The Mediating and Moderating Effects of Teacher Preference on the Relations between Students’ Social Behaviors and Peer Acceptance

Tested on a sample of 1,365 Hong Kong primary school students from five grades, teacher preference or the extent to which the classroom teacher likes a child in the class was found to both mediate and, to a lesser extent, moderate the relations between children’s social behaviors and peer acceptance across age groups. The mediating effect suggests that peer acceptance responds not only to the behavior of a student but also to how much the classroom teacher likes or dislikes the student. The moderating effect suggests that the associations between student social behaviors and peer acceptance differ as functions of teacher preference. The mediating teacher preference was stronger with younger children, whereas a stronger moderating teacher preference was found for the older children. These findings confirm the supposition that three social processes involving the teacher, children, and peers contribute to children’s social status and relations in the classroom

The LEGUE Input Catalogue for Dark Night Observing in the LAMOST Pilot Survey

We outline the design of the dark nights portion of the LAMOST Pilot Survey, which began observations in October 2011. In particular, we focus on Milky Way stellar candidates that are targeted for the LEGUE (LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration) survey. We discuss the regions of sky in which spectroscopic candidates were selected, and the motivations for selecting each of these sky areas. Some limitations due to the unique design of the telescope are discussed, including the requirement that a bright (V < 8) star be placed at the center of each plate for wavefront sensing and active optics corrections. The target selection categories and scientific goals motivating them are briefly discussed, followed by a detailed overview of how these selection functions were realized. We illustrate the difference between the overall input catalog - Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry - and the final targets selected for LAMOST observation.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in RA

In situ phase transformation synthesis of unique Janus Ag2O/Ag2CO3 heterojunction photocatalyst with improved photocatalytic properties

Herein, Ag2O/Ag2CO3 nanocomposite with unique Janus morphology was synthesized by a facile ion-exchange followed by an in situ phase transformation method with precise control of its nucleation and growth processes. Contrary to conventional synthetic procedures of Janus architectures, the present Janus system was constructed without the need for surfactants or toxic chemicals. Most importantly, the visible-light-absorbing Janus Ag2O/Ag2CO3 nanocomposite exhibits a remarkable performance toward the degradation of Rhodamine B and 4-chlorophenol, far superior to that observed for bare Ag2CO3. The obvious enhancement of the photocatalytic performance of this nanocomposite is mainly attributed to the intimate Ag2O/Ag2CO3 interface created by its exceptional Janus architecture, which in turn allows for rapid charge transfer processes. Additionally, the Janus system exhibited a high photostability during recycling experiments with no significant change in the degradation activity

An Algorithm for Preferential Selection of Spectroscopic Targets in LEGUE

We describe a general target selection algorithm that is applicable to any survey in which the number of available candidates is much larger than the number of objects to be observed. This routine aims to achieve a balance between a smoothly-varying, well-understood selection function and the desire to preferentially select certain types of targets. Some target-selection examples are shown that illustrate different possibilities of emphasis functions. Although it is generally applicable, the algorithm was developed specifically for the LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (LEGUE) survey that will be carried out using the Chinese Guo Shou Jing Telescope. In particular, this algorithm was designed for the portion of LEGUE targeting the Galactic halo, in which we attempt to balance a variety of science goals that require stars at fainter magnitudes than can be completely sampled by LAMOST. This algorithm has been implemented for the halo portion of the LAMOST pilot survey, which began in October 2011.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in RA

Let your students speak: fun and effective ways to increase students’ confidence to speak

In the communicative model of language teaching, we should help our students develop authentic practice for real-life communication situations since the main goal of English Language Teaching is to empower students to become independent learners. In order to do this, multi-sensory tasks requiring integrated skills should be offered to students. The teachers’ feedback reveals that creating real-life communication situations can enrich and foster in-class speaking and prevent students from misunderstandings and communication breakdowns. Drawings, headlines, diagrams and cards are excellent sources to make lessons more memorable and enjoyable.The main purpose of this presentation is to introduce a series of innovative and creative activities increasing students’ motivation and confidence to speak more voluntarily inside and outside class

LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (LEGUE) The survey science plan

We describe the current plans for a spectroscopic survey of millions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy using the Guo Shou Jing Telescope (GSJT, formerly the Large Area Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope - LAMOST). The survey will obtain spectra for 2.5 million stars brighter than $r<19$ during dark/grey time, and 5 million stars brighter than $r<17$ or $J<16$ on nights that are moonlit or have low transparency. The survey will begin in fall of 2012, and will run for at least four years. The telescope design constrains the optimal declination range for observations to $10^\circ<\delta<50^\circ$, and site conditions lead to an emphasis on stars in the direction of the Galactic anticenter. The survey is divided into three parts with different target selection strategies: disk, anticenter, and spheroid. The resulting dataset will be used to study the merger history of the Milky Way, the substructure and evolution of the disks, the nature of the first generation of stars through identification of the lowest metallicity stars, and star formation through study of open clusters and the OB associations. Detailed design of the LEGUE survey will be completed after a review of the results of the pilot survey in summer 2012.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in RA

Smoking cessation and lung cancer risk in an Asian population: Findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study

10.1038/sj.bjc.6605782British Journal of Cancer10371093-1096BJCA

Relativistic quantum effects of Dirac particles simulated by ultracold atoms

Quantum simulation is a powerful tool to study a variety of problems in physics, ranging from high-energy physics to condensed-matter physics. In this article, we review the recent theoretical and experimental progress in quantum simulation of Dirac equation with tunable parameters by using ultracold neutral atoms trapped in optical lattices or subject to light-induced synthetic gauge fields. The effective theories for the quasiparticles become relativistic under certain conditions in these systems, making them ideal platforms for studying the exotic relativistic effects. We focus on the realization of one, two, and three dimensional Dirac equations as well as the detection of some relativistic effects, including particularly the well-known Zitterbewegung effect and Klein tunneling. The realization of quantum anomalous Hall effects is also briefly discussed.Comment: 22 pages, review article in Frontiers of Physics: Proceedings on Quantum Dynamics of Ultracold Atom

Regulation of RasGRP1 Function in T Cell Development and Activation by Its Unique Tail Domain

The Ras-guanyl nucleotide exchange factor RasGRP1 plays a critical role in T cell receptor-mediated Erk activation. Previous studies have emphasized the importance of RasGRP1 in the positive selection of thymocytes, activation of T cells, and control of autoimmunity. RasGRP1 consists of a number of well-characterized domains, which it shares with its other family members; however, RasGRP1 also contains an ∼200 residue-long tail domain, the function of which is unknown. To elucidate the physiological role of this domain, we generated knock-in mice expressing RasGRP1 without the tail domain. Further analysis of these knock-in mice showed that thymocytes lacking the tail domain of RasGRP1 underwent aberrant thymic selection and, following TCR stimulation, were unable to activate Erk. Furthermore, the deletion of the tail domain led to enhanced CD4+ T cell expansion in aged mice, as well as the production of autoantibodies. Mechanistically, the tail-deleted form of RasGRP1 was not able to traffic to the cell membrane following stimulation, indicating a potential reason for its inability to activate Erk. While the DAG-binding C1 domain of RasGRP1 has long been recognized as an important factor mediating Erk activation, we have revealed the physiological relevance of the tail domain in RasGRP1 function and control of Erk signaling