A Reflection on the Legacy of Ronald Sultana

This article marks the death of Ronald Sultana and sets out his key academic contribution, particularly in terms of his work on career guidance and social justice and career guidance in the Global South

In memory of Ronald Sultana

Professor Ronald Sultana (University of Malta) died on Friday 24th November 2023. In this article his friends and colleagues Rie Thomsen and Tristram Hooley reflect on his life and legacy

High fidelity sorting of remarkably similar components via metal-mediated assembly.

Subtle differences in ligand coordination angle and rigidity lead to high fidelity sorting between individual components displaying identical coordination motifs upon metal-mediated self-assembly. Narcissistic self-sorting can be achieved between highly similar ligands that vary minimally in rigidity and internal coordination angle upon combination with Fe(ii) ions and 2-formylpyridine. Selective, sequential cage formation can be precisely controlled in a single flask from a mix of three different core ligands (and 33 total components) differing only in the hybridization of one group that is uninvolved in the metal coordination process

Supporting local students. An evaluation of the Office for Students Challenge Competition: Industrial strategy and skills support for local students and graduates'

This paper explores the image of the OfS' funding competition for universities and colleges looking for innovative ways to help students find graduate-level employment close to home. Universities, colleges and employers are found to be taking steps to provide students with skills and knowledge to enhance their employability in their local areas, with 89 per cent of student participants positive about their engagement. The evaluation shows that 89 per cent of student or graduate participants were positive about their participation and 87 per cent of employers participating in the programme reported that their participation had brought value to their business. Through the projects, students have gained confidence in their ability to pursue their desired career, developed clarity of career intention, employability technical skills, and an understanding of local labour markets. Employers found that the project improved recruitment processes supporting graduate applicants from diverse backgrounds and improved awareness of the value of employing graduates. The project also improved market insights, particularly relating to young people’s perspectives and interests, and created new skills leading to business improvements, notably technical and digital skills

A Golgi and tonoplast localized S-acyl transferase is involved in cell expansion, cell division, vascular patterning and fertility in Arabidopsis

S‐acylation of eukaryotic proteins is the reversible attachment of palmitic or stearic acid to cysteine residues, catalysed by protein S‐acyl transferases that share an Asp‐His‐His‐Cys (DHHC) motif. Previous evidence suggests that in Arabidopsis S‐acylation is involved in the control of cell size, polarity and the growth of pollen tubes and root hairs. Using a combination of yeast genetics, biochemistry, cell biology and loss of function genetics the roles of a member of the protein S‐acyl transferase PAT family, AtPAT10 (At3g51390), have been explored. In keeping with its role as a PAT, AtPAT10 auto‐S‐acylates, and partially complements the yeast akr1 PAT mutant, and this requires Cys192 of the DHHC motif. In Arabidopsis AtPAT10 is localized in the Golgi stack, trans‐Golgi network/early endosome and tonoplast. Loss‐of‐function mutants have a pleiotropic phenotype involving cell expansion and division, vascular patterning, and fertility that is rescued by wild‐type AtPAT10 but not by catalytically inactive AtPAT10C192A. This supports the hypothesis that AtPAT10 is functionally independent of the other Arabidopsis PATs. Our findings demonstrate a growing importance of protein S‐acylation in plants, and reveal a Golgi and tonoplast located S‐acylation mechanism that affects a range of events during growth and development in Arabidopsis

A legacy of solidaric critique and hope for a better world: A meditation on the scholarly contribution of Ronald Sultana

In this article, we reflect on the legacy of Ronald Sultana who died on Friday 24th November 2023. We argue that he was a major figure in the development of career guidance theory and practice of the late 20th and early 21st century. The article begins by reflecting on and summarising his contribution to the fields of education and career guidance. While we focus on his contribution in the field of career guidance, we also acknowledge that this work sits in a wider body of work in which Sultana’s sociological imagination addressed the operation of the education system around the Mediterranean, across Europe and in the Global South. We explore Sultana’s contribution to theory, policy and practice. We argue that in relation to theory he situated careers in context, carefully traced the range of political roles that career guidance could play and argued for career guidance as a force for social justice. In relation to policy, we highlight his role in international reviews and his critical commentary on this kind of policy borrowing and lending. In relation to practice, we focus on Sultana’s development of resources and study programmes promoting lifelong guidance, and the leveraging of networking to develop a united community of professionals. Finally, we consider the challenges that Ronald left for us and discuss what those who seek to build on his legacy could do

Expression and characterization of recombinant β-glucosidases from Aspergillus nidulans AN2227

Recombinant β-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) from Aspergillus nidulans AN2227 was expressed using Buffered Methanol Complex Medium (BMMY). Purification was conducted using ammonium sulphate precipitation and anion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 column. The enzyme was purified 2.58 fold from the crude extract. β-glucosidase was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity and had a relative molecular weight of 100 kDa as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme had an optimum pH and temperature of 6.0 and 40 oC respectively. The most striking characteristics of this enzyme are the dramatically broad pH and temperature profile. The enzyme also had a Km of 0.42 mM for 4-Nitrophenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (pNPG). The activity of the enzyme was inhibited by HgCl2 and slightly activated by CoCl2, FeCl3, CaCl2, FeCl2 and ZnCl2 suggesting that the enzyme may not be a metalloprotein and therefore does not require metal ions for optimum activity.Keywords: Aspergillus nidulans, Cellulase, β-glucosidase, p-nitrophenol-β-glucopyranoside

Enzyme assay, cloning and sequencing of novel β-glucosidase gene from Aspergillus niger f321 (unidentified Nigerian strain)

β-glucosidase is a cellulase enzyme under intense investigation for its potential role in cellulose degradation for the generation of fermentable sugars used in biofuels production. Ten catalytic sites have been identified that are conserved in β- glucosidases from a range of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. NCBI Primer BLAST was used in this study to design primers that successfully clone a partial β-glucosidase gene from an uncharacterised Nigerian strain of the filamentous fungi Aspergillus niger F321 (A. niger F321). Two β-glucosidase genes from A. niger F321 denoted as ANRA12.6 and ANRA12.9 were amplified from genomic DNA using PCR techniques and the amplicons gave estimated PCR products of 1,190 bp and 1,950 bp respectively. Subsequent cloning into E. coli produced positive results for blue/white screening of transformed colonies while the colony PCR of their pDNA gave estimated sizes of 860 bp and 1,600 bp respectively. DNA sequencing confirmed that the chosen A. niger F321 partial β-glucosidase sequences had been successfully cloned. Bioinformatics studies also suggested that the cloned β-glucosidases share some characteristics with their bacterial counterparts. The findings in this study highlight the increasing need for more information on β-glucosidase structure and function.Keywords: Aspergillus niger, β-glucosidase, cellulase, PCR, sequencing, Bioinformatic