Default mode resting-state functional connectivity of the aging brain

The term functional connectivity is used to describe which parts of the brain work together on a process, and might aid the understanding of how the processing systems in the human brain are fundamentally organised. The default mode network (DMN) is a constellation of cortical structures that has shown remarkable reliability as a resting-state network(RSN). It has often been referred to as a task-negative network, because it typically exhibits amplified activation patterns during rest. Numerous studies have documented DMN alterations in various clinical conditions, including mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. However, little is known about the impact of normal aging on this network. The present study investigates age–differences in DMN functional connectivity and further, whether the effects of age are modulated by the allelic variation of the alipoprotein E-gene, APOE. Based on current theories of cognitive aging and the few existing previous studies on restingstate patterns and APOE, we have two hypotheses: 1) an elevated co-activation in the DMN with increasing age, and 2) different effects for ε4-carriers compared to non-carriers in the MTL structures, including the hippocampus. We tested these hypotheses on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 182 healthy participants aged 20-78 years, including 63 carriers of the ε4-allele. Using a combination of independent component analysis (ICA) and dual-regression, we document regionally specific escalations in DMN synchronicity with increased age, especially in frontal brain areas. Additionally, we observed a moderate negative effect of the ε4-allele in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) of the posterior parts of the DMN, indicating lower co-activity in carriers compared to non-carriers in areas spanning core parts of the DMN. These findings are discussed in light of theories of cognitive aging, and we argue that the amplified DMN functional connectivity with age is indicative of an age-related decrease in neural differentiation manifested as decreased decoupling between task-negative and task-positive brain networks during rest

Forecasting the Fish Pool Index : Can tree-based models produce accurate and reliable forecasts of the salmon spot price?

Industrial salmon farming is becoming an increasingly important industry, both globally and in Norway. One of the main risk factors in salmon production is the highly volatile spot price, so access to high-quality price forecasts could prove immensely valuable throughout the value chain. In this thesis, we therefore attempt to make accurate and reliable forecasts of the salmon price 12 months ahead and assess the potential economic value of such forecasts. We chose to use tree-based models for this task, and the models applied were decision trees, random forests, and xgBoost, with- and without seasonal adjustment. The tree-based models displayed different levels of forecast accuracy, however all models performed better than the seasonal naïve benchmark. Measured by mean absolute error and mean squared error the best performing model was random forest, followed by xgBoost and then decision tree. Overall, the seasonally adjusted random forest performed best, with a directional accuracy of 82%, implying that the model correctly predicted up- or down price movements around 8 out of 10 times. We found that the potential economic value of such forecasts to SalMar, the third largest salmon producer in Norway in 2021 with a market share of around 11%, could be 51.2 million NOK in additional earnings, corresponding to a 2% increase compared to their total 2021 earnings.nhhma

Ledergrupper i barnehager

Studien omhandler hvorvidt ledergruppene i Sandnes kommune sine barnehager opplever at de er effektive etter de ble samorganisert i 2018. Det er tatt utgangspunkt i Bang & Midelfart (2019) sin input-prosess-output modell for effektivitet i ledergruppe. Studien viser at ledergruppene har gode forutsetninger for effektivitet. Prosessen gruppelæring kan med fordel prioriteres og ledelse av ledergrupper er utfordrende. Lederne opplever de skaper merverdi for organisasjonen og for enkeltmedlemmer

