Characterizing myeloid cells in the tumor environment - Implications for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Several pathologies including cancer are associated with dysregulated immune cells. Numerous studies have indicated an association between patient outcomes, therapy responses, and disease recurrence to prevalence and characteristics of different immune populations. Among them, myeloid cell populations exhibited remarkable functional heterogeneity and a range of functions that can influence multiple cancer hallmarks. Therapeutic strategies that target tumor immune cells have indicated promise. However, in solid tumors, the heterogenous and plastic nature of immune cells contributes considerably to challenges associated with clinical translation of these therapies. This highlights the need to further investigate characteristics, functions, and phenotypes of the different immune cells in cancer. This thesis includes three studies investigating the immune landscape of breast and colon cancer. Using the mouse breast cancer model, the distinct immune profiles of tumors with different metastatic potential (4T1-derived 67NR (nonmetastatic) and 66cl4 (metastatic) tumors) were investigated to reveal significant distinctions in myeloid cell populations. Metastatic tumors were associated with a higher number of distinct macrophages that had dampened capacity of antigen presentation and enhanced regulatory function. Non-metastatic and metastatic cells appeared to influence neutrophil activation and polarization differently. A tumor secreted cytokine- CXCL3, was identified as a contributing factor in the distinct immune landscape of metastatic 66cl4 tumors. Using the same mouse model, we further identified a higher number of Arg1+ immune cells associated with tumors with a high metastatic potential. An abundance of Arg1+ immune cells was confirmed in biopsies of aggressive breast cancer tumors with a high risk of metastasis. Combined these findings indicate that myeloid cells in tumors have several distinct properties that may influence the metastasis and aggressiveness of breast cancer. Enhanced expression of neutrophil markers was also observed in colorectal cancer biopsies, indicating infiltration of neutrophils in these tumors. Activation of the innate immune receptor Toll-like receptor 3 induced secretion of chemokines and neutrophil recruitment in vitro. TLR3 activation in colon cancer cells induced cytokines that modulated neutrophils to upregulate interferon-stimulated genes and further altered their surface expression of proteins which are associated with an anti-tumorigenic phenotype. TLR3 activation in colon cancer cells induced cytokines that modulated neutrophils to upregulate interferon-stimulated genes and further altered their surface expression of proteins which are associated with an anti-tumorigenic phenotype. Overall, findings from the three papers improve our understanding of myeloid cells in tumors. The work identified distinctions in the myeloid populations associated with tumors of different metastatic propensities. The proportion and characteristics of myeloid populations, and their activities in metastatic tumors appeared distinct from those in non-metastatic tumors. Triggering inflammation pathways in tumor cells can impact the neutrophil phenotype, which may have implications for cancer progression. These findings contribute to ongoing efforts that aim to exploit myeloid cells as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets. Finally, the thesis discusses implications of our findings in clinical management of cancer

The Emerging Clinical Relevance of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Wearable Devices in Headache: A Narrative Review

This narrative review introduces key concepts in artificial intelligence (AI), data science, and wearable devices aimed at headache clinicians and researchers. PubMed and IEEEXplore were searched to identify relevant studies, and these were reviewed systematically. We identified six primary research topics. First, the most common application of AI and data science is in the diagnosis of headache disorders, with reported accuracies of up to 90%. Second, AI and data science are used for predicting headache disease trajectories and forecasting attacks. Third, prediction of treatment effects and data-driven individualization of treatment prescription demonstrate promising results, with accuracies ranging from 40% to 83%. Fourth, AI and data science can uncover hidden information within headache datasets, offering clinicians deeper insights. Fifth, wearables, combined with AI and data science, can improve remote monitoring and migraine management. Lastly, user experience studies indicate strong interest from both clinicians and patients in adopting these technologies. The potential applications of AI, data science, and wearable device technologies in headache research are vast. However, many studies are small pilot studies, and models often suffer from poor performance, limited reporting, and lack of external validation, which impede generalizability and clinical implementation.The Emerging Clinical Relevance of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Wearable Devices in Headache: A Narrative ReviewpublishedVersio

