Calvin Wee first set foot in China at the age of 14—not for a diplomatic forum or a youth initiative,but on a week-long school trip to Guangzhou.Yet even then,the experience left a lasting impression.“We visited a l...Calvin Wee first set foot in China at the age of 14—not for a diplomatic forum or a youth initiative,but on a week-long school trip to Guangzhou.Yet even then,the experience left a lasting impression.“We visited a local school and sat in on several classes,”he recalled.“The math lessons stood out—the students’intensity and focus were striking.In Singapore,we study hard,but this was on another level.”That early glimpse into China’s education system stayed with him,and years later,it resurfaced as he began to engage more deeply with the Chinese language and culture.A pocket-sized wuxia xiaoshuo(martial arts novel),picked up on a whim in a Guangzhou bookstore,opened the door to martial arts fiction—and sparked a lasting interest in Chinese literature and,eventually,China Studies.展开更多
With the advent of the next-generation Air Traffic Control(ATC)system,there is growing interest in using Artificial Intelligence(AI)techniques to enhance Situation Awareness(SA)for ATC Controllers(ATCOs),i.e.,Intellig...With the advent of the next-generation Air Traffic Control(ATC)system,there is growing interest in using Artificial Intelligence(AI)techniques to enhance Situation Awareness(SA)for ATC Controllers(ATCOs),i.e.,Intelligent SA(ISA).However,the existing AI-based SA approaches often rely on unimodal data and lack a comprehensive description and benchmark of the ISA tasks utilizing multi-modal data for real-time ATC environments.To address this gap,by analyzing the situation awareness procedure of the ATCOs,the ISA task is refined to the processing of the two primary elements,i.e.,spoken instructions and flight trajectories.Subsequently,the ISA is further formulated into Controlling Intent Understanding(CIU)and Flight Trajectory Prediction(FTP)tasks.For the CIU task,an innovative automatic speech recognition and understanding framework is designed to extract the controlling intent from unstructured and continuous ATC communications.For the FTP task,the single-and multi-horizon FTP approaches are investigated to support the high-precision prediction of the situation evolution.A total of 32 unimodal/multi-modal advanced methods with extensive evaluation metrics are introduced to conduct the benchmarks on the real-world multi-modal ATC situation dataset.Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of AI-based techniques in enhancing ISA for the ATC environment.展开更多
Iince rising to fame in 1987 on the television drama Sunshine After Rain,Singaporean artist Edmund Chen has starred in many films and TV series.He has also been active in theatre,hosting programs,and-more recently-pub...Iince rising to fame in 1987 on the television drama Sunshine After Rain,Singaporean artist Edmund Chen has starred in many films and TV series.He has also been active in theatre,hosting programs,and-more recently-publishing.Chen has authored 15 picture books and two art activity books for children,earning recognition as Southeast Asia’s Best Emerging Children’s Author.Today,he remains a prominent figure in public,not just as an actor but also as a writer and illustrator.展开更多
Extracting data from visually rich documents and charts using traditional methods that rely on OCR-based parsing poses multiple challenges,including layout complexity in unstructured formats,limitations in recognizing...Extracting data from visually rich documents and charts using traditional methods that rely on OCR-based parsing poses multiple challenges,including layout complexity in unstructured formats,limitations in recognizing visual elements,and the correlation between different parts of the documents,as well as domain-specific semantics.Simply extracting text is not sufficient;advanced reasoning capabilities are proving to be essential to analyze content and answer questions accurately.This paper aims to evaluate the ability of the Large Language Models(LLMs)to correctly answer questions about various types of charts,comparing their performance when using images as input versus directly parsing PDF files.To retrieve the images from the PDF,ColPali,a model leveraging state-of-the-art visual languagemodels,is used to identify the relevant page containing the appropriate chart for each question.Google’s Gemini multimodal models were used to answer a set of questions through two approaches:1)processing images derived from PDF documents and 2)directly utilizing the content of the same PDFs.Our findings underscore the limitations of traditional OCR-based approaches in visual document understanding(VrDU)and demonstrate the advantages of multimodal methods in both data extraction and reasoning tasks.Through structured benchmarking of chart question answering(CQA)across input formats,our work contributes to the advancement of chart understanding(CU)and the broader field of multimodal document analysis.Using two diverse and information-rich sources:the World Health Statistics 2024 report by theWorld Health Organisation and the Global Banking Annual Review 2024 by McKinsey&Company,we examine the performance ofmultimodal LLMs across different input modalities,comparing their effectiveness in processing charts as images versus parsing directly from PDF content.These documents were selected due to their multimodal nature,combining dense textual analysis with varied visual representations,thus presenting realistic challenges for vision-language models.This comparison is aimed at assessing how advanced models perform with different input formats and to determine if an image-based approach enhances chart comprehension in terms of accurate data extraction and reasoning capabilities.展开更多
