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Yulin Normal University preschool education major existing children's game course instructional model more in passing test knowledge and practice test skills, students used to passively accept knowledge, rarely use critical thinking to treat knowledge, with a critical eye to question, thinking, and discovery, long-term students will not be able to adapt to the needs of the new era of social development of survival ability and professional competitiveness. Therefore, the objectives of this study were (1) to study the factors affecting the development of critical thinking ability, (2) to develop an instructional model based on experiential learning theory and six thinking hats, and (3) to compare the critical thinking ability of Third Year college students before and after the instructional model of experiential learning theory and six thinking hats. The sample group was 30 students from preschool education majors at Yulin Normal University. The research was conducted in three steps: studying the factors that affect the development of critical thinking ability, developing the instructional model, and the experimental and improvement process. The research instruments were a questionnaire about factors that affect the development of critical thinking ability, an interview form about factors that affect the development of college students' critical thinking ability, an observation form about student behavior, an interview form about opinions on teaching, lesson plans, and a critical thinking ability test. The study's results were 1) the main factors affecting the development of critical thinking ability include the instructional environment, the teachers, and the students, respectively, 2) the instructional model based on experiential learning theory and six thinking hats was developed consisting of four core components: a) principles, b) objectives, c) learning process, and d) results, and 3) after the implementation of the instructional model based on experiential learning theory and six thinking hats, the critical thinking ability scores of the students were higher than the critical thinking ability of the students before the experiment, with a statistical significance of 0.01 level. Finally, this paper strives to develop a based on Experiential Learning Theory and Six Thinking Hats instructional model to improve the critical thinking of preschool education students at Yulin Normal University.

Since the last IAEA-FEC in 2021, significant progress on the development of long pulse steady state scenario and its related key physics and technologies have been achieved, including the reproducible 403 s long-pulse steady-state H-mode plasma with pure radio frequency (RF) power heating. A thousand-second time scale (∼1056 s) fully non-inductive plasma with high injected energy up to 1.73 GJ has also been achieved. The EAST operational regime of high βP has been significantly extended (H98y2 > 1.3, βP ∼ 4.0, βN ∼ 2.4 and ne/nGW ∼ 1.0) using RF and neutral beam injection (NBI). The full edge localized mode suppression using the n = 4 resonant magnetic perturbations has been achieved in ITER-like standard type-I ELMy H-mode plasmas with q95 ≈ 3.1 on EAST, extrapolating favorably to the ITER baseline scenario. The sustained large ELM control and stable partial detachment have been achieved with Ne seeding. The underlying physics of plasma-beta effect for error field penetration, where toroidal effect dominates, is disclosed by comparing the results in cylindrical theory and MARS-Q simulation in EAST. Breakdown and plasma initiation at low toroidal electric fields (

Shape-controlled alloy nanoparticle catalysts have been shown to exhibit improved performance in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in liquid half-cells. However, translating the success to catalyst layers in fuel cells faces challenges due to the more demanding operation conditions in membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Balancing durability and activity is crucial. Here, we developed a strategy that limits the atomic diffusion within surface layers, fostering the phase transition and shape retention during thermal treatment. This enables selective transformation of platinum-iron nanowire surfaces into intermetallic structures via atomic ordering at a low temperature. The catalysts exhibit enhanced MEA stability with 50% less Fe loss while maintaining high catalytic activity comparable to that in half-cells. Density functional calculations suggest that the ordered intermetallic surface stabilizes morphology against rapid corrosion and improves the ORR activity. The surface engineering through atomic ordering presents potential for practical application in fuel cells with shape-controlled Pt-based alloy catalysts.

The dense mechanoreceptors in human fingertips enable texture discrimination. Recent advances in flexible electronics have created tactile sensors that effectively replicate slowly adapting (SA) and rapidly adapting (RA) mechanoreceptors. However, the influence of dermatoglyphic structures on tactile signal transmission, such as the effect of fingerprint ridge filtering on friction-induced vibration frequencies, remains unexplored. A novel multi-layer flexible sensor with an artificially synthesized skin surface capable of replicating arbitrary fingerprints is developed. This sensor simultaneously detects pressure (SA response) and vibration (RA response), enabling texture recognition. Fingerprint ridge patterns from notable historical figures - Rosa Parks, Richard Nixon, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ronald Reagan - are fabricated on the sensor surface. Vibration frequency responses to assorted fabric textures are measured and compared between fingerprint replicas. Results demonstrate that fingerprint topography substantially impacts skin-surface vibrational transmission. Specifically, Parks fingerprint structure conveyed higher frequencies more clearly than those of Nixon, King, or Reagan. This work suggests individual fingerprint ridge morphological variation influences tactile perception and can confer adaptive advantages for fine texture discrimination. The flexible bioinspired sensor provides new insights into human vibrotactile processing by modeling fingerprint-filtered mechanical signals at the finger-object interface.

