| 1. |
- Andersson, Niklas, et al.
(author)
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Model-Based Comparison of Batch and Continuous Preparative Chromatography in the Separation of Rare Earth Elements
- 2014
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In: Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0888-5885 .- 1520-5045. ; 53:42, s. 16485-16493
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The demand for rare earth elements (REEs) is growing, while the future supply is uncertain. Their unique electronic characteristics make them irreplaceable, and the commercial value of pure fractions is high. A model-based simulation study is presented that compares batch chromatography with the twin-column MCSGP (multicolumn countercurrent solvent gradient purification) process for ion-exchange chromatography of the four-component system neodymium, samarium, europium, and gadolinium. The last three components are considered products with individual purity requirements of 99%. The twin-column process has been shown to be a good alternative to the batch process regarding modifier consumption and productivity since it enables internal recycling to achieve high purities. A new cut strategy for MCSGP is applied where subfractions are taken from each outlet. Two multiobjective optimizations with yield, solvent productivity, and productivity objectives show that the MCSGP process is a better alternative than batch chromatography.
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| 2. |
- Borg, Farhana, Lektor, 1967-, et al.
(author)
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A whole (pre)school approach to sustainability in eco- and non-eco-certified preschools in Sweden : Principals’ views and attitudes
- 2023
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In: Konferens i pedagogiskt arbete, 2023. - Linköping : Linköping University Electronic Press. - 9789180752831 - 9789180752848 ; , s. 22-23
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although a whole school approach (WSA) to sustainability has been described as one of the most meaningful education approaches, the concept of WSA has not yet been widely explored within the context of preschool education, where the play, learning, and care are preconditions for a wholeness in childhood. The concept of the WSA considers raising quality and standard across entire education institution (Henderson & Tilbury, 2004). This approach also emphasizes the needs for (pre)school to engage children, teachers, parents, and the wider community in sustainability (Mogren, Gericke & Scherp, 2019). The principals have important roles to play in reforming and prioritizing preschools activities towards sustainability (Borg & Vinterek, 2020). This paper explores 50 principals’ views and attitudes towards sustainability from a WSA perspective. Using randomized sampling, the principals were selected from 25 eco-certified and 25 non-eco-certified preschools in 25 municipalities in Sweden, out of 290. A questionnaire was utilized to collect demographic information about the preschools, number of children, number of qualified teachers, principals’ attitudes towards preschool’s activities with sustainability, and also an open-ended question about how the principals themselves integrate sustainability in their planning of preschool activities and what they actually do. The qualitative data was analyzed by using Wals and Mathie’s (2022) six component Whole School Approach Flower Model. The components are: 1. Vision, ethos, leadership and coordination; 2. Institutional practices; 3. Pedagogy and learning; 4. Curriculum; 5. Community connections; and 6. Capacity building. The components were adapted and operationalized within a preschool context. The quantitative data was analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) in the SIMCA statistical software (Umetrics 2020). This study is a part of a project, “Eco-certified preschools and children’s learning for sustainability: Researching holistic outcomes of preschool education for sustainability (HOPES)” (Swedish Research Council, Dnr. 2018-04445). The analyses will be completed by June, 2023. ReferencesBorg, F., & Vinterek, M. (2020). Principals´ Views on and Descriptions of Preschool Education for Sustainable Development. Journal of Applied Technical and Educational Sciences, 10(2), 18-40. doi:10.24368/jates.v10i2.170Henderson, K., & Tilbury, D. (2004). Whole school approaches to sustainability: An international review of sustainable school programs. Report prepared by Macquarie University for the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage. Sydney.Mogren, A., Gericke, N., & Scherp, H.-Å. (2019). Whole school approaches to education for sustainable development: a model that links to school improvement. Environmental Education Research, 25(4), 508-531. https://doi:10.1080/13504622.2018.1455074 Umetrics. (2020). SIMCA-P+. In (Version 16.0) [Computer software]. Sartorius Stedim Inc. https://www.sartorius.com/en/products/process-analytical-technology/data-analytics-software/mvda-software/simca?gclid=Cj0KCQiAvvKBBhCXARIsACTePW-oD9sm_Ng1dgNBivHH9GFSApdp5wo2G0EDOydryNnzZQ-20Xoj_vIaApIwEALw_wcB
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| 3. |
- Borg, Farhana, Lektor, 1967-, et al.
