Intersection Of Science Research Articles

Science, evidence, law, and justice

For nearly 25 y, the Committee on Science, Technology, and Law (CSTL), of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, has brought together distinguished members of the science and law communities to stimulate discussions that would lead to a better understanding of the role of science in legal decisions and government policies and to a better understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern the conduct of science. Under the leadership of recent CSTL co-chairs David Baltimore and David Tatel, and CSTL director Anne-Marie Mazza, the committee has overseen many interdisciplinary discussions and workshops, such as the international summits on human genome editing and the science of implicit bias, and has delivered advisory consensus reports focusing on topics of broad societal importance, such as dual use research in the life sciences, voting systems, and advances in neural science research using organoids and chimeras. One of the most influential CSTL activities concerns the use of forensic evidence by law enforcement and the courts, with emphasis on the scientific validity of forensic methods and the role of forensic testimony in bringing about justice. As coeditors of this Special Feature, CSTL alumni Tom Albright and Jennifer Mnookin have recruited articles at the intersection of science and law that reveal an emerging scientific revolution of forensic practice, which we hope will engage a broad community of scientists, legal scholars, and members of the public with interest in science-based legal policy and justice reform.

New Voices on the Hill

First-term members of the US House of Representatives reflect on the intersection of science and policy, and what drives their work.

Current status, challenges and future prospects in computational psychiatry: a narrative review.

Computational psychiatry is an area of scientific knowledge which lies at the intersection of neuroscience, psychiatry, and computer science. It employs mathematical models and computational simulations to shed light on the complexities inherent to mental disorders. The aim of this narrative review is to offer insight into the current landscape of computational psychiatry, to discuss its significant challenges, as well as the potential opportunities for the fields growth. The authors have carried out a narrative review of the scientific literature published on the topic of computational psychiatry. The literature search was performed in the PubMed, eLibrary, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases. A descriptive analysis was used to summarize the published information on the theoretical and practical aspects of computational psychiatry. The article relates the development of the scientific approach in computational psychiatry since the mid-1980s. The data on the practical application of computational psychiatry in modeling psychiatric disorders and explaining the mechanisms of how psychopathological symptomatology develops (in schizophrenia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance use disorders) are summarized. Challenges, limitations, and the prospects of computational psychiatry are discussed. The capacity of current computational technologies in psychiatry has reached a stage where its integration into psychiatric practice is not just feasible but urgently needed. The hurdles that now need to be addressed are no longer rooted in technological advancement, but in ethics, education, and understanding.

Revolutionizing informal education: Intersection of citizen science and learning theories

In recent years, citizen science has emerged as a vital component of large-scale scientific research, relying on the collaboration of participants and scientists in gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating new discoveries. Research has shown that citizen science participants not only assist in data collection but also make significant contributions to their scientific and environmental education. However, the wide range of learning process and approach associated with citizen science has resulted in numerous studies using different theories to examine learning outcomes. This paper seeks to compile various learning theories that align with citizen science participation and engagement. The theories to be explored include experiential learning, sociocultural theory, social learning theory, free-choice learning, constructivism learning theory, and situated learning. By synthesizing these theories, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive reference for the growing body of research on learning with citizen scientists.

Leveraging Decision Science to Characterize Depression

This brief review examines the potential to use decision science to objectively characterize depression. We provide a brief overview of the existing literature examining different domains of decision-making in depression. Because this overview highlights the specific role of reinforcement learning as an important decision process affected in the disorder, we then introduce reinforcement learning modeling and explain how this approach has identified specific reinforcement learning deficits in depression. We conclude with ideas for future research at the intersection of decision science and depression, emphasizing the potential for decision science to help uncover underlying mechanisms and targets for the treatment of depression.

EXPLORING INNOVATIVE MATERIAL INTEGRATION IN MODERN MANUFACTURING FOR ADVANCING U.S. COMPETITIVENESS IN SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL ECONOMY

