Scientific Applications Research Articles

A Study of the Impact of Online Feedback on Moroccan EFL University Students’ Listening Proficiency

Although technology has been widely integrated into language teaching, research on its impact on EFL students’ listening proficiency and subskills still needs to be explored. This study aims to address this gap, stressing the role of online feedback in language acquisition. The significance of this study is manifested in the potential application of online feedback in the EFL arena and other related learning settings worldwide. This quasi-experimental study investigates how online feedback influences the listening subskills of engineering students at the National School of Applied Sciences (ENSA) in Berchid, Morocco. The study addressed the following question: To what extent does online feedback affect students’ overall listening proficiency? Through convenience sampling, 60 second-year students were singled out: 30 were assigned to the experimental group and 30 to the control group. Using the pretest-posttest design, the current study aimed to determine whether students improved their listening proficiency and subskills using the ProProfs platform, which gave detailed and interactive feedback. Independent samples t-tests showed significant improvements for the experimental group in listening for gist, specific information, and filtering information, although not in inferring implicit information. The findings of the current study indicated that technology-enhanced feedback could be a successful way of improving EFL students’ listening proficiency and subskills, and hence, it called for further integration into tertiary language education.

Enhancing Stability of Microwave-Synthesized Cs2SnxTi1-xBr6 Perovskite by Cation Mixing.

The double-perovskite material Cs2TiBr6 shows excellent photovoltaic potential, making it a promising alternative to lead-based materials. However, its high susceptibility to degradation in air has raised concerns about its practical application. This study introduces an interesting synthesis approach that significantly enhances the stability of Cs2TiBr6 powder. We implemented a gradual cation exchange process by substituting Ti4+ with Sn4+ in the efficient microwave-assisted synthesis method, developing a double perovskite Cs2SnxTi1-xBr6 type. A systematic study of increasing concentration of Sn4+ in Cs2TiBr6 perovskite has been performed to analyze the effect of Sn-doping degree on the chemical and thermal stability of the material and the optical features in both nitrogen and ambient atmospheres, significantly increasing the stability of the material in the air for over a week. Furthermore, introducing Sn4+ results in a more uniform polygonal crystal morphology of the powders and a slight band gap broadening. We show that microwave-assisted synthesis is highly efficient and cost-effective in producing more sustainable lead-free perovskite materials with enhanced stability and desirable electrical characteristics. This work suggests a promising method for synthesizing perovskite materials, opening new routes for scientific research and applications.

The Relevance of the Concept of Psychic Energy in Contemporary Psychology

The article focuses on the historical development and contemporary research in the fields of bioelectrical processes and psychic energy, emphasizing their significance in medicine and psychology. Special attention is given to Luigi Galvani’s contribution, who discovered bioelectrical activity through experiments on animals, leading to the concept of galvanization — the therapeutic use of electricity. The article also examines ideas of psychic energy introduced by Sigmund Freud, who defined libido as a form of psychic energy, and Carl Jung, who expanded the concept to include spiritual aspects. Additionally, modern approaches such as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of "flow" are discussed, exploring the relationship between psychic energy and states of productivity and well-being. The author emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in further research on these topics and the importance of standardizing terminology to ensure the scientific and clinical applicability of the concept of psychic energy in contemporary studies and practice.

Unlocking the transformative potential of data science in improving maternal, newborn and child health in Africa: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionApplication of data science in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) across Africa is variable with limited documentation. Despite efforts to reduce preventable MNCH morbidity and mortality, progress remains slow....

A Study of the Role of Physical Functioning and Physical Conditioning on the Influence of Competitive Sports Programmes

With the continuous progress of science and technology, the field of competitive sports has also witnessed revolutionary changes. Modern technology is playing an increasingly important role in improving athletes' performance, optimising training methods and preventing sports injuries. The aim of this study is to delve into the role of body functions and form states in competitive sports and how they affect athletes' competitive performance. By analysing the physical characteristics and training needs of athletes in different sports, it reveals the state effects of body function and form state on competitive sports. The study further proposes the enhancement of athletes' physical functioning and shape shape through scientific training methods. The application of these strategies will help athletes achieve optimal performance in training and competition, reduce the risk of injury, and improve athletic performance. With the continuous development and application of science and technology, we have reason to believe that competitive sports will become more scientific, efficient and humane.

