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This research aimed to examine the current status of artificial intelligence's (AI's) integration into Chinese adult education, by analyzing the influences that AI has had on current adult education practices in China and by discussing the opportunities and challenges that adult education in China is faced with under the rapid AI development in the past 12 years.

This research employed systematic literature analysis. CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) Chinese Journals Full-text Database was used to collect scholarly publications on the use of AI in adult education in China that was published in the past decade. Data analysis included the following steps: identifying key words and phrases, detecting underlying meanings, searching for logical connections and relationships, collecting and connecting evidence to the research questions, and drawing logical and credible conclusions.

The findings indicated that AI has been gradually integrated into Chinese adult education through innovations and explorations and AI's influence is broad and profound. More specifically, the following five main themes were identified. The field's understanding of AI technology and AI's influence on adult education has evolved and become more comprehensive; AI challenges traditional Chinese adult education practices by helping to actualize personalized learning and precision education; AI transforms adult learning resource development; AI helps to turn learning environment into an open intelligent learning system; and lastly, AI urges the shift of adult educator's role in adult learning.

This study is not without limitations. Contextualized in China, this study shares the limitations with other single country studies. One such limitation is “cumulation” issue. This study should be replicated in other country contexts to further validate the generalizability of the five main themes identified in this research.

The five themes identified in this study can help understand the promises and challenges that AI brings to the field of adult education in China. These five themes can also serve as an integrated lens through which one can make sense of AI's integration into other countries' adult education practices.

This paper fulfills an identified need of understanding the current status of AI's integration into and influence on the field of adult education in China.

The globalization of the market economy and the technology revolution present multiple demands for education to meet the needs of the knowledge society. In this global context, work-based learning (WBL) has become increasingly valuable and critical for individuals and governments to enhance employability and to produce competitive workforces. Yet, the interdependence nature of globalization urges us to learn from each other the various theoretical and methodological approaches to WBL. Applying an appreciative inquiry, the purpose of this paper is to propose the transformation of current WBL practices by integrating or “meshing” Confucian Learning Model (CLM) into Western approaches for sustainable human development in this multi-cultural economic-driven global context.

This study is grounded in literature review and critical examination of profound pedagogical theories and practices from both Western and Eastern perspectives. Western education philosophies, learning theories, and models are critically examined and contrasted with CLM an important Eastern perspective in order to identify the major limitations of current WBL development. Appreciative inquiry and comparative view are applied as methods to highlight the significance of integrating or meshing CLM into the Western approaches to transform current WBL practices in this global context.

WBL has greatly benefited current workforce development worldwide, which is well documented in the literature. However, through futuristic and holistic human development perspectives, current WBL development is seen as moving toward pragmatism and utilitarianism due to overemphasizing the use of education for economic competition and for satisfying employers’ immediate work/job needs. Through an “appreciative eye” and comparative lens, this paper helps identify an urgent need to integrate or mesh CLM, an important Eastern perspective, into Western perspectives for enhanced theoretical foundations and more holistic and systemic practical approaches to transform current WBL practices for global sustainable human development.

This paper employs a unique method of “appreciative eye” and comparative lens through which scholars and practitioners may identify what is missing but needed in current WBL development in the global context. It is through this unique approach that this paper increases the reader’s awareness of the limitations of current WBL practices, guides them to envision how to fully prepare and release the potential of the twenty-first century workforce, and calls for integrating or “meshing” CLM into the various Western approaches for a more holistic perspective for the possible transformation of current WBL practices worldwide.

This study aims to reconstruct the frictional vibration signal from noise and characterize the running-in process by frictional vibration.

There is a strong correlation between tangential frictional vibration and normal frictional vibration. On this basis, a new frictional vibration reconstruction method combining cross-correlation analysis with ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) was proposed. Moreover, the concept of information entropy of friction vibration is introduced to characterize the running-in process.

Compared with the wavelet packet method, the tangential friction vibration and the normal friction vibration reconstructed by the method presented in this paper have a stronger correlation. More importantly, during the running-in process, the information entropy of friction vibration gradually decreases until the equilibrium point is reached, which is the same as the changing trend of friction coefficient, indicating that the information entropy of friction vibration can be used to characterize the running-in process.