This research paper delves into innovative material integration in modern manufacturing, exploring its potential to elevate U.S. competitiveness within a sustainable global economy. It navigates through the intricacies of materials' roles, challenges in U.S. manufacturing, and the transformative power of advanced materials. The integration of innovative materials is examined through case studies and examples, illustrating its impact on diverse industries. The paper dissects the impact of materials on product performance, efficiency, and environmental sustainability. It scrutinizes approaches like nanotechnology, composites, additive manufacturing, smart materials, and biomimicry, uncovering their challenges and opportunities. Furthermore, the paper analyzes the implications of advanced materials for the environment and their alignment with sustainability objectives. The future landscape is speculated, highlighting trends such as nanomaterials, bioinspired materials, customization, and digital integration, each poised to reshape U.S. manufacturing competitiveness. Strategic recommendations are provided for policy-makers, researchers, and industry stakeholders, emphasizing collaboration, sustainability incentives, and ethical considerations to foster a conducive environment for material innovation. The synthesis of these efforts could lead to breakthroughs in manufacturing technology and enhance U.S. economic and ecological resilience. In conclusion, the paper underscores the significance of innovative material integration for U.S. manufacturing competitiveness. It explores the intersection of cutting-edge science, economic growth, and environmental stewardship, presenting a compelling narrative of how advanced materials are poised to redefine industries and establish the U.S. as a beacon of responsible innovation on the global stage.
 Keywords: Innovative Material Integration, Modern Manufacturing, U.S. Competitiveness, Sustainable Global Economy, Advanced Materials, Environmental Sustainability.

On Image Quality Metadata, FAIR in ML, AI-Readiness and Reproducibility: Fish-AIR example

A new science discipline has emerged within the last decade at the intersection of informatics, computer science and biology: Imageomics. Like most other -omics fields, Imageomics also uses emerging technologies to analyze biological data but from the images. One of the most applied data analysis methods for image datasets is Machine Learning (ML). In 2019, we started working on a United States National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project, known as Biology Guided Neural Networks (BGNN) with the purpose of extracting information about biology by using neural networks and biological guidance such as species descriptions, identifications, phylogenetic trees and morphological annotations (Bart et al. 2021). Even though the variety and abundance of biological data is satisfactory for some ML analysis and the data are openly accessible, researchers still spend up to 80% of their time preparing data into a usable, AI-ready format, leaving only 20% for exploration and modeling (Long and Romanoff 2023). For this reason, we have built a dataset composed of digitized fish specimens, taken either directly from collections or from specialized repositories. The range of digital representations we cover is broad and growing, from photographs and radiographs, to CT scans, and even illustrations. We have added new groups of vocabularies to the dataset management system including image quality metadata, extended image metadata and batch metadata. With the image quality metadata and extended image metadata, we aimed to extract information from the digital objects that can possibly help ML scientists in their research with filtering, image processing and object recognition routines. Image quality metadata provides information about objects contained in the image, features and condition of the specimen, and some basic visual properties of the image, while extended image metadata provides information about technical properties of the digital file and the digital multimedia object (Bakış et al. 2021, Karnani et al. 2022, Leipzig et al. 2021, Pepper et al. 2021, Wang et al. 2021) (see details on Fish-AIR vocabulary web page). Batch metadata is used for separating different datasets and facilitates downloading and uploading data in batches with additional batch information and supplementary files. Additional flexibility, built into the database infrastructure using an RDF framework, will enable the system to host different taxonomic groups, which might require new metadata features (Jebbia et al. 2023). By the combination of these features, along with FAIR (Findable, Accessable, Interoperable, Reusable) principles, and reproducibility, we provide Artificial Intelligence Readiness (AIR; Long and Romanoff 2023) to the dataset. Fish-AIR provides an easy-to-access, filtered, annotated and cleaned biological dataset for researchers from different backgrounds and facilitates the integration of biological knowledge based on digitized preserved specimens into ML pipelines. Because of the flexible database infrastructure and addition of new datasets, researchers will also be able to access additional types of data—such as landmarks, specimen outlines, annotated parts, and quality scores—in the near future. Already, the dataset is the largest and most detailed AI-ready fish image dataset with integrated Image Quality Management System (Jebbia et al. 2023, Wang et al. 2021).

Finding Common Ground: The Intersection of Science, Creativity, and the Human Connection

Finding Common Ground: The Intersection of Science, Creativity, and the Human Connection

Soundscape

Recent studies demonstrate a significant level of interest to literature as a source of insight on sound and hearing. Attention has focused on the new ways to approach the acoustic dimensions of text, featuring narrative representation of sound in its physical characteristics and the psycho-somatic peculiarities of perception. Accordingly, the concept of soundscape, has entered critical scholarship to analyze the audible world in fiction. This essay addresses soundscape as a concept by scrutinizing the terms in which it was defined and situating soundscape in relation to nineteenth-century Gothic literature. My point of departure is the foundational work of R. Murray Schafer The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World (1977), which introduces the concept and outlines the territory of soundscape studies as the intersection of science, the arts and society, and delineates terms central to the idea of the soundscape. I will elaborate on soundscape in its threefold dimensions: the panoply of sounds, the specific location, and the subjective experience of an individual inhabiting the space. The essay then considers the concept in light of the recent studies of sound in Gothic fiction and narrows down the topic to selected short stories by British and American nineteenth-century writers: E.A. Poe, E. Nesbit, S. Warren, and M.P. Shiel, among others. The shared features of the audible world in Gothic short stories and more distinctive elements of Gothic soundscapes offer some resources for thinking about a more complex elaboration of the concept, as well as implications and future directions for scholarly work.

