It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
The enemy within: How pathogens spread unrecognized in the body
UNIVERSITY OF BASEL
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THE PATHOGEN BURKHOLDERIA THAILANDENSIS (PURPLE) USES CELLULAR COMPONENTS (YELLOW) TO FORM MEMBRANE PROTRUSIONS FROM ONE HOST CELL TO ANOTHER (GREEN).
Some pathogens hide inside human cells to enhance their survival. Researchers at the University of Basel, have uncovered a unique tactic certain bacteria use to spread in the body without being detected by the immune system. In their study, they reveal the crucial role of a bacterial nanomachine in this infection process.
The inside of a cell provides as a hiding place for various pathogens. By residing in the cell, the bacteria can evade the immune response and spread within the body. Among these invaders are Burkholderia bacteria, including the species B. pseudomallei. This pathogenis known for causing melioidosis, a serious infectious disease prevalent in tropical regions. Due to the high mortality rate and the pathogen’s resistance to many antibiotics, B. pseudomallei is considered a potential biothreat agent.
In the less harmful relative B. thailandensis, the team led by Professor Marek Basler at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, has uncovered a cunning tactic the pathogen uses to spread within the tissue. “The bacteria are equipped with a nano-sized speargun, the so-called type VI secretion system, T6SS for short,” says Basler. “Burkholderia uses this T6SS to move from one cell to another without being recognized by the immune system.” The findings, recently published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, change the current view of the T6SS’s role in Burkholderia infections.
Pathogen uses nanomachine to spread from cell to cell From previous studies, it is already known that these intracellular pathogens rely on an unusual spread strategy: After entering the cell, they make use of cellular components, such as actin, to move to the cell membrane and form protrusions into the neighboring cell. Using their T6SS-speargun, the bacteria can also fuse the two cells allowing them to spread.
Unique strategy to spread undetected By investigating the role of T6SS in more detail, the researchers have discovered a so far unknown and unique escape strategy of these bacteria. “We were surprised to see that Burkholderia can spread not only by inducing cell fusion but also by directly moving from cell to cell,” explains first author Dr. Miro Plum. The detachment of the protrusion from the cell membrane results in the formation of a vacuole within the neighboring cell. The pathogen inside this vacuole then breaks free by utilizing its T6SS to disrupt the surrounding cell membrane.
Surprisingly, spreading this way also enables the bacteria to infect new cells without alarming the immune system. “Normally, infected cells sense invaders by detecting damaged cell membranes, initiating immune responses to eliminate the pathogen,” emphasizes Plum. “However, cells fail to detect T6SS-disrupted membranes.” So, the pathogen remains undetected and can infect new cells.
Exploring the survival tactics of intracellular pathogens Equipped with the T6SS nanomachine, Burkholderia bacteria can pursue a dual strategy: cell fusion and directly moving from one cell to another. “Our results advance the understanding of infections caused by Burkholderia, particularly its strategies for spreading and immune evasion,” concludes Basler. The researchers now want to explore the mechanisms that specifically trigger the T6SS assembly in bacteria inside the protrusions to gain deeper insights into the survival tactics of this intracellular pathogen.
Burkholderia thailandensis uses a type VI secretion system to lyse protrusions without triggering host cell responses.
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
18-Apr-2024
Uncovering a CS Lewis poem in Special Collections
A forgotten poem by Chronicles of Narnia author CS Lewis reveals details of friendships between fantasy writers and medievalists at the University of Leeds
UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
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LITERARY ARCHIVIST SARAH PRESCOTT HOLDS ‘MÓD ÞRÝÞE NE WÆG’
A forgotten poem by Chronicles of Narnia author CS Lewis reveals details of friendships between fantasy writers and medievalists at the University of Leeds.
The 1935 poem, ‘Mód Þrýþe Ne Wæg’, was among a bundle of documents sold to the University’s Special Collections a decade ago.
It reveals Lewis' friendship with the Gordons, a married couple and Leeds medievalists who were also good friends with Lord of the Rings author, JRR Tolkien.
Dr Andoni Cossio said: “The moment I first read the manuscript, I was enraptured by its content. It had everything I could wish for: biographical details, Old English, alliterative metre, and Lewis's writing at its best.
“It was soon obvious that it had passed completely unnoticed since its private owner transferred it to the University of Leeds in 2014. To discover the poem's secrets, I would have to do the research myself.”
