Atypisk ansettelse: en sikkerhetsrisiko?

Masteroppgave i luftfartsledelse (MBA) - Universitetet i Nordland, 201

Monitoring Of CO2 Leakage Using High-Resolution 3D Seismic Data – Examples From Snøhvit, Vestnesa Ridge And The Western Barents Sea

Source at https://doi.org/10.3997/2214-4609.201802965.Injection of CO2 in subsurface reservoirs may cause overburden deformation and CO2 leakage. The aim of this study is to apply technologies for detection and monitoring of CO2 leakage and deformation above the injection reservoirs. The examples of this study include data from the Vestnesa Ridge natural seep site, the Snøhvit gas field and CO2 storage site region, and the Gemini North gas reservoir. Reprocessing of existing 3D high-resolution seismic data allows resolving features with a vertical and lateral resolution down to c. 1 m and c. 5 m respectively. The current acquisition systems could be modified to image structures down to one meter in both the vertical and horizontal directions. We suggest a monitoring workflow that includes baseline and time-lapse acquisition of highresolution 3D seismic data, integrated with geochemical, geophysical, and geotechnical seabed core and watercolumn measurements. The outcome of such a workflow can deliver reliable quantitative property volumes of the subsurface and will be able to image meter-sized anomalies of fluid leakage and deformation in the overburden

Tracing North Atlantic volcanism and seaway connectivity across the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)

Abstract. There is a temporal correlation between the peak activity of the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) and the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), suggesting that the NAIP may have initiated and/or prolonged this extreme warming event. However, corroborating a causal relationship is hampered by a scarcity of expanded sedimentary records that contain both climatic and volcanic proxies. One locality hosting such a record is the island of Fur in Denmark, where an expanded pre- to post-PETM succession containing hundreds of NAIP ash layers is exceptionally well preserved. We compiled a range of environmental proxies, including mercury (Hg) anomalies, paleotemperature proxies, and lithium (Li) and osmium (Os) isotopes, to trace NAIP activity, hydrological changes, weathering, and seawater connectivity across this interval. Volcanic proxies suggest that NAIP activity was elevated before the PETM and appears to have peaked during the body of the δ13C excursion but decreased considerably during the PETM recovery. This suggests that the acme in NAIP activity, dominated by flood basalt volcanism and thermogenic degassing from contact metamorphism, was likely confined to just ∼ 200 kyr (ca. 56.0–55.8 Ma). The hundreds of thick (> 1 cm) basaltic ashes in the post-PETM strata likely represent a change from effusive to explosive activity, rather than an increase in NAIP activity. Detrital δ7Li values and clay abundances suggest that volcanic ash production increased the basaltic reactive surface area, likely enhancing silicate weathering and atmospheric carbon sequestration in the early Eocene. Signals in lipid biomarkers and Os isotopes, traditionally used to trace paleotemperature and weathering changes, are used here to track seaway connectivity. These proxies indicate that the North Sea was rapidly cut off from the North Atlantic in under 12 kyr during the PETM recovery due to NAIP thermal uplift. Our findings reinforce the hypothesis that the emplacement of the NAIP had a profound and complex impact on Paleocene–Eocene climate, both directly through volcanic and thermogenic degassing and indirectly by driving regional uplift and changing seaway connectivity

Development of UHPLC-MS/MS methods to quantify 25 antihypertensive drugs in serum in a cohort of patients treated for hypertension

