The following essay aims to investigate circle time in preschool and the pedagogical atmospheres that exist there. Pedagogical atmospheres illuminate the approach that pedagogues have towards the children. Furthermore, it examines how the pedagogical atmosphere affects the child’s possibilities of embracing their role as a narrator. The results of structured observations in two Swedish preschools, show that circle time is characterized by an unstable atmosphere, caused by big variations between pedagogues and the different elements of the circle time. Pedagogues have a hard time approaching the children’s lifeworld and are struggling to let go of their own pedagogical ideas. As a result, children’s narrating is either short or absent since they don’t get support from their pedagogues. / Följande arbete syftar till att undersöka samlingssituationen i förskolan och de pedagogiska atmosfärer som finns där. Pedagogiska atmosfärer belyser vilket förhållningssätt pedagoger har gentemot barnen. Vidare undersöks på vilket sätt den pedagogiska atmosfären påverkar barnets möjligheter att anta sin roll som berättare. Genom strukturerade observationer på två svenska förskolor visade resultatet att samlingarna karaktäriseras av en instabil atmosfär, med anledning av stora variationer hos pedagoger och samlingens moment. Pedagoger har svårt att närma sig barnens livsvärldar och har svårt att släppa sin pedagogiska tanke. Detta resulterar i att barnens berättande är kort eller uteblir då de inte får stöttning från pedagogerna.

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The aim of this project is to design an algorithm that identifies the Area of Interest (AOI) in ELISpot and FluoroSpot images. ELISpot and FluoroSpot are two varieties of a biochemical test used to analyze immune responses by quantifying the amount of cytokine secreted by cells. ELISpot and FluoroSpot images show a well that contains the cytokinesecreting cells which appear as scattered spots. Prior to counting the number of spots, it is required to detect the area in which to count the spots, i.e. the area delimited by the contour of the well. We propose to use the Circle Hough Transform together with filtering and the Laplacian of Gaussian edge detector in order to accurately detect such area. Furthermore we develop an outlier removal method that contributes to increase the robustness of the proposed detection method. Finally we compare our algorithm with another algorithm already in use. A Swedish biotech company called Mabtech has implemented an AOI identifier in the same field. Our proposed algorithm proves to be more robust and provides consistent results for all the images in the dataset.

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This thesis presents research on the force and deflection behavior of beams with rectangular cross-sections undergoing lateral torsional buckling. The large 3-D deflection path of buckling beam tips was closely approximated by circular arcs in two planes. A new chain algorithm element was created from pseudo-rigid-body segments and used in a chain calculation that accurately predicted the force deflection relationship of beams with large 3-D deflections.

Parents have reported decreased well-being due to events in parenting, and parenting support programs such as the Circle of Security aim to strengthen parenting and have shown improved health in parents. This study aimed to explore parents' experiences of participating in the parental education program Circle of Security and how it promote their well-being. The study's approach was inductive, with data material consisting of nineteen qualitative semi-structured interviews that were analysed using qualitative content analysis.  The analysis resulted in one main category: Parents´ enhanced parenting knowledge, and five subcategories: Parents´ understanding of children’s needs, Parents ‘avoiding conflicts and setting boundaries, Parents ‘ability to reflect, Parents ‘inner security, and Parents’ reduced stress. The result showed that the parents had received developed parenting that promote their well-being. A parental support program such as Circle of Security strengthens parenting and improves parents' well-being. It is an excellent alternative to a parental education program because parents' upbringing and well-being affect children's lifestyle. / Föräldrar har rapporterat försämrad hälsa på grund av svårhanterliga händelser i föräldraskapet. För att stödja och stärka föräldrar i sitt föräldraskap finns i Sverige så kallade föräldrastödsprogram. Trygghetscirkeln är en av dem och programmet har visat på en förbättrad hälsa hos föräldrar. Syftet med studien var att utforska föräldrars erfarenheter av att delta i föräldrautbildningen Trygghetscirkeln och hur den har främjat deras välbefinnande. Studiens ansats var induktiv med ett datamaterial bestående av nitton kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer som analyserades med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultatet av analysen blev huvudkategorin: Föräldrarnas förstärkta föräldrakunskap och fem underkategorier: Föräldrars förståelse för barns behov, Föräldrar som undviker konflikter och sätter gränser, Föräldrars förmåga att reflektera, Föräldrars inre trygghet och Föräldrars minskade stress. Resultatet visade att föräldrarna hade fått ett utvecklat föräldraskap som främjade deras välbefinnande. Ett föräldrastödsprogram som Trygghetscirkeln som både stärker föräldraskapet och främjar föräldrars välbefinnande är ett bra alternativ som föräldrautbildningsprogram då föräldrars uppfostran och välbefinnande påverkar barns livsstil.

