Maps and Geographical Names as Tokens of National Interests: The Spitsbergen vs. Svalbard Case

The treaty of 9 February 1920 granted Norway full sovereignty over the ‘Archipelago of Spitsbergen’, by which name this Arctic territory was known at the time. Assuming sovereignty five years later, Norway altered the official name to ‘Svalbard’. To what extent was the name-change a token of national interests or even blatant nationalism? This paper outlines the origin and usage of the place-names Spitsbergen and Svalbard in light of the area’s mapping and nomenclature and with an emphasis on national bias. It briefly discusses the different practices and principles of geographical naming. This paper proposes that the change in official nomenclature from Spitsbergen to Svalbard in 1924–1925, though partly due to justifiable practical considerations, was primarily a political act to construct national bonds with the newly won territory. Although perceived as part of a ‘Norwegianization’ process in the northern regions, the name-change itself was not intended to provoke foreign reactions, but rather to satisfy a domestic audience.The treaty of 9 February 1920 granted Norway full sovereignty over the ‘Archipelago of Spitsbergen’, by which name this Arctic territory was known at the time. Assuming sovereignty five years later, Norway altered the official name to ‘Svalbard’. To what extent was the name-change a token of national interests or even blatant nationalism? This paper outlines the origin and usage of the place-names Spitsbergen and Svalbard in light of the area’s mapping and nomenclature and with an emphasis on national bias. It briefly discusses the different practices and principles of geographical naming. This paper proposes that the change in official nomenclature from Spitsbergen to Svalbard in 1924–1925, though partly due to justifiable practical considerations, was primarily a political act to construct national bonds with the newly won territory. Although perceived as part of a ‘Norwegianization’ process in the northern regions, the name-change itself was not intended to provoke foreign reactions, but rather to satisfy a domestic audience

PCCH-Arctic – Polar Climate and Cultural Heritage – Preservation and Restoration Management

publishedVersio

Colonic distribution of FMT by different enema procedures compared to colonoscopy – proof of concept study using contrast fluid

Background Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has become an important treatment method in recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections and is under investigation as a treatment for several other diseases. FMT’s mechanism of action is assumed to be through alterations of the colon microbiota. FMT can be delivered by several methods, but few studies have directly compared how FMT is distributed in the colon by different methods. Specifically, the proximal distribution of FMT delivered by enema is unknown. Methods In eight participants, we administered contrast fluid (CF) with viscosity similar to an FMT in a crossover study design. First, CF was administered by colonoscopy, followed by an abdominal X-ray to visualize the CF distribution. Next, after four to eight weeks, participants were given CF, but as an enema, followed by a positioning procedure. X-rays were obtained before (enema ÷) and after (enema +) the positioning procedure. Conclusion Proportion of participants with CF in cecum were 100% after colonoscopy, 50% after enema+and 38% after enema ÷. In the transverse colon, proportions were 100% (colonoscopy), 88% (enema +) and 63% (enema ÷). There were no adverse events. Interpretation This study shows proof of concept for the distribution of FMT to proximal colon when delivered by enema. A positioning procedure after the enema slightly improves the proximal distribution. However, colonoscopy is the only method that ensures delivery to the cecum. Studies are needed to see if FMT colon distribution correlates with treatment effectiveness. Trial registration The study was retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05121285) (16/11/2021)

Increasing Shipping in the Arctic and Local Communities’ Engagement : A Case from Longyearbyen on Svalbard

publishedVersio

Dalmacija i Split na stranicama lista Velebit: politički i gospodarski život početkom XX. stoljeća

Okosnicu rada čini analiza dnevnog lista Velebit koji je izlazio 1908. godine, a na čijim stranicama su prikazani politički i gospodarski problemi s kojima se suočavala Dalmacija početkom XX. stoljeća. Podaci izneseni u radu se temelje na člancima iz Velebita kao i relevantnoj literaturi za to razdoblje. Ključni problemi koji se obrađuju su odraz politike novog kursa u Dalmaciji, te način na koji se izvještavalo o tadašnjim političkim problemima, banovanju baruna Raucha i političkim protivnicima Hrvatsko-srpske koalicije. Uz to kao posebna cjelina se obrađuje gospodarsko stanje Dalmacije u tom razdoblju, te način na koji se pristupa problemima u Velebitu. Kao temeljni problemi se ističu: slaba željeznička povezanost, težačko pitanje, posljedice „vinske klauzule“ na vinogradarstvo, te teško stanje u Dalmatinskoj zagori. Kroz rad će se nastojati doći do zaključaka koliko je Velebit u određenoj mjeri bio pristran u svojim člancima, ali i kakvo je političko i gospodarsko stanje općenito bilo u Dalmaciji tog razdoblja, što čini temu ovog diplomskog rada.The backbone of the work is the analysis of the daily newspaper Velebit which was published through 1908, and in pages of which political and economic problems Dalmatia was faced by at beginning of XX. century are shown. Data presented in this paper is based on articles from Velebit and the relevant literature for that period. Key issues which are to be considered are a reflection of the policy of the new course in Dalmatia, and the manner in which political problems from that period, rule of Baron Rauch and political opponents of the Croatian-Serbian Coalition were reported. In addition, a special chapter deals with the economic situation of Dalmatia during that period, and the way Velebit approached these problems. The fundamental problems which stand out were: poor railway connections, farmers issues, the consequences of "wine clause" on the viticulture and difficult situation in the Dalmatian hinterland. Through the work conclusions on to which extent Velebit was biased in its articles will try to be made, as well as conclusions on the general political and economic situation in Dalmatia of that period, which is the topic of this thesis

