Novel Molecular Characteristics of Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease and one type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). UC is characterized by a temporal course of remission and relapse. Environmental factors, immune system dysregulation, and genetic susceptibility interact intricately in the aetiology of UC. It is unclear how interactions involving non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), epigenetic modifications, and genetic changes relate to active UC, remission, and relapse. The inability to predict relapse in patients with UC poses a challenge to current treatment options. Visible disease manifestations, which are usually absent in patients in remission, frequently place limitations on the use of clinical diagnostic methods. Thus, it is necessary to characterize remission at the molecular level. To investigate the molecular mechanisms in remission and active UC, data from whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) and whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) of mucosal biopsies have been analysed with a variety of bioinformatic methods The analyses resulted in the identification of a set of mitochondrial RNAs and small nuclear RNAs (snoRNAs) which may influence the duration of remission. Several identified remission-specific genes are involved in pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways and some of the identified genes may be regulated by DNA methylation. In addition, several DNA-methylated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to be involved in UC inflammatory immune responses. These findings might shed light on the pathophysiology of UC and suggest new diagnostic markers

Validating polyp and instrument segmentation methods in colonoscopy through Medico 2020 and MedAI 2021 Challenges

Automatic analysis of colonoscopy images has been an active field of research motivated by the importance of early detection of precancerous polyps. However, detecting polyps during the live examination can be challenging due to various factors such as variation of skills and experience among the endoscopists, lack of attentiveness, and fatigue leading to a high polyp miss-rate. Therefore, there is a need for an automated system that can flag missed polyps during the examination and improve patient care. Deep learning has emerged as a promising solution to this challenge as it can assist endoscopists in detecting and classifying overlooked polyps and abnormalities in real time, improving the accuracy of diagnosis and enhancing treatment. In addition to the algorithm’s accuracy, transparency and interpretability are crucial to explaining the whys and hows of the algorithm’s prediction. Further, conclusions based on incorrect decisions may be fatal, especially in medicine. Despite these pitfalls, most algorithms are developed in private data, closed source, or proprietary software, and methods lack reproducibility. Therefore, to promote the development of efficient and transparent methods, we have organized the “Medico automatic polyp segmentation (Medico 2020)” and “MedAI: Transparency in Medical Image Segmentation (MedAI 2021)” competitions. The Medico 2020 challenge received submissions from 17 teams, while the MedAI 2021 challenge also gathered submissions from another 17 distinct teams in the following year. We present a comprehensive summary and analyze each contribution, highlight the strength of the best-performing methods, and discuss the possibility of clinical translations of such methods into the clinic. Our analysis revealed that the participants improved dice coefficient metrics from 0.8607 in 2020 to 0.8993 in 2021 despite adding diverse and challenging frames (containing irregular, smaller, sessile, or flat polyps), which are frequently missed during a routine clinical examination. For the instrument segmentation task, the best team obtained a mean Intersection over union metric of 0.9364. For the transparency task, a multi-disciplinary team, including expert gastroenterologists, accessed each submission and evaluated the team based on open-source practices, failure case analysis, ablation studies, usability and understandability of evaluations to gain a deeper understanding of the models’ credibility for clinical deployment. The best team obtained a final transparency score of 21 out of 25. Through the comprehensive analysis of the challenge, we not only highlight the advancements in polyp and surgical instrument segmentation but also encourage subjective evaluation for building more transparent and understandable AI-based colonoscopy systems. Moreover, we discuss the need for multi-center and out-of-distribution testing to address the current limitations of the methods to reduce the cancer burden and improve patient care

A Bayesian network model for estimating the combined risk in Northeast Passage escort operations

Escort and convoy operations are commonly employed and highly effective strategies in the Arctic, particularly when ship navigating independently becomes challenging due to adverse ice conditions. Nonetheless, these operations are also among the riskiest, given their potential to lead to collisions between ships and icebreakers, as well as ships besetting in ice. Consequently, a robust estimation of the combined risk involved in escort/ convoy systems is of paramount importance. To this end, this paper introduces a Bayesian network model to address the combined risk in escort operations, which considers both ship besetting risk and ship-to-icebreaker collision (STIC) risk factors in a unified framework. This model considers technical, environmental, human, and organizational risk factors. The model’s practical applicability is demonstrated through an analysis of a genuine voyage along the Northeast Passage in August 2015. Additionally, a comparison of model outputs with captains’ judgments across 14 crafted scenarios has been performed. The proposed model suggests that the main factor causing ship besetting in ice is the ice concentration, while the distance between the icebreaker and the ship is the critical factor affecting STIC risk. According to experts, visibility outweighs both the ice channel radius and navigation experience in terms of STIC risk in escort operations

Exploring the variation in associations between socioeconomic indicators and non-communicable diseases in the Tromsø Study: an algorithmic approach

