Opin visindi
Not a member yet
2982 research outputs found
Sort by
Temporal and intra-thallus variation in arsenic species in the brown macroalga Laminaria digitata
Get PDFEnvironmental context. Arsenic contamination has a disproportionate effect on marine ecosystems. Organisms such as some marine macroalgae, which accumulate potentially toxic elements from the surrounding environment, have developed an internal conversion process that is not yet fully understood. Are arsenic-containing sugars a product of detoxification, or simply the result of phospholipid degradation?
Rationale. Arsenosugars (AsSugar) account for the majority of total arsenic in common seaweed species, yet it is unclear whether these are formed through some detoxification pathway for inorganic arsenic or are precursors/degradation products of arsenic-containing phospholipids in the cell wall.
Methodology. Temporal and intra-thallus variations in water-soluble arsenic were measured by HPLC-ICP-MS, as well as total non-polar and polar arsenic-containing lipids by ICP-MS in Laminaria digitata to offer potential insight into the origins of arsenosugars. Water-soluble speciation with and without freeze-drying were also compared to determine whether freeze-drying changes the water-soluble As speciation.
Results. In general, lower levels of total As were detected in the samples collected in May (39.2–74.5 mg kg−1) compared to those collected in February (72.6–151 mg kg−1). The concentration of arsenate was found to consistently increase along the thallus from the holdfast/stipe (0.78–1.82 mg kg−1) to the decaying fronds (44.4–61.0 mg kg−1) in both months, and AsSug-SO3 was the dominant AsSugar in the majority of samples. The extraction efficiency was lower in fresh samples (64–77%) than in freeze-dried (95–116%) from the same month. Water-soluble, polar AsLipids, and residual As concentrations, were generally highest in February, and the non-polar AsLipids accounted for <0.42% of totAs in all samples.
Discussion. Our results suggest that the arsenosugars are not a product of arsenic detoxification, but a by-product of normal biological activity. It is probable that the arsenosugars are bound to the cell membrane within the Laminaria digitata cells, and lyophilisation is required to release them quantitatively. Future research should focus on speciation of polar lipid-soluble As extracted from fresh samples to determine if the lower extraction efficiency observed in this study is due to the As being in an unextractable form, i.e. lipids, and thus is not removed from cells during water-based extractions.The Icelandic Centre for Research (Grant number: 206624-051).Post-print (lokagerð höfundar
Off the Map: Modes of Spatial Representation in the Indigenous Icelandic riddarasögur
Get PDFUntil relatively recent times, the late medieval Icelandic romances, or frumsamdar riddarasögur
(indigenous riddarasögur) have been considered to be of little critical value. Some of the defining
features of the genre, such as exotic settings, supernatural beings, and unrealistic plots have
prevented a full understanding of the texts as important expressions of their time. The success
that the riddarasögur enjoyed in the Late Middle Ages and their abundant use of foreign narrative
modes have often been associated with the Icelanders’ need to retreat into escapism and fantasy
after the loss of political independence between 1262 and 1264. In the past decades, however,
new critical perspectives have encouraged a positive re-evaluation of the genre. This project
intends to contribute to the valorisation of the riddarasögur by investigating the modes of
representation of fictional space in the earliest extant romances dating back to the fourteenth
century. Foreign inspirations and entertainment are only two sides of Icelandic romances,
which are in fact much more complex literary products and witnesses to the Icelanders’
continuous commitment to the business of storytelling. A focus on the medieval sources will
facilitate the analysis of the historical background in which the riddarasögur were produced as
well as the formulation of hypotheses about their function in their parent culture. The
fundamental premise of the thesis is that learned Icelanders actively contributed to the great
material and cultural exchanges that characterised late medieval Europe despite the political
disappointments of the late thirteenth century.
The centrality of travels and world descriptions in the texts has encouraged my
methodological approach, which focuses firstly on the question of whether Western Europe
shared a logic, a common pattern of conceiving and organising space as one of the most
meaningful dimensions of the human experience. After addressing Henri Lefebvre’s general
spatial theory, the basic parameters that guided the production and interpretation of space in
medieval Christian Europe shall be defined on ideological grounds, especially through the
works of St. Augustine. Then, the fictional space of three selected case studies (Sigurðar saga þögla,
Ectors saga, and Nitida saga) will be investigated alongside their possible sources, both learned
and popular, local and foreign. A careful analysis of the texts will confirm the adoption in
Iceland of a paradigm of spatial thinking that was widespread in religious and highly learned
environments, showing an interest of Icelandic intellectuals for complex and allegorical
compositions only partially destined to the entertainment of the readers. In fact, the creative
engagement of Icelandic authors with new literary trends will reveal their partaking in the
ii
vibrant cultural scenario of the Late Middle Ages thereby finally exorcising the ghost of literary
divertissement.Riddarasögur frá síðmiðöldum – þær sem við köllum frumsamdar riddarasögur – voru lengi
vel lítils metnar meðal íslenskra bókmennta. Vera má að hin helstu einkenni
bókmenntagreinarinnar, þættir á borð við framandi sögusvið, óraunsæjan söguþráð og
yfirnáttúrulegar vættir, hafi valdið því að fólk hætti að líta á textana sem mikilvægan
tjáningarmiðil síns tíma. Oftar en ekki hefur verið litið á erlend áhrif á frásagnargerð sagnanna
og vinsældir þeirra á síðmiðöldum sem vitnisburð um veruleikaflótta – að Íslendingar hafi í
menningarsköpun sinni flúið á vit ímyndunaraflsins við fall þjóðveldisins á árunum 1262–1264.
