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Abstract Background Extremely preterm infants, defined as those born before 28 weeks’ gestational age, are a very vulnerable patient group at high risk for adverse outcomes, such as necrotizing enterocolitis and death. Necrotizing enterocolitis is an inflammatory gastrointestinal disease with high incidence in this cohort and has severe implications on morbidity and mortality. Previous randomized controlled trials have shown reduced incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis among older preterm infants following probiotic supplementation. However, these trials were underpowered for extremely preterm infants, rendering evidence for probiotic supplementation in this population insufficient to date. Methods The Probiotics in Extreme Prematurity in Scandinavia (PEPS) trial is a multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled and registry-based randomized controlled trial conducted among extremely preterm infants (n = 1620) born at six tertiary neonatal units in Sweden and four units in Denmark. Enrolled infants will be allocated to receive either probiotic supplementation with ProPrems® (Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium lactis, and Streptococcus thermophilus) diluted in 3 mL breastmilk or placebo (0.5 g maltodextrin powder) diluted in 3 mL breastmilk per day until gestational week 34. The primary composite outcome is incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and/or mortality. Secondary outcomes include incidence of late-onset sepsis, length of hospitalization, use of antibiotics, feeding tolerance, growth, and body composition at age of full-term and 3 months corrected age after hospital discharge. Discussion Current recommendations for probiotic supplementation in Sweden and Denmark do not include extremely preterm infants due to lack of evidence in this population. However, this young subgroup is notably the most at risk for experiencing adverse outcomes. This trial aims to investigate the effects of probiotic supplementation on necrotizing enterocolitis, death, and other relevant outcomes to provide sufficiently powered, high-quality evidence to inform probiotic supplementation guidelines in this population. The results could have implications for clinical practice both in Sweden and Denmark and worldwide. Trial registration ( Clinicaltrials.gov ): NCT05604846

Abstract: Introduction: “School engagement” refers to the feelings and thoughts pupils have for school, which, according to theory, can be divided into behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. Previously identified factors predicting school engagement are teacher-student relationship, individual characteristics, emotional stability, and gender. Aim: The current study addresses changes in behavioral, cognitive, and emotional school engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. It analyzes the effect of previously identified risk factors on self-reported change in school engagement among middle-school students in Finland. Methods: We collected the data in the spring of 2021. Participants were 1,788 Finnish middle-school pupils (age range 12–17) who responded to an online survey during the school day. Results: After we controlled for multiple tests, the results revealed a few significant factors associated with negative changes in school engagement. However, prior anxiety, depression, or externalizing behavior were related to negative changes. Discussion: Pupils with previous risk factors for low engagement or different kinds of struggles in school were more likely to react negatively to the changes brought forth by the pandemic on several engagement outcomes compared to students with few or no risk factors. In the future, should disruptions of normal school routines be necessary, special attention should be given to planning proper support for at-risk students.

There has been a noticeable decline in life satisfaction among adolescents globally in recent years. The present study explored the immediate and long-term effects of a positive psychology intervention course, Study with Strength, on the well-being of students at general upper secondary school in Finland during the pandemic. Based on a partly randomized wait-list control group design, the study included a final sample of 350 students from 10 schools. Self-report measures were used to assess both immediate between-group effects and long-term within-group effects of the intervention on student well-and ill-being. A combination of methods from positive psychology and cognitive therapy were applied, and the course was administered by the participating schools’ own teachers and student-welfare personnel. The findings show that the Study with Strength intervention course enhanced the students’ experiences of positive practices at school, happiness and of positive emotions. However, the effect sizes were small. The intervention did not have any immediate effects on all aspects of well-being, negative emotions, depression, or study-related burnout. The significant, positive changes in students’ well-being in the analysis of long-term effects must be interpreted with caution. The students also reported a positive effect of the intervention both on their personal lives and in their studies. Overall, it appears that the intervention had a small but positive impact, nudging students towards enhanced well-being. The results offer valuable insights into the implementation of positive education on students at general upper secondary school aged 15–19.

