Life-history Traits of Charr, Salvelinus alpinus, from a High Arctic Watercourse on Svalbard

Three arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) morphs coexist within the Dieset watercourse (79°10'N, 11°20'E) on Spitsbergen, Svalbard. Small freshwater resident charr exhibited a very slow growth rate, while large freshwater resident charr grew at a rate comparable to that reported for cannibalistic charr elsewhere. First-time sea migrants of the anadromous charr were similar in size to their more southern-living Norwegian conspecifics, but on average two years older. The average number of sea runs before first-time spawning was 3.6 for males and 4.4 for females. Veteran migrants displayed growth comparable to that of anadromous charr from more southern populations. In all three morphs, sex ratio did not differ from unity. The short-lived small residents matured from an age of 4 years, 3 to 4 years earlier than did large residents and anadromous charr. The majority of small resident and anadromous charr spawn a maximum of three times, while large resident charr may spawn up to seven times. Although 69% of large resident charr were older than 15 years, only 5.7% of reproductive anadromous charr exceeded this age. This divergence may indicate different reproductive strategies between the two morphs. There was no evidence of reproductive isolation between these High Arctic charr morphs. Trois variétés d'omble chevalier (Salvelinus alpinus) coexistent à l'intérieur du cours d'eau Dieset (79° 10' de latit. N., 11° 20' de long. E.) au Spitzberg, dans l'archipel du Svalbard. Le petit omble d'eau douce résident affichait un taux de croissance très lent, tandis que le gros omble d'eau douce résident grossissait à une vitesse comparable à celle rapportée ailleurs pour l'omble cannibale. Les spécimens d'omble anadrome qui migraient pour la première fois vers la mer avaient une taille analogue à celle de leurs congénères norvégiens vivant plus au sud, mais avaient en moyenne deux ans de plus. Le nombre moyen une croissance comparable à celle de l'omble anadrome appartenant à des populations plus méridionales. Chez les trois variétés, la proportion des sexes ne différait pas de la valeur 1. Les petits résidents ne vivaient pas longtemps et devenaient adultes à partir de l'âge de 4 ans, c'est-à-dire 3 ou 4 ans plus tôt que ne le faisaient les plus gros résidents et l'omble anadrome. La plupart des petits résidents et de l'omble anadrome frayaient un maximum de trois fois, tandis que le gros omble résident peut frayer jusqu'à sept fois. Si 69 p. cent des gros ombles résidents avaient plus de 15 ans, seulement 5, 7 p. cent des ombles anadromes reproducteurs dépassaient cet âge - divergence qui pourrait indiquer des stratégies de reproduction différentes pour chaque variété. Rien ne semblait indiquer un isolement reproducteur entre ces variétés d'omble de l'Extrême-Arctique.

Hvorfor ser naturmangfold så ofte ut til å tape overfor andre interesser i konsekvensutredninger etter Statens vegvesen sin håndbok V712?

Denne masteroppgaven er en kartlegging av utfordringer som bidrar til å svare på problemstillingen; ‘hvorfor ser naturmangfold så ofte ut til å tape overfor andre interesser i konsekvensutredninger etter Statens vegvesen sin håndbok V712?’, med delspørsmålene ‘hva gjør metodikken utfordrende i praksis?’, ‘hva gjør at man ikke i større grad klarer å ivare ta naturmangfoldet?’ Og ‘hvordan vises dette i Hordfast?’. Oppgaven kommer også innom at mer bruk av landskapsøkologi kan bidra til økt kunnskap om naturens kompleksitet. Datagrunnlaget er samlet inn gjennom semistrukturerte intervjuer med informanter som har erfaring fra å jobbe med, og etter, HB V712. Empirien fra intervjuene er blitt analysert og diskutert i sammenheng med relevante rapporter, dokumenter og forskning. Det er redegjort for elementer som gjør at naturmangfold prioriteres vekk i planlegging og politikk. Kort oppsummert er det fire funn som utgjør elementene. To overordnede, funn 1 er det økonomiske bakteppet som bidrar til at naturmangfold må vike for samfunnsutvikling og økonomisk vekst, og funn 2 er at metodikken i HB V712 praktiseres ut ifra enkeltprosjekter noe som fører til bit-for-bit-utbygging og at man mister oversikt over hvor mye natur som bygges ned. Funn 3 og 4 utgjør de mer direkte, praktiske utfordringene med metodikken, der funn 3 er utfordringen med å vurdere prinsippene føre-var-prinsippet, og økosystemtilnærming og samlet belasting etter naturmangfoldloven i KU-er. Det blir ofte neglisjert på grunn av mangel på klar tilhørighet og kunnskapshull. Funn 4 er knyttet til jobben med å vurdere påvirkning et tiltak har på ‘landskapsøkologiske funksjonsområder’, som er en omfattende registreringskategori å forstå omfanget av, og deretter hvilke konsekvenser som vil følge av påvirkningen på den. Interessekonflikter og vitenskapelige usikkerheter knyttet til natur og miljø ser man er en gjenganger for alle funnene og utgjør mye av grunnen til hvorfor forvaltningen møter på disse utfordringen når de foretar KU-er i praksis.Praksisbasert masteroppgaveSDG351MAHF-SD

