Kundelønnsomhetsanalyser - lønner det seg? : en kvantitativ studie av norske foretak

Denne utredningen ser på sammenhengen mellom kundelønnsomhetsanalyser og foretaksprestasjoner. Utredningen finner at beslutninger tatt på bakgrunn av kundelønnsomhetsinformasjon har en positiv påvirkning på foretaksprestasjonene. Bruk av kundelønnsomhetsanalyser har derimot ingen effekt når det samtidig blir sett på beslutninger. Videre ser det ut til at jo mer detaljert og reliabel kundelønnsomhetsmetoden er, jo bedre er påvirkningen på foretaksprestasjonene. Det blir også avdekket at de tre fremtidsrettede kundelønnsomhetsmetodene som blir omtalt i akademia, i praksis blir opplevd som én enkelt metode. Denne metoden har både et fremtidsrettet fokus, samtidig som den tar hensyn til historisk lønnsomhetsinformasjon.nhhma

Confirmation of EMIC wave driven relativistic electron precipitation

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are believed to be an important source of pitch angle scattering driven relativistic electron loss from the radiation belts. To date, investigations of this precipitation have been largely theoretical in nature, limited to calculations of precipitation characteristics based on wave observations and small-scale studies. Large-scale investigation of EMIC wave-driven electron precipitation has been hindered by a lack of combined wave and precipitation measurements. Analysis of electron flux data from the POES (Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites) spacecraft has been suggested as a means of investigating EMIC wave-driven electron precipitation characteristics, using a precipitation signature particular to EMIC waves. Until now the lack of supporting wave measurements for these POES-detected precipitation events has resulted in uncertainty regarding the driver of the precipitation. In this paper we complete a statistical study comparing POES precipitation measurements with wave data from several ground-based search coil magnetometers; we further present a case study examining the global nature of this precipitation. We show that a significant proportion of the precipitation events correspond with EMIC wave detections on the ground; for precipitation events that occur directly over the magnetometers, this detection rate can be as high as 90%. Our results demonstrate that the precipitation region is often stationary in magnetic local time, narrow in L, and close to the expected plasmapause position. Predominantly, the precipitation is associated with helium band rising tone Pc1 waves on the ground. The success of this study proves the viability of POES precipitation data for investigating EMIC wave-driven electron precipitation

Epigenome-wide association study reveals decreased average methylation levels years before breast cancer diagnosis

Interest in the potential of DNA methylation in peripheral blood as a biomarker of cancer risk is increasing. We aimed to assess whether epigenome-wide DNA methylation measured in peripheral blood samples obtained before onset of the disease is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. We report on three independent prospective nested case-control studies from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Italy; n = 162 matched case-control pairs), the Norwegian Women and Cancer study (NOWAC; n = 168 matched pairs), and the Breakthrough Generations Study (BGS; n = 548 matched pairs). We used the Illumina 450k array to measure methylation in the EPIC and NOWAC cohorts. Whole-genome bisulphite sequencing (WGBS) was performed on the BGS cohort using pooled DNA samples, combined to reach 50× coverage across ~16 million CpG sites in the genome including 450k array CpG sites. Mean β values over all probes were calculated as a measurement for epigenome-wide methylation

Promoting Strategic Readers in a Digital Age: Teachers' reported beliefs on the digitized L2 textbook's potential for promoting reading strategies in the EFL classroom

