坯料外形对镁合金矩形盒拉深成形的影响

用商业有限元软件模拟了在同一套模具和成形条件下不同毛坯外形的镁合金矩形盒拉深成形过程．依据数值模拟结果，分析了不同坯料外形对镁合金矩形盒拉深成形的影响。结果表明：使用矩形圆角坯料比其他坯料的成形性能好。     

Object tracking based on an online learning network with total error rate minimization

This paper presents a visual object tracking system which is tolerant to external imaging factors such as illumination, scale, rotation, occlusion and background changes. Specifically, an integration of an online version of total-error-rate minimization based projection network with an observation model of particle filter is proposed to effectively distinguish between the target object and the background. A re-weighting technique is proposed to stabilize the sampling of particle filter for stochastic propagation. For self-adaptation, an automatic updating scheme and extraction of training samples are proposed to adjust to system changes online. Our qualitative and quantitative experiments on 16 public video sequences show convincing performances in terms of tracking accuracy and computational efficiency over competing state-of-the-art algorithms.     

基于改进的图像局部区域相似度学习架构的图像特征匹配技术研究

该文在AdaBoost算法的基础上提出了一种图像局部区域相似度的学习架构,利用该架构训练图像局部特征来获得低维数、独特的特征描述子,以实现对图像局部区域高精度地匹配.所提学习架构通过学习图像局部区域相似性得到一组非线性弱学习器对图像局部特征进行描述;同时,在响应函数组合形式和弱学习器权重优化配置方面,针对浮点描述子和二值描述子分别提出了新的补丁相似性度量函数作为目标函数的核函数,提高了图像特征相似性匹配效果.该学习架构不会受限于任何预定义的图像特征信息采集模式,能产生基于灰度信息或方向梯度信息的特征描述子.实验结果表明采用这种学习架构获得的特征描述子,在所有对比描述子中图像局部匹配查准率是最好的.所提学习框架能有效地配置优化描述子弱学习器,能提高图像特征描述子对图像尺度和视角变化的鲁棒性.     

Embedded blended learning within an Algebra classroom: a multimedia capture experiment

This two‐group, pretest‐posttest, quasi‐experimental study compared secondary students' learning of Algebra II materials over a 4‐week period when identical instruction by the same teacher was delivered through either embedded blended learning (treatment group; n = 32) or a live‐lecture classroom (control group; n = 24). For both groups, instruction was delivered in a normal classroom setting. A math test and a student survey were used to measure students' learning of Algebra II and satisfaction with the instruction. Students in the treatment group showed significantly greater gains in Algebra II test scores and evaluated their learning experiences significantly more positively than did the control group. The great majority (80%) of students in the treatment group preferred the embedded blended learning over traditional live lectures for future learning of math. Students' responses to open‐ended survey questions suggested that students in the treatment group appreciated the: (a) ability to control the pace of instruction; (b) new role of the classroom teacher; (c) lack of distraction in the blended learning environment; and (d) accessibility of the embedded multimedia lessons outside the classroom. This study suggests that screen‐capture instructional technology can be used towards establishing a teacher‐based, embedded blended learning environment within a secondary algebraic classroom.     

The impact of computer‐based instruction on the development of EFL learners' writing skills

The current study investigated the application and effectiveness of computer assisted language learning (CALL) in teaching academic writing to Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners by means of Microsoft Word Office. To this end, 44 sophomore intermediate university students majoring in English Language and Literature at an Iranian university who had enrolled in a course called Advanced Writing were randomly divided into two groups. As a pre‐test, a pen‐and‐paper writing task was given to both groups at the beginning of the semester. The control group including 24 male and female students was taught based on traditional approach while the experimental group including 20 male and female students was taught based on CALL. At the end of one semester, a pen‐and‐paper writing task was given to both groups. The results of the post‐test revealed that the students who were exposed to computer‐based instruction outperformed their counterparts in terms of using appropriate articles, tense, plural forms and spelling. Moreover, the students in the experimental group produced paragraphs of higher quality. The findings of this study confirmed the efficacy of computer‐based instruction in the development of EFL learners' writing skills.     

