Rehtoreiden näkemyksiä lukiolaisten fyysisen aktiivisuuden edistämisestä Liikkuva opiskelu -ohjelman alkutaipaleelta

Tiivistelmä. Suomalaisten lasten ja nuorten fyysinen aktiivisuus vähenee ja paikallaanolon määrä lisääntyy siirryttäessä lapsuudesta nuoruuteen. Nuorten vähentynyt fyysinen aktiivisuus uhkaa tulevien työikäistemme työkykyä tulevaisuudessa. Tämän takia toisen asteen koulutuksen toimintakulttuuria tulisi kehittää entistä aktiivisemmaksi ja opiskelijoiden hyvinvointia tukevammaksi. Oppilaitosten liikuntamyönteisemmän toimintakulttuurin kehittämiseen ja tukemiseen pyritään vaikuttamaan esimerkiksi Liikkuva opiskelu -ohjelman ja hyvinvointia korostavan uudistuvan Lukion opetussuunnitelman perusteiden 2019 avulla. Liikkuva koulu -toiminta laajeni vuonna 2019 Liikkuva opiskelu -ohjelmaksi. Ohjelman tavoitteena on lisätä fyysistä aktiivisuutta ja opiskelukykyä toisen asteen koulutuksiin ja korkeakouluihin. Toimintakulttuurin kehittämisessä rehtoreilla on keskeinen asema, sillä rehtorin tulee toimia muutoksen käynnistäjänä. Liikuntamyönteisen toimintakulttuurin kehittäminen on mahdollista oppilaitoksen strategisen johtamisen avulla. Tässä pro gradu -tutkielmassa tarkastellaan rehtoreiden näkemyksiä lukiolaisten fyysisen aktiivisuuden edistämisestä Liikkuva opiskelu -ohjelman alkutaipaleelta. Tutkielmassa kuvaillaan lukiorehtoreiden roolia fyysisen aktiivisuuden edistämisessä Liikkuva opiskelu -ohjelmassa. Tutkielman tarkoitus oli selvittää rehtoreiden näkemyksiä Liikkuva opiskelu -ohjelman toteuttamisedellytyksistä. Lisäksi tutkielmassa kuvataan, miten Liikkuva opiskelu -toimintaa jo toteutetaan lukioissa. Tutkimusaineisto koostui Liikkuva opiskelu -toiminnan käynnistämisvaiheen koulutustapahtumassa äänitetyistä lukiorehtoreiden parikeskusteluista (n=8). Tämän laadullisen tapaustutkimuksen aineisto analysoitiin teoriaohjaavan sisällönanalyysin periaatteita hyödyntäen. Tutkimustulokset osoittivat, että lukiorehtoreiden mielestä Liikkuva opiskelu -ohjelman toteuttamisessa erityisen tärkeänä pidettiin opettajille ja rehtoreille suunnatun koulutuksen merkitystä ja rehtoreiden roolia organisoijana. Liikkuva opiskelu -toiminnan toteuttamisedellytyksinä olivat rehtoreiden käsitysten mukaan ulkoiset tekijät, erityisesti rahoitus ja aikaresurssit. Rehtoreiden mukaan Liikkuva opiskelu -ohjelman toteuttamiseen vaikuttaa myös oppilaitoksen sisäinen rakenne ja toimintakulttuuri. Tutkimus osoitti, että lukioissa toteutetaan jo fyysistä aktiivisuutta lisäävää toimintaa opiskelupäivien aikana. Rehtoreiden mielestä hyvinvointi ja osallisuus olivat keskeisiä asioita Liikkuva opiskelu -ohjelman toteuttamisessa. Lisäksi tutkimustulokset antavat suuntaa sille, että rehtorin tulee toimia kannustajana ja mahdollistajana Liikkuva opiskelu -toiminnassa

Development of high-speed directly-modulated DFB and DBR lasers with surface gratings

