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| 2023-09-25 |
Department of Technology Application and Human Resource Explores Future of Language Education during Japan Academic Exchange Visit |
點閱次數: 12 |
| Tokyo, August 30, 2023 - During their Covid-delayed academic exchange visit to Japan's Kanto Region, students from National Taiwan Normal University's (NTNU) Department of Technology Application and Human Resource (TAHRD), led by Professors Chiou-Lan Chern, Yu-Liang Ting, and Tzymei Shih (Dr. A), embarked on a journey with three distinct purposes: An academic visit to Chiba University, a technology lesson exchange with students from The Second High School of Tokyo University of Agriculture, and pilot research aimed at understanding the evolving landscape of language education in the age of technology. This innovative research project seeks to explore the impact of technology on travel-related English, raising pivotal questions about the future of language learning.more |
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| 2023-07-24 |
Neuroscience Shows How Exercise Can Help Children With ADHD |
點閱次數: 70 |
| It is well-established that cognitive functions are an important factor that affects children’s learning. Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), however, often suffer from learning difficulties and social adaptation problems due to their lack of sustained attention and inhibitory control. While research has shown that acute exercise can improve cognitive functions, the duration of such beneficial effects is yet to be confirmed. Moreover, objective benchmarks such as event-related brain potentials (ERP) and resting-state heart rate variability (HRV) are less used in physical and psychological observation. The objective of this study was to understand the sustained effects of acute moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (MAE) on inhibitory control in children with ADHD. A within-subject design was conducted on 24 children diagnosed with ADHD ranging from 8-12 years old, and the changes in inhibitory control, heart rate variability (HRV), and event-related potentials (ERP) indices were observed within one hour after an exercise intervention condition or a control condition. The results indicated that acute bouts of MAE facilitate inhibitory control in children with ADHD for as long as 60 min, which was reflected in the children’s performance and ERP measurements. However, acute aerobic exercise may not modulate sympathovagal balance during the post-exercise recovery. Overall, we highlight the importance of acute aerobic exercise for children with ADHD as a potential means to facilitate brain health.more |
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| 2023-06-26 |
Aha! That's it! How insight happens in the mechanism of brain operation |
點閱次數: 77 |
| The Aha! experience is the reaction that humans may have during the problem-solving process when they suddenly discover the solution to a problem. The restructuring of the initial problem representation is the key to solving insight problems. However, while solving insight problems, not all individuals reach an impasse or need to restructure the problem. Only problems that cannot be solved without representational changes can be regarded as pure insight problems; others are classified as pseudo-insight problems. Based on the homonymy of Chinese characters, we developed two sets of Chinese remote associates tests (CRATs) for this study. By comparing the brain activity of adults during pure and pseudo-insight problem solving, we analysed the commonality and uniqueness of brain activation while solving these two types of insight problems. The results show that these two types of insight problem solving share the same brain activation area but different operating areas, with the ventral precuneus connected to pure and pseudo-insight problem solving, and the left thalamus showing significant activation when only semantic search and conceptual integration are required. This study initiates the exploration of the brain activity of insight problem solving, and enhances our understanding of how representational change generates insight.more |
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| 2023-05-19 |
An arduous journey back home for Formosan Landlocked Salmon |
點閱次數: 86 |
| The Formosan landlocked salmon is a critically endangered species also known as the Taiwanese ‘national treasure fish.’ In recent years, the fish was stocked into Rahaw Creek (upper Yusheng Creek, Yilan), where a sustainable group had been successfully rehabilitated. Lately, however, frequent stream fragmentation events in Yusheng Creek have prevented the fish from expanding their habitat, killing many as a result. To understand the reasons for the fragmentation and to improve rehabilitation, the research team installed six monitoring wells across a 500-meter fragmented reach to record temperatures and groundwater levels, which allowed them to understand surface water-groundwater interactions over different periods. The findings showed that compared to the perennial ones, the fragmented reach is of significantly higher streambed vertical hydraulic conductivity, causing the water to infiltrate the streambed at higher speeds. The findings also indicated that the vertical hydraulic conductivity was influenced by discharge, rainfall changes and the remains of dead diatoms. Most fragmentation studies focus on streams in semi-arid climates. This paper not only demonstrates the uniqueness of how mountain stream discharge in humid subtropical climates is affected by hydrological conditions and bioactivities, but also sheds light on the complexity of surface water-groundwater interactions by examining temporal variations in hydraulic conductivity.more |