Advances in polysaccharide-based materials for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications: A comprehensive review.

Polysaccharides, the most abundant biopolymers in nature, have attracted the attention of researchers and clinicians due to its practicality in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences. These biomaterials have high bioavailability and play structural and functional roles in living organisms. Polysaccharides are classified into several groups based on their origin, including plant polysaccharides and marine polysaccharides (like chitosan, hyaluronic acid, dextran, alginates, etc.) with specific applications. These biopolymers possess unique physicochemical (such as surface functional groups, solubility, and stability), mechanical (like mechanical strength and tensile), and biomedical (such as antioxidant activity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, renewability, and non-immunogenicity) characteristics which have made them excellent platforms for a wide variety of biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Ease of extraction and different preparation approaches are mentioned as other potential properties of polysaccharides that further improved their practicality in biomedical sciences. They have high drug/bioactive encapsulation capacity and sustained/controlled release manner in in vivo microenvironments. The anti-inflammatory and immunomodulation, stimuli-responsive drug/bioactive release, and passive and active drug/bioactive delivery are considered the potential features of these biopolymers in pharmaceutical sciences. Polysaccharides have indicated practical applications in biomedical sciences, including biosensors, tissue engineering, implantation, wound healing, vascular grafting, and vaccines. This review highlights the advances of polysaccharide-based materials in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.

From Voxels to Viruses: Using Deep Learning and Crowdsourcing to Understand a Virus Factory

Many bioimaging research projects require objects of interest to be identified, located, and then traced to allow quantitative measurement. Depending on the complexity of the system and imaging, instance segmentation is often done manually, and automated approaches still require weeks to months of an individual’s time to acquire the necessary training data for AI models. As such, there is a strong need to develop approaches for instance segmentation that minimize the use of expert annotation while maintaining quality on challenging image analysis problems. Herein, we present our work on a citizen science project we ran called Science Scribbler: Virus Factory on the Zooniverse platform, in which citizen scientists annotated a cryo-electron tomography volume by locating and categorising viruses using point-based annotations instead of manually drawing outlines. One crowdsourcing workflow produced a database of virus locations, and the other workflow produced a set of classifications of those locations. Together, this allowed mask annotation to be generated for training a deep learning–based segmentation model. From this model, segmentations were produced that allowed for measurements such as counts of the viruses by virus class. The application of citizen science–driven crowdsourcing to the generation of instance segmentations of volumetric bioimages is a step towards developing annotation-efficient segmentation workflows for bioimaging data. This approach aligns with the growing interest in citizen science initiatives that combine the collective intelligence of volunteers with AI to tackle complex problems while involving the public with research that is being undertaken in these important areas of science.

Advance in the application of metabolomics technology in poultry

Metabolomics is a science that takes small molecular metabolites in organisms as the research object and determines the dynamic changes of metabolites at the overall level through a variety of modern analytical techniques. At present, metabolomics technology has been widely used in biological significance interpretation, food safety and quality, breeding, disease diagnosis, functional compound identification, and other fields. Its application in poultry science has also become the focus of widespread attention. With the sustainable development of analytical techniques, metabolomics has great potential in the application of poultry science. In this paper, the research progress of metabolomics in poultry growth and development, genetics and breeding, egg quality, meat quality, and disease is reviewed and concluded, which is expected to provide scientific ideas for the research of metabolomics in poultry.

Multidisciplinary Laser Facility Driven by New-Generation High-Repetition Laser

For many years, high-power laser technology has been divided between industrial applications, which prioritize higher average powers and repetition rates, and academic research, which focuses on achieving higher peak powers and ultrashort pulse durations. The introduction of Yb-doped crystals in laser technology has paved the way for a new generation of laser sources that bridge the gap between industrial and academic requirements, combining high average power with ultrashort pulse capabilities. These advancements enable the integration of compact, adaptable front-end stages, making such lasers versatile for scientific applications. In Lisbon, the Laboratory of Intense Lasers leverages this technology with a system that combines commercial and custom-built front-end stages to enhance operational flexibility. In this paper, we present the current status of this facility and outline upcoming upgrades. We also showcase applications enabled by these high-power laser sources, including semiconductor studies, bi-photonics, and time-resolved spectroscopy.

