The Institutional Footprint : An empirical study of the relationship between institutional ownership and idiosyncratic volatility in Scandinavian stock markets

This thesis investigates the impact of institutional ownership on idiosyncratic volatility in Scandinavian stocks. The study applies CAPM regression analysis to estimate idiosyncratic volatility, akin to Xu and Malkiel (2003). Utilizing a comprehensive dataset on institutional ownership, the investigation is conducted by running fixed effects panel regressions on Scandinavian stocks, more specifically stocks listed on the Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, and Stockholm exchanges, from 2017 to 2022. We regress idiosyncratic volatility on institutional ownership lagged by one quarter, controlling for variables such as company size, leverage, and stock turnover. Our findings suggest that there is a statistically significant and positive relationship between institutional ownership and idiosyncratic volatility. These insights challenge traditional portfolio theory and have significant implications for investors and market regulators. For investors, our findings suggest a need to reconsider diversification strategies in light of changing market dynamics. For regulators, proactive monitoring and policy adaptation to counter the destabilizing nature of institutional ownership is essential for maintaining market stability. The research conducted adds to the understanding of the dynamics between institutional ownership and idiosyncratic volatility in Scandinavia.nhhma

Salvage, Towage and Environmental Damage from a Coastguard Perspective

Every year Norwegian Coastguard vessels are involved in different salvage, towage and environmental damage operations. This thesis identifies the rules involved in such operations, and explores the rules from a Coastguard perspective. All three subjects are closely connected, and major part of the thesis is relevant to all three situations. Environmental damage and towage will often be a part of a salvage operation, so a major part of this thesis involves salvage operations. Some rules are though special to towage and some to environmental damage operations. On many occasions will those operations also be outside the category of salvage. Salvage, towage and environmental damage operations creates special legal considerations. Many of these considerations will apply to all kinds of vessel. When the Coastguard performs such operations some special considerations are relevant. Part of the discussion will aslo be of general interest. In all three kinds of operations will it be an increased risk of damages to material and personnel. A major part of the discussion is on the rules on liability for damages in such operations. In the thesis it is discussed if the fact that the Coastguard does the salvage, towage or environmental damage operations will change the question of liability. It will also identify how the Coastguard may limit its liability

Ten years of collecting hematological athlete biological passport samples—perspectives from a National Anti-doping Organization

The hematological module of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) aims to reveal blood doping indirectly by looking at selected biomarkers of doping over time. For Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs), the ABP is a vital tool in the fight against doping in sports through improved target testing and analysis, investigations, deterrence, and as indirect evidence for use of prohibited methods or substances. The physiological characteristics of sport disciplines is an important risk factor in the overall risk assessment and when implementing the hematological module. Sharing of experiences with implementing the hematological ABP between ADOs is key to further strengthen and extend its use. In this study, we present 10 years of experience with the hematological ABP program from the perspectives of a National ADO with special attention to sport disciplines' physiological characteristics as a potential risk factor for blood doping. Not surprisingly, most samples were collected in sport disciplines where the aerobic capacity is vital for performance. The study highlights strengths in Anti-Doping Norway's testing program but also areas that could be improved. For example, it was shown that samples were collected both in and out of season in a subset of the data material that included three popular sports in Norway (Cross-Country Skiing, Nordic Combined, and Biathlon), however, from the total data material it was clear that athletes were more likely to be tested out of competition and on certain days of the week and times of the day. The use of doping control officers with a flexible time schedule and testing outside an athlete's 60 min time-slot could help with a more even distribution during the week and day, and thus reduce the predictability of testing. In addition to promoting a discussion on testing strategies, the study can be used as a starting point for other ADOs on how to examine their own testing program

