Å fly eller ikkje fly? : Om norske offentlege myndigheiter sin respons på askeskya våren 2010

Denne masteroppgåva tek føre seg den norske offentlege responsen på askeskya våren 2010, og kva som kan forklare utviklinga og handteringa av krisesituasjonen som då oppstod. Under «askekrisa» vart heile det norske luftrommet umiddelbart stengt, men etter ei veke vart det vedtatt eit nytt lufromsregime som gjorde det mogleg å avvikle noko flytrafikk. Sentrale aktørar i denne situasjonar var dei offentlege myndigheitene, tekniske ekspertar og flyselskap. Oppgåva er bygd opp rundt fire forskingsspørsmål: Korleis vart krisesituasjonen umiddelbart handtert av norske myndigheiter? Korleis definerte ulike aktørane krisa? Kva kjenneteikna avgjerdsprosessen mot eit nytt luftromsregime? Og kva kan forklare utviklinga og handteringa av krisa som oppstod? I kriseteorien er det vanleg å dele kriser inn i fem fasar: kriseerkjenning, kriseavgjerd, krisekommunikasjon, kriseavslutning og læring. Desse fasane er utgangspunktet for å svare på dei første tre spørsmåla. Denne oppgåva viser at krisesituasjonen vart handtert ulikt av norske myndigheiter på kort og lang sikt. Oppgåva viser også at fleire av dei som umiddelbart hadde støtta opp om myndigheitene, etter kort tid sat spørsmålsteikn ved legitimiteten til den opphavlege responsen. Vidare viser oppgåva at ulike aktørar definerte krisa ulikt, og at kva som vart sett på som den mest akutte utfordringa varierte med deira eigne interesser. Avgjerdsprosessen mot eit nytt luftromsregime var kjenneteikna av at ulike aktørar kjempa om definisjonsmakta og at myndigheitene vart utsette frå press også frå EU. Prosessen hadde også teikn til «blame games». For å forklare denne utviklinga og handteringa av krisesituasjonen, tek eg utgangspunkt i organisasjonsteori. Svara på dei første tre spørsmåla vert analysert frå to variantar av eit instrumentelt perspektiv, frå eit kulturperspektiv og frå eit omgivnadsperspektiv. Oppgåva viser at desse har størst forklaringskraft aleine i ulike fasar av krisa. Kriseerkjenningsfasen kan best forklarast frå eit instrumentelt perspektiv ved at ein her handla i tråd med etablerte strukturar. Krisekommunikasjonsfasen vert betre forklart frå eit kulturperspektiv, ved at dei ulike aktørane handla ut frå differensierte handlingslogikkar og difor definert krisa på ulikt vis. Kriseavgjerds- og avslutningsfasen kan best forklarast frå eit omgivnadsperspektiv. I denne fasen vart luftromsregimet endra og luftrommet opna igjen, og at norske myndigheiter på denne måten endra sin respons kan sporast tilbake til press frå både tekniske og institusjonelle omgivnadar og ønske om legitimitet. Analysen tek sjølvsagt også høgde for at biletet ikkje var så enkelt, og ein komplementær bruk av ulike organisasjonsteoretiske perspektiv ligg til grunn for den siste delen av analysen. Askekrisa i 2010 illustrer fleire viktige poeng. For det første at i situasjonar der årsaka til ein krisetilstand er teknisk – i tydinga ikkje-politisk, men løysinga av nødvendighet må vere politisk, er utsiktene til konflikt større på grunn av at ulike kulturar her møtest. For det andre at organisering er av stor betydning for kor vellykka krisehandteringa er – samtidig som ein ikkje kan «organisere bort» utfordringane i krisetid og også må ta omsyn til både kultur og kontekst. Løysinga er ofte å ha gode rammer rundt krisene, og moglegheiter for fleksibel handtering innan desse faste strukturane

Psychosocial work stress, leisure time physical exercise and the risk of chronic pain in the neck/shoulders: Longitudinal data from the Norwegian HUNT Study

Objectives: To prospectively investigate if the risk of chronic neck/shoulder pain is associated with work stress and job control, and to assess if physical exercise modifies these associations. Material and Methods: The study population comprised 29 496 vocationally active women and men in the Norwegian Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT Study) without chronic pain at baseline in 1984–1986. Chronic neck/shoulder pain was assessed during a follow-up in 1995–1997. A generalized linear model (Poisson regression) was used to calculate adjusted relative risks (RRs). Results: Work stress was dosedependently associated with the risk of neck/shoulder pain (ptrend < 0.001 in both sexes). The women and men who perceived their work as stressful “almost all the time” had multi-adjusted RRs = 1.27 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–1.47) and 1.71 (95% CI: 1.46–2), respectively, referencing those with no stressful work. Work stress interacted with sex (p < 0.001). Poor job control was not associated with the risk of neck/shoulder pain among the women (RR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.92–1.19) nor the men (RR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.95–1.26). Combined analyses showed an inverse dose-dependent association between hours of physical exercise/week and the risk of neck/shoulder pain in the men with no stressful work (ptrend = 0.05) and among the men who perceived their work as “rarely stressful” (ptrend < 0.02). This effect was not statistically significant among the women or among men with more frequent exposure to work stress. Conclusions: Work stress is an independent predictor of chronic neck/shoulder pain and the effect is stronger in men than in women. Physical exercise does not substantially reduce the risk among the persons with frequent exposure to work stress

