Hasil untuk "Norway"

S. Rodríguez-Mozaz, I. Vaz-Moreira, Saulo Varela Della Giustina et al.

A comprehensive monitoring of a broad set of antibiotics in the final effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of 7 European countries (Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Cyprus, Germany, Finland, and Norway) was carried out in two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). This is the first study of this kind performed at an international level. Within the 53 antibiotics monitored 17 were detected at least once in the final effluent of the WWTPs, i.e.: ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, enrofloxacin, orbifloxacin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, sulfapyridine, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, nalidixic acid, pipemidic acid, oxolinic acid, cefalexin, clindamycin, metronidazole, ampicillin, and tetracycline. The countries exhibiting the highest effluent average concentrations of antibiotics were Ireland and the southern countries Portugal and Spain, whereas the northern countries (Norway, Finland and Germany) and Cyprus exhibited lower total concentration. The antibiotic occurrence data in the final effluents were used for the assessment of their impact on the aquatic environment. Both, environmental predicted no effect concentration (PNEC-ENVs) and the PNECs based on minimal inhibitory concentrations (PNEC-MICs) were considered for the evaluation of the impact on microbial communities in aquatic systems and on the evolution of antibiotic resistance, respectively. Based on this analysis, three compounds, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin and cefalexin are proposed as markers of antibiotic pollution, as they could occasionally pose a risk to the environment. Integrated studies like this are crucial to map the impact of antibiotic pollution and to provide the basis for designing water quality and environmental risk in regular water monitoring programs.

Mads L. Pedersen, Erik R. Frogner, Lars T. Westlye et al.

Ina Charlotta Werninghaus, Daniëla Maria Hinke, Kirankumar Katta et al.

Abstract The immunogenicity of DNA vaccines can be improved by designing plasmids that encode secreted vaccine fusion proteins that (i) target antigen-presenting cells and (ii) display bivalent antigen. We extended this principle to a combinatorial and simultaneous delivery of 2 influenza virus antigens, hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. Using distinct dimerization motifs prevented mixing of the two antigens in the endoplasmic reticulum of transfected cells, maintaining antigen-presenting cell targeting and bivalency of each. Such a combinatorial DNA vaccine induced B and T cell responses against hemagglutinin and neuraminidase in mice at levels comparable to single-antigen vaccines, and increased protection against homologous influenza virus. In addition, vaccinated mice showed enhanced resistance to challenge with heterologous H1N1 and H5N1 viruses compared with both single-antigen and, importantly, conventional inactivated virus vaccines. This combinatorial DNA vaccine technology can be expanded to more influenza antigens as well as other pathogens, and therefore aid in the development of more potent and broadly reactive DNA vaccines.

Yukun Bai, Zeyu Tang, Xiaoya Peng et al.

Yeasts are an important component of the microbiome in circumpolar regions that are characterized by unique environmental conditions. However, the taxonomy of yeasts remains largely unknown in high- and low-latitude regions. Curing a field survey of yeasts in the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, a new yeast genus in Kriegeriales was isolated from dendritic lichens. Based on the phylogeny of multiple loci (ITS, LSU, SSU, rpb1, rpb2, tef1-α, and cytb), morphology, and physiological characteristics, the new genus Lichenia is proposed with the type species Lichenia svalbardensis. Additionally, 10 °C and 15 °C are the fastest growth temperatures of L. svalbardensis. It has low or no growth at temperatures above 20 °C, and there appears to be a morphogenetic transition from yeast to pseudohyphae or hyphae above 10 °C.

Salomón Salazar-Londoño, Valeria Pérez-Foucrier, Jonathan Patricio Baldera et al.

Objectives: To investigate whether temporal muscle thickness (TMT) can serve as a predictor of change in nutritional widely used biomarkers in patients at risk of dementia. Design: Longitudinal observational study. Setting: Secondary analysis from a 24-week study conducted across three centers in Norway between 2018 and 2020. Participants: Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or with two cardiometabolic disorders were included (n = 165). Measurements: Baseline and longitudinal statistical analysis were carried out to establish the association for outcomes (albumin, weight, C-Reactive Protein and Episodic Memory Quality) with TMT. Results: At baseline, there was a positive association between TMT and weight (Estimate=1.5157, p = 0.009). At follow-up, positive associations were observed between TMT and albumin levels (Estimate=0.3031, P = 0.048), as well as TMT and weight (Estimate=1.8954, P = 0.001). Conclusion: TMT is a possible accessible tool in clinical practice for monitoring health variables beyond cognitive decline in patients at risk of dementia.

