Achieving Sustainability Through Geodata: An Empirical Study of Challenges and Barriers

Master's thesis in Information systems (IS501)Research within data management is often based on the elements of the data lifecycle. Organizations and businesses are also becoming more interested in data lifecycle management to leverage their data streams, compounded by an interest in geographical attributes within the data –referred to as geodata. Geodata provides a richer basis for analysis and is increasingly important within urban planning. Furthermore, the pressure to achieve sustainability goals calls for improving the data lifecycle. The challenge remainsas to what can be improvedwithin the data lifecycle –with geodata as an important input –to achieve sustainability dimensions. Our main contribution through this study is shedding light on challenges withgeodata from an Information Systems (IS) and sustainability perspective. Additionally, the identified challenges are also feedback to data management research and the data lifecycle

Food security and urban agriculture : how can private, small-scale, non-commercial cultivation in the city contribute to increased self-sufficiency?

Økende usikkerhet for fremtiden er grunnen til at matsikkerhet har fått større plass på den politiske dagsorden i Norge (Dombu et al., 2021). Klimaendringer og covid-19-pandemien har ført til økt oppmerksomhet rundt forsyningssikkerheten og tilgangen til mat under kriser. Matproduksjonen i Norge har flere utfordringer med tanke på naturgitte forhold som et kaldt klima sammenlignet med andre land, og produksjonen begrenses av et lite totalt jordbruksareal (Dombu et al., 2021). Verdens matvaresystemer står overfor nye og økte trusler, samtidig som de samme systemene i stor grad bidrar til klimaendringer, ødeleggelse av miljøet, forurensing og rovdrift på naturressurser. Dette skaper økt behov for fundamentale endringer i hvordan vi produserer maten vår (Dombu et al., 2021). Dyrking av mat i byer og tettsteder har eksistert lenge, men selve begrepet urbant landbruk har blitt tatt i bruk de senere årene (Departementene, 2021). I omtalen av urbant landbruk er det ofte fokus på attraktive byer og sosiale møteplasser (Departementene, 2022) men lite på selve matproduksjonen. Målet med masteroppgaven er å undersøke hvilket potensial som finnes i urbant landbruk med tanke på matsikkerhet, og sette fokus på urbant landbruk som en mulig ressurs for matsikkerheten i Norge. Hvilken kunnskap bør man tilegne seg for trygg, sunn og mest mulig avling i urban kontekst, og hvordan anvende denne kunnskapen? Hvilket potensial ligger i privat, småskala, ikke-kommersiell dyrking, med tanke på å øke selvforsyningen? Gjennom litteraturstudie belyser oppgaven kunnskap om jord og gjødsling for å oppnå sunn, trygg og mest mulig avling, og hvordan anvende denne kunnskapen på de utvalgte grønnsakene potet, tomat, løk og gulrot. Oppgaven undersøker også potensialet i privat, småskala matproduksjon i byen, hvis flere hadde hatt denne kunnskapen. Dette er gjort ved å beregne hvor mye hver husstand i Oslo må dyrke for at vi skal dekke importbehovet de utvalgte grønnsakene, og hvordan dette kan se ut i en reell blokk i Oslo. Det diskuteres hvorvidt småskala, privat matproduksjon kan være med på å øke selvforsyningsgraden for befolkningen i Oslo. Ulike grønnsaker krever ulik jord og ulik grad av næring. Kunnskap om dette, eller mangel på sådan, kan utgjøre forskjellene på god avling og mindre god avling, noe som har mye å si på arealbruken. Hvorvidt privat, småskala matproduksjon i by vil kunne bidra til matsikkerheten er avhengig av mange ulike faktorer. Likevel kan man med stor sannsynlighet svare ja på at det vil kunne gjøre en forskjell. Ut fra undersøkelsene kan vi vurdere at småskala matproduksjon har stort potensiale for å få opp selvforsyningen, spesielt på de grønnsakene som krever minst areal. Man trenger ikke en stor kjøkkenhage for å produsere mat.Due to increased uncertainty about the future, food security has gained a greater place on the political agenda in Norway (Dombu et al., 2021). Climate change and covid-19 have led to increased attention to the security of supply and access to food during crisis situations. Norwegian food production has several challenges in terms of natural conditions such as a cold climate and a limited area for agricultural production (Dombu et al., 2021). The world's food systems face new and increased threats, while the same food systems largely contribute to climate change, destruction of the environment, pollution and predatory exploitation of natural resources. This creates an increased need for fundamental changes in how we produce our food (Dombu et al., 2021). People have grown food in cities for a long time, but the term urban agriculture has been adopted in recent years (Departementene, 2021). In discussions of urban agriculture, the focus is mainly on attractive cities and social meeting places (Departementene, 2022), but not much on the food production itself. The aim of the master thesis is to investigate the potential that exists in urban agriculture with regard to food security, and to focus on urban agriculture as a source for food security in Norway. What knowledge should be acquired to maximize the yield in a healthy and safe crop in an urban context, and how should this knowledge be applied? What is the potential in private, small-scale, non-commercial cultivation for increasing food security? Through a literature study, the thesis highlights knowledge about soil and fertilization to achieve healthy, safe and a large as possible yield. The paper discusses the application of this knowledge to specific vegetables, namely potatoes, tomatoes, onions and carrots. Furthermore, the paper examines the potential for private, small-scale urban food production, if more people had this knowledge. This is done by calculating the amount of produce each household in Oslo would need to grow, to avoid importing these vegetables. The paper also examines how this can be implemented in a real apartment block in Oslo and discusses the potential for small-scale, private food production to increase self-sufficiency for Oslo’s population. Different vegetables require different soil and levels of nutrients. Knowledge about this, or lack of it, can make the difference between successful crop, or an unsuccessful one. This has a great impact of the area consumption. Whether private, small-scale food production in the city can contribute to food security depends on many different factors. Nevertheless, we can with great certainty say that it has the potential to make a difference. Based on the findings, we can consider that small-scale food production has great potential for increasing self-sufficiency, especially for crops that require the least area. You do not need a large kitchen garden to produce your own food.M-U

