Mechanistic investigations of matrix metalloproteinase-8 inhibition by metal abstraction peptide

The mechanism of matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) inhibition was investigated using ellipsometric measurements of the interaction of MMP-8 with a surface bound peptide inhibitor, tether-metal abstraction peptide (MAP), bound to self-assembled monolayer films. MMP-8 is a collagenase whose activity and dysregulation have been implicated in a number of disease states, including cancer metastasis, diabetic neuropathy, and degradation of biomedical reconstructions, including dental restorations. Regulation of activity of MMP-8 and other matrix metalloproteinases is thus a significant, but challenging, therapeutic target. Strong inhibition of MMP-8 activity has recently been achieved via the small metal binding peptide tether-MAP. Here, the authors elucidate the mechanism of this inhibition and demonstrate that it occurs through the direct interaction of the MAP Tag and the Zn2+ binding site in the MMP-8 active site. This enhanced understanding of the mechanism of inhibition will allow the design of more potent inhibitors as well as assays important for monitoring critical MMP levels in disease states

Coach development through collaborative action research: enhancing the learning environment within a national talent development system

Motivation to learn is an essential factor of talent being realised , which throws into light the essential role that the motivational climate plays in developing talent. Through collaborative action research, the aim of this study was to develop coaches’ learning to enhance the learning environment within a national talent development system, utilising the) TARGET framework (task, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation and time). Results revealed that participatory collaborative action research is an effective coach development tool for coaches in order to enhance their learning and the motivational climate within their sessions. The study identified the benefits of coach development through participatory action research, revealing a highly positive response to the role that collaborative learning played in pedagogical developmen

Dimensions of professional competences for interventions towards sustainability

This paper investigates sustainability competences through the eyes of professional practitioners in the field of sustainability and presents empirical data that have been created using an action research approach. The design of the study consists of two workshops, in which professional practitioners in interaction with each other and the facilitators are invited to explore and reflect on the specific knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours necessary to conduct change processes successfully towards sustainability in a variety of business and professional contexts. The research focuses on the competences associated with these change processes to devise, propose and conduct appropriate interventions that address sustainability issues. Labelled ‘intervention competence’, this ability comprises an interlocking set of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours that include: appreciating the importance of (trying to) reaching decisions or interventions; being able to learn from lived experience of practice and to connect such learning to one’s own scientific knowledge; being able to engage in political-strategic thinking, deliberations and actions, related to different perspectives; the ability for showing goal-oriented, adequate action; adopting and communicating ethical practices during the intervention process; being able to cope with the degree of complexity, and finally being able to translate stakeholder diversity into collectively produced interventions (actions) towards sustainability. Moreover, this competence has to be practised in contexts of competing values, non-technical interests and power relations. The article concludes with recommendations for future research and practice

Meta-action research with pre-service teachers: a case study

This article analyses a case of action research collaboratively conducted by a university teacher and 50 students in a master's course in teacher training. Its originality resides in the socio-economic, academic, and conceptual nature of the obstacles encountered in the module; in the meta-theoretical orientation of the action research that was chosen to overcome them; and in how triangulation strategies were devised to compensate for the limitations imposed by the academic framing of the course. In spite of the brevity of the research cycle, both the structure of the course and teacher-student interaction improved rapidly and significantly, as did the latter's trust in the teacher. As a result, important advances in learning also ensued, and the pedagogical potential of this research method was thereby confirmed

The effectiveness of constraint-led training on skill development in interceptive sports: a systematic review (Clark, McEwan and Christie) – a commentary

Clark, McEwan and Christie's systematic review1 offers a timely examination of current literature assessing effects of a constraints-led approach (CLA) to training on ‘technical and cognitive skill in sport’, in comparison to traditional training methods. They concluded that, currently, there is strong evidence to advocate for the effects of training interventions that espouse benefits of constraints-led training on acquiring skill in interceptive actions. Clark, McEwan and Christie reported that 18 studies satisfied their proposed inclusion criteria and, of these studies, 77% provided evidence of the effectiveness of the CLA. Consequently, Clark, McEwan and Christie argued that a ‘the implementation of the constraints-led approach within interceptive sport can be advocated’ (p. 17). This is a revealing insight, which supports their claims that this finding ‘provides the opportunity for researchers to collect more compelling evidence to answer the question: “Does constraint-led training assist with the development of technical skills within interceptive sport?”’. While we endorse their call for more empirical evidence on the effectiveness of a CLA to practice and training design, we qualify it by highlighting some limitations of Clark, McEwan and Christie's systematic review

Easing into the Academy: Using Technology to Foster Cross-Institutional Critical Friendships

This article addresses the ways in which early career teacher educators can support each other as they enter the academic community. By utilizing technology as an instrument to engage in a cross-country critical friendship, the authors were able to engage in a dialogue that grew out of mutual interests and concerns. Through critical reflection, they were able to address the question: How can we, two early-career teacher educators, push ourselves and one another to more critically examine our teaching practices? In doing so, each “new educator” grew more confident in claiming one\u27s voice as a sustainable critical friendship emerged

So What Do You Do? Experimenting with Space for Social Creativity

This chapter investigates the relationship between physical space and processes of creative thinking and action. The authors build on organizational and sociological literature about social space and aesthetics, then illustrate how the latter two aspects influenced each other in five action experiments. Small mixed groups explored how they would use a studio to facilitate social innovation and to strengthen the link between the Max Stern Jezreel Valley College in Israel and the surrounding communities. Analysis of the video recordings identified seven configurations of social space that changed over time as the participants engaged in the task. The authors suggest that the undifferentiated and unencrusted nature of the space was both a source of uncertainty and potential for the participants. Some groups generated more innovative processes and products than others. The study also offers insights into the importance of embodied action and verbal discourse in innovative processes

Learning is Like a Lava Lamp: The Student Journey to Critical Thinking

This paper explores the ways in which a university Foundation Degree programme supports undergraduate early years students to develop critical thinking, mindfulness and self-actualisation through their lived personal and professional experiences. It considers the impact of this on graduates employed within the Early Years sector. Findings inform future design of a University Foundation Degree programme situated within Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). As undergraduates, students engage in higher-level learning aligned to their practice within the workplace. An interpretive Participatory Qualitative Research methodology is used to gather the views of 6 alumni who completed their studies in 2014. They participated in the research freely within ethical parameters approved by a university ethics committee. Findings revealed that the development of critical thinking is empowered by having a personal or professional impetus, which in the case of Early Years is the child as being at the heart of values based practice. This, with the inclusion of mindfulness, drives students to a sustainable deeper layer of thinking to achieve self-actualisation. Through the acquisition of critical thinking students have been subsequently able to take up positions of authority within the early years workforce