Genomic Diversity among Beijing and non-Beijing Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates from Myanmar

Background: The Beijing family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is dominant in countries in East Asia. Genomic polymorphisms are a source of diversity within the M. tuberculosis genome and may account for the variation of virulence among M. tuberculosis isolates. Till date there are no studies that have examined the genomic composition of M. tuberculosis isolates from the high TB-burden country, Myanmar. Methodology/Principle Findings: Twenty-two M. tuberculosis isolates from Myanmar were screened on whole-genome arrays containing genes from M. tuberculosis H37Rv, M. tuberculosis CDC1551 and M. bovis AF22197. Screening identified 198 deletions or extra regions in the clinical isolates compared to H37Rv. Twenty-two regions differentiated between Beijing and non-Beijing isolates and were verified by PCR on an additional 40 isolates. Six regions (Rv0071-0074 [RD105], Rv1572-1576c [RD149], Rv1585c-1587c [RD149], MT1798-Rv1755c [RD152], Rv1761c [RD152] and Rv0279c) were deleted in Beijing isolates, of which 4 (Rv1572-1576c, Rv1585c-1587c, MT1798-Rv1755c and Rv1761c) were variably deleted among ST42 isolates, indicating a closer relationship between the Beijing and ST42 lineages. The TbD1 region, Mb1582-Mb1583 was deleted in Beijing and ST42 isolates. One M. bovis gene of unknown function, Mb3184c was present in all isolates, except 11 of 13 ST42 isolates. The CDC1551 gene, MT1360 coding for a putative adenylate cyclase, was present in all Beijing and ST42 isolates (except 1). The pks15/1 gene, coding for a putative virulence factor, was intact in all Beijing and non-Beijing isolates, except in ST42 and ST53 isolates. Conclusion: This study describes previously unreported deletions/extra regions in Beijing and non-Beijing M. tuberculosis isolates. The modern and highly frequent ST42 lineage showed a closer relationship to the hypervirulent Beijing lineage than to the ancient non-Beijing lineages. The pks15/1 gene was disrupted only in modern non-Beijing isolates. This is the first report of an in-depth analysis on the genomic diversity of M. tuberculosis isolates from Myanmar

Workplace bullying and mental health problems in balanced and gender-dominated workplaces

We investigate risks of exposure to workplace bullying and related mental health outcomes for men and women when being in a gender minority as opposed to working in a gender-balanced working environment or when belonging to a gender majority. Based on a social identity perspective, we tested hypotheses about the risks of bullying and differences in the increase in mental health problems in a probability sample of the Swedish workforce in a prospective design. The results showed an increased risk of bullying and an increase in mental health problems as an outcome for men when in a gender minority, however, there were no corresponding risks for women. The risks for men were most obvious for person-related negative acts and for anxiety as an outcome. Social identity may clarify why a minority might be more at risk as well as the outcome it may lead to. Deviating from the group prototype may be perceived as a threat to the group alienating the target and opening up for sanctions. The observed gender differences may further be understood using social role theory. Men in female-dominated workplaces may deviate more from the expected traditional gender role and may be more susceptible to sanctions and suffer graver consequences as a result. The outcomes may be more severe if exposed to person-related acts compared to acts related to one’s work.publishedVersio

Tilpasset opplæring i yrkesfagene - er det veien å gå og hva skal til for å lykkes? : en kvalitativ undersøkelse av videregående skoles erfaringer med tilpasset opplæring i fag- og yrkesutdanningene