Dissolving cellulose treatment by using Deep Eutectic Solvents

Grado en Ingeniería Químic

Effects Of Implementing A Clinical Pharmacist Service In A Mixed Norwegian Icu

Цели: Неприемливо висок процент пациенти, приети в отделения по интензивно лечение (ОИЛ), развиват свързани с приема на лекарства проблеми (СЛП). СЛП могат да причинят увреждания и да увеличат разноските и продължителността на престоя. Доказано е, че въвеждането на клинично фармацевтично обслужване разкрива голям брой СЛП и ефективно допринася за разрешаването на същите в различни системи на здравеопазване. Обаче това не е проучено в перспектива в смесени третични норвежки ОИЛ.Методи: През 12-месечен период от м. октомври 2012 г. насетне един клиничен фармацевт се посвети на прегледи на лекарства 3 часа на ден (от понеделник до петък). СЛП бяха докладвани на срещата на ОИЛ и включваха консултация от страна на фармацевта за всеки отделен случай. Всички СЛП бяха категоризирани и клиничното въздействие бе документирано за по-нататъшен анализ. Бяха категоризирани свързаните с лекарства въпроси от страна на персонала и бе даден отговор на същите.Резултати: 363 от 549 приети в ОИЛ пациенти получиха рецензии за лекарствата. Бяха установени 641 СЛП у 194 от тези пациенти (средно по 1,8 СЛП на пациент, диапазон 0-25). Сред най-често установените СЛП бяха твърде високи дози, значими взаимодействия на лекарства и ненужни или неподходящи лекарства. 87% от консултациите, дадени от страна на фармацевта, бяха приети или взети предвид. Типичните въпроси от страна на медицинските сестри бяха свързани с приготвянето на лекарства, генерични еквиваленти и прием на лекарства. Въпросите от страна на лекарите най-често бяха свързани с дозировката на лекарствата, ефикасността и нежеланите ефекти.Изводи: Добавянето на специален клиничен фармацевт към екипа на ОИЛ подобрява качеството и безопасността на лекарствата в смесеното норвежко ОИЛ.Objectives: An unacceptably high proportion of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) develop drug-related problems (DRPs). DRPs might cause harm and increase costs and length of stay. The implementation of a clinical pharmacist service has been shown to detect a high number of DRPs and contributes effectively to solving these across different healthcare systems. However, this has not been prospectively studied in a mixed tertiary Norwegian ICU.Methods: During a 12-month period from October 2012, a clinical pharmacist was dedicated to review medications 3 h daily (Monday to Friday). DRPs were reported at the ICU conference and included advice by the pharmacist for each case. All DRPs were categorized and the clinical impact was documented for later analysis. Drug-related questions from the staff were categorised and answered.Results: 363 of 549 patients admitted to the ICU received medication reviews. 641 DRPs were detected in 194 of these patients (mean 1.8 DRPs per patient, range 0-25). Too high a dose, significant drug interactions and unnecessary or inappropriate drugs were among the most frequently detected DRPs. 87% of advice given by the pharmacist was accepted or taken into consideration. Typical questions from the nursing staff were related to drug preparation, generic equivalents and drug administration. Questions from doctors were most frequently related to drug dosage, efficiency and adverse effects.Conclusions: The addition of a dedicated clinical pharmacist to the ICU team improves the quality and safety of medication in a mixed Norwegian ICU

Emotion regulation in patients with rheumatic diseases: validity and responsiveness of the Emotional Approach Coping Scale (EAC)

Background Chronic rheumatic diseases are painful conditions which are not entirely controllable and can place high emotional demands on individuals. Increasing evidence has shown that emotion regulation in terms of actively processing and expressing disease-related emotions are likely to promote positive adjustment in patients with chronic diseases. The Emotional Approach Coping Scale (EAC) measures active attempts to acknowledge, understand, and express emotions. Although tested in other clinical samples, the EAC has not been validated for patients with rheumatic diseases. This study evaluated the data quality, internal consistency reliability, validity and responsiveness of the Norwegian version of the EAC for this group of patients. Methods 220 patients with different rheumatic diseases were included in a cross-sectional study in which data quality and internal consistency were assessed. Construct validity was assessed through comparisons with the Brief Approach/Avoidance Coping Questionnaire (BACQ) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20). Responsiveness was tested in a longitudinal pretest-posttest study of two different coping interventions, the Vitality Training Program (VTP) and a Self-Management Program (SMP). Results The EAC had low levels of missing data. Results from principal component analysis supported two subscales, Emotional Expression and Emotional Processing, which had high Cronbach's alphas of 0.90 and 0.92, respectively. The EAC had correlations with approach-oriented items in the BACQ in the range 0.17-0.50. The EAC Expression scale had a significant negative correlation with the GHQ-20 of -0.13. As hypothesized, participation in the VTP significantly improved EAC scores, indicating responsiveness to change. Conclusion The EAC is an acceptable and valid instrument for measuring emotional processing and expression in patients with rheumatic diseases. The EAC scales were responsive to change in an intervention designed to promote emotion regulation. The instrument has not yet been tested for test-retest reliability, which is recommended in future studies

