Minecraft oppimisalustana koulun ulkopuolella ja pedagogisena työkaluna koulukontekstissa:miten Minecraftin pelaaminen voi tukea monilukutaidon kehitystä?

Tiivistelmä. Tämä on kandidaatin tutkielma, jossa vastaan kuvailevan kirjallisuuskatsauksen keinoin kolmeen tutkimuskysymykseen. Kaksi ensimmäistä tutkimuskysymystä käsittelevät sitä, millaisena oppimisalustana Minecraft voi toimia koulukontekstin ulkopuolella, ja toisaalta taas, millä tavoin Minecraftia voidaan käyttää pedagogisena työkaluna koulukontekstissa. Viimeisenä peilaan näiden kahden kysymyksen vastauksia monilukutaidon käsitteeseen, vastatessani kolmanteen, viimeiseen, tutkimuskysymykseeni: Millä tavoin Minecraftin pelaaminen voi tukea monilukutaidon kehitystä? Syyt aiheelleni nousevat teknologian kasvavasta merkityksestä, kasvatustieteen muutoksista, sekä omista henkilökohtaisista kiinnostuksenkohteistani. Elämme siirtymävaihetta teollisen yhteiskunnan ja tietoyhteiskunnan välillä. Se tarkoittaa sitä, että työmarkkinat painottuvat enenevissä määrin tehtäviin, missä tarvitaan monimutkaisempia tapoja kommunikoida ja ajatella, ja jossa yksinkertaiset, toistavat ja rutinoituneet tehtävät siirtyvät enenevissä määrin ihmisiltä koneille. Muutos tapahtuu sekä globaalisti, että lokaalisti, luoden tarvetta muutosta ja niiden vaikutuksia käsittelevälle tutkimukselle. Teknologian kehityksen vuoksi siihen kohdistuva tutkimus lienee itseisarvoista. Muutokset eivät silti rajoitu teknologiaan, vaan näkyvät muun muassa kasvatuksessa. Taidot, joita alati muuttuvassa maailmassa pärjätäkseen tarvitsee, ovat muuttaneet muotoaan, vaatien myös kasvatuksen mukautumista nykymaailman tarpeiden mukaiseksi. Toisaalta taas kehitys on tuonut mukanaan paljon sellaisia taitoja, joita ei ennen tarvittu. Tarvittavia taitoja — uusia ja vanhoja — kuvaamaan on kehitetty eri määritelmiä, mutta yleisesti niitä kutsutaan Tulevaisuuden Taidoiksi (21st Century Skills), ja niiden kehittämiseen ollaan keskitytty myös suomalaisessa opetussuunnitelmassa, mikä näkyy laajaalaisena osaamisen kokonaisuutena. Kandidaatintutkielmani analyysiin nojaten argumentoin, että Minecraft voi toimia oppimisalustana vertaisoppimiselle koulukontekstin ulkopuolella. Erityisesti pelin suunnittelu ja peliä ympäröivän pelaajayhteisön tuottama vertaisaineisto näyttäytyvät alustana vertaisoppimiselle, vaikkakin jatkotutkimukselle on tarvetta mm. todellisen oppimisen suhteen. Väitän, että Minecraftia voidaan käyttää koulussa pedagogisena työkaluna monipuolisesti, mutta sen käyttöön voi liittyä riskejä, mm. ryhmänhallinnassa. Väitän myös, että Minecraftin pelaaminen voi tukea monilukutaidon kehitystä, ikään kuin “lisäravinteena”. Aihe vaatii jatkotutkimusta, jotta Minecraftin todellinen arvo kehityksen tukena voitaisiin mittauttaa. Tutkielmani tuo esille monia mielenkiintoisia, jopa yllättäviä, tutkimusaiheita, myös tutkimuskysymysteni ulkopuolelta. Luotan argumentteihini, sillä olen tehnyt parhaani etsiessäni luotettavasti vertaisarvioitua ja/tai laajalti viitattua lähdemateriaalia aineistooni, sekä pysyäkseni objektiivisena.Minecraft as a learning platform outside the school and a pedagogical tool within the school’s context : how playing Minecraft could support development of multiliteracy skills?. Abstract. This is a bachelor’s thesis, in which, via methods of literary research, I’m answering to the three research questions I’ve set for this thesis to answer. The first two questions address how the video game ‘Minecraft’ can function as a learning platform outside the context of school, also, as a pedagogical tool, within the context of school. After answering these questions, I reflect my findings upon my third and final research question, ‘How could playing Minecraft support the development of multiliteracy skills?’. The purpose for these research questions arises from changes regarding global education discourse, as well as my own personal interests as an upcoming teacher. We are living within the the transition from industrial society towards an information society. It means that the job market is increasingly emphasizing tasks which require more complex ways of thinking and communicating than before, and the more mundane, repetitive tasks are being handed for the machines to complete. The change is both global and local, hence it creates a need for research which focuses on the change itself as well as its effects. The significance of technology creates demand for research ipso facto. However, the changes, ergo the research, is not limited on technological advancement, but can be seen in education as well. The skills we have needed for survival and success up until this point are influenced by the change as well, demanding adjustments within the field of education. On the other hand, these enormous modifications in our society are bound to spawn new skills and attitudes, also needed for us to triumph and prosper. To define these essential skills — both old and new — many frameworks have been developed, but usually are referred to as 21st Century Skills. In the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education in Finland the framework is called Transversal Competences. I argue, as the result of this bachelor’s thesis, that Minecraft has potential to act as a platform for learning. The game’s design, and the open community around it, does seem to create a platform for peer learning. Whether if there’s actual learning happening via the playing experience, is in need of further studying and robust evidence. I also argue Minecraft, within the context of school, to be a multi-functional pedagogical tool, yet the studies, as I address here, also indicate towards problems of when and how to use it. My further argumentation indicates towards the potential of Minecraft as a “supplement” upon learning multiliteracy skills, yet, once again, further evidence and study is on high demand. Furthermore, writing this thesis has presented multiple threads of potential research, outside these research questions as well. I hold confidence in these arguments, for I’ve done my best to achieve material that has been peer-reviewed and/or highly referred, and I have kept my point of view as objective as I can

