This investigation assesses the efficacy of the SERVQUAL model in advancing the quality of English language education within higher education institutions. Confronted with the imperative to modernize ...teaching content and methodologies to enhance student satisfaction, the SERVQUAL model’s application provides a systematic framework for evaluating and improving service quality dimensions. Employing questionnaires and data analysis to compare teaching quality and student satisfaction before and after targeted curriculum reforms, this study documents substantial improvements, notably in “Responsiveness” and “Reliability,” where satisfaction levels rose by 20% and 15%, respectively. The successful implementation of the SERVQUAL model underscores its utility in elevating the caliber of English language instruction and student satisfaction, offering a practical blueprint for ongoing curriculum reforms in higher education.
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•PtO nanodots are homogeneously dispersed on the host photocatalyst.•The size of PtO nanodots is smaller than Pt nanoparticles.•PtO nanodots display superior activity in co-catalyzing ...hydrogen evolution.•PtO nanodots exhibit high durability.
PtO nanodots (∼2.5 nm) with high crystallinity are homogeneously deposited on the surface of g-C3N4 by a two-step refluxing-calcination method. XPS analysis indicates that a strong interaction is formed between PtO and g-C3N4, which is beneficial for the transportation of charge carriers from g-C3N4 to the co-catalyst and therefore results in a prolonged carrier life time in the composite. A series of electrochemical tests, including EIS, LSV and OCVD prove that PtO can significantly enhance the conductivity and light response of g-C3N4 compared with Pt. PtO and Serving as hydrogen evolution sites, the highly dispersed PtO nanodots can shorten the diffusion path lengths for photogenerated electrons in the host photocatalyst as well as suppress the undesired hydrogen oxidation reaction. Remarkably, PtO coupled g-C3N4 (0.19 wt% Pt) exhibits excellent hydrogen production activity, giving a turnover frequency of 552.7 h−1, which is 51 times that of Pt nanoparticles confined g-C3N4. The PtO nanodots also display high photostability and would not agglomerate into clusters or be reduced by the photogenerated electrons even after 40 h of irradiation. The present work also provides a new method for synthesis of high performance co-catalysts with low Pt content used in other photocatalytic reactions and energy applications.
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Metal nanoparticle arrays that support surface lattice resonances have emerged as an exciting platform for manipulating light–matter interactions at the nanoscale and enabling a ...diverse range of applications. Their recent prominence can be attributed to a combination of desirable photonic and plasmonic attributes: high electromagnetic field enhancements extended over large volumes with long-lived lifetimes. This Review will describe the design rules for achieving high-quality optical responses from metal nanoparticle arrays, nanofabrication advances that have enabled their production, and the theory that inspired their experimental realization. Rich fundamental insights will focus on weak and strong coupling with molecular excitons, as well as semiconductor excitons and the lattice resonances. Applications related to nanoscale lasing, solid-state lighting, and optical devices will be discussed. Finally, prospects and future open questions will be described.
This review focuses on structural engineering of lasers from the macroscale to the nanoscale, with an emphasis on plasmon nanolasers. Conventional lasers based on Fabry–Pérot cavities are limited in ...device size. In contrast, plasmon nanolasers can overcome the diffraction limit of light and incorporate unique structural designs to engineer cavity geometries and optical band structure. Since the spaser concept was introduced in 2003, tremendous progress in nanolasing has been made on architectures that exploit metal films and nanoparticles. Theoretical approaches in both frequency and time domains have inspired the development of plasmon nanolasers based on mode analysis and time-dependent lasing buildup. Plasmon nanolasers designed by band-structure engineering open prospects for manipulation of lasing characteristics such as directional emission, real-time tunable wavelengths, and controlled multimode lasing.
The development of feasible, highly stable and easily recycled metal-free photocatalysts has drawn great attention for wastewater purification. Herein, dip-coating followed with thermal ...polymerization is developed for in situ growth of boron doped graphitic carbon nitride (BCN) on carbon fiber cloth (CFc) as flexible film photocatalysts. HNO3 treatment on CFc is used to improve the surface hydrophilicity of CF, which is beneficial for the adsorption and nucleation of BCN precursor on CFc in aqueous solution. Boric acid not only works as the boron source but also causes a porous morphology of BCN due to the gasification of water generated from boric acid decomposition during heating process. Because of the close contact between CFc and BCN, CFc induces BCN to better crystalize. Furthermore, the film-photocatalyst exhibits high mechanical stability and recyclability. The porous sheet-like structures, together with the boron doping and CFc support, can improve light capture, charge separation and transport, and dye adsorption. Our work provides a thinking for component and morphology regulation of film-based flexible catalysts towards reusable photocatalysis under outdoor sunlight.