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| 2023-05-09 |
Physics Professor Hung-Yi Pu Joins GMVA International Research Team to Unravel Black Hole Mysteries |
點閱次數: 129 |
| In collaboration with the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA) and several international research teams, Assistant Professor Hung-Yi Pu of the Department of Physics at National Taiwan Normal University participated in a multinational research project. The project successfully obtained images using a new millimeter-wavelength observation to confirm for the first time ever the connection between accretion and jet formation near supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies. The results were published in the April issue of Nature, a leading international journal, helping to raise Taiwan's profile internationally.more |
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| 2023-05-05 |
Visit from Ecole du Louvre Forges Academic Exchange and Cooperation between France and Taiwan |
點閱次數: 122 |
| The Director of the Ecole du Louvre, Claire Barbillon, visited National Taiwan Normal University on 27 April. During her visit, she not only led students in exploring the beauty of classical sculptures, but also established with NTNU a channel for greater academic exchange and cooperation between France and Taiwan as the Ecole du Louvre and NTNU reached a consensus to sign a memorandum of understanding for academic cooperation as well as an agreement for student exchange.more |
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| 2023-04-21 |
NTNU’s Visit to Australia: Cultivating Academic Exchange, Benchmarking, and Alumni Relations |
點閱次數: 114 |
| With the goal of strengthening and advancing academic cooperation and exchange with institutions of higher learning in Australia as well as learning more about administrative benchmarking already underway in the management and planning of university campuses, President Cheng-Chi Wu of National Taiwan Normal University led a seven-member delegation to visit Queensland, Australia on April 3-9, 2023. The delegation included Vice President for International Affairs Yi-De Liu, Vice President for General Affairs Horng-Sheng Mii, University Head Librarian Shyue-Cherng Liaw, College of Liberal Arts Dean Chiou-Lan Chern, Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation Director Daniel Hu, and Graduate Institute of Taiwan History Professor Su-Bing Chang. In a span of seven days, they visited the University of Queensland (UQ) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane as well as Griffith University in the Gold Coast.more |
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| 2023-04-13 |
An Accomplice to Alzheimer's Disease: Protein TDP-43 |
點閱次數: 61 |
| Of all patients with dementia across the globe, approximately 60-70% are confirmed cases of Alzheimer’s disease, the vast majority of which are seniors over the age of 65. New studies have suggested that around 30-57% of Alzheimer's patients were found to have abnormal levels of protein TDP-43 inclusions, which presents faster disease progression and greater brain atrophy. To this day, treatments for Alzheimer’s disease continue to be limited. Therefore, in order to develop better treatment strategies and gain a further understanding of the disease, the importance of TDP-43 must not be overlooked.more |
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| 2023-04-12 |
Helping Taiwanese Children Cultivate Strong Emotional Skills |
點閱次數: 81 |
| Emotional intelligence forms the foundation for a happy life, and is an important aspect of lifelong education. The preschool years are a particularly crucial period for the development of a child’s emotional abilities, and as research has consistently shown, family environment has a strong influence on their cultivation. How can parents and caregivers ensure that their homes are conducive to nurturing emotional development? Below, members of the “Kids in Taiwan: National Longitudinal Study of Child Development and Care” research team, led by Professor Chien-ju Chang of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at National Taiwan Normal University, will share some insights on the development process of preschool children’s emotional abilities, as well as some of the key factors involved in cultivating emotional intelligence. The researchers encourage parents to pay attention to their children’s social-emotional skills, and urge relevant government departments to cooperate to prioritize parenting education.more |
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| 2023-03-31 |
NTNU and Japanese Scholars Co-organize Emerging Technology Workshops |
點閱次數: 92 |
| Department of Technology Application and Human Resource Development and office of International Affairs from National Taiwan Normal University (henceforth referred to as the Dept. of TAHRD) conducted a Virtual Worlds teaching workshop on February 4, 2023 in cooperation with Prof. Irina Kuznetcova from Akita University, Japan. The workshop was organized by Yi-Yao Hsu, a senior from the Dept. of TAHRD, and assistant, Chia-Ju Chou, and was a continuation of the ICT workshop previously held by the Dept. of TAHRD for the School of Teacher Education. In this 5-hour workshop, participants learned practical applications of Unity, a game development engine along with the theoretical foundations of integrating virtual worlds created in Unity in teaching. Participants were tasked with designing a lesson plan integrating pedagogical theories and technology. Yi-Yao Hsu and Prof. Kuznetcova noted that the workshop was quite challenging because most of the participants had no experience with Unity.more |
