Application of Interactive Autonomous Learning Mode to Teach College English Writing

Writing is usually considered as an individual activity, emphasizing the result instead of the process in which students undergo to reach the final goal. However, writing process is of great importance to the students. In the writing process, they can develop writing competence and learner autonomy through interaction. Thus, this thesis intends to demonstrate the effectiveness of applying Interactive Autonomous Learning Mode to writing instruction in college classroom setting

CMAG: IoT Baby Monitor

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as SIDS, is the leading cause of mortality in infants from one month to one year of age. We propose a video-based baby monitoring system with Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities to help shorten the response time of SIDS cases. Using a video amplification technique developed at MIT dubbed “Eulerian Magnification” to amplify subtle movements we can compare pixel color differences in frames for breathing detection in a recorded video of a baby. In the event that abnormal movement is detected from the baby an alarm will be generated to notify the parents or guardians

Synthesis and optical properties of composite films from P3HT and sandwich-like Ag-C-Ag nanoparticles

This document is the Accepted Manuscript of the following article: Lingpeng Yan, Yamin Hao, Xiaoting Feng, Yongzhen Yang, Xuguang Liu, Yongkang Chen, and Bingshe Xu, ‘Synthesis and optical properties of composite films from P3HT and sandwich-like Ag–C–Ag nanoparticles’, RSC Advances, Vol. 5(97): 79860-79867, 2015, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C5RA16854F. Content in the UH Research Archive is made available for personal research, educational, and non-commercial purposes only. Unless otherwise stated, all content is protected by copyright, and in the absence of an open license, permissions for further re-use should be sought from the publisher, the author, or other copyright holder.Sandwich-like Ag-C-Ag nanoparticles (Ag-C-Ag NPs) were synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions in a one-step method. With this approach, Ag was not only encapsulated in the centre of an individual carbon nanosphere, but was also uniformly dispersed within the carbon matrix up to the sphere's shell. Then, poly(3-hexylthiophene):Ag-C-Ag NPs (P3HT:Ag-C-Ag NPs) composite films were prepared by a spin coating method with a chlorobenzene solution of Ag-C-Ag NPs and P3HT. Both morphology and microstructure of Ag-C-Ag NPs were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The possible formation mechanism was proposed. The results have indicated that the Ag-C-Ag NPs present many functional groups and their energy levels match with those of P3HT. It has been observed that an introduction of Ag-C-Ag NPs to P3HT can induce broad and high-absorbing spectra as well as great photoluminescence quenching of P3HT. It is evident that sandwich-like Ag-C-Ag NPs have a great potential to be a new acceptor material in photovoltaic devices.Peer reviewe

A variable-order fractal derivative model for anomalous diffusion

This paper pays attention to develop a variable-order fractal derivative model for anomalous diffusion. Previous investigations have indicated that the medium structure, fractal dimension or porosity may change with time or space during solute transport processes, results in time or spatial dependent anomalous diffusion phenomena. Hereby, this study makes an attempt to introduce a variable-order fractal derivative diffusion model, in which the index of fractal derivative depends on temporal moment or spatial position, to characterize the previous mentioned anomalous diffusion (or transport) processes. Compared with other models, the main advantages in description and the physical explanation of new model are explored by numerical simulation. Further discussions on the dissimilitude such as computational efficiency, diffusion behavior, and heavy tail phenomena of the new model, and variable-order fractional derivative model are also offered

Social trust, interpersonal trust and self-rated health in China: a multi-level study

Background: Trust is important for health at both the individual and societal level. Previous research using Western concepts of trust has shown that a high level of trust in society can positively affect individuals’ health; however, it has been found that the concepts and culture of trust in China are different from those in Western countries and research on the relationship between trust and health in China is scarce. Method: The analyses use data from the national scale China General Social Survey (CGSS) on adults aged above 18 in 2005 and 2010. Two concepts of trust (“out-group” and “in-group” trust) are used to examine the relationship between trust and self-rated health in China. Multilevel logistical models are applied, examining the trust at the individual and societal level on individuals’ self-rated health.Results: In terms of interpersonal trust, both “out-group” and “in-group” trust are positively associated with good health in 2005 and 2010. At the societal level, the relationships between the two concepts of trust and health are different. In 2005, higher “out-group” social trust (derived from trust in strangers) is associated with better health; however, higher “in-group” social trust (derived from trust in most people) is associated with poor health in 2010. The cross-level interactions show that lower educated individuals (no education or only primary level), rural residents and those on lower incomes are the most affected groups in societies with higher “out-group” social trust; whereas people with lower levels of educational attainment, a lower income, and those who think that most people can be trusted are the most affected groups in societies with higher “in-group” social trust.Conclusion: High levels of interpersonal trust are of benefit to health. Higher “out-group” social trust is associated with better health; while higher “in-group” social trust is associated with poor health. Individuals with different levels of educational attainment are affected by trust differently