Chemistry Education Research at a Crossroads: Where Do We Need to Go Now?

At the Biennial Conference of Chemical Education in August 2022, a symposium was held entitled Chemistry Education Research at a Crossroads: Where Do We Need to Go Now? The impetus for this symposium was to reflect on how our field has changed and grown substantially in the last 60 years and to challenge the chemistry education research (CER) community to think about how we could most productively continue to progress. As Cooper and Stowe highlight in their 2018 review of the development of research in chemistry education, the field has moved from personal empiricism, where ideas about teaching and learning of chemistry were guided by practitioner wisdom, to a field grounded in theories of learning that seeks evidence to improve teaching and learning. More recently, the COVID pandemic has forced a global rethinking of chemistry education, providing opportunities for systemic change in how CER is conducted, disseminated, and put into practice rather than returning to prepandemic status quo. To catalyze discussion about how to best capitalize on these opportunities, symposium speakers and attendees shared many ideas, challenges, and questions regarding the role that the CER community can or should play moving forward. This commentary aims to both document the ideas generated in the symposium by the presenters and the participants for the broader community and lay out one potential future direction and set of goals for CER as a means to inspire thoughtful conversation.

Interactive Strategies of Chinese Cloud Classroom Based on the Perspective of Meta Universe

With the American social software Facebook officially announced its name change to "Meta”, the concept of "Meta Universe” has really entered the public field. The meta universe is an Internet social form based on the integrated application of various emerging information technologies. It has transformative value for the future development of all walks of life, including the education industry. Since the outbreak of covid-19, online Chinese learning of most foreign students has changed from a short-term accidental state to a normal state. In this way, we must pay attention to how to seize the opportunity of the development of meta universe technology, combine the meta universe cloud classroom with AI digital people, and create a new scene of educational application integrating multiple technologies under the new AI ecology. Only in this way can we build a new educational paradigm change, and solve some bottlenecks and difficulties in the current development of Chinese cloud classroom interaction for foreign students, so that classroom teaching can truly promote the development of students' knowledge, ability and emotion, and finally cultivate students' innovative spirit and practical ability. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Were small businesses more likely to permanently close in the pandemic?

Previous estimates indicate that COVID-19 led to a large drop in the number of operating businesses operating early in the pandemic, but surprisingly little is known on whether these shutdowns turned into permanent closures and whether small businesses were disproportionately hit. This paper provides the first analysis of permanent business closures using confidential administrative firm-level panel data covering the universe of businesses filing sales taxes from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. We find large increases in closure rates in the first two quarters of 2020, but a strong reversal of this trend in the third quarter of 2020. The increase in closures rates in the first two quarters of the pandemic was substantially larger for small businesses than large businesses, but the rebound in the third quarter was also larger. The disproportionate closing of small businesses led to a sharp concentration of market share among larger businesses as indicated by the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index with only a partial reversal after the initial increase. The findings highlight the fragility of small businesses during a large adverse shock and the consequences for the competitiveness of markets.Plain English SummarySmall businesses were more likely to close permanently during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic than large businesses. Although they rebounded strongly thereafter, market concentration remains higher than before the pandemic. We obtain these results from analyzing administrative firm-level data covering all businesses filing sales taxes in California. Our analysis contributes to research by demonstrating the fragility of small businesses during a crisis relative to large businesses. Our findings imply that small businesses may need additional support given the trend toward purchases from large online retailers.

Labour demand in the time of post-COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the labour market in ways that have proved difficult for economists to predict. Early studies suggested that labour demand ‘collapsed'. This initial forecast proved to be overly alarmist, due to the short-run view. We find that labour demand has rebounded sharply, though an aberration has appeared in recent months. Using what is believed to be a near-universe of online jobs postings, we demonstrate that while total job postings are up 43% from pre-pandemic levels, only one-tenth of that increase is driven by increases in new postings. This suggests that the growth in job postings in the labour market is being driven by jobs that are remaining unfilled. Labour force participation has dropped to levels not seen since the 1970s, while unemployment claims have mirrored other recent economic downturns. Combined, these two measures account for almost all the remaining jobs shed during the recent economic downturn. Analysing the characteristics of these job postings, we find a decrease in required skills and salary compared to the pre-pandemic periods. Individuals appear unwilling to re-enter the labour market, likely because of the quality of jobs currently available, leading to an overall labour shortage.

