Exploring the development of school readiness in kindergarten in Norway : A case study of the implementation of the Gausdal Model

English abstract: Background: This research was initiated by a request from Gausdal municipality to have a master’s thesis written about the sensori-motoric project the Gausdal Model. One of the aims of the Gausdal Model is to better prepare children for school through a programme based on proportionate universalism. Aim: The aim was to explore key stakeholders understandings of school readiness and generate in-depth knowledge about their processes of implementation of the Gausdal Model. This could shed light on processes that develop children’s motor proficiency and its possible relation to school readiness. Methods: A case study of the implementation of the Gausdal Model was carried out in order to explore key stakeholders’ understanding of school readiness. The sample was strategic and the nine kindergarten teachers and parent informants were recruited from four municipal kindergartens in Gausdal. The health nurse connected to the programme was also an informant. Data were collected through qualitative interviews, partly informed by prior observations of the activities in the programme. The data analysis was inspired by principles from grounded theory as described by Charmaz (2014). The analysis aimed to identify components that could shed light on the processes that was studied. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT) and concept self-efficacy (SE), in particular were used as sensitising concepts in order to analyse the data and generate an understanding of how the Gausdal Model could develop children’s motor proficiency, and how this might be related to children’s school readiness. Results: The findings from the implementation of the Gausdal Model show that children’s motor proficiency can be understood as being developed through a process of socialisation where support through strong mesosystems and significant others, in this case kindergarten teachers and parents, could help develop the children’s mastery of their own bodies. At the mesosystem-level, quality and quantity of communication and aiming consistently towards the same goals was important. At the microsystem level, a combination of the four sources of SE and relational qualities between the kindergarten teachers and children seemed to develop children’s motoric SE and mastery of their own bodies. Motor proficiency seems to be related to school readiness through both the transferability of certain components of motoric SE as well as a social dimension, as social inclusion was an important component of school readiness. Hence, motor proficiency was related to a multidimensional understanding of school readiness. Conclusion: The Gausdal Model is in line with public health recommendations of early intervention and proportionate universalism, and has the potential to better prepare children for school as well as contributing to children’s socialization in general.Norsk sammendrag: Bakgrunn: Denne forskningen ble initiert av en forespørsel fra Gausdal kommune om å skrive en masteroppgave om det sanse-motoriske programmet Gausdalsmodellen. Et av målene for Gausdalsmodellen er å gi barn et bedre utgangspunkt for skolestart gjennom tiltak for alle – for å nå de få og styrke alle. Mål: Å utforske barnehagelærere, foreldre og helsesøsters forståelse av hva det vil si å være skoleforberedt og generere kunnskap om gjennomføringen av Gausdalsmodellen. Dette kan belyse prosesser som utvikler barnas motoriske ferdigheter, samt en mulig sammenheng mellom dette og det å være skoleforberedt. Metoder: En kasus-studie av gjennomføringen av Gausdalsmodellen og barnehagelærere, foreldre og helsesøsters forståelse av hva det vil si å være skoleforberedt. Utvalget er strategisk og ni informanter (barnehageansatte og foreldre) ble rekruttert fra fire kommunale barnehager i Gausdal. En helsesøster som arbeider med Gausdalsmodellen er også informant. Data ble samlet inn gjennom kvalitative intervjuer som blant annet ble utarbeidet på bakgrunn av observasjoner av aktiviteter i Gausdalsmodellen. Analysen av datamaterialet er inspirert av prinsipper fra grounded theory beskrevet av Charmaz (2014). Analysen tar sikte på å identifisere komponenter som kan kaste lys over de prosessene som ble studert. Bronfenbrenners utviklingsøkologiske modell og Banduras sosial kognitive teori og konseptet mestringsforventning, ble brukt for å for analysere datamaterialet og forstå hvordan gjennomføringen av Gausdalsmodellen kan utvikle barnas motoriske ferdigheter, samt hvordan disse ferdighetene kan knyttes til det å være skoleforberedt. Resultater: Funnene viser at barns motoriske ferdigheter kan forstås som å bli utviklet i en sosialiseringsprosess der støtte fra sterke mesosystemer og signifikante andre, i dette tilfellet barnehagelærere og foreldre, er av betydning. På mesosystem-nivå gjennom kvantitet og kvalitet på kommunikasjon og en felles målsetning rundt barnets utvikling. På mikronivå synes en kombinasjon av relasjonelle kvaliteter mellom barnehagelærerne og barna, og kilder til utvikling av barnas mestringsforventning, å bidra til barnas motoriske utvikling og kroppslige mestring. Motoriske ferdigheter synes å være knyttet til det å være skoleforberedt, både gjennom overførbarhet av visse komponenter av motorisk mestringsforventning, samt gjennom en sosial dimensjon hvor sosial inkludering var viktig for at barna skal være skoleforberedt. Derfor er motoriske ferdigheter knyttet til en helhetlig forståelse av hva det vil si å være skoleforberedt. Konklusjon: Gausdalsmodellen er i tråd med folkehelseanbefalinger om tidlig intervensjon og proposjonell universalisme og har potensiale til å forberede barna til skolestart i tillegg til å bidra i en generell sosialiseringsprosess

