Syftet med studien är att utifrån ett pedagogiskt perspektiv ta reda på hur förskollärarna använder sig av högläsningen i sin verksamhet. I den här studien undersöks om högläsningen får samma prioritet som den övriga pedagogiska aktiviteten och hur förskollärarna arbetar utifrån läroplanens mål när de planerar en högläsningsaktivitet. Undersökningen visar även på hur de ser på högläsningen och hur den kan främja barns språkutveckling. För att få svar på min studie har jag använt mig av kvalitativa intervjuer av fyra förskollärare från två olika förskolor. Resultatet visade att pedagogerna är medvetna om högläsningens betydelse för språkutveckling hos barnen men trots denna vetskap så är oftast högläsningen inte planerad utefter läroplanens mål och riktlinjer. Förskollärarna arbetar med högläsningen varje dag men det skiljer sig åt i vilka sammanhang den används och hur planerad denna aktivitet är.

Titel Konflikter mellan barn på en flerspråkig förskola Conflicts between children in a multilingual preschool setting Abstrakt Bakgrund: Syftet med undersökningen är att belysa omständigheter kring konflikter mellan barn på en flerspråkig förskola, konflikternas uppkomst och hantering, förebyggande samt bakomliggande orsaker. Metod: En specialpedagog och tre förskollärare har intervjuats. Undersökningen har utgått från tre frågeställningar som handlar om vilken typ av konflikter uppstår mellan barn på en flerspråkig förskola, vilken roll spelar språket vid konflikter och hur hanterar och förebygger respondenterna konflikter mellan barn på en flerspråkig förskola. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten för undersökningen är det sociokulturella perspektivet. Respondenternas svar har analyserats och redovisats utifrån en hermeneutisk ansats. Resultat: Det resultat som framkommer i analysen av samtliga respondenters svar är att de vanligaste vardagskonflikter som uppstår mellan barn på en flerspråkig förskola uppkommer på grund av brist på språkförståelse och missuppfattningar eftersom barnen inte har ett gemensamt talspråk. Samtliga respondenter anser att det behövs lägga stor vikt vid inlärning av ett gemensamt talspråk för att förebygga konflikter mellan barn på en flerspråkig förskola. Undersökningen visar även att samtliga respondenter hanterar och förebygger på liknande sätt de konflikter som uppstår mellan barn på en flerspråkig förskola. Nyckelord Artefakter, flerspråkighet, konflikt, mediering, medling, proximal utvecklingszon, samspel, sociokulturellt perspektiv.

The sphincter of Oddi (SO) is a neuromuscular structure located at the junction of the bile and pancreatic ducts with the duodenum. The primary functions of the SO are to regulate the delivery of bile and pancreatic juice into the duodenum, and to prevent reflux of duodenal contents into the biliary and pancreatic systems. Neural, hormonal or functional disturbances of biliary motility can lead to painful and sometimes life threatening clinical conditions, such as SO dysfunction and acute pancreatitis. Clearly understanding the regulation of biliary and duodenal motility patterns is necessary and may provide useful pharmacological sites for drug development to aid in the treatment of these diseases. Spontaneous activity of the SO is regulated by complex interactions between the enteric nervous system, hormones, possibly interstitial cells of Cajal and other bioactive agents, together with modulation via neural reflexes between the duodenum, common bile duct/gallbladder, and stomach. Purines are one group of neurotransmitters/regulatory agents that have been shown to effect gastrointestinal motility, however their functions in the regulation of SO motility have not been elucidated. The studies described in this thesis used in vitro organ bath techniques and in vivo preparations to determine the effects of exogenous purines on possum SO and duodenal motility. The possum SO has been extensively characterized and is an excellent model for motility studies. In vitro, exogenous adenosine was found to decrease spontaneous activity in both the SO and duodenum. In contrast exogenous ATP induced both excitatory and inhibitory responses in the SO and duodenum. Interestingly, the adenosine and ATP-induced effects were predominantly exhibited by the proximal portion of the SO (proximal-SO), with no or little effect observed in the distal portion of the SO (distal-SO). These data support the hypothesis that the SO is comprised of different functional components that can act differently in response to certain stimuli, and highlights the importance of studying each of the SO components. Agonists and antagonists, together with immunohistochemical studies, were used in an attempt to identify the P1 and P2 receptor sub-types responsible for mediating the adenosine- and ATP-induced responses. In the duodenum the adenosine-induced decrease in spontaneous activity was likely to be mediated by A2A and A3 receptors, but the receptors mediating the proximal-SO response could not be identified. In the duodenum ATP induced a complex non-neural response consisting of a P2X1, and P2Y2 and/or P2Y4 mediated immediate inhibition. This was followed by a return to baseline activity or small excitation. The response concluded with a late inhibitory response, likely to be mediated by P2Y1 receptors, but the effects of other P2Y receptors could not be excluded. In contrast, ATP application to the proximal-SO evoked a partially neurally mediated early excitation, likely via P2X receptors, followed by an inhibition of activity, likely via activation of non-neural P2Y2 and/or P2Y4 receptors. In vivo studies with exogenous application of adenosine and ATP to the SO activated neural pathways to produce increased motor activity. Characterisation of these neural pathways found ATP and/or adenosine to activate excitatory cholinergic motor neurons. ATP also activated an inhibitory nicotinic/nitrergic pathway. This is the first comprehensive investigation of the possible involvement of purines in the regulation of SO motility. These studies demonstrate that exogenous purines influence SO and duodenal motility, inducing complex neural and non-neural responses, acting via multiple P1 and P2 receptors. It now remains to be determined if endogenously released purines induce similar responses, together with elucidation and location of the receptor sub-types involved.