Xiao Huang, Dan Wu, An-Shi Wu, Chang-Wei Wei, Jian-Dong Gao Department of Anesthesia, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jian-Dong Gao; Chang-Wei WeiDepartment of Anesthesia, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 8 South Worker’s Stadium Road, Chao-Yang District, Beijing, 100020, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 10 85231330Fax +86 10 85231463Email gaojiandong66_dr@163.com; weichangwei53fg@163.comObjective: Insomnia is common in patients undergoing surgery. It can increase the rate of postoperative complications, interfere with patient recovery, and decrease hospital satisfaction. However, there are few studies on perioperative insomnia. This study was conducted to investigate the differences in the demographic, health status, and clinical characteristics of patients with and without insomnia postoperatively, and to identify the potential risk factors of insomnia.Methods: There were 299 non-cardiac surgery patients, 165 females, and 134 males, with a mean age of 55 years, enrolled in the study. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were administered to all the patients preoperatively. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used preoperatively, and at the end of the surgery, and then one day, two days, and three days after surgery. The PHQ-9, the GAD-7, and the ISI were repeated three days after surgery. Insomnia was diagnosed by the ISI as being a score of 8– 28 (mild: 8– 14; moderate-severe: 15– 21; severe: 22– 28). The patients were divided into group A (with insomnia, N=78) and group B (without insomnia, N=221) according to their ISI score three days after surgery. The general clinical data of the two groups were analyzed first, and then binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the risk factors of insomnia.Results: A total of 299 non-cardiac surgery patients with a mean age of 55 years were enrolled in the study. Of the included patients, the number of females was 165 and the number of the male was 134. The incidence of insomnia at 3 days postoperatively was 26.1% (78/299). The average points that group A patients scored in the ISI, PHQ-9, and the GAD-7 were significantly higher than those in group B. The VAS score three days after surgery was significantly higher in group A. The PHQ-9 and the GAD-7 three days after surgery showed significantly higher depression and anxiety scores in group A. Logistic regression showed that the ISI (p< 0.001, 95% CI=1.218– 1.500) and the GAD-7 (p=0.003, 95% CI=1.041– 1.218) preoperatively, and the PHQ-9 postoperatively (p< 0.001, 95% CI=1.226– 1.555), were risk factors of insomnia.Conclusion: Insomnia is common and can worsen after surgery. The present study suggests that depression and anxiety are risk factors for insomnia after surgery. There is a need for further research and the development of strategies for depression and anxiety management to ensure better sleep quality for patients, which will be of significant benefit to their health.Clinical Trial Registration: The study was registered at clinical trial (NCT04027751); Trial registration: clinical trial, NCT04027751. Registered 22 July 2019; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04027751?cond=NCT04027751&cntry=CN&draw=2&rank=1.Keywords: insomnia, depression, anxiety, postoperative management, undergoing surgery, noncardiac surgery

This study examined the dynamic between perceived authoritarian parenting style (PAPS), and subjective wellbeing (SWB) among purposively recruited 423 college students in China. Expectancy value beliefs (EVB), fear of failure (FOF), and competitiveness were taken as mediators. The data were analyzed using Bootstrap method of 5000 sample and 95% confidence interval. The results revealed a significant negative total effect of PAPS on SWB. Additionally, two indirect paths were found to be significant: the mediation of FOF (Path 2) and the serial mediation of FOF and competitiveness (Path 6). These findings suggest that the perception of authoritarian parenting style is a negative predictor of students' happiness, and that FOF and competitiveness played important mediating roles in this relationship. These findings have important implications for educators, parents, and policymakers who aim to promote positive academic and personal outcomes for college students. The results suggest the need for interventions that address the negative impact of PAPS on students' wellbeing, and the importance of fostering positive beliefs about the value of education and academic achievement, as well as reducing FOF and promoting healthy competition.

The training curriculum based on the Language Teaching for Communication Approach, organizing the learning process to emphasize language acquisition through actual communication. It prioritized student-centered activities, providing opportunities to practice language and communicate meaning in various situations. The objectives of this research were to: 1) develop a training curriculum based on the Language Teaching for Communication Approach aimed at improving basic Chinese speaking skills for Graduate Diploma Program in Teaching Profession students, ensuring effectiveness according to the criteria 75/75, 2) compare the students' basic Chinese speaking before and after training through the training curriculum based on the Language Teaching for Communication Approach, and 3) assess the students' satisfaction with the training curriculum. The research samples consisted of 1 classroom with 26 Diploma Program in Teaching Profession students at the Faculty of Technical Education, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Thailand, in the 2023 academic year. The sample was selected by cluster random sampling. The research instruments were: 1) a training curriculum; 2) a knowledge and understanding test; and 3) a satisfaction questionnaire. The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, E1/E2 efficiency, and a dependent samples t-test. The research findings were as follows: 1) a training curriculum based on the Language Teaching for Communication Approach was effective according to 83.46/80.73, which was higher than the set criterion of 75/75, 2) the students' basic Chinese speaking after the training was higher than before at the statistical significance level of.05; and 3) the students' satisfaction with the training curriculum was at a high level.

This article is a case study of students' labor competence in two different educational tracks from the Guangxi University of Foreign Languages. According to research findings, there was no significant difference in the overall level of labor competence between ordinary undergraduates and vocational students, and there were disparities in labor competence in specific dimensions, including labor consciousness, labor knowledge, labor qualities, and labor creativity, between the two groups. Ordinary undergraduates significantly outperformed vocational college students in the dimension of labor consciousness, whereas the latter scored higher in the dimension of labor knowledge. Both groups scored poorly in terms of labor creativity. Also discussed is the importance of cultivating innovation ability, building labor knowledge, shaping labor values, and improving off-campus labor education participation among college students.

