Lukemaan opettamisen diskurssit 1970–1980-lukujen kirjainmenetelmässä

Tiivistelmä. Tässä tutkimuksessa on tarkasteltu 1970–1980-lukujen kontekstiin sidottua kuvausta hyvin perinteisestä lukemaan opettamisen menetelmästä, kirjainmenetelmästä, jota myös tavaamismenetelmäksi kutsutaan. Kirjainmenetelmä pitää sisällään tavaamista kirjainten nimillä. Menetelmä ei ole enää käytössä, mutta se palveli suomalaisia usean vuosisadan ajan. Valtaosa suomalaisista on oppinut lukemaan sen avulla. Ymmärtääksemme kirjainmenetelmän aikaista lukutaidon opetusta tarkastellaan tässä tutkimuksessa eri aikakausien lukemaan oppimisen oppimiskäsityksiä. Tutkimusaineisto on koottu kuudesta kirjainmenetelmää kuvaavasta tekstistä. Niistä neljä on akateemisia tekstejä ja kaksi on eläköityneiden opettajien vapaamuotoisia kirjoitelmia kirjainmenetelmän käytöstä työvuosiltaan. Nämä tekstit muodostavat yhdessä tutkimukseni aineiston. Aineistossa kuvataan kirjainmenetelmän tyypillisiä piirteitä ja millaisin ratkaisuin opettajat edistivät oppilaidensa lukutaidon kehittymistä. Tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen diskurssianalyyttinen tutkimus. Vapaamuotoisten kirjoitelmien johdosta tutkimuksessa on myös kerronnallisia piirteitä. Aineiston analyysissä kirjainmenetelmästä nousi kolme selvää diskurssia, jotka nimesin: tavaamisen diskurssi, toiminnan diskurssi ja turhautumisen diskurssi. Tavaamisen diskurssi valikoitui siksi, että se ilmenee kaikissa teksteissä menetelmän perusluonteena. Toiminnan diskurssi valikoitui taas siksi, että siinä on kaksoismerkitys, sillä toisaalla toiminnallisuutta oli aikaan nähden sopivasti, mutta toisaalla sitä oli niukasti. Turhautumisen diskurssi valikoitui puolestaan siksi, että se pitää sisällään niin opettajien kuin oppilaidenkin turhautumista. Turhautuminen nousi esille pitkäveteisyydessä ja tavaamisen vaikeudessa. Haasteistaan huolimatta kirjainmenetelmällä saavutettiin lukutaidon oppiminen.Abstract. This research examines reading teaching method, called alphabetic principle, based on 1970–1980’s context. This alphabetic principle includes spelling with letter names. The method is not in use anymore but it has been the main method for teaching Finnish people to read for centuries. With the aim of understanding the teaching of reading through the alphabetic principle, learning concepts from different eras are being examined in this research. The research material has been combined from six texts on the alphabetic principle. Four of them are academic texts and two free-form writings by retired teachers. Together, these texts form the material of my research. The research material describes the typical features of the alphabetic principle and the solutions used by teachers to promote the development of their students’ reading skills. This research is a qualitative discourse analytical study. Due to the free-form writings, the study also has narrative features. In the analysis of the data, three clear discourses emerged from the alphabetic principle, which I named: the discourse of spelling, the discourse of action, and the discourse of frustration. The discourse of the spelling was chosen because it appears in all texts as the basic nature of the method. The discourse of action was chosen because it reveals a dual meaning, for on the one hand there was functionality appropriate to the time, but on the other hand it was scarce. The discourse of frustration, in turn, was chosen because it involves the frustration of both teachers and students. Frustration arose in the longevity and difficulty of spelling. Despite its challenges, the alphabetic principle achieved learning of reading