Remind me to wait

Bakgrunn. Unødvendig forskrivning av antibiotika til pasienter med sinusitt er en vanlig problemstilling i allmennpraksis. Overforbruk av antibiotika kan føre til resistensutvikling, og det er derfor viktig med tiltak som kan begrense bruken av antibiotika der det ikke er klart indisert. Vent og se-resept (VOS) er et slikt tiltak. Vi ønsket å se på mulige tiltak for å øke andel VOS ved sinusitt. Med bakgrunn i egen erfaring ønsket vi å vurdere om et pop-up-vindu som foreslår VOS ved forskrivning av noen typer antibiotika, samt et informasjonsskriv til pasienten, ville være veldokumenterte, gjennomførbare tiltak. Kunnskapsgrunnlaget. Vi baserte vår søkestrategi på PICO-modellen. Vi søkte hovedsakelig etter retningslinjer og oversiktsartikler i McMasterPlus. Studier viser at de fleste tilfeller av sinusitt er ukompliserte og selvbegrensende, og at bruk av VOS er en gunstig metode for å redusere bruken av antibiotika. Vi har også funnet i studier at reminders er et effektivt tiltak for å endre praksis. For å finne ut om tiltaket er gjennomførbart har vi vært i kontakt med et allmennlegekontor, i tillegg til datateknisk support for selve installeringen. Tiltak, kvalitetsindikator og metode. Med utgangspunkt i bakgrunnen og kunnskapsgrunnlaget ønsker vi å innføre to tiltak; pop-up-vindu i datasystemet ved forskrivning av antibiotika og et informasjonsskriv til pasienten. Dette for å påminne legen om VOS og bevisstgjøre både lege og pasient om viktigheten av VOS. Målet med tiltakene er å øke andel VOS til 20% av foreskreven antibiotika til pasienter med akutt sinusitt som tilfredsstiller kriteriene for VOS gitt i Antibiotikaveilederen for allmennpraksis. Vi valgte dermed en prosessindikator for å vurdere om målet nås. Vi vurderer dette ved å sammenligne andelen VOS før og etter innføring av tiltak. Organisering. Organiseringen har vi basert på PDSA-sirkelen. For å innføre tiltaket bør det organiseres et møte der prosjektplanen blir presentert. Det bør informeres om selve installasjonen av pop-up-funksjonen og om informasjonsskrivet, samt resistensutviklingen og viktigheten av VOS. Deretter installeres pop-up-funksjonen enkelt. Etter ett år vurderer vi om målet er nådd, og det vil så holdes et evalueringsmøte om endringen i praksisen har hatt den ønskede effekten. Konklusjon. Problematikken og tiltakene vi har valgt er forankret i evidensbasert kunnskap, og med bakgrunn i kontakt med et mikrosystem kan vi si at det er gjennomførbart. Til tross for mulig motstand hos lege og pasient tror vi at dette tiltaket er nyttig og gjennomførbart

Use and feasibility of delayed prescribing for respiratory tract infections: A questionnaire survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Delayed prescribing of antibiotics for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) lowers the amount of antibiotics consumed. Several national treatment guidelines on RTIs recommend the strategy. When advocating treatment innovations, the feasibility and credibility of the innovation must be taken into account. The objective of this study was to explore GPs use and patients uptake of wait-and-see prescriptions for RTIs, and to investigate the feasibility of the strategy from GPs' and patients' perspectives.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Questionnaire survey among Norwegian GPs issuing and patients receiving a wait-and-see-prescription for RTIs. Patients reported symptoms, confidence and antibiotics consumption, GPs reported diagnoses, reason for issuing a wait-and-see-prescription and their opinion about the method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>304 response pairs from consultations with 49 GPs were received. The patient response rate was 80%. The most common diagnosis for the GPs to issue a wait-and-see prescription was sinusitis (33%) and otitis (21%). 46% of the patients reported to consume the antibiotics. When adjusted for other factors, the diagnosis did not predict antibiotic consumption, but both being 16 years or more (p = 0,006) and reporting to have a fever (p = 0,012) doubled the odds of antibiotic consumption, while feeling very ill more than quadrupled the odds (p = 0,002). In 210 cases (69%), the GP found delayed prescribing a very reasonable strategy, and 270 patients (89%) would prefer to receive a wait-and-see prescription in a similar situation in the future. The GPs found delayed prescribing very reasonable most frequently in cases of sinusitis (79%, p = 0,007) and least frequently in cases of lower RTIs (49%, p = 0,002).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Most patients and GPs are satisfied with the delayed prescribing strategy. The patients' age, symptoms and malaise are more important than the diagnosis in predicting antibiotic consumption. The GP's view of the method as a reasonable approach depends on the patient's diagnosis. In our setting, delayed prescribing seems to be a feasible strategy, especially in cases of sinusitis and otitis. Educational efforts to promote delayed prescribing in similar settings should focus on these diagnoses.</p

Kritiske refleksjonar om praksiskunnskapens stilling i det obligatoriske grunnskuleløpet – Ein fenomenologisk analyse av møtet mellom pensum og elev

Både fenomenologisk filosofi og teoriar om praktisk kunnskapsrasjonalitet formulerer erkjenningar som løftar fram det livsverdslege som materialgrunnlag for valid kunnskap. Det som særkjenner livsverda er det temporære, subjektive, fleirtydige og historisk situerte. Difor må, i følgje Edmund Husserl, ingen førpredikative premiss stå som kunnskapens udiskutable grunn. Han oppfordrar oss til å stille spørsmål ved tradisjonar som er så integrerte i kulturen at vi oppfattar dei som opphavelege. I ein pedagogisk samanheng er det aktuelt å undersøke om den sterke representasjonen av teoretisk pensum i grunnskulen er etablert i oss som eit dogme vi ikkje stiller spørsmål ved. For når vi spør kva elevgrupper som lir mest under situasjonen, er det tilsynelatande opplagte svaret at det er dei elevgruppene som ikkje «meistrar» teorien. Men finst det vinnarar i eit kunnskaps-udemokratisk system? Er ikkje alle som ikkje får tilgang til den rike praksiskunnskapen taparar? I denne artikkelen brukar eg fenomenologisk filosofi til å argumentere for ei pensumfornying der den tradisjonelt nedvurderte praksiskunnskapen blir gitt ein jamstilt plass. Med i analysen har eg refleksjonane til to ungdomar som begge går på ei yrkesfagleg linje i Noreg

Complexation-mediated electromembrane extraction of highly polar basic drugs—a fundamental study with catecholamines in urine as model system

Complexation-mediated electromembrane extraction (EME) of highly polar basic drugs (log P < −1) was investigated for the first time with the catecholamines epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine as model analytes. The model analytes were extracted as cationic species from urine samples (pH 4), through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) comprising 25 mM 4-(trifluoromethyl)phenylboronic acid (TFPBA) in bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphite (DEHPi), and into 20 mM formic acid as acceptor solution. EME was performed for 15 min, and 50 V was used as extraction voltage across the SLM. TFPBA served as complexation reagent, and selectively formed boronate esters by reversible covalent binding with the model analytes at the sample/SLM interface. This enhanced the mass transfer of the highly polar model analytes across the SLM, and EME of basic drugs with log P in the range −1 to −2 was shown for the first time. Meanwhile, most matrix components in urine were unable to pass the SLM. Thus, the proposed concept provided highly efficient sample clean-up and the system current across the SLM was kept below 50 μA. Finally, the complexation-mediated EME concept was combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry and evaluated for quantification of epinephrine and dopamine. Standard addition calibration was applied to a pooled human urine sample. Calibration curves using standards between 25 and 125 μg L−1 gave a high level of linearity with a correlation coefficient of 0.990 for epinephrine and 0.996 for dopamine (N = 5). The limit of detection, calculated as three times signal-to-noise ratio, was 5.0 μg L−1 for epinephrine and 1.8 μg L−1 for dopamine. The repeatability of the method, expressed as coefficient of variation, was 13% (n = 5). The proposed method was finally applied for the analysis of spiked pooled human urine sample, obtaining relative recoveries of 91 and 117% for epinephrine and dopamine, respectively.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project n. CTQ2011-23968) and Generalitat Valenciana (Spain) (projects n. GVA/2014/096 and PROMETEO/2013/038) for the financial support. E. Fernández thanks Spanish Ministry of Education for her FPU grant (FPU13/03125) and mobility grant (EST15/00074)

The Norwegian PraksisNett: a nationwide practice-based research network with a novel IT infrastructure