Hamidreza Farhadi Rad, Hamed Tahmasebi, Samaneh Javani et al.

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in modulating anticancer immunity, significantly impacting the effectiveness of various cancer therapies, including immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Its impact on the development of cancer is complex; certain bacteria, like Fusobacterium nucleatum and Bacteroides fragilis, can stimulate the growth of tumors by causing immunological evasion and inflammation, while advantageous strains, like Faecalibaculum rodentium, have the ability to suppress tumors by modifying immune responses. Cytokine activity and immune system regulation are intimately related. Cytokines including TGF-β, IL-6, and IL-10 promote tumor development by inhibiting efficient immune surveillance. The gut microbiome exhibits a delicate balance between pro- and anti-tumorigenic factors, as evidenced by the enhancement of anti-tumor immunity by cytokines such as IL-12 and IFN-γ. Improved immunotherapy responses are linked to a diverse microbiota, which is correlated with higher tumor infiltration and cytotoxic T-cell activation. Because microbial metabolites, especially short-chain fatty acids, affect cytokine expression and immune cell activation inside the tumor microenvironment, this link highlights the need to maintain microbial balance for optimal treatment effects. Additionally, through stimulating T-cell activation, bacteria like Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium bifidum increase cytokine production and improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). An option for overcoming ICI resistance is fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), since research suggests that it improves melanoma outcomes by increasing CD8+ T-cell activation. This complex interaction provides an opportunity for novel cancer therapies by highlighting the possibility of microbiome modification as a therapeutic approach in personalized oncology approaches.

Mohamed Jasim Mohamed, Bashra Kadhim Oleiwi, Layla H. Abood et al.

The robotic manipulator is considered one of the complex systems that include multi-input, multi-output, non-linearity, and highly coupled. The uncertainty in the parameters and external disturbances have a negative influence on the performance of the system. Therefore, the controllers that will be designed for these systems must be able to deal with these complexities and difficulties. The Proportional, Integral, and Derivative (PID) controller is known to be simple and well robust, while the neural network has a solid ability to map complex functions. In this paper, we propose six control structures by combining the benefits of PID controller with integer and fractional order and the benefits of neural networks to produce hybrid controllers for a 2-Link Rigid Robot Manipulator (2-LRRM) handling with the problem of trajectory tracking. The Gorilla Forces Troops Optimization algorithm (GTO) was used to tune the parameters of the proposed controller schemes to minimize the Integral of Time Square Error (ITSE). In addition, the robustness of the performance of the suggested control systems is tested by altering the initial position, external disturbances and parameters and carried out using MATLAB. The best performance of the proposed controllers was the Neural Network Fractional Order Proportional Integral Derivative Controller (NNFOPID).

Lita Lundquist

Starting from my former empirical studies but supplemented with fresh fictional “data” from Lars von Trier’s latest TV series Riget Exodus (2022), I first describe how Danes use humour in very characteristic ways, also in cross-cultural professional settings. Next, I explain not only Danish humour but all national humour with the notion of humour socialisation, which integrates and combines national humour with the national language on the one hand, and the specific national process of civilisation on the other hand. Moving to Nordic humour, I focus on how Danes and Swedes perceive each other’s humour, and then explain divergences between the humour of these two Nordic countries. These differences, I conclude, are the result mainly of differences in their respective civilising processes, while I am waiting and hoping for deeper comparative linguistic studies of the use of ‘humour warning signals in Danish and Swedish.

Natasha Shaukat, Javeria Amin, Muhammad Imran Sharif et al.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major reason of blindness around the world. The ophthalmologist manually analyzes the morphological alterations in veins of retina, and lesions in fundus images that is a time-taking, costly, and challenging procedure. It can be made easier with the assistance of computer aided diagnostic system (CADs) that are utilized for the diagnosis of DR lesions. Artificial intelligence (AI) based machine/deep learning methods performs vital role to increase the performance of the detection process, especially in the context of analyzing medical fundus images. In this paper, several current approaches of preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction/selection, and classification are discussed for the detection of DR lesions. This survey paper also includes a detailed description of DR datasets that are accessible by the researcher for the identification of DR lesions. The existing methods limitations and challenges are also addressed, which will assist invoice researchers to start their work in this domain.

Seán McGarraghy, Gudrun Olafsdottir, Rossen Kazakov et al.

