Assessing students' conceptual understanding using an online three‐tier diagnostic test

When solving a mathematical problem, students who do not have sufficient conceptual understanding may perform poorly and exhibit misconceptions. This study was aimed to examine students' conceptual understanding and significant misconceptions when solving number sense‐related problems. An online three‐tier diagnostic test was administered to 125 fifth‐grade students with varied socio‐economic backgrounds in Hong Kong. Only 14.40% of the students exhibited high performance with high confidence, indicating that these students had a profound conceptual understanding of number sense. In addition, the majority of the students (66.40%) did not demonstrate number sense; these students exhibited several significant misconceptions and could solve the questions only by using a rule‐based method or guessing. Accordingly, most students performed unsatisfactorily on number sense‐related problems. This study is imperative in identifying early predictors and provides information for further compatible interventions in the teaching and learning of number sense in Hong Kong in particular and worldwide in general.     

Reformate-enriched gasoline-ethanol blends: Volatility criteria and azeotrope formation

Four hydrocarbon-base gasolines (BG) were formulated from the local refinery streams; isomerate, reformate, and light naphtha. The formulations were enriched in reformate. Each of these BG formulations was blended with 10 vol% of anhydrous ethanol. From ASTM-D86 distillation data, eight distillation curves were constructed and the trend line equations of these distillation curves were developed. Also, the area under each distillation curve (AUDC) was calculated through calculus definite integration technique. Subsequently, the area due to azeotrope formation (ADAF) for each BG-ethanol blend was estimated. In this paper, the influence of increasing reformate proportions on the created positive azeotrope, was studied. Also the influence of increasing reformate proportions on vapor pressure, Temperature for the vapor-liquid ratio of 20, T50 and octane number was studied. The results show that the R² values of the distillation curve equations prove the reliability of the fits. Also, increasing reformate proportion in the fuel blend improves the octane number while increasing reformate proportion decreases the volatility of the fuel formulation.     

Reliable techniques for integrated circuit identification and true random number generation using 1.5-transistor flash memory

Flash memory bits, like other integrated circuit (IC) devices, are prone to random variability in their actual versus nominal characteristics. We present the use of 1.5-transistor flash memory cells in physically unclonable functions leveraging their erase speed variability. This type of memory is interesting for the internet of things due to its wide availability as intellectual property at foundries. Using experimentally measured results, we show simple methods that provide high reliability with no or limited need for helper data and error correction. High quality fingerprints for IC identification are demonstrated. Moreover, techniques to remove systematic variations from the array response are shown, allowing the resulting binary strings to pass all National Institute of Standards and Technology tests for randomness. Consequently, with low complexity helper functions, true random numbers can be readily produced.     

液压阻尼孔的宽温度范围流动特性试验研究

研制一种适合对各种液压孔口或缝隙进行高低温流体力学试验的新型试验装置，运用该装置对具有不同几何参数的液压阻尼孔进行在-50~80℃宽温度范围内的流动特性试验，研究以普通抗磨液压油HM46和低温抗凝减振器油TITAN SAF 5045为工质及其温度变化时对液压阻尼孔流量-压力特性曲线、幂指数和流量系数的影响，研究表明，在低温条件下，液压阻尼孔的流量系数均因油液黏度增大、流动性变差而呈线性下降的趋势，从宏观上看，HM46通过液压阻尼孔时的流动稳定性较差，其对应流量系数的下降幅度明显大于TITAN SAF 5045对应的下降幅度，厚壁小孔流量系数的下降幅度明显大于薄壁小孔对应的下降幅度。研究所获得的新型试验装置、试验数据分析方法和具体理论公式为深入研究和优化现代液压元件在宽温度范围内的动态性能提供新型试验平台与理论基础。     

First principles computational studies of spontaneous reduction reaction of Eu(III) in eutectic LiCl‐KCl molten salt

Using first principles calculations, we study fundamental mechanism of spontaneous reduction reaction of Eu³⁺ to Eu²⁺ in eutectic LiCl‐KCl molten salt. We decouple the reaction Gibbs free energy into enthalpy and entropy contributions by using rigorous thermodynamic formalism. Key structural features of the solvation shell are characterized by the radial distribution function and the coordination number. Compared with Eu²⁺, the Eu³⁺ ion has a more rigid framework of the solvation shells, corroborating its stronger electrostatic interaction with neighboring ligands of Cl^? ions and a more favorable state on the aspect of enthalpy. Computations on vibrational frequency, however, pose significant contribution of vibrational entropy to the reaction Gibbs free energy for the reduction. Vibration frequency of Eu²⁺ is smaller than that of Eu³⁺, driving a more positive change of the entropy in the reduction reaction. Furthermore, an Eu²⁺ diffuses more quickly than an Eu³⁺ in the LiCl‐KCl molten salt with switching mechanism of ligand Cl^? ions in the solvation shell. Our results propose that the spontaneity of the reduction reaction is driven by the entropic contribution by overcoming the penalty of the reaction enthalpy.     

