Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Supporting transition from school to university for refugee youth : a case study of targeted mentoring

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Building bridges : a practical guide to developing and implementing a subject-specific peer-to-peer academic mentoring program for first-year higher education students

The Telemachus Ancient History Mentor Program (informally known as Tele’s Angels) has been offering peer-led transition services to first-year students at Macquarie University since 2002. Tele’s Angels volunteer Mentors create a ‘learning community’ by providing their first-year colleagues with transition assistance, academic support and resources, and networking for and amongst students and staff. Individual mentoring is offered, as well as free peer-support services which focus on developing academic skills and building social networks. The program also focuses on student leadership – a key objective is that Mentors themselves are beneficiaries of all activities, embodying the program motto: “to give is to receive”. It is timely to report Tele’s Angels’ experiences to a wider audience and offer practical guidelines to those wishing to develop and implement subject-specific academic mentoring programs for first-year students in their own institutions.12 page(s

Boundaries and Boundary Objects: An Evaluation Framework for Mixed Methods Research

While mixed methods research is increasingly established as a methodological approach,researchers still struggle with boundaries arising from commitments to different methods and paradigms, and from attention to social justice. Combining two lines of work - social learning theory and the Imagine Program at the University of Brighton - we present an evaluation framework that was used to integrate the perspectives of multiple stakeholders in the program's social interventions. We explore how this ‘‘value-creation framework'' acts as a boundary object across ‘‘boundaries of practice,'' specifically across quantitative and qualitative methods, philosophical paradigms, and participant perspectives. We argue that the framework's focus on cycles of value creation provided the Imagine Program with a shared language for negotiating interpretation and action across those boundaries