Syftet med studien var att undersöka lärares upplevelser gällande undervisningen av fotosyntesen i grundskolans årskurs 4-6 med fokus på svårigheter och progression. I undersökningen deltog åtta lärare som undervisar i NO och materialet samlades in via semistrukturerade intervjuer. Lärarna lyfter fram tre typer av svårigheter: elevens svårigheter som till exempel att förstå gasbegreppet, lärarens svårigheter som att visualisera det abstrakta och svårigheter vilka gäller hinder i undervisningen som tidsbrist, ekonomiska begränsningar eller elevgruppen i sig. Undersökningen visar att lärare ofta använder sig av multimodala undervisningssätt, där fler än ett sinne stimuleras, de varierar mellan olika tekniker för att nå så många elever som möjligt. Lärarna anser att en varierande undervisning med olika tekniker som repeterar men sakta bygger på kunskaperna hos eleven även är det som ger det bästa resultatet för elevens förståelse (progression).  Att ge eleven vederläggande texter är en teknik som enligt tidigare forskning visat sig vara effektiv men var inte en teknik som lyftes av någon lärare i undersökningen. Resultaten indikerar att lärare behöver en tydligare plan för vad som ska läras ut när och till viss del hur, vilket inte bara skulle kunna underlätta progressionen utan även förebygga några av de svårigheter som finns med undervisningen om fotosyntesen.

Thesis advisor: Katherine L. McNeill / Environmental understanding is highly relevant in today's global society. Social, economic, and political structures are connected to the state of environmental degradation and exploitation, and disproportionately affect those in poor or urban communities (Brulle and Pellow, 2006; Executive Order No. 12898, 1994). Environmental education must challenge the way we live, and our social and ecological quality of life, with the goal of responsible action. The development of a learning progression in environmental thinking, along with a corresponding assessment, could provide a tool that could be used across environmental education programs to help evaluate and guide programmatic decisions. This study sought to determine if a scale could be constructed that allowed individuals to be ordered along a continuum of environmental thinking. First, I developed the Environmental Thinking Learning Progression, a scale of environmental thinking from novice to advanced, based on the current available research and literature. The scale consisted of four subscales, each measuring a different aspect of environmental thinking: place consciousness, human connection, agency, and science concepts. Second, a measurement instrument was developed, so that the data appropriately fit the model using Rasch analysis. A Rasch analysis of the data placed respondents along a continuum, given the range of item difficulty for each subscale. Across three iterations of instrument revision and data collection, findings indicated that the items were ordered in a hierarchical way that corresponded to the construct of environmental thinking. Comparisons between groups showed that the average score of respondents who had participated in environmental education programs was significantly higher than those who had not. A comparison between males and females showed no significant difference in average measure, however, there were varied significant differences between how racial/ethnic groups performed. Overall, the results suggest that the Environmental Thinking Learning Progression and instrument are useful and accurate tools to measure individuals along a continuum from novice to advanced. This can be helpful for environmental education programs for use in evaluation and program development within a diverse context. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Os meningiomas são os tumores primários do Sistema Nervoso Central (SNC) mais frequentes e representam 35,5% dos casos considerando-se todas as faixas etárias. Apesar dos progressos ocorridos nas últimas décadas, a tumorigênese dos meningiomas ainda permanece como um desafio. Há um consenso da necessidade de ferramentas moleculares para ajudar tanto no diagnóstico quanto no prognóstico dos meningiomas. Neste contexto, alguns trabalhos demonstram a importância do papel dos receptores de estrógeno e progesterona, assim como o entendimento das alterações nos níveis de expressão dos microRNAs (miRNAs) na tumorigênese dos meningiomas. Alguns estudos demonstram que o perfil de expressão sérico dos miRNAs tem correlação com a classificação e evolução clínica, sendo de grande interesse o uso desse material por se tratar de um procedimento não-invasivo, ou seja, como biomarcadores. Objetivos: avaliar o perfil de expressão tecidual e sérica de microRNAs associados as vias dos receptores de estrógeno e progesterona em meningiomas grau I, II