The conventional distributed feedback and distributed Bragg reflector edge-emitting lasers employ buried gratings, which require two or more epitaxial growth steps. By using lateral corrugations of the ridge-waveguide as surface gratings the epitaxial overgrowth is avoided, reducing the fabrication complexity, increasing the yield and reducing the fabrication cost. The surface gratings are applicable to different materials, including Al-containing ones and can be easily integrated in complex device structures and photonic circuits. Single-contact and multiple contact edge-emitting lasers with laterally-corrugated ridge waveguide gratings have been developed both on GaAs and InP substrates with the aim to exploit the photon-photon resonance in order to extend their direct modulation bandwidth. The paper reports on the characteristics of such surface-grating-based lasers emitting both at 1.3 and 1.55 μm and presents the photon-photon resonance extended small-signal modulation bandwidth (> 20 GHz) achieved with a 1.6 mm long single-contact device under direct modulation. Similarly structured devices, with shorter cavity lengths are expected to exceed 40 GHz smallsignal modulation bandwidth under direct modulatio

Analysis of human brain tissue derived from DBS surgery

Background: Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of human brain tissue is hindered by the availability of fresh samples from living patients. Postmortem samples usually represent the advanced disease stage of the patient. Furthermore, the postmortem interval can affect the transcriptomic and proteomic profiles. Therefore, fresh brain tissue samples from living patients represent a valuable resource of metabolically intact tissue. Implantation of deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes into the human brain is a neurosurgical treatment for, e.g., movement disorders. Here, we describe an improved approach to collecting brain tissues from surgical instruments used in implantation of DBS device for transcriptomics and proteomics analyses. Methods: Samples were extracted from guide tubes and recording electrodes used in routine DBS implantation procedure to treat patients with Parkinson's disease, genetic dystonia and tremor. RNA sequencing was performed in tissues extracted from the recording microelectrodes and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) performed in tissues from guide tubes. To assess the performance of the current approach, the obtained datasets were compared with previously published datasets representing brain tissues. Results: Altogether, 32,034 RNA transcripts representing the unique Ensembl gene identifiers were detected from eight samples representing both hemispheres of four patients. By using LC-MS, we identified 734 unique proteins from 31 samples collected from 14 patients. The datasets are available in the BioStudies database (accession number S-BSST667). Our results indicate that surgical instruments used in DBS installation retain brain material sufficient for protein and gene expression studies. Comparison with previously published datasets obtained with similar approach proved the robustness and reproducibility of the protocol. Conclusions: The instruments used during routine DBS surgery are a useful source for obtaining fresh brain tissues from living patients. This approach overcomes the issues that arise from using postmortem tissues, such as the effect of postmortem interval on transcriptomic and proteomic landscape of the brain, and can be used for studying molecular aspects of DBS-treatable diseases.Peer reviewe

Coherent combining of two high-brightness laser diodes phase-locked by a Michelson-type external cavity (Orale)

International audienceWe describe a new coherent beam combin- ing architecture based on the passive phase- locking of two laser diodes in a Michelson external cavity on their rear side, and their coherent combination on their front side

The impact of gender, puberty, and pregnancy in patients with POLG disease

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of gender, puberty, and pregnancy on the expression of POLG disease, one of the most common mitochondrial diseases known. METHODS: Clinical, laboratory, and genetic data were collected retrospectively from 155 patients with genetically confirmed POLG disease recruited from seven European countries. We used the available data to study the impact of gender, puberty, and pregnancy on disease onset and deterioration. RESULTS: We found that disease onset early in life was common in both sexes but there was also a second peak in females around the time of puberty. Further, pregnancy had a negative impact with 10 of 14 women (71%) experiencing disease onset or deterioration during pregnancy. INTERPRETATION: Gender clearly influences the expression of POLG disease. While onset very early in life was common in both males and females, puberty in females appeared associated both with disease onset and increased disease activity. Further, both disease onset and deterioration, including seizure aggravation and status epilepticus, appeared to be associated with pregnancy. Thus, whereas disease activity appears maximal early in life with no subsequent peaks in males, both menarche and pregnancy appear associated with disease onset or worsening in females. This suggests that hormonal changes may be a modulating factor

