A collaborative action research project to support Mathematics and Science PGCE students with Masters level writing

Since 2005, Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses in England and Wales have been awarded at Masters level which requires students to be able to write reflectively in an academic style in the discipline of Social Science. We have found that the majority of Mathematics and Science PGCE students rarely experience this style of academic writing in their undergraduate studies. This can put them at a disadvantage compared to other students. The project reported in this paper set out to develop the skill of academic writing of Mathematics and Science PGCE students. The first part of this collaborative study focused on peer-assessment of a synopsis for the second assignment with an emphasis on learning conversations. The effectiveness of this teaching strategy and other forms of support such as formative feedback of the first assignment and discussing exemplar assignments were analysed. The survey responses and questionnaires revealed that the students valued the forms of support offered. A small percentage of students, however, reported that they found the peer assessments less helpful and preferred more tutor feedback. This appears to indicate that students would benefit from developing better skills for self-assessment and peer-assessment to make learning conversations more productive

Strategies to Support PGCE Mathematics and Science Students Preparing for Assignments at Masters Level

The main aim of this study was to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of support strategies being put into place for students who need to write assignments at Masters Level. In preparation for writing a 5000 word assignment on an aspect of teaching Mathematics or Science, 57 Science and Mathematics PGCE students were asked to write a 500 word synopsis which included an introduction, description of the main focus, questions that the assignment would address and possible strategies for teaching and learning. A strategy not reported previously in this context was the use of peer assessment of the synopsis. Each synopsis was reviewed by two students and discussed in professional learning conversations. The assessments by students were used as feedback along with the University subject tutor’s assessment of the synopsis. Data were collected from questionnaires and interviews to explore the perceived effectiveness of the peer assessment exercise and other support strategies. Findings were analysed to consider how support for future groups might be developed

Immunosuppression by retrovirus-related factors : restoration of p15E-like effects by thymic hormones

This thesis describes the immunosuppression due to factors structurally related to retroviral proteins and the possibities to interfere with this suppression by thymic hormones

Three-dimensional dento-skeletal effects of mandibular midline distraction and surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion:A retrospective study

It was the aim of the study to provide a three-dimensional evaluation of dento-skeletal effects following bone-borne vs tooth-borne mandibular midline distraction (MMD) and tooth-borne surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME). A retrospective observational study was conducted. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) records were taken pre-operatively (T1), immediately post-distraction (T2) and 1 year post-operatively (T3). All included 30 patients had undergone MMD (20 bone-borne MMD; 10 tooth-borne MMD). A total of 20 bone-borne MMD and 8 tooth-borne MMD patients had simultaneously undergone tooth-borne SARME. At T1 vs T3, canine (p = 0.007; 26.0 ± 2.09 vs 29.2 ± 2.02) and first premolar (p = 0.005; 33.8 ± 2.70 vs 37.0 ± 2.43) showed significant expansion on the tip level for tooth-borne MMD. This was no significant on the apex level, indicating tipping. Bone-borne MMD showed a parallel distraction gap, whereas tooth-borne MMD showed a V-shape. There was a significant (p = 0.017; 138 ± 17.8 vs 141 ± 18.2) inter-condylar axes increase for bone-borne MMD. In conclusion, bone-borne vs tooth-borne MMD and tooth-borne SARME showed stable dento-skeletal effects at 1 year post-operatively. Bone-borne and tooth-borne MMD seemed not to be superior to each other. The choice of distractor type therefore depends more on anatomical and comfort factors.</p

Refractory Stage M Ganglioneuroblastoma With Bone Metastases and a Favorable, Chronic Course of Disease:Description of a Patient Cohort

Refractory stage M neuroblastoma (NB) is associated with a poor prognosis and a progressive course of disease. Here, we describe a unique group of patients with a discrepant clinical course. Seven histologically confirmed ganglioneuroblastoma (GNB) (n=6) and differentiating NB (n=1) patients were identified who were diagnosed with stage M disease based on iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine avid bone metastases. Six patients started on high-risk treatment, without tumor response (stable disease). Treatment was discontinued before the start of consolidation treatment because of refractory response in all patients. Unexpectedly, after cessation of treatment no progression of disease occurred. In 2 patients, the primary tumors expanded (>25%) very slowly during 1.5 and 3 years, and remained stable thereafter. Metabolically, a slow decrease of urinary homovanillic acid and vanillylmandelic acid levels and iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine avidity was observed. All patients are alive with presence of metastatic disease after a median follow-up of 17 years (range: 6.7 to 27 y). Interestingly, at diagnosis, 6 patients were asymptomatic, 6 patients had GNB morphology, and 5 patients had meningeal metastases. These are all features seen in only a small minority of stage M patients. This GNB entity illustrates the clinical heterogeneity of neuroblastic tumors and can be used to further study the developmental origin of different NB subtypes

