Therapies to reduce liver fibrosis and stimulate organ regeneration are urgently needed. We conducted a first-in-human, phase 1 dose-escalation trial of autologous macrophage therapy in nine adults ...with cirrhosis and a Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score of 10-16 (ISRCTN 10368050). Groups of three participants received a single peripheral infusion of 10
, 10
or up to 10
cells. Leukapheresis and macrophage infusion were well tolerated with no transfusion reactions, dose-limiting toxicities or macrophage activation syndrome. All participants were alive and transplant-free at one year, with only one clinical event recorded, the occurrence of minimal ascites. The primary outcomes of safety and feasibility were met. This study informs and provides a rationale for efficacy studies in cirrhosis and other fibrotic diseases.
Contemporary research conversations about the utility of practice theories to professional education support the reconceptualisation of pre-service teacher education in ways that provide strong ...preparation for continued professional learning. This paper reports on an empirical inquiry that introduced a theoretically informed practice-based intervention in a pre-service teacher education course in order to judge the utility of such an approach for student learning. Innovations within the Study of Teaching programme illustrate the bringing together of pedagogies of observation, pedagogies of enactment, and pedagogies of reflection toward an integrated theory of teacher education that focuses on the teaching body as a central site for research and for the building of preparatory knowledge and skill for ongoing learning. Data was collected from pre-service teachers involved in the programme through video and audio recordings along with individual and focus group interviews, questionnaires and student reflection on video recordings. These were analyzed within an emerging theoretical framework derived from both practice-theoretical literature and international empirical research into core practices. Initial findings suggest that a focus on practice within pre-service teacher education may enhance traditional understandings of 'practice-based' approaches that situate the study of practice outside of the university, in school settings. These findings have implications for the ongoing reform of teacher education in increasingly regulated contexts framed in terms of teacher quality.
A multifactorial scoring system with history, food type, SPT (raw and normalized to positive control), and specific IgE may be needed to better predict the OFC outcome and meet patient/parents ...expectations.
Adoptive immunotherapy with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-specific T cells is an effective treatment for relapsed or refractory EBV-induced post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) with ...overall survival rates of up to 69%. EBV-specific T cells have been conventionally made by repeated stimulation with EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL), which act as antigen-presenting cells. However, this process is expensive, takes many months, and has practical risks associated with live virus. We have developed a peptide-based, virus-free, serum-free closed system to manufacture a bank of virus-specific T cells (VST) for clinical use. We compared these with standard LCL-derived VST using comprehensive characterization and potency assays to determine differences that might influence clinical benefits. Multi-parameter flow cytometry revealed that peptide-derived VST had an expanded central memory population and less exhaustion marker expression than LCL-derived VST. A quantitative HLA-matched allogeneic cytotoxicity assay demonstrated similar specific killing of EBV-infected targets, though peptide-derived EBV T cells had a significantly higher expression of antiviral cytokines and degranulation markers after antigen recall. High-throughput T cell receptor-beta (TCRβ) sequencing demonstrated oligoclonal repertoires, with more matches to known EBV-binding complementary determining region 3 (CDR3) sequences in peptide-derived EBV T cells. Peptide-derived products showed broader and enhanced specificities to EBV nuclear antigens (EBNAs) in both CD8 and CD4 compartments, which may improve the targeting of highly expressed latency antigens in PTLD. Importantly, peptide-based isolation and expansion allows rapid manufacture and significantly increased product yield over conventional LCL-based approaches.