Experiences with nutrition-related information during antenatal care of pregnant women of different ethnic backgrounds residing in the area of Oslo, Norway.

Objective: to explore experiences with nutrition-related information during routine antenatal care among women of different ethnical backgrounds. Design: individual interviews with seventeen participants were conducted twice during pregnancy. Data collection and analysis were inspired by an interpretative phenomenological approach. Setting: participants were purposively recruited at eight Mother and Child Health Centres in the area of Oslo, Norway, where they received antenatal care. Participants: participants had either immigrant backgrounds from African and Asian countries (n¼12) or were ethnic Norwegian (n¼5). Participants were pregnant with their first child and had a pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index above 25 kg/m2. Findings: participants experienced that they were provided with little nutrition-related information in antenatal care. The information was perceived as presented in very general terms and focused on food safety. Weight management and the long-term prevention of diet-related chronic diseases had hardly been discussed. Participants with immigrant backgrounds appeared to be confused about information given by the midwife which was incongruent with their original food culture. The participants were actively seeking for nutrition-related information and had to navigate between various sources of information. Conclusions: the midwife is considered a trustworthy source of nutrition-related information. Therefore, antenatal care may have considerable potential to promote a healthy diet to pregnant women. Findings suggest that nutrition communication in antenatal care should be more tailored towards women’s dietary habits and cultural background, nutritional knowledge as well as level of nutrition literacy

Perceptions of the Host Country’s food culture among female immigrants from Africa and Asia: Aspects relevant for culture sensitivity in nutrition communication

Objective: To explore how female immigrants from Africa and Asia perceive the host country’s food culture, to identify aspects of their original food culture they considered important to preserve, and to describe how they go about preserving them. Design: Qualitative in-depth interviews. Setting: Oslo, Norway. Participants: Twenty one female immigrants from 11 African and Asian countries, residing in areas of Oslo with a population having a low-to-middle socioeconomic status and a high proportion of immigrants. Participants varied in years of residence, employment status, and marital status. Analysis: Analysis of the interviews was guided by a phenomenological approach. Results: Participants emphasized the importance of preserving aspects of their original food cultures and related these aspects to taste, preparation effort and method, and adherence to religious dietary rules. They often perceived the food of the host country as ‘‘tasteless and boring.’’ The authors observed strict, flexible, or limited continuity with the original food culture. Some elements that possibly influenced participants’ degree of continuity are indicated. Conclusions and Implications: Immigrants may strive to preserve aspects of their original food culture after immigration. Nutrition communication becomes more culturally sensitive when it takes such aspects into accoun

Livskvalitetsundersøkelsen 2022. Dokumentasjonsnotat

Våren 2022 gjennomførte Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) en nasjonal undersøkelse om livskvalitet. Undersøkelsen ble gjort på oppdrag fra Helsedirektoratet. Hovedformålet med undersøkelsen var å få kunnskap om livskvalitet til den norske befolkningen og å belyse forskjeller i livskvalitet blant ulike grupper. Undersøkelsen om livskvalitet bygger på flere års forarbeid for kartlegging av livskvalitet i Norge. Resultatene fra undersøkelsene for 2020 og 2021 er dokumentert i egne rapporter (Støren, Rønning & Gram, 2020 og Støren & Rønning, 2021). Fra 2022 opprettes Livskvalitet som en egen statistikk, og sentrale deler av undersøkelsen publiseres som tabeller i Statistisk sentralbyrås statistikkbank. Datainnsamlingen ble gjennomført på web. Feltperioden gikk over fire uker, fra 7. mars til 3. april 2022. Spørreskjema lå åpent til og med 6. april slik at flest mulig kunne fullføre. Utvalget bestod av 40 000 personer 18 år eller eldre som var bosatt i Norge. De som var trukket ut mottok e-post eller brev og SMS med informasjon om undersøkelsen og lenke til webskjema (vedlegg A og B). Respondenter brukte i snitt 24 minutter på å svare på skjema. Undersøkelsen oppnådde en svarprosent på 38. Blant dem som fikk invitasjon til å delta per e-post var svarprosenten 48, og blant dem som fikk invitasjon via brev var svarprosenten 12. Frafallet var størst blant personer over 80 år og personer med lav utdanning. Spørreskjema om livskvalitet inneholder flere indikatorer på subjektive og objektive komponenter av et godt liv. Undersøkelsen dekker følgende temaer: generell livskvalitet, helse, sosiale relasjoner, arbeidsforhold og -miljø, økonomisk situasjon, bolig og bomiljø, samfunnsforhold, hverdag og fritid. Se vedlegg C for spørreskjema på bokmål. I tillegg har vi lagt til en del registerinformasjon i etterkant, blant annet om utdanning, bolig, arbeid og inntekt. Hvilke opplysninger som ble hentet fra register er beskrevet i kapittel 6. Frafall kan føre til utvalgsskjevhet, noe som innebærer at nettoutvalget (de som er intervjuet i undersøkelsen) ikke nødvendigvis er helt representativt for målgruppen. Rapporten undersøker om frafallet har medført skjevheter for kjennetegnene alder, kjønn, utdanning, landbakgrunn og landsdel. Det største avviket mellom netto- og bruttoutvalget forekommer når en ser på utdanningsnivå og alder. Respondenter med universitets- og høyskoleutdanning er overrepresentert, mens de med lav eller uoppgitt utdanning har en underrepresentasjon. Aldersgruppen 45-66 år er mer representert i nettoutvalget enn andre aldersgrupper. Det er også en overrepresentasjon i nettoutvalget av personer med norsk landbakgrunn sammenlignet med personer med annen landbakgrunn. For å korrigere for noen av skjevhetene i forbindelse med frafall, vektes dataene i analyser

