Chemistry : Environmental Chemistry

 

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

Before we are going to the topic first we have to discuss about what is chemistry .

WHAT IS CHEMISTRY?

Chemistry is the study of building blocks of matter , include atoms , molecules and ions and how they intact and transform to from new substances with different properties. It’s the science of understanding the compositions , properties and reactions of matter.

In short chemistry is the study of

• What things are made of (composition)
• How things work(properties)
• How things change and transform (reactions)

Chemistry is all around us, from the air we breathe to the food we eat, and is essential for understanding many aspect of our daily life.

Now we can going to discuss about environmental chemistry.

Environmental chemistry:-

Environmental chemistry is the study of the chemical process that occur in the environment including the air , water, soil and living  organism . It involves understanding the sources transport , transformation and fate of chemicals in the environmental  as well as their impact on human health and the environment.

                                                                                Environmental chemists examine the cycling of nutrients and pollutants through ecosystems , the effects of human activities on environmental chemistry and the development of technologies to mitigates environmental pollution . They also investigate the chemical composition of environmental samples such as air and water pollutants , soil contaminants and hazardous waste.

Some key areas of focus in environmental chemistry  include:

1.      Atmospheric chemistry

Studying the composition and chemistry of the atmosphere including air pollution and climate change.

2.      Aquatic chemistry

Examining the chemical properties and processes in water, including water pollution and treatment.

3.      Soil chemistry

Understanding the chemical composition and process in soil , including nutrient cycling and soil contamination.

4.      Geochemistry

Studying the chemical composition of the earths crust and the process that shape it.

5.      Ecotoxicology

Investigating the harmful effects of chemicals on living organisms and ecosystems.

6.      Environmental analysis

Developing  methods to measure measure and monitor environmental pollutants .

7.      Remediation technology

Developing strategies to clean up contaminated environments.

                                                                By understanding environmental chemistry we can better manage and  mitigate the environmental impacts of human activities ,  protect human health and preserver the integrity of ecosystems.

Some examples of environmental chemistry in action include:-
 

1     Studying the effects of acid rain on soil and water chemistry.
2.      Investigating the fate and transport of pesticides in the environment
3.      Developing technologies to remove  pollutants  from industrial waste streams.
4.      Understanding the role of atmospheric chemistry in climate change.
5.      Monitoring water quality and developing treatment strategies to remove contaminants.
 

                                             Environmental chemistry is a vitial field that helps us understand and address  the complex.

Written and collected by ,

Rahul Prasad Parida

Member of The Modern Researchers

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Psychology : Depression

1.  What is depression?

• Depression is a complex mental health disorder characterized by presistent feeling of sadness, hopelessness and lack of interest or pleasure in activities.
• It affects a person thoughts , feeling , behaviour , and overall functioning.

2. Key points of depression

(i) Symptoms

• Persistent low mood
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
• changes in appetite and weight
• sleep disturbances
• loss of energy
• feelings of worthlessness
• Difficulty concentrating or making depression
• Thoughts of death or suicide

(ii) Types of Depression

• Major depression disorder (MDD)

severe symptoms that interfere with daily life

• Persistent depressive disorder ( Dysthymia)

chronic, less severe symptoms lasting for at least two years

• Bipolar Disorder

Characterized by mood swings between depression and mania

• Seasonal affective disorder ( SAD)

Depression Ocearing at specific times of the year typically in the winter.

(iii) Causes

• Biological factors

Imbalances in brain chemicals such as serotonin and nonepinephrine

• Genetic factor

Family history of depression can increase the risk 

• Psychological factors

Negative thinking patterns , low self-esteem and chronic stress.

• Environmental factors

Trauma , abuse or significant life changes can contribute to depression

(iv) Diagonals

• Conducted through clinical interviews and assessment by mental health proffessionals.
• Criteria are based on the DSM - 5 ( Diagonals and statical manual or mental disorder or ICD-10 / ICD-11 international classification of dieases.

(v) Treatment

• Psychotherapy

Cognitive behavional therapy (CBT) , interpersonal therapy (IPT) and other counselling approches.

• Medication 

Antidepressants such as SSRIS ( Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitions ) and SNRIS ( Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitions ).

• Lifestyle changes

Regular excercise , healthy diet , sufficient sleep

• Alternative Therapies

Meditation, Mindfulness and acupuncture

(vi) Prevention and management

• Building a strong support network
• learning and practicing stress management techniques
• Seeking early intervention when symptoms arise 

                        Understanding and addressing depression requires a comprehensive approach , combing medical , psychological and social strategies to effective manage and improve quality.

