Pandemic Pedagogy: Elements of Online Supportive Course Design

The purpose of this study was to identify which course design elements students perceive as supporting an easier transition to emergency remote teaching due to COVID-19, as well as to use those items to develop the Online Supportive Course Design (OSCD) measure. By asking students to rate their course with the easiest transition and hardest transition to emergency remote teaching, this study identified which structural elements were most important for supporting students during the transition. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, a seven-item measure was developed to operationalize OSCD, and initial validity was established by examining the relationships between OSCD, autonomy support, and teacher competence. Finally, practical implications for university faculty and areas for future research are discussed

Structure-directing effects in (110)-layered hybrid perovskites containing two distinct organic moieties

We acknowledge support from the University of St Andrews, the China Scholarship Council (studentship to YYG) and the Leverhulme trust (RPG-2018-065).The hybrid perovskites (ImH)(GuH)PbBr4 and (TzH)(GuH)PbBr4 (ImH+ = imidazolium, GuH+ = guanidinium, TzH+ = 1,2,4-triazolium) both adopt (110)-oriented layer structures. However, the GuH+ cation adopts differing crystallographic sites in the two structures (intra-layer versus inter-layer); this is discussed in terms of the sizes of the organic cations and their hydrogen-bonding preferences.PostprintPeer reviewe

Secondary Ice Production : Current State of the Science and Recommendations for the Future

Measured ice crystal concentrations in natural clouds at modest supercooling (temperature ~>-10°C) are often orders of magnitude greater than the number concentration of primary ice nucleating particles. Therefore, it has long been proposed that a secondary ice production process must exist that is able to rapidly enhance the number concentration of the ice population following initial primary ice nucleation events. Secondary ice production is important for the prediction of ice crystal concentration and the subsequent evolution of some types of clouds, but the physical basis of the process is not understood and the production rates are not well constrained. In November 2015 an international workshop was held to discuss the current state of the science and future work to constrain and improve our understanding of secondary ice production processes. Examples and recommendations for in situ observations, remote sensing, laboratory investigations, and modeling approaches are presented.Peer reviewe

Exploring diversity in the relationships between teacher quality and job satisfaction in the Nordic countries : insights from TALIS 2013 and 2018

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Teachers’ Beliefs About Knowledge of Teaching and Their Impact on Teaching Practices: The Role of Beliefs in the Classroom

This study investigated secondary school mathematics teachers’ beliefs about knowledge of teaching and its impact on their teaching practices. Two teachers participated in the study. Data were collected through an interview and classroom observations. The results indicated that the teachers’ beliefs about the goal of mathematics education and about the importance of teachers’ understanding the way students think about certain mathematics subjects had impact on their teaching practices. However, the teachers’ teaching practices were also affected by the students

First experimental evidence for a bis-ethene chromium(I) complex forming from an activated ethene oligomerization catalyst

Funding: This work was supported by Sasol Ltd. SC is grateful for a St Leonard’s postgraduate fellowship by the University of St Andrews.A bis-ethene chromium(I) species, which is the postulated key intermediate in the widely accepted metallacyclic mechanism for ethene oligomerization, is experimentally observed. This catalytic transformation is an important commercial route to linear α-olefins (primarily, 1-hexene and 1-octene), which act as comonomers for the production of polyethene. Here, electron paramagnetic resonance studies of a catalytic system based on [Cr(CO)4(PNP)][Al(OC(CF3)3)4] [PNP = Ph2PN(iPr)PPh2] activated with Et6Al2 provide the first unequivocal evidence for a chromium(I) bis-ethene complex. The concentration of this species is enhanced under ethene and isotope labeling studies that confirm its composition as containing [Cr(C2H4)2(CO)2(PNP)]+. These observations open a new route to mechanistic studies of selective ethene oligomerization.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Accommodation of Lattice Mismatch in a Thiol Self Assembled Monolayer

The structure of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 3-(4'-(methylthio)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl)propane-1-thiol (CH3S(C6H4)(2)(CH2)(3)SH) formed on Au(111)/mica has been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), high-resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HRXPS), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A highly crystalline monolayer terminated by thioether moieties is formed, which adopts a structure that differs from the previously studied CH3 terminated analogue with its 2 root 3 X root 3 unit cell. An oblique 2 root 3 X root 61 chiral unit cell containing 8 molecules is proposed Accommodation of the substantial mismatch between the lattices of the SAM and substrate is explained by molecular design. Serving as a buffer layer, the alkane spacer decouples the SAM lattice, defined by the functionalized aromatic moieties, from the substrate.</p