Clinical research in primary care is relatively scarce. Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) are research infrastructures to overcome hurdles associated with conducting studies in primary care. In Norway, almost all 5.4 million inhabitants have access to a general practitioner (GP) through a patient-list system. This gives opportunity for a PBRN with reliable information about the general population. The aim of the current paper is to describe the establishment, organization and function of PraksisNett (the Norwegian Primary Care Research Network). Materials and Methods We describe the development, funding and logistics of PraksisNett as a nationwide PBRN. Results PraksisNett received funding from the Research Council of Norway for an establishment period of five years (2018–2022). It is comprised of two parts; a human infrastructure (employees, including academic GPs) organized as four regional nodes and a coordinating node and an IT infrastructure comprised by the Snow system in conjunction with the Medrave M4 system. The core of the infrastructure is the 92 general practices that are contractually linked to PraksisNett. These include 492 GPs, serving almost 520,000 patients. Practices were recruited during 2019–2020 and comprise a representative mix of rural and urban settings spread throughout all regions of Norway. Conclusion Norway has established a nationwide PBRN to reduce hurdles for conducting clinical studies in primary care. Improved infrastructure for clinical studies in primary care is expected to increase the attractiveness for studies on the management of disorders and diseases in primary care and facilitate international research collaboration. This will benefit both patients, GPs and society in terms of improved quality of care.publishedVersio

General practitioners and tutors' experiences with peer group academic detailing: a qualitative study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Prescription Peer Academic Detailing (Rx-PAD) project is an educational intervention study aiming at improving GPs' competence in pharmacotherapy. GPs in CME peer groups were randomised to receive a tailored intervention, either to support a safer prescription practice for elderly patients or to improve prescribing of antibiotics to patients with respiratory tract infections. The project was based on the principles of peer group academic detailing, incorporating individual feedback on GPs' prescription patterns. We did a study to explore GPs and tutors' experiences with peer group academic detailing, and to explore GPs' reasons for deviating from recommended prescribing practice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data was collected through nine focus group interviews with a total of 39 GPs and 20 tutors. Transcripts from the interviews were analyzed by two researchers according to a procedure for thematic content analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A shared understanding of the complex decision-making involved in prescribing in general practice was reported by both GPs and tutors as essential for an open discussion in the CME groups. Tutors experienced that CME groups differed regarding structure and atmosphere, and in some groups it was a challenge to run the scheme as planned. Individual feedback motivated GPs to reflect on and to improve their prescribing practice, though feedback reports could cause distress if the prescribing practice was unfavourable. Explanations for inappropriate prescriptions were lack of knowledge, factors associated with patients, the GP's background, the practice, and other health professionals or health care facilities.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>GPs and tutors experienced peer group academic detailing as a suitable method to discuss and learn more about pharmacotherapy. An important outcome for GPs was being more reflective about their prescriptions. Disclosure of inappropriate prescribing can cause distress in some doctors, and tutors must be prepared to recognise and manage such reactions.</p

Acute psychiatric admissions from an out-of-hours Casualty Clinic; how do referring doctors and admitting specialists agree?

BACKGROUND: Over the last decades there has been an increasing pressure on the acute psychiatric wards in Norway. The major contributor to psychiatric acute admissions at the University Hospital of North Norway in the city of Tromsø in 2001 was the GP-based Tromsø Casualty Clinic, only open out-of-hours. We explored all acute psychiatric referrals from Tromsø Casualty Clinic in 2001. The purpose of the study was to characterize the admissions and assess the agreement between the referring doctors and the hospital specialists according to the need for hospitalization, agreement on application of the law and the diagnostic evaluation to assess whether the admissions were appropriate. METHODS: Retrospective, record based, descriptive study comprising 101 psychiatric acute referrals from the Tromsø Casualty Clinic to the psychiatric acute wards at the University Hospital of North Norway. RESULTS: The specialists accepted all referrals except one, they mostly agreed upon the diagnoses suggested by the referring doctors and they mostly confirmed the application of the law. Seventy-five percent of the admissions took place during weekends, public holidays or nighttimes. Diagnoses of psychoses or suicidal attempts accounted for 76 % of the total referrals. Substance abuse was noted for 43 %, and in 22 % of all admissions the patients had stopped taking their psychopharmacological medication. The police assisted the referring doctors in one third of all admissions, and was the legal representative in 52 out of 59 involuntary admissions. Thirty percent of the admissions were first- time admissions. Thirty-two percent of the hospital stays lasted for three days or less. Median length of stay was 6.5 days. CONCLUSION: The casualty clinic physicians and the hospital specialists mostly agreed in their evaluation of patients indicating that most of the admissions were appropriate. The police was more often involved in the involuntary admissions than intended in the law. The proportion of patients with substance abuse was significant. Alternative treatment strategies should be developed for non-psychotic patients in need of short-term stays