Vanadium oxide monolayer catalysts : The vapor-phase oxidation of methanol

The oxidation of methanol over vanadium oxide, unsupported and applied as a monolayer on γ-Al2O3, CeO2, TiO2, and ZrO2, was studied between 100 and 400 °C in a continuous-flow reactor. At temperatures from 150 to about 250 °C two main reactions take place, (a) dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether and (b) partial oxidation to formaldehyde. A very slight direct oxidation to CO2 proceeds simultaneously. At higher temperatures two further reactions take place, i.e., (c) consecutive oxidation of the ether and/or formaldehyde to CO and (d) consecutive oxidation of CO to CO2. Selectivity to formaldehyde increased with decreasing reducibility of the catalyst, which in turn was a function of the catalyst-support interactions. Since the reducibility of V(V) has been shown to be related to the charge/radius ratio of the cation of the carrier, the selectivity to formaldehyde is also determined by this ratio

Chronic pain assessments in children and adolescents : a systematic literature review of the selection, administration, interpretation, and reporting of unidimensional pain intensity scales

Background. Advances in pain assessment approaches now indicate which measures should be used to capture chronic pain experiences in children and adolescents. However, there is little guidance on how these tools should best be administered and reported, such as which time frames to use or how pain scores are categorised as mild, moderate, or severe. Objective. To synthesise current evidence on unidimensional, single-item pain intensity scale selection, administration, interpretation, and reporting. Methods. Databases were searched (inception: 18 January 2016) for studies in which unidimensional pain intensity assessments were used with children and adolescents with chronic pain. Ten quality criteria were developed by modifying existing recommendations to evaluate the quality of administration of pain scales most commonly used with children. Results. Forty-six studies met the inclusion criteria. The highest score achieved was 7 out of a possible 10 (median: 5; IQR: 4–6). Usage of scales varied markedly in administrator/completer, highest anchors, number of successive assessments, and time referent periods used. Conclusions. Findings suggest these scales are selected, administered, and interpreted inconsistently, even in studies of the same type. Furthermore, methods of administration are rarely reported or justified making it impossible to compare findings across studies. This article concludes by recommending criteria for the future reporting of paediatric chronic pain assessments in studies

Teacher fabrication as an impediment to professional learning and development: the external mentor antidote

This paper reports findings from a study of the work of 'external mentors' associated with three programmes of support for the professional learning and development (PLD) of secondary science teachers in England. Focusing on outcomes from analyses of data derived from interviews with 47 mentees and 19 mentors, the paper supports and extends existing research on the construction and maintenance of fabrications in schools, and identifies omissions in the evidence base relating to teacher PLD. It is argued that the kinds of fabrications revealed by the teachers interviewed for this research present a serious impediment to their opportunities for school-based PLD, and that the deployment of external mentors (i.e. those not based in the same schools as the teachers they support) can provide a potentially powerful antidote to this. A number of implications for policy and practice in teacher professional learning and development are discussed. Amongst these, it is argued that more teachers should have the opportunity to access external support for their PLD, and that policy makers and head teachers should seek to reduce the degree to which teachers' 'performance' is observed, inspected and assessed

Bringing installation art to reconnaissance to share values and generate action

The English education system has recently seen something of a revival of enthusiasm for the use of research both to develop educational practices and to gather evidence about their effectiveness. These initiatives often present action research as a model of individual problem-solving, which, we argue, communicates a limited conception of action research. In this paper we propose an alternative to this ‘problem-solving’ conception of action research that acknowledges the complex, messy nature of action research through the use of arts installations. Specifically, we present the reconnaissance phase of a project which brought together a partnership comprising a water heritage museum, university staff, teachers and artists. A pedagogical adaptation of contemporary installation art theory and practice fostered the exploration of individual and collective understandings of water, and also established a shared approach to curriculum development and ownership of the project among all participants. We propose that this creative practice enhanced and changed the process of reconnaissance; it allowed the group to establish and share commitments to the value of water conservation and generated a wide range of options for our action research

Ten years of different crop rotations in a no-tillage system – what happened to plant diseases and nematode pests?