Á síðustu áratugum hafa fræðilegar nálganir þó náð að kynda undir jákvæðu endurmati á
riddarasögum og fræðimenn hafa þá m.a. leitast við að sýna fram á hvernig þær endurspegla
samfélag sitt. Það verkefni sem hér um ræðir kemur til með að byggja á þessu endurmati og
fylla myndina hvað varðar hlutverk og merkingu riddarasagna, en áhersla verður lögð á að
rannsaka birtingarmynd frásagnarýmis í textum frá 14. öld, þegar elstu sögurnar urðu til.
Erlend áhrif og afþreying eru hins vegar einungis tvær hliðar á hinum íslensku riddarasögum,
og í raun og veru eru þær mun flóknari bókmenntaverk, auk þess sem þær bera vott um
áframhaldandi og stöðugan áhuga Íslendinga á sagnaskemmtun. Með því að beina athyglinni
að miðaldaheimildunum sjálfum, riddarasögum frá 14. öld, má greina þann sögulega grundvöll
sem þær spruttu úr, og gerir okkur kleift að leggja fram tilgátur um hlutverk sagnanna í
menningarlegu samhengi. Sú grunnforsenda sem gengið er út frá er að lærðir Íslendingar hafi
– þrátt fyrir hinar pólitíku sviptingar í lok 13. aldar – lagt drjúgan skerf til þeirrar efnismiðlunar
og menningarlegu samskipta sem áttu sér stað í Evrópu á síðmiðöldum.
Sú fræðilega nálgun sem hér er beitt er að mörgu leyti mótuð af hinu miðlæga þema
sagnanna sem snýr að ferðalögum og lýsingu á staðháttum víða um heim, en fyrst mun ég leitast
við að varpa ljósi á þá spurningu hvort Vestur-Evrópubúar hafi deilt hugmyndum sínum um
rými, og hvort þeir hafi búið yfir sambærilegu hugsanamynstri þegar kemur að því að ímynda
sér og skipuleggja rými sem eina af grunnvíddum mannlegs veruleika. Eftir það mun ég ræða
hina almennu rýmiskenningu Henris Lefebvre, og skilgreina þá þætti sem stýrðu mótun og
túlkun rýmis í kristnum hugmyndaheimi evrópskra miðalda, einkum í gegnum guðfræði heilags
Ágústínusar og annarra kirkjufeðra. Að því loknu mun ég greina og rannsaka frásagnarlegt
rými þriggja riddarasagna, eða Sigurðar sögu þögla, Ectors sögu og Nitida sögu, og fjalla um
mögulegar heimildir þeirra, íslenskar sem erlendar og lærðar jafnt sem alþýðlegar. Sýnt verður
fram á hvernig íslenskir höfundar unnu með hin nýstárlegu sagnaform síðmiðalda og með
iv
hvaða hætti sögurnar bera vott um þátttöku þeirra í hinni litríku menningarflóru evrópskra
síðmiðalda. Með þessu má vonandi kveða niður gamlan draug; klisjuna um veruleikaflótta
Íslendinga við fall þjóðveldisins.Háskólasjóður Eimskipafélags Ísland
Child Rights during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Learning from Child Health-and-Rights Professionals across the World
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of a child rights-based approach to policymaking and crisis management. Anchored in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the 3P framework—provision, protection, and participation—forms the foundation for health professionals advocating for children’s rights. Expanding it with two additional domains—preparation and power—into a 5P framework has the potential to enhance child rights-based policies in times of crisis and future pandemics. The study aimed to (1) gather perspectives from child health-and-rights specialists on how children’s rights were highlighted during the early phase of the pandemic in their respective settings; and (2) evaluate the usefulness of the 5P framework in assessing children’s visibility and rights. A qualitative survey was distributed among child health-and-rights professionals; a total of 68 responses were analysed in Atlas.ti 9 from a multi-disciplinary group of policymakers and front-line professionals in eight world regions. As framed by the 5Ps, children’s rights were generally not safeguarded in the initial pandemic response and negatively impacted children’s health and wellbeing. Further, children lacked meaningful opportunities to raise their concerns to policymakers. The 5P framework holds the potential to shape an ethical child rights-based decision-making framework for future crises, both nationally and globally.Rannsóknarsjóður Íslands (RANNÍS): 217579-051Published versio
Developing the next generation of pyrolysis reaction models: Experimental and modeling studies on pyrolysis
Get PDFMunicipal solid waste incineration has been identified as a major source of dioxins in the air, leading to the closure of many European incinerators. While gasification of waste and biomass has been considered a more environmentally friendly alternative, it is not always guaranteed to meet regulatory emission limits. Pyrolysis, a sub-section of the gasification process, is a sustainable technique used to produce biofuels and is known for its low-emission properties. This thesis evaluates the applicability of widely used wood pyrolysis models and two proposed models by conducting experiments on walnut shells and reviewing existing experimental data on woody material and plastic waste pyrolysis. The analysis suggests that conventional models are inadequate for predicting pyrolytic product yields at higher temperatures and additional reactions must be accounted for. This thesis makes a significant contribution to the field of woody/plastic pyrolysis by demonstrating that incorporating secondary tar and char reactions into the reaction scheme improves the accuracy and predictive capabilities of kinetic models. An understanding of the kinetic characterization of pyrolysis is fundamental to advancing the field. This study aims to assist researchers in conducting relevant research for improving and optimizing pyrolysis processes.Brennsla sorps frá sveitarfélögum hefur verið skilgreind sem ein