Characterisation of the naturally-acquired antibody response to the surface of <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> infected erythrocytes.

The surface of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes is modified by the insertion of immunogenic parasite-encoded proteins; the most extensively studied family is Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1, (PfEMP1). PfEMP1 undergoes clonal antigenic variation and is responsible for mediating cytoadherence of infected erythrocytes within the microvasculature, characteristics underpinning the virulence associated with Plasmodium falciparum infection. Protection against disease following exposure to a parasite displaying a particular variant of PfEMP1 is associated with agglutinating antibodies against that variant, antibodies associated with protection. However, the role of cross-reactive responses to heterologous isolates in protection from subsequent disease remains poorly understood. The target and epitope specificity of both the variant specific protective response and any cross-reactive antibody response is unknown. Individuals from two areas with differing transmission characteristics were screened at the end of a low transmission season for recognition of a panel of laboratory and clinical isolates. Using in particular an isolate selected to express one specific variant of PfEMP1, A4 PfEMP1, on the surface of the host erythrocyte, the relationship between the presence of asymptomatic parasite carriage and cross-reactive antibody responses was established. Subsequently the domain and interdomain regions of A4 PfBMP1 were cloned and expressed as recombinant proteins and used to screen the same individuals in an attempt to identify the targets for these measured responses. This study demonstrated differences in antibody acquisition between domains, individuals and areas. In a longitudinal study, the interaction between having detectable parasites and the ability to recognise the surface of erythrocytes infected with four different parasite isolates led to the identification of a susceptible group of children responsible for the burden of clinical malaria in this area

Developing teachers as leaders of science in primary schools

Julia Mackintosh, Elizabeth White, and Josephine Dickerson, 'Developing teachers as leaders of science in primary schools', Paper presented at the Enquiry+ Conference 'Teacher, Action, Research in Primary School Settings', University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK, 12 July 2016.Non peer reviewedDownloa

A personalised needs-led approach to developing mentors of student teachers

© 2022 University of Cumbria. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://ojs.cumbria.ac.uk/index.php/TEAN/article/view/657Teachers who mentor student teachers have a range of mentoring, coaching and teaching experience. Appropriate professional development for mentors takes consideration of this experience as well as the age phase, context (for example, main-stream or special education setting) and route that the student teacher is taking into teaching (school-based experience varying from a few weeks to a whole school year). Mentors are school-based teacher educators with diverse professional learning and development requirements, for which a personalised needs-led approach may be more effective than a training approach limited to understanding the processes needed for a specific programme and setting. Core essentials for school-based teacher educators’ development include introductions to the Partnership team, values, route and procedures; basic mentoring principles and skills; providing feedback to the school-based teacher educator on the professional learning conversation and modelling subject development conversations; and access to a community of teacher educators. Beyond these core essentials, other opportunities can enrich professional learning and practice. Cameos of such enrichment opportunities are described in this article to illustrate the personalised needs-led approach that has evolved within an Initial Teacher Education Partnership in England. The value, drawbacks and implications of this flexibly adaptive approach are discussed.Peer reviewe

Developing teachers as science leaders in primary school

Julian Mackintosh, Elizabeth White, Josephine Dickerson, ‘Developing teachers as science leaders in primary school’, poster presented at the University of Hertfordshire Research Development Conference 2016, 21 September, 2016.Children’s experiences of science at primary school inform their decisions about studying science post16, which impacts on the supply of STEM professionals. In England, the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) award programme is a recognised way of addressing the reported decline in the profile given to science as numeracy and literacy have been prioritised. This programme aims to raise the profile of primary science by providing schools with a framework and professional support for developing science leadership, teaching and learning. This paper reports the views of twelve primary science leaders from schools involved in the PSQM scheme for the first time and explores changes in their attitudes to teaching and leading science. Data were collected through questionnaires, an interview and focus group and from documents submitted for the award. The findings suggest how the science leaders’ perspectives shifted from science learning and practice in isolated classrooms to a wholeschool vision. Keywords: Continuing professional development; primary science; Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM); science leaders; teacher leadershipPeer reviewe

Evaluation of the Primary Science Quality Mark programme 2013-15

This large-scale research project was designed to explore the overall impact of the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) Programme from 2013-15 and wider issues relating to primary science teaching, learning and subject leadership, and to evaluate the PSQM programme against its five aims. These aims are: raising the profile of science in primary schools; providing schools with a framework and professional support for developing science leadership, teaching and learning; celebrating excellence in primary science; using networks to provide local support for science for schools; and assembling a rich database of current practice in primary science and making it accessible to the wider science education community.Final Published versio

Profiling Movement Quality Characteristics of Children (9-11y) During Recess

Introduction. Frequency spectrum characteristics derived from raw accelerometry, such as spectral purity, have the potential to reveal detailed information about children’s movement quality, but remain unexplored in children’s physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate and profile children’s recess physical activity and movement quality using a novel analytical approach. Materials and Methods. A powered sample of twenty-four children (18 boys) (10.5±0.6y, 1.44±0.09m, 39.6±9.5kg, body mass index; 18.8±3.1 kg.m2) wore an ankle-mounted accelerometer during school recess, for one school-week. Hierarchical clustering, Spearman’s rho and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to assess relationships between characteristics, and to assess inter-day differences. Results. There were no significant inter-day differences found for overall activity (P>0.05), yet significant differences were found for spectral purity derived movement quality (P 0.05), sin embargo, se encontraron diferencias significativas para la calidad del movimiento derivado de la pureza espectral (P <0.001). La actividad global se agrupó jerárquicamente y se correlacionó positivamente con la pureza espectral (P <0,05). Discusión. Este es el primer estudio que informa la pureza espectral de la calidad del movimiento derivado de la actividad física de los niños, en un entorno no controlado y nuestros resultados destacan el potencial para la investigación futura

Differential roles and regulation of the protein kinases PAK4, PAK5 and PAK6 in melanoma cells

The protein kinases PAK4, PAK5 and PAK6 comprise a family of ohnologues. In multiple cancers including melanomas PAK5 most frequently carries non-synonymous mutations; PAK6 and PAK4 have fewer; and PAK4 is often amplified. To help interpret these genomic data, initially we compared the cellular regulation of the sister kinases and their roles in melanoma cells. In common with many ohnologue protein kinases, PAK4, PAK5 and PAK6 each have two 14-3-3-binding phosphosites of which phosphoSer99 is conserved. PAK4 localises to the leading edge of cells in response to phorbol ester-stimulated binding of 14-3-3 to phosphoSer99 and phosphoSer181, which are phosphorylated by two different PKCs or PKDs. These phosphorylations of PAK4 are essential for its phorbol ester-stimulated phosphorylation of downstream substrates. In contrast, 14-3-3 interacts with PAK5 in response to phorbol ester-stimulated phosphorylation of Ser99 and epidermal growth factor-stimulated phosphorylation of Ser288; whereas PAK6 docks onto 14-3-3 and is prevented from localising to cell–cell junctions when Ser133 is phosphorylated in response to cAMP-elevating agents via PKA and insulin-like growth factor 1 via PKB/Akt. Silencing of PAK4 impairs viability, migration and invasive behaviour of melanoma cells carrying BRAF(V600E) or NRAS(Q61K) mutations. These defects are rescued by ectopic expression of PAK4, more so by a 14-3-3-binding deficient PAK4, and barely by PAK5 or PAK6. Together these genomic, biochemical and cellular data suggest that the oncogenic properties of PAK4 are regulated by PKC–PKD signalling in melanoma, while PAK5 and PAK6 are dispensable in this cancer