This study examines the application of the Understanding by Design(UbD)approach to enhance students’cognitive,affective,and psychomotor learning domains,as well as their intercultural communication competence,in the ...This study examines the application of the Understanding by Design(UbD)approach to enhance students’cognitive,affective,and psychomotor learning domains,as well as their intercultural communication competence,in the Introduction to Chinese Culture course.UbD,a curriculum design framework emphasizing deep understanding over rote memorization,employs a“backward design”process to help students achieve a profound comprehension of Chinese culture and its modern implications.Through this approach,students also develop critical intercultural communication skills.The study offers helpful strategies for integrating English language teaching with Chinese cultural education,providing practical insights for curriculum development that bridges linguistic and cultural learning.展开更多
Based on the ADDIE model,we explored the integration path between Understanding Contemporary China:An English Reading and Writing Textbook and the main textbook of college English reading.Firstly,the basis of textbook...Based on the ADDIE model,we explored the integration path between Understanding Contemporary China:An English Reading and Writing Textbook and the main textbook of college English reading.Firstly,the basis of textbook integration was analyzed,followed by an explanation of the overall design scheme of textbook integration,and then a series of teaching resources were initially developed and used in teaching practice.Through testing,it was found that the integrative teaching of the two sets of textbooks under the ADDIE model achieved good teaching results,and promoted the three aspects of reading literacy,disciplinary literacy,and value leadership.展开更多
Zinc-air batteries(ZABs)are promising energy storage systems because of high theoretical energy density,safety,low cost,and abundance of zinc.However,the slow multi-step reaction of oxygen and heavy reliance on noble-...Zinc-air batteries(ZABs)are promising energy storage systems because of high theoretical energy density,safety,low cost,and abundance of zinc.However,the slow multi-step reaction of oxygen and heavy reliance on noble-metal catalysts hinder the practical applications of ZABs.Therefore,feasible and advanced non-noble-metal elec-trocatalysts for air cathodes need to be identified to promote the oxygen catalytic reaction.In this review,we initially introduced the advancement of ZABs in the past two decades and provided an overview of key developments in this field.Then,we discussed the work-ing mechanism and the design of bifunctional electrocatalysts from the perspective of morphology design,crystal structure tuning,interface strategy,and atomic engineering.We also included theoretical studies,machine learning,and advanced characterization technologies to provide a comprehensive understanding of the structure-performance relationship of electrocatalysts and the reaction pathways of the oxygen redox reactions.Finally,we discussed the challenges and prospects related to designing advanced non-noble-metal bifunctional electrocatalysts for ZABs.展开更多
In this essay,it will be examined how music can be a powerful tool in multicultural education in promoting humanity and cultural sensitivity.As classroom diversity increases,the challenge lies with educators to ensure...In this essay,it will be examined how music can be a powerful tool in multicultural education in promoting humanity and cultural sensitivity.As classroom diversity increases,the challenge lies with educators to ensure that an equal and appropriate learning environment for all students with cultural sensitivity is maintained.To address this problem,therefore,the study explores how music may be effectively incorporated into intercultural education approaches.This paper has evidence that music is a language that has transcended cultures and promotes tolerance,appreciation,and acceptance of diversity through a synthesis of literature and examples.Several implications posit that music can make people feel they belong,enhance the relations of people from diverse cultures,and provide a practical way of learning about other cultures.The potential of music as a tool to engage social justice issues and liberate oppressed groups is also discussed in this research.It exists,but with caution to cultural appropriation and stereotyping of students,thus requiring educators to be sensitive and socially-apperceived on the best practice ways on how to integrate music into classrooms.The end explains how music helps in nurturing a generation of embracing the world,more sensitive and more inclined to the happenings in society to create a society that will be more sensitive and tolerant with the growing society which is diversifying.Therefore,the current article recommends further exploration and development of music-facilitated/inclined pedagogy of ME in hopefully enhancing cultural consciousness/sensitivity and fostering more social integration.展开更多