Faktorer for sosial deltakelse for mennesker med Parkinsons sykdom

Hensikt: Halvparten av mennesker som lever med Parkinson sykdom oppgir at de unngår sosial deltakelse, og blir dermed ekskludert eller isolert fra samfunnet. Sosial tilhørighet anses som en av de største utfordringene knyttet til Parkinson. Sosial kontakt trekkes frem som faktor for å fremme mestring som forebygger ensomhet og sosial isolasjon. Det er fortsatt ingen medikamentelle intervensjoner som kan helbrede sykdommen, men man skal kunne leve et liv hvor man skal kunne delta på lik linje som andre. Oppgaven ble dermed utarbeidet med hensikt i å identifisere hemmende og fremmende faktorer som har betydning for den sosiale deltakelsen for hjemmeboende personer med Parkinson sykdom. Metode: Denne oppgaven er basert på en systematisk litteraturstudie med scoping review som metode. Litteratursøket ble utført i databasene Pubmed, Oria, Google Scholar og CINAhl. Tre kvalitative, og to kvantitative studier ble inkludert. Artiklene er analysert og vurdert knyttet opp til ergoterapeutisk teori for å belyse problemstillingen. Resultat: Funnene viser at sosial støtte i form av samfunn, familie og nabolag har sammenheng med økt sosial deltakelse. Sosialt samspill sammen med personer med samme diagnose fører til en fellesskapsfølelse som muliggjør sosial deltakelse. Faktorer som endring i identitet og hva man tidligere har mestret kan føre til aktivitetsprioriteringer som går på bekostning av sosial deltakelse for personer med Parkinson. Fysiske omgivelser og psykososiale faktorer har også en betydningsfull rolle i muligheten for deltakelse i samfunnet. Konklusjon: Denne studien viser at person ikke kan skilles fra sine sosiokulturelle omgivelser. Sykdommen i seg selv er ikke å regne som det mest belastende, det er de eksterne faktorene som følger med, følelsen av utenforskap, holdninger og de fysiske og psykiske barrierene. Det er hvordan samfunnet og omgivelsene håndterer sykdommen, som ofte kan være det mest utfordrende

Experimental optimization of an absorption-compression heat pump with wet compression for large temperature glide industrial applications

The present work demonstrates the experimental optimization of a single-stage compression-absorption heat pump system for an application with a large temperature glide on the heat sink side using wet compression. The primary focus is weak solution injection to optimize the compressor discharge temperature and absorber heat sink temperature glide optimizations and their effect. With constant heat sink and source inlet temperatures at 60 °C and a mass flow rate of 0.25 kg/s, preliminary results show that the system delivers 50 kW of heating load and 26 kW of cooling load, respectively. Increasing the heat sink temperature glide between 28 °C and 48 °C reduces Lorenz COP and improves system efficiency. A weak solution mass flow rate of 0.015–0.25 kg/s with a minimum absorber pressure of 15 bar is recommended to achieve a higher heat sink temperature glide. Increasing the weak solution injection flow rate from 0 to 0.03 kg/s decreases the compressor discharge temperature from 139 °C to 122 °C, with a constant 0.0015 kg/s injection directed to the bearing and shaft seal. The results also highlight differences in the overall heat transfer coefficients and heat flux between absorbers 1 and 2. Absorber 1, operating in bubble mode, performs better with a maximum heat transfer coefficient of 1.39 kW/m2K compared to absorber 2, which operates in falling film mode. The system’s performance and behavior are comprehensively evaluated, providing a foundation for future improvements and advancements in oil-free absorption-compression heat pump technology.Experimental optimization of an absorption-compression heat pump with wet compression for large temperature glide industrial applicationspublishedVersio

Essays on the dynamics of social assistance in Norway: Immigration, employment and welfare conditionality