Urbant landbruk: «Alle» kan bidra til økt matsikkerhet i Norge

Et regneeksempel for Oslo viser at privat, småskala og ikke-kommersiell dyrking i byer kan øke norsk selvforsyning med poteter, tomater, løk og gulrøtter.Urbant landbruk: «Alle» kan bidra til økt matsikkerhet i NorgepublishedVersio

Photometric Variability in the Ultracool Dwarf BRI 0021-0214: Possible Evidence for Dust Clouds

We report CCD photometric monitoring of the nonemission ultracool dwarf BRI 0021-0214 (M9.5) obtained during 10 nights in 1995 November and 4 nights in 1996 August, with CCD cameras at 1 m class telescopes on the observatories of the Canary Islands. We present differential photometry of BRI 0021-0214, and we report significant variability in the I-band light curve obtained in 1995. A periodogram analysis finds a strong peak at a period of 0.84 day. This modulation appears to be transient because it is present in the 1995 data but not in the 1996 data. We also find a possible period of 0.20 day, which appears to be present in both the 1995 and 1996 datasets. However, we do not find any periodicity close to the rotation period expected from the spectroscopic rotational broadening (< 0.14 day). BRI 0021-0214 is a very inactive object, with extremely low levels of Halpha and X-ray emission. Thus, it is unlikely that magnetically induced cool spots can account for the photometric variability. The photometric variability of BRI 0021-0214 could be explained by the presence of an active meteorology that leads to inhomogeneous clouds on the surface. The lack of photometric modulation at the expected rotational period suggests that the pattern of surface features may be more complicated than previously anticipated.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 26 pages, 13 figures include

Establishment of the International Maritime Health Foundation: the next step in scientific publishing in maritime health

The Bulletin of the Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine (IMTM) was published first time in 1948 as a preliminary publication. Since then it has developed and from 1999 it is known as International Maritime Health (IMH). Initially it was published by the Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine (IMTM) in Gdynia. From 2009 it was published by the Polish Society of Maritime, Tropical and Travel Medicine (PSMTTM) in cooperation with the International Maritime Health Association (IMHA) and the Norwegian Centre for Maritime Medicine (NCMM), later the Norwegian Centre for Maritime and Diving Medicine (NCMDM) at the Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen. After a couple of years of planning and discussions on how to take the journal forward, the International Maritime Health Foundation (IMHF) was established under Polish Law, 21st June 2018. This article discusses the process from the very beginning of the journal, until the establishment of the IMHF as well as the foundation’s objectives and way forward

A new treatment for eating disorders combining physical exercise and dietary therapy (the PED-t): experiences from patients who dropped out

publishedVersio

Elucidating an amorphous form stabilization mechanism of tenapanor hydrochloride: crystal structure analysis using Xray diffraction, NMR crystallography and molecular modelling

By the combined use of powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction, solid-state NMR, and molecular modelling, the crystal structures of two systems containing the unusually large tenapanor drug molecule have been determined: the free form, ANHY and a dihydrochloride salt form, 2HCl. Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) assisted solid-state NMR (SSNMR) crystallography investigations were found essential for the final assignment, and were used to validate the crystal structure of ANHY. From the structural informatics analysis of ANHY and 2HCl, conformational ring differences in one part of the molecule were observed which influences the relative orientation of a methyl group on a ring nitrogen and thereby impacts the crystallizability of the dihydrochloride salt. From quantum chemistry calculations, the dynamics between different ring conformations in tenapanor is predicted to be fast. Addition of HCl to tenapanor results in general in a mixture of protonated ring conformers and hence a statistical mix of diastereoisomers which builds up the amorphous form, a-2HCl. This was qualitatively verified by 13C CP/MAS NMR investigations of the amorphous form. Thus, to form any significant amount of the crystalline material 2HCl, which originates from the minor (i.e., energetically less stable) ring conformations, one needs to involve nitrogen deprotonation to allow exchange between minor and major conformations of ANHY in solution. Thus, by controlling the solution pH value to well below the pKa of ANHY, the equilibrium between ANHY and 2HCl can be controlled and by this mechanism the crystallization of 2HCl can be avoided and the amorphous form of the dichloride salt can therefore be stabilized