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| 2023-03-03 |
Fun Learning Contexts are Key to Mixed-reality Location-based Game Design |
點閱次數: 315 |
| Context-aware location-based games are able to integrate learners into mixed reality situations and increase the sense of presence in local culture learning, which make learning joyful and allow learners to be presented in the real local cultural environments. For the past several years, our research team has conducted in-depth studies on the crucial elements of context-aware location-based game learning, the game mechanism, and the individual characteristics of learners' presence and perception. We have confirmed the relationships between these individual characteristics and the effectiveness of location-based game learning. However, no previous research has addressed the issue of how to design and develop a fun and effective adaptive game. more |
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| 2023-02-02 |
NTNU Ranked 9th in Best Global Universities for Education and Educational Research |
點閱次數: 153 |
| In a recent evaluation released by the U.S. News & World Report of the best global universities, National Taiwan Normal University is ranked 9th in Best Global Universities for Education and Educational Research. Its place alongside Harvard and Stanford among the top ten in the world also raises the international profile of Taiwan’s research ability.more |
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| 2022-12-26 |
Look at Me!The application of facial recognition technology in science education |
點閱次數: 127 |
| With the rapid development of facial recognition technology, the relationship between chang-es in our facial expressions and science learning is gradually being revealed and proven. Utilizing a facial expression analysis software (FaceReader) from the Netherlands, Distinguished Professor Mei-Hung Chiu of the Graduate Institute of Science Education at National Taiwan Normal Uni-versity and her collaborators have attempted to analyze the facial expressions high school and uni-versity students show as they undergo conceptual change during science learning. The exploration will allow teachers to provide timely adjustments to their instructional approach to better suit stu-dents’ needs.more |
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| 2022-11-28 |
The Magic of Transforming Carbon Dioxide to Ethanol: An Analysis of Copper-Based Electrochemical Catalysts |
點閱次數: 222 |
| Copper electrocatalysts have been shown in the past literature to selectively reduce carbon dioxide to hydrocarbons. However, due to the lack of systematic studies on time-scale resolved spectral features, the selectivity resulted from the surface atomic characteristics of the copper catalyst– could be copper metal or copper oxide, along the reaction path remains uncertain. This study introduces an X-ray absorption spectrum with a few seconds resolution scale to observe the chemical state evolution of catalysts in reactions. Under specific experimental conditions, it was observed that the average oxidation state consisted of the mixed oxidation states on the surface of copper material could be stably maintained on the electrode surface, thus steadily increasing the effective yield of ethanol. Combined with the first-principles simulations, the catalytic reaction pathway of CO2 conversion can be derived step-by-step and verified by experimental observations.more |
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| 2022-11-21 |
Asia Pacific Scholars' Reflective Dialogues on the Future of Education Innovation and Teacher Education in the New Normal amidst Global Education |
點閱次數: 145 |
| The Asia Pacific Association for Teacher Education (APATE) and the Taiwan Education Alliance convened a conference on "Educational Innovation and Teacher Education in the New Normal" on November 18-19, 2022.With the keynote speakers and panelists invited from approximately ten countries," attendees exchanged ideas and explored pandemic-related issues concerning the development of teacher education systems, teaching, and research in and across different cultural contexts. The lively debate and discussions either in the in-person (physical) or online sessions of the two-day forum feature the concerns of educational researchers and practitioners from various countries concerning the new normal of education.more |
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| 2022-10-28 |
Congratulations to NTNU Professors being World's Top 2% Scientists |
點閱次數: 126 |
| The latest World's Top 2% Scientists list was announced on October 10. 14 faculty members from National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) were listed on the Lifetime Scientific Impact list and 24 faculty members were listed on the Annual Scientific Impact list, the research results are widely recognized internationally. more |
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| 2022-10-20 |
Quick home test for Parkinson's medication adjustment: Detection of L-DOPA in blood using enzyme colorimetry |
點閱次數: 131 |
| Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that primarily affects motor performance. L-DOPA is the precursor of dopamine (DA) synthesis in the body and is widely used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, because of the side effects associated with these drugs, clinical adjustments to the medication are often required. Therefore, measuring the concentration of L-DOPA in patients is an issue of interest for many researchers. Several methods have been developed to detect the concentration of L-DOPA, such as electrochemical assay and liquid chromatography, but there are still some limitations. In this study, a simple enzymatic colorimetric method was developed to selectively identify and oxidize L-DOPA by oxidative enzymes, resulting in a yellow product that can be identified by the naked eye; the concentration of L-DOPA can be inferred from the color intensity. Therefore, it can be used as a quick and easy estimation of the L-DOPA concentration in the test body, which is expected to be used as an indicator and reference for drug formulation.more |
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| 2022-10-16 |
Dept. of Special Education Designs A8M Digital Learning Tool for Students in Need |
點閱次數: 127 |
| October 15th is the White Cane Safety Day, the Day of the Blind. In order to reduce the learning difficulties of blind students in mathematics, Associate Professor Chien-Huey Sophie Chang of the Department of Special Education of NTNU led a team to develop the "A8M Digital Learning Tool" which is convenient for visually impaired students to read and write mathematics. It is easy to use and enables teachers to communicate well with visually impaired students. Users can listen and read repeatedly with a Braille display, which makes it easier to grasp the structure of complex mathematical formulas.more |
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| 2022-09-22 |
Detecting the size of primordial black holes with superhorizon perturbations |
點閱次數: 120 |
| At the onset of the cosmic journey, the inflationary mechanism produced superhorizon curvature perturbations which affected the future formation of the universe. This study analyzed the growth of superhorizon curvature perturbations in the inflationary universe. Using a simple ultraslow-roll model, we derived the coherence function between any two points in the curvature perturbation. It showed that the causality limits the growth of the curvature perturbation, thereby constraining the important inflationary slow-roll parameters, allowing the universe to produce a large enough primordial black hole. Our research will help estimate how curvature perturbations form primordial black holes in the universe.more |
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| 2022-07-25 |
How does genetic inheritance affect learning and memory? |
點閱次數: 179 |
| This study aims to explore how epigenetic factors affect learning and memory in academic performanc. Previous studies have shown that genetic factors affect about 60% of the variation in scientific learning (Polmin & Haworth, 2008). However, recent studies have indicated that the interaction of genes with the environment (epigenetics) may be the most important factor affecting brain development, brain plasticity, and learning behavior. Environmental factors activate intracellular signaling pathways and alter the state of epigenetic genes. Epigenetic factors affect neuroplasticity through neurophysiology, which in turn regulates learning and memory. One of the epigenetic factors, non-coding small molecule RNA (MicroRNA) is currently considered to be the primary factor regulating brain development and cognitive learning memory. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between non-coding small molecule RNA in neural pathways related to brain plasticity, cognitive ability, and scientific learning effectiveness. In addition, this study also examined how genetic factors, including genetics and epigenetics, affect adolescent cognitive function and scientific learning memory. Discovering how learning environments interact with genetics will provide important insights into the academic and practical aspects of adaptive learning.more |
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| 2022-07-15 |
Jokes for the brain: Unlock the neural mechanisms of the brain in reading different humorous materials |
點閱次數: 221 |
| Humor is a good medicine for physical and mental health, as well as an effective lubricant for interpersonal relationships. Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have revealed the neural structure of the brain in reading humorous materials, and the different brain regions dedicated to reading and understanding different humorous materials. Based on this, Chen and Chang’s research team is the first to use event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the cognitive processes of different humorous materials, taking advantage of the high temporal resolution of ERPs to clarify the dynamic temporal differences in the cognitive processes of humor comprehension. The results not only enable us to understand how the brain interprets different types of humorous materials (e.g., pun jokes and semantic jokes) from the perspective of brain science, but also contribute to the integration of psychological research in Taiwan and abroad, and facilitate academic/scientific exchanges between international scholars.more |
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| 2022-05-24 |
Taiwan's motorcycle waterfall spectacle poses health risks |
點閱次數: 185 |
