Pathways to Prosperity Conference Blends Technology and Facilitation to Engage Leaders Statewide

Pathways to Prosperity (P2P) is a statewide economic development leadership conference that is hosted by Washington State University Extension (WSUE) and involves use of a unique hybrid delivery model to reach rural communities and revive economies. For P2P, WSUE uses technology to connect multiple sites simultaneously to provide a webinar featuring a national expert. Well-designed and adaptable activities facilitated by a local team address issues and opportunities introduced by the speaker. Regional leaders and stakeholders participate at local sites, allowing them to leverage the knowledge gained by applying it to their community goals and aspirations

Diversity Oriented Synthesis of Sulfur Containing Epoxide Compounds

Diversity oriented synthesis is a drug discovery approach that allows the creation of a wide variety of new compounds that can each have exciting new characteristics. Previous research involving the opening of epoxide rings with amine groups has shown promising results with regards to bioactivity. Our research involved finding a simple procedure to open the epoxide ring using various thiol groups such as octanethiol, hexanethiol, and benzenethiol. We are hoping to develop a library of new sulfur containing compounds that show promising characteristics, such as pharmacological activity. In our project, we synthesized multiple new sulfur containing compounds and verified their structures using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. In the future we are hoping to develop easier and more efficient methods to open epoxide rings and use more complex thiols that show interesting activity

4-6 year-old Children's Experience of Subjective Well-being and Social Relations in ECEC institutions.

There is a need for research about children’s perspectives on their everyday lives in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) institutions, using methods that involves the children themselves and takes their voices seriously. This study aims at exploring what promotes and constrains children’s wellbeing in light of their social relations to other children and staff in ECEC institutions. Research on children’s own perspectives about their well-being has mainly been conducted among children older than those of preschool age, and therefore this study aimed at highlighting the voices of 4-6-year-old children regarding how they experience their lives in ECEC institutions. Quantitative data was collected through conversations with 171 Norwegian 4-6-year-old children based on an electronic questionnaire. The results indicate that relations, both with other children and with the practitioners, are important for children’s well-being - particularly, liking the other children and experiencing that the children are kind to each other in the ECEC.acceptedVersio

First functionality tests of a 64 x 64 pixel DSSC sensor module connected to the complete ladder readout

The European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL.EU) will provide every 0.1 s a train of 2700 spatially coherent ultrashort X-ray pulses at 4.5 MHz repetition rate. The Small Quantum Systems (SQS) instrument and the Spectroscopy and Coherent Scattering instrument (SCS) operate with soft X-rays between 0.5 keV - 6keV. The DEPFET Sensor with Signal Compression (DSSC) detector is being developed to meet the requirements set by these two XFEL.EU instruments. The DSSC imager is a 1 mega-pixel camera able to store up to 800 single-pulse images per train. The so-called ladder is the basic unit of the DSSC detector. It is the single unit out of sixteen identical-units composing the DSSC-megapixel camera, containing all representative electronic components of the full-size system and allows testing the full electronic chain. Each DSSC ladder has a focal plane sensor with 128 x 512 pixels. The read-out ASIC provides full-parallel readout of the sensor pixels. Every read-out channel contains an amplifier and an analog filter, an up-to 9 bit ADC and the digital memory. The ASIC amplifier have a double front-end to allow one to use either DEPFET sensors or Mini-SDD sensors. In the first case, the signal compression is a characteristic intrinsic of the sensor; in the second case, the compression is implemented at the first amplification stage. The goal of signal compression is to meet the requirement of single-photon detection capability and wide dynamic range. We present the first results of measurements obtained using a 64 x 64 pixel DEPFET sensor attached to the full final electronic and data-acquisition chain.Comment: Preprint proceeding for IWORID 2016, 18th International Workshop on Radiation Imaging Detectors, 3rd-7th July 2016, Barcelona, Spai

