Isolation and characterization of wide host range vibriophages for therapeutic use in aquaculture

The aquaculture industry is one of the fastest growing food-producing sectors in the world, but the industry is struggling with huge losses due to bacterial infections. Several species of Vibrio are ubiquitous to marine environments, and some are responsible for large disease outbreaks in fish and shellfish farms. Antibiotics have been used to fight bacterial infections, but due to emerging resistant bacteria, negative impacts on the natural microflora, as well as the increasing consumer demand for food raised without antibiotics, there is need for alternatives. Phage therapy represents a promising alternative because of bacteriophages´ ability to infect and kill bacteria with high specificity. Phages have been known for a long time, but their use in therapy have suffered from poorly organised studies and improper diagnostics. One of the main challenges with using phage for therapeutic purposes is the need for very specific diagnoses in order to apply the right phage. Use of broad host range phages can facilitate easier diagnostics, making phage application more efficient. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize vibriophages suitable for therapeutic use in aquaculture, with particular emphasis on wide host range phages. Mussels and water samples from the coast of Norway were used as search material, and a library of Vibrio spp. was established. The library was further used to screen environmental samples for vibriophages. Isolated phages and bacteria were characterized through whole genome sequencing and Sanger sequencing, respectively. Genome analyses and phage susceptibility patterns provided the identification of 10 different Vibrio species and 11 different vibriophages. The vibriophages covered all three families within the order Caudovirales, and at least one phage showed potential for being wide host ranged. Knowledge acquired during this work will be used to improve the methodology for isolating wide host range vibriophages.Akvakulturnæringen er i dag en av de raskest voksende mat-næringene i verden, men næringen sliter med store tap grunnet bakterielle infeksjoner. Antibiotika har lenge vært brukt til å behandle slike infeksjoner, men på grunn av resistensutvikling, negativ innvirkning på den naturlige mikrofloraen og et større fokus blant forbrukere på mat produsert uten antibiotika, har det oppstått et behov for alternativer. Bakteriofager, virus som spesifikt infiserer og dreper bakterier, representerer et slikt alternativ. Bakteriofager (eller fager) har vært kjent lenge, men deres bruk til behandling av infeksjoner har vært preget av ufullstendig diagnostikk og dårlig organiserte forsøk. En av hovedutfordringene med fagterapien er det smale vertspekteret til fager, noe som krever spesifikk diagnostisering slik at riktige bakteriofager blir valgt i behandlingen. Bruk av fager med et bredere vertsspekter vil stille enklere krav til diagnostiseringen, samt kunne effektivisere behandlingen av koinfeksjoner forårsaket av nært beslektede bakteriearter. Målet med denne studien var å isolere og karakterisere bakteriofager til å bekjempe Vibrio-infeksjoner i akvakulturnæringen, med et spesielt fokus på bredspektrede bakteriofager. Blåskjell og vannprøver fra norskekysten ble brukt som prøvemateriale for å lete etter Vibrio og vibriofager. Et bibliotek av Vibrio-isolater ble opprettet og brukt til å søke etter vibriofager i det samme prøvematerialet. Isolerte bakteriofager og bakterier ble karakterisert via helgenomsekvensering og Sanger sekvensering. Genomanalyser og kartlegging av bakterienes bakteriofagsensitivitet resulterte i identifikasjon av 10 ulike Vibrio-arter og 11 ulike vibriofager. Vibriofagene representerte tilsammen alle de tre familiene innen bakteriofagordenen Caudovirales, hvorav minst en av fagene viste potensial for å være bredspektret. Kunnskap og erfaringer tilegnet gjennom denne studien vil bli brukt til å forbedre metoder for å isolere bredspektrede vibriofager..submittedVersionM-BIOTE

The influence of steel fibres on compressive and tensile strength of ultra high performance concrete: A review

publishedVersionPaid open acces

Positive Youth Development and Mental Well-Being in Late Adolescence: The Role of Body Appreciation. Findings From a Prospective Study in Norway