Development of a contextual decision-making game for improving students' learning performance in a health education course

Heath education is an important component of the curriculum for fostering children's correct health knowledge and good daily life habits. However, educators have indicated that most children might fail to realize the importance and meaning of health education content owing to the lack of authentic scenarios and daily life experience. With the advancement of computer technologies, researchers have tried to develop multimedia learning content in order to improve students' learning performance. Among various technology-enhanced learning alternatives, digital game-based learning has been recognized as a highly potential approach to motivating students. However, several previous studies have indicated that, without properly incorporating learning content into game scenarios, the effectiveness of digital game-based learning might not be as good as expected in comparison with conventional technology-enhanced learning. In this study, a contextual digital game was developed for improving students' learning performance in an elementary school health education course. A quasi experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach by situating the experimental group in the game-based learning scenario and the control group to learn with conventional e-books. The experimental results showed that the proposed approach not only improved the students' learning motivation, but also their learning achievement and problem-solving competences. Moreover, the significant two-way interaction suggested that the contextual game-based learning approach benefited the higher motivation students more than the lower motivation ones in terms of the advanced knowledge, showing the importance and potential of applying contextual games to health education activities.     

A case study of developing ICT-supported pedagogy through a collegial practice transfer process

A collegial practice transfer process between more- and less-experienced teachers was examined in two cases that sought to encourage teachers to use information and communication technology (ICT) in a pedagogically meaningful way. Collegial practice transfer aims to offer new models for in-service teacher training. The process included guiding sessions, training materials presenting authentic pedagogical examples, and try-outs in the classroom. The success of practice transfer was examined through comparing the classroom practices of more- and less-experienced teachers applying the Pedagogical Infrastructure Framework, and through analyzing the tutored teachers' self-reported experiences in interviews. The process provided flexible support and gave self-confidence to the less-experienced teachers. Technology use was successful, but the tutored teachers designed less coherent tasks and weaker support for pupils' collaboration, knowledge construction and metacognition than their more-experienced colleagues. When tutoring, underlying educational ideologies and reasons should be explicated in addition to practical issues of classroom orchestration and technology use.     

The role of regulation in medical student learning in small groups: Regulating oneself and others’ learning and emotions

This study examines the role of regulatory processes in medical students as they learn to deliver bad news to patients in the context of an international web-based problem based learning environment (PBL). In the PBL a medical facilitator and students work together to examine video cases on giving bad news and share their perspectives on what was done effectively and what could be done differently. We examine how regulation occurs within this collaboration. A synchronous computer-supported collaborative learning environment (CSCL) facilitated peer discussion at a distance using a combination of tools that included video-conferencing, chat boxes, and a shared whiteboard to support collaborative engagement. We examine regulation along a continuum, spanning from self- to co-regulation, in situations where medical students learn how to manage their own emotions and adapt their responses to patient reactions. We examine the nature of the discourse between medical students and facilitators to illustrate the conditions in which metacognitive, co-regulation and social emotional activities occur to enhance learning about how to communicate bad news to patients.     

Assessing the effects of gamification in the classroom: A longitudinal study on intrinsic motivation,social comparison,satisfaction, effort,and academic performance

Gamification, the application of game elements to non-game settings, continues to grow in popularity as a method to increase student engagement in the classroom. We tested students across two courses, measuring their motivation, social comparison, effort, satisfaction, learner empowerment, and academic performance at four points during a 16-week semester. One course received a gamified curriculum, featuring a leaderboard and badges, whereas the other course received the same curriculum without the gamified elements. Our results found that students in the gamified course showed less motivation, satisfaction, and empowerment over time than those in the non-gamified class. The effect of course type on students' final exam scores was mediated by students' levels of intrinsic motivation, with students in the gamified course showing less motivation and lower final exam scores than the non-gamified class. This suggests that some care should be taken when applying certain gamification mechanics to educational settings.     

MPC-based dual control with online experiment design

We present two dual control approaches to the model maintenance problem based on adaptive model predictive control (mpc). The controllers employ systematic self-excitation and design experiments that are performed under normal operation, resulting in improved control performance with smaller output variance and less control effort. Our control formulations offer a novel approach to the question of how to excite the plant input to generate informative data within the context of mpc and adaptive control. One controller actively tries to reduce the parameter-estimate error covariances; the other controller maximizes the information in the signals for enhanced learning. Our approach differs from existing ones in that we let our controllers converge to standard certainty equivalence (ce) mpc when the parameter uncertainty decreases or more information is generated, and as a result we avoid plant excitation when the uncertainty is low or enough information has been generated. We demonstrate that the controllers work well with a large number of tuning configurations and also address the issue of models that are not admissible for control design.