Research by Lixian Guo at the University of Canterbury may make it possible to keep electronic devices powered with another piece of equipment you’re likely to bring with you while exploring the great outdoors: camping stoves. Guo’s work focuses on using the excess heat produced by stoves to create a thermoacoustic engine, which converts thermal energy into acoustic energy. This acoustic energy can then be transformed into mechanical or electrical energy. When optimized, these engines can generate power ranging from tens to thousands of watts, depending on their size.

Traditional police training lacks practical tools for handling mental health crises, leaving officers underprepared. New research provides a promising avenue for addressing this gap using VR training by immersing officers in realistic scenarios. Results show moderate to high engagement in the VR environment, which enhances empathy and highlights its potential as a complement to traditional training. Improving immersion, engagement, and VR familiarity can enhance emotional connections, making well-designed simulations more effective for fostering empathy and sympathy.

Concordia University researchers have created a method that uses artificial intelligence to more accurately predict short-term river discharge using historical data from two hydrometric stations on the Ottawa River along with other weather-based parameters. They built on an existing type of algorithm called group method of data handling, which constructs predictive models by sorting and combining data into groups. The models are computed in different combinations repeatedly until the best and most reliable data combination is identified.

The research team led by Chief Investigator KIM Jae Kyoung (IBS Biomedical Mathematics Group, Professor at KAIST) and Professor LEE Heon-Jeong (Korea University College of Medicine) has developed a novel model that can predict mood episodes in mood disorder patients using only sleep and circadian rhythm data collected from wearable devices.

A new study from researchers at Kumamoto University sheds light on a potential link between exposure to certain everyday chemicals during pregnancy and the development of asthma in children. The study analyzed data from over 3,500 mother-child pairs as part of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), a large-scale nationwide research project.