A self-study of teaching teachers using Epistemic Insight

Epistemic Insight (EI), defined as knowledge about knowledge (Billingsley et al, 2018) examines how distinctive forms of disciplinary knowledge can interact providing solutions to real world problems Utilising an interdisciplinary approach EI seeks to critically examine the current subject compartmentalization in the school curriculum, which leads to a siloed nature of school education within the UK and as a consequence a siloed education for preservice teachers (Billingsley et al, 2024). In introducing EI to preservice science teachers, we have identified the need to examine our practice as science teacher educators by refining views on the nature of science. Adopting EI within our teaching challenged us as teacher educators to re-examine the structure of our programmes. By adopting EI’s framework of examining questions with an interdisciplinary focus, we identified that our views on the foundations of scientific knowledge are not aligned despite the experience of the authors in science teacher education. This finding is illuminating given recent neoliberal shifts to standardise teacher education in England as implemented through the market review of ITT that is currently scrutinising curriculum providers curriculum materials (Mutton & Burn, 2024). Thus, in this paper, we seek to problematise the nature of teaching teachers about EI. Berry (2008) reminds us that efforts to address problems using self-study do not lead to simple solutions. Introducing a self-study model that draws on the idea of the tension between the actions and intent of teaching about EI, we examine our practice as teacher educators critically to explore the differences in understanding the nature of science. Our self-study is framed by analysing podcasts that discussed the dissemination of EI across distinct initial teacher education courses. Triangulating this with lesson studies enabled us to examine how our views of the nature science manifest in teaching practices and illuminate the tension between actions and intent. This paper, therefore, examines how we use our engagement with EI as a research -informed pedagogic framework to prompt pedagogic practice as science teacher educators. We argue adopting EI as a pedagogic framework not only supports preservice teachers to critically examine the compartmentalisation of Education, but further promotes deeper epistemically insightful understanding of how individual disciplines are distinctive. This in turn refines the practice of teachers and teacher educators alike

Transforming teacher education - introducing ITE students to Epistemic Insight: a workshop

Epistemic insight is a curriculum and innovation research initiative transforming teacher programmes across England. Epistemic Insight (EI) means ' knowledge about knowledge' and in particular how knowledge is constructed within disciplines and how it interacts across them. This involves using techniques to examine disciplinary boundaries and encouraging students to think beyond their own subject. The epistemic insight initiative has a consortium of ITE providers who have worked with their students exploring real-world problems in an interdisciplinary way using epistemic insight tools and strategies. This enabled secondary ITE students of various specialisms to collaborate across disciplines enriching their learning and teaching practice. This workshop will present the work completed at St Mary’s University, The University of Leicester and Birmingham University. The lessons learnt and future directions will be studied. The workshop will give delegates an opportunity to explore resources used and discuss with consortium members how and why you may want to introduce you students to EI. Presenters: Adrian Warhurst, University of Leicester, Rob Campbell, St Mary’s University and Dr Agnieszka J. Gordon Canterbury Christ Church University (Consortium Lead

Mutations in dhfr in Plasmodium falciparum infections selected by chlorproguanil-dapsone treatment.

Treatment with the novel antifolate drug combination chlorproguanil-dapsone effectively cleared asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections in 246 (93.5%) of 263 children in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania during the course of a 2-week follow-up. Samples from 71 recurrent infections, collected over a 9-week follow-up, showed selection for parasites with the triple mutant Ile(51)-Arg(59)-Asn(108) in dihydrofolate reductase. There was no selection for mutations in dihydropteroate synthetase, the target enzyme of dapsone. Search for complete identity in the highly polymorphic genes coding for merozoite surface proteins 1 and 2 in parasite samples collected before and after treatment indicated that the majority of recurrent parasitemias were new infections. These observations on selection in Tanzania and the lack of selection reported from a less endemic area suggest that the active metabolite of chlorproguanil, which has a short half-life in the blood, may persist in the liver, where it exerts selective pressure on growing preerythrocytic stages

