Search Results (18)

This paper explores striking philosophical parallels between Karl Christian Friedrich Krause’s 19th-century articulation of panentheism and the much earlier non-dual Śaiva philosophy of the Pratyabhijñā school in Kashmir. While Krause is widely credited with coining the term panentheism, models of divine immanence and transcendence akin to panentheism are already present in the Pratyabhijñā tradition. Through comparative analysis, the study identifies key convergences between these two systems in their metaphysics of ultimate reality, their accounts of liberation through knowledge, the role of the teacher in the liberative process, their views on the purpose of creation and their respective treatments of evil. The paper concludes by examining significant points of divergence, shedding light on the distinctive trajectories and theological commitments of each tradition. Full article

In modern intensive pig farming, accurately monitoring piglet behavior is crucial for health management and improving production efficiency. However, the complexity of existing models demands high computational resources, limiting the application of piglet behavior recognition in farming environments. In this study, the piglet multi-behavior-recognition approach is divided into three stages. In the first stage, the LAMP pruning algorithm is used to prune and optimize redundant channels, resulting in the lightweight YOLOv8-Prune. In the second stage, based on YOLOv8, the AIFI module and the Gather–Distribute mechanism are incorporated, resulting in YOLOv8-GDA. In the third stage, using YOLOv8-GDA as the teacher model and YOLOv8-Prune as the student model, knowledge distillation is employed to further enhance detection accuracy, thus obtaining the YOLOv8-Piglet model, which strikes a balance between the detection accuracy and speed. Compared to the baseline model, YOLOv8-Piglet significantly reduces model complexity while improving detection performance, with a 6.3% increase in precision, 11.2% increase in recall, and an mAP@0.5 of 91.8%. The model was deployed on the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX edge computing platform for the evaluation. The average inference time was reduced from 353.9 ms to 163.2 ms, resulting in a 53.8% reduction in the processing time. This study achieves a balance between model compression and recognition accuracy through the collaborative optimization of pruning and knowledge extraction. Full article

Across the UK, Reading for Pleasure (RfP) is included in national curricula, yet children’s engagement as readers appears to be declining. Equipping pre-service teachers with the knowledge to develop RfP pedagogy in their classrooms is vital. Previous studies have identified knowledge of diverse children’s literature as central to RfP pedagogy. However, data indicate that teachers and pre-service teachers rely on a narrow childhood canon. Furthermore, in initial teacher training (ITT), developing teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature may be limited to an optional specialism. This study offers a starting point for ITT provision that develops pedagogical content knowledge for RfP. A total of 595 pre-service teachers’ questionnaire responses from 10 UK universities are reported about their expectations of RfP pedagogy and knowledge of children’s literature. Data showed their limited knowledge of children’s authors and illustrators and highlighted striking gaps in their understanding of RfP pedagogy with little difference between student teachers who read regularly or those who rarely read in their free time. Recommendations for new initiatives to address identified gaps in pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge for RfP are discussed. Full article

This research explores the perspectives of kindergarten through to Grade 12 (K-12) teachers on incorporating information and communication technology (ICT) into the environmental education (EE) curriculum. In the context of the increasing influence of ICT in education, this study examines both the potential enhancements ICT offers to EE and the challenges it poses. Using data from an online survey and an in-person focus group, the investigation addresses the capacity of ICT to promote environmental stewardship and personal growth, alongside concerns regarding technology’s potential to alienate students from nature and the divided opinions among educators regarding optimal technology use. Attention is given to systemic barriers that complicate EE integration and the variability of its implementation in Ontario, Canada, where EE is mandated across K-12 curricula. The findings illuminate educators’ concerns about digital dependencies among their students and the difficulty they face in striking a balance between the use of ICT and non-technical pedagogical approaches when engaging students in environmental lessons. Importantly, study participants identified limited contemporary and timely technological tools to support EE delivery that deemphasize using personal mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets). In response, we recommend three forms of technology (and accompanying lesson ideas) that are affordable, easy to integrate into classrooms, and do not require off-site trips, thereby enhancing accessibility and equity. This study’s implications are aimed at educators, policymakers, and stakeholders seeking to enhance EE delivery within a technologically evolving educational framework and ensure the development of environmentally conscious students. Full article

In response to the increasing number of agents and changing task scenarios in multi-agent collaborative systems, existing collaborative strategies struggle to effectively adapt to new task scenarios. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a knowledge distillation method combined with a domain separation network (DSN-KD). This method leverages the well-performing policy network from a source task as the teacher model, utilizes a domain-separated neural network structure to correct the teacher model’s outputs as supervision, and guides the learning of agents in new tasks. The proposed method does not require the pre-design or training of complex state-action mappings, thereby reducing the cost of transfer. Experimental results in scenarios such as UAV surveillance and UAV cooperative target occupation, robot cooperative box pushing, UAV cooperative target strike, and multi-agent cooperative resource recovery in a particle simulation environment demonstrate that the DSN-KD transfer method effectively enhances the learning speed of new task policies and improves the proximity of the policy model to the theoretically optimal policy in practical tasks. Full article

The segmentation of floating algae is a hot topic in the field of marine environmental research. Given the vastness of coastal areas and complex environments, algae detection models must have both higher performance and lower deployment costs. However, relying solely on a single Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) or transformer structure fails to achieve this objective. In this paper, a novel real-time floating algae segmentation method using a distillation network (ADNet) is proposed, based on the RGB images. ADNet can effectively transfer the performance of the transformer-based teacher network to the CNN-based student model while preserving its lightweight design. Faced with complex marine environments, we introduce a novel Channel Purification Module (CPM) to simultaneously strengthen algae features and purify interference responses. Importantly, the CPM achieves this operation without increasing any learnable parameters. Moreover, considering the huge scale differences among algae targets in surveillance RGB images, we propose a lightweight multi-scale feature fusion network (L-MsFFN) to improve the student’s modeling ability across various scales. Additionally, to mitigate interference from low-level noises on higher-level semantics, a novel position purification module (PPM) is proposed. The PPM can achieve more accurate weight attention calculation between different pyramid levels, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of fusion. Compared to CNNs and transformers, our ADNet strikes an optimal balance between performance and speed. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that our ADNet achieves higher application performance in the field of floating algae monitoring tasks. Full article

The quality of teacher education plays a key role in equipping students with the skills they need and it is important in avoiding learning inequalities. To bridge the digital divide and ensure that all students have equal access to technology and digital resources as well as advanced teaching–learning processes using digital tools, it is crucial to analyse the current state of teacher education in order to identify the key issues. The sample in this research consisted of 325 master of education students and in-service teachers studying at various universities (in Spain, Cyprus, and México) in the 2022–2023 academic year who filled out a questionnaire partly based on DigComEdu and this was expanded with questions relating to other digital and educational aspects. The findings reveal that there is potential for enhancement in many areas. Despite teachers having technical training associated with their profession, they lack the necessary training to overcome inequalities or digital gaps. Moreover, it is striking that those who are already working as teachers are the most pessimistic about aspects such as the use of digital resources, perhaps because of the difficulties they face in their daily work. Full article

Underwater imagery is plagued by issues such as image blurring and color distortion, which significantly impede the detection and operational capabilities of underwater robots, specifically Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Previous approaches to image fusion or multi-scale feature fusion based on deep learning necessitated multi-branch image preprocessing prior to merging through fusion modules. However, these methods have intricate network structures and a high demand for computational resources, rendering them unsuitable for deployment on AUVs, which have limited resources at their disposal. To tackle these challenges, we propose a multi-teacher knowledge distillation GAN for underwater image enhancement (MTUW-GAN). Our approach entails multiple teacher networks instructing student networks simultaneously, enabling them to enhance color and detail in degraded images from various perspectives, thus achieving an image-fusion-level performance. Additionally, we employ middle layer channel distillation in conjunction with the attention mechanism to extract and transfer rich middle layer feature information from the teacher model to the student model. By eliminating multiplexed branching and fusion modules, our lightweight student model can directly generate enhanced underwater images through model compression. Furthermore, we introduce a multimodal objective enhancement function to refine the overall framework training, striking a balance between a low computational effort and high-quality image enhancement. Experimental results, obtained by comparing our method with existing approaches, demonstrate the clear advantages of our proposed method in terms of visual quality, model parameters, and real-time performance. Consequently, our method serves as an effective solution for real-time underwater image enhancement, specifically tailored for deployment on AUVs. Full article

