| 1. |
- Abraham, Getahun Yacob
(författare)
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Education for Democracy? : Life Orientation: Lessons on Leadeship Qualities and Voting in South African Comprehensive Schools
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study takes as its starting point how teachers understand, interpret and teach social development aspects of Life Orientation in South African comprehensive schools. The specific focus is on lessons on leadership qualities and voting for third grade learners in four schools, each dominated by either Black, Coloured, White or mixed groups of learners. Field work with an ethnographic approach and a qualitative strategy was used to gain access to empirical data. Policy and curriculum documents, guidelines and textbooks were used. Classroom observations in four classes and interviews with 14 third grade teachers were conducted. Theoretical concepts of construction, deconstruction and reconstruction are applied. Ulf P Lundgren’s Frame Factor Theory is used to study school organization. Basil Bernstein’s Pedagogical Devices are considered when examining the different levels of pedagogical activities. To be a teacher in South Africa one needs to attend at least two years of teacher education after completing high school. Teachers in the classes studied underwent their teacher education during apartheid years. Due to limited in-service training, they sometimes experience problems of understanding and interpreting the learning area, which they usually tackle by consulting documents, colleagues or school authorities. The learners’ understanding varied based on their family background and type of school they attended. There were enormous differences in material, financial and organisational resources between classes and schools. The resources for teaching leadership qualities and voting were not, however, different between the classes. The lessons were teacher dominated and direct transmission was used as a method. The way teachers facilitated the lesson on leadership qualities and voting varied but all showed some democratic shortcomings. Apart from answering questions, learners were neither invited nor encouraged to participate to further their understanding of the theme. Limited aspects of leadership qualities were discussed, individual leaders’ roles were emphasised and the teachers picked candidates for class leaders in three of the classes. It was also evident that the class environments were not suitable for critical or creative thinking and democratic upbringing. The schools reproduced norms, values, languages and cultures of the different groups. Officially, teachers emphasised the common national South African identity. This emphasis on national identity could disguise the injustice some groups experience in society.
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| 2. |
- Adriaenssens, Bart, 1979
(författare)
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Individual variation in behaviour: personality and performance of brown trout in the wild
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Individuals from the same population often show very different behaviour. These differences, when consistent across time, are referred to as animal personality or behavioural syndromes. Explaining the occurrence of animal personality from an evolutionary perspective has however proven a difficult issue to tackle. This thesis studies aspects of individual behavioural variation and personality in brown trout (Salmo trutta). More specifically, I investigate (1) to what extent variation in behaviour is consistent within and across contexts, (2) environmental and genetic effects on behaviour, (3) how this affects performance in the wild, and (4) whether this understanding can be used to improve rearing methods of supplementary hatcheries. I found brown trout to express a wide variation of behaviours and provide evidence that much of this behavioural variation is associated in bigger behavioural syndromes. As a result, separate behaviours of brown trout cannot be considered as isolated units, but combine into clusters that sometimes are associated with non-behavioural measures such as body size or growth rate. Variation was further influenced by both inherited and environmental effects. First, individuals from different maternal and paternal origin differed in size, aggressiveness and response to novel prey or novel food. These results suggest that maternal and/or genetic effects influence behaviour and growth in brown trout (I). Second, reduced rearing densities in a hatchery increased the response to novel prey, food search ability in a maze and predator response (II). And third, hatchery trout were more successful foragers than wild conspecifics, yet showed less repeatable explorative behaviour across time (III). Personality traits were generally poor predictors of growth and survival upon release, suggesting that several behavioural strategies can be successful in nature. Nevertheless, in paper IV, slow exploring individuals grew faster than more bold trout. Furthermore, parr reared at reduced densities were twice as likely to survive in the stream as trout reared at high densities. In conclusion, my results contradict simple associations between risk taking behaviour and growth-mortality tradeoffs under natural conditions. This challenges the recent view that individual differences in growth strategies can explain variation in behaviour and suggests more heterogeneous links between personality and life-history in nature (V). In addition, I show that reduced rearing hatchery densities facilitate the development of adaptive behaviour in brown trout, a finding that may have implications for current rearing methods in supplementary hatcheries.
