Avhopp från doktorandstudier är ett problem för universitet över hela världen och bör undvikas av flera skäl. Avhopp innebär personliga svårigheter och nederlag för doktoranden, handledare, examinator, institutionen, fakulteten och universitetet. Utöver oro och tidsförlust medför avhoppen kostnader och flera parter har därför intresse av ett framgångsrikt slutförande av doktorandstudierna. Tidigare forskning har pekat på att den främsta orsaken till avhopp är en dåligt fungerande relation mellan doktorand och handledare, och därför fokuserar vår studie speciellt på ickefungerande handledningsrelationer.  

Det är dock fortfarande oklart vad som orsakar ickefungerande handledningsrelationer, problem och konflikter. Doktorander hoppar ofta av sin utbildning utan att ge en förklaring (Sverdlik et al., 2018). För att summera problemet och kunskapsluckan så vet vi fortfarande inte vad som orsakar avhopp, dåliga relationer och konflikter mellan doktorander och handledare. Vi menar att handledare, behöver ökad förståelse för de bakomliggande orsakerna till avhopp och hur handledare kan bidra till en ömsesidig, pålitlig och robust handledningsrelation.

Syftet med studien är att klargöra orsaker till varför doktorander hoppar av sina forskarstudier. I syftet ingår att undersöka relationen mellan doktorand och handledare och ringa in vad som kan göras för att begränsa risken för avhopp. Syftet omfattar att lyfta fram vad som kännetecknar en solid och stödjande handledningsrelation enligt intervjupersonerna. I studien kartläggs både doktoranders och handledares perspektiv. Följande forskningsfrågor kommer att fokuseras:

RQ 1: vilka är orsakerna till att doktorander hoppar av?

RQ 2: vilka problem i doktorand- och handledarrelationen kan leda till avhopp?

RQ3: hur kan risken för avhopp begränsas?

RQ 4: vad kännetecknar en solid och stödjande handledningsrelation?

Data kommer att insamlas genom, en webbenkät till doktorander som hoppat av och handledare vid flera lärosäten. Uppföljande intervjuer på Zoom och/eller ansikte mot ansikte, med doktorander och handledare kommer också att genomföras.

Enkäterna kommer att vara webbaserade vari personuppgifter kommer att insamlas kring: kön, ålder, år för avhopp, antal terminer i doktorsutbildningen innan avhopp, antal handledare, ämne och avhandlingens inriktning. Avhoppare samt huvudhandledare (huvudhandledaren kommer i första hand kontaktas, om huvudhandledaren är omöjlig att få kontakt med, så kommer övriga handledare att kontaktas) kommer att erbjudas möjlighet att besvara enkätfrågor om: orsaker till avhopp från doktorsutbildningen; vilka specifika problem i förhållandet mellan doktorand och handledare som kan leda till avhopp; hur kan risken för avhopp begränsas samt vad som kännetecknar en solid och stödjande handledningsrelation?  

En innehållsanalys kommer att göras för att identifiera eventuella mönster och dra slutsatser i enkätsvaren från doktorander och huvudhandledare/handledare. Vilka generella orsaker till avhopp anges? Vilka problem i relationen mellan doktorander och handledare redovisas i enkätsvaren? Vilka åtgärder föreslår enkätrespondenterna för att begränsa risken för avhopp? Vad anges i enkätsvaren som kännetecken för en solid och stödjande handledningsrelation?

Det huvudsakliga bidraget med vår studie är att presentera fallbaserad kunskap kring allmänna orsaker till avhopp och specifikt om relationen mellan doktorand och handledare. Vidare kommer studien att redovisa en förståelse för vad som kännetecknar en gedigen handledningsrelation. Vår forskning kommer att ge såväl doktorander som handledare möjlighet att reflektera över hur de kan agera för att begränsa risken för avhopp och istället sikta på ett framgångsrikt fullföljande av doktorsutbildningen.

Referenser

Corcelles, M., Cano, M., Liesa, E., González-Ocampo, G., & Castelló, M. (2019). Positive and negative experiences related to doctoral study conditions. Higher Education Research & Development, 38(5), 922-939.

Högskoleverket (2012). Orsaker till att doktorander lämnar forskarutbildningen utan examen –  en uppföljning av nybörjarna på forskarnivå läsåren 1999/2000 och 2000/01. Rapport 2012:1 R.