Skoleeierskap i en flerkulturell kontekst

Denne studien retter oppmerksomhet mot det kommunale utdanningspolitiske nivåets tilnær-ming til styring i en flerkulturell kontekst. Formålet med studien er å bidra med kunnskap om skoleeiers perspektiver på den flerkulturelle skolen, et tematisk skjæringspunkt som i Skandi-navisk sammenheng ikke har blitt forsket på tidligere. I lys av kritisk multikulturalisme søker studien å forstå hvilken betydning skoleeiers ressursorienterte og problemorienterte perspek-tiver kan ha for språklige og kulturelle minoritetselever og for styring av skoler i en flerkultu-rell kontekst. Da 40 prosent av elevene i Osloskolen er minoritetsspråklige, er Oslo kommunes skoleeier-skap undersøkt. Studien er basert på kvalitative intervju med tidligere byråd for kunnskap og utdanning Torger Ødegaard, Utdanningsdirektør Astrid Søgnen, leder av kultur- og utdan-ningskomiteen i bystyret Øystein Sundelin og nestleder av kultur- og utdanningskomiteen Andreas Halse. Undersøkelsen viser at skoleeier fokuserer på språklige og kulturelle minorite-ter som ulike og forskjellige, der ulikheten krever kompensatoriske tiltak for å sikre alle ele-ver et likeverdig utgangspunkt for læring. Forskjellighetens antatte negative implikasjoner for læring vies politisk oppmerksomhet, mens de positive aspektene ved forskjellighet virker å være opp til skolene å integrere. Skoleeier peker på minoritetenes mangelfulle forutsetninger som årsaken til utfordringene språklige og kulturelle minoriteter utgjør og opplever i Oslosko-len. Byråden har en oppfatning av at politisk styring ikke er av betydning for det pedagogiske arbeidet i skolen, til tross for at skoleeier finansierer konkrete læringsverktøy, kartleggings-verktøy og undervisningsmetoder over kommunalt budsjett. Flerkulturelle temaer avfeies som relevante i bystyret og blir ansett som et uttrykk for rasistiske holdninger. Det politiske rom-met for å diskutere skoleutvikling i en flerkulturell kontekst, med alle de temaene det kan in-nebære, virker fremfor alt begrenset. Studien frembringer kunnskap om underliggende normer, ideologier, kultursyn og former for makt som gjenspeiles i skoleeiers tilnærming til utdanningspolitisk styring i en flerkulturell kontekst. Studien konkluderer med at skoleeiers styring kan virke udemokratisk, diskrimine-rende overfor minoritetselever, samt bidra til reproduksjon av strukturelle forskjeller i sam-funnet.This thesis focuses on the governance approach of local educational policy practitioners in a multicultural context. The aim of the study is to offer insight around the (public) School Owner’s perspective on the multicultural school, a thematic intersection rarely heretofore in-vestigated in Scandinavia. In light of critical multiculturalism, the thesis seeks to fathom what significance the School Owner’s resource- and problem-oriented perspectives might have for governance of schools in a multicultural setting. As 40 percent of the pupils in Oslo’s schools are language minorities, the school ownership of the municipality of Norway’s capital is scrutinized. The analysis is based on qualitative inter-views with former Commissioner of Knowledge and Education, Torger Ødegaard; Director of Education, Astrid Søgnen; the Chairman of the City Council’s Committee for Culture and Education, Øystein Sundelin; and Deputy Chairman of the same committee, Andreas Halse. The inquiry demonstrates that the School Owner sees language minorities and cultural minori-ties as groups inherently different from the general pupil population, a difference that requires compensatory measures to secure all students equal basis for learning. The presumed negative implications of this difference is given political attention, whilst it seems to be up to the schools to integrate the positive aspects of diversity. When explaining the reasons behind the challenges language minorities and cultural minorities represent and experience, the School Owner draws attention to the insufficient prerequisites of these groups themselves. The Commissioner does not perceive political governance to be of relevance as regards the peda-gogical work at schools, in spite of the fact that the School Owner finances specific learning remedies, assessment tools and teaching methods through the municipal budget. Multicultural themes are dismissed as irrelevant in the City Council, and are viewed as expressions of racist attitudes. Above all, the political room for discussing school development in a multicultural context, with all that that might encompass, seems limited. This thesis offers knowledge on principal norms, ideologies, views on culture, and power as evinced through the School Owner’s approach to educational governance in a multicultural environment. The School Owner’s governance is found to have anti-democratic effects, dis-criminating minority pupils, as well as reproducing structural differences at the societal level.Master i flerkulturell og internasjonal utdannin

Undiagnosed diabetes based on HbA 1c by socioeconomic status and healthcare consumption in the Tromsø Study 1994-2016

Introduction - We aimed to investigate whether the proportion of undiagnosed diabetes varies by socioeconomic status and healthcare consumption, in a Norwegian population screened with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Research - design and methods In this cohort study, we studied age-standardized diabetes prevalence using data from men and women aged 40–89 years participating in four surveys of the Tromsø Study with available data on HbA1c and self-reported diabetes: 1994–1995 (n=6720), 2001 (n=5831), 2007–2008 (n=11 987), and 2015–2016 (n=20 170). We defined undiagnosed diabetes as HbA1c ≥6.5% (48 mmol/mol) and no self-reported diabetes. We studied the association of education, income and contact with a general practitioner on undiagnosed diabetes and estimated adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) from multivariable adjusted (age, sex, body mass index) log-binomial regression. Results - Higher education was associated with lower prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes. Those with secondary and tertiary education had lower prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes (aPR for tertiary vs primary: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.66). Undiagnosed as a proportion of all diabetes was also significantly lower in those with tertiary education (aPR:0.78, 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.93). Household income was also negatively associated with prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes. Across the surveys, approximately 80% of those with undiagnosed diabetes had been in contact with a general practitioner the last year, similar to those without diabetes. Conclusions - Undiagnosed diabetes was lower among participants with higher education. The hypothesis that those with undiagnosed diabetes had been less in contact with a general practitioner was not supported

Effect of energy restriction and physical exercise intervention on phenotypic flexibility as examined by transcriptomics analyses of mRNA from adipose tissue and whole body magnetic resonance imaging.

Overweight and obesity lead to changes in adipose tissue such as inflammation and reduced insulin sensitivity. The aim of this study was to assess how altered energy balance by reduced food intake or enhanced physical activity affect these processes. We studied sedentary subjects with overweight/obesity in two intervention studies, each lasting 12 weeks affecting energy balance either by energy restriction (~20% reduced intake of energy from food) in one group, or by enhanced energy expenditure due to physical exercise (combined endurance- and strength-training) in the other group. We monitored mRNA expression by microarray and mRNA sequencing from adipose tissue biopsies. We also measured several plasma parameters as well as fat distribution with magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. Comparison of microarray and mRNA sequencing showed strong correlations, which were also confirmed using RT-PCR In the energy restricted subjects (body weight reduced by 5% during a 12 weeks intervention), there were clear signs of enhanced lipolysis as monitored by mRNA in adipose tissue as well as plasma concentration of free-fatty acids. This increase was strongly related to increased expression of markers for M1-like macrophages in adipose tissue. In the exercising subjects (glucose infusion rate increased by 29% during a 12-week intervention), there was a marked reduction in the expression of markers of M2-like macrophages and T cells, suggesting that physical exercise was especially important for reducing inflammation in adipose tissue with insignificant reduction in total body weight. Our data indicate that energy restriction and physical exercise affect energy-related pathways as well as inflammatory processes in different ways, probably related to macrophages in adipose tissue

LIGHT/TNFSF14 is increased in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and promotes islet cell dysfunction and endothelial cell inflammation in vitro

Published version. Source at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00125-016-4036-y Aims/hypothesis: Activation of inflammatory pathways is involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. On the basis of its role in vascular inflammation and in metabolic disorders, we hypothesised that the TNF superfamily (TNFSF) member 14 (LIGHT/TNFSF14) could be involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: Plasma levels of LIGHT were measured in two cohorts of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (191 Italian and 40 Norwegian). Human pancreatic islet cells and arterial endothelial cells were used to explore regulation and relevant effects of LIGHT in vitro. Results: Our major findings were: (1) in both diabetic cohorts, plasma levels of LIGHT were significantly raised compared with sex- and age-matched healthy controls (n = 32); (2) enhanced release from activated platelets seems to be an important contributor to the raised LIGHT levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus; (3) in human pancreatic islet cells, inflammatory cytokines increased the release of LIGHT and upregulated mRNA and protein levels of the LIGHT receptors lymphotoxin β receptor (LTβR) and TNF receptor superfamily member 14 (HVEM/TNFRSF14); (4) in these cells, LIGHT attenuated the insulin release in response to high glucose at least partly via pro-apoptotic effects; and (5) in human arterial endothelial cells, glucose boosted inflammatory response to LIGHT, accompanied by an upregulation of mRNA levels of HVEM (also known as TNFRSF14) and LTβR (also known as LTBR). Conclusions/interpretation: Our findings show that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are characterised by increased plasma LIGHT levels. Our in vitro findings suggest that LIGHT may contribute to the progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus by attenuating insulin secretion in pancreatic islet cells and by contributing to vascular inflammation

