Crisis or Struggle? A Language of Natality as a Struggle for Education

Taking its point of departure in the connotations to war and violence inherent in what is here called the ‘language of crisis’ (Jantzen), the purpose of this article is to explore what it might mean to reassess the language of educational change and policy reform in the imagery of natality and birth (Arendt). If the task in a ‘crisis’ is to fi ght against the crisis, eff ectively and forcefully, the argument of the paper is that the root metaphors of natality and birth puts into play an imagery that makes possible a relational language for educational change and reform. If the language we use has performative consequences, the question explored is what a ‘language of natality’ can make possible as a language of struggle for education

List of Doctoral Thesis Titles (March 2019)

Radio Frequency Identification är en relativt gammal teknik (sedan andra världskriget), som upplevt en renässans. Då som nu användes RFID för att identifiera föremål, dock med vissa tekniska skillnader. Ökade krav på industrier och samhället i övrigt har lett till den ”informa-tionsålder” vi nu lever i. Som ett steg i denna utveckling ställs allt högre krav på insamlingen av den information som många processer och beslut baseras på. Förenklat kan kommunika-tionen förklaras som en radiosignal som skickas från en RFID-läsare till en RFID-tagg. Taggen sitter på objektet som skall identifieras och information om objektet finns lagrad i taggen. Radiosignalen väcker taggen som skickar den information som finns lagrad i dess mikrochip tillbaka till läsaren. RFID kan användas i en stor mängd olika områden och applikationer där två av dessa är inom transportnätverk och försörjningskedjor. Anledningen till att detta projekt initierades var att logistikföretaget Schenker AB såg ett behov i att undersöka hur tekniken kan användas inom deras verksamhet. För Schenkers del var det viktigt att få utreda eventuella möjligheter med tekniken, och dess kostnader innan kunderna kom med krav eller önskemål om användning. Tre förslag på hur RFID kan användas i verksamheten har utarbetats för att få en bra bild av hur användningen kan gå till och vad som krävs. Studien visar att det krävs en hel del av Schenker i form av utrustning och även datasystem. De slutsatser som kan dras efter att projektet är genomfört är att det finns potential för förbättringar vid användning av RFID-teknik inom Schenkers verksamhet. Dock är dessa förknippade med relativt höga initiala kostnader. Vidare finns även en del tekniska begränsningar vilket gör att systemet måste planeras och konstrueras noggrant för full funktionalitet. Ytterligare undersökningar måste göras för att få mer underlag för hur pass väl RFID kan användas inom Schenker. Tester och försök i mindre flöden hos Schenker vore ett bra sätt för att få erfarenhet och kunskap om teknikens funktionalitet, möjligheter och begränsningar

Tyre Pressure Monitoring using Sensors

This thesis presents an implementation of a positioning and navigation system for a mobile robot using ultrasonic pulses and passive sensors that are part of a sensor network. The system uses the Telos Tmote Sky sensor-boards running Contiki. In addition to the Tmote Sky the mobile robot consists of a number of processors and is equipped with position encoders for the wheels in order to be able to accurately estimate the position using dead-reckoning. It is also equipped with an ultrasound transmitter. The sensor nodes are equipped with ultrasound receivers

An efficient new route to dihydropyranobenzimidazole inhibitors of HCV replication.

A class of dihydropyranobenzimidazole inhibitors was recently discovered that acts against the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a new way, binding to the IRES-IIa subdomain of the highly conserved 5' untranslated region of the viral RNA and thus preventing the ribosome from initiating translation. However, the reported synthesis of these compounds is lengthy and low-yielding, the intermediates are troublesome to purify, and the route is poorly structured for the creation of libraries. We report a streamlined route to this class of inhibitors in which yields are far higher and most intermediates are crystalline. In addition, a key variable side chain is introduced late in the synthesis, allowing analogs to be easily synthesized for optimization of antiviral activity

Cellular Processes and Mechanisms in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Influencing Anaerobic Xylose Fermentation