Numerical study of flows related to aerated stirred tanks

The overall purpose with this work is to investigate the bubbly flow in a aerated stirred tank using numerical simulations. Aerated stirred tanks are commonly used in chemical processes for producing for example insulin and antibiotics. The main requirement of these tanks, is to provide an optimal environment for the microorganisms found inside, with homogeneous mixing of air. The flow in a aerated stirred tank is complex and turbulent with stagnation points, swirling motion and recirculation zones. Introducing bubbles in this environment creates a wide range of bubble sizes. For the aerated stirred tank, Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is used for the continuous phase and the two-way coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian model for the dispersed phase. A break-up and coalescence model has been incorporated. Since the bubbles inside a bioreactors are many and with a wide range of sizes as well as largely varying inter-droplet distance, the underlying assumptions of the model can have significant error. However, the approach offers computational efficiency and allows one to include bubble breakup and coalescence models. The moving blades, representing the rotating impeller, is modeled by using the Volume of Solid (VOS) model. The averaged radial and tangential liquid velocities decreased with increasing gas volume fraction. Additionally, for the axial velocities the gas redirected the radial jet upwards and the symmetry of the ring vortices vanished. Although, low gas flow rate, the periodicity from the impeller is decreased and interfere with the creation of the trailing vortex pair behind the impeller. Including bubble break-up and coalescence model in the aerated stirred tank, induces small spherical bubbles. For large bubbles, shapes become important and can be modeled using the Volume of Fluid (VOF) model. Numerical simulations has been performed for deformable air-bubbles in a straight channel. Bubble features such as aspect ratio, equivalent diameter, velocity and path are compared against experimental data obtained by using shadow-graph technique. The VOF model is capable to predict the different bubble features and shows a promising future for studying the detailed interaction between the different phases inside a bioreactor. The limitations of the Eulerian-Lagrangian model arises when the inter-particle distance is small. From the simulations of Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM), both drag- and lift-coefficients were obtained for cases with strong particle-particle (so called four-way) interaction. A novel approach of handling large spherical bubbles combined with the Eulerian-Lagrangian model in the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) framework, has been developed and utilized

Heparin Analogs Created by Sulfation of Alginates Using a Chemoenzymatic Strategy

Alginates are a class of natural unbranched linear polysaccharides, and consist of the monomers β-D-mannuronic acid and α-L-guluronic acid. The inherent physical properties, relative ease of modification, wide availability and good biocompatibility of alginates have gained a great deal of attention with regards to therapeutic applications. Heparin is a highly negatively charged linear glycosaminoglycan that is widely used as an anticoagulant. The presence of carboxyl groups and several sulfate groups gives heparin its negative charge, while iduronic acid moieties confer a high degree of flexibility to the polysaccharide by being able to assume different stable conformations. Heparin shows diversity in molecular weight, monomer sequence and modification pattern, resulting in a vast range of biological effects. When administered therapeutically, this can in cause an unpredictable dose response and potentially severe adverse effects in certain patients. The main objective of this study was to create a structural analog of heparin exhibiting a more regular structure and distribution, through chemical sulfation of alginate using chlorosulfonic acid. Other important aims were to characterize the analog in terms of structure, distribution and sulfation degree, and assess protein binding and anticoagulating properties of the sulfated alginates in comparison with heparin and the unmodified alginate templates. Sulfation was performed using chlorosulfonic acid in formamide on a polymannuronic acid (poly-M) and a polyalternating alginate with a guluronic acid fraction of FG = 0.46 (poly-MG), introduced through enzymatic epimerization. FTIR, elemental analysis with HR-ICP-MS and carbon NMR were employed to detect the attached sulfate groups on the alginate. The average molecular weights and the mass distributions of the alginate samples were studied using SEC-MALLS. Elemental analysis was used to estimate the sulfation degrees of the alginates, and 13C NMR was employed to study substitution patterns, provide additional DS estimates and assess sample purity. The protein binding properties of the sulfated alginates were evaluated by studying their ability to release hepatocyte growth factor and osteoprotegerin bound to myeloma cells. Anticoagulating properties were studied by measuring prolongation of plasma coagulation time as a result of sulfated alginate supplementation. The alginates were successfully sulfated and exhibited different degrees of sulfation obtained by varying the chlorosulfonic acid concentration used (1 - 10 %), as estimated by elemental analysis. The poly-MG alginate showed increased solubility during the sulfation reaction, resulting in a higher estimated DS at lower chlorosulfonic acid concentrations compared with poly-M. No apparent degradation of the alginates as a result of the sulfation was observed, although preliminary acid hydrolysis resulted in a molecular weight disparity between poly-M and poly-MG samples. Analysis of carbon NMR spectra allowed characterization of novel peaks and secondary DS estimations for the sulfated poly-M samples, while the complexity of the sulfated poly-MG spectra prevented confident characterization of the structures. Sulfation resulted in a profound improvement of the protein binding properties of the alginates, and showed prolongation of the plasma coagulation time at high treatment concentrations