How do the teachers in high school experience their relationship competence in the meeting with the students after completing further education in guidance, and how do the teachers think it may have influenced the students learning strategies?

Mastergradsoppgave i tilpasset opplæring, Høgskolen i Innlandet, 2019.Norsk: Formålet med denne masteroppgave er å finne ut om det på en videregående skole har endret lærernes relasjonskompetanse i møte med elevene etter endt videreutdanning i veiledning, og om det videre har påvirket elevenes læringsstrategier. Tidligere studier viser til at elevenes opplevelse av emosjonell og instrumentell støtte fra læreren er et viktig aspekt ved skoletilværelsen; det være seg motivasjon, benyttelse av læringsstrategier og hvilke læringsresultater de oppnår - uavhengig av kontekst og alder. Derimot viser også studier at elevenes opplevelse av støtte fra lærerne og følelse av tilhørighet til skolemiljøet synker i takt med alder. Denne studien ønsker å se nærmere om lærernes opplevelser av egen kompetanse i å gi emosjonell og instrumentell støtte er forbedret etter videreutdanning i veiledning. Oppgaven har følgende problemstilling: Hvordan opplever lærerne i videregående skole sin relasjonskompetanse i møtet med elevene etter endt videreutdanning i veiledning, og hvordan mener lærerne det kan ha påvirket elevenes læringsstrategier? Dette er en kvalitativ studie med en fenomenologisk- og hermeneutisk tilnærming i tolkningen av data. Det er gjennomført fire semistrukturerte intervjuer med lærere. Funnene er analysert i lys av relevant teori, tidligere empiriske studier og aktuelle styringsdokumenter. Videreutdanning i veiledning har gitt lærerne ny og relevant kunnskap og ferdigheter i ulike veiledningsmetoder knyttet til undervisningspraksis. Det gjelder både i faglige og sosiale sammenhenger i dialogen med elevene. Det har gitt lærerne kunnskaper og erfaringer i form av nyttige verktøy til metodisk i bruk, som har ført til at man lettere har kunnet lese av situasjonene i øyeblikket og handle der etter. Alle lærerne var tydelige på at de har blitt tryggere på seg selv i veiledningssammenhengen, hvilket har fremmet dialogen og styrket relasjonen til elevene. Samtlige lærere mente det har styrket egen metakognisjon. Dette har videre bidratt til at de også har gjort elever bevisst på sin egen metakognisjon. Dette arbeid har gitt en god effekt på elevers utvikling i refleksjon og selvregulering, som er viktige elementer i tilegnelse av læringsstrategier. Lærerne har fokusert på elevinvolvering i varierte undervisningsmetoder og vurderingsformer, som også har bidratt til elevers utvikling av læringsstrategier. Studien kan bidra med nyttige og betydelsesfulle faktorer som relasjonsarbeidet krever i den daglige dialogen mellom lærere og elever, samt for videre utvikling av elvenes læringsstrategier.English: The purpose of this study is to examine weather completed continuing education in guidance, has changed teachers in High Schools’ relational skills towards their student, and further if this has influenced their students learning strategies. Former studies point out that the students’ experience of emotional and instrumental support from their teachers are of high importance in the students schooling; related to motivation, use of learning strategies and achieved results – disregarding context or age. Studies also show that with increasing age, students experience less support from their teachers, and less affiliation towards the school environment. This study focuses on weather teachers in High School experience that their ability to give emotional and instrumental support has increased after continuing education in guidance. The thesis question for this study is: How do the teachers in high school experience their relationship competence in the meeting with the students after completing further education in guidance, and how do the teachers think it may have influenced the students learning strategies? This is a qualitative study, using a phenomenological and hermeneutic approach in analysing data. Four semi-structured interviews with teachers have been performed. Data has been analysed considering relevant theory, former empirical studies and current policy documents. Continuing education in guidance has given the teachers new and relevant knowledge and skills in different guidance methods in their instruction practice, regarding both professional and social context, in dialogue with students. The teachers have acquired knowledge and experience in shape of useful tools for methodical use, this has made it easier for them to read situations and act accordingly. All the teachers emphasized that they had become more secure in guidance situations, which had bettered the dialogue and enhanced their relation with their students. This had also enhanced the teachers’ metacognition and contributed so that the teachers have worked to make their students conscious of their own metacognition. This work has had good effect on the students in developing reflection and self-regulation skills, important elements in acquisition of learning strategies. This study may provide useful and important inputs regarding what working whit relation demands in daily dialogue between teachers and students, and for further development of students learning strategies

