Demographic development in North and South - global trends and challenges for education

After looking at today\u27s demographic situation, this paper will attempt to demonstrate the need for lifelong learning. It will briefly review the current world situation in terms of ageing, health, poverty and hunger, urbanisation and migration. It will then show that lifelong learning, in particular when conceived as an overarching sector-wide approach, can enable individuals to meet the challenges in their private lives and in social and work environments in today\u27s fast-changing world. The importance of literacy and adult learning and education - as the foundation and major component of lifelong learning - will be underlined. (DIPF/Orig.)In diesem Artikel wird versucht die Notwendigkeit des lebenslangen Lernens aufzuzeigen, indem die heutige demographische Situation betrachtet wird. Es wird kurz die derzeitige weltweite Lage im Bezug auf Alterung, Gesundheit, Armut und Hunger, Urbanisierung und Migration dargestellt. Es wird gezeigt, dass lebenslanges Lernen eine allumfassende Methode ist, die Personen dazu befähigen kann, in einer sich schnell wandelnden Welt zu leben und zu arbeiten. Die Bedeutung der Alphabetisierung und Erwachsenenbildung - als Grundlage des lebenslangen Lernens - und der Bedarf der Entwicklung von Schlüsselkompetenzen werden betont. Es wird für eine dringend notwendige Anerkennung und Bestätigung der formellen und informellen Bildung plädiert. (DIPF/Orig.

Nordic-Baltic cooperation in the field of adult education 1991–2004

Funding Information: University in Kaunas, Lithuania. Her research interests relate primarily to adult education and learning, recognition of prior learning as well as technology-enhanced learning. She has supervised more than ten doctoral theses on adult learning. She acts as an expert in the field of adult education for the Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Science; for the Research Council of Lithuania as well as for the European Commission. Margarita is also a member of the Lithuanian Adult Education Association. She has been involved in a number of European programmes and projects (FM6, ERASMUS?, NORDPLUS), producing documents and carrying out studies in the field of lifelong learning on national and international levels.publishersversio

Experiences of a therapist-guided internet-delivered intervention for hazardous and harmful drinking. A qualitative study

Experiences of a therapist-guided internet-delivered intervention for hazardous and harmful drinking. A qualitative studyBackground Alcohol is the third leading risk factor for burden of disease in the world, causing significant health damage to the individual as well as costs to the surroundings and society as whole. Internet-delivered psychological interventions may help the individual to address alcohol consumption at an early stage before it develops into more serious problems. There is a need to investigate how participants experience internet-delivered interventions for hazardous and harmful drinking to optimize its usefulness in the target population. Methods The present study was part of an open pre-post pilot trial to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a therapist-guided internet-delivered cognitive behavioural intervention for hazardous and harmful alcohol use. The aim was to investigate participants` experiences of the intervention and the ways in which the intervention helped them to address their alcohol consumption. Fifteen participants were selected from the open pre-post trial (n = 32), and semi-structured interviews were conducted immediately after participants had completed the treatment. The interviews were analysed using Thematic Analysis. Results The results indicate that most of the participants found the intervention to be useful. Participants reported that the intervention made them more aware of the consequences of excessive drinking and gave them tools to cope with their alcohol consumption. Among the perceived advantages were the flexibility and anonymity of the intervention and therapist support. Participants called for more individualisation of the treatment to meet individual needs. Conclusions A therapist-guided internet-delivered intervention for hazardous and harmful drinking can help individuals to address their alcohol consumption and give them tools to cope with their drinking. Future studies should examine the feasibility of tailoring modules to individual needs.publishedVersio

Food and chemical substances relevant for monitoring - Scientific Opinion of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment

Source at https://vkm.no/</a

Food and chemical substances relevant for monitoring - Scientific Opinion of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment

At request from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA), VKM has identified food groups and food items consumed by the Norwegian population that are relevant for monitoring regarding content of one or more undesirable chemical substances (Figure 1). Undesirable chemical substances were defined as chemical substances in food that may constitute a potential health risk.publishedVersionPaid open acces

Lack of Chemokine Signaling through CXCR5 Causes Increased Mortality, Ventricular Dilatation and Deranged Matrix during Cardiac Pressure Overload

RATIONALE: Inflammatory mechanisms have been suggested to play a role in the development of heart failure (HF), but a role for chemokines is largely unknown. Based on their role in inflammation and matrix remodeling in other tissues, we hypothesized that CXCL13 and CXCR5 could be involved in cardiac remodeling during HF. OBJECTIVE: We sought to analyze the role of the chemokine CXCL13 and its receptor CXCR5 in cardiac pathophysiology leading to HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice harboring a systemic knockout of the CXCR5 (CXCR5(-/-)) displayed increased mortality during a follow-up of 80 days after aortic banding (AB). Following three weeks of AB, CXCR5(-/-) developed significant left ventricular (LV) dilatation compared to wild type (WT) mice. Microarray analysis revealed altered expression of several small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) that bind to collagen and modulate fibril assembly. Protein levels of fibromodulin, decorin and lumican (all SLRPs) were significantly reduced in AB CXCR5(-/-) compared to AB WT mice. Electron microscopy revealed loosely packed extracellular matrix with individual collagen fibers and small networks of proteoglycans in AB CXCR5(-/-) mice. Addition of CXCL13 to cultured cardiac fibroblasts enhanced the expression of SLRPs. In patients with HF, we observed increased myocardial levels of CXCR5 and SLRPs, which was reversed following LV assist device treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of CXCR5 leads to LV dilatation and increased mortality during pressure overload, possibly via lack of an increase in SLRPs. This study demonstrates a critical role of the chemokine CXCL13 and CXCR5 in survival and maintaining of cardiac structure upon pressure overload, by regulating proteoglycans essential for correct collagen assembly

