A Norwegian Soul in a Chinese Body? Ethnic Identity and Chinese Adoptees in Norway

The ethnic identity of international adoptees has been a transdisciplinary field of inquiry over the past decades. Taking China-born adopted Norwegian citizens as research subjects, this study uses a mixed-method approach to explore how they perceive their ethnic identity and origin in the host society of Norway. We find that Chinese adoptees mainly identify as racially Chinese but culturally Norwegian, and their Chineseness lies primarily in their appearance. They generally feel secure about their ethnic background despite the challenges and paradoxes caused by their Chinese looks. Most adoptees have no attachment to their birth country, and their interests in China and Chinese culture are usually instrumental and individual-based. Three main socio-cultural factors shape the ethnic identity of China-born adopted children: (1) the negligible impact of their pre-adoptive history upon them, (2) a supportive family environment acknowledging their differences, and (3) an inclusive socio-cultural environment that respects ethnic diversities. No clear tendency towards constructing or enacting double identities among the adoptees was found. Finally, our respondents reported fewer racist experiences than suggested by recent literature on migrants and international adoptees in current literature. This aspect needs further research, also in reference to other cohorts of adoptees.publishedVersio

Growth, condition and sexuality of the Indian sandwhiting, Sillago sihama (Forskal)

In the sandwhiting Sillago sihama (Forskal) inhabiting the coastal and estuarine waters of Mangalore region the value of the equilibrium constant a was 2.9554 indicating isometry in the relation between fish length and body weight. Condition in ooth sexes was highest in June and related to gonadal maturit

Air quality monitoring for the International Space Station applicable to aircraft cabins and cockpits

New multigas measurement technology has been developed as part of and in parallel with a series of projects for the European Space Agency (ESA). Based on well-established Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and novel calibration and analysis methods, ESA’s Analysing Interferometer for Ambient Air (ANITA) system has successfully demonstrated continuous air quality monitoring on the International Space Station (ISS). ANITA performed automatic multigas measurements in quasireal time with high sensitivity, specificity, stability and reliability. The novel analysis techniques are well suited also for general workplace air monitoring, industrial processes and other multicomponent measurement tasks.publishedVersio

MGMT promoter methylation in gliomas-assessment by pyrosequencing and quantitative methylation-specific PCR

Background Methylation of the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene promoter is a favorable prognostic factor in glioblastoma patients. However, reported methylation frequencies vary significantly partly due to lack of consensus in the choice of analytical method. Method We examined 35 low- and 99 high-grade gliomas using quantitative methylation specific PCR (qMSP) and pyrosequencing. Gene expression level of MGMT was analyzed by RT-PCR. Results When examined by qMSP, 26% of low-grade and 37% of high-grade gliomas were found to be methylated, whereas 97% of low-grade and 55% of high-grade gliomas were found methylated by pyrosequencing. The average MGMT gene expression level was significantly lower in the group of patients with a methylated promoter independent of method used for methylation detection. Primary glioblastoma patients with a methylated MGMT promoter (as evaluated by both methylation detection methods) had approximately 5 months longer median survival compared to patients with an unmethylated promoter (log-rank test; pyrosequencing P = .02, qMSP P = .06). One third of the analyzed samples had conflicting methylation results when comparing the data from the qMSP and pyrosequencing. The overall survival analysis shows that these patients have an intermediate prognosis between the groups with concordant MGMT promoter methylation results when comparing the two methods. Conclusion In our opinion, MGMT promoter methylation analysis gives sufficient prognostic information to merit its inclusion in the standard management of patients with high-grade gliomas, and in this study pyrosequencing came across as the better analytical method

Early and accurate detection of cholangiocarcinoma in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis by methylation markers in bile

Background and Aims Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is associated with increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Early and accurate CCA detection represents an unmet clinical need as the majority of patients with PSC are diagnosed at an advanced stage of malignancy. In the present study, we aimed at establishing robust DNA methylation biomarkers in bile for early and accurate diagnosis of CCA in PSC. Approach and Results Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was used to analyze 344 bile samples from 273 patients with sporadic and PSC-associated CCA, PSC, and other nonmalignant liver diseases for promoter methylation of cysteine dioxygenase type 1, cannabinoid receptor interacting protein 1, septin 9, and vimentin. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses revealed high AUCs for all four markers (0.77-0.87) for CCA detection among patients with PSC. Including only samples from patients with PSC diagnosed with CCA 36 months) as controls, and remained high (83%) when only including patients with PSC and dysplasia as controls (n = 23). Importantly, the bile samples from the CCA-PSCPeer reviewe

Oilseed rape seeds with ablated defence cells of the glucosinolate–myrosinase system. Production and characteristics of double haploid MINELESS plants of Brassica napus L.

