The Transformation of Creativity in Entrepreneurial Learning in Teacher Education: A Critical Reflection

The purpose of this study is to examine how students on a teacher education programme interpret entrepreneurial learning. The study was performed in Sweden, based on a design theoretical and multimodal perspective on learning and communication which provides the basis for how we understand learning processes in early teacher education. The sample consists of course literature, teachers’ PowerPoint presentations and handouts, and narrative texts written by students. The meaning given to entrepreneurial learning is presented from the analysis of the setting, in the teaching materials and the transformation in the students’ texts. We conclude that entrepreneurial learning seeks to challenge traditional, authoritarian ways of teaching. However, it appears to be necessary in order to develop entrepreneurial abilities. There is a difficulty in finding a balance between control and freedom

Besökarnas tankar

Tillsammans med åtta av Sveriges naturum genomförde Centrum för naturvägledning projektet Thought listing i naturum under sommarhalvåret 2013. Projektets syfte var att praktiskt prova en metod för kvalitativ utvärdering av naturums verksamhet. Metoden går ut på att genom korta intervjuer försöka fånga de tankar som besökare uttrycker. I detta fall efter besök i naturums basutställningar. Tankarna ska samlas, kategoriseras och jämföras med en toleranszon som formuleras utifrån utställningens syfte. Totalt genomfördes 145 intervjuer. Frågan om vad besökaren tänker uppfattas ofta som en fråga om vad man tycker. Många besökare svarar därmed vad de tycker om utställningens form och/eller lämplighet för olika målgrupper (som till exempel barn). Många svarar också ganska kortfattat att det är intressant och lärorikt. Följdfrågor om vad man uppfattar som utställningens budskap eller tema, vad de som gjorde utställningen hade för syfte, vad man skulle berätta för en vän eller vilka känslor utställningen väcker, lockar ibland fram mer utvecklade svar. Men då bara indirekt om vad besökaren själv tänker. En stor del av svaren redovisar tankar om fakta man tagit del av och till sig i naturum och vad man lärt sig om naturtyper, djur, växter och geologi. Tankar om dessa ämnen uttrycks ofta ganska allmänt: om fåglar, livet i sjön och betydelsen av bete. Eller så återger man rena faktauppgifter, som hur stor landhöjningen är, hur lång en mal kan bli eller vad en varg väger. Svar som handlar om tankar som väckts hos besökaren utan att direktreferera till faktainnehåll ges också. De uttrycker till exempel reflektioner omnaturens värde, naturtyper och mångfald. Om sammanhang och relationer mellan dåtid, nutid och framtid. Människans relation till och hur vi påverkar naturen.Landskapets föränderlighet. Människans avtryck genom skogbruk och vindkraft. Behovet av naturskydd och naturvård. Samt den egna relationen till platsen. Vissa svar handlar om inspiration att ge sig ut i natur, vilket är ett av naturums viktigaste syften. De är inte så vanliga men förekommer. Ett fåtal besökare svarar också att man blivit inspirerade att själv slå en äng eller gå hem och ordna naturskola för sina barnbarn. En intressant fråga att ställa utifrån resultaten av denna studie är om naturvägledning i naturums utställningar kan utvecklas till att stimulera ännu mer tänkande om natur och inte lägga fokus på att lära ut fakta? Är det önskvärt och hur ska det i så fall gå till? Kan ett övergripande tema för utställningarna formuleras? Metoden thought listing (nedan används begreppet ”tankelistning”) (Ham 2013) kan vara ett användbart verktyg för att bättre förstå vilket meningsskapande som sker i besökarens möte med utställningar och annan naturvägledning i naturum. Metoden fungerar bäst när producenten (naturum) är klar över sina syften med produkten så att svaren tydligt kan ställas mot syften och mål. Naturums basutställningar har ofta en bred ambition vad gäller att visa natur. Teman för utställningarna kan därför vara svåra att uppfatta och formulera - vilket vissa naturum också uttrycker. Metoden fungerar möjligen ännu bättre på avgränsade projekt (till exempel en informationsskylt eller en guidad tur) än på hela utsällningar med ett brett fokus. Likaså kan man anta att metoden lämpar sig bättre för aktiviteter eller projekt där naturums personal har egen rådighet över innehållet, vilket oftast inte gäller basutställningarna. Resultat från tankelistning kan användas som ett teoribaserat empiriskt stöd för att formulera eller omformulera syften i den löpande verksamheten och i ett utvecklings- och förändringarbete. I vidare arbete med metoden kan förståelse utvecklas för hur toleranszonen används, samt hur frågan ställs för att undvika de svar som handlar om utställningens design mer än dess innehåll. Former för hur svaren sorteras och analyseras kan också utvecklas. ”Vårt uppdrag är att väcka människors entusiasm för naturen

Short term effect of ovariohysterectomy on urine serotonin, cortisol, testosterone and progesterone in bitches

