Previous Issue
Volume 6, March
 
 

Sci, Volume 6, Issue 2 (June 2024) – 11 articles

  • Issues are regarded as officially published after their release is announced to the table of contents alert mailing list.
  • You may sign up for e-mail alerts to receive table of contents of newly released issues.
  • PDF is the official format for papers published in both, html and pdf forms. To view the papers in pdf format, click on the "PDF Full-text" link, and use the free Adobe Reader to open them.
Order results
Result details
Section
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
56 pages, 3957 KiB  
Review
Power and Efficiency in Living Systems
by Douglas S. Glazier
Sci 2024, 6(2), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020028 - 06 May 2024
Viewed by 228
Abstract
Energy transformation powers change in the universe. In physical systems, maximal power (rate of energy input or output) may occur only at submaximal efficiency (output/input), or conversely, maximal efficiency may occur only at submaximal power. My review of power and efficiency in living [...] Read more.
Energy transformation powers change in the universe. In physical systems, maximal power (rate of energy input or output) may occur only at submaximal efficiency (output/input), or conversely, maximal efficiency may occur only at submaximal power. My review of power and efficiency in living systems at various levels of biological organization reveals that (1) trade-offs (negative correlations) between power and efficiency, as expected in physical systems, chiefly occur for resource-supply systems; (2) synergy (positive correlations) between power and efficiency chiefly occurs for resource use systems, which may result from (a) increasing energy allocation to production versus maintenance as production rate increases and (b) natural selection eliminating organisms that exceed a maximal power limit because of deleterious speed-related effects; (3) productive power indicates species-wide ‘fitness’, whereas efficiency of resource acquisition for production indicates local ‘adaptiveness’, as viewed along a body size spectrum and within clades of related species; (4) covariation of the power and efficiency of living systems occurs across space and time at many scales; (5) the energetic power/efficiency of living systems relates to the rates and efficiencies/effectiveness of nutrient/water uptake/use, the functional performance of various activities, and information acquisition/processing; and (6) a power/efficiency approach has many useful theoretical and practical applications deserving more study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Biology Research and Life Sciences)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 5407 KiB  
Article
Decision Making in Service Shops Supported by Mining Enterprise Resource Planning Data
by Shaun West, Daryl Powell, Fabian Ille and Stefan Behringer
Sci 2024, 6(2), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020027 - 05 May 2024
Viewed by 271
Abstract
This research examines the application of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in service shops, focusing on the specific challenges unique to these environments compared to those in the manufacturing sector. Service shops, distinguished by their smaller scale and variable demands, often need different [...] Read more.
This research examines the application of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in service shops, focusing on the specific challenges unique to these environments compared to those in the manufacturing sector. Service shops, distinguished by their smaller scale and variable demands, often need different functionalities in ERP systems compared to manufacturing facilities. Our analysis is based on detailed billing records and monthly cash flow data to deliver critical insights into businesses’ performance for service shop managers. This study analyses ERP data from 27 service shops over 35 months. It is based on detailed billing records and monthly cash flow data to deliver critical insights into businesses’ performance for service shop managers that support managerial decision making. Our findings emphasise the importance of incorporating additional contextual information to augment the effectiveness of ERP systems in service contexts. Our analysis shows that simple, standardised data mining methods can significantly enhance operational management decision making when supported with visuals to support understanding and interpretation of the data. Moreover, this study suggests potential directions for future research aimed at improving business analytics and intelligence practices to optimise the use of ERP systems in service industries. This research contributes to the academic discourse by providing empirical evidence on utilising ERP data in service shops and offers practical recommendations for ongoing operational improvements. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1803 KiB  
Essay
Can Citizens Do Science? Science in Common and Social Responsibility
by Ainara Aberasturi Rodríguez, Ignacio Fierro Bandera and Jose Navarro-Pedreño
Sci 2024, 6(2), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020026 - 01 May 2024
Viewed by 359
Abstract
Citizen science is an effective tool that unites ordinary citizens and scientists for a common cause. In particular, this tool enables ordinary citizens to participate in research and increases the likelihood of generating new knowledge. It is seen as the democratization of science. [...] Read more.