(author)
-
Methodological and ethical issues when interviewing preschool children : Experiences from a study on sustainability in Sweden
- 2023
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In: 31st EECERA ANNUAL CONFERENCE. Children’s Curiosity, Agency and Participation: Challenges for Professional Action and Development. ; , s. 135-135
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To contribute to the methodological and ethical discourse on children’sparticipation in research on complex issues, this case-study critically discusses experiences from a large-scale randomized interview study about preschool education for sustainability in Sweden. Young children’s ability to express their views has been subject to debate, resulting in them often being excluded asresearch participants. Hence, age-appropriate methodological approaches are needed to ensure their participation.This study draws from Josefsson and Wall’s(2020) concept of children’s “empowered inclusion” and Lundy’s (2007) model of voice, space, audience, and influence.Employing a qualitative case-studyapproach, methodological approaches and ethical considerations and experiences of a randomized study are scrutinized. A total of 403 children from 50 preschools were interviewed about sustainability using illustrations. An interview instrument was developed and pretested in two iterations. Data were analyzed thematically. The Swedish Ethical Review Authority did not raise any objection to the interview study. Consent to participate was collected from parents and children.They were informed that the children could withdraw at any time if they wanted. The findings demonstrate that research with young children can be undertaken in an ethically acceptable manner. The use of illustrations was helpful in creating a friendly environment and supporting children’s understanding of complex issues. Individual and pair interviews were effective while group interviews were problematic. Children’s attention dropped after 12-15 minutes. These findings suggest that preschool children can express their views on important matters under ethically acceptable and methodologically appropriate conditions.
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| 4. |
- Borg, Niklas, et al.
(author)
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Effects of uncertainties in experimental conditions on the estimation of adsorption model parameters in preparative chromatography
- 2013
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In: Computers & Chemical Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-4375 .- 0098-1354. ; 55, s. 148-157
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Model-based process design is increasingly popular when designing pharmaceutical purification processes. The effect of uncertainties in concentration measurements on the estimation of model parameters is analyzed for two cases of non-isocratic adsorption chromatography. A model, calibrated to experiments, is used to generate data by adding a Monte Carlo sampled error in the inlet concentrations. New model parameters are estimated by minimizing the deviation between the synthetic data and the model. The first case is a separation of rare earth elements by ion-exchange chromatography and the second case is a purification of insulin from a product-related impurity by reversed-phase chromatography. It is shown that normally distributed errors in the concentrations result in deviations in the UV-signal that are not normally distributed. With the applied method, known concentration distributions can be translated into probability distributions of the model parameters, which can be taken into account in the model-based process design. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Westerberg, Karin, et al.
(author)
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Supporting Design and Control of a Reversed-Phase Chromatography Step by Mechanistic Modeling
- 2012
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In: Chemical Engineering & Technology. - : Wiley. - 1521-4125 .- 0930-7516. ; 35:1, s. 169-175
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is a need to design and understand control strategies for biopharmaceutical processes. The control strategy will influence the design space and process performance and should be chosen together with the operating point and design space. Mechanistic modeling is used to design and evaluate control strategies for product pooling in preparative chromatography. A kinetic dispersive model was calibrated to reversed-phase chromatography experiments. Uncorrelated process disturbances were introduced to optimized operating points, and the effects of disturbances were evaluated and reduced by control strategies. Pooling control was implemented at a fixed UV absorbance or as a function of retention volume and UV peak height. The higher flexibility of the second control strategy decreased the loss of yield and productivity caused by the disturbances.
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| 7. |
- Aminlashgari, Nina, et al.
