Rock-a-Buy Baby: Consumerism by New, First-Time Mothers, is the first known sociological exploration of need-based consumption for babies, despite the baby gear industry being a $6-billion-dollar business (whattoexpect.com). Data stemmed from qualitative, semistructured interviews with new, first-time mothers (3 months – 1 year postpartum) conducted within participants‘ households. The insights gained from the present study tell us a great deal about the ―needs‖ that predominantly white, middle-class mothers socially constructed in anticipation of their first child, and the consumptive behaviors used to accomplish these "needs." Respondents had turned to similar resources (other mothers, online forums, consumer reports, books, magazines, etc.) to help them construct ―need‖ and formulate decisions among commodities. Provided they were relying on comparable, if not overlapping, bodies of knowledge, mothers‘ narratives about consumer ―need‖ were often congruent. Additionally, the ways expectant mothers accumulated items are ritualized and made tradition. The baby shower and gift registration process (which all of my respondents participated in to some variation) are social constructions; these practices, which are so strongly tied to consumption, also constituted reality for mothers, and inevitably, their babies.

Licentiatuppsatsen handlar om förskolans utbildning utifrån barns rätt till stöd. Barns möjligheter till relationer, samspel och interaktion med sin omgivning påverkas av de förutsättningar som finns och skapas. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur förskollärare och rektorer beskriver sin förståelse av förskolans utbildning utifrån barn som anses vara i behov av särskilt stöd. I studien används en hermeneutisk forskningsansats tillsammans med ett systemteoretiskt perspektiv utifrån Bronfenbrenners ekologiska utvecklingsmodell (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1994) och bioekologiska modell (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). Semistrukturerade intervjuer har använts som metod. Totalt har 15 intervjuer genomförts med åtta rektorer och sju förskollärare. Studiens resultat visar att respondenterna anser att de arbetar med barn i behov av särskilt stöd men de har samtidigt svårt att definiera vilka barn som är barn i behov av särskilt stöd. De menar att alla barn, tillfälligt eller långvarigt, kan vara barn i behov av särskilt stöd och att barnen inte behöver ha någon funktionsnedsättning eller diagnos för att behöva stöd. Resultatet visar också att rektorer och förskollärare beskriver flera organisatoriska förutsättningar i arbetet med barn i behov av särskilt stöd. Rektorns ledarskap och hur det specialpedagogiska stödet organiseras i förskolan är exempel på organisatoriska förutsättningar. Pedagogiska strategier handlar till exempel om hur förskollärare arbetar nära barnen för att kunna se vad om händer i barngruppen och för att kunna ge stöd till barnen om det behövs. Den komplexitet som framträder i resultatet på samhälls-, organisations-, grupp- och individnivå skapar både möjligheter och utmaningar att möta alla barn och att utveckla en likvärdig utbildning i förskolan. / The aim of the study is to examine how preschool teachers and preschool principals describe their understanding of preschool's education based on children in need of special support. The following research questions are in focus: How do preschool teachers and preschool principals describe children who they consider to be children in need of special support? What organizational conditions in education for children in need of special supports do the preschool teachers and preschool principals describe? What pedagogical strategies in education for children in need of special supports do the preschool teachers and preschool principals describe? The study applies a hermeneutics framework and a system theoretical perspective. Bronfenbrenner's ecological model (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1994) and the further developed bioecological model (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006), with its associated PPCT-components (process, person, context, time), are used. Semi-structured interviews have been used as a method. Fifteen interviews have been conducted, eight with preschool principals and seven with preschool teachers. The result shows that the respondents do consider themselves working with children in need of special support, but they explain that it is difficult to identify which children this applies to. They argue that all children can at some point, temporarily or permanently, need special support and the children do not necessarily need a diagnosis in order be in special needs. The result also shows that the preschool principals and the preschool teachers describe several organizational conditions that can be useful in their work with children in need special support. The leadership of the preschool principal and how the support to children in special need is organized are examples of organizational conditions. Other thing they discuss are the preschool staff´s education and competence. Pedagogical strategies are, for example, how preschool teachers describe their job near the children to monitor what happens in the child group and to be able to support the children. The results suggest that there are shortcomings regarding equity, based on the descriptions given by preschools teachers and principals. There are shortcomings in equity regarding educational issues and how the preschools organize and carry out the work with children in need of special support in preschool.