Whisky, ‘Beowulf’ and warm blankets
The Old English title is complicated to translate as it involves playful references to Beowulf – the famous epic that Lewis taught at Oxford University.
Using the pen name ‘Nat Whilk’ – Old English for ‘someone’ – Lewis thanks Leeds alum Dr Ida Lilian Gordon and her husband, Professor of English Language Eric Valentine (EV) Gordon, for a recent visit in the body of the poem. The poem praises the couple’s Manchester home for its whisky, white blankets and warmth, in modern English.
The scholarly couple were influential among fantasy writers including Tolkien, who wrote the Gordons an Old English bridal song as a wedding present in 1930.
Then, after a later stay with the Gordons, Tolkien penned a thank-you poem referencing Lewis’ visit, helping Dr Cossio to date ‘Mód Þrýþe Ne Wæg’ to early 1935.
Medievalist minds
While EV Gordon and Tolkien both worked in Leeds’ English department, they started a Viking Club where they would read Old Icelandic texts while drinking beer.
They also co-wrote with other authors a collection of songs for scholars and a new edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a late 14th century alliterative poem featuring one of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table.
Ida had a PhD in Philology (history of language) from Leeds, and after her husband’s sudden death in 1938 she started teaching at the University of Manchester to support their four young children.
A letter from Tolkien also reveals that Lewis offered Ida financial support after her husband’s death, showing their close friendship.
But the Gordons’ friendship with Lewis has been overlooked until now, as biographies and letters have only recorded a professional relationship when EV was a visiting examiner at Oxford.
In contrast, it is well recorded that Lewis and Tolkien became friends at Oxford and started an informal society of writers called ‘The Inklings’, which met weekly to read and comment on its members’ work – a key part of the development of Narnia and Middle-earth.
For Tolkien, Lewis and their circle, poetry was a way to explore their shared love of language and lore, and to develop their own writing. Dr Cossio added: “The thing I like most about this poem is that it opens a little door to that world.”
Sarah Prescott, Literary Archivist in Special Collections at the University of Leeds (pictured above), said:
“The Tolkien-Gordon collection is a relatively recent acquisition for the University Library which filled a gap in our holdings on Tolkien’s time at Leeds, something of perennial interest to researchers. It gives rich insight into Tolkien’s developing work and the lifelong impact relationships formed at the University would have on him. It has also allowed researchers to explore the significance of EV and Ida Gordon, both as friends of Tolkien, and significant scholars in their own right.
“This exciting discovery by Dr Cossio really brings the significance of this period at Leeds to life – we’re very excited to now be able to say we have an original CS Lewis poem in our collections too!
“We look forward to welcoming more people to Special Collections to study the Collection to see what further insights can be found.”
Medieval legacy
The legacy of Tolkien, Lewis and the Gordons continues to inspire students and academics in Leeds’ thriving Institute for Medieval Studies.
Medievalists from more than 60 countries flock to the University every year for the International Medieval Congress (IMC), which showcases academic papers, concerts and performances along with a book fair, workshops and excursions. This year’s IMC takes place from 1-4 July and has an overarching theme of ‘crisis’.
FRANKFURT. Using historical images, snapshots of everyday life, multimedia links and explanatory texts, photographer Julius Matuschik and researcher Dr. Raida Chbib trace the history of Islam in Germany from the past to the present, exploring the question: Do Muslims and their religion belong to Germany? The illustrated book "Moin und Salam" shows that rather than being a question of "if", the answer should instead focus on "since when". Using select historical documents, Matuschik and Chbib show that Islam did not just arrive in Germany with the guest workers. Traces of Muslim life date back much further.
The five chapters of the book shine a spotlight on topics such as identity, affiliation, religious practices and holidays, Muslim youth subcultures as well as the first mosques and community foundations. The pictures are accompanied by short introductions of dedicated personalities or initiatives from Muslim communities that showcase the voluntary work that has been ongoing for years to promote coexistence in a pluralistic society. On more than 200 pages, the illustrated book not only reveals the diversity of Muslim life in Germany – whose multitude is probably unknown to many. The photographs also offer insights into the everyday lives of Muslims.
"German media often use imagery that portray Muslims and Islam in a one-sided and stereotypical manner. These recurring images create a framing effect that makes the Muslim presence appear foreign, dangerous or exotic. This imagery does not reflect our immigration society, in which religious freedom prevails and of which Muslims have long been a natural part," says the photographer.