(author)
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Degradation profile and preliminary clinical testing of a resorbable device for ligation of blood vessels
- 2013
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In: Acta Biomaterialia. - : Elsevier BV. - 1742-7061 .- 1878-7568. ; 9:6, s. 6898-904
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A resorbable device for ligation of blood vessels was developed and tested in vitro to reveal the degradation profile of the device and to predict the clinical performance in terms of adequate mechanical support during a healing period of I week. In addition, preliminary clinical testing was performed that showed complete hemostasis and good tissue grip of renal arteries in five pigs. The device was made by injection molding of poly(glycolide-co-trimethylene carbonate) triblock copolymer, and it consisted of a case with a locking mechanism connected to a partly perforated flexible band. A hydrolytic degradation study was carried out for 7, 30 and 60 days in water and buffer medium, following the changes in mass, water absorption, pH and mechanical properties. A new rapid matrix-free laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) method was developed for direct screening of degradation products released into the degradation medium. The combination of LDI-MS and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry analyses enabled the comparison of the degradation product patterns in water and buffer medium. The identified degradation products were rich in trimethylene carbonate units, indicating preferential hydrolysis of amorphous regions where trimethylene units are located. The crystallinity of the material was doubled after 60 days of hydrolysis, additionally confirming the preferential hydrolysis of trimethylene carbonate units and the enrichment of glycolide units in the remaining solid matrix. The mechanical performance of the perforated band was followed for the first week of hydrolysis and the results suggest that sufficient strength is retained during the healing time of the blood vessels.
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| 8. |
- Antoniou, A, et al.
(author)
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Average risks of breast and ovarian cancer associated with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations detected in case series unselected for family history: A combined analysis of 22 studies
- 2003
-
In: American Journal of Human Genetics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9297. ; 72:5, s. 1117-1130
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 confer high risks of breast and ovarian cancer, but the average magnitude of these risks is uncertain and may depend on the context. Estimates based on multiple-case families may be enriched for mutations of higher risk and/or other familial risk factors, whereas risk estimates from studies based on cases unselected for family history have been imprecise. We pooled pedigree data from 22 studies involving 8,139 index case patients unselected for family history with female (86%) or male (2%) breast cancer or epithelial ovarian cancer (12%), 500 of whom had been found to carry a germline mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Breast and ovarian cancer incidence rates for mutation carriers were estimated using a modified segregation analysis, based on the occurrence of these cancers in the relatives of mutation-carrying index case patients. The average cumulative risks in BRCA1-mutation carriers by age 70 years were 65% (95% confidence interval 44%-78%) for breast cancer and 39% (18%-54%) for ovarian cancer. The corresponding estimates for BRCA2 were 45% (31%-56%) and 11% (2.4%-19%). Relative risks of breast cancer declined significantly with age for BRCA1-mutation carriers ( P trend .0012) but not for BRCA2-mutation carriers. Risks in carriers were higher when based on index breast cancer cases diagnosed at <35 years of age. We found some evidence for a reduction in risk in women from earlier birth cohorts and for variation in risk by mutation position for both genes. The pattern of cancer risks was similar to those found in multiple-case families, but their absolute magnitudes were lower, particularly for BRCA2. The variation in risk by age at diagnosis of index case is consistent with the effects of other genes modifying cancer risk in carriers.
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| 9. |
- Antoniou, Antonis C., et al.
(author)
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Common alleles at 6q25.1 and 1p11.2 are associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers
- 2011
-
In: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 20:16, s. 3304-3321
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 6q25.1, near the ESR1 gene, have been implicated in the susceptibility to breast cancer for Asian (rs2046210) and European women (rs9397435). A genome-wide association study in Europeans identified two further breast cancer susceptibility variants: rs11249433 at 1p11.2 and rs999737 in RAD51L1 at 14q24.1. Although previously identified breast cancer susceptibility variants have been shown to be associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, the involvement of these SNPs to breast cancer susceptibility in mutation carriers is currently unknown. To address this, we genotyped these SNPs in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers from 42 studies from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2. In the analysis of 14 123 BRCA1 and 8053 BRCA2 mutation carriers of European ancestry, the 6q25.1 SNPs (r(2) = 0.14) were independently associated with the risk of breast cancer for BRCA1 mutation carriers [ hazard ratio (HR) = 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-1.23, P-trend = 4.5 x 10(-9) for rs2046210; HR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.18-1.40, P-trend = 1.3 x 10(-8) for rs9397435], but only rs9397435 was associated with the risk for BRCA2 carriers (HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.01-1.28, P-trend = 0.031). SNP rs11249433 (1p11.2) was associated with the risk of breast cancer for BRCA2 mutation carriers (HR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02-1.17, P-trend = 0.015), but was not associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 mutation carriers (HR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.92-1.02, P-trend = 0.20). SNP rs999737 (RAD51L1) was not associated with breast cancer risk for either BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers (P-trend = 0.27 and 0.30, respectively). The identification of SNPs at 6q25.1 associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 mutation carriers will lead to a better understanding of the biology of tumour development in these women.
