Mobile apps for reflection in learning: A design research in K-12 education

This study takes a design-based research approach to explore how applications designed for mobile devices could support reflection in learning in K-12 education. Use of mobile devices is increasing in schools. Most of the educational apps support single-person use of interactive learning materials, simulations and learning games. Apps designed to correspond to collaborative learning paradigms, such as collaborative progressive inquiry or project-based learning, are scarce. In these pedagogical approaches, reflection plays an important role. This paper presents a design-based research study of mobile device apps, ReFlex and TeamUp, that are specifically designed for use in student-centred and collaborative school learning, in which continuous reflection is an important part of the learning process. The design of the apps has relied on earlier research on digital tools for reflection and research about mobile devices in classroom learning. The design of the apps was accomplished as part of the qualitative design-based research conducted with a total of 165 teachers in 13 European countries. As a characteristic for a design-based research, the results of the study are twofold: practical and theoretical. The apps designed, ReFlex and TeamUp, are practical results of the qualitative research carried out in schools with teachers and students to understand the design challenges and opportunities in schools, to renew their pedagogical practices and to take new tools in use. To understand better the capacity of the apps to facilitate reflection, we analysed the apps in light of earlier studies concerning the levels of reflection that digital tools may support and categorisations of affordances that mobile device apps may provide for classroom learning. Our research indicates that there is potential for fostering the practice of reflection in classroom learning through the use of apps for audio-visual recordings.Peer reviewe

Arvostelut

Anna Helle Nykykirjallisuutemme kirjallisuushistoriallinen kartoitus Mika Hallila, Yrjö Hosiaisluoma, Sanna Karkulehto, Leena Kirstinä & Jussi Ojajärvi (toim.): Suomen nykykirjallisuus 1–2. Heta Marttinen Perinnetietoisesti perinteitä vastaan Tuva Korsström: Från Lexå till Glitterscenen. Finlandssvenska tidsbilder, läsningar, författarporträtt 1960–2013. Jarkko Toikkanen Allegorian ratkaisut Pirjo Lyytikäinen: Leena Krohn ja allegorian kaupungit

Facilitating student reflection through digital technologies in the iTEC project: pedagogically-led change in the classroom

During the Europe-wide iTEC project, student reflection has been supported through the development of two dedicated digital tools: TeamUp and ReFlex. Using these tools, students are able to monitor their progress, thus gaining a greater awareness of their learning achievements and an appreciation of the new skills they have developed. Although TeamUp and ReFlex have been well-received by teachers and students, the use of audio-visual tools to support reflection was novel for most and the project evaluation highlighted the need for detailed guidance if these technologies are to be exploited to their full advantage

Linking vgll3 genotype and aggressive behaviour in juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

We tested the possibility that vgll3, a gene linked with maturation age in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), may be associated with behaviour by measuring aggressiveness and feeding activity in 380 juveniles with different vgll3 genotypes. Contrary to our prediction, individuals with the genotype associated with later maturation (vgll3*LL) were significantly more aggressive than individuals with the genotype associated with earlier maturation (vgll3*EE). Individuals with higher aggression were also significantly lighter in colour and had higher feeding activity. Although higher aggression was associated with higher feeding activity, there was no association between feeding activity and vgll3 genotype. Increased aggression of vgll3*LL individuals was independent of their sex and size, and genotypes did not differ in their condition factor. These results imply that aggressive behaviour may have an energetic cost impairing growth and condition, especially when food cannot be monopolized. This may have implications for individual fitness and aquaculture practices.Peer reviewe

Developing and Piloting a Standardized European Protocol for Hepatitis C Prevalence Surveys in the General Population (2016-2019)

Funding Information: This work was funded by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) through a contract. Publisher Copyright: © Copyright © 2021 Sperle, Nielsen, Bremer, Gassowski, Brummer-Korvenkontio, Bruni, Ciccaglione, Kaneva, Liitsola, Naneva, Perchemlieva, Spada, Toikkanen, Amato-Gauci, Duffell and Zimmermann.Background: A robust estimate of the number of people with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is essential for an appropriate public health response and for monitoring progress toward the WHO goal of eliminating viral hepatitis. Existing HCV prevalence studies in the European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA) countries are heterogeneous and often of poor quality due to non-probability based sampling methods, small sample sizes and lack of standardization, leading to poor national representativeness. This project aimed to develop and pilot standardized protocols for undertaking nationally representative HCV prevalence surveys in the general adult population. Methods: From 2016 to 2019 a team from the Robert Koch-Institute contracted by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control synthesized evidence on existing HCV prevalence surveys and survey methodology and drafted a protocol. The methodological elements of the protocol were piloted and evaluated in Bulgaria, Finland and Italy, and lessons learnt from the pilots were integrated in the final protocol. An international multidisciplinary expert group was consulted regularly. Results: The protocol includes three alternative study approaches: a stand-alone survey; a "nested" survey within an existing health survey; and a retrospective testing survey approach. A decision algorithm advising which approach to use was developed. The protocol was piloted and finalized covering minimum and gold standards for all steps to be implemented from sampling, data protection and ethical issues, recruitment, specimen collection and laboratory testing options, staff training, data management and analysis and budget considerations. Through piloting, the survey approaches were effectively implemented to produce HCV prevalence estimates and the pilots highlighted the strengths and limitations of each approach and key lessons learnt were used to improve the protocol. Conclusions: An evidence-based protocol for undertaking HCV prevalence serosurveys in the general population reflecting the different needs, resources and epidemiological situations has been developed, effectively implemented and refined through piloting. This technical guidance supports EU/EEA countries in their efforts to estimate their national hepatitis C burden as part of monitoring progress toward the elimination targets.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Long-Term Survival After Transhiatal Versus Transthoracic Esophagectomy : A Population-Based Nationwide Study in Finland

