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- Cai, Yixiao, 1986-
(författare)
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Bio-Nano Interactions : Synthesis, Functionalization and Characterization of Biomaterial Interfaces
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Current strategies for designing biomaterials involve creating materials and interfaces that interact with biomolecules, cells and tissues. This thesis aims to investigate several bioactive surfaces, such as nanocrystalline diamond (NCD), hydroxyapatite (HA) and single crystalline titanium dioxide, in terms of material synthesis, surface functionalization and characterization.Although cochlear implants (CIs) have been proven to be clinically successful, the efficiency of these implants still needs to be improved. A CI typically only has 12-20 electrodes while the ear has approximately 3400 inner hair cells. A type of micro-textured NCD surface that consists of micrometre-sized nail-head-shaped pillars was fabricated. Auditory neurons showed a strong affinity for the surface of the NCD pillars, and the technique could be used for neural guidance and to increase the number of stimulation points, leading to CIs with improved performance.Typical transparent ceramics are fabricated using pressure-assisted sintering techniques. However, the development of a simple energy-efficient production method remains a challenge. A simple approach to fabricating translucent nano-ceramics was developed by controlling the morphology of the starting ceramic particles. Translucent nano-ceramics, including HA and strontium substituted HA, could be produced via a simple filtration process followed by pressure-less sintering. Furthermore, the application of such materials as a window material was investigated. The results show that MC3T3 cells could be observed through the translucent HA ceramic for up to 7 days. The living fluorescent staining confirmed that the MC3T3 cells were visible throughout the culture period.Single crystalline rutile possesses in vitro bioactivity, and the crystalline direction affects HA formation. The HA growth on (001), (100) and (110) faces was investigated in a simulated body fluid in the presence of fibronectin (FN) via two different processes. The HA layers on each face were analysed using different characterization techniques, revealing that the interfacial energies could be altered by the pre-adsorbed FN, which influenced HA formation.In summary, micro textured NCD, and translucent HA and FN functionalized single crystalline rutile, and their interactions with cells and biomimetic HA were studied. The results showed that controlled surface properties are important for enhancing a material’s biological performance.
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| 2. |
- Boniface, Raymond, 1977-
(författare)
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Teachers' Retention in Tanzanian Remote Secondary Schools : Exploring Perceived Challenges and Support
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Teacher retention is a global challenge, and many developed and developing countries are struggling to staff and retain teachers in schools, particularly in low-performing, remote, and less desirable areas. In most of these countries, Tanzania in particular, the efficacy of fiscally inclined teachers’ retention strategies continues to be dubious. The aim of this study is to explore teachers’ perceived school level challenges and the support of retaining teachers in remote secondary schools in Tanzania. The study is inspired by a supportive management theoretical framework, particularly Organizational Support, Leader-Member Exchange and Coworkers’ Exchange. It is motivated by a pragmatic knowledge claim. Data were sequentially collected in three phases using interviews and survey questionnaires. A sample included 258 secondary schools teachers from 28 remote schools in the Dodoma region in central Tanzania. Mixed methods data analysis techniques were used.The current study identifies younger males of a well-educated and experienced teaching workforce as being the chief staffing in remote Tanzanian secondary schools. Such a teaching workforce is challenging to retain in remote areas, as it is rarely satisfied with the teaching career and highly susceptible to frequently changing employers and working contexts. Moreover, findings show that teachers perceive problems related to housing, social services, conflicts in schools, the inability to influence changes in schools, the teaching and learning situation and limited opportunities as the chief reasons for not remaining in remote schools. Furthermore, findings show that teachers perceive meaningful retention support as being contextually definitive. The catalyst is high quality exchanges amongst teachers which spearhead the development of intra- and extra-role practices, school citizenship behaviours, intraschool social capital (an investment), all of which could bind teachers together, enhancing performing and supporting each other beyond formal contracts. Such a situation triggers teachers’ beliefs that changes, improvement, adaptability and survival within difficult remote environments is possible, and this consequently influences the intention to voice and/or conversely, to exit. Teachers’ empowerment, justice practices and working voicing arenas are important practices for enhancing retention support, especially in remote areas.
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| 3. |
- Karoro Muhirwe, Charles
(författare)
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Developing Academic Literacies in Times of Change : Scaffolding Literacies Acquisition with the Curriculum and ICT in Rwandan Tertiary Education
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Inspired by the Bologna Process and other globalising influences from modern higher education, and driven by policy reform for national development after the ravages of the 1994 conflict and genocide, Rwanda’s tertiary education has embarked on a number of policy reform for national development after the ravages of the 1994 conflict and genocide, Rwanda’s tertiary education has embarked on a number of policy reforms that have ushered in expectations, requirements and demands that call for both reinvigorated and new academic literacies in undergraduate study since 2007. With its aim of producing a highly skilled human resource as a panacea for Rwanda’s social and economic development deficits, the tertiary education curriculum is more than never before focused on outcomes that are linked to further education and the labour market. However, one of the problems to contend with is academic and professional under- preparedness of students entering and exiting undergraduate study, respectively. Theoretically these developments involve distancing oneself from a previous pedagogy whereby the teacher imparts knowledge to the student but instead places greater responsibility on the student to search for knowledge either individually or in a group, as well as critically examine and be able to argue a point of view in writing and through other modes of communication. Therefore, this study has been informed especially by the New Literacy Studies and the Academic Literacies Approach to understanding the development of tertiary academic literacies. The study has also been inspired by the concept of educational scaffolding. It is against this backdrop that my study set out to investigate the academic literacies requested in undergraduate study, and to explore approaches adopted by tertiary learning institutions in the country to embed academic literacies acquisition into the mainstream curriculum over the last decade. Furthermore, the study sought to explore how technology is integrated at different levels to support the acquisition of academic literacies, including technological and information literacies. In order to achieve the aforementioned, the study embarked on a qualitative blend of cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs. Principal data were gathered from official documents obtained from the government and tertiary learning institutions. Drawing on the synergies of qualitative content analysis and intertextual analysis, the documentary data were analysed and then qualitatively interpreted. The data were supplemented by a couple of questionnaire mini-surveys which were also subjected to qualitative analysis. The findings indicate that a new and expanded definition of literacy in the 21st century implies students’ development of a set of interrelated and transferable academic competences which are elaborated in the thesis. Curriculum discourses show that there is a shift of curricular and pedagogical emphasis from general linguistic competence as a vehicle for developing academic literacies to a more integrated embedment of a number of literacies including English for Specific Purposes (ESP), study skills, as well as information, communication and technological literacies. Regarding the use of ICT as a scaffolding tool for learning, findings show that the use of technologies has the potential to support students’ processes of academic literacies development from a highly dependent level to a more autonomous level, given that the ICT integration policies and strategies could fully materialise.
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