Contemporary British Working-Class Literature: Precarity and Transcendent Solidarity

Denne masteroppgaven ser på samtids arbeiderklasselitteratur, og analyserer hvordan den gir uttrykk for en økende usikkerhet (precarity) i livene til arbeiderklassefolk. Dette analyseres gjennom samtids klasseanalyse av Geoffrey Evans og James Tilley, samt Guy Standings teori om prekariatet (The precariat).Engelsk mastergradsoppgaveENG350MAHF-ENGMAHF-LÆF

Post-transplantasjons-diabetes mellitus i nyretransplanterte pasienter: En bihormonell sykdom

Introduksjon: Nyretransplanterte pasienter har en signifikant høyere risiko for tidlig kardiovaskulær sykdom og død enn den generelle befolkningen. Utvikling av post-transplantasjons-diabetes mellitus er en alvorlig komplikasjon etter nyretransplantasjon som øker denne risikoen ytterligere. Blant annet den immunsuppressive behandlingen og virusinfeksjoner øker risikoen for at diabetes oppstår etter transplantasjon. Det antas at PTDM er en variant av type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), men T2DM er ikke bare karakterisert av redusert insulinsekresjon og insulinsensitivitet, men også økt glukagonsekresjon (hyperglukagonemi) som sammen fører til forhøyede plasmaglukosekonsentrasjoner både ved faste og etter måltid. Hyperglykemisk clamp-undersøkelser med samtidig infusjon av inkretinhormonet glukagonliknende peptid-1 (GLP-1) samt stimulering med arginin, gir en adekvat karakterisering av funksjonen i α- og β-cellene. Per i dag finnes det ingen informasjon om glukagonsekresjon i pasienter med PTDM. Hensikten med denne studien var å undersøke om hyperglukagonemi er en viktig underliggende mekanisme for hyperglykemi i pasienter med PTDM. Materialer og metode: 12 nyretransplanterte pasienter med PTDM og 12 nyretransplanterte med normal glukosetoleranse (kontrollgruppe) som matchet med hensyn på alder, kjønn, BMI og nyrefunksjon ble inkludert i en åpen, prospektiv, randomisert, kontrollert studie bestående av 2 forsøksdager med 2-4 ukers mellomrom. Hver forsøksdag bestod av infusjon av GLP-1/placebo (randomisert rekkefølge) over 3 timer, oppstart av hyperglykemisk clamp etter 1 time hvor plasmaglukosekonsentrasjonen ble økt med 5 mmol/L over fastende plasmaglukosekonsentrasjon, samt en test av restkapasiteten pankreas har til å skille ut henholdsvis insulin og glukagon ved å injisere 5 gram arginin i.v. mot slutten av forsøket. Blodprøver for analyse av insulin og glukagon ble tatt gjennom hele forsøket. Resultater: Det var ingen signifikante forskjeller i median fastende konsentrasjon av verken glukagon (P = 0,87) eller insulin (P = 0,50) mellom gruppene. Pasientene i PTDM-gruppen hadde derimot en signifikant dårligere glukosemediert glukagonsuppresjon under hyperglykemisk clamp sammenliknet med kontrollgruppen (prosentvis reduksjon fra baseline; 42 % vs. 68 %, P < 0,001), parallelt med en signifikant lavere 1. fase insulinsekresjon (P < 0,001), samt redusert evne til å øke insulinsekresjonen fra baseline til slutten av clamp sammenliknet med kontrollgruppen, median (IQR), (74 (56-108) % mot 319 (198-717) %, P < 0,001). Det var ingen forskjell i restkapasiteten pankreas har til å skille ut glukagon, i.e. akutt glukagonrespons (AGR), mellom gruppene. Pasientene i PTDM-gruppen hadde imidlertid en signifikant lavere akutt insulinrespons (AIR) enn kontrollgruppen (P = 0,02). Infusjon av GLP-1 førte til en signifikant økning i 1. fase insulinsekresjon i begge gruppene, men den var fortsatt signifikant lavere i PTDM-gruppen enn i kontrollgruppen (P = 0,001). Det var ingen forskjell insulinsensitivitet mellom gruppene (P = 0,24). Konklusjon: Med denne studien har vi bevist at PTDM er en bihormonell sykdom med både redusert insulinsekresjon og glukagonsuppresjon ved hyperglykemi. I motsetning til pasienter med T2DM, har nyretransplanterte pasienter med PTDM ikke forhøyede fastende glukagonkonsentrasjoner, noe som kan forklare hvorfor PTDM-pasienter ofte har isolert hyperglykemi postprandialt. I tillegg har vi beskrevet GLP-1 sin insulinotrope effekt ved hyperglykemi hos nyretransplanterte med og uten PTDM. Studien viser også at PTDM i hovedsak skylles forstyrret sekresjon fra pankreas og ikke redusert insulinsensitivitet