This study investigates the confidence levels of Thai secondary teachers in using digital technology and their demand for professional development (PD) programs. A questionnaire was designed, covering four key areas: digital literacy, practical application of digital technology, problem-solving skills, and adaptability. The results revealed that teachers generally demonstrated either moderate or strong confidence in their digital skills, alongside a notably high demand for PD programs. Interestingly, these findings remained consistent across various demographic variables, such as age, teaching experience, gender, and educational background. Consequently, the study suggests an immediate need for in-service training programs for Thai teachers. However, it's important to note potential limitations, including the sampling method used and concerns about the questionnaire's validity and reliability.

This paper employs a mixed research methodology, integrating a questionnaire survey and sample interviews, to assess the current state of digital competence and identify the factors influencing it among international Chinese pre-service teachers. Building upon the authoritative model framework, this study developed a questionnaire on the digital competence of international Chinese pre-service teachers and collected data from 100 master candidates of international Chinese language education from leading domestic universities in China. Upon analysis of the data, it was determined that the digital competence of international Chinese pre-service teachers is currently satisfactory overall, although there is a notable discrepancy in development. In particular, competences related to digital teaching, research, and pedagogical innovation are less developed. The training experience of international Chinese pre-service teachers has a significant correlation with their digital competence. However, the experience of international Chinese teaching does not have a significant effect on their digital competence, nor does it have a significant effect on their digital teaching competence or digital pedagogical innovation competence. This study identifies the reasons for this and proposes to refine the training system for digital competence, develop and optimize shared digital resource repositories, and enhance the capacity for innovation in pedagogical practice.

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers new possibilities for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to enhance their learning outcomes, provided that they have access to AI applications. However, little is written about the factors that influence their intention to use AI in distributed EFL learning contexts. This mixed-methods study, based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), examined the determinants of behavioral intention to use AI among 464 Chinese EFL college learners. As to quantitative data, a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach using IBM SPSS Amos (Version 24) produced some important findings. First, it was revealed that perceived ease of use significantly and positively predicts perceived usefulness and attitude toward AI. Second, attitude toward AI significantly and positively predicts behavioral intention to use AI. However, contrary to the TAM assumptions, perceived usefulness does not significantly predict either attitude toward AI or behavioral intention to use AI. Third, mediation analyses suggest that perceived ease of use has a significant and positive impact on students' behavioral intention to use AI through their attitude toward AI, rather than through perceived usefulness. As to qualitative data, semi-structured interviews with 15 learners, analyzed by the software MAXQDA 2022, provide a nuanced understanding of the statistical patterns. This study also discusses the theoretical and pedagogical implications and suggests directions for future research.

This study investigates the relationship between academic procrastination, self-control, time management, and academic self-efficacy among vocational college students. Grounded in self-control theory, the study utilized convenience sampling to conduct an online survey of 994 students from vocational colleges in Henan Province, China. Descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis were performed on the data using SPSS. The data revealed that self-control has a negative and significant impact on academic procrastination; time management plays a partial mediating role between self-control and academic procrastination; academic self-efficacy can play a partial mediating role between self-control and academic procrastination; time management and academic self-efficacy play a chain mediating role between self-control and academic procrastination.

Group sandplay therapy is a useful instrument for healing family rifts. This article is a case study where the group sandplay therapy method was used to address the client's conflicts with his family members. The therapy outcomes show that group sandplay therapy is efficacious in enhancing communication and interaction between family members, improving interpersonal relationships within a family, particularly the parent-child relationship, and alleviating parent-child tensions as barriers to effective home education.

The impetus of this study is to investigate students' attitudes towards online language learning based on their previous academic experiences and year of study, including the decision to major or minor (i.e., motivation). A total of 975 students completed a survey questionnaire consisting of background information, Likert scale items, and open-ended questions. The quantitative data were analyzed using an exploratory factor analysis and one-way ANOVAs and were complemented with qualitative data based on students' responses. Findings indicate that students generally want consistent access to online learning, and that students with prior online-learning experience or with a desire to take an online course presented a statistically significant more positive perception of online language classes. There were also differences in perception of success in the online classes between those students who intended to major or minor in the language and those who did not. The results further revealed a decline in perception of success in online classes with the higher-level classifications (i.e., year of study). This study provides baseline attitudinal data to be built upon in future research and informs stakeholders of language programs in their curricular decisions.

The Salar vocal folk music is a unique intangible cultural heritage of the Salar ethnic minority in Qinghai Province, China. The objective of this interdisciplinary study is to investigate the role of education and literacy in the preservation and transmission of Salar vocal folk music in Qinghai Province, China. The research site, Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, serves as a cultural epicenter where Salar traditions have thrived for centuries, providing an authentic setting for immersive fieldwork. Key informants include Salar musicians, educators, community leaders, and government officials who play vital roles in the preservation and transmission of this heritage. Data was collected through participant observation, interviews, and documentation of Salar vocal folk music performances. Musicological analysis and preservation and transmission theory were applied to the data, revealing the historical roots, cultural significance, and current challenges faced by Salar vocal folk music. The study culminates in guidelines for the preservation and transmission of this tradition, emphasizing government support, modernization, education, innovation, diverse communication, and legal safeguards.

