Forskningsintegritet og åpen vitenskap: Kunnskaper, normer og holdninger blant ph.dkandidater i Norge (RIOS-PhD): Status våren 2021

Presentation at the online meeting Seminar for bibliotekenes nettverk for ph.d.-støtte, 26.04.21 - 27.04.21, arranged by Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge. https://www.phdontrack.net/nettverk/seminar/2021/program_final.pdf. </a

Forskningsintegritet og åpen vitenskap i ph.d.undervisningen: Praktiske spørsmål og etisk refleksjon.

Academic presentation at the Virak conference 08. - 09.06.22, Trondheim, Norway

Synthetic furanones and inhibition of biofilm formation

In this study we investigated whether furanones could prevent biofilms from being formed. Our first aim was to find a new synthesis pathway for (Z)-5-bromomethylene-2(5H)-furanone, a furanone also produced in nature by the macro-alga Delisa pulchra, and to investigate its effects on biofilm formation by Streptococcus anginosus, Streptococcus intermedius, Streptococcus mutans and Staphylococcus epidermidis. We also synthesised 5- (bromomethylene)furan-2(5H)-ones and 3-(bromomethylene)isobenzofuran-1(3H)-ones to further investigate their effects on biofilm formation by S. epidermidis. The effect on biofilm formation was assessed either by adding furanone to the growth medium or by allowing biofilm to form on surface-adsorbed furanone. Furanone effectively decreased biofilm formation by both application methods, but with surface-adsorbed furanone being most effective. The furanone concentrations used had no effect on microbial growth, and were also well below the established MICs, indicating that the effect was not a result of an antimicrobial effect. In order to determine whether the inhibitory effect was associated with the ability of furanone to interfere with microbial AI-2 communication, AI-2 deficient mutants were included. In contrast to their wild types, the amount of biofilm formed by the communication defective S. anginosus and S. intermedius was not affected when adding furanone to the growth medium. Biofilm formation on surface-adsorbed furanone was unaffected or partially affected for the communication defective S. anginosus and S. intermedius mutants respectively. Adding DPD, the synthetic AI-2 communication signal, to the growth medium abolished the inhibitory effect of furanone on biofilm formation. Furthermore furanones were found to decrease bioluminescence by the AI-2 reporter strain. Taken together, these findings support the assumption that furanones interfere with microbial communication, without affecting microbial growth. Finally, we studied possible irritative and genotoxic effects of the furanones. Only after using 1000 times higher concentrations than used in the biofilm assay, did we see an irritative effect. There were no significant alterations of the genotoxic and global gene expression in mice treated with furanone. Interference with microbial communication thus may represent a novel and promising strategy to control biofilm related infections

Antibacterial effect of hydrogen peroxide - titanium dioxide suspensions in the decontamination of rough titanium surfaces

The chemical decontamination of infected dental implants is essential for the successful treatment of peri-implantitis. The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial effect of a hydrogen peroxide-titanium dioxide (H2O2–TiO2) suspension against Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms. Titanium (Ti) coins were inoculated with a bioluminescent S. epidermidis strain for 8 h and subsequently exposed to H2O2 with and without TiO2 nanoparticles or chlorhexidine (CHX). Bacterial regrowth, bacterial load and viability after decontamination were analyzed by continuous luminescence monitoring, live/dead staining and scanning electron microscopy. Bacterial regrowth was delayed on surfaces treated with H2O2–TiO2 compared to H2O2. H2O2-based treatments resulted in a lower bacterial load compared to CHX. Few viable bacteria were found on surfaces treated with H2O2 and H2O2–TiO2, which contrasted with a uniform layer of dead bacteria for surfaces treated with CHX. H2O2–TiO2 suspensions could therefore be considered an alternative approach in the decontamination of dental implants. © 2017 Taylor & Franci

