The Conscious Collective. An exploration of Orwell’s Representations of Individualism within Authoritarian Societies

This master’s thesis examines the prolific author George Orwell’s representation of the struggles associated with individualism within authoritarian regimes. By drawing on Hannah Arendt’s Responsibility and Judgement, a discussion of the Eichmann trials, and the responsibilities of the German people, this thesis establishes a theoretical framework. This framework is used to discuss the responsibilities of the individual when they find themselves in politically compromised situations and to discuss whether the individual or the collective is tasked with opposing authoritarian regimes. This exploration is conducted through separate analyses of the two chosen novels, Burmese Days and Nineteen Eighty-Four, highlighting the different ways the two novels discuss the responsibilities and opportunities of the individual to rebel. Following this, the thesis conducts a comparative analysis of the two novels and their similarities to attempt to shine a light on Orwell’s political commitment. This thesis concludes that considering the similarities between the two narratives, it is plausible to argue that Orwell remained critical of both individualism and collectivism. Seeing the potential issues with both individualism and collectivism, Orwell calls for a specific kind of collective to oppose authoritarian regimes. However, this collective must uphold particular criteria. The most central aspect of this collective is that it needs to retain consciousness by having the members be free-thinking individuals

Måleegenskaper ved den norske versjonen av The Leyton Obsessional Inventory Child Version (LOI-CV)

Leyton Obsessional Inventory for Children (LOI-CV) er et spørreskjema for å kartlegge symptomer på tvangslidelse (OCD) hos barn og ungdom. Spørreskjemaet inneholder 20 testledd. Barnet eller ungdommen skal først angi om symptomet er til stede eller ikke tilstede. Dersom symptomet er tilstede skal de vurdere alvorlighetsgraden på en skala fra 1 til 3. Spørreskjemaet er utarbeidet av Carol Zaremba Berg og hennes kolleger, og det ble først publisert i 1988. Originalversjonen har vist god indre konsistens for alle barn og god test-retest stabilitet for aldersgruppen 11-16 år. Eldre studier viste god kriterievaliditet men nye studier har vist dårligere kriterievaliditet som kan indikere svak diagnostisk nøyaktighet. Den norske versjonen er oversatt av Knut Gundersen, Lars T. Jørgensen og Luke Moynahan. Den kan fritt benyttes av bokens eier men det er ikke spesifisert kompetansekrav til de som skal anvende testen. Det finnes en dansk studie hvor LOI-CV er brukt, og som rapporter skårer på LOI-CV hos 1032 barn og unge i alderen 11-17 år valgt ut fra en normalbefolkning. Det foreligger ingen dokumentasjon av måleegenskapene hverken ved den norske, danske eller svenske versjonen av testen. Vårt litteratursøk viste at det ikke foreligger noen dokumentasjon av måleegenskapene ved den norske versjonen. Vi anbefaler brukere av den norske versjonen å være svært forsiktige i bruk og tolkning av LOI-CV.Som alle artikler i PsykTestBarn, kan denne fagfellevurderte artikkelen lastes ned, skrives ut og distribueres fritt for alle slags formål på følgende vilkår: korrekt referanse skal oppgis (se under), ingen kommersiell bruk, og ingen bearbeidelse av tekst eller innhold

Nutrition literacy hos unge idrettsutøvere

Bakgrunn: Unge idrettsutøvere blir trolig hver eneste dag utsatt for ulike typer kostholdsinformasjon fra forskjellige aktører. Nutrition literacy (NL) omhandler evner til og ferdigheter i å forstå, innhente, anvende og kritisk vurdere av informasjon om kosthold. NL har innholdsdimensjonene funksjonell- (FNL), interaktiv- (INL) og kritisk nutrition literacy (KNL). Siden et optimalt kosthold er viktig for at unge idrettsutøvere skal kunne prestere godt – og for en normal vekst og utvikling for øvrig – ville det være interessant å forsøke å kartlegge NL hos denne målgruppen. Metode: Utvalget (n = 410) bestod av var idrettsutøvere født i 1997 som var aktive innen langrenn, skiskyting, orientering og friidrett. Disse skulle besvare et nyutviklet spørreskjema hovedsakelig bestående av: (1) Demografiske spørsmål, (2) En kunnskapstest om henholdsvis generell ernæring og idrettsernæring, (3) spørsmål om hvilke kilder deltakerne hyppigst benyttet seg av for innhenting av kostholdsinformasjon, og (4) holdningsutsagn for måling av de tre dimensjonene av NL. Resultater: Gjennomsnittsscore på kunnskapstesten om generell ernæring (KT1) var 42 ± 6 (totalt 56 spørsmål), og om idrettsernæring (KT2): 14 ± 3 (totalt 21 spørsmål). Totalscore på kunnskapstesten (KTtot) var 56 ± 7 (totalt 77 spørsmål). Faktor- og reliabilitetsanalyse ga i alt fire holdningskonstrukter: FNL, INLAKTIV, INLKFØP (to faktorer) og KNL. Utøverne hadde signifikant høyere score på INLKFØP enn på både FNL, INLAKTIV og KNL. Signifikante forskjeller i gjennomsnittsscore var det også henholdsvis mellom KNL og FNL, KNL og INLAKTIV og INLAKTIV og FNL, hvor det førstnevnte konstruktet hadde høyere score enn det andre. De mest anvendte informasjonskildene for innhenting av kostholdsinformasjon var trenere og/eller støtteapparat, familie og andre utøvere i idrettsmiljøet. 27 % av utøverne innhenter kostholdsinformasjon fra 1-3 ganger i måneden. Konklusjon: Resultatene viste at idrettsutøverne oppnådde nokså høye score på den selvlagete kunnskapstesten om generell ernæring, men ikke fullt så høye score på testen om idrettsernæring. Gjennomsnittscorene på konstruktene indikerer at idrettsutøverne trolig har tilfredsstillende KNL, mens noe lavere FNL og INLAKTIV. Imidlertid er har utøverne en tilfredsstillende INLKFØP. Konstruktet INLKFØP reflekterer idrettsspesifikke forhold, noe som kan indikere at utøverne har bedre INL i idrettslige kontekster enn ellersMaster i samfunnsernærin

Legal Decisions, Affective Justice, and ‘Moving On?’

Our paper argues that a move away from the linear approach adopted in transitional justice scholarship is required to the question of ‘moving on’, understood as the way in which a post-dictatorial or a post-conflict regime addresses the past injustices of the predecessor regime. We consider this question in relation to two case studies: post-dictatorial Albania and post-conflict Sierra Leone. Both examples point to important factors that underpin the meanings of ‘moving on’ and of justice, when analysed through a law and aesthetics lens. It has long been established that legal scholarship that makes use of works of art aids and clarifies the points that it wants to make. We examine the power of certain art forms, namely the way in which space ‘speaks’ and the narratives found in an image in the Albanian context, and the use of film to provide a deeper appreciation of the conflict in the Sierra Leonean context. Different aesthetic practices have been used as a way to respond to historical injustice and mass atrocity, also when partial justice (through the law) has been achieved. Our article argues that law’s limitations can be understood through the process of unravelling the pieces of the puzzle that make up affective justice. Artistic representation allows for a more complex narration than law’s linear demands

The association of early post-transplant glucose levels with long-term mortality

Aims/objective: We aimed to assess the long-term effects of post-transplant glycaemia on long-term survival after renal transplantation. Methods: Study participants were 1,410 consecutive transplant recipients without known diabetes who underwent an OGTT 10 weeks post-transplant and were observed for a median of 6.7 years (range 0.3–13.8 years). The HRs adjusted for age, sex, traditional risk factors and transplant-related risk factors were estimated. Results: Each 1 mmol/l increase in fasting plasma glucose (fPG) or 2 h plasma glucose (2hPG) was associated with 11% (95% CI −1%, 24%) and 5% (1%, 9%) increments in all-cause mortality risk and 19% (1%, 39%) and 6% (1%, 12%) increments in cardiovascular (CV) mortality risk, respectively. Including both fPG and 2hPG in the multi-adjusted model the HR for 2hPG remained unchanged, while the HR for fPG was attenuated (1.05 [1.00, 1.11] and 0.97 [0.84, 1.14]). Compared with recipients with normal glucose tolerance, patients with post-transplant diabetes mellitus had higher all-cause and CV mortality (1.54 [1.09, 2.17] and 1.80 [1.10, 2.96]), while patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) had higher all-cause, but not CV mortality (1.39 [1.01, 1.91] and 1.04 [0.62, 1.74]). Conversely, impaired fasting glucose was not associated with increased all-cause or CV mortality (0.79 [0.52, 1.23] and 0.76 [0.39, 1.49]). Post-challenge hyperglycaemia predicted death from any cause and infectious disease in the multivariable analyses (1.49 [1.15, 1.95] and 1.91 [1.09, 3.33]). Conclusions/interpretation: For predicting all-cause and CV mortality, 2hPG is superior to fPG after renal transplantation. Also, early post-transplant diabetes, IGT and post-challenge hyperglycaemia were significant predictors of death. Future studies should determine whether an OGTT helps identify renal transplant recipients at increased risk of premature death. © The Author(s) 2011. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.co

OCD? Not Me! Protocol for the development and evaluation of a web-based self-guided treatment for youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Background: OCD? Not Me! is a novel, web-based, self-guided intervention designed to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in young people aged 12–18, using the principles of exposure and response prevention. The current paper presents the protocol for the development of the programme and for an open trial that will evaluate the effectiveness of this programme for OCD in young people, and associated distress and symptom accommodation in their parents and caregivers. Methods: We will measure the impact of the OCD? Not Me! programme on OCD symptoms using the Children's Florida Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (C-FOCI), and both the self-report and parent report of the Children's Obsessional Compulsive Inventory—Revised (ChOCI-R). The impact of the programme on OCD-related functional impairment will be measured using the parent report of the Child Obsessive-Compulsive Impact Scale—Revised (COIS-R). Secondary outcome measures include the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Youth Quality of Life—Short Form (YQoL-SF). The 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) will be used to measure the impact of the programme on parent/caregiver distress, while the Family Accommodation Scale (FAS) will be used to measure change in family accommodation of OCD symptoms. Multilevel mixed effects linear regression will be used to analyse the impact of the intervention on the outcome measures

An Iranian Study of Group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy versus Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder on an Optimal Dose of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

Conducted in Iran, participants included 69 adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who were on a stable selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) dose and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: group acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)+SSRI, group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)+SSRI, or continued SSRI treatment. Assessment occurred at pre-, post-treatment, and three-month follow-up and included the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS), Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-8), Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ), and Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). ACT+SSRI and CBT+SSRI conditions demonstrated significant reductions in OCD severity that were maintained at follow-up compared to the continued SSRI condition. All conditions demonstrated significant reductions in depression that were maintained at follow-up. The ACT+SSRI condition demonstrated significant improvement in psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and valued living that were maintained at follow-up compared to the CBT+SSRI and continued SSRI conditions. Findings indicate that ACT+SSRI is comparably effective as CBT+SSRI at treating adolescent OCD. However, ACT+SSRI appears to differ from CBT+SSRI on changes in psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and valued living, indicating potential differences in mechanism of change

Single-centre, triple-blinded, randomised, 1-year, parallel-group, superiority study to compare the effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy on remission of type 2 diabetes and β-cell function in subjects with morbid obesity: a protocol for the Obesity surgery in Tønsberg (Oseberg) study

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