Means and Methods of Residential Construction and Design in Remote Areas of Southeast Alaska

Building in the remote locations of Southeast Alaska is currently an unexplored area of construction that has been avoided due to the complications that accompany such projects. Many property owners in the Southeast Alaska region face challenges due to a lack of common practices that would simplify the construction process, particularly those deprived of road access and utility services. These potential residents must rely on sustainable techniques and alternative modes of material transportation, creating an abundance of planning concerns. Additionally, while code restrictions are limited due to the uniqueness of these properties, certain codes regarding the Alaska Department of Natural Resources waterfront laws can reap havoc in building plans. However, custom architecture can be achieved as a result of schematic design and pertinent construction methods. By using both solar and generated power, modern filtration systems, and waste management equipment, mandatory utilities can be accounted for. Construction practices catered to remote development can also create more efficient means of building, trialed and tested by those with experience in this limited field. With the implementation of a general construction guide for remote construction in Southeast Alaska, landowners can utilize their premium estate to its maximum potential

COVID in statistics: numbers do not speak for themselves

David Spiegelhalter (University of Cambridge) and Anthony Masters (Royal Statistical Society) highlight some of the key findings from their book, COVID by Numbers: Making Sense of the Pandemic with Data

reactions of p coumaryl alcohol model compounds with dimethyl carbonate towards the upgrading of lignin building blocks

Cinnamyl alcohol 1 and 4-(3-hydroxypropyl)phenol 2, two compounds resembling the lignin building block p-coumaryl alcohol, can be selectively transformed into different products by catalytic methodologies based on dimethyl carbonate (DMC) as a green solvent/reagent. Selectivity can be tuned as a function of the reaction temperature and of the nature of the catalyst. Basic catalysts such as K2CO3, trioctylmethylphosphonium methylcarbonate ([P8881][CH3OCOO]), and CsF/αAl2O3 promote selective transesterification of the aliphatic hydroxyl group at 90 °C. However, amphoteric solids such as alkali metal-exchanged faujasites, NaX and NaY, selectively yield the corresponding alkyl ethers at higher temperatures (165–180 °C). The phenolic hydroxyl group of 2 can be methylated similarly with the faujasites at high temperatures. This preliminary screening for selectivity illustrates reactivity trends and delineates some of what might be among the most promising synthetic pathways to upgrade lignin-derived chemical building blocks

Ionic liquid-templated preparation of mesoporous silica embedded with nanocrystalline sulfated zirconia

A series of mesoporous silicas impregnated with nanocrystalline sulphated zirconia was prepared by a sol-gel process using an ionic liquid-templated route. The physicochemical properties of the mesoporous sulphated zirconia materials were studied using characterisation techniques such as inductively coupled optical emission spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis, elemental analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Analysis of the new silicas indicates isomorphous substitution of silicon with zirconium and reveals the presence of extremely small (< 10 nm) polydispersed zirconia nanoparticles in the materials with zirconium loadings from 27.77 to 41.4 wt.%

Single-Step Methylation of Chitosan Using Dimethyl Carbonate as a Green Methylating Agent

N,N,N-Trimethyl chitosan (TMC) is one chitosan derivative that, because of its improved solubility, has been studied for industrial and pharmaceutic applications. Conventional methods for the synthesis of TMC involve the use of highly toxic and harmful reagents, such as methyl iodide and dimethyl sulfate (DMS). Although the methylation of dimethylated chitosan to TMC by dimethyl carbonate (DMC, a green and benign methylating agent) was reported recently, it involved a formaldehyde-based procedure. In this paper we report the single-step synthesis of TMC from chitosan using DMC in an ionic liquid. The TMC synthesised was characterised by 1H NMR spectroscopy and a functionally meaningful degree of quaternisation of 9% was demonstrated after a 12-h reaction time

Students’ perceptions of their understanding in Chemistry 1 for Veterinary Science