In recent times there has been a cross-disciplinary amplification of interest in the concept of practice. In this context, there is a growing body of research considering how teaching and teacher ...education might be viewed using the conceptual lens of practice. In this article, I explore practice theories to identify common themes and principles that constitute a conceptual framework for the investigation of the lived experience of teaching. From this foundation, a methodological framework based on collaborative inquiry and postmodern emergence is derived. Examples are offered of the way the conceptual framework and methodological approach have been activated through the first stage of a research programme that collaboratively engages the dual voices of academic researcher and classroom practitioners as co-researchers. Analysis of qualitative data reveals the potential and limitations of this practice-based foundation as a way to know, understand and represent the complexity of teaching. In conclusion, the article develops a number of propositions as the basis for further research.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
As a field, Teacher Education has lived with continued criticism from governmental and research bodies on the quality of professional preparation and the lack of a strong research base. We respond to ...such criticisms by considering possibilities for further exploration of the research of practice and the practice of research in both initial and continuing teacher education. As both a theoretical and methodological challenge, this is tied recursively with research and practice in teacher education, for teacher educators, about teacher education. We draw on the theoretical resources of practice theories, to argue that teacher education practice must be informed by the study of the practice of teaching as well as research addressing the teaching of practice. In conclusion, we make a methodological case for reframing the roles of teacher and researcher within a "thirdspace" to consider the practice of researching teaching as recursive and always regenerative.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
As a teacher educator the author is concerned with developing understandings of her teaching as it evolves over time, in relation to the university teaching context and more broadly in terms ...understandings of teaching practice. This paper outlines the development of a framework designed for this purpose. The Relational Framework for Investigating Teaching Practice (RFITP) enables the systematic collection of information about teaching as a formative and cyclic process. Implementation of the framework is explained and data reported on to illustrate the use of this framework in a project involving self study. While this particular example draws on teaching in an online environment, implications for understanding and developing teaching in the particular context of university teacher education are explored. Author abstract, ed
Boll distribution provides an important assessment of the response and adaptation of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) to its environment and is strongly linked to yield and fiber quality and ...consequently to economic value. Several studies have measured boll distribution through end‐of‐season field or box mapping to study the spatiotemporal characteristics of bolls at both the plant and field levels, to quantify the effects of stress on cotton maturity and fiber quality, and to estimate yield as a function of the relative partitioning of resources to competing sinks. This paper discusses the environmental factors affecting boll production and distribution, reviews methods of measuring and analyzing boll distribution, and discusses the comparative advantages and drawbacks of these methods. With the advent of advanced imaging technologies, this paper also discusses the potential transition from traditional methods to machine‐based boll distribution measurements, the challenges associated with these technologies, and how continuous improvements in the baseline technologies being used in the different methods will translate to improved measurement capacities. Overall, major strides can still be made in the area of boll distribution measurement by combining the positive elements in the different studies described in this review to circumvent each of their respective limitations.
The objective of this analysis was to integrate hydrologic, agronomic, and economic methods to evaluate various management strategies by changing crop acreage to better manage the declining resources ...of the Ogallala aquifer. A non-linear optimization model was used to estimate the optimal water use, crop mix, crop yield, and net returns over a 50 year period under dryland and deficit irrigation scenarios in the Texas High Plains. Results indicated that growers could maintain profitability by switching from fully irrigated center pivots to irrigating ½ and ¼ pivots.
Non-optimal application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production systems often results from a producer’s uncertainty in predicting the N rate that ensures maximum ...economic return. Residual soil nitrate-N (NO3-N) is also often unaccounted for in fertilizer management decisions. In this study, the lint yield and profitability of two cotton cultivars (FiberMax FM 958 and Deltapine DP 1646 B2XF) were compared across five N fertilizer treatments 0 kg ha−1 (control), 45 kg ha−1 (N-45), 90 kg ha−1 (N-90), 135 kg ha−1 (N-135), 180 kg ha−1 (N-180) from 2018 to 2020. For both cultivars, additional N fertilizer on top of the control treatment did not increase the lint yield of cotton. For each year, both control and N-45 treatments resulted in the greatest revenue above variable costs (RAVC) values for all cultivars. The improved N partitioning efficiency in newer cultivars and the high levels of residual soil NO3-N allowed sustained plant growth and yield even with reduced N application. Overall, the results show the advantage of reducing N inputs in residual N-rich soils to maintain yield and increase profits. These findings are important in promoting more sustainable agricultural systems through reduced chemical inputs and maintained soil health.
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