A Comprehensive Review: Advancements in Pretrained and Deep Learning Methods in the Disease Detection of Rice Plants

Rice cultivation is essential to the global economy, particularly in India, where it holds the distinction of being the largest rice exporter and the second-largest rice producer. However, the agricultural sector faces significant challenges due to diseases and pests that negatively impact the crops, by hindering the plant growth, reducing the yield, and, in extreme cases, leading to famine. The use of pesticides, intended to increase production, often results in a decline in crop quality. Prompt as well as precise disease identification in plants is requisite for prevention and control of disease, enabling timely implementation of pesticide control measures. This has spurred research at the intersection of computer science and agriculture, specifically focused on identifying diseases in rice through collected and real-time images. Deep learning (DL) has emerged as a key area of study within this domain, addressing various aspects of agricultural plant protection, including disease detection and pest control. Pretrained models have proven to be invaluable tools in the realm of rice plant disease identification and monitoring. These models leverage transfer learning, enhance feature extraction, reduce training time and resource requirements, improve generalization and resilience, and facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration. This article examines rice plant diseases, explores deep learning and pre-trained models for diagnosis, reviews relevant publications, and presents a comparative analysis of research studies to assess advancements in rice plant disease detection.

Who to Trust? Christian Belief in Conspiracy Theories

Who to Trust? Christian Belief in Conspiracy Theories

Emerging Applications of Biomedical Science in Pandemic Prevention and Control: A Review.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it abundantly clear how crucial biomedical science is to pandemic control and prevention on a global scale. The importance of biomedical science in the fight against pandemics has increased with the appearance of new, deadly infectious diseases. Biomedical science and engineering have been presented as possible areas for combating the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) due to the unique challenges raised by the pandemic, as reported by epidemiologists, immunologists, and doctors, including thesurvival, symptoms, protein surface composition, and infection mechanisms of COVID-19. These multidisciplinary engineering concepts are applied to design and develop prevention methods, diagnostics, monitoring, and therapies. An infectious disease outbreak that has spread over a sizable region, such as several continents or the entire world, and is affecting a sizable number of people is referred to as a "pandemic. While current knowledge about the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still limited, various (old and new) biomedical approaches have been developed and tested. Here, we review the emerging applications of biomedical science in pandemic prevention and control, including rapid diagnosis tests, the development of vaccines, antiviral therapies, artificial intelligence, genome sequencing, and personal protective equipment. Biomedical science and nanotechnology are two fields that have the potential to combine to develop emerging applications for combating pandemics. In this review, we also discuss the intersection of biomedical science and nanotechnology in pandemic prevention and control.

Phenotypically complex living materials containing engineered cyanobacteria

The field of engineered living materials lies at the intersection of materials science and synthetic biology with the aim of developing materials that can sense and respond to the environment. In this study, we use 3D printing to fabricate a cyanobacterial biocomposite material capable of producing multiple functional outputs in response to an external chemical stimulus and demonstrate the advantages of utilizing additive manufacturing techniques in controlling the shape of the fabricated photosynthetic material. As an initial proof-of-concept, a synthetic riboswitch is used to regulate the expression of a yellow fluorescent protein reporter in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 within a hydrogel matrix. Subsequently, a strain of S. elongatus is engineered to produce an oxidative laccase enzyme; when printed within a hydrogel matrix the responsive biomaterial can decolorize a common textile dye pollutant, indigo carmine, potentially serving as a tool in environmental bioremediation. Finally, cells are engineered for inducible cell death to eliminate their presence once their activity is no longer required, which is an important function for biocontainment and minimizing environmental impact. By integrating genetically engineered stimuli-responsive cyanobacteria in volumetric 3D-printed designs, we demonstrate programmable photosynthetic biocomposite materials capable of producing functional outputs including, but not limited to, bioremediation.