Abstract Aims In heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), regional heterogeneity of clinical phenotypes is increasingly recognized, with coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) potentially being a common shared feature. We sought to determine the regional differences in clinical characteristics and prevalence of CMD in HFpEF. Methods and results We analysed clinical characteristics and CMD in 202 patients with stable HFpEF (left ventricular ejection fraction ≥40%) in Finland, Singapore, Sweden, and United States in the multicentre PROMIS‐HFpEF study. Patients with unrevascularized macrovascular coronary artery disease were excluded. CMD was assessed using Doppler echocardiography and defined as coronary flow reserve (adenosine‐induced vs. resting flow)

Abstract Background The glycinergic system plays an important inhibitory role in the mouse central nervous system, where glycine controls the excitability of spinal itch- and pain-mediating neurons. Impairments of the glycine receptors can cause motor and sensory deficits. Glycine exerts inhibition through interaction with ligand-gated ion channels composed of alpha and beta subunits. We have investigated the mRNA expression of the glycine receptor alpha 3 (Glra3) subunit in the nervous system as well as in several peripheral organs of female and male mice. Results Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data analysis on the Zeisel et al. (2018) dataset indicated widespread but low expression of Glra3 in vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2, Slc17a6) positive and vesicular inhibitory amino acid transporter (Viaat, Slc32a1)positive neurons of the mouse central nervous system. Highest occurrence of Glra3 expression was identified in the cortex, amygdala, and striatal regions, as well as in the hypothalamus, brainstem and spinal cord. Bulk quantitative real-time-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis demonstrated Glra3 expression in cortex, amygdala, striatum, hypothalamus, thalamus, pituitary gland, hippocampus, cerebellum, brainstem, and spinal cord. Additionally, male mice expressed higher levels of Glra3 in all investigated brain areas compared with female mice. Lastly, RNAscope spatially validated Glra3 expression in the areas indicated by the single-cell and bulk analyses. Moreover, RNAscope analysis confirmed co-localization of Glra3 with Slc17a6 or Slc32a1 in the central nervous system areas suggested from the single-cell data. Conclusions Glra3 expression is low but widespread in the mouse central nervous system. Clear sex-dependent differences have been identified, indicating higher levels of Glra3 in several telencephalic and diencephalic areas, as well as in cerebellum and brainstem, in male mice compared with female mice.

Abstract Background Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular conditions and diabetes are rising in sub-Saharan Africa. Prevention strategies to mitigate non-communicable diseases include improving diet, physical activity, early diagnosis, and long-term management. Early identification of individuals at risk based on risk-score models – such as the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) for 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease and the Finnish type 2 Diabetes risk score (FINDRISC) for type 2 diabetes which are used in high-income settings – have not been well assessed in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively assess local knowledge of components of these risk scores in a rural Ugandan setting. Methods Semi-structured qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with a purposively selected sample of 15 participants who had responded to the FRS and FINDRISC questionnaires and procedures embedded in the Rakai Community Cohort Study. Data were summarized and categorized using content analysis, with support of Atlas.ti. Results Participants described local terms for hypertension (“pulessa”) and type 2 diabetes (“sukaali”). Most participants understood physical activity as leisure physical activity, but when probed would also include physical activity linked to routine farm work. Vegetables were typically described as "plants", “leafy greens”, and “side dish”. Vegetable and fruit consumption was described as varying seasonally, with peak availability in December after the rainy season. Participants perceived themselves to have good knowledge about their family members’ history of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Conclusions While most items of the FRS and FINDRISC were generally well understood, physical activity needs further clarification. It is important to consider the seasonality of fruits and vegetables, especially in rural resource-poor settings. Current risk scores will need to be locally adapted to estimate the 10-year risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes in this setting.

