Leicester College

ABSTRACT This article considers the whittled-down Library of Professor Harold Silver (1928–2021), an important figure in both the history of education and educational policy in the latter part of the twentieth century and the early part of the twenty-first. Drawing on oral history interviews and a prepared catalogue of these books, this article considers what a working scholarly library can tell us about not only an important scholarly career, individual working practices, and the changing nature of academic publishing and careers. By using oral histories combined with the books as material, printed objects, I explore what the books can tell us individually, and reconstruct Harold’s Library and the work done within it. I also offer some reflections on the emotional experience of handling another person’s books.

Participation in clinical cancer research trials should diversely reflect the intersectionality characteristics of the general population for results to be representative and applicable. European migrant populations residing in the United Kingdom (UK) are a group whose participation in clinical research warrants further exploration from a community and clinical perspective. This study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators of individuals who have migrated to the UK from an EU8 or EU2 (EU8/2) country to participating in clinical cancer research trials to update clinical and research agendas for optimising inclusive engagement strategies. Perspectives of migrant individuals and of clinical research staff were explored to identify barriers and opportunities for optimising engagement. Five focus groups with clinical research staff at four hospitals across the East Midlands and three online focus groups with individuals who had migrated to the UK from Poland, Latvia and Romania were conducted. Data was analysed using template analysis. Twenty-two clinical research staff and 17 individuals from EU8/2 countries participated in the study. Three key themes and related subthemes were identified: (1) Ambivalence, misunderstanding and fear shape cancer research perceptions (1.1. a lack of familiarity with cancer research practices; 1.2. Cancer fear may hinder participation); (2) Structural barriers and gaps in cultural competency; and (3) Building trust through community engaged research (3.1.Co-researching with communities; 3.2.Incentivising and legitimising research). Many migrant participants were unfamiliar with UK-based research practices, and it was suggested that fatalist attitudes towards a cancer diagnosis and mistrust of research generally created apprehension and defensiveness when hearing about clinical cancer research in migrant communities. Migrant individuals and staff endorsed research design strategies which engage community champions (including clinicians); narrate positive stories of cancer research participation; and consider language accessibility and comprehension as key elements of engagement-focused research design.

BackgroundSalbutamol is a well-established β2-adrenergic receptor agonist used clinically for the reversal of bronchospasm. A functional β2-adrenergic receptor agonist network exists in the skin, which can alter skin cell migration and proliferation, inhibit angiogenesis, and alter wound re-epithelialization, suggesting a potential role for a β2-adrenergic receptor agonist applied topically for the prevention and treatment of scarring. Reduced scarring has been observed in an in vivo pig model, whereby a 50% reduction in skin scar area and hyperpigmentation was observed after topical application of salbutamol. Objectives: We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, dose-escalation clinical trial. This was designed to investigate both the safety and efficacy of topical salbutamol for the improvement of scar appearance when applied as a cutaneous gel to sutured wound margins on the arms of healthy volunteers. Methods: In a phase I, single-center, double-blind, placebo (vehicle) controlled, randomized, dose-escalation trial on 45 healthy human volunteers, 1 ml salbutamol topical gel was administered once daily to one 2-cm full-thickness incision site on each arm of the trial participants for 60 days. Each participant was allocated to only 1 dosing group (group 1: 2.5 mM, group 2: 5 mM, and group 3: 10 mM). Pharmacokinetic and clinical assessments of safety and efficacy were performed over a 12-month period. Scarring was assessed by validated clinical scoring systems by both investigator and participant over 12 months. Results: In healthy human volunteers, tolerability assessments indicated zero incidences of edema, exudate, bleeding, or infection at any salbutamol-treated site irrespective of dose. All participants at every time point had peak plasma levels of salbutamol below the prespecified limit of 30 ng/ml. In efficacy assessments of the scars, no statistically significant improvements were noted in the mean difference between salbutamol-treated scars at any dose compared with placebo at months 7, 9, or 12 for either the investigator or participants’ assessments. Conclusions: There are no clinically significant safety signals after the cutaneous administration of salbutamol gel (0.2–10 mM) in humans either local to the site of injury and drug administration or arising from systemic exposure to salbutamol, but the extent of salbutamol absorption decreases as the wound heals, confirming that re-epithelialization of the wound limits the potential for systemic absorption. This trial was prospectively registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency with the European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials (EudraCT number: 2017-003118-15).