阶梯溢流坝面坡度对一体化消能工水力特性的影响

为探求高水头、大单宽流量下坝面坡度对一体化消能工水力特性的影响,以阿海水电站为原型,采用三维k-ε双方程紊流模型,引入水气两相流VOF计算方法,利用几何重建格式来迭代生成自由水面,对1∶0.80、1∶0.75、1∶0.65三种阶梯面坡比进行数值模拟研究。结果表明:①最大负压值均位于首级阶梯立面凸角下1/4附近,并随坡度增加而增大。坡度为56.98°时,最大负压值为61.02 kPa,超过了6×9.81 kPa。②水流空化数在宽尾墩水舌出口位置出现最小值,空化数随坡度变陡而减小。坡度为56.98°时,空化数最小为0.358。坡度为51.34°时,空化数最大,为0.381。③随着阶梯溢流坝坝面坡度变缓,消力池最大临底流速增大。当坡度为51.34°时,消力池最大临底流速最大,达到26.84 m/s,超过了25 m/s,易发生冲磨破坏。当坡度为56.98°时,消力池最大临底流速最小,为24.00 m/s。消力池尾坎前最大临底流速随坡度增加而减小,坡度为56.98°时最小,为9.63 m/s;坡度为51.34°时,消力池尾坎前最大临底流速最大,为9.96 m/s。④坡度的变化对一体化消能工消能率的影响不大,坡度从51.34°增加到56.98°,消能率只提升0.15%。     

Integrated rough VIKOR for customer-involved design concept evaluation combining with customers’ preferences and designers’ perceptions

Customer-involved design concept evaluation (DCE) allows customers to take part in evaluating the design alternatives to get more popular design concept. Traditional customer-involved DCE methods still focus on the collection of customer responses and only consider cost and benefit characteristics of design criteria in multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) based evaluation process. Few studies have customized the decision-making algorithms specifically aimed at customers’ preferences. This paper further explores the customers’ influences in the early stages of the product design development, and proposes a new rough number based MCDM model (i.e., VIKOR) incorporating customers’ preferences for design specifications along with designers’ perceptions for the characteristics of design criteria (cost and benefit) to perform concept evaluation under subjective environment, and this proposed method is named as integrated rough VIKOR (IR-VIKOR). The objective of this study is to identify the best design concept which maximizes the satisfactions of expectations from most customers as well as conforms to the characteristics of design criteria. Firstly, Shannon entropy is used to obtain the weightings and relative importance ratings of design criteria from the customers’ preferences. Secondly, the customers’ preferences for design attribute values, the importance ratings of design criteria and the characteristics of design criteria are combined together to define the ideal solutions to calculate the rough evaluation index of each design alternative in IR-VIKOR, and finally the ranking result is provided by IR-VIKOR to determine the best design concept. A practical design example is introduced to illustrate the evaluation process of this proposed method, and the empirical comparisons are further carried out to validate its superiority for DCE. Through the sensitivity analysis experiments including i) inside IR-VIKOR, and ii) between IR-VIKOR and other classical MCDM methods, the proposed method is proved to be a reliable and feasible customer-involved DCE approach.     

海水源热泵抛管式换热器管外传热特性研究

为给海水源热泵抛管式换热器的优化设计提供理论依据,通过计算流体力学(CFD)数值软件对该系统中的流动和传热过程进行数值模拟。结果表明,管内对流换热努谢尔特数Nui随抛管曲率比δ、无因次节距H_o的增大而减小;管外Nu_o随δ、H_o的增大而减小,而且δ和H_o对Nu_o的影响是复杂非线性关系。在一定模拟工况下,管外表面传热系数比管内小,热阻比管内大,换热器传热性能的决定性因素在管外,基于此,该文通过数值模拟拟合出适于南海岛礁海水源热泵抛管式换热器管外传热准则关联式。