Citizen science is an effective tool that unites ordinary citizens and scientists for a common cause. In particular, this tool enables ordinary citizens to participate in research and increases the likelihood of generating new knowledge. It is seen as the democratization of science. It is mainly applied in developed countries, and citizens usually help obtain environmental data with emerging technologies. However, training citizens to obtain good-quality data is one of the most significant challenges. It is also important to involve citizens in other phases, such as data analysis, discussion, and knowledge generation. Citizen science can be a tool for integrating different groups in science to promote social inclusion, including environmental, agricultural, earth, and life sciences. Thus, citizen science can contribute to education, sustainability, and climate change mitigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers—Multidisciplinary Sciences 2023)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1260 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of an App-Supported Intensive Interdisciplinary Treatment for Young People with Chronic Pain: A Mixed-Methods Study
by Dunja Genent, Sabrina Schenk, Almut Hartenstein-Pinter, Boris Zernikow and Julia Wager
Sci 2024, 6(2), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020025 - 01 May 2024
Viewed by 328
Abstract
Chronic pain in the vulnerable phase of emerging adulthood is associated with severe life impairments. The current healthcare system has no suitable treatments for young people. A new multimodal inpatient and app-supported treatment for young people with chronic pain counteracts this. The study [...] Read more.
Chronic pain in the vulnerable phase of emerging adulthood is associated with severe life impairments. The current healthcare system has no suitable treatments for young people. A new multimodal inpatient and app-supported treatment for young people with chronic pain counteracts this. The study examines the effectiveness of this new treatment. Our mixed-methods design combined qualitative and quantitative evaluations. The sample comprised N = 44 patients (18–25 years) who took part in the new treatment. The quantitative data showed a reduced degree of pain severity, pain-related and emotional impairments, and an improved quality of life. The qualitative data showed that several components of the new treatment were particularly important to the young adults: individuality and taking the patient seriously, group therapy with peers, individual therapies (psychological, medical), life counselling, and sports. Results support the individual and objective success of a new inpatient pain treatment applied during emerging adulthood. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 6768 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Surgical Tool Performance with Alumina-Based Coatings: An Engineering Analysis
by Cristiano Fragassa, Giovanni Pappalettera, Vincenzo Moramarco, Ana Pavlovic and Marco Arru
Sci 2024, 6(2), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020024 - 19 Apr 2024
Viewed by 454
Abstract
The present study investigates the utilization of ceramic coatings and insulation elements in the context of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (CAPP) surgery tools, highlighting how precise engineering modifications can influence surgical precision. The adoption of cold plasma in surgery can be reinforced by [...] Read more.
The present study investigates the utilization of ceramic coatings and insulation elements in the context of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (CAPP) surgery tools, highlighting how precise engineering modifications can influence surgical precision. The adoption of cold plasma in surgery can be reinforced by material advancements withstanding several specific challenges, including electrical and thermal protection. We explore the potential of alumina (Al2O3), renowned for its high dielectric strength and resistance, as a promising material solution for insulating electrodes. We evaluated the thermal performance of surgical tools concerning different insulation thicknesses. Our findings suggest that Al2O3–based coatings, with their superior characteristics, significantly enhance the usability of cold plasma technology, thus fostering its application in minimally invasive surgery. We examine the implications of these findings for the design of next-generation surgical instruments and propose avenues for future research. This work contributes to the field of biomedical engineering by showcasing the pivotal role of material science in advancing surgical technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Thermal Engineering and Sciences)
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 268 KiB  
Article
Giftedness and Twice-Exceptionality in Children Suspected of ADHD or Specific Learning Disorders: A Retrospective Study
by Sara Romano, Dario Esposito, Miriam Aricò, Elena Arigliani, Gioia Cavalli, Miriam Vigliante, Roberta Penge, Carla Sogos, Francesco Pisani and Maria Romani
Sci 2024, 6(2), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020023 - 10 Apr 2024
Viewed by 884
Abstract
The expression “twice-exceptionality” has been used to describe conditions in which giftedness and specific disorders coexist. Our study offers a retrospective analysis of clinical reports of gifted children evaluated for suspected specific learning disorders (SLD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The initial sample included [...] Read more.