By analyzing the sustainable development process of strengthening marine environmental protection and global reporting and assessment of marine environmental conditions since the Human Environment Conference, this pap...By analyzing the sustainable development process of strengthening marine environmental protection and global reporting and assessment of marine environmental conditions since the Human Environment Conference, this paper summarizes the scientific connotation of “scientific understanding of the ocean” reflected in the United Nations Global Marine Environmental Assessment Report, proposes the etymological definition and specific coverage, representative global and regional practical experience of scientific understanding of the ocean, and further analyzes and defines the human activities and cognitive evolution process of “scientific understanding of the ocean”. It marks the leap in human cognition in four dimensions: observation and evaluation, intervention and regulation, disciplinary knowledge system, and supporting guarantee system. It condenses the connotation definitions and human practical achievements of each dimension, and puts forward countermeasures and suggestions to strengthen marine environmental protection and sustainable development.展开更多
People learn causal relations since childhood using counterfactual reasoning. Counterfactual reasoning uses counterfactual examples which take the form of “what if this has happened differently”. Counterfactual exam...People learn causal relations since childhood using counterfactual reasoning. Counterfactual reasoning uses counterfactual examples which take the form of “what if this has happened differently”. Counterfactual examples are also the basis of counterfactual explanation in explainable artificial intelligence (XAI). However, a framework that relies solely on optimization algorithms to find and present counterfactual samples cannot help users gain a deeper understanding of the system. Without a way to verify their understanding, the users can even be misled by such explanations. Such limitations can be overcome through an interactive and iterative framework that allows the users to explore their desired “what-if” scenarios. The purpose of our research is to develop such a framework. In this paper, we present our “what-if” XAI framework (WiXAI), which visualizes the artificial intelligence (AI) classification model from the perspective of the user’s sample and guides their “what-if” exploration. We also formulated how to use the WiXAI framework to generate counterfactuals and understand the feature-feature and feature-output relations in-depth for a local sample. These relations help move the users toward causal understanding.展开更多
This paper addresses the problems faced in programmable logic controller(PLC)teaching in vocational colleges and proposes countermeasures to overcome these challenges.The study emphasizes the need for a deeper underst...This paper addresses the problems faced in programmable logic controller(PLC)teaching in vocational colleges and proposes countermeasures to overcome these challenges.The study emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of fundamental concepts and the integration of practical application in PLC education.It suggests involving students in teacher-led projects to enhance their programming skills and problem-solving skills.Additionally,the paper highlights the importance of interactive learning and collaborative discussions to foster student engagement.Furthermore,it emphasizes the cultivation of innovation consciousness through participation in innovation competitions and projects.The implementation of these strategies has shown positive results in improving learning outcomes and preparing students for careers in automation and control.This research contributes to the development of effective teaching approaches in PLC education in vocational colleges.展开更多
Teachers’teaching behavior plays a crucial role in students’development,and there are problems in the current teaching behavior of mathematics teachers such as ignoring students’cognitive needs,lack of equal opport...Teachers’teaching behavior plays a crucial role in students’development,and there are problems in the current teaching behavior of mathematics teachers such as ignoring students’cognitive needs,lack of equal opportunities for students’classroom performance as well as lack of formative evaluation of students.In order to solve the phenomenon,this paper analyzes and explains how to promote teaching based on the Teaching for Robust Understanding(TRU)evaluation framework with the goal of focusing on the development of all students,taking the teaching design of The Cosine Theorem as an example,and provides ideas and methods for first-line high school mathematics teachers.展开更多
文摘Calvin Wee first set foot in China at the age of 14—not for a diplomatic forum or a youth initiative,but on a week-long school trip to Guangzhou.Yet even then,the experience left a lasting impression.“We visited a local school and sat in on several classes,”he recalled.“The math lessons stood out—the students’intensity and focus were striking.In Singapore,we study hard,but this was on another level.”That early glimpse into China’s education system stayed with him,and years later,it resurfaced as he began to engage more deeply with the Chinese language and culture.A pocket-sized wuxia xiaoshuo(martial arts novel),picked up on a whim in a Guangzhou bookstore,opened the door to martial arts fiction—and sparked a lasting interest in Chinese literature and,eventually,China Studies.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.62371323,62401380,U2433217,U2333209,and U20A20161)Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province,China(Nos.2025ZNSFSC1476)+2 种基金Sichuan Science and Technology Program,China(Nos.2024YFG0010 and 2024ZDZX0046)the Institutional Research Fund from Sichuan University(Nos.2024SCUQJTX030)the Open Fund of Key Laboratory of Flight Techniques and Flight Safety,CAAC(Nos.GY2024-01A).