Kirjainmenetelmä ja oivaltavan lukemisen menetelmä lukemaan opettamisessa

Tiivistelmä. Tämä kandidaatin tutkielma selvittää merkittävimpiä eroja lukemaan opettamisessa kahden eri lukemaan opettamisen menetelmän välillä. Toinen niistä on hyvin perinteinen kirjainmenetelmä ja toinen uudempi oivaltavan lukemisen -menetelmä. Kirjainmenetelmälle on ominaista kirjainten nimillä kuorossa tavaaminen. Se on hyvin tekninen menetelmä. Nuori sukupolvi saa kosketuspintaa siihen Seitsemän veljestä -teoksen kautta. Oivaltavan lukemisen -menetelmä on otteeltaan tutkiva ja oppilaita aktivoiva. Lukemaan oppiminen tapahtuu äänteiden eikä kirjainten avulla. Menetelmän keskiössä on tarkkailla kunkin äänteen ääntöpaikkaa ja -tapaa. Tarkastelen tutkielmassani kielen kehitystä osana lukutaidon oppimista. Tuon esille kielellisen tietoisuuden osatekijät ja niiden roolin lukutaidon kehittymisessä. Lukutaidon tasoja tarkastelen tunnetuimpien teorioiden kautta. Lukemaan opettamisen menetelmiä käsittelen analyyttisten ja synteettisten menetelmien kautta. Vaikka molemmat tutkielmani keskiössä olevista lukemaan opettamisen menetelmistä ovat synteettisiä, tuon esille kokonaiskuvan ymmärtämiseksi myös analyyttisiä menetelmiä. Analyyttiset aloittavat lukemaan opettamisen kokonaisuuksista, kun synteettiset aloittavat sanoja pienemmistä yksiköistä. Merkittävimpiä eroja tutkielmani kahdessa lukemaan opettamisen menetelmässä löysin olevan neljä. Kirjainmenetelmän kirjaimilla tavaaminen ja oivaltavan lukemisen -menetelmän äänteillä lukeminen on ensimmäinen selkeä ero. Toisena erona nousee kirjainmenetelmän teknisyys ja oivaltavan menetelmän toiminnallisuus. Kolmantena erona näkyy eriyttäminen ja lukutasojen huomiointi — tai niiden puuttuminen. Neljäntenä erona on pitkien ja lyhyiden vokaalien oppimisen aikataulu

Dialectic tensions driving niche creation – A case study of a local energy system

Local energy systems (LESs), such as energy communities and microgrids, are seen as significant contributors to the energy transition, but their creation requires contested institutional changes to the centralized energy regime. We explore the creation process of a groundbreaking LES project from the multi-level and dialectic perspectives. Our results show a tension-driven institutional change process that includes the dialectic perspective's four principles: institutional contradictions, praxis, social construction, and totality. Based on the learnings of the case study, we highlight the effect of institutional contradictions on incumbent actors’ agency, boundary spanners’ role in triggering praxis, and tensions in niche–regime interactions. We show with the case study that the dialectic perspective together with the multi-level perspective aid in understanding the creation process and further aid in designing future LES creation processes by providing normative descriptions of contradictions, tensions, and opportune solutions for them beforehand. We also discuss the limitations of the approach.Peer reviewe

Fast growth associated with aberrant vasculature and hypoxia in fibroblast growth factor 8b (FGF8b) over-expressing PC-3 prostate tumour xenografts

Background: Prostate tumours are commonly poorly oxygenated which is associated with tumour progression and development of resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs and radiotherapy. Fibroblast growth factor 8b (FGF8b) is a mitogenic and angiogenic factor, which is expressed at an increased level in human prostate tumours and is associated with a poor prognosis. We studied the effect of FGF8b on tumour oxygenation and growth parameters in xenografts in comparison with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-expressing xenografts, representing another fast growing and angiogenic tumour model. Methods: Subcutaneous tumours of PC-3 cells transfected with FGF8b, VEGF or empty (mock) vectors were produced and studied for vascularity, cell proliferation, glucose metabolism and oxygenation. Tumours were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC), flow cytometry, use of radiolabelled markers of energy metabolism ([F-18] FDG) and hypoxia ([F-18] EF5), and intratumoral polarographic measurements of pO(2). Results: Both FGF8b and VEGF tumours grew rapidly in nude mice and showed highly vascularised morphology. Perfusion studies, pO(2) measurements, [F-18] EF5 and [F-18] FDG uptake as well as IHC staining for glucose transport protein (GLUT1) and hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) 1 showed that VEGF xenografts were well-perfused and oxygenised, as expected, whereas FGF8b tumours were as hypoxic as mock tumours. These results suggest that FGF8b-induced tumour capillaries are defective. Nevertheless, the growth rate of hypoxic FGF8b tumours was highly increased, as that of well-oxygenised VEGF tumours, when compared with hypoxic mock tumour controls. Conclusion: FGF8b is able to induce fast growth in strongly hypoxic tumour microenvironment whereas VEGF-stimulated growth advantage is associated with improved perfusion and oxygenation of prostate tumour xenografts