Julius Matuschik and Dr. Raida Chbib already collaborated on the homonymous multimedia "Moin und Salam" blog, which – together with the islamimbild.de image archive – is based on Matuschik's practical project, funded by Stiftung Mercator and carried out at the Academy for Islam in Research and Society (AIWG).
"One of our objectives in this project has been to create a knowledge transfer between science and practice that takes place at eye level, which is also one of the AIWG’s main goals. The photographic research and audiovisual material constitute the framework for examining the history, backgrounds and contexts, and thus also for the accompanying texts. This approach brought to light exciting facts and questions, including how the act of making the history of minority groups more visible can contribute to a more pluralistic German culture of remembrance ," says Dr. Raida Chbib.
Chbib and Matuschik’s joint illustrated book is designed with a broad, international audience in mind.
The Omar Ibn Al Khattab Mosque in Berlin
Interior of the central mosque in Cologne.
Children's sports coach Leona Osmanaj in Hanover.
Prayer pulpit in the Fatih Camii in Berlin Kreuzberg
Soccer tournament "Imams against priests" in Berlin
CREDIT
Julius Matuschik
Publication: Moin und Salam. Muslimisches Leben in Deutschland – Muslim life in Germany. Eine Reportage. Edited by Julius Matuschik and Raida Chbib. Kerber: Berlin, Bielefeld, 2024 (208 p., hardcover German/English, ISBN 978-3-7356-0952-6). Publisher's website https://www.kerberverlag.com/de/2109/moin-und-salam.
Save the date A discussion with authors Julius Matuschik and Dr. Raida Chbib will take place on June 8, 2024. Further information will be available on the AIWG homepage soon.
Julius Matuschik works as a photojournalist for various online and offline media. He is active in Cameo Kollektiv e.V., where he works together with others to realize socio-cultural projects and implement measures promoting cultural and political education. He first began photographically documenting Islam in Germany in 2013.
Dr. Raida Chbib is managing director of the Academy for Islam in Research and Society at Goethe University Frankfurt. Her research focuses on migration and religion, religious diversity, the organizational processes of Islam, as well as relations between the state and Islam in both Germany and Europe. She studied political science, international law and Islamic studies at the University of Bonn and received her doctorate in religious studies at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB).
About the AIWG The Academy for Islam in Research and Society (AIWG) at Goethe University Frankfurt conducts interdisciplinary research and transfer activities with a focus on Islamic Theological Studies and Muslim life in Germany. It connects all faculties for Islamic Theological Studies or Islamic religious pedagogy found at universities in Germany. The academy addresses issues of social participation by including perspectives related to religion. The AIWG is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
A win–win approach: maximizing Wi-Fi performance using game theory
The innovative strategy in which users connected to a local wireless network adopt optimal positions improves overall system throughput
SHIBAURA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
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WHEN NEW USERS JOIN AN ACCESS POINT (AP), THEIR POSITION, INDIVIDUAL THROUGHPUT, AND INTEFERENCE CAN IMPACT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ENTIRE NETWORK. IN THIS STUDY, THE RESEARCHERS DEVELOPED AN AP CONNECTION STRATEGY BASED ON USER COOPERATION, WHERE USERS ARE PROMPTED TO CHANGE THEIR LOCATION TO IMPROVE THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF THE SYSTEM.
CREDIT: SUMIKO MIYATA FROM SHIBAURA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Connectivity has become paramount in modern societies over the past two decades. With the immense rise in the number of laptops, tablets, and smartphones, most people nowadays expect to have access to free Wi-Fi in a variety of public and private spaces. Some common examples include airports, restaurants, and libraries, but even parks, trains, and subways offer Wi-Fi in some cities. However, most wireless environments are based on the IEEE802.11 WLAN standards. Though undoubtedly an amazing feat of engineering, these standards suffer from inherent problems that can lower their performance for all users in a network. For example, if a slow user joins a wireless local-area network (WLAN), their slow transmission rate can affect the throughput rate of other users, since users share the communication channels of the access point (AP, or ‘router’) by taking turns to use them. Moreover, users can also interfere with each other when attempting to communicate with the AP, negatively impacting each other’s performance.
