Volume 45

This essay explores the evolution, technological innovation, and visual expression of facades and envelopes in modern architecture through the lens of three seminal case studies: Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, and Walter Gropius's Bauhaus School. These case studies highlight the transformative impact of architectural design principles on building aesthetics and functionality. The Notre Dame Cathedral introduced a revolutionary structural system that liberated the facade from its traditional load-bearing role, allowing for expansive stained-glass windows and intricate stone carvings that set the stage for future architectural innovations. Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House exemplifies the minimalist approach, emphasizing transparency and the seamless integration of interior and exterior spaces. The Bauhaus School, under Gropius's leadership, merged art, technology, and craftsmanship, creating a new architectural language characterized by simplicity and functional beauty. Through a detailed analysis of these projects, the essay provides insights into the enduring influence of these architectural milestones on contemporary design practices.

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As a result of globalization, architectural design has also integrated into the trend of becoming unified. However, regional architecture has become something that opposes unification, allowing each region to maintain its unique characteristics while also protecting the environment. This research focuses on the cultural meaning of natural materials utilization in regional architectural design, allocating the specifics for how the local materials influence both ecological and cultural importance. Positive results arrived at by case studies of architects who used local materials in architecture confirm the role of local architecture as a mediator between cultural heritage and sustainable development. Utilizing literature analysis as a mode of study to critically examine the historical background, technological advancement, and socio-economic condition helps the stimulation of regional architecture. The research elaborates on the importance of using regional materials as a way to develop architectural practices that reflect cultural identity as well as to ensure the ecology of the area. Finally, the paper gives a brief discussion on the future development direction and trends in the regional cultural aspects of architecture design.

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Feminist media analysis is a set of critical analytical tools used to understand how different kinds of media contribute to the molding of gender and identity, which has played a crucial part in the development of feminism and the media-driven society. This paper conducts a feminist media analysis to investigate the phenomenon of "female-to-male" presentations in TikTok short videos. This paper aims to challenge some traditional notions of "performing gender," as conceptualized by digital media theories, which disrupt established performance standards and promote broader acceptance of diverse practices. Focusing on TikTok users Dayao Tongxue, Chen Lijun, Lapmoby, and Northeast Rain Sister, this research analyzes the content and influence of those influencers to understand how their performances challenge conventional norms and cultivate inclusiveness. The research concludes by examining the impact of social media on the formation of gender identity, specifically in the transition from language-sex to the identification as male or female.

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In the generation of social media, the rapid development of technology has inevitably transformed art, and the way it is consumed, shared, and created. Art has developed a greater focus on aesthetics and beauty, along with the desires of the viewer instead of the artists. The rise of different trends and styles may pressure artists to change their art to conform to these trends, and individuality will have to be sacrificed for the sake of views, likes, and validation from the users. Nonetheless, these platforms have proved to be a great tool for artists, allowing a direct reach to global audiences and engagement in interactive experiences. Communities created online may encourage growth, providing information and opportunities that may have been inaccessible to them previously, lowering the threshold of artistic creation and increasing accessibility. This may allow emerging or discriminated artists to present their work without any traditional barriers. Additionally, social media may stimulate the creative spirit of artists, allowing a variety of sources to draw inspiration from, and creating an environment that fosters experimentation and innovation. Unfortunately, social media is not without its drawbacks on its impact on art. A focus on popularity with likes, follows, and shares may cause a superficial exchange of art. Platforms may usually promote artworks that are easily consumable and visually appealing, disregarding any genuine artworks that may require a deeper reflection. This may additionally exacerbate the commercialization tendency in art, leading to a lack of originality in artworks.

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This paper delves into the revitalization of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (BAP) along the Kallang River in Singapore, which has evolved from a polluted canal to a resilient, recreational, and educational landscape. The study is set within the broader context of the "Active, Beautiful, and Clean (ABC) Waters Initiative" initiated by the Public Utilities Board in 2006, emphasizing the convergence of spatial design, governmental collaboration, and public education in enhancing water resource management. The research objective is to scrutinize the role of policy and design in cultivating public consciousness towards water conservation within the BAP project. Employing literature review, questionnaire surveys, and case study analysis, this research intends to uncover strategies that can effectively engage the public in water resource protection, especially in densely populated urban settings with constrained water availability and flood threats. The study seeks to provide valuable insights for urban planners and policymakers on the significance of integrating educational aspects into public projects to achieve enduring sustainability and community resilience.