Library interactions

Across Europe there is a push for strengthening research-based higher education (Fung et.al, 2017). As a&nbsp;pedagogical driven approach, research-based education aims at making students across all levels learn&nbsp;through enquiry and discovery (eg. Cleaver et al., 2017). Core competencies addressed are scientific and&nbsp;critical thinking skills, and skills in scholarly and interdisciplinary communication. At the University of Oslo,&nbsp;the reinforcement of research-based education is manifest in a recent large-scale initiative. The initiative&nbsp;implies that we must build quality in teaching and learning through partnership across and beyond the&nbsp;communities of our university. How can a library in higher education contribute to research-basededucation? This presentation illuminates three interrelated cases from The University of Oslo Library. They exemplify how libraries can involve students, librarians and their patrons when the aim is to develop innovative&nbsp;education. Together the cases prompt discussions about the methods used to include different&nbsp; actors’&nbsp;perspectives in current development of learning and teaching design. The three cases highlight the current state of a long-term movement of our libraries away from librarycentered&nbsp;approaches and towards user and co-creation centered approaches. The methods described&nbsp;respond to the current call for partnership in building enquiry-based learning experiences.&nbsp; The first case is our staff-development program. Established a decade ago the program focuses on&nbsp;developing a shared understanding of information literacy and pedagogical theories. The program is one&nbsp;element in our effort to change focus from education as a private concern to corporate responsibility. The&nbsp;aim is to make pedagogical competencies a matter of shared knowledge and culture. The second case presents course design and the methods used to include the perspectives of students,&nbsp;fellow librarians and faculty. Project methodology from informatics has contributed to&nbsp; teambuilding and&nbsp;collaboration among library staff. It has also facilitated feedback from students, faculty and&nbsp; fellow&nbsp;librarians. The result is a revision of courses to students from BA to PHD levels, now with an emphasis on&nbsp;research-based education and active learning. The last case describes the development of physical and digital learning spaces at the university libraries.&nbsp; Technology has opened for a change in the way students collaborate, learn and study. A project based&nbsp;approach that apply user centered design and user experience have contributed to the collection of&nbsp;information from students and employees aimed at enhancing and developing library space to enhance&nbsp;learning experiences.&nbsp; Together our three cases tell a story about cultural change within our libraries, about implementation by&nbsp;involvement of different people and perspectives, and about the balancing of specialized expertise with&nbsp;shared vocabularies. ReferencesFung, D., Besters-Dilger, J., &amp; Van der Vaart, R. (2017). Excellent education in research-rich universities.&nbsp;[Position Paper] League of European Universities (LERU).&nbsp; https://www.leru.org/files/ExcellentEducation-in-Research-Rich-Universities-Full-paper.pdf Cleaver, E., Wills, D., Gormally, S., Grey, D., Johnson, C., &amp; Rippingale, J. (2017). Connecting research and&nbsp;teaching through curricular and pedagogic design: from theory to practice in disciplinary approaches to&nbsp;connecting the higher education curriculum. In: Carnell, B &amp; Fung, D, (eds.) Developing the Higher&nbsp;Education Curriculum: Research-based Education in Practice. London, UCL Press, pp. 145-15

Antibacterial effect of hydrogen peroxide-titanium dioxide suspensions in the decontamination of rough titanium surfaces

<p>The chemical decontamination of infected dental implants is essential for the successful treatment of peri-implantitis. The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial effect of a hydrogen peroxide-titanium dioxide (H₂O₂–TiO₂) suspension against <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> biofilms. Titanium (Ti) coins were inoculated with a bioluminescent <i>S. epidermidis</i> strain for 8 h and subsequently exposed to H₂O₂ with and without TiO₂ nanoparticles or chlorhexidine (CHX). Bacterial regrowth, bacterial load and viability after decontamination were analyzed by continuous luminescence monitoring, live/dead staining and scanning electron microscopy. Bacterial regrowth was delayed on surfaces treated with H₂O₂–TiO₂ compared to H₂O₂. H₂O₂-based treatments resulted in a lower bacterial load compared to CHX. Few viable bacteria were found on surfaces treated with H₂O₂ and H₂O₂–TiO₂, which contrasted with a uniform layer of dead bacteria for surfaces treated with CHX. H₂O₂–TiO₂ suspensions could therefore be considered an alternative approach in the decontamination of dental implants.</p