helsta uppspretta díoxíns í andrúmsloftinu. Þetta hefur leitt til lokunar fjölmargra brennsluofna í Evrópu. Þrátt fyrir að gösun sorps og lífmassa hafi verið talin vera umhverfisvænni valkostur þá er ekki öruggt að gösunarferlið standist losunarreglugerðir. Pýrólýsa er ferli í gösunarferlinu. Hún er sjálfbær tækni sem notuð er til að framleiða lífeldsneyti og er þekkt fyrir að hafa litla losun eiturefna. Í þessu doktorsverkefni er lagt mat á næmni líkana sem eru oft notuð fyrir pýrólýsu á timbri og tveggja endurbættra líkana. Næmnin er metin útfrá pýrólýsu tilraunum á valhnetuskeljum og með því að greina tiltæk gögn frá pýrólýsu tilraunum á við og plastúrgangi. Niðurstöður greiningarinnar benda til þess að hefðbundin líkön eru ófullnægjandi þegar kemur að því að spá fyrir um magn brunaefna sem myndast við hátt hitastig. Þetta undirstrikar þörfina á endurbótum þar sem gerð er grein fyrir viðbótarhvörfum. Framlag doktorsverkefnisins á sviði pýrólýsu á við og plasti er umtalsvert. Framlagið felst í því að sýna fram á að aukin nákvæmni og forspárgeta fæst með því að bæta við kviku pýrólýsulíkönin hvörfum á tjöru og kolum sem myndast í ferlinu. Frekari framfarir á sviðinu munu byggja að stórum hluta á auknum skilningi á kvikum einkennum pýrólýsu. Eitt af markmiðum þessa verkefnis er að styðja við frekari rannsóknir og þróun á sviðinu
Decision aids to assist Icelandic men with PSA testing and prostate cancer treatment decision-making
Get PDFProstate cancer (PC) is the second most common cancer among men globally and the most common cancer among Icelandic men. Early detection of PC is possible with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Before making a decision about PSA testing and before deciding which treatment to choose for localized PC, shared decision-making (SDM) is encouraged as many uncertainties are associated with those decisions and it is important that patients understand the pros and cons of all options before making a decision. Decision aids (DAs) have been found to enhance SDM by, for example, affecting patient involvement and patient-physician communication. While it is known that Icelandic men, newly diagnosed with PC, lack information about the pros and cons of different treatment options, no study to date has examined how much information Icelandic men receive about the pros and cons of PSA testing prior to undergoing PSA testing. Furthermore, DAs for PSA testing decision and PC treatment decision are not available in Icelandic. To address these limitations, the aims of the current Thesis were to; 1) establish the need for an Icelandic PSA testing DA, 2) translate and culturally adapt a pre-existing PSA testing DA for Icelandic men, and 3) develop, culturally adapt and extend an interactive DA to assist men, diagnosed with localized PC, to make a treatment decision.
In Paper I, all Icelandic men diagnosed with PC from 2015 to 2020 were invited to participate in a quantitative study evaluating how much information men receive about the pros and cons of PSA testing prior to undergoing a PSA test. Participants were 471 men aged 51 to 95 (M = 71.9, SD = 7.3). In Paper II, a pre-existing DA for PSA testing decision was translated and culturally adapted, and usability was tested in a mixed-methods study, first in a qualitative study and then in a quantitative study. Ten men, aged 51 to 66 (M = 59.9, SD = 5.6) participated in the qualitative study using a semi-structured interview and a questionnaire. Minor modifications were made to the DA following the qualitative study, whereafter, a quantitative study was conducted among 135 men aged 50 to 70 years (M = 59.7, SD = 5.2) to evaluate the final version of the DA. In Paper III, a DA for localized PC treatment decision was culturally adapted, modified and extended. The usability of the DA was evaluated in a mixed-methods study, first in a qualitative study and then in a quantitative study. The qualitative study included semi-structured interviews and a usability scale and participants were 12 men, aged 58 to 80 years (M = 70.66, SD=6.58), diagnosed with PC. A thematic analysis of the interviews led to minor revisions of the DA. Then a quantitative evaluation of the usability of the final version of the DA was conducted among 11 newly diagnosed men with PC, aged 60 to 74 (M = 66.18, SD = 4.79).
Findings from Paper I underscored the need for an Icelandic PSA testing DA as Icelandic men lack information before making a PSA testing decision. Half of the participants received information about the pros and cons of PSA testing, a third did not receive any information and 22.2% did not even know they were being tested. Additionally, more than 80% of the men reported none or little knowledge of PSA testing. The findings of Paper II demonstrated that participants found the translation and cultural adaptation of the DA for PSA testing decision to be successful, as they found the DA helpful and comprehensible and almost all participants said they would recommend it to others. The results of Paper III demonstrated that the DA for treatment decision for localized PC was well received by participants. Participants were satisfied with the DA and the realistic information on side effects that was presented. They found the information about the pros and cons of treatment options helpful, and all noted they would recommend the DA to others facing the same decision. Currently, a randomized clinical trial is being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the DA for localized PC treatment decision.
