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Increasing social pressure enhances the psychological burden on individuals, and the severity of depression can no longer be ignored. The characteristics of high immersion and interactivity enhance virtual reality (VR) application in psychological therapy. Many studies have verified the effectiveness of VR relaxation therapy, although a few have performed a quantitative study on relaxation state (R-state). To confirm the effectiveness of VR relaxation and quantitatively assess relaxation, this study confirmed the effectiveness of the VR sightseeing relaxation scenes using subjective emotion scale and objective electroencephalogram (EEG) data from college students. Moreover, some EEG features with significant consistent differences after they watched the VR scenes were detected including the energy ratio of the alpha wave, gamma wave, and differential asymmetry. An R-state regression model was then built using the model stacking method for optimization, of which random forest regression, AdaBoost, gradient boosting (GB), and light GB were adopted as the first level, while linear regression and support vector machine were applied at the second level. The leave-one-subject-out method for cross-validation was used to evaluate the results, where the mean accuracy of the framework achieved 81.46%. The significantly changed features and the R-state model with over 80% accuracy have laid a foundation for further research on relaxation interaction systems. Moreover, the VR relaxation therapy was applied to the clinical treatment of patients with depression and achieved preliminary good results, which might provide a possible method for non-drug treatment of patients with depression.

Students spend a lot of time in the classroom, and the physical environment in the classroom plays an important role in the development of students. It is necessary to scientifically investigate students' views and opinions on the physical factors in the classroom. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this study used the Q method online and allowed 40 junior high school students to rank 32 physical factors in the classrooms according to their own perspectives. The results can provide a reference for the reconstruction and construction of classrooms in middle schools and contribute to the design of learner-oriented humanized classrooms.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused increasing concern over health care, part of which involves the role of nutrition. In this study, a nutrition educational board game, featuring quantitative computation, was designed to help students acquire nutrition knowledge and improve dietary behaviors. A group of 22 students in grade 7 of a middle school in Beijing were selected as the participants. A single-group pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design was adopted. Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) questionnaires and interviews were used to investigate students' changes in dietary knowledge, attitude, and behavior. The influence of gender and body mass index (BMI) on the teaching effectiveness was also explored. The results showed that some dimensions of knowledge, attitude, and behavior significantly increased in the students. Their changes in behavior were mainly related to some aspects that were easier to adjust. In addition, the study also found that females and students with abnormal BMI were more likely to be influenced by the educational game to make positive changes in attitude and behavior.

Due to the complex background, small and dense targets, and large scale continuous changes in remote sensing images, universal object detectors are difficult to adapt well, resulting in poor detection performance. To address the above issues, a multi-branch feature mapping based remote sensing image object detection algorithm is proposed based on the YOLOv5s model. Firstly, a RepVGG module combined with gated channel transformation is designed using structural reparameterization technology. Its series structure is used to replace the C3 module of the original backbone network, aggregating global contextual information and enhancing feature expression and extraction capabilities. Secondly, the adaptive exponential weighted pooling method and the sampling method of inverse process reconstruction feature fusion network are used to maximize the retention of feature information and improve the detection performance of smaller targets. Finally, the combination of EIoU and Focal Loss is introduced as the loss function of the model to optimize the regression rate of the prediction box and the loss weight distribution of difficult and easy samples, further improving the positioning accuracy. The experimental results on the DIOR and NWPU VHR-10 datasets show that the average accuracy of the proposed algorithm reaches 92.2% and 92.5%, respectively, which is 3.5 percentage points and 5.6 percentage points higher than YOLOv5s, achieving better detection performance. At the same time, the real-time performance also meets the requirements of remote sensing image object detection in actual scenes.

Previous studies on the topic of "Problem solving" indicate it's one of the skills of students in the 21st century that educational robots can effectively support. Additionally, there are gender differences in the problem-solving process. Understanding the problem-solving process and using knowledge to solve problems is key to improving one's problem-solving ability. We therefore conducted a study with 69 fifth graders aimed at exploring whether educational robots can help students improve their understanding of problem-solving process in the context of life sciences. The Intervention was carried out as five learning modules on "Human systems," and each module corresponded to different stages of engineering design practice. Our data analysis investigated the changes of problem-solving process with two independent variables: different genders and robot learning basis. The results showed educational robots can help students more effectively comprehend life science knowledge and understand the problem-solving process. By contrast, there are differences in the problem-solving process between females and males, and the robot learning basis can help students better articulate the problem-solving process. Although this study provided empirical evidence that educational robots can enhance the learning and problem solving skills for primary school children, future studies need to further explore the differences in problem-solving process from multiple perspectives to improve teaching and curriculum design practices.