Litterære samtaler om bærekraftig utvikling i barnehagen

I denne studien har jeg sett på hvordan en kan bruke litterære samtaler med barn, for å fremme tema som bærekraftig utvikling. Hensikten er å danne en forståelse for hvordan denne metoden kan fremme barnehagebarns gryende forståelse for emnet. Jeg har i arbeidet med denne studien valgt et kvalitative forskningsdesign, hvor fokuset er rettet mot både den hermeneutiske og fenomenologiske tilnærmingen. I arbeidet med datainnhenting, har jeg observert tre barnehagelærere gjennomføre to litterære samtaler med hver sin gruppe. Etter observasjonene, utførte jeg intervju med barnehagelærerne. I analysen er det tatt utgangspunkt i en deskriptiv metode, hvor det ble utarbeidet fire kategorier, som her benevnes som: samtaler om artsmangfold og naturkunnskap, barns erfaring med naturen, tidsperspektiv og barnehagelæreres bevissthet og tanker rundt arbeid med bærekraftig utvikling. Hovedfunn viser at det er den økologiske bærekraft dimensjonen var mest fremtredende i løpet av de seks litterære samtalene. Noe som kan kobles til tematikken i boken. Innholdet bidro til flere koblinger med egne erfaringer og kunnskaper, selv om det var noe begrenset. Tema tidsperspektiv var noe som opptok flere barn, dette skapte en del engasjement rundt temaet liv og død, selv om det var vanskelig å forstå. I intervjuene kom det fram at bruk av litterære samtaler kan være en god måte å fremme ulike tema og kunnskap på. For dem innebærer bærekraftbegrepet det å være glad i naturen og på den måten lære hvordan en kan ta vare på den på best mulig måte. Bruk av litterære samtaler i barnehagen kan også kobles til prosjektarbeid som gjør at en kan gå mer i dybden på de ulike bærekraft dimensjonene. Målet med denne studien var å finne ut hvordan litterære samtaler kan fremme barnehagebarns gryende forståelse for bærekraftig utvikling. Dette kan en se mulige tegn til, men det avhenger i hvordan aktivitetene tilrettelegges og mengden av kunnskap de voksne har i forkant av lesingen. Samtidig som det også spiller en stor rolle hvordan en formidler og kobler erfaringer til ulike dimensjoner av bærekraft.In this study, I have looked at how literary conversations can be used to promote topics such as sustainable development. The purpose is to form an understanding of how this method can promote kindergarten children's emerging understanding of the subject. In working with this study, I have chosen a qualitative research design, where the focus is on both the hermeneutic and phenomenological approach. In the work with data collection, I observed three kindergarten teachers, conducted two literary conversations with a group of children. After the observations, I conducted interviews with the kindergarten teachers. The analysis is based on a descriptive method, where four categories were prepared and named as: conversations about species diversity and nature knowledge, children's experience with nature, time perspective and kindergarten teachers' awareness and thoughts about work with sustainable development. Main findings show that it is the ecological sustainability dimension that was most prominent during the six literary conversations. Something that can be connected to the theme of the book. The content contributed to several links with own experiences and knowledge, even if it was somewhat limited. The topic of time perspective was something that occupied several children, this created a lot of interest around the topic of life and death, even if it was difficult for the children to understand. In the interviews, it emerged that the use of literary conversations can be a good way to promote different topics and knowledge. For them, the concept of sustainability means being happy with nature and thus learning how to take care of it in the best possible way. The use of literary conversations in the kindergarten can also be linked to project work which enables one to go more in-depth into the various dimensions of sustainability. The aim of this study was to find out how literary conversations can promote kindergarten children's emerging understanding of sustainable development. One can see possible signs of this, but it depends on how the activities are organized and the amount of knowledge the adults have prior to reading. At the same time, it also plays a major role how one communicates and connects experiences to different dimensions of sustainability

Multilingualism and verbal short-term/working memory: Evidence from academics.

To date, the evidence regarding the effect of bilingualism/multilingualism on short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) capacity is inconclusive. This study investigates whether multilingualism has a positive effect on the verbal STM and WM capacity of neuro typical middle-aged and older individuals. Eighty-two L1-Norwegian sequential bilingual/ multilingual academics were tested with tasks measuring verbal STM/WM capacity. Degree of bilingualism/multilingualism for each participant was estimated based on a comprehensive questionnaire. Different measures of bilingualism/multilingualism were used. Data on potentially influencing non-linguistic factors were also collected. Correlation and regression analyses showed that multilingualism impacts both verbal STM and verbal WM. All analyses showed that number of known foreign languages was the strongest predictor of verbal STM and WM capacity. The results are discussed considering recent studies on the impact of bilingualism on STM/WM and on recent proposals regarding the mechanism underlying so-called bilingual advantage.publishedVersio

Dynamic deformability of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes exposed to artesunate in vitro

Artesunate (ART) is widely used for the treatment of malaria, but the mechanisms of its effects on parasitized red blood cells (RBCs) are not fully understood. We investigated ART's influence on the dynamic deformability of ring-stage Plasmodium falciparum infected red blood cells (iRBCs) in order to elucidate its role in cellular mechanobiology. The dynamic deformability of RBCs was measured by passing them through a microfluidic device with repeated bottleneck structures. The quasi-static deformability measurement was performed using micropipette aspiration. After ART treatment, microfluidic experiments showed 50% decrease in iRBC transit velocity whereas only small (~10%) velocity reduction was observed among uninfected RBCs (uRBCs). Micropipette aspiration also revealed ART-induced stiffening in RBC membranes. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that ART reduces the dynamic and quasi-static RBC deformability, which may subsequently influence blood circulation through the microvasculature and spleen cordal meshwork, thus adding a new aspect to artesunate's mechanism of action.Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology CenterNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01 HL094270-01A1