Denitrification in the River Estuaries of the Northern Baltic Sea

Estuaries have been suggested to have an important role in reducing the nitrogen load transported to the sea. We measured denitrification rates in six estuaries of the northern Baltic Sea. Four of them were river mouths in the Bothnian Bay (northern Gulf of Bothnia), and two were estuary bays, one in the Archipelago Sea (southern Gulf of Bothnia) and the other in the Gulf of Finland. Denitrification rates in the four river mouths varied between 330 and 905 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1). The estuary bays at the Archipelago Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia had denitrification rates from 90 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1) to 910 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1) and from 230 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1) to 320 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1), respectively. Denitrification removed 3.6-9.0% of the total nitrogen loading in the river mouths and in the estuary bay in the Gulf of Finland, where the residence times were short. In the estuary bay with a long residence time, in the Archipelago Sea, up to 4.5% of nitrate loading and 19% of nitrogen loading were removed before entering the sea. According to our results, the sediments of the fast-flowing rivers and them estuary areas with short residence times have a limited capacity to reduce the nitrogen load to the Baltic Sea.Estuaries have been suggested to have an important role in reducing the nitrogen load transported to the sea. We measured denitrification rates in six estuaries of the northern Baltic Sea. Four of them were river mouths in the Bothnian Bay (northern Gulf of Bothnia), and two were estuary bays, one in the Archipelago Sea (southern Gulf of Bothnia) and the other in the Gulf of Finland. Denitrification rates in the four river mouths varied between 330 and 905 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1). The estuary bays at the Archipelago Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia had denitrification rates from 90 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1) to 910 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1) and from 230 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1) to 320 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1), respectively. Denitrification removed 3.6-9.0% of the total nitrogen loading in the river mouths and in the estuary bay in the Gulf of Finland, where the residence times were short. In the estuary bay with a long residence time, in the Archipelago Sea, up to 4.5% of nitrate loading and 19% of nitrogen loading were removed before entering the sea. According to our results, the sediments of the fast-flowing rivers and them estuary areas with short residence times have a limited capacity to reduce the nitrogen load to the Baltic Sea.Estuaries have been suggested to have an important role in reducing the nitrogen load transported to the sea. We measured denitrification rates in six estuaries of the northern Baltic Sea. Four of them were river mouths in the Bothnian Bay (northern Gulf of Bothnia), and two were estuary bays, one in the Archipelago Sea (southern Gulf of Bothnia) and the other in the Gulf of Finland. Denitrification rates in the four river mouths varied between 330 and 905 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1). The estuary bays at the Archipelago Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia had denitrification rates from 90 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1) to 910 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1) and from 230 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1) to 320 mu mol N m(-2) d(-1), respectively. Denitrification removed 3.6-9.0% of the total nitrogen loading in the river mouths and in the estuary bay in the Gulf of Finland, where the residence times were short. In the estuary bay with a long residence time, in the Archipelago Sea, up to 4.5% of nitrate loading and 19% of nitrogen loading were removed before entering the sea. According to our results, the sediments of the fast-flowing rivers and them estuary areas with short residence times have a limited capacity to reduce the nitrogen load to the Baltic Sea.Peer reviewe

Darwin’s wind hypothesis: does it work for plant dispersal in fragmented habitats?