The notion of "professional" is built on a concept of traditionally male professions and patriarchal social orders. ECEC (early childhood education and care), however, is a female-dominated field characterised by its unique caring practice. This study investigated how a group of Australian early childhood preservice teachers presented themselves professionally on social media, in relation to respective infant (0-2) and kindergarten (3-5) practica. Data were drawn from focus group discussions about how the participants shared their practicum experiences on Instagram. The paper is guided by Foucault's concepts of self writing. Findings are organised around four themes of self-writing processes: collecting, selecting, annotating, and managing time and tasks. Two narratives are revealed. In the context of the kindergarten placement, the posts constituted a journey of continuous improvement against all odds. In contrast, the infant placement experiences evoked a sense of struggle and renunciation. The paper concludes with implications for further study beyond the Australian context.

There is a consensus in language learning and teaching that the concept of authenticity in the classroom is beneficial to the learning process. This phenomenology case study explored 31 EFL high school students' perceptions about the authenticity of using English as the language of instruction during synchronic lessons with U.S. teachers. Data was collected from two synchronous interactive lessons and students' open-ended reflections. A thematic content analysis was adopted to examine themes on perception, motivation, and participation. The findings revealed students' insights into their learning experiences through synchronous interactions with teachers, highlighting how authentic learning gave them opportunities to practice communication strategies and learn vocabulary incidentally. This study provides pedagogical implications for integrating authenticity in foreign language classrooms.

Programmatic advertising has come to dominate the landscape of digital media planning. To prepare ad majors for their future careers in the industry, it is essential to teach students programmatic buying and provide them with hands-on experience. In this article, the authors present their approach of integrating teaching programmatic buying into a media planning course. A key feature of their educational package is a custom digital media buying tool developed by the authors. They hope this article will benefit other college educators in this field and spark further discussions on best teaching practices of programmatic buying and digital media planning.

Oral reading fluency probes are essential for reading assessment, intervention, and progress monitoring. Due to the limited options for choosing oral reading fluency probes, it is important to utilize all available resources such as generative artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT to create oral reading fluency probes. The purpose of this article is to describe how to use AI through ChatGPT to create customizable reading passages comparable with that of oral reading fluency probes. Using readability estimates, the ChatGPT-generated passages can be tailored to suit for specific grade levels, similar to how current publishers design oral reading fluency probes for the market. The implication of ChatGPT-generated passages is that researchers and practitioners alike could use ChatGPT to be able to create a seemingly unlimited amount of reading passages tailored to the skill level and interests of the learner for intervention material and potentially assessment material, while reducing cost and time investment.

The primary purpose of this study is to validate a student engagement measure for its use in evaluation of a learning assistant (LA) program. A series of psychometric evaluations were made for both the original scale of Higher Education Student Engagement Scale (HESES) and its adapted version designed to be used in gauging the effectiveness of educational interventions. Those evaluations included: reliability evidence based on internal consistency, internal structure assessment, and relations to external variables. In addition, an item-level analysis was conducted to identify malfunctioning items that do not effectively serve the intended use of the scale. Results generally supported the validity of the scale for the intended use, but also suggested a further investigation of the factor structure.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifactorial, pervasive, neurodevelopmental disorder, of which intestinal symptoms collectively represent one of the most common comorbidities. Methods: In this study, 1,222 children with ASD and 1,206 typically developing (TD) children aged 2-7 years were enrolled from 13 cities in China. Physical measurement and basic information questionnaires were conducted in ASD and TD children. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) were used to evaluate the clinical symptoms of children with ASD. The six-item Gastrointestinal Severity Index (6-GSI) was used to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal symptoms in two groups. Results: The detection rates of constipation, stool odor, and total intestinal symptoms in ASD children were significantly higher than those in TD children (40.098% vs. 25.622%, 17.021% vs. 9.287%, and 53.601% vs. 41.294%, respectively). Autistic children presenting with intestinal comorbidity had significantly higher scores on the ABC, SRS, CARS, and multiple subscales than autistic children without intestinal symptoms, suggesting that intestinal comorbidity may exacerbates the core symptoms of ASD children. Conclusion: Intestinal dysfunction was significantly more common in autistic than in TD children. This dysfunction may aggravate the core symptoms of children with ASD.

This study explores Hong Kong university students' concerns when making employment decisions after graduation and their attitudes towards working in mainland China, especially in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Two research questions were identified: What are Hong Kong students' attitudes towards working in the GBA? What factors influence Hong Kong students' employment choices? A qualitative research approach was adopted with semi-structured interviews with 38 final-year students from eight Hong Kong universities. Based on thematic analysis, the findings showed that Hong Kong university students' willingness to work in the GBA was mainly influenced by their previous connections with the destination and potential career development opportunities. However, Shenzhen was the only city out of nine in the GBA they considered for employment. University students were aware of the economic rationale for their employment preparation, but, more importantly, they placed a high value on professional development opportunities and work-life balance. They also valued opportunities for internationalisation and emphasised the importance of the work culture and environment in choosing employment. The findings have policy implications for graduate employment and the intra-mobility of talented young people across GBA cities in China.

