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Recently, photothermoelectric effect of thermoelectric materials has been hotly explored to develop self-powered and large bandwidth photodetectors working at ambient conditions. However, the key parameters for optimized photothermoelectric effect are still elusive. Here, based on the two-temperature model under static condition, we theoretically studied the key parameters to optimize the photothermoelectric performance of thermoelectric materials. Results verify that when the incident electromagnetic wave only generates electronic intra-band excitation, there is an ideal carrier concentration to optimize the photothermoelectric voltage; when the wavelength of a detected electromagnetic wave can resonantly excite quasi-particle (like phonons) except electrons, the photothermoelectric voltage can be enhanced significantly around the resonant wavelength regime; and when the electronic inter-band transition can be excited by an electromagnetic wave, photothermoelectric voltage is significantly increased due to the high optical absorption. As an example, the theoretical dependence of the photothermoelectric voltage of SnSe on wavelength is in line with the experimental result. This work elucidates the crucial parameters of thermoelectric materials to achieve the ideal photothermoelectric performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The body–boundary correspondence refers to the relationship between the body and boundary states of topological insulators (TIs). In TIs, the presence of boundary states is connected to the bulk topological properties of the material. The topology can be identified by studying the energy of the topological modes within the bulk bandgap. However, not all topological materials exhibit boundary states within the insulating energy gap. In many cases, the presence of boundary states can be hidden or masked by the bulk energy bands, making it difficult to measure TIs. Recent experiments have shown that defects, which are commonly found in crystalline materials, can be used as probes to explore higher-order topologies that have been recently realized on various platforms. These defects can generate fractional charges and stable bound states in the dispersion region, allowing us to observe the clear body–disclination correspondence. We have performed simulations using a coupled acoustic cavity system with C3 and C5 symmetries to investigate the body–disclination correspondence in topological crystal insulators (TCIs) in the field of acoustics. Simulation and theoretical results have demonstrated that defects such as disclinations can be used to probe higher-order topologies that were previously unobservable in three-dimensional structures. This approach allows us to detect fractional mode charges and stable bound states, which are crucial for understanding the topological nature of TCIs. Our work demonstrates the potential of using disclination defects to study the intricate relationship between the body and boundary states in topological materials, particularly in the context of acoustics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher self-efficacy plays an important role in special education; yet, the literature on the measurement of teacher self-efficacy in this field is limited. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale with a sample of Chinese special education teachers (N = 401, 24.19% male). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the Chinese special educational version of the Teacher's Sense of Efficacy Scale (CS-TSES), modified from the Asian model by Ruan, J., Nie, Y., Hong, J., Monobe, G., Zheng, G., Kambara, H., & You, S. (2015). Cross-cultural validation of teachers' sense of efficacy scale in three Asian countries. "Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment," 33(8), 769-779, showed an excellent fit. Additionally, correlations were observed between the results of the CS-TSES and both the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the Satisfaction with Life Scale, providing criterion-related validity. In sum, the findings indicated that the TSES is applicable to special education teachers in the Chinese context.

In the literature concerning Chinese student teachers, there is little research regarding the relationship between job satisfaction, professional identity, and burnout. In the current study, 267 student teachers (aged 20 to 25 years, female 58.8%) from Western China completed surveys assessing the student teachers' professional identity, job satisfaction, and burnout. Using structural equation models, results indicated that professional identity and job satisfaction could predict burnout, and the effect of professional identity on burnout was partially mediated by job satisfaction. Moreover, job satisfaction could significantly moderate the relationship between professional identity and burnout. These findings imply that professional identity and job satisfaction are critical indicators of burnout, and can be used in basic intervention strategies that decrease burnout among Western Chinese student teachers., Author(s): Ming-Hui Lu [sup.1], Jie Luo [sup.2], Wei Chen [sup.2], Meng-Cheng Wang [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411863.9, 0000 0001 0067 3588, School of Education, Bay Area Education Policy Institute for [...]

