The novels of Álvaro Pombo: Registers of the sociopolitical history of contemporary Spain

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of Kansas, Spanish and Portuguese, 2004.In 1977, two years after the death of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, poet and novelist Álvaro Pombo returned to his native Spain from an 11-year exile in England. Finding himself excluded from his country's literary mainstream, Pombo struggled to find both an audience and a publisher for his poems, short stories, and novels. Through the years, as his production increased and he received more and more recognition for his efforts, his position on the literary margins began to shift. In 2004, after winning numerous awards and publishing 11 novels, two books of poetry, a collection of articles, and two collections of short stories, he became the newest member of Spain's Real Academia Española. Nearly 30 years after his homecoming, Álvaro Pombo has finally arrived, with his academy membership signaling his successful repositioning from the margins to the center of Spanish literary circles. Pombo, however, was not the only Spaniard to experience exile during the Franco regime, nor was he the only citizen to experience marginalization from centers of power. Many of Spain's citizens experienced similar exclusions during the years of the dictatorship, the transition, and the new democracy. A study of Pombo's novels reveals that his characters often represent many such excluded individuals attempting to alter their marginalized status in Spanish society. Moreover, his novels serve as registers of the political and social changes occurring at the national level during the country's movement from economic and political isolation during the Franco regime toward full and democratic participation in the global economy of the 21st century. In my analysis of four of his novels, El parecido (1979), El héroe de las mansardas de Mansard (1983), Los delitos insignificantes (1986), and Telepena de Celia Cecilia Villalobo (1995), I explore how the power negotiations of Pombo's marginalized characters illuminate similar manipulations at the social and political level. Although nearly 20 years separate the publication of the four novels, there are connecting threads among the works. Through the telling of each story, Álvaro Pombo lends insight into Spain's historical development by imbedding its sociopolitical history within the pages of his novel

Cognitive functioning in a group of adolescents at risk for psychosis.

peer reviewedCognitive deficits are a core feature of schizophrenia, and impairments are present in groups at-risk for psychosis. Most at-risk studies include young adults and not younger age-groups, such as adolescents. Participants are usually help-seeking individuals, even though risk factors may also be present in non-help seeking adolescents. We aim to explore cognitive functions in a group of non-help-seeking 15-year-old adolescents at risk for psychosis compared to age- and gender matched controls, including particular focus on specific cognitive domains. Hundred participants (mean age = 15.3) were invited after completing the 14-year-old survey distributed by the Norwegian Mother-, Father- and Child Study. At-risk adolescents were selected based on high scores on 19 items assessing both psychotic experiences and anomalous self-experiences. Matched controls were selected from the same sample. Cognitive functioning was assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery and IQ using Wechsler's Abbreviated Test of Intelligence. We found that the adolescents at-risk for psychosis had significantly poorer scores than controls on the composite score of the MCCB. IQ scores were also significantly lower in the at-risk group. The results highlight general cognitive deficits as central in a group of non-help-seeking adolescents at-risk for psychosis. Results indicate that the development of cognitive impairments starts early in life in at-risk groups. It is still unclear whether specific cognitive domains, such as verbal learning, are related to psychotic symptoms or may be specifically vulnerable to symptoms of depression and anxiety

A ten-year longitudinal repeated assessment study of cognitive improvement in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and healthy controls: The Oslo Schizophrenia Recovery (OSR) study.

peer reviewedThe mapping of cognitive trajectories after a first episode of schizophrenia has been the aim in several studies, but the longitudinal course of cognitive impairments remains an important question. Due to methodological limitations, it has been challenging to pinpoint specific periods of improvement or stability in cognitive functioning over time. The objective of this study is to further clarify the longitudinal course of cognitive change after a first episode of schizophrenia through frequent repeated measurement. A total of 56 persons participated in the study (28 first episode patients and 28 healthy pairwise matched controls) with 79 % of patients retained at the 10-year follow-up. The Oslo Schizophrenia Recovery study has a repeated measurement design and includes data from nine cognitive assessments over 10 years. Cognition was assessed with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, which is well suited for repeated measurements. Data were analyzed with linear multilevel models. The results challenge some of the views about the course of cognitive impairment in first-episode schizophrenia patients. Using quadratic time effects in our analyses and balancing the patient group with regards to the most relevant confounding demographic variables such as age, gender, and education, we showed that cognitive deficits change and improve more than in healthy individuals until year 6, when both groups stabilize. The patient group improved on some of the most important cognitive domains associated with functional outcome with 63.5 % full recovery at 10-year follow-up