文摘With the advent of the next-generation Air Traffic Control(ATC)system,there is growing interest in using Artificial Intelligence(AI)techniques to enhance Situation Awareness(SA)for ATC Controllers(ATCOs),i.e.,Intelligent SA(ISA).However,the existing AI-based SA approaches often rely on unimodal data and lack a comprehensive description and benchmark of the ISA tasks utilizing multi-modal data for real-time ATC environments.To address this gap,by analyzing the situation awareness procedure of the ATCOs,the ISA task is refined to the processing of the two primary elements,i.e.,spoken instructions and flight trajectories.Subsequently,the ISA is further formulated into Controlling Intent Understanding(CIU)and Flight Trajectory Prediction(FTP)tasks.For the CIU task,an innovative automatic speech recognition and understanding framework is designed to extract the controlling intent from unstructured and continuous ATC communications.For the FTP task,the single-and multi-horizon FTP approaches are investigated to support the high-precision prediction of the situation evolution.A total of 32 unimodal/multi-modal advanced methods with extensive evaluation metrics are introduced to conduct the benchmarks on the real-world multi-modal ATC situation dataset.Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of AI-based techniques in enhancing ISA for the ATC environment.
文摘Iince rising to fame in 1987 on the television drama Sunshine After Rain,Singaporean artist Edmund Chen has starred in many films and TV series.He has also been active in theatre,hosting programs,and-more recently-publishing.Chen has authored 15 picture books and two art activity books for children,earning recognition as Southeast Asia’s Best Emerging Children’s Author.Today,he remains a prominent figure in public,not just as an actor but also as a writer and illustrator.
基金supported by a grant from the Ministry of Research,Innovation and Digitization,CNCS/CCCDI-UEFISCDI,project number COFUND-CETP-SMART-LEM-1,within PNCDI Ⅳ.
文摘Extracting data from visually rich documents and charts using traditional methods that rely on OCR-based parsing poses multiple challenges,including layout complexity in unstructured formats,limitations in recognizing visual elements,and the correlation between different parts of the documents,as well as domain-specific semantics.Simply extracting text is not sufficient;advanced reasoning capabilities are proving to be essential to analyze content and answer questions accurately.This paper aims to evaluate the ability of the Large Language Models(LLMs)to correctly answer questions about various types of charts,comparing their performance when using images as input versus directly parsing PDF files.To retrieve the images from the PDF,ColPali,a model leveraging state-of-the-art visual languagemodels,is used to identify the relevant page containing the appropriate chart for each question.Google’s Gemini multimodal models were used to answer a set of questions through two approaches:1)processing images derived from PDF documents and 2)directly utilizing the content of the same PDFs.Our findings underscore the limitations of traditional OCR-based approaches in visual document understanding(VrDU)and demonstrate the advantages of multimodal methods in both data extraction and reasoning tasks.Through structured benchmarking of chart question answering(CQA)across input formats,our work contributes to the advancement of chart understanding(CU)and the broader field of multimodal document analysis.Using two diverse and information-rich sources:the World Health Statistics 2024 report by theWorld Health Organisation and the Global Banking Annual Review 2024 by McKinsey&Company,we examine the performance ofmultimodal LLMs across different input modalities,comparing their effectiveness in processing charts as images versus parsing directly from PDF content.These documents were selected due to their multimodal nature,combining dense textual analysis with varied visual representations,thus presenting realistic challenges for vision-language models.This comparison is aimed at assessing how advanced models perform with different input formats and to determine if an image-based approach enhances chart comprehension in terms of accurate data extraction and reasoning capabilities.