The measurement of topological insulators is usually achieved by measuring spectra, which is inadequate in higher-order topological insulators because the separation of bandgaps may be blurred, such as body boundaries and corner state hybridization, and the above measurement requires that the energy of the topological mode must be located in the bulk bandgap to be measured. Recent experiments have shown a strong relationship between the fractional mode charge and the location of the Wannier center in the crystal body. The fractional quantization of the corner charge originates from the filling anomaly, and the fractional mode charge can be calculated from experimental measurements of the local density of states to describe the topological state of the system, which has been demonstrated in optical systems. We have achieved a similar effect in acoustics by utilizing a coupled acoustic-cavity system featuring C3, C4, and C6 symmetries for simulation. Furthermore, we extended our study to 3D third-order topological crystalline insulators to validate the fractional-corner charge approach. The simulation and theoretical results demonstrate that the fractional mode charge can clearly identify the high-order topology, even without gap states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on tools of attitudes towards ASD was limited. This study is the first to examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the multidimensional attitudes scale toward persons with disabilities (MAS) in a sample of Chinese college students (N = 1002, 32.10% males). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the G-MAS-R model's 4-factor structure: calm, negative affect, positive cognitions and behavioral avoidance. The results suggest that the Chinese version of the MAS has satisfactory internal consistency. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the MAS scores were significantly correlated with the Social Distance Scale and Autism Stigma and Knowledge Questionnaire scores. Overall, the findings indicate that the MAS is appropriate for assessing attitudes toward people with ASD in a Chinese context.

Nurse's dimission and attrition are globally considered as a public health issue. However, few studies have focused on the nurse shortage from the perspective of intent to stay, as previous studies have focused only on why they left. The purpose of this study was to conduct an integrative review of the factors connected with why nurses in China, Japan, and Korea stay in their current workplace.

The literature on tools of attitudes towards ASD was limited. This study is the first to examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the multidimensional attitudes scale toward persons with disabilities (MAS) in a sample of Chinese college students (N = 1002, 32.10% males). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the G-MAS-R model's 4-factor structure: calm, negative affect, positive cognitions and behavioral avoidance. The results suggest that the Chinese version of the MAS has satisfactory internal consistency. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the MAS scores were significantly correlated with the Social Distance Scale and Autism Stigma and Knowledge Questionnaire scores. Overall, the findings indicate that the MAS is appropriate for assessing attitudes toward people with ASD in a Chinese context., Author(s): Ming-hui Lu [sup.1] , Fei-fan Pang [sup.1] [sup.3] , Jie Luo [sup.2] [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411863.9, 0000 0001 0067 3588, Special Education Department, School of Education, Guangzhou University, [...]

Although numerous studies have demonstrated that social support affects a range of life experiences, few have examined its moderating and mediating effects. In the current study, 479 Chinese parents of children with ASD (aged 3-18 years) completed the surveys assessing parenting stress, social support and life satisfaction. Results indicated that parenting stress, social support and life satisfaction were significantly related. Moreover, social support both mediated and moderated the influence of parenting stress on life satisfaction. These findings imply that parenting stress and social support are critical indicators of life satisfaction and can serve as basic intervention strategies that promote life satisfaction among Chinese parents of children with ASD.

Although numerous studies have demonstrated that social support affects a range of life experiences, few have examined its moderating and mediating effects. In the current study, 479 Chinese parents of children with ASD (aged 3-18 years) completed the surveys assessing parenting stress, social support and life satisfaction. Results indicated that parenting stress, social support and life satisfaction were significantly related. Moreover, social support both mediated and moderated the influence of parenting stress on life satisfaction. These findings imply that parenting stress and social support are critical indicators of life satisfaction and can serve as basic intervention strategies that promote life satisfaction among Chinese parents of children with ASD., Author(s): Ming-Hui Lu [sup.1] , Guang-Hai Wang [sup.2] , Hao Lei [sup.3] , Meng-Liang Shi [sup.4] , Rui Zhu [sup.5] , Fan Jiang [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0001 0067 [...]