In this study, trabecular architecture is considered as a cellular solid structure, including both intact and damaged bone models. ??Intact?? bone models were constructed based on ideal versions of 25, 60 and 80-year-old specimens with varying trabecular lengths and orientations to 5%, and 10% covariance of variation (COV). The models were also flipped between longer transverse and longer longitudinal trabeculae. With increasing COV of lengths and orientations of trabecular bone, the apparent modulus is linearly decreased, especially in the longer transverse trabeculae lengths. ??Damaged?? bone models were built from the 25 year old model at 5% COV of longer transverse trabeculae, and with removing trabeculae of 5% and 10% of trabecular volume in transverse and longitudinal directions, respectively, as well as in combination to total 10% and 15%. With increasing percent of trabeculae missing, the apparent modulus decreased, especially dramatically when removal was only in the transverse direction. The trabecular bone models were also connected to a cortical shell and it was found that the apparent modulus of an entire slice was increased in comparison to the modulus of trabecular bone alone. We concluded that the architecture of trabecular bone, especially both lengths and percent of trabecular missing in the longitudinal direction, significantly influences mechanical properties.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disease marked by cartilage and bone changes. Morphological and mechanical changes to bone, which are thought to increase overall bone stiffness, result in distorted joint mechanics and accelerated cartilage degeneration. Using a parametric finite element (FE) model of the proximal tibia, the primary objective of this study was to determine the relative and combined effects of OA-related osteophyte formation, and morphological and mechanical alterations to subchondral and epiphyseal bone on overall bone stiffness. The secondary objective was to assess how simulated bone changes affect load transmission in the OA joint. Methods: The overall geometry of the model was based on a segmented CT image of a cadaveric proximal tibia used to develop a 2D, symmetric, plane-strain, FE model. Simulated bone changes included osteophyte formation and varied thickness and stiffness (elastic modulus) in subchondral and epiphyseal bone layers. Normal and OA related values for these bone properties were based on the literature. “Effective Stiffness (K)” was defined as the overall stiffness of the proximal tibia, calculated using nodal displacement of the loaded area on the subchondral cortical bone surface and the load magnitude. Findings: Osteophyte formation and thickness or stiffness of the subchondral bone had little effect on overall bone stiffness. Epiphyseal bone stiffness had the most marked effect on overall bone stiffness. Load transmission did not differ between OA and normal bone. Interpretation: Results suggest that epiphyseal (trabecular) bone is a key site of interest in future analyses of OA and normal bone. Results also suggest that observed OA-related alterations in epiphyseal bone may result in OA bone being more flexible than normal bone.

Background: Hip fractures are a major health problem in Canada, and two main contributors to hip fracture are weak bone strength and fall. Weak muscles also negatively affect bone strength and increase the likelihood of falling. Advanced imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), offer in vivo measurement of bone strength and muscle area at the proximal femur. However, it is not known if MRI-based measurements of bone and muscle properties are repeatable (i.e. precise). Methods: The femoral neck and shaft of 14 healthy participants were scanned three times, using a 1.5T MRI with repositioning between scans. Boundaries of the femoral neck, shaft and four muscle groups were delineated semi-automatically. Geometrical and strength properties of bone and area of muscle groups were determined based on segmented images. The short-term precision errors (root mean square coefficient of variation; CVrms%) between the repeated measures were calculated accordingly. Results: MRI-based measures of bone geometry and strength and muscle area at the proximal femur demonstrated in vivo precision errors < 7.6%. The average CVrms% for bone measures and muscle area were less than 4% and 2.5% respectively. Higher CVrms% (e.g. average: 4.8%) was obtained for bone strength properties. Conclusion: This is the first study to evaluate the in vivo performance of MRI on application to the proximal femur and surrounding muscles. Results demonstrate that MRI is a promising non-ionizing technique that offers precise measures of bone and muscle at the proximal femur.

In this study, trabecular architecture is considered as a cellular solid structure, including both intact and damaged bone models. ??Intact?? bone models were constructed based on ideal versions of 25, 60 and 80-year-old specimens with varying trabecular lengths and orientations to 5%, and 10% covariance of variation (COV). The models were also flipped between longer transverse and longer longitudinal trabeculae. With increasing COV of lengths and orientations of trabecular bone, the apparent modulus is linearly decreased, especially in the longer transverse trabeculae lengths. ??Damaged?? bone models were built from the 25 year old model at 5% COV of longer transverse trabeculae, and with removing trabeculae of 5% and 10% of trabecular volume in transverse and longitudinal directions, respectively, as well as in combination to total 10% and 15%. With increasing percent of trabeculae missing, the apparent modulus decreased, especially dramatically when removal was only in the transverse direction. The trabecular bone models were also connected to a cortical shell and it was found that the apparent modulus of an entire slice was increased in comparison to the modulus of trabecular bone alone. We concluded that the architecture of trabecular bone, especially both lengths and percent of trabecular missing in the longitudinal direction, significantly influences mechanical properties.