This paper explores the nature of mathematical beauty from a Kantian perspective. According to Kant’s 'Critique of the Power of Judgment', satisfaction in beauty is subjective and non-conceptual, yet ...a proof can be beautiful even though it relies on concepts. I propose that, much like art creation, the formulation and study of a complex demonstration involves multiple and progressive interactions between the freely original imagination and taste (that is, the aesthetic power of judgement). Such a proof is artistic insofar as it is guided by beauty, namely, the mere feeling about the imagination’s free lawfulness. The beauty in a proof’s process and the perfection in its completion together facilitate a transition from subjective to objective purposiveness, a transition that Kant himself does not address in the third 'Critique'.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder with a complicated etiology and pathogenesis. α-Synuclein aggregation, dopaminergic (DA) neuron loss, mitochondrial injury, oxidative ...stress, and inflammation are involved in the process of PD. Neuroinflammation has been recognized as a key element in the initiation and progression of PD. In this review, we summarize the inflammatory response and pathogenic mechanisms of PD. Additionally, we describe the potential anti-inflammatory therapies, including nod-like receptor pyrin domain containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome inhibition, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) inhibition, microglia inhibition, astrocyte inhibition, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase inhibition, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist, targeting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, targeting the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent pathway, targeting α-synuclein, targeting miRNA, acupuncture, and exercise. The review focuses on inflammation and will help in designing new prevention strategies for PD.
Reconnaissance mission has a wide application in both civil and military fields, which provides intelligence and basis for the following decision-making to accomplish certain goals. Due to numerous ...advantages of UAV swarms such as strong flexibility, high efficiency, and low cost, conducting reconnaissance missions by UAV swarms has become a trend of future. However, the path planning problem of UAV swarms is a key challenge in the aspect of model construction, algorithm, selection and high computational complexity, especially when the mission is complicated. In this paper, various distributed particle swarm optimization (DPSO)-based path planning algorithms are proposed for UAV swarms conducting a reconnaissance mission, in which targets are gathered in the form of clusters and different tactic needs are taken into consideration. Three algorithms named the maximum density convergence DPSO algorithm (MDC-DPSO), the fast cross-over DPSO algorithm (FCO-DPSO), and the accurate coverage exploration DPSO algorithm (ACE-DPSO) are proposed correspond to the needs of fast convergence, random cross-over, and accurate search, respectively. Different fitness functions and search strategies are specifically designed considering the mobility and communication constraints of the UAV swarms. Besides, the jump-out mechanism and revisit mechanism are designed to save invalid search efforts and avoid falling into local optimum. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms are effective in generating paths for UAV swarms conducting a reconnaissance mission, which can be easily applied to large scale swarms.
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•A bilayer hydrogel was prepared by interfacial reaction in one step.•A synergistic function exists between the two layers of hydrogel.•High strength, toughness and durable water ...retention were achieved.•The bilayer hydrogel shows well antibacterial ability and accelerated healing effect.
The main limit of hydrogel used as an independent wound dressing is its poor water retention, brittleness, and weak skin adhesion. Focusing on it, the macromolecular cross-linked chitosan and polyacrylamide double network hydrogel (C-A) is chosen as a functional layer, another robust poly(vinyl alcohol)-polyacrylamide/glycerin (P-A) protective layer is designed to cover its surface, an interfacial reaction happens to link two layers tightly for achieving the function synergy. In this double-layer hydrogel (DH) dressing, the surface P-A layer with strong water locking ability could keep the wound surface moist for a long time, high strength and toughness make the dressing maintain integrity under large deformation and stress to strengthen wound protection, and the C-A layer with modest adhesion ensures the dressing fit the skin, the synergistic swelling ability could guarantee the fast absorption for the wound exudate. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo tests, the DH dressing exhibits excellent antibacterial and cytocompatibility, it could significantly accelerate skin tissue regeneration and wound closure than the commercial hydrocolloid dressings. In general, this DH dressing is easy to prepare and shows superior comprehensive performance, revealing the great potential for use as an independently applied wound dressing.
Despite lack of concrete evidence, right ventricular thrombus is generally considered to be a contraindication for intracardiac lead placement. We present a case of successful placement of a right ...ventricular defibrillator lead and left bundle branch pacing lead and atrioventricular node ablation in a patient with chronic right ventricle thrombus.