Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from vocational education and training

Abstract The aim of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the reasons for low or high academic motivation among practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from vocational education and training. The research data consisted of semi-structured interviews with 14 Finnish students, which were analysed by qualitative content analysis. The analysis identified six motivational sources. Two of these sources — Responsible agency and Completing out of necessity — were related to engagement in studying, whereas two other sources — Exhaustion from learning challenges and Tight-roping between competing responsibilities — were related to disengagement from studying. Emotional drive and Social orientation were ambivalent motivation sources, partly pushing towards engagement as well as to disengagement, depending on the circumstances. Overall, the complicated reasons for low or high motivation were found to be heterogeneous and, consequently, the ways to support students may also vary

Ensuring Diverse User Experiences and Accessibility While Developing the TeSLA e-Assessment System

The TeSLA project, with its new, innovative approaches for e-assessment, offers a great possibility for increasing the educational equality and making higher education studies available for all. It has been estimated that 10–15% of students in higher education institutions have some disabilities or special educational needs. At online universities or in online programmes, the number is even higher. These numbers emphasise the importance of the universal design for learning as a leading principle while developing the digital learning environments and e-assessment procedures. In this chapter, we describe the key elements of ensuring the accessibility of the TeSLA e-assessment system during the TeSLA project. In the cooperation among seven universities participating in TeSLA pilots, different national or institutional rules and ways of meeting the students’ individual needs have been recognised. The main goal of the project, in terms of accessibility, has been developing an instrument that is accessible and easy to use for all types of students. We also discuss technical and pedagogical solutions that support use of the TeSLA e-assessment system by diverse students.peerReviewe

Hydroperoxide production from linoleic acid by heterologous Gaeumannomyces graminis tritici lipoxygenase: Optimization and scale-up

Linoleic acid was converted into hydroperoxides by a Gaeumannomyces graminis tritici lipoxygenase produced recombinantly in Trichoderma reesei. Hydroperoxide production was optimized using a face-centred experimental design in order to study the effects of pH, temperature and time on the conversion of linoleic acid into four regioisomeric hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acids (HPODE): 13-(Z,E)-, 9-(E,Z)-, 13-(E,E)-, 9-(E,E)-HPODE. Fitting equations described satisfactorily the system behavior and showed that reaction time was the most influencing independent variable. A set of independent variables (pH = 6.7, temperature = 23.9 degrees C and time = 18 h) allowed to obtain high yields of hydroperoxides (88.0%) with a good selectivity for the 13-(Z,E)-HPODE isomer (47.4%) when the initial substrate concentration was 10 g/L. The production was further investigated using industrially relevant linoleic acid concentrations (100-300 g/L) leading to HPODE yields of similar to 40% and the volumetric productivity 3.6 g/(L h), and a selectivity for 13-(Z,E)-HPODE of around 74%. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Quorum Sensing Signalling and Biofilm Formation of Brewery-Derived Bacteria, and Inhibition of Signalling by Natural Compounds

Bacteria use quorum sensing signalling in various functions, e.g. while forming biofilms, and inhibition of this signalling could be one way to control biofilm formation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the production of signalling molecules and its correlation with the biofilm formation capability of bacteria isolated from brewery filling process. A further aim was to study berry extracts and wood-derived terpenes for their possible quorum sensing inhibitory effects. Out of the twenty bacteria studied, five produced short-chain and five long-chain AHL (acyl homoserine lactone) signalling molecules when tested with the Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 reporter bacterium. Production of AI-2 (autoinducer-2) signalling molecules was detected from nine strains with the Vibrio harveyi BB170 bioassay. Over half of the strains produced biofilm in the microtitre plate assay, but the production of AHL and AI-2 signalling molecules and biofilm formation capability did not directly correlate with each other. Out of the 13 berry extracts and wood-derived terpenes screened, four compounds decreased AHL signalling without effect on growth. These were betulin, raspberry extract and two cloudberry extracts. The effect of these compounds on biofilm formation of the selected six bacterial strains varied. The phenolic extract of freeze-dried cloudberry fruit caused a statistically significant reduction of biofilm formation of Obesumbacterium proteus strain. Further experiments should aim at identifying the active compounds and revealing whether quorum sensing inhibition causes structural changes in the biofilms formed