Security of Big Data in Healthcare Systems

As cyber-attacks have become more common and sophisticated, the need for a stable security framework has become essential. Information security requirements must be met by digital technologies utilized in the health care sector. Modern hospitals are becoming increasingly digital, and information and communication technology is becoming an increasingly significant element of the core business. This lays the groundwork for improved patient care quality. At the same time, the health sector's vulnerability to digital attacks and data breaches is growing, and so are the potential negative effects of security breaches. The Norwegian healthcare system is divided into different regions, each with its own set of processes and procedures. Because of the fragmentation, there are substantial communication issues between the many health regions and their systems, making transmitted data vulnerable to threat actors. A reorganization is required to effectively handle this issue and improve the security of healthcare systems. The research was conducted using a qualitative method with a problem-oriented phenomenon-driven research approach on Norwegian Healthcare Sector. In addition, interviews with different security employees from the different health regions in Norway, as well as a document analysis of published papers was done to gather empirical material for the master thesis

Security of Big Data in Healthcare Systems

As cyber-attacks have become more common and sophisticated, the need for a stable security framework has become essential. Information security requirements must be met by digital technologies utilized in the health care sector. Modern hospitals are becoming increasingly digital, and information and communication technology is becoming an increasingly significant element of the core business. This lays the groundwork for improved patient care quality. At the same time, the health sector's vulnerability to digital attacks and data breaches is growing, and so are the potential negative effects of security breaches. The Norwegian healthcare system is divided into different regions, each with its own set of processes and procedures. Because of the fragmentation, there are substantial communication issues between the many health regions and their systems, making transmitted data vulnerable to threat actors. A reorganization is required to effectively handle this issue and improve the security of healthcare systems. The research was conducted using a qualitative method with a problem-oriented phenomenon-driven research approach on Norwegian Healthcare Sector. In addition, interviews with different security employees from the different health regions in Norway, as well as a document analysis of published papers was done to gather empirical material for the master thesis

Spatiotemporal dynamics of nektonic biodiversity and vegetation shifts during the Smithian–Spathian transition: conodont and palynomorph insights from Svalbard

The Smithian–Spathian transition (~249.2 Ma) is marked by profound environmental changes, carbon cycle perturbations, and the stepwise loss of nektonic biodiversity (ammonoids and conodonts). While biotic and abiotic changes have been intensely studied for the palaeosubtropics and palaeotropics, the global spatio-temporal pattern, including mid- to higher latitudes, remains unresolved. In this study, we present conodont and palynomorph data from the Lower Triassic Vikinghøgda Formation in the Stensiöfjellet section, Svalbard. Conodont samples from this sequence generally yielded relatively few specimens with one exception in the basal Vendomdalen Member, which proved exceptionally abundant and diverse. Most conodont samples of the Lusitaniadalen Member are typically dominated by middle to late Smithian segminiplanate forms, such as Scythogondolella spp. This exceptional horizon in the basal Vendomdalen Member, associated with the cosmopolitan ammonoid Bajarunia, indicates an earliest Spathian age. This sample presents the first-ever recorded conodont fauna from the earliest Spathian in the Boreal realm and associates segminiplanate with numerous segminate forms. The presence of an abundant and diverse segminate conodont fauna in northern mid-latitudes during the Early Triassic suggests that temperature was not the main regulator for their distribution, as opposed to segminiplanate forms, which were apparently more restricted to colder waters. Palynomorphs are poorly preserved but allow the discrimination of three assemblages. Association 1 is lycophyte spore dominated, and associations 2 and 3 are both dominated by bisaccate pollen. The change from lycophyte-dominated to a gymnosperm-dominated vegetation occurs just above the Wasatchites beds. A comparison with the records from the southern palaeosubtropics indicates that the vegetation shift was synchronous and coincided with the onset of a cooling episode, commencing in the latest Smithian. □ Intra-Triassic extinction, palaeoclimate, palaeoenvironment, conodonts, palynomorphs, Svalbard. Marc Leu ✉ [[email protected]], Elke Schneebeli-Hermann [[email protected]] and Hugo Bucher [[email protected]] Department of Palaeontology, University of Zurich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland; Øyvind Hammer [oyvind. [email protected]] and Franz-Josef Lindemann [[email protected]], Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Pb. 1172 Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway; manuscript received on 04/08/2023; manuscript accepted on 28/02/2024; manuscript published on 20/06/2024 in Lethaia 57(2)