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| 10. |
- Balciuniene, Jorune, et al.
(author)
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Alpha-tectorin involvement in hearing disabilities : One gene-two phenotypes
- 1999
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In: Human Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-6717 .- 1432-1203. ; 105:3, s. 211-216
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The human alpha-tectorin (TECTA) gene has recently been cloned and proposed to be involved in autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing impairment (NSHI) in two families linked to the DFNA12 locus. We have studied a Swedish pedigree with autosomal dominant NSHI with possible digenic inheritance of the disease, involving locus DFNA12 in chromosome 11 and locus DFNA2 in chromosome 1. Mutation analysis of the TECTA gene in this family has identified eight nucleotide substitutions indicating that TECTA is highly polymorphic. One of the changes results in a cysteine to serine (C 1057 S) mutation, in the zonadhesin domain of TECTA; this segregates with the disease haplotype on chromosome 11 and is not present in a control population. The mutation results in the replacement of a cysteine in one of the repeats of the zonadhesin/Von Willebrand domain of the protein and might cause a change in the crosslinking of the polypeptide. These findings add support to the involvement of TECTA in hearing disabilities. However, the three families carrying different TECTA mutations also show phenotypic differences: the hearing loss ranges from prelingual to progressive with late onset. The explanation for the different phenotypes and some clues regarding the functions of TECTA may lie in the localization of the mutations in the different modules of the protein. Another possibility is that the phenotype in the Swedish family is the result of two defective genes.
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| 11. |
- Balciuniene, Jorune, et al.
(author)
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Evidence for digenic inheritance of nonsyndromic hereditary hearing loss in a Swedish family
- 1998
-
In: American Journal of Human Genetics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9297 .- 1537-6605. ; 63:3, s. 786-93
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We investigated a Swedish family with nonsyndromic progressive bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Thirteen candidate loci for autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss were tested for linkage in this family. We found significant LOD scores (>3) for markers at candidate locus DFNA12 (11q22-q24) and suggestive LOD scores (>2) for markers at locus DFNA2 (1p32). Our results for markers on chromosome 11 narrowed down the candidate region for the DFNA12 locus. A detailed analysis of the phenotypes and haplotypes shared by the affected individuals supported the notion that two genes segregated together with hearing impairment in the family. Severely affected family members had haplotypes linked to the disease allele on both chromosomes 1 and 11, whereas individuals with milder hearing loss had haplotypes linked to the disease allele on either chromosome 1 or chromosome 11. These observations suggest an additive effect of two genes, each gene resulting in a mild and sometimes undiagnosed phenotype, but both together resulting in a more severe phenotype.
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| 12. |
- Borg, Anton, et al.
(author)
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Comparison of clustering approaches for gene expression data
- 2013
-
In: Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications. - : IOS Press. ; , s. 55-64
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Clustering algorithms have been used to divide genes into groups according to the degree of their expression similarity. Such a grouping may suggest that the respective genes are correlated and/or co-regulated, and subsequently indicates that the genes could possibly share a common biological role. In this paper, four clustering algorithms are investigated: k-means, cut-clustering, spectral and expectation-maximization. The algorithms are benchmarked against each other. The performance of the four clustering algorithms is studied on time series expression data using Dynamic TimeWarping distance in order to measure similarity between gene expression profiles. Four different cluster validation measures are used to evaluate the clustering algorithms: Connectivity and Silhouette Index for estimating the quality of clusters, Jaccard Index for evaluating the stability of a cluster method and Rand Index for assessing the accuracy. The obtained results are analyzed by Friedman's test and the Nemenyi post-hoc test. K-means is demonstrated to be significantly better than the spectral clustering algorithm under the Silhouette and Rand validation indices.
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| 13. |
- Borg, Anton, et al.
