Factors Influencing Learning Intention of Advanced Placement MOOCs: Insights from an Investigation into Information Technology Adoption

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have attracted recent scholarly attention, mainly because MOOCs have effectively made higher education accessible. However, MOOCs tend to have low completion rates, and many scholars have attempted to remedy this by investigating the psychological, cognitive, physiological, and demographic factors affecting completion rates. Nevertheless, most studies have rarely investigated the student’s information technology (IT) background, focusing instead on self-awareness, self-recognition, intrinsic motivation, or external factors. Thus, this study adopted the technology acceptance model (TAM) to explore factors affecting MOOC learning intention, specifically in advanced placement (AP) MOOCs. This study also recruited 435 student participants from a university in Taiwan who took MOOCs for AP. Questionnaires were used to analyze the factors affecting completion rates. The results revealed that personal and IT backgrounds significantly affected perceived ease of use (PEU); perceived usefulness (PU) significantly affected attitude toward use (ATU); PEU significantly affected ATU; PEU significantly affected PU; ATU significantly affected behavioral intention to use (BITU); PU significantly affected BITU; and BITU significantly affected course completion rates. The results suggest that universities first understand students’ personal and IT backgrounds before promoting their AP MOOCs， as this can assist students in their learning and provide the necessary support. . Furthermore, universities must also establish a complete course-provision process and formulate learning strategies to attract, guide, and inspire students to adapt to the learning modes that AP MOOCs entail. In doing so, students are more likely to perceive MOOC learning modes as being innovative and thus learn more effectively

A P2P BOTNET VIRUS DETECTION SYSTEM BASED ON DATA-MINING ALGORITHMS

ABSTRACT A P2P botnet virus detection system based on data-mining algorithms is proposed in this study to detect the infected computers quickly using Bayes Classifier and Neural Network (NN) Classifier. The system can detect P2P botnet viruses in the early stage of infection and report to network managers to avoid further infection. The system adopts real-time flow identification techniques to detect traffic flows produced by P2P application programs and botnet viruses by comparing with the known flow patterns in the database. After trained by adjusting the system parameters using test samples, the experimental results show that the accuracy of Bayes Classifier is 95.78% and that of NN Classifier is 98.71% in detecting P2P botnet viruses and suspected flows to achieve the goal of infection control in a short time

Characterization of Al-Doped ZnO Transparent Conducting Thin Film Prepared by Off-Axis Magnetron Sputtering

The off-axis sputtering technique was used to deposit Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films on glass substrates at room temperature. For the illustration of the sample position in the sputtering chamber, the value of R/r is introduced. Here, r is the radius of AZO target and R is the distance between the sample and the center of substrate holder. A systematic study for the effect of deposition parameters on structural, optical, and electrical properties of AZO films has been investigated in detail. As the sample position of R/r is fixed at 1.8, it is found that the as-deposited AZO film has relatively low resistivity of 2.67 × 10−3 Ω-cm and high transmittance above 80% in the visible region. Additionally, after rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 600°C with N2 atmosphere, the resistivity of this AZO film can be further reduced to 1.19 × 10−3 Ω-cm. This indicates the AZO films prepared by off-axis magnetron sputtering and treated via the appropriate RTA process have great potential in optoelectronic applications

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in East Asian-ancestry populations identifies four new loci for body mass index

Recent genetic association studies have identified 55 genetic loci associated with obesity or body mass index (BMI). The vast majority, 51 loci, however, were identified in European-ancestry populations. We conducted a meta-analysis of associations between BMI and ∼2.5 million genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms among 86 757 individuals of Asian ancestry, followed by in silico and de novo replication among 7488–47 352 additional Asian-ancestry individuals. We identified four novel BMI-associated loci near the KCNQ1 (rs2237892, P = 9.29 × 10−13), ALDH2/MYL2 (rs671, P = 3.40 × 10−11; rs12229654, P = 4.56 × 10−9), ITIH4 (rs2535633, P = 1.77 × 10−10) and NT5C2 (rs11191580, P = 3.83 × 10−8) genes. The association of BMI with rs2237892, rs671 and rs12229654 was significantly stronger among men than among women. Of the 51 BMI-associated loci initially identified in European-ancestry populations, we confirmed eight loci at the genome-wide significance level (P < 5.0 × 10−8) and an additional 14 at P < 1.0 × 10−3 with the same direction of effect as reported previously. Findings from this analysis expand our knowledge of the genetic basis of obesity

Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ∼ 1.7 {{s}} with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of {40}-8+8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 {M}ȯ . An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ∼ 40 {{Mpc}}) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One-Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ∼10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ∼ 9 and ∼ 16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC 4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta.</p

Application of Augmented Reality for Learning Material Structures and Chemical Equilibrium in High School Chemistry

Material structures and chemical equilibrium are important learning units in high school chemistry. In this study, an augmented reality (AR) system is developed to assist high school students in learning chemistry. Students can use AR cards to conduct virtual chemistry experiments, and the submicroscopic view of a chemical reaction will be displayed according to the chemical equation specified by the reactants and coefficients on AR cards. They can change the AR cards to observe the experimental results and obtain the simplest integer ratio in a chemical equation. It is helpful for understanding that a chemical reaction changes the composition of reactants to form new products and that the process obeys the law of conservation of mass. Empirical research has been conducted in which the experimental group used the AR system and the control group used the traditional teaching method for learning chemistry. The analytical results show that the AR system is more effective than the traditional teaching method, especially for low-achievement students. The questionnaire results indicate that the learning motivation of the experimental group was slightly higher than that of the control group, and the cognitive load was slightly lower than that of the control group, both without achieving a significant difference

Development of a Virtual Reality Memory Maze Learning System for Application in Social Science Education

Virtual reality (VR) is a 3D space created by computer graphics technology and immersive devices. In addition to providing a new visual experience, users can also interact with others in the virtual world to address any of their needs. In recent years, the application of virtual reality in the field of education has attracted the attention of more and more people. This study combined virtual reality and concepts of spatial memory in wayfinding and memory palace to develop a VR memory maze learning system based on the seven large-scale expedition voyages of Zheng He (1405–1433) in the early Ming Dynasty of imperial China. The objective is to improve memory and efficiency in learning social science by correlating spatial information and organizational skills in the virtual environment. A teaching experiment has been conducted to explore its impacts on learning effectiveness, learning motivation, and cognitive load, as well as learners’ technology acceptance of the VR system. The analysis results indicate that using the VR system for learning social science can improve learning effectiveness; it can also increase learning motivation and reduce cognitive load. The questionnaire results of the technology acceptance model analysis show that most learners were satisfied with various aspects of this system

Application of Virtual Reality in Learning the Concepts of Special Relativity and Mass&ndash;Energy Equivalence

Einstein described the relationship between mass and energy using the theory of special relativity by a simple equation, E=mc2. Mass&ndash;energy equivalence implies that mass can be converted into energy and vice versa. In this study, a virtual reality (VR) system was developed for learners to take a spacecraft travelling at nearly the speed of light to conduct space exploration and understand the concepts of special relativity and mass&ndash;energy equivalence. A teaching experiment was conducted to investigate the learning effectiveness and cognitive load of learners by recruiting 60 students as research samples. The experimental group (30 students) used the VR system and the control group (30 students) used physics textbooks for learning special relativity and mass&ndash;energy equivalence. The experimental results reveal that the learning effectiveness of the experimental group is higher than that of the control group while the cognitive load of the former is lower than that of the latter. The questionnaire results show that students of the control group had responded positively to learning content, cognitive usefulness, cognitive ease of use, and user satisfaction, indicating that they were satisfied with the learning experience of the VR system