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The Effect of Interactive Electronics Use on Psychological Well Being and Interpersonal Relationship Quality in Adults

Belkin et al. | Apr 19, 2018

The Effect of Interactive Electronics Use on Psychological Well Being and Interpersonal Relationship Quality in Adults

In recent years, usage of interactive electronic devices such as computers, smartphones, and tablets has increased dramatically. Many studies have examined the potential adverse effects of excessive usage of such devices on children and adolescents, but the effects on adults are not well understood. In this study, the authors examined the relationship between adult usage of interactive electronic devices and a variety of clinical measures of psychological well-being. They found that according to some metrics, higher usage of interactive electronic devices is associated with several adverse psychological outcomes, suggesting a need for more careful consideration of such usage patterns in clinical settings.

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Comparative analysis of player ability, game size, and ideal starting positions in Nim games

Sinha et al. | Aug 02, 2026

Comparative analysis of player ability, game size, and ideal starting positions in Nim games
Image credit: Immo Wegmann

Here the authors investigated the impact of player ability versus starting positions in the game of Nim under imperfect play, hypothesizing that player skill becomes the primary determinant of outcomes as pile sizes grow. Through computational simulations and a mathematical model, they demonstrated that favorable starting positions lose their advantage over time and provide key insights to help improve reinforcement learning algorithms in abstract, complex decision-making environments.

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The effects of plasticizers on the mechanical properties and chemical composition of a gelatin biopolymer

Ip et al. | Jul 28, 2024

The effects of plasticizers on the mechanical properties and chemical composition of a gelatin biopolymer

Here, in an effort to identify alternatives to oil-based plastic, the authors sought to investigate the effects of plasticizers on the mechanical properties and chemical composition of gelatin bioplastic matrices. Through measurements of their tensile strength and elongation at break, along with FTIR spectroscopy, they identified 3% w/v polyethylene glycol film as having the best performance in their study..

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Examination of the underlying chemical physics of the Mpemba effect in water and other liquids

Khan et al. | Apr 20, 2023

Examination of the underlying chemical physics of the Mpemba effect in water and other liquids
Image credit: D koi

Counterintuitive in nature, the Mpemba effect asserts that hot liquid freezes faster than cold liquid. While noted throughout history by scientific minds like Aristotle, the phenomenon remains in contention with varying hypotheses for the effect proposed alongside the effect’s rise in popularity. Contributing to the research efforts surrounding the Mpemba effect, the authors in this article explore the effect in different liquids ranging in physical properties and intermolecular forces to determine potential parameters attributable to producing the Mpemba effect.

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Tomato disease identification with shallow convolutional neural networks

Trinh et al. | Mar 03, 2023

Tomato disease identification with shallow convolutional neural networks

Plant diseases can cause up to 50% crop yield loss for the popular tomato plant. A mobile device-based method to identify diseases from photos of symptomatic leaves via computer vision can be more effective due to its convenience and accessibility. To enable a practical mobile solution, a “shallow” convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with few layers, and thus low computational requirement but with high accuracy similar to the deep CNNs is needed. In this work, we explored if such a model was possible.

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Examining effects of E. muscae on olfactory function in D. melanogaster

Friedman et al. | Jul 08, 2021

Examining effects of <em>E. muscae</em> on olfactory function in <em>D. melanogaster</em>

In this article, the authors investigate the effects of fungus E. muscae on fruit fly behavior. More specifically, they investigate whether this fungus affects olfaction. Their findings contribute to a broader set of studies seeking to understand how host's central nervous systems can be affected by infections.

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Analysis of the Exoplanet HD 189733b to Confirm its Existence

Babaria et al. | Sep 21, 2020

Analysis of the Exoplanet HD 189733b to Confirm its Existence

In this study, the authors study features of exoplanet 189733 b. This exoplanet, or planets that orbit stars other than the Sun, is found in the HD star system. Using a DSLR camera, they constructed a high caliber exoplanet transit detection tracker to study the orbital periods, radial velocity, and photometry of 189733 b. They then compared results from their system to data collected by other high precision studies. What they found was that their system produced results supporting previously published studies. These results are exciting results from the solar system demonstrating the importance of validating radial velocity and photometry data using high-precision studies.

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