Waste Crime – Waste Risks: Gaps in Meeting the Global Waste Challenge

More than ever, our future depends upon how we manage the future of our waste. As an integrated part of sustainable development, effective waste management can reduce our global footprint. Ignoring or neglecting the challenges of waste, however, can lead to significant health, environmental and economic consequences. A staggering 1.3 billion tonnes of food is produced each year to feed the world’s 7 billion people. Yet, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around US$1 trillion of that food goes to waste. With 200,000 new peoplWaste covers a very wide spectrum of discarded materials ranging from municipal, electrical and electronic, industrial and agricultural, to new types including counterfeit pesticides. It also includes anything in size and scale from decommissioned ships, oil or liquid wastes, hundreds of millions of mobile phones to billions of used car tires. __Recommendations__ - Strengthen awareness, monitoring and information - Strengthen national legislation and enforcement capacities - Strengthen international treaties and compliance measures - Promote prevention measures and synergie

Psychosocial work stress, leisure time physical exercise and the risk of chronic pain in the neck/shoulders: Longitudinal data from the Norwegian HUNT Study

Objectives: To prospectively investigate if the risk of chronic neck/shoulder pain is associated with work stress and job control, and to assess if physical exercise modifies these associations. Material and Methods: The study population comprised 29 496 vocationally active women and men in the Norwegian Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT Study) without chronic pain at baseline in 1984–1986. Chronic neck/shoulder pain was assessed during a follow-up in 1995–1997. A generalized linear model (Poisson regression) was used to calculate adjusted relative risks (RRs). Results: Work stress was dosedependently associated with the risk of neck/shoulder pain (ptrend < 0.001 in both sexes). The women and men who perceived their work as stressful “almost all the time” had multi-adjusted RRs = 1.27 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–1.47) and 1.71 (95% CI: 1.46–2), respectively, referencing those with no stressful work. Work stress interacted with sex (p < 0.001). Poor job control was not associated with the risk of neck/shoulder pain among the women (RR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.92–1.19) nor the men (RR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.95–1.26). Combined analyses showed an inverse dose-dependent association between hours of physical exercise/week and the risk of neck/shoulder pain in the men with no stressful work (ptrend = 0.05) and among the men who perceived their work as “rarely stressful” (ptrend < 0.02). This effect was not statistically significant among the women or among men with more frequent exposure to work stress. Conclusions: Work stress is an independent predictor of chronic neck/shoulder pain and the effect is stronger in men than in women. Physical exercise does not substantially reduce the risk among the persons with frequent exposure to work stress

Long-Term improvement after combined immunomodulation in early post-H1N1 vaccination narcolepsy

We previously described the possible clinical effects of early monotherapeutic IV-immunomodulation (IVIg) treatment in sporadic1 but not in postH1N1 vaccination narcolepsy type 1 (NT1).2 We report here an early post-H1N1 vaccination NT1 case treated with combined immunomodulation of IVIg and methylprednisolone, and a comparable sporadic NT1 case

High prevalence of ADHD symptoms in unmedicated youths with post-H1N1 narcolepsy type 1

Objectives To characterize attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in unmedicated post-H1N1 narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) youths, and explore associations between ADHD symptoms and the narcolepsy phenotype. Methods A total of 50 consecutively enrolled post-H1N1 NT1 youths (7–20 years, 62% females, 98% HLA-DQB1∗06:02-positive, 98% CSF hypocretin-1 deficient, 88% vaccinated) were assessed after two weeks off medication for ADHD (ADHD diagnosis pre/post-narcolepsy, parent-rated ADHD symptoms) and narcolepsy-phenotyped (semi-structured interview, Stanford Sleep Questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, polysomnography (PSG), Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT)). Results In sum, 26 (52%) and 15 (30%) of participants had ADHD symptoms above and below the clinical significant cut-off, respectively, while 9 (18%) had no ADHD symptoms. High values were found for ADHD total score (mean (SD), 17.9 (9.5)) and ADHD subscores (inattentive score, 11.0 (6.3); hyperactive/impulsivity score, 6.9 (4.7)). These were significantly higher than previously reported in a mainly medicated narcolepsy cohort (p < 0.0001). Age, gender and disease duration did not influence scores. Two participants (4%) had ADHD diagnosis prior to narcolepsy onset. ADHD symptoms were correlated with parent-rated, but not with patient rated ESS scores, objective sleepiness (mean sleep latency), sleep fragmentation (sleep stage shift index, awakening index), or CSF hypocretin-1 level. Conclusion Comorbid ADHD symptoms were more prevalent in unmedicated post-H1N1 NT1 youths than previously reported in mainly medicated pediatric narcolepsy cohorts. The high prevalence was not due to pre-existing ADHD and generally not correlated with core narcolepsy sleep/wake phenotype characteristics, indicating that the ADHD symptoms were not a direct consequence of disturbed sleep or daytime sleepiness