The main results from the overall Thesis were that men do not receive adequate information about the pros and cons of PSA testing and that the DAs for PSA testing and localized PC treatment decisions were successfully modified. DAs have been shown to enhance SDM, be cost-effective, and have a minimal burden on the healthcare system. Therefore, the usage of DAs is likely to benefit both patients and healthcare providers of the Icelandic healthcare system.Blöðruhálskirtilskrabbamein (BHKK) er annað algengasta krabbamein meðal karlmanna á heimsvísu og algengasta krabbameinið meðal íslenskra karlmanna. Mikilvægt er að skilja kosti og galla PSA (prostate-specific antigen) prófs, sem getur greint BHKK á frumstigi, og einnig kosti og galla mögulegra meðferðarúrræða við staðbundnu BHKK áður en ákvörðun er tekin þar sem ýmsir óvissuþættir fylgja þessum ákvörðunum. Ákvörðunartæki geta stuðlað að sameiginlegri ákvörðunartöku sjúklings og heilbrigðisstarfsfólks en slík ákvörðunartaka hefur jákvæð áhrif á þátttöku sjúklings í ákvörðuninni sem og á samskipti sjúklings og heilbrigðisstarfsfólks. Rannsóknir sýna að íslenska menn sem nýgreindir eru með BHKK, skortir upplýsingar um kosti og galla þeirra meðferðaleiða sem í boði eru. Hinsvegar hefur ekki verið rannsakað hvort íslenskir menn fái nægar upplýsingar um kosti og galla PSA prófs áður en þeir fara í slíkt próf. Hvorki ákvörðunartæki sem aðstoðar menn við að taka ákvörðun varðandi PSA próf né ákvörðunartæki sem aðstoðar menn við að taka ákvörðun um meðferðarleið fyrir BHKK eru í boði á íslensku. Því var markmið þessarar doktorsrannsóknar að 1) sýna fram á að það væri þörf fyrir íslenskt ákvörðunartæki sem aðstoðar menn áður en þeir taka ákvörðun varðandi PSA próf, 2) þýða yfir á íslensku og staðfæra ákvörðunartæki sem aðstoðar við ákvarðanatöku varðandi PSA próf, 3) þróa og staðfæra gagnvirkt ákvörðunartæki til að aðstoða menn, sem hafa greinst með staðbundið BHKK, við að taka ákvörðun um hvaða meðferðarúrræði henti þeim best.
Fyrsta rannsóknin var megindleg rannsókn þar sem kannað var hversu miklar upplýsingar menn fengu um PSA próf áður en þeir fóru í slíkt próf. Þátttakendur voru íslenskir menn, 471 talsins, á aldrinum 51 til 95 ára (M = 71.9, SD = 7.3) sem höfðu greinst með BHKK á árunum 2015 til 2020. Í næstu rannsókn var ákvörðunartæki, sem aðstoðar menn við ákvörðunartöku varðandi PSA próf, þýtt og staðfært. Síðan var blandaðri aðferð beitt til að kanna notagildi ákvörðunartækisins, fyrst í eigindlegri rannsókn og síðan megindlegri. Samtals tóku 10 menn á aldrinum 51 til 66 ára (M = 59.9, SD = 5.6) þátt í eigindlegu rannsókninni þar sem notuð voru hálfstöðluð viðtöl og spurningalistar til að meta upplifun þátttakenda af ákvörðunartækinu. Niðurstöður eigindlegu rannsóknarinnar leiddu til smávægilegra breytinga á ákvörðunartækinu sem síðan var notendaprófað í megindlegri rannsókn meðal 135 manna á aldrinum 50 til 70 ára (M = 59.7, SD = 5.2). Í þriðju rannsókninni var ákvörðunartæki fyrir meðferðarákvörðun fyrir staðbundið BHKK staðfært og umfang þess aukið. Samtals tóku 12 menn á aldrinum 58 til 80 ára (M = 70.66, SD=6.58) þátt og allir höfðu þeir verið greindir með BHKK. Notendaprófun var gerð með hálfstöðluðum viðtölum og þátttakendur beðnir um að svara kvarða sem metur notandaupplifun. Þemagreining á viðtölunum leiddi í ljós að gera þurfti minniháttar breytingar á ákvörðunartækinu. Lokaútgáfa ákvörðunartækisins var síðan notendaprófuð í megindlegri rannsókn meðal 11 manna á aldrinum 60 til 74 ára (M = 66.18, SD = 4.79) sem voru nýgreindir með BHKK.
Niðurstöður fyrstu rannsóknarinnar leiddu í ljós að íslenskir menn fá ekki nægar upplýsingar áður en þeir fara í PSA próf og þar af leiðandi er þörf fyrir íslenskt ákvörðunartæki sem aðstoðar menn með ákvörðun varðandi PSA próf. Um helmingur þátttakenda fékk upplýsingar um kosti og galla PSA prófs áður en þeir fóru í prófið, þriðjungur fékk engar upplýsingar og 22.2% þátttakenda vissu ekki fyrirfram að það væri verið að mæla PSA gildin þeirra. Þar að auki greindu 80% þátttakenda frá að þeir hefðu litla eða enga þekkingu haft á kostum og göllum PSA prófs áður PSA gildið þeirra var mælt. Niðurstöður annarar rannsóknarinnar, á ákvörðunartæki fyrir PSA ákvörðun leiddi í ljós að bæði þýðing og staðfærsla ákvörðunartækisins að íslenskum aðstæðum tókst vel. Þátttakendum fannst ákvörðunartækið hjálplegt og auðskiljanlegt og nánast allir þátttakendur sögðust myndu mæla með því við aðra í sömu sporum. Niðurstöður þriðju rannsóknarinnar, á ákvörðunartæki fyrir meðferðarákvörðun fyrir staðbundið BHKK sýndi sömuleiðis fram á að þátttakendur voru ánægðir með tækið og þær upplýsingar sem þar var að fá. Sérstaklega voru þeir ánægðir með þær raunsæju upplýsingar um aukaverkanir sem voru gefnar í tækinu og þeim fannst einnig upplýsingar um kosti og galla hverrar meðferðar gagnlegar. Að auki sögðu allir þátttakendur að þeir myndu mæla með ákvörðunartækinu við aðra í sömu sporum. Nú fer fram slembiröðuð klínísk rannsókn til að meta virkni ákvörðunartækisins fyrir meðferðarúrræði við staðbundnu BHKK.