Å lære å lære er en sentral del av engelskfaget ifølge Kunnskapsløftet 2020 (LK20). Dette innebærer at elevene utvikler strategier for å tilegne seg og anvende kunnskap. I det 21. århundre har måten elever lærer og tilegnet seg blitt stadig mer påvirket av teknologi. De siste årene har blant annet digitale lærebøker blitt mer fremtonet i norske klasserom, som har i enda større grad digitalisert måten elever leser på. Digitaliseringen av lærebøker har skapt mye reaksjoner blant både lærere og elever og i flere tilfeller er det blitt ytret ønsker om å returnere til penn og papir for å verne om læringen til elevene. Denne masteroppgaven har tatt for seg læreres holdninger til digitale lærebøker i engelskfaget. Med formål å nyansere debatten om digitaliseringen av lærebøkene, har de digitale lærebøkene blitt undersøkt for potensiale for å fremme lesestrategier i engelskfaget. Ved hjelp av en spørreundersøkelse som kombinerte kvalitativ og kvantitativ data har studiet undersøkt læreres holdninger ved ulike videregående skoler i hele Norge. Med et utvalg av 39 lærere ved videregående skoler, bidrar studiet til et mer nyansert bilde av læreres holdninger til de digitale lærebøkene i engelskfaget. Studien avdekker at lærere anerkjenner et potensial ved de digitaliserte engelsk lærebøkene. Når man skal fremme lesestrategier anses de integrerte funksjonene som lydstøtte, utvidet materiale, navigasjonsverktøy i tekst og noteringsverktøy som nyttige. Noen lærere understreket også at den økende tilgjengeligheten av digitale tekster øker relevansen for leseferdigheter og lesestrategier for lesing på skjerm. De digitale lærebøkene oppleves også som utfordrende på en rekke punkt. Praktiske utfordringer knytter til IKT og forstyrrelser tilgjengelig på digitale leseenheter er utfordringer majoriteten av deltakerne belyser. Hvilke innvirkning skjerm har på leseprosessen og generelle læringsprosessen til elevene er også en utfordring lærerne i dette studiet opplever med digitale lærebøker. Datainnsamlingen viser at lærere ser både potensiale og utfordringer med digitale lærebøker i engelsk når man fasiliterer elevenes utvikling av lesestrategier. Det viser også at bruken av digitale lærebøker er et komplekst tema, som må belyses i enda større grad av forskning som tar høyde for de didaktiske implikasjonene hvert enkelt fag innebærer. Et interessant funn, er at til tross for høy selvrapportert digital kompetanse så er det en stor andel av studiets deltakere som oppgir at de har hatt liten til ingen eksplisitt opplæring i hvordan de skal gjøre god nytte av IKT i klasserommet. Dette foreslås som et trolig utviklingspotensial for både lærerutdanningsinstitusjonene og skolelederne for å sikre hensiktsmessig bruk av teknologi i klasserommet i framtiden.Engelsk mastergradsoppgaveENG350MAHF-LÆFRMAHF-EN

Double blockade of CD14 and complement C5 abolishes the cytokine storm and improves morbidity and survival in polymicrobial sepsis in mice

Sepsis and septic shock, caused by an excessive systemic host-inflammatory response, are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The complement system and TLRs provide important pattern recognition receptors initiating the cytokine storm by extensive cross-talk. We hypothesized that double blockade of complement C5 and the TLR coreceptor CD14 could improve survival of experimental polymicrobial sepsis. Mice undergoing cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)–induced sepsis were treated with neutralizing anti-CD14 Ab biG 53, complement C5 inhibitor coversin (Ornithodoros moubata C inhibitor), or a combination thereof. The inflammatory study (24-h observation) revealed statistically significant increases in 22 of 24 measured plasma biomarkers in the untreated CLP group, comprising 14 pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and 8 chemokines, growth factors, and granulocyte activation markers. Single CD14 or C5 blockade significantly inhibited 20 and 19 of the 22 biomarkers, respectively. Combined CD14 and C5 inhibition significantly reduced all 22 biomarkers (mean reduction 85%; range 54–95%) compared with the untreated CLP group. Double blockade was more potent than single treatment and was required to significantly inhibit IL-6 and CXCL1. Combined inhibition significantly reduced morbidity (motility and eyelid movement) and mortality measured over 10 d. In the positive control CLP group, median survival was 36 h (range 24–48 h). Combined treatment increased median survival to 96 h (range 24–240 h) (p = 0.001), whereas survival in the single-treatment groups was not significantly increased (median and range for anti-CD14 and anti-C5 treatment were 36 h [24–48 h] and 48 h [24–96 h]). Combined with standard intervention therapy, specific blockade of CD14 and C5 might represent a promising new therapeutic strategy for treatment of polymicrobial sepsis

Investigation of EMIC wave scattering as the cause for the BARREL 17 January 2013 relativistic electron precipitation event: A quantitative comparison of simulation with observations

Abstract Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves were observed at multiple observatory locations for several hours on 17 January 2013. During the wave activity period, a duskside relativistic electron precipitation (REP) event was observed by one of the Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) balloons and was magnetically mapped close to Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 13. We simulate the relativistic electron pitch angle diffusion caused by gyroresonant interactions with EMIC waves using wave and particle data measured by multiple instruments on board GOES 13 and the Van Allen Probes. We show that the count rate, the energy distribution, and the time variation of the simulated precipitation all agree very well with the balloon observations, suggesting that EMIC wave scattering was likely the cause for the precipitation event. The event reported here is the first balloon REP event with closely conjugate EMIC wave observations, and our study employs the most detailed quantitative analysis on the link of EMIC waves with observed REP to date. Key PointsQuantitative analysis of the first balloon REP with closely conjugate EMIC wavesOur simulation suggests EMIC waves to be a viable cause for the REP eventThe adopted model is proved to be applicable to simulating the REP event

