Prehospital Whole Blood Transfusion Programs in Norway

Background: Prehospital management of severe hemorrhage has evolved significantly in Norwegian medical emergency services in the last 10 years. Treatment algorithms for severe bleeding were previously focused on restoration of the blood volume by administration of crystalloids and colloids, but now the national trauma system guidelines recommend early balanced transfusion therapy according to remote damage control resuscitation principles. Materials and Methods: This survey describes the implementation, utilization, and experience of the use of low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) and blood components in air ambulance services in Norway. Medical directors from all air ambulance bases in Norway as well as the blood banks that support LTOWB were invited to participate. Results: Medical directors from all 13 helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) bases, the 7 search and rescue (SAR) helicopter bases, and the 4 blood banks that support HEMS with LTOWB responded to the survey. All HEMS and SAR helicopter services carry LTOWB or blood components. Four of 20 (20%) HEMS bases have implemented LTOWB. A majority of services (18/20, 90%) have a preference for LTOWB, primarily because LTOWB enables early balanced transfusion and has logistical benefits in time-critical emergencies and during prolonged evacuations. Conclusion: HEMS services and blood banks report favorable experiences in the implementation and utilization of LTOWB. Prehospital balanced blood transfusion using whole blood is feasible in Norway.publishedVersio

Feeding ecology of Benthosema glaciale across the North Atlantic

The glacier lanternfish Benthosema glaciale is a key myctophid with a wide distribution in the northern Atlantic. It is a species that has a strong vertical migration capacity and have the potential to move between the surface waters and mesopelagic depths in a diel cycle (DVM), mainly depending on ambient light conditions. We investigated the feeding ecology of B. glaciale across the Norwegian, Iceland, Irminger and Labrador Sea basins. An important component of Benthosema diet was various types of calanoid copepods, but with some additional variability across the deep basins. ‘House’s’ of Appendicularia were only found in stomachs from the Labrador basin and were positively selected for here. The large calanoid Calanus hyperboreus was strongly selected for in the Iceland Sea, while its smaller counterpart C. finmarchicus was negatively selected for here. Fish from the Irminger, Labrador and Norwegian Seas displayed a high number of empty stomachs while no fish stomachs were found empty in the Iceland Sea. Contrary to expectation due to being located at the highest latitude, Benthosema in the Iceland Sea had significantly higher condition factor (for both small and large fish) and liver indices compared to fish from other basins, but the abundance of small fish in the sampled population here was very low. This contrasts with the “light environment exclusion” (LEE) hypothesis, which propose that the extreme light environment at higher latitudes restricts feeding opportunities for mesopelagic fish at high latitudes. It is suggested that improved classification of prey through stomach analyses should aim to allow bioluminescent organisms to be separated from non-bioluminescent prey if feasible. This would allow improved resolution to analyse stomach contents and certainly progress our understanding of the success of myctophids across variable habitats.publishedVersio

The Bergen 4-Day Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Does It Work in a New Clinical Setting?

Sørlandet Hospital in Norway has a history of offering patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) cognitive behavior group therapy using 12 weekly sessions of 2.5 h each. A previous evaluation of this treatment has shown that 51.9% did not respond at post-treatment. Recently, a highly concentrated group-treatment format, the Bergen 4-day treatment (B4DT), has been shown to help more than 90% of patients with OCD post-treatment. Based on these positive results, it was decided to explore whether the B4DT could be a feasible format for delivering ERP at another clinic. Thirty-five consecutively recruited patients were included in the current pilot study, and assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Treatment response rate (35% reduction in OCD-symptom score) was 94% at post-treatment, and 80% at follow-up. Seventy-four percent were in remission at post-treatment and 68% at follow-up. Only one patient dropped out of treatment. The patients were highly satisfied with the treatment content and format. The results indicate that the 4-day treatment could successfully be implemented at a new clinic

Microbial redox processes in deep subsurface environments and the potential application of (per)chlorate in oil reservoirs

The ability of microorganisms to thrive under oxygen-free conditions in subsurface environments relies on the enzymatic reduction of oxidized elements, such as sulfate, ferric iron, or CO2, coupled to the oxidation of inorganic or organic compounds. A broad phylogenetic and functional diversity of microorganisms from subsurface environments has been described using isolation-based and advanced molecular ecological techniques. The physiological groups reviewed here comprise iron-, manganese-, and nitrate-reducing microorganisms. In the context of recent findings also the potential of chlorate and perchlorate [jointly termed (per)chlorate] reduction in oil reservoirs will be discussed. Special attention is given to elevated temperatures that are predominant in the deep subsurface. Microbial reduction of (per)chlorate is a thermodynamically favorable redox process, also at high temperature. However, knowledge about (per)chlorate reduction at elevated temperatures is still scarce and restricted to members of the Firmicutes and the archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus. By analyzing the diversity and phylogenetic distribution of functional genes in (meta)genome databases and combining this knowledge with extrapolations to earlier-made physiological observations we speculate on the potential of (per)chlorate reduction in the subsurface and more precisely oil fields. In addition, the application of (per)chlorate for bioremediation, souring control, and microbial enhanced oil recovery are addressed.This research was funded by Shell Global Solutions International BV. Research of Alfons J. M. Stams is funded by ERC (project 323009) and Gravitation grant (project 024.002.002) of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Netherlands Science Foundation

Modified Pechini Synthesis of Oxide Powders and Thin Films

The modified Pechini method has become one of the most popular synthesis methods for complex oxide materials due to its simplicity and versatility. The method can be applied to synthesize nanocrystalline powders, bulk materials, as well as oxide thin films. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the method with focus on the chemistry through the three stages of the process: preparation of stable aqueous solution, polyesterification to form a solid polymeric resin, and finally decomposition/combustion of the resin to form an amorphous oxide followed by crystallization of the desired oxide phase. The review include several examples of important technical oxide materials where the method has been successfully been applied to prepare oxide powders and bulk or thin films.acceptedVersio

Aqueous sol-gel processing of transparent conducting rare earth doped indium tin oxide

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) demonstrate optical transparency in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum combined with near-metallic electrical conductivity. Owing to this unique combination of properties, TCOs have found numerous technological applications. Among the TCOs, indium tin oxide (ITO) is widely recognised as having the best combination of transparency and conductivity. The aim of this work was to develop an aqueous sol-gel process to prepare ITO and also doped ITO materials. The motivation was to make a simple, inexpensive and environmentally friendly process, while retaining the ability to prepare excellent materials. Wet chemical deposition techniques have many advantages compared to commercial physical deposition techniques, like sputtering, such as cost, simplicity and readily control of homogeneity and composition. Moreover, by using water instead of organic solvents, the process has the potential to be environmentally friendly and less expensive and thereby more relevant for up-scaling to industrial levels. The challenges related to the frequently used In- or Sn-chloride precursors in soft chemistry synthesis were circumvented by using indium nitrate and tin acetate as precursors. The aqueous sol-gel process developed in this work was demonstrated to give phase-pure In2O3 and ITO thin films as well as nano-crystalline powders. A gel was formed after evaporation of the solvent, and the amorphous nature of the gel demonstrated homogeneous cation distribution. Calcination of the gel caused decomposition and crystallisation to the desired oxide material. The chemistry of the sol-gel process was investigated by varying the initial cation concentration and the organic complexing agents. These parameters were demonstrated to influence on the decomposition/crystallisation of the gel during thermal treatment and the phase purity of the final oxide materials. The presence of hydroxyl groups appeared to be important regarding complexing and immobilisation of the cations, and the possible formation of the metastable rhombohedral polymorph of In2O3 could be controlled by the choice of the organic additives. ITO thin films were successfully deposited on substrates by spin coating using the aqueous sol-gel route. The ITO thin films were demonstrated to have excellent optical properties, such as a high transmittance in the visible region and band gap similar to reported values. The electrical properties of the as-deposited films were also quite promising. Particularly after heat treatment at high temperatures and annealing in reducing atmospheres, the specific resistance was excellent compared to ITO thin films prepared by other sol-gel methods and comparable to the best reported values for ITO. In situ conductivity measurements confirmed the effect of the annealing atmosphere on the conductivity of the films. It has been known for decades that it is difficult to fabricate polycrystalline In2O3 and ITO with high density. Nevertheless, the sintering of ITO is industrially important due to an industrial demand for dense ITO-targets used in sputtering. A comprehensive sintering study of the nano-crystalline, phase-pure powders of In2O3 and ITO was performed. Particularly the phase purity of the powder was important with respect to previous similar sintering studies. The mechanisms governing the sintering, with particular focus on the mass transport mechanisms, the effect of the tin doping and the sintering atmosphere were investigated. Mass transport below 1200 °C was given particular consideration since this temperature region has received very little attention in the literature. Hence, the present findings are also relevant for mass transport during heat treatment of ITO thin films, which is performed at significantly lower temperatures than the sintering of sputtering targets. One of the main motivations for working with ITO was the possibility to dope ITO with rare earth elements (REEs), thereby enabling the combination of the excellent properties of the ITO host with the characteristic luminescence of the REEs. A thorough investigation of the equilibrium phase composition and solid solubility of neodymium, europium and terbium in In2O3 and ITO at 1400 °C was performed. It was confirmed that the cubic In2O3 crystal structure is a promising host for REEs, as expected from the crystal structure of the pure rare earth oxides. The solubility was shown to decrease with increasing size mismatch between the ionic size of the dopant and the host. Phase-pure materials of In2O3 and ITO doped with REEs were successfully prepared in form of nano-crystalline powders and thin films. In this form the solubility limit for the REEs could be circumvented by synthesis of metastable materials. The effect of the REE-doping on the optical and electrical properties of the two host materials was investigated by various spectroscopic techniques and electrical conductivity and thermopower measurements. Neither the conductivity nor the transparency of ITO thin films was significantly deteriorated by the REE-doping. Finally, strong emissions at around 611 nm were observed for Eu-doped In2O3, demonstrating the possibility of obtaining photoluminescence in a TCO host material

