Counselling immigrant adults at an educational institution

The principle of promoting free mobility of citizens has been written into European educational policies. Additionally, the philosophy of educational equality has been clearly included into the educational regulation of most European countries. Furthermore, at the beginning of the twenty-first century the ideas of lifelong learning have been defined to be the goals of improving practice within the educational systems. This means that teachers all over Europe are increasingly facing students with various ethnic backgrounds of all ages and having varied educational backgrounds, life situations and work-experiences and accordingly, being in the need of diverse educational support within educational settings. The growth in demands for equal educational rights for all inevitably strengthens the demands for the development of each teacher’s and counsellor's the skills of the teaching and counselling staff for meeting the individual needs of learners emerging from diverse reasons and counselling them accordingly. However, with this new concentration on the needs of diverse students emerging on issues like immigration, age, race, gender, special educational needs or the like, there seems to be some uncertainty with regards to what the development of these skills might mean for the practices of educational settings, their teachers and other staff and, accordingly, for teacher education training professionals for educational settings. In this article we will provide the reader with a couple of examples of how these challenges have been met within educational settings. Besides offering some examples of good practice of working with immigrant adults we also focus on the challenge of training professionals and in particular to of training teachers working with immigrant adults in educational provisions institutions. With In putting the focus on teachers we would like to underline the importance of every teacher to have having the counselling attitude and skills in his/her everyday practice with immigrant adult learners besides the work done by actual counselling professionals. However, we start our article with by addressing briefly the subject of to adult learners and some grounds of working with immigrant adult learners in educational settings. This starting point provides the conceptual framework for the practical examples to be presented. The first two of these examples are dealing deal with counselling immigrant adult students. They are followed with by examples of some learning tools used in training teachers to work with multicultural adult students

Liikkeentunnistukseen perustuva langaton ohjain Quadrapassel-pelille

Tiivistelmä. Työssä suunniteltiin ja toteutettiin Arduino-pohjainen langaton peliohjainlaite, joka kykenee käsittelemään liikesensoreiden tuottamaa mittausdataa, tunnistamaan datasta määrättyjä kädenliikkeitä ja ohjaamaan näiden perusteella yksinkertaista tietokonepeliä näppäimistön tapaan. Arduino-piirikortin mikrokontrolleri käsittelee liikedatan ja muodostaa sen perusteella sarjamuotoiset ohjauskomennot, jotka tietokoneen tarvitsee vain vastaanottaa langatonta sarjaväylää käyttäen ja muuttaa yksinkertaisella Python-kielisellä ohjelmalla näppäinpainalluksiksi, jotka ohjaavat pelin kulkua. Työssä esitellään lyhyesti liikemittauksessa käytetyt sensorit ja komponentit sekä perehdytään laitteen rakenteeseen ja liikkeentunnistusmenetelmään ja erityisesti Arduinolle kirjoitetun ohjelmakoodin toimintaperiaatteeseen. Lisäksi kuvataan testijärjestely, jossa koehenkilöt pelasivat Quadrapassel-nimistä tietokonepeliä ensin tietokoneen näppäimistöllä ja sen jälkeen peliohjaimella, ja analysoidaan pelituloksia. Työn lopussa pohditaan laitteen jatkokehitysmahdollisuuksia. Laitteella suoritetun pelitestin tuloksista havaittiin, että pelin pelaaminen peliohjaimella oli haastavampaa kuin pelaaminen tietokoneen näppäimistöllä. Mukauttamalla ohjaimen liikkeentunnistusparametreja kullekin pelaajalle sopiviksi pelitulos kuitenkin parani.Motion sensor based wireless controller for the game Quadrapassel. Abstract. The purpose of this Bachelor’s Thesis was to design and implement an Arduino-based, wireless game controller device, capable of processing measurement data provided by motion sensors, detecting certain hand movements from the data and, based on this information, controlling a simple computer game in a way similar to a keyboard. The Arduino microcontroller processes the motion data and composes control commands accordingly, leaving a computer with the responsibility of receiving the commands over a wireless serial bus and, using a simple Python program, translating these commands as keystrokes that control the game. Sensors and components used in motion measurement are briefly introduced, followed by a more thorough look on the structure of the system, the method of motion detection and, in particular, the operating principle of the software written for Arduino. Subsequently, a test arrangement is described, in which test subjects played a computer game called Quadrapassel, at first using a keyboard, and then using the game controller device. Finally, potential steps for further development of the device are considered. Examining the results of the playtest, it was observed that playing the game was more challenging when using the controller, compared to using a keyboard. However, after adjusting motion detection parameters to fit each player’s preferences, game performance improved