Social assistance is the primary minimum income scheme in Norway. It’s meanstested and aimed at individuals and families who lack sufficient income or qualifications for other income support schemes. The first part of this thesis examines the role of social assistance in Norway, particularly for those at risk of poverty, such as immigrants and part-time workers. Unlike most other income support schemes, social assistance in Norway is financed and administered by municipalities. This results in significant variation within the country in the practice and implementation of social assistance policy. The second part of this thesis investigates how this variation impacts social assistance, focusing on welfare conditionality, benefit sanctions and social assistance generosity. This thesis provides four single studies to advance the social assistance debate in Norway. It contributes to contemporary social policy discourses on social assistance by highlighting the increased social risks faced by immigrants and part-time workers in the Norwegian welfare state. Immigrants are increasingly becoming the dominant group of social assistance recipients, relative to their population size. Traditional regression approaches struggle to explain this pattern, but access to other benefits and integration challenges are likely key factors. The main form of non-standard employment, part-time work, is experiencing a worsening position in the wage distribution. This thesis shows that part-time workers who receive social assistance tend to have longer periods of recipiency, indicating weaker labor market attachment and lower social security coverage. The risks faced by immigrants and part-time workers is likely to be interrelated. Norwegian policymakers are concerned about the large proportion of young social assistance recipients under the age of thirty. The policy response has been to make social assistance conditional on activation. Non-compliance with the activation requirement results in a benefit sanction (reduction) from the local welfare administration. However, this thesis finds that sanctions for passive social assistance recipients are not significantly enforced, removing the incentive effect of sanctions. The final study in this thesis applies a difference-in-difference design to the staggered implementation of the compulsory activation reform in Norwegian municipalities. It revisits the observed negative relationship between activation schemes and social assistance generosity in European minimum income support. The study shows a negative causal relationship between the introduction of local activation requirements and social assistance adequacy levels, with no effect on participation in activation programs or social assistance reception periods. The policy implications of this thesis are clear. Social assistance in Norway has become increasingly relevant in combating social risks faced by immigrants and individuals in precarious employment. However, the main policy response has not had the intended effect of reducing social assistance reception for the group affected. Meanwhile, the poverty-alleviating role of social assistance in Norway is decreasing. To fulfil the intended role of social assistance, future policy agendas should focus on sufficient social investment and robust measures for poverty reduction

What We Think Others Think and Do About Climate Change: A Multicountry Test of Pluralistic Ignorance and Public-Consensus Messaging

Most people believe in human-caused climate change, yet this public consensus can be collectively underestimated (pluralistic ignorance). Across two studies using primary data (n = 3,653 adult participants; 11 countries) and secondary data (ns = 60,230 and 22,496 adult participants; 55 countries), we tested (a) the generalizability of pluralistic ignorance about climate-change beliefs, (b) the effects of a public-consensus intervention on climate action, and (c) the possibility that cultural tightness-looseness might serve as a country-level predictor of pluralistic ignorance. In Study 1, people across 11 countries underestimated the prevalence of proclimate views by at least 7.5% in Indonesia (90% credible interval, or CrI = [5.0, 10.1]), and up to 20.8% in Brazil (90% CrI = [18.2, 23.4]. Providing information about the actual public consensus on climate change was largely ineffective, except for a slight increase in willingness to express one’s proclimate opinion, δ = 0.05 (90% CrI = [−0.02, 0.11]). In Study 2, pluralistic ignorance about willingness to contribute financially to fight climate change was slightly more pronounced in looser than tighter cultures, highlighting the particular need for pluralistic-ignorance research in these countries.publishedVersio

Mikrobiota assosiert med atlantisk laks i overgangen fra ferskvann til sjøvann i RAS: effekt av høy/lav partikkelbelasting og konsekvenser for fiskevelferd og -helse (MikroRAS - 901735)

Resultatene fra MikroRAS viste flere utfordringer ved forhøyet partikkelbelastning, men også en rekke praktiske fordeler ved lav partikkelbelastning. Forhøyet partikkelnivå, som er vanlig å finne i kommersielle RAS, påvirket fiskens prestasjon i RAS negativt, sannsynligvis gjennom metabolske effekter. Etter overføring til sjøvann med gode forhold, ble det observert kompensatorisk vekst hos fisk utsatt for høy TSS i RAS og det tok 3 måneder før forskjellene var utjevnet. Resultatene viser også at forhøyet TSS kan forsinke smoltifiseringen, og dermed er det særlig viktig å unngå økt belastning og svingninger i TSS i denne fase. Den forhøyede partikkelbelastningen førte også til betydelig redusert sikt i vannet, redusert nitrifikasjon og økt forekomst av heterotrofe bakterier som både kan utkonkurrere de nitrifiserende bakteriene og ha negative effekter på fiskens helse. Lav partikkelbelastning kan dermed medføre en rekke praktiske fordeler, som lettere observasjon av fisken, mindre behov for rengjøring og generelt bedre tid til å sikre god biologisk produksjon.publishedVersio

