Social networks as an educational resource

The article deals with the problem of the use of social networks as an educational resource as a necessary aid for learning. Interest in this problem is caused by a high degree of involvement in the information space through social networks of precisely young people. The purpose of this article is to examine the problem of directly applying popular social networks in the educational process of a university. The subject of the study is social networks and their capabilities as an educational resource. The article based on the analysis of the research results revealed an educational resource of social networks. The educational resource of social networks consists of the fact that various programs and projects are being implemented through social networks, including individual trajectories of development of students based on individual educational programs. The inclusion of social networks in the educational process provides a wide popularization of cultural and national traditions, the involvement of students in creative activities, the creation of conditions for their self-education, career development. The authors of the article explore the possibilities of using modern educational technologies when social networks are included in the educational process on the examples of debates, social design, a forum, and new information technologies. In order to engage students in a virtual educational environment, a coordinator is needed, who has the necessary competencies, who own effective methods for carrying out this type of activity. The authors of the article justify the need for the direct use of social resources on the Internet in education

Metal particle-enhanced fluorescent immunoassays on metal mirrors

We present fluoroimmunoassays on plain metal-coated surfaces (metal mirrors) enhanced by metal nanoparticles (silver island films [SIFs]). Metal mirrors (aluminum, gold, or silver protected with a thin silica layer) were coated with SIFs, and an immunoassay (model assay for rabbit immunoglobulin G or myoglobin immunoassay) was performed on this surface using fluorescently labeled antibodies. Our results showed that SIFs alone (on glass surface not coated with metal) enhance the immunoassay signal approximately 3- to 10-fold. Using a metal mirror instead of glass as support for SIFs results in up to 50-fold signal enhancement.7 page(s