32 research outputs found
Molecular and serological tools for clinical diagnostics of Lyme borreliosis - can the laboratory analysis be improved?
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is caused by spirochetes within the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex and is the most common tick-transmitted disease in the northern hemisphere. The transmission of the spirochetes to humans in Europe is done by the Ixodes ricinus ticks, which can also transmit the relapsing fever species Borrelia miyamotoi. LB may cause clinical manifestations in the skin, in the central nervous system, in joints, and in the heart. Diagnosis of LB is mainly based on the patientÂŽs medical history, self-described symptoms, and clinical signs in combination with the detection of Borrelia-specific antibodies (serological methods). In some cases/issues, detection of Borrelia-specific deoxyribonucleic acid (molecular methods) may be used as a complement to serology. All diagnosed LB infections are treated with antibiotics to prevent disease progression, and most patients fully recover without further sequelae. The overall aims of this thesis were to evaluate molecular and serological tools for laboratory diagnosis of LB, with a special focus on Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB), and to identify potential improvements. The results presented in this thesis showed that the immunoglobulin (Ig) G assays, currently in use in northern Europe for detection of antibodies in serum, had high diagnostic sensitivity (88 %) together with comparable results both between and within assays. For the IgM assays, the diagnostic sensitivity was lower (59 %) with more heterogeneous results. Small variations in diagnostic performance for IgM and IgG were mainly presented for samples within the borderline zone. These results support the theory that separate testing of IgM antibodies in serum has low diagnostic value. However, simultaneous detection in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for both IgM and IgG antibodies was essential for the diagnosis of LNB, at least for certain assays. So far (to our knowledge), no systematic evaluation and optimisation of the pre-analytical handling of CSF samples before molecular testing has been performed. By use of the precipitate concentrated by moderate centrifugation, extraction of total nucleic acid followed by reversetranscription to complementary deoxyribonucleic acid, in combination with the absence of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) inhibitors, detection of Borrelia garinii, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, and B. miyamotoi was possible. These four species are all known to be pathogenic to humans. The results revealed a high analytical sensitivity and specificity for the optimised pre-analytical conditions. The thesis also presents results showing that the real-time PCR protocols currently used in Scandinavia have high analytical sensitivity, specificity, and concordance. This indicates that the low diagnostic sensitivity for detection of Borrelia in CSF was not a result of poorly designed and evaluated PCR protocols, but was possibly due to the low number of spirochetes in the samples. However, to further evaluate the diagnostic performance for detection of Borrelia in CSF by PCR, clinical samples need to be evaluated based on our new recommendations for the pre-analytical handling of CSF samples. In conclusion, this thesis presents results revealing that both molecular and serological tools for detection of Borrelia have, in general high sensitivity and specificity with results comparable between different protocols and different laboratories. It also presents recommendations for pre-analytical handling of CSF samples before PCR-analysis, and shows the benefits in diagnostic performance by simultaneous detection of IgM and IgG antibodies in serum and CSF for accurate diagnosis of LNB. Even though the techniques mentioned above have high analytical performance, the ability to discriminate an active infection from a previous one is limited and further studies need to be carried out. These studies need to focus on finding diagnostic tools that can help physicians to determine ongoing infection to ensure adequate treatment. It is also