Same but different: meaning-making among refugee and non-refugee youths

Purpose: There is substantial research on the experiences, needs and well-being of unaccompanied refugee adolescents, but less is known about existential aspects of their lives. The purpose of the current study is to explore existential meaning-making among unaccompanied refugee children. Design/methodology/approach: The informants in this study are young unaccompanied refugees (n = 30) living in Norway, and young Norwegians (n = 46). The authors undertook a secondary analysis of in-depth qualitative refugee interview data and a quantitative analysis of questionnaire data from Norwegian informants. Findings: Both the refugee youths and the Norwegian youths expressed that social relationships and connections to others were most important for meaning. Moreover, both groups emphasized the importance of relatedness and generativity, i. e. commitment to worldly affairs beyond one’s immediate needs. The main differences between the two groups were related to the significance attached to religion and to loneliness. Research limitations/implications: The comparison between the two groups is only possible to some degree. Secondary analyses have some limitations, as well as strengths. Practical implications: The findings may be useful for supporting young refugees, as they provide insights into less-studied aspects of their lives. Originality/value: The originality of this study lies in the focus on and broad interpretation of meaning, of secondary data analyses, and of comparisons between youths that are refugees versus non-refugees.publishedVersio

Bohmian arrival time without trajectories

The computation of detection probabilities and arrival time distributions within Bohmian mechanics in general needs the explicit knowledge of a relevant sample of trajectories. Here it is shown how for one-dimensional systems and rigid inertial detectors these quantities can be computed without calculating any trajectories. An expression in terms of the wave function and its spatial derivative, both restricted to the boundary of the detector's spacetime volume, is derived for the general case, where the probability current at the detector's boundary may vary its sign.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures; v2: reference added, extended introduction, published versio

Glycyrrhizin Exerts Antioxidative Effects in H5N1 Influenza A Virus-Infected Cells and Inhibits Virus Replication and Pro-Inflammatory Gene Expression

Glycyrrhizin is known to exert antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. Here, the effects of an approved parenteral glycyrrhizin preparation (Stronger Neo-Minophafen C) were investigated on highly pathogenic influenza A H5N1 virus replication, H5N1-induced apoptosis, and H5N1-induced pro-inflammatory responses in lung epithelial (A549) cells. Therapeutic glycyrrhizin concentrations substantially inhibited H5N1-induced expression of the pro-inflammatory molecules CXCL10, interleukin 6, CCL2, and CCL5 (effective glycyrrhizin concentrations 25 to 50 µg/ml) but interfered with H5N1 replication and H5N1-induced apoptosis to a lesser extent (effective glycyrrhizin concentrations 100 µg/ml or higher). Glycyrrhizin also diminished monocyte migration towards supernatants of H5N1-infected A549 cells. The mechanism by which glycyrrhizin interferes with H5N1 replication and H5N1-induced pro-inflammatory gene expression includes inhibition of H5N1-induced formation of reactive oxygen species and (in turn) reduced activation of NFκB, JNK, and p38, redox-sensitive signalling events known to be relevant for influenza A virus replication. Therefore, glycyrrhizin may complement the arsenal of potential drugs for the treatment of H5N1 disease

Hva kan og bør et lokalsamfunn selv gjøre for å forebygge kriminalitet

Rapporten presenterer resultatene fra en evaluering av prosjektet ”Mindre kriminalitet i lokalsamfunnet”. Evalueringen ble gjennomført i perioden primo 2006 til 1. mars 2007, på oppdrag fra Askim Rotary, med midler stilt til disposisjon av Justis- og politidepartementet. ”Mindre kriminalitet i lokalsamfunnet” har hatt tre satsingsområder, henholdsvis 1) utvikling av tverrsektorielle møteplasser for frivillige og offentlige aktører med interesse for primærforebygging av kriminalitetsutvikling hos barn og unge; 2) utvikling av tiltak for potensielle ”tidligstartere” (barn som tidlig viser antisosial atferd og har høy risiko for kriminalitetsutvikling), og 3) utvikling av tiltak for potensielle ”senstartere” (ungdom med problematferd men ikke etablerte antisosiale atferdsmønstre, med moderat risiko for kriminalitetsutvikling). Innenfor hvert av satsingsområdene har prosjektet vektlagt faglig soliditet, tilrettelegging for tverrsektorielt samarbeid, og mobilisering av frivillig kompetanse. Ved prosjektets avslutning er det etablert en Nettverksorganisasjon for barn- og unge i faresonen, som videreføres under ledelse av Askim kommune. Med utgangspunkt i Nettverksorganisasjonen er det etablert partnerskapsavtale mellom tre kommunale enheter og tre frivillige organisasjoner ad tiltaksutvikling for potensielle senstartere. Det er åpning for at flere kan slutte seg til. Det er også på trappene en partnerskapsavtale ad tiltaksutvikling for potensielle tidligstartere. Kombinasjonen av tverrsektorielle møteplasser gjennom nettverksorganisering, og gjensidig forpliktende partnerskapsavtaler om målrettede tiltak for barn og unge med henholdsvis moderat og høy risiko for kriminalitetsutvikling, er en lovende modell for kriminalitetsforebygging på lokalsamfunnsnivå. Prosjektet har derimot ikke lykkes spesielt godt med mobilisering av frivillige, eller med utvikling av konkrete tilbud eller tiltak til potensielle tidlig- eller senstartere. Prosjektet har hatt en ressursbruk som har flere fellestrekk med konsulentvirksomhet enn med frivillighets- eller forskningsprosjekter