e III. Pacientes e métodos: foram utilizadas amostras de tecido e plasma de 40 pacientes com meningiomas grau I, II e III. Para a análise da expressão dos miRNAs miR-34a, miR-143, miR-145 e miR-335 foi utillizada a técnica de PCR em tempo real. Resultados: os miRNAs: miR-34a e miR-145 apresentaram diferença estatística significativa nas amostras de tecido tumoral entre os grupos estudados com menor expressão nas amostras de meningiomas grau II quando comparadas as amostras grau I e III. Não observamos diferença estatística estatística significativa na expressão dos miRNAs nas amostras de plasma. Conclusão: os miRNAs selecionados não apresentaram correlação com a progressão tumoral em meningiomas. / Meningiomas are the most common primary Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors, accounting for 35.5% of the cases, considering all age groups. Despite the progress made in recent decades, the tumorigenesis of meningiomas still remains a challenge. There is a consensus of the need for molecular tools to assist both diagnosis and prognosis of meningiomas. In this context, some studies demonstrate the importance of the role of estrogen and progesterone receptors, as well as the understanding of alterations in microRNA (miRNAs) expression levels in the tumorigenesis of meningiomas. Some studies have shown that the serum expression profile of the miRNAs correlates with the classification and clinical evolution, being of great interest the use of this material because it is a non-invasive procedure, i.e., as biomarkers. Objectives: To evaluate the tissue and serum expression profile of microRNAs associated with the estrogen and progesterone receptor pathways in meningiomas grade I, II and III. Patients and methods: tissue and blood samples from 40 patients with grade I, II and III meningiomas were used. For analysis of miRNA expression miR-34a, miR-143, miR-145 and miR-335 was used the real-time PCR technique. Results: miRNAs: miR-34a and miR-145 presented a significant statistical difference in the tumor tissue samples between the groups with lower expression in the samples of grade II meningiomas when compared to samples I and III. We did not observe statistically significant statistical difference in miRNA expression in blood samples. Conclusion: the selected miRNAs showed no correlation with tumor progression in meningiomas.

Esta pesquisa é resultado da minha inquietação e do desconforto produzido ao longo dos últimos anos de atuação no magistério público, levando-me a questionar as hipóteses elaboradas e as finalidades identificadas na construção dos caminhos que culminaram na adoção do sistema de ciclos com progressão continuada implantado no Ensino Fundamental na Rede Pública de Ensino do Estado de São Paulo. Tendo como base tal inquietação, o objetivo deste trabalho é compreender melhor tal elaboração assim como de que maneira a ausência de novos métodos, estratégias e instrumentos de avaliação pode ser vista como possível fator presente na manutenção do baixo desempenho e na iminente possibilidade de fracasso na disciplina de Matemática ou de que forma estes assuntos se inter-relacionam. Considerando que os processos de construção (métodos) e de utilização dos instrumentos de avaliação sempre foram vistos como capazes de efetuar a mediação entre a \"medição do desempenho escolar\" (atribuição de conceitos ou notas) e a \"capacidade de apropriação de conhecimento\" por parte do aluno (sucesso ou fracasso na disciplina); sinto-me confiante em propor que os processos de construção e utilização dos instrumentos de avaliação podem ser postos como o foco principal de uma pesquisa. / This research results from my discomfort and uneasiness grown, during the last years, by my experience as a Math teacher in a public school. Such preoccupation led me to question the hypotheses elaborated and finalities in the construction of the paths that culminated in the adoption of the system of continued progression cycles nowadays implanted in the 1st. to 8th. grades of Elementary School (Ensino Fundamental) in the Public School System of the State of São Paulo and how the lack of new methods, strategies and instruments of evaluation can be faced as a possible factor of the maintenance of the low performance and of the imminent possibility of failure in the discipline of Mathematics or how such subjects interrelate. The construction and usage processes (methods) of the evaluation instruments have always been seen as capable of mediating the \"measurement of school accomplishment\" (attribution of letter or number grades) and \"the capacity of appropriation of knowledge\" by the student (success or failure in the discipline). Therefore, the construction and usage processes of the evaluation instruments can be placed as the main focus of a research.