Comparison of Carbon Cathode Materials for Al-C Batteries

Klimakrisen er en av de største utfordringene i vår tid og krever en betydelig overgang til bærekraftig energi for å redusere dens innvirkning. En løsning for å takle dette problemet er ved å bruke energilagring for å elektrifisere kraftnettet vårt, og litium-ion-batterier er ledende innen denne teknologien. Imidlertid er det flere utfordringer knyttet til dette, som batteriets resirkulering, brannfare og bruk av sjeldne jordmetaller. Dette gjør det essensielt å utvide horisonten og utforske andre oppladbare batterier, som for eksempel Al-C batterier. Dette systemet, kombinert med en elektrolytt som inneholder EMIm-Cl og AlCl3, viser god elektrokjemisk stabilitet sammen med høy effekttetthet. Denne forskningen presenterer en sammenlignende analyse av to karbon katode materialer, grafitt og koks, i Al-C-batteri, ved bruk av en 1.3:1 AlCl3:EMIm-Cl-elektrolytt. Dette studie fokuserer på interkalasjons mekanismen og overflatereaksjonene for begge katodene. Grafitt katoden presterte bedre enn katoden laget med koks i en 1.3:1 AlCl3:EMIm-Cl elektrolytt. Gjennom elektrokjemiske tester som galvanostatisk sykling og CV, inkludert karakteriseringsteknikker som XRD, ble interkalasjonen av AlCl4^- anionet i grafitten bekreftet. Den grafittiske cellen oppnådde en kapasitet på 54 mAh/g og en CE på 94 %. Til sammenligning viste koksen lav kapasitet under galvanostatisk sykling og nådde bare 11 mAh/g. Ingen distinkte interkalasjons eller deinterkalasjonstopper ble observert i differensialkapasitetsplottet. I tillegg viste XRD-analysen ingen endringer i karbon toppen, noe som eliminerer muligheten for at et lavkrystallinsk karbon materiale interkalerer dette anionet. Begge katodene gjennomgikk omfattende overflatereaksjoner som et resultat av interaksjon med elektrolytten, noe som ble fremhevet i SEM, EDS og FTIR. Overflateareal og krystallinitet er to dominerende faktorer for batteriytelsen, ved sammenligning av de to karbonmaterialeneThe climate crisis is one of the most critical challenges of our time, demanding a substantial shift toward sustainable energy to mitigate its impacts. One way to tackle this problem is by utilizing energy storage to electrify our grid, lithium-ion batteries are in the leading edge of this technology. However, there are multiple challenges related to this, such as recycling of the battery, fire hazard and employment of rare earth elements. This makes it necessary to widen the perspective, and explore with other rechargeable batteries such as Al-C batteries. This system coupled up with an electrolyte that contains EMIm-Cl and AlCl3, demonstrates good cycle stability alongside elevated power density. This study presents a comparative analysis of two carbon cathode materials, graphite and coke, in an Al-C battery, utilizing a 1.3:1 AlCl3:EMIm-Cl electrolyte. Investigating the intercalation mechanism and surface reactions for both cathodes. The synthetic graphite cathode performed better than the cathode made with coke in a 1.3:1 AlCl3:EMIm-Cl electrolyte. Through electrochemical test such as galvanostatic cycling and CV, including characterization techniques like XRD confirmed the intercalation of the AlCl4^- anion in the graphite. The graphitic cell achieved a capacity of 54 mAh/g, and CE of 94 \%. In comparison to the coke, which exhibited low capacity during galvanostatic cycling, only reaching 11 mAh/g. No distinct intercalation or de-intercalation peaks were observed in the differential capacity plot. Additionally, XRD analysis showed no changes in the carbon peak, thereby eliminating the possibility of a low-crystalline carbon material intercalating this anion. However both cathodes went through extensive surface reactions, as a result of interaction with the electrolyte, highlighted in SEM, EDS and FTIR. Surface area and crystallinity being two dominating factors for the battery performance, comparing the two carbon materials