Written and collected by

Rahul Prasad Parida

member of , 

The Modern Researchers

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Artificial Intelligence : Emotion Recognition

     What is Emotion Recognition Technology ?

              Emotion  Recognition is an advanced domain that merges hardware and software to detect and understand human emotion .This technology deciphers the complexities of emotional expression , such as a smile , by analyzing both visible and invisible physicological signals like pupil dilation , heart rate variation, and sweat production. By translating these subtle cues into actionable data, emotion recognition system uncover insights that would otherwise remain hidden.

                This technology employs a variety of techniques including facial expression analysis, facial electromyography (fEMS), electrocardiography (ECG) , and electrodermal  activity (EDA). While not all methods are used simultaneously,each contriburtes to a icher understanding of emotional states, As these systems evolvethey transition from theoretical concept to practical application.

                In the automotive industry, emotion recognition enhances driver safety and comfort. For example, It can be detect drowsiness or signs of road rage, potentially reducing accident rates. With over 287 million car in the U.S., this technology is key to improving driving experience and ensurion safety.

                 In, healthcare, emotion recognition technology supports early diagnosis and personalizes treatment . For instance the Janseen Autism knowledge Engine uses multisensory approach to identify early signs of autism, enabling timely nterventions.It also aids in tailoring therapeutic approaches for individuals with autism and social anxiety.

                   Beyond healthcare, emotion recognition is applied in training simulations and gaming. In flight simulators and virtual healthcare training, it improves realism and effectiveness, while in gaming, it creates more immersive and responsive experiences by adjusting gameplay based on real-time emotional data.

                    Overall, emotion recognition technology has advanced significantly, integrating sophisticated biosensors, software, and algorithms. Its continued evolution promises deeper integration into daily life, enhancing how we interact with technology in a more intuitive and human-like manner.

·         Understanding AI Emotion Recognition

                AI Emotion Recognition, also known as Affective Computing, is a cutting-edge field within Artificial Intelligence focused on enabling computers to interpret human emotions from nonverbal cues like facial expressions, body language, and vocal tones. This technology relies on advanced techniques such as deep neural networks and computer vision to analyze and understand emotional states from images and videos.

 

·         Visual AI Emotion Recognition

                Visual Emotion Analysis (VEA) involves interpreting human emotions through facial features. While challenging due to the complex relationship between raw image data and high-level emotions, advancements in Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have made VEA a promising area for AI development.

 

·         How AI Emotion Recognition and Analysis Works

Image Acquisition: Capturing image frames with cameras.

Preprocessing: Optimizing images by cropping, resizing, and color correcting.

Feature Extraction: Utilizing CNN models to identify significant features.

Emotion Classification: Categorizing emotions based on these features.

Steps in Detail:

Face Detection: Identifying and localizing faces in images, overcoming challenges such as varying lighting and head positions.

Image Preprocessing: Enhancing image quality to improve accuracy by normalizing lighting, reducing noise, and correcting rotation.

Emotion Classification: Using AI models, typically CNNs, to categorize facial expressions into emotions like happiness or sadness.

 

·         Detectable Emotions

                AI models commonly recognize a range of emotions including anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, and neutrality.

 

·         State-of-the-Art in AI Emotion Recognition

Pre-2014: Traditional methods with manually designed features had limitations.

Post-2014: Deep learning approaches, especially CNNs, improved accuracy.

Since 2020: Specialized networks like WSCNet have advanced the field with weakly supervised learning for better accuracy.

·         Comparing Methods

                Accuracy can differ between controlled and real-world environments. For example, models showing high accuracy in controlled settings may struggle in natural conditions due to factors like head pose and lighting.

 

·         Algorithm Performance:

SentiBank: 49.23%

Zhao et al.: 49.13%

AlexNet: 59.85%

VGG-16: 65.52%

ResNet-50: 67.53%

MldrNet: 65.23%

WILDCAT: 67.03%

WSCNet: 70.07%

 

·         AI Emotion Recognition on Edge Devices

 

                Deploying emotion recognition on edge devices like smartphones requires optimized models due to limited resources. Techniques such as dimensionality reduction and model compression help balance performance and computational demands.

 

·         Future Outlook and Applications

 

                Recent advancements include stimuli-aware emotion recognition, achieving greater accuracy in visual emotion datasets. AI emotion recognition is expanding into fields like opinion mining, customer service, and medical sentiment analysis, with significant potential impacts across various sectors.

 

                This chapter delves into the ultimate potential of AI emotion recognition, exploring its evolving technologies and the transformative effects on how machines understand human emotions in both controlled and real-world contexts . 

