The Rock Paintings of Williston : an interpretative study of rock art, rituals and the landscape in which they are created

The Williston district in Northern Cape, offers an exciting and new contribution to the rich world of rock art in South Africa. The paintings found here are solely geometric finger paintings, with a variety of different images and motifs. There are possible connections between these paintings and the initiation ceremonies of the Khoekhoen, once pejoratively known as the Hottentots. The main motif and link between the rock art and these rituals, is the so-called ‘apron motif’. These images show a resemblance to Khoekhoe and Bantu women’s ceremonial aprons, aprons that are known from ethnographic sources to have been worn both in daily life, and during different rituals, especially those connected to initiation into different social places and states. We know that during girls initiations, the girl was considered to be holding an extremely potent, powerful and potentially dangerous force. Because of this force, the girl was to be introduced to the so-called ‘Watersnake’, to ensure the creatures goodwill, and in a special ceremony this introduction was made. In this ritual the girl was, among other things, painted in geometric symbols. From the rock art data gathered during my fieldwork in the Karoo, the dry area in the interior South Africa in which the Williston district is located, several patterns can be drawn out. First of all, the landscape features are almost identical in all the sites. There seems be a prerequisite of closeness to water for these paintings to have been made, as almost all are made in very short distance from rivers and waterholes. As the Karoo is a very dry place, the presence of water is a vital and special element of the landscape, and our understanding of it. The sites have a very varied number of images in them, ranging from just one to over two hundred separate images. The images are varying in quality, from figures faded almost entirely, to figures that looks almost completely new. The enormous amount of imagery and the varying quality of the paintings, points to some sites as being used for a long time. In combination with what we know from ethnographic sources, exploring the rock art sites offers a good start into unmasking the secrets of the geometric rock art. With a theoretical background based on space/place theory, the paintings can be seen as a performance more than a product. Used in combination with theory surrounding rites of passage, we can utilize the notion of these sites as arenas for ritual practice as an interpretation. This is based on their landscape characteristics and the nature of the rituals conducted in relation to these characteristics. It is my belief that research conducted into the widely shared beliefs concerning the Watersnake and its connection to girls initiation ceremonies, will further enhance our understanding of these images

Samarbeid rundt oppfølging av kardiometabolske risikofaktorer hos mennesker med alvorlig psykisk lidelse i primærhelsetjenesten - En kvalitativ fokusgruppeintervjustudie