Circulating Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk: Individual Participant Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies

Background: Individual studies have suggested that some circulating fatty acids are associated with prostate cancer risk, but have not been large enough to provide precise estimates of associations, particularly by stage and grade of disease. Methods: Principal investigators of prospective studies on circulating fatty acids and prostate cancer were invited to collaborate. Investigators provided individual participant data on circulating fatty acids (weight percent) and other characteristics of prostate cancer cases and controls. Prostate cancer risk by study-specific fifths of 14 fatty acids was estimated using multivariable-adjusted conditional logistic regression. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Five thousand and ninety-eight case patients and 6649 control patients from seven studies with an average follow-up of 5.1 (SD = 3.3) years were included. Stearic acid (18:0) was inversely associated with total prostate cancer (odds ratio [OR] Q5 vs Q1 = 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.78 to 1.00, P trend = .043). Prostate cancer risk was, respectively, 14% and 16% greater in the highest fifth of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.29, P trend = .001) and docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3) (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.33, P trend = .003), but in each case there was heterogeneity between studies (P = .022 and P < .001, respectively). There was heterogeneity in the association between docosapentaenoic acid and prostate cancer by grade of disease (P = .006); the association was statistically significant for low-grade disease but not high-grade disease. The remaining 11 fatty acids were not statistically associated with total prostate cancer risk. Conclusion: There was no strong evidence that circulating fatty acids are important predictors of prostate cancer risk. It is not clear whether the modest associations of stearic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosapentaenoic acid are causal

Soluble CD14 in cerebrospinal fluid is associated with markers of inflammation and axonal damage in untreated HIV-infected patients: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Background: HIV-associated cognitive impairment has declined since the introduction of combination antiretroviral treatment (cART). However, milder forms of cognitive impairment persist. Inflammation in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been associated with cognitive impairment, and CSF neurofilament light chain protein (NFL) and CSF neopterin concentrations are increased in those patients. Microbial translocation in HIV infection has been suggested to contribute to chronic inflammation, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and soluble CD14 (sCD14) are markers of microbial translocation and the resulting monocyte activation, respectively. We hypothesised that microbial translocation contributes to inflammation and axonal damage in the central nervous system (CNS) in untreated HIV infection. / Methods: We analyzed paired samples of plasma and CSF from 62 HIV-infected, untreated patients without cognitive symptoms from Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. Measurements of neopterin and NFL in CSF were available from previous studies. Plasma and CSF sCD14 was measured using ELISA (R&D, Minneapolis, MN), and plasma and CSF LPS was measured using LAL colorimetric assay (Lonza, Walkersville, MD, USA). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed. / Results: LPS in plasma was associated with plasma sCD14 (r = 0.31, P = 0.015), and plasma sCD14 was associated with CSF sCD14 (r = 0.32, P = 0.012). Furthermore, CSF sCD14 was associated with NFL (r = 0.32, P = 0.031) and neopterin (r = 0.32, P = 0.012) in CSF. LPS was not detectable in CSF. In a multivariate regression model CSF sCD14 remained associated with NFL and neopterin after adjusting for age, CD4+ cell count, and HIV RNA in CSF. / Conclusions: In a group of untreated, HIV-infected patients LPS was associated with sCD14 in plasma, and plasma sCD14 was associated CSF sCD14. CSF sCD14 were associated with markers of CNS inflammation and axonal damage. This suggest that microbial translocation might be a driver of systemic and CNS inflammation. However, LPS was not detectable in the CSF, and since sCD14 is a marker of monocyte activation sCD14 may be increased due to other causes than microbial translocation. Further studies regarding cognitive impairment and biomarkers are warranted to fully understand causality

Common variants at ABCA7, MS4A6A/MS4A4E, EPHA1, CD33 and CD2AP are associated with Alzheimer's disease