Although a vulnerable period, adolescence is a time of great potential for healthy development. Understanding factors that contribute to mental well-being in this period is of great importance to facilitate for healthy development. During the adolescence period the body goes through rapid and considerable changes, and the focus on body appearance and perfection is substantial at societal, media, and peer level. In this study, we investigated the association between dimensions characterizing positive youth development, and mental well-being among Norwegian adolescents 16–17 years 1 year later, and whether this association was mediated by degree of body appreciation. We further tested whether the indirect and direct paths between positive youth development dimensions and mental well-being were moderated by gender. We used data from the first and second follow-up of the control arm of the COMPLETE study, a cluster randomized controlled trial in upper secondary schools in Norway. Findings showed that positive youth development in grade 1, as measured by both a combined global PYD and the dimensions competence, and connection were significantly associated with mental well-being in grade 2 in models adjusted for mental well-being in grade 1, gender and perceived family affluence. Also, body appreciation in grade 1 significantly predicted mental well-being in grade 2 in models including each of global PYD, competence, connection, character, and caring dimensions. Contrary to our hypothesis, no mediating effects of body appreciation were observed, and no moderation of indirect effects by gender were observed.publishedVersio

Comparison of Lives Saved Tool model child mortality estimates against measured data from vector control studies in sub-Saharan Africa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) and indoor-residual spraying have been scaled-up across sub-Saharan Africa as part of international efforts to control malaria. These interventions have the potential to significantly impact child survival. The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) was developed to provide national and regional estimates of cause-specific mortality based on the extent of intervention coverage scale-up. We compared the percent reduction in all-cause child mortality estimated by LiST against measured reductions in all-cause child mortality from studies assessing the impact of vector control interventions in Africa.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a literature search for appropriate studies and compared reductions in all-cause child mortality estimated by LiST to 4 studies that estimated changes in all-cause child mortality following the scale-up of vector control interventions. The following key parameters measured by each study were applied to available country projections: baseline all-cause child mortality rate, proportion of mortality due to malaria, and population coverage of vector control interventions at baseline and follow-up years.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The percent reduction in all-cause child mortality estimated by the LiST model fell within the confidence intervals around the measured mortality reductions for all 4 studies. Two of the LiST estimates overestimated the mortality reductions by 6.1 and 4.2 percentage points (33% and 35% relative to the measured estimates), while two underestimated the mortality reductions by 4.7 and 6.2 percentage points (22% and 25% relative to the measured estimates).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The LiST model did not systematically under- or overestimate the impact of ITNs on all-cause child mortality. These results show the LiST model to perform reasonably well at estimating the effect of vector control scale-up on child mortality when compared against measured data from studies across a range of malaria transmission settings. The LiST model appears to be a useful tool in estimating the potential mortality reduction achieved from scaling-up malaria control interventions.</p