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| 3. |
- Ahlberg Helgee, Ernst, 1981
(författare)
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Improving Drug Discovery Decision Making using Machine Learning and Graph Theory in QSAR Modeling
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- During the last decade non-linear machine-learning methods have gained popularity among QSAR modelers. The machine-learning algorithms generate highly accurate models at a cost of increased model complexity where simple interpretations, valid in the entire model domain, are rare. This thesis focuses on maximizing the amount of extracted knowledge from predictive QSAR models and data. This has been achieved by the development of a descriptor importance measure, a method for automated local optimization of compounds and a method for automated extraction of substructural alerts. Furthermore different QSAR modeling strategies have been evaluated with respect to predictivity, risks and information content. To test hypotheses and theories large scale simulations of known relations between activities and descriptors have been conducted. With the simulations it has been possible to study properties of methods,risks, implementations and errors in a controlled manner since the correct answer has been known. Simulation studies have been used in the development of the generally applicable descriptor importance measure and in the analysis of QSAR modeling strategies. The use of simulations is spread in many areas, but not that common in the computational chemistry community. The descriptor importance measure developed can be applied to any machine-learning method and validations using both real data and simulated data show that the descriptor importance measure is very accurate for non-linear methods. An automated method for local optimization of compounds was developed to partly replace manual searches made to optimize compounds. The local optimization of compounds make use of the information in available data and deterministically enumerates new compounds in a space spanned close to the compound of interest. This can be used as a starting point for further compound optimization and aids the chemist in finding new compounds. An other approach to guide chemists in the process of optimizing compounds is through substructural warnings. A fast method for significant substructure extraction has been developed that extracts significant substructures from data with respect to the activity of the compound. The method is at least on par with existing methods in terms of accuracy but is significantly less time consuming. Non-linear machine-learning methods have opened up new possibilities for QSAR modeling that changes the way chemical data can be handled by model algorithms. Therefore properties of Local and Global QSAR modeling strategies have been studied. The results show that Local models come with high risks and are less accurate compared to Global models. In summary this thesis shows that Global QSAR modeling strategies should be applied preferably using methods that are able to handle non-linear relationships. The developed methods can be interpreted easily and an extensive amount of information can be retrieved. For the methods to become easily available to a broader group of users packaging with an open-source chemical platform is needed.
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| 4. |
- Ahlström, Bodil, 1968
(författare)
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Structure, phase behavior, and dynamics of colloidal systems characterized by strong, short- and moderate-ranged attractions: a computational study
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Attractions between colloidal particles are often so strong that non-equilibrium behavior results. However, dissolved non-adsorbing polymer can be added to give a weak attraction between particles so that equilibrium phase transitions appear at moderate polymer concentrations. At higher polymer concentrations and small polymer-colloid size ratios non-equilibrium effects like gelation occur, for which a complete understanding is lacking. Monte Carlo and Monte Carlo-like computer simulations have been used to investigate the role of many-body effects and the structures that colloidal particles adopt under influence of a polymer-induced depletion attraction. The phase diagram proves difficult to determine for these systems by direct application of the Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo method, especially for small polymer-colloid size ratios that correspond to short-range attractions. However, a sequential equilibration scheme is shown be able to give equilibrated fluid-fluid coexistence data where usual application of the method fails. The dynamics of colloidal particles along this fluid-fluid coexistence curve is studied by a Brownian dynamics algorithm, corrected for the use of a large time step. The dynamics slows down as the particle and polymer concentrations are increased, but the systems appear to reach equilibrium for the cases studied. This is in contrast to what is found by applying mode coupling theory; it predicts glass-like transitions already at modest polymer concentrations for short-range attractive systems, which is an issue that is investigated to some extent. In addition, a number of approximate theories have been developed and tested against the results from the computer simulations.
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| 5. |
- Al Mulla, Anas H, et al.