基金The 2022 Guangdong Provincial Higher Education Teaching Quality and Reform Project“Research and Practice of English Teaching Integrating Ideological and Political Education into the Introduction to Chinese Culture Course Based on UbD Theory”。
文摘This study examines the application of the Understanding by Design(UbD)approach to enhance students’cognitive,affective,and psychomotor learning domains,as well as their intercultural communication competence,in the Introduction to Chinese Culture course.UbD,a curriculum design framework emphasizing deep understanding over rote memorization,employs a“backward design”process to help students achieve a profound comprehension of Chinese culture and its modern implications.Through this approach,students also develop critical intercultural communication skills.The study offers helpful strategies for integrating English language teaching with Chinese cultural education,providing practical insights for curriculum development that bridges linguistic and cultural learning.
基金funded by Project Information:2022 Guangzhou Municipal Higher Education Teaching Research and Reform Key Research Project:“Innovation and Practice of English Reading Curriculum Ideological and Political in Colleges and Universities:A Study on the Integration of Understanding Contemporary China:An English Reading and Writing Textbook and English Reading Teaching”(2023JGZDXM001).
文摘Based on the ADDIE model,we explored the integration path between Understanding Contemporary China:An English Reading and Writing Textbook and the main textbook of college English reading.Firstly,the basis of textbook integration was analyzed,followed by an explanation of the overall design scheme of textbook integration,and then a series of teaching resources were initially developed and used in teaching practice.Through testing,it was found that the integrative teaching of the two sets of textbooks under the ADDIE model achieved good teaching results,and promoted the three aspects of reading literacy,disciplinary literacy,and value leadership.
基金the Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No:22309180)Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No:XDB0600000,XDB0600400)+3 种基金Liaoning Binhai Laboratory,(Grant No:LILBLB-2023-04)Dalian Revitalization Talents Program(Grant No:2022RG01)Youth Science and Technology Foundation of Dalian(Grant No:2023RQ015)the University of Waterloo.
文摘Zinc-air batteries(ZABs)are promising energy storage systems because of high theoretical energy density,safety,low cost,and abundance of zinc.However,the slow multi-step reaction of oxygen and heavy reliance on noble-metal catalysts hinder the practical applications of ZABs.Therefore,feasible and advanced non-noble-metal elec-trocatalysts for air cathodes need to be identified to promote the oxygen catalytic reaction.In this review,we initially introduced the advancement of ZABs in the past two decades and provided an overview of key developments in this field.Then,we discussed the work-ing mechanism and the design of bifunctional electrocatalysts from the perspective of morphology design,crystal structure tuning,interface strategy,and atomic engineering.We also included theoretical studies,machine learning,and advanced characterization technologies to provide a comprehensive understanding of the structure-performance relationship of electrocatalysts and the reaction pathways of the oxygen redox reactions.Finally,we discussed the challenges and prospects related to designing advanced non-noble-metal bifunctional electrocatalysts for ZABs.