(author)
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Detecting serial residential burglaries using clustering
- 2014
-
In: Expert Systems with Applications. - : Elsevier. - 0957-4174 .- 1873-6793. ; 41:11, s. 5252-5266
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- According to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, law enforcement agencies solved approximately three to five percent of the reported residential burglaries in 2012. Internationally, studies suggest that a large proportion of crimes are committed by a minority of offenders. Law enforcement agencies, consequently, are required to detect series of crimes, or linked crimes. Comparison of crime reports today is difficult as no systematic or structured way of reporting crimes exists, and no ability to search multiple crime reports exist. This study presents a systematic data collection method for residential burglaries. A decision support system for comparing and analysing residential burglaries is also presented. The decision support system consists of an advanced search tool and a plugin-based analytical framework. In order to find similar crimes, law enforcement officers have to review a large amount of crimes. The potential use of the cut-clustering algorithm to group crimes to reduce the amount of crimes to review for residential burglary analysis based on characteristics is investigated. The characteristics used are modus operandi, residential characteristics, stolen goods, spatial similarity, or temporal similarity. Clustering quality is measured using the modularity index and accuracy is measured using the rand index. The clustering solution with the best quality performance score were residential characteristics, spatial proximity, and modus operandi, suggesting that the choice of which characteristic to use when grouping crimes can positively affect the end result. The results suggest that a high quality clustering solution performs significantly better than a random guesser. In terms of practical significance, the presented clustering approach is capable of reduce the amounts of cases to review while keeping most connected cases. While the approach might miss some connections, it is also capable of suggesting new connections. The results also suggest that while crime series clustering is feasible, further investigation is needed.
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| 14. |
- Borg, Anton, et al.
(author)
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E-mail Classification using Social Network Information
- 2012
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A majority of E-mail is suspected to be spam. Traditional spam detection fails to differentiate between user needs and evolving social relationships. Online Social Networks (OSNs) contain more and more social information, contributed by users. OSN information may be used to improve spam detection. This paper presents a method that can use several social networks for detecting spam and a set of metrics for representing OSN data. The paper investigates the impact of using social network data extracted from an E-mail corpus to improve spam detection. The social data model is compared to traditional spam data models by generating and evaluating classifiers from both model types. The results show that accurate spam detectors can be generated from the low-dimensional social data model alone, however, spam detectors generated from combinations of the traditional and social models were more accurate than the detectors generated from either model in isolation.
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| 15. |
- Borg, Anton, et al.
(author)
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Informed Software Installation through License Agreement Categorization
- 2011
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spyware detection can be achieved by using machinelearning techniques that identify patterns in the End User License Agreements (EULAs) presented by application installers. However, solutions have required manual input from the user with varying degrees of accuracy. We have implemented an automatic prototype for extraction and classification and used it to generate a large data set of EULAs. This data set is used to compare four different machine learning algorithms when classifying EULAs. Furthermore, the effect of feature selection is investigated and for the top two algorithms, we investigate optimizing the performance using parameter tuning. Our conclusion is that feature selection and performance tuning are of limited use in this context, providing limited performance gains. However, both the Bagging and the Random Forest algorithms show promising results, with Bagging reaching an AUC measure of 0.997 and a False Negative Rate of 0.062. This shows the applicability of License Agreement Categorization for realizing informed software installation.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Borg, Carola, 1973-, et al.
(author)
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Subject- and experience-bound differences in teachers' conceptual understanding of sustainable development
- 2014
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In: Environmental Education Research. - : Routledge. - 1350-4622 .- 1469-5871. ; 20:4, s. 526-551
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article describe the results of a nationwide questionnaire study of 3229 Swedish upper secondary school teachers’ understanding of sustainable development in relation to their subject discipline and teaching experience. Previous research has shown that teachers have difficulties understanding the complex concept of sustainable development. According to the Swedish curriculum all teachers in all subjects should integrate a holistic perspective of sustainable development including economic, ecological and social dimensions. This study shows that teachers differ in their understanding of the concept mostly according to their subject traditions. Social science teachers emphasize social dimensions, and science teachers’ ecological dimensions, respectively. Teachers are aware of the relevance of the three dimensions to various degrees, but do not generally have a holistic understanding. The greatest uncertainty in teachers’ understanding is related to the economic dimension. Science and social science teachers are critical of incorporating economic growth into the concept of sustainable development while language, vocational and esthetical-practical teachers are not. No experience-bound differences of the teachers’ understanding could be found, but recently qualified teachers consider their understanding of sustainable development to be poorer in comparison to more experienced teachers’ self-evaluation. The study highlights the need for further training in sustainable development since more than 70 % of the questioned teachers stated that they need such training.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Borg, Carola, 1973-, et al.
