Projekt Reggio

A preschool with the Reggio Emilia approach to education is a grateful model for cross-border cooperation. The approach is based on a strong belief in human possibilities, a deep respect for the child and a conviction that everybody is born rich and intelligent, with a strong force to explore the world. The environment is seen as the third pedagogue to stimulate and inspire children. (Wallin, 1986) We've contacted Hakefjordsgatans preschool, working with the Reggio Emilia approach. They have invested a lot in the indoor environment, and are now ready to take the approach out to the preschool yard. Our ambition has been to cooperate landscape architect, industrial designer and pedagogues. This has led to both setbacks and successes. In particular, it has brought width and depth to this project. This project starts in workshops, observations and litterature studies. After that, the sketch process and concept formulation takes part. Towards the end, you will take part in our suggestions for renewal. One section is about playful plant material. It all ends with a reflection. Here are a few small glimpses. Karin Wallin* (Wallin, 1986) called the pedagogy of Reggio Emilia, the creative pedagogy. As an outside observer you first notice that the pedagogy is very creative. Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia pedagogy, refused to write down thoughts or laws to follow. But you quickly understand his argument, not wanting to freeze ideas with the risk of them becoming rigid and not further developed. Malaguzzis desire is to inspire, but every situation requires new custom ideas. An important part in creating places for children is to not loosing your imagination. So children can understand that the amazing and almost incomprehensible usually exists in nature. That there is a tree, that smells like newly baked cookies in the autumn and that there is a shrub, having eatable fruit that resembles blue reptiles, that some trees live for hundreds of years and others live only for about a human lifetime. Trying to work outside the box and not use templates is sometimes difficult and time consuming but much more fun. We have in our cooperation understood that we can build environments using plant material and artifacts in a combination. "What is covered under the snow comes in daylight when it melts" is a saying that we want to use but modify. "What is hidden in the greenery in summer will emerge from oblivion during winter" We want to create unexpected experiences, hiding interesting art in the lush vegetation that doesn't show until autumn and winter. This provides a tranquil environment when there is a lot that attracts your attention. * Karin Wallin has written a lot of book about the Reggio Emilia pedagogy, she is recogniced for her work in this subject in Sweden.En förskola med Reggio Emilia pedagogiken som förhållningssätt är en tacksam modell för gränsöverskridande samarbete. Förhållningssättet bygger på en stark tro på människans möjligheter, en djup respekt för barnet och en övertygelse om att alla föds rika och intelligenta med en stark drivkraft att utforska världen. Miljön ses som den tredje pedagogen, som ska stimulera och inspirera barnen. (Wallin, 1986) Vi har tagit kontakt med Hakefjordsgatans förskola, i stadsdelen Biskopsgården i Göteborg, som arbetar efter Reggio Emilia pedagogikens förhållningssätt. De har satsat mycket på inomhusmiljön, och är nu redo att ta med förhållningssättet ut på förskolegården. Vår ambition har varit att få ett givande samarbete mellan landskapsarkitekt, industridesigner och pedagoger. Detta har medfört både motgångar och framgångar. Framförallt har det gett en bredd och djup åt arbetet. Detta projekt tar sin början i workshops, observationer och litteraturstudier. Sedan leds man in i skissprocessen och konceptbildningen. Mot slutet får man ta del av våra förslag på förnyelse. Ett avsnitt handlar om lekfullt växtmaterial. Det hela avslutas med en reflektion. Här följer några små inblickar. Karin Wallin* (Wallin, 1986) kallar pedagogiken i Reggio Emilia för den skapande pedagogiken. Som utomstående betraktare är kreativiteten det man först lägger märke till. Loris Malaguzzi, grundare till Reggio Emilia pedagogiken, vägrade skriva ner några tankar eller vägledande skrifter. Men man förstår snabbt hans argument att inte vilja frysa idéerna med risk för att de skulle bli stela och inte vidareutvecklas. Malaguzzis önskan är att man skall inspireras och ta till sig, men varje situation kräver nya anpassade idéer. En viktig del i utformandet av platser för barn är att behålla fantasin. Att barn ska förstå att det fantastiska och nästan oförståeliga oftast finns i naturen. Att det finns ett träd som luktar nybakta kakor på hösten och att det finns en buske som får ätliga frukter som liknar blå reptiler, att vissa träd lever i flera hundra år och andra lever bara under en människas livslängd. Att frångå konventionen och inte använda sig av färdiga mallar är ibland svårt och tidskrävande, men mycket roligare. Vi har i vårt samarbete förstått att man kan bygga upp miljöer med hjälp av växtmaterial och artefakter i samverkan. ”Det som göms i snö kommer fram i tö” är ett ordspråk som vi vill ta fasta på men modifiera. ”Det som göms i grönska kommer till vintern fram ur glömska” Vi vill skapa oväntade upplevelser, genom att gömma intressanta konstverk i den grönskande växtligheten. Dessa visar sig inte förrän hösten och vintern står för dörren. Det medför ett lugn i miljön, när mycket annat drar till sig uppmärksamheten

