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This study explored student privacy issues in online learning environments. Vignettes are used to present the various privacy scenarios occurred in online learning environment. The study showed that there are direct legal ramifications of concern to students, as a result of sharing individual grades among group members and providing public feedback in blogs. Other privacy issues occurred in more nuanced ways, such as open access to each other's work, transparent reflections, public comments, critical analysis of the assignments, and collaborative evaluations of students' work. Suggestions are provided to address these privacy-related issues, including focusing on students' products, not students' names; informing students of the benefits they will receive and the contributions they will make by sharing their work publicly; and options for students to keep their identity private when they feel uncomfortable about sharing their work publicly.

Rapid development of electronic and grid storage technologies based on lithium-ion batteries are leading to tight supply of lithium resources in the future. Extracting lithium from seawater can completely solve the problem of lithium resource shortage. An electro-deposition method based on a lithium superionic conductive solid-state electrolyte, Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 (LAGP), has been reported to obtain metallic lithium from seawater. However, expensive LAGP increases the cost of lithium extraction, while Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 (LATP) with relatively lower prices cannot meet the stable requirements. Herein, a low-cost, stable glass–ceramics, Li1.5Al0.3Ti1.7Si0.2P2.8O12 (LATSP), has been prepared for lithium extraction from seawater. The LATSP glass–ceramics show good selectivity towards Li+ and exhibit a high ionic conductivity of 3.98 × 10−4 S cm−1 at 22 °C. After soaking in simulated seawater, LATSP showed much better stability than LATP, comparable to LAGP. The resultant LATSP glass–ceramics was successfully employed in a seawater lithium extraction device, with a high lithium extraction Coulombic efficiency of 94.0%. Moreover, the LATSP exhibits an ionic conductivity of 2.80 × 10−4 S cm−1 and maintains a complete structure after 45 h of lithium extraction. This work presents an effective and practical Li-ion conducting membrane for lithium extraction from seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to explore the role of the irisin receptor (integrin αVβ5) signaling pathway in obesity-induced osteoporosis and its potential mechanism. The integrin αVβ5 gene of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was silenced and overexpressed, and the cells were exposed to irisin treatment and mechanical stretch. Mouse models of obesity were established by feeding mice a high-fat diet, and 8-week caloric restriction/aerobic exercise regimens were implemented. The results showed that after silencing the integrin αVβ5, the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs was significantly reduced. While overexpression of the integrin αVβ5 increased the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Besides, mechanical stretch promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Obesity did not affect integrin αVβ5 expression in the bone, but it downregulated the expression of irisin and osteogenic factors, upregulated the expression of adipogenic factors, increased bone marrow fat, reduced bone formation, and destroyed the bone microstructure. Caloric restriction, exercise, and a combined regimen reversed these effects and improved obesity-induced osteoporosis, with the combined treatment exhibiting the most potent effect. This study confirms that the irisin receptor signaling pathway has a significant part in transmitting 'mechanical stress' and regulating 'osteogenic/adipogenic differentiation' of BMSCs via recombinant irisin, mechanical stretch, and overexpression/silencing of the integrin αVβ5 gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid evolution of wireless communication systems necessitates advanced handover mechanisms for seamless connectivity and optimal network performance. Traditional algorithms, like 3GPP Event A3, often struggle with fluctuating signal strengths and dynamic user mobility, leading to frequent handovers and suboptimal resource utilization. This study proposes a novel approach combining Federated Learning (FL) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to predict Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and the strongest nearby Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) signals. Our method leverages FL to ensure data privacy and LSTM to capture temporal dependencies in signal data, enhancing prediction accuracy. We develop a dynamic handover algorithm that adapts to real-time conditions, adjusting thresholds based on predicted signal strengths and historical performance. Extensive experiments with real-world data show our dynamic algorithm significantly outperforms the 3GPP Event A3 algorithm, achieving higher prediction accuracy, reducing unnecessary handovers, and improving overall network performance. In conclusion, this study introduces a data-driven, privacy-preserving approach that leverages advanced machine learning techniques, providing a more efficient and reliable handover mechanism for future wireless networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of shared understanding of how culture impacts learning in online environment. Utilizing document analysis, the authors in this research study culture's impact on the learning behaviors of student sojourners from Confucius culture studying in Western online learning context. The shared understandings of Confucius culture and Western culture are compared, contrasted, and synthesized through Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory. The learning behaviors of student sojourners from Confucius culture are examined from the following three dimensions: teacher-student relationship, curriculum development, and teaching and learning pedagogy. Practical implications of the findings are discussed.