Labour supply and skills demands in fashion retailing

If, as Adam Smith once famously suggested, Britain was a nation of shopkeepers then it is now a nation of shopworkers. Retail is now a significant part of the UK economy, accounting for £256 billion in sales and one-third of all consumer spending (Skillsmart, 2007). It is the largest private sector employer in the UK, employing 3m workers, or 1 in 10 of the working population. For future job creation in the UK economy retail is also similarly prominent and the sector is expected to create a further 250,000 jobs to 2014 (Skillsmart, 2007). The centrality of retail to economic success and job creation is apparent in other advanced economies. For example, within the US, retail sales is the occupation with the largest projected job growth in the period 2004-2014 (Gatta et al., 2009) and in Australia retail accounts for 1 in 6 workers (Buchanan et al., 2003). Within the UK these workers are employed in approximately 290,000 businesses, encompassing large and small organizations and also a number of sub-sectors. This variance suggests that retail should not be regarded as homogenous in its labour demands. Hart et al. (2007) note how skill requirements and the types of workers employed may differ across the sector. This chapter further opens up this point, providing an analysis of the labour supply and skills demands for the sub-sectors of clothing, footwear and leather goods, which are described by Skillsmart (2007: 48) as being 'significant categories in UK retailing'

Metabolism of Styrene by Rhodococcus rhodochrous

1. Eight strains of bacteria able to grow on styrene as a sole source of carbon and energy had been isolated prior to this project. The aim of the project was to discover the pathway for the metabolism of styrene in one of these strains, preferably a novel pathway. 2. Initial characterisation of these eight strains using growth experiments and simultaneous induction led to the selection of three strains for further work, and they were tentatively identified as coryneform bacteria. Simultaneous induction tests on one strain, a possible Rhodococcus sp., suggested that styrene was probably metabolised through phenylacetic acid, a well-established pathway for styrene degradation. The results from another of the three strains were not clear cut. The third strain was clearly using a novel pathway, and so it was selected for further study. 3. The organism which was selected for most of the work described in this thesis, strain 26, was identified as Rhodococcus rhodochrous. A method was developed to grow this strain in a fermenter containing a minimal salts medium, with styrene vapour supplied in the air supply. For larger quantities of cells, a nutrient broth medium was used, with styrene supplied as vapour in order to induce the enzymes involved in styrene degradation. 4. R. rhodochrous 26 is able to grow on styrene, toluene, ethylbenzene and 1-phenylethanol. Simultaneous induction experiments showed that growth on each of these substrates resulted in the ability to oxidise all of the others. 5. Oxidative responses to possible intermediates in known pathways of toluene metabolism showed high activities with toluene cis-glycol and 3-methylcatechol, with lower activities towards other possible substrates. This led to the proposition that a similar pathway was being used for styrene metabolism. 6. Styrene cw-glycol was produced by Pseudomonas putida from styrene, and identified by and n.m.r.. This substrate was oxidised by extracts of R. rhodochrous 26 which had been grown on styrene, in an NAD-dependent reaction. There was also an NAD-dependent oxidation of toluene cw-glycol. Ion exchange chromatography of extracts, coupled with a heat denaturation test, strongly indicated that both toluene c/5-glycol and styrene cz5-glycol were oxidised by the same enzyme. 7. Under anaerobic conditions, in the presence of NAD, extracts transformed styrene cz5-glycol into a compound identified by g.c.-m.s. as vinylcatechol. Toluene cis- glycol was transformed to methylcatechol by the same system. 8. Intact cells incubated with styrene and 3-fluorocatechol (as an inhibitor of catechol oxygenase activity), accumulated a compound identified by g.c.-m.s. and n.m.r. as 3-vinylcatechol. 2-Fluoromuconic acid, identified by and n.m.r., also accumulated under these conditions. 9. When intact cells were incubated with styrene and 3-fluorocatechol in an atmosphere of 50% 18O2 and 50% 18O2, g.c.-m.s. analysis demonstrated the presence of two molecular ions for vinylcatechol, M and M-i-4, showing that initial ring attack is due to a dioxygenase. 10. When grown on styrene, R. rhodochrous 26 accumulated a compound identified by and n.m.r. as 2-vinylmuconic acid. Up to 40% of the styrene substrate may be converted to this product. There was no sign of further metabolism of this product in either growth medium or cell extracts. A similar accumulation of muconic acid was noticed when R. rhodochrous 26 was grown on benzyl alcohol. Cell extracts did not seem to metabolise cis, cis-muconic acid, the expected product of benzyl alcohol breakdown through an ortho cleavage pathway. 11. It was not possible to detect any styrene dioxygenase activity in extracts using an oxygen electrode or spectrophotometric methods. 12. Extracts of R. rhodochrous 26 which had been grown on styrene contained catechol 1,2-oxygenase and catechol 2,3-oxygenase activities. The two enzymes were clearly separated by ion exchange chromatography, each appearing as a single peak. Both enzymes could oxidise catechol, 3-methylcatechol, 4-methylcatechol and vinylcatechol. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Influence of LAR and VAR on Para-Aminopyridine Antimalarials Targetting Haematin in Chloroquine-Resistance

Antimalarial chloroquine (CQ) prevents haematin detoxication when CQ-base concentrates in the acidic digestive vacuole through protonation of its p-aminopyridine (pAP) basic aro- matic nitrogen and sidechain diethyl-N. CQ export through the variant vacuolar membrane export channel, PFCRT, causes CQ-resistance in Plasmodium falciparum but 3-methyl CQ (sontochin SC), des-ethyl amodiaquine (DAQ) and bis 4-aminoquinoline piperaquine (PQ) are still active. This is determined by changes in drug accumulation ratios in parasite lipid (LAR) and in vacuolar water (VAR). Higher LAR may facilitate drug binding to and blocking PFCRT and also aid haematin in lipid to bind drug. LAR for CQ is only 8.3; VAR is 143,482. More hydrophobic SC has LAR 143; VAR remains 68,523. Similarly DAQ with a phenol sub- stituent has LAR of 40.8, with VAR 89,366. In PQ, basicity of each pAP is reduced by distal piperazine N, allowing very high LAR of 973,492, retaining VAR of 104,378. In another bis quinoline, dichlorquinazine (DCQ), also active but clinically unsatisfactory, each pAP retains basicity, being insulated by a 2-carbon chain from a proximal nitrogen of the single linking piperazine. While LAR of 15,488 is still high, the lowest estimate of VAR approaches 4.9 million. DCQ may be expected to be very highly lysosomotropic and therefore potentially hepatotoxic. In 11 pAP antimalarials a quadratic relationship between logLAR and logRe- sistance Index (RI) was confirmed, while log (LAR/VAR) vs logRI for 12 was linear. Both might be used to predict the utility of structural modifications

Using MCDA to generate and interpret evidence to inform local government investment in public health

Smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable death in the Uited Kingdom (UK) and is a major cause of coronary heart disease, some cancers, and respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. At the time of initiating the project, smoking prevalence had not changed across four local government areas in South Yorkshire for some years. Most spending had been focussed on helping people quit, an intervention where there was clear evidence of effectiveness. A number of changes occurred in public health structures and targets, requiring a reappraisal of the range of interventions offered. This was challenging due to a lack of clear evidence for some of the areas’ alternative interventions. The aim of this paper is to describe the use of a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach to support the health priority setting in local authorities to reduce smoking prevalence. There were three phases to this process: (1) problem structuring; (2) the multiple criteria decision analysis; (3) and using the MCDA results to influence decision making at the local government level. The MCDA approach was used to collate information in a consistent and transparent manner, using expert, stakeholder and public opinion to fill known gaps in evidence. Fifteen interventions (such as stop smoking support services, smoke-free spaces, communication and marketing exercises, and increased investment in enforcement) were ranked across eight criteria (relating to reductions in prevalence across relevant groups, as well as aspects relating to equity and feasibility), allowing a range of relevant concerns to be incorporated. Subsequent steps were taken to translate the results of this stage into workable policy options. The results differed significantly from current practice. Sensitivity analysis showed that the findings were robust to changes in preference weights. These results informed subsequent changes to the interventions offered across the four boroughs. The ability of MCDA techniques to incorporate data and both qualitative and quantitative judgements in a formal manner mean that they are well suited to support public health decision making, where evidence is often only partially available and many policies are value driven. MCDA methods, if used, should be chosen carefully based on their resource/time constraints, scientific validity, and the significance and broader context of the decision problem.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40070-016-0059-

Malarone treatment failure and in vitro confirmation of resistance of Plasmodium falciparum isolate from Lagos, Nigeria

We report the first in vitro and genetic confirmation of Malarone(®) (GlaxoSmithKline; atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride) resistance in Plasmodium falciparum acquired in Africa. On presenting with malaria two weeks after returning from a 4-week visit to Lagos, Nigeria without prophylaxis, a male patient was given a standard 3-day treatment course of Malarone(®). Twenty-eight days later the parasitaemia recrudesced. Parasites were cultured from the blood and the isolate (NGATV01) was shown to be resistant to atovaquone and the antifolate pyrimethamine. The cytochrome b gene of isolate NGATV01 showed a single mutation, Tyr268Asn which has not been seen previously

Foundation and empire : a critique of Hardt and Negri

In this article, Thompson complements recent critiques of Hardt and Negri's Empire (see Finn Bowring in Capital and Class, no. 83) using the tools of labour process theory to critique the political economy of Empire, and to note its unfortunate similarities to conventional theories of the knowledge economy