Aim To study the long-term effects of crop rotation and residue level on diseases and nematodes in Western Australian no-tillage systems

Medicine is patriarchal, but alternative medicine is not the answer

Women are over-represented within alternative medicine, both as consumers and as service providers. In this paper, I show that the appeal of alternative medicine to women relates to the neglect of women’s health needs within scientific medicine. This is concerning because alternative medicine is severely limited in its therapeutic effects; therefore, those who choose alternative therapies are liable to experience inadequate healthcare. I argue that while many patients seek greater autonomy in alternative medicine, the absence of an evidence base and plausible mechanisms of action leaves patients unable to realize meaningful autonomy. This seems morally troubling, especially given that the neglect of women’s needs within scientific medicine seems to contribute to preferences for alternative medicine. I conclude that the liberatory credentials of alternative medicine should be questioned and make recommendations to render scientific medicine better able to meet the needs of typical alternative medicine consumers

Empirical evidence of the impact of lesson study on: students’ achievement, teachers’ professional learning and on institutional and system evolution

In this article we review the evidence of the impact of lesson study on student learning, teacher development, teaching materials, curriculum, professional learning and system enhancement. We argue for lesson study to be treated holistically as a vehicle for development and improvement at classroom, school and system levels rather than as a curricular or pedagogical intervention. We illustrate the need for this approach to evaluating lesson study through a complex case exemplar which used Research Lesson Study (a form of lesson study popular in the UK and Europe) to develop learning, teaching, curriculum and local improvement capacity across schools initially involved in a two-year mathematics curriculum development project that later evolved into three self-sustaining, voluntary lesson study school hubs in London. We discuss resulting changes in culture, practice, belief, expectation and student learning. We argue as a result for greater policy level understanding of this expanded conception of lesson study as a vehicle in classroom, school and system transformation.Both projects described received funding from the Greater London Authorit

CD160 isoforms and regulation of CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses

BACKGROUND: Coexpression of CD160 and PD-1 on HIV-specific CD8(+) T-cells defines a highly exhausted T-cell subset. CD160 binds to Herpes Virus Entry Mediator (HVEM) and blocking this interaction with HVEM antibodies reverses T-cell exhaustion. As HVEM binds both inhibitory and activatory receptors, our aim in the current study was to assess the impact of CD160-specific antibodies on the enhancement of T-cell activation. METHODS: Expression of the two CD160 isoforms; glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored (CD160-GPI) and the transmembrane isoforms (CD160-TM) was assessed in CD4 and CD8 primary T-cells by quantitative RT-PCR and Flow-cytometry. Binding of these isoforms to HVEM ligand and the differential capacities of CD160 and HVEM specific antibodies to inhibit this binding were further evaluated using a Time-Resolved Fluorescence assay (TRF). The impact of both CD160 and HVEM specific antibodies on enhancing T-cell functionality upon antigenic stimulation was performed in comparative ex vivo studies using primary cells from HIV-infected subjects stimulated with HIV antigens in the presence or absence of blocking antibodies to the key inhibitory receptor PD-1. RESULTS: We first show that both CD160 isoforms, CD160-GPI and CD160-TM, were expressed in human primary CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells. The two isoforms were also recognized by the HVEM ligand, although this binding was less pronounced with the CD160-TM isoform. Mechanistic studies revealed that although HVEM specific antibodies blocked its binding to CD160-GPI, surprisingly, these antibodies enhanced HVEM binding to CD160-TM, suggesting that potential antibody-mediated HVEM multimerization and/or induced conformational changes may be required for optimal CD160-TM binding. Triggering of CD160-GPI over-expressed on Jurkat cells with either bead-bound HVEM-Fc or anti-CD160 monoclonal antibodies enhanced cell activation, consistent with a positive co-stimulatory role for CD160-GPI. However, CD160-TM did not respond to this stimulation, likely due to the lack of optimal HVEM binding. Finally, ex vivo assays using PBMCs from HIV viremic subjects showed that the use of CD160-GPI-specific antibodies combined with blockade of PD-1 synergistically enhanced the proliferation of HIV-1 specific CD8(+) T-cells upon antigenic stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Antibodies targeting CD160-GPI complement the blockade of PD-1 to enhance HIV-specific T-cell responses and warrant further investigation in the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-014-0217-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Basic science232. Certolizumab pegol prevents pro-inflammatory alterations in endothelial cell function