Al-Al thermocompression bonding for wafer-level MEMS sealing

Al–Al thermocompression bonding has been studied using test structures relevant for wafer level sealing of MEMS devices. Si wafers with protruding frame structures were bonded to planar Si wafers, both covered with a sputtered Al film of 1 μm thickness. The varied bonding process variables were the bonding temperature (400, 450 and 550 °C) and the bonding force (18, 36 and 60 kN). Frame widths 100 μm, 200 μm, with rounded or sharp frame corners were used. After bonding, laminates were diced into single chips and pull tested. The effect of process and design parameters was studied systematically with respect to dicing yield, bond strength and resulting fractured surfaces. The test structures showed an average strength of 20–50 MPa for bonding at or above 450 °C for all three bonding forces or bonding at 400 °C with 60 kN bond force. The current study indicates that strong AlAl thermocompression bonds can be achieved either at or above 450 °C bonding temperature for low (18 kN) and medium (36 kN) bond force or by high bond force (60 kN) at 400 °C. The results show that an increased bond force is required to compensate for a reduced bonding temperature for AlAl thermocompression bonding in the studied temperature regimeacceptedVersio

Impact of SiO2 on Al–Al thermocompression wafer bonding

Al–Al thermocompression bonding suitable for wafer level sealing of MEMS devices has been investigated. This paper presents a comparison of thermocompression bonding of Al films deposited on Si with and without a thermal oxide (SiO2 film). Laminates of diameter 150 mm containing device sealing frames of width 200 µm were realized. The wafers were bonded by applying a bond force of 36 or 60 kN at bonding temperatures ranging from 300–550 °C for bonding times of 15, 30 or 60 min. The effects of these process variations on the quality of the bonded laminates have been studied. The bond quality was estimated by measurements of dicing yield, tensile strength, amount of cohesive fracture in Si and interfacial characterization. The mean bond strength of the tested structures ranged from 18–61 MPa. The laminates with an SiO2 film had higher dicing yield and bond strength than the laminates without SiO2 for a 400 °C bonding temperature. The bond strength increased with increasing bonding temperature and bond force. The laminates bonded for 30 and 60 min at 400 °C and 60 kN had similar bond strength and amount of cohesive fracture in the bulk silicon, while the laminates bonded for 15 min had significantly lower bond strength and amount of cohesive fracture in the bulk silicon.acceptedVersio

Environmental Stress Testing of Wafer-Level Al-Al Thermocompression Bonds: Strength and Hermeticity

Hermeticity, reliability and strength of Al-Al thermocompression bonds realized by applying different bonding parameters have been investigated. Laminates of diameter 150 mm were realized by bonding wafers containing membrane structures to wafers with patterned bonding frames. The laminates were bonded applying a bond force of 36 or 60 kN at temperatures ranging from 300 to 400°C for 15, 30 or 60 minutes. The hermetic properties were estimated by membrane deflection measurements with white-light interferometry after bonding. Reliability was tested by exposing the laminates to a steady-state life test, a thermal shock test, and a moisture resistance test. Bond strength was measured by shear test and pull tests. Laminates bonded applying a bond force of 60 kN at temperatures of 350 or 400°C resulted in hermetic bonds. No significant change in membrane deflection was observed after the steady-state life test or the thermal shock test. However, a gross leakage was observed in 1–11% of the dies after exposure to the moisture resistance test. The maximum leakage rate (MLR) estimated from membrane deflection measurements was below 10−11 mbar·l·s−1 for all laminates. The measured average bond strength of dies from selected laminates ranged from 28 to 190 MPa.acceptedVersio

Clades of huge phages from across Earth's ecosystems.