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There are often some problems with the traditional setting mode of traffic lights, especially on some non-main roads. The unreasonable setting of pedestrian traffic lights can easily lead to empty spaces for people and vehicles, waste resources, and increase the risks of traffic congestion, Although the push-button traffic lights improves traffic efficiency, there is still a waste of waiting time for pedestrians and vehicles due to the fixed setting of the traffic time. This article mainly studies the use of machine learning to solve the recognition, motion direction, and time models of people and vehicles, and optimize pedestrian traffic light signals. By identifying pedestrians and vehicles and allocating release signal time reasonably, the waiting time of pedestrians and vehicles crossing the road can be reduced, and traffic accidents can be minimized. The optimized traffic system is applied to sidewalks on non-main roads, it can replace the push-button traffic lights, reduce manual intervention, save construction costs, and improve traffic efficiency.

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In recent years, there has been a growing trend of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into e-learning in higher education. ChatGPT has emerged as one of the most widely utilised AI tools in students' studies. However, the emergence of ChatGPT has contributed to the development of education while simultaneously impacting the integrity of education and the effectiveness of traditional assessment methods. Whether the teacher's teaching goals are achieved or not, whether the students' learning is authentic and effective, and how to ensure the effectiveness of the assessment pose significant challenges to the educator or education sector in the context of artificial intelligence. Therefore, this paper aims to clarify the negative impact of ChatGPT on educational integrity and assessment effectiveness through a systematic literature review. Through the meticulous synthesis and analysis of diverse existing research, this paper finds that several scholars have already clarified the pressing need for redesigning the assessment method within the context of e-learning. However, further research has found that there are several theoretical countermeasures and suggestions for the redesign of assessment methods, but a systematic system of assessment methods has not yet been formed. And there is no reflective analysis of the practice of the redesigned assessment methods. Therefore, this paper will, through a systematic literature review and reflective summarisation of educational assessment practices, aim to investigate effective and responsible assessment methods to mitigate the impact of the rapid development and inappropriate use of ChatGPT on education.

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The relationship between cultural identity and language acquisition among a special demographic population, Third Culture Kids (TCKs) in America with East Asian backgrounds, is complex. TCKs spend a significant part of their early years outside their parents’ culture and face challenges in language acquisition due to their exposure to multiple cultures. Third Culture Kids with ancient backgrounds face challenges in their lifetime due to differences in cultural backgrounds between their host and home culture. This often leads to a unique “third culture” that blends elements of both cultures. Factors such as the age of language exposure, social interactions, and community attitudes significantly influence this formation of the “third culture”. This essay focuses on the various factors influencing language acquisition, including bilingualism, acculturation, and identity negotiation. Based on theoretical frameworks and empirical studies on sociocultural and identity theories, the aspects influencing language acquisition in TCK with East Asian-American backgrounds and their unique process of language acquisition will be explained.

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While contemporary art, famous for its abstract form and transgressive nature, is prevalent in the artistic world, the artistic world hasn’t established an objective aesthetic evaluating system that allows viewers to fully experience the aesthetic value of transgressive art, which is the most radical, offensive, and morally problematic art form among the contemporary arts. The article reviews the two traditional evaluative approaches, Autonomism and Moralism, and discusses their limitations. Then, the article introduces the concept of transgressive art and Immoralism. The author also recognizes the theoretical gap that fails to illustrate in what perspective viewers can fully understand the aesthetic value of transgressive art. The article then establishes that the moral value of transgressive art lies in the fact that moral defects can contribute to its aesthetic value if the artwork is viewed from a receptive and reflective perspective. The article is significant in filling the theoretical gap and establishing a more systematic evaluative system.

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In community life, problems with neighbors are inevitable, and problems with the facilities in the house are also problems that everyone will encounter at the same time. Maybe the property will not solve these problems perfectly, they are usually not efficient, or they don’t have any solutions. These problems are, to a large extent, detrimental to the lives of residents, who are unhappy with the present over time. At this time, the community needs some people to use another identity to replace the property to solve the problems of the residents to maintain the harmony of the community, and improve the service of the community. In this article, these people are called butlers. This paper focuses on analyzing the application of the butler pattern in the community, and in some cases, studying its role in community management. Through the analysis of its role to further improve community management and service, more people can choose a community because of the excellent community service. It not only makes the residents more comfortable, but also makes the community more famous, achieving a win-win situation. At the same time, this paper also hopes to attract more people who are interested in this pattern to speak out and build a better society.

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