Alendronate decreases orthotopic PC-3 prostate tumor growth and metastasis to prostate-draining lymph nodes in nude mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Metastatic prostate cancer is associated with a high morbidity and mortality but the spreading mechanisms are still poorly understood. The aminobisphosphonate alendronate, used to reduce bone loss, has also been shown to inhibit the invasion and migration of prostate cancer cells <it>in vitro</it>. We used a modified orthotopic PC-3 nude mouse tumor model of human prostate cancer to study whether alendronate affects prostate tumor growth and metastasis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>PC-3 cells (5 × 10⁵) were implanted in the prostates of nude mice and the mice were treated with alendronate (0.5 mg/kg/day in PBS, s.c.) or vehicle for 4 weeks. After sacrifice, the sizes of tumor-bearing prostates were measured and the tumors and prostate-draining regional iliac and sacral lymph nodes were excised for studies on markers of proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, using histomorphometry and immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Tumor occurrence in the prostate was 73% in the alendronate-treated group and 81% in the control group. Mean tumor size (218 mm³, range: 96–485 mm³, <it>n </it>= 11) in the alendronate-treated mice was 41% of that in the control mice (513 mm³, range: 209–1350 mm³, <it>n </it>= 13) (<it>p </it>< 0.05). In the iliac and sacral lymph nodes of alendronate-treated mice, the proportion of metastatic area was only about 10% of that in control mice (<it>p </it>< 0.001). Immunohistochemical staining of tumor sections showed that alendronate treatment caused a marked decrease in the number of CD34-positive endothelial cells in tumors (<it>p </it>< 0.001) and an increase in that of ISEL positive apoptotic cells in tumors as well as in lymph node metastases (<it>p </it>< 0.05) compared with those in the vehicle-treated mice. The density of m-LYVE-1-stained lymphatic capillaries was not changed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results demonstrate that alendronate treatment opposes growth of orthotopic PC-3 tumors and decreases tumor metastasis to prostate-draining lymph nodes. This effect could be at least partly explained by decreased angiogenesis and increased apoptosis. The results suggest that bisphosphonates have anti-tumoral and anti-invasive effects on primary prostate cancer.</p

Microenvironmental regulation of metastasis

Metastasis is a multistage process that requires cancer cells to escape from the primary tumour, survive in the circulation, seed at distant sites and grow. Each of these processes involves rate-limiting steps that are influenced by non-malignant cells of the tumour microenvironment. Many of these cells are derived from the bone marrow, particularly the myeloid lineage, and are recruited by cancer cells to enhance their survival, growth, invasion and dissemination. This Review describes experimental data demonstrating the role of the microenvironment in metastasis, identifies areas for future research and suggests possible new therapeutic avenues

Type 1 diabetes linked PTPN22 gene polymorphism is associated with the frequency of circulating regulatory T cells