Når det synger i livsnerven: Motivasjon i organisasjoner fra et narrativt perspektiv

Hva driver og motiverer personer som skaper ekstraordinære prestasjoner i organisasjoner? Hovedsvaret jeg undersøker her, er en brennende higen etter livsberikelse – en skapende kraft som kommer i mange varianter, og som ikke kan forstås uten at en tar for seg de fortellingene som gir mening til våre liv. Hvorfor fortellinger? La oss starte enkelt. ”Per klipper plenen.” Det er et tilsynelatende selvbærende og lett forståelig utsagn. Men hvorfor klipper Per plenen, og hva får han igjen for det? Den posisjonen jeg utforsker her tar utgangspunkt i at Pers motiver for plenklipping ikke kan forstås uten å tolkes inn i en eller flere fortellinger. Per kan tenkes å klippe plenen fordi naboen nettopp har gjort det, eller som en del av en ambisjon om å komme i sommerform og hvor dette er en sped start. Per kan klippe plenen fordi det er jobben hans. Per kan klippe plenen som en del av oppladningen til en romantisk aften med en partner som verdsetter denne type innsats som innledende kurtise. Eller Per kan klippe plenen som et siste og avgjørende ledd i testingen av en revolusjonerende ny gressklipperteknologi han selv har vært med på å utvikle. Forhåpentligvis er det klart fra dette eksempelet, lett inspirert fra MacIntyre (1981), at motivasjonen for Pers plenklipping arter seg vidt forskjellig ut i fra hvilket narrativ vi plasserer erfaringen innenfor. Et av MacIntyres hovedpoeng er at adferd kan ikke forstås uavhengig av motiver (MacIntyre bruker som oftest begrepet ”intensjon”), og videre at motiver ikke kan ses 2 adskilt fra den større kontekst hvor adferd utspiller seg, inkludert den konteksten som gir menneskers liv sammenheng og mening. Dette kapitlet tar for seg motivasjon i organisasjoner fra et narrativt perspektiv. Jeg bruker parallellen fra MacIntyre til å utforske det vi kan kalle et situert vokabular for motivasjon (Mills, 1940) i organisasjoner – situert både i forhold til personers livshistorier, kollektiv praksis og den kontekst denne utspiller seg i. Jeg bygger i hovedsak på narrativ psykologi, særlig knyttet til empiriske arbeidet til Dan McAdams (McAdams, 1993, 1999) og kollegaer, og også narrative teoretikere som Sarbin (1986b), Crites (Crites, 1971), Ricoeur (Ricoeur, 1980, 1991) og Bruner (Bruner, 1986, 1990). Jeg relaterer meg også til forskningsstrømmer innen organisasjonsstudier som har innslag fra narrative identitetsteori og/eller forskere som bruker et eksplisitt prosess- og utviklingsperspektiv på identitet og samtidig berører motivasjonsspørsmål (Carlsen, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2016; Dutton, Roberts, & Bednar, 2010; Ibarra, 1999; Roberts & Dutton, 2009; Roberts, Dutton, Spreitzer, Heaphy, & Quinn, 2005; Strauss, Griffin, & Parker, 2012). Det overordnede resonnementet er som følger: Vår opplevelse av sentrale livskvaliteter som mening, spenning, håp, hensikt og bidrag til andre er nært knyttet til våre livshistorier og hvordan vi kontinuerlig beriker dem, griper dem og skriver dem om i de aktiviteter vi lar være meningsbærende. Vår opplevelse av å leve vel er selve motivasjonens krybbe. Arbeidslivet er for de fleste av oss en hovedarena for slik livsberikelse. Livsberikelse handler om meningen med livet i dypest forstand, og jeg foreslår at det er når det synger i livsnerven at motivasjonskraften er sterkest i organisasjoner. For å skjønne styrken i motivene for Pers plenklipping må vi forstå i hvilken grad aktiviteten har en slik meningsbærende resonans. Jeg starter med et par korte teoretiske grunnriss om narrativer, identitet og meningsdanning før jeg diskuterer tre sett av prosesser for å generere motivasjon i et narrativt perspektiv - drama, håp og skapende bidrag (eng, ”generativity”). Eksempler fra andres og egen tidligere forskning – blant annet i Arkitektkontoret Snøhetta, med Statoils oljeletere og i analyseselskapet 3 Point Carbon (Carlsen, Clegg, & Gjersvik, 2012) – brukes som illustrasjoner underveis

Don’t Pass Them By: Figuring the Sacred in Organizational Values Work

How and why could some stories be construed as sacred in organizations, and what functions does the sacred have in organizational values work? Research has shown how values can be made formative of a range of organizational purposes and forms but has underscored their performative, situated, and agentic nature. We address that void by studying the sacred as a potentially salient yet under-researched realm of values work. Drawing on an ethnographic case study of a faith-based health care organization and the ethical philosophy of Paul Ricoeur, we describe how the sacred is figured in two sets of tales that were lived and told with surprising intensity and consistency: the parable of the Good Samaritan and the tale of the legacy bestowed by the organization’s founder. We theorize how this figuring of the sacred in story and in action recasts values work from a centralized and unitary process to a two-way learning dialectic between the ongoing creative imitation of action and narrative. Values in the shape of stories of the sacred do not achieve their meaning as unchangeable cores or sanctioned beliefs. Rather, they come to life in a process of ongoing moral inquiry that co-evolves with moral agencies. In the latter regard, the sacred primarily becomes manifest in everyday work in the form of questioning and creative acts of care. People become moral agents when they feel and respond to the sacred in the call of the other