Activation of learning and creative activity of the vocational pedagogical university students

The relevance of the problem under study is based on the society’s demand for training students - future professional training teachers ready to solve in a creative manner a wide range of professional and pedagogical tasks, as well as to develop professionally-oriented creative work in the process of training; it is also caused by the insufficient extent of the prior research within the vocational training theory of scientific and methodological mechanisms required for implementing this process. The purpose of the article is to develop a conceptual structural model of professionally-oriented learning and creative activity of the vocational pedagogical university students. Leading method for studying this problem is modelling which allows to consider this problem as the process of goaloriented and deliberate acquiring by future professionals the creative approaches to implementation of professional activity. The article presents a structural model of learning and creative activity of vocational pedagogical university students, justifies the necessity to single out in the structure of the students’ learning and creative activity three interconnected components (creative, professional-pedagogical and personal-acmeological), proves the productivity of activating the learning and creative activity of the vocational pedagogical university students by organizing it as quasi-professional process of searching and solving professional tasks which are subjectively and objectively new, on the basis of using synectics including association methods of activating creative thinking integrated into the its structure. The article can be useful for teachers within the vocational and pedagogical education system, as well as for professionals who develop creative abilities of students based on the heuristic creativity methods. © 2016 Krayukhina et al

Thermoelectric prospects of nanomaterials with spin-orbit surface bands

Nanostructured composites and nanowire arrays of traditional thermoelectrics like Bi, Bi(1-x)Sb(x) and Bi(2)Te(3) have metallic Rashba surface spin-orbit bands featuring high mobilities rivaling that of the bulk for which topological insulator behavior has been proposed. Nearly pure surface electronic transport has been observed at low temperatures in Bi nanowires with diameter around the critical diameter, 50 nm, for the semimetal-to semiconductor transition. The surface contributes strongly to the thermopower, actually dominating for temperatures T < 100 K in these nanowires. The surface thermopower was found to be -1 T microvolt/(K^2), a value that is consistent with theory. We show that surface electronic transport together with boundary phonon scattering leads to enhanced thermoelectric performance at low temperatures of Bi nanowire arrays. We compare with bulk n-BiSb alloys, optimized CsBi(4)Te(6) and optimized Bi(2)Te(3). Surface dominated electronic transport can be expected in nanomaterials of the other traditional thermoelectrics.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figure

TUTORING AS A FORM OF PEDAGOGICAL SUPPORT OF STUDENTS’ INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL TRAJECTORIES

Purpose: The key provisions on which the tutor relies on the context of his work are the principles underlying open education: transparency; flexibility; continuity; variability; individual approach; individualization. Methodology: The relevance of the study is associated with the processes characteristic of the school system in modern Russia (modernization, optimization, change in the structural foundations), as well as the objective need of society in the search for fundamentally new approaches to the content and construction of the educational process in the educational institution. Result: Tutoring should be considered as a resource of individual evolution of personality, as a form of productive exploitation of open education opportunities for the development of individual educational programs, taking into account the specifics of a particular student. As pedagogical conditions for the implementation of the model of tutor support of the formation of basic school students’ research skills should be considered: innovative educational environment; scientific and methodological provision of tutor support of the process of building basic school students’ research skills; professional skills of the tutor. Applications: This research can be used for universities, teachers, and students. Novelty/Originality: In this research, the model of Tutoring as a Form of Pedagogical Support of Students’ Individual Educational Trajectories is presented in a comprehensive and complete manner

Have a Good Trip! Expanding our Concepts of the Quality of Everyday Travelling with Flow Theory

The dominant tradition in transport planning and policy practice considers travel as a derived activity and travel time as an economic disutility. A growing body of literature is challenging this perspective, demonstrating that being ‘on the move’ is a rich experience interlaced with profound shared and individual meanings that can have positive implications on quality of life, well-being and personal development. Yet, mobility in general, and commuting in particular, is often reported as one of the least pleasant daily experiences and as a source of massive environmental impacts. This exploratory article hypothesizes that flow theory, based on Csikszentmihalyi´s seminal work on optimal states of consciousness, has the potential to offer important insights that can contribute to research and policy action on achieving both sustainable and satisfying forms of daily mobility. The article draws on an online exploratory questionnaire in order to reflect on flow theory in relation to the capacity of different mobility modes to either facilitate or constrain the occurrence and duration of optimal states of consciousness. Preliminary conclusions provide a basis for outlining a set of future research directions aimed at better understanding mobility experiences and their relationships with flow theory

