Isolation of a wide range of minerals from a thermally treated plant: Equisetum arvense, a Mare’s tale

Silica is the second most abundant biomineral being exceeded in nature only by biogenic CaCO3. Many land plants (such as rice, cereals, cucumber, etc.) deposit silica in significant amounts to reinforce their tissues and as a systematic response to pathogen attack. One of the most ancient species of living vascular plants, Equisetum arvense is also able to take up and accumulate silica in all parts of the plant. Numerous methods have been developed for elimination of the organic material and/or metal ions present in plant material to isolate biogenic silica. However, depending on the chemical and/or physical treatment applied to branch or stem from Equisetum arvense; other mineral forms such glass-type materials (i.e. CaSiO3), salts (i.e. KCl) or luminescent materials can also be isolated from the plant material. In the current contribution, we show the chemical and/or thermal routes that lead to the formation of a number of different mineral types in addition to biogenic silica

Promoting communication skills for information systems students in Australian and Portuguese higher education : action research study

This paper aims to examine the value of communication skills learn- ing process through various assessments in Information Systems (IS) postgrad- uate units in Australia and Portugal. Currently, communication skills are indispensable to students in expanding their social networks and their knowl- edge at university and in the future workplace, since businesses expect their employees to have strong communication and presentation skills. This paper provides empirical evidence based on the anonymous quantitative and qualita- tive data collected during 2 years from 126 postgraduate students, which were collected via formal and informal feedback. Various assessment methods were used in Information Systems units to promote and develop the communication skills; these assessments are: reflective journal, business plan and prototype, discussion forum, presentation, and final examination. A Communication skills model (CSM) was developed based on Action research principles to promote the assessments which will assist IS students to enhance their communication skills. The research outcomes indicated that integrating communication skills in the assessments will allow students to promote their communication skills and boost their self-esteem skills. Furthermore, this paper added a new theoretical and practical contribution to higher-education teaching and learning literature, especially the action research for teachers to promote and develop communica- tion skills among students. Finally, integrating these skills in the units should meet the objectives and aims of the units, Master’s degrees, universities, and businesses’ needs, and satisfy our student’s need

Evaluating major curriculum change:the effect on student confidence

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of major curriculum change within a UK dental school on final-year student self-rated confidence levels. Methods: Final-year dental students graduating in each year between 2007 and 2012 completed the same course evaluation questionnaire, which assessed their confidence in relation to a range of clinical procedures using a Likert-type scale. This period spanned the introduction of a new curriculum and allowed analysis of differences in self-rated confidence between students graduating from the old (2007 and 2008) and new (2009–2012) curricula, across thirty key procedures. Results: New curriculum students showed significantly higher self-confidence ratings in nineteen of the thirty procedures, compared with those on the old curriculum. For the remaining eleven procedures there was no significant difference between the two curricula. The proportion of students on the outcomes-based curriculum rating themselves as 'confident” was statistically significantly higher in seven out of the thirty procedures, when compared with the traditional curriculum, and unchanged or nonsignificantly increased in the remainder. Discussion and conclusions: The relationship between specific curricular innovations and student confidence is considered, as is the usefulness of self-rated confidence in curriculum evaluation. Curriculum change appeared to have a positive effect on student confidence across a range of procedures

Electrochemical interface between an ionic liquid and a model metallic electrode.

A molecular dynamics simulation model for an electroactive interface in which a metallic electrode is maintained at a preset electrical potential is described. The model, based on earlier work of Siepmann and Sprik [J. Chem. Phys. 102, 511 (1995)], uses variable charges whose magnitudes are adjusted on-the-fly according to a variational procedure to maintain the constant potential condition. As such, the model also allows for the polarization of the electrode by the electrolyte, sometimes described by the introduction of image charges. The model has been implemented in a description of an electrochemical cell as a pair of parallel planar electrodes separated by the electrolyte using a two-dimensional Ewald summation method. The method has been applied to examine the interfacial structure in two ionic liquids, consisting of binary mixtures of molten salts, chosen to exemplify the influences of dissimilar cation size and charge. The stronger coordination of the smaller and more highly charged cations by the anions prevents them from approaching even the negatively charged electrode closely. This has consequences for the capacitance of the electrode and will also have an impact on the rates of electron transfer processes. The calculated capacitances exhibit qualitatively the same dependence on the applied potential as has been observed in experimental studies

A Mixed Self: The Role of Symbiosis in Development

Since the 1950s, the common view of development has been internalist: development is seen as the result of the unfolding of potentialities already present in the egg cell. In this paper I show that this view is incorrect, because of the crucial influence of the environment on development. I focus on a fascinating example, that of the role played by symbioses in development, especially bacterial symbioses, a phenomenon found in virtually all organisms (plants, invertebrates, vertebrates). I claim that we must consequently modify our conception of the boundaries of the developing entity, and I show how immunology can help us in accomplishing this task. I conclude that the developing entity encompasses many elements traditionally seen as “foreign”, while I reject the idea that there is no possible distinction between the organism and its environment