NMR assignments of 1H, 13C and 15N resonances of the C-terminal subunit from Azotobacter vinelandii mannuronan C5-epimerase 6 (AlgE6R3)

The 19.9 kDa C-terminal module (R3) from Azotobacter vinelandii mannronan C5-epimerase AlgE6 has been 13C, 15N isotopically labelled and recombinantly expressed. We report here the 1H, 13C, 15N resonance assignment of AlgE6R3

Antibody responses after influenza and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and infection: Lessons across the ages

Influensa A og SARS-CoV-2 er RNA-baserte luftvegsvirus som forårsakar pandemiar og muterer raskt for å oppretthalde ein kontinuerleg sirkulasjon. Eit komplekst samspel mellom immunresponsar hjå verten og viruset er forma gjennom etablerte minne frå den første infeksjonen, tidlegare vaksinasjonar og alder. Dette doktorgradsarbeidet karakteriserer antistoff-responsar mot influensa A/H3N2 og SARS-CoV-2 i ulike aldersgrupper etter infeksjon og vaksinasjon. Den første influensainfeksjonen, i tillegg til summen av eksponeringar gjennom livet, påverkar framtidige immunresponsar. Vi fann kryssreaktive antistoff-responsar hjå vaksne og barn mot A/H3N2-virus tilbake til fødselsåret deira. Sjølv om antistoff mot dei nyaste virusa dominerte landskapet, kunne antistoff også kryssreagere mot framtidige, epidemiske virus. Ein laboratoriebasert og hurtig hemagglutinasjonstest (HAT) kan forenkle studiar om immunitet mot SARS-CoV-2 og brukast til å måle surrogat-nøytraliserande antistoff. mRNA-vaksiner var mindre immunogene hjå eldre, basert på lågare kryss-reaktivitet mot nye virusvariantar, med mindre dei hadde vore infiserte tidlegare. Vi fann at eldre trengte to vaksinedosar for å produsere tilsvarande HAT-antistoff mengder samanlikna med yngre vaksne med éin vaksinasjon eller tidlegare infiserte personar. Det er få studiar på vedvarande SARS-CoV-2-symptom, også kjent som post COVID-19-tilstand, blant barn og ungdom, spesielt etter delta- og omikron-infeksjon. Faktorar assosiert med vedvarande symptom i aldersgruppa 10-20 åringar var akutte symptom, høgare alder, høgare antistoff-titer mot piggeproteinet og kvinneleg kjønn. I same kohort fann vi høgare antistoff og færre omikron BA.1/2-reinfeksjonar hjå COVID-19-vaksinerte samanlikna med uvaksinerte. Vaksineeffekten var derimot kortvarig, 22 dagar, trass i hybridimmunitet. Desse funna understrekar nytten av raske og enkle analysar for å evaluere infeksjon- og vaksinasjonsresponsar. Det er behov for forbetra vaksineeffekt for å redusere byrden av COVID-19 og vedvarande symptom hjå unge menneske. Samla sett kan kryssreaktive antistoff vere gunstige i møte med nye luftvegsvirus.Influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 are respiratory RNA viruses which cause pandemics, and rapidly mutate ensuring their continuous circulation. There is a complex interplay between the host immune responses and the virus, influenced by prior memory from the initial infection, vaccination, and age. This thesis characterises antibody responses to influenza A/H3N2 and SARS-CoV-2 in different age groups after infection and vaccination. The priming influenza infection, as well as the summary of life-time exposures, is known to affect subsequent immune responses. We found cross-reactive antibody responses in adults and children against A/H3N2 viruses back to their year of birth. Although antibodies to the most recent viruses dominated the antibody landscapes, antibodies also cross-reacted against future epidemic viruses. Studies of SARS-CoV-2 immunity can be simplified by the use of a rapid, laboratory-based hemagglutination test (HAT) to measure surrogate neutralising antibodies. mRNA vaccines were less immunogenic in the elderly with lower cross-reactivity to new variants, unless they had been previously infected. We found that the elderly required two vaccine doses, to produce HAT antibodies comparable to after one vaccination in younger adults or previously infected subjects. Long-term SARS-CoV-2 symptoms, known as post COVID-19 condition, are understudied in children and adolescents, especially after infection with the delta and omicron variants. In 10-20 year olds, we identified acute symptoms, older age, higher spike-specific antibody titres and female sex as factors associated with persisting symptoms. In the same cohort, we found higher antibodies and fewer omicron BA.1/2 reinfections in COVID-19 vaccinees than unvaccinated. However, vaccine effectiveness had a short duration of 22 days, despite hybrid immunity. Our findings highlight the utility of rapid and simple assays for evaluation of infection and vaccination responses. There is a need for improved vaccine effectiveness to reduce the burden of COVID-19 and long-term symptoms in young people. Overall, cross-reactive antibodies can be favourable in the face of emerging respiratory viruses.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Implementing implementation science in a randomized controlled trial in Norwegian early childhood education and care

