Arctic Security Strategies and the North Atlantic States

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The EU and the Arctic: European foreign policy in the making

Source at: https://arcticreview.no/index.php/arctic/article/view/30The EU is currently reviewing its interests in the High North and has recently started developing an Arctic policy. This article aims at explaining this foreign policy expansion by applying a theoretical framework consisting of three levels: (1) the internal level – viewing EU foreign policy (EFP) as the product of an “organization;” (2) the state level – in specifically accounting for the role played by external actors, primarily states; and (3) the systemic level – viewing the EU and its foreign policy as dependent on structural conditions within the global system. Through interviews, document studies, as well as existing scholarly research, the article identifies impact from all three analytical levels, including how the supranational and member-state level combined has been decisive in shaping the final policy outcome. The research identifies the crucial role played by other Arctic states, particularly Canada and Norway. Finally, on the systemic level, key conditions such as global warming and economic forces are recognized as relevant explanatory factors behind the development of the EU’s Arctic policy

PERBANDINGAN HASIL BELAJAR SISWA ANTARA MODEL PEMBELAJARAN CONTEXTUAL TEACHING AND LEARNING (CTL) DENGAN SAINS TEKNOLOGI MASYARAKAT (STM) PADA POKOK BAHASAN EKOSISTEM KELAS VII DI SMPN 1 PALIMANAN

RATNASARI:Perbandingan Hasil Belajar Siswa antara Model Pembelajaran Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) dengan Sains Teknologi Masyarakat (STM) pada Pokok Bahasan Ekosistem Kelas VII Di SMPN 1 Palimanan. Di dalam dunia pendidikan, guru adalah seorang pendidik, pembimbing, pelatih dan pengembang kurikulum yang dapat menciptakan kondisi dan suasana belajar yang kondusif. Dengan menggunakan dua model pembelajaran yaitu CTL dengan STM) guna mengetahui perbandingan hasil belajar siswa antara model pembelajaran CTL dengan STM pada pokok bahasan ekosistem. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah (1) Untuk mengetahui seberapa besar hasil belajar siswa yang menggunakan model CTL; (2) Untuk mengetahui seberapa besar hasil belajar siswa yang menggunakan model STM ; (3) Untuk mengetahui perbedaan hasil belajar siswa yang menggunakan model pembelajaran CTL dengan STM ; (4) Untuk mengetahui respon siswa yang menggunakan model pembelajaran CTL dengan STM. CTL mengajarkan langkah-langkah yang dapat digunakan dalam berfikir kritis dan kreatif serta memberikan kesempatan untuk menggunakan keahlian berpikir dalam tingkatan yang lebih tinggi ini dalam dunia nyata. Sedangkan STM merupakan model yang mengembangkan kemampuan kognitif, afektif dan psikomotor yang secara utuh dibentuk dalam diri individu sebagai peserta didik dengan harapan agar diaplikasikan dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah teknik angket dan tes, yaitu Pretest dan Posttest. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas VII, dengan sampel sebanyak dua kelas yang diambil secara Random Sampling. Data hasil tes kemudian dianalisis dengan menggunakan uji Independent T-test (uji t). Dari hasil penelitian diperoleh kesimpulan bahwa hasil belajar siswa yang menggunakan model CTL diperoleh rata-rata nilai N-gain sebesar 0.48 dan termasuk kedalam kategori sedang. Hasil belajar siswa yang menggunakan model STM diperoleh nilai rata-rata nilai N-gain sebesar 0.59 dan termasuk kedalam kategori sedang. Terdapat perbedaan N-gain hasil belajar siswa antara kelas yang menggunakan model CTL dengan kelas yang menggunakan model STM, dimana N-gain kelas eksperimen II lebih besar dari pada N-gain kelas eksperimen I (0.5939> 0.4827). Respon siswa terhadap menggunakan model pembelajaran CTL dengan STM termasuk dalam kategori sangat kuat, yaitu siswa memberikan respon yang positif terhadap penggunaan media tersebut dalam pembelajaran biologi. Kata kunci : hasil belajar siswa, model CTL, model STM, ekosiste

Hvordan skal Nord-Norge forsvares? En analyse av landmakten på NATOs nordflanke.

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Hva er de taktiske årsakene til at Russland mislyktes med sin gjennombrytningsoperasjon over Siverskyi Donets?

Den 24. februar 2022 startet den russiske invasjonen av Ukraina. Som en del av en større operasjon øst i Ukraina, prøvde Russland å gjennomføre en gjennombrytningsoperasjon over elven Siverskyi Donets. Operasjonen endte opp med å mislyktes. Det førte til at Russland gikk på store tap. Denne oppgaven har gjennom en kvalitativ dokumentanalyse og litteraturstudie gjennomført en enkeltcase-studie som har undersøkt hvilke taktiske årsaker som lå til grunn av for at den russiske gjennombrytningsoperasjonen mislyktes. Dette i den hensikt å identifisere lærdommer som er relevante og anvendbare for lignende operasjoner i fremtidige høyintensintensitetskonflikter. Vi har i denne oppgaven identifisert at anvendelsen og samvirke mellom feltfunksjonene er taktiske årsaker til at Russland mislyktes med sin gjennombrytningsoperasjon. Ukraina anvender og oppnår et godt samvirke mellom feltfunksjonene, som utgir en god effekt mot Russland og skaper et høyt operasjonstempo. Russland derimot oppnår ikke et samvirke mellom feltfunksjonene, som er en direkte årsak til at de mislyktes med gjennombrytningen. Det fraværende samvirke har en direkte innvirkning på hvorfor de ikke oppnår overraskelse i operasjonen, og det viser seg å være skjebnesvangert. Utfallet av Russland sin mislykkede gjennombrytningsoperasjon understreker viktigheten av riktig anvendelse og et godt samvirke mellom feltfunksjonene i militære operasjoner. Dette viser at det er relevant for militære ledere på alle nivåer å ha et forhold til hvordan man skal benytte seg av feltfunksjonene