The 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) grading system of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)‐mutant astrocytomas relies on histological features and the presence of homozygous deletion of the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor 2A and 2B (CDKN2A/B). DNA methylation profiling has become highly relevant in the diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) tumors including gliomas, and it has been incorporated into routine clinical diagnostics in some countries. In this study, we, therefore, examined the value of DNA methylation‐based classification for prognostication of patients with IDH‐mutant astrocytomas. We analyzed histopathological diagnoses, genome‐wide DNA methylation array data, and chromosomal copy number alteration profiles from a cohort of 385 adult‐type IDH‐mutant astrocytomas, including a local cohort of 127 cases and 258 cases from public repositories. Prognosis based on WHO 2021 CNS criteria (histological grade and CDKN2A/B homozygous deletion status), other relevant chromosomal/gene alterations in IDH‐mutant astrocytomas and DNA methylation‐based subclassification according to the molecular neuropathology classifier were assessed. We demonstrate that DNA methylation‐based classification of IDH‐mutant astrocytomas can be used to predict outcome of the patients equally well as WHO 2021 CNS criteria. In addition, methylation‐based subclassification enabled the identification of IDH‐mutant astrocytoma patients with poor survival among patients with grade 3 tumors and patients with grade 4 tumors with a more favorable outcome. In conclusion, DNA methylation‐based subclassification adds prognostic information for IDH‐mutant astrocytomas that can further refine the current WHO 2021 grading scheme for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A link between having a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and school absenteeism, has been found in previous studies. Why ADHD poses a risk for absenteeism remains unclear, and insight into the mechanisms of the association is needed. The aim of the present study was to investigate school attendance problems (SAP) and both the symptoms related and the perceived reasons for them, as reported by adolescents with ADHD (n = 95), compared with neurotypical adolescents (n = 1,474).Method: The current study (N = 1,569) was part of the School absence in Finland-project. SAPs were measured with the Inventory of School Attendance Problems (ISAP). The ISAP questionnaire contains a symptom scale (ISAP S) and a function scale (ISAP F), which shows if and how the symptoms impacts school attendance. A linear mixed effects model was used to analyze outcomes on the ISAP factors, controlling for background variables living status, gender, other diagnoses, highest level of education for the parent and age.Results: Results show that adolescents with ADHD had been more absent from school compared to neurotypical adolescents during the prior 12-weeks. Adolescents with ADHD showed significantly more symptoms of agoraphobia/panic, problems within the family and problems with parents than neurotypical peers. The symptoms separation anxiety, agoraphobia/panic, aggression, problems within the family and problems with parents more often were perceived as the reason for SAP (ISAP F).Discussion: The results are in line with our initial hypotheses and previous studies. Because of the low response rate on the ISAP F scale, the results regarding reasons for SAPs should be interpreted with caution. Future research could examine specific preventive actions of SAPs for adolescents with ADHD, and different subtypes of ADHD.

Many urban streams have vanished from the surface as a collateral effect of urban growth. Often, these buried streams have been forgotten, and only street names remind us of their existence. Reasons for stream burial include the gain of space for road or house construction or the use of stream water to transport wastewater. Today, restoration efforts to bring back fully canalized streams to the surface and to restore their stream bed (so-called daylighting) are being increasingly integrated into urban blue-green space planning, recognizing the high ecological and social value of urban streams, especially to support resilience against climate change impacts in cities. In this paper, we briefly revise the impacts of stream burial, present a series of case studies of daylighting from Europe (France, Switzerland, and Germany), and compare them with case studies from Asia (China, India, Taiwan). We found that high real estate prices, limited buffer riparian zone and resistance by the inhabitants were the greatest obstacles to stream daylighting projects. In contrast, economic gains from separating wastewater from rainwater and revival of cultural linkages with water were the strongest drivers to restore these streams. We then present methods on how to identify buried streams as candidates for daylighting and deliver criteria to select the most promising candidates. Acknowledging that each restoration project requires to be adapted to the local biophysical and local setting, we deliver a preliminary decision support system and a guideline for identifying the best candidate streams for daylighting projects, including the arguments in favor of restoration, the caveats, the social processes of decision-making, and perspectives for the integration of stream daylighting into urban climate change mitigation and adaptation concepts, in a Global North-South comparison.

Cyber attacks on IT and OT systems can have severe consequences for individuals and organizations, from water or energy distribution systems to online banking services. To respond to these threats, attack simulations can be used to assess the cyber security of systems to foster a higher degree of resilience against cyber attacks; the steps taken by an attacker to compromise sensitive system assets can be traced, and a time estimate can be computed from the initial step to the compromise of assets of interest. Previously, the Meta Attack Language (MAL) was introduced as a framework to develop security-oriented domain-specific languages. It allows attack simulations on modeled systems and analyzes weaknesses related to known attacks. To produce more realistic simulation results, probability distributions can be assigned to attack steps and defenses to describe the efforts required for attackers to exploit certain attack steps. However, research on assessing such probability distributions is scarce, and we often rely on security experts to model attackers’ efforts. To address this gap, we propose a method to assign probability distributions to the attack steps and defenses of MAL-based languages. We demonstrate the proposed method by assigning probability distributions to a MAL-based language. Finally, the resulting language is evaluated by modeling and simulating a known cyber attack.