In this research, we explore the effect of college instructors' use of formal versus casual titles on student perceptions as a function of the instructors' academic ranks. We conducted two studies: the first surveying students to study their expectations and preferences of formality and rank, and the second using experimental manipulations of title formality and instructor rank to examine the effects on student perceptions of instructors and their classes. Our data indicate that a full professor is perceived more favourably than a graduate assistant when using a casual title (their first name). Conversely, the pattern goes the opposite when they use a formal title. These insights were assessed through course favourability and enrolment intention and were rooted in two fundamental individual traits: competence and approachableness. In addition, the effects are less pronounced for students with previous exposure to the course content, suggesting course experience as a moderator. This study offers guidance on student-instructor interactions and provides insights for educators in presenting themselves through different titles.

The rapid development of social reform and the economy has brought great challenges to the mental health of college students. However, there are few studies on the impact of these psychological problems on college students' English learning. As a special group about to enter society, studying the mental health of college students in foreign language learning is of great significance. This paper discusses the principle of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and the interactive mechanism to support college students' foreign language learning. Additionally, the adaptability supporting college students' foreign language learning is analyzed according to the current situation of AI supporting foreign language learning. Then, the mental health of college students in the AI environment is investigated and analyzed. This paper takes foreign and non-foreign language majors of Changchun University of Technology as the object and uses questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observation to obtain basic data. The results show that college students' adaptability to foreign language learning is higher than that of non-foreign. Students' intelligent operation and knowledge storage level impact their adaptability to foreign language learning. Psychological health problems include learning anxiety, loneliness, depression, and inferiority in college students' foreign language learning. These negative emotions, to a certain extent, affect the learning effect of college students' foreign language learning. This paper is of great significance to the adaptability of college students' foreign language learning to the intelligent environment and the analysis of their mental health problems. This paper hopes to provide data reference for the research on improving college students' foreign language learning effects.

Recently, automatic question generation (AQG) has been researched extensively for educational purposes. Existing approaches generally lack relevant information on the authentic context and problem diversity with various difficulty levels, so we proposed a new AQG system for generating contextualized and personalized mathematic word problems (MWP) in authentic contexts using the Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT). Our proposed system comprises (1) authentic contextual information acquisition through image recognition by TensorFlow and augmented reality (AR) measurement by AR Core, (2) a personalized mechanism based on instructional prompts to generate three different difficulty levels for learners' different needs, and (3) MWP generation through GPT with authentic contextual information and personalized needs. We conducted a quasi-experiment with the participation of 52 students to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system on geometry learning performance. Further, the learning behaviors were analyzed in the aspects of authentic context, mathematics, and reflective behavior. The findings showed better results in geometry learning performances from students who learned with contextualized and personalized MWPs than those who were taught without contextualization and personalization on MWPs. Moreover, it was found that student's ability to comprehend the practical situation or scenario presented in a problem (problem context understanding) and students' ability to recognize relevant information from the problem context (identifying contextual information) significantly improved their learning performance. Moreover, students' ability to apply math concepts and solve medium-level MWP also contributes to the improvement of learning performance. Meanwhile, learners showed positive perceptions toward the proposed system in facilitating geometry learning. Therefore, it is useful to promote an authentic context setting for mathematical problem-solving.

Based on Bass' leadership theory and Bandura's social cognitive theory, we tested the direct relationship between head teacher transformational leadership behavior, head teacher transactional leadership behavior, and junior high school students' school adjustment as well as explored the role of class collective efficacy in mediating this relationship. Surveying 5,083 junior high school students in 168 classes and controlling for grade, head teacher gender, and class size, the hypothesized relationships were tested through a 2-2-1 mediation model using multilevel structural equation modeling. The results indicated that there was not only a direct relationship between head teacher transformational leadership behavior and school adjustment (b = 0.326, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.218, 0.434]), but also an indirect relationship through class collective efficacy (0.047, 95% CI [0.007, 0.087]), although the direct link was stronger. Moreover, there was only an indirect relationship between head teacher transactional leadership behavior and school adjustment through class collective efficacy (0.051, 95% CI [0.007, 0.096]), and the link between head teacher transformational leadership behavior and school adjustment was stronger than the link between head teacher transactional leadership behavior and school adjustment (diff = 0.351, 95% CI [0.126, 0.577]). This study extended Bass' leadership theory to a class organization, and the relationship between head teacher leadership behavior and school adjustment was explored at the class level in a junior high school.

Positive psychology offers a scientific window onto understanding and enhancing the welfare and growth of university communities, and as well as improving academic performance. This holistic approach is on the rise, yet most research is conducted in Western countries. This situation prevails despite the fact that two-thirds of the world's population live in Asia. This review collated and synthesised published work on applications of positive psychology in higher education conducted in Asia, to describe the current status, explore conceptual perspectives and identify knowledge gaps. A total of 147 articles (157 experimental studies), published since 2000, were included. These were descriptive explorations (12.1%), quantifying associations between positive psychology constructs (62.4%), interventions (19.7%), and psychometric evaluations (5.7%). Key topics were academic leadership, organisational commitment, student engagement and foreign language learning. The thematic framework centered on 'Optimal Functioning', with 'Personal Resources One Can Draw On' and 'How One Interacts With The World' as direct influencing factors, and 'Environment' as an indirect factor. Across the Asian region, positive psychology's major contribution is to identify what types of personal resources are associated with optimal functioning in higher education, but there is little high-quality evidence for intervention benefits, nor a deep understanding of how those resources can be effectively deployed to achieve well-being. As part of the third-wave positive psychology movement, scholars in Asia can play a greater leading role in re-evaluating traditional Western concepts to account for the socio-cultural context in which students and staff are embedded.

