The SHU Social Media CoLab: developing a social media strategy through open dialogue and collaborative guidance

This paper shares the strategy we have developed at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) to educate and guide staff and students in their use of social media. Students need to understand their responsibilities to themselves and the institution, to develop sustainable strategies for using social media to enhance their learning and to develop their employability skills as future graduates. They need to place value in the development of a professional online presence, appreciate the difference between their personal and professional uses of social media tools, and understand the impact that one can have on the other. Staff want to feel confident in the application of authentic social media learning activities. They need to see the value of social media competence in graduates within their disciplines, and easily access shared practice and guidance. To facilitate such learning activities they also need to understand and consider aspects such as online safety, professional impact and configuration. We discuss how we developed and are now implementing our strategy; how this features a strong emphasis on collaborative relationships across different areas of the institution; and our recognition that social media guidance is not the sole domain of any one team. It also considers the importance of digital literacy skills, and that care is needed in the management of sometimes conflicting priorities. We will show how our work is informed by the needs and priorities of our staff and students in order to be fit for purpose. Our initial findings showed that we must address the constantly evolving nature of social media, and not consider guidance that we develop to be finite - there will always be more to do. In addition, we must acknowledge the significant overlap between personal and professional use of tools, since one might easily have implications for the other (positively or negatively), and people often draw on experiences for different contexts, or allow their future practice to be dictated by them. We will include how we have engaged staff and students to revisit their digital literacy skill set and develop new ways to connect, communicate, collaborate, create and curate. The enablers to achieve these outcomes include a rich collection of resources using different media, the development of a 'Social Media CoLab' and communities of practice exploring, using and evaluating their use of social media; and the support of the university to embed the use of these and other technologies to enhance the learning experience

SSNN, a method for neural network protein secondary structure fitting using circular dichroism data

Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy is a quick method for measuring data that can be used to determine the average secondary structures of proteins, probe their interactions with their environment, and aid in drug discovery. This paper describes the operation and testing of a self-organising map (SOM) structure-fitting methodology named Secondary Structure Neural Network (SSNN), which is a methodology for estimating protein secondary structure from CD spectra of unknown proteins using CD spectra of proteins with known X-ray structures. SSNN comes in two standalone MATLAB applications for estimating unknown proteins' structures, one that uses a pre-trained map and one that begins by training the SOM with a reference set of the user's choice. These are available at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/chemistry/research/arodger/arodgergroup/research_intro/instrumentation/ssnn/ as SSNNGUI and SSNN1_2 respectively. They are available for both Macintosh and Windows formats with two reference sets: one obtained from the CDPro website, referred to as CDDATA.48 which has 48 protein spectra and structures, and one with 53 proteins (CDDATA.48 with 5 additional spectra). Here we compare SSNN with CDSSTR, a widely-used secondary structure methodology, and describe how to use the standalone SSNN applications. Current input format is Δε per amino acid residue from 240 nm to 190 nm in 1 nm steps for the known and unknown proteins and a vector summarising the secondary structure elements of the known proteins. The format is readily modified to include input data with e.g. extended wavelength ranges or different assignment of secondary structures

Synthetic metallomolecules as agents for the control of DNA structure

This tutorial review summarises B-DNA structure and metallomolecule binding modes and illustrates some DNA structures induced by molecules containing metallic cations. The effects of aquated metal ions, cobalt amines, ruthenium octahedral metal complexes, metallohelicates and platinum complexes such as cis-platin are discussed alongside the techniques of NMR, X-ray crystallography, gel electrophoresis, circular dichroism, linear dichroism and molecular dynamics. The review will be of interest to people interested in both DNA structure and roles of metallomolecules in biological systems

Protein secondary structure prediction from circular dichroism spectra using a self-organizing map with concentration correction

Collecting circular dichroism (CD) spectra for protein solutions is a simple experiment, yet reliable extraction of secondary structure content is dependent on knowledge of the concentration of the protein—which is not always available with accuracy. We previously developed a self-organizing map (SOM), called Secondary Structure Neural Network (SSNN), to cluster a database of CD spectra and use that map to assign the secondary structure content of new proteins from CD spectra. The performance of SSNN is at least as good as other available protein CD structure-fitting algorithms. In this work we apply SSNN to a collection of spectra of experimental samples where there was suspicion that the nominal protein concentration was incorrect. We show that by plotting the normalized root mean square deviation of the SSNN predicted spectrum from the experimental one versus a concentration scaling-factor it is possible to improve the estimate of the protein concentration while providing an estimate of the secondary structure. For our implementation (51 data points 240–190 nm in nm increments) good fits and structure estimates were obtained if the NRMSD (normalized root mean square displacement, RMSE/data range) is <0.03; reasonable for NRMSD <0.05; and variable above this. We also augmented the reference database with 100% helical spectra and truly random coil spectra

The forgotten '45 : Donald Dubh's rebellion in an archipelagic context

The final rebellion of Donald Dubh, heir to the forfeited MacDonald lordship of the Isles, is usually examined within the context of Highland rebellions that occurred in the half century after forfeiture. However, the factors that motivated the Islesmen to rise in rebellion in 1545 are multi-faceted and can only be fully understood by placing the rising in a wider context, which considers national and archipelagic events. The discussion that follows explores the reasons why the Islesmen, almost unanimously, entered into agreement with Henry VIII to attack Scotland from the west and why this endeavour failed. At the same time, the article highlights Henry’s recognition of the strategic importance of the west which led him into alliance with Donald Dubh and his supporters

Biological insights from a simulation model of the critical FtsZ accumulation required for prokaryotic cell division

A simulation model of prokaryotic Z-ring assembly, based on the observed behavior of FtsZ in vitro as well as on in vivo parameters, is used to integrate critical processes in cell division. According to the model, the cell’s ability to divide depends on a “contraction parameter” (χ) that links the force of contraction to the dynamics of FtsZ. This parameter accurately predicts the outcome of division. Evaluating the GTP binding strength, the FtsZ polymerization rate, and the intrinsic GTP hydrolysis/dissociation activity, we find that inhibition of GTP–FtsZ binding is an inefficient antibacterial target. Furthermore, simulations indicate that the temperature sensitivity of the ftsZ84 mutation arises from the conversion of FtsZ to a dual-specificity NTPase. Finally, the sensitivity to temperature of the rate of ATP hydrolysis, over the critical temperature range, leads us to conclude that the ftsZ84 mutation affects the turnover rate of the Z-ring much less strongly than previously reported

Timing of the first vancomycin maintenance dose in an acute hospital setting - room for improvement?

Introduction Intravenous vancomycin therapy typically starts with a loading dose followed by a maintenance dose 12 to 24 hours later. In the acute hospital setting, this often results in doses being administered in the middle of the night, which is impractical for both patients and staff. This audit examined current practice and developed new guidelines to support greater flexibility in the timing of the first maintenance dose. Methods Data recording forms used by pharmacists to support the therapeutic drug monitoring of vancomycin were collected from two hospital sites over six weeks. Forms containing at least two vancomycin concentrations were selected and the time of administration of the first maintenance dose was recorded. Individual vancomycin pharmacokinetic parameter estimates were obtained using MAP Bayesian analysis then used to predict vancomycin concentrations 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 hours after a banded loading dose and 20 mg/kg (capped at 3000 mg). Predicted concentrations were compared with a target range of 10 – 20 mg/L. Results Data were obtained from 49 patients with a mean (SD) age of 63.1 (16.7) years and weight 80.1 (27.6) kg. In all patients, creatinine clearance estimates were >40 mL/min and, according to current practice guidelines, all patients required 12 hourly maintenance dosing. The time recorded for the administration of the first maintenance dose was between 11 pm and 7 am in 30 (61%) of these patients. In 14 patients (29%), the first maintenance dose was administered >12 hours after loading. The target range was achieved with banded doses (20 mg/kg) in 65% (71%) of concentrations at 6 hours, 74% (84%) at 8 hours, 57% (67%) at 10 hours, 53% (55%) at 12 hours and 39% (43%) at 14 hours. Conclusions This audit has shown that current practice results in a high proportion of vancomycin maintenance doses being administered at impractical times. Allowing a more flexible time window of 6-12 hours after the loading dose for administration of the first vancomycin maintenance dose could help to alleviate this problem and reduce the risk of early subtherapeutic vancomycin trough concentrations

Signal Appropriation of Explicit HIV Status Disclosure Fields in Sex-Social Apps used by Gay and Bisexual Men

HIV status disclosure fields in online sex-social applications ("apps") are designed to help increase awareness, reduce stigma, and promote sexual health. Public disclosure could also help those diagnosed relate to others with similar statuses to feel less isolated. However, in our interview study (n=28) with HIV positive and negative men who have sex with men (MSM), we found some users preferred to keep their status private, especially when disclosure could stigmatise and disadvantage them, or risk revealing their status to someone they knew offline in a different context. How do users manage these tensions between health, stigma, and privacy? We analysed our interview data using signalling theory as a conceptual framework and identify participants developing 'signal appropriation' strategies, helping them manage the disclosure of their HIV status. Additionally, we propose a set of design considerations that explore the use of signals in the design of sensitive disclosure fields