Elev- og lærervurderinger av elevenes sosiale kompetanse i skolen

Temaet for denne masteravhandlingen er vurdering av elevers sosiale kompetanse i skolen. Utvikling av sosial kompetanse og sosiale ferdigheter er en vel så viktig del av skolehverdagen som den faglige opplæringen, og vurdering av og refleksjon over egen atferd i skolen kan være viktig for denne utviklingen. Tidligere forskning viser at det gjennomgående er lærernes vurderinger som løftes frem, mens elevenes subjektive rapporteringer om atferd i skolen er mer fraværende. Denne studien retter søkelys mot å fremme elevens stemme i vurdering av sosial kompetanse, i en kombinasjon med lærernes vurdering. Som tilnærming til tematikken anvendes en kvantitativ metode, og denne studien er basert på en tverrsnittsundersøkelse fra 2018, hvor mange norske grunnskoler deltok. Både lærere og elever fra 5. til 10. trinn deltok i undersøkelsen og besvarte spørsmål om henholdsvis atferd og sosial kompetanse. Det er gjennomført statistiske analyser for å besvare problemstillingen som foreligger i denne avhandlingen: Hvordan vurderer elever og lærere elevenes sosiale kompetanse i skolen? Funnene viser at det foreligger få forskjeller mellom hvordan elevene vurder sin sosiale kompetanse i skolen, utfra bakgrunnsfaktorene kjønn, om eleven har vedtak om spesialundervisning eller ikke, mors utdanning og språklig bakgrunn. I alle tilfeller er elevene relativt samstemte i sine rapporteringer av sosial kompetanse, og rapporterer at de sjelden utviser atferd som ikke er forenelig med skolens normer. Elevenes vurderinger blir sammenliknet med lærernes vurderinger. I lærernes vurdering av elevenes sosiale kompetanse viser funnene at noen elevgrupper blir vurdert lavere enn andre. Disse elevgruppene er gutter, elever med vedtak om spesialundervisning og minoritetsspråklige elever med vestlig og ikke-vestlig bakgrunn. Med dette anser lærerne at dette er elever som i mindre grad enn andre elever tilpasser seg skolens normer. Mange av funnene stemmer overens med tidligere forskning, og i den sammenheng stilles det spørsmål om skolen er med på å opprettholde sosiale forskjeller. Funnene i denne undersøkelsen tyder på at noen elever kan ha bedre forutsetninger for å klare seg i skolen enn andre.The theme for this thesis is assessment of pupils’ social competence in school. Development of social competence and social skills is as important as the technical skills in school, and assessment of and reflection over individual behavior in school can be important for this development. Previous research show that it is generally teacher’s assessments that are highlighted, while the pupils’ subjective reports on behavior in school are more absent. This study focuses on promoting pupil perspective in the assessment of social competence, in combination with teachers’ assessments. A quantitative method is used as an approach to the topic, and this study is based on a cross-sectional survey from 2018, in which many Norwegian primary and lower secondary schools participated. Both teachers and pupils from 5th to 10th grade participated in the survey and answered questions about behavior and social competence. Statistical analyzes have been performed to answer the problem presented in this dissertation: How do pupils and teachers assess pupils’ social competence in school? The results show that there are few differences between how the pupils assess their social competence in school, based on the background factors gender, whether the pupils have need for special education or not, the mother’s education and linguistic background. In all cases, pupils are relatively consistent in reporting social competence, and report that they rarely exhibit behavior that are inconsistent with school norms. The pupils’ assessments are compared with the teachers’ assessments. In the teachers’ assessments of the pupils’ social competence, the findings show that some groups of pupils are assessed lower than others. These groups of pupils are boys, pupils with special education and minority language pupils with Western and non-Western backgrounds. Based on this, teachers consider that these are pupils who to a lesser extent than other pupils adapt to the school’s norms. Many of the findings are consistent with previous research, and in this coherence a question whether the school is involved in maintaining social differences is asked. The findings in this study indicates that some pupils may have better prerequisite in school than others

Use of Concrete for Road Infrastructure: A SWOT Analysis Related to the three Catchwords Sustainability, Industrialisation and Digitalisation.

This paper aims at identifying the direction for more sustainable development of the use of concrete in road infrastructure in an industrialised context. The increase in the global mean temperature is one of the most severe challenges today. The concrete industry is responsible for significant emissions of greenhouse gases, most attributable to cement production. However, concrete is one of the most important building materials in the world and indispensable for the societal development in countries at all development stages. Thus, the concrete industry needs to take measures for reducing emissions. This paper investigates possible directions for the development of the concrete industry, to reduce climatic impact and accommodate positive societal growth. The investigation is carried out as a SWOT analysis, focusing on three terms dominating the present discussion on any development within the construction industry; sustainability, industrialisation and digitalisation. The result is a thorough discussion and a set of recommendations for the direction of future research and innovation on sustainable use of concrete in the construction of road infrastructure. The major opportunities and threats are summarised in the conclusions, and future research to be carried out in two of the authors’ PhD-projects are described.Use of Concrete for Road Infrastructure: A SWOT Analysis Related to the three Catchwords Sustainability, Industrialisation and Digitalisation.publishedVersio

