The association of religious factors with mental health-service utilisation and satisfaction in a mixed Sámi and Norwegian adult population: Adopting the SAMINOR 2 Questionnaire Survey

The Indigenous Sámi have poorer mental health than the majority population and fairly equal access to professional mental healthcare. Despite this condition, certain studies indicate that this group is underrepresented among the users of such services. Religion or spirituality (R/S) often influences mental health-service utilisation and satisfaction among other Indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities. Thus, this study examines the situation in Sámi-Norwegian areas. We utilised cross-sectional data from the population-based SAMINOR 2 Questionnaire Survey (2012; subsample n = 2,364; 71% non-Sámi) in mixed Sámi-Norwegian regions of Northern and Central Norway. We analysed the associations between R/S factors and past-year mental health-service utilisation and satisfaction among individuals reporting mental health problems, substance use, or addictive behaviours. Multivariable-adjusted regression models considering sociodemographic factors, including Sámi ethnicity, were applied. Religious attendance was significantly associated with infrequent past-year use of mental health services (OR = 0.77) and fewer mental health problems, indicating that the R/S fellowship may buffer mental distress and represent an alternative psychological support to professional services. R/S was not significantly associated with lifetime mental health-service satisfaction. We found no ethnic differences in service utilisation or satisfaction

Complement C4 Copy Number Variation is Linked to SSA/Ro and SSB/La Autoantibodies in Systemic Inflammatory Autoimmune Diseases

Objective Copy number variation of the C4 complement components, C4A and C4B, has been associated with systemic inflammatory autoimmune diseases. This study was undertaken to investigate whether C4 copy number variation is connected to the autoimmune repertoire in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS), or myositis. Methods Using targeted DNA sequencing, we determined the copy number and genetic variants of C4 in 2,290 well-characterized Scandinavian patients with SLE, primary SS, or myositis and 1,251 healthy controls. Results A prominent relationship was observed between C4A copy number and the presence of SSA/SSB autoantibodies, which was shared between the 3 diseases. The strongest association was detected in patients with autoantibodies against both SSA and SSB and 0 C4A copies when compared to healthy controls (odds ratio [OR] 18.0 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 10.2–33.3]), whereas a weaker association was seen in patients without SSA/SSB autoantibodies (OR 3.1 [95% CI 1.7–5.5]). The copy number of C4 correlated positively with C4 plasma levels. Further, a common loss-of-function variant in C4A leading to reduced plasma C4 was more prevalent in SLE patients with a low copy number of C4A. Functionally, we showed that absence of C4A reduced the individuals’ capacity to deposit C4b on immune complexes. Conclusion We show that a low C4A copy number is more strongly associated with the autoantibody repertoire than with the clinically defined disease entities. These findings may have implications for understanding the etiopathogenetic mechanisms of systemic inflammatory autoimmune diseases and for patient stratification when taking the genetic profile into account.publishedVersio

