Computational Music Biofeedback for Stress Relief

The purpose of our project is to use EEG technology to combat stress in our daily lives. One of the most accessible EEG technologies that targets this challenge is the Muse headband, a wearable device that pairs with a phone application to help users train their brains to relax. The applications main goal is to help users train their brain to be more relaxed by monitoring and reporting their levels of stress. However, one of the shortcomings we noticed is that the constant notifications of how stressed we are actually adds to the level of stress as opposed to helping train our brains towards a more relaxed state. In order to improve this solution, our program uses the live brain waves transmitted by the Muse headband and feedforward techniques to not only track brain users activity, but also help the user move towards a more relaxed state using music and binaural beats. While we werent able to test the system on an unbiased population due to time constraints, preliminary exploration on ourselves on both short term and longer term sessions shows that longer uses of our system led to more a relaxed state

Is It Desirable to Do Philosophy With Students in Their Second Language?

Advocates of philosophizing with children report the benefits of the practice: tapping into a natural sense of wonder, cultivating the willingness to listen to others, developing critical reasoning, etc. A mother tongue shared by both students and teacher would go a long way in facilitating these learning processes. However, given that in many classrooms the language of instruction is not necessarily the students’ mother tongue, the question of the desirability of practicing philosophy with them arises. This paper considers some arguments in support of the negative response to this question: (a) children learning in a second language have limited vocabulary and their ways of expressing themselves are still undergoing development; (b) since young people do not yet have sufficient language skills, we cannot expect them to philosophize in a serious way; (c) linguistic deficiencies have led to the diminishing quality of education; making linguistically weak students engage in philosophy would be pedagogically disastrous. Counterarguments to each of these claims are then developed, pointing out that these operate on (a) a widespread misconception about children, (b) a possibly limited view of philosophy, and (c) an underestimation of the potential of philosophizing with children

Calculating M\u3csub\u3eBH\u3c/sub\u3e Scaling Relations for AGNs using 2D Galaxy Decomposition Software to Analyse HST Images

This study uses the 2D galaxy decomposition software GALFIT developed by Dr. Chien Peng to analyse Hubble Space Telescope images of 14 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) and obtain their M_BH-spheroid luminosity scaling relations for comparison with previous studies

Geochronology of PFAS in Jamaica Bay Sediment Cores

Sediment is a key component of aquatic ecosystems, as they provide habitats and nutrients for benthic plants and animals. This research is investigating the PFAS content in sediment cores from Jamaica Bay, New York. Using an approach of geochronology, the goal of this research is to produce a timeline displaying the concentration distribution of PFAS. This will allow the analysis of the efficacy of phasing out PFAS, as they are persistent chemicals that are extremely harmful to human and ecological health. We found that PFCA and PFSA concentrations are not decreasing, indicating there is continued environmental input

Painting the Scenario of Filipino K-pop Fan Culture

The paper examines aspects of K-Pop Fan culture in the Philippines. Data were gathered from fieldwork and participant observation in various fan events, as well as, online and actual informal discussions with Philippine K-Pop fans. Results support how the K-Pop scene is cultivating a new area of study in Philippine youth culture; one in which cross-cultural ties with Korea and the rest of the world is clearly manifested

Developing an evidence-based workplace wellness program for a Native Hawaiian clinical partner

Quality educational experiences for nursing students depend upon clinical sites with healthy work environments. To facilitate this mutual goal, BSN faculty and senior students collaborated with a clinical partner to design an evidence-based, culturally relevant health promotion program for their employees