Therapeutic innovation: Inflammatory-reactive astrocytes as targets of inflammation

AbstractThis study aimed to test pharmaceutical compounds targeting astrocytes showing inflammatory dysregulation. The primary rat brain cultures were treated with different batches of serum with or without microglia added to make the cells inflammatory-reactive. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and tryptase were used as inflammatory inducers. Expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), Na+/K+-ATPase, and matrix metalloprotease-13 (MMP-13), as well as actin filament organization, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and intracellular Ca2+ release, were evaluated. LPS combined with tryptase upregulated TLR4 expression, whereas Na+/K+-ATPase expression was downregulated, ATP-evoked Ca2+ transients were increased, actin filaments were reorganized and ring structures instead of stress fibers were observed. Other aims of the study were to prevent astrocytes from becoming inflammatory-reactive and to restore inflammatory dysregulated cellular changes. A combination of the μ-opioid antagonist (−)-naloxone in ultra-low concentrations, the non-addictive μ-opioid agonist (−)-linalool, and the anti-epileptic agent levetiracetam was examined. The results indicated that this drug cocktail prevented the LPS- and tryptase-induced inflammatory dysregulation. The drug cocktail could also restore the LPS- and tryptase-treated cells back to a normal physiological level in terms of the analyzed parameters

Social Life Cycle Inventory and Impact Assessment of Informal recycling

ABSTRACT In order to meet the growing needs of information and communication technology, companies are producing new and improved products every day. With every new product in the market another product becomes obsolete. These obsolete products are being added to the world's fastest growing waste stream. 20-50 million computers become waste each year. It has been estimated that 20% of electronic waste is formally recycled, while 80% is shipped to developing countries where it is recycled informally through crude process. It's manually dismantled, burned, dumped and dipped in acids to extract precious metals. One such nation which is at the receiving end of this waste stream is Pakistan. This business has become a very profitable business and requires very little expertise to conduct these crude procedures. These activities do not just add toxics to the environment but has great social and health impact on its workers. There lies a great need to study the impacts of these processes on environment, workers, community and the society. In order to study this, a detailed on-site inventory and assessment of informal electronic waste recycling has been conducted using the UNEP guidelines on Social Life Cycle Assessment. This study shows that apart from income generation and recovery of various metals and materials, informal recycling has drastic impacts on its workers and the local community

Att erövra litteracitet. Små barns kommunikativa möten med berättande, bilder, text och tecken i förskolan.

This thesis is based on an ethnographic field study among a group of monolingual children from one and a half to three years old at a pre-school in a Swedish village. The primary aim of the study has been to gain knowledge about how young children conquer and express literacy in their everyday lives. One assumption was that children are active and competent in their search for meaning when dealing with texts, signs and images. A second aim has been to investigate whether children’s literacy could have an impact on the social and cultural context of pre-school. Research questions addressed in the study focus on children’s participation in literacy events and their actions in literacy practice. An additional question was whether children were contributing to literacy practice when interacting with other children in the group. The theoretical framework draws upon socio-cultural theory. The empirical material consists of video recordings and the focus of observation has been on children’s actions related to literacy, expressed as early literacy, including reading and writing as well as telling and retelling narratives, singing and other verbal and non verbal communication. In children’s literacy events and literacy practice the specific context was of central interest. All the material collected has been transcribed and transferred into text and constitutes the basis for analyzing what children are performing in actual events and practices. The guiding principle for description was at first to give a close reproduction of children’s verbal utterances and their acting linked to the concept of early literacy. Secondly, the aim was to describe and analyze whether the utterances and actions could be linked to the specific social and cultural context. The analysed material demonstrates how children participate and interact with each other while engaged in literacy and the material also displays the content of their communication. Two different kinds of literacy appear: one is narrative tellings and the other is reading and drawing/writing. A deeper analysis shows that children are building knowledge of telling and also creating a specific manifesto of literacy. The children also underline what they are doing through verbal expressions where they define themselves as both readers and writers. The result gives a contribution to new knowledge and an understanding of early literacy among very young children as something they have created in pre-school as a social and cultural environment. Literacy in the studied group of children uncovers many more expressions, including several actions with regard to written material, than we usally relate to the youngest children in pre-school

How to Trace Your Roots in Finland

The popularity of tracing one’s roots seems to be constantly increasing. Many genealogists feel at some point in their research that they have reached a point where no more information can be dug into daylight and those who are tracing their overseas roots are more likely than other to run into what seems to be a brick wall. Many start with great enthusiasm and high hopes, but the abundance of information on the internet easily leads astray and guidance is needed through the jungle of information. For those who plan to visit Finland to find their roots, good preparation is crucial. The better they prepare, the more they can find during their trip. The purpose of this booklet is to help Finnish descendants to trace their roots. In the booklet the most important information sources in Finland are described and what the genealogist can except to find. Many of the sources can be utilized at home, through the Internet, by mail or telephone, but some of the basic information can only be researched on the spot. The reader should not expect a complete guide to genealogical sources in Finland, but the booklet gives an outline where to find the most important sources.The Institute of Migration Introduction Overview of Finnish Migration to America Start Your Search in North American Records Family Papers Official Records in North America Vital Records Census The SSDI Church Records Other Documents Documents Related to the Journey Lists of Arrivals St. Albans Border Crossings Lists of Departures The Passenger Lists of the Finland Steamship Company (F.Å.A) The Passport Lists Finnish Names Emigrants Changing their Names Records in Finland Church Records The Genealogy Method and available Church Records Other Archival Sources Literature Research Guide Books Finnish History and Migration Addresses Web Sites