Acute Hepatitis B Outbreaks in 2 Skilled Nursing Facilities and Possible Sources of Transmission: North Carolina, 2009–2010

Objective. Acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections have been reported in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), primarily associated with infection control breaks during assisted blood glucose monitoring. We investigated HBV outbreaks that occurred in separate skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to determine factors associated with transmission. Design. Outbreak investigation with case-control studies. Setting. Two SNFs (facilities A and B) in Durham, North Carolina, during 2009–2010. Patients. Residents with acute HBV infection and controls randomly selected from HBV-susceptible residents during the outbreak period. Methods. After initial cases were identified, screening was offered to all residents, with repeat testing 3 months later for HBV-susceptible residents. Molecular testing was performed to assess viral relatedness. Infection control practices were observed. Case-control studies were conducted to evaluate associations between exposures and acute HBV infection in each facility. Results. Six acute HBV cases were identified in each SNF. Viral phylogenetic analysis revealed a high degree of HBV relatedness within, but not between, facilities. No evaluated exposures were significantly associated with acute HBV infection in facility A; those associated with infection in facility B (all odds ratios >20) included injections, hospital or emergency room visits, and daily blood glucose monitoring. Observations revealed absence of trained infection control staff at facility A and suboptimal hand hygiene practices during blood glucose monitoring and insulin injections at facility B. Conclusions. These outbreaks underscore the vulnerability of LTCF residents to acute HBV infection, the importance of surveillance and prompt investigation of incident cases, and the need for improved infection control education to prevent transmission

Single-centre, triple-blinded, randomised, 1-year, parallel-group, superiority study to compare the effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy on remission of type 2 diabetes and β-cell function in subjects with morbid obesity: a protocol for the Obesity surgery in Tønsberg (Oseberg) study

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Low serum creatinine is associated with type 2 diabetes in morbidly obese women and men: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Low skeletal muscle mass is associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Serum creatinine may serve as a surrogate marker of muscle mass, and a possible relationship between low serum creatinine and type 2 diabetes has recently been demonstrated. We aimed to validate this finding in a population of Caucasian morbidly obese subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional study of 1,017 consecutive morbidly obese patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >60 ml/min/1.73 m². Logistic regression (univariate and multiple) was used to assess the association between serum creatinine and prevalent type 2 diabetes, including statistically testing for the possibility of non-linearity in the relationship by implementation of Generalized Additive Models (GAM) and piecewise linear regression. Possible confounding variables such as age, family history of diabetes, waist-to-hip ratio, hypertension, current smoking, serum magnesium, albuminuria and insulin resistance (log HOMA-IR) were adjusted for in three separate multiple logistic regression models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The unadjusted GAM analysis suggested a piecewise linear relationship between serum creatinine and diabetes. Each 1 μmol/l increase in serum creatinine was associated with 6% (95% CI; 3%-8%) and 7% (95% CI; 2%-13%) lower odds of diabetes below serum creatinine levels of 69 and 72 μmol/l in women and men, respectively. Above these breakpoints the serum creatinine concentrations did not reduce the odds further. Adjustments for non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors left the piecewise effect for both women and men largely unchanged. In the fully adjusted model, which includes serum magnesium, albuminuria and log HOMA-IR, the piecewise effect for men was statistically non-significant, but it remained present for women. Patients with creatinine levels below median had approximately 50% (women) and 75% (men) increased odds of diabetes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Low serum creatinine is a predictor of type 2 diabetes in Caucasian morbidly obese patients, independent of age, gender, family history of diabetes, anthropometric measures, hypertension, and current smoking. Longitudinal studies of both obese and non-obese populations are needed to investigate whether serum creatinine may be causally linked with type 2 diabetes, and if so, precisely how they are linked.</p

Med Brussel som tyngdepunkt?: svensk og finsk sikkerhetspolitikk i det nye Europa

Svensk og finsk sikkerhetspolitikk har de siste årene gjennomgått betydelige endringer, som kan karakteriseres som en “europeiseringsprosess”, hvor de to landenes EU-medlemskap har fått vidtrekkende konsekvenser. Å betegne Finland og Sverige som nøytrale er derfor ikke bare upresist, men misvisende. Med utgangspunkt i en neofunksjonalistisk forståelse av den europeiske integrasjonen, forsøker denne studien å strukturere og forklare de viktigste prosessene som har funnet sted. På bakgrunn av empiriske funn er det teoretiske rammeverket utvidet med sosialkonstruktivistiske momenter knyttet til identiteters betydning. For Sveriges del er det i den forbindelsen tydelig å se hvordan økonomi, teknologiutviking sammen med elitesosialisering peker seg ut som tre viktige årsaker til forandring. I Finland derimot er tenkningen i tråd med statsvitenskaplig realistisk tradisjon. Spørsmål knyttet til identitet og elitestyre er de faktorene som best forklarer utviklingen de senere år. Endringsprosessene peker i retning av en sikkerhetspolitisk systemtransformasjon som undergraver de tradisjonelle særegenhetene ved de to landenes sikkerhetspolitikk. Brussel fremstår dermed i stadig større grad som det nye sikkerhetspolitiske tyngdepunktet