We developed three ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry detection (UHPLC-MS/MS) methods to quantify 25 antihypertensive drugs in serum samples. Patient-reported drug lists were collected, and drug concentrations were analysed in samples from 547 patients, half with uncontrolled hypertension, and all treated with ≥ 2 antihypertensive drugs. For sample preparation, serum was mixed with deuterated internal standards and acetonitrile and precipitated. Aliquots of the supernatant were injected on UHPLC-MSMS with a C18 reversed phase column. The mobile phase was 0.1 % HCOOH (formic acid) in water and 0.1 % HCOOH in acetonitrile (except in methanol for spironolactone/canrenone) at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The calibrators and internal controls were prepared in Autonorm™. The calibration ranges were wide, and the models were linear or quadratic with squared correlation coefficients ≥ 0.97. The limits of detection and quantification, specificity, carry-over, and matrix effects were acceptable. The accuracy of the internal controls was in the range 85–121 %, and the intermediate precision for all drugs was 4–28 %. The patient-reported antihypertensive drug use and the detected serum drug concentrations were in accordance with that most frequently prescribed nationally. The percent non-detectable level was 5–10 % for bendroflumethiazide, doxazosin, nifedipine, and ramipril. Often the drug dose chosen was lower than the recommended maximum daily dose. We report the maximum (Cmax) and minimum (Cmin) drug concentrations after drug intake. The inter-individual pharmacokinetic variability at Cmin was 18-fold for hydrochlorothiazide, 22-fold for losartan carboxyl acid, 26-fold for amlodipine, 44-fold for candesartan, and 50-fold for valsartan. Our methods are suitable for measuring antihypertensive drugs in patient serum for therapy control.publishedVersio

Detection of Nonadherence to Antihypertensive Treatment by Measurements of Serum Drug Concentrations

Nonadherence to drugs is a challenge in hypertension treatment. We aimed to assess the prevalence of nonadherence by serum drug concentrations compared with 2 indirect methods and relate to the prescribed drug regimens in a nationwide multicenter study. Five hundred fifty patients with hypertension using ≥2 antihypertensive agents participated. We measured concentrations of 23 antihypertensive drugs using ultra high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry and compared with patients’ self-reports and investigators’ assessment based on structured interview. We identified 40 nonadherent patients (7.3%) using serum drug concentrations. They had higher office diastolic blood pressure (90 versus 83 mm Hg, P<0.01) and daytime diastolic blood pressure (85 versus 80 mm Hg, P<0.01) though systolic blood pressures did not differ significantly. They had more prescribed daily antihypertensive pills (2.5 versus 2.1 pills, P<0.01) and total daily pills (5.5 versus 4.4 pills, P=0.03). Prescription of fixed-dose combination pills were lower among the nonadherent patients identified by serum concentrations (45.0 versus 67.1%, P<0.01). Fifty-three patients self-reported nonadherence, while the investigators suspected 69 nonadherent patients. These groups showed no or few differences in drug regimens, respectively. In summary, we detected 7.3% prevalence of nonadherence by serum drug measurements in patients using ≥2 antihypertensive agents in a nationwide study; they had higher office and ambulatory diastolic blood pressures, higher number of prescribed daily pills, more daily antihypertensive pills, and less frequent prescriptions of fixed-dose combination pills. Indirect methods showed poor overlap with serum drugs concentrations and no or minimal medication differences. Thus, serum measurements of drugs were useful in detection and characterization of nonadherence to antihypertensive treatment.acceptedVersio

Storytelling in den Vereinten Nationen: Mahbub ul Haq und menschliche Entwicklung

Ausgehend von der Beobachtung, dass Mitarbeiter der Vereinten Nationen eine wichtige Rolle in Prozessen des ideellen Wandels auf internationaler Ebene spielen können, beschäftigt sich dieser Beitrag mit einer bestimmten Form individuellem Einflusses – dem storytelling. Mein Verständnis von storytelling als Einflusstaktik kombiniert dabei kollektive Elemente der soziologischen Praxistheorie mit den reflexiven, akteursbezogenen Überlegungen von Michel de Certeau. Ich analysiere storytelling anhand von drei analytischen Elementen: einem (chronologischen) Plot, einer Reihe von Charakteren und einem interpretativen Thema – die jeweils ihre Wirkung im Zusammenspiel mit der Subjektivität ihres storytellers entfalten. Ich illustriere diese theoretischen Überlegungen mit dem Fall von Mahbub ul Haq, dem es als Sonderberater des United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-Administrators zu Beginn der 1990er Jahre gelungen ist, die Idee der menschlichen Entwicklung im System der Vereinten Nationen und der internationalen Entwicklungspolitik zu etablieren

Heart Rate Recovery After Exercise Is Associated With Arrhythmic Events in Patients With Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia

BACKGROUND: Risk stratification in catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia remains ill defined. Heart rate recovery (HRR) immediately after exercise is regulated by autonomic reflexes, particularly vagal tone, and may be associated with symptoms and ventricular arrhythmias in patients with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Our objective was to evaluate whether HRR after maximal exercise on the exercise stress test (EST) is associated with symptoms and ventricular arrhythmias. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, we included patients ≤65 years of age with an EST without antiarrhythmic drugs who attained at least 80% of their age- and sex-predicted maximal HR. HRR in the recovery phase was calculated as the difference in heart rate (HR) at maximal exercise and at 1 minute in the recovery phase (ΔHRR1'). RESULTS: We included 187 patients (median age, 36 years; 68 [36%] symptomatic before diagnosis). Pre-EST HR and maximal HR were equal among symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Patients who were symptomatic before diagnosis had a greater ΔHRR1' after maximal exercise (43 [interquartile range, 25-58] versus 25 [interquartile range, 19-34] beats/min; P<0.001). Corrected for age, sex, and relatedness, patients in the upper tertile for ΔHRR1' had an odds ratio of 3.4 (95% CI, 1.6-7.4) of being symptomatic before diagnosis (P<0.001). In addition, ΔHRR1' was higher in patients with complex ventricular arrhythmias at EST off antiarrhythmic drugs (33 [interquartile range, 22-48] versus 27 [interquartile range, 20-36] beats/min; P=0.01). After diagnosis, patients with a ΔHRR1' in the upper tertile of its distribution had significantly more arrhythmic events as compared with patients in the other tertiles (P=0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia patients with a larger HRR following exercise are more likely to be symptomatic and have complex ventricular arrhythmias during the first EST off antiarrhythmic drug

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to idiopathic ventricular fibrillation in patients with normal electrocardiograms:results from a multicentre long-term registry

AIMS : To define the clinical characteristics and long-term clinical outcomes of a large cohort of patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) and normal 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs). METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with ventricular fibrillation as the presenting rhythm, normal baseline, and follow-up ECGs with no signs of cardiac channelopathy including early repolarization or atrioventricular conduction abnormalities, and without structural heart disease were included in a registry. A total of 245 patients (median age: 38 years; males 59%) were recruited from 25 centres. An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) was implanted in 226 patients (92%), while 18 patients (8%) were treated with drug therapy only. Over a median follow-up of 63 months (interquartile range: 25-110 months), 12 patients died (5%); in four of them (1.6%) the lethal event was of cardiac origin. Patients treated with antiarrhythmic drugs only had a higher rate of cardiovascular death compared to patients who received an ICD (16% vs. 0.4%, P = 0.001). Fifty-two patients (21%) experienced an arrhythmic recurrence. Age ≤16 years at the time of the first ventricular arrhythmia was the only predictor of arrhythmic recurrence on multivariable analysis [hazard ratio (HR) 0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-0.92; P = 0.03]. CONCLUSION : Patients with IVF and persistently normal ECGs frequently have arrhythmic recurrences, but a good prognosis when treated with an ICD. Children are a category of IVF patients at higher risk of arrhythmic recurrences

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation

Consciousness Development in Rastafari: A Perspective from the Psychology of Religion

This paper explores a Rastafari perspective on consciousness development and relates this to developmental stage theories of consciousness evolution from the psychology of religion. The empirical material is from fieldwork on an online Rastafari community with global reach but run by a group based in Trinidad. The people on this particular forum align with the “spiritual, but not religious” trend in contemporary religiosity, which means they are more focused on interior questions of consciousness raising than on religious externals. This paper interprets empirical material from the dialogues on this forum in light of Rastafari theorist Dennis Forsythe. It compares this Rastafari theory of stages of consciousness, symbolized by the animals Anancy, lion, and lamb, to developmental theories of consciousness evolution. These are drawn from psychology and the psychology of religion (Maslow 1970; Kohlberg 1981; Fowler 1981; Gilligan 1982; Wilber 2007), which focus on preconventional, traditional, modern, pluralist, and integral stages