Using the wind-dispersed plant Mycelis muralis, we examined how landscape fragmentation affects variation in seed traits contributing to dispersal. Inverse terminal velocity (Vt−1) of field-collected achenes was used as a proxy for individual seed dispersal ability. We related this measure to different metrics of landscape connectivity, at two spatial scales: in a detailed analysis of eight landscapes in Spain and along a latitudinal gradient using 29 landscapes across three European regions. In the highly patchy Spanish landscapes, seed Vt−1 increased significantly with increasing connectivity. A common garden experiment suggested that differences in Vt−1 may be in part genetically based. The Vt−1 was also found to increase with landscape occupancy, a coarser measure of connectivity, on a much broader (European) scale. Finally, Vt−1 was found to increase along a south–north latitudinal gradient. Our results for M. muralis are consistent with ‘Darwin’s wind dispersal hypothesis’ that high cost of dispersal may select for lower dispersal ability in fragmented landscapes, as well as with the ‘leading edge hypothesis’ that most recently colonized populations harbour more dispersive phenotypes.

Adaptation to Impacts of Climate Change on Aeroallergens and Allergic Respiratory Diseases

Climate change has the potential to have many significant impacts on aeroallergens such as pollen and mould spores, and therefore related diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis. This paper critically reviews this topic, with a focus on the potential adaptation measures that have been identified to date. These are aeroallergen monitoring; aeroallergen forecasting; allergenic plant management; planting practices and policies; urban/settlement planning; building design and heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC); access to health care and medications; education; and research

Fatal Outcome in Bacteremia is Characterized by High Plasma Cell Free DNA Concentration and Apoptotic DNA Fragmentation: A Prospective Cohort Study

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have shown that apoptosis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of sepsis. High plasma cell free DNA (cf-DNA) concentrations have been shown to be associated with sepsis outcome. The origin of cf-DNA is unclear. METHODS: Total plasma cf-DNA was quantified directly in plasma and the amplifiable cf-DNA assessed using quantitative PCR in 132 patients with bacteremia caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, ß-hemolytic streptococcae or Escherichia coli. The quality of cf-DNA was analyzed with a DNA Chip assay performed on 8 survivors and 8 nonsurvivors. Values were measured on days 1-4 after positive blood culture, on day 5-17 and on recovery. RESULTS: The maximum cf-DNA values on days 1-4 (n = 132) were markedly higher in nonsurvivors compared to survivors (2.03 vs 1.26 ug/ml, p<0.001) and the AUCROC in the prediction of case fatality was 0.81 (95% CI 0.69-0.94). cf-DNA at a cut-off level of 1.52 ug/ml showed 83% sensitivity and 79% specificity for fatal disease. High cf-DNA (>1.52 ug/ml) remained an independent risk factor for case fatality in a logistic regression model. Qualitative analysis of cf-DNA showed that cf-DNA displayed a predominating low-molecular-weight cf-DNA band (150-200 bp) in nonsurvivors, corresponding to the size of the apoptotic nucleosomal DNA. cf-DNA concentration showed a significant positive correlation with visually graded apoptotic band intensity (R = 0.822, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma cf-DNA concentration proved to be a specific independent prognostic biomarker in bacteremia. cf-DNA displayed a predominating low-molecular-weight cf-DNA band in nonsurvivors corresponding to the size of apoptotic nucleosomal DNA

