From another(´s) point of view : narrative approaches in special educational research

In the current debate about evidence based education comparisons between countries are in focus. Learning and teaching are influenced by a control oriented paradigm at a far distance from the persons concerned, e.g. pupils, students and teachers. In education other perspectives are called for in order to catch the complexity of educational processes. Nomothetic information about learners needs to be complemented by ideographic information. The aim of the article is to argue for some alternative ways of knowledge contribution based on the voices of the individual in special educational settings in relation to the rights to education for all. Narrative approaches have a methodological potential of openness and participation where the researcher is engaged in a dialectic interaction between two subjects. Making room for the voice of the Other and finding a view different from one’s own is suggested as a powerful knowledge contribution in educational research which only can be provided by the persons concerned. One conclusion is that the narrative approaches advocated for here have a potential that is seldom given justice in the present era of documentation and measuring

Från en annan(s) utsiktsplats : narrativt inriktade ansatser i specialpedagogisk forskning

Sedan mer än 200 år har ”Bildning för alla!” varit en pedagogisk utmaning. Devisen är knuten till tankar om likvärdighet, delaktighet och allas rätt till utbildning i ett inkluderande samhälle, men i boken betonas samtidigt de pedagogiska utmaningar som dessa intentioner för med sig. I antologin tar 26 författare från de nordiska länderna och Storbritannien upp aktuella frågor som på olika sätt knyter an till uppgiften om hur utbildningssystemet kan utvecklas i förhållande till elevers olikheter. I boken behandlas teman som varit centrala i forskningen hos professor Jerry Rosenqvist, som nu efter mer än fyra decennier av pedagogisk verksamhet går i pension. Boken tillägnas honom

From another(´s) point of view : narrative approaches in special educational research

In the current debate about evidence based education comparisons between countries are in focus. Learning and teaching are influenced by a control oriented paradigm at a far distance from the persons concerned, e.g. pupils, students and teachers. In education other perspectives are called for in order to catch the complexity of educational processes. Nomothetic information about learners needs to be complemented by ideographic information. The aim of the article is to argue for some alternative ways of knowledge contribution based on the voices of the individual in special educational settings in relation to the rights to education for all. Narrative approaches have a methodological potential of openness and participation where the researcher is engaged in a dialectic interaction between two subjects. Making room for the voice of the Other and finding a view different from one’s own is suggested as a powerful knowledge contribution in educational research which only can be provided by the persons concerned. One conclusion is that the narrative approaches advocated for here have a potential that is seldom given justice in the present era of documentation and measuring

From another(´s) point of view : narrative approaches in special educational research

In the current debate about evidence based education comparisons between countries are in focus. Learning and teaching are influenced by a control oriented paradigm at a far distance from the persons concerned, e.g. pupils, students and teachers. In education other perspectives are called for in order to catch the complexity of educational processes. Nomothetic information about learners needs to be complemented by ideographic information. The aim of the article is to argue for some alternative ways of knowledge contribution based on the voices of the individual in special educational settings in relation to the rights to education for all. Narrative approaches have a methodological potential of openness and participation where the researcher is engaged in a dialectic interaction between two subjects. Making room for the voice of the Other and finding a view different from one’s own is suggested as a powerful knowledge contribution in educational research which only can be provided by the persons concerned. One conclusion is that the narrative approaches advocated for here have a potential that is seldom given justice in the present era of documentation and measuring

Hans Excellens : Om miljardsatsningarna på starka forskningsmiljöer

QC 2012020

Repeated in vivo determinations of bone mineral density during parathyroid hormone treatment in ovariectomized mice.

The recent development of different genetically modified mice with potentially interesting bone phenotypes has increased the demand for effective non-invasive methods to evaluate effects on bone of mice during growth and development, and for drug evaluation. In the present study, the skeleton was analyzed by repeated in vivo scans using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Ovariectomized (ovx) mice treated with parathyroid hormone (PTH) were used as an animal model to evaluate these two techniques at different times after the onset of treatment. Female mice (6 weeks of age) were allocated randomly to four groups: (1) sham-operated+vehicle; (2) ovx+vehicle; (3) sham-operated+PTH(1-84) 150 microg/kg per day; (4) ovx+PTH. Six weeks after ovariectomy the drug treatment began and was continued for 8 weeks. The total body bone mineral content (BMC) and total body areal bone mineral density (BMD) were measured by DXA. Ovariectomy reduced total body BMC and total body areal BMD by 6.2+/-1.7% and 2.6+/-0.9% respectively. No effect of PTH on total body BMC was seen during the treatment period. The trabecular volumetric BMD was measured by pQCT. Ovariectomy reduced the trabecular volumetric BMD by 52+/-6.7%. The pQCT technique detected a clear effect on trabecular volumetric BMD after 2 weeks of PTH treatment (ovx 94+/-29% and sham-operated 46+/-10% more than vehicle-treated). The cortical bone was measured in a mid-diaphyseal pQCT scan of the tibia. Ovariectomy reduced the cortical BMC by 9+/-2%. PTH treatment for 8 weeks increased cortical BMC in ovx mice. In conclusion, the pQCT technique is more sensitive than the DXA technique in the detection of bone loss after ovariectomy and increased bone mass after PTH treatment in mice. Notably, the pQCT, but not the DXA, technique detected a dramatic effect as early as after 2 weeks of PTH treatment. Dynamic pQCT measurements will be useful for monitoring skeletal changes during growth and development, and for drug evaluation in mice

Eating difficulties, assisted eating and nutritional status in elderly (gt-or-equal, slanted65 years) patients in hospital rehabilitation.