‘We are leaders, not managers!’: academics’ understanding of leadership dynamics in Omani higher education institutions

ABSTRACT This research has adopted an exploratory qualitative design to explore how academics (deans, assistant deans and faculty staff) at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) in Oman understand leadership. Data was collected qualitatively through 46 semi-structured interviews. Academics perceive leadership as a distributed and collaborative process. In addition, senior academics (deans and assistant deans) in the study viewed themselves strongly as ‘leaders’ whilst those faculty staff positioned at lower levels of the organizational hierarchy viewed senior academics primarily as ‘managers’. The research makes a contribution to the field of leadership and how it is conceptualized by academics. This study exhibits, in addition to existing knowledge of organizational work practices and their unique configuration within the Omani higher education context, which lacks such qualitative research, the complexities and tensions of leadership dynamics in a buried bureaucratic model under the strong weight of the leadership identity adopted by the senior academics and underpinned by what others beneath the senior academics view as management.

Steric and Distance Effect on Electron Transfer in Dibenzo-Fused BODIPY-Based Photoredox Catalysts.

π-Extended BODIPY compounds are a compelling class of fluorophores known for their red or near-infrared (NIR) emission and high quantum yields, which are crucial for applications in materials science, solar cells, and biomedical imaging. Our recent study shows that we can use a dibenzo-fused BODIPY as a singlet-driven red photoredox catalyst by installing a simple electron donor group. Despite their potential in these applications, knowledge of electron transfer reactions involving dibenzo-fused BODIPY is still scarce. This paper presents the synthesis and systematic photophysical investigations of donor-acceptor (D-A) and donor-bridge-acceptor (D-bridge-A) series of dibenzo-fused BODIPY with N,N'-diethylaniline fragments serving as an electron donor. We examined the effects of methyl substituents and bridge length on the rates of photoinduced electron transfer (PeT). Through steady-state and time-resolved optical spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and density functional theory calculations, we elucidated how these simple structural modifications controlled the PeT rates and examined their impacts on catalytic activities in atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) reactions. Our results support previous studies on the (D-A) design of red heavy atom-free photocatalysts.

A General Pd-Catalyzed C2-H Arylation of Benzoxazoles with Highly Sterically Congested Aryl Chlorides Enabled by a Fittingly Tuned Ligand.

The benzoxazole core, featuring a sterically congested 2,6-disubstituted aryl fragment at the C2 position, exhibits exclusive three-dimensional structures that are essential for particular applications in material science and pharmaceutical development. Despite their importance, the synthesis of these compounds has posed challenges with an efficient preparation strategy still lacking. In this study, we introduced a new indolylphosphine ligand, PCy2-Man-phos, specifically designed to facilitate the C2-H arylation of benzoxazoles with sterically hindered aryl chlorides in general. The excellent functional group compatibility and rich arene substituted pattern enable the creation of highly decorated and sterically demanding 2-arylbenzoxazole frameworks, showing significant potential for diverse synthetic applications.

An Inverse Inequality for Fractional Sobolev Norms in Unbounded Domains

The nonlocal operators have found applications in various areas of contemporary science. The anomalous diffusion phenomena have been modeled by the fractional Poisson boundary-value problem. Electromagnetic fluids have been described by fractional differential equations. The fractional differential operators have found applications in material sciences, planar and space elasticity, probabilistic theory, harmonic analysis, and even in finance. The inverse inequality plays an important role in Numerical Analysis. The well-known results on inverse inequalities have been obtained in bounded domains and finite-dimensional spaces. Naturally, a new challenge arises to obtain inverse inequalities in the fractional Sobolev spaces. This paper is devoted to differential inequalities between fractional Sobolev norms. We expand the notion of a monotone function into a new notion supermonotone function and rigorously prove an inverse inequality for a class of differentiable functions in unbounded domains. Examples that demonstrate the theory are presented.

