A randomised clinical trial on the impact of early intervention on parental child-rearing attitudes and cognitive, motor and behavioral outcomes in preterm infants.

The papers of this thesis are not available in Munin: 1. Nordhov SM, Kaaresen PI, Rønning JA, Ulvund SE and Dahl LB.: 'A randomized study of the impact of a sensitizing intervention on the child-rearing attitudes of parents of low birth weight preterm infants', Scandinavian Journal of Psychology (2010), 51(5):385-391. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00805.x 2. Nordhov SM, Rønning JA, Dahl LB, Ulvund SE, Tunby J and Kaaresen PI.: 'Early intervention improves cognitive outcomes for preterm infants : Randomized controlled trial', Pediatrics (2010), 126:e1088-e1094. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-0778 3. Nordhov SM, Rønning JA, Ulvund SE, Dahl LB and Kaaresen PI.: 'Early intervention improves behavioural outcomes for preterm infants : Randomized controlled trial' (submitted for publication at Pediatrics)BACKGROUND: Preterm infants are at increased risk of cognitive problems/delay and behavioual problems in the long term. Studies have shown that their mothers are more overprotective, and find it hard to implement a nurturant child rearing practice compared to parents of term infants. To improve the parent-infant interaction and thereby influence infant development in a beneficial different early intervention (EI) strategies have been studied but the results are conflicting OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of an EI program in low birth weight (LBW) children on parental child-rearing attitudes, and cognitive, motor and behaviorual outcomes in pre-school age (2-5 years). METHODS: LBW babies (BW <2000g) were randomized to an intervention (IG) or a control group (CG). In addition a term group (TG) was recruited to provide reference data. The EI program was a modified version of the Mother Infant Transaction Program (MITP). The intervention was implemented by eight specially trained neonatal nurses and consisted of seven daily sessions during the week prior to discharge, followed by four home visits. The unit’s standard discharge procedure was followed in the CG and TG. RESULTS: A total of 146 LBW infants were randomized, and 134 and 131 were assessed at 3 and 5 y, respectively. BW in the IG (n=72) was 1396 (SD 429) g, 1381(436)g in CG (n=74) and 3619 (490) in the TG . Mean GA was 30.2 (3.1) w in IG, 29.9 ( 3.5) w in CG and 39.3 (1.3) in TG. The groups were well balanced in baseline characteristics. At 1 and 2 year, mothers in the intervention group reported significantly more nurturant child- rearing attitudes compared to the control group. Children in the intervention group had 4.5 higher IQ scores at 3 years and this difference increased to 6.4 points at 5 years. Furthermore, children in the intervention group had significantly less behaviour problems reported by parents at 5 years compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: This EI program leads to improved IQ scores and less behaviour problems in the pre-school age in preterm infants. In addition, mothers reveal more nurturant child-rearing attitudes at 1 and 2 years. There were no effect on motor outcome

River restoration in Bognelv, Northern Norway : salmonid and macroinvertebrate responses to restoration measures