Hvordan påvirker ledere supervekst i virksomheter? : en studie av fem supervekstledere

Masteroppgave i bedriftsøkonomi - Høgskolen i Bodø, 2010Hensikten med denne oppgaven er å se på hvordan ledere påvirker supervekst. Vårt fokus har vært å se på hvordan lederens egenskaper, nettverk, overvåkenhet og initielle faktorer påvirker supervekst i lederens virksomhet. Stadig flere virksomheter opplever supervekst og blir av Dagens Næringsliv, i samarbeid med Dun & Bradstreet, kåret til gasellebedrifter. Kriteriene som skal være oppfylt for at en virksomhet skal kunne være en gasellebedrift – eller supervekstvirksomhet som vi ønsker å kalle dem – er at de må ha eksistert i minst fire år. I tillegg må virksomheten ha levert positive regnskap så lenge de har eksistert, samt opplevd omsetning på 1 million kroner første leveår. I tillegg må virksomheten ikke opplevd negativ vekst, doblet omsetningen og levert positivt driftsresultat – alt de fire siste årene. Siste kriterium er at de må være eller ha vært et aksjeselskap. Problemstillingen som vår oppgave baserer seg på er: HVORDAN PÅVIRKER LEDERE SUPERVEKST I VIRKSOMHETER? Litteraturen som er benyttet i denne studien, omfatter først etablering av virksomheter og ulike faktorer som spiller inn på en etableringsprosess. Vi tar så for oss kommunikasjon – både intern og ekstern, og påpeker viktigheten av dette for en supervekstleder og hans virksomhet. Videre tar vi for oss kreativitet, og da ser vi både på den kreative leder, og hvordan lederen fremmer kreativitet blant de ansatte. Hvordan ledere forholder seg til selvinnsikt og selvtillit er også et aspekt som synes sentralt i denne studien, og hva det har å si for evnen til å lede ansatte og en virksomhet mot supervekst – i tillegg til hva lederens motivasjon og evne til å motivere sine ansatte har å si for supervekst. Vi kommer da inn på lederens overvåkenhet og hvordan lederen evaluerer og oppdager muligheter. Til slutt i litteraturgjennomgangen tar vi for oss lederens nettverk der vi beskriver interne og eksterne aktører – og hvordan lederens forholder seg til disse. Studien er basert på fem case, der intervjuer med fem supervekstledere utgjør studiens empiri. Fire er basert i Nordland og én i Oslo. Empirien fra disse intervjuene og relevant litteratur, utgjør analysen

PROTOCOL: Language interventions for improving oral language outcomes in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review

This protocol presents the plan for a systematic review that will investigate the effect of oral language interventions for children with intellectual disability (ID), language disorder (LD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Down syndrome (DS), Williams syndrome (WS), and fragile X syndrome (FXS). Language development is a highly frequent area of difficulty for children within these diagnostic groups, and oral language interventions are therefore important. However, to provide better evidence‐informed practice, we need to investigate what oral language interventions are effective and for whom. The systematic review will not only investigate the effect of oral language interventions targeted at specific disorders but also identify interventions that may be yield similar improvements in different neurodevelopmental disorders.publishedVersio

A Role for Autophagy in the Extension of Lifespan by Dietary Restriction in C. elegans

In many organisms, dietary restriction appears to extend lifespan, at least in part, by down-regulating the nutrient-sensor TOR (Target Of Rapamycin). TOR inhibition elicits autophagy, the large-scale recycling of cytoplasmic macromolecules and organelles. In this study, we asked whether autophagy might contribute to the lifespan extension induced by dietary restriction in C. elegans. We find that dietary restriction and TOR inhibition produce an autophagic phenotype and that inhibiting genes required for autophagy prevents dietary restriction and TOR inhibition from extending lifespan. The longevity response to dietary restriction in C. elegans requires the PHA-4 transcription factor. We find that the autophagic response to dietary restriction also requires PHA-4 activity, indicating that autophagy is a transcriptionally regulated response to food limitation. In spite of the rejuvenating effect that autophagy is predicted to have on cells, our findings suggest that autophagy is not sufficient to extend lifespan. Long-lived daf-2 insulin/IGF-1 receptor mutants require both autophagy and the transcription factor DAF-16/FOXO for their longevity, but we find that autophagy takes place in the absence of DAF-16. Perhaps autophagy is not sufficient for lifespan extension because although it provides raw material for new macromolecular synthesis, DAF-16/FOXO must program the cells to recycle this raw material into cell-protective longevity proteins