Preparing for life in the global village: producing global citizen subjects in UK schools

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this record.The practice of educating young people for global citizenship has garnered a great deal of attention in recent years. Whilst much of the research in this field has focused on pedagogical or curriculum matters, a small body of work has attempted to explore it in a broader sense: viewing it as a process involving the production of global citizen subjectivity. This paper adds to this growing body of research by offering a detailed discursive analysis of empirical data generated in fieldwork in two UK schools. Global travel will be identified as a key practice which was utilised by the students in these schools and it will be used as an interpretive lens through which to further explore their production of successful, mobile, global citizen subjectivities. The paper will argue that this was a dynamic process: negotiated across multiple spaces and through a range of complex and contradictory images and representations. The paper concludes with some thoughts about the practice of school travel and how it might effectively be focused upon in future research.Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene with incorporated crystal violet and gold nanoclusters is antimicrobial in low intensity light and in the dark

Antibiotics lose their effectiveness over time due to antimicrobial resistance. The increasing risk of hospital-acquired infections from contaminated surfaces and medical interventions requires the development of new antimicrobial materials. We report the first example of a modified ultra high molecular weight polyethylene that showed good antibacterial properties on light activation. Its efficacy was due to the production of reactive oxygen species under low-intensity white light sources (ca. 375 lux). Crystal violet and cysteine capped gold nanoclusters were successfully incorporated into the polymer using a readily available solvent as a dispersing agent followed by the process of compression moulding at 200 °C, 4.5 MPa for 1 min. This modified ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene demonstrates excellent robustness with regards to dye and metal leaching as well as photostability. Despite incorporating antimicrobial agents, the modified ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene retained its mechanical properties and showed >99% reduction in bacterial numbers against Escherichia coli and. To our knowledge, this paper reports the first use of compression moulding to create a light-activated antimicrobial surface which has distinct processing advantages over the widely used “swell-encapsulation-shrink” method and is potentially scalable

White light-activated antimicrobial surfaces: effect of nanoparticles type on activity

Toluidine blue O (TBO) dye together with either silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs), gold (Au) NPs, or a mixture of Ag and Au NPs (Mix Ag–Au NPs) were incorporated into polyurethane to make antimicrobial surfaces using a swell-encapsulation-shrink process. Antimicrobial testing against Escherichia coli showed that inclusion of the NPs significantly enhanced the antimicrobial activities of the TBO polyurethane samples. In particular, samples containing Ag NPs exhibited potent antimicrobial activity under white light and surprisingly, also in the dark. The numbers of viable bacteria decreased below the detection limit on the TBO/Ag NPs incorporated samples within 3 h and 24 h under white light and dark conditions. A mechanistic study using furfuryl alcohol indicated that the enhanced photobactericidal activity was most likely due to a type I photochemical reaction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an antimicrobial surface comprised of a combination of Ag NPs and a light activated agent to provide a dual kill mechanism. These surfaces are promising candidates for use in healthcare environments to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections

Allosteric mechanism of action of the therapeutic anti-IgE antibody omalizumab

Immunoglobulin E and its interactions with receptors FcϵRI and CD23 play a central role in allergic disease. Omalizumab, a clinically approved therapeutic antibody, inhibits the interaction between IgE and FcϵRI, preventing mast cell and basophil activation, and blocks IgE binding to CD23 on B cells and antigen-presenting cells. We solved the crystal structure of the complex between an omalizumab-derived Fab and IgE-Fc, with one Fab bound to each Cϵ3 domain. Free IgE-Fc adopts an acutely bent structure, but in the complex it is only partially bent, with large-scale conformational changes in the Cϵ3 domains that inhibit the interaction with FcϵRI. CD23 binding is inhibited sterically due to overlapping binding sites on each Cϵ3 domain. Studies of omalizumab Fab binding in solution demonstrate the allosteric basis for FcϵRI inhibition and, together with the structure, reveal how omalizumab may accelerate dissociation of receptor-bound IgE from FcϵRI, exploiting the intrinsic flexibility and allosteric potential of IgE

New evidence on the management of Lewy body dementia

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordNote that the article title of the accepted author manuscript is different to that of the final published version.Dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia, jointly known as Lewy body dementia (LBD), are common neurodegenerative conditions. Patients with LBD present with a wide range of cognitive, neuropsychiatric, sleep, motor, and autonomic symptoms. The expression of these varies between individual patients, and over time. Treatments may benefit one symptom, but at the expense of worsening another, making management difficult. Often symptoms are managed in isolation and by different specialists, which undermines high quality care. Clinical trials and meta-analyses now provide an improved evidence base for the treatment of cognitive, neuropsychiatric and motor symptoms in LBD, in addition to which expert consensus opinion supports the application of treatments from related conditions such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) for the management of, for example, autonomic symptoms. There remain however clear evidence gaps and there is a high need for future clinical trials focused on specific symptoms in LBD.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR

An Integrated Technique for the Analysis of Skin Bite Marks

The high number of murder, rape, and child abuse cases in South Africa has led to increased numbers of bite mark cases being heard in high courts. Objective analysis to match perpetrators to bite marks at crime scenes must be able to withstand vigorous cross-examination to be of value in conviction of perpetrators. An analysis technique is described in four stages, namely determination of the mark to be a human bite mark, pattern association analysis, metric analysis and comparison with the population data, and illustrated by a real case study. New and accepted techniques are combined to determine the likelihood ratio of guilt expressed as one of a range of conclusions described in the paper. Each stage of the analysis adds to the confirmation (or rejection) of concordance between the dental features present on the victim and the dentition of the suspect. The results illustrate identification to a high degree of certainty

Herpes encephalitis presenting as mild aphasia: Case report

BACKGROUND: Encephalitis presenting as a change in mental status can be challenging to recognize in the primary care setting. However, early detection via a low threshold of suspicion can be useful, leading in turn to early treatment and improved survival. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case which we consider relevant to primary care practitioners. The patient in question presented with relatively mild mental status changes, progressing to confusion, dysnomia and delirium over a period of three days. While infection did not appear to be the leading cause on her differential diagnosis, she was found on extensive workup to have encephalitis caused by Herpes Simplex Virus type 1. CONCLUSION: The case is instructive for general practitioners and other clinicians to maintain vigilance for central nervous system (CNS) infections which may present atypically

Identifying delirium in Parkinson's disease: a pilot study

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is avaialble from Wiley via the DOI in this recordData Availability Statement: Unidentifiable data may be shared on request.Introduction People with Parkinson's disease (PD) may be at increased risk of delirium and associated adverse outcomes. Delirium is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome defined by confusion and inattention and is common in older adults. Previous studies may have underestimated the prevalence of delirium in PD due to overlapping symptoms, lack of awareness and poorly defined criteria. We aimed to identify the prevalence and incidence of delirium in inpatients with PD. Measurements Participants were inpatients with PD admitted over a four‐month period. Delirium prevalence was classified using a standardised assessment at a single visit based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition (DSM‐5) criteria. To capture remaining time in hospital, incident delirium was diagnosed using detailed clinical vignettes and a validated consensus method. Results Forty‐four PD patients consented to take part in the study, accounting for 53 admissions. Delirium prevalence was 34.0% (n=18); reviewing participants over the duration of their hospital stay identified 30 (56.6%) incident delirium cases. The admitting team screened 24.5% for delirium and delirium was documented in eight (14.8%) cases' medical notes. Cases with delirium were significantly older, had higher frailty scores and a longer hospital stay (p<0.05 for all). Conclusions Delirium is common in PD inpatients at admission and incidence increases during hospital stay, but delirium commonly missed. Our results highlight the importance of screening for delirium throughout patients' stay in hospital. Future studies should consider frequent evaluation over the duration of hospital stay to identify emergent delirium during the admission.Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustParkinson’s UKNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR

Opposing associations of depression with sexual behaviour: implications for epidemiological investigation among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this report is to investigate the nature of the relationship between depression and condomless sex (CLS) among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). METHODS: Data are from the Antiretrovirals, Sexual Transmission Risk and Attitude (ASTRA) study of people living with HIV and attending one of eight HIV outpatient clinics in England (2011-2012) and the Attitudes to and Understanding of Risk of Acquisition of HIV (AURAH) study of HIV-negative/unknown status individuals attending one of 20 genitourinary medicine clinics in England (2013-2014). This analysis included GBMSM only. For each study, the prevalence of depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥10) was presented according to three categories of sex in the past 3 months (considering anal/vaginal sex with men/women and anal sex with men in separate definitions): (1) no sex, (2) condom-protected sex only and (3) CLS. Multinomial logistic regression with 'condom-protected sex only' as the reference group was used to adjust for age and (for ASTRA participants) time since HIV diagnosis. RESULTS: There were opposing associations of depression with recent sexual behaviour: the prevalence of depression was higher among those who reported no sex and those who reported CLS, compared with those who reported condom-protected sex only. Among the 2170 HIV-positive GBMSM in ASTRA, considering anal/vaginal sex with men/women, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 32%, 20% and 28%, respectively, among men reporting no sex (n=783), condom-protected sex only (n=551) and CLS (n=836) (global p<0.001). Among the 1477 HIV-negative GBMSM in AURAH, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 12%, 8% and 13%, respectively, for no sex (n=137), condom-protected sex only (n=487) and CLS (n=853) (global p=0.017). Patterns were similar after adjustment and when only considering anal sex between men. CONCLUSIONS: Depression may be linked both to lack of sexual activity and to sexual risk taking. When investigating associations between depression and CLS, it is important to separate out individuals reporting condom-protected sex only from those reporting no sex