Design science in operations management: A review and synthesis of the literature

AbstractThe application of design science (DS) in the field of operations management (OM) is believed to be lopsided, with most studies pursuing theory‐to‐practice rather than practice‐to‐theory applications of DS. However, this belief has remained untested at the level of the entire body of DS applications in OM. This paper therefore reviews and synthesises 66 peer‐reviewed DS‐based publications (2003–2024) and presents a novel configurational framework. We analyse the DS applications through the lens of this framework to conclude that most of these applications contribute incrementally to extant theories but make a rather revelatory contribution to practice. This analysis points at four main reasons: DS is still an emerging research methodology, which is not labelled as such in many applications; OM researchers often assume that problem‐solving is the primary purpose of DS, which inhibits the delivery of more theoretical research outcomes; the lack of methodological guidelines to support the transition from specific to generalised knowledge; and the rather fragmented body of knowledge on DS, which is dispersed across multiple sources and different domains. This paper offers a configurational framework for DS to guide OM scholars in their efforts to explore scientific discoveries beyond problem‐solving.

Relevancy of Forensic Science in Criminal Justice System in India.

Forensic Science is one of the essential components of the criminal justice system in India. It is used to examine and investigate the criminal offences such as a theft, abduction, rape, and homicide, as well as civil cases. In addition, forensic science evaluates if the marketing of food and beverages, the manufacture of medications, the use of pesticides, car emissions compliance, the cleanliness of drinking water, and the monitoring of worldwide secret projects violate laws or rules. The scope of Forensic science is very wide as it includes various branches like forensic anthropology, forensic psychology, forensic chemistry, forensic toxicology, forensic linguistic, computer forensic, forensic odontology, forensic pathology, forensic entomology, DNA Profiling and so on. In this paper author aims to analyse main areas of forensic science with special reference to DNA Profiling, Narco-Analysis, and Polygraph Test and their applicability in criminal justice system. Aim is also to analyse the what is the need behind application of forensic science in criminal investigation. Focus is to examine the legality and constitutionality of forensic technologies with special reference to Narco-Analysis, DNA Profiling and Polygraph Test with the help of referring to the provisions contained under The Constitution of India, Bharatiya Sakshiya Adhiniyam, 2023 and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and mentioning the landmark judgments of the Supreme Court and various High Courts.

Stomatocyte-Discocyte-Echinocyte Transformations of Erythrocyte Modulated by Membrane-Cytoskeleton Mechanical Properties.

Stomatocyte-discocyte-echinocyte (SDE) transformations in human red blood cells (RBCs) have significant influences on blood dynamics and related disorders. The mechanical properties of the RBC membrane, such as shear modulus and bending elasticity, play crucial roles in determining RBC shapes. Recent biophysical findings reveal that building a comprehensive model capable of describing SDE shape transformations is a challenging problem. Based on dissipative particle dynamics, this study develops a two-component RBC model considering the detachment between the lipid bilayer and cytoskeleton, as well as the cytoskeletal reorganization during echinocyte formation. This model is validated by comparing RBCs' geometric shape and the apparent membrane tension with previous experimental measurements. Results indicate that a complete SDE sequence represented by six typical shapes can be obtained by modulating the model's mechanical and geometric parameters. Furthermore, a phase diagram based on reduced variables is obtained using principal component analysis, demonstrating the phase transformations among SDE shapes. Our result suggests that the transformation from discocyte to stomatocyte is primarily influenced by dimensionless bending rigidity, whereas, during echinocyte formation, three key variables, i.e., dimensionless bending rigidity, targeting cytoskeleton shrinkage ratio, and connecting pattern, have joint impacts on the formation of spicules or bumps and the development of the cytoskeletal framework. The present two-component RBC model and the associated findings provide a perspective for a deeper understanding of the SDE transformation mechanism. This framework offers new insights into biological science and potential applications in the field of biomedical engineering.

