Your Social-Media Detoxes (脱瘾治疗) Probably Aren’t Helping You

We’ve all heard the supposed benefits of unplugging from digital devices, even for 24 hours. Such breaks are said to 【小题1】 self-confidence, reduce social competitiveness and fears of missing out, and make room for more-enriching, in-person interactions. Yet studies exploring those effects have produced 【小题2】 results. So a global research team set out to systematically test the idea that social media detoxing delivers meaningful psychological 【小题3】.

The researchers recruited 600 undergraduate students in three places: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. All participants were randomly 【小题4】 to keep away from social media on either the first or the second day of a two-day experiment. On the other day, they were to interact with digital platforms as they 【小题5】 would. Each evening they answered survey questions aimed at【小题6】 various aspects of well-being. Contrary to the researchers’ expectations, the one-day detox made no noticeable impact on positive or negative emotions, self-confidence, or daily satisfaction. When it did have an effect, it decreased daily satisfaction and social relatedness, although the changes were not significant once the analysis was adjusted to control for gender. Just as 【小题7】, people didn’t use the time freed up from looking at screens for other forms of socializing. In fact, they reported 【小题8】 lower levels of face-to-face, phone, and email interactions on their detoxing days.

Even short social-media breaks can be hard to 【小题9】 — indeed, only half the participants in the experiment did what was required and these results suggest that they may not be worth the 【小题10】. “We did not find any evidence that social media detoxing for one day had significant positive impacts on psychological well-being,” the researchers write.

Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

No child or young athlete should be subjected to genetic testing to find sporting talent or improve performance, conclude the experts in a statement published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The scientific evidence on the effectiveness of these 【小题1】 tests is simply far too weak to back their use, says the experts in the fields of genomics, exercise, sports performance, etc. While the science of genomics has advanced rapidly over the past decade, the ability to interpret the meaning of genetic test results is still at a relatively early stage.

But that has not stopped the growth of the “direct to consumer” genetic tests, which claim to be able to spot children’s athletic talents or tailor training to 【小题2】 performance. This fast - growing market has caused fears that the still limited level of knowledge on the genetics of sports performance is being 【小题3】 for commercial gain.

To inform the statement, the panel looked at the availability of DIY genetic tests. It found 39 companies 【小题4】 tests associated with sport or exercise performance or injury - almost twice as many as in 2018.

The claims included: “【小题5】 your training based on your sports genetics,” “Give parents and coaches early information on their child’s genetic 【小题6】 for success for sports,” and “We use your DNA results to help you lose fat, build muscle, get fitter.”

But the 【小题7】 of any good scientific data to guide selection of which variants to test weakens the value of multiple testing. Besides, while there is some evidence to suggest a link with enhanced physical performance, it is very weak, making the 【小题8】 value of these tests “actually zero,” says the statement.

The statement emphasizes the 【小题9】 of change in gene sequencing technology has got much faster than regulation. And it points out the importance of counselling before any genetic test is taken.

“While further evidence will undoubtedly emerge around the genetics of sport performance in the future, the data are currently very 【小题10】. Therefore, in this stage of limited knowledge, no child or young athlete should be exposed to genetic testing to define or alter training or for talent identification aimed at selecting gifted children or adolescents,” it concludes.

Researchers have used liquid metals to turn carbon dioxide back into solid coal, in a world-first breakthrough that could transform our 【小题1】 to carbon capture and storage.

The research team led by RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a new technique that can efficiently convert CO2 from a gas into solid particles of carbon.

Published in the journal Nature Communications, the research offers a(n) 【小题2】 pathway for safely and permanently removing the greenhouse gas from our atmosphere.

Current technologies for carbon capture and storage focus on compressing CO2 into a liquid form, transporting it to a suitable site and injecting it underground.

But 【小题3】 has been hindered (阻碍) by engineering challenges, issues around economic feasibility and environmental concerns about possible 【小题4】 from the storage sites.

RMIT researcher Dr Torben Daeneke said converting CO2 into a solid could be a more sustainable approach. “While we can’t 【小题5】 turn back time, turning carbon dioxide back into coal and burying it back in the ground is a bit like rewinding the emissions clock,” Daeneke, an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, said.

“To 【小题6】, CO2 has only been converted into a solid at extremely high temperatures, making it industrially unfeasible.” By using liquid metals as a catalyst, we’ve shown it’s possible to turn the gas back into carbon at room temperature, in a process that’s efficient and scalable. While more research needs to be done, it's a crucial first step to delivering solid storage of carbon.”

How the carbon conversion works

Lead author, Dr Dorna Esrafilzadeh, a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow in RMIT’s School of Engineering, developed the electrochemical technique to capture and convert atmospheric CO2 to storable solid carbon.

To convert CO2, the researchers designed a liquid metal catalyst with specific surface 【小题7】 that made it extremely efficient at conducting electricity while chemically activating the surface. The carbon dioxide is dissolved (溶解) in a beaker (无柄塑料杯) filled with an electrolyte liquid and a small amount of the liquid metal, which is then charged with an electrical 【小题8】.

The CO2 slowly converts into solid flakes of carbon, which are naturally detached (脱离) from the liquid metal surface, allowing the continuous production of carbonaceous solid. Esrafilzadeh said the carbon produced could also be used as an electrode.

“A side benefit of the process is that the carbon can hold electrical charge, becoming a supercapacitor (电容器), so it could【小题9】 be used as a component in future vehicles. The process also produces synthetic fuel as a by-product, which could also have industrial 【小题10】.”