There has been a noticeable decline in life satisfaction among adolescents globally in recent years. The present study explored the immediate and long-term effects of a positive psychology intervention course, Study with Strength, on the well-being of students at general upper secondary school in Finland during the pandemic. Based on a partly randomized wait-list control group design, the study included a final sample of 350 students from 10 schools. Self-report measures were used to assess both immediate between-group effects and long-term within-group effects of the intervention on student well-and ill-being. A combination of methods from positive psychology and cognitive therapy were applied, and the course was administered by the participating schools' own teachers and student-welfare personnel. The findings show that the Study with Strength intervention course enhanced the students' experiences of positive practices at school, happiness and of positive emotions. However, the effect sizes were small. The intervention did not have any immediate effects on all aspects of well-being, negative emotions, depression, or study-related burnout. The significant, positive changes in students' well-being in the analysis of long-term effects must be interpreted with caution. The students also reported a positive effect of the intervention both on their personal lives and in their studies. Overall, it appears that the intervention had a small but positive impact, nudging students towards enhanced well-being. The results offer valuable insights into the implementation of positive education on students at general upper secondary school aged 15-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Rodent primary somatosensory cortex (S1) is organized in defined layers, where layer IV serves as the main target for thalamocortical projections. Serotoninergic signaling is important for the organization of thalamocortical projections and consequently proper barrel field development in rodents, and the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) can be detected locally in layer IV S1 cortical neurons in mice as old as P10, but the identity of the Vmat2-expressing neurons is unknown. We here show that Vmat2 mRNA and also Vmat2-Cre recombinase are still expressed in adult mice in a sub-population of the S1 cortical neurons in the barrel field. The Vmat2-Cre cells showed a homogenous intrinsically bursting firing pattern determined by whole-cell patch-clamp, localized radial densely spinous basal dendritic trees and almost exclusively lack of apical dendrite, indicative of layer IV spiny stellate cells. Single cell mRNA sequencing analysis showed that S1 cortical Vmat2-Cre;tdTomato cells express the layer IV marker Rorb and mainly cluster with layer IV neurons, and RNAscope analysis revealed that adult Vmat2-Cre neurons express Vmat2 and vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (Vglut1) and Vglut2 mRNA to a high extent. In conclusion, our analysis shows that cortical Vmat2 expression is mainly confined to layer IV neurons with morphological, electrophysiological and transcriptional characteristics indicative of spiny stellate cells.

The mu1 opioid receptor gene, OPRM1, has long been a high-priority candidate for human genetic studies of addiction. Because of its potential functional significance, the non-synonymous variant rs1799971 (A118G, Asn40Asp) in OPRM1 has been extensively studied, yet its role in addiction has remained unclear, with conflicting association findings. To resolve the question of what effect, if any, rs1799971 has on substance dependence risk, we conducted collaborative meta-analyses of 25 datasets with over 28,000 European-ancestry subjects. We investigated non-specific risk for "general" substance dependence, comparing cases dependent on any substance to controls who were non-dependent on all assessed substances. We also examined five specific substance dependence diagnoses: DSM-IV alcohol, opioid, cannabis, and cocaine dependence, and nicotine dependence defined by the proxy of heavy/light smoking (cigarettes-per-day >20 vs. ≤ 10). The G allele showed a modest protective effect on general substance dependence (OR = 0.90, 95% C.I. [0.83-0.97], p value = 0.0095, N = 16,908). We observed similar effects for each individual substance, although these were not statistically significant, likely because of reduced sample sizes. We conclude that rs1799971 contributes to mechanisms of addiction liability that are shared across different addictive substances. This project highlights the benefits of examining addictive behaviors collectively and the power of collaborative data sharing and meta-analyses.

Abstract Threat modeling is of increasing importance to IT security, and it is a complex and resource demanding task. The aim of automating threat modeling is to simplify model creation by using data that are already available. However, the collected data often lack context; this can make the automated models less precise in terms of domain knowledge than those created by an expert human modeler. The lack of domain knowledge in modeling automation can be addressed with ontologies. In this paper, we introduce an ontology framework to improve automatic threat modeling. The framework is developed with conceptual modeling and validated using three different datasets: a small scale utility lab, water utility control network, and university IT environment. The framework produced successful results such as standardizing input sources, removing duplicate name entries, and grouping application software more logically.