Recovery of the grizzly bear at the intersection of law and science

Over the last 30 years, there have been numerous legal battles over recovery of the grizzly bear. These battles have brought to fore a question central to implementation of the Act, namely is the goal of recovery to merely remediate extinction risk or to affect broader ecosystem recovery. I systematically reviewed court decisions related to the grizzly bear’s recovery plan, efforts to remove protections for grizzly bears, and challenges to logging, mining and other projects with impacts to grizzly bears. A legal challenge to the grizzly bear’s 1993 recovery plan forced the Service to develop habitat-based recovery criteria for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Legal efforts to reopen the recovery plan and expand recovery into additional areas of historic range, however, were unsuccessful, leaving the scope of recovery largely at the discretion of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lawsuits brought by multiple conservation groups, tribes and individuals have constrained this discretion, twice stopping the agency from stripping Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears of federal protections. This has allowed the population to grow and forced consideration of the impact of removing protections for Greater Yellowstone bears on overall recovery as a requirement of any future effort to remove protections. Court decisions were issued on 65 challenges to projects impacting grizzly bear habitat, including 44 involving logging and related road construction, seven mining, four livestock grazing, two recreation, five oil and gas leasing and three road projects, leading to 11 of these projects being stopped and nine modified. Lawsuits were also filed to stop hunting in four instances, trapping in one, predator control in one and railroad mortality in two, as well as activities that disturb bears, including helicopters in two instances and snow mobile use in another, resulting in four being stopped and another 3 modified. Protection of the grizzly bear under the Endangered Species Act, along with subsequent litigation, has led to substantial changes in management of public lands in the four recovery zones with grizzly bear populations, but not elsewhere in the species’ range. Overall, the legal system is an important, but often overlooked, part of recovery of endangered species.

Embracing the inclusion of societal concepts in biology improves student understanding

Understanding the relationship between science and society is included as a core competency for biology students in the United States. However, traditional undergraduate biology instruction emphasizes scientific practice and generally avoids potentially controversial issues at the intersection of science and society, such as representation in STEM, historical unethical research experiments, biology of sex and gender, and environmental justice. As calls grow to highlight this core competency, it is critical we investigate the impact of including these topics in undergraduate biology education. Here, we implemented a semester-long ideological awareness curriculum that emphasized biases, stereotypes, and assumptions that have shaped historical and contemporary science. We taught this curriculum to one section of a non-majors introductory biology course and compared the outcomes to a section of the same course taught using traditional biology content (hereafter the ‘traditional’ section) that did not emphasize societal topics. Both sections of students created concept maps for their final exam, which we coded for ‘society’ and ‘biology’ content. We then assessed (1) the amount of societal content included in the concept maps, and (2) which societal topics were mentioned in each section. We found that students in the ideologically aware section included more societal content in their concept maps than the students in the traditional section. Students exposed to the ideological awareness modules often mentioned the topics covered in those modules, whereas students in the traditional section most commonly mentioned faulty scientific information such as pseudoscience or non-credible research, which was emphasized in the first chapter of the required text-book for both sections. Our results show students who were not engaged in activities about ideological awareness in biology had fewer notions of how society impacts science at the end of the semester. These findings highlight the importance of intentionally teaching students the bidirectional impacts of science and society.

L-Space and Large Language Models

From the intersection of computational science and technological speculation, with boundaries limited only by our ability to imagine what could be. Design fiction is an approach to understanding and speculating about alternate futures. One part of this can involve creating representative artifacts or prototypes from the future, as if they fell through a time warp to the present day. This column is a piece of such speculative fiction, set in 2025.

Implementation research priorities for addressing the maternal health crisis in the USA: results from a modified Delphi study among researchers

BackgroundMaternal health outcomes in the USA are far worse than in peer nations. Increasing implementation research in maternity care is critical to addressing quality gaps and unwarranted variations in care. Implementation research priorities have not yet been defined or well represented in the plans for maternal health research investments in the USA.MethodsThis descriptive study used a modified Delphi method to solicit and rank research priorities at the intersection of implementation science and maternal health through two sequential web-based surveys. A purposeful, yet broad sample of researchers with relevant subject matter knowledge was identified through searches of published articles and grant databases. The surveys addressed five implementation research areas in maternal health: (1) practices to prioritize for broader implementation, (2) practices to prioritize for de-implementation, (3) research questions about implementation determinants, (4) research questions about implementation strategies, and (5) research questions about methods/measures.ResultsOf 160 eligible researchers, 82 (51.2%) agreed to participate. Participants were predominantly female (90%) and White (75%). Sixty completed at least one of two surveys. The practices that participants prioritized for broader implementation were improved postpartum care, perinatal and postpartum mood disorder screening and management, and standardized management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. For de-implementation, practices believed to be most impactful if removed from or reduced in maternity care were cesarean delivery for low-risk patients and routine discontinuation of all psychiatric medications during pregnancy. The top methodological priorities of participants were improving the extent to which implementation science frameworks and measures address equity and developing approaches for involving patients in implementation research.ConclusionsThrough a web-based Delphi exercise, we identified implementation research priorities that researchers consider to have the greatest potential to improve the quality of maternity care in the USA. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of using modified Delphi approaches to engage researchers in setting implementation research priorities within a clinical area.

