Archaeology and the debate on the transition from reindeer hunting to pastoralism

The distinctive Sami historical land use concerning reindeer management and settlement of inner Troms, North Norway, is reflected in places with archaeological remains. The insight and knowledge connected with these places can be accessed through oral traditions and place-names where reindeer management is embedded in reindeer knowledge developed over long time spans. Previous distinctions between wild reindeer hunting and pastoral herding can be redefined, since much of the traditional knowledge concerning the wild reindeer (goddi) may have been transferred to the domesticated animals (boazu). The transition from reindeer hunting to pastoralism is a current research focus and archaeological results from inner Troms indicate that several Sami dwellings with árran (hearths) are related to a transitional period from AD 1300 to 1400. This period is marked by a reorganisation of the inland Sami siida (collective communities), and changes in landscape use wherein seasonal cycles and grazing access began to determine the movements of people and their domestic reindeer herds. This reorganisation was a response to both external political relations and the inner dynamic of the Sami communities. The first use of tamed reindeer was as decoys and draft animals in the hunting economy, only later becoming the mainstay of household food supply in reindeer pastoralism, providing insurance for future uncertainties. The formation of the national border between Norway-Denmark and Sweden in 1751 led to extensive changes in the previously trans-national mobility pattern, leading to fragmentation of the old siidas and to a new stage of nomadic pastoral economy

Archaeology and the debate on the transition from reindeer hunting to pastoralism.

The distinctive Sami historical land use concerning reindeer management and settlement of inner Troms, North Norway, is reflected in places with archaeological remains. The insight and knowledge connected with these places can be accessed through oral traditions and place-names where reindeer management is embedded in reindeer knowledge developed over long time spans. Previous distinctions between wild reindeer hunting and pastoral herding can be redefined, since much of the traditional knowledge concerning the wild reindeer (goddi) may have been transferred to the domesticated animals (boazu). The transition from reindeer hunting to pastoralism is a current research focus and archaeological results from inner Troms indicate that several Sami dwellings with árran (hearths) are related to a transitional period from AD 1300 to 1400. This period is marked by a reorganisation of the inland Sami siida (collective communities), and changes in landscape use wherein seasonal cycles and grazing access began to determine the movements of people and their domestic reindeer herds. This reorganisation was a response to both external political relations and the inner dynamic of the Sami communities. The first use of tamed reindeer was as decoys and draft animals in the hunting economy, only later becoming the mainstay of household food supply in reindeer pastoralism, providing insurance for future uncertainties. The formation of the national border between Norway-Denmark and Sweden in 1751 led to extensive changes in the previously trans-national mobility pattern, leading to fragmentation of the old siidas and to a new stage of nomadic pastoral economy

What was Killing Babies in Trondheim? An Investigation of Infant Mortality Using Individual Level Cause of Death Data, 1830–1907

This paper examines infant mortality amongst newborns in Trondheim city, 1830–1907, working specifically with individual level cause of death data. Findings show that infant mortality in the city started to drop from 1895, primarily as a result of a decline in post-neonatal mortality. At the start of the decline air-borne diseases accounted for nearly half of the deaths, and water-food borne for around one third. The drop was predominantly driven by a decline in these two causal groups, and seasonal fluctuations became less pronounced. Because of the fall in post-neonatal mortality, the relative risk of dying amongst neonates rose towards the end of the period. Although 'convulsions' accounted for 50–70% of all infant deaths between 1830 and 1860, this cause had faded away to near insignificance by the beginning of the 1900s. Here we aim to assess the extent to which this particular aspect of decline can be explained by alterations to official instructions regarding registration and in registration practice itself. This article proposes that the decline in deaths from 'convulsions' can be explained by a relabelling of such deaths into 'congenital and birth disorders' amongst neonates, and a mix of 'water-food borne' and 'air-borne diseases' amongst post-neonates. This argument is supported by the fact that the timing of the decline corresponds with the introduction of cause of death certificates issued by medical practitioners, and which most likely resulted in fewer causes of death being reported by lay informants who could only offer vague symptoms rather than informed diagnoses

Facilitating Collaborative Learning in 3D Virtual Worlds. A Qualitative Meta Study.