The expression “twice-exceptionality” has been used to describe conditions in which giftedness and specific disorders coexist. Our study offers a retrospective analysis of clinical reports of gifted children evaluated for suspected specific learning disorders (SLD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The initial sample included 456 school-aged children referred to our clinic for suspected SLD and/or ADHD over a two-year interval. The inclusion criteria were: a General Ability Index score above 120 in the cognitive assessment; age 6–18 years; and not satisfying diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder. Forty children were selected for the study. We grouped patients according to the final diagnosis: neurodevelopmental disorder (SLD and/or ADHD) (n = 15), psychopathological disorder (n = 8), mixed neurodevelopmental and psychopathological (n = 13), no emerging disorder (n = 4). The study included 36 (90%) males. Mean age was 9.3 years (SD 1.62). Mean Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient was 121.7 (SD 7.77), mean General Ability Index was 130.2 (SD 6.79). Furthermore, the cognitive assessment of the different groups highlighted a non-homogeneous profile in all groups, with lower scores on working memory and processing speed indexes. Our results support the hypothesis that difficulties in gifted children’s adaptation to scholastic and social settings could be misinterpreted as a manifestation of a clear disease. Full article
21 pages, 1152 KiB  
Article
Capacity Allocation in Cancer Centers Considering Demand Uncertainty
by Maryam Keshtzari and Bryan A. Norman
Sci 2024, 6(2), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020022 - 07 Apr 2024
Viewed by 661
Abstract
This paper introduces a model to aid decision-makers in answering many of the important questions regarding how best to operate a cancer center. This study aims to allocate the available cancer center capacity to different cancer types to minimize the deviation in patient [...] Read more.
This paper introduces a model to aid decision-makers in answering many of the important questions regarding how best to operate a cancer center. This study aims to allocate the available cancer center capacity to different cancer types to minimize the deviation in patient demand satisfied from desired supply targets across multiple cancer types. A stochastic chance-constrained model is proposed to consider uncertainties in new and returning patient demand. The proposed model determines the optimal specialization mix for oncologists based on the distribution of demand by cancer type, preventing potential mismatches. Additionally, it aims to balance workloads among oncologists and individual clinics and indirectly reduce support service costs by limiting their clinic days. Numerical results are presented using historical data collected from our collaborating cancer center to demonstrate the usefulness of the model. The results confirm that the ability to satisfy patient demand increases as oncologists become more flexible. In addition, the results show that even having a small number of highly flexible oncologists is sufficient to achieve strong patient demand satisfaction. Moreover, restricting the allowable workload difference among oncologists achieves an acceptable trade-off between workload balance and satisfying patient demand. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 921 KiB  
Article
Performance Analysis of Deep Learning Model-Compression Techniques for Audio Classification on Edge Devices
by Afsana Mou and Mariofanna Milanova
Sci 2024, 6(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020021 - 02 Apr 2024
Viewed by 846
Abstract
Audio classification using deep learning models, which is essential for applications like voice assistants and music analysis, faces challenges when deployed on edge devices due to their limited computational resources and memory. Achieving a balance between performance, efficiency, and accuracy is a significant [...] Read more.
Audio classification using deep learning models, which is essential for applications like voice assistants and music analysis, faces challenges when deployed on edge devices due to their limited computational resources and memory. Achieving a balance between performance, efficiency, and accuracy is a significant obstacle to optimizing these models for such constrained environments. In this investigation, we evaluate diverse deep learning architectures, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), for audio classification tasks on the ESC 50, UrbanSound8k, and Audio Set datasets. Our empirical findings indicate that Mel spectrograms outperform raw audio data, attributing this enhancement to their synergistic alignment with advanced image classification algorithms and their congruence with human auditory perception. To address the constraints of model size, we apply model-compression techniques, notably magnitude pruning, Taylor pruning, and 8-bit quantization. The research demonstrates that a hybrid pruned model achieves a commendable accuracy rate of 89 percent, which, although marginally lower than the 92 percent accuracy of the uncompressed CNN, strikingly illustrates an equilibrium between efficiency and performance. Subsequently, we deploy the optimized model on the Raspberry Pi 4 and NVIDIA Jetson Nano platforms for audio classification tasks. These findings highlight the significant potential of model-compression strategies in enabling effective deep learning applications on resource-limited devices, with minimal compromise on accuracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers—Multidisciplinary Sciences 2023)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 3736 KiB  
Article
Colorimetric Determination of Salivary Cortisol Levels in Artificial Saliva for the Development of a Portable Colorimetric Sensor (Salitrack)
by Tashfia Ahmed, Michael B. Powner, Meha Qassem and Panayiotis A. Kyriacou
Sci 2024, 6(2), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020020 - 02 Apr 2024
Viewed by 842
Abstract
Mental illnesses, such as clinical depression, have taken an unprecedented toll on society and the economy on a global scale. The relationship between stress management and mental health decline is of utmost significance, especially as most avenues of mental health management remain inaccessible [...] Read more.