Dry demagnetization cryostat for sub-millikelvin helium experiments: Refrigeration and thermometry

We demonstrate successful “dry” refrigeration of quantum fluids down to T = 0.16 mK by using copper nuclear demagnetization stage that is pre-cooled by a pulse-tube-based dilution refrigerator. This type of refrigeration delivers a flexible and simple sub-mK solution to a variety of needs including experiments with superfluid 3He. Our central design principle was to eliminate relative vibrations between the high-field magnet and the nuclear refrigeration stage, which resulted in the minimum heat leak of Q = 4.4 nW obtained in field of 35 mT. For thermometry, we employed a quartz tuning fork immersed into liquid 3He. We show that the fork oscillator can be considered as self-calibrating in superfluid 3He at the crossover point from hydrodynamic into ballistic quasiparticle regime.Peer reviewe

Quantum degeneracy in mesoscopic matter: Casimir effect and Bose-Einstein condensation

The ground-state phonon pressure is an analogue to the famous Casimir pressure of vacuum produced by zero-point photons. The acoustic Casimir forces are, however, many orders of magnitude weaker than the electromagnetic Casimir forces, as the typical speed of sound is 100 000 times smaller than the speed of light. Because of its weakness, zero-point acoustic Casimir pressure was never observed, although the pressure of artificially introduced sound noise on a narrow aperture has been reported. However, the magnitude of Casimir pressure increases as $1/L^3$ with the decrease of the sample size $L$, and reaches picoNewtons in the sub-micron scales. We demonstrate and measure the acoustic Casimir pressure induced by zero-point phonons in solid helium adsorbed on a carbon nanotube. We have also observed Casimir-like "pushing out" thermal phonons with the decreasing temperature or the length. We also show that all thermodynamic quantities are size-dependent, and therefore in the mesoscopic range $L\lesssim\hbar{c}/(k_BT)$ quadruple points are possible on the phase diagram where four different phases coexist. Due to the smallness of solid helium sample, temperature of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of vacancies is relatively high, $10-100$ mK. This allowed us to experimentally discover the BEC in a system of zero-point vacancies, predicted more than 50 years ago

Redo ventral rectopexy : is it worthwhile?

Background Minimally invasive ventral mesh rectopexy (VMR) is a widely used surgical treatment for posterior pelvic organ prolapse; however, evidence of the utility of revisional surgery is lacking. Our aim was to assess the technical details, safety and outcomes of redo minimally invasive VMR for patients with external rectal prolapse (ERP) recurrence or relapsed symptoms of internal rectal prolapse (IRP). Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with recurrent ERP or symptomatic IRP who underwent redo minimally invasive VMR between 2011 and 2016. The study was conducted at three hospitals in Finland. Data collected retrospectively included patient demographics, in addition to perioperative and short-term postoperative findings. At follow-up, all living patients were sent a questionnaire concerning postoperative disease-related symptoms and quality of life. Results A total of 43 redo minimally invasive VMR were performed during the study period. The indication for reoperation was recurrent ERP in 22 patients and relapsed symptoms of IRP in 21 patients. In most operations (62.8%), the previously used mesh was left in situ and a new one was placed. Ten (23.3%) patients experienced complications, including 2 (4.7%) mesh-related complications. The recurrence rate was 4.5% for ERP. Three patients out of 43 were reoperated on for various reasons. One patient required postoperative laparoscopic hematoma evacuation. Patients operated on for recurrent ERP seemed to benefit more from the reoperation. Conclusions Minimally invasive redo VMR appears to be a safe and effective procedure for treating posterior pelvic floor dysfunction with acceptable recurrence and reoperation rates.Peer reviewe

Laparoscopic ventral rectopexy in male patients with external rectal prolapse is associated with a high reoperation rate

