Kay Yeoman | University of East Anglia (original) (raw)

Papers by Kay Yeoman

Future Radio and the U.E.A. are pleased to announce that we have started airing a 5 part series e... more Future Radio and the U.E.A. are pleased to announce that we have started airing a 5 part series exploring the work of Charles Darwin which is back this Sunday 3pm. Featuring a host of contributors from the UEA and Norwich Castle Museum the programmes will be answering Future Radio listeners questions which were sent to the station . Sunday 26th July, 2nd 9th 16th 23rd August at 3pm 2009.

ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economies and societies throughout the world in 2020. Edu... more ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economies and societies throughout the world in 2020. Education was especially affected, with schools and universities widely closed for long periods. People under 25 years have the lowest risk of severe disease but their activities can be key to persistent ongoing community transmission. A challenge arose for how to provide education, including university level, without the activities of students increasing wider community SARS- CoV-2 infections.We used a Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) framework to assess the risks associated with university student activity and recommend how to mitigate these risks. This tool appealed because it relies on multi-agency collaboration and interdisciplinary expertise and yet is low cost, allowing rapid generation of evidence-based recommendations.We identified key critical control points associated with university student’ activities, lifestyle and interaction patterns both on-and-off campus....

Journal of Bacteriology, 1995

Mutants of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae unable to respire via the cytochrome aa3 pathway we... more Mutants of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae unable to respire via the cytochrome aa3 pathway were identified by the inability to oxidize N,N'-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine. Two mutants which were complemented by cosmid pIJ1942 from an R. leguminosarum clone bank were identified. Although pea nodules induced by these mutants contained many bacteroids, no symbiotic nitrogen fixation was detected. Heme staining of cellular proteins revealed that all cytochrome c-type heme proteins were absent. These mutants lacked spectroscopically detectable cytochrome c, but cytochromes aa3 and d were present, the latter at a higher-than-normal level. DNA sequence analysis of complementing plasmids revealed four apparently cotranscribed open reading frames (cycH, cycJ, cycK, and cycL). CycH, CycJ, CycK, and CycL are homologous to Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Rhizobium meliloti proteins thought to be involved in the attachment of heme to cytochrome c apoproteins; CycK and CycL are also homologous ...

Journal of Applied Bacteriology, 1992

A clarified, soluble, protein-rich medium was developed from rapemeal by boiling with 0.1 mmol/l ... more A clarified, soluble, protein-rich medium was developed from rapemeal by boiling with 0.1 mmol/l N a O H. The medium contained 78% of the original meal protein and supported the growth of a range of thermophilic microorganisms that included Bacillus, Streptomyces and fungi. Amino acid analysis of the medium showed a full range of amino acids, and that acidic ones such as glutamate predominated. Growth of a thermophilic Bacillus spp. (termed 1/15) in the medium was biphasic and significant amounts of extracellular protease were synthesized during the second growth phase. Biphasic growth was probably d u e to preferential utilization of free amino acids during the first phase of growth followed by degradation of proteins during the second phase.

British Journal of Educational Studies, 2017

While numerous studies examine perceptions of research held by university researchers, studies ex... more While numerous studies examine perceptions of research held by university researchers, studies examining perceptions held by school pupils are rare. To address this gap and following analysis of questionnaire data (N=2634, KS3/4/5 pupils), we conducted eleven group interviews with one hundred pupils in England to investigate their experiences of research during schooling and their perceptions of how research is conceived, conducted, and where its utility and significance lie. Thematic analysis of the interview datainformed by Brew's (2011) 4-tier descriptor of perceptions of research (domino, trading, layer, journey), Stubb et al.'s (2014) elaboration of this descriptor, Meyer et al.'s (2007) conceptions of research inventory (CoRI) and Bills' (2004) distinction between Research and researchled to seven themes. Here we elaborate the most significant of these themes: fact finding as research; who formulates and owns a research question; and, the friction between uninformed opinion and informed view. We conclude that secondary pupils' experiences and perceptions of research, while overall relatively rich, vary across different disciplines. We also conclude that pupils would benefit substantially from more comprehensive engagement with research processesand we observe the role that qualifications such as the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) can play in fostering said engagement.

Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2016

The transition between school and university can be problematic for students. Understanding stude... more The transition between school and university can be problematic for students. Understanding students' expectations about the system they are entering into is crucial in effecting a smooth transition. The school system involves small classes, often with teachers who know their students well. In contrast university involves large class sizes and a degree of anonymity for the student. In the UK National Student Survey responses for universities show that students are generally less happy about feedback relative to most other issues. The current study investigates school students' expectations about assessment and feedback practices at university. Students were surveyed across Great Britain in 2006 and 2013. There were some significantly different responses from students between the two years of study in how coursework would be handled, but there were also many areas of consistency, demonstrating a clear pattern of expectation. For example, in both years of study 80 % of students expected personal verbal feedback on their university assignments. This study discusses how student expectations may be based on their school experiences rather than considering the reality of the university system they are entering into. Misconceptions may be affecting students' responses to the NSS surveys on assessment and feedback.

Journal of Applied Bacteriology, 1994

F1000Research, 2015

Young people's views on what research is, how it is conducted and whether it is important, in... more Young people's views on what research is, how it is conducted and whether it is important, influences the decisions they make about their further studies and career choices. In this paper we report the analysis of questionnaire data with a particular focus on pupil perceptions of research in the sciences and of the scientific method. The questionnaire was a 25-item Likert Scale (1-5) distributed to seven collaborating schools. We received 2634 returns from pupils across key stages 3, 4 and 5. We also asked teachers to complete the questionnaire in order to explore how they thought their pupils would respond. We received 54 teacher responses. Statistically significant differences in the responses were identified through a chi-square test on SPSS. As what is being taught influences secondary pupil views on research we also consider how the term 'research' appears in the national curriculum for England and Wales and the three main English exam boards. The main theoretical c...

FEMS Microbiology Letters, 2015

The iGEM competition involves research in synthetic biology, a rapidly developing area of science... more The iGEM competition involves research in synthetic biology, a rapidly developing area of science that combines principles from engineering and biology; iGEM projects frequently tackle biotechnology-associated problems and their broad reach offers excellent educational opportunities for microbiology-based students and researchers.

Microbiology, 2000

A mutation was isolated in the Rhizobium leguminosarum gene fhuA, which appears to specify the ou... more A mutation was isolated in the Rhizobium leguminosarum gene fhuA, which appears to specify the outer-membrane receptor for the siderophore vicibactin. The mutant was defective in iron uptake and accumulated the siderophore vicibactin in the extracellular medium. Expression of fhuA was regulated by Fe 3M , transcription being higher in iron-depleted cells. Transcription of fhuA was independent of a functional copy of rpoI, a neighbouring gene that specifies a putative ECF σ factor of RNA polymerase and which is involved in siderophore production in Rhizobium. Mutations in fhuA did not detectably affect symbiotic N 2 fixation on peas. An fhuA ::gus fusion was expressed by bacteria in the meristematic zone of pea nodules but not in mature bacteroids. Some other strains of R. leguminosarum also contain a pseudogene version of fhuA. The sequences of some of these and the ' real ' fhuA genes were determined.

Microbiology (Reading, England), 2002

Mutations in a Rhizobium leguminosarum gene, rirA (rhizobial iron regulator), caused high-level, ... more Mutations in a Rhizobium leguminosarum gene, rirA (rhizobial iron regulator), caused high-level, constitutive expression of at least eight operons whose transcription is normally Fe-responsive and whose products are involved in the synthesis or uptake of siderophores, or in the uptake of haem or of other iron sources. Close homologues of RirA exist in other rhizobia and in the pathogen Brucella; many other bacteria have deduced proteins with more limited sequence similarity. None of these homologues had been implicated in Fe-mediated gene regulation. Transcription of rirA itself is about twofold higher in cells grown in Fe-replete than in Fe-deficient growth media. Mutations in rirA reduced growth rates in Fe-replete and -depleted medium, but did not appear to affect symbiotic N(2) fixation.

Bioscience Education, 2012

Understanding students' reactions to their feedback to coursework is crucial in being able to del... more Understanding students' reactions to their feedback to coursework is crucial in being able to deliver feedback which motivates them and helps them to do better. This study focused on undergraduate bioscience students on a variety of degree programmes, at three UK universities, across all years. A questionnaire was completed by students when first reading their feedback, thereby accessing their initial reactions to the comments they received. Focus groups assisted in the analysis of these initial reactions and also enabled discussion on how the students felt about their feedback. Our findings suggest that, although many students value feedback irrespective of their emotional response to it, others are clearly motivated or de-motivated by specific factors within the feedback that they receive. We suggest that this initial emotional reaction is fundamental to the student's subsequent engagement with feedback, and that feedback that immediately de-motivates a student is likely to be of very limited value to the ongoing learning process. Recommendations to improve feedback include the need to offer positive, constructive comments, meaningful annotations and comments which justify the given mark.