(author)
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The barriers encountered by teachers implementing education for sustainable development
- 2012
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In: Research in Science & Technological Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0263-5143 .- 1470-1138. ; 30:2, s. 185-207
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background : According to the Swedish curriculum teachers in all subjects have a responsibility to integrate a holistic perspective of sustainable development (SD) and teach according to an education for sustainable development (ESD) approach. However previous research has shown that teachers from different subjects perceive SD differently. Purpose : The study aimed at investigating if and how teachers’ subject area influences their ability to implement a holistic perspective of ESD; we investigated both the impact of teaching traditions and the barriers that teachers experienced. Sample : A stratified sample of 224 Swedish upper secondary schools participated. An online questionnaire was sent and answered by a total of 3229 teachers at these schools. In total, there were 669 science teachers, 373 social science teachers, 483 language teachers, 713 vocational and esthetical–practical teachers, and 739 teachers from other disciplines who participated in the survey. Design and methods : The questionnaire consisted of questions requiring Likert-scale responses and multiple-choice questions. The data from the questionnaire were analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-square test and one-way ANOVA. The significance level accepted was p < 0.05. Results : Teachers were influenced by their own subject traditions. Science teachers in our study were grounded in the fact-based tradition and lectures were the most common teaching method used. The teaching tradition of the social science teachers seemed to be most in line to an ESD approach. Many language teachers (41%) stated they did not include SD issues in their teaching at all. Among the barriers identified, the most common obstacles were that the teachers lacked inspiring examples of how to include SD in their teaching and that they lacked the necessary expertise about SD. Conclusion : This study highlights the need for the management within schools to create opportunities for teachers to work collaboratively when teaching ESD. It is also important to provide further training that is adjusted to the needs of different disciplines.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Borg, Carola, 1973-
(author)
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Utbildning för hållbar utveckling ur ett lärarperspektiv : Ämnesbundna skillnader i gymnasieskolan
- 2011
-
Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis investigates how teachers from different disciplines understand and implement education for sustainable development in their teaching. A nationwide questionnaire study was conducted with 3229 upper secondary school teachers representing 224 schools in Sweden. The concept of sustainable development is complex and research has shown that teachers exhibit uncertainties in their understanding of it, and that the way they conceptualize sustainable development can have consequences for how they incorporate it into their teaching. Previous research has emphasized that Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) should promote interdisciplinary and holistic learning rather than traditional subject-based learning. This is in accordance with the Swedish curriculum, which emphasizes that all teachers in all subjects should integrate education for sustainable development. The teachers in the study were grouped into four disciplines; science-, social science-, language-, and vocational/esthetical-practical teachers. The results showed that there were many subject-bound barriers to successful implementation of ESD. Teachers were influenced by their subject tradition in: 1) how they understand sustainable development, 2) which teaching methods they use, 3) which barriers they experience, and 4) which teaching tradition they work within. Because of these differences it is important to adjust any further training of teachers according to their discipline. This study highlights the need for improved teacher education and further training of in-service teachers; more than 70% of the teachers stated that they need such training. It also highlights the issue how strong subject-bound traditions make it difficult to implement general goals of the curricula such as sustainable development.
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| 22. |
- Borg, Erik, et al.