The emerging interest in implementation processes in the social, health, and educational sciences has increased the recognition of implementation science. Still, the literature provides limited practical insights on how to successfully develop and conduct interventions within educational settings in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in line with implementation science. This paper uses the Agder RCT study to provide such insights. We describe how the theory of change and implementation framework supported systematic tailoring and implementation of a new Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) intervention. The paper contributes to the emerging use of implementation science in education in general, and more specifically in ECEC. Finally, we discuss how implementation science also needs to be utilized during the upscaling of the project.publishedVersio

Teachers’ participation in evaluating a web-based tool to monitor intervention fidelity

Background When educational interventions are carried out, it is important that they are undertaken in a way that is aligned with the intervention plan: in other words, that they demonstrate fidelity to the intervention. A significant research issue is how fidelity can be monitored in a time-efficient and cost-effective way in classrooms and whether technology could help to provide innovative solutions in this regard. Purpose Through collaboration with teachers, this exploratory study sought to ascertain the usability of a web-based fidelity application (WFA). The WFA was being developed as a checklist tool to help teachers monitor the implementation fidelity of a social and emotional learning intervention for 14- to 15-year-old students in Norway. Method For this qualitative study, data were collected at two time points: (i) through a focus group interview with six teachers who had piloted the WFA prior to the initiation of the intervention; and (ii) via individual interviews with five teachers in the intervention group who had used the WFA during the implementation process. The data were analysed thematically. Findings According to the analysis, the teachers considered that the WFA’s features (e.g. layout and registration process) could help support the ease and efficiency of fidelity reporting. They felt that it provided a highly recognisable link with the intervention material. In addition, the teachers provided ideas for further development and potential improvements. In all, the WFA was perceived as having high usability, suggesting its potential value as a useful tool for the collection of fidelity data. Conclusion This paper highlights the crucial role of teacher participation and the importance of fidelity data in the conduct of educational interventions. It draws attention to the need for user-friendly tools to support teachers to monitor fidelity in ways that do not involve high time and cost burdens. Similar WFAs could be of potential use in many different kinds of educational interventions in classroom settings internationally.publishedVersio

Premixed hydrogen-air flames interacting with a hydrogen porous wall

A laminar one-dimensional hydrogen-air flame travelling and quenching towards a chemically inert permeable wall (PW) is studied. Hydrogen flows through the wall into the premixed H2-air. The S3D numerical code with detailed chemistry is used. PW results are compared against results of an impermeable wall (IW), including effects of varying wall mass flux, stoichiometry, inert dilution and unburned-gas and wall temperatures. The maximum reaction heat release rate occurs at the wall in all cases. For rich and stoichiometric mixtures, PW with fuel influx gave a moderate reduction of the quenching (i.e. maximum) wall heat flux compared to IW, whereas for a lean mixture, the increase is considerable. Effects of the fuel influx on the importance of individual elementary reactions and radicals and intermediate species are investigated. The lean PW cases have similarities to much richer IW cases. Both a lower wall temperature and dilution reduce the burned-mixture temperature and, consequently, the wall heat flux.Premixed hydrogen-air flames interacting with a hydrogen porous wallacceptedVersio

Patterns of teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes toward inclusive education associated with teacher emotional support, collective teacher efficacy, and collegial collaboration

