Problemstillingar rundt framføring av transkribert musikk - Ei analyse av Bach/Busoni: Chaconne i d-moll

Ei samanlikning og analyse av Busoni sin transkripsjon av Bach sin Chaconne frå partita nr. 2 for solofiolin

‘Grounding' ecosystem-based adaptation in the Western Cape Province

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) advocates that well-functioning ecosystems are critical for building resilience and supporting society's adaptation to the adverse impacts of climate change. The National Department of Environmental Affairs, Fisheries and Forestry in South Africa has decided to mainstream EbA into its climate response actions, developing a strategy and set of guidelines to steer implementation. However, little work has been done to grasp different actors' perspectives and understandings of EbA, its implementation and how to link EbA to existing related projects and programmes that focus on natural resource management and ecological restoration. This research presents findings from a qualitative study in the Western Cape that sought to investigate what EbA means ‘on the ground' and how it can be actioned. The objectives for this research were to 1) unpack how government actors in the Western Cape relate to, understand and give meaning to EbA in their specific and existing work contexts and how they relate EbA to other concepts such as green infrastructure, restoration and various forms of natural resource management (NRM); 2) explore the concerns and challenges encountered and what support is needed to implement EbA within each actor's sector; and 3) interpret what the findings mean for future conceptualization, and promotion of EbA mainstreaming in the Western Cape. Semi-structured interviews with 19 government officials and participant observation at EbA related events in South Africa were the main methods used in the research. Findings suggest that despite some conceptual confusion related to EbA, EbA can be ‘grounded based on the three spheres EbA explicitly builds on; namely biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, climate change adaptation and socio-economic benefits. That said, the study also found that practitioners might struggle to successfully address climate change as one of the critical areas of EbA, due to the difficulties of integrating climate change science and projections into projects. In addition, three challenges were identified that relate to funding availability, silo mentality and the mismatch between short-term objectives and decision making in government, and the need for long-term thinking and planning. Increased climate change understanding together with effective demonstration and the use of applicable language that relates to what the different actors are already doing can help improve EbA uptake and mainstreaming, as well as address the challenges related to conceptual confusion, funding, silo mentality and short-term thinking

Hvordan arbeider pedagogisk leder sammen med sine ansatte for inkludering av flerspråklig barn i lek?

I møte med flerspråklige barn i praksis fikk jeg erfaringer med at det kan være utfordrende å delta i fellesskapet og lek når de ikke snakker fellesspråket. Jeg landet derfor på inkludering av flerspråklig barn i lek som tema i min bachelor oppgave. I praksis la jeg merke til noen av barna med flerspråklig bakgrunn lekte mye alene eller sammen med en voksen. Vi reflekterte og drøftet sammen i personalet om hva vi voksne kunne gjøre for å hjelpe barna som ikke pratet fellesspråket inn i lek med andre barn. Hvordan personalet arbeider med å legge til rette for inkludering av flerspråklig barn i lek ble et spørsmål jeg ønsket å se nærmere på. Jeg lekte litt med flere problemstillinger, men de endelige problemstillingene ble: Hvordan arbeider pedagogisk leder sammen sine ansatte for å inkludere flerspråklig barn i lek?publishedVersio

Rapid real-time PCR detection of Listeria monocytogenes in enriched food samples based on the ssrA gene, a novel diagnostic target

A real-time PCR assay was designed to detect a 162-bp fragment of the ssrA gene in Listeria monocytogenes. The specificity of the assay for L. monocytogenes was confirmed against a panel of 6 Listeria species and 26 other bacterial species. A detection limit of 1-10 genome equivalents was determined for the assay. Application of the assay in natural and artificially contaminated culture enriched foods, including soft cheese, meat, milk, vegetables and fish, enabled detection of 1-5 CFU L. monocytogenes per 25g/ml of food sample in 30h. The performance of the assay was compared with the Roche Diagnostics 'LightCycler foodproof Listeria monocytogenes Detection Kit'. Both methods detected L. monocytogenes in all artificially contaminated retail samples (n=27) and L. monocytogenes was not detected by either system in 27 natural retail food samples. The method developed in this study has the potential to enable the specific detection of L. monocytogenes in a variety of food types in a time-frame considerably faster than current standard methods. The potential of the ssrA gene as a nucleic acid diagnostic (NAD) target has been demonstrated in L. monocytogenes. We are currently developing NAD tests based on the ssrA gene for a range of common foodborne and clinically relevant bacterial pathogens

