Toolboxes and handing students a hammer: The effects of cueing and instruction on getting students to think critically

Developing critical thinking skills is a common goal of an undergraduate physics curriculum. How do students make sense of evidence and what do they do with it? In this study, we evaluated students' critical thinking behaviors through their written notebooks in an introductory physics laboratory course. We compared student behaviors in the Structured Quantitative Inquiry Labs (SQILabs) curriculum to a control group and evaluated the fragility of these behaviors through procedural cueing. We found that the SQILabs were generally effective at improving the quality of students' reasoning about data and making decisions from data. These improvements in reasoning and sensemaking were thwarted, however, by a procedural cue. We describe these changes in behavior through the lens of epistemological frames and task orientation, invoked by the instructional moves

Upper Bound Estimate of the Electronic Scattering Potential of a Weakly Interacting Molecular Film on a Metal

Thin organic films and two-dimensional (2D) molecular assemblies on solid surfaces yield the potential for applications in molecular electronics, optoelectronics, catalysis, and sensing. These applications rely on the intrinsic electronic properties of the hybrid organic/inorganic interface. Here, we investigate the energy dispersion of 2D electronic states at the interface between an atomically thin self-assembled molecular film, comprised of flat, noncovalently bonded 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (DCA) molecules, and a Ag(111) surface. Using Fourier-transformed scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (FT-STS), we determined that the 2D electronic wave functions with wavevectors within ~80% of the first Brillouin zone (BZ) area close to the Gamma-point are free-electron-like, suggesting a weak electronic interaction between the 2D molecular film and the metal surface. Via a perturbative second-order correction to the free electron energy dispersion, we further established an upper bound for the amplitude of the scattering potential resulting from the self-assembled molecular film that the interface electrons are subject to, on the order of 1.5 eV. Our approach allows for quantifying electronic interactions at hybrid 2D interfaces and heterostructures

Direct observation of narrow electronic energy band formation in 2D molecular self-assembly

Surface-supported molecular overlayers have demonstrated versatility as platforms for fundamental research and a broad range of applications, from atomic-scale quantum phenomena to potential for electronic, optoelectronic and catalytic technologies. Here, we report a structural and electronic characterisation of self-assembled magnesium phthalocyanine (MgPc) mono and bilayers on the Ag(100) surface, via low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES), density functional theory (DFT) and tight-binding (TB) modeling. These crystalline close-packed molecular overlayers consist of a square lattice with a basis composed of a single, flat-adsorbed MgPc molecule. Remarkably, ARPES measurements at room temperature on the monolayer reveal a momentum-resolved, two-dimensional (2D) electronic energy band, 1.27 eV below the Fermi level, with a width of ∼20 meV. This 2D band results from in-plane hybridization of highest occupied molecular orbitals of adjacent, weakly interacting MgPc's, consistent with our TB model and with DFT-derived nearest-neighbor hopping energies. This work opens the door to quantitative characterisation – as well as control and harnessing – of subtle electronic interactions between molecules in functional organic nanofilms

Heavy landings of mobulids reported at Cochin Fisheries Harbour, Kerala

Heavy landings of mobulids was seen for four days during 19 - 22 August and again during 31 August - 3 September 2013 at Cochin Fisheries Harbour. During the first phase, around 600 mobulids (16 tonnes) were landed by gillnetters which operated off the coast of Vizhinjam, Kovalam and Colachel. The vessels operated for a period of 5-7 days in the fishing ground 08014’N; 76033’E at a depth of 15 -30 m. The gear used was “ozhukkuvalai” with a square mesh size of 80 - 150 mm. On an average, 15 – 30 numbers of mobulids were landed per boat

Southern sun fish Mola ramsayi (Giglioli, 1883) recorded from Kochi, southwest coast of India

Family Molidae with three genera (Ranzania, Masturus and Mola) and four species are known as the world’s heaviest fishes with a planktivorous diet. Known for their truncated anatomy, these fishes are characterized by lack of caudal bones, ribs and pelvic fins (Tifler, 1980). A southern ocean sunfish Mola ramsayi with total length 111cm and weighing 50kg was landed at Munambam Fisheries Harbour on 6 September 2013

Shark finning: are Indian waters becoming a graveyard for sharks?

Trawl nets account for major share of shark landings in lndia followed by gill nets. New Ferry Wharf and Sassoon Dock in Mumbai, Pudumanai Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh, Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and Veraval in Gujarat are centres of shark landings by trawl net and gill net. Shakthikulangara and Kochi in Kerala are centres for gill net landings. There are more than 800 boats engaged in shark fishing in just one Thoothoor region of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu

Grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Acrididae & Pyrgomorphidae) of Ghyalchok, Gorkha, Nepal and four new species records

We present a list of grasshoppers of two families from Ghyalchok, Gorkha district with four new species records for Nepal. The checklist of species is given to provide basic information on the grasshopper diversity of that region. With detailed information of all species recorded and plates with photos from different angles of each species, the present work shall contribute towards a better understanding of grasshoppers of Nepal's Ghyalchok, Gorkha region. This study contributes to future revisionary works on grasshopper diversity and distribution in Nepal. We surveyed 13 different localities of Ghyalchok for three years from 2019–2022, following visual count, while the specimens were collected by using a sweep net or by handpicking where feasible. We recorded 29 species of grasshoppers, of which 26 species belong to Acrididae and 3 species to Pyrgomorphidae. Four grasshopper species, Phlaeoba antennata antennata Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893; Bibracte burmana burmana Ramme, 1941; Caryanda cachara (Kirby, 1914) and Gonista bicolor (Haan, 1942) are recorded for the first time from Nepal

The Blue Sweater

‘The Blue Sweater’ is a journey through memories of a place and way of life that no longer exists. Memories that are now fading away and some I have already lost. I travelled back in my memory and gathered all that I remembered of living in my village. While we embraced development, we lost a lot too. Bridges sprung up connecting the islands of the coast to the city, machines began plying the land, and alongside, trees and animals started disappearing. My memories are now a mixed bag of vivid imageries of an actual tropical village that used to be, and all those stories I cooked up to boast about to my classmates. Some stories I have narrated way so many times they have become so real I can’t think of them merely as stories anymore. The Blue Sweater explores family bonding, love and tragedy—an overwhelming part of my life back then. It is a story of siblings and their relationship enshrined in the celebration of ‘Rakshabhandan’, a day that celebrates the sacred relationship between brothers and sisters in India. Rakshabhandhan, also known as Rakhi Poornima or Savan Poornima, falls on a fullmoon day of the Indian Lunar calendar. ‘The Blue Sweater’ became a story of the love of a sister for her brother and the pain of a tragedy that befalls them. We all know life is hard, and often tragic, but I wanted to underscore the possibility of hope when things seem bleak. Stories of memories help us through all of that and I wanted to re-invent optimism in making one such story myself