As more countries emphasize the development of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) education, the training of professional pre-service teachers has received considerable attention. To explore Chinese and UK preservice teachers' understanding of STEAM education, their willingness to engage in STEAM-related occupations, and their attitudes toward various STEAM disciplines, this study designed a questionnaire to investigate the perceptions of 109 and 379 preservice teachers from the United Kingdom and China, respectively. A quantitative analysis revealed the following: (1) Preservice teachers lacked the understanding of STEAM education in general. (2) Chinese and UK preservice teachers had different overall understandings of STEAM education. (3) Both Chinese and UK preservice teachers had different opinions about the role of art in STEAM. (4) The scores of Chinese preservice teachers in the semantic questionnaire in each discipline were significantly higher than those of the UK teachers, and significant differences in gender and profession were observed. (5) No significant differences were observed between the total scores of the UK and Chinese participants on the career interest questionnaire. Finally, we combined the experiences of the Chinese and UK preservice teachers to provide recommendations for teacher training.

The classroom is crucial for students, and seating position within the classroom can affect students' performance. This study conducted a survey to investigate the relationship between seating zones and academic performance among 174 university students in Beijing. The results revealed differences in student performance in terms of seating position in small- and medium-sized traditional classrooms. However, the results did not indicate a similar hierarchy of student performance in terms of seating zones in larger traditional classrooms, horseshoe classrooms, collaboration classrooms, and computer classrooms. Additionally, the results revealed that most students considered the layout of a classroom to affect their performance.

The flipped classroom is an innovative and increasingly popular pedagogical approach in higher education. It emphasises student learning responsibility, deeper learning, differentiated instruction and more efficient use of class time. However, despite its increasing popularity across disciplines, few studies have elaborated on strategies for implementing a flipped classroom beyond its essential elements. The present study thus proposed a three-stage collaborative instructional model (3-CI), an extension of the classic flipped classroom model. A case study approach was adopted to investigate 3-CI's effectiveness through students' perceptions in Research Methods in Educational Technology, with 29 graduate students. Results show that 3-CI increases participants' satisfaction, engagement and collaboration. Furthermore, 3-CI design strategies, which emphasise collaboration and student-centredness, can help college educators to incorporate the flipped approach into their teaching practice.

The integration of robotics education with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has a great potential in future education. In recent years, numerous countries have hosted robotic competitions. This study uses a mixed research method to explore the coaches' views on student participation in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) by incorporating the questionnaire surveys and interviews conducted at the 2019 WRO finals in Hungary. By quantitative and qualitative analyses, coaches generally agreed that participation in the WRO improved students' STEM learning skills and cultivated their patience and resilience in handling challenging tasks.

Background: Understanding cultural diversity in STEM education is important for inclusivity and teaching STEM literacy for all. We explore diversity at a micro-cultural classroom level involving students' emotional experiences and interactional practices as they engage with learning, which has received limited attention in naturalistic studies of STEM education, especially in East Asian cultures. In this study, we explore emotional experiences of students during a guided inquiry lesson in a Chinese primary school using an interpretive methodology informed by concepts of emotional energy, uniformity, and harmony. Emotional energy is an individual and collective experience of togetherness and solidarity emerging from successful social interaction. Uniformity and harmony are emotion-related concepts experienced in Confucian heritage cultures. The aims of this study are to explore Chinese students' emotional experiences during a STEM inquiry lesson and to refine the conceptualization of emotional energy from Confucian cultural perspectives. Results: In a STEM inquiry, context knowledge about micro-cultural diversity and the interplay between Chinese emotional experiences and engagement with ideas are explored. Notions of uniformity and harmony are described through cultural practices as they relate to emotional energy. The study contributes to understanding the diversity of emotional energy as a student experience and social form of engagement, during a STEM inquiry activity in a Confucian heritage context. Conclusions: This study contributes to understandings of student experiences of uniformity, harmony, and variations to intensity of emotional energy during learning via STEM inquiry. Modifications to the conceptualization of emotional energy in STEM education are indicated. Our findings inform an understanding of student emotive experiences of STEM education in East Asian and multi-cultural education systems internationally.