Inflammation and cognition in severe mental illness: patterns of covariation and subgroups

A potential relationship between dysregulation of immune/inflammatory pathways and cognitive impairment has been suggested in severe mental illnesses (SMI), such as schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar (BD) spectrum disorders. However, multivariate relationships between peripheral inflammatory/immune-related markers and cognitive domains are unclear, and many studies do not account for inter-individual variance in both cognitive functioning and inflammatory/immune status. This study aimed to investigate covariance patterns between inflammatory/immune-related markers and cognitive domains and further elucidate heterogeneity in a large SMI and healthy control (HC) cohort (SZ = 343, BD = 289, HC = 770). We applied canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to identify modes of maximum covariation between a comprehensive selection of cognitive domains and inflammatory/immune markers. We found that poor verbal learning and psychomotor processing speed was associated with higher levels of interleukin-18 system cytokines and beta defensin 2, reflecting enhanced activation of innate immunity, a pattern augmented in SMI compared to HC. Applying hierarchical clustering on covariance patterns identified by the CCA revealed a high cognition—low immune dysregulation subgroup with predominantly HC (24% SZ, 45% BD, 74% HC) and a low cognition—high immune dysregulation subgroup predominantly consisting of SMI patients (76% SZ, 55% BD, 26% HC). These subgroups differed in IQ, years of education, age, CRP, BMI (all groups), level of functioning, symptoms and defined daily dose (DDD) of antipsychotics (SMI cohort). Our findings suggest a link between cognitive impairment and innate immune dysregulation in a subset of individuals with severe mental illness

CpG-Methylation Regulates a Class of Epstein-Barr Virus Promoters

DNA methylation is the major modification of eukaryotic genomes and plays an essential role in mammalian gene regulation. In general, cytosine-phosphatidyl-guanosine (CpG)-methylated promoters are transcriptionally repressed and nuclear proteins such as MECP2, MBD1, MBD2, and MBD4 bind CpG-methylated DNA and contribute to epigenetic silencing. Methylation of viral DNA also regulates gene expression of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is a model of herpes virus latency. In latently infected human B cells, the viral DNA is CpG-methylated, the majority of viral genes is repressed and virus synthesis is therefore abrogated. EBV's BZLF1 encodes a transcription factor of the AP-1 family (Zta) and is the master gene to overcome viral gene repression. In a genome-wide screen, we now identify and characterize those viral genes, which Zta regulates. Among them are genes essential for EBV's lytic phase, which paradoxically depend on strictly CpG-methylated promoters for their Zta-induced expression. We identified novel DNA recognition motifs, termed meZRE (methyl-Zta-responsive element), which Zta selectively binds in order to ‘read’ DNA in a methylation- and sequence-dependent manner unlike any other known protein. Zta is a homodimer but its binding characteristics to meZREs suggest a sequential, non-palindromic and bipartite DNA recognition element, which confers superior DNA binding compared to CpG-free ZREs. Our findings indicate that Zta has evolved to transactivate cytosine-methylated, hence repressed, silent promoters as a rule to overcome epigenetic silencing

Musikk og religion

Music plays an important role in many religions and in a variety of religious contexts. Music and Religion: Texts on Music in Religion and Religion in Music takes a look at the intersections between music and religion. We experience religion in music, and in religion we encounter musical expression. Although music and religion are unquestionably mutually pervasive, we can also come across gaps between them: Is it possible to move beyond a musical experience toward a religious one without having to hop over this gap? And is there any direct route from religion into music as an acoustic phenomenon? Without a religious interpretation of the music remaining? There is a wealth of research about music and religion, but little on how they meet. That is what this anthology seeks to remedy. Music and Religion will be relevant for anyone with an interest in encounters between these two phenomena. It will be especially relevant for students in performing, composing and scientific music education, as well as theology and religious studies. The anthology has been edited by Henrik Holm (associate professor in education at Oslo Metropolitan University and professor in philosophy at Rudolf Steiner University College) and Øivind Varkøy (professor in music education and music sciences at the Norwegian Academy of Music and professor II in music at Oslo Metropolitan University)