Abstract Dysfunction of FOXP3‐positive regulatory T cells (Tregs) likely plays a major role in the pathogenesis of multiple autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes (T1D). Whether genetic polymorphisms associated with the risk of autoimmune diseases affect Treg frequency or function is currently unclear. Here, we analysed the effect of T1D‐associated major HLA class II haplotypes and seven single nucleotide polymorphisms in six non‐HLA genes [INS (rs689), PTPN22 (rs2476601), IL2RA (rs12722495 and rs2104286), PTPN2 (rs45450798), CTLA4 (rs3087243), and ERBB3 (rs2292239)] on peripheral blood Treg frequencies. These were determined by flow cytometry in 65 subjects who had progressed to T1D, 86 islet autoantibody‐positive at‐risk subjects, and 215 islet autoantibody‐negative healthy controls. The PTPN22 rs2476601 risk allele A was associated with an increase in total (p = 6 × 10⁻⁶) and naïve (p = 4 × 10⁻⁵) CD4+CD25+CD127lowFOXP3+ Treg frequencies. These findings were validated in a separate cohort comprising ten trios of healthy islet autoantibody‐negative children carrying each of the three PTPN22 rs2476601 genotypes AA, AG, and GG (p = 0.005 for total and p = 0.03 for naïve Tregs, respectively). In conclusion, our analysis implicates the autoimmune PTPN22 rs2476601 risk allele A in controlling the frequency of Tregs in human peripheral blood

Viral infection-related gene upregulation in monocytes in children with signs of β-cell autoimmunity

Abstract Objective: The pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with genetic predisposition and immunological changes during presymptomatic disease. Differencesin immune cell subset numbers and phenotypes between T1D patients and healthy controls have been described; however, the role and function of these changes in the pathogenesis is still unclear. Here we aimed to analyze the transcriptomic landscapes of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) during presymptomatic disease. Methods: Transcriptomic differences in PBMCs were compared between cases positive for islet autoantibodies and autoantibody negative controls (9 case–control pairs)and further in monocytes and lymphocytes separately in autoantibody positive subjects and control subjects (25 case–control pairs). Results: No significant differential expression was found in either data set. However, when gene set enrichment analysis was performed, the gene sets “defence response to virus” (FDR &lt;0.001, ranking 2), “response to virus” (FDR &lt;0.001, ranking 3) and “response to type I interferon” (FDR=0.002, ranking 12) were enriched in the upregulated genes among PBMCs in cases. Upon further analysis, this was also seen in monocytes in cases (FDR=0.01, ranking 2; FDR=0.04, ranking 3 and FDR=0.02, ranking 1, respectively) but not in lymphocytes. Conclusion: Gene set enrichment analysis of children with T1D-associated autoimmunity revealed changes in pathways relevant for virus infection in PBMCs, particularly in monocytes. Virus infections have been repeatedly implicated in the pathogenesis of T1D. These results support the viral hypothesis by suggesting altered immune activation of viral immune pathways in monocytes during diabetes

Overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor C increases growth and alters the metastatic pattern of orthotopic PC-3 prostate tumors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prostate cancer metastasizes to regional lymph nodes and distant sites but the roles of lymphatic and hematogenous pathways in metastasis are not fully understood.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied the roles of VEGF-C and VEGFR3 in prostate cancer metastasis by blocking VEGFR3 using intravenous adenovirus-delivered VEGFR3-Ig fusion protein (VEGFR3-Ig) and by ectopic expression of VEGF-C in PC-3 prostate tumors in nude mice.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>VEGFR3-Ig decreased the density of lymphatic capillaries in orthotopic PC-3 tumors (<it>p </it>< 0.05) and inhibited metastasis to iliac and sacral lymph nodes. In addition, tumor volumes were smaller in the VEGFR3-Ig-treated group compared with the control group (<it>p </it>< 0.05). Transfection of PC-3 cells with the VEGF-C gene led to a high level of 29/31 kD VEGF-C expression in PC-3 cells. The size of orthotopic and subcutaneous PC-3/VEGF-C tumors was significantly greater than that of PC-3/mock tumors (both <it>p </it>< 0.001). Interestingly, while most orthotopic PC-3 and PC-3/mock tumors grown for 4 weeks metastasized to prostate-draining lymph nodes, orthotopic PC-3/VEGF-C tumors primarily metastasized to the lungs. PC-3/VEGF-C tumors showed highly angiogenic morphology with an increased density of blood capillaries compared with PC-3/mock tumors (<it>p </it>< 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The data suggest that even though VEGF-C/VEGFR3 pathway is primarily required for lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis, an increased level of VEGF-C can also stimulate angiogenesis, which is associated with growth of orthotopic prostate tumors and a switch from a primary pattern of lymph node metastasis to an increased proportion of metastases at distant sites.</p