Quantitative Impact of a Cognitive Modeling Intelligent Tutoring System on Student Performance in Balancing Chemical Equations

The need for improved interactive tutoring capabilities in educational software for chemistry problem solving is an important one clearly articulated by teachers and students. To deliver the next generation of individualized interactive capabilities users demand, it is necessary to go beyond the conventional computer-assisted instruction methodology. The focus of this paper is the assessment with first-semester general chemistry students of a recently developed artificial intelligence (AI) tutor for balancing chemical equations. This is the first such assessment of an AI-based learning tool in chemistry. Students in CHEM 121 in the Fall 2001 semester at Duquesne University (N = 273) participated in the study. Students were divided into a test group that used the AI tutor as part of their study activities and a control group that did not use the tutor. It was found that the tutor improved the performance of the test group students to a statistically significant degree, helping the weakest students the most. This study establishes the feasibility of an AI-based approach to creating advanced new tutoring software for chemistry problem solving. Access to a Web-based demonstration of the equation-balancing tutor may be obtained by emailing the corresponding author.     

Corrosion products on steel 20 in aerated hydrazine solutions: Mössbauer study

Composition of corrosion layers on steel 20 in aerated solutions with hydrazine concentrations less than 11 ppm was studied at 50, 60, and 80°C in dynamic conditions by transmission Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction as supplementary technique. Corrosion rates were determined by gravimetric method. A comparison with corrosion in water at 80°C was made. The observed layers have not any protective character. For 0.1 m/s linear velocity, they are composed by nonstoichiometric magnetite, (Fe_3?x O₄,x=0.02–0.04) with lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) as secondary phase at 50°C. Haematite (α-Fe₂O₃) is observed at 60 and 80°C with a 19 nm particle size. It becomes smaller for higher velocity (0.7 m/s).     

Effects of electron-interface-phonon interactions on interactions between electrons in double-heterostructures

Effects of electron-interface-phonon interaction on the interaction between electrons in double heterostructures are considered. It is found that the interaction potential between electrons caused by each of four interface-phonon modes is different. For electrons moving at the two interfaces of double heterostructure, the interaction energies of the electrons produced by the interaction with antisymmetric modes are positive which indicate that the forces between electrons are repulsive. The interaction energies caused by interaction with symmetric modes are negative and the forces are attractive. The resultant of the forces are attractive and become larger when the width of potential barrier decreases for InAs/GaSb/InAs double heterostructure.     

μSR studies of heavy fermion systems

We have performed both zero field and high transverse field measurements at dilution refrigerator temperatures on a number of heavy electron systems, examining the superconducting and magnetic properties of these interesting materials. Among the materials studied to date are UBe₁₃, URu₂Si₂ and U₆Fe. The magnetic field penetration depth in the superconducting state of UBe₁₃ is greater than 10000 Å, as no increase in the transverse field relaxation rate is observed belowT _c . A sharp increase in the precession frequency is seen, starting atT _c . This frequency shift shows little temperature dependence at low temperature; we found no clear evidence for unconventional superconductivity in this material. Zero field measurements in URu₂Si₂ show the weak antiferromagnetic transition at 17.5 K. Finally, we we found no clear evidence for unconventional superconductivity in this material. Zero field measurements in URu₂Si₂ show the weak antiferromagnetic transition at 17.5 K. Finally, we have observed relaxation in high transverse field due to the formation of a flux lattice in U₆Fe, a material where the electron effective mass is rather lighter than in other heavy fermion systems. The relaxation exhibits a sharp onset atT _c=3.9 K, and is flat at low temperatures as expected for a conventional superconductor.     

Phase dynamics of a detuned single-mode laser

We report measurements on the phase dynamics of a detuned single mode laser which has in the past shown correspondence to the complex Lorenz equation. The corresponding ranges of periodic pulsing, of detuned chaos and of windows within the chaotic domain are investigated.Invited paper     

Structure of fullerene-containing soot at different formation stages of arc discharge vaporization of graphite

Electron microscopy is used in a study of nanoclusters of the carbon soot deposited on a probe in different areas of arc discharge during graphite vaporization under conditions favorable for fullerene synthesis. It is found that the spatial network of soot nanoclusters consists of alternating regions of higher density or associates of carbon particles. Two types of nanoclusters have been identified with the correlation radii of the associates equal to 0.6–0.8 and 1.6–2.2 nm, respectively. Type I nanoclusters are dominant in the soot microparticles, and their structure shows practically no variations with increasing separation r of the soot collector from the discharge axis over the range of distances studied, r=1–9 cm. The effective radius R ₀ of the “elementary” particles making up the associates in the soot nanoclusters of Type I calculated with the use of scaling relationships is 0.15–0.17 nm and is close to the gas-kinetic radius of carbon atoms. Type II nanoclusters have been identified in soot collected at r>3 cm. Values of R ₀ calculated in this case are 0.6–0.9 nm and decrease with increasing r, which indicates the presence of fullerene molecules in these nanocluster associates.     

An improved process of separation of R- and S-timolol

Diastereomeric timolol tartrates 4 are obtained in a one-pot synthesis from the racemic base 2 and optically active O,O-diacetyl- or O,O-dibenzoyltartaric anhydrides 3 , as only one of the diastereomers precipitates from acetone solution. Acidic hydrolysis as the corresponding 4 leads to timolol in high yield and optical purity.     

An isoperimetric inequality for the Heisenberg groups

We show that the Heisenberg groups of dimension five and higher, considered as Riemannian manifolds, satisfy a quadratic isoperimetric inequality. (This means that each loop of length L bounds a disk of area ~ L ².) This implies several important results about isoperimetric inequalities for discrete groups that act either on or on complex hyperbolic space, and provides interesting examples in geometric group theory. The proof consists of explicit construction of a disk spanning each loop in . Submitted: April 1997, Final version: November 1997     

Higher order radiative corrections to the QED Compton events at HERA

We estimate the higher order QED corrections to the QED Compton events at HERA employing the leading logarithmic approximation to all orders in α. The Compton events are events of the typee+p→e′+γ+ Hadrons, wheree′ and γ have nearly balancedp _T .