Lowering of water activity in bread

Bröd är ett livsmedel med hög vattenaktivitet som gynnar tillväxt av bakterier av släktet Bacillus. Syftet med den här rapporten var att med en litteraturstudie undersöka om det går att sänka vattenaktiviteten i bröd utan att brödets organoleptiska egenskaper förändras. Polyoler och NaCl är de ämnen som visat sig ha sänkande effekt på vattenaktiviteten i bröd och sockerarter är beprövade inom andra livsmedel. I vilken utsträckning dessa ämnen kan tillsättas utan att påverka brödets övriga egenskaper måste dock testas på den specifika brödsort som skall påverkas. Den maximala mängden är inte nödvändigtvis stor nog för att påverka vattenaktiviteten.Bread is a food group with high water activity, which promotes growth of rope forming bacteria of the genus Bacillus. The purpose of this report was to investigate if it is possible to lower the water activity in bread without altering the organoleptic qualities of it. Polyols and NaCl are the substances that have shown to have the most lowering effect on the water activity in bread, and sugars have effect in other types of food. The amount of these substances that can be added to bread without altering its qualities in unwanted ways must be tested through baking. The maximum amount is not necessarily enough to affect the water activity

Green tea powder and Lactobacillus plantarum affect gut microbiota, lipid metabolism and inflammation in high-fat fed C57BL/6J mice

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity, ectopic lipid accumulation and low-grade inflammation. A dysfunctional gut microbiota has been suggested to participate in the pathogenesis of the disease. Green tea is rich in polyphenols and has previously been shown to exert beneficial metabolic effects. Lactobacillus plantarum has the ability to metabolize phenolic acids. The health promoting effect of whole green tea powder as a prebiotic compound has not been thoroughly investigated previously. METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet with or without a supplement of 4% green tea powder (GT), and offered drinking water supplemented with Lactobacillus plantarum DSM 15313 (Lp) or the combination of both (Lp + GT) for 22 weeks. Parameters related to obesity, glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, hepatic steatosis and inflammation were examined. Small intestinal tissue and caecal content were collected for bacterial analysis. RESULTS: Mice in the Lp + GT group had significantly more Lactobacillus and higher diversity of bacteria in the intestine compared to both mice in the control and the GT group. Green tea strongly reduced the body fat content and hepatic triacylglycerol and cholesterol accumulation. The reduction was negatively correlated to the amount of Akkermansia and/or the total amount of bacteria in the small intestine. Markers of inflammation were reduced in the Lp + GT group compared to control. PLS analysis of correlations between the microbiota and the metabolic variables of the individual mice showed that relatively few components of the microbiota had high impact on the correlation model. CONCLUSIONS: Green tea powder in combination with a single strain of Lactobacillus plantarum was able to promote growth of Lactobacillus in the intestine and to attenuate high fat diet-induced inflammation. In addition, a component of the microbiota, Akkermansia, correlated negatively with several metabolic parameters known to be risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes

The PARP inhibitor Olaparib disrupts base excision repair of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine lesions