Surface state band mobility and thermopower in semiconducting bismuth nanowires

Many thermoelectrics like Bi exhibit Rashba spin-orbit surface bands for which topological insulator behavior consisting of ultrahigh mobilities and enhanced thermopower has been predicted. Bi nanowires realize surface-only electronic transport since they become bulk insulators when they undergo the bulk semimetal-semiconductor transition as a result of quantum confinement for diameters close to 50 nm. We studied 20-, 30-, 50- and 200-nm trigonal Bi wires. Shubnikov-de Haas magnetoresistance oscillations caused by surface electrons and bulklike holes enable the determination of their densities and mobilities. Surface electrons have high mobilities exceeding 2(m^2)/(Vsec) and contribute strongly to the thermopower, dominating for temperatures T< 100 K. The surface thermopower is - 1.2 T microvolt/(K^2), a value that is consistent with theory, raising the prospect of developing nanoscale thermoelectrics based on surface bands.Comment: 19 pages. 3 figure

Observation of three-dimensional behavior in surface states of bismuth nanowires and the evidence for bulk Bi charge fractionalization

Whereas bulk bismuth supports very-high mobility, light, Dirac electrons and holes in its interior, its boundaries support a layer of heavy electrons in surface states formed by spin orbit interaction in the presence of the surface electric field. Small diameter d trigonal Bi nanowires (30 nm < d < 200 nm) were studied via magnetotransport at low temperatures and for fields up to 14 T in order to investigate the role of surfaces in electronic transport. A two-dimensional behavior was expected for surface charges; however we found instead a three-dimensional behavior, with a rich spectrum of Landau levels in a nearly spherical Fermi surface. This is associated with the long penetration length of surface states of trigonal wires. The prospect of the participation of surface transport and surface-induced relaxation of bulk carriers in the electronic properties of macroscopic samples is evaluated. We show that recent observations of magnetoquantum peaks in the Nernst thermopower coefficient, attributed to two-dimensional electron gas charge fractionalization, can be more plausibly interpreted in terms of these surface states.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure

The impact of temperature patterns during storage of Scots pine and Norway spruce seeds on their germination and fungal infection rates

Relevance of the study. One of the ways to maintain the genetic diversity of forest-forming species is to preserve highquality seed material ex situ. However, the relationship between the diversity of pathogenic mycobiota and the duration and methods of forest tree seed storage remains underexplored. The results of research into this problem can be used in forest seed production and forest phytopathology.Materials and methods. For our study we used seeds of Рinus sylvestris L. and Picea abies (L.) Karst. of the orthodox type, harvested in the period of 1996–2011 and stored under different temperatures: +20°С, +4°С, –18°С, and in liquid nitrogen vapor (–182°С) since 2011. Prior to their storage, seed samples were dried to a moisture content of 4.2–4.4% and hermetically packed. Seed germination was tested before and after three, five and eight years of storage, following GOST 13056.6-97 standards. The level of seed infection and the composition of pathogenic fungi were assessed.Results. After eight years of storage at +20°С, pine and spruce seed germination capacity decreased by 13–60%, depending on the year of harvesting. Seed storage at –18°С and –182°С allowed us to prevent seed infection and preserve seed viability. In most cases, the germination energy and germination capacity were negatively correlated with the level of seed infection. The diversity of pathogenic (mold) fungi on the surface of seeds was represented by ten genera; the most common were saprotrophs: Aspergillus P. Micheli, Penicillium Link, Rhizopus Ehrenb., Scopulariopsis Bainier.Conclusion. At the present stage of research, the success of seed storage at low and ultralow temperatures was demonstrated. We recommend cryopreservation for the long-term storage of improved and valuable seeds