This study explores the level of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy among academic staff. Using the ‘technological pedagogical content knowledge’ (TPACK) framework, we employed mixed- method research, collecting data from 106 academic staff members across various disciplines. We investigated the challenges and benefits of educators adopting AI as well as their AI understanding, abilities, confidence and competencies. Our findings indicate a low rate of AI adoption by academics, with most applying it superficially for lower-order tasks. Our findings also reveal the different weighting of the TPACK framework components – technological knowledge (TK), technological content knowledge (TCK) and technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) – with major concern raised by staff on TPK where it is indicated that staff need guidance and training on how to make the most of AI in their teaching. The significance of this paper lies in its exploration of the current state of AI adoption among academic staff, highlighting both its benefits and challenges. Given the limited existing research on AI literacy from the perspective of academic staff, this study offers a distinctive and valuable contribution to the discourse. Furthermore, the integration of the TPACK framework offers a crucial perspective, emphasising the need for a more comprehensive and effective incorporation of AI into educational practices.

DNA methylation plays a critical role in the dynamics of gene expression regulation and the development of various disorders. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing can provide single-base resolution of CpG methylation levels and is the “gold standard” for DNA methylation quantification, but its high cost limits its widespread application. In contrast, targeted sequencing provides an optimal, cost-effective solution when focusing on specific candidate regions while providing sufficient sequencing depth. Here, we present a targeted bisulfite sequencing approach in which nanopore sequencing is used to study the methylation status of regions of interest. We applied this workflow to study the promoters of candidate genes associated with severe preterm delivery in a Latin American population. We amplified fragments greater than 1 kilobase in length from 12 genes via long PCR. Each sample was barcoded and pooled for sequencing in MinION flow cells. This approach achieves high sequencing depths, ensuring robust DNA methylation (DNAm) estimates. We detected significant hypomethylation of MIR155HG and hypermethylation of the ANKRD24 gene promoter in severe preterm birth samples, which is concordant with previously reported gene expression changes. This approach represents a scalable and cost-effective method suitable for targeted promoter methylation profiling across several samples. Our study provides a proof-of-concept for larger studies, demonstrating the broad applicability and scalability of our assay to any locus of interest. These features render the method especially apt for clinical diagnostics and precision medicine.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1621194.].

This book is a practical and concise text on the construction of measurement models in the social sciences.Many of the variables used in the social sciences cannot be directly observed unlike objects in the physical world.In Chapter 1, the authors introduce the idea measurement based on a model that relates an unobserved variable to observed indicator variables.Because unobserved variables cannot be directly measured, researchers need to provide evidence that the interpretations based on measurement models are useful.The authors discuss the use of linear regression and ANOVA to support claims of measurement validity in Chapter 2 while the use of cluster analysis and exploratory factor analysis to provide evidence on the internal structure of measurement scales is discussed in Chapter 3.Chapter 4 introduces Classical Test Theory which aims at estimating the influence that random measurement error, or reliability, has on test performance.Reliability is not sufficient for accurate measurement because there is a need to know whether items are adequate for measurement or need to be added or removed.Because Classical Test Theory was not concerned with these issues researchers usually rely on ad hoc methods for these purposes which are discussed in Chapter 5.Chapter 6 introduces Item Response Theory using regression models assuming that variables are directly observable and measured without error.In Chapter 7, the authors then extend this approach to models for binary items which predict the probability of success on an item depending on the person's location on the latent variable and the item difficulty.Chapter 8 expands this discussion to include models for categorical items.The final two chapters in the book discuss applied aspects.Chapter 9 discusses differential item functioning which occurs different groups with the same level on the unobserved variable have different probabilities of success on an item.Chapter 10 discusses the use of Item Response Theory models in adaptive testing where subjects answer items selected using an algorithm.The book is written in a tutorial style with numerous applied examples and exercises providing an accessible introduction to the basic ideas.Each topic is discussed at an intermediate technical level before the authors demonstrate the procedure in R. The book uses existing R packages and anyone buying the book expecting a detailed discussion of how to write code to fit the models will be disappointed.The book focuses on the application of measurement theory not the theory itself and would not be suitable as a companion for an ordinary psychometrics course.