Patterning molecular scale paramagnets at Au Surface: A root to Magneto-Molecular-Electronics

Few examples of the exploitation of molecular magnetic properties in molecular electronics are known to date. Here we propose the realization of Self assembled monolayers (SAM) of a particular stable organic radical. This radical is meant to be used as a standard molecule on which to prove the validity of a single spin reading procedure known as ESR-STM. We also discuss a range of possible applications, further than ESR-STM, of magnetic monolayers of simple purely organic magnetic molecule.Comment: This preprint is currently partially under revisio

Patterned monolayers of nitronyl nitroxide radicals

We report here the results of the preliminary characterization of the monolayer obtained both by self-assembling and microcontact printing of a di-alkyl sulfide nitronyl nitroxide derivative, 11-decyl sulfanyl-undecanyl nitronyl nitroxide of which we describe the synthesis. The sulfide unit has been introduced in order to allow the grafting of the molecule to the gold surface as well as to improve the stability of the organic radical with respect to different grafting agents like thiols, whereas the two long alkyl chains have been introduced to enhance the packing order of the molecules in a self assembled monolayer structure. X-band ESR was used to demonstrate the persistence of the paramagnetic character of the radical in the self-assembled monolayers, and to study its relatively large mobility. The microcontact printed monolayer was characterized by AFM, suggesting a non-negligible mobility of the molecules on the surfaces and a strong tilting of the molecules on the surface

Pasturatge en oliverars: aplicació de l'aversió condicionada a l'olivera en cabres

Cada dia l'agricultura incorpora noves pràctiques més respectuoses amb el medi ambient intentant aprofitar millor els recursos naturals i preservar-los de cara al futur. En el cas de l'oliverar, l'erosió que pateix el sòl, a causa de les pràctiques tradicionals de conreu, ha propiciat la implantació de cobertes vegetals que es controlen mitjançant l'ús de maquinària, o bé amb herbicides. L'inconvenient que comporten aquestes pràctiques i la inquietud per pràctiques més sostenibles han afavorit l'estudi de l'ús de bestiar per pasturar els camps d'oliveres. L'inconvenient és que les fulles de les oliveres són un aliment molt atractiu per a cabres i ovelles i poden malmetre l'arbre. Amb la finalitat que les cabres rebutgin menjar fulles d'olivera, es planteja la possibilitat de modificar el seu comportament alimentari, utilitzant diferents dosis de clorur de liti (LiCl), 175 mg LiCl/kg PV i 200 mg LiCl/kg PV. Els resultats obtinguts en cabres murcianogranadines mostren la possibilitat de generar aversió a les fulles d'olivera, que es va mantenir durant catorze mesos. L'aversió va ser més efectiva en el cas de les cabres que van rebre la dosi de 200 mg LiCl/kg PV.Each day brings new and more environmentally friendly practices to farming, trying to make better use of natural resources and to preserve them for the future. In the case of olive groves, the soil erosion to which this crop is exposed because of traditional farming systems is offset by the introduction of groundcover which is controlled by the use of machinery or herbicides. The drawback involved by these practices and concerns about more sustainable systems has encouraged the study of the use of grazing animals in olive groves. However, olive leaves are very attractive to goats and sheep, which could damage the trees. In order to make goats reject olive leaves, the aim of this study was to modify their feeding behaviour using lithium chloride (LiCl) in various doses (175 mg LiCl/kg BW and 200 mg LiCl/kg BW). The results obtained with Murciano-Granadina goats show that it is possible to generate a conditioned taste aversion to olive leaves, which was maintained for 14 months. Aversion was more effective in goats which received the 200 mg LiCl/kg BW dose.Cada día la agricultura incorpora nuevas prácticas más respetuosas con el medio ambiente intentando aprovechar mejor los recursos naturales y preservarlos de cara al futuro. En el caso del olivar, la erosión que sufre el terreno, debido a las prácticas tradicionales de cultivo, ha propiciado la implantación de cubiertas vegetales que se controlan mediante el uso de maquinaria, o bien con herbicidas. El inconveniente que conllevan estas prácticas y la inquietud por prácticas más sostenibles han favorecido el estudio del uso de animales para el pastoreo en los campos de olivos. El inconveniente es que las hojas de los olivos son un alimento muy atractivo para las cabras y ovejas y pueden dañar el árbol. Con la finalidad de que las cabras rechacen consumir hojas de olivo, se plantea la posibilidad de modificar su comportamiento alimentario, utilizando diferentes dosis de cloruro de litio (LiCl), 175 mg LiCl/kg PV y 200 mg LiCl/kg PV. Los resultados obtenidos en cabras murciano-granadinas muestran la posibilidad de generar aversión a las hojas de olivo, que se mantuvo durante catorce meses. La aversión fue más efectiva en el caso de las cabras que recibieron la dosis de 200 mg LiCl/kg PV