Time-Leveled Hypersoft Matrix, Level Cuts, Operators, and COVID-19 Collective Patient Health State Ranking Model

This article is the first step to formulate such higher dimensional mathematical structures in the extended fuzzy set theory that includes time as a fundamental source of variation. To deal with such higher dimensional information, some modern data processing structures had to be built. Classical matrices (connecting equations and variables through rows and columns) are a limited approach to organizing higher dimensional data, composed of scattered information in numerous forms and vague appearances that differ on time levels. To extend the approach of organizing and classifying the higher dimensional information in terms of specific time levels, this unique plithogenic crisp time-leveled hypersoft-matrix (PCTLHS matrix) model is introduced. This hypersoft matrix has multiple parallel layers that describe parallel universes/realities/information on some specific time levels as a combined view of events. Furthermore, a specific kind of view of the matrix is described as a top view. According to this view, i-level cuts, sublevel cuts, and sub-sublevel cuts are introduced. These level cuts sort the clusters of information initially, subject-wise then attribute-wise, and finally time-wise. These level cuts are such matrix layers that focus on one required piece of information while allowing the variation of others, which is like viewing higher dimensional images in lower dimensions as a single layer of the PCTLHS matrix. In addition, some local aggregation operators are designed to unify i-level cuts. These local operators serve the purpose of unifying the material bodies of the universe. This means that all elements of the universe are fused and represented as a single body of matter, reflecting multiple attributes on different time planes. This is how the concept of a unified global matter (something like dark matter) is visualized. Finally, to describe the model in detail, a numerical example is constructed to organize and classify the states of patients with COVID-19.

Editorial to the Special Issue: “High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy: Results on Fundamental Questions after 30 Years of Ground-Based Observations”

In the presence of other particles, photons or magnetic fields, cosmic rays lose energy by emitting gamma rays and other carriers of astrophysical information, such as neutrinos. The combined observation of these probes, whose origin is closely linked, make up the multi-messenger astronomy framework, of which gamma-rays are the key ingredient. Since the discovery of the first TeV-emitting source a little over 30 years ago, ground-based gamma-ray astronomy, and in particular the imaging air-Cherenkov technique (IACT), has been a major actor in the many revolutions witnessed in the field of astro-particle physics. Cosmology and cosmic ray physics are discussed by L. Tibaldo, D. Gaggero and P. Martin in “Gamma Rays as Probes of Cosmic-Ray Propagation and Interactions in Galaxies” [8], by A. Franceschini in “Photon–Photon Interactions and the Opacity of the Universe in Gamma Rays” [9] and by R. Alves Batista and A. Saveliev in “The Gamma-ray Window to Intergalactic Magnetism” [10], reporting on the limits obtained with gamma-rays in the intergalactic magnetic field. [...]IACTs have proven to be great probes of fundamental physics topics, specially dark matter (DM) searches.

Modeling Distress in US High Yield Mutual Funds Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Research background: In March 2020, when the US financial markets were in the grip of the COVID-19 crisis, the Fed instituted various policies and programs to alleviate stress in financial markets. One such program involved the Fed purchase of securities and ETFs in certain market segments, including high yield bonds. This buying action inspired investors to join the Fed (or front-run the Fed) in the high yield bond market, resulting in the tightening of spreads in that market to historically tight levels.Purpose: In this research we investigate whether investors could have seen any signs of higher liquidity risk in US high yield mutual funds since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic and avoid it. Theoretically, funds with heightened liquidity risk should have higher historical returns (adjusted for interest rate risk and credit risk) because borne risk requires return as compensation. But because of the unusual market conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic investors could look inside funds (to see what bonds the funds owned) and then avoid funds with holdings known to be less liquid.Research methodology: The study is based on data on US mutual funds from the Morningstar Direct database. The authors made a serial correlation model with an AR(1) process and the lagged effects model vs CAPM model to measure two proxies for liquidity risk for each US high yield mutual fund in our fund universe, in order to identify those funds at particular risk for portfolio illiquidity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: it is found that the proposed measures may be an effective tool for selecting high yield funds against liquidity risk. Therefore, they should be considered by investors or analysts as a practical tool to identify funds that might be illiquid.Novelty: The study focuses on the liquidity risk in US high yield bond mutual funds before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a crisis situation with implications for liquidity risk. The methods used and results achieved may be a basis for studies of other types of funds and markets outside the USA.