Sverdlik, A., Hall, N. C., McAlpine, L., & Hubbard, K. (2018). The PhD experience: A review of  the factors influencing doctoral students’ completion, achievement, and well-being. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 13, 361-388. 

Background After completing university education, biomedical laboratory scientists work in clinical laboratories, in biomedical research laboratories, in biotech, and in pharmaceutical companies. Laboratory diagnostics have undergone rapid development over the recent years, with the pace showing no signs of abatement. This rapid development challenges the competence of the staff and will most certainly influence the education of future staff. This study aimed to examine what was considered the necessary competencies needed to pursue a career as a biomedical laboratory scientist. Methods A modified Delphi technique was used, with the panel of experts expressing their views in a series of three questionnaire. Consensus was defined as the point which 75 % or more of the panel participants agreed that a particular competency was necessary. Results The study highlights the perceived importance of mostly generic competencies that relate to quality, quality assurance, and accuracy, as well as different aspects of safety, respect, trustworthiness (towards patients/clients and colleagues), and communication skills. The results also stress the significance of self-awareness and professionality. Conclusions We identified important competencies for biomedical laboratory scientists. Together with complementary information from other sources, i.e., guidelines, laws, and scientific publications, the competencies identified can be used as learning outcomes in a competency-based education to provide students with all the competencies needed to work as professional biomedical laboratory scientists.

Sialic acid (SA) is a monosaccharide usually linked to the terminus of glycan chains on the cell surface. It plays a crucial role in many biological processes, and hypersialylation is a common feature in cancer. Lectins are widely used to analyze the cell surface expression of SA. However, these protein molecules are usually expensive and easily denatured, which calls for the development of alternative glycan-specific receptors and cell imaging technologies. In this study, SA-imprinted fluorescent core-shell molecularly imprinted polymer particles (SA-MIPs) were employed to recognize SA on the cell surface of cancer cell lines. The SA-MIPs improved suspensibility and scattering properties compared with previously used core-shell SA-MIPs. Although SA-imprinting was performed using SA without preference for the α2,3- and α2,6-SA forms, we screened the cancer cell lines analyzed using the lectins Maackia Amurensis Lectin I (MAL I, α2,3-SA) and Sambucus Nigra Lectin (SNA, α2,6-SA). Our results show that the selected cancer cell lines in this study presented a varied binding behavior with the SA-MIPs. The binding pattern of the lectins was also demonstrated. Moreover, two different pentavalent SA conjugates were used to inhibit the binding of the SA-MIPs to breast, skin, and lung cancer cell lines, demonstrating the specificity of the SA-MIPs in both flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence microscopy. We concluded that the synthesized SA-MIPs might be a powerful future tool in the diagnostic analysis of various cancer cells.

Cells adhering onto surfaces sense and respond to chemical and physical surface features. The control over cell adhesion behavior influences cell migration, proliferation, and differentiation, which are important considerations in biomaterial design for cell culture, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Here, we report on a supramolecular-based approach to prepare reversible self-assembled monolayers (rSAMs) with tunable lateral mobility and dynamic control over surface composition to regulate cell adhesion behavior. These layers were prepared by incubating oxoacid-terminated thiol SAMs on gold in a pH 8 HEPES buffer solution containing different mole fractions of ω-(ethylene glycol)2-4- and ω-(GRGDS)-, α-benzamidino bolaamphiphiles. Cell shape and morphology were influenced by the strength of the interactions between the amidine-functionalized amphiphiles and the oxoacid of the underlying SAMs. Dynamic control over surface composition, achieved by the addition of inert filler amphiphiles to the RGD-functionalized rSAMs, reversed the cell adhesion process. In summary, rSAMs featuring mobile bioactive ligands offer unique capabilities to influence and control cell adhesion behavior, suggesting a broad use in biomaterial design, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.

AbstractIn Sweden as well as internationally the teaching and research nexus has been described as the defining charac-teristics of higher education promoting generic skills such as information analysis and critical reflection. Vertically Integrated Projects has been proposed as one educational strategy where research and teaching are linked by in-viting students to take active part in actual research projects. The strategy is well aligned to Scholarship of teaching and learning enabling the transition from a teacher-centred accepted knowledge to a student-centred perspective where students are invited as producers of knowledge. The aim of the current study was to explore students’ experiences of participation in a research-based learning activity with academia and industrial partners, designed as a qualitative explorative study using focus group interviews. Findings describe not only factors students find motivating for learning, but also their experience of being part of professional life with its benefits and challenges.