(author)
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Audiometric Characterization of a Family with Digenic Autosomal, Dominant, Progressive Sensorineural Hearing Loss
- 2000
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In: Acta Oto-Laryngologica. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0001-6489 .- 1651-2251. ; 120:1, s. 51-57
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, a non-syndromic progressive bilateral high frequency hearing loss is described in a family with 141 identified members. Recent genetic analyses indicated a digenic inheritance with linkage to the gene loci DFNA2 and DFNA12. The affected family members who shared haplotypes at both loci (type I) showed an early postlingual onset and a more rapid rate of progress compared with those with one either of the two disease associated haplotypes (type II). The audiometric pattern was cochlear without a vestibular involvement. Auditory brainstem response audiometry and magnetic resonance imaging indicated normal retrocochlear features. The otoacoustic emissions were affected for both type I and type II, whereas the acoustic stapedius reflex thresholds were normal in most cases. It is concluded that both types had an outer hair cell/micro-mechanical abnormality, but that the DFNA 2 type might have an additional dysfunction at the level of the inner hair cells. It is furthermore pointed out that the application of refined audiometric techniques as well as a further development of new techniques is needed in order to characterize the phenotypes of the rapidly expanding number of genetically defined inner ear abnormalities.
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| 23. |
- Borg, Farhana, et al.
(author)
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Concrete Examples of Education for Sustainability Practices in Preschool in Sweden
- 2019
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To integrate education for sustainability (EfS) in pedagogical practices is often described as complex and challenging by teachers at preschool to higher education levels. Teachers’ lack of competence in teaching EfS or inspiring examples from educational practices have been identified as some major reasons for this (Borg, Gericke, Höglund, & Bergman, 2012; Corney, 2006; Hedefalk, Almqvist & Östman, 2015). The intention with EfS is to empower learners ‘to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society, for present and future generations, while respecting cultural diversity’ (UNESCO, 2019). In early childhood education, a main starting point in EfS is building on children’s participation, and viewing them as active agents and stakeholders for the future (Gothenburg Environmental Centre, 2010). Despite an increase in integrating EfS in preschools in Sweden, there are teachers that do not fully acknowledge children as active citizens who are capable of being involved in activities that bring changes in society (Ärlemalm-Hagsér, 2013).Preschool teachers play a significant role in developing young children’s verbal and practical knowledge about environmental and sustainability-related issues through engaging them in conversations, discussions, and in practical activities (Borg, 2017). According to Pramling Samuelsson (2011, p. 110) an important factor for developing children’s competence in EfS is ‘the teacher’s competence and understanding of the questions as such related to young children’s everyday life’. However, only a few studies have been conducted to explore how teachers integrated EfS in preschool education (e.g. Svedäng, Halvars, Elfström, & Unga, 2018). Knowledge operationalization of EfS is needed for teachers to identify practical and proven examples of how to integrate EfS in their daily pedagogical practices. Aim and objectivesThe purpose of this study was to highlight preschool teachers’ operationalization of education for sustainability (EfS) in their daily pedagogical practices in Sweden. The objectives were:to explore teachers’ sustainability awareness in preschool education; andto investigate how teachers integrate EfS in their daily pedagogical activitiesIn this paper, ‘sustainability awareness’ refers to what teachers describe about what they know and how they view of sustainability in relation to preschool education from their personal perspectives. In Sweden, preschool education refers to early childhood education for children, who are below six years old.In Sweden, a new curriculum for preschool education will be effective from July 2019 (Skolverket, 2018), in which a number of changes compared with the previous curriculum have been made, e.g., the concept sustainably is explicitly mentioned for the first time in relation to preschool education and children’s learning. The new curriculum states that each person that works in preschool shall promote respect for individual’s intrinsic value and for sustainability. Conceptual frameworkChildren are active participants in learning, and the involvement of adults and knowledgeable peers can make a great difference in the learning process (Bruner, 1966). Bruner (1960, 1977) argues that a child of any age is capable of understanding complex information; even very young children are capable of learning any material if the instruction is organized appropriately. Considering the complexity of the concept of sustainability, the study uses an interlocking circles model that depicts how the environmental, the social and the environmental dimensions are closely connected (Elliott, 2013). Any practices and policies developed without taking all dimensions into account are likely to provide only limited understanding of the sustainability concept and is less likely to lead to action (Siraj-Blatchford, Smith, & Samuelsson, 2010). With regard to EfS, the challenges are not only to operationalize these sustainability dimensions for preschool’s pedagogical practices, but there is a great need to concretize EfS with examples that are connected with children’s daily life.MethodThis study was part of a larger EfS-school development project, which was developed with practitioners to provide support for