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a major comorbidity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a leading cause of death. Chronic systemic inflammation involving tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) could contribute to endothelial activation and atherogenesis. A number of anti-TNF therapies are in current use for the treatment of RA, including certolizumab pegol (CZP), (Cimzia ®; UCB, Belgium). Anti-TNF therapy has been associated with reduced clinical cardiovascular disease risk and ameliorated vascular function in RA patients. However, the specific effects of TNF inhibitors on endothelial cell function are largely unknown. Our aim was to investigate the mechanisms underpinning CZP effects on TNF-activated human endothelial cells. Methods: Human aortic endothelial cells (HAoECs) were cultured in vitro and exposed to a) TNF alone, b) TNF plus CZP, or c) neither agent. Microarray analysis was used to examine the transcriptional profile of cells treated for 6 hrs and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysed gene expression at 1, 3, 6 and 24 hrs. NF-κB localization and IκB degradation were investigated using immunocytochemistry, high content analysis and western blotting. Flow cytometry was conducted to detect microparticle release from HAoECs. Results: Transcriptional profiling revealed that while TNF alone had strong effects on endothelial gene expression, TNF and CZP in combination produced a global gene expression pattern similar to untreated control. The two most highly up-regulated genes in response to TNF treatment were adhesion molecules E-selectin and VCAM-1 (q 0.2 compared to control; p > 0.05 compared to TNF alone). The NF-κB pathway was confirmed as a downstream target of TNF-induced HAoEC activation, via nuclear translocation of NF-κB and degradation of IκB, effects which were abolished by treatment with CZP. In addition, flow cytometry detected an increased production of endothelial microparticles in TNF-activated HAoECs, which was prevented by treatment with CZP. Conclusions: We have found at a cellular level that a clinically available TNF inhibitor, CZP reduces the expression of adhesion molecule expression, and prevents TNF-induced activation of the NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, CZP prevents the production of microparticles by activated endothelial cells. This could be central to the prevention of inflammatory environments underlying these conditions and measurement of microparticles has potential as a novel prognostic marker for future cardiovascular events in this patient group. Disclosure statement: Y.A. received a research grant from UCB. I.B. received a research grant from UCB. S.H. received a research grant from UCB. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Impact of inadequate adherence on response to subcutaneously administered anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs: results from the Biologics in Rheumatoid Arthritis Genetics and Genomics Study Syndicate cohort

Objective. Non-adherence to DMARDs is common, but little is known about adherence to biologic therapies and its relationship to treatment response. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between self-reported non-adherence to s.c. anti-TNF therapy and response in individuals with RA. Methods. Participants about to start s.c. anti-TNF therapy were recruited to a large UK multicentre prospective observational cohort study. Demographic information and disease characteristics were assessed at baseline. Self-reported non-adherence, defined as whether the previous due dose of biologic therapy was reported as not taken on the day agreed with the health care professional, was recorded at 3 and 6 months following the start of therapy. The 28-joint DAS (DAS28) was recorded at baseline and following 3 and 6 months of therapy. Multivariate linear regression was used to examine these relationships. Results. Three hundred and ninety-two patients with a median disease duration of 7 years [interquartile range (IQR) 3–15] were recruited. Adherence data were available in 286 patients. Of these, 27% reported non-adherence to biologic therapy according to the defined criteria at least once within the first 6-month period. In multivariate linear regression analysis, older age, lower baseline DAS28 and ever non-adherence at either 3 or 6 months from baseline were significantly associated with a poorer DAS28 response at 6 months to anti-TNF therapy. Conclusion. Patients with RA who reported not taking their biologic on the day agreed with their health care professional showed poorer clinical outcomes than their counterparts, emphasizing the need to investigate causes of non-adherence to biologics