This is the fourth study of the response of salmonids to river restoration in Bognelv in Finnmark County, Norway. Bognelv was channelized, erosion secured and flood protected during the late 1930s to early 1990s period, and as a consequence of this, salmonid densities declined dramatically. The first restoration measures were conducted in 2006, and the last restoration measure to date were conducted autumn 2014. Following previous surveys’ sampling design, we sampled salmonid juveniles using electrofishing and benthic invertebrates were sampled by means of kick-sampling. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) responded quickly to restoration measures, already in 2008 with relatively much higher densities compared to before 2006, and continued to their highest overall mean production of juveniles in 2015. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) densities remained low through 2013, but then increased substantially in 2015, but not on the same level as brown trout. According to our data, Arctic charr (Salvenius alpinus) have barely responded to the restoration measures, being absent from all samples in 2013 and 2015, and was therefore excluded from our analyses. Macroinvertebrates were classified to the level of species for the first time in 2015 to better investigate their response to the restoration measures. The most important environmental variables influencing density and length for Atlantic salmon and brown trout juveniles were; depth, duration of growth period, temperature during growth period, moss cover, 1+ density, gravel and distance from E6 (the estuary). An ordination analysis was carried out to reveal environmental and restoration effects on the macroinvertebrate community. The most important environmental variables that affected diversity of macroinvertebrates were; distance from E6 and water velocity. Macroinvertebrate diversity increased with increasing distance from E6 and increasing water velocity. Type of restoration measure had different effects on brown trout and Atlantic salmon densities. Both species had highest 0+ densities in areas with weirs and riparian modifications, while brown trout and Atlantic salmon 0+ density was lower in side channels and tributaries than in unrestored stations. 0+ Atlantic salmon density increased with increasing time since restoration. 0+ brown trout length was greater in areas with weirs and riparian modifications, while length was lower in side channels and tributaries. 0+ brown trout length was greater in restored stations than in unrestored stations. 0 + brown trout length decreased with increasing time since first restoration measure (2006). 0+ Atlantic salmon length was greater in side channels and tributaries, while weirs and riparian modifications had little effect on their length. The highest diversity of macroinvertebrates was found in areas where riparian modifications and opening of side channels/tributaries was conducted. Areas with weirs had a similar effect as unrestored areas on diversity. The restoration process appears to have started, with promising responses for brown trout production, but further monitoring and broader scaled sampling is needed to better test the effects of different restoration measures on all three salmonids and macroinvertebrates in Bognelv.Elverestaurering i Bognelv, Nord-Norge. Respons hos laksefisk og bunndyr på restaureringstiltak. Dette er den fjerde M.Sc.-studien av anadrome laksefisks respons på restaureringstiltakene gjennomført i perioden 2006-2014 i elva Bognelv i Finnmark. Feltarbeidet ble gjennomført i juli og september 2015 der laksefiskyngel ble samlet inn ved elfiske og bunndyr ved sparkeprøver. Bognelv ble i årene mellom 1930-tallet og tidlig 1990-tallet kanalisert, flom- og erosjonssikret. Dette medførte at tettheten av fisk sank dramatisk. Etter restaureringen startet i 2006 har ørret (Salmo trutta) respondert raskt, med høyest gjennomsnittlig tetthet av ungfisk i 2015. Bestanden av laks (Salmo salar) hadde lav tetthet frem til og med 2013. I 2015 har tettheten økt betydelig, med høyest gjennomsnittlig tetthet siden restaureringsprosessen begynte. Dog har ikke tetthetsøkningen vært av samme omfang som for ørret. Røye (Salvenius alpinus) har tilsynelatende respondert dårlig på tiltakene og ble ikke fanget i verken 2013 eller 2015. Røye er derfor ikke inkludert i analysene i denne studien. Bunndyr ble for første gang artsbestemt i 2015 for å undersøke bunndyrs respons på restaureringstiltakene. Dybde, lengde på vekstsesong, temperatur i vekstsesongen, dekningsgrad av mose, 1+ tetthet, substrat og avstand fra E6 (utosområdet) var de viktigste miljøvariablene til å påvirke tetthet og lengde hos ørret og laks. Artsdiversitet hos bunndyr ble i størst grad påvirket av miljøvariablene vannhastighet og avstand fra E6. Artsdiversiteten økte med økende avstand fra E6 og med økende vannhastighet. En ordinasjonsanalyse ble gjennomført for å undersøke påvirkningen av miljøvariabler og restaureringstiltak på bunndyrsamfunnet i elva. Studien viser at ulike former for restaureringstiltak hadde ulike effekter på tettheten av laks og ørret. Tetthet av 0+ ørret var høyere i områder med terskler og kantvegetasjon og lavere i sideløp og mindre tilstøtende bekker. Tettheten av laks 0+ økte med tid siden restaurering. For 0+ ørret har lengden avtatt med tiden etter første restaurering (2006). Til tross for dette var lengden større i restaurerte stasjoner enn urestaurerte. Restaureringstiltak hadde svak effekt på lengde hos 0+ laks, mens lengden var størst i sidekanaler og bekker. Størst bunndyrdiversitet ble observert i områder med forbedret kantvegetasjon og åpning av sidekanaler og bekker. Bygging av terskler hadde omtrent samme effekt på diversitet hos bunndyr som områder der restaurering ikke var gjennomført. Etter vår vurdering har restaureringsprosessen i Bognelv startet, med særlig lovende resultater for ørretproduksjonen. Det vil være viktig med videre studier i elven for å undersøke fisks og bunndyrs respons på restaureringstiltakene over tid.M-N