Designing Educational and Home Computers in State Socialism: The Polish and Czechoslovak Experience

Abstract This article investigates the design of two comparable microcomputers that were built under state socialism in neighboring countries: Poland (Elwro Junior) and Czechoslovakia (Didaktik Gama). Both computers were “clones” of the highly popular British ZX Spectrum computer. In our article, we discuss the decisions that informed the design of the local “clones” of the British computer, and how both endeavors were supposed to solve specific problems identified by the communities involved in their design. We argue that different configurations of power—in which the actors that took part in the design of both computers were embedded—were the primary reason why these similar products, the ZX Spectrum clones, were “scripted” in a substantially different manner. The Junior was designed as an “educational computer” envisaged as an aid to schooling, while the Gama was a more flexible “home computer.” Our investigation focuses on how their designers projected, or “scripted,” possible forms of computer use, and who they imagined would be the users of these machines. We also compare both computers with the high-profile One Laptop Per Child project to demonstrate the wider relevance of our study and the usefulness of our investigative toolset to the intersection of design studies and science and technology studies.

At the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and business management in Canadian higher education: An intentional equity, diversity, and inclusion framework

AbstractIn this study, the authors address the persistent discrimination cis women face in the Canadian science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) higher education context. Pulling on the notion of interrelationships that cross educational faculty boundaries and on intersectionality scholarship to unsettle the structural and disciplinary domains of power, the authors ask, “How can business education and STEM education work together with respect to social considerations, such as gender/race/ethnicity/etc., and social equity and inclusivity, within the Canadian higher education system?” This study aims to build on these interrelationships among diverse, complex individuals who participated in a graduate‐level STEM and business management summer institute to provide an evidence‐based and intentional equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) framework for STEM higher education contexts. Using a mixed‐methods approach, which saw data collection via a survey instrument and semi‐structured interviews, the subsequent quantitative analysis points to expanding interrelationships to broader areas beyond STEM and business management programs. The close reading of the collected qualitative data, via antenarrative spirals, elevates the participants' complexities beyond focusing “just” on their intersecting identities to looking at their perceptions of STEM fields, the order that ensues and the potential for the undoing of that order. The findings, results, and analyses of these collected data led to an intentional EDI framework, the main contribution of this study, constructed into three main pillars represented by the figure of a tree: the foundational elements (roots) built on individuals' complexities and experiences of Othering, the interrelationships (trunk) possible across various educational and professional dimensions, and a call to structural change initiatives (branches) with the possibility for growth in other areas. This work then contributes to not only filling a significant literature gap and building awareness regarding EDI concerns in STEM contexts via active interrelationship‐building activities but also to unsettling the structural and disciplinary domains of power by embracing a holistic strategy to address systemic discriminatory practices in the Canadian STEM higher education context.

Per Scientiam ad Justitiam? The Mythical Role of Emancipatory Science in the Decriminalisation of Same-sex Sexual Conduct through Constitutional Litigation

ABSTRACT This article examines the role that emancipatory science on the innateness and aetiology of sexual orientation has played in the legal advancement of gay rights by analysing recent constitutional decisions on laws criminalising same-sex sexual conduct, in light of the global proliferation of such litigation. Standing at the intersection of comparative constitutional law and science and technology studies, it analyses how judgments on the criminalisation of same-sex sexual conduct across six jurisdictions, namely Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Botswana, India, Kenya and Singapore, between 2016 and 2020, have dealt with arguments based on emancipatory science. Building on existing scholarship on the role of emancipatory science in the pursuit of queer justice, this article shows how such science has played a mythical role in judicial decisions on the constitutionality of same-sex sexual conduct. In addition to its empirical and theoretical contributions, this article cautions gay right activists and lawyers to carefully consider whether and why they intend to introduce the science of sexual orientation in constitutional litigation over laws criminalising same-sex sexual conduct.