This master thesis serves to investigate how collaborative learning can be facilitated in 3D virtual environments. The objective was to see how 3D virtual worlds could be applied when conducting collaborative learning, both formal and informal. I was also interested in reflection as a part of collaborative learning processes, and chose to integrate this into my research questions: 1. How can 3D virtual worlds, like SecondLife, facilitate collaborative learning? 2. How can one use virtual worlds for collaborative learning-purposes in both formal and informal learning situations? 3. In what way can reflection be beneficial to collaborative learning in virtual worlds? SecondLife is a widely used 3D virtual world, utilized in a variety of learning situations. Its design and layout seem conducive to creating spaces that facilitate collaboration, and supports both formal and informal learning. I have used a variety of theoretical frameworks and perspectives to structure the thesis, and form the basis for the discussions and conclusions. I have utilized constructivist learning theory to describe the collaborative learning facilitated through virtual environments. This is due to the generous focus on collaboration and team-work throughout this thesis. As collaborative-learning situations enable the creation of shared practices and understanding, I will discuss the perspectives surrounding communities of practice, first coined by Lave and Wenger (Wenger 2000). Computer-supported collaborative learning is a perspective that serves to integrate technology and learning, and I have relied on this to contextualize the examples used, the CAMO-project being one of them. Its objective was to create cultural awareness in military operations, through collaborative simulations in a virtual Afghan village. The other example involved nursing students, who practiced communication skills with fatally ill patients and their relatives. Both examples highlights the opportunities for collaborative learning in virtual environments. Taking advantage of new technology for learning purposes, could create new possibilities for learning, maybe particularly collaborative learning. This is an important topic, as it could facilitate better and more motivating learning methods. Research Method and Data Analysis As this thesis is a qualitative Meta study, I relied on interviewing as my main data collecting method. I interviewed three practitioners within the field of technology and learning. They had earlier collaborated as facilitators in the CAMO-project, and also possessed a variety of experiences with 3D virtual worlds and learning. The data collected was analyzed and categorized through an iterative process. I worked with the transcribed interviews and notes, in several stages to analyze and attain the best categorizations for the data gathered. These five categories included: 1. SecondLife as a Learning Environment, 2. Comparison Between Different 3D Virtual Worlds, 3. Collaborative Learning, 4. Formal and Informal Learning and 5.Dialogue and Reflection. These categories helped me present the most valuable data andformed the basis for the discussion. Findings and Main Conclusions The informants and the theoretical framework both supported 3D virtual worlds and the opportunities within these platforms to contain great potential for collaborative work. As collaborative learning requires participants to socially interact and communicate with each other, the suitability relies on the communication options and features within the learning platform. SecondLife and other 3D virtual worlds are often created to serve as arenas for socialization, they are therefore well equipped with the necessary communication tools. To facilitate both formal and informal learning there are aspects that need to be present. Within 3D virtual worlds there needs to be possibilities to plan and design formally structured exercises, as well as unstructured informal activities. The informants were generally favorable to utilizing virtual environments for informal learning purposes, but disagreed on the formal learning possibilities. However, there are numerous examples of 3D virtual worlds being utilized for formal learning practices, and all the informants have had positive experiences with lectures and seminars conducted virtually. Reflective practice, most notably known through the work of Donald. A. Schön, proposes the importance of dialogues and reflection sessions, for participants in collaborative learning activities (Schön, 1983). This was a major part of the CAMO-project, and enabled the participants to express, challenge and reflect on the learning experience. The informants were unanimous in their perceived importance of reflection, to attain the most valuable learning outcome. They saw this as an important aspect of collaborative learning

The Gendering of Infectious Disease: Classifying Male and Female Causes of Death in the Netherlands and Norway, 1880–1910