Written and Collected by , 

Abhaya Kumar Rout

Member of  The Modern Researchers

 

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History : Black death , cause , symptoms and impact

 

Black death, cause, symptoms and impact

What is black death?

The black death also known as the plague was a pandemic that devastated Europe and other parts of the world in the 14^th century.

It is considered one of the dead list pandemic in human history.

Plague is believed to have started in Europe an 1347.

1338 ;The plague is believed to have started in present day Mongolia of China.

1347; The plague arrives in Europe via trade routes specifically in the city of genoa , Italy in January 1347.

1348; The black death spreads rapidly thought Europe  reaching as England France and Spain.

1350; The black death reaches it peak in Europe with the highest number of death recorded.

1353;The black death spreads begins to decline but it continues to affect Europe and other part of the world joy several centuries.

·         BLACKDEATH CAUSES :-

Black death was caused by the bubonic plague .which is a highly injections and deadly discase caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis.

·         PRIMARY CAUSES:-

Yersinia Pestis Bacterium:- The plague/black death is caused by the yersinia pestis bacterium which was transmitted to human through the bits of injected flus that live on rats and other animals.

·         SECONDARY CAUSES:-

1.      TRADE AND COMMERCE:-

The black death spread rapidly  due to extensive  trade networks, including the silk road , which connected Europe and Asia.

2.      Urbanization and crowding:-

Overcrowding in cities and towns facilitated  the spread of the disease .

3.      Lack of medical:-

This time , there was no understanding of the disease causesor effective , treatment , leading to a lack of adequate medical care.

Vectors:-

1.      Fleas:- injected furs  that  lived on rats mice and other animals , the discase to humans through their bites.

2.      Rats and rodents:- These animals carried injected fleas and helped spread the discase.

       The  black death killed between 75 million and 200 million  people, which was         approximately 30-60% of Europe’s  population.

SYMPTOMS OF BLACKDEATH:-

Ø  Swollen lymph nodes , or “buboes” , in the groin are pet  or neck .

Ø  Fever, chills and weakness.

Ø  Painful and blackened skin hence the name “BLACK DEATH” .

Ø  A more delay  form, where  the injection spread trough  the blood stream.

The symptoms of the black death caused by the bubonic plague, typically developed within 1-7 days after exposure  and included:-

INITIAL  SYMPTOMS:-

1.       Fever: High temperature , often  accompanied by chills.

2.      Weakness: feeling extremely weak and exhausted

3.      Pain: painful swelling of lymph nodes; or “buboes”,  in the groin , armpits or neck .

4.      Swollen lymph nodes: painful and swollen nodes often turning black and bursting .

IMPACT OF BLACK DEATH :-

The black death , which ravaged  Europe and other parts of the world in the 14^th  century, had a profound  impact on society, culture , economy and polities , here are some of the significant  effects.

DEMOGRAPHIC IMPACT:-

1.     Massive  population decline :estimated 75-200 million deaths , approximately 30-60% of Europe’s population.

2.     Changes in populations structure :altered age , sex and  social class distributions.

ECONOMIC  IMPACTS:-

1.    Labor  shortages : led to increase social mobility higher wages , and better working conditions .

2.    Economics description : Trade Commerce and industry declined leading to economic stagnation.

SOCIAL IMPACT:-

1.      Increased social mobility : people moved to cities seeking better opportunities.

2.      Changes in family structure: reduced family size altered gender roles.

POLITICAL IMPACT:-

1.      Rise of cities : cities become centers of power commerce , and culture.

2.      Changes in law and governance : governments responded to the crisis with new laws  and regulations.

PROGRESSIVE SYMPTOMS:-

1.      Buboes: swollen  lymph nodes turned black and burst , releasing pus.

2.      Black spots: Black spots  appeared  on the skin, turning gangrenous.

3.      Septicemia: Injected  blood caused fever, chills and  organ failure .

4.      Pneumonia: injection spread to the lungs , causing cough , difficulty breathing  and bloody sputum.

5.      Delirium: injected people became disoriented  hallucination .

6.      Coma: eventually , the injection led to coma and death.

ADDITIONAL SYMPTOMS:-

1.      Nausea and vomiting

2.      Diarrhea

3.      Abdominal pain

4.      Building from mouth, nose  and rectum

 

 

 

The symptoms and progression of the disease varied depending on the individuals and the form of plague.

 

Written and collected by ,

 Bishnupriya Barik

Member of The Morden Researchers

 

 

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