(författare)
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On Caries Risk Profiles Using Cariogram and Caries Prevention with Fluoridated Toothpaste in Orthodontic Patients
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objective. The aims of this thesis were to: 1) analyse caries-related factors shortly after orthodontic treatment, 2) demonstrate the usefulness of the Cariogram by presenting orthodontic patients with different caries-risk profiles, 3) compare two different toothpastes with different post brushing techniques using an in situ caries model with orthodontic bands, and 4) test the hypothesis that toothpaste slurry rinsing, combined with some other simple post-brushing advice (in this thesis called the “modified F toothpaste technique, MFTT“), would reduce the number of decayed and filled tooth surfaces (DFS) in a 2-year randomised clinical trial in orthodontic patients. Materials and Methods. In Study I, a total of 100 patients were divided into two groups (50 in each), based on their pre-bonding DFS. A high- (DFS ≥ 5) and a low- (DFS ≤ 2) caries group were created. In Study II, three cases were selected to present the three caries risk groups, i.e. high, medium and low. In Study III, 20 orthodontic patients were randomised into two groups: 1) a test group using 5,000 ppm F with no post-brushing water rinsing and 2) a control group using 1,450 ppm F with 3 times post-brushing water rinsing. On the upper first premolars, orthodontic stainless steel bands were applied, leaving 2-3 mm of space away from the exposed buccal surface in order to accumulate plaque and create an area for initial caries development. The teeth were extracted after 8 and 9 weeks and were then analysed using Quantitative Light-induced Fluorescence (QLF). Moreover, the oral F retention was studied using the two brushing techniques. The Study IV population consisted of 100 orthodontic patients randomly divided into two groups. Each patient was examined before the beginning of orthodontic treatment (baseline) and shortly after de- bonding (follow-up) within a 2-year study period. The test group patients were instructed to use the MFTT, in which various behavioural factors were standardised in order to improve the caries preventive effect of F toothpaste. The control group patients were given the routine clinic oral hygiene instructions. Results. In Study I, the low-caries group displayed lower DFS (p < 0.001), lactobacilli (p < 0.001) and mutans streptococci (p < 0.001) and higher Cariogram values (p < 0.001). Study II showed that the Cariogram was a useful tool for distinguishing between low, medium and high caries risk patients. In Study III, in comparison to the control group, the test group regimen resulted in a non- significant smaller QLF lesion area and lower average QLF loss of fluorescence (p < 0.05). The highest F concentration under the band was found in the test group (p < 0.001). In Study IV, the clinical (p < 0.001), radiographic (p < 0.001) and clinical + radiographic (p < 0.001) ΔDFS (incidences) were significantly reduced in the test group in comparison to the controls, with prevented fractions of 87%, 78% and 83% respectively. Conclusions. 1) Patients with high DFS before orthodontic treatment ran a higher risk of developing caries. They had significantly higher numbers of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli and had less chance of avoiding new cavities according to the Cariogram. 2) The Cariogram may be a useful pedagogic model for illustrating a patient’s caries risk in the orthodontic clinic. 3) The combination of using a 5,000 ppm F toothpaste and no post-brushing water rinsing had better anti-caries potential and resulted in elevated oral F retention, compared with a 1,450 ppm F toothpaste with 3 times post-brushing water rinsing. 4) Compared with routine oral hygiene instructions including F toothpaste, the use of the MFTT significantly reduces the incidence of new caries lesions in orthodontic patients.
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| 6. |
- Aldrin, Viktor, 1980-
(författare)
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Prayer in Peasant Communities : Ideals and Practices of Prayer in the Late Medieval Ecclesiastical Province of Uppsala, Sweden
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this study has been to identify, explain and delineate praying among peasant communities in the ecclesiastical province of Uppsala, Sweden. Four aspects have been examined through the perspectives of ideals and practices, namely the standards of prayer, devotional prayer, prayer in times of need and prayer cultures. The standards of prayer considered the physical and mental behaviour of the praying peasant woman or man. The most ordinary way to act during prayer was to stand with hands together, palm against palm, and to pray in the vernacular often using mental themes to enhance the devotion. Devotional prayers were foremost the three ‘standard’ prayers Paternoster, Hail Mary and Apostolic Creed, and could be used separately or combined. Prayer in times of need was possibly considered a matter of praying to saints, something that cannot be proven to have been either practiced or recommended on other, ordinary occasions where God and the Virgin Mary were considered the proper recipients of prayer. A few authentic prayers exist that were possibly said by peasant women and men in connection with miracles and these show the ability to construct elaborate prayers and to propose businesslike agreements with saints. These three prayers were required knowledge for a peasant woman or man and were put to the test in order to become a godparent, and were therefore made available in the vernacular by the parish priests. Ways to maintain the prayer cultures were through mnemonic techniques, and indulgences stipulating and confirming prayers used or to be used in connection with certain churches, days and places within the churches. Name saints could also be used, since the person and the name saint were considered to have a special bond. Prayer could also be used as protection for the living; since a prayer was considered to generate either merits or favours from a celestial patron to his or her client. The prayer life of those belonging to peasant communities was both elaborate and full of nuances.