I denne studien har jeg ønsket å se på hvordan yrkesutdanningene i videregående skole kan tilpasse opplæringen, slik at elever som strever med å fullføre, kan få kompetanse som kan føre til varig arbeid og verdsatt rolle i samfunnet. Det er svært mye forskning både på elever som faller ut av eller slutter utdanning og på utdanningssystemene, særlig nå etter innføringen av Kunnskapsløftet. Mitt bidrag i denne sammenhengen har vært å intervjue to grupper med rådgivere og lærere i to videregående skoler, om hvilke erfaringer de har med tilpasset opplæring og veien fra skole til arbeid. Disse skolene har gjort mye systematisk arbeid med henblikk på tilpasset opplæring, både innenfor ordinær og spesialpedagogisk ramme. Studien bekrefter at der finnes flere veier å gå for at elever som står i fare for å marginaliseres, kan fullføre utdanning og komme i arbeid. For å lykkes med tilpasset opplæring understreker begge skolene at all utdanning må være planlagt for den enkelt. Det er skolens ansvar å differensiere opplæringen og møte elevene der de er. Den ene skolen hadde utviklet et grundig kartleggingssystem og et vell av metoder og prosjekter i det pedagogiske arbeidet for å få elevene til å bestå alle fag. Den andre skolen hadde valgt en praksisnær opplæring. Elevene lærte relevante faglige ferdigheter og trente på dette i en opplæringssituasjon svært lik vanlige arbeidsplasser. De var mye ute i ordinære bedrifter i praksis. Skolene samarbeidet tett med disse bedriftene for å dyktiggjøre elevene. Skolene hadde ulik tilnærming til vurdering med karakterer og behovet for spesialundervisning. For å lykkes med tilpasset opplæring var skolene opptatt av hvilken betydning det hadde med felles pedagogisk tenkning og ledelseskultur. For å få elever til å fullføre og bestå planlagt løp var det en forutsetning at skolen hadde en ledelse som var tett på praksis, at det var et felles pedagogisk grunnsyn på skolen og felles måte å tenke differensiering på. I tillegg fremhevet skolene tett samarbeid og støtte i kollegiet som en betingelse for å kunne se og støtte opp om den enkelte elev. Skolenes holdninger til at alle elever har muligheter og er ansvarlige og velgende mennesker, var uttalte og retningsgivende for arbeidet med å forebygge devaluerende prosesser og myndiggjøre denne gruppen elever

Hva tilbyr TikTok norske artister? En studie av hvordan norske musikkartister forholder seg til TikTok

Hvordan benytter norske artister seg av TikTok som en ny sosiale medier-plattform. Det vil her bli lagt vekt på funksjonene TikTok tilbyr artistene, hvordan de interagerer med publikum og hvordan de konstruerer identiteten i forhold til plattformen. Det finnes flere suksesshistorier om hvordan artister har gått viralt eller sprengt strømmerekorder, etter låten deres gikk viralt på TikTok. Studien baserer seg på kvalitative, semi-strukturerte intervjuer. Utvalget består av fem informanter som har kjennskap og tar i bruk TikTok i forhold til musikkpromotering. For å få ulike perspektiver er det både artister, managere og sosiale medier-konsulent for plateselskaper. For å eksemplifisere bruken av TikTok og hva den kan føre med seg, vil det i analysen bli presentert en case om Aurora og låten Runaway. Datamaterialet fra informantintervjuene ble analysert ut ifra fire dimensjonere; HCI, interaksjon, identitet og viralitet, som er teoretisk forankret. Noe som vil komme tydelig frem i presentasjonen av teori og analysekapitlene. Studien viser at TikTok gir norske artister muligheten til å nå ut til et bredt og ukjent publikum, på grunn av hvordan algoritmene på plattformen fungerer. Samtidig tilbyr TikTok funksjon ved å legge til låter over videosnutter, hvor artister direkte kan eksponere publikum for låtene sine. Hvis man har midler tilgjengelig er det mulig å betale TikTok eller opinionsledere for at låten til en artist skal være mer synlig på plattformen. For å interagere med publikum tar norske artister i bruk kommentarfunksjoner, noe som vil styrke relasjonene til dem. Å fremstå som autentisk på TikTok er en viktig faktor i forhold til hvordan artistene konstruerer egen identitet for TikTok. Man må fremstå genuin og ekte, samtidig som man er underholdende. Og det kan vise seg at å bli likt som person av publikum gjerne er viktigere enn promoteringen av låter på TikTok. Informantene påpeker at de kan gjøre TikTok på egne premisser, men det viser seg derimot at de underlegger seg TikTok sin logikk i forhold til de teknologiske funksjonene. Min studie er et bidrag til medieforskningen og HCI-feltet, som tar utgangspunkt i hvordan musikkindustrien som populærkultur bruker nye plattformer og forholder seg, tilpasser seg og interagerer med ny teknologi.Masteroppgave i medier og kommunikasjonMEVI350MASV-MEV

On uncertainty and investment rates : with empirical analysis of developed economies

This thesis investigates the impact of uncertainty on investment rates. The theoretical and empirical literature on the subject is surveyed before I do an empirical analysis on investment data for 14 developed economies from 1991-2008. There are three main results from this analysis: I confirm the conclusion of most studies that uncertainty overall has a negative impact on investments. I find no evidence of non-monotonicity or even non-linearity in the effect based on the level of uncertainty. This has been found in other recent studies. On the other hand, I explain theoretically and show that there is a non-linearity in the effect of uncertainty on investment based on the direction of stock market price movements the previous year. This has not been investigated before

Exposure to negative acts at work and self-labelling as a victim of workplace bullying: The role of prior victimization from bullying

