Tang på menyen - Hvordan øke etterspørselen av tang fra HORECA markedet i Norge?

Bioøkonomien har en stadig viktigere rolle i dagens samfunn da den representerer en bærekraftig og ressurseffektiv tilnærming til økonomisk vekst og utvikling. Bioøkonomien omfatter bruk av biologiske ressurser som planter, dyr og mikroorganismer for å produsere mat, energi, medisin og andre produkter. Den tar sikte på å erstatte fossile ressurser med fornybare, biologiske ressurser. Dette er en viktig omstilling for å oppnå bærekraftig utvikling og bidrar til å redusere miljøproblemer som klimaendringer og tap av biologisk mangfold. Klimaendringene og et stadig økende behov for å produsere mer mat gjør at verden må tenke nytt og mer bærekraftig i fremtiden, spesielt i forhold til hva, og hvordan vi produserer mat. Tang er foreløpig en lite kjent råvare og kilde til mat i Norge, og både forskning, utvikling og produksjon er helt i startfasen. Oppgaven har følgende forskningsspørsmål: 1 - Hvordan øke kunnskapen om tilberedning av tang hos kokker i Norge? 2 - Hva er de største barrierene for HORECA bransjen i forhold til innkjøp av tang? 3 - Hvordan øke etterspørselen av tang fra HORECA bransjen? I denne oppgaven ble det benyttet et triangulær forskningsdesign, bestående av kvalitativ metode med intervjuer, strukturert litteratursøk, og kvantitativ metode ved bruk av spørreundersøkelse. Denne tredelte metoden ble valgt for å oppnå bredest mulig datagrunnlag, da det fremdeles mangler mye kunnskap og forskning på etterspørsel av tang fra storhusholdningsbransjen, også kalt HORECA. Denne bransjen er en stor potensiell kundegruppe for tangprodusenter og næringsmiddelindustrien da bedriftene daglig serverer millioner av måltider til nordmenn og tilreisende. Funn fra både norske og europeiske forbrukerstudier samt spørreundersøkelse og intervjuer utført i forbindelse med denne oppgaven viser noen fellesnevnere som påvirker etterspørselen etter tang både fra HORECA markedet (kokker) og forbrukere for øvrig. Det viste seg at i mange tilfeller var det i all hovedsak mangel på kunnskapsoverføring fra bransjen til forbrukere som påvirket etterspørselen etter tangprodukter. På tross av det manglende kunnskapsgrunnlaget, viste mange likevel en positiv holdning til produkter laget av tang. Både kokker og forbrukere, spesielt unge, helse,- og miljøbevisste mennesker ønsket å smake og bruke tang, men stoppet av mangel på kunnskap om tilberedning. Tilgjengelighet og produktutvalg kom også frem som barrierer for innkjøp og konsum. Videre viste det seg at produksjonen per i dag er liten sammenlignet med Asia og andre europeiske land, og både prosessering og distribusjon må strømlinjeformes mer for å bli mer effektivt og økonomisk bærekraftig. Det viser seg at det krever en samlet innsats fra ulike aktører for å øke forbruket av tang. Produsenter må jobbe med å øke tilgjengeligheten og senke prisene på tangprodukter, og for å oppnå økt etterspørsel må forskere samarbeide med forskjellige markedsorganer og næringsmiddelindustrien for å sørge for økt kunnskap om tangens potensielle helsefordeler. Samtidig må myndighetene sammen med produksjonsnæringen legge til rette for en bærekraftig og strømlinjeformet produksjon, prosessering og distribusjon av tangprodukter. Dersom alle disse aktørene jobber sammen, kan det være mulig å øke forbruket og etterspørselen av tang i Norge fra HORECA markedet, samtidig som det kan bidra til en mer bærekraftig og lokal matproduksjon.The bioeconomy has an increasingly important role in today's society as it represents a sustainable and resource-efficient approach to economic growth and development. The bioeconomy includes the use of biological resources such as plants, animals and microorganisms to produce food, energy, medicine and other products. It aims to replace fossil resources with renewable, biological resources. This is an important adjustment to achieve sustainable development and helps to reduce environmental problems such as climate change and loss of biological diversity. Climate change and an ever-increasing need to produce more food mean that the world must think new and more sustainably in the future, especially in relation to what and how we produce food. Seaweed is currently a little-known raw material and source of food in Norway, and both research, development and production are in the very early stages. The assignment has the following research questions: 1 - How to increase the knowledge of cooking seaweed among cooks in Norway? 2 - What are the biggest barriers for the HORECA industry in relation to purchasing seaweed? 3 - How to increase the demand for seaweed from the HORECA industry? In this thesis, a triangular research design was used, consisting of a qualitative method with interviews, a structured literature search, and a quantitative method using a survey. This three-part method was chosen in order to obtain the widest possible data base, as there is still a lack of knowledge and research on demand for seaweed from the hospitality industry, also called HORECA. This industry is a large potential customer group for seaweed producers and the food industry as the companies serve millions of meals to Norwegians and visitors every day. Findings from both Norwegian and European consumer studies as well as surveys and interviews carried out in connection with this thesis show some common denominators that influence the demand for seaweed both from the HORECA market (cooks) and consumers in general. It turned out that in many cases it was mainly a lack of knowledge transfer from the industry to consumers that affected the demand for seaweed products. Despite the lack of knowledge, many still showed a positive attitude towards products made from seaweed. Both cooks and consumers, especially young, health- and environmentally conscious people wanted to taste and use seaweed, but were stopped by a lack of knowledge about preparation. Availability and product selection also emerged as barriers to purchasing and consumption. Furthermore, it turned out that production as of today is small compared to Asia and other European countries, and both processing and distribution need to be streamlined more to become more efficient and economically sustainable. It turns out that it requires a combined effort from various actors to increase the consumption of seaweed. Manufacturers must work to increase the availability and lower prices of seaweed products, and to achieve increased demand, researchers must work with various marketing bodies and the food industry to ensure increased knowledge of seaweed's potential health benefits. At the same time, the authorities together with the manufacturing industry must facilitate a sustainable and streamlined production, processing and distribution of seaweed products. If all these actors work together, it may be possible to increase consumption and demand for seaweed in Norway from the HORECA market, while at the same time contributing to more sustainable and local food production