Path Planning for Vehicle Motion Control Using Numerical Optimization Methods

Path planning is an important part of many systems, especially autonomous systems. Finding the optimal paths for various vehicles, given different optimization criteria such as the shortest, fastest, straightest or energy-optimized paths, is of interest for many applications. Testing different methods gives an overview of the benefits and drawbacks so that one can choose the best solution for a specific vehicle and a specific purpose. One aim of this project is to find the shortest paths from one pose (position and orientation) to another using optimal control theory and numerical optimization methods. In addition, guidance techniques are used to make sure that vehicles under the influence of unknown disturbances still converge towards the target. The optimal control method used is dynamic programming with the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation. It is further investigated how to solve this using the numerical approximation methods, semi-Lagrangian approximation scheme (SL) and the pseudospectral (PS) discretization method. When implementing the Legendre pseudospectral method in this thesis, it was decided that the MATLAB application package DIDO would be used. DIDO, however, uses the Legendre pseudospectral method to discretize the optimization problem itself, not the HJB equation. Together, these methods are used to solve the shortest path problem for three different models. The two first models utilized are both nonholonomic mobile robots, called the Dubins car (DU) and the Reeds-Shepp car (RS). The shortest path problem has previously been solved for these two models and therefore the optimal paths for these models are already known. The results from SL and PS can therefore easily be compared to the known optimal solutions. After making sure that both numerical approximation methods work for these car models, the methods and techniques are used to solve the shortest path problem for a simplified boat model, both with and without an unknown ocean current. In the first part of this thesis, relevant theory is presented. Subsequently, the numerical approximation schemes are implemented on all models and the results are discussed and compared to give an overview of accuracy, advantages and disadvantages. Since the optimization problem is solved with the use of numerical optimization methods, the paths are optimized, not optimal. Hence, the question to be answered is how good the results are and how close they are to the optimal paths. The difficulties and advantages when using the SL scheme and PS method are investigated and discussed. The solution from SL and PS is also compared to the optimized solution given by the numerical optimization method finite difference (FD) and the optimal solution given by Pontryagin's Minimum Principle, which were both researched in a pre-project for this master's thesis. In addition, it is shown that observers and a guidance system can be used to estimate unknown disturbances, for example the ocean current, and then further be used to either minimize position error or create new optimized paths in environments with and without static obstacles. Two main contributions pertaining to optimal control theory and numerical optimization methods are included in this thesis. The first contribution is extending the use of the semi-Lagrangian approximation scheme by using the SL scheme to identify optimized paths for boats. The second contribution is combining the numerical optimization method PS with adaptive guidance in order to conduct unknown ocean current compensation. Two different approaches were tested in order to implement this: initial path planning with continuous current estimation and repeated path planning. Both approaches were tested in environments with and without static obstacles to determine how collision avoidance is handled. Both of them enable the boat to counteract the unknown current and follow the desired optimized path given by PS. By updating the path, repeated path planning gave a shorter and more feasible path than the initial path planning approach. In this thesis, however, the implementation of repeated path planning suffers from some numerical issues that must be further investigated

Hodeløse menn og ihjelfrosne haikere : levende sagntradisjon fra Nord-Norge

I denne boka vil dere møte både gamle og nyere sagn. Noen av fortellingene vil leseren antagelig gjenkjenne, mens andre vil være ukjente. Boka rommer både fortellinger om merkelige hendelser som har gått på folkemunne i lengre tid og nyere personlige beretninger om underlige opplevelser. Det kommer stadig til nye sagn. Dette arbeidet kom i gang fordi vi ville undersøke om det fremdeles fortelles, eller om det medfører riktighet, som det hevdes, at den muntlige fortelletradisjonen er i ferd med å dø ut. Arbeidet har vist oss at den gode fortellingen lever videre, at det stadig kommer nye fortellinger, og at de nye fortellingene også har mange røtter tilbake til de gamle. Formålet med denne boka er formidling av levende sagntradisjon til et allment publikum og til bruk i skolen. Vi har ønsket å presentere mest mulig helstøpte historier, der både innholdsside og språklige nyanser fra den muntlige tradisjon er ivaretatt. Siktemålet for arbeidet har vært å holde fortellingene så nært opp til den eksisterende, muntlige tradisjonen som mulig. Dette innebærer at alle de ulike bidrag til boka får komme fram med sine egne stemmer og uttrykksmåter. Som redaktører har vi prøvd å bevare det genuine og den store variasjonen i den sagntradisjonen som eksisterer i landsdelen. Det er altså et komplekst tekstmateriale som foreligger her. Tekstene er delvis samlet inn ved hjelp av studentene ved Avdeling for lærerutdanning ved Høgskolen i Tromsø i årene 1998 - 2001, delvis gjennom oppfordring via dagspressen om å sende inn fortellinger, og til sist gjennom redaktørenes innsamling. Hoveddelen av sagnene er innsamlet av studenter som har intervjuet slekt og venner og gitt intervjuene en skriftlig form. Senere er bidragene redigert i større og mindre grad. Leseren vil møte forskjellige uttrykk fra de ulike fortellerne, noe som skaper variasjon og spenst i samlingen. Vi har ikke slavisk fulgt gjeldende skriftspråksnormal, men benyttet ortografiske løsninger med bruk av tillatte sideforme

Online Path Planning for Surface Vehicles Exposed to Unknown Ocean Currents Using Pseudospectral Optimal Control

This paper investigates the feasibility of using pseudospectral (PS) optimal control in real-time path planning for marine surface vehicles in environments where both obstacles and unknown disturbances are present. In particular, the simplified kinematic equations of an underactuated marine surface vehicle exposed to unknown ocean currents are considered, and the software package DIDO is used to compute the optimal path via PS optimization, initially assuming the ocean current is zero. In that case, the resulting path is minimum-length (similar to Dubins path) but not minimum-time. The main contribution concerns the addition of a nonlinear observer, which estimates online the effects of the ocean current on the vehicle, and that of a guidance system which generates appropriate reference trajectories in order to minimize the position error and track the optimal trajectory successfully. It is shown that through occasional replanning, according to the information about the ocean current parameters coming from the observer, the updated path converges to the minimum-time path. Two different implementations of the approach are presented and illustrated through numerical simulations

