No abstract

The authors examined the validity of the group interview, in which several applicants are interviewed simultaneously, vs. the traditional 1-on-1 selection interview. The authors also investigated perceptions of fairness for each interview format and whether the order in which the applicant was asked to respond in the group interview affected the quality of his or her response. Participants were 91 undergraduates who participated in 1-on-1 or group interviews for a scholarship award. The present results supported the hypothesis that interviewers in the 1-on-1 format were significantly better at predicting the applicants' academic potential. Also, in the group interviews, the order in which the applicants were asked to respond affected the quality of their responses significantly.

Palladium is an efficient monoatomic catalyst for the electrochemical oxidation of polyalcohols in alkaline media, yet the oxidation rate is still slow compared to other smaller molecules. In order to improve the oxidation rate, Ni was mixed with Pd for synthesis of PdNi/C nanoparticles. The oxidation rates of ethylene glycol (EG), propylene glycol (PG), and glycerol (G) on Pd/C were compared to the oxidation rates on Pd16Ni84/C, Pd53Ni47/C, and Pd68Ni32/C. The oxidation rate of PG was enhanced by the presence of Ni as much as 14 times (Pd53Ni47/C). The oxidation rate of EG was enhanced 2.3 times on Pd68Ni32/C, and G was improved 2.9 times on Pd53Ni47/C. A significant shift in d‐band center was also observed (as high as +0.11 eV in Pd53Ni47/C) on each PdNi/C catalyst compared to that of Pd/C due to the presence of Ni. The correlation between increased oxidation rate and shift in d‐band center is indicative of the presence of an electronic effect, which is particularly strong for PG.