Bivalve beds reveal rapid changes in ocean oxygenation in the Boreal Middle Triassic – a case study from Svalbard, Norway

A fossil-rich interval in the organic-rich marine black mudstone of the Middle Triassic Botneheia Formation on eastern Svalbard was logged in high-resolution on an extremely well exposed section with emphasis on bivalve beds, taphonomic features, trace fossils and oxygenation proxies. The size distribution, fragmentation, articulation and orientation of three bivalve beds of the epifaunal flat clam Daonella were analysed. The logged section was studied for the recurrent occurrences of trace fossils and bivalve beds, and size distribution of framboidal pyrite. Daonella is most common in the shaly interval, while other taxa seem to outcompete Daonella in the siltier intervals. The comparison of fossil and sedimentological data with geochemical proxies for oxygenation revealed that the bivalve beds formed under dysoxic, conditions and due to low sedimentation rates and winnowing are not mass-mortality assemblages as previously suggested. The deposition on the sea floor was interrupted by anoxic intervals without benthic life. Recurrent beds containing the trace fossil Thalassinoides, however, show that oxygen levels fluctuated. The combination of water currents and oxygen fluctuations is a key to understanding why the black shales of the Botneheia Formation are so rich in benthic fossils

Large onychites (cephalopod hooks) from the Upper Jurassic of the Boreal Realm

We report on the discovery of large cephalopod arm hooks (mega−onychites) from the Kimmeridgian and Volgian of Spitsbergen (Agardhfjellet Formation). This includes a largely uncompressed hook in a seep carbonate, with preservation of surface sculpture. We suggest the use of logarithmic spirals as morphological descriptors for the outer part of cephalopod arm hooks, with implications for systematics and functional morphology. Comparison with Upper Jurassic material from Greenland, northern Norway and the North Sea demonstrates a remarkably consistent morphology, which we assign to the same form species, Onychites quenstedti. Considering the relatively small stratigraphic (Kimmeridgian–Volgian) and biogeographic (Boreal) range of this large form, it is likely that it represents a single biological species or genus

Structure and function of respiratory turbinates in phocid seals

Abstract: In terrestrial mammals, the respiratory turbinate bones within the nasal cavity are employed to conserve heat and water. In order to investigate whether environmental temperature affects respiratory turbinate structure in phocids, we used micro-computed tomography to compare maxilloturbinate bone morphology in polar seals, grey seals and monk seals. The maxilloturbinates of polar seals have much higher surface areas than those of monk seals, the result of the polar seals having more densely packed, complex turbinates within larger nasal cavities. Grey seals were intermediate; a juvenile of this species proved to have more densely packed maxilloturbinates with shorter branch lengths than a conspecific adult. Fractal dimension in the densest part of the maxilloturbinate mass was very close to 2 in all seals, indicating that these convoluted bones evenly fill the available space. The much more elaborate maxilloturbinate systems in polar seals, compared with monk seals, are consistent with a greater need to limit respiratory heat loss

Structure and function of respiratory turbinates in phocid seals

Abstract: In terrestrial mammals, the respiratory turbinate bones within the nasal cavity are employed to conserve heat and water. In order to investigate whether environmental temperature affects respiratory turbinate structure in phocids, we used micro-computed tomography to compare maxilloturbinate bone morphology in polar seals, grey seals and monk seals. The maxilloturbinates of polar seals have much higher surface areas than those of monk seals, the result of the polar seals having more densely packed, complex turbinates within larger nasal cavities. Grey seals were intermediate; a juvenile of this species proved to have more densely packed maxilloturbinates with shorter branch lengths than a conspecific adult. Fractal dimension in the densest part of the maxilloturbinate mass was very close to 2 in all seals, indicating that these convoluted bones evenly fill the available space. The much more elaborate maxilloturbinate systems in polar seals, compared with monk seals, are consistent with a greater need to limit respiratory heat loss