This article explores sex and gender patterns in mortality, based on individual-level causes of death (CODs) in two urban communities, obtained from civil and parish registers. By analysing CODs for the period 1880–1910 for Roosendaal (Netherlands) and Trondheim (Norway) we investigate how notions of sex and gender were reflected in cause-specific mortality rates for adults and in the registration of CODs by local authorities. Our findings show (i) excess male mortality among age group 15–70, (ii) airborne infectious diseases were responsible for most deaths in both cities, but did not show a distinct gender pattern, (iii) TB appeared to be more location-specific than gender-specific. However, the level of variation and specification in TB COD terms was higher among women in both locations

Old-age mortality and social class in northern Norway in the first half of the twentieth century

The number of studies on social inequality in mortality in Norway before 1960 is limited and they often focus on early life outcomes. Little is known about socioeconomic differences in old-age mortality before the emergence of the welfare state. Linked census and church records from the Historical Population Register of Norway were used to study a sample of 10,457 men and women born 1841–1870 who lived in Troms, a province in northern Norway, in the early twentieth century. We analysed the association between social class, measured in adulthood, and mortality at age 60 and older using Cox proportional hazards models. The results do not indicate a clear social gradient in mortality. Differences between social classes varied in the magnitude and direction of effects, depending on gender and place of residence. For women, the association between social class and mortality was weaker overall. Only farming was significantly associated with decreased mortality risk compared to the group of lower-skilled and unskilled workers. Differences were more pronounced among men, with higher mortality for non-manual classes in towns, and lower mortality for skilled workers and farmers in rural areas. The advantage for farmers was amplified in combination with manual or non-manual work

The Effect of Uncertainty on Investment Empirical evidence from listed Norwegian firms 2005-2018

The relationship between uncertainty and investment is an extensively explored topic in economic and financial literature. Regardless, the dramatic events of recent years have reinvigorated the need to garner a greater understanding of this relationship. Diverse and often competing theoretical literature on the effects of uncertainty on investment has not managed to provide a conclusive answer on the direction of this relationship, underscoring the need for additional empirical research. This thesis aims to investigate the relationship between uncertainty and investment on a panel of listed Norwegian firms from 2005 to 2018. In addition, we analyse potential differences in the direction and magnitude of this relationship between business sectors. Controlling for both firm-specific and macro-specific characteristics, we find evidence of a negative relationship between both firm-specific and an aggregate uncertainty on firm-level investment. Furthermore, when conducting a comparative analysis, we observe indications that there are differences in the magnitude of the effect between business sectors. Lastly, our results suggest that manufacturing firms are less responsive to demand shocks during times of higher uncertainty. Our findings shed light on the effect of uncertainty on firm investment behaviour in a Norwegian context. As with earlier empirical literature, our findings could have important implications for fiscal and monetary policy.nhhma

Barnegrava på Kveøy. Hvem var hun som lå der?

I eldre jernalder (0–600 e. Kr) ble de døde gravlagt inntil gårdene. I flere av gravene finner vi eksotiske smykker og våpen som vitner om langveis kontakt med datidas Europa. Det er fra denne perioden hvor arkeologene finner flest barn gravlagt. Den nordligste barnegrava finnes på gården Hundstad i Kvæfjord

