Action research to improve methods of delivery and feedback in an Access Grid Room environment

This article describes a qualitative study which was undertaken to improve the delivery methods and feedback opportunity in honours mathematics lectures which are delivered through Access Grid Rooms. Access Grid Rooms are facilities that provide two-way video and audio interactivity across multiple sites, with the inclusion of smart boards. The principal aim was to improve the student learning experience, given the new environment. The specific aspects of the course delivery that the study focused on included presentation of materials and provision of opportunities for interaction between the students and between students and lecturers. The practical considerations in the delivery of distance learning are well documented in the literature, and similar problems arise in the Access Grid Room environment; in particular, those of limited access to face-to-face interaction and the reduction in peer support. The nature of the Access Grid Room classes implies that students studying the same course can be physically situated in different cities, and possibly in different countries. When studying, it is important that students have opportunity to discuss new concepts with others; particularly their peers and their lecturer. The Access Grid Room environment also presents new challenges for the lecturer, who must learn new skills in the delivery of materials. The unique nature of Access Grid Room technology offers unprecedented opportunity for effective course delivery and positive outcomes for students, and was developed in response to a need to be able to interact with complex data, other students and the instructor, in real-time, at a distance and from multiple sites. This is a relatively new technology and as yet there has been little or no studies specifically addressing the use and misuse of the technology. The study found that the correct placement of cameras and the use of printed material and smart boards were all crucial to the student experience. In addition, the inclusion of special tutorial type sessions were necessary to provide opportunities to students for one-on-one discussion with both lecturer and other students. This study contributes to the broader understanding of distance education in general and future Access Grid Room course delivery in particular.     

Mathematical literacy in undergraduates: role of gender,emotional intelligence and emotional self-efficacy

This empirical study explores the roles that Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Emotional Self-Efficacy (ESE) play in undergraduates’ mathematical literacy, and the influence of EI and ESE on students’ attitudes towards and beliefs about mathematics. A convenience sample of 93 female and 82 male first-year undergraduates completed a test of mathematical literacy, followed by an online survey designed to measure the students’ EI, ESE and factors associated with mathematical literacy. Analysis of the data revealed significant gender differences. Males attained a higher mean test score than females and out-performed the females on most of the individual questions and the associated mathematical tasks. Overall, males expressed greater confidence in their mathematical skills, although both males’ and females’ confidence outweighed their actual mathematical proficiency. Correlation analyses revealed that males and females attaining higher mathematical literacy test scores were more confident and persistent, exhibited lower levels of mathematics anxiety and possessed higher mathematics qualifications. Correlation analyses also revealed that in male students, aspects of ESE were associated with beliefs concerning the learning of mathematics (i.e. that intelligence is malleable and that persistence can facilitate success), but not with confidence or actual performance. Both EI and ESE play a greater role with regard to test performance and attitudes/beliefs regarding mathematics amongst female undergraduates; higher EI and ESE scores were associated with higher test scores, while females exhibiting higher levels of ESE were also more confident and less anxious about mathematics, believed intelligence to be malleable, were more persistent and were learning goal oriented. Moderated regression analyses confirmed mathematics anxiety as a negative predictor of test performance in males and females, but also revealed that in females EI and ESE moderate the effects of anxiety on test performance, with the relationship between anxiety and test performance linked more to emotional management (EI) than to ESE.     

Role of deliquescence lowering in enhancing chemical reactivity in physical mixtures

Mixtures of deliquescent solids are susceptible to deliquescence lowering, where water vapor condensation occurs in mixtures at a lower critical relative humidity (RH(0mix)) than individual component critical relative humidities (RH(0)s). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of deliquescence lowering on chemical reactivity. Sucrose, citric acid and their physical mixtures were characterized using vapor sorption analysis to determine RH(0) and RH(0mix). Acid-catalyzed sucrose hydrolysis kinetics was determined using polarimetric analysis. Physical mixtures of sucrose and citric acid crystals were prepared and stored at various relative humidities at 22 degrees C. For these physical mixtures, sucrose hydrolysis was found to occur only when the environmental RH exceeded RH(0mix). Degradation kinetics correlated with the storage RH, being fastest at higher RH. In addition, a lag period was initially observed, which was most prominent for samples stored close to RH(0mix). With exposure to RHs below RH(0mix), no sucrose degradation was detected over the experimental time period. In conclusion, mixtures of deliquescent solids showed increased water sorption at lower RHs, which caused solid dissolution and subsequently led to an increase in the chemical reactivity.     

