Luminescence Sensors Applied to Water Analysis of Organic Pollutants—An Update

The development of chemical sensors for environmental analysis based on fluorescence, phosphorescence and chemiluminescence signals continues to be a dynamic topic within the sensor field. This review covers the fundamentals of this type of sensors, and an update on recent works devoted to quantifying organic pollutants in environmental waters, focusing on advances since about 2005. Among the wide variety of these contaminants, special attention has been paid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, explosives and emerging organic pollutants. The potential of coupling optical sensors with multivariate calibration methods in order to improve the selectivity is also discussed

Development and Evolution of a Model Interprofessional Education Program in Parkinson’s disease: A Ten-year Experience

OBJECTIVE This paper describes development, evolution and learner reactions in a model interprofessional education program for medical, nursing, physician assistant, occupational therapy, physical therapy, music therapy, social work and speech-language pathology practitioners. Sponsored by the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) (currently Parkinson’s Foundation), Allied Team Training for Parkinson (ATTP) is a U.S.-based multi-day interprofessional education program in best practices for integrated, interprofessional team-based Parkinson’s disease (PD) care. NPF sponsored 26 ATTP trainings from 2003 to 2013. METHODS This mixed methods evaluation uses case study document review and observation to outline ATTP curriculum development, evolution, and implementation challenges. Learner-perceived effectiveness ratings, knowledge change, pre-post ratings on the Team Skills Scale, confidence in working with people with PD and caregivers, and trainee-reported practice changes at 6-month follow-up were collected. RESULTS Qualitative results identified multiple factors in building an effective interprofessional education program, including interprofessional team practice opportunities through case-based learning, engaging care networks and continuous feedback loops for program improvement. Quantitative results showed that trainees across professions, geographic regions and work settings rated the overall program and curriculum effectiveness, amount of new knowledge and knowledge change very highly. ATTP resulted in significant post-training improvement in team skills, confidence in working with PD, and post-training self-reported practice changes. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that ATTP is an effective interprofessional education program that could be replicated or adapted to other settings and neurodegenerative or chronic illnesses. The model of combining interprofessional team training with disease-specific curriculum content appears to be an effective “next practice” in continuing professional development

Overgangen fra barnehage til skole for barn/elever som benytter alternativ og supplerende kommunikasjon

Sammendrag Denne studien har tatt sikte på å gi et innblikk i fire pedagogers erfaringer med pedagogiske samarbeidsområder i overgangen fra barnehage til skole for barn/elever som benytter alternativ og supplerende kommunikasjon (ASK). Oppgaven har til hensikt å belyse følgende problemstilling: «Innenfor hvilke områder samarbeider pedagoger om overgangen fra barnehage til skole for barn/elever som benytter alternativ og supplerende kommunikasjon?». Studien er basert på en kvalitativ metodisk tilnærming i form av intervju som datainnsamlingsmetode. Utvalget består av fire pedagoger med flere års erfaring med arbeid med barn med behov for alternativ og supplerende kommunikasjon. Studiens teorigrunnlag går nærmere inn på og definerer kommunikasjonsbegrepet og alternativ og supplerende kommunikasjon, samt utdyper tilrettelegging av språkmiljø, overgangen fra barnehage til skole og inkludering. Studiens funn viser at samarbeid er en svært viktig del av arbeidet innrettet mot overgangsprosessen fra barnehage til skole for barn/elever som benytter ASK. Funnene viser at samarbeidet bør inkludere både interne og eksterne ressurser som barnehage, skole, foreldre og eksterne instanser. I fellesskap vil disse bygge et lag rundt barnet, som kan bidra til å skape en trygg, sammenhengende og forutsigbar overgangsprosess. Studiens funn viser at samtlige intervjupersoner vektlegger tidsaspektet ved overgangen fra barnehage til skole for barn/elever som benytter ASK. Funnene viser at det kan være hensiktsmessig med tidlig etablering av samarbeid, og at partene bør sette av god tid til planlegging, tilrettelegging og overføring av informasjon. Informasjonsoverføring kan gjøres på en rekke ulike måter, slik som skriftlig overføring, fysiske møter eller mer praksisrelaterte måter. Funnene viser at det kan være nyttig å kombinere ulike overføringsmetoder da det kan se ut til at de utfyller hverandre. Dette vil bidra til nødvendig informasjonsflyt mellom barnehage og skole, og mulighet for tilrettelegging av et inkluderende språkmiljø ved skolestart. Gjennom et tett og godt samarbeid kan laget rundt barnet i fellesskap tilrettelegge for et individuelt tilpasset språkmiljø ved skolestart. For å tilrettelegge for et inkluderende språkmiljø for barn/elever som benytter ASK, vektlegges det i studiens funn at følgende områder er viktige; positive holdninger og tilstrekkelig kunnskap hos ledelse og øvrig personal, et universelt utformet fysisk miljø som inviterer til deltakelse og inkludering, tilgang på kompetente språkmodeller og kommunikasjonspartnere, og tilgjengelig kommunikasjonsmateriale til enhver tid og situasjon. For å fremme et inkluderende språkmiljø for barn/elever som benytter ASK handler det om å inneha kunnskap og kompetanse i alle ledd. Laget rundt barnet skal i felleskap ivareta de enkelte områdene i språkmiljøet, samt ha kunnskap og bevissthet om hva som er av positiv betydning for mennesker som benytter ASK

Underveisvurdering i den særskilte norskopplæringen. En casestudie av en innføringsklasse på ungdomstrinnet

Abstract This master’s thesis explores assessment for learning in the adapted education in Norwegian. In accordance with the regulations to the Education Act, all pupils have the right to assessment for learning, and this assessment must be an integral part of the education (Forskrift til opplæringslova, 2020, §3-10). The assessment regulations specify this by establishing four principles for assessment for learning. These are that the pupils must participate in the assessment of their own work, understand what they are to learn, receive information about their performance and receive guidance on how they can increase their competence. After the introduction of LK20, the curriculum in basic Norwegian for linguistic minorities also has a section on assessment for learning in which the four points from §3-10 are reflected (Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2020). Nevertheless, little research has been done on how teachers conduct continuous and integrated assessment for learning of students who learn Norwegian as a second language (Monsen, 2015; Randen, 2015). It is therefore important to investigate this. Through observation of and interviews with two experienced teachers in an introductory class at a lower secondary school, the thesis examines how the teachers facilitate the realisation of the four principles in §3-10. The results show several interesting findings. The teachers work both systematically and spontaneously to develop the students' assessment competence by giving them a framework and a language for assessing themselves and others. Nevertheless, the teachers find it challenging to make it clear to the pupils what they are going to learn before the pupils are at a sufficient level in Norwegian. The teachers' resource view on the pupils' linguistic and cultural background means that the mother tongue is used in the teachers' assessment work, for example by including bilingual teachers and mother tongue teachers in the assessment and by letting pupils with the same mother tongue support each other’s learning. The most interesting finding, however, is that the feedback pupils receive on both what they master and how they can work to increase their competence, is characterised by being short, praising and somewhat non-specific. This seems to apply especially to feedback given to pupils at a lower level in Norwegian. The findings suggest that there is a need for more thorough investigations of how teachers can ensure that all students who receive special Norwegian language instruction receive assessment for learnin

Barnehagens innerom som læringsarena: en bacheloroppgave om personalets tanker om barnehagens innerom, og hvordan innerommet kan påvirke barns romforståelse

I oppstartsfasen av bachelorprosjektet ble jeg raskt klar over hvilket tema jeg ønsket å gå nærmere inn på, men problemstillingen krevde en del gjennomarbeiding. Jeg synes det var utfordrende å formulere en god problemstilling som inkluderte det jeg ønsket å undersøke, men samtidig var nok avgrenset for å spisse oppgaven min. Jeg brukte rammeplanen som inspirasjon, der jeg studerte fagområdet «antall, rom og form». Jeg tok også utgangspunkt i mine interesser for det fysiske miljøet i barnehagen da problemstillingen skulle utarbeides. Etter god hjelp og støtte fra mine veiledere endte jeg til slutt med problemstillingen: «Hvilke tanker har personalet om barnehagens innerom, og hvordan kan innerommet påvirke barns romforståelse?

Mechanisms of Degradation of the Natural High-Potency Sweetener (2<i>R</i>,4<i>R</i>)‑Monatin in Mock Beverage Solutions

The sodium, potassium, or mixed sodium/potassium salt of the naturally occurring high-potency sweetener (2<i>R</i>,4<i>R</i>)-monatin, also known by the common name arruva, degrades over time in model beverage solutions in the presence of light. By use of UHPLC, LC–MS/MS, and peroxide assays, it has been demonstrated that degradation is accelerated by UV/visible light and the presence of trace metal ions. Data are presented that are consistent with a role for singlet oxygen (¹O₂), free radicals, and peroxides (both H₂O₂ and organic peroxides) in monatin oxidation. Separation of degradation products by UHPLC/HPLC or LC–MS/MS provided evidence for the formation of hydroxylated and peroxide species formed on the indole ring (mass increases 16 and 32, respectively) as well as multiple ring and side-chain oxidation and scission products. Model oxidation systems using the photosensitizer Rose Bengal as a source of ¹O₂ support the proposed photodegradation pathways

Exploring The Multidimensionality Of High-Resolution Luminescence Spectroscopy To Generate High-Order Data For Multivariate Calibration Methods

This chapter provides an overview of experimental and instrumentation developed in the author\u27s lab to take full advantage of the multidimensional nature of line narrowing spectroscopy at liquid nitrogen (77. K) and liquid helium (4.2. K) temperatures. The inconvenience of sample freezing procedures was eliminated with the aid of cryogenic fiber optic probes. Rapid collection of excitation-modulated wavelength time matrices (EMWTMs) and time-resolved excitation-emission cubes (TREECs)-in both the fluorescence and the phosphorescence time domains-is made possible with the combination of a pulsed tunable dye laser, a spectrograph and an intensifier-charged coupled device. 4.2. K EMWTMs and 4.2. K TREECs provide unique opportunities for processing vibrational luminescence data with second-order multivariate calibration algorithms. Applications of parallel factor analysis and U-PLS/RTL to 4.2. K EMWTMs and 4.2. K TREECs provide a general solution to unpredictable spectral interference, a ubiquitous problem for the analysis of organic pollutants in environmental samples of unknown composition. © 2015 Elsevier B.V