Utredning av program for overvåking av klimaendringseffekter i ferskvann

Klimaet er i endring, og dagens overvåkingsprogrammer for ferskvann er bare i begrenset grad i stand til å dokumentere og skille effekter av klimaendringer fra andre påvirkninger vassdragene utsettes for. Det har vært fokus på denne problemstillingen innen forskningsmiljøene og forvaltningen i lengre tid, og denne rapporten representerer et første forsøk på å skissere et landsomfattende program for overvåking av effekter av klimaendring på ferskvann. Det foreslås at et slikt overvåkingsprogram bygges som en modul innenfor Basisovervåkingen, der utvalget av lokaliteter bygger på eksisterende overvåkingsprogrammer med relevante tidsserier. Det er foreslått to alternative programmer med budsjettramme 7 og 3 mill kr, med hhv. 25 og 14 basislokaliteter fordelt på 6 ulike regioner (1. Øst-Norge (inkl. Sørlandet), 2. Vest-Norge, 3. Midt-Norge, 4. Høgfjellet i Sør-Norge, 5. Nordland/Troms og 6. Finnmark). Forslaget til overvåkingslokaliteter må betraktes som et foreløpig forslag. Endelig stasjons­utvalg og parametere vil først kunne avklares etter ytterligere detaljplanlegging og kostnadsberegnin

Effect of transportation on cultured limbal epithelial sheets for worldwide treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency

Limbal stem cell deficiency can be treated with transplantation of cultured human limbal epithelial cells (LEC). It can be advantageous to produce LEC in centralized labs and thereafter ship them to eye clinics. The present study used transport simulations of LEC to determine if vigorous shaking during transport altered the viability, morphology and phenotype during a 4 day-long storage of LEC with a previously described serum-free storage method. Inserts with LEC cultured on amniotic membranes were sutured to caps inside air-tight containers with generous amounts of 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES)-buffered minimal essential medium (MEM). The containers were distributed among the following testing conditions: 6 hours with full containers, 36 hours with full containers, 36 hours with container three quarters full of medium, and 36 hours with container full of medium containing a shear-protecting agent (Pluronic-F68). Compared to stored, but non-transported controls, no statistically significant changes in viability and immunohistochemical staining were observed. The epithelial sheets remained intact. However, an air-liquid interface in the containers reduced the number of desmosomes and hemi-desmosomes compared to the controls. In conclusion, cultured LEC sheets appear to endure vigorous shaking for at least 36 hours if the container is full

Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis in multiple tissues in primary Sjögren's syndrome reveals regulatory effects at interferon-induced genes

OBJECTIVES: Increasing evidence suggests an epigenetic contribution to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, including primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of DNA methylation in pSS by analysing multiple tissues from patients and controls. METHODS: Genome-wide DNA methylation profiles were generated using HumanMethylation450K BeadChips for whole blood, CD19+ B cells and minor salivary gland biopsies. Gene expression was analysed in CD19+ B cells by RNA-sequencing. Analysis of genetic regulatory effects on DNA methylation at known pSS risk loci was performed. RESULTS: We identified prominent hypomethylation of interferon (IFN)-regulated genes in whole blood and CD19+ B cells, including at the genes MX1, IFI44L and PARP9, replicating previous reports in pSS, as well as identifying a large number of novel associations. Enrichment for genomic overlap with histone marks for enhancer and promoter regions was observed. We showed for the first time that hypomethylation of IFN-regulated genes in pSS B cells was associated with their increased expression. In minor salivary gland biopsies we observed hypomethylation of the IFN-induced gene OAS2. Pathway and disease analysis resulted in enrichment of antigen presentation, IFN signalling and lymphoproliferative disorders. Evidence for genetic control of methylation levels at known pSS risk loci was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the role of epigenetic regulation of IFN-induced genes in pSS where replication is needed for novel findings. The association with altered gene expression suggests a functional mechanism for differentially methylated CpG sites in pSS aetiology.De 2 första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet.</p