Propidium Monoazide Integrated with qPCR Enables the Detection and Enumeration of Infectious Enteric RNA and DNA Viruses in Clam and Fermented Sausages

The increase of foodborne viral outbreaks highlights the need for a rapid and sensitive method for the prediction of viral infectivity in food samples. This study assesses the use of propidium monoazide (PMA) coupled with real-time PCR methods (RT-qPCR or qPCR for RNA or DNA viruses, respectively) in the determination of viral infectivity in complex animal-related food matrices. Clam and Spanish fermented sausage (“chorizo”) samples were spiked with infectious and heat-inactivated human adenovirus-2 (HAdV-2) and mengovirus (vMC0). PMA-qPCR/RT-qPCR discriminated infective virus particles, with significant reductions (>2.7 log10 or 99.7%). Additionally, infectious HAdV-2 and vMC0 were quantified by plaque assay (in plaque forming units, PFU), and compared with those in virus genomes copies (GCs) quantified by PMA-qPCR/RT-qPCR. A consistent correlation (R2 > 0.92) was showed between PFU and GCs along serial 10-fold dilutions in both DNA and RNA virus and in both food matrices. This study shows the use of PMA coupled to qPCR/RT-qPCR as a promising alternative for prediction of viral infectivity in food samples in comparison to more expensive and time-consuming methods and for those viruses that are not able to grow under available cell culture techniques.ThisstudywasfinanciallysupportedbytheRTA2014-00024- C04-01 fromtheSpanishMinistryofEconomyandInnovation and theBrazilianCNPqProjectnumber472804/2013-8,andby CAPES/PNPD andCAPES/PDSE

Quantification Bias Caused by Plasmid DNA Conformation in Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assay

Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is the gold standard for the quantification of specific nucleic acid sequences. However, a serious concern has been revealed in a recent report: supercoiled plasmid standards cause significant over-estimation in qPCR quantification. In this study, we investigated the effect of plasmid DNA conformation on the quantification of DNA and the efficiency of qPCR. Our results suggest that plasmid DNA conformation has significant impact on the accuracy of absolute quantification by qPCR. DNA standard curves shifted significantly among plasmid standards with different DNA conformations. Moreover, the choice of DNA measurement method and plasmid DNA conformation may also contribute to the measurement error of DNA standard curves. Due to the multiple effects of plasmid DNA conformation on the accuracy of qPCR, efforts should be made to assure the highest consistency of plasmid standards for qPCR. Thus, we suggest that the conformation, preparation, quantification, purification, handling, and storage of standard plasmid DNA should be described and defined in the Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) to assure the reproducibility and accuracy of qPCR absolute quantification

A quantitative PCR (TaqMan) assay for pathogenic Leptospira spp

BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease. The differential diagnosis of leptospirosis is difficult due to the varied and often "flu like" symptoms which may result in a missed or delayed diagnosis. There are over 230 known serovars in the genus Leptospira. Confirmatory serological diagnosis of leptospirosis is usually made using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) which relies on the use of live cultures as the source of antigen, often performed using a panel of antigens representative of local serovars. Other techniques, such as the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and slide agglutination test (SAT), can detect different classes of antibody but may be subject to false positive reactions and require confirmation of these results by the MAT. METHODS: The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used to detect a large number of microorganisms, including those of clinical significance. The sensitivity of PCR often precludes the need for isolation and culture, thus making it ideal for the rapid detection of organisms involved in acute infections. We employed real-time (quantitative) PCR using TaqMan chemistry to detect leptospires in clinical and environmental samples. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The PCR assay can be applied to either blood or urine samples and does not rely on the isolation and culture of the organism. Capability exists for automation and high throughput testing in a clinical laboratory. It is specific for Leptospira and may discriminate pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. The limit of detection is as low as two cells