Separate phase-locking and coherent combining of two laser diodes in a Michelson cavity

We describe a new coherent beam combining architecture based on passive phase-locking of two laser diodes in a Michelson external cavity on their rear facet, and their coherent combination on the front facet. As a proof-of-principle, two ridge lasers have been coherently combined with >90 % efficiency. The phase-locking range, and the resistance of the external cavity to perturbations have been thoroughly investigated. The combined power has been stabilized over more than 15 min with an optical feedback as well as with an automatic adjustment of the driving currents. Furthermore, two high-brightness high-power tapered laser diodes have been coherently combined in a similar arrangement; the combining efficiency is 70% and results in an output power of 4 W. We believe that this new configuration combines the simplicity of passive self-organizing architectures with the optical efficiency of master-oscillator power-amplifier ones

Simplifying the clinical classification of polymerase gamma (POLG) disease based on age of onset; studies using a cohort of 155 cases

Background: Variants in POLG are one of the most common causes of inherited mitochondrial disease. Phenotypic classification of POLG disease has evolved haphazardly making it complicated and difficult to implement in everyday clinical practise. The aim of our study was to simplify the classification and facilitate better clinical recognition. / Methods: A multinational, retrospective study using data from 155 patients with POLG variants recruited from seven European countries. / Results: We describe the spectrum of clinical features associated with POLG variants in the largest known cohort of patients. While clinical features clearly form a continuum, stratifying patients simply according to age of onset—onset prior to age 12 years; onset between 12 and 40 years and onset after the age of 40 years, permitted us to identify clear phenotypic and prognostic differences. Prior to 12 years of age, liver involvement (87%), seizures (84%), and feeding difficulties (84%) were the major features. For those with onset between 12 and 40 years, ataxia (90%), peripheral neuropathy (84%), and seizures (71%) predominated, while for those with onset over 40 years, ptosis (95%), progressive external ophthalmoplegia (89%), and ataxia (58%) were the major clinical features. The earlier the onset the worse the prognosis. Patients with epilepsy and those with compound heterozygous variants carried significantly worse prognosis. / Conclusion: Based on our data, we propose a simplified POLG disease classification, which can be used to guide diagnostic investigations and predict disease course

Cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase deficiency : Expanding the clinical phenotype and novel laboratory findings

Cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK-C) deficiency due to the homozygous PCK1 variant has recently been associated with childhood-onset hypoglycemia with a recognizable pattern of abnormal urine organic acids. In this study, 21 children and 3 adult patients with genetically confirmed PEPCK-C deficiency were diagnosed during the years 2016 to 2019 and the available biochemical and clinical data were collected. All patients were ethnic Finns. Most patients (22 out of 24) had a previously published homozygous PCK1 variant c.925G>A. Two patients had a novel compound heterozygous PCK1 variant c.925G>A and c.716C>T. The laboratory results showed abnormal urine organic acid profile with increased tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and inadequate ketone body production during hypoglycemia. The hypoglycemic episodes manifested predominantly in the morning. Infections, fasting or poor food intake, heavy exercise, alcohol consumption, and breastfeeding were identified as triggering factors. Five patients presented with neonatal hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemic seizures occurred in half of the patients (12 out of 24). The first hypoglycemic episode often occurred at the age of 1-2 years, but it sometimes presented at a later age, and could re-occur during school age or adulthood. This study adds to the laboratory data on PEPCK-C deficiency, confirming the recognizable urine organic acid pattern and identifying deficient ketogenesis as a novel laboratory finding. The phenotype is expanded suggesting that the risk of hypoglycemia may continue into adulthood if predisposing factors are present.Peer reviewe