A density-temperature description of the outer electron radiation belt during geomagnetic storms

Bi-Maxwellian fits are made to energetic-electron flux measurements from seven satellites in geosynchronous orbit, yielding a number density (n) and temperature (T) description of the outer electron radiation belt. For 54.5 spacecraft years of measurements the median value of n is 3.7 × 10−4 cm−3, and the median value of T is 148 keV. General statistical properties of n, T, and the 1.1–1.5 MeV flux F are investigated, including local-time and solar-cycle dependencies. Using superposed-epoch analysis where the zero epoch is convection onset, the evolution of the outer electron radiation belt through high-speed-stream-driven storms is investigated. The number-density decay during the calm before the storm, relativistic-electron dropouts and recoveries, and the heating of the outer electron radiation belt during storms are analyzed. Using four different “triggers” (sudden storm commencement (SSC), southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) portions of coronal mass ejection (CME) sheaths, southward-IMF portions of magnetic clouds, and minimum Dst) a selection of CME-driven storms are analyzed with superposed-epoch techniques. For CME-driven storms, only a very modest density decay prior to storm onset is found. In addition, the compression of the outer electron radiation belt at the time of SSC is analyzed, the number-density increase and temperature decrease during storm main phase are characterized, and the increase in density and temperature during storm recovery phase is determined. During the different phases of storms, changes in the flux are sometimes in response to changes in the temperature, sometimes to changes in the number density, and sometimes to changes in both. Differences are found between the density-temperature and flux descriptions, and it is concluded that more information is available using the density-temperature description

Water mass exchange, pathways and the mesoscale eddy field in the Lofoten Basin of the Norwegian Sea

The Lofoten Basin situated in the Norwegian Sea, plays a central role in redistributing and modifying the warm Atlantic Water carried poleward with the Norwegian Atlantic Current. Increased residence time of the warm Atlantic Water in this region, leads to a large cooling and the largest surface heat losses in the Nordic Seas. This thesis studies the exchange of Atlantic Water with the Lofoten Basin using observations and numerical models, and Lagrangian and Eulerian approaches. A key focus is the study of the mass and heat exchange with the basin outlined by the 3000-m isobath. Surface drifters are analyzed to study the surface circulation in the Nordic Seas and to estimate the water mass exchange with the Lofoten Basin. Fields from Eulerian models and trajectories from Lagrangian simulations at multiple levels are further used to study the processes leading to the exchange, by delineating the mean and eddy component of the flows. Analyses aimed to quantify the mesoscale eddy properties, their interaction with the ambient, heat and vorticity budgets, and to assess the importance of eddies relative to the ambient flow and other submesoscale processes in the mass and heat exchange with the Lofoten Basin. The geographical origins of the water masses having largest interaction with the basin are identified, and these sites are studied in detail to investigate the processes behind the exchange. The thesis also investigates the fate of water masses in the basin to study how their properties evolve with time, and compare this with other regions. The first main finding, obtained from surface drifter observations, indicates an increased exchange of Atlantic Water across the southern sector of the Lofoten Basin. The drifters show a meandering motion between the eastern and western branches of the Norwegian Atlantic Current towards the basin, and Eulerian simulations suggest that the inflow is primarily related to a mean component of the flow. The warm waters experience long residence times and large temperature losses in the basin. In contrast with earlier literature, there is less evidence of near-surface exchange with the waters carried by the slope current along the continental slope off Norway. However, the net heat transport into the basin is dominated by eddy fluxes. Furthermore, the divergence of eddy heat fluxes obtained from Eulerian calculations on the continental slope is large, and particularly enhanced at depths of about 400 m. It is therefore suggested that the flow from the south dominates the near-surface exchange of Atlantic Water with the basin, but eddy fluxes from the slope region are important at deeper levels. Lagrangian simulations of particles deployed at several depths reveal variations in the vertical structure of the inflows to the Lofoten Basin. Of the water parcels that are cooled most (more than 1^oC) while in the basin, those at the surface mainly enter from the south, and those at deeper levels (about 500 m) come from the slope. The inflows also have a seasonal variability. In winter, cooling and vertical mixing result in weak stratification and distribute the particles vertically, while strong stratification in summer limits their vertical excursions from their deployment depths. During winter, water masses close to the surface therefore tend to sink and give weaker inflows (less particles) close to the surface and stronger inflows (more particles) at deeper levels (100-300 m). The eddy activity in the basin and on the continental slope is quantified. Eddy signals extracted from Lagrangian trajectories, using multivariate wavelet ridge analysis, show that water masses in coherent vortices experience larger changes in their water properties (such as temperature and density) than water masses in the ambient flow, with enhanced warming in cyclones and enhanced cooling in anticyclones. There is also evidence of upwelling in the cyclones and downwelling in the anticyclones. The change of water properties and net vertical displacement is most pronounced in the Lofoten Basin. The anticyclones have a longer lifetime, more circular shape and larger radius than the cyclones. However, the eddies only cover a small portion of the Nordic Seas (about 6%) and the ambient flow and filaments around eddies therefore play an important role in balancing the Lofoten Basin heat and vorticity budgets. Ridge analysis confirms the role of eddy activity at deeper levels on the slope, and further reveals that the anticyclonic eddies generated on the slope bring warm water into the basin. Energetics and energy-conversion rates calculated from mooring observations from the upper slope, supported by volume-averaged calculations from an Eulerian model, are consistent with the Lagrangian and Eulerian analyses. Estimated baroclinic conversion rates imply that potential energy is extracted from the mean flow to eddies. The role of filaments in the upper layers, the link between the generation of eddies on the slope and their exchange with the LB at deeper layers, and contribution of these eddies and filaments to the Lofoten Basin heat and vorticity budgets merit further studies