English Medium Instruction (EMI), the educational practice where subject contents are taught via English to students whose native language is other than English, has been gaining momentum as with the continuous internationalization processes of universities. Learners' motivation towards EMI is a central research topic with its potential impact on academic success and other dimensions of learning. Past studies have mostly examined the linguistic aspect of EMI motivation, making such line of inquiry predominantly focused on the perception of language. However, as content learning is the major target in EMI, a wholistic perspective is required for the study of EMI motivation. Such research efforts, to our knowledge, are limited. Further, studies on motivation mainly concentrated on undergraduate students, leaving another important student group, i.e., postgraduate students, neglected, and several potential influencing variables are yet to be explored. To fill these gaps, the present study explored university students' (n = 642) EMI motivation in China, where EMI is expanding rapidly across all academic levels of tertiary education. We compared students' motivational intensity in terms of gender and academic levels (bachelor, master and PhD), and identified possible predictors. Findings reveal that significant differences existed between genders and among students at different academic levels, and that attitude and linguistic self-confidence predicted motivational levels. These findings could hopefully enhance scholarly understandings of EMI and provide implications for EMI teaching.

Although engagement in the language learning process is important for students' language outcomes, factors that contribute to it are underexamined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the roles of individual differences (growth language mindset and academic emotion) in shaping foreign language (FL) engagement. A total of 1,738 Chinese undergraduates (790 males and 948 females) studying English as a foreign language (EFL) completed questionnaires measuring their growth language mindsets, positive emotions (enjoyment, pride and hope), negative emotions (anger, anxiety, shame, hopelessness and boredom) and engagement during the English learning process. Correlational analyses revealed positive relationships between growth language mindsets, positive emotions, and engagement; and negative relationships between negative emotions and the three other variables. Structural equation modelling analyses showed that both positive and negative emotions were partial mediators between growth language mindset and engagement in FL learning, with positive emotions demonstrating larger effects. The findings are indicative of a motivation-emotion-behavior path in the EFL context. The theoretical and practical implications for language learning and teaching are discussed in this paper.

Automatic generation of math word problems (MWPs) is a challenging task in Natural Language Processing (NLP), particularly connecting it to real-life problems because it can benefit students in developing a higher level of mathematical thinking. However, most of the MWPs are presented within a scholastic setting in a decontextualized way. This paper describes a prototype system that generates authentic math word problems (i.e., real-life problems) using authentic contextual recognition with controlled difficulty levels. Our innovative approach includes the acquisition of authentic contextual information through recognition technology, an instructional-based prompt generator for three different difficulty levels, and question generation through the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) model. We evaluated the performance of the system in terms of the quality of generated questions using automatic evaluation and human evaluation. Further, we assessed the usability of the system using heuristic evaluation. The automatic evaluation showed our generated MWPs were relevant for geometry topics and varied in sentence generation. The human evaluation found our system generated more realistic problems with satisfactory language quality and mathematical validity. Our system also produced more questions with higher difficulty levels based on human evaluation. Heuristic evaluation captured the usability of the system and highlighted the potential to be applied in a pedagogical context for mathematics learning.

Student identity measures in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields are a strong predictor of future persistence in those disciplines. However, there is a paucity of studies with validated measures of students' computer science (CS) identity. The aim of the present study was to assess the reliability and validity of a proposed single-item CS identity measurement for college students ("CS-I-1") that balances practical considerations and psychometric concerns. Using data from 6,044 college students across the United States, we examined the criterion, concurrent, construct validity, as well as the reliability of a CS identity measures. We find that a single item, '"I see myself as a computer science person,"' (with a 6-point rating scale ranging from 0 = not at all to 5 = very much) is both valid and reliable as a single-item CS identity measure among U.S. college students. Being a quick and easy-to-use diagnostic tool, this measure has both practical utility and theoretical significance. We foresee its simple use in identify students with potential for pursing a CS career and for gauging the impact of CS courses and other experiences when used as a pre- and post-test measure, making it a valuable tool for assessing changes in CS identity among students.

This pilot study investigates the feasibility and assesses the impact of "Lactobacillus plantarum" PS128 probiotics on the neurological function in Rett syndrome. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial on Rett syndrome with MECP2 mutation aged between 1 and 50 years in Taiwan. In this pilot study, twice-daily "L. plantarum" PS128 or placebo was administered for 16 weeks. In addition to feasibility, we also assessed the changes utilizing the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. In total, 36 participants were finally randomized into "L. plantarum" PS128 (n = 18) or placebo (n = 18) groups. At the end of intervention, the retention rates were 100% for "L. plantarum" PS128 and 94.44% for placebo, with withdrawal rates of 5.56% for the placebo group. Both groups tolerated well, except for one "L. plantarum" PS128 participant who reported loose stool. The probiotic group showed a change of 2.19 ± 3.76, while the placebo group had -0.85 ± 5.09 (p = 0.051) in the total age-equivalent scores of Mullen Scales of Early Learning. There was a significant difference in the change of the total score on the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Movement Scale between probiotic group and placebo group (-12.19 ± 12.12 vs -4.59 ± 4.20, p = 0.020). In leg dystonia, the probiotic group exhibited a change of -4.11 ± 5.11 compared with -0.38 ± 1.50 in the placebo group (p = 0.008). Our findings affirm the feasibility of "L. plantarum" PS128 in Rett syndrome. Future clinical trials are mandatory to further explore its long-term impact on Rett syndrome.

