At the Confluence of Leisure and Devotion: Hindu Pilgrimage and Domestic Tourism in India

In this article I draw on a wide range of studies including my own field research to provide a bird’s-eye perspective of the various points of connection, confluence and overlap between Hindu pilgrimage and domestic tourism in contemporary India. This serves three aims. First, it presents an overview of the contemporary scene in India which lends itself to comparison. Second, it illustrates the ways in which a pilgrimage tradition can be explored via tourism, as opposed to something contrasted with tourism. Thus, I hope to demonstrate the many potential research avenues beyond asking who is a pilgrim and who is a tourist. Third, it seeks to locate lacunas for future research. I suggest four entry points into tourism that can each serve as departures for studying the contemporary nexus between a pilgrimage tradition and tourism: tourism as (1) a service industry, (2) a sector that motivates states and public bodies to act, (3) a travel culture and (4) a negotiated category, part of public discourses and imaginations. The article demonstrates the variety of ways in which Hindu pilgrimage becomes evermore entangled with domestic tourism, and the potential for new research angles this entanglement generates

Organocatalysis emerging as a technology

During the last 20 years, organocatalysis has significantly advanced as a field. Thanks to contributions from hundreds of groups and companies around the world, the area has risen from a few mechanistically ill-defined niche reactions, to one of the most vibrant and innovative fields in chemistry, providing several well-defined generic activation modes for selective catalysis. Organocatalysis is also on the rise in industrial settings, especially for the production of enantiomers, which are of use in fine chemistry, pharma, crop-protection, and fragrance chemistry. Here we will look at some of the specific elements of organocatalysis that we think are particularly attractive and contribute to this successful development

Chest CT scoring for evaluation of lung sequelae in congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors

Objectives Data on long-term structural lung abnormalities in survivors of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is scarce. The purpose of this study was to develop a chest computed tomography (CT) score to assess the structural lung sequelae in CDH survivors and to study the correlation between the CT scoring and clinical parameters in the neonatal period and at 1 year of follow-up. Methods A prospective, clinical follow-up program is organised for CDH survivors at the University Hospital of Leuven including a chest CT at the age of 1 year. The CT scoring used and evaluated, named CDH-CT score, was adapted from the revised Aukland score for chronic lung disease of prematurity. Results Thirty-five patients were included. All CT scans showed some pulmonary abnormalities, ranging from very mild to severe. The mean total CT score was 16 (IQR: 9-23), with the greatest contribution from the subscores for decreased attenuation (5; IQR: 2-8), subpleural linear and triangular opacities (4; IQR: 3-5), and atelectasis/consolidation (2; IQR: 1-3). Interobserver and intraobserver agreement was very good for the total score (ICC coefficient > 0.9). Total CT score correlated with number of neonatal days ventilated/on oxygen as well as with respiratory symptoms and feeding problems at 1 year of age. Conclusion The CDH-CT scoring tool has a good intraobserver and interobserver repeatability and correlates with relevant clinical parameters. This holds promise for its use in clinical follow-up and as outcome parameter in clinical interventional studies

Acute kidney injury in patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit: Evaluation of risk factors and mortality in a national cohort

Objectives: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication among critical ill patients with COVID-19, but the actual incidence is unknown as AKI-incidence varies from 25% to 89% in intensive care unit (ICU) populations. We aimed to describe the prevalence and risk factors of AKI in patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICU in Norway. Design: Nation-wide observational study with data sampled from the Norwegian Intensive Care and Pandemic Registry (NIPaR) for the period between 10 March until 31 December 2020. Setting: ICU patients with COVID-19 in Norway. NIPaR collects data on intensive care stays covering more than 90% of Norwegian ICU and 98% of ICU stays. Participants: Adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to Norwegian ICU were included in the study. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were excluded in order to avoid bias from CKD on the incidence of AKI. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Primary outcome was AKI at ICU admission as defined by renal Simplified Acute Physiology Score in NIPaR. Secondary outcome measures included survival at 30 and 90 days after admission to hospital. Results: A total number of 361 patients with COVID-19 were included in the analysis. AKI was present in 32.0% of the patients at ICU admission. The risk for AKI at ICU admission was related to acute circulatory failure at admission to hospital. Survival for the study population at 30 and 90 days was 82.5% and 77.6%, respectively. Cancer was a predictor of 30-day mortality. Age, acute circulatory failure at hospital admission and AKI at ICU admission were predictors of both 30-day and 90-day mortality. Conclusions: A high number of patients with COVID-19 had AKI at ICU admission. The study indicates that AKI at ICU admission was related to acute circulatory failure at hospital admission. Age, acute circulatory failure at hospital admission and AKI at ICU admission were associated with mortality.publishedVersio

Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations Through the lens of a high reliability system: Challenges and Opportunities

This study examines the impact of regulations and standard procedures on safety outcomes in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations, specifically focussing on Norwegian military UAV systems, from a high reliability organization (HRO) perspective. By analysing data from existing regulations, accident reports, and interviews with military drone pilots using thematic analysis, we identify key recurring themes. Our findings highlight the importance of fatigue and exhaustion due to the absence of regulations on resting time for military drone pilots. This poses substantial risks and increases the likelihood of accidents and incidents in UAV operations. Additionally, we uncover gaps in safety reporting and accountability for military UAV pilots, indicating the need for improved reporting procedures that consider the unique operational elements of UAVs. Effective communication between stakeholders, including drone pilots, ground crew, and air traffic controllers, emerges as a critical factor in maintaining situational awareness. This emphasis on communication is consistent with HRO principles and supports the essential safety tasks of UAV pilots, namely sense-making, decision making, and performance. By uncovering the impact of regulations and operational procedures on safety outcomes and addressing fatigue in UAV operations, this research contributes to enhancing the safety and reliability of Norwegian military UAV systems.publishedVersio

Grensene for konkursboets inntredelsesrett i avtaler som forutsetter skyldners personlige oppfyllelse

Master i rettsvitenskapJUS399MAJU

Occurrence of Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on Birds in Northwestern Lower Michigan, 2011-2019

Abstract Monitoring tick infestation of wildlife provides baseline tick occurrence data that may have human or animal health implications. We collected 312 ticks of four species from 5,122 birds of 93 species while monitoring bird migration during 15 fall and spring seasons between 2011 and 2019 in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Twenty-seven of 93 bird species hosted ticks with an overall prevalence (=at least one tick) of 3.6% (185/5,122). Median burden was one tick/per infested bird with a range of 1-16 ticks per infested bird. Tick species collected were primarily Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard) and Ixodes scapularis Say, with smaller numbers of Ixodes dentatus Marx and a single Ixodes brunneus (Koch). The prevalence of avian infestations by I. scapularis increased over the eight-year study period (P = 0.046) to a high of over 4.6% infestation by I. scapularis in 2019. Based on the migratory status of birds, our data suggest that birds transported ticks to our site from northern or southern areas. Additionally, based on bird recapture data during stopover periods at our site, we detected new tick infestations in 27 of 437 birds that had ticks removed on initial capture. These reinfestations potentially reflect bird’s local acquisition of ticks, such as I. scapularis. This indicates that I. scapularis is becoming established in the region, which appears to be on the leading edge of this tick’s expanding range in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Birds may be contributing to the establishment by contributing and possibly introducing and maintaining the ticks. Birds may be transporting ticks and seeding them elsewhere

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Depressed Subjects Treated With Electroconvulsive Therapy—A Systematic Review of Literature

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered to be the most effective acute treatment for otherwise treatment resistant major depressive episodes, and has been used for over 80 years. Still, the underlying mechanism of action is largely unknow. Several studies suggest that ECT affects the cerebral neurotransmitters, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allows investigators to study neurotransmitters in vivo, and has been used to study neurochemical changes in the brain of patients treated with ECT. Several investigations have been performed on ECT-patients; however, no systematic review has yet summarized these findings. A systematic literature search based on the Prisma guidelines was performed. PubMed (Medline) was used in order to find investigations studying patients that had been treated with ECT and had undergone an MRS examination. A search in the databases Embase, PsycInfo, and Web of Science was also performed, leading to no additional records. A total of 30 records were identified and screened which resulted in 16 original investigations for review. The total number of patients that was included in these studies, ignoring potential overlap of samples in some investigations, was 325. The metabolites reported were N-acetyl aspartate, Choline, Myoinositol, Glutamate and Glutamine, GABA and Creatine. The strongest evidence for neurochemical change related to ECT, was found for N-acetyl aspartate (reduction), which is a marker of neuronal integrity. Increased choline and glutamate following treatment was also commonly reported.publishedVersio

Er Jesus hvit? Fargeblindhet og antirasistisk religionsundervisning

Fargeblindhet brukes i dag som begrep for å peke på tendensen til utad å overse forskjeller i hudfarge selv om det spiller en avgjørende rolle i hvordan man blir oppfattet og behandlet i samfunnet. I denne artikkelen forsøker vi å bidra til en antirasistisk religionsundervisning ved å undersøke hvordan religionsdidaktikken kan utfordre fargeblindhet. I artikkelens første del benytter vi oss av litteratur knyttet til rase, rasisme og kritisk raseteori. Denne litteraturen kobler vi til religionsdidaktikken via representasjonstematikken. For å prøve ut tanken om at vi kan koble rasisme an til religionsundervisningen via spørsmålet representasjon, har vi gjort en mindre case-studie av framstillinger av Jesus i to lærebøker for KRLE. Artikkelens bidrag er å demonstrere hvordan representasjon er en inngang til å fremme antirasistisk religionsundervisning ved at man analyserer bilder i lærebøker. Nøkkelord: Hudfarge, fargeblindhet, antirasistisk pedagogikk, representasjon, religionsdidaktik