Teacher self-reports were used to investigate patterns of their self-efficacy and attitudes toward inclusive education in association with teacher emotional support, collective teacher efficacy, and collegial collaboration. Data included a sample of 100 Norwegian upper secondary school teachers from a mixed-methods cluster randomised controlled trial study. Latent profile analysis identified four subgroups: Low Self-Efficacy, Mid Attitudes (n = 19); High in All (n = 15); Mid Self-Efficacy, Low Attitudes (n = 36); and High Self-Efficacy, Mid Attitudes (n = 30). Teachers in the High in All profile reported being the most emotionally supportive, while the highest levels of collective efficacy and collegial collaboration were reported by teachers belonging to the High Self-Efficacy, Mid Attitudes profile. Teachers in the Low Self-Efficacy, Mid Attitudes profile reported the lowest levels of emotional support, collective efficacy, and collegial collaboration. The results provide a deeper understanding of the association between teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes toward inclusive education by investigating distinct teacher profiles with diverse self-efficacy and attitude characteristics, leading to more targeted and effective strategies in inclusive education research, practice, and policy.publishedVersio

Study of MILD combustion using LES and advanced analysis tools

© 2020 The Combustion Institute. A cylindrical confined combustor operating under MILD condition is investigated using LES. The combustion and its interaction with turbulence are modeled using two reactor based models, PaSR and EDC. Results show that the Partially Stirred Reactor (PaSR) model yields improved estimation for mean temperature and species mole fractions compared to Eddy Dissipation Concept (EDC). LES data are analysed using advanced post-processing methods such as the chemical Tangential Stretching Rate (TSR), balance analysis and local Principle Component (PCA) analysis. TSR can identify chemical explosive (ignition-like) and contractive (burnt) regions. With the balance analysis of the convective, diffusive and reactive terms in temperature equation, regions with substantial heat release coming from ignition or flame are identified. The local PCA analysis classifies the whole domain into clusters (regions with specific features) and provides the leading species in each cluster. The three analyses correlate well with one another and it is observed that the most chemically active region locates upstream (in the near-field). Also, both autoignition and flame-like structures play equally important roles in MILD combustion.EP/S025650/1 Norwegian Research council, Climit programme, project no. 268368, OxyFun Fundamentals of pressurized oxy/fuel combustion. AP acknowledges the European Research Council, Starting Grant no. 714605 UKCTRF (e649

Elektronisk «Legemidler i bruk» - et blikk inn i fremtiden Evaluering av pilotprosjektet «Legemidler i bruk» i «Reseptformidleren», inkludert elektronisk multidose i e-resept

Masteroppgave helse- og sosialinformatikk- Universitetet i Agder, 2015Utvidelsen av elektronisk forskrivning øker raskt og nye eRx-løsninger innføres fortløpende i den norske primær helsetjenesten. Den aktuelle oppgaven hadde som målsetning å belyse hvordan legene ved kommunalhelsetjenesten vurderte LIB i RF, inkludert elektronisk multidose i e-resept. Det er en ny funksjonalitet i e-resept innført i regi av Helsedirektortoratets pilotprosjekt med samme tittel. Det var 58 leger som deltok i LIB i RF-pilotprosjektet fra fem kommuner. Pilotlegene ble invitert til å delta i en elektronisk survey. Spørreskjemaundersøkelsen inneholdt 42 spørsmål, operasjonalisert i forhold til DeLone & McLean Information System Success model og Unified Theori of Acceptance and Use of Technology. Totalt 36 (62%) leger besvarte det elektroniske spørreskjemaet. Resultatene viste at LIB i RF inkludert elektronisk multidose - løsningen ble angitt en høyere grad av pasientsikkerhet i forhold til reduksjon av uønskede hendelser. Løsningen ble vurdert som et nyttig kvalitetsforbedringsverktøy og mer effektivt enn papirbasert ordinasjonskort. Et positivt sosial aspekt ble ytret og løsningen kunne av de fleste anbefales til andre leger. Problemene relatert til lavere systemkvalitet inkluderte ytelsesproblemer med flere programfeil, opplevd ved vanlig og etablert drift. I forbindelse med dette, påpekte legene viktigheten med lokal brukerstøtte i startfasen. Oppsummert ble legene generelt sett fornøyde med løsningen for LIB i RF, inkludert elektronisk multidose i e-resept. Samtidig ble det belyst retninger til forbedringer i forhold til brukernes perspektiv både på lokalt nivå og for nasjonal utbredelse