Á heildina litið eru niðurstöður doktorsrannsóknarinnar þær að íslenska karlmenn fá ekki nægar upplýsingar áður en þeir fara í PSA próf og að þátttakendur voru ánægðir með bæði ákvörðunartækin. Niðurstöður benda til þess að ákvörðunartækin geti komið að góðum notum fyrir menn sem standa frammi fyrir þessum ákvörðunum. Rannsóknir hafa sýnt að ákvörðunartæki auka þátttöku sjúklinga í ákvörðunartöku, eru hagkvæm og auka ekki álag innan heilbrigðiskerfisins. Ákvörðunartæki ættu því að nýtast vel innan íslenska heilbrigðiskerfisins bæði fyrir sjúklinga og heilbrigðisstarfsfólk en jafnframt fyrir heilbriðiskerfið allt
Images in seals of chapters and bishops in the medieval dioceses of Norway and Iceland
Get PDFThe PhD thesis, Images in seals of chapters and bishops in the medieval dioceses of Norway and Iceland, is an innovative study on the imagery in the seals of chapters and bishops in the medieval dioceses of Norway and Iceland in the time frame of ca 1250-1537. The dioceses in question were those of Nidaros, Bergen, Hamar, Stavanger, Oslo, Skálholt and Hólar. The study aims partly to investigate the visual authority of the metropolitan see in Nidaros. Whether the iconography in the seals of the archbishops had an impact on the imagery in the seals of the suffragans. Another important aim is to explore architecture and architectural elements in the seals and estimate on what ground the topographical connection or accuracy in seal images rests.
The first part of the work consists of an overview of both types of the seals in question and the later chapters provide an in-depth study on architecture and architectural elements in these two types of seals. Chapter 2. provides an overview of chapter seals which are different in essence from the seals of individuals. The seals are listed and described, diocese by diocese, starting with Nidaros. Chapter 3 presents the seals of bishops according to their iconographic types and is subdivided by them. The discussion in chapter 4 provides a ground for evaluation of church buildings in chapter seals in general by presenting important comparison examples where both seal and a medieval church are preserved. In chapter 5 individual examples from the dioceses in Norway and Iceland are presented. Because of a complete lack of preserved medieval church buildings in Iceland, the Icelandic chapter seals receive the most attention. Chapter 6. Deals with architectural elements in bishop´s seals. Suggestions are provided for what types of architectural elements would be appropriate in bishop´s seals and that is different from what is relevant for chapter seals. The seals with architectural elements are then compared to the built environment at their cathedrals and/or what is known about them.
The conclusion of the thesis is multi-layered, providing both positive and negative answers to the research questions where topographical accuracy of church images in chapter seals is addressed and a plausible possibility in many instances.Doktorsritgerðin, Images in seals of chapters and bishops in the medieval dioceses of Norway and Iceland fjallar um myndefnið í tveimur tegundum kirkulegra miðaldainnsigla í norsku og íslensku biskupsdæmum miðalda. Annars vegar innsigli dómklerka og klaustursamfélaga og hins vegar einstaklinga, þ.e. biskupa.
Samfélög dómklerka og klaustrafólks nefndust kapítuli og af því er orðið kapítulainnsigli dregið. Orðið kapítuli á einnig við um samkomustaðinn sjálfan, rýmið þar sem starfsemin fór fram. Tímarammi verksins er frá elstu varðveislu sem nær aftur á miðja 13. öld og fram til siðbreytingar. Þar er miðað við ártal kirkjuordinazíu Kristjáns III frá 1537 að teknu tilliti til breytileika eftir biskupsdæmum.
Innsigli þessara hópa eru ólík í eðli sínu og því nauðsynlegt að fjalla um þau í aðskildum köflum. Kapítulainnsiglin höfðu langan líftíma, sum hver voru notuð öldum saman en aftur á móti voru biskupsinnsigli bundin við embættistíð hvers þeirra sem gat verið nokkuð breytileg. Stíll biskupsinnsigla breyttist því hraðar en kapítulainnsigla.
Í köflum 2 og 3 er lagt fram yfirlit yfir varðveitt kapítula- og biskupsinnsigli í norsku og íslensku biskupsdæmunum eins og þau voru á miðöldum. Birtir það yfirlit ákv. mynstur menningartengsla sem eru mismunandi eftir því hvor flokkur innsigla á í hlut. Í köflum 4-6 er áhersla lögð á að skoða byggingar og byggingarþætti í þessum sömu flokkum innsigla. Grundvöllurinn sem liggur að baki því að kirkjumyndir voru í kapítulainnsiglum er kannaður og lögð fram skýr dæmi þar sem samanburður á innsiglismynd og traustri heimild um útlit kirkju kemur fram. Sérstök áhersla er lögð á að meta kirkjumyndir í íslensku kapítulainnsiglunum, einkum í ljósi þess að engar varðveittar miðaldakirkjur eru til í landinu. Myndefni þetta hefur því mikið gildi fyrir rannsóknir á íslenskum kirkjubyggingararfi.Rannsóknarsjóður Háskóla Ísland
Veitum röddum vængi: Leikskóli sem inngildandi námsrými til samskipta og skilnings
No full textDemographic changes in Iceland, like almost everywhere in the world, have influenced
the linguistic and cultural landscapes of preschools. The objective of this study is to
gain a deeper understanding of how preschool can serve as an inclusive and socially
just learning space for multilingual children's language and emergent literacy
development, where voices and identities are affirmed and partnership with parents is
enhanced.
This qualitative case study explored how learning spaces for multilingual children were
created. The study is concerned with a comprehensive view on the complex reciprocity
of linguistic, contextual, social, and cultural factors affecting multilingual children’s
learning and development. The study looks at the interplay of these factors and
highlights successful practices in a preschool that was purposively chosen. The
theoretical perspective of the study lies within critical pedagogy (Nieto, 2010),
multicultural education (Banks, 2010), sociocultural theories (Rogoff, 2003; Vygotsky,
1978), and theories on multilingual children’s language and literacy development
(Arnbjörnsdóttir, 2008, 2010; Brooker, 2002a; Chumak-Horbatsch, 2012; Cummins,
2004, 2021a; De Houwer, 2009; García & Wei, 2014).