Pesquisa de COVID 19, oportunidad para el reforzamiento de valores en estudiantes de las ciencias médicas

La calidad de la educación superior cubana se sustenta en el trabajo educativo con énfasis en la formación de valores. El objetivo de la investigación fue determinar en qué medida la actividad de pesquisa de COVID-19 contribuye a la consolidación de valores. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, trasversal, en el Área III de Cienfuegos, de abril a mayo de 2020. Del universo de 130 se seleccionaron 71 estudiantes por muestreo aleatorio simple. Se utilizó una encuesta que incluye como variables:carrera, año académico, y la autovaloración sobre el grado en que la actividad de pesquisa contribuyó a reforzar valores. Para el procesamiento se confeccionó una base de datos en el paquete estadístico SPSS 21.0. Predominaron los estudiantes de la carrera de medicina (87,3%) y sexo femenino (67,6%). Más del 50% percibió que fue considerable la contribución de la pesquisa para consolidar el humanismo, honestidad, justicia, solidaridad y responsabilidad.Alternate :The quality of Cuban higher education is based on educational work with an emphasis on the formation of values. The objective of the research was to determine to what extent the COVID-19 research activity contributes to the consolidation ofvalues. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in Area III of Cienfuegos, from April to May 2020. From the universe of 130, 71 students were selected by simple random sampling. A survey was used that included as variables: career, academic year, and self-assessment on the degree to which the research activity contributed to reinforcing values. For processing, a database was created in the statistical package SPSS 21.0. Medicine students (87.3%) and females (67.6%) predominated. More than 50% perceived that the contribution of the research to consolidate humanism, honesty, justice, solidarity and responsibility was considerable

Knowledge Based on Rough Approximations and Ideals

Topology is a beneficial structure to study the approximation operators in the rough set theory. In this work, we first introduce six new types of neighborhoods with respect to finite binary relations. We study their main properties and show under what conditions they are equivalent. Then we applied these types of neighborhoods to initiate some topological spaces that are utilized to define new types of rough set models. We compare these models and prove that the best accuracy measures are obtained in the cases of i and i. Also, we illustrate that our approaches are better than those defined under one arbitrary relation. To improve rough sets’ accuracy, we define some topological spaces using the idea of ideals. With the help of examples, we demonstrate that our methods are better than some methods studied in some published literature. Finally, we give a real-life application showing the merits of the approaches followed in this manuscript.

The cost of steering in financial markets: Evidence from the mortgage market

We build a model of the mortgage market in which banks attain their optimal mortgage portfolio by setting rates and steering customers. Sophisticated households know which mortgage type is best for them;naive households are susceptible to banks' steering. Using data on the universe of Italian mortgages, we estimate the model and quantify the welfare implications of steering. The average cost of the distortion is equivalent to 16% of the annual mortgage payment. A financial literacy campaign is beneficial for naive households, but hurts sophisticated ones. Since steering also conveys information about mortgages, restricting steering might result in significant welfare losses.

On Exception and the Unconscious: Present/Absent, and the Otherness of Childhood

This article proceeds from my continued exploration of the relations between the subjective and the collective, and from the assumption that the subject, and subjectivity itself, are always a reflection, an iteration, an embodied instantiation of the social universe in which they emerge. In this article, I turn to what the philosopher Giorgio Agamben calls states of exception, those times and places where the law and the norm are suspended, such as we have seen most recently in the context of the COVID pandemic, but is always the case sometimes, in some places, most often regarding particular groups of people. I examine, as examples, two particular exception categories, a status in the Israeli legal code called present/absent, and our modern concept of childhood. I use the notions of present/absent and of childhood to think about what we call in psychoanalysis “the unconscious,” the unconscious as a subjective/collective terrain where what is socially excepted and forbidden becomes that which is psychologically dissociated and disavowed. And I reflect on how a social-theory driven perspective on subjectivity can both complicate and deepen our ability to address the intricacies of human experience.