The study reveals that the application EEMD method is an appropriate approach to reconstruct frictional vibration and the information entropy of friction vibration represents the running-in process. Based on these results, a condition monitoring system can be established to automatically evaluate the running-in state of mechanical parts.

The EEMD method was applied to reconstruct the frictional vibration. Furthermore, the information entropy of friction vibration was used to analysis the running-in process.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel non-probabilistic reliability-based topology optimization (NRBTO) method for continuum structural design under interval uncertainties of load and material parameters based on the technology of 3D printing or additive manufacturing.

First, the uncertainty quantification analysis is accomplished by interval Taylor extension to determine boundary rules of concerned displacement responses. Based on the interval interference theory, a novel reliability index, named as the optimization feature distance, is then introduced to construct non-probabilistic reliability constraints. To circumvent convergence difficulties in solving large-scale variable optimization problems, the gradient-based method of moving asymptotes is also used, in which the sensitivity expressions of the present reliability measurements with respect to design variables are deduced by combination of the adjoint vector scheme and interval mathematics.

The main findings of this paper should lie in that new non-probabilistic reliability index, i.e. the optimization feature distance which is defined and further incorporated in continuum topology optimization issues. Besides, a novel concurrent design strategy under consideration of macro-micro integration is presented by using the developed RBTO methodology.

Uncertainty propagation analysis based on the interval Taylor extension method is conducted. Novel reliability index of the optimization feature distance is defined. Expressions of the adjoint vectors between interval bounds of displacement responses and the relative density are deduced. New NRBTO method subjected to continuum structures is developed and further solved by MMA algorithms.

The purpose of this paper is to study the saturation and nonlinear performance of magnetic field in the air gap of switched reluctance motor (SRM).

The analytical method of sub-domain combined with the saturation compensation method is used to determine the nonlinear distribution of air gap magnetic field in SRM. Also, the resolutions of the two-dimensional (2D) Laplace’s equation and Poisson’s equation in polar coordinates are used to obtain the simplified expression of magnetic flux density.

For verifying the effectiveness of analytical model, the results are compared with those obtained from the 2D finite element method (FEM). The influence of magnetic saturation is taken into account by associating the sub-domain analysis result with the nonlinear B-H properties of stator and rotor iron. The magnetic flux density in radial and tangential direction considering the saturation effect may be calculated accurately. It can be seen that one can easily determine the linear analytical results accurately, whereas it is difficult to determine the magnetic flux density with saturation influence; especially at some local positions, there is a larger difference between analytical and FE model due to the complex boundary conditions.

This paper presents the development and optimization design of high-performance SRM.

The magnetic saturation may be taken into account for the SRM and analytical models support to simulated system performance.

The purpose of this paper is to show how to obtain a supercapacitor with high specific power (P) and high specific energy (E_p) simultaneously.

The carbon aerogels are obtained by ambient pressure drying method instead of supercritical drying method and carbon aerogels/Ni(OH)₂ composites are prepared by in situ polymerisation. A series of asymmetric supercapacitors based on carbon aerogels/Ni(OH)₂ composites as positive electrode and activated carbon as negative electrode, respectively, are assembled. The electrochemical performances of carbon aerogels/Ni(OH)₂ composites and supercapacitors are studied.

The results show that the specific capacitance (C_P) of carbon aerogels/Ni(OH)₂ composites is 584 F/m². The working potential of supercapacitors could be increased to 1.6V. When the mass ratio of carbon aerogels and Ni(OH)₂ is 3:7, the mass ratio of positive electrode and negative electrode is 1:1, the E_P and P of the supercapacitor is higher than 10.5 Wh/kg and 578 W/kg, respectively, when the current varies from 50 mA to 100 mA and the attenuation ratio of C_P is only 8.3 per cent after 10,000 cycles at 100 mA.

The supercapacitors can be used in the field of automobile engineering and can solve the problems of energy shortage and environmental pollutions.

The supercapacitor based on carbon aerogels/Ni(OH)₂ composites as positive electrode and activated carbon as negative electrode is novel and the synthetic properties of the supercapacitor are excellent.