Palaeoenvironmental variability and carbon cycle perturbations during the Smithian-Spathian (Early Triassic) in Central Spitsbergen

The Early Triassic Smithian and Spathian time intervals are characterized by perturbations in the global carbon cycle, fluctuations in sea surface temperature, high turnover rates of marine nekton, and a change in terrestrial vegetation. Despite the importance of this time interval, comprehensive multiproxy investigations from Early Triassic high and middle latitude regions remain scarce due to the difficulty in accessing sections. The objective of this study is to increase our understanding of regional and local palaeoenvironmental and carbon cycle perturbations from a middle Smithian to late Spathian middle latitude section from Central Spitsbergen. Geochemical analyses show an increase in phosphorus and nitrogen just at and above the Smithian–Spathian boundary (SSB). High primary productivity led to increasingly anoxic conditions in bottom waters during the middle and late Spathian, enhancing the preservation of organic matter in the sediments. Anoxic conditions restrain phosphorus remineralization, allowing it to be recycled within the water column. This increase in anoxia is consistent with observations in other Arctic basins, demonstrating larger regional similarities in palaeoenvironmental conditions. The fluctuations in isostatic and eustatic sea levels affected organic carbon sequestration by regulating organic matter mineral interactions via the control of grain size within the sediment. This study demonstrates that local organic carbon sequestration in the Barents Sea shelf during the Spathian was influenced by a multitude of factors, including sedimentology, redox conditions, nutrient availability, and primary productivity. □ Vikinghøgda Formation, bulk rock geochemistry, particulate organic matter, extinction recovery, carbon isotopes, Stensiöfjellet Franziska R. Blattmann ✉ [[email protected]], Zoneibe A.S. Luz [[email protected]] and Torsten W. Vennemann [[email protected]], Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Elke Schneebeli-Hermann [[email protected]] and Hugo F.R. Bucher [[email protected]], Department of Palaeontology, University of Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland; Thierry Adatte [[email protected]], Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Christian Vérard [[email protected]], Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Rue des Maraîchers 13, CH-1205 Geneva, Switzerland; Øyvind Hammer [[email protected]], Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Pb. 1172 Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway; manuscript received on 08/08/2023; manuscript accepted on 02/02/2024; manuscript published on 20/06/2024 in Lethaia 57(2)

The nature of Ordovician limestone-marl alternations in the Oslo-Asker District (Norway):witnesses of primary glacio-eustasy or diagenetic rhythms?

Ordovician limestone-marl alternations in the Oslo-Asker District have been interpreted as signaling glacio-eustatic lowstands, which would support a prolonged “Early Palaeozoic Icehouse”. However, these rhythmites could alternatively reflect differential diagenesis, without sedimentary trigger. Here, we test both hypotheses through one Darriwilian and three Katian sections. Our methodology consists of a bed-by-bed analysis of palynological (chitinozoan) and geochemical (XRF) data, to evaluate whether the limestone/marl couplets reflect an original cyclic signal. The results reveal similar palynomorph assemblages in limestones and marls. Exceptions, which could be interpreted as reflecting palaeoclimatological fluctuations, exist at the species level: Ancyrochitina bornholmensis seems to be more abundant in the marl samples from the lower Frognerkilen Formation on Nakkholmen Island. However, these rare cases where chitinozoans differ between limestone/marl facies are deemed insufficient for the identification of original cyclicity. The geochemical data show a near-perfect correlation between insoluble elements in the limestone and the marls, which indicates a similar composition of the potential precursor sediment, also in the Frognerkilen Formation. This is consistent with the palynological data. Although an original cyclic pattern could still be recorded by other, uninvestigated parameters, our palaeontological and geochemical data combined do not support the presence of such a signal