Aims: We contribute to the methodological literature on the assessment of health inequalities by applying an algorithmic approach to evaluate the capabilities of socioeconomic variables in predicting the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in a Norwegian health survey. Methods: We use data from the seventh survey of the population based Tromsø Study (2015–2016), including 11,074 women and 10,009 men aged 40 years and above. We apply the random forest algorithm to predict four non-communicable disease outcomes (heart attack, cancer, diabetes and stroke) based on information on a number of social root causes and health behaviours. We evaluate our results using the classification error, the mean decrease in accuracy, partial dependence statistics. Results: Results suggest that education, household income and occupation to a variable extent contribute to predicting non-communicable disease outcomes. Prediction misclassification ranges between 25.1% and 35.4% depending on the non-communicable diseases under study. Partial dependences reveal mostly expected health gradients, with some examples of complex functional relationships. Out-of-sample model validation shows that predictions translate to new data input. Conclusions: Algorithmic modelling can provide additional empirical detail and metrics for evaluating heterogeneous inequalities in morbidity. The extent to which education, income and occupation contribute to predicting binary non-communicable disease outcomes depends on both non-communicable diseases and socioeconomic indicator. Partial dependences reveal that social gradients in non-communicable disease outcomes vary in shape between combinations of non-communicable disease outcome and socioeconomic status indicator. Misclassification rates highlight the extent of variation within socioeconomic groups, suggesting that future studies may improve predictive accuracy by exploring further subpopulation heterogeneity

Environmental drivers of increased ecosystem respiration in a warming tundra

Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems are large reservoirs of organic carbon1,2. Climate warming may stimulate ecosystem respiration and release carbon into the atmosphere3,4. The magnitude and persistency of this stimulation and the environmental mechanisms that drive its variation remain uncertain5,6,7. This hampers the accuracy of global land carbon–climate feedback projections7,8. Here we synthesize 136 datasets from 56 open-top chamber in situ warming experiments located at 28 arctic and alpine tundra sites which have been running for less than 1 year up to 25 years. We show that a mean rise of 1.4 °C [confidence interval (CI) 0.9–2.0 °C] in air and 0.4 °C [CI 0.2–0.7 °C] in soil temperature results in an increase in growing season ecosystem respiration by 30% [CI 22–38%] (n = 136). Our findings indicate that the stimulation of ecosystem respiration was due to increases in both plant-related and microbial respiration (n = 9) and continued for at least 25 years (n = 136). The magnitude of the warming effects on respiration was driven by variation in warming-induced changes in local soil conditions, that is, changes in total nitrogen concentration and pH and by context-dependent spatial variation in these conditions, in particular total nitrogen concentration and the carbon:nitrogen ratio. Tundra sites with stronger nitrogen limitations and sites in which warming had stimulated plant and microbial nutrient turnover seemed particularly sensitive in their respiration response to warming. The results highlight the importance of local soil conditions and warming-induced changes therein for future climatic impacts on respiration

Walking sideways? Management of the Norwegian snow crab fishery

The snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the Barents Sea is an invasive species, first discovered in 1997. Since 2012, a commercial fishery has developed, and various management measures have been implemented. Despite fishing gear restrictions, limits for the catch season and the implementation of a TAC-regime in 2017 onwards, the fishery struggles with substantial sustainability challenges. Vessels allocated a licence demonstrate radical differences in catches, and the fleet suffers from an unprofitable overcapacity and lack of environmentally friendly harvesting operations. The management authorities and the fishermen’s organizations seem to agree that the regulated open access and the Olympic fisheries model are the main sources of the present problems. The Directorate of Fisheries (DoF) [1] has introduced a discussion paper outlining various options for closing the fishery. The article outlines these- and other options, and discusses the alternatives in terms of improved sustainability, i.e., environmental, economic as well as social. A key point is that closing the fishery (like many other management measures), are not only technical interventions. They are also political, and they contribute to modify both the regulating system and the system to be regulated

Å forebygge turnover i barnevernstjenesten. En kvalitativ studie om forebygging av turnover i barnevernstjenesten

Problemstilling: Hvordan kan ledere i kommunalt barnevern bidra til å forebygge turnover i barneverntjenesten? Teori: Studiens teoretiske utgangspunkt omfatter teori som belyser rammebetingelser i kommunalt barnevern, teori om turnover, helserisiko ved å jobbe i barnevernet, teorier innen Human resource og teorier innen barnevernledelse. Metode: Studien er kvalitativ. Det er gjennomført individuelle intervjuer med fire barnevernledere. Intervjuene er analysert med kvalitativ innholdsanalyse. Funn: Funnene viser at barnevernlederne gjør ulike tiltak som kan sees i sammenheng med å redusere turnover, blant annet systematiske veiledninger og ulike organiseringer for å redusere belastninger. Barnevernlederne er også opptatt å skape god kultur preget av anerkjennelse og ivaretakelse. Konklusjon: For å forebygge turnover, kreves det en balanse mellom administrative oppgaver og relasjonell ledelse, samt en bevissthet om de ulike faktorene som kan påvirke ansattes trivsel og arbeidsprestasjon. Ved å fremme en kultur for læring, støtte og fellesskap, kan turnover reduseres, og arbeidsmiljøet i barneverntjenesten styrkes

