Instructional Theories of Exploratory Production

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Supporting Craft Sense in Early Education

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Learners’ Conceptions of Techno-Risk Tolerance

Conference PATT-32, Technology Education for 21st Century Skills, Utrecht, The Netherlands, August 23-26, 2016. PATT-32 Proceeding: Technology Education for 21st Century Skills. Ed. by Marc de Vries, Arien Bekker-Holtland and Gerald van Dijk.Peer reviewe

Instructional Theories of the Exploratory Production

This research examines how the instructional theories of the exploratory production model are used in technology education. The data was gathered in the teacher training practice period during master’s level teacher training in technology education. The four most learner-centred instructional theories are described and examples from the teacher practice provided. The empirical descriptions are based on the student teacher portfolios and the supervisor interviews. The cases reveal that the more open the learner-centred instructions the student teacher uses, the more multifaceted the learning is. Also, the learning is more intrinsically motivated and thereby deeper as regards the learners’ own life-world. Varying between the different instructions helps student teachers to organize their classroom techniques and motivate learners through meaningful learning and collaboration. The instructional theories are applicable in differentiating teaching and learning between groups and between the learners within a particular group. </p

Experiences of Classroom Techniques and Learning Outcomes

This article is a part of a research project that is aimed to explore how the background variables of learning are related to learning outcomes in a Sloyd subject, internationally referred to as Craft, Design and Technology. The research question of this article is: “How are ninth grade pupils’ experiences of classroom techniques related to their learning outcomes?” The empirical data is based on an evaluation by the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE). The data (n = 4,792) was collected by stratified sampling from 152 schools. The data of pupils’ experiences of classroom techniques was gathered in a specified questionnaire using a narrowed sample (n = 1,548). Three main orientations for learning were found: Learner-Centred Learning, Teacher-Directed Learning and Collaborative Learning. Furthermore, two orientations were formed of technical and textile technology areas of the subject. Analysis revealed that participating in either classes of technical technology area or textile-technology area predicted success in the other area as well. Thus, learning outcomes in one area correlate with the learning outcomes in the other. Due to this result, the effects of learning orientations were analysed separately for both technology areas. Experiences of Learner-Centred Learning predicted success in technical technology area while experiences of Teacher-Directed Learning predicted success in textile technology area. Collaborative Learning didn’t predict success in either of the areas. The results can be applied in developing the subject more towards the learners’ point of view

Impaired long-term outcomes of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder after coronary artery bypass surgery : nationwide case-control study

Background Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder have increased risk of coronary artery disease. Aims To investigate long-term outcomes of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder and coronary artery disease after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). Method Data from patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (n = 126) were retrospectively compared with propensity-matched (1:20) control patients without schizophrenia spectrum disorder (n = 2520) in a multicentre study in Finland. All patients were treated with CABG. The median follow-up was 7.1 years. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Results Patients with diagnosed schizophrenia spectrum disorder had an elevated risk of 10-year mortality after CABG, compared with control patients (42.7 v. 30.3%; hazard ratio 1.56; 95% CI 1.13-2.17; P = 0.008). Schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis was associated with a higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events during follow-up (49.9 v. 32.6%, subdistribution hazard ratio 1.59; 95% CI 1.18-2.15; P = 0.003). Myocardial infarction (subdistribution hazard ratio 1.86; P = 0.003) and cardiovascular mortality (subdistribution hazard ratio 1.65; P = 0.017) were more frequent in patients with versus those without schizophrenia spectrum disorder, but there was no difference for stroke. Psychiatric ward admission, antipsychotic medication, antidepressant use and benzodiazepine use before CABG were not associated with outcome differences. After CABG, patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder received statin therapy less often and had lower doses; the use of other cardiovascular medications was similar between schizophrenia spectrum and control groups. Conclusions Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder have higher long-term risks of death and major adverse cardiovascular events after CABG. The results underline the vulnerability of these patients and highlight the importance of intensive secondary prevention and risk factor optimisation.Peer reviewe

Global transcriptional response to carbonic anhydrase IX deficiency in the mouse stomach

Background Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are a family of enzymes that regulate pH homeostasis in various tissues. CA IX is an exceptional member of this family because in addition to the basic CA function, it has been implicated in several other physiological and pathological processes. Functions suggested for CA IX include roles in cell adhesion and malignant cell invasion. In addition, CA IX likely regulates cell proliferation and differentiation, which was demonstrated in Car9-/- mice. These mice had gastric pit cell hyperplasia and depletion of chief cells; however, the specific molecular mechanisms behind the observed phenotypes remain unknown. Therefore, we wanted to study the effect of CA IX deficiency on whole-genome gene expression in gastric mucosa. This was done using Illumina Sentrix®Mouse-6 Expression BeadChip arrays. The expression of several genes with notable fold change values was confirmed by QRT-PCR. Results CA IX deficiency caused the induction of 86 genes and repression of 46 genes in the gastric mucosa. There was 92.9% concordance between the results obtained by microarray analysis and QRT-PCR. The differentially expressed genes included those involved in developmental processes and cell differentiation. In addition, CA IX deficiency altered the expression of genes responsible for immune responses and downregulated the expression of several digestive enzymes. Conclusions Microarray analysis identified several potential genes whose altered expression could explain the disturbed cell lineage phenotype in the Car9-/- gastric mucosa. The results also indicated a novel role for CA IX in the regulation of immunologic processes and digestion. These findings reinforce the concept that the main role of CA IX is not the regulation of pH in the stomach mucosa. Instead, it is needed for proper function of several physiological processes.BioMed Central Open acces