In 2009 the EU approved two directives as a first initiative towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and becoming independent of fossil fuels: the Renewable Energy Directive and the Fuel Quality Directive. As a result, the demand for biofuels will increase enormously over the next decade, both nationally and in the entire EU. This huge demand will require a more advanced type of biofuels, produced from cellulosic and lignocellulosic raw materials that do not compete with the supply of food crops. These biofuels are referred to as second generation (2G) fuels. The production of 2G bioethanol at a commercial scale requires yeast strains capable of producing ethanol at high yield and high productivity from all sugars (hexoses and pentoses) extracted from the raw material. The aim of the work presented in this thesis has been to increase the ethanol productivity of recombinant xylose-fermenting strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae during batch fermentation of a glucose/xylose mixture. A parameter that has a big influence on productivity is cellular growth and the yeast strains currently used today grow rather poorly on xylose. Many of the signals cells use to regulate growth originate from changes in the concentrations of metabolites inside the cells. To increase our knowledge of xylose metabolism the dynamic changes in intracellular metabolite concentrations were measured during batch fermentation of a glucose/xylose mixture using LC-MS/MS. This study gave meaningful insights about important intracellular signals, biological phenomena and mechanism. The analysis of the metabolite data pointed toward limitations in the folding of proteins inside the ER, which might be the underlying cause of the slow growth on xylose. Another important factor is the regulation of expression of genes required for sugar transport and those related to fermentative metabolism. Hexokinase 2 (Hxk2p) is an important bi-functional protein that acts both as a catalytic enzyme and a global transcription factor. This protein plays a role in the regulation of the above mentioned genes and becomes inactivated in the presence of xylose. As a consequence it loses its’ regulatory function. In an effort to improve repression signals during xylose fermentation this protein was engineered to become immune towards inactivation by xylose. By combining methods for protein and genetic engineering with fermentation technology a mutation in the gene was identified which increased the catalytic activity by 64% in the presence of xylose. The new variant allowed faster glucose consumption in the presence of xylose, but had no obvious impact on xylose fermentation. These results indicate that Hxk2p does not act alone and other proteins are involved in the regulation. These proteins remain to be identified. This thesis describes the cellular processes required for balanced anaerobic microbial growth and the intracellular signals that regulate them. The aim has been to identify biochemical mechanisms that limit anaerobic growth of recombinant S. cerevisiae strains on xylose

Negotiating (dis-)engagement in K-12 blended learning

It is well-recognised that engagement is critical for learning and school success. Engagement (and disengagement) are, however, also influenced by context. Thus, as digital technologies add complexity to the educational context, they influence classroom leadership, lesson designs and related practices, and thereby engagement. Despite being critical, engagement and disengagement are not well explored concerning these influences, with a lack of research undertaken within socially disadvantaged schools. In this qualitative study, 14 classroom observations were conducted, during five months, in twelve classes in an upper secondary school in Sweden, along with dialogues with teachers (n=12) and students (n=32). The data were analysed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. Identified themes include digital context, teacher leadership, engagement and disengagement. A network of relations between the (dis-)engagement compound and themes is presented. The results identified processes in which engagement shifted into disengagement and vice versa; in particular, that the intention of active learning does not automatically translate to active learning for all students, although teachers employed a higher work pace than did their students. Teacher self-efficacy and awareness of how to manage digital technologies in and outside the classroom was found to play a vital role in facilitating engagement. Understanding the (dis-)engagement compound in blended learning environments is key to inform active and visible learning for future research and supportive organisational structures

Social Engagement in Distance, Remote, and Hybrid Learning

Peer reviewe

UK PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ENGAGEMENT THROUGH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

Parent involvement in and engagement with children’s learning play an important role in influencing student engagement, achievement, and school completion, not least during the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the world in early 2020. Given the paucity of research exploring parental attitudes to and experiences of blended and online learning, both before and during the pandemic, a case study of UK parents (n = 552) was conducted from June to September 2020, using an online survey, with both closed and open-ended questions, as well as semi-structured interviews (n = 14). Designed and analysed against a bioecological model of student engagement [1], 40% (n = 221) of participants were parents of students in primary school only, 29% (n = 158) were parents of students in secondary school, and 31% (n = 173) had children in both primary and secondary school, representing 1,038 school-aged children. The results revealed that students mostly used a laptop, tablet or smartphone to undertake their learning, with parents reporting a rise in the use of videos (both synchronous and asynchronous), Google Classroom, and online communities, reflecting the tools that parents found most useful for their children’s learning, as well as the most engaging. Whilst parents reported feeling slightly more aware of their children’s school work, they felt less connected to the school community, and that students did not experience increased engagement or better learning, when technologies mediated education. Findings and implications are discussed against literature published both before and during the pandemic, and an insight into future policy, research and practice implications will be provided

Social Engagement in Distance, Remote, and Hybrid Learning

Peer reviewe