N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and progressive resistance training does not increase muscle mass and muscle strength in obese individuals compared to placebo

Introduction: Obesity induces many physiological changes that harm muscular function. Usual treatment for obesity is exercise and diet. N-3 PUFA have shown to have a certain benefit as to increasing muscle mass and strength. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of 23 weeks of n-3 PUFA supplementation combined with 13 weeks of progressive resistance training on muscle mass and strength in obese individuals. Method: Thirty-five middle-aged obese participants (age 48.3 ± 6.4, BMI 34.3 ± 3.9) participated in the study. They were allocated into one of two groups; PUFA (n= 17; 1000mg n-3 PUFA) or CON (n=18; 1000mg of high oleic sunflower oil). Both groups combined their 23 weeks of supplementation with 13 weeks of 2 weekly supervised resistance training sessions. DXA, ultrasound and HUMAC were measured at three time-points: baseline (T1), pre-training (T2) and post-test (T4). Results: Between the groups, there was no significant difference in isometric strength, lean body mass and muscle thickness after 7 weeks of supplementation (resp; p = 0.99, p = 0.87, p = 0.81). After 13 weeks of combined resistance training, CON increased significantly in isometric strength (17.01 ± 11.67%, p = 0.006) and PUFA did not (12.14 ± 14.52%, p = 0.18). In muscle thickness, PUFA showed a significant change (12.03 ± 10.23%, p = 0.001) and CON showed no significant change (6.68 ± 8.78%, p = 0.2). None of the groups increased in lean body mass (p = 0.90), and there was no significant difference in any test parameters between the groups (isometric strength: p >0.99, lean body mass: p = 0.90, muscle thickness: p = 0.41). Conclusion: 7 weeks of n-3 PUFA supplementation does not increase muscle mass or muscle strength. After 13 weeks of combined resistance training, there was no significant difference observed between PUFA and CON. The effect of n-3 PUFA is still unclear and should be investigated further

Barriers to human development : a case study from the southern province of Sri Lanka

Masteroppgave i økonomi og administrasjon - Universitetet i Agder 2011This master thesis focuses on barriers of human development in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. According to the new view of, the effect of foreign aid should be measured on the basis of more variables than economy. This thesis has been based upon the dimensions of: the socio-economic situation, health, education, gender issues, family and network, caste, and Government and NGO’s. Due to expert- and empirical interviews, all of these dimensions were found to have a negative effect on the human development in the Southern Province, accept from family and network. Family and network were found to have a positive effect. According to Falkenberg’s theory of the three basic elements of quality of life, the Southern Province was found to have a poor foundation of quality of life. Coleman’s theory showed that it was only the resource of family network that could help in creating equal opportunity in the future and the Southern Province was situated on the second lowest level in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The main recommendations that have been made from this research is to provide employment and a stable income, create campaigns on change of attitude, and to help maintain the strong family-ties

“Not in my church”: when sexual abuse affects the congregation

This article discusses the self-understanding, role, and position of the congregation when a spiritual leader and trusted person are accused of sexual abuse. Basis to discuss three different positions (meaning the congregation as bystander, injured and upright) is to apply mainly a theological and psychological perspective to illuminate the understanding of these congregational positions. The three positions are revealed on the basis of analysis of empirical material. The research question to discuss is how can congregations handle sexual misconduct committed by their spiritual leader in a healthy and empowering way for their members? The aim is to explore a means inwhich the congregation canmove from being a bystander and a victim, to become a healing and empowering community for the offended and the offender, but also for the members of the fellowship. The three positions are also discussed as a possible procedural description depending on how the congregation deals with the challenges created among members by the accusations against their spiritual leader.publishedVersio

May the Accent Be with You: An attitudinal study of language use in the Star Wars trilogies