System dynamics and agent-based simulation modelling approaches have a potential as tools to evaluate the impact of policy related decision making in food value chains. The context is that a food value chain involves flows of multiple products, financial flows and decision making among the food value chain players. Each decision may be viewed from the level of independent actors, each with their own motivations and agenda, but responding to externalities and to the behaviours of other actors. The focus is to show how simulation modelling can be applied to problems such as fairness and power asymmetries in European food value chains by evaluating the outcome of interventions in terms of relevant operational indicators of interorganisational fairness (e.g., profit distribution, market power, bargaining power). The main concepts of system dynamics and agent-based modelling are introduced and the applicability of a hybrid of these methods to food value chains is justified. This approach is outlined as a research agenda, and it is demonstrated how cognitive maps can help in the initial conceptual model building when implemented for specific food value chains studied in the EU Horizon 2020 VALUMICS project. The French wheat to bread chain has many characteristics of food value chains in general and is applied as an example to formulate a model that can be extended to capture the functioning of European FVCs. This work is to be further progressed in a subsequent stream of research for the other food value chain case studies with different governance modes and market organisation, in particular, farmed salmon to fillet, dairy cows to milk and raw tomato to processed tomato.

Maren Kristine Raknes Sogstad, Astrid Bergland

Innledning: Sammenheng i helsetjenestene har vært på agendaen lenge og har vært tema for utstrakt forskning, utvikling og forbedringsaktiviteter både før og særlig etter Samhandlingsreformen i 2012. Prosjektet CrossCare Old utforsket kvalitet i tverrsektorielle omsorgsoverganger for eldre pasienter fra spesialisert sykehusomsorg til kommunale helse- og omsorgstjenester og mellom ulike tjenestetilbud i kommunen. Basert på en analyse av resultater i publiserte artikler fra studien er målet for denne artikkelen å undersøke og forstå hvordan sammenheng i pasientforløp utspiller seg for eldre pasienter, deres pårørende og helsepersonell i dagens helsetjenester, basert på et tredimensjonalt kontinuitetsbegrep. Metode: En syntese av resultater fra analyser og artikler produsert i CrossCare Old utgjorde vårt empiriske materiale. Vi analyserte dataene ved hjelp av tematisk innholdsanalyse. Begrepet kontinuitet med tre dimensjoner – relasjonskontinuitet, informasjonskontinuitet og organisasjonskontinuitet – brukte vi som ramme i analysen. Resultat: Hovedtemaet som fremkom, var «Sårbar sammenheng i helse- og omsorgstjenesten til eldre pasienter». Sårbarheten knyttes til samspillet mellom personlige behov og preferanser, den sosiale konteksten og tjenestekonteksten. Med hensyn til relasjonskontinuiteten pekes det på at mange personer er involvert, og at helse- og omsorgspersonell har liten tid. Temaet informasjonskontinuitet belyser utilstrekkelig involvering av pårørende og pasienter, mangelfull informasjon, stor vekt på medisinske opplysninger, uklare roller og ansvarsområder samt behov for mer kontakt og muntlig informasjon. Organisasjonskontinuitet omfatter behov for mer uttalt struktur og lederstøtte, for stor arbeidsbelastning og behov for kompetanseutvikling. Konklusjon: Til tross for langvarig innsats for bedre samhandling for å sikre god sammenheng i tjenestene for eldre fremstår fremdeles sammenhengen i tjenestene som sårbar. Utfordringene som beskrives, synes å være resultater av et presset helsesystem med stor arbeidsbelastning, manglende kompetanse, manglende kapasitet i tjenestene og behov for bedre strukturer og lederstøtte. Slik etterlyser informantene i denne studien en organisering og ledelse og en helsepolitikk som gir rammer for å kunne skape sammenheng i helse- og omsorgstjenestene.

Tereza Østbø Kuldova

Artificial intelligence, deep learning and big data analytics are viewed as the technologies of the future, capable of delivering expert intelligence decisions, risk assessments and predictions within milliseconds. In a world of fakes, they promise to deliver ‘hard facts’ and data-driven ‘truth’, but their solutions resurrect ideologies of purity, embrace bogus science reminiscent of the likes of anthropometry, and create a deeply paranoid world where the Other is increasingly perceived either as a threat or as a potential imposter, or both. Social sorting in the age of intelligent surveillance acquires a whole new meaning. This article explores the possible effects of algorithmic governance on society through a critical analysis of the figure of the imposter in the age of intelligent surveillance. It links a critical analysis of new technologies of surveillance, policing and border control, to the extreme ethnographic example of paranoia within outlaw motorcycle clubs – organizations that are heavily targeted by new and old modes of policing and surveillance, while themselves increasingly embracing the very same logic and technologies themselves. With profound consequences. The article shows how in the quest for power, order, profit, and control, we are sacrificing critical reason and risk becoming as a society not unlike the paranoid criminal organizations.