This study aimed to investigate elementary school EFL teachers¡¦ use of scaffolding strategies for enhancing EFL students¡¦ cognitive engagement, and to examine whether the teachers¡¦ beliefs correspond to their strategy use. The three main focuses of the study included: 1) the types of scaffolding strategies used by elementary English teachers to enhance EFL students¡¦ cognitive engagement; 2) the processes of using these scaffolding strategies; 3) the teachers¡¦ beliefs in using these scaffolding strategies. The present study utilized an exploratory-explanatory case study design. Two elementary English teachers participated in this study. Data were collected from interviews and classroom observations during late-August to mid-October 2007. The researcher carried out all the interviews and classroom observations after she got the two teachers¡¦ permission to participate in this study. Five hours of interviews and eleven hours of classroom observations were collected from one teacher, while one and a half hours of interviews and nine hours of classroom observations were collected from the other. The interview data were audio-taped and then transcribed word by word. The classroom observation data were video-taped, and the useful parts were transcribed word by word. The researcher adopted constant comparative method and the template approach for data analysis. The process of data analysis with the use of constant comparative method included categorizing the types of scaffolding strategies from the collected data and analyzing the two elementary English teachers¡¦ beliefs of using scaffolding strategies. In addition, Gallimore and Tharp¡¦s (1990) six teaching strategies were used as a template to confirm that there was no missing code in the data analysis process. The three major findings of this study are as the following: 1) the two elementary English teachers in this study believed that cognitive engagement is classified into three categories: attention, memory, and critical thinking; 2) the two elementary English teachers in this study used scaffolding strategies in different ways to help students achieve different categories of cognitive engagement; 3) the two elementary English teachers¡¦ different beliefs of cognitive engagement played an important role in their use of scaffolding strategies, and they guided students to achieve different levels of cognitive engagement in class based on their beliefs. The findings of the present study, in general, respond to EFL teachers¡¦ perceptions of ZPD (Vygotsky, 1978) and scaffolding (Wood, Bruner, & Rose, 1976) which pointed out the importance of teacher¡¦s role in assisting students¡¦ second language learning. The expected findings discussed are as the following: 1) similar scaffolding strategies for enhancing students¡¦ cognitive engagement found in the present study were recognized in previous studies; 2) teachers¡¦ beliefs played an important role in teachers¡¦ use of scaffolding strategies. Unexpected, or interesting findings discussed are as the following: 1) one teacher in the present study believed that cognitive engagement was a sequential concept; 2) the two teachers in the present study showed different perceptions of the role of EFL teacher in initiating students¡¦ critical thinking; 3) The two teachers in the present study were not aware that students could be active listeners or learners in class; 4) The two teachers in the present study put more emphasis on students¡¦ memory of vocabulary and sentences than on critical thinking. Three pedagogical implications are suggested in this study: 1) Elementary English teachers need to be aware that critical thinking of some students¡¦ might need assistance from teachers; 2) elementary English teachers need to be aware that step-by-step assistance is more likely to help students achieve critical thinking; 3) teacher education should provide related courses about cognitive engagement, and practice teachers should learn how to assist students in engaging cognitively in English class. Finally, this study suggests three directions for further research: 1) the future study should investigate on teachers¡¦ beliefs or perspectives on using scaffolding strategies in class; 2) the future study should take students¡¦ perspectives into account to identify the effectiveness of scaffolding strategies in enhancing EFL students¡¦ cognitive engagement; 3) the future study should take parents¡¦ expectation or perceptions of English teaching into account to investigate how parents¡¦ expectations and feedback influence teachers¡¦ scaffolding strategies.

No description available.

The normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) has been correlated with physiological plant parameters and used to evaluate plant growth. There is little information about the use of this technique to detect soybean nutrient deficiencies. The objective of this work was to determine the ability of the NDVI sensor to detect P and K deficiencies, and grain yield reduction, in soybean. During 2010 and 2011, NDVI measurements were made on a soybean field trial site known to exhibit yield responses to both P and K nutrition. Four replicates of 8 levels each of P and K nutrition were evaluated. The NDVI measurements were made with an active proximal sensor held parallel to the soil surface every seven days after V2, and until R2. At each measurement a mean NDVI value was found for each plot. Phosphorus deficiency was detected with the first NDVI measurement. Potassium deficiency was first detected just after V4. Differences in NDVI values due to P or K nutrition increased with continued crop development. There were significant R1 leaf composition and grain yield responses to improved P or K nutrition. The active proximal sensor was able to detect soybean growth differences due to P or K deficiencies in soybean.