STEM (science, technology, engineer, mathematics) education and engineering education are receiving an increasing amount of interest worldwide, but related research on the influence of STEM courses on students' engineering problem solving in China is scarce. Considering the rapid prototyping function of laser-cutting tools, this study was conducted to develop a STEM course based on laser cutting and to explore how the course affected high school students' engineering problem-solving abilities. A 9-week curriculum was implemented in a science, technology, and fabricating club of a high school in Zhejiang, China. The data were collected by pretest and posttest questionnaires and presentations of group assignments. The results were as follows. First, when presented with an engineering problem, the students demonstrated problem-solving abilities because they followed principles of engineering design, such as sketching, modeling and modifying. Second, while completing the assignment, the students proposed solutions with comprehensive factors in many aspects. They showed high-level thinking, such as consideration of the background, limiting conditions, and multidisciplinary knowledge, and they used technological tools to complete the task. However, some students ignored the assessment and redesign of their solutions. Further research could use a larger sample from different grades and explore how a STEM course combined with technology tools could influence students' high-level thinking skills.

Teaching by subjects and contents where students passively receive knowledge is increasingly obsolete. Universities are opting for teaching strategies supporting skills development to face the labor, social, environmental, and economic conditions afflicting us. Employers demand increasingly complex skills; universities have identified experiential learning as giving access to real situations and learning by doing. One of the most advanced strategies is Challenge-Based Learning (CBL). Through real problem situations, faculty and students collaborate to solve an established challenge, with or without external stakeholders. This educational advancement has been global and is developing graduates with international skills, which ensures a world-class standard. Here we report a global study carried out in universities from three different continents, and we analyze the implementations of CBL in educational programs through cases in Mexico, The Netherlands, Ireland, and China. Developing skills and competencies is evident, and CBL is a viable way to ensure the success of Higher Education graduates. Obstacles in the transformation of faculty towards CBL are a similar fence in all cases. For CBL, the path needs to be explored, as it is on the frontline of educational developments that can be most helpful for developing a new paradigm in education.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused increasing concern over health care, part of which involves the role of nutrition. In this study, a nutrition educational board game, featuring quantitative computation, was designed to help students acquire nutrition knowledge and improve dietary behaviors. A group of 22 students in grade 7 of a middle school in Beijing were selected as the participants. A single-group pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design was adopted. Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) questionnaires and interviews were used to investigate students’ changes in dietary knowledge, attitude, and behavior. The influence of gender and body mass index (BMI) on the teaching effectiveness was also explored. The results showed that some dimensions of knowledge, attitude, and behavior significantly increased in the students. Their changes in behavior were mainly related to some aspects that were easier to adjust. In addition, the study also found that females and students with abnormal BMI were more likely to be influenced by the educational game to make positive changes in attitude and behavior.

Aiming to calculate the system capacity of a given satellite constellation,a time-varying traffic model based on varying traffic with varying time zone was proposed.Focusing on a MEO satellite constellation with global coverage,using a load balanced routing algorithm,the system capacity in different time slices was analyzed and the effect of inter-satellite link (ISL) capacity on the system capacity was investigated.The time-varying traffic model makes analysis more reliable and effective via comparison with equal traffic model.Application of time slices reduces complexity of calculation.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of lumbar and ventricular drainage in the treatment of intracranial hypertension on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients with cryptococcal meningitis (CM). Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 138 cases of CM with intracranial hypertension, including 36 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive cases and 102 HIV-negative cases. All patients were given anti-infectious drugs. In drainage group, patients (N = 76, including 17 HIV-positive cases and 59 HIV-negative cases) were treated with lumbar, modified lumbar or ventricular drainage. In non-drainage group, patients (N = 62, including 19 HIV-positive cases and 43 HIV-negative cases) were treated with anti-fungal drugs by intrathecal injection through lumbar puncture. Comparative observation was done on indwelling catheter time, cryptococcal clearance time and complications between drainage and non-drainage groups, as well as HIV-positive and HIV-negative subgroups. Results The intracranial hypertension symptoms were improved significantly within one week in drainage group. The first indwelling catheter median time in drainage group was 30 (17, 35) d, and there was no statistically significant difference between HIV-positive and HIV-negative subgroups [28 (15, 32) d vs 30 (18, 35) d; U = -1.459, P = 0.144]. The cryptococcal clearance median time in drainage group was 41 (26, 58) d, and there was no statistically significant difference between HIV-positive and HIV-negative subgroups [46 (28, 66) d vs 36 (21, 45) d; U = -1.608, P = 0.108]. The cryptococcal clearance median time in non-drainage group was 42 (32, 65) d, and there was no statistically significant difference between HIV-positive and HIV-negative subgroups [52 (38, 68) d vs 39 (30, 62) d; U = -0.401, P = 0.688]. However, there was significant difference between drainage and non-drainage groups (U = -2.117, P = 0.034). The total effective rate of drainage group was 86.84% (66/76), and there was no statistically significant difference between HIV-positive and HIV-negative subgroups [14/17 vs 89.83% (53/59); χ2 = 0.172, P = 0.678]. The total effective rate of non-drainage group was 72.58% (45/62), and there was no statistically significant difference between HIV-positive and HIV-negative subgroups [8/19 vs 86.05% (37/43); χ2 = 0.023, P = 0.880]. There was significant difference between drainage and non-drainage groups (χ2 = 4.413, P = 0.036). Conclusions Using lumbar or ventricular drainage to treat AIDS patients with CM in the early stage can effectively control intracranial hypertension, shorten the duration of symptoms, and significantly improve the clinical efficacy. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2016.08.006

