Evidence of guest migration in α-cyclodextrin-octylamine (α-CD-OA) inclusion compound (IC) generated via plasmonic heating of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has been studied. In this report, we demonstrate local effects generated by laser-mediated irradiation of a sample of AuNPs covered with inclusion compounds on surface-derivatized glass under liquid conditions by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Functionalized AuNPs on the glass and covered by the ICs were monitored by recording images by AFM during 5 h of irradiation, and images showed that after irradiation, a drastic decrease in the height of the AuNPs occurred. The absorption spectrum of the irradiated sample showed a hypsochromic shift from 542 to 536 nm, evidence suggesting that much of the population of nanoparticles lost all of the parts of the overlay of ICs due to the plasmonic heat generated by the irradiation. Mass spectrometry matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) performed on a sample containing a collection of drops obtained from the surface of the functionalized glass provided evidence that the irradiation lead to disintegration of the ICs and therefore exit of the octylamine molecule (the guest) from the cyclodextrin cavity (the matrix).Graphical AbstractAtomic Force Microscopy observation of the disintegration of a cyclodextrin inclusion compound by gold nanoparticles photothermal effectElectronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s11671-016-1322-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The 2016 Ecuadorian curriculum mandates students must graduate high school with an intermediate or B1 in English. However, it has been found there are factors that aid and/or impede EFL and ELT in the Ecuadorian context. For this reason, the researchers conducted exploratory qualitative research practices such as observations in public schools and round table discussions with EFL public school teachers. For this research, the authors asked the following research question: what are the factors that affect ELT and EFL in the country of Ecuador? To answer this question, the overall aim of this paper is to identify the factors that impede and aid EFL teaching and learning in the country of Ecuador. The round table discussions were transcribed and put through maxQDA qualitative analysis software to retrieve various codes and revealed the factors impeding and aiding ELT in Ecuador. They were then grouped into 5 categories, which are pedagogy related factors, use of Spanish, perceptions and status of ELT, infrastructure and educational policies. These show the various positive and negative factors, which affect language learning and teaching in the country. The above factors are the findings from the first phase of a two year research project that were found that can aid and impede EFL in the country based on the participants of the focus group and classroom observations in public schools and these findings will play a role in shaping EFL/ELT education in the future.

We developed and pilot tested the effectiveness of a physically active academic program, Active Breaks (AB), whose objective is to increase school time moderate/vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among first graders, through daily 15-minute bouts of MVPA, at the beginning of the first lesson. Initially, 240 cards including one game each were developed and tested in first-grade students from 16 schools in Santiago. Trained observers and school teachers assessed the time, ease, and feasibility of implementation for each card. Barriers and facilitators to implementation were obtained from semistructured interviews to 14 teachers (out of 16). In eight schools ( n = 556 students), we compared school time MVPA (with accelerometers) at baseline and follow-up, using test of proportions. One-hundred and twenty cards (games) complied with all aspects. AB were implemented 50% of the time with a duration of 14 minutes ( SD = 5). More than 90% of the time, teachers felt competent to conduct AB, and children understood the instructions and enjoyed the activity. The main facilitators included teachers liking physical activity and considering it important, support of principal and school staff, and conducting AB inside the classroom. Barriers included teacher’s workload and having to conduct AB during the first lesson. During the 4-month period of implementation, MVPA increased by 1.5 and 1.2 percentage points in boys and girls, respectively. The set of 120 cards is easy and feasible to implement. Moreover, preliminary results suggest they could be effective in increasing MVPA during school time, although studies with longer follow-ups are needed to assess the validity of these findings.