Folkeretten, Russland og NATO. Begrunnelser for bruken av væpnet makt

Denne oppgaven ser på hvordan Russland og NATO forholder seg til folkeretten ved begrunnelser for bruken av væpnet makt. Folkerettens rettsregler danner internasjonale normer som kan styre atferden til stater. Imidlertid så vil stater ofte velge å ignorere eller bryte med folkeretten når de ønsker det. Bruken av væpnet makt mot andre stater er et av de mest alvorlige bruddene under folkeretten, og skaper stor internasjonal oppmerksomhet. Russland sin bruk av væpnet makt mot Ukraina har satt Russland i søkelyset for det internasjonale samfunnet i dag. Russland på sin side mener at deres bruk av væpnet makt sammenfaller med folkeretten. Russland begrunner bruken av væpnet makt ut ifra beskyttelse av russiske statsborgere, statskupp og invitasjon fra den lovlige presidenten, selvforsvar, humanitær intervensjon og en løsrivelse fra separatistregioner. Vi skal dermed analysere om begrunnelsene brukt av Russland sammenfaller med folkeretten. Samtidig velger Russland ofte å peke på Vesten, og deres bruk av væpnet makt mot andre stater. Vi skal derfor sammenligne de russiske begrunnelsene med NATO sine begrunnelser for en konflikt, Kosovo-konflikten. NATO begrunnet sin bruk av væpnet makt for en humanitær intervensjon og regional stabilitet. Samtidig har løsrivelsen av Kosovo også vært sentral del av konflikten som vi skal også sammenligne. Konklusjonen viser hvordan verken Russland eller NATO sine begrunnelser er i tråd med folkeretten. Det var likheter og ulikheter ved begrunnelsene for bruken av væpnet makt. Likhetene viser skepsisen til begrunnelser for væpnet makt, og negative effekter på egenskaper til folkeretten. Forskjeller forteller hvorfor NATO sin bruk av væpnet makt ble generelt sett på som legitim av det internasjonale samfunnet, mens Russland ble sett på som illegitim. Vi vil se at Kosovo sin løsrivelse kan ikke bli sett på som en presedens for Krim sin løsrivelse. Til slutt ser vi at begge sider parodier folkeretten, og at Russland prøver å parodiere NATOs begrunnelser for å kunne hevde en vestlig dobbelstandard

«Det var den siste jobben eg skulle ha». Ein studie av statstilsette si oppleving av ein nedbemanningsprosess

Samandrag Denne masteroppgåva tek for seg to grupper ved Havforskingsinstituttet si oppleving av ein nedbemanningsprosess i 2022-2023. Vi undersøker om dei tilsette har opplevd prosessen som rettferdig, og om oppleving av jobbsikkerheit og forventingar til arbeidskvardagen, har endra seg som følgje av nedbemanningsprosessen. Studien byggjer i hovudsak på teoriar om organisasjonsrettferd og psykologiske kontraktar. Vi argumenterer for at kjensler spelar ei viktig rolle i opplevingar på arbeidsplassen, og undersøker om nedbemanningsprosessen kan kallast ei affektiv hending. Studien sine viktigaste funn er at dei tilsette ikkje har opplevd nedbemanningsprosessen som rettferdig, og at jobbsikkerheit og tankar om arbeidskvardagen har vorte endra for dei fleste respondentane. Gjennom den komparative tilnærminga finn vi at tilsette i den eine gruppa har sterkare negative opplevingar knytt til nedbemanningsprosessen, enn i den andre. Respondentar i dei to gruppene har opplevd brot på forventingar noko ulikt, men i begge grupper opplever respondentar arbeidsgivar som mindre rettferdig enn forventa. Nøkkelord: nedbemanning, stat, rettferd, psykologisk kontrakt, AETAbstract This master’s thesis examines the experiences of a downsizing process in two groups of employees at the Institute of Marine Research, in 2022-2023. We investigate whether the employees experienced the process as fair, and whether their sense of job security and workday expectations have changed as a result of the downsizing process. The research is mainly built on theories of organizational justice, and psychological contracts. We argue that emotions play an important role in workplace experiences, and investigate whether the downsizing process can be called an affective event. The most important findings of the study are that the employees did not experience the downsizing process as fair, and that the sense of job security and workday expectations have changed for most of the respondents. Through the comparative approach, we find that employees in one group have stronger negative experiences linked to the downsizing process than the other. Respondents in the two groups have experienced breach of expectations somewhat differently, but we find that in both groups there are respondents who experience their employer as less fair than anticipated. Keywords: downsizing, state, justice, psychological contract, AE