The Role of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Processing in Auditory False Perceptions: A Signal Detection Analysis

There is a tendency in the literature to find people with a high hallucination proneness to have significantly lower response bias but no significant difference for sensitivity compared to people with low hallucination proneness, when performing a signal detection theory (SDT) task. However, results have varied across studies, and the relation is poorly understood. We wanted to increase our understanding by investigating the effect of different levels of semantic expectation and different types of noise on hallucinatory reports among those with high and low hallucination proneness. A large student sample was screened using a revised version of the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale (LSHS). Students with high and low hallucination proneness were asked to take part in the second phase of the study. In this phase they performed an auditory SDT task where both the semantic expectation of sentences and the noise were manipulated. Participants also completed measures of perception anomalies (Cardiff Anomalous Perceptions Scale), fantasy proneness (Creative Experiences Questionnaire), suggestibility (Multidimensional Iowa Suggestibility Scale), aberrant salience (Aberrant Salience Inventory), and encoding style (Encoding Style Questionnaire). Results showed that participants in the high hallucination proneness group had a lower response bias compared to participants in the low hallucination proneness group when there was a combination of a high level of semantic expectation and Bergen noise. This suggests that both bottom-up and topdown factors are needed to elicit auditory hallucinatory experiences. Furthermore, hallucination proneness, aberrant salience and encoding style all had significant, negative correlations with response bias, indicating that they could all be implicated in the occurrence of auditory hallucinatory experiences.Det er en tendens i litteraturen til å finne at folk med høy hallusinasjonstendens har signifikant lavere respons bias, men ingen signifikant forskjell for sensitivitet sammenlignet med folk med lav hallusinasjonstendens, når de utfører en signaldeteksjonsoppgave. Til tross for den generelle tendensen har resultatene variert på tvers av studier, og forholdet er lite forstått. Vi ønsker å øke vår forståelse ved å undersøke effekten av ulike nivåer av semantisk forventning og ulike typer støy, på hallusinasjonsrapporter blant personer med høy og lav hallusinasjonstendens. Et stort utvalg studenter ble forhåndstestet ved å bruke en revidert versjon av Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale (LSHS). Studentene med høy og lav hallusinasjonstendens ble spurt om å ta del i den andre fasen av studien. I denne fasen utførte de en auditiv signaldeteksjonsoppgave hvor både den semantiske forventningen til setningene og støyen var manipulert. Deltakerne utførte også målinger av persepsjonsavvik (Cardiff Anomalous Perceptions Scale), fantasitendens (Creative Experiences Questionnaire), suggestibilitet (Multidimensional Iowa Suggestibility Scale), avvikende betydning (Aberrant Salience Inventory), og innkodingsstil (Encoding Style Questionnaire). Resultatene viste at deltakere i høy hallusinasjonstendensgruppen hadde en lavere respons bias sammenlignet med lav hallusinasjonstendensgruppen når det var en kombinasjon av høyt nivå av semantisk forventning og Bergenstøy. Dette peker på at både bottom-up og top-down faktorer er nødvendige for å fremkalle auditive hallusinasjons-opplevelser. Videre hadde hallusinasjonstendens, avvikende betydning og innkodingsstil alle signifikante negative korrelasjoner med respons bias, noe som indikerer at de alle ser ut til å være impliserte i forekomsten av auditive hallusinasjons-opplevelser.Masteroppgave i psykologiMAPSYK36