The SOLAS air-sea gas exchange experiment (SAGE) 2004

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2010. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 58 (2011): 753-763, doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.10.015.The SOLAS air-sea gas exchange experiment (SAGE) was a multiple-objective study investigating gas-transfer processes and the influence of iron fertilisation on biologically driven gas exchange in high-nitrate low-silicic acid low-chlorophyll (HNLSiLC) Sub-Antarctic waters characteristic of the expansive Subpolar Zone of the southern oceans. This paper provides a general introduction and summary of the main experimental findings. The release site was selected from a pre-voyage desktop study of environmental parameters to be in the south-west Bounty Trough (46.5°S 172.5°E) to the south-east of New Zealand and the experiment conducted between mid-March and mid-April 2004. In common with other mesoscale iron addition experiments (FeAX’s), SAGE was designed as a Lagrangian study quantifying key biological and physical drivers influencing the air-sea gas exchange processes of CO2, DMS and other biogenic gases associated with an iron-induced phytoplankton bloom. A dual tracer SF6/3He release enabled quantification of both the lateral evolution of a labelled volume (patch) of ocean and the air-sea tracer exchange at the 10’s of km’s scale, in conjunction with the iron fertilisation. Estimates from the dual-tracer experiment found a quadratic dependency of the gas exchange coefficient on windspeed that is widely applicable and describes air-sea gas exchange in strong wind regimes. Within the patch, local and micrometeorological gas exchange process studies (100 m scale) and physical variables such as near-surface turbulence, temperature microstructure at the interface, wave properties, and wind speed were quantified to further assist the development of gas exchange models for high-wind environments. There was a significant increase in the photosynthetic competence (Fv/Fm) of resident phytoplankton within the first day following iron addition, but in contrast to other FeAX’s, rates of net primary production and column-integrated chlorophyll a concentrations had only doubled relative to the unfertilised surrounding waters by the end of the experiment. After 15 days and four iron additions totalling 1.1 tonne Fe2+, this was a very modest response compared to the other mesoscale iron enrichment experiments. An investigation of the factors limiting bloom development considered co- limitation by light and other nutrients, the phytoplankton seed-stock and grazing regulation. Whilst incident light levels and the initial Si:N ratio were the lowest recorded in all FeAX’s to date, there was only a small seed-stock of diatoms (less than 1% of biomass) and the main response to iron addition was by the picophytoplankton. A high rate of dilution of the fertilised patch relative to phytoplankton growth rate, the greater than expected depth of the surface mixed layer and microzooplankton grazing were all considered as factors that prevented significant biomass accumulation. In line with the limited response, the enhanced biological draw-down of pCO2 was small and masked by a general increase in pCO2 due to mixing with higher pCO2 waters. The DMS precursor DMSP was kept in check through grazing activity and in contrast to most FeAX’s dissolved dimethylsulfide (DMS) concentration declined through the experiment. SAGE is an important low-end member in the range of responses to iron addition in FeAX’s. In the context of iron fertilisation as a geoengineering tool for atmospheric CO2 removal, SAGE has clearly demonstrated that a significant proportion of the low iron ocean may not produce a phytoplankton bloom in response to iron addition.SAGE was jointly funded through the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) programs (C01X0204) "Drivers and Mitigation of Global Change" and (C01X0223) "Ocean Ecosystems: Their Contribution to NZ Marine Productivity." Funding was also provided for specific collaborations by the US National Science Foundation from grants OCE-0326814 (Ward), OCE-0327779 (Ho), and OCE 0327188 OCE-0326814 (Minnett) and the UK Natural Environment Research Council NER/B/S/2003/00282 (Archer). The New Zealand International Science and Technology (ISAT) linkages fund provided additional funding (Archer and Ziolkowski), and the many collaborator institutions also provided valuable support

Can fisheries-induced evolution shift reference points for fisheries management?

Biological reference points are important tools for fisheries management. Reference points are not static, butmay change when a population's environment or the population itself changes. Fisheries-induced evolution is one mechanism that can alter population characteristics, leading to "shifting" reference points by modifying the underlying biological processes or by changing the perception of a fishery system. The former causes changes in "true" reference points, whereas the latter is caused by changes in the yardsticks used to quantify a system's status. Unaccounted shifts of either kind imply that reference points gradually lose their intended meaning. This can lead to increased precaution, which is safe, but potentially costly. Shifts can also occur in more perilous directions, such that actual risks are greater than anticipated. Our qualitative analysis suggests that all commonly used reference points are susceptible to shifting through fisheries-induced evolution, including the limit and "precautionary" reference points for spawning-stock biomass, B-lim and B-pa, and the target reference point for fishing mortality, F-0.1. Our findings call for increased awareness of fisheries-induced changes and highlight the value of always basing reference points on adequately updated information, to capture all changes in the biological processes that drive fish population dynamics

Ecological and evolutionary consequences of alternative sex-change pathways in fish

Sequentially hermaphroditic fish change sex from male to female (protandry) or vice versa (protogyny), increasing their fitness by becoming highly fecund females or large dominant males, respectively. These life-history strategies present different social organizations and reproductive modes, from near-random mating in protandry, to aggregate- and harem-spawning in protogyny. Using a combination of theoretical and molecular approaches, we compared variance in reproductive success (V k*) and effective population sizes (N e) in several species of sex-changing fish. We observed that, regardless of the direction of sex change, individuals conform to the same overall strategy, producing more offspring and exhibiting greater V k* in the second sex. However, protogynous species show greater V k*, especially pronounced in haremic species, resulting in an overall reduction of N e compared to protandrous species. Collectively and independently, our results demonstrate that the direction of sex change is a pivotal variable in predicting demographic changes and resilience in sex-changing fish, many of which sustain highly valued and vulnerable fisheries worldwide