Thermoelectric materials, based on photo-thermoelectric effect (PTE), may be promising in photo-detection because of their self-power, extremely broad-band, and free of cryogenic attachments. Up to now, the performance of PTE is mainly optimized through enhancement of extrinsic absorption such as using optical metamaterials. Instead, we here improve the PTE through materials engineering, accordingly systematically investigated the PTE of both P- and N-type SnSe crystals with different carrier concentrations (1017–1019 cm−3). P-type SnSe has much better photo-thermoelectric performance than the N-type one. Among P-type SnSe, the SnSe crystal with the largest carrier concentration (∼1019 cm−3 at room temperature) demonstrates the highest photo-thermoelectric performance. Analysis by a modified two-temperature model suggests that the key parameter of enhanced PTE is the high electrical conductivity, which leads to large optical absorption and large temperature difference. Our work provides a guideline on how to engineer thermoelectric materials to enhance their photo-thermoelectric performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The local density of states (LDOS), which describes the space-resolved density of states, has been studied in the context of exploring topological materials. Here, we report the observation of the fractional mode charge of topological states in a four-dimensional synthetic acoustic system, which is based on coupled acoustic cavities. We experimentally measured the LDOS of topological boundary states and corner states of this system and observed one-half and one-quarter fractional mode charges. In addition, we also obtained the LDOS in a three-dimensional acoustic system by simulation and observed the one-eighth fractional mode charge of the system. The results show that the appearance of topological states can correspond to the fractional charges, which is useful for the understanding of topology in acoustic systems and provides a new method for the characterization of topological states in topological acoustic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We design a four-dimensional system with straight waveguides composed of coordinate-dependent coupled waveguides. By controlling the phase in synthetic space and the excitation of the corresponding sound source mode, we show that the pumping incorporating adiabatic modulation of discretely varied coupling waveguides along a given orbit in the phason space occurs only in specific space directions. In addition, robust corner-to-corner topological pumping is achieved in finite-sized two-dimensional modulated acoustic structures. Our results provide a general strategy to achieve topological pumping through discrete property modulations and pave new paths for studying higher-dimensional topological phases in discrete systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological Hall effect, being an unconventional anomalous Hall effect, is originated from the real‐space Berry curvature caused by the nontrivial topological spin textures in materials. Manipulations of nontrivial magnetic structure and related topological Hall effect are very important for the study of the chiral magnet. Herein, it is experimentally observed that the significant topological Hall conductivity σxy in antiferromagnetic K0.5RhO2 can reach 3.5% of ν = 1 quantum conductivity below 20 K. Furthermore, by adjusting the concentration of K‐cation different from 0.5 in KxRhO2 or substituting the K cations by Rb or Cs to form Rb0.5RhO2 or Cs0.5RhO2, it is observed that the topological Hall effect is much weakened or even disappeared. This evolution, verified by the theoretical calculations, is attributed to the unstable ground state of the non‐coplanar spin structure in KxRhO2 (x = 0.4 and 0.6) and Cs0.5RhO2. The significantly tunable topological Hall effect in AxRhO2 makes it prospective on logical/sensor devices of spintronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal properties of Si1 – xGex alloys are important for two major reasons: one is their applications in high-temperature thermoelectrics and the other is the increasing heat dissipation demand for high power density devices. However, the large lattice mismatch between silicon and germanium leads to tremendous difficulties to obtain high-quality Si1 – xGex thin films, especially when x > 0.5. In this study, we obtained a series of high crystalline quality Si1 – xGex thin films with x covering all the way from 0 to 1 on Si substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The out-of-plane thermal conductivities of these Si1 – xGex films were measured by the time-domain thermoreflectance approach. Results show that while the thermal conductivity can vary significantly with composition, it only changes marginally in the temperature range of 100 K–300 K for a specific Ge content x. A theoretical analysis indicates that alloy and boundary scatterings are the dominant mechanisms for the thermal transport in these Si1 – xGex (x = 0–1) alloy films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the concept of valley pseudospin, labeling quantum states of energy extrema in momentum space, has attracted enormous attention because of its potential as a new type of information carrier. Here, we present surface acoustic wave (SAW) waveguides which utilize and transport valley pseudospins in two-dimensional SAW phononic crystals. In addition to a direct visualization of the valley-dependent modes excited from the corresponding chiral sources, the backscattering suppression of SAW valley-dependent edge modes transport is observed in sharply curved interfaces. By means of band structure engineering, elastic wave energy in the SAW waveguides can be transported with remarkable robustness, which is very promising for new generations of integrated solid-state phononic circuits with great versatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]