Inclusion in the heat of the moment: Balancing participation and mastery

Individual and social explanatory models provide different frameworks for teachers’ practice. This study addresses how teachers’ understanding of inclusion and challenging behaviors affects their work with an inclusive practice in school. The chosen research design can be characterized as a qualitatively driven mixed-method case design, and the data collection was based on an explorative sequential design. All teachers from two schools that both have a vision linked to being inclusive were invited to participate, and the first five teachers who signed up from each school were included in this study. The data are based on interviews with and observations of 10 teachers as well as a survey conducted at 16 schools in Western Norway distributed across eight different municipalities. Based on an inductive analysis, the findings show that physical participation in the classroom is central to teachers’ understanding of inclusion. At the same time, they emphasize the importance of social and academic mastery. The study, nevertheless, shows that classroom participation and coping can conflict with each other. This means that teachers must often balance different considerations related to both practical and ethical dilemmas. When they encounter challenging behavior, they are additionally forced to make assessments in stressful situations. It is also in these situations that the underlying and often unconscious explanatory models provide the greatest guidance for the teachers’ decisions. Nevertheless, decision-making in stressful situations seems to be an almost absent topic in both teacher training and the professional community in schools. The authors of this article, therefore, argue that decision-making in stressful situations seems to be underestimated in the work on developing inclusive practices.publishedVersio

Suitability of FTIR to distinguish pure cultures of problematic mould species from closely related species in the meat industry

Aims: The aim of the study was to apply Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) as a rapid screening method for moulds in a specific food production environment (cured meat) and to evaluate whether the method was sufficiently accurate to distinguish Penicillium species that constitute a hazard for the food quality and safety (Penicillium solitum and Penicillium nordicum) from closely related species. Methods and Results: FTIR was applied to classify the indigenous mycobiota of two production sites for dried and cured meat products in Norway. Results showed that FTIR was suitable to analyse large amounts of data. While correct classification rates varied depending on the species, overall results indicated that FTIR was able to distinguish the undesired mould species P. solitum and P. nordicum from other species and may hence present an option for rapid screening of large numbers of samples to identify changes in mould composition on site. Conclusions: FTIR presents a potential method for detecting changes in levels of undesired fungi in meat-processing environments. Significance and Impact of the study: This is the first study that applies FTIR to a specific food production environment and it increases the knowledge on both possibilities and limitations of the method in classification of fungi.publishedVersio

Development of inclusive practice – the art of balancing emotional support and constructive feedback

Inclusive education in the context of challenging behavior is one of the most demanding challenges for teachers. Good support systems help teachers become more positive about inclusion and gain greater confidence in realizing that they can succeed. Such support can be provided in the form of emotional support, internal or external guidance, courses, discussions or further education. As an alternative to a traditional individual-oriented approach to inclusion, this article argues that development of inclusive practice requires collaborative learning in the professional community, which again means that teachers have to make their own practice more transparent so that it can be explained, explored and challenged. This article is based on a qualitatively driven mixed-method case design, and the data come from interviews with and observations of 10 teachers, as well as a survey conducted at 16 schools in Western Norway. The findings show that many teachers struggle to find a balance between emotional support and asking exploratory questions about their schools' and their colleagues' practices. At the same time, it seems that schools that systematically ask each other critical questions have cultures that are more strongly characterized by a high degree of psychological safety and high professional standards

Rehabilitering av borettslag til nesten nullenerginivå. En mulighetsstudie for Boligbyggelaget TOBB

