Exploring challenges of visitor- generated waste in Lofotodden National Park

Norway has many scenic and pristine national parks which are desired destinations for foreign and domestic tourists. More visits are encouraged into the parks as they bring local value creation, prompting management to seek enhanced visitor experiences. Recreational activity in vulnerable areas creates pressure and disturbance on ecological values, wildlife, and can detract the experiences in over-visited areas. My thesis explored the challenges of visitor-generated waste in Lofotodden National Park, related to the popular hiking and camping destination of Kvalvika beach. The main objective was to: Explore the challenges of visitor-generated waste in Lofotodden National park in order to create an understanding of the scope of the problem as seen from the tourists’ perspective, investigate visitor-waste relationships and provide initial guidelines for possible management measures. To answer the objective, the study applied an exploratory, mixed method approach using quantitative date from a field waste survey to monitor and map out key locations visitors dispose their waste, and “hot spots” where waste accumulates over the main tourist season, combined with observations of waste distribution and visitors’ behaviors and 26 qualitative semi structured in-depth interviews with visitors. Ajzen’s (1991) “theory of planned behavior” was used as a guiding theory, for identifying some of the prominent attitudes, subjective norms and the perceived behavior control visitors hold towards human waste behavior and management at the specific case area Kvalvika, within Lofotodden National Park. The findings from the three different methods identify and assess different aspects of the littering problem at Kvalvika. The fieldwork documents that littering is visible, accumulating, and dispersed over a gradually larger area during the main tourist season. Littering takes place near informal campsites, and the most common finding is human feces and toilet paper. Observations show that visitors camp close to surface-disposed human feces and use water sources prone to unwanted bacteria without treatment for a variety of personally hygienic activities, such as filling water bottles and brushing teeth. This raises concerns about visitors' health and degradation/wear of protected nature values. The interviews on the other hand find visitors do not perceive a particular waste problem at Kvalvika and experience it as a clean area. They have clearly negative attitudes towards littering. At the same time, the informants do not perceive toilet waste directly as litter, even though toilet paper was often encountered. Very few mentioned littering as problematic for humans, wildlife, or other ecological values, instead the problem was mainly related to aesthetic conditions, according to visitors. Visitors see it as a social norm not to litter and ask for simple management measures, if any. In particular, they support increased information, encouragement to bring "all" waste out, and guidelines for going to the bathroom in nature and to be more considerate of others. However, they do not want to be blamed for littering, which is seen as lazy or uneducated behaviors of others. They are negative or hesitant about "hard" management measures. The tourists see themselves as having the primary responsibility for keeping nature clean. Management can address the waste challenges with various measures, from indirect encouraging and persuasive messaging of wanted behavior from visitors to more direct regulation of access or larger physical measures such as toilets on the beach. Studies on the effect of different waste measures are minimal and adaptive approaches is recommended. Further research is needed to limit man-made waste in national parks and understand the impact of waste on ecological and social values. This study helps to identify areas that are important for further research, that will provide a better basis for effective management measures against littering in the future.Norge har mange nasjonalparker som med sin ville og vakre natur utgjør attraktive reisemål for turister fra inn- og utland. Det oppmuntres til flere besøk i parkene ettersom de frembringer lokal verdiskaping og forvaltningsmyndighetene ønsker kunne legge tilrettelegge for å gi gode opplevelser for besøkende som ikke går ut over verneverdiene. Fritidsaktivitet i sårbare områder skaper press og forstyrrelser på økologiske verdier, dyreliv, og kan forringe opplevelsene i overbesøkte områder. Oppgaven min utforsker utfordringene med besøksgenerert avfall i Lofotodden nasjonalpark knyttet til det populære tur- og campingmålet Kvalvika. Hovedmålet er å: Utforske utfordringene med besøksgenerert avfall i Lofotodden nasjonalpark for å skape empiri om omfanget av problemet/utfordringer sett fra turistens perspektiv. Videre undersøke sammenhenger mellom besøk-avfall-forhold og gi foreløpige anbefalinger om mulig forvaltningsmessige tiltak.M-REI

Installation of subsea equipment in ultra-deep water using fibre rope deployment system

Master's thesis in Offshore Technology: Marine and subsea technologyAs the demands for installation at deeper waters is increased, technology for such installations must be adapted to the conditions of the deep and ultra-deep water depths. This thesis provides information of such installations methods, including non-conventional installations methods. The main focus of the thesis is using fibre rope deployment system to deploy equipment at water depths up to 4000 m. The use of fibre rope instead of the traditional steel wire is popular due to the similar specific gravity to water, which makes the fibre rope naturally buoyant in water. This cancels the self-weight problem of the steel wire as hoist line. Due to the different properties of the fibre rope, a new and cutting-edge technology was developed by the industry for deployment using fibre rope. To investigate the possibilities of deploying equipment to water depths of 4000m, numerous simulations were conducted using the simulation program the SIMO. The results of the simulations show no significant problems using fibre rope to deploy various common subsea equipment. However, the positioning of the equipment is demonstrated to be a major challenge at thesesubmittedVersio

What is the matter with crushing pills and opening capsules?

Artikkelen beskriver en studie hvor hensikten var å kartlegge i hvilken grad medisiner blir knust og blandet inn i pasientenes mat og drikke ved sykehjem, samt i hvor stor grad dette gjaldt medisiner som ikke skal administreres på denne måten.This study aims to map out to what degree medication is being crushed and mixed into the patients' food and beverages and how often this practice included medication, which has a statement in the Norwegian pharmaceutical compendium that this should not be done (inappropriately altered medication (IAM)). Data from a total of 2108 patients in 151 wards in 65 nursing homes were collected. The data contained information about the kind of drugs the patient received, in which form it was given and how it was given. Patient characteristics and ward characteristics were also recorded. Twenty‐three per cent were given at least one drug mixed into their food or beverages and 10% were given at least one IAM. This study shows a malpractice regarding one aspect of medication in nursing homes. Even though we need more knowledge, we know enough to take action to raise the quality of the administration of medicines in nursing homes

The role of beta strategies in other asset pricing anomalies

This thesis is based on the findings of Liu (2018), and therefore considers long-short, zero cost portfolios based on documented asset pricing anomalies. These include momentum, composite equity issuance, return volatility, and idiosyncratic volatility. Consistent with the observations in Liu (2018), we find that the relevant long-short portfolios embed significantly negative realized betas and therefore load in the low-beta anomaly. Neutralization of this exposure decreases the economic magnitude and statistical significance of their abnormal returns. In order to demonstrate this, we follow the methodology of Liu (2018) and propose a modification to one of the beta mitigation techniques. Also, we contribute with other methods, documented in the existing literature, that are designed either to reduce the beta imbalance or to account for the portfolios’ exposure to the beta anomaly. Furthermore, we contribute by testing all methods of beta mitigation for alternative pre-formation beta estimation techniques, in order to investigate if these a↵ect the explanatory power of the beta anomaly. Consistent with the findings of Liu (2018), we find that the mitigation of the inherent beta imbalance in the long-short anomaly portfolios either decreases or removes these strategies’ abnormal returns. The magnitudes of these reductions vary by choice of beta neutralization method and pre-formation beta estimation technique.nhhma

Comparison of anxiety symptoms in spouses of persons suffering from dementia, geriatric in-patients and healthy older persons

Fagfellevurdert, vitenskapelig tidsskriftartikkelObjective:To describe and compare anxiety symptoms in spouses of persons suffering from dementia, geriatric in-patients and healthy controls, and to study possible risk factors associated with anxiety in these groups of older people. Method: The participants were 70 years and above: 1) 76 spouses of persons with dementia recruited from a memory clinic, 2) 98 in-patients without dementia but suffering from one or more chronic diseases, who were admitted to a geriatric department of an acute hospital, and 3) 68 healthy elderly people recruited from day-centres. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-X-1, 12-item) was used to tap anxiety symptoms. Results: Spouses of persons suffering from dementia expressed the same degree of anxiety symptoms as geriatric patients, and anxiety in these two groups differed significantly from the healthy elderly persons. In an adjusted linear regression analysis, anxiety, expressed as a high score on STAI-X-1, was associated with female gender (ß 0.16, p=0.01); being a spousal carer (ß 0.49, p <0.001) and being a geriatric patient (ß 0.57, p<0.001). Conclusion: Spouses of persons suffering from dementia reported as much anxiety symptoms as geriatric in-patients and both groups reported significantly more symptoms of anxiety than healthy older persons without caring obligations. The mental health nurses should include assessment of carers’ anxiety as routine

Blood Pressure and T-Tau in Spinal Fluid Are Associated With Delayed Recall in Participants With Memory Complaints and Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine if systolic blood pressure (SBP), total-tau (t-tau), and beta-amyloid (Aβ) in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) were associated with the results on the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Word List (CERAD-WL) immediate and delayed recall, and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) in “younger” older adults, controlling for age and sex. Method: We included 72 participants, mean age: 62.9 (SD 8.6, range 41–76) from a Norwegian memory clinic; eight were diagnosed with subjective cognitive decline, 32 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 30 with dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT), and two with combined DAT and vascular dementia (VaD). Data were examined in three fitted multiple linear regression models using the CERAD-WL immediate and delayed recall, and MMSE as dependent variables; and SBP, t-tau, and Aβ as independent variables, controlling for age and sex. Results: The strongest associations were found in the model using CERAD-WL delayed recall as the dependent variable, where 45% of the variance was explained (standardized Beta = −0.313, p = 0.004 for t-tau and standardized Beta −0.238, p = 0.01 for SBP). The unique contribution of age was close to 8%, t-tau close to 7%, and SBP above 5%. When cardiovascular medication was entered into the analysis, the explained variance increased to 51% and Aβ became significant (standardized Beta = 0.216, p = 0.03). Participants on this medication exhibited worse performance on CERAD-WL delayed recall than those who were not on medication. Age (7%), t-tau (6%), and SBP (5%) showed the same unique contribution, whereas medication contributed 6% and Aβ contributed 4%. CERAD-WL immediate recall, and MMSE yielded similar findings, but explained variance was poorer for these two variables. Conclusions: Both elevated SBP and t-tau were associated with poorer cognitive performance, especially delayed recall. Those on cardiovascular medication were more impaired than were participants who were not on this medication—a finding that probably reflected cerebral incidents in the medicated group.publishedVersio

A Psychometric Evaluation of the Threadgold Communication Tool for Persons with Dementia

The objective of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Threadgold Communication Tool (TCT). Method: Internal consistency reliability was measured using Cronbach’s α coefficient and inter-item correlation. Test-retest was performed to examine the instrument’s stability. Exploratory principal component analysis (PCA) with oblimin rotation was carried out to evaluate construct validity. Finally, the score on each item of the TCT was correlated with the person’s Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Barthel Index of activities of daily living scores. Results: A total of 51 persons participated, with a mean age of 86.7 (SD 6.6) years, of whom 46 were women with moderate-to-severe dementia [mean MMSE score 7.5 (SD 6.7)]. There were two measurement points 2 weeks apart. The results showed a satisfactory level for internal consistency and a high test-retest reliability (r = 0.76). The corrected item-total correlation ranged between 0.50 and 0.87, and a two-factor structure was revealed at the PCA. ‘Vocalizing’ seemed to measure another aspect of communication and was the only item which was negatively loaded. Conclusion: Despite the low sample size in this study, the results revealed the TCT as a reliable and valid instrument, suitable for measuring communication among people with dementia. We suggest clarifying the understanding of ‘vocalizing’ before considering removing it from the scale

Blood Pressure in Different Dementia Disorders, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Subjective Cognitive Decline

The aim of the study was to investigate whether blood pressure (BP) differed among people with different dementia diagnoses, mild cognitive impairment, and subjective cognitive decline and whether BP differences were observed across age and sex. Our study population comprised clinical data from 6,236 patients (53.5% women) aged 45–97 years (Mean = 73.9, SD = 9.6) referred to dementia assessment in 42 outpatient clinics across Norway during 2009–2019. Patients with the following diagnoses were included: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Vascular dementia (VaD), mixed AD and VaD, and dementia in Parkinson’s disease/Lewy body disease (PDD/LBD). For all diagnostic groups, SBP increased with age until about 80 years, after which it trended downward, whereas DBP declined after 60 years of age for all diagnostic groups. Patients aged 65 years and younger with SCD had lower SBP compared to AD patients at the same age, but SBP increased rapidly with increasing age, resulting in a substantially higher SBP at 80 + years compared with all other diagnostic groups. No other differences in SBP or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were found among patients with the different dementia diagnosis. Neither SBP nor DBP differed between MCI and AD groups. An interaction between age and gender was found for SBP at younger ages, as women started out with a lower pressure than men did but ended up with higher SBP. Conclusion: Among 80+ patients, blood pressure did not differ as a function of the various dementia disorders. The SBP for the SCD patients of various age groups differed from all other diagnostic groups, indicating either that internal regulation of BP in older people is a risk factor for dementia or that brain damage causing dementia or MCI may led to changes in blood pressure. Brain aging seems to influence SBP differently in men and womenpublishedVersio

Alene med ansvaret : hvilke faktorer påvirker nyutdannede sosialarbeidere til å slutte i førstelinjetjenesten i barnevernet?

Denne oppgaven beskriver faktorer som virker inn på at nyutdannete sosialarbeidere som velger førstelinjetjenesten i barnevernet som første arbeidsplass, slutter. Oppgaven tar utgangspunkt i beskrivelsene til de nyutdannete og følger dem fra før utdannelsen og frem til de slutter på første arbeidsplass. Hvordan oppleves det å være ny i dette feltet? Hvordan virker disse opplevelsene inn på dem som personer? Hvilke faktorer virker inn på valget? Dette er spørsmål som denne oppgaven skal kaste lys over. Oppgaven er en empirisk undersøkelse hvor syv personer er blitt intervjuet. Jeg benytter meg av ulike teorier for å kaste lys over de fenomener de beskriver. Oppgaven har en form hvor vi følger informantene på deres vei. Førstelinjetjenesten i barnevernet er et arbeidsfelt som stiller store krav til den enkelte. Det er mange hensyn som skal ivaretas. Både juridiske, barnevernfaglige, etiske og relasjonelle ferdigheter kreves. Det er et økende fokus på gapet mellom utdannelse og jobb innen helseog sosialfag. På samfunnsnivå har fokuset i størst grad vært på lærere og sykepleiere. Det har i den senere tid blitt satt søkelys på sosialarbeidere og da gjennom større undersøkelser. Denne oppgaven prøver å få frem stemmene til noen nyutdannete slik at vi får vite hvordan dette gapet oppleves. Sentralt i oppgaven er hvordan profesjonalitet og kompetanse utvikles. Det rettes også et blikk mot faktorer som kan hemme en slik utvikling. Funnene i undersøkelsen kan ikke generaliseres, men er et bidrag til annen forskning på området og kan utfylle forskning om dette tema som er kvantitativt orientert.This paper describes different variables influencing recently qualified child welfare officers who resign after their first work experience; working in community services. The paper uses the narratives of the recently qualified welfare officers as a starting point. Their stories run from before their education until they exit from their first job. How do they experience being new in this particular field of expertise? How do their experiences affect them personally? Which factors influence their decision to resign? The paper is an empiric research where 7 people have been interviewed. To shed light on different phenomena they describe, I have used different theories. The child welfare service in community services is a field of work which sets great demands on the individual child welfare officer. There are numerous considerations to be taken into account. Both legal, ethical, human-relation and childe welfare skills are required. There is a growing focus on the gap between the educational and practical working within health- and social care. The focus has so far been mainly on teachers and nurses. Lately comprehensive studies have included social workers. This paper seeks to highlight the gap that newly qualified social workers experience in their first job. A main focus of this paper is how professionalism and competence is developed together with variables which can restrain such development. The findings of this empiric research can not be generalised, but must be seen as a complement to other quantitative research concerning this field of expertise.Master i sosialt arbei