Mental illnesses, such as clinical depression, have taken an unprecedented toll on society and the economy on a global scale. The relationship between stress management and mental health decline is of utmost significance, especially as most avenues of mental health management remain inaccessible for the majority of the general public, i.e., interview-based, and face-to-face interventions or costly drug-based therapies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, regulates the stress response in the human body and, through persistent activation, can lead to chronic stress and mental health deterioration. Thereby, the measurement and evaluation of cortisol within saliva could harness potential developments in management and diagnostic tools to monitor physiological and psychological stress in simple point-of-care applications. The current study aims to determine the concentration of salivary cortisol in spiked artificial saliva samples using blue tetrazolium (BT) dye as a colorimetric indicator. The proposed method showcases the use of the BT dye as an effective method for the rapid measurement of salivary cortisol, with accuracy comparable to the gold-standard method for salivary cortisol analysis, enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISAs). Finally, a prototype colorimetric sensor has been developed for point-of-care applications of stress monitoring via salivary cortisol measurement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers—Multidisciplinary Sciences 2023)
Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 992 KiB  
Systematic Review
Extended Reality Therapies for Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review of Patients’ and Healthcare Professionals’ Perspectives
by Pranavsingh Dhunnoo, Lisa-Christin Wetzlmair and Veronica O’Carroll
Sci 2024, 6(2), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020019 - 01 Apr 2024
Viewed by 905
Abstract
(1) Background: Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric conditions and have a rising prevalence. Patients with anxiety disorders can, however, be deterred from seeking treatment due to associated stigmas and medication side effects. Evidence indicates that promising digital health solutions to [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric conditions and have a rising prevalence. Patients with anxiety disorders can, however, be deterred from seeking treatment due to associated stigmas and medication side effects. Evidence indicates that promising digital health solutions to address those concerns reside in the growing field of extended reality (XR). The limited literature synthesis from the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) regarding the experiences and effectiveness of XR-based anxiety disorder therapies motivated the undertaking of this systematic review. (2) Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines on the following databases: CINAHL, APA PsycNet and PubMed. The search was completed on 23 January 2024 with no restriction on the time of publication. Studies were screened based on a predetermined selection criteria relevant to the research aims. (3) Results: Five studies fulfilled the inclusion requirements. The majority investigated the use of XR tools for individual therapy and indicated that they can be as effective for patients as traditional methods and can aid in HCPs’ therapeutic tasks. (4) Conclusions: XR-based anxiety disorder therapies are generally perceived as immersive and with minimal side effects by patients, while HCPs mostly consider XR tools as practical and assistive. However, refinements with the XR setup could further improve the experience. Such modalities represent potent drug-free alternatives or supplements to traditional therapy and could be considered for remote, individual care. The findings’ generalisability requires further research into more conditions within the anxiety disorder group, as well as larger sample sizes. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 769 KiB  
Article
Mood Profile Clusters among Greek Exercise Participants and Inactive Adults
by Peter C. Terry, Renée L. Parsons-Smith, Symeon P. Vlachopoulos and Andrew M. Lane
Sci 2024, 6(2), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6020018 - 26 Mar 2024
Viewed by 900
Abstract
Mood profile clusters have previously been identified in several cultural contexts. In the present study, six mood profile clusters referred to as the iceberg, inverse Everest, inverse iceberg, shark fin, submerged, and surface profiles, were investigated in a Greek population. The names of [...] Read more.
Mood profile clusters have previously been identified in several cultural contexts. In the present study, six mood profile clusters referred to as the iceberg, inverse Everest, inverse iceberg, shark fin, submerged, and surface profiles, were investigated in a Greek population. The names of the mood profiles reflect how they appear after raw scores for Tension, Depression, Anger, Vigor, Fatigue, and Confusion (in that order), are converted to T-scores and depicted graphically. A Greek translation of the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS-Greek) was completed by 1786 adults, comprising 1417 exercise participants and 369 physically inactive adults (male = 578, female = 1208) aged 18–64 years (M = 34.73 ± 11.81 years). Although the male–female ratio emphasized females, sample sizes of over 500 suggest some degree of representativeness. Seeded k-means cluster analysis clearly identified the six hypothesized mood profiles. Men were over-represented for the iceberg profile. For age, the 18–25 years group were under-represented for the iceberg profile, whereas the 46–55 and 56+ years groups were over-represented. The 56+ years group were under-represented for the inverse Everest, and the 18–25 years group were over-represented for the shark fin profile. For body mass index (BMI), participants in the obese weight category were over-represented for the inverse iceberg and shark fin profiles and under-represented for the submerged profile. Active participants were over-represented for the iceberg and submerged profiles, and under-represented for the inverse Everest, inverse iceberg, and surface profiles. Findings supported the cross-cultural equivalence of the mood profile clusters and confirmed the link between physical inactivity, obesity, and negative mood profiles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers—Multidisciplinary Sciences 2023)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Previous Issue
Back to TopTop