Os meningiomas são os tumores primários do Sistema Nervoso Central (SNC) mais frequentes e representam 35,5% dos casos considerando-se todas as faixas etárias. Apesar dos progressos ocorridos nas últimas décadas, a tumorigênese dos meningiomas ainda permanece como um desafio. Há um consenso da necessidade de ferramentas moleculares para ajudar tanto no diagnóstico quanto no prognóstico dos meningiomas. Neste contexto, alguns trabalhos demonstram a importância do papel dos receptores de estrógeno e progesterona, assim como o entendimento das alterações nos níveis de expressão dos microRNAs (miRNAs) na tumorigênese dos meningiomas. Alguns estudos demonstram que o perfil de expressão sérico dos miRNAs tem correlação com a classificação e evolução clínica, sendo de grande interesse o uso desse material por se tratar de um procedimento não-invasivo, ou seja, como biomarcadores. Objetivos: avaliar o perfil de expressão tecidual e sérica de microRNAs associados as vias dos receptores de estrógeno e progesterona em meningiomas grau I, II e III. Pacientes e métodos: foram utilizadas amostras de tecido e plasma de 40 pacientes com meningiomas grau I, II e III. Para a análise da expressão dos miRNAs miR-34a, miR-143, miR-145 e miR-335 foi utillizada a técnica de PCR em tempo real. Resultados: os miRNAs: miR-34a e miR-145 apresentaram diferença estatística significativa nas amostras de tecido tumoral entre os grupos estudados com menor expressão nas amostras de meningiomas grau II quando comparadas as amostras grau I e III. Não observamos diferença estatística estatística significativa na expressão dos miRNAs nas amostras de plasma. Conclusão: os miRNAs selecionados não apresentaram correlação com a progressão tumoral em meningiomas. / Meningiomas are the most common primary Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors, accounting for 35.5% of the cases, considering all age groups. Despite the progress made in recent decades, the tumorigenesis of meningiomas still remains a challenge. There is a consensus of the need for molecular tools to assist both diagnosis and prognosis of meningiomas. In this context, some studies demonstrate the importance of the role of estrogen and progesterone receptors, as well as the understanding of alterations in microRNA (miRNAs) expression levels in the tumorigenesis of meningiomas. Some studies have shown that the serum expression profile of the miRNAs correlates with the classification and clinical evolution, being of great interest the use of this material because it is a non-invasive procedure, i.e., as biomarkers. Objectives: To evaluate the tissue and serum expression profile of microRNAs associated with the estrogen and progesterone receptor pathways in meningiomas grade I, II and III. Patients and methods: tissue and blood samples from 40 patients with grade I, II and III meningiomas were used. For analysis of miRNA expression miR-34a, miR-143, miR-145 and miR-335 was used the real-time PCR technique. Results: miRNAs: miR-34a and miR-145 presented a significant statistical difference in the tumor tissue samples between the groups with lower expression in the samples of grade II meningiomas when compared to samples I and III. We did not observe statistically significant statistical difference in miRNA expression in blood samples. Conclusion: the selected miRNAs showed no correlation with tumor progression in meningiomas.

The Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) Met, overexpressed or mutated in cancer, plays a major role in cancer progression and represents an attractive target for cancer therapy. This study aimed to investigate whether PI3K plays a role in Met oncogenicity. Three cell models were used: (i) NIH3T3 cells expressing WT Met or the constitutively active mutant M1268T Met; (ii) U87MG glioblastoma cells, with endogenous WT Met constitutively activated due to an autocrine loop; (iii) A549 lung cancer cells expressing endogenous WT Met, activated upon binding exogenous HGF. Met dependent Rac1 translocation to the plasma membrane, actin cytoskeleton organisation, cell migration, anchorage independent growth in soft agar and tumour growth were studied in the presence of inhibitors of pan-PI3K / mTOR, various PI3K Class I isoforms, mTOR or Akt, or following siRNA knock-down of PI3K isoforms. We report that PI3K class I (but not class III) regulates Met dependent cell migration. The PI3K class I isoforms required varies among the cell models. Interestingly, the combined inhibition of all p110 Class I isoforms lead to the strongest reduction of Met dependent cell migration. Met dependent phosphorylation of Akt, an effector of PI3K class I, is reduced upon endocytosis inhibition, suggesting that Met signals to PI3K Class I on endosomes. Our results indicate that mTOR is responsible for Met dependent anchorage independent growth and tumour growth in vivo. Surprisingly, PI3K class I (and class III) are not required. Moreover, Rac1 is required for Met dependent mTOR activation, (phosphorylation of mTORC1's effector, p70 S6K) subcellular translocation of mTOR and anchorage independent growth. Finally, our results suggest that this Met-Rac1- mTOR pathway occurs on endosomes. Thus while PI3K class I regulates Met dependent cell migration, mTOR regulates Met driven anchorage independent growth and in vivo tumorigenesis. Thus PI3K Class I / mTOR may be targeted in Met driven cancers.