Føremålet med denne studien har vore å analysere bruken av engelske uttalevariantar i dei tre Star Wars trilogiane, for å finne potensielle systematiske korrelasjonar mellom karakterane sin aksent, og deira karaktertrekk. Slike korrelasjonar kan avdekke bakanforliggande haldningar til ulike uttalevariantar, og dermed seie noko om korleis samfunnet ser på og behandlar ulike aksentar. Den aller første Star Wars-filmen vart utgjeven i 1977, og den nyaste filmen kom i 2019. Dette store tidsspennet mellom dei ulike trilogiane gjer Star Wars- filmane unike i sitt slag. I tillegg til å undersøkje korrelasjonar mellom aksent og karaktertrekk, ser denne oppgåva også på potensielle endringar i framstillinga av ulike aksentar, og om filmane over tid har blitt meir mangfaldige og inkluderande, i tråd med samfunnsmessige endringar dei siste 50 åra. Forsking tyder på at haldningar til språk blir forma tidleg i livet, gjennom blant anna opplevingar, media og personane ein har rundt seg (Garrett, Coupland, and Williams 2003). Star Wars trilogiane har blitt sett over heile verda, av folk i alle aldrar, og har vakse til å bli eit enormt populært univers. Filmane spelar potensielt ei viktig rolle i sosialiseringsprosessen til barn og unge, og er dermed ein påverknadsfaktor til haldningane dei utviklar. Måten ulike aksentar og lingvistiske grupper blir framstilt på i media og film er difor sentral for korleis dei blir oppfatta i samfunnet, og kan ha stor påverknad på korleis språkbrukarar ser på seg sjølve. Analysen av filmane viser at somme korrelasjonar mellom uttalemåte og karaktertrekk kan identifiserast i Star Wars-filmane, særleg når det gjeld kor sofistikert ein karakter er, kor stor rolle den har i filmane, samt om den er god eller vond. I tillegg kan ein sjå at ei endring har funne stad mellom den første trilogien og den siste, men det var til dels ikkje den endringa som var forventa. Filmane har utvilsamt blitt meir inkluderande når det gjeld etnisitet og kjønn, men har bevega seg i motsett retning når det gjeld språkleg mangfald, då standard britisk og standard amerikansk dominerer meir enn nokon sinne i den nyaste trilogien. Standard britisk har særleg hatt ei drastisk auke, medan bruken av standard amerikansk har minka. Ein kan spekulere i at grunnen til den store auka av standardaksentar, og då særleg britisk, er fokuset på politisk korrektheit i samfunnet, samt at desse moglegvis er lettare å forstå for eit internasjonalt publikum enn regionale og sosiale uttalevariantar. Samstundes kan ein hevde at lite mangfald av ulike uttalevariantar potensielt kan vere negativt for dei språkbrukargruppene som ikkje ser seg sjølve representerte i media og film.Engelsk mastergradsoppgåveENG350MAHF-ENGMAHF-LÆF

Unexpected feeding behaviour inferred by DNA metabarcoding of Barents Sea skates

Feeding studies give an indication about the role and position of species within ecosystems and provide crucial knowledge for management. Traditional methods are based on morphological identification of prey. DNA metabarcoding is a promising tool that allow for identification of specific prey items, also when highly digested. A total of 63 stomachs from three skate species caught in the Barents Sea region were investigated by DNA metabarcoding. Differences were found between species and size classes, reflecting the distributions and respective lengths of the skates. No sexual differences were found. The smaller size classes preferred small and soft-bodied prey species. Arctic skate have been observed to perform short-term depth changes, being confirmed by a higher portion of pelagic diet compared to the other two. Spinytail skate, reaching the largest maximum size, was more piscivorous. The smaller thorny skate predominantly preyed upon soft-bodied invertebrates. A comparison with traditional methods was performed, revealing that DNA metabarcoding identified up to twenty times more species. This includes rapidly digestible prey such as Annelida, Cnidaria and Chaetognatha, although secondary predation cannot be ruled out. DNA metabarcoding is a powerful tool for mapping the range of prey diversity and is an important complementation to traditional methods

The Non Invasive Brain Injury Evaluation, NIBIE – A New Image Technology for Studying the Mechanical Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an epidemiologically well-known disorder that ranges from minor to severe conditions (Kleiven, Peloso, von Holst, 2003). The aetiology of TBI is due to external violence and similar all over the world. About 80 % is defined as mild and in this category, most patients recover completely after a certain time, ranging from days to months