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| 7. |
- Aljassim, Obaid
(författare)
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Aortic valve surgery: Clinical studies after autograft, homograft and prosthetic valve replacement
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aortic Valve Surgery Clinical studies after autograft, homograft and prosthetic valve replacement Obaid Aljassim, MD Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Anaesthesia, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and University of Gothenburg Introduction and Aims: Aortic valve disease in symptomatic adult patients often requires surgery. Several alternatives are available: repair, mechanical and biological prostheses, homograft and the Ross procedure. In the process of choosing valve substitute, the individual patient’s characteristics are matched against the characteristics of the different valve alternatives. This thesis includes clinical studies addressing outcome after the Ross procedure, after homograft replacement in endocarditis and Doppler versus catheter findings in patients with prosthetic valves. Methods: In Study I, surgical correction of autograft mismatch in the Ross operation (n=77) was investigated. In Study II we established the normal aortic dimensions using echocardiography in normal controls (n=38) and compared these findings with Ross operated patients (n=71) in a long-term follow up (101±31 mo). In Study III, patients with prosthetic (n=31) or native valve endocarditis with abscess (n=31) were operated with a homograft replacement, and followed for 37±11 months. In Study IV we investigated the flow resistance of mechanical and biological aortic valves using simultaneous Doppler and left ventricular and aortic pressure measurements (high-fidelity catheters). Results: Study I: Among the 24 patients without surgical correction an early moderate aortic regurgitation was present in eight patients (33%) compared with two of the following surgically corrected 53 patients (4%, p=0.001). Study II: A large proportion of the patients showed dilatation of the autograft (43%) and native aorta (32%) at late follow-up, and 5 were re-operated due to dilatation. There was a progression in both autograft and native aortic dimensions from the baseline to the follow-up. Only baseline autograft size did predict late dilatation (>4 cm). Study III: Nine patients (15%) died within 30 days. Variables associated with early mortality were higher Cleveland Clinic Risk Score (p=0.014), ECC-time (p=0.003), inotropic support (p=0.03), bleeding (p=0.01) and myocardial infarction (p<0.001). Cumulative survival was 82%, 78%, 75% and 67% at one, three, five and ten years, respectively. Quality of life (SF36) was not significantly different to a matched healthy control group. Study IV: There was a strong linear relation between catheter and Doppler gradients (r = 0.85 to 0.92). Doppler overestimated catheter gradients in both the mechanical and stented biological valve. Conclusions: Aortic regurgitation immediately after the Ross procedure can be minimized with surgical correction of anatomical mismatch in the aortic root. The autograft as well as the native aorta continues to dilate and this may lead to reoperation. Severe acute aortic endocarditis treated with homograft replacement is still associated with a substantial early complication rate and mortality. Long-term survival, quality of life and homograft function is satisfactory in patients surviving the immediate postoperative period. In the first in vivo study of the relation between Doppler and catheter gradients in prosthetic valves, we found a significant Doppler-catheter discrepancy in bioprostheses. Doppler overestimates the net gradients in both mechanical and biological prostheses.
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| 8. |
- Alvestad, Torgeir, 1960
(författare)
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Barnehagens relasjonelle verden - små barn som kompetente aktører i produktive forhandlinger
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The present study investigates the negotiations that take place in play among the youngest children in preschool. What are their negotiations about? How do they negotiate? What kinds of strategies do they use during their negotiations? The study has its focus on learning about fellowship through practice and experience in the negotiations that take place among the youngest preschool children. The study’s relevance also relates to the development of pedagogical practice among the youngest children in preschools. The theoretical platform is comprised of the perspectives of childhood psychology (Sommer, 2004) and childhood sociology (Corsaro, 2002). In both perspectives children are regarded as competent active in producing their own culture and active in calling on information and learning. The main concepts used in the analysis of the empirical data are ‘inter-subjectivity’ and ’the role of others’. The concepts are based on the theoretical frameworks of Daniel Stern (1991) and George Herbert Mead (1962). A group of twenty four children, thirteen girls and eleven boys, aged between two to three, were regularly video recorded. The children were enrolled in day-care groups in two of the biggest cities in Norway. The study reveals that the negotiations that take place among the children are mainly about their relationships, play materials, and the content of their play. They negotiate both verbally and nonverbally. They express their intentions towards each other with words and through gestures, glances, laughter and smiles. They use different strategies in their negotiations that relate to content and intentions. They also seem to develop or change their strategy if, for example, an initial strategy is not successful. Their strategies can be both emotional and connected to solving problems. In addition, they often use humour as a strategy. The study shows that the children who play the most with others and who know each other best, are those who are most successful in their negotiations. They often have a common focus and common intentions, as well as sharing emotional conditions in their play and negotiations. It seems that those children who are the most competent playmates are also those who are most competent in negotiations. The reason for this might be the connection between play and negotiations. To be able to play successfully demands that those sharing the play are prepared for negotiations about relations, play materials and the content of the play. However, the children’s negotiations depend on their previous experiences in this field. The more experienced the youngest children are in negotiations, the more complex and flexible their negotiations might be. A pedagogical consequence of this study is that staff in preschools should support the smallest children by giving them more time to meet and play together. This can give the children extended possibilities to develop their own strategies of negotiations in play. This in turn will support children’s learning in becoming creative, seeking and reflective individuals who create their own space of action. The experiences children are gaining through negotiations in play might also be important for other situations of negotiation, contributions and democratic practice.