Refractory Stage M Ganglioneuroblastoma With Bone Metastases and a Favorable, Chronic Course of Disease: Description of a Patient Cohort

Refractory stage M neuroblastoma (NB) is associated with a poor prognosis and a progressive course of disease. Here, we describe a unique group of patients with a discrepant clinical course. Seven histologically confirmed ganglioneuroblastoma (GNB) (n=6) and differentiating NB (n=1) patients were identified who were diagnosed with stage M disease based on iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine avid bone metastases. Six patients started on high-risk treatment, without tumor response (stable disease). Treatment was discontinued before the start of consolidation treatment because of refractory response in all patients. Unexpectedly, after cessation of treatment no progression of disease occurred. In 2 patients, the primary tumors expanded (>25%) very slowly during 1.5 and 3 years, and remained stable thereafter. Metabolically, a slow decrease of urinary homovanillic acid and vanillylmandelic acid levels and iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine avidity was observed. All patients are alive with presence of metastatic disease after a median follow-up of 17 years (range: 6.7 to 27 y). Interestingly, at diagnosis, 6 patients were asymptomatic, 6 patients had GNB morphology, and 5 patients had meningeal metastases. These are all features seen in only a small minority of stage M patients. This GNB entity illustrates the clinical heterogeneity of neuroblastic tumors and can be used to further study the developmental origin of different NB subtypes

Antibody development and disease severity of COVID-19 in non-immunised patients with rheumatic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: data from a prospective cohort study

Contains fulltext : 251778.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Research on the disease severity of COVID-19 in patients with rheumatic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) has been inconclusive, and long-term prospective data on the development of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in these patients are lacking. METHODS: Adult patients with rheumatic IMIDs from the Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Amsterdam were invited to participate. All patients were asked to recruit their own sex-matched and age-matched control subject. Clinical data were collected via online questionnaires (at baseline, and after 1-4 and 5-9 months of follow-up). Serum samples were collected twice and analysed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Subsequently, IgG titres were quantified in samples with a positive test result. FINDINGS: In total, 3080 consecutive patients and 1102 controls with comparable age and sex distribution were included for analyses. Patients were more frequently hospitalised compared with controls when infected with SARS-CoV-2; 7% vs 0.7% (adjusted OR: 7.33, 95% CI: 0.96 to 55.77). Only treatment with B-cell targeting therapy was independently associated with an increased risk of COVID-19-related hospitalisation (adjusted OR: 14.62, 95% CI: 2.31 to 92.39). IgG antibody titres were higher in hospitalised compared with non-hospitalised patients, and slowly declined with time in similar patterns for patients in all treatment subgroups and controls. INTERPRETATION: We observed that patients with rheumatic IMIDs, especially those treated with B-cell targeting therapy, were more likely to be hospitalised when infected with SARS-CoV-2. Treatment with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biological DMARDs other than B-cell targeting agents is unlikely to have negative effects on the development of long-lasting humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2

The Urokinase Receptor (uPAR) Facilitates Clearance of Borrelia burgdorferi

The causative agent of Lyme borreliosis, the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, has been shown to induce expression of the urokinase receptor (uPAR); however, the role of uPAR in the immune response against Borrelia has never been investigated. uPAR not only acts as a proteinase receptor, but can also, dependently or independently of ligation to uPA, directly affect leukocyte function. We here demonstrate that uPAR is upregulated on murine and human leukocytes upon exposure to B. burgdorferi both in vitro as well as in vivo. Notably, B. burgdorferi-inoculated C57BL/6 uPAR knock-out mice harbored significantly higher Borrelia numbers compared to WT controls. This was associated with impaired phagocytotic capacity of B. burgdorferi by uPAR knock-out leukocytes in vitro. B. burgdorferi numbers in vivo, and phagocytotic capacity in vitro, were unaltered in uPA, tPA (low fibrinolytic activity) and PAI-1 (high fibrinolytic activity) knock-out mice compared to WT controls. Strikingly, in uPAR knock-out mice partially backcrossed to a B. burgdorferi susceptible C3H/HeN background, higher B. burgdorferi numbers were associated with more severe carditis and increased local TLR2 and IL-1β mRNA expression. In conclusion, in B. burgdorferi infection, uPAR is required for phagocytosis and adequate eradication of the spirochete from the heart by a mechanism that is independent of binding of uPAR to uPA or its role in the fibrinolytic system

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements