Meeting Report: Biomedical Science Conference on Thursday 14th April 2016 at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) Cambridge Campus, UK

Attendance: This meeting brought together staff, postgraduate students taking ARU’s MSc in Biotechnology (led by Havovi Chichger), and finalists taking ARU’s BSc (Hons.) in Biomedical Science (led by Claire Pike). Approximately 140 students and 20 staff attended. The conference was timetabled for the undergraduate module Current Advances in Biomedical Science (led by Richard Jones) and the MSc module Professional and Ethical Practice in Industry (led by Grisha Pirianov). Aims and ambitions: The aims of this conference were as follows: to provide good value for grant money; to improve course communities; to strengthen relationships between staff and students; to help integration between UK and international students; to strengthen links between ARU, the Biochemical Society and the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS); to encourage interest in exciting research; and to add to the learning on the courses. Knowledge accumulated during the conference will be assessed at the end of the modules during written examinations. Plenary lectures: Speakers explained cutting-edge research techniques, their results and what they mean for biomedical science. Mike Harrison (School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds) outlined how the rotary ATPases function as nano-scale motors that drive biology. His lecture illustrated the physiological roles of the rotary ATPases, their structure and organisation, how they work, their regulation and control, and inhibitor binding and therapeutic potential. Grisha Pirianov (Department of Biomedical and Forensic Sciences, ARU) discussed current technology for drug discovery and validation for treatment of inflammatory based vascular diseases such as aneurysms. Dominika Gruszka (Francis Crick Institute) lectured on studies of protein folding, misfolding and aggregation performed with Jane Clarke (Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge) and Jennifer Potts (Department of Biology, University of York). Dominika outlined the following: the basis of the protein folding problem; factors that can lead to protein denaturation; examples of experimental techniques used to study protein folding; the process of protein misfolding and aggregation including causes and examples of amyloidosis; and the formation of biofilms on implanted medical devices. Manal Mohammed (Department of Biomedical and Forensic Sciences, ARU) discussed how modern molecular, DNA sequencing and computational tools are enabling us to prepare for, and react to, outbreaks of infectious diseases that are difficult to treat. Students’ contributions: Students presented coursework posters that reflected their own developing and wide-ranging biomedical and industrial science interests. The posters were assessed by staff on the day. For the undergraduates, first prize was awarded to the poster entitled, “Cephalosomatic anastomosis: the proposition for the human head transplant” created by Gabriele Saba, Anton Zolotukhin, Lewis Mudway and Johnathan Willgress. Joint second prize was awarded to the posters, “Is 3D cell culture a better predictor of LD50 than 2D cell culture and how does it compare to in-vivo results?” by David Glasspool, and, “Does saturated fat intake increase the risk of coronary disease?” by Ololade Adenaike, Ernest Asamoah, Rita Cappiello and Khadijat Mansaray. The postgraduates presented case studies of biotechnology companies. First prize was awarded to the poster, “Horizon Discovery Group plc” by Sabastina Amoako. Joint second prize was awarded to the posters, “Oxitec Limited,” by Ada Luisa Soto Chavarria and, “Novabiotics,” by Thilini Kanchana Wickremasinghe. Anonymous comments regarding the conference provided by students in module evaluations included the following: “The lecturers were very enthusiastic with very interesting current research topics”; “I liked that the lecturers are current researchers in the subjects they are talking about”; and “Presenting a poster was enjoyable and a good way of being assessed.” Head of Department’s Comments: Jocelyn Pryce (Acting Head of the Department of Biomedical and Forensic Sciences at ARU) said that, “The students were able to apply the knowledge they have gained throughout their degree to their specialist interests, allowing them to showcase their work and success. This resulted in presentations of high quality posters and evidence of excellent critical defence of each subject area. This conference is growing in strength with each year and we would like to thank the Biochemical Society and the ARU Extra Curricular Fund and for their continued support in identifying new ways to increase the student experience. ” Funding: This conference was funded by a Biochemical Society Sponsored Events Grant (£500) and an ARU Extra Curricular Event Award (£1500). These awards supported student poster prizes, packed lunches, light refreshments during session breaks, and travel costs for the external visiting speakers

Biochemical Society sponsors event at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge

Attendance: This meeting brought together staff, postgraduate students taking ARU’s MSc in Biotechnology (led by Philip Warburton), and finalists taking either ARU’s BSc in Biomedical Science (led by Claire Pike) or University Centre Harlow’s (UCH) BSc in Bioscience (led by Linda King and Matt Webster). Approximately 135 students and 22 staff attended. The conference included undergraduates taking the module Current Advances in Biomedical Science (led by Richard Jones) and MSc students taking the module Professional and Ethical Practice in Industry (led by Benjamin Evans). Aims and ambitions: The aims of this conference were as follows: to provide good value for grant money; to improve course communities; to strengthen relationships between staff and students; to help integration between UK and international students; to strengthen links between ARU, UCH, the Biochemical Society and the Institute of Biomedical Science; to encourage interest in exciting research; and to add to the learning on the courses. Knowledge accumulated during the conference will be assessed at the end of the modules during written examinations. Plenary lectures: Speakers explained cutting-edge research techniques, their results and what they mean for biomedical science. Dominika Gruszka (Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge) gave a lecture on studies of protein folding, misfolding and aggregation performed with Jane Clarke (Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge) and Jennifer Potts (Department of Biology, University of York). Dominika outlined the following: the basis of the protein folding problem; factors that can lead to protein denaturation; examples of experimental techniques used to study protein folding; the process of protein misfolding and aggregation including causes and examples of amyloidosis; and the formation of biofilms on implanted medical devices. Mike Harrison (School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds) outlined how the rotary ATPases function as nano-scale motors that drive biology. His lecture illustrated the physiological roles of the rotary ATPases, their structure and organisation, how they work, their regulation and control, and inhibitor binding and therapeutic potential. Philip Warburton (Department of Biomedical and Forensic Sciences, ARU) explained high-throughput sequencing methodologies, and how advances in DNA sequencing could lead to hospital-based whole-genome sequencing at birth and personalised medicine within healthcare. Benjamin Evans (Department of Biomedical and Forensic Sciences, ARU) discussed how modern molecular and computational tools are enabling us to prepare for, and react to, outbreaks of infectious diseases. Students’ contributions: Students presented coursework posters that reflected their own developing and wide-ranging biomedical and industrial science interests. The posters were assessed by staff on the day. For the undergraduates, first prize was awarded to the poster entitled, “Gene therapy for cystic fibrosis: can lentivirus deliver?” created by Sandra Sullivan, Milagrosa Sparrow, Nicola Brown and Alice Mussett. Second prize was awarded to the poster, “Can poly glycerol sebacate (PGS) be used to produce bio-compatible corneal stroma substitutes?” by Ashleigh Mitcham, Glenda Fellows and Charlotte Thomas. Third prize was awarded to the poster, “Could three-parent babies be the future for prevention of mitochondrial disease?” by Azhar Mohamudally, Dan Jiang, Susan Chizema and Roxana Buruiana. For the postgraduates, first prize was awarded to the poster, “AquaBounty: a case study,” by Joshua Kerr. Second prize was awarded to the poster, “Case study: Vernalis,” by Charys Presland-Palmer. A special prize was given to David McQuarrie for representing the finalists on University committees. Joseph Batchelor took photographs on the day. Jocelyn Pryce (Acting Head of the Department of Biomedical and Forensic Sciences at ARU) said that, “The conference was a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their work. They applied the knowledge they have gained throughout their degree to their specialist interests, as each group selected their own poster topic. This resulted in enthusiastic presentations of high quality posters.” Anonymous comments regarding the conference provided by students in module evaluations included the following: “It’s great to be taught about the practical reality of research, and to hear from guest speakers. The conference day was very enjoyable. Presenting the poster was really fun.”; “Fantastic – great speakers.”; “I liked the opportunity to attend the conference day. There was a good mix of speakers and lectures were informative.” Funding: Jocelyn Pryce and Richard Jones thank the Biochemical Society for a Sponsored Events Grant (£500) and Julie Walkling and Helen Valentine for allocating an ARU Extra Curricula Event Award (£1500). These awards supported student poster prizes, packed lunches, light refreshments during session breaks, and travel costs for the external visiting speakers

Meeting Report: Biomedical Research Conference

This meeting brought together staff from the Department of Life Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University and the 150 final-year BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science students taking the ‘Current Advances in Biomedical Science’ module led by Richard Jones. The module aimed to promote students’ career prospects and interest in exciting research through employability, studentship and biomedical research conference days at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in semester 2, 2014. The venue for all three conference days was the Mumford Theatre at ARU’s Cambridge Campus. The Mumford Theatre has excellent acoustics and normally hosts theatre companies. Knowledge accumulated during these days was assessed at the end of the module using a 1 hour written examination

The Grizzly, September 1, 1989

U.C. Transition • Diverse Freshman Diverge on Ursinus • Letter: Frosh Finds Staff Discourteous • Corson Facelift Removes Moles • Bright Moments Jazz Steams Bomberger Night • Bio Grants Lend Expansion • Lax: National Champs! • Wood Takes Titles • Lacrosse Coaches Retire • Lady Bears: Few, But Strong • Bears to Repeat • St. Joe\u27s / U.C. MBA Still O.K. • Academic Year Openedhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1238/thumbnail.jp

Program transformations using temporal logic side conditions

This paper describes an approach to program optimisation based on transformations, where temporal logic is used to specify side conditions, and strategies are created which expand the repertoire of transformations and provide a suitable level of abstraction. We demonstrate the power of this approach by developing a set of optimisations using our transformation language and showing how the transformations can be converted into a form which makes it easier to apply them, while maintaining trust in the resulting optimising steps. The approach is illustrated through a transformational case study where we apply several optimisations to a small program

Intelligence within BAOR and NATO's Northern Army Group

During the Cold War the UK's principal military role was its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) through the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), together with wartime command of NATO's Northern Army Group. The possibility of a surprise attack by the numerically superior Warsaw Pact forces ensured that great importance was attached to intelligence, warning and rapid mobilisation. As yet we know very little about the intelligence dimension of BAOR and its interface with NATO allies. This article attempts to address these neglected issues, ending with the impact of the 1973 Yom Kippur War upon NATO thinking about warning and surprise in the mid-1970s. It concludes that the arrangements made by Whitehall for support to BAOR from national assets during crisis or transition to war were - at best - improbable. Accordingly, over the years, BAOR developed its own unique assets in the realm of both intelligence collection and special operations in order to prepare for the possible outbreak of conflict

Trajectories of self-rated health in people with diabetes: Associations with functioning in a prospective community sample

© 2013 Schmitz et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Background: Self-rated health (SRH) is a single-item measure that is one of the most widely used measures of general health in population health research. Relatively little is known about changes and the trajectories of SRH in people with chronic medical conditions. The aims of the present study were to identify and describe longitudinal trajectories of self-rated health (SRH) status in people with diabetes. Methods: A prospective community study was carried out between 2008 and 2011. SRH was assessed at baseline and yearly at follow-ups (n=1288). Analysis was carried out through trajectory modeling. The trajectory groups were subsequently compared at 4 years follow-up with respect to functioning. Results: Four distinct trajectories of SRH were identified: 1) 72.2% of the participants were assigned to a persistently good SRH trajectory; 2) 10.1% were assigned to a persistently poor SRH trajectory; 3) mean SRH scores changed from good to poor for one group (7.3%); while 4) mean SRH scores changed from poor to medium/good for another group (10.4%). Those with a persistently poor perception of health status were at higher risk for poor functioning at 4 years follow-up than those whose SRH scores decreased from good to poor. Conclusions: SRH is an important predictor for poor functioning in diabetes, but the trajectory of SRH seems to be even more important. Health professionals should pay attention to not only SRH per se, but also changes in SRH over time.This work was supported by Operating Grant MOP-84574 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). GG was supported by a doctoral fellowship from the CIHR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Kinetic Characterisation of a Single Chain Antibody against the Hormone Abscisic Acid: Comparison with Its Parental Monoclonal

