Information Systems Undergraduate Degree Project: Gaining a Better Understanding of the Final Year Project Module

The place of an individual project in the final year of Information Systems (IS) undergraduate degrees at UK universities is well established. In this paper we compare the final year project modules at four UK universities: the University of Brighton, the University of South Wales, University of West London and the University of Westminster. We find that the aims of the projects are similar, emphasising the application of the knowledge and skills from the taught element of their course in a complex development project, often including interactions with a real client. Although we show in this analysis that projects serve a similar purpose in the IS degree courses, the associated learning outcomes and the assessment practice varies across the institutions. We identify some gaps in the skills and abilities that are not being assessed. In further work we are planning to consult final year students undertaking their projects and their supervisors, in order to gain an understanding of how project assessment criteria are actually put to use

Targeting de novo purine biosynthesis for tuberculosis treatment

For the purpose of open access, the authors have applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.Data availability: All data supporting the findings of this study are available in this published article (and its Supplementary Information). Should any raw data files be needed in another format, they are available from the corresponding authors on reasonable request. The synthesis and chemical verification of all compounds described are provided in the Supplementary Methods. Source data are provided with this paper.Code availability: No custom codes or mathematical algorithms were used in the article. Data from the dose–response curves were measured with Perkin Elmer EnVision and modelled using Genedata. Microscopy data were processed using LAS-X and FIJI software. Mass spectroscopy data were obtained using Thermo Q-Exactive and Waters TargetLynx, then further analysed using either the Skyline software (24.1.1.339) or the Agilent MassHunter software suite. The ACD/Spectrus software (2023 v1.1) and Bruker TOPSPIN programme (v4.1) were used to support medicinal chemistry efforts. Schrödinger software was used for the computational modelling (release 2024-2). Final analysis and figure preparation were performed using Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism 10.Extended data figures and tables are available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09177-7#Sec44 .Supplementary Information is available online at: .https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09177-7#Sec45Source data are available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09177-7#Sec46 .Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of death from an infectious disease1,2. Here we report the discovery of a first-in-class small-molecule inhibitor targeting PurF, the first enzyme in the mycobacterial de novo purine biosynthesis pathway. The lead candidate, JNJ-6640, exhibited nanomolar bactericidal activity in vitro. Comprehensive genetic and biochemical approaches confirmed that JNJ-6640 was highly selective for mycobacterial PurF. Single-cell-level microscopy demonstrated a downstream effect on DNA replication. We determined the physiologically relevant concentrations of nucleobases in human and mouse lung tissue, showing that these levels were insufficient to salvage PurF inhibition. Indeed, proof-of-concept studies using a long-acting injectable formulation demonstrated the in vivo efficacy of the compound. Finally, we show that inclusion of JNJ-6640 could have a crucial role in improving current treatment regimens for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Together, we demonstrate that JNJ-6640 is a promising chemical lead and that targeting de novo purine biosynthesis represents a novel strategy for tuberculosis drug development.N.D. acknowledges support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (185715) and funding from Janssen Pharmaceutica. The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization receives operational funding from the Government of Saskatchewan through Innovation Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Agriculture and from the Canada Foundation for Innovation through the Major Science Initiatives Fund. The work at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine was supported by funding from Janssen Pharmaceutica (to A.K. and R.J.W.). Work at the Center for Discovery and Innovation was funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant INV-040485 (to J.P.S.). Work at Tufts University was funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant INV-027276 (to B.B.A.). This work was funded in part by NIH R61/R33AI138280 (to A.J.C.S.). We are grateful to the Global Research Resource for Human Tuberculosis supported by NIH R24AI186591 (to A.J.C.S.) for providing human TB tissue specimens. This research was funded in part by the Wellcome Trust (Africa Health Research Institute strategic core award 227167/A/23/Z)

Identification of β-Lactams Active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis by a Consortium of Pharmaceutical Companies and Academic Institutions

Rising antimicrobial resistance challenges our ability to combat bacterial infections. The problem is acute for tuberculosis (TB), the leading cause of death from infection before COVID-19. Here, we developed a framework for multiple pharmaceutical companies to share proprietary information and compounds with multiple laboratories in the academic and government sectors for a broad examination of the ability of β-lactams to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In the TB Drug Accelerator (TBDA), a consortium organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, individual pharmaceutical companies collaborate with academic screening laboratories. We developed a higher order consortium within the TBDA in which four pharmaceutical companies (GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi, MSD, and Lilly) collectively collaborated with screeners at Weill Cornell Medicine, the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), pharmacologists at Rutgers University, and medicinal chemists at the University of North Carolina to screen ∼8900 β-lactams, predominantly cephalosporins, and characterize active compounds. In a striking contrast to historical expectation, 18% of β-lactams screened were active against Mtb, many without a β-lactamase inhibitor. One potent cephaloporin was active in Mtb-infected mice. The steps outlined here can serve as a blueprint for multiparty, intra- and intersector collaboration in the development of anti-infective agents

Détecteurs de rayonnements nucléaires à semiconducteurs à amplification interne

By geometrical control of the surface field, internal amplification P-N junctions have been constructed. Their characteristics are analyzed. Multiplication factors exceeding 1000 have been observed.On décrit les caractéristiques de jonctions P-N à amplification interne obtenues par diffusion de gallium dans du silicium N de résistivité 40 à 50 Ω.cm. Des coefficients d'amplification dépassant 1000 ont pu être obtenus à l'aide de ces dispositifs

Blood–brain barrier and atrial natriuretic factor

In brain, binding sites for atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) have been characterized in areas such as circumventricular organs that lack the tight capillary endothelial junctions of the blood–brain barrier and therefore are exposed to circulating peptides. Since atrial natriuretic factor acts directly on vascular endothelium and has been proposed to be actively involved in blood pressure regulation and fluid homeostasis, it is interesting to know whether ANF receptors exist on brain capillaries that constitute the blood–brain barrier and participate in the constant fluid exchange between blood and brain. The present paper reports recent evidence of the presence of ANF receptors located on the structure. It assesses the specific binding of 125I-labelled ANF on bovine brain microvessel preparations and its coupling with a guanylate cyclase system. The potential physiological role of ANF on brain microcirculation and blood–brain barrier functions is discussed. </jats:p