desirable to improve the standardisation of the diagnostic tools and to find methods that can discriminate between different Borrelia species.Borrelios Ă€r den vanligaste fĂ€stingöverförda sjukdomen pĂ„ norra halvklotet och orsakas av bakterier inom Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato gruppen. Ăverföringen av bakterier till mĂ€nniska i Europa sker via Ixodes ricinus fĂ€stingar, vilka Ă€ven överför bakterien Borrelia miyamotoi som ger Ă„terfallsfeber. Borreliainfektioner uppvisar kliniska uttryck i huden, i det centrala nervsystemet och i leder. En borrelia-diagnos baseras frĂ€mst pĂ„ patientens medicinska historia i kombination med kliniska tecken, egenbeskrivna symptom samt pĂ„visning av Borrelia-specifika antikroppar (serologiska metoder). Vid vissa frĂ„gestĂ€llningar kan pĂ„visning av Borrelia-bakteriens arvsmassa (molekylĂ€rbiologiska metoder) anvĂ€ndas som komplement till antikroppstester. Alla diagnostiserade borreliainfektioner behandlas med antibiotika för att förhindra utveckling av sjukdomen och merparten av patienterna blir fullt Ă„terstĂ€llda. Det övergripande syftet med avhandlingen var att utvĂ€rdera metoder för pĂ„visning av Borrelia-specifika antikroppar samt Borrelia-specifik arvsmassa, men fokus pĂ„ neuroborrelios, samt identifiera potentiella förbĂ€ttringar. De metoder som anvĂ€nds för pĂ„visning av immunoglobulin (IgG)-antikroppar (upptrĂ€der sent i en infektion) i serum i norra Europa uppvisar hög kĂ€nslighet (88 %) med jĂ€mförbara resultat bĂ„de mellan och inom en analysmetod. Vid pĂ„visning av IgM-antikroppar (upptrĂ€der tidigt i en infektion) i serum uppvisas lĂ€gre kĂ€nslighet (59 %) och mer olikartade resultat. SmĂ„ variationer i den diagnostiska förmĂ„gan att pĂ„visa IgM och IgG-antikroppar beror till stor del pĂ„ att flera prover erhĂ„llit grĂ€nsvĂ€rden d v s ett vĂ€rde som inte kan anses som positivt men inte heller som negativt. Resultaten frĂ„n denna studie indikerar att pĂ„visning av IgM-antikroppar i serum har lĂ„gt vĂ€rde vid diagnostik av Borrelia. Dock bör parallell analys av bĂ„de IgM och IgG-antikroppar i serum och ryggmĂ€rgsvĂ€tska utföras vid pĂ„visning av neuroborrelios. I dagslĂ€get (till vĂ„r kĂ€nnedom) har ingen systematisk utvĂ€rdering och optimering av det preanalytiska tillvĂ€gagĂ„ngssĂ€ttet vid pĂ„visning av Borrelia-specifik arvsmassa i ryggmĂ€rgsvĂ€tska genomförts. Genom att anvĂ€nda pelleten (bottensatsen som erhĂ„lls genom mĂ„ttlig centrifugering), framrening av total nukleinsyra i kombination med frĂ„nvaro av material som kan pĂ„verka PCR-reaktionen pĂ„ ett negativt sĂ€tt (inhibitorer), kan pĂ„visning av Borreliaarterna Borrelia garinii, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto och B. miyamotoi ske. Dessa Borrelia-arter Ă€r alla patogena för mĂ€nniska. De realtids-PCR protokoll som i dagslĂ€get anvĂ€nds i Skandinavien har hög analytisk kĂ€nslighet, tillförlitlighet och överensstĂ€mmelse. Detta tyder pĂ„ att den lĂ„ga kĂ€nslighet som uppvisas vid pĂ„visning av Borrelia-specifik arvsmassa i ryggmĂ€rgsvĂ€tska inte beror pĂ„ dĂ„ligt utvĂ€rderade och designade PCR-protokoll, utan Ă€r troligtvis orsakad av lĂ„g bakteriemĂ€ngd i proverna. För vidare utvĂ€rdering av den diagnostiska förmĂ„gan att pĂ„visa Borrelia-specifik arvsmassa i ryggmĂ€rgsvĂ€tska med PCR, bör kliniska prover samlas in och analyseras utifrĂ„n de nya rekommendationerna för pre-analytiskt tillvĂ€gagĂ„ngssĂ€tt vid analys av ryggmĂ€rgsprover. Sammanfattningsvis visar resultaten i denna avhandling pĂ„ generellt hög kĂ€nslighet och tillförlitlighet samt överensstĂ€mmelse mellan olika protokoll/test vid pĂ„visningar av Borreliaspecifika antikroppar och Borrelia-specifik arvsmassa. I avhandlingen presenteras Ă€ven rekommendationer för pre-analytiskt tillvĂ€gagĂ„ngssĂ€tt vid omhĂ€ndertagande och transport av ryggmĂ€rgsvĂ€tska till laboratoriet. Resultaten visar Ă€ven pĂ„ nyttan i att analysera ryggmĂ€rgsvĂ€tska och serum parallellt för bĂ„de IgM och IgG-antikroppar för att erhĂ„lla rĂ€tt diagnos vid frĂ„gestĂ€llningen neuroborrelios. Ovan nĂ€mnda metoder har trots god prestanda svĂ„rt att i alla lĂ€gen sĂ€rskilja en aktiv infektion frĂ„n en tidigare genomgĂ„ngen, varpĂ„ vidare studier krĂ€vs. Framtida studier bör fokusera pĂ„ att finna diagnostiska verktyg som hjĂ€lper lĂ€karna att urskilja en pĂ„gĂ„ende infektion sĂ„ att patienten erhĂ„ller passande behandling. Det Ă€r ocksĂ„ mycket viktigt att arbeta vidare mot en standardisering av de diagnostiska metoderna samt finna metoder som har möjlighet att sĂ€rskilja mellan olika Borrelia-arter.  .</p
