Interkulturel dialog i det virtuelle rum

“Jag fick idéer till hur man skulle kunna tänka” (lærerstuderende). 2008 er blevet udset af EU til at være The Year of Intercultural Dialogue. Som alle lærere ved, er det virkelige møde mellem levende personer fra forskellige lande den bedste måde at øge interessen for sprog og kultur på. I globaliseringens tid gøres der også store anstrengelser for at gennemføre skoleungdoms- og studenterudveks- linger. (...

Interkulturell förståelse i engelskundervisning - en möjlighet.

The aim of this study is to examine the prospects of developing intercultural understanding through English as a foreign language (EFL) education in the Swedish comprehensive school. This overall aim is split into two subordinate aims: (1) to analyse and problematize the intercultural dimension of EFL as three discourses, research discourse, authority discourse and teacher discourse; (2) to relate the above discourses to each other in order to reveal a space for the interpretation of culture teaching and learning culture in EFL.The thesis is set in a broad social constructionist frame. The study draws on perspectives applied to culture theory (Street, Hannerz, Thavenius, Sjögren), current theories about language and culture (Kramsch, Byram, Risager), critical discourse analysis (Fairclough) and curriculum theory (Svingby, Englund). The intercultural dimension of EFL form an order of discourse with competing discourses. The findings are summarized as two categories, opportunities and obstacles for developing intercultural understanding in EFL education: Opportunities promoting intercultural understanding: (1) International and national guidelines prescribe understanding of otherness across the curriculum. (2) A theoretical base is available which is in agreement with the Swedish value base. (3) EFL syllabus introduces intercultural understanding and intercultural competence. Intercultural understanding shall be assessed. (4) The interviewed teachers consider developing students´ understanding of otherness and self as important issues. (5) An increasing number of multicultural students can contribute to alternative perspectives in the language classroom. Obstacles preventing intercultural understanding: (1) Current research does not reach teachers. (2) The national syllabus narrows culture to factual knowledge, uses vague concepts and offers no assessment criteria. (3) National tests do not assess intercultural understanding. (4) School organisation, obstructs cross - curricular thematic education. (5) Teachers lack time for didactic reflection and development. (6) Local microcontext is seen as main obstructions. (7) Students´ lack of ability to take the perspective of the other is considered a major obstacle.Finally the three discourses are related to each other and a model is presented showing a space for the interpretation of culture teaching and learning culture in EFL

Student mobility and internationalisation in higher education: perspectives from practitioners

Internationalisation is high on the agenda of higher education institutions across the world. Previous research on national and local policies surrounding this phenomenon has identified different discourses of internationalisation which may have an effect on practices such as student mobility. In order to understand better the role of student mobility in practice, the article analyses responses to an inquiry about internationalisation to a group of academic staff involved in intercultural education from universities around the world. Informants, all members of the research network Cultnet, working at 28 different universities in 15 countries, describe internationalisation within their practice, and their understanding of the role which student mobility plays in relation to this. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews over a period of six months. The findings locate student mobility within discourses of internationalisation. They also raise questions in relation to the need for an intercultural dialogue approach in internationalisation. We argue that institutions and their staff should be aware of the discursive field of internationalisation in Higher Education, take a critical stance and analyse their own role in student mobility. How mobility fits within the field of intercultural education for incoming, outgoing and ‘home’ students should be highlighted and clarified in internationalisation agendas

Somatic compensation of inherited bone marrow failure

Inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFS) are a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders characterized by insufficient blood cell production and increased risk of transformation to myeloid malignancies. While genetically diverse, IBMFS are collectively defined by a cell-intrinsic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) fitness defect that impairs HSC self-renewal and hematopoietic differentiation. In IBMFS, HSCs frequently acquire mutations that improve cell fitness, a phenomenon known as somatic compensation. Somatic compensation can occur via distinct genetic processes such as loss of the germline mutation or somatic alterations in pathways affected by the disease-causing gene. While the clinical implications of somatic compensation in IBMFS remain to be fully discovered, understanding these mutational processes can help understand disease pathophysiology and may inform future diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In this review, we highlight current understanding about somatic compensation in IBMFS. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ )Peer reviewe

Rehabilitation provided to patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A comparison of three different rheumatology clinics in Austria, Sweden and the UK from the perspectives of patients and health professionals

© 2015 The Authors. © 2015 Foundation of Rehabilitation Information. Objective: To explore patients' and health professionals' views of outpatient rehabilitation services for patients with rheumatoid arthritis in 3 different rheumatology sites across Europe. Methods: A qualitative multi-method study was conducted with patients and health professionals in Vienna (Austria), Gothenburg (Sweden) and Leeds (UK). Data collection was carried out during focus groups with patients and health professionals. Patients' hospital records were integrated into the analysis. Data were analysed for site and findings were compared across sites. Results: A total of 20 patients and 20 health professionals participated in 12 focus groups. Although the 3 sites were all publicly funded university clinics, there were differences between sites regarding the structure and content of rehabilitation services. The themes that emerged in the focus groups were: referrals; continuity in rehabilitation; information provided to patients; patients' organizations; documentation and communication amongst health professionals; interface between primary and specialist care; and prescription practices. Most themes were addressed at all 3 sites, but there were variations in the specifics within themes. Conclusion: Integration of patients' and health professionals' views on how rehabilitation services are coordinated and how (parts of) processes are set up elsewhere provide valuable information for the further optimization of rehabilitation services

Concluding destructive investigation of a nine-year-old marine-exposed cracked concrete panel

This study undertaken on a nine-year-old cracked concrete panel further investigates the impact of cracks on the corrosion performance of conventional steel reinforcement in marine-exposed concrete to explain observed monitoring data. The present data covers seven 1.80 m long (12.6 m) reinforcing bars embedded in good quality concrete (w/b = 0.40 and cover >75 mm). Each bar was crossed by two horizontal cracks (surface crack widths 0.20–0.30 mm). The investigation showed no corrosion on the surface of the reinforcing bars, in either cracked or uncracked areas. Two of the seven reinforcing bars were instrumented in the vicinity of the cracks. Extensive corrosion was found in the interior of all instrumented parts of these bars. This may explain the monitoring data despite the lack of corrosion on the exterior surface of the two instrumented rebars. However, with no other weaknesses, the remaining conventional rebars showed no impact from the cracks

Concluding destructive investigation of a nine-year-old marine-exposed cracked concrete panel

This study undertaken on a nine-year-old cracked concrete panel further investigates the impact of cracks on the corrosion performance of conventional steel reinforcement in marine-exposed concrete to explain observed monitoring data. The present data covers seven 1.80 m long (12.6 m) reinforcing bars embedded in good quality concrete (w/b = 0.40 and cover >75 mm). Each bar was crossed by two horizontal cracks (surface crack widths 0.20–0.30 mm). The investigation showed no corrosion on the surface of the reinforcing bars, in either cracked or uncracked areas. Two of the seven reinforcing bars were instrumented in the vicinity of the cracks. Extensive corrosion was found in the interior of all instrumented parts of these bars. This may explain the monitoring data despite the lack of corrosion on the exterior surface of the two instrumented rebars. However, with no other weaknesses, the remaining conventional rebars showed no impact from the cracks.publishedVersio