Background Laparoscopic ventral rectopexy has been used to treat male patients with external rectal prolapse, but evidence to support this approach is scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of this new abdominal rectopexy surgical technique in men. Methods This was a retrospective multicenter study. Adult male patients who were operated on for external rectal prolapse using ventral rectopexy in five tertiary hospitals in Finland between 2006 and 2014 were included in the study. Patient demographics, detailed operative, postoperative and short-term follow-up data were collected from patient registers in participating hospitals. A questionnaire and informed consent form was sent to all patients. The questionnaire included scores for anal incontinence, obstructed defecation syndrome, urinary symptoms and sexual dysfunction. The main outcome measure was the incidence of recurrent rectal prolapse. Surgical morbidity, the need for surgical repair due to recurrent symptoms and functional outcomes were secondary outcome measures. Results A total of 52 adult male patients with symptoms caused by external rectal prolapse underwent ventral rectopexy. The questionnaire response rate was 64.4 %. Baseline clinical characteristics and perioperative results were similar in the responder and non-responder groups. A total of 9 (17.3 %) patients faced complications. There were two (3.8 %) serious surgical complications during the 30-day period after surgery that necessitated reoperation. None of the complications were mesh related. Recurrence of the prolapse was noticed in nine patients (17 %), and postoperative mucosal anal prolapse symptoms persisted in 11 patients (21 %). As a result, the reoperation rate was high. Altogether, 17 patients (33 %) underwent reoperation during the follow-up period due to postoperative complications or recurrent rectal or mucosal prolapse. According to the postoperative questionnaire data, patients under 40 had good functional results in terms of anal continence, defecation, urinary functions and sexual activity. Conclusions Laparoscopic ventral rectopexy is a safe surgical procedure in male patients with external prolapse. However, a high overall reoperation rate was noticed due to recurrent rectal and residual mucosal prolapse. This suggests that the ventral rectopexy technique should be modified or combined with other abdominal or perineal methods when treating male rectal prolapse patients.Peer reviewe

ANO7 rs77559646 Is Associated With First-line Docetaxel Treatment Response in Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer

Background: Identification of genetic prognostic biomarkers, such as germline variants, are urgently needed to choose optimal treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Patients and Methods: The prognostic value of anoctamin 7 (ANO7) rs77559646 on docetaxel response was tested in a prospective PROSTY randomized trial and a retrospective Auria Biobank set. The variant rs77559646 was genotyped and its association with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was tested. Results: In comparison with the non-carriers, the variant carriers had longer PFS (p=0.005) and OS (p=0.003) in the PROSTY cohort. In the retrospective cohort, there was a borderline association with PFS (p=0.09), but not in OS (p=0.9). In both cohorts, Cox regression multivariate models revealed that rs77559646 was an independent prognostic factor for favourable PFS. Conclusion: The rs77559646 was shown to be a prognostic germline biomarker for better response to docetaxel treatments. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a non-coding germline variant has been associated with chemotherapy of mCRPC

Nuclear microRNA-466c regulates Vegfa expression in response to hypoxia

MicroRNAs are well characterized in their role in silencing gene expression by targeting 3´-UTR of mRNAs in cytoplasm. However, recent studies have shown that miRNAs have a role in the regulation of genes in the nucleus, where they are abundantly located. We show here that in mouse endothelial cell line (C166), nuclear microRNA miR-466c participates in the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor a (Vegfa) gene expression in hypoxia. Upregulation of Vegfa expression in response to hypoxia was significantly compromised after removal of miR-466c with CRISPR-Cas9 genomic deletion. We identified a promoter-associated long non-coding RNA on mouse Vegfa promoter and show that miR-466c directly binds to this transcript to modulate Vegfa expression. Collectively, these observations suggest that miR-466c regulates Vegfa gene transcription in the nucleus by targeting the promoter, and expands on our understanding of the role of miRNAs well beyond their canonical role

Reference values of whole-blood fatty acids by age and sex from European children aged 3-8 years