Nudging inom livsmedelsbutiker : En studie om huruvida konsumenter i Sverige och England paÌverkas av nudging
Nudging syftar till vilken aspekt som helst av valarkitektur som foÌraÌndrar maÌnniskors beteende paÌ ett positivt vis utan att foÌrbjuda naÌgra alternativ eller vaÌsentligt aÌndra deras ekonomiska incitament. MarknadsfoÌringsstrategin har blivit allt vanligare de senaste aÌren och foÌrekommer bland foÌretag men aÌven samhaÌllet i stort. Syftet med denna studie aÌr att oÌka foÌrstaÌelsen kring nudging och dess effekt paÌ beteendefoÌraÌndring hos konsumenter i Sverige och England samt att undersoÌka om nudging aÌr en effektiv marknadsfoÌringsstrategi inom livsmedelsbranschen. FoÌr att undersoÌka detta har en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi anvaÌnts. Empirin har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer av baÌde svenska och brittiska konsumenter men aÌven med hjaÌlp av ett antal experter inom marknadsfoÌring, nudging samt naÌringspolitik. Teorierna som ligger till grund foÌr denna studie aÌr teorier inom nudging, konsumentbeteende, haÌlsosam kost och social practice theory. Analysen av teorin och empirin tillsammans visade paÌ flera samband och moÌnster. Studien har bland annat identifierat att det finns en relativt laÌg medvetenhet kring nudging hos de brittiska konsumenterna och en aÌnnu laÌgre kaÌnnedom hos de svenska konsumenterna. DaÌremot visade det sig vara en relativt hoÌg samt foÌrhaÌllandevis jaÌmn upplevd paÌverkan hos samtliga konsumenter. Majoriteten av alla tillfraÌgade konsumenter visade sig aÌven vara positivt instaÌllda till att livsmedelsbutiker aktivt foÌrsoÌker paÌverka konsumenternas koÌpbeteende och fraÌmja ett allt mer haÌlsosamt koÌpbeteende. Samtliga experter menade paÌ att nudging aÌr en effektiv marknadsfoÌringsstrategi och anser att utfallet aÌr gynnsamt foÌr baÌde konsumenter samt foÌretagen. Studiens centrala slutsats aÌr att det finns tre faktorer som paÌverkar konsumenters upplevda paÌverkan av nudging inom livsmedelsbutiker. Det visade sig foÌrst och fraÌmst finnas en koppling mellan laÌg medvetenhet kring nudging och hoÌg upplevd paÌverkan hos konsumenter. Sedan visade det sig aÌven finnas en koppling mellan i vilken utstraÌckning livsmedelsbutiker anpassar en haÌlsosam miljoÌ i butiken och konsumenters upplevda paÌverkan av nudging. Slutligen visade studien aÌven paÌ en koppling mellan konsumenters instaÌllning till att foÌretag arbetar med nudging och konsumenters upplevda paÌverkan av nudging.Nudging refers to any aspect of choice architecture that changes people's behavior in a positive way without forbidding any alternatives or significantly changing their economic incentives. This marketing strategy has become increasingly common in recent years and occurs among companies but also society at large. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of nudging and its effect on behavioral change in consumers in Sweden and England and to investigate whether nudging is an effective marketing strategy in the food industry. To investigate this, a qualitative approach has been used. The empirical data has been collected through semi-structured interviews of both Swedish and British consumers but also with help of a number of experts in marketing, nudging and business policy. The theories on which this study is based on are theories in nudging, consumer behavior, healthy eating and social practice theory. The analysis of the theory and the empirical data together showed several connections and patterns. Among other things, the study has identified that there is a relatively low awareness of nudging among British consumers and an even lower awareness among Swedish consumers. On the other hand, there turned out to be a relatively high and relatively evenly perceived impact on all consumers. The majority of all consumers surveyed also turned out to be in favor of grocery stores actively trying to influence consumers shopping behavior and promote increasingly healthy shopping behavior. All experts believe that nudging is an effective marketing strategy and believe that the outcome is favorable for both consumers and companies. The central conclusion of the study is that there are three factors that affect consumers perceived impact of nudging in grocery stores. First and foremost, there is a connection between low awareness of nudging and high perceived impact among consumers. Secondly there is a connection between the extent to which grocery stores adapt a healthy environment in the store and consumers perceived impact of nudging. Finally, the study also showed a connection between consumers attitudes towards companies working with nudging and consumers' perceived impact of nudging
Nudging inom livsmedelsbutiker : En studie om huruvida konsumenter i Sverige och England paÌverkas av nudging
Nudging syftar till vilken aspekt som helst av valarkitektur som foÌraÌndrar maÌnniskors beteende paÌ ett positivt vis utan att foÌrbjuda naÌgra alternativ eller vaÌsentligt aÌndra deras ekonomiska incitament. MarknadsfoÌringsstrategin har blivit allt vanligare de senaste aÌren och foÌrekommer bland foÌretag men aÌven samhaÌllet i stort. Syftet med denna studie aÌr att oÌka foÌrstaÌelsen kring nudging och dess effekt paÌ beteendefoÌraÌndring hos konsumenter i Sverige och England samt att undersoÌka om nudging aÌr en effektiv marknadsfoÌringsstrategi inom livsmedelsbranschen. FoÌr att undersoÌka detta har en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi anvaÌnts. Empirin har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer av baÌde svenska och brittiska konsumenter men aÌven med hjaÌlp av ett antal experter inom marknadsfoÌring, nudging samt naÌringspolitik. Teorierna som ligger till grund foÌr denna studie aÌr teorier inom nudging, konsumentbeteende, haÌlsosam kost och social practice theory. Analysen av teorin och empirin tillsammans visade paÌ flera samband och moÌnster. Studien har bland annat identifierat att det finns en relativt laÌg medvetenhet kring nudging hos de brittiska konsumenterna och en aÌnnu laÌgre kaÌnnedom hos de svenska konsumenterna. DaÌremot visade det sig vara en relativt hoÌg samt foÌrhaÌllandevis jaÌmn upplevd paÌverkan hos samtliga konsumenter. Majoriteten av alla tillfraÌgade konsumenter visade sig aÌven vara positivt instaÌllda till att livsmedelsbutiker aktivt foÌrsoÌker paÌverka konsumenternas koÌpbeteende och fraÌmja ett allt mer haÌlsosamt koÌpbeteende. Samtliga experter menade paÌ att nudging aÌr en effektiv marknadsfoÌringsstrategi och anser att utfallet aÌr gynnsamt foÌr baÌde konsumenter samt foÌretagen. Studiens centrala slutsats aÌr att det finns tre faktorer som paÌverkar konsumenters upplevda paÌverkan av nudging inom livsmedelsbutiker. Det visade sig foÌrst och fraÌmst finnas en koppling mellan laÌg medvetenhet kring nudging och hoÌg upplevd paÌverkan hos konsumenter. Sedan visade det sig aÌven finnas en koppling mellan i vilken utstraÌckning livsmedelsbutiker anpassar en haÌlsosam miljoÌ i butiken och konsumenters upplevda paÌverkan av nudging. Slutligen visade studien aÌven paÌ en koppling mellan konsumenters instaÌllning till att foÌretag arbetar med nudging och konsumenters upplevda paÌverkan av nudging.Nudging refers to any aspect of choice architecture that changes people's behavior in a positive way without forbidding any alternatives or significantly changing their economic incentives. This marketing strategy has become increasingly common in recent years and occurs among companies but also society at large. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of nudging and its effect on behavioral change in consumers in Sweden and England and to investigate whether nudging is an effective marketing strategy in the food industry. To investigate this, a qualitative approach has been used. The empirical data has been collected through semi-structured interviews of both Swedish and British consumers but also with help of a number of experts in marketing, nudging and business policy. The theories on which this study is based on are theories in nudging, consumer behavior, healthy eating and social practice theory. The analysis of the theory and the empirical data together showed several connections and patterns. Among other things, the study has identified that there is a relatively low awareness