Maailmankansalaisen kulttuuripolun tavoitteiden merkitys ja toteutuminen oululaisissa kouluissa kuudesluokkalaisten oppilaiden näkökulmasta

Tiivistelmä. Tutkimuksemme on alkukartoitus, jonka avulla tarkasteltiin, kuinka merkityksellisiä Oulun kaupungin maailmankansalaisen kulttuuripolun tavoitteet ovat oppilaiden mielestä ja kuinka hyvin nämä tavoitteet toteutuvat tällä hetkellä kouluissa. Lisäksi selvitettiin, kuinka turvalliseksi oppilaat kokevat kouluympäristönsä ja mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat turvallisuuden kokemukseen. Oulun kaupungilla on käytössä perusasteen opetussuunnitelman tukimateriaaliksi laadittuja OPS-polkuja, joista yksi on maailmankansalaisen polku. Maailmankansalaisen polun tarkoituksena on tukea oppilaiden maailmankansalaiseksi kasvamista. Maailmankansalaisen polku koostuu kulttuuri- ja kielipoluista. Tässä tutkimuksessa keskitymme tarkastelemaan kulttuuripolkua kuudesluokkalaisten oppilaiden näkökulmasta. Maailmankansalaisen kulttuuripolussa on jokaiselle vuosiluokalle omat kompetenssimäärittelyt tiedoille, taidoille ja asenteille. Tutkimuksen teoreettisina viitekehyksinä toimivat maailmankansalaisuus sekä interkulttuurinen komptenssi. Maailmankansalainen haluaa kohdata kulttuurista erilaisuutta ja kykenee eläytymään toisen todellisuuteen. Maailmankansalaisuuden toteutuessa lopputuloksena on yhteenkuuluvuudesta syntyvä turvallisuuden kokemus. Interkulttuurisella kompetenssilla puolestaan viitataan yksilön kykyyn työskennellä eri kulttuurisista taustoista olevien ihmisten kanssa. Interkulttuurinen osaaminen vaatii avointa elämänasennetta sekä oppimisen ja mukautumisen taitoja. Näiden taitojen avulla osataan toimia tilanteissa, joissa erilaiset kulttuurit kohtaavat. Tutkimus toteutettiin kvantitatiivisena kyselylomaketutkimuksena, johon osallistui 88 oululaista kuudesluokkalaista oppilasta neljästä eri peruskoulusta. Kyselylomake koostui Likert-asteikolla esitetyistä kysymyksistä sekä avoimista kysymyksistä. Aineisto analysointiin kuiluanalyysiin avulla. Näin saatiin esiin erot kulttuuripolun tavoitteiden merkitysten ja toteutumisen välillä. Avoimiin kysymyksiin saadut vastaukset analysoitiin määrällisin menetelmin eli luokittelun ja prosenttijakaumien avulla. Tutkimustulosten mukaan oppilaat pitävät maailmankansalaisen kulttuuripolun tavoitteita merkittävinä. Kuiluanalyysin avulla huomattiin, että maailmankansalaisuuden tavoitteet toteutuvat kouluissa oppilaiden mielestä keskimääräisesti jo melko hyvin. Kaikkien kysymysparien kohdalla esiintyi kuitenkin kuilu niin, että osa-alueille annettu merkitys oli arvioitu korkeammaksi kuin sen toteutuminen koulussa. Tutkimuksen suurin kuilu esiintyi erilaisuuden hyväksymisessä. Avointen kysymysten perusteella, maailmankansalaisen polun tavoitteiden mukaiset, kuudesluokkalaisten kompetenssit eivät kuitenkaan toteudu vielä halutulla tavalla. Etenkin kulttuurienvälisten yhtäläisyyksien ja erojen sekä kulttuurien piirteiden tunnistaminen oli haastavaa oppilaille.The meaning and actualisation of the aims of the culture grid by grade from the student’s perspectives. Abstract. The aim of this research was to find out how well the objectives of the Intercultural Grid for Cross-Cultural Education used by the City of Oulu actualise in schools according to students. With this study we found out how important the aims of the Intercultural Grid for Cross-Cultural Education are for students, and how well the students think that these goals actualise in schools. This study also researched how safe the students perceive their school to be and what factors affect their experience of safety. The City of Oulu utilizes the Intercultural Grid for Cross-Cultural Education to support the National Core Curriculum. The Intercultural Grid for Cross-Cultural Educations aims to support children in their growth in to a world citizen. The Intercultural Grid consists of the Language Grid by Grade and Culture Grid by Grade. In this study we limit our research to the Culture Grid by Grade from the perspective of sixth graders. The Culture Grid by Grade includes different competences for each grade regarding the knowledge, skills and attitudes students should develop. The theoretical frameworks of this research are world citizenship and intercultural competence. A world citizen is someone who wants to face cultural differences and can empathize with other people’s realities. Actualised world citizenship results to a sense of safety which stems from social cohesion. Intercultural competence refers to an individual’s ability to work with people who come from different cultural backgrounds. Intercultural competence requires an open attitude towards life as well as skills of learning and adaptation, which allow people to act in situations where different cultures meet. This research was done as a quantitative questionnaire survey with 88 sixth grade students from four different schools. The questionnaire consisted of Likert-scale questions and open-ended questions. The data was analysed with gap-analysis, which allowed us to highlight any possible gaps between assessed meaning and actualization. The data collected with the open-ended questions was also analysed quantitively with classifications and percentages. According to the results the students consider the goals of the Culture Grid by Grade to be important. The gap-analysis indicates that according to students these goals actualise in schools already fairly well, but each pair of questions presented a gap indicating that the meaning given to the goal was evaluated higher than its actualisation in schools. The biggest gap in this research was found in acceptance of difference. However, the open-ended questions indicate that the competencies for sixth graders presented by the Culture Grid by Grade are not fulfilled as well as the gap-analysis suggests. Identifying differences and similarities between cultures as well as cultural features was especially difficult for the students