teacher professional development (TPD) in a municipality in Sweden. A qualitative approach was utilized to acquire an in-depth understanding of preschool teachers’ sustainability awareness, and their ways of operationalizing the EfS for day-today activities. The study was conducted between April and May 2018. A description of Participants and data collection, and Data analysis is given below. Participants and data collection Individual interview data were collected from 12 certified preschool teachers, who were employed in 8 preschools that participated in the EfS-school development project for a year. The preschool teachers were all women with working experiences with young children ranging from 6 to 33 years. Although 10 preschools participated in the EfS-school development project, two of them could not participate in the study due to other commitments. An interview guide was developed that included questions concerning demographic information, teacher’s definition and views of the concept of sustainability and EfS, their experiences of working with EfS with practical examples, as well as any challenges they might have experienced to integrate EfS in preschool education. Conducted in Swedish, the interviews were audio recorded and fully transcribed by a professional transcriber. Data analysis Content analysis was undertaken to analyse the interview transcriptions to identify main contents of data and the messages (Cohen, Manion, & Morisson, 2011). The transcriptions were read and re-read in order to become thoroughly familiarized with the data and initial codes were noted concurrently. Any similarities, inconsistencies or contradictions in relation to what individual teachers informed, were noted for further exploration. In later stages of the analysis, some of the codes were modified while re-reading the transcriptions to ensure consistencies and coverage of the codes. Similar types of codes were categorized and from these categories major themes emerged. To ensure reliability, the coding started with a small sample of texts, which helps to make amendments of the coding and categorisation. This study followed the codes and guidelines of research ethics in relation to informed consents of the participants, maintenance of confidentiality, and the use of information for the study (Vetenskapsrådet, 2017).Expected OutcomesRegarding sustainability awareness, most of the teachers reported an Integrated views of sustainability. All participants were capable of describing sustainability using the three interconnected dimensions: the environmental, the social and the economic. In general, all teachers viewed sustainability as an abstract and complex concept, which can be difficult to make apprehensible in preschool’s educational activities. The preliminary findings of how the teachers integrate EfS in their daily pedagogical activities are presented under emerging themes below: Environmental dimensions on focus: Common activities in all preschools were recycling of plastic materials, reusing of milk packets and plastic corks, as well as composting of leftover food. Going out in the nature appeared to be a routine for all preschools. Concrete examples for young children: A few teachers argued that working with young children with EfS, requires efforts to concretize various activities at children’s developmental levels. In general the teachers were lacking concrete ways of working with EfS; especially to integrate the social and economic dimension. Internationalization and global perspectives: A couple of preschools started integrating global perspectives, e.g. one teacher mentioned that they had a collaboration with a preschool in Canada, and, according to her, it is important that children get a wider perspective about other countries, languages and cultures, which she viewed as a part of social sustainability. Some of the teachers connected their educational practices with the preschool curriculum highlighting the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) that address the ‘areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet’ (United Nations, 2015, p.1). To summarize the main findings, it seemed that the current TPD had, to greater extent, impact on transforming teachers’ views of sustainability into a holistic concept, and they were also struggling to transform their knowledge into concrete pedagogical activities. Positive and unexpected activities though evolved in relation to globalization.
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- Borg, Farhana, Lektor, 1967-, et al.
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Developing a Whole (Pre)school Approach to Sustainability : Insights from Global Citizenship and Early Childhood Education Across Nordic Countries
- 2024. - 1
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In: Whole School Approaches to Sustainability. - Cham : Springer Nature. - 9783031561719 - 9783031561740 - 9783031561726 ; , s. 167-175
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Early childhood education aims to support children to develop cognitive, social, and motor skills, alongside values and ethics central to sustainability. From a Nordic perspective, this chapter reflects on how global citizenship education in preschool can illuminate possibilities and barriers to developing a whole school approach to sustainability. A review of Nordic policy and research identified four perspectives rooted in the global citizenship tradition that can support a whole school approach to sustainability: The greening of the whole preschool; The whole child’s learning; Wholeness in preschool teaching; and Thematic approach as a perspective on a whole preschool. We propose that efforts to implement a whole school approach to sustainability could be aligned with these perspectives. Nonetheless, Nordic preschools currently lack robust engagement with society—a perspective that requires further cultivation. To advance, empirical studies are needed to explore how a whole school approach to sustainability can be developed and implemented within preschool education.
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