On-line case discussion assessment in Ultrasound: The effect on student centred and inter-professional learning

In 2009 an asynchronous on-line case discussion assessment was introduced, to replace an existing traditional case-study assessment, within the Medical Ultrasound Programmes at City University London, to help extend collaborative, interprofessional student-led learning skills. Two clinical modules were used to develop the on-line learning method with associated assessments. Students selected and led a clinical case from their department, uploaded anonymised images and case details with questions, to encourage interaction from other colleagues. Thirty students participated in the on-line case discussions. The assessment was evaluated via informal feedback, end of module feedback and an on-line questionnaire. Some students completed two modules, using the on-line discussion, others were involved in only one module, of which 21 out of 26 students completed end of module feedback for the 1st module and 18 out of 20 students completed feedback from the 2nd module. Twelve students out of 30 completed the on-line questionnaire. Feedback suggested that the on-line case discussions were a good learning tool, providing a wide range of cases for students to participate in or read and learn from each other. All students found the cases interesting, engaging and useful, but time consuming. Despite the small numbers involved, useful feedback was provided to assist further development of the assessment, particularly in relation to the number of cases being assessed and length of availability. On-line case discussions are an innovative, engaging method to encourage self directed, collaborative learning which could be utilised in the health care setting to share interesting cases, promote inter-professional and self-directed learning

Social presence in the 21st Century: an adjustment to the Community of Inquiry framework

The Community of Inquiry framework, originally proposed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000) identifies teaching, social and cognitive presences as central to a successful online educational experience. This article presents the findings of a study conducted in Uruguay between 2007 and 2010. The research aimed to establish the role of cognitive, social and teaching presences in the professional development of 40 English language teachers on Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes delivered in blended learning settings. The findings suggest that teaching presence and cognitive presence have themselves 'become social'. The research points to social presence as a major lever for engagement, sense-making and peer support. Based on the patterns identified in the study, this article puts forward an adjustment to the Community of Inquiry framework, which shows social presence as more prominent within the teaching and cognitive constructs than the original version of the framework suggests

Student Satisfaction and Performance in an Online Teacher Certification Program

The article presents a study which demonstrates the effectiveness of an online post baccalaureate teacher certification program developed by a Wisconsin university. The case method approach employing multiple methods and multiple data sources were used to investigate the degree to which pre-service teachers were prepared to teach. It was concluded that the study supports online delivery as an effective means of teacher preparation, but it was limited in the number of students followed into their first year of teaching

Dog skin parasite load, TLR-2, IL-10 and TNF-α expression and infectiousness

Visceral leishmaniosis is a zoonotic disease that is transmitted by Lutzomyia longipalpis sandflies. Dogs are the main peri-urban reservoir of the disease, and progression of canine leishmaniosis is dependent on the type of immune response elaborated against the parasite. Type 1 immunity is characterized by effective cellular response, with production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). In contrast, Type 2 immunity is predominantly humoral, associated with progression of the disease and mediated by anti-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 10 (IL-10). Although seemly important in the dynamics of leishmaniosis, other gene products such as toll-like receptor 2 (TRL-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) exert unclear roles in the determination of the type of immune response. Given that the dog skin serves as a micro-environment for the multiplication of Leishmania spp., we investigated the parasite load and the expression of TLR-2, iNOS, IL-10 and TNF-α in the skin of 29 infected and 8 control dogs. We found that increased parasite load leads to upregulation of TLR-2, IL-10 and TNF-α, indicating that abundance of these transcripts is associated with infection. We also performed a xenodiagnosis to demonstrate that increased parasitism is a risk factor for infectiousness to sandflies