Bakgrunn: Personer med alvorlig psykisk lidelse som schizofreni, bipolar lidelse og alvorlig depresjon har høyere morbiditets- og mortalitetsrate, enn befolkningen ellers. Dette skyldes delvis en dramatisk økt risiko for kardiometabolsk sykdom. Kunnskapsgrunnlaget om risikofaktorer er kompleks, men ikke fullstendig. Selv om mange risikofaktorer er kartlagte, er ikke overdødeligheten redusert. Samarbeid mellom helsepersonell i primærhelsetjenesten rundt denne brukergruppen er i ulike studier beskrevet med et forbedringspotensial. Hensikt: Studien skulle nærmere undersøke hvordan primærhelsetjenesten samhandler rundt ivaretakelse av somatisk helse hos personer med alvorlig psykisk lidelse. Spesielt skulle det kartlegges hemmende og fremmende faktorer, samt forbedringspotensialet for samarbeidet. Metode: Studien tilnærmet seg problemstillingen kvalitativt via helsepersonell i to rurale kommuner i Nord-Norge. Det ble gjennomført en sekvens med to fokusgruppeintervjuer i hver av kommunene. Et strategisk utvalg av helsepersonell om arbeider med mennesker med alvorlig psykisk lidelse fra ulike kommunale tjenester ble invitert gjennom lederne til å delta i studien. Første fokusgruppe gjaldt kartlegging av samarbeidsmåter og utfordringer. Andre møte med samme deltakerne hadde hensikt å validere funnene av den første og supplere forbedringspotensial. Dataene ble analysert gjennom en stegvis-deduktiv induktiv metode. Resultat: Til sammen 9 deltakere fra primærhelsetjenesten; fastlegetjenesten, fysioterapitjenesten, hjemmetjenesten og psykisk helse- og rustjenesten deltok i fokusgruppene. Samarbeidsrelaterte utfordringer ble strukturert i fem kategorier: Arenaer for samarbeid og informasjonsdeling, rutiner og systemer, rolleavklaring, oppmerksomhet på somatisk helse, brukerperspektivet i samarbeidet. Funnene ble bekreftet av deltakerne som også supplerte forslag for ulike tiltak rettet mot enkelte utfordringer hvilke ble plassert i samme kategoriene. Konklusjon: Samarbeid i primærhelsetjenestene rundt den somatiske helsen til alvorlig psykisk syke mennesker er preget av mye tilfeldighet, usikkerhet og et manglende fokus på brukeren som aktiv part i omsorgen. Årsakssammenhengene av målgruppenes høye somatiske helserisiko er komplekse og behøver et metaperspektiv på samarbeid. Nøkkelord: Fokusgrupper, Bipolar lidelse, Schizofreni, Relasjoner mellom yrkesgrupper, Metabolsk syndromAbstract Background: Serious mental health disease like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression is associated with higher morbidity and mortality compared to general population, partly due to a dramatically increased risk for cardiometabolic disease. Evidence on risk factors this group is exposed to is complex but not conclusive. Mapping of many factors did not yet lead to development of effective interventions. Cooperation between municipal health care services in caring for this user group has in several studies been described as suboptimal. Aim: The current study aimed at investigating cooperation amongst municipal healthcare providers (HCP) in their duty to preserve somatic health of persons with serious mental health disease. Methods: The study used a qualitative approach via HCP in two rural communes in North Norway. Two consecutive focus group meetings (FGM) were hold in each commune. Following a strategic sampling matrix, participants were recruited through invitations addressed to their leaders. While the first FGM aimed to map challenges, the second was meant to validate the findings from the first and collect suggestions to resolve them. Results: I total, 9 municipal HCP from GPs, physical therapy, home care, and mental health service participated. Findings related to challenges in cooperation between services and HCP were structured within 5 categories: Settings of cooperation information sharing, routines and systems, role clarification, attention to somatic health, user involvement. In the second FGM participants agreed with findings from the first and added suggestions addressed to single challenges, allocable in the same set of categories. Conclusions: Cooperation amongst municipal healthcare of seriously mental ill persons is characterized by coincidence, uncertainty and lacking focus on the user as an active party in health care. Causality regarding the particular high risk of somatic illness is complex implying a need for a meta perspective approach to cooperation of health services. Keywords: Focus Groups, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Interprofessional Relations, cardio metabolic diseas

A combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics study of the one- and two-photon absorption in the green fluorescent protein

Submitted manuscript version. Publisher's version available at http://doi.org/10.1039/C2CP23537D.We present for the first time a QM/MM study of the one- and two-photon absorption spectra of the GFP chromophore embedded in the full protein environment described by an advanced quantum mechanically derived polarizable force field. The calculations are performed on a crystal structure of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) using the polarizable embedding density functional theory (PE-DFT) scheme. The importance of treating the protein environment explicitly with a polarizable force field and higher-order multipoles is demonstrated, as well as the importance of including water molecules close to the chromophore in the protein barrel. For the most advanced description we achieve good agreement with experimental findings, with a peak at 405 nm for the neutral and a peak at 475 nm for the anionic form of the GFP chromophore. The presence of a dark OPA state, as suggested by other studies to explain the discrepancies between OPA and TPA spectra, is not supported by our calculations

The Distinct Cases of Kosovo and South Ossetia: Deciding the Question of Independence on the Merits and International Law

