Cognitive performance and mental ability: Implications for learning in the later years

Both cross sectional and longitudinal studies of change with age in mental ability and cross sectional studies of change with age in cognitive performance indicate that the ability to learn generally does not decline in adulthood but continues at a stable and responsive level well into the later years. This conclusion is not only supported by psychological research but also confirmed by the rapidly growing numbers of older persons who are returning to and succeeding in the pursuit of educational activities. If and when decline does occur, it is usually modest, often reversible, rarely extreme, and rarely if ever great enough to preclude the possibility of learning that may be highly meaningful to the older learner.Howard Y. McClusky is the charter President of the Adult Education Association of the U.S.A. and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. He is currently active as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Adult and Continuing Education and Faculty Associate in the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109.     

Learning through digital storytelling: exploring entertainment techniques in lecture video

Although online education is popularized, it is in a developing stage that continues to struggle with communicating and engaging with students. The question remains on how students can be better engaged in online educational materials that are presented in asynchronous media, especially in lecture videos. Thus, using engagement theory, the present study explored how online lecture videos can be improved by incorporating entertainment education. Using a public lecture video found on YouTube, an online survey (N = 133) was conducted to identify digital storytelling techniques and their effects. Results revealed that these techniques that are often utilized in entertainment became meaningful components to increase student engagement and learning outcomes. However, they can also negatively affect instructor credibility, which could suggest the need to increase instructors’ skills. The implications for the development of lecture videos using entertainment and its potential to positively impact online education are discussed.     

澳门特区免费幼儿教育政策研究

澳门特区自2007～2008学年开始实施15年免费教育,即9年义务教育、3年高中教育和3年学前教育免费.研究者运用网络调查及访谈法,对澳门特区免费幼儿教育政策进行研究,结果发现:(1)免费幼儿教育政策只适用于6家公办幼儿园和42家加入免费教育学校系统的私立幼儿园.(2)7家未加入免费教育学校系统的私立幼儿园需缴学费、补充服务费和选择性服务费,但可获政府发放的学费津贴和书簿费.家长很满意这一政策,并表示愿意继续送孩子上收费的私立幼儿园.(3)受访园(校)长、家长及教师对澳门的免费幼儿教育政策都很满意,教师特别满意政府推出的幼儿园教师津贴.(4)免费幼儿教育政策对私立园所的影响有所不同:有些私立园所为了生存而选择加入免费教育学校系统,有些私立园所则为了校政自主而选择不加入免费教育学校系统.客观上,高收费门槛令不同阶层家庭的幼儿自然分流.     

Meaning in life and school guidance programs: Adolescents’ voices from Hong Kong

International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance - This study provides insights into how Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong interpret the concept of “meaning in life.” Data...     

Walsh Operational Matrices for Fractional Calculus and Their Application to Distributed Systems

The Walsh operational matrix for performing integration and solving state equations is generalized to fractional calculus for investigating distributed systems. A new set of orthogonal functions is derived from Walsh functions. By using the new functions, the generalized Walsh operational matrices corresponding to √s, √(s²+ 1), e^-s and e^-√s etc. are established. Several distributed parameter problems are solved by the new approach.     

Cyclic olefin copolymer based microfluidic devices for biochip applications: Ultraviolet surface grafting using 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine

This report studies the surface modification of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) by 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) monomer using photografting technique for the purpose of biointerface applications, which demonstrate resistance to both protein adsorption and cell adhesion in COC-based microfluidic devices. This is essential because the hydrophobic nature of COC can lead to adsorption of specific compounds from biological fluids in the microchannel, which can affect the results during fluidic analysis and cause clogging inside the microchannel. A correlation was found between the irradiation time and hydrophobicity of the modified substrate. Static water contact angle results show that the hydrophilicity property of the MPC-grafted substrate improves with increasing irradiation time. The contact angle of the modified surface decreased to 20 ± 5° from 88 ± 3° for the untreated substrate. The surface characterization of the modified surface was evaluated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR spectroscopy). Attenuated total reflection-FTIR and XPS results show the presence of the phosphate group (P-O) on modified COC substrates, indicating that the hydrophilic MPC monomer has successfully grafted on COC. Finally, it was demonstrated that cell adhesion and protein adsorption on the MPC modified COC specimen has reduced significantly.     

医院数字化药品库房管理应用研究——以江西省某三甲医院为例

本文以建立一个数字化的新型医院药品库房,提高准确率和工作效率为目的。利用二维码技术、移动数据采集技术和无线网络,将传统模式下药品验收、盘点、药品请领等工作环节充分电子化。新模式下药品验收入库、盘点、药品请领完成时间分别减少70%、41%和40%。数字化技术显著提高了录入的效率和准确率,减轻工作人员的工作负荷。     

Relationships with supply chain partners affecting internal operation of high-tech manufacturers in Taiwan

The increasing number of interactions between Taiwan and the Mainland may bring in both opportunities and competitions among the companies in the region. Companies are forced to continuously change and develop to advance and to sustain in the competitive environment. It also holds true for the companies in the even more competitive high-tech industries. It is therefore of a value to study what challenges the high-tech firms are facing, how these challenges impact on their performance and how these firms are dealing with issues. Among the multiple challenges, supply chain operation has been a critical issue concerning the high-tech manufacturers.The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between the various supply chain operation determinants (relationships with business partners, internal operation) and the impacts of relationships with supply chain partners on the internal operation and the collective efficacy relating to the scheduling issues in high-tech manufacturing firms in Taiwan. A research framework linking internal operation and relationships with supply chain partners (supplier and customer) and individuals (perceived collective efficacy) is applied.     

Bandpass sorting of heterogeneous cells using a single surface acoustic wave transducer pair

Separation and sorting of biological entities (viruses, bacteria, and cells) is a critical step in any microfluidic lab-on-a-chip device. Acoustofluidics platforms have demonstrated their ability to use physical characteristics of cells to perform label-free separation. Bandpass-type sorting methods of medium-sized entities from a mixture have been presented using acoustic techniques; however, they require multiple transducers, lack support for various target populations, can be sensitive to flow variations, or have not been verified for continuous flow sorting of biological cells. To our knowledge, this paper presents the first acoustic bandpass method that overcomes all these limitations and presents an inherently reconfigurable technique with a single transducer pair for stable continuous flow sorting of blood cells. The sorting method is first demonstrated for polystyrene particles of sizes 6, 10, and 14.5 μm in diameter with measured purity and efficiency coefficients above 75 ± 6% and 85 ± 9%, respectively. The sorting strategy was further validated in the separation of red blood cells from white blood cells and 1 μm polystyrene particles with 78 ± 8% efficiency and 74 ± 6% purity, respectively, at a flow rate of at least 1 μl/min, enabling to process finger prick blood samples within minutes.