Social work is one of several professions closely associated with caring and femininity, and, as a result, often suggested as a non-traditional occupational choice for a man. Men’s generally poorer educational experience becomes more prominent when studying a subject associated with femininity such as social work (Severiens and ten Dam 2012). Men have more progression issues than women on English university social work courses (Hussein et al. 2008; Schaub 2015), and our understanding of how men experience social work education is limited. This thesis examines in-depth men social work students’ experience and progression, in order to determine the underlying reasons for men’s poorer progression. Twenty-one social work student men from seven English universities were interviewed using qualitative methods. The study found participants described a complex, layered set of experiential and progression challenges that are specific to men. These impediments appear to combine, for some men, with other non-gender specific difficulties, thereby increasing the likelihood of failure or withdrawal. Some men are able to manage these issues, but others find them more challenging, suggesting some men experience a cycle of academic struggle and disengagement closely linked to their identity as men training to become social workers. In order to understand their experience, several theoretical strands were applied. Theories of stigma, masculinities and student retention were used to provide explanations for the challenges found for the men interviewed. In addition to providing a voice for men social work students, this study makes recommendations for social work educators and programmes to support men to more successfully complete social work courses.

This research will be of interest to global higher education policy makers, researchers and practitioners engaged in student retention, widening access and managing strategic interventions to deliver step improvements in performance. Widening access policies continue to have contemporary relevance. Effectively and efficiently reducing student non-continuation rates, without compromising widening access performance, remains a challenge for many HEIs. A new system level Management Model for Improving Student Retention Performance and its supporting performance framework is derived from empirical data gathered from a longitudinal instrumental case study and informed by the literature. They have specific validity for HEIs with strong widening access performances and general applicability to others. The dominant theoretical model informing the research is Tinto's longitudinal model of institutional departure (Tinto, 1993). The Management Model for Improving Student Retention Performance is presented around three primary categories: students, faculty and institution. Each interacts with each other and operates within individual and mutually inclusive environmental systems. There is also a supporting Improving Student Retention KPI Framework and Improving Student Retention Performance Monitoring Information System to provide the mechanisms and tools that influence the effective and efficient application of the model to deliver a step improvement in student retention. Evidence of considerable improvements [50%] in student retention performances1 for widening access students is evidenced by the case institution which is not shared by comparable HEIs in Wales. Two new performance indicators are also derived: the Specific Widening Participation Indicator (SWPi) and the Multiple Widening Participation Index (MWPi). These support a new paradigm for understanding widening access and student non- continuation performances and challenge the algorithm used to calculate institution non-continuation benchmarks. They are included in the new performance framework and inform the third primary research contribution which exposes the significant discrepancies between the funding allocations made by HEFCW, the demands on HEIs relating to widening participation policy and the extent of their MWPi>0 and retention performances. Incongruence between HEFCW funding methodology and Welsh policy is evidenced.

