Engaging students with self-directed development of academic skills through a flipped classroom approach

The generic skills of critical analysis, academic writing and referencing are essential for successful student progression in Higher Education. Extra-curricular programmes of academic skills seminars can offer limited opportunity to evaluate the extent to which students have understood and are able to apply the key concepts to their academic work. To provide a more student-focused active learning environment a ‘flipped-classroom’ approach was introduced for ‘Introduction to Referencing’ seminars. Two short screencasts with follow up questions were used as pre-seminar preparatory resources to deliver the essential principles of referencing. The seminar time was then utilised for a series of student-centred activities. These were developed to evaluate students understanding of the essential aspects of referencing, foster student engagement with the learning process and promote peer-support. Despite limited engagement of some students with the pre-sessional materials, all students attending the seminars actively participated in the activities provided. These generated a greater degree of discussion and there was evidence of deeper learning with students applying generic concepts to specific contexts of their academic work. Overall, observations form the seminars and the positive reactions of the students suggests that the ‘flipped classroom’ provides the opportunity for more effective student- focused support and development of independent learning strategies

The long-acting COX-2 inhibitor mavacoxib (Trocoxil (TM)) has anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on canine cancer cell lines and cancer stem cells in vitro

BACKGROUND: The NSAID mavacoxib (Trocoxcil™) is a recently described selective COX-2 inhibitor used for the management of inflammatory disease in dogs. It has a long plasma half-life, requiring less frequent dosing and supporting increased owner compliance in treating their dogs. Although the use of NSAIDs has been described in cancer treatment in dogs, there are no studies to date that have examined the utility of mavacoxib specifically. RESULTS: In this study we compared the in vitro activity of a short-acting non-selective COX inhibitor (carprofen) with mavacoxib, on cancer cell and cancer stem cell survival. We demonstrate that mavacoxib has a direct cell killing effect on cancer cells, increases apoptosis in cancer cells in a manner that may be independent of caspase activity, and has an inhibitory effect on cell migration. Importantly, we demonstrate that cancer stem cells derived from osteosarcoma cell lines are sensitive to the cytotoxic effect of mavacoxib. CONCLUSIONS: Both NSAIDs can inhibit cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in vitro. Importantly, cancer stem cells derived from an osteosarcoma cell line are sensitive to the cytotoxic effect of mavacoxib. Our results suggest that mavacoxib has anti-tumour effects and that this in vitro anti-cancer activity warrants further study. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-014-0184-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

A Life-Line for the Pedagogic Goose: Harnessing the Graduate Perspective in Arts Education

Studio-based art and design education provides high levels of individual attention but has been criticized for the high demands for space and staff time that it places on institutions. Furthermore, retention and attainment rates in art and design subjects demonstrate that not all students develop the supportive, individual relationships with their tutors that facilitate development as creative practitioners. This article reports a case study of an initiative to improve retention amongst first year students studying Art, Design and Architecture subjects, by utilizing recent graduates, employed as Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), to create a communications bridge between new students and their subject tutors. The project found that retention rates improved by 50% for these first-year students, who also reported that GTAs are welcoming, approachable, more accessible, and easier to talk to than academic staff. Tutors felt that communication with their students was enhanced by GTAs helping build clear narratives for each student. As the role of GTA becomes more established, further developments will include facilitating peer-to-peer collaboration in the studio through the harnessing and integration of peer mentors to more quickly foster a collaborative and supportive studio culture for new students

Co-producing human and animal experimental subjects: Exploring the views of UK COVID-19 vaccine trial participants on animal testing

Preclinical (animal) testing and human testing of drugs and vaccines are rarely considered by social scientists side by side. Where this is done, it is typically for theoretically exploring the ethics of the two situations to compare relative treatment. In contrast, we empirically explore how human clinical trial participants understand the role of animal test subjects in vaccine development. Furthermore, social science research has only concentrated on broad public opinion and the views of patients about animal research, whereas we explore the views of a public group particularly implicated in pharmaceutical development: experimental subjects. We surveyed and interviewed COVID-19 vaccine trial participants in Oxford, UK, on their views about taking part in a vaccine trial and the role of animals in trials. We found that trial participants mirrored assumptions about legitimate reasons for animal testing embedded in regulation and provided insight into (i) the nuances of public opinion on animal research; (ii) the co-production of human and animal experimental subjects; (iii) how vaccine and medicine testing, and the motivations and demographics of clinical trial participants, change in an outbreak; and (iv) what public involvement can offer to science

Erratum to: Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition) (Autophagy, 12, 1, 1-222, 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356

non present

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field