The cases of Kosovo and South Ossetia provide two opportunities for the community of nations to reconcile the rights of Serbia and Georgia with the rights of the peoples within their borders. Instead of doing so, other countries used these cases for ideological and political posturing and continued to do so as of the end of 2008. This Note will review Kosovo and South Ossetia and attempt to take the politics out of an inherently political decision-whether or not to recognize them as independent states. Part I of this Note will review how the United Nations has approached the issues of autonomy, borders, secession, and minorities. It will also provide background on the doctrines of self-determination and the rights of states. Part II will set out the facts-as they are generally accepted-of Kosovo and South Ossetia and consider the differing opinions regarding independence of the two areas. Part III will review those opinions in light of the goals and doctrines of the United Nations and how it has approached these issues in the past. The Note concludes that recognition of independence of the states should be driven by legal arguments rather than political or social alliances and that the goals of the United Nations are best served by being steadfast in promoting multi-ethnicity within political entities; Kosovo and South Ossetia should be recognized as autonomous regions within Serbia and Georgia, respectively. The Note also concludes that domestic as well as international legal structures must be in place to make autonomy workable

Influence of Arctic light conditions on crop production and quality

The natural light conditions above the Arctic Circle are unique in terms of annual variation creating special growth conditions for crop production. These include low solar elevations, very long daily photosynthetic light periods, midnight sun/absence of dark nights, and altered spectral distribution depending on solar elevation. All these factors are known to affect the growth and the metabolism of plants, although their influence on northern crop plants has not yet been reviewed. The ongoing global warming is especially affecting the temperature x light interactions in the Arctic, and understanding the impact on crop production and plant metabolism will be important for an Arctic contribution to global food production. Arctic light conditions have a strong influence on the timing of plant development, which together with temperature limits the number of cultivars suitable for Arctic agriculture. This review compiles information from the reports about the effects of light conditions at high latitudes on growth, biomass production, flowering and quality of the crop plants and discusses the gained knowledge and the key gaps to be addressed.Peer reviewe

Open-ended response theory with polarizable embedding:Multiphoton absorption in biomolecular systems

We present the theory and implementation of an open-ended framework for electric response properties at the level of Hartree–Fock and Kohn–Sham density functional theory that includes effects from the molecular environment modeled by the polarizable embedding (PE) model. With this new state-of-the-art multiscale functionality, electric response properties to any order can be calculated for molecules embedded in polarizable atomistic molecular environments ranging from solvents to complex heterogeneous macromolecules such as proteins. In addition, environmental effects on multiphoton absorption (MPA) properties can be studied by evaluating single residues of the response functions. The PE approach includes mutual polarization effects between the quantum and classical parts of the system through induced dipoles that are determined self-consistently with respect to the electronic density. The applicability of our approach is demonstrated by calculating MPA strengths up to four-photon absorption for the green fluorescent protein. We show how the size of the quantum region, as well as the treatment of the border between the quantum and classical regions, is crucial in order to obtain reliable MPA predictions

Effect of ripening temperature on the chemical composition of lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) of northern and southern origin

Lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) from two locations, northern (69◦N, 18◦E) and southern (59◦N, 10◦E) Norway, were grown under controlled conditions in a phytotron at two temperatures (9 and 15 ◦C) to study the effects of the ripening temperature and origin on the chemical composition of the berries. The concentrations of phenolic compounds, sugars, and organic acids as well as the profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were determined using chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods. Five anthocyanins, eleven flavonols, eight cinnamic acid derivatives, three flavan-3-ols, three sugars, three organic acids, and 77 VOCs were identified, of which 40 VOCs had not previously been reported in lingonberries. Berries from both locations, were found to have higher contents of anthocyanins and cinnamic acid derivatives when ripened at lower temperature (9 ◦C), compared to the higher temperature (15 ◦C). Lingonberries of northern origin had a different VOC profile and higher contents of anthocyanins and organic acids than berries originating from the south. Lingonberries from the northern location also had higher proportions of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-arabinoside than lingonberries from the southern location. The results show that the composition of lingonberries is influenced by both the environment and the origin of the plants, with phenolic compounds mainly influenced by the growth temperature and VOCs mainly influenced by plant origin