Parents' perspectives on user participation and shared decision‐making in adolescents' inpatient mental healthcare

Background Parents are a resource that can be of considerable importance in supporting their adolescents' recovery and shared decision-making processes. However, involving both adolescents and their parents in treatment creates challenges. Understanding the roles of all decision stakeholders is vital to the implementation of shared decision-making and delivery of high-quality healthcare services. Objective The aim of this study is to explore parents' experiences with adolescents' participation in mental health treatment and how parents perceive being involved in decision-making processes. Design This was a qualitative study with a phenomenological, inductive design. Content analysis of data from qualitative interviews was performed. Setting and Participants This study took place in a Norwegian public healthcare setting. Twelve parents of adolescents who received treatment for severe mental illness participated. Results Four themes were identified: (1) self-determined treatment, but within limits; (2) the essential roles of parents; (3) the need for information and support; and (4) the fight for individualized treatment and service coordination. Conclusion User participation is vital in adolescent mental healthcare and parents play essential roles regarding the shared decision-making process. However, user participation and shared decision-making pose several dilemmas. Parental involvement in treatment decisions may be necessary when adolescents are mentally ill, but could simultaneously hinder those adolescents' empowerment and recovery. Cooperation among parents, adolescents and healthcare professionals can improve treatment engagement and adherence, but may be challenged by divergent interests. Health services should provide family-oriented services to utilize the potential of parents as a resource and minimize conflicting interests. Patient or Public Contribution Two adolescent user representatives participated in designing the study.publishedVersio

Health research requires efficient platforms for data collection from personal devices

Data from consumer-based devices for collecting personal health-related data could be useful in diagnostics and treatment. This requires a flexible and scalable software and system architecture to handle the data. This study examines the existing mSpider platform, addresses shortcomings in security and development, and suggests a full risk analysis, a more loosely coupled component- based system for long term stability, better scalability, and maintainability. The goal is to create a human digital twin platform for an operational production environment

Collecting health-related research data using consumer-based wireless smart scales

Background: Serious public-health concerns such as overweight and obesity are in many cases caused by excess intake of food combined with decreases in physical activity. Smart scales with wireless data transfer can, together with smart watches and trackers, observe changes in the population’s health. They can present us with a picture of our metabolism, body health, and disease risks. Combining body composition data with physical activity measurements from devices such as smart watches could contribute to building a human digital twin. Objective: The objectives of this study were to (1) investigate the evolution of smart scales in the last decade, (2) map status and supported sensors of smart scales, (3) get an overview of how smart scales have been used in research, and (4) identify smart scales for current and future research. Method: We searched for devices through web shops and smart scale tests/reviews, extracting data from the manufacturer’s official website, user manuals when available, and data from web shops. We also searched scientific literature databases for smart scale usage in scientific papers. Result: We identified 165 smart scales with a wireless connection from 72 different manufacturers, released between 2009 and end of 2021. Of these devices, 49 (28%) had been discontinued by end of 2021. We found that the use of major variables such as fat and muscle mass have been as good as constant over the years, and that minor variables such as visceral fat and protein mass have increased since 2015. The main contribution is a representative overview of consumer grade smart scales between 2009 and 2021. Conclusion: The last six years have seen a distinct increase of these devices in the marketplace, measuring body composition with bone mass, muscle mass, fat mass, and water mass, in addition to weight. Still, the number of research projects featuring connected smart scales are few. One reason could be the lack of professionally accurate measurements, though trend analysis might be a more feasible usage scenario

Observerte leieinntekter for næringseiendom : Betydningen av eiendommens hedoniske attributter og geografiske plassering

