An Acoustic Sensor for Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Screen Condition Monitoring in a Drainage Infrastructure

Combined sewer overflow structures (CSO) play an important role in sewer networks. When the local capacity of a sewer system is exceeded during intense rainfall events, they act as a “safety valve” and discharge excess rainfall run-off and wastewater directly to a natural receiving water body, thus preventing widespread urban flooding. There is a regulatory requirement that solids in CSO spills must be small and their amount strictly controlled. Therefore, a vast majority of CSOs in the UK contain screens. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study of using low-cost, low-energy acoustic sensors to remotely assess the condition of CSO screens to move to cost-effective reactive maintenance visits. In situ trials were carried out in several CSOs to evaluate the performance of the acoustic sensor under realistic screen and flow conditions. The results demonstrate that the system is robust within ±2.5% to work successfully in a live CSO environment. The observed changes in the screen condition resulted in 8–39% changes in the values of the coefficient in the proposed acoustic model. These changes are detectable and consistent with observed screen and hydraulic data. This study suggested that acoustic-based sensing can effectively monitor the CSO screen blockage conditions and hence reduce the risk of non-compliant CSO spills.

It Does Matter If You Win or Lose, and How You Play the (Video) Game

Most violent video game (VVG) research focuses on aggressive behaviors as the primary outcome variable of interest. Using pro-social behavior as the dependent variable, this study explores factors beyond VVG content as a contributing factor to player outcomes. Participants were randomly assigned to play VVG or non-VVG content with viewing screens obstructed by large pieces of paper to increase difficulty, or unobstructed. Screen condition accounted for 34.5% of the variance in pro-social behavior of helping to retrieve spilled pens. Players in obstructed viewing conditions experienced more in-game losses and engaged in significantly less helping behavior. Fewer pens were retrieved by participants in obstructed viewing conditions while playing either a VVG or non-VVG. The present study cautions against generalized assumptions that VVG content is a primary determinant of behavior and underscores the role of important contextual factors like failure and achievement loss to consider in future studies of this nature.

“And Now Close Your Eyes or Lower Your Gaze”: Exploring Novice Meditators and Their Attentional Processes During Meditation

Brief mindfulness meditation practices are associated with a wealth of benefits; however, factors that may influence the success of meditation sessions have rarely been explored. The present study explored the effects of the visual environment as a factor of successful meditation. Eye-tracking techniques were employed to objectively measure attention within three attention-deviating conditions with basic meditation instructions, and the potential influence of personality traits as assessed through administering the HEXACO-60-PI, a self-report measure, to participants. Statistically significant results were uncovered regarding decreased fixation durations and increased state mindfulness scores of participants within the blank screen conditions over the two eyes-open conditions. No significant effect was found regarding fixation counts, which decreased within the blank screen condition. The findings regarding reduced state anxiety did not reach significance and there were no significant differences regarding the six personality types between conditions. The present study offers a step towards understanding how brief mindfulness meditation sessions can be optimised.

An Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Video Media on Pork Consumption

Faunalytics, with support from Statistics Without Borders, conducted a longitudinal research project examining the effectiveness of Animal Equality’s 360-degree and 2D video outreach. The main research questions for this study were:1. Which of two video media (360-degree virtual reality or a 2D experience) results in greater change in self-reported pork consumption and, secondarily, attitudes toward pork and pigs? 2. Do these video media result in greater change in self-reported diet and, secondarily, attitudes toward pork and pigs than a control condition? The study employed an experimental (i.e., randomized controlled trial) design with three conditions: a 360-degree virtual reality condition, a 2D flat-screen condition, and an inactive (i.e., no treatment) control condition.