We sought to identify new susceptibility loci for Alzheimer's disease through a staged association study (GERAD+) and by testing suggestive loci reported by the Alzheimer's Disease Genetic Consortium (ADGC) in a companion paper. We undertook a combined analysis of four genome-wide association datasets (stage 1) and identified ten newly associated variants with P ≤ 1 × 10−5. We tested these variants for association in an independent sample (stage 2). Three SNPs at two loci replicated and showed evidence for association in a further sample (stage 3). Meta-analyses of all data provided compelling evidence that ABCA7 (rs3764650, meta P = 4.5 × 10−17; including ADGC data, meta P = 5.0 × 10−21) and the MS4A gene cluster (rs610932, meta P = 1.8 × 10−14; including ADGC data, meta P = 1.2 × 10−16) are new Alzheimer's disease susceptibility loci. We also found independent evidence for association for three loci reported by the ADGC, which, when combined, showed genome-wide significance: CD2AP (GERAD+, P = 8.0 × 10−4; including ADGC data, meta P = 8.6 × 10−9), CD33 (GERAD+, P = 2.2 × 10−4; including ADGC data, meta P = 1.6 × 10−9) and EPHA1 (GERAD+, P = 3.4 × 10−4; including ADGC data, meta P = 6.0 × 10−10)

Convergent genetic and expression data implicate immunity in Alzheimer's disease

Background Late–onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) is heritable with 20 genes showing genome wide association in the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP). To identify the biology underlying the disease we extended these genetic data in a pathway analysis. Methods The ALIGATOR and GSEA algorithms were used in the IGAP data to identify associated functional pathways and correlated gene expression networks in human brain. Results ALIGATOR identified an excess of curated biological pathways showing enrichment of association. Enriched areas of biology included the immune response (p = 3.27×10-12 after multiple testing correction for pathways), regulation of endocytosis (p = 1.31×10-11), cholesterol transport (p = 2.96 × 10-9) and proteasome-ubiquitin activity (p = 1.34×10-6). Correlated gene expression analysis identified four significant network modules, all related to the immune response (corrected p 0.002 – 0.05). Conclusions The immune response, regulation of endocytosis, cholesterol transport and protein ubiquitination represent prime targets for AD therapeutics

Genetic architecture of subcortical brain structures in 38,851 individuals

Subcortical brain structures are integral to motion, consciousness, emotions and learning. We identified common genetic variation related to the volumes of the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, brainstem, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen and thalamus, using genome-wide association analyses in almost 40,000 individuals from CHARGE, ENIGMA and UK Biobank. We show that variability in subcortical volumes is heritable, and identify 48 significantly associated loci (40 novel at the time of analysis). Annotation of these loci by utilizing gene expression, methylation and neuropathological data identified 199 genes putatively implicated in neurodevelopment, synaptic signaling, axonal transport, apoptosis, inflammation/infection and susceptibility to neurological disorders. This set of genes is significantly enriched for Drosophila orthologs associated with neurodevelopmental phenotypes, suggesting evolutionarily conserved mechanisms. Our findings uncover novel biology and potential drug targets underlying brain development and disease

Genetic fine mapping and genomic annotation defines causal mechanisms at type 2 diabetes susceptibility loci.

We performed fine mapping of 39 established type 2 diabetes (T2D) loci in 27,206 cases and 57,574 controls of European ancestry. We identified 49 distinct association signals at these loci, including five mapping in or near KCNQ1. 'Credible sets' of the variants most likely to drive each distinct signal mapped predominantly to noncoding sequence, implying that association with T2D is mediated through gene regulation. Credible set variants were enriched for overlap with FOXA2 chromatin immunoprecipitation binding sites in human islet and liver cells, including at MTNR1B, where fine mapping implicated rs10830963 as driving T2D association. We confirmed that the T2D risk allele for this SNP increases FOXA2-bound enhancer activity in islet- and liver-derived cells. We observed allele-specific differences in NEUROD1 binding in islet-derived cells, consistent with evidence that the T2D risk allele increases islet MTNR1B expression. Our study demonstrates how integration of genetic and genomic information can define molecular mechanisms through which variants underlying association signals exert their effects on disease

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder