Construction of Blended Teaching Model Integrating Intercultural Competence Training

Under the international background of economic globalization and cultural diversity, it is an important task for current higher education to cultivate international talents with intercultural competence. In the field of foreign language teaching, more and more scholars pay attention to the integration of English education and intercultural education in English curriculum system, but there are relatively insufficient researches that can provide practical and operable guidance for front-line teachers to implement intercultural education. Nowadays blended teaching is recognized as an effective teaching model. This study intends to construct a blended teaching model which can integrate intercultural competence training into English courses, so as to help front-line teachers know how to carry out intercultural teaching design and implementation with the ultimate goal of improving college students’ foreign language ability and intercultural competence together

A Resource-Based Model of IT Usage in Shanghai Higher Education Institutions

On the basis of resource-based view, this paper analyzes the impacts of IT resource on different levels of IT usage in Shanghai higher education institutions. By analyzing the survey data from 40 Shanghai institutions, the study contributes several insights to China-context IT usage research and practice in higher education system. First of all, this study sheds lights on the impacts of IT resource on deep IT usage in Shanghai higher education system. Second, the findings suggest that organizational support has significant positive impact on higher education institutions’ managerial IT usage. The study is the first few attempts to explore the process model of IT usage in China higher education institutions

Cohomology and the controlling algebra of crossed homomorphisms on 3-Lie algebras

In this paper, first we give the notion of a crossed homomorphism on a 3-Lie algebra with respect to an action on another 3-Lie algebra, and characterize it using a homomorphism from a Lie algebra to the semidirect product Lie algebra. We also establish the relationship between crossed homomorphisms and relative Rota-Baxter operators of weight 1 on 3-Lie algebras. Next we construct a cohomology theory for a crossed homomorphism on 3-Lie algebras and classify infinitesimal deformations of crossed homomorphisms using the second cohomology group. Finally, using the higher derived brackets, we construct an $L_\infty$-algebra whose Maurer-Cartan elements are crossed homomorphisms. Consequently, we obtain the twisted $L_\infty$-algebra that controls deformations of a given crossed homomorphism on 3-Lie algebras.Comment: arxiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2204.0219

Hybrid Application of Nanoparticles and Polymer in Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes

Nowadays, the addition of nanoparticles to polymer solutions would be of interest; however, the feasible property of nanoparticles and their impact on oil recovery has not been investigated in more detail. This study investigates the rheology and capillary forces (interfacial tension and contact angle) of nanoparticles in the polymer performances during oil recovery processes. Thereby, a sequential injection of water, polymer, and nanoparticles; Nanosilica (SiO2) and nano-aluminium oxide (Al2O3) was performed to measure the oil recovery factor. Retention decrease, capillary forces reduction, and polymer viscoelastic behavior increase have caused improved oil recovery due to the feasible mobility ratio of polymer–nanoparticle in fluid loss. The oil recovery factor for polymer flooding, polymer–Al2O3, and polymer–SiO2 is 58%, 63%, and 67%, respectively. Thereby, polymer–SiO2 flooding would provide better oil recovery than other scenarios that reduce the capillary force due to the structural disjoining pressure. According to the relative permeability curves, residual oil saturation (Sor) and water relative permeability (Krw) are 29% and 0.3%, respectively, for polymer solution; however, for the polymer–nanoparticle solution, Sor and Krw are 12% and 0.005%, respectively. Polymer treatment caused a dramatic decrease, rather than the water treatment effect on the contact angle. The minimum contact angle for water and polymer treatment are about 21 and 29, respectively. The contact angle decrease for polymer treatment in the presence of nanoparticles related to the surface hydrophilicity increase. Therefore, after 2000 mg L−1 of SiO2 concentration, there are no significant changes in contact angle

