Progressive Enhancement Research Articles

A joint work package sizing and scheduling problem considering resource constraints with a look-ahead heterogeneous reinforcement learning method

Effective work package sizing and project scheduling are crucial for construction project management. However, existing studies often address them as separate optimisation problems, neglecting the interactive nature of these processes. In practical scenarios with limited resources, there is an increasing demand for integrating work package sizing and project scheduling to enhance project management efficiency. This research aims to bridge this gap by developing an integer non-linear programming model that incorporates work package sizing and project scheduling while considering their interaction within a resource-constrained environment. Moreover, we introduce a novel look-ahead heterogeneous reinforcement learning approach that dynamically adjusts work package sizes and project schedules based on observed information at each decision step. A look-ahead sequential decision mechanism is proposed to effectively address the interdependencies and constraints inherent in the joint model. We extend the heterogeneous agent mirror learning technique to our problem to improve sample efficiency and ensure progressive enhancement of the joint policy. To evaluate our approach's effectiveness, we conduct experiments using datasets of 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 tasks from Rangen and PSPLIB and validate our method in a real-world modular integrated construction project. The experimental results reveal that a joint model integrating work package sizing and project scheduling offers a more comprehensive understanding of their interplay, leading to better resource utilisation and improved project schedules. A comparative analysis against existing state-of-the-art reinforcement learning and priority rule-based methods further substantiates the superior effectiveness of our proposed approach, yielding an approximate 5% reduction in total project cost.

FDG PET/CT in Papillary Intralymphatic Angioendothelioma of the Spleen.

Splenic papillary intralymphatic angioendothelioma is extremely rare. We describe FDG PET/CT and MRI findings of splenic papillary intralymphatic angioendothelioma in a young adult. The splenic tumor showed hypodensity and increased FDG uptake with SUVmax of 4 on PET/CT, heterogeneous signal intensity with internal hypointense stellate scars on T2-weighted image, and progressive centripetal enhancement on dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. This case indicates that papillary intralymphatic angioendothelioma should be included in the differential diagnosis of FDG-avid splenic lesions.

Contribution of Organic Carbon, Moisture Content, Microbial Biomass-Carbon, and Basal Soil Respiration Affecting Microbial Population in Chronosequence Manganese Mine Spoil

The research was carried out to determine the potential effect of microbiota, organic carbon, percentage of moisture content, and microbial biomass concentration as an evaluator of variation in basal soil respiration rate. Relative distribution and composition of the microbial population were estimated from six different chronosequence manganese mine spoil (MBO0, MBO2, MBO4, MBO6, MBO8, MBO10) and forest soil (FS). The variation was seen in moisture content (6.494±0.210-11.535±0.072)%, organic carbon (0.126±0.001- 3.469± 0.099)%, MB-C (5.519±1.371- 646.969± 11.428) μg.g-1 of soil. A positive correlation was shown between OC with MB-C (r = 0.938; p< 0.01) and moisture content (MC) (r = 0.962; p< 0.01). Variation in the basal soil respiration (BSR) and microbial metabolic quotients (MMQ) was shown to range between 0.352 ± 0.007- 0.958 ±0.014μg CO2-C.g-1 and 6.5× 10-3 - 1.481×10-3 μg CO2-C.g-1 microbial-C.h-1 with BSR: OC from (2.793-0.276)% respectively. This result shows that there is a gradual increase in OC, MC, MB-C, and BSR across seven different sites due to progressive enhancement in soil fertility that leads to the initialization of succession. Stepwise multiple regression analysis further confirms the degree of variability added by microbial biomass C, moisture content, organic carbon, and microbial population on basal soil respiration in microbes. Principal component analysis enables the differentiation of seven different soil profiles into independent clusters based on cumulative variance given by physico-chemical and microbial attributes that indicate the level of degradation of land and act as an index to restore soil fertility.

Visualization of Unconjugated Bilirubin In Vivo with a Novel Approach Using Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Rat Model.

Unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) visualization is valuable for early bilirubin encephalopathy (BE) diagnosis and management. UCB neurotoxicity is a challenge, necessitating improved imaging modalities for precise localization and characterization. This study developed a noninvasive method for UCB imaging in the brain using chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) magnetic resonance imaging, which visualizes UCB distribution through amide-bulk water proton exchange, a process termed bilirubin CEST (Bil-CEST) imaging. Bil-CEST imaging parameters were initially optimized; the exchange rate of the amide protons of UCB was calculated. Bil-CEST imaging characteristics and specificity were assessed using in vitro images of UCB solutions under different conditions and images of other brain metabolites. Bil-CEST maps of the rat brain were collected at the baseline and dynamically, postinjection of the UCB solution or vehicle into lateral ventricles of Sprague-Dawley rats. The model was validated using a water maze and pathological staining. In vitro, the Bil-CEST effect was observed at approximately 5.5 ppm downfield from bulk water. This effect was proportional to the UCB concentration and B1 amplitude. In vivo, Bil-CEST imaging revealed a progressive enhancement following a lateral ventricular UCB injection. Conversely, no significant imaging changes were observed in the vehicle group. Compared with the vehicle group, the UCB group had more hippocampal neuronal apoptosis and worse cognitive function. These findings highlight the utility of Bil-CEST in direct UCB imaging, indicating its potential as a clinically valuable biomarker for BE diagnosis and management.

Multimodal imaging of mixed epithelial and stromal tumor of the kidney: Case series.

To investigate the clinical features, imaging manifestations, and pathological characteristics of mixed epithelial stromal tumor of the kidney (MESTK) to improve the understanding of MESTK and the accuracy of preoperative imaging diagnosis. The clinical, imaging, and pathological data of 3 patients with MESTK confirmed by postoperative pathology were retrospectively analyzed. Three patients with MESTK were middle-aged women with no obvious clinical symptoms. The main image representation showed a multilocular cystic or solid-cystic mass, with the larger masses protruding from the kidney contour, with multiple separations, which could be of unequal thickness. The cystic component showed no enhancement on enhancement scans, whereas the segregations and solid components showed gradual and obvious enhancement. Microscopic pathology was characterized by the biphasic differentiation of mesenchymal and epithelial components. MESTK is a rare, mostly benign tumor that appears as a multilocular cystic or cystic solid, with progressive marked enhancement of the septal and solid components on enhanced scans. This imaging feature is helpful for the diagnosis of MESTK.

The Confinement Behavior and Mechanistic Insights of Organic Phase Change Material Encapsulated in Wood Morphology Genetic Nanostructures for Thermal Energy Storage.

Wood, a renewable and abundant biomass resource, holds substantial promise as an encapsulation matrix for thermal energy storage (TES) applications involving phase change materials (PCMs). However, practical implementations often reveal a disparity between observed and theoretical phase change enthalpy values of wood-derived composite PCMs (CPCMs). This study systematically explores the confinement behavior of organic PCMs encapsulated in a delignified balsa wood matrix with morphology genetic nanostructure, characterized by a specific surface area of 25.4 ± 1.1 m2/g and nanoscale pores averaging 2.2 nm. Detailed thermal performance evaluations uncover distinct phase change behaviors among various organic PCMs, influenced by the unique characteristics of functional groups and carbon chain lengths. The encapsulation mechanism is primarily dictated by host-guest interactions, which modulate PCM molecular mobility through hydrogen bonding and spatial constraints imposed by the hierarchical pore structure of the wood. Notably, results demonstrate a progressive enhancement of nanoconfinement effects, evidencing a transition from octadecane to stearic acid, further supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This research significantly advances the understanding of nanoconfinement mechanisms in wood-derived matrices, paving the way for the development of high-performance, shape-stabilized composite PCMs that are essential for sustainable thermal energy storage solutions.

Unpredictable mild stress accelerates the emergence of motor deficits in a rat model of progressive parkinsonism

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a multifactorial condition associated with genetic and environmental factors. In recent years, the role of chronic psychophysiological stress as a predisposing factor for PD is gaining increasing attention. Clinical and experimental evidence indicates that chronic stress exerts adverse effects on the brain. Nevertheless, the potential role of chronic stress in the predisposition to PD remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of exposure to a chronic unpredictable mild stress (UMS) protocol on the onset of parkinsonism in Wistar rats repeatedly treated with a low dose of reserpine. Wistar rats were either exposed to UMS for 1 week or not exposed (control group). Then, the animals were repeatedly treated with a low dose of reserpine or vehicle every other day for 20 days. Behavioral motor evaluations were conducted using catalepsy and open field tests. Moreover, plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels and lipid peroxidation were evaluated. As expected, the UMS protocol increased plasma CORT levels, and reserpine treatment led to a progressive enhancement of cataleptic behavior. Animals exposed to UMS and treated with reserpine exhibited motor alteration earlier during the protocol. No differences were observed in oxidative stress between experimental and control groups, as evaluated through lipid peroxidation assay. Our results showed that chronic mild stress accelerated the onset of motor deficits in reserpine-treated animals.

Radiologic Clue to Cavernous Sinus Hemangioma Diagnosis

We describe a case of a 57-year-old woman presenting initially with diplopia and later developing retro-orbital and retro-auricular pain. Examination showed right abducens nerve palsy and subsequent right trigeminal nerve hyperesthesia. Neuroimaging revealed a well-defined mass confined to right cavernous sinus, with high T2 signal intensity and homogeneous enhancement on post-gadolinium T1WI. A meningioma was initially considered as the most likely diagnosis. The lesion grew over months, extending to the Meckel's cave and pituitary fossa. Dynamic T1WI revealed striking and progressive centripetal enhancement, leading to a revised diagnosis of cavernous sinus hemangioma (CSH). CSH is a rare benign extra-axial tumor, highly vascularized, frequently misdiagnosed as meningioma or schwannoma. The combination of very high T2 signal intensity and progressive centripetal contrast enhancement highly suggest CSH diagnosis. Given the significant risk of bleeding and mortality associated with surgical intervention, it is crucial to recognize CSH preoperatively to plan a meticulous surgical approach.

Added-value of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI to conventional MRI for the differentiation between inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor and squamous cell carcinoma in the sinonasal region.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the additional value of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI and diffusion weighted MRI (DWI) in differentiation between inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the sinonasal cavity. Patients with pathologically proven IMT and SCC in the sinonasal region were enrolled in this retrospective study. All participants underwent conventional MRI and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, while a subset of them performed DWI. All the MRI parameters were independently analyzed by two investigators. This retrospective study included 21 patients with IMT and 55 patients with SCC. Significant differences were found in the conventional MR imaging features including mass margin, T2 signal intensity and track sign of maxillary (p < 0.05). For DCE-MRI features, significant differences were found in progressive centripetal continual enhancement and CImax (p < 0.001 and p = 0.026, respectively). A marginal significant difference was found in ADC values between IMT (0.86 ± 0.59) and SCC (1.14 ± 0.25) (p = 0.061). The conventional MRI analysis revealed that the combination of mass margin and track sign of maxillary yielded an accuracy of 81.6%. Using a combination of progressive centripetal continual enhancement on DCE-MRI and track sign of maxillary in multivariate logistic regression analysis, the accuracy was elevated to 92.1%. The incorporation of DCE-MRI features into conventional MRI showed improved diagnostic performance in differentiating IMT from SCC in the sinonasal region. The novel progressive centripetal continual enhancement on DCE-MRI is the most effective feature of IMT.

Three-Year Clinical and Hemodynamic Evaluation of the Hydra Self-Expanding Transcatheter Aortic Valve in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis.

