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Department of Technology Application and Human Resource Explores Future of Language Education during Japan Academic Exchange Visit

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.

Neuroscience Shows How Exercise Can Help Children With ADHD

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.

Study on Taipei 101 frequency could help Taiwan on building safety

Researchers have concluded a study on how weather conditions and human activity influence Taipei 101's frequencies and vibrations, and feel that it will enhance methods of monitoring building safety in Taiwan.

Aha! That's it! How insight happens in the mechanism of brain operation

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.

An arduous journey back home for Formosan Landlocked Salmon

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.