Decitabine (5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine, 5-azadC) is used in the treatment of Myelodysplatic syndrome (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Its mechanism of action is thought to involve reactivation of genes implicated in differentiation and transformation, as well as induction of DNA damage by trapping DNA methyltranferases (DNMT) to DNA. We demonstrate for the first time that base excision repair (BER) recognizes 5-azadC-induced lesions in DNA and mediates repair. We find that BER (XRCC1) deficient cells are sensitive to 5-azadC and display an increased amount of DNA single- and double-strand breaks. The XRCC1 protein co-localizes with DNMT1 foci after 5-azadC treatment, suggesting a novel and specific role of XRCC1 in the repair of trapped DNMT1. 5-azadC-induced DNMT foci persist in XRCC1 defective cells, demonstrating a role for XRCC1 in repair of 5-azadC-induced DNA lesions. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition prevents XRCC1 relocation to DNA damage sites, disrupts XRCC1–DNMT1 co-localization and thereby efficient BER. In a panel of AML cell lines, combining 5-azadC and Olaparib cause synthetic lethality. These data suggest that PARP inhibitors can be used in combination with 5-azadC to improve treatment of MDS and AML

Interobserver reproducibility of perineural invasion of prostatic adenocarcinoma in needle biopsies

Numerous studies have shown a correlation between perineural invasion (PNI) in prostate biopsies and outcome. The reporting of PNI varies widely in the literature. While the interobserver variability of prostate cancer grading has been studied extensively, less is known regarding the reproducibility of PNI. A total of 212 biopsy cores from a population-based screening trial were included in this study (106 with and 106 without PNI according to the original pathology reports). The glass slides were scanned and circulated among four pathologists with a special interest in urological pathology for assessment of PNI. Discordant cases were stained by immunohistochemistry for S-100 protein. PNI was diagnosed by all four observers in 34.0% of cases, while 41.5% were considered to be negative for PNI. In 24.5% of cases, there was a disagreement between the observers. The kappa for interobserver variability was 0.67-0.75 (mean 0.73). The observations from one participant were compared with data from the original reports, and a kappa for intraobserver variability of 0.87 was achieved. Based on immunohistochemical findings among discordant cases, 88.6% had PNI while 11.4% did not. The most common diagnostic pitfall was the presence of bundles of stroma or smooth muscle. It was noted in a few cases that collagenous micronodules could be mistaken for a nerve. The distance between cancer and nerve was another cause of disagreement. Although the results suggest that the reproducibility of PNI may be greater than that of prostate cancer grading, there is still a need for improvement and standardization

TP53 modulates radiotherapy fraction size sensitivity in normal and malignant cells

Recent clinical trials in breast and prostate cancer have established that fewer, larger daily doses (fractions) of radiotherapy are safe and effective, but these do not represent personalised dosing on a patient-by-patient basis. Understanding cell and molecular mechanisms determining fraction size sensitivity is essential to fully exploit this therapeutic variable for patient benefit. The hypothesis under test in this study is that fraction size sensitivity is dependent on the presence of wild-type (WT) p53 and intact non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). Using single or split-doses of radiation in a range of normal and malignant cells, split-dose recovery was determined using colony-survival assays. Both normal and tumour cells with WT p53 demonstrated significant split-dose recovery, whereas Li-Fraumeni fibroblasts and tumour cells with defective G1/S checkpoint had a large S/G2 component and lost the sparing effect of smaller fractions. There was lack of split-dose recovery in NHEJ-deficient cells and DNA-PKcs inhibitor increased sensitivity to split-doses in glioma cells. Furthermore, siRNA knockdown of p53 in fibroblasts reduced split-dose recovery. In summary, cells defective in p53 are less sensitive to radiotherapy fraction size and lack of split-dose recovery in DNA ligase IV and DNA-PKcs mutant cells suggests the dependence of fraction size sensitivity on intact NHEJ

MTH1 inhibitor TH588 disturbs mitotic progression and induces mitosis-dependent accumulation of genomic 8-oxodG