The Hydra CE study revealed 1-year favorable efficacy of TAVR, showing a large effective orifice area (EOA), low gradient, and acceptable complication rates. We evaluated the 3-year clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of Hydra self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve (manufactured by Vascular Innovations Co Ltd, Nonthaburi, Thailand; a subsidiary of Sahajanand Medical Technologies Limited, India) in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis at high or extremely high surgical risk. The Hydra CE study was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm study. A total of 157 patients were enrolled in the study, out of whom 54 patients from two centers (Lithuania and Poland) had provided consent for long-term follow-up at recruitment, with a planned 5-year follow-up period. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and patients were followed up for up to 3 years, with an assessment of clinical and echocardiographic outcomes. Among the 54 patients, the average age was 81.0 ± 4.1 years. The mean STS score was 3.2 ± 2.0%. At 3 years, all-cause mortality had occurred in 14.8% of patients, including 3.7% cardiovascular deaths and 1.9% device-related deaths. There was a progressive enhancement in EOA that is, 0.68 ± 0.15 cm2 at baseline to 1.97 ± 0.52 cm2 at 3 years (p < 0.001) as well as significant improvement in the mean aortic valve gradient that is, 53.4 ± 14.24 mmHg at baseline to 8.6 ± 2.80 mmHg at 3 years (p < 0.001). New permanent pacemaker implantation rates up to 3-year follow-up was 12.9%. The 3-year results of the Hydra CE study demonstrated consistent improvements in hemodynamics over time. The study also revealed favorable safety and efficacy trends, along with low occurrences of new permanent pacemaker implantations and paravalvular leaks.

Spectral Investigation of Enhanced Orange Emission in Eu3+ Activated LaPO4 Nanophosphors Through Codoping With Na+ and Bi3+ Ions.

Lanthanum phosphate is a well-known potential host for rare earth activators for phosphor-converted white LED application. Na+ and Bi3+ codoped Eu3+ activated LaPO4 nanophosphor is successfully synthesized using citrate-based hydrothermal method at ambient condition and confirmed by XRD, EDS and XPS analysis. The excitation spectra of the sample exhibit sharp f-f characteristics peak of Eu3+ at 393 nm that is found to be the most dominant. The comparative photoluminescence studies of La1-xPO4:xEu3+(x = 0.10), La1-x-y PO4:xEu3+, yNa+(x = 0.10, y = 0.05), and La1-x-y-zPO4:xEu3+, yNa+, zBi3+ (x = 0.10, y = z = 0.05) reveal a progressive enhancement of the orange emission from Eu3+ as Na+ and (Na+, Bi3+) ions are incorporated into the LaPO4 matrix. The dominance of 5D0-7F1 magnetic dipole transition contributing a major part of orange luminescence of the nanophosphors and the symmetric site occupancy of Eu3+ was justified from the observed trend of in the Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters. The CIE studies confirm the improvement in color purity of emission from 32.5% to 90.6% due to the presence of Na+ and Bi3+ions.

Cystitis glandularis: MR imaging characteristics in 27 patients.

To explore the diagnostic characteristics of cystitis glandularis (CG) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A retrospective study was conducted on pathologically confirmed patients who underwent bladder MRI examination between January 2019 and November 2023. Image analysis was jointly conducted, with emphasis on lesion location, morphology, size, signal intensity, and pattern of enhancement, by two genitourinary radiologists with 22 and 15 years of experience, respectively. A total of 27 patients with 27 lesions were included (median age 47 years, 24 males). The lesions were mostly located in the bladder trigone area (18/27). The lesions could be categorized as focal thickening (17/27), nodular (8/27), and diffuse thickening of the entire bladder (2/27) in morphological terms. On T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), 15 of 17 focal thickening lesions appeared as a slightly hyperintense thickened inner layer, with a higher signal in the center of the thickened inner layer, resembling a sandwich sign, and 6 of 8 nodular lesions were slightly hyperintense. On T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), 19 patients showed slight hypointensity. The lesions on DWI showed mainly high (5/27) and slightly high signal (21/27), with an average mean apparent diffusion coefficient (mADC) value of 2.171 ± 0.052 × 10-3mm2/s. Among the 23 patients who underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) scanning, 18 lesions showed mild enhancement in the arterial phase (average 1.7 times comparing to unenhanced phase), and the degree of enhancement gradually increased in the venous and delayed phases (average 2.2 and 2.3 times compared to the unenhanced phase, respectively), showing a progressive enhancement pattern. On MRI, the majority of CG manifest as focal thickening or nodules in the bladder trigone area, showing slight hyperintensity on T2WI, slight hypointensity on T1WI, and a progressive enhancement pattern, without significant restriction on DWI. Focal thickening lesions may exhibit a special sandwich sign.