Målet for prosjektet har vært å identifisere TOBB borettslag som har potensial for å bli oppgradert til nesten nullenergibygg (nZEB-nivå) og beregne og beskrive løsninger for å komme dit. Kartlegging av TOBB borettslag som har potensial for å bli oppgradert til nZEB-nivå i perioden 2017 til 2030 er gjennomført. Vestlia borettslag, et boligområde i Trondheim bygget på 70-tallet, er valgt som case for beregningene. Bygningstekniske løsninger og installasjoner er beskrevet for to oppgraderingsnivå, et enkelt nivå og et ambisiøst nivå som er kalt nZEB-nivå. Beregninger er foretatt for enkel oppgradering og nZEB-oppgradering både for energibruk og for klimafotspor. Energinivå for nZEB er ikke definert i Norge, hverken for nye bygg eller for oppgradering av eksisterende bygg. For å oppnå nZEB er det en forutsetning at energibehovet må være så lavt som mulig og det resterende energibehovet må i størst mulig grad dekkes med fornybar energi som produseres på bygget. Denne mulighetsstudien omhandler ikke energiproduksjon. De valgte løsningene for rehabilitering av Vestlia er vurdert i forhold til lønnsomhet for klimafotsporet i et livsløpsperspektiv. Resultater viser at det er mulig å gjennomføre en nZEB-oppgradering med et positivt klimaregnskap, altså at energibesparelsen gir en større klimagevinst enn klimafotsporet av oppgraderingen. Resultatene viser også at det er behov for videreutvikling av kostnadseffektive tekniske løsninger for rehabilitering, som også er erfaringen fra FME-senteret ZEB (Andresen 2017). Resultatene viser også et stort behov for nye beslutningsverktøy for at borettslag skal kunne ta beslutninger om energioppgradering i tråd med det grønne skiftet.publishedVersio

Alpha-2-adrenergic receptor agonists for the prevention of delirium and cognitive decline after open heart surgery (ALPHA2PREVENT): protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative delirium is common in older cardiac surgery patients and associated with negative short-term and long-term outcomes. The alpha-2-adrenergic receptor agonist dexmedetomidine shows promise as prophylaxis and treatment for delirium in intensive care units (ICU) and postoperative settings. Clonidine has similar pharmacological properties and can be administered both parenterally and orally. We aim to study whether repurposing of clonidine can represent a novel treatment option for delirium, and the possible effects of dexmedetomidine and clonidine on long-term cognitive trajectories, motor activity patterns and biomarkers of neuronal injury, and whether these effects are associated with frailty status. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This five-centre, double-blind randomised controlled trial will include 900 cardiac surgery patients aged 70+ years. Participants will be randomised 1:1:1 to dexmedetomidine or clonidine or placebo. The study drug will be given as a continuous intravenous infusion from the start of cardiopulmonary bypass, at a rate of 0.4 µg/kg/hour. The infusion rate will be decreased to 0.2 µg/kg/hour postoperatively and be continued until discharge from the ICU or 24 hours postoperatively, whichever happens first.Primary end point is the 7-day cumulative incidence of postoperative delirium (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition). Secondary end points include the composite end point of coma, delirium or death, in addition to delirium severity and motor activity patterns, levels of circulating biomarkers of neuronal injury, cognitive function and frailty status 1 and 6 months after surgery. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This trial is approved by the Regional Committee for Ethics in Medical Research in Norway (South-East Norway) and by the Norwegian Medicines Agency. Dissemination plans include publication in peer-reviewed medical journals and presentation at scientific meetings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05029050

The emergence of lean construction in the Norwegian AEC industry

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The effect of default options on financial risk‐taking for oneself versus others

This thesis is a study of the effect of default options on financial risk‐taking for oneself versus others. The purpose of the thesis is to see if there is a significant difference in risk‐taking for oneself versus for others both when the default is the safe option as well as when the default is the risky option, making it a 2x2 design with four treatment groups. The thesis builds on research on individual risk‐taking and on research on default effects.   The study was performed as an incentivized survey posted on the topline web‐bus of NORSTAT. One thousand respondents were given one of 4 questions giving a total of 250 respondents per treatment. All participants were selected randomly from a large pool of respondents and all respondents were randomly assigned to one of the four questions.   Previous research has shown a significant bias towards the default in risk‐taking for oneself. The default effect has, as far as I know, not been tested on risky decisions for others. My study shows that there is a default bias also for risky decisions for others although slightly less distinct than in the first case. The results of my study indicate that there is a significant default effect both when choosing for oneself and others. This indicates the importance of framing when posting questions and an opportunity for creating biases that must be handled with caution.nhhma