of nudging among British consumers and an even lower awareness among Swedish consumers. On the other hand, there turned out to be a relatively high and relatively evenly perceived impact on all consumers. The majority of all consumers surveyed also turned out to be in favor of grocery stores actively trying to influence consumers shopping behavior and promote increasingly healthy shopping behavior. All experts believe that nudging is an effective marketing strategy and believe that the outcome is favorable for both consumers and companies. The central conclusion of the study is that there are three factors that affect consumers perceived impact of nudging in grocery stores. First and foremost, there is a connection between low awareness of nudging and high perceived impact among consumers. Secondly there is a connection between the extent to which grocery stores adapt a healthy environment in the store and consumers perceived impact of nudging. Finally, the study also showed a connection between consumers attitudes towards companies working with nudging and consumers' perceived impact of nudging
Rektorers perspektiv paÌ laÌrares utmaningar med att undervisa om programmering i teknikaÌmnet aÌk 4â6 : En studie utifraÌn implementeringsteorin
Programmering implementerades formellt i juli 2018 i den svenska laÌroplanen och kraÌvde att alla tekniklaÌrare i grundskolan integrerade programmering i sin undervisning. Den haÌr uppsatsen bygger paÌ en enkaÌtundersoÌkning daÌr totalt 91 rektorer i Sydsverige har medverkat foÌr att faÌ fram deras perspektiv paÌ utmaningar med den nya reformen. UtgaÌngspunkten aÌr att kunna besvara fraÌgan: Vilka utmaningar beskriver rektorerna gaÌllande laÌrarnas undervisning om programmering i teknikaÌmnet? Under analysen av data identifierades flera utmaningar. Trots att rektorer har en skyldighet att erbjuda kompetensutveckling, visar resultatet paÌ att det aÌr just kompetensen hos laÌrare inom programmering som aÌr en av mest framtraÌdande utmaningarna. Rektorerna beskrev aÌven resurser som en utmaning foÌr laÌrarna samt svaÌrigheter med att skapa en foÌrstaÌelse om programmeringens inneboÌrd i laÌroplanen.Programming was formally enacted in July 2018 in the Swedish school curriculum. The new implementation required that all compulsory school technology teachers integrate programming into their teaching. It posits that the school needs to change and establish possibilities for success with the assignment. A survey was conducted of 91 principals in southern Sweden to elicit their perspectives on challenges due to the new reform. Our aim is to answer the question: What challenges do the principals describe regarding teachersâ teaching of programming in the subject technology? During the analysis of the data, multiple challenges were identified. The principals have an obligation to offer competence development to their teachers, however, one of the main findings is that principals consider that their teachers lack competence. Resource challenges are as well described by the principals and the difficulty to create an understanding of what programming implies in the curriculum
LĂ€rares utmaningar med att undervisa om programmering i teknikĂ€mnet för Ă„rskurs 4â6 : En systematisk litteraturstudie
Programmering implementerades formellt i juli 2018 i den svenska lĂ€roplanen. Litteraturöversikten som beskrivs i denna artikel undersöker vilka utmaningar tekniklĂ€rare upplever med den nya reformen. Under databearbetningen identifierades flera utmaningar. Ett av huvudfynden Ă€r lĂ€rares upplevda bristande yrkeskunskap. Resultatet indikerar dĂ€rmed pĂ„ att lĂ€rarna Ă€r i behov av stöd pĂ„ olika sĂ€tt, som att fĂ„ tid och möjligheter till kompetensutveckling. Mer forskning behöver dock bedrivas om programmering i skolan utifrĂ„n lĂ€rares perspektiv. OmrĂ„det Ă€r mycket tunt beforskat och ytterligare studier skulle kunna ge en bĂ€ttre insikt om vilka förbĂ€ttringar som kan genomföras. UtgĂ„ngspunkten Ă€r att kunna besvara frĂ„gan: Vilka utmaningar upplever tekniklĂ€rare med programmering i skolan? Programming was formally enacted in July 2018 in the Swedish school curriculum. The literature review described in this paper examines what challenges technology teachers are experiencing with the new reform. During the analysis