Same but different: meaning-making among refugee and non-refugee youths

There is substantial research on the experiences, needs and well-being of unaccompanied refugee adolescents, but less is known about existential aspects of their lives. The purpose of the current study is to explore existential meaning-making among unaccompanied refugee children. Design/methodology/approach – The informants in this study are young unaccompanied refugees (n = 30) living in Norway, and young Norwegians (n = 46). The authors undertook a secondary analysis of in-depth qualitative refugee interview data and a quantitative analysis of questionnaire data from Norwegian informants. Findings – Both the refugee youths and the Norwegian youths expressed that social relationships and connections to others were most important for meaning. Moreover, both groups emphasized the importance of relatedness and generativity, i. e. commitment to worldly affairs beyond one’s immediate needs. The main differences between the two groups were related to the significance attached to religion and to loneliness. Research limitations/implications – The comparison between the two groups is only possible to some degree. Secondary analyses have some limitations, as well as strengths. Practical implications – The findings may be useful for supporting young refugees, as they provide insights into less-studied aspects of their lives. Originality/value – The originality of this study lies in the focus on and broad interpretation of meaning, of secondary data analyses, and of comparisons between youths that are refugees versus non-refugee

Same but different: meaning-making among refugee and non-refugee youths

Purpose: There is substantial research on the experiences, needs and well-being of unaccompanied refugee adolescents, but less is known about existential aspects of their lives. The purpose of the current study is to explore existential meaning-making among unaccompanied refugee children. Design/methodology/approach: The informants in this study are young unaccompanied refugees (n = 30) living in Norway, and young Norwegians (n = 46). The authors undertook a secondary analysis of in-depth qualitative refugee interview data and a quantitative analysis of questionnaire data from Norwegian informants. Findings: Both the refugee youths and the Norwegian youths expressed that social relationships and connections to others were most important for meaning. Moreover, both groups emphasized the importance of relatedness and generativity, i. e. commitment to worldly affairs beyond one’s immediate needs. The main differences between the two groups were related to the significance attached to religion and to loneliness. Research limitations/implications: The comparison between the two groups is only possible to some degree. Secondary analyses have some limitations, as well as strengths. Practical implications: The findings may be useful for supporting young refugees, as they provide insights into less-studied aspects of their lives. Originality/value: The originality of this study lies in the focus on and broad interpretation of meaning, of secondary data analyses, and of comparisons between youths that are refugees versus non-refugees

Same but different: meaning-making among refugee and non-refugee youths

Purpose: There is substantial research on the experiences, needs and well-being of unaccompanied refugee adolescents, but less is known about existential aspects of their lives. The purpose of the current study is to explore existential meaning-making among unaccompanied refugee children. Design/methodology/approach: The informants in this study are young unaccompanied refugees (n = 30) living in Norway, and young Norwegians (n = 46). The authors undertook a secondary analysis of in-depth qualitative refugee interview data and a quantitative analysis of questionnaire data from Norwegian informants. Findings: Both the refugee youths and the Norwegian youths expressed that social relationships and connections to others were most important for meaning. Moreover, both groups emphasized the importance of relatedness and generativity, i. e. commitment to worldly affairs beyond one’s immediate needs. The main differences between the two groups were related to the significance attached to religion and to loneliness. Research limitations/implications: The comparison between the two groups is only possible to some degree. Secondary analyses have some limitations, as well as strengths. Practical implications: The findings may be useful for supporting young refugees, as they provide insights into less-studied aspects of their lives. Originality/value: The originality of this study lies in the focus on and broad interpretation of meaning, of secondary data analyses, and of comparisons between youths that are refugees versus non-refugees