Introduction

Overnight, public and communal installations of children's shoes appeared on the steps of governmental buildings and art galleries across the country. Critical inquiry into climate change and its impacts have taken off as interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary endeavors with activists, artists, and academics scrambling to make sense of what it means to be "living on a damaged planet" (Tsing et al., eds, 2017). Constituting what Chela Sandoval (2000) refers to as a "methodology of the oppressed," "a set of processes, procedures, and technologies for decolonizing the imagination" (68), the cultural forms included in this issue respond to the ways impending global impacts of climate change often lead to universalizing assumptions that promote colonialist power hierarchies and exacerbate, not eradicate, racial inequalities. Whether it is Betsy Huang's (2010) argument that Asian Americans can "retool" the genre, "providing different narratives lenses for revising generic imperatives and epistemologies" (102);Grace Dillon's (2012) observation that "Native slipstream thinking, which has been around for millennia, anticipated recent cutting-edge physics" (4);or Jayna Brown's (2021) assertion that "unburdened by investments in belonging to a system created to exclude [Black people] in the first place, we develop marvelous modes of being in and perceiving the universe" (7), there is a deep tradition of Indigenous scholars and scholars of color who understand how speculative fiction can illuminate the time and place of those who exist out of sync with settler temporality.

Long Memory and Fractality in the Universe of Volatility Indices

Unlike previous studies that consider the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) implied volatility index (VIX), we examine long memory and fractality in the universe of nine CBOE volatility indices. Using daily data from October 5, 2007, to October 5, 2020, covering calm and crisis periods, we find evidence of long memory and fractality in all indices and a change in the degree of volatility persistence, which points to inefficiency. The long memory of the SKEW index is strong before the onset of three crisis periods, but eases afterwards. The findings provide new insights that matter to investment decisions and trading strategies.

“Christianity is an epidemic”: on Hölderlin and the plague

Throughout literary history the event of a plague has been an interpretation event typically split into two mutually exclusive stances. On one side, the plague is interpreted as the manifestation of divine punishment (for example, Homer’s Iliad) or, more ambiguously, as a test of faith. On the other side, it is understood in terms of its material causes in the absence of God (for example, Lucretius’ De rerum natura). However, there is an important liminal space in which the plague is understood neither as evidence of divine presence nor as evidence of divine absence but as a sign of discord between the human and the divine and discord in the divine. In this space, both humanity and God are infected by a finitude and contingency that the plague, perhaps more than any other phenomenon, renders palpable and unavoidable. It is in and of this temporal space that Friedrich Hölderlin wrote. This article begins with an explication of Jacques Lacan and Jean-Claude Milner’s understanding of the plague as an affront to the belief in the existence of an exception to finitude and contingency (the immortal Absolute in the form of God or the soul) and then combines this with David Farrell Krell’s elucidation of the effect on German idealism’s poets and philosophers of an awareness of this ailing or “tragic Absolute..” It then turns to Hölderlin’s translation of Oedipus Rex and later poems and fragments where the plague is obliquely referenced in order to show how what Wilhelm Scherer diagnosed as Hölderlin’s “spiritual epidemic”—his struggle, to the point of madness, with a universe in which the divine exception is a presentified absence—is the result of a recognition that, in Lacan’s provocative terms, “Christianity is an epidemic.”

Learning at Home About the Universe in Times of COVID-19 by Incorporating the Use of Simulators

the article reveals the results of a pedagogical experience related to the incorporation of simulators to strengthen the learning processes in the area of social sciences, specifically about the universe. The proposal takes place within the framework of the cam-19 pandemic, an aspect that generated the need to design innovative strategies to promote meaningful learning that would awaken students' interest in the universe, during academic work at home. The pedagogical proposal included learning activities based on the use of the Celestia simulator, applying online tools and taking advantage of the situation generated by the new learning scheme. The accompaniment of the development of each planned session allowed to establish the progress of students who took part of the study. An increase was observed in the institutional assessment scale related to the area of social sciences and in a higher performance of students of sixth grade, from 8,9 % to 100 %, with which it was possible to conclude the usefulness of the pedagogical strategy with this simulator as a working tool for teachers and as a didactic aid for teaching the subject of the universe. Likewise, there was evidence of improvement in cognitive competence, while promoting scenarios of reflection by the students.

A Borderless Solution Is Needed for A Borderless Complexity, Like COVID-19, the Universal Invader.

This chapter briefly describes the universal intricacies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, from the ineffectiveness of distance measures, the massive economic impacts, and the severe mental health challenges to the failure of finding a vaccine, a therapeutic agent or even accurately diagnosing the infection. The entire world is suffering, but every country is trying to combat this pandemic individually, and this deed is the main barrier that prevents reaching a peaceful end.