Elev- og lærervurderinger av elevenes sosiale kompetanse i skolen

Temaet for denne masteravhandlingen er vurdering av elevers sosiale kompetanse i skolen. Utvikling av sosial kompetanse og sosiale ferdigheter er en vel så viktig del av skolehverdagen som den faglige opplæringen, og vurdering av og refleksjon over egen atferd i skolen kan være viktig for denne utviklingen. Tidligere forskning viser at det gjennomgående er lærernes vurderinger som løftes frem, mens elevenes subjektive rapporteringer om atferd i skolen er mer fraværende. Denne studien retter søkelys mot å fremme elevens stemme i vurdering av sosial kompetanse, i en kombinasjon med lærernes vurdering. Som tilnærming til tematikken anvendes en kvantitativ metode, og denne studien er basert på en tverrsnittsundersøkelse fra 2018, hvor mange norske grunnskoler deltok. Både lærere og elever fra 5. til 10. trinn deltok i undersøkelsen og besvarte spørsmål om henholdsvis atferd og sosial kompetanse. Det er gjennomført statistiske analyser for å besvare problemstillingen som foreligger i denne avhandlingen: Hvordan vurderer elever og lærere elevenes sosiale kompetanse i skolen? Funnene viser at det foreligger få forskjeller mellom hvordan elevene vurder sin sosiale kompetanse i skolen, utfra bakgrunnsfaktorene kjønn, om eleven har vedtak om spesialundervisning eller ikke, mors utdanning og språklig bakgrunn. I alle tilfeller er elevene relativt samstemte i sine rapporteringer av sosial kompetanse, og rapporterer at de sjelden utviser atferd som ikke er forenelig med skolens normer. Elevenes vurderinger blir sammenliknet med lærernes vurderinger. I lærernes vurdering av elevenes sosiale kompetanse viser funnene at noen elevgrupper blir vurdert lavere enn andre. Disse elevgruppene er gutter, elever med vedtak om spesialundervisning og minoritetsspråklige elever med vestlig og ikke-vestlig bakgrunn. Med dette anser lærerne at dette er elever som i mindre grad enn andre elever tilpasser seg skolens normer. Mange av funnene stemmer overens med tidligere forskning, og i den sammenheng stilles det spørsmål om skolen er med på å opprettholde sosiale forskjeller. Funnene i denne undersøkelsen tyder på at noen elever kan ha bedre forutsetninger for å klare seg i skolen enn andre.The theme for this thesis is assessment of pupils’ social competence in school. Development of social competence and social skills is as important as the technical skills in school, and assessment of and reflection over individual behavior in school can be important for this development. Previous research show that it is generally teacher’s assessments that are highlighted, while the pupils’ subjective reports on behavior in school are more absent. This study focuses on promoting pupil perspective in the assessment of social competence, in combination with teachers’ assessments. A quantitative method is used as an approach to the topic, and this study is based on a cross-sectional survey from 2018, in which many Norwegian primary and lower secondary schools participated. Both teachers and pupils from 5th to 10th grade participated in the survey and answered questions about behavior and social competence. Statistical analyzes have been performed to answer the problem presented in this dissertation: How do pupils and teachers assess pupils’ social competence in school? The results show that there are few differences between how the pupils assess their social competence in school, based on the background factors gender, whether the pupils have need for special education or not, the mother’s education and linguistic background. In all cases, pupils are relatively consistent in reporting social competence, and report that they rarely exhibit behavior that are inconsistent with school norms. The pupils’ assessments are compared with the teachers’ assessments. In the teachers’ assessments of the pupils’ social competence, the findings show that some groups of pupils are assessed lower than others. These groups of pupils are boys, pupils with special education and minority language pupils with Western and non-Western backgrounds. Based on this, teachers consider that these are pupils who to a lesser extent than other pupils adapt to the school’s norms. Many of the findings are consistent with previous research, and in this coherence a question whether the school is involved in maintaining social differences is asked. The findings in this study indicates that some pupils may have better prerequisite in school than others