Objective This study aimed to investigate the short-term effect of ovariohysterectomy on urine levels of serotonin and its relation to levels of cortisol, testosterone and progesterone in female dogs. Seven bitches were studied before surgical ovariohysterectomy and then once a week during 4 weeks. Spontaneously voided urine samples were collected and concentration ratios of hormone/creatinine in urine were analysed. Results The bitches had significantly lower levels of cortisol, testosterone, and progesterone 1 week after ovariohysterectomy compared with before and the levels stayed low throughout the study (P ≤ 0.05). Interestingly, serotonin levels tended to increase 4 weeks after surgery (P = 0.08). A positive correlation between cortisol and progesterone was found before and after surgery. After surgery, serotonin was positively correlated with cortisol and progesterone (P ≤ 0.05)

Comparison of Early and Late Mortality in Men and Women After Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery in Stockholm, Sweden, 1980 to 1989

AbstractObjectives. We sought to analyze early and late mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in relation to gender.Background. Early mortality after CABG is generally higher in women than in men, but the causes are controversial. Few studies have investigated long-term mortality after CABG in relation to gender.Methods. In all, 3,326 men and 607 women underwent isolated CABG in Stockholm from 1980 to 1989. Mortality for these patients was followed by means of the National Cause of Death Register, from the time of operation until the end of 1990. Survival was evaluated by life-table methods and by proportional hazards regression.Results. Early mortality (within 30 days) was 3% in women and 1.7% in men, corresponding to a relative risk of 1.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0 to 3.0) in women compared with men. When age and body surface area were taken into account, the relative risk was 1.0 (95% CI 0.5 to 2.0), which was not markedly different but multivariate analyses that included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, previous myocardial infarction, left ventricular function and number of diseased vessels. Only small gender differences in mortality were observed for 5 years after the operation among those who survived for 30 days.Conclusions. The results suggest that men and women run similar risks of early and late mortality after CABG when patient characteristics are taken into account.(J Am Coll Cardiol 1997;29:659–64

Exploring phylogeny of Rhodococcus fascians isolates using 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis

Rhodococcus fascians is a Gram-positive, pleiomorphic actinomycete that causes leafy gall formation in a wide range of plant hosts. This particular phytopathogen has been a focus of research at the Oregon State University Plant Clinic, a diagnostic laboratory. Phylogeny of R. fascians isolates obtained from Plant Clinic submissions was determined with 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) sequence analysis with sequence primers designed to amplify specific regions of R. fascians 16S rDNA. A preliminary set of 21 Plant Clinic isolates was sequenced at the USDA/ARS Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit in Beltsville, MD. Partial 16S rDNA sequences from the preliminary analysis were used to identify related database sequences of R. fascians isolated from non-plant environments with a nucleotide blast algorithm through the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Phylogenetic analysis contained 84 R. fascians rDNA sequences; 70 Plant Clinic isolates, 14 related database isolates, and an outgroup of Proteobacteria. Three phylogenetic clades were identified according to most related database isolates: the Microbacteriaceae, CAGY6, and deep-sea actinomycetes. The 70 identified Plant Clinic isolates colonized a wide range of hosts including 21 different plant genera, and phylogeny was not dependent on the host species

"Om motorn är trasig spelar det ingen roll hur mycket bensin man fyller på" En studie av biståndets effekter på det civila samhället i Tanzania

Tanzania is today one of the greatest aid recipients in the world, but still - after over 45 years of huge amounts of aid - one of the poorest and least developed countries. How can that be? Civil society is said to benefit the democratization process, but has not succeed in Tanzania. Has the extensive aid had any impact? Our purpose is to investigate this set of problems. We are using theories concerning civil society and aid in general, and the theoretical framework developed by Hadenius and Uggla ?Making Civil Society Work, Promoting Democratic Development: What Can States and Donors Do??, in particular. We attempt to apply these theories on the case of Tanzania, to be able to analyze the effects of foreign aid on civil society. We are then going to, based on the results, scrutinize the new development strategies carried out by the Tanzanian government in cooperation with the aid donors, to see if they can influence civil society in a positive way. Our findings let us conclude that the above mentioned strategies might reduce aid dependency if the state implements them well, but the chance that the strategies will provide autonomous organizations is limited

Development problems were common five years after positive screening for language disorders and, or, autism at 2.5 years of age