Glioblastoma is a highly malignant tumor which mostly recurs locally around the resected contrast enhancement. However, it is difficult to identify tumor invasiveness pre-surgically, especially in non-enhancing areas. Thus, the aim of this thesis was to utilize multimodal MR technique to identify and characterize the peritumoral progression zone that eventually leads to tumor progression. Patients with newly diagnosed cerebral glioblastoma were included consecutively from our cohort between 2010 and2014. The presurgical MRI sequences included volumetric T1-weighted with contrast, FLAIR, T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted imaging, diffusion tensor and perfusion MR imaging. Postsurgical and follow-up MRI included structural and ADC images. Image deformation, caused by disease nature and surgical procedure, renders routine coregistration methods inadequate for MRIs comparison between different time points. Therefore, a two-staged non-linear semi-automatic coregistration method was developed from the modification of the linear FLIRT and non-linear FNIRT functions in FMRIB’s Software Library (FSL). Utilising the above mentioned coregistration method, a volumetric study was conducted to analyse the extent of resection based on different MR techniques, including T1 weighted with contrast, FLAIR and DTI measures of isotropy (DTI-p) and anisotropy (DTI-q). The results showed that patients can have a better clinical outcome with a larger resection of the abnormal DTI q areas. Further study of the imaging characteristics of abnormal peritumoural DTI-q areas, using MRS and DCS-MRI, showed a higher Choline/NAA ratio (p = 0.035), especially higher Choline (p = 0.022), in these areas when compared to normal DTI-q areas. This was indicative of tumour activity in the peritumoural abnormal DTI-q areas. The peritumoural progression areas were found to have distinct imaging characteristics. In these progression areas, compared to non-progression areas within a 10 mm border around the contrast enhancing lesion, there was higher signal intensity in FLAIR (p = 0.02), and T1C (p < 0.001), and there were lower intensity in ADC (p = 0.029) and DTI-p (p < 0.001). Further applying radiomics features showed that 35 first order features and 77 second order features were significantly different between progression and non-progression areas. By using supervised convolutional neural network, there was an overall accuracy of 92.4% in the training set (n = 37) and 78.5% in the validation set (n=14). In summary, multimodal MR imaging, particularly diffusion tensor imaging, can demonstrate distinct characteristics in areas of potential progression on preoperative MRI, which can be considered potential targets for treatment. Further application of radiomics and machine learning can be potentially useful when identifying the tumor invasive margin before the surgery.

Orientador: Rony Farto Pereira / Banca: Maria Lúcia da Cunha Victório de Oliveira / Banca: Renilson José Menegassi / Banca: Alessandra Del Ré / Banca: Marco Antônio Domingues Sant'Anna / Resumo: O trabalho procura investigar os mecanismos de referenciação usados em produções de alunos de Ensino Médio para deixar pistas para que seu leitor faça inferências durante a leitura para produzir sentidos ao que lê. A reconstrução por inferenciação permite estabelecer o elo entre as informações explícitas e as implícitas no co-texto, em um determinado contexto. A inferência é uma estratégia muito importante para que se tome um texto como coeso e coerente, em termos de progressão referencial, colaborando de maneira decisiva para a produção de sentidos.A partir dos pressupostos da Lingüística textual e das teorias sobre leitura, apresenta a relação autor-texto-leitor no processo de produção e recepção do texto. Analisaram-se quantitativa e qualitativamente produções de textos de alunos de Ensino Médio nas quais se verificou o uso de seqüências pronominais, de repetições lexicais, das expressões nominais definidas, anáforas indiretas no texto ou referentes ao contexto, as quais permitem ao leitor fazer inferências e aturar como co-autor na produção dos sentidos. / Abstract: The work investigates the mechanisms of reference used in High School student’s productions in order to leave hints so that the reader com make inferences during the reading to produce meanings of what is being read. The reconstructions through inference permits to stablish the link among the explicit and implicit pieces of information in the co-text, in a determined context. The inference is a very important strategy to make a text cohesive and coherent, in terms of reference progression, contributing in a essencial way in the meaning production. From the textual linguistic and the theories about reading. The work presents the relationship author-text-reader in the process of text production and reception. It was analysed High School student’s productions in quality and amount in which it was verified the use of pronominal sequences, of lexical repetitions, of defined nominal expressions, indirect anaphora in the text or referred to the context, wich allow the reader to make inferences and act as co-author in the production of meanings. / Doutor