The Impact of Credit Rating Changes: An Empirical Study of the Stock Market Reaction to Credit Rating Change Announcements in the European Insurance Market

This thesis investigates the effect of credit rating change announcements on stock returns. Most of the previous literature on the topic studies the effect in the US market, as well as including a broad-based sample with regards to industries. This thesis adds to the existing literature by researching the stock effect on European insurance companies. The insurance industry was specifically chosen due to its presumed higher sensitivity to rating changes. The event study methodology, as described by MacKinlay (1997), was used to investigate the topic. Rating change announcements from S&P, Moody's, and Fitch are analysed from 2009 to 2021. The general findings from the study are that rating downgrades lead to a significantly negative stock price reaction, while upgrades lead to a less significant positive reaction. The results also indicate that the impact of rating announcements varies somewhat, depending on the rating agency giving the rating. Rating downgrades from S&P seem to yield a significantly stronger reaction than the two other rating agencies. In addition to this, the results suggest that rating downgrades over multiple levels cause a stronger market reaction than rating changes over one level. Furthermore, rating upgrades moving a credit rating from speculative grade to investment grade show a significantly stronger market reaction.nhhma

Fishing pressure impacts the abundance gradient of European lobsters across the borders of a newly established marine protected area

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are considered viable fisheries management tools due to their potential benefits of adult spillover and recruitment subsidy to nearby fisheries. However, before–after control–impact studies that explore the biological and fishery effects of MPAs to surrounding fisheries are scarce. We present results from a fine-scale spatial gradient study conducted before and after the implementation of a 5 km2 lobster MPA in southern Norway. A significant nonlinear response in lobster abundance, estimated as catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) from experimental fishing, was detected within 2 years of protection. After 4 years, CPUE values inside the MPA had increased by a magnitude of 2.6 compared to before-protection values. CPUE showed a significant nonlinear decline from the centre of the MPA, with a depression immediately outside the border and a plateau in fished areas. Overall fishing pressure almost doubled over the course of the study. The highest increase in fishing pressure (by a magnitude of 3) was recorded within 1 km of the MPA border, providing a plausible cause for the depression in CPUE. Taken together, these results demonstrate the need to regulate fishing pressure in surrounding areas when MPAs are implemented as fishery management tools.publishedVersio

Health professionals’ experiences with the implementation of a digital medication dispenser in home care services – a qualitative study.

Background: Implementing digital technology in home care services challenges care arrangements built on faceto-face encounters. Digital welfare technology has been suggested as a solution to increasing demands on health care services from an ageing population. Medication delivery is a major task for home care services, and digital medication devices could lessen the need for resources. But technology has scripts based on how designers picture its use, and these might not fit with users’ needs and practices. New technology must go through processes of domestication among its users. In the present study, we investigate how health professionals experienced the implementation of a digital medication dispenser into home care services in Norway. Methods: This was a qualitative interview study with 26 health professionals from home care services in five municipalities. Results: All five municipalities had implemented a digital medication dispenser in home care services. Prior to the introduction of the dispenser, medication practices had been based on home visits. The safety of medication practices was the main concern of health professionals who had to negotiate the technological script in order to make it work in a new care arrangement. Rationalities of effectiveness collided with rationalities of care, symbolized by warm hands. Professionals who had been used to working independently became dependent on technical support. Being unfamiliar with the new medication arrangement led to resistance towards the digital dispenser, but more direct experiences changed the focus from technology to new care arrangements. Negotiating practical and organizational arrangements led health professionals to trust the digital medication dispenser to contribute to safe and good care for service users. Conclusions: Implementing digital technology in home care services must be informed by previous practices in the field, especially when it concerns safety for patients. Through processes of domestication, health professionals negotiate technological scripts to make them fit professional ideals and practices. Policymakers and managers must address questions of care arrangements and individualized adaptions to patients’ needs in order to receive support from health professionals when implementing digital technology in home care services.publishedVersio