Aim: This study identified whether children who had screened positive for either developmental language disorder (DLD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of 2.5 years had neurodevelopmental assessments five years later. Methods: Our study cohort were 288 children born from 1 July 2008 to 20 June 2009 who screened positive for DLD and, or, ASD at 2.5 years. Of these, 237 children were referred to, and assessed, at the Paediatric Speech and Language Pathology clinic (n = 176) or the Child Neuropsychiatry Clinic (n = 61) at the Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. Clinical registers covering all relevant outpatient clinics were reviewed five years later with regard to established diagnoses. Results: When the 237 were followed up five years later, 96 (40%) had established neurodevelopmental disorders or problems, often beyond DLD and ASD. Co‐existing problems were common in this cohort and multidisciplinary assessments were indicated. The other 60% did not appear in subsequent clinic records. It is likely that this 40% was a minimum rate and that more children will be referred for developmental problems later. Conclusion: Five years after they had been screened positive for DLD and, or autism at2.5 years, 40% of our cohort had remaining or other developmental problems

Conformational stability and activity analysis of two hydroxymethylbilane synthase mutants, K132N and V215E, with different phenotypic association with acute intermittent porphyria

The autosomal dominantly inherited disease AIP (acute intermittent porphyria) is caused by mutations in HMBS [hydroxymethylbilane synthase; also known as PBG (porphobilinogen) deaminase], the third enzyme in the haem biosynthesis pathway. Enzyme-intermediates with increasing number of PBG molecules are formed during the catalysis of HMBS. In this work, we studied the two uncharacterized mutants K132N and V215E comparative with wt (wild- type) HMBS and to the previously reported AIP-associated mutants R116W, R167W and R173W. These mainly present defects in conformational stability (R116W), enzyme kinetics (R167W) or both (R173W). A combination of native PAGE, CD, DSF (differential scanning fluorimetry) and ion-exchange chromatography was used to study conformational stability and activity of the recombinant enzymes. We also investigated the distribution of intermediates corresponding to specific elongation stages. It is well known that the thermostability of HMBS increases when the DPM (dipyrromethane) cofactor binds to the apoenzyme and the holoenzyme is formed. Interestingly, a decrease in thermal stability was measured concomitant to elongation of the pyrrole chain, indicating a loosening of the structure prior to product release. No conformational or kinetic defect was observed for the K132N mutant, whereas V215E presented lower conformational stability and probably a perturbed elongation process. This is in accordance with the high association of V215E with AIP. Our results contribute to interpret the molecular mechanisms for dysfunction of HMBS mutants and to establish genotype–phenotype relations for AIP.publishedVersio

Growth rate and behaviour in separated, partially separated or non-separated kids and the corresponding milk production of their mothers

We address the hypothesis that keeping kids and mothers together would have positive effects on the milk composition of the mother and the behaviour of the kids. Kids were either permanently separated (SEP), daily separated between 7.30 and 15 h (DAY-SEP) or kept with mothers 24 h/d (NON-SEP). The NON-SEP kids were only allowed to suckle one teat. All kids had similar growth rate throughout the study (lactation days 5–70). DAY-SEP kids spent 24% of their time with their mother at both ages. NON-SEP spent only 15% of the time with their mothers at 2 weeks of age and this increased to 28% at 2 months of age. NON-SEP kids showed more hiding behaviour at 2 weeks and SEP were more active alone, at both 2 weeks and 2 months, compared to the other treatments. The mean available milk yield and fat concentration were higher in DAY-SEP goats (2420 g ± 119 g and 4.9 ± 0.1%) compared with NON-SEP goats (2149 ± 79 g and 4.4 ± 0.1%). There were no differences between DAY-SEP and NON-SEP goats in total protein, lactose, or casein concentrations. Based on these data it was estimated that 7.1 kg milk was needed to produce 1 kg semi-hard cheese in DAY-SEP goats and 7.5 kg in NON-SEP goats, respectively. When comparing milk yield and composition between udder halves, the milk yield was, as expected, higher from the machine milked teat than from the suckled one in the NON-SEP goats but there was no difference between right and left udder halves in DAY-SEP goats. Milk fat concentration varied between teats at morning and afternoon milkings in NON-SEP goats, but there was no difference in milk fat between udder-halves in DAY-SEP goats. In conclusion, the kid growth rate was similar in all treatments, however, an altered behaviour was seen in permanently separated kids (SEP). The results show that it is possible to have a high milk yield and fat concentration with one kid together with the dam

Play in retrospection

The aim of this study is to analyze and describe how adults with visual disability, motor disability and Asperger syndrome retrospectively identify and experience play in their childhood. Fifteen adults, aged 25 to 76 years, were interviewed about their play experiences. A qualitative approach was adopted with the aim to describe qualitatively different experiences of play. The findings indicate that play experiences merge like mirror images with participation and exclusion as two divergent sides of play. The data suggest that niches for play experiences include three components related to participation and exclusion: a personal component, a social component and an environmental component. Type of disability is one of many aspects making up the three components without being a central feature within any of the components. Type of disability affects personal characteristics and preferences, form of social interaction and the environmental requirements for participating in play but not the experience of play per se. Unique to this study is the importance assigned to the concept of niche. Perceived niches are based on memories and also influence the construction of memories. Thus, they function as a link between perceptions of experiences of play from childhood to adulthood