OBJECTIVES: To establish reference values for fatty acids (FA) especially for n-3 and n-6 long-chain polyunsaturated FAs (LC PUFA) in whole-blood samples from apparently healthy 3-8-year-old European children. The whole-blood FA composition was analysed and the age-and sex-specific distribution of FA was determined. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: Blood samples for FA analysis were taken from 2661 children of the IDEFICS (identification and prevention of dietary-and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) study cohort. Children with obesity (n = 454) and other diseases that are known to alter the FA composition (n = 450) were excluded leaving 1653 participants in the reference population. MEASUREMENTS: The FA composition of whole blood was analysed from blood drops by a rapid, validated gas chromatographic method. RESULTS: Pearson correlation coefficients showed an age-dependent increase of C18:2n-6 and a decrease of C18:1n-9 in a subsample of normal weight boys and girls. Other significant correlations with age were weak and only seen either in boys or in girls, whereas most of the FA did not show any age dependence. For age-dependent n-3 and n-6 PUFA as well as for other FA that are correlated with age (16:0, C18:0 and C18:1n-9) percentiles analysed with the general additive model for location scale and shape are presented. A higher median in boys than in girls was observed for C20:3n-6, C20:4n-6 and C22:4n-6. CONCLUSIONS: Given the reported associations between FA status and health-related outcome, the provision of FA reference ranges may be useful for the interpretation of the FA status of children in epidemiological and clinical studies

Secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (SFRP2) expression promotes lesion proliferation via canonical WNT signaling and indicates lesion borders in extraovarian endometriosis

STUDY QUESTION: What is the role of SFRP2 in endometriosis?SUMMARY ANSWER: SFRP2 acts as a canonical WNT/CTNNBI signaling agonist in endometriosis, regulating endometriosis lesion growth and indicating endometriosis lesion borders together with CTNNBI (also known as beta catenin).WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Endometriosis is a common, chronic disease that affects women of reproductive age, causing pain and infertility, and has significant economic impact on national health systems. Despite extensive research, the pathogenesis of endometriosis is poorly understood, and targeted medical treatments are lacking. WNT signaling is dysregulated in various human diseases, but its role in extraovarian endometriosis has not been fully elucidated.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: We evaluated the significance of WNT signaling, and especially secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (SFRP2), in extraovarian endometriosis, including peritoneal and deep lesions. The study design was based on a cohort of clinical samples collected by laparoscopy or curettage and questionnaire data from healthy controls and endometriosis patients.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Global gene expression analysis in human endometrium ( n = 104) and endometriosis (n = 177) specimens from 47 healthy controls and 103 endometriosis patients was followed by bioinformatics and supportive qPCR analyses. Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, primary cell culture and siRNA knockdown approaches were used to validate the findings.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Among the 220 WNT signaling and CTNNBI target genes analysed, 184 genes showed differential expression in extraovarian endometriosis (P < 0.05) compared with endometrium tissue, including SFRP2 and CTNNI. Menstrual cycle-dependent regulation of WNT genes observed in the endometrium was lost in endometriosis lesions, as shown by hierarchical clustering. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that SFRP2 and CTNNBI are novel endometriosis lesion border markers, complementing immunostaining for the known marker CD10 (also known as MME). SFRP2 and CTNNBI localized similarly in both the epithelium and stroma of extraovarian endometriosis tissue, and interestingly, both also indicated an additional distant lesion border, suggesting that WNT signaling is altered in the endometriosis stroma beyond the primary border indicated by the known marker CD10. SFRP2 expression was positively associated with pain symptoms experienced by patients (P < 0.05), and functional loss of SFRP2 in extraovarian endometriosis primary cell cultures resulted in decreased cell proliferation (P < 0.05) associated with reduced CTNNBI protein expression (P = 0.05).LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION: SFRP2 and CTNNBI improved extraovarian endometriosis lesion border detection in a relatively small cohort (n = 20), although larger studies with different endometriosis subtypes in variable cycle phases and under hormonal medication are required.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The highly expressed SFRP2 and CTNNBI improve endometriosis lesion border detection, which can have clinical implications for better visualization of endometriosis lesions over CD10. Furthermore, SFRP2 acts as a canonical WNT/CTNNBI signaling agonist in endometriosis and positively regulates endometriosis lesion growth, suggesting that the WNT pathway may be an important therapeutic target for endometriosis