AI Based Voice Cloning and Generation for Vocally Challenged

Voice cloning, the ability to replicate a person’s voice with high fidelity, has significant applications in entertainment, accessibility, virtual assistants, and forensic sciences. Recent advancements in deep learning have demonstrated the potential of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to generate realistic synthetic audio. This study explores the application of GANs for voice cloning, leveraging their adversarial training mechanism to achieve high-quality and natural-sounding voice synthesis. The proposed framework integrates a generator network designed to produce realistic audio waveforms and a discriminator network tasked with distinguishing between real and synthetic samples. The system is trained on a dataset of diverse voice recordings, focusing on capturing both prosody and speaker-specific features. To enhance the cloning process, the model employs auxiliary losses, such as mel-spectrogram reconstruction and perceptual loss, ensuring the generated audio aligns closely with human perception. Experimental results demonstrate that GAN-based voice cloning outperforms traditional methods in both audio quality and speaker similarity, even with limited data. The research also discusses ethical considerations, including misuse risks and countermeasures, emphasizing the importance of responsible deployment. The findings establish GANs as a promising approach for advancing voice cloning technology while highlighting avenues for future research in robustness and real-time applications.

Influence of planar defects on the mechanical behaviors of spherical metallic nanoparticles

Abstract In present study, we adopt molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the influences of typical planar defects, including twin boundaries (TBs), stacking faults (SFs) and grain boundaries (GBs), on the mechanical properties of fcc copper nanoparticles. Groups of nanoparticle samples, including defect-free single crystal and those with specific defects, are examined for elastic modulus, yield strength, and deformation mechanisms. Detailed results reveal that the elastic behavior of nanoparticles can be well described by a modified theoretical model regardless the type of defects. While the planar defects have negligible influence on the elastic modulus, they significantly enhance the yield strength of nanoparticles. Notably, nanoparticles containing fivefold TBs exhibit the highest yield stress, i.e. ∼17.0 GPa, even surpassing that of the defect-free counterparts, i.e. ∼10.0 GP. Analysis of atomic deformation unravels that the distinct yielding behaviors are attributed to the activation of different slip systems and the nucleation of dislocations at specific preferential sites. These findings highlight the potential of fabricating planar defects to tailor the mechanical properties of metallic nanoparticles for targeted applications in nanotechnology and materials science.

Machine-learned interatomic potentials for accurate analysis of the mechanical properties of boron nitride sheets

Abstract We introduced a novel machine-learned interatomic potential (MLIP) by thoroughly discussing the step–by–step MLIP creation process using precise but limited data. This study explored the mechanical properties of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanosheets and addressed the challenges of accurately predicting their structural properties. We explored the use of ab initio molecular dynamics and classical molecular dynamics (CMD) simulation techniques, emphasizing the necessity for a more effective and efficient solution. We also discussed the machine learning procedure to construct an effective interatomic potential. Furthermore, we address techniques for evaluating the performance and robustness of MLIPs on unseen datasets. Using the newly formed MLIP in a CMD simulation, we investigated the mechanical attributes of hBN nanosheets, exploring the fluctuations in sheet strength across a range of dimensions, temperatures, and varying numbers of layers. We obtained an average Young’s modulus in the range of 980–1000 GPa at 1 K, whereas the average failure stress and strain were approximately 106 GPa and 0.16, respectively. Our results demonstrate significant improvements in the accuracy of hBN nanosheets compared to prior studies, highlighting the effectiveness of MLIP in achieving higher precision with minimal computational cost. This study offers comprehensive analysis and theoretical exploration, delivering valuable insights into MLIP and the mechanical properties of hBN nanosheets, and paves the way for future applications in materials science and engineering.

An Open-Frame Loading Stage for High-Resolution X-Ray CT

The utilisation of high-resolution in situ computed tomography (CT) in the (sub-)μm range is typically only viable in synchrotron facilities, as the deployment of a conventional loading stage in laboratory CTs with a cone beam source does not facilitate a corresponding geometric magnification. This publication presents a CT system with a novel in situ concept that allows spatial resolutions down to 0.5 μm, enabling the analysis of weakly absorbing materials capable of applying loads of up to 5 kN in both the compression and tension directions to the sample during the measurement. The necessity for a highly precise mechanical design to ensure successful measurements at magnifications approaching the theoretical limit makes the system’s development particularly demanding. The components employed are presented, along with the requisite considerations and methodologies. It can be demonstrated that the intended specifications with regard to precision and quality are met. The experimental results of a fibre-reinforced polymer demonstrate the system’s ability to detect matrix damage features below a single fibre diameter, thereby highlighting its potential for applications in materials science where traditional laboratory CTs are insufficient and synchrotron access is limited.