ANCA-associated vasculitis – Should we change the standard of care?

Collaborative clinical trials over the last 25 years have revolutionised the care of patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis. This has led to production of management recommendations and standards of care. This paper reviews the existing standards and the recent evidence that has fed further evolution of standards of care. Pattern recognition remains vital to early diagnosis and therefore initiation treatment. While cyclophosphamide remains the treatment of choice, the advent of rituximab has been shown to be beneficial to patients with relapsing disease. It may be safer in young females and those with a risk of urothelial cancers. Methotrexate and mycophenolate mofetil may not be as good as previously thought for inducing remission. Azathioprine and rituximab are the standards for remission maintenance. There have been recent changes to the nomenclature of vasculitides. It is possible that these will continue to evolve over time to make them more meaningful and inform treatment and prognosis. In the absence of gold-standard biomarkers, we discuss the role of ANCA and histopathology, especially in the Indian setting. Follow-up and monitoring of these patients should include structured evaluation using validated clinical tools, assessing cardiovascular risk, vigilance for infections and other co-morbidities due to exposure to glucocorticoids and immunosuppression

Two cases of lymphoepithelial cyst of the pancreas

A 35-year-old man was found to have a cystic mass in the pancreatic body on a routine health examination ; high serum CA19-9 was also detected. The enucleated cyst was diagnosed as a lymphoepithelial cyst (LEC). A 74-year-old man found to have a cystic mass in the pancreatic head by computer tomography as well as high serum CA19-9 was suspected of a cystic neoplasm of the pancreas (IPMN), and pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PPPD) was performed. Pathologically, the cyst was found to be LEC. It is often difficult to diagnose pancreatic cyst as LEC preoperatively. Care should be taken not to do over-surgery for benign disease LEC

Autoimmune inflammatory disorders, systemic corticosteroids and pneumocystis pneumonia: A strategy for prevention

