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The influence of purpose-of-use on information overload in online social networking

Agarkar et al. | Nov 01, 2022

The influence of purpose-of-use on information overload in online social networking

Here, seeking to understand the effects of social media in relation to social media fatigue and/or overload in recent years, the authors used various linear models to assess the results of a survey of 27 respondents. Their results showed that increased duration of use of social media did not necessarily lead to fatigue, suggesting that quality may be more important than quantity. They also considered the purpose of an individual's social media usage as well as their engagement behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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A novel deep learning model for visibility correction of environmental factors in autonomous vehicles

Dey et al. | Oct 31, 2022

A novel deep learning model for visibility correction of environmental factors in autonomous vehicles

Intelligent vehicles utilize a combination of video-enabled object detection and radar data to traverse safely through surrounding environments. However, since the most momentary missteps in these systems can cause devastating collisions, the margin of error in the software for these systems is small. In this paper, we hypothesized that a novel object detection system that improves detection accuracy and speed of detection during adverse weather conditions would outperform industry alternatives in an average comparison.

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Impact of Kindles4Covid Virtual Reading Buddies Program on reading frequency and social connections

Pandey et al. | Jun 25, 2022

Impact of Kindles4Covid Virtual Reading Buddies Program on reading frequency and social connections

With the COVID-19 pandemic necessitating the transition to remote learning, disruption to daily school routine has impacted educational experiences on a global scale. As a result, it has potentially worsened reading achievement gaps typically exacerbated by long summer months. To address literacy skill retention and pandemic-induced social isolation, the non-profit organization ByKids4Kids has created a reading program, “Kindles4Covid Virtual Reading Buddies Program,” to instill a structure for youth to read together and connect with the convenience of Amazon Kindle devices. In this article, the authors determine the efficacy of their invaluable program by assessing changes in reading frequency and self-reported connectedness among program participants.

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Comparing Measurements of Sun-Earth Distance: Shadow Method and Two Pinhole Method Variations

Rajakumar et al. | Feb 21, 2022

Comparing Measurements of Sun-Earth Distance: Shadow Method and Two Pinhole Method Variations

This study compares three methods regarding their accuracy in calculating the distance between the Earth and the Sun. The hypothesis presented was that the shadow method would have the greatest mean accuracy, followed by the tube pinhole method, and finally the plate pinhole method. The results validate the hypothesis; however, further investigation would be helpful in determining effective mitigation of each method’s limitations and the effectiveness of each method in determining the distance of other light-emitting objects distant from the Earth.

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Correlation between shutdowns and CO levels across the United States.

Gupta et al. | Dec 05, 2021

Correlation between shutdowns and CO levels across the United States.

Concerns regarding the rapid spread of Sars-CoV2 in early 2020 led company and local governmental officials in many states to ask people to work from home and avoid leaving their homes; measures commonly referred to as shutdowns. Here, the authors investigate how shutdowns affected carbon monoxide (CO) levels in 15 US states using publicly available data. Their results suggest that CO levels decreased as a result of these measures over the course of 2020, a trend which started to reverse after shutdowns ended.

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Impact of Population Density and Elevation on Tuberculosis Spread and Transmission in Maharashtra, India

Rao et al. | Nov 07, 2021

Impact of Population Density and Elevation on Tuberculosis Spread and Transmission in Maharashtra, India

India accounts for over 2.4 million recorded cases of tuberculosis, about 26% of the world’s cases. This research ascertained the bearing of both the population density and the average elevation above mean sea level (MSL) on the number of cases of TB recorded by the districts in Maharashtra, India. The results found a strong positive correlation between the number of TB cases per thousand people and the population density and a strong negative correlation between the number of TB cases per thousand people and the average elevation above MSL.

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