Option agreements impact on risk in real estate development

Masteroppgaven tar for seg opsjonsavtaler med fokus på om avtaleformen muliggjør eiendomsutvikling, samt reduserer risikoen ved kjøp av fast eiendom. Problemstillingen som er utarbeidet er følgende: Muliggjør opsjonsavtaler eiendomsutvikling og minimerer risiko for eiendomsutviklere og grunneiere - er nyttevurderingen ved risiko større enn kostnaden? Det er utarbeidet totalt fire delproblemstillinger som brukes til å besvare problemstillingen på en god måte. Teorigrunnlaget som benyttes i oppgaven retter seg mot relevant faglitteratur som foreligger og ulike rettskilder. Med bakgrunn i problemstillingen er oppgaven strukturert gjennom kvalitative forskningsintervju som metode for datainnsamling. Dette i kombinasjon med et strategisk utvalg av informanter har gitt god innsikt i de ulike informantenesenes praksis, tanker og erfaringer ved opsjonsavtaler. Masteroppgaven avdekker at opsjonsavtaler muliggjør eiendomsutvikling for både grunneier og eiendomsutvikler, da risikoen balanseres mellom partene i opsjonstiden, og at nyttervurdering av en opsjonsavtale er mye større enn kostnaden for en eiendomsutvikler. Det avdekkes at det er få reelle utfordringer som kan oppstå under opsjonstiden, og at dagens praksis rundt inngåelse ikke anses som problematisk. Rettigheter sikres gjennom å tinglyse avtalen eller en sikringsobligasjon med en urådighetserklæring i grunnboken. Konklusjonen er gjort på bakgrunn av teori og intervjustudie.This master thesis address Norwegian “option agreements” with focus on an agreement form for enabling property development, and to reduce the risk when buying real estate. “Does “option agreements” enable real estate development and in addition minimize the risks for developers and landowners - is the benefit assessment at greater risk than the cost?” A total of four sub-objectives have been used to answer the aim of this thesis in a adequate way. The theoretical basis used regarding this thesis is aimed at relevant academic literature and relevant laws. The data collection according to the aim of the thesis is conducted through qualitative research interviews. This, in combination with a strategic selection of informants has provided good insight into the various informants interviewed and their practices, thoughts and experiences with “option agreements”. The master thesis reveals that “option agreements” enable property development for both the landowner and property developer. The risk is balanced between the parties (landowner and property developer) in the option period, and the benefit assessment of an option contract is much greater than the costs regarding the property developer. It is revealed that there are few challenges arising during the option period, and current practice of entering “option agreements” is considered non- problematic. Rights are secured by juridical registration of the agreement or a surety bond with a declaration of non-disposal in the land registry. The conclusions in this thesis are based on acquired theory and the qualitative interview studies.M-EI

The Relationship between Psychological Factors and Performance Level in Female Football

The purpose of this study was to see if there were significant differences in female football players' psychological factors across performance levels. We also investigated whether the same differences could predict at what level female football players compete. Method: The study involved a sample of 188 female football players across three performance levels. Data were collected by five questionnaires, each related to one of the following psychological variables Motivation, Grit, Mental Toughness, Perceived Mastery Climate, and Self-regulation. Results: Results from a Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA showed significant differences between performance levels in mastery climate, amotivation, evaluation, and external regulation. There were no significant differences between grit or mental toughness and performance levels. Discussion: These findings suggest that there are differences in scores of psychological factors between levels, although high levels of these psychological factors do not necessarily correspond with higher performance levels