Assessing momentary stress responses to dynamic real-time greenspace exposure: Unveiling algorithmic uncertainty and the temporality of exposure context

Mental stress issues are emerging among residents of modern cities. Among environmental factors associated with stress mitigation, greenspace has consistently been shown to have significant stress-reducing properties. However, the temporality of greenspace exposure, particularly the cumulative threshold effect in urban environments, has been largely neglected in past studies. In addition, different algorithms and their related measurements of greenspace have led to inconsistent mental health outcomes. To address both gaps, we evaluated the dynamic greenspace exposure of 221 Hong Kong residents by integrating three distinct green space measurements: the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Green Space Area Ratio (GSAR), and the Eye-level Green View Index (GVI) based on individual real-time GPS data. We subsequently gauged individual momentary stress levels via Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) and modeled its association with dynamic green space exposure using mixed ordinal logistic regression across diverse cumulative time frames. The results reveal great disparities in greenspace-stress association between different greenspace measurements and different cumulative time frames: (1) Among the three measurements, GVI is the most robust and effective measurement in assessing the stress-reducing effect in urban environments. (2) Within specific time frames, cumulative exposure has a more pronounced stress-reducing influence than momentary exposure. (3) The stress-reducing effects of cumulative eye-level greenspace exposure exhibit two temporal phases: A continuous exposure spanning 12–36 min leads to a progressive enhancement in the stress-mitigating effect of eye-level greenspace, peaking initially and then diminishing after 36 min. Upon extended exposure reaching 2.3 h, the stress-alleviating impact of eye-level green space peaks once again before gradually waning. Our research underscores the need for multiple measurements of environmental exposure to address the algorithmic uncertainty in environmental health research and deeper insights into the temporality of the greenspace-mental relationship.

Highly efficient bimetallic counter cations-based tungsten bronzes electrocatalysts developed for sustainable oxygen evolution in acidic solution

This study involves the designing of monophosphate tungsten bronzes (MPTBs) with a combination of earth-abundant Al and Ni counter cations synthesized via the solution combustion as robust, highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 M H2SO4 solution. A series of mixed Al and Ni counter cations-based MPTBs was prepared at different temperatures and characterized with various sophisticated techniques concerning their compositions, morphologies, microstates, and electronic states. The catalyst with Al/Ni ratio of 1:3 of tetragonal cube-shaped MPTB calcined at 700 °C ((Al1/3,Ni)-MPTB7) exhibited an extraordinary OER performance with a larger electrochemically active surface area, almost zero onset overpotential (η), and a lower solar cell-equivalent η (i.e., at 10 mA cm−2) of 199 mV that is lower than that obtained with the state-of-the-art RuO2 catalyst. A progressive enhancement of the performance of the catalysts was noticed for a 12 h OER run, ensuring the robustness of the materials developed for a long-term application. The mixed valency states of tungsten (W), i.e., W5+/W6+ states, along with higher oxygen vacancies of (Al1/3,Ni)-MPTB7 are evaluated to tender suitably oriented active sites for effective adsorption of H2O during the OER. A substantial increase in oxygen vacancies and W5+ state, particularly the W5+4f7/2 state in the catalysts, resulted from a spin-exchange phenomenon during a long-term OER is associated with OER catalytic enhancement. The thus-developed acid-stable, robust MPTBs with mixed Al and Ni counter cations would be an alternative to the pricy noble metal counterparts used in clean energy water splitting technology.