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) oxidize nucleotide triphosphate pools (e.g., 8-oxodGTP), which may kill cells if incorporated into DNA. Whether cancers avoid poisoning from oxidized nucleotides by preventing incorporation via the oxidized purine diphosphatase MTH1 remains under debate. Also, little is known about DNA polymerases incorporating oxidized nucleotides in cells or how oxidized nucleotides in DNA become toxic. Here we show that replacement of one of the main DNA replicases in human cells, DNA polymerase delta (Pol δ), with an error-prone variant allows increased 8-oxodG accumulation into DNA following treatment with TH588, a dual MTH1 inhibitor (MTH1i) and microtubule targeting agent. The resulting elevated genomic 8-oxodG correlated with increased cytotoxicity of TH588. Interestingly, no substantial perturbation of replication fork progression was observed, but rather mitotic progression was impaired and mitotic DNA synthesis triggered. Reducing mitotic arrest by reversin treatment prevented accumulation of genomic 8-oxodG and reduced cytotoxicity of TH588, in line with the notion that mitotic arrest is required for ROS buildup and oxidation of the nucleotide pool. Furthermore, delayed mitosis and increased mitotic cell death was observed following TH588 treatment in cells expressing the error-prone but not wild type Pol δ variant, which is not observed following treatments with anti-mitotic agents. Collectively, these results link accumulation of genomic oxidized nucleotides with disturbed mitotic progression

Smuggling

Smuggling – Innehållsförteckning: – Gästskribenten Sandra Bergqvist / Det unika måste få ett eget språk – Notiser – Tack! / Pia Prost och Cecilia Lundberg – Fakta om förbudstiden 1919–1932 / Pia Prost – Romantik och ryslighet / Fredrik Nilsson – En skärgård som gjord för smuggling / Liselott Nyström Forsén – ”Den bästa tiden var spiritiden” / Keth Strömdahl – Smugglingen blir permanent i Rönnäs / Thure Malmberg – Berättelser från förbudstiden blev en smuggelbok / Cecilia Lundberg – Fotoalbum berättar / Marianne Ström – Då människor och tidningar smugglades genom Åbolands skärgård / Pia Heikkilä – Öppen kritik i dagspressen – ålänningarnas syn på förbudstiden / Hanna Dahlbom – Vi hade svultit ihjäl om inte spriten kommit / Olof Öström – Smugglare och förbjuden sprit i Västnyland / Carolina Holmqvist – Smugglare och smuggelgods av dags dato / Pia Prost – En ar i taget / Mikko Jokinen, Jouko Lehtonen och RiittaLiisa Pettersson – Min ö Replot / Linda Ahlbäck – Skärinytt – Sista bilde

The Indo-European flyway: Opportunities and constraints reflected by Common Rosefinches breeding across Europe

Aim The configuration of the earth's landmasses influences global weather systems and spatiotemporal resource availability, thereby shaping biogeographical patterns and migratory routes of animals. Here, we aim to identify potential migratory barriers and corridors, as well as general migration strategies within the understudied Indo-European flyway.Location Europe, Central Asia.Major taxon studied Common rosefinches.Methods We used a combination of theoretical optimization modelling and empirical tracking of Common Rosefinches (Carpodacus erythrinus) breeding across a large latitudinal gradient in Europe. First, we identified optimal migration routes driven by wind and resource availability along the Indo-European flyway. Second, we tracked rosefinches from five breeding populations using light-level geolocators. Finally, we compared to what extent empirical tracks overlapped with the modelled optimal routes.ResultsIn autumn, theoretical wind driven migration routes formed a broad-front corridor connecting Europe and the Indian Subcontinent while the theoretical resource driven routes formed a distinct north-south divide. The latter pattern also reflected the rosefinch tracks with all but the most southerly breeding birds making a northern detour towards non-breeding sites in Pakistan and India. In spring, the resource availability model predicted a similar migratory divide, however, the southern route seemed relatively more favourable and closely matched with the optimal wind driven migration routes. Spring tracking data showed larger overlap with the modelled wind driven migration routes compared to the resource driven routes.Main conclusionsOptimal wind and resource driven migration routes along the Indo-European flyway are seasonally specific and to a large extend do not overlap with one another. Under these conditions, migratory birds adopt seasonally distinct migration strategies following energy minimization strategy in autumn, driven by resource availability, and time minimizing strategy in spring, driven by wind conditions. Our optimal migration models can be applied worldwide and used to validate against empirical data to explain large-scale biogeographic pattern of migratory animals.</p