| Motorcycles are the most common mode of transportation in Taiwan, as they are convenient and can quickly reach their destination, saving a great deal of commuting time, but is riding a motorcycle related to people's healthy lifestyle habits? Or is it related to increasing the risk of obesity? The research team of Professor Liao in the Department of Health Promotion and Health Education at National Taiwan Normal University conducted a series of analyses and discussions on this topic. The research team measured motorcycle use behavior among more than 1,000 Taiwanese adults and explored their association with healthy lifestyle habits and obesity risk. The first findings showed that “high motorcycle users” (more than 280 minutes per week) had a 1.5-fold increase in obesity risk compared with "non-motorcycle users." The second study found that Taiwanese adults who ride more than 30 minutes a day on motorcycles replace more traffic-related physical activity (such as walking and cycling). Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that health promotion programs need to be designed specifically for the motorcycle population in the future.more |
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| 2022-04-04 |
Does online social anxiety using instant messaging software affect job engagement? |
點閱次數: 260 |
| In today's workplace, it is a social trend for workers to have a variety of evolving real-time communication software to help them communicate and coordinate at work. The Instant Messaging (IM) software LINE has played an important role in the trend of responding to the real-time needs of the public to improve government effectiveness. However, because of its immediacy and convenience, government workers often receive a high volume of messages. There is a lack of relevant and objective research data on the impact on civil servants’ perceived experiences of their work under such a workplace norm as a basis for promoting the use of LINE in the government sector. To address this gap, this study examined the relationship between online social anxiety, Line cognitive fatigue (LCF), perceived information overload of instant messaging (PIOIM), and job engagement among civil servants based on the media richness theory.more |
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| 2022-03-10 |
Does it matter if you regret it? Using negative experience to open the door to the future |
點閱次數: 251 |
| From childhood, we were taught to strive for a life without regrets, but in reality, things often go against our wishes. Since regret is a common feeling, what is the thing we regret most in life? According to Western studies, the most regretful thing is, surprisingly, education, ranking much higher than career, love, upbringing, and security (Streep & Bernstein, 2015). Fries et al. (2005) also found that regardless of whether they had clear academic goals or not, as many as 90% of students reported experiencing confusion and conflict over course selection, which had a profound impact on their cognitive experiences and academic emotion.more |
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| 2021-12-15 |
Deciphering the Morse code of communication between butterflies and ants |
點閱次數: 285 |
| It has long been known that there is a close symbiotic relationship between silverline butterflies and ants. The larvae of the silverline butterfly have honey (nectar) glands and other ant-loving (myrmecophily) organs that attract ants and increase their survival rate by being cared for by ants. The larvae secrete honeydew for the ants to feed on. It is interesting though that the pupa does not have ant-loving organs to attract ants. This phenomenon has caused scientists to wonder if there are other mechanisms by which small gray butterflies attract ants. One of the answers is the inaudible sound vibration signal, which was published in an international journal on December 6, 2019 (Scientific Reports).more |
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| 2021-11-03 |
NTNU and PSU Join Forces Again to Sign Collaboration Agreement for Taiwan Huayu Best Program |
點閱次數: 281 |
| National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and its strategic partner of Pennsylvania State University (PSU) signed a collaboration agreement for “Taiwan Hauyu BEST program” on November 1, 2021 to promote Chinese language instruction and learning through academic cooperation and exchange of visiting scholars and students supported by NTNU Overseas Mandarin Training Center. NTNU will annually send two Chinese language instructors on exchange to PSU, while PSU students come to NTNU for in-depth Chinese language study and to provide English language tutorials to local elementary schools in New Taipei City. more |
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| 2021-11-03 |
Coffee Helps Relieve Muscle Soreness Caused by Exercise, Making you Stronger |
點閱次數: 226 |
| Promoting athletic performance through nutritional supplementation has been a popular research topic in sports science, and caffeine has been proven in many studies to be a legitimate supplement that can effectively enhance aerobic and anaerobic performance. However, whether caffeine, which also has an analgesic effect, can be effective in reducing muscle strength performance when the exercise causes delayed muscle soreness in the case of supplementation, and whether the effect has gender differences, has not been clarified. Therefore, we designed an experiment in which a downhill running caused running-induced delayed muscle soreness with male and female athletes, followed by caffeine supplementation of about three cups of American coffee, and observed the degree of muscle soreness change and muscle strength performance. The results showed that caffeine supplementation was effective in terms of reducing the muscle pain of both male and female athletes, but the degree of reduction in pain was higher in men than in women. Both men and women, however, can benefit from the same supplement of coffee that reduces the maximum loss of muscle strength. If you have muscle soreness and want to exercise, drink some coffee next time.more |
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