A randomised clinical trial on the impact of early intervention on parental child-rearing attitudes and cognitive, motor and behavioral outcomes in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND: Preterm infants are at increased risk of cognitive problems/delay and behavioual problems in the long term. Studies have shown that their mothers are more overprotective, and find it hard to implement a nurturant child rearing practice compared to parents of term infants. To improve the parent-infant interaction and thereby influence infant development in a beneficial different early intervention (EI) strategies have been studied but the results are conflicting OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of an EI program in low birth weight (LBW) children on parental child-rearing attitudes, and cognitive, motor and behaviorual outcomes in pre-school age (2-5 years). METHODS: LBW babies (BW <2000g) were randomized to an intervention (IG) or a control group (CG). In addition a term group (TG) was recruited to provide reference data. The EI program was a modified version of the Mother Infant Transaction Program (MITP). The intervention was implemented by eight specially trained neonatal nurses and consisted of seven daily sessions during the week prior to discharge, followed by four home visits. The unit’s standard discharge procedure was followed in the CG and TG. RESULTS: A total of 146 LBW infants were randomized, and 134 and 131 were assessed at 3 and 5 y, respectively. BW in the IG (n=72) was 1396 (SD 429) g, 1381(436)g in CG (n=74) and 3619 (490) in the TG . Mean GA was 30.2 (3.1) w in IG, 29.9 ( 3.5) w in CG and 39.3 (1.3) in TG. The groups were well balanced in baseline characteristics. At 1 and 2 year, mothers in the intervention group reported significantly more nurturant child- rearing attitudes compared to the control group. Children in the intervention group had 4.5 higher IQ scores at 3 years and this difference increased to 6.4 points at 5 years. Furthermore, children in the intervention group had significantly less behaviour problems reported by parents at 5 years compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: This EI program leads to improved IQ scores and less behaviour problems in the pre-school age in preterm infants. In addition, mothers reveal more nurturant child-rearing attitudes at 1 and 2 years. There were no effect on motor outcome

River restoration in Bognelv, Northern Norway : salmonid and macroinvertebrate responses to restoration measures

This is the fourth study of the response of salmonids to river restoration in Bognelv in Finnmark County, Norway. Bognelv was channelized, erosion secured and flood protected during the late 1930s to early 1990s period, and as a consequence of this, salmonid densities declined dramatically. The first restoration measures were conducted in 2006, and the last restoration measure to date were conducted autumn 2014. Following previous surveys’ sampling design, we sampled salmonid juveniles using electrofishing and benthic invertebrates were sampled by means of kick-sampling. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) responded quickly to restoration measures, already in 2008 with relatively much higher densities compared to before 2006, and continued to their highest overall mean production of juveniles in 2015. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) densities remained low through 2013, but then increased substantially in 2015, but not on the same level as brown trout. According to our data, Arctic charr (Salvenius alpinus) have barely responded to the restoration measures, being absent from all samples in 2013 and 2015, and was therefore excluded from our analyses. Macroinvertebrates were classified to the level of species for the first time in 2015 to better investigate their response to the restoration measures. The most important environmental variables influencing density and length for Atlantic salmon and brown trout juveniles were; depth, duration of growth period, temperature during growth period, moss cover, 1+ density, gravel and distance from E6 (the estuary). An ordination analysis was carried out to reveal environmental and restoration effects on the macroinvertebrate community. The most important environmental variables that affected diversity of macroinvertebrates were; distance from E6 and water velocity. Macroinvertebrate diversity increased with increasing distance from E6 and increasing water velocity. Type of restoration measure had different effects on brown trout and Atlantic salmon densities. Both species had highest 0+ densities in areas with weirs and riparian modifications, while brown trout and Atlantic salmon 0+ density was lower in side channels and tributaries than in unrestored stations. 0+ Atlantic salmon density increased with increasing time since restoration. 0+ brown trout length was greater in areas with weirs and riparian modifications, while length was lower in side channels and tributaries. 0+ brown trout length was greater in restored stations than in unrestored stations. 0 + brown trout length decreased with increasing time since first restoration measure (2006). 0+ Atlantic salmon length was greater in side channels and tributaries, while weirs and riparian modifications had little effect on their length. The highest diversity of macroinvertebrates was found in areas where riparian modifications and opening of side channels/tributaries was conducted. Areas with weirs had a similar effect as unrestored areas on diversity. The restoration process appears to have started, with promising responses for brown trout production, but further monitoring and broader scaled sampling is needed to better test the effects of different restoration measures on all three salmonids and macroinvertebrates in Bognelv