The association between disease activity and NT-proBNP in 238 patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a 10-year longitudinal study

Introduction Disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, of which N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a predictor. Our objective was to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between markers of inflammation, measures of RA disease activity, medication used in the treatment of RA, and NT-proBNP levels (dependent variable). Methods Two hundred thirty-eight patients with RA of less than 4 years in duration were followed longitudinally with three comprehensive assessments of clinical and radiographic data over a 10-year period. Serum samples were frozen and later batch-analyzed for NT-proBNP levels and other biomarkers. Bivariate, multivariate, and repeated analyses were performed. Results C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at baseline were cross-sectionally associated with NT-proBNP levels after adjustment for age and gender (r 2 adjusted = 0.23; P < 0.05). At the 10-year follow-up, risk factors for cardiovascular disease were recorded. Duration of RA and CRP levels were independently associated with NT-proBNP in the final model that was adjusted for gender, age, and creatinine levels (r 2 adjusted = 0.38; P < 0.001). In the longitudinal analyses, which adjusted for age, gender, and time of follow-up, we found that repeated measures of CRP predicted NT-proBNP levels (P < 0.001). Conclusion CRP levels are linearly associated with levels of NT-proBNP in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of patients with RA. The independent associations of NT-proBNP levels and markers of disease activity with clinical cardiovascular endpoints need to be further investigated

Hvilken betydning har ulik anvendelse av en strukturert plan for kvaliteten på onboarding i Manpower?

I løpet av HR-studiet har vi blitt overbevist om at onboarding er fundamentalt for et vellykket arbeidsforhold, og vi ble derfor nysgjerrige på hvordan å gjennomføre dette best mulig. Da vi kom i kontakt med virksomheten Manpower, fikk vi raskt inntrykk av at avdelingene Oslo og Bergen hadde ulike tilnærminger til onboarding. Derfra utledet vi problemstillingen: hvilken betydning har ulik anvendelse av en strukturert plan for kvaliteten på onboarding i Manpower? Denne dannet grunnlag for følgende forskningsspørsmål: 1. Hvilke ulikheter mellom praksis ved onboardingen i Bergen og Oslo finnes? 2. Hvilke faktorer kan ha ført til ulik gjennomføring i avdelingene? For å besvare problemstillingen har vi benyttet kvalitativ metode og et fenomenologisk forskningsdesign med en induktiv tilnærming til forskningsprosessen. Vi tok utgangspunkt i Talya Bauers teori om de fire C-er og tre nivåer av onboarding for å vurdere kvaliteten på onboarding, slik at vi kunne tolke de empiriske dataene. Innsamlingen av data ble gjort ved hjelp av åtte dybdeintervjuer fordelt på avdeling Oslo og Bergen. Funnene avdekket at begge avdelinger hadde ulik praksis med både styrker og svakheter, og dermed ble onboardingen vurdert til å ha høyt potensial. Videre avdekket vi at ingen av avdelingene fulgte planen slavisk, noe som naturlig nok var en faktor som ledet til ulik gjennomføring. Konklusjonen var dermed at en stillingsspesifikk og oppdatert plan som også ble fulgt, ville forbedret prosessen i Manpower. Planen ville sikret at det som var nødvendig for proaktiv onboarding faktisk ble gjort, og ville derfor vært av betydning for kvaliteten på onboardingen