Scientists have come up with a few strategies to try to minimize the effects of these problems and improve the overall throughput of APs. Some of these methods are cooperative, meaning that users can be prompted by the AP to change their position in order to improve system throughput. Though this is indeed a promising strategy, many existing techniques fail to simultaneously consider the interference between users and each user’s transmission rate. In turn, other techniques fail to account for the possibility that some users may be fixed, whereas others can move.
To address these limitations, a research team including Associate Professor Sumiko Miyata from Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) has developed a novel AP connection method using game theory. Their latest paper, which was authored by Yu Kato from SIT and co-authored by Jiquan Xie and Tutomu Murase from Nagoya University, was published in IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society on March 21st, 2024.
Game theory is a branch of mathematics that mainly deals with the analysis of decisions and decision-making, especially within clearly defined frameworks (‘games’) with rules, possible actions, and agents. Usually, the goal in game theory analysis is to identify optimal strategies. “For wireless communication environments where multiple users exist and must be considered, game theory is one of the most suitable theories to use for analysis,” explains Dr. Miyata. “In the approach proposed in our paper, the user position that maximizes system throughput is determined using what’s known as a ‘potential game,’ which is a type of model in game theory.”
The developed potential game model, whose objective function is to maximize system throughput, condenses the incentives for all users into a single function. In this way, and unlike previous methods, the impact of the position of new users joining a WLAN on existing users is considered. Moreover, the new approach also takes into account inter-user interference by calculating the probabilities of packet collisions.
The researchers tested their proposed AP connection strategy, which was directly based on their potential game model, by comparing it with previous AP connection methods. They analyzed the resulting AP throughput for each method in a wide variety of scenarios involving different user positions. In this way, they proved that their proposed strategy almost always resulted in a throughput improvement compared to other techniques, with the improvement in system performance reaching up to 6% in some cases.
Although having a router prompt existing or new users to move around is not feasible in every situation, the proposed strategy could find a home in certain environments. “Our method could be a potential option for Wi-Fi services in classrooms and libraries due to their location-free characteristics and low human traffic,” explains Dr. Miyata. “The Wi-Fi system would calculate the optimal user positions based on their locations to enhance overall throughput and encourage them to take cooperative action, motivated by a desire to increase their own throughput as well.”
Overall, methods like the one developed in this study are significant, given the innumerable number of Wi-Fi-enabled devices present today. “AP system should be efficient regarding the use of their network resources. The proposed technique is an important technology for realizing smart cities, where everything is connected to the internet,” concludes Dr. Miyata.
***
Reference
Title of original paper: AP Connection Method for Maximizing Throughput Considering Moving User and Degree of Interference Based on Potential Game
Journal: IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society
About Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan
Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private university with campuses in Tokyo and Saitama. Since the establishment of its predecessor, Tokyo Higher School of Industry and Commerce, in 1927, it has maintained “learning through practice” as its philosophy in the education of engineers. SIT was the only private science and engineering university selected for the Top Global University Project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and will receive support from the ministry for 10 years starting from the 2014 academic year. Its motto, “Nurturing engineers who learn from society and contribute to society,” reflects its mission of fostering scientists and engineers who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the world by exposing their over 8,000 students to culturally diverse environments, where they learn to cope, collaborate, and relate with fellow students from around the world.
About Associate Professor Sumiko Miyata from SIT, Japan
Sumiko Miyata received her B.E. from Shibaura Institute of Technology in 2007, and M.E. and D.E. degrees from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2009 and 2012, respectively. She joined Shibaura Institute of Technology in 2015 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2018. In 2024, Dr. Miyata joined the Tokyo Institute of Technology as an Associate Professor and joined the Shibaura Institute of Technology as a Project Associate Professor. Her research interests include mathematical modeling and analysis for QoS performance evaluation, queueing theory, game theory, and resource allocation problems in communication networks and information security. She has published over 40 papers on these topics.
Funding Information
These research results were obtained from the commissioned research (No.JPJ012368C05601) by National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan. In addition, this work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP19K11947, JP22K12015, JP20H00592, and JP21H03424.