The study was carried out between 2016 and 2017 and the design of the research is a
single case study. I employ qualitative methodology to generate data and analyse and
write up my findings (Braun & Clarke, 2006; Heath et al., 2010; Tracey, 2010). Data
was generated through interviews with teachers and parents, observations and video
recordings, written documents, pictures, and artefacts. Part of the analysing process of
the video recordings was a collaborative analysis with the participating teachers. Such a
collaboration moves practice towards theory and situates teachers as knowledge
generators (Cummins, 2021a).
Findings illustrate that the development of learning spaces for multilingual children at
The Circle was a multi-faceted, emergent process that included multiple diverse
practices. The principal and assistant principal were leading the process of change with
the participation of many of the teachers at the preschool. The overall aim was to
change practices to meet the diverse needs of children, and through professional
development and a learning community of teachers, practices were implemented and
reflected on. The teachers showed high respect for diversity and the culture of
communication involved that the participating teachers considered it to be their role to
reach out to children and parents, build relationships, affirm multiple identities, and
guide the linguistic participation of children. Home languages were supported withvi
diverse practices such as welcoming signs in different languages and the teachers and
children singing and learning words in different languages together. Practices
encouraging reading and literacy involved providing books that the children could
bring home. Children were also encouraged to bring books from home and the
teachers motivated parents to work with the home language in relation to Icelandic
vocabulary that was in focus at each time.
Language support and work with vocabulary in Icelandic, both formal and informal,
through child-initiated and teacher-led activities, was a continuous thread in daily
activities. Children’s autonomy, linguistic participation, and sense of self was
encouraged through child-initiated and teacher-led practices. Collaboration with parents
was an important and permeating part of developing successful learning spaces for
multilingual children. Part of this collaboration revolved around the children’s language
development and practices appropriate to enhance and support active multilingualism
and learning of Icelandic while affirming their identity.
Even though findings provide an overview of the successful learning spaces emerging
for multilingual children at The Circle during the time of the study, there were multiple
challenges that the teachers and principal were facing. Those involved turnover rate of
teachers, lack of educated teachers, deficit discourse and prejudices among some
teachers, especially those newly employed, as well as a lack of appropriate tools and
time to assess the language development of multilingual children. Sustaining and
systematically implementing successful practices was a challenge and although
partnership with parents was enhanced in many instances, not every teacher had the
capacity and experience to communicate with parents across languages and cultures.
My findings illustrate the importance of building on children’s linguistic and cultural
diversity while developing partnership with parents. Furthermore, the study clearly
demonstrates the role of teachers in creating the conditions for language learning to
take place through daily activities, both initiated by the children and organised by the
teachers. By highlighting successful practices of teachers, I seek to provide inspiring
stories of social justice and inclusion and as such my study contributes to the important
objective of reversing the marginalisation and deficit discourse dominant in the
education of multilingual children worldwideÁ undanförnum árum og áratugum hefur innflytjendum á Íslandi fjölgað líkt og víðast
hvar í heiminum. Þessar breytingar hafa mikil áhrif á starfið í leikskólum landsins sem
og hið fjölbreytta tungumála- og menningarlega landslag sem þar ríkir. Markmið
þessarar rannsóknar er að öðlast dýpri skilning á því hvernig hægt er að skapa
inngildandi og réttlátt námsrými í leikskólum þar sem stutt er við málþroska og læsi
fjöltyngdra barna, sjálfsmynd þeirra og samstarf við foreldra.
Í rannsókninni er sjónum beint að því hvernig námsrými fyrir fjöltyngd leikskólabörn eru
skipulögð af kennurum og stjórnendum. Leitast er við að varpa heildtækri sýn á þá
fjölmörgu þætti, umhverfis, samfélags, tungumála og menningar sem hafa áhrif á nám
og þroska fjöltyngdra barna. Um leið er rannsókninni ætlað að efla skilning á samspili
þessara þátta í þátttökuleikskólanum sem staðsettur er í Reykjavík. Leikskólinn var valinn
með markmiðsúrtaki og er í niðurstöðum og umræðum um þær lögð áhersla á að
draga fram árangursríka starfs- og kennsluhætti. Fræðilegt sjónarhorn rannsóknarinnar
er félags- og menningarlegt (Rogoff, 2003; Vygotsky, 1978) og mótast af gagnrýninni
sýn á menntun fjöltyngdra barna (Nieto, 2010), fjölmenningarlega starfs- og
kennsluhætti (Banks, 2010) og kenningar um mál og læsi fjöltyngdra barna
(Arnbjörnsdóttir, 2008, 2010; Brooker, 2002a; Chumak-Horbatsch, 2012; Cummins,
2004, 2021a; De Houwer, 2009; García & Wei, 2014).
Rannsóknin hófst í desember 2016 og henni lauk í desember 2017. Þetta er eigindleg
tilviksrannsókn þar sem leikskólinn og starfshættir kennara eru skoðaðir sem eitt tilvik og
eigindlegri aðferðarfræði beitt við gagnaöflun, greiningu gagna og ritun niðurstaðna
(Braun & Clarke, 2006; Heath o.fl., 2010; Tracey, 2010). Rannsóknargögnin byggja á
viðtölum við kennara og foreldra, vettvangsathugunum, myndbandsupptökum,
skriflegum skjölum og ljósmyndum. Hluti gagnagreiningar fólst í samvinnu rannsakanda
og kennara sem tóku þátt í að greina eigin starfshætti á myndbandsupptökum. Slík
samvinna staðsetur kennara sem þekkingarsmiði og brúar bilið á milli kenningasmíði og
daglegs starf í leikskólanum (Cummins, 2021a).