A single-chain Fv fragment antibody (scFv) specific for the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) has been expressed in the bacterium Escherichia coli as a fusion protein. The kinetics of ABA binding have been measured using surface plasmon resonance spectrometry (BIAcore 2000) using surface and solution assays. Care was taken to calculate the concentration of active protein in each sample using initial rate measurements under conditions of partial mass transport limitation. The fusion product, parental monoclonal antibody and the free scFv all have low nanomolar affinity constants, but there is a lower dissociation rate constant for the parental monoclonal resulting in a three-fold greater affinity. Analogue specificity was tested and structure-activity binding preferences measured. The biologically-active (+)-ABA enantiomer is recognised with an affinity three orders of magnitude higher than the inactive (-)-ABA. Metabolites of ABA including phaseic acid, dihydrophaseic acid and deoxy-ABA have affinities over 100-fold lower than that for (+)-ABA. These properties of the scFv make it suitable as a sensor domain in bioreporters specific for the naturally occurring form of ABA

Electromagnetic Form Factors in the hypercentral CQM

We report on the recent results of the hypercentral Constituent Quark Model (hCQM). The model contains a spin independent three-quark interaction which is inspired by Lattice QCD calculations and reproduces the average energy values of the SU(6) multiplets. The splittings are obtained with a SU(6)-breaking interaction, which can include also an isospin dependent term. Concerning Constituent Quark models, we have shown for the first time that the decreasing of the ratio of the elastic form factors of the proton is due to relativistic effects using relativistic corrections to the e.m. current and boosts. Now the elastic nucleon form factors have been recalculated, using a relativistic version of the hCQM and a relativistic quark current showing a very detailed reproduction of all the four form factor existing data over the complete range of 0-4 $GeV^2$. Futhermore, the model has been used for predictions concerning the electromagnetic transverse and longitudinal transition form factors giving a good description of the medium $Q^2$ behaviour. We show that the discrepancies in the reproduction of the helicity amplitudes at low $Q^2$ are due to pion loops. We have calculated the helicity amplitudes for all the 3 and 4 star resonances opening the possibility of application to the evaluation of cross sections.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, Invited talk at the ICTP 4th International Conference on Perspectives in Hadronic Physics, Trieste, Italy, 12-16 May 2003. Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.

Synthetic glycolipid-based TLR4 antagonists negatively regulate TRIF-dependent TLR4 signalling in human macrophages

TLRs, including TLR4, play a crucial role in inflammatory-based diseases, and TLR4 has been identified as a therapeutic target for pharmacological intervention. In previous studies, we investigated the potential of FP7, a novel synthetic glycolipid active as a TLR4 antagonist, to inhibit haematopoietic and non-haematopoietic MyD88-dependent TLR4 pro-inflammatory signalling. The main aim of this study was to investigate the action of FP7 and its derivative FP12 on MyD88-independent TLR4 signalling in THP-1 derived macrophages. Western blotting, Ab array and ELISA approaches were used to explore the effect of FP7 and FP12 on TRIF-dependent TLR4 functional activity in response to LPS and other endogenous TLR4 ligands in THP-1 macrophages. A different kinetic in the inhibition of endotoxin-driven TBK1, IRF3 and STAT1 phosphorylation was observed using different LPS chemotypes. Following activation of TLR4 by LPS, data revealed that FP7 and FP12 inhibited TBK1, IRF3 and STAT1 phosphorylation which was associated with down-regulation IFN-β and IP-10. Specific blockage of the IFN type one receptor showed that these novel molecules inhibited TRIF-dependent TLR4 signalling via IFN-β pathways. These results add novel information on the mechanism of action of monosaccharide FP derivatives. The inhibition of the TRIF-dependent pathway in human macrophages suggests potential therapeutic uses for these novel TLR4 antagonists in pharmacological interventions on inflammatory diseases