Background No population-based studies comparing long-term survival after transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) and transthoracic esophagectomy (TTE) exist. This study aimed to compare the 5-year survival of esophageal cancer patients undergoing THE or TTE in a population-based nationwide setting. Methods This study included all curatively intended THE and TTE for esophageal cancer in Finland during 1987-2016, with follow-up evaluation until 31 December 2019. Cox proportional hazard models provided hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 5-year and 90-day mortality. The results were adjusted for age, sex, year of operation, comorbidities, histology, neoadjuvant treatment, and pathologic stage. Results A total of 1338 patients underwent THE (n = 323) or TTE (n = 1015). The observed 5-year survival rate was 39.3% after THE and 45.0% after TTE (p = 0.072). In adjusted model 1, THE was not associated with greater 5-year mortality (HR 0.99; 95% CI 0.82-1.20) than TTE. In adjusted model 2, including T stage instead of pathologic stage, the 5-year mortality hazard rates after THE (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.72-1.05) and TTE were comparable. The 90-day mortality rate for THE was higher than for TTE (adjusted HR 0.72; 95% CI 0.45-1.14). In subgroup analyses, no differences between THE and TTE were observed in Siewert II gastroesophageal junction cancers, esophageal cancers, or pN0 tumors, nor in the comparison of THE and TTE with two-field lymphadenectomy. The sensitivity analysis, including patients with missing patient records, who underwent surgery during 1996-2016 mirrored the main analysis. Conclusions This Finnish population-based nationwide study suggests no difference in 5-year or 90-day mortality after THE and TTE for esophageal cancer.Peer reviewe

Osaamisen kartoitus ja osaamisen johtaminen liiketoiminnan murroksessa

Työn tavoitteena oli selvittää yrityksen nykyinen osaaminen ja osaamisen taso sekä miten yrityksen osaamista johdetaan. Osana työtä ja sen tuloksia tarkasteltiin mitä osaamista yritys tulevaisuudessa tarvitsee liiketoimintamallin muuttuessa. Tutkimuksessa otetaan kantaa osaamisen johtamiseen osana yrityksen strategiaa sekä meri- ja laivateollisuuden osaamisen vaatimuksiin. Työssä keskitytään selvittämään mitkä olisivat oikeat keinot osaamisen johtamisen jalkauttamiseen pienessä pk-yrityksessä. Vuonna 2006 perustettu Yritys X on siirtymässä konsultointi ja insinööritoiminnasta kokonaistoimituksia toimittavaan liiketoimintamalliin. Yritys X toimii kansainvälisellä laiva- ja meriteollisuuden alalla. Yritys näkee osaamisen johtamisessa selkeää kilpailuetua. Perinteisesti korkean asiantuntijuus tason omaavassa pienessä pk-yrityksessä osaamisen johtamiseen ja osaamisen tunnistamiseen ei käytetä riittävästi resursseja kilpailuedun saavuttamiseksi. Yrityksen osaamista tulisi peilata alalla vaadittuun osaamisen tason vaatimukseen. Meriteollisuuden alalla on selkeitä osaamiskriteereitä, jotka tulee ottaa huomioon omassa liiketoiminnassa. Osaamisen kartoitus on prosessi, jossa tulisi reflektoida osaamista sekä luoda kehityssuunnitelmia. Osaamisen kartoituksen prosessia voidaan hyödyntää osaamisen johtamisessa. Osaamisen johtamisen kulttuuri on tärkeä osa yrityksen kulttuuria ja sillä on pitkälle ulottuvat vaikutukset niin positiivisesti kuin negatiivisesti. Osaamispääomasta tulee huolehtia. Osaamisen johtamisen tueksi olisi aina hyvä luoda selkeä strategia ja asettaa halutut tavoitteet

