadav ,&nbsp;Nilesh Naskar ,&nbsp;Altamash Khan ,&nbsp;Riya Pal ,&nbsp;Apoorva Dwivedi ,&nbsp;Swaha Satpathy ,&nbsp;Vivekananda Mandal ,&nbsp;Arjun Patra","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2024.100407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The incidence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women of reproductive age is increasing worldwide and no specific treatment is available for this. Nowadays, medicinal plants are highly considered as therapeutic agents for disease management due to their easy availability and less toxic nature but they have not received much attention for the treatment of PCOS. This study presents a comprehensive knowledge of medicinal plants for PCOS management and bibliometric analysis of data available in Scopus database to understand the research trends with reference to co-authorship network, collaborative countries, source of documents, and different keywords through VOSviewer software. Maximum plants studied in PCOS belongs to Leguminosae family, however, the most studied plant is <em>Cinnamomum zeylanicum</em> (Lauraceae) and the preferred extract was hydroalcoholic extract. Out of 294 documents, 212 comprise of <em>in vivo</em> studies, where 43.87 % experiments were letrozole-induced animal model. South East Asian countries are predominantly exploring medicinal plants for PCOS management as the prevalence of PCOS is high in this region. Overall, this study may help future researchers to understand the research gaps and can assist as a pocket dictionary of appraisal reports on the performance of natural products for the management of PCOS.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100407"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173141","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":"2025-03-01","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":"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":"2025-03-01","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":"Erratum regarding missing Ethical Statements and Participant's Consents in previously published articles","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sctalk.2025.100428","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":101148,"journal":{"name":"Science Talks","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100428"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173106","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}