The activities and emissions from leisure boats in the Baltic Sea have been modeled in a comprehensive approach for the first time, using a new simulation model leisure Boat Emissions and Activities siMulator (BEAM). The model utilizes survey data to characterize the national leisure boat fleets. Leisure boats have been categorized based on their size, use and engine specifications, and for these subcategories emission factors for NOx, PM2.5, CO, non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), and releases of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) from antifouling paints have been estimated according to literature values. The modeling approach also considers the temporal and spatial distribution of leisure boat activities, which are applied to each simulated leisure boat separately. According to our results the CO and NMVOC emissions from leisure boats, as well as Cu and Zn released from antifouling paints, are significant when compared against the emissions originating from registered commercial shipping in the Baltic Sea. CO emissions equal 70 % of the registered shipping emissions and NMVOC emissions equal 160 % when compared against the modeled results in the Baltic Sea in 2014. Modeled NOx and PM2.5 from the leisure boats are less significant compared to the registered shipping emissions. The emissions from leisure boats are concentrated in the summer months of June, July and August and are released in the vicinity of inhabited coastal areas. Given the large emission estimates for leisure boats, this commonly overlooked source of emissions should be further investigated in greater detail.

Therapeutic angiogenesis may improve outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing surgical revascularization. Angiogenic factors may promote blood vessel growth and regenerate regions of ischemic but viable myocardium. Previous clinical trials of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) gene therapy with DNA or viral vectors demonstrated safety but not efficacy. AZD8601 is VEGF-A165 mRNA formulated in biocompatible citrate-buffered saline and optimized for high-efficiency VEGF-A expression with minimal innate immune response. EPICCURE is an ongoing randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the safety of AZD8601 in patients with moderately decreased left ventricular function (ejection fraction 30%–50%) undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery. AZD8601 3 mg, 30 mg, or placebo is administered as 30 epicardial injections in a 10-min extension of cardioplegia. Injections are targeted to ischemic but viable myocardial regions in each patient using quantitative 15O-water positron emission tomography (PET) imaging (stress myocardial blood flow < 2.3 mL/g/min; resting myocardial blood flow > 0.6 mL/g/min). Improvement in regional and global myocardial blood flow quantified with 15O-water PET is an exploratory efficacy outcome, together with echocardiographic, clinical, functional, and biomarker measures. EPICCURE combines high-efficiency delivery with quantitative targeting and follow-up for robust assessment of the safety and exploratory efficacy of VEGF-A mRNA angiogenesis (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03370887).

Abstract Background Itch is an unpleasant sensation that can be debilitating, especially if it is chronic and of non-histaminergic origin, as treatment options are limited. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent endogenous vasoconstrictor that also has the ability to induce a burning, non-histaminergic pruritus when exogenously administered, by activating the endothelin A receptor (ETAR) on primary afferents. ET-1 is released endogenously by several cell-types found in the skin, including macrophages and keratinocytes. Mast cells express ETARs and can thereby be degranulated by ET-1, and mast cell proteases chymase and carboxypeptidase A3 (CPA3) are known to either generate or degrade ET-1, respectively, suggesting a role for mast cell proteases in the regulation of ET-1-induced itch. The mouse mast cell proteases (mMCPs) mMCP4 (chymase), mMCP6 (tryptase), and CPA3 are found in connective tissue type mast cells and are the closest functional homologs to human mast cell proteases, but little is known about their role in endothelin-induced itch. Methods In this study, we evaluated the effects of mast cell protease deficiency on scratching behavior induced by ET-1. To investigate this, mMCP knock-out and transgenic mice were injected intradermally with ET-1 and their scratching behavior was recorded and analyzed. Results CPA3-deficient mice and mice lacking all three proteases demonstrated highly elevated levels of scratching behavior compared with wild-type controls. A modest increase in the number of scratching bouts was also seen in mMCP6-deficient mice, while mMCP4-deficiency did not have any effect. Conclusion Altogether, these findings identify a prominent role for the mast cell proteases, in particular CPA3, in the protection against itch induced by ET-1.

The spinal locomotor network is frequently used for studies into how neuronal circuits are formed and how cellular activity shape behavioral patterns. A population of dI6 interneurons, marked by the Doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 3 (Dmrt3), has been shown to participate in the coordination of locomotion and gaits in horses, mice and zebrafish. Analyses of Dmrt3 neurons based on morphology, functionality and the expression of transcription factors have identified different subtypes. Here we analyzed the transcriptomes of individual cells belonging to the Dmrt3 lineage from zebrafish and mice to unravel the molecular code that underlies their subfunctionalization. Indeed, clustering of Dmrt3 neurons based on their gene expression verified known subtypes and revealed novel populations expressing unique markers. Differences in birth order, differential expression of axon guidance genes, neurotransmitters, and their receptors, as well as genes affecting electrophysiological properties, were identified as factors likely underlying diversity. In addition, the comparison between fish and mice populations offers insights into the evolutionary driven subspecialization concomitant with the emergence of limbed locomotion.