This study describes frequencies and associations between eating difficulties, assisted eating and nutritional status in 520 elderly patients in hospital rehabilitation. Eating difficulties were observed during a meal and nutritional status was assessed with Subjective Global Assessment form. Eighty-two percent of patients had one or more eating difficulties, 36% had assisted eating and 46% malnutrition. Three components of eating were focused upon ingestion, deglutition, and energy (eating and intake). Deglutition and ingestion difficulties and low energy were associated with assisted eating, and low energy associated with malnutrition. Underestimation of low energy puts patients at risk of having or developing malnutrition

Fish processing work: the impact of two sex dependent exposure profiles on musculoskeletal health

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of work tasks, physical exposure, and psychosocial factors on the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in men and women, in a defined industrial setting. METHODS: 116 male and 206 female fish industry workers were compared with 129 men and 208 women with more varied work. Physical and psychosocial work load as well as musculoskeletal complaints were recorded by a questionnaire. A physical examination was performed and an observation method was used for work evaluation. 196 male and 322 female former fish processing workers received a postal questionnaire. RESULTS: The women workers in the fish industry had worse working conditions than the men for repetitiveness, constrained neck postures, and psychosocial work environment. They also had higher prevalences of complaints of the neck and shoulder (prevalence odds ratio (POR) 1.9; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.1 to 3.2), neck and shoulder and elbow and hand complaints (POR 2.9; 95% CI 1.8 to 4.7 and POR 2.8; 95% CI 1.6 to 4.7, respectively). The women more often than the men left the industry because of neck and upper limb complaints. Also, women in other work had a higher prevalence of complaints of the neck and shoulder (POR 2.3; 95% CI 1.1 to 5.1) than the men. The men in the fish processing industry had a higher prevalence of complaints of the neck and shoulder than the men in other work (POR 3.6; 95% CI 1.6 to 8.0). This difference was not shown up by the questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: Despite superficially similar work, there were clear sex differences in physical exposure and psychosocial work environment. Work in the fish processing industry was associated with a high risk of neck and upper limb disorders in women, which was probably mainly due to their extremely repetitive work tasks; the corresponding men had less repetitive work and less disorders. Also, a healthy worker effect on neck and upper limb disorders was found. The advantage of a physical examination compared with a questionnaire is clearly shown

Medical students’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions on contraceptive use and counselling : a cross-sectional survey in Maharashtra, India

Objectives. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and perceptionstowards contraceptive use and counselling among medical students in Maharashtra, India. Setting. Considerable global maternal mortality and morbidity could be avoided through theuse of effective contraception. In India, contraception services are frequently unavailable or there are obstacles to obtaining modern, reversible contraceptives. Participants. A cross-sectional descriptive study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among 1996 medical students in their fifth year of study at 27 medical colleges in the state of Maharashtra, India. Descriptive and analytical statistics interpreted the survey instrument and significant results were presented with 95% CI. Results. Respondents expressed a desire to provide contraceptive services. A few studentshad experienced training in abortion care. There were misconceptions about moderncontraceptive methods and the impact of sex education. Attitudes towards contraceptionwere mainly positive, premarital counselling was supported and the influence of traditional values and negative provider attitudes on services was recognised. Gender, area of upbringing and type of medical college did not change the results. Conclusions. Despite mostly positive attitudes towards modern contraceptives, sex education and family planning counselling, medical students in Maharashtra have misconceptions about modern methods of contraception. Preservice and in-service training in contraceptive counselling should be implemented in order to increase women's access to evidence-based maternal healthcare services.Förebyggande av oönskade graviditeter och osäkra aborter i Indien- Klinikbaserade studier i syfte att förbättr

Serum from patients with systemic vasculitis induces alternatively activated macrophage M2c polarization.

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated vasculitides (AAV) are conditions defined by an autoimmune small vessel inflammation. Dying neutrophils are found around the inflamed vessels and the balance between infiltrating neutrophils and macrophages is important to prevent autoimmunity. Here we investigate how sera from AAV patients may regulate macrophage polarization and function. Macrophages from healthy individuals were differentiated into M0, M1, M2a, M2b or M2c macrophages using a standardized protocol, and phenotyped according to their expression surface markers and cytokine production. These phenotypes were compared with those of macrophages stimulated with serum from AAV patients or healthy controls. While the healthy control sera induced a M0 macrophage, AAV serum promoted polarization towards the M2c subtype. No sera induced M1, M2a or M2b macrophages. The M2c subtype showed increased phagocytosis capacity compared with the other subtypes. The M2c polarization found in AAV is consistent with previous reports of increased levels of M2c-associated cytokines