Vi studerer et datasett som inneholder observasjoner om leieinntekter fra næringseiendom og eiendommenes attributter og plassering til å estimere en sammenheng mellom observert leie og ulike kjennetegns innvirkning på leien. Datasettet er basert på skjemarapporterte leier til Skattedirektoratet, og en grovsortering ga 32 059 observasjoner å analysere, mens en finsortering (med trunkering på ulike variablers 2. og 98. prosentil) ga 28 473 observasjoner. Resultatene viser at regresjon gir relativt god forklaringskraft med R2 i overkant av 0,30 og med statistisk signifikante koeffisientestimater og økonomisk plausible størrelser og fortegn. Kvadratmeterleien avtar med størrelse, slik at det foreligger en rabatt på leieareal, men rabatteringens størrelse avtar med areal. Sentrale eiendommer er dyrere enn ikke-sentrale. Kontor- og forretningsbygg er dyrere enn industribygg. Større byer gir høyere leier enn mindre byer

Sorterius - An augmented reality app for encouraging outdoor physical activity for people with intellectual disabilities

Many with intellectual disabilities (ID) have difficulties adhering to current physical activity guidelines. The goal of this study was to develop a mobile app for assisting people with ID to be more physically active. We implemented a solution that combines the digital and real world using augmented reality (AR). Eight people working with people with ID (special education teachers, social workers, psychologists, and researchers) tested the app and completed a usability test. Results indicate that a mobile app focusing on everyday life scenarios can have a potential value for the targeted user group, but AR solutions can be challenging.publishedVersionPaid open acces

Lessons on Marine Protected Area Management in Northern Boreal Regions from the United States and Norway

In comparison to tropical reef systems, relatively few marine protected areas (MPA’s) exist in temperate or subarctic systems (e.g., North Pacific and North Atlantic) where species diversity is lower, abundance of individual species is often higher, and many fish species exhibit large amounts of movement during one or more of their life stages, especially as adults. A review of MPA’s in three northern areas—the Northwest Atlantic, Northeast Atlantic, and the Northeast Pacific—indicates that MPA’s can be useful management tools towards fisheries management and habitat conservation. However, achieving fishery goals, such as sustainable use of the fisheries resources, will depend on population abundance (relative to unfished conditions) and fish behavior and movement. For example, depleted populations of stationary species such as Atlantic sea scallops, Placopecten magellanicus, in the Northeast Atlantic and European lobster, Homarus grammarus, in the North Sea have responded positively to small MPA’s, whereas migratory offshore Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, and Pacific cod, Gadus macrocephalus, apparently do not appear to benefit from closed areas because of movement into fished areas. Efficient habitat conservation requires detailed habitat mapping on relevant spatial scales. In northern boreal systems with large remote areas, this information is difficult and expensive to access. An alternative strategy of closing and protecting unexploited areas has worked well for the Aleutian Island coral closure area in Alaska. MPA’s can be effective fisheries management tools when the species to be protected have been depleted and show a small to moderate level of movement, and reproductive success is ensured. MPA’s can be effective at preserving habitat when the design is based on scientific information and takes into account the impact on the user groups.publishedVersio

Mutational dynamics and immune evasion in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma explored in a relapse-enriched patient series

Peer reviewe

Herring larvae (Clupea harengus) investigations in the Skagerrak area, December 1987 to March 1988. A preliminary report

From December 1987 to March 1988 two transects, Torungen - Hirtshals and Oksøy - Hanstholm, were performed once a month for sampling of herring larvae. The gear used was a 9 feet Isaac-Kid Midwater trawl sampling in the upper 60 m of the water column. High numbers of herring larvae were caught in the inflowing waters to the Skagerrak area from January to March 1988 and in the Norwegian Coastal Current moving out of the Skagerrak area, specially in January and February 1988. All the sampled herring larvae were stored in 80 % buffered alcohol, and were examined within 7 days for total and standard length. Later between 38 and 70 larvae from each cruise were examined for daily increments in their otoliths. In addition the wet and dry weights of the same larvae were decided. Estimated hatching date of the examined larvae ranged from 18 August 1987 to 28 November 1987 with a main hatching period in the middle of September, except for the larvae sampled during the March survey. These larvae had an average hatching date in the first part of October. The estimated hatching periods indicate that the larvae entering the Skagerrak area mainly came from the spawning area of the Northern and Central North Sea in December 1987 to February 1988, while the larvae collected in March have their origin in the Central North Sea