AP Connection Method for Maximizing Throughput Considering Moving User and Degree of Interference Based on Potential Game
More economical and sustainable rechargeable batteries
Ultralow-concentration electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries
WILEY
Lithium salts make batteries powerful but expensive. An ultralow-concentration electrolyte based on the lithium salt LiDFOB may be a more economical and more sustainable alternative. Cells using these electrolytes and conventional electrodes have been demonstrated to have high performance, as reported by a research team to the journal Angewandte Chemie. In addition, the electrolyte could facilitate both production and recycling of the batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) provide power to smartphones and tablets, drive electric vehicles, and store electricity at power plants. The main components of most LIBs are lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathodes, graphite anodes, and liquid electrolytes that deliver mobile ions for the decoupled cathode and anode reactions. These electrolytes determine the properties of the interphase layer that forms on the electrodes and thus affect features such as battery cycling performance. However, commercial electrolytes are still mostly based on a system formulated over 30 years ago: 1.0 to 1.2 mol/L lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) in carboxylic acid esters (“carbonate solvent”). Over the last ten years, high-concentration electrolytes (> 3 mol/L) have been developed, increasing battery performance by favoring the formation of robust inorganic-dominated interphase layers. However, these electrolytes have high viscosity, poor wetting ability, and inferior conductivity. The large amounts of lithium salts required also make them very expensive, often a critical parameter for feasibility. To reduce costs, research has also begun into ultralow-concentration electrolytes (< 0.3 mol/L). The drawback for these has been that the battery cell decomposes more solvent than the few salt anions, which leads to an organic-dominated and less stable interphase layer.
A team led by Jinliang Yuan, Lan Xia, and Xianyong Wu at Ningbo University (China) and the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus (USA) has now developed an ultralow-concentration electrolyte that may be suitable for practical application in lithium-ion batteries: LiDFOB/EC-DMC. LiDFOB (lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate) is a common additive and significantly cheaper than LiPF6. EC-DMC (ethyl carbonate/dimethyl carbonate) is a commercial carbonate solvent. The electrolyte has a potentially record-breaking low salt content of 2 weight percent (0.16 mol/L) but a sufficiently high ionic conductivity (4.6 mS/cm) to operate a battery. In addition, the properties of the DFOB– anions allow for the formation of an inorganic-dominated, robust interphase layer on LCO and graphite electrodes, resulting in outstanding cycling stability in half and full cells.
While the LiPF6 in current use decomposes in the presence of moisture, releasing highly toxic and corrosive hydrogen fluoride gas (HF), LiDFOB is water- and air-stable. Instead of strict dry room conditions, LIBs with LiDFOB can be made under ambient conditions—an additional cost-saving feature. Recycling would also be significantly less problematic and lead to more sustainability.
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About the Author
Dr Lan Xia is an Associate Professor at Ningbo University and has been working in the rechargeable batteries area for over 15 years. Her research focuses on the smart thermal-responsive strategies for lithium-ion batteries as well as design, synthesis and characterization of potential electrolyte solvents and electrolyte additives for batteries.
An Ultralow-concentration and Moisture-resistant Electrolyte of Lithium Difluoro(oxalato)borate in Carbonate Solvents for Stable Cycling in Practical Lithium-ion Batteries
Family learning environments in Scandinavia: dimensions, types and socioeconomic profiles
Parental values and family activities have a strong influence on children's learning. Based on data from 44 Danish families, researchers have identified four types of family learning environments
UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
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THE FIGURE ILLUSTRATES THE FOUR LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, CATEGORISED ACCORDING TO THE DEGREE OF STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITY IN FAMILY LIFE. THE FIGURE SHOWS THE TYPICAL EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND OF THE PARENTS AND EXAMPLES OF THE CHARACTERISTICS, ACTIVITIES AND STATEMENTS OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: BLUE = CHARACTERISTICS. RED = ACTIVITIES. GREEN = STATEMENTS AND EXAMPLES FROM THE APPLICATION DATA.
Do children have regular bedtimes and do parents enforce strict screen time policies? And do parents take their children to museums so that they can learn from an early age? Or is everyday life more about having fun together, without clear rules and any ambition to ‘develop’ children in any particular way?
Family life can be lived in many different ways, and what children bring with them from the home environment has a substantial impact on their opportunities and development later in life.
A new study from the Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen, and VIVE - The Danish Center for Social Science Research now offers a research-based typology of how the everyday lives of Danish families with young children can be grouped into four types of family learning environments. Four types that might influence children in very different ways.
"Learning environments are not just about playing spelling games with children," says Professor Mads Meier Jæger from the Department of Sociology, co-author of the study.
"Our study shows that there are big differences in the learning environments in which Danish children grow up, but also that it is possible to categorise them into different general types. Consequently, the study provides a comprehensive picture of children's learning environments and how individual dimensions of these environments interact," he says.
