A preliminary validity study of the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule with a sample of the South African university population

The study investigated the validity of the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS) with a sample (N=l68) of the white South African undergraduate students. In terms of criterion- related validity, results indicated that ratings of external judges, unaware of their subjects' self-evaluation, correlated significantly with the assertiveness scores of the male subjects only. Construct validation of the RAS with ten personality traits measured by the Howarth Personality Questionnaire yielded results consistent with Wolpe's hypothesis that assertiveness relates inversely to anxiety. In addition, evidence was found to support the contention that assertiveness correlates negatively with inferiority. A principal components analysis of the RAS revealed a potentially useful factor structure for both males and females. A number of factors including situation-specific assertive behavior as well as factors measuring aggressiveness were identified for both sexes

Collaboration chercheurs - formateurs pour la conception d'un outil d'aide au transfert de connaissances en formation par alternance

International audienceTeacher-researcher collaboration to design a new transfer tool in a sandwich training course. This article presents a research conducted in a technical undergraduate course (sandwich course alternating training periods at university and in the workplace) in the field of statistics and data management, aiming at enhancing transfer of academic knowledge into the workplace. Our work is based on two main theoretical ideas : first, transfer of learning can be enhanced by new collective activities, involving not only students, but also their trainers and supervisors; second, boundary-objects can play a key role in the development of these new activities. This theoretical orientation has led to strong collaboration between researchers, teachers, trainers and supervisors of the training course to design and implement a new pedagogical tool which could play a role of boundary-object between the academic world and the workplace. In this paper, we explain the different steps of the collaborative design and we analyse the social process genrated by this new pedagogical tool.L'objectif de la recherche présentée est de concevoir et de mettre en place un outil d'aide au transfert de connaissances enseignées au sein d'une formation en alternance de techniciens supérieurs (niveau bachelor) dans le domaine des statistiques et du traitement informatique de données. La finalité de l'outil (aider les apprenants à mobiliser les différentes connaissances enseignées en situation de travail), ainsi que le cadre théorique de la recherche (approche du transfert comme développement d'une activité collective instrumentée) ont conduit au choix d'une collaboration étroite avec les enseignants et les tuteurs de cette formation, en particulier ceux ayant une expertise importante des différents contextes d'apprentissage (cours, projets tutorés, stages en entreprise, etc.). Dans cet article, les étapes du travail de conception et de mise en place de l'outil sont présentées, en détaillant les différentes modalités de la collaboration entre chercheurs et formateurs

Les accords d\u27entreprise portant sur le télétravail : quels usages durant la crise sanitaire ?

4 070 accords d’entreprise portant sur le télétravail ont été signés en 2021, soit 10 fois plus qu’en 2017. Le déploiement du télétravail suscité par la crise entraîne une diffusion de ce mode de travail à de nouveaux profils d’entreprise, comme les petites structures. Celles ayant des habitudes de négociation ancrées sont néanmoins largement majoritaire

catena-Poly[[[cis-aqua­dibromido­cobalt(II)]-μ-(pyrazine-2-carb­oxy­lic acid)-κ3 N 1,O:N 4] monohydrate]

The title compound, {[CoBr2(C5H4N2O2)(H2O)]·H2O}n, is a one-dimensional coordination polymer which crystallizes as a monohydrate. The asymmetric unit contains one CoII atom in a distorted octa­hedral geometry, forming a chain parallel to [010] with the pyrazine carb­oxy­lic acid ligands coordinating on one side in a bidentate fashion through one N and one O atom, and in a monodentate fashion through a N atom, with N atoms trans, and with both ligands lying in the same plane. The bromide atoms are cis to each other, while a water mol­ecule occupies the final octa­hedral coordination site. The chains are linked together though an O—H⋯Br hydrogen bonding network, and are further stabilized by an O—H⋯Br and O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding framework with the solvent water mol­ecule

4,4′-Dichloro-N,N′-(o-phenyl­ene)dibenzene­sulfonamide

The title compound, C18H14Cl2N2O4S2, is a diamine that is a precursor to a quinonoid bidentate redox-active ligand. The dihedral angles between the central phenyl ring and the end rings are 87.5(1) and 60.7(1)°, while the two end rings make a dihedral angle of 82.5(1)°. The crystal structure is stabilized by two weak inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, as well as one intra­molecular C—H⋯O and one N—H⋯N hydrogen bond

Combatting disability discrimination: a comparison of France and Great Britain

This article examines disabled people’s employment in Great Britain and France. Although both countries have poor rates of employment for disabled people compared to non-disabled people, Great Britain’s disabled people’s employment rate is lower than France’s. Possible explanations include weak enforcement mechanisms in Great Britain, British judicial resistance, the lack of an institutional role for British trade unions resulting in an implementation gap and the proactive form of French law, a quota-levy scheme, which has no British parallel. The conclusions suggest which of these explanations are the most plausible and propose that Great Britain considers adopting some French provisions, thus tempering Britain’s voluntarist approach

Plasmon-enhanced light-driven water oxidation by a dye-sensitized photoanode

Dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells (DSPECs) provide a basis for artificial photosynthesis and solar fuels production. By combining molecular chromophores and catalysts with high surface area, transparent semiconductor electrodes, a DSPEC provides the basis for light-driven conversion of water to O2 and H2 or for reduction of CO2 to carbon-based fuels. The incorporation of plasmonic cubic silver nanoparticles, with a strongly localized surface plasmon absorbance near 450 nm, to a DSPEC photoanode induces a great increase in the efficiency of water oxidation to O2 at a DSPEC photoanode. The improvement in performance by the molecular components in the photoanode highlights a remarkable advantage for the plasmonic effect in driving the 4e-/4H+ oxidation of water to O2 in the photoanode