Bacteriophages typically have small genomes1 and depend on their bacterial hosts for replication2. Here we sequenced DNA from diverse ecosystems and found hundreds of phage genomes with lengths of more than 200 kilobases (kb), including a genome of 735 kb, which is-to our knowledge-the largest phage genome to be described to date. Thirty-five genomes were manually curated to completion (circular and no gaps). Expanded genetic repertoires include diverse and previously undescribed CRISPR-Cas systems, transfer RNAs (tRNAs), tRNA synthetases, tRNA-modification enzymes, translation-initiation and elongation factors, and ribosomal proteins. The CRISPR-Cas systems of phages have the capacity to silence host transcription factors and translational genes, potentially as part of a larger interaction network that intercepts translation to redirect biosynthesis to phage-encoded functions. In addition, some phages may repurpose bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems to eliminate competing phages. We phylogenetically define the major clades of huge phages from human and other animal microbiomes, as well as from oceans, lakes, sediments, soils and the built environment. We conclude that the large gene inventories of huge phages reflect a conserved biological strategy, and that the phages are distributed across a broad bacterial host range and across Earth's ecosystems

Soil Processes and Microbial Communities in a Hyperarid System

The Atacama Desert is a coastal desert in South America spanning both Peru and Chile. While the desert experiences a range of climate regimes, perhaps the most unique region of the desert lies in the north of Chile where annual precipitation is less than 2 mm. This hyperarid region of the desert often goes decades without precipitation and is believed to have maintained a semi-continuous hyperarid climate for the last few million years. Hyperaridity has had a profound impact on the geochemical and biological processes of the region. One of the most notable and economically important features of the desert are the salars. Salars are the location of past lakes that have lost their surface water due to changes in climate and/or tectonic activity. They provide minable concentrations of iodine, boron, and other salts, and are recognized as one of the only habitats for microbial life in this region. Presently, they are covered in thick and rugged salt crusts, often made of sodium chloride (halite) and calcium sulfate (gypsum). Due to the extreme and persistent aridity, shallow groundwater is pulled upward towards the surface via capillary flow. This upward water movement is the reverse direction of most well drained desert soils, and leaves a diagnostic imprint in the soil chemistry. The first chapter of my dissertation explores how soils in salars differ from those found in other more humid deserts, and proposes changes to the USDA Soil Taxonomy that would allow for a more accurate and informative classification of them.To further understand and catalogue the rates and processes of soil formation in this unique environment, in my second chapter I examine the chemical and isotopic profiles of two soils of differing ages in the Salar Llamara, Chile. I found that soil development is actively occurring, with evaporation of shallow groundwater driving the major geochemical processes. The upward movement of water produces a distinctive salt profile, with the most soluble salts concentrated on the surface and the least soluble salts near the base. Through monitoring and experimental work, I calculated long-term evaporation rates, and found that they decrease with soil age as the salt crust thickness increases. While it has been suggested that these salars are part of an ancient landscape, this work provides evidence that they are dynamic and evolve on relatively short timescales. Finally, despite the lack of rainfall, I found that the crusts are able to sustain microbial growth by buffering environmental changes in temperature and relative humidity. While the hyperarid region of the Atacama Desert only receives rare and infrequent precipitation, it is exposed to marine fog from the Pacific Ocean on a regular basis. The amount of fog changes predictably from west to east as the distance from the coast increases. For many years the Atacama Desert was suggested to be the dry limit to life. However, in the last decade it has been recognized that microbial communities are capable of surviving in salt crusts on the surface of salars. At a relative humidity over 75%, halite is able to absorb enough moisture from the atmosphere to create a saline solution in its mineral pores. In this way, salt crusts can provide organisms with liquid water in the absence of precipitation.My third chapter is a detailed investigation of the microbial community composition and structure in this unique ecosystem. Using next metagenomics techniques, I reconstructed 124 distinct draft quality genomes from three sites along a fog frequency transect. All communities are comprised of a large variety of Halobacteriales, Salinibacter, Chlorophyta, and Cyanobacteria. Additionally, some communities contain lower abundances of Nanohaloarchaea, Actinobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Thermoplasmatales, and Naegleria. Candidate Phyla Radiation bacteria (OD1 and TM7) not previously reported from hypersaline environments before, were also found in low abundance in some of the communities.While there is a lot of overlap in community membership across sites, samples cluster by site based on bacterial and archaeal abundance patterns. The concentration of photosynthetic organisms declines with increasing distance from the fog source (Pacific Ocean), and radiocarbon dating showed that carbon cycling is occurring more rapidly in sites with more fog events. I conclude that the strongest driver of community membership is fog delivered moisture, controlled by proximity to the coast.The final chapter of my dissertation explores a unique late Quaternary paleoenvironmental record in loess deposits. Within what is largely a deflationary landscape, I found small loess dunes that have been slowly accreting for the last 20,000 years in depressions of the highly eroded Soledad formation. One of the unique local climate characteristics of this area is the strong and persistent on-shore winds.Radiocarbon ages of organic matter embedded within the deposits show that the dunes began accumulating rapidly at the Last Glacial Maximum, and that the accumulation of sediment slowed considerably after the Pacific Ocean attained its present post-glacial level. Chemical and isotopic analysis of the sediment and fatty acids preserved within the dunes provide evidence for increased marine fog density and intensity of onshore westerly winds beginning 10,000 yr BP. At this time, grain size increases while accumulation rates simultaneously decrease, suggesting greater wind speeds and/or decrease in sediment supply. Organic sediment δ15N values steadily decrease, suggesting a shorter path length between N upwelling (Pacific Ocean) and N deposition in the dunes. This unique and continuous record of paleo-conditions provides a window into local processes occurring over the last 20,000 years