En viktig målsättning för naturvetenskaplig undervisning är att utveckla förmågan att formulera undersökningsbara frågor. Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka hur undervisning som utformats med hjälp av metoden Question Formulation Technique (QFT) kan stödja utveckling av elevers förmåga att formulera naturvetenskapligt undersökningsbara frågor. QFT är en modell för att utveckla elevers förmåga att formulera och värdera sina egna frågor i allmänhet. I studien prövas QFT i en svensk skolkontext och inom ramen för naturvetenskaplig undervisning. Studien genomfördes som en interventionsstudie i gymnasieskolan och inom ramen för kursen Gymnasiearbete. I kursen ska eleverna genomföra en egen naturvetenskaplig undersökning. QFT användes för att utforma undervisning som del av introduktionen till kursen. Data består av videoinspelningar av elevsamtal från undervisning som har analyserats utifrån ett pragmatiskt ramverk med organiserande syften och praktisk epistemologisk analys. Resultaten visar vilka närliggande syften som etableras i elevernas samtal om undersökningsbara frågor i undervisningen: (A) att producera så många frågor som möjligt, (B) att bedöma vilka frågor som är mest relevanta, (C) att kategorisera frågor, (D) att hitta och specificera ett undersökningsobjekt och (E) att planera för att genomföra en undersökning. Slutsatsen är att QFT kan fungera som stöd för lärares planering av undervisning om naturvetenskapligt undersökningsbara frågor under förutsättning att läraren aktivt stödjer eleverna i att uppmärksamma centrala kvaliteter avseende undersökningsbarhet och genom att binda samman närliggande syften med det övergripande syftet. In English An important goal for science education is to develop students’ ability to formulate questions of inquiry. The aim of this study is to investigate if science teaching designed from the method “Question Formulation Technique” (QFT) can support the development of this ability. QFT is a model for developing students' ability to phrase and evaluate questions in general which has been developed in a US context. In this study QFT is used in a Swedish context and within upper secondary school science education. The study is an intervention study where QFT was used as part of the introduction to Diploma work in the final year of upper secondary school. During the diploma work students are expected to conduct their own scientific investigations. The data consists of video recordings of student conversations while working with the formulation of questions for inquiry as part of a research lesson designed using QFT. Data was analyzed using a pragmatic approach of combining practical epistemological analysis (PEA) and organising purposes. The results show that five proximate purposes were established in the student conversations while the students engaged in formulating and refining questions of inquiry based on the QFT model. The five proximate purposes were: (A) to produce as many questions as possible, (B) to assess which questions are most relevant, (C) to categorize questions, (D) to find and specify the object of inquiry and (E) plan to conduct an inquiry. In conclusion, QFT can support the planning of teaching in relation to the ultimate purpose regarding how to formulate and refine questions of inquiry provided that the teacher actively participates to support students in connecting the established proximate purposes with the ultimate purpose. Fulltext in Swedish.

Modeling IT architecture is a complex, time consuming, and error prone task. However, many systems produce information that can be used for automating modeling. Early studies show that this is a feasible approach if we can overcome certain obstacles. Often more than one source is needed in order to cover the data requirements of an IT architecture model; and the use of multiple sources means that heterogeneous data needs to be merged. Moreover, the same collection of data might be useful for creating more than one kind of models for decision support. IT architecture is constantly changing and data sources provide information that can deviate from reality to some degree. There can be problems with varying accuracy (e.g. actuality and coverage), representation (e.g. data syntax and file format), or inconsistent semantics. Thus, integration of heterogeneous data from different sources needs to handle data quality problems of the sources. This can be done by using probabilistic models. In the field of truth discovery, these models have been developed to track data source trustworthiness in order to help solving conflicts while making quality issues manageable for automatic modeling. We build upon previous research in modeling automation and propose a framework for merging data from multiple sources with a truth discovery algorithm to create multiple IT architecture models. The usefulness of the proposed framework is demonstrated in a study where models using three tools are created, namely; Archi, securiCAD, and EMFTA.