Personality traits, subjective health complaints, experimental pain sensitivity, and psychophysiological responding in female temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) comprise a category of chronic complaints of pain and/or mobility dysfunction of the orofacial region. The main symptoms are pain from the temporomandibular joint and/or in the masticatory structures – sometimes radiating to the temples, head, and neck - clicking sounds from the temporomandibular joint, and restricted movement of the jaw. Psychological characteristics of TMD patients are mainly elevated levels of psychological distress, a relatively low correlation between physiological parameters and severity of pain and suffering, and interference with ability to perform activities of daily life due to pain or fatigue. In population samples, TMD occurs about twice as frequently in women as in men. The range of prevalence of TMD in the adult population has been estimated as 3-15%. The etiology of TMD is poorly understood. As is the case with other chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders, TMD seems to be best explained from a biopsychosocial perspective, in which it is viewed as a psychophysiological disorder involving changes in endogenous regulatory pain pathways, resulting in maladaptive emotional, physiological and neuroendocrine responses to physical and psychological stressors. Several studies have been performed of each of the factors assumed to contribute to the development of TMD. This thesis aims to extend previous research by elucidating possible, yet unexplored, group differences between TMD patients and healthy controls. Paper I: Personality traits may be associated with illness and somatic symptoms in several ways. First, personality traits may determine the perception and appraisal of pain and bodily sensations and whether these sensations are interpreted as a threat to health and physical function. Second, personality traits may determine health behaviour and thereby indirectly affect one’s health. Third, coping with symptoms and illness and adherence to treatment regimes may be influenced by personality traits. However, most studies have concentrated on measuring only one or two personality traits. Many TMD patients seem to exhibit a higher than average prevalence of psychological symptoms, e.g., anxiety and depression, compared to healthy controls. Moreover, TMD patients tend to report higher levels of pain from anatomical sites other than the orofacial region and higher levels of somatic symptoms like fatigue and dizziness than do healthy controls. One limitation of previous research is the failure to account for the possible influence of personality traits on general symptom report. Another limitation is the lack of control for the impact of acute pain sensitivity on general symptom report. Papers II and IV: Several current theories of the development of chronic craniofacial pain emphasize the pathogenic role of central sensitization, i.e., increased firing rates or lowered firing thresholds of central nervous system (CNS) neurons. Relative to healthy controls, fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients may exhibit lower pain thresholds after isometric exercise while no group differences are detected at baseline. These results may be interpreted as evidence of central sensitization and/or dysregulated endogenous pain control mechanisms in FMS. The symptom similarities between TMD and FMS indicate that these mechanisms of altered pain sensitivity may generalize to TMD, although this possibility has not been investigated. The organism is able to attenuate pain through complex endogenous control mechanisms originating in the cortex and brainstem, acting on nociceptive traffic at several sites of the spinal chord and brainstem. One endogenous pain regulatory mechanism subjected to increasing scientific interest the last two decades is the analgesic properties of cardiovascular (CV) system responses. Chronic pain groups do not seem to demonstrate the pain-attenuating effects of increased CV response levels. However, it is not known if all types of experimental pain stimulation are related to CV responding. Previous studies have employed ischemic and thermal pain, whereas pressure pain, which is assumed to be more similar to the clinical pain suffered by TMD patients, has not been investigated in relation to CV responding in chronic pain patients. Paper III: The narrow focus on electromyography (EMG) as the preferred method for detecting physiological changes of relevance for the development or maintenance of chronic pain conditions ignores the multitude of central, systemic and local mechanisms that may be involved in this process. Detection of skin blood flow (SBF) changes in the orofacial region seems to be a promising method for identification of physiological changes that may contribute to the development of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Methods This project is based on two experiments. In the first study (Papers I-III), 25 female TMD patients and 25 healthy females matched for age, level of education, smoking, and exercise participated. They participated in a psychophysiological experiment where mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), EMG, and SBF were registered continuously while a reading aloud task, an arousing simulated job-interview, a computer game, and a biting task inducing masticatory load were performed. Between these experimental tasks, acute pain was induced by electrocutaneous stimulation of the left hand and pressure stimulation against the right masseter muscle and the sternum. At repeated intervals during the experiment, affective state was assessed. After the experimental session, the participants filled in questionnaires on somatic and psychological health complaints and personality traits. In the second study (Paper IV), 39 healthy females participated. The physiological registration and the pain stimulation were the same as in the first study. After a series of pain stimulation trials, the participants underwent the same arousing simulated job-interview as in the first study, whereupon several more pressure pain trials were performed. At repeated intervals during the experiment, affective state was assessed. After the experiment, the participants filled in questionnaires on somatic and psychological health complaints and personality traits. Results In Paper I, The TMD patients exhibited a lower level of Extraversion and Openness. In addition, there were higher levels of psychological distress and musculoskeletal pain in the TMD group relative to the control group. Hence, the typical TMD profile of affective distress and extra-craniofacial pain was reproduced. Importantly, these differences were maintained after controlling for Neuroticism, self-presentation bias, and acute pain sensitivity, putting previous research in this field on a more secure footing. In Paper II, relative to the control group, the TMD group exhibited a significantly higher electrocutaneous pain threshold and non-significantly lower pressure pain thresholds at baseline. After isometric contraction of the jaw, the TMD group exhibited increased general pain sensitivity. This did not occur in the control group. The arousing job interview did not significantly affect the subsequent pain sensitivity in any group. Significant positive correlations between MAP and pain thresholds and tolerance were seen only in the TMD group, a finding at variance with results from other studies using different pain stimulation methods. In Paper III, the cognitive tasks elicited significant MAP, HR, and SBF responses, and, overall, these were similar in the two groups. There were significantly lower levels of masseter EMG in the TMD group during relaxation, cognitive tasks, and jaw contraction, carefully suggestive of a pain adaptation process. Apart from a significantly lower masseter EMG in the TMD group during ipsilateral masseter pressure pain, there were no group differences in physiological responding during experimental pain stimulation. Relative to the controls, the TMD patients were more distressed during the experiment, as evidenced by their report of higher levels of state anxiety and depression as well as a more negative experience of the job-interview. In Paper IV, designed to explore some of the findings of Paper II in more detail, there was a non-significant trend of associations between MAP and HR and pressure pain sensitivity after the arousing job interview. Therefore, it is not possible to dismiss the CVR-pain relationship in normotensive, pain-free women altogether. Overall, this thesis has two major conclusions. First, the differences in personality traits, health complaints, and psychological distress between TMD patients and controls may be considerable, while physiological assessments may fail to discriminate between the two groups. Second, the indications of central sensitization processes in TMD patients suggest that this disorder may be regarded as a systemic illness and not as a focal problem of the orofacial region