Discovering Palestine: How Norwegian Solidarity with Palestine Emerged in the Transnational 1960s

The thesis analyzes the emergence of Norwegian New Leftist solidarity with Palestine between 1967 and 1970. I argue that transnational encounters and exchanges between Norwegian New Leftist activists and the Palestinian national movement saw Palestine emerge from obscurity, shaping a distinct conceptualization of Palestine as a nation embroiled in an armed struggle against colonialism and imperialism. Up until the 1967 Six-Day War, the Norwegian Left’s support of Israel had gone unchallenged since 1949. However, the anti-Zionist turn of the New Left in 1967 did not constitute an embrace of the Palestinian national movement and its liberation struggle, given that Palestinians were generally not considered a national group in themselves at the time. Instead, the New Left’s drastic shift from philo- to anti-Zionism spurred a new discussion on Israel’s legitimacy in Norway, at the same time that Palestinian nationalist organization like Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) were becoming increasingly more visible. With this backdrop, Norwegian New Leftist activists “discovered” Palestine through journeys to the Middle East. In their encounters with the Palestinian national movement, the Norwegians interpreted Palestine using references to the ongoing Vietnam War, drawing on global ideas of Third World revolutionism and anti-imperialism. This interpretation was also offered to them by the Palestinians themselves, who presented Palestine as a frontline for the shared anti-imperialist struggle against both US imperialism and Soviet social imperialism. This understanding of Palestine constituted the basis for the Norwegian solidarity movement with Palestine, which was institutionalized with the foundation of Palestinakomiteen in 1970. Even when told from the Norwegian activists’ perspective, the transnational history of this process illuminates the role of the Palestinians themselves in globalizing their struggle, as well as how global intellectual frameworks shaped early conceptualizations of Palestine on the Norwegian New Left. Finally, the emergence of the Norwegian solidarity movement with Palestine also sheds light on how the “Palestinianization” of the Middle East conflict was perceived on the Norwegian New Left

Opsjonsavtalers påvirkning på risiko ved eiendomsutvikling

Masteroppgaven tar for seg opsjonsavtaler med fokus på om avtaleformen muliggjør eiendomsutvikling, samt reduserer risikoen ved kjøp av fast eiendom. Problemstillingen som er utarbeidet er følgende: Muliggjør opsjonsavtaler eiendomsutvikling og minimerer risiko for eiendomsutviklere og grunneiere - er nyttevurderingen ved risiko større enn kostnaden? Det er utarbeidet totalt fire delproblemstillinger som brukes til å besvare problemstillingen på en god måte. Teorigrunnlaget som benyttes i oppgaven retter seg mot relevant faglitteratur som foreligger og ulike rettskilder. Med bakgrunn i problemstillingen er oppgaven strukturert gjennom kvalitative forskningsintervju som metode for datainnsamling. Dette i kombinasjon med et strategisk utvalg av informanter har gitt god innsikt i de ulike informantenesenes praksis, tanker og erfaringer ved opsjonsavtaler. Masteroppgaven avdekker at opsjonsavtaler muliggjør eiendomsutvikling for både grunneier og eiendomsutvikler, da risikoen balanseres mellom partene i opsjonstiden, og at nyttervurdering av en opsjonsavtale er mye større enn kostnaden for en eiendomsutvikler. Det avdekkes at det er få reelle utfordringer som kan oppstå under opsjonstiden, og at dagens praksis rundt inngåelse ikke anses som problematisk. Rettigheter sikres gjennom å tinglyse avtalen eller en sikringsobligasjon med en urådighetserklæring i grunnboken. Konklusjonen er gjort på bakgrunn av teori og intervjustudie