Many studies have examined the effects of robotics competitions, but few have investigated their effects on participants, especially from the perspectives of students, parents, and coaches. The researchers of this study developed and validated an instrument for exploring the impact of the World Robot Olympiad (WRO), a major international robotics competition, on participants from the perspectives of students, parents, and coaches. Through a literature review and expert discussion, the researchers proposed the first version of the questionnaire. After three years of data collection and three iterations as well as a reliability and validity analysis, factor analysis, and expert review, researchers developed an impact questionnaire for participants in WRO, which included 18 items in the following six dimensions: Learning Skill, Engineering Thinking, Emotional Engagement, Career Choice, Cooperative Solution, and Global Consciousness. Data from 636 valid responses revealed that the questionnaire has good reliability and validity and that students, parents, and coaches all highly valued the positive impact of WRO in 2019. Data analysis indicated that, by and large, students' abilities have improved in various dimensions which were similar to those of previous research on robotics education and robotics competitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiation hardness (RadHrd) of semiconductor devices is important in space, military, nuclear power plant and high energy physics detector applications. The RadHrd test of static random-access-memory (SRAM) has been undertaken using the Co-60 gamma ray and does-to-failure parameter. The number of error-bytes vs dose, was found to provide a clear dose-to-failure. Test conditions of dose rate, temperature and power supply voltage have to be specified to ensure meaningful test results.

Previous studies on the topic of “Problem solving” indicate it’s one of the skills of students in the 21st century that educational robots can effectively support. Additionally, there are gender differences in the problem-solving process. Understanding the problem-solving process and using knowledge to solve problems is key to improving one’s problem-solving ability. We therefore conducted a study with 69 fifth graders aimed at exploring whether educational robots can help students improve their understanding of problem-solving process in the context of life sciences. The Intervention was carried out as five learning modules on “Human systems,” and each module corresponded to different stages of engineering design practice. Our data analysis investigated the changes of problem-solving process with two independent variables: different genders and robot learning basis. The results showed educational robots can help students more effectively comprehend life science knowledge and understand the problem-solving process. By contrast, there are differences in the problem-solving process between females and males, and the robot learning basis can help students better articulate the problemsolving process. Although this study provided empirical evidence that educational robots can enhance the learning and problem solving skills for primary school children, future studies need to further explore the differences in problem-solving process from multiple perspectives to improve teaching and curriculum design practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flipped classroom is an innovative and increasingly popular pedagogical approach in higher education. It emphasises student learning responsibility, deeper learning, differentiated instruction and more efficient use of class time. However, despite its increasing popularity across disciplines, few studies have elaborated on strategies for implementing a flipped classroom beyond its essential elements. The present study thus proposed a three-stage collaborative instructional model (3-CI), an extension of the classic flipped classroom model. A case study approach was adopted to investigate 3-CI's effectiveness through students' perceptions in Research Methods in Educational Technology, with 29 graduate students. Results show that 3-CI increases participants' satisfaction, engagement and collaboration. Furthermore, 3-CI design strategies, which emphasise collaboration and student-centredness, can help college educators to incorporate the flipped approach into their teaching practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]