The present study examines employees’ prior victimization from bullying in school or at work as a predictor of 1) their current exposure to negative social acts at work and 2) the likelihood of labelling as a victim of workplace bullying, and 3) whether the link between exposure to negative acts at work and the perception of being bullied is stronger among those who have been bullied in the past. We tested our hypotheses using a probability sample of the Norwegian working population in a prospective design with a 5-year time lag (N = 1228). As hypothesized, prior victimization positively predicted subsequent exposure to negative acts, which in turn was related to a higher likelihood of developing a perception of being a victim of workplace bullying. However, contrary to our expectations, prior victimization from bullying did not affect the relationship between current exposure to negative acts at work and the likelihood of self-labelling as a victim. Taken together, the results suggest that employees’ prior victimization is a risk factor for future victimization, yet overall plays a rather modest role in understanding current exposure to negative acts and self-labelled victimization from bullying at work.publishedVersio

Aksjeeigars lojalitetsplikt - Med særleg fokus på ei ulovfesta plikt til å avstå frå illojal konkurranse med selskapet

MasteroppgåveJUS399MAJURMAJUR-

Workplace bullying and sleep - A systematic review and meta-analysis of the research literature

This systematic review and meta-analysis 1) clarifies and quantifies existing results on the association between exposure to workplace bullying and sleep, 2) evaluates the methodological quality of existing studies, 3) identifies theoretical frameworks used in research, 4) determines moderating and mediating variables, and 5) provides guidelines for future research. Searches for primary studies were conducted in Pubmed, Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Of the 406 studies identified, 26 fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the qualitative synthesis whereas sixteen studies were included in the meta-analysis (cross sectional effect sizes: 15; N=69,199/prospective effect sizes: 6; N=26,164). Workplace bullying was significantly related to sleep problems in all studies. Across cross-sectional studies, targets of bullying had 2.31 higher odds of reporting sleep problems compared to non-bullied workers. The odds across the prospective studies was 1.62. The quality of evidence for the association between workplace bullying and sleep problems was low to moderate. Only eight studies had a predefined theoretical rationale for the association, and few studies examined mediating and moderating variables or bidirectional associations. The methodological quality of the studies was moderate. Further research is needed to establish the nature, directionality, mechanisms, and conditions of the association between bullying and sleep.publishedVersio

The role of leadership practices in the relationship between role stressors and exposure to bullying behaviours – a longitudinal moderated mediation design

Role conflicts and role ambiguity have been identified as important risk factors for exposure to workplace bullying, particularly when combined with inadequate leadership practices. Even though role ambiguity theoretically can be considered a causal precursor to role conflicts, previous research has mainly examined these role stressors as concurrent predictors of workplace bullying. The present study provides a more nuanced analysis by investigating role conflicts as a mediator in the relationship between role ambiguity and exposure to bullying behaviours. Adding to the understanding of the bullying process we also considered the possible moderating roles of laissez-faire and transformational leadership in the role stressor–bullying relationship. Employing a national probability sample of 1,164 Norwegian workers, with three measurements across a 12-month period, the results showed an indirect effect of employees’ role ambiguity on subsequent exposure to bullying behaviours through employees’ experience of role conflicts. Moreover, laissez-faire leadership exacerbated, while transformational leadership attenuated, the indirect relationship between role ambiguity and exposure to bullying behaviours through role conflicts. In summary, the present data shows that when the management of organisations neglects its inherent responsibility to adequately address employees’ experiences of role ambiguity and role conflicts, the risk of exposure to workplace bullying is likely to increase.publishedVersio

Job demands as risk factors of exposure to bullying at work: The moderating role of team-level conflict management climate

Conflict management climate is an important organizational resource that is theorized to prevent interpersonal frustration from escalating into harsh interpersonal conflicts and even workplace bullying. The present study investigates whether team-level perceptions of conflict management climate moderate the relationship between previously investigated psychosocial predictors of workplace bullying (i.e., role conflicts, workload, cognitive demands) and perceived exposure to bullying behaviors in the workplace. We collected data from crews on ferries operating on the Norwegian coastline consisting of 462 employees across 147 teams. As hypothesized, multilevel analyses showed positive main effects of role conflict and cognitive demands (but not workload) on exposure to bullying behaviors. Also, the hypothesized moderation effect of team-level conflict management climate on the relationship between individual-level job demands and exposure to bullying behaviors was significant for role conflict and cognitive demands, but not for workload. Specifically, the positive relationships between the two job demands and exposure to bullying behaviors were stronger for employees working in teams with a weak (vs. a strong) conflict management climate. These findings contribute to the bullying research field by showing that conflict management climate may buffer the impact of stressors on bullying behaviors, most likely by preventing interpersonal frustration from escalating into bullying situations