Argumentative writing is a fundamental aspect of undergraduate students' academic and scientific writing related to critical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, previous studies have shown that students face various difficulties with argumentative writing, such as unclear and illogical ideas, less-structured arguments, and unbalanced interpretation of issues, data, and evidence. This study aims to improve the argumentative writing skills of undergraduate students by integrating computer-supported argumentative writing tools, such as annotation, conversational agents (CAs), and collaborative concept maps, into an online learning management system. Since the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, these tools can support meaningful learning activities and investigation in argumentative writing. The researchers divided sixty participants into the experimental group (N = 30) and the control group (N = 30). The results showed that the experimental group's writing achievements outperformed the control group, and the three tools effectively improved the five elements of argumentative writing, including claims, grounds, warrants, backings, and rebuttal. Furthermore, a deep analysis found that the number of annotations, valid CAs' responses, and argument nodes on collaborative concept maps can significantly predict students' argumentative writing development. Moreover, students perceived that the incorporated tools could effectively improve their argumentative writing skills.

Disparities in socioeconomic status (SES) may affect individuals' risk preferences, which have important developmental consequences across the lifespan. Yet, previous research has shown inconsistent associations between SES and risky decision-making, and little is known about how this link develops from a young age. The current research is among the first to examine how SES influences preschoolers' risky decisions in both gain and loss frames. Across two studies, children aged 5 to 6 years (total N = 309, 154 boys) were asked to choose between certain and risky options. The risky option was more advantageous, equal to, or less advantageous than the certain option. Study 1 revealed that in the loss frame, high-SES children (n = 84, 44 boys) chose more risky options and were more sensitive to the expected value compared to low-SES children (n = 78, 42 boys), especially when the risk was more advantageous. However, this SES difference was not significant in the gain frame. Supporting the potential causal link between SES and risky decision-making, Study 2 further found that experimentally increasing low-SES children's (n = 68, 30 boys) status by providing additional resources increased their risk-seeking behavior in the loss frame. Overall, our findings suggest an interaction between environmental cues (gain vs. loss) and early life circumstances (SES) in shaping children's risk preferences.

To date, no empirical study has focused on understanding the evolution process of China's college admission policies and clarifying its hidden evolution logic. Based on the advocacy coalition framework (ACF), this study determines different advocacy coalitions and their belief systems during the evolution process of independent enrollment policy, as well as various driving forces that affect the process. The social network analysis methods are adopted to delineate alliance structures formed by actors with different policy beliefs in the policy subsystems which change over time. This study chooses news reports included in the China National knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) database as the data source, and identifies 328 related news reports to be coded in the analysis. This article not only provides the evolution logic of independent enrollment policy, but also bridges the research gap and therefore enriches the broad literature on the application of Advocacy Coalition Framework in Eastern countries.

Meningeal solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) are rare and have a high frequency of local recurrence and distant metastasis. In a cohort of 126 patients (57 female, 69 male; mean age at surgery 53.0 years) with pathologically confirmed meningeal SFTs with extended clinical follow-up (median 9.9 years; range 15 days-43 years), we performed extensive molecular characterization including genome-wide DNA methylation profiling (n = 80) and targeted TERT promoter mutation testing (n = 98). Associations were examined with NAB2::STAT6 fusion status (n = 101 cases; 51 = ex5-7::ex16-17, 26 = ex4::ex2-3; 12 = ex2-3::exANY/other and 12 = no fusion) and placed in the context of 2021 Central Nervous System (CNS) WHO grade. NAB2::STAT6 fusion breakpoints (fusion type) were significantly associated with metastasis-free survival (MFS) (p = 0.03) and, on multivariate analysis, disease-specific survival (DSS) when adjusting for CNS WHO grade (p = 0.03). DNA methylation profiling revealed three distinct clusters: Cluster 1 (n = 38), Cluster 2 (n = 22), and Cluster 3 (n = 20). Methylation clusters were significantly associated with fusion type (p

Hemipteran insects transmit viruses when infesting plants, during which vectors activate salicylic acid (SA)-regulated antiviral defenses. How vector-borne plant viruses circumvent these antiviral defenses is largely unexplored. During co-infections of begomoviruses and betasatellites in plants, betasatellite-encoded βC1 proteins interfere with SA signaling and reduce the activation of antiviral resistance. βC1 inhibits SA-induced degradation of NbNPR3 (Nicotiana benthamiana nonexpressor of pathogenesis-related genes 3), a negative regulator of SA signaling. βC1 does not bind directly to NbNPR3, but regulates NbNPR3 degradation via heat shock protein 90s (NbHSP90s). NbHSP90s bind to both NbNPR3 and βC1 and suppress SA signaling. This viral success strategy appears to be conserved as it is also documented for viral proteins encoded by two aphid-borne viruses. Our findings reveal an exquisite mechanism that facilitates the persistence of vector-borne plant viruses and provide important insights into the intricacies of the virus life cycle.

