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善恶由心——论《西游记》人物个性塑造的突破 (Good and evil are determined by the heart: An analysis of breakthroughs in the portrayal of characters from Journey to the West)
No full text《西游记》作为中国古代小说的经典之作，以其对“善”与“恶”的深刻探索和复杂表现赢得了广泛的关注。本文围绕“善恶由心”这一核心概念，系统分析了小说人物个性塑造的突破。通过文献综述发现，过往研究多集中于人物的文化象征与社会意义，较少深入探讨人物内心的矛盾及其行为背后的复杂动机。本文重新审视《西游记》中唐僧、猪八戒等“善恶交织型”人物及红孩儿等“善恶转变型”人物的塑造，揭示其内心的挣扎和成长轨迹，并指出小说在刻画人物立体性方面的创新之处。同时，文章通过梳理“善恶由心”概念的思想渊源，探讨其如何在情节发展与人物行为中得以体现。本文认为，《西游记》成功突破传统小说以情节驱动为核心的叙事模式，注重人物内心冲突与性格演变，彰显了对人性复杂性的深刻洞察，体现了文学表现力的重要飞跃。研究成果不仅深化了对《西游记》的理解，也为传统文学研究提供了新的视角
Low‐threshold superfluorescence and phase dynamics in quasi‐2D metal halide perovskite thin films
No full textSuperfluorescence (SF) is a cooperative quantum emission process characterized by intense, ultrafast bursts of light, with promising applications in quantum photonics. In solid-state systems, SF typically requires cryogenic conditions, with quasi-2D hybrid metal halide perovskites being a notable exception where room-temperature SF has been reported. However, the mechanisms enabling high-temperature SF in these materials remain poorly understood, and the distinction between SF and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is often overlooked. Here, SF in hybrid quasi-2D perovskite phenylbutylammonium cesium lead bromide (PBA:CsPbBr3) is reported with the lowest threshold fluence recorded to date in perovskites, observed across 78–180 K. The phase behavior of emission under varying temperature and excitation fluence is mapped, identifying transitions between SF, ASE, and spontaneous emission regimes. A simple ab-initio model has been developed to predict the emission density, correlation, and trace distance for understanding the cooperative phenomena and the unified theory of SF and ASE. The analysis reveals the underlying dynamics that differentiate cooperative from non-cooperative emission, offering new insight into light–matter interactions in perovskites. These findings deepen the understanding of SF in solid-state systems and inform the design of quantum optical materials operable at elevated temperatures.Accepted versio
Mas Gift Agreement Event 2025 (5 Aug 2025)
No full textMr Jacky Wong, Chief Librarian, giving his opening speech
Coaching table tennis to individuals with disabilities
No full textThe aim of the research is to help participants with physical disabilities learn table tennis skills through the use of manipulating task constraints in the immediate environment. Four participants with varying levels of physical disabilities were recruited for the research where they will go through an 8-sessions training program to learn how to play table tennis. Two pre-tests and two post-tests conducted at the start and end of the training program were used to assess participants’ retention of the backhand and forehand strokes using an accuracy test, their quality of life using the World Health Organisation survey (WHO-5) survey and their sweep area using a imaging software. The data from the tests were used to evaluate how effective the use of manipulating tasks constraints is in helping participants with physical disabilities with their table tennis skills. All participants improved on their accuracy for their forehand and backhand strokes. 3 out of the 4 participants had similar wellbeing score (counted from WHO-5 survey) throughout the training programme while one participant saw an increase in wellbeing score over the course of the training programme
Classroom activity recognition using hybrid 3D-CNNs and visualization of action features with Grad-CAM
No full textIn the era of advanced computer vision technology, it is possible to use automatic methods to detect and classify student and teacher activities in classroom environments, providing novel approaches to study or evaluate the quality of teaching or learning. However, to date, there has been little research developing and testing these methods to work towards an optimal activity recognition system. This paper proposes an automated framework using a 3D-convolutional neural network (CNN) to recognize classroom activities, including teacher and student behaviors, from classroom videos. The 3D-CNN captured spatiotemporal features from the video data. Then, an extreme learning machine (ELM) classifier was trained over the 3D-CNN features to recognize different activities in the classroom. Multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers were also examined in comparison to ELM. Gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) was employed to provide visual explanations of what information the highest performing model learned from videos to classify classroom activities. To evaluate each model, classifications were carried out on the EduNet dataset, containing annotated classroom activities featuring students and teachers. Classroom videos from the internet were also utilized to further evaluate the performance of the proposed frameworks. The proposed 3D-CNN+ELM model achieved a maximum average recognition accuracy of 88.17 % on EduNet, as estimated by 5-fold cross-validation, which is 5.87 % higher than the standard baseline I3D-ResNet-50 model proposed by the EduNet authors. The model also achieved an accuracy of 80.00 % when applied to an independent dataset of videos sourced from the internet, indicating reasonable reliability and generalizability. The Grad-CAM outcomes indicate that the model focuses on valid features to determine its recognition; however, in some cases, the recognition can still be incorrect. With its high level of performance, the proposed automated framework may assist in providing information on a range of classroom actions, which may offer preliminary insights to support the evaluation of classroom teaching and learning in real-world educational environments.Accepted versio
2025 Mas Gift Agreement Event (5 Aug 2025)
No full textGuests viewing the MAS video on screen. (Left to Right): Assoc Prof Hadijah Rahmat, Mr Jacky Wong, Assoc Prof Mukhlis Abu Bakar, Dr Sa'eda Buan
The evolution of language education policies and international relations in China
No full textThis paper provides an analysis of the evolution of Chinese language education policy amid the country’s global transformation. Drawing upon the theory of structural realism in international relations, we argue that China’s language policy changes are driven by the dynamic interactions between a country’s domestic developments and its changing position in the international system. Through a review of policy documents, the study reveals three major shifts in China’s language education policy in the past three decades: from an economic to a political orientation, from an emphasis on cultural input to cultural output, and from a focus on English as the major foreign language to the promotion of a multilingual landscape. These shifts are analyzed as China’s strategic responses to its pursuit of national interests within the changing international environment. The analysis not only contributes to an understanding of policy changes in China, it also makes a contribution to the field of language policy by demonstrating the explanatory power of international relations theory in understanding language policy changes in the context of globalization.Accepted versio
Fieldwork in geography
No full textFieldwork is a key component in the development of geographical knowledge. From classical intellectuals like Herodotus, Eratosthenes, Strabo, and Ptolemy through to geographers in the modern period like Alexander von Humboldt and Carl Ritter, the production of detailed topographical descriptions of the known world was based on extensive travels and observations of both the natural and social worlds (Cresswell, 2013). Indeed, it has been observed that the establishment of geography as a discipline in the 1800s was intimately linked with its historical roots in the exploratory tradition (Sauer, 1956; Stoddart, 1986) and with colonial expansion (Driver, 2001). The empirical observation and measurement of our physical and human environments emerged..