Cystic cardiac myxoma: a rare variant of cardiac myxoma in a woman with acute stroke

BackgroundCardiac myxomas are the most common primary benign tumors of the heart usually presenting as an oval mass attached to the interatrial septum. Mild heterogenous enhancement is typically seen upon contrast administration. Myxomas are benign, however can present with embolic episodes necessitating prompt diagnosis and treatment.Case presentationA middle-aged woman presenting with acute ischemic stroke was detected to have a complex cystic mass in the left atrium on echocardiography. Further evaluation with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging narrowed a differential diagnosis to hemangioma, hemangioendothelioma, sarcoma, hydatid cysts, bronchogenic cysts, and cystic variant of cardiac myxoma. CTA demonstrated arterial supply from the left circumflex artery supplying the lesion. Following surgical excision, histopathology analysis suggested a cystic cardiac myxoma with secondary degeneration.ConclusionCystic masses in the heart are challenging to diagnose due to similar imaging characteristics, and misdiagnosis may lead to further major downstream complications such as stroke, hemorrhage, and hemodynamic alterations causing syncope. Therefore, surgical excision of a cystic cardiac mass is justified to establish a definitive histopathological diagnosis and prevent further downstream complications. We hereby report a rare case of cystic cardiac myxoma in the left atrium showing intense progressive enhancement in CMR and CTA in a middle-aged woman presenting with acute stroke. This case highlights an exceedingly rare variant of cystic cardiac myxoma.

Progressive Crowd Enhancement De-Background Network for crowd counting

Progressive Crowd Enhancement De-Background Network for crowd counting

Analyzing and predicting the urbanization and ecological resilience coupling and coordination of Guangdong Province

Taking 21 cities in Guangdong Province as the research object, this study quantitatively analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution of urbanization and ecological environment coupling from 2000 to 2020 using a coupling coordination model, and predicts the coordinated development of urbanization and ecological resilience coupling from 2000 to 2020 using an LSTM deep learning model. Analysis of the geographical data conveys the following observations: (1) Remotely sensed night-time luminosity data indicate a precipitous escalation in the urbanization quotient within Guangdong, with the Pearl River Delta, featuring Guangzhou and Shenzhen as hubs, exhibiting high levels of nocturnal radiance, in stark contrast to the lower and more dispersed illumination in the province’s northern latitudes. (2) Indices of ecological resilience suggest a progressive enhancement across Guangdong, with Maoming exhibiting the utmost resilience, succeeded by Jiangmen, Dongguan, Shenzhen, and Zhongshan in terms of ecological robustness. (3) The synergistic relationship between urbanization dynamics and ecological resilience metrics in Guangdong has been incrementally enhanced, with Qingyuan and Shaoguan exemplifying optimal coupling and coordination, while Zhongshan has experienced the most pronounced increment in these interdependencies. (4) The proportional advancement of urbanization and ecological resilience in the province is approaching a theoretical equilibrium state. (5) Projections based on spatiotemporal models forecast a gradual upgrade in the urban-ecological systems’ coupling and coordination coefficients from 2021 to 2025, with a general trend of incremental progression among the majority of the province’s urban centers towards a moderate level of integrated development.