Utviklingstillatelsenes påvirkning på innovasjon innenfor havbasert og eksponert fiskeoppdrett

Master's thesis in Business InnovationI denne oppgaven ser vi nærmere på de nye innovasjonene som har kommet i norsk havbruksnæring, og hvordan de kan være med å bidra til bærekraftig økonomisk vekst. Hovedproblemstillingen vi har valgt for oppgaven er: Hvordan har utviklingstillatelsene påvirket innovasjon og lønnsomhet innenfor havbasert og eksponert fiskeoppdrett? Vi har gitt en grunnleggende fremstilling av norsk havbruksnæring og hvilke grep som er tatt av myndighetene for å nå de målene som de har satt. Da snakker vi spesielt om regjeringens mål, om en femdobling av produksjonen innen 2050. Utviklingstillatelsene som myndigheten lanserte i 2015 for å stimulere til økt innovasjon har vært en sentral del av oppgaven. Vi ønsker å finne svar på om utviklingstillatelsen faktisk har ført til økt innovasjon, og om de innovasjonene som har funnet sted er økonomisk bærekraftige. Gjennom oppgaven forklarer vi ulike former for innovasjon og gir en innføring i hvilke komponenter som ligger bak en fundamental verdsettelse. Videre gjør vi en investeringsanalyse av tolv forskjellige konsepter som er konstruert for å drive oppdrett på mer eksponerte lokaliteter enn det som tidligere har vært mulig. Vår investeringsanalyse er gjort ved hjelp av fundamental verdsettelse også kjent som nåverdimetoden med internrente som supplement. Vi har neddiskontert fremtidige kontantstrømmer med avkastningskravet vårt på 10 % for å finne nåverdien og internrenten til konseptene. Vi avslutter vår analyse med en sensitivitetsanalyse av nøkkelvariabler der vi ser at konseptene er i stand til å tåle endringer i markedssituasjonen. Vi konstaterer at utviklingstillatelsene har åpnet opp for innovasjon og bærekraftig økonomisk vekst for norsk havbruksnæring. De nye konseptene som har blitt utviklet som et resultat av utviklingstillatelsene viser seg å være lønnsomme. Vi ser at det enda er en del utfordringer som bransjen står overfor og at de trenger nye tillatelser for å komme skikkelig i gang med produksjon basert på den nye teknologien som de har utviklet. De nye TU- tillatelsene som er under utvikling, anser vi som et godt tiltak som kan stimulere til økt produksjon i nær framtid. TU- tillatelsene vil gi rammebetingelser som gjør investeringer i havbruk til havs fornuftig og lønnsomt for oppdrettere og leverandører i havbruksnæringen

Modified Pechini Synthesis of Oxide Powders and Thin Films

The modified Pechini method has become one of the most popular synthesis methods for complex oxide materials due to its simplicity and versatility. The method can be applied to synthesize nanocrystalline powders, bulk materials, as well as oxide thin films. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the method with focus on the chemistry through the three stages of the process: preparation of stable aqueous solution, polyesterification to form a solid polymeric resin, and finally decomposition/combustion of the resin to form an amorphous oxide followed by crystallization of the desired oxide phase. The review include several examples of important technical oxide materials where the method has been successfully been applied to prepare oxide powders and bulk or thin films