A Preconscious Neural Mechanism of Hypnotically Altered Colors : A Double Case Study

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Peripheral α2-adrenoceptor antagonism affects the absorption of intramuscularly coadministered drugs

Objective: We determined the possible effects of a peripherally acting alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist, MK-467, on the absorption of intramuscularly (IM) co-administered medetomidine, butorphanol and midazolam. Study design: Randomized, experimental, blinded cross-over study. Animals: Six healthy Beagle dogs. Methods: Two IM treatments were administered: 1) medetomidine hydrochloride (20 μg kg-1) + butorphanol (100 μg kg-1) + midazolam (200 μg kg-1) (MBM), and; 2) MBM + MK-467 hydrochloride (500 μg kg-1) (MBM-MK), mixed in a syringe. Heart rate was recorded at regular intervals. Sedation was assessed with visual analog scales (0 – 100 mm). Drug concentrations in plasma were analyzed with liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry, with chiral separation of dex- and levomedetomidine. Maximum drug concentrations in plasma (Cmax) and time to Cmax (Tmax) were determined. Paired t-tests, with Bonferroni correction when appropriate, were used for comparisons between the treatments. Results: Data from five dogs were analyzed. Heart rate was significantly higher from 20 until 90 minutes after MBM-MK. The Tmax for midazolam and levomedetomidine (mean ± standard deviation) were approximately halved with co-administration of MK-467, from 23 ± 9 to 11 ± 6 minutes (p = 0.049) for midazolam and from 32 ± 15 to 18 ± 6 minutes for levomedetomidine (p = 0.036), respectively. Conclusions and clinical relevance: MK-467 accelerated the absorption of IM co-administered drugs. This is clinically relevant as it may hasten the onset of peak sedative effects.Peer reviewe

PROX1 transcription factor controls rhabdomyosarcoma growth, stemness, myogenic properties and therapeutic targets

Funding Information: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We would like to thank Dr. Tuomas Tammela and Dr. Monika Ehnmann for providing RMS cell lines and Dr. Jenny Högström for discussions and comments during the project. Kirsi Mattinen, Jefim Brodkin, Maxime Laird, Manon Gruchet, Ilse Paetau, Tanja Laakkonen, and Tapio Tainola are acknowledged for their excellent technical help. We also thank the Laboratory Animal Center at the University of Helsinki for expert animal care, the Biomedicum Imaging Unit for microscope support, the Biomedicum Functional Genomics Unit for the RNAseq experiments and the FIMM Technology Centre High Throughput Biomedicine for the drug sensitivity and resistance testing. Our first findings on PROX1 involvement in RMS and analyses presented in this study were made in the Translational Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki and Wihuri Research Institute. The work was funded by the Cancer Foundation Finland sr., Barncancerfonden, the Academy of Finland (grants 297245, 320185, 292816, 273817, and 307366), the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Children’s Cancer Foundation Väre, the Doctoral School of Biomedicine, iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, K. Albin Johanssons stiftelse sr., and The Hospital District of Helsinki, Uusimaa Research Grants (THY2019202 and TYH202102). Funding Information: We would like to thank Dr. Tuomas Tammela and Dr. Monika Ehnmann for providing RMS cell lines and Dr. Jenny Högström for discussions and comments during the project. Kirsi Mattinen, Jefim Brodkin, Maxime Laird, Manon Gruchet, Ilse Paetau, Tanja Laakkonen, and Tapio Tainola are acknowledged for their excellent technical help. We also thank the Laboratory Animal Center at the University of Helsinki for expert animal care, the Biomedicum Imaging Unit for microscope support, the Biomedicum Functional Genomics Unit for the RNAseq experiments and the FIMM Technology Centre High Throughput Biomedicine for the drug sensitivity and resistance testing. Our first findings on PROX1 involvement in RMS and analyses presented in this study were made in the Translational Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki and Wihuri Research Institute. The work was funded by the Cancer Foundation Finland sr., Barncancerfonden, the Academy of Finland (grants 297245, 320185, 292816, 273817, and 307366), the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Children’s Cancer Foundation Väre, the Doctoral School of Biomedicine, iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, K. Albin Johanssons stiftelse sr., and The Hospital District of Helsinki, Uusimaa Research Grants (THY2019202 and TYH202102). Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 the Author(s).Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an aggressive pediatric soft-tissue cancer with features of skeletal muscle. Because of poor survival of RMS patients and severe long-term side effects of RMS therapies, alternative RMS therapies are urgently needed. Here we show that the prospero-related homeobox 1 (PROX1) transcription factor is highly expressed in RMS tumors regardless of their cell type of origin. We demonstrate that PROX1 is needed for RMS cell clonogenicity, growth and tumor formation. PROX1 gene silencing repressed several myogenic and tumorigenic transcripts and transformed the RD cell transcriptome to resemble that of benign mesenchymal stem cells. Importantly, we found that fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) mediated the growth effects of PROX1 in RMS. Because of receptor cross-compensation, paralog-specific FGFR inhibition did not mimic the effects of PROX1 silencing, whereas a pan-FGFR inhibitor ablated RMS cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Our findings uncover the critical role of PROX1 in RMS and offer insights into the mechanisms that regulate RMS development and growth. As FGFR inhibitors have already been tested in clinical phase I/II trials in other cancer types, our findings provide an alternative option for RMS treatment.Peer reviewe