Multi-Prior Driven Network for RGB-D Salient Object Detection

Most existing RGB-D salient object detection (SOD) methods rely on high-quality depth images. However, their performance is limited when processing low-quality depth maps. This paper exploits more complementary image priors to guide the model to learn on variable depth maps, and a novel multi-prior driven network called MPDNet is proposed for RGB-D SOD. MPDNet utilizes four processing pipelines to process RGB images and other priors, which include an RGB image processing pipeline, a depth map processing pipeline, a fine-grained and gradient prior processing pipeline, and an edge learning pipeline. Specifically, fine-grained and gradient priors are input to the same processing pipeline. For the depth maps, fine-grained and gradient priors, a prior channel attention module utilizes the channel attention mechanism to filter noises and highlights the salient cues. The RGB image processing pipeline uses a multi-feature progressive enhancement module to fuse and enhance features from depth maps. And a multi-feature prediction decoder decodes initial salient masks. In the edge learning pipeline, edge prior serves as an edge label and is captured by an edge capture module. Finally, the clear salient masks are obtained by fusing the salient information from the four pipelines. The experimental results on six benchmarks indicate that the proposed method outperforms thirteen state-of-the-art methods in six evaluation metrics.

How do capable village cadres influence the effectiveness of rural living environment improvement? Empirical evidence from China

Rural Living Environment Improvement (RLEI) is crucial for constructing an ecological civilization and revitalizing rural areas. This study conducts an empirical analysis of the influence of capable village cadres on RLEI effectiveness, using microeconomic data from 173 villages across seven Chinese provinces between 2012 and 2019. The findings reveal a progressive enhancement in the RLEI among the surveyed villages over this timeframe. However, disparities persist in meeting farmers’ aspirations for an improved quality of life. Notably, village secretaries with business experience significantly contributed to advancements in domestic waste and sewage treatment (WST) and sanitary toilet coverage (STC). The robustness of these conclusions is upheld after adjusting the regression model and reassessing the sample data. Furthermore, capable village cadres can conveniently access government project support and promote the development of rural collective economy, thereby improving the RLEI. Comprehensive measures and substantial guarantees should be implemented to incentivize individuals with both integrity and competence to assume roles as village cadres. The monitoring system should be modernized, paving the way for a new paradigm of “strong state and strong society” in RLEI.

Synergizing Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (GPT) Chatbots in a Process-Based Writing Paradigm to Enhance University Students’ Writing Skills

Background: The combination of the process-based writing framework and GPT-based chatbots establishes a dynamic and interactive environment, leading students through the stages of planning, drafting, revising, and editing. This collaborative approach not only elevates writing skills but also cultivates critical thinking and self-reflection, thereby transforming the writing process into a more effective and engaging learning experience. Despite the potential synergy to revolutionize the writing process, there exists a surprising lack of research within the educational domain exploring the impact of this innovative approach. Purpose: This study investigates the influence of a GPT-based chatbot within a process-based writing framework on university EFL students’ writing skills, specifically focusing on components such as organization, content, coherence-cohesion, logical connection, and argumentation. Method: Employing a sequential mixed methods type of research with a pre- and post-test design, 30 university EFL students were selected via purposive sampling technique. They engaged in 10 sessions that incorporated GPT-based chatbots within a process-based writing framework. Data collections were through pre-and post- writing tests, writing quizzes, and semi-structured interviews. Results: The results highlighted substantial improvements in participants’ writing performance, evident through a noteworthy increase in post-writing test scores (x̄=17.03) in comparison to pre-writing test scores (x̄=9.13). The study identified a progressive enhancement in four out of five writing components - organization, content, coherence-cohesion, and argumentation - across the 1st to 4th quizzes. However, the ‘logical connection’ component experienced a temporary decline during the 2nd and 3rd writing quizzes, rebounding significantly in the 4th quiz. Notably, the most improved writing components were ‘content’ and ‘argumentation,’ while the component related to ‘logical connection’ exhibited the least improved one. Qualitative findings further underscored participants’ acknowledgment of the effectiveness of the strategy in facilitating their writing tasks. Conclusion: The integration of chatbots within a writing framework was concluded as a facilitative pedagogical approach, fostering a dynamic, personalized, and effective learning experience, contributing to the multifaceted improvement of their writing skills. As educators and practitioners consider innovative approaches, this study provides a compelling case for the effective utilization of GPT-based chatbots in fostering language proficiency and a more engaging learning experience.