Lärares arbete och blivande lärares examensarbete - En arena för gemensam yrkesreflektion

The overall goal of the project has been to increase the teacher students' knowledge regarding research and the teacher profession. At Karlstad University, the general introduction course in research methodology was combined with an intensive course in life history methodology, designed for students/tutors and focusing on Teacher Research – Method – Interviewing – Interview Analysis – Essay Writing. The contents have been revised and published in a methodology book. During the course, teacher students have carried out life story interviews with practising teachers and used the interviews as an arena for common reflection. These reflections have been introduced into a wider context and formed the basis for further reflections on previous studies. The teacher training colleges in Borås, Falun, och Malmö also participated

Workplace Health Interventions and Physical Fitness Status among Managers of Small-Scale Enterprises in Norway and Sweden

Background : The ability of managers of small-scale enterprises (SSEs) to prioritize health, working conditions, and their own physical fitness is an important issue for workplace health promotion in Norway and Sweden, where most owner-manager positions are in SSEs. Aim : To assess the physical fitness status of SSE managers compared to a norm population and to study changes in physical fitness status, self-reported physical activity, and sickness outcomes after workplace health interventions. Methods : The study allocated SSE managers to either an intervention or a reference group. The intervention, over twelve months, consisted of motivational input related to lifestyle and physical activity through tests and feedback, individual support, and courses on health and psychosocial working conditions. The participants (N = 28) completed health screening checks, questionnaires and testing before and after the intervention. Results : SSE managers in the study had positive outcomes for BMI levels and strength compared to the norm population, while percentage of fat for both men and women indicated poor results. There were no further improvements in the intervention group after comparison with the reference group. Separately, both groups seemed to improve strength and body composition. Conclusion : Workplace health interventions with essentially motivational components may increase SSE managers’ attention to physical fitness, but appear to have limited effects on objective and subjective physical fitness outcomes.Modeller för företagshälsovård i mikroföreta

Kirja-arvosteluja

Tuomas Martikainen: Suomi Remix. Into Kustannus. Helsinki, 2011. 117 s. ISBN 978-952-01-0619-5. Marja Eronen ja Pauli Salminen (toim.): Savisaappaissa yli Atlantin. Priimus Media Oy/OOLI, 2009. 184 s. ISBN 978-952-5278-86-6. Lotta Weckström: Suomalaisuus on kuin vahakangas – Ruotsinsuomalaiset nuoret kertovat suomalaisuudestaan. Vammalan Kirjapaino Oy, 2011. 160 s. Siirtolaisuustutkimuksia A 36. ISBN 978-952- 5889-09-3 (Suomi) ISBN 978-952-5889-10-9 (pdf Suomi) ISSN 0356-9659 ISBN 978-91-971351-6-0 (Sverige)

"You must learn something during a lesson" : how primary students construct meaning from teacher feedback

Teacher feedback can be described as a complex interactional pattern between teacher and student. Formative outcomes of assessment are considered to be enhanced when students understand aims and criteria. In order to better understand the processes of teacher feedback and to improve teaching and classroom assessment, there is a need for research on students' perspectives on feedback. The present study aims to conceptualise how primary-school students construct meaning from teacher feedback. The study was based on focus group interviews with 23 students in grades 2 and 3 (7-9 years old). Constructivist grounded theory was used throughout the study. According to the findings, primary-school students conceptualise teacher feedback as communicating a lot of "musts", centred on learning, involving what the students perceived as things they must learn and what they must do in order to learn. These musts concerned both academic learning and behavioural issues, including tensions between different musts

A qualitative study of primary teachers classroom feedback rationales

BackgroundAs part of teachers everyday classroom assessment practice, feedback can be seen as connected to the formative function of assessment, with the aim of helping students in their learning processes. Much research on teacher feedback focuses precisely on the feedbacks formative quality. However, in order to strengthen our understanding about the nature of teacher feedback, we also need to understand more about teachers rationales for giving feedback to their students, especially in primary school settings.PurposeThe present study aimed to explore and conceptualise primary school teachers rationales for giving students feedback.SampleThirteen Swedish primary school teachers ( 10 women and 3 men) with 4 to 40 years of teaching experience working with students aged 7-9years-old (grades 1-3), participated in the study. An open sampling procedure was adopted to recruit the teachers.Design and methodsData were collected using a semi-structured interview approach. We employed a constructivist grounded theory design for the coding and analysis of the transcribed data.ResultsAnalysis indicated that two main concerns emerged as regulating teachers assessment practices. These addressed what the teachers perceived as (1) students academic needs and (2) students behavioural and emotional needs. According to the findings, the teachers rationales for giving students feedback were based on those needs, and dependent on factors such as situation, relationships, time and effort. This resulted in a constant comparison and weighing of different needs by the teachers. Some needs were described as prioritised before others, which caused some rationales to be identified as taking precedence over others.Discussion and conclusionsBased on a systematic analysis of - and thus grounded in - interview data from primary teachers, the current qualitative study offers a framework for surveying, understanding and discussing teacher feedback. Overall, the study showed how everyday practices of classroom assessment and classroom management overlapped, thus underlining the importance in teacher education of understanding classroom assessment, classroom management and the relationships between the two