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between students’ perceptions of their understanding of chemistry, and their performance as measured by the end of semester examinations. Prior to commencing the study, it was hypothesised that there should be some correlation between students’ perceived understanding and exam performance. Furthermore, experience suggested that high achieving students are generally better able to identify their strengths and weaknesses than are weaker students. It seemed logical, therefore, that the strength of any correlation should vary with exam performance. This study was designed to test this hypothesis, and this paper is the first refereed report of results from this on-going investigation. A search of the literature found no previous studies of direct relevance to this work. However, the literature does offer some background. A number of studies have examined students’ perception of their exam performance after completing an exam (e.g., Beyer, Riesselmann and Warren 2002), and students’ overall expectations of academic performance has also been examined (e.g., de Campos, Grinberg, Garcia, Parise, da Silveira and Dumont 1998). Both are poor predictors of academic performance. Student self-marking has been shown to correlate well with the marks given by their professors for lower-order cognitive skills questions, but not for questions requiring high-order cognitive skills (Zoller, Fastow, Lubezsky and Tsaparlis 1999). Academic self-efficacy (confidence in one’s ability to complete academic tasks) has been shown to be positively correlated with academic performance (Chemers, Hu, and Garcia 2001; Vrugt, Langereis and Hoogstraten 1997). However, the Chemers et al. (2001) study examined generic skills and overall performance in a degree program, and was not linked to a domain. The Vrugt et al. (1997) study examined psychology freshmen, and whilst subject matter understanding was included in their model, they found that ‘self-efficacy and goals accounted for 5% of the variance in exam performance’ (p. 67), and thus their model has a poor predicting power for student achievement. House (2000, 2003) examined self-beliefs (measuring agreement/disagreement with statements such as ‘Science is boring’, ‘I enjoy learning Science’ and ‘Science is important to everyone’s life’) amongst 13-yearolds. These studies found a correlation between self-beliefs and science achievement test scores, but these beliefs were also found to be poor predictors of performance, explaining 6.29% of the variance in test scores in Hong Kong (House 2003, p. 201) and 6.8% in Ireland (House 2000, p. 110)

Developing robust and coherent conceptions of chemistry: An integrated model

The process by which students develop conceptions of science has long been an area of science education research. From a constructivist standpoint (Bodner, 1986) the formation of misconceptions and processes of conceptual change are equally interesting, as learners may place unintended interpretations onto instructional materials. Previous studies have identified a myriad of individual misconceptions across the sciences (Azizoğlu, Alkan, and Geban 2006; Boo 1998; Cakmakci, Leach, and Donnelly 2006; Sneider and Ohadi 1998; Taber 1996) and the efficacies of numerous interventions have been investigated (Cakir, Uzuntiryaki, and Geban 2002; Diakidoy and Kendeou 2001; Kalkanis, Hadzidaki, and Stavrou 2003; Yang, Greenbowe and Andre 2004). General theories of conceptual change have also been proposed, attributing the origins of misconceptions to ontological miscategorisations (Chi, Slotta and de Leeuw 1994), conflicts with epistemological presuppositions (Vosniadou 1994; 2002), and inappropriate selections from multiple representations (Hallidén, Petersson, Scheja, Ehrlén, Haglund, Österlind and Stenlund 2002; Spada 1994). Despite this extensive body of research, the practical implementation of recommendations from general conceptual change theories remains problematic. Much of the research is necessarily and appropriately learner-centred and thus individually-focused; however, undergraduate teaching is primarily conducted in groups. Conceptual change theories have also offered comparatively little overt advice for general pedagogical practices to minimise misconception formation. This paper is intended to begin to fill this gap, by offering an integrated model for developing robust conceptions which is applicable at the classroom level. The empirical data presented draw on research in chemistry education, but the model presented is expected to be applicable in other science domains

Exam script analysis—A powerful tool for identifying misconceptions

As part of a wider study of student understanding (Read, George, King and Masters 2004), a detailed analysis of the Semester 1, 2003 CHEM1405 (Chemistry 1 for Veterinary Science) examination was carried out. This analysis used both quantitative (statistical) and qualitative methods. Qualitative analysis focussed on evidence of misconceptions and commonalities in student approaches, both correct and incorrect. While university exams are primarily used for summative assessment purposes, this poster paper is intended to highlight some of the other information available from exam script analysis