of the data, multiple challenges were identified. One of the main findings is that teachersâ perceived lack of professional knowledge in programming. Thus, the teachers are in need of support in various ways, such as getting time and opportunities for competence development. However, more research needs to be conducted about programming in school as well as from the teacherâs perspectives. The current research in this area is very limited, thus further investigation could give a better insight about what improvements may be beneficial to apply. Our aim is to answer the question: What challenges do technology teachers experience with programming in school
LĂ€rares utmaningar med att undervisa om programmering i teknikĂ€mnet för Ă„rskurs 4â6 : En systematisk litteraturstudie
Programmering implementerades formellt i juli 2018 i den svenska lĂ€roplanen. Litteraturöversikten som beskrivs i denna artikel undersöker vilka utmaningar tekniklĂ€rare upplever med den nya reformen. Under databearbetningen identifierades flera utmaningar. Ett av huvudfynden Ă€r lĂ€rares upplevda bristande yrkeskunskap. Resultatet indikerar dĂ€rmed pĂ„ att lĂ€rarna Ă€r i behov av stöd pĂ„ olika sĂ€tt, som att fĂ„ tid och möjligheter till kompetensutveckling. Mer forskning behöver dock bedrivas om programmering i skolan utifrĂ„n lĂ€rares perspektiv. OmrĂ„det Ă€r mycket tunt beforskat och ytterligare studier skulle kunna ge en bĂ€ttre insikt om vilka förbĂ€ttringar som kan genomföras. UtgĂ„ngspunkten Ă€r att kunna besvara frĂ„gan: Vilka utmaningar upplever tekniklĂ€rare med programmering i skolan? Programming was formally enacted in July 2018 in the Swedish school curriculum. The literature review described in this paper examines what challenges technology teachers are experiencing with the new reform. During the analysis of the data, multiple challenges were identified. One of the main findings is that teachersâ perceived lack of professional knowledge in programming. Thus, the teachers are in need of support in various ways, such as getting time and opportunities for competence development. However, more research needs to be conducted about programming in school as well as from the teacherâs perspectives. The current research in this area is very limited, thus further investigation could give a better insight about what improvements may be beneficial to apply. Our aim is to answer the question: What challenges do technology teachers experience with programming in school
Rektorers perspektiv paÌ laÌrares utmaningar med att undervisa om programmering i teknikaÌmnet aÌk 4â6 : En studie utifraÌn implementeringsteorin
Programmering implementerades formellt i juli 2018 i den svenska laÌroplanen och kraÌvde att alla tekniklaÌrare i grundskolan integrerade programmering i sin undervisning. Den haÌr uppsatsen bygger paÌ en enkaÌtundersoÌkning daÌr totalt 91 rektorer i Sydsverige har medverkat foÌr att faÌ fram deras perspektiv paÌ utmaningar med den nya reformen. UtgaÌngspunkten aÌr att kunna besvara fraÌgan: Vilka utmaningar beskriver rektorerna gaÌllande laÌrarnas undervisning om programmering i teknikaÌmnet? Under analysen av data identifierades flera utmaningar. Trots att rektorer har en skyldighet att erbjuda kompetensutveckling, visar resultatet paÌ att det aÌr just kompetensen hos laÌrare inom programmering som aÌr en av mest framtraÌdande utmaningarna. Rektorerna beskrev aÌven resurser som en utmaning foÌr laÌrarna samt svaÌrigheter med att skapa en foÌrstaÌelse om programmeringens inneboÌrd i laÌroplanen.Programming was formally enacted in July 2018 in the Swedish school curriculum. The new implementation required that all compulsory school technology teachers integrate programming into their teaching. It posits that the school needs to change and establish possibilities for success with the assignment. A survey was conducted of 91 principals in southern Sweden to elicit their perspectives on challenges due to the new reform. Our aim is to answer the question: What challenges do the principals describe regarding teachersâ teaching of programming in the subject technology? During the analysis of the data, multiple challenges were identified. The principals have an obligation to offer competence development to their teachers, however, one of the main findings is that principals consider that their teachers lack competence. Resource challenges are as well described by the principals and the difficulty to create an understanding of what programming implies in the curriculum
