Open University

About: Open University is a education organization based out in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Context (language use) & Population. The organization has 11702 authors who have published 35020 publications receiving 1110835 citations. The organization is also known as: Open University, The & Open University.

An investigation into written comments on assignments: do students find them usable?

Abstract: Students’ response to the feedback they receive on written assignments is an important but relatively under‐researched aspect of teaching and learning This paper presents an analysis of over 3000 written comments made on 106 assignments in three course modules in a Technology faculty, and also the results of telephone interviews with 43 of the students whose commented assignment had been analysed The interviews explored how usable students found the comments, including their response to specific comments that their tutor had made on the assignment When the results from the interviews were matched to the types of comment found in the analysis, it became apparent that students find some types of comment considerably more usable These findings are discussed in the light of the current state of assessment practice, and possible future avenues for research in this area are suggested

Meningococcal Type IV Pili Recruit the Polarity Complex to Cross the Brain Endothelium

Abstract: Type IV pili mediate the initial interaction of many bacterial pathogens with their host cells. In Neisseria meningitidis, the causative agent of cerebrospinal meningitis, type IV pili-mediated adhesion to brain endothelial cells is required for bacteria to cross the blood-brain barrier. Here, type IV pili-mediated adhesion of N. meningitidis to human brain endothelial cells was found to recruit the Par3/Par6/PKCzeta polarity complex that plays a pivotal role in the establishment of eukaryotic cell polarity and the formation of intercellular junctions. This recruitment leads to the formation of ectopic intercellular junctional domains at the site of bacteria-host cell interaction and a subsequent depletion of junctional proteins at the cell-cell interface with opening of the intercellular junctions of the brain-endothelial interface.