This multidisciplinary study examined the pharmacokinetics of nanoparticles based on albumin-DTPA-gadolinium chelates, testing the hypothesis that these nanoparticles create a stronger vessel signal than conventional gadolinium-based contrast agents and exploring if they are safe for clinical use. Nanoparticles based on human serum albumin, bearing gadolinium and designed for use in magnetic resonance imaging, were used to generate magnet resonance images (MRI) of the vascular system in rats ("blood pool imaging"). At the low nanoparticle doses used for radionuclide imaging, nanoparticle-associated metals were cleared from the blood into the liver during the first 4 h after nanoparticle application. At the higher doses required for MRI, the liver became saturated and kidney and spleen acted as additional sinks for the metals, and accounted for most processing of the nanoparticles. The multiple components of the nanoparticles were cleared independently of one another. Albumin was detected in liver, spleen, and kidneys for up to 2 days after intravenous injection. Gadolinium was retained in the liver, kidneys, and spleen in significant concentrations for much longer. Gadolinium was present as significant fractions of initial dose for longer than 2 weeks after application, and gadolinium clearance was only complete after 6 weeks. Our analysis could not account quantitatively for the full dose of gadolinium that was applied, but numerous organs were found to contain gadolinium in the collagen of their connective tissues. Multiple lines of evidence indicated intracellular processing opening the DTPA chelates and leading to gadolinium long-term storage, in particular inside lysosomes. Turnover of the stored gadolinium was found to occur in soluble form in the kidneys, the liver, and the colon for up to 3 weeks after application. Gadolinium overload poses a significant hazard due to the high toxicity of free gadolinium ions. We discuss the relevance of our findings to gadolinium-deposition diseases.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are currently widely used and further developed for biological applications. The MIP synthesis procedure is a key process, and a wide variety of protocols exist. The templates that are used for imprinting vary from the smallest glycosylated glycan structures or even amino acids to whole proteins or bacteria. The low cost, quick preparation, stability and reproducibility have been highlighted as advantages of MIPs. The biological applications utilizing MIPs discussed here include enzyme-linked assays, sensors, in vivo applications, drug delivery, cancer diagnostics and more. Indeed, there are numerous examples of how MIPs can be used as recognition elements similar to natural antibodies

BACKGROUND: Intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury is a pivotal mechanism in critical illness and in the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, in which the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation plays a central role. Intestinal I/R injury initiates the extrinsic tissue factor or factor VIIa-dependent pathway of coagulation, also of importance in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Our aim was to analyze NF-κB activation in I/R injury in the rat intestine and in two main "shock" organs, that is, the liver and lungs. Pretreatment with active site-inactivated factor VII (FVIIai), an inhibitor of the extrinsic pathway, was evaluated.

Transcription factor activator protein-1 regulates genes involved in inflammation and repair. The aim of this study was to determine whether transcription factor activator protein-1 activity in carotid plaques is related to symptoms, lipid accumulation, or extracellular matrix composition. Methods: Twenty-eight atherosclerotic carotid plaques were removed by endarterectomy and divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of ipsilateral symptoms (b1 month ago). Activator protein-1 DNA binding activity was assessed, and subunit (c-Jun, JunD, JunB, c-Fos, FosB, Fra-1, Fra-2) protein levels analyzed by immunoblotting. Distribution of c-Jun in plaques was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results: Plaques associated with symptoms had increased activator protein-1 activity and increased expression of c-Jun and JunD, as compared to asymptomatic plaques. Fra-1 and Fra-2 were present in equal amounts in both groups, whereas JunB, FosB, and c-Fos were undetectable. Activator protein-1 activity correlated with cholesteryl ester and elastin in plaques and decreased with age. Activator protein-1 activity did not correlate with collagen, calcified tissue, or proteoglycan content. Conclusions: Activator protein-1 is increased in plaques associated with symptoms. The correlation between activator protein-1 and cholesteryl esters suggests that high activator protein-1 is a marker of plaque vulnerability. Activator protein-1 expression can also reflect the activation of repair processes.