Use of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) for increased circularity and valorization of rapeseed residues
In Europe, rapeseed is a common oilseed crop, resulting in the production of 20 million tons of rapeseed press cake yearly. This press cake can be further upcycled and a protein fraction can be extracted for food purposes, leaving de-proteinized fiber-rich residues. This study examined the use of these residues in the production of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) and of the spent substrate as feed, since mushroom cultivation may improve the feed properties of substrate. In terms of mushroom production, the addition of rapeseed press residues was beneficial, giving significantly higher biological efficiency (BE = 93.1 ± 11.0%) compared with the control, sugar beet pulp substrate (70.0 ± 6.6%). This increase in productivity can most likely be explained by higher energy content in the substrate supplemented with lipid-rich rapeseed residues. Despite differences in BE between the substrates, high similarity was observed in lipid composition of the fruiting bodies (lipid profile dominated by linoleic acid (18:2), palmitic acid (16:0), and oleic acid (18:1)), and in protein and moisture content. After mushroom harvest, approximately 70% of the initial dry weight of both substrates remained as a possible feed source. Both substrates had significantly lower levels of carbohydrates and unchanged neutral detergent fiber content after mushroom harvest, and both gave lower in vitro digestibility, total gas production, and methane production. However, protein concentration differed between the substrates, with the highest concentration (15.8% of dry weight) found in spent substrate containing rapeseed press residues. The result of the present study suggests that the de-proteinized rapeseed press residue is a resource well-suited for use in the production of mushrooms and feed
Tagging Spoken Language Using Written Language Statistics
This paper reports on two experiments with a probabilistic part-of-speech tagger, trained on a tagged corpus of written Swedish, being used to tag a corpus of (transcribed) spoken Swedish. The results indicate that with very little adaptations an accuracy rate of 85% can bc achieved, with an accuracy rate for knowu words of 90%. In addition, two different treatments of pauses were plored but with no significant gain in ac- curacy under either condition
Evaluation of two assays for CXCL13 analysis in cerebrospinal fluid for laboratory diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis
We evaluated the diagnostic performance of two assays, one bead-based assay and one enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), for the determination of CXCL13 levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with suspected Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). Patients investigated for LNB were retrospectively included (n = 132): 35 with definite LNB, 8 with possible LNB with CSF pleocytosis but normal antibody index (AI), 6 with possible LNB with elevated AI but no CSF pleocytosis and 83 non-LNB patients. CSF samples had been drawn before antibiotic treatment and were analysed for CXCL13 by Quantikine ELISA (Ramp;D Systems) and recomBead (Mikrogen). Receiver operating characteristic analyses based on the definite LNB and non-LNB groups revealed a best performance cut-off of 56 pg/mL for Quantikine and 158 pg/mL for recomBead (sensitivity and specificity 100% for both assays). When applying these cut-off levels on the study groups, the two assays performed equally well regarding sensitivity and specificity. In the group of patients with pleocytosis but negative AI, the majority of whom were children with short symptom duration, the CXCL13 analysis supported the LNB diagnosis in half of the cases. We consider CSF-CXCL13 analysis a useful diagnostic tool, in addition to Borrelia-specific AI, in laboratory diagnostics of LNB.Funding Agencies|Division of Medical Services, Region Jonkoping County; ScandTick Innovation, an Interreg V A project</p