Soapstone in Northern Norway: Archaeological and Geological Evidence, Quarry and Artifact Survey Results

Archaeological research on the extraction, distribution and utilization of soapstone artifacts in northern Norway has been limited, but systematic geological documentation of soapstone exposures that includes quarry activity provides an opportunity to expand archaeological insights into soapstone provenance and extraction. This article brings together geological and archaeological evidence related to soapstone use in northern Norway to the north of Saltfjellet in Nordland in order to evaluate the current state of knowledge for this resource. The initial section provides a chronological overview of archaeological evidence for soapstone use and associated site contexts, including the distribution of artifact types in time and space. This is followed by a presentation of soapstone geology from a historical perspective focusing on quarry documentation. Quarry evidence is reviewed and results from recent collaborative geological and archaeological surveys presented within a framework of relevant research problems. The final section outlines potential avenues for future interdisciplinary soapstone research

strategy with NT-proBNP before echocardiography

Ruling out cardiac failure: Cost-benefit analysis of a sequential testing strategy with NT-proBNP before echocardiograph

Development of Competency Management System for Hydrometeorological Personnel Within The State Ltd. "Latvian Environment, Geology and meteorology Centre".

Maģistra darbā tika izstrādātas rekomendācijas VSIA “Latvijas Vides, ģeoloģijas un meteoroloģijas centrs” hidrometeoroloģiskā personāla kompetenču vadības sistēmas izveidei. Darba izstrādes laikā tika raksturota kompetenču nozīme organizāciju darbības nodrošināšanā, analizētas starptautiskās kompetenču prasības un rekomendācijas hidrometeoroloģiskajam personālam un to identifikācijas un novērtēšanas problemātika. Pētījuma gaitā tika konstatēts, ka dažādos hidrometeoroloģiskajos dienestos izmanto visai atšķirīgas pieejas kompetenču prasību ieviešanā. Arī pašu kompetenču identifikācija ir komplicēta un prasa dažādu instrumentu izmantošanu, jo nereti nav fiksējama tiešā veidā, bet gan izpaužas darbinieka kopējā snieguma ietvaros. Darba ietvaros tika izstrādāts praktisks, ilgtspējīgs risinājums starptautisko kompetenču prasību un rekomendāciju nodrošināšanai VSIA “Latvijas Vides, ģeoloģijas un meteoroloģijas centrs” – hidrometeoroloģiskā personāla kompetenču vadības sistēmas un tās IT arhitektūras uzbūve. Darbā sniegti priekšlikumi sekmīgai kompetenču vadības sistēmas ieviešanai, kā arī nepieciešamajiem atbalsta pasākumiem nacionālā līmenī. Darbs sastāv no trīs nodaļām un apakšnodaļām, tā kopējais apjoms ir 84 lpp. Darbā ietvertas 4 tabulas un 18 attēli, izmantoti 66 literatūras avoti.This master’s thesis work comprises recommendations for the development of competency management system for hydrometeorological personnel at the State Ltd. ‘Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre’. The work presents characterization of the significant role and contribution competencies demonstrate within organizations, analysis of the international competency requirements and recommendations for hydrometeorological personnel as well as the complex and problematic nature of their identification and assessment. During the investigation, it was found that national hydrometeorological services use variable approaches while ensuring the fulfilment of competency requirements. Furthermore, competencies are often not detectable via direct observations, but rather demonstrated within the overall performance of the employee – therefore their identification requires the application of diverse tools of assessment. The results of this work present an applicable and sustainable solution aiding the fulfilment of international competency requirements and recommendations at the St.Ltd. ‘Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre’ – the structure and IT architecture of the competency management system for hydrometeorological personnel. The work comprises proposals for successful implementation of the competency management system as well as the required national scale support actions. The thesis consists of three chapters and subchapters; its total volume is 84 pages. The work contains 4 tables and 18 figures, 66 references have been used

Adjuvant tamoxifen in breast cancer patients affects the endometrium by time, an effect remaining years after end of treatment and results in an increased frequency of endometrial carcinoma.