Ahmad M. Karim, Hilal Kaya, Mehmet Serdar Güzel et al.

This paper proposes a novel data classification framework, combining sparse auto-encoders (SAEs) and a post-processing system consisting of a linear system model relying on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. All the sensitive and high-level features are extracted by using the first auto-encoder which is wired to the second auto-encoder, followed by a Softmax function layer to classify the extracted features obtained from the second layer. The two auto-encoders and the Softmax classifier are stacked in order to be trained in a supervised approach using the well-known backpropagation algorithm to enhance the performance of the neural network. Afterwards, the linear model transforms the calculated output of the deep stacked sparse auto-encoder to a value close to the anticipated output. This simple transformation increases the overall data classification performance of the stacked sparse auto-encoder architecture. The PSO algorithm allows the estimation of the parameters of the linear model in a metaheuristic policy. The proposed framework is validated by using three public datasets, which present promising results when compared with the current literature. Furthermore, the framework can be applied to any data classification problem by considering minor updates such as altering some parameters including input features, hidden neurons and output classes.

Marit Honerød Hoveid

En ny start, endring, nyutvikling, forandring – det må være nøkkelordene for dette første nummeret av Nordisk tidsskrift for utdanning og praksis. Vi er svært stolte av den nye profilen tidsskriftet har fått. Målet vårt er å åpne tidsskriftet mot en bredere forfatter- og leserkrets, samtidig som vi tar vare på viktige kvaliteter i det tidligere tidsskriftet FoU i praksis. Dette tidsskriftet har eksistert i mer enn 10 år, først utgitt gjennom Tapir og Akademika, de siste årene gjennom Fagbokforlaget. Hvorfor endre noe som allerede er etablert og har fått en posisjon? 

Koen F. V. Parmentier, Koen F. V. Parmentier, Yves Verhaegen et al.

The restrictions and the concerted action of the global ban on the use and presence of tributyltin (TBT) in marine applications to protect ecosystems in the marine environment in 2008 was mainly based on the economic impact on shellfish industries and the dramatic extinction of local mollusk populations in the past. In contrast to the vast datasets on effects on mollusks, the knowledge on impacts on species from other taxa remained in the uncertain until almost two decades ago. The assumption on a long-term TBT-mediated pernicious metabolic bottom–up regulation of the crustacean Crangon crangon population was provoked by the outcome of an EU-project ‘Sources, Consumer Exposure and Risks of Organotin Contamination in Seafood.’ This study reported high TBT body burdens in C. crangon in 2003, at the start of the transition period to the global ban. Experimental research on the TBT impact in C. crangon focused on agonistic interference with natural ecdysteroid hormones at the metabolic pathways regulating growth and reproduction and the biogeochemical distribution of the chemical. In this paper, metabolic, topical and population-relevant biological endpoints in C. crangon and other crustaceans are evaluated in relation to the temporal and spatial trends on TBT’s occurrence and distribution in the field during and after the introduction of the tributyltin restrictions and endocrine-related incidents. Arguments are forwarded to relate the German Bight incident on growth and reproduction failure in the C. crangon population, despite the lack of direct evidence, to the pernicious impact of tributyltin in 1990/91 and previous years. The extreme occurrence of TBT in C. crangon from other parts of the southern North Sea and evidence on the high body burdens as dose metrics of exposure also feeds the suspicion on detrimental impacts in those areas. This paper further demonstrates the complexity of distinguishing and assessing the individual roles of unrelated stressors on a population in an integrated evaluation at the ecosystem level.