No description available.

Quantification of pathogen load, although challenging, is of paramount importance for accurate diagnosis and clinical management of a range of infectious diseases in a point-of-need testing (PONT) scenario such as in resource-limited settings. We formulated a quantification approach to test the standard-curve based absolute quantification ability of isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay. As a test of principle, a 10-fold dilution series of Leishmania donovani (LD) genomic DNA prepared in nuclease-free-water (NFW), and from culture-spiked-blood (CSB) were tested, and a 15 min assay was performed. A modified algorithm was formulated to derive the detection outcome. The threshold-record times (Tr) in seconds thus obtained were plotted against the initial load of parasite genomes for log-linear regression analysis. The quantitative RPA (Q-RPA) assay was further evaluated against a LD quantitative (q)-PCR assay with DNA extracted from visceral and post-Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis case specimens and stratified into different ranges of threshold cycle (Ct). The best-fitted regression models were found linear with mean r2/root mean square error (RMSE) values of residual points (in seconds) estimated as 0.996/8.063 and 0.992/7.46 for replicated series of NFW and CSB, respectively. In both series, the lower limit of detection reached less than 0.1 parasite genome equivalent DNA. Absolute agreement between Q-RPA and LD-qPCR was found for test positivity, and strong positive correlations were observed between the Tr and Ct values (r = 0.89; p < 0.0001) as well as between the absolute parasite loads (r = 0.87; p < 0.0001) quantified by respective assays. The findings in this very first Q-RPA assay for leishmaniasis are suggestive of its potential in monitoring LD load in clinical specimens, and the development of rapid Q-RPA assays for other infectious diseases.

Den här studien handlar om övergången mellan årskurs 6 och årskurs 7 för elever i behov av särskilt stöd. Syftet var att undersöka hur mentorer upplever övergångsprocessen samt vilka framgångsfaktorer och förbättringsområden de anser finns. För att undersöka detta valdes en kvalitativ ansats där data samlades in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. I studien deltog sexmentorer som hade tagit emot en årskurs 7 vid skolstarten 2022. I analysarbetet användes en tematisk analys för att urskilja mönster, likheter och skillnader i det insamlade materialet. Nästa steg av analysarbetet handlade om att utröna huruvida teorin om KASAM (känslan av sammanhang) kunde urskiljas i mentorernas arbete i övergångar med elever i behov av särskilt stöd. Ämnet är högst aktuellt och denna studie bidrar till att skapa förståelse för att elevernas KASAM är viktig att ta hänsyn till vid stadieövergången. Övergången är en känslig period som kräver tid, systematiskt arbete och samarbete med vårdnadshavare vilket gynnar elever i behov av särskilt stöd. Vi upptäckte också att det särskilda stödet tenderar att minska i årskurs 7 vilket riskerar att leda till misslyckande. För att skapa goda övergångar som blir meningsfulla, hanterbara och begripliga för elever i behov av särskilt stöd krävs det tydliga riktlinjer och en vilja till samarbete mellan mentor, vårdnadshavare och elev. Vi hoppas att vi med denna studie ska kunna bidra till ett förändringsarbete på skolor som lyfter upp övergångsprocessen som en viktig del för elevernas välmående och kunskapsmässiga utveckling. / This study focuses on the transition between grade 6 and grade 7 for students in need of special support. The aim was to find out how mentors experience the transitionprocess and identify success factors and areas for improvement. To investigate this, a qualitative approach was chosen where data was collected through semistructured interviews. The study involved six mentors who had received a year 7 at the start of school in 2022. A thematic analysis was used to pick out patterns, similarities and differences in the collected material. The next step of the analysis was to find out whether the theory of SOC/KASAM (the sence of coherence) could be discerned in the mentors´work in transitions with students in need of special support.The topic is highly relevant, and this study contributes to understanding that students' sense of coherence (SOC/KASAM) is important to consider during the stage transition. The transition is a sensitive period that requires time, systematic work, and collaboration with guardians to benefit students in need of special support. We also discovered that the level of specialized support tends to decrease in grade 7, which risks leading to failure. To create successful transitions that are meaningful, manageable, and understandable for students in need of special support, clear guidelines and a willingness to collaborate among mentors, the home, and the students themselves are required. With this study, we hope to contribute to a process of change in schools that highlights the transition as an important part of students' well-being and academic knowledge development.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.