Invisible colleges in the adult education research world

Invisible colleges - researchers’ networks of communicating academic work – are power-generating actors shaping research fields. A key question concerns the relation between local research communities and their dependence on global actors. A key arena is articles and citations in academic journals. An actor-network-inspired empirical investigation of the geographical origin of articles and references in the journal “Studies in the Education of Adults” and a check of references to journals in “Adult Education Quarterly” was made. The origin of articles and study objects in the International journal of Lifelong education was also analysed. Some conclusions can be drawn from the material. One is the heavy impact of “real” geographical location, i.e. the origins of texts and references are located in very specific areas on the map, i.e. in spite of the possibilities of cyberspace and global mobility. Another conclusion is the unilateral relation between an Anglo-American centre and a periphery in the distribution systems of texts. Adult education is faced with a contradictory situation between culturing invisible colleges in adult education and getting resources in the emerging economy of publications and citations through membership in other invisible colleges. (DIPF/orig.

Aggrecan fragments as biomarkers in osteoarthritis

Background: In osteoarthritis (OA) the balance of cartilage matrix synthesis and degradation is disturbed, resulting in a gradual destruction of the articular cartilage. Matrix components released into body fluids by proteolytic cleavage can be used as biomarkers of ongoing processes. This thesis focuses on proteolytic degradation of the proteoglycan aggrecan with the overall aim to study the potential of aggrecan fragments as biomarkers in knee OA. Methodology/Principal findings: Using neoepitope specific antibodies in Western blots, aggrecan fragments were identified in knee cartilage and synovial fluid (SF) pooled from individuals with a wide spectrum of disease. Aggrecanases were found to dominate aggrecan proteolysis in disease, although a contribution of matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activity was noted. Western blot quantification in individual samples showed that the proportion of aggrecan released into SF generated by aggrecanases varied in disease, and was higher in diagnostic groups associated with high disease activity. Quantification by ELISA of SF ARGS showed that SF ARGS better distinguished samples from patients with knee joint disease from samples obtained from knee healthy individuals than aggrecan measures not specific for this neoepitope. In patients meniscectomized 18 years earlier, SF ARGS levels were inversely associated with progression of radiographic OA. Conclusions: Aggrecanase is the dominating protease in human knee OA and its activity toward the aggrecan interglobular domain (IGD) is elevated in disease. SF levels of aggrecan ARGS fragments generated by this IGD activity can be used as biomarkers and has diagnostic as well as prognostic capabilities

Hydrodynamic Modeling of the Mundaú-Manguaba Estuarine-Lagoon System, Brazil

Background Lagoons are shallow coastal water bodies which occupy 13 % of the world’s total coastlines. Healthy lagoons have a rich aquatic fauna and can provide an economic benefit for the people living in its vicinity. Due to anthropogenic activities, the water quality in many lagoons is deteriorating. The Mundaú-Manguaba Estuarine-Lagoon System is no exception. BOD-rich water from the nearby sugar plantations along with large amount of untreated sewage from the nearby city of Maceió are contributing to the deteriorating water quality in the lagoon system. A computerized model can be a useful tool in terms of forecasting the effects of different actions taken to improve the water quality. Such a model already exists, called IPH-ECO, but uses data collected in 1984 and consequently needs a thorough overhaul. The morphology of the lagoon system has changed mainly due to sediment infilling; therefore the model needs to be updated regarding bathymetry and sediments. Objectives The purpose of this master thesis is to construct an updated hydrodynamic model over the Mundaú-Manguaba Estuarine-Lagoon System in Brazil. In order to achieve this, bathymetry and sediment information needs to be collected, analyzed and finally digitized. A field camping will be executed where data regarding depth and salinity variation in the lagoons will be collected. Two scenarios will be tested with the newly calibrated model to demonstrate the usability of the model. Procedure This thesis was initiated in September 2013 with a literature review where lagoons in general and the Mundaú-Manguaba Estuarine-Lagoon System in particular were studied. Data collection and field measurements were carried out in Maceió, Brazil, between January and March 2014. During this time a new field campaign was carried out in order to get updated data concerning depth and salinity. To run the IPH-ECO model the boundary conditions had to be updated. That includes tidal fluctuations, river flows, bathymetry and Chezy coefficients. With the data collected from the sensors various new simulations were performed in IPH-ECO in order to calibrate the model. When the calibration process was completed the correlation between model and sensor was evaluated. Lastly the scenarios were simulated. Conclusions Mundaú lagoon could be calibrated well hydrodynamically with high correlation between sensor data and model. The calibration of Manguaba lagoon did not provide as satisfying results due to the lack of data concerning bathymetry and sediments. The two different scenarios were simulated successfully and show that the model can be used to predict future flooding in case of an extreme wet season and improve the water quality by the decreased renewal time which a new ocean inlet would bring. It is recommended that a new bathymetry survey is conducted in the southern part of Manguaba so that the whole lagoon system can be calibrated hydrodynamically. It is also recommended that calibration continues regarding lagoon salinity