Beta cell function, hepatic insulin clearance, and insulin sensitivity in South Asian and Nordic women after gestational diabetes mellitus

South Asians have higher risk of type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) than Nordic women; however the mechanisms behind this difference remain unclear. We investigated insulin sensitivity, beta cell function, and hepatic insulin clearance, in 179 South Asian and 108 Nordic women ∼17 months after GDM (mean age 35.3 years and BMI 29.1 kg/m2), via an oral glucose tolerance test using deconvolution of C-peptide kinetics. 31% of South Asian and 53% of Nordic participants were normoglycemic at the time of measurement. South Asian women had higher area under the curve (AUC) for glucose, pre-hepatic insulin, peripheral insulin, and lower levels of insulin sensitivity, disposition index, and fasting hepatic insulin clearance compared with Nordic women. In the group with prediabetes or diabetes, South Asian women displayed similar AUC for glucose and pre-hepatic insulin, but higher AUC for peripheral insulin, and lower levels of disposition index, and fasting hepatic insulin clearance compared with Nordic women. The waist-to-height ratio mediated ∼25-40% of the ethnic differences in insulin sensitivity in normoglycemic women. Overall, our novel data showed that normoglycemic South Asian women after GDM displayed lower insulin secretion for a given insulin resistance, and lower hepatic insulin clearance compared with Nordic women. South Asian women are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes after GDM, and preventive efforts should be prioritized

Single-centre, triple-blinded, randomised, 1-year, parallel-group, superiority study to compare the effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy on remission of type 2 diabetes and β-cell function in subjects with morbid obesity: a protocol for the Obesity surgery in Tønsberg (Oseberg) study

publishedVersio

High prevalence and significant ethnic differences in actionable HbA 1C after gestational diabetes mellitus in women living in Norway

Background: The type 2 diabetes risk after gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is twice as high in South Asian compared to European women. Current guidelines differ regarding which test to use as a screening-tool post-GDM. We aimed to identify ethnic differences in the prevalence rates and early predictors for actionable HbA1c (defined as prediabetes and diabetes) short time after GDM. Methods: This cross-sectional study, enrolling South Asian and Nordic women 1–3 years after a diagnosis of GDM, was undertaken at three hospitals in Norway. We performed a clinical and laboratory evaluation including an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Medical records were used to retrieve data during pregnancy. Prediabetes was classified with HbA1c alone or combined with OGTT glucose measurements according to the WHO, WHO-IEC, and ADA criteria (fasting plasma glucose (FPG) 6.1–6.9 mmol/L, FPG 6.1–6.9 mmol/L and/or HbA1c 42-47 mmol/mol (6.0-6.4%), and FPG 5.6–6.9 mmol/L and/or HbA1c 39-47 mmol/mol (5.7-6.4%)). Ethnic differences in prevalence and predictors of glucose deterioration were assed by χ2 (Pearson) tests and logistic regression models. Results: We included 163 South Asian and 108 Nordic women. Actionable HbA1c levels were highly prevalent and more so among South Asian than Nordic women (WHO-IEC-HbA1c: 25.8% vs. 6.5% (p ≤ 0.001), ADA-HbA1c: 58.3% vs. 22.2% (p ≤ 0.001)). Although adding OGTT-data gave higher combined prevalence rates of prediabetes and diabetes (WHO: 65.6% vs. 47.2% (p ≤ 0.05), WHO-IEC: 70.6% vs. 47.2% (p ≤ 0.001), ADA: 87.8% vs. 65.7% (p ≤ 0.001)), the excess risk in the South Asian women was best captured by the HbA1c. Important predictors for glucose deterioration after GDM were: South Asian ethnicity, GDM before the index pregnancy, use of glucose-lowering drugs in pregnancy, higher age, and higher in-pregnancy fasting glucose levels. Conclusions: In women with GDM 1–3 year previously, we found high prevalence and significant ethnic differences in actionable ADA-HbA1c levels, with South Asian ethnicity, GDM before the index pregnancy, and the use of glucose-lowering drugs in pregnancy as the most important risk factors. This study reinforces the importance of annual screening—preferably with HbA1c measurements—to facilitate early intervention after GDM