Soil Processes and Microbial Communities in a Hyperarid System

The Atacama Desert is a coastal desert in South America spanning both Peru and Chile. While the desert experiences a range of climate regimes, perhaps the most unique region of the desert lies in the north of Chile where annual precipitation is less than 2 mm. This hyperarid region of the desert often goes decades without precipitation and is believed to have maintained a semi-continuous hyperarid climate for the last few million years. Hyperaridity has had a profound impact on the geochemical and biological processes of the region. One of the most notable and economically important features of the desert are the salars. Salars are the location of past lakes that have lost their surface water due to changes in climate and/or tectonic activity. They provide minable concentrations of iodine, boron, and other salts, and are recognized as one of the only habitats for microbial life in this region. Presently, they are covered in thick and rugged salt crusts, often made of sodium chloride (halite) and calcium sulfate (gypsum). Due to the extreme and persistent aridity, shallow groundwater is pulled upward towards the surface via capillary flow. This upward water movement is the reverse direction of most well drained desert soils, and leaves a diagnostic imprint in the soil chemistry. The first chapter of my dissertation explores how soils in salars differ from those found in other more humid deserts, and proposes changes to the USDA Soil Taxonomy that would allow for a more accurate and informative classification of them.To further understand and catalogue the rates and processes of soil formation in this unique environment, in my second chapter I examine the chemical and isotopic profiles of two soils of differing ages in the Salar Llamara, Chile. I found that soil development is actively occurring, with evaporation of shallow groundwater driving the major geochemical processes. The upward movement of water produces a distinctive salt profile, with the most soluble salts concentrated on the surface and the least soluble salts near the base. Through monitoring and experimental work, I calculated long-term evaporation rates, and found that they decrease with soil age as the salt crust thickness increases. While it has been suggested that these salars are part of an ancient landscape, this work provides evidence that they are dynamic and evolve on relatively short timescales. Finally, despite the lack of rainfall, I found that the crusts are able to sustain microbial growth by buffering environmental changes in temperature and relative humidity. While the hyperarid region of the Atacama Desert only receives rare and infrequent precipitation, it is exposed to marine fog from the Pacific Ocean on a regular basis. The amount of fog changes predictably from west to east as the distance from the coast increases. For many years the Atacama Desert was suggested to be the dry limit to life. However, in the last decade it has been recognized that microbial communities are capable of surviving in salt crusts on the surface of salars. At a relative humidity over 75%, halite is able to absorb enough moisture from the atmosphere to create a saline solution in its mineral pores. In this way, salt crusts can provide organisms with liquid water in the absence of precipitation.My third chapter is a detailed investigation of the microbial community composition and structure in this unique ecosystem. Using next metagenomics techniques, I reconstructed 124 distinct draft quality genomes from three sites along a fog frequency transect. All communities are comprised of a large variety of Halobacteriales, Salinibacter, Chlorophyta, and Cyanobacteria. Additionally, some communities contain lower abundances of Nanohaloarchaea, Actinobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Thermoplasmatales, and Naegleria. Candidate Phyla Radiation bacteria (OD1 and TM7) not previously reported from hypersaline environments before, were also found in low abundance in some of the communities.While there is a lot of overlap in community membership across sites, samples cluster by site based on bacterial and archaeal abundance patterns. The concentration of photosynthetic organisms declines with increasing distance from the fog source (Pacific Ocean), and radiocarbon dating showed that carbon cycling is occurring more rapidly in sites with more fog events. I conclude that the strongest driver of community membership is fog delivered moisture, controlled by proximity to the coast.The final chapter of my dissertation explores a unique late Quaternary paleoenvironmental record in loess deposits. Within what is largely a deflationary landscape, I found small loess dunes that have been slowly accreting for the last 20,000 years in depressions of the highly eroded Soledad formation. One of the unique local climate characteristics of this area is the strong and persistent on-shore winds.Radiocarbon ages of organic matter embedded within the deposits show that the dunes began accumulating rapidly at the Last Glacial Maximum, and that the accumulation of sediment slowed considerably after the Pacific Ocean attained its present post-glacial level. Chemical and isotopic analysis of the sediment and fatty acids preserved within the dunes provide evidence for increased marine fog density and intensity of onshore westerly winds beginning 10,000 yr BP. At this time, grain size increases while accumulation rates simultaneously decrease, suggesting greater wind speeds and/or decrease in sediment supply. Organic sediment δ15N values steadily decrease, suggesting a shorter path length between N upwelling (Pacific Ocean) and N deposition in the dunes. This unique and continuous record of paleo-conditions provides a window into local processes occurring over the last 20,000 years