Oilseed rape and other crop plants of the family Brassicaceae contain a unique defence system known as the glucosinolate–myrosinase system or the ‘mustard oil bomb’. The ‘mustard oil bomb’ which includes myrosinase and glucosinolates is triggered by abiotic and biotic stress, resulting in the formation of toxic products such as nitriles and isothiocyanates. Myrosinase is present in specialist cells known as ‘myrosin cells’ and can also be known as toxic mines. The myrosin cell idioblasts of Brassica napus were genetically reprogrammed to undergo controlled cell death (ablation) during seed development. These myrosin cell-free plants have been named MINELESS as they lack toxic mines. This has led to the production of oilseed rape with a significant reduction both in myrosinase levels and in the hydrolysis of glucosinolates. Even though the myrosinase activity in MINELESS was very low compared with the wild type, variation was observed. This variability was overcome by producing homozygous seeds. A microspore culture technique involving non-fertile haploid MINELESS plants was developed and these plants were treated with colchicine to produce double haploid MINELESS plants with full fertility. Double haploid MINELESS plants had significantly reduced myrosinase levels and glucosinolate hydrolysis products. Wild-type and MINELESS plants exhibited significant differences in growth parameters such as plant height, leaf traits, matter accumulation, and yield parameters. The growth and developmental pattern of MINELESS plants was relatively slow compared with the wild type. The characteristics of the pure double haploid MINELESS plant are described and its importance for future biochemical, agricultural, dietary, functional genomics, and plant defence studies is discussed

Narrowing the harvest: Increasing sickle investment and the rise of domesticated cereal agriculture in the Fertile Crescent

© 2016 The Authors. For the first time we integrate quantitative data on lithic sickles and archaeobotanical evidence for domestication and the evolution of plant economies from sites dated to the terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene (ca. 12000-5000 cal. BCE) from throughout the Fertile Crescent region of Southwest Asia. We find a strong correlation in some regions, throughout the Levant, for increasing investment in sickles that tracks the evidence for increasing reliance on cereal crops, while evidence for morphological domestication in wheats (Triticum monococcum and Triticum dicoccum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) was delayed in comparison to sickle use. These data indicate that while the co-increase of sickle blades and cereal crops support the protracted development of agricultural practice, sickles did not drive the initial stages of the domestication process but rather were a cultural adaptation to increasing reliance on cereals that were still undergoing selection for morphological change. For other regions, such as the Eastern Fertile Crescent and Cyprus such correlations are weaker or non-existent suggesting diverse cultural trajectories to cereal domestication. We conclude that sickles were an exaptation transferred to cereal harvesting and important in signalling a new cultural identity of "farmers". Furthermore, the protracted process of technological and agricultural evolution calls into question hypotheses that the transition to agriculture was caused by any particular climatic event

Challenges in applying human rights law to armed conflict : the relationship between international human rights law and international humanitarian law

Master i rettsvitenskapJUS399MAJU

Sammenhengen mellom organisatoriske omstillinger og mellommenneskelige konflikter på arbeidsplassen over tid. En landsrepresentativ retrospektiv panelstudie

Organisatoriske omstillinger og mellommenneskelige konflikter på arbeidsplassen er temaer som er blitt viet mye interesse i forskningslitteraturen. Til tross for at det er blitt funnet en sammenheng mellom disse fenomenene har oppmerksomheten hovedsakelig rettet seg mot fenomenene isolert fra hverandre. I denne studien vil vi derfor se på årsakssammenhengen mellom omstilling og konflikt ved å undersøke fenomenene over tid. Det vil også bli undersøkt om det eksisterer mønstre av sammenhenger mellom arbeidsmiljøendringer,organisasjonelle nedskjæringer, lederkonflikter og medarbeiderkonflikter. Det vil her bli benyttet en landsrepresentativ retrospektiv panelundersøkelse av 1186 arbeidstakere i Norge fra 2005 og 2007. Autoregressive cross-lag analyser viser at det eksisterer et gjensidig, men moderat, påvirkningsforhold mellom organisatoriske omstillinger og mellommenneskelige konflikter over tid. Dette styrkeforholdet er forholdsvis ekvivalent, hvor det er en moderat prediksjon fra omstilling til mellommenneskelige konflikt på β .08, og fra konflikt til omstilling på β .09. Resultatene viser videre at det eksisterer ulike mønstre av sammenhenger mellom de ulike underkategoriene. Her ble det funnet både arbeidsmiljøendringer og organisasjonelle nedskjæringer predikerer lederkonflikter. Det vises imidlertid ingen predikasjon til medarbeiderkonflikter. Det ble også funnet at både lederkonflikter og medarbeiderkonflikter predikerer arbeidsmiljøendringer, mens det kun er medarbeiderkonflikter som predikerer organisasjonelle nedskjæringer. Videre forskning med kortere tidsintervaller og hyppigere målinger vil imidlertid være nødvendig for å bedre belyse dynamikken mellom disse fenomenene