Background: Only limited information is available on the nutrition knowledge of the general Austrian population and how this relates to the nutrition knowledge of health professionals (medical doctors, pharmacists, nutritionist, dieticians) and school teachers. Methods: Adolescents and adults at the age of 14–75 years (n = 1000), medical doctors (n = 307), pharmacists (n = 295), nutritionists (n = 124), dieticians (n = 160) and school teachers (n = 873) completed an online survey using a German version of the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire-Revised (GNKQ-R) including self-reported data on sex, age, BMI, and health status. Adolescent and adult participants were recruited by a research agency to be representative for the Austrian population for age, sex, and education. A convenience sample was used for health professionals (medical doctors, pharmacists, nutritionist, dieticians) and school teachers. All participants completed a computer-assisted web-based interviewing (CAWI) survey. Results: Total scores for nutrition knowledge of the general population (61.4%) were significantly lower than scores from all other groups (medical doctors 81.3%, pharmacists 83.0%, dieticians 87.5%, nutritionists 85.6%, school teachers 74.5%). The main drivers for better nutritional knowledge were female sex, higher age, and higher level of education, while BMI classification and self-reported health status had no impact. In regard to single questions, the most striking result was the misclassification of sugar as the nutrient with the most calories by 41.4% of the general population while only 29.0% correctly identified fat to be the nutrient with the most calories. Conclusions: The nutritional knowledge of the general population should be significantly improved in order to lay a basis for better dietary behavior. In view of the relatively low scores of teachers, their nutrition education should be improved in order to enable transfer of sound education in schools. Full article

Quantum technologies have outgrown mere fundamental research in laboratories over recent years, and will facilitate more and more potentially disruptive applications in a wide range of fields in the future. In foresight, qualification opportunities need to be implemented in order to train qualified specialists, referred to as the future quantum workforce, in various fields. Universities world-wide have launched qualification programmes for engineers focusing on quantum optics and photonics. In many of these programmes, students attend courses on quantum physics contextualized via quantum optics experiments with heralded photons, because: (1) their experimental and physical foundations may be directly leveraged to teaching a number of quantum technology applications, and (2) physics education research has provided empirical evidence, according to which such quantum optics-based approaches are conducive to learning about quantum concepts. While many teachers are confident about the effectiveness of their concepts, there is little empirical evidence due to the lack of content-area-specific research tools. We present a 16-item concept inventory to assess students’ conceptual understanding of quantum optics concepts in the context of experiments with heralded photons adopted from a test instrument published in the literature. We have administered this Quantum Optics Concept Inventory as a post-test to $N=216$ students after instruction on quantum optics as part of an undergraduate engineering course. We evaluated the instruments’ psychometric quality, both in terms of classical test theory, and using a Rasch scaling approach. The Quantum Optics Concept Inventory enables a reliable measure ($\alpha =0.74$), and the data gathered show a good fit to the Rasch model. The students’ scores suggest that fundamental quantum effects pose striking learning hurdles to the engineering students. In contrast, most of the students are able to cope with the experimental and technical foundations of quantum optics experiments with heralded photons and their underlying principles, such as the coincidence technique used for the preparation of single-photon states. These findings are in accordance with prior research, and hence, the Quantum Optics Concept Inventory may serve as a fruitful starting point for future empirical research with regard to the education of the future quantum workforce. Full article

This study aimed to examine the impact of a TGMD-3 rater training program on pre-service adapted physical education (APE) teachers’ ability to score fundamental motor skills for children with developmental disabilities (DD). The training program consisted of a description of the TGMD-3 instrument and DD, as well as content focused on skill performance and correct scoring through systematic analysis of 13 FMS via the instrument. Three experts established the standard score through the TGMD-3 performance evaluation of a child with DD. Thirty-nine pre-service APE teachers in the experimental group and 30 pre-service teachers in the control group completed the pre- and post-test process in this study. There were significant impacts on the pre-service teachers’ ability to score the locomotor, ball skill subtests, and total skill scores (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. Specifically, the results of the three locomotor skills (running, horizontal jump, & slide) and three ball skills (two-hand strike, dribble, & kick) significantly improved in scoring accuracy. The results of this study can evidence that a TGMD-3 rater training program for pre-service APE teachers enhances the scoring accuracy of FMS among children with DD. Full article

