Pandemic pedagogy in Life Sciences: the assessment conundrum and diversifying delivery modes

COVID-19 had a significant impact on higher education, forcing emergency remote teaching.  The quantity versus quality assessment conundrum is a continuing debate and the rapid transition to online delivery provided an opportunity to assess this. We compared data on assessment number and type, student experience and outcomes, pre-COVID-19 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on perceptions of differential modes of learning are assessed in the form of extra-curricular summer schools to replace or enhance modular laboratory and fieldwork practicals. There was minimal decrease in assessment load (9.6%) and type (12.5%). Differences in student perceptions of assessment and modules were insignificant (t=22, p=0.1) between years and student outcomes revealed an average 4% increase in the COVID-19 year. Summer schools were viewed very positively, with 72% preferring the intensive teaching format. This study provides additional evidence in the assessment dilemma and developments towards more flexible modes of learning

QCD as a Quantum Link Model

QCD is constructed as a lattice gauge theory in which the elements of the link matrices are represented by non-commuting operators acting in a Hilbert space. The resulting quantum link model for QCD is formulated with a fifth Euclidean dimension, whose extent resembles the inverse gauge coupling of the resulting four-dimensional theory after dimensional reduction. The inclusion of quarks is natural in Shamir's variant of Kaplan's fermion method, which does not require fine-tuning to approach the chiral limit. A rishon representation in terms of fermionic constituents of the gluons is derived and the quantum link Hamiltonian for QCD with a U(N) gauge symmetry is expressed in terms of glueball, meson and constituent quark operators. The new formulation of QCD is promising both from an analytic and from a computational point of view.Comment: 27 pages, including three figures. ordinary LaTeX; Submitted to Nucl. Phys.

Protocol for the United Kingdom Rotator Cuff Study (UKUFF) : a randomised controlled trial of open and arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme (project number 05/47/02). J. L. Rees has received a grant from Oxford University which is related to this paper. J. Dawson reports that Oxford University has received a grant from HTA which is related to this paper, as well as a study grant.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Cardiac cell modelling: Observations from the heart of the cardiac physiome project

In this manuscript we review the state of cardiac cell modelling in the context of international initiatives such as the IUPS Physiome and Virtual Physiological Human Projects, which aim to integrate computational models across scales and physics. In particular we focus on the relationship between experimental data and model parameterisation across a range of model types and cellular physiological systems. Finally, in the context of parameter identification and model reuse within the Cardiac Physiome, we suggest some future priority areas for this field

Differences between ethnic groups in self-reported use of e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy for cutting down and temporary abstinence: A cross-sectional population-level survey in England

Background and aims: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has called for research into tobacco harm reduction across ethnicities, genders and socio-economic status. Although there is increasing research focused on the latter two, relatively few studies have considered ethnic variations. Therefore this study aimed to assess (i) the association between ethnicity and use of e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for temporary abstinence and cutting down, and (ii) trends in prevalence of these over time. Design: Repeated cross-sectional household survey. Setting: England. Participants: Between April 2013 and September 2019, data were collected on 24 114 smokers, 16+ of age, taking part in the Smoking Toolkit Study (STS). Measurements: Ethnicity coding included: White, mixed/multiple ethnic group, Asian, Black and Arab/other ethnic group. Smokers reported whether they were currently using e-cigarettes and/or NRT for cutting down or during periods of temporary abstinence. Findings: Odds of e-cigarette use for cutting down and temporary abstinence were significantly lower among those of Asian ethnicity (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.66–0.93) and Arab/other ethnicity (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.40–0.83) compared with White ethnicity. Those of mixed/multiple ethnicity had higher odds for NRT us (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.04–1.94) compared with those of White ethnicity. Trend analysis indicated that for White ethnicity, e-cigarette use by smokers for cutting down and temporary abstinence followed an ‘inverse S’ shaped cubic curve indicating an overall rise, whereas NRT use followed an ‘S’ shaped cubic curve, indicating an overall decline. For mixed/multiple ethnicity a similar trend was found for NRT use only, with other ethnicities showing no statistically significant trends (suggesting relative stability over time). Conclusions: In England, e-cigarette use by smokers for cutting down and temporary abstinence is less common among Asian and Arab/other ethnicity smokers compared with White smokers. Smokers of mixed/multiple ethnicity are the most likely to be using NRT compared with other ethnic groups for cutting down and temporary abstinence. E-cigarette use by smokers for cutting down and temporary abstinence has increased over time among White smokers, whereas prevalence in other ethnic groups has remained stable

Preclinical correction of human Fanconi anemia complementation group A bone marrow cells using a safety-modified lentiviral vector.

One of the major hurdles for the development of gene therapy for Fanconi anemia (FA) is the increased sensitivity of FA stem cells to free radical-induced DNA damage during ex vivo culture and manipulation. To minimize this damage, we have developed a brief transduction procedure for lentivirus vector-mediated transduction of hematopoietic progenitor cells from patients with Fanconi anemia complementation group A (FANCA). The lentiviral vector FancA-sW contains the phosphoglycerate kinase promoter, the FANCA cDNA, and a synthetic, safety-modified woodchuck post transcriptional regulatory element (sW). Bone marrow mononuclear cells or purified CD34(+) cells from patients with FANCA were transduced in an overnight culture on recombinant fibronectin peptide CH-296, in low (5%) oxygen, with the reducing agent, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), and a combination of growth factors, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), Flt3 ligand, stem cell factor, and thrombopoietin. Transduced cells plated in methylcellulose in hypoxia with NAC showed increased colony formation compared with 21% oxygen without NAC (P<0.03), showed increased resistance to mitomycin C compared with green fluorescent protein (GFP) vector-transduced controls (P<0.007), and increased survival. Thus, combining short transduction and reducing oxidative stress may enhance the viability and engraftment of gene-corrected cells in patients with FANCA

The Dynamics of Zeroth-Order Ultrasensitivity: A Critical Phenomenon in Cell Biology

It is well known since the pioneering work of Goldbeter and Koshland [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 78, pp. 6840-6844 (1981)] that cellular phosphorylation- dephosphorylation cycle (PdPC), catalyzed by kinase and phosphatase under saturated condition with zeroth order enzyme kinetics, exhibits ultrasensitivity, sharp transition. We analyse the dynamics aspects of the zeroth order PdPC kinetics and show a critical slowdown akin to the phase transition in condensed matter physics. We demonstrate that an extremely simple, though somewhat mathematically "singular" model is a faithful representation of the ultrasentivity phenomenon. The simplified mathematical model will be valuable, as a component, in developing complex cellular signaling network theory as well as having a pedagogic value.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

The Two-Dimensional S=1 Quantum Heisenberg Antiferromagnet at Finite Temperatures

The temperature dependence of the correlation length, susceptibilities and the magnetic structure factor of the two-dimensional spin-1 square lattice quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet are computed by the quantum Monte Carlo loop algorithm (QMC). In the experimentally relevant temperature regime the theoretically predicted asymptotic low temperature behavior is found to be not valid. The QMC results however, agree reasonably well with the experimental measurements of La2NiO4 even without considering anisotropies in the exchange interactions.Comment: 4 Pages, 1 table, 4 figure

Kosterlitz-Thouless transition of quantum XY model in two dimensions

The two-dimensional $S=1/2$ XY model is investigated with an extensive quantum Monte Carlo simulation. The helicity modulus is precisely estimated through a continuous-time loop algorithm for systems up to $128 \times 128$ near and below the critical temperature. The critical temperature is estimated as $T_{\rm KT} = 0.3427(2)J$. The obtained estimates for the helicity modulus are well fitted by a scaling form derived from the Kosterlitz renormalization group equation. The validity of the Kosterlitz-Thouless theory for this model is confirmed.Comment: 8 pages, 2 tables, 6 figure