Niðurstöður sýna að þróun og skipulag námsrýma fyrir fjöltyngd börn í leikskólanum
var langtíma viðfangsefni eða vegferð sem var í stöðugri mótun. Leikskólastjórinn og
aðstoðarleikskólastjórinn leiddu þessa vegferð í góðri samvinnu við marga kennara og
meðstjórnendur. Yfirmarkmiðið var að breyta starfsaðferðum til að mæta betur vaxandi
fjölbreytileika í barnahópnum. Með þátttöku í starfsþróun og lærdómssamfélagi
leikskólans innleiddu kennarar og ígrunduðu aðferðir sem miðuðu að því að efla
fjölmenningarlegt leikskólastarf. Kennararnir báru mikla virðingu fyrir fjölbreytileikanum
í hópnum og höfðu skapað menningu um samskipti í leikskólanum þar sem þeir litu á
það sem sitt hlutverk að hafa frumkvæði að samskiptum við börn og foreldra. Í því fólst
að skapa tengsl við börn og á milli barna, styðja við fjölbreyttar sjálfsmyndir, samtal ogiv
virka þátttöku með umhyggju og eflandi samskiptum. Kennarar studdu við fjölbreytt
heimatungumál barnanna með margvíslegum aðferðum eins og með því að bjóða öll
velkomin í leikskólann, syngja söngva og læra orð á tungumálum barnanna.
Starfsaðferðir sem hvöttu til lesturs og læsis fólu í sér að börn gátu fengið lánaðar
bækur í leikskólanum til að taka með heim ásamt því að börn og foreldrar voru hvött til
að taka með sér bækur að heiman til að lesa í leikskólanum. Kennarar hvöttu foreldra til
að styðja við og viðhalda heimamálum barnanna meðal annars með því að tengja þau
markvisst við þann íslenska orðaforða sem unnið var með á hverjum tíma. Stuðningur
við mál og læsi ásamt vinnu með íslenskan orðaforða, bæði í skipulögðum og frjálsum
stundum, var rauður þráður í daglegu starfi leikskólans. Ýtt var undir sjálfræði barna,
yrta þátttöku og jákvæða þróun sjálfsmyndar í daglegum aðstæðum, bæði frjálsum og
barnstýrðum, sem og skipulögðum stundum sem fullorðnir leiddu. Litið var á samvinnu
við foreldra sem mikilvægan grundvallarþátt í að skapa árangursrík námsrými fyrir
fjöltyngd börn í leikskólanum. Hluti þessa samstarfs laut að markvissu samtali um
málþroska og læsi, á íslensku og heimatungumálum, um leið og lögð var áhersla á að
styðja við jákvæða þróun sjálfsmyndar.
Þrátt fyrir að niðurstöður varpi ljósi á árangursríkar aðferðir og jákvæða þróun
námsrýmis fyrir fjöltyngd leikskólabörn þann tíma sem rannsóknin stóð yfir, stóðu
stjórnendur og kennarar frammi fyrir fjölmörgum áskorunum. Meðal áskoranna var
starfsmannavelta og skortur á kennurum með viðeigandi menntun, auk fordóma og
neikvæðrar umræðu meðal einstakra kennara, ekki síst þeirra sem nýlega höfðu hafið
störf og höfðu ekki reynslu af því að vinna í fjölmenningarlegu umhverfi. Kennarar töldu
að skortur væri á viðeigandi matstækjum til að meta og fylgjast með þroska fjöltyngdra
barna og í einhverjum tilfellum gafst lítill tími til að vinna nægilega vel með þau
matstæki sem til staðar voru. Þá var það mikil áskorun að festa árangursríkar aðferðir í
sessi og innleiða þær með kerfisbundnum hætti í allt starf leikskólans. Þó að samstarf
við foreldra væri að mörgu leyti mjög gott vantaði upp á að allir kennarar hefðu hæfni
og nægilega reynslu til að eiga í samskiptum við foreldra þvert á tungumál og
menningu.
Niðurstöður gefa til kynna mikilvægi þess að byggja í leikskólastarfi á fjölbreyttri
tungumála- og menningarflóru fjöltyngdra barna og þróa samstarf við foreldra þegar
kemur að námi þeirra og þroska. Því til viðbótar veitir rannsóknin dýpri skilning á því
mikilvæga hlutverki kennara að skapa aðstæður fyrir stuðning við samskipti, mál og
læsi í öllum daglegum viðfangsefnum, bæði frjálsum og skipulögðum. Með því að
draga fram árangursríka starfshætti kennara er leitast við að segja hvetjandi sögur af
inngildingu og félagslegu réttlæti. Sem slík leggur rannsóknin sitt af mörkum til þess
mikilvæga málefnis að leiðrétta hallalíkanið og þá mismunun sem hefur verið
viðvarandi í umræðu og framkvæmd menntunar fyrir fjöltyngd börn hérlendis sem
erlendis
On becoming edGe-ucated: how uncertainty can link the frontiers of expert inquiry to the education of all
Get PDFThis book presents a novel and refreshing view
of education showing how students, at all ages,
can gainfully be taken directly to the constantly
advancing frontiers of knowledge. The journey
presents a profound and critical view of import
-
ant aspects of educational research and graduate
training that brings to life the bond between
education and research.
The excitement found in this book includes
how edGe-ucating often occurs within the chal
-
lenges of classroom teaching (and beyond) and
how to bring research into educational setting.
Passion arises about the new opportunities that
could emerge for individuals, cultures, societies,
and fields of inquiry if all citizens were working at
the frontiers of expert unknowns--with or without
schooling.