The CO-evolution in the norwegian EV market

Norway has a comprehensive EV incentive program that has shaped the growth in the Norwegian EV market. Co-evolutionary outcomes, such as aggregated volume, modern EV technology and innovation can bring great success, but can also lead to challenges. The incentives were always meant to be temporarily and will eventually be revised and adjusted to the market development by the Norwegian government. How will the interaction between regulatory change and technological change be? Co-evolutionary studies have recently begun to refer to the political processes that might be involved where co-evolution appears. Coevolutionary theory suggests that firms co-evolve with the environment. The researcher wants to look closer at the co-evolution of firms’ and institutions’ strategies and the potential outcomes that comes from this interaction consequentially by examining the co-evolution in the Norwegian EV market. The study is based on co-evolutionary theory where the interaction between car manufacturers and the Norwegian government in the Norwegian EV market are being carefully examined. The distinctive purpose of using a multiple case study approach is to provide better insight that can contribute to the theory building. The case is intended to show causes of rapid changes that can result in great uncertainty for the future EV market in Norway. There are few studies conducted on this topic, and most of the co-evolution studies that have been done have concentrated on emerging economies and not on a developed economy such as Norway. The findings of this qualitative paper contribute to the theory by illustrating how multinational enterprises (car manufacturers) relate to the uncertainty caused by a change in institutional regulations (Norwegian government regulations) and how these institutions can affect MNEs’ strategies and vice versa. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research and implications

Neurognitive function and symptom remission 2 years after ECT in major depressive disorders

Background: There is a lack of knowledge of possible cognitive side effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) beyond the first few months after treatment. We aim to describe cognitive effects and symptom remission 2 years after ECT in major depressive disorders. Method: Twenty-seven depression patients were assessed with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and the Everyday Memory Questionnaire (EMQ) before and 2 years after ECT. Their scores were compared with those of healthy matches. Depression and remission status were assessed with the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Main statistical analyses were ANOVAs and linear mixed model tests. Results: At baseline, the patient group was significantly impaired on 7 of 10 cognitive tests compared to the control group. Two years later, this gap was reduced to impairment on 5 of 10 tests. Within the patient group, neurocognitive function either increased significantly from baseline to follow-up, or there was no change. Two years after ECT, 62.9% of the patients were in remission. Those in remission reported better subjective memory function, but displayed no different neuropsychological test results, compared to the non-remitters. Limitations: Major limitations were low sample size and lack of uniform ECT procedure. Conclusions: We found improved neurocognitive function 2 years after ECT. This effect occurred regardless of remission status, suggesting that ECT induces unique cognitive boosting processes