Study of Characteristic Improvement of Spent Ion Exchange Resin

This thesis work was done to Teollisuuden Voima Oyj. Purpose was to study the effects of certain additives on the flow properties of the ion exchange resin. Purpose was to improve the flow properties of the bulk and the dried bulk. Spent ion exchange resin has caused problems by forming blockages in pipelines, when pumped into the waste treatment unit. The other purpose of this thesis was to get the dried bulk's characteristics so that the amount of bitumen could be decreased. Bitumen is used, when dried ion exchange resin and inert are prepared for the final disposal. In the theory section of this thesis, soluble and insoluble impurities of boiling water reactor were discussed. Also condensate purification and ion exchange were intro-duced. Rheology was studied to explain the particle flow and viscosity. The process-es that are related to the subject were surveyed. Thesis was implemented in TVO's water chemistry laboratory. The main analysis was carried out with a viscosity instrument, Viscometer DV-E. The bulk was done from fresh unused ion exchange resin and inert material. Also drying test and enrichment test were implemented at the TVO's laboratory. Radioactive material was avoided and real process materials were left untouched. Certain additives, those which already had a permission to be added into the final disposal, were analyzed with Viscometer. Pilot tests were conducted at Satakunta University of Applied Sciences process la-boratory. Centrifugal pump test, hose pump test, and funnel test were done to test the flow properties of the bulk. Results from the laboratory tests showed improvements in viscosity behavior by us-ing one additive. Drying tests did not reveal any significant improvements. Flow tests at the process laboratory were carried out with the additive, which were noticed to improve the viscosity of the bulk. However, any improvements were not observed. One possible reason for the blockages was noticed; when starting to pump the bulk out of the tank, where it was left to settle for a while, the bulk formed dryer thick layer on the walls. After while this layer collapsed and block the pipe.Tämä opinnäytetyö tehtiin Teollisuuden Voima Oyj:lle. Sen tarkoituksena oli tutkia tiettyjen polymeerien vaikutusta käytetyn ioninvaihtohartsin ominaisuuksiin. Tiettyjen apuaineiden toivottiin parantavan hartsin virtausominaisuuksia ja samalla kuivatun hartsin muita ominaisuuksia. Käytetty ioninvaihtohartsi aiheutti ongelmia muodostaen tukoksia putkistoihin, joissa massa siirretään jätteen käsittelylaitokselle. Kuivatun massan ongelmana oli liian suuri bitumin kulutus. Bitumia sekoitetaan hartsin ja inertin joukkoon valmistettaessa massa loppusijoitukseen. Työn teoriaosassa tutustuttiin kiehutusvesi laitoksen liuenneisiin ja liukenemattomiin epäpuhtauksiin sekä lauhteen puhdistukseen ja ioninvaihtoon. Reologiaa käsittelevässä osassa tutkittiin viskositeettia ja partikkelien käyttäytymistä nesteessä. Aiheeseen liittyviä prosesseja tarkasteltiin myös työtä varten. Opinnäytetyö tehtiin TVO:n vesikemian laboratoriossa. Pääanalyysina oli viskositeettimittaus, joka suoritettiin Viscometer DV-E laitteella. Kuivauskoe ja massan rikastus toteutettiin myös vesikemian laboratoriossa. Massa valmistettiin puhtaista käyttämättömistä hartseista ja inertistä. Aktiivisia tuotteita haluttiin kokeissa välttää. Apuaineet, jotka olivat jo valmiiksi käytössä TVO:n prosesseissa ja joilla oli jo lupa loppusijoitukseen, testattiin ensin viskositeettimittarilla. Pilottitestit tehtiin Satakunnan ammattikorkeakoulun prosessilaboratoriossa. Keskipakopumppu-, letkupumppu- ja suppilotestit suoritettiin virtausominaisuuksia tutkittaessa. Laboratoriokokeiden tulokset näyttivät viskositeetin parannusta yhden apuaineen kohdalla. Kuivauskokeissa ei löytynyt mitään huomattavia muutoksia. Virtauskokeissa käytettiin tätä samaa apuainetta, joka antoi laboratoriossa hyvän tuloksen. Se ei kuitenkaan tuonut toivottua tulosta pilottikokeissa. Mahdollinen teoria tukkeumien aiheuttajasta kuitenkin löytyi. Kun seissyttä massaa alettiin pumpata ulos säiliöstä, niin säiliön reunoille jäi paksu kerros kuivempaa massaa. Seinämä sortui myöhemmin tukkien pohjalla olevan putken

Childhood growth of term singletons born after frozen compared with fresh embryo transfer

Research question: Is the growth of term singletons born after frozen embryo transfer (FET) comparable to those born after fresh embryo transfer and natural conception up to 5 years of age? Design: Observational cohort study in an academic medical centre and municipal child health clinics with repeated measurements carried out by medical professionals. Term singletons born after FET (n = 110) and fresh embryo transfer (n = 181) and their matched natural conception controls (n = 543) born in Oulu, Northern Finland, were included. Mean weights, lengths, heights and head circumferences at the ages of 4, 8 and 18 months and 3 and 5 years were compared. At 3 and 5 years, body mass indices were compared. Results: Childhood growth did not differ between term singletons born after FET, fresh embryo transfer and natural conception, correcting for exact age at measurement and adjusting for maternal body mass index and paternal height. Conclusions: Similar growth between children born after FET, fresh embryo transfer and natural conception offers reassurance of the safety and feasibility of the steadily increasing use of embryo cryopreservation in assisted reproduction.Peer reviewe