G Thomas Fox is a professor emeritus from
National Louis University, Chicago, Illinois. In his
55 years as an educator, he researched educational
policy and practice at national and local levels,
including at primary school through university
doctoral settings; and for nearly three decades
he has guided teachers and adult educators in
researching their own professional settings
The Library at Bræðratunga: Manuscript Ownership and Private Library-Building in Early Modern Iceland
Get PDFLibrary institutions did not exist in early modern Iceland, meaning that private ownership was central to the preservation of pre-modern manuscripts and literature. However, personal collections are poorly documented in comparison to the activities of manuscript collectors such as Árni Magnússon. This article examines the case study of Helga Magnúsdóttir (1623–1677) and book ownership at her home of Bræðratunga in South Iceland, concluding that Helga Magnúsdóttir engaged in library-building as a social strategy following the death of her husband, Hákon Gíslason (1614–1652). The inventory of the Bræðratunga estate from 1653 includes only four books, all printed. However, nine manuscripts are conclusively identified as having been at Bræðratunga at least briefly during the period from c. 1653 to 1677, and evidence for the presence of another five items is discussed. Examination of surviving volumes suggests that Helga’s goal was to participate in an active culture of sharing manuscript material across distances, rather than to accumulate a large stationary collection of printed books and codices for Bræðratunga. She thereby played an important but easily overlooked role in the survival of Old Norse–Icelandic literature in the early modern period. Of the manuscripts at Bræðratunga, at least two likely came from Helga’s childhood home of Munkaþverá in North Iceland, the former site of a Benedictine monastery. Her cousin Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson of Skálholt (1605–1675) also gifted books to Helga and her family, and on his death she inherited half of his collection of Icelandic books and manuscripts, making her the owner of one of the most significant collections of Icelandic manuscripts in the country. The survival of books from Helga’s library was negatively impacted by the Fire of Copenhagen in 1728, the extinction of her family line in the eighteenth century as a long-term consequence of the 1707–1709 smallpox epidemic and collector Árni Magnússon’s antagonistic relationship with two of her children’s heirs. Árni’s relationship with Oddur Sigurðsson (1681–1741), Helga’s grandson and last living descendent, did eventually improve; an appendix includes a list of manuscripts that Oddur loaned to Árni and may have come from the library at Bræðratunga
Assessing family planning service denial and its outcomes: A mixed method cohort study in Malawi
Get PDFIntroduction. Despite being an international priority linked to eliminating extreme poverty, family planning remains underutilized, partially due to barriers to access. Common barriers to family planning include distance, finances, provider bias, long waiting times, and stockouts of the contraceptive methods themselves. Many of these barriers arise from inequities in the social determinants of health such as education, employment status, and income. Despite global declarations to remove major barriers to family planning, including the 2000 United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), barriers persist.
Objectives. This research aimed at a better understanding of family planning barriers in Malawi resulting in female clients being turned away from a facility without an effective method, termed “turnaway” in the thesis and publications. The research objectives were to (1) Outline the extent women received a method during a family planning initiation visit and describe their socioeconomic and demographic background with a focus on equity, (2) Identify, describe, and analyze the reasons for turnaway and the degree of alignment between facility services and national service delivery guidelines, (3) Explore and analyze the role of the provider in turnaway and what can be done to reduce it, and (4) Discuss and appraise the short-term family planning outcomes of women turned away at the initiation visit.
Methodology. A subset of Ministry of Health and Population-supported family planning clinics in three districts in Malawi (Kasungu, Machinga, and Zomba) were included as part of the purposive-sample for this mixed-methods study. It was primarily a cross-sectional study conducted in purposively selected clinics with clients and providers, with a longitudinal follow-up of a subset of turnaway clients at six and 12 weeks, followed by a qualitative component with both clients and providers.
Results. Data collectors screened 2,246 women exiting family planning service areas. Of those screened, 562 (25%) were new or re-starting users and were thus eligible for primary analysis of turnaway. Of these 562, 83 (15%) reported having been turned away from receiving a family planning method on the day they sought it. Clients cited 12 different reasons for turnaway—the three most common were that the method was not available (34%), the provider was not available (17%), and they were told to come back on a family planning day (15%).
Data collectors conducted quantitative surveys with 57 family planning providers; three facilities had only one family planning provider present on the day of the surveys.
In addition, in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with eight providers. The surveyed providers reported being most uncomfortable providing contraception to nulliparous women, regardless of age or marital status. During IDIs, they also noted cultural constraints in providing family planning, especially to adolescents. Providers worried that by providing adolescent girls with contraception, they were encouraging or enabling them to take sexual risks with potentially negative consequences, such as sexually transmitted infections, being accused of being prostitutes in the community or having to drop out of school if they did become pregnant. Providers also have their fears about providing methods to nulliparous women, given the strong value placed on motherhood in Malawi.
Besides the reasons cited in the quantitative survey, during focus group discussions, clients also discussed being turned away due to arriving late, financial constraints, or provider refusal. Provider refusal included circumstances such as a provider being tired, about to take a lunch break, or having other responsibilities to tend to. Providers also turned away clients coming for reinjection on a non-family planning day.
Conclusions. Client turnaway for family planning may not be as widespread in Malawi as it once was but still has the potential to harm clients, and is nearly always preventable. A better understanding of the influences of the provider ecosystem would help program implementers to set providers up for success. In a strong primary health care system, with better staffing and training of providers grounded in behavioral change, a reliable supply of methods and supplies, and community education on how methods work, methods could be more equitably available and turnaway could be nearly eliminated. The results of this research will support national policymakers, healthcare providers, and the global family planning community to improve the quality of family planning services and address unmet contraceptive needs.Funding for this project was provided by the Pfizer Foundation and a second donor who wished to remain anonymous through FHI 360. The information contained in this document is the sole responsibility of FHI 360 and the University of Iceland and does not necessarily reflect the position of the donor organizations