The impact of Data Augmentation and Regularization on the Transformer Architecture in the scope of NILM

Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) has been collecting the benefits of Deep Learning since a decade ago, at least. Among the newest approaches, the fashionable trend of the Transformers brought promising results. To deepen the understanding about potential enhancements and limitations, this work compares two benchmarking architectures with a BERT transformer in the scope of kernel regularization and data augmentation. This study doesn’t seek for better performances, but on establishing a comparable baseline that allows for evaluating to which extent each studied method enhances or worsens performances

Evaluation and selection of payload processing architectures for a new hyperspectral satellite mission

Denne oppgaven tar sikte på å utforske muligheten for et nytt internt prosesseringssystem, med en ny nyttelastens prosesseringsarkitektur, på 2. generasjon HYPSO CubeSat-satellitter. Denne nye nyttelastprosesseringsarkitekturen tar sikte på å bruke kommersielle hyllekomponenter og andre moduler som for tiden er tilgjengelige i SmallSat labben, i kombinasjon med forskjellige nettverksdesignarkitekturer som er utforsket tidligere, for å utforske dens gjennomførbarheten til systemet. HYPSO-oppdraget er et tverrfaglig forsknings- og utdanningsprogram organisert ved NTNU som fokuserer på å fange oseanografiske data ved å benytte hyperspektral avbildning. Disse HYPSO-satellittene er en del av observasjonspyramiden, som har som mål å produsere mer nøyaktige data. Deretter bruker denne oppgaven en modifisert kandidatutvelgelsessøkemetode for å utforske gjenomførbarheten til nyttelastprosesseringsarkitekturene. Denne modifiserte metoden kalles Kindem-metoden og er utviklet spesielt for kandidatutvelgelse for studentorganisasjoner med høy gjennomstrømningshastighet. Imidlertid er innholdet i det valgte designet for komplekst for en direkte tilnærming. Systemet ble derfor modularisert for å gjøre kandidatutvelgelse i flere steg. Søket om kandidatutvelgelse beviste gjennomførbarheten til systemet, samt en rekke mulige nyttelastprosesseringsarkitekturer. Disse arkitekturene ble evaluert basert på oppdragskravene og den estimerte ytelsen til de enkelte komponentene. Dette resulterer i den beste løsningen for en ny nyttelastprosesseringsarkitektur; en dobbel UltraBoB-arDenne arkitekturen kitektur. utmerket seg ved sin balanse og begrensede flaskehalsrisiko sammenlignet med de andre gjennomførbare løsningene. For å konkludere, ble et dobbel UltraBoB-design valgt som den foreslåtte nyttelastprosesseringsarkitekturen for 2. generasjon av HYPSO-misjon, siden den hadde bedre ytelsesbalanse og redusert sjanse for flaskehals sammenlignet med andre alternativer på det nåværende tidspunkt.This thesis aims to explore the feasibility for a new on-board processing system, with a new payload processing architecture, on the 2nd generation of HYPSO CubeSat satellites. This new payload processing architecture aims to use commercial of the shelf components and other modules currently available in the SmallSat Lab, in combination with network design architectures explored previously, in order to explore its feasibility. The HYPSO mission is a multidisciplinary research and education program organized at NTNU that focuses on capturing oceanographic data by utilizing hyperspectral imaging. These HYPSO satellites are a part of the observational pyramid, which aims to produce more accurate data. Subsequently, this thesis utilizes a modified candidate selection search method in order to explore the feasibility of the payload processing architectures. This modified method is called the Kindem method and was developed especially for candidate selection search for student organizations with high turnover rates. However, the contents of the design chosen is to complex for a direct approach. The system was therefore modularized in order to do candidate selection search in multiple parts. The candidate selection search proved the feasibility of the system, as well as a multitude of possible payload processing architectures. These architectures were evaluated based on the mission requirements and the estimated performance of the individual components. Thus resulting in the best solution for a new payload processing architecture; a double UltraBoB architecture. This architecture excelled at its balance and limited bottleneck risk compared to the other feasible solutions. To conclude, a double UltraBoB design was chosen as the proposed payload processing architecture for the 2nd generation of HYPSO-mission, as it had better performance balance and reduced chance of bottle-necking compared to other options at the current time