Application of a thermal rearrangement reaction to questions of structure of condensed dihydrodiazepinones: Synthesis and characterization of isomeric dihydropyrido[3,4-b] [1,4]diazepinones from 3,4-diaminopyridine and ethyl acetoacetate

Reaction of ethyl acetoacetate with 3,4-diaminopyridine can theoretically give rise to the iso-meric dihydrodiazepinones 1 and 3 . However, only one of these (compound 1 ) was formed on direct condensation of the reactants in boiling toluene. The preparation of 3 required the synthesis of the pyridylaminocrotonate 2 , which cyclized under conditions of base catalysis. When subjected to dry fusion, both diazepine derivatives rearranged to give isomeric isopropenylpyridoimidazol-ones. The structures of these rearranged products were used to characterize the diazepines from which they were derived, according to a technique previously described (20,21). Our results contradict a recent report (17) ascribing structure 3 to the product from 3,4-diaminopyridine and ethyl acetoacetate in boiling xylene.     

Asymmetric fluid flow in a hemispherical container induced by electromagnetic forces

Summary The flow of incompressible fluid in a hemispherical container induced by a distributed source of current and a superimposed uniform magnetic field, applied perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the hemisphere, is investigated. A series solution is developed when the inertial terms in the Navier-Stokes equations are neglected and numerical results are stated for values of the parameters which are particularly relevant to the welding of steel.

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Zusammenfassung Es wird die Strömung eines inkompressiblen Fluids in einer Halbkugel untersucht, die durch eine Verteilung von Strömen in einem gleichförmigen Magnetfeld induziert wird; das Feld steht senkrecht zur Symmetrieachse des Behälters. Eine Reihenentwicklung wird gegeben bei der die Trägheitsterme der Navier-Stokes'schen Gleichungen vernachlässigt werden. Numerische Resultate werden gegeben für Parameter die für das Schweissen von Stahl relevant sind.

     

The synthesis of 2-chloromethylpyridine from 2-picoline-N-oxide

Phosphoryl chloride reacts with 2-picoline-N-oxide in the presence of triethylamine to give 2-chloromethylpyridine in 90% conversion with 98% selectivity. Diethylchlorophosphate, ethyl chloroformate, chloroacetyl chloride and phosgene also react with 2-picoline-N-oxide to give 2-chloromethylpyridine in moderate yields. Other potential chlorinating agents, titanium tetrachloride, zinc chloride, magnesium chloride and sulfuryl chloride, did not convert 2-picoline N-oxide into 2-chloromethylpyridine.     

Application of the Dakin-West reaction for the synthesis of oxazole-containing dual PPARalpha/gamma agonists

An improved method for the preparation of a series of oxazole-containing dual PPARalpha/gamma agonists is described. A synthetic sequence utilizing a Dakin-West reaction was devised that allows for the introduction of the oxazole ring either late in the synthetic sequence via aminomalonate-derived chemistry or in pivotal SAR intermediates derived from aspartic acid.     

Estimation of hydrogen peroxide formed and residual ascorbate in the copper catalysed oxidation reaction of ascorbate at pH 7

A fluorescent method has been developed for determination of ascorbic acid concentrations. The method involves treatment of the ascorbic acid with Cu(II) and treating the hydrogen peroxide formed with horseradish peroxidase in the presence ofp-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, to form a fluorescentp-hydroxyphenylacetic acid dimer. The reaction is suitable for analysis of concentrations in the range from 50 M to 4 mM ascorbic acid solutions and can be used for analysis of pharmaceutical preparations but is unsuitable for analysis of ascorbate in preparations derived from natural sources. By using a slight modification of the analytical technique it is possible to measure the amount of hydrogen peroxide formed and the residual concentrations of ascorbic acid in solutions treated with varying amounts of copper ion.Abbreviations CySH cysteine - EDTA ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid - GSH reduce glutathione - HPAA hydroxyphenylacetic - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - HRP horseradish peroxidase - TCA trichloracetic acid     

Measurement uncertainty in microbiology

Testing laboratories wishing to comply with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:1999 need to estimate uncertainty of measurement for their quantitative methods. Many microbiological laboratories have had procedures available for monitoring variability in duplicate results generated by laboratory analysts for some time. These procedures, however, do not necessarily include all possible contributions to uncertainty in the calculations. Procedures for estimating microbiological method uncertainty, based on the Poisson distribution, have been published but, at times, the procedures can either underestimate uncertainty or require laboratories to undertake considerable experimental studies and more complex statistical calculations. This paper proposes procedures for estimating uncertainty of measurement in microbiology, whereby routine laboratory quality control data can be analyzed with simple statistical equations. The approaches used in these procedures are also applied to published data and examples, demonstrating that essentially equivalent results can be obtained with these procedures.