Robust Networking: Dynamic Topology Evolution Learning for Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) has been extensively deployed in smart cities. However, with the expanding scale of networking, the failure of some nodes in the network severely affects the communication capacity of IoT applications. Therefore, researchers pay attention to improving communication capacity caused by network failures for applications that require high quality of services (QoS). Furthermore, the robustness of network topology is an important metric to measure the network communication capacity and the ability to resist the cyber-attacks induced by some failed nodes. While some algorithms have been proposed to enhance the robustness of IoT topologies, they are characterized by large computation overhead, and lacking a lightweight topology optimization model. To address this problem, we first propose a novel robustness optimization using evolution learning (ROEL) with a neural network. ROEL dynamically optimizes the IoT topology and intelligently prospects the robust degree in the process of evolutionary optimization. The experimental results demonstrate that ROEL can represent the evolutionary process of IoT topologies, and the prediction accuracy of network robustness is satisfactory with a small error ratio. Our algorithm has a better tolerance capacity in terms of resistance to random attacks and malicious attacks compared with other algorithms.

“Let’s Talk about It”—Explicit Discussions as a Way to Reduce the Resistance of Religious Jewish Science Teachers to Learning and Teaching about Evolution: A Case Study

Acknowledging the diverse perceptions about science–religion relationships among learners who come from various religious environments may increase learners’ willingness to learn about evolution. This study is based on a zoology course designed for in-service teachers, which aimed to provide basic scientific knowledge about evolution using the Religious Cultural Competence in Evolution Education framework. The study explores whether learners who were resistant to evolution modify their attitudes and willingness to learn about it, and whether they develop respect toward learners who hold contradicting views. Using qualitative methods, the findings indicate that using the Religious Cultural Competence in Evolution Education framework increased some formerly “resistant” learners’ willingness to learn about evolution and include it in their own teaching, albeit in varying degrees and with various reservations. The learners appreciated the freedom to express their challenges concerning evolution learning or teaching and became more willing to respect opposing perspectives, even though not all the religious learners accepted evolution as an explanation for the development of organisms. This study has international implications for bridging the gap between science and religion, thus reducing resistance to learning and teaching about evolution.

"Let’s Talk About It"‒ Explicit Discussions as a Way to Reduce the Resistance of Religious Science Teachers to Learning and Teaching About Evolution: A Case Study

Acknowledging the diverse perceptions about science-religion relationships among learners who come from various religious environments may increase learners’ willingness to learn about evolution. This study is based on a zoology course designed for in-service teachers, which aimed to provide basic scientific knowledge about evolution using the Religious Cultural Competence in Evolution Education framework. The study explores whether learners who were resistant to evolution modify their attitudes and willingness to learn about it, and whether they develop respect toward learners who hold contradicting views. Using qualitative methods, the findings indicate that using the Religious Cultural Competence in Evolution Education framework increased some formerly "resistant" learners’ willingness to learn about evolution and include it in their own teaching, albeit in varying degrees and with various reservations. The learners appreciated the freedom to express their challenges concerning evolution learning or teaching and became more willing to respect opposing perspectives, even though not all the religious learners accepted evolution as an explanation for the development of organisms. This study has international implications for bridging the gap between science and religion, thus reducing resistance to learning and teaching about evolution.