Impatience often takes hold of us as we approach a pedestrian crosswalk (人行横道), especially when we are in a hurry and see that small button on the pole. We press it repeatedly, hoping our persistence will some how magically change the signal from “Stop” to “Walk” in seconds. However, a video, shared by a traffic signal technician on the media, reveals a surprising fact.

Actually, every time you press the pedestrian crosswalk button, it sends a “call” signal to the traffic control system, which indicates that a pedestrian is waiting to cross the street. The traffic system acknowledges this call on time, placing it in a queue until the appropriate time to change the crosswalk signal arises. No matter how many times you press the button, the system will automatically reset it to its initial state once the call has been answered. So the number of times you press the button doesn’t affect the speed at which you receive the green “Walk” signal.

However, it is worth noting that the function of pedestrian crosswalk buttons can vary from place to place. In some regions, pedestrian crosswalks are programmed not to respond primarily to button presses during the day. Only in the evening, the buttons come into play, allowing pedestrians to bring about a change in the signal. In other areas, some of these buttons are equipped to assist people with disabilities. When activated, they might produce audible (可听的) signals to indicate when it is safe to cross.

Some viewers admitted to pressing them multiple times, even if they knew their actions didn’t change anything. They enjoyed the act of pushing the button as a form of interactive engagement while waiting. Others remained doubtful, viewing the buttons as something designed to comfort impatient pedestrians.

Additionally, the video publisher offers forward-thinking suggestions for improving crosswalk systems. These ideas include the use of advanced sensors and adaptive algorithms (算法), which could enhance both efficiency and pedestrian safety. Smarter crosswalks could significantly benefit pedestrians and drivers alike.

Curtin University research has found a simple and affordable method to determine which chemicals and types of metals are best used to store and supply energy, in a breakthrough for any battery-run devices and technologies relying on the fast and reliable supply of electricity, including smart phones and tablets.

Lead author Associate Professor Simone Ciampi from Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences said this easy, low-cost method of determining how to produce and keep the highest energy charge in a capacitor (电容器). could be of great benefit to all scientists, engineers and start-ups looking to solving the energy storage challenges of the future.

“All electronic devices require an energy source. While a battery needs to be recharged over time, a capacitor can be charged instantly because it stores energy by separating charged ions (离子), found in ionic liquids,” Ciampi said.

There are thousands of types of ionic liquids, a type of “liquid salt”, and until now, it was difficult to know which would be best suited for use in a capacitor. What our team has done is designing a quick and easy test, able to be performed in a basic lab, which can measure both the ability to store charge when a solid electrode touches a given ionic liquid—a simple capacitor—as well as the stability of the device when charged.

“The simplicity this test means anyone can apply it without the need for expensive equipment. Using this method, researchers found that charging the device for 60 seconds produced a full charge, which did not ‘leak’ (渗漏) and begin to diminish for at least four days,” Mr Belotti said.

The next step is to use this new screening method to find ionic liquid with an even longer duration in the charged state and larger energy density.

When you think about inventions that have completely changed human existence，what comes to your mind? Probably the wheel，the printing press，the refrigerator and definitely personal computers. 【小题1】，but without which we'd be much worse off，like eyeglasses.Imagine a world without glasses---many of us would walk around bumping into things and driving our cars up onto the sidewalk. 【小题2】?

The truth is that nobody knows who invented eyeglasses. At some point in ltaly between 1268 and 1289 someone came up with the idea, but the actual inventor remains unknown.What we do know is that the earliest lenses were made from quartz(石英) and were usually set into bone, metal, or leather. 【小题3】，they started making lenses out of glass.

Although glasses spread quickly throughoutEurope and Asia, there was one major problem: how to keep them on the wearer's face? 【小题4】. It took nearly 400 years before opticians(验光师)figured out that hard sidepieces resting on top of the ears might do the trick.

【小题5】, who invented bifocals(双光眼镜) in the 1780s. Annoyed at having to constantly switch glasses whenever he wanted to read or take in the sights while traveling，he had his reading glasses cut in half and joined with his distance glasses. Now that's the American creative item for you.