A donor-chromophore-catalyst assembly for solar CO2 reduction

We describe here the preparation and characterization of a photocathode assembly for CO2 reduction to CO in 0.1 M LiClO4 acetonitrile. The assembly was formed on 1.0 μm thick mesoporous films of NiO using a layer-by-layer procedure based on Zr(IV)–phosphonate bridging units. The structure of the Zr(IV) bridged assembly, abbreviated as NiO|-DA-RuCP22+-Re(I), where DA is the dianiline-based electron donor (N,N,N′,N′-((CH2)3PO3H2)4-4,4′-dianiline), RuCP2+ is the light absorber [Ru((4,4′-(PO3H2CH2)2-2,2′-bipyridine)(2,2′-bipyridine))2]2+, and Re(I) is the CO2 reduction catalyst, ReI((4,4′-PO3H2CH2)2-2,2′-bipyridine)(CO)3Cl. Visible light excitation of the assembly in CO2 saturated solution resulted in CO2 reduction to CO. A steady-state photocurrent density of 65 μA cm−2 was achieved under one sun illumination and an IPCE value of 1.9% was obtained with 450 nm illumination. The importance of the DA aniline donor in the assembly as an initial site for reduction of the RuCP2+ excited state was demonstrated by an 8 times higher photocurrent generated with DA present in the surface film compared to a control without DA. Nanosecond transient absorption measurements showed that the expected reduced one-electron intermediate, RuCP+, was formed on a sub-nanosecond time scale with back electron transfer to the electrode on the microsecond timescale which competes with forward electron transfer to the Re(I) catalyst at t1/2 = 2.6 μs (kET = 2.7 × 105 s−1)

Northern SPIRIT Consortium - Canadian Collaboration through Student-Led CubeSat Constellation

The Northern Space Program for Innovative Research and Integrated Training (Northern SPIRIT) is a unique collaboration of three Canadian post-secondary institutions that will design, build, and operate a constellation of three CubeSats. The consortium, beginning in 2017, comprises Yukon University, Aurora College, and the University of Alberta (U of A). The partnership will develop three CubeSats: YukonSat (2U), AuroraSat (2U) and Ex-Alta 2 (3U) which will be launched into Low Earth Orbit in 2022. Northern SPIRIT strives to use space technology development to inspire motivated youth across Canada to engage in student-led collaboration and hands-on education, research, training, and to amplify Northern Canadian voices. Supported by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) through the Canadian CubeSat Project (CCP), Northern SPIRIT will help further the CSAs goal of making space more accessible throughout Canada. The constellation mission will support a range of educational payloads dedicated to the expansion of STEM, arts, and language outreach opportunities. They also introduce passionate k-12 students to hands-on experiences with space mission concepts such as operations, coding, and data analytics. AuroraSat’s mission objective is educational outreach directed at sharing Northern art, languages, and history. Northern Images Mission will host a screen and an imager which will capture artwork created by Northern Artists backdropped by the Earth’s horizon. Northern Voices Mission will broadcast Northern Canadian stories of the space and sky, read by students, on amateur radio bands from all three satellites. Finally, the Northern Games Mission will transmit partial messages (focusing on Northern history) from the three satellites in select geographic zones, requiring global cooperation between amateur radio operators to decode a whole message. YukonSat will provide the novel opportunity to expand the capacity of highly qualified space science personnel in the Yukon, while furthering space science engagement and education of the public. The satellite’s payload will host a robotic arm, an OLED screen, camera, and a sensor array for attitude determination. The robotic arm allows freedom to point remote sensing equipment without using the spacecraft attitude determination and control system. The OLED screen and camera will display and photograph student-made Northern art with the Earth and space in the background. Ex-Alta 2 will host a multispectral imaging payload with the mission objective to study wildfires. A secondary science objective on all three satellites is space weather monitoring using a Digital Fluxgate Magnetometer that was designed and built at the U of A. In addition to this inter-institutional coordination, the U of A-designed 3U bus has been adapted into a 2U version to be used on the other two satellites in the constellation. The partnership amongst the three institutions supports collaboration in remote communities across Provincial & Territorial borders, advancing Canada’s contribution to the space industry and showcasing the exciting possibilities for interdisciplinary, national partnership. Extending across Canada, the consortium strives to inspire and enable passionate students to celebrate the Canadian voice and pursue opportunities in the space industry. In partnership with the CSA, Northern SPIRIT is a frontrunner in the exciting upward trend of the democratization of space

Polymer-supported CuPd nanoalloy as a synergistic catalyst for electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to methane

Photo- and electrochemical CO2 reduction to carbon fuels is not only an attractive solution to the greenhouse effect, but could also become an integral part of a global energy storage strategy with renewable electrical energy sources used to store energy in the chemical bonds of carbon fuels. A novel electrodeposition strategy is reported here for the preparation of highly dispersed, ultrafine metal nanoparticles and nanoalloys on an electroactive polymeric film. It is shown that a bimetallic Cu–Pd nanoalloy exhibits a greater than twofold enhancement in Faradaic efficiency for CO2 reduction to methane compared with a state-of-the-art nanoCu catalyst. The fabrication procedure for the alloy nanoparticles is straightforward and applicable as a general procedure for catalytic electrodes for integrated electrolysis devices