Adding to complexity: How a revived use of psychological theory can benefit attempts to stimulate change in patterns of personal travel

This paper seeks to broaden the view of psychological theory in research in behavioral change in transport as a way of responding to climate change. In recent years the use of psychological theory has been increasingly criticized for supporting individualizing, atomized and simplistic perspectives on change (Watson, 2012; Geels, 2012; Chatterton & Wilson, 2014; Schwanen, Banister & Anable, 2011). While welcoming this important and justified critique this article seeks to capture and defend the fundamental insights that these models have contributed to. The aim is to separate the baby from the bathwater and point to how theories of individual behavior and aggregate perspectives such as theories of practice can inform each other and result in enhanced methods. First the use of psychological theory in journal articles on behavioral change in transport is reviewed. A comprehensive theoretical review is used to point to strengths and weaknesses in current approaches. Lastly an informed eclectic approach is advocated by proposing an operational framework that draws on established theories of attitude and behavioral choice as well as cultivating a better understanding of practices involved in personal travel

Adding to complexity: How a revived use of psychological theory can benefit attempts to stimulate change in patterns of personal travel

This paper seeks to broaden the view of psychological theory in research in behavioral change in transport as a way of responding to climate change. In recent years the use of psychological theory has been increasingly criticized for supporting individualizing, atomized and simplistic perspectives on change (Watson, 2012; Geels, 2012; Chatterton & Wilson, 2014; Schwanen, Banister & Anable, 2011). While welcoming this important and justified critique this article seeks to capture and defend the fundamental insights that these models have contributed to. The aim is to separate the baby from the bathwater and point to how theories of individual behavior and aggregate perspectives such as theories of practice can inform each other and result in enhanced methods. First the use of psychological theory in journal articles on behavioral change in transport is reviewed. A comprehensive theoretical review is used to point to strengths and weaknesses in current approaches. Lastly an informed eclectic approach is advocated by proposing an operational framework that draws on established theories of attitude and behavioral choice as well as cultivating a better understanding of practices involved in personal travel

Turisttilfredshet på 78° nord - Den totale opplevelsen av Svalbard

Denne oppgaven tar for seg turisters tilfredshet av opplevelser på Svalbard. Opplevelsesturisme og naturbasert turisme er temaer som går igjen i reiselivsfagene og har blitt presentert som viktige trender i den globale reiselivsnæringen. Med dette som bakgrunn, lyder problemstillingen som følger: “Hvilke faktorer har størst påvirkning på turisters totale tilfredshet av opplevelser på destinasjon Svalbard?”. Høy tilfredshet av opplevelser bidrar til en god opplevelsesøkonomi, og er noe enhver destinasjon bør sikte mot for å oppnå eller opprettholde konkurransefortrinn. Oppgaven tar utgangspunkt i kvantitativ metode, og analysen er delt inn i tre deler. Første og andre del inneholder deskriptive analyser av utvalget, satt opp mot lignende undersøkelser fra Svalbard og resterende del av Norge. Tredje del tar for seg; 1. Forskjell i tilfredshet i henhold til turistkarakteristika som: kjønn, alder, nasjonalitet og organisering, 2. Forventning om å se nordlys og hvordan dette påvirker tilfredsheten, og 3. De ulike opplevelsesfaktorene og deres effekt på den totale tilfredsheten. Opplevelsesfaktorene som er inkludert er: Nordlys, snøscootertur, isgrottetur, hundesledetur, service, overnatting, mat og drikke, gjestfrihet fra lokalbefolkningen, gjestfrihet fra turoperatørene, kulturtilbudet, pris i forhold til kvalitet og kvalitet i forhold til forventning. Utvalget denne undersøkelsen baserer seg på er turister på Svalbard i tidsrommet januar til mars i 2016. Funnene fra analysene indikerer at de demografiske faktorene kjønn, alder og nasjonalitet, samt opplevelsesfaktorene mat og drikke og pris i forhold til kvalitet har størst effekt på turisters totale tilfredshet av opplevelser på Svalbard. For reiselivsaktørene og bedrifter tilknyttet reiselivsnæringen kan dette bidra til en bedre forståelse av veien til tilfredse turister. Forhåpentligvis kan denne oppgaven bidra til å belyse mulige svakheter og styrker ved eksisterende opplevelsesrelaterte produkter og –leveranser, og dermed si noe om videre satsning for reiselivsnæringen på Svalbard

ITS effektivisering af offentlig kørsel

Denne artikel beskriver resultatet af den største danske analyse af koordineringspotentialet for omkring 17.000 konkrete personkørsler (offentlige lukkede kørsler) i en repræsentativ 14 dages periode i 2012. Data er indsamlet fra fem større danske kommunernes faktiske kørsel i denne periode. Analysen er udført som en delanalyse i projektet ”Analyse af de lukkede kørselsordninger for fem kommuner...”, udført af konsulentfirmaet COWI som hovedentreprenør på projektet med Finn Frogne A/S som delleverandør af praktiske analyser.Ved hjælp af Frognes intelligente simuleringsværktøjer til kørselskoordinering og optimering, er data på de faktiske kørsler med servicekrav, start- og slutadresser samt kørselsordningsreferencer blevet udsat for elektronisk planlægningssimulering. I simuleringerne er kørslerne koordineret med forskellige udvalgte opsætninger på tværs af kørselsordninger, kommuner, ændringer i servicekrav osv.Målet med simuleringerne var at kunne vurdere den reelle effekt af forskellige koordineringstiltag, hvilket vil sige, at optimere antallet af personer, som transporteres per køretøj under forskellige opsætninger. Det være sig variationer i ventetider og køretøjstyper samt effekten ved at tilrettelæge kørsel på tværs af kørselsordninger og på tværs af kommunegrænserne. At benytte konkrete kørselsdata fra kommunerne og udsætte dem for en kørselsplanlægningssimulering, inddrages normalt ikke i forbindelse med projekter af denne karakter. Det er derfor en ny måde at anskue besparelses-potentialet i kommunerne på, ved at fremvise potentielle tal for koordineringsgrader og max antal personer per tur ud fra dokumenteret data. Tilmed tilvejebringer resultaterne potentielle besparelser i kommunernes CO2 udledning på den offentlige lukkede kørsel ved at optimere anvendelse af køretøjer, hvilket giver en ekstra miljødimension til analysen. Resultat:Analysens resultater udviser en potentiel koordineringsgrad, det vil sige, hvor mange passagerer der i gennemsnit sidder i køretøjet samtidig, på over 2. Det maksimale totale antal passagerer i køretøjet (max. antal personer per tur) er over 3.Det har ikke været muligt at få koordineringsgrader fra trafikselskaber eller transportører, som udfører persontransporterne i dag for kommunerne. FlexDanmark oplyser dog tal på såvel samlet antal ture som samlet antal kørsler i 2011 i høringsudgaven af Flextrafikplan for Nordjylland, hvoraf kan udledes værdien for max antal personer per bil til mellem 1,05 og 1,10 i perioden. På baggrund af de beregnede koordineringsgrader viser analysen tydeligt, at uden at reducere serviceniveauet for borgerne i kommunerne, vil en opnået koordineringsgrad på 2 resultere i en reduktion i nettoudgifterne på kommunernes lukkede kørsel med 15%, svarende til mellem 1,2 og 2,0 mio. kr. pr. kommune pr. år eller en samlet besparelse på 9,7 mio. kr for de fem kommuner. Opnåelse af en koordineringsgrad på 2 forudsætter en elektronisk kørselskoordinering på tværs af kommunegrænser og på tværs af kørselsordninger, men må ikke forveksles med trafikselskabernes tilbud. COWIs samlede resultat i ”Analyse af de lukkede kørselsordninger for fem kommuner...” viser, at det største enkeltstående besparelses-potentiale af alle løsningsforslag i analysen, opnås ved koordinering af kørsel på tværs af kommunegrænserne ved hjælp af et intelligent kørselskoordineringsværktøj, uden samtidig at ændre servicekravene

Climate Change, Aquaculture and Conflicts of Interests in Northern Norway: Research Results and Comparative Methodologies

The farming of Atlantic salmon and other aquaculture ventures have been controversial in many areas.  It has apparently been most accepted in Norway, today’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon.  Current research on climate, however, suggests that increasing water temperatures will lead to the migration of the industry from Southern and Mid Norway to Northern Norway, an area where skepticism to the industry is currently strongest.  The current government supports the expansion of aquaculture as the oil industry declines.  These factors suggest that disputes over the use of marine areas in northern Norway will become a factor that could affect the future expansion of the industry. This paper will use media mining techniques to uncover the primary conflicts of interest in the Norwegian county of Troms, with a particular focus on the fishing, aquaculture and tourism industries.  It will then compare the findings of this work with findings from previous studies, input to a recent round of hearings on the industry and workshops conducted as a part of the EU-funded project Ocean Certain, allowing for an evaluation of the use of media mining techniques as a data gathering technique. Do the various approaches (media mining, hearings, surveys and stakeholder workshops) provide commensurate understandings of the situation? Can the approaches complement each other by identifying/emphasizing different aspects of the conflicts?

Inhibition of basal IL-6 activity promotes subcutaneous fat retention in humans during fasting and postprandial states

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) knockout mice and humans treated with IL-6 receptor blockade gain adipose tissue mass. This study investigates whether basal IL-6 activity (resting IL-6 levels) influences fat storage during fasting and postprandial states. Using stable-isotope tracer techniques and IL-6 receptor blockade with tocilizumab, we examine fat kinetics in humans. Blocking basal IL-6 activity reduces fasting whole-body lipolysis, decreases hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) phosphorylation and fatty acid release in adipose tissue, and impairs postprandial fatty acid uptake in the leg. These results suggest diminished fatty acid uptake and oxidation in skeletal muscle, along with enhanced fatty acid entrapment in adipose tissue, which may account for the increased adiposity in the absence of IL-6 activity. Additionally, IL-6 blockade increases the escape of meal-derived fatty acids into the bloodstream. Whether this affects fatty acid storage and lipotoxicity in other tissues warrants further investigation. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04687540).</p

Psoriatic skin inflammation induces a pre-diabetic phenotype via the endocrine actions of skin secretome

Objective: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that is thought to affect ∼2% of the global population. Psoriasis has been associated with ∼30% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), with numerous studies reporting that psoriasis is an independent risk-factor for T2D, separate from underlying obesity. Separately, studies of skin-specific transgenic mice have reported altered whole-body glucose homeostasis in these models. These studies imply a direct role for skin inflammation and dysfunction in mediating the onset of T2D in psoriasis patients, potentially via the endocrine effects of the skin secretome on key metabolic tissues. We used a combination of in vivo and ex vivo mouse models and ex vivo human imiquimod (IMQ) models to investigate the effects of psoriasis-mediated changes in the skin secretome on whole-body metabolic function. Methods: To induce psoriatic skin inflammation, mice were topically administered 75 mg of 5% IMQ cream (or Vaseline control) to a shaved dorsal region for 4 consecutive days. On day 5, mice were fasted for glucose and insulin tolerance testing, or sacrificed in the fed state with blood and tissues collected for analysis. To determine effects of the skin secretome, mouse skin was collected at day 5 from IMQ mice and cultured for 24 h. Conditioned media (CM) was collected and used 1:1 with fresh media to treat mouse explant subcutaneous adipose tissue (sAT) and isolated pancreatic islets. For human CM experiments, human skin was exposed to 5% IMQ cream for 20 min, ex vivo, to induce a psoriatic phenotype, then cultured for 24 h. CM was collected, combined 1:1 with fresh media and used to treat human sAT ex vivo. Markers of tissue inflammation and metabolic function were determined by qPCR. Beta cell function in isolated islets was measured by dynamic insulin secretion. Beta-cell proliferation was determined by measurement of Ki67 immunofluorescence histochemistry and BrDU uptake, whilst islet apoptosis was assessed by caspase 3/7 activity. All data is expressed as mean ± SEM. Results: Topical treatment with IMQ induced a psoriatic-like phenotype in mouse skin, evidenced by thickening, erythema and inflammation of the skin. Topical IMQ treatment induced inflammation and signs of metabolic dysfunction in sub-cutaneous and epidydimal adipose tissue, liver, skeletal muscle and gut tissue. However, consistent with islet compensation and a pre-diabetic phenotype, IMQ mice displayed improved glucose tolerance, increased insulin and c-peptide response to glucose, and increased beta cell proliferation. Treatment of sAT with psoriatic mouse or human skin-CM replicated the in vivo phenotype, leading to increased inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in mouse and human sAT. Treatment of pancreatic islets with psoriatic mouse skin-CM induced increases in beta-proliferation and apoptosis, thus partially replicating the in vivo phenotype. Conclusions: Psoriasis-like skin inflammation induces a pre-diabetic phenotype, characterised by tissue inflammation and markers of metabolic dysfunction, together with islet compensation in mice. The in vivo phenotype is partially replicated by exposure of sAT and pancreatic islets to psoriatic-skin conditioned media. These results support the hypothesis that psoriatic skin inflammation, potentially via the endocrine actions of the skin secretome, may constitute a novel pathophysiological pathway mediating the development of T2D.</p

Targeted AntiBiotics for Chronic pulmonary diseases (TARGET ABC):can targeted antibiotic therapy improve the prognosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected patients with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, and asthma? A multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label trial

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is seen in chronic pulmonary disease and is associated with exacerbations and poor long-term prognosis. However, evidence-based guidelines for the management and treatment of P. aeruginosa infection in chronic, non-cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary disease are lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate whether targeted antibiotic treatment against P. aeruginosa can reduce exacerbations and mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), non-CF bronchiectasis, and asthma.METHODS: This study is an ongoing multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label trial. A total of 150 patients with COPD, non-CF bronchiectasis or asthma, and P. aeruginosa-positive lower respiratory tract samples will be randomly assigned with a 1:1 ratio to either no antibiotic treatment or anti-pseudomonal antibiotic treatment with intravenous beta-lactam and oral ciprofloxacin for 14 days. The primary outcome, analyzed with two co-primary endpoints, is (i) time to prednisolone and/or antibiotic requiring exacerbation or death, in the primary or secondary health sector, within days 20-365 from study allocation and (ii) days alive and without exacerbation within days 20-365 from the study allocation.DISCUSSION: This trial will determine whether targeted antibiotics can benefit future patients with chronic, non-CF pulmonary disease and P. aeruginosa infection in terms of reduced morbidity and mortality, thus optimizing therapeutic approaches in this large group of chronic patients.TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03262142 . Registered on August 25, 2017.</p