The importance of different criteria for tracking recommendations is usually inferred using regression weights as a cross-student measure. The few studies that have applied alternative approaches or differentiated between student groups sometimes reach different conclusions. According to research on judgment and decision making (JDM), different methods operationalize different facets of importance. Given this, we investigate whether the importance of criteria for tracking recommendations depends on a direct vs. indirect operationalization (regression weights vs. ratings). A total of 181 teachers selected four students from their most recent fourth-grade class using a 2 × 2 design (certain vs. uncertain qualification for the Realschule (vocational track) vs. the Gymnasium (academic track)). Then, they reported on the level and the importance of predetermined criteria for each student. Contrary to JDM research, we found few method-related differences, but striking differences between cases with a certain vs. an uncertain qualification. For the latter, the importance of the criteria is more homogeneous, the regression prediction is less successful and the importance varies with the dependent variable in the regression (actual recommendation vs. perceived qualification). We conclude that further research should focus on uncertain cases rather than method-related differences and suspect that, in uncertain cases, the formation of the recommendation is a multistage decision process. Full article

Teaching and learning have radically changed in the COVID-19 era and highlighted many novel aspects of online teaching and learning. Based on a qualitative content analysis of central European university students’ responses, the aim of this study is to discuss their reflections on the use of digital media in foreign language classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The key method of this qualitative study includes focus group interviews. The results reveal both advantages and disadvantages of online foreign language teaching and their impact on students’ second language (L2) acquisition. The positive aspects involve satisfaction with being able to study a foreign language from the comfort from their homes, avoidance of commuting to school, ample opportunities to review the learning material, or improvement of listening skills. On the contrary, the negative aspects included a striking lack of social contact in the form of face-to-face classes, absence of collaboration between the teacher and students and between the students themselves in order to share and build on their knowledge and experience, health issues associated with a frequent exposure to technologies, or a lack of possibility to develop speaking skills. In conclusion, the authors of this study provide several implications for teaching practice, technology experts, and other stakeholders, which must be considered very seriously, as they represent the opinion of the users of online learning. Full article

The main goal of collective punishment (CP) is the deterrence of future “wrong-doing” by freedom fighters or terrorists, protesters against an authoritative government, polluters, students playing pranks on their teacher, football teams lacking enthusiasm, or soldiers showing cowardice to the enemy. CP could consist of the lockout of workers, additional training units for football teams, increased control of athletes and firms, up to the shooting of fellow villagers of assassins. I investigate two classes of problems. In one class, resistance against an authority is individually costly, but enough resistance can be successful (the production of a public good, for example, higher wages after a strike). In the other case, “resistance” is individually profitable (a criminal activity as pollution) and enough “resistance” produces a public bad. We find that, in the first situation, the announcement of CP never decreases the level of resistance. In the second situation, CP can be successful. Full article

The main purpose of this study was to identify a dancer’s body alignment while performing flamenco footwork to provide a detailed description that could be used by flamenco practitioners: teachers, instructors and students of different levels of advancement. The zapateado technique performed by a professional flamenco dancer was analyzed. The biomechanical analysis was based on 30 cycles composed of six repeating sequences of strikes. Kinematic recordings were performed using a Vicon system, while the measurement of the ground reaction forces (GRF) was accomplished with a Kistler force plate. The following parameters were analyzed: the time of each foot strike, the maximal value of the vertical component of GRF normalized to body weight (BW) for subsequent footwork steps, the impulse of the GRF and the kinematics of pelvis and lower limb joints, and an exemplary waveform view of the sound of footwork strikes was shown. The average values of the vertical component of GRF ranged between 0.6 and 2.7 BW. The maximal anterior pelvic tilt was 29°, with a 6° range of motion (RoM). This mobility was accompanied by 20° hip RoM and by ~40° knee RoM throughout flexion. The conclusions provide practical information that a teacher and flamenco student should receive. Full article