Tamoxifen is the most used adjuvant drug in breast cancer treatment. Its main action is as an anti-oestrogen, but in the endometrium of some patients it acts as an oestrogen. Some investigators have even reported an increased risk of developing endometrial carcinoma. The question of how to follow-up these patients and how to identify patients at risk of developing endometrial premalignant changes was investigated by the noninvasive ultrasound method. The follow-up of 292 patients from before the start of adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen and 94 without tamoxifen treatment was conducted at regular intervals. The changes in endometrial thickness as measured by ultrasound and histopathological changes are reported. A thicker endometrium was found in patients with receptor positive breast cancer even before the treatment with tamoxifen started. Cumulative increasing thickness was found during treatment and this thicker endometrium remained until almost 3 years after the end of treatment. If the endometrium was <3 mm after 3 months of treatment the probability that it would be thin after 5 years was high. An increased risk of developing endometrial carcinoma was found, however due to this regular follow-up the cancer was identified at an early stage

Ruling out cardiac failure : Cost-benefit analysis of a sequential testing strategy with NT-proBNP before echocardiography

Objectives. To estimate the possible economic benefit of a sequential testing strategy with NT-proBNP to reduce the number of echocardiographies. Methods. Retrospective study in a third-party payer perspective. The costs were calculated from three Swedish counties: Blekinge, Östergötland, and Uppland. Two cut-off levels of NT-proBNP were used: 400 and 300 pg/mL. The cost-effectiveness of the testing strategy was estimated through the short-term cost avoidance and reduction in demand for echocardiographies. Results. The estimated costs for NT-proBNP tests and echocardiographies per county were reduced by 33%–36% with the 400 pg/mL cut-off and by 28%–29% with the 300 pg/mL cut-off. This corresponded to a yearly cost reduction of approximately €2–5 million per million inhabitants in these counties. Conclusion. The use of NT-proBNP as a screening test could substantially reduce the number of echocardiographies in the diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected cardiac failure, as well as the associated costs

Plasma metabolites associated with healthy Nordic dietary indexes and risk of type 2 diabetes-a nested case-control study in a Swedish population

Background: Epidemiologic evidence on the association of a healthy Nordic diet and future type 2 diabetes (T2D) is limited. Exploring metabolites as biomarkers of healthy Nordic dietary patterns may facilitate investigation of associations between such patterns and T2D. Objectives: We aimed to identify metabolites related to a priori-defined healthy Nordic dietary indexes, the Baltic Sea Diet Score (BSDS) and Healthy Nordic Food Index (HNFI), and evaluate associations with the T2D risk in a case-control study nested in a Swedish population-based prospective cohort. Design: Plasma samples from 421 case-control pairs at baseline and samples from a subset of 151 healthy controls at a 10-y follow-up were analyzed with the use of untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics. Index-related metabolites were identified through the use of random forest modelling followed by partial correlation analysis adjustment for lifestyle confounders. Metabolite patterns were derived via principal component analysis (PCA). ORs of T2D were estimated via conditional logistic regression. Reproducibility of metabolites was assessed by intraclass correlation (ICC) in healthy controls. Associations were also assessed for 10 metabolites previously identified as linking a healthy Nordic diet with T2D. Results: In total, 31 metabolites were associated with BSDS and/or HNFI (-0.19 &lt;= r &lt;= 0.21, 0.10 &lt;= ICC &lt;= 0.59). Two PCs were determined from index-related metabolites: PC1 strongly correlated to the indexes (r = 0.27 for BSDS, r = 0.25 for HNFI, ICC = 0.45) but showed no association with T2D risk. PC2 was weakly associated with the indexes, but more strongly with foods not part of the indexes, e.g., pizza, sausages, and hamburgers. PC2 was also significantly associated with T2D risk. Predefined metabolites were confirmed to be reflective of consumption of whole grains, fish, or vegetables, but not related to T2D risk. Conclusions: Our study did not support an association between healthy Nordic dietary indexes and T2D. However, foods such as hamburger, sausage, and pizza not covered by the indexes appeared to be more important for T2D risk in the current population