Temperature has a major effect on the cuticular wax composition of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruit

Cuticle is the first layer protecting plants against external biotic and abiotic factors and is responsive to climatic factors as well as determined by genetic adaptations. In this study, the chemical composition of bilberry fruit cuticular wax was investigated through a latitudinal gradient from Latvia (56◦N 24◦E) through Finland (65◦N 25◦E) to northern Norway (69◦N 18◦E) in two seasons 2018 and 2019. Changes in the major cuticular wax compounds, including triterpenoids, fatty acids, alkanes, aldehydes, ketones, and primary alcohols, were detected by GC-MS analysis. Generally, a decreasing trend in the proportion of triterpenoids from southern to northern latitudes, accompanied with an increase in proportion of fatty acids, aldehydes, and alkanes, in bilberry fruit cuticular wax was observed. A correlation analysis between climatic factors with proportion of wax compounds indicated that temperature was the main factor affecting the cuticular wax composition in bilberries. A controlled phytotron experiment with southern and northern bilberry ecotypes confirmed the major effect of temperature on bilberry fruit cuticular wax load and composition. Elevated temperature increased wax load most in berries of northern ecotypes. The level of triterpenoids was higher, while levels of fatty acids and alkanes were lower, in wax of bilberry fruits ripened at 18◦C compared to 12◦C in both northern and southern ecotypes. Based on our results, it can be postulated that the predicted increase in temperature due to climate change leads to alterations in fruit cuticular wax load and composition. In northern ecotypes, the alterations were especially evident

Averaged Solvent Embedding Potential Parameters for Multiscale Modeling of Molecular Properties

Published version available in J. Chem. Theory Comput., 2016, 12 (4), pp 1684–1695. We derive and validate averaged solvent parameters for embedding potentials to be used in polarizable embedding quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) molecular property calculations of solutes in organic solvents. The parameters are solvent-specific atom-centered partial charges and isotropic polarizabilities averaged over a large number of geometries of solvent molecules. The use of averaged parameters reduces the computational cost to obtain the embedding potential, which can otherwise be a rate-limiting step in calculations involving large environments. The parameters are evaluated by analyzing the quality of the resulting molecular electrostatic potentials with respect to full QM potentials. We show that a combination of geometry-specific parameters for solvent molecules close to the QM region and averaged parameters for solvent molecules further away allows for efficient polarizable embedding multiscale modeling without compromising the accuracy. The results are promising for the de- velopment of general embedding parameters for biomolecules, where the reduction in computational cost can be considerable

Composition of Sugars, Organic Acids, Phenolic Compounds, and Volatile Organic Compounds in Lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) at Five Ripening Stages

Wild lingonberries are a traditional source of food in the Nordic countries and an important contributor to economic activity of non-wood forest products in the region. Lingonberries are a rich source of bioactive compounds and can be a valuable contributor to a healthy diet. However, there are few studies available on how the bioactive compounds in lingonberries develop as they ripen. In this investigation, we examined the content of 27 phenolic compounds, three sugars, four organic acids, and 71 volatile organic compounds at five ripening stages. The study showed that, while the highest content of phenolic compounds was found early in the development, the organoleptic quality of the fruits improved as they ripened. From the first to the last stage of development, anthocyanins went from being nearly absent to 100 mg/100 g fw, and there was an increased content of sugars from 2.7 to 7.2 g/100 g fw, whereas the content of organic acids decreased from 4.9 to 2.7 g/100 g fw, and there were several changes in the profile of volatiles. The contents of flavonols, cinnamic acid derivatives, flavan-3-ols, and the total concentration of phenolic compounds were significantly lower in the fully ripe berries compared to berries in the early green stage. In addition to the changes occurring due to ripening, there was observed variation in the profile of both phenolic compounds and volatiles, depending on the growth location of the berries. The present data are useful for the assessment of harvest time to obtain the desired quality of lingonberries