Synovial fluid level of aggrecan ARGS fragments is a more sensitive marker of joint disease than glycosaminoglycan or aggrecan levels: a cross-sectional study

Introduction Aggrecanase cleavage at the (392)Glu-(393)Ala bond in the interglobular domain (IGD) of aggrecan, releasing N-terminal (393)ARGS fragments, is an early key event in arthritis and joint injuries. Here, we use a quantitative immunoassay of aggrecan ARGS neoepitope fragments in human synovial fluid to determine if this cleavage-site specific method better identifies joint pathology than previously available less specific aggrecan assays. Methods Synovial fluid (SF) from 26 people with healthy knees (reference) and 269 patients were analyzed in a cross-sectional study. Patient groups were acute inflammatory arthritis, acute knee injury, chronic knee injury and knee osteoarthritis (OA). Aggrecan ARGS fragments were assayed by ELISA using the monoclonal antibody OA-1. Total aggrecan content was analyzed by an ELISA using the monoclonal antibody 1-F21, and sulfated glycosaminoglycan by Alcian blue precipitation. Results Aggrecan ARGS fragment concentrations in all groups differed from the reference group (P < 0.001). The acute inflammatory arthritis group had the highest median level, 177-fold greater than that of the reference group. Median levels (in pmol ARGS/ml SF) were: reference 0.5, acute inflammatory arthritis 88.5, acute knee injury 53.9, chronic knee injury 0.5 and OA 4.6. In contrast, aggrecan and sulfated glycosaminoglycan concentrations varied much less between groups, and only acute inflammatory arthritis and acute knee injury were found to have a two-fold increase in median levels compared to the reference. Conclusions Levels of aggrecan ARGS fragments in human synovial fluid are increased in human arthritis, OA and after knee injury, likely reflecting an enhanced cleavage at the (392)Glu-(393)Ala bond in the IGD by aggrecanase. An assay that specifically quantified these fragments better distinguished samples from joints with pathology than assays monitoring aggrecan or glycosaminoglycan concentrations. The newly developed ARGS fragment assay can be used to monitor aggrecanase activity in human joint disease and experimental models

Confronting Globalization: The Challenges of Creating Space for Global Learning

This study describes and analyses the challenges encountered in a recent case of global collaboration in developing a web-based masters program for adult educators. “Agency,” “structure,” and “frame factor” are used as analytical concepts to help understand the dynamics of the collaboration and the character of the program produced

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TRIK: A Talking and Drawing Robot for Children with Communication Disabilities

Proceedings of the 17th Nordic Conference of Computational Linguistics NODALIDA 2009. Editors: Kristiina Jokinen and Eckhard Bick. NEALT Proceedings Series, Vol. 4 (2009), 275-278. © 2009 The editors and contributors. Published by Northern European Association for Language Technology (NEALT) http://omilia.uio.no/nealt . Electronically published at Tartu University Library (Estonia) http://hdl.handle.net/10062/9206

A Gendered View of Servant Leadership

No significant differences existed in the number of years of supervision or the participants’ perception of organizational change or stability. there were, however, significant differences between age groups and different work sectors with regard to servant leadership attitudes and behaviors. the results not only contribute to the literature concerning gender and servant leadership but also suggest that future research concerning servant leadership with respect to age and workplace sectors may be warranted