Diet and behavioral problems at school in Norwegian adolescents

Background: Discussion about dietary factors in relation to behavioral problems in children and adolescents has been going on for a long time. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the cross-sectional relation between diet and self-reported behavioral problems at school in adolescents in the southern part of Norway. Design: In total, 475 ninth- and tenth-grade students (236 boys and 239 girls) out of 625 eligible students from four different secondary schools in three different communities in Vest-Agder County, Norway, participated, giving a participation rate of 77%. The students filled in a questionnaire with food frequency questions of selected healthy (e.g. fruits, vegetables, and fish) and unhealthy (e.g. sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, and crisps) food items, questions of meal frequency, and four questions regarding behavioral problems at school. Results: Having breakfast regularly was significantly associated with decreased odds of behavioral problems (OR: 0.29 (0.15-0.55), p ≤0.001). A high intake of unhealthy foods, such as sugar-sweetened soft drinks (OR: 2.8 (1.06-7.42), p=0.03) and sweets (OR: 2.63 (1.39-4.98), p=0.003), was significantly associated with increased odds of behavioral problems. At the same time, a high intake of fruits was associated with decreased odds of behavioral problems in Norwegian adolescents (OR: 0.30 (0.10-0.87), p=0.03). All ORs are adjusted for sex and BMI. Conclusions: This study shows that having an optimal diet and not skipping meals are associated with decreased odds of behavioral problems at school in Norwegian adolescents. Hence, it is important to improve the dietary intake and meal pattern of Norwegian adolescents. The cross-sectional design of this study limits any causal interpretations of the results of the study

Volatility of and cross-correlation between major international stock indices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Master's thesis in Business administration (BE501)Following the arrival of the year 2020, the extraordinary outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which was initially seen as an epidemic, evolved into an all-out pandemic. Consequently, its effects have shaken the global economies and affected countries across the globe. This thesis investigates the relationship between market disturbances across countries and models the recent COVID-19 pandemic’s influence on the volatility and cross-market correlation in six major stock indices: S&P 500, S&P/TSX, DAX, FTSE 100, Nikkei 225 and SSE. We estimated the pandemic effect on market volatility with a univariate GJR-GARCH model, and employed a multi-variate DCC-GARCH to examine the conditional correlations between six of the largest economies in the world. We also visualized the regime switching between low and high correlation regimes with a two-regime Markov switching model. Our discoveries suggest that the six indices behaved almost identically under the COVID-19 period, with the Nikkei 225 being the only one that did not show evidence of a higher sensitivity towards COVID-19 news. Furthermore, the filtered and smoothed transition-probability charts showed evidence of stronger cross-correlation during periods of distress and uncertainty, and suggestions of one common market in situations like this are valid. Overall, our findings contribute to previous literature seeking to understand the recent pandemic’s influence on capital markets and the negative consequences associated with markets being highly integrated. Keywords: COVID-19, volatility, contagion, capital markets JEL Classification: C12, C15, C32, C5

Kontroversielle temaer i KRLE-klasserommet

Denne masteroppgaven er et kvalitativt forskningsprosjekt om kontroversielle temaer i KRLE-faget. Et kontroversielt tema er et tema som skaper debatt og/eller kan vekke sterke følelser i oss. Etter å ha skrevet et arbeidskrav om ekstremisme i KRLE på forrige studieår, ble jeg nysgjerrig på hvordan lærere håndterer slike temaer i klasserommet. Jeg ønsket derfor at dette forskningsprosjektet skulle være erfaringsbasert og til hjelp for både meg selv og andre lærere som vil møte på slike temaer. I det teoretiske rammeverket presenterer jeg ulike faktorer som påvirker vår opplevelse av et kontroversielt tema og hvordan lærere har håndtert situasjoner tilknyttet de. Man kan ikke undervise om kontroversielle temaer ut ifra forhåndsgitte kriterier og maler, og i den forbindelse presenterer jeg Emil Sætras situasjonisme. Situasjonen har stor betydning når læreren skal planlegge undervisning om kontroversielle temaer (Sætra, 2019, s. 328-329). I slutten av det teoretiske rammeverket presenterer jeg Trysnes og Skjølberg sine fem strategier for håndtering av ekstreme ytringer i klasserommet: Brobygger, Debattleder, Provokatør, Konfliktvegrer og Den forståelsesfulle. De konkluderte med at en kombinasjon av Brobygger og Debattleder var den beste strategien (Trysnes & Skjølberg, 2022, s. 60-66). Jeg drøfter forskningsresultatene i analysedelen, i samhandling med mitt teoretiske rammeverk. Jeg stilte fire ungdomsskolelærere intervjuspørsmål om hvilke temaer de opplevde som kontroversielle og hvordan de arbeidet med slike temaer. Temaer de opplevde som kontroversielle var blant annet homofili, rasisme og krig. Dette er temaer som de har fått spørsmål omkring og som vekker følelser i både lærere og elever. Med disse erfaringene i datamaterialet mitt, ville jeg finne ut hvordan dette stilte seg i forhold til Trysnes og Skjølberg sine fem håndteringsstrategier. Alle de fire lærerne har trekk fra Brobygger og Debattleder, som sammenfaller godt med Trysnes og Skjølberg sin konklusjon. Nøkkelord: Kontroveriselle temaer, KRLE (Kristendom, religion, livssyn og etikk), strategier i klasserommet, ekstremisme, dannelsesoppdrag, toleranse og respekt.This master thesis is a qualitative research project on controversial topics in the RE subject. A controversial topic is a topic which creates debate and/or which arouses strong feelings in us. After writing an assignment about extremism in RE in the previous academic year, I became curious about how teachers deal with these topics in the classroom. Therefore, I wanted this research project to be based on experience and to help both myself and other teachers who would meet topics like this. In the theoretical framework, I present various factors that influence our experience of a controversial topic and how teachers have handled situations related to them. You cannot teach about controversial topics based on pre-given criteria and templates, and that is why I present Emil Sætra's situationism. The teacher must consider the situation to plan the teaching about controversial topics (Sætra, 2019, p. 328-329). At the end of the theoretical framework, I present Trysnes and Skjølberg's five strategies for dealing with extreme expressions in the classroom: Bridge builder, Debate leader, Provocateur, Conflict avoidance and The understanding one. They concluded that a combination of Bridge builder and Debate leader was the best strategy (Trysnes & Skjølberg, 2022, p. 60-66). I discuss the research results in the analysis section, in the interaction with my theoretical framework. I asked four secondary school teachers questions about which topics they experienced as controversial and how they worked with these topics. Topics they experienced as controversial included homosexuality, racism and war. These are topics which they have received questions, and which arouse emotions in both teachers and pupils. With these experiences in my research, I wanted to find out how this was related to Trysnes and Skjølberg's five handling strategies. All four teachers have features from Bridge builder and Debate leader, which coincides well with Trysnes and Skjølberg's conclusion. Keywords: Controversial themes, RE (Religious education), strategies in the classroom, extremism, educational mission, tolerance and respect