Al-Al Wafer-Level Thermocompression Bonding applied for MEMS

Wafer-level thermocompression bonding (TCB) using aluminum (Al) is presented as a hermetic sealing method for MEMS. The process is a CMOS compatible alternative to TCB using metals like gold (Au) and copper (Cu), which are problematic with respect to cross contamination in labs. Au and Cu are commonly used for TCB and the oxidation of these metals is limited (Au) or easily controlled (Cu). However, despite Al oxidation, our experimental results and theoretical considerations show that TCB using Al is feasible even at temperatures down to 300−350 °C using a commercial bonder without in-situ surface treatment capability.acceptedVersio

Texture of Al films for wafer-level thermocompression bonding

Properties of aluminum thin films for thermocompression bonding have been studied in terms of surface roughness, grain size, and grain orientation by AFM, SEM, XRD and EBSD for thermocompression bonding. Al films were sputter deposited directly on Si and thermally oxidized Si wafers, respectively. The resulting Si/Al and Si/SiO2/Al sample types were compared after annealing (300–550 °C) in vacuum. The Si/SiO2/Al film samples showed higher surface roughness than the Si/Al samples. The as-deposited films had (111) preferred orientation, while (100) and (110) oriented Al grains were also present in Si/SiO2/Al samples. The Si/SiO2/Al samples and Si/Al sample annealed at 550 °C had a conical texture. The observed evolution of the grain structure with annealing temperature is discussed in terms of native oxide, surface roughness, diffusivity and grain orientation dependent mechanical properties in order to shine light on previously observed differences in Alsingle bondAl thermocompression wafer-level bonding with Si/SiO2/Al and Si/Al wafers.acceptedVersio

Environmental Stress Testing of Wafer-Level Au-Au Thermocompression Bonds Realized at Low Temperature: Strength and Hermeticity

Hermeticity, reliability and strength of four laminates bonded at different temperatures by Au-Au thermocompression bonding have been investigated. Laminates with a diameter of 150 mm were realized by bonding a wafer containing membrane structures to a Si wafer with patterned bond frames. A bond tool pressure of 2266 mbar was applied for 15 minutes at temperatures ranging from 150–300°C. The hermetic properties were estimated by membrane deflection measurements applying white-light interferometry after bonding. Reliability was tested by exposing the laminates to a steady-state life test, a thermal shock test, and a moisture resistance test. Bond strength was estimated by pull test measurements. A dicing yield above 90% was obtained for all laminates. Laminates bonded at 200°C and above had significantly higher hermetic yield than the laminate bonded at 150°C. No degradation in hermeticity was observed after the reliability tests. The maximum leakage rate (MLR) was estimated from two measurements of membrane deflection executed at two different times and was below 10−11 mbar ⋅ l ⋅ s−1. The average bond strength ranged from 44 to 175 MPa