Differential roles of TGIF family genes in mammalian reproduction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>TG-interacting factors (TGIFs) belong to a family of TALE-homeodomain proteins including TGIF1, TGIF2 and TGIFLX/Y in human. Both TGIF1 and TGIF2 act as transcription factors repressing TGF-β signalling. Human <it>TGIFLX </it>and its orthologue, <it>Tex1 </it>in the mouse, are X-linked genes that are only expressed in the adult testis. <it>TGIF2 </it>arose from <it>TGIF1 </it>by duplication, whereas <it>TGIFLX </it>arose by retrotransposition to the X-chromosome. These genes have not been characterised in any non-eutherian mammals. We therefore studied the TGIF family in the tammar wallaby (a marsupial mammal) to investigate their roles in reproduction and how and when these genes may have evolved their functions and chromosomal locations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both <it>TGIF1 </it>and <it>TGIF2 </it>were present in the tammar genome on autosomes but <it>TGIFLX </it>was absent. Tammar <it>TGIF1 </it>shared a similar expression pattern during embryogenesis, sexual differentiation and in adult tissues to that of <it>TGIF1 </it>in eutherian mammals, suggesting it has been functionally conserved. Tammar <it>TGIF2 </it>was ubiquitously expressed throughout early development as in the human and mouse, but in the adult, it was expressed only in the gonads and spleen, more like the expression pattern of human <it>TGIFLX </it>and mouse <it>Tex1</it>. Tammar <it>TGIF2 </it>mRNA was specifically detected in round and elongated spermatids. There was no mRNA detected in mature spermatozoa. TGIF2 protein was specifically located in the cytoplasm of spermatids, and in the residual body and the mid-piece of the mature sperm tail. These data suggest that tammar <it>TGIF2 </it>may participate in spermiogenesis, like <it>TGIFLX </it>does in eutherians. <it>TGIF2 </it>was detected for the first time in the ovary with mRNA produced in the granulosa and theca cells, suggesting it may also play a role in folliculogenesis.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The restricted and very similar expression of tammar <it>TGIF2 </it>to X-linked paralogues in eutherians suggests that the evolution of <it>TGIF1</it>, <it>TGIF2 </it>and <it>TGIFLX </it>in eutherians was accompanied by a change from ubiquitous to tissue-specific expression. The distribution and localization of TGIF2 in tammar adult gonads suggest that there has been an ultra-conserved function for the TGIF family in fertility and that <it>TGIF2 </it>already functioned in spermatogenesis and potentially folliculogenesis long before its retrotransposition to the X-chromosome of eutherian mammals. These results also provide further evidence that the eutherian X-chromosome has actively recruited sex and reproductive-related genes during mammalian evolution.</p

Robust Optimization of Fourth Party Logistics Network Design under Disruptions

The Fourth Party Logistics (4PL) network faces disruptions of various sorts under the dynamic and complex environment. In order to explore the robustness of the network, the 4PL network design with consideration of random disruptions is studied. The purpose of the research is to construct a 4PL network that can provide satisfactory service to customers at a lower cost when disruptions strike. Based on the definition of β-robustness, a robust optimization model of 4PL network design under disruptions is established. Based on the NP-hard characteristic of the problem, the artificial fish swarm algorithm (AFSA) and the genetic algorithm (GA) are developed. The effectiveness of the algorithms is tested and compared by simulation examples. By comparing the optimal solutions of the 4PL network for different robustness level, it is indicated that the robust optimization model can evade the market risks effectively and save the cost in the maximum limit when it is applied to 4PL network design

Separation of CH4/N2 of Low Concentrations From Coal Bed Gas by Sodium-Modified Clinoptilolite

Clinoptilolite is a widely distributed tectosilicate, mainly composed of Al2O3, SiO2 with exchangeable cations such as Ca, K, Mg, and Na. In this research, raw clinoptilolite was ground, gravimetrically concentrated and ion-exchanged using different concentrations of NaCl solution. Then the modified clinoptilolite powder was formulated into particles as adsorbents. The adsorbents were applied to CH4 separation in coal bed gas. The raw and modified clinoptilolites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), and Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) specific surface area. The CH4 absorptivity by raw and modified clinoptilolites was evaluated using pressure swing adsorption (PSA) to assess the CH4 separation ability. The results indicated that the ion-exchanged clinoptilolite using 0.2 mol/L NaCl solution was found to be promising for the kinetic PSA separation of CH4/N2, giving a better absorptivity for CH4 separation under different influence factors. Based on the simulated static experiments, it was indicated that both CH4 and N2 were capable of diffusing into clinoptilolite while N2 adsorption by clinoptilolite was excellent. The experiment results also indicated that ion-exchanged clinoptilolite using a 0.2 mol/L NaCl solution was the optimal adsorbent for separating CH4/N2 at the low pressure condition. From the simulated dynamic experiments, the ion-exchanged clinoptilolite using a 0.2 mol/L NaCl solution as a potential sorbent in kinetic PSA processes for N2/CH4 separation, exhibited the best performance at 648 K under 0.2 MPa within 28 min, in comparison to the raw clinoptilolite and clinoptilolite under other modification conditions. In the next phase of research, the modified clinoptilolite will be tested for CH4 separation in real coal bed gas