文摘In this essay,it will be examined how music can be a powerful tool in multicultural education in promoting humanity and cultural sensitivity.As classroom diversity increases,the challenge lies with educators to ensure that an equal and appropriate learning environment for all students with cultural sensitivity is maintained.To address this problem,therefore,the study explores how music may be effectively incorporated into intercultural education approaches.This paper has evidence that music is a language that has transcended cultures and promotes tolerance,appreciation,and acceptance of diversity through a synthesis of literature and examples.Several implications posit that music can make people feel they belong,enhance the relations of people from diverse cultures,and provide a practical way of learning about other cultures.The potential of music as a tool to engage social justice issues and liberate oppressed groups is also discussed in this research.It exists,but with caution to cultural appropriation and stereotyping of students,thus requiring educators to be sensitive and socially-apperceived on the best practice ways on how to integrate music into classrooms.The end explains how music helps in nurturing a generation of embracing the world,more sensitive and more inclined to the happenings in society to create a society that will be more sensitive and tolerant with the growing society which is diversifying.Therefore,the current article recommends further exploration and development of music-facilitated/inclined pedagogy of ME in hopefully enhancing cultural consciousness/sensitivity and fostering more social integration.
文摘By analyzing the sustainable development process of strengthening marine environmental protection and global reporting and assessment of marine environmental conditions since the Human Environment Conference, this paper summarizes the scientific connotation of “scientific understanding of the ocean” reflected in the United Nations Global Marine Environmental Assessment Report, proposes the etymological definition and specific coverage, representative global and regional practical experience of scientific understanding of the ocean, and further analyzes and defines the human activities and cognitive evolution process of “scientific understanding of the ocean”. It marks the leap in human cognition in four dimensions: observation and evaluation, intervention and regulation, disciplinary knowledge system, and supporting guarantee system. It condenses the connotation definitions and human practical achievements of each dimension, and puts forward countermeasures and suggestions to strengthen marine environmental protection and sustainable development.
文摘People learn causal relations since childhood using counterfactual reasoning. Counterfactual reasoning uses counterfactual examples which take the form of “what if this has happened differently”. Counterfactual examples are also the basis of counterfactual explanation in explainable artificial intelligence (XAI). However, a framework that relies solely on optimization algorithms to find and present counterfactual samples cannot help users gain a deeper understanding of the system. Without a way to verify their understanding, the users can even be misled by such explanations. Such limitations can be overcome through an interactive and iterative framework that allows the users to explore their desired “what-if” scenarios. The purpose of our research is to develop such a framework. In this paper, we present our “what-if” XAI framework (WiXAI), which visualizes the artificial intelligence (AI) classification model from the perspective of the user’s sample and guides their “what-if” exploration. We also formulated how to use the WiXAI framework to generate counterfactuals and understand the feature-feature and feature-output relations in-depth for a local sample. These relations help move the users toward causal understanding.
基金The Project of China Vocational Education Association(ZJS2022YB024)。
文摘This paper addresses the problems faced in programmable logic controller(PLC)teaching in vocational colleges and proposes countermeasures to overcome these challenges.The study emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of fundamental concepts and the integration of practical application in PLC education.It suggests involving students in teacher-led projects to enhance their programming skills and problem-solving skills.Additionally,the paper highlights the importance of interactive learning and collaborative discussions to foster student engagement.Furthermore,it emphasizes the cultivation of innovation consciousness through participation in innovation competitions and projects.The implementation of these strategies has shown positive results in improving learning outcomes and preparing students for careers in automation and control.This research contributes to the development of effective teaching approaches in PLC education in vocational colleges.
基金Henan Province 2022 Teacher Education Curriculum Reform Research Project:Research on Improving the Teaching Practice Ability of Mathematics Normal University Students under the OBE Concept(Project number:2022-JSJYZD-009)A Study on the Measurement and Development of Mathematics Core Literacy for Secondary School Students,Doctoral Research Initiation Fee of Henan Normal University(Project number:20230234)Henan Normal University Graduate Quality Course Program,Mathematical Planning I(Project number:YJS2022KC02)。
文摘Teachers’teaching behavior plays a crucial role in students’development,and there are problems in the current teaching behavior of mathematics teachers such as ignoring students’cognitive needs,lack of equal opportunities for students’classroom performance as well as lack of formative evaluation of students.In order to solve the phenomenon,this paper analyzes and explains how to promote teaching based on the Teaching for Robust Understanding(TRU)evaluation framework with the goal of focusing on the development of all students,taking the teaching design of The Cosine Theorem as an example,and provides ideas and methods for first-line high school mathematics teachers.