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| 9. |
- Alvstad, Erik, 1966
(författare)
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Reading the Dream Text: A Nexus between Dreams and Texts in the Rabbinic Literature of Late Antiquity
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study deals with conceptions and practices related to dreams in early rabbinic Judaism. One aspect of the Jewish dream culture in particular is considered, viz. the tendency evinced in the rabbinic literature of Late Antiquity to associate dreams and texts with each other. The juxtaposing of elements pertaining to the discourse on dreams and elements relating to the discourse on texts are discernable in rabbinic texts of many different genres, indicating that aspects of these phenomena were... mer considered analogous on some level. In the study, points of intersection between dreams and texts in the rabbinic literature are identified, described and examined through analyses of narratives, aphorisms, prayers, rituals and omina associated with dreams. It is shown that an examination of the nexus between dreams and texts in the rabbinic literature has the potential to yield substantial knowledge of how the nature of dreams was conceived of in rabbinic Judaism of Late Antiquity, as well as to garner insights into some of the culturally modelled procedures that were contrived specifically to respond to the phenomenon of dreaming. In the study some of the underlying cultural problems and social tensions that the texts involved might represent attempts to deal with are identified. It is furthermore argued that the articulations of a dream-text nexus in the rabbinic literature express and play on a fundamental ambivalence regarding the nature and status of the dream and its relation to the culturally sanctioned texts, first and foremost the Bible.
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| 10. |
- Anckarsäter, Rolf, 1956
(författare)
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Neurochemical and neuroendocrine reactions during non-neurological surgery
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Abstract Objective: To study changes in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins, monoamine metabolites and hormones during non-neurological surgery. Subjects and methods: Thirty-five patients without neurological or psychiatric disorders undergoing knee replacements had CSF and serum samples drawn from spinal and arterial catheters before, three hours after and on the morning after surgery. Results: The CSF/serum albumin ratios decreased significantly during the study period, especially after the interventions. In contrast, CSF concentrations of beta-2-microglobulin (β2M) increased significantly during surgery and remained high. The CSF concentrations of beta-trace protein (βTP) remained unchanged. The dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA) and the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) increased sharply in the CSF during surgery and reached 188% and 166% of their initial concentrations on the morning after the intervention. The CSF concentrations of the norepinephrine metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglucol (MHPG) increased modestly (non-significantly) during and after surgery. The HVA/5-HIAA ratios initially increased but returned almost to their initial level during the night after surgery. During and after surgery, serum thyroid hormones and the T3/T4 ratio decreased, while the CSF T3/T4 ratio instead increased. At baseline, the CSF MHPG concentrations were significantly correlated to the serum T3/T4 ratios. The base-line CSF thyroid hormones were strongly correlated with the subsequent changes in monoamine metabolite concentrations during and after surgery. Serum insulin concentrations first decreased modestly but then increased sharply after surgery with a wide interpersonal variation, while the CSF insulin concentrations changed in the same directions, albeit with smaller amplitudes. Due to the increase in serum insulin, the CSF/serum insulin ratios decreased. Conclusions: Central nervous system protein reactions to a non-neurological surgical intervention include sharply decreased permeability of albumin into the CSF and signs of intrathecal inflammatory activity. There was a strong increase in serotonergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission during surgery, with a comparatively stable relationship between the metabolites from these systems. Changes in thyroid hormone and insulin metabolism during surgery are not similar peripherally and in the central nervous system. Thyroid hormone activity may influence brain monoaminergic neurotransmission. No correlations between the CSF/serum ratios of albumin, βTP, insulin and T4 were found, consistent with separate transport mechanisms from the blood into the CSF for these substances in humans in vivo. Key-words: albumin, beta-2-microglobuline, blood brain barrier, cerebrospinal fluid, inflammation, spinal anesthesia, stress
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