Economic Markets for Video Streaming Services: A Case Study of Netflix and Popcorn Time

Video streaming services are considered as the new standard method of delivering entertainment to the public. Netflix, one of the leading providers of video streaming, has reported that piracy continues to be their biggest competitor, referring to Popcorn Time specifically. Popcorn Time uses illegal means of providing video streaming. Popcorn Time offers a similar or even better video streaming experience compared to Netflix. In this paper, we study the competition between legal and illegal video streaming services. In particular, this paper elaborates on the analysis of network effects in relation to video streaming services and explains how an individual who uses video streaming can affect the overall value of the network where a particular video is being streamed. We propose the Competitive Video Streaming Model (CVSM), based on the Bass Diffusion model. The CVSM is applied to model the competition between Netflix and Popcorn Time. The main findings show that the timing of the onset of network effects is significant for the temporal evolution of adopters. Our results also suggest that the competitiveness of video streaming services depends on how the service provider is distributing the video streaming contents. It shows that distributing video streaming contents through P2P network subsidizes the growth of adopters to a greater extent compared to a client-server network. As such, the results of this study support the hypothesis that network effects can strengthen the competitiveness of illegal video streaming services

Allyl isothiocyanate inhibits actin mediated intracellular transport in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Volatile allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) derives from the biodegradation of the glucosinolate sinigrin and has been associated with growth inhibition in several plants, including the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the underlying cellular mechanisms of this feature remain scarcely investigated in plants. In this study, we present evidence of an AITC-induced inhibition of actin-dependent intracellular transport in A. thaliana. A transgenic line of A. thaliana expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-tagged actin filaments was used to show attenuation of actin filament movement by AITC. This appeared gradually in a time- and dose-dependent manner and resulted in actin filaments appearing close to static. Further, we employed four transgenic lines with YFP-fusion proteins labeling the Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), vacuoles and peroxisomes to demonstrate an AITC-induced inhibition of actin-dependent intracellular transport of or, in these structures, consistent with the decline in actin filament movement. Furthermore, the morphologies of actin filaments, ER and vacuoles appeared aberrant following AITC-exposure. However, AITC-treated seedlings of all transgenic lines tested displayed morphologies and intracellular movements similar to that of the corresponding untreated and control-treated plants, following overnight incubation in an AITC-absent environment, indicating that AITC-induced decline in actin-related movements is a reversible process. These findings provide novel insights into the cellular events in plant cells following exposure to AITC, which may further expose clues to the physiological significance of the glucosinolate-myrosinase system© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons by Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Allyl-isothiocyanate treatment induces a complex transcriptional reprogramming including heat stress, oxidative stress and plant defence responses in Arabidopsis thaliana

Comparison of the transcriptional response to allyl-ITC with the CPR response. (XLSX 85 kb

Maternal mental health is associated with children's frequency of family meals at 12 and 24 months of age

Diet during the child's first years is important for growth and development. In toddlerhood, higher diet quality is reported among children eating meals together with family. Although previous literature has documented several associations between maternal mental health and early child feeding practices, less is known about the relationship between maternal mental health and child frequency of shared family meals. This study explores associations between maternal symptoms of anxiety and depression, measured by The Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (SCL-8), and toddler participation in family meals. We used cross-sectional data from the Norwegian study Early Food for Future Health, in which participants responded to questionnaires at child age 12 (n = 455) and 24 months (n = 295). Logistic regression was used to explore associations between maternal mental health and child having regular (≥5 per week) or irregular (<5 per week) family meals (breakfast and dinner), adjusting for relevant child and maternal confounding variables. Children of mothers with higher scores of anxiety and depression had higher odds of Irregular family meals at both timepoints; (OR: 2.067, p = 0.015) and (OR: 2.444, p = 0.023). This is one of few studies exploring associations between maternal mental health and child frequency of shared family meals in early childhood, a period where the foundation for life-long health is shaped. Given the high prevalence of mental ailments and disorders, these findings are important and may inform future public health interventions. Further exploration of this relation is needed, including longitudinal research to test predictive associations and qualitative studies to increase insight and understanding.publishedVersio