BACKGROUND: Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is an increasing problem amongst patients on immunosuppression with autoimmune inflammatory disorders (AID). The disease presents acutely and its diagnosis requires bronchoalveolar lavage in most cases. Despite treatment with intravenous antibiotics, PCP carries a worse prognosis in AID patients than HIV positive patients. The overall incidence of PCP in patients with AID remains low, although patients with Wegener's granulomatosis are at particular risk. DISCUSSION: In adults with AID, the risk of PCP is related to treatment with systemic steroid, ill-defined individual variation in steroid sensitivity and CD4+ lymphocyte count. Rather than opting for PCP prophylaxis on the basis of disease or treatment with cyclophosphamide, we argue the case for carrying out CD4+ lymphocyte counts on selected patients as a means of identifying individuals who are most likely to benefit from PCP prophylaxis. SUMMARY: Corticosteroids, lymphopenia and a low CD4+ count in particular, have been identified as risk factors for the development of PCP in adults with AID. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (co-trimoxazole) is an effective prophylactic agent, but indications for its use remain ill-defined. Further prospective trials are required to validate our proposed prevention strategy

Demographic, clinical and antibody characteristics of patients with digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis: data from the DUO Registry

OBJECTIVES: The Digital Ulcers Outcome (DUO) Registry was designed to describe the clinical and antibody characteristics, disease course and outcomes of patients with digital ulcers associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: The DUO Registry is a European, prospective, multicentre, observational, registry of SSc patients with ongoing digital ulcer disease, irrespective of treatment regimen. Data collected included demographics, SSc duration, SSc subset, internal organ manifestations, autoantibodies, previous and ongoing interventions and complications related to digital ulcers. RESULTS: Up to 19 November 2010 a total of 2439 patients had enrolled into the registry. Most were classified as either limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc; 52.2%) or diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc; 36.9%). Digital ulcers developed earlier in patients with dcSSc compared with lcSSc. Almost all patients (95.7%) tested positive for antinuclear antibodies, 45.2% for anti-scleroderma-70 and 43.6% for anticentromere antibodies (ACA). The first digital ulcer in the anti-scleroderma-70-positive patient cohort occurred approximately 5 years earlier than the ACA-positive patient group. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides data from a large cohort of SSc patients with a history of digital ulcers. The early occurrence and high frequency of digital ulcer complications are especially seen in patients with dcSSc and/or anti-scleroderma-70 antibodies

Reliability-based Derating Approach for Interconnectors

This Masters project work has its genesis in the preliminary findings of a research collaboration in 2016 between the Department of Electric Power Engineering, NTNU, and Statnett (the Norwegian Transmission System Operator). As its overarching goal, the research proposition centred on developing a foundation for a suitable theoretical framework for one issue related to cross-border capacity auctions: interconnector adequacy. The motivation itself for such an undertaking stemmed from the divergent recommended approaches of estimating the capacity that the prospective UK-Norway interconnector (North-Sea Link) is allowed to bid into the UK Capacity Market. Capacity made available through an interconnector for an area with a capacity mechanism in place, should be eligible to participate in the auctions to prevent market distortion and to ensure that correct investment signals are sent. There is also a need for a transparent and robust method to calculate the proportion of the rated interconnector capacity allowed to participate in market auctions. Such a methodology should consider and remunerate the interconnector's contribution to improved system adequacy in the importing area. In the NTNU-Statnett project, a unique reliability metric Interconnector Effective Load Carrying Capability (IELCC) was conceptualized for the purpose of probabilistic interconnector de-rating; preliminary results were demonstrated on a very simple interconnected test system with a simple load profile. IELCC was founded on Loss of Load Expectation (LOLE) quantification in the interconnected system, addressing the need for a reliability-based de-rating procedure, as opposed to other proposed approaches that focuses on empirical considerations such as price differentials. This thesis examines the NTNU-Statnett project claim that obtaining the de-rated interconnector capacity using a probabilistic reliability framework is a well-argued approach. To corroborate the effectiveness of the IELCC metric, larger interconnected test systems (Roy Billinton Test Systems and IEEE Reliability Test Systems) with detailed load profiles have been deployed, and relevant sensitivity analyses have been conducted. Further, a new variant of IELCC, founded on Expected Energy Not Served (EENS) quantification in the interconnected system is posited, the results demonstrated on the aforementioned test systems and the implications investigated. In a report by The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission from 2016, appropriate generation and system adequacy standards for the internal electricity market were identified. One of the recommendations of the study was to establish EENS as a preferred metric as it alone proves appropriate for the calculation of socially optimal levels of reserve . In light of this, the proposed EENS-based IELCC in this thesis is deemed to have significant application potential in cross-border capacity markets

Chronic nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in granulomatosis with polyangiitis patients receiving rituximab maintenance: friend or foe?

Submitted manuscript version. Published version available at http://doi.org/10.3109/03009742.2014.946235</a