Uventet diagnostisk informasjon etter ultralyd i et ønsket svangerskap

Hensikten med denne avhandlingen er å frembringe kunnskap om de erfaringer kvinner har gjort når den rutinemessige ultralydundersøkelsen viser noe unormalt med fosteret. Den visuelle fremstillingen av fosteret i mors liv har gitt oss tilgang til en type informasjon og kunnskap som vi ikke kjente til for bare få år siden. Men moderne ultralyddiagnostikk viser også at ny kunnskap skaper nye problemstillinger, praktisk og etisk. Når kvinner oppsøker dette tilbudet, møter de med en forventning om å dra hjem med et visuelt bilde av et normalt foster. Men uventet diagnostisk informasjon kan føre til at de isteden havner i en situasjon der de med liten tid til rådighet må ta stilling til eksistensielle verdivalg, som for eksempel å velge om svangerskapet kan fullføres. Dette kan endre en normal graviditet preget av forventning til en graviditet preget av eksistensiell krise og ambivalens. Lov om bioteknologi har satt et skille mellom tilbud om fosterdiagnostikk og tilbud om rutinemessig ultralyd. Dette er et skille som fagfolk synes det er vanskelig å praktisere i den kliniske hverdagen (Salvesen, 2004). Det henger sammen med at apparaturen stadig blir bedre og gir muligheter for ytterligere detaljerte undersøkelser når fosterets anatomi gjennomgås. En konsekvens av dette er at mistanke om utviklingsavvik og kromosomanomalier i stadig større grad blir et sentralt tema ved den ordinære ultralydundersøkelsen, men uten at kvinnen er bedre forberedt på å motta denne nye informasjonen. Dermed kan flere kvinner havne i en situasjon der uventet diagnostisk informasjon stiller dem overfor en verdikonflikt de ikke er tilstrekkelig forberedt på. Jeg valgte semi-strukturerte livsverden intervju som min datainnsamlingsmetode fordi jeg ville beskrive og forstå den daglig levde verden fra kvinnenes perspektiv. Jeg gjorde bruk av et intervju som har som mål å innhente beskrivelser av den intervjuedes livsverden, med henblikk på fortolkning av de beskrevne fenomenene (Kvale, 2001,s 21). 22 kvinner fra hele landet og med ulik bakgrunn og av ulik alder deltok. De ble intervjuet én gang, mellom 2 og 12 uker etter avsluttet svangerskap. 12 av kvinnene hadde måttet ta stilling til om de skulle avbryte svangerskapet. Kun én av dem fullførte svangerskapet, men barnet døde i forbindelse med fødselen. De 10 siste kvinnene fikk markører men ikke en alvorlig nok diagnose til å søke om svangerskapsavbrudd. To av disse 10 fødte friske barn og to fødte barn med misdannelser. De siste seks kvinnene fødte barn med dødelige misdannelser. En av kvinnene var gravid med tvillinger, en av dem ble terminert på grunn av diagnostiserte misdannelser, den andre ble født frisk. Utgangspunktet for analysen er inspirert av fenomenologisk forskning (Bengtsson, 1993, Merleau-Ponty, 1994, Kvale, 1996). Tilnærmingen var Kvale's fem steg for meningsfortetting (Kvale, 1996). Intervjuene ble først transkribert ordrett. Under analysen var transkripsjonene hovedkilden for data, men opptakene fra intervjuene ble lyttet til flere ganger under analyseprosessen. Teksten ble brutt ned i meningsenheter og fra disse ble hovedtemaene generert. De funnene som er presentert, viser hvordan mine informanter, som bare er kvinner, opplever og uttrykker eksistensiell sårbarhet i en situasjon hvor de møter uventet diagnostisk informasjon. En konsekvens av et tilbud de ikke var tilstrekkelig kjent med. De viser på ulike måter hvordan dette kommer til uttrykk som kaos i egne følelser, og føler seg «fanget» av situasjonen. Flere kvinner beskriver hvordan de setter svangerskapet på vent og pendler mellom håp og resignasjon, en erfaring med en vedvarende gjennomgripende kroppslig eksistensiell smerte. De beskriver hvordan distanse til egen kropp og fosteret forsterker en følelse av meningløshet og ambivalens. De 11 kvinnene som gikk gjennom et svangerskapsavbrudd, opplevde skyld og krenkelse når de selv måtte begrunne sitt handlingsvalg for en abortnemnd. Dette var et verdivalg de måtte ta under tidspress fordi det nærmet seg øvre grense for abort. De ga også uttrykk for at det var vanskelig å bearbeide sorgen, fordi dette temaet og følelsene rundt det ikke er noe det snakkes åpent om i samfunnet. Denne studien beskriver de erfaringene noen kvinner har gjort når ultralydundersøkelsen avdekker noe unormalt med barnet, og den eksistensielle sårbarhet som kan følge en krisesom dette. Nøkkelord: Rutinemessig ultralyd, sene svangerskapsavbrudd, kvinnehelse, kropp, fosterskade, erfaringer med helsevesen