Level of activity, daily structure and learning environments
The study derives four types of family learning environments from rich data collected from 44 Danish families with children aged 3-6. Using a custom digital diary app, parents documented their family life with text, photos, audio and video over a period of 12 weeks. Parents were also interviewed.
From the data collected, the authors of the study outlined six dimensions particularly salient in characterising learning environments: Family activities, emotional climate, organisation of everyday life, social networks, expectations and values, and out-of-home care.
The six dimensions were then condensed into four typical learning environments on the basis of the level (and type) of family activities and the degree of structure in everyday life (see figure as well as brief description below). The diagram illustrates each learning environment by means of specific activities and statements.
According to Mads Meier Jæger, one of the strengths of the typology is that it is based on the activity level and everyday organisation of families. Previous research has confirmed that these are key dimensions in children's learning. In addition, the model shows a relationship between learning environments and parental education. This is consistent with research suggesting that education is the single strongest dimension of socioeconomic status.
The four categories should not be interpreted too rigidly. Many families may resemble more than one learning environment. Nor does the study say how many families belong to each of the four types. It is only the association between different activities, attitudes and underlying social factors that the researchers have mapped.
New Scandinavian perspective
Nevertheless, the categories provide a new, Scandinavian perspective on children's learning environments, as the study also includes children's school, institutional and leisure lives. The 'casual pragmatists' and 'recreational home dwellers' are very much products of the Scandinavian welfare regime and reflect other forms of inequality than those in economic and social typically of Anglo-Saxon countries.
"For example, children whose parents have vocational education and jobs are not socially disadvantaged. Parents have jobs and resources, but their focus is not on academic stimulation and children acquiring higher education. These families simply have other priorities," Mads Meier Jæger explains.
This way, the new typology provides a richer picture of how many individual parts of family life together create a family learning environment. This is important, Mads Meier Jæger says.
"In Denmark, we also have social inequality and lack of mobility in some dimensions. If we want to tackle these challenges, we need to understand where inequality originates. Our study tries to provide some answers by taking a more holistic approach.
The four learning environments in brief
(See also the attached simplified figure (Figure 1) and the study's original figure (Figure 2) with more examples)
Expansive curators tend to have a college/university degree and ensure that children have many educational and stimulating activities inside and outside the home (e.g. word games, music lessons and museum visits). The emotional climate is safe and everyday life is organised, for example with regular bedtimes and strict rules regarding children's use of screens. Parents are very active in their children's lives outside the home, which they see as an extension of their in-house learning environment.
Casual pragmatists tend to have a medium level of higher education, such as a bachelor's degree or perhaps a vocational education. As with the ‘expansive curators’, they also engage in many and varied activities, but typically with less focus on cognitive stimulation and under less supervision. Overall, daily life, while still emotionally stable, is more loosely structured in terms of meals, bedtimes, etc.
Recreational home dwellers tend to have a vocational education or similar. Like ‘expansive curators’, daily life is structured. However, family activities tend to take place in or near the home, and parents emphasise recreation rather than deliberately stimulating children. Spending time in the garden is preferred to visiting a museum, and watching Eurovision for kids is more common than playing the piano. The type of education children receive is less important if they receive one.
Disempowered strugglers have weakest social networks, few financial resources and sometimes no formal education. Families participate in few activities and family life is often characterised by uncertainty and lack of structure and, unlike the other three groups, the emotional climate can be unstable. Parents are rarely involved in their children's lives outside the home.
Facts about the study
The article 'Family learning environments in Scandinavia: dimensions, types and socioeconomic profiles' has been published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education.
The authors of the article are Mads Meier Jæger, Department of Sociology/UCPH, Katrine Syppli Kohl, Saxo Institute/UCPH, and Jens-Peter Thomsen, Sofie Henze-Pedersen, Kirstine Karmsteen and Rasmus Henriksen Klokker, all from VIVE - The Danish Center for Social Science Research.
The study is based on extensive analyses of qualitative data from 44 Danish families with children aged 3-6 years, including the families' electronic diaries, supplemented by a systematic literature review. The families were selected to cover a range of educational levels but are not representative of all Danish families.
The study is part of the project 'Learning environments in Danish families and their importance for children's development', which is supported by the A.P. Møller Foundation and primarily anchored at VIVE.