Evolutionary multi-stage financial scenario tree generation

Multi-stage financial decision optimization under uncertainty depends on a careful numerical approximation of the underlying stochastic process, which describes the future returns of the selected assets or asset categories. Various approaches towards an optimal generation of discrete-time, discrete-state approximations (represented as scenario trees) have been suggested in the literature. In this paper, a new evolutionary algorithm to create scenario trees for multi-stage financial optimization models will be presented. Numerical results and implementation details conclude the paper

The baby box : Enhancing the wellbeing of babies and mothers around the world

The baby box is a Finnish social innovation that has captivated interest around the globe. This book highlights the journey of the baby box in over 60 countries, offering a comprehensive overview of the Finnish baby box and its many international adaptations. The story of the baby box begins in post-war Finland, where it evolved from a community-based resource to a nationally-funded and internationally recognized social benefit. The global mapping of the baby box presented in this book expands on this history by exploring the influence of the baby box concept internationally, from refugee camps and high-income countries to remote islands and prisons. Written by an international, multi-disciplinary team of researchers, this book explores the baby box concept from various angles. The diverse and expansive nature of this study makes it an excellent resource for parents, researchers, and anyone generally interested in the baby box concept. Also showcased are the many creative solutions that baby box programme organisers have devised to address context-specific challenges, making it additionally useful as a handbook for policy-makers or professionals developing their own programme.The baby box is a social innovation: a maternity package with baby clothes and other items for expectant mothers to promote the wellbeing of baby and family. In Finland, the baby box (officially called the maternity package) has been a universal benefit since 1949 and is given to all expectant mothers provided they attend antenatal care (ANC). The baby box is still considered to be a valuable social benefit in Finland today, with 95% of first-time mothers choosing the box instead of a cash grant. Although it is known that the baby box concept has been adapted across the world, there is little information available about how these adaptations have been made and for what purpose the boxes are given out. In order to map these programmes, we conducted a research project on baby boxes globally. Based on our findings, this report introduces the baby box concept, its various adaptations, and its possible uses to improve maternal and child health and wellbeing globally. The contents of this report are based on a mapping of 91 baby box programmes and an in-depth study of 29 programmes across different world regions in high-, middle- and low-income countries. These programmes were initiated by governmental bodies, non-profit organisations, United Nations (UN) agencies, hospitals, and academic institutions. Although we use the term baby “box” throughout the report, many programmes used a different container, such as a basket or bag, to package the items. The programmes ranged in scale from small to nationwide and targeted various groups, from specific vulnerable communities to all pregnant women in a country. Programmes set various goals, including reducing infant or maternal mortality, promoting the wellbeing of babies and mothers, easing financial and parenting burden, encouraging the uptake of health and community support services, and strengthening communities and reducing inequalities. They intended to achieve their goals through the practical support provided by the box and items, as well as the conditions attached to claiming the box (e.g. attendance at services) and additional education (e.g. booklets or arranged groups) included in the programme. The impact of the baby box is of timely concern, as governments are increasingly interested in the concept. However, it is difficult to provide an unequivocal answer to the question of whether the baby box “works,” as this depends on the desired outcomes of the programme. In addition, due to resource constraints, few programmes measure the impact of their intervention systematically. In response to this question and these restraints, we outline the potential current contributions of the baby box to the wellbeing of mothers and babies and provide a commentary on its possible future impact. For example, there is emerging evidence globally that baby box programmes can increase the rates of attending ANC or giving birth at a health facility, which may save lives in contexts where these rates are traditionally low. Baby box programmes may also provide psychosocial support for the mother during the vulnerable time of childbirth. Beyond their potential to support families in their everyday lives, baby box programmes may also be valuable in contexts where families have been forced to flee their homes, such as natural disasters or refugee camps. In addition to our findings, we also discuss high-interest topics surrounding the baby box, including safety issues. Ultimately, we intend for our report to serve as an overview of baby box programmes and a foundation for further research, as well as a reference for those interested in the topic or aiming to implement or evaluate a baby box programme themselves. The baby box is not a one-size-fits-all solution to intricate health challenges. However, it offers significant health and social gains, especially for those who are commonly the most vulnerable in communities: mothers and babies.31,00 euroanonPeerReviewedVertaisarvioimato

Evaluation of Circulating Cardiovascular Biomarker Levels for Early Detection of Congenital Heart Disease in Newborns in Sweden

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital malformation in humans worldwide. Circulating cardiovascular biomarkers could potentially improve the early detection of CHD, even in asymptomatic newborns.\nTo assess the performance of a dried blood spot (DBS) test to measure the cardiovascular biomarker amino terminal fragment of the prohormone brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels in newborns and to compare DBS with standard EDTA analysis in control newborns during the first week of life.\nThis diagnostic study was conducted in a single regional pediatric service in southern Sweden. Healthy, term neonates born between July 1, 2018, and May 31, 2019, were prospectively enrolled and compared against retrospectively identified newborns with CHD born between September 1, 2003, and September 30, 2019. Neonates who required inpatient treatment beyond the standard postnatal care were excluded.\nNew DBS test for NT-proBNP quantification in newborns that used 3 μL of blood vs the current screening standard.\nPerformance of the new test and when combined with pulse oximetry screening was measured by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Performance of the new test and EDTA screening was compared using Pearson linear correlation analysis.\nThe DBS samples of 115 neonates (81 control newborns and 34 newborns with CHD, of whom 63 were boys [55%] and the mean [SD] gestational age was 39.6 [1.4] weeks) were analyzed. The new NT-proBNP test alone identified 71% (n = 24 of 34) of all CHD cases and 68% (n = 13 of 19) of critical CHD cases as soon as 2 days after birth. Detection of any CHD type improved to 82% (n = 28 of 34 newborns) and detection of critical CHD improved to 89% (n = 17 of 19 newborns) when combined pulse oximetry screening and NT-proBNP test results were used. Performance of the NT-proBNP test was excellent when control newborns were matched to newborns with CHD born between July 1, 2018, and May 31, 2019 (area under the curve, 0.96; SE, 0.027; 95% CI, 0.908-1.0; asymptotic P < .05).\nThis study found that NT-proBNP assay using minimal DBS samples appears to be timely and accurate in detecting CHD in newborns and to discriminate well between healthy newborns and newborns with various types of CHD. This finding warrants further studies in larger cohorts and highlights the potential of NT-proBNP to improve neonatal CHD screening.\nImportance\nObjectives\nDesign, Setting, and Participants\nExposure\nMain Outcomes and Measures\nResults\nConclusions and Relevanc

Molecular Strategies for Gene Containment in Transgenic Crops

The potential of genetically modified (GM) crops to transfer foreign genes through pollen to related plant species has been cited as an environmental concern. Until more is known concerning the environmental impact of novel genes on indigenous crops and weeds, practical and regulatory considerations will likely require the adoption of gene-containment approaches for future generations of GM crops. Most molecular approaches with potential for controlling gene flow among crops and weeds have thus far focused on maternal inheritance, male sterility, and seed sterility. Several other containment strategies may also prove useful in restricting gene flow, including apomixis (vegetative propagation and asexual seed formation), cleistogamy (self-fertilization without opening of the flower), genome incompatibility, chemical induction/deletion of transgenes, fruit-specific excision of transgenes, and transgenic mitigation (transgenes that compromise fitness in the hybrid). As yet, however, no strategy has proved broadly applicable to all crop species, and a combination of approaches may prove most effective for engineering the next generation of GM crops

Intravenous alteplase for stroke with unknown time of onset guided by advanced imaging: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data

Background: Patients who have had a stroke with unknown time of onset have been previously excluded from thrombolysis. We aimed to establish whether intravenous alteplase is safe and effective in such patients when salvageable tissue has been identified with imaging biomarkers. Methods: We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data for trials published before Sept 21, 2020. Randomised trials of intravenous alteplase versus standard of care or placebo in adults with stroke with unknown time of onset with perfusion-diffusion MRI, perfusion CT, or MRI with diffusion weighted imaging-fluid attenuated inversion recovery (DWI-FLAIR) mismatch were eligible. The primary outcome was favourable functional outcome (score of 0–1 on the modified Rankin Scale [mRS]) at 90 days indicating no disability using an unconditional mixed-effect logistic-regression model fitted to estimate the treatment effect. Secondary outcomes were mRS shift towards a better functional outcome and independent outcome (mRS 0–2) at 90 days. Safety outcomes included death, severe disability or death (mRS score 4–6), and symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020166903. Findings: Of 249 identified abstracts, four trials met our eligibility criteria for inclusion: WAKE-UP, EXTEND, THAWS, and ECASS-4. The four trials provided individual patient data for 843 individuals, of whom 429 (51%) were assigned to alteplase and 414 (49%) to placebo or standard care. A favourable outcome occurred in 199 (47%) of 420 patients with alteplase and in 160 (39%) of 409 patients among controls (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1·49 [95% CI 1·10–2·03]; p=0·011), with low heterogeneity across studies (I2=27%). Alteplase was associated with a significant shift towards better functional outcome (adjusted common OR 1·38 [95% CI 1·05–1·80]; p=0·019), and a higher odds of independent outcome (adjusted OR 1·50 [1·06–2·12]; p=0·022). In the alteplase group, 90 (21%) patients were severely disabled or died (mRS score 4–6), compared with 102 (25%) patients in the control group (adjusted OR 0·76 [0·52–1·11]; p=0·15). 27 (6%) patients died in the alteplase group and 14 (3%) patients died among controls (adjusted OR 2·06 [1·03–4·09]; p=0·040). The prevalence of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage was higher in the alteplase group than among controls (11 [3%] vs two [&lt;1%], adjusted OR 5·58 [1·22–25·50]; p=0·024). Interpretation: In patients who have had a stroke with unknown time of onset with a DWI-FLAIR or perfusion mismatch, intravenous alteplase resulted in better functional outcome at 90 days than placebo or standard care. A net benefit was observed for all functional outcomes despite an increased risk of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage. Although there were more deaths with alteplase than placebo, there were fewer cases of severe disability or death. Funding: None