The threat of school violence plagues high school campuses nationwide. To thwart violent student behavior and create a safe school environment, schools often utilize punitive disciplinary practices. These practices, often referred to as zero-tolerance policies, essentially transform schools into law enforcement models focused on punishment and the exclusion of students from the educational setting. Conversely, restorative justice practices, specifically Circles, provide students with an opportunity to resolve conflicts through dialoguing, problem-solving, building relationships and reflecting on their behavior. Used in conjunction with traditional disciplinary practices, Circles can provide schools with an additional tool to teach appropriate behavior. Currently, there is limited research examining the impact of the Circle process on student behavior and school climate relative to student discipline. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of restorative justice practices, specifically Circles to address behavioral infractions among high school students. The findings of this study add to the current literature surrounding school disciplinary theory and practice and provide school administrators with another option for addressing student behavior. A qualitative case study approach was utilized to examine the impact of Circles at one high school. Thirteen participants were interviewed during a week long visit to West Valley High School (identified by pseudonym). Interviews responses were transcribed, analyzed and coded into themes representing the experiences of the participants in the Circle process. The data for this study revealed the following research findings: (a) the school employed a restorative approach to discipline which included the use of Circles as a complement to traditional disciplinary procedures, (b) the Circle process at WVHS led to the elimination of further behavioral infractions among Circle participants, (c) the Circle process provided students with increased opportunities for conflict resolution and learning, (d) the Circle process provided a forum for students' to discuss personal issues unrelated to the original conflict, and (e) the Circle process had a positive impact on student behavior and the participants' perception of school climate relative to student discipline.

Obwohl die genaue Kenntnis der Tonartenverwandtschaften für die Modulationslehre wesentlich ist, verschwand dieses Thema im 19. Jahrhunderts allmählich aus den Harmonielehren, bis sich die Messung von Verwandtschaftsgraden in der Musiklehre des 20. Jahrhunderts fast nur noch auf das Kriterium des Quintenzirkels beschränkte. Der Blick zurück ins 18. und 19. Jahrhundert ergibt ein weitaus differenzierteres Bild in der Beurteilung von Verwandtschaftsgraden. Zwei Tendenzen lassen sich feststellen: Erstens führt die Orientierung der Theorie an der kompositorischen Praxis zu einer stetig sich erweiternden Legitimierung entfernter Tonarten als nahe Verwandte. Zweitens ist bis Jacob Gottfried Weber eine Zunahme an Verwandtschaftskriterien zu konstatieren, deren Differenzierung in der Folgezeit zugunsten einer wachsenden Integration fremder Tonarten wieder zurückgeht. Differenzierung der Kriterien und Integration von Tonarten verhalten sich gegenläufig zueinander. / Despite the intrinsic significance of key relationships on the conceptualization of modulation, this topic gradually disappeared from treatises in the nineteenth century until the measurement of key relationships was eventually restricted almost exclusively to the circle of the fifths in twentieth-century teachings. A glance back at the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries reveals a far more differentiated picture regarding the judgement of key relationships. Two tendencies can be discerned: first, the orientation of theory on compositional practice led to a continually expanding legitimization of distantly related keys as more closely related ones; second, until Jacob Gottfried Weber one can detect an increase in relational criteria whose differentiation in the following years declines again in favor of an expanding integration of foreign keys. Thus differentiation of criteria and integration of keys exist in opposition to one another.

The purpose of the study is to contribute more knowledge about how childrensdemocratic influence is expressed in preschool with a particular focus ongathering situations. In the study, we used a qualitative semi-structuredinterview. With an adaptable interview guide, to obtain the pre-school teachers'perceptions. Our study is based on Shiers participation model, to be able tointerpret and categorize the extent to which preschool teachers enablechildren's participation and influence in circle time. The results indicate thatpreschool teachers incorporate children's interests and opinions in the planningand execution of circle time by being present in the children's group. This isachieved through an active approach where children are given the opportunityto express their view. The conclusion of the study indicates that influence and participation in circletime are facilitated through the precense of educators. This is achieved bypreschool teachers actively working to convey childrens interests and opinions.Additionally, voting is presented as a tool to promote democratic practices inpreschool. / Syftet med studien är att bidra med mer kunskaper om hur barns demokratiskainflytande tas i uttryck i förskolan med särskilt fokus på samlingssituationer.Vi har i studien använt oss av en kvalitativ semistrukturerad intervju. Med enanpassningsbar intervjuguide, för att få fram förskollärarnas uppfattningar. VårStudie bygger på Shiers delaktighetsmodell, för att kunna tolka ochkategorisera i vilken mån förskollärare möjliggör för barns delaktighet ochinflytande i samlingar. Resultatet visar på att förskollärare tar vara på barnsintressen och åsikter i planering och utförande av samlingar genom att varanärvarande i barngruppen. Även genom ett aktivt arbetssätt där barnen fårkomma till tals och uttrycka sina synpunkter. Slutsatsen av studien visar på att inflytande och delaktighet i samlingarmöjliggörs genom närvarande pedagoger. Detta genom att förskollärare arbetaraktivt med att framföra barns intressen och åsikter. Samt att röstning framförssom ett redskap för att främja ett demokratiskt arbete i förskolan.