Photocatalytic fixation of nitrogen to ammonia represents an attractive alternative to the Haber-Bosch process under ambient conditions, and the performance can be enhanced by defect engineering of the photocatalysts, in particular, formation of shallow energy levels due to oxygen vacancies that can significantly facilitate the adsorption and activation of nitrogen. This calls for deliberate size engineering of the photocatalysts. In the present study, pyrochlore Bi2Ti2O7 quantum dots and (bulk-like) nanosheets are prepared hydrothermally by using bismuth nitrate and titanium sulfate as the precursors. Despite a similar oxygen vacancy concentration, the quantum dots exhibit a drastically enhanced photocatalytic performance toward nitrogen fixation, at a rate of 332.03 µmol g-1 h-1, which is 77 times higher than that of the nanosheet counterpart. Spectroscopic and computational studies based on density functional theory calculations show that the shallow levels arising from oxygen vacancies in the Bi2Ti2O7 quantum dots, in conjunction with the moderately constrained quantum confinement effect, facilitate the chemical adsorption and activation of nitrogen.

Psoriasis, an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disorder characterized by a chronically relapsing-remitting course, continues to be primarily managed through topical therapy. While oral administration of tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitors (TYK2i) stands as an effective approach for psoriasis treatment, the potential efficacy of topical application of TYK2i remains unexplored. Herein, the carbomer/alginic acid hydrogel is embedded with borneol (BO) as a new topical carrier of TYK2i for achieving enhanced transdermal permeation and anti-psoriasis efficacy. The hydrogel system, i.e., TYK2i-BO-gel, exhibits significantly improved preventative and therapeutic effects in mice models of psoriasiform dermatitis, as evidenced by phenotypical images, psoriasis severity score index (PSI), histology, immunohistochemical staining, and PCR analysis. Remarkably, TYK2i-BO-gel outperforms conventional topical corticosteroid therapy by significantly preventing psoriatic lesion recurrence as measured by a nearly 50 % reduction in ear thickness changes (p

Cancer stem cells, characterized by high tumorigenicity and drug-resistance, are often responsible for tumor progression and metastasis. Aldehyde dehydrogenases, often overexpressed in cancer stem cells enriched tumors, present a potential target for specific anti-cancer stem cells treatment. In this study, we report a self-assembled nano-prodrug composed of aldehyde dehydrogenases activatable photosensitizer and disulfide-linked all-trans retinoic acid for diagnosis and targeted treatment of cancer stem cells enriched tumors. The disulfide-linked all-trans retinoic acid can load with photosensitizer and self-assemble into a stable nano-prodrug, which can be disassembled into all-trans retinoic acid and photosensitizer in cancer stem cells by high level of glutathione. As for the released photosensitizer, overexpressed aldehyde dehydrogenase catalyzes the oxidation of aldehydes to carboxyl under cancer stem cells enriched microenvironment, activating the generation of reactive oxygen species and fluorescence emission. This generation of reactive oxygen species leads to direct killing of cancer stem cells and is accompanied by a noticeable fluorescence enhancement for real-time monitoring of the cancer stem cells enriched microenvironment. Moreover, the released all-trans retinoic acid, as a differentiation agent, reduce the cancer stem cells stemness and improve the cancer stem cells enriched microenvironment, offering a synergistic effect for enhanced anti-cancer stem cells treatment of photosensitizer in inhibition of in vivo tumor growth and metastasis.

Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) is a type I transmembrane protein initially identified in nonmetastatic melanomas and has been associated with human heart failure; however, its role in cardiac injury and function remains unclear. Here we show that GPNMB expression is elevated in failing human and mouse hearts after myocardial infarction (MI). Lineage tracing and bone-marrow transplantation reveal that bone-marrow-derived macrophages are the main source of GPNMB in injured hearts. Using genetic loss-of-function models, we demonstrate that GPNMB deficiency leads to increased mortality, cardiac rupture and rapid post-MI left ventricular dysfunction. Conversely, increasing circulating GPNMB levels through viral delivery improves heart function after MI. Single-cell transcriptomics show that GPNMB enhances myocyte contraction and reduces fibroblast activation. Additionally, we identified GPR39 as a receptor for circulating GPNMB, with its absence negating the beneficial effects. These findings highlight a pivotal role of macrophage-derived GPNMBs in post-MI cardiac repair through GPR39 signaling.

BACKGROUND: To prospectively evaluate ultrasound backscatter coefficients (BSCs) of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles and compare with Goutallier classification on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: Fifty-six participants had shoulder MRI exams and ultrasound exams of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles. Goutallier MRI grades were determined and BSCs were measured. Group means were compared and the strength of relationships between the measures were determined. Using binarized Goutallier groups (0-2 versus 3-4), areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) were calculated. The nearest integer cutoff value was determined using Youdens index. RESULTS: BSC values were significantly different among most Goutallier grades for the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles (both p

Since its inception nearly a half century ago, CHARMM has been playing a central role in computational biochemistry and biophysics. Commensurate with the developments in experimental research and advances in computer hardware, the range of methods and applicability of CHARMM have also grown. This review summarizes major developments that occurred after 2009 when the last review of CHARMM was published. They include the following: new faster simulation engines, accessible user interfaces for convenient workflows, and a vast array of simulation and analysis methods that encompass quantum mechanical, atomistic, and coarse-grained levels, as well as extensive coverage of force fields. In addition to providing the current snapshot of the CHARMM development, this review may serve as a starting point for exploring relevant theories and computational methods for tackling contemporary and emerging problems in biomolecular systems. CHARMM is freely available for academic and nonprofit research at https://academiccharmm.org/program.