Thomas Sjøberg, MD, Louis de Weerd, MD, PhD

Background:. Previous surgery or slim body configuration can limit the size of the available abdominal flap in autologous breast reconstruction. However, redundant skin and subcutaneous tissue lateral to the mastectomy site can be utilized as the pedicled lateral intercostal artery perforator (LICAP) flap. This study evaluates the combination of a free abdominal flap and a pedicled LICAP flap to achieve increased breast size and improved cosmetic outcome. Methods:. Patients undergoing secondary autologous breast reconstruction were included in a prospective study. The combination with a LICAP flap was used for women with insufficient abdominal flap tissue in relation to the desired breast size. The authors also assessed their modification of the original lateral thoracodorsal flap design to improve the aesthetic outcome. Results:. In 109 patients, 121 free abdominal flaps were performed. The combination with a pedicled LICAP flap was used in 82 free abdominal flap reconstructions (68%). The LICAP flap provided additional volume and resulted in better projection and ptosis of the neo-mamma. The overall complication rate for the LICAP flaps was 26 %; all minor complications. Despite combining flaps, the majority of patients needed additional surgery to improve breast symmetry. Breast reduction of the native breast was the most common symmetrizing procedure. Conclusion:. In selected patients with insufficient abdominal flap tissue, a combination of a free abdominal flap and a pedicled LICAP flap is a valuable option to increase breast size and cosmetic outcome. Additional symmetrizing surgery might still be necessary.

Siri Elisabeth Bernssen

The general content of the assessment of intent was explicitly clarified for the first time in a Norwegian criminal code when the 2005 Criminal Code and its §22 came into force on 1 October 2015. Until the Criminal Code of 1902, the subjective requirement for liability was regulated solely in individual regulations, and even though intent pursuant to §40 in this Code was established as a general main rule, it was still up to the courts to report on the content of the judgement. Thus it is clear that development towards a more and more defined and nuanced study of criminal liability took place gradually.  This article goes even further back in time and looks at how the discussion of liability and responsibility changed between 1642 and 1799, with particular emphasis on intent and related criteria. This will be achieved by analysing 32 cases of infanticide registered with the Hordaland district court (bygdeting), which at this time was the first instance in the legal system.

Jørn Jacobsen

In 2014, a major revision of the Norwegian Constitution was carried out, the momentum being the 200th jubilee of the Constitution and of Norway’s independence in 1814. This was the first major revision of the Norwegian Constitution (the world’s second oldest, only beaten by the US Constitution). Almost ten years earlier, in 2005, a new criminal code had been enacted in Norway. In 2015, this code replaced the code of 1902. A thoroughly revised Constitution and a new criminal code are both major events in any legal order. One could therefore imagine that the Norwegian reforms were related to each other, but wrongly so. This raises the questions: Should the Constitution have played a bigger role in the reform of the criminal code and in that case - how? And more generally: How could an optimal relation between a Constitution and a criminal law reform be achieved?

Juha Jaatinen, Harri Ketamo, Eila Lindfors

This study investigates holistic craft processes in craft education with an instrument for data-collection and self-assessment. Teaching in a study context is based on co-teaching and a design process, highlighted by the Finnish Basic Education Core Curriculum 2014. The school architecture and web-based learning environment is combined. Division for textiles and technical work is no longer supported in this multimaterial learning environment. The aim of the study is to 1) make pupils’ holistic craft processes visible in everyday classroom practices with information collected by a mobile-application and 2) point out the curriculum topics that are covered during everyday classroom practices as defined by the teachers. The data is collected using an Experience Sampling Method with a gamified learning analytics instrument. Teachers’ classroom activities were used as the backbone for the thematic mapping of the craft curriculum. Preliminary measurements were carried out in a Finnish primary school in grades 5–6 (age 10–12, n = 125) during a four-week period in October-November 2016. The list of classroom activities was updated after the four weeks’ experiment and was tested in March-May 2017 with all the pupils of the pilot school (N = 353). The key findings were that a) for pupils the self-assessment was easy as a technical process but there were several factors in the everyday classroom settings that made the process challenging and b) it was relatively difficult for teachers to describe the classroom activities in terms of the new curriculum; however, after four weeks they could not only described the activities in more details but had also developed new activities that supported the ideas of the new curriculum better. Keywords: multi-material craft, learning environment, holistic craft process, experience sampling method

Jørn Jacobsen

Samandrag Artikkelen tematiserer dei overordna linjene i utviklinga i det strafferettslege reaksjonssystemet. Ein gjennomgang av hovudtrekka i reaksjonslærene til kriminallova, straffelova 1902 og straffelova 2005 vert nytta som utgangspunkt for å problematisere reaksjonslæra slik den i dag er. Analysen tek utgangspunkt i ei forståing av straff primært som klander, der reaksjonslæra først og fremst skal formast gjennom eit proporsjonalitetsprinsipp. Sett frå det perspektivet vert det peika på fleire spenningsfylte trekk i reaksjonssystemet som kan indikere ei orientering mot reaksjonar på individuelle karakterar. Utviklinga skapar eit behov for nye teoretiske grunnlagsarbeid.