This study employs the FLACS code to analyze hydrogen leakage, vapor dispersion, and subsequent explosions. Utilizing pseudo-source models, a liquid pool model, and a hybrid model combining both, we investigate dispersion processes for varying leak mass flow rates (0.225 kg/s and 0.73 kg/s) in a large open space. We also evaluate explosion hazards based on overpressure and impulse effects on humans. The computational results, compared with experimental data, demonstrated reasonable hydrogen vapor cloud concentration predictions, especially aligned with the wind direction. For higher mass flow rate of 0.73 kg/s, the pseudo-source model exhibited the most reasonable predictive performance for locations near the leak source despite the hybrid model yielded similar results to the pseudo-source model, while the liquid pool model was more suitable for lower mass flow rate of 0.225 kg/s. Regarding explosion analyses using overpressure-impulse diagram, higher mass flow rates leaded to potentially fatal overpressure and impulse effects on humans. However, lower mass flow rates may cause severe eardrum damage at the maximum overpressure point.

The current study primarily aimed to simulate detonation initiation via turbulent jet flame acceleration in partial-premixed H2-air mixtures. Different vertical concentration gradients were generated by varying the duration of hydrogen injection (diffusion time) within an enclosed channel filled with air. H2-air mixtures with average hydrogen concentrations of 22.5% (lean mixture) and 30% (near stoichiometric mixture) were investigated at diffusion times of 3, 5, and 60 s. Numerical results show that the vertical concentration gradient significantly influences the early stage of flame acceleration (FA). In the stratified lean mixture, detonation began at all the diffusion times, and comparing the flame-speed graphs showed that a decrease in the diffusion time and an increase in the mixture inhomogeneity speeded up the flame propagation and the jet flame-to-detonation transition occurrence in the channel. In the stratified H2-air mixture with an average hydrogen concentration of 30%, the transition from a turbulent jet flame to detonation occurred in all the cases, and the mixture inhomogeneity weakened the FA and delayed the detonation initiation.

U.S. host campuses face instructional challenges from increasing numbers of international students from Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) countries. Yet, the presence of CHC students offers learning opportunities for U.S. faculty in the context of internationalizing their higher education campuses. This study surveyed faculty at three U.S. host universities. It explored faculty understandings of Confucian culture, their perceptions of CHC countries' international student learning, strategies used by faculty when teaching CHC students, and value faculty recognized when learning from CHC students. Results showed that a majority of faculty recognized the core values of Confucian culture. Yet, they were not fully aware of the cultural impact on CHC students' learning, and the strategies they employed were mainly from the American perspectives. They did not integrate CHC students' cultural heritages in their teaching practices and only partially accommodated CHC learners in teaching. This study calls for consciousness to transform faculty mindsets understanding the importance of students' cultural differences in order to bring about a dramatic change in their teaching practices. Doing so may enhance the success of CHC students fomenting further internationalization at their host universities.

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, is a global health concern because of its association with severe neurological disorders such as neonatal microcephaly and adult Guillain-Barre syndrome. Although many efforts have been made to combat ZIKV infection, there is currently no approved vaccines or antiviral drugs available and there is an urgent need to develop effective anti-ZIKV agents. In this study, 26 acetylarylamine-S-DACOs derivatives were prepared, and eight of them were found to have inhibitory activity against Zika virus. Among these substances, 2-[(4-cyclohexyl-5-ethyl-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyrimidin-2-yl)thio]-N-(3,5-difluorophenyl)acetamide (4w) with the best anti-ZIKV activity was selected for in-depth study of antiviral activity and mechanism of action. Here, we discovered 4w targeted on the ZIKV NS5 RNA -dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), which exhibited good in vitro antiviral activity without cell species specificity, both at the protein level and at the RNA level can significantly inhibit ZIKV replication. Preliminary molecular docking studies showed that 4w preferentially binds to the palm region of NS5A RdRp through hydrogen bonding with residues such as LYS468, PHE466, GLU465, and GLY467. ZIKV NS5 RdRp enzyme activity experiment showed that 4w could directly inhibit ZIKV RdRp activity with EC50 = 11.38 ± 0.51 μM. In antiviral activity studies, 4w was found to inhibit ZIKV RNA replication with EC50 = 6.87 ± 1.21 μM. ZIKV-induced plaque formation was inhibited with EC50 = 7.65 ± 0.31 μM. In conclusion, our study disclosed that acetylarylamine-S-DACOs is a new active scaffolds against ZIKV, among which compound 4w was proved to be a potent novel anti-ZIKV compound target ZIKV RdRp protein. These promising results provide a future prospective for the development of ZIKV RdRp inhibitors.

This paper charts the historical and political contexts for the evolution of Chinese adult and continuing education over the past 40 years, focusing on the national adult education reforms and relevant policies, and establishing the national lifelong education system. The progress and transformations of Chinese adult education, including how purposes and roles of adult education have been defined and adjusted to meet the needs, is situated and contextualized in the three main eras, under four Chinese leaderships to clearly understand each ideological foundation and national strategic plan. Reflections on the changes in the Chinese adult education landscape lead to some theoretical understandings of China's ideological shifts and a focus that moved from adult education to vocational and adult education, toward building a lifelong education system, serving the realization of the China Dream, through the current Xi's One Belt and One Road national initiative. Finally, this paper concludes and shares implications.

The purpose of this review paper was to conduct a literature review on the effects of colors on learners' learning cognition and emotions. Findings of this review could inform practitioners about better color choices they could use to present information and design learning materials in ways that decrease learners' cognitive load, increase their attitudes and motivation, help them process and comprehend learning materials easily, and improve their learning performance. This review could aid in design of future instructional materials, particularly when it comes to the use of specific highlighting colors. It could also provide practitioners color choices that could be used to help learners increase their attention to materials and help practitioners see the connections between colors, emotions, and cognitive learning.

Si/C composite material is a promising anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries due to its high capacity. However, it also exhibits significant initial capacity loss in a full cell due to the unstable SEI. To compensate for the loss of Li inventory, a pre-lithiation reagent, Li5FeO4 (LFO), is incorporated into the LiNi0.85Co0.12Mn0.03O2 (NCM85E) cathode for electrochemical evaluation. The results show that with the addition of LFO, the initial discharge capacity of SiC950/NCM85E full cells can increase from 151.0 mA h g−1 to 193.4 mA h g−1 by 28.1% with a high cathode loading up to about 20 mg cm−2. After 200 cycles, the specific capacity also increased by 25.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiotensin-convertingenzyme 2 (ACE2) has dual functions, regulating cardiovascular physiology and serving as the receptor for coronaviruses. Bats, the only true flying mammals and natural viral reservoirs, have evolved positive alterations in traits related to both functions of ACE2. This suggests significant evolutionary changes in ACE2 during bat evolution. To test this hypothesis, we examine the selection pressure in ACE2 along the ancestral branch of all bats (AncBat-ACE2), where powered flight and bat-coronavirus coevolution occurred, and detect a positive selection signature. To assess the functional effects of positive selection, we resurrect AncBat-ACE2 and its mutant (AncBat-ACE2-mut) created by replacing the positively selected sites. Compared to AncBat-ACE2-mut, AncBat-ACE2 exhibits stronger enzymatic activity, enhances mice's performance in exercise fatigue, and shows lower affinity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Our findings indicate the functional pleiotropy of positive selection in the ancient ACE2 of bats, providing an alternative hypothesis for the evolutionary origin of bats' defense against coronaviruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem that there is a big contradiction between accuracy and calculation and cost based on the RSSI positioning algorithm, an accurate and effective cooperative positioning algorithm is proposed in combination with error correction and refinement measures in each stage of positioning. At the ranging stage, the RSSI measurement value is converted to distance by wireless channel modeling and the dynamic acquisition of the power attenuation factor. Then, the ranging correction is carried out by using the known anchor node ranging error information. The Taylor series expansion least-square iterative refinement algorithm is implemented in the position optimization stage, and satisfactory positioning accuracy is obtained. The idea of cooperative positioning is introduced to upgrade the nodes that meet the requirements and are upgraded to anchor nodes and participate in the positioning of other nodes to improve the positioning coverage and positioning accuracy. The experimental results show that the localization effect of this algorithm is close to that of the Taylor series expansion algorithm based on coordinates but far higher than that of the basic least-squares localization algorithm. The positioning accuracy can be improved rapidly with the decrease in the distance measurement error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]